Sonic X: Season 3: Shuffle Edition

by KatherineTheMoth

When Sonic had accidently discovered a mysterious board game, he soon asked his friends to play it with him. Little did the gang realize that the board game is cursed and that they are now forced to finish it for the curse to be over. This resulted in a crazy adventure where they have to play the game in order to save their planet, their lives, and the entire universe. Now Game On!

5. The First Level Sucks!

Sonic X: Season 3: Shuffle Edition

The First Level Sucks!

KACHING!

Amy finally got a card after taking her turn at the board game. She got another four. She is now on space 8 on the board game. She took the card out from the card slot and began reading it.

"'A new planet you shall find today. Too bad that you'll get washed away.' Washed away?….So, are we going to find water on a new planet that we'll reach or not? I mean what else would 'washed away' mean anyway?" Amy read the card before thinking out loud.

"Well, I sure hope that it's not! I would rather take dry land over seas any day," Sonic replied with a frown. Sonic was busy reading in a book about some planets throughout the galaxy. Cosmo gave that book to Sonic because she is the "guide" in their game.

"Relax, Sonic. So what if there is going to be some water in another planet? You are going to be just fine!" Amy encouraged as she looked at Sonic.

"Yeah...if there's land that is!" Sonic clarified with a smirk as he put down his book for a bit to look at Amy.

"Seriously, Sonic? Can't you just face your fears for on-" Amy replied with a frown before Knuckles ran in at the bridge and interrupted Amy.

"Guys! Guys! I've got great news!" Knuckles exclaimed as ran in and got near to Amy.

"Huh? What's the great news?" Amy asked curiously as she looked at Knuckles now.

"I've sensed a Chaos Emerald in a nearby planet with the Master Emerald!" Knuckles exclaimed confidently.

"WHAT?!" the whole gang shouted aside from Knuckles. Knuckles smirked as he crossed his arms triumphantly.

"Yep, it's true. And it happened just a few seconds ago," Knuckles added casually.

"Are you kidding me? Your Master Emerald can detect the Chaos Emeralds, Mr. Knuckles?" Cream asked with some confusion in her voice.

"Since when? Since when had the Master Emerald was able to be set off like that?" Amy also asked in confusion.

"Like I had just said, it happened a few seconds ago. While I was polishing the Master Emerald, it had glowed very brightly since it had sensed a nearby Chaos Emerald. The Master Emerald and the Chaos Emeralds share a link with one another since they all share chaos energy. So, it was possible for the Master Emerald to detect the Chaos Emerald," Knuckles explained calmly. Amy, Cream, Cosmo, and Chris were staring at Knuckles with dumbfounded expressions. Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails were sitting in their seats while looking at each other with knowing looks on their faces. Sonic and Tails knew Knuckles the longest out of all the people in the gang, and if there is one place where Knuckles is very knowledgeable at besides themselves, it would be about the Master Emerald and the Chaos Emeralds respectively.

Knuckles then added with his hands out, "That means we are very close to our first Chaos Emerald. It is somewhere within this general area. All we need to do is find that planet that has the emerald!".

"Is it true, Tails? Is he right?" Amy asked while looking at him.

"Let's check where we are," Tails responded as he clicked on a few buttons to bring up a blue sphere-like hologram. It showed a map from where Tails' spaceship was at in the map and where the nearby planets are at.

Chris soon spotted a planet that is next to where they are at in the map. "I think it's here. This is the planet that we are close to," Chris said as he pointed at the map.

"That is planet Seaco. It is a planet that-" Cosmo added before she was cut off by Sonic.

"That has absolutely no water! Sweet! Best planet ever!" Sonic exclaimed while reading the guidebook that Cosmo gave him. He hopped out of his seat and winked at Cosmo and Chris.

Cosmo replied with a frown, "Please don't interrupt me again, Sonic. It's very rude".

"Heh heh, uh, sorry, Cosmo," Sonic replied sheepishly.

Amy then turned to look at Tails and commanded, "Tails! You know what to do! Take us to planet Seaco so that we can find that Chaos Emerald!".

Tails replied with a frown, "But...I'm the captain of the ship".

"Yeah, but I made my turn on that board game!" Amy exclaimed.

"What does that had to do with anything?" Tails argued back.

"I hadn't given the board game to Cream yet, so, I'm still in charge of my turn, even when it was done!" Amy argued back with a frown in annoyance.

"...You...You don't become a leader every time it's your turn, Amy. It's not part of the game," Tails replied sheepishly with a frown.

"Just shut it and go, Tails! We're wasting time here!" Amy exclaimed in annoyance.

"Okay! Fine! Geez...no need to be a bossy-boots," Tails replied before he mumbled to himself as he steered the spaceship towards the nearby planet. Soon, they are starting to land on the planet. The spaceship descended from the atmosphere down towards the ground below. However, as the ship got closer down to the ground, the gang noticed that there was barely any land. Instead, the whole planet was almost filled with water!

"Just a second guys! I am spotting massive abundances of water in this world!" Chris exclaimed in surprise at the discovery.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! What?! You have got to be joking! We can't land here! We have got to go back and find a different planet! This can't be right!" Sonic exclaimed in surprise and in annoyance.

"We're not turning back, Sonic! So, deal with it!" Knuckles exclaimed with a smirk. He snickered to himself in slight amusement at Sonic's distress. As long as I get entertained during this nightmarish trip, I think I'll survive this. Knuckles thought as he looked at Sonic's panicked look in his face.

The spaceship then transformed slightly before it had made its landing on the water below. The spaceship made a whole splash through the water as it had landed.

"Awesome! A perfect landing!" Tails exclaimed happily.

"There's no reason to get that excited over a landing, Tails," Amy said with a confused look on her face.

"Aww...spoilsport," Tails muttered with a frown. It's his eight-year old self that had kicked in that moment. He can't help it if he liked the nice landing that he did on the water. It looked cool!

When the spaceship had finally stopped, it had just floated on the water like a regular ship. The gang walked towards the runway of the ship and got out some yellow-green submarines for their travels across the huge ocean.

"Here, Cream. It's your turn. Once you get on land, you should make your move on that board game," Amy said as she held the board game to her. Cream grabbed it and smiled at her.

"Great! Thanks, Miss Amy!" Cream exclaimed happily as she held the board game to her chest.

"Anytime! Teehee!" Amy exclaimed with a giggle.

The girls soon went towards their chosen submarines with smiles on their faces. Sonic looked at them with slight annoyance. Of coarse they're happy to go since they don't fear water unlike a certain someone they know! Sonic thought sarcastically with a sweat drop on his head.

Tails then walked past Sonic and was about to board onto the submarine before Sonic pulled him back a bit to talk to him. "What is it, Sonic?" Tails asked with a confused look on his face.

"Tails...this can't be the right place. Look at the guidebook that Cosmo gave me. It says that this planet has no water in it," Sonic said as he showed Tails the guidebook.

Tails frowned as he replied, "I'm going to take a guess and say that this was the result of that turn that Amy made in the game. The part that says 'washed away' in Amy's card should've tipped you off that there will be water in the planet we visit".

"But I didn't expect this much water!" Sonic exclaimed with a frown.

"Well, what do you expect? We're playing a cursed board game here. Of coarse this game isn't going to be easy. That game had killed many people for a reason, you know," Tails replied as he rolled his eyes for a bit.

"..." Sonic felt speechless after he heard that last sentence. …...I'm going to die in water, aren't I? Sonic thought as he felt pale.

"So, in other words, that guidebook is next to useless since the board game can do whatever it wants," Tails continued before climbed up on the submarine. Sonic looked back at his guidebook while Tails added, "It's like as if a game designer had changed the layout of a level at the last minute. That is the sort of nonsense that we are forced to deal with, Sonic. I hope you're happy in wanting to play this game now because we all have to deal with this".

"Argh! This first planet sucks! I hate water levels," Sonic exclaimed in irritation.

"Oh, cheer up, Sonic! You're going with me! Hopefully, you can handle being underwater in a submarine, right?" Chris replied optimistically as he finished the final touches on his submarine.

"Heheh, oh...don't test me, Chris. Please," Sonic muttered with a sweat drop on his head. Chris shrugged and smiled sheepishly at Sonic. I guess the smart thing to do is not provoke him in his hatred for water. I should stick on his good side for now. Chris thought as he got into his submarine.

"Okay, everyone! Let's head out!" Tails exclaimed as he pointed with his finger. The gang soon moved their submarines to the water and had dived under it. Sonic and Chris drove their double submarine in the water. Sonic panicked as he was driving the submarine to the water. Please let me live! Please! Sonic thought as the double submarine was submerged underwater.

The gang was now traveling underwater as fast as they could. Chris then said, "See, Sonic? That wasn't so bad, right? Righ-".

As he turned to look at Sonic, Sonic looked like he was going to throw up. Sonic was grateful that he could breathe, but that doesn't mean he isn't seasick because...hoy boy, he was. Chris smiled sheepishly as he thought. Poor, Sonic. Even taking some baby steps to overcome his fear of water is a huge hurtle to jump over. At least he can throw up in peace.

Chris turned back to see the view in front of him. Apparently, he was too lost in his thoughts because he had accidently lost track of the others. Oh, shoot! Where are they now?! Chris thought as he panicked a little. He soon accidently ran his submarine very closely to some fish.

"AH! We're about to crash!" Chris exclaimed before he quickly steered the submarine upwards to avoid hitting the fish. Unfortunately, Chris did it so fast that their double submarine was now spinning in circles.

"Chris! I blame you for this!" Sonic exclaimed before screamed.

"Sorry!" Chris exclaimed back before he screamed too.

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang had made it safely to the shore. They were on a small piece of land, surrounded by the huge ocean around them. Cream was still holding the board game while standing next to Cosmo. Cosmo then said, "Will Sonic and Chris make it out okay?".

"I sure hope so. I mean they were just following us a minute ago. (Chao chao!)" Cream replied to Cosmo as well as Cheese.

"Well...maybe they are alright," Cosmo replied with a little smile. Cream smiled too.

"Okay, Knuckles. If you're so sure that a Chaos Emerald is around here somewhere, then where is it? I don't see it!" Amy said as she looked at Knuckles. Cream and Cosmo turned to look at Knuckles too.

Knuckles looked back as he replied confidently, "Well, of coarse, you don't see it or even sense it like I do".

Amy frowned as she replied, "What's that supposed to mean?".

"Only the master of treasure hunters can sense emeralds as if they are magnets. Since you are not a treasure hunter, you can't find it on your own. I can," Knuckles answered with a smirk.

"I can find it too, you know!" Amy exclaimed in irritation. Knuckles simply looked smug at her as he shrugged his shoulders a bit.

"So...how do you find the emeralds, Knuckles?" Cosmo asked politely.

"Easy. I have a talent in sensing chaos energy. I've been near the Master Emerald throughout my life, and I've learned to sense its energy. If I can sense that energy, then I would naturally sense the Chaos Emerald's energy. So, leave the professional treasure hunting to me! I got this!" Knuckles calmly stated before he grabbed his Shovel Claws out and wore them.

"Let me show you how it's done!" Knuckles proudly declared before he began digging through the sand below. He was busy digging around as he felt determined to find the Chaos Emerald. I know that the Chaos Emerald is around here somewhere...But where? Knuckles thought as he dug quickly through the ground.

He went past the girls again on the other side as he continued digging. Where? Knuckles thought again as dug right past them.

Amy simply face-palmed as she said, "He can be so stubborn sometimes! Well then, if he thinks he's the only one who can find the emerald, then I'm going to try to find it myself!".

"Hmm..." Cream mused before she set the board game down for a bit to grab out a pail and a small rake in her hands. She then said, "Hey, Cosmo. If Knuckles and Amy re going to try to find the Chaos Emerald, then we should help too!".

Cosmo looked at Cream and smiled as she grabbed her own small rake from Cream's pail. They soon sat down on the ground and decided to dig to the best as they can. Amy looked at the long dug up path that Knuckles did and looked Cosmo and Cream trying their best to dig with their small rakes.

"At this rate, we'll never find the emerald. I'm going to look elsewhere and find some help. Maybe there is someone here who had found the emerald already," Amy replied as she then turned around and walked away.

"Will Amy be okay going on her own?" Cosmo asked while she dug some more sand.

"You can count on Miss Amy, Cosmo. She is just as head strong as Mr. Sonic is. She'll be okay," Cream replied with a smile.

"Well, okay then. But how about you start your turn on that game now. It would be good to get some progress done," Como replied with a nod.

Cream nodded too as she then stopped digging to grab the board game and open it. Once she got the board game open, she then pushed the red button to start her turn. The roulette wheel started to spin again. After a few seconds, the wheel stopped, and Cream's game piece moved again.

"Wow! I got a seven! (Chao Chao!)" Cream exclaimed happily along with Cheese. Cream is now on space 10 on the board game.

KACHING!

Another white card popped out of the card slot. Cream grabbed the card and read it. "'Fishing out treasure may be hard because you have to wait, but what if you are the treasure and that you are...bait'? (Gulp) Uh oh...I think we might be in trouble here," Cream read the card before she spoke nervously afterwards.

"What's wrong?" Cosmo asked in confusion.

"Something tells me...that the Metarex might hunt us down again. I just hope that Sonic and the others will protect us. I...I don't want to become bait," Cream replied with worry in her tone.

Cosmo was speechless at first before she frowned as she replied, "...Me neither".

-Meanwhile With Sonic and Chris-

Eventually, Sonic and Chris had reached the surface in their double submarine. Sonic and Chris got out from their submarines with relief. Sonic was coughing for a bit. He actually did manage to throw up after that little spinning incident. Chris looked at Sonic with a frown as he replied, "Sorry about that. It must be very bumpy for you during that little accident".

"(Cough) (Cough)…..Just...(Cough)…..don't ever make that mistake again. Please...(Cough)…..for my sake," Sonic replied weakly while still coughing a bit.

Chris nodded as he smiled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. He then looked around to see where they had landed. "Uh oh, I don't think that the others are around here. We must have taken a different route than them after that little accident," Chris said as he looked at the shore in front of him. He could also spot a metallic building on the shore in front of him.

"Greeeeeaaaaat," Sonic replied sarcastically as he plopped down on his stomach on top of the submarine while having a frown on his face. First, water, and now separation from my friends...Why does this remind me of my first day on Earth? Sonic brooded with a grimace. This was certainly not a good day for him.

"Maybe we should go search for your friends in there!" Chris exclaimed as he pointed to the metallic building in front of him. Sonic looked up to the building where Chris was pointing.

"Well...it's worth a shot," Sonic replied as he sighed a bit.

Soon, Chris and Sonic made it to the shore. Chris had struggled to keep Sonic moving as he still felt seasick for a while. He was holding onto Sonic to keep him steady as they walked together.

"That's it. Keep it going, Sonic. We're almost there," Chris encouraged as he helped him to walk on the shore.

They walked for a few more steps before some fish-like Metarex robots had appeared in front of them. Chris exclaimed in shock, "Sonic! Look!".

Sonic immediately sobered up as he heard Chris' yell. He looked up and saw the fish robots in front of him. The fish robots are red with huge black eyes, orange flippers on their hands and feet, and with big, orange lips just like regular fish have. They had gathered around to block Sonic's and Chris' path to the building behind them. While Chris was still holding Sonic, Sonic then replied, "Oh great...more poachers. This day had just gotten from bad to worse!".

"I think Cream must have taken her turn then if the Metarex had showed up. There is just no way these guys had showed here this quickly. I haven't even seen them come out of that building either!" Chris added with a frown.

"Just our luck! Those two turns that Amy and Cream took must have summoned the Metarex to be here! The Metarex must be the cause for making this dry world to be filled to the brim with water! And I'm going to take a bet that they have the Planet Egg already if they can make water appear so suddenly!" Sonic exclaimed with a frown.

"Y-Yeah...that would explain a lot actually," Chris replied as slowly let go of Sonic's shoulders. Sonic quickly stood up straighter as he prepared for battle. The Metarex robots soon charged at them, but Sonic was blocking them from Chris as he punched them away. He couldn't punch them directly, but he did disorient them for a bit with his fast attacks. He then caught one of the robots by its arm and threw it away from him and Chris. He then quickly punches the robots directly this time since he is now ready to fight back after that brief surprise encounter. He punched and kicked them from either the face, the side, or the underbelly as he deflected the robots from Chris.

After he knocked a few robots away, Sonic jumped back to Chris and exclaimed to him, "What are you doing standing here?! You need to run away!".

"Not this time! I can fight on my own now!" Chris exclaimed as he stood more confidently.

"...Say wha?" Sonic asked in confusion as he stared at Chris skeptically. The robots were getting prepared for another attack.

Chris got into a battle position as he explained to Sonic. "I had studied karate under Mr. Tanaka for years. He taught me everything I know about martial arts. I can fight these poachers off with style!" Chris explained with a confident look on his face. Chris walked over to one of the Metarex robots while Sonic stood back in confusion.

Sonic then exclaimed while trying to warn Chris, "But! Chris! Mr. Tanaka's fighting moves won't work on these guys! They are even made of metal for crying out loud!".

"Just watch, Sonic! And you'll see how much of a pushover these guys really are!" Chris exclaimed with a smile as he stood next to one of the robots. Chris then decided to throw a punch at the robot. In his mind, he thought that he had hit it, but in reality, he couldn't reach it. "Ah? What the-?! Wait a minute! Let me try again!" Chris exclaimed in surprise. The robot became confused as it stared at Chris.

"Chris, seriously! Run away!" Sonic exclaimed as he held his hand out to him.

"No way! I got this!" Chris exclaimed as he looked back at Sonic for a moment. He then tried to kick the robot, but just like the previous attempt, he couldn't hit the robot. His 12-year old body couldn't reach the robot not matter how hard he attacks. In his mind, he thought that he did hit it, but it actually didn't happen. Chris felt very confused.

"What is going on?! I could hit this robot! I swear that I could! How am I-" Chris exclaimed in shock again before he was cut off by the robots growling at him. He thought. Uh oh!

Chris started to run away from the charging robots. Sonic was still fighting the robots. Sonic then exclaimed, "Chris! This is no time to be daydreaming! I said get out of here!".

"But I wasn't daydreaming! Honest! I thought that I was hitting them! I know that these moves could work!" Chris yelled as he was running away from the Metarex robots.

As Sonic was fighting more robots with his punches and kicks, he yelled back, "Since when had Mr. Tanaka had ever effectively stopped a robot with his fighting moves?!".

"...Um, fair point! But don't you think that you need my help?!" Chris yelled after thinking about it for a bit.

"Do I look like I need help? I think that you need more help more than me!" Sonic replied casually while holding a robot back with one hand as he stood in a cocky pose. He then let go of the robot in order to punch and kick it again.

That...That just hurt. Chris brooded after he heard Sonic say that. He felt his pride getting crushed after that embarrassing reprimand from Sonic. As he ran away from the robots, he brooded.

What is the point improving yourself if you won't be able to use any of your new abilities you had gained throughout the years? I did lots of training for six years, but now I'm stuck in my 12-year old body again without any of the moves I had gained! Was...Was my training a complete waste? Was I never meant to be a great fighter just like Sonic and the others? …...No! That can't be true!

Chris then stood still and looked back at the robots running at him. Chris still couldn't accept that he is useless again. Not after all that hard work he had done for six, long years. Chris got ready in a battle position. He was ready to do a counter attack at the robots. One of the robots tried to hit him, but he dodged and managed to punch it successfully.

"Yes! I got him! I—Ah!" Chris exclaimed triumphantly as he managed to punch the robot in the jaw. However, he felt a burning pain in his hand since the robot was indeed made of metal. Chris immediately retracted his hand in pain as he yelled, "Owwwwwwwwww!". He spun around while clutching his wrist since his injured hand was swollen.

"Ha! See? I told you that they are made out of metal!" Sonic teased with a grin as looked back at Chris.

"Sonic! Don't-AH!" Chris yelled before he saw more robots closing in for the kill. Before any one of them got Chris, Sonic quickly pushed him out of the way.

Sonic yelled, "Move!". Chris was soon stumbling towards the sea. He then fell into the water.

Meanwhile, Sonic was busy fighting the fish robots as they had ganged up on him after Sonic had pushed Chris away from them. He was able to knock them away by using his Super Spinball attack. He hit each of the robots very hard with his spinball attack. As he spun around in a circle, he managed to get the hoard of robots off of him. He then got down and stood there while waiting for another robot to attack him. He saw that Chris had swam towards the submarine and had reached it.

Sonic then yelled, "These things are poachers, Chris! You shouldn't have tried to mess with them in the first place!".

"But Sonic! I-" Chris yelled back in protest as he grabbed onto the submarine and looked back at Sonic.

"Just ask Tails or Amy to come here and help me! That is something that you can do! Now, get out of here!" Sonic yelled back in slight irritation. He's not going to let Chris get killed by these poachers. Chris had nothing to do with this!

"But I want to help you myself! What I need to do is help you!" Chris yelled back as he doesn't want to give up fighting. He had not helped Sonic very much in the past, and he desperately wanted to change that by helping him now. He wanted to amend his past mistakes by helping Sonic now!

"What you need to do right now is survive! This whole game that we're in is all about survival! The only thing that you need to look out right now is yourself, Chris! Not anyone else!" Sonic yelled back with a serious look on his face.

Chris shook his head "no" as he yelled back, "But I don't want to lose you to these poachers either! Besides, I don't want to be selfish anymore! Just please let me help you!".

Sonic gritted his teeth in frustration. He then yelled back, "Well, you are sounding very selfish right now by insisting on wanting to help me, despite my warnings!".

Chris gasped in shock while Sonic continued, "Chris, you are not a player in this game! So, you have every reason to not stay here any longer than needed to! I'm just trying to protect you! Don't you even remember your friends and family back home?! If you had died while trying to protect me, then they'll never get the chance to see you again! I'm doing this for your own good! Now leave!".

Chris gasped again before he nodded as he replied in defeat, "O-Okay, Sonic. I'll leave now". He soon looked away for one second before he and Sonic heard a voice.

"Well, well, well now. It seems that I had found myself some bait!" a robot voice said.

Chris quickly looked back and yelled out in shock, "Oh no! Sonic! A huge poacher is behind you!".

"What?! Bait?!" Sonic exclaimed in surprise while a tall, blue and yellow fish robot stood behind him. It seems that all that arguing had caught the attention of the leader of the Metarex poachers in this planet. As Sonic slowly looked back, the robot immediately swiped him up with its yellow fin-like hands.

The robot said as he held Sonic back a bit, "Now, I will see if this bait is a feisty one".

The robot then threw Sonic across the water. Sonic had managed to have his body skip along across the water while spinning around. He soon splashed down into the water. Sonic tried to keep himself afloat by flailing around and while sputtering out some water from his mouth.

The robot laughed in the sidelines. "Hahahaha! It seems that this bait isn't much of a swimmer! Excellent then! It shall be perfect bait for my catch of the day! Hahahahahaha!".

"Sonic! Just keep on fighting this! Swim! Swim like your life depends on it!" Chris yelled as he tried to encourage Sonic to swim.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING, CHRIS?!" Sonic shouted in irritation as he kept on swimming desperately to stay afloat.

"Oh...uh...yeah, actually this is the sort of situation where its required to survive. Heheh," Chris replied awkwardly while sitting on top of the submarine now.

A few seconds later, a machine had opened, and a missile was lifted up. However, this isn't any normal missile. It's a net missile. Chris looked up at the machine with the missile in shock. What is that thing?! Chris thought in worry.

The missile then fired at Sonic. Sonic was still yelling in fear as he kept on trying to swim at the surface. The missile then broke apart, and a net had come out of it. The net captured Sonic and had lifted him out of the water. Sonic may have been glad that he's not drowning anymore, but he is now worried since he's been captured.

"Ah! Sonic!" Chris exclaimed in worry. This is bad! Chris thought with a frown. "It won't be long now since the poachers may soon kill him," Chris said to himself solemnly.

"Yeeeeaaaahoooo! I caught a nice bait! The perfect type of prey for fishing!" the blue robot exclaimed excitedly as it had jumped and pranced around the beach in victory.

Chris frowned at the tall robot and yelled, "Hey! You are not going to turn Sonic into bait!".

"Oh? Do you really think that, kid? Well guess again! Cause it is happening, and you can't stop me! Boys? Sick 'em!" the blue robot replied as it had ordered the fish poachers to dive into the water and surround the submarine.

Sonic yelled as he was swinging in the net, "Don't stay here, Chris! They are going to kill you!".

"But what about you?! You're about to get killed too!" Chris yelled back.

Sonic soon positioned himself so that he can look at Chris through the net. He then yelled, "At least you are able to escape from them than me! Don't throw this chance away, Chris! You can't just throw your life away in order to save me! You have a greater risk at stake since you have friends and family to get back to at home! You can't die now! You just can't, Chris! Being alive is more important in this situation than saving me! Now save yourself, Chris! Before it's too late!".

Chris frowned a bit after hearing that. He then said, "Alright, you win, Sonic. I'll leave". He sunk his head in shame as he finally went into the submarine. He drove the submarine away. A few fish robots may have gotten on it, but they fell off as soon as the submarine was moving. Sonic stared as Chris got away from the robots in his submarine.

Sonic...please survive this. We need you. Chris thought as he looked back at the island one last time.

-30 Minutes Later; On The Blue Typhoon-

Chris had retreated to the Blue Typhoon safely. He had contacted Tails to talk to him about Sonic being captured after he got back on the ship. Tails immediately went back to the Blue Typhoon after searching for the Chaos Emerald for a little bit. When Tails got back, he could see Chris going into the white airplane.

"Are you serious, Chris?! Sonic had been captured by some poachers?!" Tails exclaimed in worry as he looked up at Chris.

"Yes, this is huge problem. Without him, the game won't continue if he gets killed! That is why I'm going back to save him!" Chris replied with a determined look on his face as he was seated into the plane.

"You can't go by yourself! Didn't Sonic tell you to stay safe?! You are uninvolved in the game!" Tails exclaimed in shock as he raises his arms up.

"Maybe so, but aren't I an 'ally' in this game? I have to help him somehow if I'm an ally, right?" Chris replied seriously as he looked at Tails from the plane.

"But Chris! You aren't even a player in this game! If anyone should go to save Sonic, it should be another player like Amy or Knuckles! Or even me!" Tails exclaimed while moving a bit in concern.

"But I can do it, Tails! I'm not a little kid anymore! I've changed!" Chris argued back in frustration.

Tails ran a bit closer to the plane to look at Chris. He argued back by saying, "Then how are you going to do it? Do you have a way to beat those Metarex poachers or not?".

"I have a plan! I'll just go to where Sonic is being held in and...and...uhhh...do something when I get there..." Chris replied in determination before becoming sheepish in the end. In truth, he had no idea what he's doing, but he had to do something to help him.

"Chris...you don't always have to prove your worth to us by doing things on your own. All you need to do is believe in yourself and in others. I can help you, Chris, and if you believe in me to help you, then we can help Sonic together!" Tails replied calmly with a smile.

Chris thought about that for a moment. I guess he's right. I really need to trust my friends more often if I want to get things done. Sonic needs us. He needs us to work together in order to help him. And that what I'm going to do!

"Okay, Tails. You have a point. So, what's the plan now?" Chris replied as he got out of the plane and climbed down the ladder to get the ground.

"Well, I think that our plan should be-" Tails replied before his wrist communicator starting beeping loudly.

"This is Tails here. Who's calling me?" Tails answered as he opened his wrist communicator and talked into it.

"Tails, I've got some good news to tell you," Amy replied calmly.

"Oh...uh...well, I've only got some bad news on my end but tell me your news first. Have you found the Chaos Emerald yet?" Tails replied.

"Um, no, but I found the locals of this planet in an underground area. They are very familiar about the land area around here, and they know where the Metarex base is on this landmass," Amy replied as she answered Tails' question.

"Ah. I see. Well, uh, the bad news is about Sonic," Tails replied awkwardly.

"Let me guess. He got captured by poachers, right?" Amy answered quickly.

"Huh? How did you know?" Tails asked in confusion.

"One of the locals here had claimed that they had witnessed the whole event behind a hiding spot. They are willing to help me find him since they trust me. They seem to be rather friendly to outsiders like us, so, they are okay with my presence," Amy explained as she looked one of the locals behind her.

Chris had overheard the conversation between Tails and Amy and had decided to join in. "Okay, but do you want us to come with you to help?".

"It's okay. These kind folks here will show me the way to where Sonic is being captured. I can handle the Metarex by myself! Oh, I can't wait to see the look on his face as I gracefully rescue him from the poacher's clutches! He will be so impressed by how far I had come from being the little, dainty girl he had met back on Little Planet to becoming a strong heroine who rescues heroes like him!" Amy replied calmly before she started to gush in excitement. Thinking about saving Sonic had always excited her because of how romantic the whole thing is. She even held up her hammer in happiness.

Meanwhile, Chris and Tails kept on listening to Amy narrate her own fantasies.

"'Oh, yes, Amy, hit those enemies even harder! Oh, you're so hot when you do that!' Why thank you, Sonic! I always know how to please you! I'll hit them as hard as you want it to! 'Yes! Yes! Like that! You are so amazing when you do that! How have I ignored you for so long when you are so...so...positively gorgeous...and...aaaahhh...beautiful. Now...come here, baby.' Ooooooh Soooooonniiicc!" Amy narrated in an exaggerated fashion while pretending to role play as Sonic and herself.

Sweat drops had formed on Chris' and Tails' heads as they listened to this embarrassing monologue from Amy. Chris responded awkwardly without thinking, "Why did she have to make it sound erotic?".

"What does 'erotic' mean, Chris?" Tails asked in confusion as he stared up at Chris.

"AH! UH! NOTHING, TAILS! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! I WAS JUST BEING STUPID AS USUAL! D-DON'T MIND ME! UH-" Chris shouted in a panic as he waved his hands at Tails while blushing in embarrassment.

"HEY! ARE YOU GUYS LISTENING TO ME?!" Amy shouted as she felt ignored.

"ACK! Uh, um, yes, Amy, but can we please focus on working together now? This isn't the time to be fantasying about Sonic in that way!" Chris exclaimed as waved his arms now.

"I CAN FANTASIZE ABOUT SONIC ANYTIME I WANT TO! DON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Amy shouted in irritation.

"F-Fine! Sheesh! Do whatever you want! Go and find Sonic on your own if you want to!" Chris exclaimed in slight frustration.

"Thank you. Now, Tails, you need to come and pick us up in the X-Tornado after I save Sonic. Can I count on you to do that?" Amy replied as she went over her own plan.

"Oh, uh, yeah, sure. I can do that. I'll get to you in about an hour. Will that be enough time?" Tails replied calmly.

"That sounds perfect! I'll be heading off right now! Amy out!" Amy exclaimed cheerfully before she turned off the transmission.

Tails soon closed his wrist communicator after Amy had turned off the transmission. Chris then replied, "So, we should take the X-Tornado then I take it?".

"Yeah, but I think it will be good for you to stay back a bit. We already got Amy helping us out here, so, you don't need to come with me. I got this," Tails replied with a smile.

Chris was surprised as he said, "But what about us working as a team?".

"Well, you got a pilot and a strong hammer warrior helping you! Sonic is in good hands here! You trust us, right? Now, all you can do is clean up yourself and relax because...man, you look all worn out and dirty!" Tails replied with a grin as he raised his hand a bit.

Chris' eyes had widened as he then looked down at his clothes to see how dirty he really is. He rubbed his face to check if there is dirt. It turns out that Tails was right. He looked at his hands and saw the dirt on them. He then thought a little. I think the sand must've gotten stuck on me. Maybe I should wash up a bit. But still...

"Tails...do I have to stay back?" Chris asked with a frown.

Tails smiled a little sympathetically before he walked closer and grabbed his arm to comfort him. "Chris...I understand how much you want to help Sonic. I felt like that too several times Sonic had told me to stay back. But Sonic had a good reason to tell you that. He wanted to protect you just he did with me. He will always place his own life above his own so that he can save us. That is why he's a hero! Sometimes...you just got to place one's wishes over your own. But I will say this...there will be some situations where you must go against one's wishes as long as it is for a good cause," Tails replied with a sad smile.

Chris didn't say anything but stared into Tails for a bit before hanging his head down. Tails then gave Chris a hug to comfort Chris. "Just...take some time to think about it. If you do want to come and help us...then please do us all a favor and protect yourself along the way, okay?" Tails suggested kindly with a smile. Chris frowned, but he did hug Tails back.

"...Fine. I will," Chris replied sadly.

-A Few Minutes Later-

Chris was now lying in bed in his room after cleaning himself up a bit. He was busy brooding to himself. He thought over what Tails had said and what Sonic had said to him.

Tails is right. Sonic had been protecting his friends for a long time, especially me. Back at six years ago, he had always saved me from all sorts of danger. Some of which...is partially of my fault. But...But I can't help it! I just wanted to prove to Sonic that I am one of them! That I can do something amazing like all of them! That is why...That is why I had started to improve myself over the last six years. I've learned to fight, pilot aircraft, get a job, and finish high school because I wanted to feel like I had accomplished something in life. I hated myself for being so powerless and being so useless. I thought that if I can get some new skills for myself then I can be useful to Sonic and his friends. …...But now...now I can't even use them. I...I hadn't changed at all, hadn't I?

He remembers the one time while studying in his lab back home that his picture got broken as the wind knocked it down to the floor. He went over to the picture to pick it up. He looked at the picture of his 12-year old self, Sonic, Tails, and Amy on it. He then said in determination, "I know that you need me. I'm sure that someday you will".

Chris frowned as he tossed and turned in his bed as he brooded some more.

All I had did in my life was wanting Sonic to recognize me as a useful friend. To be a part of his gang. I...I really had wasted those six years, hadn't I? I may have developed my skills, but I hadn't changed at all on the inside. I'm still the whiny, useless kid that I was six years ago. The type of kid who was always obsessed with Sonic and his friends much more than anything else. So much that he had tried to trap Sonic forever and never want him to leave. …...And here am I...the one who had finally come to him all for the sole purpose of...meeting him...

"Do I look like I need help? I think that you need more help more than me!"..."What you need to do is survive! This whole game that we're in is all about survival! The only thing that you need to look out right now is yourself, Chris! Not anyone else!" …..."Well, you are sounding very selfish right now by insisting on wanting to help me, despite my warnings!" …..."...Don't you even remember your friends and family back home?! If you had died while trying to protect me, then they'll never get the chance to see you again!"

Chris gasped as that last memory of Sonic yelling at him had finally fully registered in his mind. He frowned deeper in depression as he brooded in shame.

Sonic was right. I really am selfish, even when I'm trying to not to be anymore. I've been so focused on Sonic so much that I hadn't taken my friends or even my family into account when making my decision to leave. I may have given them a note, but that was all I had did. I hadn't even considered dying as a consequence in my experiment into coming here or even when fighting dangerous opponents like the Metarex. I had left my family and friends behind, and I might not possibly come back to them during this trip. I could...I could possibly die.

Mom...Dad...Grandpa Chuck...Ms. Ella...Mr. Tanaka...Danny...Francis...and...Helen...oh, Helen! What...What have I done?

-Meanwhile Back At Chris' Lab-

"What?! No! Chris is at Sonic's world right now?! Why?! Why did he had to leave unannounced?!" Mrs. Linsday Thorndike exclaimed in shock. She still couldn't believe that her son had left without telling her "goodbye" personally.

"I don't know why either Mrs. Thorndike, but we shouldn't try go to Sonic's world by operating his machine. Who knows what can happen if we do?" Francis replied with a frown.

"Yeah, if Chris knows how this thing works, then it is impossible to replicate what he had done accurately. An accident is more likely to happen than a successful attempt, Mrs. Thorndike," Danny added with a similar frown.

"But! But!...Chuck, can you try operating on this machine? You had worked on a similar machine back when you were helping Tails and his friends to get back home six years ago! Can you at least try working this machine just like you did in the past?" Mrs. Thorndike replied in protest.

"I'm sorry, Linsday, but that machine had the Chaos Emeralds and Dr. Eggman's chip inside of it. This version of the teleporter doesn't have at least one of those things. So, I hardly know how Chris had managed to get to Sonic's world without them," Grandpa Chuck replied with a frown while holding the note that Chris had left.

"But we need to try! What if my baby boy is in danger?! I'm worried that he could get seriously hurt in another world!" Mrs. Thorndike exclaimed as she felt upset. She covered her mouth with her hands as she added with dread, "What if he...if he...gotten himself kil-".

Mr. Nelson Thorndike placed a firm hand on top of Linsday's shoulder as he gently replied, "Relax, dear. Chris is in good hands here. Sonic and his friends will protect him. He will come back to us safe and sound. You'll see".

Mrs. Thorndike looked at her husband with sad eyes until she nodded and held him in a hug. Mr. Thorndike held his wife in a comforting manner. Mrs. Thorndike then replied with some tears in her eyes, "I just hope you're right, dear".

"He'll be alright, dear. Besides, he's an adult now. He knows how to take care of himself, and he is allowed to make his own choices, even the ones that we don't agree with. He is going to make mistakes just like every adult does, and I'm sure he'll realize just how important his own family and friends are back home while he is busy helping Sonic and his friends. He will miss us and would want to come back home. I'm sure of it!" Mr. Thorndike consoled with confidence.

Mrs. Thorndike smiled a bit as she calmed down after hearing those encouraging words from her husband. She looked back at Grandpa Chuck to gain more confidence in her husband's words. Grandpa Chuck was smiling as he felt proud of his son's little pep-talk to Linsday. He nodded in agreement to his son's statements. Mrs. Thorndike felt slightly better as she pulled herself off of her husband.

Helen who was quiet throughout the exchange then spoke up. "Maybe Chris will try to contact us to let us know what is happening in Sonic's world or wherever he's at right now. Francis, Danny, and I will stay at his lab and wait for any updates on Chris. We'll let you know if we got some messages from him," Helen replied with a little smile.

Both of the Thorndike parents looked at her with hope in their eyes. Mr. Thorndike replied, "Alright, Helen. We're counting on you and your friends to give us the details if something does come up. I'm glad that you are willing to help us".

Helen smiled as she nodded her head in response. "Yes, we'll do anything for you guys. After all...we miss Chris too," Helen replied calmly. Just...Just come home safely, Chris. I'm going to miss you a lot. I want you back, and I want you to...stay alive for me. Helen pondered as she closed her eyes as thought about Chris.

She couldn't even begin to imagine where is at right now.

-Back At The Blue Typhoon; In Chris' Room-

Chris was still brooding. He can't tell how much time had passed as he laid in bed, but he didn't care.

I can imagine how upset my family and friends are ever since they had learned about my disappearance. I'm sure that I'm going to get an earful from my mom and probably Helen considering how much they love me. I honestly deserve it. Those two as well as the others had always been at my side throughout the years. Even if it was for small things, they had always had my back. They had supported me and had loved me throughout those six years and even...even throughout my life. And yet...I hadn't even noticed it until now on how much support they all had given me now that I'm possibly going to die in this adventure. I really am such a selfish person.

Chris then remembered another moment in his time back home when he was supported by his friends. One of those moments was when he and Helen was talking about Chris' designs on some new inventions he was making.

"So, what is that you're making, Chris?" Helen asked while having her tea in a café with Chris.

"Well, um, these are just the blueprints for some shoes," Chris explained awkwardly.

"Some shoes?" Helen asked in curiosity.

"Uh, these shoes are supposed to be for Sonic. I just thought that I should start working on them since...um...I don't know...when I-" Chris replied shyly as he can't believe that he's explaining this to his best friend.

"-When you go to Sonic's world, yes?" Helen finished with a knowing smile on her face.

"Huh?! How did you know?!" Chris exclaimed in surprise. He thought that he had kept his secret project...well...secret.

"You're like an open book, Chris. What other reason would you want to design shoes for? For athletes?" Helen replied with a grin as she teased a little.

Chris blushed in embarrassment as he had his head down. He then said quietly, "...So...you wouldn't mind if I had successfully...go to Sonic's world...do you?".

Helen then lowered her eyelids and quickly held Chris' hand into hers. Chris immediately looked up at her eyes in surprise. He blushed again as he said, "H-Helen! I...uh...".

"It's okay, Chris. I understand why. …...You miss them, don't you?" Helen replied in a gentle tone. Chris then slowly nodded his head before he hung his head down to avoid looking at her.

Chris then replied with, "I just don't know why, Helen. But somehow...I just feel like Sonic will need my help someday and going to his world is just one of those things that I need to do to help him. I...I can't get rid of this anxious feeling, Helen. I don't want to be too late into helping him. So, I want to be prepared to finish these inventions just so that he can win his own battles. To be honest, Helen...that is all I can really do".

Helen smiled gently at Chris as she squeezed her hands onto Chris' hand for comfort and for her support. She then said, "You know Chris, I think that you have the same heart just as Sonic and his friends do".

Chris quickly then looked up at her eyes in confusion. "Huh? What are you talking about?" Chris asked while looking puzzled.

"You have the same compassionate, caring heart as Sonic and his friends do. You felt worried about them because you care for them. You want to help them out because you love them. Compassion can look very crazy and stupid to outsiders, but it makes sense to your friends and family. It is something that makes you take risks that you wouldn't normally do for anyone else," Helen explained patiently with a warm expression on her face.

Chris had blinked his eyes in shock as he heard these surprising wise words from his friend. He never thought that anyone would understand him in his reasoning to go to Sonic's world, but it looks like he had stand corrected.

"Listen, Chris. If you feel like you need to go, then go. But just promise me this..." Helen continued in a softer tone. Chris nodded as he stared at her with solemn eyes.

"...Just come back home safe and sound. I don't want you to get hurt, okay?" Helen finished with gentle, sparkling eyes.

Chris then looked serious as he then nodded again to answer Helen's request. "...I understand, Helen. I promise that I'll come back...for your sake," Chris responded in a calm tone.

Helen smiled at him for that, and Chris smiled back too. Helen then let go of Chris' hand and said, "So, what are these shoes about, Chris?".

"Oh! Uh, yeah, here," Chris replied as he quickly grabbed the blueprints from his pocket and showed it to her. He explained it to her while she looked at the blueprints. "These shoes are specially designed to hover. It would be very useful for Sonic if he ever encountered anything water related or whether he is in space. If he wore these shoes, then he would just hover across the water and would never drown this way," Chris explained patiently.

Helen giggled a bit, and Chris got a little sheepish at that response. "Oh, what? You think that there will never be a time where Sonic would need to go to space or anything like that?" Chris replied while scratching his cheek a bit.

"No, I'm not laughing at that. I think that these shoes are amazing! You really had grown a lot smarter, Chris! I never thought that the silly 6th grader such as you back then would ever become a genius like your grandpa!" Helen replied with a teasing grin.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Chris exclaimed while blushing a bit.

"Hehehehe! Easy, Chris! I'm just kidding! But really, I think that this is a wonderful invention that you've just come up with! You are going to be helpful to your friends in no time!" Helen replied with a giggle.

"Oh, uh, really?" Chris replied with a sheepish smile.

"Yep! I'm positive! You are a genius, you know! And very creative too! You'll do just fine!" Helen encouraged with a bright smile on her face.

Chris smiled at that comment. So...she believes in me, huh? Then maybe my inventions will come through someday...maybe... Chris thought at the time.

As Chris stopped remembering that memory, he then looked determined as he kept on pondering. Helen had believed in me. She believed that I will be helpful someday. Not only that...but I also had made a promise to her to come back to her safe and sound. I certainly can't afford to let her down. Just like how Sonic had always keeps his promises...I should keep mine as well!

Chris soon sat up from his bed and sat on the edge of the bed now. He had a serious look on his face.

"...there will be some situations where you must go against one's wishes as long as it is for a good cause"...That's right. I do have a good reason to help Sonic! I...I need him if I'm ever going to survive in this adventure! I need to help him just so that he can protect me in return! Maybe Sonic is right considering that I'm very selfish. I am...but this time...it's for a good cause! I...I...

Chris soon got off from his bed and stood tall in determination as one thought stayed in his mind.

I want to go home! I want to see my family and friends again! Life...Life is too short, and I want to spend the rest of my life with them! Alright, Chris! Let's do this!

With a smile on his face, Chris then walked to his desk and sat in his chair. He started to finish on the blueprints on his desk.

-Meanwhile With Amy-

Amy is now outside the base while in her hiding spot. The locals had showed her the way to the base and had hidden in their hiding spot too. Amy could see some Metarex robots guarding the base near the entrance.

"This is as far as we can take you. I'm sorry if we can't be any assistance to you much further," the brown old man said to Amy. Amy looked out from her hiding place behind the rock. The locals were right behind her.

"It's okay. I can handle it on my own," Amy replied calmly.

"But how, young lady?" the elder man replied with concern.

"Oh, some good old 'napping' shall to do the trick," Amy replied with a grin as she looked back at the locals.

"You sure are a brave one. A little feisty, but brave at least," the old man replied calmly.

Amy smirked as she raised her hammer and replied, "Well, you are going to see how 'feisty' I can be!".

She then grunted as she ran towards one of the fish robots in front of her. The locals watched her as she swung very hard at the robots and had managed break them by knocking them away with only one swing. She did it again with another robot guard...and another...and another and so forth.

Meanwhile, the locals were a bit frightened by how strong that young, hedgehog lady was. They all had sweat drops on their heads and had wide eyes as they felt shocked by what they are seeing.

"Hiya! Hiya! Take that! And this! And this! Take this, you overgrown sushi! You aren't tasty enough for me! Now perish! Aaaaaargh!" Amy yelled as she got into it.

"...Now there is something you don't see every day," the old man replied as he looked shocked as well as frightened.

"Yeah, who knew that alien women can be so...so...scary," one of the locals added.

"...And apparently...strong," another local had said.

"Agreed. I now how such have such a deep respect to our new visitor here. I certainly don't want to be under her wrath," the old man agreed with a nervous look on his face. The others nodded in agreement.

CLANG! CRASH!

One of the fish robots landed near in front of the rock where the locals were hiding at. They all looked at the broken robot with scared expressions on their faces. In the distance, they could all hear Amy yell out, "Sorry!".

-Meanwhile With Sonic-

Sonic was completely tied up and was dangling on a fishing string as bait. He was constantly being lowered and raised as the tall, blue robot kept on taunting him like this.

The robot teased as it said, "Hooweee! Are you having fun, my little blue bait? Cause I think that the sharks are getting a little hungry right now!".

"No! I am not having fun! And if your little shark friends are hungry, then let them eat some pizza or something! Don't let them eat me! Can't you see that I am covered with quills? I am not a good source of food to these guys!" Sonic exclaimed as he swung a bit to avoid some sharks jumping at him and biting him.

"Oh, you are just saying that because you are hiding how tasty you are! I mean it's true that you are covered with quills, but haven't you forgotten that sea urchins exist in the sea? Having them eating you will be like eating sea urchins! So, there is nothing wrong with that!" the blue robot replied back.

"Of coarse there is something wrong with that! Sharks are carnivores! And I'm pretty sure that they don't eat sea urchins as their meal!" Sonic exclaimed with irritation. He dodged some more sharks while talking to the robot.

"Maybe so. But you are made up of flesh and meat, right?" the blue robot replied.

"Uhhh...yeah?" Sonic answered awkwardly as he doesn't like where this line of reasoning is going.

"Then I say that you are qualified as bait to feed these sharks! Sharks love meat because they are...as you say...carnivores," the blue robot replied in twisted glee.

Sonic then had a sweat drop on his head as he realized what the robot had implied. Aw crud...Sonic thought as he frowned in despair.

As Sonic kept on trying to survive by avoiding the shark's bites, Amy was busy running up the stairs and knocking more fish robots out of the way. She yelled out, "Sonic! Don't worry! I'm coming!".

"Huh?! A-Amy?!" Sonic yelled out in surprise. Amy kept on knocking the robots off of the stairs as she ran up to the top of the stairs. Amy...I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I am so glad that you're here right now! Sonic thought with a sheepish smile as he felt hopeful again.

Meanwhile, Tails was running towards the X-Tornado as he saw that it was time to pick Sonic and Amy up. He then opened up a hatch and jumped right through it. He slid down the shaft that will lead him to the hangar where the X-Tornado was being kept at. Time to save my best buddy! Tails thought in determination as he slid down the shaft.

Once he got into the plane after the trip down the shaft, he then prepared his plane for take-off. The plane was being moved up towards the runway on top of the spaceship's deck. As the plane closed the window, Tails then said, "I need to work fast and get to Sonic and Amy in time! I can't lose them to those poachers!".

Soon, the plane then had reached the runway on top of the deck. The palm trees went down to make room for the plane to fly through. Tails said, "Everything is ready to go! Begin launch! Now!".

The plane then began to fly very fast from the runway and went into the sky. It was a successful launch sequence. Now, I need to do is find that base! Tails thought as he piloted the plane through the sky.

While Tails was flying his plane, Chris was still finishing on his project. Hmm...almost done...I just need a few more adjustments to it. …...Yeah, there we go. Chris thought while drawing on his blueprints.

Meanwhile, Amy had just reached the top of the stairs and had broken down the doors to the shark chamber where Sonic was captured. "Okay! Who's the one who had captured my Sonic?!" Amy yelled out in frustration. Sonic looked at Amy as she had stood at the exit. He still felt worried for her since she is going up against the leader of the poachers in this planet. I hope Amy knows what she's doing here. Sonic thought as he swallowed a bit in anxiousness.

Amy looked at the tall, blue robot that was holding onto the reel of the fishing pole. She then looked at the fishing pole's string where Sonic was tied up to. Amy growled in fury as she yelled, "So, it was you, huh?!".

The robot turned its head to see Amy, and it had replied calmly, "Well now, isn't this a treat! I got two live baits that I could use to feed my sharks! Boy, this is turning out to be my lucky day!".

"Grrrrr! What do you mean by 'bait'?! I am not some kind of food, buster!" Amy yelled back in anger. She held onto her hammer more tightly.

"Boy! I say boy-Er-I meant...girl! You should watch your tongue, little missy! Because I might change my mind and make you become my sharks' first meal of the day!" the blue robot yelled back as he felt insulted.

Amy was now seething in anger. First, this robot had the audacity to capture Sonic and torture him by having him being tied up and being held over a shark infested pool. Second, the robot was going to kill Sonic by feeding him to the sharks. And lastly, the robot had threatened to make her become the sharks' next meal as if she was some kind of bait! No one treats me like bait and gets away from it! Not Eggman! Or anyone else! Amy thought in anger.

She then ran as fast as she could towards the blue robot in a furious rage. Sonic gulped as he saw how mad Amy looked right now. Man, it's a good thing that I'm not the target of her anger this time. But wow, she looks scary! Sonic thought as a sweat drop formed on his head.

Amy ran towards the robot and jumped very high in order swing her hammer very hard on its head. The blue robot then looked scared as a sweat drop formed on its head now. "Aw crud," the blue robot said before Amy smashed its head down very hard.

CRASH!

With the robot's head broken, the robot fell down and stopped operating. Amy panted for a bit. "And that's...what you get...for capturing...my Sonic," Amy said between gasps for breath. After she regained her air back, she turned around and was smiling cheerfully. Sonic looked back behind him while having wide eyes and with a nervous frown on his face. …...S-Scary...Sonic thought in fear as he saw how quickly Amy's mood changed from a furious one to a happy one.

"Oooooh Soooonnniiiccc!" Amy said in a sing-song tone while having her hands behind her back.

"...Yes?" Sonic replied nervously.

Without warning, Amy dashed to Sonic while exclaiming quickly, "Catch me! Catch me! Catch me! Catch me! Catch me! Catch me!". Sonic panicked as he swung a bit back and forth. Amy jumped towards him from behind, but...she missed.

SPLASH!

Amy fell into the pool below her. Sonic actually dodged her out of reflex. He may be glad that he was saved by Amy, but that doesn't mean that he wanted to be captured by her either! After Amy got her head up above the water, she then yelled angrily at Sonic.

"What the heck was that, Sonic?! Why didn't you allow me to catch you?! I just saved your life from those poachers, and this is what I get for saving you?! You're lousy, Sonic!" Amy yelled in anger.

"Ah! Umm...s-sorry, Amy. I just avoided you...out of...umm...instinct," Sonic apologized awkwardly with a sweat drop on his head.

"'Instinct'?! Why did you avoid me out of instinct?! I thought that you had trusted me, Sonic!" Amy yelled in even more anger and distraught.

"I do! But I just hate being caught and captured like this! I am not the kind of person who can stay tied up for a very long time! And having you holding me is like being captured! I just want to be free!" Sonic exclaimed as he tried to reason to Amy.

Amy gasped in surprise. She never thought that Sonic would expose his secret as to why he hates being held by her. If it was any other situation, she would feel hurt by this. However, she was upset that her romantic rescue was butchered by her crush, failing to catch her in time.

"But this was supposed to be such a romantic moment between us! This was my victory capture! I was going to catch you and probably kiss you on the cheek as a heroine who had just rescued a hero!" Amy exclaimed in frustration.

Now, I am glad that I had avoided her out of reflex. Sonic thought as he blushed in embarrassment. Before Sonic replied again, he noticed that a shark was behind Amy. He then yelled, "Amy! Look out! A shark is behi-!".

THWHACK!

Amy smacked her hammer behind herself in order to protect herself from the shark. The shark got hit very hard on its side and went back down to the water. Amy immediately jumped up to get out of the water. She then got onto the little step where the fishing pole was hooked to and grabbed it.

As she lifted the fishing pole, she broke it and held onto it. "Now that you had ruined my moment, you are not going to get out of your bonds until we get back to the Blue Typhoon! You deserved it!" Amy exclaimed as she lifted the fishing pole and jumped to the ground again.

"Hey! Hang on, Amy! Can't we talk about this?!" Sonic exclaimed while still dangling onto the string.

"No!" Amy exclaimed before she then ran back towards the stairs while holding the fishing pole.

"Wha?! Ack! Hey!" Sonic yelped as he was still swinging a bit on the string as Amy ran. He continued to yelp in pain as he was hit in the stomach multiple times as his body hit the stairs.

As he yelped in pain, he then exclaimed, "Ack! Okay! Okay! I'm sorry, Amy! Please have mercy on me! Ow! Oof! Uggh!".

"I can't right now! There are still some Metarex robots behind us!" Amy exclaimed back as she ran from the fish robots chasing them down the stairs. More robots came in Amy's direction too. Amy then stopped for a bit as she saw that she was cornered. Sonic was relieved that Amy had stopped running for a brief moment. Ugggghhhh...why do I feel seasick again? Sonic thought in agony.

Amy waited for Tails to show up. Come on! Come on! Tails! Hurry it up! They're getting closer! Amy thought as she saw how close the fish robots are getting to her.

By stroke of luck and good timing, Tails had finally arrived. He then yelled out, "Amy! I've arrived!".

"Aha! That's my cue to leave!" Amy yelled out in happiness.

"Your cue to what now?" Sonic asked in confusion.

Amy ignored Sonic as she jumped through the base's wall while bashing it with her hammer to bust through it. As Amy fell down, Sonic screamed in surprise. But luckily, Amy got onto the X-Tornado perfectly as it flew by.

"Yes! A perfect landing!" Amy exclaimed while standing onto part of the plane. She held onto part of the plane to keep herself steady. However, Sonic was still freaking out since he's still tied up to the string of the fishing pole.

"There's no reason to get that excited over a landing, Amy," Tails replied teasingly as he repeated what Amy told him earlier.

Amy frowned as she replied, "Oh, very funny, Tails. But you're wrong this time".

"And why's that?" Tails asked as he looked back at Amy.

Amy smirked as she answered, "Because it is very cool to land on a plane perfectly while you in the middle of saving someone".

Tails stared at Amy for a bit. Amy continued to have that smug look on her face. Tails then frowned in disappointment as he found no counterargument with that. Oh, rats. She's right. That is very cool. Tails thought as a sweat drop formed on his head.

Amy 2; Tails 0. Amy thought with a smug grin on her face.

"Say...uhh...Amy?" Tails said nervously.

"Yeah? What is it?" Amy replied.

"Where is Sonic? Wasn't supposed to be tied up?" Tails asked with a worried look on his face.

"Huh? What are you talking about? He's right...here?" Amy replied before looking behind herself. Her eyes went wide as she saw that the string on the fishing pole had been cut, and Sonic was not there anymore. While they had a little teasing moment together, they had failed to notice some fin cutters being shot at the plane, and thereby, cutting the string that Sonic was tied up on in the process.

After looking at the cut string for a moment, Amy replied sheepishly, "Aw crud...".

Sonic was falling towards the sea while still being tied up. As he fell, he replied, "Thanks for nothing, guys!". He looked back at the ocean and cringed as braced himself for the water again. If this is how I lose the game, then this is such a pathetic way to go. Sonic thought as he closed his eyes.

"Sonic!" Chris yelled out.

"Huh?!" Sonic said in surprise. He opened his eyes and looked to his left to see the white plane heading towards him.

"Here you go, Sonic! This will save you!" Chris exclaimed as he shot a pink ball of light towards Sonic.

"Chris! That was unexpected! I thought that I had told you to stay back!" Sonic replied with a smile while teasing a little.

"I'm sorry, Sonic. But I had to do this," Chris replied as he flew some more in his plane.

The pink light soon got onto Sonic's shoes and had transformed them into hover shoes. Sonic then splashed into the water.

Meanwhile, Tails and Amy were worried that Sonic would drown for real this time. "Oh no! Sonic's a goner now! Since he's all tied up, he can't even try to swim this time!" Tails exclaimed in concern.

"Please! Please be okay! We need a miracle!" Amy exclaimed in worry.

Luckily for Tails and Amy, the miracle came! Sonic was now hovering above the water with his new shoes.

"What the-! Since when could he hover above the water like that?!" Amy exclaimed in shock and in relief. Tails was also surprised by this. Well, Amy. It looks like we did get a miracle after all. Tails thought as he looked at Sonic from his plane.

Sonic was now standing above water while looking up in the sky. Chris then said solemnly to Sonic, "I know that you want me to be safe, Sonic, but there was no way that I'm abandoning you in your time of need. I need you, and you need me. We won't survive in this game if we tackle things on our own. That was why I had saved you, Sonic. I won't be safe anymore if you had died. So, if I ever want to come back home safely, I'm going to do everything that I can to protect you. I hope that you're not mad, Sonic. Are you?".

Sonic just grinned as he replied happily, "Heh! How could I possibly be mad at you for that?! Thanks, buddy! You really came through for me!".

Tails' and Chris' planes soon flew together side by side and flew over where Sonic was standing. Tails exclaimed happily, "Whoa! Those are hover shoes, Chris?! And you made them?!".

"Yep!" Chris replied happily.

"That is an outstanding invention, Chris! I never knew that you were that talented!" Tails exclaimed with a grin.

"Oh, it was nothing," Chris replied casually.

"Sweet! Now, Sonic can defend himself now! He's not even tied up anymore!" Amy exclaimed with a cheerful smile.

Amy was right about that as more fish robots came charging at Sonic in the water. A robot hoard came charging at him through the water. Sonic started skating through the water in his new hover shoes.

"Alright! The tables are now turned! Now let's see how they like it when they are soaked to the bone in water!" Sonic exclaimed in determination as he skated closer to the robots. The robot then attacked Sonic, but Sonic was ready as he punched them back in defense. He punched and rammed into the robots very quickly to knock them out. After he destroyed several fish robots, he then heard a familiar voice.

"You little rascal! What had you done to my brother?!" a robot voice said.

"What?!" Sonic exclaimed in surprise as he stared at a tall, blue robot that looked identical to the other blue robot that Amy had destroyed.

"That's right! You had destroyed my brother! I was hoping that we would have seen you squirm in agony as we feed you to our pet sharks! And now he is destroyed all because of you!" the tall, blue robot exclaimed as he felt upset.

"Wha?! A brother?! That robot was your brother?!" Sonic exclaimed in shock. Didn't see that coming. Sonic thought as a sweat drop formed on his head.

"We were the best poachers of the sea! We catch and capture both land and sea creatures from various planets and had feed them to our sharks! We had loved both fishing and hunting respectively like good brothers do! And now we can't have more fun catching prey like you! And it's all your fault!" the blue robot exclaimed in anger.

"Look! I'm sorry, but there was no way that I would let you kill any of my friends or even me! My friends will do the same for me! My friends were the ones who had saved me and had destroyed your brother! Also, I can't allow you to continue on killing more innocent creatures from other planets! So, I'm going to help you join your brother by destroying you too!" Sonic exclaimed with a frown as he glared at the blue robot ahead of him.

"You can't stop me! I'll avenge my brother by killing you! You are going to be dead bait now!" the blue robot exclaimed seriously as prepared to attack Sonic.

"Oh yeah?! Bring it on!" Sonic exclaimed back with a serious look on his face.

Sonic skated towards the blue robot. The robot then shot multiple torpedoes at Sonic as an attempt to kill him. The torpedoes exploded and Sonic yelped a bit in surprise.

"Alright! I won!" the robot exclaimed in victory as he had saw the huge water explosion in the distance. The robot's eyes soon went wide as he then saw Sonic riding on top of a wave. Sonic had a smirk on his face as he surfed along the wave.

"Ha! Missed me!" Sonic exclaimed cockily.

The robot growled before he had shot water bursts from his mouth. Sonic smoothly dodged the water bursts by going left and right. As the wave went down, Sonic got even closer to the robot. The blue robot wasn't done as he had made another attack by firing his yellow fin cutters at Sonic. The robot fired multiple fin cutters at him as a last attempt to kill him. However, they were useless since Sonic went into his Super Spinball move go past them. He was able to block them away from him as he was spinning. He got even closer and closer to the tall, blue fish robot.

The robot was completely defenseless and shocked by this. As Sonic got closer, he then yelled, "Nooooooooooooo! Broooooooooootttthhhhheeeeeeerrr!".

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Sonic went through the tall robot and destroyed him. The robot exploded into multiple pieces. Smoke can be seen after Sonic had destroyed the robot. Tails, Amy, and Chris saw that in their planes. They all had happy faces as they saw Sonic defeat the huge fish robot. Amy still couldn't believe that there was a second one of those robots, and so did Sonic.

After the explosion was cleared up, Sonic was seen hovering over the water with a proud smirk on his face. He then looked up and exclaimed, "I guess I owe you one, Chris! You did an awesome job back there! I guess I'll forgive you for going against my wishes!".

Chris gasped and then smiled broadly. He then replied happily, "Thanks, Sonic!".

Tails and Amy smiled too. Soon, Amy looked down and was surprised at what she saw. "Hey, look guys! There's the Planet Egg!".

The Planet Egg was actually inside the tall, blue robot the entire time! It had sunk into the sea after Sonic had destroyed the robot. Sonic looked at the Planet Egg too. So, that was where the Planet Egg was hiding the entire time! My hunch was right after all! The Metarex must've gotten the Planet Egg the exact same moment when Amy had made her move! Cream's move must have also influenced the Metarex too somehow or had been involved with them too! That is probably the best explanation for these terrible events that had happened today. Man, who knew that two turns on a board game can cause this much trouble! I dread what can happen on other planets that we will visit later! Sonic pondered as he stared at the Planet Egg going inside the planet now. The Planet Egg is now glowing very brightly as it was returning to its rightful place. The two planes flew over where the Planet Egg was and watched it continue to glow in the water.

Tails exclaimed brightly, "Yes! We won! We had beaten the Metarex at their own game!".

The planet soon turned back to normal as the water went down, and the dry land had returned instead. The locals took notice of this and had exclaimed happily.

"It's a miracle! Our land had returned!" a woman exclaimed.

"Is it over?! Are those terrible robots gone?!" a man exclaimed.

"The water is going down! Did that strange pink hedgehog and her friends stop the curse?!" another man exclaimed.

The brown elder replied calmly, "At long last. Peace had returned to our land. If I see that pink hedgehog girl and her friends, I'm going to thank them personally".

"Let's throw a celebration for them as a way to thank them!" a man yelled happily.

"YEAH!" the others shouted in joy.

Meanwhile, Cosmo was sleeping on top of the sand while Cream and Knuckles was still looking for the Chaos Emerald. She soon woke up abruptly and then exclaimed, "Hey! How long was I asleep for?! Uhh...huh?".

She looked around and saw no water now. Everywhere is just dry land. Cosmo felt confused before a thought came to her. Wait a minute! Did...Did Sonic and the others retrieve the Planet Egg from the Metarex? If so, then...that...that means they had won this round against the Metarex! They had overcome the games' events! Could they...Could they even overcome the entire game too?

As Cosmo thought that, Knuckles was still digging in the distance. Knuckles was getting frustrated as he kept on digging. Sand! Sand! And more sand! Why is there so many sand here?! I've been searching for this stupid emerald for over an hour and a half, and I still hadn't found it! I would be complaining less if there wasn't any cruddy sand everywhere! Why is there more sand?! Did the planet just got tens time bigger or something?! Seriously! WHY IS THERE SO MUCH SAAAAAAAAND?! Knuckles brooded as he growled loudly and as a vein was bulging from his head.

While Knuckles was frustrated in finding the emerald, Cream and Cheese were standing behind Cosmo and kept on looking for the emerald too. Cream was holding the board game near her chest again.

"Do you think that we'll ever find that Chaos Emerald, Cheese?" Cream asked while looking left and right for the emerald. Cheese then looked at his right before answering excitedly, "Chao chao chao chao chao!".

"What?! You found it, Cheese?!" Cream exclaimed in shock as she turned to where Cheese was looking at. Cream saw a sparkling, blue emerald near a rock in the distance.

"Oh my gosh! You did it, Cheese! Way to go, buddy!" Cream exclaimed happily with a smile.

"Chao chao!" Cheese replied with a nod. Cream and Cheese flew towards the Chaos Emerald in the back of the sandy hill. Cosmo looked behind and was surprised to see Cream flying downwards from the hill.

Cosmo quickly got up and exclaimed, "Cream! Hey! Where are you going?!". She ran towards Cream and Cheese.

As she was running, she went past Knuckles. Knuckles stopped digging as he saw Cosmo running. He looked up and called out to her, "Hey, Cosmo! Where are you going?!".

"I'm following Cream and Cheese! Maybe they found the emerald or something!" Cosmo exclaimed back as she looked back briefly at Knuckles. Knuckles' eyes widened considerably as he thought with dread. If that little rabbit and her chao friend finds that emerald before me after searching through the ground FOR OVER AN HOUR...I...I don't know what I'll do, but it'll certainly involve myself punching something very hard in order to release some pent up frustration...and some embarrassment.

Knuckles sighed as he got up from the ground and walked out of his trail. He was completely covered in sand and dirt. He can definitely feel the sand in his shoes and socks. Sigh...I hate sand. Knuckles brooded as he walked up towards Cream and Cosmo as they stood near the blue Chaos Emerald.

"Chao chao!" Cheese exclaimed as he stared at the shiny emerald. Cosmo gasped in surprise as once she saw the emerald. This is that magical gem that can save the universe from the Metarex and lift up the curse from the board game. This emerald is our only hope for peace. Cosmo thought as she stared at the emerald with hopeful eyes.

Knuckles then stood next to Cosmo and also gasped in surprise. Yep, there it was. Their first Chaos Emerald right in the open. While still looking shocked, Knuckles thought. Oh you got to be kidding me! All that work, and this little girl and her friend FOUND IT?!

Cream exclaimed happily with a smile, "Mr. Knuckles! Cheese found it! We did it, Mr. Knuckles! We found the first emerald that your Master Emerald had picked up! Isn't that wonderful?!".

Knuckles turned to look at Cream. Cream still had her board game with her. She looked at Knuckles will bright, happy eyes. She grinned at him as she replied with a giggle, "Hehehe! Didn't you just say that you're a professional treasure hunter, Mr. Knuckles? If that was the case, then how come Cheese and I found it before you?".

Knuckles immediately blushed in embarrassment. He face-palmed himself while blushing. Grrrr. Me and big, fat mouth. Knuckles brooded with a frown.

"Mr. Knuckles?" Cream replied with concern in her voice. She had hoped she hadn't teased him too badly.

"Um, Knuckles?" Cosmo also replied in concern.

Knuckles took a deep sigh and looked at Cream while covering his left eye with his hand. He replied quietly yet slowly, "Cream?".

"Yes?" Cream replied with raised eyebrows.

"...Not. A. Word. To. Anyone. Capice?" Knuckles replied with a narrowed eye looking at Cream.

Cream blinked her eyes at Knuckles before she giggled and replied happily, "Hehehe! Okay!".

Knuckles rolled his eyes but smiled a little as he dropped his hand finally. He then bent down and picked up the blue Chaos Emerald. He smiled as he looked back at the girls.

"Alright then. We got the emerald, and if Amy asks who found it, then tell her that it was me, okay?" Knuckles replied while holding the emerald in his hand.

Cream nodded happily as well as Cheese. Cosmo felt confused. She turned to Cream for some clues on what to say, but Cream just held her shoulder and encouraged her to go along with it. Cosmo then shrugged and looked back at Knuckles and nodded to him.

"Good. Because I'm going to go look for Tails and show him the emerald. He should take care of it. See you ladies later," Knuckles replied confidently before he walked away while carrying the emerald in his hand.

After Knuckles was far away from the two girls, Cosmo turned to Cream and asked, "Why did you encourage me to lie, Cream? You know fully well that Cheese and you had found the emerald first. Why did you do that?".

Cream grinned happily as she said, "Because Mr. Knuckles is just being silly! He wouldn't allow himself to admit that Cheese and I had found the emerald first, so, he wanted to hide his hurt pride by keeping us quiet. Besides, it's not that big of a deal on who found the emerald first. As long as we're searching together, then we'll get all of the seven Chaos Emeralds! So that's why I think Mr. Knuckles is just acting silly by saying he found it first! He sounds like Vector the Crocodile sometimes! Hehe!".

"Vector...the Crocodile?" Cosmo repeated in confusion.

"Oh, Mr. Vector is also one of our friends! I wish that you could get to meet him and his crew, the Chaotix! They are very nice people! I'm sure you'll like him once you meet him!" Cream clarified with a smile.

Cosmo still felt confused on who this Vector person is, but she smiled and nodded to her. "Well, I would love to meet him someday," Cosmo replied calmly with a smile.

"Yeah! (Chao chao!)" Cream exclaimed happily along with Cheese.

Cosmo smiled at her before she remembered something. "Oh! You should go find Sonic and give that board game to him. It's now his turn," Cosmo replied as she frowned a bit.

"Huh?...Oh, yeah! I really should give this to him now! Come on, Cheese! We better go find him!" Cream replied with a smile before she turned to look at Cheese. Cheese nodded and said, "Chao chao chao!".

"Right! See you later, Cosmo! We come back for you in a few minutes! So, stay here for a bit!" Cream replied to Cosmo before she used her ears to fly up to the sky. Cosmo nodded before she looked up and waved "goodbye" to Cream. Cream then flew as fast as she could to find Sonic.

Meanwhile, Sonic was happy as a clam as he stomped the solid ground repeatedly. He felt relieved that all the water is gone. He was standing between Tails' X-Tornado and Chris' white plane as he exclaimed, "Land! Oh, sweet merciful land! How I missed thee! Thank goodness that all that water is gone! Otherwise, I'll never be able to live out my dream in running around in a dry, solid planet with no water in sight!".

Sonic was holding a yellow capsule in one hand. He then turned and said to Chris, "Thank you for the gift, Chris! It may not be my birthday yet, but I'll certainly enjoy this gift as long as I live! I mean come on! Shoes that can make you hover over water is the best gift that you can ever give me! Seriously! Thanks a bunch!". He then threw the yellow capsule to Chris. Chris caught it and smiled at Sonic.

"You're welcome, Sonic! I'll keep these warm for you. But are you sure that you don't want to keep wearing them? I mean they look cool on you," Chris replied as he held the yellow capsule in his lap.

Sonic smiled as he gave thumbs up at Chris. He simply replied, "Yeah, they may look cool on me, but I love good old-fashioned running in my own shoes! Besides...skating is overrated anyhow. I'll take running over skating any day!".

Chris chuckled at that as he replied, "Okay, I get it! Heheheh! Different strokes for different folks, I guess! Well then, have fun, Sonic! You deserve a good run after all that water you had to deal with today". He winked as he gave a thumbs up to Sonic too.

"Now, you're speaking my language! Say, do you want to race with me back to the Blue Typhoon?" Sonic asked as he challenged Chris.

Chris laughed as he answered, "Ahahahaha! I don't think that I'll ever catch up to you, Sonic! You had already won before the race had even started!".

Sonic grinned as he shook his head. "Oh well. Suit yourself, Chris! I'll just go on without ya then! See you guys later!" Sonic exclaimed as looked on ahead before he sped off into the distance.

Chris, Tails, and Amy all chuckled in amusement as they watched Sonic run his heart out into the dry desert land ahead of him. Sonic was happy but determined to run as fast as he can. He had a smile on his face as he ran. He was very grateful that he had saved this planet because now he can run with his heart's content.

This day can't get any better! Sonic thought with a big smile as he ran a good distance away from Chris, Tails, and Amy. He was about halfway towards the Blue Typhoon when he noticed Cream flying in the distance ahead of him.

"Hey! It's Cream!" Sonic exclaimed as he looked up and saw Cream flying towards him.

"Hi, Mr. Sonic!" Cream exclaimed brightly. Sonic then skidded to a stop once Cream had touched the ground in front of him.

"What's up, Cream? Did you find the Chaos Emerald already?" Sonic asked cheerfully as he waved his hand her while having the other hand on his hip.

Cream nodded as she answered, "Yep! Mr. Knuckles finally found it after a long hour of searching!".

"Did he now? Heheheh! It sounds like he's losing his touch if it took him about an hour to find an emerald! A Chaos Emerald no less!" Sonic chuckled as he replied to Cream.

"Hehehe! Yeah! He can be so silly sometimes! But anyway, here, Mr. Sonic. It's your turn now!" Cream replied with a giggle before she gave Sonic the board game.

Sonic gently took it from Cream and smiled at her. "Thanks, Cream! Now, let's see what we'll get with my roll!" Sonic exclaimed brightly as he opened the board game with one hand while holding it with his other hand.

Cream nodded and looked at the board game with Sonic. Sonic pushed the red button, and the roulette wheel started to spin again. The numbers kept on spinning before it had stopped at a certain number.

"I got a six! Not bad!" Sonic exclaimed happily. The blue spaceship moved six spaces before it had landed on space 13.

KACHING!

"Well then, let's see what we got here! I know that usually the number 13 is a sign of bad luck, but, hey, we could finally catch a lucky break here with all the bad luck we've been given lately!" Sonic exclaimed optimistically as he grabbed the card out of the card slot and twirled it around a bit in his fingers. Cream and Cheese had some worried looks on their faces, but they then smiled at Sonic and nodded in agreement.

"I really hope so, Mr. Sonic," Cream replied with a hopeful expression on her face. Sonic nodded too before he began reading the card.

"'A single victory is just a fleeting feeling before your opponent surprises you by giving one of your friends a corrupt dealing'. …..Huh. That is a strange riddle. Is the Metarex going to plan a counterattack at my friends of some kind?" Sonic read the card before he frowned and spoke his thoughts aloud to Cream.

"I...I don't know. I'm no good at riddles," Cream replied with a frown as she put a hand over her mouth in worry.

Sonic smiled as he comforted her by saying, "Aw, don't sweat it, Cream. I'm no good at riddles either. I like to think on my feet than stand around and figure out a puzzle all day! Come on! Let's just forget about the riddle for a moment and head back to the Blue Typhoon to rest up for a bit! You in, Cream?".

Cream grinned as she answered brightly, "Why yes, Mr. Sonic! I would love to!".

"Then come on! Times a wasting!" Sonic exclaimed before he went around Cream and ran off again. He carried the board game in one arm as he ran towards the spaceship up north. Cream looked at Cheese and giggled. She then flew up to the sky again and followed Sonic to the Blue Typhoon.

Little did Sonic and Cream realize that in the far distance that a huge, purple, egg-shaped spaceship had crashed down and was hidden in from sight. There was also an angry shout in the distance too.

"HOW THE HECK DID WE GET HERE?!".

Thus, episode 55 of Sonic X had been completed fully! I told you that it will take me a week to upload! It will certainly be the same for the others! Also, SonAmy fanfictions, am I right? Or am I right? Nah, I'm just kidding! I'm only joking! I'm actually fine with SonAmy fanfics. Also, Chris! How dare you try to corrupt poor, innocent Tails! You should be ashamed of yourself! And I'm only joking again! With all jokes aside, I hope you had enjoyed reading this chapter! I'll see you guys next chapter!