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!

9. The Mother Game

Sonic X: Season 3: Shuffle Edition

The Mother Game

Sonic and his friends were still traveling through space in the Blue Typhoon. They hadn't encountered any new planets or the Metarex yet, so, the journey had been peaceful thus far. So, Sonic and his friends were relaxing for now on the bridge.

"I feel glad that we're not being hunted down by the poachers at the moment. Hopefully, we will reach another planet without encountering them," Tails said out loud with a bright smile as he sat in the commander's seat.

"I agree, Tails. We should all take this chance to appreciate the peaceful atmosphere of space while we still can," Chris replied calmly with a grin as he looked at Tails. Tails turned his head to look at Chris and smiled at him. He then looked at Amy and could see that she was busing herself by drinking some tea while reading a book. She looked at Tails and asked, "What?".

"Oh, nothing, Amy. Just wondering if you agree with us about savoring the calming atmosphere here. It is rare for something like this to happen to us. So...are you happy?" Tails replied calmly with a slightly sheepish grin on his face.

"...What does this look like to you?" Amy replied a little sassily as she lifted up her book and tea for emphasis.

Tails chuckled awkwardly before he calmly replied, "Yeah, I should've figured".

"Mmmph," Amy huffed as she shrugged her shoulders a bit before looking back on her book to read another chapter in it.

Cream and Cosmo were busy looking out into space by the spaceship's window. Cream said calmly, "Isn't it great that we could just relax and look at the stars, Cosmo? It looks unbelievable. It's more beautiful up close than far away like in my planet. I bet that there are billions of stars out there".

"That is a good possibility, Cream. Who knows how many stars there are out there? The same can be said of people. There are so many planets, galaxies, and even universes that contain so many people that it is hard to count like the stars here. We might never get a clear answer by looking at them," Cosmo replied wisely. She had a calm smile on her face as she stared at the stars with Cream. Cream turned her head to look at Cosmo and smiled at her.

"That is very true, Cosmo. Space is certainly amazing, isn't it?" Cream replied happily.

Cosmo turned her head to look at Cream and had smiled at her too. "It sure is, Cream. I'm glad that you can enjoy it with me," Cosmo replied calmly with a gentle smile.

"Sometimes...you just you have to look at the big picture once in a while. You know?" Cream replied gently.

Cosmo nodded as she replied calmly, "Yes, I do actually".

As calming as the atmosphere is, there is just one small disturbance that all five of them have to ignore. …...And that is the two friendly rivals playing the board game together.

"For. The. Last. Time. Take. Your. Turn. Already!" Knuckles exclaimed through gritted teeth. He was sitting down while crossing his arms. He was looking irritated as Sonic was taking his time with his turn on the board game.

"But Knuckles, didn't I tell you that the board game can be controlled if we-" Sonic replied calmly with a teasing grin on his face as he sat across from Knuckles. Sonic knows that it's okay to make his move now, but he can't help but to troll Knuckles for a little bit.

Knuckles interrupted by yelling, "Will you stop trying to manipulate the board game by using that stupid tactic?! You're wasting my time here!".

"Heh! Wow! And I thought that I was the impatient one," Sonic replied calmly yet brightly with a huge grin.

"Grrrr! I'm impatient because I have to deal with you!" Knuckles argued back with a growl and with a grimace.

Sonic rolled his eyes as he replied teasingly, "Oh, I bet you say that to everybody that ticks you off!".

"Sonic!" Knuckles yelled as he glared even harder at Sonic. Cosmo and Cream frowned as they turned around to watch Sonic and Knuckles arguing.

"They really do like to pick fights with each other, don't they?" Cosmo spoke sadly with a frown.

"Yeah...they love to do that sometimes. (Chao Chao)" Cream agreed in a sad tone. Cheese also added with a sad tone too.

"Okay! Okay! I'll get right on it already! Geez, learn to relax, Knuckles!" Sonic exclaimed as he had his hands out in front of him.

"(Sigh)...Finally," Knuckles replied tiredly with a sigh as he calmed down a little. Sonic then decided to take his turn by pushing the red button. The roulette wheel started to spin as it took Sonic's turn. The two boys waited to see what happens next. Knuckles was still frowning as he looks at his own game piece. He was in last place since everyone is ahead of him. It did bug him that he's in last place. He can only hope that he gets a good roll to catch up to the others or that Sonic gets a bad roll on his turn. Either scenario will cheer him up a bit. Eventually, the roulette wheel had stopped spinning and was on a certain number.

"Aww, sweet! I got a 10! Ha! That's the first time that anyone has ever gotten it, and how appropriate that it was I who got it since I'm the luck master!" Sonic exclaimed with a huge smile. He watched his blue spaceship move to space 32 on the board game. Knuckles growled in annoyance as he saw Sonic's lucky move. Hmph. Well, that didn't work. I guess that it is up to me to get a high roll on my turn. Knuckles thought with a frown.

"Oh, magical board game, what shall do now?" Sonic asked jokingly with a bright smile on his face.

KACHING!

Another white card popped out of the board game, and Sonic grabbed it to read it. "'You have traveled far and had accomplished something, but now you must rest and do nothing'," Sonic read calmly with a cheerful smile.

Knuckles then quirked an eyebrow in confusion as he thought curiously. What?

…...

"The board game had spoken!" Sonic exclaimed overdramatically as he put one hand over his chest and put one hand out while looking up at his left to look at the stars above.

"Nothing?! We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Knuckles yelled in frustration as he stared at Sonic before looking at the board game in spite. Even the board game wants to waste my time! Grrrrr! The nerve of this game...testing my patience! Knuckles brooded irritably while growling in frustration.

Sonic smiled sheepishly as he calmly replied, "Oh, relax, Knuckles. Maybe if we just take a break from the game, then maybe it will be time to-".

"Sonic! I don't want to keep playing this game forever! If we keep wasting more time on this game, then we'll never be able to get back home safe and sound!" Knuckles yelled as he closed his eyes in irritation. He felt a vein popping in his head since he's very mad that the board game is suggesting them to keep waiting.

"...Dude, you need to chill out," Sonic replied calmly with a teasing grin as he shrugged his shoulders.

"OH, THAT'S IT!" Knuckles shouted in irritation. He immediately grabbed the board game and turned it around quickly so that it is facing him. He then pushed onto the red button to take his turn. The roulette wheel started to spin as it took Knuckles' turn next.

"Hmph! There!" Knuckles exclaimed as he crossed his arms again. He watched the roulette wheel on the game while impatiently waiting for his turn to end. Knuckles growled as he waited. Come on! Come on! Knuckles thought as he glared at the board game with irritation on his face.

Sonic then said with a frown, "Hey, give it a rest, will ya?".

Knuckles then looked at Sonic with a solemn frown on his face. Sonic continued as he had his hands on his hips, "Knuckles, you need to take a break every once in a while. If the game had suggested that we should rest and do nothing, then maybe we should do what it says and relax".

"Hmph! I'll relax when I'm dead!" Knuckles exclaimed back in annoyance with a grunt and with a grimace.

Sonic rolled his eyes as he calmly replied, "Sheesh, overkill much?".

"Hmph!" Knuckles grunted again in annoyance before he looked back to the board game.

"Well, if you're not going to take a break, then I will!" Sonic exclaimed back as he quickly stood up. He then immediately started to run around the Blue Typhoon as a way to take his break.

"Sonic! Come back here! I-!" Knuckles yelled at Sonic before he was interrupted by the chime sound of the board game.

KACHING!

"Hmm? Oh!" Knuckles exclaimed as he looked back at the board game. He then looked even more irritated as he thought. A one again?! Come on! Can't I catch a break?!

Knuckles sighed as he took out the card from the board game. He still frowned as he looked at his spot on the game. His spaceship is now on space 16. He then looked at his card and read it. "'Want more allies on your side? They'll come to you to save your hide.' Hmm...Well, that's a strange way to say that we'll get more help from others. But who are these allies that the card had mentioned? Are they from Chris' world? Hmm...I don't know," Knuckles read before he spoke to himself in thought.

Sonic kept running around the Blue Typhoon. Knuckles then saw that it was time to let Sonic know that his move was done. He stood up and exclaimed, "Hey! Sonic! My turn is done! H-Hey! Huh?! Wha?!".

Knuckles looked confused as he watched Sonic run all around the Blue Typhoon. He could guess that Sonic didn't listen to what he had said. Ugh. What do I need to do to get him to listen?! Knuckles thought in annoyance. He then grabbed the board game and carried it towards one end of the spaceship. He waited and looked around for Sonic to show up at this part of the ship again. Once he saw Sonic, he tried to call out to him again.

"Sonic! I'm done! I'm done with my turn!" Knuckles yelled as he held the board game in his hands.

"Are you going to take a break with me?!" Sonic yelled back as he ran through the end of the spaceship again.

Knuckles frowned before he sighed. If that is the only way to get him to stop, then...Knuckles pondered with an annoyed look on his face.

He then lifted up the board game with one hand as he answered, "Yes! Fine! I'll do what the board game had told us to do! Now! Stop!".

"Finally!" Sonic exclaimed brightly as he skidded to a stop while looking at Knuckles. Unfortunately for Sonic, he couldn't stop himself in time because he went off from the spaceship. Sonic gasped in shock before he panicked as he flailed his arms and legs around in space.

"Ah! Help! Help! I can't run back to the ship!" Sonic exclaimed in worry.

Knuckles was alarmed by this, but he can't help but to rub it in by saying, "That is what you get for wanting to take a break, Sonic! You get set off course!".

"Knuckles! Please! Help me!" Sonic yelled in desperation while floating further away from the ship.

Knuckles frowned deeply in annoyance as he pondered calmly. Sigh. If he is begging like this, then he must be very serious here. I'd better go save him then.

"Hang on, Sonic! I'm going to get some help!" Knuckles yelled back while holding the board game in his hand.

Sonic nodded quickly before he floated even further in space.

[Meanwhile In Chris' World]

"So, did you found a way to get us to Sonic's world?" Mr. Thorndike asked as he and his wife looked at Grandpa Chuck.

"Unfortunately for us, no, I have not. It seems impossible right now since Chris was precautious into making this transporter. He designed this machine so that only he can go to Sonic's world. No one else," Chuck answered solemnly as he looked at several blueprints for the transporter.

"What?! But why?! Why couldn't he allow at least his own family to come with him?!" Mrs. Thorndike exclaimed in shock and in worry.

Chuck shook his head as he answered, "I assume that Chris thought that it would be too dangerous of an experiment to allow human subjects to go through the transporter. He didn't want to take the risk of letting anyone or everyone to use the transporter in case if it malfunctions somehow, and that Chris would be trapped in Sonic's world forever".

Both Mr. And Mrs. Thorndike gasped in surprise. Mrs. Thorndike covered her mouth as she felt like crying again. "So...Chris did that so that we won't get him into more trouble than he already is. I...I'm not sure if what he had done was selfish...or considerate," Mrs. Thorndike said quietly as a few tears came into her eyes.

Chuck smiled sympathetically at Mrs. Thorndike as he replied, "I'm sure that he had thought of you when he had built it. He didn't want anyone or his own parents to get killed by sheer accident. He's much wiser than you think".

"I agree with that," Mr. Thorndike replied as he held his wife in a comforting way.

Mrs. Thorndike then said after she hugged her husband, "Okay, I understand. But it's such a shame that we can't even give Chris some supplies to him to let him know that we care. Besides...".

Mrs. Thorndike looked down as she finishes with, "...He doesn't even know that Mother's Day had passed already. I wish that I know that he still cares for us even when he's far away from us".

Chuck beamed at Mrs. Thorndike as he replied, "Well, I'm not so sure about that. I think that this transporter can teleport objects into Sonic's world. Chris may have built the machine so that he can get through, but he didn't seem to care about inanimate objects though. So, maybe there is a chance that your kindly reminder will get across to Chris".

Mr. And Mrs. Thorndike gasped again, but this time in happiness and in relief.

"Isn't this great, honey?! You can get to shower your love again by sending him gifts and cards to him!" Mr. Thorndike exclaimed with a smile.

"Oh, yes! And we can get him more clothes, food, toys, books, and maybe some more gadgets that he loves to have!" Mrs. Thorndike exclaimed happily.

"Hahahahaha! Of coarse, you would think about what your son needs. You're his mom after all!" Mr. Thorndike replied while chuckling.

"Mmhmm! And any mother would look after their kids no matter how old they are!" Mrs. Thorndike replied brightly with a grin.

Grandpa Chuck also chuckled before he replied, "All right you two. Let's send Chris anything that you think he needs! Let's go to the mansion and see what would be good to send through the transporter".

Mr. And Mrs. Thorndike nodded to each other and smiled brightly at this plan.

-Meanwhile In Sonic's World-

Ms. Vanilla was doing her knitting in her home. She was musing to herself as she knits. I do wonder how Sonic and the others are doing in their journey through space. I'm sure that they're doing fine just like always. I do hope that Cream is staying strong for them as they travel further into space. I know that she is helping them as much as she can.

Vanilla stops knitting briefly as she felt a little sad. "Still, that doesn't help that I miss her so much. I wish that I could see my daughter again. (Sigh)" Vanilla said out loud with a frown on her face.

Suddenly, she notices that something is glowing brightly in the middle of Angel Island. She turned her head to look at this strange phenomenon. "Huh? That's odd. I wonder what it is this time?" Vanilla said while looking curious as she stared at the island through her window.

Eventually, Vanilla had reached Angel Island and had made it on top of the Master Emerald's altar. She was staring at the white light appearing in the middle of the altar. Soon, there were loads of boxes and bags in front of Vanilla. She gasped in shock of this before she was buried in a pile of clothes a second later. Vanilla soon got her head out of the clothes while thinking. Oh, dear. Something tells me that these boxes, clothes, and bags were from Chris' world. I can only assume that Chris' parents must've brought these here somehow.

Vanilla soon got out of the pile of clothes and stood back up. She then said to herself, "I'm going to need some help here. I can't deliver all this stuff to Chris. I'm going to need backup for this. I-Huh? What's this?".

Vanilla noticed a card lying on the ground in front of her feet. She carefully bends down to pick the card off of the ground. As she held the card, she asked herself, "What is this? A card?".

Out of curiosity, she opens the card to read what's inside. "'Dear Chris, I hope that you are happy since you got to reunite with Sonic and his friends. I am still sad that you had to leave Dad and I so unexpectedly without saying goodbye to us. But understand that I'm not mad. I'm just concerned for you. I care about your safety and would want nothing else but your safe return home. Your grandfather had figured out that we could send material objects to you through the transporter. That is why we had brought you more clothes, food, toys, books, and other things that we thought you need in your visit to Sonic's world. I hope that we had brought you enough supplies for you to use. Please take care of yourself and be responsible to your friends, Chris. I love you, and I miss you. With love, Mom.

P. S. Mother's Day had passed already in our world, Chris. I'm sure that you must've forgotten about that since you're busy helping Sonic and his friends currently. But that's okay. I know that you still love me and probably miss me while on your adventures with Sonic and the others. If there was a way for you to send us a message back to us, please do send one. We all miss you, Chris, and would wish you back to us. Once again, Chris, I love you. Have a good time in Sonic's world, sweetie!'" Vanilla read while looking rather touched by Mrs. Thorndike's kind words through the card.

Vanilla then frowned in sadness as she pondered. Poor Mrs. Thorndike. She wasn't able to receive something from her son on Mother's Day. Hmm...Wait a second. Mother's Day had also passed in our world too...and my daughter had been in space all this time when it had happened. Ooooh, now, I miss my daughter even more. Sigh.

Vanilla shook her head in sadness before she then said to herself, "Oh, this is no time for me to feel sad. I need to call someone for help to get this luggage to Chris. Heehee! And I just know three, kind gentlemen to do the job for me".

-Meanwhile At The Chaotix Agency-

RING! RING! RING! RING! RING!

Loud phone ringing can be heard throughout the agency. Vector the Crocodile was relaxing on the couch with his hands behind his head. He was trying to get some shut-eye since it had been a slow day today. Vector pondered while groaning in annoyance of the phone ringing. Ugh. Just when I thought that today will be the day that we can take the day off. There were no customers today or any requests this week! Man, this is just a pain in my butt. Hmm...speaking of which...

"Charmy. Get the phone for us," Vector demanded sleepily.

"(Yawn)….Got it..." Charmy the Bee replied tiredly as he flew down into the living room. He was also taking a nap at the time and was a bit annoyed that it got disturbed the phone ringing. Grrr. Why do I have to be the one to answer the phone? The phone is right next to him! Hmph! I'll show him how to answer the phone himself! Charmy thought as he felt slightly moody today.

Charmy soon picked up the black phone, and then mischievously dropped it on top of Vector's head. Charmy smiled as he heard Vector's yelp of pain.

"OW! WHAT THE HECK, CHARMY?! I...I! GRR! WHATEVER! I'LL ANSWER IT THEN!" Vector shouted in frustration. He then picked up the phone and answered the call.

"This better be an actual request this time because if you so dare to prank call us one more time, I'll-" Vector yelled in irritation before he stopped mid-sentence once he heard who the caller was. "Oh! Uh! OH! OH! Ms. Vanilla! Umm...What is it that you want from us? …...Yes. Uh huh. …...I...I get ya. Soo...you want us to...errr...carry some luggage?" Vector continued sheepishly as he blushed in embarrassment.

"Why yes. That's right, Vector. Some of Chris' belongings had just appeared on top of the Master Emerald shrine, and I just don't know how to carry them to him," Vanilla replied with a smile while on the phone.

"Well, don't worry, miss! We can do the job just fine! The Chaotix is on the case! We'll meet you at the shrine!" Vector exclaimed brightly while rubbing his cheek a bit.

"Okay, then. I'll see you soon then. Goodbye, now," Vanilla replied calmly before hanging up.

Vector hung up the phone and sat up while still blushing. Charmy was laughing as he sat on the other couch. "Hahahahahahaha! Vector is a sucker! Vector is a sucker! Hahahahahahahaha!" Charmy laughed while exclaiming in a sing-song tone.

Vector blushed even more as he turned to glare at Charmy. Vector then yelled out, "The only sucker in this house is you, Charmy!".

Charmy stopped laughing to gasp at Vector. Charmy suddenly became sad as he started crying instead. "Wahahahahahahahah! That is sooooo mean, Vector! Wahahahahahahahah!" Chamy yelled as he cried.

Vector sighed as he put the phone away. "Charmy, you know that I don't mean what I say whenever I get mad. Now, just relax," Vector replied in exasperation.

"Wahahahahaha! Yeah, you're right," Charmy replied after he had stopped crying.

"That's better. But on a different note, where is Espio? We have a job to do surprisingly enough," Vector replied while crossing his arms as he sat.

Charmy pointed to the left of him as he answered, "Oh, that's easy. He's just meditating as usual at his own personal corner there".

Espio was indeed in his own corner, mediating in peace. He was sitting while having his hands together. Vector and Charmy looked at each other and then at him. They know how it's usually difficult to get Espio's attention when he's in that state. So, there was only one thing to do to get him out of it. They both smiled mischievously as they soon stood up and quickly grabbed some pepper from the kitchen. They soon approached Espio quietly and stood at his side. Vector then opened a part of the pepper bottle and shook a little pepper over Espio's nose. Espio soon started to sneeze for a bit as a response to this. Vector and Charmy snickered a bit at this as Espio stood up.

While still being calm and collected as ever, Espio said, "Were you two so bored that you have to prank me for your own amusement? I know that we don't have any customers today, but please think of more better hobbies rather than pranking your friends".

"Hahahaha! Oh, but you'd be wrong there, Espio! We actually do got a request from someone, and we need you to be there!" Vector replied happily.

"Hmph. This better not be from another prank caller. You do realize how many of those we often receive those these days," Espio replied dully.

"Oh, don't you worry about that, Espio! This request is from Vanilla! And she would never prank call us!" Vector exclaimed confidently. This will be an easy job! Vector thought with a smile.

-Later At The Master Emerald's Shrine-

Vector, Espio, and Charmy all gasped in shock by how many boxes were piled up. But what had even astonished them even more than that was the specifics that Vanilla had requested from them.

"And I want you guys to go into space and give the new cargo to Chris. He is riding in Tails' spaceship called the Blue Typhoon. You just can't miss it once you're traveling in space," Vanilla said calmly while smiling at the Chaotix crew.

"Oh, we would most certainly not miss it! Especially since the loveliest lady in the world had just told us that!" Vector exclaimed while blushing as he rubbed his hands. Vanilla giggled at that response.

"Vector, I hate to break this to you, but this sounds like a prank," Espio replied bluntly with a frown on his face. He had a hand on his hip as he stared at Vector.

Vector turned his head to look at Espio with an annoyed but also confused expression on his face. "Huh? Why do you think that this is all a prank? Ms. Vanilla would never ever do that," Vector replied with a frown on his face.

"Well, look around you, Vector. If she wants us to go into space, wouldn't she at least give us a spaceship to do so? I see no spaceship. Do you?" Espio replied calmly as he looked around the area for emphasis.

Vector then put a finger under his chin as he looked thoughtful. "Hmm...now that you mention it...it IS weird that we don't have a ride to take the cargo away. I wonder where it is," Vector said out loud while pondering why there's no spaceship here.

PING!

Suddenly, a huge, red spaceship had appeared out of the blue and had landed on the ground near the shrine. Vanilla, Vector, Espio, and Charmy all were surprised by this. The Chaotix turned around and looked down from the shrine to gawk at the red spaceship. Charmy then exclaimed brightly, "Found it!".

"Good for you, Charmy. (Sigh)..." Espio replied while rolling his eyes and sighing.

"Well, boys, let's get cracking! We got some cargo to deliver!" Vector exclaimed confidently as he looked at the two of them. Espio and Charmy nodded in understanding.

"Ummm...Vector? There is something else that I want to ask of you. It's nothing too arduous of a task to do really," Vanilla spoke up after being quiet for a bit.

Vector then quickly turned around and rushed back to her. While looking like an excited puppy, Vector replied, "Oh! Anything for you, Ms. Vanilla! You are our favorite customer at our agency! We'll make a special exception for you! No charge needed!".

Espio face-palmed himself as he shook his head, and Chamy was snickering to himself as he watched his boss babble like a baby to Vanilla.

Vanilla smiled a bit before she frowned in sadness. "It's...It's not that big of a request to do, but...could you please check up on Cream when you do make it to Tails' spaceship? I...I miss her so much...and the sad part about this is that it's already past Mother's Day. So, Cream was unable to be here since she was in space at the time. I'm sure that she misses me. I just want to know that she's happy and safe. Please, Vector? Could you please see if she's okay?" Vanilla replied quietly as she looked earnestly into Vector's eyes.

Vector raised his eyebrows in surprise at this request. He knows how much Vanilla loves her daughter and would want the best for her. Vector soon looked serious as he replied gently, "Don't worry, Vanilla. I will see it through to the end that Cream is okay and happy. She means a lot to you, and that you want proof that she's alive and well. I will most certainly do that for you, Vanilla. Not because it's for the sake of the agency, but for you personally".

Vanilla then smiled warmly at Vector once she heard that her request was taken. She then replied brightly, "Oh! Vector! Thank you so much!". To Vector's surprise, Vanilla then gave him a hug as a way to thank him. Vector felt like he could melt right on the spot as his face was completely red and had huge adoring eyes popping out of his face. Ahhhhhh...sooooo...heavenly...Vector thought as he lets Vanilla hug him. After a few more seconds of hugging, Vanilla lets go of Vector and smiled at him. Vector then grinned widely at her while blushing.

"Well, I guess that we're off then! Come on, boys! Let's pack the cargo as fast as we can! We need to make sure that Cream is safe!" Vector exclaimed enthusiastically as he quickly turned around to order Espio and Charmy. They nodded as they understood that Vector has a point. They need to make sure that Cream is okay too.

So, they went to work right away.

-Meanwhile On The Blue Typhoon-

"You're kidding me! Sonic just skidded off from the ship and can't get back?!" Amy yelled in shock.

"Well, yeah! He was just running around aimlessly before he stopped when I called out to him! It seems to me that he's bad at braking whenever the need demands it!" Knuckles exclaimed back while still holding onto the board game.

"Ugh. Tell me about it! But anyways, what are we going to do? We can't just let him float aimlessly in space forever! We need him in order to finish the board game!" Amy exclaimed back while looking worried.

"I know! We better think of something quick! Or else the game will be paused forever since Sonic won't make his next move if he's not here!" Knuckles exclaimed in determination.

Amy looked even more worried as she thought. That is true. Who knows what will happen if we can't advance the game due to Sonic being gone? At worst, we'll be trapped forever until we die to the Metarex. We can't lose Sonic! Besides, I...We need him!

Then with a sudden burst of inspiration, Amy then exclaimed, "Wait! I've got it! But first, we should leave the board game behind. You already took your turn, right?".

Knuckles nodded quickly. Amy then replied, "Good. So, you can leave that behind and come with me! If we are going to get Sonic back, then we better go where he's going! Let's get the jet packs!".

"Okay! Let's go!" Knuckles exclaimed as he and Amy ran towards the storage room to fetch out the jet packs. Knuckles just carelessly tossed the board game behind him as he ran. The board game had hit the floor in the middle of the hallway. After Knuckles and Amy had turned the corner of the hallway, Cream walked towards the hallway they had left from. As Cream turned the corner, she was surprised to see the board game lying down on the ground in the middle of the hall.

"Hmm? I wonder why the game is out here. Mr. Knuckles was carrying it before. So, why did he leave it here? Did he drop it?" Cream said to herself while looking confused. Cheese then chirped, "Chao! Chao!".

"Hmmm...I guess that he wouldn't mind if I take it if he's done with it," Cream said with a smile as she looked at Cheese. Cheese smiled back and floated towards the board game. Cream walked over to the board game and picked it up. With a happy smile on her face, Cream skipped along through the hallway while carrying the board game.

Meanwhile, Knuckles already had a yellow jet pack on with an extension rope being hooked onto the ship. He carried another jet pack in his hands. He then said to himself, "Do I have to act as the babysitter around here? Aw well. Better get on with it already".

He soon flew away from the Blue Typhoon while carrying the other jet pack in his hands.

Meanwhile, Cream had arrived back on the bridge while carrying the board game in her hands. She smiled at the others as she exclaimed, "I'm back, everyone!".

Cosmo smiled at Cream as she watched Cream stand next to her. "Hey, didn't Sonic and Knuckles take their turns already?" Cosmo asked out loud as she stared at Cream.

"Umm..." Cream muttered in confusion.

"Yes, they did. Knuckles had told me that they did. It's Tails' turn now," Amy answered for Cream.

"Oh, so, do you want to take your turn now, Tails?" Cream asked as she turned around and walked towards Tails.

Tails looked thoughtful as he replied, "Well, I wouldn't risk it since Sonic and Knuckles aren't here. But...they had taken their turns and...nothing bad had happened so far. Sooo...".

Tails then smiled as he gently took the board game from Cream. Tails then exclaimed brightly, "Aw, what the heck! Maybe my turn will be uneventful as theirs were!".

With that hopeful thought, Tails opened the board game and pushed the red button. The roulette wheel started to spin as it took Tails' turn. After a few seconds, the wheel stopped again at a certain number.

"Wow, I got a 6! That wasn't too bad of a roll," Tails said out loud with a smile as he stares at his orange spaceship moving to space 26.

KACHING!

A white card came after that, and Tails took the card and read it out loud to the gang. "'A quick visit from some allies you shall meet. So, are you happy or have cold feet?'. Hmm...are we really going to meet some more allies on our journey? I thought that Chris was going to be our ally in this game. Is the game pitying us?" Tails read the card before speaking out loud in thought.

Amy frowned as she replied, "It better not! I think that it is insulting that the board game thinks that we can't handle the Metarex on our own as it is! We got this far into the game, and we're not going to cry about how difficult it is to fend off those Metarex poachers now! I'll take on those poachers any day!".

Chris looked nervous as he stared at Amy's irritated expression on her face. Even with Knuckles not here, Amy can be the most passionate about fighting whenever something ticks her off. (Gulp)….I hope that she doesn't thrash the spaceship next in her anger. Chris thought while having a sweat drop on his head.

Tails shared Chris' nervousness as he tried to calm Amy down by saying, "Um! Amy! It's okay! I don't think that was the game's intention for doing that! Ummm...It...It is as you say, Amy. We can handle any Metarex robot anytime! In fact, we can face them even without Sonic and Knuckles helping us! It's...It's just the five of us here, and that's enough people to take on...umm...a whole army of Metarex robots! Yeah!".

Amy then smiled brightly as she exclaimed, "Now, that's what I like to hear! We can show Sonic and Knuckles why no one messes with us! Not even the Metarex!".

Tails breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that Amy had calmed down. Crisis adverted. Tails thought with a weak smile on his face. Amy soon turned around to see what's ahead in space. When she did that, she had noticed a bright twinkle of light in the horizon. She then said, "Hey, guys! Look! Something's coming to us!".

The others turned to look at where Amy was pointing at in space. They were curious now since they saw an object floating in space. However, since it was too far away, they can't tell what it is.

"I'm going to enhance the screen to get a better look of this approaching object," Tails said as he typed a few buttons on his computer to enlarge the screen before them.

Once they saw the object more clearly, Cream then said, "Hey, why is there a ship coming towards us?".

"I don't know, but maybe it is following us," Cosmo replied as she and Cream stared at the screen before them.

"What should we do? Is that ship a threat or what?" Amy asked as she looked at Chris for answers.

"Don't ask me. I've never seen a ship like that before," Chris replied as he shrugged slightly.

"It's possible that it could be the Metarex following us. They could be trying to spy on us for all we know," Tails replied as he made his deduction.

"Hmm...if it the Metarex, then we better check the ship to see if they have any weapons on it," Chris replied as he typed on his computer in his seat. He then added after scanning the ship, "Well, by the looks of things, the ship is completely defenseless. There are no weapons in that ship. Maybe it is some robot spies we have here".

Cream frowned in worry as she turned to look at Amy. Cream asked, "Miss Amy, are you sure that we can fend off those Metarex poachers ourselves? Can we just try to get Mr. Sonic and Mr. Knuckles back to us?".

"Sonic and Knuckles are too far away at the moment. There's no time for us to wait for them. Sonic is still floating off into space, and Knuckles is currently traveling to him with his jetpack. So, it is up to us to fend the ship this time," Amy calmly answered with a slight shrug.

Tails and Chris then felt shocked as they thought. Oh my gosh, we really ARE defending the ship without Sonic or Knuckles helping us!

Tails gulped as he turned to look at Amy with a nervous expression on his face. "A-Amy? Is that a good idea? Maybe if we steer this ship towards Sonic and Knuckles, we could find them and have them fight the Metarex for us," Tails suggested while having a sweat drop on his head.

Amy frowned as she had her hands on her hips. She then replied in annoyance, "Come on! Get a backbone, Tails! WE are fighting those poachers this time whether you like it or not! It's all part of the game, Tails! And you are a player in this game just like Cream and me! So, tough it out, Tails!".

Tails withered a little as his ears went down like a sad puppy does. He then thought. But I...I hate board games...Sigh...

Chris, however, got the message and looked serious. "Amy's right, Tails. The more we depend on Sonic or Knuckles to fight our battles for us then the lesser we get strong ourselves. We can fight these guys off on our own. We need to have more faith in ourselves as a team. So, let's come up with a strategy to fight them," Chris replied as he stared at the red ship again.

Cosmo nodded as she added, "I agree with Chris. We can't back out now. However, the worst case scenario is that they could come aboard our ship soon. So, we need to act fast and come up with a surprise attack to stop them from attacking us".

Tails raised his eyebrows in surprise of Cosmo's idea. You know, I think that just might work! Cosmo, you're smarter than you look! And that's not a bad thing! Boy, each day I find myself being more impressed with you, Cosmo. Just like the day I had first met you. Tails thought with a little smile on his face.

Tails then looked serious as he said, "Cosmo, that's a great idea! We'll just surprise these jokers on our own once they come into our ship! We can do this!".

"Yeah!" Everyone yelled in agreement over Tails' plan.

-Meanwhile With The Chaotix-

"Man, talk about crazy! One moment we were busy trying to figure out where Tails' spaceship went and then the next moment...PING!...We got teleported to a new location due to some white flash of light! And now we're here! We've found Tails' spaceship in like five minutes! Just what was that?! Seriously! It's like we've traveled through space BY space!" Vector exclaimed while still shocked by the recent events that had happened.

"Um, Vector? That's called a wormhole. It's a phenomenon that exists in space. I'm not that surprised that we had managed to travel through it," Espio replied calmly as he sat in his seat. Vector was sitting at Espio's right. Vector and Espio were piloting the ship the whole time while Charmy was busy eating in the background.

"Thanks, Einstein. I would've never figured that out," Vector replied sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

"Hmph. And that is another thing that I'm not surprised by," Espio cheekily replied as he turned to smirk at Vector.

Vector turned to look at Espio while growling for a bit. He soon gave up and looked back at the view in front of him. "Anyways, onto the main mission here, all we got to do is play Santa Claus and bring the kid's stuff into Tails' ship undetected. Not only that, we are gonna need some evidence that Cream is okay. And I've got the perfect plan to do that," Vector replied calmly as he is now focused onto the mission again.

"Oooh! What's the plan?!" Charmy asked as he stopped eating some potato chips for a second to speak.

"Charmy! The food belongs to Chris! Stop eating those chips!" Espio scolded as he turned back to glare at Charmy.

"Awww, but Espio, it just tastes soooo gooood! Besides, we've been traveling through space for like an hour! I'm hungry!" Charmy whined as he put the chips away.

"It's only been ten minutes! Stop your whining!" Vector also scolded while feeling annoyed.

"Awww man..." Charmy replied in defeat.

Vector soon steered the ship closer towards Tails' ship. As Vector parallel parked near the Blue Typhoon, Vector then said, "Now, listen up, boys. The key to succeeding this mission is subtlety. Remember that. We can't be spotted into delivering the goods into the ship. We also can't be spotted as we kidnap Cream. So, what we are going to do is-".

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Hold the phone! 'Kidnap Cream'?! THAT is your plan to see if Cream is okay?! No way! We can't do that! Ms. Vanilla only requested us to show her evidence that Cream is safe! Not kidnap her daughter and bring her to her! That is quite an ungentlemanly act if I had ever heard one!" Espio exclaimed in shock and in slight anger.

Vector stood up as he waved his hand at Espio. "Oh, calm down, Espio. It's for a good cause. Vanilla misses her daughter, and I'm doing the most thoughtful thing by bringing Cream back to her. That way, Vanilla will see that Cream is safe and sound. Not only that, she can enjoy her daughter's company again. You know how much Cream loves her mother the first time we saw them reunite back on Chris' world. I'm sure that Cream is secretly sad and lonely since she doesn't get to see her mother that often and would want to go back home. Just like a princess wishing that a knight could bring her back to her parents after being separated for decades," Vector replied while making some gestures with his hands for emphasis in his explanation.

Espio rolled his eyes at Vector's comically bad reasoning for wanting to kidnap Cream in the first place. "Vector...I hate to break it to you, but that plan won't go well for either Cream or for Ms. Vanilla. They would probably be mad at you for doing such a criminal act. They have always looked up to you as a kind, heroic figure. Not a criminal. Please think over your plan again before you make such a terrible decision that will cost you your integrity," Espio replied in annoyance as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

…...

"Ummm...Espio? Vector just left the ship while you were busy correcting him," Charmy replied awkwardly as he stared at the open door of the ship.

Espio's eyes snapped open wide in surprise. He quickly turned his head to look at the open door too. He then frowned and sighed in exasperation. As he slapped his hand onto his face, he then muttered, "That idiot. This plan is going to blow up in his face somehow".

Vector was now walking inside the Blue Typhoon. As he looked around, he then whispered quietly to himself, "No witnesses here so far. Good. Now, where is the cargo hold? Hmm...".

He then turned his head to his right. He spotted a sign that has a red arrow pointing at the door to the bridge. Vector smiled as he said quietly, "Hey, maybe this will lead to the cargo hold".

Unfortunately for Vector, Chris, Tails, Amy, Cosmo, Cream and even Cheese were all hiding behind the door while being armed with weapons. Amy's weapon was of coarse her Piko Piko Hammer. Tails was holding a bat. Cosmo was holding a broom. Cheese was holding a fork. Chris was holding a frying pan, and Cream was holding a wrench. They were ready to strike at any intruder on the ship, and they aren't going to show any mercy either.

"Now, stay quiet, guys. The intruders are here," Chris said soberly.

After they nodded, Chris turned the lights in the room off. While in the dark, Cosmo then asked quietly, "Are you sure that this will work, Chris?".

Chris smiled a little even though Cosmo can't see it. He then answered casually, "Of coarse, it will work. I've seen it in a movie once where a kid takes down two robbers with only house appliances and equipment. If it works there, then it'll work here".

Cosmo was confused as to what Chris had meant by "movie", but she shrugged it off and decided to trust Chris on this plan. "O-Okay, Chris. Whatever you say then," Cosmo replied softly as she grips onto her broom a bit more tightly.

Vector soon approached the door. As he knocked, he then said while faking a Santa Claus impression, "Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas, everyone! Can someone please help Santa find the cargo hold? The gifts are for Chris Thorndike. He's been a very good boy this year, and I would like to deliver the gifts to him. If you would give me the directions, then that will be great! Ho ho ho!".

When the door opened, Chris then said as he played along, "Thanks, Santa. Why don't you come in a little closer into this room?".

"Eh? Why would I want to do that? After all, it's too dark for me to see and—AAAAAAHHHH!" Vector replied in confusion before he screamed when someone had pulled his head down to the ground and when everyone started attacking him.

"SELF DEFENSE!" Tails shouted as he thwacked Vector multiple times with the bat.

"YOU'RE NOT SANTA CLAUS, YOU LIER!" Chris shouted too as he bashed Vector's head with the frying pan.

"YEAH! YOU'RE A METAREX POACHER, AREN'T YOU?!" Cream shouted as she swung the wrench as hard as she could.

"CHAO! CHAO!" Cheese shouted as he poked Vector very hard with the fork.

"DIE POACHER! DIE!" Amy shouted while slamming her hammer as hard as she could onto Vector.

"CEASE! DESIST!" Cosmo shouted as she did her best to attack Vector with the broom. She hated that she had to do this, but she knows that it's the only way that her friends will be safe from the poachers. Just keep on fighting. That is something that these people had taught me, and I'm not going to let them down. Cosmo thought while whacking Vector with the broom.

BAM! POW! POKE! THWACK! THUMP! BAM! BAM! POKE! POKE! THAWCK! THWACK! THUMP! POW!

"OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW!" Vector yelped loudly as he was attacked roughly by the others. WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?! WHHHHHYYYY?! Vector thought in pain as he was still being attacked.

-Few Minutes Later-

Vector soon returned to his own ship while being covered in bruises and bandages. Espio and Charmy looked behind themselves and saw Vector in such poor shape. Vector then flopped down to the ground in exhaustion. "Uggggh. Stick a fork in me. I'm done. I've failed," Vector said tiredly.

Espio and Charmy got out of their seats and walked towards Vector. Espio sighed as he replied, "I told you that it wouldn't work, but you didn't listen to me. This is karma for trying to do a bad deed in the first place, Vector".

Vector growled while muttering, "Don't push it, Espio".

Charmy just looked confused as he asked, "Umm...just who attacked you?".

"Barbarians, Charmy! Barbarians!" Vector exclaimed in frustration.

"Bar-Huh?" Charmy said in confusion.

"Don't listen to him, Charmy. He's just bitter that he had failed his own mission. However, I won't fail. Let the true professional show you how it's done," Espio replied calmly as he placed his hands together. He then immediately turned invisible by camouflaging himself. He soon left the red ship after that.

-Back On The Blue Typhoon-

"Whew! That was a close call. And to think that the Metarex knows what Santa Claus is. Hmph! Don't they realize that Santa Claus only comes in December? It's June for crying out loud!" Amy said to herself as she paints the hallway. She was standing on top of a ladder as she paints.

Suddenly, the door beside Amy had opened. Espio was still camouflaged and couldn't be seen by Amy. As Espio quietly walks through the door and into the hallway, Amy turned her head to the right and was shocked to see no one at the door. "Huh?! What the-?! Are my eyes playing tricks on me or—Hmm?" Amy asked in surprise as she waved her paintbrush around for emphasis.

When Amy did that, she had accidently brushed paint on top of Espio's head. Espio immediately halted in surprise as he realized that his cover was blown. Amy saw this and had swiped some more paint onto Espio to see what she's looking at. Espio then thought as he blinked his eyes. I knew that I should've gone to the left side of the hallway instead of the right. Great. It looks like that it's my turn to be punished by karma.

Amy gasped in shock as she noticed the strange, invisible intruder looking at her. "EEEEEEEK!" Amy shrieked in surprise.

Immediately, Chris, Tails, Cosmo, Cream, and Cheese rushed up on top of the stairs after hearing Amy's shriek. "Amy! What's wrong?! Did something happen?!" Chris yelled in alarm.

"M-M-M-M-M-M-METAREX!" Amy stuttered before shouting in fear. She had fallen off from the ladder and was on her knees. The gang stared at her and then at the retreating Espio as he runs away as fast as he could. Paint marks were on the floor as Espio ran through the hallway.

"No way! The poachers can turn invisible too?!" Tails exclaimed in shock.

"Don't let him get away!" Chris exclaimed in determination.

"Yeah!" Everyone yelled before they ran after Espio.

Running! Running! Running! Running! Running! Running! Running! Running! Runn-ACK! NO! Espio thought in a panic as he ran before the others had dog-piled onto him and attacked him.

"SELF DEFENSE!" Tails shouted out before he attacked Espio with his bat.

BAM! POW! THWACK! THWACK! POKE! POKE! THUMP! BAM! POW! POW! POKE! THUMP! THWACK!

"OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW!" Espio yelped loudly as he was attacked roughly by the others. But I'm the moral compass of the Chaotix! Why do I have to be punished tooooo?! Espio thought in pain.

-Few Minutes Later-

"You know what? You were right, Vector. Those people are barbarians," Espio said in defeat while he was covered in bandages.

"Sooo...you failed too, huh?" Vector asked in confusion as he looked at Espio. Even Charmy was surprised by how Espio looks right now.

"Yes! And I'm completely humiliated on HOW I had failed! I would never make such a careless mistake like that!" Espio exclaimed in frustration as he stomps the ground for emphasis. He then sat down on the ground while blushing in humiliation. Luckily, he was still camouflaged so that his face couldn't be seen. "Grrr. And all I had to do was turn left. Why did I have to choose right?" Espio added.

"Maybe it was because you were in the right?" Charmy asked innocently.

Espio groaned as he said, "Charmy...don't rub it in".

Charmy shrugged before he raised his hand, "How about I give it a try? They can't possibly hurt me because I'm a child unlike you two old farts!".

"Charmy...after what they had done to us...do you really think that they will be kind to you? All because you're a kid? They're barbarians, Charmy. They'll take you down alive," Vector replied tiredly as he turned to look at Charmy.

"Of coarse they'll be nice to me! Because I'm cute!" Charmy exclaimed cheerfully.

Vector rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Fine. Fine. You can try to confront them about it. But please give yourself some protection, Charmy. I don't want to pay for your health insurance if you come back with a broken arm and a broken leg," Vector replied as he gave up trying to convince Chamy to stay back.

"Teehee! Thanks, Vector! I knew that you care for me!" Charmy exclaimed with a giggle as he turned around and put on a hard hat for protection.

I do care about ya, Charmy...but sometimes...you're a pain in my butt. Vector thought with a frown on his face as he watched Charmy fly out of the red ship and went into the Blue Typhoon.

-Back In The Blue Typhoon-

"Look what we just made, guys! Snacks!" Cream exclaimed happily as she carried a tray with some cake on it.

"We just wanted to thank you guys for protecting the ship against the Metarex. We've worked so hard together that I think that this is a good time to celebrate," Cosmo added calmly as she pushed the cart that's carrying the sweets on it.

"Wow! Thank you, Cream! Cosmo! You guys are the best! I'm starving!" Tails exclaimed as he felt his mouth water at the sight of the tasty snacks that Cream and Cosmo are carrying towards him.

"Yeah! I really appreciate you guys for making them for us! Let's celebrate our victory together by eating the snacks that you guys had made!" Chris exclaimed brightly with a smile.

"Yes! Let's! Heehee!" Cosmo and Cream said at the same time and giggled. Cheese brought Tails the piece of cake to him.

Tails took it and said, "Ahhh. Cake. The best dessert ever!".

Cosmo smiled warmly as she said, "I made that cake you know. I hope that you enjoy it, Tails. It seems to me that cake is your favorite. Teehee!".

Tails smiled sheepishly at Cosmo as he replied, "W-Well, actually...if I was being honest...candy is more likely to be the best dessert ever. Mint candy to be precise".

"Oh, I didn't know that, Tails," Cosmo replied with raised eyebrows.

Tails scratched the back of his head as he added, "I also like ice cream too as my second favorite sweet. Mint chocolate chip ice cream is definitely the best ice cream flavor ever!".

Cosmo smiled even more as she added, "I think that I'm seeing a pattern here, Tails. Would you like my cake better if it was made out of mint flavor too?".

Tails gasped as he asked, "Can you make it?!".

"Heehee! I can try the next time I make cake again!" Cosmo exclaimed happily as she likes Tails' cute expression right now.

Tails grinned brightly as he exclaimed, "Then I can't wait to try it out! I've never eaten mint-flavored cake before! I bet that it will be delicious! Just like this cake!".

Cosmo nodded as she humbly replied, "Well, I promise Tails that I will make that cake for you next time. Maybe Amy could help me make that type of cake. I'd like to try to experiment on some new recipes that had never been made before, and with Amy's cooking skills and guidance, I think that I can make any recipe you guys would want to be made".

Tails and Chris smiled widely and nodded to Cosmo. They both exclaimed, "Then we'll be happy to try it out!".

"Then I'm glad!" Cosmo exclaimed with a happy smile. Cream smiled too while thinking. Ahh, boys. They never change.

Cream then gave Chris his cake as she said, "We also got you guys tea too! I hope that you like it! Also, I made this cake, Chris. It's strawberry shortcake. I've remembered that you've loved strawberry shortcake back on Earth. So, I've decided to make you one!".

"Thank you, Cream. That's so kind of you to do that!" Chris replied happily as he grabbed the plate from Cream.

Amy replied calmly while sipping her tea, "Well, at least that it's calm again. We can finally eat our snacks in peace without any Metarex poachers to deal with".

"I agree. With this calm atmosphere, we can have enough time to make a feast with Amy's, Cream's, and my cooking. We have all the time in the world now!" Cosmo agreed calmly as she looked at the group with a smile. The others laughed happily as they agreed with this idea.

Unfortunately, their talk about food had attracted an unwanted visitor.

"Oooh! A feast! Can I join?!" Charmy exclaimed happily as he met with the others on the bridge. Charmy was completely dressed in protective armor and had a steel shield with him. He found the protective equipment in the storage room in the Blue Typhoon. In a way, he looked like a samurai without a sword.

"Ack! That Metarex is wearing the armor that we had kept in the storage! We must fight him to get them back!" Chris exclaimed in shock once he saw Charmy's stolen get-up.

"Yeah! No stealing!" Amy exclaimed seriously as the others glared at Charmy.

"Ah! Wait! Wait! Wait! Don't hurt me! I'm cute! Really! I'm just a kid! Don-" Charmy exclaimed quickly in a panic as the others got closer to him.

"SELF DEFENSE!" Tails shouted before he and the others attacked Charmy too.

BAM! POW! THWACK! POW! POW! THUMP! POKE! THUMP! THWACK! BAM! POW! BAM! POKE! POKE!

"OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW!" Charmy yelped loudly too as he was assaulted mercilessly by the others. Geez! These guys are NOT kid-friendly! Charmy thought in pain as he was being beaten up.

-Few Minutes Later-

"Okay! That's it! We've tried to be nice, and now, I think that we should get them back for hurting us! We're the good guys here! We don't deserve to be beaten up like this!" Chramy exclaimed in anger as he was also covered in bruises and bandages.

"You're right, Charmy! If they think that the Chaotix are unwelcome in their group, then they have another thing coming! I think that we should kidnap Cream just to show those guys what happens when good guys go to the dark side!" Vector exclaimed confidently as he getting serious now.

"I will not stand for their aggressive behavior, but I will not go so far as to kidnap someone out of spite. That is just childish, Vector, and you know it," Espio replied calmly.

"Hmph! Spoilsport. Fine. If you don't want to help me kidnap Cream, then I'm going through with this alone!" Vector replied while looking away from Espio like a child would do.

Espio frowned at this. Charmy then replied as he looked at Espio, "You really can be such a wet blanket at times, Espio. But maybe it's because that you're secretly a coward and would want to go back home since you felt so humiliated for failing the mission".

"Gah! What?! That's absurd! I-" Espio exclaimed in shock before Vector cut him off.

"I should've known, Espio! Of coarse that you would be the one to chicken out because you don't have someone to impress like I do! When you care about someone, you will go to great lengths to fulfill their needs! And this time is no exception! Ms. Vanilla had requested me, ME, to give the boy his stuff AND to have proof of her daughter's safety! And since that I'm the lead detective on this mission, I say that we won't give up until we had fulfilled her requests! OH, YEAH, BABY! I'm ready to make a comeback!" Vector exclaimed passionately as he made gestures with his arms and hand. After he was done with his speech, Vector was on fire.

Espio and Charmy simply clapped their hands after Vector's speech. As Vector relaxed a bit, he then said, "Thank you. Thank you. Anyways...my comeback will happen AFTER I take a quick power nap. That will help me come up with new ideas into succeeding this plan. Gotta clear your head before you go into battle you know? Anyways, take five, everyone. I'm resting".

Espio and Charmy all stared at Vector as he walked towards his seat and was in a resting position. Vector looked back at them as he replied, "Hey, I said 'take five, everyone'! That's an order!".

Esipo and Charmy had sweat drops on their heads as they replied weakly, "Uhh...right".

-Back On The Blue Typhoon-

The gang was happily eating their desserts with smiles on their faces. Chris was eating his strawberry shortcake as he thought. Man, I'll never get tired of strawberry shortcake. I can eat this stuff forever! …..Hmmm...this cooking so good that it reminds me of Ella's cooking back home. Mmmm...Boy, I hope that the folks back home are doing their best getting through each day without me being there. My mom especially. I'm sure that she misses me greatly. Please pull through, mother. Please...

"Hmm?" Chris said in confusion as he looked outside the window and saw that the red ship is moving away from the Blue Typhoon. "What are they doing now?" Chris added as he felt confused.

"What's going on, Chris?" Tails asked as he turned to look at Chris in confusion.

"I think that the Metarex are retreating. Look! They're getting away from us!" Chris replied with surprise in his tone.

"What? Already? Boy, those poachers seemed to have given up easily. They must not be great poachers then if they had given up after being beaten once. Heh! I guess that we've just stripped them from their titles as poachers! Now, they are just called the losers because we won! Heheh!" Tails replied as he turned back and had his fists up in victory.

Amy was not amused as she replied flatly, "Really, Tails? That's just lame. Leave the cool one-liners to Sonic, okay?".

Tails smiled to Amy a little sheepishly before he looked determined again. "Well, whether you find it lame or not, that doesn't matter to me! Because I'm going to chase that ship with my X-Tornado and finish them off!" Tails exclaimed proudly.

"Eh?! You're going to chase after them?! Isn't defending yourself the only reason why you had fought them in the first place?! They're just leaving! We don't even need to fight them anymore if they're giving up on us! Besides, they have no weapons! So, it's basically overkill at this point!" Chris exclaimed in shock as he stared at Tails.

Tails replied confidently with a smile on his face, "Yes, Chris. It's true. It is overkill, but better safe than sorry as I say! Besides, they might come back to us later if we don't get rid of them now! So, I think that this is a good decision! It's time to make an offensive move rather than a defensive one!".

Chris took a moment to think about it before he smiled and replied, "Boy, Tails, after beating up three, weak Metarex poachers, you've grown some balls into taking them out".

Tails smiled confidently as he replied, "What can say? It's just self defense, right?".

Chris chuckled as a response to that.

Meanwhile, the Chaotix were driving the red ship away from the Blue Typhoon. Vector and Espio were driving the ship again. Vector soon sniffed before he sneezed suddenly. "Aww geez, I think that my body is not prepared to deal with the cold temperatures of space. ACHOO! I mean look at me! I'm starting to develop a cold here! ACHOO!" Vector said while sneezing.

Espio and Charmy looked at each other before looking sympathetic to Vector. Charmy replied, "Do you think that it will be okay if make some soup for you? I mean. I found plenty of soup cans in one of Chris' cargo bags. We could use that to make soup for you".

Vector sneezed again before replying weakly, "You know what? I think that I'm going to bend the rules a little and allow you to do that. After all, I'm sure that Chris could understand that it's important to take care of your health when you're sick. A little sacrifice like this won't harm him I'm sure. ACHOO!".

"Okay then! I'll get the soup!" Charmy exclaimed brightly.

Meanwhile, Tails was preparing to fly the X-Tornado through space. He was sliding sown the vent as the plane was being prepared for take off. After he finally made it inside the plane, the window closed shut, and he grabbed the steering wheel as he was ready to fly. "All systems are ready to go! Time for take off!" Tails exclaimed proudly as held onto the wheel.

The X-Tornado was being lifted up to the airstrip. After the plane was at the airstrip, Tails pulled the wheel towards him, and thus, the X-Torando took off into space at high speeds. "SELF DEFENSE!" Tails shouted seriously as he flew the plane closer to the red ship.

As Tails gotten even closer to the red ship, he then exclaimed in confusion, "Hey! Wait a minute! Isn't that the Chaotix's house?! Why is their house on top of that red ship?! Don't tell me that the Metarex had taken the Chaotix hostage or something! That would be terrible! Hmm...I'd better get closer and see this for myself!".

Tails then flew the plane even faster by turning on the booster engines in his plane. He did this to catch up with the red ship. Once his plane was over the house, Tails looked down into the hole in the house and exclaimed out, "Ah! It really is you! The Chaotix! Are you guys okay? Wait a minute...Did the Metarex attack you?".

Vector and Espio looked at each other after hearing Tails' exclamation. Vector felt confused as he said to Espio, "What is that fox talking about? What is a Metarex anyway? Besides, doesn't he know that he and his friends were the ones who had hurt us?".

"I understand your confusion, Vector. I'm also confused as to what the boy is saying to us. Maybe he's just blaming 'the Metarex' as an excuse to hide his own wrongful behavior towards us," Espio replied while looking at Vector.

"Yeah! I bet that he doesn't want to take responsibility for his own actions! He's just trying to be nice to us just to smooth things over so that he wouldn't have to apologize!" Charmy exclaimed as he and Vector looked at each other.

"Sheesh! He has some nerve into trying to sweet talk me into forgiving him! That ungrateful little brat! Grrr! All right, guys! Hang on tight because we're going to lose this pathetic loser!" Vector exclaimed with determination on his face. He then gripped the steering wheel tighter and pulled it down towards him to make the ship go faster. The red ship went on farther and farther away from the X-Tornado.

Tails frowned as he saw that the red ship is going much faster than before. He can't see the red ship now. "Just what's with those guys? Why did they fly away from me? Did I say something wrong? Hmm...Their ship is too fast for me. I can't keep up with them in the X-Tornado. What should I do?" Tails said to himself while frowning.

Suddenly, Tails got a transmission call from Chris. "Tails? Are you having trouble there? It seems that you were unlucky into stopping the ship, huh?" Chris said through the transmission.

Tails scratched his head as he replied, "Yeah, I guess. Turns out that those 'Metarex' we had attacked was just the Chaotix. I think that they must feel bitter after how we had treated them when they had come aboard our ship. I do wish that we could stop the red ship and bring the Chaotix back to us so that we can apologize to them personally".

Chris nodded as he understood what Tails is saying. "I see. That's a surprise. I didn't know that the Chaotix was traveling in space too. But I guess that we do need bring them back to us just so that we can apologize to them as you had said prior. Don't worry, Tails. We can use the Blue Typhoon to catch them. Remember the special utility tools we had just installed into the ship? We can use that to catch them!" Chris replied calmly with a smile on his face.

Tails smiled back as he said, "Yeah! That could work! Good thinking, Chris! Let's use one of tools, The Mechanical Arm, to catch that ship! You are going to need to aim at the ship's haul to catch it properly! Do you think that you can do it, Chris?".

Chris scratched his head as he replied happily, "I'm honestly excited to test out the new tools that we've just installed into the ship! They will certainly come in handy for us! Alrighty then, time to grab our old friends!".

Chris then piloted the spaceship to turn around and fly towards the same direction that the red ship is going. Tails watched the Blue Typhoon flying past the X-Tornado. He can hear Chris say over the transmission, "Let's say 'hello' to our new 'allies'!".

"Do you really think that these guys are the 'new allies' that the board game had mentioned?" Tails asked skeptically.

"Well, I mean. If it's not them, then who else could they refer to?" Chris replied back.

"Hmm...good point. So...the Chaotix are now part of the game too. Interesting..." Tails replied back while in thought. Boy, talk about receiving a "wild card" in the middle of a game. Huh. I guess that the board game loves to throw lots of unexpected surprises at us if we got the Chaotix as a part of our group. Although...I doubt that they would want to stay in our ship after how we had treated them. I hope that they could forgive us for this mistake.

Meanwhile, the Chaotix were busy flying the ship farther into space. Charmy was surprised as he spot a blip in his screen. He then turned to Vector and said, "Uhh...Houston? We got a problem here".

Vector turned to face Charmy and replied, "My name is not 'Houston'. It's Vector! But besides that, what's the problem now?".

"Umm...I think that we are being followed," Charmy replied as he looked back at the screen.

"What?! By whom?!" Vector exclaimed in surprise.

"Hmm...probably from the...uhh...the space police?" Charmy answered awkwardly as he felt confused by why the little blip is coming closer to them.

Vector looked over at the screen, and Espio looked over it as well. Vector then exclaimed, "Oh, blast it! I didn't know that the police also makes patrols in space! Dang it! I must've gone over the speed limit in this part of space! I didn't even see any road signs on my way through here! Aw man! I can't get pulled over now! What if they suspect us for stealing cargo in someone else's ship even though we were just trying to deliver them to someone in the first place! Or worse! They might think that we're smugglers trying to bring strange cargo into a planet that is dangerous to the aliens of that planet! Oh no! We're in serious hot water now, boys! We have to escape!".

"What?! Vector! Calm down! You're being overly dramatic here! Wait! Don't push that button!" Espio exclaimed in shock as he put his hand at Vector.

"I'M DOING IT! LET'S SEE IF THOSE COPPERS CATCH US IF WE GO MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE! HIIIIYAAAAA!" Vector shouted as he pushed the blue button that accelerates the ship's speed to quite literally "maximum".

The jet boosters in the red ship were turned on, and thus had made the red ship to fly faster into space. "WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!" Vector shouted with glee as the ship went as fast as possible. Espio and Charmy are screaming in panic as the ship went to fast for them to handle. The ship became wobbly as it went to super fast speeds.

"YEAAAAAAAAAAH!" Vector shouted as he clutched onto the steering wheel very tightly so that he wouldn't fall off of his chair.

"VECTOR! PLEASE! STOP THIS! I THINK THAT YOU'VE LOST THEM BY NOW!" Espio shouted as looked very rattled and alarmed right now.

"NO WAY! THIS IS FUN, FUN, FUN! DON'T EVER STOP, VECTOR! WHEEEE!" Charmy shouted with joy as he's enjoying the ride.

However, the ship stopped suddenly, and the Chaotix were jolted in alarm by this. Oh, thank goodness! We've stopped! Espio thought in relief as he sat back up in his chair.

Aw man! We've stopped! Charmy thought with a pout as he was disappointed that the fun ride had ended.

Sigh...I knew that should've turned on the turbo button instead of maximum. Vector thought with a grimace.

"It's about time that you've stopped the ship, Vector. I was worried that I was going to lose my lunch," Espio replied calmly again.

"Umm...that wasn't me, Espio," Vector replied as he sat back up in his chair.

"But if it wasn't you, then who was it that had stopped us?" Charmy replied in confusion as he had a hand under his chin while looking up at the ceiling.

"Oh no...We really are busted now, boys. The space police had caught us!" Vector muttered in worry. As the red ship was being pulled up by the Blue Typhoon's Mechanical Arm, Vector shouted, "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE, COPPERS!".

Meanwhile, Chris had said while controlling the Mechanical Arm of the ship, "There! I've caught them! But I still don't understand why they had wanted to fly away from us so badly".

As Tails flew the X-Tornado back towards the Blue Typhoon, he answered Chris over the transmission, "Well, how else you would feel if you were beaten up by six people with nothing but a bat, a broom, a fork, a hammer, a wrench, and a frying pan? Pretty terrible and humiliated I'd say".

Chris thought about it before smiling sheepishly. "Umm...Heh heh heh heh heh. Uhhh...right. Oops..." Chris replied awkwardly as he chuckled nervously with a sweat drop on his head. The worst part about this was that the whole "Gang up on the Metarex" plan was my idea to begin with. I guess that I'm the one responsible for the Chaotix's misery. Whoops. I can imagine how upset the Chaotix are now since we've caught them and are dragging them into our ship. Chris thought with a sheepish look on his face.

"So, let me get this straight. What we've thought was the Metarex was actually the Chaotix?" Amy replied in confusion as she brought her tea down and looked at Chris.

"Errrrrr...yeeeeeeeeeaaaaaahhhh...Ha ha ha..." Chris answered awkwardly as he shook his head in embarrassment.

Amy frowned as a sweat drop formed on her head. Oh no. What've we done? Amy thought in embarrassment.

-Few Minutes Later-

"So, in short, it's all our fault. I've came up with the idea, and the others had followed along with my plan. Please forgive us. I'm really, really sorry that we had attacked you. We didn't know it was you guys," Chris apologized while bowing before the Chaotix.

"We're so sorry. Please forgive us," the others added while bowing before the Chaotix in humility.

The Chaotix stared at them in surprise. Luckily, they had calmed down and had recovered from their injuries. So, they're in a better mood now.

"Well, shucks, guys. If you guys are really sorry, then I'd guess that I shouldn't harbor a grudge against you guys anymore," Vector replied in slight embarrassment and in gratitude.

"Yeah. If Vector forgives you, then I forgive you. Besides, Vector can't actually hold a grudge against you guys. He's nothing but a big softie!" Charmy replied brightly with a smile on his face.

"Hey! I'm nothing but a tough, strong detective! Not a huge teddy bear, pal!" Vector exclaimed in further embarrassment as he turned to glare at Charmy. Charmy turned to Vector and stuck his tongue at him.

"Hmph!" Vector grunted as he turned away from Charmy and crossed his arms.

Espio ignored this as he replied to the gang, "It's all good, guys. I also forgive you. Besides, it's completely understandable as to why you had attacked us to begin with. You WERE being busy trying to protect yourselves from the Metarex, and because of that, you've became paranoid as to who was friend or foe now. You guys were afraid of dying to the poachers. So, as an act for survival, you had attacked us because you must've thought that we were undercover spies sent by the Metarex to kill you. And that was how the misunderstanding must've started in the first place".

"Wow..." Everyone responded as they stared at Espio in awe and in wonder.

Espio raised an eyebrow as he replied, "What? It's just basic logic. Nothing too out of the ordinary there".

Vector slapped Espio's back as he replied, "Espio, this is why you're my right-hand man! You make such sound deductions that even I couldn't come up with! And I'm a detective for crying out loud! Heh!".

Espio frowned as he looked at Vector while thinking. Isn't it a detective's job to solve cases by logical deductions? I'm starting to question if my boss is rather fit to handle detective work at all if he can't make any deductions for himself. Aw well. I guess that it's pointless to question him now especially since he thinks that KIDNAPPING CHILDREN is the solution into fulfilling Ms. Vanilla's request at this point.

Vector soon turned to look back at the gang as he replied, "Well, now, that's over and done with. We can get straight to point as to why we're here in space. We've come to deliver some more cargo to you, Chris. Your family had managed to send your stuff to our planet as some sort of gift or something. And we just wanted to do your parents a favor by bringing them to you. So, do any of you guys want to help us out with the unloading? There is a lot of cargo in that ship, and we could use a hand into bringing the stuff out of it. Could you help us?".

The others stared at the red ship before looking back at the Chaotix. They soon smiled at them while Chris said, "It's no problem for us. After all, I think that it's the only way to repay you after how we've treated you. So, we're happy to help!".

Vector smiled brightly as he stretched his hands out to make some cracking noise. Vector then exclaimed "Good! Now, let's get cracking!".

Soon, everyone was busy unloading all of the cargo on the red ship. They've carried boxes, bags, and crates to each other and through the hallways of the spaceship to the cargo hold. Espio was busy carrying a few boxes to the cargo hold. He then noticed Vector walking past him while carrying larger boxes on his shoulders. Then Charmy went right past them as he was carrying multiple stuff on a trolley. Esipo and Vector gaped on how easy Charmy has it.

Heh heh! Suckers! Charmy thought with a grin as he pushed the trolley while flying in the air. Esipo and Vector frowned as they thought. Hmph. Cheater.

Eventually, nearly all of the cargo was off from the red ship and into the Blue Typhoon. Chris was picking up the rest of the cargo off from the floor and looked at the red ship. "I still can't believe that my parents had managed to bring me all of this stuff through the transporter. To be honest, I'm rather grateful that they did that. They really must've missed me that much if they went through all this trouble just to take care of me and my needs. I'll thank them once I get back home," Chris said to himself with a smile on his face. He soon walked towards the cargo hold while carrying the box.

-Few Minutes Later-

"Whew! I think that this is the last one, Chris!" Vector replied as he brought down the last box before standing back up and wiping his brow with his hand.

"Thank you so much! I'll unpack these boxes on my own. I'm grateful that you had brought them to me, Vector" Chris replied with a smile on his face.

Vector shrugged as he turned around and said jokingly, "Hey, it's what Santa Claus does, pal! Enjoy your gifts, kid!".

Chris chuckled as he replied, "Will do! See ya!".

"Ho ho ho!" Vector laughed as he pretended to be Santa Claus one last time. He then walked towards the door and went out of it as he said, "Merry Christmas!".

The door soon closed behind him after he had left. Chris rolled his eyes while being amused. Vector can be quite ridiculous at times, but he has a heart of gold on the inside. That's what's so enduring about him. Hmm...I guess that could be said for the rest of the Chaotix then. Chris thought as he turned around and started unpacking his stuff. He soon frowned a little as he then thought. Still, this is quite unexpected of my family to have done this. It's possible that my grandpa had figured out how to deliver inanimate objects through the transporter. I'm not surprised that he could be the one to do that. He is very smart, and I had learned everything about technology through him. Hmmm...Maybe my family and friends are more worried than I thought they were. Geez, having my family bring my stuff to me is making me feel even more guilty of leaving in the first place. I can't help it. I just wanted to help Sonic. My gut feeling told me that he and his friends would be in danger, and I was right! So why...why do I still feel guilty about it? Have I...really done mistake then? Hmmm...

Chris then felt some paper in one of the boxes he had just opened. He looked closer inside the box and was surprised to find a card in there. He quickly took the card out and opened it in curiosity. Huh? What's this? A message...from my...mother? Chris thought as he read the card. He stared at the card in silence as he read his mother's brief message. After he had read the card, he frowned in sadness as he felt even more guilty than he had before. Chris brooded as he felt very guilty now. My...My poor mother. She's right. Mother's Day had probably did pass by the time I had left Earth and went into space with Sonic and his friends. The sad thing about that is...I've completely forgotten about Mother's Day. It's also possible that Father's Day had passed too. Ugh. Even when I think that I had made the right choice, I feel like I made the wrong one. I'm sure that my parents both miss me a lot and would wish that they could celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day with me. Unfortunately...I'm unable to do that right now. Is there...really no way to contact them back and tell them that I'm okay and that I've missed them?

Chris looked down to the ground as he looked solemn. He's aware of the consequences of what he had done to get himself to help Sonic and the others, and he will bear them to the end. But he knows that he must remedy the damage and hurt he had done to his friends and family. He then had an idea as he thought with determination.

There must be a way to contact them back! And I'm going to find it!

-Meanwhile With The Chaotix-

Vector, Espio, and Charmy were walking down the hall to get back to their red ship. They were getting close to their ship before Amy had called out to them. Cream was with Amy too.

"What?! You're leaving already?! Don't go! Come back and stay with us! I thought that you guys had forgiven us for beating you up earlier!" Amy exclaimed while running towards the Chaotix.

"Yes! Please don't go! We've got plenty of snacks to share with you! Including tea!" Cream exclaimed also as she ran with Amy.

The Chaotix stopped and turned around when the girls had yelled out to them. They had smiles on their faces as they had replied to the girls.

"Aw, sweet! Snacks! Don't mind if I do!" Charmy exclaimed happily.

Espio quickly put his hand over Charmy's face as he replied calmly, "Actually, ladies, we're planning to leave. Don't mind Charmy here. He just forgot that we also have snacks in the refrigerator".

Then Vector put his hand over Espio and Charmy as he replied, "Hey, hey, hey! Where's your manners, Espio? The girls had just offered us some food out of hospitality and thoughtfulness. You can't blame them into thinking that we're hungry since we're miles away from our home planet. Besides...haven't you eaten anything yet, Espio? Heheheh!".

Vector turned around and winked at Espio while giving him a thumbs up. Espio then felt embarrassed as he replied, "Umm...Look. Just because I hadn't eaten anything on this trip yet, that doesn't mean that I'm-".

GROWL.

Vector and Charmy laughed as they heard Espio's stomach growl in response despite Espio's protest. Espio's cheeks turned red in embarrassment as he muttered, "-hungry".

The Chaotix soon decided to receive the girls' kind offer by eating cake and drinking tea as their snacks. They had enjoyed the tasty food they were given. Cream then said kindly, "I hope that you had enjoyed the cake that I had made, Mr. Vector! I'm sure that my mother would've loved to give you strawberry shortcake herself! Teehee!".

Vector smacked his lips with his tongue as he replied brightly, "Oh, I definitely would! This is the best strawberry shortcake ever! May I please have some more? For thirds?".

Cream nodded as she replied, "Of coarse! I'd be happy to!".

Cosmo saw what Cream was getting at and had poured tea into another cup. She then held the tea and walked over to Vector. She placed it down to his table and said humbly, "I'm sure that you want more tea as well".

Vector smiled at Cosmo and said, "Thank you, Cosmo. That's very kind of you".

Cosmo smiled at Vector's compliment and had walked back to Cream's side. Espio was busy stuffing his face with some cake as he thought. Even ninjas can admit defeat when they had tasted such wonderful food like this.

Suddenly, all five of them were greeted by Amy coming in while she was carrying the board game. She walked over to Cream's and Cosmo's table and set the board game down. Vector was surprised yet intrigued by this. Huh? Is Amy planning to play a board game with the girls? Hmmm...Hey! Wait a second! Isn't that the board game they had mentioned to us? The one where the Metarex poachers came from? I wonder what Amy is planning to do with that. Vector pondered as he stared at Amy, Cream, and Cosmo. Charmy and Espio were quiet too as they listened to the girls' conversation.

"So, Amy, had you made your move yet?" Cosmo asked calmly as she held the teapot in her hands.

"Well, no, I've hadn't. I'm not sure if I should risk it. Sonic and Knuckles haven't came back yet. I know that I'm willing to fight any Metarex poacher, but after the whole misunderstanding with the Chaotix, I'm starting to worry that we are feeling too stressed lately by thinking that anything is a Metarex poacher. I think that it will be a good idea to just hold off playing the game until we're all fully rested and ready to fight again," Amy replied with a frown on her face.

Cream and Cosmo looked at Amy in surprise. They had heard nothing but enthusiastic remarks from Amy such as fighting for themselves and whatnot. They had supposed that Amy is also burnt out from fighting the Metarex too. They soon looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Cream looked back at Amy and replied, "We understand, Miss Amy. You could leave the board game here and rest up. We can all use a break every now and again before continuing the game. It's not like the Metarex will attack us when we're not playing the game. So, I think that we're okay here".

Amy smiled at Cream as she replied, "Yeah. You're right, Cream. I'm glad that you agree with me. Let's all rest easy for now before going further into the game. Well then, take care, guys. I'm going to take a quick nap".

"Goodbye, Amy. Take care now," Cosmo replied gently as she waved "goodbye" to Amy.

"Sweet dreams, Miss Amy! (Chao! Chao!)" Cream exclaimed happily as well as Cheese. Amy smiled back at the two of them before turning around and walking out of the room. When the door opened, Amy walked out and turned the corner to get towards her room. The door closed again after Amy got out.

Cream then looked towards Cosmo and said, "Well, it looks like we're going to have to look after the board game from now on!".

Cosmo nodded as she replied, "Indeed. I guess that we'll have to".

Cream smiled before she gasped in shock. "Oh, dear! I forgot about Mr. Vector's cake! Sorry, Mr. Vector! I'll get your cake now!" Cream exclaimed with a hand covering her mouth as she turned to look at Vector with apologizing eyes.

Vector looked sheepish as he replied calmly, "Hey, don't sweat it, kid. You were busy talking to your friends is all. No need to apologize to me. I'm more patient than you think. So, don't worry about it".

Cream breathed a sigh of relief as she replied, "Thank you, Mr. Vector. Thank you for being so understanding towards me. Again. I'll fetch your cake now".

Cream then went to get another cake from the cart and brought it to Vector. As she does this, Vector stared at the board game and had thought. Say...is Cream involved with that board game by any chance? I wonder if she had played that game too long to notice that her mother still misses her. If she's really invested with that game, then she'll never put it down and start spending time with her mother again. Hmm...I've got to try to put a stop to this. Ms. Vanilla misses Cream, and I'm going to try to bring Cream to her one way or another!

When Cream came towards Vector and had placed the cake down, she then said happily, "Here you go! Enjoy more of my cake, Mr. Vector!".

"Err...Thank you, Cream..." Vector replied slowly as he stares into Cream with a serious expression on his face.

Cream looked up at Vector and asked, "Is something wrong, Mr. Vector? Why are you staring at me?".

"Look...umm...Cream? I've wanted to ask you an important question," Vector started with a frown.

"Oh? What is it?" Cream asked happily with a smile.

"How long are you going to keep playing that board game over there? Don't you know how long you've been playing that for?" Vector asked seriously while pointing at the board game for emphasis.

"Ummm...I...I don't know...Perhaps longer?" Cream replied awkwardly as she looked at the board game and back at Vector.

Vector frowned deeper as he continued, "Cream? Do you even realize how much your mother misses you? She had to be alone on Mother's Day because you were too busy playing that board game with your friends. You should put down that game and go back home to your mother. It's dangerous out here in space. You could be in serious danger if you don't come back home with us".

Cream gasped before frowning as she exclaimed, "No! I can't stop playing the game now! My friends need me if we're ever going to finish it! And I'm going to keep helping them fight the Metarex!".

"Cream! Listen to me! You're up against poachers! POACHERS! You're risking your life by continuing the game! Ms. Vanilla would be upset if you don't stop now and come back to her! Your safety is important, Cream! Don't throw it away over a silly game like this!" Vector argued back while trying to stay calm. Cosmo gasped as she stared at Vector and Cream arguing. Oh no. Not again. Even Cream is getting into an argument with someone. What should I do? Cosmo thought with worry on her face.

"The game is not silly! It's real! It's a serious game about life or death! I refuse to let my friends die if I abandon them by going home to my mother! Our world and the whole universe depend on me staying here and finishing the game just so that they're both saved from the Metarex! I'm sure that my mother understands that saving the universe is more important than her right now!" Cream argued back while starting to feel upset.

"How can you say that, Cream?! Do you even know how sad your mother is right now because you aren't there?! You are her only daughter! She would be so thrilled to have you back! How could you be so selfish, Cream?! I thought that the only thing you had cared about was your mother!" Vector argued back while looking shocked.

"I...Well..." Cream muttered weakly as she was being cornered by Vector's words. Was I really being selfish there? Is my mom really upset that I'm not at home with her anymore? Cream thought with a frown on her face.

"No, you're wrong, Vector," Cosmo spoke up boldly as she walked over to Cream's side. Cream and Vector were surprised by Cosmo speaking up now. Cosmo continued by saying, "What Cream had told you was the truth. She can't stop playing the game now. She's a player of that game and is required to finish it whether she wanted to stop or not. The Metarex had spawned into this universe through that game, and it is now Sonic's and his friends' turn to beat the game once and for all. I'm very sure that Cream knows how dangerous it is into confronting the Metarex, but you must understand Vector that she isn't doing this alone. She has her friends to protect her, and that's why she has the courage to continue playing the game despite the risks".

Cosmo was behind Cream as she finished her speech. Vector was stunned at first, but he quickly shook it off by saying, "Being brave is fine and all, but if it involves the risk of losing your life, then I think that goes from being brave to being stupid! Think about what you're doing, Cream! Think about what your mother really wants!".

"My mother would want me to help my friends protect our world from destruction! She believes in me! She believes that I will be okay in the end since Mr. Sonic and the others will protect me! So, no! I will not go home! I will continue the game!" Cream exclaimed boldly with the most serious face that she could muster.

Vector felt like his jaw had dropped to the floor by Cream's declaration. He was completely baffled by what Cream is saying here. So, she would rather die trying to stop the Metarex than to go home and see her mother again. I...I...Just what had happened to her to make her think like this now? Is she...growing up? Vector thought with an open jaw and with wide eyes.

Cream and Cosmo saw that they had left Vector speechless. Cream turned around and had grabbed the board game from the table. She then said with a smile, "Cosmo, let's go somewhere else. Let's leave Mr. Vector alone so that he will understand what I had meant. He needs to know that I'm not a little girl anymore".

Cosmo didn't say anything, but she had walked with Cream out of the room. The door soon closed behind them when they had left. When the girls had left, Espio then commented, "Well, would you look at that. Cream had matured much after leaving the planet it seems".

"Tell me about it! It's almost like I'm talking to a little Amy Rose there! But seriously, how am I going to convince her to come back home if she's being stubborn? I'm actually trying to act more like a 'hero' here by not kidnapping her...as you have claimed was a 'bad idea', Espio," Vector replied as he turned to look at Espio.

"It still is a bad idea, Vector," Espio replied bluntly.

Vector frowned after that comment. Espio decided to change tactics by saying, "Do you even remember what Ms. Vanilla had asked us to do? Yes, we had accomplished the first task by bringing Chris' stuff here, but she also asked us to give us proof that Cream's okay. Not Cream herself".

"Oh, come on, Espio! Don't fall for Ms. Vanilla's façade! She may have asked us for proof, but what she's secretly wishing for was having her daughter back! She's just putting on a face so that she would look strong for us! Wouldn't it be great if Cream and her mother reunite again and celebrate a late Mother's Day together? Ms. Vanilla would be like, 'Oh, my precious baby daughter! Oh, how I have missed you so! Let's bake cookies, tarts, pies, and cake together as mother and daughter like we had used to!'. And Cream would be like, 'Oh! Yes! Yes! I would love to bake with you mother! I've missed you so much! I love you!'. And her mother would reply happily as, 'Oh, I love you too, sweetie! Let us never be apart ever again!'. And thus, the two of them would live happily ever after, and we'll not only get paid but also eat all the sweets that we can thanks to us retrieving Cream to her mother! It's the perfect plan!" Vector exclaimed while imitating Ms. Vanilla and Cream in the middle of his speech.

Espio frowned as he pointed at Vector while asking, "Vector, were you thinking about yourself and Ms. Vanilla during your 'monologue'?".

"Heh heh heh! Even if I did, it would still definitely play out the same way in reality. But come on! You know how much Ms. Vanilla is counting on me to bring Cream to her. How else would she make a request like that...and...hug me...Ahhh..." Vector replied while placing a hand on his snout as he reminisces Vanilla hugging him after telling him her other request.

Ahhhh...Another pleasant memory that I'll keep for the rest of my life. Vector thought with a grin.

"Red alert, people! Red alert! Vector is as high as a kite because he's in L-O-V-E! What crazy shenanigans will he thinks of next because of his lovesickness?!" Charmy exclaimed with a grin as he clanks his plate with his fork playfully.

Vector ignores Charmy as he replied to Espio, "We're going to kidnap, Cream! I've made up my mind!".

"Vector! Don't! Can you please try to be reasonable here? Do you want to go to jail for this?" Espio argued back while trying to stay calm.

"Well, I don't see any space police trying to stop me, so, I'm going to do it! Besides, I've tried doing things your way by acting as a hero, and I've hadn't gotten any results from it! So, now, I'm going to do things my way and bring Cream back home!" Vector replied as he had his hands on his hips and had looked up while saying his argument.

"Vector, even if it was for good intentions...or at least I hope they were...this isn't right. You can't kidnap a child just because they had forgotten about their parents...or the holidays that involve either of them. So, get a grip!" Espio replied as he put his hands on the table. He then put his foot on the table and leaned towards Vector to smack him across his face.

Vector shook it off as he replied, "Oh, Espio. You poor, naïve soul. You don't understand a mother's heart like I do. A mother would do anything for their child to come home safe and sound and leave their side. You see, Espio. Mothers would want to take care of their children for the rest of their life because they love them. Love can do all sorts of crazy things in your mind that make you do questionable things. And wanting their children to be safe from all kinds of danger and never letting them to get involved in risky situations that would get them killed is the kind of mindset that they have 24/7. After all, you know what they say, 'mothers know best'! Hahaha! And I'm doing Ms. Vanilla a favor by protecting Cream from those dangerous Metarex poachers! She will definitely love me forever if I did that! So, we're actually saving Cream, Espio! And don't you forget it!".

Espio groaned in exhaustion as he placed his head on the table and covered his head with his hands. It's official. I'm working under a sociopath that thinks "kidnapping" means "saving". Sigh. My own sanity is going to be lost as I continue working for this man. Espio brooded with a frown.

"Now, it's time to put my plan into action! We'll put Cream into this sack here and bring her into our ship! Espio! It's time to play Santa Claus again, and I need you as my helper!" Vector exclaimed brightly as he held up a brown sack.

"What?! Me?! Why me?!" Espio exclaimed in shock.

"No 'butting' your way out of this one, Espio! Come along with me! Chop! Chop!" Vector exclaimed quickly.

"And that's it, folks! Vector's becoming a kidnapper all for the sake of Ms. Vanilla's love! Vector's quest for love will continue after these messages!" Charmy exclaimed playfully as he kept on clanging the plate with his fork.

-Meanwhile At The Bridge-

Chris and the others were looking at the emerald radar on the bridge. Chris then said, "It seems that we're not having much luck finding more Chaos Emeralds or any new planets lately. I really wonder if we would find more if we did play on that board game more. Somehow, we've always managed find a new planet or a Chaos Emerald that way. I wonder why that is?".

"Yeah, it is rather strange. It's like as if the Chaos Emeralds had formed some kind of contract with the board game to be hidden from us until we play it. If that's the case, then there's no way for us to find them on our own even with the Master Emerald helping us," Tails replied with a frown on his face.

"But how is that possible? We've always relied on the chaos energy of the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald to find them. How could we not detect its energy now? This doesn't make any sense!" Amy replied as she added to the conversation.

Cream and Cosmo stared at the screen above them with the others. They also felt confused as to why this is the case. Cream was still holding the board game to her chest as she was lost in thought. This had never happened before. Are the Chaos Emeralds...trapped within the board game now? Didn't Mr. Sonic say that he just sent the Chaos Emeralds away in space? If that's the case, then why can't we spot them easily now? We even have the Master Emerald on our side! So...where are they exactly? This is very confusing to me.

Meanwhile, Vector was slowly but quietly getting closer to Cream by sneaking around the bridge. Tails continued talking to Chris and Amy by saying, "Well, it's possible that we couldn't detect its energy if they're in another universe that's not ours. Even signals have limits on how far its range is. Including chaos energy".

Vector then slowly yet inexplicably snuck up behind Cream while pretending to look interested in the conversation as he stares at the screen. Espio and Charmy had stayed behind the wall that leads to the exit of the bridge. They're staring at their boss as they waited for him to make his move. Cream quickly looked at Vector with a smile as she heard him say, "Huh. Maybe that's it". Cream looked back at the screen after hearing Vector say that.

Tails brushed Vector's comment off by adding, "Well, it's just a theory of mine. There's no actual proof of that being the case here. We're probably just in a vacant galaxy that has little to no planets here. No big deal".

"If that's the case, then we might need to go to a different galaxy to find them," Chris replied calmly. As Chris had said that, Vector immediately made his move by placing the brown sack over Cream and Cheese and had placed the sack behind his back as he carried it with one hand.

Vector then said casually, "Well, guys, it's been fun hanging out with you, but we've got to split! We have other business to take care of!".

Chris, Tails, and Amy were surprised by this. Chris then replied, "Already? But it's only been an hour since you've come here".

"Yeah, well, it feels like only ten minutes to me!" Vector replied back with a sheepish grin on his face.

"That's quite a shame really. We thought that you guys would like to stay a little longer. We're planning on making a feast for dinner. Are you sure that all of you want to leave?" Amy replied with a sad smile.

Vector and Charmy paused for a second as they dreamt on what kind of a feast they could eat if they would stay. Chicken, turkey, ham, steak, mashed potatoes, yams, burgers, chips, grilled cheese sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, tea, soda, water, tomato soup, chili, hotdogs, chilidogs...the list could go on and on and on...

Ahhhhhh...Heavenly...Vector and Charmy thought with drools on their faces.

SMACK!

Espio then smacked both of their faces to get them to focus onto the mission again even though he himself doesn't want to. Vector and Charmy snapped out of their trance and focused onto the others again. They both muttered "Sorry" before Espio replied to Amy.

"As nice as a feast sounds, I'm sorry to say that we don't have that kind of time to stay here. We need to leave," Espio replied calmly.

"But you guys are now our 'allies' in our game. We could definitely use your assistance against the Metarex," Amy replied with a hopeful grin.

"We can assist you in other ways. Whether you need to hide from the poachers or collect intel for you, that is what we can do for you. We'll only fight when it's absolutely necessary. But if you can do the fighting on your own, then you don't really need us for help," Espio calmly argued back.

Amy frowned a little as she said, "Well, you do have a point there. We can take care of the fighting mostly by ourselves but are you sure that you don't want to-".

"Nope! We'll be fine on our own! Catch you guys later! Good luck in beating that board game, guys! You'll need it!" Vector exclaimed abruptly while he quickly turned around and walked towards the exit of the bridge.

"Yeah! See you guys later!" Charmy exclaimed with a smile as he waved his hand at the others.

"Just try to stay safe now, guys," Espio replied as he followed Vector and Charmy towards the exit.

The Chaotix then decided to book it by running towards the hangar to get onto their ship. Once they've got on their ship, Vector yelled out, "Step on it!".

And thus, the Chaotix had managed to kidnap Cream on the spot and got away doing it while under Sonic's friends' noses. You got to be either amazing or either lucky by how stupid the others are to even pull THAT off! …...Even Knuckles would be disappointed on how dumb they were at that moment if he was here to witness it.

"Just what was that all about? Why did they leave?" Chris asked out loud as he, Tails, and Amy looked out of the window to watch the red ship fly away from the Blue Typhoon.

"Yeah, that was rather strange. It felt like they had to rush their 'goodbyes' because of some pressing need or something," Tails added while feeling confused.

"Hmm..." Amy mused as she looked out at the window. Suddenly, an idea came to her. She quickly turned around and was startled to see that Cream was gone. "Hey! Wait a second! Where did Cream go?! She was right here a minute ago!" Amy exclaimed in shock.

Tails then turned around quickly, and it was his turn to be surprised. "Ah! That's right! Cream was just here! Did she leave?!" Tails exclaimed in shock. He looked around even more and was even more shocked to see that Cosmo was gone too. "What the-! Even Cosmo is gone! Where could she gone off to?!" Tails yelled in worry.

"I have no clue, guys! I was just watching the Chaotix the whole time! So, I didn't even notice them leaving the bridge!" Chris exclaimed in shock.

"Guys! I think that we have an even bigger problem than that!" Amy exclaimed in worry.

"What is it, Amy?" Chris asked in confusion.

"Cream had the board game with her in that time! What if we lost it along her?!" Amy exclaimed while panicking.

Tails and Chris gasped in shock. That's right! Amy hasn't taken her turn yet! If we lost the board game now, then we won't even make any progress through that! Oh no! First Sonic and now Cream! We've got to find her and Cosmo! But where would they-OH, YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS! Tails thought before his eyes went wide as he realized something rather bad.

"THE CHAOTIX JUST KIDNAPPED CREAM AND COSMO!" Tails shouted loudly in a panic as he's freaking out now.

Chris and Amy screamed, "THEY DID WHAAAAAAAAAT?!".

-Meanwhile With The Chaotix-

"Whew! We've finally lost them!" Vector exclaimed as he wiped his brow. He then opened the sack and pulled Cream out of there. Cream was unamused as she still held onto the board game. Vector placed Cream down and said to her, "Now, you put that game down, little missy!".

"No! And how dare you, Vector! How could you kidnap me like this?! I thought that you were a gentleman!" Cream yelled in anger. Cheese added angrily, "Chao! Chao!".

Whenever Cream gets angry, she always drops the polite gesture by calling her elders by either "Miss" or "Mister". It's usually when she believes that her elders had done something unforgiveable or rude like kidnapping for example. And this is the perfect time to do that.

"Listen, Cream! Your mother wants proof of your safety, so, I'm doing her a favor by bringing you to her! Now, be a good little girl and stay quiet!" Vector exclaimed back with a frown.

"I agree with, Cream! You're not being a good gentleman right now!" Cosmo exclaimed seriously as she stood up from the sack.

The Chaotix gasped as they looked at Cosmo with wide eyes. Vector yelled out in surprise, "Just why are you here?!".

"I'd like to ask you the same thing! Just what gave you the idea to kidnap Cream like that?! Did you really think that I'm too stupid to notice that pathetic attempt at kidnapping someone? I'm not sure why the others didn't notice it, but I did! And I want answers!" Cosmo exclaimed with determination in her tone.

"That's none of your business, plant girl! My lips are sealed!" Vector exclaimed with a frown as he prepared his hands to grab Cosmo.

Cosmo frowned as she said, "Okay then! If you don't want to tell me, then I'll just have to stop you from kidnapping Cream!".

"Over my dead body! Now, come here, you strange alien!" Vector yelled in irritation before he leaped at Cosmo to grab her.

However, Cosmo jumped out of the way quickly enough so that Vector missed. Vector instead caught nothing and fell to the floor. Cosmo landed a few feet at Vector's left side. Vector quickly got up and turned his body to face Cosmo as he prepares himself for another attempt. "You won't get away that easily! Hrrgh!" Vector exclaimed before he grunted as he leapt after Cosmo again.

Cosmo dodged Vector again by jumping away, and Vector missed again by catching nothing and falling to the ground again. When Cosmo landed again, she put her hands to her hips as she replied, "This is just childish, Vector. Just give it up and bring us back to the Blue Typhoon where we belong".

"You, yes! But Cream, no! Cream belongs in her mother's home!" Vector exclaimed before he leapt at her again.

Sigh. This is getting ridiculous. Cosmo thought with a frown as she jumps away from Vector again. She and Vector kept on doing this for a while. Vector kept on missing and sometimes hurting himself by bonking his head into things as he keeps on chasing Cosmo. Cosmo just kept on jumping everywhere on the ship and sometimes floated a bit to throw Vector off.

"Hooray! Teach that rude crocodile some manners, Cosmo! He deserves it!" Cream cheered while holding the board game to her chest. "Chao! Chao! Chao!" Cheese exclaimed happily.

"Is that really all you got, Vector?" Cosmo asked tauntingly as she floated beside the ship's control panel.

"Are you playing some kind of game, Vector? If so, then can I play too?" Charmy asked innocently as looks over his shoulder to watch Cosmo and Vector "playing the game".

"Charmy! Not now!" Vector yelled out as he leaps towards Cosmo again. Of coarse, Cosmo dodges him again. Vector crashes into something again.

"Aww, you're no fun, Vector!" Charmy exclaimed with a pout.

While feeling frustrated, Vector yelled out, "Arrrgh! Okay! Fine! You can play! Just help me catch that girl!".

"Woohoo! Go team! Alrighty then! I'll just—Huh?! What was that?!" Charmy exclaimed brightly before he felt the ship halting again.

"What's wrong now?!" Vector yelled out in shock.

Charmy stared up into the ceiling as he said, "It's the space police, Vector. They've caught us...for real this time".

"OOOOOOOOH NOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT THE SPACE POLICE!" Vector screamed in a panic as his eyes went wide. Great. Busted. Vector thought as a sweat drop formed on his head.

However, the so-called "space police" was none other than the Blue Typhoon hovering above the small red ship. Tails, Chris, and Amy had immediately taken action after realizing that the Chaotix had kidnapped Cream and Cosmo and had decided to chase after the Chaotix's ship. The Chaotix now fully realized that they're in big trouble now.

"Quick! Grab that ship with the Mechanical Arms!" Tails commanded seriously as he pointed at the red ship on screen. Chris quickly pressed some buttons to control the Mechanical Arms out of the ship and to lower them towards the red ship.

Everyone in the red ship saw the arms coming down towards the ship. Espio frowned as he replied, "I guess that it's my turn to keep you in our ship, Cream".

Cream turned to look at Espio in shock, but Espio then jumped up towards the hole in the ceiling and quickly arrived towards the top of the red ship. As he kneels down on the ship, he watches the arms approach the Chaotix's house very slowly and carefully. He quickly made his attack by throwing ninja stars at the arms. Once the stars had attached themselves at the arms, he then waited for the detonation to start as he closes his eyes. And now...they're blown up. Espio thought after three seconds had passed.

BOOOOOM!

The ninja stars had exploded on the arms after three seconds. Smoke can be seen after those explosions. Perfect. And now those arms are...gone...AH! NO! Espio thought as he opens his eyes before he became shocked at what he saw instead.

Unfortunately, the Chaotix's house was badly damaged by the explosions as well as the arms. The mechanical arms were off of the house since they were broken by those explosions, but the explosions had more power than Espio had thought. Espio then muttered to himself, "And that's where the saying 'Don't try this at home, kids!' comes from. Hmm...It seems that I've learned it the hard way".

Chris frowned as he saw that the Mechanical Arms are broken now due to Espio's efforts. "Well, crud, it seems that the Mechanical Arms are going to be needing some repairs, Tails. We can't use them now," Chris said as he turned to look at Tails and Amy.

Tails sighed as he face-palmed himself. Thanks a lot, Chaotix. You're really making this a lot harder than it needs to. Tails thought in annoyance.

"Aw, now what? If we can't catch that ship with those arms, then what else can we do? We can't just threaten them with our weapons you know. Even if they did kidnap Cream and Cosmo, that's a little too extreme for us to do. However, if we don't manage to catch them in time, then they'll get farther away from us and take Cream and Cosmo away! We've got to stop them somehow!" Amy replied with a frown.

"Hmmm...what about...a large butterfly net?" Tails suggested out loud while typing onto his computer.

"Tails...do you seriously think that a butterfly net would catch that ship?" Amy asked with skepticism in her voice.

"Look, Amy! It's all I got at the moment! At least try to help me at coming up with solutions to this conundrum! We're running out of time and options here!" Tails exclaimed while feeling stressed out.

"But you're the genius here! You figure it out! I don't know what to do either!" Amy exclaimed back while looking stressed too.

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Tails exclaimed back as sweat came down on his head.

Chris didn't say anything as he was also stumped at what to do here. Chris just thought. Sonic...Knuckles...Just where are you right now? We could use your help here. Please come back to us!

-Meanwhile With Knuckles-

"Finally. I've found you, Sonic. But why do I have the feeling that we both did nothing today just as your card had said?" Knuckles said calmly as he flew towards Sonic while still carrying the spare jet pack in his hands.

"Huh. Interesting. I thought that I was the only one who had felt that, but I guess that I was wrong. But anyways, thanks, buddy! I knew that you'd come through for me," Sonic replied with a grin as Knuckles approached him. Knuckles then gave Sonic the yellow jet pack. Sonic quickly put the jet pack on and had smiled at Knuckles.

Knuckles smirked as he replied, "'Come through'? I'm sorry but 'babysitting you' is more accurate since you act like a rambunctious toddler sometimes. Why do you always make things such a hassle for me?".

Sonic chuckled as he gave a thumbs up at Knuckles as he answered, "Because it wouldn't be fun for you if I was an obedient child all the time! My cocky yet adventurous spirit is what makes me, me!".

Knuckles rolled his eyes as he replied, "Well, that is true. But it still gets on my nerves sometimes. Why can't I just deal with a someone within our age range that CAN behave whenever they're told?".

Sonic smirked as he replied, "Maybe someone with an agreeable spirit maybe?".

Knuckles smiled a little as he answered, "Something like that".

"Heh! Well, tough luck, Knuckles! You're still going to have to deal with me! But I'll spare you the trouble this time! See ya later, Knuckles!" Sonic exclaimed brightly as he then flew past Knuckles and away in space.

Knuckles turned around and yelled to Sonic, "Sonic! The ship's this way!".

"But I wanna go this way!" Sonic exclaimed stubbornly yet childishly.

Knuckles frowned as he brooded. It never ends. It's never easy being mature and yet have to deal with children every day. I don't know how parents or teachers do it, but I pity them because I deal with their pain too.

-Meanwhile On The Blue Typhoon-

"And this is going to work...how exactly?" Amy asked in confusion as she stared at Tails.

"Simple. We can lure them into a trap and catch them when they least expect it. The Catch The Bait tool will be perfect for testing in this scenario!" Tails replied with a smile as he looked at Amy and Chris.

"But it's just a giant fishing rod! How will that work?!" Amy replied in confusion.

Chris smiled as he replied, "You never know if you don't try!".

After Chris had said that, Sonic immediately came by towards the window and knocked on it. Chris quickly turned his head and gasped in shock and so did the others.

"Missed me?" Sonic asked jokingly.

"Sonic! Thank goodness you've came back!" Chris exclaimed with relief in his tone.

"We all thought that we had lost you again!" Tails exclaimed too with a frown on his face.

"Yeah! We're so glad that you're back, Sonic! But we have a bigger problem on our hands now!" Amy exclaimed with joy and then with seriousness.

"Oh? I'm listening then. What happened now, guys? More Metarex problems?" Sonic asked while being calm.

The others looked at each other before looking at Sonic with frowns on their faces. Amy decided to speak up for the group, "Well...You're not going to believe it when I say this, but...".

-Meanwhile With The Chaotix-

"Grrr! We need to go faster! How else are we going to make our getaway if we're this slow?!" Vector yelled in frustration as he tried to fly faster in the red ship. Vector was driving the ship while Espio and Charmy did their best at repairing their house. Espio was hammering some boards on the house while Charmy was placing tape onto the ship and onto the house.

From the distance, Sonic was flying towards the red ship on his jet pack. He pondered as he got closer to the red ship. I can't believe it! The Chaotix had kidnapped Cream and Cosmo! Just what gave them the ballsy idea to do that?! I just can't wrap around my head as to why they would do this in the first place! Hmph! I guess that I'm going to get my answers myself!

Espio and Charmy then heard some hovering sounds from Sonic's jet pack. They stopped fixing the house and looked upwards in confusion. Their eyes had widened when they saw Sonic coming down on their house.

"Ack! What's Sonic doing here?!" Espio and Charmy yelled in shock.

CRASSSSSSSH!

Sonic then busted through the top window on top of the red ship and came down in front of Cream and Cosmo. Sonic stood in front of the girls while they stared at him in surprise and in relief.

"Sonic! Thank goodness you're alright!" Cream and Cosmo exclaimed with smiles on their faces. Even Cheese is pleased that Sonic is here.

Vector turned around and frowned once he saw Sonic. He got off of his chair to face Sonic. Vector then thought. Oh, and just when I thought that things couldn't backfire at all...Sonic had to come in and ruin it!

"You know, Vector. I've expected this kind of ungentlemanly behavior from Eggman but never from you. Do I have to kick your butt just to remind you of etiquettes? Because it looks like you need a refresher coarse in that department, Vector!" Sonic said with a frown on his face.

"Sonic, believe me. I am a gentleman at heart, but I need to do this for Vanilla because she needs her daughter right now to be happy! I'll fight you only for her!" Vector replied seriously as he gripped his fists for battle. Espio and Charmy came down from the ceiling to next to Vector as he said that.

"Hey! My mother understands that saving the universe is more important than having me by her side, Vector! She's not a selfish lady!" Cream exclaimed angrily as she grips onto the board game tighter. Vector grunted in frustration but kept his focus at Sonic. Sonic looks back at Cream for a moment and then back at Vector as he continues to argue at him.

"It's not just you that I'm ashamed of, Vector. Espio! Charmy! What do you two have to say for yourselves?" Sonic replied sternly as he looks at Espio and Charmy for answers.

"Errrr...We're...We're just...umm...Santa's helpers?" Espio replied awkwardly as he looked at Charmy for help.

But Charmy crossed his arms and looked away while saying, "Oh, please, Espio. Vector only asked you as his helper! Not me!".

Espio and Vector cringed after Charmy had admitted that. Thanks, Charmy. You're a real help. Vector and Espio thought at the same time in annoyance.

Sonic then smiled as he shrugged his shoulders. He then said cheekily with a smirk, "Santa Claus then, Vector? Was that your motive behind the kidnapping? Pfff! That's rather stupid for a motive if you ask me, Vector!".

"No! That was not the reason why I had did this! I wanted to please Ms. Vanilla by giving her daughter to her! I care about her, and I want her to be happy!" Vector exclaimed as he pointed at Sonic.

"Oh yeah?! Well, I'm sorry, Vector! But no can do! Cream and Cosmo are coming with me back to the Blue Typhoon so that we can finish playing that board game together! And you can't stop me!" Sonic exclaimed solemnly as he prepares his body to fight Vector.

"Oh, yes, I can! Because I have the power of love on my side, and nobody is going to stop me! Not even you, Sonic! Hiiiiyaaa!" Vector exclaimed. Vector then ran towards Sonic as he tried to punch him.

Sonic noticed Vector's oncoming attack fast enough to dodge him. Sonic jumped up and flipped over to dodge Vector's punch in time. Sonic then exclaimed, "Sheesh! You punch slower than Knuckles! Now, it's my turn!".

Sonic then grunted as he slammed down his feet at Vector's body. Vector grunted in pain as he was kicked away by Sonic's quick attack. Vector tumbled over while cringing in pain. Once he stopped rolling, Vector gripped his arm in pain as Sonic walks up to him.

Sonic then replied seriously, "You'd better give up now or else I'll get even rougher with you if we keep this up. And I don't think that you have enough money to pay for your health insurance once I'm done with you. So...think wisely on this, Vector. This is your last warning. Understand?".

"Grrr...Ngggghhh...N-N-Never! I...will...not...give up!" Vector grunted as he refused to let his plan be foiled by Sonic.

Sonic frowned as he replied, "Okay, Vector. But trust me when I say that you will regret it".

However, Sonic had stopped once Espio stood before Vector with a ninja dagger in his hand. Espio then replied coolly, "Just stay back, Sonic. I don't want to hurt you, but if you come closer to our boss, then you might be in a world of pain. Think rationally now".

"Yeah! Think rationally! Or I'll sting you!" Charmy added as he flew behind Sonic as he was ready to use his stinger on Sonic. Sonic grunted as he looked at Charmy and then back at Espio.

As Espio and Sonic glared at each other, Cosmo then took the courage to speak out again. "Please! You must not kill, Sonic! He's an important part of the game! He's a player! This fight won't resolve anything anyway!".

Espio and Sonic looked at Cosmo for a bit. Espio lowed his weapon for a moment as he replied to Cosmo, "Cosmo. There is no need for theatrics. Sonic isn't going to die. I'm just going to hurt him until he begs for mercy. It is not honorable for a ninja to kill someone who is also their friend. You have my word on that".

Cosmo then exclaimed with her fists up in determination, "No! Harming others shouldn't be the answer here! This doesn't have to be this way!"

Espio, Vector, Charmy, and Sonic all looked towards Cosmo after she had said that. Even Cream was quiet as she stares at Cosmo while holding the board game. Cosmo continued by exclaiming, "Why do you guys always have to hurt others to get what you want?! Can't you guys try to understand each other more calmly than this?! To discuss serious matters as mature, responsible people?! You can't just blame others for your own problems and try to resolve it by fighting! We all want to fulfill the desires in our hearts, but sometimes we can't get what we want because others want the same thing too! Cream is no exception here! Both of you guys want her, but Cream probably want something different too! Fighting will resolve nothing because in the end...Nobody gets what they want! Can't we...Can't we just try to compromise...as friends?".

…...

Everyone was silent after Cosmo had finished her speech. Cosmo then looked sad as she looked down and felt awkward now after her outburst. She muttered quietly, "S-Sorry...".

Luckily for her, Chris came in with the save by saying through his spacesuit, "She has a point you know. In the end, it really doesn't matter because Cream is the one who gets to choose here. She should be the one making the decisions. Not Vector. Or even Sonic. Sorry, Sonic. But it's true. You'd be no different from Vector if you had forced her to stay with us".

Chris came down from the ceiling too and looked at Sonic for a moment. Sonic smiled at him as he replied calmly, "I know. I know. What you just said was right. I won't force Cream to stay if she doesn't want to".

Chris nodded before he continued, "That's right. Cream could come home to her mother...or...she could stay with us and continue to play the board game with you and the others".

Chris then walked towards Vector as he said to him, "You need to understand, Vector. That no matter how far away one's child may be, a parent will always endure the separation and continue to send their love to them...even from far away. Ms. Vanilla is someone who will continue to support her child no matter what decisions they have chosen for themselves. She would be happy even when she had heard that Cream wants to stay to help her friends fight the Metarex. She is much wiser and mature than you give credit for, Vector. And I hope that you can respect her by respecting her daughter's decisions. Do you understand, Vector?".

Vector growled for a moment before he sighed. He closed his eyes as he said, "...Alright. I'll let Cream go and decide for herself. But if Cream dies because you and the others can't protect her, then Ms. Vanilla will be upset!".

"Please. We're talking about Sonic here! He'll never let any of his friends die! And he will protect Cream with his life! You can bet on that!" Chris exclaimed confidently.

Sonic smirked as he replied, "Exactly! So, don't sweat about it, Vector! Ms. Vanilla believes in me, and I have no intention of letting her down!".

Vector grumbled as he crossed his arms and looked away from the others. Well...so much for fulfilling Ms. Vanilla's request. Now how will I give her proof that Cream's okay? I'm back at square one! Vector pondered with a grimace.

Sonic then turned to look at Cream and smiled at her. He replied calmly to her, "You're safe now, Cream. But still, the question needs to be answered. Do you want to stay or go home?".

Cream frowned as she looked down at the board game. She answered solemnly, "I know how dangerous it is fighting those poachers. I'll admit that I'm scared of them, and I'm scared of dying to them too. But I have to continue. You, Tails, Miss Amy, and even Mr. Knuckles had never thought of wanting to give up playing this board game, and I won't give up either!".

She looked up at Sonic as she continued, "You guys need me. You need me in order to continue the game! I can't give up no matter how scared I am or how worried I am of my own life! A hero is someone who is willing to face the dangers no matter how scared they are because of them! You've been a hero to me ever since I've met you, Sonic! And now...now I shall try to be hero like you, Tails, Mr. Knuckles, and even Miss Amy! I can do it! And with you by my side, I know that I can finish this game...together".

Sonic smiled gently as he then ruffled Cream's head a bit. He then replied, "That's it, kiddo. Always keep on believing in others. We'll have your back, Cream. You don't have to worry anymore. We'll make it through the end. You'll see".

Sonic stopped rubbing Cream's head and just looked caringly at her. Cream smiled brightly as she exclaimed, "Thank you, Mr. Sonic! I feel so much better now! Yeah! Let's keep on playing this board game together!".

Sonic winked as he gave his casual thumbs up to Cream. He then replied, "There's that gaming spirit, Cream! Never lose it!".

Vector rolled his eyes as he said, "Alright! Alright! I get it! You want to stay and play on the board game much longer. I can see that you don't want to go home to your mother. I can't believe that I'm saying this but...I'm glad to see that you're growing up, Cream. I'm sure that your mother would be proud of you if she heard such brave words from your mouth. But...I guess that means that we have to go without you. Ugh. What am I going to say to Ms. Vanilla now? If I can't give her proof that Cream's okay, then she'll get even more worried than before!".

Vector walked towards his seat and sat in it before gripping his head with his hands. He sighed in frustration. Sonic, Charmy, and Espio frowned as they looked at Vector's disappointed expression on his face. They don't know what they could say to him at this moment. Vector soon calmed down as he lifted his head up and gripped the steering wheel again.

"Well, pack it up, boys. We're going home," Vector said in a resigned tone.

"Ummm...are you sure, Vector?" Charmy asked in confusion.

"Yes, we've already seen that Cream's alive and well, and that's what counts here! The least we could do is tell Ms. Vanilla what happened when we got here. Yep! We could even reenact what happened with you two doing all the roles of everyone here!" Vector replied with his usual enthusiasm.

"What?! You...You can't be serious..." Espio muttered in confusion as a sweat drop formed on his head.

Vector looked back at Espio as he replied, "Do I look like I'm joking?! I'm your boss, and you will do what I say! So, if you are going to be an actor for Ms. Vanilla's sake, then you'll be an actor!".

"No way! I refuse to act as someone other than myself! That is completely unnecessary!" Espio protested while looking nervous.

"I want to act!" Charmy exclaimed happily.

"Shut it, Charmy! You're not helping!" Espio exclaimed back as he looked at Charmy with a frown on his face.

"Awww..." Charmy muttered in disappointment.

Sonic, Chris, Cream, and Cosmo saw that it is for the best that they leave now. Chris then clapped his hands and immediately a ladder came down from the Blue Typhoon to the ceiling of the red ship. Once they saw that they could leave now, they all went towards the ladder. Sonic tapped Cream's shoulder and asked, "Hey, may I hold onto that board game for you, Cream? I just want to make sure that you climb the ladder safely".

"Oh, sure, Mr. Sonic! Here you go! Please give the game to Miss Amy when you get back to the ship!" Cream replied happily as she gave Sonic the board game. Sonic took it and winked at her.

"Will do!" Sonic exclaimed with a smile before he quickly flew up towards the ceiling with his jet pack to leave.

"Well, I guess that it's our turn to leave too," Chris replied once he saw that Sonic left first. Chris soon climbed the ladder. Cream and Cosmo started to climb the ladder too.

"Hey...uhh...Cream?" Vector said awkwardly as he turned to look at Cream.

"Huh? What is it, Mr. Vector?" Cream asked as she stopped to look at Vector.

Oh, good. It seems that she's calm now since she's calling me "Mr. Vector" again. Vector thought in relief. Vector then said, "I have an idea. Maybe you could ask Tails to create a phone or some kind of transmission so that you can call your mother a few times on your journey. I still believe that you must have missed her a lot, and I think that this might be the best compromise that I can think of. So, what do you say, Cream? Could you ask Tails to do it?".

Cosmo smiled once she heard that Vector is doing his best to make a compromise here. He really is a good guy at heart. He may be a bit troublesome, but he means well. Cosmo thought with a calm expression on her face.

Cream gasped when she heard this. She then smiled broadly as she exclaimed, "Mr. Vector! That could be your best idea ever! I'll do it! I'll ask him! Hehehehehe!".

CLICK!

At that cute moment, Charmy sneakily snapped a photo of Cream smiling as she held onto the ladder. He and Espio were smiling proudly as they had succeeded into finishing their mission with Vector. Espio then thought. Well done, Vector. I guess that you were right into creating that back-up plan in case we fail into bringing Cream home. Heh! I suppose that you can be very smart sometimes...but only sometimes.

-Back In Sonic's World-

Ms. Vanilla was doing her knitting again before she heard her printer going off suddenly. She stopped knitting once she heard it and stood up from her chair. She walked over to her printer as she said to herself, "What's going on? Oh, is my printer acting funny again? I wonder if I should get that fixed or not?".

Once she had reached her printer, she grabbed the photo that was printed out of it. When she saw what was on the photo, she smiled warmly as she said, "Oh...how lovely. You're still smiling as always, Cream. I'm happy. Even though I know that I won't see you again in a long while, I'll still be thinking of you and praying for your safety. That's all I can really do now. Just please...stay safe for me, Cream. I know that you can do that".

She then lowed the photo down as she thought. Thank you, Vector. You and the Chaotix are so kind to me. I'll be in your debt once you come back.

-Meanwhile On the Blue Typhoon-

Amy was busy cooking some meals for their feast this dinner. She was stirring some chili in the pot as she thought. I'm glad that Sonic and Knuckles came back safely. I'm sure that they must be feeling famished after being away from us for a while. I'm sure that this feast will lift their spirits up so that they're ready to fight tomorrow!

"Yo, Amy! What are you cooking there?" Sonic said brightly as he rushed inside the kitchen and stood behind Amy.

Amy was slightly startled as she turned around to see Sonic smiling at her. She beamed as she exclaimed, "Aww, Sonic! Don't do that! I don't want to spill the chili all over the place! I want to cook you and the others a feast! I'm sure that Cream and Cosmo will come in here and help me too!".

Sonic smiled as he replied, "That's great, Amy! I'm sure that you will make a great feast! I even bet that what you will prepare for us will be tasty!".

"Hehehe! You know it! But anyways, why are you here, Sonic? Are you trying to taste one of my meals before they're even done?" Amy replied with a giggle before she teased Sonic a little.

Sonic shook his head as he answered, "Hey, I'm not that impatient! I'm actually here to give you the board game just as Cream had asked me. I think that she's implying that you hadn't taken your turn yet".

Amy frowned a little as she answered, "Yeah...I hadn't, but it's for a good reason though".

Sonic frowned as he saw that Amy looked solemn now. He then asked her, "What's the matter, Amy?".

"It's just that...I'm worried that we've all been acting paranoid since we've been battling poacher after poacher when we've played that board game. I just wanted to give us a break so that we can relax a little. I don't want any of us to lose our minds as we keep on playing that game. The game is stressful enough as it is, but I don't think that we should add to our stress by playing the game without taking any breaks. It's not healthy at all! Surely, you understand, don't you, Sonic?" Amy answered while looking worried at Sonic.

Sonic paused after he heard Amy say that. He closed his eyes and had his head down. Amy looked confused and slightly worried as she saw that Sonic wasn't saying anything to that.

"Sonic? Are you-" Amy asked slowly before Sonic cut her off.

"Why do you even think that I had decided to take a break when it was my turn, Amy? Even I'm not immune to all the pressure that the game had challenged us with," Sonic replied solemnly as he opened his eyes again and looked at Amy directly.

Amy gasped as she put her hand over her mouth in shock. "S-Sonic..." Amy muttered quietly.

Sonic continued by saying, "Amy, I may be a thrill seeker...but I know that everybody here isn't one. I'm not going to risk everyone's lives or their sanity just because I want this game to be done quickly. Amy...I care about you and the others. I want all of you guys to take your time and energy to play this game. If I want to take a break, then that means everyone should take a break from the game. The same goes for you...for Tails...for Knuckles...and for Cream. We will finish the game Amy...but you should do it on your own time...and I'll do it in my own time too".

Now, it was Amy's turn to pause while looking at Sonic with wide eyes. She was very surprised on how sincere and serious Sonic looks right now. She can definitely see that Sonic really does care for her and is trying to soothe her worries. She then had a watery smile as tears came down on her face. She immediately ran and hugged Sonic tightly. Sonic flinched a little once Amy had held him, but he made no attempts to pull her off this time. He did try to hug her back with one arm as he held onto the board game with his other arm.

"(Sob Sob)…...Thank you, Sonic. (Sniff)…...Thank you for being considerate of my feelings. …...(Sob Sob Sob)…...You really do care for me! (Sob Sob Sob Sob)" Amy replied while crying.

Sonic rubbed her back while smiling gently at her. "Hey...easy there, Amy. It'll be alright. I do care for you. I want you to be safe and happy is all. There is no reason to feel stressed into playing that game if you don't want to right now. No one will complain if you chose not to at the moment," Sonic replied calmly as he consoled her.

"(Sniff)…...Not even Knuckles?" Amy asked while calming her crying down.

"Not even him. If he does, then I'll just sock him with his very own knuckle sandwiches that he loves so much!" Sonic replied calmly yet optimistically.

"Hehehehe! Thanks, Sonic. Thank you for that," Amy replied with a giggle as she wipes her tears away. She soon pulled away from Sonic and smiled at him. Sonic smiled back as he's glad that Amy is smiling again. He then held up the board game in his hands at Amy.

"It's all yours, Amy. You do what you want with it," Sonic replied calmly.

Amy nodded and took the board game from Sonic. "Alright, I will, Sonic. Just enjoy your time off now! Dinner will be ready soon!" Amy exclaimed happily.

Sonic nodded back as he replied, "Well, I can't wait then! See you soon at dinner, Amy! I'm off!".

He then ran out of the kitchen after that. Amy sighed as she stared at Sonic running away from her. Amy pondered while having a happy grin on her face. And he's gone...again. But I know at least that he's here now. I feel so safe with him on the ship. Sure, I can take care of myself by fighting those poachers...but I feel at ease whenever Sonic's around. I can always depend on him to take care of me. Sigh...

Amy turned around and had placed the board game on the counter beside the stove. She then grabbed the spoon again and stirred the chili again. As she stirred, she looked at the board game again.

You know...maybe taking my turn won't be so bad, right? It could be nothing for all I know. Besides...after Sonic's comforting speech...I feel more encouraged to play it now that I could do it in my own time. I suppose that taking my turn won't affect it much. Might as well try it! Amy thought with a smile on her face.

She stopped stirring the chili to go open the board game again to play it. She pushed the red button to take her turn, and the roulette wheel started to spin. After the wheel spun for a few seconds, it stopped on a certain number.

"Oooh, it's a 7! Maybe it could be a lucky card!" Amy exclaimed as she watched her pink spaceship move to space 28.

KACHING!

The white card had popped out, and Amy had grabbed the card out to read it. "'Once gone...and once lost...a darkness you've had met once will come again with a great cost'. Hmm...I'm not sure if this is a good card or not. 'A darkness you've had met once'? What could that even mean? Have I met someone like that? I don't remember. Maybe the card will make sense later. But anyways, back to cooking!" Amy read before she spoke to herself in thought. She soon gave up pondering what the card meant and grabbed her spoon again to stir the chili again. I better start cooking the ham and the turkey too while I'm at it! It'll take a while, but this feast will be worth it! Amy thought enthusiastically with a bright smile on her face.

She kept on cooking after that.

-Meanwhile With Dr. Eggman And His Crew-

Dr. Eggman's purple ship was still flying through space. Decoe and Bocue were doing their best to find some planets that has Chaos Emeralds in them with the Chaos Emerald radar, but they both came up with nothing.

"Doctor, we've searched this section of the galaxy six times already! I'm pretty certain that there are no Chaos Emeralds here!" Decoe exclaimed as he looked back at Dr. Eggman.

"Well, search it again for the seventh time!" Dr. Eggman ordered stubbornly.

"Fine. But we might just have to turn around and go to a different galaxy then since there might be no planets around here," Decoe replied as he looked at the screen even closer than before.

"I agree with Decoe, Doctor. We're going to end up with nothing again. Let's just turn back and fly to a different galaxy," Bocue replied as he looked exhausted.

"Oh, stop your whining and start searching! We've got to find at least one emerald around here! It can't just appear to us out of nowhere!" Dr. Eggman exclaimed in frustration as he glared at his robots.

But little did Dr. Eggman know that it kind of did...but not what he had expected to be...and neither did Rouge apparently.

As Rouge had typed in the password in Dr. Eggman's special vault in his ship, she walked inside the room. "Weird. Didn't that little robot boy say that this place has a vault too? I don't see any money or jewels anywhere". Rouge soon stopped as she gasped in shock. In a way, she did find a jewel, but she also found something more shocking than the jewel itself.

What?! That's impossible! How is this here?! And how is...HE here?! Rouge thought in shock as she stared at the capsule in front of her. She saw a red Chaos Emerald in the capsule's slot...and possibly...a familiar face behind the glowing glass of the capsule.

And thus, the game is starting to a get a little exciting now.

Aw yes! I'm free from my detainment! The space police had captured me but now I've been released from jail time for not getting this chapter done faster! But yeah, I must apologize again for the delay! I guess that I've been being laid back on this story lately. It's not like I'm going to quit on making it. Not even by a long shot! But I feel like I should take on continuing the story more on my free time without trying get it done on a precise schedule. I've had made some promises like that before in my previous chapters and had failed to keep them. Sorry about that again. But I suppose that you can understand that when you're preoccupied with either school or your other hobbies that you kind of want to take writing in the back burner in your mind. Not only that but I'm also going to start my next big story soon. Sooo...the regular updates to this story is...a bit unclear and maybe random. But it's still ongoing at least so please be patient. But also, thank you so much for your support, dear readers! We'll make through in the end! Also, yay! We've finished episode 59! The next chapter awaits!