Sonic X: Season 3: Shuffle Edition
Midgame (pt. 3)
Eventually, Shadow and Rouge had stopped arguing and had followed Chris after they saw him walk past them. He had turned left in which Shadow was pleased since it had given an opportunity to gloat in front of Rouge's face.
"See? I told you that going left was the right answer. It seems that the boy is much smarter than you," Shadow said calmly in a bored tone as he stared at Rouge while walking behind her and Chris.
"Oh, hush, you. It was only a lucky guess. Besides, that boy is not smarter than me. I'm more clever and craftier than he is. I don't see him robbing a jewelry store or anything. So why are you saying that he's smarter than me?" Rouge replied irritably with a little frown as she stared back at Shadow while following behind Chris.
"Because unlike you, he doesn't take risks. He has more common sense than you will ever have," Shadow replied calmly with a deep frown as he looked solemn.
"Oh! Rude! Why I outta smack that smart mouth of yours and make you wish that you hadn't come back!" Rouge exclaimed in annoyance as she grimaced at Shadow.
"I didn't even ask to come back! The doctor told me about some nonsense of a board game bringing me here without my consent, and somehow, I'm now stuck with you, him, and his bungle of idiot robots that I refuse to associate with!" Shadow yelled back in annoyance as he looked irritated again. While Shadow and Rouge argued again, Chris just looked annoyed since he's frowning and having his eyelids closed halfway while quietly walking through the corridor of the Metarex fortress.
So much for this being a stealth mission. Sigh...Chris pondered tiredly with a sheepish frown on his annoyed face. But before he could interrupt them, he and the others heard loud clanking sounds from a corridor in the northern direction.
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
"Uh oh! The Metarex is rather close to us! Quick! Let's sneak away before we get spotted!" Chris exclaimed in shock and in determination as he looked serious while running a bit ahead and sidling across the right wall of the corridor. Rouge and Shadow quickly nodded in agreement and had run with Chris before sidling across the wall too in a sneaky way. Soon, Chris stopped at the end of the wall and looked behind the corner. He can hear the clanking sounds getting closer and closer. Rouge and Shadow caught up to Chris and leant behind the wall too.
"I blame you for alerting the Metarex. So much for being an expert thief. You can't even sneak right," Shadow complained quietly with a solemn frown as he glared at Rouge.
"Well, you started it. You can't even keep your big, fat mouth shut for at least ten seconds. And you say that I'm the talkative one. Even I know when to shut up," Rouge replied irritably yet quietly with a little frown as she glared back at Shadow.
"This is the first time that I'm hearing this. You can shut up? Then why weren't you doing that from the beginning?" Shadow replied quietly yet inquisitively as he frowned while quirking an eyebrow at Rouge in curiosity.
"Because you were such a big-!" Rouge exclaimed in irritation as she glared coldly at Shadow while having a vein popping in her head.
"Guys! Can we seriously NOT get ourselves caught red-handed by simply arguing?! I don't want us to botch the mission already thanks to you guys' squabbling! Be serious for once and SHUT UP!" Chris yelled in frustration as he glared back at Rouge and Shadow while looking irritated. Why do I have to be the adult here? How I miss being young already. Chris brooded irritably with a grimace as he glared at Rouge and Shadow.
They both soon stopped arguing again and had stared at Chris instead. They both had puzzled looks on their faces as they stared back at Chris. They all can hear the clanking sounds getting louder, however, they were preoccupied with each other to even care.
"...Sheesh...No need to blow a gasket on us. If you wanted us to stay quiet, you should've spoken up," Rouge replied calmly yet quietly with a little frown and with a shrug as she kept staring at Chris in confusion.
"Normally, I would've kicked your butt after telling me to shut up. But since we are in the middle of an important mission, I'll let it slide for now. But next time..." Shadow added calmly yet quietly with a deep frown on his solemn face as he stared back at Chris. He soon narrowed his eyes as he finished darkly, "...you better watch your mouth...".
Chris still frowned at Rouge and Shadow in seriousness, but he soon sighed tiredly as he realized how difficult they really are. How did I not pick this up the first time I had met them on Prison Island? They're like impossible to be with. In a way, I feel rather bad for Dr. Eggman because he has to babysit these two constantly just to make sure they don't cause too much trouble. ...And I just hope that they won't cause any trouble for me. Chris pondered calmly yet tiredly with a frown. He, Rouge, and Shadow heard more loud clanking sounds through the corridors.
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
"...Alright. Anyways, shhh..." Chris whispered with a frown before looking back around at the corner. He was soon shocked when he saw a huge Metarex robot walking down the northern corridor. The Metarex robot was basically a huge T-rex by design. It even sounded like a T-Rex too.
"RAWR! I'M A T-REX! RAWR!" the T-rex robot shouted and roared while walking through the corridor.
"I never would have thought that I would be dealing with a robotic T-Rex of all things today. This is so out there that I don't even know where to start," Chris muttered quietly to himself as he kept staring at the huge T-rex robot.
"Can I kick its butt?" Shadow asked quietly with a deep frown as he stared at the robot T-rex too.
"And alert the Metarex robots even further? No way," Rouge replied calmly yet quietly with a deep frown as she glared back at Shadow.
"Then how will we get past this without destroying the robot?" Shadow asked quietly yet curiously with an annoyed frown on his face as he glared back at Rouge.
"Simple. We just sneak quietly away from it. That is what coverts do after all," Rouge answered calmly yet quietly with a smirk.
"You mean 'what thieves do after all'," Shadow corrected calmly yet dully with a frown and with narrowed eyes as he still felt suspicious of Rouge.
"Hmph. Geez, you're almost sounding like that red echidna that I love to tease," Rouge replied calmly yet quietly in annoyance as she frowned and rolled her eyes a bit.
"Maybe it's because you're not completely trustworthy," Shadow replied calmly yet solemnly with a deep frown and with suspicious eyes.
"Oh, yeah? Well, at least, I'm more open to others than you, Mr. Dark and Mysterious. Unlike you, I don't keep things to myself all the time," Rouge replied calmly yet quietly in annoyance as she rolled her eyes again.
"But I'm franker and more direct than you. You're too coy for your own good," Shadow argued calmly yet quietly with a solemn frown.
"But I am-" Rouge argued back with an annoyed frown before Chris cut her off again.
"Guys, focus! We're on a mission here, and we need to get moving now," Chris interrupted sternly yet quietly as he looked back at Rouge and Shadow. They both looked back at Chris and nodded to him again.
Rouge then smirked as she quietly yet coyly replied, "Well, why didn't you say so, honey? Let's start sneaking".
"Hmm...Right," Chris muttered quietly with a frown and with a nod as he looked back at the T-rex robot. He waited for a few more seconds for the huge robot to leave before making his move by running across the corridor and into another one. Rouge followed behind Chris as he ran through multiple corridors. He and Rouge looked around just to make sure that the Metarex robots hadn't spotted them yet.
So far so good. No Metarex in sight. Somehow, we made it this far without getting cau- Chris pondered calmly with a little frown as he ran ahead.
"This is your idea of sneaking? Running around aimlessly like a bunch of headless chickens? This plan is more stupid than I had thought," Shadow commented calmly yet dully with a frown as he teleported in front of Chris and Rouge.
"Ack! Shadow!" Chris exclaimed in shock as he stopped in his tracks and stared at Shadow.
"Ugh! What gives, Shadow?! You almost scared us half to death!" Rouge exclaimed in annoyance as she frowned deeply at Shadow while standing next to Chris.
"Yeah, seriously, Shadow. We thought that we had been caught red-handed by the Metarex for a second. Why did you have to appear before us? You could have just followed us, you know," Chris added calmly yet solemnly with a little frown as he kept staring at Shadow.
"I don't follow. I lead," Shadow answered calmly yet solemnly with a stern look on his face as he glared at Chris and Rouge.
"O-Oh...Right...You really like taking the leadership role, don't you? Heheheh...Ah...How had I forgotten?" Chris replied awkwardly with a sheepish smile and with a chuckle before muttering quietly with a little frown. Meanwhile, Rouge was unamused by this.
Well, this is just great. Shadow wants to play "Follow the Leader" thanks to his aloof attitude. At this rate, I'll never get the chance to find the Chaos Emeralds myself. Hmm...Maybe it's time to improvise. Rouge pondered calmly in annoyance as she frowned deeply while glaring at Shadow.
She soon smiled and looked around the area a bit as she said calmly, "You know, this place is pretty big. We might get more legwork done if we split up and find the control room ourselves".
"Veto," Shadow answered bluntly with a solemn frown and with a headshake.
"What? 'Veto'? How could you veto that suggestion? I thought that you like working alone," Rouge replied calmly in surprise and in confusion while frowning at Shadow.
"I do. However, with you here, you might screw up the mission and sabotage us in the long run. Nothing good could ever come out of that scenario," Shadow replied calmly yet dully with a solemn frown as he turned around and looked up slightly in annoyance while having a hand on his hip.
"Oh, you just like to ruin my fun, do you?" Rouge replied calmly in annoyance as she frowned deeper and narrowed her eyes again. Well, that backfired tremendously. Any other bright ideas, Rouge? ...Rouge pondered calmly with a frown as she kept staring at Shadow. She can see him standing firm while being on guard as usual. She sighed a bit as she continued to think.
...Ugh...He really doesn't trust me. It's just like when I had met him the first time at Dr. Eggman's secret base...Hmm...Wait a minute...Aha! Of course! There's nothing wrong with a little reminiscing now is there? Rouge pondered calmly with a frown before she smirked when an idea came to her head.
"Actually, on second thought, Shadow, you do have a point. I mean. The last time I had screwed up and nearly cost us the mission was when all of us were on Prison Island," Rouge spoke up calmly with a smirk as she looked at Shadow before at Chris.
"Oh, yeah! That's right! We all nearly died to that huge explosion! But Shadow came in and saved us all by teleporting us to the Ark!" Chris exclaimed in surprise as he looked at Rouge and smiled at her.
"Wait a minute! …'Prison Island'? 'The Ark'? Just what even are those words?" Shadow muttered quietly in shock and in confusion as he looked surprised. And why do those words sound familiar to me? Shadow pondered curiously in shock.
"He sure did. He was quite the hero back then. I could've sworn that I've nearly fainted when he saved us all like that. My life flashed before my eyes until he Chaos Controlled us out of that jam," Rouge replied calmly yet coyly with a smirk and with a nod while still staring at Chris.
"Yeah, what he did was so incredible that I still remember it clear as day. If I hadn't met Sonic, then I would've said that Shadow is the coolest hero that I had ever met," Chris replied calmly with an enthusiastic look on his face as he looked back at Shadow. It's not to say that he isn't cool at all. I'd say that he's cooler than Batman. Chris pondered calmly with a bright smile on his enthusiastic face.
"Well, Shadow? What about you? Do you remember it as clearly as Chris? You know...the day that you saved us all from Prison Island?" Rouge asked calmly yet coyly with a little smile as she looked back at Shadow.
"I...I did that? Me? But why?" Shadow asked calmly in shock and in confusion as his eyes were wide and as his mouth gaped.
"What else? To fulfill Maria's wish, of course," Rouge replied calmly with a knowing smile and with narrowed eyes as she knew that this would trip Shadow up.
"...! M-M-Maria? Wh-Who? Who is she? No...Who was she?" Shadow asked calmly in shock and in even more confusion as he looked surprised when he heard Rouge mention Maria. What...What the...What's happening to me? ...Why's the floor turning upside-down? I...I feel...dizzy...Maria...Why does hearing that name make me feel things? Feelings such as...pain...sadness...anger...and...and...happiness? Wait! No! Not happiness! That's illogical! I can't be happy! I wasn't meant to be happy! Ever! So why...why does remembering that girl make me feel...happy? Ugh! What nonsense is this?! Shadow brooded with a shocked and confused look on his face as his eyes shook a lot. He then cringed and held the sides of his head since he felt so confused.
"Does not compute. Does not compute. Does not...Uggh...compute..." Shadow muttered in agony and in confusion as he slowly bent to his knees while still holding onto his head. He then placed his hands onto the ground and kept muttering "Does not compute" repeatedly.
"Ah! Shadow! What happened?! What's going on with you?! Are you hurt?!" Chris exclaimed in shock as he got closer to Shadow and looked down at him while being beside him.
"Does not compute. Does not compute. I'm not supposed to be happy. It does not make any sense. Does not compute..." Shadow muttered in shock and in confusion while grimacing as he stared blankly at the ground.
Chris looked concerned as he asked awkwardly, "Uhh...Shadow? I know that you aren't the most expressive person out there, but...would you mind telling me what's going on in your head?".
However, Shadow ignored Chris as he continued to mutter to himself in confusion.
"Does not compute. Does not compute. What is happiness? Why does that feeling exist within me? Nothing makes sense. Does not compute," Shadow muttered in confusion with a grimace.
Chris then looked even more worried as he saw that he isn't getting through to Shadow. What is wrong with him? Why does he keep repeating that phrase? Is he...Oh no! It can't be! Chris pondered in confusion before he looked shocked when a horrible idea came into his head.
"Sh-Shadow?" Chris asked slowly with a worried frown as he crouched down next to Shadow and grabbed his left shoulder.
"Does not compute. Does not compute. Does not...Hmm?" Shadow muttered in confusion with a solemn frown before he looked at Chris after feeling him touch his shoulder.
"...You're...You're not an android, are you?" Chris asked calmly with a worried frown on his face as he stared at Shadow. Shadow raised his eyebrows at that question. The idea does sound plausible to him. He has no idea on how he had survived when he had crashed on Earth. If he was brought back to life by being in an android's body instead of his own body, then it would explain why he couldn't remember anything from his past. It's like his mind is disconnected from his body both literally and figuratively. ...But on the other hand, if that was the case, then technically that means he's not the Ultimate Lifeform anymore since he's in a robot's body.
And I simply refuse to believe that reality. I am the original Ultimate Lifeform! Not some inferior copycat! Shadow brooded with a deep frown as he glared coldly at Chris.
"Are you an idiot? What kind of a stupid question is that? I am not an android," Shadow replied dully yet coldly with a deep frown as he looked annoyed.
Chris flinched in surprise of that answer. He then looked awkward when he realized that Shadow was serious when he said that. He asked with a sheepish frown on his face, "O-Oh...Uhh...If you're not an android, then why did you keep repeating 'Does not compute'? Or why you keep questioning that you have happy feelings?".
"It's because I was having a panic attack, you imbecile! I wasn't saying those things because I was a robot! I was saying them because it doesn't make any sense to me! Do you even know who I am?!" Shadow yelled in irritation as he barred his teeth at Chris while glaring harder at him.
"...! Ah...Ah...Shadow...I..." Chris muttered slowly in shock with a gaped mouth as he gasped a bit after hearing Shadow ask that. Of course, I know who you are. You were the bravest hero ever and still are. You were the one who had sacrificed their life to save my world. Sonic may have saved my planet multiple times before, but he hadn't died trying to save it. You were the one who died, Shadow. At least...I thought you had died...Chris brooded with a sad frown on his face as he stared back at Shadow.
"S-Sorry, Shadow. It looks like I had jumped the gun on that one. I was just...worried for you," Chris muttered quietly with a little frown as he slowly released Shadow's shoulder and looked down at the ground instead.
"Hmph. Worry about yourself. I don't need you to worry about me. I can take care of myself," Shadow replied calmly yet dully with a frown as he still looked annoyed.
"Hmm..." Chris mused quietly with a frown while he kept staring at the floor. You say that, but then again...I saw you...Sigh...What am I doing? Shadow's right. I need to be concerned about my own needs. Shadow can handle his own problems, and if he doesn't, then...I'm sure that Rouge will take care of him herself...Hmm...Speaking of which, I hadn't heard a peep out of Rouge ever since I had tried consoling Shadow. Is she still here? Chris pondered with a sad frown and with a sigh before he shook his head and turned around to see if Rouge is still with him and Shadow.
But to his complete surprise, Rouge was gone!
"Ah! Rouge! Where are you?!" Chris exclaimed in shock with a surprised look on his face as he stared at the empty corridor instead.
"Way ahead of ya, dearie!" Rouge exclaimed back in the distance.
"Ack!" Chris exclaimed in shock as he looked in front of him and saw Rouge flying further away from him and Shadow. Shadow looked at Rouge as well and had looked surprised too before he frowned deeply in annoyance.
Ugh! She had let down my guard on purpose! She is definitely up to something now! And I thought that this kid would be the one to act suspicious...Unless...Shadow brooded irritably with a deep frown as he stared at Rouge before glaring at Chris again.
"You're in cahoots with Rouge, aren't you?!" Shadow exclaimed sharply in an accusatory tone while frowning deeply at Chris and pointing at him.
"Wh-What?! No, I'm not!" Chris exclaimed in shock with a gaped mouth as he stared back at Shadow.
"Yes, you are! You were distracting me by showing me pity and concern! You 'helped' me out just so that Rouge could sabotage the mission herself with her own stupidity!" Shadow yelled back in irritation as he looked angry.
"It's not like that, Shadow! I really did help you out because I thought that you were hurt or something! I really did care for you, Shadow! Honest!" Chris exclaimed back with a frown and with a headshake.
"Hmph! As if you expect me to believe that! Your 'sentimentalities' are what's going to ruin this mission! We're going to fail thanks to Rouge's and your meddling! You..." Shadow yelled back with an irritated look on his face as he rolled his eyes and frowned deeper. He then narrowed his eyelids at Chris as he added bitterly, "...You really are annoying...".
Chris gasped at that comment before he grimaced in shame. It may be one thing if he himself admitted that he's annoying, but hearing his own hero say that about him is soul-crushing to him. He really felt like he owed a lot to Shadow, Sonic, and the others who had helped him save his planet and himself multiple times. He doesn't want to feel like a burden to them anymore. He just wanted to pay them back for all the mistakes that he had made in the past.
...Which is why...I had made the decision to travel to Sonic's world in the first place. Sure, part of that reason was to see my old friends again, but the main reason was that I can repay them by being useful to them. To be readily available to them and get them out of a jam instead of bringing them into one. As much as I did help them a bit in the past, my grave mistakes outweigh my helpful acts. I mean. Do I even need to remind myself of how I almost let Dr. Eggman get all of the Chaos Emeralds and beat Sonic once and for all? I could've reconvinced or stopped Knuckles from giving the Chaos Emeralds to Dr. Eggman, but I didn't. I just stayed quiet and hadn't spoken up at all during the whole thing. A good friend would've tried to stop their friend from making a mistake, and I...I wasn't a good friend to Knuckles. Nor am I a good friend to others. Like I had nearly gotten them killed by turning Chaos into Perfect Chaos with that one Chaos Emerald. Even if it was by pure accident, that is still a terrible mistake to make towards your friends. But...Chris brooded calmly with a grimace on his depressed face as he looked down to the floor again. He then lowered his eyelids halfway as his last memory of Sonic came up in his mind again.
...But none of that could compare on how I had treated Sonic as a friend. I was like the worst friend to him by trying to keep him in my world forever and never let him see his friends again. I had almost destroyed the space/time continuum by keeping Sonic to myself. I was...so selfish. I hadn't even considered Sonic's feelings when I had done all of that. He may have forgiven me and was cool when he allowed me to let him stay in my planet or not, however...I can't help but feel that he felt afraid and sad that he won't see his friends again if I had wanted him to stay with me forever. He can act all cool and cocky like wanting to run around the planet forever if he wanted to, but even he knows that it would soon get boring since he won't be able to see his friends or hang out with them. Not to mention that he wouldn't find any excitement like saving the world from Dr. Eggman again since Eggman was back in Mobius with the others. There was no way that he was happy about any of that. Under that calm, gentle smile, he resented me. I just know it. Which is why...I came back to make it up to him...Chris brooded some more with a grimace as he looked solemn before he looked determined when he looked back up. He can see Rouge flying farther away in the corridor and had frowned deeper in determination.
...And I'm going to make it up to Shadow too by stopping Rouge from whatever she's doing! Chris brooded one last time with a solemn frown as he stood back up.
"Hmm? And just where are you going, troublemaker?" Shadow asked calmly in suspicion with a solemn frown as he glared at Chris.
"Look, Shadow. I am not working for Rouge. Period. And I'll prove it to you by stopping her myself!" Chris replied calmly yet solemnly with a frown on his determined face as he stared at Rouge before starting to run after her. Shadow stared at Chris as he ran very fast to catch up to Rouge and had frowned deeply with narrowed eyes.
"...You better, you moron," Shadow muttered quietly in disdain as he looked annoyed.
Chris huffed and puffed as he chased after Rouge. He tried to call out to her as she flew farther away from him.
"Rouge! What are you doing?! Why did you fly away from us?!" Chris yelled with a determined look on his face as he kept running.
"Oh, you know about me and jewels, boy. We like a couple of hopeless romantics, and the Chaos Emeralds are no different. So that's why I ditched you two," Rouge answered calmly yet haughtily with a smirk as she looked back at Chris while flying further away.
"But! But! …(Huff)…(Huff)…We need to stick together! We need to find the control room first!" Chris yelled back with a frown as he gasped for breath a bit.
"You and Shadow can find the control room yourselves. I'm going to go one step ahead of Dr. Eggman's plans and find the Chaos Emeralds myself! And there is nothing that you can do to stop me! Nothing like...Aw crud," Rouge replied casually with a smile and a shrug before she flew around a corner and looked displeased when she had accidently encountered a Metarex T-rex robot.
"RAWR! HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?! RAWR!" the Metarex T-rex shouted and roared as he spotted Rouge.
"The same way I'm going to do to you! Barge right in!" Rouge yelled back with a frown on her annoyed face as she flew towards the robot T-rex before using her Drill Kick.
"RAWR! HEY! IT'S IMPOLITE TO BARGE IN TO PEOPLE'S HOMES! AND BECAUSE OF THAT, I'M-!" the Metarex T-rex shouted and roared before he was cut off when Rouge drilled through his metallic neck.
BOOOOOM!
A loud, fiery explosion occurred after Rouge destroyed the T-rex effortlessly. Chris was shocked when he heard the explosion and had run faster to see if Rouge is okay. Oh, dear! I hope that Rouge is alright! Chris thought in worry as he ran around the corner and stopped to catch his breath. He thought that he could spot Rouge easily, however, there was a lot of smoke in the way after the Metarex exploded.
"...(Pant)…(Pant)...Rouge? Are you okay?" Chris asked in concern while panting a little.
"Never been better, sweetie! In fact, I'm-Uh oh!" Rouge answered brightly with a smile as she flew over the smoke before looking startled when three more T-rex robots blocking her path.
"Uh oh?! What's an 'Uh oh'?! Don't tell me that we're in more trouble now!" Chris exclaimed in alarm as he looked shocked ad worried after hearing Rouge's response.
"I think that 'trouble' is an understatement," Rouge quipped with a frown as she glared at the three T-rex robots in front of her.
"RAWR! YOU KILLED OUR BROTHER! HOW COULD YOU?! RAWR!" the first Metarex T-rex robot shouted and roared in anger.
"RAWR! LET'S KILL HER SO THAT SHE CAN FEEL OUR BROTHER'S PAIN! RAWR!" the second Metarex T-rex robot shouted and roared in anger.
"RAWR! WAIT! WE HAD ANOTHER BROTHER?! RAWR?!" the third Metarex T-rex robot shouted and roared in confusion. The other two T-rex robots turned to their third brother and had roared to him in unison.
"RAWR! YEAH! DUH! RAWR!" both Metarex T-rexs shouted and roared in annoyance.
"Oh, please. I've come here to steal some emeralds. Not to hear a sob story about one's brother being dead. So out of the way, you robotic freaks! Number one coming through!" Rouge muttered with a frown on her annoyed face before she yelled in determination as she flew closer towards them. The Metarex T-rexs soon looked back at Rouge and tried to chomp on her with their large, metallic teeth. But Rouge had easily dodged these attacks gracefully by flying below their necks before flying away from them.
"Ha! Missed me!" Rouge exclaimed cockily with a smirk as she looked back at them.
"RAWR! OH, I WON'T MISS YOU! RAWR!" the fourth Metarex T-rex shouted and roared suddenly yet surprisingly as he lunged towards Rouge while having his metallic teeth out.
"Oh, shoot!" Rouge exclaimed in surprise as she looked shocked.
"Rouge! No!" Chris exclaimed in shock and in concern as he stretched his hand out towards Rouge.
Unfortunately, there was nothing that Chris could do as he watched Rouge getting captured by the T-rex robot. Rouge cringed in pain when she felt her body being chomped on by the T-rex. Grrrrr...If there is one thing that I refuse to let anyone do to my body, it's chomping. I get that people compliment my body for looking delicious, but I don't want to be treated like a snack! When I get out of here, I'm teaching this old dinosaur how to respect women like me! Rouge brooded in annoyance as she cringed and growled.
"Rouge! Just try to stay alive!" Chris yelled in panic as he still looked alarmed.
"What do you think I'm doing?!" Rouge yelled back in annoyance while grimacing in pain as she glared at Chris.
"...Oh...yeah...That's pretty obvious. Hmm..." Chris muttered awkwardly with a sheepish frown on his face as a sweat drop fell from his head. Oh, if only Shadow were here right now, then he would-Chris pondered with a worried look on his face as he kept staring at Rouge.
"Out of my way, dork," Shadow muttered calmly yet dully with a solemn frown as he ran past Chris and went towards the Metarex T-rexs.
"Ah...Well then. That was convenient. Wait! Did he call me a 'dork'?!" Chris muttered calmly with a sheepish smile before he exclaimed in shock when he realized what Shadow had said.
When Rouge saw Shadow running towards the Metarex T-rexs, she felt relieved. It's about time that my knight in dark armor would come in and save me. However...this is a little embarrassing for me to be caught like this. It seems that I was a bit too careless. Rouge pondered calmly with a little smile before she looked sheepish as she stared at Shadow.
"Oh, hi...Hi, Shadow. I was just...you know...about to get this robot until I..." Rouge said awkwardly with a sheepish smile as she stared at Shadow.
"Screwed it up?" Shadow asked dully with a frown as he knew very well what had happened.
"...Y-Yeah..." Rouge answered quietly with a frown on her shameful face as she looked down instead.
"...(Sigh)...What's the matter with you?" Shadow asked tiredly with a frown and a sigh before he boosted through all four Metarex T-rexs with ease.
BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM! KAABOOOOOM!
Explosions, smoke, and robot parts were everywhere after Shadow destroyed all of the Metarex robots. Immediately after the robots were destroyed, the alarms inside the fortress went off. Rouge was relieved that she was free at last and had flown away from the explosions. Chris was also relieved as he sighed deeply and had a hand on his chest. Whew...Glad that's over...I guess this shows that Shadow does care a little...Chris pondered in relief as he smiled gently at Shadow and Rouge through the smoke after seeing the explosions disappear. Rouge soon descended towards the ground and knelt as she felt exhausted. Shadow soon appeared in front of Rouge and shook his head at her in disapproval.
"I told you that you're stupid," Shadow said calmly yet dully with a frown as he stared down at Rouge.
Rouge frowned at this as she replied dully in annoyance, "Well, geez, thanks a lot, hero. I would've thanked you for saving me, but after that snarky remark, I'm taking my gratitude back!".
"Hmph. I don't need any gratitude for the things that I do. I'll do whatever I please," Shadow replied calmly yet dully with a frown and an eyeroll before he looked away from Rouge.
"Hmph. Well, I'll do whatever I please too. So, deal with it," Rouge replied calmly yet dully too with a frown as she stood back up while glaring at Shadow in annoyance.
"I already am," Shadow replied calmly yet dully with a frown on his bored face as he stared at the broken wall on his right. Chris then frowned at this exchange as he pondered to himself in awkwardness before in surprise. Well...I did say "a little"...But it seems that Shadow is still cold-hearted. Sigh...Hey! Wait a minute! Isn't that-?!
"The control room! Guys! Look! The control room is beyond that broken wall! We can access it on the other side!" Chris exclaimed in shock and in hope as he ran towards the broken wall and stood in front of it.
"Great detective work, Sherlock. Anyone with blindness could even see that," Shadow replied calmly yet sarcastically with a frown and an eyeroll as he glanced at Chris before at the broken wall.
Chris frowned sheepishly at that remark and stared at Shadow in awkwardness. He then asked awkwardly, "Umm...Could you at least try to be nice towards me? Or...towards anyone else?".
"The day I act nice is the day I turn into a puppy. So, no. I prefer to be honest instead," Shadow replied calmly yet dully with an annoyed frown on his face as he glared at Chris.
Rouge smiled coyly and shrugged at this as she added, "Yeah, you're asking way too much for Shadow to do that sort of thing, honey. Might as well deal with his grumpiness in the meantime".
Chris sighed tiredly at this before he muttered with a frown, "...Yeah, you have a point, Rouge. Even I had a feeling that Shadow would turn my suggestion down. What was I thinking?".
"What were you thinking indeed. Anyways, we need to finish our mission fast. I've already triggered the alarms when I had destroyed those robot guards. So, we don't have a lot of time," Shadow replied calmly yet solemnly with a frown and a nod before looking through the broken wall with a hand on his hip.
Chris nodded too as he looked solemn too before he replied calmly, "Right. Let's go in already. Everyone, follow me".
"Correction. Everyone, follow me," Shadow replied calmly yet dully with a frown as he walked ahead of Chris and went into the broken wall.
"Uhh...R-Right...I forgot..." Chris muttered awkwardly with a sheepish frown as he stared at Shadow while having a finger up. Rouge soon walked up next to Chris and stood by him as she stared at Shadow too with a coy smile.
"He really likes to be the boss around here, does he? He's certainly not going to be pushed around by push-overs like you, sweetie. You're pretty spineless, you know," Rouge commented with a calm, coy smile as she had her hands on her hips. She even glanced at Chris when she had said that.
"I know. I know. (Sigh)…" Chris muttered tiredly with a frown and a sigh as he lowered his eyelids halfway. I'd kill to have Shadow's or even Knuckles' demeaner right about now. That way I'll have more backbone within myself when I confront stubborn individuals such as Shadow for instance. I really am such a wimp when I deal with people like Shadow. But then again...that's just who I am. Nothing I can do about it. Ugh. Curse my stereotypical anime boy protagonist character. How I despise thee. Chris pondered calmly with a frown as he stared at Shadow for a bit before walking inside the broken wall along with Rouge. Soon, they all ran together towards the control room, and Chris was surprised to see a huge computer monitor system at the back of the control room.
"Whoa! Check this place out! This place is so high-tech!" Chris exclaimed in surprise and in wonderment as he beamed at the control room. He even ran a bit faster to get closer towards the huge computer in the center. Shadow and Rouge stopped running and stood together as they stared at the huge computer too.
"Sheesh, he's such a geek. It's just a computer," Shadow commented dully with a frown on his annoyed face as he had his arms crossed.
"Silly Shadow. It's not just a computer, sweetie. It's the computer that controls the entire fortress's mechanisms. So, having Chris to find the control room is like me finding the vault in a jewelry store," Rouge replied calmly yet coyly with a playful smile as she stared at Shadow before at Chris while having her hands on her hips again.
"What is with you and jewels anyway? They're just rocks," Shadow replied calmly yet dully with a frown and with lowered eyelids as he stared at Rouge in annoyance.
"Minerals to be more exact, Shadow," Rouge corrected calmly with a sly smile as she stared at Shadow again.
Shadow rolled his eyes at that and replied calmly yet dully, "Fine. They're minerals. But my question still stands. Why jewels?".
"Because, sweetie, jewels are bright, shiny, beautiful things that deserve all the love in the whole world. No. The whole universe. After all, that is what attracts me to them. We're alike in every way," Rouge replied calmly with a smile and a shrug while staring at Shadow.
"You mean that you're vain and empty too like those rocks?" Shadow asked dully with a bored look on his face.
"Ah! Oh! OH! You did NOT just say that about me!" Rouge exclaimed in shock and in annoyance as she looked appalled by Shadow's scathing statements.
"I just did," Shadow replied calmly yet coyly with a devious smirk and with half-lidded eyelids.
"Oh, that's it! I'm going to show you who's vain and empty by kicking the daylights out of-!" Rouge yelled in anger as she turned fully towards Shadow and pointed at him while having a vein popping in her head.
"Guys, I'm not going to start hacking into the computer if you guys start fighting again. Got it?" Chris interrupted calmly with a frown on his annoyed face as he stared back at Shadow and Rouge.
Rouge frowned at this and looked at Chris as she exclaimed back, "But! He started it!".
"That may or may not be true, but in the end, it doesn't matter. I'm ending it. Understand?" Chris replied calmly with an authoritative tone in his voice as he stared at Rouge.
Rouge growled a little in irritation before she huffed and crossed her arms. She then looked away while exclaiming in annoyance, "Fine! I'll kick Shadow's butt later! Happy now?!".
"Yes. ...Shadow?" Chris replied calmly with a little smile and a nod before looking at Shadow.
Shadow rolled his eyes and crossed his arms too before he replied calmly with a frown, "Yes, I understand completely. Just start hacking, you dork".
Chris lowered his eyelids halfway and frowned at Shadow as he replied calmly, "You know...I'm also not going to start hacking if I hear more insults like that, Shadow. Please. Try to be nice".
"Ugh. Fine. Do it now, nerd," Shadow corrected in annoyance as he frowned deeper and rolled his eyes again.
"That's not even close to being nice," Chris commented calmly yet dully with a frown.
"Well, what do you want me to say?" Shadow asked calmly in annoyance as he started to look impatient.
"Try saying 'please'," Chris answered calmly with a smug smile.
"Oh, brother...(Sigh)...Please start hacking, you geek," Shadow replied calmly yet tiredly with a frown and a sigh as he face-palmed himself.
"You're getting warmer. Now, start using names that are less insulting," Chris replied calmly yet coyly with a smile and with half-lidded eyes.
"Alright! Alright! Just please start hacking, you...you...you whiz!" Shadow exclaimed in annoyance with a deep frown as he glared at Chris while pointing at him.
"There. That's much better. Alright. Time to hack this baby and turn off the fortress's defenses," Chris replied calmly with a huge smile and a nod before he looked back at the computer and started to type quickly into it.
Shadow rolled his eyes again and sighed before he muttered quietly to himself, "Tch. He's definitely a whiz at irritating me. That's for sure".
Rouge smirked at this and shrugged casually in response. Well, despite the hiccups so far, it seems that our mission is going smoothly. Although I am a bit disappointed that we hadn't done a lot of sneaking, at least, we still made it to where we want to be. Now, as long as we remain uninterrupted, we got this mission in the bag! Rouge pondered calmly with a smug smile as she stared at Chris again.
"Aha! There it is! The security systems! Looks like we're in, guys!" Chris exclaimed brightly with a smile as he stared down at the computer screen. Shadow and Rouge stared at each other for a moment before nodding and jumping towards the engines at the sides of the control room.
Wow, for once, we hadn't been jinxed! When does that ever happen? Shadow and Rouge pondered at the same time as they both destroyed the engines by either boosting into it or drill kicking into it. Both engines soon exploded after being hit.
BOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOM!
While Shadow and Rouge were busy destroying the control room's power, Chris was busy hacking into the computer. He was typing quickly and had sweat coming down his face as he does his best to turn off the security system. He looked serious as he concentrated into hacking the computer. Come on...Come on...Let this be the one time I succeed in something by myself...Let's not deal with any sort of conflict that would make us fail in the end...Let us not...deal with something stupid for once...Chris pondered solemnly with a frown as he kept typing into the computer.
"PERMISSION: GRANTED. SHUTTING OFF ALL DEFENSES NOW. HAVE A NICE DAY," the female computer voice said as it logs in the commands and shuts down the power and defenses one by one.
VRRRRRROOOOOOOM!
The lights on top of the control panel were turning off as the power was shut off. Chris looked surprised and pleased that he had successfully turned off the fortress's defenses himself.
"Ah! I can't believe it! I did it! I've turned off the power without having any inconvenient circumstances for once! ...Hey, Sonic! Did you see it?! I got the defenses down!" Chris exclaimed happily with a bright smile before he opened his wrist communicator and contacted Sonic.
"Heh! Well, it's about time you did it, Chris! I was wondering when the race is going to start! Everyone's waiting, you know!" Sonic exclaimed brightly with a grin while sitting in the pilot's seat of the X-Tornado.
"Yeah, seriously," Knuckles agreed with a smile and a nod as he sat in the back seat of the X-Tornado.
"What a relief," Amy commented with a smile and a nod as she sat in the pilot's seat of her own plane.
"It's a miracle that they had succeeded," Cosmo added calmly with a smile and a nod as she sat at the back seat of Amy's plane.
"Heheheh! Well, Chris, good luck at finding the emeralds first because we're racing you, Shadow, Rouge, and Dr. Eggman now! You're on your own! See ya!" Sonic exclaimed brightly with a huge smile and a chuckle as he turned off the transmission before starting up the plane. Soon, the X-Tornado and Amy's plane were elevated to the runway while charging up the engines and boosters. Sonic stared at the board game on top of the control panel while waiting for the X-Tornado to reach the top. He rubbed the game a little with a smile as he had faith that the board game will help them win against the Metarex.
At some point, good luck has to happen, right? You can't go through a game without having some kind of good luck. It has to happen one way or another, and I'm sure that this is the time that our good luck will come through. I mean. What's the worst that could happen while confronting the Metarex like this? Getting sucked into a black hole? Psh! Like that could ever happen! ...Well...not from me at least...But from Knuckles? Sonic pondered calmly with a smile as he held onto the wheel again. He then looked back at Knuckles with a smirk as he felt amused by that last thought.
"What?" Knuckles asked in confusion as he frowned a little while having an eyebrow raised at Sonic.
"Nothing," Sonic answered calmly yet quickly with a smirk as he stared at Knuckles a little before looking back at view in front of himself. Yep, most definitely. Sonic thought in amusement as he smiled widely. Knuckles was still confused but soon shrugged as he doesn't get why Sonic did that.
I'll never know what that arrogant hedgehog is thinking anyway. Knuckles brooded with a frown and a sigh as he leant back into his seat.
Eventually, both planes had arrived at the top of the spaceship and were ready to fly off into space. The engines had reached max power, and the boosters were roaring with life as they propelled the planes through the runway. Sonic and Amy both pulled their wheels towards themselves to lift the planes up and make them fly into space. They both flew their planes very fast towards the fortress before them while having calm yet determined looks on their faces. So far, Sonic and Knuckles were ahead of Amy and Cosmo.
"Go Team Sonic! You can do it, guys!" Tails cheered happily with a bright smile as he waved "goodbye" to Sonic and Knuckles.
"Go Team Rose! You can win this, girls! (Chao! Chao!)" Cream cheered happily with a bright smile too as she waved "goodbye" to Amy and Cosmo. Cheese cheered too in his own language while waving "goodbye" with both arms.
While Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, and Cosmo were busy racing each other, Dr. Eggman started to race with them too by leaving his spaceship on his trusty hovercraft. Decoe and Bocoe sat with him in his hovercraft. Naturally, Dr. Eggman has a space helmet on since he's a human and not a robot nor a Mobian.
"Go Team Eggman! You can beat them, boss! I know that you can!" Bokkun cheered brightly with a smile as he waved "goodbye" to Dr. Eggman, Decoe, and Bocoe. He kept waving before it got slower as he pondered to himself. Oh, who am I kidding? He's going to lose again. It's predicable at this point.
"Soooo...Uhh...Doctor? I'm sure that you have a plan into catching up with Sonic and Amy because...well...they're kicking our butts as we speak," Decoe said calmly yet awkwardly with a confused look on his face as he stared at his boss before staring the two planes in front of him and pointed at them.
"Yeah, we're eating their dust, sir! What shall we do?" Bocoe added in concern as he stared at the planes too and pointed at them as well.
"Patience, you two. Our time to play catch up will come soon. For now, let's stay back for a while so that those fools will believe that they're beating us," Dr. Eggman replied calmly with a frown as he held the remote control in his hands.
"Are you sure that this is a good idea? They might beat us if we stay back for too long," Decoe replied in concern as he stared at Dr. Eggman.
"It's all about strategy, Decoe. It's the one thing that I have over these rodents," Dr. Eggman replied calmly with a frown as he stared at the planes in the distance. Now, for said strategy to work well on the other hand...I'm...I'm usually the textbook example of setbacks. But not this time...This time, I'm confident that my strategy will work out smoothly...Especially since I got this little toy to play with...Dr. Eggman pondered calmly with a frown before he smiled wickedly as he felt prepared. He rubbed his remote control in his hands while laughing manically as he flew his hovercraft closer towards the fortress. Eventually, all of them finally reached the fortress and flew inside it.
-Meanwhile With Chris, Shadow, and Rouge-
Chris sighed in relief as he saw that Sonic and the others were ready to leave. He closed his wrist communicator and looked at Shadow and Rouge with a smile.
"You know what, guys? We make a pretty great team. We had made a lot of progress today, and we certainly succeeded in our mission. Great work, you two. Keep it up," Chris said calmly with a smile.
"Keep the sentiments to yourself. We still have a lot of work to do," Shadow replied calmly yet dully with a frown and with crossed arms as he stared back at Chris.
"Yeah, we have the Chaos Emeralds to find now. I can't just stand here and listen to you yapping away on how great we are. Even if it is sweet, it's too sappy for my liking," Rouge added calmly with a coy smile as she stood next to Shadow and had a hand out while staring at Chris.
Chris then smiled sheepishly and rubbed his head in awkwardness. He replied sheepishly with a chuckle, "Heheheh...Uhh...Sorry, guys. I just wanted to show my appreciation for you two. Especially since...it's been years since I had met you two".
"Heh. It certainly feels like years back home. I can tell you that now, sweetie," Rouge replied calmly yet casually with a smug smile and a hand wave.
"Wait a minute. Years? What do you mean by 'years'?" Shadow asked curiously with a frown and with a quirked eyebrow as he looked confused.
"Huh? Uhh...I meant that I had met you six years ago," Chris replied calmly in confusion as he frowned a little at Shadow. I can understand if Shadow is confused by how much time had passed ever since he was unconscious, but surely, he still remembers me and the whole time we had spent together on the Ark. There is no way that he could forget that, right? Right? Chris pondered calmly with a frown as he stared at Shadow.
But just as fast as Chris' hopes were lifted, they were soon dashed by what Shadow had said next.
"Wait! We had met before?! Since when?!" Shadow exclaimed in shock and in confusion as he took a step back and glared at Chris while looking unamused.
CRACK!
"...! ...Ah...Ah...Ah..." Chris gasped and muttered in shock as his eyes went wide and as his mouth was agape. His face turned pale, and sweat went down his face as he felt his heart broke in two. ...N-No...N-No way...There's no way that's possible...Shadow...He...He couldn't have forgotten about me...He couldn't have...I mean...I was...I was the reason that had changed his mind and had made him want to save the world...He can't just forget about me like that...He can't just...Chris pondered in shock as he still looked flabbergasted.
"...Not remember..." Chris whispered to himself with a frown as he stared at Shadow and Rouge with wide eyes.
"Oh, did I forget to tell you? I think that I did. You see, Chris, Shadow here had forgotten everything ever since he had woken up in Dr. Eggman's ship," Rouge said calmly with a smile and a shrug.
"Ah...No way...You mean to tell me that he...he..." Chris muttered weakly with a sad frown and with shaky eyes.
"Bingo! He has amnesia," Rouge replied brightly yet playfully with a smile and with closed eyes as she crossed her arms and turned her head away from Chris.
"..." Chris was speechless as he stared at Shadow and Rouge with wide eyes and with a wide mouth. He just couldn't believe it. The idol that he had looked up to as a kid had completely forgotten about him. Even though it wasn't by his own choice, the idea of Shadow forgetting about him just hurts his soul. No. Not hurt. Annihilated his soul. He had been so waiting for Shadow to recognize him and talk to him about what had happened after he had supposedly died. He had thought that Shadow and himself could build a friendship together just like with himself and Sonic. But alas...it seemed that all of his hopes...all of his time...and all of his energy that he had spent in the past was a big waste of time. There was only one thought that Chris could have at a time like this.
You know what? I am a dork...
It's been a long time, hasn't it? But I've finally finished another part! Part four will mark the end of episode 63, and part five will start episode 64. Also, if you're wondering why there were no "Find the computer room" jokes when Chris, Shadow, and Rouge went into the control room, well, to put it simply, only Vector could make the joke, and we all know that he's not in this episode! So, it checks out! Anyways, I hope that you're enjoying the story so far even though we're still in the middle of the Midgame. I thank you all for your patience and support! But for now, it's time for part four! See you all next time!