Sonic X: Season 3: Shuffle Edition
Midgame (pt. 7)
-Meanwhile On Dr. Eggman's Spaceship-
"Whew...I finally reached safety at last. Now I can just take a breather and-Eh?" Dr. Eggman muttered quietly to himself in relief before he looked behind himself when he saw a bright, red light reflecting in his glasses.
PING!
"-st! The absolute worst! Why do I even put up with you sometimes?! I just don't-! ...Oh..." Rouge yelled in fury while still holding onto Shadow before opening her eyes and muttering awkwardly after seeing that she was brought back to Dr. Eggman's spaceship. She and Shadow looked down and saw Dr. Eggman looking up at them in slight surprise.
"I had a feeling that you would have blown this joint too, Shadow. I guess that we both had the same idea," Dr. Eggman said calmly with a frown as he stared at Shadow and Rouge while the red Chaos Emerald still glowed in his line of sight.
"I thought that you wanted me to save you later," Shadow replied calmly in a monotone voice with a solemn frown and with narrowed eyelids as he stared at Dr. Eggman.
"I did, but I had changed my mind. I realized after our call that I could've just commanded Bokkun to turn on the auto-pilot function for my hovercraft. So, I did just that, and I got myself out of there; and thank goodness that I did because wow! The Metarex is going full-on genocide mode onto us! But luckily, this shield will protect us all from their laser barrage. So, we're safe," Dr. Eggman replied calmly yet brightly with a smile as he stared at Shadow.
Shadow narrowed his eyelids even more at Dr. Eggman as he did not appreciate him doing things without his knowledge. Talk about sneaky...Hmm...Maybe I should keep an eye on the Doctor after all...Shadow brooded with a deeper frown as he stared at Dr. Eggman in suspicion. Dr. Eggman was about to ask if Shadow had gotten more Chaos Emeralds until he was surprised by someone falling down to the floor of his spaceship.
"Woah! Oof!" Chris yelped as he slipped off from Shadow and Rouge and fell to his bottom. Chris cringed a little as he brooded in pain. Owww...Not the butt...Uggggh...
Shadow and Rouge soon landed back down to the ground after Chris slipped off from them. Rouge lets go of Shadow and stared at Chris with a curious look on her face. Shadow just stared at Chris in annoyance. He did not expect Chris to grab him like that or even touch him. So, now, he's judging him with a sneer on his disgusted face.
Tch...Well, I did say that I'm helping both Rouge and the boy to go to a safe place, but I didn't expect to be touched by him. I already have one touchy-feely person to deal with. I don't want two. Shadow brooded in annoyance with a solemn frown and with a cold glare as he stared at Chris. Decoe, Bocue, Bokkun, and Dr. Eggman himself all stared at Chris in curiosity and in deviousness.
"Well, isn't this a blast from the past? Chris Thorndike, I presume? Hmph. You really do live up to your name for being a thorn in my side. That's for sure," Dr. Eggman commented calmly with a frown as he stared down at Chris.
"Hmph...Eggman..." Chris muttered quietly with a solemn frown and with a grunt as he stared seriously at Dr. Eggman.
"Oh, goody! It looks like you do remember me after all! Hahahahahahahaha! Like you could ever forget the likes of me! Ahahahahahahahahahaha! Woohohohohohoho!" Dr. Eggman exclaimed gleefully in amusement with a huge, mischievous grin as he laughed evilly while looking at Chris before looking upwards.
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up," Chris grumbled with a grimace as he slowly stood back up and glared at Dr. Eggman. Dr. Eggman laughed evilly for a couple more seconds until he stopped and stared back at Chris while frowning deeply at him.
"Hmph. Well now, I didn't expect you of all people to show up onto my spaceship. Rouge was one matter, but you, however, take the cake for being the most unexpected visitor ever. Congrats, kid, you've won the title of 'Surprise Guest'! How does that make you feel?" Dr. Eggman muttered solemnly in annoyance with a deep frown as he pointed at Chris while staring down at him.
"..." Chris said nothing to that but frowned solemnly at Dr. Eggman while glaring at him.
"Nothing, huh? Fair enough. Still though, I'm surprised that Shadow had the gall to bring you here too. I had thought that he would've left you behind and let you get pulverized by those pesky poachers. You should be grateful that he was feeling merciful today because otherwise you would've been toast, kid!" Dr. Eggman continued calmly yet solemnly with a deep frown while still pointing and staring at Chris.
You say "merciful". I say "reluctance". I would've gladly left him on his own if I had the choice. Rouge, however...Meh...She gets a pass. I don't know why though, but she does...Shadow brooded calmly with a deep frown as he stared at Dr. Eggman too while glancing at Rouge.
Chris frowned even deeper as he replied calmly yet solemnly, "He brought me here because we're a team. Isn't that the whole point of this mission? Split up into teams and take the Chaos Emeralds away from the Metarex?".
"Do I really look like a guy who actually cares about teamwork? I only care about it until I get what I want. Anything after that is only secondary to me," Dr. Eggman replied calmly with a mischievous smile as he stared at Chris.
"Ah...Grrrr...I had a feeling that you would double cross us. Of course, you don't care about stopping the Metarex. The only reason that you helped us out is because you wanted to rule the universe instead!" Chris replied solemnly with a grimace and with a growl as he furrowed his eyebrows at Dr. Eggman.
"Oh, gee, now what gave you that idea? Hmm?" Dr. Eggman asked calmly yet coyly in sarcasm while smiling mischievously at Chris.
"Grrrrr...Typical..." Chris grumbled with a growl and with a grimace as he stared at Dr. Eggman in frustration. I wouldn't be surprised if Knuckles had already gotten ticked off by Eggman's deception and foul play. I'm sure that everyone else is aware of his trickery by now as well. I guess that we were right that he would pull the wool over our eyes again. He really never learns his lesson, does he? Sigh... Chris brooded solemnly with a grimace and with furrowed eyebrows as he glared hard at Dr. Eggman.
"But regardless, you really can't do anything to interfere my plans. Unlike you, Sonic and the others get stuff done. You, however, just annoy the villains until they desire to squash you like the irritating insect that you are," Dr. Eggman replied calmly yet tauntingly in amusement with a devious smile.
Chris grimaced even deeper in frustration as he argued back with furrowed eyebrows, "'Insect'?! Okay, that was uncalled for! Sure, I admit that I was a bit annoying when I was a kid since I keep causing trouble for others, but I am not the same kid as before! I'm all grown up now!".
"What was that? Sorry, couldn't hear ya due to how loud your buzzing is every time you flap that big mouth of yours. You sound like a mosquito or a pesky fly that's about to be swatted by my fly-swatter. Perhaps I should go get it so that I could swat that annoying mouth of yours," Dr. Eggman replied calmly yet tauntingly with a haughty smirk while Shadow places the red Chaos Emerald into Dr. Eggman's chair.
I agree completely. There's just so much annoyance that I can take with this kid. Shadow brooded with an annoyed frown as he walked towards the elevator pad. He commented calmly with a frown, "I'll get it".
Dr. Eggman then frowned and looked back at Shadow in confusion as he replied calmly, "Uhh...Shadow...I was just taunting him. You know...Making jokes and whatnot".
"I don't care. I'll get it for you, Doctor. Be right back," Shadow replied calmly in a monotone voice as he stood onto the elevator pad and turned back around while crossing his arms and frowning at Dr. Eggman and Chris in annoyance. After he had said that, the elevator lowered into the spaceship. Dr. Eggman, Chris, and Rouge watched Shadow leave with confused looks on their faces.
"...R-Right...Anyways, face it, kid. No matter how you much you claim that you had 'grown up', I still don't see nor believe that you are older. You're just the same pipsqueak that I remember six months ago. Nothing had changed," Dr. Eggman continued calmly with a sheepish frown before he looked back at Chris and appeared serious again.
"You're wrong! Things had changed ever since all of you guys had gone back to your own world! It had been six years since you guys had left! I'm actually eighteen! Appearances may be deceiving, but then again, you know all about deceit, don't you?!" Chris exclaimed solemnly in determination with a deep frown and with furrowed eyebrows as he glared at Dr. Eggman while putting a hand to his chest for emphasis.
"Wait a minute! 'Eighteen'?! Woah, woah, woah, woah! Hold the phone for a second! How does that makes sense?! Were you struck by an aging ray device that shrunk you down to your twelve-year-old size?! I mean! That's what I would do if I had made a device like that!" Dr. Eggman exclaimed in shock and in confusion with a deep frown as he puts his hands out before rubbing his chin with his finger. Note to self: Build an aging ray device as my next invention and scheme if this whole "Taking Over The Universe" plan fails in the end. Certainly not a bad idea indeed. Dr. Eggman pondered calmly yet secretly in mischief while still looking puzzled.
"Well, I'm not sure why my body had turned back to this state, however, I'm not going to let my short stature get in the way of aiding my friends. I swear it to you, Dr. Eggman. You'll be very sorry for putting me down once I pull the wool over your eyes!" Chris replied calmly yet solemnly with a determined look on his face as he stared at Dr. Eggman while having a fist up.
"Oh, please. As if you could ever fool me. I'm the master of trickery here. Nothing gets by me, you see. Nothing!" Dr. Eggman replied calmly yet solemnly with a deep frown as he placed his hands onto his hips and leant towards Chris while staring at him.
"Hmph..." Chris grunted with a frown as he closed his eyes and grabbed something from his pocket while continuing calmly yet solemnly, "...You know what they say, Eggman...'An eye for an eye'...So, I think that it's fair that you would know how it feels like to get tricked by someone...Especially when it's from someone that you least expect! Like me!".
After Chris had exclaimed those last two sentences, he took out one of his own flash grenades and threw it on the ground. The grenade exploded and made a huge, bright flash. Dr. Eggman, Rouge, Decoe, Bocue, and Bokkun all covered their eyes since the flash was too bright. Chris took his chance to steal the red and purple Chaos Emeralds from Dr. Eggman's chair and to escape from his spaceship.
Wow! I can't believe that worked! It was so stupid yet effective at the same time! Heh! Maybe I caught some of Sonic's crazy luck because that was really lucky! Chris pondered in amusement as he stepped onto the elevator pad and was lowered into the spaceship while holding onto the Chaos Emeralds.
"Grrrr...That brat! I should've known that he would do something so stupid! I should've just punched his face to knock him out instead! One hard punch is all it takes to strike him out, and yet, all I did was just let him keep talking! That was clearly an amateur move on my part!" Dr. Eggman yelled in annoyance with a growl and with a grimace as he covered his eyes with his arms while the flash kept going before it slowly disappears. Once the flash was gone, he lowered his arms and muttered tiredly in frustration, "Ugh...He got away...and with the Chaos Emeralds too...".
Chris ran through the corridors of Dr. Eggman's spaceship. He was running towards the hangar of the ship while having the Chaos Emeralds in his arms. At the same time, Shadow was walking through a different corridor while carrying a fly-swatter in his right hand. He then stood suddenly when he spotted Chris running past him towards the hangar. Shadow frowned even deeper in annoyance when he saw that.
Sigh...Looks like I'll have to bring out "a bigger fly-swatter"...Shadow brooded tiredly with a deep frown and with narrowed eyelids as he dropped the fly-swatter and walked slowly towards the hangar.
Chris had soon reached the hangar and had quickly climbed into one of Dr. Eggman's small space saucers after putting the Chaos Emeralds into his pockets. After closing the window and buckling his seatbelt, Chris pondered to himself with a solemn frown while grabbing onto the steering wheel. It's still hard to believe that I had managed to make a getaway like that. I honestly thought that I would make things worse for myself by letting myself get kidnapped by Dr. Eggman...but it seems that I was wrong...
Chris turned on the ignition for the small space saucer and started to fly out from Dr. Eggman's spaceship. As he continued to pilot the space saucer, he kept pondering to himself with a solemn frown. I know that this is really stupid of me to do, but I have to take the risk in order to aid my friends. Sonic could definitely use the Chaos Emeralds' power to defend himself against the Metarex poachers. He needs them the most right now, and I'm going to deliver them to him even if it kills me.
Chris then smiled a little in confidence while flying the saucer towards the Metarex fortress as he muttered quietly to himself, "Heh...I guess my annoyance towards others can be of use sometimes".
While Chris flew away from Dr. Eggman's spaceship, Shadow watched him escape as he got on top of the spaceship and held onto the wing of it. He was frowning in annoyance as he glared at the getaway saucer flying towards the Metarex fortress. He saw the saucer dodging a lot of purple lasers as it flew closer towards the fortress. He was slightly impressed that Chris had managed to return to the fortress without getting hit by the lasers. The lasers, however, kept hitting the fortress as Red Pine's forces continued to destroy it.
Shadow sighed tiredly as he muttered calmly in a dead-pan tone with a deep frown and with narrowed eyelids, "(Sigh)...I'm going to kill that kid...".
Chris was flying the saucer through the fortress' corridors while dodging a lot of the protruding infrastructure. He focused onto the view ahead him with a determined look on his face.
Okay...So far so good...I didn't get hit nor did I crash the space saucer...Just keep flying towards the center of the base, and you'll give Sonic the power that he needs to beat these poachers! Chris pondered solemnly with a frown before he smiled a little in hope. However, before he could feel victorious, he noticed a reflection of Shadow running behind the space saucer.
"...! Wh-What the-?! No way! How is that possible?! How could Shadow arrive here without using the Chaos Emeralds for Chaos Control?! Don't tell me that he could use Chaos Control without the emeralds' help! If that really is the case, then I'm calling hacks on this! Because that is so unfair!" Chris exclaimed in shock and in confusion before in annoyance with a gasp and with a deep frown as he looked surprised and frustrated. He tried to fly the space saucer faster, but Shadow was able to keep up with it.
As Shadow ran towards the space saucer, he readied his Chaos Spear attack while brooding with a solemn frown and with a cold glare.
"Everything you know is wrong, Shadow! Can't you see the truth?! No one deserves to die due to what happened 50 years ago! It was just a huge accident!" Chris yelled in concern and in determination as he walked towards Shadow.
No...That can't be true...These can't be my memories...Because if that's the case, then this insignificant, imperfect person had influenced me...Me...The Ultimate Lifeform...The perfect creation of Gerald Robotnik...How was I influenced so easily by him?
"...But when I had spoken my heart out and pleaded to you to help Sonic out...that was when I saw myself as a hero...A weak hero for sure...But a hero regardless..." Chris finished his speech while having a grave look on his face.
How could that fool possibly be a hero? I just don't understand...
…
...Wait a minute! If he's supposed to be a "hero", then why did he steal those Chaos Emeralds from me?! Rouge keeps claiming that we're a team, but if that's the case, then why did he betray us and did his own thing instead?! I knew that I should've left those two behind and finished the mission myself because this kind of stupidity wouldn't have happened if I had done that! Tch! Looks like it's time for me to "swat" the fly!
"Hmph...I don't need to think twice about this...Chaos Spear!" Shadow muttered calmly to himself with a grunt before he yelled in determination and threw his Chaos Spears at the green space saucer.
Chris looked shocked when he saw Shadow throw Chaos Spears at him. He pondered this thought before the space saucer got hit with the spears. Welp. I'm screwed...
BOOOOOOM!
"Argh!" Chris yelled in shock as he cringed while feeling the aftershock of the blast when the space saucer's left wing got blown up. He held onto the steering wheel very tightly as the space saucer flew sideways before it skidded across the corridor while sparks flew off from the broken wing. Chris kept grunting and cringing in worry as he felt the space saucer make a bumpy stop.
SCREEEEECH!
Chris cringed a lot after hearing the space saucer make a loud screeching noise while skidding across the floor before stopping. Smoke was in the air after the space saucer had crashed. While feeling concerned and anxious, Chris quickly unlocked the window and got himself out from the saucer after unbuckling his seat belt. He then speed-walked to get away from Shadow.
Just stay calm, Chris. Just keep walking and ignore Shadow. Don't show any fear to him. He'll chase me if I run away or show any signs of weakness. Just keep your cool, and you'll be alright...At least...I hope so...Chris pondered calmly with a solemn frown on his determined face as he kept speed-walking while trying to steady his nerves.
"Why are you walking away, coward? Don't you want to face me?" Shadow asked calmly yet coldly in a warning tone of voice as he slowly walked towards Chris.
"..." Chris didn't say anything but kept walking quickly in determination.
"You know what you did. You know that you went behind my back and stole those Chaos Emeralds from me!" Shadow continued solemnly yet coldly in frustration as he looked angry.
Just ignore him. Just ignore him. Just ignore him. Just ignore him. I know that I feel bad, but I had to do it. So, keep walking and ignore...ignore...Chris pondered calmly with a solemn frown and with furrowed eyebrows as he walked quickly with clenched fists.
"If I weren't walking slowly just to look cool, you would've been buried underneath this garbage heap of a fortress with the Chaos Emeralds lying above your corpse! Either you stop walking and hand me the Chaos Emeralds or else I'm going to start running and start kicking your butt!" Shadow threatened fiercely in anger with a grimace and with furrowed eyebrows as he kept walking towards Chris.
Okay! Okay! I give! I give! I can't ignore him any longer! I'm too scared to get away from Shadow! I don't want to get my butt kicked! I guess that I have no choice but to-! Chris pondered in panic with a scared look on his face as he suddenly stood still and started to dig into his pockets to get out the Chaos Emeralds. However, before he could get the Chaos Emeralds out, he felt someone snatching him up and flying into the air.
"Come to mama!" Rouge exclaimed brightly as she quickly snatched Chris up into her arms.
"Aaaaah! I'm being kidnapped! I knew that this would happen to me one way or another! Who would've seen this coming?!" Chris cried out in fear and in sadness as he was being carried away by Rouge.
"I'm not kidnapping you, Chris. I'm saving you," Rouge replied calmly with a frown as she looked at Chris.
"Oh...Uhh...Forget hearing me yelling that out loud...That was just...embarrassing..." Chris muttered quietly yet awkwardly with a sheepish frown and with a sweat drop on his head as he stared at Rouge.
"Sorry, honey, but I doubt that I will forget that any time soon. I do love to catalog everyone's embarrassing moments and stories. They're both entertaining and...useful to me if you know what I mean..." Rouge replied calmly with a smirk and with mischievous eyes as she winked at Chris at the end.
"(Sigh)...I do...Curse you, Rouge...Curse you..." Chris muttered tiredly with a sigh and with a sheepish frown as he closed his eyes briefly. She really loves to dig up the dirt from us. Why do I feel like she does this to Knuckles all the time? I don't know why I thought that, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it is the case. Chris brooded calmly with a sheepish frown and with upward eyebrows as he stared at Rouge again. He then looked surprised when he realized something.
"Hey! Wait a second! How did you get in here anyway?! I thought that you were back at Dr. Eggman's spaceship!" Chris exclaimed in surprise with a shocked look on his face.
"I was, dearie, but let's just say I have a knack for breaking and entering at the most unexpected moments," Rouge replied calmly yet coyly with a smirk and with mischievous eyes as she stared at Chris.
"...You're...You're not going to tell me how you got back in here, are you?" Chris muttered weakly with a sheepish look on his face while having a sweat drop on his head.
"Nope!" Rouge exclaimed quickly yet brightly with a haughty smile and with closed eyes as she kept flying away from Shadow.
Shadow stood still after seeing Rouge pick up Chris and fly away from him. He looked even more annoyed after seeing that his target got away.
Hmph...Some team we are. Now I got two people going behind my back. I thought that Rouge was still on Dr. Eggman's ship. Hmmm...Looks like she's doing her own thing too. She's lucky that I won't attack her, however, I won't forgive her for betraying me. If those two idiots are going to do their own thing, then I might as well do the same...just like I was doing prior...Shadow brooded calmly in annoyance with a deep frown and with furrowed eyebrows as he watched Chris and Rouge get away.
Rouge flew Chris towards the large, dark area and flew downwards to get some distance from Shadow. Shadow walked towards the ledge and stared down at Rouge and Chris with a deep frown on his annoyed face. Chris stared at Shadow with a sad yet worried look on his face as he brooded in sadness. He really doesn't remember me at all...I'm not sure if he would hurt me if he still had his memories, but I do know that he wouldn't attack me by throwing Chaos Spears at me! Why did he have to lose his memories? We really could've been allies...No...We could've been friends...This is just...tragic...
"Shadow is angry with me, Rouge," Chris muttered quietly with a sad frown as he stared at Rouge.
"Well, duh, you've stolen the Chaos Emeralds from us. It sure would be nice if you give the Chaos Emeralds back to us...or rather...to me...if you catch my drift..." Rouge replied calmly yet coolly with a frown before smirking at Chris as she stared at him.
"I'm sorry, Rouge, but no can do. Sonic needs them more than anything. I have to bring them to him," Chris replied calmly with a frown as he stared at Rouge.
"Well, geez, aren't you being a goodie-two-shoes today? I can't work with this. If you want to hand the emeralds over to Big Blue himself, then do it yourself. Don't expect me to do all the work for you. You're on your own, kid. See ya!" Rouge replied calmly in slight annoyance with a frown and with furrowed eyebrows as she stared at Chris before dropping him and flying away from him.
"Wait! No! Why do these things happen to meeeeeeeeee?! Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" Chris screamed in panic while falling into the abyss below as he flailed his arms and legs.
ALRIGHT! IT'S OFFICIAL! I"M GOING TO DIE! I'M TOTALLY GOING TO FREAKING DIE! WHY DO I LET MYSELF GET INTO THESE STUPID SITUATIONS?! A SMART PERSON WOULD NOT LET THEMSELVES GET INTO THESE DARING SITUATIONS, AND APPARENTLY, I'M NOT ONE OF THEM! OOOOH! I'M DOOMED! DOOMED I TELL YA! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! Chris brooded in panic while screaming a lot in fear.
"You're not dying today, Chris! Not if I have a say in it!" Knuckles exclaimed as he quickly grabbed Chris' hand and held it tightly in his own hand.
"...! What the-?! Knuckles?! I didn't expect you to be here! I thought that you were with Sonic!" Chris exclaimed in shock and in confusion with a loud gasp and with a gaped mouth as he stared up at Knuckles with raised eyebrows and with widened eyes. He saw that Knuckles was hanging onto the seatbelt of the X-Tornado's pilot's seat.
"I thought so too...until Eggman showed up..." Knuckles muttered calmly with a solemn frown before he looked annoyed at the end.
"Eggman? ...Wait a minute. Don't tell me that he...?" Chris replied calmly with a confused look on his face before he looked alarmed when he realized that the X-Tornado was lying on top of the pipe.
"Yep. He messed with us. Grrr...Rotten cheater..." Knuckles muttered calmly with a frown and with a nod before he growled and grumbled a little to himself while looking away from Chris.
"Umm...I don't want to sound rude, but...can you finally...pull me up? I'm lucky that I'm alive at this moment, and I don't want to waste that lucky chance by falling to my death again," Chris replied calmly with a sheepish frown and with upward eyebrows as he stared at Knuckles.
"Oh. Right. Sorry. Here, Chris...Nggghh...I got you..." Knuckles muttered and grunted calmly with a frown and with another nod before he pulled Chris up towards the X-Tornado's pilot seat while climbing himself back into the plane. He put his other hand onto Chris' arm after getting back inside the plane and standing on top of the pilot's seat. Chris then grabbed the side of the X-Tornado and pulled himself into the plane while panting a lot in relief.
"(Pant Pant Pant)...I live...(Pant Pant Pant)...I live...Thank goodness that I live...(Pant Pant Pant Pant)...How is it possible that I live? I don't even know anymore..." Chris muttered breathlessly with a sheepish frown and with a sweat drop on his head while panting a lot as he sat on the pilot's seat after Knuckles lets go of him and jumped to the backseat.
"You're telling me. Say now that you're here, can you please get me out of here? I'd like to live too thank you very much," Knuckles replied calmly with a little frown as he grabbed the board game and placed it onto his lap after seating himself onto the backseat. Chris took a deep breath while holding onto his chest before he closed the window and nodded to Knuckles as he looked back at him.
"Well, that's one thing we can agree on, however, we need to help Sonic defeat the Metarex. I need to give the Chaos Emeralds to Sonic so that he could have more power," Chris replied calmly yet solemnly with a frown as he stared at Knuckles.
"(Sigh)...Do we have to? I'm sure that Sonic is just fin-" Knuckles muttered calmly yet tiredly with a deep sigh and with a deep frown as he stared at Chris in exhaustion.
"Knuckles! We're in a life-or-death situation here! If Sonic dies, then the rest of you guys can't finish the game! And the Metarex will take over the universe! We need to help Sonic here! It's the only way that you guys can continue the game!" Chris exclaimed solemnly in determination as he looked grave.
"Okay! Okay! We'll bring the Chaos Emeralds to Sonic! Geez! Get off my back, Chris! I was just thinking about how much Tails and Cream needs us right now since the Metarex are busy destroying everything in their path! It's not like I want to leave Sonic behind, but we have to think about the others too! That includes you, Chris!" Knuckles yelled back in exasperation with a solemn look on his face as he raised his hands up in mock surrender while having a sweat drop on his head.
"...! Oh..." Chris gasped in shock before muttering in concern and in understanding as he looked away while grabbing onto the steering wheel of the plane. Of course, that's right. The Metarex armada is destroying the fortress as well as attacking the Blue Typhoon. If we don't get out of this fortress soon and come back to the ship, then all of us will die! I didn't even think about the others or myself for that matter when I decided to come back here to help Sonic. Ugh. I really am one-track minded. It's no wonder that I cause problems for others since I have that mindset. How would I love it if I had a more flexible one...Hmmm...Chris brooded solemnly with a concerned look on his face while holding onto the steering wheel.
"Hey, Chris?! Are we going to leave or not?! We're running out of time here! Get the engine running and fly ourselves to Sonic!" Knuckles yelled out from the backseat.
"Ah!" Chris exclaimed in surprise as he lifted his head up while looking shocked.
Knuckles is right! This is not the time to be thinking about myself! Everyone will die if I don't give Sonic the Chaos Emeralds now! I can't let that happen! Alright! Time to shift this plane into gear and fly away! Chris pondered solemnly with a determined look on his face as he shook his head before pushing some buttons to turn on the ignition to the X-Tornado.
"Got it, Knuckles! We'll fly out of here in no time! It'll only take a couple of minutes! Ready?!" Chris exclaimed solemnly with a frown as he looked back at Knuckles while gripping onto the steering wheel very tightly.
"Ready! Fly us out of here, Chris! Hurry!" Knuckles exclaimed back solemnly in concern with a frown and with a nod as he held onto the board game.
"Right! Here we go!" Chris exclaimed brightly with a confident smile and with a nod as he looked back at the control panel and pulled the steering wheel back to fly upwards. Within seconds, the X-Tornado flew upwards at breakneck speeds. Chris and Knuckles briefly felt relief in their hearts that they're going to be fine now that they're flying together in the X-Tornado.
Thank goodness that I'm not dying today! That was too close for comfort! Knuckles thought in relief with a sigh and with a little smile while wiping his forehead a bit.
"Hmm...You know, Knuckles...I can't help but feel that you secretly wanted me to fly you back to the Blue Typhoon just so that you can save yourself from this mess. Considering the dire situation that you were in prior, I can't blame you for thinking along those lines. Anyone could've thought that. Including me," Chris muttered calmly with a little, knowing smile as he looked back at Knuckles while steering the X-Tornado with both hands. Knuckles blushed a little in embarrassment while staring at Chris with a shocked look on his face.
He soon crossed his arms and looked away from Chris while blushing a little in embarrassment as he yelled back in awkwardness with an irritated look on his face, "H-Hey! I-! I-! I was just-! I didn't mean-! L-Look! Th-The Master Emerald needs to be protected at all costs! O-Of course, I would think about myself a little in that moment! I-I-I mean! If I'm dead, then no one could power up the Master Emerald! I'm...I'm very much needed here! So, excuse me for being a bit selfish and thinking selfish thoughts!".
"Heheheh...It's okay, Knuckles. It's not a problem to me. Trust me. I have a pedigree in the selfish department, so, I would've done the same thing. Like I had said before, I would've thought that if I was in your position, Knuckles. You're not alone here," Chris replied calmly in understanding and in slight amusement with a chuckle and with a gentle smile as he stared at Knuckles while rubbing the back of his head.
Knuckles looked back at Chris in surprise of that response and quirked an eyebrow at him as he asked calmly with a suspicious look on his face, "...Who are you and what have you done with Chris?".
"Hahahaha! Long story! But let's not focus on that right now! Let's focus on getting closer to Sonic! Say...do you know where he is, Knuckles?" Chris replied calmly yet brightly with another chuckle and with a grin as he held the steering wheel with both hands again and looked back ahead of himself while glancing at Knuckles.
"Oh! Sonic flew all the way up to the top of here after I threw him! Just head upwards!" Knuckles exclaimed back with a solemn frown and with a nod as he looked upwards and pointed at the bright light above.
"Okay! Got it! Heading up!" Chris exclaimed brightly with a grin as he pulled the steering wheel even more backwards to fly the plane upwards.
As Knuckles looked relaxed yet serious again, he rested his right cheek onto his right hand while adding calmly, "...Still though, I really wonder what Tails and Cream are going through right now. I'm very sure that they're feeling either scared or nervous due to how risky the situation is now. They also must be worried sick due to how long we're taking our time in here. I feel rather bad for them".
Chris frowned a little in concern as he replied calmly in understanding, "I know what you mean. I only had just a taste of what it's like out there, and I can already tell that it's really bad. I just hope that they can hang on a little longer, and...I can't believe that I'm saying this but...I hope that Dr. Eggman makes it out okay as well...".
Knuckles frowned deeply and closed his eyes while he dips his head and crosses his arms again as he replied calmly yet solemnly, "...Me too, Chris...Me too...".
Chris flew the X-Tornado even more upwards after hearing that while staying silent. Knuckles stayed silent as well after saying that. They could only imagine how tough it is for Tails, Cream, and Dr. Eggman right now as they ride the X-Tornado together in silence.
-Meanwhile With Tails, Cream, And Dr. Eggman-
Lasers! LASERS! Even more lasers! Lasers are everywhere! They're hitting the fortress, the shields, and even through your hair! It's the laser apocalypse! No one is safe from the lasers! Not even m-Aaaaaaaaaaaah!
BOOOOOOOM!
"...Welp...There goes our narrator..." Tails commented calmly with a sheepish frown on his awkward face.
"Don't worry, Tails. We'll get another one," Cream added calmly with a sad frown on her face as she briefly looked back at Tails before looking at the shield again.
"Right...Anyways, I don't think that we're doing so hot, Cream. Our shield is weakening. Its power level is now at 40%. We're losing time!" Tails replied calmly yet solemnly with a frown as he looked at the shield readings again.
"Oh, this is bad! Please, Mr. Sonic! Get the others and come back here! We need you! (Chao! Chao!)" Cream exclaimed in worry with a pleading look on her face as she stared at the fortress while having her hands folded and while Cheese added too in concern.
"Don't lose hope, Cream! We can still fight back even when the shield is down!" Tails exclaimed back solemnly with a concerned look on his face.
"R-Really? Are you sure, Tails? Even when the shield is down?" Cream asked curiously in worry as she stared at the shield's readings above and watched them go down quickly.
"Definitely! I've built in a fail-safe into the Blue Typhoon just in case we don't have a working shield! Whenever that happens, any attack aimed at the ship will be countered with missiles and lasers! Thereby nullifying the damage that the ship will take in those precarious times!" Tails exclaimed solemnly with a determined look on his face as he stared at the shield readings.
"W-Wow, Tails. You really thought of everything when designing this ship," Cream replied calmly in awe as she looked back at Tails with a surprised look on her face.
Tails smiled a little as he looked at Cream while replying calmly, "Hey, what can I say? A good captain should always come prepared. That's the first rule of leadership, Cream. Know it well, and maybe you can become captain someday".
"Oooh! That's sounds like fun! I might become a captain when I grow up! Thanks for the inspiration, Tails! You're the best!" Cream exclaimed brightly with a sweet smile and with closed eyes as she looked cheerful.
Tails sheepishly scratched his head as he replied calmly with a lopsided grin and with a lowered eyebrow, "Heh...Anytime, Cream...Anytime...".
While Tails and Cream are doing their best to stay calm, Decoe and Bocue are freaking out while they tried to protect their Master's spaceship from certain destruction.
"Aw, crud! Doctor! We're losing power! Our defenses won't keep up much longer! We're doomed! Doomed!" Decoe exclaimed in worry as he quickly typed into the computer as fast as he can while panicking a lot.
"Yeah! And it's all that stupid brat's fault! We're going to die thanks to him taking the emeralds from us! What are we going to do now, Doctor?! We're screwed if we don't escape now!" Bocue exclaimed in worry as well while also typing onto the computer as fast as possible as he looked panicked too.
"What you two dolts are going to do is shut up and activate the back-up generators for our power supply! That will keep the shields up much longer! As for me, I'm going to wait for Shadow and Rouge to come back to the ship so that we'll leave together! I still need their help for universal domination!" Dr. Eggman ordered solemnly with a deep frown as he had his hands onto the control panel while hunching over a little.
"Yes, sir! Shutting up now, sir!" Decoe exclaimed back with a salute and with a nod as he briefly looked back at Dr. Eggman before looking back at the computer.
"Of course, sir! This is not the time to panic! I'll remember that, sir!" Bocue exclaimed too with a salute and with a nod as he glanced at Dr. Eggman before typing onto the computer faster.
"You heard the man! Keep typing!" Bokkun exclaimed solemnly with a frown as he watched the Metarex fortress get attacked by the lasers. Dr. Eggman stared at the fortress again after seeing that his loyal robots were working faster. He can see many explosions coming off from the fortress as it was being hit by the lasers.
...Come on, Shadow...Rouge...You're better than this...You two can make it out of there alive...Can't you? Dr. Eggman pondered in concern with a solemn frown as he stared at the fortress.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"RED ALERT! RED ALERT! UNSTABLE ENERGY SOURCE DETECTED! UNSTABLE ENERGY SOURCE DETECTED! EVACUATE THE PREMISES IMMEDIATELY! I REPEAT! EVACUATE THE PREMISES IMMEDIATELY!" the red alert signal voice said in a monotone voice while red lights are going off from Dr. Eggman's computer.
"What the-?! 'Unstable energy source'?! Surely, it's just detecting the Chaos Emeralds, right?!" Dr. Eggman exclaimed in shock and in confusion as he stared down at his computer screen while looking concerned. However, when he saw what his computer had actually detected, his face turned pale and looked rather horrified.
"...Oh, crud..." Dr. Eggman muttered quietly in horror as he looked pale.
"Huh? What's the matter, Doctor? Why do you look sick?" Bokkun asked curiously in confusion as he looked at Dr. Eggman.
"Ugggh...Alright, listen up, boys, I can't believe that I'm saying this...but I think that we have zero chances of making out of here alive," Dr. Eggman muttered calmly yet tiredly with a grimace and with a face-palm before staring solemnly at Decoe, Bocue, and Bokkun.
"Oh, well, that's swell-WAIT! WHAT?!" Decoe muttered calmly in understanding as he nodded a little before he shouted in shock as he stared at Dr. Eggman with wide eyes.
"SAY IT ISN'T SO, DOCTOR!" Bocue shouted too in shock as he stared at Dr. Eggman in panic while also having wide eyes.
"This is just a terrible nightmare, isn't it?! Right, Doctor?! Tell me that I'm dreaming!" Bokkun yelled in panic as he looked afraid while staring at Dr. Eggman with sparkly eyes.
"Bokkun, robots like yourself can't dream. They can sleep but not dream," Dr. Eggman replied calmly yet bluntly with a frown on his annoyed face as he stared at Bokkun.
"Ooooh...OH NOOOOOOOO! I'M IN A LIVING NIGHTMARE!" Bokkun whimpered before he shouted in fear as he held his head with his hands.
"(Sigh)…" Dr. Eggman sighed tiredly as he pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head before he continued calmly while looking at the fortress as it glowed brightly thanks to the explosions, "For once, Bokkun, I share your sentiments albeit less hysterical than yours. The Metarex poachers had certainly laid a deadly trap for us, and we all walked right into the middle of it. In fact, in just ten minutes, a black hole will explode and suck the entire fortress up with everything that surrounds it...Including us...".
"What?! 'A black hole'?! But...But...Where is it?! I don't see one anywhere!" Decoe exclaimed in shock and in concern as he looked around for the supposed black hole.
"Of course, you can't see it, Decoe! Because the black hole is inside the fortress itself! Talk about a crafty hiding spot!" Dr. Eggman exclaimed solemnly with a slight grin as he stared at the fortress.
"What?! 'Inside the fortress'?! Since when?!" Decoe, Bocue, and Bokkun yelled in shock and in confusion as they all panicked in unison.
-Meanwhile With Chris And Knuckles-
Chris kept flying the X-Tornado towards the top of the dark area. He kept focusing on the bright light that illuminates the top area. He felt determined to help Sonic and the others out of this jam. He's so determined that he's not going to let anything distract him. Not even-
"Oh, look! A distraction! Hey, Shadow!" Chris exclaimed brightly with a grin as he spotted Shadow at his top right and stopped the plane next to him. Shadow was standing in a battle pose as he glared at Chris with an unamused look on his face.
"Don't 'Hey, Shadow' me! You took the Chaos Emeralds from me and ran away like the dirty thief that you are!" Shadow yelled back in annoyance with a solemn frown and with furrowed eyebrows as he had his fists clenched.
Knuckles stared at Shadow with a quirked eyebrow and with a solemn frown as he replied calmly while having his arms crossed, "Aren't you confusing Chris with Rouge, Shadow? The one who is a thief here is her. Not to mention...Dr. Eggman tried to steal our Chaos Emeralds too. So, you got two thieves that you need to focus on. Not Chris here".
"Shut it, echidna. I have no interest in dealing with you. However, this boy here will give me back the Chaos Emeralds! They belong to me!" Shadow replied solemnly in annoyance with a grimace as he glared coldly at Knuckles before glaring back at Chris and pointed at him.
"Uhh...Ahahahah...You know, Shadow...This is really a huge misunderstanding here...I'm not a thief really...I'm more of a...uhhh...a vigilante. Yeah, let's go with that," Chris replied calmly yet awkwardly with a chuckle and with a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head while staring at Shadow.
Shadow narrowed his eyelids at Chris as warned coldly with a deeper frown, "...You better give me those emeralds or else I'm blowing this whole plane up".
"Hahahahaha...Ahahaha...Hahaha...Haaah...Yeah! Not happening! Sorry, Shadow!" Chris nervously chuckled before he exclaimed quickly with a sheepish grin and with a sweat drop on his head as he quickly flew the X-Tornado upwards again.
"Grrrr...'Vigilante', my foot...Get back here, kid!" Shadow grumbled with a growl before he yelled in irritation as he jumped up high towards the plane to catch up to Chris.
"Good going, Chris. You ticked him off," Knuckles muttered calmly with a solemn frown and with crossed arms as he stared at Shadow and watched him catch up to the plane by boosting upwards.
"I can't help it! I was just scared! And desperate! But mostly scared! Of course, I'm not going to give Shadow the emeralds because Sonic needs them right now!" Chris yelled back in panic as he looked afraid while glancing at Knuckles.
"Well, you better hurry up then because Shadow is gaining onto us!" Knuckles exclaimed back with a solemn frown as he looked back at Chris after seeing how close Shadow is currently.
"Good idea! Turbo power! Activate!" Chris exclaimed solemnly with a nod as he looked back at the control panel and switched on the turbo boosters. This sudden boost of power had blown Shadow away with its jet boosters. Shadow covered his face with his arm as the gust of wind blew against him before he lowered it when he saw that the plane flew all the way to the top. He grimaced in annoyance before boosting again to catch up to Chris.
-Meanwhile With Sonic, Amy, And Cosmo-
("Confrontation" from PL VS. PW: AA abruptly starts in the middle and goes on from there)
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
"Grrngh! Hah! Rrrugh! Hiyaah! Argh!" Sonic grunted and yelled as he fiercely swung the Piko Piko Hammer against Dark Oak's sword in self-defense while quickly dodging and walking backwards. He and Dark Oak resumed their battle after the awkward phone call that Dark Oak just had earlier. They had battled for quite a while yet refused to give up. They both look and felt determined to beat the other in this sword-hammer duel.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
"Defeat will be so sweet once I beat you, Player Four. I can smell your blood already," Dark Oak commented calmly in confidence as he swung down his sword and wrestled with the Piko Piko Hammer.
"Psh! Boring! I've heard that line plenty of times before, Darkbutt! Except for the blood part...Got any more witty and diabolical lines that you wish to say to me?" Sonic replied brightly yet cockily with a smirk as he resisted Dark Oak's sword with the Piko Piko Hammer.
"Oh, I do have more lines to say...once I cut your ears off!" Dark Oak exclaimed confidently yet deviously as he glared at Sonic.
"...You know what? Go ahead, Dark Oak. Cut my ears clean off...so that I won't listen to your lame retorts anymore," Sonic replied calmly yet teasingly with a smirk and with a lowered eyebrow as he stared back at Dark Oak.
"Grrrrrrr! You! Little! Ingrate! Just! Die! Already!" Dark Oak yelled in anger with a furious growl and with clenched fists before he swung his sword rapidly at Sonic.
"Heheheh! In your dreams, poacher! I'm not dying tonight!" Sonic exclaimed brightly with a chuckle and with a cocky grin as he jumped backwards to dodge another swing before he countered the rest of Dark Oak's swings. He continued to grunt while swinging the Piko Piko Hammer against Dark Oak's sword.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Amy and Cosmo kept watching the battle from afar while having worried looks on their faces. Cosmo had finally stood back up while holding the Chaos Emeralds in her arms. She as well as Amy could feel the room rumbling as the fortress was still being attacked by the armada. Rubble kept falling around the room and onto the destroyed Metarex robots as the fortress was slowly being destroyed.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
Cosmo looked at her right and her left while having a worried look on her face as she exclaimed in fear, "Everything is falling apart! There's no safe place to run to!".
"Cosmo! Come here to my ship! You can take shelter in here!" Amy yelled out in concern with a worried look on her face as she waved her arms at Cosmo to encourage her to come.
"Okay!" Cosmo exclaimed in shock as she quickly looked back at Amy before turning around and started running towards her ship. However, while she ran, the purple lasers shot through the walls and hit the ground behind her. Multiple explosions erupted from the ground after being hit by the lasers, and these explosions sent Cosmo flying ahead of herself.
BOOOOM! BOOOOOM! KAAABOOOOOM! KAAABOOOOM!
"Aaaaaaaaaaahhh!" Cosmo screamed in shock as she felt her body flew involuntarily through the air before she landed onto her stomach. She dropped the Chaos Emeralds onto the ground after she landed, and they tumbled across the floor for a bit before they stopped.
"Ah! Cosmo!" Amy exclaimed in surprise as she quickly stood up and hopped out her space saucer before running to Cosmo's aid.
"Eh?! Cosmo?! Whoa! Ah! Grrrrugh! Hiya! Ugh!" Sonic exclaimed in shock and in confusion as he briefly looked at Cosmo's direction before looking back at Dark Oak and grunting a lot after seeing him swinging his sword at him. Sonic countered these surprising attacks by swinging the Piko Piko Hammer at them.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Cosmo looked up at Amy after seeing her running to her and kneeling beside her. She exclaimed in shock and in worry with a sad frown, "Forget about me, Amy! Grab the Chaos Emeralds! They're more important than me!".
"Are you kidding?! Friends are more important than any power source in the universe! I'm not leaving you behind!" Amy exclaimed back with a solemn frown and with determined eyes as she helped Cosmo up to her knees.
"But...But the Metarex could still take them! Don't blow this chance by caring about me!" Cosmo yelled back in concern while staring at Amy in sadness.
"Cosmo! The Metarex here are dead! Sonic and I destroyed them all!" Amy yelled back in determination with a solemn yet concerned look on her face as she held onto Cosmo's back and chest.
Before Cosmo could retort, she as well as Amy heard an ominous voice speak out, "The only thing that will be destroyed here is you, prey".
"...! Look! There's one more left!" Cosmo exclaimed in shock and in concern with a gasp and with a gaped mouth while pointing as she quickly looked ahead of herself to see one, brown, Metarex robot pick up the two emeralds.
"What?! How?!" Amy exclaimed in shock and in confusion as she stared at the lone Metarex robot as well with a surprised look on her face. The brown, Metarex robot had sparks coming out of his damaged body as he held the two emeralds.
"The Metarex will never be defeated. All players who play Shuffle will soon die. We will always wi-" the lone, Metarex robot continued ominously as he stared at the girls while holding onto the Chaos Emeralds.
CRASH! CRUMBLE!
Before the Metarex robot could finish, a piece of rubble fell from the ceiling and smashed onto him, destroying him completely. He dropped the Chaos Emeralds immediately after being crushed by the rubble. Amy and Cosmo looked surprised after seeing the Metarex robot get destroyed immediately after getting back up.
"...Well...That was anti-climactic," Amy commented calmly with a sheepish frown and with a sweat drop on her head as she stared at the pile of rubble.
BOOOOM! BOOOOOM! KAABOOOOOOM!
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" Amy and Cosmo screamed in panic as they held each other while explosions surrounded them. The ground rumbled again as the lasers keep attacking the fortress and blowing up parts of it.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
BOOOOOOM! KAAABOOOOM! KAAABOOOOM! BOOOOOM!
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Amy and Cosmo screamed some more in panic while holding each other as more explosions surrounded them.
"Amy! Cosmo!" Sonic exclaimed in alarm with a shocked yet concerned look on his face while staring at the girls after he stopped fighting Dark Oak.
"Finally!" Dark Oak exclaimed victoriously while raising his sword high into the air as he was about to slice Sonic into two. But when he was about to bring his sword down, a laser shot in between them and blew up the ground.
KAABOOOOOM!
"Whooooaaaaa!" Sonic screamed in shock as he flew involuntarily through the air thanks to the explosion.
"Grrrrrrrrugh! No!" Dark Oak grunted and yelled in anger as he jerked back from the explosion and glared indignantly at Sonic for surviving that blast. He watched Sonic do a flip mid-air before landing safely onto the ground.
After he landed, Sonic smirked as he prepared his body into another battle position while commenting cheekily to Dark Oak with a chuckle, "Heheh! It must suck having one of your closest friends betraying you like this! I thought that all of you poachers are hunting us all as a team!".
"Shut it, Player Four! You know nothing about betrayal! You don't know what it feels like to be betrayed by those you trust the most! The pain...runs...deep," Dark Oak yelled in anger before muttering coldly yet darkly while shaking his fist at Sonic.
Sonic shrugged casually with a smug smile and with a lowered eyelid as he replied calmly yet teasingly, "It certainly sounds like it. Perhaps deep enough to make your fighting skills weak".
"Grrrrrr! Why do I even talk to you?! Take this! And this! And this!" Dark Oak yelled in frustration with a growl as he glared at Sonic before stepping forward and slashing his sword fiercely at him. Sonic chuckled cockily as he jumped backwards and stepped to the side to dodge Dark Oak's attacks. He swung the Piko Piko Hammer back at Dark Oak after dodging a little and fought back by swinging left, right, upwards, and all around.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Sonic jumped repeatedly as he dodged Dark Oak's fierce swings while wearing a cocky smirk on his face. He then dodged to the side before running towards Dark Oak's right arm. He jumped and swung the Piko Piko Hammer at the arm very hard after reaching it.
CLANK!
"Ow! Hey!" Dark Oak yelped in pain as he felt the rough vibrations of that hammer whack through his armor. He cringed a little before swinging his sword sideways to try to attack Sonic. However, Sonic was as usual too quick for that since he ran over to Dark Oak's left arm and whacked it hard with the Piko Piko Hammer after jumping up to it.
CLANK!
"Argh! Alright! No more games! Just death! Death! Death! Death!" Dark Oak yelled in anger after cringing again in pain before he swung his sword and himself into circles. He spun around very quickly to try to attack Sonic with it. After spinning for a couple of seconds, Dark Oak stopped and panted for breath again.
"(Pant Pant Pant)...Please...(Pant Pant Pant)...Please be dead...(Pant Pant Pant)…" Dark Oak muttered quietly to himself while panting a lot as he looked around for Sonic.
"Heh! What's the matter, poacher? Don't like doing your job anymore?" Sonic taunted playfully in the distance.
"What?! You're still-?!" Dark Oak yelled in surprise after hearing Sonic taunting him from behind and was about to turn around...until...
CLANK!
"Yowch!" Dark Oak yelped in pain after feeling his butt being whacked with the Piko Piko Hammer. He quickly covered his behind with his hands while glaring coldly at Sonic in embarrassment. This little prey had made a fool out me! ME! The leader of the space poachers! Dark Oak brooded in irritation as he glared hard at Sonic.
Sonic was standing a few feet away from Dark Oak while spinning the Piko Piko Hammer vertically again with one hand as he commented playfully with a smirk, "Yep! I'm still alive! Even more so now that I whacked your butt with this little baby in my hands!".
"You think that this rematch is a joke to you?!" Dark Oak yelled back in irritation as he glared hard at Sonic with a vein protruding from his armor.
Sonic smirked even wider as he held the Piko Piko Hammer horizontally in both hands while replying calmly yet teasingly, "Well, aren't all games full of jokes and gags? That is what this hunting game is about, right?".
"NO! IT'S ABOUT SURVIVAL!" Dark Oak shouted in fury as steam blew off from his head while glaring coldly at Sonic.
Sonic shrugged casually and closed his eyes as he replied calmly yet teasingly with a coy smile, "My point exactly".
"Grrrrrr! Cocky...Little..." Dark Oak muttered quietly in frustration with a growl and with a cold glare as he turned fully back around at Sonic while gripping very tightly onto his sword.
("Confrontation" song transitions to "Confrontation~ The Titanic Knights" and soon ends)
Dark Oak soon slashed his sword two times at Sonic, and Sonic blocked them by hitting the sword with the Piko Piko Hammer after focusing onto Dark Oak again.
CLANG! CLANG!
CLANG!
Dark Oak and Sonic then clashed their weapons together again and wrestled each other once more while focusing onto each other intensely.
"SOOOOOOONNNNIIIC!" Chris shouted in the distance.
"Wha-?" Sonic muttered in confusion with a shocked expression on his face as he looked at his left. He saw Chris flying the X-Tornado towards the same platform that he, Amy, and Cosmo were on and had landed onto it. However, that little distraction was all it took for Dark Oak to swing his sword at the Piko Piko Hammer again and knock it as well as Sonic away.
THWACK!
"Whooooooaaaaa! Not agaaaaaain!" Sonic screamed in shock as he flew backwards before landing onto his back. He grunted and cringed after hitting the ground. The Piko Piko Hammer landed onto the ground too and slid away from Sonic before stopping at the wall. Sonic opened his eyes after cringing a little from the landing and was quickly surprised when he saw Dark Oak's sword being thrusted in his direction.
"Looks like you have finally met your fate, Player Four. At long last..." Dark Oak commented calmly yet darkly in victory as he steadied his sword towards Sonic's chest. Sonic stared back at Dark Oak with wide eyes and with a gaped mouth before he looked back at Chris.
Chris opened the X-Tornado's window as he yelled out to Sonic in concern, "Sonic! Are you okay?!".
"What do you think it looks like, Chris?!" Sonic yelled back sarcastically in annoyance as he glared hard at Chris.
Chris frowned sheepishly as he muttered quietly with a sweat drop on his head, "Yeah, that's a dumb question to ask".
"Don't just sit there, Chris! Throw the Chaos Emeralds towards Sonic! He's in big trouble now!" Knuckles yelled solemnly with a concerned look on his face as he held onto Chris' seat and stared at him.
"Ah! Yes! That's right! Here, Sonic! Save yourself!" Chris exclaimed in surprise with a shocked yet solemn look on his face as he briefly looked at Knuckles before back at Sonic and threw Chaos Emeralds from his pockets.
"...!" Sonic gasped in surprise with a shocked look on his face when he saw the red and purple Chaos Emeralds being thrown in his direction.
"Heheheh...It's game over for you, Sonic the Hedgehog," Dark Oak muttered calmly yet darkly with a devious chuckle as he was ready to stab Sonic with his sword.
"Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!" Shadow yelled out quickly from the distance as he boosted through the air and flew over the X-Tornado towards the red and purple Chaos Emeralds.
"Huh? What the-?" Dark Oak muttered calmly in confusion as he looked at his right to see Shadow flying.
"...! Shadow!" Sonic exclaimed in shock with another gasp as he looked even more surprised.
("The Mask of Miracles" from Professor Layton and The Miracle Mask starts playing here)
At that moment, time felt like it had slowed down. All of the Chaos Emeralds in the room had started to glow and had lit up the entire room in a bright yellow light. Everyone besides Shadow and Dark Oak was stunned when they saw the room and the entire fortress being covered completely in a bright light.
"My, my, it looks like those Metarex pansies are going to have a hard time getting the Chaos Emeralds now if those two hedgehogs have them," Dr. Eggman commented calmly yet casually with a grin as he watched the fortress being lit up.
Meanwhile, Red Pine was just confused as he watched his own fortress being lit up. He yelled in shock and in confusion, "Hey! I don't remember installing a light show inside my fortress! What's with the bright light?!".
"We don't know, sir, however, I must inform you that the Zathura sequence will start in five minutes. All the players will soon be destroyed, sir," the brown, Metarex robot replied as he looked at Red Pine.
Red Pine glared coldly at his fortress as he replied calmly yet darkly, "Hmph...Very well...In that case, let the players have fun while they can because nobody has a chance in surviving a black hole...Not even my old comrade...".
Meanwhile, the bright light continued to glow inside the central base, and Dark Oak finally looked back at Sonic and was surprised when he saw him turning into Super Sonic.
"No! I will not let you transform! Not when I'm so close into killing you! So...ENGARDE!" Dark Oak yelled in anger before he shouted fiercely as he swung his sword down at Sonic.
"NO! SONIC!" Amy, Cosmo, Chris, and Knuckles shouted in concern when they saw Dark Oak bring his sword down onto Sonic.
CLANG!
But at that moment, Sonic miraculously held onto Dark Oak's sword with both hands since he was in his Super Form. As the bright light slowly disappears, the gang and Dark Oak can see Sonic holding onto the long sword while wearing a confident smile on his face. They all gasped in shock to see that Sonic was still alive. Sonic then pulled Dark Oak's sword away from him and broke it in half by bending it onto his knee. Dark Oak jerked back in shock after seeing that Sonic had easily broken his beloved sword.
"What?! No! Impossible!" Dark Oak exclaimed in shock and in disbelief as he stared at Sonic in surprise.
Sonic smirked mischievously as he then held up a hand in front of Dark Oak before blasting him with his Chaos energy. He had shot him in the chest and had sent him flying into the air.
"Aaaaaargh!" Dark Oak screamed in pain as he flew backwards across the room before hitting against a wall and slid down from it. He slumped onto the wall while his chest was sparking a lot due to the damage that blast caused.
Sonic smiled again in confidence after seeing that Dark Oak was down. He then looked at his left again and saw Shadow standing a few feet away from him. The bright light had finally disappeared, and the two, glowing hedgehogs were seen in the room instead. Amy, Cosmo, Chris, and Knuckles were stunned when they saw Sonic and Shadow staring at each other in the distance. They were not sure whether they would work together or fight each other in this scenario. However, their questions were answered after this exchange.
"Well, Shadow? Are you going to help me beat this creep or not?" Sonic asked calmly with a confident smile and with determined eyes as he stared at Shadow.
"The only thing that I'm going to beat around here is you, Sonic," Shadow replied calmly in a monotone voice as he glared at Sonic with a solemn frown.
"What?! Why?!" Sonic exclaimed in surprise and in confusion as he looked shocked.
"Because you've stolen something from me that was rightfully mine...My glory!" Shadow replied calmly yet solemnly in determination with a deep frown and with a cold glare as he pointed dramatically at Sonic.
"Your what?!" Sonic exclaimed in shock and in even more confusion as he jerked back while looking both surprised and lost. He pondered this one thought while staring at Shadow in confusion.
Welp. So much for having an easier time at the game.
("The Mask of Miracles" song ends here)
Part seven is finally finished! Only one more part to go, and then the Midgame is done! And if you think the Midgame is long, wait until the Endgame! But yeah, we're wrapping this two-parter episode at long last! I didn't think that we'd get here so soon, but here we are! I personally think that this part is the weakest of them all, but it still has its moments. Anyways, I hope that you guys are enjoying this story so far, and please R&R if you can! Your support is greatly appreciated! Anyways, see you all in part 8 aka the end of Midgame!