Chapter 2: And then there were two
Note: Okay, this should be pretty long, so be grateful! Oh, and this is my first attempt at a fight scene, too, so I apologize if it's bad.
(9:46 A.M, Night Babylon, Club Rouge)
This is Night Babylon, the city of nightclubs, casinos, bars, hotels, and commercial-type buildings open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Flashing lights, lit-up billboards, electronic slots, video poker, and gambling-oriented activities fill the city. But for some unexplained reason, it's always night there. Even right now, 9:45 in the morning, it is still night. 24/7. But it's still visible in Night Babylon. After all, the flashing colored lights surrounding the buildings. Overall, Night Babylon is a nice place for the nocturnal people that just want some time off.
Anyway, our story continues in one of the top ten nightclubs in Night Babylon, Club Rouge, owned by the famous treasure hunter, Rouge the Bat. Rouge is a bat about the same height as Knuckles. She is a beautiful undercover spy agent for the government, and meets the president on a daily basis. She has worked for Eggman before, but it was only to gather information for the president. But the most known fact about her it that she is obsessed with jewelry. Any kind of jewelry appeals to her-emeralds, diamonds, crystals, ruby, and other kinds. She is also known as a master jewel thief, getting any kind of jewel she can get her hands on. No amount of security can stop her. Knuckles' Master Emerald is her prime target. She has once made an attempt to steal it, but it ended up breaking it in many pieces. She then tried getting as many pieces as she could, and keep them for herself. But afterward, Knuckles saved Rouge from the fiery pit, and she reluctantly gave him the pieces she had. Rouge had remained herself after that, but she respected him a little more.
On that day, there was a long, long line of men lining up outside Club Rouge. Inside, Rouge was sitting behind a table, wearing a white T-shirt with a small, pink heart on it, and baggy jeans. "Next," she said. A Green hedgehog came up to the table. "Hello, Miss Rouge, I'm Manic the Hedgehog." He smiled. Rouge didn't bother looking at him. "Next." The green hedgehog frowned, and walked away. A blue fox came up to table next. "Name?" Rouge asked, still not looking up. Before the blue fox could reply, a familiar, deep voice was shouting in the distance. "Pardon me, excuse me. Hey, move outta my way!" Rouge tilted her head up.
Knuckles was shuffling through the long line of people. Once he had almost gotten to the front, a red Hedgehog stopped him. "Hey, echidna," the hedgehog said. "If you wanna see the lovely Madam Rouge, you're gonna have to wait your turn like everyone else. Knuckles ignored him and went around him. The red hedgehog pushed him. "Hey! Did you hear me?" Knuckles glared at him. "Look, I don't have time for this." He said. "I need to speak with Rouge." The hedgehog glared. "So do the rest of us!" Knuckles was puzzled. "Just look behind you." The hedgehog added. Knuckles turned around and saw a sign next to the table that read:
Win a date with Rouge, the beautiful treasure hunter! Line starts here.
Knuckles slapped himself in the face. "I'm not here for that!" He shouted. "Now if you'll excuse me..." He tried getting past the hedgehog, but he just pushed him. "Either way, echidna, you're gonna have to go through me, first." Knuckles shook his fist. "Are you asking for a fight?" The hedgehog just laughed. "Nothing gets past you, doesn't it?"
Before Knuckles could reply, Rouge shouted from her table. "Stop it, you two!" The two looked at her. Rouge noticed who the red echidna was. "Knuckles?" Knuckles went up to the table. No one dared to stop him. "Rouge, I need your help," he started. "The world may be in grave danger." Rouge gave him a puzzled look. Knuckles stared. "What?" Rouge pointed to the sign he had read earlier. Knuckles just shook his head. "No, I'm not here for that!" Rouge sighed in relief. "I need you to help me!" Knuckles continued. "Eggman is plotting another world domination scheme!" Rouge finally spoke. "Eggman?" Knuckles took a step back. "Come with me." Rouge looked back the line. The people in line were getting annoyed by Knuckles. Rouge sighed. "I'll be right back." She finally said. She left the table and went into another room. The line was ticked off. The red echidna stepped out of line. "That's it, echidna, you've crossed the line, now!" he said. "It's one thing to cut in front of us, but to steal the great Madam Rouge just crosses the line! Now it's time you pay!" Knuckles knew he was going to end up in a battle.
The hedgehog charged at Knuckles, arms apart, at super speed. Knuckles jumped in the air, right before the hedgehog got there. Before Knuckles could attack, the hedgehog grabbed his legs and slammed Knuckles down on his back. Knuckles got back up and saw another charge coming. Knuckles didn't move. Right as the hedgehog came at him, Knuckles grabbed his arm, swung him around, and threw him at the table, breaking it in two.
The emerald glowed. "Knuckles..." Tikal said. "Remember, you can use the emerald..." The emerald's glow faded back to its normal, dim glow. Knuckles pulled out the emerald and looked into it. The hedgehog that got slammed into the table slowly got up. Knuckles closed his eyes and tried to absorb the emerald's power. Nothing happened. The hedgehog spotted Knuckles and picked up the nearby folding chair Rouge was sitting in. Knuckles still didn't feel any different. The hedgehog ran at an incredible speed at Knuckles, with blood-red eyes. Knuckles stuck out an arm in front of himself and closed his eyes, knowing it was too late to dodge it. And then...
BAM!!!
Knuckles slowly opened his eyes and saw the hedgehog lying on the ground in front of him. The hedgehog got up, confused, and then swung another punch at him, but his hand suddenly stopped. Knuckles put both of his hands in front of him, but his hands stooped, too. He finally realized what had happened. He was inside an invisible shield! He grinned at his sudden change of luck. The hedgehog realized he had no chance of beating him, and made a break for the exit. Knuckles felt a sudden drop in energy. His force field was gone. The line of people, who watched the whole fight, applauded at his victory.
Rouge came back from the room she was in. "Okay, I'm ready to go..." She stopped mid-sentence at the sight of the crowd's applause. "Did I miss something?" She said. A few people in the crowd pointed at the now-busted table. Rouge gasped. Knuckles soon came up to her. "Knuckles..." she said. "What did you do?" Knuckles was breathing heavily from his last battle. "Ready to go?" Rouge slowly nodded. "Good." Knuckles finished. He grabbed Rouge by the wrist and walked out of the club, with the crowd still clapping and whistling.
"I'll just leave that question unanswered." Rouge said, lightly smiling. "Anyway, where are we off to, fearless adventurer?" Knuckles let go of her wrist. "Sand Ocean. That's where Eggman is. Rouge nodded. "I can tell this is going to be a long day." Knuckles nodded in agreement. "That is, if we don't encounter anymore jerks like that one." Rouge was puzzled. "Wait, what did you mean by..." "Never mind!!!" Knuckles interrupted.
Will Knuckles encounter anymore obstacles? Will Knuckles and Rouge save the day? Will the two of them soon become more... entwined? Tune in for the next installment of
More Than Adventure