What Veils Don't hide
At the home of Sonic and Tails they were speaking to Mina over Ami's communicator.
"So you heard Tuxedo Mask saying something about coming for us?" Tails asked.
"Yes!" Mina replied. "We heard him last night talking about him paying you guys a visit."
"We haven't seen him around." Tails said. "I doubt that anyone of the Dark Kingdom knows where we are!"
"Are you sure?" Mina said.
"Maybe he just told you that to scare you." Tails said.
"Ok but be careful ok? Me and the others are going to a skiing resort in the mountains Chad told us about a Moon Princess contest up at a resort and we think it would be good for Serena to go there." Mina explained as the screen flashed off. Sonic came inside fanning himself.
"What's wrong?" Tails asked.
"It's getting a little warm out there!" Sonic said. "I guess it must just be a hot day."
Meanwhile deep in the trees Andrew was taking a small trek and examining plants.
"Rita is doing research on the origins of human life." He said. "Maybe I can find something to send her in this forest. The sooner her research ends the sooner she'll be back." He was wearing a short sleeve red shirt and blue shorts. He wiped some sweat off his brow.
"Geez it's like an oven in here!" He shouted this heat never started since I woke up today "I've been camping for at least three days. Why is it so hot?"
At the border Tuxedo Mask was watching as he watched his salamander breathed fire at the trees.
"It won't take long!" Tuxedo Mask said eventually. "They will be smoked out! But how long it will take for the fire to spread far enough may take a while."
"I will not stop until the rodent comes out from hiding." The Salamander said. Watching the two trees smoldering there wasn't a whole lot of smoke, not enough to make a signal.
Back in the house Sonic and Tails walked outside and Tails was even feeling the heat.
"For crying out loud it's even worse out here!" Tails complained. "Where is this heat coming from?"
"Sonic just looked around all I see are trees and plants and ever were, minus the shoreline at the back of our home!" He said.
Then a bunch of birds flew out of the trees and headed out past the shore.
"What was that about?" Sonic asked.
"It seemed like they were running from something!" Tails said.
"Maybe we should go find out." Sonic said. "Maybe we can find out what is causing this heat!" He and Tails darted from their home and into the trees to find what the matter was.
Back into the other side of the forest Andrew was looking around and continuing to sweat like crazy. He took some mushrooms and examined them.
"Geez this is really hard!" Andrew said. "It would be so much easier if I had Rita's knowledge." Just then he saw woodland animals running away from something.
"Strange." Andrew said. "They didn't even stop to look at me." He managed to see a cloud of smoke rising up into the air. "Maybe that's to blame for this extreme heat!" He took out his cell phone and called the fire department. "Maybe I can try to keep the fire from spreading!" He ran towards the smoke.
Just then Sonic and Tails arrived near the entrance of the forest when the blaze was now spreading fast.
"The trees are on fire!" Sonic cried.
"I guess this explains the heat!" Tails cried. "I'll put it out!" He began to fly towards the blaze.
"Don't!" Sonic shouted. "If we get too close the heat will cause us to collapse!"
"So what should we do?" Tails asked flying back to Sonic.
"First we should..LOOK OUT!" He pushed Tails out of the way when a burned branch broke off its tree and hit the ground. "First we need to try to stop the fire from spreading!"
"Hey Stop that!" Shouted the voice of Andrew.
Sonic and Tails stopped for a moment and ran to the outer border of the blaze where they saw Tuxedo Mask his Salamander in a standoff with Andrew.
"This has no concern for you leave, now or I'll make you!" Tuxedo Mask ordered.
"You're tormenting the small animals in this place! I can't let this happen." Andrew shouted.
"Fine, your funeral!" Tuxedo Mask declared. He snapped his fingers and the Salamander turned to face Andrew.
"Stop!" Sonic shouted, he and Tails charged out of the blaze and put themselves between the Salamander and Andrew.
"Sonic The Hedgehog and Tails?" Andrew said in disbelief.
"Finally you two have arrived right on time!" Tuxedo Mask laughed.
"What are you talking about!?" Tails shouted.
"He was waiting for us!" Sonic said, gritting his teeth.
"Malachite allowed us to find you. He's not totally useless!" Tuxedo Mask smirked.
"No!" Tails gasped.
"We've been had!" Sonic shouted.
"They do exist!" Andrew said in shock.
"My creature, Slamandra will toast you all especially when I power him up! Catch!" Tuxedo Mask threw Salamandra the Chaos Emerald and swallowed it, the creature began to glow.
"Not good!" Tails stated.
"That and it's still burning!" Sonic said pointing to the blaze.
"I guess we better hurry if we want to save the forest!" Tails said.
Sonic curled and spun at Salamandra and got up in his face to strike him but Salamandra jumped up and avoided Sonic with ease.
"What!?" Sonic gasped.
"Burn him!" Tuxedo Mask ordered. Salamandra inhaled and quickly breathed out blue fire. Sonic spun himself as the fire burned Sonic. Sonic curled out and hit the ground. He felt incredibly stiff although he didn't take a real burn, it did feel like he got a bad sunburn.
"Just so you know fried hedgehog is NOT on the menu!" Sonic said, as he winced in pain.
"But maybe fried human is! Cook some Andrew for Dinner!" Tuxedo Mask ordered. Salamandra inhaled.
"No!" Sonic shouted he ran to Andrew but the stiffness made him trip, so instead Tails swooped in and saved Andrew from getting burned.
"Thanks!" Andrew said. Tails flew over the hill away from the fight and the fire and placed him on the ground.
"Stay here we'll handle this!" Tails said returning to the fight.
Sonic started to run around Salamandera but the creature lashed out it's frog-like tongue and caught Sonic's ankle and he fell flat on his face.
"Good!" Tuxedo Mask shouted and he jumped down and readied a black rose Sonic struggled but the tongue was too strong he couldn't break free.
"Ok hedgehog, now's your time to die." Tuxedo Mask said coldly "Don't worry, we'll make sure that Eggman and Sailor Moon will join you soon."
"You will never win!" Sonic said, defiant as ever.
"I'm afraid I have!" Tuxedo Mask said, taking aim, he arched his arm to throw it. Tails charged in and dove at Tuxedo Mask and kicked him in the back of the head and he dropped it. "You meddlesome brat!"
"You forgot that you have me to deal with to!" Tails said, making a mocking face.
"And me!" Sonic shouted and he curled up and he spun around and he made Salamandra spin around with him and he eventually let go of Sonic.
"Wow!" Andrew gasped, watching the fight and he took a camera out of his pocket and began to take pictures. "Rita will never believe this!"
"Normally I would defeat you." Sonic declared. "But since there is a destiny that you and Sailor Moon are supposed to share maybe I'll at least beat you back to your senses." Sonic curled up and charged at Tuxedo Mask but he spun his cane around and deflected Sonic away.
"I don't accept that destiny anymore!" Tuxedo Mask shouted. "My destiny now lies by serving Queen Metalia."
"Who?" Tails asked.
"Don't bother yourselves with that!" Tuxedo Mask shouted, and he smirked.
Salamandra lunged at Sonic from behind and tried to swallow him whole Sonic leaped up before he could and Tails flew up and joined him. They both joined hands and did a double speed dash, flew downwards and vanquished Salamandra by striking a weak spot in the neck.
"Grr." Tuxedo Mask growled. "You may have won but you will fall! Queen Metalia will destroy you and Sailor Moon as long as we know where to look you will die!"
"Fine!" Sonic said as he walked over to Salamandra's body and it faded into ashes except one thing. "Then I will gladly accept your present!" He took the yellow Chaos Emerald back.
"After we get the silver crystal we won't need those useless gems!" Tuxedo Mask grunted. "Now I guess I shall see what Sailor Moon is up to!" He vanished.
"Sonic!" Tails said, looking at the blaze on the trees. "We need to fix this!"
"That was amazing!" Andrew shouted coming up from over the hill. "I loved every moment of this! You guys are so cool!"
"Thanks!" Sonic said, still focusing on the fire. "Now if you excuse us we need to stop the fire!"
"Don't worry I called the Fire Department!" Andrew said as Sonic and Tails heard sirens coming their way.
"Time to go!" Sonic he grabbed Tail's arm and they ran to the city.
"Wait come back!" Andrew called. "Wow, so that's Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails!"
"What will we do now?" Tails asked. "The Dark Kingdom knows where we are!"
Sonic thought for a moment. "Lets head back home for now and call the girls to Hikawa and we'll discuss it. I have an idea but neither of us is going to like it!"
"Ok!" Tails accepted. Sonic and Tails went through the side border away from the fire fighters and returned home.
"So you guys just had a battle against Tuxedo Mask?" Ami asked.
"Yes, we all need to gather at the shrine, there's something we all need to discuss." Sonic said.
"Very well we'll meet you when we get back." Ami said.
Later they all arrived at the shrine as planned and Sonic explained everything that happened. Ami was applying medical salves to Sonic's body to heal his burns.
"So you guys got Tuxedo Mask's Chaos Emerald?" Asked Rei.
"Yes." Sonic said holding it out.
Hold still please! Ami asked, putting the salv on Sonic's arm.
Oh man, that feels so much better. Sonic sighed in relief.
"That makes four!" Serena cheered.
"You guys almost got Tuxedo Mask to come to his senses?" Tails said.
"Yes he helped us defeat a monster but he said that that will be the only time he will." Rei added.
"Bad news is the Dark kingdom knows where we are." Sonic said. "So for now me and Tails will have to abandon our home until we defeat Beryl."
"What about the Tornado?" Tails asked.
"I'm afraid we will have to leave it, there's no way we can just hide a plane anywhere in this place!" Sonic explained.
"Where will you guys go?" Mina asked.
"I can just go around and live out in the open. I was hoping one of you guys could take in Tails." Sonic shrugged.
"I can take him in!" Lita said, raising her hand.
"Oh Sonic!" Tails whined. "You should come with me! If I have to take this treatment then you should to!"
"Don't worry I'll come by for food and to check on you." Sonic smiled.
"Hey! I'm not living with anyone so it's perfect!" Lita said happily.
"Fine!" Tails sighed, feeling annoyed.
"Oh yes!" Lita cheered.
"Oh no." Tails sighed again.