Chapter 28: Party of Three
AN: hey everyone! Still here, writing to my heart's content. I don't really have anything to add, so I hope you enjoy!
***I don't own anything in this story, so please don't sue me.***
Virginia was alone in her dream. She couldn't see anyone, but she heard voices.
'What do you mean she was here?' One voice asked and another that sounded like that hunter.
'She was here. I swear. Look!'
'That's…where is she?'
'I don't know.'
'Well, FIND HER!' The other voice screamed.
"…no…no…you can't have her!" Virginia called out to the darkness that surrounded her. "You'll never have her! Do you hear me? Never!" Virginia yelled, but there was no response.
'What do we do?' One of the voices spoke to the other.
'We'll head to Tellius. I will demand answers from Tibarn and Naesala.'
"No…but…we were going…" Virginia shook her head and tried to find the people who were talking. "You can't!" Virginia called out.
'Let's get some rest. We leave at first light.' The second voice said.
"No…no…"
"No!" Virginia screamed as she sat up and looked around. Zap sat up and looked around.
"Virginia? Are you alright?" Sally asked while stirring something in a giant bowl. Zap began growling at Sally; ready to attack if Virginia asked her to. "Hey, come on…I'm making you food. Be nice." Sally said while examining a piece of paper she had on the counter.
"Zap, can you go check the other rooms?" Virginia asked qith a sweet tone. Zap hopped off and started searching every room for anyone in the house. Virginia placed a hand on her forehead and she felt her head was wet.
'Need a plan…need a new plan.' Virginia thought as she looked around and took small, quick breaths. Zap returned and hopped back up on Virginia's leg.
"You doing ok?" Sally questioned the princess. "Serena's out back making lunch for the rest of us.
"What about you?"
"She wants me to make…pokemon food?" Sally chuckled lightly. "I've never done it before, so I'm making it from scratch with what we bought. I hope they like it." Virginia looked down at her jolteon.
"Zap, I need…" She opened her arms and Zap walked towards her and Virginia hugged the electrical Pokemon.
"Zap…I'm so scared…" She began crying and Zap whimpered; worried about her friend. She liked her face in an attempt to cheer her up. The front door opened and Sonic quickly ran inside.
"Virginia? I heard you scream. Are you-"
"She's fine. Give us some space." Sally instructed.
"It's ok…" Virginia sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I…um…I-I had a bad…bad dream. But, I think our plans need to change."
"What do you mean?" Sonic took a step forward, but Zap growled once again. "Alright, I'll just…stay over here." Zap stopped growling and nuzzled against Virginia's neck.
"I…I had a dream. I think it was two people…one of them sounded like the lady I saw earlier. She…and someone else…they were going to Tellius."
"Tellius? You're taking her home." Sally said bluntly.
"I was going to, but I think the voices I heard…I think they're going to hurt her. I can't go there. We need to lay low, and stay out of sight." Virginia sniffled and rubbed her eyes again. Zap whimpered and licked her tears. Virginia lightly laughed and hugged her pokemon.
"Thank you, Zap…you're such a sweetie pie." She closed her eyes and hugged the girl.
"Stay on Mobius." Sonic suggested. Virginia and Sally looked at him with confusion.
"What? Sonic-"
"Who else knows that you're here?"
"I…I don't…no one…" Virginia replied quietly.
"Alright, so the two of you are on Mobius and no one knows you're here. I think you'd better stay here and think about a plan. I'll talk to sally about keeping you, Serena, and Genny under wraps. If no one knows you're here, I don't see any reason to let anyone know you're here. Which means you have to play ball, too."
"What do you mean?"
"You got a cell phone on you?"
"Sonic, I-"
"Of course."
"Don't answer it. No matter who calls you. Do. Not. Answer. It."
"Why not?" Virginia sniffled and Sonic walked past her and got a glass of water for her.
"If no one knows where you are, you need to go off the grid. No calls…unless you want to be found." Virginia's eyes lit up and she shook her head.
"N-N-No. I…I'll…I won't answer it."
"Wait a minute!" Sally shouted. "Sonic, we know she's here."
"Who's here?"
"Who's here? Virginia!" She pointed to the princess with the wooden spoon.
"Sally, it's just us…in my home."
"But-" sally paused and quickly realized what Sonic was implying. "…fine." She glared at the blue hedgehog before continuing to stir the bowl.
"Good." He handed her the glass of water and there was a knock on the door.
"Sonic?" Amy called in. "We're back. Have you seen Virginia? Genny's looking for her."
"She's in here. She needed some shuteye. We're coming out." Sonic motioned for her to head out the door. "I'll be in the backyard if you need anything." He walked away and left Virginia alone.
"I…ok…" Virginia gulped as she turned towards Sally.
"Go on." She continued stirring the bowl.
"I'm sorry." Virginia quickly apologized.
"It's not you. Sonic knows how I hate lying." Sally stated with a upset expression on her face. "Go on. Find Genny. I'll be out in a minute or two." Virginia nodded her head before getting out of bed and making her way towards the door. "Zap, come on." Zap leapt off the bed and followed the Hylian princess out the door. Virginia made her way to the backyard and Serena was already cooking for the group.
"Genny!" Virginia called out. "Genny! Where'd you go?" She looked all around while Zap sniffed the ground and lightly barked at Virginia. "Zap, find her." Virginia instructed and with that, Zap ran off away from the house. Virginia sprinted after the pokemon and a few seconds later, Zap was looking up and barking at a large tree.
"Genny! Are you up there?" Virginia called out. She then saw a little girl floating down from the sky.
"…hi…" Genny quietly said while flapping her wings in front of her. "…I miss mommy…"
"I know, honey." Virginia approached her and hugged the little girl. "You're such a brave little girl, you know. I could never do what you've done." Genny remained quiet while genny hugged her a bit tighter. "I'll bring you home, soon. We're just…we're just going to stay here a little while longer. Is that alright?"
"…yeah…" Genny was really missing her parents, but Virginia was determined to bring her home when it was safe. She couldn't go to Tellius; at least not yet. "Serena is making something really yummy. How about we go eat?" Virginia asked the young girl. Without smiling, she looked up and nodded at the princess. "Zap, let's get some grub." She smiled and the electric pokemon barked happily and followed Virginia as she and Genny made their way back to the home of Sonic and Amy. She set Virginia down on a chair and walked over to Serena. Zap yawned and laid down next to Genny. The little girl climbed off the chair and sat next to Genny on the ground. She began petting the jolteon while she watched the others; ready to attack anyone who would come too close to Genny.
"Hey V." Serena said cheerfully. "Sally got a great deal on steaks, so I hope you're hungry." Serena flipped one steak and the grill sizzled. "Mmmm…" Serena closed her eyes and smelled the aroma from the meat. "This is going to be good." Virginia was distracted from the meat. She had always loved Serena's cooking and today was no different. She began salivating while watching her grill.
"Um…Virginia…" Serena tapped her girlfriend with one of her hands.
"Huh?" She snapped out of her trance and saw Serena point to her chin. Virginia's face turned red as she started wiping her chin; now realizing that she was actually drooling. "S-Sorry."
"It's fine." Serena smiled. "It just means at least someone will appreciate my cooking."
"Serena, can we…can we talk in private?" Serena looked at Virginia and she saw the seriousness in her eyes.
"Yeah. Give me…give me a minute. I'm almost done." She grabbed a plate and set all the steaks on one and handed it to Virginia before putting the rest on another. "Can you take that to the table?"
"Yes." She turned around and walked towards the table.
"Sally! Did you finish-"
"I think…I think I did it." She hollered back from the open window in the kitchen. A few seconds later, Sally came out with a giant bowl of what looked a lot like dog food.
"Wait, hold on." Serena said as she set the plate down. She grabbed a small amount of the food and, to everyone else's surprise, she put it in her mouth and ate it.
"You…ate dog food." Knuckles looked at her in disgust.
"Sally, it's perfect." She gulped down the food and smiled.
"Your instructions were easy to follow." Sally set the bowl down while Serena set her plate down and brushed her hands together.
"Divide the food and then we'll talk." Serena and Virginia began diving up the food among all seven pokemon. "Now you finish your food and I'll give you all some poke puffs, ok?" The seven pokemon cheered and began eating. Alright, Virginia. Now what d-" Virginia grabbed her arm and she ran past the tree that she found Genny.
"What's going on?" Serena questioned the princess.
"We…We need a new plan."
"What?!" Serena exclaimed. "What about Genny? We're supposed to-"
"I had a dream. A dream that…I think tells me to stay away from Tellius." Serena blinked a few times before looking over her shoulder where everyone else was.
"If that's what you think, then I'm with you." She placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I…I can't ask you to-" Serena lightly knocked on Virginia's head.
"We're a team, remember? If you don't want to head towards Tellius, then we'll figure something else out. But, what's the new plan?"
"I don't know." Virginia looked down with shame. "Maybe…Maybe we can figure out what that book says before we decide." Virginia offered her idea. Serena nodded to show approval of Virginia's idea. She grabbed her hand and turned around. "Wait!" Virginia called out. Serena turned around and Virginia placed her lips against her girlfriend's. After a few seconds, Virginia broke the kiss. "I just…I was scared, before."
"Don't worry." Serena placed a hand on Virginia's head and she embraced her girlfriend. "You can kiss me anytime." Serena's words made Virginia's heart warm and she squeezed her a bit tighter.
"I love you so much, Serena. I…I don't ever want to live without you."
"Virginia, I love you even more than you could love me." Serna broke the hug. "But I also love food, and I don't know about you, but I'm kind of hungry." Virginia giggled.
"Yes. Let's eat. I haven't had your cooking in…about a day." Serena laughed and kissed Virginia once more.
"You're so adorable." Serena led Virginia back to the area where the others were eating. Obviously, everyone had already started eating and Virginia took an open seat. Serena grabbed two plates of food and took a seat next to her girlfriend. Suddenly, the sound of wings flapping followed by a young girl sitting next to her.
"Hi." Genny smiled and held up her plate. There were steamed carrots and peas, apple slices, and small pieces of meat cut up.
"Looks yummy." She smiled at Genny and looked at her small steak and she lightly gasped with awe. "Oh wow…"
"I hope you like it." Virginia placed her napkin on her lap eloquently. She then began cutting her steak with grace and placed the piece of meat in her mouth. After she swallowed her food, she smiled. "Serena…"
"You like it?" She asked and Virginia nodded.
"You are the best cook in all the worlds." Virginia complimented her.
"Oh good…" Serena said with sarcasm. "I'll just call my mom and-"
"No!" Serena blurted as everyone looked at her. "I…um…sorry…" She apologized. Everyone returned to their conversations and their food.
"You know I was joking, right?" Serena whispered to Virginia.
"We need to stay off the grid." She whispered back.
"What do you mean off the grid?" Serena questioned.
"No one knows we're here. Not mother, not Lusamine, or Professor Burnet, or Professor Kakui…and especially those…hunters. We can't make any calls or do anything to bring attention to ourselves. Give me time to make a plan and then we can go tomorrow." Virginia begged.
"Ok." Serena nodded. "I'll be good." Virginia took up the joking and took Serena hat and ruffled her hair.
"Who's a good girl? You're a good girl. Yes you are. Yes you are." Virginia giggled as she handed her hat back to Serena.
"I could kill you, you know. I could actually kill you." Serena joked and kissed Virginia's cheek. "It's a good thing you're so damn cute." Virginia smiled as Serena continued eating. She looked disappointed while she ate. "What's wrong?" Serena gulped and sighed.
"It's a tad too dry. Damn…" She shook her head with disapproval.
"I think it's perfect." Virginia stated in an attempt to cheer her up. Serena weakly smiled and continued eating her food; Genny also ate her food and was now playing with her fork.
"Genny, we do not play with our utensils." Virginia said while Genny slowly put the fork down.
"Serena, this is amazing!" Shade called out while tearing into another steak.
"It's really delicious." Cosmo said while eating a smaller piece.
"I might need you to come back every week." Amy joked as she finished her steak. "Suh guhd!"
"Amy, come on. Don't talk with your mouth full." Tails cut a piece of his steak and ate it.
"It's settled. Everyone loves your food." Virginia said while dabbing the corners of her mouth with the napkin.
"…it passes." Knuckles nodded his head and took another bite.
"Really, Knuckles? It passes?" Sally questioned him with an irritated tone. "This is probably the best meal I've had in a while." Sally took a bite of her steak and also stuffed a few vegetables in her mouth.
"It's not terrible, but-" Sally punched his arm. "Fine, it's…delicious." Knuckles begrudgingly admitted.
"Well, look at that. He does have a heart." Serena remarked while Knuckles growled.
"Knuckles, please…she was merely joking." Vanilla pleaded. "Do not bring harm to her, please." Knuckles scoffed and continued eating.
"Sorry…" Serena apologized to Vanilla, but she waved her off.
"It's alright. I think your cooking is scrumptious. Thank you for making such a wonderful meal."
"More please!" Cream held up her plate and Cheese flew up and down with joy.
"Honey, if you eat any more, you'll get a tummy ache." Vanillia told the little girl. Cream sighed with disappointment.
"Cream, I'll make a special dessert for us later tonight, sound good?"
"Yes please!" Cream clapped her hand and turned to her mother. "Can Cheese, Genny, and I go play now?"
"Don't go too far." Vanilla smiled. Cream motioned for Genny to come with her and the two ran towards the flowerbed nearby and admired all the different colors.
"Time to make some Poké Puffs." Serena got up and walked towards her bag. "This will only take…twenty minutes, maybe." Serena began mixing and creating a few desserts. Virginia got up and walked towards their Pokemon.
"Alright, so what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" Sonic asked.
"Well, I…I suppose I'll take a stroll around Mobius. It all looks so pretty." She closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh air before exhaling with a smile on her face. "I'll figure something out." She got up and decided to take a walk.
"Someone should accompany you." Knuckles stood up. "I'll go."
"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to interrupt your day." Virginia insisted.
"It's fine. You brought back a chaos emerald, and…what's her name made the meal we just ate. It's the least I could do."
"Thank you, Knuckles." Virginia replied. "I'll be sure not to annoy you with questions or comments or saying silly things or-"
"You're fine." He replied tensely.
"Be nice to her." Shade kissed his cheek.
"I wanna come." Genny flapped her wings and flew towards Virginia.
"Serena, do you want me to wait for you?"
"No, go on. After this, I'll go with Vanilla and Cream and check out our room." She smiled. "We'll wait for you there." Serena continued cooking and making Pokemon Puffs for all seven of the pokemon.
"Alright. I'll…I'll see you later." Virginia waved and with that, she, Genny, and Knuckles took a little stroll around the area. Genny wiggled loose and flew beside her new caretaker, while Knuckles followed along slowly.
"You're quite friendly." Virginia stated to the red echidna. Though it was hard to tell, Knuckles was indeed blushing and the distance grew between them.
"Wh-Whatever." He muttered while they walked towards town. About halfway there, she saw some really pretty flowers just off the path towards town. Virginia walked towards the flowers to admire them.
"Virginia! Hold on!" Knuckles ran towards her as she got closer to the flowers. Genny flew by Virginia and stood just above the flowers. She began reaching for one, but Virginia pushed her arm down.
"Genny, we don't pick flowers. We admire them." She sniffed the flower and sighed. "It's smells wonderful." Genny copied what Virginia did and she giggled when she was done.
"Look at you, Genny. You're starting to act like a princess."
"Princess Genny!" She cheered loudly and clapped her hands and saw more flowers further into the forest. "More flowers!" She flapped her wings and went deeper into the forest.
"G-Genny. Hold on! I can't go that fast." She ran as fast as she could, but she was no match for Genny's wings. Genny was gone before she knew it. Virginia stopped running and looked around. "G-Genny?" She called out, but there was no response. Suddenly, Virginia heard a scream coming from a bit deep in the forest. Virginia didn't hesitate as she sprinted towards the sound. She arrived in front of a cave. Genny was whimpering while two bright green lights began glowing inside the dark cave.
"Genny…" Virginia said quietly.
"V…I-I got scared…s-s-sorry…"
"Don't. Move." Virginia quietly ordered the girl as she slowly stepped towards here. "I'm…I'm almost there. Don't say anything. Don't do anything. Just…Just stay there. I'm coming to you." She slowly crept towards her until she was with an arm's reach.
'Almost there. Just a little more.' Virginia thought. But before she could grab her, she felt herself pulled back and thrown in the opposite direction.
"Wha?"
"Answer my questions and your daughter lives." The deep smooth voice said. Virginia looked up and saw what looked like a black and red hedgehog.
'Does Sonic have a twin?' She thought at she rubbed her eyes. Suddenly, the bat from before descended from above.
"I looked all around for them. But I haven't-" She paused and smiled as she saw Virginia. "Hey! You're that kid." She turned around and pointed at Genny. "And you're the runt."
"Her name is Genny!" Virginia called out. "What are your names?"
"Honey, I don't give my name to just anyone." The bat girl flapped down and touched the ground.
"But…But I asked…" She realized her mistake. "Would you please tell me your names?" She begged.
"No." The black hedgehog said.
"But I said please!" Virginia protested.
"What is your name?" He asked her.
"Let Genny go and I'll…I'll do whatever you want. Please…don't hurt her." Virginia pleaded.
"SHADOW!" A voice that sounded like Knuckles flew right past her and the black hedgehog seemed to disappear. Knuckles slammed into the side wall of the cave and light poured into the cave. The green eyed thing that Genny saw before was now revealed to be some kind of machine monster thing. Genny screamed as loud as she could and Virginia immediately sprinted towards the girl. The bat girl flapped her wings and stopped in front of Virginia.
"Look kid…it's nothing personal, but-"
"Out of my way." She went into a baseball slide and slid underneath the bat.
"Enemy approaching." The mechanical bot stated as he began to get up. Genny began crying and covered her face. Viginia scooped the girl up, turned around, and sprinted away with genny in her arms.
"V…"
"Not now." She said and they sprinted through the forest.
"Stop." The black hedgehog now appeared in front of her. Virginia yelped and turned around where another black hedgehog appeared. She turned around and that hedgehog was gone.
"Wha…What are you? Look, it…there was a misunderstanding. We were looking at flowers, and we got lost and stumbled on your cave. Please…let us go."
"Where is it?" He asked her.
"What…What are you looking for?" Virginia asked.
"I don't want to fight."
"I…I cannot fight."
"What do you mean?"
"I cannot fight. I am not like my sister or my mother."
"Who is your sister and your mother?" He questioned. Virginia shook her head.
"No. I won't answer your question."
"Young lady-"
"Escort us to Vanilla's house. Do that and I shall answer all your questions." The bat girl caught up to them along with the machine and Knuckles.
"Shadow! We're not done!" Knuckles yelled while Genny whimpered.
"We are. I'm taking her to Vanilla's home."
"What?" Knuckles asked with surprise.
"She wants to go there. She'll answer my questions if I escort her. We're going." He began walking past Virginia. "Let's go." Virginia gulped hard, but she lifted Genny and her arm suddenly felt wet. She looked at Genny and through her red eyes, she sniffled and looked up with shame.
"I got scared…" Her voice cracked and her nose was runny. Virginia wiped her nose with her shirt and smiled.
"It's alright, sweetie. We're going to Vanilla's house and then she will talk to us." He said as they began walking towards the road. The sun was starting to set as they approached a small house. He knocked on the door and it opened with Vanilla standing inside.
"Ah. Virginia." She smiled. "Are you back from your walk?"
"Yes, but…I may need to do some laundry and I'll need a new set of clothes. Genny…she had a little accident."
"Oh. Oh dear." Vanilla responded before putting a hand over her mouth. "Well, We'll just need to clean you up." Virginia tried handing her over to Vanilla, but Virginia refused.
"Honey, don't you want to get cleaned up?" She turned to her friend. "Would you mind waiting? I'll give her a bath and get her some clean clothes. Then I promise to speak with you."
"You're just wasting my time." He growled.
"I swear upon my family name, I will return. Please…just wait here."
"If you are lying to me…"
"I assure you, I speak the truth." She entered the house and followed Vanilla.
"Here is the bathroom. The couch also folds out to a bed. If you'd like an actual bed, I could-"
"Thank you, but we'll manage." Virginia said with a smile. She entered the bathroom and started warming up the water. She filled the tub up with enough water followed by scratching at the door. Genny yelped but Virginia placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright, honey." She opened the door a crack to see her vaporeon at the door. "Genny, Aqua wants to take a bath with you." The child sniffed again; still upset and scared from the events that occurred before nodding. Virginia carefully opened the door enough for Aqua to make her way inside. She leapt into the water and began splashing around. Genny giggled and she started to smile.
"Let's remove your clothes and then we'll start getting cleaned up." Virginia began removing the child's clothing and set them aside. She grabbed the bottle of soap and started washing Genny's body. Aqua gently sprayed water on Genny. She retaliated by splashing Aqua. Virginia was struggling to wash her body while she was playing with vaporeon.
"Genny…come on…hold still. I can't wash you properly." Genny eventually stopped while Virginia started washing her. "Close your eyes." Genny complied with her instructions and Virginia started lathering her hair.
"Aqua, a very gentle water gun, please." She requested. Aqua then began showering Genny with water and she rinsed off all the suds in her hair. Virginia washed her legs and her toes. Genny giggled and laughed while she washed them.
"Are you ticklish?" Virginia smiled and continued washing them. Genny giggled louder and began splashing her. Virginia quickly finished and grabbed a rag. "Deep breath and close your eyes." Virginia instructed. Genny did as she was told and Virginia quickly washed her face and neck. Aqua rinsed all the suds off her face and neck.
"Breathe." Genny whispered and Virginia exhaled and began breathing normally. Virginia finally finished washing her and drying her off with her towel. Virginia wrapped a towel around her body and drained the water. Aqua was disappointed to see the water draining out.
"Sorry, Aqua. Tonight, I'll get you some more water, ok?" Aqua chirped happily as she hopped out and followed Virginia out. Virginia peered out just as Vanilla was about to knock on the door.
"Oh! Perfect timing." The older rabbit woman spoke with cheer. "I found these old clothes Amy gave me. They are too small for her, but they're about Cream's size. Genny looks about the same size as Cream."
"Thank you, Vanilla." Virginia took the clothes and quickly shut the door again. She changed Genny into the outfit and they fit her like a charm. Genny was now donning a plain white t-shirt and white shorts. Though she was barefoot, Virginia wouldn't mind if she were barefoot for a while. She picked up Genny's old clothes and left the bathroom once more.
"I can take those as well." Vanilla insisted.
"You;ve already done so much for us. I can't-"
"It's not a problem. Today is laundry day anyway." Vanilla smiled as she took Genny's outfit and threw it on top of a basket of clothes she had nearby. "Cream has accidents like this, too." Virginia felt a little better, but she was upset tat others were doing everything for her.
"Vanilla…I must repay you somehow. I'll figure something out, but I plan on repaying you."
"You're too kind. If Genny wants to play with Cream, I believe she's waiting for me to start washing the clothes. You can help too, if you'd like." Virginia loved that idea, but there was a knock at the door. Virginia opened it to see Serena and the rest of the pokemon there.
"Virginia, um…I…I think you're wanted …out here." Virginia quickly shuffled inside next to you. "If you need help getting rid of them-"
"No." Virginia shook her head. "I made a promise to them. Take Genny. I need to speak to them." She handed Genny over and was about to open the door., but Torch, her flareon, ran towards the door.
"You want to keep me company?" She asked and she happily barked at Virginia. She opened the door and exited with Torch by her side.
"Took you long enough." The black hedgehog glared at her.
"I kept my promise." Virginia said as she walked away from the house and sat on the ground across from the house just before torch hopped into her lap.
"So…Your name is Virginia." The black hedgehog said as he sat across from her.
"And I believe your name is Shadow. At least, that's what Knuckles called you." The hedgehog remained silent as she closed his eyes.
"Yes. My name is Shadow. Shadow the hedgehog. To my left is Rouge and to my right is E-102. He won't hurt you. So long as you tell me exactly what I want." He opened his eyes and glared at the princess. Torch growled at them and started barking at them.
"Tell your dog to shut up."
"Her name is Torch. I will thank you for addressing her as such." Virginia glared back at him.
"where are your manners? You don't want to see Shadow when he's angry." Rouge warned her.
"My full name is Virginia Lynn Hyrule. Second born to the Hyrule kingdom." She said while soothing Torch. Shadow's expression seemed to change instantly.
"I apologize." He said calmly.
"What?!" Rouge gasped. "You…You're apologizing to this…this fucking kid?!"
"Virginia…" E-102 began speaking. "Sister to Samantha. Daughter of Zelda and Samus Aran." There was an ominous pause while Rouge took a step back.
"We are looking for the chaos emeralds. Rouge told me you had one."
"It's with Tails." Virginia informed him. "I received it as a gift from Sam."
"Where did she get it?"
"I don't know." Virginia said while she massaged Torch's neck. Torch smiled while she massaged her neck.
"Where is Eggman?" Shadow interrogated the princess.
"I don't know an…Eggman."
"Maybe Doctor Robotnik?" Rouge suggested, but Virginia shook her head.
"If Tails has one, then I'll speak with him in the morning."
"May I ask a question?" Virginia inquired. No one said anything, so she went forward with her question. "Why do you want the chaos emeralds? Are you trying to take over the world? Or maybe a kingdom…" Virginia gasped and startled torch. "Are you trying to take over Hyrule? I'll never let you!"
"Don't be stupid." Shadow dismissed her question. "Eggman stole them from Mobius. Our goal is to bring them back. If tails has one, then I guess we're going to need to work with him."
"No." Rouge shook her head. "No way am I working with Knucklehead and-"
"And another thing." Virginia interrupted the bat. "Where is Knuckles?" As if on cue, Knuckles stepped towards the three of them.
"Leave her alone." He practically yelled. "You and me. One on one." He put up his fists, but Shadow didn't move.
"We're less than ten yards from Vanilla's house. This is not the time, nor the place." He pointed out.
"Please, Mr. Knuckles. It's alright." Virginia insisted. "I…I believe they were just leaving." Virginia picked torch up and kissed her nose. Torch licked her friend's face and she giggled.
"Looks like the brat wants us to leave." Rouge muttered and she began walking away. "Lovely seeing you, Knuckles. Give my love to that sweetheart, Shade."
"Fuck. You." Knuckled growled.
"Princess Hyrule has told us everything we need to know. Feel free to inform Tails we'll be speaking with him tomorrow." Shadow stood up and began walking away followed by his team. Knuckles was now alone with Virginia.
"Mr. Knuckles…I…no, never mind."
"If you have a question, I suggest you speak your mind. There are no stupid questions."
"do you think everything will be back to normal? I keep hearing about people dying…my sister is among the dead…I just…I don't know…" She closed her eyes and began crying. Torch whimpered and tried consoling her. A few moments passed while Knuckles tried to think of an acceptable answer.
"Yes." He replied as the princess looked up. "We're in a rough patch. There are many deaths in different worlds. We're aware of the many deaths across all worlds. Donkey Kong, Luigi, Princess Lucina, King Geoffrey…the queen of Hyrule, and now, your sister." He stated while Virginia rubbed her eyes and wiped away her tears. "I also know that you have a much bigger heart than most. Yes, I do believe there is a way to revive everyone. We will save everyone. Don't lose hope. There's…a lot of people look to you like a beacon…a beacon of hope. If you give up, many others will too. So keep smiling. Your smile could inspire whole armies to fight." She sniffled and started laughing.
"You're not such a mean guy after all." Virginia weakly smiled through her tears.
"If you tell anyone, I'll deny it." Knuckles smiled and stood up. "Virginia…" he said before walking away. "Don't stop smiling. Your sister…and your mother…they're always with you. They'd want you to keep going. You're a strong girl. You'll find what you're looking for soon enough." And with that, Knuckles walked away from Virginia and the house.