"Where is Dr. Robotnik?!" The president demanded. "I need to know if he survived the attack on his ship!"
One of the aides looked over his notes.
"The Navy has been pouring over the crash site since Sonic's battle, but so far there has been no sign of Dr. Robotnik. We are unsure if this is due to some sort of cloaking, or if he has simply vacated the area."
"Either way, if we don't find that madman soon, he's going to strike again!" The President slammed his fist on his desk. "Find him!"
"Right away, sir."
The aide slipped out of the room as the President turned towards the window, gritting his teeth.
"We have to find him before it's too late."
…
Meanwhile, deep under the ocean, the Egg Fort rested at the bottom of a trench. Robotnik, Orbot, and Cubot were all huddled in a small room in the middle of the fortress, doing everything to keep quiet.
"Uh-" Cubot nearly let out.
"Quiet!" Robotnik whispered, grabbing his throat. "Don't make a sound. There's a search team up there trying to find us. If they hear us because of your yammering, I'm turning you into a toaster!"
"Sorry…"
The submarine passed above them, the trio remaining as quiet as they could. Thanks to this, the sub passed them without detecting them. Once they were sure the sub was gone, they all let out a sigh of relief.
"Now go outside and get this ship patched up!" Robotnik ordered.
"What?!" The two bots exclaimed.
"B-but, we're not built for underwater work!" Orbot pointed out desperately.
"And there are sharks out there!" Cubot shrieked.
"Get going!" Robotnik snapped. "Now!"
The two of them quickly rushed out to do as they were told.
…
At the Kent house, Chuck gathered everyone in the living room. Helen, Cream and Cheese were set up by the couch as Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Amy, Keith, and Kat dominated the two couches.
"I'm glad you all could make it," He told them. "I have big news."
"What kind of news?" Tails asked.
Chuck pulled a large, manilla folder from his coat, dumping it out onto the coffee table. It included several passports, ID cards, and all sorts of government documents.
"I'm going to give everyone some official documents issued by the government that you'll need to hang on to."
"Documents?" Tails questioned.
"Yeah, stuff like your license and such." Kat pulled out her license, showing it to Tails as an example. "I'm sure you'll probably have a few of these."
"We never needed this stuff before," Knuckles commented. "Why should we need it now?"
"Well, you guys weren't registered citizens before," Keith pointed out. "Now that you are, you have to follow our rules."
Chuck went to Tails first, handing him a large stack of license cards.
"These will allow you to fly any kind of aircraft, and they clear you to fly in government airspace," he explained before pulling a slender, leather wallet from his pocket. "This is to help you keep track of them. It's got pocket sliders for easier handling."
"Uh… thanks," Tails replied, taking the wallet. "I guess if it's really necessary, I can't argue."
Chuck moved on.
"For Sonic, we have an ID card and an international passport with full security clearance. You can go wherever whenever. If anyone tries to stop you, just show them this. They'll give you a stamp and you'll be free to go."
"Huh," Sonic remarked. "Guess it would be cool to keep track of everywhere I've been."
"Now Cream," Chuck spoke up, "I have two pieces of paperwork for you. I have your id, and Cheese's pet registry."
"Pet registry?" Cream let out. "Cheese is not a pet! Cheese is my dear friend!"
Cheese let out an angry chirp, crossing his arms.
"Alright, calm down," Chuck insisted. "It was a misunderstanding."
"You better fix this! Cheese is a citizen just like me!"
"Alright, alright."
"What?!" Amy let out, looking at her license. "I look terrible!"
Kat leaned over, checking out the license. It had a picture of Amy from the restaurant the other day. She had her hammer out and appeared to be in the middle of a scream. Kat winced.
"Oof, of all the pictures they could have chosen..."
"I look like a complete lunatic!" Amy yelled.
Everyone else gathered around, then Keith noticed something in her bio information.
"Hang on… you're twelve?!"
"Yeah, so?"
"Sorry, I just thought you'd be older."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Amy snapped.
"Uh... hey Tails!" Keith called out, quickly dodging the question. "Out of curiosity, how old are all of you?"
"Me? I'm eight. Why do you ask."
"You're eight and you can fly a plane?"
"Is… that not normal around here?"
"Not really, no," Keith admitted.
"I'm six!" Cream happily cheered.
"That's not surprising," Keith noted.
"Sixteen, but you already knew that" Knuckles announced.
"I'm fifteen," Sonic concluded.
Keith was floored. Kat smirked, elbowing him.
"No wonder you and Sonic get along so well."
Chuck handed Knuckles his ID and passport, then turned to the two teens.
"I've also got something for the two of you," He told them, fishing out two passports. "Considering the two of you are constantly traveling with the group, you have also been granted full access passports."
"Sweet!" Kat cheered. "I can help with Emerald hunts outside of Station Square now!"
"That'll come in pretty handy," Keith admitted.
…
Later that day, the Tornado II was out on the runway, Tails, Keith, Amy, and Kat inside while Sonic and Knuckles were sitting on top of it. Sonic glanced down at Helen, giving her a sympathetic smile.
"Hey, Helen!" He called out. "I'm sorry you can't come with us! I'll try and bring you back a souvenir!"
"Thank you, Sonic!" She called back.
"Have fun!" Cream told them.
"You ninos be careful!" Ella insisted. "No funny stuff!"
"I make no such promises!" Kat cheered.
"Bye, dad!" Keith called out. "I'll see ya!"
"I'll be waiting!" Chuck called back.
The plane took off, vanishing from sight. Once they were gone, Chuck turned to Tanaka.
"Tanaka, do keep an eye on them. Just be sure to remain discrete."
"Yes, sir," Tanaka replied. "I will be invisible."
…
Onboard the Tornado II, everyone is sitting back and enjoying the ride. Amy had a magazine in her lap, which was showing several vacation spots. She flipped through the article on their destination: The Grand Blue Sapphire Sea.
"I can't wait to get there," she gushed. "The sea is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places on the whole planet. Just imagine was the sun set over the water will look like. I hear it's very romantic..."
Sonic just rolled his eyes as he leaned back on the wing. Kat made a gagging motion with her mouth and finger, getting a small chuckle out of Knuckles.
"Well you won't have to wait too much longer Amy," Tails replied. "We're approaching the Sapphire Sea now."
Amy looked out the window and saw the endless expanse of sparkling blue waters.
Everyone looked out while smiling, save for one hedgehog who merely cracked an eye open and grunted.
"Man, I can't wait to go swimming," Kat declared. "Never did get the chance to when we went to the Emerald Coast."
"No we didn't," Keith agreed. "Hopefully, there won't be any Eggman attacks to ruin our fun this time."
"Watch it. You just might jinx it," Knuckles joked.
As he said this, the entire plane began to shake. Everyone gasped, both Sonic and Knuckles grabbing onto the wings to stabilize themselves.
"Looks like you're the jinx this time, Knux," Sonic quipped before turning to Tails. "What's going on?"
"The Chaos Emerald is reacting to something," Tails explained. "Last time I saw this was at Diamond Stadium!"
"Another Chaos Emerald?" Amy asked.
"It's the only explanation!" Tails answered.
"Then that means there's a Chaos Emerald somewhere under the water," Keith realized. "We need to get it, and fast!"
"Hang on!" Tails called out. "I'm gonna take us down!"
...
The Tornado II landed on the outskirts of a coastal town, everyone giving a stretch.
"Seems like a nice town they got here," Sonic noted. "What do you say we head towards the beach."
"Sounds good," Keith agreed. "Hopefully we won't have to deal with any major hassles like in Station Square."
Kat gave a snort, pulling her bat out of the plane.
"Right. And Eggman will give up evil and start making macrame owls."
Everyone shared a laugh at that as they headed into town. Almost immediately, people began to stop and stare, turning to watch them.
"Hey, isn't that Sonic the Hedgehog?"
"Yes. It is him."
"I wonder what he's doin' here?"
Everyone began gathering together in a group, then they heard the sound of running feet approaching from behind. They turned, seeing a massive stampede of locals and travelers alike attempting to swarm the group.
"Stampede!" Keith shouted.
"Everyone, run!" Sonic commanded.
Instantly, everyone bolted from the pursuing crowd..
…
Not long after that, the group managed to lose their pursuers. Those lacking in the speed department were all doubled over, gasping for breath in the sand of the beach.
"It's official," Keith lamented. "We can't escape crowds no matter where we go."
"Being famous isn't any fun," Amy fumed. "I wish we could just blend in with the crowd, but that seems impossible,"
"Things were a lot easier when we had to hide out at your house, Keith," Tails commented.
"Hey, look on the bright side," Kat spoke up. "We managed to lose the crowd and we found a rather nice beach spot while we were running."
"Sweet!" Amy let out before looking around. "Hey, where'd Sonic go?"
Sure enough, the blue hedgehog was nowhere to be seen.
"Don't tell me he went ahead to search for the Emerald by himself," Keith muttered.
"No way," Knuckles scoffed, crossing his arms. "He's too much of a chicken to go after an underwater emerald, especially all by himself."
"Well forgive me if I don't think drowning myself is a fun pastime."
The others looked up to see some of Sonic's quills poking out from behind some rocks. They all climbed over it, seeing him reclining safely above the water.
"So here's where you're hiding," Knuckles quipped. "You planning on hiding here while the rest of us find the Emerald?"
"Hardly," Sonic replied. "But I won't be much help unless we find a way to get me to the bottom and I stay there a while."
"Right," Tails agreed. "We need some way to get you an air supply while you search."
"Is that all?" Amy asked, smirking. "I've got the perfect solution!"
She happily ran off as Kat and Keith exchanged looks.
"Should we wait this out and see what she comes up with?" Kat asked.
Keith gave a nod.
…
"Our problem is solved!" Amy declared, bringing back a long hose.
"I hope you're planning on sticking the other end of this in a milkshake," Sonic remarked as he held one end.
"Just put it in your mouth," she insisted. "We'll keep the other end above water so you can still breath, leaving you free to search."
Kat snorted.
"No way that hose will be long enough," she declared.
"Well, I don't see you coming up with a better idea," Amy remarked before turning to Sonic. "Just remember to keep a firm grip on your end."
"Right," Sonic replied, hesidently putting the hose in his mouth.
"Knuckles, make sure you're on standby for a quick rescue," Keith insisted. "I don't know how long this plan will last."
"I hear ya," Knuckles replied. "Good luck, Sonic. You'll need it."
Sonic then leapt into the water, sinking immediately to the bottom. He gave a few test puffs with his hose, finding that he could breath. With that tested, he began walking along the bottom, scanning the sea floor for the Emerald. Everything was going smoothly until the spool for the hose fell into the water, getting caught on some of the rocks. Sonic found himself suddenly stuck, unable to move any farther. He grasped the hose, trying to pull it loose. However, it was to no avail, as the spool wouldn't budge. As Sonic continued tugging, a crab happened by, scuttling right into Sonic's view. It eyed the hose, then Sonic. Sonic's eyes went wide as the crab raised a claw, severing the hose.
In an instant, Sonic was flailing around wildly, trying to get back up to the surface. Above him, bubbles began to rise, which was quickly noticed by Tails.
"Bubble alert!" he shouted. "Something must have happened to the hose!"
Suddenly, Sonic came springing out of the ocean, with the crab pinching his tail. He screamed, then went plummeting back into the water. Knuckles rolled his eyes.
"I got 'im!" he declared, diving into the water.
…
Tails gently removed the crab from Sonic's tail, tossing the small crab back into the water. Sonic rubbed his sore appendage as Knuckles shook water from his fur.
"Well, that was a bust," Knuckles remarked.
"Maybe so, but I think I have an idea," Tails remarked.
"And what might that be?" Sonic asked.
"Be right back."
Tails then flew off, everyone unsure of what he was up to. He soon returned, now lugging a large, brass bell in
"Here," Tails showed them. "Now you can bring air with you."
"A diving bell?" Kat questioned. "What is this, the 19th century?"
"This is the most dingaling thing I've ever heard of," Sonic remarked. "Where'd you even get that thing?"
Tails just gave a nervous laugh. Keith glanced back at the town, where he could see a small church was missing its bell.
…
Minutes later, Sonic is walking on the ocean floor with the bell over his head. Inside, he was sweating up a storm, and he was starting to get irritated.
"Not only is it hot in here, but I can't see a thing! You'd think Tails would at least make a window in here."
As Sonic kept walking, he tripped over a rock and dropped the bell.
"This trapped him in the small, confined space that was partially full of water and slowly running out of air.
"Oh no!" He shouted. "I'm trapped! How am I supposed to tell anyone I'm stuck!? I can't even ring for help!"
Luckily, Knuckles had been swimming above him and watched him fall. Rolling his eyes, the Echidna moved in for the rescue yet again.
…
Later, Knuckles dragged Sonic out with one hand and held the bell in the other. He threw Sonic onto the sand, where the hedgehog collapsed.
"I thought I was gonna die..." he muttered.
"And probably would've if I didn't come to rescue you," Knuckles remarked. "Again."
He then dumped out the bell, depositing several things of seaweed and a fair sized sea bass onto Sonic. He laid in the sand, letting out a long groan.
"Great… now there's a fish on my head." He sat up, pulling the fish off his head and tossing it into the water before crossing his arms in a clear pouting manner. "Any more bright ideas?"
"Perhaps now we can have our turn?" Kat suggested. "Preferably before someone tries to drown Sonic again and we make his aquaphobia worse."
"Please..." Sonic begged.
…
A little bit later, all of them were walking down the street, making their way towards a diving shop. The two teens stood in front of it as their Mobian friends examined it.
"What's this place?" Amy asked.
"It's a diving shop," Keith explained. "We can rent some scuba gear."
"Scuba gear?" Tails repeated.
"Professional equipment used while diving," Kat summarized. "We were gonna suggest coming here, but Amy ran off before we could."
"I wish you would have," Sonic remarked.
"I was trying to be helpful," Amy insisted.
"Well it left Sonic pretty helpless," Knuckles jeered.
"Oh, whatever," Amy dismissed.
The group entered the diving shop, the teens heading right for the counter.
"Excuse me," Keith greeted, "My friends and I need to rent some scuba gear. We need six air tanks and sets of flippers, and two pairs of goggles. Do you take credit?"
"Forget it," the owner replied. "It's on the house."
Keith and Kat both were surprised by this.
"The government sent out a notice to all shop owners that it'll cover your bills as part of its Sonic budget."
There was a pause.
"Is that why I was suddenly given a new truck the other day?" Kat questioned.
"I guess so," Keith assumed.
"Anything else I can get for you guys?"
"No, you've been more than kind," Keith insisted.
Tails looked around the shop when he saw a model ship on the counter. Twirling his tails, he moved up for a closer look.
"Wow, cool ship!" Tails commended. "It looks just like the one in the painting."
The owner looked at the painting on the wall Tails was talking about.
"Yeah, it's quite the tale, kid," the owner replied. "You see, this ship was lost at sea a long time ago. There's a legend that it sank near here with a huge load of gold. Lot of folks believe the legend's true."
"Wow..." Tails let out.
"C'mon!" Kat shouted. "We still need to rent a boat!"
"Good luck!" the owner called out as they left.
…
Later, the group rented a boat and headed out into the ocean. Keith, Amy, and Kat were now in their swimsuits, the two teens adjusting their goggles.
"Everyone ready to go?" Keith asked.
"As we'll ever be," Sonic remarked, looking over the side of the boat.
"Don't worry, Sonic," Amy assured him. "We'll be with you the entire time."
Sonic took a breath, nodding with a smile in response.
"Just make sure to move slowly and deliberately," Kat insisted. "Take long, deep breaths and you'll be okay."
"Right."
"Then let's go," Keith declared, putting on his breather and diving into the water.
One by one, they all dove into the water, Tails and Amy holding onto Sonic as they swam deeper.
…
Meanwhile a few miles away, the Egg Fort sprang up out of the water. It sat on the surface of the water, damaged and damp, but still operational.
"Alright, you two, get to work!" Robotnik ordered.
"I so despise underwater repair work," Orbot commented.
"I can already feel my joints rusting up," Cubot remarked. "Quick, get an oil can before I freeze up! Then maybe the Wizard will give me a heart."
"I'd say you're more in need of a brain," Robotnik remarked, turning on the TV.
"Now it's time for the SSTV Sonic news update. After defeating Dr. Robotnik, Sonic and his friends are taking a much-deserved holiday."
Robotnik sat up, snarling at the screen.
"HOLIDAY?! I strive to take out that hedgehog and he gets a holiday?!"
"What about us?" Orbot asked. "We haven't had a day off since we've been online."
"Yeah, robots need holidays too!" Cubot demanded.
"No, you don't," Robotnik shot down. "Now shut up!"
"Yes, sir," the two said at the same time.
Robotnik turned back to the screen, snarling at it.
"I'll make Sonic pay…"
…
Meanwhile, the group continued swimming in search of the Chaos Emerald. Tails had the one from the Tornado II in his hand, using it as a guide through the waters.
"How much farther, Tails?" Knuckles asked.
"Not much farther," Tails confirmed. "Judging by the Emerald's brightness, we must be getting closer!"
"Hey guys," Keith called back. "Up ahead!"
Everyone stopped, looking to see a large wreck of an old wooden ship. Everyone was absolutely stunned.
"That's the ship the dive shop owner was talking about," Tails gasped.
"You think that treasure is inside it?" Kat asked, rubbing her hands at the prospect.
"Only one way to find out," Tails declared.
They all swim towards the wreck.
…
Back on the surface, Bokkun was flying around the ocean, attempting to locate Sonic. The small devil soon located their boat, currently empty save for a pile of street clothes, a metal bat, and a familiar pair of worn red sneakers.
"So that's where Sonic and his buddies are," Bokkun noted. "Can't believe the speed hog went swimming."
The devil then eyed the shoes, a massive grin spreading across his face. He snagged them and dropped them in his bag, laughing maniacally as he flew off.
…
On the Egg Fort, Robotnik was reclining in a deck chair, sitting under an umbrella. Orbot was holding said umbrella as Cubot fanned him
"Hehe, while I'm waiting to capture Sonic, I'll catch a few rays too!"
About that time, Bokkun came flying back to the boat, still laughing from his little stunt. When he saw Robotnik's bathing suit, an ugly old timey number with red and white horizontal stripes, his laughter became even hard.
"Nice swimsuit, doc! Did you get that in prison?"
"Bokkun, welcome back. Did you find Sonic and his friends?"
"Kind of," Bokkun answered, fishing into his bag and pulling out the sneakers. "Sonic and his friends seem to have gone swimming!"
"Sonic? Swimming?" Robotnik reacted before letting out a maniacal laugh. "Now there's a fish tale I find hard to believe."
"I got his shoes, what more do you need?"
"Fair enough. This is a rather unique opportunity. Sonic has quite literally trapped himself in his one weakness: Water!" The doctor sat up, rubbing his hands together while chuckling darkly. "I'll send him and all his friends to a watery grave! Prepare to submerge!"
"But we just got this tub out of the water," Orbot reminded.
…
Inside the wrecked ship, the six divers moved through the rickety interior, searching every nook and cranny. It didn't take long for them to find their way into the main hold, where the ship's fabled treasure was being stored. All of them stared at the gold and jewels in utter amazement.
"Wow…" Tails let out. "The legend was right."
"This is… absolutely amazing!" Kat gasped.
"Just think of how much jewelry you could make with all this gold and jewels!" Amy gushed.
"There's only one jewel I'm worried about," Sonic spoke up. "Tails, is the Chaos Emerald with the treasure?"
"Looks like," Tails confirmed. "We're gonna have to dig through the treasure to find it."
"Then we better get to looking," Keith declared. "I'm not sure how much our air tanks will last."
"Stand back!" Knuckles insisted, pulling out his shovel claws.
He started digging through the treasure, some of the gold and smaller pieces gently floating back down to the bottom. As he dug, he managed to unearth a crab, one that was holding the blue Chaos Emerald in its pinchers.
"You've got to be kidding me," Sonic commented.
"What are the odds?" Keith remarked.
"Now, how do we get the Emerald from the crab?"
Sonic approached the grab, looking visibly ticked off.
"Hey! We need that Chaos Emerald. Drop it, or I'll give you something to really be crabby about."
The crab seemed to meet his eyes, then it tossed the Emerald at Amy before scuttling to safety. Amy held the Emerald in her hand, smiling.
"Four Emeralds down, three to go," she announced.
"One step closer to going home!" Sonic declared.
"Not so fast, Hedgehog!" Robotnik's voice called out.
Everyone turned, shocked to see the Egg Fort descending towards them.
"Well, well, seems someone decided to take a working vacation! Clurken! Put the sting on that hedgehog!"
From the bowels of the Egg Fort, a robotic jellyfish emerged, shimmering with pink and green lights as it swam at the group.
"Everyone back to the boat!" Sonic declared. "I can handle this tin can."
"Just be careful!" Keith warned.
Sonic shot a thumbs up as everyone swam back to the surface. Clurken then shot out one of his tentacles towards Sonic, prompting him to leap out of the way. Sonic then tried to run at the beast, only to remember two important facts: he was still underwater, and he was wearing flippers. The flippers ended up dragging in the dirt before getting caught on some of the rocks. The flippers then snapped off, sending Sonic rolling across the mud.
"Aw man! As if I needed more reason to hate water!"
In the Egg Fort, Robotnik was doubling over in laughter.
"It only figures that water would make the perfect speed trap!"
Sonic ripped off the destroyed flippers, growling slightly. That's when Clurken snapped him up in a tentacle, bringing him up so he was level with Robotnik's main window. Inside, he could see Robotnik laughing, Bokkun floating next to him with his sneakers in hand.
"My sneakers!" Sonic shouted. "Give those back!"
"I think not," Robotnik remarked. "Clurken, let's send him up!"
The robot tossed Sonic into the ship, then began firing missiles from all of its tendrils. The ship, the ravine, and several massive rocks exploded, the sheer force sending Sonic towards the surface.
…
Up on the surface, everyone climbed into the boat, removing their scuba gear. As they did, Amy looked at the boat, noticing something.
"Hey! Sonic's sneakers are gone!"
"What?" Tails questioned. "Where could they have gone?"
"You don't think they fell overboard, do you?" Kat questioned.
"No way," Knuckles said with a shake of his head. "If anything, I say Eggman probably took them to taunt Sonic. He knows how much those shoes mean to him."
"That's pretty petty," Kat remarked.
"Well, petty is Eggman's middle name," Amy scoffed.
"Ahoy, Master Keith!"
Everyone looked up and saw Tanaka in a much larger boat than their rental. He pulled alongside them, sending out a boarding plank.
"Everyone, get aboard!" Tanaka commanded. "We don't have much time!"
"Thanks for the save," Keith replied. "What are you doing out here anyway?"
"I promised your father I'd keep an eye on you in case you got in trouble. Considering your excursions rarely end well, I figured it best to be prepared."
"Couldn't agree more."
…
Back underwater, Sonic managed to dodge one of Clurken's tentacle attacks before grabbing onto the tentacle itself. Clurken just whipped the tentacle around, then launched Sonic up. The hedgehog burst out of the water and into the air, where Sonic removed his oxygen tank and tossed it aside. Sonic then looked down and saw Clurken surfacing, shooting out its tentacles at him. Sonic moved to dodge them, but quickly found himself tangled up in them.
"Hey! Let me go!" Sonic let out.
From Tanaka's boat, the rest of the group could see Sonic's unfortunate predicament.
"Sonic!" Keith shouted. "Let him go, Eggman!"
"Keith, bad choice of words!" Kat said quickly. "Sonic's not wearing his oxygen tank anymore!"
"Master Keith," Tanaka spoke up. "Come with me. I may have a solution."
Keith followed Tanaka as he led the teen to the bottom of the boat, where a jet ski was waiting. Keith grinned, jumping on as Tanaka opened a slot on the back of the boat. Keith darted out onto the water, swinging around.
"Knuckles!" he shouted. "Get on! We need to help Sonic!"
"Right!" Knuckles replied, following after.
He jumped onto the back of the jet ski as Keith began zooming towards Clurken. As they got in close, Knuckles grabbed a water skiing handle, standing up and aiming it at Sonic.
"Grab on!" He shouted.
He tossed the handle to Sonic, who quickly caught it. It pulled him away, allowing him to ski along the surface of the water.
"Thanks!" Sonic called to the two.
Clurken turned towards Sonic and fired several missiles at them. Keith frantically swerved around the missile attacks, with Sonic and Knuckles doing the same to avoid getting hit. As Clurken continued firing, Robotnik surfaced in his dome-covered Eggmobile, viewing the shenanigans from inside. When he saw what was happening, he gave an amused smile.
"So, the little brat decided to get involved for once. This should be interesting."
Keith then turned to jet ski towards Clurken, circling around him and making him hard to hit. He gunned the engines as hard as he could, picking up speed.
"Knuckles, when I give the signal, I need you to grab Sonic's ski cord and whip it as hard as you can. We need Sonic airborne."
"You got it!" Knuckles called back.
"Let's do this!" Sonic let out.
They circled a few more times, Keith doing some calculations in his head.
"NOW!"
Knuckles then whipped the cord forward, launching Sonic right at Clurken. Sonic tucked into a spin dash and shot right through the robot, blowing it up. He then launched at the Eggmobile, shattering the glass and grabbing his shoes before kicking the Eggmobile. The force of the attack launched it away as Sonic flew through the air. As he began his downward descent, Tails flew up and grabbed his hand.
"You okay Sonic?" He asked.
Sonic gripped his sneakers in his hand.
"I am now, Tails."
…
"So you guys found the sunken ship?" the diving shop owner remarked as the group returned. "So the legend was true all along."
"Yeah, but Eggman's robot wrecked the wreck," Tails lamented. "Whatever's left of the treasure got buried at the bottom of the sea."
"I see… Even so, you still saw the ship. It does exist." The owner sighed wistfully. "You know, my great-grandfather was the captain of that ship when it sank."
"Really?"
"Yeah. My dad always told me stories about him and his travels, and I spent years trying to find it. Now thanks to you and your friends, I finally have proof that it was real. Thank you."
Tails smiled happily upon hearing that.
…
On Tanaka's boat, Sonic pulled his shoes onto his feet, sighing as he felt the familiar tightness.
"I am never taking these off again."
"Hey Sonic, we're about to head back to Station Square," Keith called out. "You want to stop in town and get that souvenir you promised Helen?"
"No need," Sonic replied, pulling a gold bracelet out of his fur. "I got it covered."
…
Back on the sunken Egg Fort, Robotnik sat in his, once again, broken ship. Orbot and Cubot were hard at work once more as the doctor watched the news.
"Dr. Robotnik struck again today with a new robot, but was quickly defeated by Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic went on to continue his vacation-"
Robotnik shut off the TV in frustration.
"Rest while you can Sonic. You'll need it."