Six months had passed since Chaos Control had brought the Mystic Ruins and Angel Island to the shores of Station Square. Things had quieted down since then and Robotnik was nowhere to be seen. In light of this, The President gathered his aids, Rouge, Topaz, and Mr. Stewart into the oval office
"It's been six months since Chaos Control, and I still don't understand what happened," The President shared. "Why didn't it send Sonic and the others home like we thought it would?"
"We're not sure, sir," Christine informed him. "Nor do we fully understand why part of their home was brought here."
"Luckily, the people seem to be taking it in stride," Jerome declared. "Mystic Ruin has just been connected to Station Square via train and it has apparently become a tourist attraction. Measures are being taken to preserve its natural beauty, most in part to the Mobian Tails, who apparently owns a workshop in the area."
"That's all well and good, but my biggest concern is Dr. Robotnik. He hasn't been seen or heard from since it happened."
"There's an ongoing search for Dr. Robotnik," Topaz informed him. "Intelligence teams are working round the clock with global tracking software and surveillance satellites. When Robotnik shows himself, and he will, we'll find him."
"I only hope it's enough."
"Probably not," Rouge commented. "Eggman's notorious for always slipping through the cracks. Even back home, nobody could catch him."
"Rouge," Topaz hissed.
"I'm just being honest. Eggman's too smart for any of us."
"I hate to admit it, but Rouge is right," the President let out, "All this time of quiet could just be him plotting his next move. Whatever it might be."
"We're doing everything we can, sir," Topaz informed him. "At the moment, it's all we can do."
"Very well. Oh, and one more thing. How are Sonic and his friends doing, anyway?"
Mr. Stewart stepped forward, pulling a small notebook from his pocket.
"They seem to be adjusting surprisingly well," he began. "Miles Prower, AKA Tails has decided to move back into his workshop, though he still visits the Kent household on a daily basis. Amy Rose has moved out as well, getting herself an apartment and opening a small diner downtown. The business is profiting quite nicely and continues to draw in a crowd. Cream the Rabbit remains in the Birnbaum household alongside Helen, the two frequenting the Kent House almost as often as Tails. Knuckles has gone to the floating island, identified as Angel Island, and has expressed a desire to keep the island free of tourists and visitors. So far, the only person he has allowed on the island is Kat Winters, who seems to have taken up residence there."
"Do we know anything about the purple cat that was with them after this happened?"
"Knuckles identified her as 'Chessie' and simply declared that she was 'not a threat'. She has since disappeared, seemingly to explore our world."
The President gave a nod.
"What about Sonic himself?"
"Nothing. No one's seen him since Chaos Control either. Last reports say he was running off into the jungle."
The President's face became grim at that, his fingers knitting together.
"He's been gone too long..."
"Relax," Rouge told him. "Sonic is bound to show up sooner or later. Just you wait. The second things go south, he'll come speeding in to save the day."
"I hope you're right, Rouge. I hope you're right…"
…
That night on Angel Island, Knuckles and Kat were working together to string up a hammock in a fair sized tree house. It was rather simple in design, with a rope ladder leading to the ground and portioned out like a tiny, studio home. It had some basic amenities, including a kitchenette and a small bathroom, but most of the area was taken up by a living area set up for the two of them. Knuckles' favorite beanbag had been positioned by a large window, giving him a perfect view of the Master Emerald Shrine. This allowed him to continue his duties while also enjoying some basic comforts.
"Looks like we're all set," Kat noted.
"Looks like," Knuckles agreed. "Can't believe we actually did it."
"I can't believe we convinced my dad to let me stay here."
"Well, it is conditional."
"Yeah, yeah, keep going to school, keep my grades above a C, and come home for dinner every Sunday, excluding Chaos Emerald adventures."
"Hey, it could be worse."
"True. He could have said no." Her stomach then began growling audibly. "And that's our dinner cue. How does mac and cheese sound?"
Before Knuckles could answer, something occured that caused the treehouse to shake violently. Both of them quickly grabbed onto whatever they could to support themselves, exchanging worried looks.
"What was that?!" Kat exclaimed.
"I don't know, I-" Knuckles' words died in his mouth when he caught sight outside. "The Master Emerald!"
He instantly leapt out the window, gliding towards the Shrine. Kat quickly scrambled to chase after him, hooking onto a zipline set up for her. They both touched down at the same time, seeing the Master Emerald laying in pieces before them. Knuckles gathered a few pieces in his hands, his entire body shaking.
"No…" he let out.
"Uh, Knuckles…" Kat let out, pointing towards where the Emerald once was.
Knuckles looked and saw a creature unlike any other. It seemed to be made out of water, a brain floating in the center of its head as two bright green eyes seemed to lock onto the pair.
"You! Did you do this?!" Knuckles demanded.
The creature said nothing, prompting Knuckles to strike. He ended up just passing right through the creature, its watery physique making attacks impossible. Kat even tried swinging her bad at its brain, but it merely bent itself to avoid the blow. The creature then batted them backwards, knocking them down the steps of the Shrine. They landed hard, picking themselves up.
"What is that thing?" Kat questioned.
"I don't know!" Knuckles answered. "I've never seen anything like it!"
Just as they looked up, the creature seemed to melt into a puddle, disappearing from sight. That's when the shaking began.
"What's going on?!" Kat exclaimed.
"The Emerald is what was keeping Angel Island in the air! Without it, it falls into the ocean!" He slammed his fist into the ground, then grabbed Kat and pulled her close. "Brace yourself!"
The island then plummeted into the water below, creating a massive tidal wave that rolled across the sea.
…
Miles away on the misty, stormy shores of the Mystic Ruins, a very large, very round cat was asleep under a tree. He had a fishing pole in his hand, the line out in the ocean as he calmly fished. By his side was a little frog that was curled up right under his arm. As they rested, the ground shook as a bright light streaked across the night sky. Both the cat and the frog awoke, sitting up and rubbing their eyes.
"Huh… what was that…?" the cat asked, his deep and very slow.
The frog jumped ahead, heading for the source.
"Hey, Froggy, wait for me!"
The cat followed Froggy as it hopped towards the source of the light. As the cat caught up to Froggy, he found him standing in front of a yellow Chaos Emerald that was lodged into some rocks.
"Wow. Look at that, Froggy! It's so shiny!" He picked it up, looking it over. "Think it belongs to someone, Froggy?"
Froggy just ribitted in response, then he heard a strange gurgling noise emanating from the rock pile. Froggy hopped closer and saw a small stream of water flowing from the rocks. As Froggy got closer, the water actually shot out, forcing itself down Froggy's throat.
"Hey, are you ok, little buddy?" the cat asked.
Suddenly, Froggy began to shake, then he started growing a tail out of his back. The cat went wide eyed at the sight.
"Am I seeing things, Froggy? You're growing a tail!"
Froggy turned around, his eyes glassy before he jumped up, swallowing the Chaos Emerald in the cat's hand. He then hopped off into the jungle, the cat scrambling to catch up.
"Froggy! Where are you going?! Wait for me!"
…
The next morning at the Birnbaum house, everyone was in the midst of eating breakfast.
"Mmm," Helen let out. "These scrambled eggs are delicious."
"I'm glad you like them sweetie," her dad told her. "Make sure to finish them quickly. I need to drop you and Cream off at the Kents before heading for work."
"Ok."
"More toast Cream?" Dr. Birnbaum asked.
"Yes please," Cream replied. "And some for Cheese too."
Cheese chirped happily as he took the toast and bit into it. The two girls giggled in response.
…
At Naoto Ohshima High School, Keith left his latest class, painfully aware of the absence of Kat. He gave her a call during his lunch, but the call went instantly to voicemail.
"Hey, it's Kat. Leave a message!"
"Hey Kat, it's Keith. Just wondering why you weren't at school today. Hope you're doing ok."
Keith hung up, then just stared at his phone. The wallpaper was an image of him with Sonic, the hedgehog giving him a peace sign while winking. Keith smiled a little before putting the phone away.
"Seems like everyone's off somewhere. Kat's with Knuckles, Tails is in the Mystic Ruins, Amy's out in the city, and Sonic… I don't even know where he is."
He sighed, hitching his backpack onto his shoulder before looking out the window.
"Where are you, Sonic?"
…
In the midst of the Mystic Ruins, Sonic stood on a cliff overlooking the vast jungle.
"Nothing…" he let out. "I've searched this jungle from one end to the other for the past six months, and nothing."
He plopped down on the ground, pulling out a Mobian ring and tossing it to himself.
"I really thought you might be here…" He lamented before snagging the ring mid air. "Well, if I can't find anyone from my old home, I might as well get back to my new one."
With that, Sonic leapt off the cliff and landed on the ground, speeding off.
…
Back in the city, Amy Rose sat in her apartment, gazing out the window. She sighed longingly.
"I thought I would enjoy having a place of my own after months of sharing a place with everyone… but now it just feels so empty. Once I close my diner for the day, I have no one to talk to. I miss the banter, the adventures, even our pointless little fights. Now everyone's gone their separate ways. Even Sonic disappeared."
In a moment of desperation, Amy opened up the window, sticking her head out.
"Sonic!" she shouted. "Where are you?!"
"Hey, keep it down!" a neighbor called. "Some of us are tryin' ta enjoy a QUIET morning!"
"Sorry!" Amy apologized, closing the window again before sighing. "Oh why am I worried? Sonic will return. He always does. I just have to be patient."
…
Meanwhile, in a secret base, Dr. Robotnik was putting the latest touches on his latest series of robots: the E-100 series.
"Ready the animals!" He ordered.
Orbot and Cubot came in, several orbs in their arms. Each contained a small Mobian bird, better known as a Flickie, inside. There were even a few mobini rabbits and squirrels as well contained within the orbs. Five of them were put into five multi colored robots with laser guns in place of hands.
"Activate power surge now!"
They obliged, activating the robots one by one. They stepped down from their docking stations, approaching a large roof full of Sonic the Hedgehog an observation deck just above the targets, Robotnik watched his latest creations line up.
"Time for a little target practice..."
They readied their weapons and opened fire, destroying them instantly. Upon witnessing the destruction, Robotnik cackled gleefully.
"Excellent!" Robotnik proclaimed. "I think these may be my greatest works yet."
"I must say, installing animals as a power source is quite inventive," Orbot commended. "But why not just put them through the Roboticizer?"
"Because, that's reserved for Mobians. These tiny things would hardly make worthwhile robots themselves. Besides, the robots draw energy from the mobini's life force, making them literal organic batteries!"
"Cool!" Cubot cheered. "I've been meaning to go organic. Think I could have one of those batteries?"
"No."
"Ok."
"Now then," Robotnik let out, turning to the robots. "You are the first of my brand new E-100 series robots. Each of you has been programmed to obey my orders, and my orders alone."
"Time for a roll call," Orbot let out. "E-101, Beta."
A black robot stepped forward.
"Beta," it let out.
"E-102, Gamma," Orbot continued.
The red robot, and the only one with a hand, stepped forward.
"Gamma."
"E-103, Delta."
A blue robot stepped forward.
"Delta."
"E-104, Epsilon."
The orange robot stepped forward.
"And lastly, E-105, Zeta."
Finally, the purple robot took its place.
"Zeta."
"As far as these names go, it's all Greek to me," Robotnik commented, grinning from ear to ear as he rubbed his hands together maliciously. "Now, to create a little chaos."
…
In a secluded part of the ocean, a massive airship began rising out of the water. It was so massive that it made the two previous Egg Forts look like children's toys. It was heavily armored with a red, yellow, black and white colored hull, an open deck, and the Robotnik's decal emblazoned upon it. Each side was covered by a large plate of armor which could be folded out into wings, and on the front was a pointy bow which could fold out into a cannon. On the rear rested two massive engines.
"It seems my new Egg Carrier is performing to standards," Robotik noted. "Excellent! Time to blast off!"
The wings folded out and the engines powered up, rocketing into the horizon as Robotnik cackled menacingly.
"I'm back! And this time, nothing can stop me!"
…
Back in Station Square, school had just let out, and everyone was heading home happily. Keith kinda trudged out the door, preparing to walk home. However, that's when he noticed a stretch limo pulled up in front of the school, his mother standing in front of it and waving.
"Keith!" she called out, her entire form brightening. "Keith, over here!"
"Mom?!" Keith let out, running over to the limo. "Mom, what are you doing here?"
Lindsey immediately embraced her son, holding him closing.
"Keith, darling, I'm so glad I caught you! Come, come, inside."
Keith climbed in as the limo drove off.
"So, what's with the escort?" Keith asked.
"Oh, I have the most wonderful of surprises, darling. I was so excited I simply couldn't wait. But first, we need to get back home. Your little rabbit friend should be there, yes? The one with that adorable little creature?"
"Cream and Cheese, yeah."
"Perfect! Driver, take us home!"
The driver nodded, the limo pulling out of the school parking lot.
…
Later, everyone was gathered in the Kent family living room. Cream, Cheese, Helen, and Keith were utterly floored when Lindsey produced a jewelry box, revealing the purple Chaos Emerald.
"A Chaos Emerald?!" Keith let out. "That's incredible! Where'd you find it?"
"I saw it in a jewelry shop last week. I remembered that whole debacle with the gem during my anniversary and recalled how eager your friends were to have it, so I snatched it up right then and there."
"We really appreciate it," Cream told her. "Thank you."
"Oh, think nothing of it," Lindsey reassured. "Anything to bring a smile back to my precious baby boy's face. You've been so dour lately I just had to do something."
"I appreciate it, mom," Keith told her. "Thanks. I'm gonna get this to Tails. He'll know how to keep it safe."
"Just be careful," Lindsey cautioned. "Those 'Mystic Ruins' make me feel a little uneasy."
"I'll be careful," Keith reassured. "Come on guys, let's go!"
Cream cheered, hopping into Helen's lap as Keith took hold of the chair. Lindsey handed the box to Cream and the small group headed off.
"Bye mom! Thanks again!"
"Bye sweetie! And say hi to that nice fox boy for me!"
…
Keith pushed Helen down the sidewalk of downtown Station Square, Cream still marvelling at the Emerald.
"I can't believe the gem ended up in a jewelry store again," Helen remarked.
"It must have really liked it the first time," Cream commented.
"Maybe," Keith replied. "Still, it's lucky we found it first."
As they walked along, a large frog began hopping towards them. It ended up smacking right into Helen's chair as they rounded a corner, falling backwards with a loud ribbit.
"What the…" Keith let out.
"What's that?" Helen asked.
"It looks like a frog, but it's got a tail," Cream recognized.
Keith scooped up, the frog, looking it over.
"It doesn't look like any frog I've ever seen."
"It's a mobini frog," Cream explained. "It must be from the Mystic Ruin."
"Froggy!"
Everyone turned to see the big cat running towards them. When the frog saw the cat approach, it immediately hopped away. The cat tried to chase after it, but was already very tired and simply had to stop to catch his breath.
"Aw, Froggy…"
"You ok, mister?" Keith asked.
The cat looked at him, then at Cream. Then he seemed to slump, falling onto the sidewalk in defeat.
"Why is Froggy acting so weird? He's never been like this before..."
"That frog was yours?" Helen asked.
"Sort of. My name's Big, and Froggy's been my best buddy for years. But lately, he's been acting strange. Running away from me. Eating that weird gem we found-"
"A weird gem?" Keith interjected. "Did it happen to look like this?"
Cream held up the Chaos Emerald, letting Big take a look. He squinted a bit, then he shook his head.
"No. This gem was yellow, not purple."
"Sounds like Froggy swallowed a Chaos Emerald," Keith recognized. "We'd better find him."
"You mean, you'll help me?" Big realized.
"Of course we will," Cream answered. "I know how special a friend can be. Right Cheese?"
Cheese let out a chirp and a nod. Helen pumped her fist.
"Alright. Let's get to frog hunting!"
…
The next few hours were spent scouring the city for Froggy. They searched high and low, asking around and just trying everything they could to find him. Unfortunately, the tiny amphibian was nowhere to be seen. Eventually, it began to get dark, and there was still no sign of Froggy.
"We've been out here for hours," Keith realized. "I think we should all go home for the night."
"No!" Big insisted. "I can't go home! Not without Froggy!"
Suddenly, there was some rustling from a nearby bush.
"Froggy?" Big let out. "Is that you?"
Instead of Froggy, a puddle of water emerged from the bush, coalescing in front of the group.
"What is that stuff?" Helen asked.
"It looks like the stuff Froggy swallowed," Big recalled.
"You've seen this before?" Keith asked.
"I saw him drink it, and then Froggy grew a tail."
The strange puddle then began to rise up from the ground, forming the very creature from Angel Island. While the others backed away in horror, Cheese chirped happily before trying to walk towards it.
"Cheese!" Cream called out, trying to stop her friend.
The creature turned to the pair, reaching out for Cheese. However, rather than hurt the Chao, it just seemed to pat him on the head, making a gurgling noise that almost sounded affectionate. It then walked past them, heading towards the street. There, it was almost run over by a cab, but the creature stopped it, grabbing the front of the car and flipping it over. As it crashed on the ground, the crowds on the street instantly ran for cover.
"Big, keep an eye on Helen and Cream," Keith told him. "Keep them as far away from that thing. I'm gonna see what I can do to help!"
"Ok," Big agreed.
"Be careful, Keith," Cream insisted.
Keith nodded, taking off his glasses and putting on his goggles.
…
Across the rooftops of Station Square, a blue blur raced vigorously through the city. Finally coming to a stop, Sonic the Hedgehog looked over the city in delight.
"Hello, Station Square! Man, it is good to be back!"
Sirens then reached his ears, causing him to perk. He looked down, seeing a squad of police cars streaking down the street, a helicopter following not far behind.
"Not exactly the welcome home I expected. Oh well."
Sonic then took off to follow.
…
Back on the street, Keith managed to catch up with the creature as the police surrounded it.
"You are completely surrounded!" one of the cops announced. "Surrender, or we will open fire!"
The creature didn't seem to listen, prompting the cops to open fire. Unfortunately, the bullets didn't seem to do anything to it.
"Sir, our weapons are useless!" A second cop recognized.
"Retreat! All personnel, fall back!"
As the police fell back, Keith tried scanning the creature with his goggles. However, all he got was fluctuating energy readings, and not much else.
"Damn, nothing. Now what?"
The creature continued wreaking havoc, smashing cars and toppling traffic lights. When it also knocked down a power line, snapping a few wires, an idea came to him. He dashed over to the wires and slipped off his jacket, using it to grab hold of the cables.
"Hey, tough guy! Over here!"
The creature turned towards Keith and lumbered to him menacingly. Once he was close enough, Keith tossed the wires at him. When they connected, power coursed through the creature, causing it to roar in pain.
"Yes!"
The creature then grabbed the cables, ripping them out and tossing them aside. When it glared at Keith, there was sheer hatred in its green eyes.
"Uh oh."
The creature reached forward, scooping up Keith in its wet hand.
"Let him go, ya big drip!"
The creature and Ketih turned to see Sonic launching towards them, spin dashing right into the splattered into oblivion, dropping Keith. He landed hard as Sonic touched down in front of him, giving his friend a smile.
"You alright, Keith?"
"Yeah. Great to see you again."
"What? You didn't think I was gone for good, did ya?"
The creature began to reform, reminding the two of their current situation.
"So Keith, what exactly is this thing?"
"I don't know. My scans don't recognize anything about it."
"That's not good."
The creature stretched a claw out once again, prompting Sonic to grab Keith and move out of the way. After setting Keith down, Sonic turned back to the creature, trying to come up with a plan.
"Got any ideas?" He asked.
"It reacted when I shocked it, but I didn't do much more than piss it off."
"Well there has to be something we can do."
"What about its brain?" Keith suggested. "It's the only fleshy part of this monster. It may also be its only weakness."
"Good call. Let me try something!"
Sonic then took off towards a building. He ran up it before performing a U-turn and coming back down. He rolled into a spin dash and sped right towards the creature's brain. As expected, his feet connected and he felt the brain squish under his feet. Keith pumped his fist.
"Yes!" He then had another idea. "Sonic, the cables!"
Sonic looked back, seeing the two discarded cables. He gave a nod, flipping off of the creature and grabbing them.
"Alright! Come and get me!"
The creature turned towards them and moved forward. Sonic tossed the cables at the creatures brain, causing it to truly scream in agony, melting itself down to avoid the pain.
"Guess he couldn't take the heat," Sonic remarked.
"What was that thing anyway?" Keith wondered.
"No clue."
…
"I think it's safe now," Big observed.
"It's a good thing Sonic was here," Cream spoke.
Just as they walked towards Keith and Sonic, a claw shot out of nowhere and grabbed the box the Chaos Emerald was being held in.
"The Emerald!" Helen let out.
"Don't mind if I do," a familiar voice declared before laughing maniacally.
Keith and Sonic looked up to see Robotnik hovering over them, holding the stolen Chaos Emerald.
"Eggman!" Sonic let out. "Was wondering where you'd been."
"Sorry to keep you waiting Sonic," Robotnik replied. "But I needed to take a slight Chaos Control break to restrategize. Now I'm back, and ready to rumble."
"Give us back that Chaos Emerald!" Cream demanded. "It doesn't belong to you!"
"Quite right, my dear. It belongs to my new friend, Chaos."
"Chaos?" Sonic and Keith said at the same time.
Just then, the creature resurfaced, appearing in front of them.
"The creature!" Keith shouted. "Did you create that thing?!"
"Found him, actually. The important thing is that this is a being of pure Chaos. And wait until you see the best part."
Robotnik then tossed the Chaos Emerald towards Chaos, allowing him to absorb it. It then began growing taller and even sporting a metal arm beneath its watery skin.
"It got bigger!" Keith let out.
"That's right," Robotnik confirmed. "His strength increases every time I feed him a Chaos Emerald. Once he has all seven, he'll be invincible! I think the first thing I'll have him do is destroy Station Square, and amongst its ruins I'll build New Robotropolis! What do you say to that, Sonic?!"
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" He swore.
"Don't get too excited just yet, Sonic!" Robotnik swore. "You've only seen Chaos at a fraction of his true power! Next time, you won't be so lucky!"
Chaos began to melt away once again, disappearing down a storm drain. Robotnik let out another signature laugh, flying away. The group watched them leave, understandably nervous.
"That was Eggman!" Big declared. "What's he up to?"
"The usual shtick," Sonic remarked. "Unleashing pure chaos."
"What do we do, Sonic?" Keith questioned.
"What we do best, Keith." He turned in the direction Robotnik had gone, crossing his arms and smirking. "We stop him!"