A/N: Another long wait, another chapter posted on My Own Worst Enemy. Honestly, so long as I don't start a new oneshot or project, I'll be completing this story soon enough. All that will be left is my Mario and Sonic crossover that I still need to finish. So without further ado, let's get right back into the adventure!
Disclaimer: This story is written for entertainment purposes. I do not own Sonic at all.
Chapter 15: Down to the Wire
~Mystic Ruins
With the dreaded news of Tails' current status, the Revengeful Resistance all got up from their rooms and gathered around the main computer room. Raff was given the responsibility to use the fox's trusty tablet to get a clue on where they can find the seven Chaos Emeralds. He boarded one of the shuttles, accompanied by his older brother and the Chaotix. The remainder stayed behind at HQ, concurring to wait around until they had a clear idea of where to search. Raff promised to touch base if he got an update.
As the crewmates landed their shuttle outside of Sonic and Tails' home, situated on one of the highest hills in the Mystic Ruins, Raff led the group to the front door. With Sonic's directions, he pressed a secret button underneath the doorknob, revealing a small compartment from the built-in doorbell on the wall. A secret key was hidden within, and Raff used it to unlock the house.
"Crafty. Maybe I should ask Tails if he can build a security system like this if we ever get a new place to live," Raff made a note for himself.
"How in the world can you ask him if he's basically dead? Ow!" Charmy squealed when he felt a slap on his helmet.
"Cut it out, Charmy! Tails is far from dead! We refuse to believe that thought again!" reprimanded Vector.
"Okay, okay! No need to whack me," the bee's face puckered while he crossed his arms in feigned annoyance.
"The workshop should be downstairs in the basement. Sonic said the Miles Electric was likely stored there," stated Espio.
"Wow, so this is what Sonic and Tails' house looks like. Pretty spacious and cozy. I would love to get a house like this. Ugh, what am I thinking? Getting sidetracked here," Savage shook his head.
The five Mobians strolled down the creaky stairs. Raff flipped up a switch, turning on the flickering light bulb that brightened up the room. Tails' workshop mainly consisted of a large, wooden workbench with tons of useful tools hung on the walls or stored in his drawers. A couple of blueprints, sketches, and an assortment of writing utensils were scattered on the desk the last time Tails was busy brainstorming or coming up with a new invention. He never bothered to tidy up the mess. Then again, the young kit hardly had a chance to do some spring cleaning – or rather, winter cleaning. Nevertheless, the workshop remained intact and mostly organized.
Raff smiled as he found Tails' yellow tablet lying on a separate counter. He took a few moments to inspect the electronic gadget before powering it on. It didn't take him long to be accustomed to the layout or the controls. From there, he began a couple of diagnostics to get the system running.
"Okay, let's see here," he mumbled out loud, speaking to himself. "Do a little bit of this, a little bit of that, not to mention the tedious process of waiting for some stuff to load..."
"How much longer will it take?" Savage wondered.
"I hope it won't be too long. We got precious seconds that we're throwing away, but this is our best chance to find the Emeralds since we don't know where to begin." He paused for a moment when a strong signal was indicated. "Huh, that's weird."
"What's up?" Vector stood behind the red wolf.
"You mean the sky?" Charmy butted in.
"Not the right time, Charmy," Espio shushed the bee.
"There is a very strong energy spike coming from the Miles Electric. I think it's detecting a Chaos Emerald in this very room!" Raff concluded.
He held the tablet in front of him like he was using a metal detector to discover treasure buried in the sand. The signal either became faint or louder as he waved it around the workshop. Soon, Raff was getting hot on the trail. He approached a closet with a couple of metal drawers Tails kept for storage. He rifled through each individual compartment from top to bottom until he found the prize.
"Bingo!" Raff yelled as he swiped up a yellow Chaos Emerald from the last shelf.
"Hey, would you look at that!" Savage smiled. "Nice find, little bro!"
"Thanks! But I'm kinda surprised we managed to get one this quickly! I wonder how it was even uncovered in the first place. Not only that, why did Tails secure it here?"
"Eh, let's not dwell on the specifics or the whole story. What matters is we can use this Chaos Emerald to potentially track down the other six very easily!" Vector beamed.
"Exactly. Maybe if you can tap into the Emerald's energy, we can use the map to get a solid bearing of where we can survey. Although it might take some more time out of our hands, this could pay dividends to get the Emeralds and resuscitate Tails," inferred Espio.
Charmy let out a huge yawn. "Yeah, and the quicker we get those Emeralds, the quicker we can go back to sleep!"
"Okay, then. I hope you guys don't mind lingering around for a while. I'll definitely work on it now," asserted Raff.
"If you need any extra help, let us know and we'll do our best," offered Savage.
"Thanks, bro," the younger wolf gave him a smile. "Now, let's get down to business."
~Casino Night Zone
The sun began to peek out from the horizon as a new morning dawned over Mobius. This wasn't one of those average days where everyone was getting ready for another round of rebuilding the planet. The Resistance had put that aside as they were now focused on a brand-new mission.
After Raff was able to link the yellow Chaos Emerald to the tracker on the Miles Electric, he sent out a public report to the rest of the members on where he suspected the other six were located. To make it easier, Raff sent an electronic signal to his friends' communicators. With these, the gang had a better chance of tracking them down.
One of those general locations was in Casino Night Zone.
Exploring the region was Team Dark. They were rushing past neon lights, slot machines, and tall buildings as they followed the signal on their devices. Shadow sped through with his shoes, leading the charge as Rouge and Omega flew right near him.
"Hmm... I can't tell if we're getting closer or running in circles. Should we even trust this indicator?" doubted Shadow.
"Hey, I'm not giving the little wolf the benefit of the doubt. He's just as tech-savvy as Tails. When has he ever misled us in the wrong direction?" defended Rouge.
"It's not like I don't trust him. I'll give credit where it's due. But similar to the failed birthday party, we can't afford to waste our time if things don't materialize our way."
"Calculations and simulations have been processed. Chances of uncovering the Chaos Emerald net us an 80% chance of success," Omega chimed in.
Shadow huffed. "Oh joy. That means the other 20% defines exactly what I'm thinking of right now."
"Enough of the negativity already," Rouge chastised. "If this signal will help us out in the end, that's all that matters. Tails' life lies in our hands, metaphorically speaking."
"Indeed. The fox is a valuable member of the Resistance, and life is too precious for a child like him to utterly lose it at such a young age. We must bring him back before our efforts are for naught," Omega boomed.
"You are the last person I'd expect to give out an emotional speech," Rouge smirked at the large robot.
"I may have no physical heart, but I know what it's like to feel things like turmoil, anger, and even sadness."
"Yeah, well you know what I'm currently feeling? Impatient. Let's keep moving!" declared Shadow as he kept sprinting.
"Alright, Mr. Stuffy Pants. Sheesh," Rouge rolled her eyes as she flapped her wings faster than before.
"Insult is considered invalid. Shadow does not wear pants," Omega pointed out even though his comrades were too far ahead to hear his statement.
The trio rushed around the massive casino before splitting off in different directions to cover more ground. Rouge was capable of searching the high ground and soaring past bumpers and flippers that nearly whacked her in the face or wings. Irritated, the bat kept her focus on the signal. Things weren't getting so lucky for her as it got weaker from her current location.
"Omega, any luck on your end?"
"Negative. Still unable to achieve the jackpot." Unbeknownst to her, the robot was stuck inside the hatch of a slot machine, rolling around repeatedly as the slots stopped on various icons. He wasn't giving up from there as he kept pressing his luck to score big.
"That's some kind of lingo you're throwing my way, but I guess it's appropriate given where we are. Alright then, keep your eyes peeled."
Meanwhile, Shadow searched through one of the many casino buildings. He was trying to pick up the signal from his spot, but he was having no dice. That is until he got hit in the cheek with something small. Grunting, he looked over and saw a six-sided die on the carpet floor. Just as he picked it up, he heard a voice calling from nearby.
"Sorry, mister! I got a little too eager with my roll!" a purple, female wolf blushed at him. She was in the middle of a craps game with a few friends spectating around the table.
Shadow simply rolled his eyes and chucked the block back at her. The die was thrown so hard that it made the brown dog standing next to her scream.
"OW! Dude, what the heck?! She threw it hard by accident!" he groaned, holding a hand over his swollen eye.
"Hey, look! I think I got snake eyes!" the wolf squealed with glee.
"Oh, come on! That doesn't count! That hedgehog threw it back at you after it left the table," a light-orange cat complained.
"Um, no he didn't. He whipped the dice at me!" the dog grumbled.
Shadow shook his head and ran off to resume his treasure hunt. He didn't bother giving them another glance or express any sympathy.
The cat placed her hands on her hips. "Pfft, rude. He didn't even apologize."
"What's a dog gotta do to make his eye feel better?!"
After another fifteen minutes of exploring, Rouge and Shadow were getting exasperated. They met up at an outside cabana wondering where their third partner was. If it was anything like the recon mission, he was either going rogue with his attacks or getting shut down by an unknown force. Knowing how that went, either outcome was a death sentence.
"Where the hell is Omega?" Shadow crossed his arms with annoyance.
"Omega, have you found anything yet?" Rouge called him on the communicator.
Suddenly the E-100 robot reunited with the team and boomed loudly, "Chaos Emerald acquired!" To their surprise, he held out a blue gem in his mechanical claw.
"What the- How did you even uncover it?!" Rouge's jaw unhinged in surprise.
"I took a gamble on the slot machines. It only required multiple failed attempts before overcoming the one-in-a-hundred odds to obtain the object."
"You've got to be kidding me," Shadow deadpanned, staring at the blue Emerald unimpressed. But he sighed afterward and let it go. "Whatever, we already completed our mission."
"Correction, I completed the mission," boasted Omega, causing the two to roll their eyes.
~Mystic Jungle
It was genuinely ironic and unnerving how Silver and Blaze found themselves back in the Mystic Jungle once again. The last time they set foot in here was far from reminiscent. If it wasn't obvious enough, the two were ambushed by Infinite after helping their soldiers abandon one of Eggman's bases. They were stuck as a pair of victims when the jackal attacked them with Virtual Reality projections. Sonic may have prevented further complications, but it was too late to reverse the damage.
Ever since Silver and Blaze learned that Infinite was Tails in disguise, the thought made them sick to their stomachs. The entire scene was a tough pill to swallow. They were unable to accept the truth of how one of their allies was forced to engage in bloodshed. While the white hedgehog and the purple feline were grateful to overcome their injuries and nightmares, the horrific memories wouldn't leave their minds at all.
Despite all of this, the two were prepared to set off through the Luminous Forest, hoping to spot a Chaos Emerald. They were determined to help the one who nearly killed them, as horrible as it sounded. But technically, this wasn't Infinite they were saving; they were doing this for Tails. As backup, they had Cream, Cheese, Spot, and Collar accompany them.
"So if I understand what Raff explained, he said that he located the Chaos Emeralds from their current region, but we don't know the exact coordinates of where it's located?" asked Silver.
"Sounds right to me. Since we don't have a Chaos Emerald in our possession, it's not going to be very easy to track one with what we're limited to," Blaze frowned, gazing at the forest in front of her.
"But we have to find it! We just have to!" Cream insisted.
"Chao, chao!" Cheese whimpered in the bunny's arms.
"Are we just gonna have to rely on those tracking signals from our communicators then?" Collar queried.
"I guess so." The cat then took a deep inhale before slowly breathing out through her nose. "Come on, let's go."
With a determined glare, Blaze dashed forward past the trees and bushes. The remainder was quick to follow her as they sporadically gazed down at their devices. Every few seconds, their instruments emitted some sounds to indicate how close or far they might be to its exact location.
"In reference to where we're running, we should make a slight right up this path. If I recall, that's going to lead us to Aqua Road," hollered Spot.
"Are we gonna have to ride the rivers downward?" Blaze cringed, the thought of getting her fur soaked making her upset.
"If it means getting closer to the Chaos Emerald, then that's the way to go."
"I'll stay close to you, Blaze. I promise I won't let you accidentally stray off from where we're going," Silver swore.
The feline did appreciate his offer. "Okay. I'll be ready."
"On the bright side, at least this jungle doesn't look like a damn casino. Our troops did so much to tear down the freaking neon lights all over the place," Collar yakked as they got closer to the water.
"It's crazy to think how the Commander and the others managed to survive against those Badniks and fake jackals invading the area. If it wasn't for their heroics, we would've never gotten a good lead on how to shut down Eggman's power," remarked Spot.
The six members reached the river that took them down to the base of a mountain. Silver stayed true to his word as he slid into the water next to Blaze, clasping his hand tightly with hers. Spot, Collar, Cheese, and Cream were following from behind until they heard some metal clanking. To their surprise, they saw a trio of Badniks approaching them. The enemies were a trio, comprising a Moto Bug, a Crabmeat, and the Jaws. The shark-like robot extended its mouth near the dogs, biting its sharp teeth as it nearly scathed their fur.
"Holy crap! Get away from us!" Collar randomly cried out.
Silver and Blaze glanced behind only to see Spot and Collar take out their weapons and try to shoot them off the current. The Badniks wouldn't go away, so Silver used his spare hand to stall the foes.
Cream held Cheese tightly to protect him. "Hurry! Make them go away!"
"We're trying to!" Spot rasped.
"Urgh! I don't know how much longer I can keep them steady!" Silver grunted.
Blaze attempted to hurl a few fireballs at the Badniks. One of them bounced off the Moto Bug without a single burnt mark while the others missed. "These guys must be immune to my pyrokinesis."
"I told you to get away from us! Gah!" Collar recoiled as he nearly got chomped again by the Jaws.
"Sorry, Collar!" Silver panted. "I lost focus for a moment! We had to sway around the rocks!"
"Oh, shoot!" the ebony dog panicked as he rolled to his right, evading a small boulder. "If I didn't react in time, I for sure was gonna bruise my elbow or something!"
"Look out, Collar!" Blaze pointed at the Crabmeat.
He looked to his left and saw the Crabmeat pinching its claw near his nose. Thankfully, Blaze's callout wasn't for naught as he managed to shoot the crustacean. The Crabmeat flew back several feet up the river before tumbling onto a rock. The Badnik eventually went off course, falling into the bushes.
"Buzz off, you ugly-looking ladybug!" stormed Spot as he got a bullseye with a laser in between the Moto Bug's eyes. "And get the hell out as well, you piranha-based mother-"
"Heads up, guys!" Silver shouted as he flew off the end of a ramp.
"Oh no! Hang on, everybody!" Cream yelled.
"CHAO!"
Spot and Collar also soared forward, but the Jaws was getting closer to their heads. The canines quickly gripped their laser guns once more, aimed directly at the eyes, and pulled their triggers simultaneously. Two yellow lasers beamed at the Badnik's shrunken pupils before it began to spin backward from the double attack. Finally getting the enemies out of their fur, Collar and Spot shared a jovial fist bump before realizing they were about to fall toward the ground. Yet again, Silver, who already landed safely with Blaze, Cream, and Cheese, used his abilities to levitate their allies in midair. He carefully placed them down gently before releasing the force field.
"Hey, thanks for the save, Silver," appreciated Collar.
"And thanks for getting rid of those Badniks back there. I'm glad you two didn't become toast."
"Now that we're done with our little water hassle, which way should we continue our search?" questioned Spot.
"Hmm, it seems that our signal is detecting the Chaos Emerald to be past this temple," Blaze shuddered for a second. "I... I still can't help but think about what happened to us over a month ago. Part of me thought I was going to see the light before..."
She couldn't finish her statement, but the cat was quickly relieved by a calming touch on her shoulder. She gazed behind to catch Silver's expression. He knew how she felt considering he shared the same pain and memories from this area. Eventually, she was on the same page as him to forget about the past.
They searched around the same area where Savage found the Phantom Ruby prototype just in case. But from what Blaze told her companions, the group trekked through the doors to reach the other side of the wall. Descending down steep dirt hills, they carefully watched their footing so they wouldn't slip and tumble. None of them could afford another prolonged injury after all the setbacks they've experienced.
Looking down at his communicator, Silver received a reading that was stronger than before. The team noticed the signal on their trackers as well. It led them to a large lake with a raging waterfall close by. A faint rainbow became visible near the base as the droplets splattered around.
"I think we might have to do some deep diving," concluded Spot.
"Yeah, I agree. We should check and see for ourselves. Do you mind watching out for us?" Collar asked their friends.
"Can do!" Silver nodded.
The dogs temporarily took off their soldier hats and placed them on the grass next to their colleagues. Preparing themselves, Spot and Collar took in a deep breath and dove headfirst into the water.
Aside from the running water, there was a deep silence between the Resistance members until Cream fretted. "Do you think Tails will be alright?"
Blaze gazed at her friend with empathy, unsure whether or not their fox friend would fully recuperate from the incident. But deep down, she was not a disbeliever.
"He's been through a lot, but I'm sure he'll be okay. If Sonic has faith in him, then so will I," she crooned.
Cream was a bit dubious, but she trusted Blaze. The bunny agreed that she shouldn't panic or lose hope. Even Silver mirrored the same feeling. Tails had gone through hell and back for so long, even long before the Phantom Ruby War. Yet somehow, some way, the two-tailed kit had bounced back many times to return to action.
A pair of loud gasps surfaced when Spot and Collar's heads emerged out of the water. Earning their friends' attention, the red-collared canine was ecstatic despite catching his breath.
"Mission successful, guys! We got it!"
Spot raised his hand out of the lake, clutching the cyan Chaos Emerald. "That's another one down!"
Blaze, Silver, Cream, and Cheese couldn't be more relieved and happier. As the squad leaders got closer to the edge, they pulled them out of the lake and allowed them to dry off for a bit. Once they were ready to go, Spot asked one of his allies to bring the shuttle to their current location. They had to hurry though, or Tails' life could be lost.
It took several more hours for the teams to travel across Mobius and arrive at the designated spots Raff had pinpointed. For his team, he, Savage, and the Chaotix reached the continent of Apotos. They ran around the outskirts of the city as there was so much ground to cover. The hunt felt like it took weeks, and it didn't help when Charmy wanted to stop for some creamy, chocolate ice cream from the local vendor. Buying into his demand, the gang reluctantly stopped for some frozen treats before reaching one of the main squares.
Out of all places, the quintet was shocked to find out their tracker led them to a dark alleyway with two large dumpsters and piles of wrappers, plastic, crushed soda cans, and other debris laying around. Nevertheless, the young wolf was willing to get down and dirty, digging through the disgusting heap until he saw a glimmer hiding under some soggy, crinkled newspapers. Lo and behold, he uncovered the red Chaos Emerald and received a welcoming fist bump from his older brother.
With two of them in their hands, the Chaotix and the wolves hoped the others were also making good progress. Charmy wanted to stop for some more ice cream as a reward, but he was instantly rejected by Espio and Vector. Despite the bee being sad, Savage secretly promised to get him another cool treat when this was all over, even if he had to burn some more rings from his wallet.
Later, Team Dark got some vital intel from G.U.N. that the troops have spotted a culprit who snuck away with a Chaos Emerald. Coincidentally, the GUN Fortress was one of the primary areas Raff investigated where an Emerald might be. Shadow, Rouge, and Omega hurried to the affiliate's headquarters. After getting some clear details from the operation's Commander, the trio was directed to a subterranean passage in the caverns where the perpetrator was last spotted.
Rushing out to find the stolen gem, Omega used his energy to imitate a large flashlight, illuminating the route for Shadow and Rouge. The bat pointed out some vague footprints in the dirt, so they continued their chase with the help of their visual clues. While the path led to a large fork with a pair of branching ducts, Shadow spotted the footprints taking the one to their right. Without hesitation, he trudged forward with his speed while Rouge and Omega blasted from behind. Their communicators blared, giving them enough proof they were getting warmer to their objective. Not only that, but the blue Chaos Emerald buried in his quills reacted to the nearby object. From a long distance, they spotted a figure heading up an incline with a light at the tunnel. None of them didn't dare to stop running as they inched closer to the suspect.
The mystery figure was about to escape until they heard some angry grunts from behind. The second they spotted Team Dark, they started to freak out and tried to pick up their pace. But it was too late. Shadow trounced on the figure, forcing both of them to collapse on the ground. As Rouge and Omega caught up, the bat was about to hold them down until she realized who Shadow stopped. It turned out to be Nack, a purple weasel with a large fedora and a brown belt wrapped around his waist. Attached to it was the violet Chaos Emerald. Nack wasn't amused or excited he got caught, nor was he intimidated when Team Dark threatened to turn him in. Shadow ended up using Chaos Control with the Chaos Emerald to warp in G.U.N.'s office. He didn't see it coming, and the weasel sported a face of pure ire. The hedgehog smugly grinned back at him.
Silver, Cream, Collar, Blaze, Cheese, and Spot reported to Station Square with their trackers directing them to the sewers. It definitely sounded disgusting, yes, but they had no other option but to explore beneath the city. Nothing but dirty water, puddles, random trash, and darkness filled the pipelines. On the bright side, literally speaking, Collar and Spot had some handy flashlights to light up their journey.
Many tunnels led to different areas below Station Square, and it was difficult for them to detect which way to traverse due to their spotty signals underground. However, it was smartly pointed out by Blaze that because they have their own Chaos Emerald, the team could use its energy to lead them in the right direction.
As Silver thought deeply with the gem radiating in his left glove, he guided everyone through a series of small, metal staircases and platforms. They went deeper into the sewers until the aqua-colored Emerald was brighter than the flashlights. Collar shone slightly to the left, revealing a creepy surprise. A small pack of rats was scuttling around a pile of rubble, causing Cream and Cheese to slightly shriek. Within the pile was a white glow beaming from the crevices. Spot carefully lingered over the garbage and did his best to shoo away the rodents. Once the coast was clear, the soldier snatched the white Chaos Emerald off the ground. All six of them were glad to finish their business in the damp sewers and hurried back to the city where they parked their shuttle.
~Angel Island
Each of the squads arrived on the floating isle one after another with their Chaos Emeralds. The only problem was they only had six out of seven. With Raff, Savage, and the Chaotix running ahead toward the shrine, the last missing piece was the green jewel.
"Are you sure that what you found is accurate?" Savage asked his sibling, running through the forest with the yellow Chaos Emerald in his hand.
"If those old signals helped us find the majority of them, then I'm not doubting this one either!" Raff exclaimed, holding the Miles Electric.
"But where exactly could it be hiding?" Vector mused.
"I don't know, but I'm certain it's somewhere on this island! The map doesn't lie to me!"
Several miles behind were Team Dark, Silver, and Blaze who received word of Raff's latest update. They planned to rendezvous with Knuckles at his hut where he, Amy, and Sonic have remained the entire time looking after Tails. Collar and Spot ended up staying behind to refuel everyone's shuttle, but they gave their regards to the Resistance, praying they would save their twin-tailed friend.
Moments later, everybody was outside the echidna's home, desperate to see if the fox was doing okay. As they entered, Delilah and Greg had set up a makeshift station to check Tails' vitals. While his heartbeat remained intact, it was still faint and arhythmic. Sonic, Amy, and Knuckles had been helping the nurses take care of him, yet all of them were frustrated and worried about his condition. Most of the team became frightened while members like Shadow and Omega were stoic.
"How is he?" Cream implored for any good news.
"Chao?"
"I want to make the best out of a bad situation, but it's hard to come up with something in this scenario," Delilah lamented.
"No matter what we tried, he still hasn't batted an eye since he touched the Master Emerald. His conscience must still be stuck in Null Space," Greg drooped his head, feeling very sorry for the fox and all of his friends.
"Oh, geez... It's worse than I thought," Savage refrained from blubbering. Still, he was heartbroken at the sight of the insensate kitsune.
"Did you guys find anything?" Knuckles prayed for good news.
"We sure did, Commander. We found two Chaos Emeralds," disclosed Espio.
"Same here! We got two as well!" addressed Silver.
"How coincidental, because we have a pair of beautiful gems with us, too," Rouge smirked.
"But where is the last one?" Amy uttered with confusion. "Without all of them, we might not be able to use their energy."
"It has to be somewhere here on Angel Island! The Miles Electric hasn't let me down before!" imparted Raff.
"Then let's get a move on! We don't have much time!" Sonic yelled, clenching his fists and almost losing control of his emotions. "That seventh Emerald needs to be uncovered soon or else we might be too late! I can't let Tails down, and I sure as hell won't lose him for good!"
No one stuttered or wavered from their spots as they moved on to the next phase of their hunt. If the final Chaos Emerald was truly hidden on this floating isle somewhere, then they could resurrect their friend from Null Space.
Delilah and Greg were more than welcome to stay in Knuckles' room to keep an eye on the fox in case anything came up. As for the Resistance, they split up once more, feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders.
Sonic, however, had faith that his little buddy was holding his own in the dark dimension. But even he was anxious he could be trapped in hell for eternity, guaranteed to never wake up. He made a personal promise to get Tails back when he was Eggman's evil assistant. The same was applied here to avoid another calamity. The hedgehog wished he could've done more, but the only thing on his mind right now was to not fail. Not again.
END OF CHAPTER
With how the Chaos Emeralds were collected and found in close proximity in Sonic Frontiers, it kind of inspired me to have them collected in a series of small adventures between the Resistance members. I didn't want to drag this chapter out for too long, so I wanted to include everyone else with some dialogue for one scene followed by a short summary of their second. But it leaves the team with one more to find. Will they be able to retrieve it before Tails officially falls victim to the Phantom Ruby?
Even though my outside life and job have made it more challenging for me to write consistently, I want to thank everyone for reading and reviewing MOWE to this day. Hope to see you in the next chapter soon! This is TGN, signing off.