Ever since Shadow unnecessarily antagonized Knuckles, Sonic was left with a bad taste in his mouth. It wasn´t like his dark rival was particularly known for his softer side… but even for his standards the insults were just plain uncalled for. Unprompted and unprovoked as they were. And to be completely frank, Sonic had enough of his attitude towards the echidna. As much as Knuckles and him may not see eye to eye at times, it didn´t change the fact that the guardian was one of his closest friends. So, chewing the Ultimate Lifeform out was rather high on the blue hero's current list of priorities. If only Shadow hadn´t teleported away these few days ago. Otherwise, Sonic would have done so already.

Unfortunately, he hadn´t seen a glimpse of the older hedgehog since. Almost as if Shadow was avoiding him. Unlikely considering who it was, but that's what Sonic's gut was telling him. And since it was usually correct, the blue mobian had no reason to doubt it. Or it truly was a series of coincidences. Who really knew. Either way, if he was right or not, didn´t matter in the grand scheme of things. It wasn´t going to help him in his search. Luckily, he was one very stubborn hedgehog. When he had something on his mind, he was set on seeing it through. 'Giving up' was simply not part of his vocabulary. He would find Shadow eventually. It was only a matter of time.

While Sonic was looking for his counterpart, there were a couple familiar faces he ran into. Though, aside from some quick friendly greetings and the occasional high five, he didn´t stop for light-hearted chit-chat. As nice as it would have been to catch up with some of them, he was on a self-imposed mission that he had no plans to abandon. It wasn´t until he crossed Silver that he actually slowed down for a bit.

The time traveller had approached him mid run, curious as to why the hero was in such a rush. Sonic, of course, explained but kept it on the brief side, not motivated to give rise to his own annoyance. He knew, Shadow would do a wonderful job all by himself soon enough. Silver didn´t seem to mind the lack of a lengthy exposition, since the other still gave sufficient detail for him to understand what's going on. Silently he listened to every word he's been told and merely after a moment's worth of reflection, the ever-helpful grey hedgehog offered his assistance without hesitation whatsoever.

Green eyes widened a tad in surprise, not having anticipated the offer. Though, the expression got quickly replaced by a toothy grin. Sonic happily took the younger hedgehog up on it. Having eyes in the sky would surely come in handy, on top of being a general advantage. And since Silver was as fast a flier as Sonic was a runner, he wouldn´t be forced to slow down either! Long story short, the blue hero saw this as nothing but a win!

Fast forward to a decent amount of time later, the pair of hedgehogs found themselves walking along the cliffside. Since they hadn´t yet located the striped mobian, they decided to take a little break from their search. Or, well… 'Break'. They were still very much looking but at a much slower pace. There weren´t many locations left where Shadow liked to lurk around anyway and whereas the blue hero would have preferred to get through them quickly, he knew a breather wouldn´t hurt. Not for his own sake, mind you. Despite having been on his feet all day, Sonic wasn´t tired, being far too used to day-long marathons to be fatigued that easily. Rather it was for Silver, because he was certain the constant use of psychokinesis must be pretty tiring after a while. The psychic tried to assure him he's fine but ultimately rolled with it, grasping the chance to enjoy and cherish nature as it was meant to be. Something Sonic could relate to, appreciate and was practically the reason they ended up strolling down the coastline in the first place.

Time passed in comfortable silence. Sonic had his arms behind his head and kept his gaze mostly pointed forward, only occasionally letting it drift towards the trees. Meanwhile, Silver was far more vivid in taking in their surroundings. Like observing the wildlife brave enough to show itself, listening to nature's lovely symphony of sounds and leaning into the soft ocean breeze when it occurred. Just to name a few. Though, what had him by far the most engrossed, was this seemingly endless horizon laid out before them. Such an ordinary sight, yet the time traveller was barely able to withdraw his eyes. There was just so much out there worthy of admiration. Like the way the sun reflected on the sea's calm wavey surface or the line so clearly separating earthly from heavenly blue, while gentle clouds quietly moved across their domain. It didn´t matter how many times the grey mobian saw sceneries like this. He would never not be fascinated by the beauty of even the simplest of things. Of a world so full of life and hope, perfectly captured in one single image.

However, it was this very outlook that eventually made the future hedgehog wonder about something regarding the one they were looking for. He ignored it initially, but somewhere down the line his curiosity got the better of him after all. "Say, Sonic…" Silver began in order to gain his friend's attention. "Are you sure we might find Shadow around a place like this of all things? It's beautiful here, don´t get me wrong, but… he never rubbed me as the type of guy to appreciate an ocean view."

Sonic merely glanced at Silver at first and pondered the statement for a bit. Though, by the end of it, he simply shrugged. "Maybe. But I heard from a pretty reliable source that he likes to head into this direction. 'Sides, for all we know, there could be a flower lover hidden beneath that aloof exterior."

Silver tilted his head to the side and couldn´t help but let his expression turn to one of mild amusement. There was only a slight urge to roll his eyes in the same fashion too. "Mmh… If you say so."

Just like that the peaceful tranquillity returned to settle between the two as quickly as it was shooed away. Despite the absence of exchange in words, there was no discomfort found anywhere in the hedgehogs' features. Both were perfectly fine spending their walk as it was. Why try and force a conversation when there was no need to? It would only lead to an awkwardness no one desired. However, as the minutes ticked by, Sonic felt himself steadily becoming more and more restless and even a little impatient. They've spent their time just casually striding along the cliff for a good while now and usually, it's not something Sonic would mind, but he was still on a mission first and foremost. The growing urge to continue was ever so slowly creeping up on him.

Tapping his fingers against himself, the azure mobian slightly turned to look at his companion, who was paying him no mind whatsoever. Silver was too busy savouring the pleasant air currents stroking through his quills, while he simultaneously basked in warm sunlight. Sonic silently watched him for a couple of seconds, contemplating. On one hand, he really wanted to carry on with the search and get it over with, but on the other, he didn´t want to disturb the other's peace. Especially, since this was one of the very few times, he actually saw the time traveller genuinely relaxed. It may come as a surprise to some, but it's not something that happens a lot. Silver tended to carry a lot of underlying tension wherever he went. He wasn´t vocal about it at all, but Sonic was perceptive enough to notice regardless. So, understandably he wasn´t exactly inclined to pull the psychic out of his serenity, when he had a chance to just… be for once.

Of course, the older hero could tell him, he's got it from here. That he could stay behind and enjoy the environment some more, if he wanted. Alas, he knew the younger one would decline. Silver had offered his help and would see it through till the end, for he's not one to back out from the things he said he'd do. He was stubborn like this. A strong trait they shared. For better or worse. Therefore, Sonic ultimately decided to save his breath. There was no use in starting a needless argument anyway. So, with his final choice being made, he clapped his hands together without much of a warning and spun around to fully face the ivory hedgehog.

"Alright!" he announced, just in time for Silver to meet his emerald gaze with a questioning of his golden own. "I think, we got enough of a break. Let's keep going!"

"Huh?"

"We won´t get anywhere at this snail's pace," Sonic explained and gestured around in quite a lively manner, as if it would aid in emphasizing his words further. Though, all it really did, was making the other hedgehog blink. Why however, the blue mobian wasn´t sure, since it should be pretty clear what he's referring to. "What I'm trying to say is, the faster we find Shadow, the faster I can squeeze him out and get to the bottom of this nonsense."

"But, Sonic-"

"No buts! Come on, Silver! Let's go!"

Now, normally Sonic wasn´t the type to interrupt people for any reason. Quite particular circumstances were needed for him to do so in the first place. In this case, it was his own impatience getting the better of him. If only, for a moment. What he didn´t anticipate, was karma being quick to bite him in the ass for it.

Sonic was barely done talking when he was already in the middle of spinning back around, ready to take off and zoom over the land like he had done earlier all day… If it wasn´t for the small yet significant fact that his foot got caught up in an exposed root. Green eyes immediately widened upon realisation, each and every ounce of enthusiastic energy draining from his body the second it was clear his balance bid itself goodbye.

Desperately wagging his arms, some part of him registered how Silver called out his name, but in his alerted state he was unable to grasp it over the sound of his own surprised yelp and futile attempt to catch himself from mercilessly falling forward. Nevertheless, in the end there was nothing he could do to avoid the inevitable, his own turning speed being the culprit for the fate he had sealed for himself. So, instead of further efforts to save himself in vain, he closed his eyes in acceptance and braced for an imminent impact… that never came.

Stunned by the lack of face to dirt collision, Sonic blinked his eyes open and stared at the grassy ground in utter confusion. As a matter of fact, the perplexity effected the azure mobian to such a degree, it took his brain longer than typical to catch up on what just happened. Though, when it finally did, he wasted no time in twisting around to gaze up at the hedgehog who caught him, with wide emerald eyes. Silver, who was practically holding him in his arms now, merely raised a brow at him and his truly graceful display.

"…aaand that's what you get for always being in a rush, Sonic," he sassed unnecessarily. Not out of a place of annoyance, but rather increasing amusement once again. Either way, it gave rise to a slightly embarrassed chuckle from the one in question.

"Heh… Yeah, okay… Guess, nature got me on this one…" Sonic replied as he awkwardly scratched his cheek and averted his eyes in what almost appeared to be a bashful manner. A rare sight that stayed for all of five seconds before he resumed full eye-contact with a wink and finger guns. "Good catch, though."

Truthfully, the remark and sudden return to the blue one's usual demeanour, caught the time traveller off guard. While it didn´t entice a verbal reaction out of the grey hedgehog, it made him roll his eyes in a fond manner ere he pulled Sonic back to his feet. Smiles were traded between the duo once the blue one was comfortably standing again. Though, whereas Silver gave a simple one, Sonic opted for his trademark grin. The one where he'd also rub his nose for good measures. Sadly, the cheerful moment abruptly ceased when two pairs of ears perked at ever rising sounds virtually appearing out of nowhere.

Confused the hedgehogs looked up to witness how a giant flock of birds rushed over the treetops, screaming on top of their little lungs in what could only be assumed was terror, as countless pairs of wings did everything in their power to take them away as fast as physically possible. The sight triggered an immediate frown out of Sonic. Now, usually a startled swarm of birds was nothing out of the ordinary. He had seen similar things happen more times than he cared to keep track of. But… the sheer number of critters currently dashing land inwards in a panic was beyond worrisome and gave rise to a truly horrible gut-feeling. The kind that made the hero's fur stand up and quills bristle.

Silver's brows knitted together as well, but unlike Sonic's, his expression rooted in more confusion rather than apprehension. "I wonder what they are flying from…" he questioned, not anticipating an answer since it wasn´t exactly directed at his friend in the first place. It was a mere thought said out loud and even if he was waiting for an actual reply, Sonic wasn´t going to give him one. He was too focused on what he saw and the attempt to find an explanation for it in the brief moments it took for the words to properly register. However, once they did, his frown deepened further. Silver had a point. What were they flying from? Heeding the question, the azure hero then did the logical thing in turning the opposite direction to find out. And what he saw, not only made his eyes widen in horror but let his blood run cold too.

"Uh, S-Silver?!"

Grey ears straightened at the call and despite turning around right away, the future hedgehog was barely able to do so fully, when a familiar, massive landscape had already crashed into the sea, shaking the very earth they were standing on with enough force to almost knock them off their feet. Everywhere along the cliff, chunks instantly began to break off too. Some small. Some huge. Taking trees, boulders and whatever else had the misfortune to be in proximity down into the roaring depths below. The hedgehogs backed away from the edge to the best of their abilities, but the intenseness of the quake made it an extremely difficult task. On more than one occasion, they threatened to buckle and fall. While it wouldn´t be that much of an issue for Silver and his psychokinetic abilities, it was a potential, yet highly dangerous scenario for Sonic. Luckily, both heroes managed to gather sufficient distance to the crumbling precipice to prevent the risk of dropping to a wet demise.

Unfortunately… it would do little to keep them safe from the next disaster already heading their way. Taking the form of a gigantic wave rolling over the surface with horrifying speed and destroying everything in its path like the cataclysmic force it was. All while the earthquake hadn´t even ceased yet. Which was possibly the one crucial reason it took the hedgehogs far too long to notice what was coming for them. Though, once they did… pure, ice-cold dread ran down their spines.

"Ohhh, crap!" Silver exclaimed, wide golden eyes staring at the nearing wall of water as he took a step back, his fight or flight instinct kicking in. "We gotta get out of here!"

Jumping right into action, the younger hero heeded his own words and began to fly away at top speed, expecting Sonic to follow suit. But as he was very quick to figure out, this was not at all the case. Utterly bewildered, Silver stopped dead in his tracks to look back and was appalled to find that the blue hedgehog hadn´t moved a single inch. "Sonic!" he called out, confused and stressed in equal parts, because what in the hell was he doing? Why was he just standing there when he should run?!

A question dismissed the second it was clear that something was very, very wrong and upon realisation, all colour drained from the grey hedgehog's face. Again, Silver sprang into action without thinking and promptly returned to his friend's side, where he grabbed his arm and urgently tugged on him. "Sonic, snap out of it! We have to leave!" he damn-near yelled, the weight and reality of the situation crushing down on him, much like the colossal wave was about to do shortly. The other hedgehog, however, continued to stay unresponsive. "Sonic!"

Once more, the call enticed nothing out of the heroic blue hedgehog. Sonic merely perceived Silver's pressing voice as a dull echo in the far background, unable to hear him over the pounding of his own heart and ringing in his ears. It didn´t matter how close the time traveller was or how loud he was shouting. Sonic was trapped. In the merciless claws of one of the very few genuine fears he possessed. The sensation strong enough to block any sense of rationality he'd otherwise have, because logically speaking, he of course knew, he was supposed to be running. Painfully aware even. Yet, here he was. Paralyzed. Frozen in place and incapable of doing anything else than stare at the impending catastrophe about to wipe him from the plains of existence.

And to make the entire situation even worse, his body itself showed obvious signs of being aware of what should be done. More so his legs specifically. They were tensed and quivering, ready to do what they did best and take him away to safety before it was too late! Unfortunately, much like the rest of the hedgehog, they were glued to the very spot they were standing on. Unable to do the one thing Sonic was most known for and had saved his life countless of times in the past.

Regrettably, even if Sonic was to suddenly come back to his senses, at this point it was too late to try and outrun the tsunami. It was here. Right in front of them. In all its unfathomable and unstoppable might. Set to destroy all in its path, whatever it be fauna, flora or two little hedgehogs having missed their chance to flee. To put it plainly, this was it. This… was the end.

…Or was it?

In a rush of adrenaline, the grey hedgehog abandoned his position next to Sonic in less than a blink to swiftly step in front of him out of sheer reflexive impulse, teeth bared and expression as determined and unwilling to die as it could possibly be, because no… this was not how their story was going to conclude. Not if he had any say in it!

Swinging his dominant arm back, Silver immediately activated his powers. Indicated by the bright cyan light illuminating the symbols on his cuffs and gloves. In the very same breath, right when the wave was about to swallow them up to be never seen again, he let the limb snap back forward, a snarl leaving his mouth as he did so. A shockwave visibly exploded upon impact with a loud boom. It shot along the watery surface, almost too fast for the naked eye and disrupted its smoothness like glass that had been shattered. It was then, in this one measly second that everything seemed to just stop. Time. The world. Even the entirety of the behemoth-like disaster itself appeared to be temporarily halted in place. It was this one specific moment that something triggered within the blue hedgehog, pulling him out of his stupor and back into the present.

In an instant, his brain jump-started from zero to a hundred. Right on time for him to consciously witness how the enormous wave began to split apart. Wide green eyes watched how a rift shot to the top of the liquid wall, causing its summit to quite literally burst and prompting it to immediately collapse in on itself. He viewed how massive amounts of water surrendered to gravity as it all started to pour down on them, mercilessly and only gaining more strength through the very nature of the force holding it in its grasp. Sonic watched it all unfold. Right before his very eyes. Yet, he was still just standing there, his mind racing a thousand miles an hour as it scrambled to process the raw extent of what he was experiencing or how he was even supposed to react to it in the first place. Though ultimately, none of these thoughts mattered, because where his head failed, his body responded all on its own.

Instinctively, the blue hero flinched and shrunk into himself, his quills bristling in a useless attempt to protect himself from the upcoming collision. Similarly, peach arms crossed over his head as well for identical reasons, like it would provide further aid in standing against the threat. Water began to violently hit the ground all around them soon after, its heavy mass shaking the very floor beneath the hedgehogs' soles. It enclosed the duo and created near deafening noise that forced at least one pair of ears to fold backwards to prevent his hearing from being teared to shreds. Strangely enough, despite everything that's happening, this was about the extent of physical distress Sonic had to endure. There was no sudden cut to his air supply or freezing cold soaking into his fur. No pressure from above that rammed him into the dirt face first, nor was there a violent stream knocking him off his feet. Heck, as far as Sonic could tell, not even a single droplet did as much as graze him! Needless to say, but the blue hero was left more confused than words had the ability to describe.

Reopening his eyes after he hadn´t realised he'd closed them, Sonic slowly uncurled from his defensive posture to investigate what in the world was going on and what he found, rendered him thunderstruck. Him and Silver were entirely submerged, the once bright friendly day replaced by nothing but muddy darkness. Huge rocks and other heavy debris could occasionally be spotted being dragged along by the brutal current as it ripped everything in proximity apart. All too often some of the wreckage would draw far too close for comfort too, practically appearing out of nowhere and ready to take anything into a wet demise. Yet… nothing could reach them. All held at distance thanks to the creation of a psychokinetic sphere separating them from certain death.

Through it all, Silver's stance had barely changed since he stepped in front of the blue hero. His dominant hand was still extended forward, holding the very barrier that prevented them from being washed away by the tempestuous ocean, while his second ensured the stability of the rest of their protective shield. To say Sonic was flabbergasted would be a vast understatement. He was shocked. Highly impressed too, but mostly shocked. He knew Silver was an immensely powerful guy, capable of lifting literal tons with a mere thought if he so pleased, but right now… he was not only protecting them but also literally standing his ground against one of the greatest catastrophic forces of nature. All on his own! And he would continue to do so for as long as it was needed.

Which was remarkable in every sense of the word considering it took minutes before there was any notable change happening outside their bubble and even more time passed until the water finally began to retreat! Now, usually it would serve as an indicator that danger was about to fade. That the psychic's sole support was close to done. Unfortunately, it couldn´t be further from the truth as everything the wave had hauled along came back and more. Since the water was practically opaque too, it was near impossible to predict what was going on around them as well.

So, imagine the shock when visually out of nowhere an entire tree appeared and rammed the back of the hedgehogs' barrier hard enough for it to partially falter. Sonic close to jolted out of his fur when a thick branch managed to pierce through the psychic shield and let water enter their confined space. It had the blue hedgehog take a nervous step closer to the other hero, his ears dropping flat against his skull, even though he was logically aware the layer of invisible energy wouldn´t tear like a piece of fabric would in its place. Still, the blue hero couldn´t help but watch anxiously as the broken plant got dragged far too closely over their heads. And Chaos… it made him feel absolutely useless in that moment.

Meanwhile, Silver didn´t flinch at anything that was thrown at them. Not even when the branch eventually snapped, which resulted in the tree collapsing and being further ripped apart right before his eyes. He was far too focused on keeping the shield stable and secure, for any distraction could be of fatal consequences for the hedgehog duo. Losing concentration was simply a luxury the time traveler could not afford. No matter what. Alas, the excessive use of his powers didn´t come without repercussions. Some of which became increasingly more evident the longer said abilities were utilized. His breathing turned strained, his head was throbbing and his vision grew into a blurry mess. All in all, Silver was clearly struggling, the exertion taking a heavy toll on him. Yet, he would not allow himself to waver. Never. Especially so close to the end and after everything he had overcome. If nature wanted to kill them, it had to try a lot harder than that!

As it turned out, it was indeed this very stubborn fueled attitude that helped the grey hedgehog persevere. Or maybe the world simply decided to take pity and be lenient on them. Either way, Silver managed to outlast the tsunamis' lifespan, holding out until all but an inch of the once dangerously high water-level was left to drain away. On the downside, it's what then inevitably triggered the direct aftermath of his unbridled efforts. In an instant, their sheltering shield dispersed into thin air and was immediately followed by the grey hedgehog collapsing to his knees out of blatant exhaustion. Sonic watched his descend, reflexively reaching out in order to catch him ere he hit the floor. Or it's what the hero would have done, had he not found himself still unable to properly control his own body.

His arm was barely extended halfway when it just stopped mid act, quivering and leaving the other hedgehog to his fate after all. His muscles were tensed up and Sonic quickly noticed that similar sensations also rendered his legs disobedient to his will. Not sure what exactly was happening, the older hedgehog didn´t think as he took a hitching breath and let his limb retract, bending forward as though he felt pain in his midsection. Subconsciously, his flat hand moved to settle on his chest, green eyes then widening when Sonic recognized for the first time just how rapidly his heart was beating. Suddenly, the situation made a whole lot more sense. He was experiencing a delayed physical reaction from all the adrenaline that had flooded his veins!

At the same time, Silver had yet to recover from the intense overuse of his psychokinesis. Heavy in- and exhales through the mouth made the entire hedgehog noticeably move, unfocused golden eyes staring down at the loose wet soil his gloved, trembling fingers practically dug into. Everything around him felt like it was spinning at a rapid pace. Not dissimilar to the sensation currently plaguing his head. As if the feeling of his brain almost bursting out of his skull wasn´t enough already. Nope. Just had to add that one too, which further threw motion sickness into the mix as well. Lovely. Definitely didn´t help him feel less like shit and truthfully, he could really do without the urge to vomit on top of everything else. Fortunately, the grey hedgehog somehow achieved to gather the necessary self-control to literally swallow it down.

A strong shiver coursed through the time traveler as he combated the recurring need to heave, his fur and quills bristling in reaction. It may have been a dry gulp but, despite what would be assumed, that didn´t make it any less disgusting. Silver took a deep, deliberate breath afterwards. Not only to calm his raging insides, but also to ground himself in the process. It helped, but not as much as he hoped it would. Regardless, the grey hedgehog refused to give himself time to dwell on it. He couldn´t. Not when someone else's wellbeing needed attention far more urgently.

So, after one final deep breath, Silver forced himself out of his sorry state and rose to his feet once again. Slowly and with a lot more difficulty than he had anticipated. Probably due to the throbbing ache that continued to make him feel like he was revolving. He ignored it to the best of his abilities but even so, he couldn´t help the swaying the inner agitation caused. Nevertheless, as soon as he was standing, Silver instantly turned to check on his friend and right away, a worrisome sight greeted him like a slap to the face. Strong enough to make the future hedgehog all but forget about his own predicament and claim the whole of his focus. Not even the severe devastation of the land had a chance to get as much as a fraction of it, once yellow eyes set on the older hero.

Sonic was hunched over, eyes shut tightly while one hand was placed on a trembling knee for support. The other was still on his chest, highlighting just how much his excessive breathing made it rise and fall. Clearly, he was having trouble regulating it. Heck, by the looks of it, Sonic was having trouble calming down at all! In all the time they had known one another, Silver had never seen this before! It made his stomach twist! So yep… a worrisome sight indeed! It had him step closer to the other hedgehog faster than he realized. "Sonic, are you alright?"

Sonic didn´t immediately answer. His mind was too busy trying to regain his composure. Though, the second he somewhat did, his first instinct was to wave his concerned friend off. "Yeah… yeah… I- I'm good," he said, although his words did little to reflect what he was displaying. Nevermind him still not having fully caught his breath. Obviously, Silver was not convinced either, but he refrained from any commentary as to not put the other more on the spot than he already was. Evidently the blue one simply needed more time. Time he'd gladly grant him, and he quite frankly deserved after such an enormous scare. That was… until the weight of exactly this reality came knocking on his door. It had Sonic straighten to full height in less than a blink. "But nevermind me!" he burst out without warning, startling the younger hedgehog with his unexpected volume. "Angel Island just crashed into the sea! We gotta get over there and make sure Knuckles is okay!"

At first, Silver just stared at him wide-eyed, the abrupt change having caught him fairly off guard as evident by the reflexive fluffing of his fur. But after a short glance towards the fallen island, the surprised expression quickly transformed into one of earnest and plain determination. He nodded, understanding the order of priority in the face of this new situation and after a couple seconds of respective mental preparation, both hedgehogs took off towards the very location whose descent not only almost killed them… but was never a good sign to begin with.