Chapter 15: Red rage
The five heroes were trekking across the world of Hoenn, but now they had to get going for the other two stones. However, their luck seemed to have run out when they came across a seashore. When they reached it, Sonic and Link screeched to a halt just inches away from the shoreline.
"Oh, JUST MY LUCK!" Sonic said as he slapped his forehead.
"I couldn't swim that far to the next area." Link said, wishing that he had brought something water-equipped.
"No need for that, guys. Just get a good hold on my bike." Raphael said.
"If you're doing what I think you're doing, you're suicide." Sonic said as he trundled over to the bike and hopped onto it.
Link got in the spare seat and Mewtwo just hovered in the air while Pikachu hopped onto Raph's shoulder.
"Watch this." Raph said as he pressed a button on his handlebar.
The hoverbike zoomed forward at the water and the back wheel made to guide it turned into a kind of propeller. This hoverbike had now become something like a boat that was more than capable of supporting everyone's weight on it.
"I coulda used that information a little earlier." Sonic said, dumbfounded.
"Maybe he likes surprises." Link suggested.
The hoverbike then continued to ride across the sea on the lookout for more of those special stones. However, they knew that they weren't the only ones after this stone.
Just a few kilometers away, Yellow Drache was cruising the updrafts like an albatross, letting the air currents keep him up without even flapping his wings, when another portal opened up just below him. Out came a white dragon with horns like an ibex, but a kind of rhino horn on its nose. It was swimming under the ocean currents like a crocodile rather than flying because of the fact that he lacked wings. Yellow Drache cruised lower until his talons could have scraped the surface and spoke with this Dragonoid.
"White Amphis, what are you doing on my mission?" Drache asked impatiently.
The white Dragonoid surfaced so that his head was just above the surface and grinned as he spoke to his fellow species.
"I was simply sent by Ryu to act as backup sources. If you fail, I will get him the Power Stone." Amphis said, quite informative.
"I don't need you. GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Drache ordered.
Just then, another head exactly the same as the first one came out and growled at him, causing the yellow dragon to flinch. Amphis only chuckled at this.
"You always were the independent one, Drache. However, should you choose to insult me again, my tail will have a few words with you. I'll be seeing you on the nearby shore." Amphis said as he dove back under the water, closely followed by his tail.
"Hmph! Who needs that two-headed freak anyway?" Drache thought out loud.
"I DO." An eerily familiar voice answered.
Yellow Drache's mind froze as he realized who he was talking to.
"L-Lord Ryu. I-I, I was just telling White Amphis…" He stammered.
"How much you wanted to slaughter him? This is a team effort, Drache. And if we are to be truly free, we all must work together. Now, if you hurry, you can find the red stone and bring us a tiny step closer to success. There's NO TIME for games. Remember that." Ryu growled, telepathically and then they lost contact.
White Amphis was still cruising through the water until something brushed on his back and he quickly dove deeper as he heard noise from above the surface.
"What was that?" A voice asked.
White Amphis could barely hear it, but he guessed that someone had accidentally trodden on his back in a boat, most likely.
"Maybe it was some kind of sea creature we hit." Another voice suggested.
As White Amphis looked up, he saw a vehicle that bore surprising resemblance to a bike and then saw a floating figure just to the bike's left.
"You know, this won't get us to the key item any faster. And if we can at least keep this stone safe, they won't have the complete key item. Still, let's not take chances." Yet another voice told them as the bike continued to skim the surface.
"Ah, and I'll be there to steal the stone." White Amphis thought as he slowly trailed after them.
Drache continued to soar high above the ocean until he came across land. Suddenly, a vaguely familiar scent reached his nostrils. Drache looked down and saw a cave similar to the one where they found the Yellow Stone. But this cave was a little bigger and there was no trace of the troublesome hylian and hedgehog.
"Well, I'm pretty sure that this region will be more of a success." Drache said as he grinned and entered the cave.
The five finally found land a few hours after setting sail on the hoverbike and when they finally got off, Mewtwo looked at them again.
"This is the Johto Region. I remember when I first set foot in this land, but that's a different story. Right now, I have a hunch that the next stone is here. The Red Stone." Mewtwo said as he looked out to the land.
"It's a good thing that the cave is right there. I would've hated having to walk a few thousand miles." Link said, gladly.
The group entered the mouth of the cave and Pikachu literally brightened things up a bit with Flash. However, when they reached the destination, it was no more than an empty pedestal with a flame symbol on its front rather than a lightning bolt.
"SHOOT! The Dragonoids beat us here!" Sonic said as he stamped the ground.
"Well, we need to get the last one. It's on a region far to the east called Kanto. If they beat us here, it's proving that they're getting smarter." Mewtwo said as he scrunched up his eyes.
They exited the cave and Raphael prepped up his bike, but then it began to sputter.
"I don't think my hoverbike can handle a travel like that. You're on your own, guys. Take these Dragonoids out!" Raphael said.
"I'm comin' with ya', guys." Pikachu said as he hopped onto Link's shoulder.
"Alright, let's go!" Sonic said.
In a flash of blue and green light, Sonic and Link zoomed off with Mewtwo trailing them.
A few minutes after the two took off, something was sneaking up on Raph. He turned around and saw nothing there save a grain of sand or a few more trillion. Just then, something burst out of the water of the sea and struck him hard on the head. When he woke up, the stone in his pack was gone.
"No…" Raph said as he saw a strange thing flying through the sky.