Disclaimer: SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ SONIC UNIVERSE 30 YEARS LATER YET! Actually, yeah. Read it. Be angry, Shadow fans all over the world!

If I owned Sonic the Hedgehog, I would not have made Shadow evil in Sonic Universe: 30 years later (that bugs me to death!). Also, I don't own Pokemon.

Chapter 10

Another Ancient Prophesy

In some unnamed location

Tails didn't know how long he rode with the other fox, but as terrified as he was, it felt like an eternity. So when the stomach-churning ride finally came to a stop, the kitsune didn't even realize it until he heard a gentle but slightly scratchy voice in front of him.

"What have we here?" the voice asked kindly, then chuckled. "Ninetales, you have never returned with a new friend before"

Tails dared to peek through his fingers, which were still pressed tightly over his eyes. However, he slowly dropped them when he caught sight of his surroundings.

He was still hanging awkwardly from the mouth of the giant, golden-coloured fox with nine tails, but now he found himself in a small open clearing, as opposed to the woods from earlier. Also, there was a small wood cabin just a short ways beyond a frail-looking elderly woman standing in front of him, wearing a faded yellow dress and a light blue shawl draped around her shoulders. He blinked up at her, still fearful but less so now.

The giant fox set Tails down on the ground gently in front of the lady then moved to sit at his side, its tails curling around him slightly.

The lady smiled at the kit warmly and reached down towards him, but he cowered away, hugging his two tails close to his body. Frowning slightly, she pulled her hand back. "It's okay little one," she said softly. "I won't hurt you."

Tails wanted to believe her, but isn't that what James had told him? Yet Team Rocket had shot him out of the sky and tried to kidnap him only a short while before. How did he know this lady was any different?

There was only one way to find out.

He gulped nervously. "Who…Who are you?" he asked quietly, inconspicuously getting ready to take to the skies if necessary.

Her wrinkled face showed surprise, but quickly returned to a smile. "So, there is something different around here. I thought so."

Now it was Tails' turn to be surprised. "You knew I was here?"

"Not exactly," she replied. "Why don't you come inside dear? We'll talk more once we're more comfortable."

She turned and hobbled towards the cabin. The fox with nine tails stood and followed its master, looking back at Tails as if to ask, "Are you coming or what?"

Hesitantly, the two-tailed fox started after the woman, feeling that Sonic's rule of "don't go anywhere with strangers" didn't apply when in another dimension.

A few minute later, Tails found himself sitting on the soft cushions of a stained blue sofa facing the elderly lady, who had taken up a seat opposite of him in a rocking chair. She had brought out a plate of chocolate chip cookies and two glasses of milk for them both, and, oddly enough, a large, dusty, brown leather-covered book. Tails, feeling much more comfortable, munched on one of the cookies while the lady began.

"My name is Rosa Thorn," she said, then nodded towards the other fox. "This is my Ninetales. It has been my trusted friend and companion for years."

Tails finished his cookie and looked at her with his big blue eyes. "My name is Miles Prower, but my friends call me Tails because of my tails." He smiled. "You can call me Tails if you want to."

She nodded. "Okay Tails. And may I ask…You are not a Pokémon, am I correct?"

Tails blinked at her. "I don't think so."

Rosa smiled again, reminding Tails of a grandmother. "Ninetales is a Pokémon. Meowth is a Pokémon. Pokémon are what we call the animals that live here."

"Then no," Tails said, shaking his head. "I'm a Mobian. That's what we call the inhabitants of our plan—where I come from."

She sighed. "I see." Absently, Rosa began stroking the fur on the head of the golden Ninetales. She looked somewhat troubled. "I didn't think so. You seem…different."

She turned her attention to a window off to the left and gazed at the forest beyond it. "The Pokémon in the forests have been acting strange for a few hours now. Something is bothering them. I can feel it. Ninetales feels it too."

A few hours ago… Tails pondered. Around the time that I arrived.

Which brought up a question of his own. "How did Ninetales find me?"

Rosa's eyebrows furrowed. "I saw that horrid balloon a while ago. It belongs to a group of thieves that go around trying to steal or capture other peoples' Pokémon. I didn't worry about it too much, since it seemed they were just passing over, but when Ninetales took off towards them I had a feeling they were up to no good." She grinned. "My eyesight isn't what it used to be, but I could still watch as that balloon flew off into the distance. When Ninetales returned with you, I figured those thieves had been trying to capture you."

Tails nodded his understanding and smiled, looking at the other fox. "Thank you Ninetales," he said, not entirely sure if it could understand him or not.

It seemed to smile back warmly, adding in a happy, "Niiinetales."

It was then that Tails noticed Rosa's somewhat perplexed expression directed towards him, as though trying to figure something out. "I'm curious," she said suddenly. "What's in your bag, Tails?"

Bag…?

Tails looked down and was surprised to find the brown hiking bag still slung around his shoulder. He had completely forgotten about it. Instinctively, his hand moved protectively to the bag of Chaos Emeralds.

And he froze.

Swallowing hard, he answered the question: "Nothing."

Rosa raised an eyebrow. "Then why do you have it?"

He opened the bag and peered inside, then stuck a hand in and felt around desperately. "No—there was something here…Something very important. But—"

Frantically, he turned the bag completely upside down as shook it, as though it would make the Chaos Emeralds reappear. Instead, however, two shining round objects fell out onto his lap and he stared at them.

"Shadow," he whispered quietly, remembering the events just before the transportation to this world. The Rings that Shadow had brought with him for Tails to examine, the ebony hedgehog' power welling up inside of him till he was unable to contain it…

Chaos Control.

And then Tails was here, in this foreign world.

Suddenly, he looked up at the kind old woman, who was watching him with a curious eyebrow furrowed. "I have to go," he explained, jumping down from the sofa on which he sat. "See, some of my friends are here somewhere, and I have to find them because one of them might need—"

"Sit down," Rosa interrupted, stopping him as she reached for the book she had brought out.

Tails, confused and wondering what she was doing, obliged and retook his position across from her.

"This is a very special Ninetales," she said as she flipped through the pages of the book, obviously looking for something specific. "Notice its golden hue? Most are a lighter, creamy colour. It's also considerable larger than most others."

The Ninetales seemed to sit up a bit with pride as she continued.

"I found this animal when I was younger; much younger. A young woman, just finding my place in the world. I did not want to become a Pokémon trainer, you know. No animal should be confined to that small of a space and forced to do the will of its master. They should have a choice."

Tails nodded uncertainly, as he did not know exactly what she was talking about but understood the basic point she was making.

Rosa paused, scanned a page of the book, and continued speaking and flipping. "Well, I found this Ninetales—rather; it found me—while I was on my way to the Kanto region. I was attacked by a flock of Spearow. Ferocious birds, I tell you. Well, this Ninetales showed up just in time; fought off all those Spearow with a single blast of its fire."

Tails raised an eyebrow at the fox across from him. Fire…?

But Rosa didn't notice. "It brought me this book all those years ago. I knew—I don't know how, but I did—that it was more than just stories. And now…Now, I believe the time has come." She glanced up at the anthropomorphic fox. "Come here, child," she said distractedly, returning to the book.

Tails obliged and moved to stand beside Rosa's rocking chair, on the opposite side from Ninetales. He caught the last line on one of the pages she flipped by: "thus the world shall turn to ash." Most of the pages and fancy letterings were faded or stained to the point that it was impossible to tell what they said at a quick glance, if at all.

"Here we are." Finally, Rosa stopped at a page with badly fading text in the center of the page. Tails could tell from the creases in the spine of the book that it had been opened to this page many times before.

"Somehow…" Rosa began softly, "Somehow I think this is meant for you." She held the book in a better position for the kit to read, but the letters were too faded to make out the entire script.

A ti wh n all is we nd pe il fl e ,

S x will c e, w eded.

Lo t po er mu t be ca tu e again.

The s ve th m st be fo n .

A h rl s turns ag t,

nd anot er must t e th ir pl e to ad.

T ra ny r ses, p in and be ra al re gn.

B tt es for the p er ra e.

But h ro s fa l,

And d ne s is a l that c n save

W en the haos ove he ms an al y.

Ch os br ngs dar ess,

Da k ess ret ns c aos.

Ch es d st uc ion,

B t chaos al ne can re to e the peace.

"I…I can't read it," Tails said quietly. "I can make out some stuff, but it's too faded."

Rosa nodded understandingly. "I'm afraid that was my reaction too." She folded the book closed again and held in on her lap for a moment with both hands, then picked it up and slipped it inside of Tails' bag. "But I think you may be the one who can figure out what it means. Take it with you, Tails."

"Um…Thanks."

A minute and six packed-up chocolate chip cookies later, Tails found himself standing in front of the small house with Rosa and the golden fox. He was just about to wave his goodbye and take to the skies when he noticed Rosa bent over slightly to stroke the fur of the bigger fox affectionately, as though saying goodbye. Then she turned to him.

"Ninetales will be going with you," she announced as the giant animal walked over to him.

Tails looked up at Ninetales, then back to Rosa. "Why?" he asked.

She smiled gently. "It has been hearing the whispers of the Pokémon in this forest, so it knows what strange things are happening here. If your friends that you have to find are anything like you, Ninetales will know where to go. Plus," she added with a wink, "it's always good to have a bodyguard."

"Ninetales," Ninetales agreed in its soft, musical voice, then bent low to the ground and looked at Tails expectantly.

Taking a hint, the anthropomorphic fox climbed onto the back of his new companion and, with a final goodbye and thank you to Rosa Thorn, the two were off.

"Take care of yourself, Tails!" Rosa called after him with a wave. "And good luck!"

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