Hey there everybody! I'm sorry I was out for so long. It's been weeks hasn't it? Well I'm back and ready with the final battle sequence ready to go! Hold on tight!
Kilatails- Well it wasn't updated "soon" but this is good right?
Silver Sheilds- Thanks. I sure do hope so.
Shinju the Rabbit- I wonder if they will too. Hehehe.
Kitsune-awesomeness- Got it. Thanks. It's hard writing reviews without sounding like you're copying from the last one. Believe you me.
You'veBeenJayed- I love it when new people become excited in my work.
Snake15000- Wow indeed
Raziel777- Yes. It has truly been a long time coming. It almost makes me feel sad that the story will be ending soon.
Kitsune-SuperFox- Yeah. What other kind of Kitsune was Tails meant to be after all? Light suits him.
TBSparky- Okay Thanks for reviewing Sparky! See you at the D.A site.
Chapter 40: Betwixt and Between
The chaos that erupted from the massacre below was panic striking. Basically everyone who could get away didn't give it any second thought. It was going to be nothing but bloody carnage if they had stayed.
Eggman had successfully destroyed a good majority of them. His attribute is "Power" after all, although the reason why that's true is a mystery even to him considering his old age.
"Oh well, back to maggot dusting!" Eggman smirked as he kept blasting the ugly menaces back. While doing so a thought that he had never thought of crossed his mind.
'The hedgehog … just might win…'
The Endless Rift- Unknown time
Behold…
"This is the endless abyss…
Those who venture here…
Never venture out…
The vastness of it all will cause you to go mentally insane. A very interesting tale was once told about mindless fools who accidentally made it here. They were families of course. And they were trapped…
Sure… at first they were fixated on sticking together… but it wasn't long before hunger and thirst drove them mad… the parents easily overpowered the scared children… and a few seconds later they had officially reverted …
To Cannibalism… they even used the child's blood for their drink… can't live without fluids you know. Hmhmhmhmhmhm… Hahahahaha…"
"Are we supposed to be scared?" Asked the unfazed blue hedgehog as he picked his ear.
"WHAT!"
"Why don't you come on out like a non-coward." Sonic chuckled as he and Tails floated there in the chrome, cerulean, and violet colored abyss.
"Nothing you say or do is gonna scare me or Sonic, Zerokichi! I'm not evil! I'm good and I'll always be good!" Tails yelled then finished his taunt with a childish razz.
"… Fools that don't know their place are quite bothersome. It's too late to stop this. I've all ready entered the abyss. Soon you're world- ALL the worlds will be in Betwixt and Between…"
"Betwixt… and Between? The hell does that mean?" Sonic asked as he floated next to his also confused fox friend.
"I wouldn't expect a mere eleven-year-old to understand." Zerokichi stated.
"There's a lot you wouldn't expect of us isn't there?" Tails asked mocking the way Zerokichi taunted.
"Hmph…you'll see soon enough. The ramifications of your actions have lead to a very regretful position you're in… time to step it up… after all… you two speak of fortuitous friendship and mental companionship but how do you know this won't happen again? How do you know the other won't betray you in the future if there WAS going to be one for you?" Zerokichi asked.
Sonic and Tails stayed silent.
"Why fight for humanity and animals and all the other imperfect and foolishly distraught races? What's your purpose? If not perfection then WHAT?!"
"…" Tails was silent. He didn't know what to say. He had never thought about what might happen if Sonic betrayed him or if he ended up betraying Sonic again. If they're all imperfect that would make the two of them the same way right? Tails wanted to be reassured…
"Heheheheh… Hahahahahaha!" Sonic laughed. Tails and Zerokichi, although you couldn't see him, were shocked.
"What prey tell is so funny?"
"Seriously… you're like a broken record… playing a VEEEEERY annoying song. I won't pretend to know what happens in the future… but I do know this… even if Tails and me all of a sudden begin hating each other right here and now… you'd still be the one getting the beat down. Know why? Because no matter how much we like or hate each other… we'll both always hate someone like you more! You're going down! Way down!"
"Even if the fox became evil on his own accord?"
"Hey, if Eggman can see it then Tails is more then capable of seeing it too. Any new perfect order created by you… would be the exact opposite of what you claim it's going to be. That's just the way it is." Sonic said.
Tails looked at Sonic with his eyes gleaming with a large amount of hero admiration.
"He's right! YEAH! He's right! I'll never hate Sonic ANYWAY so there's no reason to worry about that! The only reason I killed anyone was because of YOU!" Tails yelled out to Zerokichi wherever he was.
It was silent for a quick ¼ of a minute.
"It would seem that my final attempt to get through to you both has failed… fine… I see how it is…"
The abyss shook.
"Wh-What's going on Sonic?!" Tails shouted clinging to the hedgehog.
"Not sure… but… I think something's coming!" Sonic shouted as the abyss fluctuated out of control.
The lining of it began to form and mold itself into a configured shape of a giant Kitsune!
"Whoa…" Sonic said while looking straight up at it. The fierceness in its eyes and the sharpness of its teeth were intimidating. It quickly sprouted limbs with dangerous accessories to its fingers and feet. The backside sported nine long and power induced tails.
"What is that thing?!" Tails asked staring at it clearly frightened.
"It is my servant! I created it from the power of the Chaos Emeralds that now circulate this abyss!"
"Where is he?" Sonic said looking around, beads of sweat visible on his frustrated face.
"There! He's perched on that thing's head!" Tails said pointing the kitsune's forehead.
"You can see him?" Sonic asked turning to the fox.
"Y-Yeah… it's this weird power connection thing…" Tails mumbled a bit unsure of how to accurately explain it.
"Well whatever! We know where he is so we'll just defeat him!" Sonic said as he and Tails floated there with determined looks.
"And how do you expect to do that? You could barely stand up against me with your very limited power…"
"Heheheh. You really need to stop that taunting of yours. It's going to be your downfall in a few seconds." Sonic grinned a bit trying his best to hide the fact that he was a bit worried his plan wouldn't work.
"What are you talking about?" Zerokichi asked as his fox incarnation snarled.
"You said the power of the Chaos Emeralds in-circled this place and that you drew in their power to make that thing right? Well then! We'll just draw in our own power!" Sonic boasted.
"C-Can we do that?" Tails asked.
"You can buddy! I know you can! Draw it in to become the Kitsune of Light once more while I draw it in to become something with parallel strength. It'll take a little longer for me though! Do your best to fend him off while I get ready okay?" Sonic asked raising his hand, hoping to draw from the emeralds power, wherever they were.
Tails almost freaked.
"S-Sonic!? Y-You're asking me to protect you!? But I- It's too much responsibility! I can't!" Tails began until he saw Sonic look up at the fox.
Sonic then smirked.
"Stupid fox."
"Huh? S-Sonic… what did…"
"I called you stupid. And you're a scardy cat too!" Sonic snarled back. Tails was confused. Zerokichi was suddenly intrigued by Sonic's behavior.
"Go away and leave me alone to die then! So much for your help!" Sonic said turning away.
"…" Tails didn't know what to say.
"Mwhahahaha! Good one proving me right hedgehog! Keep going! It amuses me! The fox might just cry again! It makes me feel giddy inside just thinking about it!" He shouted from across the area.
"SHUT UP!" Tails yelled at Zerokichi, which took him by surprise. He then turned to Sonic with a teary eyed face.
"You're a jerk you know that?! I'm here right now aren't I?! Of course I want to help!" Tails shouted.
"Hmph. Then protect me while I charge up. You can at least do that right can't you?" Sonic said with his eyes half-open.
"ERR! You bet I can! You taught me that I could do anything noble I put my heart too and I'm not letting you go back on your word just as I'm not going back on believing it!" Tails shouted.
That's when Sonic unexpectedly put his palm on Tails' head and rubbed it softly. It shocked Tails a bit but when he looked up he saw Sonic's smiling face back to the way it was.
"Okay then. Do it. I dare you. " Sonic said winking at the fox.
Tails floated there confused for a second before slowly beginning to smile.
"Y-Yes! Yes Sonic! I will! I'll protect you! I can do it! I know I can! Sorry. I kinda forgot what I had learned from you because of this freaky mess. Thanks for being all harsh and stuff." Tails said with a determined chuckle.
"Hey, it's no problem. We've done this before you know. Like I said before come to me again when you need a good scolding." Sonic laughed raising his hands back up.
"Gotcha!" Tails shouted.
Zerokichi was a bit disappointed to see that it was all just an act but quickly perked up again once he realized that Tails would be facing him alone.
"You really are that stupid! Guess I was REALLY wrong when I thought you could actually be my apprentice! Oh well!" He shouted.
"Heh! You were right. After all I'm too good for you. Why would you want an apprentice that started out all ready surpassing the master?" Tails taunted easily angering Zerokichi to the max.
"Quite a big head you've got! I'll finish this quickly then!" He shouted as his Kitsune giant formed a huge blast within its mouth. Tails just stood there with his arms across his chest and his hands curled into fists.
"Bring it!" Tails shouted.
"As you wish!" Zerokichi shouted back at Tails with equal enthusiasm and had the Kitsune figure fire it's large blast at Tails.
Sonic floated there as he began to draw in a large amount of energy.
Tails waited for the blast to come. He wasn't getting out of the way of this!
"Is he crazy?"
Tails couldn't help but smile as the blast hit him head on. Sonic saw it but wasn't worried. After all, this was the Kitsune of light they were talking about.
His faith wasn't misguided. Tails took the full force of the blast head on and allowed the light within his body to react to it. This caused it to shine out with a huge gust of surging light energy.
Zerokichi watched the scene unfold in front of him. Despite how ticked off he was… he was also very excited by this. Tails being defeated this easily would've been boring. Let's let the world conquest be a fun thing shall we?
Tails absorbed all the light energy he had accumulated and began to concentrate it within himself. He finally reassessed his new form. He was the Kitsune of light once again.
"Now… let's fight for real this time!" Tails said launching himself at Zerokichi.
"RAH!" Zerokichi shouts as he launches his powerful Kitsune at Tails. It spins into an even more powerful tornado of itself and launches at the fox. Tails retaliates by pushing his fists in front of him and allowing the light to charge within himself.
The collision that results afterward was spectacular to say the least.
Both creatures flew back and both chuckled by the immense power that was emanating from each other. It was clear to both that Tails took the most damage however. In this form though, he simply cared a lot less then he usually did. The reason however is unknown.
The Kitsune didn't waist anytime firing many star shaped blasts at Tails while he was weakened. Tails, obviously having no choice but to face them head on due to his promise to protect Sonic, rammed straight into them using his own powers of light to break through them.
This action took a serious toll on Tails' body, however. It wasn't long before slamming into three of the blasts prompted Tails to cough up a small amount of blood.
Zerokichi didn't allow this to escape his notice. He immediately took it upon himself to get the giant Kitsune to slash at Tails with its mighty claws. Tails took that head on too, which prompted him to fly a large considerable distance backward.
Tails had to stop and clutch his chest for a quick second, as he couldn't handle this amount of pain all in one set-up. It was too much to bear in one fight. However, Sonic trusted him… he needed protection and Tails was the one who was going to give it no matter what!
Sonic floated in the abyss and watched Tails struggle.
"Good job buddy… just keep fending him off for me for just a little bit longer… you can do it… I know you can!" Sonic said as he felt a huge shimmer of power being drawn in within himself. He was almost ready.
Tails noticed Sonic was almost where he needed to be. This made him smile but it didn't put them in the clear yet. Tails fired himself at Zerokichi and his Kitsune pet once more.
"This is an amusing controversy but this is where it must end!" Zerokichi allowed his voice to boom across the area for emphasis. Once more his Kitsune pet fired a thunderous blast at Tails in an attempt to stop him.
The fox, seeing it coming, had no other choice but to stalemate it. He pulled back his light powered fist and threw a powerful punch at the blast. The results were less then satisfactory. He had succeeded in stopping the blast from hitting Sonic but injured himself a great deal with his little stunt.
Tails flew back again with his face full of sweat and his breathing incredibly shaken…
"I-I… don't know if I'll be able to do that again…" Tails moaned as his vision began to blur a bit.
"Too bad… as I know for a fact that I'll be able to fire my blast again! Like I said before it's a shame that in the end you amounted to nothing but a bunch of inter-dimensional dust." Zerokichi said and without a second notion fired another powerful blast at the injured fox.
Tails closed his eyes waiting for the in evadable.
Before the attack hit though a bright golden light shown in front of Tails. The fox having his eyes closed noticed its glimmer through his eyelids. He slowly opened them and saw the golden hero in front of him with sparkles of the disrupted blast from the Kitsune figure sprayed all over the place.
Tails couldn't help but gaze at how amazing the scene in front of him looked. It was incredible! The blast had been stopped by none other then his best friend, Sonic the Hedgehog. Not only did he stop it but he looked badass doing it too.
"S-SONIC! You finished! You saved me!" Tails shouted happily as his eyes glimmered.
The hedgehog floated there for a few seconds in his new golden-lit persona before turning to Tails with a huge grin on his face.
"Sure did…what'd you think was going to happen?" Sonic laughed.
"You're all glowy and bright gold colored now?! What are you?!" Tails asked.
"I don't really know but I feel super in this form... just call me Super Sonic!" Sonic shouted.
Zerokichi was taken by surprise by the sudden change in events.
"If you think it'll help then fine! Come give me your best shot!" Zerokichi fired more numerous blasts at the two of them.
"That won't work anymore." Sonic said easily using his power to ram into all of them and destroyed all the blasts with his power alone.
"What?" Zerokichi was confused.
"Sorry but if I was able to destroy those so easily your creature certainly won't stand much of a chance against me! Now surrender!" Sonic boasted.
Zerokichi did nothing but stare at them and chuckle.
"Sorry but I hold all the cards here! You're just nothing but glowing specks of dust to me!" He shouted and fired at them once more.
Sonic and Tails allowed themselves to charge at it. Tails took the hit with semi-damage this time. He wasn't sure why until he realized what he was drawing power from besides his own Kitsune power.
"It's the emeralds… are they… willingly giving me power?" Tails asked. Sonic simply grinned.
"Willingly?! That's absurd! Fire!" Zerokichi angrily gestured and the monster complied.
Tails however knew it was true. The emeralds were consciences of great power. They knew how to lock on to the ones that let their light shine to the purest extent! It was true! They were giving both him and Sonic power! Time to put it to good use then!
Sonic and Tails both evaded and easily slammed into, thus destroying, every blast fired at them. Whenever they ran out of strength or were fatigued they miraculously recovered through their own light. It was a feat that confused Zerokichi to know end. How were they doing this?
"Ready Tails?!" Sonic asked reappearing once again after dodging another attack.
"Ready Sonic!" Tails answered as he too allowed himself to make his reappearance.
"It would seem that mere blasting won't be enough. That's fine though. I'll just attack you straight on!" Zerokichi pointed forward which prompted his beast of Chaos Emerald energy under the influence of dark powers to begin spinning itself into a tornado before firing itself at Sonic and Tails.
The amount of power it was generating was miraculous. It was clear that this was going to be a full-power attack!
Both Sonic and Tails stood their ground however. It was also clear that they were planning on taking the attack head on!
"You two must have a death wish! Prepare to go the way of all the weak vulgar that dare oppose me!" Zerokichi shouted then launched his Kitsune beast out at them.
Sonic closed his eyes, as did Tails. They both were focused on the primary objective. Defeat Zerokichi… no matter what it took!
The kitsune's might drew closer with each spin. The two dared not move as it did though.
"As long as there's someone who believes in me… I won't give up… not ever!" Tails thought in his head.
The beast was upon them! It struck at them with all its might. That's when Sonic and Tails both opened their eyes in unison. The combined forces between the two of them sent out a powerful shockwave of light at the beast.
It was more then enough to send it flying back riddling with pain. The cry it released was indeed one of anguish. It was in turmoil.
"What is this… what have you DONE?!" Zerokichi shouted in anger as he watched the beast fall back.
Sonic and Tails both curled up their fists and allowed an enormous amount of power to release from within themselves.
"Can you feel it Tails?" Sonic asked with a proud voice.
"Yeah… I feel it." Tails answered back.
The two charged up to the max then shot themselves straight out at the hurt beast.
Without another glance they both shot straight throw it as if they were hot knives slicing through butter! They continued to do so until the beast and its cries reverted back to mere chaos energy!
The eruption of power that resulted caused both Sonic and Tails to revert back to their regular forms however. Still it was crystal clear that they had beaten it.
Zerokichi simply floated there with a less then amused look on his face.
"We… we won… we won…" Tails said.
"Not yet buddy… it's Zero's turn next!" Sonic said turning to the floating deity.
Zerokichi's eyes were fixated on the scene before him. His chaos emerald powered creature was no longer alive. It would seem that even these chaos emeralds favored the light more…
"It's an even bigger disappointment that the most powerful items in the universe favor the foolish as well…" Zerokichi said.
"What'd you say? We're gonna kick your ass! You know that right?" Sonic said approaching the deity.
"Ha… you still have no idea of the still overwhelming power I possess." Zerokichi poofed away then reappeared next to the exhausted fox.
"Stay away from him!" Sonic shouted back.
"Huh?" Tails looked up before getting slugged in the face by Zerokichi. He flew back into the clutches of the cloaked schemer's dark sprouts that had formed while they were talking.
"W-where'd those come from?" Sonic asked as he turned to face the scene.
"S-Sonic! I- AHHH!" Tails felt the sprouts pierce his skin and send dark energy jolts throughout his body.
"You will stay silent." Zerokichi sent his spores at Sonic and the same ordeal took place with the hedgehog. The spores gave them both no mercy as their skin was all but punctured harshly.
"Y-You!" Sonic struggled.
"Now watch as I show you what I truly think of your pathetic kind." Zerokichi raised a fist and punched Tails across the face.
The fox's mouth and nose instantly began to bleed as the fist ended its connection. Tails cried for a second but didn't let it get him down.
"Tails! You stop it right now you- ARRRGH!" Sonic shouted in pain as the electric shock took hold of him.
"Stay silent. I want him to suffer for all the wasted time he put me through!" Zerokichi punched Tails yet again. Tails' mouth and nose bled even more. "I could've skipped over trying to manipulate you and just activated your power so you would kill endlessly. That would've prompted you to build up that power without me having to waist my breath on you." He said harshly.
He punched Tails once more, which prompted Tails to moan in pain.
"S-Sooniiiic…" Tails mumbled.
"Tails…" Sonic murmured.
Zerokichi looked at Tails' face. The fox was hurt but he suddenly turned to face the cloaked schemer in front of him.
"I… I won't… give in to you…" Tails said in defiance.
"Oh ho. Shut up… I've heard it all before!" Zerokichi punched Tails across his face once again.
Tails let his blood spill out of his mouth. Zerokichi laughed in response.
"Hahahaha. It pleases me so. You both are... huh?"
Tails looked up at Zerokichi with his eyes fierce and full of determination.
"I mean it… you don't hold any power over me… I won't give in to you… and… neither will Sonic!" Tails said while huffing and puffing a bit.
"You minuscule-!" Zerokichi punched Tails harder.
Tails forced himself to face the deity again. This time tears were visible on his face but he still had the same fierceness and determination in his eyes that made Zerokichi fall back a bit.
"Stop looking at me like that!" He yelled getting ready to pound on Tails once again. However, before he could he was met with a stinging homing attack to the face.
Zerokichi fell to the ground as the blue hedgehog, now basking in his victory, approached him.
"Tails is right! I'm not going to let a tiny little sprout do me in and neither is he! Right buddy!" Sonic asked.
Tails nodded slowly before grunting and tugging against the spores with all his strength. Despite the electric wave he was successfully able to break free.
The fox fell to his knees in satisfaction. He really was strong. There was no doubting that now. He felt like falling to the floor and crying but this defidently wasn't the time to look weak in front of the enemy.
Sonic walked over to Tails and got down to his level. His gloved hand patted his back as he began to chew out Zerokichi for his actions.
"You've been toying with us all this time haven't you… or at least that's what you tried to do. Bet you didn't think we'd be this powerful did ya? But your plan won't work. We know you've all ready reached the core of this place and you're simply stalling for time before whatever curse you put on it takes hold. We're not as dumb as you think you know!" Sonic said helping Tails stand up right.
"… If you've figured it out then go… try and get past me… thanks to this new Kitsune power I've obtained there's no way you'd both be able to take me in your regular forms." Zerokichi boasted.
"You can still be hurt though as my homing attack clearly showed. Best be careful that over inflated ego doesn't cause your head to explode." Sonic said waving his finger at the still frustrated mastermind.
"You're kidding yourselves if you truly think that this is anywhere near close to being over! After all, I still have my dark Kitsune power and you both seem to be running out. Now if you'll excuse me. I must check up on the core to see how well it's developing." Zerokichi chuckled as he floated off toward the highest point within the abyss.
"He's… getting away…" Tails said while looking up in disgust.
"HmHmHmHm… Here's a little going away present for the both of you. It should prove satisfactory if it's a fight you're looking for!" Zerokichi chimed as he snapped his latex gloved fingers. In a flash an enormous horde of the creatures attacking the planet below appeared in front of Sonic and Tails.
Zerokichi looked down at the two helpless creatures surrounded by flesh eating and blood drinking monsters.
"It is hopeless… I was hopeless the very second my plan was set in motion…" Zerokichi mumbled and snapped his fingers once more. This time a small portal opened up showing Sonic and Tails the events taking place outside.
Knuckles was bleeding badly and on his last legs.
Amy was tuckered out. So much hammer waving took a serious toll on her.
Charmy was half-conscious and Espio and Vector weren't doing much better.
Smokestack was still fighting fiercely even though the fatigue on his face was clearly beginning to show.
Shimon had been knocked out and Big and Rouge were trying their best to stay out of harms way while protecting him.
Bocoe, Decoe, and Bokkun were running out of stalling ideas.
And Dr. Eggman… simply stood there and watched the creatures advance upon him.
"Even Eggman eh…?" Sonic mumbled as he watched all his friends, rivals, and enemies fight for them. The fight that would determine the future of all flesh and blood creatures created originally upon this Earth was in all of their hands… and they were… failing…
"Your power is quite amusing, I must admit. Even if it is a bit… strong… perhaps even stronger then my original power ...but it matters not when your power is limitless. Thanks to the Kitsune I now have all I need to obtain my goal. This entire world of imperfect minuscule rodents and sapiens will pay for their wrong-doing." He shouted down to them as the creatures began to advance on them.
Sonic huffed and puffed as he grabbed his arm.
"And what exactly is there wrong doing huh? I suppose you have an answer for me there?" Sonic grinned at the deity, his vision beginning to blur.
"I'm done explaining and trying to get through to you both. You shall now die at the hands of one who is superior to you in every way. May your bones be savored and licked dry by my spawns…" Zerokichi said as he smugly teleported his way back to the core.
Sonic tried to kick at them but it really was no use. Him and Tails were too drained. It seemed hopeless… but then again…
"It's seemed hopeless before… why should this be any different?" Sonic asked himself.
Tails was on his knees. The pain was getting to him indeed. He had never felt so drained in his entire life. The fact that he was still conscious was a miracle.
"S-Sonic… how are we… gonna get… our power back…" Tails said almost losing it completely and falling to the floor.
The creatures began to slobber, drool, and wet up the area with their saliva as the idea of eating the two helpless animals in front of them came full-circle.
"… I usually say… to the ladies… that there's plenty of Sonic to go around… but despite that… I think these guys are gonna have a hard time sharing out the two of us." Sonic said falling on his butt and scooting against Tails' back.
The creatures extended their claws.
"… Y-Yeah…" Tails silently agreed with Sonic as he too fell on his bottom and let his back touch Sonic's.
They watched as their friends struggled outside...
They watched as Zerokichi's time ticked away in his favor...
They watched as the advancing creatures' saliva began to tarnish their shoes...
Through out all of this the only thing on Sonic and Tails' minds were...
"… Heheheh… Chilidogs…" The two mumbled. This instantly confused the beasts.
Zerokichi, who was watching elsewhere with his own tele-portal, became very confused as well.
"… Have they gone mad? The fools are inches away from death and THAT'S all they can think about. Is this situation not dire enough for them?" He asked as he floated in front of Betwixt and Between's core.
The creatures had stopped to look at the two before continuing their advancement.
"… I can't wait to try them again. You still promise to teach me how to make the Ultra Super Mega Sonic Supreme Chilidog one day right?" Tails asked the hedgehog that was now against his back.
"A promise is a promise buddy… I always keep my word… pretty soon you'll be a pro at making those dogs…" Sonic laughed.
"… Can't wait…" Tails murmured back almost fainting right there.
Zerokichi didn't know what to make of this scene. Were they simply ignoring their current situation or was this some sort of taunting?
"Or maybe their final seconds of life dealt them a blow to their subconscious and they really have gone mad…" He suggested as he continued to watch hoping for hedgehog and fox chunks to make their way on to his pet's mouths.
Sonic noticed Tails was getting fatigued but didn't let it bother him that much. He simply sat there and looked up at the colors that encircled the abyss.
"… Tails…" Sonic asked in a voice that mirrored Tails' weakened one.
It took a few seconds but Tails answered.
"... Yeah…"
"When we get out of this… promise me something…"
"… Okay… anything…"
"Promise me… you won't get intiminated by me for doing this…" Sonic grinned. Tails chuckled to himself.
"I won't… I promise…" Tails turned his head slightly to meet the hedgehog's.
Sonic nodded then raised his hands as the creatures were about to eat their faces off. That's when a sudden eruption of power took place in front of them all.
"You guys ever wonder… why it took you guys so long to reach us? It was the power we had holding you back. Me and Tails felt it would've been nice to have a nice conversation before fully executing our plan." Sonic spilled them all the beans.
"What plan?!" Zerokichi clutched his fist together in tremendous anger. This was bothersome to him!
Sonic's grin grew wider and if you took the time to look you'd notice that so did Tails'.
"Let's go…" Tails said.
"Right! Power explosion time baby!" Sonic shouted as the source of their returning strength appeared in front of them.
The seven chaos emeralds circled the two of them suddenly and sent an enormous shockwave of power outward at them all.
The result was truly one to see. The blast not only took out the beast's that were surrounding them but all of the beasts within the abyss. The power of the chaos emeralds were truly a force to be reckon with.
Once the creatures were gone Sonic and Tails allowed themselves to be healed. Not but a second later were they both back on their feet.
Once the two had dusted themselves off Sonic proceeded with his famous taunt.
"Hey Zerokichi… I know you're watching us. Seems like you weren't as smart as you made yourself out to be. When your Kitsune creature was destroyed you left both the FULL power of the chaos emeralds and the emeralds themselves unchecked. Oh well. I was able to home into their power and now we have em. Tough break eh?" Sonic said waving his index finger in the air knowing Zerokichi was getting an eye-full.
"Your perfect kingdom might turn out to be a pretty stupid one if it was ever going to be made!" Tails shouted as he made a huge raspberry face at Zerokichi.
There was silence. It was a scary uncomfortable chilly silence that told Sonic and Tails that Zerokichi had seen and heard enough.
Then without much warning at all a huge flash of red light teleports the two of them out of the abyss and to Zerokichi's location. This also happens to be the location of the infamous Betwixt and Between…
"Whoa! Where is this?!" Tails asked.
"L-look at that!" Sonic shouted pointing ahead of the two of them. Tails looked forward and saw what Sonic was pointing at.
It was a massive red energy core with blazing red light and a fiery center within it sitting there.
"Behold… it's magnificent is it not? Truly a work of stunning proportion." Zerokichi said as he appeared behind the two of them.
"This smoking pile of wasted black magic is what you wanted all along?" Sonic asked with a bit of a stern face.
"Oh no. I don't simply want it… I want to change it. Alter it into what the true definition of perfection is! It shall be a magnificent transformation!" Zerokichi preached with the look of madness plastered on his face.
"That's what you think!" Tails shouted back feeling really hyped for this. He was finally going to do what he set out to do.
"You two pathetic fools and you're care bear colored pals don't even realize the extent of the situation you've gotten yourselves into. Out right opposing someone like me is suicide!" He shouted allowing his hands to glow.
"Really? Well I guess if I'm going to my grave then I might as well sprint there. Any place worth going down fighting is worth running to at least, right?" Sonic shot back not at all feeling scared.
Zerokichi floated there in silence as if re-considering something.
"… I'm done now…" He suddenly spoke.
"Excuse me?" Sonic asked a bit confused.
"I'm done conversing in this friendly matter… and I'm done being generous. No more tricks… no more gimmicks… just full-out brawling until one of us remains…sound fun?"
"…" Sonic's face was suddenly serious as he homed in on Zerokichi's outlook.
"… Just for the heck of it… I'll offer you both one last chance… I'll admit your talents are quite unique. With a bit of fine-tuning you could be apart of my perfect world as well… however I think I know what your answer will be…" Zerokichi stated.
"No…" Tails mouthed. Zerokichi sighed.
The deity's hands began to spark with a black light.
"Then you shall die where you both now stand!" He said firing his dark powers out at Tails and Sonic.
The two dodged quickly and watched as the blast flew far behind them.
Tails flew toward Zerokichi and tried to punch him but he was easily grabbed and tossed behind him. Before he could fully turn his attention back Sonic was upon him.
The hedgehog tried to kick him but once again the deity was able to block it with his power. Sonic didn't let up and allowed his strength to carry over to a huge punch. Zerokichi easily grabbed it and expected the other fist to be used next.
Instead, Sonic did the opposite and kicked Zerokichi's chin with his free leg. This was enough to at least send him back a bit but it didn't get him down for long. Sonic came down with his fist extended and ready for a punch. However, Zerokichi, who had recovered faster then expected, grabbed Sonic's fist, flipped him over, and punched the hedgehog across the face. The hedgehog flew across the area and quickly stopped himself.
Zerokichi didn't waist his time in firing up his power and firing at the two of them. Sonic and Tails ducked through it with amazing speed but as soon as they reached Zerokichi he let his all out power explode at their faces.
The two flew into the air with a shocked expression on.
"S-Sonic! The emeralds!" Tails pointed out.
"Gotcha!" Sonic said summoning the seven of them up. "Can you become the Kitsune of Light again?"
Tails looked at his body and shook his head.
"Sorry… I'm too drained… not even the chaos emeralds would…"
"Hey, it's all right! I'll just share my power with you!" Sonic smirked and allowed the emerald's power to quickly embrace them both.
Zerokichi fired a powerful blast at them once again fully fixated on hitting them.
Sonic had quickly used the power to get the best handle over the situation by turning into his Super form. The blast was reflected by Sonic's fist easily afterwards.
"Now then. Come help me Tails!" Sonic said as he held up his hands and began transferring his power to Tails. The two became particularly strong just then.
"I see! But it won't be enough. You and your friends are running out of time!" Zerokichi shouted firing another blast at them.
"Here we come!" Tails shouted as both him and Sonic flew toward the blast and tried their best to cut through it. When they did successfully they met up with Zerokichi head on.
Blast after blast and punch after punch was delivered in a blazing amount of prosperous speed and power.
It seemed like a stalemate for a while but soon both sides began to lose power and fatigue from the constant pummeling.
Back in Station Square
"Is he going to win?" A person asked as he looked up at the sky.
"Come on! You can do it Sonic! You and that fox!" Shouted another person.
"Don't lose!" Came the voice of a child.
More and more supportive voices came from below and made their way to the Betwixt and Between where the three fighters were…
Betwixt and Between
The three had exchanged many hard and Earth-shattering blows. Now that Zerokichi was relying simply on the dark powers of the Kitsune and the other two were relying on the light powers of the chaos emeralds the victor couldn't easily be determined.
Suddenly the voices reached their ears. As soon as the sound waves made contact the three of them stopped, as what had just happened was an incredibly strange occurrence.
"Wh-what was that? It can't be?" Zerokichi turned around and faced his tele-portal. Both Sonic and Tails looked outside at it as well.
There they saw the grandest site to ever grace a hero's eyes.
Everyone, literally everyone was standing outside looking in at them. They were watching the fight and cheering both Sonic AND Tails on.
It seemed like the picture of a miracle. To Zerokichi however…
"N-no… they should've been dead by now! How! How did this happen?! DAMNIT! This foolish existence simply refuses to die! What stubborn people! What happened to my creatures?!" Zerokichi basically yelled at the portal of cheering citizens.
On the outside, all the heroes that had fought were watching in extreme delight as the fight carried on.
"We defeated them of course. Looks like you're a bit misinformed on who was REALLY in-charge of our union! HAHAHAHA!" Eggman shouted as he and his robots shared a hardly laugh upon a pile of smooth wreckage.
"It certainly wasn't easy." Bocoe admitted.
"But it wasn't that hard." Decoe pointed out as well.
"Once Sonic gave us that nice boost we were A-okay! Hahahahahaha." Bokkun chuckled.
Zerokichi's eyes widened as he was given this new information. He slowly turned around to face the hedgehog in question, his back hunched a bit from frustration.
"Y-You… you're the one that did it!" He said.
Sonic waved his index finger smugly.
"Hey, I supplied the energy but it was Tails' idea!" Sonic said playfully giving the fox a noogie. Tails chuckled and laughed.
Zerokichi's eye twitched. The two of them, throughout all of this, had failed to stop laughing! It was as if they considered him a joke!
"How dare you laugh at this you urchins! Is my taking over this pathetic universe not important or deadly enough for you?!" He shouted while shaking his clutched fist at them.
Another intruding voice came from below.
"Oh shut up!" This came from Amy.
"What?" Zerokichi said turning to the girl.
"You're not in charge of us and you're certainly not stronger then they are!" Amy yelled while sticking out her tongue.
"Y-you are a-" Zerokichi began before he was interrupted again.
"Oooo! Another insult! I'm quaking in my boots!" Vector said out loud as he, Charmy, and Espio exchanged a laugh.
'They're all crazy! Why are they acting like this? This is MY time not theirs! I'M the one who should be celebrating!'
"Guess that legend was just what I thought it was. A spineless punk in a kingdom that was to good for him setting out to create a universal order that was doomed to fail is what it was. Kinda sad ain't it." Knuckles said while sitting on a rock and drinking from a can of soda.
"Yeah, I don't even know why I was afraid of that legend any more." Shimon smiled and laughed for the first time since he had been on this adventure.
'They're… mocking me…?!'
"I guess it's finally over. The destruction you caused will finally be undone… by two brats no less." Smokestack said with a small smile gracing his face.
"How totally embarrassing!" Rouge said before her, Froggy, and Big burst out laughing.
'They HAVE gone mad!'
"Infidels! I am your superior! You will obey me! You will cower before my power!" Zerokichi shouted out to them.
The people heard his rants but ignored him and simply kept chanting Sonic and Tails' names.
Zerokichi was hit with realization like a mallet connecting with an egg. These fools… no longer feared him… and it was because of them?
Zerokichi turned to face Sonic and Tails to see the most angering scene in his life.
They were straight up laughing at him!
"Well, I guess we know which one of the three of us is the big loser in all of this!" Sonic laughed, literally holding his gut.
"Y-yeah! I can't believe I got suckered in by the crap that you said to me!" Tails laughed as tears almost fell out of his eyes from the humor of it all.
Zerokichi couldn't get any angrier. His fist was clutched so tight that it cut through his gloves and the palm of his hands, making them bleed.
"Stop that incessant laughing!" He demanded.
Sonic and Tails ignored him and kept laughing.
"Perfect Order! What a joke!" Sonic said as he and Tails played on Zerokichi's obvious weakness. His unstable anger was getting the best of him.
"I told you to shut the hell up!" He said erupting with power. This didn't intimidate the two of them though.
"It'd be an embarrassment to be an apprentice to you!" Tails said and kept on laughing.
They continued to laugh.
The crowd continued to cheer.
Zerokichi could NOT take this any longer!
..................
"I SAID SHUT THE HELL UP! I'LL KILL YOU!!!" He shouted blasting straight at Sonic and Tails.
The two grew sly grins on their faces which Zerokichi didn't notice until it was too late.
FLASH!
Silence.
A bright flash took place that blocked out the entire tele-portal…
The people below were shocked and looked on in anxiousness…
The bright light that followed was blinding and slightly fearful… and as the light shown… memories were played throughout their minds…
All the deaths… all the mayhem… all the destruction… all the pain… all the sorrow…
The light soon started to dissipate and eventually the scene of what had happened was shown in front of them.
There, in the Betwixt and Between, stood Super Sonic… and the now Kitsune of Light!
The crowd cheered as they saw Tails in his powerful form once again. Everyone was going wild by the scenes taking place in front of them.
"… Got it… nice plan eh?" Sonic asked as he looked ahead of himself.
"I liked it… I don't think he did though." Tails said.
There in front of them… was a completely powerless Zerokichi… at least he was of all the new power he had gained.
"W-why… WHY IS MY DARK KITSUNE POWER GONE!!!?" He shouted in tremendous anger.
"It's not gone…" Tails said. Zerokichi's eyes fluctuated a bit when he heard that.
"Take a closer look at Tails. Notice the bright white light emanating from him." Super Sonic smirked.
"But… my power was… dark… not light…" Zerokichi said while on his knees.
"That's because I transferred it to myself… and it instantly became light!" Tails explained with a cheery proud smile on his face.
Zerokichi's face was obviously shocked.
"I-Impossible… I… I could never do that… I had to wait until you used the power so much that it became unstable… how were you able to…?" He asked.
"That's a stupid question… it's like I told you. This was all doomed to fail!" Sonic said putting his thumb down for emphasis.
"In short… the light intentions always outweigh the dark! You've been defeated Zerokichi!" Tails shouted.
"… Hahahaha… defeated… really… no… NO DAMNIT! It is not over… I'm not finished yet…" He said while forcing himself to stay materialized.
"Really? What do you mean?" Sonic asked looking a bit puzzled.
"Don't tell me you didn't notice… did you not think it was a bit weird that someone as strong as me would falter to you fools so easily?"
"You called all of THAT easy?"
"Well… for you common vulgar folk it might not have been… but the fact remains that this isn't over… my reserve power was given to the core behind me! There's no escaping its blast. If I can't make the perfect world order then I'll at least have the satisfaction of knowing I completely wiped out the inferior one! HAHAHAHA!"
Super Sonic and Tails simply floated there.
"I've heard enough out of you… you're powerless and at our mercy… don't do anything hasty and we might let you live." Sonic threatened.
"Really? In that case I might as well strangle the fox and bury his body in a dry ditch! You can't kill me… an 11-year-old wannabe like you doesn't have the bravado it takes…"
"… Wanna bet?"
Zerokichi and Sonic had a small eye contact stand still before the deity smiled and answered.
"Why yes! YES I WOULD! NOW DIE FOX!" He shouts immediately turning his attention to Tails. With one quick motion he raised his cloaked hand for one final blast.
Tails, having been taken off guard, quickly tried to close his eyes and duck back waiting for the worst.
However, the worst never came. A bright flash of light took place suddenly that prompted Tails to open his eyes. When he did he saw Sonic with his light fist pulled back as if he had just finished attacking something.
And he did. Zerokichi's stomach had a huge hole full of light now tearing away at his body. He slowly began to de-materialize.
"It's a shame… with all that power you could've actually done something good for the world…" Sonic motioned.
Zerokichi watched as he began to turn into tiny particles of dark matter… and grinned.
"No… it was too late for me to go the way of you all… the very instant I became infused with that alluring power… all that power…"
He whispered as his body soon disappeared into nothingness.
"…That magnificent power… and the world it could create…"
Sonic and Tails simply stood there as they realized the evildoer was no longer in their mist. However they still had a problem on their hands.
"The core is gonna explode Sonic! What do we do now?" Tails asked.
"… Well… I guess we… stop it in a way that doesn't involve getting it to explode…" Sonic said.
"But… how?"
"… I don't know buddy… but we have to try something… because like it or not… times running out… for all of us…"
Again I apologize for the long awaited update. I got caught up in homework and playing Sonic Unleashed. Easily the best Sonic game in a long time. Anyway the final chapter is next time. See you all soon.