Disclaimer: Still don't own anything in this story… except my OC.
"You want me to what!?" Rouge yelled. "Yeah, I need you to steal any chaos emeralds that Black Doom or Mephiles may have if we have reason to believe that he may possess them." Ozone explained. Rouge considered the plan for a moment, before getting another idea in her head. "Here's something else to consider: I'll pay you 10 gems, fresh from the mountains, for every chaos emerald stolen from Black Doom and Mephiles. There's a catch: if I find out that you stole them and brought them back in hopes of easy cash. Also: if you hand them over to Black Doom or Mephiles, you will jeopardize the world."
Rouge was shocked when she thought of the consequences, she also figured out that if the world is destroyed then there won't be any jewels left for her. "I guess now I realize the severity of the situation." With that, she devoted her trust to Ozone. "Ok, here's what I need you to do, keep an eye on Black Doom and/or Mephiles. If you see either of them, follow them and find out what they're up to without being caught. When you think you know what they might be up to, report back ASAP." Ozone explained. "You have my trust." The jewel-obsessed bat replied before flying off to find the dark devils.
Espio, Vector, and Charmy suddenly ran in like there's an emergency, with Charmy out of breath. "You're not… gonna… believe this…there's a… really weird… ring… at the… lava reefs" The young bee panted. Espio chimed in, "We tried to retrieve it, but it's really well guarded that even I can't get close to it." Sonic eavesdropped on them and offered, "…and I suppose you want me to try and retrieve it?" "Leave it to me, Sonic. I'm rather bored and could use some action." Ozone interrupted. "Here" the alien said before tossing the 'bracelet' to the blue blur. "If you focus your thoughts into it, you'll find Chip in no time." Ozone finished.
Before Ozone could dash for the lava reef, Knuckles stood in front of him as if to stop him from going somewhere. "What's your problem, Knuckles?" the alien snapped, Knuckles simply replied, "Last time Sonic and I were there, we saw a creature that even Super Sonic couldn't beat" Ozone tried to imagine what Knuckles was talking about, then asked for details on what the 'creature' was. Most of what Knuckles described reminded him of Perfect Dark Gaia, then Ozone asked how they overcame the 'perfect' beast. "It wasn't easy, but Knuckles 'went inside' each chaos emerald that I used during my Super form. He did so when I was knocked unconscious after my humiliating defeat." Sonic started. Knuckles finished, "Once I saw Sonic defeated, I suddenly remembered a power greater than the chaos emeralds' at that time. if I 'went inside' each emerald, I could tap into each of their hidden powers and make them super. So I thought 'If the emeralds are in their super form, what kind of power would they grant their user?'"
Sonic continued, "The moment I came to, Knuckles told me what he did to the emeralds, and I figured that I had to use their newfound powers. When I saw myself after using the super emeralds, I didn't have the usual golden-yellow fur I always had, but my fur was glowing every color imaginable. I felt kinda silly at first, then remembered that there was a positive side to it. I was racing at speeds that even I couldn't imagine. When I punched Perfect Dark Gaia, the impact managed to leave a dent in that creature. I managed to damage the beast enough for Knuckles to seal Dark Gaia back into the Earth."
"So, we promised to avoid going anywhere that leads into the center of the world so that we could avoid that beast. I almost forgot to mention this: Chip told me what to do to help me seal that ancient beast." Knuckles said, finishing the tale. "That's quite a story, but you shouldn't worry with me around. If Dark Gaia somehow gets back, let me deal with him. Thanks for the information regarding Dark Gaia by the way." Ozone smirked. "I haven't seen any real action since I first came here. Either way, we still need to get to the lava reefs and retrieve that 'ring' that Charmy was talking about."
Before Ozone thought about forcing his way through Knuckles, he ran back for the Chaotix Team and asked the young bee for more details about the ring he found. "It was green by the looks of it, and it gave off a weird fog around it." Charmy said. Espio then added, "I can get near that ring no problem, but the thing that made me retreat was a guardian that popped up out of the ground and rendered every skill I know useless." Vector concluded, "Not even my strongest attacks left a dent on that beast."
"Could you guys describe that 'beast'?" Ozone asked. As the Chaotix Team described the guardian's appearance and battle skills, the alien hedgehog started to fear that their description strongly resembles that of a certain ancient beast. Ozone thanked the Chaotix Team for their help in identifying their problem, then informed the group about how to go after the 'ring'.
Short chapter... i know. only thing to say is STAY TUNED.
(Sneak peak at chapter 23! Chaos appears and a battle begins... I hope to make it good)