Chapter 3 – The Chaotix Detective Agency
"Well, crud!" pouted Bowser. "This is not good!"
"How can the emeralds end up being stolen again?" asked Amy. "I swore that we have placed them somewhere safe!"
"I guess that just isn't enough," said Percival. "Whoever stole the emeralds seemed much more devious than Rouge."
"Let's have a look," said Sonic.
So the team entered Percival's hut and into the room where he kept the seven Chaos Emeralds. They had it stored in a chest with a lock, but when they unlocked the chest and opened, there was nothing inside.
"It's very strange," said Draco. "The chest requires a key to be able to open it, yet somehow the thief was able to break through it."
"I know right?" said Tails. "But what makes even strange is that the Chaos Emeralds were safe in the chest this morning as we have checked, so the thief must have likely broken into the hut while we were…"
At an instant, Tails paused and realised something. "…oh dear," he said slowly. "We had locks installed in the huts, which also meant that the thief also broke in with something."
"This is certainly quite a mystery," said Blaze. "And we're going to have to get to bottom of this in order to recover the Chaos Emeralds."
"Did someone say a mystery?" asked a voice.
The team spun around where they saw a trio of anthropomorphic animals standing behind them. One was a tall green crocodile wearing fancy clothes including a fedora, a golden necklace and some shades. The second was a purple chameleon in ninja attire, and the third was a bee wearing a helmet and carrying a camera.
Sonic was surprised. "Wow, if it isn't Team Chaotix!" he exclaimed. "Long time, no see, buds!"
"Yo, wassup, bro!" greeted the crocodile. "Great to seeya back again after all these years! We were just passin' by when we heard you guys are talkin' about somethin' of yours being stolen."
"Who are those guys?" asked Draco.
"Oh, yes, let me introduce you guys to our old friends, Team Chaotix," said Amy. "The hip, cool croc here is Vector, the head honcho of the Chaotix Detective Agency, and these are his teammates Espio the Chameleon and Charmy Bee."
"Hi there!" said Charmy brightly, while just nodded and gave a faint smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all!" said Lily happily. "I'm Lily and these are my friends Torden, Draco, Percival, Jakkin, Bowser, Darky, and Cynder."
"Wow, you all look like wonderful group," said Charmy, and he lifted up his camera. "Do you mind if I take a picture of you?"
"I guess so," said Cynder. "But let's make it quick, for we have a lot of work to do."
The dragons gathered into a group so that Charmy could capture his photo. In a minute, they smiled for the camera, and Charmy snapped a shot with a satisfied look on his face.
"Perfect!" he beamed. "This is just a simple photograph I wanted to take so that we can remember you by. I'll be sure to give you guys a copy once it's developed."
"Thanks a lot!" said Lily. "I'd love to see just how we look!"
"Don't mind our little Charmy," said Vector. "He's a photographer and takes pictures either for pleasure or for somethin' important, like for newspaper articles and all that shizz."
"I can see that," said Cynder. "Anyway, what does our missing Chaos Emeralds have to do with you guys?"
"We're on the trail of a shifty crook," said Espio. "He's been out and about stealing all kinds of jewels to sell them in the black market, and even though the cops around the world know about this guy, they were unable to catch him, so we're doing our best to be the first ones to put a stop to his operations."
"Tell me, what does this crook look like?" asked Percival.
"He's a purple wolf-weasel hybrid and wears a Stetson hat," said Vector. "He goes by the name of Fang the Sniper, though some people refer to him as Nack. He's not to be taken lightly, though, as he is armed with a gun and drives around an aerobike."
"Wait a minute, I'm familiar with that guy!" exclaimed Sonic. "Yes, Tails and I have tangled with him for the Chaos Emeralds many years ago."
"Don't forget Knuckles as he was tricked by Eggman the second time back there," said Tails.
"Man, this Fang dude sounds really dangerous," said Darky.
"So do you guys think he has the Chaos Emeralds?" asked Draco.
"It's quite likely," said Espio. "But for confirmation, we need to find clues of his presence."
"In that case, take a look at the ground," said Blaze as she focused her eyes on the dirt. "Call me crazy, but this black patch here looks like an oil spill or something."
Everyone checked the certain portion of the ground Blaze was looking at and Espio lowered down to touch the black patch. "Yup, it's oil, alright," he said. "That means that he was here after all!"
"Come on!" urged Torden as he cracked his knuckles. "Let's go kick that weasel's butt!"
"Not so fast, Torden," said Cynder. "We can't just do anything rash to get back the Chaos Emeralds. Given how evasive Fang sounds, we're going to have to try to work our way around him and then catch him unawares with the evidence of his crimes."
"Also we'll have to decide on who will be going with Team Chaotix," said Blaze. "You and your group are taking part in this task, no doubt, and the same can be said for Sonic and Tails. I shall be coming along as well since it won't involve intense combat."
"Okay, that sounds like a plan," said Sonic.
"I'm afraid you'll have to skip out of this one, Amy," continued Blaze. "Just because I said there won't be intense fighting doesn't mean it's not going to be risky, and we can't afford you to get hurt."
"Alright then, I understand," said Amy, though she secretly wished that she could accompany them so she could help then out, including Sonic.
"Count me in," said Viper. "This could also be a good chance for us to find Silver."
"Well, if Silver's lost in this world again, we might as well search for him too," said Espio. "After all, I had good relations with him in the past."
Darky frowned. "I guess that means I will not be coming along with you guys…"
"I'm afraid that is the case, Darky," said Cynder.
"Never mind, little Darky," smiled Bowser. "At least Amy and I will be staying so you can have some fun with us."
"So it's all settled," said Tails. "We could get some extra help, though. Jeremy and Percival, maybe you could see if you could find our other allies."
"Yes, of course!" said Jeremy brightly. "I've got it all covered as I know just the guys for the job! Come on, Percival! Let's go find Axl!"
Author's Note: We're halfway through the story, and Team Chaotix comes to play! It's seems as if the team are gonna face an old foe of Sonic and Tails, and we've got some references from Sonic Triple Trouble and Sonic Rivals 2! See you in the next chapter!
