SONIC HEROES: THE SERIES
Damien © SlashBandicoot43
Genesis © Blue Kaous
Lucario © Nintendo
Chapter Seventy-Four: Say Uncle
The heart opens to the capital of world trade and birth home to Sonic the Hedgehog: South Island. With the exception of the Nightmare invasion and Orion's assault, the island was normally a place where one could live without troubles. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about the castle. Upon returning from the secondary island, Phoenix Island, Lucario discovered the palace to be in utter chaos. Soldiers and servants were running in and out of rooms, carrying number of items, with Queen Aleena commanding them into place.
"Move it!" Aleena shouted strictly. "I want nothing of value left exposed! Make sure all treasures are out of sight!"
"Your majesty." Lucario said breathlessly while kneeling to the queen. "What's wrong? Why are you moving your valuables out of place? I've never seen you act this rash before."
"We don't have much time, Lucario." Aleena stated nervously. "He should be here in a few short hours."
"Who is it?!" Lucario growled defensively. "Are we being attacked?! Is it Orion again?!"
"No, it's worse." Aleena answered shakily.
The blue jackal eyed his queen in confusion. She had braved through undead armies, confronted mythological beasts, and every joined in the fight against the destructive Bat Colony. What could be worse than that? He asked the same question and received his answer in the form of a letter. His eyes raced back and forth when taking in the words, but found nothing to be concerned about. But then the caught sight of the signature and his face went pale.
"Not him..." Lucario moaned in a whining manner.
"Now you understand what we're dealing with." Aleena nodded, watching her servants crash into one another. "We will put all the more valuable items in storage and I want Stream away from him during the remainder of his stay." She glanced up and down the hall. "Lucario, where is my son?"
"Yeah...about that..." Lucario said hesitantly.
Even a brave warrior like Lucario was weak against the fearsome glare of the queen. This day couldn't get any worse.
The scene alternates to the gentle shores of the South Island Beach, a favored attraction to the tourist and residents. At the far end of the beach, away from a majority of the crowd, Damien was sleeping in the sand while Stream was playing with his new friend. It was the little girl from when Orion invaded, the only one who accepted Damien as a person. She was a young white mouse no older than five with silver shoulder-length hair, wearing red shorts and a grey sleeveless shirt.
"Hey, no fair, Stream!" The girl giggled as Stream splashed her.
"All's fair in splash fights, Eli!" Stream laughed amusingly.
"Hey, do I have to separate you two again!" Damien called.
"No, Damien!" Stream and Eli shouted simultaneously.
"Kids..." Damien muttered irritantly. "I sometime wonder why people have them."
When the lazy hound wasn't looking, the children resumed their fun into the water. They managed to get in a few minutes of playtime before something caught Stream's eye. A pickle barrel was floating across the shallows of the water, making its way directly to the shore. Now it wasn't unusual to see some debris in the water, but a pickle barrel was definitely something to think about. It didn't take Damien long to notice this once Stream and Eli pushed the round create into the sand.
"What do you think is inside?" Eli asked curiously.
"Probably some storage." Damien stated assumingly. "It's not uncommon for ship to lose cargo when crossed rough waters. They must have been hit by a big wave and this thing got lost along the way."
"I don't think so." Stream said, pressing his ear to the wood. "I think I hear something breathing."
Now Damien's curiosity was peaked. The last time something similar to this was reported, Gale and Riolu had managed to breech the defenses of South Island. The golden hound motioned for the children to step away from the barrel as his claws gained a neon-violet color. Since the Nightmare Invasion, Damien had obtained a better control of his darker half. As he raised his claw into the air, the top of the barrel suddenly burst open and something hard slammed into his chin. The unexpected result sent the demonic hound flying into the trees, knocking himself out in the branches.
"Damien?" Stream said curiously.
"You think he dead?" Eli asked nonchalantly.
"Well, it might not be first-class, but it does the job."
The children turned to their attention to the strange man emerging from the barrel while stretching his sore back. The man was a green hedgehog in his mid-thirties with emerald-green fur and six contour quills. He bared a striking resemblance to Gale with the exception of the three scars cutting across his chest. He wore a long black coat with silver lines along the spine, white gloves, blue/white boots, a silvery-white belt, and a rope bracelet similar on his right wrist. Strangely enough, he kept a pair of cutters tied to the side of his belt. The unknown man stepped out of the barrel, shielding his eyes from the intense sun, and stared up and down the coastline.
"Well, this place hasn't changed." The hedgehog noted dryly.
"Excuse me." Eli said, tugging at the man's coat. "But I think you knocked out our friend."
"Ooh, that is a bit of rotten luck." The hedgehog said when noticing the unconscious hound. He turned back to the children. "But I really don't have time for him. You see, I'm in a hurry to meet the queen of this island."
"You know mama?" Stream asked curiously.
"Mama?" The hedgehog repeated. "You mean Aleena is your mother?" He waited as Stream nodded his head. "Then that must mean you are my nephew! Wow, I always thought you would be older, Sonic!"
"Sonic's my big brother." Stream proclaim proudly. "I am Stream the Hedgehog."
"Stream..." The hedgehog hummed pleasingly. "That's a nice name. As for me, my name is Scourge the hedgehog: Son of Capt. Swift, Brother of Gale the Hedgehog, and Pirate Lord of the Atlantic!"
"You're the brother of Stream's dad?" Eli asked awestruck.
"Twin brother to be exact." Scourge smirked deviously. "Yeah, we go way back. I can't tell you the number of times both our crews battled each other." He pointed to his scars. "I got these marks when I fought your dad's first mate, Wrist."
"You knew uncle Wrist, too?" Stream asked excitedly.
"It seems I have a lot to tell you kids." Scourge said, patting their heads playfully. "Why don't I tell you children all my adventures over a mug of rum...?" He watched the children's curious expression. "On second thought, let's just go for a town on the town. Let the King of Chaos show you a good time!"
Stream and Eli cheered as they followed Scourge into town, leaving Damien lying forgotten in the sand.
---One hour Later---
After exactly sixty minutes had passed, Damien was still nowhere near awaking from his stupor state. Fortunately, a pair of familiar figures arrived just for the occasion. Lucario traced his eyes around his adoptive son's body and was relieved to find nothing but a golf ball-sized lump on his forehead from when he hit the tree. With a swift nod from his leader, Genesis grinned deviously as he clapped his hands together. A moment later, Damien jumped into the air after experiencing a pinching sensation beneath his skin. Upon landing, he hesitantly looked up from his position to find Lucario and Genesis – neither of them looked particularly happy.
"Uh...hey, dad" Damien greeted feebly.
"Where is the prince?" Lucario questioned shortly.
"Now that is what makes you such a great captain." Damien said evasively. "That is why you are my inspiration, my role model, my..."
"You lost the kid, didn't you?" Genesis interjected.
"Yes." Damien admitted downheartedly. "But it wasn't my fault! Somebody was hiding in that barrel and caught me by surprise!"
"Pathetic." Genesis murmured.
"Hmm..." Lucario hummed thoughtfully, kneeling to the broken barrel. "It looks like Scourge arrived much sooner than we expected. What I don't get is how he managed to remain on the island for so long and not be spotted. He is known for drawing attention to himself."
"Then how will we find him?" Genesis asked.
"I remember his aura from when I was a Riolu." Lucario responded. "He may have grown older, but his aura remains unique. With my powers, I should be able to detect him."
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Damien exclaimed.
Lucario sent a menacing glare to his adoptive child – he was not escaping punishment just yet. The blue jackal sealed his from his proper vision and activated his sixth sense: Aura. Even when blinded from the world, Lucario could spot the shapes of everything within his environment, including the auras surrounding them. Genesis held a malevolent crimson aura, most likely represented by blood, and Damien's aura was a blank grey, symbolizing his mixture of light and darkness. Turning his head to the barrel, he picked up a trail of jade-green aura traveling across the beach.
"They're headed for the town." Lucario informed.
"Then let's go bust us a bad guy!" Damien shouted excitedly.
"You're still in big trouble." Lucario stated.
Damien facefaulted. Meanwhile, Scourge was leading his nephew and his friend through the sloping streets of the town. It was apparent that no one remembered what Gale looked like as Scourge was often mistaken for his twin brother. But pretending to be the legal king of the island had its advantages. Scourge was able to secure his precious rum, free of charge, and was able to roam the streets without being hauled off to jail. The children had their own benefits. Stream found a new love for caramel apples and Eli obtained a newborn puppy that Scourge...um...liberated.
"And just as the bat freak was about to make his escape," Scourge said dramatically. "I just out of the water and grabbed him by his ankle. Now, he thought I was dead at the time, so it was natural that he was caught off guard. And before he could do anything about it, I took my Piece of Eight," He taps the cutters on his belt. "And I stabbed it through his heart."
"What happened next?" Eli asked breathlessly.
"Without their leader, the Bat Colony had no idea what to do next." Scourge continued. "After taking out Davy Jones, Gale led the army against the Colony and won the day. A few hours later, he and Aleena finally got hitched."
"Wow, that was a great story, Uncle Scourge." Stream nodded happily.
"Uncle Scourge...." Scourge repeated proudly. "I like the sound of that."
"What happened after the Bat Colony lost?" Eli asked curiously.
"I don't really know myself." Scourge admitted sheepishly. "I only stuck around for my brother's wedding. I went on a trip to a place called Florida in search of the legendary Fountain of Youth. I heard Jack Sparrow found it ages ago, so I thought I might try my luck. And by the time Sonic was born, I still hadn't found it."
"Are you still looking?" Stream asked.
"Nah, too much trouble." Scourge shook playfully. "Besides, I've got bigger plans in mind."
"I hope it involves prison!"
He didn't even need to look to know who it was – Damien was never one for subtlety. With his neon claws raised high above his head, the golden hound took a furious swipe for the invader. Scourge, however, found no trouble in sidestepping the unwarranted assault, watching Damien thrust his claws into the street. Most people would panic at the sign of a battle, but Damien's appearance sent everyone into a frightened frenzy. Snarling at the emerald hedgehog, the corrupted hound snapped his jaws at Scourge. Unfortunately, his hands were still trapped inside the stone streets, making him short in his attack.
"You know, that wasn't very smart." Eli commented.
"Shut up!" Damien snapped.
"So, you must be the mangy mutt Stream told me about." Scourge said, oblivious to the throbbing vein in Damien's forehead. "Well, he was right about one thing, you definitely have a big mouth."
"What?!" Damien roared furiously, glaring at the tiny hedgehog.
"Uh...I meant that in the nicest way possible." Stream muttered feebly.
"Of course, it was a bit obvious to begin with." The group turned and, much to Damien's irritancy, Genesis stood at the end of the street with a smug expression on his face. "It just isn't in his natural to actually think before speaking."
"And you are?" Scourge asked.
"I am Genesis, Elite Guard of the South Island Army." Genesis introduced.
"Elite suck up more like it." Damien murmured disdainfully.
"So, you think you can beat me?" Scourge questioned playfully.
"I don't think I can." Genesis grinned deviously. "I know I can."
Waving his hands in a necromantic fashion, Genesis secretly accessed his special trait. To those who were unaware, Genesis was gifted with the unholy ability to manipulate the blood within person's body, allowing him full control. The use of this ability was considered evil by Queen Aleena, but he never regarded her opinion. He twitched his fingers in sequence to command the hedgehog's body, but was unnerved when he discovered that Scourge didn't even flinch. And when the emerald Pirate Lord began yawning, he lost control of himself and began flailing his hands around in a frantic manner.
"What the hell?!" Genesis cursed – Scourge cover Stream and Eli's ears. "What's going on?! Why can't I gain control?!"
"You think I haven't come across people like you before." Scourge smirked, suddenly appearing at Genesis' side. "This isn't the first time someone tried to manipulate my blood to control my body. Gale and I met a group of Bloodbenders in the Galapagos Islands."
"But how?" Genesis question fearfully.
"We have our ways." Scourge said victoriously.
And before Genesis could fall back on his secondary plan, the emerald Pirate Lord jabbed his fist into the Bloodbender's face. As the exact opposite of Gale, Scourge's strength rested in his fist, making him just as powerful as Wrist the Echidna. Genesis was sent tumbling down the street and crashed into the wall of a florist shop. Stream and Genesis cheered and laughed when finding the blood hedgehog unconscious with a vase of flowers balanced on his head. It was clear that neither of them like him. While Scourge smiled proudly over his success, his sharp senses suddenly caught a sudden sound in the air. He flipped forward into the air and land before a blue sphere of energy collided with his previous position. As the smoke cleared, Lucario was discovered appear on the other end.
"Hey, it's little Riolu!" Scourge waved cheerfully. "It's been a while!"
"I haven't been Riolu since the war against the Bat Colony." Lucario said monotonously, moving into a fighter's stance. "I am Lucario, the Aura Guardian and Captain of the Guard for the South Island Army."
"Whoa, moving up big, eh?" Scourge whistled impressively. "You've really come a long way from being a pirate."
"Lucario was a pirate?!" Stream asked joyously. "That is so cool!"
"I am afraid to ask what you have been teaching him." Lucario said strictly. "So I will just take you in and interrogate you later."
While the Pirate Lord of the Atlantic began sputtering for an explanation, Lucario pressed his paws close together, forming a cluster of energy to gather. Scourge could hear him mutter something about "Aura Sphere" before being attacked by another sphere of blue energy. The emerald hedgehog thrusted his fist forward to collide with the strange Aura Sphere, which exploded on contact. While Scourge was blinded by the smoke created from the impact, Lucario jumped into the cloud with his eyes closed to concentrate. Like before, the blue jackal used his opponent's aura to track him through the haze. Once close enough, Lucario gathered a large of amount of energy into palm and released it into Scourge's chest, calling out a move called "Force Palm". It was fortunate enough that the attack wasn't fatal, but it did leave Scourge short of breath as he fell backward out of the smokescreen. Stream and Eli moaned anxiously as Lucario stepped forward.
"Now you see that I am no longer a pup." Lucario said bored. "Are you ready to give up?"
"Wow, you must not have been paying attention." Scourge laughed.
Catching the jackal off guard, the Pirate Lord swung his leg to trip Lucario from behind. And before he could touch ground, Scourge delivered a powerful uppercut, sending the blue jackal flying against the walls. Lucario glared. He pushed himself from the wall, leaving large imprint, and pressed hands side by side. When pulling them apart, a long staff of white light formed in his paws.
"Well, that's new." Scourge commented.
"It's my new technique: Bone Rush." Lucario grinned. "Let's see what you make of it."
The name of the technique was fitting. Before Scourge had realized that Lucario had moved, the blue jackal was already crouched in front with his new weapon pulled backwards. The Atlantic Pirate Lord had only managed to bend backwards far enough before the end of Lucario's weapon could snap his jaw. Unfortunately, Lucario had planned ahead for this and swung his weapon around to swipe Scourge from behind, forcing him to the ground. The Aura Guardian raised his light weapon and thrusted it down towards his enemy's throat, but was unsuccessfully as the Pirate Lord grabbed the end with his palm. As Scourge attempted to tug away the weapon, he remained unaware of Lucario's paw that rest on his chest. Next thing he knew, the blue jackal released another Force Palm, forming a crater in the center of the street.
"Uncle Scourge!" Stream shouted worried.
"Do not worry, he is in no danger." Lucario assured, extinguishing his weapon.
"No danger, huh?" Scourge murmured sarcastically. Lucario press his foot on his chest to keep the hedgehog pinned. "With friends like you around, who needs enemies?"
"You will remain silent." Lucario commanded.
"What is going on here?"
While Lucario's gaze remained on hedgehog beneath him, the rest of the group turned their head backwards. Aleena was pacing down the street, obviously attracted by the amount of destruction caused in such short time. Genesis, who had managed to regain consciousness, much to Stream and Eli's disappointment, bowed low to his queen. He was hoping against hope that no one would tell her about his attempts at Bloodbending. The queen obviously ignored him and over forward to her son."
"Stream, I was so worried about you." Aleena said tiredly. "Are you all right?"
"I'm just fine, mommy." Stream answered happily.
"I caught Scourge trying to kidnap the prince." Lucario stated. "Genesis, Damien, and I had just managed to catch up with him."
"I never kidnapped anyone!" Scourge exclaimed. "Well...if you don't count that maid in Ireland, a captain of a navy fleet, that rich guy Britain, and the pope on a few occasions. But I would never kidnap my own family......for free."
"I've had enough of you, Scourge." Aleena said angrily. "You not only attempt to cause chaos to my home, but you also try to take my son! That's a new low for you, Scourge! I have the right mind to throw you off the nearest cliff!"
"But he didn't kidnap us, your majesty." Eli proclaimed.
"Yeah, Uncle Scourge was having fun with us." Stream explained, much to Aleena's surprise. "He gave us some nice gifts and told us about you and daddy's adventures."
"He did?" Aleena said, barely a whisper – Stream nodded. "I don't believe it."
The Queen of South Island and the Pirate Lord of the Atlantic crossed gazes with one another. For as long as she had known him, Aleena would never have expected Scourge to act nice and charitable. She could remember Gale telling her how he almost managed to steal the Master Emerald and held a grudge against him for helping her evil father. But even though she hated the hedgehog with all her soul, she couldn't deny the facts that he had helped on more than one occasion. Memories of their travels to Mangaia to rescue Gale and his assistance against the Bat Colony proved to be some turning points. After collecting her thoughts for a moment, she nodded to Lucario, signaling to step away. Though hesitant, the blue jackal allowed him to stand.
"It's about time." Scourge said dignified, patting the dust off his coat.
"Be thankful that she allowed you to remain alive." Genesis sneered.
"Not like you would be able to do anything about it." Scourge retorted.
"You filthy..."
"I think that will do, Genesis." Aleena said in a commanding tone. "Scourge, I will admit that I have...misjudged you." She grimaced at Scourge's playful smirk. "But you have caused a large amount of destruction during your stay."
"Hey, I didn't do it alone!" Scourge snapped.
"Which is why the others will assist you in repair the town." Aleena stated, ignoring the groans of her subjects. "But for right now, I would think that everyone is famished. Let's return to the castle for lunch."
"Now you're speaking my language." Scourge said excitedly.
With the arrangements settled, the group turned down the street, headed back to the castle. Stream asked is Eli could join them and Aleena allowed it. But as they paced up the hill, Lucario couldn't shake the feeling that they were forgetting something.
"Hello!" Damien called, once again attempting to free his arms from the street. "Hello! Is anyone there! Your favor dog is trapped here! I wouldn't mind someone lending me a hand! HELLO!!" His ears lowed sadly and murmured softly. "Can you at least bring back some fries."
The sake of family is always the most important foundation. What will happen to Scourge after his visit? What is happening to the heroes at this time? And will Damien get his fries? Find out on the next Sonic Heroes!
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