Chapter 12: Revelation

In the following days, Sonny tried to talk to Chuck but found that he was either too busy or absent altogether. This in turn made Sonny worry, and so he concentrated on finding the remaining Chaos Emeralds before the mysterious thief did. But each time he came near the Chaos Emerald's hiding spot, there was always a trap waiting for him. For this reason, he lost the Silver and Blue Chaos Emeralds to whoever the thief was. It also didn't help that after each incident the headache would to spike up, leading him to suspect that Sonic was involved. So one day after school, Sonny asked Miles about his search for a solution to communicate with their spirits more easily, and Miles smirked.

"I think I have the answer," Miles responded eagerly. "But I'm not sure if it'll work unless I test it."

"Then I'll be your test-subject," Sonny said. "If it might get me in touch with Sonic, I could probably figure out why I'm constantly plagued by these headaches."

"What makes you think Sonic's responsible?" Amelia asked as she walked alongside the two boys.

"Because I'm not remembering any of the recent times I was Sonic, which were all during my searches for the other Chaos Emeralds," Sonny said as he rubbed the back of his head. "So I'm guessing that Sonic saw something during those incidents that he doesn't want me to remember."

Amelia pouted. "You know we wouldn't be in this situation if you had me and Miles come with you."

"But I don't want you guys getting hurt," Sonny responded. "And that's why I have to find the Emeralds alone."

"And that hasn't worked out too well, has it? Because of your stubbornness, we've lost four Chaos Emeralds to this thief!"

"Well it's not my fault that—

Sonny's knees suddenly buckled and then he passed out. He found himself back in the white void, where Sonic was waiting for him. His back was turned towards Sonny and he had his arms crossed.

"How did I end up here?" Sonny asked.

"Because I wanted you to," Sonic said, facing Sonny. "The cause of your headaches was the result of my actions."

"What did you do?"

"I've been withholding memories from you lately, particularly the ones where I tried to grab the Chaos Emeralds before the thief did. The reason I did this is because during those times…I saw the thief, and tried to talk with him."

Sonny felt limp.

"You'll see why in a moment."

The white void suddenly turned black, and Sonny was subjected to a series of images. In each one, he was caught in one of the traps that were set up near the Chaos Emeralds' hiding places. Then Chuck would suddenly appear, only his hair was longer, his gloved fists larger, and a zigzag tail was visible. With a Chaos Emerald in hand, Chuck would exchange a few words with him before leaving. After that, the white void appeared again and Sonny was a little shaken up.

Sonic turned away. "I figured you would be upset if you learned that your friend Chuck was the one stealing the Chaos Emeralds, and that's why I withheld those memories. I'm sorry for the unintentional pain I caused you."

"That's still no excuse to betray my trust!" Sonny shouted. "I know you meant well, but I still had the right to know! Was Chuck possessed by one of your friends or enemies?"

"A little bit of both," Sonic replied. "The spirit's name is Knuckles, and he's a rival of mine. We go back quite a ways and while he can be pretty stubborn, Knuckles is always there to help. But the reason he's been stealing the Chaos Emeralds is because he thinks that they will reveal the location of the Master Emerald."

"The Master Emerald?"

"It's a large gemstone that has the ability to control all the Chaos Emeralds and contains almost limitless energy. Knuckles had been tasked to protect the Master Emerald for as long as he lived, and considers it his top priority above everything else. Now how he's been able to locate the Chaos Emeralds so quickly puzzles me, so I think someone's helping him."

"Like Dr. Eggman?"

Sonic chuckled. "Wouldn't surprise me. Knuckles isn't very bright, and he was tricked by Dr. Eggman before."

"So what do I do about Chuck?"

"I would still tell him the truth. If he knows what's going on, maybe he can talk to Knuckles and convince him to help us instead of fight us."

"All right. Thanks, Sonic."

Sonic's ears perked up. "So you forgive me?"

"For now, but don't ever withhold memories from me again. Those headaches could've killed me if they had gone on longer."

"Will do!" Sonic gave Sonny a thumbs-up before Sonny woke up.

He found himself on a bed in a small room with circular and square-shaped windows. Amelia was standing on one side with Miles on the other and they were both watching him closely. When they saw he was awake, they relaxed a little.

"What happened, Sonny?" Miles asked. "You suddenly collapsed and we tried to wake you but nothing seemed to work."

"I was…" Sonny looked around the room once more to make sure no one was around, then he said. "…Having a conversation with Sonic."

"Did you find out what was causing the headaches?"

Sonny hesitated. "I'm not sure how to put this, but—

"Well, kid! Glad to see you're finally awake!"

Sonny looked past Amelia and saw a tall man in a sweatsuit with close-shaven green hair climbing up some stairs that were located below the room. He had to duck to not hit the roof of the room with his head while a small kid wearing an aviator cap followed up behind him. They approached the bed just as Sonny sat up in it.

"It's okay, Sonny," Amelia said. "These were the guys that were nice enough to bring you here and let you rest."

"I saw you pass out on the sidewalk across the street, and so I immediately ran over to see what was wrong," the tall guy said. "Good thing I came when I did."

"Victor, you always have a soft spot for people in trouble," the small kid said mockingly. Then he turned to Sonny, "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Sonny replied. "So where is here?"

"You're in the second-floor bedroom of the Chaotix Detective Agency house," the tall guy responded. "I'm Victor, and the kid is Charles."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Sonny."

"We also have a guy named Espen, but he's not here at the moment," Charles said.

"How long was I out?" Sonny asked.

"I'd say about three hours," said Victor. "Do you need to call your parents to let them know where they are?"

"I live alone," replied Sonny.

Victor's eyes widened. "Are you an orphan?"

"No, my parents are traveling overseas, so they sent me to South Island to go to school."

"Oh, I see. You're awfully young to be living on your own. Espen and Charles were doing the same thing before I found them, and they were orphans. So out of the goodness of my heart, I allowed them to stay with me in this house and we do detective work to pay the rent."

"But we're currently in debt," Charles added. "Hopefully, this job we're doing will cover the expenses."

"What is it?" Miles asked.

The doorbell suddenly rang.

"That must be Espen and Chuck," Charles said, and ran down the stairs.

"Chuck!" Sonny immediately got out of bed and followed Charles.

"Hey, wait up!" Victor shouted, following Sonny.

Miles and Amelia looked at each other and then they trailed Victor. The stairs led to an open door, and beyond it was a large foyer with a rectangular desk, some filing cabinets, and a water-cooler. It was there that Sonny saw Chuck walk through the front door with the Green and Yellow Chaos Emeralds in his hands next to a boy about his age with purple hair and yellow eyes. When Chuck saw Sonny, he stopped and stood still. Sonny did the same, while Victor, Amelia, and Miles emerged from behind him.

Charles on the other hand walked over to Espen and asked, "How was your mission?"

"Piece of cake," Espen replied. "Though it appears that our guest has awoken."

"Yeah, his name is Sonny and—

"Quiet, Charles," Victor said firmly. Then he looked at Chuck and said, "What's wrong, Chuck? You don't look too good."

To be continued…