So from here on out, I'm going to be referring to Dr. Robotnik as Dr. Eggman to avoid confusion except for the characters who don't know that Dr. Robotnik is possessed by Dr. Eggman's spirit.
Chapter 16: Threat
Two years had passed since Angel Island floated above the clouds and Dr. Eggman had gone missing. During that time, Sonny, Miles, and Amelia graduated South Island Middle School and were now attending high school in Station Square which was a coastal city on the mainland. They were also more in touch with their respective spirits than before and had nearly mastered their newfound abilities. Sonny could activate the Sonic Phase whenever he wanted to, Miles' Tailspin Moment allowed him to solve almost any problem, and Amelia could summon the Piko Hammer with a mere thought.
As the bell rang on the first day of a new semester, Sonny and his friends were about to enter the main brick-lined building when a familiar face greeted them on the stone steps.
"Hey, guys," Chuck said casually. He was a few inches taller than Sonny, who stood at five-foot-five, and had let his red hair grow out into long dreadlocks. His shirt and boxer-shirts were the same color as before, only faded and worn-out, while he wore no shoes on his feet.
"Chuck!" Amelia exclaimed and immediately hugged him. She looked about the same, but slightly taller and her hair was now down to her shoulders. "We never thought we'd see you again!"
"I didn't think so, either," Chuck replied, hugging back. "But I didn't come here to visit."
"What do you mean?" Miles asked. He looked the same as well, but had traded his orange hoodie and sweatpants for an orange and yellow polo shirt with khaki shorts.
"Well, I can't talk about it right here," Chuck said, eyeing the other students that were coming in suspiciously. "Do you guys have a lunch break?"
"Yeah, around 11:00," Miles answered.
"Where do you meet?" Chuck asked.
"On the roof, like we used to in middle school," Sonny said. His spiky hair had grown longer and his arms and legs had gotten more muscular from the amount of training he did. But otherwise, he wore the same style of clothes as he did before and rode the same skateboard Miles fixed for him to school.
After briefly glancing at the main building's roof, Chuck nodded. "All right, I'll be there."
###
"What? The Master Emerald shattered?!" Sonny said after taking a bite out of his chili-dog.
"Yeah, it was really weird," Chuck replied. "I was just about to settle in for an afternoon nap when I heard something crack. So I ran up to the altar, and saw that the Chaos Emeralds were missing and the Master Emerald was broken into several fragments. Then I heard the sound of running water, and turned around to behold a strange creature with big green eyes and a watery body. Naturally, I tried to fight it but my punches went right through and then the thing slithered away in a puddle of water just as Angel Island was falling to the ground. The impact sent enormous tidal waves that would've submerged South Island, but luckily the Chaotix Detectives and I were there to help."
"So if the Chaotix Detectives helped you, does that mean they know we were lying?"
"They figured out you were lying right after you told them about me, but they've forgiven you since they discovered spirits within themselves that are like Sonic and his friends. Fortunately, these spirits seem to be good-natured and they go by the names Vector the Crocodile, Charmy Bee, and Espio the Chameleon."
"I see," Miles responded. "So you want us to help you look for the Chaos Emeralds?"
"No, I only came here to warn you. I'm actually looking for shards of the Master Emerald that seemed to have scattered along with the Chaos Emeralds."
"That sounds like a pain," Amelia said.
Sonny finished the rest of his chili-dog and then said, "Well, we may not have as much free-time with school and all, but we'll try to help you find the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald shards."
"You three can look for the Chaos Emeralds if you want to, but I need to find the Master Emerald shards on my own," Chuck replied. "It was my carelessness that caused the Master Emerald to get shattered in the first place."
"Don't blame yourself, Chuck," Miles said. "You don't know what caused the Master Emerald to shatter. It could've been that creature you encountered or even…"
"Dr. Eggman?" Chuck said, finishing Miles' sentence. "I thought about that too, but I would've seen him if he had done it."
"Maybe he used some kind of device that allowed him to break the Master Emerald from a distance," Miles said thoughtfully. "But why would he shatter the Master Emerald? Unless his plan was to submerge South Island, it doesn't make sense."
"I don't know," Sonny replied. "But whatever Dr. Eggman may be planning, we'll be there to stop him."
Amelia and Miles nodded, while Chuck grimaced.
###
Later, a storm blew in from the coast forcing the students who were leaving for the day quickly ran to their cars or homes using their shirts and/or textbooks for cover as the rain came steadily down. Sonny and Miles were about to do the same when Amelia pulled out her pink umbrella which they all walked under as they left school. A few blocks away, Chuck had just come out of a casino carrying three Master Emerald shards which he decided to put with the other three he found at the Station Square City Hall. A sneeze suddenly caught Chuck's attention, and he noticed a girl about his age standing next to him.
She was one head shorter than him, with long dreadlocks of orange hair decorated by white beads. Her eyes were the color of the sky, and she wore a white tank-top and multi-colored skirt with matching white sandals. Chuck suddenly felt his face grow warm and his hands twitch a little. The girl started to shiver, causing Chuck to approach her.
"Are you okay?" Chuck asked nervously.
The girl turned to him and her eyes widened. "You can see me?"
"Uh, yeah," Chuck answered.
"Thank goodness!" The girl smiled and suddenly hugged Chuck.
Chuck said nothing as his heart pounded against his chest.
Noticing Chuck's nervous face, the girl let go. "I'm sorry. I was just so cold that I thought hugging you might make me feel warm."
"Are you still cold?" Chuck asked.
"A little," the girl answered.
"Then come on," Chuck said, opening his arms. "Don't be shy."
"Okay."
After a while, the rain stopped and people started filtering out of the casino.
"Feel better?" Chuck said looking down at the girl, who nodded in response.
As Chuck relaxed his arms, the girl backed away a little and then said, "Thank you."
"It was no big deal," Chuck said, trying to sound casual. "Are you heading home?"
"I don't…have a home," the girl said hesitantly.
"Do you have somewhere to go?"
"I'm not sure, but I think I can manage."
"Okay, but let me know if you need help. My name's Chuck Kidman, and I'm staying in town with some friends of mine."
The girl stared briefly at the hand Chuck extended out to her, and then she took it. "I'm Tia Kale."
"Nice to meet you."
Then after Tia left, Chuck looked around to make sure no one was around before transforming into Knuckles. Once he did, he glided up to the top of the casino roof and hid behind the sign. A few minutes later, Knuckles heard the sound of rockets and looked up to see the Egg Mobile flying over him.
###
In front of an apartment complex a few blocks from the casino, there were several police-cars and policemen pointing their guns at a strange-looking creature that stood on the sidewalk. It had a watery body with arms and legs, green eyes, and a visible brain. Nearby bystanders either stood on the sidelines or left the scene in a hurry.
"It's no use, Captain," one of the policemen said. "Our bullets have no effect against this thing."
"Well, keep firing!" The Captain ordered.
So the policemen fired their guns at the creature, which didn't even try to dodge. The bullets were absorbed into its body, and then it sent them flying back. While policemen dodged the incoming bullets, the creature attempted to take a step forward but was blocked by a blue blur that came out of nowhere.
"So you must be the creature Chuck was talking about," Sonic said, standing in front of the creature with his arms folded. "You're a lot uglier than I expected."
In response, the creature lashed out at Sonic with its arm. Fortunately, Sonic dodged it and then he tried punching and kicking the thing. But after each hit, the creature would reform itself. So Sonic resorted to spinning circles around the creature, causing it to become confused, which allowed Sonic to jump into the air and slam down on it in a curled ball. Afterwards, the creature was nothing more than a puddle of water that moved slightly.
"Very impressive, Sonic, I never thought you could beat Chaos that easily."
Sonic looked up and saw Dr. Eggman fly down in his Egg Mobile. "Eggman! So this creature is your creation?"
"Oh, no, I didn't make Chaos," Dr. Eggman replied. "I released him from imprisonment inside the Master Emerald, and in exchange for his assistance in helping me turn Station Square into Robotnikland I've offered to give him the Chaos Emeralds."
Then from a hidden compartment inside the Egg Mobile, Dr. Eggman pulled out the Green and Cyan Chaos Emeralds. Next he threw them at the creature called Chaos, which absorbed the Emeralds into its body. This was then followed by a brief flash of light, and Chaos emerged out of the puddle in a form that was slightly bigger than the previous one with more internal organs visible.
"Whoa, it actually swallowed the Chaos Emeralds," Sonic exclaimed. "That can't be good!"
"Indeed, but I've stayed too long and must be going," Dr. Eggman replied. "Come, Chaos! We've got some Emeralds to find!"
As Dr. Eggman flew the Egg Mobile down the street, Chaos turned into a puddle and slithered to a nearby storm-drain. Sonic watched it go, and then he ran down the street to follow Dr. Eggman. He managed to avoid traffic, but eventually he lost sight of Dr. Eggman and had to hide as the police-cars sped towards him.
To be continued…