CHAPTER 3 FRIENDSHIP BONDING

On the terrain below Spiral Hill three wooded stands were being placed and constructed, a big spinning arena was being placed in the middle, a starting and finish line made of wood. Some teams were already there.

"Come on hurry!" the anxious lemur was rolling down the hill.

"She never stops, does she?" Lanolin smiled.

"-No. But I wouldn't have her any other way." Whisper removed her mask, she was smiling.

"Even if she gets on your nerves sometimes?"

"-Listen. I've learned with her. How to be a better friend. You can mold a bit. But never change. You help. And you let them help you. I'm still new at this, but I think that's what Tangle wants me to do."

"That's my girl!" a voice screamed on the lower level.

"-Tangle?" Whisper blushed.

The lemur hopped, "I stopped, because I noticed that you two were not catching up to me, so I went back. And I'm so glad I did it! GROUP HUG!" she immobilized her two friends with her tail and hugged them.

"Tangle, we can't breath!" Lanolin patted the lemur's back.

"Right! Sorry, I got out of control!" Tangle stepped back.

"-Let's go then." Whisper used her green wisp to fly to the bottom.

They were received by Cream, "Good, you're here!" she hugged them individually.

"You're going to participate?" Tangle asked.

"Yes, with Cheese, Miss Amy and Big! We are team Rose!" she made a super hero pose with Cheese.

"That's a cool name! We are team Wisps! " she made a dramatic pose, she turned to Whisper and Lanolin, "You have to do it to!"

"-Do we really?" Whisper was feeling uncomfortable.

"Forget it! If you don't feel comfortable, then don't do it! Let's see the others! Cream, lead the way!" she grabbed the bunny's hand.

"Yaaay!" Cream ran to the others.

"I guess every team has a child!" Lanolin sighed.

"-And Tangle is ours." Whisper sighed to.

The two looked at each other and laughed.

"Aren't you worried about Mimic?"

"-Yes. But he can't do anything. We are too many. He won't attack in a crowded place. He's good at close range. And he can't transform into one of us without raising alarms. He is powerless in this situation. First his life, then his revenge."

"But his not alone! He has a team, a dangerous team nonetheless!"

"-Yes. They are a threat. But his a backstabber. It wont take long to do it."

"But this is different! No one is powerful than him here. He wins nothing if he betrays them." Lanolin looked Whisper in the eyes.

Whisper nodded, "I know. But if I know something about him, is that he has no regard for the others."

"But, it's not a guarantee."

"-No. He's too smart to attack right now. Never let your guard down. He can be anyone."

Whisper stopped walking and put her mask back on, "-But first I've got to take care of that nuisance." she pointed at a trio of birds.

"Don't worry guys, we've got this race in the bag!" Jet was cleaning his hoverboard.

"How do you know it's a race?" Wave asked, she was already expecting a dumb reason.

"It's a competition, every competition is a race." he raised is finger like some sort of wise guy.

"That's the stupidest thing you ever said!"

"What? You're going to tell me that I'm wrong?"

"Yes! Of course you are wrong!"

While the two were screaming and arguing Storm noticed the two newcomers, "Oh, hello!" he looked at Whisper, "Hey, aren't you that lady with the mask that robbed us, with the help of your long tail friend, after we had robbed your friend's museum and accidentally kidnapped her, because I mistook her for a jewel?" he scratched his head.

"-Yes."

"No hard feelings?" he smiled.

"-Still some." she pointed her gun at his face.

"Whisper, calm down." Lanolin pulled the wolf's wispon down.

"Ok, we're not here to steal anything. We just want to participate!" he raised his hands in defense.

"-I have enough troubles. Don't cause any. Or else!" she fired a shot in the air.

"Gotcha." he tremble in fear.

"-Warn your friends once their finished." she walked away with Lanolin.

"If they finish!" Storm looked at his two teammates, that were still bickering.

"Hey Sonic, wassup?"

"Tangle, how's it going?" the hedgehog shook the lemur tail, "So you're entering in the competition to?"

"Of course! I'm part of the team Wisps! With Whisper and Lanolin." she proudly announced.

"Not a bad name, but not as good as team Sonic!" he pointed to himself, with his eyes closed and a cocky expression.

"Narcissistic much Mister Sonic?" Cream looked him square in the eyes.

"Me, Tails and Knuckles agreed to choose this name!" he was caught off guard.

"Mister Knuckles told me otherwise."

"When?"

"In our gardening tasks!"

Sonic didn't had time to asked more questions, because Knuckles had shown up, from the earth,"Stop questioning her, Hedgehog!"

"Why? I'm just curious about your little "Gardening tasks" with Cream! What are they?"

"I swear to Chaos I will punch you in the face!" he raised his fist close to Sonic's face.

"Fine. Keep it a secret I guess."

He lowered to Cream's level, "Did you hide the crown of flowers?" Knuckles whispered.

"It's in a safe place, but Mister Knuckles, you got mad with Sonic, he is your friend. You need to apologize right now!" Cream hold the Echidna's and the Hedgehog's hand, "Now a hand shake!"

"Oh! Ain't that sweet?" Rouge was sitting on a nearby tree.

"You heard us?"

"What can I say? I love being a bat!" she giggled.

"What did they say?" Sonic asked.

All that Knuckles wanted was to strangle that blue hedgehog.

"It was nothing much Sonic!" Tangle intersected the conversation, "Now tell me what have you been doing?"

"Oh, you know relaxing, taking opportunities to slow down a bit, it's like I always say, blah, blah..." Sonic would go on talking for a long time.

"Thank you..." he reached for a fist bump.

"Tangle the lemur!" she bump with her tail.

Amy showed up, followed by Tails and Omega, "So Knuckles, I see you have already meet Tangle!" she turned to Rouge, "You weren't messing with Knuckles; were you?"

"Of course I wasn't!" she giggled.

Amy doubt.

Tangle jumped on top of Omega, "Nice jaws!"

"Thank you! Tails and Belle installed them. Now I can finally leave my dream, biting peoples ankles! And if I'm ever beheaded I can fight with my roomba head. I will defeat enemies and dust!"

"Why Tails? Look at him, he looks ridiculous!" Rouge pointed to her robot friend with her two hands.

"Yeah, I thought about it, so that's why he can remove them! Show her Omega."

"Observe!" he removed his teeth, "So what do you think?"

"They're so sharp! Can they carve wood?" Tangle pointed to the tree nearby.

"Of course they can. What do you want me to carve?"

"I got an idea! Can you please?" he whispered something to the robot, Rouge tried to listen, but Knuckles covered her ears.

"Affirmative! Initiating artistic program!" he walked to the tree with Tangle still on top.

"What was that for?" Rouge slapped the Echidna's hands.

"You can't just go hearing without our friends consent."

"Our friends? You've just met her today!"

"And I can see that she's a friend." on the back Omega was holding his own head to carve while Tangle was giving him directions and instructions.

The Chaotix arrived and from the other side Whisper and Lanolin walking while talking to Blaze, Silver and Marine.

"So who is the kid on your group?" Lanolin asked Blaze.

"Silver!" Blaze said with zero hesitation.

"What? Why me?" Silver was caught by surprise, "Marine is way more childish than me."

"That just proves her point mate!" Marine bopped his nose, "Try to catch me!"

"Nope. You're trying to trick me! It's not going to happen!" he turned around closing his eyes.

The raccoon smiled, "So... It's no use?"

Silver opened his eyes.

"Don't you start!"

"It's no use! It's no use!" she imitated Silver.

"Oh yeah?" the hedgehog from the future cleared his throat, "Oi Blaze! You have to relax mate! Blah, blah!"

"Very funny!" Marine laughed.

"I'll change my answer to both." Blaze chuckled.

"Hey guys!" Vector greeted, "Whose ready for some fun?"

"I am!" Marine jumped.

"Let's go! What are we waiting for let's start this already!" Charmy the Bee was even more amped than usual.

"Why does Charmy seem to be even more... You know, Charmy than normal?" Amy asked.

"He found the hideout of the cookies." Espio crossed his arms.

"The cookies that mum bakes, specially for Mister Vector?"

"Yes."

"And he gobbled everything! I didn't even ate one!" Vector was upset, "So where's Shadow and Big?"

"Big is fishing and Shadow should be somewhere around here." Amy spin her

"Probably brooding." Rouge guessed.

"And finished! Thanks for helping me!" Tangle gave the robot a thumbs up.

"And thanks for making me do this. I now know that I can severed my head and still have a functional body!"

"Just don't tell this to anyone."

"You've got it. Initiating secrecy mode!"

"Hi everyone!" she touched Sonic with her tail, "Sonic, you're maundering."

"Ups sorry!"

Cream pull out a phone that looked like her Chao, "I'll call him."

"You have a phone?" Sonic asked.

"My mum bought me this one. She said I deserved and that was responsible enough to had one."

"-Makes sense."

"Mr. Shadow, we're all waiting for you."

"I'm finishing feeding my..."

"Mr. Shadow this is on the speakers. Everyone can hear you!"

"... I'll be there in a second." he hang up.

"Feeding? What's he feeding?" Silver asked.

"He sent me a message; I don't own any explanation to the others, so do not even attempt to ask me or Cream for why I was late!" Cream read, she then typed a message of her own and sent it to Shadow, he replied, "Please!" Sonic and Rouge chuckled.

"Hi everyone! I've caught this round thing!" Big the Cat showed a metallic object, with some rust on the side, an exhausted symbol on the middle was carved.

"It's a shield, Big. It seems interesting. Can you save it? I want to check it after this." Blaze knocked on the shield.

"Sure thing. Me and Froggy will take care of it."

"Who is ready to have some fun?" Omochao speak trough is microphone.

"He is annoying! Once this ends can I bite him?" Omega asked.

"After I finish smashing him to bits." Amy also didn't like the robot chao.

"I'll take it."

Shadow arrived.

"So, Shadow? What have you been up to?" Sonic smerked.

"None of your business!"

"Sure keep it for yourself!"

"Get ready to eat my dust!" Jet said with a cocky expression.

"I don't like you." Shadow affirmed.

"The first event is a partner race, choose two members, from each team, to race while their legs are connected by industrial tape. If it rips the players are out. The first team to cross the line with the tape still on wins!"

"Crap!" said Sonic, Shadow, Silver and Jet.

In an abandoned skyscraper

"We've got the target locked on! It's big and stupid the perfect disguise!" Big was in the sight of a sniper rifle.

"We have to wait Toxic. We can't rush, if you all want the money, then we have to wait." Mimic turned to the gazelle, "Judy, go in the crowd, spy him, learn his habits, manners and bring him here!"

"Fine, I got him. I'll result to the knockout has a last ditch afford! If necessary." on her waist a belt with various flasks with various liquids and gases with different colors.

"Take this intercom with you, in case we need to talk!"

"Sure."

"If there's a water related part, call me; immediately!" the octopus laughed silently.

The gazelle left, "Kong and Becky you will stay on guard, Toxic you stay with me and Tiny and Bruce you take care of our guest!" he looked at the tied up Beetle.

"You're disgusting!"

"Thank you! You're also ugly!" he approximated of the Bettle, she spat on his face.

He smiled and cleaned himself, "Take her away! Down stairs. And Tiny, remember do not cross me. Ever!"

"Understood." they left.

"Are you really going to trust him?" Toxic took out one of his spikes and put it trough a hole on his front tooth.

"No! But, I know he can't do much against us all, my friend!"

"After you had freed us from that horrible hell, it's the least we can do." the porcupine throw two of his spike, hitting the middle of a target on the wall.

TWO FLOORS DOWN

Bruce freed Jewel from the ropes, "Just don't desapear, alright?"

"I understand. Can I use the kitchen?" Jewel pointed.

Tiny nodded, "You can move freely in this apartment. Just don't try to escape!" from his shirt pocket he removed a toothpick and put it in his mouth.

"Is there anything in there?"

"Yes, we've been here for a week. There's some supplies in there!" Bruce sat on a chair.

Jewel flied to the kitchen, she opened the cupboards, "Some bread, cookies and biscuits. Uh! Tea packs." she grabbed them and rubbed her chin, Hmm! This gives me an idea!" she smiled.

CONTINUE...