Chapter 3
After the train ride was done and we'd arrived at the Ancient Ruins, Tails led us to the area with his workshop (it overlooking the plateau on a cliff) and, for a brief moment, we were able to have him run some tests on the emerald as well as on me, which I volunteered for just to see if there were some way to make me a full human again. But after doing the tests on myself, we were shocked by the stuff that it said.
"This... this can't be right..." Tails said in confusion. "It says that you're part Mobian, part human, and part Chao!" Tails said, me being shocked at that before then making the lie continue.
"Um... so what's a Chao? And, is there any possible way for me to turn back to my original human self?" I asked.
"In the order that you asked, a Chao is a cute little creature that's actually endangered, but recovering," Tails said, that making Tikal sigh in relief. "And as for making you fully human... I don't really have the technology as of current to get you back to your old self as a full human. Mainly because I'm more into machines than I am with DNA and mutations... but there is one thing I also want to test out, but I want to do so on Tikal," Tails said, Tikal smiling at that.
"What did you want to test on me?" she asked.
"A quick scan to see if my theory is correct," he said. She simply stood still as Tails scanned her with his Miles Electric machine (odd to see him have that in the Adventure games) and, after doing so, the same thing was shown. "Hmm... yes, it's just as I thought! When Cheryl suddenly was teleported into the Master Emerald, along with you and this Chaos creature, it switched around every one of your genes to the point where you each are one third of each component! You all have one third of each member that was in the emerald before it shattered!" Tails gawked, me looking at Tikal and then at Sonic.
"Sounds extremely convoluted," he admitted.
"It makes sense to me... but I don't want to be stuck as a mouse-eared human forever! Especially with this HIDEOUS tail! I mean, you guys have fur on your tails and I got a completely pink tail that has NO hair or fur... I hate that the most," I complained in annoyance.
"Hmm... I think I could make a machine to change certain Mobian traits in you, but I'd need a bit of time to do so. Maybe we can do that when we stop this Chaos from destroying the world," Tails said, me smirking at that.
"Anything to get at least a fuzzy tail like yours!" I said with a smile. And before he could speak I then spoke. "And no, I mean just one tail, not two."
"Okay, enough horsing around, what do we do now?" Sonic asked. And it was then that I heard a low humming from outside. (No way am I getting rid of these amazing listeners!).
"I hear something outside. Like an engine humming," I frowned.
"Sounds like Eggman trouble to me! Let's get him!" Sonic smirked as we then went outside as well as Tails and Tikal joining us. Tails held the emerald in hand as I then motioned Sonic over the cliffside to show were I heard the sound coming from.
"Hey, Eggman! Up to no good again?" Sonic asked in annoyance as the EGGMAN appeared and looked irritated.
"SILENCE! I am Doctor Robotnik, the greatest scientific genius in the WORLD!" he shouted in annoyance as I then simply smirked.
"If that's the case, then why are you inside of an egg-shaped flying machine?" I asked, that making him look at me in anger.
"SILENCE, I SAID! Or would you like to see me REALLY angry?" he asked in annoyance as I then simply scoffed. "Besides, you're not what I'm here for. I want that emerald you have and I will have it!" Eggman said with seriousness.
"Nope, we're not giving it to you," I smiled and stuck my tongue out at him.
"Then I'll take it from you by force!" he shouted as he then went to the cliffside and proceeded to hook up his Eggmobile to the first boss in the game, that being the Egg Hornet. He then flew around a bit, let out some missiles (which I dodged effortlessly with my Mobian speed) and he then charged at Sonic before then getting stuck in the dirt. And when this happened, I proceeded to attack the machine with not only a very powerful jumping kick, but I called upon the fire of the red emerald and managed to power up my foot with the force of a volcano!
The kick alone made the machine get absolutely wrecked and explode in fantastic fashion, it sounding awesome, even with my ears getting a loud ringing afterwards! And as for the Eggmobile and Eggman? They were practically unharmed, but laying on the ground.
"Time to put you in the slammer for assault with an EGGly weapon," I smirked. And when I said that, Eggman then sprung his trap and snatched the red Chaos Emerald from Tails before then flying out of range of my jumping powers, me then gasping at that.
"H-HEY! Come back here and face your fate like a man-woman-child!" I shouted, that making Sonic start to laugh out loud, but Eggman was very unamused. If anything, he looked like he was hard boiled at my name calling. (I could make these lame jokes all day XD)
"You INSOLENT HALFBREED! When I make Robotnikland, you will be my first execution! But now, time to give my new friend her breakfast!" Eggman shouted as the puddle appeared from the water's edge and Tikal gasped.
"NO!" she shouted in fear as Eggman then threw the emerald at Chaos, me gulping at what she'd look like with a single emerald in her... and when she changed form, she looked more or less the same, but with a giant, bulbous right arm.
"Meet my loyal ally, Chaos!" Eggman said with a smug smirk. "Her strength increases every time I feed her a Chaos Emerald! With all seven, she'll be invincible... and work for me! With her power, we can demolish ALL of Station Square and build Robotnikland overtop of its ruins! OHOHOHOHO!" Eggman shouted before doing his trademark laugh, me then looking at Chaos and her then speaking.
"He's a means to an end... he will be killed... all will pay... for the torture my children... have endured for ages!" Chaos shouted in anger before she then disappeared into the water of the ocean again and I looked at Eggman with seriousness.
"Hey, Egghead! You do realize that Chaos could very easily betray you, right?" I asked him in annoyance.
"Peh, I don't expect you to know anything! I'll simply get rid of you before you can do anything to stop me!" Eggman shouted as he was about to leave, but I stopped him with one line of dialogue.
"Looks like someone needs to change his name from Eggman to Omeletman. It's pretty much the next phase of evolution of stupidity," I smirked. And when I said that, Eggman then produced something that immediately made me scared at how he had it. A GUN!
"SAY ONE MORE JOKE ABOUT EGGS AND YOU'RE BRAINS ARE GETTING SCRAMBLED BY... OH, GODDAMMIT, NOW I'M DOING IT!" Eggman shouted in annoyance, me wanting to laugh, but knowing that I could not out-speed a bullet.
"O-Okay, I'll stop! P-Please don't shoot!" I shouted as I held my arms up and Sonic looked surprised at me doing this. It was yet another one of my fears... I wasn't an advocate for gun control, but I was terrified of guns being used by criminals. And Eggman was using one right as we spoke!
"Peh," Eggman spat at me as he then zoomed off into the distance and I then started to breathe in and out to try and calm my nerves.
"What's with you, you look scared stiff," Sonic said, me then frowning at him in annoyance.
"Look, I thought he was just a joke of a villain from your description, but he just pulled a friggin' pistol and aimed it right at my head! I may be fast, but not fast enough to out-speed a bullet!" I said in annoyance... before I then felt another sharp sensation in my brain. And it was pointing me directly to the area where Windy Valley was... and roughly 200 feet higher.
"Now what?" Tails asked.
"I... I sense another Chaos emerald. And it's somewhere in the air," I said, pointing to the area in question.
"That must be the Windy Valley, then. We can actually fly there to get that emerald," Tails said as he proceeded to jump in the air and fly using his propeller tails. He then had Sonic latch onto his feet and they proceeded to fly into that direction, leaving me and Tikal to have to make the tough decision.
"Are you okay with me holding onto you... while you hover us there?" I asked, her smiling and nodding.
"I'm fine. We're both girls, after all," she said, me shaking my head.
"No, that's not what I meant. I meant that I have anxiety with heights... I need you to promise me that, if I accidentally fall, you WILL catch me. Okay?" I said, Tikal nodding at me.
"I didn't know you were afraid of so many things... but that's okay. It's good to have fears so you can overcome them," she said with a smile.
"Not gonna lie, you're probably the nicest and most kind person I've met in my life... that makes me feel safe," I smiled as I then clung my body around her waist with my arms under her armpits and my legs crossing around her stomach. She then hovered and I already felt a bit of vertigo as she started to fly towards the location. And my fear turned to smiles when Tikal's hovering powers managed to make us pass Tails and Sonic, who were about halfway there by the time we were reaching roughly 30 miles an hour of speed! And after a bit more of hovering, we finally reached the floating islands suspended by the ever-dickish tornado. I then tried to sense for where the emerald was... and smirked at how I sensed it on the lowest platform, right at the top of the tornado.
"Straight down to the lowest floating platform, Tikal. My brain compass says that's where the emerald is," I smirked, her then doing that, me holding on tight to her as she gained a bit of speed before slowing down and having us land on the flat ground before I then picked up the emerald... and when I did, I gasped as I felt my fiery powers get replaced by... insane wind!
"WHOA! I feel like there's a tornado billowing through my bloodstream!" I said in shock from the force of strength I felt from the green emerald!
"That's the power of the green emerald, with the powers of the tempest winds. That's the emerald that I became attuned with when I first met Chaos at the shrine... before everything bad happened," she said, me noting that she had the thousand yard stare... and we were still, y'know, above a whirling tornado.
"Wanna talk about it on the way back to the slowpokes? We still need to find 5 more emeralds," I said, her sighing and nodding.
"Okay... I can," she said with a sigh... and after she said that.
"Who're you callin' slowpokes, huh?!" I heard Sonic shout as I noted that he and Tails managed to reach our place by actually going through the level normally. Must have been a new record.
"Yeah, you cheated big time!" Tails complained.
"I wasn't aware that it was a race," I smirked. "The one at the beach? That was a race. This one? Just a job that needs done to save the world. The winner doesn't matter," I said.
"Fair enough. So where to next, miss emerald sonar?" Sonic asked with a smug smirk. Not nearly as smug as Colors onward (I hated Roger Craig Smith as Sonic), but still smug.
"I'm going to need to have one thing first beforehand. I won the race back at the beach and Tikal and I bet that the winner got an ice cream sundae. I want to get one from the resort before we search again," I smirked. "That, and also because it works when it wants to... randomly. Keep in mind, we could've had the compass go off before Eggman even arrived... but it refused to activate until after he left," I said.
"And nothing as of yet? Sounds like it's completely random," Tails said, me sighing at that.
"Kinda like how I got to this world... let's get going... Tikal, you can tell us what happened if you want," I smirked, her nodding.
"Yes, I will..." Tikal said as we then proceeded to fly away from the tornado and towards the ground as opposed to the alternative of flying in the sky. "Over a thousand years ago, I was the daughter of the chief of the Knuckles Clan... we were a very powerful race of Mobian Echidnas that ruled over most of the known world with the ideals of the strongest survive," she said, Sonic gawking at that.
"Knuckles? That's the same name of the current guardian of the Master Emerald! You're saying you're an ancient relative of him?" he smirked.
"Yes, I guess so... only one from my tribe can be the guardian of the Emerald. At the time, I was the guardian of said Emerald... and my father, Pachacamac, wanted to use the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald to rule everything on the planet... there was one problem though..." she said as she then started to tear up. "The area in question was already inhabited by a race of extremely peaceful Chao... they had not a care in the world and were completely innocent... and Chaos, who was a mutated Chao from the Master Emerald, was their guardian and their parent... I tried to get my father to change his mind, but he was adamant... he attacked not only me, but also the Chao, killing many of them just for his greed... and that was when Chaos snapped," Tikal said, her then getting the stare again before then gasping back to reality as we had reached the train.
"What did he... she... what'd it do?" Tails asked.
"Chaos used the 7 Chaos Emeralds to unleash its true power, becoming nearly invincible and wiping nearly my entire race off the face of the planet... I was unable to quell his wrath, so, instead, I sealed Chaos and myself within the Master Emerald, sacrificing my life to protect the planet... but now, because of this contrived coincidence... Chaos is free to seek vengeance again... and now, she wants to kill everyone for what my father did to her Chao... we need to stop her before she gets all 7 Emeralds. It's bad enough that she already has one. Who knows what'll happen if she gets anymore!" Tikal said, me then thinking a bit before I then looked at Tails and Sonic.
"Then I have only one good idea. We're going to try and find as many Chao as we can while on the job and try to protect them. Maybe, if Chaos sees that we have Chao with us, she'd be willing to stop her plans?" I asked, that making Tikal gasp.
"By the goddess! Why didn't I think of that?! That's genius! Chaos was always calm whenever around her own kind!" Tikal said with seriousness.
"There's only one problem, though. Chao are endangered, and that's for the whole world. We're going to need to keep a close eye out, since Chao are very small, roughly the same size as my hand when freshly born. Either that, or find their eggs and get them to hatch," Tails said, me then smiling at that. I knew where some of them were at, but some were a bit hard to find.
"Then we have a plan! But for now, we should get some ice cream," I smirked.