Chapter 6: Hydrophobia
"Tangle's log,
It's been about a week since everyone tried to help me with the claustrophobia. I may still freak out a bit in most tight spaces, but I seem to be fine in the X-Tornado for now, so that's good.
The day after that whole situation, we actually got invited by the president to some kind of charity party… Sonic had other plans though. Can I also just say that I do NOT like wearing dresses…"
"No." Tangle said.
"You are GOING to wear this dress even if I have to force you to!" Amy said, holding up a yellow dress.
"I said NO!" Tangle said as she dodged a tackle from Amy.
"Tangle, you would be the only one there who isn't dressed up!" Amy said. "You already skipped on the table etiquette lesson Ella gave us, so you have to AT LEAST dress nicely!"
"Ugh, you really aren't going to give up on this, are you?" Tangle asked.
"Nope!" Amy said as she held out the dress.
"… fine, but this is the only time I am doing this!"
"Deal!"
" It was nice to see the President again though, we didn't really get a chance to talk the last time I saw him."
"It is good to see you again Tangle." The President greeted.
"Good to see you too." Tangle said.
"You met the President before?!" Chris asked.
"Yeah. I was helping with his plan against Eggman, remember? Had to meet him to be told about the plan." Tangle explained.
"Oh, right."
"Anyways, where's Rouge? I thought she would be here." Tangle asked.
"Agent Rouge had some other business she wanted to attend to, so she won't be making it here today." The President explained.
Tangle just stared at him.
"Agent Topaz is keeping an eye on her, don't worry." The President said.
"Ok, good."
"Anyways, I better go and greet the other guests." The President said before walking away.
"Sonic did end up showing up towards the end of the party though, and he brought one of Chris' classmates with him. The poor girl is paralyzed from the waist down, and he was trying to help her get to an island she wanted to go to he said. Sonic really is a wonderful person, isn't he?
Anyways, after that, things were pretty calm…
for about a day.
Since people finally knew who we were, we decided to try and have a day on the town… it didn't go too well. Turns out, being famous means everyone has to crowd around you and try and get to know you at all times!
And if that wasn't bad enough, it turns out that Eggman survived his base being destroyed. So he launched an attack on the city, and we had to hurry back to the house to get the X-Tornado…
That car ride though… was terrible."
"GET ME OUT OF THIS CRAZY THING!" Tangle screamed as Sam drifted around a corner.
She was alright for a while, but then they decided to shove Chris' teacher into the car, and it was… well, a very tight fit.
"Just try and stay calm! We'll be there soon!" Tails said.
"SOON ISN'T QUICK ENOUGH!" Tangle screamed.
"Is she calling me slow?!" Sam asked.
"No she isn't!" Tails said frantically.
"YES I AM! HURRY IT UP ALREADY!" Tangle continued to scream.
"Alright then! Let's see how you like this!" Sam said as he began to drive faster.
"Thankfully, Tanaka came to my rescue and brought the X-Tornado to us, meaning that we didn't need to ride in that death-trap any more…
Anyways, we all went and picked Sonic up, then he completely trashed Eggman's new airship, and the day was saved.
That was about a week ago. Today, we are planning on going on a bit of a relaxing trip. We got these passport things now, so we can go to other countries. So, we are gonna do just that I think, we'll see what happens."
Tangle put the notebook away and began walking to the garage.
"So, what's the plan for this little trip?" Tangle asked.
"We're really just going to fly around and see what we can find." Tails said.
"I have a this travel guide, so maybe there will be something in here that we can go to!" Amy said, holding up said travel guide.
"Well, let's get going!" Tangle said before hopping on the wing of the X-Tornado.
As the X-Tornado began flying over the ocean, Tangle decided to start a conversation with Sonic.
"So Sonic, I was just wondering something."
"What's up?" Sonic asked.
"Why ARE you so afraid of water?" Tangle asked.
"That… is a long story… and not one that I am too willing to tell." Sonic said.
"Oh… alright…" Tangle said. "Still…"
At that moment, the entirety of the X-Tornado began to shake.
"W-what's going on?!" Tangle asked.
"The Chaos Emerald is reacting! That must mean that we are close to another one!" Tails explained.
"Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's land and go find it!" Tangle said.
"Right!" Tails said as he turned the plane towards land.
Later
"Ugh, how long is it going to take for people to get used to us?!" Tangle asked as she sat down on the beach.
"Hopefully soon…" Chris said. "Wait… where's Sonic?"
"He was just with us a minute ago… did he go looking for the Emerald?" Tangle asked. "I'll go look for him, you guys sit tight!"
After a bit of looking, Tangle found who she was looking for.
"There you are!" Tangle said as Sonic came into view. "What are you doing?"
"… Thinking of a way to get the Emerald…"
"Ah, right, that'll be a problem for you, won't it…" Tangle said, looking out to the ocean. "It wouldn't be a problem if you could swim..."
...
"Wait a minute!" Tangle said. "How about I teach you?"
"Uh… what?"
"I teach you how to swim! You've been helping me with so much, now it's my turn to repay the favor!" Tangle said.
"Uh… I think I'll pass." Sonic said.
"Come on, I'll have you know that back home, I helped teach all the little kids in town! I'm sure I could get you treading water in no time!" Tangle said.
"Tangle, I mean it! I don't think this is a good idea!" Sonic said, looking pretty… afraid?
"How about this." Tangle said as she got an evil look in her eyes. "This could be payback for you shoving me in the closet… twice."
"Uh…"
"So, what'll it be?" Tangle asked.
"… Alright…"
"Great! I'll have Chris go and pick up some things that we need!" Tangle said before running off.
"… What in the world did I just get myself into…?"
"Alright! Step one! Get in the water!" Tangle said as she walked into the shallow water.
"R-Right…" Sonic said as he followed.
"Ok, you can get in water, that's a good start!" Tangle said.
"It's less being in water, more being UNDER water…" Sonic said.
"Well, we will work on that!" Tangle said. "Now, put that inner tube on!"
"Y-yeah…" Sonic said as he did just that.
"Now, you have what are probably the strongest legs in the universe! Time to put them to use!" Tangle said. "Just come into the water slowly, the tube will keep you afloat as long as you hang onto it!"
"Right…"
Sonic complied, and he was now floating in the water.
"Good!" Tangle said. "Now, this will be practice for when you can't have the tube, just kick your legs."
"Got it." Sonic said.
He then began to kick his legs at full speed… and the force of it caused a wave to wash Tangle away.
"You alright?!" Sonic asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine!" Tangle said. "Don't go so fast, you gotta take it slow."
"Right… slow…" Sonic said.
"That being said, they have to be strong kicks. Slow, strong kicks. Got it?"
"Got it!" Sonic said as he did just that.
"Ok, good!" Tangle said. "Now, let's try it without the tube!"
"Y-you sure?" Sonic asked.
"As long as you do what you just did, you should be able to at least somewhat stay afloat!" Tangle explained. "So, you want to try?"
"Alright… let's do this." Sonic said as Tangle took the tube away…
And he instantly sank.
"WHOA!" Tangle shouted as she dove down after him.
When she got a good look at him, she saw that he was panicking.
Moments later, they were on shore.
"You can't panic Sonic… Panicking would just make it worse." Tangle said.
"R-right…" Sonic said. "Listen Tangle, I appreciate you wanting to help… but I don't think this is going to work…"
"Sonic, you just gotta keep trying…" Tangle said.
"Yeah, but I have had enough of almost drowning for one day, and we still need that Emerald." Sonic explained. "We have no idea how long it'll be until Eggman decides to show up after all."
"… Alright, good point." Tangle said.
"Wait, that's what you were teaching Sonic to swim for?" Chris asked as he walked over. "You do realize that he could of just walked on the ocean floor… right?"
"…Huh?" Sonic asked.
"Yeah, we just need a way to let you breathe underwater!" Chris said. "There are a few options for that!"
"… Tangle? You're going down there…" Sonic said.
"… Fine…"
"Uh… what is that?!" Tangle asked.
Chris was just standing there with a giant bell in his hands.
"It's a diving bell! It'll let you breathe underwater!" Chris explained.
"Uh… would you be alright with that Tangle? Wouldn't that trigger your… you know…"
"I wouldn't be COMPLETELY enclosed, so I think I might be fine…" Tangle said. "Here, hold onto my tail, if I tug on it twice, pull me back up!"
"Gotcha!" Chris said as Tangle took the bell.
"Well… here we go…" Tangle said as she went in.
"Ok… just try and keep calm Tangle… you're not completely enclosed in this thing… you're fine…" Tangle said to herself. "That being said… I can't see anything like this… and it is hot in here…"
At that moment, she accidentally tripped on a rock… and got trapped by the bell…
…
…
…
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Maybe we should just go and get some diving gear…" Chris said as he lead the group into town.
"We couldn't do this BEFORE you gave me a giant bell of death?!" Tangle asked.
"Sorry, sorry…"
Not long after getting the diving equipment, the group was on a boat, ready to dive down into the ocean to retrieve the emerald.
"So wait… these things just… let us breathe underwater? And we can talk no problem too?" Tangle asked, holding up her mouth piece.
"Yeah, pretty much!" Chris said.
"How in the world does that work?"
"Well, you see, it all has to do with the…" Tails started before going into a long-winded explanation about how it works, none of which Tangle had any understanding of.
"So in conclusion…"
"Ok! Ok! I get it! It just works!" Tangle shouted, steam starting to come out of her ears.
And everyone shared a good laugh at this.
After diving into the water, the group quickly swam, or in Sonic's case, sunk, to the ocean floor, so they could stay together.
Tangle and Sonic were both walking, Sonic cause he couldn't swim, and Tangle to save her energy just in case of any trouble.
"So uh… any idea where we are going?" Tangle asked.
"Well, if we just keep an eye on the emerald, and pay attention to when it glows brighter, then it should lead us in the right direction!" Tails explained.
"Gotcha, well let's keep go-"
At that moment, she felt it…
A very… VERY sharp pain in her foot, specifically, her toe.
"YOW!"
"Tangle? You good?" Sonic asked.
"Ow ow ow!" Tangle grunted in pain as she lifted up her foot…
Revealing a very annoyed looking crap attached to it.
"Huh… think she stepped on it by accident?" Chris asked.
"Either way, that has to really hurt…" Amy added.
"Alright shrimp… I hope you're ready for what's coming!" Tangle said with an evil look on her face.
The crab decided that it had enough fun at that point, and let go, before quickly scurrying off into the distance.
"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" Tangle shouted as she began swimming after the crab at full speed.
"Tangle! Don't go off on your own!" Tails shouted.
Deciding that sticking together was more important than finding the emerald right away, the group chased after the lemur.
"What in the world…?"
The group had finally caught up to a still irritated Tangle, and were surprised by what they saw.
A large, sunken ship.
"Hey guys, look!" Tails said as he held out the Chaos Emerald.
It was glowing a lot brighter now.
"… Well then! Guess we got lucky here!" Sonic said.
"Let's get in there and…"
"COME OUT HERE YOU COWARD!" Tangle shouted.
"… Find the emerald…" Tails finished.
The group then went inside.
"FIGHT ME!"
When they got inside, they were greeted by the sight of a pile of treasure.
"Whoa…"
"That's a lot of…"
"FOUND YA!" Tangle shouted as she dove into the pile.
When she emerged, she was holding up the crab by it's claw.
"Thought you could get away huh?!"
"Uh… Tangle?" Sonic asked.
"Gimme a minute! I want to enjoy this…"
"See… the thing is… well… there's something on your head…"
"Huh?"
Taking her spare hand, she felt around the top of her head, and when she grabbed it…
"Huh… guess this makes four!" Tangle said, admiring the Chaos Emerald in her hand.
At that moment, the whole ship began to shake, as a tentacle appeared outside.
"… Called it…" Sonic said.
Before long, the majority of the group was back at the surface of the water, while Sonic was fighting Eggman's robot on the ocean floor.
"Are you guys sure he'll be alright? Maybe I should of stayed down there and helped…" Tangle said.
"Relax, knowing Sonic, he'll be back up here before I finish thi-"
And just like that, Sonic shot up out of the water, and onto a nearby rock.
"You see!" Tails said.
"… I am just gonna play along and say 'that makes sense'…" Tangle said.
Then, they noticed that the hedgehog was in trouble. He was currently being held up by the tentacles of the machine, and being held over the ocean.
"Sonic! Hold on! I'm…"
At that moment though, they saw someone coming from the distance…
"Uncle Sam?!"
"Oh great, some last minute help… not on my watch!" Eggman said.
"Here Sonic, grab this!" Sam shouted as he attempted to throw a handle connected to a rope.
Though Eggman fired a laser and cut the rope pretty quickly after he let go.
"… Well I'm out of ideas…" Sam said.
"Well I'm not!" Tangle said as she hopped onto the back of his Jet Ski.
She then grabbed the handle with her tail, and stretched it all the way over to Sonic, so he could grab on and go water skiing.
From there, things went a lot quicker and easier, as Sonic was able to easily bypass the machine's defenses and score a critical hit, ending the fight.
"Grr… You'll pay for this! Next time, I'll show you for going on a vacation!" Eggman shouted.
"… wait what?"
Before long, the group returned to shore, and Chris and Tangle returned the diving equipment they rented.
On their way back though…
"Hey, what kind of shop is that?" Tangle asked.
"Oh, looks like a junk shop. Tails would probably like a look in there, actually." Chris said.
"Huh… wait…" Tangle said as she noticed something purple in the pile.
She then walked over to get a better look at it, and she was amazed at what she saw.
"A bike?" Sonic asked.
"Yeah, this is the same bike that I used to chase after Eggman before we got sent here!" Tangle explained. "I was wondering what happened to it!"
"Still, it's just a bike, you could of just left it instead of asking to have it back like that…" Chris said.
"Yeah… but this bike is special to me…" Tangle said.
"Special?" Amy asked.
"Jewel got it for me for my birthday last year…" Tangle explained. "She… worked really hard for so long to make the money for it… and it really meant a lot to me that she did that."
"You two really are great friends!" Cream said.
"Yeah… I… really miss her though." Tangle said starting to look a bit down.
"Hey, we got four emeralds now! You'll be back before you know it!" Sonic said.
"Right!" Tangle said.
And so, with Tangle's bike and the fourth Chaos Emerald in tow, the boat went off into the sunset.
"Wait a minute…"
"What's up?" Tails asked.
"THAT DUMB CRAB GOT AWAY! GOSH DANG IT!"
End of Chapter 6
In case you are wondering what scene I wanted to add at the last minute, it was the entirety of them going under water, as well as the fight with Eggman… yeah, quite a bit.
Tangle has her bike back! Expect that to pop up a couple of times!
Anyways, next chapter is gonna be based on episode 18, meaning we will be skipping 17… which is a Chaos Emerald episode. Yeah, I know I just mentioned I wanted to do all of those… but only Knuckles and Rouge are in that episode, and I really can't think of a way to bring Tangle in there, so it would play out completely the same way as in the show. I promised an extra chapter this weekend, so it'll be tomorrow, see you then! :)
