After doing some research, I've decided to make Station Square a city in Texas in my story. At first, I considered New York City, but we have to remember that there were multiple scenes in the Sonic X anime where a desert could be seen, and Texas is also next to the coast which can explain the beach and harbor area of Station Square.
So let's say the desert in the anime was the Chihuahuan Desert.
Also, it is now confirmed in the story that the Mobians are three years older than they were in the anime, so Sonic is 18, Tails is 11, Knuckles is 19, and etcera.
The new cover is made by yours truly.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Sonic the Hedgehog characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 3: Kon-King Arises
Shadow hadn't moved an inch from Mikoto's computer since he sat down that morning. At one point, Akane dropped by and left a plate with freshly baked cookies and a cup of tea. While Shadow wasn't fond of said beverage, he still drank it to wash down the sweetness of the cookies he nibbled on.
The Mobian stretched his arms before he leaned back on the chair and rubbed his eyes. "I need a break…" He turned around to see where Kuro had gone off to. He found the cat curled into a ball in a basket next to Mikoto's bed taking a nap. Shadow smiled fondly at the sight. He had a teeny tiny soft spot for adorable little kittens in his heart and often visited cat cafés on Mobius during his breaks. It might look weird for his public image, but he could care less of other people's opinion.
Shadow's ears twitched when he heard live news from the computer. He turned his attention to the screen and saw live footage of a large mechanical gorilla running amok in downtown Station Square. People screamed and ran for their lives while the robot crushed everything in its path and punched buildings and threw abandoned vehicles that exploded once they made contact with concrete.
The video switched to a female news reporter with long sandy blonde hair and green eyes leaning out of a helicopter where she had a good view of the chaos. "This is Olivia Stewart from SSTV reporting live! A huge robot gorilla has appeared out of nowhere and is destroying Station Square! It seems to be under control of that mysterious man riding a hovercraft above the robot!"
Shadow's eyes narrowed when Dr. Eggman appeared in camera view, flying around in his Egg Mobile and his robot servants. "Doctor…! So, he's here too!"
Without thinking twice, Shadow dashed out of Mikoto's room and went to grab the green Chaos Emerald. He had the power to warp within a certain radius without the gemstone, but he needed it for long distances like now.
He raised his hand with the Chaos Emerald and chanted two magic words. "Chaos Control!"
The Chaos Emerald released a bright green light that enveloped Shadow before he teleported out of the room. Kuro had woken up by the noise and went to Shadow's room where he could smell the hedgehog's scent. He only found an empty room, so he sat down by the threshold and meowed while softly tapping the floor with his tail.
XXXXXXXXXX
The alarm went off in Station Square High disturbing everyone from their lunchbreak. Some were already panicking after they caught word of a rampaging robot destroying the city through social media. Everyone hurried out of the building before Kon-King could decide to target their high school next and crunch it into pieces.
Mikoto put her headphones over her ears and sprang into action. Aria watched with big eyes as the Japanese girl unlocked one of the windows in the laboratory. Mikoto usually had a calm demeanor in class so it was surprising to see her act so fast in an emergency. She threw the windows open and turned to Aria with a strict glare. "Let's go."
Aria nodded and threw her stuff through the window. Mikoto helped the blonde climb out before it was her turn evacuating the building. It was a good thing the laboratory was on the ground floor so the girls didn't have to worry about breaking an arm or two. A crowd of shaken students and teachers gathered on a baseball field within the high school premises. Aria rushed to the field and collapsed on her knees as soon as she was safe, her heart thrumming fast in her chest.
A boy with short reddish hair and freckles and a dark skinned girl with dark chocolate hair and glasses rushed to their breathless friend. "Aria!" the boy yelled worriedly.
The dark skinned girl helped Maria get up with a lending hand. "Are you alright?"
"Y-Yes, I'm fine", Aria gasped and brushed her clothes clean from dust and grass. "Mikoto and I escaped together."
"Mikoto? As in that Asian girl who always wears a sailor uniform and is in your chemistry class?" the boy arched a brow.
"Yes…", Aria turned around to see if the Japanese was with her, but she couldn't find her wherever she looked. "Mikoto?"
"Are you sure you weren't hallucinating because of the chemical fumes?" the dark girl wondered while adjusting her glasses.
"Yes, I'm absolutely certain!" the blonde nodded rapidly. "She was right behind me!"
XXXXXXXXXX
There was a reason why Mikoto didn't follow Aria to the evacuation site. She was running down the ruined streets heading toward Ground Zero where the robot was causing havoc. She dug her hand into a pocket of her long skirt and pulled out her smartphone.
'I need to tell Shadow-kun about this! Only he can stop that robot!'
She hid behind a corner waiting for Akane to answer the phone. The robot threw another vehicle to the ground and crunched it with its large foot, making it burst into flames. Mikoto would usually be affected by the thundering noise, but her headphones did miraculous wonders. The gadget filtered the explosions so they sounded like whispering voices that tickled her eardrums.
She spied Dr. Eggman above the mechanical animal in a hovercraft cackling with two robots. She recognized the evil scientist from her research when her class in the ninth grade got an assignment to write an essay about said terrorist and the Mobians who stopped him on multiple occasions saving the planet from his evil clutches.
'Dr. Eggman… He hasn't aged at all. Is he really a human?'
"Hello?" Akane's voice echoed in Mikoto's headphones.
"Akane-san, is Shadow-kun there?" Mikoto spoke into the smartphone, flinching when Kon-King struck a building that was meters away from her hiding spot with a giant fist. Debris was thrown in the air with some nearly hitting the girl.
"Mikoto-sama, what is that noise in the background?" Akane asked concernedly.
"Akane-san, get Shadow-kun now before-"
Mikoto didn't have time to finish her sentence when Shadow appeared out of nowhere in front of the robot gorilla. The black Mobian glared at the rampaging robot, clutching the Chaos Emerald tightly in his hand.
The blackette sighed in relief and turned her attention back to her phone. "Never mind. Shadow-kun is already here."
"What are you talking abou-"
Mikoto silently apologized while she hung up the phone. She had a lot of explaining to do once she got home. She put her phone away and ran away from the battle scene. While she couldn't assist Shadow in combating the robot, she could at least help people who got hurt and get them to a safe place in case the fight escalated.
'Be careful, Shadow-kun!'
XXXXXXXXXX
Shadow wasn't intimidated by the enormous frame of Kon-King. Said robot roared when it spotted the Mobian, which alerted Dr. Eggman and his lackeys. "Oh ho ho ho! I didn't expect you of all people to show up, Shadow!" the evil human commented.
"What is the meaning of this, Doctor?" Shadow growled at the evil scientist.
"He's conquering this city with Kon-King! What else does it look like, dimwit?" Cubot answered in Dr. Eggman's place.
Orbot felt a nervous shiver tickle his circuits. "D-Doctor, if Shadow is here, then perhaps Sonic is close by."
"Even better", Dr. Eggman chuckled, his eyes locked on the green Chaos Emerald shining in Shadow's. "That way, I can crush both of them once and for all, and get that Chaos Emerald!"
"I don't need Sonic's help to take you and your robot down, Doctor", Shadow shrugged. "And you will never have my Chaos Emerald."
"Oh really?" Dr. Eggman smirked, amused by Shadow's confidence. "Why not put that up to the test? EX-41 Kon-King, destroy Shadow!"
Kon-King screeched and raised a fist to pound Shadow into a pancake. The Mobian rolled his eyes and warped himself before the robot struck the concrete. Shadow appeared again on top of a lamppost with his hands on his hips.
"Your robot is too slow, Doctor", Shadow mocked.
Dr. Eggman laughed amusingly. "That was just a prelude!"
Kon-King raised its fist and opened a compartment, revealing a wrist gun. The gorilla fired multiple bullets at Shadow who dodged them with ease by teleporting. However, the bullets instead struck buildings and even some innocent people who hadn't evacuated the area yet, which reminded the Mobian of their presence.
'I need to change my strategy!'
Shadow gathered his Chaos Energy in his right hand and created multiple spears above his palm. "Chaos Spear!"
He launched the energy spears at new set of bullets, destroying them before they could strike a mortal target. Shadow fired Chaos Spears one after another as more bullets kept raining. He summoned a bigger Chaos Spear and threw it at Kon-King's gun. The gorilla screeched when its weapon was blasted into pieces, leaving a half-broken wrist with sparkling cables and twisted metal. Shadow landed on the ground and crossed his arms, smirking proudly at his handiwork. Kon-King was still able to move his hand, but he couldn't access to the rest of his hidden weapons in that arm.
"Kon-King is hurt!" Orbot gasped, sympathetic for his fellow robot comrade.
"But not down!" Dr. Eggman growled. "Kon-King, it's time to switch into berserk mode!"
"Berserk mode?" Cubot scratched his head. "What's that?"
"That's when somebody truly goes banana and destroys everything in its path!" Orbot explained for his buddy.
"Isn't that what Kon-King did earlier when we invaded Station Square?" Cubot tilted his head, confused about the difference.
Kon-King released whistling steam from his body before he roared and banged his chest so hard it echoed down the abandoned streets. Shadow arched a brow before his eyes widened when two chest compartments opened on the robot revealing a pair of rockets. Kon-King launched the rockets at Shadow who dodged them by warping, but that resulted with the rockets striking two buildings that crumbled down.
Shadow growled at the destruction. He needed to step up a notch and utilize the energy of his Chaos Emerald so he could finish this. His vocal cords dropped to a deeper tone with his eyes glowing red by Chaos Energy. "Playtime's over."
XXXXXXXXXX
Mikoto helped a wounded woman by treating her wounds with ointment she had in her skirt pocket. She ripped a piece of her skirt off and used it as bandage to wrap the woman's bleeding knee. The adult bit her lower lip and held back a painful hiss at the treatment.
Mikoto knew her school uniform was tarnished after digging among debris and trash to rescue people, but she could care less in an emergency like this. She had a few extra uniforms at home, so she could incinerate the one she was wearing when she got home. "There", she said, her headphones still on her ears. "I'll help you."
She couldn't hear the woman's verbal response, but she knew the adult was grateful. She supported the innocent civilian by wrapping one of her arms on her shoulders and led her to a safe area where first responders had gathered to give first aid to dozens of people who got caught in Kon-King's rampage. Mikoto removed her headphones as the noise wasn't so loud in this area. A few explosions were heard in the far distance as Kon-King marched forward.
Ambulance personnel caught sight of the duo and rushed to aid the wounded lady. Mikoto looked around at the chaotic scene. Her heart bled at the sight of adults and very young children wrapped in bandages and crying fearful tears. Red and blue lights flashed from the emergency vehicles as ambulances loaded in fatally wounded people and took off in a rush to the hospital. It was a scene straight out of a horror movie. She clenched her hands as she felt anger toward Dr. Eggman and his selfish ways of harming people for his evil deeds.
She was about to put her headphones over her head and go back to look for other survivors when she saw a familiar blonde girl in the corner of her eye. She gasped when she recognized her. "Thorndyke-san?!"
"Mikoto!" Aria waved her hand before she reached the blackette, resting her hands on her knees while catching her breath.
"What are you doing?" Mikoto asked with a stern voice, not pleased to see one of her classmates in the area. "It's dangerous here!"
Aria put her hands on her hips before she gave Mikoto a scolding glare. "You disappeared on me! I was worried you got hurt!"
Mikoto blinked, a little surprised to hear somebody else besides her caretakers was genuinely worried about her wellbeing. She didn't have time to ask more questions as she heard another explosion behind her and a metallic screech emitting from the King Kong robot. "I'm going back to look for survivors! Stay here!" The blackette put her headphones back over her ears and rushed back to the battlefield.
Aria blinked a few seconds before she made a decision to follow her classmate. "I'm coming too!" Mikoto barely heard the blonde's voice and just ran ahead.
A police officer saw the two high schoolers and yelled after them, but his warning fell deaf to their ears. "Hey, girls! Get back! It's dangerous over there! And the military is on its way!"
Mikoto and Aria ran down the crushed street and watched the back of Kon-King as he went berserk and crushed everything in his path while trying to deal with Shadow who kept pestering the gorilla.
Aria's eyes widened when she saw the black and red hedgehog warping left and right dodging every move from Kon-King. "Is that…?"
Orbot accidently looked over his shoulder and spotted the teenagers. He gasped and patted Dr. Eggman's back repeatedly. "Doctor, there are civilians here!"
"Hrm?" Dr. Eggman turned his Egg Mobile around to see who were foolish enough to get in his way besides Shadow. His eyes widened behind his dark glasses when he saw the blonde girl. "What?! It can't be…!"
"What's wrong, doc-bot?" Cubo asked.
Shadow had just struck Kon-King right on its face with a large Chaos Spear, blasting a piece off its head where the CPU was installed. The head started sparkling as the main programming was overridden. The robot didn't pay attention to Shadow anymore and turned away from the Mobian who noticed the weird behavior. "What's going on?"
Dr. Eggman noticed Kon-King wasn't acting according to its programming and walked past the Egg Mobile with its one working optic spinning around like it was searching for something. "Hey, Kon-King! Where're you going?! Shadow is over there!"
Mikoto and Aria stared with dropped jaws at Kon-King who stomped toward them. The gorilla's frame towered with half its head gone, casting a shadow over them. It scanned the girls and found its target. Without warning, Kon-King reached down and grabbed Aria as gently as he could with his good hand, wrapping his fingers around her petit figure without squeezing her.
"Help!" Aria shrieked out as she was lifted up by Kon-King.
Mikoto gaped in horror as she watched the gorilla stomp away with Aria in its clutch. "Thorndyke-san!"
Shadow heard Mikoto's cry and jumped to the side when Kon-King walked forward completely ignoring him. He threw a glare at the robot, but that was erased when he spotted the blonde human girl in the gorilla's fist. "What? It captured a civilian as a hostage?!"
Aria struggled in the iron hand, but it was no use. "Help me, somebody!"
Dr. Eggman floated next to Kon-King, panicked about his robot's behavior. "Kon-King, what are you doing?! You're here to destroy Station Square so I can rebuild it-"
Kon-King screeched right on Eggman's face with such a force it blew the Egg Mobile several feet back. Dr. Eggman's eardrums rang by the shriek so he needed a second to collect himself.
"What's going on? Has Kon-King gone all cuckoo?" Cubot wondered before he patted his head on the side like a human was clearing stuff out of their ears.
"I'm afraid something happened to the programming after that hit it took from Shadow", Orbot said, pointing at the broken head.
Dr. Eggman sweat dropped when he recalled the origins of Kon-King's creation. "Uh-oh… Kon-King is based on that King Kong movie I once watched last time I was here on Earth… King Kong became infatuated with a woman, so Kon-King might think that girl is his mate."
"What?!" Cubot's jaw almost dropped off in shock. "What kind of love story is that?!"
"Never mind that! We need to reprogram Kon-King!" Orbot panicked.
Shadow felt very frustrated as Kon-Kin marched ahead. He could've finished the gorilla by now, but that human girl was caught in harm's way. "What do I do now?"
Tanks and heavy artillery vehicles appeared from a corner in front of Kon-King blocking his path. The military had arrived to take down the evil robot. The soldiers poured out from the vehicles and aimed their weapons at the gorilla, but they soon caught sight of Aria.
"Hold your fire!" a soldier yelled. "The robot is holding somebody hostage!"
The commander of the soldiers raised a megaphone to speak with Dr. Eggman. "Dr. Eggman, order your robot to release the hostage right this instant!"
"That's easier said than done!" Dr. Eggman yelled back. "Kon-King is disobeying my orders!"
Kon-King growled at the obstacles down the road. He knew if he took a step closer, it could put his little human in danger. Without a warning, Kon-King started climbing up a skyscraper with his wounded hand. Aria cold sweated in fear as the ground got smaller beneath her.
Shadow skated on his Air Shoes to the skyscraper while dodging falling debris. Mikoto caught up to the black Mobian and stared in horror as Kon-King ascended the tower. "Thorndyke-san!"
"What were you thinking coming here with your friend, Mikoto?" Shadow growled irritably at the blackette.
Mikoto pulled one of her headphones to the side, even though the crumbling noise from the skyscraper was drowning her hearing. "Nani? (What?)"
"Never mind", Shadow murmured.
Kon-King held onto the roof with his injured hand and growled softly now that he and his presumably mate were safe, but those irritating little ants were still bugging him. He had to figure out a way out of this messy place without the blonde getting injured.
Aria felt a little sick in her stomach. If Kon-King ever lost his grip on her, she would meet her demise. She looked up when she heard a jet plane approaching the skyscraper. It wasn't one of the military planes but a familiar jet plane that landed on her family's property last night. A huge smile erupted on her face.
The unmarked aircraft fired calculated bullets at Kon-King without putting the girl in danger. Kon-King bared his fangs as he endured the puny bullets that bounced off his hard alloy body. He held his hand with Aria close to his chest to cover her.
Aria clenched her eyes close and prayed none of the bullets would strike her by accident. "Somebody! Help!"
All of the sudden, a gentle blue glow enveloped Kon-King's hand. The psychokinetic power forced Kon-King to move his hand from his chest against his will, stretching his arm far and wide. The next thing everybody knew, a blue blur was ejected from the passing jet plane and performed a Spin Attack, shooting itself through Kon-King's arm. Kon-King screamed in pain as his arm was ripped off, but his single optic glowed when it watched Aria fall toward her doom now free from her enclosure.
Back on ground, Shadow and Mikoto gasped as Kon-King's arm fell toward them. Shadow snatched Mikoto into his arms and skated away. Mikoto yelped by the sudden move and held onto the ebony Mobian's shoulders. She looked over his quills and flinched when the robot arm with faux fur crashed on the ground and exploded into an inferno.
Aria shrieked as she fell through the sky. She curled herself into a ball and closed her eyes, hearing the screeching wind in her ears. A tear escaped her eye as she inwardly said her last wishes. However, instead of meeting her fate, her body stopped moving as she fell into a pair of arms.
"Gotcha!" a male voice exclaimed. "You okay, pretty lady?"
Aria opened her eyes and gasped at the sight of her savior, a ruddy blush coloring her pale cheeks. It was a humanoid hedgehog, but it had silver fur and quills instead of black and red colors like that other hedgehog that fought Kon-King earlier. His golden eyes glittered in joy that mixed with the blue psychokinesis enveloping himself so he was levitating in the air. He emitted a terrible stench which made the girl wrinkle her nose.
Aria held back a frown, not wanting to insult the Mobian who had just saved her life. "Are you one of Sonic's friends?"
The silver hedgehog blinked in surprise. "You know Sonic?"
A blue biplane flew closer to the levitating duo piloted by a green humanoid plant creature. "Cosmo!" the psychic hedgehog called in relief.
"Silver!" Cosmo yelled back. "Are both of you okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine!" Silver levitated to the empty seat behind Cosmo and gently put Aria down. "There. Buckle up and hold on tight."
Aria nodded and put the seatbelt on while Silver grabbed onto a bar of the Tornado. "Thank you for saving me."
"No problem", Silver smiled before he turned his attention back at Kon-King with a determined gleam. "Now the others can finish off that overgrown monkey!"
The blue blur rolled down the building and made a full turn on the ground before it went up the skyscraper toward Kon-King. The rolled up creature burst through the gorilla's chest, causing enough damage for Kon-King's robotic body to completely shut down. The gorilla lost its grip on the skyscraper and fell to its finish line. The soldiers scattered off to dodge the large body before it collapsed on the ground with smoke welling out of the broken art of technology.
Dr. Eggman clutched his head in shock and screamed. "NOOO!"
The blue blur uncurled in the air and landed on the unmarked jet plane's nose, smirking at the good deed done for the day. "Great job, Sonic!" Tails shouted through the cockpit of the X-Tornado.
"I couldn't have done it without you, Tails", Sonic winked with a thumbs up.
Dr. Eggman growled in anger at his miserable defeat. Cubot and Orbot cautiously peeked behind his large back, both of them afraid to speak one wrong word. "M-May I suggest a tactical retreat, Dr. Eggman?" Orbot asked.
"I agree!" Cubot nodded frantically, seeing the Mobians and military had surrounded them. "We're defenseless!"
Dr. Eggman hated to admit it, but his robots were right. "You may have won this time, but I will be back! Mark my word; Station Square shall soon belong to me!" He flew away with his Egg Mobile, his verbal promise lingering in the air like a cold winter breeze.
Shadow was still carrying Mikoto in his arms when he skated back to the scene and saw his fellow Mobians. "They are here as well."
Mikoto couldn't hear him, but she knew he recognized the aircrafts that came to their aid against Dr. Eggman's robot. A lone feeling grasped her heart when she realized she was about to lose her first friend.
'He's going to leave now that he and his friends are reunited.'
XXXXXXXXXX
After everything settled down, Aria invited Mikoto to her mansion the same evening so they could discuss about the Mobians and let each party tell their story of how they met Sonic and the others. The Japanese girl felt a little uncomfortable sitting in the living room of the Thorndykes' mansion, but it eased her heart when she was introduced to Sonic and his friends. "My name is Mikoto", she introduced herself while shaking hands with the blue hedgehog. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, Miko!" Sonic grinned before he threw a teasing glance at Shadow who sat next to the blackette on the couch. "I guess you ended up with her after that Chaos Control, Shadow."
Shadow snorted with his arms crossed. "How else would I know her?"
"Aloof like always, Shads", Sonic commented.
"So, how did you end up with the Thorndykes?" Mikoto wondered, bending her head down as she felt a little anxious looking at the head of the family who sat across from her.
"When Chaos Control sent us to Earth, I immediately thought of flying here to see if Chris and his family still lived here", Tails spoke up, one of his hands resting on top of Cosmo's. "Thankfully, they were all here and Chris took me in with open arms."
"I had the same idea and ran all my way from San Francisco to Station Square", Sonic explained his side of the story and gave his human friend who was now in his late forties a warm smile. "Never thought I'd see you all grown up, buddy."
Chris chuckled heartily at his comment. "Yeah, I never thought we'd see each other again after last time, Sonic. I'm truly happy to see you all again. Even you two, Shadow and Cosmo, especially after what happened."
Cosmo's eyes turned a little sad as she recalled her sacrifice to save the universe and left behind a tiny seed for Tails as a reminder of her existence. Little did they know she was going to resurrect after Tails planted that seed that grew into a large tree in which she one day crawled out from with her revitalized body. Unlike Shadow, her memories were intact, so she had no problems recognizing Tails and their friends and remembering their space adventure.
Chris' wife Helen floated into the living room in her hoverchair with the Thorndykes' housemaid Nelly. Nelly was the last housemaid's niece who took over the role after Ella retired a couple of years ago when her health deteriorated. She was nearly a splitting image of Ella except she had brown eyes instead of blue. "We brought some refreshment", Helen called out while she floated next to the couch where her husband sat.
"Have some tea and snacks, everyone", Nelly smiled and served everyone a cup of tea.
Mikoto blew her tea to cool the beverage before she took a sip. Her experienced tongue immediately recognized the flavors. "Is this sage and lavender?"
"That's right", Helen nodded. "It's a tea blend I make myself with flowers and herbs in our garden."
Mikoto felt little more at ease with the concoction and drank some more. "It's delicious."
"I'm glad you like it", Helen giggled.
"Mrs. Thorndyke's tea is unique", Nelly laughed heartedly. "I've learned a lot from her and my aunt Ella after I started working here."
Aria giggled sheepishly. "Perhaps we should go back to the main subject, guys."
Chris cleared his throat. "Ah yes, got a little sidetracked there. I've got Sonic's side of the story. You guys and Dr. Eggman ended up here on Earth again because of Chaos Control. Now we need to find the rest of your friends and the Chaos Emeralds so you guys can go home again before the Time Suspension Phenomenon happens again."
Mikoto remembered that part from her old essay. The reason why the Mobians were forced to return to their home planet was because said phenomenon threatened to freeze time entirely if Chaos Control kept occurring on Earth. For each Chaos Control, parts of Mobius started emerging on Earth which in turn threatened to merge both planets into one.
"Yeah, but first we need to locate Cream, Cheese, Amy, Knuckles, Rouge and Blaze", Tails nodded. "The only reason why I was able to contact Cosmo is because of our communicators."
"Yes", Cosmo nodded. "I was close to the border of Canada when Tails contacted me and sent me the coordinates to Station Square. I think after this, we need to create those communicators for everyone."
"Definitely", Tails sweat dropped. "I should've made those much sooner."
"How did you end up in Station Square, Silver?" Sonic wondered.
Silver rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish look. "Well, I…woke up in an alleyway of Station Square this morning."
"So, that's why you smelled like garbage", Sonic grinned, holding back a small laugh.
"Shut it…!" Silver flushed, embarrassed. "Anyway, I was levitating around trying to figure out where I was when I saw Dr. Eggman's robot destroying the city. I couldn't stand by and watch, so I stepped in to save Aria."
Aria smiled with a light red blush. "And I'm forever grateful to you, Silver. You are my hero."
Silver laughed sheepishly at the compliment. "Y-You're welcome."
Shadow blinked his eyes when he finally learned the young blonde girl's name. "Aria…?"
Chris nodded. "Yes. Helen and I named our daughter after Maria to honor her."
The black hedgehog stared at Aria completely speechless. She looked almost the same as Maria from his memories. It was like she had been reborn in another body.
The Thorndyke daughter walked over to Shadow and held her hand out. "I heard from dad that he and mom named me after a friend's precious family member. I'm truly sorry for what happened to your friend Maria."
Shadow stared at the hand in front of him. There was a strange feeling bubbling in his chest. It was some sort of pride, but not the cocky pride he felt whenever he had the advantage in a fight. It was warm like the sun he witnessed this morning. He grabbed the petit human hand and gave her a handshake. "She would be flattered."
"So, what's your story, Shadow?" Sonic asked while leaning against an armchair with his hands behind his head.
Shadow's eyes narrowed at the cobalt hedgehog and crossed his arms. "You already know it."
"No, I don't", Sonic retorted.
Mikoto stepped in and filled the gap. "I found Shadow yesterday in my garden and nursed him back to full health."
"Hence how you two know each other", Helen nodded.
"And clearly, one of the Chaos Emeralds ended up with you", Tails nodded at said gemstone that sat in the middle of the coffee table. "Hey, Shadow?"
"What?"
"Can I have the Chaos Emerald?" the twin-tailed fox asked.
Shadow glared. "What for?"
Tails slightly flinched by the cold glance, but he didn't back down. "I need it to power up the X-Tornado to its full potential next time we battle Dr. Eggman."
The sable Mobian looked away for a second before he gave Tails a verbal answer. "Fine. But the next Chaos Emerald is mine."
"Deal!" Tails nodded and grabbed the magical gem.
Cosmo blinked when she sensed the Chaos Emerald's power. She had seen the Chaos Emeralds multiple times before, but this was the first time she sensed a connection with this one. Her plant body reacted like it contained energizing fertilizer.
'What is this feeling?'
"We need to come up with a plan on locating the others first", Chris said. "I have many connections in the United States, so I'll ask around tomorrow and see if they have observed unusual creatures."
"Cosmo and I can look for them from the sky with the Tornados", Tails raised his hand.
"Guess I'll look for them on ground", Sonic said, looking out of the window where the large moon shone.
Mikoto sensed her limit was about to be breached. She hadn't had this long of a conversation with other humans before except her father, caretakers and some teachers at school. "U-Um… What if…they are on other continents?"
"Miko's got a point", Aria said. "What if they are overseas?"
"Then we have to expand our search", Chris replied. "Mom and dad's connections might help us out in that part since they are still traveling around the world even though they should take it easy after retiring."
Helen placed a soft hand on her husband's shoulder. Nelson and Lindsey tried to make up for lost times in Chris' childhood, especially after the whole incident with Chris refusing to let Sonic return to Mobius and basically kidnapped him. They still were forced to travel abroad for their work, but not as frequently as in his early years. And now it was mainly for their leisure and make up for not being able to spend time together as a couple.
Mikoto swiftly finished her tea and stood up from the couch. "I must go home now. I have homework to do."
"You're leaving already?" Silver asked.
"Oh, that's too bad", Helen sighed sadly. "I was hoping you could stay over for dinner."
Mikoto bowed with her hands on top of each other. "I appreciate your kind hospitality, Thorndyke-san."
Aria noticed Mikoto's movement felt quite stiff, not as natural as she acted earlier when Dr. Eggman and his robot were attacking the city. The blackette looked pale and held back an uncomfortable grimace.
Mikoto gave Shadow a hesitant smile. "Good luck, Shadow-kun, everyone."
Shadow arched a brow as she quickly walked out of the living room and was escorted out of the mansion by one of the twin butlers guarding the Thorndyke family. He could smell her anxiety by a long haul before she barged out of the house.
"What was that about?" Chris wondered, sensing something wasn't right with the retreating guest.
Shadow got off the couch, preparing himself to leave as well. "She has social anxiety."
"Social anxiety?" Silver blinked confusedly.
"But she seemed fine until now", Cosmo pointed out.
"Her caretakers say she can't last long with humans", Shadow explained.
Aria's eyes widened as she figured out why Mikoto always dodged people whenever somebody approached her at school. "So, that's why she doesn't talk to people!"
"You're going with her?" Sonic asked his dark counterpart as Shadow walked toward the door.
"We've got plenty of rooms for everyone including you, Shadow", Chris spoke up.
"I'd rather stay at her place", Shadow responded. "It's quiet there."
"Alright, you go your way, Shads", Sonic threw his hands up.
Shadow was about to step out of the living room when Aria called out. "Wait, Shadow."
The sable Mobian watched as the blonde grabbed a random piece of paper and scribbled something. Once she was done, Aria folded the paper and gave it to him. "These are my contact info. Give this to Mikoto, please. And tell her I'd like to be friends with her."
Shadow stared at the paper before he shrugged. "Fine. Don't expect an immediate reply."
"Thank you, Shadow", Aria smiled warmly.
For a brief second, Shadow could see his old friend Maria's smile on this young girl's face. He blinked his eyes and the hallucination was instantly gone.
'What was that?'
XXXXXXXXXX
Mikoto felt much better after she left the Thorndykes. Her body calmed down as she no longer felt the heavy burden of conversing with humans. She tried her best to stay as long as she could, but if she had remained there a little longer her brain would've worked overtime and combust.
And if her father learned about the fact that she caused trouble for somebody… She didn't want to think about the consequences.
"That wasn't very nice of you leaving me behind."
Mikoto jumped by the sudden voice to her left. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Shadow next to her. "S-Shadow-kun?" She was very confused and looked over her shoulder and back to the Mobian. "I thought…you were staying with the Thorndykes."
"That place is too loud", Shadow snorted. "I'd prefer to live at your quiet place…unless you're kicking me out."
"N-No, I never said that", Mikoto lightly waved her hands. "I…assumed you missed your friends."
"They're not my friends", Shadow frowned. "I tolerate them, but they annoy me."
Mikoto's heart sang a little in joy. This wasn't going to be her last time seeing Shadow. His aura may feel cold, but it still had a hint of warmth compared to her father's stone cold charisma. It was ten times if not hundred times more welcoming.
Shadow held the folded paper to her. "Aria sent you this." Mikoto arched a brow and took the paper, unfolding it to see a phone number and an email address. "She said she wants to be friends with you."
Mikoto was baffled. Somebody actually wanted to become friends with her? "Friends…?"
Shadow shrugged. "Do whatever feels right. It's your choice."
Mikoto stared at the contact info with conflicted eyes. In all her life, she had no friends because she was scared to say something wrong and then get punished by her father for "tainting" the family name. Her father always had an iron grip on her actions and speech in public or in front of important people during galas.
She had endured a lot following her father's rules like they were laws, but she was getting tired. She didn't want to be treated like a doll shackled by restrictions anymore. She was still a minor studying in high school, but she yearned for the moment she was to become an adult and leave the household.
The cherry trees in her garden opened its petals a couple of weeks later than usual this year. They were said to be the symbol of new beginnings and now that Shadow and his friends had appeared on Earth, Mikoto felt like some things were about to change. After today's events, she made a decision.
She wanted to change.
No. She needed to change.
Changing was scary but necessary if Mikoto wanted to become independent in the future. She just had to start taking small steps forward. And she did take a giant leap today by saving people in the middle of a dangerous battle. If she could do that, then perhaps there was some hope left for her to change and become a stronger woman.
But she had one huge obstacle in her way that she needed to get rid of before she could set herself free.
"I…will consider it", Mikoto nodded and put the note away in her fanny bag.
Shadow said nothing as they made their way home to rest up after today's adventure.
XXXXXXXXXX
The idea of Chaos Energy is taken from the Paramount universe, which can explain as on how and why Mobians can utilize and enhance their powers without the use of a Chaos Emerald or the Master Emerald.
