-Chapter 304-

Fighters VS Fathoms Part 1


Party Barge - Lounge

"Holy…" Tangle let out.

"He's freaking huge!" Knuckles cried out.

"Is that really Deena's dad?" Amy whispered, a question no doubt on everyone's mind.

The figure standing before them was tall, big, and muscular, easily on the same level as Sherman and Akhlut. From head to toe, he was covered in short, blue spines, the largest being on his shoulders, elbows, and head, which gave him the appearance of wild, spiky hair. His trident, originally comically oversized, was now the perfect match for its owner's new, more impressive and intimidating form (tiny cape aside). In fact, had he not declared his name earlier, they never would've recognized him as the chubby, diminutive, loudmouthed king of Meropis.

"Wow…" Sonic swallowed nervously as he looked over Puff's new body. "Someone's been hitting the gym."

"Daifugu…" Razor whispered in dread. "That's Puff's Daifugu Form, his secret weapon!"

"Secret weapon?"

"The Blowfish Mo-Bility, Super-Inflation!" the king began proudly, flexing his arms. "By drawing air and water, I can puff up my body into any shape I desire. The form you witness now is from when I served as a Captain in the Royal Guard."

"Wait…" Sonic cut in. "You were a soldier? You were a Captain!?"

"Did you think I became king because of my ravishing looks?" Puff grinned as he ran a hand over his spiny 'hair'.

"It clearly wasn't due to your charming personality," Sonic said flatly.

Puff scowled before continuing. "I won my power through force of will, skill of arms, and crushing those who would threaten my kingdom beneath my fins. Speaking of…"

He whirled his trident, aiming it right at Sonic.

"Feel the ocean's fury, hedgehog!"

"Uhoh…"

Sonic barely had time to dodge as Puff thrust his weapon forward, his trident piercing the floor where the hedgehog had been standing; the force nearly knocking everyone over.

"Your Highness!" Shroud called out as him and Hibiki regained their footing. "Please, be careful!"

"Calm down, Shroud," Puff snapped as he yanked his trident out. "I only damaged the floor."

Sonic and the others looked down at the damage, and sure enough, Puff had enough sense to not sink them (or at least, lacked the power to do so). Unfortunately, that was of little comfort, as while the ship wasn't flooding with water, he had still managed to leave three, deep holes in the floor, in addition to several, large cracks.

"My word!" Tanaka gasped.

"We reinforced the ship to be almost indestructible!" Chris shouted. "How did he do that!?"

"You'll have plenty of time to think about that where you're going," Puff said. "Hibiki! Shroud! Take care of the others. The hedgehog is mine."

"Yes, sire!"

Hibiki conjured her water blades as Shroud assumed a dance-like combat stance, their eyes locked on Sonic and the others, ready to strike the second any of them tried anything.

"Carp…" Razor let out.

"Razor, what do we do?" Pearly asked.

Razor's eyes darted around the room as he tried to think of a way out of the situation. Then it hit him.

"Alright, fine…" he said, holding his arms up. "We give up. You can have Sonic."

"Wait, what!?" the aforementioned hedgehog screamed, causing everyone to look at Razor in shock and betrayal.

"Sorry Sonic, once Puff goes Daifugu, it's over. Sure, we outnumber them, but look where we are." He gestured to the room. "We're stuck in a tiny, little room with barely any room to maneuver , and these guys are masters at close-quarters combat . For speedsters like you, beating guys like them in a situation like this is less likely than getting struck by lightning. Plus, even if we did get out okay, we'd still have to deal with Striker and the others up top. Look me in the eyes and tell me I'm wrong."

Sonic paused as he looked into Razor's golden eyes.

"Yeah…" he sighed. "I guess you're right." He stepped forward, putting his arms behind his head and getting on his knees. "Alright, Puffy, I give up."

"Sonic!"

"Amy, hush," Sally ordered, holding her back.

"Well now…" Puff said. "Seems you do have some sense after all."

He moved in closer to grab him. The second he touched Sonic, the hedgehog grabbed his hand and grinned, sparks dancing across his body.

"PSYCHE!"

Lightning shot through Puff, who screamed and spasmed in pain as his entire body pulsed with blue Chaos Lightning.

"Your Highness!" Hibiki shouted. "Shroud, do something!"

"Are you mad, Hibiki!?" the stingray demanded. "We'll just get shocked ourselves!"

"Don't worry, I'm done!" Sonic released Puff's hand, then leapt into a Spin Attack, hitting him square in the chest and knocking him over, forcing Hibiki and Shroud to leap out of the way to avoid being crushed under their leader. "He's down! Guys, get going!"

"Right!"

No one hesitated. They all scurried out the door, breaking away in different directions. Within seconds, only Sonic was left standing at the doorway.

"Well guys, I hate to run, but…" he paused to think for a moment. "Actually, no, I don't. Seeya!"

With that, he zipped off.

"Hey!" Hibiki shouted.

"Hibiki!" Shroud called out, pointing to Puff's prone form, which was now slowly beginning to rise.

"Your Majesty!" Hibiki called out. "Are you okay?"

"Hedgehog…"

"Your…Majesty?"

"Oh no…" Shroud let out.

"HEEEEEEEEDGEHOOOOOOOOG!"

Puff's scream of rage caused the entire room to shake and all that glass fixtures in the room to break. Then, with an impressive level of agility for someone his size, he hopped to his feet and ran out into the hallway, smashing through the doorway as he did.

"Well now…" Shroud let out, swallowing nervously. "This is…less than ideal."

"Agreed…" Hibiki concurred, reaching for a communicator. "Attention all Fathoms and Guardsmen, the Freedom Fighters have escaped. Repeat, the Freedom Fighters have escaped! Spread out and find…ah!"

Hibiki paused.

"Hibiki?" Shroud asked, nudging her. "Hibiki, are you…?"

"I'm fine…" the finja replied, her voice devoid of her previous emotion. "Beginning Freedom Fighter capture mission."

With that, she ran out the door, leaving Shroud confused.

"What in Neptune's name was that about?" He pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "I can worry about that later, right now…" He took a breath, his body disappearing.

"We have work to do."


Spagonia

"Echo? Echoooooo…"

The dolphin let out a sleepy groan as she opened her eyes and was immediately greeted by the sight of Undina right in her face, several shopping bags in her arms. She squealed in fright, stumbling off the park bench she'd seated herself on.

"P-Princess!" Echo stood up as she dusted herself off. "Please, don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry," Deena apologized. "You were really conked out of it, so I got a little worried. For a moment, I thought I'd have to pull a Sleeping Beauty and kiss you awake."

Echo blushed. "Wh-What!?"

"Easy there, I was just kidding!" Deena held up her hands defensively. "I'd never embarrass you like that."

Echo frowned, looking away sheepishly (and a little sad). "R-Right…" She shook her head, remembering she had a job to do. "Anyway, what's our next stop?"

"Let's see…" Deena pulled out a map and looked it over. "Ooh! Restaurant Swa! We haven't covered any good places to eat yet, plus, I'm starving."

"I am feeling a little peckish…" Echo's stomach promptly growled loudly. "Excuse me."

Deen laughed. "Alright, we'll drop these bags off at the hotel and then…food!" she declared as she skip-walked away.

"Princess, wait for me!"


Party Barge

In another part of the ship, Captain Striker led a squad of soldiers down the halls, checking every room they passed for any sign of the Freedom Fighters.

"No sign of them here," he said, closing the door behind him as he exited. "Raspberyl, any luck?"

"Not a thing, sir!" the jellyfish called out, sticking his head out of a door further down the hall. "I found these little mini-tridents in the kitchen, though." He held up several forks. "Think they can do some damage?"

Striker watched as Raz played with the cutlery, twirling them around and making battle cries.

"Yeow! My finger…"

Striker facepalmed. "Aegis! What about you?"

"Hm!?" The clam perked up, looking away from the room she was searching. "O-Oh! No, sorry Captain."

Aegis went back to searching, but Striker could tell something was wrong.

"Something on your mind, cadet?" he asked.

"Yeah, Aegis, what's up?" Raz added.

"W-Well…" Aegis bit her lip, debating whether she should speak up. "Sir…does this mission seem…weird to you?"

"Weird how?" Striker asked.

"Well…" Aegis took a breath. "King Puff said that Sonic 'seduced and beguiled' Princess Undina, but that doesn't make any sense."

"Eh? What are you talking about?" Raz asked. "Princess Undina's a freaking babe! A literal mermaid princess! No guy can resist her, especially not Drylanders." He chuckled for a moment. "Plus, isn't Sonic supposed to be some famous hero who rescued her after she was kidnapped? Any girl would fall for someone like that."

"But Princess Undina's not like other women," Aegis said. "She's so strong and confident and smart. She doesn't seem like the kind of person who would fall for someone that easily."

"Good point…" Raz thought for a moment before snapping his fingers in inspiration. "I got it! Sonic used his freaky Chaos powers to mess with her head! Or maybe he had one of his super-nerd friends build a mind-control machine! Or maybe…"

"Enough!" Striker snapped. "We won't get any answers sitting here speculating. Our mission is to find and apprehend Sonic and his cohorts. Now, get back to searching before…"

Just then, there was a loud crash.

"What the scallop!?" Raz cried out.

"It's a tsunami!" Aegis squealed.

"No…" Striker said. "It's…"

"'Scuse me!"

A blue blur suddenly streaked past the soldiers, knocking them aside and into the walls.

"Oww…" Raz let out as he rubbed his 'hat'. "What was that?"

"Dammit!" Striker cursed. "That was the…"

"Striker!"

Striker froze as he looked down the way Sonic had just run and was greeted by the sight of Puff angrily running over to him.

"Your Majesty!" he shouted, before noticing his appearance. "Your body…"

"What the hell was that!?" Puff interrupted. "The hedgehog was right there and you all just let him escape!"

"W-We're sorry, sire!" Aegis pleaded. "H-He was too fast! We didn't even hear him…!"

"No excuses!" Puff snapped, causing Aegis to scream and retreat into a shell she conjured.

"Hey! Leave Aegis alone!" Raz shouted. "She didn't…!"

"Raspberyl, stop!" Striker ordered.

"But…!"

"Just stop!"

Raspberyl grimaced but did as he was told and kept quiet.

"Apologies, sire," Striker said, bowing slightly. "That was a mistake on our part, we won't let it happen again."

Puff sneered. "See that you don't. Now…"

Just then, Striker's claw let out a tone, prompting him to press down on it.

"This is Striker," he said. "Report."

"Shell Squad to Captain Striker!" a voice cried out. "The Freedom Fighters are in the West Wing! They're…!"

There was a loud crash and several screams, followed by the transmission cutting out.

"Shell Squad? Shell Squad, report! What's going on over…?"

Striker's claw gave off another tone, which he answered.

"Striker here, what's your status?"

"Officer Foam of Brine Squad!" a voice called out. "We're under attack! The Freedom Fighters are in the East Wing! They have these crazy Power Rings that shoot lightning! We're getting over–!"

The sounds of lightning echoed over the line before the transmission was killed, yet again.

"Brine Squad too?" Striker let out, looking legitimately worried.

"Striker," Puff demanded. "What the hell is going…!?"

Just then, another tone went off, but not from Striker's claw. It was coming from the brooch on Puff's cape.

"What the…" he pressed the gemstone. "What is it?"

"Puffy!" Angelica's voice cried out, causing Puff to go wide-eyed.

"Angelica!? Angelica, are you alright!? What is it!?"

"It's the hedgehog! He's on the ship!"

"The ship?" Puff had a bad feeling, but his eyes flickered with cautious optimism. "Has he been captured?"

"No!" Angelica cried out, confirming his suspicions. "He's tearing it up! He's fighting Pearl Squad single-handedly and winning!"

"What!?" Puff and Striker shouted in fury and disbelief.

"'Scuse me, Your Highness," Sonic said. "Just gotta borrow this for a sec."

"You! Gah! Unhand me!"

Puff growled at the sounds of struggling he was hearing over the comm.

"Hey there, Puff-Daddy!" he greeted.

"Hedgehog!" 'Puff-Daddy' screamed. "What have you done with my wife!?"

"Easy there, you great, big ba-lunatic, she's fine. I just borrowed her communicator."

"Her communi…you stole her brooch!? Have you no shame!?"

"That's funny coming from you, Mr. Birthday Suit." Sonic chuckled. "Anyway, your boys and I are having us a little party. Why don't you come on over and join us? Unless you're…you're…Yo, Angie, what's the underwater version of chicken?"

Puff let out a furious scream as he ripped off his brooch and threw it against the wall, shattering it.

"Striker!" he shouted. "I'm heading for the ship! You and the Fathoms put down these attacks!"

"Sire, you're not seriously going to fight Sonic alone!" Striker protested. "You…!"

"NOW, you overgrown crayfish!" Puff screamed.

Striker grumbled. "At once, Your Highness."

Puff nodded, then ran off after Sonic. Striker let out a sigh before turning activating his claw com.

"Shroud, Hibiki, I need you two to head to the West Wing, the Freedom Fighters are there."

"At once, sir," Shroud replied.

Striker cut the transmission, then turned to his young subordinates.

"Raspberyl, Aegis…"

"Sir!" the two shouted, the latter poking out of her shell.

"Get up," he commanded. "We're heading for the East Wing."

"Yes, sir!"

Striker sighed. "I need a vacation."


Puff and Angelica's Ship

"Dang, he's really ticked off," Sonic said as he stared down at the brooch in his hand, Queen Angelica glaring at him from her seat. "So, was it an arranged marriage or do you just have a thing for short-tempered, short-sighted shorties?"

"You impudent…attacking a queen!" Angelica spat. "When my husband gets through with you, we'll see you thrown in the Rift!"

Sonic gave the queen a flat look, neither intimidated nor impressed. "Hey, you're the ones who attacked us first, so don't try to claim the moral high ground with me, Angie."

"It's Queen Angelica! And you are the last person to be talking to me about morality, you lecherous rapscallion!"

Sonic rolled his eyes. "For the last time, I…"

Just then, Sonic was cut off by the sounds of footsteps. Large, heavy, thumping footsteps.

"Now you're in for it," Angelica said with a predatory grin.

Just then, the door slammed open, flying off its hinges as King Puff burst into the room.

"ANGELICA!"

"Wow, that was fast," Sonic said, this time intimidated and impressed.

"Angelica!" Puff cried out as he ran to his wife's side. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you? Where is he!?"

"Puffy, I'm fine," she soothed before pointing to Sonic. "We were just waiting for you."

Puff slowly turned to Sonic, his eyes narrowing. "Hedgehog… first you harm my daughter, now my wife!? Your fame as Hero of Mobius truly has gone to your head."

Puff looked at the hedgehog, expecting some kind of quip, but found him just staring at him silently, his expression completely flat.

"Well, aren't you going to say something!?"

"No," Sonic replied. "I'm not wasting my breath with you anymore, Puff. It's clear you're an airheaded windbag who won't listen to a word that's said to you. So, how about we skip the formalities and get to the beatdown?"

Puff grit his teeth as he readied his trident. "Gladly. Angelica, get clear. I'm about to do to this little bastard what I did to Akhlut."

"Knock him dead, darling," Angelica said, giving him a kiss on the cheek before departing.

"Now then, Sonic the Hedgehog…" Puff charged at Sonic. "Prepare to meet your doom!"


Party Barge - East Wing

The east side of the Party Barge had turned into a warzone, as Tangle, Knuckles, and Razor engaged a squadron of soldiers.

"Aww man, this is awesome!" Tangle exclaimed as she kicked a guard in the face. "It's like that fight scene in Aquato-Man, with the submarine!"

"More like the one in Soleanna," Razor chimed in, casually parrying a trident strike with his sword. "Either way, this is really therapeutic!"

"Will you guys focus!?" Knuckles shouted as he uppercut another into the ocean. "In case you've forgotten, we're fighting for our lives here!"

"Sorry, Knux!" Tangle called out. "I…"

Just then, Tangle found herself caught up in a fishing net, causing her to fall over.

"What the…!?" She attempted to escape, only to find a pair of tridents pointed at her.

"Don't move," a soldier commanded. "You do, and we'll skewer you right here."

"And please…" His partner gave a wicked grin. "Give us an excuse."

Sweat trickled down Tangle's neck as she swallowed nervously. "Okay, okay, okay!" she cried out. "You got me, I give. Not like I can fight back anyway."

"Good," the first soldier replied. "Now…"

Just then, the two soldiers were snatched up by Tangle's tail.

"What the…!?"

"Whoops!" Tangle said. "Looks like you missed a spot."

She spun her tail around, using her would-be captors as a flail to take out as many of their comrades as she could before throwing them both overboard.

"And stay off!" she called out.

"Nice one, Tangle!" Knuckles called out, only to let out a startled yelp as a blast of energy flew by his head. He looked to where it went and found himself staring down a soldier with what looked like a cross between a harpoon gun and laser blaster.

"Whoa…" he let out. "That was close."

"Now who needs to focus?" Tails said, Chris following behind him.

"Tails! Chris!" Tangle called out.

"Sorry we're late," Chris said. "We needed to make a quick stop at the cargo hold."

He held up his hand, revealing several of their Special Power Rings.

"Power Rings, sweet!" Tangle declared, only to freeze as several more Meropian soldiers leaped out of the water. "Any chance you have one that can deal with these guys?"

Chris thought for a moment. "Not sure. Tails?"

"I think we might," the fox replied, holding up a pair of purple rings with lightning bolts on them.

"Perfect."

Chris took one of the rings and placed it over the middle finger of his Nitro Glove. Tails held out his hand, summoning his Energy Orb Cannon, then proceeded to place his own ring inside.

"Thunder Rings, online!" Tails declared.

"Everyone, get down!" Chris cried out.

The others did as they were instructed as the soldiers charged forward, shouting out "For House Merrowyn!" at the top of their lungs.

"Double Nitro Thunder Blast!" the boys shouted ass they aimed their respective weapons at the soldiers, unleashing a powerful, crossed beam of electricity and Nitro Energy. The blast tore through the guards, zapping them all and leaving them unconscious and blackened.

"Alright! It worked!" Tails shouted, taking a moment to high-five his fellow Brain Trustee.

"Whoa…" Razor let out. "That was cool."

"Damn right, it was! Go Chris and Tails!" Tangle cheered…or tried to. "Uhhh…any chance you guys have a slicer ring with you?"

"Hang on." Razor walked over to Tangle and cut her free from the net. "There."

"Thanks, Razor," she said as she hopped up.

"Not to sound ungrateful, but didn't Sally say we weren't bringing any of our gear with us?" Knuckles asked.

"She just said no Warp Rings," Chris clarified. "If we didn't at least bring our weapons, we'd be sitting ducks if Eggman attacked."

"A wise policy…" a new voice chimed in, prompting the group to turn around to greet their new challengers.

"Striker…" Razor scowled as the Guard Captain drew closer, Raz and Aegis right behind him.

"Razor…" the captain replied.

"Uhoh, it's the lobster guy," Tangle whispered.

"Shrimp."

"Eh?"

"I'm a shrimp, not a lobster," Striker corrected.

"More like a damn nematode," Razor spat.

"Hey, you can't talk to the Captain like that!" Raz shouted.

"Raspberyl…" Striker said testily.

"Sorry…" the jellyfish replied sheepishly.

"Razor, please…" Aegis pleaded. "We're just trying to protect Princess Undina and her family."

Razor sighed. "So am I, Aegis. That's why I'm trying to stop them from making the biggest mistake in Meropis history! Antagonizing Sonic and his allies, especially over something like this will only-"

"Sonic and his allies have shamed and dishonored the Royal Family!" Striker cut in. "Unless that honor is restored and the perpetrators punished, House Merrowyn will lose standing in the court and the kingdom will be thrown into chaos."

"And what do you think this is gonna do!?" Razor snapped. "Even if this whole 'Sonic seduced the princess' thing was true - which it's not - you're still attacking and arresting innocent people just because you think they did something wrong! Even a jelly brain like Raz knows that's effed up!"

"Hey!"

"Raspberyl!" Striker snapped at the jellyfish before returning his attention to Razor. "I won't deny that Their Majesties are acting… rashly. But, the King and Queen's orders are absolute, and as soldiers of the Royal Guard, it's our sworn duty to carry out those orders and protect the honor of the Royal House, no matter what."

The Freedom Fighters glared at Striker. Tangle and Knuckles looked especially irked.

"Now," Striker continued. "As a courtesy to Priestess Coral, I'll offer you one last chance. Surrender now and turn yourself in. If you do, I will try to convince the King and Queen to grant you leniency."

"You know damned well that bag of hot air and his wife don't do leniency," Razor scoffed. "And even if they did, I still wouldn't take it. So, you can take your leniency, your honor, and your sworn duty, and shove it up whatever it is your species calls an a-hole, Captain Cocktail-Platter."

Striker let out a noise somewhere between a disgusted snort and a snarl of rage while Raz and Aegis looked at Razor like he'd just stabbed a man in public. Tails and the rest of the Freedom Fighters were similarly shocked, but also more than a little impressed.

"Holy…" Tangle let out.

"So, that's how you're going to be then?" Striker turned to his subordinates. "Aegis, Raspberyl, take care of the others, I'll handle Razor."

"Yes, Captain!"

With that, the two Fathoms stepped forward.

"You shoulda taken the Captain's deal," Raz said as he brandished his dagger and ran it through his 'hair'. "Now, you're gonna get it."

"I'm really sorry about this!" Aegis pleaded as she formed a pair of clamshell-like cestii around her hands.

"So am I," Razor replied. "Guys, I'm going after Striker, the rest of you take care of Raz and Aegis."

"No problem," Knuckles said, punching his fists together.

"I've been itching for some payback," Chris said, activating his Nitro Glove.

"Ditto," Tails added.

"I…uhhhh…" Tangle paused for a moment, realizing that she didn't have any personal ties to any of their opponents. "Okay then…uhhh…Freedom Fighters, FIGHT!"

And with that, the battle began.

-X-

Party Barge - West Wing

"Whew! Alright, I think that's the last one," Sally said as she stood over the Meropian soldier she'd just defeated. "How about you all?"

"The area is clear, Your Highness," Tanaka replied as he adjusted his glasses, a small pile of unconscious fish off to the side behind him.

"Not a minnow in sight," Keith added.

"They never stood a chance!" Amy chimed in.

"Good work." Sally gave a thumbs up. "Now…"

"Pull!" a voice cried out, followed by several strained grunts.

"What was that?" Amy asked.

"It sounds like it's coming from the bow," Keith replied.

"We'd better check it out," Sally added, motioning the others to follow.

The group headed toward the very front of the ship, where they found more soldiers. The squad had been divided into two groups, each pulling a set of large ropes. As they pulled, a few other soldiers tied them to the railing.

"C'mon, ya sea slugs, put your backs into it!" one of the soldiers yelled, causing them to redouble their efforts.

"What are they doing?" Sally asked.

"It would appear they're tying something to the ship," Tanaka offered.

"But what?"

As they watched, one of the soldiers stopped for a moment to take a breath. Unfortunately, in doing so, he caused whatever they were tying to the ship to drop, pulling the ropes forward and off the deck, along with everyone still holding them.

"Oh no!" Amy shouted, her voice thankfully drowned out by the screams of the soldiers as they plummeted to the ocean below. But instead of hearing a loud, crashing splash, there was a loud hiss. Everyone watched as a geyser suddenly erupted from the ocean, launching the falling soldiers into the air.

The guardsmen flailed and waved their arms about as they flew and quickly resumed falling, only to stop when they landed on something else.

"Whew! That was a close one," Fluke said. "Are you alright?"

Fluke lowered his hands onto the deck, allowing the soldiers to disembark.

"Thank you for the assistance, Captain," one of the soldiers said with a salute. "I apologize for the trouble."

"It's alright," Fluke replied happily. "I'm always happy to help out. Honestly, it was getting kinda boring down there."

The whale let out a hearty, booming laugh.

"Crud, forgot about him," Keith whispered.

"So," Fluke continued. "Is the harness ready yet?"

"Almost," the soldier replied. "We just need to finish hooking up these last few ropes. Then, you can tow this tub back to Meropis and the fugitives with it!"

"Ahhh...I see." Fluke's mood sagged a little, his expression one of conflict.

"Sir?"

"Oh, it's nothing." The whale smiled as he shook his head. "Anyway, I'm heading back down now. If you need any more help, just holler."

With that, Fluke once again submerged back into the depths, allowing the soldiers to get back to work.

"They're gonna tow us to Meropis!?" Keith exclaimed.

"If that happens, we'll never get out of this," Sally said. "We need to stop them."

"Yeah!" Amy chimed in, only to stop when she realized… "Wait, only problem Sally. We can take out the soldiers, but what about Fluke? I mean… he's huge!"

"Right…" Sally said with a wince. "And we can't contact GUN or call in the Special, they'd never make it in time."

"Not to worry, Princess," Tanaka said. "You and Miss Amy focus on the soldiers, Master Keith and I will take care of Fluke."

"Yeah, we got this," Keith reassured.

Sally nodded. "Alright…Amy?"

"Right!"

With the incident averted, the guards got back to work pulling the ropes.

"Man…" one of them let out. "This would be easier if the captain could hook these on himself."

"Tell me about it," another added.

"Oh? Sounds like you boys could use some help."

"Mind if we take that off your hands?"

"Yeah, sure! That'd be…"

The guards froze as they were greeted by the sight of something large, red, and yellow flying right into their faces, sending them flying into the air, over the railing, and into the drink below…allowing the drop to repeat itself.

"Oh come on!" one of the other soldiers groaned. "We just finished pulling that up!"

"You're done pullin anything, buddy!"

The soldiers turned to see Amy tapping her hammer against her hand; Sally beside her, arms folded and foot tapping.

"It's the fugitives!" the soldier cried out, prompting everyone to literally drop what they were doing and scramble for their weapons.

"This is for ruining our vacation, you jerks!" Amy let out a warcry as she charged into battle, hammer raised and ready to smash. Sally made to stop her from just charging in, but stopped as she realized…

"You know what, to hell with it." She brandished her Ring-Blades. "Eat hard-light you overgrown sardines!"

The girls leapt at the soldiers. Blades slashing, hammers smashing, and tridents thrusting as they clashed throughout the deck. All the while, Keith and Tanaka watched.

"Wow," Keith said. "Hell hath no fury like a pair of girls cheated out of a day off."

"Indeed," Tanaka nodded before clearing his throat. "Now then, the soldiers are distracted. Master Keith, let us make haste."

Keith nodded. "Right."

While Keith and Tanaka scurried off, Amy and Sally had taken care of the last of the guards.

"Whew!" Amy let out. "That felt good. Someone call the pizza shop for a refund, cuz we got a whole buncha anchovies!"

"Indeed, that was quite cathartic," Sally added. "Now, let's take care of these ropes."

Sally made her way to one of the ropes, raising her blade to cut it. But when she did, the blade barely managed to nick it.

"What the…?"

She continued trying to slice the ropes, but no matter how hard she cut, she couldn't get through.

"By Aurora!" she let out as she attempted an ill-fated dual-bladed slash. "What are these things made of? They're indestructible!"

"Well, they are attached to a super-sized whale," Amy pointed out. "They'd have to be."

"Not to mention, they'd need to be able to withstand salt water.'

"Exactly!" Amy nodded. "So, it only makes sense they'd be…be…"

Amy and Sally paused as they realized that not only had a third person joined the conversation, but they were having it in the shade.

"Sally…" Amy let out. "It's Fluke…"

"I know, Amy," Sally grit out. "I can see him."

"Hello there, Princess Sally," Fluke greeted casually. "I see you all got away okay, that's good."

Fluke perked as a soft groan greeted his ears, prompting him to look down and finally notice the barely conscious soldiers scattered about the deck.

"Neptune's beard…" he let out. "Did you do this?"

Amy and Sally froze.

"Uhhh…"

"W-Well…"

They looked up at the whale nervously, slowly backing away as they braced themselves for the angry tirade they'd be receiving for taking down his comrades.

"Impressive."

Only to pause when the whale smiled.

"Ummm... I beg your pardon?" Sally asked.

"The Meropis Royal Guard is one of the strongest militaries in the Great Blue Realm. I should know, I trained many of them." He began to clap slowly, the sound almost like thunder. "You all must be very skilled fighters. Congratulations."

"Uhhh...thank you very much, Captain Fluke," Amy replied nervously.

"Just Fluke is fine, dear," the whale said sweetly.

"Wow...he seems really nice," Amy whispered.

"Indeed." Sally thought, perhaps they could reason with him. "Excuse me, Fluke."

"Yes?" Fluke leaned down so he was at eye level with the girls, startling them.

"Listen…" Sally said as she regained her composure. "You seem like a calm and reasonable person. You must know you're making a big mistake. Sonic never had an affair with Undina. He would never do such a thing."

Fluke nodded sagely. "I will admit, from what I've heard and seen, he doesn't appear to be the sort of person who would. Not only that, Princess Undina…" He cleared his throat. "She won't just fall for anyone, not even a hero. No offense."

Sally and Amy smiled, maybe they could settle this peacefully after all.

"But…" Fluke stood up, his expression suddenly serious. "Even the most tranquil seas hide vicious monsters, and for the Princess' sake, I cannot take any chances."

Sally and Amy watched as Fluke raised his titanic blue hand and slowly motioned it toward them.

-X-

Elsewhere inside the ship...

Once again, Kat found herself lost in the darkness. On one hand, there weren't any shadowy, smartass tigers or horrific nightmares, which was good. On the other hand, this had to be the third time this year it'd happened and she was starting to get annoyed.

"Hey Gaia! I don't know what I did to piss you off, but I think I've been punished enough! Let me out of here, already!"

A soft, flute melody greeted her ears, followed by an equally soft, orange glow.

"I think she's finally waking up," a young voice said. "Play it again a little more."

"Okay," said another.

The melody and light grew clearer and brighter, illuminating the void and filling Kat with a warm, pleasant feeling. The darkness gave way and she began to open her eyes, revealing a set of blurry shapes leaning over her.

"Yay, it worked!" Pearly cheered softly.

"Miss Kat!" Cream cried out. "Are you okay?"

"Cream? Pearly?" Kat let out as she sat up, clutching her head. "Aww man…I haven't felt this drained since I almost exploded." She took a few deep breaths, trying to clear her head. "What happened? I remember summoning fire so we could escape, then…"

She felt her balance waver as she stumbled back, the little girls and their Chao racing to help keep her from falling.

"Oh, careful!" Cream said. "You're still really tired."

"Yeah, on top of almost drowning, you were suffering from the bends from the sudden pressure drop after the Air Charm was given to you," Pearly explained.

"Bah!" Crusher chimed in.

"Right…" Kat said with a grimace. "That clam."

"Your brother's taking care of her," Hope's voice chimed in.

Kat glanced over, seeing Hope sitting on the ground, an unconscious Shadow in her lap. She looked downright furious, holding him close while keeping watch through a crack in the door.

"Hope, where are we?" Kat asked. "And…what happened to Shadow?"

"Below deck. Near the storage hull." Hope's gaze drifted down to the Mobian in her lap. "As for Shadow, a stingray stung him."

"Seriously? A Mobini one took out Croc Irwin, and Shadow's still kicking?"

"Barely. His Chaos Force is keeping him alive. That and Pearly's Mystic Melody."

"I was able to heal the poison, but he still needs to rest," the manta explained sorrowfully.

"You saved his life," Hope insisted, her voice softening. "No one can ask for more than that."

"Still doesn't help that our friends did it." Pearly sighed. "Hibiki and Shroud promised they wouldn't hurt anyone. They promised, and they did it anyway…"

Kat perked. "Hibiki? Shroud?"

"The ones who did this," Cream replied.

"Brace yourself, Kat," Hope began. "This one's crazy…"

-X-

"Seriously!?" Kat let out. "Deena's parents raided the ship and sicced their own Freedom Fighters on us all because of that kiss!?"

"Shhhh! Keep your voice down!" Hope snapped. "But yeah, that's the jist of it. That's why we're hiding down here in this storage room while you and Shadow regain your strength."

"Well, I'm good to go, for the most part at least. Plus, I need to make up for that horrible first round fight."

"Only one problem," Hope said. "We…"

Hope suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening.

"Hope?" Kat asked. "What's…"

Hope made another shushing motion, causing everyone to grow quiet as footsteps echoed down the hall. Slow, methodical footsteps.

"She's back," Hope whispered.

"Hibiki…" Pearly replied.

"Hibiki?" Kat asked, prompting Hope to point to the door.

Kat looked out the crack in the door and saw Hibiki slowly walking down the hall.

"That's Hibiki?" Kat asked.

Pearly nodded. "She's a ninja who can make things out of water, and she's really, really strong."

"She trapped me, Cheese, and Amy in a ball of water," Cream said, prompting Cheese to give her a reassuring pat and Kat to scowl.

"Mǔgǒu," she cursed, causing Hibiki to suddenly stop and turn to the door.

Kat managed to back away, thinking she'd managed to avoid being spotted, but the dolphin's continued staring was rapidly draining her confidence.

"Hibiki!"

The dolphin ninja turned away from the door, just in time to see Shroud materialize in front of her.

"Shroud…" Hope uttered darkly.

Kat blinked at the sight of the newcomer. "A stingray. Is he…?"

Hope nodded. "Yeah…"

"I've been looking for you," Shroud continued. "Have you had any luck finding any of the Freedom Fighters?"

The dolphin shook her head, but said nothing.

"Me neither." Shroud sighed. "Unbelievable. A group of Drylander children actually managed to elude the Royal Assassin. Raspberyl will never let me hear the end of it. That goes double for my family. This would be easier if we were underwater."

Hibiki did not respond. She simply stood there, silent and emotionless. Something that did not go unnoticed by Hope and the others.

"Well, sitting here complaining won't accomplish anything," Shroud continued. "Come, we'll perform another sweep of the interior, then rejoin the others on the deck. Sound like a plan?"

Hibiki nodded.

"Good, let's get to it."

With that, Shroud and Hibiki walked down the hall the way they were going. The girls waited until thirty seconds after their footsteps had vanished, then looked out into the hall, checking both ways to ensure nobody was there.

"Alright, I think we're finally in the clear," Hope said. "Cream, do you still have Shadow's phone?"

Cream nodded, holding up Shadow's smartphone.

"Good," Hope said, taking it.

"What are you doing?" Kat asked.

"Calling the one person who can stop this."


Spagonia - Sky Road Hotel

"Whew! What a day," Undina declared as she opened the door to her and Echo's hotel room.

"Tell me about it," Echo replied as she plopped onto the bed. "How do Drylanders do this all the time? My feet feel like they've been walking through Raz's peanut butter."

She lifted up her foot and grabbed ahold of her sandal, pulling it off her foot with an audible peeling sound. She repeated the process with the other one, then sighed in relief.

"Ahhh…much better."

"Don't worry, Echo, you'll get used to it," Deena said as she removed her own footwear. "On the plus side, we got a lot of streaming done. This might be our best episode yet!"

Deena took a seat by her bodyguard and companion. "So, what's your favorite spot so far? The fountain? Market Street? The underground tunnels?"

Echo's response was a loud, squealing snore.

"Haaa…poor Echo," Deena said, shaking her head in fond exasperation as she ran a hand over the dolphin's smooth skin.

Just then, her phone went off.

"Who could that be?" She pulled out her phone and checked the caller ID. The picture showed a group photo of Hope and the rest of Team Dark. "Oh, it's one of Sonic's friends."

"Hey there, it's Deena!"

"Deena!" Kat whispered in relief. "Thank Gaia we got ahold of you."

"Kat? What's the matter? Is everything okay?" Deena asked worriedly.

"No, it's not. We need your help! We're under attack and-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down!" the Meropian princess soothed. "What are you talking about? Where are you?"

"We're under attack. Two of your kingdom's Freedom Fighters are hunting us down! And on top of that, there are several others who are trying to do the same with Sonic and our friends!"

"The Fathoms!?" Deena exclaimed. "Why are the Fathoms attacking you!?"

"Because of that damn kiss! Don't ask me how, but somehow your parents found out and have gotten into a massive tizzy over it! And now they want to arrest Sonic, along with the rest of us! They nearly drowned me, poisoned Shadow, and trapped several of my friends in sparking peanut butter!"

Deena nearly dropped her phone. "They what!?"

"JUST-!" Someone harshly shushed Kat on the other line. "Just get here and rein in your ballistic parents before they turn our boat into a rendition of the Titanic!"

"Right!" Deena nodded. "I should still have some Warp Rings lying around. I'll see you soon."

"I'll send a picture. Use that to get here ASAP!"

There was a beep and Deena had received a text. She opened it up and found a picture of the Party Barge's cooking deck.

"That'll have to do. I'll be there as soon as I can." With that, she hung up. "Echo, wake up! It's an emergency!"

To Deena's surprise, Echo remained asleep.

"Echo?" She nudged the dolphin, but got no response. "Echo, wake up! Echo? ECHO!"


Party Barge

"Alright," Kat said as she handed the phone back to Hope. "I managed to get ahold of Deena and send her the picture."

"Good," Hope said. "As soon as Shadow wakes up, we can head up to the deck and…"

Just then, there was a loud, slashing noise, followed by a crash as the door practically exploded off its hinges, startling the girls.

"By the Ancients!" Kat exclaimed. "What was that!?"

"Not what…who."

The girls turned to the doorway and were greeted by the last people they'd hoped to see.

"There you are," Hibiki said, her voice dripping with venom like her water blades dripped onto the floor.

"We've been looking all over for you," Shroud added.


Author's Note:

The battle has begun. Two teams clash. Only one will survive, the other will fall.

Don't forget to R&R. Until next time!