Author's Note: Again, I am terribly sorry for the delay of this story. The writer's block hit me so hard it was difficult how to work my way around it, plus life getting in the way and focusing on my other stories...Yeah, ideas I wanted to put into this chapter and ended up in a dead end.
But now, FINALLY, I have managed to update Sonic Worlds once more. Hopefully this will be worth the long, agonizing wait.
Also, Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
Anyway, let's continue onward!
I do not own any rights to Sonic the Hedgehog or any of the related media. All rights go to Sega.
Chapter 15: Friendship that Blooms-Part 1.
Meanwhile, back within his base, Dr. Eggman was getting ready to launch upward towards the Space Colony ARK. The evil scientist was as this moment selecting through a bunch of cards that Decoe and Bocoe had given him, struggling to decide which deadly creation he would use to defeat Sonic and secretly kidnap the young 'amnesic' boy Chris for bait. It wasn't until he came up with an idea.
"Aha! I know just the thing!" Eggman declared, grinning manically as he stood up, making his two minions baffled when they watched him walk over to the control panel.
"Aren't you going to use the slot to decide, doctor?" Decoe asked, curiously.
"Normally, I would when I have trouble selecting my creations, but this time I have come up with a way to keep Sonic busy as well as capture his new little friend. It would also benefit in distracting Shadow should he get in the way," The mad doctor explained, typing away until two images on the monitor appeared, chuckling. "After all, why just use one killer robot when two would suffice and make things more interesting?"
Once he was done selecting the two perfect robots for his plan, Eggman made sure to decode his choices carefully before pushing the launch buttons.
At the bottom of his base, the launch pad opened up to reveal the creations he chose for the attack: One that resembled to an egg with a glass capsule in the middle, shovel-like claws and dangerous to boot, known as E-43 Cager(1), and the other resembling to a giant green bird with a hose inside it's body, massive in size of an 360 jet airplane, known as E-97 Aero-Normous. Once elevated to outside, both robots, under Dr. Eggman's command, took flight across the ocean and split up to fufil their mission: One to distract and kill Sonic the Hedgehog, and the other to capture Chris Thorndyke.
"Oh ho ho ho ho ho! Excellent! Now, let the games begin!" Eggman laughed manically, grinning with an insane look as he believed things were finally about to go into his favor. He couldn't wait to see the devastated look on Sonic's face once the blue hedgehog finds out too late about this whole thing.
Unaware that it was about to get more complicated than that.
At the GUN HQ, Commander Stefan was once again seated behind his desk with his Second in Command Tower by his side. Greeting them in at the important meeting, is a woman who was known as a double agent for their operations.
She was dressed in an GUN uniform, having crimson hair and sharp brown eyes. Her code name was Rose-Claria, but her real name was Katherine Shane, who worked for the organization as well as being an undercover agent for another job to keep an eye out on anything suspicious across the city.
"What is the status report, Agent Rose Claria?" Stefan questioned sternly.
"Not good, sir. We have reason to believe that Shadow the Hedgehog has been spotted within Station Square in a hurry, and witnesses say that Sonic the Hedgehog was seen earlier off on another adventure or so they say. It is difficult to keep track of the two fastest Mobians on the planet." Rose-Claria reported with a salute.
This didn't please Stefan at all, as he came to a conclusion of his own with a dark snarl. "There is no doubt: That monster is attempting to kidnap Sonic when the time is right." Before giving out his order. "I want Shadow the Hedgehog apprehended should he attempt to capture the child hedgehog. In the meantime, keep an eye out should he do anything suspicious. He cannot be trusted, amnesia or not."
"Understood, sir." The female agent replied without hesitation, turning to leave once she is dismissed.
Once Agent Rose was gone, Stefan turned his attention to Tower. "Lieutenant, send out the Air Force to track down that artificial lifeform, and make sure Sonic the Hedgehog stays far away from him."
"Yes, sir." Tower nodded, despite that he was beginning to feel increasingly uneasy with his superior's behavior. But until his time came for his promotion and taking over the Commander's role, he had to do as he was ordered.
'I will capture you, Shadow. Have no doubt, you and that blue child will not get in my way. One day, the old world order shall return. No matter what it takes!' Stefan thought darkly to himself, gritting his teeth.
He will succeed. By any means necessary.
Unaware of the approaching dangers befalling Station Square, with the Air Force taking to the skies and flying everywhere to keep an eye on Shadow, Sonic had by then sped to where the lake was with Chris and Helen having enjoyed the ride the whole way. Unaware of the planes being sent by GUN but they did hear the loud sounds of the engines and all three of them gazed up at the sky, surprised.
"Sure is noisy up there." Sonic remarked, blinking.
"Yeah, it sounded like jet planes. Is there an Air Show happening today?" Chris asked, curiously.
"I'm not sure. They would've mentioned it by now, right?" Helen was confused herself, shrugging.
"Maybe, but I haven't heard anything either." The blue hedgehog said, before smiling at his two human friends. "You kids wait here, I'll go get the boat, okay?"
"Okay." Chris and Helen both responded, briefly waving at Sonic who returned it and dashed off to get what the young pre-teens needed.
"Sonic is really amazing, isn't he?" Helen remarked, amazed.
Chris nodded in agreement with a bright smile. "He sure is. But so are everybody else I've hanged out with since he saved me."
"Well, you're amazing too, Chris."
"Huh?" That caught the Earth-Boy by surprise.
Giggling at his confused expression which, in their short time knowing each other, she thought that he looked really cute, the twelve year old girl explained. "It's not everyday people can play a guitar or be so kind and gentle like you, and not a lot of kids would even offer to take me to the island to see the flowers. You're the first boy I've ever met to not even be offended by my Aunt or get close to me because of her."
"Really?" Chris felt his heart sink by her honesty, but then again, now that he thought about it, it amazed and saddened him that for a nice girl like Helen, and having busy but caring parents who had to work so hard in order to keep her alive and healthy, she had to spend a lot of time with her horrible aunt who only cared about her self-image and profits.
In a way, Susan was far too much like his own mother, but in a less crazy belief sort of way.
"I-I guess I wanted to make you happy, Helen." The twelve year old boy blushed, rubbing the back of his head. Though in truth, he couldn't find it in his heart to reveal how much he and the girl in the wheelchair had a lot in common.
Helen just smiled more brightly, finding the young Thorndyke even more cute. The way he blushed and was being modest was absolutely adorable.
Meanwhile, Shadow was still attempting to follow Sonic when he stopped by on the hill, and much to his irritation, lost sight of the blue blur. He folded his arms, thinking about why the teenage hero would take the human earth boy somewhere when the child should be protected and supervised.
'What is that hedgehog thinking? That child is not among the rest of those of this planet. He is exposed to the Chaos Energy, and as long he remains here, he is not safe.' The black hedgehog thought, more than a little uneasy with the whole thing.
Ever since that night when he and Rouge first overheard Sonic and Chris' conversation, the Ultimate Lifeform knew that something must be done in order to keep the Earth-Boy safe from harm. Especially from the likes of Dr. Eggman who would no doubt learn of the child's origins and, according to his accomplince and Sonic's group, the human scientist was not to be trusted.
Unbeknownst to the ebony hedgehog, a helicopter came flying into view from his left with the pilots of GUN having spotted him under Stefan's orders to capture him should he do anything suspicious.
"There's the target. He seems to be thinking about something." One of the pilots said, spotting Shadow.
"No doubt it's not something good. You know what to do." The other pilot frowned deeply, as the expression on the amnesic hedgehog's face, as far as the organization is concerned, a very bad and dangerous sign.
"Alright." The first pilot, taking out an tranquilizer gun and moved to the side of the chopper which opened up, aiming at their target.
Hearing the sounds of the propellers and sensed danger almost instantly, Shadow turned sharply to where it was coming from and frowned, especially when he saw the GUN soldiers taking aim right at him. Not wiling to be captured so easily or wishing to interact with possible enemies, the Ultimate Lifeform, having promised Rouge not to hurt anyone who wasn't Eggman, leaped up before kicking at the tranquilizer dart that was fired, and sending it back to the helicopter, causing the two men to scream as the smoke pellet burst open.
"Hmph! Look at how disgraceful they are. I don't have time for these humans." Shadow scoffed, before turning to his right and find his intended target in a blue streak racing off to another direction. Activating his shoes in hopes to catch up with him, the black hedgehog dashed off after his cobalt rival.
Sonic was racing along to the boat shop to collect the boat and the equipment his two human friends needed. It had been easy renting out the boat, life-jackets and stuff, and he had a pretty good feeling that Chris and Helen were going to enjoy themselves at their little out today.
"Heh, who would've thought that kids would grow up so quickly? I startin' to feel like a really proud parent." The cobalt speedster smiled to himself, racing along the freeway.
Unaware that, as he jumped over the side to take a shortcut back to his younger friends, he was being followed by Shadow who had noticed him doing a daring stunt and grunted. Only problem is, more annoying sirens and engines were heard and when the black hedgehog glanced over his shoulder, he grunted in sheer frustration to find more fighter jets as well as police cars giving chase.
"I really don't have time for this nonsense!" Shadow grunted, before leaping off the highway himself. All he wanted to do was talk to Sonic, warn him about Chris' safety and then visit the Space Colony ARK to get his memories back.
Was that really too much to ask for?
When the police saw that the black hedgehog had vanished, one of the officers, a Mobian Walrus, shrugged nonchalantly while his human partner just grinned hopelessly. "Might as well grab some lunch. Like Sonic, there's no way we'll catch Shadow."
But even as both Sonic and Shadow sped into the forest, the GUN planes continued to track down the latter.
"What's that? Shadow is heading to the lake?" Agent Rose-Claria asked, as she listened in to the reports on Shadow's whereabouts.
She frowned before sighing in frustration. "Nevermind. Just capture him and keep Sonic the Hedgehog away from that Ultimate Lifeform. He is far too dangerous to be roaming around freely."
This was bad. If Shadow the Hedgehog kidnapped Sonic for his own gain, no one in Mobius was safe, and to make things worse, without the teenage Mobian, it would only give Dr. Eggman the perfect opportunity to claim the planet for his Empire. With or without the Chaos Emeralds.
Commander Stefan will not be pleased.
Just then, there was a loud screeching that made Rose-Claria wince while holding the communicator away from her ear, before demanding seconds later. "Come in! What is happening now!?"
"Ma'am, we have a major problem! A giant bird-like robot is heading towards the city!" A male voice shouted frantically in a panic, making the agent's blood run cold.
"What!? Is Dr. Eggman...!" She trailed off, her eyes widening before she hissed. "Issue the order! Take down that robot first! The mission to retrieve Shadow the Hedgehog will have to be post-poned for now!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Rose-Claria growled, glaring up at the ceiling as she had an utter hatred for the evil scientist. "Why do you always have to make things so difficult, Dr. Eggman? Why did that blue brat Sonic have to spare you time and time again!? Can't he see that your death is the only way for the world to be in peace? And World Order to insure people would stay in line keeps everything from going all chaotic?"
Knowing that the mission has become more difficult now, she immediately hurried to inform her superiors of the issues, knowing that Commander Stefan's foul mood will be worse than ever today.
As both Chris and Helen waited patiently for Sonic while continuing to have a nice conversation, fortunately, they only had to wait for at least five or ten minutes tops. Because the next thing they knew, the teenage blue hedgehog returned almost instantly.
"I'm back," He greeted. "You guys ready?"
Surprised to see him, the two children nodded eagerly, and it wasn't long before Sonic and Chris both helped Helen, Wheelchair and all, into the boat and the two humans slipping onto the life-jackets. The Earth-Boy thanked his lucky stars that Tails, Amy and even Sonic, despite the fifteen year old's fear of water due to being unable to swim, taught him how to row a boat without flipping over.
"I'll be nearby in case you guys need me to pick you up. Just call if you get into trouble." Sonic waved at them once his two friends were safely settled in, and stayed near the shore in case his friends would run into trouble.
"Thanks again, Sonic. We'll see you later!" Chris waved back along with Helen.
The blue hedgehog laughed. "Have fun, and be careful!"
"We will!" The two children agreed, before the twelve year old boy began to row carefully towards the small island, ready for his and Helen's little adventure.
Sonic smiled as he watched his two friends row their way towards the island, and while he was admittedly nervous and worried they might flip over, especially when Helen couldn't swim either due to her being disabled, he had faith in Chris who, being a caring young boy that he is, wouldn't let anything happen to his new friend. Thorndyke or not, the kid's heart was really in the right place.
"It's really a nice day. Maybe I'll catch a few rays while I'm waitin'." Deciding that this was a perfect place to take it easy, Sonic then speed off into the short distance and easily went straight up to a tree branch where he kicked back and relaxed, leaning against the trunk with his hands tucked behind his head.
The blue hedgehog yawned, quite comfortable and allowed the setting sun's rays and gentle breeze to lure him to sleep.
Or he would've been sleeping if a familiar voice hadn't spoken to him from below.
"So, this is where you had gone off to. Typical."
"Huh?" Blinking in surprise, Sonic looked over to see who it was and softly gasped in confusion to find Shadow glaring up at him, arms crossed. "Shadow? What're you doin' here?"
"I should be asking you the same question, hedgehog." The black hedgehog responded.
The cobalt teenager blinked, before shrugging with a smirk. "Just catching a few Z's. What, never took a nap on a nice, sunny day before?"
"And by leaving your friend on his own? I thought I told you to keep an eye on him." The tone in Shadow's voice was bitter and angry, and he was in no mood to play mind games.
"Huh? Oh, c'mon, not you too." Sonic groaned, leaping out of the tree and landed safely in front of his rival, shrugging with one shoulder. "Are you sayin' that I have to be my friend's babysitter or somethin'? He's twelve years old, you know."
"A twelve year old who is a special case...!"
"He's only going to that island over there with a friend. It's perfectly safe. Besides, it's not like you remember much of anything, and Chris wasn't even there when...well, you know. The stuff that's happened before you lost your memory." The hero of Mobius stated, pointing at the island with his thumb.
"What is so special about that island that you believe Chris and this friend of his is safe?" Shadow raised an eye-ridge, skeptically.
Sonic smirked, leaning against the tree. "It's pretty small, Shads, and they say it's got the most beautiful flowers in the area. Chris' friend Helen always wanted to go there and today's her big chance."
Hearing Sonic say that made Shadow, who grimaced over that loathsome nickname the teenage hedgehog had given him, stop short in surprise. An Island...full of beautiful flowers? Where has he heard of that before? It wasn't until another image formed into his mind which made him gasp...
A younger Shadow was sitting in Maria's bedroom with the sickly but cheerful girl beside him, both looking through a picture book that detailed parts of Mobius, the planet she one day wished to see with her very own eyes.
"Is this what Mobius looks like?" Shadow asked, curiously.
"Mm-hm. Grandfather says that the planet is more beautiful in real life, and these are pictures taken by the photographers and illistrated them into this book and many others," Maria explained happily, slowly flipping through the pages. "There are even places nobody else has seen before and would want to see with their eyes themselves. But there's one place I really want to see when I'm all better."
As the black and red hedgehog blinked slowly, his eyes gazing onto the pictures in the book, the young blonde-haired girl turned the page to reveal where she really wanted to go: A small island in the middle of the lake on one page, and a field of beautiful flowers, all white and even magical-looking, on the other next to it.
"Why is there a landmass in the middle of water?" Shadow questioned, confused.
"It's called an Island, and it's also a lake. It's not very often to see them. But that small island has been around for ages and those flowers are said to be the most beautiful in Soumerca. One day, I want to go to that island to see them with my very own eyes...With you, and Grandfather, Shadow." Maria explained, smiling longingly at the picture of the patch.
Shadow had his gaze solely onto the field himself, and he had to admit, they were indeed very beautiful. They even outclassed the pictures of Roses and whatnot by compassion. In fact, he imagined himself with Maria by his side, and held a warm smile as he saw himself pick a flower and gave it to the fully cured and healthy human girl who giggled.
"When we leave the ARK and travel to Mobius, Maria, that will be one of the first places I wish to see with you and the Professor." The young hedgehog declared, deciding that he liked that idea himself.
"You're so sweet, Shadow. Thank you." Maria beamed, leaning over and gave him a gentle kiss on the left cheek, making Shadow unexpectedly blush heavily over it, making his surrogate sister giggle.
Still, thinking about that kind of future made him rather excited to see one day, and if or when the Professor would finally cure Maria, they would all go and see the flower field on the small island...
Together...
"Shadow? Hey, Earth to Shadow! Anybody home?" Sonic, having noticed that the older hedgehog looked zoned out, waved a hand in front of his face.
Blinking out of the vision with a sharp gasp, panting a little at the unexpected event, Shadow groaned before placing a hand to his face, rubbing his temples.
"What's wrong? You alright?" The fifteen year old asked, starting to become concerned. Given what Rouge had mentioned, Sonic was starting to think that something was really going on with Shadow's head, given how the poor guy had his brain messed up more times than either of them could count.
"What...What happened to me?" The Ultimate Lifeform, his voice a bit raspy and breathless, inquired, blinking as he shook his head to regain his senses.
Sonic frowned, now even more worried. "You were staring out like you turned into a ghost or a zombie, and you even had this glassy look in your eyes. I was gettin' worried you were about to pass out or whatever."
Now confused himself as he mentally questioned why each time he was near Sonic or someone mentioned something about his past, images appeared in his mind, as though they were...memories slowly coming back to him. Frowning thoughtfully as he began to recover, the black hedgehog briefly poundered on whether to tell the cobalt teenager or not. Unlike Rouge who had saved him from capivity, even if it was still awkward, Shadow didn't know if he could trust the younger hedgehog or not.
Then he decided that if Sonic were to help him, as much as the boy got on his nerves with his cocky attitude, he had to learn to trust him until he knew the truth of who he really is.
"I...saw a vision, or perhaps it was...another memory. It is the third time now, and like the previous one I had a night after I met you, in the Emerald Coast, I mean, it was...rather pleasent." He hesitantly explained.
"Whoa, really?" Sonic gaped, surprised before smiling happily and chuckled, placing a comforting but proud hand onto his rival's shoulder. "Hey, that's great, Shadow! That means your memory's really coming back!"
"Get your hand off me!" Shadow hissed, shoving the teenager's gloved hand away.
"Okay, okay, take it easy, pal!" The blue hedgehog laughed, still too relieved and happy to be offended or even intimidated. "You keep that up, and you and Knuckles, who's an echidna by the way, are in for a little competition on who is the grumpiest guy on the planet, with the reward being either a bowl of grapes, or a whole bag of coffee beans."
"Hmph. I am nothing like...whoever this 'Knuckles' friend of yours is." The black hedgehog scoffed, looking away with his arms folded. Yet the whole 'coffee beans' sounded awfully familiar the way how the younger hedgehog had said it.
On the other hand, he tasted one at a cafe Rouge had 'forced' him to go to for a break a while back and while the female bat, and other costumers that day, had been disgusted, Shadow had literally eaten a coffee bean straight and found it to be very delicious that he ignored the cup all together and just ate them like a snack. So how was it that Sonic knew?
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that, pal." Sonic grinned, ignoring the irritated glare coming from the other Mobian. "But seriously, you remembering nicer memories is a good sign."
While Shadow disliked the idea of agreeing with the young hero, he hated the fact that the teenager was right. Except, the more he thought about it, the more the terrible image that haunted him for weeks made his chest heavy. Because of all the good memories he was seeing end up leading to the terrible tragedy that had taken the life of the girl, Maria.
"Only if it were to remain that way." Shadow murmured, lowering his gaze.
"Huh?" Sonic blinked, confused only for his eyes to widen as he saw...in his opinion, the somber and grief-looking expression on the Ultimate Lifeform's face.
"Except it all leads right to...that gruesome image of...of that girl dying."
When he said this, Shadow squeezed his eyes shut, grimacing as once again saw himself, running through the corridor, with Maria behind him, the soldiers chasing after them...the shots that were fired and him screaming out his name.
Now understanding what the problem was, the hero of Mobius, knowing what grief was like and, given what Amy and Rouge had told him, Sonic's heart broke at the reminder of how Shadow lost his only and very best friend many years ago and to make things worse, beside seeing the image of him fighting for the Chaos Emerald, Maria's death was one of the first two things the Ultimate Lifeform could remember. Plus all of the good times only made the tragedy get even worse.
Because she never got the chance to even be cured, let alone step foot on Mobius.
"Shadow...I...I'm sorry." Sonic whispered, closing his eyes in consolation.
That caught Shadow off-guard to hear Sonic, of all people, to actually express his consolance, and even more so to see it on his face. From what he has seen so far, the teenager, caring for those closest to him, namely his friends, Tails, Amy, the little girl with a Chao, and Chris, was too optimistic, energetic, reckless, brave, loud and obnoxious. Yet seeing him actually sympathetic and almost silent, it was...off-putting.
"What is your game this time, hedgehog?" Shadow questioned, suspiciously, as though mentally kicking himself for trickery.
"It's not a trick if someone close to you is gone, and twice as worse when...when you forgot about them." The blue hedgehog shook his head, opening his eyes to gaze at his rival once again, smiling sadly with a shrug. "If it makes ya' feel better, I'm an orphan myself."
"An orphan?" Now that the black hedgehog didn't expect to hear. "So then..."
Sonic smiled sadly, as he never talked much about himself being parentless except to his friends who have earned his trust and vice versa, and Tails, Amy, Vanilla, Cream and Cheese, and recently Chris had learned of his foggy past that even he had no idea of what happened in his early childhood.
"Dunno what happened to my own folks, all I remember is their smiling faces speaking out my name. Everything else is pretty much blank to me. I was around three or a bit older when I was all alone, and I grew up learning along the way. Never really did find out how it happened, or even if they died or not and...I had to take care of myself since then." Sonic slowly explained, sighing.
"But I did okay, all things considered. Went around using my speed for good, getting a few jobs in the village where I grew up on South Island here and there and education without goin' to school, and then a few years ago when Eggman attacked, I knew I had to stop him from hurtin' people and flickies, so I chased him down and kicked his butt and smashed all of his deadly toys, seeing the world and going on adventures afterwards, then met my friends along the way who became the closest thing to a family I ever had, and yeah, this is pretty much my life now." He continued, smiling a little as he mentally took a deep breath to calm down.
"I...You did an admittedly impressive work in shaping your life without a mother and father." Shadow hesitantly praised. While his own past was still foggy as it was with the tragic image of Maria's death, and he's still not certain who he really was himself, to think that the happy-go-lucky hero in front of him had his own hardships.
Being an orphan, growing up all alone until he met the fox cub and pink hedgehog, and having gained a life by simply learning along the way to become who he is now...Sonic is a special case, in a different manner to Chris.
"Not everybody has a happy beginning, Shadow, but we shouldn't let the tragedies shape our future, either," Sonic wisely explained, a look of determination filling his face. "That's why I'll do whatever it takes to help you get your memories back, and to make sure Chris is happy and safe too. Sorry that I had to delay in goin' to the ARK with ya'."
Now understanding that Sonic valued his friends and was still willing to help him as well, as much as Shadow desperately wanted his memory back, maybe Rouge was correct in casually approaching the blue hedgehog being the right course of action instead of force.
"For an orphan of your age, you intrigue me, hedgehog." The Ultimate Lifeform smirked.
Sonic just laughed, now feeling like he can really trust Shadow as an ally considering everything they went through. Who knows? Maybe they can adapt into being friendly rivals, just like the blue hero and Knuckles were.
"I just call it luck." The cobalt speedster shrugged.
Just then, his communicator buzzed which alerted the two hedgehogs, with Sonic quickly excusing himself before answering. "Sonic here."
"Sonic! We've got trouble!" It was Tails, and he looked frantic on the little screen.
"Tails? What's going on? Is it Eggman again?" Sonic asked immediately, a sinking feeling forming into his chest and stomach. If his best friend/little brother was calling in emergency right now, then Eggman must be up to something again.
In the middle of Station Square, trouble was indeed happening, because the E-97 Aero-Normous was reaking havoc across the city, screeching out like an eagle, effortlessly taunting the fighter jets which, having spotted the giant robot and were forced to change course into fighting it themselves, were firing laser missiles at the giant robot who wasn't even damaged.
At the same time, Tails, having heard the commotion on the radio during the maintenance of the X Tornado, immediately went to try and fight it himself while calling in Sonic for back-up just in case.
"Yeah, as usual, but it's a really big one! There's a bunch of GUN fighter jets trying to stop it, but I don't think they'll be able to handle it much longer! I'm on my way to Station Square right now! Can you meet me there?" Tails explained, flying his plane in high-speed.
"Roger that! I'm on my way! Be careful, li'l bro!" Sonic responded without hesitation, hanging up and glanced up at his rival. "Looks like Egghead's really stepping up on his game. I've gotta head back to the city."
Before Shadow could even respond as, hearing what the foolish doctor who had imprisoned him before was doing, he was about to declare that he was going with and wouldn't take no from Sonic for an answer when the teenager smirked and held out a hand.
"Wanna help in kicking a giant robot's butt?" He offered.
"Hmph...To get my revenge on the doctor and seek out more possible answers out of him by force, unlike you, I find this hard to pass up." Shadow smirked mischievously, shaking hands with Sonic who nodded.
"Alright! Race ya', there!" Sonic snickered, immediately speeding off in a blue blur with the older hedgehog skating after him in near-equal speed.
It wasn't long before the ebony hedgehog caught up with him, even though, unbeknownst to him, Sonic had slowed down a little to allow his rival to match up despite that they were equal in speed and strength. Yet as they raced along the woods, Shadow couldn't help but feel like they had done this sort of race before...As more images appeared in his mind: First being in another forest somewhere where the two, being bitter rivals, raced and fought profusely hoping to outmatch one another.
And another, one that made his eyes widen in shock, within another place that was familiar to him...The ARK, maybe?
The two were both on two sets of moving convoyers, racing side by side with Sonic holding pure determination on his face, that of a hero.
"You're very persistent and stubborn, faker." Shadow remarked darkly as he skated to out-beat the teenage hero.
"Better to be persistent and stubborn in a good way, than somebody who's all bent-out stubborn and evil-crazy like they had eaten coffee beans by themselves, and I'm not sure how you do it, but you're acting like that, faker!" Sonic retorted sharply.
"I'm afraid I can't let you get away from me that easily, my friend. Now I demand to know who you are."
The cobalt teenager just smirked. "Who, me? I'm just the guy for the love of adventure! My name's Sonic the Hedgehog!"
"Ah, yes," Shadow smirked evilly in return, admittedly impressed with the boy's bravery, foolish as he is but a worthy opponent none the less. "I well understand your love of adventure, Sonic. But now your high speed journey must come to an end!"
Evil? Was Shadow...Evil? That vision...that memory, made Shadow begin to feel very uneasy as he frowned thoughtfully. Seeing it now, and how determined and heroic Sonic had always been, the black hedgehog then recalled what the teenager and his friends had told him that day alongside Rouge.
"You kinda were a little nuts at first even behind Eggman's back for a reason, but then you changed and helped us out to save the planet and...I couldn't find you anywhere, since you just disappeared. Everybody thought you died, and we were all really sad about it."
'If I had been evil, what has caused me to atone for my actions, leading to losing my memory? And...why has everyone forgiven me so easily?' Shadow felt a twinge of guilt rise up in his chest. Maria's death obviously shaken him, and even as he was gradually remembering his past slowly, his memories with Sonic...were not really pleasant.
"You okay there, Shadow?" Sonic asked, after he noticed his rival zoning out again.
"I'm fine. It's just...never mind. It's best saved for later." Shadow shook his head, deciding to worry about that later and focus on the more important issues.
Such as, if he had been evil and saving the world was his first step while losing his memories were his punishment for his crime, into atoning for his actions. That he will be certain of...And that memory made him realize why he felt Sonic mention coffee beans sounded familiar.
He had said it in a sarcastic tone during their race in that corridor. So the teenage hero had correctly guessed his guilty pleasure for coffee beans without even realizing it...Perhaps sometime in his past Shadow had taken a liking into eating coffee beans like he did now.
'Ugh...No one is ever going to let me live this down, especially if Sonic discovers I really do eat coffee beans straight.' Shadow mentally groaned, hoping that day would never come.
Seeing the somber and thoughtful look made Sonic feel uneasy and worried, frowning as he looked up ahead. 'Wonder if Shadow's starting to remember his memories more quickly already? If so, then it won't be easy to convince him that, despite all of the rotten stunts he pulled off, he's already making up for it by helping out. Poor guy. I wish I could've saved him that day, so he wouldn't have ending up having a memory block.'
Hoping to figure it out soon after defeating Eggman's robot, Sonic continued to race along with Shadow to Station Square, both believing that Chris and Helen would be just fine at the small island, safe from harm's way.
Unaware that it was going to be more dangerous than either one expected.
Around the same time as Sonic left until his return, Chris was already halfway across the lake with Helen seated in front of him.
"Just a little bit further and we'll be at the island in no time." Chris announced, feeling pretty excited for this little, peaceful and fun adventure.
"I'm so excited, Chris! I've dreamed of seeing this island for so long!" Helen clasped her hands together in glee. Finally after waiting for a long time, her dream to see the beautiful flowers on the island was finally coming true.
"I guess all that waiting finally paid off, huh?"
"Sure did." The young girl smiled, before lowering her gaze as her expression quickly turned to sadness, thinking about her parents. "I just wish my father could've come with me. If only he didn't have to work so hard, we could be together more."
That, and while her mother was also busy and didn't have time either, at least she tried her best. But what made Helen so sad was because each time she would be forced to be looked after by her aunt, Susan would usually just scoff her off when she would sometimes ask her to go to the island.
Helen's Flash-Back: One year earlier...
One late afternoon after Helen came home on Friday night and her parents would be working for the weekend, she had gone up to ask her mean aunt if she could take her niece to the island. But this was being lead into the woman to snarl angrily at her with arms folded to her chest.
"Please, Aunt Susan. Will you take me to the Island to see the Flowers?" She asked, hopefully.
"HA! That dingy little giant rock full of trees, moss, and worthless weeds? Don't be ridiculous, you foolish girl!" Susan grunted, glaring at her niece. "I've told you before, and I will say it again! The answer is no, no, no, no, and for the millionth time, NO! You are NOT going to that island, and that is FINAL!"
"But Dad says the flowers are pretty and he would take me, but he's always so busy." Helen weakly argued, her eyes stinging up with tears.
Susan just stormed up to her and leaned close to the eleven year old girl's face. "You listen to me, brat! You father and mother obviously don't care about you at all! They just keep you around to make themselves look like loving parents, only to end up with a little girl who can't even walk or take care of herself! They just say that so they wouldn't have to deal with you crying. And better yet, a lady should NEVER go near flowers!"
Helen shakily leaned back in fear, her eyes and lips trembling.
"You are lady, Helen, and a lady's true happiness and purpose is to go shopping in the malls to wear the most glamourous jewels and dresses, attend parties at the most divine 10 star restaurants of all of Mobius, and be with real friends who are not useless workers like your father! He should've gotten a better job like me, but no, he had to go casual!" Her aunt ranted on.
"I-I..."
"And don't you start crying on me, Blonde-wheels! You are lady now, and must behave like on! Now, go do your homework!" Susan hissed, before storming off into her own room, slamming the door behind her.
Left all alone with very little choice but to obey her cruel aunt, Helen sadly wheeled herself away into her room to do her homework, awkwardly closing the door behind her. Once in the safe sanctuary of the small area, the young blonde-haired girl let loose of her tears and began silently weeping, trying to keep her crying as soundless as possible.
If only her mother and father weren't such hard workers. Why did her father's sister have to be so mean?
End of Flash-Back:
Waiting for years to see the island, and Helen had slowly began to lose hope and faith in ever seeing the flowers. Oh, if only she could walk and be healthy, then she wouldn't have to rely on her parents to give her the best treatments to keep her alive and her aunt wouldn't be so cruel or forced into babysitting her.
Unbeknownst to the twelve year old girl, Chris noticed her sad expression and his heart sank in sympathy. While he was relieved that his new friend, like Cream, had a loving mother, and in Helen's case, a loving father who was just very busy and even told her about the flowers on the island, it saddened him that her aunt Susan only cared about her own self-image.
Just like his own mother back on Earth. All his life, Chris had been treated like a precious doll and robot, and a prince to follow royal laws, not allowed to even make his own decisions. But at least he was healthy, not like the girl in front of him.
'Poor Helen. It's so hard for her right now, and her aunt isn't really helping much at all.' He thought to himself, before deciding to make this trip the best both of them would ever have and looked over his shoulder, smiling.
"We're almost there." Chris announced. He was going to fufill Helen's wish to see the flowers, and follow Sonic's example to be a kind and caring person.
No matter what it took.
A few minutes later, the two children finally made it to shore, where Chris carefully got out of the boat, hooked it down so that it wouldn't drift away and strand him and his friend on the island, and gently brought Helen out. It wasn't easy due to the wheelchair, but he somehow managed all things considered.
"Well, we made it." Chris announced softly, he and Helen both taking the sight of the island up close now. It looked to be very peaceful and fun to explore. Both of them couldn't wait to get started.
"It's more beautiful up close than it is from the shore. I can't wait to go exploring!" Helen laughed happily, her eyes sparkling.
"You're sure pretty happy, aren't you?" He asked, smiling.
She nodded, her smile becoming even brighter. "More than that! I just...I feel so alive! I never thought somebody like me could have such an adventure!"
'That makes the both of us.' Chris thought to himself, feeling happy that he made his newest friend happy. Having different lifestyles and families, it was amazing that he and Helen already had so much in common.
It was then he had decided that running away from his super-strict family and arriving here on Mobius/Earth was the best decision he ever made in his entire life. Chris Thorndyke, who had never thought he would have a life of adventures, had been saved by a distant planet's greatest hero who had become his very first friend, meeting other friends, helping them to face the evil scientist, adapting a normal life at school to make more friends, learning so much, seeing different places, doing fun things he had been forbidden of doing for years, and it just kept going.
Every single moment of it that he loved so much that maybe he could experience this every day for the rest of his life.
"Well, are you ready for another adventure, Helen?" Chris smirked, grasping the handles of the chair.
"Of course!"
"Okay! Let's go!"
Beaming happily as they couldn't wait to check out the island to find the flower field, Chris carefully but hurriedly pushed Helen's wheelchair into the woods.
Little did they know that further up halfway between the city and the lake, Eggman's other robot E-43 Cager was flying around scanning to find the twelve year old boy and capture him.
While things were calm at the lake's island, it was the complete opposite in Station Square, especially when the E-97 Aero-Normous was easily deflecting the missiles from the Fighter Jets GUN tried and failed to destroy, and to make things worse, it was even firing it's own missiles, forcing the pilots, who screamed in horror and forced to retreat, to try and dodge to avoid in getting captured or killed.
"We can't take this thing on!" One of the pilots exclaimed, dismayed.
"We'll have to evacuate! Retreat!" Another cried out.
In time time, one by one as the pilots were forced to abandon their planes and parachute down to safety, the E-97 Aero-Normous destroyed the vessels which exploded before it opened up it's beak with the hose inside it's mouth, sucking in the broken debris, flames and smoke before they even landed on the ground.
~V~
Witnessing the whole thing played out from his secret base, Eggman knew that his robots could take on the foolish soldiers, police and GUN easily that it made him feel rather disappointed at just how quick this was, especially with the lack of a fifteen year old blue hedgehog and his friends.
"There's only one word to describe this fight: Boring." The evil scientist grumbled, placing one hand to his cheek, leaning slightly to the side. Why was it that he had more thrills and fun in fighting Sonic despite always losing to that irritating little pest, yet defeating an army that were completely hopeless despite years of experience could be so dull?
Just then, he noticed a familiar white plane zooming at 300 miles per hour flying in close towards his robot which made Eggman look up in shock before growling in anger: It was the X Tornado, now ready to take over the fight.
"It's Tails! That two-tailed fox brat is just as a nuisance as that hedgehog!" He snarled, despite that it was finally starting to become interesting. "Alright, you little fuzz-ball! It's just you and me, until Sonic finally comes!"
~V~
Having seen how badly the Fighter Jets had lost and attempting to distract the giant flying robot, Tails flew in closer taking careful aim knowing that he had to at least keep it busy until Sonic showed up.
"You don't scare me, you overgrown bolt-bird! Now it's my turn to take you out!" Tails declared bravely, opening fire. But rather than aiming at the front as he had witnessed that the robot had a protective shield in front designed to reflect any sort of attacks, he aimed for the missiles on the back of it's body as much as possible.
Yet the E-97 Aero-Normous opened fire as well, and the two attacks collided in midair, creating an explosion of smoke and making it difficult for Tails, who gasped in shock, to see clearly. Sweat dropping worriedly, he quickly maneuvered the X Tornado upward to avoid in getting hit when the giant robot attempted to shoot him down but missed.
However, while the air-battle continued on, Sonic and Shadow, who had both arrived to see the commotion and gasped in shock when they saw what was going on, could tell that the former's little brother was doing his best to keep the massive robotic-bird busy as long as possible.
"How is it that young friend of yours can fight much better than the people in fighter jets?" Shadow questioned, finding himself secretly concerned yet very impressed over Tails' handling over the situation.
"Tails has always been like that, and he can even fix stuff that'll put professionals out of their jobs." Sonic quickly explained, before turning to his rival. "I'll help him from the air, you take the lower part in an element of surprise!"
"Understood." Shadow agreed without complaint, knowing that in order to take out this robot, he and Sonic would have to work together once again.
Smirking, the hero of Mobius gave the Ultimate Lifeform a thumbs up, before he sped off towards the nearest building where the E-97 Aero-Normous was close by. Sonic ran up along the building before he made a daring leap, turning around as he chuckled in excitement.
"Hey, you overgrown bird-brain! Watch out, because this blue mosquito gonna bite ya'!" Sonic taunted, hurling into the side of the robot with his Homing Attack, bashing along creating super-effective dents and then smashing away some of the missile launchers, easily dodging some that opened fire right at him.
"Alright, Sonic!" Tails cheered as he noticed his big brother's timely arrival.
Though it was a bit of a problem which caused the teenage Mobian to notice more missiles flying right at him. But the hedgehog wasn't fazed by this. Instead, he used it to his advantage, jumping and hopping from one to another, even landing on one and held on as though he was riding a snowboard, cheering on excitedly. As another came flying at him, Sonic laughed before leaping off just in time for the two attacks to collide and destroy each other, using the rest as stepping stones while having the dangerous weapons get smashed without even hurting him.
Landing on the back of it's body, Sonic grinned confidently as the robot made a loud screeching noise that nearly killed his eardrums, but seeing it beginning to have a bit of trouble between him, his best friend and very shortly the black hedgehog, was worth going deaf a little. The blue hedgehog quickly Spin Dashed and dodged more of the missiles attempting to eliminate him but sadly missed, while careful to avoid in getting hit by Tails who continued to fire at the missile launchers as well.
~V~
While furious that the blue hedgehog has arrived, Eggman grinned with an evil cackle. "Heh heh heh...! Excellent, Sonic! You have fallen right into my trap! Now, to take care of you and while you're at it, you will be hitting yourself in the afterlife once you realize far too late that I have won and pretty soon your little amnesic friend will be within my grasp!"
He then controlled the robot into doing a dangerous stunt that would no doubt cause problems to the blue hedgehog and take out his little friend at the same time, killing two birds in one stone.
Or in this case, two Mobians with one giant robot!
~V~
Even though he was easily smashing up the missiles while Tails was careful in not hitting him, Sonic soon gasped in shock to see more emerge from the back, firing lasers at him and quickly forcing the blue hedgehog to maneuver and zig zag out of the way while the X Tornado was being forced to hover away to safety when the lasers began to open fire at him.
"Hey! Back off from my li'l brother!" Sonic snapped, narrowing his eyes before quickly Spin Dashing into the cannon while it was focused on his friend, destroying it which caused another explosion which thrust him back.
Flipping as he winched from the impact, the blue hedgehog once again landed safely and gritted his teeth, realizing that this was beginning to get more and more dangerous by the second. Not that it was anything new, but still.
Sonic was about to attack the back of the robot's head to try and knock it out of the air when E-97 Aero-Normous then unexpectedly tilted to the side dangerously, causing the teenage Mobian to cry out and began to lose his balance. He quickly grabbed hold of the side of the robot, legs flailing as he yelped, his heart hammering in his chest.
Then he began sliding off the giant robot, which even with his gloves on, it unintentionally made a screeching noise so loud and ear-killing that those who were witnessing the battle all screamed in agony while attempting to cover their ears.
Even Shadow, who was waiting impatiently for his chance to join in on the fight, winched as he too had to cover his own ears that folded themselves against his skull.
"What is that hedgehog doing!?" The Ultimate Lifeform demanded, feeling like his ears and brain were about to explode.
~V~
Even Eggman, hearing the noise through the speakers, screamed and wailed alongside Decoe and Bocoe, all three of them covering their ears at the terrible sound.
"AHHHHH! That hedgehog is a pain in the ears!" The evil scientist shouted, literally begging as he was unable to take it anymore. "Stop it! Cut it out!"
~V~
Eventually Sonic came to a stop but was struggling to keep his grip, straining himself and sweating. "Ngh...! I...Can't...Hold...On.!"
Unable to keep his grip, he screamed as he fell right off while the hose stretched out preparing to suck him in now that the blue hedgehog was let helpless, much to his and Tails' horror as they both saw what was happening, gasping.
"I'm gonna be sucked in!" Sonic exclaimed, horrified.
"Sonic!" The eight year old cub shouted in dismay, aiming to fire at the hose.
But there was no need as Shadow, seeing his chance, skated forward before summoning yellow energy in his hand, remembering what he did the last time fighting against the sea monster at the Emerald Coast.
"Chaos Spear!"
Firing his attack at the lower part of the robot's beak, Shadow hit directly which forced the E-97 Aero-Normous to withdraw it's hose back inside before it could even power on to swallow the fifteen year old hedgehog and flew to the opposite side. Sonic in the meantime sweat dropped nervously only to sigh in relief when the X Tornado came soaring in towards him. Without hesitation, he quickly grabbed hold of the right wing and held on while Tails flew it safely back to avoid in getting caught off-guard.
"Thanks, Tails!" Sonic called out in relief, giving his best friend/little brother a thumbs for saving his life.
"You're welcome! But, I didn't know Shadow was here too! I thought you guys were-"
"I'll explain later, but let's just say that he's here to help!" Sonic quickly explained, before calling down to the aforementioned ebony hedgehog. "Nice shot, Shadow!"
Overhearing him, the amnesic hedgehog glanced up and smirked at the praise even though he was annoyed that the blue hedgehog apparently need to be kept an eye on for the latter's safety. Then again, Sonic is only fifteen, so of course he wouldn't really have parental guidance, unless you count a kindly rabbit mother who already had a six year old daughter and a twelve year old human boy to take care of.
~V~
Seeing what has happened under the unexpected circumstances, Eggman was taken aback at the unexpected third member of the heroic party having not only saved Sonic's life, but also prevented his E-97 Aero-Normous from shooting down the X Tornado. The footage of the Ultimate Lifeform was now charging towards the giant robot while the X Tornado resumed the air battle with Sonic riding on the wings.
"SHADOW!? What is he, buddies with Sonic now!?" The evil scientist snarled angrily despite that he knew that Shadow might get in the way, but still. He had been expecting to fight against Sonic and Tails, and maybe even potentially Amy.
But not Shadow! How was he going to win this fight?
Yet just as he thought about how to defeat his enemies, Decoe then came up with a suggestion. "You can always knock down Shadow and capture him, finish off Sonic and use that hedgehog and the boy for gathering more data on the project."
"Excellent idea!" Eggman, thinking about it quickly, grinned as he agreed with the plan. "How much more perfect can it get than this? I'll capture not one, but two amnesic pipsqueaks and then I will be the ultimate ruler of Mobius!"
All he had to do now was finish off Sonic and Tails, and knock out Shadow while the E-43 Cager captured Chris, as this was a day where a battle and dangerous adventure were only going to become more and more risky.
A/N: I have been struggling with this chapter for ages and how to fit in Chris and Helen's trip to the island, until I decided to make this into a two-parter event. Still not sure how the adventure up to the ARK will play out, but hopefully I'll come up with something soon, as the next part will continue the Flower Island adventure and the Air-Battle between Sonic, his friends and the E-97 Aero-Normous, which is kind of a knock-off of the original anime's E-99 Super Sweeper, continues.
(1) The E-43 Cager is also based on the E-47 Pumpty which it's name was never revealed in the English Dub, so I made this instead.
Again, my severe apologies for continuing this story so late. I will try to update it again sooner than the last time, but I'm not sure at this stage. And if you have requests to edit and change Helen's flash-back with her Aunt Susan, feel free to let me know and I'll try and change it.
See you later!
