Ugggggggg, I have been busy revising some of my other chapters, changing some minimal stuff, but nothing drastic. Anyways, let's go.

Oh, also.

To lazy lord: Nope, I mostly wanted Tails to have the same age as Milla so I made his two years older, and to be honest, wherever he is 8 or 10, it doesn't really change much.

Chapter 16: Long Time No See… A Hooligan's Reunion I See!

Relic Mountain - Kingdom Stone's Chamber

Spade, one of the high-ranking officials of the Red Scarves—a notorious underground syndicate of ninjas, thieves, and assassins across Avalice—stood before them. The Kingdom Stone at his feet, radiant and majestic, glowed on its pedestal, casting an ethereal light across the chamber. The two sides stared each other down, eyes locked.

Lilac was the first to break the silence. "What do you think you're doing?!" she demanded, her tone sharp with disbelief. "That's the Kingdom Stone!"

Spade's lips twisted into a mocking smile. "Gee, really?" he responded, dripping with sarcasm. He gestured lazily at the stone. "I thought it was just a fancy rock I stumbled upon."

Lilac's fists tightened, her eyes burning with anger. "Don't play games!" she snapped. "What do you think you're doing?"

Spade rolled his eyes, bored with her questions. "Sash, you're starting to sound like a broken clock," he sneered, calling her by her first name made Lilac flinch. His tone shifted, growing colder. "Why do you care? With this, I'll finally have my father's killer. Not like a couple of traitors like you two would care."

Sonic, standing off to the side, caught the flash of pain that crossed both Lilac and Carol's faces.

Carol stepped forward, her claws extending as she glared at Spade. "I'd rather be a traitor than a murderer!" she fired back.

"The Red Scarves left us no choice!" Lilac added, her voice trembling with emotion—anger and sorrow mixing together. Her eyes locked onto Spade's, a silent plea for understanding hidden beneath the intensity.

Spade's expression hardened, his green eyes cold and unyielding. "And you left me no choice!" he yelled, leaping into the air. From his belt, he threw several playing cards at them, each one detonating in a bright flash that lit up the chamber like fireworks.

Reacting quickly, Carol launched a flurry of rapid kicks, while Lilac spun into her Cyclone attack, deflecting and destroying the explosive cards as smoke billowed around them.

Spade landed gracefully back on top of the Kingdom Stone's altar, a smug grin spreading across his face. "Heh, still keeping up with your training, I see," he taunted.

Carol glared up at him, ready to spring into action. "You want a fight? Come and get it!" she challenged, her tone fierce.

Spade's grin widened, but there was a dark edge to it. "Oh, I'd love to stay and dance, but unfortunately, Mayor Zao and Doctor Robotnik have a tight schedule," he said smugly. Zao? Robotnik?! The three of them thought with shock as he grabbed a rope. "Besides, if something else is guarding this thing, I'd hate to be around when it wakes up."

Lilac shot Spade a deadly glare, her teeth gritted in fury. "You're insane, you know that?!" she shouted. "You'll never get away with this!"

Spade merely smirked, unfazed. "Heh, we'll see about that."

With a swift, sharp tug on the rope tied to the stone, the Kingdom Stone began to rise from its pedestal, with Spade perched on top.

Lilac's eyes widened in horror. "No!" she cried out, her voice filled with desperation.

She and Carol sprinted forward, but just as they closed in, the stone emitted a brilliant burst of light, blinding them momentarily as it began to ascend, the air filled with a low, ominous hum.

When their vision cleared, Spade was already halfway up the rope, the Kingdom Stone now dangling above the chamber as he escaped. His smirk remained, but it briefly faltered as he noticed the girls' faces full of bitter disdain.

I wish I didn't have to see them again, he thought to himself with bitterness as he prepared to escape.

Suddenly, a blue blur streaked along the chamber's walls, catching Spade completely off guard. Before he could react, the blue figure jumped and slammed into him with incredible force, sending Spade hurtling through the air and crashing into the rocky ground with a thud. The impact echoed through the chamber, and the Kingdom Stone dropped back onto its pedestal with a resonant clink.

The girls blinked in shock, turning toward the source of the attack.

Spade groaned in pain as he scrambled to his feet, clutching his side where he had been hit. He looked up, glaring at his attacker—Sonic, who landed lightly on his feet with arms crossed, a cocky grin spread across his face.

"Hey, pal," Sonic said, his voice casual but firm. "Nobody taught you to say a proper goodbye to all guests before you leave a place?"

Spade glared, his eyes burning with anger. "You! Stay out of this!" he growled through gritted teeth.

Sonic shrugged, unfazed. "Yeah, no. That 'fancy rock' isn't going anywhere with you," he retorted, dropping into a relaxed but ready stance.

With a snarl, Spade flicked his wrist, producing another card. His eyes narrowed with dark determination. "Guess I'm staying here to dance after all," he said coldly, preparing to fight.

Sonic's grin widened. "Show me your moves!" he joked as he launched himself into a spin-dash, hurtling toward the panda with blinding speed.

Before Lilac and Carol could join the fray, a metallic roar echoed through the chamber, loud enough to shake the very walls. The sound reverberated like thunder, and a massive shadow fell from the ceiling above. Their eyes widened in shock as the looming figure crashed down, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

Relic Mountain – Outside the Mountain, Noon Hours

Just above them, as the sun hung high over the mountain, midday approached.

BOOM!

Another explosion rocked the clearing, sending shockwaves through the dense trees. The ground trembled, and leaves rained down. From the cloud of smoke, an orange blur streaked into the air—Tails, his fur singed and his heart racing, narrowly escaped the blast below.

"Don't you think you're overdoing it a little bit?!" Tails yelled, exasperation dripping from his voice. He glanced down to see Bean gleefully preparing yet another bomb.

Bean paused, scratching his beak thoughtfully. "Hmmmm!" he muttered. "You might have a point." Without missing a beat, he casually dropped the small bomb he was holding and pulled out an even larger one, his grin growing wilder. "I need to overdo it even more!" he cackled maniacally, launching the oversized bomb at Tails.

"Yikes!" Tails dove out of the way just as the bomb detonated, sending dirt and debris flying in all directions. The shockwave knocked him back, but he quickly recovered mid-air, spinning his tails furiously to stabilize himself.

"Woohoo!" Bean cackled, hurling another bomb with wild enthusiasm. "Feels good to be chucking bombs with the gang again!" He grinned maniacally before adding, in a dreamy voice, "Oh, how sweet of Fangy to apologize and beg us to come back after our break-up."

"That is NOT how it happened!" Fang shouted irritably from the distance.

"Oh, but you were practically on your knees for us to rejoin you!" Bean teased, recalling the memory of Fang's awkward apology after the supposed 'eighth Chaos Emerald' incident.

Fang snarled, his nose wrinkling in frustration as he remembered the embarrassing moment. "Grrrr... Just focus on your fight!" he snapped, trying to push the memory away, while Bean winked at him and turned his attention back to Tails.

Not far away, Torque and Fang engaged in a duel, bullets and lasers crisscrossing through the air. Fang nimbly dodged another laser blast from Torque's gun. "Laser guns are soooo overrated," he taunted, firing off a rapid volley of bullets. "There's nothing better than a good old-fashioned gun that shoots real bullets. Way more efficient, mate."

Torque narrowed his eyes but kept his cool. "Well, everyone's entitled to their preferences…"

"True," Fang replied with a smirk, "and your preferences are wrong and garbage!" He leaped into the air, using his tail as a pogo stick to gain higher ground, and fired down at Torque.

Torque rolled out of the way just in time, his gun buzzing with indignant gibberish. "Don't worry, Gyro," he muttered to his weapon. "We'll make him eat those words."

Meanwhile, Milla, who had been separated from her rescuers, found herself face to face with Bark. The towering polar bear loomed over her, his expression grim but focused. Though scared, Milla stood her ground, her small body trembling but refusing to back down.

"S-Stay away, you big meanie!" Milla shouted, striking an awkward pose, clearly trying to look intimidating despite her fear.

Bark raised an eyebrow, a single drop of sweat forming on his brow. Although he wasn't particularly fond of fighting kids, his mission remained. Without a word, he reached out, effortlessly grabbing Milla by the back of her clothes, lifting her off the ground like a disobedient kitten.

"H-Hey! Let me go!" Milla kicked her legs in the air, struggling uselessly as Bark held her at arm's length, his other hand resting casually on his hip.

From across the battlefield, Tails spotted her predicament and gasped in alarm. "Oh no! Milla!" he shouted, cursing himself for letting the Hooligans get their hands on her. But he couldn't help her, as Bean kept lobbing bombs his way, forcing him to stay on the defensive.

As Bark held the struggling Milla, his sharp eyes caught a glimmer from her back pocket. Curious, he reached in and pulled out a small gemstone, holding it up to the light. His eyes widened as he realized what he was holding. Grinning triumphantly, he lifted the gemstone high for the others to see.

"Grrf!" Bark grunted for his teammates to take a look.

The rest of the Hooligans froze mid-fight, their attention locked onto the shimmering emerald in Bark's grasp.

"Oooohhhh, shiny!" Bean's eyes lit up with excitement at the sight, completely forgetting his bombs for a moment.

Fang's predatory grin grew wider. "Great job, ya big lug!" he shouted, eyes gleaming with greed. "That'll make us a fortune!"

Torque raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Is that… a gemstone?" he muttered, his mind racing.

Hovering nearby, Tails gasped in horror, recognizing the gemstone in an instant. "Oh no! A Chaos Emerald!" he yelled, his voice full of panic. His gaze shifted to Milla, still dangling in Bark's grasp. "Milla, hang on!"

Milla's eyes widened with alarm as she gasped. "No! That's my wishing star!" she cried. "I won't let you have it!" A surge of determination washed over her as she clenched her hands together, a bright green light starting to form between her palms.

Bark raised an eyebrow, confused but wary, unsure of what the little dog was up to.

With a burst of energy, Milla conjured a large green cube, bigger than her head, glowing brightly in her hands.

Everyone froze. The clearing fell into a stunned silence as their eyes locked onto the cube in Milla's hands.

"?!" Bark's eyes widened in surprise as the cube shined even brighter.

"Hah!" Milla exclaimed as she aimed the cube directly at Bark's face. The green energy formed a blast that exploded, sending the massive polar bear stumbling backward. His grip on Milla loosened as he crashed to the ground with a thunderous thud, the Chaos Emerald slipping from his grasp and tumbling through the air.

"Hop!" Milla deftly caught the emerald mid-air, using her large ears to flutter down and land gracefully on her feet. She hugged the emerald tightly, breathing a sigh of relief. "Huff… that was close," she muttered, clutching the emerald—her 'wishing star'—to her chest.

The entire battlefield fell into stunned silence, every pair of eyes locked onto Milla in disbelief.

Fang's jaw practically hit the ground. "What was that?!" he exclaimed, completely dumbfounded by the display.

"What just happened?" Torque asked, his voice filled with bewilderment as he tried to make sense of what he had just witnessed.

Bean, however, remained unfazed. "Eh, I've seen better explosions. I give it a 6 out of 10," he said, critiquing the blast.

Still hovering in the air, Tails broke into a wide grin, his eyes full of admiration. "Whoa! That was amazing, Milla!" he cheered enthusiastically, thoroughly impressed by the young dog's unexpected abilities.

Milla blushed at the praise, her face turning a deep shade of red. "Uhhh…" she stammered, glancing nervously between Tails and Torque. "S-Shouldn't we… um… finish the fight?"

Her words snapped everyone back to reality. Fang shook off his shock, his expression hardening once more. He raised his gun, pointing it at Torque. "Good idea, mutt!" he snarled, firing off a shot.

Torque quickly ducked out of the way, returning fire with his laser gun. Meanwhile, Bean resumed his bombardment, chucking bombs at Tails with glee. As the chaos reignited, Tails gave Milla a thumbs-up, still smiling.

Milla grinned back, her confidence growing. She turned her attention back to Bark, who was slowly rising to his feet, a furious scowl on his face. Determined not to let him take her "wishing star," Milla summoned another green cube, her eyes filled with resolve.

The battle resumed with renewed intensity, each side fighting with everything they had.

Relic Mountain – Kingdom Stone Chamber

Deep within the mountain, the sound of blows and punches echoed through the cavernous chamber that housed the Kingdom Stone. A metallic roar reverberated, bouncing off the crystalline walls.

Sonic was in constant motion, dodging wave after wave of explosive cards that Spade hurled at him. After the second barrage, Sonic spin-dashed straight toward the panda, but Spade, anticipating his move, emanated a green aura and dashed away, leaving a glowing verdant trail behind.

"Whoa!" Sonic landed on nothing, momentarily surprised as he looked up to see Spade already launching a fresh volley of cards. He quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding a card that exploded against the cavern wall. "Guess you don't only just keep cards up your sleeves, huh?" Sonic quipped, landing opposite Spade.

Spade scowled at the joke. "Great, and I thought Carol's jokes were bad…"

"Hey! My puns are great, thank you very much!" Carol yelled from across the chamber, dodging an air slash from a new foe.

As Sonic and Spade clashed again, trading lightning-fast blows, another metallic roar filled the chamber. The Mantalith—the ancient mechanical guardian of the Kingdom Stone—loomed over them. Its massive form, similar to that of a praying mantis, glinted in the dim light, and its deadly scythe-like limbs gleamed menacingly. Piercing yellow eyes locked onto the intruders.

The Mantalith screeched, swinging one of its giant scythes at the two girls. Lilac and Carol nimbly dodged, each narrowly avoiding the devastating strikes.

"Never thought the guardian would be… well, that," Carol muttered, ducking under another swing from the Mantalith's scythe. She countered with a swift kick.

Lilac, focused and determined, launched a Cyclone attack aimed at the Mantalith's eyes, temporarily blinding it. "Forget what it is—we need to get rid of it, or we'll never be able to help Sonic," she said, panting slightly from exertion.

Carol grinned. "Lilac, Sonic definitely has this. He'd probably say that himself," she remarked, launching herself at the Mantalith with a powerful kick.

As if on cue, Sonic, still engaged in his high-speed battle with Spade, called out, "I would say that!"

"I'll make sure to correct you!" Spade snapped, dashing forward and landing a roundhouse kick that sent Sonic flying.

"Ugh!" Sonic was sent flying but quickly recovered, landing on his feet and grinning. "Gotta say, that freaky green energy thing you've got sure comes in handy," he remarked, rubbing his side where Spade's kick had struck.

"Flash Jump," Spade retorted, narrowing his eyes. "Let's call it genetics." He dashed forward again for another round kick, but Sonic mirrored his movement. The two clashed once more, creating a small gust of wind that rippled through the chamber as they held their positions, locked in a stalemate.

"I'll admit," Spade grunted through gritted teeth, "you'd make a killer member of the Red Scarves."

Sonic, equally strained but still smirking, pushed back. "No thanks. I'm more of a kick-the-evil-guy's-butt kind of guy."

"Can't say I didn't try…" Spade muttered, a scowl deepening on his face.

The tension between them mounted as they both leaped back before charging forward once more. Both panda and hedgehog simultaneously threw a powerful punch, their fists colliding with enough force to create a shockwave that reverberated through the cavern.

Relic Mountain – Outside

BOOM!

Another explosion rocked the area, scattering debris and dirt as trees toppled over. Tails scrambled to dodge the blast, yelping in panic as he tumbled across the ground.

"Seriously, stop!" Tails shouted at Bean, his voice strained with frustration. "The mountain's going to be dust if you keep this up!"

"Nuh-uh," Bean stuck out his tongue playfully, seemingly unfazed.

"What do you mean 'nuh-uh'?!" Tails yelled back, his frustration growing clearer by the second.

"NUH-UH!" Bean cackled madly and flung yet another bomb at Tails. The bomb barely missed its target as Tails rolled out of the way, dizziness overtaking him as the world spun around him.

"Uhhh…" Tails shook his head, trying to clear the fog, and muttered to himself, "I need a plan." Quickly surveying the clearing, his sharp eyes spotted a potential solution. A grin spread across his face. "That's it!"

With a mischievous smirk, Tails spun his tails rapidly, lifting himself off the ground. "Bleeeeh! Try hitting me from up here, loser!" he taunted, sticking his tongue out at the woodpecker.

Bean deadpanned, his expression blank. "Really? That's the best insult you've got?" He raised an eyebrow.

Tails hesitated for a second. "Uh… Well..." He quickly tried to come up with a better taunt. "Oh! Hey Bean, try to hit me with your dull, low-explosive bombs, loser!"

Bean stared for a moment, then shrugged. "Ehhh, good enough." Chuckling madly again, he lobbed another bomb toward the airborne fox.

Tails smirked as he dodged the incoming explosives, carefully calculating their trajectory. "These bombs only explode on a solid impact," he thought to himself, silently thanking his expertise from the Battle Kukku days back at his solo adventure in Cocoa Island. "That gives me just enough time, which is…now!"

Timing it perfectly, Tails spun his twin tails downward, sending one of the bombs flying back at Bean. It bounced off the woodpecker's head with a dull thud, leaving him dazed. Bean blinked in confusion.

"...Oh." Bean blinked, looking at the bomb perched atop his head, then pointed at Tails with a sly smile. "Clever boyyyyy."

BOOM!

The bomb detonated, launching Bean into the air. He crashed face-first into the ground, stars circling his head as he was knocked out cold.

"Alright! One down!" Tails pumped his fist triumphantly before glancing toward the others still engaged in their battles.

Nearby, Milla stood her ground, her green alchemy cubes glowing in her hands as she faced off against Bark. The towering polar bear charged at her like a bull, shrugging off the cube projectiles she threw his way. He lunged to grab her, but Milla slid deftly between his legs, evading him just in time.

As she regained her stance, Milla couldn't resist a playful taunt. "Bet you can't catch me, big meanie!" But then she quickly softened, looking apologetic. "Uh, sorry, didn't mean to be rude."

Bark almost seemed to appreciate the gesture but didn't have time to react as he swung a massive fist towards her.

Milla smiled, standing her ground. With a flash of green energy, she conjured a large round shield made of cubes, blocking Bark's powerful strike. The impact sent Bark stumbling backward in surprise, and even Tails, watching from above, couldn't help but be impressed. "Incredible… her cubes can form shields too!" he muttered in admiration.

With a confident grin, Milla dissolved the shield and conjured another cube. She hurled it directly at Bark's face, causing him to stagger further back.

"Woohoo! You can do it, Milla!" Tails cheered from the sky, watching in awe.

Milla beamed as she floated into the air using her large ears. She aimed another cube directly at Bark, landing a final green blast square on his head. Bark wobbled on his feet, his vision blurring. With a groan, he toppled forward, crashing into the ground with a massive thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Yay!" Milla jumped for joy, throwing her hands up in victory. She glanced back at Tails, who flashed her a broad, proud grin. Her confidence soared with his encouragement as they both turned toward the last Hooligan standing.

Fang and Torque were still locked in a tense duel, bullets and lasers crisscrossing the battlefield. Fang's grin widened as he noticed Torque's laser gun beginning to flicker and lose power. "Looks like your fancy blaster's runnin' dry, duck boy!" he sneered, his tail twitching with excitement.

"Come on, Gyro, just a little more," Torque muttered to his weapon, which sputtered and groaned, clearly struggling.

"Got ya, duck!" Fang crowed, springing into the air with his tail and firing a precise shot. Tails and Milla yelped as the bullet whizzed toward Torque. He managed to dodge, but the bullet clipped his beak, sending it into a wild, dizzying spin.

Everyone watched, stunned, as Torque's beak spun like a top. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Torque exclaimed in a panic, his hands flailing as he tried to stop his beak from spinning. After several frantic seconds, he managed to bring it to a halt, gripping it with both hands. He stood there, looking around nervously. "U-uh… oops?"

Tails, Milla, and even Fang blinked in utter disbelief. Fang, momentarily speechless, opened his mouth to say something. "What the fu—"

Before Fang could finish, Torque took advantage of the moment and fired one final, fully charged cyan beam. It zigzagged unpredictably through the air, narrowly missing Fang.

"Hah! Ya missed me, idiot!" Fang jeered, reaching for his gun—only for the beam to loop back and strike him square in the rear.

"YEEEOUCH!" Fang yelped, springing into the air before crashing down, his rear smoking from the hit. He lay on the ground groaning in pain, thoroughly defeated and humiliated.

A moment of stunned silence followed, broken only by the sound of Fang's pained groans. Tails, Milla, and Torque stared in disbelief at the absurd conclusion to the fight.

Torque scratched his head, offering a nervous grin. "Uh… great job, team?"

"…Torque?" Tails began, but before he could ask any questions, a loud thunk drew their attention. Slowly, they turned to see a massive bomb—easily ten times the size of any before—lying ominously on the ground. Its timer ticked down, and the hissing sound filled the air.

Bean, still dazed, blinked at the bomb and muttered innocently, "Whoops, it slipped."

Everyone, including the Hooligans, stared in horror at the massive bomb.

"H-h-how…?" Torque stammered, his voice trembling.

Fang, still lying on the ground, groaned in pain. "Don't… Just don't ask," he muttered weakly, clutching his sore rear.

The bomb's hissing grew louder as the timer continued to tick down. A shared sense of panic spread through the group as they realized what was about to happen.

Relic Mountain – Outside the Remains of the Egg-Bullet

Below the mountain, the chaotic scene around the wrecked Egg-Bullet was a hive of activity. Shang Tu soldiers worked tirelessly to clear the wreckage, collecting robot parts and attempting to uncover the blocked entrance to the Kingdom Stone's chamber. The air was filled with the sounds of clanging metal, grunts of exertion, and the occasional spark from damaged machinery.

Richard, still shaky from the earlier chaos, cautiously approached Neera, who was now much more rested. "You sure they're inside?" he asked, his voice tinged with nervousness.

Neera nodded firmly. "Yes, I'm sure," she replied with a hint of impatience. "They were at the front of the train when it crashed, and there are no signs of them anywhere else."

"Well, it's going to take days, if not weeks, to unblock the path," Dexter yawned lazily, stretching his arms above his head. "So unless we find another entrance, I don't think we would—"

BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted from the back of the mountain, sending trees and chunks of rock flying into the sky. The ground shook violently, the shockwave knocking several soldiers off their feet. Smoke and debris filled the air, and a deafening roar echoed through the valley.

Dexter sprang into the air, his eyes wide with shock, before falling back onto his rear. "Ahhh! The day of reckoning! Dark Gaia is upon us!" he cried out, his voice filled with panic.

"Ihhhhh!" Richard, caught completely off guard, fainted again, collapsing in a heap. The rest of the soldiers scrambled for cover, their faces pale with fear as they tried to make sense of the sudden explosion.

Neera, however, remained calm, her gaze fixed on the source of the blast. As she watched the smoke rise from the mountaintop, her eyes narrowed. "…We found them," she said dryly.

As smoke kept rising from above.

{A/N}

What Bean is referring to regarding the 'eight chaos emerald incident' has to do with the Fang the Hunter comics from IDW. Which means that the IDW comics are also canon to this story, does this change or add anything to the story? No, not really.