Emerald the Lynx, thanks so much for the review! To answer your question, no Sana's name was not inspired by Princess Sara from the OVA. It is actually based on the name from a character named Sana Futaba from the Puella Magi Madoka Magica Magia Record video game.
Enjoy!
Entry 34
Green Hill Zone
''I hear my name blow through the wind, temptation to chase but who knows where it goes. I don't have a choice, the race begins, leaving behind a life that nobody chose.''
– So Much More… by Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
xXxXxXx
Sonic stretched his arms, listening to the rustling of leaves, feeling the gentle breeze on his fur as he lied on a thick tree branch, having taken a nap. Below him was Lucas, sitting on the grass and trying to clean his hoverboard, which was drenched thanks to a particular someone deciding to cross Cosmo River and kicking up a wave that almost left Lucas soaking wet. Lucas glared up at the hedgehog, who appeared to have sensed his unspoken anger, curved his lips into a sheepish smile, sweatdropping as he still kept his eyes closed, acting like nothing was wrong. Admittedly, Lucas wasn't the type to get annoyed or angry easily, and despite the tension in the air, Sonic was confident that he wasn't in trouble. Lucas just stared at him, wondering if Sonic would falter, but when he didn't, he sighed.
''You know, there is something I've been wondering lately,'' Lucas started, only to hear an audible sigh of relief from above, causing him to snort in amusement before continuing, ''Have you ever thought of visiting other countries?''
''Well, sure. Blaze and Sana invited us to the Surya Empire and we promised to visit them,'' Sonic responded.
''I meant more in the sense of going on an adventure on your own somewhere that is not Neos City, or even the whole of Starpoint Area,'' Lucas replied. Sonic hummed.
''I guess I could do that…'' He lowered his gaze, giving Lucas a questioning look. ''Why are you asking?''
''I had figured that you might be getting bored staying here. Neos City has a lot of stuff to offer, but still, wouldn't you get bored at some point and just seek a change of scenery?'' Lucas asked. Sonic sat up, a bit intrigued by Lucas' question.
''You sound like you're trying to get rid off me,'' he said, grinning as he saw Lucas giving him a flustered look, clearly about to explain himself, with Sonic adding. ''Hey, chill, I was just joking.''
''You almost gave me a heart-attack,'' Lucas said, trying to sound irritated, but it was clear that he was on the verge of laughing. Sonic then leapt off the tree and sat next to Lucas.
''I could just leave Neos City whenever I want to, and maybe it'll happen one day, but that doesn't mean that I'd do it because of boredom,'' he explained. ''I like being at Neos City. After all, this is where all of my friends are, and we also know that Dr. Eggman has his base somewhere here. I can't just leave so easily.''
''Really?'' Lucas gave him a curious look.
''Yeah!'' Sonic exclaimed, acting as if it was obvious, and then started counting on his fingers. ''I already made several plans with my friends, like my training with Shadow, going on a hunt with Amy to find the best confectionery stores, searching for Rouge together with Knuckles since he is suspicious about her absence, having a hoverboard race with Jet, helping Silver with his vegetable garden, testing Tails' new invention, and of course, hanging out with you, Lucas.'' Sonic then grinned widely. ''See, I wouldn't even have the time to leave, since I'm so busy.''
Lucas simply chuckled in response, well aware that with his super speed, Sonic could easily get everything done in a short time, but decided not to continue the argument, feeling that Sonic had already proven his point. He was adamant to stay.
''Besides, I'm certain that you'll be doing your best to keep up with me.''
''Huh?'' Lucas gave Sonic a confused look.
''Your hoverboard! You're keeping asking Warren for modifications and then trying out how fast it goes in order to keep up with me. Don't think that I didn't notice,'' Sonic replied.
''Well, isn't that obvious?'' Lucas asked, still puzzled. ''You're fast, and as your partner, I don't want to slow you down.''
''I really appreciate it,'' Sonic replied, taking a deep breath and leaning against the tree, thinking a bit about their situation.
He understood well that Lucas had his own concerns in regards to their partnership. He wasn't someone who would want to go on some exhilarating adventure unless he had to be convinced, so him actually trying to race against the blue hedgehog was a huge step out of his comfort zone. Sonic wondered what Lucas' limits were, how far he would actually go to keep up with him, but he wasn't going to test that now all of sudden. After all, this was supposed to be something they'd both enjoy, and Sonic actually had plans for doing something that would be more at Lucas' pace. Both of them loved reading books, and Sonic wanted to surprise him with a quiet day at home. Of course, that would only happen as long as they weren't any attacks from Dr. Eggman, Ferra and Metal Sonic, or any of the Irregulars not affiliated with them.
''That's how it works, partners look out for each other,'' Sonic said loudly, not even noticing that he was voicing his thoughts until Lucas gave him a confused look.
''Uh, what do you mean?'' Lucas asked.
''I've just been musing about something,'' Sonic responded, giving him a sheepish smile.
xXx
Tails hummed as he read the data on the screen. He and Warren had managed to salvage something from Dr. Starline's AR Field generators, and they focused on how the platypus managed to lock them inside the AR Field and how to escape them from the inside. They had managed to develop a device that would affect the AR Field as long as the device was in use, but it needed further testing, and for that, they would have to recreate the AR Field Starline used and have one of their friends stay inside it. Tails asked Sonic for his help, who agreed, but also explained that he would be busy with hanging out with Lucas. Understanding that he wanted some bonding time with his partner, Tails instead decided to enter the AR Field himself and trying to break out of it. As a precaution, Warren would monitor the AR Field from the outside and if he got stuck, get Tails out remotely.
''I think we got everything,'' Tails said, turning to Warren. Warren placed his thumb over his lips, staring at the screen for a moment. He then turned to Tails.
''I suppose we could've done more, but yeah, I think we should move to the testing phase,'' Warren said, reaching for the device and placing it in the middle of the room. ''Ready?''
''Ready!'' Tails nodded, the device that would help him escape already in his hand. Warren activated the AR Field generator and the twin-tailed fox entered the barely visible, flickering AR Field. The AR Field itself was quite generic. It was just a grassland spreading endlessly with a bright blue sky and a sun partially obscured by clouds. Overall, nothing special. Tails then tapped his AR Visor, a holographic screen appearing beside him. Unlike the one Starline used, this AR Field allowed for communication between him and Warren.
''I'll try to get out of the AR Field without the Exit App,'' Tails told Warren.
Warren nodded in response and turned back to the computer screen, monitoring his partner's state. The way AR Fields were designed was that the person would find themselves inside a field that was placed like a layer over whatever location in the real world. While AR Fields didn't have a visible exit, unless one programmed one into it. However, there would be strange flickering where the exit of the AR Field was and Tails searched for it. He started walking around, but as he had expected, he couldn't find any exit.
''Warren, I'm trapped. I'll try to see whether I can use the Exit App,'' Tails said.
''Got it!''
Tails held up the device, pressing the button on it in hopes to distort the AR Field. ''Does it work?''
''It looks like it does. There is a distortion,'' Warren replied, noting the waves emitting from the Exit App. He fell silent, reading the incoming data, only to suddenly get a wave of errors. ''Wh-What the-?! Tails, are you okay?!'' In panic, Warren turned to the monitor, which now showed just static. He quickly turned to the computer, turning the AR Field off manually, with Tails appearing in the middle of the room, looking completely dazed.
''Tails, are you okay?'' Warren quickly walked over to his partner, checking on him. Fortunately, he didn't appear to be injured.
''Yeah, I am, but the AR Field suddenly started to fall apart,'' Tails replied, rubbing his temple. ''It seems as if the Exit App made everything worse.''
Warren sighed. ''If we managed to recreate Starline's AR Fields correctly, this would mean that he also had some kind of fail-safe in case someone had figured a way to escape them.''
''There has to be a way to exit those AR Fields without them falling apart,'' Tails said, walking over to the computer and looking at the data. ''Perhaps, we could use a sudden energy spike to break through it.''
''Or, perhaps it would be possible to teleport out of them?'' Warren suggested. Tails furrowed a brow.
''You mean, as in using Chaos Control? Should we call Shadow and Touka?'' he asked.
''I suppose we should try out all kinds of approaches,'' Warren replied, shrugging as he smiled sheepishly. ''Let's just hope they'll agree with this experiment.''
xXx
Shadow hummed as he threw another chocolate-coated coffee bean into his mouth, then returned the small bag of coffee beans to the plastic bag he was carrying. Kisaki had had asked him and Touka to go to the grocery store to buy some ingredients for dinner. Neither was in the mood for going to the grocery store, so they played Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide who'd go. Obviously, Shadow lost.
I suppose it isn't that bad. I got myself a snack out of this deal. Shadow smirked, imagining Touka's annoyed look when she realized that she was deprived of some kind of snack or sweet just because she was too lazy to go along. Serves her right.
Shadow stopped when his AR Visor signaled an incoming message. Intrigued, he opened the holographic screen and saw, to his surprise, that for once, the message wasn't from Sonic, but from Tails. He was telling him how he and Warren needed his Chaos powers for a project they were working on and whether he could drop by the Taylor Workshop. Shadow thought about the proposal for a moment. He certainly wasn't in mood for any kind of experiments, especially after his awful experience at the Codex Research Facility. However, this wasn't Codex and he knew that he could trust Tails and Warren. If they were calling him for help, it had to be for a good reason. After thinking about it for a moment, he vanished in a flash of cyan light, appearing in the living room of the Kageura household, startling Kisaki.
''Shadow, you're back-'' Kisaki was felt her heart racing when Shadow appeared right in front of her, only for him to reach for something inside the plastic bag before giving it to her.
''Where's Touka?'' he asked.
''Upstairs, why?'' Kisaki asked.
''We have something to do,'' Shadow replied curtly. Kisaki just smiled in response, figuring it had to do with his and Touka's newfound friends. After all, they would sometimes talk about Team Neos and what they did.
''Okay, but could you do me a favor?'' Kisaki asked, with Shadow stopping on the stairs to turn to her. ''Next time, don't give a heart-attack with your warping power.''
Shadow snorted, cracking a tiny smile. ''No promises.''
He went upstairs to the attic, spotting Touka reading a book on the bed. She looked up, noticing him staring at her. ''Hey, Shadow…''
''We're going to the Taylor Workshop,'' Shadow suddenly said as he sat on the bed, reaching for the bag with the chocolate-covered coffee beans and placing another in his mouth, eating it. Touka rose an eyebrow as she sat up.
''Why?''
''Tails asked me to help him and Warren with a project. It involves Chaos energy,'' Shadow replied, eating another coffee bean. ''I had figured that we might need Chaos Surge depending on what they're planning to do.''
''I see…'' Touka muttered, only to narrow her eyes when she saw Shadow loudly eating and enjoying the coffee beans. ''You didn't buy me anything, did you?''
''You should've come along,'' Shadow replied, smirking at her in amusement. Touka just groaned in response.
xXx
Dr. Starline placed his hand under his beak, his eyebrow raised as he stared at the monitor. He had been here for a couple of days and he had to yet understand the brilliant mind of Dr. Eggman. Fortunately, it appeared that his idol was quite flattered about his genuine interest in the project and would answer whatever question Starline had. Of course, it was obvious that Eggman was just ego-driven and as long as he had someone compliment him on his project or be interested in them, he was satisfied.
''Sir, may I ask you a question in regards to the AR Fields?'' Starline asked curiously, clearly trying to understand what was shown on the monitor before him.
''Of course, Starline,'' Eggman said, still focused on fine-tuning his project.
''Is it really necessary to make every AR Field unique? Wouldn't it be much more efficient to just create the same AR Field with minor differences to suit the victim that is trapped inside it?'' Starline asked. To his amazement, Eggman appeared to be quite amused by the question.
''If I wanted to do what you suggested, I would've done it already. However, I won't, because I want to give myself a challenge,'' Eggman responded, with Starline being confused by his response. ''I know that you want efficiency, but I believe that we should always strive for more. What is the thrill of a battle if you don't put in some flair into your style?''
''May I know what your style is, Sir?'' Starline asked curiously. ''I know that you have an affinity for robotics and that your current goal is to conquer Starpoint Area, but what do you plan to do with it? I imagine that turning it into an industrial zone would be the end goal.''
''While I wouldn't mind more factories for my Badniks, I actually have other plans with it,'' Eggman responded, snapping his fingers. On the monitor above them appeared a huge map with the Eggman Empire logo, with Starline wondering what they were looking at. ''This is Eggmanland, a city/amusement park hybrid and my ultimate robotic utopia. It would be the capital of the Eggman Empire, from where my rule would spread.''
Starline gave him a blank look. ''Eh… A-An amusement park?'' He shook his head, still baffled and tried to collect himself. ''I-I don't understand. Why is it an amusement park?''
''It's simple, I like amusement parks,'' Eggman replied in a blunt tone, then grinned deviously. ''If I want my enemies to suffer while surrounded by the smell of old cotton candy and oil, then I'll make it happen.''
''I see! You're quite a visionary, Sir!'' Starline said, having to admit that, while shocking, Eggman's idea of turning Neos City and, by proxy, Starpoint Area into an amusement park was a rather unique.
''Of course I am,'' Eggman said, putting the finishing touches to the AR Fields. ''As for Sonic and his friends, they will fight on the battle field I have chosen.''
xXx
Warren and Tails heard a knock on the door, with Warren opening it and seeing Touka and Shadow waiting outside, with Shadow addressing them, ''You said that you needed my help with something.''
''Yeah, we do,'' Tails said, motioning to him to follow him inside. ''Remember how Sonic, Knuckles and I got stuck inside those AR Fields Starline had created?'' Shadow nodded. ''Warren and I had managed to recreate it, and we're currently trying to figure out how to break out of it. One of the ideas we had was the use of Chaos Control.''
''Do you really need Chaos Conntrol to escape an AR Field?'' Shadow asked, raising an eyebrow.
''We have tried out other methods, and we figured that we should also take a shot at Chaos Control,'' Warren explained. ''Will you be okay with that?''
''What do I have to do?'' Shadow asked.
''You simply enter the AR Field and then try to warp out of it with Chaos Control,'' Tails said, pointing at the computer nearby. ''Warren and I will monitor what is going on, and in the case you cannot escape it, we'll turn off the AR Field remotely.''
Shadow scoffed, while Touka rolled her eyes at his reaction. ''I don't think that will be necessary.''
''We just want to be ready for anything,'' Tails replied. ''Besides, if Starline teams up with Eggman and they attempt to use these kinds of AR Fields, we'll know how to escape them.''
''I see,'' Shadow muttered, with Tails then pressing a few buttons on the computer and activating the AR Field. Shadow then entered it, finding himself inside a green field. A holographic monitor opened beside him, with Tails appearing on it.
''Okay, could just activate your Chaos powers, but without using Chaos Control? I want to see how the AR Field reacts to it,'' Tails explained. Shadow nodded and closed his eyes, Chaos energy crackling across his body, then waited for further instructions.
In the meantime, Touka was looking over Warren's shoulder at the computer monitor, the latter looking at the incoming data. ''Is this good news or bad news?''
''I'd say it's neutral news. The AR Field doesn't appear to be affected by just having the Chaos energy active,'' Warren replied.
''Perhaps, Shadow should try using Chaos Blast?'' Touka suggested in a dry tone.
''No, that might either have no effect on the AR Field or destroy it,'' Tails responded, turning to the monitor again. ''Okay, now try Chaos Control.''
He received no response from the dark hedgehog within the AR Field, who was enveloped in a cyan flash of light and then promptly appeared back inside the workshop. Understandably stunned by Shadow's feat, Tails quickly turned to the monitor, him and Warren analyzing the results. ''It looks like, while the AR Field did get distorted for a moment, it didn't fall apart.''
''How do you feel?'' Touka asked Shadow, who looked at his gloved hands, then turned back to his sister.
''I feel no different than usual,'' he told her.
''It seems that one can indeed use Chaos Control to escape those AR Fields,'' Warren said, only for Shadow to cut him off.
''Hmph, was there any doubt?'' he asked. Warren just gave him a sheepish look.
''I believe that we now have our answer to why Starline didn't target you, Shadow,'' Tails said. ''Those AR Fields can't contain Chaos energy.''
''I have my doubts that this will be a permanent weakness,'' Shadow replied, with Tails and Warren giving him a confused look. ''You saw Dr. Eggman creating a robot that could withstand my Chaos Blast and even Silver's psychokinesis. If Dr. Starline is with him, they have probably found a way to overcome this obvious flaw.''
''Yeah, you're right,'' Tails responded, only to give him a confident gaze. ''That's why we plan on researching it until we find a way to counter it. Your Chaos Control is a good start.''
Shadow simply nodded in acknowledgement.
xXx
''Orbot, I want a status report! Where are the rodent and his friends?'' Dr. Eggman told the red spherical robot, who pored over a monitor.
''We have a signal coming from Sentoraru-'' Orbot paused, turning to the monitor again.
''Oh, it's now at Erekiteru… no, now it's going towards Kita,'' Cubot chimed in.
''That has to be Sonic,'' Eggman grumbled, taking a look at the monitor as the signal changed at rapid speed. ''It looks like the rodent has gone out for a run. So, let's slow him down a bit. Dr. Starline, if you please.''
''Of course, Doctor!'' Dr. Starline bowed to his idol and then turned to the nearby computer and pressed a button. Then, a new screen opened in front of all of them, Ferra and Metal Sonic standing in the back of the room and observing what was going on. As expected, the monitor before them showed Sonic and Lucas trapped inside a custom-made AR Field, one filled with greenery and palm trees, and surrounded by a sea and waterfalls.
''Ho, ho, ho, this turned out better than I had expected!'' Eggman laughed mirthfully, a malicious grin spreading on his expression. ''Welcome to Act 1, Hedgehog!''
xXx
Sonic and Lucas had to admit that they had absolutely no clue what had happened. One moment, they were racing towards Kita, the next they found themselves in a completely new place. It was a giant field blessed with greenery and beautiful blue lakes. Topographically, it varied from having a plateau-like terrain, with short mountains; to being a mountainous area with massive mountains, slopping cliffs, giant peaks, and tight paths high up in the sky supported by natural pillars. Either way, the location was filled with large waterfall vistas, palm trees, and tropical flora of various types. Most distinctively, the soil was checkered brown, and most of the local plant life appeared to have unfamiliar geometric appearances to it. However, what made this place incredibly unique was the ''crazy'' terrain. Though there were gently-slopping hills, the whole area was filled to the brim with impressive set pieces such as loops, corkscrews, floating platforms, tunnels, among others; which left an impression of a ''twisty, bouncy beauty of nature''.
''Huh, where are we?'' Sonic asked, both confused by this location and mesmerized by it. It felt quite familiar, albeit in an uncanny way, as if he was here before. ''Hey, Lucas, do you know… Uh, Lucas?'' Sonic cast a puzzled look at his partner, who appeared to be not only astonished by their surroundings, but also seemed to have recognized them. However, he didn't respond to Sonic's call, still trying to process what he was seeing. ''Hey, Earth to Lucas!''
''Huh?'' Lucas shook his head as he felt Sonic tugging his hand, the Hedgehog giving him a questioning look.
''Dude, you look like you saw a ghost,'' Sonic told him. ''Do you know where we are?''
''Yeah, I do… and I can't believe that we're here,'' Lucas replied. ''This is Green Hill Zone!''
''Green Hill…'' Sonic trailed off, trying to remember where he heard those words before, only to snap his fingers. ''You mean, from the video games?''
''Yeah, exactly!'' Lucas nodded in response, then stared at his surroundings. ''But, I don't understand- How did we end up here? Is this an AR Field?''
''I'll call Tails, maybe he and Warren can help us,'' Sonic replied, tapping on his AR Visor. However, the holographic screen that appeared before him showed nothing but static. ''Uh, this is not good.'' Sonic closed the holographic screen, thinking about their situation for a moment, only to frown and give Lucas a serious look. ''Hey, how much do you want to bet that this is another one of Eggman's schemes?''
''Well, he seems to be the type of person who'd come up with something like this,'' Lucas responded, placing his hands on his hips. ''I suppose that we're inside an AR Field, because there's no way that Green Hill would just appear out of nowhere.'' He then furrowed a brow, groaning in annoyance, ''Why Green Hill, though? Why not some other place? I get it, it's iconic, but I dunno, couldn't we have gone to some other place? Maybe Little Planet or Angel Island or some other place? I don't mind being here, but still…''
''For someone who doesn't mind being in Green Hill, you sound just as grumpy as Shadow,'' Sonic commented, giving him a sly smile.
''You'd be also fed up with Green Hill if the video games tried to kept shoving it down your throat as the standard location instead of coming up with something new,'' Lucas replied. ''Trust me, I'm not the only person who complained about it.''
''So, what do we do now?'' Sonic asked. Lucas reached for his hoverboard, taking a deep breath.
''I suppose we should find an exit, if there is one,'' he replied.
''Right, because there is no way Egghead would leave us here without some kind of challenge,'' Sonic added, and then took a starting position. Lucas rose an eyebrow. ''Well, if we're already here, why not play along with the game? Who knows, maybe it'll be fun.''
Lucas snorted in amusement, getting on the hoverboard. ''Okay, but watch out where you're going. I'm sure that there will be trap and Badniks.''
''Pfft, as if that is going to be any problem for me,'' Sonic replied, then focused on the green path before him. ''Ready, set, go!''
At once, both Sonic and Lucas then raced down Green Hill Zone, hoping to find a way to escape it.
xXx
''Hey, Makoto, Silver!''
The teenager and the teenage hedgehog looked up, surprised when they heard Lily calling for them, her and Knuckles approaching the two at Eden.
''Hey, guys, what brings you here?'' Silver asked.
''We've been searching for Rouge. Have you seen her anywhere?'' Knuckles asked.
''No, I'm sorry, but we didn't see her,'' Silver replied, glancing at Makoto, who shook his head in response.
''Why are you searching for her?'' Makoto asked.
''Because she hadn't appeared to challenge me in the past few days. This is not her usual behavior,'' Knuckles answered.
''We had asked Sonic to keep an eye out for her,'' Lily added. ''We also came across Minami and Amy, and they told us they'd be looking out for her.''
Makoto fell silent for a moment, humming. ''I don't know whether this will help, but I heard from a visitor how a white Irregular has been terrorizing people at Kita. The Hunters were on the case, but the Irregular has disappeared before they could get them.''
''A white Irregular…'' Lily muttered, trailing off. Knuckles suddenly shook his head, his arms crossed on his chest.
''I sincerely doubt that it is Rouge,'' he told them. ''She wouldn't be interested in tormenting people unless they have gems on their person.''
''Yeah, you're right,'' Makoto noted.
''Why are you so worried about Rouge?'' Silver asked Knuckles. The echidna frowned, glaring at the hedgehog.
''I am not worried about her. I am well aware that she's capable of taking care of herself,'' Knuckles told him, with Silver's mouth opening as he gave the echidna a stunned look.
''Uh, that's not what I meant-''
''I've been merely trying to figure out what her next move is,'' Knuckles continued. Before Silver, or Makoto for that matter, could respond, both suddenly disappeared. Knuckles and Lily were shocked when their friends vanished, only for the surroundings around them to morph and turn into a completely different location.
Lily felt the ground beneath her vanishing and finding herself mid-air. She fell, but was saved just in time by Knuckles, who had grabbed her hand, holding onto a stone platform. ''Hold on!''
''Don't let go!'' Lily shouted back, the wind whistling in her ears and her legs flailing as the echidna tried to pull her up. She didn't dare to look down below, instead try to grab onto the edges of the platform. Knuckles grunted, putting all of his strength into pulling her up. Luckily, he managed to pull her over the edge, with Lily crawling onto the platform and both sitting down as they tried to catch their breath.
''Are you okay?'' Knuckles asked her.
''Yeah, but…'' Lily rubbed her temple, looking around. ''Where are we? This is not Eden.''
''It appears that we're at some kind of floating platform,'' Knuckles replied, with both taking a closer look at their surroundings.
The place appeared to be is an ancient, aerial temple, located high up in the sky above the clouds. It was made up of ancient ruins made of white, mossy stone that float in the sky; as well as of dark blue glass with a technological pattern. There were various pieces of ancient technology, but the ruins themselves, however, were very damaged, and looked like they would collapse at any moment. Apart from the moss, fruit palm trees were also in the area. Both Knuckles and Lily felt weirdly familiar with this location, with Knuckles feeling as if he had been here before, while Lily was certain that she did see it before. It took her a moment to remember.
''Wait, are we… in Sky Sanctuary?'' she asked aloud. Knuckles gave her a confused look.
''Sky… Sanctuary?'' he asked, feeling as if he should be familiar with that name. Lily perked up, walking around the platform.
''Yeah, this is Sky Sanctuary! We're on Angel Island, a place in the Sonic the Hedgehog video games!'' Lily explained to him. She breathed, almost laughing due to just how shocked she was by the sudden realization. ''Knux, we can go explore Angel Island, maybe even go find the Master Emerald!''
''The Master Emerald?'' Knuckles narrowed his eyes, remembering how Lily had told him how the Master Emerald had been protected by the in-game character he was based on. ''I suppose we could, but wouldn't it be better to learn how we had ended up on Angel Island.''
''Yeah, you're right,'' Lily replied, giving him a sheepish smile. ''I suppose I got caught up in the moment.''
''I understand your desire to explore the island. Perhaps, we might find an answer in regards to how we had ended up here,'' Knuckles replied. ''Do you know your way around here?''
''Well, we are at Sky Sanctuary, so give me a moment until I figure out where we should go next,'' Lily said, looking around as if searching for a clue. ''If I remember correctly, Sky Sanctuary is supposed to be accessed via teleporters from Hidden Palace Zone, and it also has a connection to the Starfall Islands. Perhaps, we might even run into a Chao.'' Lily turned to her partner. ''We should go explore for now and familiarize ourselves with the area.''
Knuckles nodded, with the two then getting off the floating platform and taking one of the walkways through the Zone, hoping to find an answer to their situation.