Knuckles seems concerned about the Master Emerald, and you want to make sure he's okay. Plus, you never know when he might do something reckless, so you head off towards where he was seen wandering off.
As you pass a few random Rebellion members, you notice they're trying to make an awkward, quick exit. Getting closer, you then hear a lot of yelling. Yup, Knuckles is definitely nearby. You round a corner and find Knuckles and Shade facing Rouge, all of them pretty upset.
"Who're you calling a rockbrain, batgirl?!" the red echidna snarls.
Rouge rolls her eyes. "You, you rockbrain," she snaps, "What business do you have getting upset? I'm just pointing out the obvious. You're a lousy guardian with rocks for brains! It's a wonder it hasn't smashed to pieces long before I discovered it!"
Knuckles tightened his fists, "I told you, I was distracted, and I didn't have time to double back and grab it!"
"Yeah," Rouge groans, "Because you forgot."
Knuckles' red face starts turning even redder. "Well, I didn't see you reminding me!"
"Why should I? I'm not the guardian, remember?" She smirks, "If you had handed me the Master Emerald the first time we met, we wouldn't be in this mess."
"That's enough!" Shade shouts, stepping in front of Knuckles, "If it weren't for Knuckles, your dimension would've been destroyed by now! He's done a lot of good, way more than you have in this entire trip!"
Rouge narrows her eyes at the female echidna. "May I remind you who exactly was able to steal back Zoah's Chaos Emerald, AND gave the finishing blow to that one N'rrgl beast?! THIS rockhead on the other hand got his butt handed to him by an Iron-Clad SWATbot, and heck even by YOU!"
"That doesn't make him the things you describe him as," Shade growls.
"Sweetie," Rouge nearly hisses, "You haven't known Knuckles as long as I have. If you did, you would agree with me what a dummy he is."
"I know enough that he's a brave, strong, loyal guardian," Shade responds sharply, "And I don't like for one moment the way you speak down to him so much!"
"You're so naïve, it's pathetic," Rouge crosses her arm, "You're pretty much perfect for each other in that sense."
Knuckles becomes more flustered, his face getting even redder from both rage and embarrassment. He glances over and notices you standing nearby. "Sonic, help me out here!" he shouts, "You've known me longer than anyone here. I'm not always an idiot, am I? Haven't I always come through for you when you need me?"
If you Agree with Shade, Go to Chapter 6
If you Agree with Rouge, Go to Chapter 7