This was a fun yet difficult chapter to write lol. I don't know if it's perfect, but it's better than nothing, I suppose. ^^;
Either way, I hope you all enjoy! :)
NOTE: I ONLY OWN MY OC(s)! EVERYTHING ELSE BELONGS TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS!
CHAPTER 9: VOICES UNHEARD
It was another beautiful morning in Mystic Ruins. Within the outskirts of the jungle, Selene was having a lovely walk, humming to herself with a smile on her face. She had woken up pretty early and decided to get some air while everyone else was fast asleep.
She was certainly amazed when she saw an ancient temple in the heart of the jungle during her walk. As much as she would love to explore the inside, she decided to put that on hold and maybe ask Sonic if he can be her escort at a later date. She recalled him telling her how he ended up in the temple during the Chaos incident, even finding a mural depicting the god in his monstrous form. Will it match like it was depicted in her history books? Hopefully she'll get her answer one way or another.
Selene took a deep breath and let out a happy sigh, her smile still plastered on her face. "Ahhh, the air feels so nice, and the weather's perfect! It makes me want to sing!" She twirled around with her arms spread wide, her dress and long quills flowed with her movement.
And she decided to do just that as she made her way back to the workshop after being away for who knows how long.
"There's music in the treetops, and there's music in the vale, and all around the music fills the sky," Selene sang with feeling as she skipped her way to the jungle's exit, unaware that she was getting attention from the local fauna. "There's music by the river, and there's music in the grass, and the music makes your heart soar in reply."
She continued her song by vocalizing as she danced without a care in the world. All of the animals were captivated by her enchanting voice that they followed her out of the jungle with smiles on their adorable faces. Selene finished her song with one final twirl, and all of the animals cheered. The merhog finally noticed her audience and couldn't help but coo at how cute they were.
"Oh, thank you so much," Selene giggled as she kneeled down and gave the critters loving pats. "You're too kind."
"Wow!"
Selene was startled by the unexpected voice and turned around to see the rest of her friends. All but Curry, Petri, and Verde were staring at the merhog with wide eyes and dropped jaws, to the point that they could almost detach themselves from their faces. And while Sonic had heard Selene sing before, he never heard her sing like that, which certainly took him by surprise.
"Oh…" Selene suddenly grew nervous and began to sweat a bit. "You…um…you didn't hear me…um…"
"Singing in the most beautiful voice ever?!" Amy exclaimed with stars in her eyes, her hands clasped to her chest after hearing that beautiful performance.
"Uh, yeah, we did!" Silver nodded enthusiastically, his quills bouncing with each head movement.
Selene's eyes shrank at hearing this. They heard her singing, and she didn't realize it? She was always so careful when it came to that! Squeaking in horror, she dashed toward the lake before anyone could blink and dived right in to hide her embarrassment.
Everyone stared at the lake dumbfounded at what just happened, but Verde, Petri, and Curry had looks of sympathy while looking at each other with knowing looks on their faces.
The merhog received a compliment on her singing, and she just bolted?
What gives?
After Selene calmed herself down, everyone went back into the workshop to have some breakfast. Cream, Silver, and Blaze already ate before arriving a while ago, so the former was watching some TV on the couch while the latter two kept her company. Amy also ate beforehand, so she offered to make everyone else some buttermilk waffles with a side of breakfast sausage.
"Mmmmm…" Tails munched on his waffles happily, his two namesakes wagging to showcase his mood. The taste of butter and maple syrup made his taste buds go through the roof! He swallowed before looking at Amy with a smile. "Thank you so much for breakfast, Amy. I feel bad that you had to cook."
"Oh, don't worry about it!" Amy assured with a dismissive wave while cooking another delicious batch. "I love working in the kitchen."
"These are delicious!" Knuckles complimented as he took a bite of his waffles that were covered in grapes. "I can't remember the last time I had breakfast this good!"
"That's because you always forage for fruit on your island," Sonic snickered as he popped a piece of breakfast sausage in his mouth. "You gotta have some variety, man."
"Hey! There are a wide variety of fruits, hedgehog!"
While the rivals turned friends bickered, Selene was eating her waffles quietly. She was still embarrassed about being caught singing earlier. It was one thing to sing while surrounded by animals or even one person who just happened to be nearby. But a whole group of people? That's too much to handle!
Verde noticed her friend's silence and couldn't help but roll her eyes. She raised her hand and flicked the merhog princess on the side of her head.
Selene yelped at the sudden pain and rubbed her head before narrowing her eyes at the merchidna. "What was that for?"
"Come on, chica," Verde lightly scolded. "You gotta stop moping about everyone hearing you sing. It was bound to happen sooner or later."
"Well, excuse me for lacking the confidence to perform in front of a crowd," the merhog grumbled before shoving a piece of waffle in her mouth.
"But you sang in front of the animals," Tails pointed out in confusion as he, Knuckles, and Sonic heard the two Mermobians' bickering.
"That's different," Selene defended after swallowing her food. "They don't say actual words to judge you." She sighed and looked down in embarrassment. "I can take on robots, dangerous sea creatures, and typical bad guys; but I can't even sing a simple song in front of a crowd…"
"What about singing with other people?" Sonic asked curiously. "You know, like a choir?"
"Oh, I've helped with choirs and stuff back home," Selene confirmed with a soft smile. "I suppose singing with a group of people puts me more at ease since you're not singled out and that your voice is mixed in with everyone else."
Amy seemed to understand what the merhog's implying as she looked over her shoulder and offered her a sympathetic look after putting some batter in the waffle maker. "Ahhhh, so it's singing by yourself that makes you feel insecure."
Selene looked down in shame, confirming the pink hedgehog's guess. "Yeah…"
"Awww, don't worry, Selene," Petri patted her big sister figure on the back with a comforting smile. "Not everybody has the nerve to perform solo. You shouldn't let that get you down."
"She's right, Sis," Curry added as he brought his empty plate to the sink, giving his sister's shoulder an affectionate pat along the way. "Don't force yourself into doing something that makes you uncomfortable."
"I know…" Selene sighed dejectedly.
"Well, I really like your singing, Miss Selene," Cream chimed in as she, Cheese, Silver, and Blaze turned their heads around to look at everyone at the table. The little rabbit gave the merhog a beaming smile as her eyes sparkled. "You remind me of Snow White!" She pointed to the TV. "See?"
Everyone looked to see that Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was currently playing on the TV. The scene that's being played was the iconic princess singing in the forest after being forced to run away, and all of the animals came out of hiding as they enjoyed her presence.
Funny, didn't they see something like this with their own eyes moments ago? Wow, talk about a coincidence!
Realizing this, Sonic grinned mischievously and he looked at Selene. "Are you sure you're not a Disney Princess?"
"S-Stop that!" Selene pouted at the blue hedgehog, who chuckled in amusement before drinking his glass of orange juice in satisfaction. "That's just a coincidence!"
Before the conversation could go any further, the sound of knocking could be heard as everyone turned toward the front door in confusion.
"Who could that be?" Amy asked curiously as she placed more waffles on the table.
"I'll get it!" Cream volunteered as she hopped off the couch and skipped toward the door. As soon as she opened the door, she smiled happily as three familiar figures appeared on the other side. "Miss Rouge! Mr. Shadow! Mr. Omega!"
Rouge smiled at Cream and gave her head a gentle rub, making the little one giggle. "Hello, sweetie. Do you mind if we come in?"
"Not at all," Cream answered with a shake of her head. She stepped aside as Team Dark entered the workshop and then closed the door.
"Well, well, well," Sonic grinned as he rested his elbow on the table, propping his head with his fist as he eyed the three individuals. "I was wondering what happened to you guys."
"Hmph," Shadow eyed his light counterpart in annoyance as he crossed his arms. "I don't recall ever hearing that we had to stay in touch after parting ways." He turned to Blaze and Silver, offering an acknowledging nod. "Blaze. Silver."
"Hello, Shadow," Blaze nodded back. "I'm glad to see you and your teammates are in good health."
"If you guys are hungry, Amy's making waffles," Silver added with a grin.
"Oooooh, that sounds delicious," Rouge beamed as she clapped her hands in glee. "I'll take you up on that offer."
"Coming right up!" Amy giggled as she got to work. She looked at Shadow with a questionable gaze. "Do you want some, Shadow?"
"No thanks," Shadow answered. He then let out an annoyed groan when he saw Omega sitting in an armchair watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with an intense gaze. "Omega, stop that."
"But this is Walt Disney's very first animated movie," Omega beeped in protest. "It is a classic and brings joy to all."
"Since when are you a Disney fan?" Knuckles questioned with a raised brow.
"Well, there was this one time we offered to babysit Cream at my apartment when her mother had an errand in Central City," Rouge giggled in amusement as she happily ate her freshly cooked waffle. "Cream wanted to watch Disney movies and Omega offered to be her movie buddy. He's been hooked ever since."
"Oh, that was really fun!" Cream beamed happily as she remembered that memory. "You were all great babysitters, and your apartment was really nice. Do you think I can visit again sometime?"
"I see no harm in that," Rouge giggled again before looking at her teammates. "Boys?"
"I'm okay with it," Shadow replied. He knows Cream well enough that she wouldn't cause trouble for him; he actually enjoys her company, even if he won't admit it.
"I concur," Omega then swiveled his head to look in Selene's direction. "Perhaps Ariel would like to join us in our movie time?"
…
…
"I'm sorry, did you just call me 'Ariel'?" Selene asked with wide, blinking eyes after that awkward silence.
"Affirmative," Omega answered with no hesitation. "You remind me of Ariel from The Little Mermaid. And given that you are, in fact, a mermaid with red hair, it makes logical sense for you to have that nickname."
Sonic couldn't take it anymore and bursted out laughing. Verde threw her head back and joined in on the laughter, minding her strength when her fist slammed on the table. Everyone else was at a loss for words at what Omega said. Who would've thought a robot that loves nothing but destruction would say something like that, let alone revealing to be a Disney fan.
Shadow could feel his eye twitching at this before pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration; how embarrassing.
Sonic managed to control his laughter as he wiped away a tear that threatened to fall from his eye. "Oh-ho-ho man! What a way to start my day!"
"Tell me about it!" Verde agreed wholeheartedly as she and the blue hedgehog exchanged a fist bump with goofy grins.
Poor Selene buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. "Oh, fry me and serve me with a side of tartar sauce…"
Tails then cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention, hoping to change the subject and to save Selene from any more embarrassment. "I think we're getting way off topic here." He turned to Rouge. "Did you guys have any luck finding another Chaos Emerald?"
Rouge sighed with regret written on her face. "Sorry, hun. But we couldn't find any leads. What about you?"
"We only found one," Petri answered this time, looking just as down as the Mobian bat. "So much for upgrading the tracker…"
"Hey, don't feel bad, Petri," Tails comforted the merterfly with a hearty pat on the back. "Like I said, the Chaos Emeralds can be finicky. We were lucky to even find one."
"I guess so…"
"On our way back here, we stopped by Seaside City to see if the Chaotix heard anything," Shadow said before rolling his eyes. "And before you ask, it wasn't my idea."
Rouge gave the hedgehog a pout. "Oh, well excuse me for needing more eyes and ears when the entire world could be at stake, Mr. Grumpy."
Shadow only scoffed and turned his head away, much to the bat's annoyance.
"Hmm…" Sonic pondered at this before smiling. "Actually, having the Chaotix could be helpful. Did they say anything?"
"No, but they would call me if they do," Rouge replied.
She didn't have to wait long as her phone's ringtone blared throughout the whole workshop, playing Fly in the Freedom. Blinking, the bat took her phone out of her pocket before looking at the caller ID.
"Oh, speak of the devil!" Rouge grinned before accepting the call and brought her phone up to her ear. "Vector! We were just talking about you!" She listened intently while examining her nails (even though she's wearing gloves). "Mm-hm… Interesting… Any chance you could meet up at Tails' workshop? Everyone's here along with some new friends."
While Rouge was on the phone, Sonic turned to the Mermobians with a grin. "Prepare yourselves to meet an interesting group of people."
"WELCOME TO MYSTIC RUINS STATION. PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING ALL OF YOUR BELONGINGS BEFORE DISEMBARKING THE TRAIN."
As the train slowed to a stop at the train station, the doors opened and many people exited with excited looks on their faces; eager to explore the jungle and find ruins to learn about the Knuckles Clan's past and culture.
Among the group were a trio of detectives.
One was a green crocodile with the same height as a typical human, the second figure was a purple chameleon with the average Mobian height, and the final figure was a bee around Cream's age.
The crocodile let out a sigh as he stretched his arms above his head. "Ahhhhhh… Nothin' like a good ol' train ride to get you where you need to go. Am I right, fellas?"
"Well, it is the only way to get to Tails' place, Vector," the chameleon pointed out as they made their way off the station. "But I suppose it has its fair share of views."
"See?" Vector grinned. "You totally get it, Espio!" Noticing a lack of footsteps or the sound of buzzing wings behind them, the crocodile groaned in annoyance before looking over his shoulder. "Come on, Charmy! Pick up the pace!"
Charmy let out a yawn as he finally got his wings moving to hover next to his friends. He gave them a tired look as he tried to keep his eyes open. "Did we really need to come here? Why couldn't we get everyone to come to our place? I was close to beating my high score on my gamepad, too!"
"Our home is too small, Charmy," Espio reminded the bee as they walked up toward the steps that will get them closer to where they need to go. "Besides, it'll be a short visit, and we'll most likely see them again after we give them the info we have found."
The little bee let out another moan. "Okay, okay…"
"Not to mention that we got ourselves some newcomers," Vector added with a grin. "And you know what that means?" He spread his arms wide. "This is an opportunity to spread the word about our business!"
Espio sighed as they approached the workshop. "Vector, please try and focus on the task at hand."
"Don't worry, I can multitask," Vector assured the chameleon, unaware that the latter rolled his eyes. He proceeded to knock on the door.
"It's open!" Tails called out from the other side.
Vector opened the door with a grin and gave a big wave to the occupants as he and his fellow teammates entered the workshop. "HEYO!"
"Yo, Vector!" Sonic grinned as he walked over to shake the crocodile's hand. "How are you guys doing?"
"Oh, we're doing amazing, Sonic!" Vector responded with gusto. "Our business has been booming since the war." He turned to the others, who were all chilling in the living room area. "Hey, guys!"
As everyone else made their own greetings, Selene, Petri, Verde, and Curry stepped forward with curious expressions.
Sonic grinned as they approached before looking at the Chaotix. "Gentlemen, meet our new friends: Selene, Curry, Verde, and Petri. And believe it or not, they're Mermobians."
Before the Chaotix arrived, Sonic asked Selene and the others if it was okay to reveal their identities to them. It didn't take that much convincing, so they gave him the okay.
"Really now?" Vector looked intrigued as he studied the newcomers. "Well, it's not the craziest thing we heard." He turned to Espio and Charmy. "Alright, boys! Just like we practiced!"
"Right, Boss!" Charmy exclaimed as he saluted with a grin.
Espio sighed at what was going to happen, but complied, nonetheless. He stepped forward before the Mermobians and bowed as he clasped his fist into his palm. "My name's Espio the Chameleon. It's an honor to meet you all."
"I'm Charmy Bee!" Charmy buzzed happily. "Nice to meet ya!"
"And I'm Vector the Crocodile!" Vector grinned. "And together we are…TEAM CHAOTIX!"
The three detectives then switched into stances that fit their personality and characteristics. Vector flexed his biceps like a bodybuilder, Charmy placed his hands on his hips while floating in the air like a superhero, and Espio crouched low like a typical ninja.
And where did that spotlight come from?!
While everyone watched in amusement (with Shadow rolling his eyes at the silly display), Selene and the others blinked at the sight, not expecting their introductions to be so…theatrical.
"It's, uh, lovely to meet you all," Selene finally said after processing what she just witnessed. She yelped when Vector grabbed her hand with both of his and shook it enthusiastically.
"It's lovely to meet you, too!" He grinned. "If you have a case that needs solving, the Chaotix Detective Agency is here to help you!" He then presented the merhog with a business card after letting go of her hand. "Here's our card!"
Selene took the card and examined it curiously. It was poorly made, almost as if Charmy had designed it with whatever art supplies he possessed. Her friends and brother also looked at the card, though they couldn't help but cringe a bit at the mediocre design.
"Oh, uh…" Selene gave them a nervous smile, not wanting to hurt their feelings. "Thank you very much."
Making sure the detectives weren't looking, Sonic quickly snatched the card from the merhog's hand and tossed it over his shoulder. Selene gave him a questioning look, but the hedgehog's look said to not worry about it. Besides, what would the Chaotix do if there was a case that needed solving underwater?
Little did they know, Espio saw the whole thing. But he wasn't upset, he was more amused than anything. They really need to make better business cards anyway.
Rouge then approached the trio of detectives, her heels clicking along the hardwood floor. "So, boys. What exactly did you find out?"
This snapped Vector out of his little daydream of gaining not one, but four new customers. "Oh! R-Right!" He cleared his throat to focus on the task at hand. "Charmy, show them the flyer!"
…
…
"Charmy?" Both Vector and Espio turned to see what was keeping Charmy, and to their surprise, they saw Charmy staring ahead with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.
When they finished their introductions, Charmy decided to get a better look at the Mermobians. But when his eyes landed on Petri, he was stunned. She was a bug, just like him! And not just any bug, a butterfly!
"Woooooooooooooooow…" Charmy muttered as hearts formed in his eyes.
Through the Mobian bee's eyes, he could see sparkles surrounding the young merterfly. And he could've sworn he was hearing one of those cheesy jazz songs that he would hear over the radio or from one of Vector's favorite soap operas.
Of course, Petri had no idea what was going on with Charmy. She tilted her head in confusion as the bee wasn't paying attention and was staring at her for some reason.
Selene, Verde, and other girls couldn't help but notice this and were trying so hard not to giggle at what they were witnessing before their eyes, while the rest of the guys were stunned.
"Oh, for the love of…" Vector muttered in annoyance before he grabbed Charmy's head and lifted the bee up to his level, causing the latter to let out a startled yell. The crocodile then bellowed, "Charmy! The flyer!"
Whatever frustration was in Charmy quickly flew out the window and he became flustered. "Oh! The flyer! Right!" He quickly dug into his vest and pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Vector. "Here you go!"
Vector took the paper and dropped Charmy to the floor, making the latter yell 'Ouch!' while everyone else flinched at the interaction. The Mobian crocodile then handed the folded flyer to an amused Rouge.
Back to the task at hand, the Mobian bat unfolded the flyer and read the contents to herself as her eyes quickly shifted back and forth. Her eyes then widened and smiled in interest. "Well now… It looks like the Seaside City Theater is doing a singing competition this Saturday."
"So?" Shadow raised a brow at his teammate. "What does that have to do with finding a Chaos Emerald?"
Rouge then giggled, much to his annoyance. "It says here that the winner of the competition will receive a Chaos Emerald."
Now this took everyone but the Chaotix by surprise. Someone out there miraculously found a Chaos Emerald and is giving it away to the person who wins a singing contest? What are the chances?
Sonic turned to Vector and gave him his trademark grin. "Nice find, Vector!"
"Thanks, Sonic!" Vector grinned back. "When the boys and I found the flyer, we immediately went to the theater, hoping to speak to the owner about the Emerald."
"Unfortunately, he wasn't available," Espio continued. "His assistant there told us that he'll be back on the day of the competition."
"Then it looks like we're going to Seaside City this Saturday," Sonic declared and turned to his friends. "You guys up for it?"
"Of course, Sonic!" Tails nodded excitedly and everyone else followed suit, although Shadow's nod was on the reluctant side. "There's no way we're missing this chance at getting another Chaos Emerald."
"Excellent!" Sonic grinned and turned to the detectives. "We'll see you three soon, alright?"
"You got it, Sonic," Vector grinned back as he and his coworkers began to take their leave. "And we'll make sure the Emerald doesn't get taken before then."
"We'll contact you if something comes up," Espio promised.
Charmy was the last to leave, but he turned around and waved at Petri with a goofy grin. "Bye, Petri! I can't wait to see you!"
Vector popped back in with an irritated frown and grabbed the bee. "Come on, Charmy!"
"HEY!" Charmy yelped as he was carried out of the workshop.
Everyone watched on in amusement as the Chaotix left to head back to the train station. As soon as Vector and Charmy stepped outside, Cream gently closed the door behind them.
Petri couldn't help but blink and asked no one in particular, "What's with Charmy?"
"Oh, we'll let you figure that out on your own," Selene giggled while Verde was trying so hard not to burst out laughing like before, which confused the merterfly even more.
What are they not telling her?
Saturday arrived, and everyone made it to Seaside City without delay. Like any other city, it was bustling with activity as they made their way to the local theater. It reminded Selene of Station Square and Soleanna, because both cities were also established near the coast. Hopefully she and the others would get a chance to explore more once they get what they came for.
As they got closer to the Seaside City Theater, the Chaotix were already waiting for them at the entrance.
"Hey, you guys made it!" Vector exclaimed as he waved at them.
"Like we weren't going to miss this," Sonic grinned at the crocodile.
"Let's just get this over with and move on," Shadow said as he crossed his arms, showing that he didn't want to be here for long. "I don't want there to be any complications."
"The owner should be inside," Espio said as he opened the door to the theater. "Come on."
No one hesitated as they followed the Chaotix inside. To their surprise, the lobby was full of occupants, humans and Mobians alike. Something tells them that they must've gotten the news of the singing contest and heard about the Chaos Emerald being the prize. Nobody blamed them; it's not often that something as rare as a Chaos Emerald would be given away to a random stranger.
"Wow, I'm surprised that there are many people here," Rouge commented as she and everyone else looked around. "I get that the prize is rare, but they don't even know the theme of the contest."
"There's a theme?" Amy questioned as she turned to the bat with wide eyes. "Didn't the flyer say what it was?"
Rouge shook her head. "Nope. Apparently it's a surprise until the actual day. I guess they want to make it a surprise and see if they're confident to do it before signing up."
"Ah, Mr. Vector! Over here, dear!"
Everyone turned to see an elderly female iguana sitting at the sign-up table. She was wearing a green cap, a yellow dress with floral print, and white shoes. She was waving at them with a smile. Sitting next to her was an adult male koala wearing a blue suit with a white shirt and red bowtie; he looked just as happy.
"Ah, that's the assistant," Vector smiled as he guided everyone over. "And that must be the owner." As they got closer, the crocodile waved at the iguana. "Hey, Miss Crawly!"
"How lovely to see you again, young man," Crawly smiled.
The koala next to her smiled before getting up from his seat to greet the heroes. "Ah, I was told by Miss Crawly that you would be coming by regarding the prize. Before that, let me introduce myself." He then bowed like a typical gentleman. "My name is Matt Koala. I'm the owner of the Seaside City Theater." He then got excited as he glanced back up. "And I certainly don't need any introductions from any of you. You are the Sonic Heroes! It's an honor to have you all here at my theater!"
"The honor's ours, Mr. Matt," Sonic grinned as he and Matt shook hands.
"Oh, no, no, no, there's no need for formalities," Matt chuckled before letting go of Sonic's hand and sat back down. "Just Matt is fine. Now, I understand that you have a question regarding the prize that'll be given away to the winner of the singing competition today?"
"You do realize that what you have is a Chaos Emerald, correct?" Shadow got straight to the point as he stared Matt down. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to hand it over."
"Wow, way to be straightforward, Shadow," Sonic replied flatly as his eyelids lowered halfway.
Both Matt and Crawly were a bit uneasy at the Ultimate Lifeform's direct approach. However, they both wore apologetic looks before the former cleared his throat and clasped his hands in front of his chest.
"I know how precious that Emerald is, especially since all of you are quite acquainted with them, but I can't just give it away," he explained with sincerity. "I've already passed out the flyers all over the city, so everyone is expecting that specific prize. So you all have two options: You can sign up and try to win, or talk to the winner and hopefully come up with a compromise."
Sonic and the rest of his friends couldn't help but deflate. They should've expected that it wasn't going to be easy. And Matt made a point. Even if he were to give them the Emerald, what would he use as a replacement at such short notice? Plus, the people in the theater were expecting the Chaos Emerald to be the prize. So it would certainly be a waste of time if there was no prize or something totally different than what was advertised.
Looks like they have no choice…
"Okay, we're going to settle this the right way," Sonic declared. "We'll join the competition; be it one or two of us, or all of us!"
"Excellent!" Matt exclaimed in excitement. "As expected of the Sonic Heroes!" He then gave them a serious look. "However, just because you're all celebrities, doesn't mean you have an advantage in winning."
"Well, mis amigos and I aren't part of that category, Señor Matt," Verde responded with confidence as she wrapped her arms around Selene and Petri, with Curry giving a little wave. "And out of all of us, there's only one person that will totally win without any advantages."
Selene didn't like where this was going and gave the merchidna a heated glare while shrugging the latter's arm off of her. "Verde! Did you forget what we talked about three days ago?!"
Verde didn't look fazed one bit and gave a nonchalant shrug to the merhog princess. "What? This could be your chance to get over your stage fright."
"By doing a singing competition?" Selene questioned as she crossed her arms and raised a brow. "You do realize that the way to get over a fear is to start small, right?"
"Yeah, and?"
"THIS IS NOT SMALL!"
Everyone watched the exchange with uneasy expressions; after all, one must not get in the middle of an argument between two ladies. Team Chaotix looked confused about what occurred when they visited the workshop three days ago, with Team Dark wondering what exactly happened before their own arrival that day. Though with what the merhog and merchidna were bickering about, they have a general idea on what's going on.
Curry quickly got between the two Mermobians and rested his hands on each of their shoulders. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down, you two." He then turned to his sister looking firm but apologetic. "Selene, I hate to say this, but I think Verde has a point."
This took the merhog by surprise. "Eh?! B-But–"
"Listen, normally I wouldn't make you do something that makes you uncomfortable," Curry explained to the best of his ability. "But a Chaos Emerald is on the line right now, and your singing voice will give us a good chance of winning."
"B-But can't someone else do it?" Selene asked nervously as she turned to look at the rest of her friends.
"I don't sing," Shadow huffed, which made everyone else roll their eyes; why doesn't that surprise them?
"I don't think my singing will be good enough," Amy admitted as she twiddled her fingers.
To the merhog princess' dismay, everyone else seemed to mumble their agreements in not feeling confident enough to win with their singing voices. Are they being serious right now?
Tails, who was reading a spare flyer for more details, couldn't help but deflate. "And it says that you have to be twelve or older to compete. So, Petri, Charmy, Cream, and I are out."
This made the other children let out sounds of protest. Seriously?! So unfair! Crawly came around from the table to put the children at ease, telling them not to be upset. Espio and Blaze also came over to sooth them.
Before Selene could go into full panic mode, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and turned to see Sonic giving her an encouraging smile.
"Don't worry, Selene," Sonic soothed. "I know you're nervous, but once you start singing, you'll forget that you're even on stage."
"I guess so…" Selene admitted softly as she twiddled her fingers nervously.
Sonic's smile turned into a reassuring one. "Come on. Who's got speed like me and can kick butt with water powers? You're a princess and can take on Eggman whenever he's around. This'll be a piece of cake."
Selene relaxed and felt her own lips curling. Since meeting Sonic, he always knew what to say at the right time to put her at ease. "Well, when you put it like that… Okay, I'll do it." She went over to the sign-up table. "But I make no promises in winning."
"Fair enough," Sonic chuckled as he watched her sign up.
"Those were wise words, Sonic," Matt chuckled as he and Crawly sat back down. "You know, I used those same words to help a young lady achieve her dream of singing without fear."
"Oh yes," Crawly smiled in remembrance. "It's a shame she and her family are on vacation in Spagonia. But at least we're recording the show so she can watch it when she gets back." She then showed Selene two clipboards. "Now, here is a list of songs for the theme. Choose one, and then sign your name with your chosen song."
Selene nodded in understanding before her eyes scanned the song list. She blinked when she recognized some of the names. Before she could question it, Matt brought a finger to his lips with a grin.
"Ah, ah," he teased. "No spoilers until showtime."
This made Selene giggle. "Alright."
She looked at the songs and chose a very popular one and proceeded to sign up. Still, something tells her that when Matt announces the theme to the audience, her friends will have a pretty good idea on what song she'll be singing.
Everyone jumped in alarm when the theater doors swung open and a certain doctor and his robot lackeys came waltzing in.
"Hellooooo, Seaside City!" Eggman grinned as he strutted over to the sign-up table. "What a lovely day for singing, huh?"
"Eggman?!" Knuckles growled as he raised his fists up. "What are you doing here?!"
"Why, I'm here for the singing contest, of course," Eggman cackled as he gazed at his enemies. "When I heard the Chaos Emerald's the prize, I knew I had to come."
"We're not going to let you steal it!" Silver declared as his fists lit up with psychic energy.
"Normally, I would," Eggman admitted. "But there was no way I was going to miss my chance of performing on stage!"
"As you can see, the Doctor is quite the musical fan," Orbot announced.
"Who knew?" Cubot added with a shrug of his robotic shoulders.
Crawly couldn't help but look unsure about this development and leaned her head toward her boss. "Should we allow Dr. Eggman to compete, Mr. Matt?"
"Now, Miss Crawly…" Matt scolded lightly with a raised finger. "Dr. Eggman may be a villain, but he's still a citizen of Mobius. So, he's legally allowed to compete." He then blinked before giving the man a nervous look. "You didn't bring an army of robots, did you?"
"Nope!" Eggman answered and pointed at Orbot and Cubot. "All I brought are these two buffoons."
"Hi!" Cubot waved happily while Orbot facepalmed that the cube-shaped robot didn't realize their boss insulted them, like always.
"Excellent!" Matt grinned and presented the sign-up sheet. "Please choose a song from this list and then sign here. But no spoiling the theme to everyone until showtime."
"Do you allow backup dancers or singers?" Eggman asked as he proceeded with the signing.
"Sure!"
"Perfect!"
Everyone watched the scene unfold before their bewildered eyes. Is this really happening right now? They're sure Eggman's not going to win, but they are dreading to hear his singing voice. And while he didn't bring a robot army and had no plan to steal the Chaos Emerald, they were going to keep an eye on him just in case.
The auditorium was filled to the brim as everyone waited anxiously for the singing competition to begin.
Sonic glanced around and couldn't help but whistle in amazement. "Man, talk about a full house."
"Looks like everyone's dying to see who's the best singer," Tails deduced as he also looked around in wonder.
"Or who's going to win that Chaos Emerald," Shadow grumbled as he crossed his arms. "Do we all have to be here?"
"Now, now, Shadow," Rouge scolded her teammate. "It's only fair that we stay to support our friend."
"What's with these glow stick things?" Charmy asked as he stared at the device in his hands.
"Guess we'll find out when the show starts," Espio responded as he also had a device in his hand.
As soon as he said that, the lights in the auditorium dimmed down, causing everyone to quiet down. A spotlight lit up on the stage, and Matt Koala walked to center stage with a big smile and microphone in hand.
"Hello, everyone!" He greeted the audience with gusto. "Welcome to the Seaside City Theater! My name is Matt Koala, and I'll be your host for this exciting event!"
Everyone applauded excitedly; with Matt as host, it'll sure be an exciting show. They quieted down when the koala raised his hands.
"As you all know, the winner of this singing competition will receive a genuine Chaos Emerald," Matt continued as he dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a glowing red gem, making everyone go 'Ooooooh'. "But it's not up to me to decide the winner. Now, I'm assuming everyone has this device at your seats?" He exchanged the Emerald for a glow stick.
This prompted everyone else to raise their sticks in the air, to confirm the koala's question.
"These are called Glow Casters," Matt explained with a smile. "You, the audience, will make the vote on who you think is a talented singer. Simply press the button, and it'll light up." He did a small demonstration as his Glow Caster turned yellow. "A ball of light will then get absorbed into the contestant's badge once the performance is over." He then pointed to a star-shaped badge on his jacket as a yellow orb flew out of his Glow Caster and went into the badge. "This badge will collect the data, and whoever gets the most lights will win! But don't worry, you can vote for more than one person since I'm sure we have a lovely selection of talented singers today. If we have a tie, then I will be the deciding factor."
"Wow!" Tails looked at his Glow Caster in admiration. "That's amazing tech!"
"Why do I feel like I've heard of these in a popular anime before?" Amy questioned with a sweat drop.
"Now, without further ado, let the show begin!" Matt declared and proceeded to walk off stage, but then he remembered something and quickly hurried back to his original spot. "Oh! I almost forgot to announce the mystery theme! The theme for today's singing contest is…DISNEY!"
Everyone let out cheers at this. Who doesn't love Disney? Hearing some of the most iconic songs would just make anyone want to sing along with smiles on their faces. But there are some that are really hard to pull off. Will they see some of that Disney magic today?
Shadow felt his eye twitch; this has to be a bad dream. He stood up, ready to take his leave. "I'm out."
However Omega grabbed him and forced him to sit back down. "You will stay and watch Princess Ariel sing."
This prompted everyone to giggle in amusement; Omega's such a child sometimes, and they love him for it. And even though Shadow was giving them a murderous look that would freeze water, they weren't fazed one bit.
Soon the contest began, and there were indeed some very good singers. And while there were repeats, there were some twists to them; namely singing in a different language. But nobody complained since they love hearing their favorite songs over and over again.
Someone even had the guts to sing Let it Go with a heavy metal voice, yet they used the music from the original soundtrack. Everyone couldn't help but flinch at this, and poor Cream couldn't help but cover her ears in agony. Why couldn't he just sing it like how it's supposed to? Or at least change the way the music's composed?
Omega couldn't take it anymore and launched a smoke bomb onto the stage. The poor guy quickly coughed as smoke engulfed the stage. This made everyone laugh, not to mention grateful that he stopped singing and was forced off the stage when some staff members came out to suck up the smoke with vacuums.
Matt came up on stage with a nervous smile once the smoke was gone. "Wow, that was…something?" He quickly cleared his throat to announce the next contestant. "Our next contestant is Dr. Eggman, with backup singers Orbot and Cubot!"
"Oh, this'll be good…" Sonic muttered as he crossed his arms, watching as the notorious Doctor and his minions came up on stage wearing red, orange, and yellow suits with blue ties and straw hats.
Eggman cleared his throat as he prepared to make his singing debut. "It's… Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious! If you say it loud enough you'll always sound precocious: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"
"Um diddle diddle diddle, um diddle ay!" Orbot and Cubot chanted as they danced a little gig.
Everyone was at a loss for words at what they were seeing. Many people in the audience love this song, but did it have to be sung by the one guy that wants to take over the world? This is just too much; and he's so off key!
"Ugh, Chaos, kill me now…" Shadow grumbled as he covered his eyes.
"He's putting Mary Poppins to shame!" Omega beeped in agitation, even going as far as to change his arm into a machine gun.
"Easy, hun," Rouge soothed her robot companion as she placed a delicate hand on his robotic limb. "You got a pass for the smoke bomb, but no guns."
"He's totally gonna botch saying the word backwards," Vector grumbled.
"Yeah," Silver nodded in agreement. "I like this song, but even I know saying supercalifragilisticexpialidocious backwards is hard, no matter how much you practice."
"Excellent pronunciation, Silver," Blaze complimented her friend with a smile.
Silver blushed at the praise. "Thanks!"
"You know, you can say it backwards, which is doc…docious…" Eggman struggled as he tried to say the title of the song backwards.
"Dociousaliexpisticfragicalirupus!" Cubot finished, much to the shock of his master and robot companion. He shrugged at the stares he was receiving from everyone. "What?"
Eggman growled as his face turned red with anger. "You just had to steal my thunder, didn't you?!"
He raised his cane and began to chase the two robots around the stage. They screamed in terror as they ran away from their master. The audience bursted out laughing; seeing them like this was way better than them singing and dancing.
And the fact that they didn't get a single light orb from any of the Glow Casters was the icing on the cake.
Matt decided that was enough and had a few security guards take them off stage. Orbot and Cubot behaved as they were escorted off stage, but Eggman was struggling to break free.
"Unhand me!" He exclaimed. "I'm not done with my performance yet!"
"Yeah, yeah," a gruff-looking Mobian gorilla rolled his eyes as he kept a firm grip on the human, dragging him away.
Once center stage was cleared, Matt appeared once more to announce the next contestant. "Alright, everyone. Our next contestant is a new face on the block. Give a warm welcome to Selene!"
Selene nervously walked from stage right to center stage. Everyone in the audience clapped with supportive smiles. They could easily see that this was her first time performing, so they gave her a warm welcome.
As the merhog stood there with mic in hand, she could see her friends and brother in the audience. They gave her smiles and encouraging waves, wishing her the best of luck. This put her a bit more at ease as she took a few deep breaths.
Sonic's last few words rang in her head: Once you start singing, you'll forget that you're even on stage.
Ready to face this fear head on, Selene turned her head to a theater tech offstage and gave him a nod. Nodding in reply, he pressed a button and Part of Your World echoed through the theater.
The audience gasped and smiled excitedly. A lot of people adore this song, so it was nice that someone was going to sing it.
Selene began to sing once she heard her cue. "Look at this stuff. Isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete? Wouldn't you think I'm the girl, the girl who has everything?"
As soon as the merhog sang, everyone became captivated by her voice. So much so, that a lot of them already switched their Glow Casters on. Sonic and the others smiled as they heard her voice once more. For Team Dark and Team Chaotix, they were stunned since this was their first time hearing Selene sing.
Rouge clasped her hands in absolute awe; Shadow's eyes went wide for a moment, but they immediately soften and a little smile formed on his face; Omega wished he had the ability to cry, because this was the most beautiful performance he has ever heard; Vector was trying so hard to keep his tears in check; Espio felt at peace, smiling softly as the words put him in a meditative state; as for Charmy, all he could do was drop his jaw.
The more Selene sang, the happier she felt. Sonic was right, once you sing, you forget you're on stage. She can just imagine herself in Ariel's grotto, surrounded by all kinds of treasure from the surface.
It's strange that she can relate to this song, especially the iconic princess. For as long as she can remember, she has always wanted to go through the Moon Door and see the surface world with her own eyes. While it was not the way she had wanted it, at least it came true. This drove her to sing with all that she's got, right to the very end.
"Out of the sea… Wish I could be… Part of that…world."
The applause she's receiving was as loud as thunder. They cheered as they all stood up from their seats as hundreds of yellow light orbs floated from their Glow Casters and flew directly to Selene's star badge like a swarm of fireflies.
"WOOOOOO!" Curry cheered as he raised his arms in the air enthusiastically. "THAT'S MY SISTER!"
"That's my chica!" Verde grinned as she and Petri high fived each other.
Selene blushed at the praise she was getting. It felt…nice. Smiling, she held her dress and curtsied to the audience before exiting the stage.
After many more performances, it was time to announce the winner of the Disney singing competition. Those who sang stood at attention on stage as Matt came forward with mic in hand.
"Before we announce our winner, let's give another round of applause to our contestants!" Matt smiled and proceeded to clap happily.
The audience followed the koala's lead and applauded with smiles; some even whistled. They quieted down when Matt raised his arms to get them to settle.
"Now then," he pulled out a tablet from his jacket to pull up the results. "The moment we've all been waiting for… The winner of the competition, and the new owner of the Chaos Emerald is…"
Everyone waited with bated breath as Matt examined the results.
…
…
…
A spotlight suddenly shined on a startled Selene.
"SELENE!"
The merhog's jaw dropped in shock as the entire auditorium shook with a thunderous applause. She snapped out of it when some of the contestants congratulated her, causing her to blush and thank them for their kind words.
"No fair!" Eggman stomped his feet in frustration. "Oh, why didn't I go with Be Prepared?!" He yelped when the same security guard picked him up by the back of his coat.
"Alright, mate," he grinned and carried him off. "Time to go."
"NOOOOOO!" Eggman cried and flailed his limbs in the air. "You may have won this time, Selene. But I'll be back!"
"Wait for us, Boss!" Cubot cried as he and Orbot floated after their master.
Matt approached Selene with a proud smile. "Congratulations, Selene!" He offered her the Chaos Emerald. "You've earned this fair and square!"
"Thank you very much, Matt," Selene beamed as she took the Emerald from the koala's hand.
This was too good to be true. Not only was she able to sing in front of a huge crowd without freaking out, but she ended up winning? What an accomplishment! She held the Emerald to her chest happily, the mythical jewel glowed a beautiful red to match her emotion.
"And with that, I would like to thank everyone for their participation today," Matt beamed. "Not just the contestants, but to the audience, too. It's people like all of you that make the theater life so grand. So on behalf of the Seaside City Theater, thank you all so much. I hope you all have a wonderful day!"
This prompted everyone to applaud once more. Matt Koala has once again put on a wonderful show, and they're looking forward to more in the future.
"You were incredible, Selene!" Petri squealed as she hugged Selene tightly once they were all outside the theater. "Everybody adored you!"
"Thanks, Petri," Selene giggled as she patted the merterfly on the head. She took out the red Chaos Emerald from her pocket, admiring it once more. "I still can't believe I actually won…"
"You deserved it," Sonic grinned as he gave her a wink and a thumbs up. "You were awesome on stage."
Selene couldn't help but blush a bit at the praise. "Thanks, Sonic. But it was your advice that really helped me. I can't thank you enough."
Sonic could feel his face getting warm and couldn't help but scratch his cheek shyly. "Aw, shucks. I was just helping out a friend, that's all."
"Now we have three Chaos Emeralds!" Cream cheered as she and Cheese danced happily.
"Which means we're nearly halfway there!" Tails added with a grin.
"Assuming Eggman has them already," Shadow reminded everyone.
"Perhaps," Sonic couldn't help but agree before smiling. "That just means we either try to find his base, or keep a hold of the Emeralds that we have."
"Either way, this calls for a celebration!" Vector exclaimed with a toothy grin. "How about we treat you all to a pizza lunch? And if you Mermobians are interested, the boys and I can give you a little tour of the city before you all hit the road."
"Really?" Selene's eyes sparkled at this while she handed the red Emerald to Tails for safekeeping. "That sounds wonderful, Vector!"
"Sure, why not?" Curry shrugged with a smile.
"I'm game!" Verde gave her approval with a thumbs up.
"Me too!" Petri fluttered happily. She then yelped when Charmy flew over and held her hands with a goofy grin, his eyes full of hearts.
"Maybe afterwards, I can show you my game collection!" He exclaimed. "Oh! And we can watch some of my favorite movies, too!"
Petri blinked at this. He wants to personally show her his game collection and to watch movies together? Why does this sound like a… Oh…
Finally putting the pieces together, and realizing why the bee was staring at her when they first met, the merterfly's face turned red and her eyes went wide in utter disbelief. "EHHHHHHHHHHH?!"
Selene grinned and leaned her head toward Verde, whispering, "Looks like she finally figured it out."
"And it only took her tres días," Verde grinned in amusement.
Vector firmly grabbed the bee and yanked him away from Petri. "Charmy! You're making her uncomfortable!"
"Was not!" Charmy huffed as he struggled to break free.
Espio sighed before turning to everyone apologetically. "My sincerest apologies for Charmy's behavior. Shall we all head to the pizza parlor?"
"You bet!" Sonic grinned and everyone followed the Chaotix for a well-deserved lunch.
With another Chaos Emerald in hand, our heroes are getting closer in stopping Eggman and his scheme. But their adventure's far from over.
Translations:
Chica = Girl
Mis amigos = My friends
Señor = Mister/Mr.
Tres días = Three days
I'm sorry if the singing competition felt a bit rushed, but I couldn't really think of anything else for that part besides Eggman and Selene's parts ^^; (and that I didn't want to put full versions of the songs). I don't know if I'll do something like this again in the future because of how finicky this site is when it comes to song lyrics, but I'm risking it. And it's Disney! What's not to love about the songs over the years? Not to mention that they celebrated 100 years of Disney Animation last year, so it's like a homage to them (by the way, check out Once Upon a Studio! It's beautiful!).
Did you catch the reference for Matt Koala and Crawly? I sure hope so; especially since one of them is named after that same character! And the Glow Casters are an actual item from the Pokémon anime during the Kalos saga, in case you were curious. :D
Don't forget to leave a review! And NO flames, please!
See you next time!