Sonic the Hedgehog: Solar Tides [IC/Accepting]

[Mr. Hyde]

Mobian Sea: Light Piercer

 

Ken was excited, but he wasn't expecting much from his opponent.  Instead, he closed his eyes and looked straight forward, maintaining a steady speed.  However, when Cynthia appeared along side of him, he couldn't help but be dumbfounded.  He looked to her extreme gear and smirked.  

 

"You know, I thought we could have a nice jog around the Light Piercer, but you just had to make it into a competition. That's a mistake that your going to regret!  No way me and Hurricane are losing to someone, especially someone racing on foot!"  And like that, Cynthia bursted into a whole other level of speed, reminiscent of what Ken had done in the beginning.  He shook his head and wagged his finger as Cynthia started to take the lead.  

 

"A jog huh?  Your Hurricane's got nothing on my sheer force of will!"  Ken started to run faster, trying to keep up with Cynthia and her Hurricane, but it was proving to be a little difficult.  In the back of Ken's mind, he thought about opening an inhibitor..just to make himself a little faster.  "No...I want to be able to beat her with my own strength...I can't keep on relying on those inhibitors all the time..."  Instead, while dashing alongside Cynthia, he unzipped his tunic and threw it onto the deck of the Light Piercer.  A loud crash could be heard as the tunic lay in a heavy heap on the ground.  Ken rolled his shoulders, and his neck, then looked to Cynthia.  

 

"Now you've gone and made me get all serious.  You've actually gotten my hopes up."  Maybe she'd be a strong addition to the team after all.  Ken shrugged as he passed Cynthia, looking cocky as ever.  One look across the deck, and Ken realized what the others had gotten into.  It seemed as if Axel and Chimera were sparring as well.  A glimmer in the sun caught his eye, and Axel's chaos emerald flew his way.  As he dashed past it, he managed to grab it.  The silver sheen of the emerald...it was so calming...so warm.  This was Silver's gift to Axel.  Axel wouldn't mind if he got to hold it for a few...would he?  

"I'm sorry brother, but I'm keeping this as a handicap!"  He smiled as he passed the group and onlookers.  

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"So who do you thinks going to win out of these two?"

 

Zane glanced over his shoulder, seeing Alex moving near to watch the fight between Axel and Chimera. "Well, its a very VERY tough decision." he chuckled lifting a leg, in which to prop his arm up as he sat down. "Both obviously have some experience...well...correction on that. Experience BEFORE the fights we've done. Silver trained Axel...and Chimera? Well, he's programmed with whatever the good ol' doc programmed him with...and not only that, he's got a hell of a fighting spirit..."

 

He paused, watching as the two contenders collided against one another, watching the literal sparks fly.

 

"I guess...I'm not rooting for either one." Zane smirked at Alex. "I just want to see this cool fight...between a pair of strong allies."

 

Returning his gaze back to the fight, it caused the arctic wolf to get excited with each strike and blow they gave one another. Of course, about this time was when Axel used the Chaos Control ability...the only time. Chimera quickly located the problematic issue in the fight and removed it. He watched the emerald slowly skidding across the deck, before witnessing the two now clashing blades and chainsaws against one another.

 

Damn....this fight is just...beyond awesome! Zane thought, on the edge of his seat as he watched this. His hand balled up into a fist slowly, just watching how this transpired. Truth be told, the arctic wolf was very jealous at this point. Taking a closer look at the two, Axel's movements were much more fluid and able to strike quicker. While Chimera, he was able to calculate an acceptable solution and if need be, adjust the calculations in order to achieve victory. Zane had a sigh escape his lips, shaking his head. It wasn't just a jealous feeling...it seemed like envy... I need to get better...I need to get on their level...

[Wind Rider]

"Well, its a very VERY tough decision. Both obviously have some experience...well...correction on that. Experience BEFORE the fights we've done. Silver trained Axel...and Chimera? Well, he's programmed with whatever the good ol' doc programmed him with...and not only that, he's got a hell of a fighting spirit..." True, very true. Zane may be on to something with that, both of them had fighting experience, and spirit. "I guess...I'm not rooting for either one. I just want to see this cool fight...between a pair of strong allies." And a cool fight it turned out to be, both Chimera and Axel were giving their all in the battle.

 

Though Chimera may have gotten an advantage when he knocked Axel's chaos emerald out of his hands, and he obviously didn't like that. Alex's attention was taken a bit when the chaos emerald was thrown into the air, but before she could think of anything, one of the racers flew by and grabbed it, it was probably Ken. "Hmm... that was an opportunity well and truly wasted..." She mumbled to herself.

[Blade Mistress]

Cynthia was a fair distance away from Ken before she turned to see him unzip his tunic and throw it away, as it fell with a crash on the deck. "Now you've gone and made me get all serious.  You've actually gotten my hopes up." ​Ken picked up speed and soon began to outspeed Cynthia. ​​"Jeez, what did you have in that tunic of yours? Sounded like it was made of freaking metal!" She could see a sparkle in the corner of her eye, it was the chaos emerald that Ken's brother had, in fact Ken snatched it up as he sped by it.

 

​If he decided to use that...​ "Come on Hurricane, pick up the pace! Weight off your shoulders or not, I am not about to lose to you!" ​Cynthia caught up to Ken's side, it looked to be an even race. ​"I'll never live with myself if I lose now!" ​Cynthia couldn't get that emerald out of her head, if Ken used that whole Chaos Control thing the race was as good as lost. ​"You know what? I'm not about to lose." ​Cynthia morphed her hand into metal and turned it a bit larger, she swung it at Ken in an attempt to clothesline him.

[Mr. Hyde]

Mobian Sea: Light Piercer

 

With the emerald in one hand, and the sea breeze rushing through his bristles, Ken was elated to be doing some training.  However, he could hear the familiar sound of a certain extreme gear revving from behind him.  He looked over in disbelief, Cynthia was actually catching up to him.  What was even crazier was the girl was almost neck and neck with him now.  

​"I'll never live with myself if I lose now!  You know what? I'm not about to lose."

 

Ken's eyes widened as he saw Cynthia swing her arm his way, a common clothesline technique it seemed.  Ken placed his arms to block the attack, but was met with the sharp and cold sting of metal.  As he hadn't braced himself to be hit with such force, Ken flew towards the side of the ship.  He had to skid himself to a halt, lest he be thrown out back into the frothy waves of the Mobian Sea.  Now Cynthia was getting ahead of him while he got back his bearings.  

 

"What...what the hell was that?"  He should've inspected her arm closely, but he wasn't expecting much from the air riding hedgehog.  Ken couldn't tell what had hit him so hard at the moment however, as Cynthia was turning into a speck on the other side of the Light Piercer.  He could feel his arms start to swell and bruise up.  He balled his fists, and tightened them.  "So that's the kind of game she wants to play...

 

Fine by me!  I ain't losin either!"

 

Ken puffed his chestout, took a deep breath, and unlocked his first inhibitor, the inhibitor of the body.  The air surrounding him grew heavier, and pressurized.  He dashed off towards Cynthia's position and caught up to her in mere seconds.  "You're gonna show me how you did that to me...but first, I got some unfinished business with you!"  Ken shot a jab out towards Cynthia's body and another at her face in rapid succession.  He then looked to Cynthia's extreme gear and smiled.  He spun around, extending one leg out while keeping his forward momentum.  He aimed for Cynthia's legs as he unleashed his attack.  

 

"I call this, The Hurriken!"  

[Hälō]

BMG

 

The two fighters met in the middle; sparks dancing across the deck as their blades vibrated against each other. Well aware that his opponent would win in a battle of pure physical strength, Axel decided to use his speed to his advantage. "You've surpassed my expectations..." Axel finally broke the silence as he gazed into Chimera's eyes over his crossed energy blades. 

 

Without warning, the white hedgehog suddenly vanished in a flash of light, appearing a few feet above Chimera and curling into a spin dash with both blades jutting out from his spherical form to create a bright blue ring of energy that hummed violently as he rocketed down towards his target.

 

Chimera stared down the spinning ball of energy as he worked on a solution. There wasn’t much he could do that wouldn’t compromise his structures, so he instead dashed to the side, retracting his chainsaw to have use of his fist again. Redirecting his energy into his arm, he threw a punch at Axel’s side, hoping to catch the white hedgehog off guard.

 

Axel grunted from the sudden shock of being slugged whilst in spherical form. Having been caught in motion, he couldn't do much to stop himself from sailing across the deck and slamming into one of the ship's walls, causing a cloud of dust to be dust to be kicked up from the impact. With no intention of being kept down for long, he swiftly sat up from the crater he had created before locking on to Chimera's energy signature. "Let's see how you like this," He growled as he placed his left hand on a slab of metal that had been broken off from his landing. A telling electric hum could be heard as covered the metal with a thin layer of his own before using his transportation technique to warp it directly at Chimera's flank to serve as decoy.

 

Monitoring his opponents movement's with his senses, Axel followed his ploy up by hastily teleported himself under Chimera's chin and throwing his leg up as a blur of crackling blue energy, in an attempt to kick his target high into the air . 

 

Chimera as caught off guard by Axel’s creative use of teleportation, and as such, barely reacted in time to dodge it. That gave him no time to dodge Axel’s kick to the chin, the added energy sending Chimera spiraling through the air. He quickly straightened himself out though and prepared to initiate aerial combat, positioning his hands to cover his weak points and warming up his boosters, leaving them on standby in case he needed a boost.

 

Watching as Chimera flew high up into the air, Axel quickly righted his position before reforming his chaos blades and dashing towards the structure that Alex and Zane were sitting atop. The excessive use of his teleportation was beginning to take it's toll, forcing him to use his natural speed to close distance. He needed to end this fight quickly...

 

With flames of excitement burning brightly in his eyes, Axel hastily ran up the wall with surprising speed; reaching the point where Zane and Alex were sitting in mere moments. Though he never met their gaze, instead the young prodigy  kept his eyes trained on Chimera whilst placing his foot on the ledge and leaping off to meet the robot with a cross slash.

 

Chimera tracked Axel the whole time, reformatting his arm into a fine red blade. The chainsaw was too rough for a delicate situation like this. He swung, clashing with the cross slash, doing his best to push back, despite such a thing being harder to do in the air. 

 

In order to help, he activated those boosters he left on standby, flames roaring from his feet as he pushed back against the prodigy's blades. The two fell to the deck, each struggling to overpower the other.

 

The air around the pair begun to tremble as the red and blue energy pushed angrily against one another, releasing small shockwaves across the deck every time one of the combatants attempt to gain the advantage. Struggling against the power of Chimera's thrusters, Axel grunt as the two rivals both landed on the ground before being pushed away by each's final attempt to claim victory over the clash. 

 

Bringing himself to a skidding halt roughly a meter ahead of Chimera, a now panting Axel glanced down to watch the chaos blade in his right hand flicker before shattering into bright blue particles that instantly blew away in the wind. "..." He glared over to Chimera before suddenly hurling his remaining blade towards his foe in a spinning blur. 

 

Anticipating that his opponent would dodge such an openly telegraphed attack, Axel waited until the blade passed Chimera before warping behind the robot and catching the sword in mid flight. 

 

Chimera dodged the sword, but he knew right away something was off. It was way to simple… Way too choreographed. He whipped around, swinging his blade. It stopped inches away from Axel’s throat… However… A blade was also placed at his own. It seemed they were at a stalemate.

 

Axel remained silent as he stood with Chimera's saber hanging dangerously over his shoulder. With his own sword held firmly with both hands and it's blade lingering steadily against Chimera's neck, the white hedgehog had no doubts that the fight was over. Even so, there was a tense silence that lingered on the battle filed as two warriors stood against the cool breeze which found itself finally free to sweep across that side of the ship.

[Blade Mistress]

Cynthia's attempt to clothesline Ken was a success as he was sent flying. ​"Ha, see ya later red streaks!" ​Cynthia took off ahead of Ken and was gaining headway, but she looked to her side to see that Ken had immediately caught up. ​"Wha... How did you?!?" "You're gonna show me how you did that to me...but first, I got some unfinished business with you!" ​Ken then proceeded to sucker punch Cynthia off her extreme gear, she took a shot to her gut that sent her a bit off balance, a shot to the head that dazed her a bit, and then Ken started to turn like a tornado. "I call this, The Hurriken!" ​The Hurriken, really? Ken aimed right for Cynthia's legs, but the sound of clanging metal could be heard when he hit her legs.

 

​Cynthia shook off the blow to her head and reoriented herself. ​"Sorry buddy, but I never go a race without morphing my legs, helps me keep my balance. Now its my turn!" ​Cynthia took a quill from her hair and morphed it into a small staff-like weapon. She took a hard swing at Ken to get him off her back."Now get lost!!!"

[Super Chaos Sonic]

The match between Axel and Chimera, from Zane's point of view, was amazing to say the least. They were both of equal power which was obvious to see. And even without the Chaos Emerald, Axel was impressively working well in a fluid motion.

 

Heh, both of them aren't doing bad. No wonder they could hold their own against TWO robots after our bringing together... the arctic wolf thought, smiling as he watched.

 

From both of them, the battle reached a stalemate as both Axel and Chimera ended it with blades at each others throats. Zane was impressed, as he started laughing and applauding at this spectacle. No doubt about it...these two...and Ken are our group's heavy hitters and best fighters we got. he thought, letting out a small sigh as he shook his head. I'll get there soon...

 

"Hey Axel! Chimera!" Zane shouted with a smirk. "Fairly certain that would be a good place to stop. Wooooouldn't want either one of you to be throatless."

[Mr. Hyde]

Light Piercer

 

Ken's leg's felt like they smacked against something way harder than what his legs were used to kicking.  It felt like he was striking steel!  It hurt, but Ken tried his best to keep going, to no effect.  He stared at Cynthia who was still speeding away on her extreme gear as if he was nothing but a fly.  

 

​"Sorry buddy, but I never go into a race without morphing my legs, helps me keep my balance. Now its my turn!  Now get lost!!!"

 

Cynthia flung a rod like object towards him, and he was forced to get out of her space and kick it away.  He lost his balance travelling at such an incredible speed, and started to tumble out of control.  He got himself up just to see Cynthia race towards the distance.  So she had a strange power too...and hers was way more formidable than any he had seen prior.  Ken dusted himself off and waved to Cynthia's back.  

 

"Hey!" he shouted, "You win this one...but don't think you'll get lucky next time.  I won't go easy on you!"

 

Ken chuckled as he plopped himself down onto the deck of the ship.  The waves crashed below them, and Ken's fists were trembling.  Was he truly this weak?  

 

 

Distant Shoreline

 

Beneath the trees of the far off shoreline, a figure skulked the shadows.  

 

"I can feel his presence here...he must have been here sometime long ago...but now it's like he's faded out of existence.  DRAT!"  The figure kicked a stone that was covered in vines and moss.  There Mephiles stood, in the midst of a shady forest that had grown over a long forgotten town.  Not many remnants remained of the small village, besides the occasional outline of a small hut or building scattered around the place.  That's when he heard a faint rumbling in the distance.  "What in the..."  Mephiles lifted himself above the trees to see a vehicle parading through the air.  It was large...and it carried with it a familiar presence.  

 

"I don't like the looks of this..."  Mephiles hovered back down onto the ground.  He struggled as a piece of himself melted onto the loamy moss that overtook the landscape.  The small blob of shadows formed a shade, one smaller in stature.  Mephiles took his time to breathe...it was a struggle just to make one shade at the moment.  He looked to it and wheeze.  "Greet them....send them my regards...I shall return to the temple.  I can't waste my time fighting arrogant fools."  And with that, Mephiles sunk into the shadows.  The shade stood where he was born, and shifted himself to look more like the real deal.  He would wait...until he was stumbled upon.   

[Wind Rider]

Axel and Chimera's fight was truly something else, they just kept trading blows with eachother, neither one of them was giving up. "Come on Axel, you held your own against a robot while injured, you should be able to pulverize one while at full health!" Alex couldn't help herself, she couldn't keep silent during a fight like this. The fight soon came to a close when Chimera and Axel each had a blade to eachothers throats. Zane was applauding them, something Alex couldn't do on account of being without an arm.

 

"Hey Axel! Chimera! Fairly certain that would be a good place to stop. Wooooouldn't want either one of you to be throatless." Yeah, wouldn't want any unnecessary injuries since they could be running into danger at the forest. "Good fight guys," Alex said as she gave a simple thumbs up.

[Blade Mistress]

Cynthia's attack did just what she wanted and that was slow Ken down, in fact it sent Ken into a tumble, Cynthia felt "some" guilt for doing that, but with no chance of Ken catching up, Cynthia took hold of her victory. "Hey! "You win this one...but don't think you'll get lucky next time.  I won't go easy on you!" ​Cynthia heard Ken across the carrier and couldn't help but smile.

 

​"This guy is something else..." She thought. ​"Ok, if that was your definition of "easy" I can't wait!" ​Cynthia called back to him. She hopped off her extreme gear and took a look at the view, clouds were rolling by and the forest Axel was talking about could be seen below. ​"Huh, looks like its about time to get the show on the road."

[Hälō]

"Hey Axel! Chimera! Fairly certain that would be a good place to stop. Wooooouldn't want either one of you to be throatless."

 

"Good fight guys," 

 

Axel shifted his gaze to Zane and Alex before closing his eyes and sighing. "Very well," It would seem that his battle with Chimera would have to remain a draw for now. Nonetheless, the robot had acceded his expectations... 

 

"It would be wise to save our energy for whatever may be waiting for us at our destination." The white hedgehog addressed his mechanized rival before allowing his energy sword to shatter into particles of blue light. Crossing his arms, Axel closed his eyes and allowed his senses to spread themselves across the water towards the rapidly approaching landmass. His brow furrowed slightly as his suspicions were confirmed. There was definitely a strange presence lingering near the shore.

 

Upon reopening his eyes, Axel looked to his companions. "We should be arriving within the hour." He spoke in his usual tone as he moved past Chimera towards the far end of the deck. "Make any preparations you need, and be ready for our landing." 

 

  

[King K. Azo]

Chimera stood quietly as he stared down Axel. He had to admit, the hedgehog had more potential than he gave him credit for. The two lowered their weapons, and slowly relaxed. It was a good battle.

 

"We should be arriving within the hour." He spoke in his usual tone as he moved past Chimera towards the far end of the deck. "Make any preparations you need, and be ready for our landing."

 

"Ah, yes...," Chimera stated. "I am nearly done with what you requested, Axel. I will go put the finishing touches on them now," With that, Chimera walked into the Light Piercing Egg Carrier.

 

Oh yeah, that was a good name.

[Mr. Hyde]

Mobian Sky

 

Beneath the Light Piercer, they had stumbled upon a lush forest.  It must have been the place that Axel had droned on about.  Ken had pretty much zoned out until they had reached the shoreline, trying to meditate and perceive his own strength.  That fight with Cynthia had really put him off.  While he sat in a meditating position, a loud speaker broadcast throughout the entirety of the Light Piercer.  Before speaking, it cleared it's throat.

 

"We have arrived at the coordinates that master Axel designated.  I will remain here in the sky, close by.  If you need me, Chimera can tune his channel to mine and...oh my....how embarrassing...he may contact me..."  

 

Ken was weirded out by the strange feminine voice that rang throughout the carrier.  It must've been reef, the artificial intelligence the Cha'Aquan's had designed for them.  Reef would be the one to pilot the ship and do all of the hard work on the ship, but at least she was pleasant about it.  Her personality was starting to blossom.  

 

"What have she and Chimera been up to..."  Ken laughed.  He walked to the edge of the Light Piercer and stretched out his arms.  "Welp...I'll be heading out then!"  Ken leaned over and started a free fall.  The wind rushed through his bristles as he made his rapidly accelerating descent.  It was taking all of his frustrations away...all of his worry...it was just passing him by like the clouds that littered the sky.  He was approaching the treeline, and readied himself to make a ten out of ten landing.  

 

 

Ashen Forest

 

Ken wrapped his hands around a quite solid tree branch.  The momentum carried him and he swung like some sort of mobian gymnast.  He made sure to bob and weave his way among the other branches as he made his way down to the ground.  Unfortunately, on one such branch was coated in a wet mossy.  As soon as he stepped on it, Ken sealed his fate and started to tumble.  He started bouncing off of the branches, each one hurting slightly more than the last.  It wasn't until a minute was over that he finally landed onto the ground with a light poof.  

 

Ken coughed, as the air around him was covered in a dusty soot.  He wiped his eyes to see the forest floor around him.  It was all covered in ash...the remains of some sort of small village.  Whatever had happened here...it had to have happened long ago.  

 

"I see...so you're the one occupying that craft...but I can sense more of you.  Will they be joining us soon?"

 

The voice sent shivers down his spine.  Ken turned around to witness Mephiles, levitating above the ashes.  The sight alone made his brain race with thoughts.  Thoughts of him murdering his father, thoughts of the horrible atrocities he had committed.

 

"You...."  Ken's teeth grit, and his fist tightened.  "I'LL KILL YOU!"

[Wind Rider]

Axel and Chimera called the "training" off and went to prepare for the coming landing. "Alright, guess its time to get going..." Alex got off from where she watched the fight and walked off to her room. She took a bundle of knives and a small bit of food for the trip before heading back outside.

 

She looked off the edge of the carrier to see a lush forest below, though it seemed to have a greyish color to it like ash. "So... This is what you were talking about..." Alex said towards Axel. "Can't say I'm looking forward to meeting this... threat, waiting for us." she said as she looked back at the others. Everyone was preparing in their own way, a voice on the speakers soon came over the deck of the carrier.

 

"We have arrived at the coordinates that master Axel designated. I will remain here in the sky, close by. If you need me, Chimera can tune his channel to mine and...oh my....how embarrassing...he may contact me..." it must've been that new AI, Reef, that the aquatic mobians installed. "Huh... Sounds like Chimera's got a little helper..." Alex said looking over the carrier.

 

She was about to head on to prepare for landing before she saw Ken jump right off the side of the ship. She looked over the edge to see him free falling to the forest below. "Heh... Your brother is something else..." she said to Axel. "Thinking of jumping too? It beats waiting for this hunk of metal to land."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"We have arrived at the coordinates that master Axel designated.  I will remain here in the sky, close by.  If you need me, Chimera can tune his channel to mine and...oh my....how embarrassing...he may contact me..."

 

Heh...Chimera you sly, lucky bot~ Zane thought with a snicker, hearing Reef say this to the group. However, from out of nowhere, Ken took a flying dive off the Light Piercer's deck heading to where they were going.

 

"Welp...I'll be heading out then!"

 

"Well...never a dull moment with him around..." the arctic wolf laughed, watching him dive off the carrier. This did, however, give Zane a very good idea on how to top that.

 

"Thinking of jumping too? It beats waiting for this hunk of metal to land."

 

Zane smirked and moved up a little, pulling out the collapsible snowboard from his vest pocket. "I dunno about you guys...but I've been meaning to do this for a LOOOOOOOONG while!" he said, backing up a bit, before immediately beginning to skate, the ground turning into ice beneath his feet as he made his way towards the edge of the carrier, before diving off...

 

-BGM-

 

At that very moment, Zane activated the snowboard, as it unfolded almost immediately. He strapped it to his feet and tossed on a pair of goggles, before laughing. "SEE Y'ALL AT THE BOTTOM!!! WHOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!"

 

The arctic wolf could feel the air rushing past him, brushing greatly against his fur as he fell (with style) towards the forest. Alright before I make touchdown on the ground, I'll make myself a little ice ramp to help me land. Heh, it'll be a perfect landing! he thought, smirking.

[Hälō]

"So... This is what you were talking about..." Axel turned to see Alex standing at his right. "Can't say I'm looking forward to meeting this... threat, waiting for us."

 

"Whatever it is, it knows we're coming." Axel realized that his words were anything but reassuring, but he felt that Alex she be prepared for the worst. When the ship alerted them that they'ed arrived at their destination, the white hedgehog's gaze fell on his brother immediately.

 

"Welp...I'll be heading out then!"

 

Axel watched with his arms crossed as Ken leaped off the ledge of the ship without hesitation. He had expecting nothing less from his twin.

 

"Well...never a dull moment with him around..." Said Zane as he admired Ken's jump, before seemingly preparing to do the same."I dunno about you guys...but I've been meaning to do this for a LOOOOOOOONG while!" And then there was three.

 

 

"Heh... Your brother is something else..." Axel spoke again causing him to glance in her direction. "Thinking of jumping too? It beats waiting for this hunk of metal to land."

 

"Chimera might just throw you off If you keep speaking that way about his bride and joy..." The joke sounded rather peculiar in Axel's voice, given the fact the everything the boy said seemed to be some new spin on brooding. He flashed Alex the faintest hint of a smirk, before taking a step out towards the ledge. "Sorry," After allowing himself a moment to peer down, he turned towards the thief and studied her expression whilst speaking in tone that held subtle traces of amusement. "We won't be falling together this time." In that instant, Axel's lips curled into a light grin that was instantly stollen by the sky as he leaned backwards and allowed himself to plummet to the ground bellow.

 

Now in free fall Axel stared blankly up at the ship whilst sliding his hands into his pockets. Though they were invisible to everyone else, he found himself inspecting the flames that made up one of the auras belonging to the pair still aboard the ship. "Hm," He suddenly scoffed causing himself to close his eyes against the winds as they blew against his back."I should try not to fall victim to Ken's capacity for such pointless things..." The thought of his brother caused Axel senses to drift down towards the forest, zeroing in on Ken's aura in a matter of seconds. "Soft heartedness must be hereditary."

 

Suddenly his eyes shot open. "s***!" There was a fluctuation in Ken's aura. Rage. His brother was never this quick anger... Whatever was down there must have been vile. "Mephiles!" It hit him like a bullet through the heart. Clenching his fist, Axel summoned a chaos blade to his grasp before turning to face the ground. How could he have been so stupid?! Of course it was Mephiles that he had been sensing this whole time! The beast was also after the chaos emeralds...

 

Suddenly he deeply regretted wasting so much energy against Chimera.

 

Finally reaching the ash covered forest tree line, Axel's form suddenly vanished in flash of blue light. Using his senses, he warped himself through the dense layers of branches to appear a few yards above his target's head. "MEPHILES THE DARK!" Axel's voice boomed downwards as he brought his blade back in preparation to slice his foe in half. "DIE!"

 

Though he would receive only a sideways glance from the demon. As the young prodigy brought his sword down upon the beast, his eyes widened in shock upon watching his sword and then his entire arm slip right through the creature's head, as if he were passing through smoke. Unable to stop himself, Axel's entire body continued to pass right through Mephiles. Leaving him directly in front of the black hedgehog whilst still following through with his slash.

 

"Ah," Mephiles said whilst casually swinging the back of his fist into Axel's side to send him tumbling towards Ken. "that makes two..." He chuckled slightly as he watched Axel bring himself to a skidding halt at his brother's side.

 

"Brother," Axel's tone was grim as his glowing gaze peered daggers into the man responsible for Silver's death. Raising his left hand to his brother, Axel waited for his twin to hand him the chaos emerald so that they could claim their revenge.

[Blade Mistress]

"We have arrived at the coordinates that master Axel designated.  I will remain here in the sky, close by.  If you need me, Chimera can tune his channel to mine and...oh my....how embarrassing...he may contact me..." ​Cynthia's ears perked up when she heard this announcement, it must've been that AI that was on the ship now. "Huh​, another member of the team... Well, time to show these people what I can do." ​Cynthia got up and stretched a bit before getting her Extreme Gear out, apparently she wasn't the only one who had the idea of jumping, as three of the team members had already begun their descent to the forest below.

 

​"Ha! Don't leave me out of this! Geronimo!" ​Cynthia left off the side of the carrier, seconds later she pulled out Hurricane and rode it down to the tree line. She passed by the arctic wolf in the free fall but she couldn't see the twins anywhere. ​"Alright, time to regroup." ​Cynthia went under the tree line and rode along before she found the twins. "I'm here guys, now what exactly are we looking... for..." ​Cynthia suddenly realized that the tins were staring down a black, shadowy hedgehog. ​"Ok... I'm guessing this is... Mephiles?"

[King K. Azo]

Chimera sighed as he packed up his little project, placing them in a box and slipping them into a compartment in his stomach. It seemed they had arrived. Just in time to, as he had just finished it. With a robotic sigh, he headed to the others, where he heard Reef say... Some odd things.

 

"We have arrived at the coordinates that master Axel designated.  I will remain here in the sky, close by.  If you need me, Chimera can tune his channel to mine and...oh my....how embarrassing...he may contact me..."

 

"What have she and Chimera been up to..." Ken asked. Chimera rolled his mechanical eyes.

 

"We've been cuddling together at night, whispering sweet nothings into the other's ear," The sarcasm nearly oozed from his voice. "We're getting married next month," with a head shake he walked over and folded his arms, before speaking in a more serious and soft tone. "She's been helping me with a project while flying the ship. Also, Reef, you don't have to call any of them Master, you know,"

 

"Welp...I'll be heading out then!" Ken stated.

 

"Wait, hold on a moment, I have---," Chimera didn't get to finish before the hedgehog jumped.

 

"Well...never a dull moment with him around..." Said Zane in an admiring tone. "I dunno about you guys...but I've been meaning to do this for a LOOOOOOOONG while!"

 

"I said to---," Sadly, his plead fell on dear ears as Zane fell towards the ground.

 

"Heh... Your brother is something else..." Alex spoke up. "Thinking of jumping too? It beats waiting for this hunk of metal to land."

 

"Chimera might just throw you off If you keep speaking that way about his bride and joy..."

 

"Forget might, I AM going to throw you off next chance I get," Chimera stated. However, his words once again fell on dead ears.

 

"Sorry. We won't be falling together this time."

 

"DON'T YOU DARE---!!" But alas, it was too late. Axel leapt off the side. To make it worse...

 

​"Ha! Don't leave me out of this! Geronimo!" Cynthia then also jumped off the side.

 

"DAMN THESE IMPULSIVE ORGANIC... ARGH!!" with a robotic roar of rage, he rushed off the edge, igniting his boosters and flying to the ground, crashing into it with a mighty boom. "That's it, BURNING EVERYTHING!!! he roared, not realizing they had already encountered Mephlies the Dark...

[Wind Rider]

Alex watched as everyone began to jump off the carrier, even Axel took off, leaving Alex the only one on the carrier. "Heh... Guess this makes me late to the party..." she said with a laugh. She looked down at the forest below and took a deep breath. "Ok... Just gotta aim for a tree..."

 

She lept off the carrier and aimed herself to where she would land well enough without breaking anything. "Gotta grab a tree, gotta grab a tree... Gotcha, oh wait no!" Alex had managed to grab hold of a branch as she fell, but the force of her falling snapped the branch and she continued to tumble and fall through the trees. After a few seconds of tumbling, Alex landed on her feet and nearly stumbled over. "Ugh... N-nailed it..."

[Mr. Hyde]

Ashen Forest

 

One by one, his teammates descended from the sky, appearing on the battlefield before Mephiles the Dark.  Axel dropped down with what looked to be an effective strike, but it proved to be utterly useless.  His brother was sent tumbling next to him.  

 

"Brother!"

 

"Right!"  Ken nodded and reached for the chaos emerald, throwing it to his brother.  "You need it way more than I do!"  Mephiles' head jerked to attention upon witnessing the glistening gem fly through the air.  There was no way he'd be able to intercept it.  

 

"So that's what you're after...I guess we have a lot in common."

 

As the others landed from the heavens, Mephiles looked on in confusion.  

 

"So...you've gathered the lucky ones have you?  That desperate for a counter offensive that you'd round up this mess of misfits.  You think this is enough to face me?!"  Mephiles eyed each one closely.  He noticed the two that had fought him and his shades head on while he was rampaging through Metropolis, the wolf and arm-less cat.  "You're the runts that escaped through that strange portal...You should've heard that lousy excuse of a civil servant crying for you to come back.  He truly was pathetic in the end."  His eyes lingered towards the robot, and Cynthia.  "You two are new...don't suppose the girl is much of a threat..." he stopped when looking at Chimera, "But I've always hated robots..."  In the back of his mind, Mephiles wondered if somehow, the robot was masking the chaos force surrounding the rest of the group...maybe that's why he couldn't feel anything else.  

 

"THAT'S IT!"  Ken raced towards the shadowy hedgehog, his fist flying in the air towards him, creating a vacuum around his fist.  Like his brothers attack, it phased through Mephiles' body, causing Ken to tumble behind Mephiles.  As soon as Ken had made it all the way through his body, he black hedgehog grabbed Ken by the collar, and hiked him over his shoulder, thrusting him into the ground.  The ground beneath Ken broke and cratered, causing Ken to gasp for the air that left his lungs.  

 

"Pathetic...just like that damned Silver."  

 

At the mention of the name, Ken stood right back up.  

 

"What the hell...did you just say."  

 

A wicked smirk could be seen in Mephiles' eyes.  

 

"I said, you're pathetic...just like Silver."  Ken's fists tightened, and his first inhibitor was broken.  "The damned fool wouldn't stop droning on and on about how I wouldn't get away with it, how I you two were stronger than he ever was.  He kept saying it, even when I punctured his lungs.  He died with a smile on his face.  I was hoping that he would be filled with despair.  I thought about sparing him until I managed to find you both and kill you in front of him...but alas."  Ken had disappeared from the crater he stood in, and reappeared directly behind the monologing hedgehog.

 

"Second Inhibitor: Mind!  RELEASE!"  Mephiles was met with a hefty roundhouse to the right side of his head.  It was so unexpected that he hadn't enough time to materialize.  He was shot directly into the forest, where he crashed through multiple trees.  "Don't....don't you dare talk about him...don't you dare."  Ken wiped some spit from his face, breathing heavily.  

 

It was then that an elongated arm protruded from the treeline, snatching Ken by the throat.  The sound of retraction could be heard, as Mephiles was pulled close to his limb, and to Ken.  The side of his head that had been kicked was almost non-existent, and hadn't reformed.  

 

"Insolent worm!"  A mighty punch landed on Ken's cheek, and he was sent careening towards Cynthia.  "I shall end you all here!  Dark Torrent!"  Mephiles' arm elongated again, this time aiming for Axel.  With his other hand, he launched three orbs of dark energy towards Chimera, Zane, and Alex. 

[Hälō]

BMG

 

"Right!" Ken reacted quickly, producing the emerald and tossing it into his brother's grasp. Axel watched with a scowl as Mephiles's attention was immediately drawn to the artifact. Though upon coming into contact with the emerald himself, Axel felt a sudden coldness wash over his body. For a moment, he racked his brain for a reason for such a sensation but soon found his attention ripped away by Ken's sudden outburst.

 

"THAT'S IT!" 

 

Watching the twisted creature do battle with his brother caused Axel's blood to boil... but he knew all too well that Ken could handle himself. It was his job to look for openings. "Bastard..." Axel growled through gritted teeth upon hearing Mephiles speak ill of Silver. Every word that came out of the demon's mouth seemed to drag themselves across Axel's very being. Causing the air around him to bend and distort with shimmering blue energy as his eyes followed Ken's every move. Though he wasn't alone. Seemingly aware of the raw emotion of it's wielder, the chaos emerald in his left hand had begun to angrily pulsate with small waves of aggressive chaos energy.

 

   

"Insolent worm!" Without warning, Mephiles's hand had shot from the brush and grasped around Ken's throat. Prompting Axel rip his blade from the ground and step forward. "I shall end you all here!  Dark Torrent!" Mephiles roared after sending Ken flying towards Cynthia. 

 

With Mephiles's arm rapidly speeding towards him, Axel hastily absorbed the energy that the emerald seemed to be... leaking before vanishing from sight just before the monster's arm would have made contact. Reappearing in a nearby tree branch, Axel pumped the chaos emerald's energy into his chaos blade, causing it's form to suddenly grow wild and unstable.

 

Impressed by the emerald's effect on his technique, Axel centered his gaze on Mephiles before sending his charged blade whirling towards his target at full speed. "Taste this!" Whether the attack phased through the demon or not was of little consequence. For when it made contact with Mephiles or the ground, the sword would erupt in an explosion of dark blue chaos energy...

 

 

[Super Chaos Sonic]

-BGM-

 

Zane was obvious having the time of his life as he soared through the air, literally without a care as he would end up doing a few tricks here and there with the snowboard that was beneath his feet. Stuff like this kept making him miss the Northern Tundra, if only for the amazing snowy mountains that he could shred down.

 

Hmm...maybe one day I'll probably bring the gang along to visit the Tundra...especially with everything that's been going on... Zane thought, exhaling slightly as he shook his head some. No, he had to focus on the task at hand...his family in the Northern Tundra was fine...he just had to believe that.

 

As he debated this in his mind, he saw the forest beneath him getting very close. "Well...looks like its time for an easy landing!" the arctic wolf laughed as he slammed his hands together, before flipping upside down and pointing his hands downward, before ice began to form beneath him into a small ramp looking formation. "Can he stick this landing?" he smirked, flipping again, his snowboard making contact with the ice as he slid successfully onto the ground.

 

"And he stuck it!! The crowd goes wild!" Zane laughed, slowly removing his goggles and hopping off his snowboard, before returning it to its collapsible state...however, the moment he landed...he was literally up to his neck in trouble...being in the form of...

 

-BGM-

 

"So...you've gathered the lucky ones have you? That desperate for a counter offensive that you'd round up this mess of misfits. You think this is enough to face me?!"

 

As much as Zane didn't want to admit that he was before them...there he was...Mephiles the Dark. He could feel his fur standing up on end, just like the day he first met the damned creature. His fists began to clench tightly, as the arctic wolf stared hard at the creature of darkness...before his soulless gaze fell upon him.

 

"You're the runts that escaped through that strange portal...You should've heard that lousy excuse of a civil servant crying for you to come back. He truly was pathetic in the end."

 

Zane's eyes widened, hearing what Mephiles spoke. The civil servant? Harvey...you damned bastard!!! he thought, beginning to growl lowly at the dark creature. "Shut the hell up...don't talk about Harvey like that..." He wanted to rip the creature limb from limb at this point. However, he didn't get the chance.

 

Immediately after mentioning Silver, Ken jumped into the fray with both feet, already unlocking a second inhibitor. He did a number on him...but alas, Mephiles struck back and punched the hedgehog straight into the general area of Cynthia.

 

"I shall end you all here! Dark Torrent!"

 

Zane wasn't deterred by this, as he immediately pulled the multi-tool out from his vest pocket, before pressing the red button on it. It bends to my will...what I will it to be. he thought, as the water emerged and formed into a liquid blade. It was at this moment the water solidified into ice, making it an ice blade. "Alright!" he shouted, rushing towards the one dark energy orb, slashing it, before glaring at Mephiles.

 

"You've got too much blood on your hands...Harvey's...Silver's...everyone in Metropolis...and wherever else your damned claws have touched..." Zane growled, before proceeding to make ice appear beneath his feet, which allowed him to skate towards the dark creature. "And this time...I'm going to send you back to hell where you belong!!"

[Blade Mistress]

Cynthia looked to see that everyone else had landed fine, now they were charged with facing down this... Freak of a hedgehog. Ken tried to attack the creature and he actually succeeded in bashing it square on the head, well, through the head, the creature seemed to have been missing a chunk of itself. However, the creature got a hold of Ken and chucked him straight at Cynthia. ​"Whoa! Ow... Don't worry... Caught ya..." ​She was knocked back a bit, but she was able to get a hold of Ken without falling over with him.

 

​Cynthia looked back to see that Axel and Zane were getting up close and personal with the creature. ​"Heh, it may be able to watch for two people, but how a third attack?" ​She morphed her arm and made it a bit bigger before rushing at Mephiles, with his attention pointed at two others, he was sure to miss Cynthia coming straight at him. ​"Alright, Mephiles or whatever your called, consider this payback for whatever you did to Metropolis!" Cynthia swung her metallic fist, aiming straight for Mephiles's chest.

[Wind Rider]

Alex tensed up when the monster of a hedgehog mentioned harvey. "L... Lier... He died the moment you impaled him... No way he'd call for me anyway... I was just a means of money to him..." alex said responding to the dark being's voice.

 

Alex dodged the incoming attack from mephiles and jumped a fair distance back. From the looks of things, everyone was going for an attack, hoping that the creature wouldn't be able to dodge all of them. "Hmm... Why dont we take a stealthy approach?" alex activated the bracelet she got from pearl and went "fully" invisible.

 

She made no noise as she maneuvered her way towards mephiles and pulled a dagger out. The moment mephiles got out of the attacks she would strike.