Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Careful What You Wish For ❯ Adjusting to New Powers ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: shadowsoldier13 
You guys should know by now that I won't spoil the story with a summary but I guarantee that you'll like this chapter, so please comment! And enjoy!
Non Anime: Sonic Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.27.2008 | Updated On: 05.08.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 446 | Status: Completed
You guys should know by now that I won't spoil the story with a summary but I guarantee that you'll like this chapter, so please comment! And enjoy!
Non Anime: Sonic Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.27.2008 | Updated On: 05.08.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 446 | Status: Completed
"Ruuunn!!!" Tails shouted as loud as he could only a split-second before the entire chamber exploded. Everyone outside the machine was thrown in different directions, along with multiple pieces of debris from the once functioning invention. After a few moments of silence, Sonic slowly rose up out from beneath a pile of rubble. He quickly stood up, dusted himself off, and began to shout out to his friends.
"Hey! Are you guys alright?"
"I'm okay, Sonic." Amy responded, getting back to her feet, still shielding Cream. The young rabbit looked up at Amy, and noticed a small trickle of blood trailing down the pink hedgehog's forehead.
"Oh, no! Amy, you're bleeding!" Cream gasped. Amy reached a hand up to her forehead and hissed in pain when she felt a lump starting to form. Sonic ran up to Amy and saw her injury. "Are you sure you're okay, Amy?" The blue hedgehog asked, worried.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just a bump on the head. What about everyone else?" Amy questioned. Sonic glanced around the destroyed room and called out to the others. "Shadow, Knuckles! Can you hear me?"
As if on cue, Shadow emerged out from underneath an overturned coffee table and growled, "I'm just fine."
"Uh, guys? A little help here?"
Sonic, Amy, Cream, and Shadow all turned towards the hole in the wall, leading to the bathroom, and saw Knuckles. The echidna had been thrown through the wall and landed in the bathtub, coincidently turning on the shower upon impact. "Quit screwing around in there, knuckles!" Sonic scolded the echidna.
"I'm not screwing around, I'm..." (bluuuurrbb) Tiny ripples appeared in the water in which the echidna was laying. "EEEW! That's gross, Knuckles!" Amy whined. Knuckles' face was now as red as his fur. "It wasn't me!" Everyone began laughing until Cream turned around and gasped. "Oh no, you guys. Look!"
The rest of the group turned to see what the young rabbit was pointing at, and all stared in horror when they saw the machine, completely destroyed, and no sign of Tails anywhere. "Tails!" Everyone shouted out, hoping for a response from their two-tailed friend. When no response came, everyone's hopes began to diminish. Cream hung her head in sorrow and she began to cry softly. "You (sniff) you don't think that he's... he's..."
"Think that I'm what?"
Cream's head jerked up when she heard the voice and she and the others looked up and saw...
"TAILS!!"
Indeed, hovering high above their heads, without even spinning his namesakes, was Tails. The young genius had finally acquired what he had sought after for so long... he now had his own Super form.
"Hey, guys! Miss me?" Tails smiled, descending back down to solid ground. As soon as his feet touched the ground, all of his friends rushed over to him, hugging and congratulating him. Sonic would be the first to compliment his adoptive little brother.
"Good job, lil' bro! I'm proud of ya!"
"Thanks, Sonic!" Tails cheered, high-fiving the blue hedgehog. "I can't believe it actually worked!"
Cream ran up to Tails and jumped into his arms, throwing her arms around the fox's neck. "Oh, Tails! I'm so glad you're okay! And you look so cute like that, too." The young doe's last comment made both her and Tails blush. "Hehe... Uh, thanks, Cream." Tails chuckled.
Shadow walked up to the now super-powered fox and smiled slightly. "So, kid. How does it feel?"
"It feels great! I've never felt this strong in my whole life!"
Shadow then closed his eyes, extending his hand out towards Tails. "Well, I hate to admit it kid, but I'm impressed." Tails looked at the ebony hedgehog for a moment before shaking his hand, returning the act of friendship. "Thanks, Shadow." After breaking the handshake, Tails looked over to Sonic and grinned mischievously.
"Hey, Sonic. Care to race?"
The cobalt hedgehog just stared at the little fox in confusion. "Are... are you serious, Tails?" Tails simply nodded. "Mm-hmm. I wanna see just how fast I've gotten. And who better to test my speed against than the Fastest Thing Alive?"
"You do have a point, Tails. Sure, why not?" Sonic said, striking his trademark 'I'm Awesome' pose. "Cool. Now how about you guys?" The vulpine said, turning to face Knuckles and Shadow. "Knuckles, you seem to have much more physical strength than the rest of us, so I'd like to test my strength against you. Whaddya say?"
"Sure, no problem, kid. But don't expect to be able to hold up very long against these guns." Knuckles replied, flexing and kissing his biceps.
"Okay..." 'Knuckles REALLY needs a girlfriend.' Tails thought to himself. "Well, Shadow. What about you? You're the only other one with Chaos powers. So, will you help me test mine?"
The midnight-furred hedgehog looked at the young superfox and flashed a quick smile. "As you wish. But I won't go easy on you." Tails smiled back and replied, "Wouldn't have it any other way." Sonic decided to interrupt at this point. "Well, what are we waitin' for? If we're gonna race, then let's race!" The impatient hedgehog called out. Tails chuckled. "All right, then. Let's go!"
****Outside Tails' Workshop 5 Minutes Later****
Everyone was now gathered in a wide open field with Sonic and Tails ready to go man-to-man (well, hedgehog-to-fox). Once the group had quieted down, Amy had begun to explain the rules of the race.
"Okay, you two. The rules are simple; First one to Station Square wins. Sonic, no spindashes allowed. and Tails, you're not allowed to fly, either. Understood?" Both boys looked at the pink hedgehog and nodded.
"Alright, racers. Get into position."
Tails leaned over and whispered in Sonic's ear. "Hey, Sonic. I bet Amy's been waiting a long time to say that to you." Sonic leaned over and then whispered into the fox's ear. "Oh, yeah? Well, I've heard you mumble Cream's name in your sleep before. Ya wanna explain that one?"
"...This conversation never happened."
"Deal."
"AHEM!!" The two boys turned around and saw an irritated Amy Rose tapping her foot with her hands on her hips. "Are you two gonna race or not?" Tails and Sonic turned back around and knelt down, placing one foot in front of the other.
"Get ready... get set..."
Sonic and tails growled softly at each other.
"GO!!" Amy yelled, waving the flag. And in a flash, the fox and hedgehog took off, leaving a giant dust cloud in their wake. The others continued coughing for a few moments until the dust had settled. Knuckles leaned over and quietly asked Shadow, "So, what do you think Tails' chances are of beating Sonic?"
Shadow just crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Not very high. But then again, that kid seems to be full of surprises today."
****Outskirts of Station Square****
Sonic and Tails had already made it to Station Square and were on their way back to the workshop, with Sonic holding a slight lead. The high speed hedgehog looked back at the trailing fox and shouted, 'Sorry, lil' bro! You may have gotten a lot faster, but you still can't beat me!" All of a sudden, Sonic was passed by a golden-yellow blur.
"What was that you were saying, Sonic?"
The cobalt hedgehog spun around, only to see Tails now running directly in front of him. But what was even more unsettling was the fact that Tails was running backwards. "No way!" Sonic shouted in disbelief. "See you at the finish line, Sonic!" Tails smiled, turning his back to Sonic and taking off full-speed towards the finish line. "We'll see about that!" The blue hedgehog yelled, chasing after the fox.
****Back At the Workshop****
Amy and the others were awaiting their friends' returns when they saw two blurs approaching in the distance at high speed. "Hey, here they come!" Cream shouted happily. "But who's winning?"
The rabbit's question would soon be answered when she saw Sonic approaching. The hedgehog looked over his shoulder but didn't see Tails anywhere. "Guess I won." But when he looked ahead at the finish line, what he saw caused him to trip and slide face-first all the way across the finish.
After raising up from the crater his face-plant created, Sonic looked up and saw... Tails.
"What took ya so long?" The young fox asked happily, his tails fluttering excitedly behind him. "I... I don't believe it. Ta... Ta... Tails beat me?" Sonic stuttered as Amy walked over and helped him back to his feet. Tails was still smiling as he turned to face Shadow.
"Well, the first test was a success, so I guess it's time for the next one. Are you ready, Shadow?" Shadow was caught slightly by surprise. He hadn't expected the fox would actually go through with this. "Whatever you want, kid. Just remember... you asked for it."
"Just don't cry if if you get hurt."
"Not on your life, Goldilocks. Let's do this!" With that said, Tails and Shadow led the others into a large, open field and prepared to fight. "Alright, Shadow. Give me everything you've got. Don't hold anything back!" Tails instructed, but the kits' request had all of his friends concerned. They all know what Shadow is capable of if provoked.
"Be careful, Tails! We don't want you to get hurt!" Cream said worriedly. "Don't worry, Cream. I doubt that Shadow can hurt me." Tails laughed. "Watch it, Prower." Shadow growled.
"Whenever you're ready, Shadow." Tails said, getting into a fighting stance. "You're gonna regret that, fox!" The pitch-black hedgehog shouted, leaping into the air. He then began to charge up his trademark attack... while Tails just stood there and smiled!
"Take this, Prower! CHAOS SPEAR!" Shadow yelled as he released the deadly energy attack. All of Tails' friends began shouting at him to move out of the way as the Chaos Spear made its way closer to him.
"Tails, get outta there!" Sonic yelled to his little brother, but Tails simply raised his arms in an 'X' formation in front of him just as the Chaos Spear made direct contact.
"TAILS!!" Everybody screamed when then they saw the attack hit. Shadow landed back on the ground and just stared into the large dust cloud where Tails had been standing. "I warned him." The black hedgehog said, shaking his head. All the other onlookers feared the worst, but as the dust settled, no one could believe what they saw. Tails was still standing in the exact same spot, completely unscathed.
"What!? But that's impossible! Nobody can survive my attacks!" Shadow growled, clenching his fists. Tails lowered his arms and smiled at Shadow.
"Not too bad, Shadow. Now try one of mine!"
Tails' namesakes began to glow a bright white. He then did a 180 degree spin, thrust his tails forward and yelled, "Chaos Slash!" His twin tails then released a barrage of glowing energy blades.
"What the...!?" Shadow yelled as he quickly began dodging Tails' attacks. Normally, he would just use Chaos Control to stop time and avoid the attacks, but Tails' attacks were coming too quickly to perform such an action. Just as Shadow thought that Tails' onslaught was over, one final energy blade flew past, grazing his cheek.
Shadow just stared wide-eyed at Tails, who was now surrounded by his friends who were congratulating him. 'That kid really is quick.' He thought to himself. The black and red hedgehog walked over to his opponent, who was now trying to catch his breath.
"Hmm? What's up, Shadow?"
Shadow smiled and extended his hand. "Great job, kid. I'm proud of ya. Few people can withstand my attacks, let alone strike me with one of their own."
"Thanks, Shadow. You weren't too bad, yourself." Tails said exhaustedly, shaking the hedgehog's hand. "Well Knuckles, looks like it's your turn." He said, turning to face the echidna.
"It's about time, too!" Knuckles smiled, but his smile quickly faded when he noticed that Tails was sweating and breathing heavily. "Are you okay, Tails?"
"Yeah... I'm fine... let's do this!" Tails responded through heavy panting. Knuckles wasn't so sure, though. "I don't know. Maybe you should take a rest first, Tails. You look a little run down." This started to frustrate Tails a little, but the fox has known Knuckles long enough to know how to play on the echidna's ego.
"Aw, what's the matter, Knuckles? You aren't scared, are ya?" He said, smirking. Everyone else backed away when they saw the vein on Knuckles' forehead about to burst. "Alright, that's it! You want a fight, Foxboy, you've got one! Let's get this game on!" Tails leaned over to Sonic and whispered, "I knew he'd fall for that." Sonic replied with, "Yep. Good ol' gullible Knuckles. But you probably should take a quick rest."
"Fine." Tails pouted as they made their way into the workshop.
****5 Minutes Later****
The gang was making their way back to the clearing when Tails suddenly stopped, hearing a voice.
'Let me out...'
Cream noticed her friends' odd behavior and stopped to see what was wrong. "Hey, Tails. What's the matter?" Tails continued looking around and said, "I don't know, but I thought I heard a voice."
"Whose voice?"
"I'm not sure, but it sounded kinda like... mine."
Cream was now a little more concerned. "Are you sure you're okay, Tails?" The fox caught up to Cream and said, "Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine." Cream and Tails had finished their conversation just as they made it back to the clearing. The sun had just begun to set. Tails readied himself into a fighting stance, but suddenly, his vision started to blur.
'Let me out...'
'There's that voice again. What's happening to me?' Tails thought as he tried to regain focus. "Okay, Knuckles. This is an all-out fight, anything goes. Got it?" Knuckles simply nodded, getting into a fighting stance as well.
"Ready, Tails?"
"Ready." The kit answered in an exhausted voice. "Good, 'cause here I come!" Knuckles yelled, charging at Tails. Tails mimicked the action, charging at the echidna as well. As their fists collided with one another, there was an intense flash of light caused by the impact, forcing everyone to shield their eyes. When they looked back, they saw Tails and Knuckles locked fist-to-fist, trying to force the other back.
"Wow, Tails is holding his own against Knuckles." Amy said in complete surprise. "Hey, look. Tails is pushing him back!" Cream exclaimed. Sure enough, Tails was forcing the guardian backwards. "Go, Tails! You can do it, buddy!" Sonic cheered. Tails continued to drive Knuckles back until the echidna dug his heels into the ground.
Now that Tails couldn't budge him anymore, the fox quickly came up with another idea. Tails broke the grapple, grabbing Knuckles' arms and flipping over the echidna's head, landing on one foot. He then spun on his toes and crashed his tails into Knuckles' face, making him stumble.
"Betcha didn't see that one comin', did ya?" Tails decided to taunt the echidna. "Hey, Knuckles! Whaddya say I take over guarding the Master Emerald?" Tails' last comment sent Knuckles over the edge. But before the fox could tease him further, he suddenly felt an immense pain in his chest.
"LET... ME... OOOUUTT!!!"
Tails clutched his chest in pain, but managed to look up and see Knuckles charging at him shouting, "Guard this!" Before the young superfox could react, the massive fist of Knuckles crashed into his right cheek, sending him soaring thirty feet away... Tails wasn't moving.
....To Be Continued
"Hey! Are you guys alright?"
"I'm okay, Sonic." Amy responded, getting back to her feet, still shielding Cream. The young rabbit looked up at Amy, and noticed a small trickle of blood trailing down the pink hedgehog's forehead.
"Oh, no! Amy, you're bleeding!" Cream gasped. Amy reached a hand up to her forehead and hissed in pain when she felt a lump starting to form. Sonic ran up to Amy and saw her injury. "Are you sure you're okay, Amy?" The blue hedgehog asked, worried.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just a bump on the head. What about everyone else?" Amy questioned. Sonic glanced around the destroyed room and called out to the others. "Shadow, Knuckles! Can you hear me?"
As if on cue, Shadow emerged out from underneath an overturned coffee table and growled, "I'm just fine."
"Uh, guys? A little help here?"
Sonic, Amy, Cream, and Shadow all turned towards the hole in the wall, leading to the bathroom, and saw Knuckles. The echidna had been thrown through the wall and landed in the bathtub, coincidently turning on the shower upon impact. "Quit screwing around in there, knuckles!" Sonic scolded the echidna.
"I'm not screwing around, I'm..." (bluuuurrbb) Tiny ripples appeared in the water in which the echidna was laying. "EEEW! That's gross, Knuckles!" Amy whined. Knuckles' face was now as red as his fur. "It wasn't me!" Everyone began laughing until Cream turned around and gasped. "Oh no, you guys. Look!"
The rest of the group turned to see what the young rabbit was pointing at, and all stared in horror when they saw the machine, completely destroyed, and no sign of Tails anywhere. "Tails!" Everyone shouted out, hoping for a response from their two-tailed friend. When no response came, everyone's hopes began to diminish. Cream hung her head in sorrow and she began to cry softly. "You (sniff) you don't think that he's... he's..."
"Think that I'm what?"
Cream's head jerked up when she heard the voice and she and the others looked up and saw...
"TAILS!!"
Indeed, hovering high above their heads, without even spinning his namesakes, was Tails. The young genius had finally acquired what he had sought after for so long... he now had his own Super form.
"Hey, guys! Miss me?" Tails smiled, descending back down to solid ground. As soon as his feet touched the ground, all of his friends rushed over to him, hugging and congratulating him. Sonic would be the first to compliment his adoptive little brother.
"Good job, lil' bro! I'm proud of ya!"
"Thanks, Sonic!" Tails cheered, high-fiving the blue hedgehog. "I can't believe it actually worked!"
Cream ran up to Tails and jumped into his arms, throwing her arms around the fox's neck. "Oh, Tails! I'm so glad you're okay! And you look so cute like that, too." The young doe's last comment made both her and Tails blush. "Hehe... Uh, thanks, Cream." Tails chuckled.
Shadow walked up to the now super-powered fox and smiled slightly. "So, kid. How does it feel?"
"It feels great! I've never felt this strong in my whole life!"
Shadow then closed his eyes, extending his hand out towards Tails. "Well, I hate to admit it kid, but I'm impressed." Tails looked at the ebony hedgehog for a moment before shaking his hand, returning the act of friendship. "Thanks, Shadow." After breaking the handshake, Tails looked over to Sonic and grinned mischievously.
"Hey, Sonic. Care to race?"
The cobalt hedgehog just stared at the little fox in confusion. "Are... are you serious, Tails?" Tails simply nodded. "Mm-hmm. I wanna see just how fast I've gotten. And who better to test my speed against than the Fastest Thing Alive?"
"You do have a point, Tails. Sure, why not?" Sonic said, striking his trademark 'I'm Awesome' pose. "Cool. Now how about you guys?" The vulpine said, turning to face Knuckles and Shadow. "Knuckles, you seem to have much more physical strength than the rest of us, so I'd like to test my strength against you. Whaddya say?"
"Sure, no problem, kid. But don't expect to be able to hold up very long against these guns." Knuckles replied, flexing and kissing his biceps.
"Okay..." 'Knuckles REALLY needs a girlfriend.' Tails thought to himself. "Well, Shadow. What about you? You're the only other one with Chaos powers. So, will you help me test mine?"
The midnight-furred hedgehog looked at the young superfox and flashed a quick smile. "As you wish. But I won't go easy on you." Tails smiled back and replied, "Wouldn't have it any other way." Sonic decided to interrupt at this point. "Well, what are we waitin' for? If we're gonna race, then let's race!" The impatient hedgehog called out. Tails chuckled. "All right, then. Let's go!"
****Outside Tails' Workshop 5 Minutes Later****
Everyone was now gathered in a wide open field with Sonic and Tails ready to go man-to-man (well, hedgehog-to-fox). Once the group had quieted down, Amy had begun to explain the rules of the race.
"Okay, you two. The rules are simple; First one to Station Square wins. Sonic, no spindashes allowed. and Tails, you're not allowed to fly, either. Understood?" Both boys looked at the pink hedgehog and nodded.
"Alright, racers. Get into position."
Tails leaned over and whispered in Sonic's ear. "Hey, Sonic. I bet Amy's been waiting a long time to say that to you." Sonic leaned over and then whispered into the fox's ear. "Oh, yeah? Well, I've heard you mumble Cream's name in your sleep before. Ya wanna explain that one?"
"...This conversation never happened."
"Deal."
"AHEM!!" The two boys turned around and saw an irritated Amy Rose tapping her foot with her hands on her hips. "Are you two gonna race or not?" Tails and Sonic turned back around and knelt down, placing one foot in front of the other.
"Get ready... get set..."
Sonic and tails growled softly at each other.
"GO!!" Amy yelled, waving the flag. And in a flash, the fox and hedgehog took off, leaving a giant dust cloud in their wake. The others continued coughing for a few moments until the dust had settled. Knuckles leaned over and quietly asked Shadow, "So, what do you think Tails' chances are of beating Sonic?"
Shadow just crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Not very high. But then again, that kid seems to be full of surprises today."
****Outskirts of Station Square****
Sonic and Tails had already made it to Station Square and were on their way back to the workshop, with Sonic holding a slight lead. The high speed hedgehog looked back at the trailing fox and shouted, 'Sorry, lil' bro! You may have gotten a lot faster, but you still can't beat me!" All of a sudden, Sonic was passed by a golden-yellow blur.
"What was that you were saying, Sonic?"
The cobalt hedgehog spun around, only to see Tails now running directly in front of him. But what was even more unsettling was the fact that Tails was running backwards. "No way!" Sonic shouted in disbelief. "See you at the finish line, Sonic!" Tails smiled, turning his back to Sonic and taking off full-speed towards the finish line. "We'll see about that!" The blue hedgehog yelled, chasing after the fox.
****Back At the Workshop****
Amy and the others were awaiting their friends' returns when they saw two blurs approaching in the distance at high speed. "Hey, here they come!" Cream shouted happily. "But who's winning?"
The rabbit's question would soon be answered when she saw Sonic approaching. The hedgehog looked over his shoulder but didn't see Tails anywhere. "Guess I won." But when he looked ahead at the finish line, what he saw caused him to trip and slide face-first all the way across the finish.
After raising up from the crater his face-plant created, Sonic looked up and saw... Tails.
"What took ya so long?" The young fox asked happily, his tails fluttering excitedly behind him. "I... I don't believe it. Ta... Ta... Tails beat me?" Sonic stuttered as Amy walked over and helped him back to his feet. Tails was still smiling as he turned to face Shadow.
"Well, the first test was a success, so I guess it's time for the next one. Are you ready, Shadow?" Shadow was caught slightly by surprise. He hadn't expected the fox would actually go through with this. "Whatever you want, kid. Just remember... you asked for it."
"Just don't cry if if you get hurt."
"Not on your life, Goldilocks. Let's do this!" With that said, Tails and Shadow led the others into a large, open field and prepared to fight. "Alright, Shadow. Give me everything you've got. Don't hold anything back!" Tails instructed, but the kits' request had all of his friends concerned. They all know what Shadow is capable of if provoked.
"Be careful, Tails! We don't want you to get hurt!" Cream said worriedly. "Don't worry, Cream. I doubt that Shadow can hurt me." Tails laughed. "Watch it, Prower." Shadow growled.
"Whenever you're ready, Shadow." Tails said, getting into a fighting stance. "You're gonna regret that, fox!" The pitch-black hedgehog shouted, leaping into the air. He then began to charge up his trademark attack... while Tails just stood there and smiled!
"Take this, Prower! CHAOS SPEAR!" Shadow yelled as he released the deadly energy attack. All of Tails' friends began shouting at him to move out of the way as the Chaos Spear made its way closer to him.
"Tails, get outta there!" Sonic yelled to his little brother, but Tails simply raised his arms in an 'X' formation in front of him just as the Chaos Spear made direct contact.
"TAILS!!" Everybody screamed when then they saw the attack hit. Shadow landed back on the ground and just stared into the large dust cloud where Tails had been standing. "I warned him." The black hedgehog said, shaking his head. All the other onlookers feared the worst, but as the dust settled, no one could believe what they saw. Tails was still standing in the exact same spot, completely unscathed.
"What!? But that's impossible! Nobody can survive my attacks!" Shadow growled, clenching his fists. Tails lowered his arms and smiled at Shadow.
"Not too bad, Shadow. Now try one of mine!"
Tails' namesakes began to glow a bright white. He then did a 180 degree spin, thrust his tails forward and yelled, "Chaos Slash!" His twin tails then released a barrage of glowing energy blades.
"What the...!?" Shadow yelled as he quickly began dodging Tails' attacks. Normally, he would just use Chaos Control to stop time and avoid the attacks, but Tails' attacks were coming too quickly to perform such an action. Just as Shadow thought that Tails' onslaught was over, one final energy blade flew past, grazing his cheek.
Shadow just stared wide-eyed at Tails, who was now surrounded by his friends who were congratulating him. 'That kid really is quick.' He thought to himself. The black and red hedgehog walked over to his opponent, who was now trying to catch his breath.
"Hmm? What's up, Shadow?"
Shadow smiled and extended his hand. "Great job, kid. I'm proud of ya. Few people can withstand my attacks, let alone strike me with one of their own."
"Thanks, Shadow. You weren't too bad, yourself." Tails said exhaustedly, shaking the hedgehog's hand. "Well Knuckles, looks like it's your turn." He said, turning to face the echidna.
"It's about time, too!" Knuckles smiled, but his smile quickly faded when he noticed that Tails was sweating and breathing heavily. "Are you okay, Tails?"
"Yeah... I'm fine... let's do this!" Tails responded through heavy panting. Knuckles wasn't so sure, though. "I don't know. Maybe you should take a rest first, Tails. You look a little run down." This started to frustrate Tails a little, but the fox has known Knuckles long enough to know how to play on the echidna's ego.
"Aw, what's the matter, Knuckles? You aren't scared, are ya?" He said, smirking. Everyone else backed away when they saw the vein on Knuckles' forehead about to burst. "Alright, that's it! You want a fight, Foxboy, you've got one! Let's get this game on!" Tails leaned over to Sonic and whispered, "I knew he'd fall for that." Sonic replied with, "Yep. Good ol' gullible Knuckles. But you probably should take a quick rest."
"Fine." Tails pouted as they made their way into the workshop.
****5 Minutes Later****
The gang was making their way back to the clearing when Tails suddenly stopped, hearing a voice.
'Let me out...'
Cream noticed her friends' odd behavior and stopped to see what was wrong. "Hey, Tails. What's the matter?" Tails continued looking around and said, "I don't know, but I thought I heard a voice."
"Whose voice?"
"I'm not sure, but it sounded kinda like... mine."
Cream was now a little more concerned. "Are you sure you're okay, Tails?" The fox caught up to Cream and said, "Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine." Cream and Tails had finished their conversation just as they made it back to the clearing. The sun had just begun to set. Tails readied himself into a fighting stance, but suddenly, his vision started to blur.
'Let me out...'
'There's that voice again. What's happening to me?' Tails thought as he tried to regain focus. "Okay, Knuckles. This is an all-out fight, anything goes. Got it?" Knuckles simply nodded, getting into a fighting stance as well.
"Ready, Tails?"
"Ready." The kit answered in an exhausted voice. "Good, 'cause here I come!" Knuckles yelled, charging at Tails. Tails mimicked the action, charging at the echidna as well. As their fists collided with one another, there was an intense flash of light caused by the impact, forcing everyone to shield their eyes. When they looked back, they saw Tails and Knuckles locked fist-to-fist, trying to force the other back.
"Wow, Tails is holding his own against Knuckles." Amy said in complete surprise. "Hey, look. Tails is pushing him back!" Cream exclaimed. Sure enough, Tails was forcing the guardian backwards. "Go, Tails! You can do it, buddy!" Sonic cheered. Tails continued to drive Knuckles back until the echidna dug his heels into the ground.
Now that Tails couldn't budge him anymore, the fox quickly came up with another idea. Tails broke the grapple, grabbing Knuckles' arms and flipping over the echidna's head, landing on one foot. He then spun on his toes and crashed his tails into Knuckles' face, making him stumble.
"Betcha didn't see that one comin', did ya?" Tails decided to taunt the echidna. "Hey, Knuckles! Whaddya say I take over guarding the Master Emerald?" Tails' last comment sent Knuckles over the edge. But before the fox could tease him further, he suddenly felt an immense pain in his chest.
"LET... ME... OOOUUTT!!!"
Tails clutched his chest in pain, but managed to look up and see Knuckles charging at him shouting, "Guard this!" Before the young superfox could react, the massive fist of Knuckles crashed into his right cheek, sending him soaring thirty feet away... Tails wasn't moving.
....To Be Continued