Soo sorry for the long wait. There were lots of health issues and scares in my family this year, so it was hard to write anything at all. Anyway, I'm here again. I'll try to keep updates to a maximum of a few months between, but no promises. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 18

Fire, Ice, Thunder

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and a slight breeze blew peacefully, rustling the quills in the blue hedgehog's spikes—just like the day when all this had begun. But today, Sonic the Hedgehog was not relaxing and listening to music. Heck, his iPod was probably lost in time and space somewhere with a dead battery.

He retched over the railing on the portside of The Lapras for a fourth time that morning and fell back on the deck. "Unhhh," he complained, "I hate water."

It had been nearly eight days since he had left Celestic Town behind; ten days since he had last walked in his own land.

Ten days too long, he moaned to himself.

There was a quiet whirr behind him and he glanced over his shoulder in time to see Tails, the only familiar face aboard the boat with him, alight softly on the deck with a sympathetic smile. "You doing alright, Sonic?"

The hedgehog groaned. "I don't think I can handle much more of this, little buddy. Please tell me we're almost there."

"According to Captain Hunt, the Orange Islands ought to be just a few more hours from us. By tonight we'll be munching chili dogs on solid ground."

Sonic gagged and spat into the ocean over the rail of the boat. "Ugh, I never thought the idea of food could be so…nauseating. How come we got stuck with the boat while Shadow and Rouge get the helicopter?"

Tails shrugged. "You're the one who wanted to go to 'the orange place.'"

"What was I thinking?"

"I have no idea."

Sonic steadied himself, confident now that there was nothing else for his stomach to regurgitate. "You'd better be right about there being Emeralds here."

The two made their way below deck to where Tails had set up a mini computer lab with equipment Professor Oak had gotten him from the Research Center in Celestic Town. There the kit found the handheld device Oak had allowed him to reprogram; once a 'Pokédex,' Tails had modified it to detect and, hopefully, locate and track the specific energy signatures resonating from Chaos Emeralds. In the two days before the group separated, he had managed to make three—one for himself and Sonic, one for Knuckles and Amy, and one for Shadow and Rouge.

"Well," Tails said, "the signal is definitely getting stronger the closer we get to the Islands. As long as I input the coding correctly, we shouldn't have too much trouble locating them."

Sonic leaned against the wall and wiped a gloved hand across his forehead with a sigh. "Good."

Tails supressed a giggle and sat at the computer, about to check in with the professor, when Ninetales, who had been napping in the corner, suddenly raised its head, laid back its ears, and let out a low, ominous growl as it turned to stare at the wall beyond it, eyes peering through the wood and metal.

Sonic didn't seem to notice, but Tails immediately turned to the creature, an uneasy feeling creeping into his gut. "Ninetales? What is it?"

Footsteps pounded through the floor above them and the Mobians could hear muffled shouts, orders from the captain of the vessel. Just as Sonic began working through the haze of seasickness, Hoothoot flew through the hatch and down the stairs, flapping frantically.

The hedgehog turned serious and looked at Tails. "Something's wrong."

No sooner had the words left his mouth when a violent jolt ripped his feet from the floor. A ground-shaking wail pierced the air and the boat rocked, hard. The computer equipment rattled, secured tightly in place, but the chair crashed to the floor with Tails still sitting in it. The boat creaked and groaned in protest as the hedgehog rose to his feet.

"What was that?" Sonic asked, seasickness instantly forgotten.

"Something big," Tails said gravely.

Hunt—a middle-aged, greying man with developed muscles hidden beneath his captain's coat—appeared at the top of the stairs, stormy blue eyes wide and serious, bushy eyebrows pulled together in concern. "You two alright?"

Tails finished pulling himself up with the desk, wincing at what would later be a bruise on his elbow. "Yeah. What's going on, Captain?"

He frowned past his full grey beard. "You better get up here."

Sonic, Tails, Ninetales, and Hoothoot rushed up the stairs after the captain. The deck was in chaos. The small crew was scurrying around, shifting sails and securing lifelines. A section of the railing and deck near the bow was ripped apart—or rather crushed, as though something long and heavy had crashed down on it. And, as another roar echoed through the air, our heroes saw what. There, towering out of the water near the damaged area, was one of the largest and ugliest fish that Sonic had ever seen: a large, slick, blue scaly body, with red eyes and a large mouth that hung open in a stupid-looking scowl. The sea monster looked dazed, clearly having run headlong into the boat. It shook its head one last time before diving straight down, disappearing in the depths with a frantic and tsunamic splash. Sonic almost laughed.

Except that wasn't the most shocking part. Nor the most worrying.

"Do you see that?" the captain said. He was pointing to the horizon, where the water seemed to swell and shift in growing waves.

But they weren't waves at all. As Sonic and Tails looked closer, the waves took shape and they saw that they weren't whitecaps, but more creatures—some familiar, many not.

"Ohhhhh dear…"

Hunt ran a hand over his balding head. "When Oak asked me to sail you to the Islands as a favor, this isn't what I had in mind."

"Are they all…?" Tails ventured.

The captain nodded. "They're coming from the Islands. Migrating. Running, and fast. Straight for us."

"Can't we just move the boat?"

"We'd never get out of the way in time," the fox answered for Hunt. "And we could never outrun it if we turned around. But it's okay, because they'll just swim around us, right?"

"That gyrados didn't swim around us, and he's just the first. I'm telling ya, whatever made these guys leave the Islands has them all in a frenzy. They're stampeding. And they'll be on us in a matter of minutes." Hunt looked down at the Mobians. "Now, I'm not one to stick my nose in where it don't belong—Oak didn't tell me much about you guys, and I didn't ask—but I gotta know if you two can…fight?"

Sonic and Tails smirked, glanced at each other, and nodded. "Full speed ahead, Captain," Tails said. "We'll get through."

It was easier said than done, as Sonic and Tails quickly realized. There were hundreds—thousands—of water Pokémon surging through the water, and while not all of them swam on the surface, the effect of such a swarm moving in unison caused the water to swell and drop and swell beneath the Lapras. Aside from the effect this had on Sonic's seasickness, it soon became apparent that, while solid footing was restricted to the boat, it was nearly impossible to land any effective blows—especially since both Mobians were limited to only close-range attacks.

Another of the large turtle-like creatures was headed straight for the bow of the ship, flanked by a white seal with a horn on its head and a scowling frog with no mouth. Sonic leapt into the air to greet it with a spin-dash, driving it under the water and creating a wave big enough to shift the others out of the path. Tails swooped down to offer a hand to the flailing hedgehog treading water and lifted him back up to the boat. Both were panting and gasping for breath, and more kept coming.

Something hit the underside of the boat and the crew stumbled on the deck. Captain Hunt called from the helm, "There are too many of them!"

Even with the help of Ninetales' Flamethrower and Hoothoot's Peck, it seemed that the Lapras would be overtaken by the flood of Pokémon after all.

"I can't believe I'm gonna be done in by a bunch of mutant fish," Sonic groaned.

Then, just as all seemed lost and despair fell over the crew and passengers of the small vessel, a new sound entered the scene, piercing through the assault with authority and confidence.

"Starmie, use water gun!"

From nowhere, a blast of water shot into an approaching Blastoise, knocking it sideways just far enough to keep it from slamming headfirst into the boat.

"Hey!" Sonic exclaimed, looking to the source of the command. "I know that girl!"

There on the right, riding atop the head of a gyrados and flanked by two giant starfish, was a red-haired girl with suspenders and short-shorts. "You guys look like you could use some help!" she called from her perch atop her gyrados' crown.

The captain sighed in relief and welcomed the aid of the girl, who positioned herself and her Pokémon at the helm of the boat in a protective inverted V. The next quarter of an hour or so was spent with the red-haired girl calling orders to her Pokémon and Sonic and Tails and their Pokémon companions doing all they could to help. With their combined effort, the boat was able to push forward against the flow of stampeding Pokémon and soon they were through the fray.

When it was over, the girl wiped the sweat and water spray from her brow with a satisfied smile and leapt to the deck, calling back her Pokémon. Captain Hunt greeted her warmly and gratefully, thanking her for her help. She insisted it was her pleasure, then turned and smiled at Sonic.

"Well, well," she said as the hedgehog approached with Tails. "I never thought I'd be seeing you again, Sonic."

Sonic returned her smile. "Meh, I told you I'd see you around."

"How do you two know each other?" Tails asked.

"We met once, on the day we first came to this world. Misty, this is my little buddy Tails."

"Nice to meet you," Misty said.

"We were pretty lucky you came along," the hedgehog said. "This is probably the second time you've saved me from drowning. I thought for sure we're be capsized by that hoard. What are you doing out here, anyway?"

Misty's eyebrows furrowed in concern and she looked out over the ocean in the direction from whence the Pokémon had come. "I've never seen the Orange Island water Pokémon so frantic before. Actually, they're all frantic—all wild Pokémon and some others, at least as far as Cerulean City. They're coming out of the forests and fields and attacking other Pokémon and even humans for no reason; other times, they'll be so skiddish and timid they're making themselves sick. The Pokémon Centers are overrun, trainers are nervous about travelling…and it's only getting worse. I'm heading to the Orange Islands to see if I can find out what has set the Pokémon off like this."

Sonic and Tails looked at each other, afraid they already knew what was happening.

"I think," Tails began, "that we are partially responsible for that."

"The long and short of it is," Sonic offered, "that we're not from your world. We were brought here by accident, and our, er, power source came with us."

Misty raised an eyebrow.

"We think it's causing some kind of disruption to the life energy of this world," the fox continued. "We're pretty sure that part of it ended up in the Orange Islands—that's where we're going, too…to try to get it back.

The red-headed girl seemed to consider for a few moments, eyes downcast and a hand rubbing against her chin—this was a lot to take in. But it was a theory—one theory more than what she had come up with. So it was decided then.

"Well, I guess I'm coming with you, then," she resolved.

The Mobians knew that there was no use protesting—besides, Brock had gone with Knuckles and Amy, and Dawn had gone with Shadow and Rouge, so it was only fair that they should have a human companion as well.

"Excellent!" Sonic exclaimed, going for a fist-bump that Misty hesitatingly returned.

The captain then called from the helm, "Look yonder, there on the horizon—those are the Islands."

…

Despite their having reached dry land, the Orange Islands were less inviting than Sonic had expected. It may have been warm and bustling at one point, even recently, but now the ports were empty and the shudders were drawn and the streets were bare. Every island they passed by seemed to be vacant.

"Where is everyone?" Misty whispered to herself, clutching her bag closely as they approached the shores of Pinkan Island—the third that they had visited in hopes of finding a clue as to what was bothering the Pokémon.

"Evacuated, I imagine—or left of their own accord," the captain suggested. "I imagine with all the Pokémon around here running rampant, these Islands probably suffered pretty hard."

He had a point. There had been scorch marks on every island, evidence of icy blasts in every town, windows and doors smashed or unhinged, tables in the marketplace turned over. It hadn't quite reached the point of 'war zone,' but it was obvious that there had been some serious commotion among the islands—before everyone disappeared.

Now, since the other islands seemed wanting of any life, the crew set their sails for the forbidden Pinkan Island, braving the whirlpools in a last-ditch effort to find someone who knew what was going on.

"Watch your step there, Miss," the captain said as he finished tying off the Lapras to the port of the island.

Misty hopped from the deck to the dock, followed closely by Sonic, Tails, and their Pokémon companions. "This way," she said, leading the way though there was no path to follow.

"How do you know where you're going?" Sonic asked.

"I've been here before, a long time ago with my friends."

"I thought you said this island was off limits," Tails pointed out.

Misty smiled. "Yeah well, we went a lot of places that were 'off limits.'"

The three and their Pokémon, leaving the captain behind at the ship, walked across a meadow without any luck—it seemed this place was abandoned of Pokémon and people as well. But as they reached the edge of the wood that would lead to the compound of the reserve, Misty stopped, feeling uneasy. Sonic and Tails, flanking her, asked what was wrong.

"I'm not sure," she said hesitantly. "It's too…quiet."

"It's probably abandoned," Sonic reminded her.

Misty bit her lip. "No…something is watching us."

The hedgehog, catching her unease, took a deep breath and stepped in front, eyeing every shadow suspiciously. The sun was beginning to set and light flickered through the leaves of the Pinkan trees in patches of red and orange, casting an eerie glow on the forest floor. He took a tentative step, understanding Misty's worry now—but all seemed clear.

He straightened, exhaled, and turned to his companions. "Guys, I don't think there's anything—"

Stopping him short was a low, menacing rumble from a nearby bush. But by the time Sonic turned to determine the cause, a large pink armoured dinosaur-esque creature came barrelling out of the shadows with an enraged growl.

"Whoa!" Sonic cried.

"Rhyhorn!" Misty cried.

Tails just cried.

The fox and the redhead girl cowered where they were, but Sonic faced the beast with a sly smile. "Now, let's give you something to chase."

With his feet finally on solid ground, Sonic was able to run faster than he had been able to in days—and this was a fact he was more than ready to take advantage of. He stood his ground only long enough to ensure Rhyhorn's attention was focused on him before making his move, and in a flash he was standing only a few feet in front of the beast—but only for a moment, just long enough to make Rhyhorn react by lowering its head, focusing the full brunt of the blow in the end of its horn. It was at this moment that Sonic sprang forward, leapt into the air, flipped, and aimed a homing attack at the crown of the enraged Pokémon's head. He made solid contact, driving the Rhyhorn face-first into the dirt.

"Wahoo! Go Sonic!" Tails exclaimed.

Misty simply looked on with wide eyes.

The hedgehog landed gracefully in front of his companions and smiled. "You've got nothing to worry about, Misty. Not so long as Sonic the Hedgehog is—"

And then he was flying, but not because he had suddenly grown wings. Rather, he was flying because Rhyhorn, though it had been down, was not out—and while Sonic had been boasting, it rose to its feet and charged anew, this time successfully connecting with its target.

Sonic crashed to the ground, his rump smarting but otherwise okay.

The Rhyhorn turned, preparing for another assault. However, before it could charge, there was a roar of an engine and a squeal of rubber as a jeep rushed over the hill, coming to a halt between the Pokémon and its would-be target. The driver—a blue-haired woman in a matching uniform—honked the horn and revved the engine, successfully startling the Pokémon from its train of thought for the moment.

"Get in!" the woman yelled.

"Officer Jenny!" Misty exclaimed, gladly obliging. Tails followed suit, along with Ninetales and Hoothoot, but Sonic opted to run.

"Suit yourself," Jenny said, throwing the jeep into 'drive' and taking off, just as the Rhyhorn began to charge again.

Sonic ran in time with the vehicle. Rhyhorn continued to charge, roaring angrily, but the company soon left it behind as they sped away.

When all was safe, the officer slowed to a stop and wiped her brow. "Phew, that was a close one," she sighed. She turned to Misty and demanded, "What are you doing here?"

Misty smiled nervously. "Officer Jenny, it's me, Misty. I've been here before. Don't you remember—"

"Of course I remember!" Jenny interrupted. "You washed up here with your friends and helped me out with some Pokémon thieves. I mean what are you doing here, in the Islands? Didn't you hear about the evacuation order?"

"Evacuation order?" Tails piped up from the back, bracing himself for the flurry of disbelief that would inevitably come.

Surprisingly, however, Jenny barely reacted to the talking kit. She simply answered, "The order was passed a few days ago. My superiors offered to come get me, but someone has to look after the Pokémon here on the island. I can't just leave them, even if…" she trailed off, looking out towards where they had come from with here brows knit together.

"Wait a second," Sonic stepped in, watching Jenny with confusion. "Is this lady just going to ignore that Tails just talked? Or that I'm talking now?"

Jenny shrugged. "I've seen much stranger things in the last week than talking Pokémon."

"Yeah but we're not—" Sonic began, then sighed. "Whatever."

"What happened, Officer Jenny?" Misty asked as Jenny pulled back onto the road. "Where did everyone go?"

Jenny sighed, troubled. "It started about a week ago, maybe a few days longer," she began. "Everything was fine, normal…but then we started getting reports. At first it was only a few. The Pokémon were acting strange, getting excited and restless. Then they began to lash out at each other, at their trainers, seemingly without provocation."

"The same thing is happening in Cerulean City," Misty said. "But not on this level."

Officer Jenny nodded. "That Rhyhorn back there is usually very gentle with people it knows, but even I can't get close to it now without it getting worked up and charging. All of the Pokémon on the island are like that—on any of the Islands.

"And then, one night, there was a great storm—at least, we thought it was a storm. It came up suddenly. It was snowing, and there was thunder so loud it woke nearly everyone in the Islands. But when we came out to see what was happening, well…" A troubled look crossed her features.

Tails, sensing her unease, gently prodded her to continue.

Jenny sighed. "It was Zapdos. But not only Zapdos…Moltres and Articuno too. They were battling…battling something. It was hard to tell what exactly was going on—there was so much chaos. Most of it happened in cloud cover, but the effects were felt everywhere. You`ve seen the other islands. The northern half of this island was blasted as well. We lost at least a third of our forests."

"What is Zapdos?" Sonic asked.

Misty briefly summarized the events that had happened a few years earlier, when she, Tracy, and Ash had come to the Islands and encountered the legendary bird Pokémon.

"Hold up a sec there," Sonic interrupted, crossing his arms. "You said your friend 'Ash,' right? 'Ash' was his name?"

Misty raised an eyebrow. "Yes…?"

Sonic and Tails exchanged uneasy glances, turned their backs for a moment, and played a quick round of rock-paper-scissors. Ears drooping with defeat, Tails turned back to face Misty.

"Misty…I think we met him."

Her face lit up instantaneously. "Really? When did you see him? Where? How is he?" When she saw the grave expressions of the Mobians, however, her excitement fell. "Is…is something wrong?"

Sonic rubbed the back of his neck. "That would be an understatement."

…

She took the news rather well—that is, if falling into a state of shock and disbelief is 'well.'

A few hours later found the small company back on the water—Officer Jenny having stayed behind to try to keep Pinkan Island from falling into disarray—heading for the outermost islands where the legendary birds lived in hopes of finding some clue as to what happened, and in hopes of finding a Chaos Emerald.

"It seems the closer we get to where those Pokémon live," Tails said, "the closer we get to an Emerald."

"Are you sure?" Sonic asked, peeking over his friend's shoulder to see the modified Pokédex. It was true; the faint blinking light that indicated a concentration of Chaos energy seemed to be glowing brighter, and drawing closer to the center of the screen.

"It's hard to know for sure," Tails admitted. "Without having an actual Chaos Emerald, it's not easy to program something to lock onto its energy signature. We might just be picking up seismic activity or radioactive material."

Sonic looked out over the water, ears twitching, and closed his eyes. He remained still for several long seconds, focusing, then turned to Tails. "No, little buddy. We're definitely going in the right direction. I can feel them."

"Them?"

The hedgehog nodded. "There's more than one. And we're getting closer."

Tails smiled, nodded, then moved to the bow to stand next to Misty.

Misty leaned against the rail, staring out over the ocean with blank eyes. This couldn't be true, could it? The way Tails and Sonic described Ash… That wasn't the boy she had known. That wasn't the boy who she…

She shook her head to clear it. No, she decided. She couldn't believe that Ash could be so cruel. There had to be some mistake.

"How are you holding up?"

The kit's voice startled her out of her thoughts and she looked down at him. "I'm sorry," she said, meeting his big blue eyes. "It's not that I don't believe you. It's just…" she sighed and shook her head.

"Yeah, I know," Tails said. "But it will be alright. You'll see." He smiled. "Me and the gang, we've dealt with this kind of thing before, and it all works out in the end."

"Really?"

Tails nodded and Misty allowed herself to smile.

Then it began to snow.

The company looked up. A fog was moving in and clouds had begun to cover the sky, but it was the wrong time of year for snow. The waters had grown a little rough, but there did not seem to be any sign of a storm. In the distance, however, thunder lit the skies and the clouds seemed to roar in anger.

Sonic and Tails exchanged a look, each thinking the same thing, and the fox lifted into the air. Sonic watched the sky carefully as Tails flew up, up, up into the low cloud cover to try to get a look.

Everything grew quiet as Sonic, Misty, Hunt, and the crew waited for Tails' report.

Then there was a roar, a clap of thunder, and a scream. In moments the small furry Mobian appeared, falling from the clouds like a ragdoll thrown from a plane.

"Tails!" Sonic cried. His buddy did not respond, did not move, and Sonic, desperate to help his friend, prepared to take a running leap despite being surrounded by water.

Misty acted faster, however. She whipped a pokéball from her pocket and tossed it into the air, calling forth her water dragon Pokémon. "Gyrados!" she yelled. "Go get Tails!"

Immediately the beast dove into the water, swimming towards where the kit would land, then leapt out of the sea with amazing speed. With pinpoint accuracy, Gyrados launched itself into the air at an angle to intercept the falling Mobian. Tails landed perfectly in the nook of the crest on the beast's head and the two fell the remaining distance together with a loud splash.

By the time Gyrados made it back to the ship, Tails was beginning to come around. Sonic anxiously helped him onto the deck and set him down, as the kit's knees were still wobbly and his fur was standing on edge.

"What happened, little buddy?" Sonic asked.

"Really…really big electric bird," Tails muttered, blinking his eyes.

There was another crash of thunder and a bolt of electricity shot from the sky, narrowly missing the boat, and the company raised their eyes to see a huge yellow bird soaring down from the clouds, surrounded by electricity. It screeched and a bolt shot from its body, this time striking the mast of the ship.

"It's Zapdos!" Captain Hunt called from the stern. "All hands below deck!"

"That's not Zapdos!" Misty countered. "It's…It's something else…"

Misty was right. Though it looked like the giant legendary bird of thunder, something was very different about it. While still yellow, the bird was translucent. Instead of having layers of black feathers, this Zapdos merely had darker shades of the liquid crystal-like yellow that refracted light as its body did. In place of its eyes were hollows of glowing topaz.

"What is it then?" Tails demanded.

"It's a Chaos Emerald," Sonic whispered.

The bird screeched again as it rapidly approached the boat.

Misty called out, "Gyrados, use Hyper Beam!" but her Pokémon did not obey. Its eyes had glazed over and it shook its head as though confused before roaring and ramming itself into the side of the Lapris. "Gyrados, what are you doing? Stop!" Misty commanded, but to no avail. As it rammed the boat again, she had to recall it.

"Tails," Sonic said as the kit climbed to his feet. "Do you think you can take me up there?"

The fox, much steadier on his feet now, nodded. He lifted into the air and held out his hands for Sonic. Together, the two flew as fast as possible towards the bird, which was getting dangerously close. Sonic's eyes narrowed as he concentrated and after three—two—one…

Tails threw sonic into the air as far as he could and the Hedgehog pulled himself into a spin-dash. Zipping through the air, he heard one more screech from the bird before he felt his body connect with the beast's head. Tails swooped down to catch Sonic and the two darted away.

The crystal Zapdos was knocked off its course, but only for a moment. It hovered in mid-air and shook its head to clear the cobwebs before letting out a mighty roar and a blast of electricity that Sonic and Tails only narrowly avoided.

Then the snow began to fall again as another screech joined the fray. From the clouds descended a beautiful blue bird with a long flowing tail. The Mobians could guess that this was the Articuno that Misty had talked about, and they recognized it too from the memories Mew had shown them a week earlier, but this too had a liquid crystal-like, translucent quality and glowing blue eyes.

Another roar, and from the other side came a third crystal beast. This one was various shades of red, and the flowing ruby of its feathers flickered like fire. This had to be the image of Moltres, the fire bird.

"How is this happening?" Sonic called over the noise. "These birds are definitely Chaos Emeralds! I can feel it!"

"This world is different from ours," Tails reminded him. "Chaos Energy manifests itself differently here. The Emeralds must have taken the forms of these Pokémon as Chaos and Aura met, to try to find a compatible energy."

"What am I supposed to do? I can't fight a Chaos Emerald! How am I supposed to beat three?"

"I don't know," the fox admitted.

They looked down. The ship's captain and crew had disappeared, having gone below deck to avoid injury. Misty should have gone as well, but she remained on the deck, calling on Pokémon after Pokémon in an attempt to find one that would obey her. The only Pokémon which seemed to have remained in their right minds were Ninetales and Hoothoot, neither of which would be much help up here.

The Articuno let out an icy blast that pulled their attention back to the task at hand. Tails raised himself and Sonic above the beam just in time, but had to drop again as Moltres rushed them and Zapdos aimed another bolt.

Tails' arms were weak and shaking from holding Sonic aloft for so long, but they both knew that to descend back to the boat would be to lead the birds to a new target with many more lives at stake. Sonic attempted another spin dash, but it was useless. "If only you had a Chaos Emerald!" Tails complained. "Heck, I'd settle for just a Ring. I can't do this much longer, Sonic."

The situation was desperate and Sonic knew it. To stay out was to risk exhaustion or injury. To go back to the boat would be to risk it's the destruction or risk losing the Chaos Emeralds.

Wait a minute. Sonic paused, the world around him slowing as his mind flew into super speed. If these birds were the Chaos Emeralds, then maybe he shouldn't be fighting them at all. He had never had to fight their power before—not while they were on their own, at least. In his home world, he simply had to control their power. Maybe he had to do the same thing in this world.

"Tails, I have a crazy idea!" he called to his friend. "I need you to get me right above one of these birds and let go."

"What?!" Tails exclaimed.

"Just do it!"

Hesitating for just a moment longer, Tails obliged. It couldn't get any worse, after all. He flew as fast as he could, avoiding the blasts of thunder, fire, and ice, until he managed to get to a spot 20 feet above Zapdos. With a quick prayer that his friend wouldn't fry, he released Sonic.

Even for a speedster, the next moments were the longest of Sonic's life. Part of him was confident and courageous; the other part was certain that he would die as soon as the electric current around the bird reached him. The hedgehog angled himself in the air so that he was falling headfirst with his hands outstretched, ready to grab the first thing he could, and he closed his eyes to brace for the worst.

A current did go through him, but it was not the one that he expected to feel. As his hand touched the back of the Emerald Zapdos, Sonic felt a surge of Chaos Energy. He came to rest seated on the creature and almost immediately the wild spirit of the bird calmed. Sonic and Zapdos were connected. The bird released a soft coo, there was a warmth beneath Sonic's hand, and then a bright flash of yellow light blinded him. When it cleared, Sonic held in his hand a shining topaz Chaos Emerald.

And nothing held Sonic.

The Mobian's arms flailed and a cry of alarm escaped his lips as he suddenly found himself falling. Tails was there to catch him in a flash and they exchanged grins of relief and disbelief.

Dodging ice and fire, the two repeated the process with Articuno without much difficulty. Then there was only Moltres. It proved more difficult now that they had only one target; Moltres was smaller and more nimble than Zapdos or Articuno, and its fiery blasts could still singe even if they did not directly contact the target. Still, it wasn't long before the two managed to maneuver above the ruby Emerald bird and Sonic once again leapt towards the creature.

However, with fingers mere inches from the bird, Sonic was suddenly struck by a beam of green light that blasted him off course and knocked the wind out of him. He would have hit the water had his new trajectory varied by mere degrees; instead, he found himself on a crash course with the stony ground of an island that had materialized out of the fog. Sonic hit the ground hard and bounced, then rolled, then came to a stop.

"Sonic!" Tails cried out. Though he had flown for all he was worth, he had been unable to intercept the fall of his friend, who now lay motionless on the earth. At least he wasn't drowning.

A familiar, sinister laugh echoed from the fog. Moltres tried to flee the scene, but a green streak descended on it with a roar that shook Tails to his core. The fox watched as a long green wingless dragon collided with the fire bird in a grappling match. The dragon possessed the same iridescent quality as the legendary avian trio, but there was something different about its appearance as well; the beast was surrounded by a dark aura that made its image appear even more ominous, and riding on its back was a familiar blue figure.

The dragon, which he recognized as the form of the legendary Pokémon Rayquaza, disappeared in a flash of green light as its rider leapt onto the back of the ruby Emerald Moltres. In a flash of red, the bird had disappeared and, for a moment, the figure was free-falling. Then in another burst of red, the beast reappeared, but this time with the same dark aura and a Chaos-possessed Ash as its rider. They turned towards Tails.

The first thing Tails noticed was how much Ash's watery aura had transformed. While the boy remained distinguishable from the monster, each arm of the creature had lengthened and now held the Emeralds he had captured—green, and now red. The body of Chaos had grown larger as well—nearly double its original height and with broader shoulders and horns forming on its head—and Tails noticed that the head of the water figure had begun to develop the semblance of Chaos' green eyes separate from Ash. However, though disproportioned in size with its human host, the creature still moved with Ash's movements. Tails knew that this thing before him was this world's version of Chaos 2.

Tails locked eyes with Ash for only a few moments and the corrupted guardian let out a dark, echoing laugh.

"You make a good effort," Chaos spoke, though he sounded even less like the normal Ash than the last time he had seen him. "But the Emeralds will be ours, and soon this world will be cleansed."

The bird, under Ash's command, swooped down upon Tails, barely missing him, before disappearing with a burst of light and a splash as Chaos connected with the water of the ocean and disappeared.

"Tails!"

Tails looked down to find Sonic standing at the shore waving his arms to his friend and the Lapris having made its way through the fog to find them.

Misty was at its bow, unable to believe what she had witnessed. They were right, she realized. That was Ash. But it was something else too. It was a monster.

Please don't forget to leave a review; I've done something new with the events of this chapter and I'd like to know how it's received. :)