Tails' Point of View

        "Are you ready? Jump!"

        Wind rushed into the plane as the door was wrenched open, Shadow and Blaze leaping out with spread arms and eyes focused intensely on the ground.

        "Close the door!" I yelled at Eggman, who hastily forced shut the portal door he had been standing behind just for this purpose. The man groaned under the weight of the blowing wind, bringing the door to a close with great difficulty for the second time today.

        We flew over the desert, only half a mile away from the city of Shamar. Shadow and Blaze were chosen to pursue the Chaos Emerald that landed there because they could withstand the heat better than anyone. Honestly, I thought the desert heat was a pleasant change from the frigid cold of Holoska. If I were to stay here for very long, however, I knew my mind would change when sweat soaked my fur and left me smelly, parched, and humiliated.

        With Amy and Silver searching for a Chaos Emerald in Chun-nan, after being dropped off over an hour ago, and Shadow and Blaze looking for theirs, only me, Knuckles, and Dr. Eggman were left in the Tornado III. The red echidna insisted on flying to Angel Island to see if it still floated high above the ocean, with the Master Emerald safe and protected from thieves. He had been gone for too long. 

        I turned my head and regarded Knuckles with sympathy, seeing him stare out the window with a concerned expression in his purple gaze. Hopefully, nothing bad had happened to Angel Island or the Master Emerald—both were supposed to be under his protection, after all, and leaving them behind to stop any plans of world domination had to have been stressful.

        "We're headed to Angel Island now, Knuckles. It should take about two hours," I said to the daydreaming echidna. He turned his head only slightly to show he had heard. "Once the others contact us after finding their emeralds, we'll come back and pick them up. After that, it's more searching."

        Before I had sent everyone on their search, I had given them new wrist communicators to contact me and each other with. When Amy, Silver, Shadow, and Blaze found their emeralds, they were to gather at one spot between their two locations of Chun-nan and Shamar. When I came to retrieve them, we'd then fly over to the Mystic Ruins where another Chaos signal had been captured. The remaining emerald lied even further away. 

        Around two hours later, after flying over land and the Atlantic Ocean at speeds faster than the average commercial plane, Angel Island came into view. It floated mysteriously and majestically, with its waterfalls dropping down and scattering into mist among the clouds that surrounded the island. The Master Emerald evidently had not been taken off with.

        Telling my passengers to buckle up, I landed the plane in a clearing of overgrown grass in front of the temple. "We're here," I said, getting out of the pilot seat and exiting the plane with the others. As I stepped outside, a wave of warmth and familiar scents tumbled over me. I inhaled deeply, relishing the jungle atmosphere. I wondered how Knuckles felt.

        Looking over at the red echidna, his eyes were closed as he took in the sounds of bugs and birds chirping, appearing to be at peace. When his eyes opened again, he stared at me with a sorrowful expression saying he wished he never had left. "You and Eggman stick around the temple, I'll check on the Master Emerald. I have it hidden somewhere safe," said Knuckles. He turned on his heel and strode into the dense forest.

        I peered up at the temple with curiosity, finding it strange to see the large, green, Master Emerald absent from its stand. Briefly, I wondered where Knuckles could have hidden it. If I powered up the Tornado III, I might be able to locate it on my energy scanner, but that would be intruding on the echidna's privacy. It was best the Master Emerald's location stayed a secret.

        Sitting patiently at the bottom step of the shrine, I watched as Eggman roamed the ruins, scrutinizing over everything like an expert historian. He poked and prodded, huffing with surprise and walking inconspicuously away when a few bricks happened to fall out of place. I sighed and got to my feet, setting the bricks back before a larger piece of ruin happened to collapse with the lessened support. Then I returned to my spot on the stairs, eyeing the doctor even closer than before.

        My ears flicked uncertainly as the thud of heavy, stomping feet echoed through the forest, and Knuckles burst out in a fury. I stood quickly, backing up when I thought the aggravated male was going to come closer and possibly lash out. But he stayed at the jungle's edge, bunching his fists and seething. "Tails!" he roared. "Get over here and help me before I hurt someone!" He disappeared into the forest again. Fearing for my own safety, but curious as to what had angered Knuckles so much, I followed.

        Twigs and prickly bushes scraped at my face and legs as we ventured deep into the jungle. Various species of birds cawed overhead, sounding the alarm that danger was near. No doubt they felt the anger radiating off Knuckles, who continued to stomp his way over roots and small plants, smashing everything into the ground. With my ears perked and alert, I heard the faint rustle of Eggman following behind us, also intrigued by the echidna's outburst.

        Traveling further across Angel Island, with me tripping on roots multiple times, Knuckles led us to a large, gaping cave that dripped with condensation. "In there." The red anthro crossed his arms and looked away, glaring hatefully at a tree trunk as if it had offended him.

        Confused, I looked between the cave and Knuckles, wondering what he wanted me to do. When no answer was given, I assumed I was to venture inside. Surely, it couldn't have been dangerous if Knuckles wanted me to go inside? Please don't let anything eat me, I begged Chaos, taking in an audible breath and stepping past the stone overhang, shivering as the cool darkness touched my skin. "H-Hello?" I asked, my tiny voice bouncing from wall to wall. "Is there even someone in here?"

        "Well, hello there, fox boy."

        I gasped as irises the color teal alighted in the dark recess of the cave. A moment later, the flutter of wings sounded as if it were surrounding me, and I retreated for the cave entrance with backward steps. But, I tripped over something, falling to my rump and gazing up in horror as those glowing teal eyes rose above me. My hand reached out, doing its best to ward off any attack. "Ahh!" I cried out. "Don't eat me!"

        The creature stopped in its tracks. "Eat you, fox boy?" Only when it started laughing, an airy feminine laugh, did I recognize the white fur that stood out against the cave's blackness.

        "R-Rouge?"

        A petite gloved hand reached for my own, pulling me to my feet. "Hello, darling," said the bat with a large smirk. "I would have chosen my hiding place better if I knew Knuckles was going to send you into this cave. I guess he was too scared, huh." Her eyes flickered at the echidna, who now stared at us with rage.

        "Obviously I knew it was you in there if I sent Tails in to get you! You're lucky I didn't go in there myself, or else you'd be dead meat, bat." Spittle flew from Knuckles' mouth as he spoke, and he wiped it off with a grunt.

        Rouge the Bat just rolled her eyes. "Oh, brother. See how he gets?" she asked me, laying a hand on my shoulder. Then she leaned close, her breath tickling at my ear. "You should see about getting that one some anger therapy. It would do him good if he wants to impress the ladies." She pulled away with a smug grin, teal eyes sparkling mischievously as they glanced at Knuckles again.

        "Uh, yeah," I dazedly agreed, the aroma of cotton candy perfume muddling my senses. Shaking my head to clear it of any womanly influence, I peered up at Rouge with a slight frown. "What are you doing in here anyway, on Angel Island?"

        The young bat woman quirked another of her smiles and stepped to the side, showing off the giant emerald that stood wrapped in vines in the back of the cave. The jewel attempted to glow past the vines, but they were so thickly woven around it that only a small amount of light was visible. "I suppose this is what you're looking for?"

        Eyes wide, I took a few paces toward the Master Emerald, being stopped by an outstretched wing. "Ah, ah. I worked hard to find this gem, and I'm not letting it go that easily," tutted Rouge.

        "So, you're keeping it hostage?" said Knuckles as he ventured to the cave entrance.

        "I'm not hurting it," said Rouge with an expression of false disbelief. "How could you ever accuse me of keeping this precious gem hostage, Knuckie? I take care of all my prizes."

        "The Master Emerald is not a prize, and we need it!" bellowed the echidna. He stepped further into the cave with spiked fists tense and ready to strike. I swiftly got between him and Rouge, now realizing why he wanted me to approach the bat girl in his place.

        "Rouge, please let it go," I said to her. "It's important to Knuckles."

        The bat sighed and beat her wings, flying above the Master Emerald and tearing off the vines that covered it and allowing its glow to brighten the cave. My chest swelled with happiness, welcoming this unexpected change in Rouge's demeanor. However, the bat then plopped down onto the great emerald, daintily crossing her legs and her arms.

        "Tell me why everyone was gone for so long, and maybe I'll be nice enough to give you your precious relic. Shadow hadn't called me back after the cruise ship incident, and he usually follows up with his missions. Something interesting must have happened. Did you stop the doctor's plans?"

        "Actually, Rouge, I'm right here." Dr. Eggman lumbered into the cave and stood behind me and Knuckles. He held a few plant stalks in his hands, most likely observing the unusual vegetation of Angel Island while we bargained for the Master Emerald's release.

        "Now I'm further intrigued," said Rouge, tapping at the emerald with a high heel. "Do tell what's going on, boys."

        Knuckles and I shared a look brimming with hesitation. Did we want another person involved with our mission? Rouge wasn't exactly the most trustworthy, though she did have her strengths of being a skilled fighter and having the sneaky ability to seek out and nab even the most guarded artifacts. There might have been room for one more.

        Between the two of us, with Eggman chiming in occasionally, the events during the last few months of our lives were retold. We explained how Eggman had been gathering emeralds, how he had sent Metal Sonic to steal the Scepter of Darkness and wanted to use the Dark Chaos energy inside it to power his weapon of destruction along with the energy of our were(animal) friend. And we told her how, instead of the weapon gaining power, that energy was used to release Mephiles from his confines within the scepter. We included the details of the aftermath, when the evil inventor's base fell through the ice and a casualty was suffered, when all our friends turned their backs on (Name), and how Sonic continued to look for her afterward. Now, she and Sonic had been taken by Mephiles, and we were trying our hardest to find them.

        The bat girl's eyes grew wider and wider with each additional detail. She hardly believed all that went on without her. And she thought snatching jewels and living the life of a secret agent was tough. "That's awful," said Rouge with a soft voice, gazing down at the fox and echidna. She sighed and pushed off from the Master Emerald, landing with her heels clicking against the stone floor. "Well, you've convinced me. Here's your emerald."

        Knuckles nodded and rushed to it, hefting up the great gem with his powerful shoulders. He strolled outside with it, me and Eggman following. "Hold on a moment," said Rouge. She flapped beside him, squinting from the daylight after staying in the dark for so long. The echidna fixed her with a hard look of suspicion, thinking the bat was up to something.

        Rouge lightly touched his arm. "I want to help you. From the way it sounds, you need all the help you can get. I don't know much about Mephiles, but he's clearly a nasty character that must be brought down. If you're looking for emeralds to fight him with, I might just be your go-to girl."

        She flourished a gemstone that was identical to the Master Emerald, only on a much smaller scale. "I plucked this one right out of the sky. It looked as if it was going to land somewhere in the ocean. I knew I would be giving up the Master Emerald, and I was going to keep this little beauty as a treat for being so generous. But I see you need it more than I do, so here." The Chaos Emerald was handed to me.

        "Thank you, Rouge!" I exclaimed in awe.

        Knuckles nodded to her, and I saw on his face the start of a blush. "Y-Yeah, thanks. You can help us, I guess." He steadied the Master Emerald in his arms and started forward, leading us through the jungle and back to the temple. All the while, Rouge fixed the red male with a flirtatious smirk, amused at how he avoided her gaze.

        Arriving to the temple, the communicator on my wrist vibrated. I looked down and read Shadow's name, pressing a button to allow the call through. "Shadow, did you find the emerald?" I asked, stopping at the bottom of the stairs after briefly glancing up to see Knuckles climbing the temple with his hefty load.

        "Affirmative," said the hedgehog's deep voice. "Amy and Silver still have not retrieved their emerald, but Blaze and I will begin our trek to the meeting point."

        "Okay. Right now, we're at Angel Island, and I think Knuckles is going to use the Master Emerald to locate the rest of the Chaos Emeralds. Hopefully he's able to see where the emerald Mephiles took is. That might help if we need to make a portal. Call me back when Amy and Silver have their emeralds, and I'll fly the Tornado III to the meeting point.

        "Oh, by the way," I added. "Rouge will be joining us from now on."

        "That's wonderful news, Miles," said Shadow with as much enthusiasm as a rock.

        "She had an emerald with her, so I suppose it is wonderful news." I chuckled nervously, hoping Shadow wouldn't find my returned sarcasm too insulting. The hedgehog didn't respond with anything else except for ending the call. Sighing, and grimacing, I let my hand fall to my side and raced up the temple steps after Knuckles.

        The Master Emerald stood proud upon its alter, glowing brightly with power. Knuckles laid his hands on it, his purple eyes gazing intensely at its center. "Let's find out where Mephiles is hiding, shall we?"