Note: Sorry I haven't been able to post. bạn see, I got swine flu, so I couldn't get online. I'm better now. I'll post as often as I can, but nanowrimo began, so I'll be delayed. Oh well!

***

“Tanomo*!” Amy called as she led Cream, followed bởi a fully recovered Cassidy, into the Martial Arts Center of Station Square. (*Tanomo is a typical greeting when entering a martial arts hall in Japanese.) “Wow! I didn't expect class to still be in session!” Students all around, in rows of 12, stood practicing blocks and punches modeled bởi Knuckles hoặc Myzak, who stood at the front.

“Hey!” Knuckles turned his head to glance at Amy for a split-second before Myzak exampled a knock-out punch. The echidna blocked it perfectly. “Look who's back!” He held up the gesture for hold. “Class, continue the appropriate blocks and punches for the last half-hour, then bạn can go home.” He instructed, then went to hug Amy. “Good to see you, girl! Thought I'd never see bạn again!”

“You too, Knux!” Amy laughed, still a little nervous about being in the center when people were still there. She then noticed the golden cat with red hair strolling up to them. The one who expertly punched Knuckles before it was blocked. “Who's your friend?” She asked.

“Name's Myzak, ma'am.” Myzak's Southern accent seemed to stain his breath as he spoke. It was indeed charming, but somewhat hard to understand. “Ain't it nice to have some womanly company? I mean, just the other ngày I was wonderin' when some girls other than Lil would visit our humble, fancy do-dad establishment.” He bowed and kissed Amy's hand. “We deserve to serve ya'll coffee hoặc somethin'.”

Amy chuckled. “You certainly have thêm manners than Knuckles ever did! Hopefully that will rub off. “And no, we're not here for coffee.” She leaned in a little closer. “We're here for...” She looked back and forth to make sure no one would here, then lowered her voice to a whisper, “We're here for information about...Eggman.”

Knuckles nodded. “Follow us, but don't say anything about this to ANYONE.” He turned towards a back door in the far corner of the room. “Mark my word, Amy Rose, lives are at miếng bò hầm, bít tết here!” But, Amy shrugged it off. So what, She thought, he always overreacts.

He opened the door slowly when they got there. Amy expected something dangerous, like a robot hoặc something. But instead, she got- “Sonic?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Knuckles slammed the door behind them. “It's just Sonic,” Amy waved it off and pulled out her cellphone. “So what? I'm not even interested in him anymore.”

This caught the blue hedgehog off guard. “WHAT?” He didn't know how to react. “For the first time in two years, and you're not wanting to marry me like bạn normally do?” He sat, uncertain of whether he should be relieved hoặc not.

“Try having your identity stolen and then being put in the Witness Protection Program.” Amy scoffed, bored. “By the way, why are bạn in here? Isn't this the-”

“Basement.” Tails' voice came from the shadows deeper in the room. “Yes, this is the private basement of the martial arts center. No, Sonic isn't allowed anywhere else in the world and- *cough-cough* this place is so dusty!” He came into the light carrying a large box. “Nice to see bạn again, Amy! Or, at least half-see. My glasses are filthy!”

“You got glasses?” Amy said, taking them gently off of Tails' head to clean them. “They look so good on you!” She lightly felt all the mico-chips Tails' had installed in them. “Did bạn make these yourself?”

“Yeah.” Tails blushed slightly. “I needed them because I ended up in a plane crash a few years ago. I think I was sabotaged hoặc something. I was in the air, and WHAM!” He set the box down with a thud on Myzak's foot. “I fell into the mountain!”

“It scared me too.” Sonic added, twirling a pencil around on the single bàn in the basement. “His coma lasted for about two weeks. When he awoke, he was blind. Literally blind.”

Tails took the glasses back from Amy as Myzak removed the heavy box off his foot. “The doctor đã đưa ý kiến my eyes were damaged in the crash,” Tails added. “I'm both near-sighted and I can't see very well in the dark. That, and I can't see anything far away either. They gave me a nice prescription, but I added on to it as bạn can tell. I NEED my glasses, hoặc else.”

“Were bạn really blind, Tails?” Cream asked, holding Cheese. “My mommy knows braille!”

Tails and Knuckles bust into laughter. Sonic didn't get it. “You see,” Knuckles said, “Tails at first couldn't see anything. Then, the good doctors gave him a few months of therapy to rebuild his eye muscles. Now, he can see.”

“With the glasses, hoặc I am blind again.” Tails chuckled.

“Not to disrupt ya mates,” Cassidy began tapping her foot on the ground, “but we came to learn thêm about that magpie, Eggman!” She jumped high and landed hard, which shook everything. “When I get my hands around him, it'll be like those bugger-anacondas!”

“What are you, anyway?” Myzak asked. “Some kind of mutated rabbit? Seriously, though, I ain't got no clue of what ya'll are supposed to be.”

Cassidy giggled. She looked down at her brownie-colored body. Her long feet stuck out like sore thumbs. “I'm a wallaby, tomcat!” She laughed. “We're a lot smaller than 'roos, but that doesn't mean that we're not that different. We still hop!” She laughed at this remark as she jumped again. “We gots these long tail-things and HUGE feet!”

“Nice.” Amy shrugged. “To get to the point, Cassidy here was kidnapped from the Mystic Ruins a few days cách đây bởi a robot. She escaped. I found her on the road almost dead, so I took her to Vanilla, who nursed her back to health. That's why we came here.”

“Because Vanilla helped a wallaby?” Sonic shrugged. “Thank her for us, okay?”

“NO!” Amy snapped. “We need information about Eggman. Where he is, what he's up too, and how we can stop him.”

“Amy,” Sonic tried to use a level tone. “Eggman...is a monster! I can't describe him any other way. He bombed Station Square, he tried to kill Lil, and he's kidnapped people! I can't tell bạn anything. Nor can anyone else. We just don't know! Don't ask me to find him for bạn either. I'm an outlaw, bạn know? That's why this meeting has to be secret. That, and I can't leave this stupid basement and run!”

Amy shrugged. “Oh well.” She rolled her eyes and grabbed both Cassidy's and Cream's arms. “We'll just have to find him ourselves.” She began to storm out of the room. “Besides, I'm tired of just playing it safe. I've been playing it an toàn, két an toàn for the past frickin' two years! Amy Rose is back!”

Myzak tapped her shoulder. “Ya'll might want to keep us up to ngày on ya'll's expedition. I'm jottin' down an account of these events.” He then added, “it's better than scrapbookin'.” He winked as the girls left.

***

“Three cases in 24 hours?” Espio couldn't believe it. “How are we going to be able to do that? It almost sounds like Vector!” Maybe she's stupid after all, he thought.

Once Lil heard this thought, she slapped the chameleon across the face. Small claw marks remained in his cheek. “I am far from stupid!” She hissed. “Don't bạn DARE think I'm stupid!" Oops, she thought, almost gave the gift away. She leaned on the closed door. “The first thing we need to do is clean up. Then, we can actually think.”

♪Watch out cause here we come!♪ Team Chaotix‘s phone rang. The Chipmunks were the ringtone! Lil’s ears shot up. Her lông, lông thú stood on end. ♪It's been a while but we're back with style so get set to have some fun! We'll bring bạn action and satisfaction!♪ “Where’s that dang phone!!” She ran to a cluttered bàn and started throwing off papers. The phone continued, ♪We're the chipmunks! C-H-I-P-M-U-N-K! We're the chipmunks!♪ "Found it!” She cried in triumph. “You boys need to get a life!” Her eyes shrunk. She loathed the Chipmunks! Not to mention her irrational fear of them. She opened it up as the annoying furballs continued, ♪Guaranteed to brighten yo-♪ “Hello?” She answered, still shaking from the awful ringtone.

“Hey! It’s Sky!” an excited voice came from the other end. NOT a chipmunk. Oh good. Lil breathed out. “Guess what, Lil? I got a job! I’m at the âm nhạc station, and I begin working tonight! Isn’t that awesome?”

“Oh…cool…” Lil put a hand to her forehead and rubbed it. Nervous habit. “I’ll have to stop bởi later, okay? What are bạn doing?”

“I’m a singer!” Sky joyously sang on the other end. She seemed pretty excited about the job. Lil gagged silently. Something stank in the air. Lil spun around and glared at Vector. Farts were disgusting.

“I’ll let bạn go now, hon.” Lil said. “Bye!” She hung up the phone. She breathed out. “We have a lot of work to do. The best place to look for a mystery is to go into town and just listen. Work will find us.” She ran out of the house with her áo, áo khoác on.

Vector, Charmy and Espio shrugged after she left. “Should we follow her?” Espio asked. “She is a strange one.”

“COME ON!” Charmy shouted, pulling both Vector and Espio out the door after Lil. “WORK WILL FIND US!”

***

Shadow needed to see Lil again. No matter how he reached her, he needed to. It was imperative. He had decided to follow Sky around, since Sky was Lil’s roommate. Of course, he wasn’t a stalker, like Rouge would’ve thought if she had seen him, but he was growing desperate.

As Shadow soon discovered, Sky worked at the âm nhạc station. Waiting until the coast was clear, he casually walked in. Shopping wasn’t something in the hedgehog’s genes, but he needed to blend in; perhaps even coax something out of Sky as well.

“Hey Shadow!” A guy named Tober called over from the back of the building, ruining Shadow’s cover. Shadow swore. “If there’s anything bạn need,” Tober continued, “just ask Sky, okay? Good!”

Sky looked up from her Hottie Hedgehogs magazine. Her dark red eyes met Shadow’s. He remembered whistling at her in the mall. He breathed out, slowly. He’d rather not talk to her directly, but Tober had ruined his master plan. “I need help looking for a CD,” he leaned on the desk. Sure, He thought, attract thêm flies with honey than vinegar. Be charming, and she’ll tell bạn everything.

“What CD would bạn be looking for?” Sky asked, putting the magazine away.

Shadow thought on his feet. He didn’t like listening to âm nhạc that much, but he came prepared. “Uh…Crush 40...Lost and Found.” He shrugged. Of course, Shadow didn’t particularly like Crush 40 at all, but they worked. He needed to acquire Sky’s attention and trust.

“Let me see…” Sky opened a map, as if it’d hiển thị the exact location of the CD. While she was looking, Shadow sped off and found the CD himself, and then returned before she looked up. Running at the speed of sound can be useful that way. “Okay, I found it.” She stood up and led Shadow to the shelf. Shadow shrugged again and followed. All part of the act, he thought to himself.

She pulled off the CD as Shadow pulled out a newspaper. He opened it to, “Sports,” something he wasn’t interested in, nor was he about to. He just was trying to act casual. “You’re Sky, right?” He asked. “You’re Lil’s roommate?”

Nothing.

Shadow looked up. Sky was daydreaming. “Hello?” He asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

“Yeah, I guess…” She dreamily answered. Shadow raised an eyebrow. Sky was probably answering a câu hỏi in her dream. She snapped out of it. “And this DARK discrimination!” She became suddenly angry. Her dark red eyes flashed. “Why, I was kicked out of my apartment!” Tears began to fly out of her eyes. Shadow looked at the headlines of the front page. DARK discrimination was written all over it. He then rolled his eyes. She was reacting to the newspaper.

Shadow then pretended to act like the gentlemen he wasn’t. He picked up Sky’s hand and kissed the back of it to try and calm her down. “There now, it’ll all end soon. Nothing like this ever lasts long.” He then noticed something about Sky. They stared into each other’s eyes for about two minutes. What am I trying to do to you? He winced, letting go of her. He gave her money for the CD. “I’d better get going,” he said, suddenly frustrated. A flash of lightning struck outside, making the lights flicker for a second.

He stormed out. It began to rain. He hadn’t expected the girl to be so…naïve…like Maria. He shook his head. He swore loudly to himself. He decided not to follow her anymore…just to acquire something else. He looked over at his motorcycle, which he had rode earlier. A màu tím umbrella lay tiếp theo to it. He opened it, finding a note which read, “Looks like bạn can use this, dumpling! ~Rouge. P.S. Sweep her off her feet.” He smiled at the note.

Sky came out of the building. The downpour instantly soaked her. She ran to a bench and cried. Shadow noticed that her áo khoác didn’t have a hood. “How do I get home?” She asked, crying into her lap.

“October rain is the worst.” Shadow leaned over her with the umbrella. Her wide dark red eyes stared back up at him. “Need a ride?” He asked. He tossed her the umbrella, which was thêm feminine anyway. He walked over to his motorcycle and started it up. He motioned to Sky to come on. He gave her an extra helmet. “Hold on tight.” He smiled. He began to get soaked as Sky let go of the umbrella and put her hands around his waist. This sent shocks up to his brain. He hoped the annoying jitters wouldn’t come. Romance is pathetic, he thought. Why do I crave it if it can ruin everything!

***

It was raining. Lil wanted to say very colorful language at the moment. Team Chaotix trailed behind her long strides. “I don’t need them,” she đã đưa ý kiến to herself so quietly so no one would hear. “All I need to do is solve three cases and allow them to get the credit so I can at least have a job.” She stormed ahead. She didn’t like the rain. It was better than The Chipmunks, she admitted.

“LIL’S AFRAID OF THE CHIMPMUNKS!” Charmy laughed, not minding the downpour. “THEY ANNOYED HER, SO SHE ATE THEODORE!” Vector and Espio laughed. Obviously, this was a guy joke, because Lil didn’t get it. She wanted to sob. Anymore jokes about her being scared of the hát furballs would make her go insane!

They walked down main street, passed various stores and windows. Almost no one was out. The storm must’ve scared everyone off, Lil thought. “Help!” An old red hen ran out of the bakery. “Someone help me! I’ve been robbed!”

Before Lil could even say anything, Vector had dashed over. “Team Chaotix Detective Agency, at your service ma’am.” He bowed. “We’re here to help. What seems to be the problem?”

“I’ve been robbed, bạn ninny!” The hen clucked. “Didn’t bạn hear me squawking for help?”

“We heard you,” Lil interrupted, pushing aside Charmy and Espio, who were blocking the entrance. “So we came to help. Would bạn allow us in so we can…search for clues?” She smiled sweetly. She remembered Old Mother Hen from anywhere. Old Mother Hen made bánh quy, cookie for the police department on every holiday, including all the birthdays. They always tasted good, especially since they weren’t made with milk, because Old Mother Hen too was lactose intolerant, just like Lil.

“Of course.” The red hen squawked and showed the company in. The warmth of the lit ngọn lửa, chữa cháy in the hearth embraced them as they entered. The soft dim glow gave a homely feeling to the small bakery. “My cash register is missing!”

“Mother Hen!” A huge hound bellowed. He entered the bakery with such fury, Lil was scared that he’d ruin everything. “My wife’s diamond chuỗi hạt, chuỗi hạt cườm is missing! She last had it in this bakery an giờ cách đây in her purse. Don’t bạn remember her hiển thị it to you? It’s now missing!”

“People, please!” Vector raised his hands. “We’ll help both of you!” He nodded at Espio, who pulled out a notebook. Charmy handed the chameleon a pencil. “Now,” Vector said, thinking for a second. “When did the cash register get stolen?”

“Precisely four phút ago.” Old Mother Hen squawked. “After Goosie ngây ngô, gander helped me pull our loaves out of the oven. This was new, since Goosie almost never helps me with the hour-long bread.”

“DIDN’T bạn SAY THAT YOUR WIFE’S chuỗi hạt, chuỗi hạt cườm WAS STOLEN AN giờ AGO, AS WELL?” Charmy asked the hound. “AND GOOSIE NEVER HELPS WITH HOUR-LONG BREAD, SO I’M GUESSING GOOSIE SWIPED THE chuỗi hạt, chuỗi hạt cườm WHILE bạn GUYS WEREN’T LOOKING AND PUT THEM IN THE BREAD!”

“Don’t jump to conclusions, Charmy!” Both Lil and Espio cried at the same time. “We might want to check the kitchen, though,” Espio added. “Just in case.” They then followed Old Mother Hen into the kitchen, which was ablaze with artificial light, unlike the main room.

Lil scanned the area. She then noticed something among the flour on the ground. She picked it up gently and blew on it. It was a tiny 24-carat diamond. “I believe Charmy may be right, gentlemen.” She said. “Did Goosie wear gloves?”

“No.” Old Mother Hen said, confused.

“Then,” Lil said, “I’ll bet that the fingerprints on these are his.”

“Sorry!” Goosie ran into the kitchen. “I forgot…” He stared at everyone. “Oops.”

“Goosie Gander,” Lil started advancing towards him. “I’m Lil, also known as Black Cat from the police. We have the right to call the police, and until their arrival to contain you. bạn have the right to remain silent, and anything bạn say hoặc do will be used against bạn in the court of law.”

Goosie paused. “Nah!” He said, flinging a pan at Lil. She dodged it neatly, but it hit Charmy. The ngây ngô, gander than disappeared.

“Charmy!” Lil ran to the bee. “Sorry! OMIGOSH! He’s not answering me! What did I do!” She picked him up off the floor. The pan was embedded in the wall.

“No time for remorse!” Vector shouted. “Lil, Espio, follow that gander! I’ll take Charmy and get the police!” Espio then grabbed Lil bởi the arm and pulled her out of the room. The chase had begun. Something made Lil go all dazed. Vector knew what he was doing? Had she underestimated him? They actually knew what they were doing!

They crashed out of the bakery. The downpour became almost impossible to run in and the wind blew against them. Then, they saw Goosie run down the street, against the rain. This slowed him bởi a lot. “After him!” Lil cried over the boom of thunder above them. They trudged after him, inching their way against the wind. Lil almost fell over, but Espio caught her. The wind blew harder. The downpour shoved them off their feet. “We’re never going to catch him!” Lil shook her head in defeat. “We’re not even at the end of the street!”

“He’s not going to get away!” Espio shouted over the storm. He sounded hoarse, as if he had been screaming for a long time. Thunder cracked. Espio took out on of his knives. His ninja training took over. The howl of the wind increased. Then, the chameleon threw the knives at the gander. As if time itself stopped, the knives sliced through the air despite the rain, which drenched our heroes. Instantly, Goosie tripped and fell into the slimy wet road.

“Gotcha!” Espio helped Lil over to the fallen gander. The rain even lightened up a bit. “Lil, bạn know procedure better than I,” Espio said, inviting Lil to take the lead.

“Right.” Lil replied, standing over Goosie. “Like I’ve said, bạn have the right to remain silent, and anything bạn say hoặc do will be used against bạn in the court of law, including this little act of…” She paused. “Oh my god.” She looked at Espio and smiled. “We caught a gem thief! We actually caught him! The police has been on his trail for months!”

“And I would’ve gotten away with it too,” Goosie snapped, “if it weren’t for bạn meddling-” Suddenly, police sirens blared in the distance. Two police cars and a few xe mô tô came up to the three. A few cops jumped out from the cars and handcuffed the gander, who didn’t like the fact that he had been caught.

“Lil! Espio!” Vector ran from the bakery. “We called the cops, just like we planned! And Charmy’s alright!” This made Lil run up to the cá sấu and hug him. Espio felt a little jealous.

“You guys certainly have improved, if I dare say so myself.” came a female voice from one of the motorcycles. The three looked up to see Tabby, Captain Stott’s personal cáo, fox assistant removing a police helmet. She jumped off the vehicle and strode towards them. “I was so sorry bạn were laid off the other night, Black Cat.” Tabby patted Lil on the shoulder. “But it looks like you’ve found a team after all…hopefully bạn can teach them a thing hoặc two. Anyway, they offered me your job, but I refused.” She then looked down, as if ashamed of something. Lil tried to look for a deeper response, but none came until Tabby concluded, “I have a case for bạn guys to solve, but it’ll have to wait until you’re home.”