"Espio, come in! Do you copy?"

While Espio was accompanying Shadow down on Earth, the rest of Team Chaotix- Vector and Charmy, awaited on their home ship, orbiting the planet. Chaotix's spaceship had a unique design. It was a generic red rocketship with a white tip, but attached to its side (or on its top while the ship is flying), was a small tan house with maroon roofing, and a statue of a hen to top it. In this house, was where the detective agency was located. On Earth, the only thing visible is this house, as the rest of the ship is concealed underground.

Vector was awaiting for his investigator, Espio, to report back to him.

Vector's watch flashed, "Espio here. I'm with Shadow right now; we're locating the Chaos Emeralds before Mephiles does- What was that?...Ah, Shadow thinks there's one near. We could use you two down here."

"Mephiles is after the Emeralds, huh? We'll be down soon to join ya!" Vector replied.

"Espio, out."

The connection ceased, then Vector called for Charmy.

"Yeah?" the young bee called back.

"Set coordinates back to Earth!"

"...OK."

Vector looked out to the beautiful orb known as Earth, waiting for the vessel to move.

"Charmy?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's go!"

"...'K."

Vector awaited again. Still nothing.

"Charmy!"

"You're wearing out my name!"

"Well, get the ship movin'!"

"What if I don't wanna?"

Vector stomped over to the TV Room where Charmy was sprawled out on the couch eating a bag of cheese curls.

"I'm not gonna ask you again, Charmy!"

"Then don't."

"CHARMY!"

"Fine! Quiet down, you're louder than the surround sound! I never thought that'd be possible."

Vector saw Charmy's hand shoot up, holding an unfamiliar remote. Charmy clicked a button, and just like that the ship's engines started. Charmy typed the coordinates to Earth on his laptop.

Vector was left dumbfounded, "How'd you do that? Where'd you find the time to set that up?"

"Don't worry about it." Charmy yawned.

"I'm the leader! I have to worry about it!"

"Yeah, well, you were more like a dictator by promoting so much hard labor."

"Charmy, the control panel is only one room away!"

"Eh. One room too many." Charmy stuffing more cheese curls in his mouth.

"Well, get ready, we gotta go meet Espio!"

"'K. Be there in two."

"Two minutes, right?"

"...'K."

"It'll only take us thirty seconds to get there."

"Then I'll be there in...a minute and thirty seconds."

"Just be ready, ya slob!"

"...'K."

"STOP SAYING ''K!'"

"...W."

"Arrived on Earth." the ship's voice assistant reported.

Charmy flew up into midair and checked his watch. "That was actually twenty-seven seconds, not thirty. Gosh, don't you know how to tell time? Come on, Vector! We got places to be!"

Vector pinched his forehead and took a breath to ease himself.

"I'm not gonna kill him, I'm not gonna kill him..." Vector told himself, following the team tracker.

They climbed up the ladder heading to the Detective Office, through the main room, and through the exit where they landed in a forest. They walked out to see the house showing and the ship underground. The two then headed out to join their cohorts.

At A Playground...

"Hell no." Shadow declared.

"What's wrong?" Espio asked.

Shadow pointed at the playground where a bunch of little kids were running and playing about.

"The Emerald's over there..." Shadow grunted.

"OK, then let's go get it." said Espio.

"I'm not going anywhere near those vermin!"

"Listen, I don't like them anymore than you do, but we need that Chaos Emerald! Now, let's go find it!"

Espio went ahead with a growling Shadow behind him. Parents shared whispers and comments with one another as the two went to the play-area. Espio went to go up the stairs, but there seemed to be a line blocking the way. Instead, he decided to go through the tube slide. Shadow with a lack of patience, pushed his way through the children, searching around for the mystical treasure.

One child yelled, "No butting, you butt-er!"

"Shut it kid!"

Then the whole line of children started protesting. Espio was halfway up the slide, but a child decided to take the same way down.

Espio looked up at the little boy in a blue shirt and red sweatpants. "Don't do it!"

The kid smiled wider and pushed himself to slide down,"WEE!"

"NOOO-OOF!"

The boy's feet met Espio's face and the two slid back down to ground level. The boy stood up giggling and clapping, to run away to some other part of the playground. Espio took a deep breath and stood up to climb the slide again. But, before he even made it, another, heavier kid, was sliding down. Espio tried turning back, but the kid had already bumped him back and flattened him. The boy stood up and looked down at Espio.

"I'm sowwy." the kid said.

"No you're not. Scram!" Espio exclaimed, his face muffled into the ground.

The boy scurried off as well.

"Mommy! He's cutting in line!" a little girl cried to her mother.

The mom saw where her daughter was pointing and it was at Shadow, who had just made it to the top of the jungle gym.

"Hey, who do you think you are?" the mom called to Shadow.

Shadow ignored the woman and crawled into the tube-like tunnel. He peered up to find himself face-to-face with Espio.

"How'd you get here so easily?" Shadow asked.

"It wasn't easy." Espio replied.

"Yeah, but you didn't take the line!"

"Technically, you didn't either. I took the slide."

From outside, more parents joined in on the complaints.

"Nice job, Shadow." Espio sarcastically.

"Thanks, I appreciate the acknowledgement."

"Ow! What the..."

Espio turned around to find a toddler pulling his tail.

"Please don't- OW!"

The little boy laughed at this.

Shadow joined as well, until he flinched and growled, "Who the-..."

Shadow turned to find a girl who looked exactly like the boy on the other side, pulling his tail.

"Twins." said Shadow.

"Dat's a mean word!" the twins said simultaneously.

"What's a mean word?" Shadow asked.

"Shit." the little girl repeated.

"Ooooooh! Abigail, you cursed!" the boy called down.

"No I didn't! He said it! See?" said the girl, pulling Shadow's tail again.

"Damn it, stop!" Shadow growled.

"Hey I wonder what yours says! Try it Abraham!" Abigail shouted to her brother. The boy giggled and pulled Espio's tail.

"Sweet, spirit!" Espio moaned.

"Mine talks nicer than yours!" Abraham called.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-huh!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-huh!"

"Espio, we can escape! Turn invisible." Shadow whispered.

Espio's magenta then turned into the color of his surroundings, becoming invisible.

"Oh no! I think I killed mine!" Abraham started crying.

"What a baby!" Abigail spat.

"Tell me about it..." Shadow agreed.

Just then, the twins' father picked up Abraham and told Abigail to get out of the tunnel. She agreed and let go of Shadow's tail.

"Hey pal! I have a few words to share with you!" the father peeped his head through the end of the tunnel, addressing Shadow.

"Really? I'm all ears." Shadow called back.

"Shadow, don't even think about it." Espio whispered, still invisible.

"Come on out and we'll talk!" the father snapped.

"Very well!" Shadow accepted.

"Shadow! Shadow, NO!" Espio called, but Shadow was already at the end of the tunnel.

Espio followed after, reappearing again. When he reached the end, he saw that Shadow was already standing toe-to-toe with a big, burly man, twice Shadow's height.

A boy next to Espio said:

"I bet you five dollars your friend's gonna regret this!"

Espio chuckled, "You're on, kid."

The father knelt down to meet Shadow eye-to eye:

"So, you're the one messing with our kids?"

"So, you're one of the parents who can't teach proper discipline to their children? Your kid was pulling my tail!"

The man's eyebrow twitched.

He jabbed a finger to Shadow's chest and pointed near his face, "Now listen you little rat! My- AAGGHH!"

Crackling sounds were heard as Shadow grabbed and bent the man's fingers backwards.

"No, you listen! First, you're in my personal space. Second, don't put your filthy hands on me! And lastly, you're gonna go home, and teach those brats of yours some manners!"

The boy on the jungle gym with Espio stood marvelling at what happened. He then went to fish out his five dollars to give Espio, but he noticed it wasn't there...and neither was Espio.

Espio had already arrived at the scene to separate the two. "Alright, that's enough. Come on, Shadow." Espio said, pushing Shadow back.

However, the man did not want to give up. He lunged forward over Espio to grab Shadow, but Espio blindly caught the man's wrist. He pulled the man forward, and with his other arm, he cracked him in the nose with his elbow. The man yelped out at this, pulling his arm back to hold his nose.

Shadow then refocused himself elsewhere. He looked to a sandbox, almost like he sensed something. "The Chaos Emerald's over there."

The two broke from the crowd of parents like nothing ever happened and searched around. Espio picked up a bucket of full of unused sand and flipped it over. The millions of grains flowed gracefully through Espio's open hand, when suddenly, the bucket produced a green gem- a Chaos Emerald.

Then, the families started screaming and panicking.

"What now?" Espio muttered.

There were several Heartless- Powerwilds, threatening the people. Powerwilds were savage and violent Emblem Heartless. Like Soldiers, they had an emblem on their chest and an open face with bright yellow eyes. The difference with these was that they were monkey-like and worked better together than Soldiers. They had a blue torso with a purple tail and limbs, and long black claws.

Two of them approached the defenseless father from earlier. Espio whipped out two knives and flung them at the creatures. They dissipated with the wind, and the other Powerwilds charged after Shadow and Espio. In the knick of time, Vector the Crocodile flipped over the two and stood guard in front of them.

"Took you long enough." Espio said to him.

"Yeah, well Charmy had to use the bathroom!" he replied.

The Powerwilds moved up again, but Vector, with his immense power, slammed his fists on the earth, sending a small quake after the Heartless. Most of them collided into the metallic playground structures, some into trees and bushes- but it surely wasn't enough to kill them, as this was only a defensive move. However, one Powerwild avoided this by hanging out on a strategic tree. It finally sprung off to pounce Vector. Vector caught it with a hand, threw it back up in the air, and in came Charmy to drive his bee stinger into the monkey's chest, defeating it.

Another Heartless then appeared near the other Powerwilds. This one was a Bouncywild: it appeared to be a feminine Powerwild, with a color scheme of yellow and brown, a red bow on its head, and an earring loop on each ear. It was holding a slingshot and pointed it at the heroes. It was quick to shoot, as it flicked back the sling and a sphere of energy was generated to hit them. It seemed to be heading to Vector, but Vector sidestepped it and it knocked Espio's Chaos Emerald out of his grasp.

Before Espio could retrieve it, a Wyvern Heartless swooped down and snatched it from the ground; it was this ready Wyvern that Mephiles had sent to follow Espio and Shadow. Two more Wyverns followed suit to attack the group so the other had time to escape. The Wyvern then teleported away with the Chaos Emerald, and the rest of the Heartless at the scene did the same.

"Damn it!" Espio exclaimed.

Beeping noises were coming from Shadow.

"Hey Shadow, whatcha doing?" Charmy asked.

"Getting us some help- Shadow the Hedgehog, reporting to HQ. Requesting that all units are deployed on a search throughout the city. We need to find the Chaos Emeralds before Mephiles the Dark does. Does anyone read me?"

"Agent Shadow, sending request for confirmation with the commander..." the dispatcher replied.

"Shadow, this is Rouge. Where are you?"

Shadow responded to the latter, "Where are you? I have Chaotix with me; we'll come to you."

"At the edge of Westopolis, I'm with Blaze."

"See you soon."

"Agent Shadow, troop deployment has been approved." the dispatcher beeped in.

"Good call, Shadow!" Vector said.

"We should get going then." said Espio.

"Yeah, and let's make sure you don't touch another Chaos Emerald!" Charmy criticized.

"Yeah, Espio, you really messed us up!" Vector again.

"OK, I apologize. Rub it in more, why don't you?"

"Save it for later. We have more to find." Shadow cut in.

Team Chaotix and Shadow ran off to meet Blaze and Rouge.

*Mephiles' got two Chaos Emeralds now! Parties are starting to close in, so let's hope they're stronger together! And sorry, this was a filler chapter really, but I thought I'd add some comedy to fill in the filler....

"'K." 😂

Vote, comment, and/or follow if you liked! Thank you.

*HEARTLESS INTRODUCED

Powerwild

Bouncywild