As the Teen Titans navigated through the thick underbrush of the Amazon rainforest, the air became increasingly dense with humidity, making every breath feel heavy. The vibrant greens, punctuated by dashes of color from exotic flowers, did little to mask the tension that lingered among the team.
"Maybe we should have got more from the commander." Beast boy said while swinging on the vines as a monkey seemingly unaffected by the humid heat.
"Oh, don't worry we did." Robin says with a smirk taking out a tracker with a small dot on it.
"Did you steal that from the commander!?"Aqualad exclaimed, and Robin just scoffed as he led the team through the forest.
"Not steal, just... borrowed. The commander said he had an individual that told him the last emerald was here. It would make sense to have a tracker on the individual." Robin said as they continued to walk.
"Are you sure that this thing works?" Kid Flash complained, glancing at the small tracker that Robin held. "I mean, it could be malfunctioning. Maybe it's just taking us to the nearest giant snake or something."
"Relax, Wally," Raven shot back, frowning as she tried to focus her senses. "I can feel the energy of the emeralds close by. It's harder than the one we found in Central City but I can still feel it." She said feeling the pulsating power that resonated from the emerald's power.
"That's good! As long as we can grab it before they do, we'll be fine!" Beast Boy said, transforming back to his human form as he swung back down from the vine he was playfully climbing. He narrowed his eyes at the dense foliage surrounding them. "But, seriously, is it just me or is it like a million degrees here."
"Um I don't think that's normal."Aqualad said pointing to a massive blum of smoke starting to pierce the tree line. The team immediately rushed towards the area only to run into some animals and see what looked to be egg-like drones burning down trees and it was spreading fast.
"Aqualad find a water source and get as much water as your abilities will allow! Beast boy you round up the animals and find somewhere safe for them! The rest of us will deal with those bots!"Robin initiated orders quickly as Aqualad ran off to find a water source while Beast boy became a Chimpanzee and started to lead the animals away. The rest started to destroy the bots. The robots were surprisingly durable for being so small but still easy to destroy.
As the last of the robots were taken out Aqualad arrived with a river worth of water and let it rain, taking out most of the fire in the area; the rest was put out by Raven. They looked around the area full of ash and dead trees everywhere.
"Who would do this?!"Beastboy said, walking over his voice full of anger. The animals he led away now returned looking at the area they once called home.
"Don't worry whoever did this will face justice but we have to find that emerald as fast as possible."Raven said, placing a hand on Beast boy's tense shoulder. Beast boy takes a deep breath in and lets it out, unclenching his shoulders as the team begins to walk. Until smoke filled their noses again and all turned only to see another fire. They immediately went to the area ready to deal with another fire.
Meanwhile Ivo, Shadow, and Rouge navigated through the cave. The walls of the cave were slick with moisture, a stark contrast to the heat outside. An air of darkness surrounded them, and the sound of dripping water echoed through the cavern. Ivo held his device tightly, its screen illuminating the path ahead but the temperature slowly got hotter and hotter. Luckily there were no traps as they made it to a massive opening in the cave but the ground was literally lava.
"Looks like we found the source of the heat," Rouge remarked lightly, stepping cautiously towards the edge of the molten river that flowed through the cavern. The glowing red and orange colors painted their faces, casting an eerie glow that danced on the walls.
"Me and Rouge can get pass this easily."Ivo said and Shadow knew he was correct. His Air Shoes were good for skating and hovering; they weren't built to make him fly unless he wasn't held back by gravity. Shadow frowned he shouldn't need to rely on those two. At the bottom of the lava pit there were large rocks perfect for him to jump across.
"I suggest yo-"Before Ivo could finish Shadow jumped and started jumping from one rock to another making his way to the exit. Ivo slapped his head and sighed while Rouge just chuckled, shaking her head with a mischievous glee in her eyes. Rouge flew off and Ivo's egg mobile followed behind.
"We should have known he wouldn't ask for help."Rouge said and Ivo huffed. They continue their way through the lava cave. As Shadow continued to jump he dodged a burst of lava that erupted and made it to an area without lava but still was noticeably hot. And then the traps as he stepped on a platform and suddenly arrows fired. Shadow and Rouge easily dodged while Ivo's egg mobile wasn't even affected by the projectiles. Then Shadow dodged a large spike ball connected to a chain with Rouge destroying that chain making it hit the ground and Ivo continued casually.
Shadow and Rouge then had to slide under a massive pile of Rocks with Ivo destroying them to give him more space to fly. Shadow then had to take a sharp right turn and ran down a spiral case and then had to run away from lava that tried to engulf him. He jumped up and landed on a massive spike then jumped from one spike to another and kicked one of the spikes and kicked it at a hole that was releasing lava. He rolled and continued to skate as he jumped over more lava pits. Then Shadow noticed a literal ocean of lava to his left with only lava and charcoal to be seen. Rouge and Ivo followed, seeing the lava ocean.
"Wow, this is very interesting." Ivo comments on seeing the waves of lava. Shadow grunted while he jumped over another pit. As they continue to move through the area they continue to get rid of every obstacle in their way until they make it to another area with crystals. Rouge looked around with awe; she had never seen a cave with so many crystals and collected some with glee. Shadow didn't pay attention to what Rouge or Ivo was doing as he narrowed his eyes, noticing that he was moving uphill. He boosted forward and then he jumped out the hole and flipped then landing onto the ground. Well no quite as he was standing in a plain area. Rouge and Ivo followed and Rouge looked around noticing a pyramid in the distance.
"Um, we are still in the Rainforest right?"Rouge asked and Ivo looked down at his tracker and Ivo faced scrunch up in confusion. The moment they had exited the hole the tracker went haywire going every which way.
"Hmm perhaps this part of the rainforest has some type of Barrier that was kept up to hide this part of the forest hidden from humans and other species of animals. Perhaps caused by the Chaos Emerald or something else."Ivo mused, turning off his Chaos emerald tracker and turning to Shadow.
"Can you feel it?"Ivo said and Shadow closed his eyes. He could sense the Chaos energy but something was off. The Chaos Energy felt weaker than the other emeralds. Wait no, even the emerald he was in possession of felt way more suppressed than before. Whatever was in this area was causing the emeralds to be suppressed. But that should be impossible. What could cause the emeralds to be suppressed maybe the thing that was causing the barrier.
"I can sense the Emerald. I will go and collect it."Shadow said, turning to leave until Ivo decided to stop him.
"Wait a second," Ivo said, eyeing him with skepticism. "I just told you that this area has a barrier. There's something powerful keeping the Chaos Emerald off my radar. If you rush in without caution, you might trigger a trap or worse, alert whoever is guarding this place."
Shadow frowned, looking back at Ivo. He was not one for hesitations, but he knew that Ivo had a point. Whatever was causing the barrier and suppressing the Chaos Emeralds could be more dangerous than anticipated, especially if it was guarded by more than just traps.
"Then what do you suggest?" Shadow asked, turning his attention back to Ivo, trying to mask his impatience.
"We stick as a group. You are our heavy hitter. The moment you are taken out the plan collapses. And we still need you to get the emeralds from Raven. We find what's causing the barrier and take it down so we can find the emerald properly."Ivo explained and Shadow groaned. It would just be easier to find it on his own but he still needed Ivo. He had the location to a spacecraft that can reach the ARK better to play along.
"Fine."Shadow reluctantly said as he walked away with Rouge and Ivo following. As they walked Ivo took notice of the Area from his drones point of view. The area has terrain that varies from plains to plateau-like in attitude. At the center, though, there is a line of massive mountains, with an icy alp and some volcanoes found there. It was strange as he never saw any of this in any map of the rainforest.
The path was dense, with towering trees and thick foliage pressing in on all sides. The air was heavy with moist warmth, and the sounds of chirping insects filled the atmosphere. Shadows flickered between the branches as they navigated through the underbrush, and Ivo's eyes darted left and right, scanning for any signs of danger.
After a few moments maneuvering through the labyrinth of trees, they emerged into a clearing, revealing a vast expanse of what had once been a civilization. Ruined structures dotted the landscape, lichen-covered stone bricks crumbling under the weight of time. It was clear that this place had been abandoned for centuries, but remnants of its former glory remained.
"I've never seen anything like this," Rouge murmured, her adventurous spirit buzzing as she took in the ruins with wide, expressive eyes. "It's... beautiful in a haunting way."
"But where's the Chaos Emerald?" Shadow muttered under his breath, his irritation bubbling just beneath the surface. Time was slipping away, and he couldn't afford to waste it. But while Shadow wasn't paying attention he triggered a tripwire. Rouge and Shadow had to dodge arrows that nearly pierced them and the arrows bounced off Ivo's eggmobile. Shadow then found himself being hung by the leg. A wasp nest nearly hit him if he didn't teleport out the rope and land on another trap and fall into a hole. He clawed at the side and stopped himself before he could get pierced by stakes.
"Are you alright handsome?"Rouge asked, flying down with a smirk and Shadow glared at her.
"You knew there were traps there, why didn't you tell me?"Shadow asked as he slowly climbed up the wall to get out of the pit while Rouge shrugged .
"Where's the fun in that? It's just a bit of adventure and I know you can handle yourself… Do you need any help?" she asked, noticing Shadow was struggling a bit.
"No, I'm fine."Shadow growled as he dug his hand into the side of the wall and started to climb it.
"Alright handsome whatever you say." Rouge said playfully, as Shadow continued to climb. Rouge stayed in the hole as he slowly made his way up the hole just in case he fell. As Shadow exited the hole Ivo was looking at him with a frown. Rouge also exited the hole and nearly triggered a trap if Shadow didn't grab her hand and pull her away from the wire.
"You should be more careful," Ivo grunted as he inspected the surrounding area. "This place is riddled with traps. Whoever used to live here clearly wanted to keep their treasures protected. Luckily we can work smarter, not harder." Ivo's Drones floated down and started to scan the area and a bing was heard as all the drones highlighted the area in red showing where the traps were.
Shadow stood up and dusted himself off, his irritation peaked. He scanned the area, feeling the pulsating energy of the Chaos Emerald getting stronger, yet still somewhat suppressed. As they made it to a clearing the first thing they noticed was a shrine. Rouge eyes shined seeing a massive emerald in the center of it but Shadow and Ivo noticed the small crack in it. Then on one of the pillars a Chaos Emerald was there and someone else.
The guy looked to be the same age as Shadow. The man had messy spiky Red hair that was just in a wild mane falling all over his face with baggy white pants and a poncho covering his torso with a red, white, and green ripple pattern with a white crescent-shaped patch around the collar and at the bottom of the poncho. He also had purple eyes and looked over the three suspicions and hostility clear in them.
"I'm only going to ask this question once. What are you doing on my Island?"The stranger demanded and Shadow scoffed, walking forward.
"You aren't on an island dumbass, we are only here for the emerald. So get out of our way before we take it by force."Shadow said and the man glared harder, taking a step forward but before anything could escalate Ivo walked forward.
"What my hot tempered companion means is that a group of dangerous individuals are trying to steal the Chaos Emerald."Ivo said and the guy narrowed his eyes.
"And why should I believe you little man."The stranger said and Ivo grinned.
"You see they are burning down the forest as we speak. It's only a matter of time until they come here to burn down your island."Ivo said and showed his screen to the man showing a picture of Starfire firing blast. He made sure to edit out his badniks to make it look like Starfire was hitting the trees and agniting them with fire. And just to make sure the stranger believed it he showed footage of the Teen Titans talking about finding the Emerald. The man's eyes widened but then narrowed.
"Who are these people?" The man asked and Ivo grinned. This was good. The boy said this was his Island. Even if it wasn't an Island that means he has been here alone without knowing what was going on in the world. And with that barrier surrounding the area it seemed impossible to leave.
"Like I said they are a group of dangerous people who have been burning down the forest looking for the Chaos Emeralds and they have already collected two. What will happen when they find your sanctuary?"Ivo asked and the stranger frowned but his guard lowered just a small amount.
"I see… I will deal with them when they arrive. I won't allow them to threaten the Master or Chaos Emeralds."The stranger said and Ivo shook his head.
"That won't do. They already destroyed two locations, grabbing the emeralds. They will do anything to grab the other five emeralds. But if we work together we can regather the emeralds. Shadow here already has one himself. How about you give the emerald to Shadow and he will find a safe location for the emerald while me and Rouge help you protect this… Master Emerald."Ivo suggested and looked at Shadow who was looking away. Rouge punched his shoulder and Shadow scoffed, taking out the Chaos Emerald he had from the very beginning. The stranger frowned before sighing.
"Well if you managed to protect your emerald for this long I guess I will trust you for now."The stranger said as he walked towards the pillar holding the Chaos Emerald and grabbing it, tossing it to Shadow who caught it.
"Now that we came to an understanding… Um What's your name?"
"Knuckles."
"Well then Knuckles I think we should make this temporary alliance official with a good old hand shake." Ivo said and jumped out the egg mobile as it continued to hover. He walked up to the Knuckles and extended a hand in a show of good faith. Knuckles frowned for a second then decided to shake.
"OW OW OW!" Ivo yelled as he managed to get out of Knuckle's Iron grip and looked at his hand. "You just dislocated two of my favorite fingers!"
"Apologize but I remain unaffected by the hand shake."Knuckles replied walking back to the shrine and climbing it and standing in front of it ready for the Teen Titans. Ivo got back in his egg mobile and Rouge looked up down with a sigh knowing she won't be able to take that giant emerald with her. Shadow looked down at the fourth Chaos Emerald; they now had a sense of victory but also defeat in his stance. They have gathered other emeralds and with the one on the ARK they could still use the Eclipse Cannon. Unfortunately he needed all seven to enact his plan… yah his plan. But he turned his eye back to the Guardian who just stood there and turned away walking towards the forest.
Meanwhile The Teen Titans dealt with the third forest fire and noticed that the attacks stopped for the moment, allowing them a brief respite. The acrid scent of smoke lingered in the air, but the immediate danger had passed. The team reconvened to assess their next steps.
"I think those are the last of the bot."Starfire said, tossing a piece of the bots away as it landed with a clatter and the remnants of the mechanical foes smashed against a nearby tree, the wood cracking under the pressure. "But what caused the fires before? Where are the bots coming from?"
"They're obviously being controlled from somewhere," Robin said, scanning the surroundings with narrowed eyes. "We can't be far from where they came from but it seems we took out all of them. We have to keep moving and find out what's really going on. If Shadow and whoever he's working with is behind this, we need to stop them." Robin said as they walked towards a cave entrance.
"Are you sure we should be going in here?" Aqualad asked while Robin looked down at the tracker.. We need to push forward," Robin affirmed.
"The trail ends here whoever has the tracker went through here we need to push forward," Robin affirmed.He glanced at the cave entrance, listening closely for any sounds that might indicate danger inside. The ominous darkness loomed before them, but they couldn't afford to hesitate. They had to find Shadow, figure out what his plans entailed, and retrieve the remaining Chaos Emeralds before he could accomplish his goal.
Back with Shadow he walked through the forest deciding to get away from the group. They successfully had four of the emeralds and the last two were coming straight to them. Afterwards he will return to the ARK and collect the seventh. He was so close to revenge but he had to be patient. The guardian was easily manipulated by Robotnik but if necessary he will destroy the guardian if he realized the truth. As Shadow walked he immediately turned hearing a sound and then a small creature walked out.
"Chao." Shadow looked and blinked at the small animal… creature he didn't know what to think of it. The only way he could describe it was a black, pudding-like body with a round head. It also has large blue eyes, no noses, round torso that are smaller than its head, smooth feet with no legs, and arms with no visible hands. In addition, it had five quills on the backs of its head. A triangular ears on top of its heads. It also has a floating red spiked ball above their heads, red tipped arms, feet and ears, short and round tails, and a small set of wings on its back with a frown on its face.
"Wait a minute." Shadow said as he frowned back at the animal who gave him the same frown.
"Chao Chao." The creature responded before it grinned, showing its sharp teeth. Shadow just continued to frown until it lunged onto his face. Shadow immediately started to try and pry off of him.
"Get off me!!" Shadow yelled but the thing just laughed at him as it continued to cling onto him. The thing somehow had a strong grip with such small arms.
"Chao Chao Chao!"
"ARE YOU MOCKING ME?!"
"CHAO!"Shadow finally managed to pry the thing off of him who still grinned at him. Shadow just glared at the grinning Gremlin who was laughing on the ground while pointing at Shadow.
Shadow clenched his fists, trying to keep his irritation at bay. He hadn't anticipated encountering something so ridiculous in the depths of the rainforest. The creature's laughter echoed in his ears as it rolled around, clearly enjoying the chaos it was causing.
"Of all the things I could encounter, it had to be a weird, little blob that thinks it can laugh at me," Shadow muttered under his breath, eyeing the chao with a mix of disbelief and annoyance.
"Chao!" it chirped cheerfully, standing up and waddling a bit closer, its eyes wide with innocence.
"What are you?" Shadow muttered, glancing down at the small creature as it continued to roll and laugh, hardly fazed by the aggressive demeanor he had just displayed.
"Chao!" it chirped, bouncing up and down on the ground, clearly in bliss. Shadow scoffed and began to walk away while the little creature followed him.
"Why are you following me?" Shadow grumbled, glancing back at the enthusiastic creature that seemed completely undeterred by his irritation. The chao just looked up at him with a massive toothy grin and let out another cheerful "Chao!"
Shadow sighed, the absurdity of the situation weighing on him. Here he was, a powerful being, and yet he somehow ended up with this little creature tagging along like a puppy. It was both infuriating and, for some bizarre reason, somewhat amusing. He had no time for distractions, though. He needed to keep his focus on the emeralds and his ultimate goal of revenge.
"Look, I don't have time for games," he continued, shaking his head as he walked through the dense underbrush. But the Chao, with its apparent endless energy, just wobbled beside him, seemingly content to bounce along in Shadow's wake.
"Why am I even entertaining this? You should be out in the wild, not following someone like me," Shadow muttered, but the Chao just tilted its head at him, its expression unchanging.
Rouge was engrossed in examining the shimmering surface of the Master Emerald, captivated by its aura. She couldn't resist touching it, her fingers brushing against the solid surface.
"Hey! You need to be careful!" Knuckles shouted. "The Master Emerald isn't just a pretty gem. You treat it with respect or it will bring consequences!"
Rouge rolled her eyes but in truth, she was genuinely intrigued. "How about a bet? If I can climb that rock formation behind you without falling, you let me take the Master Emerald for… a day." She grinned playfully, daring him to accept.
Knuckles scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Nice try, but you think I'll let you have it just because you're good at climbing? This emerald is far too powerful to be taken lightly."
Rouge smirked, unfazed by his rejections. "Oh come on, it could be fun! And besides, having me around could be beneficial. I'm quite resourceful…"
Knuckles considered it for a moment, then shook his head resolutely. "Enough games! We have to guard the emerald and prepare for the enemy's potential attack. You can have your fun later, but first, we need to ensure the emerald is safe. If they get his hands on it, we'll not only lose the emerald but also allow them access to powers beyond imagination."
"Please do tell."Ivo asked intrigued by the Master Emerald if this was the cause of the barrier then it had to be powerful.
"If you must know, the Master Emerald is able to neutralize the power of the Chaos Emeralds… well at least when it was complete. Years ago a shard of the Master Emerald was stolen. Ever since then my people have been looking for the shard but no one could find it but eventually were wiped out. The Master Emerald hid itself on Angel Island so it wouldn't be found and I've been protecting it ever since I was born."Knuckles said, looking up to the sky as the sun slowly set.
"So have you looked for the Shard at all or did you give up?"Rouge asked very curiously and if she could get her hands on the missing shard.
"Yes but it's somewhere I cannot reach. So I will protect the master Emerald even if it isn't complete. As for the Chaos Emeralds the only thing I know of them is that they can turn thoughts into power."Knuckles said, his voice firm and guarded as he stared at the stars. Just then Shadow walked back into the clearing, the Chao following behind him.
"Oh, you found a Chao." Knuckles commented looking at the small Chao following Shadow.
"You know what this is?" Shadow asked and Knuckles nodded.
"Yes, the Chao lived on Angel Island for as long as I can remember. They're way more on the Island, usually near a pond or in the forest. They are very kind and docile. Usually I see them just having fun but I do recall that one pulling pranks on the other Chao's or stealing their food. The little guy is a troublemaker." Knuckles said and the Chao huffed, still having an adorable frown.
Shadow looked down at the small creature, the tiny ball of fluff and mischief that had somehow managed to cling onto him. His brow furrowed in confusion—despite all his anger, all his focus on gathering the emeralds and enacting his revenge, this tiny, oddball creature was somehow a part of this strange new world he found himself in. And yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that it was more than just a random animal. He reached down hesitantly, gently patting the tiny creature on its head, which responded with an adorable huff.
"Well, at least this little guy isn't trying to kill me," Shadow muttered, a rare flicker of amusement crossing his face. Rouge, observing from nearby, crossed her arms and smirked.
"Looks like you're softening up, Shadow. Or maybe you're just losing your edge," she teased, walking over and giving the Chao a playful poke.
Shadow scowled. "Don't get comfortable. I've got bigger problems to deal with than some chubby creatures." Shadow said and Knuckles turned to a direction.
"Someone sprang one of the traps. It seems that those thieves you spoke of have arrived. I will like to deal with them on my own."Knuckles said and before Shadow could interject not wanting to be out the fight Ivo beat him to the punch.
"Sure, thing but the moment the fight starts Shadow will jump into the fight." Ivo said and Knuckles waved them off.
"Yeah, whatever this won't take long."Knuckles said as Ivo, Rouge, and Shadow and the Chao left Knuckles to deal with the Teen Titans. After all he was the guardian any threat will first have to deal with him.
"What the hell was that?!"Kid Flash asked, shaking off the water that got on him. After they entered the cave they immediately found themselves staring at a lava pit but it was easy enough to get through the area but they then had to take a different path when they found out that there was a boulder blocking their path. Then they made it to an underground waterway. For Robin and Kid Flash it was absolute hell having to constantly find ways to not drown. Beast Boy and Aqualad helped a lot but it was still annoying.
Now they were walking through a forest and Beast boy triggered a trap and got covered in honey and bees swarmed him if he didnt turn into a Bear and scare them all off. Now they were at a small lake while Beastboy washed himself off.
"Traps, and wherever we are probably have way more. Raven got anything on the emeralds.
"The air is saturated in Chaos Energy. It's almost impossible to sense where it's coming from but I already found the area with the most Chaos Energy."Raven said and Robin nodded looking around.
"Alright, you and Starfire head towards the location while we wait on Beast boy."
"Are you sure Robin? We already know how much of a threat Shadow is so wouldn't it be best to stay as a group?"
"We don't have time to stay as a group. We only delayed his plans for the Eclipse Cannon. We are ending this here and I'd rather not have him grab another Emerald." Robin replied to Raven's question quickly with Raven nodding in agreement as both Raven and Starfire flew off while the others watched.