Sonic The Hedgehog: Dark-Bright

[INTERMISSION ARC] Chapter 65: There we strike

A night had fallen, and Aeon had set up a table outside his house, surrounded by chairs in his courtyard. Tails arrived, and Aeon greeted the old man. The fox commented, ''I'm glad everything is set up. Now we just need to wait for everyone.''

''Of course... till they arrive.''

Tails and Sonic saw the others sitting in chairs. Not long after, Knuckles emerged from a room with a peculiar weapon on his back, secured by a strange strap-belt. Sonic and Tails gasped with excitement. Sonic inspected it closely, asking, ''Knuckles, is this your Soul Weapon?''

''No, it's more of an imitation. I haven't tapped into the power you guys always talk about.''

Tails hovered near Knuckles, examining the axe. ''Aeon, what exactly is this? Is it truly an imitation? And how does it work?''

Aeon coughed lightly. ''It's called a Sub-blade, a technology or trait Balancers invented. It's a suppressed secondary weapon for those who haven't unlocked the power of their primary Soul Weapon, like Knuckles here.''

Knuckles nodded. ''Exactly.''

Moments later, Amy joined them. ''Hello, everyone!''

Tails approached Amy. ''Glad to see you made it to the meeting. How's Cream doing?''

Amy slightly shook her head. ''She's fine, asleep and safe.'' 

''That's good!'' Tails smiled.

As they chatted, minutes turned into moments, and the long wait ended as Shadow and Rouge took their seats. Shadow looked at Aeon. ''So, you're the one who trained them?'' 

''Indeed, I'm the one you've been searching for,'' Aeon confirmed. 

Rouge addressed the group. ''It seems everyone's here. Shall we start our discussion?'' 

Aeon gestured with his stick. ''Very well, everyone, take your seats. Let's talk about why Sonic raised an issue.'' 

As they settled into their chairs, Sonic banged the table. ''I wanted to say that an unknown group is after the Chaos Emeralds, or at least that's what I suspect.'' 

Shadow pointed at Sonic. ''Tell me, Sonic, where did you encounter them?'' 

''On South Island, Shadow.'' 

''Wait, on that remote island, and they found a Chaos Emerald, right?'' Shadow inquired. 

''Exactly! But I don't know why they want them,'' Sonic sighed. 

Tails crossed his arms. ''It could be for power. Do you know their group name?'' 

Sonic tried to recall his encounter. ''I'm not entirely sure of their name. It was either... The Marauders or... Nocturnus...'' 

Suddenly, Knuckles interrupted the conversation. ''Sonic, it can't be them!'' 

''Huh? I don't really know much about them, Knuckles. What's the issue?'' 

''That's... the Clan that vanished almost 4000 years ago! This can't be right!'' Knuckles covered his face with his arm. 

Shadow glanced at him. ''What does that mean, Knuckles? There's no way they could exist after such a long time...'' 

''It's not just that. They were wiped out before my clan was. It was a catastrophe, and from the Angel Island records, there's no clear reason for their disappearance. But now, their actions are visible. Is this truly them?'' 

Aeon chimed in. ''I was just about to mention that. The Nocturnus Clan is indeed real and still exists today, but now they're back in a more cunning manner.'' 

''What do you mean by 'cunning manner'?" Rouge asked. 

''They've formed an alliance, somehow.'' 

''An alliance? What kind of alliance?'' Sonic questioned. 

''The Uni-Balancers. Based on my recent findings, they've influenced the Balancers.'' 

Sonic grinned. ''So, that settles it. We can just head there and snatch the Emeralds before it's too late.'' 

''They're after the Chaos Emeralds for the same reason they targeted the Master Emerald, my dear,'' Aeon emphasized, tapping his stick. 

Knuckles agreed. ''Yeah...'' 

Rouge pondered. ''Interestingly, G.U.N has recently traced their location.'' 

''Exactly why we're here. Just hours ago, government spies pinpointed their hideout on Westside Island.'' 

''Wait, G.U.N is still active?'' 

''Yes, Sonic. But their forces are limited, and we haven't yet evacuated the people living in that area.''  Shadow responded.

''Then, we can head there now. Tails and I know the way.'' 

''It's settled then. We must go as a full team,'' Shadow declared. 

''So, is the decision final?'' Aeon looked at the group. 

''What about Dijon? He's not here yet,'' Sonic said with a concerned expression. 

''Oh, right! Dijon told me he might be late, but he hasn't arrived.'' the pinky hedgehog said.

''Well, we can wait for him. He said he'll arrive soon,'' Sonic said with a smile. 

After a few more minutes, the orange hedgehog approached, looking at Sonic. ''I have a message to deliver. Someone wanted to inform you, Sonic the Hedgehog, that you'll be left alone if you don't interfere with the Marauders.'' 

''Huh? What are you saying, Dijon? Did you encounter them too?'' 

Dijon sighed. ''I'll explain everything.'' He proceeded to recount his encounter with the Commander and the conversation left everyone surprised. 

Tails voiced his confusion. ''Why would she spare you like that?'' 

Sonic cracked his knuckles. ''Doesn't matter. What's important is that this group has higher-ups. But that doesn't concern me. I'm after the Chaos Emeralds. Will you join us, Dijon?'' 

Dijon shook his head. ''No.'' 

Shadow narrowed his eyes at him. ''Why not? You possess powers again; you could fight alongside us.'' 

''I do have those powers, but I'm not just feeling it today....'' 

Amy intervened. ''We won't force him, Shadow...'' 

''Thanks,'' Dijon smiled. 

''Well, if that's settled, see you later, Dijon,'' Sonic grinned as they left, leaving Dijon with Aeon. 

As they walked down a path, Sonic initiated a conversation. ''Okay, everyone, it's time to take action. Let's meet at Emerald Hill Zone and decide how to proceed.'' 

''Works for me,'' Shadow replied, dashing into the distance with Rouge. 

''I'll take my own route to the island. I have my ways.'' Knuckles declared and burrowed underground. 

''Then it's up to Amy, Tails, and me to take the plane,'' Sonic concluded. 

''At least it's more conventional than travelling at the speed of light,'' Tails commented with a smirk. 

''Yeah... Let's just get going and retrieve the Chaos Emeralds in time!'' although he looked a little smiled at the Tails's comment.

The trio gathered at Tails' lab, where Tails readied the Tornado 2 plane. They took off, soaring over the town, and set their course for Westside Island. Unbeknownst to them, Dijon remained behind at his home. 

-Chapter end-