Chapter Text
Angel Island. The sun slowly sets in the sea stretching as far as the eye can see beneath the floating island. The many animals living peacefully in the lush jungle hunker down in their shelters, waiting for tomorrow. Among the trees, a strange base is hidden by bushes. A blinding beam of light invades it, then disappears to reveal a silhouette. Having just landed on his island, Knuckles follows a familiar path to the edge of a cliff. From here, he can see the immensity of the sky encircling Angel Island. The echidna observes the horizon with a sigh of relief.
- Knuckles: The island is still floating in the sky...perfect. Normally, nothing would have happened to the Master Emerald. But as a precaution...
Even though he's reassured, Knuckles can’t just leave now. He enters the jungle without hesitation, knowing every nook and cranny like the back of his hand. It doesn't take long for the echidna to reach his goal. In a valley surrounded by jungle, he heads for a huge altar and climbs the stairs. Once at the top, he finds what he has obviously come for: the Master Emerald, over whom he has always watched. Knuckles smiles to see that his stone is still there, and approaches it to pat it gently.
- Knuckles: Glad to see you're okay, as usual. Sorry I haven't been around for three days, but me and the others have been pretty busy. Wedding preparations it’s quite a job, but at least Luigi and Daisy were happy. The ceremony was pretty neat. No kidnapping, bad guys showing up unannounced or anything like that this time...(Mario and Sonic: The Wedding) Just normal. Oh, just Daisy announcing to the whole assembly that she was pregnant. Luigi nearly fainted, while the rest of us screamed with joy, which was pretty funny...
For several long minutes, Knuckles continues to give the Master Emerald the latest news. The echidna talks to the stone as if it were an old friend. He usually comes to see it every day, because even though he now enjoys living at the House of Heroes with his friends, he hasn't forgotten his duty as guardian.
- Knuckles: Well, I'm gonna do my rounds, and then I'm going home. I'll be back tomorrow, okay ?
After spending some time by the Master Emerald, Knuckles leaves the altar and takes a good look at the jungle. He makes his usual rounds before returning, to make sure there's no danger lurking on the island. With a watchful eye, the echidna explores the jungle, taking in the peace and quiet he enjoys so much. Noticing nothing special after a while, he finally decides to return to the teleporter that will take him back to the House of Heroes.
Suddenly, however, an abnormal noise attracts his attention. Knuckles turns around and notices that the bushes are shaking. It's as if something's moving.
- Knuckles: Hey, who's there ?
No response. Finally, the noises stop, but Knuckles remains skeptical. The echidna moves forward to clear some bushes, but finds nothing. What if he'd been dreaming, or it was just an animal ? With no further concern, Knuckles continues on his way to the teleporter. Until he's stopped in his tracks by a stealthy shadow that leaps from the top of a tree and pounces on him, never having seen him coming. Knuckles struggles as best he can, but his assailant doesn't let go. He holds him so tightly that he can't even turn around to see him. Before he can do anything, the echidna is on the ground, his assailant still firmly clutching onto him.
- Knuckles: What the...?! Let go of me !!!
Struggling, Knuckles finally finds his attacker's hand and grabs it firmly, lifting him up and swinging him with all his might. Free to move at last, he stands up to discover the identity of his attacker, whom he's thrown against a tree.
A girl. But not just any girl. An echidna girl. Just like him.
Knuckles froze in shock for several seconds, watching the girl from head to toe as she struggled to regain her composure. Pink fur, dressed in a black leather jumpsuit, long spikes reaching down to her legs - one of which, by the way, is entirely robotized, just like her left arm. When she manages to straighten up, he has no time to think, and rushes to ask her the thousands of questions racing through his head.
- Knuckles: A girl...An echidna girl ?! But...I always thought...! Who are you ?! Answer me ! What are you doing on this island ?!
- ???: I could ask you the same thing ! Are you the one who attacked me and brought me here ?!
- Knuckles: WHAT ?! You're the one who attacked me first !!!
While Knuckles remains stunned by the echidna girl's totally absurd statements, she takes the opportunity to attack. She strikes her opponent in the face with her robotic arm, putting all her strength into it. Knuckles feels as if he's been hit in the head with a cinder block. As an echidna, this girl is undoubtedly already endowed with uncommon strength, but this arm seems to enhance that strength all the more. But Knuckles knows he can hurt, too. Barely recovering from the shock, the echidna retaliates and punches the girl in the ribs, sending her tumbling against a tree. Expecting another attack, Knuckles watches in a daze as the echidna girl runs off without warning and disappears into the jungle.
- Knuckles : Hey, wait ! Come back !
Without further ado, Knuckles sets off in pursuit of the girl, determined not to let her get away. But to his surprise, he's already lost sight of her, as if she'd vanished into thin air.
Knuckles is tempted to continue exploring the jungle to find her, but finally gives up. It didn't take him long to realize that he was facing a major obstacle. On his own, he'd have a hard time getting his hands on this girl.
- Knuckles: There's no point in me running blindly into the jungle to find her...I'll have to ask others for help ! (That girl...an echidna...I always thought I was the last one...where did she come from ?! And why did she accuse me of bringing her here ?!)
Not without a certain amount of annoyance, Knuckles decides to return to the House of Heroes to inform his friends of his misadventure, hoping to get their help. There's no way we're letting this girl loose on Angel Island. Who knows what catastrophe she could cause ? On his way, the echidna keeps thinking about the strange situation he's just been through, while asking himself questions to which, for the moment, he has no answers.