Chapter Text
The first thing he notices is how cold it is.
The portal closes behind him with a small vroop , temporarily sealing him in this universe. Looking around, he finds the change in temperature is due to the tall, thick trees around him. Fog floats leisurely off the ground, bringing visibility down. As he shifts around, he notices what else feels off about this area.
It's quiet.
It feels like the Trial of the Clouds all over again. Mysterious area, weird temperature, and virtually no sound whatsoever. He half expects the fog to slowly close in on him if he stays in the same place for too long. Almost like the sea of gray cloudy doom.
He lifts his hand to scan the area, unsure if he should explore at all. Doesn't seem like this universe would be the best for him.
He flexes his fingers, ready to type in the portal command. Despite his annoyance at having to manually type in his commands now (he built this thing to last), once the new locator program was fully integrated then he shouldn't have a problem with his portals landing in inconvenient places. Though if he needed a safe place to ever recode this thing, Universe 327 Tails said not to hesitate.
He's not sure the warm feeling in his chest is appreciation or…something else. But he doesn't want to dig into them just yet. Maybe never.
But the new file he put in his device probably says otherwise.
He turns around to cover the entire area, feeling the moist ground under his feet. He briefly wonders if he should have taken up Universe 327 Sonic on a new pair of shoes- or at least taken a spare pair. But he couldn't. He was already carrying the cold bag and compass from Universe 325, lugging around more items from different universes will be a hassle.
He curiously checks the device when it beeps, the scan having picked up something. He opens up the screen, reading the results.
Whirling around, he extends all of his tails in the unknown individual's direction.
“Show yourself!” He barks, readying three energy blasts. He brings the device close to his chest, quickly typing in the portal command just in case things went south.
From between the trees, a figure emerges. Nine takes a few steps back when they fully emerge from the forest. Now seeing them, he isn't sure if he would win the fight or horribly lose it.
The figure stands in full golden armor. He hears every clink of movement as they examine each other. Even in the cold sunlight, it glimmers. At their side, their sword hangs in a sheath. Though the fact that their weapon is put away doesn't ease his mind. Their armor looks like it can take a hit from a sword, and maybe a few hits from his guns. If anything, Nine can shoot and fly. This guy doesn't look particularly fast with all the armor he's wearing.
“I don't want a fight.” He says. Though he lifts himself off the ground a second later. “But I do not hold back if it comes to it.”
The figure takes a step forward, hand extending out towards him- but Nine flattens his ears and angles his three tails to be focused on them.
“Whats it going to be?” He says. “You leave me alone or I kick your ass here and now?”
The figure doesn't reply. They just stand there and stare.
He knows this trick. An enemy trying to appear dormant, only to attack you when your guard is down. It was the same shit Dr. Don't would do if he decided to mess with you that day. He always enjoyed shooting down that fuckers bots whenever he could.
The figure moves, and he watches as they slowly move their hand up to their visor and not their sheath. Nine watches as they lift their visor up, and it's then he realizes he should have hit and run.