The morning sun shone brightly over South Island.
Located far from the main landmasses to the East and West, the small island was only a few hundred kilometers in size, just enough to be marked on a map. It had been blessed with quite a beautiful nature, between the marvelous coasts with a sand so clear and pure, the lush jungles filled with great trees and beautiful animals, or even the ancestral mountains at the very north end of the island.
Many people would have loved to spend a vacation there, were the island a resort, but it had never really been considered a prime location for such devices; like much of Mobius, the island was inhabited by common, unevolved critters who had never reached proper civilization and thus, simply enjoyed a peaceful life like so many animals did.
That was all the information she had, as she drove the boat through the sea, the motor creating a thick trail of white behind her.
“South Island... the only known location of the Chaos Emeralds.“
She wasn’t very tall; just one meter and five centimeters at most, counting her ears (without them, just one meter). The white fur clashed against her tan skin and black suit, not helped by her white gloves and boots, or the pink heart-shaped breastplate and linings on the boots and gloves. Her black wings were closed up for now, as usual when she didn’t need them to be spread out, and she was staring at the map in her paws with interest.
She had heard tales of those emeralds. The most sacred relics in their world, each one had a different color based on the nature of its power. And above all... there were only six of them in the world, all resting within the same island.
She knew that many had attempted to find them before; the island was peaceful, but not that much. The rumors were known enough that it was safe to say that the jewels were still within the island, and she was sure that if anyone had managed to find them, they would undoubtedly have brought even one of the Chaos Emeralds back.
She planned on taking all six of them in one go. Now that would be a prize.
As the small boat crossed the ocean, the youth looked at the distance. She already could see the island, though it was still too far away for her to be sure. She was glad; her food and fuel stocks were low enough as it was, and she had spent an entire week in this journey from her homeland. She would need to replenish them before she went back, and once more did she feel glad that someone had developed an engine that could take in so many types of matter as fuel.
Prower products were one of the greatest things Sapients had access to, and she had yet to consider the cheap prices.
She frowned. It was such a clear sky, yet there were dark clouds in the distance. It... it didn’t fit her knowledge of South Island, little as it was. She had heard that the island was as idyllic as no other, and that meant there were rarely such dark clouds in a beautiful day like this. It just... felt weird.
The youth frowned, as she put the map back within its secret location. She didn’t like it, not one bit.
But Rouge the Bat, who was soon to become the greatest jewel thief in the world, was undeterred. She would find the Chaos Emeralds, no matter the cost.
The motorboat reached the shore easily. Rouge turned off the engine as soon as the waves became strong enough to drag it further by themselves, before taking the rope sticking from the front end of the boat and spreading her wings. Her initial hop was enough to make her boat shake, but as she flapped the wings as well as she could, the bat girl was able to keep a healthy distance from the water, and dragged the boat to the dry coast.
She landed carefully on the ground, after being sure it would be dry and the sand would not stick to her boots. If there was something she hated, it was getting dirty without any reason to do so. The boat was then tied to a nearby tree, and she examined her surroundings.
The coast was nice; she might be sick of seawater and being surrounded by it, but even she could not deny that the scenery was quite lovely to look at, the way the sun shone against the sea and the calm sound of waves. The island was truly idyllic...
...which was why the distant clouds were so bothersome. Even from this far, she could see it cover the mountain tops, at least several hundred kilometers away from her. The dark was unnatural and even frightening, yet all it did now was steel her mind to her actions.
“I can’t be afraid, not if I want to become the world’s greatest jewel thief..." she thought to herself, glaring at the clouds. "Now... I must be patient. The Chaos Emeralds cannot be easy to find, or someone would have already done it. I'll have to search very carefully if I want to make it back with them."
'Soon,' she mentally added, smirking to herself. She had little doubt that she would succeed in mere days where many adventurers had spent years in, just like any overconfident novice at their first mission. That it wasn't her first mission didn't matter; she was still young, and a novice nonetheless. All her money had gone on her wardrobe and the supplies for this trip; if she did not hit payload, she would have no money when she returned.
The beach area had a few trails leading onto the forest beyond, past which she could see an open area. This part of the island was vast, taking up most of the southern side, but hardly a space so wide she would be lost for long. No, the issue would be to find her Chaos Emeralds soon and earn her title of greatest jewel thief in the world by the end of the month.
After picking some tasty fruits from the nearby trees for her journey, Rouge took off... only to see the most unusual of sights near the open trails she was headed to.
A sign.
'NOW ENTERING: Green Hill Zone' was written in it with big letters, followed by a message in even bigger letters: 'NO VISITORS ALLOWED'
"Well, huh," the bat girl said, paws on her hips. "And here I was thinking the islanders were all long gone." She patted the sign gently, noticing it was made of metal. "Still, I didn't know metal became Mobian fashion so far back... and this is rather new-ish, on all accounts. Barely has any dust, in fact."
Her eyes grew sharp. "Someone else is here... I doubt they aren't looking for Chaos Emeralds, as well. Which means I had better get on with it, too..."
Kicking some sand, she ran past the woods, getting closer to the prairie where, supposedly, the 'Green Hill Zone' would be. It was time to start her hunt.
AU story, which is why there are only six Chaos Emeralds. Probably some other details, too. It's somewhat of a novelization. I hope it'll be interesting.
Located far from the main landmasses to the East and West, the small island was only a few hundred kilometers in size, just enough to be marked on a map. It had been blessed with quite a beautiful nature, between the marvelous coasts with a sand so clear and pure, the lush jungles filled with great trees and beautiful animals, or even the ancestral mountains at the very north end of the island.
Many people would have loved to spend a vacation there, were the island a resort, but it had never really been considered a prime location for such devices; like much of Mobius, the island was inhabited by common, unevolved critters who had never reached proper civilization and thus, simply enjoyed a peaceful life like so many animals did.
That was all the information she had, as she drove the boat through the sea, the motor creating a thick trail of white behind her.
“South Island... the only known location of the Chaos Emeralds.“
She wasn’t very tall; just one meter and five centimeters at most, counting her ears (without them, just one meter). The white fur clashed against her tan skin and black suit, not helped by her white gloves and boots, or the pink heart-shaped breastplate and linings on the boots and gloves. Her black wings were closed up for now, as usual when she didn’t need them to be spread out, and she was staring at the map in her paws with interest.
She had heard tales of those emeralds. The most sacred relics in their world, each one had a different color based on the nature of its power. And above all... there were only six of them in the world, all resting within the same island.
She knew that many had attempted to find them before; the island was peaceful, but not that much. The rumors were known enough that it was safe to say that the jewels were still within the island, and she was sure that if anyone had managed to find them, they would undoubtedly have brought even one of the Chaos Emeralds back.
She planned on taking all six of them in one go. Now that would be a prize.
As the small boat crossed the ocean, the youth looked at the distance. She already could see the island, though it was still too far away for her to be sure. She was glad; her food and fuel stocks were low enough as it was, and she had spent an entire week in this journey from her homeland. She would need to replenish them before she went back, and once more did she feel glad that someone had developed an engine that could take in so many types of matter as fuel.
Prower products were one of the greatest things Sapients had access to, and she had yet to consider the cheap prices.
She frowned. It was such a clear sky, yet there were dark clouds in the distance. It... it didn’t fit her knowledge of South Island, little as it was. She had heard that the island was as idyllic as no other, and that meant there were rarely such dark clouds in a beautiful day like this. It just... felt weird.
The youth frowned, as she put the map back within its secret location. She didn’t like it, not one bit.
But Rouge the Bat, who was soon to become the greatest jewel thief in the world, was undeterred. She would find the Chaos Emeralds, no matter the cost.
–Stealing the Spotlight–
==Rouge the Bat==
=Chase the Blue Trail=
Prologue
==Rouge the Bat==
=Chase the Blue Trail=
Prologue
The motorboat reached the shore easily. Rouge turned off the engine as soon as the waves became strong enough to drag it further by themselves, before taking the rope sticking from the front end of the boat and spreading her wings. Her initial hop was enough to make her boat shake, but as she flapped the wings as well as she could, the bat girl was able to keep a healthy distance from the water, and dragged the boat to the dry coast.
She landed carefully on the ground, after being sure it would be dry and the sand would not stick to her boots. If there was something she hated, it was getting dirty without any reason to do so. The boat was then tied to a nearby tree, and she examined her surroundings.
The coast was nice; she might be sick of seawater and being surrounded by it, but even she could not deny that the scenery was quite lovely to look at, the way the sun shone against the sea and the calm sound of waves. The island was truly idyllic...
...which was why the distant clouds were so bothersome. Even from this far, she could see it cover the mountain tops, at least several hundred kilometers away from her. The dark was unnatural and even frightening, yet all it did now was steel her mind to her actions.
“I can’t be afraid, not if I want to become the world’s greatest jewel thief..." she thought to herself, glaring at the clouds. "Now... I must be patient. The Chaos Emeralds cannot be easy to find, or someone would have already done it. I'll have to search very carefully if I want to make it back with them."
'Soon,' she mentally added, smirking to herself. She had little doubt that she would succeed in mere days where many adventurers had spent years in, just like any overconfident novice at their first mission. That it wasn't her first mission didn't matter; she was still young, and a novice nonetheless. All her money had gone on her wardrobe and the supplies for this trip; if she did not hit payload, she would have no money when she returned.
The beach area had a few trails leading onto the forest beyond, past which she could see an open area. This part of the island was vast, taking up most of the southern side, but hardly a space so wide she would be lost for long. No, the issue would be to find her Chaos Emeralds soon and earn her title of greatest jewel thief in the world by the end of the month.
After picking some tasty fruits from the nearby trees for her journey, Rouge took off... only to see the most unusual of sights near the open trails she was headed to.
A sign.
'NOW ENTERING: Green Hill Zone' was written in it with big letters, followed by a message in even bigger letters: 'NO VISITORS ALLOWED'
"Well, huh," the bat girl said, paws on her hips. "And here I was thinking the islanders were all long gone." She patted the sign gently, noticing it was made of metal. "Still, I didn't know metal became Mobian fashion so far back... and this is rather new-ish, on all accounts. Barely has any dust, in fact."
Her eyes grew sharp. "Someone else is here... I doubt they aren't looking for Chaos Emeralds, as well. Which means I had better get on with it, too..."
Kicking some sand, she ran past the woods, getting closer to the prairie where, supposedly, the 'Green Hill Zone' would be. It was time to start her hunt.
...
AU story, which is why there are only six Chaos Emeralds. Probably some other details, too. It's somewhat of a novelization. I hope it'll be interesting.