It was dusk when Nathan finally made it back on foot to the park where the ship was. Nathan found himself lost for a moment- the ship was nowhere in sight. Then, from its previous spot, the ship turned visible again as Nathan unknowingly neared it. The entrance slid open for him to board, then the vessel cloaked again upon his entrance. Joseph was in his chair, not acknowledging Nathan's presence.

"Hey Joe, how'd it go?" Nathan asked, coming closer.

Joseph glanced at Nathan, shaking his head. "Hey."

"What's wrong?"

"Got my ass kicked. Hate to say it-"

"Yeah, I know. These Mobians are tough. Did you find anything?"

"Sorta. It was an enormous Chaos Emerald, but apparently, some spike-fisted echidna guards it. He knocked me out for a bit and the ship flew me down here. I told Geo those Emeralds are too big to fit in this ship, but he flipped out for some reason...I don't know, I hung up on him."

"What do you mean? How big was the one you found? Look."

From his pocket, Nathan pulled out the Chaos Emerald he retrieved from Shadow earlier, showing Joseph.

A surprised Joseph jumped out of his seat to grab it, admiring it in his grasp, "Wow. Then what the hell did I find?"

Then, the ship illuminated green and the holo-console appeared. Joseph answered the green button.

"Geo here. How are you boneheads making out?"

"We found one, ass-hole!" fired Joseph.

"Really? Nice! Put it here-"

From the center of the command deck behind their seats, a wide, navy blue, rectangular podium rose from the floor. Nathan and Joseph walked over to see its top slid open to reveal seven empty slots. Nathan inserted the Chaos Emerald and a transparent glass slid over to it, as a golden energy field surrounded it.

"Thanks you two. Now-"

"Wait." Joseph interrupted Geo.

A small crack formed on the Chaos Emerald, followed by two larger ones through the center. The Emerald grew brighter by the second until it suddenly bursted in its slot. The little screen slid open again to allow Nathan and Joseph to pick up the little fragments.

"Guys, what just happened?" Geo again.

"It...broke." Nathan responded.

"'Broke?' Really? That's not supposed to happen. From what I've learned, they only shatter with a powerful force. That dock right there only keeps their energies stable- with little to no force implemented."

"So...?"

"I mean...the only thing I can think of is that its a counterfeit, but I didn't find any information on the forging of counterfeits...Speaking of which, you idiots should probably do your research now! I'm serious when I say these lifeforms are no joke!"

"Yeah, we found that out the hard way..." sighed Joseph.

"And I'm sorry that you won't find information on how to contrast real and false Chaos Emeralds- if that is the cause of what happened."

"No worries. We're gonna start checking those files right now."

"I'll leave you to it. Be careful and good luck."

The call ended and the duo returned to their stations, relocating Geo's file. They clicked on "Mobians" and scanned through the subfiles, each dedicated to a single Mobian.

"Wait, scroll down," Joseph requested, "Yeah, click that one; the 'Emeralds' one."

Nathan did so and two more folders appeared: "Chaos Emeralds" and "Master Emerald." Joseph pointed at the second one and a photo of a large green Emerald appeared on a black holo-window. Below it, were bullet points with supporting information.
_______________________________

Master Emerald

•A larger and powerful Emerald that was guarded and worshipped by the Knuckles Clan.
-Knuckles the Echidna is the last
surviving member.

•Used to counter the Chaos Emeralds when misused.

•Located on Angel Island.

[DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE.]
___________________________________

Joseph dropped his head into his hands, "Yep, that's the one. Definitely not a Chaos Emerald."

"Look, Geo even added a note at the bottom saying not to get this one."

"Alright, well, let's go learn about some Mobians."

Nathan returned to the larger list and opened the file, "Sonic the Hedgehog."
________________________________

Sonic the Hedgehog

•Birth Name: Ogilvie Maurice Hedgehog

•Born on Planet Mobius:
-Supposed heir to the throne
▪Mother, Queen Aleen went
missing, unconfirmed if alive
or not.

•Capable of running at high speeds- more so the speed of sound.
•Agile.
•Experienced Chaos Emerald user.
•Proficient in hand-to-hand combat.
•Indomitable Will:
-[His sheer willpower may as well
be deemed as a superpower; has
even fought through
possessions from ghosts and
powerful demons.]

•Can ball up and launch self as a concussive projectile, pioneering the technique known as a "Spin Dash."
       -A modified version known as a
        "Homing Attack" is aerial and
        will not stop rolling until
        target or something is hit.
           ▪Capable of a ricochet effect.
           ▪[Yes, he can "roll" through
              the air!]

•*Has improving skillset.

[This data on Sonic is simplified to the important details. Based on what I've studied, Sonic has progressively become more powerful over his years. He is still trying to find out what his limits are exactly, making him the most unpredictable Mobian you will face.]
____________________________________

"His real name is Ogilvie Maurice Hedgehog...heir to the throne on Planet Mobius!"

"Oh...Seems pretty laid back for a prince." commented Joseph.

"Capable of running faster than the speed of sound...'Has improving skill set?'"

"What?"

"Geo left another note: 'This data on Sonic is simplified to the important details. Based on what I've studied, Sonic has progressively become more powerful over his years. He is still trying to find out what his limits are exactly, making him the most unpredictable Mobian you will face..'"

"Hmm...Look for that Knuckles now."

"Is that the echidna?"

"Yeah..."

"It's alright, I got my ass handed to me by that black hedgehog, an oddly developed bat, and some fucking robot packed with heavy artillery!"

"Wait, 'oddly developed?'"

"Let's just say her body looks 'too human.'"

"Uh, OK."

"You'll see...Ah, here."

An image of Knuckles now popped up in front of them.
________________________________

Knuckles the Echidna

•Born on Angel Island, Planet Mobius.
•Guardian of the Master Emerald.
•Last surviving member of the Knuckles Clan.

•Immense Strength:
-Able to shatter boulders, punch
through steel, and even split
atoms in the air- causing his fists
to ignite in flames, adding to the
pain.

•Expert treasure hunter.
•Experienced Chaos Emerald user.
•Master martial artist.
•Can Spin Dash.
•Dreadlocks are able to catch wind, allowing him to glide.
________________________________

"That's the fucker." Joseph growled.

"Easy there!" Nathan laughed.

"Let me read this:...'Guardian of the Mas-' yeah I know that now...'Immense strength: able to shatter boulders, punch through steel, and even split atoms in the air- causing his fists to ignite in flames, adding to the pain...'"

"That's pretty badass."

Joseph then had a flashback to the moment before he was knocked unconscious, when Knuckles' fists enflamed randomly.

"OK, let's move on!" bantered Joe.

"Don't be so sore about it, you sore loser." jested Nathan.

"I AM NOT-...Shut up!"

And for the rest of that night, the Loose Cannons took the time to read through every file.

*I know, short, filler chapter, sorry! But this small part (and sorta the next) will slightly affect the character interactions. Let's see how this'll benefit the Loose Cannons! Vote if you liked! Thank you.