Act 10: The Little Detectives and the Mafia Don
Month X, Day X: Detective Secret Memo
“At 9:12 AM, we spotted a suspect and began the investigation!”
The Station Square basked in tranquil weather, seemingly peaceful and bustling with activity.
Cream the Rabbit, dressed in her adorable detective attire, and her friend Cheese, a Chao, were unrelenting in their pursuit of the suspect behind the Chao kidnapping that had disrupted the peace of the city. Cream, who had learned various detective skills at her part-time job at a detective agency, now worked diligently in this make-believe detective role to protect the city’s tranquility.
The suspect’s name was Big the Cat. He was a silent, large feline wearing an extravagant-looking coat and a matching hat pulled low, concealing his eyes. Behind his sunglasses, his small eyes held a suspicious glint.
People in the city had come to call him the “Mafia Don” due to his unmistakable demeanor, and various speculations had given rise to rumors about him.
When the scarce eyewitness descriptions of the suspect as a ‘silent, powerful man’ coincided, Cream began her investigation into him as a potential suspect in the case.
“At 10:10 AM… a sinister transaction at the bank?”
In front of the bank… From the slowly moving, black luxury car, a hefty figure emerged – it was the ‘Mafia Don.’
Cream, who had been tailing him from the sky, gently landed on the branch of a street tree next to the bank, discreetly observing as he was welcomed by the bank staff and entered the bank confidently.
As he walked along, he took something out and handed it over. The bank employee then bowed repeatedly before swiftly vanishing into the depths of the bank. It all seemed highly suspicious. And at that moment, Cream saw what that ‘something’ was… it was a photo of a Chao.
“…A kidnapped Chao’s photo!”
A few minutes later, the ‘Mafia Don,’ who appeared just as confidently from the front entrance, had two large, metal attaché cases filled with money in both hands.
“…Ransom!?”
With the bank employee bowing respectfully and watching him depart, Big left the scene in his car. The bank appears to be unable to defy the ‘Mafia Don.’ The ransom has now fallen into the hands of the villain.
“Next time, I’ll seize the decisive moment and arrest him!”
Cream once again flapped her large ears vigorously and increased her speed to chase the car.
“At 11:05 AM, a weapon transaction at the fishing pond!?”
The fishing pond was quiet with only a few customers… the ‘Mafia Don’ in a suit, an odd sight, was fishing alone. Could it be some sort of rendezvous? While occasionally glancing at the attaché case beside him, he remained perfectly still.
“Cheese, it’s time…”
Cream, who had been observing the scene from outside the fishing pond, called back Cheese, who she had sent on reconnaissance, and looked to the sky. Then, in that moment…
<<Boom!>>
A sudden explosion! Cream, in a hurry, ducked down. When she looked back, she saw that Big had somehow appeared and handed an aluminum case to a man. In return, he received another black case. The two opened their cases to inspect their contents.
“Chao!”
Cheese, who had returned at breakneck speed, with a pale face, made gun-slinger-like gestures towards Cream to convey what had happened.
“A…a pistol!?”
Trembling, Cream overheard their conversation close by.
“It’s a top-quality piece, isn’t it? If I fire this, they’ll all be toast.”
Big enthusiastically nodded in agreement with the man’s statement as he pointed to the black box. In broad daylight, they had acquired weapons with the ransom money. Big the Boss was the evil “Mafia Don” after all.
Cream was starting to get frightened. However, she couldn’t afford to just stand there, considering the safety of the kidnapped Chao.
“I’m not scared! I’ll definitely arrest him!”
Cream and Cheese, who had straightened themselves up from their crouching position, renewed their determination and resumed their pursuit.
“At 5:15 PM, the Black Market!”
In a narrow alley beside the casino in Station Square’s entertainment district, Big the Cat slinked in with his frog henchman, holding the cases filled with money and a pistol in both hands.
The plenty of money was the ransom for the kidnapped Chao.
The pistol…was it for intimidating when kidnapping the Chao?
Shivering at her own dreadful imagination, Cream still managed to follow Big the Cat, and soon, they stopped in front of a dark and shady shop on a dark street. The shop owner was hiding his face behind sunglasses and a mask.
The Black Market…it was an apt description for this place, which was dimly lit and filled with an aura of suspicion. Big the Cat placed the case quietly on the counter, and the shop owner and Big both grinned wickedly.
“Welcome, boss… Here are today’s goods.”
The shop owner muttered, taking out a gleaming golden Chao Egg…! Big extended his hand with an even more sinister grin.
Money and a pistol… Big had hired professionals to perform the kidnapping at the Black Market! He orchestrated his villainous deeds with money and weapons without getting directly involved—a true Mafia Don. Cream couldn’t hold herself back any longer.
“Stop right there! I’m arresting you in the act of a crime!”
Cream’s voice made the two men turn around in astonishment.
“What the heck!? This is just…”
Cream restrained the shop owner, and her eyes turned to Cheese.
“We have evidence! Cheese!”
“Chao Chao!”
“All the evidence is here… But… Wait…?”
When they opened the case, instead of a pistol, it contained party crackers, a standard item for Halloween parties. Big’s frog henchman activated one with a loud “Bang,” and the atmosphere in the place shifted.
“Looks like you’ve made a mistake, miss… Boss is always…”
“But, the ransom money, the Chao’s egg…”
After hearing this and seeing each other’s faces, the shop owner and Big the Cat shared a big laugh and revealed everything to Cream.
This place was the Chao Kindergarten’s back entrance. Big was the president of a major company and had secretly been donating to the kindergarten while occasionally volunteering to bring lost Chao to the right kindergarten.
People in the town adored him as he would deliver lost Chao to their rightful kindergartens, and today he had received various treats from the town’s people for Halloween.
“Then, it was all just a mistake…?”
Relieved, Cream apologized, feeling embarrassed about her misunderstanding. Big handed her an abundance of sweets she couldn’t hold and affectionately patted her head with his warm hands.
“Thank you for worrying about Chao, little rabbit.”
“Big, you’re a good ‘Mafia Don,’ after all!”
They laughed heartily as Cream apologized. However, in the next moment…
From the darkness of a building, two wire-guided rocket punches extended, seizing the aluminum case in Big’s hand—the case that contained the Chao Egg. The robot trying to forcibly take the egg was a huge robot. Big tried to resist with all his might.
“Could it be… that’s the Chao’s kidnapper!?”
The kidnapper wasn’t Big, but the kidnapping itself had indeed occurred. And now, the real culprit had revealed themselves right here!
“Amazing twist of events!”
Big and the robot, with Big putting in all his strength, made the robot fly high into the air and then forcefully back down to the ground.
<<Kaboom!>>
The robot was severely damaged and landed upside down, its head looking like a garbage can. Although it had sturdy armor, the inside of the opened head was filled with exposed electronic components.
If they were going to finish it off, it had to be now!
“Now’s our chance! Cheese!”
“Chao Chao!”
At Cream’s signal, Cheese flew out, delivering a direct hit to the robot’s weak spot with a Chao Attack!
<<Crash! Zzzt…!>>
The robot sparked and stopped functioning. Cream used the opportunity to fly up and bind the robot, pulling in the wire that had extended too far.
“In the act of trying to kidnap Chao, I’m arresting you!”
At last, the detective duo Cream and Cheese had captured the true culprit of the Chao kidnapping case!
Afterward…
Following the trail of the robot, Cream and her friends discovered a warehouse on the outskirts of town where many Chao were found, all of them safe and sound. The Chao who were taken were indeed unique and rare. But why had this happened? That was a question for the police to investigate.
However, Cream’s interest was piqued by the “Mafia Don” (Big the Cat). He had taken a liking to supporting the Chao, and Cream decided to help him from time to time. It was no surprise that she wanted to support someone who cared so much about Chao.
“It seems the Mafia Don has gained some new underlings.”
It didn’t take long for rumors of such new developments to quickly spread in Station Square!
The next day at 10:35 AM, at Mystic Ruins…
“Sheesh, Big, your fishing skills are off the charts, reeling in a robot like that! Cream’s determination is as strong as ever; the little detective did a fantastic job!”
High above the Mystic Ruins Station, near Tails’ workshop, Sonic, seeing Big and the others entering the Chao Garden, made this cheerful remark.
“That robot, it was ZERO, the one who kidnapped Amy before. That guy doesn’t seem to change,” Sonic continued with a wry smile. Just as he said this, the workshop door swung open, and Tails rushed out.
“I got it, Sonic, I’ve got it!”
What Tails had discovered during his research at the workshop was nothing short of astounding.
“So, the cause of this disturbance is the Phantom Ruby, and I focused on researching its energy,” Tails began explaining. Using observation satellites, he discovered that the entire planet was covered by a thin layer of light, composed of the Phantom Ruby’s energy. The disturbances were only happening within this planet.
Eggman had used the Phantom Ruby, a weapon capable of distorting reality, just once, and he applied it to this planet where Sonic and the others lived.
“In other words, Eggman distorted the perception of the planet, causing the worldwide disturbances!” Tails added.
The unsettling wind blew through the space between Tails’ workshop, which had been transformed into a bakery on the outside, and Sonic and the others, who still appeared as themselves.
“What do you mean? This star was all it was, right? You can’t do this with a mere virtual reality weapon,” Sonic questioned with a puzzled look on his face.
Tails continued, “If the entire planet’s perception is deceived, it would also affect all of us born on this planet… all over the world. Eggman used the Phantom Ruby weapon to its full potential, even the scriptwriters would be surprised!”
Sonic whistled. Tails sighed, half in amazement.
“So, all these random disturbances around are a result of the planet having its own perception? It’s mind-boggling…!”
“No, Sonic,” Tails corrected, “Eggman couldn’t control the entire planet’s perception entirely. As a result, the cosmic light curtain started to function like an antenna, gathering everyone’s ‘thoughts’ and feeding them back into the planet. This led to various ‘disturbances’ all around.”
Tails further explained that they had observed multiple strands of the Phantom Ruby’s energy extending from the cosmic light curtain and affecting the surface.
Sonic, feeling a mix of awe and frustration, responded, “So, it turns out that the current situation was something we created… That’s interesting, but having your inner thoughts projected outward is a bit of a problem.”
Tails, acknowledging Sonic’s sentiments, continued, “However…”
The source of their shared confusion was still not resolved. “After doing all this, what’s Eggman’s gain? He could have taken over the world in the midst of this chaos… What’s his ultimate goal?”
Sonic felt puzzled about Eggman’s endgame, even after learning all these details.
Tails, however, maintained his optimistic demeanor. “We don’t know that yet… But, anyway, if we can destroy the facility or device that’s maintaining this cosmic light curtain, the planet should wake up! I’ve already located it, using the energy flow! So, Sonic…”
With a hopeful smile, Sonic continued, “Okay, that’s the plan! Let’s head in that direction and fix this chaotic situation! I’m counting on you for navigation, Tails!”
“Sure thing! Leave it to me!”
With renewed determination, Sonic and Tails headed towards the epicenter of the incident.
Source: Sonic Channel
