Toy Store Investigation/Kairi, Sally, Cosmo, and Amy Captured

*(Meanwhile, Mephiles, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts are at work inside a closed toy store. They managed to remove royal guard uniforms off some soldier mannequins. The dark hedgehog and Badniks stuffed the uniforms into their own sacks)*

Mephiles: Alright, monkey! Check off what we got!

*(Coconuts then took out the list from his bag, as well as a pencil)*

Coconuts: (Marking the list) Get the following…. Tools, check. We got tools. Gears. Double check. We got gears. Girls, bride for Mephiles.

*(But then Coconuts quickly erased the check upon seeing Mephiles clear his throat in annoyance, realizing he did not yet get Sally, Cosmo, Amy, and Kairi)*

Coconuts: No, didn't get the girls or bride for Mephiles. Uniforms. *(Giggles a bit)* Yep. We've got plenty of uniforms.

Scratch: And there's plenty more where those came from!

Grounder: And Mephiles, are you certain Dr. Robotnik will promise us our special reward once he becomes ruler?

*(Mephiles rolled his eyes and answered in a calm, yet angry, voice)*

Mephiles: I’m sure! How many times do I have to tell you?

*(Suddenly the Badniks got startled as they heard a dog's howl from outside, making them and a shocked Mephiles look out the window. Not good, someone is coming)*

Badniks: (Frantically) Oh no, no, we got to hide! Got to hide, got to hide!

*(Grounder grabbed the hats off the mannequins and then stuffed them into his bag. The villains then rushed off quickly. Unknown to them however, the list has fallen to the floor, apparently forgotten. Outside, the heroes had arrived at the toy store after riding on Poochy. Sonic then got off)*

Sonic: Splendid job, Poochy!

*(Sonic saw Kairi reaching out, making him roll his eyes. She wanted him to catch her. The male blue hedgehog held his arms out before the girl jumped off and landed on him. Of course, after recovering, Sonic gladly caught Sally while Tails, Knuckles, and the Stallion Seven, after climbing off, caught Cosmo, Amy, and the Mane Seven respectively, making them blush upon catching and seeing each other's eyes compassionately for a brief moment. Then a boy's voice called out to them)*

Boy: Hey, Kairi, guys! I’m here now.

*(The group looked to the source of the boy's voice, only to their surprise, and to Kairi’s happiness, a new friend in the form of a small boy. This boy is 5 years old with short curved spiky blonde hair, blue eyes, and wearing a black turtleneck tanktop underneath a short-sleeved V-neck shirt that is half cream-colored with a black collar half, a black sleeve rim, and a black rim half at the bottom and half black with a cream-colored collar half, a cream-colored sleeve rim, and a cream-colored rim half at the bottom, charcoal gray shorts with cream colored lines at the knees and cream-colored side pockets with black lids, short black socks, and dark gray, olive green, navy blue, and red shoes. He is Ventus, or Ven by his friends, Kairi’s boyfriend and Oak’s future grandson-in-law)*

Kairi: (Happily) Ventus!

*(Ventus ran up to her, and they hugged each other)*

Ash: (Confused) What is this boy doing here?

Pikachu: (Confused) Pikachu?

Kairi: (Realizing) Oh! Sonic, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, May, Max, this is Ventus, my boyfriend. We nickname him “Ven.”

*(A short pause)*

Brock: (Flatly) Let me guess. You called him to help, right?

May: Technically, she called her boyfriend.

Kairi: Yeah.

Max: What can hurt?

Fluttershy: We need all the help we can get.

Braeburn: She has a point.

*(After thinking it over, Brock sighed in defeat and nodded)*

Brock: Alright. But stay close!

Ventus: (Saluting) I will!

*(Sonic turned to Poochy)*

Sonic: Now, Poochy, sit.

*(However, he just stayed standing up. The male blue hedgehog groaned as he marched back to the dog)*

Sonic: (Sternly) Poochy, sit.

Kairi: Sit, Poochy.

*(This time, Poochy obeyed, sitting right down onto the ground. Sonic glared slightly at Kairi, with Ventus looking on in proudness by this, before sighing)*

Sonic: Good boy.

Rainbow Dash: You should train him more to listen to you, Sonic.

Sonic: (Walking by the heroes) I will when this mission is over. Now, if you'll excuse me.

*(Kairi then turned to Poochy)*

Kairi: Stay here, Poochy. We are going to find my grandfather.

*(Poochy nods a bit. Hopefully the mission is a success. The heroes curiously followed Sonic, who inspected the entrance. They watched as he hummed slowly, then he and Ash spotted a tiny hole in the center of the window)*

Sonic: Ah ha!

Ash: Everyone, this is where Mephiles and the Badniks came in at!

Pokey Pierce: How did you know that?

May: Simple. The front door is locked and they didn't want to trip any alarms upon getting in.

Pikachu: Pika.

Ventus: (A bit puzzled) Wait, that? How could they fit through such a tiny…?

Brock: Observe. Knuckles?

*(The male red echidna nods as he opens his bag, revealing a tiny screwdriver. As everyone watches, Knuckles put the screwdriver into the hole and pulled it back. The window opened, surprising most of the gang)*

Ventus: (With a smile) Guys, you amaze us!

*(So that's how Mephiles and the Badniks were able to get into the store! Amazing)*

Rarity: (Quickly) Hush.

*(They can't let Mephiles, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts know that they are here. Everyone climbed in through the window, doing so quietly as to not alert Mephiles, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts to their presence. Of course, the heroes are unaware that they know already. Ventus was the last to come in, closing the window while doing so. The group quietly goes through the store, making sure not to make any attention. Pokey Pierce, however, wasn’t watching where he was going as he bumps into something)*

Pokey Pierce: Whoa, hey, sorry, I didn't….

Pinkie Pie: Uh, Pokey Pierce?

*(Of course, Pokey Pierce gasped in surprise that Pinkie Pie pointed out that the "Lady" is a doll, literally. Most of everyone look around at a lot of giant-size toys in the section)*

Heroes, except Sonic: Whoa.

Knuckles: (In amazement) I never saw many toys like these before.

*(Sonic darts out from behind a statue, looking around)*

Sonic: Don't forget, there are four dangerous criminals hiding in here. So be very quiet.

*(As Sonic moved stealthfully around the statues and shadows, the others stayed close behind. The gang climbed up a ladder into a higher section, then creep down the area quietly and in determination. So far, so good…. Then Sonic stopped the group, getting an idea)*

Sonic: Wait, I got an idea.

Heroes: What?

Sonic: Sal, you, Cosmo, Amy, and Kairi go search for Mephiles and the Badniks, and when you find them, scream for us.

*(Glad that Sonic is asking her to form her group and split up to search for the six criminals, Sonic then nodded)*

Sally: And what about you?

Sonic: Ven, my group and I will search for more clues.

Ventus: Yeah. Kairi can handle herself.

*(Sonic’s group got concerned)*

Knuckles: Are you sure they'll do it?

Tails: We can't let anything bad happen to them.

Thunderlane: Such as being kidnapped.

Sonic: Nonsense. They'll just scream for us.

*(Giving in with Sonic's group reluctantly, Tails, Knuckles, and Ventus then turned to Cosmo, Amy, and Kairi respectively)*

Tails, Knuckles, and Ventus: Be safe.

Cosmo, Amy, and Kairi: Okay.

*(They kissed on the lips, while Kairi kissed Ventus’ cheek, making his blush a bit)*

Sally: (Hugs him) Sonic. Be careful.

Sonic: (Hugging her back) Same to you and your group.

*(And then they briefly kissed and the groups split up. Unknown to everyone, Mephiles, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts are on top of a shelf, watching as Sonic's group and Ventus moved across a chessboard and Sally, Cosmo, Amy, and Kairi headed the other way. The dark crystal hedgehog smirks wickedly as he watched Sally. Perfect! He will get his "Bride-to-be" on the list after all)*

Mephiles: (Whispering, watching Sally) Soon, you'll be mine!

*(He chuckled darkly and quietly. Sonic's group looked around, hoping to find any sign of clues nearby. Sonic spots a giant rook, looking at it, pondering. Then Thunderlane moves it over one space)*

Thunderlane: Checkmate.

*(Tails, Ventus, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, May, Max, the Mane Seven, and the rest of the Stallion Seven just chuckled quietly a bit while Sonic and Knuckles rolled their eyes in annoyance. Then Sonic noticed some footprints on the floor and took out his magnifying glass)*

Sonic: Ah ha! Guys? Evidence of our four adversaries.

Braeburn: Coming from over here.

*(The group followed Sonic who followed the footprints. They stopped at the now clothless statues)*

Ash: Well, well, how very odd.

Brock: What? What's going on?

May: Well, look at this, isn't it painfully obvious?

Fluttershy: These statues got their uniforms taken from them…. And not by any normal thieves.

Pikachu: Pika.

Max: (Scratching his head curiously) What would Mephiles and the Badniks want with uniforms?

Sunset Shimmer: They had already kidnapped a Pokémon professor who makes toys.

Flash Sentry: Maybe the uniforms are for something big in Dggman’s plan.

*(The group look at each other then look at the footprints. Mysterious. Ventus looked over his shoulder then spots something)*

Ventus: Guys!

*(Thee see what Ventus saw)*

Sci Twi: Hello.

*(The group goes over to robots with some of the gears missing)*

Sonic: Someone has taken the clockwork mechanism from these robots.

Rarity: For what reason?

*(Mephiles, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts are watching, with Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts yelping as the four quickly darted away. Better make their capture and escape now! Knuckles spots something on the ground and picks it up. It's the list that the four criminals dropped unknowingly)*

Knuckles: (In concern) Hey, guys?

*(He and Tails came over to see what they got)*

Sonic: (Trying to think) Not now. I'm trying to concentrate.

*(The uniforms are missing as are the gears. What does Eggman want Mephiles, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts to get those items for)*

Knuckles: Seriously, guys, I….

*(Sonic’s group walked away from him, Tails, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, May, Max, the Mane Seven, and the Stallion Seven)*

Soarin: I guess we'll tell them later.

*(Tails, Knuckles, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, May, Max, Ventus, the Mane Seven, and the Stallion Seven, except Soarin, nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Sally, Cosmo, Amy, and Kairi searched for Mephiles, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts cautiously. Suddenly, they spotted bubbles coming out of a bubble-blowing Dumbo toy. Kairi giggled as she popped one of the bubbles before resuming their search for Mephiles, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts. Unbeknownst to the girls, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts snuck up behind Cosmo, Amy, and Kairi and grabbed them, covering their mouths and pulling them back. Hearing them gasp, Sally quickly turned and noticed they were gone. She looked around in suspicion and confusion)*

Sally: Hello? Girls?

*(Suddenly, she heard footsteps approach her and she turned and saw…)*

Mephiles: (With an evil smirk) Hello, my future wife.

Sally: (Gasps, then angrily) Where're the others?

*(Mephiles made a calm hand gesture with an evil smirk, and Sally turned to his hand's direction, and saw to her horror, Cosmo, Amy, and Kairi tied and gagged by Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts, with their hands tied behind their backs, their ankles tied together, and their arms tied down to the torso, and the gags being cloth! Then the villains lunged at a now-screaming Sally. Back with Sonic’s group, Tails, Knuckles, Ventus, the Mane Seven, and the Stallion Seven, they heard the three girls’ screams and gasped)*

Flash Sentry: The girls are in danger!

Tails: (In concern) Cosmo!

Knuckles: (In concern) Amy!

Ventus: (In concern) Kairi!

Sonic: (In concern) Sally!

*(The group ran to where the female chipmunk’s scream came from. Mephiles laughed wickedly as he finished tying and gagging Sally the same way as the other captives. Then he, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts tossed their bound and gagged captives into their own bags. Success)*

Mephiles: (Madly) Yes, yes!

Flash Sentry: Quickly, guys!

*(He and the group rushed up ahead. The group couldn't let Mephiles, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts get away! The group went behind a shelf, then quickly gasped as a huge Ferris wheel was coming right at them)*

Ash: (Screaming) Look out!

*(Everyone jumped out of the way, landing on a globe-like area. A huge statue was falling right at them, much to their notice and causing them to run off quickly, moving the paper scattered on the floor like mad. The statue was about to land on them but luckily they jumped off in the nick of time, causing the statue to break into pieces upon it hitting the floor. One of the pieces rolled towards Ventus, yelping as the statue's eye appeared to be blinking at him)*

Ventus: Whoa!

*(Sonic’s group, Tails, Knuckles, Ventus, the Mane Seven, and the Stallion Seven then proceeded to rush to get to Mephiles, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts. However, the villains used a jouster toy and send it right at them. The group jumped out of the way, though the spear caught Tails and Ventus by one of their tails and shirt respectively, causing them to yelp and get pinned right into a medieval target. Both Sonic and Brock turned, only for them to get hit by a music machine's cymbals, shaking them around. The two fell onto a pile of marble balls, collapsing with the others. Some of the marble balls scattered, sending some of them at Tails and Ventus, one hit them and causing the two to yelp. That oughta hurt! Mephiles, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts laughed cruelly as they head to the window)*

Scratch: (Laughing wickedly) Bye-bye!

*(He opened the window, preparing to jump out with Mephiles, Grounder, and Coconuts. But Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts yelped in alarm as Poochy growled and barked at them and Mephiles. Mephiles quickly closes the window in time. Not good. Sonic’s group’s dog is outside. They got to get out the other way! jumped onto a higher level just as Sonic and Brock regained consciousness)*

Mane Seven and Stallion Seven: (Noticing) They're getting away!

*(Sonic in determination, along with his group, except May, Tails, Knuckles, and the Stallion Seven, jumped onto a spring horse, using it to jump from shelf to shelf after Tails freed himself and Ventus)*

Sonic: Stop, you fiends!

*(His group, Tails, Knuckles, and the Stallion Seven quickly got to the top level and fall off the horse, landing on a large pyramid of toys. Both sides are climbing towards the top as best as they could. Mephiles, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts jumped to the top, catching the ledge of a sky roof which is opened. Sonic, Tails, and Cosmo prepared to jump at them, but the block they landed on begins tumbling and falling, making the detective, his group, Tails, Knuckles, and the Stallion Seven fall as well. Mephiles laughs wickedly as he, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts threw the tied sacks with the captives onto the roof. Time to escape! The four villains climbed out after throwing the bag to the top of the roof)*

Captives: (From inside the bag, calling out from behind their gags) Help! Sonic, guys! Help, help!

Grounder: (In a calm voice, trying not to lose his temper) Just relax, little ones. We're going to see someone…. Important.

*(He chuckles a bit. The villains then grabbed the bags and jumped from roof to roof, making their trek back to the hideout)*

Badniks: **We got the gears**

**We got the tools**

**We got the uniforms**

**We got the girls and Vanitas' bride**

**Heh-heh-heh-heh**

*(Mephiles gave them dagger glares, making them shut up)*

Mephiles: (Calmly and sneeringly) Thank you for shutting up.

*(Then with that, they make their escape. Back in the store, May, the Mane Seven, and Ventus looked for Sonic’s group, Tails, Knuckles, and the Stallion Seven)*

Mane Seven: Boys, boys!

May: (In concern) Boys, where are you?

Ventus: (In concern) Can you hear us?

*(They hope Sonic’s group, Tails, Knuckles, and the Stallion Seven aren't hurt by the fall. Just then, they heard a “Mama” sound, making them turn around. They pushed a few toys aside and found Sonic, who is angrily trying to free himself from a pull string of a huge doll that he is tangled up in with his group's help)*

Pinkie Pie: Boys, are you okay?

*(They rushed over to them and helped free Sonic)*

Ventus: It's Sally, Cosmo, Amy, and my girlfriend! They're…!

Sonic: They're gone of course! Blast it! I shouldn't have let them wander off!

*(Soarin then was able to untie Sonic, causing the male blue hedgehog to fall to the floor)*

Sonic: Now they are all taken by the maniacal criminals! They will soon be in the clutches of the most depraved minds of all London! Oh, I should've known better than to…!

*(Sonic stopped when the others made him look at Ventus, whose back is turned. His head is hanging low, looking down in sadness)*

Rarity: Ven?

Fluttershy: Um, Ven?

Applejack: Hey, you okay?

*(Ventus sniffed sadly as he cried)*

Ventus: (Crying) Aw. My poor angel and those girls. If only we could've stayed with them more closely. *(Sobs)* You even let down your own friends like that, Sonic. *(Sniffles)*

Tails: You shouldn't have made poor, little Ven cry like that.

Applejack: That wasn't very nice.

Knuckles: (Shaking his head in disappointment) For shame, Sonic. For shame.

*(Sonic looked down, feeling guilty for snapping at everyone, especially Ventus, like that. Perhaps he was too hard. With a sigh, he decided to cheer them up)*

Sonic: Well, come on, guys, not to worry…. Things aren't all hopeless.

Knuckles: (Putting his hand onto Ventus’ shoulder) We will get them back.

*(Feeling better a bit, Ventus got hopeful)*

Ventus: So you think there's a chance?

Sonic: Yep, I had dealt with this stuff before. We just need to figure out where to go to from here.

*(Sonic then blew into his bubble pipe)*

Sonic: Always a chance, everyone, as long as one can think.

Thunderlane: But we need a clue.

*(Sonic begins pacing around the room. The others sighs a bit in concern)*

Braeburn: But where would we get one?

*(Tails paused as he saw the paper that he picked up a few minutes ago and is puzzled as he took it out, looking at it. The others noticed as well)*

Ventus: Is that the paper you picked up, Tails?

Tails: Yes, it is.

Ventus: What does it say?

Tails: (Reading) Get the following; Tools, gears….

Sonic: (Hearing Tails read the list) What?

Launchpad: (Reading) Girls, bride for Mephiles, uniforms….

*(Max snatched the list in happiness as the others got happy. They found some evidence. Maybe they can use it to find Sally, Cosmo, Amy, and Kairi)*

Sonic: Yes, of course, sir!

Max: I think we got something indeed!

Soarin: (Laughing a bit) Tails, you've done it!

Brock: (Pounds his fist in his palm) This list is what we need!

Tails and Knuckles: What?

Sonic: Quick, we got to get back to Baker Street!

*(Sonic fixed himself as he rushed out to the window with the others following. Looks like there may be a big lead on what to do from here! Maybe they could still be able to save Sally, Cosmo, Amy, and Kairi. While riding Poochy back home, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Ventus gave a quiet determined look)*

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Ventus: (Thinking) Don't worry, girls. We'll save you.

***Coming up: After Sally, Cosmo, Amy, and Kairi are imprisoned, Sally, in her mind, believes she will be rescued by Sonic. At the same time, Eggman learns of Team Sonic being on their case and decide to take advantage of the heroes' upcoming victory with a new evil plan.***