To many, the legend of South Island is just that, a legend. Few have been able to voyage out to the island, and fewer still have made it back to tell their tale. So many believe the landmass simply doesn’t exist. It appears as a mirage every so often, and that’s it. It’s even harder for them to believe that 6 magical gems exist on the Island. Among those ranks is a small, red echidna named Knuckles. Born with strange, nail-like protrusions on his clubbed hands, he makes his living hunting treasure, which some say has become somewhat of a sixth sense to him. Every day, he ventures out into the wilderness, and comes back into town with sacks full of precious gems. Some claim that he steals the gems from innocent passer-bys, but many more claim he can “feel” the gems deep within the Earth. He cares not who thinks what of him, though, for he dislikes civilization in general. The deep damp fauna of the jungle hides his home: a small shack partially built into carved-out rock, with only a few sticks and leaves protecting him from the harsh elements. He has sworn to never harm another being who lives alongside him, and instead eats the fruits that the jungle generously gives him. On occasion, some venture into the forest intending to challenge him, or potentially catch him off guard, and rob him of the gems he digs up. They run screaming out of the jungle, far worse for wear, claiming that the small echidna is mad. He is a humble being, and never keeps the capital he gains from the gems. Instead he gives it away to local tribes, who cannot find a steady source of food or clothing to provide for the whole of their groups. While he has a hard outwards appearance, deep down he is a kind soul who is quick to trust.
And these traits make him tantalizing asset for Dr. Eggman to collect.
After recovering one of the six Chaos Emeralds from South Island, the doctor correctly figured that his arch nemeses, Sonic and Tails, would be hot on his trails to find the remaining five. The story of this young echidna had been passed onto him years ago, but he never gave them any sort’ve thought, as he never could see the use in using a live animal to do his work.
“But it might be good to have an actual pair of eyes and ears in the field,” the doctor thought to himself. “And the echidna might be able to maneuver around the island far better than my robots ever could!” The next day, Eggman trekked out to Knuckles’ home island, disguised as a traveler with a single robot bodyguard in case things went sour. After some poking around, the doctor was pointed in the general direction of the echidna’s hut, and off he went to strike a deal. The thick, natural, unkemptness of the jungle floor was no match for the sharpened steel of his bodyguard. As it cut down weed after weed, the forest seemed to cry out to Knuckles, who quickly took note of the intruders. When the doctor finally reached the echidna’s hut, they spotted him a little ways off, meditating near a cliff side, seemingly totally at peace. But suddenly, Knuckles grabbed a hefty stone that he had close by, and hurled it at the doctor with an incredible speed, barely missing him as the robot caught it just before it hit the doctor’s face. He was immediately impressed at both the echidna’s raw strength, and his bravery, as he failed to flinch when the hunk of steel crushed the stone in its cold hand.
“Leave this place, now,” Knuckles threatened.
“How rude!” the doctor retorted in mock offense. “Is that any way to treat a guest in your home?”
“I don’t like ‘guests’ who tear up this jungle.”
“My deepest apologizes for my friend’s actions! He doesn’t quite have a mind of his own, you see? A friend of mine built him, and I can’t quite get through that thick skull of his. I commanded, shouted, and pleaded for him to leave the wildlife alone, but it was to no avail.”
“Hmph,” Knuckles huffed, unconvinced. “I still want you gone. I won’t have folks like you hurting this place.”
“Ah, but what if I promise to keep myself, and my friend in check?”
“I won’t ask you again.”
“You’d be missing out on a huge opportunity, m’boy. You see, I-”
In an instant, the echidna had appeared in front of the robot, and drove his fist through its metal frame with a mighty cry. The doctor jumped back in shock, still struggling to process what had just happened. The steel hunk staggered a few steps backwards, before he collapsed to the ground with huge jets of electricity rippling out of the whole.
“Get out of my territory, now!”
The doctor struggled to compose himself for a few seconds, but soon thought he had come too far to back down now.
“You just annihilated my colleague prized ‘bot,” he cried in fake anger. “And you expect me to just leave without so much as a word of protest? Do you know how long it took him to build that?”
“I don-”
“Decades! Decades honing this metal monstrosity, and thousands in grants alongside his own capital, and for what? For some short-tempered, spiney brat to obliterate it without a second thought!”
“O-oh…” Knuckles muttered as his rage cooled. “I didn-”
“What am I to say to him now? How could I ever hope to explain this to him? I assured him that I’d bring his pride and joy back to him in one piece before venturing out here to find you, and you’ve gone and smashed that dream to smithereens!” The doctor then put a finger to his temple, and sighed dramatically. “Oh well. I suppose I’ll just have to help him build a new one. I doubt we’ll have enough to afford the parts though. We barely scraped by the last ti-”
“Enough!” Knuckles interrupted. “Here, I’ll make it up to you. Follow me, I’ll take you to a huge stockpile of gems.” It was all the doctor could do to suppress a devilish grin, as he gestured for the echidna to lead the way.
The treck through the jungle was long and arduous. The fat doctor had stumbled and bounced along the trail multiple times up to that point, and was drenched from head to foot in sweat. He was about to call the whole thing off, before Knuckles stopped dead in his tracks. He began to feel along the ground for a few moments, occasionally pausing before resuming his odd ritual. Then suddenly, he pulled his fist back, and drove it into the ground. Eggman only had a moment to marvel at the created crater before Knuckles began rapidly striking the ground, drilling deeper and deeper into the cold dirt as he went. The doctor merely watched in awe, as the crunching of the dirt became the only indication that the echidna was still moving. Then, for a few moments, all went quiet, before the echidna popped his head back above ground with a massive pile of gems in tow. He dropped them at the egg-shaped man’s feet, who stared at the pile in amazement.
“Do you think that’ll be enough to cover the cost of a new robot?” the red echidna questioned.
“Actually,” Eggman began, positively giddy. “Forget the robot. In fact, you can keep these gems. I have something else in mind that I’d like you to do!”
“Uh… whatever you say doc. What’re you thinking?” In a near frenzy, the doctor pulled a small container from his coat, and pressed a small button resting on top. The layers of metal began to slowly peel back, as a strange warmth enveloped the jungle around them. Knuckles began to feel a strange energy surging inside him, and soon became terrified of what was going on. Finally, the container had shed the cloak enveloping the gem within, filling casting a brilliant yellow glow onto everything around them.
“Do you, by chance, know what this is, m’boy?”
“N-no, I don’t…” Knuckles replied with a quiver in his voice.
“This, is a Chaos Emerald!”
Knuckles nearly feel over in shock, for he had never seen or felt anything like this before.
“You’re lying!” he accused, finding his courage again. The doctor smiled at him.
“Am I?” he retorted, extending out his arm. “Take it, and see for yourself. Feel its warmth, its power.”
With trembling arms, the Echidna took the gem, and carefully observed it. It was surprisingly dense, but it felt lighter than a feather. A calming warmth spread through his arms, and trembled down his back. It seemed to pulse with raw power, and Knuckles swore he felt it whispering to him. Telling him he would be safe as long as he protected the gem. He felt stronger as he clutched at the Emerald, like he could break the planet in half with a single punch. Suddenly, he felt the Emerald being tugged away by the doctor. His grip tightened, and neither of the two moved until Knuckles reluctantly brought his hands to his side.
“During the last time South Island decided to pay us a visit,” the doctor began. “I managed to venture out to explore what wonders the land had to offer. Along my travels, I managed to find this little thing tucked away underneath some waterfall. I was just amazed as you were when I first saw it, and I was just about to grab it… before some troublesome hedgehog snatched it away from me.”
