Memories of David The Echidna

This is my first fanfic in several years. I've been very excited about this. I had stopped making fanfics when I started fixing up all my characters. I fixed them up and gave them some new backstories, or fixed up their old ones, or got rid of them altogether. With the way some of my characters were, It's a surprise that I didn't get rid of them all. But working with them gave me a lot of experience, and has made me a bit wiser. Though there was one thing that I couldn't fully get rid of. And that was the death of Smash's parents. I couldn't really get rid of that, since they were dead when they were created. I couldn't come up with a good back story for them then, or any real reason why they died, so I just left it blank. But now I think it's about time we find out, Just what happened to them anyway? I plan to reveal all the answers in this fanfic.



Table of Contents:

Prologue
Chapter 1: A Break from the Blitz
Chapter 2: The Old Armor
Chapter 3: Memories Of That Day
Chapter 4: The Investigation
Chapter 5: "Tying Up Loose Ends"
Chapter 6: The Remaining Questions
Chapter 7: The Retired Officer; Ben the Raccoon
Chapter 8: Case Closed
Chapter 9: A Forgotten Melody
Chapter 10: Announce The Truth
Chapter 11: A Second Investigation
Chapter 12: The Break-out and the Break-in


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In a vast, empty realm filled with only strange, abstract patterns of black and white, a winged hedgehog gently floated idly by. His body was transparent, as were several others whom inhabited this space. The hedgehog curiously glanced around at the many people, silently pitying all those who were trapped within this realm.
This was a space between Mobius and it's afterlife, where the souls of the mobians whose lives had ended reside. He himself being one of them; however, he had the unique ability to travel outside of the realm and even interact with the living at times. Although after a certain amount of time, he would always find himself back here again. After all, he was still a spirit.
After some time of exploring the emptiness, he passed by the spirit of an echidna; an echidna who looked all too familiar to him. He stopped, and turned to look at him. Though his body was transparent and difficult to fully make out, he could tell that his fur was dark blue and his eyes were emerald green. It wasn't quite who he thought it was, but he still bore a resemblance. "Pardon me, sir, but have we met before?" He asked the spirit.

The echidna looked up at him, and shook his head. "I don't believe we have." He said. "Who are you?"
The hedgehog flapped his wings, drawing closer to the man. "My name is Arc Aungel. And you?"
"David." He replied, flatly. Arc narrowed his eyes at him.
"David...Where have I heard that name..?" He wondered aloud.

"If you've heard of me, it must have been from the Blitz Pit." David suggested. "I was once a fighter there, but it's been several years since then.." He turned his head away, frowning.
Arc's eyes lit up. "A fighter? Of course, that's it!" He exclaimed in excitement. David looked somewhat puzzled by his outburst. "That explains the resemblance! You wouldn't happen to be the father of Smash the Echidna, would you?"
David's entire attitude changed as he lurched back in shock. "Y-..You know my son..?" He asked.
"More than that, I fought and trained the boy." Arc stated, proudly. "He's got a bright future ahead of him."
David let out a soft sigh, with a smile spreading across his face. "Thank you. I'm glad that he is doing alright. What about Pearl, my daughter?"
"As far as I can tell, she's just fine and dandy."
"That's good. Thank you, Arc. It means a lot to hear from them." He said.
"Don't mention it." Arc leaned backwards, floating into a reclining position. "So, exactly how did such a great fighter as yourself die, anyway?"
David looked to the side, "That's a bit of a long story."
Arc looked at their surroundings. "Don't think we'll be going anywhere anytime soon. I've got time."
David chuckled lightly. "True." He looked back at Arc. "Alright, I'll tell you.."


"My story begins several years ago. Back when the man you know as Smash The Echidna, was just a small child. Smash lived with his family: His little sister...his mother...and me. My full name is David Kenshin Corliss, Also known as David The Echidna. And I will tell you everything, from the very beginning. It all began on a cold winter morning....


We lived on the top of a hill in Green Flower Zone, the area just south of the city. Snow had fallen all over the whole region. Our home was covered with a thick, white blanket of snow. Looking at it was nice, but since I didn't have a car, I would have to walk through it to get to work. Standing by the door, fitting my jacket on, I heard a voice behind me. "Leaving already, dear?" I turned my head to come face to face with my wife.

"Yeah, I want to head out early today. I wanted to stop by the store on my way back." I answered. "I should be back around the early evening."

"Take care, dear. And be careful out there." She spoke softly with a heartwarming smile.

"I will." I said, now finished zipping my jacket up. I leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, before heading out.

As I closed the door behind me, I took notice of the snow flakes gently floating down from the sky. "Still snowing..." I muttered, holding my hand out to catch the falling snow and watch it melt in my palm. I turned my gaze towards the path in front of me. I spent the entire previous day shoveling out the driveway. I could still see where I shoveled, but the new snow was starting to cover up my work. I walked down the path, and headed for the city. It was going to be a long day.

My work isn't like your regular office desk job, as you should know. I am an official fighter at the local arena, "The Blitz Pit". I support my family by taking up challenges, participating in tournaments, and winning these bouts. My family relies on my victories, and so every day I fight with everything I've got.

Finally, I arrived at the Blitz Pit, all the way on the south western corner of the city. I walked inside, and was immediately greeted by the warmth of the building's heater and the smell of hot dogs; quite a pleasant greeting after walking about 6 miles in a seemingly endless sea of snow. I took a moment to shake the snow off of myself and warm up before heading further inside. Stopping at the front desk, I glanced over at the clock on the wall above the attendant. It was after 10 am, an hour had passed since I left home. "Ah, welcome back Mr. Corliss." The attendant greeted me. "You have a match waiting for you. They'll be ready to start as soon as you check in."

"Good. Tell them I'm ready at any time." I said. I then walked over towards the locker room. I unzipped my jacket and hung it up in my locker. It was a day like any other. This was how I went about my routine. It felt normal, until I sensed an unfamiliar presence in the room. I'm not quite sure how I knew it wasn't any other fighter or staff, but I could tell that whoever it was, they didn't belong here. At the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a brown echidna with well groomed hair. I didn't recognize him at all. Curious, I headed towards him, wondering what he was doing here. He held a cart with various different odds and ends on it, but neither looked to be practical for anything. "You new around here?" I asked him. The echidna looked up at me, seemingly somewhat surprised.

"Oh no. Not at all." He replied casually. "I actually used to be a fighter here; Retired a couple years ago."

"Retired, eh? So, what's an old veteran like you doing back here?" I asked. "Thinking about making a comeback, or are ya just on a trip down memory lane?"

"Neither, actually." He said.

"Huh?" My eyebrows rose, now wondering even more about what his business here was.

"I'm actually getting ready to sell stuff." He explained. "I'm creating "Power Armor" to sell to the rookie fighters, both for training and to let some of the weaker fighters stand up to the stronger ones." He said. "Unfortunately, I have no one to test them out for me, so I can't be 100% sure that they work."

I took a moment to let that sink into my mind. "..What's your name?"

"Kaine. Kaine Abbanc. I'm just trying to start up my own business that would benefit us all." He said, smiling a bit.

I took a moment to think about it. It didn't sound too bad. He had good intentions. It then hit me, I remembered hearing about this guy. His retirement was all over the media. He was one of the most famous fighters in the Blitz Pit. He retired due to a severe injury on his side, which kept him from doing things like this. "David Corliss, Please report to the ring. I repeat: David Corliss, Please report to the ring." A voice over the speaker sounded throughout the building. Hearing the call for my battle, I instinctively looked up and listened to the speaker. "...That would be me." I said, looking back down at Kaine. "As long as you can pay me, I'll test out your armor for you."

Kaine thought for a moment, stroking his chin. "...Alright, It's a deal." He said, soon followed by a handshake. "Meet me in the lobby tomorrow at noon."

"I will. See you then."



And that is where it all began...








It was now in the middle of August. The excitement from the World Tournament was finally dying down, and everything was returning to normal. Several of the fighters at the Blitz Pit were gathered together in the Lobby, chatting about this year's tournament. It was loads of fun, but now several of the fighters were taking one big break from fighting altogether, just to chill out together. Knowing this, the attendants at the Blitz Pit decided to serve them drinks and snacks. They also brought more chairs and benches into the lobby, setting it up to be more like a lounge. The day felt different for everyone in the Blitz Pit now. Instead of hearing the roaring cheers of the crowd and fighters training or duking it out, the room was now filled with a sense of casualty as the room was filled with idle chatter and occasional laughter from the fighters. "Aw, man. And then there was the time I had to go up against the Berserker." One of the fighters said. "I swear, I thought he was gonna chop my friggin’ head of."

"Yeah, I saw that match." Another guy said. "There were no hopes of winning that battle. But I've never seen anyone so outclassed in comparison than the Elementist."

"Heh, yeah." Another fighter said, sitting on a bench with a burger in his hand. "Kyle whooped his behind. In that match, anything he could do, Kyle could do better. His chances were so slim, he had to try and sucker punch him just to weaken him. Kyle really gave him a beating there."

"That wasn't just a beating." An all too familiar blue echidna spoke up from a chair, a bit further away from the group. "That was humiliation. The Gemblade uses and absorbs 6 of the main elements, leaving only two elements that he could use effectively against him. Meanwhile his elemental armor was weak in comparison and couldn't absorb the elements. It could barely protect against them. And by the time he realized that, he was already losing. And that was the downfall of the one known as The Elementist."

"Wonder if he'll even come back after that?" The first fighter pondered aloud.

"Who knows? Speaking of which, did Kyle leave already? I hear he lives far away."

"Yeah, he's gone home." The echidna answered. "He didn't want to stick around and let the reporters walk all over him again. He's become quite popular around here."

"I see. Hey, why don't those reporters ever flock around you, Smash?" The fighter asked. "You've done much more around this city than just win battles here."

The echidna smirked slightly, looking to the side. "Because they know better."

The fighter scratched his head, and then shrugged. The group took a moment to take a bite and/or a sip of their refreshments before continuing their conversation. "Ah, man. This was a great tournament." Another fighter said, leaning back in his chair. "It's such a shame neither of the older fighters weren't here to experience this. It'd have been a blast fighting some of the old pros."

"Some of the older fighters?" Another guy spoke up, setting his soda down on the small snack table beside his chair. "Which older guys are you referrin' to? And how come they weren't here?"

"Well, for Starters..." The fighter leaned back in his chair, as he was about to explain. "First there was Kaine. He was a great fighter and was working up the ranks quickly, until he ended up getting injured in an accident, and had to retire. Then there was David, who died in a car accident in his best years. And then Razor went missing, the guys Still haven't found him. And everyone knows what happened to poor old Paul last year."

"Poor, poor Paul…" Another fighter sighed, shaking his head sadly.

This immediately caught Smash's attention. "Wait hold up, Back up a minute there." He interrupted. "Where the heck did you hear David was in a car accident? What car accident?"

The man was somewhat surprised at his question, and caught off guard as well. "I...thought it was common knowledge. Didn't everyone know about that?"

Smash looked disgruntled, yet shocked at the same time. "Common Knowledge? So why is it that the only one who doesn't know is his own son? Don't I have a right to know?"

"S-sorry, man. I dunno." He said with a shrug.

"Hey, you're David's son? Really?" Another fighter asked. "Wow, I didn't know that."

"Yeah, I am." Smash answered. "I guess you could say I'm his successor. But still, I don't understand how I could have gone this long without knowing that. What else do you know about the accident?"

"Honestly, that's all I can tell ya." He said. "All I heard was that he was in a car accident, a real nasty one, too."

"Hey I didn't know about that either, actually." Another fighter spoke up.

"Ugh.." Smash grunted frustratedly, and stood up. "This can't be right...I don't know about you, but I smell something fishy." He said. He then began to walk away from the group. "I'll catch you guys later."

The rest of the group exchanged glances, feeling as if they were missing something.



Smash walked down the hallways of the Blitz Pit. His mind was filled with questions. ‘A Car accident...? Why the heck did I not know about this!?’ He thought, frustratedly. ‘How did Pearl and I go so long without knowing about this? Does Uncle Spikes know about this? No, he couldn't have. He only found out through me, and that was nearly a year or two later. He was moving at the time so I couldn't get in contact with him after the incident until Crash called me. But that doesn't make any sense either! Spikes was his BROTHER! Why didn't anyone tell him about his own Brother's death!? And I don't think Grandma knows either.’ His frustration was beginning to affect his walk, as he was now stomping with each step forward. ‘As his family, we should be the FIRST to know, and we should know All The Details, DANG IT!’ He kicked an empty soda can across the hallway out of anger. It made him feel a little better as he watched it soar down the corridor. He didn't watch long enough to see where it landed.

‘Dang it...Why are we the last to know?’ He sighed and looked down. He was starting to lose his cool. He started to take a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. ‘This is so irritating...How did we go so long without knowing...? It's not like I didn't care to find out...' He began to pace back and forth, trying to get rid of his feelings of confusion and anger. 'They told me they'd call back when they had more information...So why didn't they...?’ He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to think about it logically. ‘Did they just forget? How could the police forget to tell us, but let some random people know what happened?’ He looked up. 'It doesn't make any sense..Did they expect us to just, I dunno, Find out? What kind of irresponsible...ugh.' His head hung low with guilt, as his hand drooped over his face. 'I should have looked into this sooner...I really should have...I know better than to leave things up to the police. What was I even thinking...?'
He stood motionlessly in the middle of the hallway for a few minutes. "...There's no use in worrying about that now." He told himself, silently. "Fact is, I know now. And now that I know, I've got to get to the bottom of this. There's no way this could be just a normal mistake." He looked up from the floor, and took a deep breath. "But...where would I even start?" He folded his arms, thinking for a bit. He glanced around the hallway, looking at his surroundings. His gaze stopped at a door to his side, one he recognized to be the Manager's office; the guy who was also known as the man in charge of the Blitz Pit. "Well, while I'm here..." He stepped up to the door and knocked on it. "Come in!" came the reply. Smash opened the door and walked inside.

At the end of the room was a generic office desk. A figure whose identity was hidden behind the open newspaper he was reading sat at the desk. He folded the paper downward to reveal a middle-aged brown hedgehog, who raised his eyebrow once he saw Smash. "Bored already?" He asked smirking a bit, though his voice showed a hint of surprise.

"Not necessarily." Smash said. "About David..." He started, getting right to the point. The boss set down his paper, now giving him a little more of a serious look. "Did you know about the car accident he was in?"

"I've heard some rumors." He said. "That was the word on the street. But I don't know what really happened to ol' David."

"I see..." Smash looked down.

The manager frowned a bit. "So it's true, then?" He asked.

"I guess." Smash said. "I only just heard about it now from the guys."

His eyebrows rose. "Just now?" He asked, sounding rather surprised. "Them rumors stopped floating around ages ago."

Smash shook his head. "I'd rather not talk about that. I'm not the gossiping type anyway." He sighed. He then looked back up at the manager. "Hey, David passed away when he was still a fighter here. So what happened to his stuff in his locker, assuming he had any here?"

The manager leaned back in his chair. "Whelp, Any fighter who's died or is otherwise unable to return to the Pit, gets their locker and belongings put up in the storage. If they return, we give em their stuff back. If they can't come back, then we let one of their relatives or someone they trust come in and pick their stuff up." He said.

"Well, since I'm his son, I'd like to go ahead and inherit that stuff."

Already knowing he'd say that, the manager had already taken the key out of the drawer of his desk. "Catch." He tossed the key to Smash, who caught it easily. "You know where the room is. Bring it back when you're done."

"Thanks." Smash said before leaving the room.


Soon, Smash arrived at the storage room door. He fitted the key into the hole and twisted it a couple of times before it unlocked. He opened the door slowly, and looked around inside. He was immediately greeted with an old, musty smell and dusty atmosphere. "Just about what I imagined…" He muttered to himself. He walked inside and closed the door behind him. ‘Alright, now where would his stuff be...?’ He looked around the room. He could almost see the dust floating in the air. He walked around, seeing all kinds of boxes and old lockers everywhere. Noticing something hanging off of each locker, he walked towards them. There were notes stuck to the locker doors, labeled with the names of those who owned them. ‘Man, there are a lot of people who ditched this place...’ He thought. ‘Or maybe they all...’ He shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind.

He continued to search the room, moving several random boxes out of his way as he progressed through the storage. The amount of boxes stacked up in the room seemed ridiculous to him. Especially since many of them were blocking the way to other lockers. It took him about fifteen minutes before he was able to clear a path to the end of the line of lockers against the wall. Finally, he found a locker which read "David". It wasn't labeled with a note stuck on the door. Instead someone had written on the locker itself with a red marker.
Letting out a sigh of exhaustion, Smash tried to open the locker door, and found that it wasn't locked. It was stuck, instead. "Tsk. Well that's great." He remarked. He started pulling on the door with one hand and holding the rest of the locker down with the other, trying to force it open. And then the handle broke off. "What." Smash looked at the broken piece of metal in his hands. Looking at it alone, you wouldn't be able to tell it used to be the handle to a locker. He looked back at the door, his eyelids lowering halfway. ‘I know this is an old fashioned locker compared to what we've got now, but REALLY?’ He examined the door, constantly trying to get a good grip on anything that he could pull on, and eventually found no way to open it now. "Bah!" He frustratedly kicked the door, causing the whole thing to cave in. With the door completely broken, he tore it off the locker and tossed it behind him.
At that moment he immediately noticed something strange in the locker. It was a suit of armor. "The heck?" He took the armor out, and examined it. It was old and dusty, but it was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. It almost looked like a machine of some sort; like a robot or something. "What in the world is this...?" He wondered aloud. He looked at it a little more, dusting it off a bit. It was dark blue, reinforced with silver plates, but most of the blue paint had worn off and showed a rusty brown color. ‘This is interesting...and totally unexpected.’ He thought. He put the armor down to the side. It was a tad heavy, but nothing he couldn't handle.

He looked through the locker, and found a few things that he expected to see in there. There was an old towel, a T-shirt he remembered seeing his dad wear, a white jacket with red outlines and two red stripes on the sleeves, a pair of brand name fighting gloves, and some cash; $30 worth of rings with a note on top. He took the note and looked at it. "Savings for Smash's birthday" He read aloud. ‘That's right...My birthday was in two months back then...’ He thought. He smiled a bit, wondering what his father had planned to get him for his birthday. ‘In the end, he was still caring for us. That's good to know...not that I ever doubted my dad.’ He stuffed the money into his pocket, and took the rest of the stuff into his hands. He put them all into a box, leaving out the towel. "They can keep that one." He said to himself. He could smell the dried sweaty rag from there.

He then turned to the armor, and lifted it up onto his back. ‘This is gonna be a bit awkward...’ He thought. He picked up the box, still holding the armor on his back, "Oof!" but then immediately set the box back down. ‘No, no. That's not gonna work.’ He took the armor, and stuffed it into the box. It was hanging out very awkwardly, but he could carry it better this time. He picked up the box and walked towards the door. Setting the box down once more to open it, He walked out carrying the box, and shifted it to his one arm while he dug in his pocket with his other. A security guard happened to be walking down the hall in his direction. "Yo!" Smash called out. "Drop this off at the boss' place for me, would ya? I gotta head out." He said, tossing the key to the man. He simply nodded in reply after catching it. Smash headed down the hallway, ready to go home.

When he entered the lobby, most of the fighters had already left. He headed towards the exit, when he heard the voice of one of the fighters beside him. "What the heck is all that?" He asked, looking somewhat disturbed by the arms and legs dangling out the box.

"Ah, this? This is stuff my dad left here. I'm taking it back to my place." Smash responded, not noticing how the metallic limbs were dangling out of the box like someone had been murdered. "Hey, you know anything about this armor here? He turned to show him the box, lowering it to his view.

The guy looked inside at the armor, and scratched his head. "Never seen it before." He shrugged.

"Hm. Okay thanks. See you later." Smash said before continuing out the door.

You gonna continue soon? I wanna know what happens!

Almost done Chapter 2. Be patient with me.

I will, I will. But I won't like waiting!

XD Then I'll try to hurry up.

Aw man..I saw your reply on this and I'm like, "YAY HE MADE THE NEXT CHAPTER!!" then I'm like "Awww.." lol.

aw, lol. Sorry about that. I need to stop hyping people like that. .___.;

Just like I'd promised, I met Kaine in the lobby at noon. It was snowing heavily outside, so I had to bundle up on my way to work. We talked for a bit about the weather, idly chatting as the time went by. We soon got down to business, however, when Kaine took me to see his products. We went to an empty locker room, where he appeared to be setting up before. Several strange suits of armor hung from a clothes rack. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but they looked unique somehow. I guessed that was because they were "Power Armor".
"Okay. What I need you to do is put these on, one by one." Kaine said. "Don't worry. Even if they don't work, they shouldn't be harmful."

I nodded, and walked towards the rack. I looked through the pieces of armor, one by one, before choosing one that I felt would fit me. Taking it off the rack, I began to put the armor on piece by piece over my current clothes. Soon, I was all geared up, looking like I was heading off to war. I felt this strange vibration throughout the armor, the source seemingly being the chest area. I felt some sort of dormant power in that specific part of the armor. "Okay...What next?" I asked.

"Do you feel that power in the chestplate?" Kaine asked.

"Yes...I do."

"Try to bring it out. Try to control that power and bring it out." He explained. "I tried to make it as easy as possible to respond to the user. Of course if that doesn't work, there is the easy way of just turning it on auto, but this way is the most effective and efficient way of using the Power Armor."

It sounded easy, but I didn't know how to control or bring out power outside of my own body. Even if he did make it easy, I wasn't even sure where or how to even start. "...How do you put it on Auto?" I asked. "Maybe if we start with that, I might get the hang of it a little better."

"Fair enough," Kaine shrugged. "On the shoulder, there's a small knob. Press and turn it clockwise."

So I did just that. Almost immediately, I felt a surge of energy nearly pierce my heart. It was shocking, but what was more shocking was noticing that I was glowing. My whole body was glowing, and I felt the energy begin to flow throughout my body. "I-Incredible..." Immediately, I sprung forward, testing my speed with a quick sprint. Surprisingly with this bulky armor, I was faster than I was without it. I leaped into the air, finding myself able to jump nearly twice as high as before. I threw several quick punches and kicks in mid-air, amazed with how fast and powerful they seemed. I performed a back-flip just before landing on my feet, simply exhilarated.

"Well? What do you think?"

I turned around, smirking a bit. "It works."











Smash walked into the living room of his house, kicking the door behind him closed. He had just come in through the garage, his hands full carrying the box of David's belongings. "I'm home!" He called out. He set the box down on the floor, next to the couch. Standing up straight, he looked around the room, expecting to hear or see someone come into the room to welcome him home. The house was unusually quiet. He then noticed something at the corner of his eye; A note on the table. He walked towards it, raising an eyebrow. "Hm...'Taking the kids out to the park with Pearl. Be back soon! Luna.'" He read aloud. "I see..." He then went and sat on the couch. ‘Hmm...So now what...?’ He wondered, leaning back in the seat. His gaze slowly moved towards the box near his feet.
‘That armor...it's so strange. I've never seen anything like that type of armor before. Where did my father get something like this? Did he ever use it?’ He folded his arms. ‘It's pretty old, too. Or so it seems. Hmm...The least I could do is get it fixed up. Not sure how much that would cost, or who would do it.’ "Hmm...Oh!" He stood up. ‘That's it, I could ask Gizmo. He could probably do it with no problem. I'd better call him now.’ He walked around the couch and headed into the kitchen. He stopped at the phone hanging on the wall, and took it off the hook. He quickly dialed his friend's number, and waited for him to pick up. Soon he heard a click, and the dial tone shut off.

"Hello?"

"Hey Gizmo, It's Smash." He said, leaning onto the wall.

"Heya, Smash. What's up?" Gizmo asked, cheerfully.

"Listen, I kinda need a favor. Think you could come over?"

"Uh, sure. But what is it?"

"I've got this really old thing that I want to fix up. It'd be faster to explain if I show it to you."

"I see. Okay then. I'll be there in a little bit." He said.

"Great, Thanks. See you then." Smash hung up the phone on the wall. "Alrighty, then. Just gotta wait." He headed back into the living room, and looked down at the armor. Gizmo lived off on the other side of town, so he had a bit of time before he arrived. He took the armor out of the box, and spread it out across the couch. He then bent down and lifted the box into his arms, and walked upstairs. He went into his room, and set the box down by his bed. He looked down into the box at his feet, frowning slightly. ‘Eh, I'll go through that stuff later.’ He thought. He glanced around his bedroom a bit, now feeling the air conditioning kick on. His gaze stopped at his dresser, where he saw a framed picture of him and his current family, taken at his anniversary party. A small smile spread across his face as he walked towards the dresser. He moved the picture to the side a bit, and saw another one behind it. The picture showed him and Pearl together in their younger days. Standing behind them both was a dark blue echidna, and a beautiful silver colored echidna. He remembered the day that picture was taken, when he, Pearl, and his parents went to the park with his grandmother.

Smash let out a heavy sigh as he walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch, careful not to sit on the legs of the armor. He rested his elbow on the arm rest and his head in his palm. ‘Aside from that armor...what else do we got to work off of?’ He wondered. ‘Honestly, it'd help if I knew more about the incident...Why didn't they tell me? Why didn't they tell us? Is there any reason, any legitimate excuse as to why they'd let everyone but the family of the victim know what happened? It just doesn't make any sense...’ Just then, he heard a knock on the front door. Smash stood up, and stretched a bit before going to answer it. "Must be Gizmo. Coming!" He opened the door, and there stood the red cat he was expecting.

"I'm here." He said, grinning a bit. Tucked under his arm was a long, flat, yellow and red board that resembled a surfboard. "I hear you got a job for me?"

"Thanks for coming." Smash said. "Come on in and I'll show you." He stepped aside to allow him inside. Gizmo walked in, and brushed his feet off at the door mat before proceeding. They walked towards the living room, and Smash pointed towards the couch. "This is it." He said.  

Gizmo walked towards the armor resting on the couch, and looked at it curiously. "This?"

"Yeah. It's this old, yet really strange looking armor. I don't think I've seen any like that before."

Setting down his board, Gizmo gave it a closer inspection. "Where in the world did you dig up something like this?" He asked. He knelt down beside it, and dusted it off with his fingers. "It's a bit rusted, and kinda worn down, but it looks fixable."

"So, you'll do it?" Smash asked.

He turned around and scratched his head. "I can, yeah. But first, where did you get this thing?"

"Well..." Smash started. "Y'see, it belonged to my dad." Gizmo's eyebrows rose at the statement. "He left it at the Blitz Pit. I'm not really sure if he ever used it or not, because this is the first time I'm seeing it as well. But either way, I just wanted to get it fixed up for him. I don't really use armor, but if it were to honor my father, I would. At the very least, I'd want to see it in good condition."

Gizmo stared at him for a few moments. He was a little surprised it actually belonged to his father. Smash never really talked to him about his dad, before. "Alright, I'll do my best." He said, confidently.

"Thanks, Giz. I really appreciate it." Smash said, smiling warmly. "You need help taking it back to your place?"

Gizmo bit his lip. "If I'd known it was gonna be something large, I'd have asked my dad to drive me here so we could carry it in his car."

He scratched the back of his head, sheepishly. "Heh, sorry about that. I guess it slipped my mind." He looked down at the armor. "Okay, so...how are we gonna go about carrying it...?"

"Why don't you wear it?" Gizmo suggested. Smash's eyebrows shot up at the thought of it.

"Wear it?" He repeated, somewhat surprised.

"Yeah, You could put it on and drive your motorcycle on over to my place, and then take it off there.

Smash nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. And I could drive there and back pretty easily, too." He bent down by the armor and began to pick it up. "Wait just a bit while I change." He walked upstairs with the suit of armor, leaving Gizmo to wait for him.

Soon, he came back downstairs, his footsteps heavy and firm as he was all geared up with the armor. Gizmo's eyes widened as he stepped into the room. It made him look tougher, yet somewhat noble in a way. "Well?" He asked with a shrug. "How do I look?"

"Awesome..! You'd give any ol' fighter back at the Blitz Pit a run for their money like that!" He cheered.

Smash grinned slightly, somewhat amused. "Thanks. I think I can see why my dad used something like this, then." He said. ‘Though that still leaves the question of where exactly he got it in the first place...or why.’ He thought. "Whelp, let's get going." He walked towards the door leading to the garage and opened it. He motioned with his head for Gizmo to follow, before walking in ahead. Gizmo nodded and headed in after him. Smash took his keys and sat down on the motorcycle. "Feels a bit weird, being on my motorcycle with this armor." He said.

"Ah, you'll be fine." Gizmo reassured, setting his board down on the floor. "Let's get going."

"Right." Smash pressed a button on a remote he'd attached to his motorcycle. The garage door slowly began to open. He started the engine, and revved up the motor. Gizmo stepped on his board, which began to hover in the air. A puff of smoke, followed by a small flame jetted from the back of it, and they both sped out of the garage and onto the driveway. Smash and Gizmo swerved out onto the road with style, and drove down the street.


Soon, they made it to Gizmo's house. Smash parked his motorcycle in the driveway, and the two got off their respective vehicles. "That was quick." Gizmo commented. The two headed to the front door, and Gizmo opened it. "I'm home!" He called out. Smash walked inside, the armor was beginning to feel kind of heavy on him, but it was nothing that he couldn't handle. "Welcome home, Gizmo!" An adult female voice called out from another room. A tall red cat walked in, bearing much resemblance to Gizmo with the exception of a pair of glasses and a few tufts of hair going down the side of his face. "Ah, welcome back, son." He said. He looked up at Smash. "Well hello there, Smash. You off to war or something?"

Smash scratched his head, sheepishly. "Ah, no. Not this time, no." He laughed a bit. "It's a long story. I asked Gizmo to fix up this armor for me, and wearing it while driving was the easiest way to get it over here."

"Hm, I see." He adjusted his glasses, taking a good look at the armor. He then looked over at Gizmo. "You sure know how to keep yourself busy." He said. "You should start charging people more often. You'd make a fortune."

Gizmo laughed. "Yeah. But I'll let this one slide, it's a personal favor." He said, grinning.

"Heck, I'll pay if you want." Smash shrugged. "Not like I don't have cash to spare."

"Hehe, let's talk about that after we get it fixed up." Gizmo said. "I'll be in the basement. Meet me down there after you've changed." He then left the two, soon calling out for his best friend and partner, Kitty.

Gizmo's father glanced over at Smash. "Never seen you use armor before." He said. "And that piece of armor looks pretty rare, if anything. I'd like to know more about it when you've got the time." He then walked away, leaving Smash to go and change. He headed to the bathroom to take it off and put his regular clothes back on.

Smash soon walked down into the basement, holding the armor in his arms. After stepping off of the last stair, he was immediately greeted by a happy cat chao. He flew up to his face, waving his hands around in the air before landing on the armor he was holding. "Hello, Kitty." He said, slightly amused. He turned to look at Gizmo, who was just turning around after clearing off his desk. "Ready?" He asked.

Gizmo nodded. "Yeah, just put that armor over here on the table." He said, pointing to the desk he just cleared off. Smash walked towards the desk and set the armor down on it. Gizmo then sat down on a chair, and scooted it close enough for him to examine it. He began shuffling through a drawer at his side, taking out various different things. "Kitty, fetch me that toolbox over there, would ya?" He said, not even glancing towards the chao. Kitty nodded and flew to the other side of the room, soon coming back with the toolbox.

"So, should I come back later?" Smash asked. He had a feeling it was going to take a while.

"Sure. I'll call you." Gizmo answered.

"Okay, Great. I'mma head out, then." Smash said, turning to walk up the staircase. "See ya later."

"See ya, Smash!" Gizmo called back.

"Bye Bye!" Kitty waved before Smash was out of sight.

Smash walked through the basement door, and began heading towards the front door. "Leaving?" Gizmo's father asked from behind. Smash turned around.

"Yeah, I've got some stuff I need to do." He said. "I'll be back later, though."

"I see. Well, Take care then."

"You too. See ya." Smash continued out the door. He walked towards his motorcycle, ready to head home...

Alright, so Gizmo's gonna check it out. I'm sure he'll get it done in no time! You're really leaving me into suspense, but it was a good chapter. Can't wait to find everything out!

I should really sprite his father, sometime. And give him a name, too. XP


I'm gonna try to work on the next chapter as much as possible!