Note: Hey, readers! I’m Kiba Sniper, and this story takes place before Babylon Sky Hawk’s first story Sonic Adventure and beyond. This story will revolve around Sonic’s father, Gale, and his pirating adventures throughout the world with various rivals and companions before he settled down and had Sonic with Aleena. This is story is a joint project between myself and Babylon Sky Hawk. So, without further ado, please enjoy!

Characters © Respective Owners

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Gale the Hedgehog

Ch. 1: Pirate Frontier

“Where is Aleena?!” King Azreal of South Island screamed, making his wife, Queen Tila cringe.

“Calm down, Azreal,” Tila whispered as the guards stiffened. “She’s probably-“

“I don’t want to hear her piteous excuses,” Azreal interjected, glaring cold daggers at her. “If that ungrateful girl isn’t down in here in the next half hour, I will-“

“Azreal, don’t speak of our daughter like that!” Tila hissed, uneasily returning his glare with a sadden expression.

Azreal was a tall, dark violet hedgehog with a flaring temper. He had seven quills, all flaring upwards in a pointed fashion like he spiked them. He donned a white, militaristic uniform with matching, steel-toed boots that contrasted with his stony, ebony eyes. He wore a flowing scarlet cape that had the symbol of South Island: a vermillion phoenix wrapped in a circle of brilliant orange flames. Instead of a regular crown, his was made by the purest platinum with a single sapphire implanted at the center.

Tila, however, was more pleasant to gaze at. She was an enchanting light aqua hedgehog with her quills bound by a single ring at the end with violet eyes that shone beautifully in the light. She wore a yellow gown that was fastened against her waist by several buttons and matching with a crown that was like her husband’s, but smaller and daintier.

“I’m not even going to bother anymore,” Azreal grunted, collecting himself in his throne chair. “Ah, it’s good to be king.”

South Island’s monarchy was run the same way for several centuries: Each firstborn son was immediately herald as the next king, and Azreal with the first son of the previous king. However, he was yet to have a son since Tila bore him a daughter: Aleena the Hedgehog.

Azreal wasn’t happy one bit on the account of the hundreds of times his daughter escaped the castle, strolling by the ocean’s side. Every time there was some sort of official business meeting or party, she managed to sneak by the guards and take quiet walks around the island. Aleena just wasn’t the type of girl to submissively obey her father’s commands like a mutt.

Now, Aleena wasn’t lazy, but she just didn’t want to be held back from her curse as the “Princess of South Island”. Almost all of her royal “friends” would gush up to her like the world revolved around her since South Island was the world’s best trading spot in the entire world. The teenaged princess would have to inherit massive responsibility, power, and control. Of course, she just wanted to be like everyone.

Speaking of Aleena, she was located right in the midst of a sand dune on the South Island’s sea edge, poking her head out to see if anyone was coming. Aleena was a violet hedgehog wearing a South Island dress consisting of the finest white fabrics with a golden outer trim with a matching tiara. Her eyes sparkled like emeralds as her long hair flowed just past her shoulders. Aleena scoffed at the castle that loomed overhead, hearing the guards start to follow suit of each other in a desperate search for her. Smirking to herself, Aleena leaped out of the sand dune and began to jog along the harbor.

“Ah, it’s such a beautiful day,” she jeered, stretching her tired limbs. “I just hope Zed doesn’t locate me so quickly.”

“Whom don’t you want to locate you so quickly?” a voice sneered.

Aleena cringed, screeching to a stop at the figure in front of her. A young adult, crimson chameleon with a black horn with bright yellow eyes glowered down at her. He donned a black karate uniform with the symbol of South Island on the back with brown slacks. He wore traditional white gloves with brown boots with blue stripes on the sides.

“Oh, h-hi, Zed,” Aleena stammered, waving a hand at him before darting off.

“Not so fast, Princess,” Zed commanded, snatching the girl by her dress. “Your father has requested an audience with the guards. Apparently, pirates have been spotted across the ocean’s horizon. You’re safety is my only mission, Aleena”

“You’re such a killjoy!” Aleena snapped, crossing her arms.

“Heh! Well, sorry.” Zed scratched the back of his head reluctantly, gazing out into the glimmering, emerald-cobalt sea. The sun sparkled amongst the ocean, sending the waves a glow that would make the angels jealous. “You certainly like the ocean, Aleena. I always seem to find you here.”

“The ocean is free, while I’m not,” the princess murmured sadly. She glanced at the grains of golden sand, and she kneeled down. Collecting some of the sand in her hand, she gasped lightly as the wind swept up, and all of the sand flew into the water.

Zed noticed that Aleena was gazing out into the ocean with a confused expression. Her head was cocked to the side, and the chameleon blinked down at her, asking what the matter was. She pointed a finger at the ocean, lips pursed together tightly. Straight off in the distance was some sort of ship with a dark black flag hoisted at the sails with whispers of gleefully, shouting or singing voices.

“Aleena, we have to escape,” Zed stated seriously, looking back down to find footprints of her remains, and her flowing purple hair dashing off away from the harbor. “Aleena, come back here! I have to protect you!”

“You’re doing a swell job!” Aleena wittily retorted, smirking back as her feet meshed through the sand. “Let’s go watch from some higher grounds, and we can report back to my dad about them.”

Zed sighed, wondering why he had even taken the job of being Aleena’s personal guard. Darting after her, he began to mutter to himself of how reckless and irresponsible she was. However, he couldn’t help, but shudder at the hushed laughter reverberating across the ocean blue, feeling as though a tragic storm was ready to ensue.

Back at the throne room, Azreal smirked as the thirty minutes for Aleena to show up had passed. Standing up from his throne, he glowered down at the five guards in front of them. Each guard wore full, azure body armor with a protective helmet and visor with the symbol of South Island on the chest plate. All of the guards had guns holstered on their belt on the left with other artillery.

“Listen closely, you fools!” Azreal boomed, a smug air surrounding his features. “Across the harbor is the notorious gang of pirates led by the nefarious Captain Swift. He’s been here before and pillaged the island, ransacking it. At the beginning, it seemed like we had the upper hand, but a quick counter attack from Swift brought our downfall in militaristic power. Your mission is to gather up all of South Island troops, policemen, and even round up some strong civilians. Once they are set and provided with weapons, kill each dirty pirate. Don’t leave a single one breathing!”

With a nod from each of the guards, they stormed out, intent on completing their mission promptly. Tila covered her mouth, eyes wide with grief. Even though she occasionally loved her husband, she regularly disapproved of his wild, wicked tactics that stole lives of innocent beings. Azreal calmly sat back down onto his gold-plated chair, a devious sneer plastered on his dark peach muzzle.

Very soon, Captain Swift, will you be put to rest, you thorn in my side, Azreal mentally scoffed, waiting to hear the agony in the screams of the pirates.

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Across the horizon from where South Island’s sandy edge was, the entire crew of Captain Swift the Hedgehog was in a joyful uproar. Songs were sung while arguments clashed playfully. Clinks of swords and jeers were heard as a tall, cobalt hedgehog with five contour quills stood at the head of the massive, wooden ship. He donned a white shirt with a red, long sleeved jacket with black slacks that were secured with a belt. Hoisted around the waist of was a belt was a long blade in a holster that revealed only a black edge. This man was Captain Swift the Hedgehog, pirate that was known through extraordinary pillages. Swift gazed out through a black, hand held telescope and spied on the gem of South Island.

Next to the man was a clone of him, but younger. This teenaged lad had Swift’s look, but donned a red headband, a blue jacket with rolled up cuffs to his elbows and matching slacks as Swift’s. His eager eyes pried at the beauty of the frivolous trees in the distance on South Island, and his broad, gleaming smirk seemed to envelope the mood of the pirate ship. He was Gale the Hedgehog, the only child of Swift.

“Hey, Dad, what’re we gonna plunder at South Island?” Gale questioned eagerly. “Jewels, money, glamour or all of the above?”

“All of the above, son, and glory,” Swift calmly replied, patting his son’s head. “I’ve been here a few times before you were born, and it’s been a while since I’ve been here. The pillaging was splendid, and the womenfolk weren’t too bad to gaze at, right, crew?!”

“Aye!” the crew responded instantly, stopping their banters to listen to their captain,

“Today, we’re going to show Gale here what it means to be a true pirate,” Swift announced, bringing Gale close to his chest. Gale cringed, trying not to blush at his father’s antics. “We’re bringing him along, men! Whose ready to plunder South Island of all of its worth?”

Cheers of agreement filtered throughout the air. Each member of the crew raised their sword with Swift’s while Gale just punched his fist into the air eagerly. Gale gripped the front of the ship as his father barked out pirate orders like raising the sail and preparing the cannons. Smiling, Gale felt a tug at his tail and turned around.

“Hey, Riolu,” Gale greeted to the smaller jackal beside him.

Riolu was just shy of two feet and was manly blue with black markings around his eyes, ears, hands, and stomach. His tail and legs were entirely black. Riolu’s crimson eyes shone brightly under the midday sun as he eagerly hopped onto the ledge by Gale.

“I just heard the news, Gale! Good luck with the pirating!” Riolu cheered, patting his friend on the shoulder.

“You’re coming, too,” Gale sneered. “I wouldn’t want to leave poor, little Riolu all by himself, would I?”

“Now, you’re just teasing me,” Riolu whined, stamping his foot on the ledge. Suddenly, his foot slipped, and he squeaked as his body was almost propelled into the water. Gazing up through closed fingers, he found Gale lazily grasping his tail.

“Dad tells me I’m the clumsy one,” Gale scoffed. “Look at whose falling now.”

Sticking his tongue out, Riolu glared with a pout at the chucking hedgehog. Leaping off the ledge, he gazed out as the ship began to speed up. Sharp, crescent waves slashed off from the bustling ship as the crew began to prepare themselves for an easy steal-and-run type job by just using their swords. No cannons or anything with bullets since Swift proclaimed the mission to be easy.

As the shore drew closer, Gale’s eyes widened in mock horror was a wall of South Island guards were on the harbor. Some were closing in with large ships the size of his father’s pirate ship with cannons ready and gunmen poised to fire. Suddenly, he realized that none of their own cannons were propped with balls or guns ready to be fired because nobody expected an actual assault from puny South Island. Riolu and Gale exchanged worried looks as King Azreal made his way through the crowd with a megaphone. Queen Tila was at his side, head downcast in moderate shame.

“Swift, I shall give you one chance to leave and never come back!” Azreal shouted through the megaphone. “If you choose to banter, I will order my military crew to open fire!”

Swift bit his lip as helicopters suddenly surveyed over head, guns aimed at every opening at their ship. There was no defense, and his men were out in the open with zero protection aside from sharpened swords. His eyes rounded over to Gale and Riolu, and he gasped as Gale was ready to leap off the ship and strangle Azreal. Hissing at his son to remain still, Swift shoved him to the back for some sort of awkward protection. Swift’s crew began shouting at their leader, claiming that they wouldn’t take any sort of backtalk from the rowdy, destructive king. Waving his hand to silence them, Swift sighed as his crew obediently shut their gobs.

“Alright, I’ll concede this once,” Swift admitted; Gale’s mouth gaped, hanging to the floor. “However, don’t expect this to be an easy win, Azreal, we’ll be back and prepared. Men, hoist the sail for the southern winds, and we’ll be off. Sorry, Gale, maybe next time, we can-“

“Fire!” Azreal screamed.

And that single word plummeted Gale’s world. Hails of bullets rained from the sky and the shoreline, all connecting with the ship. Perilous showers of bullets penetrated Swift’s crew, and echoes of horrified screams filtered the air. The ship’s wooden frame was cracked with small holes, slowly sinking the ship into the water. Gale and Riolu ducked behind a barrel that was emptied from a night of rum drinking. Peering out, both of them were stricken with silence as the bloodshed, carnage and death stunk around them like a dead skunk. South Island guards began storming the ship, taking down the weakened pirates with guns up close. A few of the remaining pirates valiantly slashed their swords at the guards, but were too tired from avoiding the rampaging artillery assault. Swift snatched out his own sword, roaring in outrage as he slashed away at the guards. Suddenly, he caught eyes with Gale and smiled warmly. Backing up, he elbowed the barrel off the edge of the ship.

“Dad!” Gale cried as he and Riolu flopped off the ship and into the water.

The barrel slowly crashed up on the shore, completely oblivious to everyone since they simply believed it was a rum barrel. The two friends quickly climbed out, and they meshed into the crowd. Azreal snuck on board, holding a long, silver sword at Swift’s throat. Swift’s sword was thrown to the other side of the ship. Slamming his foot onto the captain’s chest, Azreal snickered at Swift’s painful cry.

“Any last words, Captain Swift?” Azreal malevolently murmured, keeping a steady grip on his hilt.

Smirking, Swift spat directly on Azreal’s cheek. “You’re a terrible king, and I pity your child.”

Malice flowed through his stony eyes, and he swung his sword directly through Azreal’s neck…

Gale and Riolu could only stand there and watch as Azreal gripped Swift’s lifeless body like a trophy. The king’s subjects roared with affection, cheering their praised royalty like the world revolved around the cruel hedgehog. Gale placed a hand over his eyes and dashed off away from the harbor, eyes clenched with unshed tears.

“Gale, wait!” Riolu cried, hurrying after him with short legs. “I can’t run as fast as you!”

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High up on a tree in the forest that resided a mile away from the shore, Aleena squinted at the destruction going on at the harbor. She was horrified at the pirates’ death, but what her father had commanded was for the best of the island, right? Aleena shook her head as Zed peered through the binoculars he brought along as part of his regulation of an Elite Guard of South Island. The chameleon pointed out Gale and Riolu coming onto shore and dashing off.

“Aleena, we’ve got runaways,” Zed proclaimed, handing her the binoculars.

“Hm, just a hedgehog like me and a…” Aleena paused, having no idea what Riolu was. “…some sort of deformed puppy? I dunno. Anyway, let’s go catch them!”

Flabbergasted as Aleena suddenly stormed off, Zed pinched his brow, muttering, “Why me?” Bolting after the female hedgehog, he shouted at her to slow down and let him lead.

As Gale trudged ahead, he tried to hold back the salty tears that threatened to shine through. Riolu climbed onto his shoulder, hugging his head to try and get him to stop whimpering. The small jackal wasn’t sure what witty joke he could use to cheer Gale up. His father was murdered right in front of their eyes! The pirate crew and ship were mercilessly vanquished! Gale suddenly slowed to a stop as they entered a vast, lush, green forest, and he began to slam the side of his fist against the bark and shout curses to the heavens above.

“Gale, please stop hurting yourself!” Riolu begged, trying to pry Gale’s fist away from the tree.

“Shut up, Riolu!” Gale shrieked, trying to throw him off. “My father was killed, and those South Islanders cheered for his death! How do you think I feel?!”

“Please, listen to me,” Riolu urged, clasping the hedgehog’s hand to finally avoid any more bloodshed. “Your father would want you to live on, for him. He’d want you to live your life to the fullest and go on for his legacy. Swift loved you until his last moment, which is why he shoved us over the edge of the ship to save us!”

Something stirred deep within Gale’s heart. It crushed the dark urges to mutilate Azreal, dawning realization. Riolu was right: Swift wanted them to live on. Gale stared down at his hand before glancing down at his neck. There were two pendants on his necklace, one red and blue. Tucking in a few gasps of air, Gale smiled down at Riolu and nodded.

“You’re right! My dad would want me to live on! That’s it, I’ve decided, I’m going to become the best pirate in the world!” Gale proclaimed, punching his fist into the air.

“Your dream is short-lived, villain!”

Gale whirled around, barely avoiding a roundhouse kick from Zed. The chameleon launched at him with a flurry of punches, but Gale was too swift for him. Casually leaping over Zed, he waved a coy finger at him, poking his nose. Enraged, Zed suddenly kicked Gale right across the face, pinning him to a tree.

“That wasn’t very nice,” Gale muttered. His common catch phrase whenever he got hit was that statement, becoming extremely well-known throughout South Island in a few years to come.

“Well, I’m not a nice person in the face of a filthy pirate,” Zed growled.

“Filthy pirate?!” Riolu recited angrily, launching himself at Zed. Suddenly, he grappled with Zed’s arm, forcing him away from Gale. “Try saying that again!”

“Let me go, you…” Zed paused, staring cautiously at the tiny creature. “What are you exactly?”

“He’s Riolu, and I’m Gale the Hedgehog, the future best pirate in the world!” Gale roared, socking Zed right in the face.

Grunting, Zed yanked himself off the ground, lunging at Gale. He elbowed Riolu away and tackled Gale to the ground. Both of them rolled along the grass, hitting trees and bushes as they repeatedly punched and kicked at each other. Suddenly, Gale rammed his fist onto Zed’s temple, effectively sending him backwards into the air. Leaping to his feet, Gale slammed his heel onto the chameleon’s skull, sending him to be indented into the ground.

“Next time, try to-Oof!” Gale was cut off by a sudden punch to the back of his head, and a broken branch slammed into the back of his neck. Groggily, he managed to catch sight of his assailant: a beautiful violet hedgehog. He smirked at Aleena, entranced by her stunning features momentarily before mumbling, “That wasn’t very nice.”

As Gale flopped to the ground, his conscious slipped away. Riolu charged to his side, inspecting his pulse. “Gale, Gale! Wake up!”

“Excellent job, Aleena, but I could’ve handled him,” Zed informed, snatching Gale’s limp wrist. “We should take him to his majesty, and he’ll get locked away for good.”

“No, Zed,” Aleena commanded. “Let’s just keep him stowed away in private for a while, tie him up for questioning by ourselves. It’s not like Dad needs to kill anyone else today.”

Zed hesitated, noting that she ended her order on a sour, sarcastic note. Sighing, he grudgingly obeyed, and they stalked off with Gale hitched over his shoulder. Riolu gulped audibly, and Aleena glanced back at him, offering her hand. Staring cold daggers at the princess, he reluctantly snatched her hand as they walked through the forest.

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Meanwhile, up on a treetop stood a creature whose body was cloaked entirely by black, making his features impossible to make out. His eyes watched as the three marched on, and he smirked.

“I’ll make sure you’re all sitting ducks before I make my move…”

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The adventure begins! Can Gale follow his destiny and become the greatest pirate ever? What will Azreal plot next? Just who is this mysterious creature? Find out next time on Gale the Hedgehog! Please, review.

If you want to know more about Gale and Aleena, please hop over to Babylon Sky Hawk’s Sonic Heroes: Series to understand more about Gale in present time.