"I'm out," Hanna decides, turning to leave. "I would deal with you myself, but I get the feeling Maria would rather I didn't paint her den with your blood. Plus, her killing you would quite frankly be a mercy."

"Wait," Shadow commands. "Allow me to explain."

"Not interested," Hanna dismisses as she opens the front door.

"Hanna, please, hear him out," Maria asks.

Hanna hesitates. Dammit Maria. "Fine," she acquiesces, returning to the middle of the den. "Make it short, and make it good," she instructs, fixing Shadow with a piercing stare.

"My creator, Professor Gerald Robotnik, made a deal with Black Doom, the leader of the Black Arms, to use Doom's own DNA to create me to help develop cures for otherwise fatal incurable diseases, especially to cure his granddaughter Maria of neuro‑immune deficiency syndrome," Shadow explains. "However, when‑"

"You were created to make medicine," Hanna summarises.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Shadow confirms.

"But now you play at being a hero while working for hairless apes," Hanna continues. "How do we know you're not going to turn traitor on us?"

"On two separate occasions, I have prevented a Black Arms invasion, wiping them out in the process," Shadow explains. "And I will do so again to keep this world and all worlds safe from their menace."

Hanna maintains her piercing stare for a full minute, but Shadow remains completely impassive and immobile, weathering the vixen's stare with ease. "I'm keeping my eye on you," she eventually informs.

"Likewise," Shadow replies. "After all, I'm not the only one hiding my true power."

Hanna's blood turns to ice, but she maintains her composure. How did he guess? "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Your husband and the dragon must have a reason for keeping you away from the Elemental Crystals," Shadow concludes. "It's clear to me that you can use one or more of those gemstones, but you are unable to remain in control of the power they unlock."

Dammit, he's scarily accurate. "That's quite a bold accusation," Hanna replies.

"I told you the truth about me," Shadow reminds. "Now tell me the truth about you."

"Just tell him," Maria encourages.

Hanna sighs in frustrated defeat. "Fine. I have Fire affinity, so I can use the Fire Crystal, and it once turned me into Blaze Kitsune, a giant multi‑tailed fox made of pure fire."

"And…" Maria prompts.

"And… I lack the discipline to control her," Hanna reluctantly admits.

"Understood," Shadow acknowledges.

"Anyway, how did these Black Arms get here?" Hanna asks, returning to the subject at hand.

"They normally travel on spaceships known as Black Comets," Rouge explains.

"In that case, what's the problem?" Hanna replies. "Just tell the Coalition ships in orbit, and they'll blow it into oblivion!"

"How do we contact them?" Rouge asks.

"No idea," Hanna admits.

"Which rules that out as an option," Shadow concludes.

"And before you ask, no, the Red Scarves don't have a spaceship," Hanna informs. "No‑one does. Well, OK, Shang Mu has a prototype, but everyone's too shit scared to ride in something commissioned by Mayor Zao. And honestly? I don't blame them: the thing will have been built by the lowest bidder."

"We can't go back until the Black Arms are wiped out," Shadow explains. "If they get their hands on the Elemental Crystals and figure out how to use them, they may become unstoppable."

"Looks like we'll just have to wait until they attack again," Hanna concludes.

At that moment, a yawning Tai Wong enters the den, dressed only in Maria's bathrobe. "Um… Did I miss something?" she asks.

"I've been enlisted to help this bumbling idiot save the world from those aliens you fought last night," Hanna explains.

"Bumbling idiot?" Tai asks, confused.

"Edgy the Hedgy," Maria explains.

"Oh, you mean Shadow," Tai realises. "Wait… Are we helping too?"

"If you want to," Maria answers.

"Hang on a moment," Rouge interjects. "We don't want too many people getting involved."

"Maria is one of the finest swordsmen in the Scarves, and a superlative stealth specialist," Hanna informs, causing Maria to blush slightly. "You'd be crazy not to enlist her help."

"She and Tai were both highly effective last night," Rouge recalls. "Shadow?"

"Anything that increases our chance of victory is fine by me," Shadow agrees.

"Then it's settled," Rouge decides. "Maria and Tai can join us."

"Yay!" Maria chirps. "Will we get to go into space?"

"Probably," Rouge confirms.

"Yay!" Maria chirps, almost screaming in excitement. "I know I've been in space before, but that was when we were all captured by Captain Icky, and it wasn't very fun. But this time, I'll be going because I want to, and it'll be so much fun!"

"W‑We're g‑going into s‑space?" Tai stammers.

"It's gonna be so cool!" Maria sings.

She's just too adorable for me to refuse… "OK," Tai agrees.

"Oh! We need a team name!" Maria suggests.

"No, we don't," Hanna replies.

"Me, Lilac, and Carol had a team name when we helped the Knothole Freedom Fighters," Maria informs. "We were Team Avalice."

"I think we should have a team name," Tai opines.

Hanna sighs. "Nothing too cutesy, please."

"That rules out all my ideas then," Maria pouts comically.

"Team Red," Tai suggests.

"Works for me," Hanna agrees. "Even if it is predictable."

"I would have preferred 'Team Kitty'," Maria sighs.

"That's me and you," Tai flirts, causing Maria to blush again.

"With that sorted, let's have breakfast, then see how Team Dark stack up in combat," Hanna suggests.

"Our combat skills are not in doubt," Shadow insists.

"I've floored you three times already," Hanna reminds.

"I was holding back," Shadow informs.

"Then I look forward to a proper challenge," Hanna smirks, not even trying to hide the violent anticipation in her eyes.

After breakfast, the assembled teams head outside for combat practice.

"Aw, why is it raining?" Maria complains. "I hate getting wet."

"Yet you love to swim," Tai remarks cheekily.

"Yeah, but swimming is fun," Maria begins, "and then you can bask dry in the warm sun, and sometimes I fall asleep, but that's OK because someone's always around to wake me up, and even when they don't I only sleep for about half an hour anyway, and I feel so warm when I wake up I nearly fall asleep again, but I don't, and‑"

"You're doing it again," Tai interrupts, stifling a giggle.

"Sorry," Maria blushes.

"Personally, I couldn't care less that it's raining," Hanna reveals. "I have more important things to worry about, like whether I'm gonna have to bail our new friends out of trouble."

"We're capable of more than you give us credit for," Rouge informs.

"Then prove it," Hanna instructs. "You're up first."

As Rouge and Hanna move into position to duel, Maria scrambles onto Omega's head and perches on top, Tai following her up a moment later.

"You haven't seen Meanie fight yet, have you?" Maria asks Tai.

"If her rep is to be believed, she's going to walk this," Tai replies. "Then again, Rouge has some fancy moves like I've never seen before."

"This'll be an interesting fight," Maria comments. "Shame we don't have any popcorn."

++I would offer to make some, but I left my popcorn maker at home so I could carry more ammo,++ Omega informs.

"You're a very silly robot man," Maria giggles.

With their friends watching, Hanna and Rouge square off, ready to duel.

"Since we're on the same side, we'll fight to standard exhibition rules," Hanna informs. "Be thankful: that means I'll be holding back."

"Don't hold back on my account," Rouge replies.

"If you insist," Hanna grins malevolently, extending her claws to their fullest. "In your own time."

Rouge darts directly at Hanna, propelling herself at high speed just a foot from the ground. At first, it looks like Hanna will let Rouge slam into her, but at the last second, she leaps over the charging bat, kicking Rouge firmly in the back of the head as she flies underneath. Rouge hits the ground hard and tumbles badly, coming to rest in a dazed heap ten feet from Hanna, who lands gracefully, straightens her halterneck, and poses smugly.

"Round one to me," Hanna smirks.

Rouge rolls onto her back, closes her eyes, and takes a few deep breaths to regain her senses. "That was brutal," she comments as she recovers.

"You were too predictable," Hanna informs. "Right from the moment you leaned forwards, I knew you were going to charge me direct. I also knew you'd use your wings to allow for extra speed. And as you have just learned the hard way, maintaining straight flight is hard when a military‑spec boot is slammed into your head. If I was your enemy, I'd now have you pinned down immobile, with my claws sunk deep into your neck, and I'd leave them there and watch the life vanish from your eyes as you asphyxiate on your own blood."

Rouge remains silent, unable to think of anything to say as she struggles to comprehend the gruesome details of Hanna's description of how she could have killed her.

"Five minutes, and we'll try again," Hanna decides. "And we'll keep going until you learn how to fight."

"A bigger ego than Sonic, with none of the friendliness," Rouge mutters to herself as she gets to her feet. "One day, you're gonna regret being so arrogant," she warns Hanna.

"There's only one person who has consistently bettered me," Hanna reveals. "And that's only because she's a dragon. If she was a normal Avalician, I'd beat her without even breaking a sweat."

"I doubt that," Shadow interrupts.

Hanna fixes Shadow with an annoyed stare. "How would you know?"

"Your chief weapon is intimidation," Shadow observes. "But Lilac isn't intimidated by you. Nor is your husband, for that matter."

"And your point is?"

"I'm not intimidated either."

Hanna narrows her eyes in angry suspicion. "Prove it. You're up."

As Rouge retreats to watch, Shadow strides purposefully forwards to face off against Hanna. The vixen puts all she can into looking intimidating: teeth bared, tail puffed to twice its normal size, claws at full extension, eyes narrowed and violent, and growling deeply.

Shadow stands completely impassive, waiting for Hanna to attack.

It only takes a few seconds for Hanna's patience to run out. Snarling, she charges Shadow directly, closing the ground between them with impressive speed. Shadow anticipates the charge, and sidesteps at the last possible moment, tripping Hanna in the process. The vixen lands in a roll and quickly recovers to her feet in time to block Shadow's follow‑up attack. The hedgehog is relentless in his flurry of kicks and punches, and slowly pushes Hanna backwards.

"Not so smug now, are you?" Rouge calls from her viewing position, resting in Omega's open hand.

Indeed, it does look like Shadow has the edge on Hanna. However, the vixen is true to her breed. As she defends, she's analysing Shadow's attacks, noting the timing, the power, the direction of each punch and kick. And it's inevitable that she will work out a way to counter.

Suddenly, Hanna falls backwards. Wrong‑footed, Shadow follows through too much on a punch, and his balance tips forwards. As he falls, Hanna kicks up, burying both her boots toe‑first into Shadow's abdomen. Winded, Shadow is helpless to prevent Hanna launching him into the air and over her head. As Shadow lands, Hanna kicks down hard and pulls herself to her feet in one smooth move. The vixen then leaps backwards, twisting in the air to dive on Shadow, her claws extended.

But as Hanna's about to strike, Shadow vanishes with a blue flash.

Surprised and distracted, Hanna lands hard, slamming flat into the ground. Before she can get up, a heavy weight slams hard onto her back, pinning her down and emptying her lungs of air. Before she can recover, her arms are pinned painfully with her wrists between her shoulder blades, and her head is shoved down hard, her muzzle thrust deep into the mud.

"Your arrogance was your downfall," Shadow informs, holding Hanna firm despite the vixen's frantic struggling. "If I was your enemy, I would now seal my victory by holding your face in the mud, where not only will you get no air, but your struggles will suck mud into your throat and fill your lungs. Eventually, you would fall still as you lost consciousness, saving you from feeling the agony of your inevitable death. Luckily, we're on the same side." Shadow pulls painfully hard on Hanna's hair, yanking her muzzle out of the mud. "Concede?"

Spitting mud and gasping desperately for air, Hanna attempts to use her tail to pull Shadow off her, but very quickly realises her tail is helplessly pinned. "You psycho!" she growls breathlessly.

"I'm no psycho," Shadow corrects calmly, releasing his vice‑grip on Hanna's wrists and hair, and getting to his feet. "I just do what's necessary. A philosophy you share."

Hanna tries to push herself onto all fours, but the awkward angle Shadow pinned her arms in has weakened them, and she flops back into the mud. "How… did you… do that?" she pants.

"Chaos Control," Shadow explains.

"Cheating," Hanna replies, successfully pushing herself onto all fours.

"A trick you would pull if you were capable," Shadow counters.

Dammit, he's right. "Yeah," Hanna admits.

"Do not underestimate me and my team," Shadow instructs as he walks away. "And do not underestimate the Black Arms: unlike me, they won't show mercy."

"Shadow."

Shadow halts and turns back to find Hanna on her feet and staring at him. "You used my name."

"Yes, I did," Hanna confirms. "You're a talented fighter, and, unlike that infernal dragon, are clearly not afraid to do what is necessary to win. It will be an honour to fight alongside you," she adds with a respectful bow.

Shadow nods in acceptance. "You need a shower."

"No thanks to you," Hanna replies, her expression hard, but her voice soft.