A/N: Originally, I was just going to upload Chapter 33 today, but since I have this one done and that I want to thank everyone for supporting this, I wanted to treat you all to a double-feature.
This is it, everyone! The final battle of Awakened finally begins. Last time, Synergy brought back the Nocturnus Clan and combined the city of Nocturne to Angel Island thanks to the Master Emerald's power. And while the Eggman Empire sits in jail, the Resistance was freed by Team Dark. Now, we see them coming up with a plan to take back Angel Island. These next few chapters are inspired by the IDW Sonic Battle for Angel Island storyline, but I've added my own twists and turns. Obviously, Neo Metal Sonic is no longer here, so there's that. Thank you all so much for joining me this far. Let's see what happens when the Resistance goes toe-to-toe with Synergy and the Nocturnus Clan! Let the battle begin!
Suggested Music:
(1) Theme of the Resistance (Title Screen Ver.) - Sonic Forces OST
(2) Dr. Eggman Showdown! - Sonic Lost World OST
(3) King Bowser - Super Mario Galaxy OST
Without further ado, enjoy the show!
Angel Nocturne: Part 1
(1) Moments later, Team Dark escorted the Resistance to a private meeting room. Everyone except for Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, and Shade stood against a crate of supply boxes against the wall. The other four heroes stood in front of a computer, showcasing a map of the new Angel Island. The red echidna paced back and forth, thinking of his motives. He left Sonic and Amy to explain their battle plan.
"Okay, everyone, listen up," Amy said. "First off, thanks for sticking around for this long. I know this has been tiring, but it warms my heart to know you're all still here."
"Likewise," Sonic winked. "We're gonna need all of you."
"Synergy and Imperator Ix are working together," Knuckles grumbled. Everyone listened. "They've taken over my island! Used the Master Emerald's power for this own selfish desires!" He heavily facepalmed himself. "I shouldn't have left."
"You were down here leading an army into war," Shade patted the echidna's shoulder. "And now, we're going to help you get your home back."
"Shade's right," Amy nodded, as she uploaded a closer diagram of both islands. "We're going to split into three teams. Team A will consist of the Chaotix, the Hooligans, and Team Dark. You'll strike down the city's exterior defenses. Those cannons are strong, so watch yourselves. Team B will be Tails, Tangle, Whisper, Silver, Blaze, and I. We'll find the Chaos Emeralds in the citadel. Team C will locate the Master Emerald and break its control over Nocturne."
"I'm on Team C!" Knuckles hollered.
Sonic chuckled, folding his arms. "I think everyone assumed that, Knux."
"Pardon me, Amy," Blaze approached the hedgehog. "May I offer a more direct option?"
"Of course," Amy smiled.
"I could confront Synergy and/or Imperator Ix as Burning Blaze."
"Wha-ha-ha-at!?" Sonic gasped excitingly. "Burning Blaze vs Synergy!? I'd pay good money to see that battle!"
"How is that possible?" Amy asked. Tangle and the Hooligans overheard that and listened closely.
From there, Blaze summoned a fiery ring and all seven Sol Emeralds were attached. Tangle and the Hooligans' eyes lit up with sparkles. Their jaws dropped to the floor.
"As most of you know," the lavender cat explained. "If Sonic gathers all seven Chaos Emeralds, he can use their power and become Super Sonic. In my world, we have similar gems called the Sol Emeralds. Like Sonic, I can call upon their power and become Burning Blaze."
"So, shiny!" Bean said. He went to touch the emerald before he burned his hand. "Ouch!"
Everyone was excited about that plan except for Tails.
"Maybe we shouldn't."
"What!?" Sonic asked. "Why not? It'd be awesome!"
"I'm sorry to be like this, but Synergy and Imperator Ix have control of the Master Emerald. What if they use it to neutralize the Sol Emeralds as it can do with the Chaos Emeralds?"
"It can't," Knuckles replied. "Don't ask how I know."
"Then what if Synergy copies your abilities, Blaze?" Tails continued. "He's a Gizoid. He can mimic any combat move performed by anyone. If he gathers your biodata or worse the Sol Emeralds' biodata, he could use it against us."
"So, my idea was bad then?" Blaze asked, distressed.
"What? No, no! It's not bad at all, it's just-"
Silver wrapped his arm around Blaze. "What Tails means to say is, there's a chance Synergy could use your weapon against you. He's just looking out for you, Blaze. That's all. I will admit, as much as I like the plan, I think it's best we stay away from Synergy and/or Imperator Ix."
"Of course," Blaze nodded. "Thanks for looking out for me, guys. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome," Silver nodded with a smile.
"Actually, this gave me a new idea," Amy snapped her fingers. "Synergy and Ix shouldn't be anywhere hear the cannons. Blaze, I want you to be part of Team A. Sonic, Shade, Knuckles, Big, and Cream will be Team C. Everyone else is Team B!"
"Um… excuse me," Cream raised her hand. "I don't want to be rude, but I don't think I should come with you guys. Not without G-merl, at least. This may sound selfish, but can I stay down here and look for G-merl? I want him to know this whole thing wasn't his fault."
"Why would it be selfish?" Mighty replied. "Of course you can, Cream."
"I want to help find Mr. G-merl too," Big raised his hand.
"Okay," Amy nodded. "So, Cream and Big will stay and locate G-merl. Everyone else is coming along. Any questions?"
Nack raised his hand. "Um, I have-"
"Good! Let's do it to it, everyone!"
The weasel gulped with nervousness. "Aw, nertz."
"We have a battleship that can get us to the island," Rouge said. "Hop aboard, everyone! Let's go steal the Master Emerald-I mean, free Angel Island!" (1s)
In the skies above the Mystic Ruins and Station Square, a massive blue, silver, black, and gold battleship known as the Restoration Shuttle flew past the dark storm clouds. It was still nighttime, and everyone was determined to liberate Angel Island.
Inside of the rooms, Sonic and Whisper were having a conversation.
"I really appreciate you sticking around," the blue hedgehog nodded. "I know crowds aren't your thing, but I'm glad you helped us out. Thank you, Whisper."
"You're welcome," the biscotti wolf replied. She had the frame Synergy gave her in her hands. "I won't forget the friends I've made here. Synergy made me this frame. That, I cannot forget. I pray he'll come around and see the error of his ways."
"We can only wait and see. I'll give you some space. Be safe down there, okay?"
"You too."
The blue hedgehog left the room, giving Shadow and Rouge a chance to enter.
The black hedgehog sat down next to the wolf.
"I'm probably the last person you want to see right now," Shadow spoke softly. "But I just wanted to say… I'm sorry. I remember you from the war. I recognize your mask; I should have noticed sooner when we fought in White Park. Tangle told me about your former friends, and I want to apologize for your loss. May they rest in peace."
"Thank you."
"But I also know what it's like to lose those who are close to you. It's hard to deal with, but just know that there's always someone there to help you on your feet."
"I realize that now. I'm sorry for attacking you."
"Apology accepted. You're forgiven."
Rouge smiled at the heartwarming moment.
"Stay safe down there, Shadow. Good luck."
"Likewise."
Watching the trio through a glass window were Amy and Blaze.
"Are you sure you're up for this, Blaze?" the former asked. "I might've gotten overboard when I said you'll be on Team A."
"Don't worry," Blaze folded her arms. "I'll be fine… you know, it's amazing. Years ago, I was reluctant on having friends. Now, I march off to war with the lot of you."
"It's gonna be rough out there. Stay safe."
"Don't worry," Blaze smiled. "We'll win the day."
"Ha-ha, you're right," Amy chuckled. "Guess I need to stay positive."
"I learned from the best."
In another room, Tangle and Silver were playing cards with the Chaotix, Mighty, and Ray. Nack was shooting his popgun at a target attached to Bean's head. He kept hitting the duck's chest on accident.
Tangle kept glaring at Silver. "You're not using your mind tricks to read my cards, are you?"
"What?" the white hedgehog raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you think I'm telekinetic? No, no, I'm psychokinetic. I can move things with my mind, but I can't read minds. You understand what I'm saying, right?"
Tangle's tail tapped Silver on the shoulder.
"Huh?" Silver turned around, seeing that no one is there. Tangle's tail stole one of Silver's cards. "What the?"
"Sure, I do, buddy," Tangle took the card, chuckling.
"I swear, someone just tapped-" He noticed that one of his cards was gone. "Huh!? Hey, one of my cards is gone!"
"Aw, man!" Tangle whined. "Your hand's worse than mine!"
Everyone shared a laugh…
…everyone except Knuckles.
The red echidna found himself staring out the window. Nothing but dark clouds in sight. Ray lowered his cards and glanced at his friend. He was worried about him, so he took a deep breath and kept a smile on his face.
"H-h-hey, Knuckles. W-w-w-would you l-like to p-p-play with us?"
"Sorry, Ray, but I can't. My island needs me. I don't have time for games."
"Come on, Rad Red," Mighty added. "Just one game?"
"No. I'm sorry, Mighty."
"So… you're just gonna sit there until we arrive?" Vector inquired.
"Yes."
"Suit yourself."
Mighty and Ray felt bad for the echidna, as they returned to the game.
Shade quickly approached Knuckles. "You know, they're just trying to cheer you up."
"I know and I appreciate it," the Guardian replied. "But I want to focus on getting my island back. But I gotta say, I'm happy you came through. Fighting the Nocturnus Clan wouldn't be the same without you. Cool outfit, by the way."
"Thank you," Shade chuckled. "I came back because I'm tired of running from my past. It made me ignore all the friends I've made in the past. Unfortunately, I came back to a more dire situation."
"Hey, whether the circumstances are good or not, it's good to have you back."
"It's good to be back."
The two echidnas exchanged a heartwarming smile…
…before the moment was ruined by Vector, Tangle, and Charmy.
"Knuckles and Shade are sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" They sang. "First comes love, then comes-"
"SHUT UP!" the red guardian hollered.
In the Main Deck of the ship, Sonic entered and playfully saluted the ship's pilot: Tails.
"Sir, permission to come aboard, Sir?" Sonic spoke like a military soldier.
The fox laughed. "Permission granted, soldier," he replied with the same voice.
The speedy hero approached his best friend. "Smooth sailing, captain?"
"Steady as she goes. What brings you up here?"
"I guess I'm too excited to hang out with everyone else. It's been a while since I turned Super Sonic and showed Ix who's boss. Speaking of which, it's gonna be weird seeing him again. Especially for Shade. I hope she's okay."
"She seems determined to help us. I know we can count on her."
"How are you feeling? Did our little talk help you out?"
"Yes, it did. Thanks for reassuring me," the fox's smile quickly became a frown. "Although, I still feel guilty about G-merl. I hope Cream and Big can find him okay."
"I wouldn't worry about it," Sonic winked with a thumbs up. "Cream and G-merl are like two peas in a pod, so I think they'll-Look out!"
A streak of blue energy was flying towards the shuttle.
Tails gasped and mashed multiple buttons on the console. He shot a homing missile at the blue streak, blasting it to smithereens.
The loud explosion drove Knuckles and Shade into the room.
"What the heck was that?" the former inquired with a worried tone.
All four of them gathered by the control console, staring out the window. They arrived at their destination.
Standing in front of them was Angel Island merged with Nocturne. The heroes found it weird how both landmarks that have several different features can work well as cohesive structure. Of course, they were distracted by Imperator Ix's citadel, which was the largest centerpiece on the entire island. Knuckles felt the power of the Master Emerald from below. He groaned but made sure to keep it together.
Suddenly, a transmission came on the radio.
"Knuckles the Echidna, Shade the Echidna, Sonic the Hedgehog, and friends," It was Imperator Ix. "I was hoping you'd arrive. I've been wanting to finish things for a long time."
Sonic stretched his arms and legs. "What's up, Ix? It's been a while. Last time I checked; I whooped your sorry behind as Super Sonic! You should've seen the look on your face once I fired that final blast! It was priceless!"
"Your cockiness still remains with you, Hedgehog. But unlike you, I've changed since our last encounter. I've been getting faster, stronger, and better than any other warlord in the Twilight Cage, preparing for my return to this planet. Thanks for an old creation, that day has finally come."
"You're not getting away with this, Ix," Shade grunted. "We defeated you once, we can defeat you again."
"I'm not surprised you're on that ship, Shade. I was hoping you'd be here. I still remember the day you betrayed me."
"You've haunted me for the longest time, and I've let you push me away from my friends. You don't scare me anymore, Ix. I'm done running from my problems."
"Very poor choice of last words, Shade." (2)
With that being said, the Restoration Shuttle was bombarded with cannonballs and lasers galore. Shots were fired on all sides of the ship, causing it to be thrown off balance; it felt like an earthquake in there. Knuckles, Shade, and Sonic hung on for dear life. Tails steered to the left and fired missiles at the projectiles, shooting them to bits. But even with his expert aim, he couldn't stop all of the projectiles from damaging the ship. He reached for the megaphone and spoke to the Resistance.
"This is it, everyone! Get ready to roll!" he turned to the others behind him. "Ix's not taking any chances! The entire fleet's bombarding us! You, Shade, and Knuckles take the Extreme Gear and get down below I'll get us as close as we can but-"
"Stay safe, Tails!" Sonic saluted. "Good luck!"
"Come on, Shade! Follow me!" Knuckles said.
Both echidnas and the hedgehog ran out the door.
The Restoration Shuttle drove through the bombardment, making its way to the island.
In the garage, Sonic, Knuckles, and Shade met up with Team A: Team Dark, Team Chaotix, and Team Hooligan. The mercenaries were trying to get ready on the Marvelous Queen, but they had trouble managing because of the explosions.
"What's going on out there!?" Nack hollered angrily.
"Ix's attacking. It's time to rumble!" Sonic replied.
He and Knuckles grabbed their Extreme Gear and opened the door. Sonic hopped onto his board and drove off into the night. Shade on the back of Knuckles' board and the two of them took off after their ally. Charmy handed the Sling Rings to Vector and Espio. Ray wrapped his tail around Mighty's arm. The five members turned to the Hooligans, showering them with glares.
"If you double-cross us," Espio threatened. "We will come for you!"
"So I've heard," Nack grinned, loading his gun. "Let's go the save the freakin' world!"
The Chaotix and the Hooligans leaped off of the ship.
With Shadow in her hands, Rouge extended her wings and jumped out with Omega by her side. The destructive mech was already shooting at Marauders that had jetpacks on.
"YIPPIE-KAI-YAY! BLACK AND BLUE COLORED RESISTANCE!"
Blaze had her arms folded. Her eyes were closed.
Tails' voice came through the radio again.
"Blaze, I'm going to put us on the West Coast! You'll have to fly to your target from here!"
"Understood," Blaze nodded. She spoke to herself in her mind. Don't think about the height, just think about the moment. You can do this. You can save the world.
With the power of the Sol Emeralds in her veins, Blaze leaped out of the ship with her eyes closed. She opened her arms outward, as the magic gemstones rotated around her. Their power eventually went inside of her, where she transformed into…
…Burning Blaze.
The pink-furred cat's flames ignited with fire, as she boosted forward and flew towards the island. Landing on the ground, she found herself surrounded by an army of Marauders. She opened her eyes and snapped her fingers, creating a ring of fire that defeated the soldiers. Suddenly, an army of Gizoid Centurions landed beside her and attacked her in all directions. But since she was in her super form, their punches meant nothing. Burning Blaze cracked her fingers and annihilated the robots.
Once she was done, she boosted upward and destroyed two of Nocturne's cannons.
Shadow Chaos Blasted a cannon, as Rouge and Omega defeated enemies from below.
Ray tossed Mighty into a Gizoid Centurion, where the armadillo wrecked it in a single punch.
Espio, Vector, and Charmy disarmed one cannon before they ambushed a group of soldiers.
Burning Blaze circled her teammates, helping them in combat. Everywhere she looked, enemies approached her and her friends. But since she had twice as much power as her normal state, taking them down was a cinch. She helped Shadow take down three sets of Gizoid Mk. 2 soldiers: stronger versions of its previous incarnation.
Team Hooligan drove around on the Marvelous Queen. Nack shot echidna soldiers with his popgun, Bark landed several blows on his enemies, and Bean was tossing bombs all over the place.
"This one's for you! This one's for you! This one's for your mother! And this one's for your sister!" the duck sang, as he watched his creations take care of the crowd. Bark grabbed Bean and pushed him to the right, smacking an incoming missile to the side.
In the damaged ship, Amy ran inside the Main Deck, where Tails was working on preparing a safe landing. She looked left and right, seeing scraps of the ship rain down.
"Tails, we gotta go!"
"I know, I know," Tails replied, typing on a digital screen. "I'm just putting in the final trajectory!"
It didn't take long for the fox to finish and he took off towards the door.
"Go, go, go!" he hollered.
Tails and Amy met up with Team B and they all jumped out of the ship's back.
Within a matter of seconds…
KRAKOOM!
…the Restoration Shuttle exploded.
But Team B was perfectly fine. Tails grabbed onto Tangle's tail and flew her across the sky. The lemur mimicked a superhero's flight pose, as she laughed and cheered with joy. Whisper, who used the Hover Mode on her Wispon, carried Amy through the fight. Silver flew on his own. On the ground, Marauders were shooting at them with their blasters. A few of them activated their jetpacks and charged towards them.
"No, you don't!" Tangle cracked her fingers.
As soon as Team B landed on the ground, everyone entered the ring; Silver took out enemies with psychic waves and roundhouse kicks. Tangle formed a fist with her tail and thrashed upon her enemies. Amy and Tails formed a Rolling Combo and spun attacked into swarms of Marauders and Gizoids. Whisper took advantage of all her Wisp powers and assisted her friends in combat.
When the wave of enemies was decimated, Team B took off down the grassy road, entering the streets of Nocturne.
Tails whipped out his Miles Electric, tracking down the Chaos Emeralds. "All seven Emeralds are hidden in the city's core. They must be using them as extra power for the city."
"What about the Master Emerald?" Silver inquired.
"That's located in the back of Ix's citadel."
"Here's the plan, everyone!" Amy announced. "Silver, wreck stuff! Tangle, Whisper, cover Tails while he does something smart! We'll all rush forward and find the Chaos Emeralds!"
"Wait, did you just say while I do something smart?" Tails chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "What does that even mean?"
"I don't know! You're the genius!"
"Ha-ha," Tangle laughed, glancing at Whisper. "You ready for this, Whisper? We're about to become part of a superhero-style climax!"
"Whatever it takes," Whisper nodded with a smile.
Team B bypassed through the hordes of enemies, making their way towards the citadel.
Silver had some concerns, as he looked up and saw Burning Blaze obliterate a whole cannon. "I hope Blaze is okay. I know she's afraid of heights. But I just hope she stays safe."
"Have faith, Silver," Tangle gave a thumbs up. "I may not have known her as much as you have, but she's awesome! She'll be fine!"
Tangle was suddenly shot in the back by a laser.
"Unlike me, I hope."
Silver defeated the soldiers that shot the lemur's back.
Speaking of Burning Blaze, she helped Team Dark climb on top of another cannon. With a Chaos Blast, Shadow fought off an invasion of Gizoids and fired Chaos Spears at Marauders. Flying around with his Air Shoes, Shadow met up with Rouge and the two of them circled around the Marvelous Queen, shooting projectiles and showing the army their brute strength. Bean tossed a few bombs before he looked over at Burning Blaze. Charmy flew next to the mercenaries with Espio and Vector in his hands. Mighty and Ray were fighting on the ground.
Shooting waves of fire, Burning Blaze looked over her shoulder. She watched a whole armada of jetpack wearing Marauders approach her. They aimed their weapons and hurtled projectiles of blue energy.
Dodging them all, Burning Blaze clapped her hands together, forming a massive fireball.
She also glared at a nearby cannon, figuring she could kill two birds with one stone.
I must finish my mission here. Blaze spoke within her head. I don't want to leave my friends for very long… heh, my friends. I've not had them in my life for long… but I'll do everything to keep them safe!
That ray of fire was finally fired, destroying every single enemy in sight.
Bean gushed over the glowing fire. "So, SHINY! Touch it, touch it! I must touch it!"
Nack slapped the duck's head. "Focus, Bean!"
"Look out!" Charmy screamed.
A missile hit exploded next to the bee, causing him to drop Espio and Vector from his arms.
"Vector, Espio!" the bee screamed with utter fear.
Nack, Bean, and Bark gasped and kept riding through the skies. Nack looked down at the falling detectives and back at the road. He repeated this process a few times before he heavily steered the bike around. Divebombing downward, Nack slammed on the gas pedal and drove through an army of lasers and missiles.
Espio was about to save Vector and latch a roped Kunai to a wall, but he suddenly landed on a soft object.
He and Vector opened their eyes, noticing that they landed in Bark's arms.
Bean was on the polar bear's shoulders. "Welcome to Air Bark. Please keep all hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times."
"Wait?" Espio gasped. "Did you just save our lives?"
He and Vector cringed.
"Oh, gosh," Espio said again with agony.
"I think I'm gonna be sick!" Vector cupped his hands over his mouth.
"Way ahead of you!" Charmy called from above. (2s)
As the battle waged on, Imperator Ix watched from the top of his citadel. Tightening his grip around his staff, he grunted and growled because his army was falling. He could send more soldiers out to destroy the Resistance, but he easily knew they'd get destroyed in an instant. The white-furred echidna stroked his chin.
Behind him was his creation: Synergy. He was looking at the Warp Topaz.
"Your friends are doing quite a bit of damage, Project: Synergy," said the leader. "They're starting to get on my nerves."
"I apologize for that, Master," Synergy kindly bowed. "Besides, they're not my friends anymore."
"I don't care," Imperator Ix shook his head, slamming his staff against the floor. "I cannot afford to lose this battle. My return to Mobius needs to be flawless. I will not such a petty Resistance stop me… speaking of which, I sense that Knuckles, Shade, and Sonic are going after the Master Emerald. I have big plans for that gem… that's why I'm sending you on an important mission."
"Anything for you, Master," Synergy bowed. "What do you need?"
Imperator Ix chuckled. "Since you and the Resistance are no longer friends, I want you to take care of them for me. Show them who your loyalty belongs to."
Synergy was surprised to be assigned such a task, but without hesitation, he activated his jet boosters. "I will not fail you, Imperator Ix."
He flew out of the palace at the speed of light.
Imperator Ix folded his arms. "It's amazing how scrap metal like him can make this happen. But I do sense a bit of good in him; he still has some kind of connection to the others… this could be a problem."
As Teams A and B resumed their roles, Team C had a challenging time through the battlefield. Even with the speed of Extreme Gear, the trio's progress was halted thanks to the Nocturnus militia. But with their combined strength, they were able to past through most of the army.
Homing attacking into a set of Marauders, Sonic boosted through them and leaped off a ramp. Performing multiple tricks in the air, Sonic stood on one hand, kicking a Gizoid in the chest. He jumped back on his board and rode against the wind.
Knuckles and Shade, sharing an Extreme Gear, punched and bashed multiple Marauders to the ground. The former almost fell off due to the many times she was thrown off balance, but she was lucky to have someone pulling her back up. She and her fellow echidna exchanged a nod before they caught up to Sonic.
"How far are we from the Master Emerald?" Shade inquired.
"We shouldn't be far," Knuckles replied. "It's at the back of the citadel."
"Looks like we're gonna have to either go over or around it," Sonic chimed in. "I'm cool with either way. Just as long as I get to knock Ix's teeth in!"
The riders flew over a waterfall of lava that poured from the citadel's top. They drove around a pathway, making their way to the other side.
"Watch yourself, Sonic," Shade said. "You did defeat Ix in the past, but what if he has gotten stronger? We cannot underestimate him. I know I said that we can beat him again, but I'm going to fight smart. Luckily, I know his weak points. So, follow my lead and-Knuckles, Sonic, look out!"
A loud slam caused the riders to fall off of their hoverboards.
Fortunately, they landed on their feet and their boards fell on the floor.
Sonic, Shade, and Knuckles wiped away the smoke from the crater and they saw the shadow of the culprit standing not too far. The shadow revealed himself to be Synergy. He slowly got up and clenched his fists.
"Look who it is," Sonic grinned, wiping his nose. "The man with a major identity crisis. You're a bad guy, then a good guy, then a bad guy again. You really need to get your priorities in order."
"What I need to do is get you off my island," Synergy replied. "You won't stop Imperator Ix's plans!"
"Synergy, we don't wish to harm you," Knuckles said calmly. "This isn't who you are. Look, I'm not sure what Eggman showed you-"
"He showed me the truth. All Imperator Ix wanted to do was return to this world through means of peace. But you had to stop him! Why stop a man who just wanted to bring peace!?"
"Ix isn't a man of peace," Shade retorted softly. "He's a ruthless dictator who doesn't care who he steps on. He couldn't care about anything else other than himself. Dr. Eggman tricked you into believing we were the bad guys and that Ix was the good guy. But if you'd let me explain, I can-"
"You have a lot of gall betraying our clan, Shade. I'm very disappointed in you."
"I left the clan because I thought Ix wanted to bring peace to Mobius, but I found out he wanted to start a war. I wasn't going to involve myself in that."
"You dare lie to me along with these so-called friends? They've corrupted you as much as they did with me!"
"Synergy, look!" Sonic entered the conversation. "If we grade-A jerks, would we have taken you around the world? Don't deny it, you loved what you saw! You learned to read, you helped Knuckles chase a dumpling, and you crafted a picture frame for Whisper! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
Synergy was frozen. He unclenched his fist for a bit before he got down into a battle position. "That was before I found out the cold, hard truth. The truth that you're no different than Dr. Eggman! Yes, he did expose the truth, but he was involved in that incident just as much as you were! I'm not going to forget that!"
"Don't do this, Synergy," Knuckles said. "We don't want to hurt you."
"Then that will make this fight easier." (3)
Without shillyshallying, Synergy boosted towards the trio and slammed his claws against the ground, hitting them with ease. But at the last second, all three heroes evaded to the sides. Sonic curled into a ball and homed in on the Gizoid's head, smacking him around like a rag doll. At the last hit, Synergy caught Sonic and chucked him into the echidnas.
Both warriors jumped over the blue hero and trashed upon the Gizoid. Punches, kicks, jabs, volley kicks, and other blows were landed on the robot as well as the echidnas. Synergy began to panic. He thought he'd be strong enough to take down both of them, but since the echidnas were ambushing him at the same time, it was difficult for him to land a solid hit. Thankfully, he was able to break them up by igniting a Chaos Blast. Knuckles and Shade rolled across the dirt. Sonic cracked his fingers and ran over. He and Synergy fought the same way the latter did with the echidnas until the two of them curled into spin balls. They took to the skies, homing attacking each other at the speed of sound.
As they were distracted, Knuckles and Shade jumped up and ran down the pathway, where they hoped to make it to the Master Emerald.
But out of the blue, Synergy halted them.
"Whoa! Where do you two think you're going?" the Gizoid taunted.
Shade tossed a grenade in Synergy's face, blinding his sight.
As Synergy wiped the smoke away, he was greeted to a double-fisted uppercut from both Knuckles and Shade.
Sonic performed a front-flip and kicked Synergy, slamming him against the ground.
"C'mon, Synergy," Sonic landed beside him. "This isn't what G-merl, Cream, and Big would want, would it?"
"Who cares about their opinions!?" Synergy trapped Sonic in the clutches of his claws. "They're just as bad as you are! Speaking of which, where are they? I'd like to share a few words with them if you know what I mean!"
Knuckles and Shade tackled the robot.
Sonic fell to the ground, watching his friends and the robot fight.
Shade activated her Leech Blades and landed a few scratches. "Listen to me, Synergy! Imperator Ix seems nice at first, but he showed me his true colors! I made the mistake of taking the Master Emerald from Knuckles, only to find out that Ix wanted to use it for evil! He told me he wanted it to bring back our clan, but he just wanted world domination!"
Synergy slashed at Shade; she dodged.
"I may not have witnessed your world adventure," Shade continued. "But from what I've been told, you had a wonderful time. You met new people, you learned about different cultures, you even played music for the first time. That's not something Ix would teach you, would it?"
Synergy stopped fighting, looking to the right. But he grunted, shaking his head.
"No, no! Do not try to change me!"
"Don't deny all the fun you had," Shade said again. "You have friends on the battlefield who are here to rescue you. They know this isn't the real you. They know you're not acting like yourself. They're here for you, but you-"
"BE QUIET!" Synergy punched Shade in the stomach.
Knuckles caught Shade, as Sonic performed an Axe kick across Synergy's face.
Putting Shade down, Knuckles said, "So, peace talking him isn't working. Is there a way we can shut him down?"
"Yes, there is," Shade replied, watching Sonic and Synergy brawl. "When G-merl first came to Windmill Village, he glitched out and I shut him down. If I can get close enough to Synergy, I can turn him off."
"What about rebooting him? Maybe that will change him back to a good guy?"
"No, it won't. That will just set him to default mode. If we want to get to the Master Emerald, we have to shut him down."
"You're the Boss," Knuckles smiled. "What's the plan?"
"Follow my lead!"
Shade and Knuckles watched as Sonic landed on his rear. They rushed over to him and whispered a plan. He nodded and gave a thumbs up. Synergy snarled at them and boosted forward. The three heroes did the same.
Sonic jumped into the air and tucked into a ball.
Knuckles cupped his hands together and ascended Shade into the air, where the orange echidna grabbed Sonic, spun him around, and chucked him into Synergy's stomach. When Sonic came back, he untucked and grabbed Shade by her hand. He spun her around and slammed her into Synergy. She tackled him and pinned him against the dirt. Sonic and Knuckles rushed forward, holding down his arms. Shade sat on the Gizoid's back.
"Get off me!" the robot demanded.
"I'm sorry, Synergy," Shade humbly apologized, as she went to press his off switch…
…but at the last moment.
Synergy shouted, "Chaos Blast!" (3s)
A ball of orange energy forced the three heroes off of him. They all flew backward and rolled across the ground, hitting a pile of debris from behind. Then, they laid on their backs, covered in dirt and bruises.
"Oh, yeah, just shut him down," Sonic moaned sarcastically. "Nice plan, Shade."
"Oh, shut up," Shade grumbled. "I didn't see you coming up with any ideas."
"Hey, guys," Knuckles leaned up and pointed. "Did that Chaos Blast knock him out? I don't see Synergy anywhere."
The other two heroes looked and saw that Synergy was gone.
"Where'd he run off to?" Sonic shrugged. "Hopefully he's not on the battlefield with the others."
Suddenly, a streak of water ran across Shade's leg. She looked down and observed it flowing behind her. She followed the trail until it showed her the source. "Um, guys?"
Sonic and Knuckles turned around, following Shade's eyes.
Synergy transformed into his Chaos Emulation. He roared at the highest pitch and showed off his massive fangs.
Everyone got into battle positions.
"Crap," Sonic mumbled. "Here we go again."
On Shrine Isle, Imperator Ix sat by the Master Emerald.
Looking up, he saw several explosions in the sky. He didn't know how the battle was going. Only one thing was on his mind: facing Knuckles and Shade once again. He faced them before, but Sonic and Tails interrupted their battle and took over. He was disappointed that he didn't get to fight the two echidnas for long, but he hoped he'd get to do it again. Of course, he wouldn't have minded if Sonic was with them since he had a personal vendetta against him.
But in the meantime, he sat by the magic gemstone.
"Knuckles, Shade, Sonic… your petty Resistance may be winning, but soon… you'll face your doom."
END OF CHAPTER 34
The Battle of Angel Nocturne has finally started and things the Resistance is meeting mixed results. Team A, thanks to Burning Blaze, is able to take down half of the city's defenses. Team B managed to get close to the citadel itself, but Team C was apprehended by Synergy. Meanwhile, Imperator Ix stands by the Master Emerald, waiting for his opponents to come. Who will get to the Master Emerald in time? Can the Resistance keep up the momentum or will this plan fall flat on their faces? Find out as the final battle continues in...
"Chapter 35: Angel Nocturne: Part 2"
POST-A/N:
Obviously, IDW Sonic Issue #9 inspired the fact that Burning Blaze is here in the fight. Of course, her role in the fight is different. In the actual comic, she's on her own, but in this one, she's with other members of the Resistance. Originally, she was going to be by herself, but that would mean Team B would be bigger. Since I wanted everyone in the Resistance a role in the story, I decided to have Burning Blaze work with the Chaotix, Team Dark, and Team Hooligan. Speaking of which, I think Team Hooligan may be having fun with this hero thing.
I might have said this in an earlier chapter or in a Post-A/N from Sonic Heroes: The Atom Bomb, but I am not happy with the way Shadow has been treated in some of the comics and the games. Granted, I can't blame the IDW team since they're forced to follow strict SEGA Mandates (which explains why Mighty, Ray, and the Hooligans cannot appear in the comics), but I think SEGA doesn't remember what made Shadow likeable. He's not just some brooding edge lord, he's a more calm, mature version of Sonic. That's why I decided to have Shadow pay his respects to the Diamond Cutters and tell Whisper that he's there if she needs to talk to someone.
Something I find funny is that G-merl and Cream appear on Cover RI on IDW Sonic Issue #9, but they don't appear in the issue itself. They don't show up until IDW Sonic Issue #18, but I always found it funny how they show up on one cover and don't appear in said issue. But hey, at least we got some cool artwork out of it. :)
As always, thank you all so much for reading! Don't forget to R&R! I'm The Sensational SpiderDom321 and I'll see you all next time :)
~SD321 (SpiderDom321)
