A/N: Hello, everyone. So at this point in time, Awakened Chapter 39 has been pre-written and shall be sent over to my co-writer Infinite's Ruby in the far future. Only one chapter left to pre-write before editing time. Now that we're 35 chapters into the story, I want to thank everyone for over 150 reviews on Awakened. My highest reviewed story so far on Fanfiction. Thank you all so much for all of the love and support you've given to the story, especially TGN, SharpDragonKlaw, Infinite's Ruby, and TheLostEternity. You four have been really awesome and I want to thank each and every one of you! :)

Last time we left off, the final battle began on Angel Nocturne. The Resistance split into teams with Team C (Sonic, Knuckles, and Shade) confronting Synergy. But their battle took a turn once Synergy went into his Chaos Emulation. Can they survive his rage or will they fall by his hand? Find out!

Suggested Music:

(1) For True Story (Sonic vs Shadow) - Sonic Adventure 2 OST

(2) Mysterio (Noir) - Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions OST

(3) Crisis City (Modern) - Sonic Generations OST

(4) Crisis City (Classic) - Sonic Generations OST

(5) Stuff We Did - Disney/Pixar's Up OST

Without further ado, enjoy the show!


Angel Nocturne: Part 2

As the battle raged on, all seven members of the Eggman Empire sat inside the dungeon. Rough and Tumble were playing rock, paper, scissors with Orbot and Cubot. The white skunk kept picking rock whereas the yellow cube-shaped robot kept picking paper. Tumble snarled, as he challenged Cubot again. He got another rock.

"Dang it!" Tumble snarled.

"It's okay, Bro," Rough said. "You got this."

"Um, am I playing this game, right?" Cubot whispered to his friend, who was drinking from a cup of coffee.

"Honestly, Cubot," Orbot replied. "I don't care at this point."

Meanwhile, Dr. Starline did nothing but play a tune on the harmonica. Honestly, he wasn't very good at playing a musical instrument, but he had to keep himself occupied somehow. But the music was serenading his boss, Dr. Eggman. The fat doctor sat against the neon bars, grunting and growling. Wishing that he could have done something to prevent Synergy from doing this. If this didn't happen, he'd be conquering the world with an army of Gizoids. But instead, he had to sit in jail, listening to Dr. Starline's original soundtrack.

Speaking of which, he had enough.

"Will you stop playing that garbage!?" he shouted. "It's smooth harmony is getting on my nerves!"

Dr. Starline did as he was told.

"Where'd you get that anyway?"

"I'm not sure, My Lord," the platypus tossed the instrument over his shoulder. "Any luck getting us out of here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing! You know this is all your fault!"

"My fault!? How is this my fault!?"

"If you hadn't raided Resistance HQ without my consent, we would've had more time to prepare our attack! We rushed in with our elemental army and we were easily defeated! If Alpha was stronger, the Resistance would've been distracted enough so we can reprogram Synergy!"

"Don't put all of this on me! You're the one who tricked Synergy into thinking the Nocturnus Clan were the good guys! You just had to show him that stupid video!"

"All right, all right! So, we've made mistakes, big deal! Let's focus on getting out of here!"

"Switching topics just like that, eh? I think I just realized something about you, Doctor."

"What would that be?"

"You're a loon."

"I'm crazy!? I'll show you crazy!"

Metal Sonic stood between the platypus and his creator. "With all due respect, Doctor. Destroying Starline won't do anything."

"Speaking of destroying," Dr. Starline adjusted his glasses. "Can't you break down these bars, Metal Sonic? You do have enough power to do so."

"He already tried," Dr. Eggman scoffed. "Nothing's working. These jokers have technology far more advanced than robots that even I can hope to create!"

Both supervillains let out a low sigh.

"There's got to be some way to get out of here," Dr. Starline wrapped his fingers around the bars. "I need to get that Warp Topaz from Synergy."

"Speaking of that Gizoid," Dr. Eggman folded his arms. "If the Resistance gets here… I hope they give him a beating." (1)


Sonic, Shade, and Knuckles were left against a Chaos Emulated Synergy. The hydrokinetic monster roared loudly and extended his claws.

"Ready for round two?" the monster grunted with a chuckle. "Come on, step right up!"

Sonic smirked, rubbing his nose. "Fighting in your Chaos form. That doesn't seem fair, eh, Synergy?"

Knuckles clapped his fists together. "Come on, Synergy! This is getting ridiculous! You know this is wrong!"

"This is your last chance to stop!" Shade warned. "Think of all the people Ix will hurt if you don't help us stop him! He doesn't care about the people here! He wants to kill them, destroy their land, and rebuild it in his own image! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Synergy heavily grinned, showing off his teeth. "Such a disappointing choice of last words."

Pouncing forward, the Gizoid slammed the ground and a tsunami of water pushed forward. Sonic, Shade, and Knuckles jumped over the water and ran to the side. They fired a few blows against the Gizoid before they were smacked across the ground.

Shade tossed a grenade forward and blinded Synergy with smoke. She suddenly used her Warp Belt to teleport on top of the monster's shoulder. Trying to reach for his back compartment, she was grabbed and yanked off of him. Thankfully, the orange echidna landed on her feet, thrashing upon the Gizoid. Knuckles and Sonic jumped into the fight. Everyone was brawling until Synergy splashed the trio with a powerful tsunami.

Both echidnas and the hedgehog landed on the ground.

"Okay, new plan," Sonic announced. "Knux, Shade, you guys go find the Master Emerald! I'll keep him busy!"

"Are you nuts!?" Knuckles asked with concern. "He'll crush you!"

"If he catches me first!"

Instantaneously, Synergy transformed back to normal, appearing in front of the heroes. "If?"

Synergy grabbed Sonic and Knuckles, as he dug them into the ground. He deflected Shade's attacks and blasted her in the stomach with a Chaos Blast. He grabbed Sonic and Knuckles, bashing their heads into one another. Then, he transformed into his Knuckles Emulation and struck several jabs on his enemies.

The three heroes laid on their sides, bruised and beaten.

"I thought you were going to distract him," Knuckles moaned, nudging the hedgehog.

"I'm just getting warmed up," Sonic grinned.

"Same here," Shade nodded. I just hope everyone else is okay down there.


Team A was almost done destroying the city's defenses thanks to Burning Blaze.

The pink-furred cat flew around and showed off her pyrokinesis, burning enemy weapons to ash and effortlessly defeating Marauders from the left and right. However, as she kept fighting, she could feel the Sol Emeralds' power weakening. She only had a few minutes before she changed back to normal. There were still more cannons to destroy, so she needed to work fast. But she was thankful that she had Team Dark, Team Chaotix, and Team Hooligan fighting alongside her.

Clapping her hands, she shot a burst of flames at an army of Gizoid Centurions.

I need to work fast, she spoke to herself. Who knows how long I have until I change back?

Shadow jumped on the wall and jabbed a Chaos Spear through it. He descended the wall, leaving massive scrapes against it with his spear. The ebony agent shot other spears at flying soldiers but was suddenly shot down by a missile.

Before he could teleport to safety, Omega caught him with one hand. As he held Shadow, he smacked, bashed, and slashed many enemies. Missiles popped out of his shoulders and rockets fired from his wrists.

"Thanks, Omega," the black hedgehog jumped off the robot.

"BE CAREFUL NEXT TIME, SHADOW. I PROBABLY WON'T BE THERE NEXT TIME."

"Yeah, thanks for the tip."

Rouge regrouped with her team. "Hey, boys. You doing okay?"

Shadow blocked a Marauder's punch and kicked him without even looking at him. "Somewhat. Our progress doesn't seem to mean anything. They just keep popping out defenses."

"DEFENSES THAT I SHALL DESTROY!" Omega chanted.

Espio threw a dagger at Gizoid's head before he rapidly kicked several soldiers.

Vector bit a Gizoid's arm off and smashed the ground, attacking multiple Gizoids. He took another bite of spicy bubblegum and coughed a ball of fire at his enemies.

Charmy and Ray took to the skies, kicking everyone they saw.

And Mighty was showing off his strength.

A few Marauders tasered him with electric gauntlets, but the armadillo handled the pain and grabbed their hands. "You know, I'm normally against violence, but people like you make me forget I'm a pacifist!"

With a heavy punch, Mighty sent the soldiers flying.

He watched Team Hooligan ride on the Marvelous Queen, as he met up with his team.

"It's weird seeing the Hooligans do some good for us," he said. "Makes me miss the days where Ray and I used to throw them in jail for stealing stuff."

"Don't get used to it," Vector replied. "They'll stab us in the back the second they get the chance."

"I don't know, Vec. There might be a possibility for them to change."

"Are you out of your mind, Mighty?" the crocodile laughed. So did the bee. "Nack, Bean, and Bark changing their ways is like saying the Deadly Six are good bad guys!"

"But d-d-didn't they s-s-s-save y-you and Espio?" Ray chuckled.

"That was just us getting lucky," Espio answered.

"Yeah! That doesn't mean squat!" Charmy retorted.

Mighty and Ray shared a laugh.

Above them, Burning Blaze saw the remaining cannons in her sight; there were five of them. Standing by the cannons was a horde of Marauders that opened fire. Due to her invulnerability, Burning Blaze resisted the projectiles. With her eyes closed, she focused all of her power into a final attack.

Team Chaotix climbed up on a wall, seeing the cat from below.

They planned to help her out, but she shouted at them, "Stay there!"

Everyone stopped.

Burning Blaze pressed her hands together, charging up a ball of flames, taking a deep breath. I cannot be harmed in this form, but I can only maintain it for so long. But I'm running out of time. I need to finish my part of the plan, now!

"I must be careful not to harm Angel Island!" Burning Blaze shouted, as her fireball finished charging and she opened her eyes. With her gold-colored eyes staring deep into the Marauders' souls, she aimed her palms at all the cannons and incinerated them within an instant. Team Chaotix shielded their eyes from the bright light, as Burning Blaze unleashed her fiery fury upon the Nocturnus Clan.

It didn't take long for the city's defenses to be fully destroyed and every soldier there made a tactical retreat.

Burning Blaze landed on the ground, reverting back to her normal self. (1s)

The Chaotix regrouped with her. Blaze nearly fainted into Espio's arms.

"Blaze, are you all right?" Espio inquired.

"That was incredible!" Charmy swung his fist.

"Ha-ha, t-thank you," Blaze coughed, exhausted. "It is done… and so am I-"

"Guys!" Ray pointed forward.

A Marauder had a rocket launcher in his hands. He fired a massive rocket at the team.

"Look out!" Blaze shoved everyone out of the way. Before she can move, the rocket impacted the ground and broke it in half. Blaze, who stood on the broken half, fell off.

"Blaze!" Espio shouted, as he leaped down, grabbed her, and swung his roped kunai upward. He hoped it would wrap around a ledge, but it didn't. Instead, Vector and Mighty grabbed the rope and grabbed a pole on the side. Ray and Charmy gasped and swung down to catch them. But as Espio and Blaze hung on, the rope was slowly ripping.

"Seriously?" Espio moaned. "That online seller told me this was a sturdy rope.

The rope ripped and the duo fell to the ground.

Charmy and Ray raced to catch them, when suddenly…

…Bark jumped forward and caught the two in his furry arms. Bean stood on his shoulders again, tossing a bomb over his shoulder.

"Hey! Welcome back to Air Bean, how're you guys doing? Listen, Little Miss Flaming Lilac, I gotta say, that was awesome! The way you shot that shiny fireball was amazing and you made all the soldiers go, 'ah! Runaway! She's gonna get us! Protect the yarn!' That was just incredible! I got the whole thing on video! Give me your phone number and I'll send it to you!"

Blaze shared an awkward glance with Espio.

"Ha, saving someone twice in one day?" Nack smiled. "Perhaps we can make money off this sort of thing. It's not so bad after all."

Vector and Charmy were dumbfounded.

Mighty laughed. "Well, Whaddya know?"

"I-I can't believe it," Vector gasped. "The Hooligans just saved someone… twice!"

"Does this mean they're gonna become good guys?" Charmy gulped.

The crocodile turned to the bee. "If so… God help us." (2)


"Shade, on your left!" Sonic yelled.

"Whoa!" Shade howled, as Synergy swatted at her from the direction that was said. Shade fired an uppercut, as Knuckles tackled the Gizoid and kicked him towards Sonic. The Blue Blur roundhouse kicked the Gizoid and bashed him against the wall.

Synergy spin dashed down the lane and Sonic countered by mimicking his movements. The two of them shot through the air like airplanes before they broke out of their forms. Sonic pounced on Synergy and began punching from the left and right. One final uppercut caused the blue hedgehog to jump off. The blue/green Gizoid crashed into a wall. He fell on his stomach, where he was surrounded by a pile of debris.

"That should do some damage," Shade wiped her lip.

"Y'know," Sonic began. "He has the Warp Topaz on him. I'm surprised he hasn't used it yet."

Synergy's eyes widened when he heard that. "Oh, yeah. I forgot I had this thing."

A wormhole appeared below Sonic and Shade's feet. The two of them fell in and reappeared behind the robot, where he socked them in their jaws. Knuckles punched Synergy in the chest and helped up his friends.

"You just had to say something, didn't you, Sonic?" the echidna mumbled.

Sonic coughed. "Sue me… okay, I've had enough of this. Knuckles, you and Shade go find the Master Emerald. I'll distract him."

"We already tried that plan," Shade retorted. "It didn't work."

"That's because we were too slow," Sonic replied. "On my signal, make a run for it!"

"How will we know your signal?"

"Trust me, Shade. You'll see."

Synergy cracked his fingers and clenched his fist; the Warp Topaz was glowing. The Chaos hybrid shot himself forward. Sonic stretched his neck and ran faster than the Gizoid. He jumped on his back and covered his eyes with his right hand.

"Hey! What are you doing!?" Synergy yawped.

"Just trying to work this fancy jewel of yours," Sonic snickered. He punched the topaz and created a portal. Kicking Synergy through it, he curled into a ball and ran through. It disappeared as soon as he did. (2s)

Knuckles and Shade froze.

"Guess that was the signal," Shade coughed.

"Looks like it," Knuckles grabbed both he and Sonic's Extreme Gear. He tossed the blue one to his ally. "Here, take Sonic's Extreme Gear and let's go. We're running out of time… but real quick, are you going to be okay facing Ix again? We haven't done it in a long time. Are you sure you're up for this?"

"I appreciate you looking out for me," Shade replied with a smile. "But as I said on the ship, I'm done running from my past. Let's do it to it."

Knuckles mirrored her gesture. "Right."

The two took off. (3)


A wormhole opened and Sonic leaped outside it along with Synergy. The two of them landed in the middle of the forest on Angel Island. The night was still upon them and for once, they were surrounded by nature. The Gizoid tumbled against the grass until he hit his head on a rock, breaking it in half. Sonic skidded across the ground, glaring at the Gizoid.

Synergy awoke and clenched his gloved hand.

"C'mon, Synergy," Sonic rubbed his nose. "Haven't you had enough of this?"

Synergy wasn't in the mood for games. Instead, he shot six Chaos Spears at the blue hedgehog.

With swift reflexes, Sonic avoided all of them when he landed on a tree branch. "Guess not."

Synergy began to chase after Sonic; the Blue Blur took off down the forest, talking to himself.

Knuckles and Shade are heading to the Master Emerald just like I planned it. Nice! All I need to do is distract Synergy long enough until Nocturne and Angel Island are separated. But how am I gonna get close to him while he has the Warp Topaz?

Synergy created a wormhole below Sonic's feet, but the latter leaped over it, running down the pathway.

Guess I'll do what I did before; use the Warp Topaz to my advantage. Say, using the Warp Topaz for my own use is gonna be fun! Let's do it!

Jumping on top of a tree, the hedgehog swung at a rapid speed and launched his body, feet first, at the robot. Like before, he jumped on top of Synergy's back, throwing nothing but punches across his face. Synergy attempted to make a wormhole with hopes of shooing the hedgehog away, but Sonic smacked the gemstone and created his own portal. He covered Synergy's eyes and drove himself and the robot into the wormhole.

The two of the wound up in Marble Garden Zone.

When the portal closed, Sonic smacked Synergy once more before he leaped off of him. When his sight returned to him, Synergy moved to the right, almost hitting a nearby structure.

Looking to the left and right, he noticed Sonic running down a grassy lane.

Synergy grunted and chased after him, firing a mixture of Chaos Spears, Chaos Blasts, and other weapons in his inventory, missiles, and rockets. As explosions rained down like a hurricane, Sonic evaded each and every one of them, smirking and chuckling.

As his chuckle turned into a laugh, he avoided pillars that were crushing the ground, as he leaped onto a platform and made his way up a hill. Synergy clenched his fist, fired a missile, and created a portal with the Warp Topaz. Sonic grabbed the missile and jumped on top of it.

"Whooo hooo!" he shouted, waving his fist back and forth.

"What the?" Synergy widened his eyes.

Sonic rode the missile like a pilot flying a jet plane, aiming the missile at Synergy. The blue hedgehog grinned once more before he jumped off at the last second.

KABOOM!

The missile exploded in Synergy's face.

As the robot free fell, Sonic boosted towards the Gizoid and tapped the Warp Topaz. With another portal created, the quarreling duo barged into IceCap Zone. Attempting to land on his feet, Sonic wound up tripping on ice and he began tumbling down a mountain. Synergy did the same; however, he was able to gain his balance and slide down on his rear.

He glared to his right, watching his opponent bumble around like a clumsy oaf.

Activating the Warp Topaz, Synergy formed a wormhole below part of the mountain.

Unfortunately for him, Sonic recovered and started gliding down on his back.

Startling at the portal, he slid past it.

Synergy's eyes extended and he grunted. "Why you little!"

Ascending off the mountain, Synergy flew over at an expeditious rate. Reaching his hands out, he planned to grab the hedgehog and strangle him, but to his disappointment, Sonic ducked below him and continued riding the mountain like a waterslide. Throughout the journey down, the Blue Blur kept ducking beneath Synergy's attacks. Once in a while, he would fire a kick or a punch if he got lucky. Sonic drifted to the right with hopes of gaining more speed.

"I hope I don't get frostbite doing this!" Sonic shouted to himself.

As he and Synergy kept fighting, an obstacle suddenly came up ahead: it was a blue and orange snowboard.

"How convenient," Sonic chuckled, as he jumped forward and grabbed the snowboard. Quickly stamping his feet through the straps, the snowboard landed against the snow and he was cruising down the mountain with ease. "Whoo-hoo! Come on, Synergy! You did this with Tangle and Whisper!"

"Actually, we rode a bobsled!" Synergy retorted, shooting projectiles at the hero.

Sonic evaded the missiles. "Funny, you wouldn't remember that unless if you still cared."

The Gizoid froze, reframing from attacking. (3s)

"Come on, Synergy," Sonic continued. "I know this isn't you. Egghead messed with you. I know you and I didn't get along before, but after seeing you grow, I realize that you and I can become good friends… just like Tails, G-merl, Amy, Knuckles, and everyone else who's my friend… heh, it's funny. As we were taking you around the world, your character growth reminded me of Emerl. Back when I first met him, he was a generic robot. When I hung out with him, he became one of my closest friends… and he still is."

"Emerl is not the Gizoid he once was," Synergy replied. "You made him soft!"

"Define soft."

"You made him weak!"

"Having a family makes you weak? That's funny. Imperator Ix feels that way."

Synergy froze again.

Sonic smiled. "Synergy, you know that you're better than this. You know you enjoyed those past three days. I know I sound like a broken record, but you had so much fun with everyone and he treated everyone with kindness. On my way here, Whisper just told me that she will never forget that you made her that frame and that she prays you'll see the error of your ways. That speech you made in the Mineral Museum, the one where you said you don't want to go back to being a generic war machine, showed me that you realized you're more than just a useless pawn by Ix's side… you can be free. Free to go wherever your heart takes you. Free like the wind… you can be like G-merl and Omega, free-spirited heroes who have the right to be whoever they want to be."

Synergy looked down at the ground. He and Sonic were still riding down the mountain. He knew that Sonic was right on all of those things. Memories of the past three days swarmed his head; however, they were overshadowed by the flashbacks of the video Dr. Eggman showed him. Shaking his head, he rubbed his head fin and clenched his fist, admiring the Warp Topaz's red and black glow.

The Chaos hybrid turned to the blue hedgehog. "I'm sorry, Sonic… but I will do what I must!" (4)

Halting his flight, Synergy levitated and turned around, clapping his hands together. "Chaos Blast!"

A tsunami of Chaos energy impacted the mountain, creating a loud rumble.

Sonic nearly tripped off his snowboard before he caught himself.

But sadly, he was greeted to something that could potentially ruin his plan. An avalanche started. Piles of snow came down from the mountaintop. With his emerald green eyes popping out of his sockets, Sonic picked up the pace by kicking the ground, praying to the Mobian Gods he'd go faster.

Bu Synergy kept shooting Chaos Spears and energy blasts from his palms, throwing the hedgehog off balance.

Sonic slid down the mountain until he snowboard was quickly destroyed, but instead of falling on the snow, Sonic homing attacked Synergy, grabbing his shoulders again. Landing multiple blows once again, Sonic kicked the Warp Topaz to the left and caused another portal to open.

He and Synergy fell inside, and a blanket of snow fell on top of the portal.

Then suddenly, the two of them flew around Lava Reef Zone.

Unlike IceCap Zone, the temperature in this area felt like it was over two-hundred degrees, but Sonic couldn't care about that. All he wanted to do was distract Synergy, so his friends can fend off the invasion. With more punches, jabs, and whacks landed, Sonic thrashed upon the Gizoid until he was pushed off of him. Almost falling into the lava, Sonic grabbed onto Synergy's leg and tucked his own legs inward, preventing himself from being burned.

Pulling himself onto Synergy's back, he continued his "peaceful" talk.

"I'm not giving up on you, Synergy!"

"You don't get it, do you?"

Synergy blasted the hedgehog against a rocky wall. "I'm nothing like Emerl! I can't change like he did! He chose his allegiance, I chose mine! The Nocturnus Clan is my family!"

Sonic got back up and ran down a road full of boulders. "You're kidding, right? Have the Nocturnus Clan done anything nice for you?"

"They created me!"

"Okay, fair point. But did they take you around the world like we did? I thought Gizoids only had one function back then, shoot enemies of Nocturne! When I was in the Twilight Cage, Shade told me that Gizoids were treated like robots. Nothing else!"

Synergy and Sonic boosted towards each other; homing attacking off one another.

"You keep acting like the Marauders are your friends, they're not!" Sonic continued his ramble. "They don't care about you! All you are to them is a weapon!"

Synergy clenched his fist and fired missiles. "SHUT UP!"

Sonic evaded all of the missiles before he was hit by one in front of him. But when he tumbled against the dirt, he swiftly recovered and socked Synergy in the jaw. He repeated this attack four more times before he spin dashed into the Gizoid's stomach. Synergy grabbed the blue ball, dribbled him like a basketball, and slammed him into the ground.

"Give up, Sonic! You can't win this!"

Sonic coughed. "That's something you should know about me, Synergy… I never give up!"

Synergy howled at the highest pitch and accelerated forward.

Wiping his lip, Sonic ran in the same direction.

The two combatants resumed their scuffle. (4s)


On the surface of Green Hill, G-merl sat on the same ledge for an interminable amount of time. He hasn't made a move since he took a seat. His eyes were closed, and his hands were cupped together. The Gizoid pondered his thoughts, wondering how he could apologize to his family for what he's done. What he did seemed unforgivable, but part of him thought that if he explained what happened, everything would be okay. The optimist inside him said that, but the pessimist said otherwise. The other half was scolding him for hurting Cream and her friends, saying that she'll never forgive him so long as he still stands. As both halves of the Gizoid's emotions debated, the robot himself felt utter sorrow.

How could you forgive someone for hurting you? Would they understand that it wasn't your fault, or would they only remember the fact that you tried to hurt them?

With all of these questions rambling through his mind, G-merl couldn't hear a car pull up behind him. But his focus came back once he heard the sound of footsteps.

Must be G.U.N. Troops here to arrest me for helping Synergy, he said to himself. He opened his eyes and turned around. "Look, Officers. There's no need to shoot, I'm-" (5)

He paused mid-sentence to find that no G.U.N. soldiers were in sight. Instead, Cream, Big, Vanilla, Cheese, Chocola, and Froggy stood behind him. The two rabbits, the two Chao, and the cat had warm smiles on their faces.

"Cream? Big? Vanilla? Cheese? Chocola?... Froggy's here too?" G-merl inquired.

"Ribbit, ribbit," said the frog.

"Hi, G-merl," Cream spoke softly, waving.

The black/yellow Gizoid got up from his seat, slowly backing away. "Please, stay back, guys. I don't want to hurt you again."

"G-merl, dear," Vanilla said. "I heard about what happened."

"I know, Ma'am. I heard your message… how can you be so forgiving?"

"Pardon?"

"I nearly killed your daughter! If I were you, I would throw me out or turn me into scraps or something. How could you forgive me so easily?"

"Because Cream told me what happened. She told me that Synergy was corrupted by Eggman's terrorism. He used his power to corrupt you. You had no control over yourself; therefore, it wasn't your fault. Yes, you did hurt Cream. But it wasn't you."

"…That doesn't make any sense."

"What Mother means to say is," Cream entered the talk. "You did hurt me, but it wasn't the real you. I know you would never hurt me. You're better than that. That's why I'm not angry. None of us are."

"But you should be angry," the Gizoid retorted tenderly, pacing back and forth. "Whether I was mind-controlled or not, that was me! I went berserk, I attacked everyone I know and love, II…" The Gizoid stopped his slightly aggressive rant and looked down. His eyes were partly closed. "I violated my programming. Tails rebuilt me to protect you and your family, which includes your mother, Cheese, Chocola, and everyone you know… I know I didn't have access to my Emerl chip, but I didn't have the willpower to stop myself. That's what makes me feel guilty! Speaking of Emerl, I wish I was him again… I know for a fact he wouldn't do what I just did."

Everyone was silent when they heard that.

"Please, just go away, everyone," G-merl said gently, taking back his seat. "I don't want you in the presence of a monster."

Vanilla, Cream, and Big shared a glance before all three of them approached the platform. Watching the moonlight from above, everyone took a seat beside the Gizoid. G-merl looked up. He was annoyed that they didn't listen to him, but at the same time, he was thankful he wasn't alone. Closing his eyes once more, he wished that he could cry like a normal being, but since he was a robot, he couldn't. Cream gazed into her best friend's closed eyes and wrapped her fingers together.

Cheese and Chocola nudged the Gizoid, smiling at him. They tried to cheer him up, but even they weren't good enough for it.

After a few moments of silence, G-merl finally spoke. "Cream, let me ask you something. You and Emerl were close when you met, right?"

Cream nodded.

"When you found me washed up on the beach, you took me to Tails' workshop and had me rebuilt… why did you rebuild me when you could have just rebuilt Emerl?"

The rabbit never expected a question like that before. She turned to her Chao, Cheese and wondered what she could say. Cheese stroked his chin and thought of something his friend could say. He floated towards her ear and whispered into it, suggesting a possible answer.

Cream listened to every word and nodded.

"Can I tell you something, G-merl?" she asked.

The Gizoid nodded.

"When Ms. Rose first introduced me to you, back when you and I were helping her lose weight, I was scared. I mistook you for another Eggman robot. I thought you were going to hurt Ms. Rose and me, but I realized that I misjudged you. You turned out to be a really nice robot. You helped Cheese and I escape from Eggman's lair when he captured us, you played with me, taught me how to defend myself, you did everything that a friend would do for me."

Cream paused, giving G-merl time to process her words.

"I was heartbroken when Eggman corrupted you the first time and turned you evil. I didn't want to fight you, so Mr. Sonic did that while the others and I watched. When the fight ended, I wanted you to come back, but you didn't. You said goodbye before… before… before you went away. A while later, you came back, but you were in a different body."

"Came back?" G-merl inquired. "Emerl didn't come back."

"Yes, he did," Cream smiled. "Or should I say, yes, you did. Tails told me that Eggman built you from Emerl's data, meaning that part of Emerl was inside of you. As I joined Mr. Sonic and Mr. Tails on their adventure, I began to wonder what would happen if you become a good guy like you were before. When you stole the Chaos Emeralds and Mr. Sonic and Dr. Eggman defeated you, Mother and I were walking on the beach to celebrate. That's where we found you…

"…I didn't want to throw you away because I knew you had the potential to be yourself again. A kind-hearted, peace-loving, robot who's been there for me since day one. Even though you look different, I know you and Emerl are the same person. I wanted Mr. Tails to rebuild you because I know he can rebuild you into the robot you are today. And from time and time again, you've proven that you're not just a good friend to me, but a good friend to everyone."

"Cream's right, Dear," Vanilla joined the conversation. "I know you blame yourself for what happened but know that I'm not angry with you. You weren't in control of your actions, but no matter what happens, you'll always be part of the family."

"I know you're part of my family," Big smiled. "You've helped me find Froggy. You've helped me go fishing. You helped me and Cream escape from that creepy jackal man. And Amy made you an honorary member of Team Rose."

"And one more thing," Cream finished. "As painful as it is, Emerl is gone, but at the same time, he's not. Why? Because he lives within you."

G-merl's eyes widened when he heard that.

Throughout this escapade, he's had countless flashbacks of his days as Emerl, which caused him to compare himself to his counterpart. But the rabbit's kind words made him think otherwise. There wasn't any reason for him to compare himself to Emerl. Why? Because he and Emerl are the same to an extent. Speaking of the Gizoid, G-merl thought he was hallucinating because he saw his old counterpart sitting on a platform in front of him. Nobody else noticed him, so he assumed he was a figment of his imagination.

G-merl stared into the eyes of Emerl, as the latter waved.

"She's got a point, y'know?" Emerl said with a soft chuckle. "My spirit is inside you. Cream loves you for who you are. You can't live without a friendship like that, can you?"

The figment of Emerl suddenly disappeared.

G-merl turned to Cream and rubbed her head. "You want to know something, Kiddo? You're going to grow up into someone special someday. I just know it."

Cream jumped into her best friend's arms and hugged him tightly. The Gizoid did the same. Soon, Vanilla joined the hug and so did Big. The cat was so excited, he lifted everyone off the ground, causing them to laugh.

Cheese and Chocola danced around G-merl, sitting on top of his head.

Big placed everyone down, ending the group hug.

Cream and Vanilla released G-merl.

"Are you okay, G-merl?" Vanilla asked.

"I'm fine, Ma'am," G-merl nodded. "Thank you… all of you."

After a moment of silence, a realization whacked G-merl in the face. (5s)

"Oh, no!" the Gizoid panicked. "Sonic… and everyone else! What happened to them?"

"They were arrested by G.U.N.," Cream replied.

"What!? Oh, geez! I better go help them!"

"Wait, wait, G-merl, it's okay! They're free… but something else happened. Those mean echidna people I fought a while ago are back."

"The Nocturnus Clan? That's impossible, how did they-" the Gizoid snapped his fingers. "Synergy. Of course, he would do this."

"He used the magic portal stone and the Chaos Emeralds and stuck it onto Angel Island," Big added.

G-merl cracked his fingers. "Looks like I got a score to settle with Synergy. Stay here, guys, I'll be back."

Before he could take off, Cream grabbed G-merl's hand.

"Wait, let Mr. Big and I help you," she pleaded, turning to her mother. "Mother, I know this isn't right, nor lady-like. But I promised G-merl that I wouldn't let anyone hurt him. I know those mean echidnas are going to hurt him, and I want to be there to protect him. Can I please go with him? Mr. Big and the Resistance will keep me safe."

Vanilla glanced at Chocola before she mirrored her expression towards Big. With a single nod, she leaned down to her daughter and stroked her face. "Be careful out there. Cream, G-merl, Big, take care of each other. Keep each other safe."

"We will, Ma'am," G-merl replied with a thumbs up. "C'mon, Cream. Let's do it to it!"

Cream and Cheese smiled and cheered.

In a few seconds, G-merl grabbed Big's arms and pulled him upward, carrying him through the sky. Cream and Cheese followed close behind. Vanilla and Chocola waved goodbye.

As they ascended the clouds, G-merl's eyes began to glow blue.

Cream noticed this and asked. "What are you doing, G-merl?"

G-merl answered. "I'm just calling for some backup."

END OF CHAPTER 35


G-merl seems to be back in the game, but how long will it last? Will he, Cream, and Big make it to Nocturne in time, or will they witness the death of the Resistance? Sonic has Synergy on the ropes and it looks like the Gizoid is starting to regret his past actions. Let's just see how long Sonic's distraction can last. Knuckles and Shade make their way to the Master Emerald, Team Hooligan continues to upstage the Chaotix, and Imperator Ix plans his revenge. But what's going on with Team B? Find out when Team B ventures inside Nocturne's citadel in...

"Chapter 36: Angel Nocturne: Part 3".


POST-A/N:

Without going deep into spoilers (even though it's on the internet in 4K), the fight between Sonic and Synergy was inspired by the final battle between Sonic and Robotnik from the Sonic the Hedgehog Movie (2020). Only thing is, Sonic's not traveling around the world. Thanks to a good friend, StarShine89, I was able to pick out some Angel Island zones for Sonic to run around in while he distracts Synergy. I figured it would add some tension to the battle.

Response to TheLostEternity: I am not surprised the Shadow and Whisper scene is on the top of your list, it seems to be everyone's favorite scene. And I can't blame them, I needed to put that in to not only settle the dispute between Whisper and her emotions towards him, but I feel Shadow would be the one to do this if he heard about someone's true origins. Will Synergy come back or will he stay evil? Well, this chapter seems to show he's thinking about his motives. Let's see what happens in the future. Poor Vector, Espio, and Charmy, they're gonna be seeing a lot of the Hooligans doing good. I'm glad you found Sonic's "Crap, here we go again" funny. Now, I imagine Mario coming in the story going "Mama Mia, here we go again". G-merl, Cream, and Big shall return soon. In the meantime, I am more than happy to entertain you with this story. I'm glad you're enjoying it. I live to make people like you feel happy. :).

That's all I have to say for now, everyone. Thank you all so much for taking the time to read. Don't forget to R&R! I'm The Sensational SpiderDom321 and I'll see you all next time!

~SD321 (SpiderDom321)