A/N: Well, everyone! I have some wonderful news. As of this moment, I've pre-written the remainder of Awakened. All 40 chapters have been completed. But I will give a final speech once we're at the conclusion of the story. Right now, we're still in the midst of the final battle. Knuckles and Shade went after the Master Emerald, Team A fought on the frontlines, Team B went into the citadel, and Sonic is dealing with Synergy. Let's see how well they can measure up. On an unrelated note, Awakened has reached 12,000 views! Last week, it was 11,000, not we got 1,000 more! Infinite's Ruby and I are so happy and we want to thank everyone who's reading the story.

Suggested Music:

(1) Werehog Night Boss - Sonic Unleashed OST

(2) Battle Finale - Iron Man 3 OST

(3) Blitzkrieg Bop | Eronston Remix - The Ramones (Sonic the Hedgehog 2020 Movie Trailer 2 Song)

Without further ado, enjoy the show!


Angel Nocturne: Part 3

As Teams A and C struggled with their missions, Team B snuck inside the citadel. Unfortunately, they couldn't go five seconds without being unnoticed. But with a psychokinetic hedgehog like Silver on their side, Team B bypassed through the defenses by attacking Marauders, avoiding projectiles fired from Gizoid Centurions, and leaping over small cannons that shot waves of blue energy.

Whisper swung her Cube Hammer, as Tangle pounced on enemies.

Silver continued to defeat his opponents.

And Tails joined Amy in running down the hallway.

Everyone else quickly joined them.

As they ventured through the citadel, The fox's communicator rang. Answering it, Mighty and Ray's faces appeared on the other side.

"Hey, guys," Tails greeted. "How's the battle going?"

"W-w-w-we-we d-did it, T-T-Tails," Ray greeted, adjusting his blue scarf. "We d-d-destroyed the def-d-defenses."

"All thanks to Blaze," Mighty added. "She just transformed back."

Silver approached the Miles Electric. "May I talk to Blaze? I want to see how she's doing?"

Hearing the sound of her friend, the lavender cat walked towards Mighty and Ray. "I'm fine, Silver. Thank you for your concern. How are you guys?"

"We're almost at the Chaos Emeralds' location," Amy replied.

"They should be down this corner," Tails pointed. "We'll talk to you guys later. Be careful!"

"L-likewise," Ray winked.

Hanging up the call, Team B turned to the right and kicked open a door. They were inside the dungeon room. All around them were empty jail cells with little to no guards in sight. Tails looked at his Miles Electric and touched the screen; a yellow dot indicating the Chaos Emeralds' location was close by.

"Where are the guards?" Tangle shrugged with annoyance. "This is lame. Shouldn't they be piling up!?"

"We could use a break from fighting, Tangle," Whisper replied. "Let's focus on getting the Chaos Emeralds."

"Right," Tangle nodded. "Sorry, I guess I'm just excited. Although, I do wish I can beat up Eggman for what he did to Synergy. The next time I see that guy, I'll kick him right in his-"

"Standing right here, y'know?" the voice of Dr. Eggman scoffed.

Team B quickly halted.

Turning to the right, they saw Team Eggman trapped in a jail cell. Rough and Tumble still played games with Orbot and Cubot, Metal Sonic leaned against the wall, and both scientists were against the bars.

"Huh, look at that," Tangle commented.

"Eggman? Starline?" Tails raised an eyebrow.

Whisper raised her Variable Wispon. "Stay back, Eggman!"

"How can I stand back?" Dr. Eggman asked. "I'm stuck in this cell!"

"How'd you get in there anyway?" Silver inquired.

"Ask that infernal Gizoid! When he brought down Nocturne, he threw us in this cell! I shall destroy Synergy once I get my hands on him!" the doctor calmed down. "But first, I must humbly ask the five of you, could you do me a solid and let me out of here?"

Team B didn't have to think of their response.

"I don't think so," Silver replied.

"What!?"

"Both you and Starline made Synergy evil again! Give one good reason why we should let you out of this cell!"

Dr. Eggman got down on his knees, clapping his hands together. His eyes were teary, and he started sniffing. "Because… if I stay here for the rest of my life, I'll never get to do the things I've wanted to do, see the things I wanted to see. I'll never get to rule the world as I've always dreamed of. There are so many robots that I wanted to create. Also, I've wanted to go back and get my teaching degree. I so enjoy telling people what to do. Tails, Amy, Silver, Stretchy Tail, and Edgy Wolf… please have mercy on a poor man's soul."

Team B shared the same cringe-filled faces, as Whisper slammed down the bars with her Cube Hammer.

"Get a grip, man," Tumble mumbled.

"We're seriously gonna let them go?" Silver inquired.

"We're not heartless, Silver," Amy answered. "Eggman and Starline are pure evil. Everyone in this cell is, but we can't leave them on Nocturne forever. That's not how we operate."

The white hedgehog felt guilty about his remark. "Sorry, Amy."

"Speaking of Nocturne," Dr. Starline brushed his coat off. "How are you guys planning to get rid of it? Do you plan to destroy the city or are you going to send it back to the Twilight Cage somehow?"

"Let's worry about getting the emeralds first," Tails replied. "Tangle, Whisper, Silver, get these guys out of here. Amy, you and I will-"

BLAST! (1)

"YOW!" Tails screamed, as a giant spear almost stabbed him in the head; it landed against the wall.

Everyone glanced over and saw Gizoids to their right. But they weren't ordinary Gizoids, they were Gizoid Guardians. Designed differently from previous counterparts, they were twice the size and were built with a much bulkier structure, standing with a wide chest area and abdomen. Included with muscular shoulders and massive arms, the heads were the same as a normal Gizoid; however, their head fins were larger in scale. Lastly, instead of having feet, they had a single-wide wheel.

"Shoot!" Amy grunted. "I remember those!"

"I'll get em'!" Tangle shouted with a cocky attitude. She rushed forward.

"Tangle, wait!" Whisper attempted to stop the lemur, but it was too late. The Gizoid Guardians took turned throwing powerful jabs at her, beating her to a pulp. Whisper shooed them back with the Laser Wisp and she grabbed her friend. Tails shot waves of yellow energy from his Arm Cannon, but the guardians still stood.

"No effect?" Tails gasped.

Rough and Tumble fist-bumped, running towards the Gizoids.

"This is our cue!" Tumble began.

"You better be humble!" Rough continued.

Both skunks finished their rhyme. "These machines are in the presence of Rough and-OOF!"

Both skunks met the same fate as Tangle. They fell near each other.

"Tumble," both of them moaned.

"They've been upgraded since the last time we saw them," Amy said with worry. "Everyone, retreat!"

"What about the Chaos Emeralds?" Silver inquired.

"We'll deal with that later! RUN!"

"You don't gotta tell me twice!" Cubot shouted. Everyone made a run for it, except Metal Sonic.

"Cowards run," the metal hedgehog snarled. "I win."

But even his power was no match for the Gizoid Guardians.

"On second thought, I'm out of here."

Team B and Team Eggman ran out of the dungeon. The Gizoid Guardians chased them.


A wormhole opened in the middle of the Nocturne battlefield.

Synergy fell out of it and faceplanted on the ground, nearly crashing into a pool of lava. Sonic landed on his feet and boosted forward. Synergy blocked his attack and dodged Sonic's attack. The Gizoid grabbed Sonic's arm and kicked him in the chest, blasting him in the same body part. The blue hedgehog rolled backward before he leaped off the wall and volley kicked Synergy.

The Gizoid flew across the lavafall when he landed on the other side.

Sonic leaped over the molten river before he and Synergy engaged in a fistfight.

As the two brawled, Sonic grabbed Synergy's arms, held him back, and made him look at the battlefield below. "Look at this, Synergy! Is this what you want!?"

"This madness won't last forever," Synergy retorted, flipping Sonic on his back. "It will end once Imperator Ix safely liberates his people."

Sonic spun around and formed a tornado around Synergy. Pulling the Gizoid through the air, Sonic fired nothing but homing attacks.

"You're not getting it, are you? Ix. Is. Evil! He just wants you to do his bidding! Do you think he's the type of person that cares about the cultures on this planet? No! He wants to take it away! You wouldn't want that, would you!?"

"If it were true, I wouldn't want it! But that's the thing, Imperator Ix wanted to save his people and live in peace, but all you stopped him for your own selfish desires! So, now, I'll make you rest in peace!"

"You totally stole that line from G-merl!"

Sonic jumped over Synergy's Chaos Claw.

Curling into a ball, Sonic sprightly homing attacked his enemy from head to toe. Kicking him in the chest, he fired an uppercut and continued landing his blows. Synergy attempted to attack, but Sonic caught his fist, punched him twice, kicked him one more time, and finished things off with one last homing attack.

Synergy rolled across the ground, laying on his stomach.

The blue hedgehog panted, rubbing his knees. "Heh, heh… it's funny, Synergy. You and I have fought each other twice throughout this whole thing and you whooped my butt!... Guess now the tables have turned."

"That's where you're wrong, Sonic," Synergy slowly got up. "If you know anything about ancient history," Synergy ascended the air. "You would the Nocturnus Clan are always one step ahead. FIRE!"

Out of the blue, Gizoid Guardians emerged and threw their spears forward. They also shot electric projectiles at the blue hedgehog. Sonic found himself whacked by a few energy balls and he dodged a few spears. Rolling into the guardians, he was thrown off balance by one of them and tossed off of the platform.

Free falling, Sonic jumped against the wall and ran down.

But unfortunately, he was shot down thanks to the Gizoid Guardians.

Landing on the floor, Sonic looked up and saw the robots chase after him. Synergy followed close behind.

"Aw, nertz," Sonic gulped, as he ran off at the speed of light.


The Hooligans, with Espio and Blaze still in Bark's arms, drove the Marvelous Queen to the ground. Vector, Charmy, Mighty, and Ray regrouped with the bandits, as their friends jumped out of the polar bear's arms. Espio and Blaze shared a glance with Bark before they approached their allies.

"Y'know, that's two times we saved you guys," Bean winked, annoying the Chaotix. "Are you making mistakes on purpose just to make us look good? If you are, I really appreciate it. I could use a nice ego boost."

"Take it easy, Looney Toon," Vector rolled his eyes. "So what if you saved us twice? That doesn't make you heroes."

"Speaking of which, Boss Man Big Chief Kahuna," Bean motioned to Nack, hugging him. "We could make a couple of bucks off this hero thing. I hear they make more dough than the bad guys. Plus, I've always wanted to wear a superhero cape. Can we please have a Heroes for Hire organization? We can have a mascot! I'll feed them, clean them, raise them, and named them Jorge!"

"Criminy, Bean, get off me!" the weasel shoved the duck off of him, smirking at his teammates. "Look, it ain't our fault we save you guys from certain doom. We're just making ourselves look good."

"The only reason you joined this team was so you wouldn't have to go to jail," Espio grunted. "We could have easily left you in that prison."

"Speaking of which," Charmy stroked his chin. "Why are they still here? They helped us change Synergy's personality, so why do we need them here?"

"Because the writer thinks we're awesome!" Bean answered.

BLAST!

A giant spear landed in the ground, shooting a ray of blue energy at Team A. Everyone launched into the sky, the Hooligans fell off the Marvelous Queen.

"My bike!" Nack shouted with fear.

Espio and Mighty landed on the ground; the latter caught Ray in his arms. Vector and Charmy landed on their rears and the Hooligans landed on their sides and Blaze skidded across the dirt.

Team Dark, who finished a fight with a Gizoid army, ran towards them.

"What was that?" Rouge inquired.

"Does that answer your question," Blaze pointed. Across from the team were two hordes of Gizoid Guardians.

With their wheels revved, they sped across the golden road and onto the dirt, throwing their spears and firing projectiles. Everyone panicked before they attacked, but when they did, they were quickly met with the same results as Sonic and Team B: outmatched and overpowered. Not even Blaze's flames could penetrate through their armor. This was probably because she was exhausted from her time as Burning Blaze, but even in her normal state, she did knock a few of them down by burning their heads. Everyone else did the same, but they were overrun by too many guardians.

"Holy smokes!" Bean shouted, as he smacked in the face by a Gizoid Guardian. "There's too many of them! I'm out of here!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Vector grabbed the duck. "You're staying right here with us!"

The Gizoid Guardians fired at Team A.

"Yeah, scratch that!" The crocodile shouted in fear. "We're out of here!"

"Everyone, retreat!" Espio hollered. "Get to safety!"

"I agree, move!" Shadow nodded.

Everyone in Team A sped down the road, avoiding explosions from all directions. Omega went ahead of the crowd and shot a few rockets at some pillars. Watching them fall down, he created barricades that will hopefully shield himself and the others. Thankfully, everyone was able to make it, as they ducked away from heavy fire. Sadly, Ray was shot in the back by a laser.

"RAY!" Mighty howled.

Charmy caught the squirrel mid-air and he landed beside the other Chaotix members. "I got em', Mighty!"

"Thanks, Charmy. Ray, are you okay?"

The flying squirrel coughed. "I'm o-okay, Mighty. R-r-really."

The Gizoid Guardians kept shooting. They stopped in place and repeated their process, praying to break down the makeshift barricade. But as they fired, they felt something jump on top of their heads; it was everyone in Team B. They had Team Eggman beside them and they blasted through the crowd, being followed by the other robots. Everyone jumped over the pillars and leaned against the wall.

Dr. Eggman grabbed Orbot and Cubot, holding them close. Granted, he would never do this, but since he was frightened, he didn't care. Dr. Starline peeked over, only to be shot at. He ducked below, as Rough and Tumble screamed.

Metal Sonic thought of a battle tactic.

"Good to see you guys again," Espio greeted Team B. "Although, I didn't expect Eggman to be with you."

"I've heard it before!" Dr. Eggman shouted.

"Well, look who it is," Vector grunted. "The man who started this mess."

Sonic suddenly joined the others. "What's going on, guys? I was hoping you would be doing better than me, but now I see you're doing worse."

"Thanks for the words of encouragement, Big Blue," Mighty said sarcastically.

"This is all your fault!" Dr. Eggman scolded the Resistance. "If you had stopped Synergy before he did all of this, then we wouldn't be here right now!"

"Our fault!?" Sonic hollered back. "You're the one who manipulated him!"

"Okay, okay, we all make mistakes! How are we going to fix this mess!?"

Synergy approached the Gizoid Guardian army, watching the Resistance from above. He spoke to Imperator Ix through a communicator. "Master, the plan is working. The Resistance is falling thanks to the Gizoid Guardians. Soon, they'll pay for trying to stop you."

"Excellent work, Project: Synergy," Imperator Ix replied. "Finish the job."

"Yes, Master. Gizoid Guardians, open fire! Make them pay for demolishing our clan!"

The Gizoid Guardians kept firing. Slowly, the shield started to crumble.

Everyone was close to one another.

Tangle and Whisper held each other close.

Silver and Blaze stood side by side.

The Hooligans huddled beside Mighty, Ray, and the Chaotix.

Dr. Eggman hugged Orbot and Cubot.

Dr. Starline, Rough, and Tumble screamed with terror.

Metal Sonic was silent.

Team Dark clenched their fists.

And Sonic, Tails, and Amy were panting heavily.

As the barricade began to dissolve due to heavy fire, there was a miracle that happened…

…The Gizoid Guardians stopped shooting. (1s)

The Resistance and Team Eggman peeked over the wall and raised their eyebrows, wondering what caused them to stop shooting. Even Synergy was stumbled by this turn of events.

"Project: Synergy, what's going on?" Imperator Ix asked.

"I don't know, Master."

"Find out what it is!"

Suddenly, the Gizoid Guardians looked up, detecting something in the sky. From there, they started shooting. Everyone followed the glowing lasers.

Nothing was there.

"What the heck are they shooting at?" Synergy asked.

"Tails, what's going on?" Sonic inquired.

"I'm not sure," Tails replied, rubbing his head.

"MULTIPLE OBJECTS DETECTED IN LOWER ATMOSPHERE," Omega answered. (2)

Every member of the Resistance, the Eggman Empire, and Synergy glanced upward. It didn't take long for four mountain-sized rockets to appear out of nowhere, locking onto the Gizoid Guardians.

KRAKOOM!

Half of the Gizoid army was decimated with ease.

Other Gizoids and Marauders emerged from the city and approached the barricade, but they stopped to take a look at four objects entering the battlefield.

As soon as they got closer, they took everyone by surprise.

Team Chaotix, Mighty, Ray, Silver, Blaze, Tangle, and Whisper smirked. Team Dark nodded and smiled. Tails and Amy were astounded, and Sonic was more than excited.

He shouted, "Oh, yeah!"

The four objects were none other than G-merl, Cream, and Big. By their side was Cheese. But he wasn't the only one who was with them. Emerging from the clouds were a few friends the Resistance met along the way: Honey the Cat, who was riding around on an orange Bike type Extreme Gear, Jewel the Beetle, who was armed with the Lightning Wispon.

That wasn't all of them.

Behind them was a series of battleships piloted by soldiers of the G.U.N. and joining them was another shuttle, similar to the Restoration Shuttle, with the Resistance HQ logo on it.

Everyone was taken back by the number of ships there were and the fact their friends came back to help them.

Honey and Jewel stopped mid-air, winking down at their friends.

The G.U.N. transport ships landed, releasing squadrons of soldiers and assault drones. Leading them was Commander Abraham Tower, who operated his assault drone, Diablon. The red, yellow, and black robot flexed its fingers and stretched its arms, itching for a fight.

The Resistance ship landed as well and released Gadget, Corvin, Fuchsia and every single Mobian that was involved in the Phantom Ruby War.

And Lastly, G-merl landed on the ground with Cream and Big.

"Ha-ha!" Tangle shook Whisper and Amy. "I told you they'd come back to help us! This is gonna be amazing!"

"Hey, guys," G-merl greeted. "Sorry, we're late. I needed some reassurance."

Cream and G-merl exchanged a happy glance. The two of them, along with Big, looked up at Synergy.

"You're a little outmatched, Synergy!" G-merl called out. "Make this easier for yourself and give up!"

Synergy clenched his fist.

Everyone in the Resistance stood by G-merl, Big, Cream, Honey, and Jewel. All of the heroes took a stand with G.U.N. troops and rookies right behind them. Synergy grunted and called his army forward.

"Seize them!" The blue/green Gizoid commanded.

The Marauders and Gizoids charged forward.

"Guess they're not giving up," G-merl folded his arms. "Fine by me. Amy, since Knuckles isn't here, do you want to take command?"

"Gladly," Amy twirled her hammer. "Resistance, CHARGE!" (2s) (3)

Both parties entered the final battle.

The first confrontation was between Sonic, G-merl, Cream, and an army of Gizoids. They all exchanged hard blows before the three heroes decided to take it a step further. The blue hedgehog, at full speed, boosted into the Gizoid army before he curled into a ball. He ran around the pathway so fast that he shot a gust of blue wind from his palms, blowing the competition away. G-merl and Cream, forming a double-spin dash, rolled around like a bowling ball down a bowling lane, knocking down Marauders like bowling pins. Big the Cat followed from behind and clobbered the Marauders with ease. He body-slammed them to the ground and wrapped some of them with his fishing rod. Swinging them back and forth, he chucked them into the air, only for them to slammed by Diablon.

Mighty and Ray ran alongside Team Chaotix, as they shared fierce punches and kicks on the Marauders and Gizoids. Being the strongest one in the team, the armadillo shielded himself from projectiles with his steel-like shell, as he grabbed onto soldiers and knocked them out of the battlefield. Ray tucked into a ball and mimicked Sonic's spin dash, but sadly, he was knocked out of his form thanks to a Gizoid Guardian. Aiming for the head, Espio threw a Kunai at it and assisted the squirrel, pulling him on his feet.

"T-thanks, Espio," Ray gave a thumbs up.

"You're welcome, Ray. Team Chaotix leaves no one behind."

The flying-squirrel smiled.

Vector and Charmy worked together, exchanging hard blows and powerful attacks. The bee stung multiple Marauders in their rears, hearing them scream like little children. The crocodile, chewing on spicy bubble gum, blew a gust of fire from his mouth. Incinerating multiple Gizoids, Vector bit off one of their arms and showed off his brute strength.

"Take this, you jerks!" Charmy shouted, as he slammed two Marauders' heads together.

Espio and Ray regrouped with the team.

"Vector, I have to wonder, how does your tongue not burn when you chew that stuff?" Espio inquired.

"Who says my mouth doesn't burn?" Vector asked.

Espio's eyes widened. "Oh…"

Mighty joined the team by slamming the ground, sending a shockwave that blew the enemies out of the field.

"It's good to have you here, Mighty," Charmy smiled.

"Glad to be back at the right time, Charmy," Mighty nodded, as he finished knocking enemies down.

With the extended Chaotix team fighting for their lives, Tangle and Whisper regrouped with Jewel and Honey the Cat. The lemur wrapped her tail around the soldiers' blasters and whipper them out of their hands, giving Whisper a chance to shoot a set of crystals from her pocket. With her expert marksmanship, she shot the Laser Wispon from her blaster and annihilated a series of Gizoid Centurions. Whisper switched to Rocket Mode and destroyed an army of Gizoid Guardians (she went for their heads). Meanwhile, Honey rolled across the ground and showcased her puppy dog eyes, making her enemies stop dead in their tracks.

"You wouldn't hurt a cute, little kitten, would you?" she pleaded with a smile.

The echidnas exchanged curious looks before aiming their blasters at her.

"Guess you would," Honey shrugged. Cracking her fingers, she suddenly clapped her hands against a Marauder's cheeks before unleashing her fury.

With her cat claws extended, she made sure every enemy that surrounded suffered her wrath. Landing punches, jabs, scratches, kicks, and other blows, Honey volley kicked a Gizoid and disarmed multiple Marauders. Eventually, she flipped over one echidna and kicked him in his chest, sending him skyrocketing into his brethren.

Jewel, who wasn't combat experienced, nervously swung her Lightning Wispon around like an actual rope. Without looking, she managed to disarm multiple soldiers, grab them by their stomachs, and whack them around. Tangle thought she looked like a wild canine chucking around a chew toy. To which, she laughed at the thought of her best friend doing that. Speaking of which, the lemur approached the beetle and helped her fight off the surrounding wave of enemies.

When their fight was over, Tangle graciously wrapped her arms around the insect.

Whisper approached the duo, shooting orange rockets at Gizoid Guardians.

"Jewel, you came!" the lemur smiled excitingly. "And you got yourself a weapon! That's so cool!"

"Ha-ha, thanks," Jewel rubbed her head. "G-merl called me here. At first, I was nervous about coming, but after thinking about it and thinking about you, I decided that I wanted to help."

"We appreciate you coming, Jewel," Whisper smiled. "Thank you… on your left!"

Whisper shot a Marauder that emerged behind the beetle.

Tangle wrapped her arms around both of her friends. "Man, this is awesome! We should totally come up with a team name for ourselves."

"I don't think that's necessary," Whisper replied, shooting a Gizoid from behind.

"It's totally necessary! But what could our name be? It's gotta be something simple, but effective. Team Lemur Strike? No, that sounds narcissistic."

Jewel and Whisper gasped because an army of Gizoid Centurions and Guardians charged at them like raging bulls.

With their combined strength, they distracted them while the lemur thought of a solid team name.

"Team Feral Strike? No, I'm sure that one's taken. The Underdogs? No, that's too generic and really stupid. It's gotta be something that screams justice." she snapped her fingers, thinking a name. "Ah-ha! Team Justice! That's it! Team Justice!"

Whisper slammed a Gizoid that approached the lemur. "It's nice that you thought of a name, but would you mind helping us, please?"

"Oh! Ha-ha, sorry!"

Team Dark focused on fighting with Diablon and the rest of G.U.N.'s soldiers. All of them were fleeing forward to wipe out the countless Marauders in a quick motion. With his Air Shoes, Shadow rocketed through the battlefield, shooting Chaos Spears at his enemies. The black hedgehog faced off against other Gizoids to protect his teammates. He landed on the ground and shot a Chaos Blast, sending the Gizoids to their doom. Rouge joined the hedgehog and fired fierce kicks. Omega nonchalantly walked forward. The bulky mech shot his lasers and activated his machine guns at a cluster of wannabe Emerl clones. Even though he didn't require assistance, Diablon fired a streak of red energy from his eye. Charging up his anti-matter cannon, Diablon shot a large dome-shaped radius that exploded no less than forty feet from everyone.

Shadow and Rouge jumped on Diablon's shoulders.

"Looks like you finally came around," Rouge nudged Diablon's forehead. "What made you change your mind?"

"The President heard that I arrested the Resistance," the commander replied. "He told me that I was being unfair by not hearing their explanation. Once this is over, I demand a reason why they were keeping Synergy by their sides."

"THE NOCTURNUS CLAN SHALL FALL BY MY HANDS!" Omega replied. "TARGETS SHALL BE ERADICATED!"

As half of the G.U.N. soldiers and the Resistance fought off the invasion, Silver and Blaze joined alongside Tails, Amy, and the Hooligans. They helped them out by clearing out half the enemies with ease. Tails and Amy have everyone a thumbs up before they ran up to Sonic, G-merl, Cream, and Big.

"What took you so long?" Amy playfully teased G-merl.

"Sorry about that, Amy," G-merl shrugged. "Cream and Big helped me out of my slump. Where are Knuckles and Shade?"

"They went after the Master Emerald," Tails answered. "We were trying to go after the Chaos Emeralds before we were ambushed by the Gizoid Guardians."

"Where are they?" G-merl inquired. "I'll go find them for you."

"They're inside the citadel," Tails handed the Gizoid his Miles Electric. "Take this emerald tracker. You should find them in an underground lair."

"Thanks, Tails," G-merl waved. "I'll be back."

"Wait," Cream tugged on the Gizoid's arm. "Can I come with you, G-merl? You're going to need help."

"I want to come too," Big smiled.

"Sure," G-merl nodded. "Eggman once said, the more the merrier. Come on, guys!"

Grabbing Big's arms, G-merl flew through the air and dropped an armada of missiles on the army below. Cream and Cheese flew close behind, as the four heroes flew into the citadel. But from above, Synergy watched them enter through the window.

Clenching his fist, the Chaos hybrid followed them.

On the surface, Mighty and Ray tossed and turned, landing more blows against their enemies.

It didn't take long for Honey to arrive, slicing two Gizoids in half.

The armadillo noticed her and smiled heavily. "Honey?"

"Hey, babe!" the cat greeted.

Ray stopped fighting once he heard the cat's reply. "W-w-wait, b-babe?"

Before Mighty could shake Honey's hand, the cat pulled him close to her and bestowed a kiss upon his lips. Seeing that sight, the flying squirrel's eyes jumped out of his sockets, his veins nearly popped, and his heart pounded like a drum. (3s)

Team Chaotix wasn't too far from where they were. Charmy was the first to see the kiss. Tapping Vector and Espio on their shoulders, the three watched as the cat and the armadillo shared their love.

"Oh, my!" Vector gasped.

"What the?" Espio inquired.

"Holy Mama!" Charmy giggled.

Ray was the most awestruck out of everyone.

He and Mighty had been best friends since they were locked up on Eggman Island together. He thought he knew everything about him, but he was wrong. He never knew that his best friend gave his heart to someone. Someone like Honey the Cat: the number-one fashionista in Empire City. This was funny because Ray recalled meeting Honey during Jewel's fashion contest. He met her and greeted her happily, she did the same with Mighty. But he didn't think about them being romantically involved with each other.

With his heart still beating, Ray clenched his forehead and spoke his mind. "Mighty!?"

The armadillo and cat stopped kissing, noticing everyone was watching them.

"Uh, oh," Honey gulped.

"Ray," Mighty spoke. "I can explain."

"Dude, how could you not tell me you had a girlfriend!?" Ray continued his tangent. He wasn't angry, nor was he disappointed in Mighty, he was confused. "You two have been dating each other this whole time!? How is that possible? You and I have been in places without internet access, so there's no way you had an online relationship! Ah-ha! I got it; you've been writing letters to each other! Wait, no, that's impossible! We never stayed in places with mailboxes, so there's no way you two could write to each other!"

"Ray, let me-"

"How could you not tell me you two were dating!? Huh, we're best friends, aren't we, Mighty? I thought you would've told me! Wait, she has a friend, right? What's her name, Tiara Boobowski? Is she single? If so, can you hook a brother up? Wait, what am I saying!? I'm not into dating anyone at the moment? I think I'm freaking out! This is so insane!"

"Ray."

"I can't believe you have a girlfriend! I sound like a broken record when I say this, but I can't believe that I found out right now. Right now, we're fighting a war against a bunch of echidnas, I didn't expect to find this out during this moment! What on Mobius is going on here!? I'M FREAKING OUT!"

"RAY!"

"WHAT!?"

A moratorium occurred in the environment. The armadillo walked over to squirrel, stared at him for a few seconds, and gave him a hug. "Dude, you realize you just said all of that without stuttering, right?"

Ray tapped his neck. "I did?... Oh, my gosh! I really did!" he got excited. "Hey, guys! Listen to me, I can talk normally now!"

Team Chaotix grinned.

"But that doesn't mean I won't forget this," Ray motioned to Mighty and Honey.

"Oh, trust me, Ray," Vector tapped the squirrel's shoulder. "We're definitely gonna have a talk about this."

Mighty and Honey gulped.

As the detectives spoke with the lovebirds, everyone in the Eggman Empire hid behind a pile of debris, watching the endless donnybrook escalate.

"Man, how would it be if we were in there?" Rough commented.

"I know right," Tumble nodded. "That looks awesome, Bro."

"I need to get those emeralds," Dr. Eggman commented.

"What we need to do is get out of here," Dr. Starline replied. "We can't stay here for any longer. If we do, we'll get killed!"

"Nonsense!" Dr. Eggman retorted. "Once I get those emeralds, I can use them to overthrow the Nocturnus Clan! I'll rebuild my lair on top of their city, build my army of Gizoids, and create a nice throne on top of the Master Emerald! Metal Sonic, fetch those Chaos Emeralds for daddy! If someone gets in your way, crush them!"

Metal Sonic obeyed and flew towards the citadel.

"If this plan of yours goes well, I'll take back my skepticism," Dr. Starline stroked his chin. "However, I humbly request that we go somewhere safe. I do not wish to be part of this battle."

"I can agree with that," Dr. Eggman replied. "We can sneak-Olof. Huh?"

The mad doctor bumped into something soft behind him. It was the white, soft fur of Bark the Polar Bear. With his arms folded, he had Nack and Bean by his side.

"G'evening, Mates," Nack smiled evilly. "Going somewhere?"

"Nack, Bean, Bark!" Dr. Eggman chuckled nervously. "Good to see you guys again. Hey, listen. Let's make a deal. If you guys let us go, I'll give you a fair profit once all of this chaos is over. Deal?"

The Hooligans shared a glance.


Suddenly, the Eggman Empire found themselves locked in jail… again.

This time, they were trapped on one of the G.U.N. airships.

Nack, Bean, and Bark placed them behind bars.

"This is absurd," Dr. Starline grumbled. "You three are just as bad as the Babylon Rogues? Why are you working with the Resistance?"

"Well, we figured we could make some good cash off this hero stuff," Bean answered. "Plus, it's nice to put someone in jail rather than let someone put us in jail. Does that make sense? I think it does. I still think we should have a Heroes for Hire thing, Whaddya think, Nack?"

"Eh, I'll pass on that," Nack shook his head. "But one's things for certain, Dr. Eggman's plans have just been cracked." The weasel put on a pair of black shades as soon as he said that. The three Hooligans shared a laugh. Even Bark joined in the fun.

Watching the bandits were Espio, Vector, and Charmy.

"Three times," Vector moaned. "That's three times the Hooligans did something good."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Amy makes them honorary members of the Resistance," Espio folded his arms.

"Next thing you know," Charmy said. "The Babylon Rogues are going to start behaving."

All three detectives cringed.

"That's something I'm not looking forward to," Vector said.

"Agreed," Espio nodded.


As the Resistance advances into combat, Knuckles and Shade were cruising down the forest of Angel Island. They were almost as Shrine Isle, where they planned to disconnect the Master Emerald from Nocturne, separating the two islands. As they rode around on their Extreme Gear, Shade looked over her shoulder, seeing if anyone was following her.

"Are you okay, Shade?" Knuckles asked.

"I'm fine," the orange echidna answered. "I'm just worried about everyone else."

"It sounded like things were going bad before, but I think everything's settled down. I don't know who's winning, but knowing the Resistance, they found a way to push through. Amy did think of a good plan after all. Heh, I'm thinking of letting her take over once this is over."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean I'm gonna let her become the new commander of the Resistance. She seems like she'd fit the role. She's done a lot of work during the war, it's only fair I make her the new leader. Do you think that's fair?"

"Amy showed that she can fend for herself when we ventured into the Twilight Cage, so yes. I believe she will be a worthy successor to your role. I wish I was part of the Resistance from the beginning. I would've loved to see how you guys operated."

"Except for one invasion in Metropolis, everything went fine… somewhat."

"What?"

"Nothing."

The red echidna felt a bit of pain in his forehead. "Urgh…"

"Are you okay, Knuckles?"

"I'm fine, Shade. I can feel the Master Emerald's power. It's calling to me."

"That means we're close by, yes?"

"Indeed. Are you ready for this?"

Shade nodded. "I am. Let's go save your island."

Within a few seconds, Knuckles and Shade arrived at Shrine Isle. The night was still young, and lightning struck as storm clouds formed around the shrine itself. Standing on top of it was Imperator Ix himself. Holding his scepter, he waited for his fellow echidnas to arrive. Jumping off their hoverboards, Shade and Knuckles shared one last glance before walking up the shrine's stairs.

"What have you done to your uniform?" Imperator Ix snarled, noticing Shade's new look.

"That's an odd way of saying hello," Shade grinned. "Haven't you heard? I'm no longer associated with the clan."

"Yet you still carry our equipment. A hypocrite is what you are."

"Release the Master Emerald, Ix!" Knuckles demanded.

"You know, it's amazing," Imperator Ix chuckled. "If it weren't for that piece of scrap metal, none of this would've happened."

"If only Synergy could hear what you're saying," Shade grunted. "He would know that you care nothing for the people. All you want is world conquest! Family means nothing to you."

"Family is for the weak, Shade. You of all people should know that. Speaking of family, the Resistance's paltry efforts do not concern me. One by one, they'll become a black mark on the floor. And you two are nothing compared to my power."

"Are we done talking?" Knuckles clapped his fists.

"I guess so," Shade answered.

"I know so," Imperator Ix clenched his fist, twirling his scepter. "You're going to stop me, aren't you? Come on, show me what you're made of."

Knuckles and Shade prepared for their showdown with Imperator Ix.

END OF CHAPTER 36


The rematch of the century is about to happen. Knuckles and Shade: two echidnas with a strong sense of justice are going up against Imperator Ix: a fellow echidna who cares about nothing but running a dictatorship. These three fighters haven't faced each other in a long time, let's see how they can hold up. Meanwhile, the Resistance is pushing foward thanks to G-merl's plan. But how long can this last? Will G-merl, Cream, and Big get the Chaos Emeralds while avoiding Synergy and Metal Sonic? Let's find out how everything goes when we reach the end of the Angel Nocturne story arc in...

"Chapter 37: Angel Nocturne: Part 4".


POST-A/N:

For anyone who recognizes the name Diablon, that is the name of a boss battle from the game, Shadow the Hedgehog. Depending on your choices (which was a stupid system), Shadow could have a boss battle against Sonic and the G.U.N. Commander, who rode around in a mech called Diablon. I figured I would bring a destructive drone like this one in a fight against the Nocturnus Clan. At least it's fighting alongside Shadow rather than against him.

An original plan was to have Sonic join Knuckles and Shade in the fight against Imperator Ix as a callback to Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, but I figured why not have Sonic try to reason with Synergy instead. By the way, I've been seeing videos of people bashing Sonic's characterization in the IDW Comics, which makes me a bit nervous. How am I doing with Sonic's characterization throughout the story so far? I feel I'm doing good, but what do you guys think? I'm trying to dive back to his personality from Unleashed, Black Knight, Secret Rings, and other games before Colors, Free Riders, TSR, all that stuff.

The idea for Mighty and Honey dating was inspired by a story called "Seven Mighty x Honey Prompts" written by PopfullaArtist (formally Toni the Mink). That story deals with the lives of Mighty the Armadillo and Honey the Cat as a couple. There is one chapter where Ray gets mad about them dating. Of course, I didn't want to copy from the author, so I made Mighty and Honey's relationship into a comedic joke rather than something serious.

Ray losing his stutter is callback to how Pre-SGW Archie Ray had a stutter, but then the comic was rebooted, Ray no longer had his stutter. I personally like him with the stutter since it gives him more personality, but for the sake of his outburst here, I decided to have him shout with full confidence. Poor Mighty and Honey are going to be teased from here on out.

Special thanks to MysteriousGirl92 for Tangle's team name, "Team Justice".

Originally, the Eggman Empire was supposed to escape from Nocturne in the next chapter, but I figured karma should bite them for what they've done to Synergy.

Response to TheLostEternity: Poor Vector. He REALLY doesn't want the Hooligans to be good guys. That would be bad news for his business. I am glad the fight between Sonic and Synergy was fun to read. It was fun to write and I thought it would add some tension/fun to the story. Let's see if the Hooligans can keep up this peaceful act. Saving Espio and Blaze was only icing on the cake. Dr. Eggman is hoping Sonic would trash the Nocturnus Clan, so that he can break out and take over the world. But we'll have to see how that goes for him. I am glad to respond to your comments because they're awesome! Thank you for your reviews on both Awakened and Sonic Heroes: The Atom Bomb! You make my day when I see your comments. I will stay safe and I wish the same for you :).

That's all I have to say, everyone. 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)