Sonic and company, having no other place to stay, found solace in the house of Cream the Rabbit and her mother, Vanilla. Tails was also informed of the events that had taken place when he was knocked unconscious. Though spacing was a bit cramped (Eggman was still in possession of his Egg Mobile/Walker hybrid), the five of them were able to rest for the night.

Except Tails.

Though he hadn't given it much thought when he initially recovered on Angel Island, his failure at Spiral Hill's Mineral Museum was eating him up. He was alone with his thoughts, and there was nothing positive to think about.

You failed Sonic. You're holding him back. Shadow has a Chaos Emerald because of you. Eggman will die because of you.

It brought back the memories of his failures, both old and new. Since the Dark Gaia incident he'd only become weaker, more of a coward. He'd stopped being a hero in his own right and reverted to powerless sidekick. And with a few exceptions, he'd constantly failed and disappointed everyone. The depression was starting to set it.

I'm useless. I'm weak. He's better off without me.

Tails did his best to push the negative thoughts aside and focus on improving, but with nowhere to practice his handiwork, he wasn't feeling confident about the future.

Morning came, and the five were preparing their plan for the day, with breakfast courtesy of Vanilla.

Sitting at a round table, Sonic was figuring out what their plan should be. "Alright guys, I don't know what we should do, but I do know we need to do something fast. Any ideas, resident geniuses?"

"Sorry, Sonic," Tails yawned. "I couldn't sleep too well last night, so I'm not really in the best mindset for thinking up a plan…"

Eggman snorted. "And you're supposed to be my intellectual rival? Little Tails needs a nappy-nap before he can think straight?"

"Shut up, Eggman!" Tails snapped. "I'm only making sure I don't lead us on a plan that'll screw everything up. But you don't know much about successful planning, so feel free to share whatever ingenious scheme you're cooking up," he ranted.

Eggman twirled his mustache and responded. "Why of course. It's quite simple, foxboy. We need to split up. One team should find another Chaos Emerald, while the other should find more allies to recruit. As for who to recruit, I don't know. I don't keep track of all your stupid friends."

"Stupid?!" Tangle shouted. "Sonic's friends are amazing! There're so many powerful awesome people, and everyone's so special and unique!"

"Not everyone's as great or strong as Sonic and Shadow," Eggman groaned. "Those bumbling fools from that failing detective agency are glorified extras in the grand scheme of things."

A lightbulb went off in Sonic's head. "That's it!" he exclaimed. "The Chaotix! We need them on our side! Alright, I figured it out. Tails, Tangle, you guys will go down to the Chaotix Detective Agency and ask them to join our team. The extra support will be super helpful! As for Egghead and Metal, you two will come with me. We have to track down the next Chaos Emerald, and we can do so using the radar--oh… yeah. We don't have that anymore. Well, we still have 1 Chaos Emerald, so that'll be enough."

Enthusiastic to help out, Tangle inquired, "Wait, where ARE the Chaotix based in?"

"Metal, a map, if you please. Just the surrounding neighborhoods," Sonic requested.

The robot did as instructed, his "eyes" displaying a holographic map on the table in front of them. Sonic pointed out the locations. "Right now, we're in Floral Forest Village. To the west over there, that's Seaside City. Metal, zoom in there for a sec. Look, Tangle. You see on the corner of Oshima Street and Naka Drive, that's where their office is. Got it?"

Tangle raised her fist in the air, full of excitement. "Yeah, let's do this!" Her now-partner Tails was a little less than excited but still ready to help, to try and take his mind off of his recent loss.

Tangle's excitement rubbed off on Sonic, and now he was pumped for adventure, too. "That settles it, then! Alright, guys, let's get going!"

"Wait, Mr. Sonic! Cheese, Gemerl, and I would like to help out as well!"

Sonic turned to see the trio standing before him. Cream was doing well, settling down after the Metal Virus outbreak, which had left her deeply wounded emotionally. Despite that, her role models Sonic and Amy had taught her to stay positive and strong, and she'd essentially recovered and yearned for adventure again. Cheese shared her excitement, flying fast around her. Gemerl only eyed Metal Sonic, who stared coldly right back. They started addressing each other in beeps, boops, and blips only they could understand.

Sonic shook his head, vehemently refusing. "No way, Cream! I don't want you getting involved in this. It's way too dangerous and you could end up seriously hurt."

Eggman shrugged. "I mean, we could always use the numbers. An ally's an ally."

"She's a little kid!" Sonic retorted. He addressed Cream. "I know we've adventured together before and fought alongside each other, but this is a situation I know I can control, and I want to leave you out of it for the greater good. Please understand, Cream."

Cream was heartbroken at this rejection and began to tear up. Sonic wasn't ready to deal with it. "No, come on Cream, don't do that…"

"Mr. Sonic… you just think I'm still a weak, little kid, don't you?"

"What?" Sonic was taken aback. Since when did Cream want to prove herself? "No, Cream, you're one of the strongest people I know. You're a hero. But it's safer this way. Trust me."

Cream's heart sank further as she began crying harder. She covered her face and ran to her room, shutting the door loudly. Vanilla heard it from the kitchen and just sighed, silently thanking the higher powers that Sonic was leaving her out of this adventure. Sonic felt a pang of guilt in his heart for making the kid cry, but he was confident it was better this way. It dampened the mood a bit but the five of them still took off. Tails and Tangle left immediately for Seaside City, walking at a reasonable pace as it was the next town over, while Sonic, Metal, and Eggman lingered outside the Rabbit residence for a second.

Sonic spoke up. "Alright, any ideas on how we're gonna find the next Chaos Emerald? I can't exactly sense it or anything, but these things are supposed to attract each other, so maybe we can work with that."

Eggman just shook his head. "If I could've toggled with Metal somewhere, we could've installed a radar function. But we have nowhere to perform anything mechanical right now."

Sonic stroked his chin for a second before realizing something. "Hey, Metal has the Fake Emerald, and he's copied Shadow's Chaos Control to a tee already. If he can scan this Chaos Emerald, do you think he can decipher the location of similar energies?"

Eggman took the opportunity to stroke his ego. "Of course! He's as advanced as they come, with extremely flexible programming and intuitive AI. That'll be no problem for him, right, Metal?"

Metal nodded his head and gestured for Sonic to show him the Emerald. Sonic obliged and took it out, trusting him completely and giving him the Emerald. Metal repaid this trust in full, doing as he was told. He scanned the Emerald and synthesized a new program in his code, and handed Sonic back the Emerald. Some unreadable red text appeared along his eyes as he stood still, charting a course towards the nearest display of Chaos energy. He then gestured for Sonic and Eggman to follow his lead, and they took off at their trademark super speed for the Mystic Ruins.

On Team Dark's side of things, Shadow was discussing what they were going to do.

"Now that we have a Chaos Emerald, we're operating on an even playing field. I thought it over last night and I've decided we're going to split up today. Whisper and I are going to pay a visit to a couple of rabbits, as part of an investigation to figure out where Sonic went hiding and what his next move is. While we're doing that, Rouge and Omega, you're going to find the next Chaos Emerald. Any questions?"

"Just one, Shadow," Rouge answered. "How are we going to find the next Emerald? I don't know where the rest of them are, like I did with the first two."

Shadow thought it over in his head. They didn't exactly have a radar. Damn it, we forgot to raid Tails' house before destroying it. I'm sure their radar was in there. At least they don't have one either. "Good question. Omega, how good are your tracking capabilities?"

Omega responded plainly. "I am part of the E-Series line of robots. I am designed for combat first. However, being the ultimate creation of Dr. Eggman, my tracking capabilities should surpass that of any other robot."

"Alright then, here's what we're going to do," Shadow declared. "Rouge, I'm going to give you and Omega this Chaos Emerald. Omega, keep the Emerald safe inside you for the time being, and see if you can use it to develop a way inside your system of tracking down the other one."

Rouge added to his statement. "Aren't the Chaos Emeralds magnetic? They're supposed to be able to attract each other. If you have one, you have them all, they say. They can lead you right to another."

"Exactly," Shadow agreed. "Use the inherent magnetic powers of the Emeralds to find more. And if anyone gets in your way, crush them without a second thought." He capped off his words by handing Omega his Chaos Emerald, to which the latter placed it inside his metal body.

Rouge was a bit concerned for her friend. "Won't this significantly reduce the power of your Chaos Control?"

Shadow nodded. "It will, but I'm not powerless without it. It'll only affect the distance I can teleport, which means we have to go where we need to on foot. I don't intend to fight so I won't need it now, anyway. And if it comes to that, I have Whisper as backup."

Whisper blushed under her mask, nodding in agreement.

Rouge winked and saluted her team. "Alright, if anything comes up we'll contact you. You guys do the same."

Shadow agreed. "Yes. Good luck, then."

"Same to you."

"Alright. Team Dark, let's move out!"

Meanwhile, Tails and Tangle were continuing their trek to Seaside City. Since Tangle couldn't keep up with Tails, they were going at a light jog, but were slowing down every few minutes when Tangle got distracted or met someone she knew. Tails was too lost in his own thoughts to care, still dwelling on his blundering ineptitude from yesterday. The inner Sonic in his head was telling him to get over it and not sweat the small stuff like that. And with Tangle in tow, a new opportunity arose in the form of mentorship! Though Tails hadn't felt like his own true hero for quite some time, he realized that with Tangle tagging along, he could see how it felt to step into the shoes of the main hero and have her as a sidekick, and perhaps tutor her, steering her into the path of becoming a proper hero in her own right. Though she had tons of enthusiasm, Tails had an abundance of experience that could only be rivaled by Sonic and Eggman themselves.

As they walked into the city, they were greeted by the wide array of noises that only a city as bustling as this could provide. Seaside City seemed to be doing well after the outbreak, with most people driving by or walking around like nothing had happened. There were still some holes in the road and not every building was intact, but for the most part, it was the most well-off locale either of them had seen in a while.

Tails looked over at Tangle, who was in awe of the city. "Say, Tangle, have you ever been here before?"

"Eh, not really. I think I know a person who lives here, but I've never really ventured outside of my hometown, so all this is a new experience for me! I can't wait to do some sightseeing!"

Tails chuckled at how eager she was. "Remember what we're here for, though. Maybe the Chaotix can give us a grand tour later."

Tangle slapped her cheeks with both hands to psyche herself up and nodded. "Right, the mission. Can't let Sonic down! Though I do have one question… how were they able to rebuild so fast after, y'know, the whole Zombot thing?"

Tails stroked his chin as he answered. "Well, the citizens evacuated pretty early on so destruction was pretty minimal. And seeing as this is a coastal city, they definitely weren't lacking in wealth or resources to fix any lingering problems. Though I hope the Chaotix are doing as well as the rest of this place…"

Tangle scanned the surrounding streets and buildings until the important one caught her eye. She pointed it out for Tails to see. "Look, there's the office! The corner of Oshima Street and Naka Drive, just like Sonic said!"

With no time to waste, the two sped into the building to greet their friends.

The Chaotix Detective Agency looked uncharacteristically amazing. It was well-organized inside, and the Chaotix's current financial success was visible in every section of the office. The overall vibe was also incredibly chill. No panic or chaos, especially weird for a group named after the latter. Vector was relaxing in his usual pose, his hands clasped behind his head and his feet crossed on the desk, while music blared through his headphones as he hummed along, eyes closed. Espio was meditating on the other side of the room, visibly focused and concentrated. Charmy was playing on some handheld. Nintendo Swap, was it? He was giggling at whatever was on-screen in front of him. Upon hearing their visitors enter, Espio got up and walked over to greet them, bowing to them respectfully before shaking their hands. "Welcome, friends. What brings you to our humble agency?"

"Pshh, this place looks anything but humble!" Tangle butt in before Tails could answer. "Business must've been good for a bit after the plague, huh?"

Espio nodded earnestly. "Many civilians required our services to find their loved ones after the chaos. It was hectic, but our efforts paid off." He raised his voice a bit to call his comrades' attention. "Vector, Charmy, we've got visitors."

The two looked up to see Espio with Tails and Tangle, and got up to say hello. Vector gave Tails and Tangle fist bumps, while Charmy high-fived them. "Long time no see, guys," Vector greeted. "What's going on? Got a mystery that needs solving? We could always use some work."

The scatterbrained Charmy interrupted. "No way, Tails came to race with me! He's gonna help me prove I'm the fastest flyer in the world!"

Tails chuckled, shaking his head. "Neither of those actually, sorry. I've got a bit of a weird proposition, but it's serious. Let's sit down and talk about it."

Back at the Rabbit residence in Floral Forest Village, two looming figures entered the premises. The ebony hedgehog and the biscotti wolf were standing outside the doorway of Vanilla's house, ready to confront the residents in a nonviolent manner. Shadow raised his arm to knock, but hesitated. He looked over at his ally, whom he noticed was mostly at ease and comfortable with the situation. He inquired softly. "Are you friends with the younger rabbit?"

Whisper thought for a second before whispering back. "She's pretty much friends with everyone, but we're comfortable around each other, so I suppose so."

"Alright. You knock. She'll be happy to see a more familiar face then."

Whisper did as he instructed, rapping her knuckles on the door quickly. Unsurprisingly, it was the black, gold, and silver robot who answered the door, glaring at them with his blue eyes, probably scanning them.

Shadow did not know how he felt about Gemerl. He was another one of those "ultimate robots" in the vein of Metal Sonic and E-123 Omega. Shadow had a complicated history with Gemerl's predecessor, but despite this, Gemerl didn't pay him or anyone else any sort of attention, except for Cream, whom he'd been programmed to protect by the fox. A strong potential ally indeed if Shadow played his cards right…

Gemerl took his job as Cream's protector quite seriously. He also had to weigh the options in his head. Would he be able to fight Shadow the Hedgehog? Would he have to? Regardless, Gemerl made sure to alert Metal Sonic on the other side of town, sending him a simple message: *Shadow the Hedgehog and Whisper the Wolf are currently at Cream's house.* As Metal received that information, Sonic and company would be able to react accordingly.

Gemerl spoke to the visitors. "Ultimate Lifeform. Guardian Angel of the Battlefield. State your business for visiting."

Whisper spoke as softly as ever. "We wanted to talk with Cream. Is she here?"

Gemerl responded bluntly. "Cream is not in a position to speak with you right now." He was immediately contradicted when Cream ran towards him and met Whisper and Shadow in the doorframe. "Ms. Whisper! Hello!" She enveloped her in a hug, to which Whisper somewhat attempted to reciprocate. "Oh, and um, Mr. Shadow… hello."

Shadow nodded. "Cream."

Cream gestured for them to come in, and they sat down to talk with her, Gemerl still present and weary of Shadow.

Shadow cut straight to the chase, though he minced words as he was aware of who he was talking to. Cream even reminded him of her… if only a bit.

"I did not come to hurt you or your family, Cream. All I want is for everyone on this planet to be safe. That being said, I need you to answer me honestly. Was Sonic the Hedgehog and his team here already?"

Cream, not one to lie, bent her head down in sadness and answered honestly, as he had asked. "Yes… Mr. Sonic and Tails spent the night here last night, with Ms. Tangle and Dr. Eggman and Mr. Metal. Mr. Sonic said he had nowhere else to go."

Shadow nodded, making sure she felt listened to. "And do you know where they are now?"

Cream looked up at Shadow, a bit of fear in her eyes. "Um… everyone split up to go to different places."

"Aren't you his friend too? Why did he leave you out of his newest adventure?"

Cream didn't anticipate that question, and it stabbed her like an arrow in the knee. She covered her mouth and began to tear up, mumbling something about not knowing why. Shadow grimaced, not feeling good about making her cry. Whisper did her best to comfort her, putting an arm on her shoulder. Gemerl was still absorbing all the information, trying to anticipate what Shadow was planning.

Shadow apologized. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. I must ask, how much, if anything, did Sonic tell you about what he and his friends were going to do?"

"He didn't tell me anything, really," Cream sniffled. "Mr. Sonic just told me it was too dangerous for me to get involved in."

Shadow's mind clicked. He knew exactly what he needed to do, and he looked at Whisper. She opened her eyes, meeting his ruby gaze with her own sapphire stare, and nodded at him.

Shadow's voice took on a more soothing tone. "I can explain what's going on here, Cream. Sonic and I are having a… disagreement. As you saw, he has joined forces with Dr. Eggman. I've wanted to punish Dr. Eggman and make him pay for hurting all of us, and Sonic would rather protect him than see that happen."

Cream dried her tears, her ears perking up to listen to Shadow, who continued.

"Everywhere they go, they leave destruction in their wake. That's part of why they had nowhere else to go but here. They don't have a home anymore, partly because of me. Truthfully, I expected that you and Gemerl would've been allies with him by now considering your friendship…"

Cream sighed sadly. "Yes… I wanted to help him, in any way I could…"

Shadow brought it home. "If you ask me, Sonic couldn't see your usefulness, Cream. He forgot how strong and capable you are, for someone of your age. He forgot how powerful Gemerl is, to not add him to his team. But me? I see your value, Cream. I see your importance. I need you and Gemerl to be on my team, to help deliver justice to the bad man who keeps hurting everyone, including your friends and family."

Whisper was impressed and somewhat afraid of Shadow's manipulation. Since when was he a smooth talker? Since when was he patient enough to deal with children, even if said child was more heroic than most people on the planet?

Shadow stuck out his hand to Cream. "What do you say, kid? Join me and Whisper. Bring Gemerl and that Chao of yours. When everything's over, you'll have proven to Sonic just how important and heroic you truly are, and he won't see you as just a child who gets in his way any longer."

Cream contemplated the offer as Gemerl internally panicked. He could not stop her from joining, but by default he would have to join too to ensure she was protected. He relayed one last message to Metal Sonic before it would've been considered a traitorous message: *Cream, Cheese, and I, Gemerl, have joined forces with Shadow the Hedgehog.*

And as Cream shook Shadow's hand, he and Whisper couldn't help but smile lovingly at her, reinforcing positive feelings so Cream would be convinced. And convinced she was.