Shadow and Oak stood ready to fight.
"Think you can beat me?" Shadow asked.
"Make no mistake, my friend. I do not think I can beat you. I know I will. Metarex, prepare for battle!" Dark Oak said and a rank of Metarex Troopers step in front of Oak. "As you can see, you are dangerously outnumbered, Shadow. And I warn you, for every one of us that falls in battle, there will be hundreds more that will take his place!"
"Please don't hurt Shadow, I beg you!" Cosmo said and Shadow placed a protective hand in front of her. "We'll do anything you want, Metarex, sir. We'll give back the Chaos Emeralds and the Planet Egg, but please don't hurt my friend!"
Dark Oak caught a steely glare on her through his singular green eye. Cosmo fearfully waited for the Metarex leader's answer.
"Get him!" he said and dozens of Troopers flew into the air and landed on Shadow without warning.
"Shadow!" Amy and Cosmo said.
Suddenly Shadow frenziedly threw the Trooper off of him and into the wall. Dark Oak watched, impressed. Shadow turned to Oak.
"So you wanna play games, huh?" he said and executed a spin and launched himself at Dark Oak, who laughed, and didn't move.
Suddenly, Oak vanished when Shadow reached him and bounced off the wall and landed near Amy and Cosmo.
"He vanished!" Amy said.
"It's a hologram." Shadow said.
The Metarex Troopers were anything but. A few of them had survived the attack.
"Be careful, Shadow." Cosmo said.
Dark Oak laughed.
Shadow, Amy, and Cosmo found themselves completely surrounded on all sides by Troopers and they started their approach.
At the Metarex station shift Knuckles was standing on top of the Eggmobile.
"I oughta knock that egghead of yours clear off!" Knuckles said.
"Now now, Knuckles, let's just keep calm. We all know violence never solves anything." Eggman said.
"Stay still, why don't you!" Decoe said.
"Any unnecessary movements will send us plummeting!" Bocoe said and looked over the edge. "And from the looks of things, it would be most inconvenient!"
Suddenly the fortress shook, throwing Knuckles off balance.
"What was that?" he said.
"Blue Typhoon here. Knuckles, do you read me?" Tails said over the comlink.
"Tails, what's going on?" Knuckles asked on the comlink.
On the bridge.
"There's a nast batallion of ships heading straight for us! I got a bad feeling those Metarex aren't too happy about us crashing their fortress!" Tails said.
"Tails, I'm afraid they're coming from behind too! They're all around us! What are we gonna do? There's no way we can beat that many, not without Shadow!" Cream said.
Meanwhile Chris, Rouge, and Sonic were in Metarex station looking out a viewport. There was a battleship and thousands of smaller Metarex ships outside.
"Uh-oh. We're in trouble." Chris said.
"You said it, kid." Rouge said.
Sonic picked up his walkie-talkie.
"Listen up, Sonic! In the interest of self-preservation, I'm calling off this clambake!" Eggman said over the radio.
"I don't understand. I thought I was to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds." Sonic said over the radio.
"Oh, blast the Emeralds! These Metarex monstrosities are about to make a meal out of us!"
They became aware of a voice booming through space.
"Attention intruders. Make no effort to escape." someone said.
On Red Pine's Battleship.
"I am Red Pine. I and my three commanders serve the all-powerful Dark Oak." Red Pine said.
On the Blue Typhoon bridge Red Pine could be seen on the giant viewscreen.
"Great. There's three more of 'em?" Tails said.
On the Metarex station shift Pine's voice could be heard even from deep within the space station.
"In your foolish effort to undermine our mission, you've played directly into our leader's hands." Red Pine said and laughed.
On the Crimson Egg Cockpit Bokkun watched on the viewscreen.
"In fact, he wishes to express his gratitude for bringing him the Chaos Emeralds." Red Pine said.
With Chris' team.
"Thanks to you all, we won't have to blindly scour the galaxy. We don't know how to thank you. Perhaps we'll just destroy you." Red Pine said.
"Just try it, you overgrown junkyard!" Rouge said.
"What are you waiting for, Sonic? Move it or lose it!" Eggman said over the radio.
On the Shaft.
"A genius like me can't afford to dawdle with danger!" he said and pressed two buttons to contact Bokkun.
On the Crimson Egg.
"Start ignition and begin egg ascension on the double!" Eggman said on the radio.
Bokkun snapped out of his scared trance.
"Yes sir! Right away!" he said.
On the Metarex base shaft.
"Wait just a minute!" Knuckles said.
"You wait! I'm not about to let those metallic mutants maim me! See ya!" Eggman said then flew up the shaft, and Knuckles leapt down to the X-Tornado.
"Hey! Come back!" Knuckles said but Eggman didn't respond. "Now what? I don't even know how to fly this stupid thing!"
On the Metarex station viewport.
"I have to get back to Eggman." Sonic said and walked away.
"No way! I'm not leaving here empty-handed!" Rouge said.
"Sonic!" Chris said and ran after her.
However, his comlink activated. It's Amy.
"Chris, do you read me?" she asked.
"Amy, what's wrong?" he asked.
"Please help!"
On the Metarex station Shadow panted as he faced the horde of Metarex Troopers.
"They're gonna hurt Shadow!" Amy said.
Back with Chris.
"The Metarex!" Chris said.
Sonic overheard.
At the station Shadow blasted his way through the ranks of Metarex Troopers surrounding him. He panted from the exertion while several more troopers rise up, having survived the attack giving Amy an opening to return to her ship.
"Don't you worry, Shadow! I've got your back! Eat this, Meta-creep!" Amy said and her ship fired lasers at the Troopers, but four of them leapt onto her ship. "Hey! What do you creepos think you're doing! Get off of my ship!"
Cosmo looked up from the cyan Chaos Emerald in its glass jar.
"Oh no! Amy!" she said and watched Sonic continue to fight the Troopers. "Maybe the code I decyphered..." she said and pressed a few buttons, and the cases around the two Chaos Emeralds open.
But as she reached for the cyan Chaos Emerald, an alarm sounds, a sphere closed around the crystallized Planet Egg, and was ejected from the station. But she had both Emeralds in her hands.
Back on the Metarex station shift Knuckles was in the X-Tornado.
"Where's the start button?" he said and tried a button. "That's not it." he said and rubbed his head. "Ah, where's that geek Tails when you need him?" he said and looked up to see something fall past him.
On Red Pine's battleship.
"Attention all Metarex. The Planet Egg has been ejected." Trooper said.
"Without the Planet Egg, this fortress is of no use. We must destroy the stronghold and all who dwell within it." Red Pine said. "Metarex, aim! Fire!"
In space every single Metarex ship blasted at the Metarex station.
On the Blue Typhoon.
"Laser shield! Hurry, Cream!" Tails said.
"Laser shield activated!" Cream said.
In space the shields were projected and several lasers bounced off of them.
Back on the Blue Typhoon bridge.
"How long do you think we can hold 'em back?" Cream asked.
"I don't know! Even with the shield up, the Typhoon can't withstand this kind of attack for long!" Tails said.
At Metarex station Sonic, Chris, and Rouge ran down a corridor.
"Sonic, wait! Why can't we find a way out of here together?" Chris said.
He was still surprised she came all this way to look for him and fakes thing so good.
"She's only interested in doing what the boss man tells her!" Rouge said.
"You don't know what you're talking about." Sonic said.
"Eggman doesn't care about you. He only wants to use you to get what he wants. Don't you see that?" Chris said.
"You're wrong."
Rouge cut in front of Sonic, forcing her to stop.
"Come on now, why else do you think he keeps you hanging around?" she asked.
"He wants to help me."
"You think he's going to help you get your memory back, don't you." she said. "Have you ever stopped to think old Egghead might just be using that promise to get you to do his dirty work?"
"Rouge is right. You can't trust him." Chris said.
Sonic sighed.
"Please, I know you don't remember, but you helped us before, and I'm begging you to help us again." Chris said and Shadow looked away. "Sonic..."
"All right, I'll help you, but just this one time." she said and grabbed Rouge's arm and fished out the red Chaos Emerald.
"Watch it, bub." she said.
"That's right. I'm keepin' my eye on you."
"Talk about insulting!"
"Chaos Control!"
Chris had to scramble to avoid being left behind as the Chaos Emerald teleported the three of them away.
A few seconds later they were on the Crimson Egg.
"Well, certainly took you long enough." Eggman said and Chris was thrown to the ground. "Well, if it isn't Chris. Long time no see." he said and Chris glared at him. "Nice of you to drop in!"
He laughed heartily while Chris stood up.
"I see Sonic decided to play nice and rescue you from those Metarex meanies." he continued. "She really is an agreeable little fellow, isn't she? After all, a little squirt like you would've been no match for those guys."
"I thought you said we were all on the same team. I should've known you'd run when the going got tough." Chris said.
Eggman smiled.
"Well... better safe then sorry, I say. We don't want to get hurt, do we, kid?"
"I'm not a kid, okay?!"
Sonic walked away after placing the red Chaos Emerald in a slot next to the purple one in Eggman's command chair.
"Whatever you say, kid. Ah yes, another day, another conquest. Let's not waste any more time. It's been nice knowing ya, kid!" Eggman said.
"Quit talking down to me like I'm some kind of baby, will you? I happen to be eighteen years old, not that you can tell!" Chris said.
"But how? You're still only bite-sized."
"Oh yeah? Well I'm tired of you and those Metarex doing everything you can to hurt my friends. So I'm taking matters into my own hands!"
"Really."
Chris' hand was in his pocket.
"Really!" he said and pulled out a flash grenade and threw it down, then used the distraction to take the two Chaos Emeralds and fled.
"That little thief!"
Chris pocketed the Emeralds, located a spaceship, and climbed inside.
"Activate ignition." he said and fled off the Crimson Egg to see all the Metarex Ships firing at the Metarex station. "Here I come, Shadow!" he said and flew the stolen ship through the tight enclosure of the Metarex Station.
On the Metarex station Cosmo tried to escape with the two Chaos Emeralds. However, several Troopers blasted just in front of her, causing her to trip and drop the Emeralds. Shadow turned back in horror.
"Cosmo!" he said then one of the troopers used the distraction to pin him down.
"We're too outnumbered, Shadow!" Cosmo said.
One of the Metarex Troopers picked them both up just as Amy flew her spaceship toward them, crashing through some troopers.
"Not so fast, freak!" she said.
Suddenly a huge explosion threw everyone off balance and Amy got out of her ship.
"What was that... crash?" she asked and Shadow stood up.
"They're tryin' to destroy this place!" he said.
Cosmo looked up and saw the lasers striking the station.
"Why would they want to destroy their own fortress?" she asked.
"Especially with so many Metarex still inside. It doesn't make sense." Amy said.
The Trooper still had a grasp on the Chaos Emeralds.
"For the great and noble mission." Trooper said its eye glowing red. "All will be sacrificed!"
The remaining Troopers prepared for battle. They and Shadow lunged at each other.
Meanwhile Chris was flying down one of the corridors inside the station. He caught sight of Sonic running next to him. She summoned energy in her hand. He also had flashbacks of Maria, and Chris crying over the limiter. Sonic threw a pair of Chaos Spears that struck the engine of the ship, causing Chris to have a crash landing. He crawled out, dazed. Sonic approached her. He got up and started walking with her following. Suddenly Rouge scooped him up and carried him down through the shaft out of Sonic's range.
"Sonic... She's trying to hurt me!" Chris said.
'I hope she's not doing this on propose.' he thought.
"If you let me have those Emeralds, kid, I'll get ya outta here." Rouge said.
"You know I can't do that."
"Well, your loss. Later!" she said and let go of him, and he fell down the shaft.
"Chris!" someone said and Chris' was caught by Knuckles.
Knuckles was holding on by the seat belt.
"Knuckles..." Chris said.
On the Blue Typhoon bridge as the Metarex lasers struck the Typhoon's shield, Tails watched a few reading greatly diminish.
"I'm scared, Tails! The shields aren't working! What if they break through?" Cream said.
"Don't worry, Cream. I just fired anti-laser torpedoes from cannons two and three. That'll hold 'em awhile." Tails said.
On the Crimson Egg.
"Doctor, we are in a jam! Big time!" Decoe said.
"Without those Emeralds to protect us, we'll be laser lunch!" Bocoe said.
"That's right! It's that Chris kid's fault!" Bokkun said.
"What is this? I'm getting a reading; there's a gravity field down there." Eggman said then he saw the shaft. "My, my. Those Metarex are just full of surprises, eh?"
On the Metarex station Knuckles flew Chris up and out of the shaft. But Chris was able to catch a glance of Sonic. As the X-Tornado came to rest at the surface above, Chris opened the hatch.
"Shadow, catch!" he said and threw the red and purple Chaos Emeralds to Shadow, who was just finishing off a Trooper.
Sonic also saw them. The red and purple Chaos Emeralds glow. The blue, green, and white Chaos Emeralds on the ground glow. The cyan and yellow Emerald in the possession of the Trooper glow. All seven Emeralds were together. Then there was an extremely bright light, bright enough to be seen outside the Metarex station. It was witnessed by Tails, Eggman, and even Red Pine.
On the Red Pine's Battleship.
"What is happening?" Red Pine said.
When the glow died down, two glowing individuals could be seen.
"They are gaining power from the Emeralds!"
On the Metarex station Super Shadow and Super Sonic faced each other. Super Shadow threw a wave of Chaos energy behind him, destroying the last of the Metarex Troopers, before he and Super Sonic flew outside.
In space they stared each other down.
"Well, Shadow. I see you and I have a lot more in common than I thought we did." Super Sonic said while Super Shadow stared down her. "Are you going to give me those Emeralds? Or am I gonna take them from you by force?"
"You haven't got any use for those Emeralds and you know it." Super Shadow said and got no answer. "We all know you're just collecting 'em for Dr. Eggman. He's really got you fooled, doesn't he, babe?"
Enraged by Super Shadow's insult, Super Sonic pushed him all the way through to the other side of the Metarex station.
On the Metarex station.
"What are they doing, Amy? Why are they glowing like that?" Cosmo asked.
Chris watched from the cockpit of the stolen spaceship.
"It's happening. Chaos Control." he said.
In space the Metarex ships opened fire on Super Shadow and Super Sonic as they fought. Super Sonic threw Chaos energy at Super Shadow, but he dodged and it hit the side of the Metarex station. Super Shadow emerged out of another part of the station and blasted at Super Sonic.
On the Metarex station shaft Massive cracks ran down the side of the station.
On the Crimson Egg Cockpit.
"What now?!" Eggman said.
In space Super Shadow and Super Sonic emerged from the Metarex station. Suddenly the entire station started to warp and twist as a massive black hole started to appear. They watched as bits and pieces of metal fly into the gravitational field. They tried to break free of the black hole, which started to consume some of the Metarex ships.
On the Blue Typhoon bridge.
"I don't think I've ever experienced gravity this strong!" Tails said.
Amy and Cosmo entered the bridge.
"Do something, Tails! We're getting sucked in there!" Amy said.
In space all the Metarex ships were now being drawn into the gravitational field and destroyed.
It was even pulling on Red Pine's ship.
On the Red Pine's Battleship.
"The gravitational pull is going to destroy the ship. We must go faster! Accelerate to full power." Trooper said.
Do it! Quickly!" Red Pine said but nothing happened. "Nooooo!"
The massive battleship was drawn into the gravitational field and immediately exploded, killing Metarex General Red Pine and his crew.
On the Crimson Egg Cockpit.
"Don't just sit there, you good-for-nothing gadget brains! Do something!" Eggman said.
"We're doomed! We're all doomed!" Bokkun said.
In space even Super Shadow and Super Sonic were hanging on for dear life. The Crimson Egg pulled up alongside them.
"That's Eggman!" Super Shadow said.
As the Crimson Egg descends into the gravitational field, Super Sonic dove after it. She uses all her power to initiate Chaos Control and teleport it to safety. Her Super state wore off. Meanwhile, all seven Chaos Emeralds fell into the gravitational field. Super Shadow was still hanging on.
"Shadow!" someone said.
He looked up to see the Typhoon flying above him. Chunks of metal rain down around him.
"Thought you'd never get here!" he said and clung to the metal chunk and resigned to his fate.
On the Blue Typhoon Engine room Knuckles typed on a keypad.
"Come through, Master Emerald! We're begging you! Lend us your mighty power!" he said.
On the bridge.
"Our ending power's increasing! Bring it up to full speed, Tails!" Chris said.
"You got it, Chris! Full speed ahead!" Tails said.
The Blue Typhoon used all its power to fly away.
'Please be safe Sonic.' Shadow thought.
"It appears I have greatly underestimated the power of these tiny warriors." Dark Oak said on voiceover and laughed.
His battleship started to appear on the screen.
Dark Oak watched the proceedings.
"Their resourcefulness is to be commended. However, this was but a test. Soon, we shall see just how clever they can be." he said and laughed.