Guardian Angels

by KatherineTheMoth

After saving the Sol Dimension from being taking over by Battra, Kathy the Moth teleported him and herself to Sonic's dimension where she will stay there as her new home dimension and protect it from Battra and from other evil forces. By Battra's meddling, Kathy had crash-landed on Angel Island and was found by Knuckles. But little did he realize that he had found Mothra herself.

4. Follow Your Master

Guardian Angels

S1:E4: Follow Your Master

Honestly, I had expected that reaction. Kathy thought calmly with a little smile as she stared the guys' stunned expressions on their faces. Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails were still confused on what Kathy had meant when she had said that she was a Kaiju monster. It's not that they haven't seen or heard about monsters before that's throwing them off, but rather, it's the "Kaiju" part that baffles them. They just wondered what makes Kaijus different from the other monsters that they had faced in the past. As Kathy saw that they're still confused, she then muttered calmly, "Just bear with me here. It's a long story, and it's gonna take a while for me to explain everything about myself. So, be patient and listen, alright?".

The guys were quiet on that, but they nodded their heads in understanding. They won't get anywhere if they don't sit down and listen to this. They can already tell that this is important to know, so, they stayed quiet about it. Kathy smiled calmly to them as she began to explain by answering their first question.

"You see, gentlemen, the word 'kaiju' is just another word for 'titan' or for 'huge creature'. Back in my old dimension, there was once but a time in history where gigantic monsters had been born and had wrecked civilizations for decades and for maybe centuries. It was during a time where humans had existed and lived in that world as a race. A time before Mobians had lived there-" Kathy explained calmly with a little smile.

"Wait! Hold up! Did you just say that...there were more humans living in the Sol Dimension before Dr. Eggman Nega had lived there? Is that true?" Sonic interrupted with a surprised look on his face.

Kathy nodded as she answered, "Yes, it is true, but that was centuries ago. The human race is now is extinct in the Sol Dimension. Only Dr. Eggman Nega is the only human left as far as I know. To be honest, I was very surprised when I heard of his existence through Blaze. I thought that they had all perished in the Second Great Flood that the world had back two centuries ago".

"Huh? A Second...Great Flood?" Tails repeated in confusion.

Kathy nodded again as she explained, "That is true. It was through that flood that had changed the Sol Dimension entirely. Naturally, the kaijus were the only survivors of that flood. If you really want to know how great that change was, then I'll say this. The Sol Dimension wasn't always a water world that has only islands for land you know. It used to be a world where there were large continents of various sizes throughout the world. Different climates and different topography can be seen anywhere you go to in that world. However, after the flood, only islands were left. Sure, there may have been some islands that have a different climate such as the arctic for example, but most of them are tropical. …...I'd wager a guess that you two, Sonic and Tails, had seen what Blaze's world had looked like when you had first arrived there. Blaze and Marine had mentioned you two plenty of times before, so, I had guessed that you had met them in their dimension at some point in the past. Am I not correct?".

Sonic and Tails was slightly startled by that question and quickly looked at each other before looking back to Kathy. They both nodded to her to answer her question.

"What you just said was true, Kathy. I haven't even seen any huge continents when Sonic and I had our adventure in the Sol Dimension. There was nothing but islands there! It's because of that adventure that had made me appreciate our own dimension more since we still have continents," Tails replied with a frown.

"I second that, Tails," Sonic agreed with a nervous look on his face as he remembered how nerve-whacking it was to travel through the ocean multiple times with nothing but ships and boats. Tails turned to look at Sonic and smiled sheepishly at that before looking at Kathy again.

"So, do you guys believe me then?" Kathy asked tentatively with a sheepish smile on her face. Sonic and Tails nodded in agreement.

"Of course, we believe you, Kathy. You must have quite a lot of knowledge surrounding the Sol Dimension's history then if you know what it's like back in the past," Tails replied with a smile.

"Well, my mom had taught me a lot of its history quite often, so, I have it pretty much memorized at this point. It's good to know that none of her teachings are going to waste," Kathy replied with a grin as she rubbed the back of her head with her hand.

"Yeah, it's good that you do know so much about it then. But anyways...are you serious, Kathy? There were kaijus living in that dimension long ago? What were they like? How were they born? And...what was it like having kaijus back then?" Tails replied with a smile before he looked solemn again as he asked her more questions.

Kathy smiled brightly at Tails as she calmly answered, "Yep, I'm very serious, Tails. It was a huge thing back then. So large that it was world-changing. And...oh boy, if only you guys had been there to see it, then you would realize on how easy it is for the Mobians living in the Sol Dimension today. You see, back then, kaijus were like the 'gods' of the world, wrecking havoc and punishing humans for their ignorance and selfish behavior. True, not all kaijus have destroyed civilization because they were aware of what the humans had done, but they did it mostly for survival. Yes, that's right. Despite their huge and destructive nature, the kaijus were no different than animals. All they wanted was to live in peace in the modern world that they had lived in at the time, but naturally, the humans just think that they've come to destroy them as a way to punish them. So, the humans went out of their way to try to fight them off with nothing but modern weapons such as tanks, jets, missiles, plasma lasers, bombs, naval ships, and even large battle robots that could combat the infamous kaijus for multiple decades and centuries".

"W-Wow...Was it that bad?" Tails asked with a stunned look on his face.

Kathy nodded again as she answered solemnly with a calm smile on her face, "Yes, it was. The kaijus had destroyed cities, towns, the army, the navy, and the air fleet over and over again. Many lives were lost, and the damages were always huge and terrible. Sometimes...it looked like they had suffered from nukes. It was that bad".

The guys all gasped at that. They had never heard or seen a destroyed city that looked like a nuclear war zone before. They all felt baffled as to why Kathy can be so calm into talking about that without cringing in terror. But then they realized that...she was a kaiju to begin with.

"That's...That's so sad," Tails replied with a frown.

Kathy then looked rather sad as she replied, "It is rather tragic. Especially since it was the result of human error that had started this mess in the first place".

"Huh? What do you mean that it was the humans that had started this? Just what did they do to deserve it?" Sonic asked in confusion as he stared at Kathy with a solemn expression on his face. Even Knuckles was intrigued by this.

Kathy frowned in sadness as she answered solemnly, "The humans had once had a huge war between themselves that had started the whole thing. They were so concentrated onto ending the war that they had no choice but to use the newest form of military weaponry at the time to stop the fighting. In truth, they just wanted to have peace, but they had to make their enemies suffer before peace can even start. So...in order to end the war, two cities had to suffer before the enemy country had to give up. Those cities...had suffered from nuclear attacks. Two atomic bombs were dropped within the same week. And thus...thousands upon thousands of poor, innocent lives were lost due to those terrible attacks".

---

…...

Silence had filled the room after Kathy had said that. The guys were stunned by that tragic event. They don't know what to say to that. So, they were silent as they waited for Kathy to continue explaining.

…...

"...And just when the humans thought that none of the elements of that fatal war is going to come back to haunt them...A decade later...The first kaiju was born...and his name was...Godzilla..." Kathy continued solemnly as she had her eyes closed and had her arms crossed. The guys had gasped again in surprise at that. Kathy continued as she calmly said, "Godzilla was a fearsome monster. He was something that the humans had never seen before. A strong, invincible, gigantic, fire-breathing, lizard monster that felt wrathful of what the humans had done to his beloved home at the ocean's sea floor. Not only just his home...but also him himself. Due to his rage, he had nearly destroyed an entire city once. He was as tall as skyscrapers and had the strength of a mountain. He was quite...a powerful beast for sure. The humans could attest to that. The worst of his powers would be his infamous Atomic Breath that he blows out of his mouth. Yes...It was the humans' own weapons that had become the monster's greatest strength".

The guys were still stunned by this. However, they can see now how the humans were responsible for the kaijus' birth. Still...they felt awful for the humans that had to suffer in this way.

Sonic frowned as he replied with a solemn look on his face, "I think that I'm starting to see where this is going, Kathy. Even if one monster was gone, there would've still be more popping up thanks to the use of nuclear weapons...right?".

Kathy nodded solemnly as she answered, "You are correct, Sonic. The humans were successful into stopping the first Godzilla, however, it wasn't long until another Godzilla had showed up. Not only him...but other kaijus as well...".

"...I see," Sonic replied slowly in understanding as he nodded his head.

Knuckles frowned a bit as he asked Kathy for the first time in this discussion, " …...How many kaijus were there?".

Kathy frowned a bit as she answered, "...There were dozens of them. The monsters that had showed up either from the planet itself...or from space were for example...Rodan, Anguirus, Baragon, Manda, Varan, Gorosaurus, Kamacurus, King Ghidorah, King Caesar, Gigan, Megalon, Space Godzilla, Destroyah...and lots...and lots of other monsters that had threatened the humans for decades...and for centuries. …...With all those monsters around...it's very easy to imagine how stressful and anxiety-inducing it is living in a world where a monster could arrive and destroy your home within a matter of seconds. Or even worse...lose loved ones...or even yourself through those monster attacks...all within just a few seconds...".

The guys all had their mouths gape in shock after hearing that answer. Hearing so many monster names at once...it actually did give them some chills down their spines. They've only known a couple of monsters from their own adventures, but they can see that the Sol Dimension's monsters had gotten them beat in terms of how many monsters they have. They couldn't even imagine knowing what life would be like if they had to run or escape from a monster attack by those huge monsters or even worse...trying to fend off just one of them.

"...I...I...W-Wow..." Tails muttered with a stunned look on his face.

"Hmmm..." Knuckles mused quietly as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

Kathy smiled sympathetically at them as she replied calmly, "I could understand your shock and disbelief by that. It must be very hard to comprehend that those huge monsters were alive at some point".

"I'll say. I'm guessing that those monsters make Chaos or even the Biolizard look like jokes compared to them and what they can do," Sonic replied with an intrigued look on his face.

"...Yeah...They might," Kathy replied calmly with a little smile. The guys were quite silent on that. They were looking either solemn or stunned as they were being quiet. Kathy smiled a little more as she continued, "...But...Not all of those monsters were bad though. There was one kaiju that was good from the start".

Knuckles had opened his eyes once he had heard this. Sonic and Tails also had wide eyes at that statement. Tails then asked curiously, "Uhh...Who was that good kaiju, Kathy?".

Kathy smiled warmly at Tails as she answered calmly, "...It was Mothra, Tails. Mothra was...my ancient ancestor".

The guys gasped in shock by this revelation. "M-Mothra...?" Knuckles repeated in a whisper as he looked stunned. For some odd reason...this name had rung a few distant bells in his mind...Although...he just can't remember why it does though. However...this name...it feels...familiar somehow...Hmmm...Knuckles pondered as he stared at Kathy more closely now.

Kathy nodded to them as she continued in a calm tone of voice, "Yes, you guys had heard that right. Mothra was my ancestor. That is the kind of kaiju that I am on the inside. You see, my full name is Kathy 'Mothra' the Moth. My first name is only referred to me personally and as a way to differentiate me from the previous generations of the Mothra family line. My mother, Klara the Moth, was also Mothra. So, it makes sense for my family tree to have its own first names that is separate from our kaiju name".

"Ah...I see. So, each Mothra descendant then has a different name that makes them different from the other Mothras before it...right?" Tails replied as he had his fingers under his chin with a contemplative look on his face.

Kathy nodded with a smile on her face as she replied, "That's right!".

Tails smiled a little as he replied, "That's...rather cool. Huh. I guess that we both have something in common, Kathy. 'Tails' is just my middle name or a nickname to be precise".

"Oh? Then what's your full name, Tails?" Kathy asked in curiosity as she looked at Tails.

Tails smiled a little sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head while calmly answering, "Well, it's actually Miles 'Tails' Prower. However, I just prefer others to call me 'Tails'. By the way, on the topic of names...Umm...should we call you 'Mothra' or 'Kathy'? I mean...You are Mothra, right?".

Kathy smiled gently at Tails as she replied humbly, "It's okay, Tails. I would just like to be called 'Kathy'. It's true that I am technically the current descendant of Mothra, however, I've been called 'Kathy' my whole life thanks to my mom. It just feels more familiar to me and...more nostalgic that way. But thanks for your consideration, Tails. I appreciate it".

"Okay, Kathy. Suit yourself then," Tails replied calmly with a bright smile and a little shrug. Kathy beamed happily at that.

Sonic smiled brightly too as he then calmly asked, "So, anyways, you said that your ancestor was a good Kaiju monster, right? What was she like back then?".

Kathy then smiled brightly as she calmly explained, "My ancestor was a benevolent, gentle, gigantic moth that was aware of the people around her. She's the only monster who would not go out and attack others on her own free will or through survival. However, the only times that she would do that is when she has to rescue or retrieve someone or something in the mainland. For example, her own egg was an important thing to Mothra. Going out of her way to get it back was a natural thing for Mothra to do since she was always the mother of it. She even protected her interpreters called the Shobijin whenever they were in danger or being held captive by the humans. So, those were the only times where she would attack civilization if the humans had captured either one of them".

Sonic replied calmly with a relaxed smile on his face, "Well, that's understandable. After all, who wouldn't want to protect their own children or their friends from danger? Heh. I guess that even monsters care about family and friends even if they are destructive at times. I can see that Mothra really was a caring monster then if she's willing to go out of her way to save her egg and the Shobijin from the humans".

Kathy smiled proudly at that as she nodded her head while replying calmly, "Yeah, she is. She is even willing to die for either of them. She's that loyal and dedicated. Even the humans could see how far her dedication is by how she destroys their cities just to find them. She may be gentle and friendly, but if either her egg or the Shobijin are in danger, then she is quite a fierce creature when she attacks and fights".

Sonic grinned a bit at that as he then coyly replied, "Oh, really then?".

Kathy nodded again with a cheerful smile as she exclaimed proudly, "Yep! You know it!".

Sonic smirked as he then looked at Knuckles next. Knuckles turned his head at Sonic and frowned deeply at him.

"What's that look for, Sonic?" Knuckles asked calmly in annoyance with a deep frown while he still had his arms crossed.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking how coincidental it is that Mothra is quite as fierce and destructive as you are whenever her 'precious jewels' are in danger. Not only that, but she is just as 'loyal and dedicated' to them just as much as you are to your emerald," Sonic replied calmly yet coyly with a teasing smirk.

Knuckles raised his eyebrows at that when Sonic had pointed that out. However, he furrowed them again as he calmly asked with a deep frown, "Yeah? And? …Your point being?".

Sonic smirked even more in amusement as he calmly yet coyly replied with a lowered eyebrow, "Well...I'm just saying...I kind of could see you rampaging through a city just to get the Master Emerald back...especially if some greedy crooks refuse to give it back to you".

Knuckles grimaced as he narrowed his eyelids at Sonic at that last comment. He then solemnly replied in an unamused tone, "Sonic...The Master Emerald is a sacred treasure from my clan. It is powerful enough to destroy our entire world. …...I WOULD rampage through an entire city if I find out that YOU didn't do ANYTHING AT ALL to get it back from some stupid and corrupt thieves who would SO DARE to keep it from ME! I should NOT be the only one responsible into getting my emerald back! Guardian or not, the Master Emerald should always be protected and should never be used in any selfish way imaginable! …Do you even remember what happened last time when the emerald was almost used in selfish hands? Well?! Do ya?!".

Knuckles growled a little after that as he remembered what Tikal showed him in the past when his clan was destroyed by Chaos. He doesn't care if one city gets destroyed in the process of protecting his emerald. It's better than to let what happened in the past to happen again and even worse destroy the entire world too. Is it really that necessary? Probably not, but only when it's the last possible option that Knuckles has in that scenario. Although...he hoped that it wouldn't come to that anytime soon.

Kathy was rather surprised by Knuckles' response to that. She can see how serious he looks now as he glared hard at Sonic. Hmmm...I don't know what happened in the past that had made Knuckles rather upset, but I'd wager that it's something rather terrible and huge if he had reacted like this. Kathy pondered calmly with an intrigued look on her face as she had her hand over her mouth while staring at Knuckles and Sonic.

Sonic had his eyebrows raised at that response and had frowned a little. But he soon smiled again as he calmly replied, "Hey, don't think that I don't remember that, Knuckles. Of course, I understand how important the Master Emerald is. I won't let anyone try to take control of that emerald too. I'm just saying that I could see you doing that at one point, and...it appears that even you admit to doing that too".

"Hmph. I don't care. That emerald is mine and no one else's," Knuckles replied calmly with a grunt and with a solemn frown as he closed his eyes and turned his head away from Sonic.

Sonic smirked again in amusement as he coyly teased, "Soooo...Is this a confession that you're a Kaiju too?".

"I...What?!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock as he opened his eyes again and looked back at Sonic with a shocked expression on his face.

Sonic grinned playfully as he continued to tease Knuckles while chuckling a little, "Because if so, then...Heheheheh...That ACTUALLY explains A LOT about you".

Knuckles looked shocked before he looked irritated as he growled at Sonic and yelled at him in annoyance while gritting his teeth, "Grrrrr! What do you mean 'that explains a lot' about me?! Are you saying that I behave like a monster to you?! Huh?! Is that it?!".

Sonic coyly smirked at Knuckles and winked at him as he teased him by saying this, "Well...You certainly are not a 'benevolent, gentle, gigantic moth' like Mothra was. That's for sure. Heh. It certainly would be a nice change of pace if you are though".

Knuckles' face flushed in embarrassment before he growled in anger to cover up his embarrassment. He then tried to yell back a response, but he just sputtered in exasperation, "Grrrrr! I...I! You!...That!...I...I would...UGH!".

"Heheheh...One point for Mothra. Zero for Knuckles," Sonic coyly teased with a smug grin and with a wink as he chuckled a little again.

"Sonic! I-!" Knuckles yelled back in an exasperated tone as he looked fierce again. But he suddenly cooled down again after he heard...Kathy giggling again.

"Hehehehehehehe! Is that true, Knuckles? Do you really act like a monster sometimes? Because that's hilarious! Hehehehehehehehe!" Kathy replied happily with a sweet, innocent smile as she giggled cutely.

Knuckles blushed a lot in embarrassment as he looked back at Kathy and exclaimed defensively, "Hey! D-Don't laugh! It's...It's not true!".

"Hehehehehe! Are you sure about that, Knuckles? Can you tell me a time where you don't act like a mean, destructive monster? Hahahahahaha!" Kathy challenged Knuckles with a silly smile while giggling a lot in amusement. Knuckles was about to open his mouth to answer, but he blushed even more in embarrassment when he heard the question fully.

"M-Mean? D-Destructive?" Knuckles shyly repeated with a little frown and with wide eyes while blushing hard in embarrassment.

"Yeah! That's what most Kaijus are like! Especially Godzilla! And he was the meanest one of all! Hehehehehehe! He beats EVERYONE up! Including Mothra! Hehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a huge smile as she giggled some more.

Knuckles gaped as he had no counterargument to that. He can't help it if he wanted to beat everyone up in a room all because they had made fun of him multiple times in the past. He just...doesn't have much thick skin as others do. But so what? …Does that really make him a mean person then if he punches someone that he's angry at? Does it?

"...I...I...Uhhh..." Knuckles muttered shyly as he stared at Kathy with a shocked yet bashful look on his face while feeling completely embarrassed. Sonic chuckled so hard at that as well as Tails.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Oh! Kathy got you there, Knuckles! Hahahahahaha! You really do beat everyone up whenever the chance presents itself! Hahahahahaha! I guess that means you are 'Godzilla' then if Kathy is Mothra! Hahahahaha! Are you going beat Kathy up too, Knuckles?" Sonic playfully teased with a huge grin while chuckling a lot as he stared at Knuckles and pointed at him.

"NO!" Knuckles shouted instantly as he looked back at Sonic with a stunned yet embarrassed look on his face. He would swear on his life that he would never lay a finger onto Kathy. He...just couldn't bear to see her get hurt by his own hands. At this reaction, Sonic just laughed out loud as he bent over and put a hand over his eyes. Knuckles blushed even more in humiliation as he growled angrily at Sonic.

"Ahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahaha! Awwwww! Someone's got a soft spot! And it looks like it's for Kathy apparently! Ahahahahahahahahah!" Sonic playfully teased in amusement with a huge smile while laughing a lot.

"ACK!" Knuckles shouted in surprise as he leant back from Sonic. He had a shocked yet embarrassed expression on his face as he stared at Sonic laughing in his seat. Kathy blushed as well, but she was also giggling silly at this.

Knuckles then growled again before he shouted at Sonic in anger, "GRRRRR! OH, SHUT UP! DON'T MAKE ME ACTUALLY BEAT YOU UP, SONIC! BECAUSE I'M GONNA IF YOU DON'T SHUT YOUR TRAP ALREADY!".

"Hahahahahaha! Kathy! Help! 'Godzilla' is going to beat me up! Hahahahaha! Save me from his destructive powers!" Sonic joked with a huge grin while laughing in amusement as he pleadingly looked at Kathy for "help".

"Hehehehehehe! Okay! I'm coming over there to help! Hehehehehe!" Kathy joked too with a huge grin while giggling a little.

At this response, Knuckles immediately looked back at Kathy with a shocked yet nervous expression on his face. He was blushing very much as he saw Kathy walk over to him and stand over him with a sweet smile on her face.

"W-Wait! Wh-What are you going to d-do to m-me?" Knuckles asked in nervousness as he stared up at Kathy while having a bashful face and a sweat drop on his head. Kathy smiled gently and warmly at Knuckles as she bent down a bit to look at him in the eye. She had her hands on her knees while staring gently at Knuckles. Knuckles' heart was beating faster as he kept staring into Kathy's sweet, gentle, light-blue eyes.

Kathy then calmly yet gently replied with a warm smile, "I'm sorry that I had to do this again, Knuckles".

"Eh? D-Do what aga-H-Huh?!" Knuckles asked nervously before he squeaked a bit when Kathy leant towards him for another hug. Kathy had hugged him around his shoulders and placed her head onto his right shoulder to nuzzle his face a bit. It was a gentle hug, and Knuckles was both elated yet embarrassed at the same time. His face was completely red as he stared at Kathy while she was hugging him. He still had his arms crossed, yet he could feel himself taking them apart as he desired to hug Kathy back. But, he berated himself in his mind by brooding. Knuckles! Stop! Stop! If you hug her now, then Sonic and Tails will see that-!

However, Knuckles already had his arms wrapped around Kathy by the time he thought that as he returned the hug. Kathy smiled a lot when she felt Knuckles' arms holding her body. She nuzzled against Knuckles' right cheek as a way to say "Thank you". When Knuckles felt Kathy's soft head brushing against his cheek, he smiled a little at that while he kept blushing a lot in shyness. Mmmmm...That...That feels nice. Knuckles thought fondly with a little smile as he closed his eyes since he's enjoying Kathy's nuzzles.

Meanwhile, Sonic had recovered from his laughing fit as he and Tails watched Kathy and Knuckles hug each other. In a way, they were both surprised by this. They can understand Kathy being friendly and being the one to hug Knuckles like this but...for Knuckles to hug Kathy back? That was something that the two heroes didn't expect. Tails had a gaped mouth as he stared at the two guardians hugging each other in peace. He didn't know what to say to that. Sonic had his mouth open too as he really didn't see that one coming. As he stared at Kathy and Knuckles, he had calmly pondered. Well...This is a first. I thought that Knuckles was about to pull her off. Not...hug her back. Hmmm...

As Sonic stares closely at the two guardians, a little, mischievous grin started to form on his face as he calmly pondered in amusement. Heheheheh...I can tell already that Kathy likes Knuckles quite a lot just by the way she's hugging and nuzzling him. That's...rather cute. Hmmmm...You know...I'm starting to wonder if Knuckles likes Kathy too judging by how odd he's acting lately. Although I still have my doubts on that. Maybe if I keep paying attention on how Knuckles behaves around Kathy, I'll figure out whether Knuckles has a crush on Kathy or not. It's a little too early to tell. I'm going to need some more concrete proof that Knuckles has a crush on her, and I'm going to find out one way or another.

Kathy hugged Knuckles a little more before she pulled away from him and held onto his shoulders. Knuckles stared at Kathy with a little smile on his flushed face. Kathy smiled gently to him as she calmly replied, "Now, just relax, Knuckles. Leave Sonic alone, and let's get back to our important discussion. Okay?".

Knuckles smiled sheepishly at Kathy as he replied shyly with a quiet, nervous chuckle, "Uhh...Heheheh...O-Okay...".

"And again...I'm sorry for hugging you, Knuckles. I know that you hadn't asked me to do that. I hope that you can forgive me," Kathy replied calmly yet gently with a sweet, caring expression on her face.

Knuckles' heart and face melted even more after seeing Kathy's sweet, caring expression on her face. He really did feel like mush now after hearing Kathy say that. He blushed even more as he rubbed his head a bit while replying sheepishly with another quiet, nervous chuckle, "It's...It's okay. I...I didn't mind it at all really. I...Ummmm...I l-liked it...Ummm...Heheheh...".

Kathy smiled warmly at that as she calmly yet gently replied, "That's good to hear. Anyways, behave yourself now, alright?".

"Alright...Heheheheh..." Knuckles replied calmly yet sheepishly with little smile and with another quiet, nervous chuckle as he kept rubbing his head in shyness.

Kathy soon lets go of Knuckles' shoulders and walked back towards the T.V. again. She turned around and faced the guys once more. As she does this, Knuckles was chuckling quietly yet shyly to himself as he stared at Kathy some more. Sonic was just grinning in amusement as he stared at Knuckles for a bit. Tails was also staring at Knuckles too but was rather confused by this.

"Oh, my goodness...Knuckles is being like an actual sucker now. Just who is going to save him?" Sonic joked with a coy smile as he whispered a bit next to Tails.

"Hmm...Is Knuckles...alright, Sonic? Just...what is going on with him?" Tails asked calmly in confusion with a little frown as he whispered too.

Sonic smirked as he turned to look at Tails while pointing his thumb back to Knuckles as he whispered, "Heheh...Well, little buddy, that is something that I'm going to find out. I'm not sure what's on Knuckles' mind right now, but I have a hunch that it is about Kathy over here".

"Huh? Why Kathy? What do you mean by that, Sonic?" Tails asked curiously in confusion with a little frown and with raised eyebrows while still whispering to Sonic.

"Heh. All I'm saying is that...Knuckles might have a...'T-H-I-N-G' for Kathy here," Sonic calmly answered in amusement with a coy smile while whispering.

"A...A 'thing', huh?" Tails repeated slowly in confusion with a little frown and with a lowered eyebrow as he stared at Sonic.

"Yep," Sonic replied calmly yet confidently with a coy smile and with a wink.

Tails still looked confused, but he shrugged his shoulders and looked back at Kathy. Sonic also looked back at Kathy and smiled at her.

"Thanks for the save, Kathy. Heh. I guess that your powers of 'immobilization' work effectively against Knuckles here," Sonic replied calmly with a bright smile while taking a brief glance at Knuckles. At this casual remark, Knuckles sobered up again and looked back at Sonic with an irritated look on his face. Knuckles growled a bit at Sonic, but he just simply pouted and crossed his arms again.

"Hmph!" Knuckles grunted irritably with a pout before he looked away from Sonic and back at Kathy again.

Kathy giggled a bit once she saw Knuckles' reaction there, and Knuckles can't help but smile a little sheepishly since he saw that Kathy was actually giggling at him. He realized then that no matter how much he didn't want to be laughed at by Kathy, he still ended up enjoying her giggles and laughter. As crazy as it sounds...he's starting to actually want Kathy laugh at him because...he likes making her happy.

After Kathy had calmed down, she then replied brightly to Sonic with a little giggle, "Hehe! Well, it seems that my behavior as a Queen is rather hereditary after all!".

"Huh?! A...'A Queen'?! Did you say 'Queen'?!" the guys exclaimed in unison as they all had shocked faces now.

Kathy smiled brightly as she nodded her head while answering cheerfully, "That's right. Mothra has been and always will be the Queen of the Monsters. Her family line had always passed down that title to the next Mothra descendant. So that means I'm the current Queen of the Monsters now".

"W-Whoa..." Sonic and Tails muttered calmly in shock while looking surprised. Knuckles was just stunned after hearing that reveal. Kathy continued since she saw that her friends were speechless by this.

"You see, gentlemen, in the past, Mothra's job as Queen was to ensure peace with the humans by protecting them from other monsters attacking their land. Whenever the humans were in need of her assistance, they would come to the Shobijin and ask them to communicate to Mothra so that their pleas for help could be reached to her. She was also worshipped by the natives of Infant Island, and she had protected the natives too since they were a part of her home. Because of Mothra's helpful and peaceful nature, the humans had also nicknamed her 'The Goddess of Peace'. Her character traits and personality have...in a way...been passed down to each generation of Mothra. So, in some fashion, I have similar character traits as the original Mothra while also having an identity of my own due to how I was raised and to what I had experienced in my life. My personality is rather a mix between my own Kaiju blood and my own independent mind. In other words, what I had just done to Knuckles there was...well..." Kathy continued calmly while having her hands out in front of her and made some gestures with them during her explanation. She then smiled sheepishly as she crossed her arms and looked at Knuckles as she finished by saying, "...That was...probably my Queen persona just then. The Queen of the Monsters would always want to be the peacemaker in situations like those and cool the flames between monsters or between people. So, that's why I did what I did, Knuckles, and...Uhhh...told you to behave afterwards. Umm...Heh. Sorry about that".

Knuckles blushed a bit before replying shyly with a sheepish smile, "Uhhh...Umm...It's...It's no big deal. Really. You...Uhh...You did the right thing by holding me back. I...I'm...Uhh...g-glad that you did that, Kathy".

Kathy smiled happily as she replied brightly to Knuckles with a little giggle, "Thank you, Knuckles! I'm glad that you were okay with it then! Hehe!".

Knuckles smiled even wider at that as he pondered calmly to himself while staring curiously at Kathy. So, Kathy is a Queen too, huh? Interesting.

Tails smiled brightly as he replied cheerfully, "Wow! So, your family line was basically royal in nature, right?".

Kathy shrugged a bit as she calmly answered with a little smile, "Well, something like that. However, it's not as formal or official such as those in kingdoms or in other forms of government. My title as 'Queen' is only a title by nature. It's not like I rule a kingdom of some kind like Blaze does".

Tails frowned a bit as he looked more intrigued by this. He placed his fingers under his chin and replied calmly, "Hmm...That's interesting. I never thought that I would meet a Queen who doesn't reside in a kingdom or rule a country of some kind. It is...rather bizarre to me the more that I think about it".

Kathy smiled sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head while replying calmly, "Well, I'm not what others think of when the word 'Queen' is brought up. I'm just...rather different from those who are expected to become Queens someday".

Sonic smiled a little sympathetically as he replied calmly yet brightly, "Hey, even though you are different than what others expect of you, I'm pretty sure that you have a lot of good character traits that other Queens wished they could have like you do. Don't beat yourself up by comparing yourself to them. I'm sure that you're great. Heh! You even managed to tame Knuckles over here! If that's not an accomplishment, then I don't know what is! I'm sure that no other Queen could do that and have the same results as you do, Kathy. So, relax, okay? You're fine!".

Knuckles frowned a bit and glanced at Sonic after that comment before looking back at Kathy again. Kathy had gasped at that before smiling gently at Sonic. She placed her right hand over her chest and slightly bowed to him.

"Thank you so much for those encouraging and comforting words, Sonic. I...I really do need to hear that more often. It lifts up a ton of weight off of my shoulders as I know that you guys are okay with me...being me. I appreciate your consideration, Sonic. Thank you," Kathy replied calmly yet humbly with a gentle smile as she had bowed her head a little to Sonic.

Sonic smiled even wider while also scratching his cheek in sheepishness. His cheeks blushed a little as he stared back at Kathy while pondering calmly in amusement. Geez. I wonder if it's her Queen persona talking or herself talking at times such as these. Because either way...she's really does know how to turn guys into puddles of mush. Heheh. No wonder Knuckles has a hard time talking to her. She's just adorable no matter what person she is!

"Heh. You're welcome...Your Majesty," Sonic replied cockily with a sly grin and with a wink. Kathy lifted her head up and giggled a bit at that. Knuckles simply rolled his eyes in annoyance and grunted to himself.

"Oh! There is something that I'm curious about, Kathy!" Tails exclaimed brightly with an intrigued look on his face as he stared at Kathy.

"Oh? What is it, Tails?" Kathy asked calmly with a little, gaped mouth and with raised eyebrows as she looked at Tails next.

"Well...Uhh...Since you've told us that your ancestor was a gigantic moth monster...Umm...why are you as tall as us, Kathy? How could a giant moth titan turn into a small person such as us Mobians? That's what I'm confused about," Tails asked calmly with a curious look on his face.

"Oh! I'll gladly tell you all about that! This is where things get really wild!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a cheerful smile as she had her hands behind her back. The guys can see how eager Kathy looks now, so, they've decided to stay quiet and to allow Kathy to explain further.

"It was after the Second Great Flood that happened where Mobians had started to appear in the Sol Dimension and live there. It was around two centuries ago when they had first appeared in the Sol Dimension, so, back then...there wasn't a lot of civilization or anything. They were even starting to create a kingdom there too. The early era of the Sol Kingdom had been the most stressful and turbulent time for the new Mobians because...well..." Kathy explained calmly yet brightly before she frowned a bit in the end. She then finished by saying, "...There were still kaijus around. Like I had said before, they were the only ones who had survived the Second Great Flood. Also, since the Sol Dimension is nothing but oceans and islands now, it was much easier for the kaijus to just walk ashore or fly to the islands and destroy the small villages that the Mobians were trying construct and maintain at the time. With the kaijus being around, it not only stirred fear and panic for the Mobians, but it had also weakened the economy of the Sol Kingdom since those monsters could simply plow through those villages like paper. It was certainly troubling for the Mobians at the time".

Tails frowned in sympathy as he commented, "I'll say. I would have trouble sleeping at night if I heard that a monster could come into my island and wreck my home completely to smithereens! That...That must've been an awful experience then if those Mobians had lost their homes because of those monsters".

Kathy nodded solemnly as she continued, "It sure was, and it was because of that reason why the Sol Kingdom's rulers had sought out for Mothra's help to help them protect their growing kingdom from those monsters".

The guys had gasped at this. Sonic replied with a surprised expression, "Wait! You don't mean that...it was Blaze's ancestors that had asked Mothra for help, right?".

Kathy smiled a little as she answered, "Yep. It was Blaze's great, great grandfather who had begged for Mothra's assistance in this. He was very much aware that if he doesn't get Mothra's help in this then his kingdom will surely perish in no time at all. He couldn't risk getting his newly developing kingdom to get destroyed. So, he looked into Mothra's history and had sought her out due to how legendary she was in the past".

"I...Wow...Mothra must've been such a great deal then if the king of the Sol Kingdom had sought her out for help," Sonic commented with an impressed look on his face.

Kathy smiled a little more proudly at that as she continued, "She sure was. She was no doubt a legend to the Mobians living in the Sol Dimension at that time. Even more so when she had defended their homes and islands multiple times throughout the years. She had battled through monster after monster and had eventually started to kill each of them as a way to get rid of them for good".

"Whoa! Really?!" Sonic and Tails exclaimed in shock. Knuckles simply raised his eyebrows at that while having an intrigued face.

Kathy nodded as she replied brightly, "Uh huh! It was due to the king's request that she should do that. Of course, it was quite a hassle for her to do since she was battling larger and stronger monsters most of the time. However, she had managed to kill all of them except for one".

"Huh? 'Except for one'? Who was it?" Sonic and Tails asked at the same time.

"...Godzilla," Kathy answered solemnly with a small frown on her face. Sonic and Tails gasped at this. Knuckles simply frowned and stared calmly at Kathy.

He then commented solemnly, "That's no surprise. He was the first kaiju after all. There was even another one after the first one was gone. I'm sure that he was quite a tough monster to get rid of once and for all. Am I right, Kathy?".

Kathy nodded to Knuckles and had crossed her arms as she answered solemnly, "That is right, Knuckles. Since Godzilla was the first kaiju to have ever existed, he was always referred to as the King of the Monsters, and if you're King, then...well...it's not that hard to imagine how much power he has as one, is it?".

Knuckles closed his eyes as he replied, "Not at all. Especially considering that you had said that he was as tall as a skyscraper, as strong as a mountain, and as powerful and invincible as a nuclear weapon, right?".

"Yes, he was all of those things. That was why he was a difficult opponent for Mothra to beat. He was everything that she wasn't. It's not to say that Mothra wasn't strong at all. It's just that...compared to him...she was basically the underdog between the two of them. Despite her great strength, it was still possible for her to get killed. It would have been pretty bad if she had attempted to kill Godzilla on her own. So...that was why her last fight with him was so special," Kathy replied calmly yet solemnly.

"Hmm? 'Special'?" Knuckles repeated with intrigue as he opened his eyes again.

Kathy smiled a little to him as she replied, "It was special because the king of the Sol Kingdom had aided Mothra in her final battle with Godzilla".

"Huh?! The king had aided her?! How?!" the guys exclaimed in unison as they were very surprised by this fact.

"Simple! The king had battled with her!" Kathy exclaimed jovially with a smile.

"AGAIN! HOW?!" the guys shouted in unison as they looked shocked.

Kathy smiled even more at them as she answered calmly, "...By using the Sol Emeralds of course".

At this surprising answer, the guys gasped in shock. They soon muttered in unison, "The...Sol Emeralds?".

Kathy nodded as she explained, "Yes, the Sol Emeralds. The king had not only used them on himself so that he can fight Godzilla head on, but he had also used their power to strengthen Mothra and make her more powerful than before. The king had turned Mothra into Fire Mothra with the Sol Emeralds, and that had helped her to kill Godzilla. It was through the combined efforts of the Sol Kingdom's ruler and Mothra that the last kaiju monster was killed. The King of the Monsters was down, and Mothra had taken the mantle as the kaiju's only heir to rule the Sol Dimension. The Mobians were certainly happy that all of the kaijus except for Mothra were gone for good. It was then that peace within the Sol Kingdom could finally flourish. It was certainly a poetic ending to be sure. …...The Goddess of Peace ending her long and arduous mission of killing every kaiju by killing the first one of its kind...which was Godzilla...King of the Monsters and the God of Destruction".

"...! What?!" Knuckles exclaimed in complete shock as his eyes went wide and as his mouth was agape. Sonic and Tails had gasped too when Kathy had said "God of Destruction" in the last part of her explanation. They were all shocked by hearing THAT particular title again. The only monster that they knew who was referred to that title was...Chaos. Godzilla...was also called the "God of Destruction"? …...Now, I know why Mothra had a hard time with him then since we had fought Chaos in the past. Knuckles pondered while having a shocked face before closing his eyes and frowned.

Kathy frowned a bit as she looked at the guys' shocked yet solemn faces. She had a worried look on her face as she asked tentatively, "Umm...Was it something that I had said?".

"Umm...uhh...It's nothing, Kathy. We're just surprised that Godzilla was also called that. We had heard that title before, but...umm...it's not important at the moment," Tails replied awkwardly with a frown as he looked at Sonic and Knuckles before at Kathy again.

"Oh...Uhh...Are you sure?" Kathy asked skeptically as she had noticed Tails' nervous look.

"Umm...Y-Yes..." Tails answered slowly yet awkwardly as his eyes went to the side.

Sonic decided to help Tails out by saying this, "Listen, it had been a long time ever since we had heard that title being said again. It's just...a little out of the blue for us. But like Tails had said, it's not relevant now, and I highly doubt that it will be ever again. So, don't worry about us, Kathy. Continue on with your story. Tell us what happened after the kingdom was saved by Mothra".

Kathy frowned in even more worry by that answer. She is now really curious about what had gotten her friends all jumpy about. She looked at Knuckles next and frowned even more in sadness as she saw Knuckles being quiet and still had his eyes closed. She can see how solemn he looks right now. I wish that I could know what's on their minds that had made them clam up about this. It seems that even Knuckles is rather bothered by it. But...I suppose that I should move on from this for now. Kathy pondered with a concerned look on her face.

She then turned her head back to Sonic and nodded to him. She smiled a bit as she continued, "Alright. Anyways, like I had said, Mothra was victorious for killing all of the kaijus in the Sol Dimension, and the Mobians were very grateful for her help. The king as well as the other Mobians in the Sol Kingdom wanted to thank her personally for her aid and support. In fact, they wanted to communicate to her directly so that she would hear them thanking her".

"Ah. So, they wanted to celebrate her victory then, right?" Sonic replied with a smile.

Kathy beamed at him as replied, "Well, yeah, but that wasn't the only thing they wanted to give her to show thanks".

"Oh? What was the other thing that they wanted to give to Mothra?" Tails asked curiously.

"They wanted to turn Mothra into a Mobian!" Kathy answered calmly with a bright smile.

"WAIT! WHAT?!" the guys shouted in shock. Even Knuckles had opened his eyes again after hearing that. He was quite shocked by that indeed. Kathy just smiled gently as she explained further to help the guys understand.

"Yes, you heard that right. The Mobians truly felt sorry for Mothra for killing her own kind just so that their kingdom would thrive in peace. So, they wanted to make it up to her by wanting to turn her into a Mobian like they are so that she could communicate with them and form new friendships that way. It was the best way to show how grateful they are to her for her protection over the years. They thought that Mothra could be a part of a new race...the Mobian race," Kathy explained with a gentle smile.

The guys were just speechless by that. They would have never thought that a gigantic moth could turn into a size of a Mobian like they are. It was rather baffling to think about in their minds.

"S-Say...Ummm...How did the people of the Sol Kingdom turn Mothra into a Mobian? That...is something that I'm confused about," Sonic replied awkwardly with a sheepish grin as he scratched his head in confusion.

"Oh, that's easy. The king just wished upon the Sol Emeralds to turn Mothra into a Mobian," Kathy answered brightly with a cheerful smile as she had her hands out for emphasis.

---

...

"...Heh. I should've known," Sonic replied sheepishly with a grin after that brief pause.

"Yeah...That actually explains a lot," Tails added calmly with a shrug and with an awkward smile.

Kathy just smiled back brightly for a bit before continuing, "Of course, the king had asked for Mothra's permission before using the Sol Emeralds on her. Mothra was hesitant to be turned into a Mobian because despite the Mobians' good intentions by having her to be a part of their race, she would still feel isolated from others due to her kaiju blood. She knew that she wouldn't become a full-blooded Mobian like they are. So, she had requested the king to have people like her after she gets tuned into a Mobian. Naturally, the king had accepted this request and had not only turned Mothra into a Mobian but had also given her...her own kind like herself. …A half Kaiju-half Mobian race...And thus...the Mothra Clan was born".

"...'The...Mothra Clan'?" the guys repeated in confusion with stunned expressions on their faces. Knuckles was particularly shocked by this. So...Kathy here is...a part of her own clan? Just like how...I am? Knuckles thought in surprise and in confusion with a stunned look on his face as he stared at Kathy intensely yet curiously.

Kathy smiled a little more calmly and gently as she replied, "Yes. I am a half Kaiju-half Mobian hybrid. Not only that...but I am also the Queen of my own clan, the Mothra Clan. The Queen family tree is the main line of the Mothra Clan whereas the branch line consisted of those that were created by the Sol Emeralds. So, after many generations later, I was born through my mother, Klara the Moth. She was the previous Queen of my clan and was used to be held up rather favorably amongst my people. …...Although...that had changed forever sadly...".

"Oh...I see..." Tails muttered sadly with a sympathetic frown as he saw Kathy looking rather depressed at the end.

But Kathy smiled brightly again and exclaimed cheerfully with a giggle, "But anyways, now you guys know how I am at your height and how I can talk to you! Hehehehehe!".

Sonic smiled brightly too as he calmly yet cheerfully replied, "Well, I'll say this. I certainly did not expect that was how you were born, Kathy. You and your ancestor's history are really something else! I just couldn't believe that you're a Queen this whole time, Kathy! You're quite full of surprises it seems!".

"Hehehehehe! Yeah, even Blaze was surprised when she had found out that my ancestors and her ancestors were interconnected somehow at one point in history! She would never had guessed that her kingdom had outside help...from a monster before! You should've seen the look on her face when I had told her that the first time! It was like the exact same reaction that you guys had!" Kathy exclaimed happily with a giggle and with a bright smile.

"Heh. I'll say. It is quite a wild story! That's for sure!" Sonic replied calmly yet brightly with a grin as he nodded in agreement.

"Hehehehe! I told you so!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a little giggle and with a sweet smile.

Sonic and Tails smiled at that and looked at each other for a bit before looking back at Kathy. Knuckles still had a stunned yet curious expression on his face as he stared at Kathy. Just when I thought that I wouldn't find any more common ground to stand on with her...she tells me this. …...The Mothra Clan, huh? …...Another clan...that Kathy is in...besides me...Hmmmm...Knuckles pondered calmly to himself as he stared quietly at Kathy. Without even realizing it, Knuckles leant a little forward in his seat since he's curious as to what Kathy will say next. He is definitely invested into knowing more about Kathy now. He sees her as a beautiful, walking, talking mystery that is waiting to be uncovered and revealed to him...and only him.

"Oh, hey, I just thought of something, guys," Kathy replied with a curious expression as she looked at the trio more closely.

"Hmm? Oh, what is it, Kathy?" Sonic asked with a smile.

"How did you guys learn how to talk anyway? That is the one thing that I don't get from Mobians in general. I mean. For how odd my origins is, at least we got an explanation as to why we talk. It was through the power of the Sol Emeralds that gave us the ability to talk. But what about you guys? Do you know why?" Kathy asked in curiosity as she had a hand under her chin and had tilted her head in a cute way again.

The guys soon became confused as they looked at each other in awkwardness. They still had no idea why either. Not even after many months later after their time on Earth did they solve that mysterious riddle of their talking abilities. They soon looked back at Kathy with little frowns on their faces.

"Sorry, Kathy. But we just don't know why we talk in general. It had always been that way from the start," Tails answered with a small frown as he looked slightly apologetic to Kathy.

"Oh, really? I see. Hmm..." Kathy replied calmly with a nod in understanding.

Sonic smiled sheepishly as he calmly yet brightly replied while scratching his head, "Yeah, it's still a mystery to us. But we've just decided to not question it. It's just a part of who we are. Same thing with you, Kathy. You're just as unique as the rest of us. I mean. You're half-Kaiju! That's honestly very cool! It's very rare to find and meet a monster who can talk! You're really something else, Kathy! I mean it!".

Kathy giggled a bit and blushed in embarrassment as she exclaimed brightly with a huge smile and with clasped hands, "Hehehehehe! Awww! Thank you! I'm just glad that I can talk to you guys! All of you are so interesting to me! I've never met Mobians who are so kind to me before! You guys are great! Hehehehehe!".

The guys blushed a bit when Kathy had said that. They then looked sheepish as they looked at Kathy with little smiles on their faces. They seem to realize now that Kathy does have a certain charm to her that makes them feel rather flustered at times.

"Aww, it's nothing, Kathy. We just like to help others is all," Tails replied calmly yet sheepishly with a little smile and with a light blush as he rubbed his head a bit.

"Heh. Yeah! A sweet girl like you deserves all the help that one can get just like a regular Mobian or a person would. There's really no reason for us to not be kind towards you even though you are a monster on the inside," Sonic replied calmly yet brightly with a little smile and with a light blush as he scratches his cheek.

"Ummm...Uhhh...It's...It's what we do, Kathy. We always care for those in need. We're just glad that we could help you," Knuckles replied gently yet shyly as he had a sheepish smile on his flushed face. Of course, to no one's surprise, Knuckles was having the toughest time of all. He was impressed with himself that he was able to say anything at all to her since his heart was screaming in nervousness. Every time that Kathy had ever complimented him, his heart just squeezes even more in weakness. It's always hard for him to at least maintain some composure of himself whenever Kathy speaks fondly of him. Yes, it is ridiculous. Even Knuckles thinks so, but...there's nothing much one can do about it if they have a "thing" for someone they like.

BUT GOSH DANG IT! WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SO HARD?! I FEEL SO PATHETIC! Knuckles screamed in his mind as he stared fondly at Kathy. Even while his mind was screaming, he still had a huge, fond smile on his flushed face as he stared at Kathy's happy face. Kathy smiled happily at those responses before she gasped in surprise when an idea came into her mind.

"Oh! Oh! I just thought of something again!" Kathy exclaimed in shock with a surprised look on her face while still having her hand on her chin.

"What is it, Kathy? Shoot! Tell us what's on your mind," Sonic replied casually with a grin as he shrugged. Tails and Knuckles also looked curious at what Kathy has on her mind now.

"Maybe you guys had gotten the ability to talk the same way that I had! But instead of using the Sol Emeralds, it was through the Chaos Emeralds!" Kathy exclaimed while she smiled brightly as if she had solved the mystery to this strange riddle.

The guys were quite intrigued by that theory. They looked at each other in curiosity and wondered if Kathy's right about that. To be fair, the Chaos Emeralds can grant any wish from a person's heart. So, it wasn't that hard for them to imagine somebody wanting to make a wish like that. They looked back at Kathy with intrigued yet happy looks on their faces.

"You know what, Kathy? I think that you're on to something here," Sonic replied calmly with a smile.

"Yeah, that does sound like a possible solution to that mystery. But still...that leads to another mystery. Just...who was the one who had made that wish and why?" Tails replied calmly with a smile before he frowned a bit in curiosity as he had his fingers under his chin in thought.

"That was what I was about to tell you guys next! I think that I know who had made the wish! Get ready, guys! It'll blow you away!" Kathy exclaimed while she beamed brightly as she had her hands behind her back and was bobbing up and down in happiness. The guys looked surprised by this and looked at each other again before shrugging and looking back at Kathy again.

"Go on ahead, Kathy. Might as well see what you had come up with then," Sonic replied with a smile as he shrugged a bit again. Tails and Knuckles nodded too as they both had smiles on their faces.

However, none of them were prepared by this...ridiculous theory that Kathy was about to tell.

"Maybe it was Dr. Eggman who had made that wish!" Kathy exclaimed proudly with a grin.

"...Wait...What?" the guys replied in confusion as they stared at Kathy incredulously.

"Yeah! Maybe he was just so lonely in the past that he wanted to talk to animals! He thought that if he could get animals to talk to him then he would easily make friends with them! But when he did make that wish with the Chaos Emeralds, everyone just ignored him! Nobody wanted to talk to him, and that was why he wanted to take over the world just like Dr. Eggman Nega does back in my old dimension! If he can't get animals to be friends with him, then he'll just have to enslave them instead! And that is why you guys were born in the first place! Dr. Eggman just wanted to have friends, and yet, no one cares about him!" Kathy exclaimed with a cheerful, innocent smile on her face.

---

…...

"Oh...my...gosh..." Tails muttered slowly in amusement as a huge smile was forming on his face. He could feel his laughter starting to come out.

"You...You can't be serious..." Sonic muttered in amusement too as he already has a huge smile on his face after he had heard Kathy's ridiculous theory.

"Well? Am I right? I mean. How else would he and his future descendant be always angry all the time? His anger had come from a deeply rooted place," Kathy replied with a smile as she crossed her arms and slightly looked away in thought.

"That's...That's just..." Knuckles muttered in amusement as a smile was also forming on his face. He knows that this is so ridiculous that he's about to laugh soon. But he had to will it inside of him to not let it out. I mean. It's not like Kathy's going to say something next that's going to tip him over the ed-

"'Fools! How dare you ignore me even though I was the one who had created you?! Why am I not included in your friend circles?! You say that you value friendship and helping those in need! Well, I say that you guys value nothing but lies and false hope! Sonic! Tails! Knuckles! Into the slammer you go! Arrested for perjury, false advertising, and most importantly friendship exclusion!'" Kathy joked as she did her best Eggman impression while pretending to look angry and pointing dramatically at the guys for emphasis.

On second thought...she just did.

"Pfffft! Ahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahah! (Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!)" Knuckles burst out into laughter before he muffled his somewhat high-pitched laughs with his hand. He immediately bent down towards his lap as he kept laughing hysterically. He wasn't the only one who busted out laughing at that. Sonic and Tails laughed instantly at the same time that Knuckles had laughed. They all laughed hard in amusement at that.

"Ahahahahahahahaha! OH, MY WORD! THAT IS JUST SO SAD! Hahahahahahahahaha!" Sonic shouted while laughing as hard as he could.

"I KNOW! Ohohohohohohohoho! NO WONDER HE MAKES ROBOTS! HE'S THAT LONELY! Hehehehehehehehehehe! Hahahahahahahahaha! IT...Hahahahahahahaha! IT MAKES TOO MUCH SENSE! Ahahahahahahahaha!" Tails shouted too while laughing hard as he gripped his stomach.

"AND THAT'S THE WORST THING ABOUT IT! Ahahahahahahahahaha! IT JUST MAKES IT EVEN SADDER! Hahahahahahahahahaha! WE'RE BASICALLY DESTROYING ALL OF HIS 'FRIENDS'! Hahahahahahahahaha! THAT JUST MAKES US ONLY CRUEL! Ahahahahahahahah!" Sonic shouted back while still laughing as he placed a hand over his eyes.

"Hehehehehehehehehe! I GUESS THAT MEANS WE ARE 'KAIJUS' THEN SINCE WE'RE THAT MEAN TO HIM! Hahahahahahahahaha!" Tails shouted back while laughing as he looked at Sonic through teary eyes.

"YEP! Hahahahahahahahaha! YEP, WE SURE ARE, BUDDY! Hahahahahahahahah!" Sonic shouted back in amusement while laughing as he looked at Tails too.

"GUYS! GUYS! YOU'RE...Hahahahahahahaha! YOU'RE NOT HELPING! Ahahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles shouted while in hysterical laughter as he lets go of his hand for a moment to talk to Sonic and Tails.

"SORRY! Ahahahahahahahaha!" Sonic and Tails shouted back while laughing very hard as they both looked at Knuckles with tears in their eyes. They all just dissolved into even more laughter after that.

Kathy smiled widely as she saw that she had made the guys to laugh really hard in amusement. She even started to laugh with them since their uproarious laughter got to her too. She watched them all laugh in amusement. Knuckles especially. She had never seen Knuckles laugh this much or this hysterically before. She thought that time in his shack was what had gotten him to laugh very hard, but it seems that it was not the case. It looks like she got him really good this time with her silly theory and with her Dr. Eggman impression. In other words, that was twice today that Kathy had managed to get Knuckles to laugh this much.

Kathy smiled hugely yet warmly as she watched Knuckles' happy, laughing face in peace. She felt...rather proud that she had made Knuckles laugh this much. She's very happy that she made him happy through her humor. She even started to blush as she was adoring Knuckles' amused look on his face. He really is very handsome when he laughs like that. And adorable too! I just hope that I could manage to get him to laugh like that as long as I live here in this dimension...Of course...if they will...let me to stay that is...Kathy pondered fondly with a warm smile before she frowned a bit at that last thought.

After laughing for about...another minute, the guys had started to calm down, but they still chuckled in amusement. Kathy smiled again as they saw that the guys were calming down now.

"Hahahaha...Okay! That...That was hysterical! Heheheh! Nice one! Although I...Hahahaha...Although I hate to say this, but...I really don't think that it was Dr. Eggman who had done it. Even though I really wish that it was! Hahahahaha!" Sonic replied calmly yet brightly in amusement with a grin as he chuckled a bit.

"Heheheheh...Yeah...You really had us going there, Kathy. It was a nice theory at least, but we still don't know that for sure. Still...Hahahahaha...That's such a sad thought to think about. Even though it got me to laugh! Hahahaha...You're quite imaginative, Kathy. I'll give you that," Tails replied calmly with a bright smile while chuckling a little.

"(Heheheheheheh!)…...I agree with Tails here, Kathy. You are quite creative albeit silly at times though. But it's okay. We've certainly enjoyed hearing that theory, Kathy. Although I will say with absolute certainty that it was not Dr. Eggman who had done that. My clan is proof enough since they had talked in the past too. Two thousand years ago to be exact. So, sorry, Kathy, but your theory was debunked two thousand years ago. (Heheheh!)…" Knuckles replied calmly with a huge smile while muffling his chuckles at times with his hand.

"Awww...I tried at least," Kathy whined in disappointment with a little frown on her face.

"Boy, you sure did!" Knuckles exclaimed brightly in amusement with a huge grin as he bit his lip to try to stop himself from laughing again. H-Hey! Don't do that, Kathy! Heheheheheh! Knuckles thought calmly in amusement as he grinned a lot while crossing his arms again. He'll never understand why hearing Kathy's disappointed tone always cracks him up. Heheheheheh! Maybe I am mean after all! Heheheheh! Knuckles thought some more as he snickered a little in amusement.

Tails smiled some more as he replied calmly, "Well, even if we don't know why we talk in the first place, we're still grateful that we do because now...we could even speak with you, Kathy. Just like with you to us. That's what's important here".

Kathy beamed at them as she replied calmly yet brightly, "Yeah! That's right! Meeting you guys was certainly the best thing that had ever happened to me! I thought that meeting Blaze and Marine was amazing, but you guys are really something else! Including...Ummm...Including you, Knuckles. I'm still happy that I got to meet you first when I got here in this dimension. You really are the best!".

Knuckles blushed immediately at that comment. He shyly looked away from Kathy and covered his right cheek with his hand to not let the others see him like this. "Ummm...It's...It's no trouble, Kathy. Uhhhh...Don't mention it..." Knuckles replied quietly yet awkwardly while blushing hard in embarrassment.

Kathy beamed in joy as she cheerfully exclaimed while giggling, "Hehehehehehe! Yay!".

"Hmph..." Knuckles grunted in amusement with a coy smile after hearing that simple, innocent response from Kathy. Sigh...There's always a certain charm to purity that not too many people get...but I do...and it's really contagious to me for some reason. If only I knew why...Knuckles pondered calmly with an amused smile while he still hid his face with his hand. Tails smiled some more before he frowned as a thought had come into his mind.

"Hey, Kathy? Can I ask you a question? Something is bothering me now after you had explained your origins to us," Tails replied calmly with a frown as he looked at Kathy.

"Huh? What is it, Tails?" Kathy asked calmly yet curiously with a little frown and with raised eyebrows.

Tails looked rather sad and worried as he calmly yet solemnly asked, "How come you are here now, Kathy? Why did you leave the Sol Dimension in the first place? It was your home dimension, right? Not to mention...you are also the current Queen of your clan. So, why...why did you leave? Shouldn't you be overseeing your clan then since you're the Queen of the Monsters here? Just what...had prompted you to leave then, Kathy? I'm just...confused...and curious is all".

Kathy had looked shocked by those questions. She then frowned a lot in sadness and looked down to the floor in shame. She honestly had felt like crying again, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and crossed her arms instead. She was rather quiet at this, and the guys had taken notice of this and frowned too.

Tails frowned even further as he quietly replied, "You...You don't have to tell us if you don't want to, Kathy. We do want to know so that we can help you out, but...we're not going to force you to tell us everything to us if there are certain subjects that you don't like talking about. You don't have to answer those questions if you don't want to. It's okay. We'll understand".

"..." Kathy was simply silent at that. She slowly looked up and saw Tails', Sonic's, and Knuckles' sad yet sympathetic faces at her as they don't want to upset her again. They're...They're too kind to me. Kathy thought with a frown as she looked down at the floor and towards the left in sadness. The guys don't know what to say or what subject to bring up next. But suddenly...to their complete surprise...Kathy had spoken up again after a long period of silence.

"...In Monster Island...there is a governor there who rules over the clan for me. It had been that way from the start. The Queen's job was to protect her clan and Monster Island as a whole from danger or from any adversary attacking the island. That's how...things are in my clan. The Queen doesn't actually get to rule over her clan or anything. She is to serve as a Guardian for their island and for the Sol Dimension too. Mothra had always protected the natives of Infant Island and the humans in the past...and her duty now is no different from what it was back then. But...as of lately...her...or should I say...my reputation...had tanked back when my mother...used to be the Queen years ago..." Kathy answered solemnly in a depressed tone as she recalled the painful memories of her past in the Sol Dimension.

The guys had gasped in concern when they heard that last part. They frowned even more in sadness as they looked pitiful towards Kathy again. If there was one thought that they all had in their minds, then it would be this. Just what could have happened to Kathy to deserve something like this?

Kathy continued explaining while looking sad, "...It was already bad enough concerning that the regular Mobians in the Sol Dimension had forgotten about Mothra and Kaijus entirely. Again...it had been centuries ever since the Mobians had heard of and seen Kaijus to begin with. After Mothra had saved their land from the monsters and had lived peacefully in Infant Island while her people lived in Monster island, the Mobians soon...had forgotten about her and monsters in general. It's more so because they're so used to living in peace and harmony now than they were in turmoil in the past. Also...it was due to the...generation gaps that the Mobians had since the children and grandchildren would not have encountered Kaijus themselves in their own lives. To them, they think that Kaijus and...Mothra were all just legends and fairytales that their parents or grandparents had made up to probably get them to behave or be a good example of. None of the Mobians today in the Sol Dimension believes in Kaijus anymore. They think that we don't exist...and if they found out that we do exist...well...they won't respond favorably to us...And sadly...they already do...Thanks to a certain...cruel, evil, heartless monster known as...Battra".

The guys had gasped again out of shock after Kathy had said that last part in her explanation. They all looked at each other in confusion while saying at the same time, "Battra?".

Kathy looked at the guys with a sad yet solemn look on her face. She nodded slowly as she explained further, "Yes, Battra. Battra the Moth. He was born in the branch side of the Mothra family tree, and...he is strongest one of my clan. He is my...archenemy...and so was my mother's. He had fought my mother and me for at least over a decade and a half...and he still hadn't given up. It was through him that had gotten my own clan and the entire people of the Sol Dimension to go against us. They now fear us and hate us. Thanks to Battra's destruction and manipulation, the people had decided to hate us and reject us. It had even made the people to wish that the original Mothra was back to save them from disaster and destruction. …...And yet...".

Kathy frowned even further in sadness as she looked down to the floor again and finished by saying, "...They don't realize that I'm Mothra now...It was the same thing with my mother. They had rejected the notion that I'm Mothra since they're very upset at me and my mother for not defeating Battra after warring with him for at least 15 years. Yes...my mother and him had fought even before I was born. It is...quite a tragic war that I'm in now...and...who knows how long the war will really last? It could even take another decade or even two. Who knows...considering that Battra never gives up no matter what happens? He is a stubborn monster...but that's a common trait that Kaijus have in general. If there were two things that Kaijus had always done in the past, then they are these: never giving up even when they had lost and always getting back up for a rematch all because they have second wind in them. This was why we were notorious to the humans in the past. We're stubborn to the very end of our lives. …...And that's why Battra won't quit. He'll keep on fighting just to achieve his dreams of world domination and...to prove to the world that he's 'right' while I'm 'wrong'".

---

...

The guys were silent after hearing that. They all had solemn looks on their faces since they now heard that Kathy is in a war with Battra...who is another Kaiju apparently. They feel rather empathetic to Kathy now since they understand her frustrations of battling her own enemy just like with theirs such as Dr. Eggman. How much they had wished that he'd give up trying to conquer the world in the past. It seems that Kathy's situation was no different to theirs. They were still quiet as they waited for Kathy to speak again after that silence.

Kathy sighed as she continued in a solemn tone, "(Sigh)...Thanks to Battra...my clan had despised me and were ungrateful for all the help that my mother and I had done over the years. Because of their selfish, cruel, and bitter behavior...I had decided to abandon them as a way to punish them for their sins. Not just them...but for all the people in the Sol Dimension. Blaze and Marine may be the only people whom I care for and wish for their safety while I'm gone...but for the rest...they don't deserve any mercy. Blaze is the only protector of the Sol Dimension now...Not I. Not anymore. I...I had quit. I've quit being the Guardian of the Sol Dimension. Sure, my ancestors had protected it for centuries, but...I've decided to put an end to all of that by coming here. This dimension...is my new home now, and I wish to protect it with my life. The people of my clan...they...they...they don't want...to a have a Queen looking over them now. Not...anymore".

...

Yet again, the guys were speechless after hearing that explanation. They all had sad frowns on their faces as they looked at Kathy in sympathy. They had never thought that a bright, cheerful, silly girl like Kathy could have held such a darkness deep inside her pure, innocent heart. They can now see that her cheerfulness and optimistic attitude was really a brave face to hide her painful, dark past. Underneath all the smiles, giggles, and laughter were pain, sadness, and of course...embitterment. They now know the reasoning as to why Kathy had decided to come here to their dimension and had wanted to live here instead of her old, home dimension. But...they can't help but feel even more pitiful for her since it was for a tragic reason. They just couldn't picture Kathy being hated by multitudes of people. Being hated by her enemies was one thing, but by...hundreds...thousands of people? In their minds, that's just absurd! And yet...that's the reality that Kathy had lived in for most of her life.

…...It was no wonder that Kathy had decided to leave. The pain of being hated by your own clan or even the entire world is enough to make one move to a different world or a dimension altogether. They felt rather sorrowful for Kathy for having to endure the pain of rejection and hatred from others all her life. They can see that Kathy had put up with a lot of people's disgust, shame, and anger before actually quitting on them. They understand now that even the 'benevolent, gentle' Queen of the Monsters has her limits on her patience...and it seemed that her clan had broken through those limits. Forgiveness can go a long way before they reach a line, and when someone had finally crossed beyond that line...then it is time to reevaluate the situation and think what is really important here. No one is perfect. People can't always forgive every time someone had messed up. If there is one thing that Sonic and his friends had known and had learned over the years...it would be that it's pointless to keep on forgiving someone who has no desire for change or for redemption. Knuckles knows that fact the most with Dr. Eggman and...with Rouge. Because of this knowledge, he feels quite empathetic towards Kathy for dealing with such ungrateful, stagnant people in the past. Especially with Battra. Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails were sad that Kathy's reputation was tainted due to that cruel and disgusting monster, and that she is still fighting that very same monster who had ruined her life.

They grimaced at the thought of Battra. Just by hearing the name alone gave the guys chills down their spines. In a way, they dread into ever meeting him in person.

…...

"Battra..." Knuckles muttered solemnly with a grimace as he closed his eyes.

"Kathy? …What does...Battra look like? He's a moth like you, right?" Tails asked slowly yet solemnly with a grimace.

Kathy soon looked back up to the guys again after that bit of silence. She was still frowning as she nodded her head while answering solemnly, "Yes, Battra is also a moth monster like me. You see, he is a black monster with-".

"Wait a minute! What?! Battra...is a...black monster you say?!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock with a gaped mouth as his eyelids flew wide open again. He looked completely shocked by this reveal. Tails also looked shocked as he caught on to what Knuckles is saying here. Sonic was a bit confused as he looked at Tails and Knuckles curiously. Huh? What has gotten into them all of a sudden? Sonic pondered in confusion as he stared at Knuckles' and Tails' shocked faces.

Kathy looked alarmed as she answered nervously, "Uhh...Ummm...Yes, he is a black moth monster. He also has three yellow horns on his head and has red and yellow streaks on his wings. Not to mention that...his eyes are completely red. No irises or anything. Just two, red, bug-like eyes. They are very intimidating if you see them in person".

Knuckles and Tails were just utterly shocked that the so-called "black monster" that Tikal had warned was actually Kathy's archenemy, Battra the Moth. So, he was the one who had attacked Kathy last night. It all makes sense now. Hmmm...Grrrrr! He's going to pay for that. Knuckles pondered calmly before a bit irritably with a deep frown as he stared solemnly at Kathy. He now knows whom he should protect Kathy from. Even though Kathy is going to keep battling Battra, Knuckles is determined to keep watching over her as a way to keep his promise to her.

"Ummm...Is something wrong, guys?" Kathy asked tentatively with a little frown as she looked at Tails and Knuckles.

"I agree with Kathy here. Just what is up with you two? Why are you guys looking so shocked for?" Sonic added calmly in confusion with a little frown on his face.

Knuckles turned his head a bit towards Sonic as he answered calmly with a solemn frown, "We just realized who it was that had attacked Kathy last night".

"Huh?! You what?!" Sonic and Kathy exclaimed at the same time in surprise.

Knuckles looked back at Kathy and continued by saying solemnly with a grave look on his face, "It was Battra that had attacked you, Kathy. He was the one who had taken control of the Master Emerald and had made it shoot electricity at you. That was why you had crashed down onto my island. Battra had tried to kill you".

Kathy gasped in shock as she brought her hands over her mouth. Sonic also gasped in surprise of that answer. He frowned a bit as he thought. Well, geez, I'm slow! How did I not pick that up?!

Tails simply frowned in worry as he looked at Kathy while replying solemnly, "Kathy...We've heard a warning from Tikal that a black monster is going to bring this dimension into destruction. Since you had said that Battra is a Kaiju monster, I can understand why Tikal had said that. I even understand why she had described the black monster as a strong and powerful being since...well...he's a Kaiju. If your history had taught us anything, then it would be that Kaijus are very hard to defeat and to get rid of".

"..." Kathy was silent at that as she stared at Tails now. She allowed Tails to continue by nodding her head at him.

Tails saw this and continued calmly yet solemnly with a grave frown, "Because of this...I think that it's very important that...you help us defeat him. Kathy...We've even heard from Tikal that Battra can't be beaten by using the Chaos Emeralds or even the Master Emerald. We...We need your assistance in this. We can't stop Battra by using any conventional methods that we normally use against powerful foes in the past. Since you're planning to stay here and defend this dimension...then...are you going to protect us from Battra too? Please, Kathy. Please help us. We don't have anyone else to go to for help. If anyone can defeat Battra and save our world, it's you!".

Kathy gasped again as she raised her eyebrows in surprise. Sonic looked at Tails and nodded in agreement before looking at Kathy again. Sonic then looked solemn as it was his turn to make his plea.

"Tails is right, Kathy. It seems that I'm unable to stop this despicable creature this time. Usually, I defeat tough foes by going into my Super Form. But if this Battra guy is even more powerful than that form, then I guess that I'm out. However, since you're a Kaiju too, then that means that you have a shot into defeating him once and for all. Kathy...Please help us. You're the only one who can save us now. Please save our dimension from destruction. It's our home too, and you want to live in our home dimension, right? So...please help us. We could use all the help that we can get here," Sonic pleaded calmly yet solemnly with a grave frown.

"..." Kathy was still silent as she looked at Tails and Sonic after hearing those sincere pleas for help. She looked sympathetic towards them as she can see how desperate and serious they were at this. She then looked towards Knuckles next to see if he's going to plead to her or not.

"Kn-Knuckles?" Kathy replied softly yet curiously as she stared at him while looking sympathetic. Knuckles was being calm yet serious as always as he stared back at Kathy's sympathetic eyes. His calm, solemn, violet eyes were staring into concerned, gentle, light-blue eyes. As he kept staring solemnly at Kathy, he brooded yet again. This girl...is the only one who can save our world now. She's going to...save my island from destruction. She's going to...save me from death...

"..." Knuckles was silent as he still stared into Kathy's eyes. Kathy was silent too as she just stared back into his eyes as if she was trapped by them. The two guardians felt a strong, inescapable link between each other. It was like they were bound together by fate for this moment only. Somehow...they just feel like it was destiny that they would meet each other just to end up protecting each other in this way. And yet...this all feels so familiar to them. It's like they had always done this before in the past. This situation feels...rather comfortable because of that.

…...And I know that I can't pass this one up. Knuckles brooded calmly with a solemn frown as he stared even more at Kathy. He then decided to say his plea next. However...his was rather a simple one.

"Kathy...Please help us. Please...help me..." Knuckles pleaded softly yet sincerely with a solemn look on his face.

"..." Kathy was speechless after hearing Knuckles' plea. Somehow...this plea had touched her heart the most. She could hear the emotion and weight behind the words that Knuckles had said. She knows that Knuckles was being really genuine here when he had said that. Sure, Sonic and Tails were sincere too, but it was just something in Knuckles' tone that made his plea even more sincere than the other two pleas. It's because of this that she felt even more determined to stop Battra at all costs just to protect him.

She then smiled gently at him as she simply answered, "I'll protect you, Knuckles".

At this reply, Knuckles smiled gently too at Kathy. He felt relieved since he knows that Kathy is serious and is willing to defend him from Battra. He then replied gently with a nod and with a warm smile, "Thank you".

Sonic and Tails smiled too as they stared at Knuckles and Kathy. Kathy then looked at Sonic and Tails as she calmly added with a gentle smile, "And I promise to protect you guys too. Thank you for asking me to help you. Aside from Blaze, you three are the first people whom I've met that had asked me for my assistance. It had been over two centuries that Mothra's help was needed and asked for. So, I'm honored that my first 'clients' in this dimension are from kind-hearted gentlemen such as you three".

The guys looked at each other with content smiles on their faces after hearing that. They looked back at Kathy and nodded to her.

"We're glad that you're willing to help us, Kathy. We're truly grateful that you're doing this for us. Also, don't worry. We're going to do our best to protect you too. We can't stop Battra if you get killed, Kathy. So, we're going to do our best to look after you. Okay?" Sonic replied calmly with a bright smile.

Kathy smiled back and nodded her head as she exclaimed brightly, "Okay! But watch out for Battra just in case, Sonic! He's no slouch when it comes to fighting! I know that from experience!".

Sonic just shrugged as he casually replied with a sly smile, "I will. But I can't make any promises to that".

Tails smiled sheepishly at that as he calmly replied, "Yeah, you might want to keep an extra eye onto Sonic, Kathy. He's usually the one who goes head-first into something dangerous and risky. He's the one who usually does all the heroic stuff, so, it might be hard for him to stay back whenever there is a crisis going on. I won't be surprised if he chooses to go out and fight Battra after hearing a report of him attacking a city or something. It's just in his nature to be reckless like that".

Sonic then looked sheepish as he scratched his head as he calmly replied, "Yeah...Sorry about that, Kathy. But it's going to happen. I can't help it".

Kathy smiled sympathetically at him as she calmly replied, "Well...I guess that it can't be helped then. I'll do what I can to save you if you get stuck in a bind of some kind".

"Thanks, Kathy! I will count on you then!" Sonic replied brightly with a wink and with a thumbs-up as he grinned at her. Kathy beamed brightly at that.

Knuckles rolled his eyes before smirking a bit at Sonic in a smug way as he calmly yet coyly commented, "You do realize that you're asking to get beaten up by Battra if you do confront him for the first time, right?".

Sonic looked at Knuckles and frowned at that as he calmly replied in annoyance, "Knuckles...That's not going to happen. Have more faith in me, will ya?".

"Hmph. No," Knuckles replied calmly yet teasingly with a grunt and with mischievous smirk.

"Grrrr..." Sonic growled in annoyance as he glared at Knuckles. Kathy just giggled at that. Knuckles smirked even wider as he turned to look at Kathy.

"See? Even Kathy agrees with me," Knuckles replied teasingly with a mischievous smirk as he glanced at Sonic.

"Kathy...Not you too," Sonic replied calmly with a sad frown and with lowered eyelids.

"Hehehehehehehehe! I'm sorry, Sonic! But what Knuckles had said was just so funny to me! Hehehehehehehe! I can't help but laugh at that!" Kathy exclaimed happily with a sweet smile while giggling a lot in amusement.

"Huh?! And just what is so funny about me getting beaten up by Battra?!" Sonic exclaimed in an exasperated tone as he looked annoyed again.

"It's funny because it's true! Hehehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile as she giggled some more while clutching her stomach.

"What?!" Sonic exclaimed in shock as his eyes went wide at that response. Knuckles just laughed at that as he pondered in amusement. Oh, that's so priceless! Kathy just doesn't have that much faith in Sonic to fight on his own! Her faith in him is about as much as mine is! Which is zero! Hahahahahahah!

"Ahahahahahahahahahah! Oh! Kathy got you there, Sonic! Hahahahahahahah! Looks like she doesn't think that you're strong enough to stand on your own! Heheheheheheheh!" Knuckles exclaimed in amusement with a huge grin as he laughed again while teasing Sonic.

"Grrrr...Shut up," Sonic muttered tiredly with a growl as he crossed his arms and pouted. Tails just shook his head in sympathy for Sonic. You need to learn to swallow your pride sometimes, Sonic. You can't do amazing things all the time, you know. Tails thought calmly with a weak smile on his face as he stared at Sonic in sympathy. Knuckles and Kathy kept laughing and giggling for a bit before they calmed down again.

"Hahaha...Okay. Let's get back to the main subject here..." Knuckles replied calmly as his laughter had died down again. He smiled a bit before frowning as he grew solemn again. He looked at Kathy and continued calmly yet soberly with a solemn look on his face, "Kathy? There is something that I think all of us here are curious about. And that is this...Why is Battra here in our dimension? You said that he was busy trying the conquer the Sol Dimension for at least 15 years. Why did he come here if he's so determined conquer the other dimension? Do you know why, Kathy?".

Kathy froze up at those questions. She bit her lip as she felt anxious again. She really hoped that she wouldn't have to answer that. Even though she had decided to tell the guys everything about herself, she's still fearful of what they'll say to her when they find out that it was technically her fault that Battra's here in their dimension now. She had a sweat drop on her head as she felt nervous again. She had her head down as she looked shameful again. The guys noticed this sudden change of behavior and frowned in worry again.

"Kathy? …Are you alright?" Knuckles asked calmly yet gently in concern while looking solemn yet worried.

"..." Kathy was silent again as she doesn't know how to answer his questions. The guys felt really concerned for Kathy again as they noticed that she isn't saying anything to them. Knuckles was about to speak again before Kathy had cut him off by saying, "...Battra didn't come here on his own free will".

"...!" The guys gasped in surprise of this fact.

"He didn't come here...on his own free will?" Knuckles repeated calmly in confusion with a gaped mouth as his eyes went wide in shock. If Battra didn't come here on his own, then who did? Knuckles pondered calmly in confusion as he stared at Kathy for answers.

However...he didn't expect this to be the answer.

"No...I...I brought him here...to this dimension...I had done this...as a way...to repay Blaze back after saving her kingdom from Battra's control. I didn't want...to get her kingdom to be taken over by him again by controlling the Sol Emeralds. …...Since Battra is aware of the Sol Emeralds' existence now and where he could obtain them for himself...he is now a more dangerous threat to the Sol Dimension more than ever before. Bringing him here to this dimension... was the only thing that I thought of that would protect Blaze and Marine from harm. I'm...I'm truly sorry...but it was the only thing that I had to do in that moment..." Kathy answered calmly yet solemnly with a grimace as she closed her eyes and as she gripped her left arm in shame.

---

...

The guys simply gaped at Kathy in shock. They were too stunned by this revelation more than anything. The only reason that Battra is here now was because of Kathy, but at the same time, she did it just to protect their friends in another dimension. They don't know what to think of that. They can tell that it was a compromising position that Kathy was in at that time. Just by looking at Kathy's face, the guys could see that she looked ashamed. They were surprised that she's the one responsible for their dimension's...potential destruction...but...they can't find it in themselves to feel upset at her for that. In all honesty...they felt pitiful for her.

"...Kathy...I..." Knuckles muttered softly in concern with a sympathetic look on his face as he stared sadly at Kathy.

"When I came into this dimension..." Kathy spoke again in a sad tone of voice while looking ashamed.

"...!" The guys gasped a bit as they heard Kathy speak again after that silence.

Kathy felt like crying again as she continued in sadness, "...I...I really just wanted to live by myself and just protect this world from Battra without having anyone meeting me personally. In all honesty...I...I had planned to find at least one of you guys and ask if you know where I could live in this world. After that...I was just going to fly off and find my new home on my own. I thought that...as long as I keep protecting this world while living here in secret...then I would've been happy with my new life here in this dimension".

…...

The guys were just silent after hearing that sad reasoning that Kathy just told. So, apparently, Kathy was originally going to ask just one of them where she could live and then leave just like that. Almost like what a stranger would do. They honestly felt hurt that Kathy was going to do that from the start. They looked even more sad after that.

"...I've...I've never actually intended to get to know you guys or anyone else here in this dimension. Even if any of you had come into contact with me, I would just simply pretend that I'm a Mobian just like you guys are and never actually reveal my secret identity at all. In fact...that was what I was doing the whole time as I was interacting with you three. I had pretended to be normal so that I would pass off as one of you guys instead of being a half Kaiju-half Mobian hybrid. Since my physical appearance was one of a moth, I thought that it was a convincing disguise for my Kaiju identity since I am a moth monster on the inside. As long as others don't know that I'm a Kaiju...then I was sure that I would obtain a better life here than my old one back home. Because...at that point...nobody would reject me and hate me since they don't know that I'm a monster. I would feel way more accepted in this world since no one knows who I really am. I didn't want to feel the pain of being isolated and being hated by others again. So that's why...that's why I was hesitant to tell the truth to you guys earlier. I really didn't want you guys to know that I'm a Kaiju monster because...because...I had feared that you would fear me and hate me too...just like how the others had done so before..." Kathy continued in a depressed tone as she frowned in sadness. After she had said that last sentence, she started to cry silently again.

The guys felt really upset after seeing Kathy cry again. They all had such pitiful faces as they watched Kathy cry for a second time. Just hearing that explanation was just painful to them. It was truly heart-breaking. They now understand why Kathy did what she did by hiding the truth from them, but they had never expected that the reason for doing so was going to be this sad.

After looking at each other for a moment, the guys decided to try to console Kathy again.

"Kathy...Please don't be upset. It's not as if we will hate you now just because you've revealed to us that you're a monster. We're...We're not even afraid of you. Even if you had showed us some of your Kaiju powers to us, we won't be scared. Honest," Tails consoled first in a concerned tone while frowning in sadness.

"Yeah...What you've just said...that's not going to happen. Just because you're not a regular Mobian like us, that doesn't mean that you deserve to be hated. Yes, you are half Kaiju, but that doesn't mean that you really have to hide that part about yourself. We're more accepting than you think," Sonic consoled next as he looked sympathetic towards Kathy. Knuckles nodded at Sonic and turned to look at Kathy as he tried to console her next.

"What Tails and Sonic had said is true, Kathy. There's no reason for us to hate you or fear you. We're nothing like those selfish, ungrateful people in the Sol Dimension who had hated and rejected you in the past. We care about all types of people being either a Mobian, a human, an alien, or even a monster. Why would you even say that we would hate you as a Kaiju? Why would you even want to hide it from us in the first place? Yes, we know why, but still...why bother doing it? Don't you want others to accept you as you are?" Knuckles consoled calmly yet gently as he looked solemn yet concerned.

"OH! SO, YOU THINK IT'S THAT EASY, HUH?!" Kathy shouted in anger with a grimace as she sharply looked up towards the guys with tears in her eyes. Knuckles visibly flinched at that surprising response from Kathy. Sonic and Tails also jumped a bit in their seats after hearing Kathy shout like that in anger. They hadn't expected that reaction at all. They all had shocked faces as they kept staring at Kathy in pity.

"DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW IT FEELS LIKE TO BE A KAIJU MONSTER, KNUCKLES?! HECK! A REGULAR MONSTER EVEN?! IF YOU WERE ME, THEN YOU WOULD'VE DONE THE SAME THING THAT I DID AND LIVE YOUR LIFE IN COMPLETE ISOLATION FROM EVERYONE! AND DO WANT TO KNOW WHY?! HUH?! DO YOU?!" Kathy shouted some more in anger with a grimace as she stared at Knuckles with tears in her eyes.

"...I...I...Uhhh...Umm..." Knuckles muttered awkwardly as he stared back at Kathy with a shocked expression on his face. He even had a sweat drop on his head as he felt nervous of Kathy now. How it feels like...to be a monster? Knuckles thought in confusion while looking shocked and nervous.

"IT'S BECAUSE MONSTERS HAVE A CURSED REPUTATION TO THEM! THAT'S WHAT! PEOPLE HATE MONSTERS! THEY FEAR THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE SCARY, DESTRUCTIVE, HURTFUL, AND MERCILESS! THEY. KILL. PEOPLE! MONSTERS DON'T CARE ABOUT OTHERS AROUND THEM! MONSTERS ALWAYS HAVE A BAD CONNOTATION TO THEM BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY DO TO PEOPLE! MONSTERS ARE NEVER LOVED! THEY'RE ONLY HATED, FEARED, AND REJECTED BY OTHERS! A MONSTER LIKE ME DOESN'T BELONG HERE! I'D BE LUCKY IF PEOPLE CAN TOLERATE ME, BUT I KNOW THAT THEY WILL NEVER LOVE ME BECAUSE I'M A MONSTER! THAT WAS WHY I HAD TO HIDE MY IDENTITY FROM OTHERS! …...BECAUSE I KNOW HOW MUCH PEOPLE HATE MONSTERS!...THEY'RE...(Sniff)…THEY'RE SCARED OF DYING TO THEM! THEY'RE SCARED OF LOSING LOVED ONES TO THEM! THEY'RE SCARED OF LOSING THEIR HOMES! CITIES! TOWNS! VILLAGES! AND EVERY SINGLE THING THAT THEY HOLD DEAR TO IN THEIR HEARTS! AND AFTER ALL THOSE MONSTERS HAD FINISHED DESTROYING THEM ALL, THE PEOPLE FEEL NOTHING BUT ANGER, SADNESS, FEAR, AND BITTERNESS! WHAT REASON...JUST WHAT REASON WILL THEY EVER HAVE INTO ACCEPTING MONSTERS AFTER THEY HAD LOST EVERYTHING?! HUH?! WHAT REASON COULD YOU...NO! ALL OF YOU HAVE INTO ACCEPTING EVEN ME AFTER REALIZING THAT YOU COULD LOSE EVERYTHING ALL THANKS FOR WHAT I'VE HAD DONE INTO BRINGING BATTRA HERE?! HUH?! HUH?! JUST WHAT...(Sob Sob Sob)…..." Kathy ranted in anger with a deep grimace and with tears in her eyes as she placed a hand over her chest while sniffling and sobbing a little.

She paused as she looked down and placed her hand over her eyes to let herself cry some more. She continued in a sad, soft tone with a grimace, "...Just what reason could you have into accepting me as your friend? Even after knowing that I can destroy...everything that you hold dear in a matter of seconds? …...(Sob Sob)…This whole house...can be completely blown up if I had used my energy beams just now...and all of you would have been killed by me. …...(Sniff)…...How could you possibly accept someone like that? Accepting someone...who can kill you?".

---

...

Silence was the only answer that the guys had after hearing that. Kathy kept crying quietly while the guys were frowning in sadness too. They can see how much pain Kathy had dealt with for being associated as...not just any monster...but as the Queen of the Monsters in her dimension. They had wondered now if what they had said had triggered her by bringing up bad memories of her past. Just by hearing her shout in anger like that...it surely must've. They grimaced as they realized how much Kathy is hurting by this.

"...This is the reality that I live in daily. A terrible, horrible reality that will never stop. My reality is that...(Sniff)…...Monsters...can never be deemed as good to others. Monsters...will always be associated with evil. Even when I do good, I'll always be seen by others as bad! …...(Sob Sob)…...No matter what I do...no matter how hard I try to help others...They'll always see me as an evil person because of who I am on the inside. No one...No one could ever trust a monster...and I doubt that any of you could trust me," Kathy continued softly in sadness with a grimace and with teary eyes as she sniffled and sobbed a little.

"...!" Tails and Knuckles gasped in shock after hearing Kathy say that.

"That's not true! Of course, we believe in you! We trust you, Kathy!" Sonic exclaimed in shock with a surprised look on his face after hearing Kathy say that. Kathy looked up and removed her hand from her eyes as she stared at the guys again but mostly at Sonic after hearing him say that.

While looking upset, she then calmly yet softly asked with tears in her eyes, "Can you be really sure of that? Don't you guys feel at least some amount of fear or anger in your hearts since you're facing with a monster right now?".

"Why do you ask that?! Of course, we don't! We're not afraid nor angry at you!" Sonic exclaimed back in determination while looking confused and surprised. Tails and Knuckles nodded in agreement of that.

"...Are you sure? …...Even after...I had brought Battra here...into your dimension?" Kathy challenged calmly yet softly with a sad look on her face.

"Kathy..." Sonic muttered softly in a sad tone as he looked pitiful to her.

"Sonic...Do you even know what monsters are? To what they do to others and quite possibly...to you? Have you even seen monsters before? Well? Do...any of you?" Kathy questioned calmly yet softly while looking sad as sparkles are seen through her teary eyes.

"...!" Sonic gasped in shock after being asked that. His eyes went wide, and his mouth went agape. Tails and Knuckles shared Sonic's expression too as they all reminiscence of all of the monsters that they had seen for themselves. Well, mostly from Sonic's experience in particular.

…Chaos, Biolizard, the Metarex, Black Doom, Dark Gaia, the Time Eater, and most recently...the Zeti.

The only things that all three of them can only think of when any of those monsters show up in their minds are...destruction...terror...evil...merciless...and lots of people fearing in panic because of their cruel, heartless actions. They all grimaced and looked down in sadness as they can see that Kathy has a point in her argument. None of those monsters were ever good. Even Chaos had turned evil after seeing his Chao friends getting harmed ruthlessly by the Echidna Clan. They can't even picture Chaos as a kind, gentle soul that Tikal had described of him when he was good. The only things that they see in him is...what Kathy had said about all monsters in general. In which that...they could never be seen as good creatures to others. They had always fought monsters in the past. They had never...befriended one before.

They soon looked back up at Kathy again. They can still see her sniffling and crying softly as she stared at them with pitiful eyes. They frowned sadly as they realized that they are now facing a new monster before them...and that is a Kaiju monster.

A very...sad, scared, hurt, lonely monster who at the same time is (normally) a cheerful, sweet, benevolent, caring, silly girl who behaves no differently than themselves. There really is no reason for them...to be upset with her for who she is, and it would be unjust for them to reject her because of that. If they did that, then...they would be no different than the people back in her home dimension.

Of course, before any of them could speak up first, Kathy spoke up instead in sadness while looking ashamed, "I...I think that I should leave. I shouldn't stay here. I don't...belong here. I can't live in here. S-Sorry...but...I should go".

She looked towards the front door as she said this. Before Sonic and Tails could speak up and before Kathy could move from her spot, Knuckles immediately got up from the couch and rushed over to Kathy after hearing her say that. Kathy gasped in shock as she flinched a bit when Knuckles quickly walked over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders again. Kathy stared into Knuckles' concerned, gentle, violet eyes while hers were still filled with tears. Sonic and Tails gasped in surprise when they saw Knuckles do this. But they didn't say anything as they realized that Knuckles is going to be the one who gets to console Kathy himself this time. So, they stayed silent as Knuckles spoke to Kathy.

"You can't go," Knuckles started calmly as he looked concerned for Kathy.

"But I...I shouldn't even be he-" Kathy replied quietly yet sadly with a little frown as her eyes looked towards the door again.

"Don't say that!" Knuckles interjected immediately while shaking Kathy's shoulders a little to bring her attention back to him again. When Kathy quickly looked back at Knuckles, she gasped in surprise when she saw how concerned and how frightened he was since his eyes are wide and panicky now.

Kathy frowned further as she muttered sadly yet softly, "Knuckles...I...I don't know why you're...stopping me from leaving".

Are you crazy? I could NEVER let someone as silly and sweet as you to ever get away from me! Besides, I have a cru-uhh...I have a "thing" for you! If you really think that I'll let you slip out of my grasp now...then you're surely mistaken, Kathy. You don't even realize it. Knuckles brooded in sadness with upward eyebrows as he frowned deeply at that reply.

"Kathy...You're a smart girl. You know why I am stopping you from leaving. Say it to me if you know it," Knuckles replied calmly yet softly with a little frown and with concerned eyes as he leant a little closer towards Kathy.

"...I...I don't know, Knuckles...I can't see why...I'm sorry..." Kathy replied softly yet slowly with a little frown and with twinkling eyes as she stared briefly at Knuckles before looking down in shame. Knuckles looked even sadder after hearing that reply. He just couldn't believe that Kathy doesn't think that he's stopping her because he cares for her. That really was the answer as to why he's doing this. It honestly broke his heart that Kathy doesn't think that he cares for her. Even after what he had done earlier today by how he had taken care of her and had consoled her plenty of times before. Of all the times to be doubting him like this...it just hurts to hear her say that.

Knuckles simply squeezed Kathy's shoulders and rubbed them gently in a soothing manner as he replied calmly yet softly with a solemn frown and with concerned eyes, "Kathy...Do you even remember what I had promised you today? How I'll...protect you and take care of you...no matter what?".

"...!" Kathy gasped in shock as she looked back up to Knuckles' eyes again in surprise. As she blinked her teary eyes, she listened to Knuckles consoling her some more.

"I had promised you that I will look after you as you stay here in this dimension. Someone has got to look after you, Kathy. If you go out that door and leave, then...just what are you going to do after that?" Knuckles continued gently yet solemnly with a grave frown as he stared deeply into Kathy's teary-filled eyes.

"..." Kathy was silent after Knuckles had asked that. She just stared back at him with a sad look on her face. Knuckles lowered his eyelids halfway as he looked sad too.

"Kathy...Just where are you even going to go next if you leave? What are going to do for yourself? Do you really think that living an isolated life from others is a good idea? Do you even know who's going to look after you if you get sick or hurt? Just...Why do you want to keep running away from others who want to help you? Don't you even realize that we care for you?!" Knuckles asked in a concerned tone while having a sad look on his face.

As Kathy heard those questions, she let her tears to fall some more in sadness. She felt all chalked up as she can't say anything to that. She knows that what Knuckles is saying is right. She absolutely has no idea where to go or what to do next. She knows that she's going to be lost even if she went on her own. All she wanted to do is run away in shame. She never had any plans or ideas to where she should go or what to do next. She wanted to run away because she felt like it. …...But here is Knuckles stopping her from letting her emotions go wild and preventing her from what could be her worst mistake ever. That is...abandoning the only friends that she has now. Abandoning...the one whom she had made a promise with. The first person whom Kathy had met in this dimension...Knuckles the Echidna.

Knuckles...Kathy thought in sadness with a grimace as she closed her eyes and cried silently.

This realization hurts Kathy the most. She really had doubted that Knuckles truly cared for her like he said he did. She really had thought that he would discard her the moment that she had revealed to him that she's a Kaiju. She had never thought that...Knuckles would be the one stopping her from leaving. She just doesn't understand that.

"...Why? …...(Sniff)…...Why do you want me to stay? …(Sob)…...I'm a Kaiju monster. Aren't you even...(Sob)…...scared of what I can do to you? …Or even...what I could even do to the world if I choose to-" Kathy replied in a sad, broken tone of voice as she was crying and sniffling.

"I don't care that you're a Kaiju, Kathy! I had made a promise to you, and I'm going to keep that promise to the very end!" Knuckles exclaimed solemnly with a determined look on his face as he gripped onto Kathy's shoulders much more tightly than before.

"...! W-What?" Kathy replied in shock and in confusion with a gasp and with a little, gaped mouth as she opened her eyes again to look at Knuckles' concerned yet solemn face. Knuckles frowned a bit as he pulled Kathy a little closer to himself yet still at an arm's reach between them.

"Listen to me, Kathy. I may have been surprised to know that you're a monster, but I was never once scared of you the moment that you had told it to me. It's the same thing with Sonic and Tails. We're not going to hate you or reject you either because of that. We...We believe in you. We even know that you aren't going to...kill us or...destroy this world just because you have the blood of a Kaiju inside of you. We...We believe in your innocence," Knuckles continued calmly yet gently with a solemn frown and with twinkling eyes as he caringly stared at Kathy.

"..." Kathy was silent again after hearing Knuckles say that. She had huge, watery eyes as she stared into Knuckles' calm, gentle eyes as he stared back at her. She bit her lip as she felt like wanting to cry even harder. She closed her eyes again as she refused to let herself to get this emotional in front of Knuckles. She didn't want to look that weak towards him. She did her best to put up her walls of defense inside of her mind. However...what she did not expect...or even what Sonic and Tails expect was...Knuckles pulling her into his arms for a hug.

Sonic and Tails gasped quietly in surprise as they saw Knuckles hugging Kathy tightly in his arms. Kathy's eyelids flew wide open when she realized that Knuckles was holding her close to his body. She could feel his strong arms holding her arms and back. She had her head onto his left shoulder as she looked down onto the floor. She could already feel her walls coming down just as fast as she had built them. But she still refused to cry out loud like a little child would.

But...what Knuckles had said next just broke her resolve.

"Kathy...I believe in your innocence. You're more than a monster to me. In my eyes, you're a sweet, kind, jovial, silly girl who just wants to live in this dimension in peace. What reason...do I have to hate a person for wanting to do that? None. None at all. …...Listen, Kathy...I'll never hate you nor fear you. I'll keep protecting you to the very end. ...And I'll...I'll always take care of you in some way or another. I'm not going to let your Kaiju origins break my resolve into protecting you. I may have fought monsters in the past...and so did Sonic and Tails...but we will not let our past experiences cloud our judgement over you, Kathy. You are nothing like the previous monsters in our past. …...We just know that you aren't going to hurt us...I know that you won't...Because again...I believe in you..." Knuckles whispered softly to Kathy with determined eyes as he hugged her gently. He even rubbed her back a few times during his speech as a way to further comfort her. He then closed his eyes after he had finished saying this.

Kathy's eyes grew even wider as she heard this. When Knuckles had finished speaking, she immediately closed her eyes again and tried to keep her wobbly lips closed. But...it wasn't long until she finally broke down and cried more loudly than before. She immediately wrapped her arms around Knuckles' lower back and cried loudly over his shoulder. Sonic and Tails felt really terrible for Kathy as they watched her cry even more in sadness. But they can see that Knuckles is comforting Kathy by either rubbing her back or the back of her head. So, they had felt some relief into knowing that Kathy is being taken care of here.

"(SOB! SOB! SOB! SOB!)…...WHY?!...(SOB! SOB!)…WHY DO YOU EVEN BELIEVE IN ME?!...(SOB! SOB! SOB!)…JUST WHAT MAKES ME ANY DIFFERENT THAN THE MONSTERS THAT YOU HAD FACED, KNUCKLES?!...(SOB! SOB! SOB!)…" Kathy shouted back in anger and in confusion as she wailed in sadness while holding Knuckles even tighter for comfort.

"...It's because you have a conscience, Kathy. None of those monsters ever had one," Knuckles answered calmly yet gently with a solemn frown and with closed eyes as he kept holding Kathy.

"S-SO?! I COULD STILL CHOOSE TO DO SOMETHING EVIL IF I HAD WANTED TO! …...(SOB! SOB!)…...LIKE KILLING YOU!" Kathy shouted back in anger with a grimace as she cried loudly.

"..." Knuckles was silent at that as he lets Kathy to cry some more for a bit.

When he had noticed that Kathy had quieted her crying just a little bit, he then replied calmly yet gently with a little smile on his face as he opened his eyes halfway and stared at Kathy, "You...choosing to do something evil? Heh. Don't make me laugh. You're like the exact opposite of evil itself. Besides...hasn't your ancestor been nicknamed 'The Goddess of Peace'? How could a Goddess like that ever do something evil when She is peace personified? …And you are the current 'Goddess of Peace', aren't you?".

"...(Sob Sob)…...Y-Yes...(Sniff)…...I am...Because I am the current descendant of Mothra...(Sob Sob)…" Kathy answered softly with a little frown and with a sniffle while crying a bit quietly now.

"And...What was Mothra like again?" Knuckles asked calmly yet gently with a little smile and with amused eyes.

"Ummm...(Sniff)…...I...Uhhh...(Sob Sob)…...I'm sorry, Knuckles...But I'm too upset to even think right now..." Kathy replied softly in sadness with a little frown and with a sniffle as she still cried quietly.

"That's okay, Kathy. You don't need to tell me. I already know. …I was just trying to help you remember who you really are on the inside," Knuckles replied calmly yet gently with a warm smile and with half-lidded eyes as he rubbed Kathy's head in comfort.

"H-Huh? …...(Sniff)…...But didn't I just say that I'm a Kaiju on the inside already? …...(Sob Sob)…I've said that multiple times now," Kathy replied softly in confusion with a little frown and with a sniffle as she cried quietly while opening her eyes and staring at Knuckles in sadness.

Knuckles chuckled quietly at that innocent response. Kathy stopped crying for a bit after she heard Knuckles' genuine chuckles. While looking confused, Kathy asked calmly yet softly, "Knuckles? What's so funny? Why are you laughing?".

"Heheheheh...Did you seriously forget already? You've just told me earlier that Mothra was a 'benevolent, gentle, gigantic moth' who is simply 'loyal and dedicated' to those whom she protects with her life. Mothra was a good Kaiju monster...and you are the current descendant of that monster, Kathy. So, that means..." Knuckles replied calmly yet gently with a little smile and with fond eyes while he stared at Kathy as he chuckled a bit in amusement. He then pulled Kathy away a bit so that he's staring at her face again. His face turned warm and caring as he stared at Kathy with a fond smile on his face while finishing by saying softly, "...You're a good monster, Kathy. That's who you really are...you silly girl".

He chuckled a bit again in amusement as he winked at her. Kathy gasped in shock of this. Her eyes were still filled with tears, yet they sparkled as she stared into Knuckles' calm yet amused eyes. She didn't know what to say to that. However...if there was one thing that she knows for sure...then it would be that she could feel the heavy weight in her heart being lifted after hearing Knuckles' comforting words. She honestly felt so relieved that Knuckles does trust her and cares for her even though she's half Kaiju. By the sound of Knuckles' tone, Kathy knows that he meant every word of it.

"Knuckles..." Kathy muttered calmly yet softly with a little, gaped mouth as she stared at Knuckles with watery eyes. Knuckles was just being quiet yet smiling fondly at her while rubbing her shoulders in a comforting way. As Kathy stares even more into Knuckles' smiling face, she felt her own mouth smiling a little as she is starting to feel relieved.

With a little, gentle smile, Kathy then muttered calmly yet softly, "Thank you...".

She then hugged Knuckles again out of relief. Knuckles hugged Kathy back while gently rubbing her back in a soothing way. He smiled fondly as he stared at Kathy while she cried out the rest of her tears in relief. Kathy was crying, but she now has a smile on her face as she felt happy again.

Knuckles then muttered calmly yet softly with a fond smile and with closed eyes, "Easy there, Kathy. Easy. It's alright. It's...going to be alright now".

Kathy nodded her head in agreement as she cried quietly again. Sonic and Tails also wore relieved faces as they saw that Kathy was cheering up. They were still surprised that Knuckles had done this, but they were grateful that he did that. Sonic smiled a little as he pondered calmly in amusement. Awww...He really does care for Kathy it seems. This certainly is good evidence to prove that Knuckles does have a crush onto Kathy here. After all...he was the one who had gotten up from the couch to stop her from leaving. Not only that...but he had managed to console her somehow. He had even decided to hug her! Heheheh! …I guess that Knuckles does have a weak spot after all.

Kathy was smiling a lot as she felt Knuckles' hands gently rub her back and head since it's helping her calm down her crying. Kathy soon decided to wipe her eyes as she felt better now. After hugging Knuckles for a few more moments, she soon released him and smiled warmly at him. Knuckles smiled warmly too as he stared at her bright, smiling face again. There. …That's much better. That's the face that I've been looking for. Perfect. All that's well now. She's back to being happy again. Knuckles pondered calmly with a proud smile on his face as he was glad that he was the one who had brought back Kathy's cute smile.

---

Kathy then beamed at him as she put her hands behind her back again while replying happily with a little giggle, "Hehe! You're not a mean monster!".

Knuckles smirked at that as he brought his left hand onto his hip while replying calmly in amusement, "Heh. See? I'm not a bad person now, am I?".

Kathy smiled brightly yet sweetly as she exclaimed cheerfully, "Nope! You had cheered me up again! Thank you so much, Knuckles!".

Knuckles closed his eyes and smiled gently as he calmly yet humbly replied, "It was nothing".

"Hmmm...Well...You may not be a mean monster..." Kathy muttered calmly with a little frown as she looked thoughtful.

"And I'm not," Knuckles agreed immediately with a proud smile and with closed eyes as he nodded a little.

"But you sure are a mean guard dog! Teehee!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a grin and with a giggle.

"I...What?! Hey!" Knuckles exclaimed in embarrassment with a little, gaped mouth as his eyelids flung wide open again in shock. He felt his face blush again after hearing Kathy refer to him as a guard dog now.

"Ahahahahahahahah! Way to go, knucklehead! You got demoted down to being a guard dog after doing all those kind actions towards Kathy! You're not so intimidating now since you're being compared to a dog now! You probably miss being a 'Kaiju' now after that! Hahahahahahah!" Sonic exclaimed in amusement with a huge grin as he chuckled a lot.

Knuckles blushed in even more embarrassment after Sonic had teased him like that. He then growled as he looked back at Sonic with a fierce expression on his face while yelling in irritation, "Grrrrrr! Shut up! Even a guard dog can still be threatening since he can chew your spiky, blue butt clean off!".

"Not unless that guard dog is a Chihuahua! Hahahahahahaha! Ooooh, I'm so scared! Ahahahahahaha!" Sonic exclaimed back in amusement with a huge grin as he teased a little while chuckling hard.

Knuckles growled even more in frustration as he closed his eyes and as he balled his hands into fists. His body shook a little, and he had a vein popping in his forehead. He brooded in frustration while growling in anger. Oooooh...He's soooo going to regret saying that...

"That may be true...BUT I AM NO CHIHUAHUA! IN FACT, LET ME SHOW YOU BY-!" Knuckles muttered calmly before he shouted in fury with gritted teeth as he opened his eyes and turned around to face Sonic fully while having his fists up.

"No! Bad dog! Sit! Heel!" Kathy exclaimed playfully yet cheerfully with a cute smile on her face as she hugged Knuckles from behind and held him back. She had her arms wrapped around his chest and had her head onto his right shoulder. Knuckles blushed a lot at this, yet he had also cooled down immediately after Kathy had held him again. He slightly titled his head to look at Kathy with raised eyebrows. He could see her smiling happily and cutely in amusement. She then looked up at Knuckles and giggled innocently at him. As Knuckles stared at Kathy, an amused smile soon formed on his face.

"Are you gonna let me go soon?" Knuckles asked calmly in amusement with huge smile on his face.

"Hehehehehehe! Nope! Heel! Hehehehehe!" Kathy answered cheerfully with a cute, sweet smile while giggling cutely.

Knuckles just smirked in amusement at this. He lowered his fists down to his sides since Kathy has his full attention now. In a way, he actually did forget that Sonic and Tails were watching this play out. Sonic and Tails were surprised by this. They looked at each other at first, but they soon smiled as they decided to watch Knuckles interact with Kathy like this. It was certainly rare seeing Knuckles having his guard down and being playful towards someone, and Sonic and Tails were just lucky to see this side from Knuckles.

"Heh! No!" Knuckles exclaimed back with a playful smirk as he stared at Kathy.

"Heel! Heel! Hehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed back with a sweet smile while giggling a little. She even held onto Knuckles a bit tighter for emphasis that she's not letting go of him.

"No way. Once you let go of me, I'm going to go beat Sonic up," Knuckles replied calmly with a mischievous smirk as he stared at Kathy before looking at Sonic next. Sonic looked nervous after Knuckles had said that. He was honestly grateful that Kathy was literally holding Knuckles back because he knows how strong Knuckles' punches were. I mean. He did get punched face-first during that one fight he had with him back on Earth several long months ago.

Kathy...You're a life savior right now. Sonic thought nervously with a grimace and with a sweat drop on his head as he kept staring at Kathy and Knuckles.

"Not unless I keep hugging you! Hehehehehe! Come on, Knuckles. Be a good boy and heel," Kathy replied jovially yet sweetly with a cheerful smile as she giggled a bit.

"Hmph. Never. Grrrrr..." Knuckles replied lowly with a devious smirk as he growled playfully at Kathy.

"Hehehehehehe! Down boy! Down!" Kathy exclaimed happily with a sweet smile while giggling some more.

"Grrrrrrr...Rrrruff..." Knuckles growled in a playful way as he pretended to be dog for Kathy's amusement.

As expected, Kathy giggled a lot as a response to that, and Knuckles can't help but grin a lot after doing that as he pondered in fondness. Sigh...The things that I do to amuse her so. I must look really ridiculous now, but...as long as she keeps on smiling and giggling like that...then I think that it's worth it.

"Hehehehehehe! Nice doggie. Good doggie. Hehehehehehe!" Kathy replied sweetly with an innocent smile while giggling a lot as she gently nuzzled her head against Knuckles' right cheek. After doing that, Kathy looked back at Knuckles again with a huge smile on her face.

"Rrrrrrrr...Rrruff..." Knuckles growled some more in a playful way while smirking mischievously at Kathy. He was now showing his teeth to Kathy like a dog would do.

"Hehehehehehehehe!...Meeeooooow..." Kathy giggled happily at that before she decided to pretend to be cat for Knuckles' amusement now. After hearing that, Knuckles' eyebrows were raised, and he smiled widely at that ridiculous response.

"Are you being a cat now?" Knuckles asked playfully with a wide smile and with raised eyebrows.

"Meow..." Kathy "meowed" cutely as a response while smiling sweetly yet innocently.

Knuckles snickered at that answer as he calmly thought. Oh, good grief. What am I getting myself into?

"Grrrrrr...Rrrruff! Ruff! Ruff!" Knuckles growled and "barked" playfully at Kathy while having a huge grin on his face as he gave up trying to maintain some of his dignity in this silly situation.

"Meoooow! Fffft!" Kathy meowed and hissed playfully back at Knuckles with a huge smile on her face.

"Rrrrrrrrr...Ruff..." Knuckles growled and barked more quietly as he stared intensely into Kathy's eyes. Kathy stared back into Knuckles' playful yet intense stare with a huge smile on her face, and Knuckles stared back at her with a calm, huge smile on his face.

"Meow..." Kathy "meowed" softly yet cutely before deciding to pet Knuckles on the head with her right hand while holding him with her other hand. Knuckles' eyes widened at this as he felt Kathy's hand gently petting him on his head. He then realized that Kathy really is treating him like a dog now.

Knuckles then looked a bit sheepish as he tried to growl back despite the gentle pets that Kathy is giving him right now.

"G-Grrrrrrr...Rrrrrruumhmhmhmhmhmhmhm..." Knuckles growled a little weaker with a sheepish smile before he snickered a lot since the petting felt really good to him. He closed his eyes too since he's enjoying Kathy's gentle petting.

Aaaaaargh! Stop it! That feels so good to me! Why?! Why do I like it when Kathy pets me like this?! It's ridiculous! Knuckles thought in protest to the petting. Yet, he had such a huge, goofy smile on his face as he keeps on being petted by Kathy. He now feels trapped by her as she keeps on doing this.

Sonic and Tails had to bite their lips to keep themselves from laughing out loud at this. If this isn't good enough proof that Knuckles does indeed have a crush on Kathy, then they don't know what is. Sonic can't help but have the hugest grin on his face as he watches his old rival enjoying Kathy's sweet and gentle pets on his head. And he wonders why Chao like being petted on the head. Heheheheh! Now, he knows why. Sonic thought calmly in amusement with a huge grin on his face.

Sonic's attention was then brought back when Kathy had called out to him.

"Sonic! Now's your chance! Run to the front door and get out of here! I got Knuckles distracted! Now go!" Kathy exclaimed cheerfully with a cute smile as she looked at Sonic next.

Sonic jolted a bit in surprise at this, but he soon smiled calmly as he exclaimed brightly to her and then at Tails, "Heh! You're right, Kathy! Time for me to skedaddle while I still can! See ya later, Tails! I'm off now!".

"Alright. See ya later, Sonic!" Tails replied calmly yet brightly with a cheerful smile as he shrugged a bit.

Sonic grinned at Tails before he got up from the couch and ran towards the front door afterwards. Knuckles laughed a lot as he opened his eyes and looked at Kathy in amusement.

"Hey! Hahahahahahahahaha! Kathy! That was so NOT fair! Hahahahahahahahah!" Knuckles exclaimed in protest with a huge smile while laughing a lot in amusement.

"Hey! You were not behaving like a good doggie should! I had to pet you in order to get you to behave yourself! I can't very well let you go and hurt someone in the process! Not on my watch!" Kathy exclaimed playfully with a grin as she kept petting Knuckles' head.

"Oh, come on! Hahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed at that.

Kathy smiled a lot that before looking at Sonic next. She can see him still holding the edge of the door while looking back inside the house with a grin on his face.

"Heheheheh! It looks like you got this under control, Kathy. Good luck handling Knuckles while you're staying here. He's a bit of a handful, but I think that you can handle him on your own. Heh. I can clearly see that already! But anyways, I'm glad that I had finally met you and had learned more about you, Kathy. I'll try to keep your advice at mind, but once I find Battra on my own, then well...just come to my rescue just in case, okay?" Sonic replied calmly yet casually with a grin and with a chuckle as he stared at Kathy and Knuckles.

"Hehehehe! Okay! I will! I'm glad that I had met you too, Sonic! I hope that we're friends now!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a happy smile on her face as she giggled a little.

Sonic smiled brightly at her as he exclaimed back, "Hey, no sweat it, Kathy! We are friends now! And I'm going to do what a good friend does and look after you too! I've got your back, Kathy! Enjoy your time here in this dimension! It'll be great! Especially with Tails, Knuckles, and I looking after you in the meantime as you get comfortable here! So, have much fun while you can, Kathy! It's your home now!".

"I know! Thank you, Sonic! Thank you for looking after me! Teehee! I'll see you soon!" Kathy exclaimed back brightly with a grin and with a little giggle.

"I'll see you soon too, Kathy! See ya!" Sonic exclaimed back cheerfully with a bright smile and with a wink as he gave Kathy a thumbs-up.

"Bye-bye!" Kathy exclaimed jovially with a bright smile as she stopped petting Knuckles just to wave "goodbye" to Sonic. Sonic smirked before he closed the front door and ran off immediately after that. Kathy beamed as she looked at Knuckles again.

"Are you going to be a good doggie for now on? Hehehehe! Are you?" Kathy asked playfully with a silly grin on her face while giggling a bit.

"Grrrr...Hmph. Fine. I will...for now," Knuckles replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a mischievous smirk while growling a bit as he stared at Kathy.

"Hehehehehe! Yay! That's a good doggie! You're a good doggie, Knuckles! Teehee!" Kathy exclaimed jovially with a bright smile while she giggled a bit as she hugged Knuckles tighter and nuzzled his right cheek again.

Knuckles can't help but smile widely at this sweet affection that he's receiving with Kathy hugging him and nuzzling him. He put his hands over Kathy's arms just to hold her back. He then replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a chuckle and with a wide smile, "Heheheheheh! Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Kathy. Just don't pet my head like that again! It's...It's distracting!".

"Hehehehehe! You're just saying that it's distracting because you had liked it! That's what it is, right?" Kathy replied jovially in amusement with a sweet smile as she giggled some more.

"No! That was so not it! Hahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed back in protest and in embarrassment with a huge smile as he laughed again. He can feel his face turning red again in shyness. Over my dead body would I ever admit to that! It's totally embarrassing to me! How could one simple stroke to my head make me bend over backwards to anything? Out of all the weaknesses that I could have with Kathy over here...I had never thought that petting would be one of them! Still though...that felt so nice to me. I can't help but feel at ease whenever Kathy does that. Heh. I guess that's why she's called the "Goddess of Peace" then because...her gentle actions are just so soothing to me. No wonder I'm so relaxed while I'm with her. It makes too much sense. Sigh...Knuckles pondered in embarrassment and in fondness with a huge, warm smile on his face while having his eyes closed as he kept enjoying Kathy's hugs and nuzzles.

"(A-AHEM!)" Tails cleared his throat to get Knuckles' and Kathy's attention again. Tails felt rather awkward watching Kathy and Knuckles cuddle...or...snuggling...or...whatever it was that they were doing just now after Sonic had left. He felt like he was invading someone's privacy...or in this case...Knuckles' privacy just as he had said to him earlier. So, he thinks that it's a good idea to excuse himself while he still can.

Kathy and Knuckles jolted a bit in shock and in embarrassment as they forgot that Tails was still watching them from the couch. They both had flushed faces as they stared at Tails in shock.

"Uhhh..." Knuckles and Kathy both muttered at the same time in embarrassment with awkward, flushed faces.

"Umm...Heheheh...Uhh...Listen...Umm...Kathy...I'm just letting you know that I'm...Umm...still okay with you living in my house. I'll prepare your room for you upstairs. You'll be taking the guest room for the time being. Umm...Okay?" Tails replied calmly yet awkwardly with a sheepish smile while scratching his head as he stared at Kathy.

"Huh? Oh...Okay..." Kathy replied calmly yet awkwardly too in embarrassment with a little, awkward frown on her flushed face.

"Oh, and...Uhh...by the way, Kathy...you can...Uhh...look around in the house some more, watch T.V., or do something else in the meantime...Maybe like...Uhh...go explore the outside world some more if you want...There's still plenty of time for you to do that while I prepare your room. You can...uhh...go look around with Knuckles at your side. Yeah, that would be fine. …Right, Knuckles?" Tails continued calmly yet awkwardly while looking sheepish as he stared at Kathy before looking at Knuckles.

Knuckles looked confused yet embarrassed as he stared at Tails. He muttered calmly yet awkwardly with a confused yet sheepish look on his face as he stared at Tails before looking at Kathy next, "Uhhh...Y-Yeah...I could...Umm...do that...if Kathy decides to...Errr...Ummm...Kathy? Do you want to look around outside some more? Or...?".

"Oh! Uhhh...Yeah! I want to! Ummm...Can we go now...please?" Kathy replied brightly with some awkwardness in her tone as she stared at Knuckles now with a sheepish look on her face.

"Ummm...Uhhh...S-Sure! Yes! I-I'd love to! But...Uhhh...Hey, Tails? Do you want to come with us...or...?" Knuckles replied awkwardly yet nervously with a bashful expression on his face while coyly looking back towards the couch when he said his last sentence. But to his surprise, Tails was not sitting on the couch anymore. Knuckles was confused before he looked at the stairs at the back of the living room. He spotted Tails standing in the middle of the stairs while looking back at Knuckles and Kathy.

With his hand on the handrail, Tails calmly replied with a sheepish smile on his face, "Umm...No thank you, Knuckles. I'd rather just start preparing Kathy's room for now. Please bring her back to my house around supper time, okay? Anyways, have a fun time with Kathy, Knuckles!".

"Huh?! Hey! What do you mean by that?!" Knuckles exclaimed back in embarrassment as he watched Tails climb faster towards the top of the staircase while not replying back to him. Tails then calmly pondered with a sheepish grin on his face as he reached the top of the stairs. Whew! It's a good thing that I got out of that awkward predicament! I don't feel comfortable being the third wheel in that scenario. Yeah, I know that Knuckles and Kathy are just friends, but...somehow...I feel like I'm just getting in the way of their privacy like in that moment just there. Besides...I think that I should encourage Knuckles to get out of his comfort zone by giving him opportunities to spend some quality time with Kathy some more. He could learn how to be more sociable with others if he gets some alone time with Kathy here. It seems that Kathy can get along with Knuckles just fine on her own. Hopefully, she could help Knuckles with his social skills as she spends her time with him. It would be good for him as well as for the rest of us if he can learn to control his temper and to communicate his thoughts some more to us if he can do it with Kathy here. I know that Knuckles can improve himself, and I believe that Kathy will help him improve himself. Maybe...there is hope that Knuckles will change for the better. That's...what I hope for.

With a bright smile on his face, Tails then walked towards the first door on his left and opened it. He looked at the quaint guest bedroom that has a small, marble balcony outside on the left side of the room. Tails smiled cheerfully as he then calmly thought. Well, anyways...it's time to freshen up this old room.

---

Meanwhile, back downstairs, Knuckles just stared at the stairs in shock and in embarrassment as he realized that Tails isn't coming back down. He had a sweat drop on his head as he also realized that he's all alone with Kathy here...who is still...hugging him...tightly he might add. His eyes slowly looked back at Kathy who was still staring at the stairs after Tails had left. He can see that Kathy has a cute, curious expression on her face as she stared at the stairs. He can feel himself blush even more as he kept staring at Kathy's cute face.

…...Aw great. I'm alone with...Kathy again. Hmmmmm...Just what I am going to do now? I could barely keep myself together while I'm with her along with my acquaintances watching me...but now that I'm alone again with her by my side...I...I'm not sure if I can handle another couple of hours with her before turning into a puddle of mush when this day is over. Can I even survive? Knuckles calmly pondered with a flushed face as he felt his heart pounding faster again in nervousness.

"Hmmm...I wonder why Tails had excused himself like that. Do you know why, Knuckles?" Kathy replied curiously yet innocently with an intrigued look on her face as she looked at Knuckles next.

"D-Duuuhhhhhhh...Uhhhhh...Ummm..." Knuckles muttered awkwardly in embarrassment with a gaped mouth and with deep blush as Kathy's question had caught off guard. Nope! Nuh uh! I'm definitely NOT going to survive this! Knuckles thought quickly in nervousness with a deep grimace as he stared at Kathy's cute face with wide, panicky eyes.

"Knuckles? Are you alright?" Kathy asked calmly yet curiously with a little frown and with sparkling eyes as she titled her head in a cute way again.

"I'M FINE!" Knuckles blurted loudly again with an embarrassed, panicked expression on his face. His face was completely red, and his head was sweating profusely as he stared at Kathy in shyness. His stomach is tied up in knots again as he felt really nervous of Kathy once more.

Kathy just stared at Knuckles in confusion before beaming at him as she exclaimed happily in amusement with a giggle, "Hehehe! You're a funny boy, Knuckles!".

She then hugged Knuckles a little more gently and nuzzled his face too after saying that. Knuckles blushed even more in embarrassment after hearing Kathy say that about him.

"M-Me? 'F-Funny'?" Knuckles replied calmly yet shyly with an embarrassed look on his face as he stuttered a bit.

Kathy giggled sweetly at that before she stopped nuzzling Knuckles just to look at him again. With a happy grin and with a giggle, Kathy replied brightly yet sweetly, "Yeah! Hehehe! Your reactions are priceless! And cute too!".

"C-C-C-CUTE?!" Knuckles shouted in embarrassment and in shock while stuttering a little as he surprised and nervous.

Kathy giggled a lot at that reaction as she exclaimed brightly with a cute smile, "Hehehehehehehehe! See?! Look at you! You're so adorable by the way you blush!".

"H-H-HEY! I'M NOT ADORABLE!" Knuckles shouted back in protest with a deep grimace as his eyes went wide and as his blush deepened a lot after hearing Kathy say that.

"Oh, yes, you are! Just look at that face! Your blush had deepened into a darker shade of red! That just makes you even more adorable, Knuckles!" Kathy exclaimed jovially and a bit playfully with a cheerful smile as she gently poked at Knuckles' right cheek and his muzzle for emphasis.

At Kathy's gentle pokes, Knuckles' muzzle deepened into another shade of red. Knuckles hadn't felt this embarrassed in a long time. Probably ever since he was with Rouge. However...in a strange way...he felt like Kathy had just surpassed Rouge on how much she had made him feel embarrassed today. I'm going to die of embarrassment eventually as I stay with Kathy like this. She has such an uncanny ability to make me feel like mush that I still can't believe that I could talk to her. It's not even funny! Knuckles brooded in embarrassment with a sheepish frown as he closed his eyes while he still felt Kathy's gentle pokes at his face.

"J-J-JUST CUT IT OUT ALREADY! QUIT IT!" Knuckles shouted back in further protest with a sheepish frown and with upward eyebrows while still having a flushed face.

Kathy giggled as she stopped poking Knuckles' face just while exclaiming happily with a sweet smile, "Hehehehehe! Okay! I will!".

"Thank you...(Sigh)…" Knuckles replied calmly with little frown and with closed eyes as he sighed in relief after seeing that Kathy had done what he had told her to do.

Kathy beamed brightly at Knuckles as she playfully teased with a light giggle, "Teehee! Would you like me to kiss your face instead?".

...

…...W-W-WHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! Knuckles thought in a panic as his eyes went as wide as saucers and as his mouth hung wide open as he stared at Kathy with his most reddened face yet.

Kathy simply beamed at him while having a adorable expression on her face as she stared happily at Knuckles. It's that sort of innocence that Kathy always displays that's driving Knuckles mad here. Kathy can say the most darnest of things and yet still be innocent in the end. That is the one thing that differs Kathy from Rouge in Knuckles' mind. Whenever Rouge teases him, it's clearly obvious that she has some ulterior motives behind it. Rouge has a dirtier mind and likes to make sexual jokes to Knuckles just to fluster him. However, Kathy is more like a silly, little child who's just curious of the world around her, so, she's more likely to think that it's okay to say those things because she thinks that it's a game that children play at the schoolyard daily. It's that kind of mindset that makes it easy for Knuckles to forgive Kathy for after saying embarrassing things like that...But gosh darn it, does it make it harder for him to keep his cool around her! It just makes these situations even more embarrassing for him!

…Not to mention...even more nerve-whacking than ever.

"...M-Meep..." Knuckles squeaked quietly as he felt so embarrassed and so nervous that he's ready to bolt towards the front door and go outside while screaming loudly like a cowardly...little schoolboy.

In fact...he just did that about three seconds later.

[Meanwhile Upstairs In The Guest Bedroom]

"Aaaand...There! Well, now that I've brushed away all the dust in the room, it's now time for me to broom the flo-" Tails said calmly to himself as he finished dusting the small T.V. in the right corner of the bedroom. Tails was holding a feather duster in his hand as he said that.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!" Knuckles screamed loudly downstairs.

"Huh? Knuckles?" Tails asked in confusion as he looked at the door with raised eyebrows. Geez, just what happened down there that could make Knuckles scream like that? Heck if I know! Tails thought calmly in confusion as he scratched his head.

[Meanwhile Outside of Tails' House]

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Knuckles screamed as he ran out from Tails' house and along the sidewalk before he stopped towards the street ahead of him. He then bent forward to put his hands on his knees while panting hard and fast. When Knuckles had screamed, he had quickly pulled Kathy's arms off of him and bolted towards the front door to get out of the house. Kathy was quite surprised and confused when Knuckles had done this. She had stared at Knuckles running from her, opening the door, and running outside along the sidewalk before he stopped to take a breather. As she stared at him, she had a confused, innocent face while titling her head a little in confusion.

Huh? What did I say this time? Is Knuckles...going to be alright? I better go check on him then. Kathy thought calmly yet curiously with a concerned look on her face. She walked towards the front door and closed it when she got outside. She kept walking towards Knuckles and stopped once she's next to him on the sidewalk near the street. She titled her head again as she looked at Knuckles' sweaty, nervous face and head as he kept panting hard.

"Knuckles?" Kathy asked quietly yet tentatively as she looked concerned for Knuckles.

"(Pant Pant Pant)…...(Pant Pant Pant Pant)…..." Knuckles panted slowly as he felt the energy from his panic attack draining away from his body. He had been taking huge breaths for about a minute now after he went outside. Knuckles wiped the sweat from his head and face as he solemnly brooded. I can face off against huge robots, Dr. Eggman, Mobians, monsters, and aliens...yet I can't face off the idea of Kathy kissing me. EVEN ON MY FACE! How come I could be so bold and tough whenever I confront my enemies yet be so cowardly and weak whenever I confront my own feelings for Kathy here?! Just...Just the thought of Kathy kissing me makes me feel so scared of her! THAT ALONE IS SCARIER THAN KNOWING THAT SHE'S HALF KAIJU! Just the thought my "thing" kissing me makes me feel like I'm about to throw up due to how nerve-whacking it is! Even if Kathy was just joking, it still had made me feel like a scared, little kid! It's...It's ridiculous! …...Ugh...I really am weak whenever I'm with Kathy here, and it doesn't look like it's going to change anytime soon. Sigh...

Knuckles then took a very long sigh while putting a hand over his chest as he muttered quietly, "(Sigh)...Yes?".

"Ummm...Was there any reason why you ran off screaming like that? Was it something that I had said?" Kathy asked calmly yet awkwardly with a sheepish grin as she rubbed the back of her head.

Besides the fact that I was scared of you kissing me? Honestly...No. I don't have any other reason, Kathy. I was that pathetic. Knuckles brooded in annoyance and in humiliation with a grimace and with half-lidded eyes.

But instead, Knuckles answered calmly yet tiredly with a little frown while having his eyes closed as he sighed again, "...(Sigh)...Relax, Kathy. You did nothing wrong here. You were just being your ado-errr...I mean...your silly, innocent self...and I just...I just didn't know how to respond to that. That's all".

"Oh...I see...Hmmm..." Kathy replied awkwardly yet sympathetically with a little frown as she still felt concerned for Knuckles. That's strange. I was certain that there was more to it with that strong reaction there, but I guess that Knuckles had said that it was nothing. Hmmm...I guess that I'll move on from it then if Knuckles won't say anything besides that. Aw well. Kathy pondered calmly with a little frown before she shrugged and stood up much straighter. She then put her hands onto her hips and looked around the neighborhood to see where she wanted to go now since she and Knuckles are outside currently. Kathy looked right and left as she saw the beach in the distance, the streets, houses, and more sidewalks.

Hmmm...Where do I want to go to next? …...Hmmmm...Aw well. I don't have a clue. Might as well just walk and see where I want to go that way! After all, that's just the thrill of adventuring! Kathy pondered calmly for a bit as she looked around the area some more before smiling as she decided to walk towards the left sidewalk away from Knuckles. Kathy hummed cheerfully to herself as she turned to the left and walked ahead on the left sidewalk. She had her hands behind her back and had kept looking around the neighborhood in curiosity with a bright smile on her face.

After Knuckles took another long sigh, he stood back up again and asked calmly, "(Sigh)...Hey, Kathy? Is there somewhere that you like to go fir-HUH?!".

When Knuckles opened his eyes again, he was shocked to see that Kathy was not beside him anymore. In fact, Kathy was nowhere to be seen! Knuckles panicked again in worry as he quickly looked left and right in the neighborhood to see where Kathy is now. He even put out his hands over his mouth to try to call out to her.

"Hey! Kathy! Where are you?! D-Don't leave me behind like this!" Knuckles yelled out in worry as he kept looking around while calling out to her.

"Kathy! Hey! Kathy! Kathy! Come back! Just where are you?!" Knuckles yelled some more as he looked even more worried since Kathy hadn't called back to him to tell him where she's at. He lowered his arms again while having a nervous yet worried expression on his face. D-Did something happen to her while I was busy recollecting myself? Just where could Kathy have run off to?! Did she...get abducted somehow? Was she kidnapped?! Oh no... OH NONONONONONONO! SHE BETTER NOT BE! I...I...I HAVE TO GO FIND HER! GREAT! MY FIRST DAY OF PROTECTING KATHY, AND ALL I DID WAS LET HER GET TAKEN AWAY BY SOMEONE! KNUCKLES! JUST WHAT KIND OF A GUARDIAN ARE YOU?! IT'S ONE THING IF IT'S THE MASTER EMERALD, BUT A LIVING PERSON?! JUST HOW LAZY ARE YOU?! I...UGH! WHAT AM I DOING STANDING AROUND HERE FOR?! I SHOULD GET GOING AND FIND KATHY! Knuckles brooded in worry and in irritation of himself as he clutched his head and shook it in panic and in frustration. He then turned to the left and ran as fast as he could on the left sidewalk. He looked both left and right to see where Kathy had made any turns or not.

"Kathy! Where are you?!" Knuckles yelled out in worry as he ran across the street to see if Kathy went that way. Of course, Kathy didn't cross the street. She simply made a left turn around the block to go to the northern direction. Naturally, Knuckles didn't know that. Kathy had also made a right turn once she had reached the end of the sidewalk and had crossed the street in the northern part of Emerald Town. Kathy was now walking straight across the street and onto another sidewalk. Kathy was at the top part of the neighborhood while Knuckles was on the southern part.

Knuckles kept running as fast as he could across the sidewalk before deciding to turn left after he saw that he had reached a dead-end. As he ran, he brooded in worry with a little, concerned frown on his face. Kathy...Please...Please be safe. I just can't risk losing you! The fate of the entire world is upon your shoulders! And if you got yourself hurt or worse...killed by someone...then I-!

"OOF!" Knuckles yelped in pain as he accidently ran into someone and fell on top of that person. He cringed in pain as he felt a little bump on his forehead. Owwwww...Forget about Kathy getting hurt first. I need to watch out for myself first before I can protect Kathy properly. Ugh. Just who did I ran into here? Knuckles pondered calmly with a grimace while cringing in pain.

"Uggh...Sorry. I didn't mean to ran into you. I was just looking for-Ack!" Knuckles replied slowly in an apologetic way as he opened his eyes to see who it was he had ran into. However, when he did, he was shocked to see that it was Kathy that he had ran into.

Kathy cringed a little too as her back and head had suffered from mild pain since she had hit the sidewalk when Knuckles had bumped into her by accident. She opened her eyes and gasped in shock that Knuckles was on top of her.

"...! Knuckles?!" Kathy exclaimed in shock and in confusion with a gasp as she had wide eyes and a wide mouth.

"Kathy?!" Knuckles exclaimed back also in shock and in confusion as he shared the same expression as Kathy's. They stared at each other in stunned silence. For yet another time, they had both stared into their eyes again. Knuckles stared at Kathy's shocked yet innocent light-blue eyes while Kathy stared at Knuckles' concerned yet handsome violet eyes. It was like last night when they had first found each other. They had stared at each other for a while and had looked at their faces and bodies. However, once they had done that, they blushed at the same time as they fully realized the awkward position that they are in now.

"Ummmm..." Kathy muttered shyly as she stared at Knuckles' face with a flushed one.

"Uhhhh..." Knuckles muttered shyly as well as he stared at Kathy's face with a bashful one.

…...Awkward. Knuckles and Kathy thought calmly yet shyly at the same time as they blushed a lot in embarrassment. After a few more seconds of awkwardness, Knuckles quickly got off of Kathy's body and stood back up. Kathy sat back up and saw that Knuckles had held out his hand to help her get up from the ground. Kathy smiled a little at him and grabbed his hand. Knuckles then carefully pulled Kathy up from the sidewalk and helped her stand up. Once he saw that Kathy was standing upright, he lets go of her hand and stared at her again.

Kathy smiled brightly at him as she exclaimed happily, "Thank you so much, Knuckles! You're such a gentleman!".

"..." Knuckles was silent as he stared intensely into Kathy's light-blue eyes as if he had found his Master Emerald yet again after being stolen by a thief. At long last. Knuckles thought calmly yet solemnly as he stared at Kathy with a serious look on his face.

Kathy was confused as she noticed that Knuckles wasn't smiling or looking happy to have seen her again. So, she calmly yet curiously asked, "Huh? Knuckles? What's wrong? Why are you frown-?".

Without any sort of warning, Knuckles immediately grabbed Kathy's shoulders and pulled her close to him as he looked both concerned and upset.

"KATHY! THERE YOU ARE! JUST...JUST WHERE DID YOU GO?! AND WHY DID LEAVE ME LIKE THAT?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I WAS FOR YOU?! I WAS WORRIED SICK! I WAS JUST THINKING THAT YOU HAD BEEN KIDNAPPED OR SOMETHING! I..." Knuckles shouted in anger as he stared intensely at her face. But he stopped shouting once he saw that Kathy has tears forming in her eyes as she looked sad.

"I...(Sniff)…...I just wanted to look around for myself...(Sob)…...I...(Hic)…I was just so curious...I just turned at a few corners in the neighborhood...(Sob)…...That's all...I was just now wanting to go into that forest next right over there...I didn't mean to upset you, Knuckles...Please don't shout at me anymore...Please?" Kathy answered in a sad, broken tone of voice while crying and sniffling quietly. She pointed at the forest at her left for emphasis.

Knuckles immediately felt guilty for shouting at Kathy. Her pitiful response was painful to listen to since...it really did sound like something that a child would've said. Knuckles cringed again except this time in emotional pain as he felt like his heart was being punctured with icy needles again. He grimaced in sadness as he looked very guilty now. He then gently rubbed Kathy's shoulders again to soothe her.

"Kathy...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I had shouted at you like that. I really was worried for you. I didn't know where you were after I had recollected myself. I just didn't know why you had decided to leave me behind in the first place. Just why? Why didn't you stay with me and waited until I had felt better? We could have gone somewhere together afterwards. So, then...why? Why did you leave like that, Kathy? Why?" Knuckles apologized in a low, sad tone of voice as he looked guilty. He had his eyebrows furrowed upward in sadness, and his eyelids were down halfway as he apologized.

"...(Sniff)…...I'm sorry, Knuckles...But I...(Sob)…...But I just wasn't thinking at all at that time...(Sob Sob)…... All I thought of was just exploring the place...I wasn't thinking at all about you...(Sniff)…...I just didn't have a good reason for that...I'm so sorry..." Kathy answered in a sad tone as she cried and sniffled some more.

Knuckles opened his mouth to speak, but he closed it once he had realized that it's pointless to correct Kathy any further since he can see how sorry she already was. Besides...she's just a child on the inside...There's no reason for me to get angry at her for having nothing but childish, innocent thoughts. I may know better than her, but...there's no reason for me to cram reality down in her throat and ruin the vast amount of innocence that she naturally has. After all...that's just one of the many things that I like about her. She's so naïve and child-like that it makes it hard for me to be pessimistic around her and ruin her fun. And I...I don't want to be the one who destroys her innocence. In fact, I...I want to protect it. It's...that precious to me. Knuckles brooded calmly with a solemn, sad look on his face as he stared at Kathy's tear-filled face.

Knuckles sighed quietly as he then rubbed Kathy's head gently in a comforting way while replying gently yet caringly, "(Sigh)...Kathy...It's okay. I forgive you. Just...promise me that you won't go running off without me again. I know that you're eager to explore the world around you, but you need to stay close to me. It's important. I just don't want you to get lost. Understand?".

Kathy still had tears in her eyes, but she wiped them with her hand before nodding to Knuckles in understanding. "O-Okay...(Hic)…...I can do that...It's not too hard for me to do...(Sniff)…I'll wait for you as long as I can..." Kathy replied quietly as she started to recover from her crying.

Knuckles nodded too as he understood that Kathy had meant it. "Very well. Thank you, Kathy. Thank you for understanding me," Knuckles replied calmly as he stopped rubbing Kathy's head as he saw that she was calming down now. Kathy had recovered from her crying but still looked sad as she stared at Knuckles. Knuckles still looked solemn at Kathy for a few more moments, but he soon smiled a little as he tried to cheer Kathy up.

"Hey, there, Kathy. Cheer up. I'm not upset at you anymore," Knuckles replied calmly yet softly with a little smile as he rubbed Kathy's shoulders again in a comforting way.

"...Are you sure?" Kathy asked tentatively as she looked nervous.

"I'm positive," Knuckles answered calmly with a nod and with a little smile.

"Well, then...will you promise me that you won't shout or yell at me anymore? You're...You're really scary and mean when you do that," Kathy replied shyly yet nervously with a sad frown on her face.

Knuckles cringed again after hearing Kathy say that about him. If there were two things that he had regretted while shouting at Kathy, then it would be making her cry...and scaring her. Knuckles then looked warm yet apologetic to Kathy as he replied calmly yet gently, "Alright. I promise. I won't shout or yell at you anymore for any reason. No matter how justifiable it is for me to do so in certain situations. I'm...I'm very sorry that I had scared you and had made you upset, Kathy. I should've tried to control my emotions a little better. Even though what I did was an understandable reaction, it's still not right for me to do that to you. I'll try my best to control my temper for you...although...I'll admit to you that I'm...I'm...Umm...bad at it".

Knuckles smiled a little sheepishly when he said that last part of his speech, and Kathy smiled a little too at that. She felt happy that Knuckles was going to do his best to keep his promise and to control his temper for her. She then calmly replied with a gentle smile, "It's okay, Knuckles. I understand that it's going to be hard for you to do that. Just...whenever you do mess up again...please apologize and comfort me again just like you did just now. I can live with that if you do that every time".

Knuckles smiled even more in relief as he saw how understanding and mature Kathy is being here while pondering calmly to himself in slight amusement. She may be childish, but she is mature at times such as these. Which is a relief to me. I think that it's because of this that I can handle Kathy's silliness a bit more now. Heh. Not that I couldn't handle it in the first place. Heheheh!

"Okay. I can do that, Kathy. I think that I can live with that too. Also...thanks. Thank you being understanding, Kathy. I'm glad that we can work this out...But...Ummm..." Knuckles replied calmly with a fond smile as he looked caringly at Kathy. He then lets go of Kathy's shoulders and rubbed his head awkwardly as he looked sheepish towards her when he calmly asked, "...Ummm...Should I...Uhhh...stop shouting at others too? Even when I feel so...angry at them for what they had said or had done to me?".

"Nah! Give them heck, Knuckles!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a cheerful smile as she had her hands behind her back.

Knuckles instantly laughed at that response. "Ahahahahahahahahahahah! Oh! Okay then! Hahahahahahahah! That works! Hahahahahahahaha! That works fine with me! Hehehehehehehehehehehehe!" Knuckles exclaimed happily with a huge smile as he laughed as hard as he could while he bent down and had his hands on his knees again.

Kathy giggled a bit as she replied playfully with a sweet smile, "Hehehehe! I think that someone got the case of the 'giggles' again!".

"Ahahahahahahahah! I do not! Hahahahaha! I...Hahahahahaha! I...Hehehehehehehehe! I...I...Hehehehehehehehehe! Oh, dang it! I do have them now thanks to you! Ohohohohohohohohoho! Did you have to phrase it like that?! Really?! Hehehehehehehe! Because that really got me! Hehehehehehehehehe!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed happily before his laughter dissolved into giggles.

Kathy giggled a lot too with Knuckles as she's happy that she got him to laugh again. Once Kathy saw that Knuckles was calming down again after giggling for a few more seconds, she then replied happily with a bright smile, "You're not that scary when you shout at others though. You're actually very funny when you do that!".

"Hehehehehe! Oh, so, that's it, huh?! You're not okay with it when I shout at you, but you are when I do it towards others?! Hahahaha! I see how it is now! Hmph!" Knuckles exclaimed back with a huge smile while giggling a little less now as he stood straight back up again and crossed his arms in amusement. Kathy just beamed in amusement, and Knuckles just smiled fondly at that. He felt relieved that he had made Kathy smile again. He's glad that things are back to normal again. Huh...Normal...Knuckles thought calmly with a fond look on his face as he stared at Kathy's jovial face again. He was quite amazed on how quickly he's adjusting to having Kathy in his life even though it's still her first day here. It's like he had always known how things should be between him and Kathy already. He doesn't know why, but he just felt like he had known it all along.

…...It's almost like she had been with me for ages. Knuckles thought fondly with a calm smile and with twinkling eyes as he kept staring at Kathy in amusement.

He then smirked in amusement as he calmly yet playfully replied, "Still...Did you have to say that I'm funny to you? I'm not funny!".

"Teehee! Yes, you are! You're a funny boy!" Kathy exclaimed back in amusement with a giggle and with a grin.

"Hah! I am not! Stop saying that!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement as he smiled widely at Kathy.

"Hehehe! You may say that you're not funny, but how come I keep giggling in amusement whenever you do that?" Kathy replied calmly yet coyly with a giggle and with a sweet smile.

"It's because you giggle at everything! Hahahahah! Silly girl! Hahahahah!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge grin as he chuckled again.

As he had expected, Kathy giggled a lot at that reply. Knuckles had such a huge grin on his face as he watched Kathy giggle silly again. "Hehehehehe! …You know...I bet that you giggle a lot too," Kathy replied calmly yet coyly with a grin as she giggled a little.

"Pffft! Oh, don't you dare start this! I've already told you earlier that I'm not the type of person who giggles a lot in his lifetime! In fact, the only times that I did that was when...was when..." Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge grin. He felt his face blush as he looked warm and fond when he realized that it was Kathy who had first brought it back to him. He then looked shy as he looked away from Kathy and at the ground on his right instead.

With a fond look on his bashful face, he mumbled shyly, "...It was when you came into my life. You're the funny one, Kathy. Not me".

"Huh? 'Was when'...what? Did you say something, Knuckles?" Kathy asked calmly in confusion with a little frown as she titled her head again.

"Ah! Uh! Nothing! Nothing! Let's move on from this! Say...Uhh...You wanted to go into that forest over there? Leaf Storm Forest?" Knuckles replied quickly yet awkwardly as he blushed some more before he turned his body towards the right to where the forest was at.

"Huh?! Oh! Yeah! Yes! I want to explore that forest first!" Kathy exclaimed cheerfully with a bright smile as she turned her body towards the left and pointed at the forest for emphasis. Knuckles looked at her and smirked playfully in amusement.

"Hmph...Ready to go?" Knuckles asked calmly with a playful smirk.

"Yeah!" Kathy exclaimed cheerfully yet excitedly as she looked at Knuckles and nodded at him.

"Okay then. Now, this time...don't run off without me. …Remember, Kathy. I have promised you that I will protect you and look after you no matter what. What I'm doing here is serious business," Knuckles replied calmly with a smile before he looked solemn again as he looked back at the forest while crossing his arms. He frowned deeper as he continued, "As a guardian to you, I can't afford to slack off in my duty. I don't want you to get hurt or get killed. After all...".

He then closed his eyes as he finished in a grave tone, "...This world needs you now, Kathy. If you're gone...then this world is doomed. I can't afford to let anything happen to you. I...refuse...to...fail this".

---

...

...

...

"So, where's the fun?" Kathy asked in curiosity and in confusion as she broke the long silence.

"H-Huh?! 'Fun'?! What do you mean by 'fun'?!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock and in confusion as his eyes were wide open and had looked at Kathy after hearing her say that.

"I mean...Like...When are we going to play around and goof off and such? You can't seriously mean that we're going to do nothing but stand around all day and have you stare at me, right? Do I look like a jewel to you?" Kathy replied in confusion as she crossed her arms and looked away with a contemplative look on her face.

…...Yes. Yes, you absolutely are, Kathy. Knuckles thought solemnly with a serious look on his face. But of course, he instead replied with, "Do you really want me to answer that?".

Kathy shrugged as she replied, "Oh, you know what I mean by that, Knuckles. But seriously, as romantic as that sounds...and by...uhh...how much I don't mind if you chose to do that...".

Knuckles blushed a lot when Kathy had said that. But he continued to listen to her.

"...I don't think that it's good for you to take the whole 'protecting me' all that seriously. Now, don't say that I'm not aware of what the consequences are if you do fail at guarding me. Because I am! …...But what I'm trying to say that it's not good to keep on working all day every day. You're only going to just overwork yourself and get yourself all stressed out due to worrying about every single thing about me," Kathy continued wisely with a solemn, concerned look on her face as she looked at Knuckles fully.

Knuckles gasped in shock over Kathy's response. He only gawked at her in shock and in confusion since what he just heard was simply baffling to him. In his mind, he had always assumed that a good guardian is always on the watch at all times. Without slacking off! But here is Kathy saying that he shouldn't. But why?

Kathy then walked over to Knuckles and placed her hand onto his left shoulder. She then continued wisely while looking solemn, "...Just listen to me, Knuckles. I do appreciate you worrying for me and caring about my safety here, but I don't want you to overstress yourself. You need to learn to let your guard down and relax occasionally, because if you don't, then you won't have the energy to focus on protecting me from danger. You need to learn to balance your responsibilities and your relaxation time as you're doing your duty, Knuckles. You'll only fail at your duty if you can't find the right balance on both sides".

"..." Knuckles was silent on that as he stared at Kathy with a stunned look on his face. His eyes were slightly wide, and his mouth gaped a little as he stared at Kathy as she did her speech.

Kathy then smiled a little as she calmly continued while lifting up the Sol Pendant a bit in her speech, "That is something that my mom had taught me while I was still training into becoming the next Guardian of the Sol Pendant. Did you really think that I have it easy by protecting this small pendant around on my neck? If this pendant had ever been taken by Battra, then the consequences will be catastrophic for an entire dimension. It really is that powerful, Knuckles. This pendant is only for the most patient, peaceful, and quite possibly playful guardians since enjoying the world and the people around them is what will motivate guardians like me into fulfilling their duty into protecting it. The pressure is real whenever you wear this pendant around your neck, Knuckles. If you can't learn how to fight off the pressure, then you'll surely break down from its weight. It doesn't matter how serious you can get or how determined you are into protecting something important to you. Because anyone can break down after trying to carry the pressure over their shoulders for a very, very, very long time".

"..." Knuckles was still silent since he was stunned by Kathy's speech. He was very surprised yet again by Kathy's hidden wisdom underneath her childish demeaner. He then saw Kathy took her hand off of his shoulder and put her hands behind her neck to take her pendant off.

Kathy continued with a calm, bright smile as she removes her pendant off her neck and held it in front of Knuckles, "And that's why it's always important to take it off every once in a while. Because it feels relieving to feel free of the heavy pressure of responsibilities and duties all just to take a nice, long break from it. In order to combat the pressure, you must relax and have fun! You'll learn to appreciate everything that you're protecting from evil if you're enjoying life and having fun during your off duty time, Knuckles. You'll feel much happier with your job as a guardian if you do that. I know that I sure am!".

Kathy then put her pendant into her pocket and smiled brightly at Knuckles after finishing her speech. Knuckles was still speechless as he kept staring at Kathy in shock. He's not sure how to respond to that. Although if there's one thing that he did after hearing that, then it would be that he holds a much deeper respect for Kathy now since he had decided to keep what she had said into his heart. He certainly gleaned on this little piece of wisdom that Kathy had told to him. He honestly didn't expect to learn this from Kathy of all people, but he was grateful regardless.

"Kathy..." Knuckles replied in a hushed tone of voice as he still stared at Kathy with a stunned expression on his face.

Kathy just beamed brightly at him and asked sweetly, "Yes? What is it, Knuckles?".

"Uhh...Uhh...N-Nothing. Never mind," Knuckles replied awkwardly as he blushed and smiled a little at Kathy.

Kathy giggled sweetly at that before looking a little mischievous. "...Hehehe!...Although...it is still possible to have fun while on duty at times too, Knuckles. Also, since you've told me that I shouldn't run off on you..." Kathy replied playfully as she inched closer to Knuckles before she stood right beside him. Knuckles raised his eyebrows in confusion as to what Kathy was planning to do next.

However, he was quite surprised when Kathy quickly grabbed his left hand and ran forward towards the forest with him trailing behind.

"Then I guess that means that we're going to run off together instead! Come on, Knuckles! Let's go! Let's go have fun together! Hehehe! Let's have fun while working on the job! Hehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed brightly yet happily as she ran ahead while looking back at Knuckles with a huge smile on her face.

"Ah! H-Hey! Easy! Slow down, Kathy!" Knuckles exclaimed in surprise and in protest as he tried to keep up with Kathy by running too. He could feel his heart pounding in shock and in excitement as he felt Kathy holding his hand tightly. He still had a look of surprise as he ran into the forest with Kathy.

Kathy looked back at Knuckles again with a cute smile as she exclaimed back in playfulness, "Hehehe! No! Come on, little doggie! Follow your 'Master'! Hehehehe!".

Knuckles was shocked again by hearing Kathy call him a dog yet again. He felt embarrassed too after hearing Kathy say, "Follow your 'Master'". Am I really like a dog to Kathy? Hmmm...Well...I mean...I do...uhh...bend over backwards to her every whim...as embarrassing as it is to admit. And...uhh...I guess that I am going to be overly protective of her since I need her to protect this world. Huh...You know, it's almost like how I treat the Mas- Knuckles pondered while having a shocked expression on his face as he ran behind Kathy. His eyes soon went wide when he realized that he does treat Kathy as if she's the Master Emerald. In a way...Kathy is basically the Master Emerald now in regards on how important her life is to Knuckles lately. And Knuckles has a feeling that it will never change any time soon.

"Follow your Master" eh? Hmph. Very well then. But let's see what happens when you have to follow your 'guard dog'! Heh! Knuckles thought with a smile before he smirked as he felt playful too. He then ran faster so that he's dragging Kathy now.

"Hey! Hehehehehehehe! Slow down, Knuckles! I can't run that fast! Hahahahahaha!" Kathy exclaimed jovially as she laughed while she ran behind Knuckles.

Knuckles turned his head to look back at Kathy and replied to her with a mischievous smirk, "Heh! Well, as Sonic would say, 'Come on! Step it up!'. Heheheheh!".

Kathy gigged a lot as she exclaimed with a grin, "Aw! But I can't! I'm only good at flying! Not running!".

Knuckles smirked deviously as he exclaimed back, "Well...Get good then, Kathy! Because I'm not slowing down for you! Heh! Not so much fun now since you're going to have to keep up with your 'little doggie', huh?!".

"Hehehehehehehe! But we're supposed to be running together! This isn't a competition, Knuckles! This is supposed to be a fun time!" Kathy exclaimed back while giggling.

"...Oh, it is a fun time, Kathy. I just think that...this is a more fun activity because I'm in the lead. Now, either suck it up or catch up because I'm taking the lead now! Heh!" Knuckles replied calmly yet playfully with an amused grin as he ran even faster than before to make his point.

"Knuckles! Hahahahahahaha!" Kathy exclaimed in protest while laughing happily as she was being dragged by Knuckles now. She did her best to keep up with Knuckles as she ran as fast as she could. While she did this, she just kept laughing happily and cutely. Naturally, Kathy's laughter got to Knuckles too since he laughed happily with her as he ran deeper into the forest. The two guardians laughed as much as they could as they kept running together through Leaf Storm Forest.

And Knuckles had started to believe that protecting Kathy was going to be the best job in the world due to how much fun it's going to be with her by his side. So many fun, boundless adventures are just waiting around the corner with Kathy at his side, and Knuckles can't wait to share them with her.

He can't wait to share them with his "Master".

Ah. I'm so close to finishing what I had originally planned in mind on "Kathy's first day" so to speak. I'm positive that the fifth chapter will be the ending to the first day! Also, it seems that you will get an explanation for the Sol Pendant and Sol Hearts in the sixth chapter instead of the fifth. Whoops! But that's what happens when the writer decides to make a sweet, nice ending to a chapter like this. I hope that you liked it! Besides I had a feeling that the next part is also going to take another 30, 000 to 40, 000 words anyway, so, maybe cutting this chapter short is a good idea. Kind of like last chapter. But hey, at least now you guys know the origins of my OC character now. I hope that you like my adaptation to Mothra's character here in this story. I hope that her origins sound somewhat believable in the Sonic universe while also staying true to the original source material. Hope that you're happy with this set up because now Knuckles has something more in common with her! So, in other words, everything is going great.

Anyways, please R&R as always, and enjoy the next chapter when I post it soon! Also, next chapter...Battra time!