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.

13. Angel and(pt 8)

Guardian Angels

S1:E6: Angel And...(Pt. 8)

[Back With Knuckles]

Knuckles chased after the last Megalon monster through the wrecked streets. The monster kept walking forward while smashing buildings here and there with his Drill Arms. The monster even stopped walking sometimes to fire out either his Geothermal Napalm Bullets or his Beast Killer Laser Beam at the buildings and streets. Lots of buildings were crushed, had been exploded, and had been set on fire due to these attacks.

CRAAAAAAASSSSHHH! KAAAABOOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM! CRAAAAASSSHHH! BOOOOM!

Rubble kept falling from the wrecked buildings; fires kept going; and explosions kept going off within the city as the Megalon monster destroyed the city around him.

AAAAARRRRRRRRRREEEEEEGGGGHHH!

The Megalon monster roared in anger while standing in the middle of the intersection of the city as he raised his head up and lifted his Drill Arms up too. The buildings surrounding the monster were on fire, and rubble was everywhere on the ground level. Knuckles saw all what the monster had done and had grimaced at this.

It's rather amazing that a single, regular kaiju monster could do this much damage to one city. There is no reason for me to underestimate their power now. If one monster could take down a city, then there is no doubt that it can take down the entire world. Without a doubt, these guys are no different than Chaos. Knuckles brooded with a solemn frown as he ran as fast as he could towards the monster.

"HEY!" Knuckles shouted with a fierce look on his face as he approached the monster.

AAAARRRRRRRREEEEEGGGHHH?!

The Megalon monster roared in confusion as he turned his head around to look at Knuckles. The monster could see him charging towards him while having his fists up.

"YEAH, I'M TALKING TO YOU! YOU WANT A FIGHT OR WHAT?!" Knuckles shouted in determination as he got closer to the monster and as he skidded to a stop before being in a battle position.

…

The Megalon monster didn't say anything back at Knuckles, but he had stared at him for a few moments before deciding to look away from him as he was not interested.

"AW, C'MON! NOTICE ME, DANG IT!" Knuckles shouted in frustration as he waved his arms quickly while looking furious. This is like the second time today that I've been ignored! It's ticking me off! Knuckles brooded with a furious look on his face as he clenched his fists and as he growled in fury. But just when Knuckles couldn't get any more rotten luck, the Megalon monster roared in anger before jumping up and burrowing into the ground again.

AAAAAARRRRRRRRREEEEEEEGGGGGHHH!

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

"OH, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! STOP RUNNING AWAY FROM ME!" Knuckles shouted in irritation as he gritted his teeth while looking at the Megalon monster burrowing into the ground and moving away from him. He can feel the ground rumbling again the moment the monster went underground, but the rumbling soon ceased as the monster went further away from him. He can see the ground cracking and the buildings crumbling as the monster burrowed underground.

CRAAAAAAAASSSSSSHHH! CRAAAAAAAASSSSSHHH! CRAAAAAASSSSSHHH! CRAAAAAAASSSSHHHH!

"Grrrrrrr..." Knuckles growled in irritation as he moved his head towards his right to see the destructive path that the monster is leaving behind. ...So...Taking the coward's way out, huh? Hmph. Fine. Have it your way, monster. Because you're going to learn why I despise cowards! Knuckles brooded with a fierce look on his face as he stared at his right. He then immediately followed the desolated path left by the Megalon monster.

[Meanwhile With Kathy]

Now, just where could Knuckles be in this city? I know that he had gone towards eastern section of the city, but...where exactly could he be? He could be anywhere! Kathy pondered calmly with a little frown as she flew through the city while looking right and left. She can see the damages done by the Megalon monsters as rubble and fire were everywhere, but she couldn't find Knuckles anywhere. She soon stopped in the middle of an intersection and had looked around some more. She could see more rubble, fire, and wrecked buildings around her. But of course, Knuckles was nowhere in sight.

Kathy frowned deeply at this as she looked worried. She kept looking around with a grimace on her face, but she saw that the streets looked the same to her. There were just wrecked, desolate places with no one in sight. Not even Battra was in any of the streets. Kathy then felt even more worried as she realized that she was lost.

...Oh no...Not again...I...I can't figure out which way to go from here. This city is still new to me, so, every place looks the same to me! I can't differentiate between streets! Ooooh...Knuckles...Please show yourself to me...I beg of you...Without having you here...I'm...I'm...Kathy brooded with a worried look on her face as she flew in place while looking around the streets.

"...Lost..." Kathy muttered calmly yet softly with a sad frown as she looked down to the ground. She then held her arms and looked even more anxious. There's...There's no one here. No monsters...no people...no Battra...and no...no...no Knuckles...No anything...Just...Just myself...on my lonesome...Kathy brooded again with a sad, anxious look on her face. She closed her eyes and cringed as she remembered the loneliness in her childhood.

[Nine Years Ago]

Kathy, the five-year-old, brown larva, was sitting on the empty beach of Infant Island by herself. Her mother had left again to go fight Battra. She didn't understand why her mother had to do this every day, but she had always been told by her that it was important. Even still, she felt very sad every time that happens. Because...she knew that she would be all alone again. She hated Battra for forcing her mother to leave her behind just so that she would go after him and stop him. She was a bit happy every time she heard that her mother had beaten Battra very hard. He deserved it for making her feel lonely all the time. But regardless, she was often sad and bored since there was no one on Infant Island.

"...(Sigh)…..." Kathy sighed sadly with a deep frown on her sad face. She had held her knees towards herself and had placed her head on top of them. She stared at sand while listening to the waves crashing a bit at times.

...I'm bored...Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored...Completely...bored...Kathy brooded with a sad look on her face. She then glanced at her left and had absentmindedly started to draw in the sand with her finger. She didn't draw much of anything. She just drew circles, curves, wavy lines, squares, and triangles. This action would have taken her attention away from her loneliness and boredom, but today...she just didn't care.

"...(Sigh)…..." Kathy sighed sadly again with a deep frown as she stopped drawing and placed her hand back into her lap. Not even drawing in the sand is fun to me. I feel...so bored...and...and...Kathy brooded sadly with a grimace.

"...Lonely...(Sniff)…" Kathy whispered softly to herself before sniffling a bit. She could feel tears coming to her eyes after admitting that she's lonely. She then put her head down onto her lap and cried softly.

"...(Sob Sob Sob)…Mommy...(Sniff)...Please come back, mommy. Please...(Sob Sob Sob)…" Kathy whimpered sadly with a sniffle as she cried softly.

She kept crying like that for a long time.

[Back To Present Day]

...No...Please...Stop thinking about that...You're...You're not alone anymore! Sonic had said so! Why would you still feel...feel...that way when...Ugh! Stop it, Kathy! Please! Stop! Kathy brooded with a grimace while cringing a lot. Fortunately, Kathy had her migraine settled down again and had stopped cringing from that. However...she was now cringing from emotional pain as her bad memories had resurfaced in her mind.

"Kathy! Get a grip! Just...Just keep looking around for Knuckles! He's got to be here! Just...Just keep searching for him! You won't know where he is if you keep staying at one spot! Now, get a move on already!" Kathy exclaimed with a solemn frown as she opened her eyes and looked back up again. She then turned her body towards the left and flew towards the western street. She flew as fast as she could through the street until she made another turn...and another...and another after that...and so forth.

Ooooh...Knuckles...Just where are you? I really want to be with you right now and feel safe again. Ugh. Maybe I should've brought Sonic along to help me look for him. He probably knows more about this city than I do. Why did I told him to leave and recover? I know that he won't stand a chance against Battra if we find him first, but...it wouldn't hurt to let him show me where Knuckles is. If that happened, then that would have been the best time for him to leave the city and take care of himself. Sigh...I was trying to appear capable and perfect again. Just like Knuckles had said about me earlier...Kathy brooded some more with a solemn frown as she flew through multiple streets and made many turns along the way.

"...(Sigh)...I should really stop doing that. I'm making more poor decisions by doing that," Kathy said tiredly with a sigh before looking solemn again. She continued her search by flying even more through the eastern section of the city.

[Meanwhile With Battra]

"Argh! Just where in the heck is that Sol Heart?! I've searched high and low for this thing, and yet, I still can't find it! This is incredibly frustrating for me! My searches are usually easy and quick! Not long and tedious! Why am I not finding it?!" Battra ranted in frustration as he glared at his Dark Sol Gems with a grimace. He was walking through the construction site of a skyscraper currently. He then stood still and looked at his left to see the unfinished skyscraper with a grimace. But little did he realize that the Sol Heart was at the top floor of the unfinished skyscraper.

Grrrr...And the worst part about this is that I'm lost. Just where am I anyway? Sheesh, who knew that being stuck in an unfamiliar dimension would be so troublesome? I even had been here in this dimension before, but that was years ago! Ugh. Things really had changed a lot during that time. Sigh...Battra brooded with a grimace as he stared at the tall, unfinished skyscraper.

"Grrrr...Could this get any worse?" Battra muttered tiredly with a growl as he looked down at the ground again.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

"Ooooh...Now what?" Battra groaned in annoyance as he felt the ground rumbling underneath his feet.

Soon, the Megalon monster approached the construction site and drilled back up to the surface. The monster roared in anger after coming out of the ground.

AAAAAARRRRRRREEEEEEGGGHHH!

"Ugggh...No, you stupid minion. Go away. Please!" Battra muttered in annoyance as he looked up at the Megalon monster on the other side of the unfinished skyscraper.

AAAAAARRRRRRREEEEEGGGGHHH!

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSHHH!

However, the Megalon monster didn't listen to Battra and had smashed the unfinished skyscraper instead with his Drill Arm while roaring in anger. As a result of the monster smashing the unfinished skyscraper, it collapsed backwards onto Battra.

"Noooooo! Shield! Shield!" Battra yelled in shock as he raised his fists in front of him in a protective manner while commanding the Dark Sol Gems to activate the shield. Luckily for him, a dark shield was immediately up before the avalanche of steel beams and concrete fell on him.

CRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSHHH!

The steel beams and concrete fell on top of the shield and around the ground before Battra. The Sol Heart that was on the top of the unfinished skyscraper fell with the rubble and was buried within the rubble unbeknownst to Battra. Meanwhile, Battra was buried underneath all of this while being protected by his shield. He grimaced at this and had glared harshly through the pile of steel beams and concrete. His two, red, bug eyes glowed within the darkness.

Grrrrr...Okay...This had gone from frustrating to infuriating. I should've known that creating replicas of Megalon would be a bad idea. After all, he is a stupid monster to begin with! And his replicas had barely done any help for me so far! I haven't found the Sol Heart yet thanks to their efforts! Sigh...Battra brooded with an annoyed look on his face.

"...(Sigh)…I'm really tempting fate here as I ask this again. But could this ever get any worse?" Battra said tiredly with a sigh as he closed his eyes.

"HEY! YOU!" Knuckles shouted in the distance.

"Ugggggh! I shouldn't have asked! I shouldn't have asked!" Battra yelled in irritation as he face-palmed himself. Aw, great. And now the red meat is here. Grrrrr...Battra brooded in irritation as he growled.

Meanwhile, the Megalon monster turned around to see who was shouting and saw Knuckles charging towards him again after skidding to a stop for a second before running again.

"YEAH! YOU! STAY WHERE YOU ARE AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!" Knuckles shouted in determination as he ran as fast as he could towards the last Megalon monster. The monster roared again in anger and had clanked his Drill Arms a bit.

AAAAAARRRRRRREEEEEEEGGGGHHH!

The monster tried to attack Knuckles by slamming down at him with his Drill Arms. However, Knuckles dodged by jumping left and right to avoid the drills hitting him.

CRAAAAAAAAASSSSSHHH! CRAAAAAAAASSSHHH! CRAAAAAAAASSSSHHH! CRAAAAAAAASSSSHHH!

"HMPH! NICE TRY! HRRRRRGGGH!" Knuckles shouted in determination before he jumped up underneath the monster's stomach and punched it very hard.

SCREEEEEEKKK!

CRAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSHHH!

The Megalon monster roared in pain and fell backwards towards the destroyed, construction skyscraper. His body crashed into it as he fell on his back. Knuckles landed on top of the monster and looked fierce as he stared at the monster's face.

"You're not getting away this time!" Knuckles yelled boldly with a fierce look on his face before he started punching the stomach repeatedly.

POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!

SCREEEEKKK! SCREEEKKK!

The Megalon monster roared in pain as Knuckles kept punching his stomach. Knuckles showed no mercy as he kept attacking the monster without stopping.

POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!

SCREEEEEEKKK!

POOF!

It's about time. Sheesh...Knuckles thought with a solemn frown as he saw the monster under him combusting into dark particles after roaring one last time. He soon landed on the ground again after the monster had disappeared. He panted a bit in exhaustion and wiped his head with his hand.

He then smiled a little as he said to himself, "Heh. You know...fighting these kaiju monsters is kind of fun. They really know how to get me to stay on my toes. Both literally and figuratively. I could get used to this".

Meanwhile, Battra was a bit relieved that Knuckles had beaten his minion. I can't believe that I'm saying this but thank you, Knuckles! That stupid monster deserved to get destroyed after failing to follow my orders. At least that takes care of that. Now, to get out of here. Battra pondered with a relieved sigh and a frown before he mentally commanded his Dark Sol Gems again to teleport outside of the pile.

PING!

Battra soon disappeared from the pile of steel beams and concrete and reappeared outside of the pile. He then commanded his gems to make the shield disappear, and once he did that, the pile crashed loudly to the ground again.

CRAAAAAAAAASSSSSHHH!

Battra cringed at the sound as he realized that it could encourage Knuckles to come over and see what's going on. Please ignore it. Please ignore it. Please ignore it. Please ignore it. Please ignor- Battra pondered with a frown as he looked worried.

"H-Huh? Hey! Is someone making a racket or something?! You better show yourselves now or else I'm coming for ya!" Knuckles exclaimed solemnly with a frown as he looked at the pile carefully while putting his fists up in defense. He had his guard up again as he felt suspicious of the pile now.

Aw, crud! He didn't ignore it. Alright, Battra. Just hide and don't let him see you. Battra thought in annoyance before in calmness as he looked at his left and right to find a hiding place. He soon spotted a porta-potty in front of him and had quickly ran towards it. He opened the door from it and cringed in disgust after seeing how filthy it is.

How repulsive. A king like me would never stoop so low to hide in a disgusting, revolting place like thi- Battra thought with a disgusted look on his face as he stared inside the porta-potty.

"Alright! That does it! Since you're too cowardly to face me, then I guess I'll have to face you myself! You asked for it!" Knuckles yelled solemnly in the distance.

"Oh, screw it..." Battra muttered in annoyance before he quickly got inside the porta-potty before closing the door.

Soon, Knuckles ran around the destroyed construction site at his left. He ran towards the other side of the site while having a solemn look on his face. He didn't know if there was someone within the site or not, but he kept his guard up since anything could happen at this point.

Meanwhile, Battra was silent as he held onto the porta-potty's door as tightly as he could. He did his best to ignore the awful stench of the porta-potty and just concentrated instead on Knuckles' footsteps and voice. His heart soon stopped when he heard Knuckles yelling out, "Aha! I found you!".

Oh no...I'm screwed, and I didn't even find the- Battra thought in annoyance as he grimaced and as he closed his eyes.

"The Sol Heart! So, that's where it is!" Knuckles yelled out in glee.

WHAT?! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?! Battra thought with a flabbergasted face as his eyes were open-wide and as his jaw had dropped to the ground. He then carefully opened the door just a bit so that he can see where Knuckles had found the Sol Heart. He can see Knuckles standing in front of the pile of steel beams and concrete while having his back on him. He then saw Knuckles walking towards the pile.

Knuckles was both surprised and happy that he had found the first Sol Heart. He would never had thought that it would be under a pile of rubble like this. He soon stood before the pile and carefully lifted some concrete away and pushed some steel beams away too. He grunted a bit as he did this heavy labor, but it was no problem for him since he had uncovered the Sol Heart.

And it was a green Sol Heart.

At last, I found it. I found the first Sol Heart. Knuckles thought calmly with a huge smile as he picked up the Sol Heart and held it in his hands. He was a bit surprised that the Sol Heart was as about as large as his hands. It was certainly not as small as the Chaos Emeralds were.

"So, this is what the Sol Hearts look like. Wow..." Knuckles said quietly in awe as he stared down at the Sol Heart with a calm smile. He then turned halfway around and lifted the Sol Heart a bit to see it from a far. Now, Kathy has a chance to stop Battra once and for all. She's going to be so happy when she finds out that I had found it for her. I can't wait to show it to her! Knuckles thought calmly with a huge grin on his face as he stared at the Sol Heart.

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! WHY?! WHY DOES FATE LIKE TO TOY WITH ME SOMETIMES?! ARE YOU SAYING THAT LITTLE PIECE OF RED MEAT HAD FOUND THE SOL HEART FIRST BEFORE I DID?! AFTER ALL THOSE MINUTES OF SEARCHING, I ENDED UP FAILING TO FIND THE HEART?! THIS IS BEYOND INFURIATING! THIS IS INSULTING! HUMILATING! AND WORST OF ALL...Battra brooded angrily with a grimace as he glared coldly at Knuckles' giddy look on his face.

"Revolting..." Battra muttered in bitterness as he tightened his fists. He was ready to get out and clobber Knuckles over the head as a way to knock him out and take the Sol Heart from him. It was especially so when he saw him turning around and walking back to where he once was. But soon, Battra came up with a brilliant idea. Of course! Why hadn't I thought of this earlier?! Megalon might be stupid, but I think that I know someone who's even stupider. Battra thought with an evil grin as he carefully pushed the door even more to stick his head out and look at Knuckles. He then commanded his gems again while grinning evilly.

Meanwhile, Knuckles was walking towards the entrance of the construction site with a calm smile on his face. He held the Sol Heart in his right hand as he walked. He was close to exiting the site before he felt the ground rumbling again.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

"Huh?! What?! But! But I thought that I had destroyed you! Don't tell me that you're still here!" Knuckles yelled in shock as he stood still and looked around quickly for the Megalon monster. While Knuckles was distracted, Battra soon got out of the porta-potty and flew up into the sky. He looked at Knuckles as he flew above him and behind him. Meanwhile, the ground kept rumbling as another Megalon monster was drilling underground.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

"C-C'MON! S-SHOW YOURSELF!" Knuckles shouted in determination while stuttering a bit. He can see some buildings collapsing as the monster is coming towards him.

CRAAAAAAASSSSSHHH! CRAAAAAAAAASSSSHHH! CRAAAAAAAASSSSSHHH!

Knuckles grunted a bit as he gritted his teeth while being in a battle position. He soon saw the ground cracking and crumbling ahead of him as another Megalon monster was drilling out from the ground.

CRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSHHHH!

AAAAAAARRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEGGGGHHH!

The Megalon monster stood over the large hole while roaring and had clanked his Drill Arms a bit. Knuckles looked solemn again as he thought. How many of these things are there? I thought that there was only a dozen of them. Perhaps Kathy had missed one? Hmph. Doesn't matter. I'm going to stop this monster just like I did with the one before.

"So, it seems that you want a fight too! Very well then! Bring it on!" Knuckles yelled in determination as he tossed the Sol Heart to the side before raising his fists again. The Megalon monster roared again as he raised his Drill Arms too.

AAAAARRRRRRRREEEEEEGGGGHHH!

Knuckles looked fierce again as he ran towards the Megalon monster while leaving the Sol Heart behind. Battra smirked evilly at this as he thought. Bingo!

Knuckles charged towards the Megalon monster while the monster was ready slam down his Drill Arms at Knuckles again. However, Knuckles beat him to it by jumping up high as he prepared to punch him in the stomach.

"Take this!" Knuckles yelled in determination as he punched hard at the stomach.

But then to Knuckles' surprise, the Megalon monster had disappeared before he had punched him!

POOF!

"Huh?! What the-?!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock as he punched through the air instead. There were dark particles everywhere after the monster disappeared, but Knuckles was confused by this. He didn't even punch him, and yet, the monster was gone! How could this be? Knuckles thought in confusion as he landed back down to the ground while looking at the ground with a shocked expression on his face.

"Well, well, well, it seems that I was right into thinking that you're stupider than Megalon, you piece of red meat. What kind of an idiot...would throw away a precious item like this just to fight? Heheheheheh...A special kind of idiot to be precise..." Battra said calmly yet deviously with a cocky smirk and with a dark chuckle as he picked up the Sol Heart while staring at Knuckles. Battra had put his Dark Sol Gems back into his pendant after he had made the Megalon monster disappear.

"...! Battra!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock with a loud gasp as he quickly turned around and stared at Battra with a shocked look on his face.

Battra smirked back at him as he stood confidently while holding the Sol Heart in one hand. He continued by saying calmly yet deviously, "You're so gullible. Thinking that there is an opponent to fight when in reality there is not. But of course, with the power of the Dark Sol Pendant, it's so easy to make that kind of trick happen...at any time...and at any place...".

Knuckles gasped again in shock after hearing that last sentence. Ah! So that's why there was another Megalon monster even when there is none of them left! Battra had just created one just to...to...trick me! Grrrrrrr! Oh, that is so not fair! Knuckles pondered in shock before in anger as he felt ticked off that he had been tricked again.

"YOU TRICKED ME! GIVE ME BACK THAT SOL HEART, BATTRA! I FOUND THAT HEART FIRST!" Knuckles shouted in fury as he raised his fists up while having a vein popping in his head.

"Oh, you sure did find it first. However, since you threw it away like a piece of trash, I just think that it's fair to say that it's mine now because you don't want it. You know what they say, 'One man's trash is another man's treasure'. So, thanks for throwing this heart away," Battra replied casually with a shrug and with a smug grin. Knuckles just growled angrily at Battra as he listened to this. He hated Battra's smug look since he just wanted run towards him and punch him in the face. Especially when he had added this with an evil smirk, "I'm sure that naïve, moth girl would be happy to know on how generous you were towards me by letting me have this".

OH, THAT TEARS IT! Knuckles thought in fury as steam went off from his head. He immediately ran towards Battra with a fierce look on his face as he shouted angrily, "GIVE! ME! THAT! SOL! HEART! BACK!".

"Uhhh...No," Battra replied simply with a smug grin while he turned around as he was about to fly again. He jumped up and flew again, but then to his complete surprise, Knuckles jumped up high and grabbed his feet while he was flying away.

"What in the world?!" Battra exclaimed in shock as he looked down and saw Knuckles dangling at his feet. Knuckles glared harshly at Battra while having a fierce look on his face. There is no way that I'm letting this jerk take that Sol Heart away from me! I found it fair and square! And I'm going to give it to Kathy once we're reunited again! I'm doing this...for her sake! Knuckles brooded solemnly as he stared fiercely at Battra.

"Let go of me!" Battra yelled out in anger as he glared back at Knuckles with a frown.

"No!" Knuckles yelled back angrily with a frown too.

"I said, 'let go'!" Battra yelled again angrily as he tried to shake Knuckles off with his feet while he flew farther up into the sky.

"No way!" Knuckles yelled back in determination as his body swung back and forth.

"You're pretty annoying for a piece of red meat, you know that?!" Battra yelled back angrily as he tried to step on Knuckles' hands with his feet to get him off.

"And you're pretty annoying for a bug monster, you know that?! Those Megalon monsters were less annoying than you!" Knuckles yelled back angrily as he held onto Battra's feet even tighter as he felt his hands being stomped repeatedly. He refused to let go of Battra. Even when his knuckles are getting hurt, he still refused to let go.

"Grrrrrr!" Battra growled in irritation as he saw that Knuckles wasn't budging.

"Grrrrrr!" Knuckles growled back in irritation as he hated that his hands were in pain from this. Kathy...I hope that you're happy that I'm doing this for you because this is such a pain in the butt to do! Knuckles brooded with a grimace as he cringed a bit from the pain. He and Battra kept flying as they were above Central City.

[Meanwhile With Kathy]

"Knuckles...Knuckles...Where are you? Are you here? Knuckles..." Kathy muttered quietly with a frown as she kept flying over the streets of Central City. She had tried flying over the city already to get better ground of the area. However, she still couldn't see where she's at and where Knuckles is from up high. So, she decided to check the streets again in a lower level.

...Oh...This is hopeless. I thought that looking from up high would give me an advantage into searching for Knuckles. But it seems that I was proven wrong since I still got lost while I was doing my search! Sheesh...you think with all this wreckage that I would have some sort of clue of my whereabouts, but no, it's just as confusing up there while being down here. Kathy brooded with a worried frown as she looked left and right again. She then sighed and had flown to a stop. She landed on the ground again and had her hands on her hips.

C'mon...C'mon, Kathy. Think. If I were Knuckles, what would I be doing right now? Kathy pondered with a frown as she put a hand under her chin and a hand under elbow.

[Meanwhile With Knuckles and Battra]

"For the last freaking time, get off of me!" Battra yelled in irritation as kept trying to get Knuckles off.

"Never!" Knuckles yelled back in determination.

"Do you have a death wish or something?!" Battra yelled back angrily with a snarl.

"I just want that Sol Heart!" Knuckles yelled back in determination as he barred his teeth at Battra. Knuckles even climbed onto Battra's legs as he yelled that.

"Grrrrr! Oh...You really are asking for a death wish then, aren't you? Very well. I'll grant you your wish," Battra replied calmly yet darkly with a frown after growling for a bit. He then lowered his head down at Knuckles as he was ready to fire at him with his Prism Beams.

Knuckles saw this and had smiled smugly at him as he had an idea on how to get the Sol Heart. ...As well as...getting back at Battra for tricking him in the first place.

"Aw...You're too kind...But I have to deny your offer by doing...THIS! TAKE THAT!" Knuckles replied calmly yet smugly with a smirk before he shouted confidently as he punched Battra's face. And best of all or worst of all in Battra's case, Knuckles' spikes had jabbed his eyes too.

POW!

"GAAAAAAAAHHH! MY EYES!" Battra screamed in pain as he lets go of the Sol Heart and covered his eyes while flying in place.

"YES!" Knuckles shouted in victory with a huge smile as he grabbed the Sol Heart with his two hands. But just when Knuckles was about to celebrate in his mind, he just realized something.

Something important.

...I'm...I'm not holding onto Battra anymore, aren't I? Knuckles thought awkwardly with a shocked face as a sweat drop went down from his head. He looked back at Battra, and his eyes had widened when he saw that he was indeed off of Battra. He then panicked as he had this last thought before falling to the ground. Knuckles...You really are an idiot.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" Knuckles screamed in panic as he fell from the sky and heading towards the city below.

[Meanwhile With Kathy]

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" Knuckles screamed loudly in the distance.

"...! Knuckles?! Where are-?!" Kathy exclaimed in surprise with a gasp after hearing Knuckles scream like that. She quickly turned around, and her eyes had bulged out from her skull as she stared at Knuckles falling from the sky.

SCREEEEEEEEE! KIIIIIOOOOOO! (KNUCKLES! NOOOOO!)

Kathy screeched in panic as her jaw dropped and as her eyes were as wide as dinner plates. She immediately ran fast for a bit before flying up towards Knuckles. "Hang on, Knuckles! I'll save you!" Kathy exclaimed solemnly with a worried look on her face as she flew as fast as she could towards Knuckles.

Meanwhile, Knuckles kept screaming in panic as he fell while holding the Sol Heart in his hands. He was falling upside-down, so, he was unable to save himself by gliding through the air. He doesn't even know what's worse...Dying from a huge, bug monster...or dying from doing something stupid...At this point, dying from doing something stupid is the worst of the two right now.

I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! KATHY! SAVE ME! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! Knuckles thought as his mind was screaming in panic just as he was screaming out loud. He can see that he was getting very close to the ground. So, he closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth as he embraces for impact.

...Goodbye, Kathy...Knuckles thought once last time in despair as he awaited his untimely death for the third time today.

…

…

…

...Huh? Am I...dead yet? Knuckles thought slowly in confusion as he realized that he hadn't hit the hard ground yet. Instead, his back being held by soft, fuzzy arms, and that his body is leant against something soft and light...like a pillow of some kind.

…

…

...

...WAIT A MINUTE! Knuckles thought in shock as he opened his eyes and gasped loudly as he saw Kathy's solemn face again as she looked ahead of her and not on him. His eyes were very wide, and his mouth was agape in shock as he realized that Kathy was carrying him in her arms again.

"..." Knuckles was speechless as he stared at Kathy's solemn face. He can feel his heart racing again as he realized that Kathy had saved him from death again. Kathy...You...You had done it again...You saved me...Knuckles thought calmly in awe while having a stunned look on his face.

"Thank you..." Knuckles whispered softly while staring at Kathy with a stunned yet admiring look on his face as his violet eyes twinkled.

Kathy looked at him with a calm, solemn look on her face. Knuckles stared deeply into her light-blue eyes again. He felt safe with Kathy being here again. In a way, it felt like he had just woken up from a bad dream.

...Kathy...Knuckles thought calmly yet fondly as he smiled a little at her. Kathy saw Knuckles smiling again and smiled a little too.

"Don't worry, little doggie. I got you. You're safe. You're safe now," Kathy whispered back gently with a little, warm smile as she stared back at Knuckles.

"..." Knuckles was silent on that, but he had a huge smile on his face as he breathed a sigh of relief. I am safe, and it's all thanks to you, Master. I feel very safe now that you're here. You have no idea how much I had missed you. I've missed you a lot. Even though it's been about thirty minutes, I still missed you...Knuckles pondered calmly fondly with a longing smile on his face as he stared at Kathy while she focused on her flying again.

Kathy flew a bit away from Battra and had soon made a right turn. Meanwhile, Battra was rubbing his eyes as he tried to recover from that painful attack. Argh! How dare that red meat get a cheap shot at me! He even jabbed my eyes! Grrrr...Great. Now, I can't fire out my Prism Beams without cringing in complete agony. Talk about having a handicap. Ughh...Battra brooded with a grimace as he rubbed his eyes. He soon stopped rubbing his eyes and looked around for Knuckles.

"Where is that stupid piece of red meat? I have a bone to pick with him after messing with my eyes. Hmmm...If I'm not mistaken...I heard him screaming the moment he let go of me. Which means that he must've fallen to his death! Right?!" Battra said calmly with a frown before exclaiming with an evil grin as he looked down below him to see if Knuckles had splatted onto the ground.

However, he didn't see Knuckles' body down there.

"Dang it! Where did he go?! ...Wait a minute..." Battra exclaimed in anger before he muttered in surprise as he realized something important. He slowly lifted his hands up, and his eyes had bulged out from his skull as he saw that he doesn't have the Sol Heart anymore.

"ACK! THE SOL HEART! I LOST IT! GRRRRRRRRR! YOU STUPID PIECE OF RED MEAT! YOU'VE STOLEN MY HEART!" Battra shouted in shock and in anger as he clenched his hands into fists and shook them into the air. He then turned around and flew around the city as he looked for the green Sol Heart...again. I can't believe that I have to find that stupid heart again! Just you wait you little, conniving red meat. When I find you and that heart, I'm going to turn you into dead meat instead! Battra brooded angrily with a grimace as he flew as fast as he could throughout the city.

---

Meanwhile, Kathy headed towards one skyscraper and flew up at the top of it. Once she had gotten at the rooftop, she quickly skidded at a stop after she stopped flying. She stood still on the rooftop while holding Knuckles in her arms. They both had huge smiles on their faces since they were glad that they're back together again.

While looking amused, Knuckles muttered calmly in playfulness, "Hmph. Nice landing, Kathy".

"Heh...It's certainly better than the landing that you were about to make, Knuckles," Kathy replied calmly in playfulness with an amused look.

"Hahahahahahahahaha! Couldn't said it better myself! Hahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed brightly in amusement with a huge smile as he burst out laughing. Kathy smiled widely at him as she was happy that she heard Knuckles' adorable yet handsome laughter again and saw his happy face again. Awww...He's so cute...I'm glad that I've found him finally. I feel safe with him around. Kathy pondered calmly in adoration with a fond look on her face as she watched Knuckles laugh a lot in amusement.

He soon slowed his laughter down and stared longingly at Kathy again. He can see her smiling longingly at him, and he shared that look with her. Sigh...I needed that laugh. After what I had been through when we were separated, I needed it a lot. Knuckles pondered calmly in fondness with a longing smile on his face.

"I missed you, Kathy," Knuckles muttered gently in fondness with a warm smile and with half-lidded eyes.

"...I missed you too, Knuckles," Kathy replied gently in fondness with a warm smile and with half-lidded eyes.

They stared deeply into each other's eyes again as they felt connected to each other again. They felt happy that the other had missed them dearly. They can't help but feel the warm feeling in their chests as they stared at the other's eyes. They felt drawn to the other whenever they stare at the other's eyes. The warmth behind the other's eyes is what's encouraging the other to get closer to the one they care about. In fact...they were getting closer to each other's faces without even realizing it.

"..." Knuckles was silent as his face inched closer to Kathy's.

"..." Kathy was silent too as her face inched closer to Knuckles'.

But as soon as they had done that, they both finally realized what they were about to do.

"AH!" Knuckles and Kathy exclaimed in shock and in embarrassment as their eyes went wide and as their mouths gaped. They blushed very much while their faces were rather close to each other.

"Uhhh...What were you...going to do?" Knuckles asked shyly in embarrassment with a little frown as his muzzle was deeply red.

"Ummm...N-Nothing...I was just...going to stare at you...c-closely..." Kathy answered shyly yet innocently with a little frown and with a deep blush as her cheeks were bright pink.

"Uhh...Oh! Uhhh...Y-Yeah...Umm...M-Me too..." Knuckles lied awkwardly in embarrassment with a sheepish frown as his blush deepened to a different shade of red.

"W-Wait...R-Really?" Kathy replied shyly in shock as her eyebrows were raised.

"Uhhh...Heh...Y-Yeah...Really..." Knuckles lied awkwardly as he smiled sheepishly at Kathy.

"Ummm...You...You don't think that it's...weird to stare closely at someone...Do you?" Kathy replied shyly in embarrassment with an awkward look on her face as she blushed some more.

"Uhhhh...'Weird'?" Knuckles repeated awkwardly in confusion with a little frown and with a deep blush.

"Umm...Hehe...Yeah, weird. Right?" Kathy replied nervously with a little giggle and with shy smile on her face.

Knuckles stared at Kathy in shyness as his blush deepened even more. He honestly didn't know what had controlled him to do that again. He just almost...kissed Kathy on the lips again. WAIT! DID I JUST ALMOST KISS HER?! "AGAIN"?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! Knuckles pondered in panic as his eyes went very wide and as his jaw dropped in shock.

"Huh? Knuckles? Are you okay?" Kathy asked gently in concern as she saw Knuckles' shocked look on his face.

"Y-Yes! I'm...Uhh...I'm fine! I'm fine! And it's okay! It's okay if you want to stare at me very closely! I...Uhh...I don't mind it at all! But...Uhhh...just don't do it towards other people. That's...Uhh...when it gets...weird..." Knuckles replied nervously yet quickly as his blush deepened even more while he stared at Kathy's face.

"Oh! Uhh...O-Okay..." Kathy replied shyly with a sheepish smile as her blush deepened too. So, Knuckles doesn't mind me staring closely at him. That's good. I was worried that I might appear weird or...Uhh...creepy...to him. As long as he's okay with it, then I don't have anything to worry about. Kathy pondered calmly with a relieved look on her face.

Aw, great. I'm losing my cool again. Why do I have to feel so nervous whenever I'm around Kathy? I feel like I'm bound to mess up or say something dumb whenever I'm with her. It's times like this that I really do feel like a knucklehead. Knuckles pondered sheepishly with an embarrassed look on his face while frowning sadly at Kathy.

"Hey, what's wrong, Knuckles? Why are you frowning?" Kathy asked softly in concern as she frowned sadly.

"Uh! Oh! Uhh...It's nothing, Kathy. I'm fine. Really," Knuckles replied shyly with a deep blush as he smiled a little at her.

"You sure?" Kathy asked again in concern with a little frown.

"I am. Honest. Besides, I..." Knuckles replied calmly in reassurance with a little smile and with a nod. He then looked shy again as he lifted the Sol Heart towards her while saying, "...I...I found a Sol Heart for you".

Kathy beamed as she realized that Knuckles is holding onto a Sol Heart. Wow! How did I not see this?! Kathy thought brightly with an excited look on her face as she stared at the green Sol Heart in Knuckles' hands.

"Knuckles! Did you really find it?! All by yourself?!" Kathy exclaimed happily in amusement with a huge grin as she looked at the Sol Heart before at Knuckles.

"Uhhh...Y-Yes..." Knuckles answered shyly in sheepishness with a little smile while blushing a lot in embarrassment.

"Awwww, Knuckles! You're so sweet! You really are good at finding things! Just as you had said!" Kathy exclaimed jovially with a sweet smile as she affectionately nuzzled Knuckles' neck and face with her soft, fuzzy head.

"H-Hey!" Knuckles exclaimed in surprise as he felt Kathy's head nuzzling his face and neck. He blushed even more at this after hearing what Kathy had said. But he soon smiled very much as the nuzzles were getting to him now.

"Heheheheheheheh...Kathy...Heheheheheh...Quit it...Heheheheheh...That...That feels funny...Hahahahahahah..." Knuckles protested weakly with a huge smile as he chuckled a lot.

"Awww...Do you like my soft, fuzzy head, little doggie?" Kathy asked teasingly in amusement with a sweet smile as she stopped nuzzling Knuckles for a moment to look at his face.

"Heheheh...Umm...M-Maybe..." Knuckles replied shyly with a chuckle and with a sheepish smile.

"Hehehehe! Awww...Come here, you little doggie! That's a good boy! Yes, that's a good boy!" Kathy replied teasingly with a little giggle and with a cheerful smile before she nuzzled Knuckles' face and neck again.

"Kathy! Stop! Heheheheheheheheh...Alright! Alright! You're happy! You're happy! Hahahahahahaha...I get it! Just...Heheheheheheheheh...Just stop it! Hahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles protested playfully in amusement with a huge smile as he chuckled a lot again after feeling Kathy's nuzzles again. He cringed a lot as he felt Kathy's soft, fuzzy head brushing against his neck and face. But he can't help but have a bit of fun in this situation too. Heheheheheheheh...At least...Heheheheh...At least, she's not nuzzling my tummy with her head. Heheheheheheh...If she did, then I would've lost it. Knuckles thought calmly in amusement with a huge grin as he chuckled a lot.

"Teehee! Okay. I'll stop, Knuckles. I can tell that you had enough," Kathy replied calmly in amusement with a light giggle as she stopped nuzzling Knuckles while looking at him with a gentle smile.

"Heheheheh...Thank you, Kathy. I appreciate it," Knuckles replied calmly in gratitude with a chuckle as he smiled widely at Kathy in amusement. Kathy beamed sweetly at him, and Knuckles smiled back at her in fondness. She then slowly placed Knuckles on his feet again and looked at him with a sweet smile as she had her hands behind her back. Knuckles just smiled widely at her while holding onto the Sol Heart in his right hand as he stood beside her.

Kathy then beamed at Knuckles as she pointed at the green Sol Heart while saying innocently, "Are you going to give me your heart now?".

"...Huh?" Knuckles muttered calmly in confusion as he stared at Kathy with a little frown.

"Yes! Your heart! Are you going to give it to me?" Kathy replied brightly with a grin on her innocent face.

"...Uhhh..." Knuckles muttered calmly in confusion until it finally registered in his head by what Kathy had said. SHE...SHE WANTS ME TO DO WHAT?! Knuckles thought in panic as he blushed very much and looked very nervous again. "Uhhhhhhh! M-My...My heart?" Knuckles muttered in shyness as he stared at Kathy with nervous eyes.

Kathy nodded happily as she innocently exclaimed, "Yeah! The Sol Heart, Knuckles! That's my heart you're holding onto!".

I'M HOLDING HER WHAT?! I...O-Oh...She...She meant the Sol Heart...Ugh...Of course...What was I thinking? Just relax, Knuckles! Geez! Knuckles pondered in panic before in embarrassment as he realized what Kathy had said. He blushed even more in humiliation and had a sweat drop on his head as he thought that.

"Umm...O-Okay. Here, Kathy. Here's your Sol Heart," Knuckles replied calmly with a nod as he gave Kathy the Sol Heart. Kathy smiled at this and grabbed the Sol Heart from Knuckles' hand. She held it in her hands and was smiling happily at it.

At last, my first Sol Heart! Only six more to go and maybe we'd have something against Battra! Kathy pondered calmly in hope with a bright smile as she stared at the heart in her hands.

Knuckles smiled a little as he saw Kathy smiling calmly again. I knew that giving her the Sol Heart would make her happy. It seems that what I had gone through was worth it. Knuckles pondered calmly in fondness with a little smile as he stared at Kathy's happy face.

"Hey, Knuckles?" Kathy asked gently with a little smile as she looked at Knuckles.

"Hmm? Yes, Kathy?" Knuckles asked curiously with a little smile as he turned to face her fully.

"Umm...Thank you for finding the Sol Heart for me. I really couldn't have done it without you, and I really mean it when I say that," Kathy thanked gently with a sweet smile as she turned to face Knuckles fully too.

"Ummm...Uhhh...It...It was nothing..." Knuckles muttered shyly with a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head while blushing a lot.

"Oh, come on, Knuckles! What you had done was crucial to all of us! Especially to me since I need these hearts to stop Battra's rampage across the world! What you had done wasn't 'nothing'. It was something! A HUGE something!" Kathy replied brightly with a grin as she looked at Knuckles' eyes with her own sparkly ones while she got closer to him again.

"Ahh...Umm...Heheheh...No, it's not! Heheheheh..." Knuckles muttered shyly in embarrassment as he blushed even more while smiling sheepishly and chuckling nervously.

"Knuckles?" Kathy asked meekly with a gentle smile and with longing eyes.

"Y-Yes?" Knuckles asked shyly with a sheepish smile on his flustered face.

"Why do you always beat yourself up over my compliments, gratitude, or praise? I'm being rather sincere towards you, Knuckles. I had meant it when I had said those things, and yet...you always downplay them and dismiss them as 'nothing'. I wonder why you always do that," Kathy replied gently with a caring look on her face as she stood close to Knuckles and stared straight into his eyes.

"...Ummm...Uhhh..." Knuckles muttered awkwardly in shyness with a little frown as he stared back into Kathy's caring eyes.

"Well, Knuckles? Do you know why you always do that?" Kathy asked gently with a caring smile as stared into Knuckles' eyes.

"..." Knuckles was speechless as he stared back at Kathy. ...To...To be honest...I don't really have a reason why...Hmm...Maybe...Maybe perhaps...Knuckles pondered calmly in confusion and in curiosity as he wondered too why he does downplay his own heroic or helpful actions. But his eyes widened when he remembered why he does that...and if he was being honest with himself, he should've realized it sooner.

...Sigh...Of course. How could I forget? Usually, whenever there is a crisis or whenever someone is in trouble, Sonic and his friends would show up and save the day without relying on me to help them. But whenever I do help them out with something, the praise or thanks usually goes to Sonic. Not...Not towards me. So, even when someone does give me some praise, thanks, or compliments, I just downplay them since I think that...whatever I do...will never be as great as what Sonic does or what the others do as well. I'm just...not used to receiving praise, thanks, or compliments very often, and when it's from someone I...I...really like...I get...all shy and...embarrassed. Knuckles brooded with a sad look on his face as he frowned a lot and flushed in shame when he got to the last thought.

"Knuckles? ...Are you feeling alright?" Kathy asked softly with a concerned frown as she held Knuckles' right cheek and rubbed it gently in comfort.

Knuckles lets Kathy rub his cheek for a bit before he grabbed her hand and held it dearly in his hands. Kathy frowned sadly as she saw Knuckles doing this. She even saw the sad look on his face as he stared back at her. Knuckles frowned sadly and gently squeezed her hand into his own. He then answered quietly with a sad look on his face, "...I'm...I'm fine, Kathy. I understand your concern, but...it's okay. I'm okay...Really...".

"...Are you sure?" Kathy asked softly with a concerned look on her face.

"..." Knuckles was silent as he stared deeply into Kathy's sparkly, light-blue eyes. Just seeing the concern on her face is making Knuckles' heart squeeze even more in adoration. He really does feel cared for by her because of it. Her concern meant a lot to him. It made him realize that...his life matters to somebody. Only you would care about someone like me, Kathy. Only you...Knuckles brooded calmly with a solemn, sad look on his face as he stared gently into Kathy's eyes.

"Kathy..." Knuckles whispered softly as he held Kathy's hand before reaching out to hold her left cheek with his other hand. He gently rubbed Kathy's cheek in response to what she had done to him earlier. Kathy stared gently into Knuckles' solemn eyes while she lets him rub her cheek and hold her hand. Knuckles then continued whispering while looking sad yet solemn, "...I'll...I'll tell you a little secret about me...I'm...I'm not used to having somebody giving me praise or compliments often...".

"...! ...You're...You're not?" Kathy whispered softly in concern with a gasp as she looked sad.

Knuckles shook his head and frowned even more in sadness as he whispered softly, "...No...I'm not...Not many people give me much credit for what I do whenever I help them out with something. They usually give Sonic and the others praise and gratitude whenever they help them out. I...I usually get shoved to the side and get ignored by others whenever I do something heroic or helpful towards others or towards my acquaintances. Even when Sonic and I are helping the team along, Sonic gets more thanks and praise than I do. Especially when I ended up saving everyone from danger...".

"..." Kathy was just speechless as she heard this sad secret from Knuckles. She found it quite baffling that Knuckles doesn't get praised often for his efforts or had been thanked for his help. She had always given him praise, gratitude, and compliments ever since yesterday. She just did that because...she was genuinely grateful for Knuckles helping her out. She couldn't imagine what his life was like before he had met her the other night. My mother was the only person who had ever given me praise, gratitude, and compliments whenever I do something helpful or kind. But other than her...no one else is like that in my dimension...Well...except for Blaze and Marine...But there was no one else...I could only imagine that Knuckles had it much worse than me. I don't even want to know what his life was like before I met him. Poor Knuckles...Kathy brooded calmly with a sad frown on her face as she stared at Knuckles' sad face.

Knuckles then lowered his head in sadness as he finished in a whisper, "...It's...It's just how it is, Kathy. If others don't think that I had done something important, then it means that my efforts or my help are of little worth and doesn't deserve to be acknowledged. One's compliments...praise...or gratitude...aren't something that I personally take often. I just...dismiss them because...I'm not...important...".

But just as soon Knuckles had said that last sentence, he immediately felt Kathy's arms wrapping around his waist and her body being leant against him as she hugged him tightly. She leant her head on top of his left shoulder and had snuggled it a little in comfort. Even while she held her Sol Heart in her hand, she still hugged Knuckles tightly to comfort him. Knuckles immediately shot his head up in surprise once he had felt Kathy's tight, warm hug. He looked shocked that Kathy is hugging him again. For all he had gone through before without her at his side...he needed this. He really, really, really needed this.

"K-Kathy..." Knuckles whispered softly in an almost broken tone of voice as he felt tears in his eyes. He immediately wrapped his arms around Kathy too as he hugged her back just as tightly. He felt both pain and relief coming out of his heart as he hugged Kathy very tightly in comfort. He cried silently as he lets Kathy hold him as much as she wanted to. This feels...so warm...so comforting...I'm...I'm so glad that I'm with Kathy again...Knuckles brooded with a grimace while sniffling a bit as he lets his tears fall.

Kathy gently rubbed Knuckles' back with her free hand after hearing him sniffle a bit. "It's okay, Knuckles...Let it all out...I'm here for you..." Kathy whispered gently with a concerned frown as she looked at Knuckles in sympathy.

"...(Sniff)…...Thank you...Kathy..." Knuckles thanked in a whisper as he sniffled again. He continued to cry silently while hugging Kathy some more in comfort. Kathy just hugged him back as warmly and tightly as possible. She was glad that she's not only comforting Knuckles but is also receiving his hug too since she really wanted one after having trouble with the Megalon monsters earlier. Knuckles is so kind...I'm really glad that he's allowing me to hug him. After having such a rough time battling the Megalon monsters and...almost dying to them...I'm really grateful for this hug now. Kathy brooded calmly with a sad frown as she stared caringly at Knuckles. She and Knuckles kept hugging each other in silence.

…

…

…

Knuckles soon wiped his tears after he was done crying. He then held Kathy again even more tightly as he felt relieved. He smiled a little as he closed his eyes.

"...Kathy...You have no idea how much I wanted a hug right now. I'm grateful that you had given one to me. I...I needed it. Thank you," Knuckles whispered gently in gratitude with a little smile while having his eyes closed.

Kathy smiled a little too as she whispered back, "...I...I just wanted one too...I'm glad that you're here with me, Knuckles. I feel safe whenever you're around".

Knuckles smiled even more at that and had gently squeezed Kathy as he replied softly, "...Me too, Kathy. Me too...".

They kept hugging for a few more minutes while having huge smiles on their faces. They soon slowly broke apart and smiled gently at each other. Kathy then held Knuckles' left shoulder and squeezed it as she replied calmly yet gently in reassurance with a warm smile, "Listen, Knuckles. You have been helpful towards me at the start. Don't say that you're unimportant. Because without you, I wouldn't know what to do if I was there on that island all by myself. Having you here had helped understand the world better. Without you, I'd be lost instead".

"...!" Knuckles gasped in shock after hearing that. He didn't know what to say to that.

Kathy looked even more warm as she calmly continued in reassurance, "What you had done to me so far is enough for me to give you praise, gratitude, and compliments. You were kind to me. You had listened to me. You had comforted me whenever I was sad or upset. You made me laugh and smile with your sense humor and with your funny actions. You had even given me shelter, food, aide, and more friends...".

"..." Knuckles was stunned as he listened to Kathy listing off the things that he did that was helpful to her.

"...You had helped me beat Battra. You had fought those Megalon monsters with and without my help and had beaten them. And you even went out of your way to find the Sol Heart and give it to me. How can you say that you're unimportant now if you had done all those things to me?" Kathy continued calmly in reassurance with a gentle smile as she stared caringly at Knuckles.

"Ah! Uhhh...Uhhhh..." Knuckles muttered in shock with a gaped mouth and with wide eyes as he blushed very much in embarrassment.

Kathy then lowered her eyelids halfway and smiled warmly at him as she finished calmly, "...There is no reason for me to be ungrateful or critical towards you. Just know this, Knuckles. 'A good friend always gives their friends praise or gratitude for what they had done for them'. That is something that my mother had always said to me. Even when their friends don't succeed into helping them, it's always important to congratulate them for their efforts and compliment them for trying. Because of that, I'm going to keep complimenting you, thanking you, and praising you, Knuckles. You deserve every moment of it".

"..." Knuckles was speechless after hearing that. His face was completely red, and his eyes were open-wide in shock. He has no idea on how he should respond to this. But if there was one thing that he knows right now...then it would be that he felt completely embarrassed. …Kathy...Oh, Kathy...Why...Why are you so sweet? Knuckles thought calmly in fondness as his face melted into such warmth that he's smiling widely and that his eyebrows were furrowed upwards.

Kathy smiled warmly as she saw Knuckles smiling a lot on his flushed face. She's glad that she had made Knuckles smile a lot again. She figured that her words had touched his heart and had made him happy. She then gently poked Knuckles left cheek with her finger as she calmly added in encouragement with a sweet smile and with a little giggle, "Just remember that whenever we're together, okay? Hehehe!".

"Uhh...Uhhh...O-Okay..." Knuckles muttered shyly in embarrassment with a sheepish smile on his bashful face. He can't help but look down to the ground while having his hands behind his back in a shy way after saying that. I really feel like mush whenever Kathy gets all sweet towards me. I can't help it! It...It just feels so nice and warm whenever she does that...Knuckles pondered fondly in adoration with a shy smile as he kept looking at the ground.

Kathy smiled happily as she watched Knuckles looking all shy again. She removed her hand away from him as she pondered calmly in fondness. Awwwww...He's so adorable being like this. He really isn't used to having attention it seems. But I'm sure that the more we spend time together the more he will receive it and be...very happy with it.

"...Kathy?" Knuckles asked shyly with a little smile on his flushed face.

"Yeah?" Kathy asked gently in curiosity with a sweet smile.

"...How do you do it?" Knuckles asked calmly in amusement as he smiled a lot more.

"Huh? How do I do what?" Kathy asked calmly in confusion with a little frown as her eyebrows were raised.

"...Making me feel...embarrassed? You just have this uncanny ability to make me blush like a tomato and yet cause me to smile very much despite having the embarrassed feeling in my chest. I...I...I just don't know how you do that so effortlessly. It's ridiculous," Knuckles replied calmly with a shy smile as he slowly looked back up at Kathy and smiled even more at her.

"..." Kathy was silent as she stared curiously at Knuckles in confusion. She then shrugged her shoulders as she replied innocently with a little frown, "I don't know...".

"Pfffahahahahahahahahahaha! Alright! Correction! How do you make me laugh so much?! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed a lot from this.

Kathy smiled widely as she repeated what she said before with another shrug, "I don't know...".

"Hahahahahahaha! What do you mean that you don't know?! Heheheheheheheh! You must be doing something to me alright! Hahahahahahahaha! Just what is it? ...Heheheheheheh...Are you hypnotizing me with those innocent, light-blue eyes of yours? Heheheheheh...Or...Or that sweet smile on your face? Hahahahaha...Because let me tell ya, it's super effective towards me! Hahahahahaha!" Knuckles replied calmly yet brightly in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed some more as he put his hands on his hips.

Kathy grinned in amusement as she teased playfully with a light giggle, "Hehe! I don't think that I had done anything to you that would make you feel those feelings. Maybe you're just weak to begin with".

"Oh, shut up with that! Hahahahahahahahaha! Before you came along, I was as strong as steel! No person could ever make me bend over backwards for them! No one! Hahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed in amusement with a huge grin as he laughed some more.

"'Strong as steel'? Hehehehehe! You're more like a pillow!" Kathy replied sweetly in amusement with a bright smile and with another giggle.

"I am not! Hahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed some more.

"Yes, you are! You may look hard and rough on the outside, but you're actually soft on the inside!" Kathy exclaimed happily in amusement with a grin and with twinkling eyes.

"As if! Hahahahahahahaha! I'm as hard as a rock! Heheheheheheh! There's no way that I'm soft! Hahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed even more at that.

Kathy looked mischievous as she replied coyly in amusement with a smug grin, "Are you sure about that, Knuckles?".

"I'm positive! Hahahahahahaha!" Knuckles answered back immediately with a huge smile and with a nod while laughing a lot.

Kathy grinned even more in amusement as she got a bit closer towards Knuckles before calmly yet coyly saying, "'Hard as a rock', huh? Well, if that's true, then how do you explain...this?".

She then playfully prodded Knuckles' stomach repeatedly with her left hand while still holding onto the Sol Heart with her right hand. This playful action had made Knuckles double over in hysterical laughter.

"Thaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahaha! Ah! Ah! Ahahahahahahahaha! Kathy! Stop! Hahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles protested loudly with a squeal and with a huge smile as he laughed hysterically while trying to cover his stomach with his arms. But even when he did that, Kathy was still able to prod him at his stomach by prodding his sides, and that had easily gotten Knuckles to get out of his protective stance.

"Ahahahahahahahahahaha! Kathy! Stop it! Hehehehehehehehe! You're making me laugh even more! Hahahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles protested even more in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed a lot in hysterics while pushing Kathy away from himself.

Kathy soon stopped poking Knuckles and smiled playfully at him. "Heh. I don't know about you, but that felt very soft to me. Hehehe...And sensitive apparently..." Kathy replied calmly yet teasingly with a playful smile and with lowered eyelids as she giggled a little.

"Oh, shut up! Hahahahahahahaha! It's not funny! Hehehehehehehehehehehe!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed some more while clutching his stomach with his arms.

Kathy smiled warmly in amusement as she listened to Knuckles' adorable yet handsome laughter while pondering calmly in fondness. He's always so cute when he's laughing like that. Especially when he gets poked a lot. He's like a little kid whenever that happens.

Knuckles kept laughing in amusement as he stared at Kathy with a huge smile on his face. How dare she poke me like that! She's so going to pay for that! Knuckles thought brightly in amusement as his laughter went down.

"You really think that pillows are soft?! Heheheheheh! Just wait until you get hit by one when you're in a pillow fight! Hahahahahaha! At that point, you won't think that they're soft anymore!" Knuckles exclaimed back playfully in amusement with a mischievous grin as he chuckled a little while still holding onto his stomach.

"Ooooh, I'm soooo scared. I'm going to get hit by a fluffy, soft pillow. That will stop me," Kathy replied sarcastically yet playfully in amusement with a grin as she stared back at Knuckles' mischievous face.

Knuckles grinned even more in mischievousness as he replied calmly yet playfully in amusement, "Oh, you are definitely going to pay for saying that I'm soft, little missy. At sunset, we're going to have a pillow fight, and the person who loses have to admit that they're soft".

"Well, that will be easy. Especially since the person that I'm fighting against is weak against me," Kathy replied happily yet teasingly in amusement with a grin and with playful eyes.

"..." Knuckles said nothing at that but had lowered his eyelids halfway and smiled smugly again. ...The embarrassing part about that is because it's true. I'm weak because of her, and that reason being...she has my heart...Sigh...Again, it's times like these that I wish that I could freely say "I love you" because...it's just one of those times. I enjoy interacting with her like this. She amuses me very easily. Knuckles pondered calmly in fondness with a longing yet smug look on his face as he stared into Kathy's calm, happy face.

Kathy then beamed happily at him as she lifted the green Sol Heart in her hands and replied brightly in amusement, "Anyways, we finally got our first heart! The Heart of Life!".

"Huh? 'The Heart of Life'? What does it do?" Knuckles asked calmly in confusion and in curiosity as he frowned a little and as his eyebrows were raised while he put his hands on his hips again.

"It creates and controls plant life!" Kathy answered brightly with a huge smile.

"What? That's it? 'Plant life'?" Knuckles asked calmly in confusion as he looked a bit disappointed.

"Yeah! Just wait and see! Hold this heart for a second!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with an excited smile as she gave Knuckles the Sol Heart before taking out her Sol Gems again.

"Uh...Okay," Knuckles replied calmly yet curiously with a little frown as he held the Sol Heart in his hands.

Kathy then placed her fists over the Sol Heart and had focused onto it by using her Sol Gems. The gems soon glowed yellow, and the heart glowed bright green. Knuckles gasped in shock as he saw the heart glowing in bright green. He then saw the heart forming a gold necklace at its top. The heart and the gems stopped glowing after the gold necklace had appeared. Kathy smiled calmly as she took the heart from Knuckles and put it over her head to wear it around her neck.

"Whoa...So...It's another pendant then, right?" Knuckles muttered calmly in awe as he watched Kathy putting on her new necklace.

"Uh huh. It's something like that, but I could only carry one heart over my neck. So, whenever we get more Sol Hearts, I'll just have to pocket them and switch them out for the other whenever the need demands it," Kathy answered calmly with a gentle smile as she held onto her gold necklace.

"Ah. I see. That makes sense. It's rather big. So, it would be a bit bothersome to carry multiple hearts around your neck," Knuckles replied calmly in understanding with a little frown and with a nod.

"Exactly! Only one at a time! But when I get all seven of them and turn into my Rainbow Form, carrying those hearts won't be a problem for me!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with an excited grin.

Knuckles smiled a lot at that as he crossed his arms while replying calmly in amusement and in curiosity, "I sure can't wait to see you turn into that, Kathy. But anyways, show me, Kathy. Show me how it works".

"She won't be showing you anything, you sneaky piece of red meat," Battra muttered calmly yet darkly as he cut Kathy off before she even spoke again.

"Ah! Battra!" Knuckles and Kathy exclaimed in unison and in shock as they simulatenously turned their bodies around to stare at Battra. They can see Battra flying in front of the skyscraper while having a furious look on his face.

"You think that you were so clever punching my face in to distract me, did ya? But now...YOU'RE GOING TO BE SO STUPID WHEN I PUNCH YOUR FACE IN!" Battra replied calmly yet darkly in annoyance before he shouted in anger as a vein was bulging in his head.

"Wait. You got punched in the face?" Kathy asked teasingly in amusement with a playful smirk. Knuckles smirked too in amusement after hearing Kathy say that.

"You shut up!" Battra yelled back curtly in anger with a deep frown as he pointed at Kathy.

"But Battra, it's just a single, lousy punch in the face. Why are you being a crybaby about it? You got punched in the face thousands of times, and yet, you didn't cry about it," Kathy replied calmly yet teasingly in playfulness with a coy smirk as she stared at Battra in amusement.

"I WAS JABBED IN THE FREAKING EYES WITH THAT STUPID PUNCH! HAVE YOU SEEN THE RED MEAT'S HANDS?! THOSE BLASTED THINGS HAVE SHARP SPIKES ON THEM!" Battra shouted in fury as he glared harshly at Knuckles and pointed at him in disgust.

"Yep, and I got you pretty good with that hard punch. Now, you know that you shouldn't mess with me. Especially when you tricked me. Let's just say I show no mercy whatsoever whenever somebody tricks me. I hope that you learned your lesson, Battra. Hard lessons deserve hard punishments," Knuckles replied calmly with a smug smile and with half lidded eyes as he crossed his arms.

"Oh, you bet that hard lessons deserve hard punishments because now...I'M GOING TO CAVE YOUR HEAD IN!" Battra replied calmly yet darkly again before shouting in anger with an enraged face.

"You may try, but Kathy over here is going to prevent you from doing that by caving your head in," Knuckles calmly yet cheekily in amusement with a playful smirk as he glanced at Kathy while saying that. Kathy giggled a little with a sweet smile and with a nod after hearing Knuckles say that.

"You think...that little, naïve girl is going to beat me?" Battra asked coldly in annoyance as he pointed at Kathy while glaring at Knuckles.

"Why yes...She had beaten you yesterday..." Knuckles replied calmly yet teasingly in amusement with a mischievous smirk.

"Grrrrrr!" Battra growled in anger of that as he glared coldly at Knuckles and Kathy.

"Yep! And I'm going to beat you again by having Knuckles distract you again! Because oho...we sure know how that turned out last time!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a sweet, innocent smile as she pointed at Battra.

"Grrrrrrrr!" Battra growled even more in anger as he was ticked off now.

"Pffft! Ahahahahahahahahaha! Oh, burn! Hahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed in amusement with a huge grin as he burst out laughing again.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr! Stop laughing at me! I'll have you know that I have no plans of getting distracted today! I'm going to ignore everything that you say out of your dumb mouth, you little piece of red meat!" Battra yelled back in anger after growling again as he pointed at Knuckles again.

"Oh no! Knuckles! Look! Battra has gotten smarter!" Kathy joked with a mock, shocked expression on her face as she grabbed Knuckles' shoulder and pointed at Battra for emphasis. Knuckles looked at Kathy before at Battra while having a huge, amused grin on his face.

"You bet that I'm smart! Especially when I'll rip your-!" Battra yelled back in irritation with a deep frown as he stared at Kathy.

"He's now smarter than a rock!" Kathy exclaimed jokingly with a playful smirk as she cut Battra off.

"Ack! Ah...Ah..." Battra blanched in shock as his eyes went wide and as his jaw dropped after hearing Kathy's joke.

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahah! Hahahahahahahahahaha! Kathy! Stop making me laugh during serious moments! Hahahahahahahahaha! It's not helping! Hahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile as laughed loudly while looking at Kathy.

Kathy then looked at Knuckles with a playful smirk as she joked, "But Knuckles, since when is dealing with Battra a serious moment? I mean look at him! He's a joke! As proven by yesterday's events...".

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Kathy! Quit it! Hahahahahahahahahahaha! You're making it hard for me to stop laughing!" Knuckles protested playfully with a huge grin as he looked away from Kathy and covered his eyes with his hand while he kept laughing.

"I would stop if I wanted to, but..." Kathy replied calmly in amusement with a coy smile and with a shrug before she looked at Battra again as she continued playfully, "...it's way more fun to mock Battra even more. Because he's such a pushover!".

"Ahahahahahahahahahahaha! He sure is, Kathy! Hahahahahahahahaha! He sure is! Ahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed back in agreement and in amusement with a huge grin as he laughed a lot while looking at Kathy again.

"STOP LAUGHING AT ME! KATHY! YOU THINK THAT I'M A JOKE TO YOU?! HUH?! DO YOU?!" Battra shouted in fury as he pulled at his yellow horns before pointing at Kathy accusingly.

"Well, after what happened yesterday, I'd say 'yes'," Kathy answered teasingly in amusement with a playful smirk.

"WELL, YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET THINKING THAT AFTER OUR DUEL! COME UP HERE AND FIGHT ME, KATHY! AND ONCE I'M THROUGH WITH YOU, I'M GOING TO TAKE THAT SOL HEART AND YOUR SOL PENDANT AWAY FROM YOU AS MY VICTORY PRIZES FOR BEATING YOU!" Battra shouted angrily in determination as he flew farther away from the building to encourage Kathy to join him in the air.

"Uh, yeah, that's great and all, but what do I get for beating you? Will you give up your Dark Sol Pendant and admit defeat when I beat you...again?" Kathy asked teasingly in amusement with a playful grin before glancing at Knuckles at that last word.

"Pfffft! (Hehehehehehehehe!) (Hehehehehehehe!)" Knuckles giggled a lot in amusement as he covered his mouth with his hand to muffle his giggles. Gosh dang it, Kathy. Don't make me giggle either...Knuckles thought calmly in amusement as he giggled very much at this.

Battra just glared coldly at Kathy with a deep grimace on his face. He hated that he was being mocked by these two, insignificant creatures. Those two idiots are going to be the bane of my existence. I can't believe that I'm saying this, but...I miss Klara already. At least, she gives me respect whenever she confronts me. Those stupid teens are so disrespectful that it's aggravating. Battra brooded calmly in frustration with a deep grimace on his furious face.

Kathy smiled in amusement as she looked at Knuckles while he muffled his giggles. She felt more relaxed and confident with herself after making Knuckles happy with her jokes. Besides...it makes me more focused onto the situation now since my stress level had been lowered a lot. I'm certainly not anxious into fighting Battra now than I was before. Those jokes had certainly helped me a lot! Alright! It's time to show off my new moves in front of Knuckles! Let's make a show of it! Kathy pondered calmly in amusement with a bright smile before in determination as she released Knuckles' shoulder and walked towards the edge of the skyscraper.

She then jumped up and flew up towards the sky to join with Battra. Battra flew towards the left while Kathy flew towards the right as they faced each other for the duel. They flew in place as they stared at each other. Knuckles soon stopped giggling and looked at Kathy and Battra in front of him. He had a calm look on his face as he smiled at Kathy. Go get him, Kathy. You can do it. Knuckles thought calmly in hope with a confident smile as he encouraged Kathy in his mind.

"Any last words before you die?" Battra asked darkly with a grimace as he took out his Dark Sol Gems and held them tightly in his hands.

Kathy smirked playfully at Battra as she replied teasingly in amusement, "Yes...You lose, I win!".

Immediately after Kathy had said that, she quickly commanded the Sol Gems to create two, spiky vines from them and threw them at him as if she was holding two whips. The gems glowed green, and immediately the vines spurt of the gems and flew fast towards Battra. Knuckles gasped in shock after seeing that new move. Okay. I did NOT expect that. Knuckles thought with a stunned look on his face as he watched the fight.

Battra cringed in pain as he felt the two, spiky vines scraping his body and wings. Kathy kept whipping Battra as fast as she could. Battra grunted as he kept receiving the attacks, but he soon commanded his gems to create a dark shield around himself to protect himself from the vines. Kathy frowned as she saw that her vines are being blocked by Battra's shield. Darn. The only thing that can break that shield is with my Sol Gems, but it's too risky to take that chance and not get hurt from it. What should I do? Hmm...Kathy pondered solemnly with a frown as she lowered her arms while staring at the shield.

"Kathy! Look up! Battra's coming!" Knuckles yelled in shock and in worry as he pointed at Battra coming down at Kathy from the sky. Battra had used his gems to teleport himself out of the shield and place himself up high above Kathy. He then just flew down towards her after that.

"Huh?!" Kathy exclaimed in shock as she looked up.

But it was too late for her to react fast enough as Battra punched her head hard.

POW!

SCREEEEEEEE!

Kathy screeched in pain after receiving that hard blow to the head. Knuckles cringed after seeing that rough attack. Kathy was knocked down a bit before she saved herself by flying back up and away from Battra. Ugh...And just when I had recovered from my migraine earlier...Owww...Kathy thought calmly in annoyance and in agony with a deep frown as she cringed in pain while flying from Battra. She soon stopped and turned around to face Battra again. She gritted her teeth as she glared at Battra. Battra looked smug as he crossed his arms and smiled deviously at Kathy.

"Aww, what's the matter? Feeling a headache coming on? Maybe I should help increase its pain by punching your head again," Battra taunted playfully with a devious smirk while he commanded his gems to make the shield disappear.

"Not on your life!" Kathy yelled back as she commanded the Sol Gems to create more spiky vines to whip Battra. Even though it's hurting her head...like a lot...she persisted into attacking Battra with them. This time, Battra was ready as he flew left and right to dodge the vines. He had a calm yet devious look on his face as he dodged the attacks.

But suddenly, Battra grabbed both of Kathy's vines and held them in his hands.

"Ah! Uh oh!" Kathy exclaimed in shock as she looked freaked-out. Oh no! Not again! Kathy thought in worry as she remembered the last time this happened.

"'Uh oh' is right, Kathy. Do you really think that these vines will stop me? Especially when I can do...this?" Battra replied calmly yet deviously with an evil smirk as he stared at Kathy's worried face. He then yanked hard onto the vines and swung them towards a skyscraper.

"Ah!" Kathy yelped in shock before her body was swung towards the skyscraper at her left.

CRAAAAAAAAAAASSSSHHH!

KIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOO!

"No! Kathy!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock as he raised his hand towards her after seeing her crash into a skyscraper.

Rubble fell from the skyscraper and went towards the ground below. Kathy cringed a lot in pain after screeching again. Battra smirked even more as he saw Kathy being hurt by that counterattack.

"Well, that was fun. ...Let's do it again..." Battra commented calmly yet deviously in amusement with a smirk. He then yanked the vines again and swung them towards the other skyscraper on the other side of the street.

CRAAAAAAAAAAASSSSHHH!

SCREEEEEEEEE!

Kathy screeched again in pain as she crashed into another skyscraper. She cringed a lot in pain as rubble fell from the skyscraper and had hit her. Knuckles looked worried for Kathy as he watched her crash into another skyscraper. Come on, Kathy! Get out of that! Knuckles thought in worry as he grimaced and had clenched his hands into fists.

"Hmmm...Perhaps I should go easy on the girl and let her get another hit on me...Nah! Let's make her suffer!" Battra commented playfully in amusement with an evil smile. He then yanked the vines and swung them back towards the previously wrecked skyscraper.

CRAAAAAAAAAAASSSSHHH!

KIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOO!

Kathy screeched in pain yet again and cringed from that hard attack. But she soon felt her body being flung again as Battra swung the vines towards the other wrecked skyscraper yet again.

CRAAAAAAAAAASSSHH!

SCREEEEEEEEEE!

Battra then swung the vines back and forth towards the two, wrecked, skyscrapers repeatedly. Rubble kept falling from the skyscrapers, and Kathy kept screeching in pain as her body was being hit hard from those skyscrapers. Knuckles cringed a lot as he watched Kathy crashing into the skyscrapers repeatedly. He felt even more worried that Kathy won't be able to fight back. Kathy! Please do something to stop Battra from hurting yourself! Knuckles thought in worry as he grimaced at this.

Kathy kept cringing a lot in pain as her body was hit repeatedly by the skyscrapers. Ugggghh...Okay...Maybe attacking Battra with vines wasn't the smartest move...Oooooohhh...Yep, it certainly wasn't...Kathy brooded tiredly in agony with a deep grimace as she cringed a lot in pain. The vines soon disappeared after Kathy stopped focusing onto her gems since her head and body took a lot of damage. Her mind felt tired and bashed as her migraine came back at full force. She was in a skyscraper when this happened.

"Aww, why did you make the vines disappear? I was having fun beating you up in that fashion. Of course, you had to ruin it, Greenhorn Girl," Battra muttered calmly with a deep frown as he looked annoyed that the vines were gone.

"Grrrrr...Shut up..." Kathy muttered lowly with a growl as she looked annoyed. She carefully flew again and got out of the wrecked skyscraper. She flew back up into the sky while having lots of bruises and cuts on her body and wings. She grimaced as she stared at Battra's smug look on his face.

"Well, Kathy, this is certainly a good look for you. Why don't you keep wearing that defeated look every day for the rest of your life? After all..." Battra muttered calmly yet tauntingly in amusement with a haughty smirk before he grinned evilly as he added, "...It suites your pathetic life perfectly".

"Screw you!" Kathy exclaimed in anger as she fired her yellow energy beams at Battra. Battra dodged the beams by flying downwards. Kathy kept firing her energy beams at Battra as he flew downwards towards the street. Of course, the beams missed and had hit the street instead.

BOOOOOM! KAAABOOOOM! BOOOOOOM! KAAABOOOOOM! BOOOOOM! KAAAABOOOOM!

Sparks and explosions were everywhere as the beams hit the street. Battra was calm as he flew over the street and went upwards towards Kathy as he made his next attack. Battra was about to punch Kathy, but Kathy tried to use her Sol Gems to counterattack Battra by firing sharp thorns at him. Kathy grunted and cringed a lot in pain as she commanded the gems to do just that. Luckily for her, she had managed to create thorns from the gems and had thrown them down at Battra.

"Ugh! Grrrgn!" Battra grunted in pain as he blocked the attack with his arm and had thorns stab at his arm. He flew in place below Kathy, and his body and wings took the hits from the thorns. He kept grunting in pain as he flew backwards from Kathy and away from her attacks.

Kathy smirked a little as she saw that she had Battra now. She soon stopped throwing the thorns and had fired her energy beams at him instead. Battra lowered his arm and had yelped in shock as he saw the beams coming at him.

"Ack!" Battra yelped in shock before he felt the beams hitting his body and wings.

Battra cringed in pain as sparks and explosions came off from his body and wings. He tried flying away from the beams by going backwards. But Kathy kept moving her head to follow Battra's movements. Knuckles smiled a lot from this as he cheered excitedly, "That's it, Kathy! You got this now!".

Kathy smiled at this as she heard Knuckles' cheer and had fired more energy beams at Battra. But Battra then commanded his Dark Sol Gems to create another dark shield to protect himself from the beams. The beams had hit the shield instead, and sparks and explosions came off from it instead.

"Rats..." Kathy muttered in disappointment as she stopped attacking Battra with her energy beams. Wait a minute! Battra might plan another sneak attack! Maybe I should fight fire with fire and protect myself too! Kathy pondered quickly with a shocked look on her face before she smiled as she held onto her Sol Gems. She then tried to command the gems to create a purple shield for herself. However, when she tried to do that...

"...Ugggggghhh...Oooh..." Kathy groaned in pain as she felt the migraine again. She held her head and closed her eyes as she brooded in agony before in shock and in confusion. Uggh...What was I thinking? It was a chore trying to create those thorns. It was a miracle that I had managed to fight back like that...Oooohh...But now that I have this migraine again...It's going to be nearly impossible to fight Battra with my gems...Wait a minute! Battra! Where is he?!

She then opened her eyes again to look for Battra, but she was shocked when she saw that the shield had disappeared and that Battra was gone. She looked around for Battra and even looked up at the sky to see if he's coming down on her again. But he was at the one place she didn't expect...and that is at the bottom.

"Surprise!" Battra exclaimed playfully in amusement as he flew back up and went behind Kathy to punch her in the head.

POW!

SCREEEEEEEEE!

Kathy screeched in pain as she felt the hard punch and was knocked forward. Knuckles gasped in shock as he saw Battra hitting Kathy hard in the head. He looked very worried as he brooded calmly in concern. Why didn't Kathy just protect herself by making a shield? I thought that was what she was going to do, but...she just held onto her head instead. She must be hurting very much by now, and I don't blame her. She did get pummeled easily by having her body thrown at the skyscrapers repeatedly. That rough counterattack must've hurt her head a lot. Poor Kathy. Just hang in there.

Battra soon flew over towards Kathy and flew in front of her. He tried to punch her again, but she blocked the attack by using her arms. Battra kept trying to punch her repeatedly, but Kathy kept blocking the attacks with her arms.

Battra smirked in amusement of this and had taunted playfully, "Defending yourself from me is futile you know. You will soon tire out eventually".

"N-Never! I won't let you win!" Kathy exclaimed with a grimace as she quickly blocked Battra's punches with her arms. She was cringing a lot in pain from the hard attacks and from her migraine.

"If you don't want me to win, then why aren't you using your gems to punch me back? Are you suffering from a head injury?" Battra taunted playfully with a confident smirk.

"Just...Just shut up! Uggghhh!" Kathy yelled in anger before groaning in pain from her migraine.

"Hmph! It seems that you are indeed suffering from a head injury. Well, that explains why your defense is weak. And since you can't use your mind to control your gems..." Battra replied calmly yet deviously in amusement with a smirk before he narrowed his eyes at Kathy as he added, "...Then it means that you got a handicap too...".

Battra then kicked Kathy at the sides to make her lose her protective stance.

THWACK! THWACK!

"UGH!" Kathy yelped in pain as she felt the hard kicks to the sides. She released her arms and held her sides, but this had allowed Battra to punch her face.

POW!

KIIIIIOOOOOOO!

Kathy screeched in pain as she was knocked backwards. Battra flew towards her and had grabbed the collar of her dress. Kathy was cringing in pain as Battra held her. Once she opened her eyes, she gasped in shock by how very close Battra is to her.

"You're such a novice..." Battra muttered calmly yet deviously with a haughty smirk.

POW!

Battra punched Kathy's face again while holding onto her dress collar. Kathy grunted in pain from that hard punch.

"I mean look at yourself. You're a joke..." Battra continued calmly with a smirk.

POW!

Kathy grunted again in pain as she received another hard punch in the face.

"Even when your mother is in this pitiful position, she was still able to fight back. But you?" Battra continued haughtly with an evil smirk.

POW!

Kathy cringed and grunted again in pain as her face took another hard punch.

"You can barely protect yourself and fight on your own. For a supposedly strong, Kaiju monster, you're still very weak. This is proof of it," Battra continued calmly yet deviously with a smirk.

POW!

Kathy grunted and cringed in pain yet again as she received another strong punch. She tried to punch Battra back with her own normal punches, but Battra easily dodged the weak attacks by moving his head left or right.

"Just look at this. It's pathetic. It's pretty sad that you can't even hit me in your weakened state. Maybe if you didn't try to show off your new moves in front of this piece of red meat, then you would've saved yourself from this humiliating situation," Battra continued calmly yet deviously with a smirk as he kept dodging the slow, weak punches. He then grabbed one of Kathy's hands with his other hand and stared coldly into her worried yet tired eyes.

He got a little closer to Kathy as he finished darkly, "...And you would've saved yourself from dying by my own hands...".

"..." Kathy was speechless as she stared into Battra's cold stare with her worried eyes. Her mouth was hanging open, and her eyes were wide. She tried to fire her energy beams at Battra to get him to let go of her, but Battra quickly punched Kathy in the head to stop her from doing that.

POW!

"Grrrrrruuunnnn..." Kathy groaned in pain as she cringed at that hard punch to the forehead.

"Ah. Ah. Ah. You had your chance to fight back, but now, it's time for your inevitable defeat. So, do the honorable thing and surrender," Battra finished calmly yet deviously in victory with an evil grin while waggling a finger at Kathy in a taunting way. Kathy kept grunting and cringing in pain as she stared at Battra in worry and in frustration. ...Ugggh...I...I...I can't do it. I can't fight back...Any moment now...Battra's going to kill me...I...How...What should I...d-do? Kathy brooded calmly in worry and tiredness as she grimaced a lot this. She gulped in worry as she stared at Battra.

Meanwhile, Knuckles was cringing with Kathy as he watched Battra punch her a lot. He felt even more worried for her since he's watching Kathy losing. Even when he saw her trying to punch Battra back, he felt very sad that Kathy is losing despite trying so hard to beat Battra by herself. Please...Stop this...Stop it...Stop hurting my Master! Knuckles thought in concern and in sadness as he kept watching Kathy getting beaten up by Battra.

POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!

KIIIOOOOO!

Kathy screeched lowly in pain as she received multiple blows to the head. Knuckles' face soon changed from a sad, worried look to a furious one instead as he hated seeing Kathy getting beaten like this. He soon shook his fists as his body is shaking in anger. He even had a vein popping in his head since he's so ticked off by this. He's not going to stand for this abuse any longer.

"S-Stop...STOP HURTING MY MASTER!" Knuckles muttered quietly before shouting in pure rage as he bolted towards the edge of the skyscraper and jumped very high into the air.

"The heck?" Battra muttered calmly in confusion as he looked at his left and gaped in shock when he saw Knuckles jumping towards him. But before Battra could react fast enough, Knuckles punched him very hard in the face again.

POW!

"GAAAAAAAAAAH! NOT AGAIN! MY EYES!" Battra screamed in pain as he released Kathy the moment Knuckles punched him. Battra's body was knocked away from Kathy and had crashed into a skyscraper instead.

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSHHH!

GYYYYYRRRRROOOOOOOOO!

Battra roared in pain as he felt the rubble hitting him after he crashed into the skyscraper. Kathy gasped in shock when she saw Knuckles being in front of her, but she quickly grabbed him and held him in her arms before he had fallen to the ground below.

"Gotcha!" Kathy exclaimed quickly in concern as she grabbed and held Knuckles in her arms.

"Hmph!" Knuckles grunted with a solemn frown as he held onto Kathy's shoulders while staring at the wrecked skyscraper ahead of him. He glared harshly at the skyscraper where Battra was at while looking as solemn as ever. That's what you get for hurting my Master, Battra. A hard punch to the face. Knuckles brooded with a solemn frown.

"...Th-Thank you, Knuckles..." Kathy muttered weakly yet tentatively at Knuckles with a little frown on her worried face.

"You're welcome, Kathy. But Battra is still not done yet. We have to think fast in order to get rid of him as soon as possible," Knuckles replied calmly yet solemnly with a grave frown as he looked at Kathy and stared deeply into her eyes.

"I would like to think, but..." Kathy muttered weakly with a little frown before she cringed again in pain as she added, "...my head hurts...".

Knuckles grimaced when he saw the many bruises and cuts on Kathy's face and head. She certainly wasn't kidding when she said that. Grrrr...Battra. You are going to pay for this. Knuckles brooded with a sad frown as he looked worried again for Kathy before looking angry as he glared at the wrecked skyscraper again.

"I know that your head is in deep pain, but we have no choice. Come on, Kathy. Think. What can we do to stop Battra this time? You can use your Sol Heart for something, right? So, think of that and use it against Battra!" Knuckles replied calmly yet solemnly in determination as he stared at Kathy again.

"Hmmm..." Kathy mused while looking at Knuckles in the eyes. Uggh...Just focus, Kathy. You can't give up yet...Uuugh...It would be easier if I didn't have this migraine. But enough of that...just think of what you can do to Battra...Hmm...Whip him?...No...Ugggh...Tie him up? Not that either...Ugggn...Ah! Wait! I know! Kathy pondered with a deep frown as she cringed at times from the migraine before looking surprised when an idea finally came to her mind.

"...What about...throwing him out of the city?" Kathy suggested curiously with a weak smile.

"That's brilliant! Way to go, Kathy! I knew that you could do it!" Knuckles exclaimed happily yet loudly in encouragement with a grin.

"Y-Yeah...Please don't speak too loudly, Knuckles. My head still hurts..." Kathy muttered weakly with a sheepish smile as a sweat drop formed on her head. She cringed a bit as she said that last sentence.

"O-Oh...Uh...Sorry..." Knuckles muttered quietly yet apologetically in awkwardness with a sheepish smile as a sweat drop formed on his head too.

"It's okay..." Kathy replied calmly with a little smile and with a nod.

"Grrrrrruuugggh..." Battra groaned loudly as he sat up from the top floor of the skyscraper and started to rub his eyes again.

Knuckles looked back at Battra and frowned deeply as he replied calmly yet solemnly in somberness, "We don't have much time. We need to stop him now and fast".

"Alright. I'll...I'll try..." Kathy muttered weakly with a little smile as she looked at Battra too.

Knuckles glanced at Kathy and smiled at her as he gently replied in encouragement, "Don't worry, Kathy. I'm here with you. Just stay calm and do your best to focus".

"Right..." Kathy muttered solemnly with a calm smile as she held Knuckles with her right arm while aiming her fist at Battra with her left arm. She then closed her eyes and did her best to focus onto her gems. She commanded the gems to spurt out vines again. Except this time, they were smooth, thick, vines instead of the spiky ones from before. Kathy cringed a lot in pain as she does this, but she persevered through the pain and had gotten the vines out of her gems.

She then smiled playfully as she looked at Knuckles while asking calmly in amusement, "Knuckles? Do you want to lasso Battra with me?".

Knuckles looked at Kathy and smiled widely at her as he answered calmly yet brightly in amusement and in determination, "I'll be happy to. That guy deserves what's coming to him. Let's stop him together!".

"Agreed," Kathy replied calmly yet simply with a little smile and with a nod. Knuckles held onto the vine with Kathy while holding onto her with his left arm. Kathy then raised her left arm up and started lassoing the vine around before throwing it towards Battra's yellow horns. The vine soon snagged onto Battra's horns, and Battra was surprised and confused by this.

"Huh?! What's going on?! What's happening?!" Battra yelled in shock and in confusion as he looked up at his head and tried to remove the vine. But since the vine was thick, it was tough for Battra to remove it from his horns.

"Ready?" Kathy asked calmly with a coy smile as she glanced at Knuckles.

"Ready!" Knuckles answered enthusiastically with a huge smile and with a nod as he glanced at Kathy.

"Then here...we...go!" Kathy muttered calmly yet brightly in amusement with a confident smile as she yanked the vine back and started to swing it around herself.

"What the-?! Hey! Stop!" Battra yelled in shock as he felt his body being flung forward and swung around in circles. Kathy and Knuckles held onto the vine while flying in place and in circles. They swung the vine around and around while having calm yet happy smiles on their faces. Meanwhile, Battra was yelling and screaming as he was being swung around in the sky in circles.

"Stop! Stop I say! You're making me dizzy!" Battra yelled in anger as he kept flying in the air by the horns.

"You want us to stop? Then I guess we shall!" Kathy replied calmly yet brightly with a confident smile as she swung the vine even faster.

"You're not stopping!" Battra yelled back in anger as his body flew more faster in the air.

"Or am I?" Kathy asked coyly with a smirk as she then stared up at the vine and had fired her energy beams at it. The beams had hit the vine and immediately after that...the vine broke.

SNAP!

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!" Battra screamed in shock as his body flew away and up high into the sky above. You know...In hindsight...it probably would've been better for me if I just clobber that red meat over the head and take the Sol Heart instead. Because if that happened...THEN I WOULDN'T HAVE LOST ANOTHER DUEL WITH THAT NAIVE, MOTH GIRL! AAAAARRRRGGGH! Battra brooded in annoyance before in anger while he kept screaming. He flew farther and farther away before he was nothing more than a twinkle.

Kathy soon stopped flying in circles and had looked at the sky with Knuckles. She commanded the gems to make the vines disappear, and after cringing again from the migraine, the gems did as they were told to do. Kathy and Knuckles can see Battra flying farther and farther away from the city and most notably...from the ground itself.

"Hmm..." Knuckles and Kathy mused quietly in unison with huge smiles on their face. They held each other in their arms after doing that attack. They looked back at each other and smiled even more in amusement.

"Heheh...Looks like someone had lost again..." Knuckles muttered calmly yet playfully in amusement with a chuckle and with a huge smile.

"Well, gee, I wonder who it could be?" Kathy replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a huge smile too.

"Ahahahahahahahahahahaha! It's certainly not you, Kathy! Hahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed happily in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed a lot. Kathy smiled a lot at that before she laughed with Knuckles too. They laughed happily as much as they could despite Kathy cringing a bit as she endured her migraine. They kept laughing for a while before calming down again just to stare at each other.

"..." Knuckles was silent as he stared at Kathy with a huge smile on his face.

"..." Kathy was silent too as she stared at Knuckles with a huge smile on her face.

They felt relieved that Battra was gone and that they were no more Dark Thoughts in the city. They felt at peace again as they stared at each other's eyes. We really did it. We stopped Battra again. ...Together...Kathy and Knuckles thought at the same time with calm, longing smiles on their faces.

"...Hey...Why don't we go back to Tails' house? I think that it's best for you to rest up and heal from your injuries..." Knuckles suggested calmly yet gently in fondness with a warm smile and with half-lidded eyes as he stared caringly at Kathy.

Kathy smiled gently yet weakly at Knuckles and nodded in agreement as she replied quietly, "Yeah...I feel exhausted now...".

"Hmph...It's okay, Kathy. You'll be back to 100% before you know it..." Knuckles replied quietly yet gently in fondness with a warm, caring look on his face as he smiled longingly at Kathy.

"Mmhm...Let's go home, Knuckles. I'm pooped..." Kathy muttered calmly yet tiredly in exhaustion with a nod and with a little smile as she flew towards the west side of the city to leave. She can see some trees in the distance and assumed that she's heading towards the right path.

"That's it, Kathy. Just fly over Leaf Storm Forest, and you'll head towards Emerald Town," Knuckles commented calmly in reassurance with a gentle smile as he held onto Kathy tightly as she flew as fast as she could. He can feel his dreadlocks flapping again as Kathy flew fast, but he was rather comfortable with it this time since he's starting to get used to Kathy's fast, flying speeds.

...Just like how I'm getting used to Kathy being in my life. We get along really well, and as crazy as it is to think about...we really are becoming fast friends. Heh. As if I'm ever going to admit to her that we are. But regardless...I'm very happy that we are quickly becoming good friends. I can only imagine how deep our friendship is going to be in the future. We're going to become so close...so intimate...and so...happy...Knuckles pondered calmly in fondness with a warm smile as he stared at Kathy while she flew.

Knuckles then lowered his eyelids halfway in fondness as he had this last thought.

…Just like what a happy, married couple would be...

Whew! I can't believe that I am going to finish this episode! But here we are! Battra had been defeated yet again by the combined powers of Kathy and Knuckles. I'm not sure if the action scenes were as decent as the previous Battra fight, but I had to introduce what the Sol Hearts do and what their powers are like in this fight. So, it's a mixed bag, but I hope that you were fine with it! Especially since you got to see Knuckles being awesome again during the whole thing as he fought the Megalon monsters and helping Kathy get the Sol Heart and winning her fight with Battra again. So, it's all good in the end! Anyways, time to wrap this episode up with the epilogue! See you all next chapter!