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Chapter 27 – Saying Goodbye

Clay's POV, Resistance HQ, 31/07 (at 9 am)

"Do you think that he is OK?"

"His heart is still beating fine. He is breathing normally. The vitals aren't damaged. He only has a mild concussion, but that won't be a problem other than a slight headache."

"Thanks, Alexia."

"…I'm just happy that he is safe."

"He will be alright. Just give him some rest until he wakes up."

"Um…guys. Is it OK if I can stay here for a while? I like to tell him something…personal. Just give us some space."

"OK then."

I slowly opened my eyes.

To my surprise, I was back in the dark world.

However, unlike last time, there were yellow waves in the sky.

They look…beautiful.

"Where am I?" I thought.

I looked up to see two figures wearing ripped robes.

They were both wolves.

One was female with light purple fur.

Another was male with blue fur.

Light purple fur.

Blue fur.

Oh…my…lord.

"Mum?" I said shocked. "Dad?"

"Hi there, Clay," said Mum.

My eyes and mouth opened widened.

"I-Is that really you?" I said.

"Yeah…" said Dad.

I didn't know what to say. Unlike Belt, I don't have memories of my parents or worried about them that much. I didn't suffer the loss of my parents. To me, they were strangers, but I felt a connection with them.

I felt it.

"W-Where are you the whole time?" I said. "Why are you…?"

"That…" said Mum. "Belt will have to tell you that."

"But don't worry," said Dad. "We are fine."

"Yeah. We're proud of you and Belt for looking out for each other, and helping the Resistance to save the world. We really wish that we can be with you now, but we can't. But go on and live your life. We will see you soon."

A few tears starting forming in my eyes. I couldn't believe that I could talk to my parents for real…well in a dream. But unlike the Phantom Ruby's illusions, this felt more real AND understandable. I felt the need to embrace them for the first time.

"I wish I can get to know you better," I said shakily.

"Don't worry," said Mum. "We will meet you next time."

"But…but when?"

"You'll find out soon," said Dad. "We are finding a way."

"We got to go now," said Mum. "We will always be with you."

Breaking into tears, I hugged my deceased parents. They wrapped their arms around me.

"It's OK," they kept saying. "It's OK."

Finally, they let go.

"I'll look out for my brother," I said smiling. "I'll promise."

They both nodded and faded away.

"See you later, Dark Wolf," they both said before disappearing.

The whole place faded away to white.

I felt at ease as warmth took over me.

...

I struggled to open my eyes as if felt soft blankets covering my entire body. I was lying on some kind of bed. Everything was blurry at the moment, so it took me a while to adjust to where I am.

And then, a red figure appeared in my sight.

When everything was clear, I could see Belt in front of me.

I realized that we were in the Resistance HQ Infirmary.

He sighed in relief and pulled me into a hug.

I smiled.

Again, it felt nice to be back with my brother.

"Dear God, you are OK!" he said happily. "I thought you died for a moment!"

I let out a chuckle and slowly grabbed a glass of water that was beside me.

"Sorry," I said. "What happened?"

"After you…uh…'restored' this last country you said…the Phantom Ruby prototype you carried broke."

He took out the prototype…or at least what remained of it. It was a tiny shard that had a black stripe going through it.

It was grey…dull…and powerless.

"Whoops," I said.

"At least we used that ruby for good," said Belt shrugging. "What you did…it saved the entire world. There are many reports now saying that 'the sky cleared' and 'the cities have fixed themselves'."

I took a sip of water, feeling a sense of relief washing over me. My body felt a little lighter unlike how heavy it was to carry my emotional luggage.

I was glad that the war is over. It was finally put to an end.

Eggman is gone.

I saved the entire planet filled with thousands of lives.

The only thing that was more important to me is that I finally reunited with my brother.

I heard a tiny squeak.

I turned to the side to see my Cyan Wisp flying into the room…along with another Wisp.

It was a Red Wisp. It has a flaming teardrop body with two small spikes at the top, three blue eyes that form a triangular pattern on its head and three flame-like tentacles that stem from its bottom.

Cyan spotted me. She cheered happily and flew towards me, snuggling at the bottom of my chin.

"Hey!" I said, laughing. "Easy there, girl! I'm…I'm happy to see you too."

I petted her gently on her head.

I turned my attention to the Red Wisp who sat on Belt's head.

"Who's this here?" I said.

Belt chuckled a bit. "Well…ever since we got back, I met some of those Wisps. Most of them who were around me were Red Wisps. There was one Wisp who snuck behind me and after trying to understand it, I realized that he wants to stay with us now."

He leaned towards me. "He can be sneaky at times, right?"

My eyes widened.

I turned to the Red Wisp.

The first Wisp I met last year.

"YOU'RE the wisp who came into our treehouse?"

Red nodded and squeaked adorably, making a sound as if he was trying to sing.

"So…you want to stay with us?" I said. "I thought that you want to explore the world."

"He already did," said Belt. "And he choose to stay with us."

The Red Wisp nodded again.

"Yep," said Belt. "And I'm guessing that Cyan wants to come along with us."

My Cyan Wisp chirped in response.

"You're sure you want to stay with us?" I asked.

She nodded.

"So…" I said. "Now what?"

Belt hesitated. "Well…because…you were able to make some new friends…I was thinking of…if we can stay at Forest Tournament Town."

I nearly choked on my water. "What?"

"Well…since you proved that you are able to take care of yourself…maybe it's time for us to live in the civilization."

I slowly nodded. "OK then. Besides, I'm becoming weary of staying in that treehouse."

Then, I remembered something.

"Belt?" I said.

"Yes?"

"I know that I asked you before, but…what happened to our parents? Why didn't you told me about our powers before?"

Belt's eyes widened as if he was about to faint. He bit his lip and fiddled his fingers nervously, hesitating a little.

After a few seconds of calming his nerves, he took a deep breath and sighed.

"Um…" he said. "Yeah…that was…something I didn't told you before…"

"So…what happened?"

Belt sighed. "Let me try to explain this to you. But…I want to tell you that…I'm sorry. You deserve to know this. You deserve more."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

My brother sighed again and blurted out the truth.

Something that was hidden from me years ago.

Something I wouldn't forget.


Third Person's POV, 11 years ago (in Australia)

"Belt! Get behind me!"

Belt went behind his parents, fearing the robot in front of them. It started to move forward.

"What are we going to do?" whimpered Belt.

"Clay is still in his room," said Booth. "We need to get him!"

"I'll distract the robot," said Dory. "You'll get Clay."

Dory looked at the little wolf. "Belt, hide behind the sofa!"

Belt did what his mother told him to do. As Belt quickly hid, Dory went on the left. She called the robot and caught its attention, arming herself with an ax.

"Eyes on me here!" she said.

Booth sneaked on the right and headed upstairs. But the robot acted quickly.

It shot a beam of a laser in front of the blue wolf, causing him to fall down the stairs. Dory threw her ax, but the robot just shot it, breaking it into pieces.

The robot pointed its hands at the parents. Left was Dory and right were Booth. It was about to shoot before Belt quickly revealed his hiding place.

"STOP!" he cried, jumping up from the couch.

But then, Belt accidentally made a mint-green ball of energy and it zoomed towards the robot. But it missed and instead hit the oven.

KABOOM!

A large explosion erupted from the kitchen.

Fire, lights and smoke flew everywhere.

Belt was thrown back by the strong forces and knocked over the coach. He fell onto the floor head-first before everything went dark.

He couldn't wake up from the nightmare that was going on in reality.

He didn't know what was happening, but he heard yelling.

And then silence.

When he came to, Belt woke up.

He coughed and stood up on his feet.

Looking down, he saw the pair of yellow rings. Still wanting to keep them, he picked them up.

He then looked around the house.

The house was on fire.

Almost everything was burnt and burning up.

The kitchen was completely in flames.

He expected that the robot or his parents were around.

But…there was nothing.

There was nobody.

No Mum.

No Dad.

Just Belt.

All by himself.

"Mum?!" called Belt. "Dad?!"

Nothing.

He called again, his mind refusing to give in the fact of what just happened.

In a panic, he looked around the whole ground level. He thought that his parents might be around, but there were no bodies. Even no remains of the robot. He was hoping that they would be hiding at a spot and come out any second now to pull him into a hug, telling him that 'things are going to be OK'.

They never did.

Desperate, Belt continued to look around. He also howled at one point, but…he couldn't see his parents.

His eyes were filling with tears. Tired and overwhelmed, he collapsed on his knees and started to cry.

"Mum…Dad…I'm so sorry…" he wept. "…They're gone…"

He couldn't believe it. It was so hard for him to lose his parents at a very young age. He wasn't even out of his young childhood years yet. Belt felt horrible for being the cause of his parents' deaths and he started blaming himself. Kept saying that it was his fault.

It was all his fault.

None of this would happen if he didn't put on those stupid green rings on in the first place.

He would never see them again.

He rather be where they were now.

Suddenly, the yellow rings that he dropped were…calling for someone. Belt stopped crying and turned his eyes to the rings.

He listened to them very carefully.

"…Clay…Clay…" they whispered.

Belt gasped. "Clay."

He grabbed the yellow rings and ran up the stairs. He forgot about his younger brother and something might happen to him.

But as Belt went upstairs, it appeared that no harm happened.

The top floor wasn't on fire…yet.

The ground level was still burning.

Anything could happen. Especially in a burning building.

Belt quickly ran to his brother's room. He found his younger brother Clay: the 3-years old turquoise wolf cub sleeping quietly in bed.

Knowing that the two had to get out of the burning house, Belt ran up to the bed. He was about to pick the cub from the bed when the yellow rings hovered out from his hands and in the air.

"Oh no," said Belt.

He quickly tried to grab them, but it was too late.

The yellow rings flew to Clay's hands and attached to his wrists, shrinking to match his size.

Belt sighed.

Like his rings, the rings wouldn't come off of Clay's hands.

He picked up his sleeping brother and went out of the house.

When outside, Belt laid the still-sleeping Clay on the thick grass. He made sure to do this gently because the wolf cub was still too young to face the danger outside.

Belt glanced at Clay's rings to his.

There was no telling how long they were going to wear them for. They would always wear them for eternity.

The red wolf looked at the burning house. It was completely on fire, starting its process to burn the whole building to the ground.

The two wolf brothers have no home.

No bed.

No food.

No safety.

But worse, no parents.

No family.

Belt started to have tears again. Finding those rings were a big mistake and it costed the lives of his parents.

Belt lied down on the thick grass next to his brother. He closed his painful eyes with tears rolling down his cheeks.

"This is my fault…I'll never see them again…" he thought as he fell into a deep sleep.

What he didn't know was…


Clay's POV

I was in shock, speechless as Belt finished his story. I guessed that he couldn't handle the pain because he broke down in tears and bent down on the bed.

Swapping roles with who is the older brother, I patted him on the head.

He slowly looked up, openly bawling his eyes out.

"The next day…" he whispered. "The house was burnt down…nothing remained of it. From that day, I swore my parents that I'll protect you from anything that tries to hurt you. I locked your powers, so you wouldn't lose control of them. I-I made that treehouse, so that we could be safe. I was worried that if you get so addicted to those dark powers, you might not only hurt others, but you might hurt yourself."

He sniffed as he wiped a few tears away.

"The reason why I didn't let you go out because I was worried that you might be all alone…and you wouldn't last a day if I wasn't around. I didn't tell you all about it because…I wasn't sure how you would react to it…and you might be tempted to do bad things with those powers. I was just so…worried about what those powers would do to us. I'm sorry of what I did to our parents…I'm sorry of not telling you. Therefore…I'm not WORTHY to be called your brother…"

Belt placed his face onto the bed, wetting the sheets from his hysterical sobs.

I was shocked by everything he said.

So that was why I did not get to see my parents in real life?

We don't have any parents for us?

I just stared at him.

He had kept it for so long and felt guilty about his actions for all these years, all while trying to take care of me as a child.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

There was no point to be mad at him.

Because…he is the only family I have left.

"Hey…" I said softly. "I'm not mad at you. I understand…you've killed our parents, but you don't mean to. You were young back then and didn't expect that to happen. It was just a mistake and I'm sure you wouldn't hurt anyone else. From what I heard, Bubblegum and Mecha went through the same thing. They struggled on whose fault it was for getting Bubblegum's father killed, but they are fine now."

I touched Belt's forehead, rubbing him gently.

"You taught me how to grow up. You taught me what I need to know about the time. You even showed me how I can protect myself if I am in danger. I may not have parents…but I have you, Belt. You took great care of me. Mum and Dad would be proud of you for taking care of me like a true brother. As long as you are safe, I'm happy that I'm not a lone wolf. You're my brother and you're my only one."

Belt looked up at me.

I slowly hugged him and he embraced me back. I let him cry and I didn't care if he was wetting my vest.

"Thank you…" croaked Belt.

"You're welcome…" I said.

We finally let go and Belt was able to pull himself together. He sniffed and wiped away his sad tears.

My Cyan Wisp and the Red Wisp cooed in sympathy. They slowly hovered towards Belt.

"I-I'm fine, buddies," he said to them. "I'm fine."

The Wisps affectionately snuggled into the red wolf's chest.

"You…you guys are so nice…"

I smiled.

"Well…" I said. "What now?"

Belt shrugged. "We are going to leave the HQ in a few…minutes…hours…I don't know. Is it OK if you…guide me around this place for a while? And what day is it?"

I took a peek at the digital clock.

It was 31/07.

Belt's birthday.

And just in time.

A smile crept on my face.

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight…" I said grinning, my tail wagging in excitement. I tried my best not to laugh. "Actually…I got something for you…today."

"What is it?"

"Come with me."

I got out from my bed and grabbed Belt's hand. Because he is blind, I had to guide him through the halls. Our Wisps followed behind us, making sure that Belt didn't trip over anything.

As we walked by, I saw some of the Resistance soldiers. They looked…happy. They had smiles on their faces and they were having friendly conversations. Some of them looked at me and congratulated me for my job. I just laughed shyly and tried to hide my face.

Along the way, I turned around the corner to bump into a person.

I mean SOMEONE I was hoping not to see again.

It was Angelica.

My face turned white.

I quickly hid behind Belt and covered my ears, hoping that she wouldn't laugh at me.

My brother was confused, squinting his eyes to see the pink bird clearly.

Eventually, Angelica rolled her eyes and groaned, pushing the two of us aside.

"Hey!" said Belt. "What's your problem?"

Angelica turned around and looked at me.

"Not bad on what you did back there," she said flatly. "Not bad, Clay the Wolf."

I couldn't tell if she was being sincere or lying, judging by her unimpressed face. She turned around and walked away, whipping her ponytail.

"OK," I said. "What was that all about?"

Belt just snorted. "Some rich witch?"

He turned around…and bumped into a wall.

SLAM!

"Ow!" he said. "Stupid wall!"

"Just hold onto me," I said.

I continued to lead him to the bunk rooms. I finally stopped at mine and told Belt to stay in his spot.

I picked up my backpack that was lying on the bed and took out something.

The glasses with the headset I kept all along.

The ones I kept for Belt's birthday.

"Here," I said. "This is for you."

He placed them on the glasses, adjusting them. After a few seconds, he blinked and looked through the lens.

A smile crossed over his face.

"They suit me well," he said. "I guess now I'm going to wear these."

I chuckled. "Happy birthday, Belt."

Belt hugged me. "Thank you, brother. Though…I didn't get to buy you a gift for your birthday."

"It's fine," I said. "YOU are my gift after all."


Bubblegum's POV

I yawned as I rested my head on the table. My Pink Wisp did the same action, tired as well.

"That was a lot you went through," said Mayor Wills.

"Yeah…" I muttered. "It was a lot."

Mayor Wills and Tom met me in the cafeteria. I was surprised that they made their way here to meet us. I decided to tell them about my entire experience during the war.

Tom huffed. "OK, tsundere. We get it. You've been a big darn hero and saved the world. But please, next time, DON'T RUN AWAY WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!"

I crossed my arms, fed up with his rudeness. "You CAN'T really control what you want me to do."

"But I'm your tournament team leader who can fire you in an INSTANT."

I gulped. I know that Tom is a hot head, but at least I didn't say anything too bad to get the black cat over the edge.

My Pink Wisp hovered upwards and babbled angrily at Tom.

"You stay out of my face," snarled Tom.

Before my Wisp could say anything, I pulled her away.

"Pink," I said. "Be civil."

She rolled her eye.

"Anyway," said Mayor Wills. "You have done it. You showed that you are more than a police rookie."

I looked confused. "I…I did? What do you mean?"

"Well, it wasn't just destroying the Phantom Ruby AND stopping Eggman that did it all. It was the police skills inside you. Your kind, caring, heroism, courage, selfless, discipline and strong-willed nature that guided you throughout this war. And even though you were mean at first, you were able to encourage others to keep going. You never gave up believing that things can be better."

I nodded slowly, wondering what the mayor meant.

"Your father and that police chief wanted to make the world a better place. I believe that you have accomplished that dream. A step to bring back peace."

Mayor Wills took out a golden police badge. "So…I'm proud to say that from now on, you're the NEW POLICE CHIEF."

…what?

My jaw dropped to the floor.

I saw the shiny gold badge with its fancy decorations and the words 'CHIEF' printed on it.

Before I could say a word, the orange hedgehog pinned the badge to my vest.

What?

Alright?

"B-But…how?" I stuttered. "I'm…I'm still young…"

"Don't worry," said Mayor Wills. "You will have assistants who will guide you. Each and every one of the government members. I'm sure that it will make your father proud."

I was overwhelmed, feeling a sense of pride. Adrenaline was running through my veins and my heart was beating so fast. Not only had I became the new police chief. The thing that made me proud was that I EARNED the position for saving the world and thousands of lives.

A billion questions came into my head. So…this was for all the fighting? All the heartache? All the arguments? All the trouble?

It led me to become one strong police cop?

If only my family would be here to see me.

I couldn't help but smile. I slightly bounced up and down my seat like a kid who was going to explode from a sugar rush.

"Thank you," I said, unable to stop moving in joy. "This means the world to me."

Mayor Wills smiled. Tom nodded in approval.

My Pink Wisp gave me a weird look.

"Sorry," I said. "I get a bit excited with these kind of things."

"Alright," said Mayor Wills as we got up. "We are about to leave soon. Is there anything else you want to do?"

Something popped up in my mind.

"Well…yes," I said. "I'll be right back."

I went out of the cafeteria and walked through the halls. I was met by other Resistance members who praised me for destroying the Phantom Ruby generator and taking down Eggman. I just smiled and said 'thank you'.

I don't need any praises.

I finally found Richard who came out after aiding an injured soldier.

My cheeks blushed when I saw him.

My Pink Wisp looked at me and babbled curiously.

"D-Do you mind?" I asked her.

Obediently, she sat on a wooden box far away, turning her head away.

"Richard!" I shouted.

He turned his head to see me.

Shoot.

My muzzle turned red.

However, Richard didn't notice.

"Ah," said Richard. "Bubblegum! How are you today?"

"Had a good sleep. After that last battle, I could use some R&R."

"Me too…so…"

There was an awkward silence between us.

"Well uh…" I said, feeling my face turned hot. "…so…what are you going to do now…that the war is over?"

Richard held onto his hand nervously. "Well…um…I decided to stay here. It's…where I work at. I wanted to become a hero before, so…yeah. I'm still going to be a soldier of the Resistance. What about you? Are you staying?"

"I-I wish to…but I have to go back home. There are still people I need to look out for…"

I shuffled uncomfortably.

So did Richard.

I took a deep breath, mustering up all my confidence.

This was my moment.

"Uh…" I said. "…listen…I have something to tell you…"

To my surprise, Richard blushed a bit. "Yes?"

"Well…before all of this…when I was a little girl…because I was a bit like my mother…I…I never have any romantic feelings before. Many boys would try to get me to go out with them…but I refused to…because…I'm worried that…I might not be the girl…the one they would always hold forever…because…I was nearly mean to everyone. I was never interested in boys before…but…when…you came…it all…changed…"

Richard looked surprised and confused. "What is it?"

"L-Listen…I-I like you as a friend. You say that you have a few issues…right? Well…I have them too…you…you are a good person. You are brave…smart…caring…sensitive…like me. I see you as a friend, but…I…I…O-OK…I will say this…so…I…I…I want to be more than friends…ARGH! Why is this so difficult to say?! I…I LOVE YOU, YOU IDIOT! ILOVEYOUMORETHANANYOTHERBOY!"

Richard let out a small gasp.

I tried to say something, but stuttered. I placed my hand onto my head again; showing signs of frustration before shaking my head.

I never felt THIS humiliated before.

"You know what…" I groaned. "Forget it. I…I…"

Richard took a deep breath. "Well…Bubblegum. Honestly…I-I love you too."

I was shocked. "W-What?!"

Richard's face turned red like a tomato. "T-T-THERE! I…I feel the same way about you! Well…as a kid…I kind of…stay distant to others. There are some girls I like…but they don't like me back…and those who like me…I don't have feelings for them. W-What I mean is that…I think you are perfect to me…I…I like you. You…are beautiful and I adore your…personality…and I like those blue eyes of yours. S-So there…I…I can't keep this bottled up anymore."

Richard placed his hands over his face in shame as his face was turning bright red. He then tried to use his helmet to cover his eyes.

There was an awkward silence between us.

"B-Beth," said Richard, trying to pull himself together.

I wasn't thinking straight.

Unable to control myself, I found myself smashing my lips against Richard's.

At this, I felt as if an explosion set off in my chest again.

I quickly let go when I realized what I did.

"W…whoa…" said Richard in awe.

"Ohmygosh!" I said blushing. "I'm so sorry!"

Richard just looked down. "That…was a lousy kiss…like the first time."

I tried to see his face when Richard grabbed my muzzle gently.

"You should have just let that kiss be longer," said Richard smiling.

"B-But isn't it a bit too far," I pointed out.

Richard smirked. "Just shut up and kiss me again."

I was surprised of what he said.

Before I knew it, I looked into his beautiful brown eyes, falling into a trace.

I was the first to press my lips onto Richard's as we kissed.

I felt as if all our problems were gone. Warmth heated up both of our bodies. My heartbeat was pounding at a gentle, rhythmic way.

It felt so…satisfying and pleasant.

I couldn't believe it.

I was kissing Richard…and he was kissing me back.

This moment felt ENCHANTED.

I had my eyes closed for a while…but when I opened them, I saw Emerald watching us.

"Aww!" she said, holding her hands. "That's so sweet."

My eyes shifted around nervously as a sign to say that I felt…a bit awkward to be doing…THIS in front of her.

"Huh?"

At this, Mic and Minty came over to see what was going on.

"Wow," said Mic smiling. "They make a good couple."

Minty – on the other hand – was disgusted.

Her face turned dark lime green.

I felt a bit worried.

"Uh…" said Emerald, waving her hand in front of Minty. "Hello?"

"G-Gross…" was all Minty could say.

The green hedgehog quickly placed her hand over her mouth and ran off.

"Is she jealous?" said Emerald.

"Nope," said Mic.

I rolled my eyes and continued to kiss Richard.

And then, I heard a set of loud babbles.

Suddenly flying in front of me – without breaking our kiss or alerting Richard – was my Pink Wisp…with a flock of several colorful Wisps.

SHE HAD CALLED MANY OF HER KIND TO WATCH ME KISS RICHARD.

Those Wisps were just staring at us in curiosity, chatting to each other quietly. Some of them were pointing their tentacles at me or giggling.

I gave Pink a nasty glare.

She turned away, embarrassed.


Mecha's POV

After what happened last night, I would be trying to process what happened. Me killing Infinite, getting kidnapped by a large Fender and trying to revive Rookie-I mean Clay. But when I woke up, I felt…lighter.

I felt as if there was nothing to worry about.

I felt…relaxed.

I tried to get some more sleep in the morning, but I had to go home, so I forced myself to wake up. I bumped into my sister who was happy to see me. She told me that Minty and Tails were going to take us back to our home, so I had to be prepared.

I tried to find my Yellow Wisp, but he was in my Wispon. Apparently, he wanted to sleep, so I decided to let him doze off in my Wispon.

I went to the bunk rooms to find the Yellow Squad packing up their belongings.

"Hey!" said Ash to his group. "Look who came here!"

I couldn't help but smirk.

I felt a sense of pride at this, but this time, I chose to balance it so that I wouldn't act too cocky.

"One of the greatest heroes now?" I said.

"Right, man!" said Ash, fist-bumping me. "You were awesome out there!"

"Chao!" said Ash's Chao, flying on top of my goggles.

I smiled at that cute creature. Gingerly, I carried the Chao down and petted it gingerly.

"You showed Eggman and Infinite who's boss!" said Mandy.

"You were amazing out there!" said Blizzard.

"I never thought that you would be able to do this kind of thing," said Tyler.

Sorry for being a show-off, but I did a back-flip. But seriously, even though I liked the attention, I was only happy that I was able to save many people around the world from the threat of the Eggman Empire.

However, I…noticed that Jayden and Joey hadn't applaud me yet. Well, Joey – for obvious reasons – wasn't listening.

"Huh?" said Joey, slowly waking up after nearly tipping over from leaning on his tall bag.

Jayden just crossed his arms sternly.

"What's the purpose of your face?" said Blizzard.

Jayden shook his head and sighed before walking up to me. "I just can't believe that a bully like you would become a so-called hero."

Oh, right.

The smile faded from my face.

I looked down. "If you want to punch me, go ahead."

Jayden swung his fist up…but only used his fist to rub off some dirt on the side of my beak.

The black dog sighed. "It's…it's just that I don't really trust you…even after what Emerald told us…I can't forgive you for being such a jerk to everyone…but…since you changed…I can only accept you as a good person."

I was surprised by this. I thought that Jayden would be mad at me…but not anymore. To think that I used to be a bully before and now I became a much kinder person was almost a bit too much. I noticed how much I grew, so…I am happy about it.

"OK…" I said, making a half smile. "I-I believe that I should owe you and Blizzard an apology. I like to apologize for what I've done that day. I was…just…"

"…upset," said Jayden, finishing my sentence.

I nodded. "Yeah."

I turned to Blizzard. "And…I…I hope that I didn't hurt you too much. You know what I mean."

"I'm fine," said Blizzard, but the carefree in his voice was gone. "But I'm more worried that your 'past' would spread over and everyone will know. Besides, Angelica would try to make rumors of it."

"I-It didn't. Not really. There are some people trying to figure out what you said that day, but I managed to tell everyone that it's personal and I don't have a good relationship with my own family. It's enough to keep everyone silent about that topic. And besides, I don't feel like I can trust you for keeping my secret, especially since you said it out loud. But since you already know…I'll trust you that you won't tell anyone."

Blizzard was quiet for a while. "OK then. I promise."

"But you better be well behaved," said Jayden to me. "And besides, I think you need to go for family counselling."

"Yeah. But when I get home, I-"

"GANGWAY!" called Minty.

Minty charged through us and ran towards the girls' bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

"OK…" said Joey. "What was…?"

He slowly trailed off when we could hear Minty barfing.

What must be large things plopping into the toilet water echoed through the room.

The Yellow Squad cringed in revulsion.

I leaned backwards in disgust.

"Oh well," said Ash as his Chao flew back and sat on his hat. "Better get going now. Our flight will be off soon."

"Wait," I said. "You're leaving already?"

"The only reason why I joined the Resistance in the first place was to end the war. But now with the war over, we are going home. There is some tidy-up to do back at our town."

I smirked. "Well, I wish you the best of luck and have a safe trip back home."

Ash smirked as well and shook my hand. "I hope that you get back home safely, Mecha. Let's see each other again soon."

I chuckled.

"And oh!" said Ash. "You should have a haircut! Those feathers on you don't look good on ya!"

I was taken aback. "Well you have the same hairstyle as mine-"

"Got to go. Bye bye!"

"Chao chao!" said Ash's Chao.

Soon, Ash was off along with the rest of the Yellow Squad.

I sighed, shaking my head. "I'll pluck off HIS feathers someday."

That was when the bathroom door opened. Minty came out with stained cheeks, burping a little.

"What's wrong with you?" I said. "You look like you ate some bugs."

"No," said Minty. "It was WAY WORSE. Bubblegum…and Richard…were kissing…"

Crickets.

"What?" I said.

"Yes," said Minty. "They became a couple. So gross."

…so what?

I said nothing. Honestly, I don't know how to think about that.

"O…K…" I said. "Anyway…I want to say sorry for nearly hurting you on that day. I didn't want to remember about the past."

Minty looked down with a thoughtful look. "It's fine. I'm also sorry for framing you for working for Eggman."

She paused for a while before making eye contact. "Mecha…I have to tell you something."

The mood became grim for me. "Are you talking about Infinite?"

"Yeah."

"I-I actually know. I saw everything…but…that was in Null Space. Even though Bubblegum told me…is it true?"

Minty looked nervous. "What?"

"Is it true that Infinite died? Disappeared?"

Minty sighed. "I'm sorry. He faded away from existence. Bubblegum tried her best to make Infinite see the errors of his actions, but we never heard his answer. He's…gone…"

Again, like what happened last night, I felt my heart shattered. This time, it was worse. Instead of breaking down, I felt as if I couldn't breathe. Everything around me started to blur out. I couldn't speak or breathe.

"Um…Mecha?" said Minty.

"I…" I said.

I couldn't talk.

I turned around and left the room. Minty tried to call me, but for some reason, I chose not to answer her. I walked through the hallways blindly.

Zero…Infinite…my best friend…my first ever friend…ever since the war started, I couldn't believe that he would became the monster everyone knew. He already hurt a lot of people and caused massive amounts of damage. He even took away Finn.

I know that I had no other choice. I destroyed the ruby, but never thought that it would have such an effect on him that time.

I killed him.

First Bubblegum's father and now…Zero.

Again, I winced as the thought of me being a murderer came over my mind. Sure, people would celebrate that Infinite…eh, I mean Zero is dead and praised me, but I'm proud of that. Nobody should be celebrating somebody taking a life or somebody died. Even when they deserved it.

"M-Mecha?…I-I…I'm s-!"

I sighed hearing that voice. I couldn't help but feel like that Infinite/Zero was actually…regretful for nearly killing me. He might be a monster, but there was a hint that he was good.

I know it.

It was so difficult to find the hidden goodness in a villain.

I was so caught up in my thoughts when I bumped into someone.

SLAM!

"Ow!" I said.

It was Omega.

"Hi there, gem-colored avian," he said.

I laughed flatly, rubbing the bump on my head. "Nice one."

"What are you doing out here?"

"Nothing. I'm just fine, like ALWAYS."

I was quiet for a while. "OK. I'm not fine. I just…"

I noticed Rouge behind Omega, talking to someone on her phone.

"So the G.U.N. HQ 'rebuilt' itself?" said Rouge. "Got to thank that wolf, Mo. I would have to sell my gems to pay for all the damage."

"Really?" said a voice from the phone. "You and your gems?"

"But they are precious! You know that a girl can't live without jewelry."

A sigh could be heard on the other side.

"Anyway. Is that Obsidian jackal doing alright?"

"Yeah…September managed to break his funk, so he is back to his happy self. Still, I can't handle Obsidian's carefree naivety."

I gulped upon hearing the word 'Obsidian'.

What?

OBSIDIAN.

That jackal.

The same jackal who also survived from being attacked by Shadow.

So…he is…alive?

Something fluttered inside my stomach.

I slowly walked towards Rouge.

"Uh…" I said. "Excuse me, ma'am."

Rouge turned around to see me. "Oh. Why it's you, sweetie. What do a sweet little bird want?"

I gave her look. "Actually, I heard you said the name 'Obsidian'. Is he a…jackal?"

She placed her hands her hips. "Why yes!"

"…um…is it OK if…I can…talk to him now?"

"Hello?" said the voice from the phone. "Anybody there?"

"Just ask her," said Rouge, giving me her phone.

I placed the phone near my invisible ear. "Yello."

I heard the voice from the phone. It nearly sound British – like my accent – but strongly Hispanic. "Who is this?"

"The name's Mecha. Mecha Nism."

"Oh…right. You were the one who killed Infinite, am I right?"

I frowned.

"…I mean…I'm just wondering. Not like I care about that or anything. Don't need to tell me much. I'm sorry about what happened back then. Obsidian knows you before and how you saw Infinite as a friend."

"Where is Obsidian?"

"Him? He lives with me now in Central City. He's helping out the people who are in the confusion. The entire society saw that the entire city was…fixed. Formed back together. It was probably the weirdest thing ever."

"Central City…" I said, trying to remember the place. "He lives there now?"

"Yep. He's also an agent of G.U.N. now."

My eyes widened up. I was…staggered. I hadn't seen that jackal for a while. All along, I thought Obsidian was killed by Eggman already, but…

I sighed. "Alright. Just let him know that I want to see him. I'll be at the city soon."

"…OK then. Have to go now. The Commander is calling me already."

At this, Mo cancelled the call.

I gave the phone back to Rouge.

"So, you're going to see Obsidian?" she said.

I nodded. "If I can. Is there a…?"

"Don't worry. A few months ago, some of the G.U.N. agents came here to join the Resistance. There's a ship that will take them back to Central City. I'll be coming along with them. If you want to follow along, get ready in 20 minutes."

Rouge turned around and walked away along with Omega. I just stood in my spot, lost in my thoughts again.

Finally, I made up my mind.

I went back to the bunk rooms, grabbed my belongings and my Wispon, and made my way to the boarding area. Near the other side of the room was a shuttle with the G.U.N. symbol on it where many soldiers wearing the same G.U.N uniform were boarding onto the shuttle. Rouge was flirting with one of the soldiers and Omega was already inside. Shadow was just leaning against the wall, waiting for the others to come.

I sighed. I was thinking of letting my friends know that I would be gone for a while...but the shuttle was about to leave. I told myself that I can text them when I relax.

I was about to take a step when I heard Sonic whistling behind me.

"Mechy!" said Sonic. "Good to see. I guess that you are now a hero like me."

I looked at him grimly before saying, "Qualunque cosa."

Sonic looked confused. "For once, can you speak in English instead of muttering in other languages?"

"It's just a habit of mine. Whatever."

Wow. I sounded so…depressed.

Sonic noted that.

"Everything OK?" he asked.

I sighed. "Listen, Sonic. I know that Zero – or Infinite – might be bad, but I still find him as a friend. But…he's gone. I killed him."

Sonic nodded. "I understand. But I don't believe that he is dead."

I raised one of my eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Who knows when we will meet up with him again? Whatever happens, we must be ready."

I realized what he meant. "No way. I'm not doing THAT again. There's no way I'm going to fight him or let him be killed."

"But why did you do so?"

"I only did because I thought I could remove that ruby from him…but I was wrong."

"…I'm not saying that he is a bad guy. It's just that…I don't trust him. I don't like him that much. Unless he doesn't attack anyone he sees in an instant, I can't let him live on."

"But he is a good person. I know it."

"I'm sorry. I know that it's hard to accept it, but Infinite is evil. I can't trust him unless he becomes good like us."

I was silent for a while as I absorbed in the words. But…for some reason…I felt a bit…mad.

"Yeah…I-I guess so," I said. "But hey, YOU are the one who let Eggman live despite his evil intentions. How does THAT make you a hero and have the NERVE to say that Infinite deserves to die?"

Sonic was taken aback. "Well, if you didn't do anything to stop Infinite from joining Eggman. If you weren't such a BIG FAT JERKY BULLY to everyone in the first place, none of this mess would happened!"

The blue hedgehog quickly covered his mouth upon realizing that he said too much.

That did it.

My eye twitched.

I clenched my fists and raised one of them…when I remembered that it wouldn't solve anything.

I slowly dropped my arms down to the side.

I felt ashamed.

Stupid me taking that stupid conversation.

Turning around, I started to walk away.

"Wait!" said Sonic. "I didn't mean to…"

"Damare," I said in a hush tone. "Just…be quiet. I should be dead when Infinite stabbed me. Sorry if this doesn't work out for everyone. Tweet tweet, Sonic the Hedgehog."

Sonic looked concerned.

I looked at Sonic one last time before walking away.

On my way to the G.U.N shuttle.

"I'm sorry," I whispered sadly.


Bubblegum's POV

It took me a while to pack up my belongings. I had to make sure that I didn't lose a thing or two. When I was finished, I went outside and talked with Emerald, Cassie and Xander. It had been a while I had a conversation with Cassie and Xander.

That was when Belt and Clay came in.

"Oh," I said. "You guys ready to go?"

"Yeah," said Belt before noticing Cassie and Xander. "Oh. Hi, Xander. Hi, Cassie."

Clay looked a bit confused, tilting his head.

"Oh," I said. "Clay. Meet my friends Cassie and Xander. They are some friends of mine."

Xander shook Clay's hand. "Nice to meet you, bruh."

As usual, the tone of his was so dull.

Clay muttered something under his breath. "Is that costume a male version of a character?"

When he turned to Cassie, he suddenly looked…anxious.

Not in a bad way.

Somewhat as if he saw…

Oh boy.

Cassie timidly waved at him.

"Um…hi…" said Rookie shyly.

"H-Hi, I'm…Cassie…" Cassie said.

Clay…seemed to be a trance.

Some kind of trance.

To my surprise, both of their yellow eyes were glowing…and Clay was blushing, his tail wagging.

Belt face palmed.

I sweat dropped.

I saw the Cyan Wisp and my Pink Wisp staring at the scene with bewildered looks.

"Um…oh!" said Cassie. "I meant to tell you this; thanks for helping me from Infinite back then…"

"Err…you're welcome…" said Clay, trying to sound confident.

"…it's just that…I wish that my family could see you…my mother, father and baby brother…they were killed by that…"

She looked down sadly.

Clay smiled sympathetically and patted her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'm a bit of a lone wolf like you."

Smiling, Cassie hugged him gently. Clay even wrapped his arms around her.

It seemed nice until…

"Oi!" said a voice. "Are you two lovebirds done yet? Our flight will be gone soon!"

I looked up to Tom and Sebastian…holding a phone.

No need to guess on what Sebastian was doing.

Realizing how long they had been hugging, Clay and Cassie let go off each other. The latter blushed and the former glared at Sebastian.

Sebastian opened his mouth. "I…"

Clay summoned his sharp claws and held up his right hand in a threatening way.

Sebastian froze.

"Delete that video NOW," growled Clay.

I sighed, trying my best not to laugh.

Belt looked disappointed.

That was when Mayor Wills and Nicki appeared.

"Uh…" said Nicki. "Guys? Have any of you seen Mecha?"

"What?" said Tom.

"I haven't seen him," said Clay.

"Nope," I said. "Not from the past 10 minutes."

"What's the problem?" said Belt.

"We…we can't find Mecha!" said Mayor Wills.

"He must be sleeping in," said Xander.

"No! He's not here! We looked through the whole HQ and he is nowhere to be seen!"

All of us were shocked.

"What?!" Clay and I said in unison.

"Argh!" groaned Nicki. "I didn't come all this way to here to lose my brother again!"

Tom snorted. "Pfft. His loss."

I quickly nudged him with my elbow.

"What happened to him?" I said.

"We don't know," said Nicki before taking out something. "And he left this."

In her hand was a golden phone with teal arrows.

"He left his phone behind."

Sebastian growled. "Somebody must have taken him again. If it would be anyone, it would be-"

"Nobody took him," said another voice.

We all turned our heads to the corner to see Sonic coming to us.

"He isn't in custody again," said Sonic. "He…left the HQ a few minutes ago."

"W-What?" said Sebastian.

"Apparently, he caught word that Obsidian – a member of the Jackal Squad – is now living in Central City, so…he wanted to see him. I…I accidentally said the wrong things to him. I think he is really upset about killing Infinite, so…I think he wants to let that jackal know about what happened."

"Who's Obsidian?" whispered Xander quietly.

"Is he going to come back?" said Emerald.

"I'm not sure," said Sonic shrugging. "I'm…I'm sorry if I upset Mecha-"

"It's OK," said Nicki. "Mecha is…sensitive. I'm sure that he will calm down later. He is just going through what happened during war. Violent fights are unhealthy for his health and he is probably experiencing PTSD."

Belt rubbed his face when she said that.

Sonic smiled. "OK…that's kind of funny. Besides, he can get back to you. After all, you lot live in the same town, huh?"

"I hope that he is fine on his own," said Nicki.

I winced.

"Now come along," said Sonic. "Your plane is waiting for you."

"Right," said Mayor Wills.

We all got into one group and made our way to the boarding room. On the way, I saw Clay coming over to Tom to talk with him.

"Um…hi…" said Clay shyly.

"Yes?" he said, raising his eye.

"Well…you…you don't seem to like Mecha that much…"

Tom gritted his teeth. "I just don't like him for a personal reason. He keeps beating my team and shows off a lot."

I bit my lip.

"Wait…" said Clay. "…team?"

Tom waved his hand, trying to brush off the topic. "It's something you might not know."

"Actually…I learnt about this…tournament at your town…"

"I actually need a new member for my team. A friend of mine is moving away soon. Do you want to join?"

Rookie thought about it for a while before nodding his head.

"OK," said Tom. "When we get back, I need you to fill in some information files. I don't know your name yet. I'm Tom. What's yours?"

"Um…" stuttered Clay. "Well…it's…uh…C-C…"

"Clay," said Tom bluntly. "Bubblegum just told me about you."

Tom then muttered something under his breath. "Just you wait, Mecha. When I win, I will drown you in my own blood!"

Hearing this, Clay slightly put his distance away from the black cat.

He went close to me.

"Geez," he said nervously. "What a big hot-head."

I nodded in agreement. "Just try to be on his good side."

We arrived at the boarding to see the remaining Resistance soldiers. They were all in groups, talking to each other. They were all discussing on what to do since the war was over. I saw Minty at one of the shuttles, waving at us. Tails was already inside at the pilot's seat.

"HEY!" she called. "One trip to Australia is here! Hurry up, folks!"

"OK then," said Mayor Wills. "We're going home."

We all piled into the shuttle. Clay and I were about to jump in when we saw the Resistance members coming to us.

"You're leaving us already?" said Knuckles.

"Yeah," I said. "I know that we might have to help out, but we are only here to stop the war. We still have people to look out for back home."

Knuckles nodded. "OK. I'm not gonna stop you guys. We all know that we still have things to look after."

"Man," said Vector, coming up to us. "The first time I saw you two stumbling around, I had no idea you could pull this thing together and see it to the end."

He ruffled both our heads. "I've changed my mind about you."

Clay chuckled in embarrassment. I rolled my eyes playfully.

"I knew you'd come through," said Amy. "I guess the Black Squad are not rookies anymore!"

"What did I told ya?" said Sonic. "You guys just need a little push to get to the end."

Vlad hummed, rubbing his chin. "Well…you're not going to be away for too long, right?"

"Who knows," said Silver. "We all have our own tasks to do, but sometimes we need to be together as a team. You're going to come back someday to help, right?"

"Of course we're coming back," I said smiling. "Not after a long time. You know, we will always be a part of the Resistance."

I grabbed a white paper piece that was covering my right arm and peeled it off to reveal a new tattoo.

A black Resistance symbol.

Nearly everyone gasped seeing it.

I chuckled. "I have to thank Minty for putting this on my arm."

I turned around and so did Clay. We were about to enter the shuttle when we both stopped.

"You were right the whole time, Sonic," said Clay.

"Hmm?" said Sonic. "What do you mean?"

Clay turned around. "There will be a moment for us to shine. All of us."

Sonic smiled warmly.

He jumped off the shuttle and did something I didn't expect.

He took off his cross necklace and gave it to Sonic.

"Your necklace?" said Belt.

"It's just a necklace," said Clay. "There will still be crosses around the world."

Belt nodded.

Clay looked at him. "Thank you…for being my friend."

Sonic nodded and held out his fist.

In response, Clay fist-bumped him.

"See ya later, buddy!" said Sonic.

Clay chuckled a bit tearfully. "May God be with you all."

I saw Richard coming towards me as Clay entered the shuttle.

"You will call us," said Richard. "Right?"

"Don't worry," I said. "We will…partner."

I kissed Richard on the forehead, surprising him.

At that point, it was the start of us being an official couple.

My Pink Wisp, Clay's Cyan Wisp and Belt's Red Wisp flew towards Sonic.

"You guys will be OK, right?" asked Sonic.

The three nodded.

"I'm happy that you found a new home. Make sure to tell the Yellow Wisp that I said 'goodbye' to him!"

The three Wisps squeaked and flew inside the shuttle.

Clay and I said to Sonic one last goodbye before the shuttle door closed.

"OK," said Tails in the pilot seat. "Hold onto your hats."

As the shuttle roared to life, both of us sat next to Belt.

He looked at us.

"Let's go home," he said.

"A new home," said Clay.

I smiled. "Enjoy the ride."