"I'm starting to wonder about what Sage is really trying to do here on the islands." Glimmer said. "I mean, you guys said she's been tailing you and multiple times she's been on our case, but has she ever attacked us once?"
"Nah. She always sent constructs to do her dirty work." David said. "And honestly, she's been quite condescending about it too. I don't know what her reason is, but if she is attempting to drive us all away, maybe what she's talking about is more serious than we thought."
"Probably has to do with the missing doctors." Ace said. "They're probably trapped in cyberspace too, which is what Flux was probably talking about when we first arrived."
"That's evident enough by all of the audio logs Eggman's recorded scattered around." Lysithea said.
"As for who's the one controlling the titan here, it's obviously Boba Fett." Al said before she yelped in pain as she grabbed her arm.
"Al! Are…" Connor said before seeing something in the dirt. "Sniper round! We're not alone out here."
Priyan watched from a distance through binoculars as she got on her comm.
"I've spotted the group. One of my snipers fired a round. Missed the head though but I know where they are." Priyan said. "Prepare for assault."
"Roger." Boba Fett said as the Titan steered right towards the group's location.
"Titan, incoming!" Zero said.
"No choice but to run!" Connor said.
"Roger that. Strategic withdrawal!" David said.
As the group retreated, Boba Fett rode on the titan's head.
"I don't hafta see you to know where you are." Boba said as the titan fired missiles out of its sides as they streaked towards the group's position. The group evaded as much as they could as the missiles blasted all over the sand dunes.
"We gotta find cover, fast!" Raphael said.
Priyan continued to watch from afar. "Cover won't help so long as my snipers have you in their sights." she said to herself as more sniper rounds were fired at the group as they ran.
"What's going on here?! I thought Boba was the only one here!" Ragna said.
"Somebody's gotta be here with him, or a whole bunch. But he never said anything about having an army here." Connor said. "He's got a partner helping him out. Someone who can actually make the troops for him without recruiting anybody."
"Seems my anonymity is helpful since they never met me." Priyan said to herself. "Better deal with the mouthy ones before they start spouting off too much they don't understand."
A sniper then focused fire on Connor before Connor went and fired back at them, sending the sniper rounds back at their shooters, reverting them back into figurines.
"Damn it. Fett, he just took out two of my snipers. He takes them all out, I'm not gonna be able to keep tabs on them for a while." Priyan informed the bounty hunter.
"Then pull them back." Boba said. "From the looks of it, they've already completed their primary objective. Let them go for now; in the meantime, we'll stick to surveillance and prep."
"Fine. I'm pulling the snipers back and sending out scouts for surveillance." Priyan said.
With that, the barrage stopped as the groups were forced a distance away.
"Phew… thanks Connor. How'd you know where the snipers were?" Bow asked.
"Expert marksman, remember? I pinpointed the location from the last couple of shots they made." Connor replied.
"Hey, you okay?" Emo asked Al. "That first shot got you."
"It missed my vitals…with luck. I think they were aiming for my head." Al said.
"Whoever's with Fett on this island, they have no issues with killing us to get the job done." Avlora said.
"Must be some new ally. A strong one. But it looks like whoever it is, they're leaving us alone for now." Jexi said. "We should get the emeralds and fast before they decide to get back on target practice."
"Good idea." Mark agreed.
"Hey…look up ahead." Vector said as they spotted Knuckles ahead with some Koco wearing helmets. "I think that's Knuckles taking charge of a Koco army."
"Wonder why he's doing that? Let's make our way over and see what's up." Glimmer said.
The group did so, along the way claiming the Red Chaos Emerald from a Vault close by and taking down any Soldiers or other robots in their way. They managed to reach Knuckles on the other side of the canyon.
"What's up, Knuckles? Why are you in charge of this Koco army all of a sudden?" Starlight asked.
"These Koco got separated from their unit and are being pinned down by enemy forces." Knuckles said.
"Aren't you supposed to be finding the emeralds with us?" Weiss asked.
"I can do both. Now hurry up if you want in on the fight." Knuckles said.
"What fight?" Peacock said.
"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but a bunch of weird guys have been patrolling the island." Knuckles said. "Someone's been sending out all kinds of soldiers to gain territory on the island. The Koco here say they come out of nowhere and disappear right after."
"Might be Boba Fett's mystery partner." Simon said.
"Well, it wouldn't be right to just leave these Koco to fend for themselves. Let's help out." Leonie said.
The group then started to guide the Koco through the desert as they were surprised to the presence of several Towers as they continued to rise and fall at a fast pace.
"Whoa, careful!" Glimmer said.
"Think these guys are getting whiplash?" Takeshi asked.
"We're gonna have to time things just right so we can move across the Towers path without them hitting us." Catra said.
"Or we could slow them down." Simon said as the Umbran Clock Tower's symbol appeared on his back. "LADNA!" he chanted as the Umbran Clock Tower rose up and the top opened up, revealing the bell as it rang, casting Witch Time on the towers.
They quickly ran right past the towers but not before something caught their eye.
"Well well…looks like getting shot was only the small part of the day." Al said, picking up the Green Chaos Emerald.
"3 Emeralds back to back from the very start, we're doing good." Scorpia said.
"Good work. Now let's rejoin the main forces." Knuckles said to the Koco as they marched off towards a large stone structure.
"Boba Fett, huh? I wonder how he survived getting eaten by a Sarlac." Ashe pondered.
"That's just the thing, Ashe… he didn't." Hope said. "See, awhile ago, when Team Chronicle was still being put together, Captain Parkour took his team and a few others on a vacation to the Star Wars Galaxy. And they kinda ended up serving in the Galactic Wars."
"Which part? Episode 1, 2 or 3?" Zi-O asked.
"Three." Emo spoke up. "We ended up sending things completely off the rails. Long story short, Boba never ended up in the Sarlacc in the world we visited. He ended up being recruited by Techno after the Galactic Empire lost the Civil War, and now he's a member of the Universal Villains."
"Must be strange, knowing that a Bounty hunter like him is a part of a team like the Universal Villains." Adora said.
"Did Order 66 still occur? Because that was a horrifying sight seeing those stormtroopers being mind controlled by Darth Sidious and killing the Jedi, even the young ones." Vent asked.
"It did, but uh… it was kinda undone at the end, from what I heard." Scorpia said.
"As a final request from our old friend Darth Darklord, the Super Dragon Balls were used to revive every single Jedi Sidious ordered dead." Akal said.
"In short, we sorta rewrote Star Wars history a lot." Gemini said.
"And by that, we mean…A…LOT!" Rainbow said.
"Wow…" Geiz remarked. "I dunno if it's okay to rewrite the timelines or not… but I think we can let that slide. As long as Darth Sidious is completely dead and the Jedi are alive with the right mindset this time."
"I mean…it's more like we just created another world separate from the actual Star Wars world, but…yeah, pretty much." SE said. "...Multiverse travel tends to throw normal space-time rules out the window, but that's a hole we don't really have time to go down."
"Fair enough. But for now, I really wanna test my skills against one of the legendary bounty hunters." Ashe replied.
"No better chance than now. Honestly it's weird how Boba's been on the Universal Villains for as long as he's been, even when Techno hadn't joined Flux yet." Hope said. "I always thought Techno hired him at first, and he was being paid to stay."
"Maybe he saw something in that team. Honor, maybe?" Ashe guessed.
"I'm hesitant to say that, but…" Scarlet said. "Techno does seem to have standards. He did stop Bala from destroying Color Fighting, and he does seem to care about his teammates beyond a professional level."
"That was evident when Meruem killed Cell." Mayumi said.
"Yeah…I guess there is a sort of kinship there." Mark agreed. "After all, he stayed when the League of Villains didn't."
"Techno Flux, huh…" Zi-O pondered. "He really is different from the rest of the villains. Kinda like a rival of sorts."
"That's what I've been saying." David said. "And Techno ain't the only one. Jexi and Amadeus got a little something between them too."
"Yeah, let's just say our leaders' relationships with their declared rivals are… A bit complicated." Sachiko said.
"Oh Flux isn't a rival. He's more like a guy who does evil and I stop him. Simple." Jexi said.
"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that." David said. "A-anyway. We should focus on gathering the other Emeralds before anything else. If Fett's Titan is anything like Ian's, then he probably already has an Emerald on him."
"He's right…" Jimbei said before they saw a large robot jump down as a ring surrounded them.
SUMO
"We're not going anywhere, are we?" Kanade guessed, looking at the energy ring.
"And it looks like this guy's too heavy to hit hard. Wait… we can use its dexterity and the energy fence to our advantage." Kendo said.
"Let's see what he can do first before we make our move." Mei advised.
The Sumo had a shield around it that protected it from all attacks. As it attacked the group, it used its large fists to try and pound the group, to no avail.
"Geez… Look at this guy. One hit from his palms is going to send most of us flying!" Scott said.
"It fights just like a Sumo wrestler. Guess that explains the name…" Mermista said.
"We'll have to break its shield first, then knock it into one of the fences to stun it long enough to wail on it." Kendo said.
"Leave the shield to me." Law said.
"I'll distract it for you, Law! Over here, big guy!" Frosta said, getting the Sumo's attention as it in vain failed to smash her. "Go for it, Law!"
"Armor won't save you!" Law said, breaking the shield with his signature punch, causing the Guardian to inflate before exploding into pieces.
"Whew… That was easier than we thought." Rinwell said. "Nice one, Law!"
"Ah, it was nothing, Rinwell." Law said.
"Guess not all plans come together easy…" Kendo said as she picked up the fallen Portal gear. "But we got another Portal Gear, that's what matters."
"That was a really strong punch, Law-san! Not even armored knights could stop you." Hibiki complimented.
"Hehe!" Law said with a grin as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Anyway, are we close to the next gate?" Tsubasa asked.
"Yeah. I think we are." Dynasmon said.
"Wouldn't hurt to get more Vault Keys as we go for the Yellow Emerald. Can never have too many." Vashryon said.
"I'll take this one. Be back in under a minute." Rainbow said.
"If you can beat your pegasus counterpart, then go for it." Starlight said before looking at the group. "But is this really okay for you to bring canons and counterparts on your team? That could get confusing."
"Nah, we just call the Pegasus version of Dashie Rainbow-2, along with the other equestrian versions. And we call the equestrian version of Twilight, Princess Twilight." Zephyr said.
"Aaand now my brain hurts." Starlight sweatdropped. "Anyway, go break some sound barriers, Dash."
Rainbow then landed in a vast desert city with a large desert before her.
"Huh…guess Sonic visited this place in the past." Rainbow said before she went and zoomed across said city and collected the red rings and a number of other rings before emerging in under 20 seconds.
"20 seconds?! Are you kidding me?!" RD-2 gawked at her human counterpart's time.
"Better try harder next time." Gunvolt smirked.
"Damn, she breezed through it." ZS said.
"I did get a good look at the city while I was running through it. It was this city in the desert, and after that, nothing but sand as far as cyberspace could go." Rainbow said.
"Huh, must've been Shamar you were running through. Makes me miss the curry there." Sonic said.
"Mmm… curry…" Zi-O said.
"Maybe later, Zi-O." Geiz sweatdropped.
With the keys Rainbow had acquired, the White Chaos Emerald's vault was unsealed further away.
"And that makes the last Chaos Emerald vault unsealed on this island before we have to grab the purple one on Boba's ride." Vashyron said.
"Yeah. Not too many…" Gray said before they heard a commotion nearby as they saw the Koco soldiers being attacked by a number of Towers.
"Guys! The Koco are under attack!" Knuckles called.
"We know, we kinda saw from here." Hope said. "Let's help em out!"
"Damn it…they're attacking the bunker." Knuckles growled. "I can't just…"
"Knux…let us handle this." Jexi said.
"All right." Knuckles said as the heroes went and attacked the incoming towers. They plowed right through them and defended the innocent Koco before beating back the final one and finding a cyan emerald on the ground.
After the battle was done, the group watched as the Koco seemed happy with themselves as they approached the group. They all saluted the Koco before they fell lifeless on the ground before them.
"You've done your duty well, brave soldiers. May you find peace in the afterlife." Laura said, looking at the sky.
Knuckles looked a little sad as he turned away.
"Knux…" Sunset said.
"You okay there, dess?" Kirika asked the echidna.
"Ages ago, my people were wiped out in a great cataclysm. I get the feeling the Koco faced something similar. Seeing them like that is just another reminder that I'm the last of the Echidna." Knuckles said.
"You may be the last, but you're not alone. You've got us, don't you?" Frosta asked.
"I gotta admit, whenever I'm not with you guys, I envy your lifestyles. Doing what you want and when you want." Knuckles said.
"Then do it. Get out there and live a little." Sonic said.
"Sonic's right. What's stopping you from staying with us as we explore the multiverse and have all sorts of adventures? The Color-Verse is your oyster, Knux!" Gemini said.
"And if you're worried about leaving the Master Emerald behind, we can always keep it secure on our ship like we do with the Miraculous." Rarity said.
"I suppose I could…but first I gotta get back to normal." Knuckles said. "So…hurry up and get me back to normal." he said to the group.
"You got it!" Leia said.
"That's a promise." Lingyin smiled.
As they were having a friendly moment, Sage was secretly watching them, growing empathetic to how close they were.
"They help those they are at odds with. They are quick to make peace with them. Perhaps….no. I have run the simulations. They are all doomed." Sage said to herself.
There were still three more emeralds to collect before the group aimed to attack Boba directly. Firstly, the group collected the Yellow Chaos Emerald from its Vault. Then, before going for the white emerald, the group decided to stock up on one last batch of Vault Keys beforehand.
To do this, they engaged a Guardian nearby, which in this case was a large four-legged robot with red armor that looked somewhat like a turtle. It had a visor on the front that commonly displays a red hollow triangle facing down.
TANK
"Sorry to bust you up beforehand, big guy, but we're in a hurry!" Zephyr said as he shot the Tank as his bullets barely penetrated its armor. The tank responded by folding its legs in to hover, and then stirring up a Sand Tornado.
"There's no way we can get close enough to it without being sucked in!" Mai said.
"Then we'll just cut through the tornado and it all at once!" Ichiro said as he ran in. "Thunder Breathing: Fourth Form! Distant Thunder!" he called as he unleashed a barrage of ranged strikes that cut through the sandy winds and into the Tank. The Tank seemed to surge before breaking apart and exploding.
"Nice, Ogami!" Zephyr said, catching the Portal gear. "Now let's get this thing in a Portal."
They found one nearby as they activated it.
"Why don't one of us take a crack at this one, guys?" Akane asked.
"Are you sure, Akane? We're not exactly a team that has Sonic's level of speed." Erica said.
"Not gonna stop me from tryin'." Akane said. "I bet I can do this, ridiculous speed or not."
"Then…I guess go for it." Hope said as Akane ran on in.
(Cue: Let the Speed Mend it- Sonic and the Secret Rings)
Akane found herself inside a palace building before she ran at her top speed out into an Arabian City submerged in sand near an oasis. To compensate for her lack of speed compared to Sonic, she did a little parkour traversal between buildings, avoiding as little time on the sand as possible. She was able to find all 5 Red Rings, collect a vast amount of normal rings, and reach the goal with an impressive time of 40 seconds.
"Whoo! That's how y'do it!" Akane said, getting the full 7 Vault Keys from the portal. "Nothin' like going full speed through a ruined Arabian city in the sand, building to building!"
"That's our star athlete for you." Vashryon said.
"And now we have more than enough Vault Keys. Once we get the White Emerald, we'll be ready to take the fight to Boba and his robo-dragon." Kaibara said.
"Yes. Let us proceed." Teba said.
With Boba and Priyan, they knew the final confrontation was approaching. Boba was checking his equipment, preparing for the fight ahead.
"My scouts have eyes. They're going for the 6th emerald. They'll definitely be coming for you next." Priyan said to Boba Fett.
"Got it. Make sure your troops are in position." Boba said. "Oh…and make sure that device Techno setup is ready. I'm not in the mood for a mech fight today."
"My best are guarding it. Though, that does bring something up. Why do you stick around with him? It's not like he pays us and I only stay to ensure his vision of taking over all the worlds. But you…why do you stay?" Priyan asked.
Boba was silent for a moment before he spoke. "Priyan… how much do you know about Mandalorian culture?"
"They're a clan based culture. Multiple species that usually only take on roles as mercenaries and bounty hunters." Priyan said.
"That's true…but there's something that goes much deeper than that. Mandalorians have a creed." Boba said. "That creed defines what it means to be a true Mandalorian. It champions loyalty, solidarity, helping fellow Mandalorians…and keeping your word." the bounty hunter explained. "That creed…well, it's all I can hold onto these days. I've felt like I've been losing myself, ever since I first stepped outside of my galaxy. I have to hold onto that creed, because it's all I've got left of…old times. That's why I stick with Techno."
"I see. I get the same from the soldiers I create. Even though they aren't alive, I do get a sense of loyalty and camaraderie, even though their lives are expendable." Priyan said, holding one of her figurines.
"Yeah." Boba nodded. "I've been biting off more than I can chew when fighting the alliance, because I've been fighting them like a bounty hunter. That ends today." he said, putting his helmet back on. "It's time to fight like a warrior. This…is the way."