"Wow…Chaos Island. It's so…" Denji said as they soared over the volcanic island and its desolate environment. "Chaotic."
"Seems like these islands get more and more dangerous with each passing one." Hera said.
"This seems like a place to avoid but if Tails is really down there, we don't have much of a choice." Chopper said.
"Not to mention the last titan is down there somewhere too." Yumi said.
They all watched as lasers fired on Sonic as he returned to normal as the emeralds scattered across Chaos Island.
The lasers were then focused on the group before they saw multiple flying monsters approaching.
"What the? I didn't think the robots could do that." Franky said.
"Those aren't monsters. Those are…Grimm!" Ruby said. "But how…" she said before they looked to see Neo standing on one with her umbrella open and tipping her hat to them.
"I thought Neo could only create illusions around herself, did it evolve somehow?" Roy said.
"Seems her time with the Universal Villains have given her some upgrades." Yang said.
Neo then pointed to the group before doing a slit throat expression.
"Ah, I know what this is about." Francisca said.
"Yeah…she's pretty much had it out for Ruby since that encounter in Paris." Rainbow said. "She even tried to kill me just to get to her."
"All because of the death of…Torchwick, right?" David asked.
"Aw…did someone call my name?" a voice called out as standing by Neo was a man in white with red hair.
"And…speak of the devil." David said.
"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Jexi said.
"Aw…and who would be responsible for that I wonder?" Torchwick said as both he and Neo glared at them.
"Pretty big talk for an illusion." Simon said.
"Illusion huh?" Torchwick asked as the monsters ripped into parts of the ship. "Can illusions do that?"
"Okay, maybe not." Rinwell said.
"Revenge isn't going to get you anywhere, Neo. Believe us. Some of us have been there." Law said.
"It'll heal the hole inside her heart. The one you all widened." Torchwick said.
"Us? I thought you just wanted…" Rainbow said.
"True, Red is going to get her due. But…it's more fun if she watches her little pals die and she suffers for it." Torchwick said.
"And then what? Once she has her revenge, what would be next for her?" Spade asked.
Neo looked away for a moment before she looked at them more seriously as the monsters just continued to attack.
"We can't keep taking hits. We need to bail now." Jet said, hitting the big red button as the ship rocketed away as far as it could, losing Neo and the monsters.
"I think you reached her for a moment, Spade." Ace said.
"Yeah and it almost cost us our ship. Damn, those illusions are so solid now." Akane said.
"It makes it clear that Neo isn't messing around anymore." David said.
"Especially with that specter of that Torchwick guy." Klonoa said.
"Hmm… It's pretty clear that she's not going down easily. We'd best search around this island for the Emeralds." Kurochi said.
"But once again, we'll need Vault Keys and Gears." 9S said.
"So that means more Guardians." Kabuki said. "Like this one right there." she said as she saw one that is similar to the Ninja, but with a more purplish coloration.
SHINOBI
"Looks like our Ninja friend has an older sibling." Simon said.
"And it seems like it doesn't like what we've done to it. She's gonna want revenge, I'm sure." David said.
"Not sure if they're the same line, but we can assume they fight similarly. Allow me." Kabuki said as she stepped forward and drew her blades.
"Go for it, Kiki." Hapi said.
Kabuki nodded as she charged at the Shinobi, and met it in combat. Unlike the Ninja, the Shinobi could form a red shield and block direct attacks with it.
"So this one is more defensive. Impressive." Kabuki said.
The Shinobi could also dash short distances and make great leaps while also using its blades offensively and defensively.
"You fight well. I praise your maneuvers." Kabuki said.
The Shinobi then charged towards Kabuki, preparing to strike.
"Sorry. But this battle is mine." Kabuki said as she dashed while making an X-slash with her knives.
The Shinobi was then destroyed as it left behind a red gear.
"First one." Zephyr said.
"So, that girl back there." Ragna said. "She's got a bit of a history with you guys, huh?"
"Yeah, lots of it. Her name's Neo Politan. Don't let her name fool you, she's pretty deadly." Gemini said.
"She was Torchwick's bodyguard back in the day. But then, during the Beacon Academy invasion, he was killed, and Ruby got pinned with the blame." Connor said.
"For some reason, I get a sense of deja vu from her." Hyde said.
"You know someone similar to a girl who uses a parasol as a weapon and can create illusions?" Zephyr asked.
"She took part in that little Villain's Day stunt the villains put on and she ended up joining them." Rainbow said.
"So she doesn't know who really killed Roman?" Hilda asked.
"No, she doesn't." Scott said. "She set her sights on Ruby because she was right there when it happened. As far as Neo knew, Ruby killed him."
"But no. Roman was chomped by a Nevermore." David said.
"One created by Salem, might I add." Starlight added.
"Well, Grimm are attracted by negative emotions. The guy brought it upon himself."
"Doesn't change the fact that she blames Ruby, and to an extent, us for his death." Jexi said.
"She has to find a way to let that all go. She'll just self-destruct herself at this rate." Sectonia said.
"Indeed." Spade said. "She will drive herself to the brink if she does not see what it will cost her."
"And she'll take all of us with her. She's likely the one commanding the last Titan too." Jexi said.
"It's always the ones that never talk you gotta look out for." Kokichi said.
"Yeah, we kinda got that. She doesn't really say much, huh?" Makoto said.
"That's because she can't. She's mute." Shuichi said.
"Mute? You mean she can't speak?" Milo asked.
"Yeah, just like Nina couldn't at first." Roy said.
"But like Kokichi said, she can't talk, but she's dangerous. As long as she's with us on Chaos Island, we gotta watch out for her new tricks. And when she decides to show us the titan Sage gave her." Connor said.
"Tails!" Mari said.
"Yeah, and look for Tails." Connor said.
"No! Look!" Mari said, pointing to a cage holding the two tailed fox inside.
"9S." 2B said.
"Right." 9S said.
"Wait, won't Sonic's condition get worse?" Noel asked.
"Well…too late now." 9S said as the cage broke open as the contamination flew into Sonic once again, causing parts of his body to look like he was being erased.
"At least wait for us, first!" Kiana scolded the hedgehog.
"Sonic! Okay, now we know that stuff coming from the cage is bad news." Hilda said as Tails landed on the ground and took notice.
"Hilda's right, Sonic." Tails jumped in as soon as he saw. "Those same energies that left me in this digitized state, are manifesting into some worrisome mutations for you."
"Those sure are words you said just now!" Sonic said.
"I'm saying I'm fine, you're not and we're all worried." Tails said.
"I'll be fine. And I need this power to rescue you." Sonic said as Sage was observing the group from a hidden spot.
"We need your help, Tails. We gotta find the Chaos Emeralds scattered around this Volcanic island so we can defeat a giant robot piloted by Neo." Hope said.
"Neo's here? Are you sure?" Tails asked.
"Positive, she almost wrecked us on approach. Her semblance evolved, her illusions are now very real and deadly." Connor said.
"If she's in the seat of something like that…there's no way she's going to let you succeed. So my advice…find the emeralds as quickly as possible." Tails said. "Besides, I can't really do much as I am now."
"Just help us track em' down and we'll take care of the rest." Balthus said.
"I'm on it!" Tails said before running off.
Most of Sonic's body turned a blackish red and glitched as he collapsed to one knee and coughed in pain.
"Sonic!" Pit said as the Dimensional Heroes ran to him.
"It's cool. I'm good." Sonic said.
"You're definitely not fine. I think you should go back to the ship and rest." Aelita said as they escorted Sonic back to the Galaxy King.
"It's so sad those so impressive will be lost in the end. It's…it's not fair." Sage said to herself.
The group managed to get Sonic inside the Galaxy King's Medical Ward for some rest as they continued onwards themselves to gather the emeralds.
"Perhaps it's best if we make sure Sonic saves his strength for the Titan on this island." Lorenz said. "We can gather the Emeralds ourselves."
"Yeah. Sonic's clearly not in the best state right now. But I think we can manage the stages. We've been doing well on them so far." David said.
"Besides, Sonic shouldn't even have to face the titan at all given the condition he's in. But getting the emeralds out of Neo's clutches is still a must." Chopper said.
"I don't get it though, how come he's the only one being affected by this?" Ajna asked.
"He must have been infected with something when he was in the cyberspace Amy and the others were." Chopper said.
"Yet some of us are totally fine." Sachiko said.
"Well, you've already been through that once, Sachiko. I think you remember." Crusadermon said.
"Ah… Right." Sachiko said.
"Still, though. This is all getting too weird. These infections on him just leave more questions than answers." Miu said.
"All I know is if he continues to take on more of that corruption, he won't be able to do anything anymore." Chopper said.
"We've freed all of his friends so everything should be fine. Just beat the last titan and it's all good." Connor said.
"And how do you know things aren't going to end up the opposite?" Jin asked. "We've been seeing the visions. The Ancients were wiped out by something on this Archipelago. Something that they feared."
"Ever get the feeling that you're meddling with something you don't quite understand?" Craniamon asked.
"Every adventure." Usopp said.
"But no matter what happens, we always find a way to stop it." Hope said.
"Yeah. so I wanna ask." Connor said. "No matter what happens after we beat the titans and we find out what exactly happened here… will you all still trust me?"
"What're you asking that for?"
"I'm the one who started all this. I came here looking to bust the Universal Villains for something, and thanks to me and Jasper, all of us are in this mess." Connor said. "The more we go through these islands, the more I think something really bad at the end could be my fault."
"Would you stop blaming yourself, baka?" Chris said. "Those villains started this mess, not you. They're also the reason why me and the other Attuned are here in the first place."
"And also the reason why we came here to look for them." Kanade added.
"And you didn't let it get to you at the start." Betty said. "In fact, you did more good than bad. If it weren't for you, we'd all be incarcerated on the Ark."
"Stuff happens for a reason, whether it's good or bad. There are no accidents, you just need to accept it and move on." Zi-O stated.
"Yeah… thanks, Zeo." Connor siad. "What the hell am I thinking, letting that get to me? So enough with the depressive mood. Whatever's coming after this, we've got work to do."
The group headed towards the nearest Cyberspace Portal from their location and installed the Portal gear into it, activating it.
"Anyone up for taking the first shot at a cyberspace portal here?" Connor asked..
"Mind if I take this one?" Regina volunteered.
"Really, Regina? You?" Hilda asked. "Speed's your game, right?"
"Don't worry, I got some training thanks to Fu Hua with her ki training." Regina assured. "Just because I came from the Pretty Cure world, doesn't mean I don't get to try new things, not to mention being a former enemy to them."
"You should be fine, Regina. You got this." Starlight supported, earning a smile from her.
"Well then, wish me luck." Regina said as she entered the gate by touching it.
"Heh, Mana Aida and the others are gonna be really proud of how she's grown once she's back in her own world." Geiz smirked.
(Cue: Azure Blue World - Sonic Adventure)
"A beach this time? Well that's a sudden change of pace." Regina remarked as she flew ahead with her powers along with her ki providing a speed boost. "Oh well, at least the place is nice."
As she got to an unstable bridge, an orca began chasing after her. "An orca?! Seriously?!" Regina gawked before flying away from the orca as fast as she could.
Despite the chase, Regina collected all five Red Star Rings and more than enough Rings, reaching the goal within 35 seconds.
"An orca. Why did it have an orca?!" Regina complained after appearing out of the gate with the Vault Keys in hand, the blue Chaos Emerald vault unsealing further away in response.
"...You went through Emerald Coast, didn't you?" Starlight guessed. "It's a nice beach, if you can avoid the orca first."
"Did Sonic have a vendetta against orcas or something?" Zi-O questioned.
"Not that we know of. Orla didn't have anything against him when we visited Shipshape Aquarium." Hope said.
"Not very good memories of orcas for me and Saki either." Aya said.
"Sorry to hear about that." Seele said to Aya and Saki.
"But anyway, the Blue Emerald's up for grabs. Let's hurry and grab it." Hilda said.
The group hurried towards the Blue Emerald Vault, all the while Hope thought of something.
"Hey, Hibiki… you don't really like fighting people if you can help it if they're still capable of change, right?" Hope asked..
"Yeah. If there's a chance that someone can change, I want to help them without violence. But it's not as easy as it seems." Hibiki replied. "We can't solve everything with words alone."
"Figured it wasn't gonna be that easy…" Hope said.
"Hope… you're not seriously thinking we can actually help Neo out, are you?" Glimmer asked.
"Is there a reason not to? Hating Ruby is the only thing keeping her going, but what happens if she takes her and us down? She'll have no reason to live." Hope said.
"I understand your optimism. But keep in mind that she is still a member of the Universal Villains. She'll be an enemy regardless." Trish said.
"But does that mean we leave her stewing in her own misguided hatred? Personally… I don't think so." David said.
"David's right, we can't leave her in that unstable state. We have to help her break through that trauma. After that, it's all up to her on what path she will choose." Starlight agreed.
"She'll still oppose us, yes. But maybe we can have her channel that into something less self-inflicting." Crusadermon said.
"Like what?" Kanade asked.
"I don't know. But we'll think of something." Crusadermon said.
"Let's just focus on our mission for now. We'll think about how to deal with Neo when the time comes." Tsubasa stated.
"Yeah…for now we should focus on…" Usopp said before dropping down in front of them was a massively tricked out Tower. "That."
EXCAVATOR
"Would you look at that? The Tower's got an upgrade." Ulrich said.
"It's still goin' tumbling. Just like the last one, gotta knock down its sections!" Peacock said, timing a shot from her portable cannon just right to knock one of the excavators segments out from under it.
The Excavator then hovered in the air as it fired explosive spikes from one of its rings at the group as it repositioned itself.
"You're starting to piss us off." Sanji said before jumping into the air. "Concasse!" he said, nailing its head with a drop kick, causing the Guardian to explode and drop its gate gear.
"That works." Makoto said, grabbing the portal gear. "You guys wanna get another set of vault keys before we get our first emerald?"
"Let's do it." Jexi said.
The group found a portal nearby close to the Blue Emerald, and activated it.
"I'll give this one a go, this time." Copen volunteered.
"Hopefully something not as hot as a volcano, this time." Lola said.
"Godspeed, Ix." Gunvolt said, earning a nod from Copen as he vanished after touching the gate.
(Cue- Mt. Red: A Symbol of Thrill *Red Mountain*- Sonic Adventure)
"Hm, a mountain area this time." Copen remarked as he dashed ahead with his jet boosters.
"I thought I said no places as hot as a volcano!" Lola complained.
"Stop complaining and let's get this done." Copen deadpanned as he moved on, destroying anything in his path with his Divider pistol and support bits firing homing lasers.
Copen was able to make his way through the mountain in good time, collecting rings and plenty of Red Star rings in good time. But at a certain point, he soon found themselves falling through a trapdoor, deep into the inside of a part of the mountain.
(Music Shift: Red Hot Skull *Red Mountain*- Sonic Adventure)
"Looks like I'm in the deeper part of the mountain." Copen observed before dashing ahead. "But I've got no time to sightsee."
"Yeah, considering the rising lava coming up!" Lola added.
Copen noticed said rising lava and dashed as quickly as he could to avoid being burnt. He grabbed the last few Red Rings, and made it to the end with no damage and with a clear time of a minute and 30 seconds.
With the 7 keys Copen collected, the Red Emerald's vault was unsealed, although it was isolated on a mass of land a bit of a distance away.
"So, where did you two go?" Joule asked.
"A red mountain… with lava deep within. And just when I said no volcanoes…" Lola answered.
"The Red Mountain stage. Sonic must've blazed through that place to reach the Egg Carrier in the past." Zi-O recalled. "He didn't make it in time, but thanks to Tails and his Tornado 2, he was able to reach there."
"Yeah, if it weren't for him, Sonic would be stuck in that mountain." Starlight nodded.
"Tails really helped Sonic a lot thanks to his intelligence despite being so young." Geiz remarked.
"Tails hasn't just helped Sonic, he's also helped us." Hope said. "He's the one who made all the technology we use on our adventures."
"He's even got his own lab on our ship to create said gadgets." Odd said.
"Although sometimes… I wonder if perhaps Tails feels like he's falling behind us some days?" Ogami pondered.
"Why do you always say stuff like that? Tails said it himself that he doesn't mind being in the support role." Vera said.
"And yet he was able to save Station Square alone and defeated Eggman." Starlight mentioned. "And he defeated him again in the Space Colony Ark."
"So don't worry, Ogami. Tails doesn't have to be on the frontlines to be a powerful force." David said.
"You're right, I shouldn't think too morbidly. We appreciate what Tails has done for us as a member of our alliance, from building all our technology to helping make the Galaxy King itself." Ichiro said.
"Aw…feeling support towards your little fox friend?" a voice said as Torchwick stood above them.
"Of course we do, it's called friendship." Vashyron said.
"Friendship. Neo had that and more. Even when we caused chaos in Beacon. But we all know how that ended." Torchwick said.
"Seriously, let this go. You wanna try and kill Ruby, try it." Bakugo said.
"Oh no no no. Death is too good. She deserves to be broken down…wiped from the face of the planet." Torchwick said.
"We're not gonna let Neo do that to Ruby all because of a misunderstanding!" Gemini said.
"Oh…are you talking about the Nevermore?" Torchwick asked.
"She…she knows?" Hope asked.
"Doesn't change the fact that if Little Red hadn't stuck her nose where it didn't belong, well…you get the picture." Torchwick said.
"I suppose in some ways, what you're saying may be true." David acknowledged. "But revenge is just going to make you worse!"
"Sorry, but your complaints are falling on deaf ears. Now…it's time you all went and died cause of Little Red." Torchwick said.
"What? You think we're scared of a guy in a white suit with a cane?" Natsu asked.
"Oh, not me." Torchwick said pointing his cane upward as descending downward was a giant robot equipped with a shield and longsword. "Meet our associate, Mr. Knight. Unfortunately, unlike his name, your night…is not going to be so good."
Knight swung its shield arm before tossing it out as it became a razor saw projectile.
"So… what are you heroes gonna do now?" Torchwick smirkingly asked.
Connor then looked around to see a Squid flying by, leaving behind its purple light trail.
"The best we can." Connor simply replied. "Ajna! Get on that Squid's light road and make the shield follow you!"
"Right!" Ajna said, shifting into her Tara Heruka form and dashing off.
"You really think we're that stupid?" Torchwick said as the shield sent some of the heroes flying.
"What? But…" Connor said.
"Come on…you kickstarted all of this and you think us going after one of you will make us forget the rest?" Torchwick said.
"Don't play games with me, Torchwick! This isn't my fault!" Connor said.
"Oh but it is. You don't know it but you're being used for something you have no business being part of." Torchwick said.
"Used? As if. I brought everyone here." Connor said.
"Yeah but be honest. Was it really your idea…or did someone tell you to do it?" Torchwick asked.
"The voice…" Connor realized.
"Ah, so you're finally starting to realize it now. Seeing the big picture. And it's all coming together on these islands. You and your musical friends…you all have a connection with your little…mystery voice… and don't even know it." Torchwick said.
"What are you talking about?" Connor said.
"Oh you…" Torchwick said before hearing a shout as Ajna ran back with the shield cutting apart the illusion and hitting the wall.
"Aw, man! Right as he was about to spill the beans!" DW typed.
"Not the time!" Natalie said as they all took off as the Knight just roared as Neo just looked down from the top of the volcano with a look of disdain as they ran.
"Well, we got away… but I think we might've made Neo more angry at us." Kaibara said.
"It was inevitable. We knew it wasn't going to be easy." David said. "Still, some of the stuff that Torchwick said sounded very concerning."
"From the sound of it, it seems the Universal Villains already know the secrets about the Ancients and what's been going on." Robin said.
"When it gets put like that, it almost sounds like they're the ones trying to stop us." Leonie mentioned.
"Guh… Guess this whole thing was a screw up after all." Connor said.
"So are you just gonna stand there and believe it was your fault? Or are you gonna help us fix the mess you made?" Ragna asked.
"Of course I want to fix it!" Connor raised his voice. "Honestly, I kind of knew it was my fault right from the start. All of it. And that's why we can't leave this place with our tails between our legs. Whatever it is those Ancients are so scared of, we're probably on the track to setting it free. But y'know what? I say let's bust it loose so we can kick its ass when it comes out!"
"Connor is right. At this point, this is a necessary evil. We have to keep going with this until the end." Francisca said.
"Though I don't think setting it free was the right phrasing. Makes us sound like the Villain Alliance now. Hard to believe it would rely on…would it really just rely on Connor?" Jexi pondered as his comm rang. "What's up? Mikan?"
"It's terrible. It's Sonic…he…he…" Mikan cried.
"He's run off on his own." Teba said, taking over the comms.
"Wait, what? Are you sure, Teba?" Vera asked.
"It was a blue blur in red shoes. Doubt it could be anyone else." Teba said.
"We did our best to stop him from leaving, but considering his title, he's too fast for us to catch him." Theresa added.
"That stubborn idiot!" Chris muttered. "Can he at least stay still for more than a minute?!"
"This is Sonic the Hedgehog we're talking about here. Staying still is never in his dictionary." Starlight stated.
"This is bad. In the condition Sonic is in, there's no telling what's going to happen." David said.
"Exactly. Sonic was the target the whole time. Connor was just the backup." Jexi said. "And Sonic has a reason to do all of this. He's not gonna stop until Amy, Knuckles and Tails are fixed."
"Even knowing it would cost him." Ace said.
"Well…if it wasn't a race before…it is now." Ranma said.
"This is going to end in disaster. I just know it." Zi-O muttered. "The question is: will we be able to handle what's to come?"