In the world of Mobius, islands are scattered throughout its beautiful world in place of continents. Islands are, of course, part of much larger pieces of land that have been flooded over due to the passages of time. Islands can vary in size - the very rare large islands can house multiple civilizations to the small islands that can only hold a single settlement, if even that. In the case of small islands, there are two sides of a single coin they can become… A town filled with nice and welcoming locals willing to give visitors a meal; or a town filled with lawless individuals who stew in chaos…

Out on the wide open ocean of the Mobius Sea, the boat Julie, Aleena, and Sally used to arrive to West Island when Omelette attacked, Jenni is seen driving it this time Sonic and the Freedom Fighters rested in the back. Though Sonic was… naturally not happy about being around water.

Sonic: "So… This boat's perfectly safe, right?"

Jenni: "As long as you don't rock the boat."

Sally: "So why the sudden trip, Jen? I mean, shouldn't we be at West Island and make sure it doesn't get attacked… again?"

Jenni: "I'm working on that. With the Chaos Emeralds still in my custody, I figured I could utilize them somehow. And with Agatha still at home, West Island should be secure enough to allow me to finish Project Paradise."

Sally turns to Sonic before the two exchanged an unconvinced look, then turning back to Jenni.

Sonic: "Yeeaah… We aren't buying that. What's really up, Jen?"

Jenni waves them off before turning towards the horizon. Sonic and Sally were worried, but decided to let it go for now. They'd still help defend West Island regardless. Julie then speaks up as she enjoys the sea breeze.

Julie: "So where are we going, Doc?"

Jenni: "An excellent question. We are heading to Genocide City."

The boat gets quiet at the mention of the name of the city, everyone having concerned looks.

Jenni: "O-Okay, yes, the name itself isn't flattering, but the name doesn't have any meaning; in fact, it's more of a relic name from when a species that lived on that island met a rather nasty end many years ago. A genocide in other words."

Nicole's Voice: "Quite a history lesson, Lady Jen… Um… Why not skip to why we're going there?"

Jenni turns to the closed computer containing Nicole's AI, then at the Freedom Fighters. She then chuckled nervously, remembering that not everyone is into grim topics like those.

Jenni: "R-Right… Sorry… Um… So I called a friend of mine and… I asked her to make your team more official under the name of the law. See… This friend of mine is the head of a rather quaint adventure's guild called the 'World's Knights'."

Sonic: "Wait… THOSE 'WORLD'S KNIGHTS'!?"

Jenni: "Yep. I told you about them years ago when you were a kid. Though I never met the leader herself personally until my fall from grace moment of my life. To put it nicely, she's one of those types that follows the 'Tough Love' approach. Either way, I figured you guys would be better with her and start training as a team than at West Island… where you can cause more trouble…"

Tekno got a bit sheepish at that, but Amy, Julie, and Rosie looked a bit confused.

Amy: "Is that supposed to mean something?"

Jenni: "Bluntly? Yes. Your team work sucks. Like… as sick as I am, I could still beat all of you with one arm tied behind my back, blindfolded, and on a unicycle. That's just how pathetic the lot of you are right now."

Tails: "Y-Yeesh… There's blunt… and then there's cruel…"

Jenni: "I don't sugarcoat things, kiddo. Anyway, we're about to dock."

The group look ahead from the side of the boat, seeing in the distance… an island that is composed of only the city. The city looked like some kind of shady hangout for some of the worst kinds of Mobians. A very trashy place to be sure. This did not boost confidence in Jenni's claims, but they had no reason not to trust in Jenni's judgment.

Sonic and his fellow Freedom Fighters leave the docks after Jenni drops them off. After leaving the docks, the group see all kinds of figures as they pass by. One such figure is a coyote in a police uniform. Sally clears her throat as she approaches.

Sally: "Excuse me, officer!"

Police: "Oui? May I help you, miss?"

Sally: "Yes. We're new here and we were hoping for some directions. Um… Is there a guild called the 'World's Knights' in this city?"

Police: "Ze 'World's Knights'? Sorry, miss. I haven't a clue about zat. But you may find somezing by heading to ze library."

The officer then points down the street going east.

Police: "Go down Arbor Drive and you'll find eet."

Sally: "Thank you, officer."

Police: "Officer D'Coolette, at your service, madam. Do be careful now."

Sally nods before gesturing her friends to follow. Sonic gives a thankful wave as he passes by before continuing on his way. Once the group was past Officer D'Coolette, the coyote lifted up a radio separate from his police radio before talking into it.

D'Coolette: "Cool Officer to Blind Bullet. Do you copy?"

"Blind Bullet": "Antoine, stop with the code name… Anyway, are they here?"

Antoine: "Um… Oui. They are heading your way now."

"Blind Bullet": "Fantastic. See you at the guild after your shift then."

Antoine: "Oui. Thank you."

As the group go through the street they were instructed to go, two figures are seen on top of a building a fair distance away. One of the figures was a mouse wearing a black long coat spinning around a pistol; the other was a taller yellow furred girl bunny in a police outfit, much like Antoine earlier, but with a cowgirl hat on top of blonde, braided hair. The bunny looked at the mouse and sighed.

Bunny: "Rei, hun, when yer friend called us to train yer friends, don'tcha think she also meant fer ya to… well… talk to 'em… normal-like?"

Rei: "Oh shush, Bunnie. You act like I'm doing something wrong. I'm just greeting them in my own way."

Bunnie: "Ya know, if I wasn't part of th' guild, I'd have ya arrested fer disturbin' the peace."

Rei: "You can arrest me when you find a dead body with my name written on it. Anyway…"

Rei stops spinning her pistol before pulling out a second one from her left holster and points both guns at Sonic's group.

Rei: "Hmm…"

Rei began to listen to her surroundings, focusing her ears to the sounds of the group's footsteps. Once her target was locked, she fired her guns. The sound of the guns firing wasn't missed by the group, but they were caught completely off guard; by the time any of them knew what was up, Amy and Sally were hit by some strange slime that ejected from the fired bullets, pinning both girls to the pavement, causing the rest of the Freedom Fighters to scatter, except for Sonic and Tails.

Sonic: "Sally! Amy!"

Sally: "Wh-What is this stuff!?"

Amy: "S-Some kind of slime! I-I can't move or call my hammer!"

Tails looks around and sees a shadow hopping from roof to roof, changing vantage points.

Tails: "Sonic! We need to hide! Someone's on the rooves!"

Sonic: "The roof, huh? Well, time for them to get grounded."

Sonic, rather than hide, runs up along the nearest building and starts jumping from roof to roof. As he lands, he spots the long coat wearing figure and gets ready to give chase… that is until his feet are snagged by a lasso, tripping him to land on his face.

Sonic: "Ow… A lasso…?"

Bunnie: "That's right, blue boy. Can't let ya be causin' trouble."

Sonic turns around to see Bunnie approach him, then hogtie him tightly so he wouldn't try and escape.

Sonic: "Are we being punked right now!?"

Julie starts running through the alleyways, using a more familiar tactic to her to avoid whatever trap they just walked right into. She soon stops as she draws out her gun, peering over the corner slowly, unaware of her being watched - or rather, heard - from above. Rei hears out Julie's quiet movements. To her, there was a hint of machinery that could be heard.

Rei: "Huh. Cybernetics, eh? Sounds like a job for you, Relic."

Julie continues to walk through the alley, keeping an eye out for any trouble. As she exits the alley, a figure approaching her startles her enough to point her gun at the figure. A teal pika with light blue highlights and what look to be archeology gear on.

Pika: "Wh-Whoa! Hold on! Don't shoot!"

Julie: "...Huh? Sorry, but… What are you doing here? Someone just pinned my friends. Why are you out here?"

Pika: "I-I was just reassembling some books when I heard a couple of gunshots. Are you hurt?"

Julie: "No… No, I'm fine. Are you a librarian then?"

Pika: "Yes. I'm Relic the Pika. I run the library near here."

The pika extends a hand, smiling politely at the echidna. Julie was wary, but the pika didn't seem so bad.

Julie: "Julie. And… Sorry, but I wasn't born yesterday."

Julie swept her leg under Relic, tripping the girl off her feet. Confused, Relic shook her head only to find a gun pointed at her face.

Julie: "Conveniently showing up just to check up on me? And coming out after hearing some gunshots? Yeah, I wasn't falling for it."

Relic stared at the gun, then at Julie before sighing.

Relic: "Well, I tried the easy way."

Julie raised an eyebrow before feeling a drop kick from behind. The attacker was so quick that Julie couldn't even register that someone was coming at her. Julie gets knocked over Relic and onto the ground, causing her to drop her gun and effectively knock her out. Relic looks at her savior, an orange manx cat with brown hair tied by a green bow into a ponytail and wearing a red top and matching tights.

Relic: "Right on time, Tiara."

Tiara: "Thanks! Hope I didn't break her back though…"

Relic: "Oh, she'll be fine, I'm sure."

Relic picks up Julie's gun before working on Julie's cybernetic arm, disabling it to ensure she was down.

Rosie peers from the corner from where she hid, finding Sally and Amy still stuck on the ground. Tails had flown away to chase after Sonic, leaving the girls alone. Rosie quietly moves to Sally.

Rosie: "Forgive my cowardice, princess… I think whoever pinned you two has vanished for now…"

Sally: "Yeah, but Sonic went after them and hasn't come back… I think we got set up…"

Rosie: "By Jenni?"

Sally: "No… I don't think she knew about any of this… But that officer D'Coolette… Find Tekno and see if you can find help."

Rosie nods and was about to leave to find help, but a net drops onto her, trapping her under it. She starts to struggle, trying to get free, even using her arrows to try and cut it, but to no avail. Above where the now trio laid trapped, Bunnie stretched a bit as she walked away from the edge of the building, kneeling down to face Sonic.

Sonic: "Whatever joke this is, I'm not laughing."

Bunnie: "Aw. A little salty 'bout losin' to a girl?"

Sonic: "No. Sally's pretty tough on her own and Amy knows how to swing that hammer around. You hogtying me doesn't really compare."

Bunnie: "Sorry, hun. Truly, I am. But we're doin' this for a reason."

Voice: "It better be a good one then!"

Bunnie's ear perks up before she turns to the voice, only to get socked in the face by a fist from Tails. This knocks Bunnie back a bit, allowing Tails to untie Sonic and help him to his feet.

Tails: "Sonic! You okay?"

Sonic: "Nothing to it, lil buddy! Guess I fell for their trap though…"

Bunnie looked at the duo with a glare, cracking her knuckles as she got serious.

With Tekno, the canary was flying high above the city, breathing heavily as she had been flying for a while. She lands on the tallest building overlooking the city, taking in the view.

Tekno: "Whoa… Pretty awesome…"

She shook her head before sitting down, starting to think about the situation.

Tekno: "Okay… Sally and Amy were taken down by some goop from… bullet shells? I imagine it was because of Sally's leadership skills and Amy's hammer that they were taken down… We all just scattered after that… Ugh… I feel so stupid doing that… But maybe the coast is clear."

Tekno turned to look at the view, this time using the vantage point to scope out the one who fired any guns. She spots Sonic and Tails fighting Bunnie and mistakes the rabbit as the one who fired the guns. She cheered them on, happy to see the assassin get their comeuppance. That is until she felt cold metal on the back of her head, to which everything just froze and her green feathers turned immediately pale.

Rei: "Hi. I'm that 'assassin' you were cheering against."

Within a few seconds, Tekno was left on the roof, gooped down the same way as Sally and Amy. Rei puts her guns in her holsters as she starts walking away.

Rei: "Sorry to scare and run… But I've got a couple o' boys to set straight. Sit there and don't fly off before I come to collect you."

Rei walks off the edge of the building, falling feet first down the building. But before she could hit the ground, she flips, pulling her legs close to her chest before bouncing off the side of the building and propelling herself to another building, wall running on that building before bouncing off again, quickly approaching Sonic, Tails, and Bunnie.

Sonic and Tails continued their fight with Bunnie; the bunny officer was tough, able to block Sonic's Spin Dash and dodge Tails' tail swings, but outside of that, she wasn't too far from a normal Mobian.

Sonic: "Lady, might be best if you gave up. Between my speed and Tails' flight, you're outmatched."

Bunnie: "Don't underestimate the law, hun."

Just then, Rei flips into the scene, landing on the roof the trio were using as a battlefield with enough force to send some dust in the air. She then stands up tall (or as tall as her small height will allow) and looks towards Sonic and Tails.

Rei: "Yo, Bunnie. Tag out. Leave these two to me."

Bunnie: "You sure, Rei? These two aren't just your average kids."

Rei: "Neither are any of you yet I put up with your antics. Besides, Antoine would be awfully cross with me if I told him his wife got beaten up by a couple of fourth graders."

Tails: "F-Fourth graders!? We're not that immature!"

Sonic: "Easy, Tails. She's just trying to rile us up."

Tails: "Uh? …Right. Sorry."

Rei stares down the duo, a light gust blowing as the tension started to rise. Sonic and Tails got ready as Rei pulled out her two pistols, loading two different mags of ammo into them. She then got into her own ready position as she smiles.

Rei: "Ready? …GO!"

Sonic and Tails rush at the rodent Mobian, Sonic bouncing into the air while Tails aimed low. Rei jumped over the fox, side spinning with her pistols outstretched. She then fires her left pistol at Sonic who was coming down on her, sending him flying further upwards with some kind of compressed air cannon. The resulting air compression sends Rei landing on top of Tails with a hard, low elbow drop before she jumps off.

Tails: "GACK! C-Compressed air!?"

Sonic drops back down, landing on his feet before turning to Tails.

Sonic: "Looks like this girl has more than just goop in those guns."

Tails: "But why is she attacking us?"

Rei began spinning her pistol playfully as she waits for the duo's next move.

Sonic: "I'm curious about that too… But will she answer if we ask?"

Rei: "Maybe. After all, it's not like Jen told me to kill you all."

Sonic and Tails froze at that comment - more so at the mention of Jenni's nickname. Only Jenni's closer friends knew that nickname; following this bit of logic, Sonic started connecting the dots.

Sonic: "You're Jen's friend!?"

Rei: "We go out for drinks and gamble on occasion. Bad habits and all."

Sonic: "Then that'd make you… the leader of the World's Knights!"

Rei: "Rei the Rat, Rei the Gunslinger, Rei the Knight, or Rei the Bounty Hunter. Or just Rei. Sup?"

A bit of time passes as things calm down. Sally, Amy, Tekno, and Rosie were freed while Julie was led back to the rest of the group as Rei explains the whole situation to the Freedom Fighters.

Sally: "Wait… So all of that was a test? How come we weren't warned ahead of time?"

Rei: "You're going up against some pretty hardcore enemies, Acorn. You think they'll give you a chance to breathe? This test was to see how you all would react to a sneak attack, how you all would react to two of your members being downed - potentially killed - and your general skills. Needless to say… I'm not impressed. You all lack the basic fundamentals of being a Freedom Fighting group, let alone a team. You can fight, but you can't fight like a team. You have no chemistry. No teamwork. And quite frankly… No chance in hell in saving your kingdom."

The Freedom Fighters looked dejected at the harsh criticisms. And they had no rebuttal either; they all did poorly, most ran away at the sight of Sally and Amy getting captured. But Sonic didn't falter.

Sonic: "Then we'll just learn. That is why we're here, right? To be a team! To be friends who can rely on one another! To be the Freedom Fighters! So even if we have to start at the bottom, we'll become a true team together!"

Sally looked at Sonic and smiled, reigniting her passion as she stood tall to Rei's critique. Rei could only smile, shaking her head.

Rei: "You brat, Sonic… No wonder Jen takes a liking to you~ Alright, fine. Your funeral. Time to introduce your instructors, though most of you will have met already. Scarlet D'Coolette, we call her Bunnie, the head of police in Genocide City…"

Bunnie: "Sorry to get all rough on ya, blue boy. And nice sneak attack, foxy."

Rei: "Tiara Boobowski. She's our latest recruit but has been a part of our team since she was a baby. She's practically my daughter."

Tiara: "Aww… I'm flattered Rei. But I'm planning on graduating to becoming a full fledged bounty hunter and make a name for myself!"

Rei: "Relic the Pika. She runs the local library, but she's also an archeologist and our token smart girl."

Relic: "I can handle things myself, but I do prefer brains over brawn."

Rei: "Sadly not present, but Antoine D'Coolette is also one of our's. He and Bunnie are happily married."

Bunnie: "Aw, shush, Rei! They don't need to hear that!"

Bunnie blushes as she looked away with a pout.

Rei: "And my name is Rei, the guildmaster of the World's Knights. If you are all serious about becoming a team then allow me to play it straight. If you are unwilling to work, unwilling to cooperate, unwilling to mind your manners, then you will not be fed. You will not be given a bed. Here, you work to eat. I expect nothing less than your best. Do I make myself clear!?"

Sonic: "Yeah, we hear you."

Rei glared at the group, they suddenly standing at attention as if they were in the military now.

Freedom Fighters: "MA'AM, YES, MA'AM!"

Rei: "Good. We'll talk about your assignments tomorrow. For now, get a good night's sleep. Bunnie here will take you to where you'll be sleeping for the duration. ANY QUESTIONS!?"

Freedom Fighters: "NO!"

Rei: "What was that!?"

Freedom Fighters: "NO, MA'AM, NO!"

Rei: "Dismissed!"

Bunnie then takes over as she leads Sonic and his friends to their sleeping quarters while Rei watches on. Tiara looks to her with a curious look before speaking up.

Tiara: "Rei… What are you planning anyway? Should we be worried?"

Rei: "Heh… All in due time, Tiara. You get some shut eye too. It'll be a long day for all of us."

Tiara nods, then leaves with Relic as they head to their own sleeping quarters. Rei turns to Sonic and Sally before smiling softly.

Rei: "We'll see how far their leadership takes them."

To be continued…