I'm back!
guest (Aug 17): No need to apologize. Everything's fine. I hope you'll enjoy the story. X3
guest (Aug 20): I haven't incorporated that yet, but I am planning on incorporating Sonic's moves from Sonic Frontiers, as well as the Doom Powers from Sonic X Shadow Generations, and yes, Black Doom will appear in the future. In fact, there will be a whole story arc called The Black Arms Arc, adapting Shadow the Hedgehog (2005), the Sonic Universe comics featuring Eclipse, as well as Sonic X Shadow Generations.
To note, I took a bit of a break, but now we'll finally launch into the final part of The Neo Genesis Arc!
Enjoy!
Entry 61
What I'm Here For
''I don't care what you're thinking as you turn to me. 'Cause what I have in my two hands is enough to set me free (set me free). I could fight the feeling to resist it over time. But when it's just too much to take, you sneak up from behind. Is it me, you say, you're looking for? Let me show you who I am and what I'm here for... (here for)!''
– What I'm Made Of (Shadow Remix) by Sonic Heroes (Zarkator Cover, Sonic X Shadow Generations, Theme of Neo Metal Sonic)
xXxXxXx
Sonic took a deep breath, smiling contently as he stretched on the tree branch he was lying on and feeling the warm rays of the sun warming his body in patches as the tree crown partially obscured the light. He was in Heizeru Park, him and his friends having returned home a couple of days ago, and he had to admit that, while their little adventure in the Surya Empire was quite exciting, he was genuinely happy to be back in Starpoint Area, and more importantly, on solid land. Despite the fatigue he felt due to the jet lag, he immediately ran off the moment they landed at the airport near Neos City, rushing into freedom. It appeared that none of his teammates minded it, as they were also tired and happy to be back home, and when Sonic crashed on the couch again, he woke up the next day in his bedroom, realizing Lucas carried him over when he was completely knocked out.
The next day, they met up with Omega, who bitterly recounted how nothing had happened in the past few days and got really annoyed when he talked about Metal Sonic rejecting a battle with him. Sonic had to admit that it was a bit strange to see the normally headstrong robot go through such a range of emotions, but considering how he was disappointed that he couldn't get to destroy any Eggman robots – even more when Silver innocently mentioned they came across robots during their adventure – it wasn't really surprising. At least Touka managed to comfort him by patting him on the back in a compassionate manner and promising they'll call him immediately if Eggman decided to attack them. Her promise did manage to cheer him up.
Nevertheless, it appeared that Eggman, or Metal Sonic and Ferra for that matter, have taken note of Team Neos' return, as no attack had happened, which was fine with the rest of the team. They just wanted to have a day off when they could relax. Sonic had the same mindset, except the time he needed to relax was much shorter, so he bounced back almost immediately and was ready for another adventure. However, it appeared that none of his friends could match his energy, let alone were ready to get back into action and preferred to just have a quiet day.
Well, save for one.
''I wonder why Metal Sonic was so insistent on fighting me,'' Sonic said, seemingly talking to no one.
''I could think of a few reasons, but considering how Metal Sonic views you, none of them are particularly flattering,'' Shadow responded in a calm and matter-of-fact, but slightly deadpan tone, causing Sonic to snort in amusement, well aware what he meant. He glanced below, taking note of Shadow sitting below the branch Sonic was lying on, and reading a novel he had downloaded on his AR Visor while Sonic was taking a nap. Sonic knew that, to anyone alse, Shadow sounded rather contemptous, if not outright rude, but to him, this was just another snarky remark typical for his rival.
After all, they were still navigating through their new dynamic, trying to figure out how to interact with each other. They actually had one of their usual battles just earlier, albeit with an added condition. It wasn't really a rule they had set up, but more of a silent agreement that happened naturally when during the battle, one of them would win by pinning the other down and then promptly kiss the loser. The first time it happened, both were caught a little off guard, as they were still feeling a strong surge of adrenaline, as well as affection for each other, but one glance was enough for them to agree that this was something they both wanted, as it made things even more exciting for both.
That, and Sonic loved seeing the normally guarded and careful Shadow acting more on impulse.
Sonic hummed for a moment, reminding himself that being openly affectionate, especially in a romantic sense, was still new to both of them, and they exploring the situation within a space they were comfortable with. He had to admit that it also felt a little ironic, maybe even comical, that even though they knew exactly how they felt about each other, they would at times act as if they had no clue why they had the sudden urge to just kiss. This would lead to them trying to suppress whatever they felt in the moment and act like nothing happened. It couldn't be helped, but that didn't prevent the loser of the battle from feeling annoyed, especially when he was in mood for some affection while his partner was flustered by the whole thing.
Rest assured, Sonic was already silently plotting his revenge on Shadow denying him that affection, especially after seeing his rival staring at him with a smug grin after pinning him down on the ground.
''Well, my assumption is that Metal just wants to have another go at proving himself to be the real Sonic,'' Sonic replied, crossing his arms behind his back and leaning against the tree. ''That won't work, because we all know there is only one Sonic in existence.''
''I agree. After all, one Faker is already enough for me to deal with,'' Shadow replied in a deadpan tone, but the corners of his lips curved slightly upwards. Sonic rose an eyebrow, Shadow's comment leaving him wondering. Then, he smirked.
''Right, which is why you chose me as your boyfriend,'' Sonic said in a snarky tone, leaping off the branch and leaning against the tree, his arms folded as he gave Shadow a smug look. ''After all, there is no one who could replicate my unique and irresistible charm and handsome looks.''
Shadow rolled his eyes, trying to morph the earlier smirk into a frown. He was well aware where this was going as he closed the holographic screen and stood up, facing Sonic. He had to admit that he was getting a little bored and Sonic was clearly up for another challenge, so he was fine with engaging in some pre-battle banter.
''Don't get too arrogant, Hedgehog, else-''
Before Shadow could even finish his sentence, he was caught off guard by Sonic as the cupped his muzzle and pulled him into a warm and longing kiss. He could feel fluttering in his chest, which turned into a flaring sensation when Shadow returned the kiss, even pulling him closer by wrapping his arm around Sonic's waist. Sonic couldn't help but chuckle softly when he saw Shadow's expression after they broke off the kiss. His tan muzzle was tinted red, and it was clear that he was flustered by this, but at the same time, he managed to keep this serious and unamused look on his expression, growing more and more irritated when Sonic laughed louder and louder.
''Are you serious?!'' Shadow suddenly shouted at him angrily, but that didn't stop Sonic's heartful laughter. The azure hedgehog was well aware that Shadow was just angry because he was caught off guard like this. Shadow then scoffed, folding his arms, trying to regain his composture. Sonic's laughter finally died down and he grinned.
''Not so smug now, are we?'' Sonic replied, with Shadow understanding why Sonic did this, and sighed in defeat.
''I suppose you're satisfied now,'' Shadow responded. Sonic gave him a simple and innocent smile.
''You know, I'm not the only charming and irresistible and handsome hedgehog here, so I just had to find a way to make that clear,'' Sonic told him in a sincere tone.
He could see Shadow's eyes widen slightly, and a tint of red spread across his tan muzzle once again, his expression softening and a shy smile forming on his lips. Sonic considered this to be a victory, feeling quite proud of himself to be one of the handful people capable of making Shadow smile sincerely. He also had to admit that he absolutely adored the way Shadow looked at him, well aware that those kinds of gazes were reserved only for him and he cherished them dearly.
''You are worth all of the trouble, regardless of how difficult things get,'' Shadow told him.
Sonic beamed at him, a sense of joy swelling in his chest and he leaned closer, the familiar scent of lavender filling the air as he intertwined his fingers with Shadow's… only for their ears to twitch when they heard people cry for help, causing both of them to snap out of their current state.
''I guess this is what you call 'impeccable timing','' Sonic said in a slightly dry tone, the sense of joy he felt earlier vanishing instantly. However, he quickly bounced back to his usual chipper mood, and winked at Shadow. ''Wanna bet that Eggman is causing trouble again?''
''That is the most logical answer in this situation,'' Shadow replied, with the two immediately rushing towards where they heard the cries for help.
They ended up on the other side of Heizeru Park, where they saw people running away from Egg Pawns. Sonic smirked, quickly rushing towards them and crushing an Egg Pawn with his spin attack, while Shadow threw a Chaos Spear at another. Sonic then followed his attack by a spin-dashing right into the Egg Pawn that sneaked up behind Shadow.
''Is it just me, or is trashing those Badniks getting a bit too easy?'' Sonic said, ignorant to the fact that an Egg Pawn was creeping up on him. However, Shadow did, spin-dashing into the Egg Pawn and ripping the cords out for good measure. Shadow frowned, staring back at Sonic.
''You were saying?'' Shadow asked in a deadpan tone. Sonic just gave him a sheepish look, with the two quickly finishing off the rest of the Egg Pawns. They then looked around, with this area of the park being mostly empty due to everyone running off the moment they saw the Badniks, leaving both of them with an eerie feeling.
''Say, isn't this Eggman's cue to appear and throw an even bigger robot at us?'' Sonic asked, staring at the remnants of the Egg Pawns.
''I agree. The Doctor would've done much more than this if he actually wanted to do some damage,'' Shadow replied. Sonic hummed in thought.
''Maybe this was supposed to be our 'Welcome Home Committe','' Sonic suggested, grinning, while Shadow rose an eyebrow as the azure hedgehog crossed his arms behind his head. ''From what we know about Omega's encounter with Metal Sonic and Ferra, the two probably told Eggman that we were gone, and now he's aware that we're back.''
''If that's the Doctor's idea of welcoming us back, then we should remain alert,'' Shadow replied, folding his arms across his chest, his expression now serious. Sonic shrugged.
''Well, it's Eggman. I don't think he'll do something without broadcasting it all over city, so we will be alerted one way or another.'' Sonic gave Shadow a carefree look.
''This wasn't what I… Never mind,'' Shadow sighed, shaking his head and realizing that he shouldn't argue with Sonic over this, as he knew better, and decided to act instead. ''Do you want to sweep the city for any Badnik activity?''
Sonic nodded confidently. ''Of course I want to. If we come across any, we'll keep score of who destroys more.''
With that said, both rushed off, not even noticing Ferra gazing at them from a distance.
xXx
''Thank you for helping us out,'' Vector said as he, Espio and Charmy entered the Taylor Workshop, with Vector carrying a bag.
''No problem,'' Tails replied, welcoming them inside the workshop. ''You know that you can always ask us for help.''
''Right, so what we can do for you? You told us that you have been investigating something,'' Warren said.
''Yeah,'' Vector replied, him and Espio sitting down on the couch, while Charmy decided to buzz around, looking at Tails' and Warren's inventions. ''We had to investigate several disappearances of ARNavs, which led us to some kind of underground fighting ring.''
''What?!'' Tails and Warren were stunned by this revelation.
''The kidnapped ARNavs have been put into a battle against robots which were built to look more like a chimera than anything we have seen,'' Espio added in clarification. Vector then patted the bag he had brought along.
''We managed to scrap the robots, and when we asked the guy where he even got the robots, he told us he was supplied by someone named Mr. Grip. We looked into him, but-'' Vector was suddenly cut off by Charmy who flew right between him and Tails and Warren.
''He doesn't exist! It's a fake name!'' Charmy said. ''That's why we brought all the robot parts to you!''
''I see. You want us to identify where those robot parts came from,'' Tails said.
''If you can. The trail on the supplier went cold, so this is all that we have,'' Vector replied, with Tails pointing to the nearby work table.
''Put it over there,'' he said, reaching for the bag after Vector put it on the table, him and Warren examining each piece carefully. Both of them furrowed a brow after placing all the parts on the table and sorting them out, with the detectives observing the two.
''Have you found something?'' Espio asked curiously.
''Well, we would need a bit more time, but these parts look really familiar,'' Warren replied, picking up a piece, then pointed at a CPU. ''This is actually a CPU used by Eggman for his Badniks. I've seen this type in the Egg Pawns.''
''So, Eggman is Mr. Grip?'' Charmy asked, completely shocked by this reveal.
''I have my doubts about this,'' Vector suddenly said. ''Why would Eggman supply some random criminal with his own technology? That doesn't sound like him.''
''I agree, especially when you consider that these parts belonged to the Buddy Bots the Tamago Corporation had created a while ago,'' Tails said, drawing everyone's attention. He then pointed at one pile. ''In fact, a lot of these parts seem to have damage that was fixed hastily.'' He frowned. ''It's pretty shoddy work.''
''In other words, those parts aren't new?'' Espio asked, with Tails shaking his head. Vector hummed in thought.
''In conclusion, Eggman isn't supplying any of his own tech to outsiders, but instead, someone is stealing scrapped Badnik parts and selling them to others. Not only that, but they also made the effort to steal Tamago Corporation tech as well,'' Vector said.
''Didn't the Tamago Corporation clean up and recalled all of the Buddy Bots?'' Espio asked.
''They did, but it is possible that they missed some of them. The Buddy Bots were scattered all over Neos City,'' Vector pointed out.
''Vector is right,'' Tails said, adding, ''And that's not even counting the Buddy Bots we personally destroyed. Anyone could've picked them up and taken them away.''
''I suppose we would go and ask at the Tamago Corporation to see whether they have any records of stolen Buddy Bots,'' Espio suggested.
''That sounds like a good plan!'' Charmy chimed in.
''There is something that bothers me,'' Vector suddenly said, surprising everyone. ''Why would they just steal robots from Eggman and the Tamago Corporation? I assume there are other companies who manufucture robots.''
''Maybe it's because it's easy to steal from Eggman, since he always leaves his Badniks lying around?'' Charmy suggested.
''I think there is another reason for why they would specifically steal those from Eggman and the Tamago Corporation,'' Warren said, drawing their attention. ''Both of them are known to produce robots of the highest quality. The Tamago Corporation has, in fact, a monopoly on this, both hardware and software that is being used by almost everyone. As for Eggman, we already know that, while we are more than able to trash his robots, if someone else confronted them, they would have a lot of difficulty.'' He then turned to the patched remains of the Badnik. ''Even if the repairs were shoddy, you can tell that the robot was made by someone who values good quality and in better hands, it would've been restored to its original form.'' Warren then noticed the moment of silence, realizing everyone as staring at him and gave the group a confused look. ''What's wrong?''
''You sounded like you're praising Eggman for his work,'' Vector pointed out. Warren gave them a sheepish look.
''Well, he may be our enemy, but that doesn't mean that I cannot appreciate his work in the robotics industry,'' Warren replied, scratching the back of his head. ''My grandfather had told me that he had rivals in his field of work, and while some didn't hide their own jealousy of his work, he still would praise them for their accomplishments.'' His expression then changed to a confident one, and he fist-pumped. ''After all, an engineer should take pride in their creations and learn from and appreciate the creations of others. The only reason society has advanced so far is because we built on the creations of our predecessors.''
He then paused, glancing around and noticing the stunned look everyone gave him, only to feel a little embarrassed, realizing he got carried away by his speech. Tails then gave him a wide smile.
''I agree,'' he said, with Warren just smiling in response.
xXx
Silver was sitting on a bench at the botanical garden, reading the message he had gotten from Blaze, feeling quite happy about it, his heart warm. They had agreed to remain in contact and message regularly about anything that happened in their lives, especially since both Blaze and Sana wanted to get more involved, even if they lived in a different country and had their own duties to attend to.
''Anything new?'' Makoto asked, approaching Silver.
''Blaze said that they found another AR Field and plan on investigating it. She believes it might be another Sol Emerald,'' Silver replied.
''Sounds to me like they're going to have another adventure,'' Makoto said, humming in thought. ''I wonder why the Sol Emeralds actually remained in comparison to the Chaos Emeralds.''
''I don't know, and neither does Blaze, but she told me that she feels as if she'd find the answer if she gathers all of them,'' Silver replied, closing the holographic screen and getting on his feet. He gave Makoto a confident look. ''While she is busy with the Sol Emeralds, I will keep my part of the promise and protect the future from any kind of danger.''
Makoto was about to respond, when suddenly, both of them heard people shouting. They quickly ran towards the source of the noise, only to spot Egg Pawns marching towards the main building. Upon seeing this, Silver gave Makoto an anxious look. ''I hope I didn't just jinx us.''
''Don't worry. At this point, we should just get used to Dr. Eggman attacking us for whatever reason,'' Makoto assured them. Silver nodded, with both rushing towards the Egg Pawns, which suddenly found themselves lifted and crushed by a wave of cyan energy. It was a small group, but Makoto did scan around for any stragglers, only to spot Ferra standing nearby, staring at them. He had no idea why, but he felt a sudden chill due to just how intense her gaze was. Despite being well aware that Metal Sonic was also probably nearby, he still decided to confront her.
''Ferra, why are you attacking us?'' Makoto asked, stepping towards her. Ferra seemingly ignored the question, as well as the trashed Egg Pawns, and walked up to them instead, with Makoto and Silver giving her a suspicious look.
''It was rude of you and your friends to leave without telling me anything,'' Ferra told him, folding her arms as she stood before the two. Makoto and Silver gave her confused looks.
''No offense, but why should we tell you anything about where we're going?'' Makoto asked. Ferra tilted her head.
''It would be a courtesy, but I suppose this is something I should've expected from Sonic,'' Ferra said, turning to Silver and suddenly grabbing his arm, leaving both Makoto and Silver stunned. She smirked. ''Nevertheless, I can still take what I want with no resistance.''
''Let go!'' Silver shouted, ripping his arm out of Ferra's grip. He felt chills flowing down his spine when he saw her ominous gaze. She looked as if she had just accomplished something. Ferra then turned on her heel and walked away.
''Hey, where are you going?'' Makoto shouted after her, but she ignored the two. Makoto turned to Silver, who placed his hand on his other arm, suddenly feeling cold. ''Silver, are you okay?''
''I-I don't know. This was really weird,'' Silver replied, his voice a mix of shock and confusion. He felt as if someone dumped a bucket of cold water over him.
xXx
''This place definitely doesn't look like a water deity rampaged through it… Oh, hey, Big!'' Minami lifted her hand to wave at the purple cat and his frog companion, who was sitting on the bank of Cosmo River, fishing as usual. Big waved back at Minami and Amy, who were accompanied by Cream and Cheese, with Cream holding a small flower crown.
The four had decided to visit the area that had been destroyed by Perfect Chaos, as per Cream's request. She had talked about how it was unfair that Gamma was destroyed by Perfect Chaos and how she wanted to thank him properly for the sacrifice, so she made a flower crown and asked Amy and Minami to accompany her and Cheese to the area. The group noted how, while the streets have been cleaned from the debris, there were still many destroyed buildings and it would take a while before they could complete any repairs. The group then joined Big and Froggy at the riverbank, staring into the water.
''Even though I know that this wasn't where Mr. Gamma sacrificed himself, I still think it is the best place to do this,'' Cream said, with her friends nodding in acknowledgement. She then turned towards the river, closing her eyes. ''I know that you were a robot created by Dr. Eggman and that you were supposed to be very mean to us. However, you showed your kind side, and I will always be thankful for your help. I hope you'll rest easy.'' She then threw the flower crown into the water, then took a deep breath and turned to Cheese, Amy and Minami. ''I'm done now.''
''Chao, chao?'' Cheese flew up to Cream, giving the rabbit a worried look.
''Don't worry Cheese, I'm fine,'' Cream said, clapsing her hands. ''I actually feel a little better now.''
''You know, I'm sure that Gamma would've appreciated your speech and the flower crown,'' Amy told her. Cream smiled in response, only to sniffle and wipe her eyes, blinking away the signs of tears. She then felt Amy patting her head, comforting her.
''If you want, we could go and…'' Before Minami could even finish her sentence, they were met by a sudden blast of energy. Even Big got on his feet, brandishing the fishing pole as if it was some kind of weapon. Fortunately, the blast didn't hit anyone, but it drew their attention, with the group realizing that Egg Pawns were walking towards them. Minami groaned in annoyance. ''You've got to be kidding me!''
xXx
Sonic was standing on top of a street light pole, keeping himself balanced surprisingly easily and looking around for any sign of trouble. However, all he saw was the usual hustle and bustle of the streets in Sentoraru. Feeling slightly disappointed, he climbed down the pole and just shrugged when Shadow turned to him. ''I didn't see anything.''
''That still doesn't mean that the Doctor isn't up to something,'' Shadow told him in a matter-of-fact tone. ''It doesn't make sense for him to just send his Badniks after us without any given reason.''
''I know…'' Sonic muttered, only to snort in amusement. ''This kinda feels like we're trying to solve a puzzle.''
''I suppose you could call it that,'' Shadow replied. He then beckoned Sonic to follow him, as they still had a lot of searching to do. They had just gone through one part of Sentoraru, and Neos City was huge, so it would take some time until they came across anything.
That is also why he felt quite suspicious when they came across Ferra after taking a shortcut through a narrow side alley. Sonic, on the other hand, was more surprised than suspicious.
''Oh, hey, Ferra!'' he said in a chipper tone. Even though the teenage girl was technically an enemy, he didn't feel any hostility towards her and was fine with greeting her in a casual manner. Shadow, however, remained on guard, his quills bristling as he felt that there was something off, especially when he saw the look Ferra gave them… or rather, the look she gave Sonic. Even if it wasn't directed towards him, Shadow could feel a chill creeping up his spine and turned to Sonic, who seemed to also feel unsettled.
''I finally found you,'' Ferra muttered, only to suddenly charge towards the two, startling both Sonic and Shadow, and managing to grab their arms.
''What are you doing?!'' Shadow growled, ripping his arm out of Ferra's grip and pushing her away, with her letting go off both him and Sonic, stumbling back. Instead of answering, Ferra just gave them a smirk, with the two hedgehogs wondering what was wrong with her. Before they could do anything, their environment suddenly changed, but their attention was still on Ferra.
''It was just a matter of time until we met again, my loathsome copy,'' she said, and to Sonic and Shadow's horror, she started to melt into a silver liquid, morphing into another, quite familiar shape.
''Metal Sonic?!'' Sonic exclaimed, stunned by what had happened. Shadow, on the other hand, immediately took a battle stance. ''But, how?''
''You will learn soon enough,'' Metal Sonic replied, only for Sonic to suddenly interrupt him.
''Wait, since when can you speak?'' he asked, only for Metal Sonic to shoot him a glare.
''That is what you're focusing on?'' Metal Sonic was a little disappointed.
''Well, yeah… I mean, you never talk, so this came as a bit of a shock to me,'' Sonic said, not noticing Shadow rolling his eyes and clearly sharing Metal Sonic's sentiment of where Sonic's priorities were. Sonic then smirked. ''But, that means that we can finally throw in some proper banter during our fights.''
''It is quite baffling how you can be so oblivious to your situation,'' Metal Sonic told Sonic, then glanced at Shadow when the dark hedgehog gave a sharp nod, apparently agreeing with the robot hedgehog. Metal Sonic turned back to his counterpart. ''Fortunately, this is something you won't have to worry about anymore. We will have our battle soon enough and then, I will prove my superiority!''
To Sonic and Shadow's surprise, Metal Sonic suddenly vanished, leaving them within an AR Field that resembled a coastal archipelago filled with ancient temples. Shadow's eyes narrowed as he turned to Sonic.
''We need to escape this AR Field and go after Metal Sonic,'' he said.
''I know, but, how do we get out of here? There doesn't appear to be an exit,'' Sonic said. Both hedgehogs looked around the AR Field, noting its size.
''We'll either find it or make an exit of our own,'' Shadow said. ''Keep up with me.''
Sonic nodded, him and Shadow dashing along the coastline.
xXx
Lucas was on his hoverboard, speeding down Eas and going towards Sentoraru. Despite wanting to have a quiet day, he jumped into action right after he got messages from Makoto, Minami and Touka, who was at the Solar Stadium, telling him about the Badniks that suddenly appeared in the city. Lucas sent Sonic a message, but the cobalt hedgehog didn't respond at all. This caused Lucas to worry, as he sensed that this wasn't an ordinary attack. He stepped on the accelerator, the speed of the hoverboard increasing, with the wind whistling in his ears. He did get a messages from Warren, Tails and Team Chaotix, as well as Lily and Knuckles, that they would meat up en route. He also knew that Minami and Amy were at Cosmo River with Cream, Cheese, Big and Froggy, while Touka was in Sentoraru, having left Solar Stadium after she got help from Omega and Rouge.
From the information he got, the attacks were rather unfocused, but always close to where Team Neos or their allies were. He had figured that Dr. Eggman was probably targeting them, a sentiment his friends echoed, but there was something that was bothering him. He didn't understand why Sonic wasn't responding to his calls, and from what Touka had told him, she couldn't reach Shadow either. It as possible that the two were in trouble, but Lucas believed that they could handle themselves. Nevertheless, this didn't stop him from worrying.
I hope you're okay, Sonic.
xXx
Ferra was sitting on top of a small building, staring ahead at the streets below and waiting patiently for someone to appear. It didn't take this person long, revealing himself to be Metal Sonic. Ferra smiled knowingly.
''I thought you'd take the opportunity to destroy Sonic and Shadow,'' Ferra told him. Metal Sonic gazed at his hand.
''I have all of their data, but I don't know whether that will be sufficient enough,'' Metal Sonic told her. ''I might need more power.''
''I see…'' Ferra muttered, feeling a little concerned. ''But, would more power be enough?'' Metal Sonic gave her a surprised look, with Ferra's eyes narrowing. ''They don't know yet what you're capable of, but I'm certain that they'll figure it out soon. We have two options here – either go full out on them, or keep the stakes low and test your current abilities.''
Metal Sonic lowered his head, silent for a moment. He gave no answer.