SZ: *mutters a bit as I wrote something down* Let's see….there. That should do it...Won't have to worry about Deadpool coming back in here anymore.

GT: He better not! Because I will ask the Man in the Moon if I can borrow Jack Frost to freeze him solid and shoot him into space if he does!

SZ: Oh trust me…*snaps fingers as Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon dropped in*He won't want to deal with these 'Guard Dogs'.

GT: ...So long as they don't become one, I'm okay with them.

SZ: Oh you don't have to worry about that. As long as they're separated, and as long as you don't take the special collars I had made taken off, they won't fuse. *hears the painful scream of a certain merc* ahh...he must've encountered Starve Venom Fusion Dragon...too bad for him. Boy's hungry tonight.

GT: Right…

SZ: *nods as Odd-Eyes walked off* Anyways, minna. Welcome to the next chapter of Omniverse Underground. Today, we'll be dealing with the aftermath of the Shadow Arc.

GT: Correct. So be prepared for a lot of stuff over the next few chapters.

SZ: Indeed. No need for disclaimers since you all know who we own and don't own. So without further ado...let us begin.

GT: *reaches up and pulls down the scene*

Chaos paced around one of the many lakes of Angel Island, his pacing only disturbed at times when Chomp did a particularly strong stomp in his own pacing. The Water God halted and small ripples and pops went off in the lake as he shook a fist at Chomp. The dinosaur tilted his head before licking Chaos. The pops and ripples came out faster as Chaos wavved his arms to the sides comically. He was about to resume pacing when a shadow came over them. Chomp ran into the jungle near the lake as Chaos looked at the growing shadow. He looked up and…

*SPLASH*

"I thought I missed the lake," Julie-Su muttered as she turned on the wipers of their spacecraft, "...Why does this even have windshield wipers?"

"My guess? They used this to get supplies from the surface at times and they were meant for storms," Knuckles shrugged as he got out of his chair.

Outside, the hatch was kicked open and Sticks jumped out, "Oh sweet planet air! How I missed it so!" She took in a very deep inhale to take the air in, "Ahh...That felt n-IS THAT A DINOSAUR?!"

"Don't attack Chomp," Knuckles frowned as he hopped out next.

"Chomp?" Julie-Su repeated, peeking out of the ship before seeing Chomp and going back in, "Oh god! Not another Biolizard!"

"Calm yourself, Julie-Su," Tikal assured, pushing Julie-Su out, "Chomp is a dinosaur and, well, Knuckles's pet. He's perfectly harmless."

"Oh. I...I see," Julie-Su noted, "...Sorry. Just...still a bit nervous after what happened on the ARK."

"Oh, yes. When I decide to sleep and dream, I worry if I'll endure nightmares of that creature," Tikal admitted while Chaos managed to slid out from under the ship and reform, "Oh! Hello, Chaos! We've come back with the Master Emerald and we've found another Echidna!"

Chaos looked at Julie-Su. Julie-Su looked at the lake when she heard popping noises and saw the ripples.

"Yes, I know she has bits of metal in her dreadlocks and her arm is metal as well, but she's not with Eggman," Tikal assured.

"Ugh! Chomp!" Knuckles's cry made them look to see Chomp panting while Knuckles was shaking the saliva off his body, "I'm glad to see you too, but jeez!"

"Aw~ He's the most least-rejectable pet in the whole world!" Sticks cooed as she began to pet Chomp's head, "Who's a big dinosaur? Who's a big dinosaur? Chomp is!"

"Okay...a...a pet dinosaur...To be honest, I...I was not prepared for this when you mentioned you had a pet," Julie-Su noted as she walked over to Knuckles with Tikal and Chaos, "Nor the spirit or God…" she looked at the two, "No offense."

"None taken," Tikal replied before more pops and water ripples happened,, "He says it as well…Oh! That reminds me...Chaos, we have some new friends for you."

Chaos tilted his head. Sticks threw her boomerang at the back of the ship, hitting a switch on the side. The back lowered into a ramp and the popping reached a fevered pitch as Chaos was swamped by his artificial copies.

"Aw...They like you," Tikal smiled before blinking twice, "Why are you screaming Knuckles's name?"

"...And with that, we're backing away slowly," Knuckles whispered to the two girls and one dinosaur.

"...Why are you threatening to castrate him when you get free?"

"And just like that, I'm out!" Knuckles freaked as he ran out of there, "Chomp, lead the girls around any traps!"

"Traps?" Julie-Su repeated, 'This is really not my Zone…'

"Chaos the Water God! There is no call for such language!" Tikal scolded, "And of course his nose is cold, it's made of metal!"

Over at the city of Mobotropolis, two ships landed in the outskirts near the team bus and the Weapon Master's ship. The backs opened to let the ramps extend.

"That thing's still here?" Ragna scowled upon seeing the ship, "I thought they'd get rid of it by now."

"Well considering the incident with GUN, I'm guessing no one had the time to," Rook said as he looked out at it.

Everyone covered their eyes as a bright light flashed. It faded to reveal the ship was gone.

"And it seems it's been taken care of," Gwen noted.

"Why is it every goddamn time something flashes, I get blinded?!" Ragna growled as he rubbed his stinging eyes.

'This is the world criminal Ragna the Bloodedge?' Mai sweatdropped, 'I….I was not expecting this.'

"You're just as shocked as I was, huh?" Makoto asked, "Yeah. Who knew the biggest criminal back home was like this."

"Hey! Shut up!" Ragna grumbled as he walked off.

"Where are you going?" Gwen asked.

"To see if the factory got taken with the bastard's ship!" Ragna replied before another flash went off in the distance, "...Well...That answers that."

"Azmuth just sent a message that he has returned home with the ship and factory of the Weapon Master of Techadon to study and reinforce their defenses against," Rook explained, holding a device that he was looking at.

"Azmuth was here?" Ben asked, "When did...?"

"When you were taken over by your former Mobian DNA," Rook replied, Noel looking at Shadow's Limiter Ring with a sad look.

"Why don't you guys go take a rest in the bus," Sonic offered, "Bro, Sis, Roll and I can go see Mom and tell her what went down."

"Thanks, Sonic," Makoto nodded.

"Their mom?" Mai raised a brow.

"The queen of the planet," Tsubaki replied as the four Mobians left.

"Oh...wait. So that would mean…"

"That Sonic, Manic, and Sonia are royalty? Yes, yes it does," Makoto grinned.

"I...I think I'll take their offer," Mai mumbled as she walked over to the bus and opened the door...before running around the bus, "It...It's smaller on the outside."

"Yup," Makoto nodded before pointing at Ben, "You can thank Ben-kun for that."

"...Alien?"

"A few," Ben confirmed, "You coming, Ragna?"

"Nah. I'll just take a bit of a walk," Ragna replied as he walked off, "You get some rest, Ben, okay?"

"Yeah," Ben nodded.

"Upbupbup!" Makoto spoke as she grabbed his arm, "We still need to get those smoothies, mister. I am craving for a chestnut parfait smoothie!"

"They make those here?" Mai raised a brow before her stomach gurgled, "Ugh...Noellie?"

"Don't worry! I'm on it!" Noel assured as she went into the bus...before coming out with a sealed tupperware container, "I made some the other day, but everyone was gone when I was done cooking."

"...You are an angel, Noel," Mai whispered in happiness as she grabbed the container and opened it.

"Is...Is that stuff censored?" Kevin raised a brow.

"Oh yes. Noel's cooking is rather delectable," Rook noted as Mai began to wolf down the 'food.'

"It's censored," Gwen blinked twice, "That...That shouldn't be physically possible."

"Mmmm~Umai~" Mai whispered out, tears of pure joy running down her cheeks, "I've missed this so much~!"

"...Makoto, would you mind h-and she's already gone with Ben," Tsubaki sighed, not seeing any sign of the squirrel girl or Ben, "This always happens when she's in the mood for her favorite food."

"Noel, please tell me you have seconds?" Mai asked, holding out the empty container to Noel.

"Oh! I did make some cookies the other day! I could make a fresh batch if…" Noel began.

"NO, NO!" Tsubaki exclaimed before calming down, "No no, Noel. I'm sure she's had enough already…"

"...You sure? I've been meaning to try this one recipe for triple chocolate chip cookies," Noel said before gasping a bit, "Oh! I could make it so they're both sweet and sour, but not too much for Mai-chan!"

"...Please do. That sounds absolutely delicious right now," Mai spoke.

"...Wait. That doesn't make sense. How can you make triple chocolate chip cookies both sweet and sour?" Kevin asked, "That doesn't seem even possible."

"Trust me...it's better you don't know…" Tsubaki sighed.

"Welcome back," Lien-Da greeted.

"Yeah, yeah," Eggman sighed as he walked by her, "I don't want to be disturbed until further notice."

"Something up with him?" Lien-Da asked.

"It seems that what happened on the ARK and the revelation of his grandfather's plan to destroy the world is to blame," Shockwave noted.

"Oh….weird. The Eggman from my Zone didn't react this way...well, kinda, but not like this," Lien-Da stated, "What happened on the ride back here?"

"...I am unsure. The only thing I had heard him speak of is the name 'Nine'."

'...Nine?' Lien-Da raised a brow at that as Shockwave walked off, "...Where are you off to?"

"To check on my latest projects," Shockwave replied as Starscream followed him, "And to see what upgrades I can give Starscream."

"Upgrades?"

"I requested them. With what happened up there…" Starscream shuddered.

"...You saw the prototype," Lien-Da stated.

"Yes….it is….what was the term called?" Starscream pondered, "...Oh yes. Nightmare fuel."

"Yeah. What with its stumpy leg and…"

"Stumpy leg? That's it? What about the two heads? The machinery melding into its back almost if if the body was trying to devour it? The spikes that could fly off and regenerate just as fast?!" Starscream questioned, shouting by the end.

"...What?" Lien-Da blinked at that as Starscream walked off.

"And to think this 'Seithr' could create something like that…" was all Starscream said as he left the room, trying to get the image out of his memory banks.

'...What the hell did I miss up there?!' Lien-Da thought before spotting Sleet just as he was reaching for the other door, "...Questions for later. For now…" she brought her whip out as a scowl appeared on her face, "Sleet…"

"Gh?!" Sleet tensed as he slowly turned, seeing the female Echidna glaring at him, "...You're still mad at me, aren't you?"

"...I'm giving you a thirty second head start."

"...GANGWAY!" Sleet screamed as he booked it.

"Okay, I believe we've got it this time," Chuck noted as he and Skye were standing at a console while Aleena and Haseo were peeking out from behind a steel wall near it.

"I should hope so. The last several times resulted in young Haseo's fur to poof up," Aleena noted, looking down at the fox while Skye just gave Chuck a frown and a look.

"And I am very sorry for each one," Chuck chuckled sheepishly.

"E….eto...I-it's fine, Ch-Chuck-oji-san…" Haseo whispered.

"Thank you," Chuck nodded, "Now then…" the two turned to the console and to a small cube-shaped device in the center of a pile of apples, "Commence test 57."

"Commencing test 57," Skye nodded as the two began to work the console.

The cube began to glow before the top split open, revealing a blue gem. It shined before releasing a dome of energy around the pile of apples. Skye pulled out a wrench and threw it at the pile. The wrench bounced off the dome.

"Dome is stabilized," Skye confirmed.

"Oxygen filter is working," Chuck noted as he looked at something on the console while a leaf blew in from the window nearby and landed on the dome, "Seems that…"

*BOOM!*

"...it still has issues," Chuck coughed, the two covered in a layer of soot and ash...and bits of applesauce.

"Eeyup," Skye blinked owlishly.

*poof*

"At least we didn't get hit with applesauce this time," Aleena sighed as she began to gently brush down a shivering Haseo's poofed up fur.

"H….hai," Haseo nodded before his ears twitched a bit, "...N-nani?"

"Is everything okay?" Skye asked as he used a towel to wipe the ash, soot, and applesauce off his face.

"...I...I think I hear onee-chan and onii-chan tachi coming," Haseo responded as he looked at the doors.

"Huh?" Skye blinked before the doors opened up and the four entered, "Ah! Roll!"

"Otou-san!" Roll waved.

"Welcome home, my children," Aleena greeted as they walked over and she pulled them into a large hug.

"Glad to be home, Mom," Sonic replied.

"O….Onee-chan!" Haseo gasped softly as he ran over and hugged his sister.

"I missed you, too, Haseo-chan," Roll replied, nuzzling her head into the top of his while returning the hug.

"H….hai," Haseo smiled a bit before blinking a bit, "...N-nani?" he looked over at Sonic for a moment, "...Sonic-Onii-chan seems...d-different."

"Hai…" Roll nodded, "A...A lot has happened in the last few days."

"What's with the applesauce?" Manic asked, seeing the pile of applesauce.

"We've been trying to create a barrier dome to protect the city with," Skye explained, "We got lucky with whatever appeared to prevent that green laser from hitting the city."

"We've also deployed many people to sea-bordering towns to help with evacuations due to the moon losing part of its mass," Aleena nodded, a sad look on her lips.

"I can imagine…" Sonic said as he and his siblings and mother released the hug, "...What about GUN? Please tell me they aren't…?"

"Nope. Been officially disbanded," Chuck answered, "All their troops are also in the process of being arrested for their crimes."

"Or as they had put it, 'Justice'," Skye added, making air quotes when he said 'justice', before snorting, "'Justice,' my toenail. But we're not here for philosophy on the meaning of the word 'justice.'" he reached under the console and pulled out a bucket and a mop, "Now if you'll excuse Chucky here and myself, we need to clean up the sauce...yet again."

"...Again?" Manic repeated.

"Over 57 failed attempts," Chuck shook his head.

*poof*

"And forty-seven times I've had to brush Haseo's fur down," Aleena sighed, "Not that I really mind. He's quite fluffy."

"Hai," Roll giggled.

"O...onee-chan, Aleena-okaa-san…" Haseo blushed a bit heavily at that.

"Well, you do look adorable all fluffy like that," Sonia noted.

"Sis, stop calling Lil' Bro adorable," Manic rolled his eyes.

"I can't help it. He's just so cute with that fluffy fur of his...those adorable eyes...that shy nature...Oh, I can't hold it in anymore! Sorry in advance for this, Haseo."

"N-nan-?" Haseo began before Sonia, Roll, and Aleena pulled him into a hug.

"So cute~/Kawaii~!" the three squealed.

"Do you think I was cute like him when I was his age?" Manic teased.

"Nope," Sonic bluntly replied, "Me neither for that matter. This a whole other level that only foxes seem to have."

"...If he still has that shy nature of his when he's older, he's gonna be a real chick magnet," Manic whispered.

"Manic, Y…..shoot. You're right," Sonic muttered.

"Ahh...I missed this," Makoto beamed as the four girls and one older teen sat at a wooden table.

"I still can't believe he made a smoothie from the stuff you gave him…" Tsubaki noted, looking over at Noel, while Mai moaned into her straw and almost dropping the censored smoothie cup.

"W-well, given Mai-chan's sensitive tastebuds, I figured it would be fair…" Noel replied.

"Plus, there's his rule that if you bring it, he'll make it into a smoothie," Ben noted, "Another point for Mr. Smoothie's."

"Who makes the second best Chestnut Parfait ever!" Makoto beamed.

"Second best? Who…?"

"My mom's," Makoto answered before her ears drooped a bit, "...And there goes my mood…"

"O-oh...yeah…" Mai frowned, "We still don't know who survived from our home planet's destruction….I just hope Cajun is among them."

"And our families…" Noel added before gasping a bit, "G-gomen, Makoto-chan! I-I didn't mean t-"

"It's fine, Noellie...It's fine…" Makoto sighed a bit as she stood up, "I'm done anyways, so I guess I'll see you girls back at the bus."

Ben shot a bit of a worried look at her as the Beastkin began to walk away, her ears still drooped as her tail slumped.

"...Go," Tsubaki whispered to him.

"Huh?" Ben blinked as he looked at her.

"Go on and talk to her," Tsubaki whispered.

"Wh…" Ben began before he realized, "Oh…" he nodded before walking off.

"Wait...Why is he going to talk to her?" Mai asked.

"Ben knows what it's like to lose your family," Tsubaki replied.

"Oh…"

"Hai, and what better person to try and comfort her than the person she's known the longest ever since she woke up on Mobius?" Tsubaki added.

"...They're really that close?"

"I think so. Plus, between us, I think he'll be able to handle certain...interests...Makoto has," Tsubaki noted.

"...Y-You means…" Mai gawked, earning a nod.

"I...I can't believe those kinds of magazines exist…" Noel blushed heavily.

"Y-yeah...Wait. I always thought Makoto was….well…" Mai paused as she blushed a bit, "Considering how she acted around me back at the academy…"

"...I thought so too, but turns out she's bi," Tsubaki replied.

"Really?"

"Hai. She told me so herself during the Chaos Incident," Tsubaki nodded before muttering, "Of course, I didn't need to find out that I had gotten drunk and ended up stripping at the place we were staying in…" her eyes widened as she covered her mouth, "?!"

"Wait, what?" Noel and Mai blinked.

"You added a failsafe defense system to the garage...but not to the rest of the place?" Gwen frowned at Kevin.

"The alien tech's in the garage," Kevin replied as he walked to the side of the garage and pressed a tile.

The tile pushed inwards before a small square of land before it began to move down, revealing it to be a hidden elevator that the three were on.

"Gotta thank Azmuth for doing this so quick, too," Kevin noted.

"Agreed. I fear what would have happened if someone of this planet stole the tech stored here," Rook added, "We do not want another incident of Eggman's robot stealing it, like it did with a Techadon Robot."

Gwen nodded as the elevator stopped, letting them get off and look around the large structure beneath, the alien prisoners all about, "Okay! Can I get everyone's attention? We will begin arranging transport to wherever you need to go as we interview everyone about your time being imprisoned illegally by the organization known as GUN."

"Thank god, because we have a LOT to talk about those guys," a female Kineticelrian stated, "Seriously, I came to this planet because I heard the rumor that the 'fastest thing alive' lived here. Next thing I knew when I got here? GUN arrested me for 'threatening to attack the planet in the name of the Black Arms.' Do any of us look like we'd associate with those monsters, which...oh yeah, is a freaking myth?!"

"Black Arms?" Gwen repeated under her breath before a shadow came over her, making her look up, "You again?"

"Hello to you as well," the large dragon grumbled, a metal device on his chest, "Why is it that whenever I meet you Plumbers, it's because I've been stuck in a jail?" he sighed, "I really need a better job than a cartographer. At least this time it was merely a single year instead of a few centuries."

"Right. Split into two lines, please," Gwen called, "Kevin, start calling for rides for everyone that needs one. Rook, you're Line Two. Take notes on everything they say involving their time here."

"Understood," Rook nodded as he walked over to the right side of the room.

"...By the way, where is the young boy in green? Is he not with you?" The large dragon asked out of slight curiosity.

"There was an incident a few days ago, so he's currently recovering from it," Gwen replied, "He has been trying to unlock the DNA of your race since we've met you, though."

"A concert?"

"Yeah," Sonic grinned as the two families were now in the Mobotropolis Sakurai Home, Skye, Chuck, and Manic all in the garage talking about the shield generator, "With everything that's been happening the last couple months, I thought making a big concert would be a good idea."

"True. It'd give everyone something to enjoy after a lot of hardships, especially with the issues that resulted in the moon being blown up partially," Sonia added.

"Yup. Oh, and guess what? I found us a fourth member for our band," Sonic added with a grin.

"Really? Who?"

"Take a wild guess," Sonic smirked, glancing over at Roll, who was walking back in with a tray filled with hot cocoa mugs.

"Not too hot to burn the tongue, but not too cold to ruin the taste," Roll spoke as she put the tray down and sat down between Sonic and Haseo, "Enjoy, everyone."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Ano, why is everyone staring at me?" Roll blinked in confusion as she handed Haseo one of the cups.

"...Sonic, are you suggesting….?" Sonia began.

"I am," Sonic nodded.

"Eh? Suggesting what?" Roll blinked further as Yacker came out of her hair and swiped one of the mugs.

"That our fourth band member is you, Roll," Sonic answered.

"Oh...Soka…" Roll nodded as she slowly began to sip her hot cocoa, only for her eyes to widen in realization as she spat her drink out, "EH?!"

"Seriously, Roll. You have a great singing voice," Sonic encouraged.

"A-Ano…" Roll blushed, finding fiddling with the tip of her tail more interesting at the moment, "I...I wouldn't even know what to sing…a-and...I don't think I..."

"I….I think you should try it, Onee-chan," Haseo spoke up, catching her attention as he sipped his drink a bit, "You...you really do have a very nice singing voice...a-a lot like kaa-chan's...I really think you'll do great out there…"

"A-Ano…" Roll mumbled, "I...I guess…" She took a slow deep inhale before she exhaled, "...I guess it wouldn't hurt…"

"That a girl," Sonic smiled as he wrapped his arm around her, "Trust me and Haseo. You'll do an amazing job out there."

"H-Hai…"

Lien-Da walked through the door once it opened up, letting her into Shockwave's lab. The robotic Grandmaster was currently hunched over the Techadon Robot, a computer cable connecting the two.

"Hmm…" Shockwave removed the cable from his blaster arm, "The programming has been purged and the new programming is now installing." he walked over to a workbench, "And what can I do for you, Lien-Da?"

"I need to know what the hell happened up there on the ARK. This Seithr stuff Starscream mentioned, the mutated Biolizard, this 'Nine' woman Eggman mentioned, everything," Lien-Da answered.

"I see...While I am unable to answer the last two since the first is unknown and the latter would take too long and would be inconclusive, I can speak of the others," Shockwave replied, snapping his fingers as the lights dimmed, letting him display a projector from his blaster arm, showing the Biolizard and the Final Hazard, "There is something different to the prototype than what you encountered in the other Zone."

"...O….obviously…" Lien-Da whispered, looking at the two pictures with wide eyes, "...Starscream was right. That….that is fucking nightmare fuel right there…What...what caused it to turn into that?!"

"From what I learned…" Shockwave changed to the next slide, showing the shrine on the ARK and the cauldron above, "...the 'Cauldron' above the shrine is why."

"A….Cauldron?"

"Correct. From what Ragna the Bloodedge explained, it contains this 'Seithr' substance that mutated the prototype," Shockwave further explained before displaying test data, "I also obtained this information from the ARK's systems; records of repeated usage of the Cauldron with the Biolizard." a second chart was displayed, "As you can see, this other chart displays the increased aggression of the BIolizard correlates to each usage of the Cauldron."

"...It...it kept mutating each time…" Lien-Da whispered with wide eyes, "This...this is far different than the one from my Zone…"

"I had also learned something interesting from Ragna the Bloodedge's explanation," Shockwave continued, "There is something known as the 'Master Control Unit' deep within the area past the Cauldron. This device is capable of controlling both time and space itself."

"...Please tell me you…"

"I had already sealed away all time based plans."

"...Good...seriously, I wish I had someone like you in my original Zone. Maybe you could've prevented the Eggman there to not use the Super Genesis Wave to change time and space," Lien-Da admitted, "...Then again, he'd still do it just to try and get rid of Sonic."

"Based on what you've informed me of him, it would be the only logical conclusion to his actions," Shockwave agreed.

"Yeah…'cause honestly, he wasn't all there to begin with," Lien-Da added, "Seriously, he went insane after losing to Sonic...like, mentally insane. He had to be put away, too, because of how mentally unstable he was….which probably explains where he got the idea for that device to begin with."

"Indeed," Shockwave nodded, "It is rather illogical, though. While he has lost to the hedgehog, it would do better to study him and prepare for another confrontation." he motioned to himself, "Such as the creation of myself. Lord Eggman realized that he was starting to perform actions that were costing him more than he should have lost and created me to be someone to act as a logical support, able to help him see certain flaws in plans."

"...Wish he did make someone like you though, but nope. Only successful thing the Eggman from my Zone ever created, AND was a major threat, was Metal Sonic…"

"...How dangerous?"

"Last I checked, it was able to copy the data and moves of anyone and anything it encountered," Lien-Da answered, "The rest is just blank from there."

"Illogical."

"Excuse me?"

"Where were the safety measures meant to prevent it from evolving to a certain point that it would begin to rebel against its creator? Preventions to make sure it would not develop a God Complex and attempt to take over the world through destruction and mayhem, resulting in the near extinction of all life of the planet?" Shockwave questioned, "No, if it had failed even with all it had, it would be more logical to scrap the entire thing aside from the abilities it copied to be used in later machines."

"...That...is a very good point…" Lien-Da whispered with wide eyes, "...That fucking moron! If he wasn't so intent on using that machine of his, then he would've fully checked Metal Sonic before that happened! But nope! He….I…." she facepalmed as she let out a groaned, "Now I'm glad I'm not in my original zone anymore. He would've destroyed everything, almost like when Enerjak came back!"

"...Enerjak?"

"Someone I pray...no. HOPE isn't in this Zone," Lien-Da answered before shaking a bit, "Seriously he….he was…..E-excuse me…" she whispered as she walked out of there, trying to calm herself.

Shockwave nodded as he went back to work at his workbench. Opening a panel on his arm, he pulled out a series of quills in four distinct colors. His optic whirred as his vision zoomed in on them before calculations went through his head. Needless to say...he was gonna be busy all night with what he had planned.

"..." Ben took a deep breath as he stood outside of Makoto's room, "Okay...Here goes nothing…" he gave the door a few taps on it, "Makoto? You in there? It's me, Ben."

The door opened, "Hey."

"If you're not doing anything...can I come in to talk?" Ben asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure," Makoto replied as Ben walked in, "What is it you wanna talk about?"

"Well...it's about what happened earlier," Ben replied.

"Oh! Um, well...Yeah. It...It was kinda sucky that I just left like that. I mean, I probably spoiled Mai's tour of the city," Makoto noted, "I gotta make it up to her somehow...eh heh…"

"...Makoto…"

"What? I'm fine, Ben-kun," Makoto assured him, "I'm just fine…" her ears then drooped a bit as she looked down, "Even though I brought up my mom...who's now possibly gone…."

"...It's always the hardest during the first few months," Makoto looked at Ben, "Heck, you remember that Rook said that survivors were found. They might've been with them. Me, though? ...I know that my parents are gone."

"...B…"

"It was an attack by the Forever Knights. A freeze bomb went off...I found them in the kitchen, holding one another in one last embrace," Ben explained as he looked out the window, "I...I honestly felt lost for all those months...I tried to move forward, but the pain...it was still there."

"...Ben...I...I'm sorry about acting like this…" Makoto sighed, "It's just...after all that's happened… I've been feeling...scared...not just at the fact I've lost everyone I knew and love on my home planet, but…"

"...But what?"

"...Almost losing you," Makoto whispered a bit, blushing a little, "When...When you were taken over by your Mobian DNA...by Shadow… I...I was feeling scared. Scared that I'd never see you again."

Ben nodded, "It's happened before, but I'm still here." Makoto blinked twice, "You forget? I was taken over a few times by another alien form of mine; Ghostfreak. It was kinda startling when I learned that Ectonurites have their conscious held inside of their very DNA. At times, I'd lose consciousness when I first used Ghostfreak until we ended up separated when he didn't want to revert back to me being back in control. He was free for a little bit, but ultimately he did get back in the Omnitrix and then Azmuth put in some defensive measure to deal with Ghostfreak's controlling me."

"...But what if it happens again?"

"Huh?"

"Not just with Ghostfreak, but one of your other aliens?" Makoto asked, "Or one you haven't even unlocked yet? Just...the fact this happened again with another of your Aliens it….it...it really scared me, Ben-kun."

"Yeah. Next time Azmuth comes by or I go to Galvan Prime, I'll talk to him about some sort of suppressor on them," Ben noted.

"...G….Good," Makoto nodded a bit as she looked away, using her tail to try and hide the blush on her face, "...Ano...Ben-kun?"

"Yeah, Makoto?"

"...Thanks for the reassurance. I...I really needed it."

"Hey, no problem," Ben grinned before glancing at the door, seeing it partially cracked open, "Plus, I think I'm not the only one who's worried about you at the moment."

"Eh?" Makoto blinked as she turned to the door, seeing her friends slightly peeking in, "...girls?"

"?!" the three tensed as they closed the door.

"Guess they're really worried for you as well," Ben noted.

"Yeah…"

"Maybe you should come on out and show them you're okay?" Ben suggested.

"Good idea," Makoto nodded as she stood up, "...oh. One more thing before I forget…"

"What's th-" Ben began before Makoto planted a kiss on his cheek, "?!"

"Thank you again for cheering me up...and welcome back, Ben-kun," Makoto whispered to him as she walked over to the door.

Ben stood there for a few moments, his face bright red. He shook it off and quickly left the room.

"Roll's Character Interviews!" A Chibi Omake

A set of curtains rise up, revealing a white room with a large window in the background depicting the night sky. Before the window was a large couch, a few potted plants, a wooden desk, and a comfy chair behind the desk. Sitting at the desk was Roll, dressed up in a black and pink formal women's business suit. On the table was a coffee mug filled with hot cocoa with the word 'I' followed by a heart and then a picture of Sonic's symbol.

"Konnichiwa, minna!" Roll greeted, "And welcome to the another episode of 'Character Interviews'! I'm your host, Roll Sakurai." She looked towards the couch, "In this segment, we interview characters in the story thus far and may even revisit some characters later on!" she looked back at the 'audience,' "So, minna, let's give a big round of applause for our next guest…" she looked at her list, "Wait, what?" she looked to the other side of the screen, "Really?"

"The registration had holes in it!" Sonic replied off-screen.

Roll sighed, "Well...kuso." she shook her head before smiling, "Ladies and gentlemen, our next guest; Lien-Da."

"Let's just get this over with," Lien-Da stated as she walked in.

"Well, Lien-Da, I must admit I was not expecting someone involved with the Eggman Empire to be on the show," Roll noted, "How did you sign up for this anyway?"

"In this Zone, or the one I'm originally from?"

"I mean for this show," Roll corrected.

"Ah," Lien-Da snorted, "Shockwave seems to have come to the 'logical' conclusion I needed to do something like this and signed me up without my consent."

"I see…" Roll blinked twice, "Well...Judging from your earlier question, you're from another Zone, hai?"

"That's right. Me and my….sister, Julie-Su used to be part of the Dark Legion, who..know what? I'll skip that part since my...sister...most likely told you about it already," Lien-Da stated.

"Hai," Roll nodded, "It was an interesting talk."

"I see...anyways, after she…" Lien-Da paused as she frowned, "Betrayed us for the Guardian of the Master Emerald, we hid ourselves underground until Finitevus, another member, attempted to conquer Mobius by bringing back someone very….very...VERY dangerous from the past. Enerjak."

"Enerjak?" Roll repeated, "Sounds ominous."

"Oh, you have know idea…" Lien-Da sighed before she shook a bit, "I...I should be lucky I'm still alive right now after he blasted me point blank w…." she quickly shook her head, "M...moving on. That part is just too….stressful on my nerves."

"It's perfectly fine," Roll assured, "So how did you get involved with the Eggman where you are from?"

"He was the one that revived me, but he also planted a bomb in me where if I even try to disobey him...Boom," Lien-Da replied.

"Boom?"

"Yeah. Boom. As in you'll explode from the inside out."

"Ouchies…"

"Though at least I have it easy. The ones here 'Cyberized'? Yeah, I feel I'm luckier than them," Lien-Da noted.

"Soka…" Roll noted, "So how is working with this Zone's Eggman like compared to the one you used to work under?"

"...A god send more or less," Lien-Da stated, "Seriously, the Eggman from my Zone was just….ugh."

"Bad?"

"He kept obsessing with trying to defeat Sonic the Hedgehog, he renamed the Dark Legion the Dark Egg Legion, he takes credit for any ideas his assistant/nephew Snively gave...need I go on?"

"Not really…" Roll replied.

"Good, because talking about that version of him is giving me a headache."

"And how are you taking to this Zone?" Roll asked.

"...Better. This Eggman is far more competent than the other one. He actually improved on the 'Legionization' and a few other things I had on me before I was taken from my Zone, and he expanded further on the Dark Legion idea."

"I see, I see...And the planet itself? How is it compared to your previous Zone?"

"...A little less green compared to my Zone. Should really take those accumulated days off to see it a bit more."

"You get vacation time?" Roll asked.

"Surprisingly. Includes health benefits, accumulating vacation time if we don't use them all up in a year, holidays off...Wait. Why the hell am I telling you this?" Lien-Da frowned.

"I was just curious is all."

"...I see…" Lien-Da noted, the frown still on her face, "...Just a few more things….one, did my sister bring up a Mobian Tasmanian Devil by the name of Thrash?"

"She did."

"Good. I just have one thing to say; if you see him pull out a ring….run. Run far away from him," Lien-Da stated, "If he uses that on you, you'll be trapped in a Pocket Zone you can't escape from...ever."

"The queen has been notified and has informed Interpol about him based on Julie-Su's description," Roll replied.

"Thank god…" Lien-Da sighed in relief, "Last thing I need is that psychopath locking me back up in there…"

"Anything else you'd like to say?" Roll asked.

"...Yeah. What're you drinking to get a body like that?" Lien-Da asked.

"Excuse you?" Roll blinked

"Seriously! I may be curvy myself, but you…" Lien-Da paused as she motioned to Roll, "Seriously. What are you eating or drinking or what to get that figure?"

"Oh! Ano...w-well, it's just in my family," Roll replied, "My mother had this figure, my aunts had this figure, my grandmother had this figure, even my oldest ancestors had this kind of figure."

"...Bullshit," Lien-Da frowned before shooting up and grabbing Roll's chest, "No way did you grow these naturally!"

"Ahn~! S-Security~!"

A watery claw shot out and wrapped around Lien-Da's neck before zipping back off-screen, pulling Lien-Da away.

"O-Okay...Remind me not to have anymore girls on the show, please," Roll pleaded to someone off-screen as the curtain fell, "Specifically ones that don't ask about my figure…"

GT: Well, that was a nice cooldown chapter.

SZ: Indeed. It may be slow, but things are starting to get back to normal amongst the team.

GT: Very true.

SZ: Yup, and a concert is being planned by Sonic and his sibs...and Roll's gonna be joining them.

GT: Indeed. Wonder how she'll handle her first time on stage.

SZ: hopefully she'll leave a good first impression.

GT: Indeed. Well, until then, I am GammaTron and he is Seanzilla. And we bid you a good day! So Read and Review or I get Achmed the Dead Terrorist to Keel you!