SZ: Welp...it's almost Valentine's day...another one where(aside from family) I spend it alone….*slumps*
GT: So? I use Valentine's Day as a way to show my love to my family with lots of Origami hearts.
SZ: True…*shakes head*n-nevermind. I can't let this get me down…we have a story to focus on.
GT: That's right. So let's get on with it!
SZ: Hai..let's cut to the chase. NO disclaimers since you guys already know who we own and don't own. But just in case you're those type of people that want to get us in trouble for 'copyright infringement', we don't own anyone in this, nor do we own anyone from the Sonic the Hedgehog, Ben 10, and Blazblue series. GT though does own Roll, Skye, and a few others while I own Miyuki and Haseo. And now that that's out of hte way...lower the screen and begin the story, aibou!
GT: *drops the curtain*
"How long has he been holed up in his room?" Lien-Da asked.
"Two days now," Sleet replied as the two stood before Eggman's room, the door shut.
"...He's really taking this hard…" Lien-Da noted, "The Eggman from my Zone wasn't affected this much...:"
Sleet knocked on the door, "Sire? Are you feeling well?" no response, "Oh well. We tried."
Lien-Da frowned at him. Sleet gulped before turning back to the door and typed in the normal passcode. The door slid opened, revealing Eggman wearing pink footy pajamas with his emblem in white on his chest. He was laying on the couch in the room, cheese puff bags scattered about with a bowl of them lying on him. He scooped up a handful while looking at a screen.
=Oh, Lance! The baby isn't yours=
=What? But Janice, if it is not mine, then whose is it?=
=Your evil twin brother Englebert!=
=But Janice, I am Englebert!=
"What?!" Eggman freaked, "You gotta be kidding me! Lance, how could you lie to Janice about having an evil twin brother?!"
"...He watches soap operas?" Lien-Da raised a brow.
"Gah!" Eggman yelped as he jumped out of his seat, "...Oh...Lien-Da, Sleet." he sat back down, "You startled me."
"Um...Are you feeling alright, my lord?" Sleet asked, looking at the footy pajamas with a raised brow.
"What're you talking about? Of course I'm alright!" Eggman assured as he stood up, "Just busy enjoying my shows in my favorite footie pajamas. They even got a trap door in the back."
"I don't want to see," Lien-Da stated quickly in disgust.
"Um, my lord, not to be nosy, but...you've been in here for almost two days now," Sleet noted.
"Two days?" Eggman raised a brow before looking at an electronic calendar, "...Huh. Guess I lost track of the time after watching that Comedy Chimp Marathon yesterday."
"...My lord? Are you sure you're alright? As in..mentally alright?" Sleet asked.
"What? Of course I'm mentally alright!" Eggman snapped, "Why would I not be fine when I learned that the man whom I considered my life's role model turned out to…to be..." he slumped back on the couch with a sigh, "Can I get an honest answer from you two? Am I a bad leader?"
"...To be honest, you're a MAJOR improvement over the Eggman I knew from my Zone," Lien-Da admitted.
"And me...well, you're the baddest leader ever! The worst!" Sleet answered.
"...Lien-Da, please smack him."
*WHAM*
"Thank you," Eggman nodded, "Still…" he got up and walked over to his desk in the room, picking up an old photo of Gerald Robotnik, "...He was my role model, a real man among men to me from the stories my mother used to tell me before she went full on nuts." a holographic image of the Eclipse Cannon firing appeared beside him, "And yet…" it changed to images of the Biolizard and the Final Hazard and even a still of Gerald's last moments, "...in the end, he became something horrible, something that just didn't care about anything but making everyone suffer for what happened to the family he lost aboard the ARK…"
"...I suppose you could blame GUN for making him into that," Lien-Da sighed a bit, "It just takes one bad day, and even a man with good intentions turns into a complete psycho…"
Eggman frowned, "True...But for me…" he held up a strainer with multiple devices attached to it, "I don't truly remember that 'one bad day' for me."
"What's that, sire?" Sleet asked.
"A memory viewing device," Eggman replied, "I was working on it during that Comedy Chimp marathon."
"Ah. You mean like that time flower from that game that Cassia girl played in the waiting room during the last Grandmaster meeting," Sleet noted.
"...Oh yes...I forgot about her...and Clove as well…" Eggman frowned as he put the device down and sighed, "Here I am abusing the trust of a little teenage girl just to control her older sister. I mean, I don't even know a single thing about this illness of hers and yet I lied right to her face that her treatments would cure her when all they're doing is just delaying the inevitable."
"...M-my lord? Are you...regretting something?" Sleet's eyes widened.
"...Sleet, I do believe you're right," Eggman admitted, looking at the photo of his grandfather once more, "Lien-Da, Sleet, go get Shockwave and prepare the EggCarrier for launch. We are going to Northamer in two hours."
"Why two?" Sleet asked.
"Well, it's going to take an hour to wash this," Eggman replied, motioning to his pajamas, primarily the stains on it from his cheese puffs, "Seriously. This kind of stain isn't easy to get out."
"..."
"..."
"Well, go on! What're you two waiting for?! Get Shockwave, prepare the EggCarrier, and get ready to move out in two hours to Northamer!" Eggman ordered, "Because I swear if nobody starts moving, someone's head is going to be rolling!"
"Y-yes sir!" Sleet gulped as he ran out of there.
"Glad to see you back on your feet…" Lien-Da noted, 'Albeit a changed person….a really changed person…'
"Of course! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go wash up."
"So I finally get to see this Omnitrix thing in the act?" Mai asked as she saw Ben and Makoto standing across from each other.
"That's correct," Tsubaki nodded as she sat next to her, "Just pay close attention to what he transforms into. It might come in handy later."
"...Okay?" Mai replied in a slightly confused tone.
"Alrighty, Ben. Ya ready to get things started?" Makoto asked, her tonfas already out as she hopped in place, causing her covered bust to bounce a bit each time.
"Yeah," Ben nodded, "Been wanting to go Hero for a bit."
"You needed your rest," Tsubaki frowned.
"Still wanted to," Ben shrugged as he activated his Omnitrix and slapped it down, transforming into Kickin' Hawk in a flash of light, "Sweet. Been wanting to turn into this guy for awhile now."
"Huh...so it's punches vs kicks, eh?" Makoto grinned a bit as she stood ready, "Alrighty. I'm game for that. In fact...how about we make things a bit interesting?"
"...I'm listening."
"Whoever loses has to do what the winner says for the rest of the day," Makoto stated with a bit of a cocky grin, "Sound good to you, or are ya chicken?"
"...Good question? Am I a chicken?" Kickin' Hawk pondered, "I mean, maybe I'm a chickenhawk-like alien. Then again, Kirby said he got it from scanning a chicken alien…"
"Surprised?" Tsubaki asked, seeing Mai's dropped jaw.
"H….hai…" Mai slowly nodded.
"...Eh. I'll ask Rook about it later," Kickin' Hawk shrugged, "Anyways Makoto, I'm ready a-" he tensed as he quickly jumped out of the way of Makoto's projectile attack, "Woah!"
"Shoot...missed, " Makoto pouted a bit, "...Oh well. I'll get him with the next one."
"The heck, Makoto?! I didn't even say start yet!" Kickin' Hawk snapped.
"To be fair, you were standing there for a while, so I decided to start it off," Makoto stated.
"...Oh, you are so gonna get it," Kickin' Hawk frowned before rushing at her.
"He just...he just turned into some sort of humanoid bird...with spikes on his elbows…" Mai blinked twice as she saw the two start sparring.
"It was surprising to me the first time as well," Tsubaki noted, "Of course. The first time I got to see it was when he turned into this form called Ripjaws."
"Ripjaws?" Mai repeated, "...It's not some giant humanoid shark, is it?"
"More like a combination angler fish, merman, shark thing," Tsubaki replied, "Trust me, you need to see Ripjaws to understand it better."
"...R….right," Mai slowly nodded as she focused back on the spar.
Makoto leaned back to dodge a swipe from Kickin' Hawk's elbow blades before she attempted a overhead punch to his face, only for him to jump back in retaliation. She yelped as she began to try to dodge the swipes of the talons on his feet while he walked on his hands.
"...Well...this form is very versatile," Mai noted as Tsubaki took notes on Kickin' Hawk's fighting abilities.
"True. It-it looks like he uses kickboxing and mixes it up with other fighting styles," Noel noted.
"As his name implies, he mostly focuses on using his talons to attack while occasionally use his elbow blades," Tsubaki nodded.
Kickin' Hawk made a jump and landed behind Makoto. He performed a leg sweep, only for Makoto to spin her tail to hover out of the way momentarily before swinging a right hook at him. Kickin' Hawk squawked before ducking the hook and sending a punch at her stomach.
"Hoo boy!" Makoto gulped a bit as she quickly jumped back from the punch, 'Okay, Makoto...you're facing a form that has wicked face kicks… What could…' she blinked for a moment before she smacked her forehead a bit, "Doy...I can't believe I forgot I had that."
"Had wh-?"
"This. Asteroid Vision!" Makoto shouted as she charged, splitting into...three copies of herself?
"What the heck?!" Kickin' Hawk squawked.
"Th-Three?!" Noel gasped.
"Since when could Makoto do that?!" Mai blinked in surprise.
Kickin' Hawk tensed up as he threw a punch at one of the Makoto's only for it to end up disappearing in a poof of smoke, leaving a acorn in its place.
"An acorn?" Kickin' Hawk blinked twice before ducking a punch from the other two, "Whoa!"
"Gotta focus…" the one on the left began as they jumped back, reeling their right fists back.
"...On the fight, Ben-kun!" the one on the right finished.
"Shooting Star!" the two declared as they shot forward.
"Oh, shoot!" Kickin' Hawk yelped, slapping his Omnitrix emblem.
*SPLAT*
"Ew!" Noel yelped as she shook green slime off her.
"What happened? I blinked and now we're splattered with slime," Mai admitted.
"Ew...it's all over my tail…" Makoto One gagged a bit.
"Hey. My tail's covered in the stuff too," Makoto Two argued a bit.
=KZZHT! I was going for someone durable like NRG= a voice crackled, like it was on a radio.
"Eh? Ben-san?" Tsubaki pondered, looking around before seeing something floating above them.
The item was a tiny disc-shaped device, resembling a UFO the size of a frizbee. The UFO flew around before the slime around the area moved around and ensnared the two Makoto in a bubble of it, their heads poking out.
=KZZHT! But Goop is just as good!= the voice beamed as Tsubaki saw the Omnitrix Emblem on the surface of the slime.
"...A slime alien?" Tsubaki blinked for a moment before she pulled her notebook out and began to write down in it, "Interesting."
"Mmm...this sucks," Makoto Two pouted before she poofed, changing into an acorn, as the original tried to free herself.
"W-Why is there something so gross out there?" Noel whispered with wide eyes.
"I...I honestly don't know…" Mai whispered as the UFO floated over to them, the ball of slime moving with it.
"I think I get it; Ben, you need that device to move your body," Tsubaki observed.
=KZZHT! Right= Goop replied.
"...Is the slime starting to burn Makoto's cloths?" Mai asked.
"Huh?" Makoto blinked as she looked down, seeing bits of her clothes starting to disappear, "?!"
=KZZHT! Oops! Sorry!= Goop yelped as he dropped Makoto and took on a humanoid form, the Omnitrix symbol on his chest =KZZHT! I forgot I could do that!=
"It's fine…" Makoto assured him, the remains of her shirt giving her a bit of underboob while her shorts were now short-shorts, "Least I know not to get in close against this form."
"I'm guessing that these guys are scavengers, often dissolving organic material that no one wants as food," Mai noted as she walked around Goop, looking him over.
=KZZHT! Yep! Though, Polymorphs need this Anti-Gravity Device to move on other planets outside their homeworld= Goop noted as he pointed at his UFO.
"Soka…" Tsubaki noted, overhearing that as she wrote that information down, complete with a picture of Goop and his Anti-Gravity Device.
"Well, I guess Polymorphs like to stick around their own kind then," Makoto joked.
"Oh god…" Mai and Tsubaki groaned as Goop chuckled.
=KZZHT! Good one!= Goop gave a thumbs up before changing back into Ben.
"Thanks. Glad someone likes my jokes," Makoto giggled, "I am a pretty squirrely gal after all."
"Ugh…"
"Oh, come on! That was a good one!"
"So, Ben-san, how many forms can you take on?" Mai asked.
"...With or without Master Control?" Ben asked for clarification.
"...Um...with?"
"...Last I checked, over a million forms," Ben replied, "I think the last time I checked, it was 1,000,912. Though...it's down by one with the Mobian DNA gone." he looked at the four girls to see them staring at him with wide eyes, "What?"
"A….A million forms…." Tsubaki whispered as she dropped her notebook.
"K-Kakui…" Noel whispered in slight awe.
"That many?" Mai whispered.
"...Ben?"
"Yeah, Makoto?"
"That...is….so...AWESOME!" Makoto exclaimed as she instantly stood before him, "No seriously, that is THE most awesome thing ever! If you still had Master Control, you could probably transform into them within a blink of an eye! ...Wait...Do you still have it?"
"I've tried, but I guess when I lose the Mobian DNA, it got reset," Ben frowned at his Omnitrix, "But I was able to unlock the 99 I already unlocked. Lucky for me that I remembered the codes for them."
"I see," Makoto nodded before pointing a bit, "Shoot. I was kinda hoping to see if you could turn into a squirrel-like alien. I always wondered what a space squirrel would look like."
"No idea," Ben shrugged, "Would be neat to find out, though."
"Yeah it would," Makoto nodded, "...Anyways, I need to go get changed. I need to go talk to Roll-chan about something."
"...hold on," Ben spoke up as Makoto began to leave, "What about our bet?"
"?!" Makoto tensed up a bit as she froze mid-step, "...Uh...I have no idea what you're talking about?"
"...Oh really?" Ben smirked a bit, "I believe you said 'whoever loses has to do what the winner says for the rest of the day,' right? And given how I technically won with Goop..."
"...Shoot. You're right," Makoto muttered, "Was hoping that it'd be forgotten with all that…"
Tsubaki facepalmed with a sigh, "Makoto…"
"...Can I at least get changed and go see Roll before you start giving me orders, Ben?" Makoto asked.
"Don't see any problem with that," Ben shrugged.
"Thanks…"
"What's going on here?" Clove questioned as she entered the control room of the Northamer base.
"Um...Well, Lord Eggman is requesting permission to land, ma'am," the bird Mobian explained.
"...I see," Clove noted, 'That's odd...Why is he here all of a sudden?' "What's the problem?"
"Um, well...We don't have a landing strip nor a landing bay big enough," she replied, moving to the side to show the EggCarrier on her screen.
=Hello! Is everything fine there? Communications working properly?= Eggman's voice questioned on the radio =Seriously, what is taking so long?= they heard him grumble =I really need to improve these radios if they're not working properly=
"...I'll take it from here," Clove whispered to the bird before taking the radio, "Everything is in order, Lord Eggman. It's just...there isn't a landing strip nor a landing bay big enough for your ship."
=Shoot. I knew I should've had Sleet make them bigger just in case= Eggman muttered =...Is the transporter working by any chance? No, wait. Don't use it. Delta, prepare one of the planes. Sleet, stay here and do not touch anything. Lien-Da, do not let him touch anything= everyone heard something crackle and a loud yelp =Good work, Lien-Da=
=Thank you= Lien-Da responded.
=Ahem! Now then, Clove, have your people prepare Landing Bay Alpha. I'll be there shortly to discuss something with you= Eggman ordered.
"Yes, sir," Clove replied before Eggman turned off communication, "Prepare Landing Bay Alpha for Eggman's arrival."
"Yes, ma'am," the bird mobian nodded as she ran out of there.
"...What are you planning?" Clove whispered to herself, finding this sudden visit highly suspicious. Did something happen at Eggman's hideout and needed her assistance, or did something else come up?
"Um, Lady Clove?" a voice snapped her out of her thoughts, making her turn to look at a Mobian deer, "Lord Eggman has just arrived."
"Thank you," Clove nodded as she walked off to the landing bay, arriving just as Eggman and Shockwave were exiting the plane, "Welcome, Lord Eggman, Grandmaster Shockwave."
"Ah, Grandmaster Clove, lovely to see you again," Eggman greeted, "I do apologize for the surprise visit, but there is something of great importance I need to discuss with you."
"...But of course," Clove nodded as the three began to walk out of the landing bay, "But...if I may ask, what is it you need to discuss with me about?"
"...Let's just say it involves young Cassia," Eggman responded.
"...My sister?"
"Yes. Where is she right now?"
=Come on….be brave, Cassia...be brave….= Cassia whispered as she focused on the game, tensing a bit when she heard a creaking noise on it =...I'm a brave girl!=
"The elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, and sweat permeating from your form suggest otherwise," Cassia paused the game and turned to see Shockwave, Clove, and Eggman, the first of the three being the one who spoke.
=OH! Uh...L-Lord Eggman= Cassia gulped a bit as she put the controller away =I'm sorry. I was just testing out that…=
Eggman chuckled, "Oh, it's quite fine." he sighed, "Cassia, I recently ordered all teleporters to be shut down for a temporary period. Do you want to know why I ordered that?"
=Um...Sure, sir=
"There was an...issue with it," Eggman informed, kneeling down to look her in the optics, "Shockwave recently gave me some examinations he did on you before and after the time you first came onto the ARK and after we left." he took in a deep breath, "The spacebridge had an adverse effect with your disease and now the treatment is only preventing it from growing worse instead of curing it."
=Wh-What?= Cassia gasped as Clove looked at Eggman with wide eyes.
"However, that is why I came here immediately upon realizing what happened," Eggman informed, "I am a man of my word and I will deal with this setback on your cure. Please go with Shockwave to the medical bay for a series of emergency tests and we'll see about updating the treatment procedures to beat this illness."
=...Is this true, sis?= Cassia asked as she looked over at Clove.
"Shockwave, the papers," Eggman ordered.
Shockwave nodded as he pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Clove. On it was a series of data, yet Clove saw the words 'play along for now. I will explain everything in private. Eggman' near the bottom in small writing.
=...Sis?=
"...Ahem! Yes, Cassia," Clove nodded, "Just please, go with Shockwave. I'm sure nothing bad will happen to you…" she slowly looked over at Eggman, "Right…?"
"Indeed," Eggman nodded, "I am a man of my word, after all. Shockwave, I trust you will not do anything unbecoming to Cassia."
"It would be illogical to do so," Shockwave replied.
=...Okay…= Cassia slowly nodded as she began to follow him =Oh! BTW, sis. Make sure no one unpauses my game. I just started a new file=
Clove nodded. Once the two left, she turned to Eggman with a frown on her face.
"What is going on here?"
"Keeping my word," Eggman replied, "With what happened aboard the ARK and with what my Grandfather intended to do...I recently came to an epiphany." he looked over at a photo near the screen, showing a younger Cassia being hugged by a younger Clover from behind, "I will be a man of my word. I may have, at the time, lied to you about curing Cassia, but no more! I am giving you my word here and now that your sister will be cured. Not have her illness delay, but have it gone."
"...And what then?" Clove asked, earning his attention, "Even if you could cure her illness, if you really can...what makes you think we'll be accepted anywhere else if we decide to leave? We've done things under your name…"
"True…" Eggman frowned, "Desperation does lead to morally questionable actions. Though that is perfectly fine. Leave, don't leave. All that matters right now is that she is being treated and that we find that cure." he pulled out his device, "And to do that, we may need to look at her past."
"What is that?"
"An experimental memory viewer," Eggman replied, "We find the day she started feeling unwell and the few days before that to see I there was something that happened. Though I would never use this on a young girl such as her without proper testing."
"...And you wish to test it on me then?" Clove asked for clarification.
"Only if you want to. I could ask for volunteers here," Eggman shrugged.
"...No. I'll test it myself," Clove replied as she took it, "I do not want anything to happen to my soldiers."
Eggman nodded, "Very well." he looked around before noticing the only screen there was occupied, "Well, let's move out this room then. I need an unoccupied monitor for this to connect to."
"Very well," Clove nodded, "There is a spare room not too far from here. There's a screen there we can use."
"Excellent," Eggman nodded as the two left the room.
"Sorry if I'm late," Makoto apologized as she sat down across from Roll outside a recently built cafe, wearing a yellow tee with the word 'SWEET' stretched by her bust and a pair of blue jean khakis, "Had to change my clothes."
"It's fine, Makoto-chan," Roll assured, "I just arrived myself. Sonikku, Manic-san, and Sonia-chan are nearby, looking over the remade park."
"Ahh…" Makoto nodded, "Anyways, I...uh, well….need to talk to you about something."
"Honto?" Roll raised a brow, "About what?"
"...v…"
"Hmm?"
"I….I said love…" Makoto muttered, blushing a little as her tail swayed a bit behind her.
"So you admit you're in love with Ben-san?" Roll asked.
"...if I tell you, you swear you won't tell anyone?" Makoto asked quietly.
"I swear on my family name."
"...Okay…" Makoto nodded as she took a deep breath, "Yes….I admit it. I'm in love with him. When we first met, I...didn't make a good first impression when I woke up. But as time went on...well...we started to become close. He's a really great guy, he cheers me up when I'm down in the dumps, and…" her blush increased a bit as a soft smile grew on her face, "He doesn't care if I'm a Beastkin or not...he treats me like an actual person, like Tsubaki-chan and the others do…"
Roll nodded, patting one of Makoto's hands, "I'm not surprised Ben-san treats you as such. He has walked in another's form more often than not for much of his life since he was ten from what he's told everyone of us." she held Makoto's hand in both of hers, "It's a surprising feeling, isn't it? Falling in love? Before she...changed...my Kaa-san would tell me that 'Love can't be understood through the ways normally thought. Love just is.' I'm truly glad you openly admit you are in love with Ben-san, but do not forget that for him; he has lost someone he cherished as you cherish him in not even a single year."
"I...I nearly forgot about that…" Makoto's ears drooped.
"But I know that you'll be able to help him get through the pain. In fact, I think you've been subconsciously working on that very thing since you two first met," Roll noted, "I have seen those who have lost loved ones; myself included. Had it not been for all of you and Sonikku, I may have just wallowed within myself, unable to truly get past losing my family in Ryugu." she let go of Makoto's hand, "Be there for Ben-san. Even if it's just for small things, I can tell that you are doing more good for him than either of you think."
"...Yeah...I guess you're right," Makoto nodded, her ears perking up as her soft smile returned, "Thanks, Roll-chan. I needed this…"
"It's not a problem, Makoto-chan," Roll giggled.
"Your orders," an Overlander waiter informed as he placed the chestnut parfait and a slice of chocolate cake with strawberry frosting and sliced strawberries before them, "Enjoy."
"...Roll-chan?"
"Hai?"
"Is that…" Makoto paused as small tears began to well up in her eyes, "An actual Chestnut parfait?"
"Hai. I ordered it for you while I was waiting when I saw it," Roll explained.
"...As of this day forward, you and I are sisters," Makoto stated, smiling brightly at the hedgefox, "Not by blood, but like...well, like how I see Noel, Mai, and Tsubaki, the former like a little sister and the latter two like sisters."
"Oh! You mean like Shield Sisters!" Roll beamed, "I'd very much like that, Makoto-chan!"
"Cool! But enough talk, Roll-chan…" Makoto paused as she clapped her hands together, "Itadakimasu~!"
"Itadakimasu!" Roll beamed before the two went to work on their treats.
Julie-Su yawned as the morning sun's rays touched her face. She mumbled as she slid out of her bed and made her way to the window. She reached out and grabbed only air for a few tries. She shook her head as it finally registered and she finished waking up. Looking out, she saw the stone bridge to the Master Emerald shrine down the path.
"...Maybe I'll go check on Knuckles and s-" she began before a crash was heard, "Ugh?! God damn it, Charmy! Are you bugging Vector aga-" she stopped when she remembered something, "...Oh yeah. Knuckles hasn't met them yet…that is if there is a version of them here." she slid on a house robe and walked into her hut's rather spacious main room to see Sticks under a pile of pots and pans she had brought from the ARK in the kitchen part of the hut, "Sticks?"
"Morning," Sticks quickly waved before hiding back underneath the pile.
"...What….are you doing?"
"Hiding from government spy satellites," Sticks replied.
"...I-I'm sorry? What?" Julie-Su blinked at that.
"You don't understand! They have bugs planted everywhere…" Sticks hissed, "Especially in those brooms! You can't trust them!"
Julie-Su looked over at the broken broom Sticks was glaring at, "And I just made that broom last night, too."
"Sorry, but you can never be too careful," Sticks advised.
'And I trade a few headaches for one that seems to be them put together,' Julie-Su thought, "May I have one of my pots you're hiding in to cook some oatmeal at least?"
"That was oatmeal? I thought it was instant quicksand."
"...Ugh...it's too early for this," Julie-Su muttered as she rubbed the bridge of her nose before the water in her sink burbled before she looked out the window to see Chaos frantically running past followed by Ursa Major, "..." she mumbled to herself, "And I keep forgetting the God that stays here…Well….at least Tikal is nice."
"Thank you."
"Ahh!" Julie-Su jumped as she quickly turned around, pulling out her blaster from under her robes, "D...Don't do that, Tikal…I almost blasted you."
"Oh, that's quite fine," Tikal giggled, "It wouldn't really hurt."
"...Given you're a spirit and all...yeah," Julie-Su nodded as she put her blaster away, "...By the way, have you seen Knuckles this morning? I take it he's at the shrine right now, guarding the Master Emerald."
"Oh yes. Chaos normally takes the night and early morning duties of guarding it, but he's been having so much fun with his new friends…" Tikal pointedly ignored to frantic bubbling of the water in Julie-Su's sink, "...That Knuckles has been staying near it."
"...Minus the part about Chaos, the Knuckles I knew did the same," Julie-Su admitted, "'Course….he'd go out now and then to help out Sonic and the other Freedom Fighters while one of the Chaotix or myself stay behind and guard the M.E for him."
"I do wish to meet these 'Chaotix' you mention," Tikal noted with a smile, "They seem rather fun."
"If you call the headaches Vector and Charmy cause during their little squabbles 'fun'," Julie-Su muttered a bit to herself.
"Good morning to you as well, Sticks," Tikal greeted the pile of pots and pans.
"Morning, Tikal," Sticks greeted before hiding underneath the pile once more.
"...Why is she…?"
"Don't ask. Just...don't…it'll save you a headache."
"...?" Tikal just blinked in confusion at that.
"Hmm…Okay...red to red and blue to blue…" Eggman mumbled as he finished plugging in the last few cables into a monitor, "Is the helmet too tight, Grandmaster Clove?"
"No. It fits just fine," Clove responded as she sat down in a chair, the helmet on her head, "..."
"...Is it about it being made from a metal strainer?"
"No, no, no."
"Ah. Very well," Eggman nodded before handing her a number pad connected to the helmet, "Now then, for the test. I want you to think of a date that you see as important." he turned on the monitor, "Once you do, type it in on the number pad. If it's one of the first nine months of first few days, make sure to start with a '0.'"
Clove nodded as she looked down at the small number pad before her, the pronghorn thinking on what date to set it to. Eggman clasped his hands together, a worried expression on his face at the time she was taking of thinking on the date.
"...I have it," Clove whispered as she typed something in, "A day I remember all too well...one of the last few good memories me and Cassia shared before...her illness happened."
"Good. Now once you do that, press the enter key and let's see the monitor," Eggman explained.
Clove nodded as she pressed the enter key, causing something to pop up on the screen. Their eyes watched as the static gave way to the view of a door opening up on the screen.
=Hey, sis? Where did you go?= Cassia asked, the younger pronghorn not having her robotic implants as she looked around, =You said wanted to show me something, but you ended up disappearing on me…= she pouted a bit =Is this still about what happened with that bees nest?=
=No no, Cassia. It's just...I have a surprise for you= Clove's voice spoke up.
=A surprise?= Cassia asked as she looked around, her tail twitching.
=Yes….you know that thing you've been wanting for quite some time now? The one that came out a week or so before your birthday?= Clove asked.
=...You mean that game? Yeah. What about it?= Cassia asked back before tensing up when she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, the screen showing the hands on them...Clove's hands.
=Well…= Clove's voice began as the younger pronghorn turned around =I have been saving up on some money for quite some time thanks to a few odd jobs I did around town, and...well, considering how I couldn't get it for you for your birthday…=
=...Wait….you mean you…?= Cassia began with a gasp before a wrapped box was presented before her.
=Happy late Birthday, Cassia= both Clove and the Clove on the screen said in unison, tears starting to well up a bit in the former's eyes while the screen turned to static.
"It...It works!" Eggman beamed, "The memory machine works!" he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Clove as he laughed in glee, "Clove, my good Grandmaster, do you know what we now have?"
"...Y-yes," Clove nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes as a small soft smile grew on her face, "A chance...a possible chance to find a cure…"
"Exactly! All we need to do is use it on Cassia, have her remember that day she fell ill-possibly a few days beforehand as well to be safe-, and we can find out what caused it! And with that, we can figure out a cure for it!" Eggman declared.
"...Yes….that is correct," Clove nodded, the smile never leading her face, feeling as if a great burden was taken off her shoulders as the tears began to return in spades. "A cure...finally...this nightmare will finally be over…"
-Line Break-
"Okay. That's the last of it," Alpha noted as he finished loading the pickup, "Really glad that they've got businesses up and running once more here."
"Tell me about it," Jacky muttered, "But now that it's fixed, we can finally get outta here before the Stafers come and get us."
"I still cannot believe they could tell it was us through those mask…" J said, shivering a bit at the memory with Jake.
"Face sucking jezzebelles…" Jake gulped.
"Shouldn't there be a law in this city for...oh I don't know, sexually assaulting someone?!" Jacky demanded.
"You really think they'd listen?" Alpha asked.
"...Fair point," the three nodded.
"Sure you don't want to come with?" Alpha asked, putting a hand on Haseo's shoulder, "It'll be kinda sad not having you in the team."
"I...I know...d-demo…" Haseo paused as he looked over his shoulder, seeing his father working on something.
"...I getcha. You're still regaining most of your memories, and finally found your father," Alpha nodded.
"And his hot sister," Jacky added, earning a slap to the back of the head by J, "Hey!"
"H-hai, Alpha-san….a...also...I'd like to see Ryugu once more…" Haseo said as he looked down a bit, "I...I haven't been there for so long...a lot of things must've changed since then…"
Alpha nodded, giving him a pat on the head, "I understand perfectly well, Haseo. It's important to you and that's what matters. Just make sure to drop a call to us every so often, okay?"
"H-hai, Alpha-san," Haseo nodded.
"Good. And if ya need any help, just drop us a call…" Alpha paused as he looked over at Jacky, "Provided we're not dealing with those insane possums."
"Oh, come on! Are you still upset about what they did to you if you didn't tell them where we were?!" Jacky complained.
"They stuffed my clothes with metal shavings and stuck me to a magnet!"
"At least you didn't get a house dropped on ya!"
Alpha shook his head, "Take care, okay, Haseo?"
"H-hai. Y...you too, Alpha-san," Haseo nodded.
"Take good care, Haseo," J spoke up, "Be sure to listen to what your father and sister have to say."
"I-I will, J-sa..." Haseo began before Jake pulled him into a tight hug, the larger racoon crying hysterically as he produced waterfall tears.
"I'm gonna miss you so much, little buddy!"
"Hey hey! Let him go, Lumpy! You're gonna end up crushing him!" Jacky snapped as he and J tried to pry Haseo out of Jake's arms.
"But Jacky, our little shy buddy is leaving us~!" Jake cried, now standing in a large puddle of his tears.
"Um, Alpha? A little assistance if you please?" J asked.
Alpha rolled his eyes before he turned his arms into their larger robotic state before got Jake to release Haseo before changing them back, "I know it's sad, Jake. But you gotta remember that he just found his dad and sis. Wouldn't you want to stay with your family if you found them after having amnesia for so long?"
"...M….mmm hmm…" Jake nodded, his lip quivering a bit.
Alpha nodded, "And Haseo just said he'd call us at times to catch up, right?"
"M….Mmm hmmm."
"There ya go. It might not be as much anymore, but we'll still get a chance to see him," Alpha assured.
"Take care, Haseo," J gave Haseo a small pat on the shoulder, "I am sure that we will see each other again."
"H...hai," Haseo nodded before he noticed Jacky walking up.
"...Yeah...look. Just take care of yourself okay? I don't wanna have to bail you out of another jam," Jacky stated, "...Unless there's money involved."
"...Ano, h-hai?"
"There we go. Now t-"
"Oh, boys~!"
"Gh!" the three racoons tensed as they quickly ran into the pickup.
"Times up, Alpha! Let's go go go!" Jacky shouted.
"But what about Haseo, Jacky? No doubt they'll try and interrogate him into telling them where we are," J stated.
"I….Interrogate?!" Haseo repeated with a gulp.
"Oh, you won't have to worry about that," Skye noted as he walked over, screwing something into the cube-shaped device he was holding, "This morning, an interesting rumor about three raccoons leaving on horseback towards Soumerca came about with the tallest of them sporting a single eyebrow laughing all the way while the one with a sock on their head and the shortest of them were holding onto the tail, screaming 'Jake, stop the horse! Stop the horse!'."
"...Which means the Stafers will no doubt follow after 'us!'" J realized, "Brilliant!"
"Phew…." Haseo sighed in relief.
"Nice job, Mr. Sakurai," Alpha grinned.
"Hm? Oh, no, no, no. It's just a rumor I heard," Skye chuckled before handing the cube over to Alpha, "Just in case you don't have any way to contact Haseo."
"Thanks," Alpha nodded as he began walking towards the pickup, "Take care, Mr. Sakurai, Haseo."
"You have some good friends, kiddo," Skye noted as the four left in the pickup truck, "A bit strange, the three raccoons, but still."
"H...hai," Haseo nodded, "...Ano...i-is that rumor true though?"
"Hmm? Oh. well...kinda yeah," Skye nodded as he ruffled the young fox's head fur, "Let's just say a certain father looking out for his cute little son started it." Plus no way in hell am I letting three crazy possum girls get their hands on my boy and do whatever kind of torture to him just to get what they want.'
"Okay, blinds off," Sly informed.
"Finally..." Carmelita grumbled as she removed the blindfold on her face before looking out at the hidden village, "It's huge! H...How have they been able to hide this place for so long?!"
"They have their ways," Sly replied.
"Ah! It's Cooper-dono!"
"And there they go," Sly noted as he watched a familiar kunoichi jumping off to alert the villagers.
"Que?" Carmelita raised a brow at that.
"Three….two….one…" Sly counted down as they started to hear cheers, "My family is...bit of a celebrity here. One of the few places in the world where the Coopers and their allies are granted amnesty, even."
"I see," Carmelita noted before a crowd of villagers began to surround them.
"Welcome back, Cooper-dono!"
"We heard what happened! Did you really go out into space?!"
"How is Roll-chan doing?"
"Who's the vixen?"
A wave of sand blocked the two off from the villagers as the Tanuki Beastkin of the Prowers surfed on it, "Whoa now! Everyone give them space, a'ight?" she hopped off and landed before the two, "Sheesh. Everyone gets way too excited when we have guests, especially when they're a Cooper." she looked at Carmelita, "...Wow. You sure have interesting tastes in a mate, Sly-san."
"I'll say," Matatabi's voice spoke from behind Carmelita, "She's certainly quite c-"
"Hyah!" Carmelita shouted as she threw Matatabi over her shoulder before she could grope her.
"...And now I'm starting to see a reason why you brought her," Shukaku blinked twice, the two-tailed cat's shapely rear poking out of the sand wall.
"Yeah….really fiery personality…I like her."
"I should've just brought my stun gun along…" Carmelita grumbled as she glared at Matatabi's bottom.
"Carmelita, may I introduce to you two of the members of the Prower Clan, the Clan that leads the whole town. And, yes, they're blood related," Sly introduced.
"We have a bit of a kudzu family tree," Shukaku shrugged before giving a bow, "My name is Shukaku Prower. The one you threw into my sand was my sister, Matatabi. Miyuki-nee is coming up the stairs with Panda King-san."
"...Cooper…" Carmelita began with a frown.
"He's good. He's good," Sly assured as Shukaku parted the sand into a fence formation on both sides leading to the stairs, letting Miyuki finish walking up the steps.
"Thankyu, Shukaku," Miyuki thanked before Panda King, wheezing and panting, crawled up the last steps, "Are you okay, kyu?"
"I...I'm fine," Panda King panted as he laid on his back, "Stairs...Why is it always the stairs...?"
"...May need to make something help you up the stairs, kyu…" Miyuki said as she helped him up.
"I would...appreciate it…" Panda King nodded before he noticed Sly and Carmelita, "...Cooper, Inspector Fox."
"Amused," Sly replied, earning an annoyed look from the panda.
"Welcome to Ryugu," Miyuki greeted, giving a bow to Carmelita, "I am Miyuki Prower, the leader of the village, kyu."
"...Carmelita Fox. Inspector Carmelita fox," Carmelita replied, bowing a bit herself, "A pleasure to be here, Ms. Prower."
"We try our best, kyu," Miyuki giggled, "I assume that Sly-sama has informed you of the amnesty he and those he brings with him have here, hai?"
"He has, si," Carmelita nodded.
"Good, kyu. I hope you…" Miyuki began before White walked up to her, holding a phone, "Hmm?"
"It's him again, dear," White replied before the phone rang for the very first time.
"...How does he keep getting my number, kyu?" Miyuki whispered with a frown as she answered it, "Hello? ...For the last time, I'm not 'donating' any of the artifacts here in the village, kyu! If you want some, try calling another village to ask for some for your museum, you creepy skunk!" she hung up the phone as she sighed, "Ugh...honestly…"
"...Uh….what…?" Sly began.
"Someone by the name of Le Paradox keeps calling her and asking for some donations to his museum," White replied, "We do not donate any artifacts due to the rich history behind them or that there is a danger of allowing them to leave the village." he bowed to Carmelita, "White Prower, Miyuki's husband and second-in-command."
"White-kyun, ca…"
"Already changing the number...again."
"Thankyu," Miyuki smiled as she gave him a peck on the cheek.
"Hey, sis," Matatabi greeted, her head sticking out of the sand.
"You tried to fondle a guest, didn't you, kyu?" Miyuki frowned.
"She did," Shukaku nodded, "Mistake on her part, though. Miss Fox here judo threw her really hard before she could even try."
"When you're in my line of work, you know when someone is trying to sneak up on you," Carmelita stated.
"Excellent, kyu," Miyuki nodded before turning to the crowd, "Minna! A celebration tonight for Sly-san's return! Honorable Panda King, would you be so kind as to make your finest fireworks for tonight, kyu?"
"It would be...an honor," Panda King bowed as the crowd cheered.
"Thankyu!" Miyuki beamed as the crowd went off to prepare.
"He has become the village's chief of fireworks," White explained to Sly, "Many of the firework makers that live here are in awe at his skills."
"Ahh...good," Sly nodded.
"So long as he doesn't blow up anymore villages…" Carmelita muttered a bit.
"...To be fair, they were kinda threatening to go after his daughter," Sly noted before watching Panda King slump and roll down the stairs, "...Huh…"
"His sister and daughter are just like him," White noted, "None of them can go up more than twenty steps before they get exhausted and they prefer to roll down them instead of just walking down."
"...Huh….go figure," Sly noted.
"If you'd like, Carmelita-san, I can show you around the village a bit, kyu," Miyuki offered, "I know the perfect hot springs where we can lay down and relax, kyu."
"...Actually, that does sound rather nice," Carmelita admitted.
'...Hot springs?' Sly thought.
"Perhaps it was the couplings here…" Chuck noted as he looked over another set of digital blueprints.
"Hey, Uncle Chuck!" Sonic called as he and Roll ran into the rather spacious laboratory that had once been a garage connected to a sky-blue home with orange roof tiles.
"Oh, Sonny Boy. Good to see you," Chuck greeted before looking over at Roll, "And a pleasure to see you as well, Rolly Girl."
"Hai, Chuck-jii-san," Roll bowed.
Chuck nodded as he looked back over at Sonic, "So what can I help you with?"
"Not much. Just coming to check up on ya and see what you're up to," Sonic replied, "So whatcha working on?"
"Ah. It's a project that a few scientists that decided to stay here in New Mobotropolis are working on," Chuck replied, "A defensive barrier that can be activated 24/7 but still let anyone without ill-intent go in and out."
"Really?" Sonic asked, earning a nod from the elder hedgehog, "Oh sweet. That's great to h-"
"But…" Check began as he looked over the blueprints, "We keep running into problems."
"What kind?" Sonic asked.
"Applesauce," Chuck replied.
"Applesauce?" Roll repeated, tilting her head, as Sonic cringed.
"Uncle Chuck likes to use apples as test subjects for his inventions," Sonic explained.
"Easy to grow, easy to buy, easy to clean," Chuck chuckled.
"If he says 'applesauce,' it means that the apple is blown up, squished, impaled, crushed, imploded, or something that ends with no more apple," Sonic went on.
"Yeah," Chuck nodded, "...Still, I just don't know what we're doing wrong."
"Aw, cheer up, Uncle Chuck," Sonic patted the older hedgehog's back, "Remember the Hydrostatic Generator? How many apples did it take for you to get it right for it to be safe around others? Twenty bushels?"
"About two hundred and seven apples," Chuck nodded, "You're right, Sonny. Perhaps we just need to look at it from another angle."
"That's the spirit," Sonic grinned, "I know you can do it, Uncle Chuck."
"Thanks, Sonny."
"No prob," Sonic grinned before his and Chuck's stomachs growled, "...Guess we haven't really had much to eat today, huh?"
"Perhaps," Chuck shook his head in amusement, "How about some Chili-Dogs, you two?"
"Sounds great/Arigatou."
"Is that everything, Kevin?" Ben asked as he helped carry a few more bags into the kitchen on the home Kevin and Gwen were using as their base on Mobius.
"Yup. That's everything," Kevin nodded as he placed a few bags down, "Thanks for the help man."
"No prob," Ben nodded, "If you need anything else, you'll know where I'll be."
"Yeah...hanging out with squirrel girl as always," Kevin smirked a bit in a teasing manner.
"Well, not just Makoto," Ben replied.
"Oh really?" Kevin asked, that grin never leaving his face, "You didn't go and get yourself a harem, did ya?"
"A-A harem?!" Ben gawked, "N-no!"
"You sure it ain't squirrel girl and her friends?"
"No!"
"So you admit you don't like any of them, or her specifically?"
"N…...I almost fell into that."
Kevin just chuckled, "I'm just saying. You spend a lot of time with that squirrel girl."
"...So?"
"Admit it, man. You love her, don't ya?"
"Wh-What?!" Ben gawked.
"It's pretty obvious. Beside…" Kevin paused as he snickered a bit, "Didn't peg ya to be a fan o-"
"Finish that and I'll bring out Rath for a 'talk'" Ben frowned.
"So? Doesn't threaten me as much anymore."
"...Then I'll bring out Grimlock."
"Who?" Kevin asked.
"Giant transforming T-rex that breaths fire."
"...Fine. I'll drop it," Kevin shrugged, "But since you're trying to avoid it..it's just sinking in the fact you do love her."
"I don't. We're just friends, okay?"
"...And that was the final hint," Kevin grinned, "Denial, bro."
"I'm serious, Kevin. We're just friends," Ben shook his head, "It may have been five years for you, but…" he sighed as he looked at his hands, "...It's still been less than one for me."
Kevin cringed a little, 'Darn it. I keep forgetting it. Then again, he hasn't changed much in five years, so it should've been obvious.'
"I know I told Gwen and Makoto I'm ready to move on, but…" Ben paused as he sighed, "I'm just...not sure if I can…Makoto's a great girl and all, but…"
"...But what?"
"...I'm just not sure if I'm ready yet to tell her…" Ben sighed, "The pain is still there, but….whenever I'm with her, it starts to go away slowly, if not bit by bit…"
"...Well, what do you like about her exactly?"
"Well...I...I don't really know fully. I mean, she's sweet, quick at making jokes on the fly, always looks out for her friends…"
"Has a big rack and tends to wear clothes to show her figure off?" Kevin smirked.
"..."
"...I'll take your silence as a yes," Kevin's smirk grew a bit.
"Yeah...but….what I think I like most about her…" Ben paused as he gave a small smile, "...Her smile."
"Her smile?"
"Yeah. I don't know why but...whenever I see her smile...I feel all my worries just go away…" Ben replied.
"Heh-heh. I can relate on that," Kevin chuckled before seeing Gwen walk in, "Everything alright?"
"We're taking a few minutes break from going over all the reports," Gwen explained as she walked over, giving Kevin a quick peck to the cheek, "Thanks for getting the groceries."
"No prob," Kevin smirked.
"Reports?" Ben raised a brow.
"Turns out GUN had illegally held some Aliens here, thinking most of them were 'envoys of the Black Arms'," Gwen explained as she poured a cup of water for herself.
"Black Arms?"
"We're not sure. It's the first time we've even heard of these guys," Kevin replied, "And this one Kinecelerian called them a myth."
"I see," Ben noted, "...Maybe Azmuth or Rook know something about that."
"Probably," Kevin shrugged, "Though Rook's most likely busy at the moment, so I doubt you'll get a chance to ask him."
"He's still arranging transport for the ones that want to leave the planet," Gwen explained, "I'm just glad that the Galvans improved the engines used by the Plumbers to make travel between galaxies much quicker."
"Yeah," Kevin nodded in agreement, "It would've taken us months to get to this galaxy, but it just took a week."
"We still almost ran out of supplies by the time we got here, though," Gwen pointed out.
"I said I was sorry," Kevin sighed.
"...Do I…?" Ben began.
"No," Kevin quickly replied.
"...Okay…" Ben slowly nodded as he stood up, "I'm just...gonna go check on Makoto and the others."
"You do that," Kevin spoke quickly.
"Have fun, Ben," Gwen nodded as Ben ran out.
"...He's got it so bad for her," Kevin grinned once Ben was gone.
"Who?"
"Makoto."
"Really?"
"Yup," Kevin nodded as he laid back in his seat, "Tried denying it too, but that just cemented the fact deeper. Even told me some of the reasons he likes her too."
"...It's not her figure, is it?" Gwen frowned.
"No, no, no," Kevin shook his head, "He listed a few traits I saw in the girl and, well...he said he liked her smile."
"Her smile?" Gwen repeated.
"Eeyup."
"Aw, now that's sweet," Gwen smiled gently.
Eggman and Clove entered, the doctor declaring, "Cassia, we have a-why are you wearing a nurse's cap, Shockwave?"
"She would not settle down for the tests unless I did," Shockwave replied as Cassia was trying hard not to laugh, "I believe the phrase is that 'she is very cheeky.'"
"...Cassia…" Clove frowned.
=...Sorry, sis= Cassia slumped a bit.
"Oh come now. I find it rather brilliant. She was able to make Shockwave put on something ridiculous," Eggman chuckled before motioning to the bird Mobian and the Mobian that kept playing games on shift to come in, pushing in the cart carrying the monitor and the memory device, "Shockwave, analysis of the patient?"
"The illness is still a threat to her," Shockwave explained, "However, the treatments have been able to prevent it from doing more harm to her." he handed Eggman a set of papers, "Results from the Five Senses Tests."
"Excellent," Eggman nodded as he skimmed through them, "Now then, Cassia, I have invented a device that will let us figure out just how this illness might have befallen you. We find that source, we capture that source, and we figure out how to eradicate it completely."
=?!= Cassia's eyes widened at that as she looked over at her sister =Is...is that true? W...will you be able to…?=
"Finally find a cure?….Yes, Cassia...Yes," Clove nodded with a small, soft smile.
=...When do we start?= Cassia didn't ask, she quickly demanded.
"Once we set everything," Eggman replied as the two Mobians were already plugging everything in, "You should be proud of your older sister. She refused to let anyone test this machine but herself to make sure it'd work for you, Cassia."
=...That sounds just like sis= Cassia smiled a bit =She cares deeply for the soldiers here, like they're family=
"And it shows," Eggman nodded as he saw the two Mobians salute after putting the last components in, "Normally, something like simply plugging things in would take much longer in most bases, but not even a minute and they have it all set up. Expect a nice increase in your budget for the quick, but efficient results." he picked up the helmet, "Now then, Cassia. We simply put this on your head and then…" Clove picked up the pad, "You type in the date of when you first felt ill. Then we start going back from there."
=...Got it= Cassia nodded as Clove handed her the pad.
Eggman placed the helmet on her head and made sure it wasn't too tight. She quickly entered the date before pressing enter, causing the screen to fritz out a bit before changing to a POV shot.
=Come on...I know I left it here somewhere…= Cassia's voice muttered as she looked around a forest-like area =Sis is gonna kill me if she finds out I misplaced it…=
"What did you misplace that made you think I'd kill you?" Clove frowned.
=...The game you brought me= Cassia slumped =You spent so much money on it for me, and I didn't want you to be upset with me if I told you I lost it=
"...Cass….I..." Clove began.
=Hmm? What's that?= the Cassia on the screen pondered, looking over at something in the bushes.
The image showed the POV moving towards the bushes and parting them. Lying on the ground in the bush was a forest-green, stone-like bow. In the center of it was a gem resembling a sky-blue eye half open.
=...Weird looking Bow…= Cassia noted as she knelt down to look at it =But...where are the arrows?=
She reached out and picked it up. Looking it over, the image showed that there were barely noticeable lime-green/yellow swirling details within. The image showed her looking out, a barely-visible rock seen in the distance.
=Maybe…= memory Cassia mumbled as the bow went off-screen for a moment as it shifted until the upper half was seen of the bow.
=Oh, I think I'm starting to remember this= Cassia noted as her memory self's hand was seen, moving like it was grabbing a drawstring with arrow in hand.
The hand pulled back as a faint white string of plasma was seen. The bow was let go and a streak of white came from it. Their eyes widened at seeing a tiny flash in the distance before the image shook. The screen moved from where it had been looking away from the light and saw that the stone was gone in the distance.
=...Woah….= Cassia whispered as the bow moved a bit =...This thing is awesome! I wonder i...if….ahh…my head...= the screen phased out for a moment as the bow dropped to off-screen =Why does it hurt?=
=Cassia!= memory Clove's voice was heard.
=C-Coming, Sis!= M-Cassia called as the screen turned off as the memory ended.
"..." Clove slowly looked at Cassia.
=Th….that's right...after I used that bow thing, my...my head slowly started to hurt...The day after that, I could barely see or hear anything…=
"...Shockwave, cross-reference that eye-shaped gem," Eggman ordered.
"At once," Shockwave replied as Eggman began to pace.
"That eye...where have I seen it before…?" Eggman pondered before his eyes widened a bit, "...Shockwave, remember those strange broken pieces of what seemed to be a blade Starscream found?"
"Yes," Shockwave replied as he pulled up a holographic display of Starscream presenting it to Eggman, "The only issue being is that the gem resembles a red eye while the one Cassia grasped was blue. Aside from that, there is a 97.89 percent match."
"What did we do with it?" Eggman asked.
"...We used it inside of a machine," Shockwave replied.
"...Which machine?"
"Unknown. Interference from the pieces may have deleted the data on the machine it was installed into."
"Shoot!" Eggman snapped, "...Okay. We send out someone to find that bow, have them bring it here, and THEN we'll use it to figure out a cure."
"Affirmative," Shockwave nodded before turning to Clove, "Grandmaster Clove, where were you two when she found it?"
"...Hmm…" Clover pondered for a moment, "...Last I recall, it was a small village along the borders of Northamer and Soumerca."
"Excellent," Eggman nodded, "Do we have anyone near there at this time?"
"Thunderbolt and a few of her troops are near the border," Shockwave replied.
"...Someone go contact Sleet and Lien-Da to relay orders," Eggman informed quickly.
"Already on it," Clove said as one of the Mobians there ran off into the communications room.
"While they work on that, Shockwave and I will be going over each and every robot that has been built since Starscream delivered that item to find out which one has it installed into them," Eggman continued, "Cassia, you are on mandatory leave until we get either the bow or the robot with that item. You will not be authorized to go on assignments or perform paperwork. However, you are to report to the medical bay every morning and every night before lights out for treatment so it doesn't grow worse."
=Yes sir= Cassia nodded.
"Clove, you are to give me updates on her condition while we are busy. I am not going to give up on this, understand?"
"Of course, sir," Clove nodded.
"Excellent. Shockwave, we are heading out back to the EggCarrier," Eggman ordered.
"Yes, sir," Shockwave complied.
"And take off the nurse's cap before someone spots you," Eggman sighed in exasperation.
"Yes, sir," Shockwave replied as he took it off while they left.
=...I can't believe it's finally gonna happen…= Cassia whispered, smiling softly as what looked like tears began to leak from her optics =S...sis? I...is this nightmare gonna finally be over?=
"I...I believe so," Clove replied before Cassia got up and hugged her, surprising the older Pornghorn. Clove gave a soft smile as she returned the hug, tears starting to escape her eyes as she held her sister close. This time...they weren't tears of sadness...but of joy...happiness...relief, 'Just a little longer Cassia, and this nightmare...it'll finally be over.'
The only sounds heard were the sound of water splashing along its path down in a river and the rustling of leaves in an eternal state of Autumn. Within the water, something beneath was pinned down by a rock. The serenity was disturbed when a metal tentacle ending in a metal claw shot out and grabbed the item beneath the water. A gem resembling a half-open red eye connected to tattered cloth that had once been a winged hat was pulled from within and pulled into a torso by the robotic tentacle before it shut tight. The pitch black face visor connected to the torso's owner briefly flashed red before it walked off, following the river path.
GT: Well...That isn't ominous.
SZ: No...no it is not….very creepy.
GT: *nods* Seems something is going after the last pieces of Tsubaki's Izayoi...Ah well. Roll, take the stage.
"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; my little nii-chan, Haseo!"
"..."
"...Haseo-chan?
"G-gomen, Onee-chan…" Haseo whispered as he shyly walked onto the stage, using his tails to hide his embarrassed blush.
"Aw...It's okay, Haseo-chan," Roll assured, "I'm glad you were able to come tonight."
"H….haii…" Haseo nodded as he sat down, "...Wh-what do you want to talk about, onee-chan?"
"Well, how are you holding up with everything that's happened lately?" Roll asked.
"...F...fine," Haseo replied, "Demo...I...I was really worried when Manic-onii-chan told me and tou-san that you and Sonic-onii-chan were arrested…I...I know you'd never do anything for that to happen, Onee-chan."
"Hai..." Roll sheepishly agreed, "A-Anyways, it must have been really scary when the Eclipse Cannon fired. I know it terrified me."
"H….hai...it did…" Haseo nodded nervously, "Demo, what happened to the moon was scarier."
"So very true," Roll nodded, nudging her seat closer to Haseo without it being obvious, "What were you doing when it happened?"
"H...hiding with tou-san and Aleena-okaa-sama," Haseo responded.
"Hiding?"
"T-Tou-san and Chuck-Jii-san made emergency bunkers underneath the city with B-Ben-san's help once everything was cleaned up."
"Oh! That's a great idea!" Roll beamed, "...D...Did you see the video message of the man chained up and telling about the ARK falling?"
"..." Haseo's ears drooped sadly, "He...he looked so sad and heart broken…"
Roll nodded, "He lost a lot because of GUN fifty years ago. So much he loved was lost all at once. Did you all hide in the underground bunkers again?"
"H-hai…" Haseo nodded, "Tou-san set up a TV s-so we could see if anything changed."
"So you got to see Sonikku and Shadow fight that creature?" Roll asked, recalling what Bentley had managed to do.
"Hai. E-everyone was cheering for them to win...demo…" Haseo paused as he sighed sadly, "Shadow-san…"
Roll nodded, "He was a brave hedgehog in the end." the two fell silent for a few moments, "...Have you been doing okay with Tou-san? It sounds like you've been with both him and Aleena-Okaa-sama a lot since the reconstruction of the city started."
"M-mm hmm," Haseo nodded, "I...I've felt really safe when I was near them."
"Well, Aleena-Okaa-sama is a queen and Tou-san is Tou-san," Roll noted with small smile.
"T...true, hai…" Haseo nodded, "A...also...I noticed funny things in how Tou-san and Aleena-Okaa-Sama are."
"Hm? Funny things?" Roll asked.
"Hai...l-like wondering about each others' interests and stuff," Haseo replied.
"Interests?"
"U-Uhn...A-And Aleena-Okaa-sama c-comes by almost every night to have dinner…e-even when she doesn't need to..."
"Dinner every night?"
"T-They act really funny when their hands touch, too," Haseo went on, "Th-They get really quiet and I think they're getting sick because they're really red at times."
"..."
"...O-Onee-chan?"
*thud*
"Ahh! O-Onee-chan!" Haseo freaked as Roll's leg was barely seen twitching behind her desk as the curtain fell, "T-tou-san! Aleena-okaa-sama! Sonic-onii-chan-tachi! Sonia-onee-chan! Tatsukete!"
GT: Poor Haseo.
SZ: Yup. So shy and innocent…
GT: *nods* Well, that's the end of this chapter, everyone! So make sure to Read and Review!
SZ: Indeed. Until next time, I am Seanzilla115.
GT: And I am GammaTron. And we bid you adieu!