Drago avoided the fire from a Burst Wispon and slashed at the fighter using it. His claws tore through he Wispon, forcing the Wisp inside to fly out, and then wounded the soldier carrying it. Five fighters were now on the ground, writhing in pain, but that didn't deter the seven more that were still cautiously approaching. "Damn, you guys just don't quit. Must all have death wishes or somethin'." He looked over the campgrounds, wondering why more robots weren't coming from the main base. The alarm had been raised some time ago, and the response time was supposed to be fast, almost instantaneous. "Well, whatever. A ragtag group like this won't even be a challenge to me."

"Surrender!" one of the fighters shouted. "We've already taken out your badnik forces! It won't be long now before Downunda is liberated!"

Drago laughed. "You really comparin' me to these trash buckets?! Your toys might work on them, but I'm on another level!"

"S-Stay back!" one of the fighters said as Drago began to approach him. "I'm warning you! Damnit!" The fighter's Hover Wispon unleashed a strong gust of wind that pushed against Drago. This seemed to do little to stop him, though, as he powered through the wind as though it wasn't even there.

"LASER!"

"DRILL!"

"SPIKE!"

Other Wispons activated, and the fighters converged on Drago together. However, no matter what approached they used, Drago was able to dodge or block their attacks, and then deliver devastating counterattacks, leaving the soldiers wounded and unable to fight.

There was only one left now, who backed away, trembling as the large wolf drew closer, towering over him. "G-GHOST!" Drago swiped, but his claws only went through the fighter as he turned transparent.

"Tch. You're usin' a Jade Ghost Wipson? You realise it'll only keep you safe for so long, right?" Drago grinned, baring his fangs. "If I were you, I'd start runnin'. As soon as you're back with the livin', I'll kill ya for real!"

"I-I can't! I can't just… abandon my friends!" The Jade Ghost power ended, and the soldier was now fully visible again.

"Oh well, time's up!" As Drago raised his claw, something red suddenly appeared behind the soldier. Drago felt a pain in his chest, and realised that somebody had kicked him. It was a red fox, who had approached from downwind to avoid his sense of smell.

As Drago fell onto his back, Fiona landed gracefully onto the ground, keeping her eyes on the wolf as she asked, "What's the situation?"

The fighter was startled by the sudden appearance, and looked up at the fox in awe. It took him a moment to realise she was talking to him. "I-I'm the only one left. The others are all hurt, but alive… I think."

"You're not very strong, are you?"

The fighter hung his head. "No…"

"Then just stay there and don't get in our way."

Drago picked himself up, growling at the fox that had knocked him over. "Who are you?! How did you do that?!"

Fiona smirked. "You're so hard-headed you weren't paying enough attention to your surroundings. If you were, you'd have seen me coming."

"Heh, don't think one more will make any difference! I'll just take you down the same as everyone else!"

"Try me, big boy."

"You asked for it!" Drago slammed his metallic hand into the ground, pulling up a huge chunk of rock, which he then threw at Fiona with incredible force.

"That's fast," Fiona admitted, before jumping and kicking the incoming projectile. It broke into two halves, which flew past either side of her and crashed into buildings. "But not fast enough. My turn now!" Fiona sprinted towards Drago, leaping into the air and bringing her right leg down on the wolf. He brought his arms up to block, but even though he was prepared for it, he didn't anticipate how much force would be behind the attack.

Drago grunted as Fiona's leg connected with his arms, pushing his feet into the ground beneath him. As soon as Fiona's attack landed, something else caught his attention: a purple-skinned walrus that was racing towards him, holding a Lightning Wispon in his hand. He recognised him as Boomer Walrus, or 'Rotor', as Sally called him.

Rotor unleashed an electrical whip, snaring Drago while he was busy guarding against Fiona's attack. With Drago now ensnared, Fiona leapt backwards and landed, and then threw a Power Ring over Drago's head.

"LIGHTNING!" Rotor and his Wispon were enveloped by in an electrical aura, and the two raced forwards, drawn to the Power Ring behind Drago. They moved so fast that Drago didn't have enough time to dodge, and the electrified Rotor pushed through him, sending the wolf flying into the air with a powerful shock coursing through his body.

As Rotor reached the Power Ring and his transformation ended, Drago crashed to the ground. He was able climb to his feet, but he was left heaving and smoking. "You… You guys… are dead…"

"Stop trying to sound tough. You know it's over," Fiona said, walking casually towards the wolf.

"Not… YET!" Drago raised his arms and attempted to grab Fiona when she was close, but she was able to avoid him by ducking, and then delivered a strong punch to his gut. She followed this with a series of punches to his chest, and then one, final uppercut to his jaw.

Drago's feet came free of the ground, and then he fell hard onto his back, his body bruised and battered. He was completely unconscious. "Wow, that was uh…" Rotor began, but wasn't quite sure what to say. "Remind me never to get on your bad side," he decided.

"He wasn't much, but compared to most Resistance fighters, he'd be a big problem."

Rotor nodded. "Yeah. Most fighters were just citizens before all this started, and don't get much in the way of training." Rotor looked around, frowning at all of the downed fighters around them.

Fiona approached one of the downed fighters, checking that he was still alive. "We need a medical crew here right away." She then took the fighter's Laser Wispon, and aimed it at Drago.

"Wait, what're you-" Before he could finish asking, Fiona fired the shot, sending a laser through Drago's heart. The wolf stopped breathing, and Rotor ran to Fiona, his face red as he grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her around so that he could glare directly into her eyes. "What did you do that for?! He was defeated!"

"For now. What if Eggman managed to free him later?" Fiona pushed Rotor's arms away. The Laser Wisp emerged from its Wispon, trembling as it looked over at Drago's body. "Don't tell me you actually sympathise with him? That traitor sold out everyone for his own greed, and I guarantee he wouldn't have hesitated to kill you."

"That doesn't matter! We don't do that! We're better than them, than Doctor Eggman!"

Fiona waved a hand dismissively. "You, maybe. I'm here to win the war, not the moral high ground."

Rotor gritted his teeth, but as the groans of the nearby fighters hit his ears, he took a deep breath to cool down. "We'll talk about your methods later. I know Sally will have some words for you. For now, we need to help all these people and shut down that generator."

Fiona watched Rotor stomping away, towards the command centre. "Hmph. These guys are too soft. Maybe I was a little hasty joining them?" Dropping the Wispon, Fiona took out her phone to call for a medical team.

"Both generators are down," Rotor reported. "We'll stay here in the village and tend to the wounded."

"We're on our way to back you up," Sally said.

"Roger that," Walt replied. Ahead of him, the lights of the main base began shutting off, one-by-one, and the barrier surrounding it collapsed. "There's our openin'! Everyone, move out!"

The Downunda fighters stormed the base, the soldiers overwhelming the robots guarding the entrance with their Wispons and busting inside without any trouble. The alarms did not go off, and so the robots inside were not aware of the assault until it was too late, and the Downunda fighters were able to make their way through with great ease.

"Hey, doesn't this seem fishy?" Barby asked. "The generators were powerin' the base's external defences, but the internal defences should have their own power source. And look." She motioned to a nearby camera, which followed them as they ran by. "Cameras are still trackin' us, but the badniks're still actin' like they haven't received any orders."

"Let's proceed with caution," Shade said as she ran ahead of the group, slashing through a door in their way. She motioned for them to stop and peered around the corner, running out when she saw that it was clear. "This is going too smoothly. There's certainly an ambush ahead."

"Too late to notice that now!" The wall beside Shade exploded, a green, mechanical hand reaching out and grabbing her through the dust. Walt and Barby stopped, glaring at the large, crocodile-shaped robot that stood before them, holding its arm around Shade's neck. "G'day, mates! How nice of ye t' come all this way, just t' die!"

"Crocbot!" Walt yelled, aiming his Drill Wispon at the robot, but with Shade in the way, he couldn't fire.

Two more robots emerged from the hole in the wall. Yellow, dog-like robots equipped with wings, growling at Walt and Barby. "Wing Dingoes," Barby spat, reaching for the Wispon strapped to her hip, her eyes locked with Shade's.

"Hm? Looks like ye're one short," Crocbot said. "Ah well, guess it doesn't matter! One lone Freedom Fighter can't do nothin' on his own! I'll just kill the three of you and-"

"Think again," Shade said, extending her hand. Barby threw her Wispon, and Shade caught it. "GHOST!"

Crocbot's arm suddenly fell through Shade as she became transparent, taking advantage of her incorporeal form to fly through the air, back to Walt and Barby. Crocbot snarled as the effect of the Wispon ended. "I hate those tricky little things! Why don't ya fight with yer own strength, like a real soldier?!"

"Soldiers fight with whatever weapons they have," Shade argued. "If you're talking about matters of honour, isn't a surprise attack even worse?"

"Don't mind 'im. He's just a sore loser," Barby explained. "Always makin' excuses for why he just can't beat us and what-not."

Crocbot grinned, seeing the two girls being distracted by their idle banter, and unhinged his jaw, allowing it to open wide enough for the cannon inside to poke out. Energy gathered into the muzzle, but before he could fire it, Walt leapt forwards and delivered a mighty kick that knocked Crocbot back. The cannon fired, but only hit the ceiling above them. Walt leapt back, so that the debris only landed on Crocbot.

"Don't underestimate 'im just 'cause he's an old model," Walt said. "There's a reason Bill kept this bucket-of-bolts around."

Crocbot grumbled as he jumped to his feet. "Heh, talk big while you can. I've been reinforced since our last battle."

"DRILL!" Walt and his Wispon transformed into a drill, spiralling into Crocbot. However, rather than piercing through the robot's casing as he expected, Walt simply crashed into Crocbot, and then stopped moving forwards.

"See?" Crocbot slammed his elbow down on Walt, cancelling his transformation and destroying the Wispon. The dazed Yellow Drill Wisp floated out, and was promptly grabbed by Crocbot. It struggled in his grasp, crying out in panic.

"Don't-" Walt began, but before he could get another word out, Crocbot squeezed. The Wisp stopped struggling, and as Crocbot opened his hand, it fell to the floor, its body crushed and leaking Hyper-go-on energy. The Wisp turned transparent, vanishing into white light that floated away. Walt clenched his fists, fighting the tears forming in his eyes. "You didn't have to do that!"

Crocbot simply laughed. "Hey, don't blame me! You brought it to the battlefield, Walt! What did ya expect?!"

Shade charged forwards, slashing at Crocbot. Crocbot parried her blades and jumped back. "You're a monster!" Shade shouted.

"Yeah. So?"

Shade took a breath, and then closed the distance between them again, using her speed to swiftly strike Crocbot from the side.

One of the Wing Dingoes attempted to stop Shade, but Barby was already on it, intercepting the robot with a kick. The robot yelped as it was pushed away, and then attempted to pounce Barby, but she used her Ghost Wispon to turn transparent, causing the robot to fall through her. She ended the transformation before the robot could turn back around and delivered another kick.

The other Wing Dingo managed to intercept Shade, who was forced to retreat so that she could fight it without having to worry about Crocbot at the same time. As the flying robot swooped down at her from above, Shade dodged to the side, slashing it with her blade. She landed a hit, but it was superficial, and the robot turned around to come at her again.

As the girls kept the two Wing Dingoes at bay, Walt focussed on Crocbot. He took out two boomerangs that he hurled, Crocbot simply laughed as they approached. "Those little things won't even scratch me!"

"Don't be so sure. They've had an upgrade since last time. BOMB!"

The boomerangs glowed black, snarling faces forming around them as they hit Crocbot, and then they exploded. From out of the smoke, the two boomerangs returned to Walt, their Black Bomb Wisp inhabitants coming out to receive their praise.

"Nice work, fellas, but it ain't over yet." The Wisps returned to the boomerangs, and Walt threw them as he heard footsteps stomping his way. Crocbot emerged from the smoke, extending his claws. "BOMB!"

The boomerangs hit Crocbot and exploded again, pushing the robot back. Walt caught the boomerangs and waited.

Behind him, Barby caught the Wing Dingo that lunged at her, keeping it at bay, and then pushed it back with a kick. She then threw a punch, the spikes on her gloves piercing the metallic body, followed by lifting and throwing the robot to the side. "Sit, boy!"

Beside her, Shade nimbly dodged the gnashing jaw of the other Wing Dingo, waiting for an opening. When she saw one, she ducked to evade an attack, and then thrust forwards with both of her blades, slicing off the robot's wings. As it crash-landed, she ran by the robot, slicing along its body with both blades. The robot malfunctioned, exploding as Shade ran a safe distance away. "Walt, we're coming to back you up!"

From within the smoke, Crocbot roared, "RARRRGH! Enough! I can't believe I'm having to use this, but you're getting on my last nerve!"

Walt reached behind his back and took out his Hover Wispon, using it to blow away the smoke. With his vision now cleared, he could see Crocbot holding a struggling Purple Wisp in one hand, moving it towards his open mouth.

"I won't let you!" Walt shouted, hurling his boomerangs. Without warning, the Wing Dingo that Barby thought she had defeated climbed to its feet, and flew past Walt, intercepting the boomerangs. As they hit its body, it fell to the floor, and the boomerangs returned to Walt.

Crocbot laughed. "Good boy! There went your last chance, Downunda whelps!" Crocbot stuffed the Wisp into his mouth and closed his jaw, swallowing it. His body gave off a dark aura, and began to glow a deep, dark purple. "FRENZY!"

Before their eyes, Crocbot transformed. His body grew larger, and his legs were replaced with a tank, the muzzle pointed right at the three of them. His eyes were now nothing but deep, purple voids, and his snout extended further outwards, his sharp, dagger-like teeth now extending up his face, almost splitting his head into two.

He said nothing as he fired at the crew. Instead, he only laughed maniacally. After the three of them dodged the initial attack, he began moving towards them. Walt threw his boomerangs. "BOMB!" They hit Crocbot and exploded, but that did nothing to stop his advance. "What happened to fightin' with your own strength, huh?!"

"I don't think he can hear us!" Shade shouted as the three dodged another blast from the cannon. "The Purple Frenzy Wisp puts you in a berserk-like state!"

"Wisps only last so long," Barby said, "So we just need to wait it out!"

"That's true if the Wisp and the user are working together, but he's forcing the Wisp to use its power. That means it won't deactivate until he tells it to, or the Wisp runs out of energy."

Walt gritted his teeth. Images of his Yellow Wisp buddy flashed in his mind. "Not again. I won't let you take another one of 'em, you damn monster!" Without thinking, Walt ran ahead.

"Walt, no!" Barby shouted after him. "We need a plan!"

"I got a plan! I just need you guys to cover me!" Crocbot fired his cannon, and Walt barely managed to dodge it, the force of the blast sending him tumbling along the floor. As Crocbot aimed his cannon directly at Walt, Shade closed the distance and leapt up to strike the robot's head.

She slashed repeatedly, but her attacks had no impact. Instead, Crocbot simply grabbed her. Shade struggled, but was unable to break out of the robot's grip. However, Walt had used the opportunity to climb to his feet, and climbed onto the tank whilst Crocbot was distracted, making it out of the cannon's reach. He climbed Crocbot's body, stuffing his two boomerangs into Crocbot's open mouth. "BOMB!"

The two boomerangs exploded, but Crocbot didn't even so much as flinch. Walt froze, the shock paralyzing him and allowing Crocbot to grab him with his other hand.

"No! Let them go!" Barby shouted, running to reach her friends. With a chilling laugh, Crocbot fired his cannon, knocking Barby onto her back.

"Barby, just get outta here!" Walt cried. His two Black Wisps were attempting to pry open Crocbot's hand, but the effort was futile. "Just run! Hurry!"

"I can't!"

"Forget about us!" Shade shouted. "You have to reach the command centre and stop Bill, or this whole thing will have been for nothing!"

"But… But if I leave you here, you'll die!"

"That's the risk we took when we joined the Resistance!" Walt said. "We vowed to protect Downunda and resist the Eggman Empire at any cost! Even if we die, if our sacrifices bring hope for the rest of our mates, then it's alright!"

Tears obscured Barby's vision, and she wiped them away with her arm. "… Okay," she said, her voice almost a whisper. She turned, but as Crocbot squeezed with his hands, Walt and Shade's screams stopped her. She turned back, a fierce look in her eyes, and ran towards Crocbot. "Like Hell I can do that! Hold on, guys! I'll save you!"

Crocbot was about to fire his cannon, only to stop suddenly. Confused, Barby watched as Crocbot's hands loosened, and both Walt and Shade began falling to the floor. A yellow blur caught Shade, carrying her to Barby's side. "You okay?" Mina asked, smiling as she set Shade down onto her feet.

"Y-Yeah," Shade said, holding her head as she wobbled in a daze.

Behind them, Ash attempted to catch Walt the same way Mina had caught Shade. Only, rather than catching Walt gracefully as he had hoped, Ash found himself crashing to the floor as the much-larger wallaby fell on him.

"Y-You okay?" Ash said, groaning beneath Walt.

Walt climbed off of Ash, offering a hand to help him up. "I'm fine, mate. Sorry 'bout the rough landin', but hey, thanks for breakin' ma fall!"

"Don't… mention it…"

Crocbot's roar snapped everyone back to the enemy that was still standing before them. Sally emerged from behind, carrying an unconscious, deflated Purple Wisp in her arms. "Nicole found a weak spot at the back, and I was able to use that to get this little guy out." She handed the Wisp to Ash, and then turned to face Crocbot. "Without the Wisp's power, he should revert back to his normal state."

Just as Sally had said, before their very eyes, Crocbot's body began to shrink. The dark aura surrounding his body suddenly brightened, and when the light faded, his body was back to the way it was before; his legs had returned, his eyes were no longer purple voids, and his jaw, while still large, no longer looked like it could swallow his enemies whole.

"You guys should go," Sally said. She and Mina readied themselves to fight, as Crocbot glared daggers at the princess. "We can take care of him now. You have to liberate your region."

"Use this," Ash said, handing Barby his Rocket Wispon.

"Roger!" Barby responded, and aimed the Rocket Wispon up. "Give it to 'im good!"

"We will," Mina said, giving Barby a thumbs up.

"ROCKET!" Barby transformed into a rocket, ascending and breaking through several floors above her.

"Boss!" Wombat Stu called as he ran to Walt, saluting. "Let me come along, too! I wanna give that traitor a piece of my mind!"

Walt nodded. "Princess Sally, we're in your debt again."

"We're just doing our job," Sally said with a grin. "When the war is over, Downunda and the Acorn Kingdom can help each other rebuild."

"Sounds good," Walt said, and then he held his Hover Wispon in the air. "HOVER!" Walt transformed, and Shade and Stu grabbed onto him as he followed after Barby, through all of the floors that she had blasted through. They made it to the top floor just as the Wisp's power wore off.

Shade clicked the side of her helmet and looked around. "He's on this floor," she confirmed. "That way. Looks like we need to take a left, then a right three junctions ahead."

"Alright lads, this is it! Remember, he was once our pal, but now, he's just a bloody traitor, so don't feel like you have to go easy on him!" Walt cracked his knuckles. "He made his bed, time for him to sleep in it."

Stu and Barby both nodded. "Oh, we'll make him pay, after he answers for himself!" Barby said.

"Never miss with Downunda!" Stu followed. "That's a lesson he and Eggman are gonna learn the hard way!"

Back several floors below, Crocbot aimed his cannon at Mina, firing consecutive, weaker shots that the mongoose danced around with ease. "What are you, a fly?! Stop buzzing around and let me hit you!"

"You put that poor Wisp through so much pain! How can you be so heartless?!" Mina delivered a spindash that knocked Crocbot back.

"I'm a robot, you twit! I don't have a heart!"

"Then we don't have to hold anything back!" Mina ran around Crocbot, striking him from behind before he could register where she had gone. As he stumbled forwards, Sally slashed at him with her blades, cutting Crocbot in half across his waist.

As Crocbot's two halves hit the floor, his eyes faded. Sally released her breath, turning her blades off, and turned to Ash. "How's he doing?"

Ash, having lay the Purple Wisp down in his bundled-up jacket, looked at the princess with a sorrowful look. "I'm not a doctor, but… it doesn't look good." Just then, Ash heard a noise. Looking around, he saw the Burst and the Drill Wispons in his backpack moving on their own. The Wisps inside emerged, and hovered over to the Purple Frenzy Wisp.

Mina's microphone also began to move on its own, and Beat emerged, too, joining the other Wisps. She, Sally and Ash could only watch in confusion as the Wisps hovered around the dying Purple Wisp, their eyes closed as they said something in their language. No, it was more like they sang something.

The Wisps each began to glow their respective colours, and those auras were drawn to the Purple Wisp, who also began to glow.

"I see what they're doing," Nicole said. "They're sharing their Hyper-go-on energy with their friend."

"Will it be enough?" Sally asked.

"I hope so," Nicole said. She activated her hologram form so that she could join her hands together, praying for their success.

As the song ended, the Wisps opened their eyes and waited. The Purple Wisp shifted, and then smiled. It hovered in the air, dancing and saying something. None of them could tell what it was saying, but given its energy, they assumed it to be good news. This was only reinforced when the others Wisps all smiled, and started danced along with their friend.

"He made it!" Mina sang, and Beat hovered back over to her. "You did it! Good job, Beat! I'm so happy for you!"

Ash laughed, kneeling down to pet the Yellow and Red Wisps. "Good job, guys!" The Wisps moved themselves into Ash's hands, eagerly accepting the praise.

"Thank goodness," Sally said, smiling as she looked down at the Purple Wisp. "There have been enough lives lost already. I'm glad if we can save even one in this battle."

Nicole nodded in agreement, and then asked, "So what do we do now?"

Sally looked up through the holes in the ceiling. "We've done our part. The rest is up to them." Activating her energy blades, she continued, "For now, let's provide support to the remaining soldiers fighting the badniks."

Bill gasped as he peered out of the window of the base's command centre, seeing his former friends standing right outside, staring back at him with hate-filled glares. The newcomer, Shade, slashed at the reinforced door with her blades, whilst the other three all readied their Wispons.

With a few more strikes, the door became warped, and with one of Walt's powerful kicks, it flew open. "Bill, it's over! Give it up now!"

Bill was standing across the room, inside an open elevator, a pack slung over his shoulder and a smug look on his face. "Sorry, mates! You're just a little too late!" The elevator closed, and Bill descended down below. Stu tried to pry open the doors, but they were magnetically sealed.

"Sonuva!" Stu turned to Walt. "What now?!"

Walt gritted his teeth. If he still had his Drill Wispon, he could have gone after him, but without it, there wasn't much they could do other than wait to recall the elevator, and by that point, Bill would be long-gone. "He got away," he said finally, in a bitter tone. "But we completed our main objective: seizing the tower. We still need to hack into the system here, though. Girls?"

"On it," Barby said as she and Shade approached the large computer. "Huh? Well that's odd. It looks like Bill's still logged in."

"Heh, guess he panicked and forgot ta log out, huh?" Stu said. "And he was always the most anal about that sorta thing. Kinda funny how the tables turn when he gets scared."

Walt turned back to the elevator. "Yeah, that is funny…"

"Well, it shouldn't take long now," Barby said. "Change the password, copy the files we need from the Eggnet, aaaaaaaand… there! Now we can isolate this system from the rest of the Eggnet, so that it can only be operated locally. That way, Eggman'll have no control over the robots in this region."

"You beaut! Does that mean we can make the robots work for us?"

Shade shook her head. "They're hard-wired to work for the Eggman Empire. If they're not receiving orders from an official source, they default to basic routines. We can force them all to deactivate, though."

"Well, it's better than nothin'," Walt said. "That'll give us ample breathin' room to clean up the area, an' rescue our brothers and sisters." Walt reached for his phone. "You keep workin' on gettin' things up-and-runnin' in here. I'm gonna contact the Princess and let her know the mission was a success."

Back at the Downunda base, Bunnie Rabbot waited anxiously as the base's medics treated Antoine in another room. She had considered going back out to re-join the battle, but she didn't want to leave Antoine until she knew for sure that he would be okay. As she recalled the wound he had received from Drago Wolf, her fists clenched. "Please be okay," she whispered.

After what felt like an eternity, Doctor Guru Emu approached Bunnie, removing his surgical gloves and mask. "The treatment is over," he said. "The wound wasn't as bad as it looked. It'll scar, but he'll be groovy. Just needs a little bedrest."

Bunnie breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Can ah see him?"

"Of course. I'm sure he'd be happy t' see a friend right now."

Bunnie followed Guru into the room where Antoine was resting. It was a private room, one that was clearly not built for treating patients, but had been quickly rearranged into a makeshift ward. "Did y'all set this up just for 'Twan?"

"Nah, we just ran outta space for all the soldiers comin' back injured."

"There are that many?" Bunnie held her organic hand over her heart. "Maybe ah should be gettin' back to the fightin'."

"Ain't much of a fight left at this point," Guru said, looking at his phone. "Just received word from Walt. The main base's been captured, and Bill's retreated. We've won."

"I am glad to 'ear it," Antoine said, straining himself to sit up. A nurse stopped him, urging him to rest. "Ze others, zey are okay?"

"Yeah," Guru confirmed.

"Never mind them right now," Bunnie said, hurrying to Antoine's side. "Y'all need to lay down an' rest! Honestly, ya just about had me scared ta death."

"Ma apologees."

Bunnie frowned. Antoine looked terrible, though thankfully, his fur hadn't lost any of its colour. "How ya feelin'?" She asked. Antoine strained to talk, motioning for something to drink. She handed him some water and he chugged it quickly. "Better?"

"Oui. Thank you."

"Your friends are on their way back," Guru said, putting away his phone. He motioned to the nurse, who followed him to the door. "We'll give you some privacy, but be sure to ring us if anything happens, ya dig?"

Antoine placed a hand over the bandages wrapped around his chest, groaning. "I 'ave caused you all trouble, 'aven't I?"

"Yeah," Bunnie said, and Antoine could only laugh at her brutal honesty. "But at least you're alive. That's the important thing." An awkward silence passed over the two of them. Bunnie saw that Antoine was trying not to look at her, and she nervously clutched the ends of her jacket. "Why did you let him rile you up so much?" Antoine didn't answer, and Bunnie regretted asking after a few moments. "Sorry, ya don't have to tell me if ya don't wanna."

"It was… about my fathair," Antoine said, sighing. Bunnie fell completely silent, waiting patiently for Antoine to find his words. "He was a General back in ze day, before Mobotropolis fell. General Armand D'Coolette, ze finest swordsman in the realm, and ze man I always aspired to be."

Bunnie smiled. "He sounds like a great man."

"He was. But then one day, when he took me out one of 'is ordinary patrols, we encountered a strange robot… Eet was easily defeated, but not before striking Fathair with some strange kind of bullet. Ze bullet was too deep to be extracted on ze field, so we retreated back to Mobotropolis, so that Doctor Quack could perform ze necessary operation.

"Ze bullet was successfully removed, but it did not look like any ordinary bullet. Curious, Doctor Quack sent it to Uncle Chuck for testing, and my fathair spent ze night in ze hospital. At ze time, we did not know ze true nature of zat bullet. We did not appreciate the threat eet posed."

Bunnie swallowed, her voice low as she asked, "What was it?"

"According to Uncle Chuck, zat bullet injected some kind of roboteec parasite into my fathair's body, one that went unnoticed and spread over the next few days. Nanobats, 'e called zem. By ze time my fathair began to show ze symptoms of infection, eet was already too late. Ze nanobots had complete control of 'is nervous system, and Robotneek was able to control 'im from outside of ze walls." Antoine fell silent, turning his head to hide his tears. Bunnie looked away out of respect. "Zat night, Fathair killed my mother."

Bunnie's exhaled sharply through her nose, balling her hands into fists as she tried to hide her reaction. She felt guilty now, like she was forcing Antoine to relive demons from his past, and wanted to tell him that he didn't have to go on. Yet, some part of her was curious to know where this story was heading… And so she stayed silent, a chill going down her back as Antoine continued talking.

"Ze alarms sounded, and everybody looked outside to find out what ze commotion was all about. My fathair, General Armand D'Coolette, was on a rampage through ze city. Controlled by ze tiny nanobots inside of 'im, he raided ze armoury for explosives, and then made for ze wall, cutting down any who tried to get in 'is way. Zat was when ze King himself arrived to stop 'im."

Armand brought his sabre down on the King, who blocked it with his shield. "Stop this at once, General! I don't want to strike down an old friend!"

"Max, please… You 'ave to stop me! I can't…. control it!" Armand kicked King Max, pushing him back, and then attempted to strike him down again.

This time, when Max deflected the blow, he swung his sword. "Very well, don't say I didn't warn you!" Despite his words, Max stopped short of actually cutting Armand down, his sword freezing just inches away. "Armand, my friend, why are you doing this?!"

"Eet is not me, Your Majesty," Armand said, heaving, and with tears in his eyes. "My body is moving on eets own! Please, you must kill me! I don't want to hurt anyone else!"

"You're being… controlled?" Max gritted his teeth. "Then fight it, man! I don't want to lose anyone, either!"

"I can't!" Armand swung his sword, and Max parried the strike. "You must put an end to my misery! I am begging you, Maximillian!" Armand attempted to cut off the King's hand, but Max dodged the attack and instead severed Armand's, the General's sabre falling to the ground. Despite the injury, Armand felt no pain, or if he did, he showed no signs of it. "Please, just kill me…" Tears streamed down Armand's face. "I can barely even think anymore. Kill me, before I lose myself completely…"

"Fathair!"

Armand gasped, and tried to turn his head. He managed to move it a little with some effort, but not enough to see his son standing behind him. "Antoine, get out of here!"

"But Fathair-"

"Go, now! There's nothing that you can do!" Suddenly, Armand froze. A ticking sound came from the explosives in his left hand. "King Max, please protect my son!"

Max looked down at the explosive, and saw that the timer was at only five seconds! "Drat!" In one swift move, Max sprung past Armand, allowing the General to run to the base of the wall, and then grabbed Antoine, carrying him away from the scene despite the boy's protests. Five long seconds passed, and King Max could only watch as the explosives went off, rocking the entire area and causing the wall to crumble. Fires spread and black smoke rose into the air, and as people came out to see what was happening, Antoine's screams filled the night.

"FATHAIR! FATHAAAAAAAAAIR!"

Max had to hold the boy to stop him from running to the wall. "This is bad," Max muttered. "The wall is designed to withstand attacks from outside, not from within, and that section in particular was already compromised."

"I've no doubt that was exactly Julian's plan," Chuck said, approaching the King. He took charge of holding Antoine, freeing Max's hands. "I'll look after Antoine. You must act quickly to secure the breach."

Max nodded, but before he could begin issuing any orders, a scream drew his attention away. Through the rising smoke at the fractured wall, shadows appeared. One-by-one, robots began to emerge, their eyes glowing red. They marched towards the townspeople, who quickly began to retreat, creating a stampede as everybody focussed on self-preservation above all else.

Max ordered his soldiers to attack. "The enemy is here already?! How did we not see them approaching?!"

"Sir!" a soldier called from atop the wall. "More enemies are appearing!"

"Where are they coming from?!"

"They're just… appearing out of thin air, sir!"

"Could it be that they've been here the entire time?" Chuck asked.

"Impossible!" Max protested. "How could there be such a large force right under our nose, without us noticing?!"

"Perhaps Julian found a way to hide their presence. If that's the case, then it means that this was indeed all part of his plan."

"Well, whatever the case, there's nothing we can do now but fight! You take Antoine and find my family, and take them somewhere safe!"

Chuck nodded. Antoine protested, but Chuck was able to pull him away, dragging him through the city.

"Ze rest, I was not able to observe, but a soldier zat made eet to Knothole told us what 'ad happened. King Max 'ad defeated ze robot army, with ze help of 'is soldiers."

"Even after an ambush like that?" Bunnie asked.

"Oui. Ze Mobotropolis' army was ze strongest in all of Mobius, and Robotneek knew it. Unfortunately, eet all turned out to be a deception."

As Max cut down the last of the robots, something new appeared from the smoke. Max wasn't sure if it was a robot or a living being, but he was certain that it was one of Eggman's soldiers. The black-furred figured floated above them, his face obscured by a silver mask that exposed only one, red eye.

"The King of Mobotropolis. You live up to your name," the mysterious figure said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Infinite, and I'm here to claim Mobotropolis for the Eggman Empire!"

"So you're one of Julian's, after all! Unfortunately for you, this battle is already over! Your army has been wasted, and you are surrounded by the finest soldiers in the Kingdom of Acorn!"

Infinite laughed. "Our army? You mean… this army?!" The air began to shimmer all around Max, and from out of nowhere, robots began to emerge, and the robots that he thought had been defeated were now standing, completely undamaged. Red-and-black particles floated around the city, and the robots attacked the open soldiers, striking them down quickly and crippling Mobotropolis' forces in a matter of seconds.

The figure landed, facing Max dead-on. Max raised his sword and charged at him, cutting down several robots along the way. As he reached his enemy, Max drew back his sword, ready to thrust… only to suddenly find himself frozen mid-charge. "What-"

Maniacal laughter echoed through the air, and a familiar pod hovered into the city. Doctor Eggman peered over the side of the hovercraft, grinning at the frozen King below him. "Good work, Infinite! Keep him still!" Eggman's pod descended, coming down by Max's side. "It's been a long time, hasn't it Maxie?"

Max gritted his teeth as he glared at the mad scientist, his body trembling as he tried to fight Infinite's power. "Julian! I will not abide your actions, not this time!"

"You know, your threats don't sound quite so threatening when your entire army has been decimated."

"Mark my words, this is not the end! We will have our day, and I will avenge General D'Coolette, and all else who fell today!"

"Uh-huh. I'll pencil that into my schedule, right after 'take over entire world'. Though whether or not you'll be around to see that day is questionable." Two of Eggman's robots arrived, one of them holding Queen Alicia Acorn, the other holding Prince Elias.

Max's body trembled as he saw his wife and son out of the corner of his eye. "No! How were you captured?! Have they already infiltrated the palace?"

"The robots appeared out of nowhere!" Alicia cried, tears staining her face. "They defeated the soldiers protecting us!"

"What about Sally?"

"She's-" Elias began.

"Daddy!"

Eggman grinned. "Ahh, there she is." Eggman looked over to where Sally was fighting some of his Egg Pawns. He noticed the sword on her back. "The Sword of Acorns! Make sure you get that sword, at any cost!"

"Sally, get away from here!" King Max shouted, unable to turn his head to face his daughter.

"I can't! I have to rescue you!"

"You'll only make things worse! Get out of here and live!"

"I said I won't! Robotnik, I'm not going to let you tear me away from my family!" Sally charged, drawing the Sword of Acorns, and Eggman's robots began to converge. Suddenly, a fist met Sally's stomach, and she found herself slowly losing consciousness. "Ro… tor…"

"Sorry Sal, but we gotta protect ya." Rotor slung Sally over his shoulder and picked up the Sword of Acorns. He turned to King Max for just a moment, tipping his hat to the old monarch.

"Thank you, Boomer."

"What are you waiting for? Get them!" Eggman's robots advanced as Rotor fled the city with Sally, but they were stopped suddenly by the arrival of two soldiers: a white tiger and a bulldog.

"Colonel Tig Stripe!" Elias shouted as he recognised the tiger. "And Bull Bones!"

"We won't let you chase after them!" Colonel Stripe said, taking out a number of Egg Pawns with his sharp claws. "We'll protect the Princess with our very lives!"

"Your Majesty, the civilians are being evacuated! We'll rescue you, so just hang tight!" Bull Bones shouted, grabbing one of the Egg Pawns and using it as a weapon to whack the others approaching him.

Eggman slammed a fist onto his console as he watched Rotor carry Sally out of the city. "Grrrrr! Infinite, do your thing!"

Infinite's eye glinted. "With pleasur-" As Infinite shifted his gaze to the two soldiers, King Acorn broke free of his hold and continued his charge. Infinite gasped, taking a step back as he quickly raised his other arm, stopping Max just as his blade was inches from his face. "Guh!"

"That's it, boy! Keep all your focus on me! If you look away for even one second, you'll feel my full wrath!"

"What are you doing?! Finish him off!"

"I… can't…" Infinite took another step back and planted his feet firmly into the ground.

Eggman looked into the distance, and found that Sally was long-gone. "Bah! We missed our chance!" He pressed a button on his console, and several drones carrying prison capsules flew into the city. One of them was dropped on King Max, trapping him and allowing Infinite to immediately shift his focus to Tig Stripe and Bull Bones.

Red-and-black particles surrounded the two soldiers, who stopped their advance and stood back-to-back as they waited to see what would happen. Alicia and Elias watched in horror as the particles entombed them, making it impossible to see what was happening… but the screams they heard were enough to send chills down their spines.

Two more prison capsules dropped, capturing Alicia and Elias, and Eggman huffed as he landed his pod, climbing out to approach Max's capsule. "Not a bad performance, old man, but it won't mean much in the end. It's only a matter of time until your daughter shares your fate." Eggman laughed as the red-and-black particles scattered, revealing empty space where Tig Stripe and Bull Bones once stood. "And believe me, you'll wish you had died here today!"

"Rotor carried ze Princess to Knothole Glade, and once zere, we found other residents of ze city that 'ad been able to flee. Some soldiers had also arrived, and confirmed zat ze King and 'is family 'ad been captured. Mobotropolis 'ad fallen… and my fathair 'ad passed."

"So that's why Drago's words upset ya so much." Bunnie felt her stomach churning. Suddenly, she felt bad for scolding him earlier. "Guess Ah can't blame ya for flyin' off the handle like that."

Antoine shook his head. "No, as a soldier, I should have known better than to fall for ze enemy's taunts. My fathair would have fared better."

Bunnie smiled. "But Ah think he'd still be happy, knowin' you care about him so much. 'Sides, look at this way: now ya got these cool, manly scars ta show how brave ya were!"

Antoine blushed, but also grinned. "Zey are cool, aren't zey? My fathair had many scars from 'is battles, but not one ever came from 'im running away!" Antoine sighed. "I 'ave always hoped to be as brave and gallant as 'im, but alas, when it comes to combat, I get weak in ze knees."

"But ya still fight, even if ya get scared. Ah think that takes a lot of courage."

Antoine smiled at that. "Thank you, Bunnie."

"Say, can ah ask somethin'? Why did ya tell me all that? Ain't it kinda… personal? Ah mean, ah'm glad ya did but, we haven't really known each other for that long."

"Non. Perhaps I simply wanted to get eet off of my chest. I have been having nightmares of zat day." Antoine shivered, and pulled the covers of his bed further up his body. "I am sorry if I trouble you."

"It's no trouble at all. If ya need someone ta talk to, ah'm all ears!" Bunnie lifted her large ears as she said that, hoping it would get a laugh out of him. She was thankful that it did, because she felt rather silly at that moment. "And uh, thank you. For trustin' me."

Antoine nodded. Minutes passed, and Bunnie remained at Antoine's side, keeping him company until Sally and the others returned.

Finally, the door to the medical bay opened, and in walked Sally, Rotor, and Barby. "How's he feeling?" Sally asked.

"Much better now, Princess," Antoine answered, smiling at Bunnie, who smiled back. "I am sorry for being so reckless. Ze mission…"

Barby nodded. "The mission was a complete success! The main base is ours, and we now have a strong fort to cement our hold in the region. The battle's not done yet, but this is a huge win for Downunda."

"Bill got away, though," Rotor said. "Apparently, he had a secret escape tunnel. There's an Eggman outpost a few miles from the base, and it seems that's where he was headed."

"So ze traitor escapes," Antoine said with a scowl. "Speaking of traitors, what of Drago? Is he now our prisoner?"

Rotor shifted uncomfortably, his face turning sour. "Drago sustained a fatal injury in the course of battle," Sally said, and Rotor turned to leave. "He didn't make it."

Antoine's face softened. He hung his head, and felt Bunnie's hand over his. "I see… Well, zat is one less enemy we have to concern ourselves with."

Sally nodded. "We're taking his body back with us. Even if he was a traitor, there were some in Mobotropolis who were his friends."

"Of course."

"We're leaving in one hour," Sally told him, turning to leave with Barby. "We'd like to stay longer, but I'm anxious about leaving Knothole for so long."

"I understand. You've done more than enough for us today," Barby said.

Turning back to Antoine, Sally said, "Make sure you're well-rested. And 'Twan? You did good today, so please don't beat yourself up over this."

"Oui."

With that, Sally and Barby left, leaving Bunnie and Antoine alone.

"How are ya feelin'?" Bunnie asked.

"What do you mean? Ze enemy has been defeated, and my fathair's honour has been avenged. Zere is no reason I should feel anything other than being 'appy, non?"

"And do ya?"

Antoine hesitated. "Non… I feel… angry." Antoine curled his hands into fists and slammed them down on his bed. "I should 'ave been ze one to best 'im! I was ze one whom he had slighted! I was ze the one Sally trusted with zis task! Not only did someone else have to correct my meestake, but now I will never hear zat scoundrel's apology from 'is own lips!"

"Antoine, calm down-"

"I let my pride get in ze way, and now Drago Wolf is dead! Had I been ze one to best 'im, he would have lived! I would have shown 'im mercy, even if he had not deserved it!"

"Drago made his own choice!" Bunnie shouted, grabbing Antoine's hands to make him stop. "He's the one who made himself our enemy. His death is no one's fault but his own, and it's least-of-all yours! You were brave, and strong. I'm sure Sally is proud that ya did all ya could!"

"But it wasn't enough…" Antoine sighed, laying back against his pillow. "I must do better, or Robotneek will be walking all over us before long." Antoine turned to Bunnie. "Will you 'elp me? When we return, I will begin my training to be a stronger man. I want you to 'elp me with zis endeavour."

Bunnie smiled. "Sure ah will," she said, releasing Antoine's hands and gently pushing him down so that he lay properly in his bed. "But before that, y'all need your rest. Ya won't be any help to Sal or the others all worked up."

"Oui… You are right. Then I shall rest… and begin my training in ze morrow."

Duck "Bill" Platypus saw the Eggman Empire fort appear in the distance. After a long drive, they were finally there. This was to be their new base of operations after losing the previous base earlier. It was in a much-more vulnerable position, and wasn't geared-up for defence. "It wouldn't be surprising if we'd lost this one, too," he mused to himself.

He then saw someone standing in the road, and hit the brakes. The robots following him in their own cars also stopped. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" Bill asked, jumping out of his vehicle. "We're with the Eggman Empire! Get lost or we'll-" Bill stopped when he realised who it was that he was talking to. "Oh, Infinite… What are you doing here?"

"I'm searching for a hedgehog. One of silver fur, who can use his mind to control objects."

Bill shrugged. "Don't match anyone I know, but I'll keep you informed if I see him."

"Will you, now?" Infinite stepped towards Bill, conjuring a red-and-black sword in his hand. "Or will you warn him that I am in the area, and shelter him until I leave?"

Bill backed away, only stopping when his back met his car door. "W-What do you mean? Of course I wouldn't do that! We're on the same side!"

"Then explain to me how you lost that facility back there so easily. Explain to me why the robots in the warehouse didn't activate, even after you received an alert. And explain why you sent an encrypted transmission, warning the Princess of Metal Sonic's arrival!"

Bill gulped. "T-That's… I don't know what you mean! I-I responded as best I could, but the Downunda crew, they're strong!" The tip of Infinite's sword pressed against Bill's throat. "I swear, I didn't have anything to do with it!"

"You were a fool to think you could betray Eggman, and suicidal to actually try! But… you're not even worth the effort. So I won't kill you." Infinite withdrew his sword and it vanished, leaving behind only cube-like particles. Bill breathed a heavy sigh of relief, but it was short-lived. "He will."

Metal Sonic appeared behind Infinite, his eyes flickering as he approached Bill. "W-W-Wait! I-I can still be useful!"

"I doubt it," Infinite said as he turned to leave. "The only purpose you can serve now, is to be an example to the other Egg Bosses. Do it."

Metal Sonic raised his claw and struck, Bill's scream echoing throughout the area.