Following the defeat of Shadow, the Knothole Resistance began pushing back into the Kingdom of Acorn to reclaim lost territory. They had expected fierce pushback from Clove, who still ran the region on Eggman's behalf, but somehow - be it through luck or simply the heightened morale from their recent victories - the Resistance was able to overwhelm her forces with ease and drive her away, pushing further and further until she was forced to retreat to the Egg Command Centre of the region.

Now at the enemy's doorstep, there was only one, final push that was needed to drive Eggman's presence out, and reclaim the Kingdom of Acorn. From there, the Knothole chapter could head east to assist the neighbouring Dragon Kingdom, who were struggling against the combined forces of Chaos and Conquering Storm. Just one final push.

Unfortunately, before that final push could be made, unsettling rumours began to spread around the camp.

"Did you hear? The entire Northern Resistance got wiped out in one battle."

"I heard it wasn't even a battle, it was a massacre."

"I thought Shadow was dead? Did he somehow survive?"

"Or maybe the Princess lied to us."

Bunnie's ears twitched, and she looked around to try to find whoever had just said that, but it was hard to tell, given the sentiment seemed to be shared by many of the people around them.

"Why would she do that? To inspire us?"

"Still doesn't make it right."

"Probably more like to hide her failure. I knew we shouldn't have followed a kid into battle."

"But look how far we've got!"

"For now. Once Shadow shows up, how many of us are gonna die?"

"I knew it. This war is hopeless!"

Bunnie clenched her fists and stormed away, her face red. The whole camp was abuzz with these kinds of conversations. It seemed that overnight, everyone's opinion of Sally had dropped drastically, and some were openly questioning if sticking with the Resistance was even worth it anymore.

Fiona followed after her. "At this rate, we're gonna have to contain a riot," she said in a low voice. "People are getting angry, and it's only a matter of time before these rumours become fact."

"Ya don't really believe Shadow's alive, do ya?! It's all jus' hogwash that Eggman made up t' scare folks!"

"Eggman doesn't scare people with ghost stories, he scares them with actual threats. Besides, even if it wasn't Shadow, something still wiped out the Northern Resistance."

"Ya don't know that. We lost contact with 'em, that doesn't mean they're-"

"And our scouts sent to investigate haven't returned."

"Even if Shadow is alive, Sally still drove him outta Knothole! Doesn't that count for somethin'?!"

"When I was a girl, I lied about cleaning my room, when all I really did was hide the mess in my closet. When my mum opened the closet, it all came spilling out and made an even bigger mess."

"Ma point is that with Shadow gone, we've been able ta make massive progress. We're practically at Clove's doorstep! But now, thanks to those dunderheads, we're likely gonna fall apart right at the finish line."

"Getting angry won't help. Let's go see what Sally has to say."

"Ah trust her!"

"Then you'll have no problem asking her directly."

"Ya got that right! Don't y'all trust Sally-girl, too?"

Fiona shook her head. "Not until I hear her side of things."

The two approached the tent that had been set up for Sally and her closest friends, to discuss the strategy for the coming battle. Hamlin and Penelope, standing guard at the entrance, saluted as they approached and allowed them to pass. Inside, Sally, Nicole, Rotor, Antoine, Mina and Ash were conversing with Uncle Chuck via a monitor. Chuck himself was back at Knothole, but thanks to information sent back to him, he was able to assist with the planning.

Right now, though, they were engaged with another problem: Shadow.

"This couldn't have happened at a worse time," Chuck said. "Just as we were about to storm the final stronghold."

"We need some way to convince everyone that these rumours are just rumours," Rotor said.

"And what if they aren't?" Ash asked. "What if Shadow appears during the battle, and all our work has been for nothing?"

"If he does, we'll just beat him back again!" Bunnie said confidently as she approached, but the rest of the group didn't seem so sure.

"Shadow might only be one person, but he's worth a hundred fighters," Sally said. "We were lucky to catch him off his guard, and to have Silver's help. If he shows up unexpectedly during this battle, though, there'll be casualties. Heavy casualties."

"Not to mention, it'd crush everyone's spirits," Fiona added. "Morale is already dropping because of the rumours alone. If he actually showed up, I imagine many would lose the will to fight. Some might even try to run away."

"But we don't know for sure that the rumours are even true!" Rotor insisted.

"I've sent a scouting party out to investigate, but they haven't reported back," Sally said, pointing to a point of the map between themselves and where the Northern Resistance were stationed. "Right around here. I can't risk sending out more parties without knowing what's out there, and we can't just drop what we're doing here to investigate."

"I'll go," Mina said. "I can get there-and-back before the battle starts, and if anything shows up, I'll just outrun it!"

Sally nodded. "That would be helpful. Just remember, no matter what you find, don't engage. Just get there, find out what's happened, and report back."

"I'll go with you," Ash said, but Mina shook her head.

"You heard the Princess, we gotta do this fast. No offence, but you'd only slow me down."

"But-" Ash began to protest, but he stopped himself. "Then, just please be careful, alright?"

Mina nodded, and kissed her boyfriend. Rotor gave them a few moments before clearing his throat. "Here, take this with you." He handed Mina a bracelet. "It's a Power Shield. Use it when you're in a pinch. We were gonna start giving these out just before the battle, but you'd best take one now, just to be safe."

"Thanks. I'll be back before you know it!"

Mina sped out of the tent so fast that everyone feared it would be blown away, but thankfully it held. "So what now?" Fiona asked.

"We continue our preparations," Sally told her. "That's all we can do while we wait. If the rumours of Shadow's return turn out to be true, we'll cancel the push."

"We'll never get a chance like this again."

"I'm not going to risk losing everything on a battle with such low odds. The whole reason we've been able to make it this far is because Shadow's defeat inspired everyone. Battles can be won or lost by the morale of the troops."

"If Shadow is back, there would also be the question of how. It's just like with Metal Sonic in Downunda, and I hear the Dragon Kingdom are experiencing similar problems with Chaos. Until we can solve this mystery, we should consider Shadow undefeatable, which means all we'd be doing by engaging him again is wasting our strength."

"So if Shadow's really alive, we just give up the ground we regained and return to hiding at Knothole?" Fiona asked.

"I don't like it either, but it's the safest bet," Sally said. "We'll at least live to fight another day. The way things are going, the Resistance can't afford another heavy loss of life."

Fiona closed her eyes and sighed. "Then… let's hope the rumours are just rumours, because the Resistance can't afford to drag its feet any longer, either."

Clove stormed through the base, chaos running through her mind thanks to the day's events. The Knothole Resistance had been regaining ground fast, and now, they were setting up camp to attack the Egg Command Centre, and she wasn't sure if her robots were up to the task of defending this area.

But, that seemed to be what the Doctor wanted, since it was by his command that Clove held back her forces and only half-heartedly defended the various outposts between them and Knothole. She was thankful, in a way, as it kept Cassia out of the fighting, but if they had lost this outpost, it would mean the end of her treatments. Was Eggman giving them up? Were they just being used as sacrificial pawns for some greater scheme? Or was this another of the Doctor's infamous gambles, treating their life-and-death struggle as nothing more than a game for his own amusement?

Thunderbolt was certain that Eggman had something up his sleeve, but Clove was on-edge. There had been some setbacks, sure, but Shadow was back in the fray and Clove was still serving loyally. Surely he could see that, right?

Clove entered her room and slammed the door shut, walking swiftly to her bed. She sat down with a heavy sigh, clutching her head. As she did so, she noticed something beside her. She looked at it and recognised it as one of the masks worn by the Diamond Cutters wore. It had a note attached to it.

'WATCH'

Clove knew that these masks recorded everything at all times. Whoever left it here wanted her to see something. Was it Smithy? She should have alerted the rest of the base and ordered a complete lockdown, and then performed a full sweep for the intruder, but… curious, Clove put the mask on and initiated its playback.

She saw things from Smithy's perspective. She watched as he, Slinger, Claire and Mimic walked through what appeared to be an Eggman facility. There were pods everywhere, but Clove couldn't see what was in them. Thankfully, Smithy seemed to be just as curious and approached one of them. She saw Shadow, or at least, something resembling Shadow. His red highlights were yellow, and his eyes were definitely mechanical. Shadow Androids, then?

It was then that the pods began to open, and Claire announced that there were sealed in. Smithy, Claire and Slinger began to fire, and Clove noticed that Mimic was no longer there. The Shadow Androids swarmed the trio, too fast to hit reliably and so sturdy that they could tank whatever shots did hit them.

The three of them called out to Mimic and Whisper for help, but that was when the feed changed to Mimic's point-of-view, and she saw him talking with Eggman. She clenched her fist. He had sold them out, and was now being told to finish the job by killing Whisper himself.

Clove knew enough about the masks to operate them, and attempted to shift the perspective back to Smithy's, but all she got was static. Slinger's and Claire's offered the same result, which meant that their masks had already been destroyed by this point… and that they were gone.

"… You were the only one to get away?" Clove asked as she removed the mask, and then she turned to face Whisper, standing in the shadows behind her with her Wispon trained on the pronghorn's back. "Why did you show me that?"

"Because he was your friend," Whisper said, her voice living up to her name. "You betrayed him for Eggman. I understand why, but I thought you should see the consequences of your actions."

"It's not like I killed him."

"No, but you're Eggman's accomplice. You're just as guilty. Is that really what you and your sister want?"

"What we wanted, was to just live a peaceful life in Mercia. What Cassia wanted was to be healthy, and not have to replace half her organs with cybernetic components."

"If you feel this is the best path to take, then that's up to you." Whisper approached Clove and took her mask back, putting it on. "But don't expect me to show any mercy when we next meet. You work for the man who took everything from me. If it comes down to it, I'll kill you."

Clove watched as Whisper made to leave the room. "You're not going to do it now?"

"As a favour to Smithy, I'll give you a chance." Whisper turned to look over her shoulder at Clove. "You're not going to stop me?"

"As a favour to Smithy, I'll look the other way."

With a nod, Whisper left, slipping into the shadows to sneak through the base. Clove lay back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Tears formed in her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. "Damnit Smithy, how could you just go and die like that?"

The computer inside her room alerted her to an incoming transmission from Doctor Eggman himself, and Clove straightened herself out before answering the call. "I hear you're having a little trouble down there," Eggman said, a mocking tone despite the circumstances.

"Don't give me that. You're the one who's ordered me to recall most of our badniks here. Why are we giving up all of our captured territory to defend this one spot?"

"Eh-heheheh… You know what's the most annoying thing about your kind? You always seem to find the smallest glimmer of light in the darkness, and from that hope, you spring back from defeat, stronger than ever." Eggman's grin unsettled Clove. "So I'll let them have their hope. Let them reclaim their precious Kingdom, and drive you to the brink of defeat. Then, when they think they're about to finally win, we'll crush them."

"You want to break their spirits? That's par for the course for you, I guess, but we're taking an awfully big risk. Even with the majority of our badniks recalled here, the Knothole forces are stronger than our data showed, and their morale is something that can't be emulated by robots."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll put up a good fight, but morale can be a double-edged sword. And don't you worry about the strength of your army; I'm sending you some backup, to ensure your victory." Eggman laughed on the other end of the call. "You just go out there and keep those pesky Resistance fighters from advancing any further. He will be there shortly to clean up your mess."

"Who?" Clove asked, but Eggman simply wished her good luck, and ended the call. Clove stood silent for several minutes, contemplating. Then, she reached for her scythe and left her room.

When Mina caught up to the scouting party, she was already too late. Their bodies were left laying across the field along with their equipment, which was completely destroyed. Smouldering craters and burned patches of grass told the story of the battle that must have taken place there, but there was not a single deactivated badnik, nor even any badnik parts. There had clearly been a struggle, so to think that not one of the scouts was able to land even a single blow on the enemy?

What was more distressing was that, despite searching through the discarded Wispons strewn about, Mina could not find even one Wisp that had survived the battle. They had all been killed, and left on the ground. Badniks were programmed to capture Wisps, not to kill them, so whoever or whatever did this was capable of thinking beyond its orders, and clearly, had no regard for the Wisps' lives.

"What now? Should I keep going?" Mina wondered to herself. She figured it was safe to assume that whatever happened to this group, likely happened to the Northern Resistance, too, but could it really have been Shadow?

Suddenly, Mina felt a chill down her spine. She curled into a ball and used her spindash, evading the attack from behind, and as she unfurled and faced her assailant, her fears were confirmed. Shadow the Hedgehog stood facing her, rage burning in his eyes.

"How are you alive?! I saw you die! Princess Sally-" Shadow charged Mina, interrupting her questions, and delivered a series of strikes. With her speed, she was able to dodge the attacks as she backed away. "Answer me! How could you do this to your own people?!"

But Shadow seemingly had no interest in talking to the mongoose. He continued to attack, relentlessly pursuing Mina even as she turned and ran. He stayed on her tail, his speed matching hers. Then, he summoned a Chaos Spear in his hand and threw it at Mina, forcing her to slide to evade.

Jumping out of the slide, Mina rolled into a spindash and swerved, striking Shadow. As she attempted to jump back, he grabbed her leg and slammed her to the ground. Shadow raised his hand to finish her, but Mina blocked it with her Power Shield. The force of Shadow's strike was enough to drain the shield completely, and her bracelet indicated that it needed to recharge.

Mina leapt back and sang into her microphone Wispon, unleashing a soundwave that disorientated him. With Shadow dazed, Mina delivered a kick, winding the hedgehog, and then an uppercut to the jaw. She went in for a third strike, but Shadow caught her fist mid-swing and clenched on her wrist, sending a jolt of pain down her arm and forcing her to her knees. Mina inhaled, bringing her microphone to her lips, but another squeeze from Shadow caused her to drop the Wispon as she wailed in pain. If this kept up, he would break her wrist!

Beat exited the Wispon and attacked Shadow's hand, hoping to pry it open, but Shadow simply grabbed the Wisp with his other hand and squeezed it, too.

"N-No! Don't do it!" Mina pleaded, but Shadow clearly wasn't listening. Gritting her teeth, Mina clenched her fist and did the only thing she could think to do: she lurched forwards and bit Shadow's hand, digging her fangs into his skin. Shadow flinched, loosening his grip on her wrist, but he didn't release her entirely.

Throwing Beat aside, Shadow slammed his fist on Mina's head. She bit harder as a result, and when she felt Shadow's grip loosen further, she took her chance. Rolling into a spindash, she was able to pry herself free, and then attack Shadow.

Now free, Mina hurried to Beat's side, scooping the injured Wisp into her arms and holding him close as she ran. "Just hold on! We're gonna get out of here!" She felt Shadow pursuing her, and ran as fast as she could, but when she looked over her shoulder, she found that he was still keeping pace with her. No, he was closing the gap! She bit her lip as she realised that he was using her slipstream, and in this big, open area, there was no way to lose him.

As Shadow reached out to grab the fleeing mongoose, a blue laser struck his hand, forcing him to stop. Mina also stopped, after running a bit further ahead, and tried to find whoever had fired the shot. A second shot hit Shadow's arm as he inspected the burning hole in his hand, and as red-and-black particles began to leak from the hedgehog's wounds, his arm hung limp.

Mina traced the shot to some trees in the distance. Way in the distance, so far that the trees themselves seemed tiny. So far that, even by squinting, she still couldn't see the sniper.

"Chaos Control!"

Shadow warped away, and for a few moments, Mina was frozen like a deer in headlights. She kept up her guard as she anticipated an attack from behind, but when she saw an explosion coming from the trees, she realised that whoever had saved her was now Shadow's main target.

"I can't just leave them. They saved me…" But even as she said that, Mina looked down at Beat and had doubts. "Beat, I'm going to go see what's happening, but I don't want you to be hurt. Will you promise me you'll stay out of the fighting, no matter what happens?"

Beat was hesitant, but he eventually nodded. Slipping Beat into her satchel, Mina ran over to the trees, where more explosions and lasers were emerging. She followed the smoke of what she assumed to be a forest fire, and found two figures fighting in a clearing. One was Shadow, who had taken more damage and still only had use of one of his arms, but the other figure, she didn't recognise.

It was a girl, she could tell that much. Possibly a wolf, judging by her tail. But her body was covered in a cloak, and her face hidden behind a mask. She carried a weapon that Mina had never seen before. A Wispon, perhaps? Her question was answered when the weapon channelled a Blue Cube Wisp to become a hammer, and she smacked Shadow away. It then changed into a rifle, and she fired a laser. It was now a Cyan Laser Wison?

Mina had never heard of a Wispon that could use multiple types of Wisps before, but as the battle unfolded, this mysterious girl used a Green Hover Wisp, turning the Wispon into an umbrella that blew a fierce gust of wind, blowing Shadow away as he tried to charge her.

When Shadow as at a distance, the girl then used a Pink Spike Wisp to create spinning spike traps in the air around him, and then an Orange Rocket Wisp to fire rockets at Shadow while he was trapped.

Shadow's body glowed red, and he abandoned any sense of self-preservation, charging recklessly through the traps and eating the girl's attacks as he closed the distance. She switched to her Green Hover Wisp and attempted to blow him back, but he used Chaos Control to warp behind her.

"CHAOS-"

Before Shadow could unleash his attack, the girl held her umbrella-shaped Wispon up, and flew into the air, hovering above the battlefield. Shadow's eyes stayed on her, so he didn't even noticed Mina running right at him until she hit him with a homing attack.

The red aura surrounding Shadow vanished, and the girl in the mask landed on a nearby tree branch, shifting her Wispon once more with the Orange Rocket Wisp. Mina jumped back, and the girl fired a rocket at the downed hedgehog. As the smoke cleared, both watched in anticipation. Then, they saw the lifeless body of Shadow disintegrating into red-and-black cubes.

"Not an android?" the girl whispered as she landed a short distance behind Mina. "But not the real Shadow, either."

"What do you mean?" Mina asked. "That wasn't Shadow after all? But he was so powerful."

"No. I've researched Shadow at length. He wouldn't be killed so easily."

"Then, who was he?"

"I don't know…" The girl put her Wispon away, and all of the Wisps inside came out, circling her with concerned looks. "Don't worry, I'm okay. I hope I didn't push you all too hard." The Wisps sang, seemingly happy.

Beat emerged from Mina's satchel, sensing that the conflict was over. "Are you okay?" Mina asked, and Beat nodded. "I'm sorry, I should have protected you better."

"You saved him. That's enough," the girl said. "That's what he says. The two of you must be close."

"You can understand what the Wisps are saying? Who are you?" Mina asked. "I've never seen a Wispon like that. Are you with the Resistance?"

"Not officially…" The girl studied Mina for a few seconds, and then said, "Whisper."

"Huh?"

"That's my name."

"Wait, you mean the Whisper who joined Sally and Fiona on a mission some time ago? From the Diamond Cutters?!" Mina now had stars in her eyes, and she ran closer to Whisper, but the masked wolf recoiled and turned away, pulling her mask down to further obscure her face.

"Tell the Princess… to press the attack. I'll offer support from afar."

"Why not come back with me? I'm sure she'd be happy to see you again!"

"No, I… work alone." Before Mina could say another word, Whisper jumped up to a branch, her Wisps following her. "… I like your music," she said, before retreating, leaving Mina on her own.

"What was that about?" Mina asked with a frown. "Work alone? We all need to work together, that's the only way we're gonna win!" With a sigh, Mina simply turned and ran, beginning her return to the encampment.

Sally and the others listened quietly as Mina made her report to the group, confirming that she had encountered Shadow, or according to Whisper, some sort of copycat, and how he had been defeated.

"Whisper said we should push the attack," Mina said as she finished her report, "But even if we defeated the Shadow that attacked me, will everyone else buy it? We already told them that we beat Shadow once, they might think we're just making it all up."

"You don't have to tell them," Fiona suggested. "Just tell them the rumours were bogus. That it was just an Eggman robot, and you dealt with it."

"And what if Shadow comes back again?" Rotor asked.

"We'll have already taken back the region by then," Fiona replied, "So it won't matter."

"Taking the region back isn't enough; we'll need to secure it afterwards, and we can't do that if our soldiers don't trust us."

"I think that Fiona is right," Uncle Chuck said through the monitor. "What's important right now is removing Clove and Thunderbolt from the Kingdom of Acorn. That alone should be a big enough morale boost that, even if Shadow makes another return, we can still fight off any counterattacks."

"Shadow'll come back either way, Ah reckon," Bunnie said. "If we take the base, we might be able t' find out how. Ah don't like lyin' ta everyone, but-"

"It's not lying, we're just not worrying them with unnecessary information," Fiona argued.

"That's about the same thing," Ash said, "But I agree with you. We can share the truth later, after we make it through this alive."

"I am for whatever plan you decide ees best, Princess," Antoine said.

Sally thought on it for several minutes, weighing her options. Finally, she answered, "We attack in four hours. Be sure everyone is ready. Whatever happens, happens, but I'm done letting Robotnik's underlings destroy my kingdom. When the battle's over, I'll share the full truth to everyone, and face whatever consequences I have coming."

Rotor, Antoine and Bunnie saluted. "We are with all ze way!" Antoine said.

"Ah'll spread the word!" Bunnie said, and raced out of the tent with Mina and Ash.

"I'll run a final check on the equipment," Rotor said, leaving with Antoine.

Fiona moved away from the wall, ready to leave, but Sally stopped her. "Fiona, I have a special assignment for you, when the battle starts."

Fiona raised an eyebrow, curious. "Yeah? What is it?"

Four hours passed sooner than everyone had expected. As word began spreading around the camp, soldier began arming themselves and organising into their designated squads. Antoine and Ash were in charge of explaining the battle strategies and ensuring everybody knew what they would be doing, whilst Rotor made sure all of the equipment was working.

With the last raid, the Knothole Resistance had secured some Eggman tech, and repurposed it for the coming battle. Among that tech were various gadgets that could help the soldiers, including Power Shields. These were distributed out to as many soldiers as possible, though sadly there was not enough for everyone, so those who would be leading the charge were given priority. This upset some soldiers, but when Mina broke the news that Shadow was not a concern, spirits began to noticeably lift.

Finally, it was time to take back the region. Sally stood at the front, energy blades drawn, and Nicole wished her luck from within her handheld. "This will be my first time leading a battle on this scale. Father and Elias have done this before, but I…"

"You'll do just fine," Rotor said, standing beside her. "Everyone behind you has pledged their support. That should tell you how much their trust you."

Sally nodded. "Right, and I won't betray that trust. Today, we have to win this."

"Ready when you are."

Taking a long breath, Sally blew into her war horn, signalling the attack to commence. The forces charged towards the base, and found badniks waiting for them ahead. Using their Wispons, they tore through the robots without slowing down. The initial wave were simply Egg Pawns and SWATbots, but up ahead, they found Death Egg Robots waiting for them.

The forces split-up, forcing the Death Egg Robots to focus on different squads. Those at the front used their Power Shields to deflect incoming laser strikes, and when the Resistance forces got closer, those armed with Yellow Drill Wispons burrowed underground and emerged under the Death Egg Robots, tripping them, and then those with Jade Ghost Wispons used their powers to get inside of the robots to shut them down.

As the giant robots began to fall, the Resistance pressed the attack. However, more badniks intercepting their charge caused a considerable slowdown, with many of the squads coming to a complete halt as they engaged the robots in combat.

Still, thanks to the Wispons at their disposal, the Resistance fighters had the advantage. Soldiers armed with Red Burst and Green Hover Wispons could soar over the robots, catching them from behind and surrounding them, and those armed with Blue Cube Wispons could setup barricades for protection, or bottlenecks that forced the robots to advanced single file.

Sally kept moving, her own squad still behind her. She was able to slash through the badniks without missing a beat. As the base drew closer, something emerged. It was a large robot with drills for arms, crackling with electricity, and in the cockpit was Thunderbolt, cackling.

"That's far enough, Princess! You won't be going any further now! Today's the day I finally show Lord Eggman what I'm capable of! I'm going to beat you and serve your head to him on a silver platter, and then he'll acknowledge that I'm the best and that poser Clove is trash, and he'll give me my old job back and invite me out to karaoke with him and-"

A rocket blasted the side of the mech, startling Thunderbolt, followed by another, and then another. The robot fell, exploding as it hit the ground, and Sally kept running. "What was that?" one of the Resistance fighters behind her asked.

"It was our guardian," Sally replied, looking off to the side with a grin. She couldn't see her, but Sally knew that Whisper was out there, watching over the battlefield. "We can't be wasting our time on small fry like that, so let's keep going and-"

"Who're you calling small fry?!" Thunderbolt roared, crashing down in front of Sally in a bolt of lightning. She was charred and bleeding, and gritting her teeth as she glared daggers at the Princess. "Don't count me out yet! I don't need a robot for the likes of you!"

Sally groaned, readying to fight, but Rotor and Antoine rushed past her. "Leave her to us," Rotor said.

"You must save your strength, Princess," Antoine said.

With a nod, Sally and her squad continued running. Thunderbolt tried to stop them with a wave of electricity, but Rotor used an Ivory Lightning Wispon to redirect the attack into the air. "Damnit! Don't get in my way!"

"We can't let you have our Princess," Rotor said, "And besides, I think we were due for a rematch, weren't we?"

Electricity crackled wildly around Thunderbolt. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy frying you!"

Elsewhere, Ash and Mina were running around the battlefield, helping out those that were injured before they could be finished or taken prisoner. With her speed, Mina was able to very quickly scout for injured soldiers and carry them to safety, and Ash's control of the Wispons has improved to such a point that he was switching between them at a moment's notice, using the right tool for the right job to dispatch badniks and create cover for Mina.

"Looks like things are going well!" Ash noted as he watched Bunnie flying over the battlefield, pushing back the enemy forces, which allowed their own to advance. "Without Shadow, they're nothing!"

"Isn't it strange that Clove hasn't come out yet, though?" Mina asked. "Sally's group are almost at the base. Surely she's not going to fight them there."

"Maybe she's realised it's hopeless and ran away," Ash suggested, laughing. He took out his Burst Wispon and used it to destroy a wave of badniks approaching them. "Either way, all we have to do is keep this up a little longer, and then-"

Suddenly, an odd sensation washed over them. Not just Ash and Mina, but every soldier gathered there. It was as if they felt a heartbeat from the world itself, and Ash's vision turned red for just the briefest of moments. Then, the field stretched out before him. Suddenly, the base seemed impossibly far away, and he couldn't tell if the badniks were near or far.

It seemed that everybody was experiencing this same odd sensation, as troops began to panic, and fired their Wispons erratically. Mina tripped over herself as she ran, and Bunnie was forced to land to try to shake off the confusion.

Infinite hovered overhead, laughing as he watched the Resistance falter. The gemstone embedded in his chest glowed, and several large quakes followed, causing the ground to crumbled and open beneath the panicking soldiers. Some of them fell in, while others dropped their Wispons as they scrambled back, crying out for help.

A laser from the side struck Infinite, causing him to crash to the ground, and the odd sensations stopped. Soldiers took deep breaths as the world returned to normal, and they found that the ground was not swallowing them up, though those soldiers who believed they had already fallen into the Earth's crust were still suffering from the shock.

"What… What was that?" Mina asked, her eyes trembling. She turned to Infinite, who was picking himself back up.

"How are we supposed to fight against something like that?!" Ash asked, trying to aim his Laser Wispon at Infinite, but he was shaking too much.

Another laser struck Infinite, though this time he was able to block it with some sort of barrier. He glared in the direction that the laser had come from, manifesting a sword in his hand.

"I thought so," Whisper muttered. "I intercepted a transmission from Eggman as I was leaving the enemy base. He said that backup was coming, but Shadow didn't seem like he was heading your way. Not until he encountered Mina."

"And you didn't think to warn us?" Fiona asked, watching as Whisper fired another shot.

"If I had, the Princess may have cancelled the attack."

"You wanted the attack to happen that badly? Why?"

Whisper fired another shot, and was silent for a few seconds, but then eventually, she said, "To minimise the loss of life, this war has to end as soon as possible." She fired another shot. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be helping your friends?"

"Order from the Princess. She wants me to watch your back." Fiona heard metallic footsteps coming from behind and pulled out an Ivory Lightning Wispon, slashing the approaching Egg Pawns with a lightning whip, and destroying all six of them at once. "You focus on Infinite. I'll make sure you're not interrupted."

"'Preciate it," Whisper said, rising to her feet, "But he's already here."

Infinite appeared before them suddenly, and the world flashed red. Suddenly, Fiona and Whisper found themselves floating, but while the former panicked and flailed, Whisper remained composed, aiming her Wispon at Infinite and firing.

The shot seemed to pass straight through Infinite, as though he were a ghost or a hologram, and Whisper felt a killing intent right behind herself. She used the power of Cube to turn her Wispon into a hammer, and parried Infinite's attack, using her superior physical strength to knock the sword loose from his hand and send it flying.

Infinite, caught off-guard, could not block the next attack, and as Whisper drove her hammer into his gut, she and Fiona returned to the ground. Or rather, they were simply on the ground, as if they had never left it at all.

"That must be the Phantom Ruby's power," Fiona said, glaring at Infinite. "The power of illusions, right?"

"I see," Whisper said. "Suddenly it's becoming clear. The Shadow that I fought earlier must have been one of those illusions. Perhaps then the real Shadow, is already dead."

"Would you care to join him?" Infinite asked, conjuring his sword back into his hand and slashing at Whisper. Fiona caught the sword with her lightning whip and leapt forwards, delivering a kick that knocked Infinite down. Infinite simply looked up at Fiona, laughing. "Pathetic."

As Whisper slammed down her hammer to finish Infinite, his body dissolved into the ground. The world trembled around them, and the two of them watched as several large, towering monstrosities appeared in the distance, all in Infinite's likeness. These monsters slammed down their fists on the battlefield and fired lasers, cutting the Resistance fighters off from each other and forcing them to retreat.

Whisper tried to fire lasers and rockets at the giant Infinite monsters, but they were ineffective, only spurring one of them to turn its attention to her and Fiona. Suddenly, a large bomb dropped down in front of them, ticking down from five seconds. Fiona grabbed Whisper's arm and jumped from the cliff.

As the bomb exploded, Fiona and Whisper jumped from ledge-to-ledge to descend the cliff. Upon hitting the ground, Fiona saw the giant Infinite whose attention Whisper had drawn approaching them. "We have to go."

"No! We have to end this!"

"What good will it be if everyone dies?! I thought you wanted to minimise casualties!"

Whisper bit her lip. "The longer this war goes on, the more people we lose."

"I get that, but dying now won't help. Even you have to admit you're no match for this."

Whisper reluctantly nodded. Lasers came firing their way, and the two ran to avoid them. "The operation has… failed."

"Yeah," Fiona said. "What now? You gonna return to the Diamond Cutters?" She sensed Whisper's despair even beneath her mask. "Or you wanna come with us, back to Knothole?"

Whisper shook her head, putting away her Wispon. "No. I'll do my own thing. Help the Resistance wherever I can."

"Alright, if that's how you feel." The two of them went their separate ways without saying any goodbyes. As Fiona ran, she took one last look over the battlefield. The giant Infinites were dropping Egg Capsules onto the Resistance fighters, capturing those that were too slow in running away.

"Nicole, what's the situation?!" Sally asked, watching as the Infinite monsters tore the battlefield apart, and captured her soldiers.

"Our forces are in complete chaos! They're being forced to retreat! We can't even evacuate the wounded anymore; it's every soldier for themself!"

"Princess, should we retreat?" one of Sally's soldiers asked.

Sally turned to the base, which was in walking distance now. "To come this far, only to fail…"

"If you want to try taking the base, go right ahead," Clove said, approaching Sally. Sally and her forces readied their weapons, and Clove did the same. "You might even succeed, but then you'll have to survive Infinite's rampage. You think this small squad alone will be enough?"

"I guess you're not going to let us get away," Sally said, but Clove shook her head.

"If you want to go, go. I'll let you." Clove deactivated her scythe. "In return, I want you to hear me out. I want to… make a deal with you. With the Resistance."

Sally was curious, but she didn't lower her guard. "A deal? Even though you're winning?"

"Eggman is winning. I have vital information that you might be interested in… The location of your family."

Sally's eyes widened, and her hands trembled. She stared at Clove in silence for several seconds, searching for any hint of insincerity, any sign that she was about to spring some sort of trap. "… Talk."

"Not yet. First, you have to do something for me."

Rotor powered through Thunderbolt's attack, punching the chinchilla in the face to knock her to the ground. As she fell, so did he, falling to his knees as electricity crackled from his singed body. Antoine hurried to his side and helped him to his feet. "You are too reckless, Rotor!"

"Situation… looked a bit die," Rotor said, looking over towards the giant Infinites rampaging over the battlefield. "Can't afford to… get stuck here… We had to… end this quick…"

"It ain't over yet!" Thunderbolt shouted, jumping to her feet.

"You kiddin'? How's she still… still standing?"

"You'll pay for leaving a mark on my face!"

As Thunderbolt fired a wave of electricity at the two, Antoine pushed Rotor aside and dodged, swiftly closing the distance between them and swinging his sword downwards. Something blocked his attack before it could connect. It was Cassia, flying into the fray with her jetpack and using her own arm to parry Antoine's blade.

"Hey TB, need some help?" Cassia asked, grinning smugly at the chinchilla.

"Of course not! I got this under control!" Thunderbolt shouted.

"Awww, don't be like that! We're friends, right?" Cassia pushed Antoine back and prepared to strike him, but Bunnie flew down from the sky, delivering a kick that knocked Cassia to the ground. "Ow… That really smarts!"

"Heh. It's what you get for trying to steal my spotlight," Thunderbolt said.

"Don't you mean stealing your thunder?"

Thunderbolt growled, while Cassia simply stuck out her tongue.

"Guys, ah think we'd all better mosey, now," Bunnie said, helping Antoine to carry Rotor.

"You're not going anywhere!" Thunderbolt fired a bolt of lightning at Bunnie, who absorbed it with her robotic fist and then sent it down into the ground. "Why you-"

"My turn!" Cassia charged in, striking Antoine with a swift kick. Antoine grabbed her leg and swung her around, throwing her into Thunderbolt. "WHOOOOOOOOOA!"

"GET OFF OF ME!"

"Let us move!" Antoine shouted, and the three of them ran. Unfortunately, they didn't make it far before Infinite appeared before them. Antoine raised his sabre, but then noticed their situation: the three of them were surrounded by the giant Infinites, who proceeded to drop Egg Capsules onto them, trapping all three of them.

Antoine tried slashing his way out, whilst Bunnie used her rocket-powered fists, but neither had any luck. Rotor knew the capsules well enough to know they'd never be able to break them. Not from the inside, at least. Therefore, he saved his strength and didn't bother trying.

"Heh, looks like we got 'em," Thunderbolt said, puffing out her chest with pride.

"Infinite did. We just got our butts kicked," Cassia said with a pout.

"Clearly you didn't realise I was just lulling them into a false sense of security!"

"Right, right…"

"Take them away," Infinite said. The large Infinites around the battlefield dropped more Egg Capsules onto the Resistance soldiers that were still trying to retreat, and Infinite glared into the windows of the capsules, laughing at his new prisoners. "Eggman is coming down here. He is looking forward to meeting you personally, and putting an end to your foolish Resistance."