So, today is my birthday (16.08.), and what I usually do every year is to post a new chapter of whatever story I'm currently working on as my own way to celebrate my birthday.
This year, I selected Sonic Cyber Revolution to be the Birthday Chapter. The reason I chose this story specifically is because I have finally reached the finale of the second arc.
I hope you'll enjoy the story!
Entry 9
Live and Learn
''Live and learn! Hanging on the edge of tomorrow! Live and learn! From the works of yesterday! Live and learn! If you beg or if you borrow! Live and learn! You may never find your way! Whooooa, yeah!''
– Live and Learn by Sonic Adventure 2 (NateWantsToBattle Cover)
xXxXxXx
''Why has the countdown started again? That shouldn't be possible… right?'' Lucas asked, looking at Shadow. Shadow shook his head.
''On its own? No,'' he responded in a grim tone. ''Someone had to activate it manually.''
Lucas exchanged glances with his friends, confused and worried. The moment Sonic had told them that the countdown was active once again, they all rushed to main control room to see what was going on. Warren and Tails were already at the computers, trying to shut it down once again, only to get blocked from accessing the system. Once it was clear that they couldn't do anything, Shadow attempted to stop the program from overloading the energy cores, but to his frustration, nothing worked. Admittedly, they had more time left than during the first countdown, less than half an hour, but they had no idea how to stop it.
''What should we do now?'' Silver asked, feeling anxious. They were all silent, hoping for someone to have an answer to this. Lucas glanced at Shadow, who was staring furiously at the monitor, fists clenched tightly. It was obvious that the dark hedgehog regretted setting this up, blaming himself for not removing the program when he still had the time. However, Lucas didn't blame him for this, as no one had the slightest clue that this would happen.
''I believe that this proves that we aren't alone here,'' Lucas suddenly said, drawing everyone's attention. ''We were all away from this room, meaning that someone we don't know had activated this.''
''If that's the case, why would they do this?'' Lily asked furiously. ''This is suicide!''
''Honestly, I don't know,'' Lucas replied, then looked at Ferra and Metal Sonic. Even if he had no clue who did this, he had a feeling that Ferra and Metal Sonic may have had an idea who else knew of this place and Shadow's plan. They had no connection to the Codex Research Facility, yet they knew where it was and were able to lead everyone to it. Ferra noticed Lucas' stare, frowning. Even though Lucas didn't say anything, she was aware of what was going through his head. ''I don't think anyone would be aware of this place or what is going on… right, Ferra?''
Instantly, everyone's attention turned towards her. Metal Sonic stepped in front of his partner, his red eyes glowing brightly and he looked like he was about to battle the other Irregulars. Ferra glared back at the group, well aware that she could choose between telling them the truth or risking unnecessary death. Ferra then sighed, tapping on her AR Visor to open the message she got before this whole mess started, grabbing the holographic screen and tossing it at Lucas.
''This is how I knew about this place,'' Ferra added in a bitter tone, crossing her arms. ''Just to make it clear, I have no part in any of this and I certainly don't want myself or Metal get blown up.''
'''If you desire more power against your enemies, go to these coordinates and follow the instructions below.','' Lucas read the message loudly for everyone to hear. He gave Ferra a questioning look. ''Is this really it? Do you know who sent this to you?''
''If I knew, I would've told you,'' Ferra grumbled back.
Lucas rose an eyebrow, but Touka then rose her voice, ''She had actually told me that she was searching for the person who had sent her the message and even confronted me because she thought I had something to do with it.''
''Thanks for the confirmation,'' Lucas told her.
''So, does this mean that the person who had sent Ferra and Metal Sonic the message might also be the one behind this?'' Amy asked, pointing at the monitor.
''It is possible,'' Lucas said, then shook his head, ''In any case, we have not much time left. We need act right now.''
''Okay, but what are we supposed to do?'' Makoto asked.
''Warren and I did a little analysis on how the system works when we prepared to shut it down,'' Tails said as he sat back at the computer, typing on the keyboard and bringing up a layout of the system on the main monitor. ''Do you see those red dots and the waves? That's the energy produced by the energy cores, sent towards Neos City via the AR Fields.''
''Is there a way to cut it off?'' Lucas asked, feeling that this would be the obvious solution.
''No,'' Warren told him. ''We would need to shut down the energy cores for that.''
''How about containing it?'' Silver rose his voice, drawing everyone's attention. ''I mean, we want to prevent Neos City from being destroyed and the source of the explosion is here, so what if we try to contain it and let it affect only one area?''
Warren and Tails exchanged glances, then started to type something, looking intrigued. Tails grinned, turning back, ''Silver, you're a genuis! It looks like we can reverse the flow of energy back to here, leaving Neos City unaffected.''
''However, the explosion will be much stronger,'' Warren quickly warned them. ''Also, how are we supposed to contain it? Whatever barrier we put over it will have to be strong enough to withstand the energy released from what can be only described as a nuclear explosion.''
''I had thought of using my psychokinesis and create a barrier around it,'' Silver said, the hope in his voice wavering when he saw Makoto shaking his head.
''No offense, buddy, but I don't think it is going to be powerful enough,'' he said.
''How about using Chaos Surge?'' Silver asked, still not wanting to give up. He had promised to himself that he would protect Neos City from suffering the same fate it had suffered in the future and it was frustrating him that there wasn't much he could do. Upon hearing this, Ferra, Metal Sonic and Shadow had tensed. ''This should be enough of a power-up, right?''
''I-I don't know,'' Makoto replied reluctantly. ''It still feels like too much of a risk.''
''How about moving it somewhere where it won't cause any damage?'' Minami suggested.
''Right, we're just going to teleport it into space or somewhere similar. Let me just get the teleporation device we don't have,'' Lily said sarcastically, with Minami giving her an annoyed look.
''It was just a suggestion…'' she muttered under her breath.
''Would that be even possible?'' Knuckles asked, giving his partner a puzzled look and ignoring the sarcasm in her tone. ''Because that sounds like the best solution.''
''It is the best solution, but…'' Lucas trailed off, with everyone else being well aware that this was a task none of them could carry out. It was impossible.
Sonic suddenly perked up as he heard footsteps, him and his friends watching Shadow as he walked past them and going towards the entrance, a determined look on his expression. ''Shadow, what are you up to?'' Shadow didn't answer, vanishing into the hallway instead. Sonic quickly ran up to him, startling the dark hedgehog as he stepped in front of him. ''Hey, dude, I asked you something.''
''I'm taking care of the mess I had created,'' Shadow told him in a grim tone. Sonic looked past him, noticing Lucas and Touka entering the hallway, then turned towards Shadow as he continued to speak, his expression barely masking the guilt he felt. ''If I use Chaos Control, I will be able to transport the energy cores to somewhere they would cause no harm.''
Surprisingly, Sonic was silent. Shadow gave him a questioning look, with Sonic asking in a whisper-like tone, ''Why do you sound like you're going to do something you're going to regret?''
''Let's just go,'' Shadow replied, sighing. Sonic gave him a thumbs up.
''Don't worry, you're not alone here,'' he said, turning his attention back to the rest of his friends, who observed this exchange. ''Let's go save the world!''
With that said, he rushed away, much to everyone's surprise, disappearing down the hallway. Shadow blinked, looking completely stunned.
''He… doesn't even know where he is supposed to go,'' Shadow remarked in a deadpan tone.
''Don't worry, he'll find us,'' Amy, who walked up to him, told him casually. Shadow gave her a questioning look, but then relented.
''Right,'' he muttered, with the rest of the group, aside from Warren and Tails, approaching them. He turned towards them. ''Follow me.''
Everyone, save for Warren and Tails, followed Shadow, with Lily and Knuckles being at the back of the group. They turned their head when they heard steps behind them and saw Ferra and Metal Sonic walk away. ''Where are you two going?''
''I have told you everything I know. I see no reason for us to stay at this place anymore,'' Ferra replied in a haughty tone. Knuckles frowned, glaring at the two in case they tried something. Ferra just scoffed, smirking. ''Besides, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to save the city.''
She then gestured to Metal Sonic to follow her, with Lily and Knuckles feeling completely done with the two. Lily shook her head, her and Knuckles going towards the other side. ''We're going to deal with these two another time.''
''There is something I don't understand,'' Knuckles said as they quickened their pace to catch up with the others. ''What did the messenger mean by offering Ferra and Metal Sonic more power?''
''I believe that they were baiting the two into releasing Shadow, which means that this person somehow knew about what happened at Codex, or at least was aware of Shadow's existence and past,'' Lily explained. ''They wanted all of this to happen.''
''They took a huge gamble, but for what reason?'' Knuckles pointed out. Lily just shrugged in response, having no answer.
xXx
Fortunately, Sonic had managed to run back after realizing that, as Shadow had noted earlier, he had no clue where he was supposed to go, but being quite eager to save his home. It wasn't hard to find them, and he skidded to a halt with a sheepish smile.
''Heh, sorry for taking off earlier,'' he said, following the group into a room. He didn't get much of a response, save for a grim gaze from Shadow and a 'We know you well enough to be aware you'd do something like this' look from the rest of his friends. Once inside the storage room, Shadow turned the lights on, which briefly flickered, illuminating the room.
''This is supposed to be a storage?'' Lily rose an eyebrow as she observed the room. It certainly looked nothing like she or the others imagined. There was a bunch of machinery connected to the energy cores which were set inside glass panels attached to the walls, all glowing in a bright red colour.
Shadow didn't answer, focusing instead on the closest energy core, ''We will have to open those panels and disconnect the energy cores from them. Do not touch the energy cores directly unless you want to get burned.'' He turned towards Silver. ''We will need your psychic powers to remove the energy cores and pile them up on one spot.''
''Got it,'' Silver said eagerly.
''Everyone else, split up and start removing the wires once we get confirmation that the energy flow has been reversed,'' Shadow added. ''We will have to work fast.''
''Okay,'' Lucas said, tapping on the AR Visor, revealing Warren and Tails. ''How's the situation?''
However, instead of answering through their AR Visors, everyone heard Warren and Tails' voices via the intercom.
''So far, we're doing… well, enough,'' Warren replied, clearly anxious despite trying to sound optimistic. ''Ah, got it! Disconnect the one at the far end to the room on the left.''
''Leave that one to me!'' Sonic said, speeding off towards where Warren had instructed them.
''We also have two in the middle of the room,'' Tails quickly added, with Amy and Minami exchanging looks and nodding, then going quickly towards the energy cores Tails directed them to.
One by one, the group spread out, carefully listening to the instructions they were given. The only one who wasn't working on disconnecting the energy cores was Silver, who'd instead float from one person to another, carrying the energy cores via psychokinesis. The process still felt frustratingly slow, and Knuckles at one point dragged Sonic away because he was itching to disconnect an energy core and too impatient to listen to Warren's warnings about not touching it yet.
''Ow, Knux, I was just preparing myself to disconnect it,'' Sonic protested, but Knuckles had none of it as he dragged Sonic away.
''I will not take any risks,'' Knuckles said, then looked up. ''Hey, Fox, how much time do we have left?''
''Less than 15 minutes,'' Tails answered a moment later.
''I wonder if that is going to be enough,'' Lily grumbled under her breath as she and Makoto worked on another energy core.
''It has to,'' Makoto replied, feeling tense. He didn't want to think about what would happen if they don't complete their task in time. He then stepped away, allowing Silver to lift the energy core with his psycokinesis and took a look around the room, spotting Touka and Shadow working on an energy core at the far side of the room.
Touka had noticed that Shadow was unusually quiet around her, avoiding her gaze and trying to hide his troubled expression. She knew that Shadow wasn't someone who'd express his emotions freely, usually keeping to himself, but at the same time, she remembered him sharing with her whatever was bothering him. She was worried, especially after Shadow declared that he would use Chaos Control to just teleport the energy cores away. Even though her memories were still somewhat hazy, she knew that this solution wouldn't be as easy as it sounded.
''Shadow...''
Shadow's ears twitched and he looked up, seemingly startled when he heard Touka addressing him, as she had been rather quiet the whole time.
''What is it?'' he asked, removing another wire. Touka was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out how to formulate her question.
''It is about Chaos Control,'' she said, with Shadow giving her a questioning look. ''If I remember correctly, you have to physically touch whatever you're taking along, right?''
''You're correct,'' Shadow said in a quiet tone, wondering just how much Touka had remembered.
''That means that you will also have to stay close to the energy cores,'' Touka continued, with Shadow nodding. ''I also remember that you told me once that, depending on how far you teleport and on what you teleport along with you, it can be quite exhausting.''
''That's true,'' Shadow muttered, remembering the first time he attempted to use Chaos Control. Not only did he end up in a random locked room, but he used all of his energy and was too exhausted to even move. It was quite embarrassing and he swore to himself that he would figure out how to control his ability better. However, he still had his limits and he was aware that his power alone might not be enough to save everyone.
''Shadow…'' Shadow was startled when Touka suddenly crouched beside him, locking eyes with him and placing her hands on her shoulders. There was a glint in her eyes, which Shadow realized to be a sign of tears. ''Please, be honest with me. Do you have enough energy left to Chaos Control the energy cores away and return?''
Shadow was silent, staring at Touka and feeling a huge weight on his chest. He wanted to answer, but it felt like he had something stuck in his throat, preventing him from responding. He wanted to assure her that everything would be fine, but he was aware that reality was different. He looked down, shaking his head. Both knew the answer to this question.
''Then, I won't let you go.''
Shadow looked up, shocked at Touka's response. She was giving him a resolute look, with Shadow being aware that this meant that nothing he said would make her change her mind. It still didn't stop him from protesting.
''I am responsible for this mess and I won't leave until you're safe. If I have to sacrifice my own life, then so be it,'' Shadow told her firmly, clenching his fist. However, the look of despair Touka gave him made him feel a cold chill flow down his spine, his quills bristling. He hated confronting her like this, but he had no other choice.
''If that's so, then I'm going with you,'' Touka responded in a frustrated tone, her eyes tearing up. Neither she nor Shadow had noticed Silver, who had approached them to pick up the energy core.
''I'm not going to let you die because of me!'' Shadow bellowed, causing Touka to step back. His cry of frustration had not only startled Silver, who quietly observed the conversation between the two, but also drew everyone else's attention.
''Shadow, I had promised you that we would get out of this place one day and I'm not leaving without you!'' Touka fought back with unrelenting determination. ''I don't want to lose you again!'' Shadow went silent, staring at her in shock, his eyes wide, unable to come up with any kind of response. Touka's firm gaze then wavered, softening into a more pleading one. ''I hate that I don't remember everything, but I hate it even more that I had forgotten that promise.''
Shadow's gaze fell. He too remembered the promise they made all too well and he wanted nothing more but to finally leave his past behind and forget about everything that had happened at the Codex Research Facility. However, with the situation being how it was, that just wasn't possible. He was the only one capable of fixing his own mistake properly and he knew that it would be at the cost of his own life.
''I don't think you should sacrifice your own life either.'' Shadow turned around, surprised to see Sonic behind him. Silver was also there, just standing awkwardly with the energy cores floating around him. ''I told you before, you still have something to live for.''
''I don't disagree with you,'' Shadow said in a regretful tone, with Sonic tilting his head, his arms folded across his chest. ''However, there is no other option.''
''What about using Chaos Surge? You are an Irregular and you can manipulate BioEnergy,'' Sonic suggested, ignoring Shadow's furious glare. ''From what I understood, all you need is a power boost, or am I wrong?''
''I refuse to use BioEnergy for this,'' Shadow responded angrily.
''Why?'' Silver asked, picking the energy core out of the panel once Touka was done disconnecting it. ''Sure, it is risky, but we could show you how to use it properly.''
''I'm also fully willing to go along with this plan,'' Touka added. Shadow clenched his fists, shaking. He knew that the three were right, that there would be a chance for him to make it out alive if he absorbed Touka's BioEnergy. However, the moment they suggested it, his mind flashed back to his battle with the rogue Irregular, the memory of Touka dying resurfacing. He had hoped that this memory would perish when he too perished, but he now understood that he couldn't keep it no longer a secret.
''I was the reason why you almost lost your life,'' Shadow said, surprising everyone. ''I was a complete fool, having resorted to use your BioEnergy in the fight against that Irregular, and when it was over, I was told you were dead.'' He shook his head, his voice shaking. ''I'm not going to repeat the same mistake again!''
''Shadow…'' Touka muttered, feeling sorry for him. Despite all of his hatred towards the humans that betrayed him, he still blamed himself for what had happened to her. She exchanged quiet glances with Sonic and Silver, the latter leaving to quickly pick up the remaining energy cores after Lucas waved him over. She clenched her fists, a determined look forming on her expression. ''I know you won't repeat your mistake, and that is why I want us to try out Chaos Surge.''
''What?'' Shadow was stunned, while Sonic just grinned.
''If Lucas and Sonic could do it without suffering the any of the harsher consequences, then I'm sure we can do it too,'' Touka added.
''Now that's the spirit!'' Sonic cheered, while Shadow gave both of them a dubious look.
''Whether you want it or not, this does sound like the better idea,'' Lucas said, approaching them along with the rest of the group. Silver was carrying all the disconnected energy energy cores, looking a bit lost with what he was supposed to do with them. Shadow didn't answer, with Lucas continuing as he turned to his friends, ''Lily, Knuckles, go get Warren and Tails and lead everyone out of this building. I don't want you to be here in case something goes wrong.''
''Wait, what are you up to?'' Lily asked.
''Sonic and I will stay with Shadow and Touka to make sure everything goes well. If we need to escape for any reason, we still have our super speed,'' Lucas replied. Knuckles nodded.
''Your order will be carried out,'' he said, turning to the rest. ''Let's move along! Hurry! There is not much time left!''
Lucas gave him a half-smile, nodding and encouraging his friends to leave, despite their reluctance.
''What should I do with this?'' Silver asked, pointing his finger at the energy cores floating above him. Shadow was hesitant for a moment, but at this point, he knew that he had no other choice but to relent. Despite the guilt and shame he carried pushing him into suicide, there was a part of him that wanted to live on.
''Stack them up in the middle,'' he said, pointing at the ground. Silver did as he was told and, after giving them one last gaze, he quickly followed the rest of the group. Lucas and Sonic turned to Touka and Shadow, with Sonic crackling his knuckles.
''Okay, ready to learn how to use Chaos Surge?'' Sonic asked. Shadow nodded, being ready to finally confront his fears and the pain that came with it. He looked at Touka, giving her a look of pure determination.
''I will hold on to our promise,'' he said, with Touka smiling, happy to see him overcome his doubts. The two then looked at Sonic and Lucas.
''All that you have to do is activate the BioEnergy. Once it is active, don't absorb it, but let it float. You both need to feel it,'' Sonic explained.
''Once you do, then you both need to absorb it. Don't be afraid of going for it and stay focused,'' Lucas continued, him and Sonic stretching out their arms, blue energy crackling between them. Both could feel the BioEnergy transforming into something far more powerful.
''Chaos Surge!''
Touka and Shadow watched the two as they absorbed the energy, leading the two to become enveloped in a blue aura, with electricity sparking around them, both Lucas and Sonic giving the two a confident look. Touka then looked at Shadow, extending her hand, with Shadow grabbing it without any hesitance. He could sense her BioEnergy, calling for him to absorb it, to become stronger. However, he rejected this power. It wasn't just for him, but for both of them.
''Chaos Surge!''
A bright dark red and orange orb of energy appeared between the two, sparks of electricity enveloping them as they both absorbed it, now empowered. Shadow's eyes were now glowing in an orange and red colour as he and Touka turned towards the energy cores, which were now burning in a hot red.
''Ready?'' Touka asked as she stepped on one side of the energy cores, extending her hands before them as she felt the Chaos energy surging through her body.
''I am,'' Shadow mirrored her actions, focusing on the Chaos energy inside his body. It was far stronger than anything else he had experience and he was going to use every drop of it to save this world.
Both of their eyes glowed red as they were enveloped by a blue field of energy, determined to carry out this mission to the bitter end.
''CHAOS CONTROL!''
xXx
'Calculating survival chances… 50%.'
Metal Sonic had suddenly stopped walking, turning back towards Codex and observing it. Ferra stopped too, giving Metal Sonic a questioning look, the corners of her lips forming into a tiny smile.
''You're hoping for your rival to survive, aren't you?'' she asked. Metal Sonic didn't respond, but instead kept staring at the entrance. ''Admittedly, all of us have a 50-50 chance of survival, depending on if those guys manage to shut down the system.''
'Irregular life forms approaching,' Metal Sonic warned her, suddenly alert.
To Ferra's surprise, Lily, Knuckles, Warren, Tails, Minami, Amy, Makoto and Silver exited the building, with Lucas, Sonic, Touka and Shadow nowhere in sight. However, the group didn't see the two as they were already behind a few trees and bushes; not to mention, they seemed to be distracted by something else, looking quite distraught as they tried to move away from the building, but at the same time were too reluctant to go too far. Tails kept an eye on the holographic screen beside him, showing a timer that was flashing red.
''10… 9… 8… 7…'' Tails counted, the group gathering around him, all worried. Some were even holding their breath, as if that would stop the countdown. ''6… 5… 4…''
''Please, tell me that this countdown is a good sign,'' Ferra hissed, with Metal Sonic stepping closer to her. His sensors were now set on high alert, but what frustrated him was that he couldn't find any threat.
''3… 2… 1…'' Tails continued anxiously, his tails flicking. Then, everyone felt as if their heart was going to stop.
KA-BOOOM!
There was a bright flash high in the sky, far above them, followed by a thunderous ear-shattering explosion. Everyone fell on their knees, closing their eyes and covering their ears as the earth beneath them shook and wave of gust knocked them over, bending, if not flattening, some of the smaller trees and bushes. It felt like the beginning of a natural catastrophe, but as soon as the explosion happened, it also stopped.
Ferra and Metal Sonic looked up, both protected by Metal Sonic's Black Shield. Metal Sonic dropped it once he assessed that they were safe and they observed the group before them as they got up, looking dazed from what had just happened.
''Was that… it? Are we safe?'' Makoto was the first to voice the one question that was on everyone's mind.
''I-I think so…'' Warren replied, trying to access the AR Visor, only to realize that it didn't work. ''What the-''
''I think the explosion fried our devices,'' Tails said as he reached for his Miles Electric, only for it to not work.
''I guess it could've been worse,'' Minami said, crossing her arms and looking back at the building. ''Speaking of which, where are Lucas and Sonic? And Touka and Shadow for that matter?''
''Maybe we should go back inside…''
Before Silver could finish his sentence, two streaks of blue light emerged out of the building, standing at the entrance and revealing themselves to be Lucas and Sonic, with Lucas carrying Touka while Sonic was supporting Shadow. Both Touka and Shadow looked like they were close to fainting, but otherwise appeared to be fine. Lucas and Sonic dropped the Chaos Surge, with their friends approaching them, all cheering in relief to see that they were fine, while Ferra just gave Metal Sonic a look of satisfaction.
''It appears that we both had miscalculated. The chances of everyone's survival were 100%,'' Ferra noted, grinning.
'Miscalculation has been deemed irrelevant,' Metal Sonic responded. 'The only loss we experienced is the lack of data regarding Chaos Surge.'
''That's fine,'' Ferra said in a dismissive tone. ''We'll have enough opportunities to study their Chaos Surge ability.''
She then grabbed her hoverboard, gesturing to Metal Sonic to follow her, with both leaving for Neos City. Metal Sonic took one last glance at Sonic, his red eyes flashing, before following Ferra back to the city.
''Aaa-choo!'' Sonic suddenly sneezed, wiping his nose.
''Sonic, are you okay?'' Amy asked.
''Yeah, I just have this weird feeling of being observed,'' Sonic replied casually, then glanced at Touka and Shadow, who had sat down, both looking completely exhausted as they had used all of their remaining energy to perform Chaos Control. ''It looks like that using Chaos Surge worked out for everyone.''
Shadow looked up at Sonic, his eyes narrowing, then he just scoffed, looking away. Sonic smiled, figured that Shadow agreed with him, in his own way.
''I'm just glad everything is over,'' Makoto said.
''I hate to disappoint you Makoto, but considering everything we have learned today, I think our adventure has just begun,'' Lucas told him, with everyone giving him a questioning look. ''I feel that we have barely scrapped the surface of the origins of Irregulars and Chaos Surge, and now there are also Ferra and Metal Sonic, whatever happened at the Codex Research Facility and we still need to find out the identity of the person who had just tried to kill all of us.''
''I absolutely agree!'' Sonic said, placing his hands on his hips and giving Lucas a look of excitement. ''As you said, we have barely scratched the surface and I really want to know what's going on here.''
''Okay, but couldn't we wait for that until tomorrow? I had enough of an adventure for one day,'' Lily said in a gruff tone, looking tired. Sonic looked at the rest of his friends, all of whom didn't really appear to share his sense of enthusiasm (or his boundless energy for that matter) for the new adventure that he was looking forward to. Even Tails, who would usually agree with him, looked tired and was trying to fix his Miles Electric device and the AR Visor.
''I guess we all do deserve some rest after what we've been through,'' Sonic said, grinning sheepishly. His friends either hummed or grumbled in response, agreeing with him, with Shadow and Touka getting up; Touka grabbing her hoverboard that Lily's group had brought along when they exited the building.
''I guess this is where we leave,'' Touka said, looking at the group. She felt weak and a little dizzy, but was confident that she'd be able to return home without fainting.
''Already?'' Lucas asked, only to smile. ''I guess we'll see you guys around.''
''Don't count on it,'' Touka responded, with Lucas' smile vanishing. ''I told you before, I'm not interested in being friends with any of you.'' She then gave him a half-hearted smile. ''Still, thank you for everything.''
''You're welcome,'' Lucas replied, with Touka and Shadow then walking away.
''Shadow, wait!'' Shadow and Touka stopped walking, turning around to suddenly see Tails flying up to them, reaching for his backpack and taking something out of it and then placed it into Shadow's hand. To Shadow's surprise, it was a pair of goggles with dark grey frames, a brown band and orange-red lenses. It took a moment for Shadow to realize that it was an AR Visor. ''I almost forgot; since you're also an Irregular, you will need this. It has a special program that hides your identity as an Irregular from the Hunters.''
Shadow was stunned, looking at Tails, then back at the goggles, muttering quietly, ''Thank you.''
''You're welcome,'' Tails replied in a chipper tone, continuing when he saw Shadow's questioning look, ''At first, I made those just for me and Sonic, since I figured that it would be much easier to hide our identities as Irregulars instead of having to hide ourselves. Then, Knuckles appeared, so I made another for him. Then Amy and later Silver appeared, and I made AR Visors for them too. In the end, I had figured it would be a good idea to have a spare AR Visor just in case another Irregular like us appears. All you have to do is to put it on.''
Shadow looked hesitant for a moment, but then did as Tails instructed him, placing the goggles on his forehead and carefully placing the band between his quills. Touka placed her hands on her back, bowing over slightly as she grinned.
''The goggles look really great on you,'' she said, with Shadow smiling in response. His smile then quickly faded into a frown when he saw Sonic run up to them, grinning.
''You know, you may not want to be friends with us, but that still doesn't mean that we can't hang out,'' Sonic said. ''Despite all the craziness and battles, we did have some fun, didn't we?''
''While I appreciate your help, Blue Hedgehog, I'm not interested in being in your company longer than necessary,'' Shadow responded, turning around. ''This is a farewell.''
He and Touka then walked away, only for Shadow to suddenly flinch, feeling exasperated when he heard Sonic's response.
''See ya later, Shad!'' Sonic yelled for everyone to hear, waving Shadow and Touka goodbye. The two didn't respond, despite their obvious reaction, vanishing into the forest. Sonic smirked in satisfaction, glancing at Tails as he placed a hand on his hip. ''The two will come around eventually.''
Tails laughed, ''I had figured you wouldn't give up on them.''
''I believe that all they need is a simple nudge in the right direction. Shadow isn't a bad guy and I'm looking forward to running into him again,'' Sonic responded, with the rest of the group approaching them. ''Now, com'n, let's go home!''