(Studiopolis)

"Cheese!" Cream called out to her Chao friend when it arrived alongside the others. In an instant, the little creature flew into her arms and nuzzled at her chest, letting out happy squeals and chirps with tears in its eyes. "There, there. I'm so sorry I worried you and everyone else."

Miles and the others had elected to meet where they wouldn't attract attention, and fortunately for them, there were hardly any people by the waterfront at that time of day. While he'd been briefed that Speedy and Rouge were along for the event, he was still wary of them. One because of their history as former enemies, and the other due to her attempt to take his Emerald a few months ago. He did feel more assured with so many more of his friends around than that time, but he would keep a close eye on his pouches nonetheless. After all, as far as he'd been told, G.U.N. had merely put their plan to reacquire the cyan gem on hold, not abort it entirely.

Putting that aside, he was thankful to see that his adoptive siblings and the rest had made it through their dogfight in one piece. Although he still thought it was a little strange to see Amy here, that even more bizarre part of his subconscious seemed to readily expect her. What he hadn't expected was just how big the group had become once he saw everyone all together. In total, not just the Animals, there were seventeen of them present, which made him glad that they picked an inconspicuous spot.

"I'm still mad Mecha got away," Amy said with a frown. It only lasted for a couple of seconds before it turned into a bright smile, the pink hedgehog moving in to hug one around the rabbit's waist. "But I'm really glad you're okay, Cream."

Murmurs of agreement and similar sentiments were shared by most of those there. Speedy, however, found it hard to stomach what he considered to be a rather sappy sight. Luckily for him, there was an easy out.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you're all relieved that Miss Rabbit was successfully rescued," the ace remarked dryly, "but you know as well as I do that it's much too early to celebrate. This whole ordeal is far from over."

Several of the other Animals didn't appreciate his tone or his attitude, but none of them could really argue with what he'd said.

"Speedy's right, we've still got two major threats," Miles reminded them, "on one hand, there's Alexei and the Neo Battle Armada, which includes Mecha. And on the other hand, there's the Jackal Squad." He frowned a bit. "What's more, we know each of those groups has one of the Cursed Corundums."

"Not to mention one of the Chaos Emeralds," J added.

Rouge hummed curiously and smirked. "But you have something that helps you find them, don't you?"

"Yeah," Sonic told her, flashing a grin of his own, "bet ya'd like to have somethin' like that, huh?"

"It would be very convenient, but I like a challenge, Little Blue," the bat answered him with a chuckle, "besides, I don't really need a radar to find what I'm looking for."

Knuckles tilted his head. "So you can sense Chaos Energy as well?" Rouge simply giggled at his naive question, leaving the Echidna a little annoyed. "What?"

"She's not saying that, ya goof!" Vector snapped as he face-palmed.

Charmy snickered a bit at the both of them. "Yeah, Knux. You and Miles are the only ones that can do that." He beamed a little bit. "At the moment, anyway."

"Let us not get distracted," Espio said, trying to get everyone back on track. He glanced at Miles. "Your new ally told us that he knows what the NBA is truly planning; that which Mecha was trying to divert us away from."

Everyone else shifted their attention to the odd one out among their large gathering. That being, of course, the only Animal that was completely covered head to toe in an armored suit, save for his pseudo-dipstick tail. And with all eyes on him, it was understandable that he'd be a little fidgety.

"Well, no offense, but," he said hesitantly, "it's fairly obvious if you stop to think about it."

Gizmo perked her brow suspiciously. "I'm sure it is, but we'd save more time if you just told us."

"F-fair enough, I suppose," Blue conceded with a tinge of nervousness. He moved so that he was facing northwest. "Angel Island is in that direction and is, as you know, currently sea bound." He pointedly held up a finger. "Which, by extension, means that the Master Emerald is in a vulnerable position."

Speedy nodded. "I had a feeling that that's where Alexei's airship was headed. He did originally intend to seize not just the Cursed Corundums, but the Chaos Emeralds as well. It makes sense that he'd also seek out that one."

"That's not good." Gadget folded his arms. "The Tornado is still there, so it hampers our ability to move as a group. Even if some of us ride on top or fly by it, there's barely enough room for us all to take the Sea Fox. And besides that, we still have the problem of the Jackal Squad."

"Yeah." Miles cupped his chin between a couple of fingers as he contemplated the matter. "How best to divide up our forces..."

Almost everyone looked at Knuckles, who silently and determinedly nodded; there was no way he wasn't going to be one of the ones going on the Angel Island mission. Seeing as it would be providing transportation as the Sea Fox, Remi was perhaps the most crucial consideration in either case. The fox knew that wherever Cream went, Cheese would follow, so that counted for two for whichever party she went with. The Chaotix worked best when all three were together, so he wanted to avoid splitting them up if possible.

"Rouge and I will be going," Speedy said decidedly, "both of us have experience with handling the NBA, and our superiors have labeled them the bigger threat."

"I'm coming too," Blue insisted, "Green is already on her way there, if she hasn't arrived already. She'll be glad to know more help is on the way."

Rouge hummed and tapped her cheek thoughtfully as she regarded her partner. "Maybe not when she hears who's coming. She still didn't seem too fond of us after all was said and done."

"Regardless, we have our orders." The ace peered out at the rest of the Animals. "So far, it's myself, Rouge, the Guardian, and the armored one heading for Angel Island. That's four on our end, five including Gunner Green. If we can get another four, we'll have even numbers in both parties."

As if he'd been waiting for the bird to say that, Vector let out a short chuckle and jabbed a thumb at his own chest. "How about the three of us, then?"

"The Chaotix Detective Agency will take on the case!" Charmy chimed in as he flashed a peace sign.

"For adequate compensation," Espio amended in his usual tone.

Speedy rolled his eyes. "I've seen what you three can do, so I'll take the help. However, I can't guarantee payment; you'll have to discuss that with the Commander." He returned his focus to Miles. "I can at least secure a vehicle for either party, although it will depend on which you want your pet to support."

The fox was still mulling that one over. If it went with his rival, they would have enough members in their group as well as familiar and convenient transport. But if it went with him, then another of the Animals would have to accompany the Chaotix to make up the difference. He didn't get the chance to choose or ask Remi what it wanted to do; it was already by his side and rubbing up against him as it sometimes did to show affection.

"I think he's already made up his mind," Miles chuckled softly, reaching down to give his companion a few pats.

"Guess I'll go with Knux, then," Sonic volunteered, rubbing under his nose with a smirk, "if only Mighty and Ray were here, then we'd have the whole Carnival Island crew." He looked both ways and then leaned in to whisper. "Also, that Amy girl's been staring at me kinda weird-like and I don't wanna deal with that."

Miles did his best to stifle a snicker and keep focused on the topic at hand. Sonic's decision meant the rest of them would be pursuing the jackals. With that in mind, the teen took out the Miles Electric and checked the Radar. Initially, it only showed the three gems that they had with them, then five after zooming out to see the two on the mainland; one of them had moved, but not very far. Reducing the magnification further, he picked up the signal from Mecha's Emerald, which was indeed heading roughly in the same direction as the Master Emerald. Still, he didn't detect Tao's stone in that range, so he had to zoom out even further until finally...

"Looks like we've got a long flight ahead of us," Miles informed those that would be accompanying him, "I'm picking up the yellow Emerald's signal all the way in Japan."

"A shame we're not visiting for more recreational reasons," J lamented, "I had such a wonderful time during my trip there last year."

"Oh, you'll have to tell me about that–"

GRRR!

All eyes were on Miles, who gave them a sheepish smile as he pressed his free hand against his stomach to try and get it to calm down a little. If anything, it just made his gut growl even louder, and he felt his cheeks heating up from embarrassment. He wasn't the only one for long, though, as it provoked a chain reaction in several others.

"Oh man," Lavender said as his own belly began complaining, "you reminded me that we left Cocoa Island before we could grab any lunch."

"Yeah, I'm starvin'!" Sonic agreed, "can't go fight on an empty stomach!"

Gadget snickered a bit. "We could, but then Giselle would scare our enemies away with the unladylike noises her gut makes."

"Oi, don't make me take a bite out of you, Gad!" Gizmo barked at her brother.

Everyone had a little laugh at the escapade, save for those like Espio and Speedy, who wore a ghost of a smile. Even if it was a little early, the group made plans to get some dinner and then find a place for the night, with the expectation to leave first thing in the morning. Fortunately for them, J knew of a place that not only had room for such a big party, but could do so with relative privacy. And even luckier for those with a limited palette like Sonic, the establishment served a very broad range of cuisine. The two G.U.N. operatives decided to skip out on a meal and wait until later, with Speedy remarking that he needed to make arrangements for their flight to Angel Island. Blue had also chosen to forgo food for the time being, telling the others that he wasn't hungry and had something he needed to take care of.

In any event, once most of them were satiated, they all met up at the airport just outside the main metro area. Speedy had fulfilled his end of the deal and gotten a Black Condor transport plane for his group. It may have seemed a bit much for just eight people, but it was slated to rendezvous with other G.U.N. forces, so it would be carrying supplies and crew members other than them. As they were getting everything loaded up, the gang came together one more time to see each other off before leaving for their respective objectives.

"Be sure to steel yourselves," Espio advised them, "some parts of Nihon are still quite cold this time of year. Also, it is eighteen hours ahead there compared to here, so be mindful of that when you arrive."

Lavender let out a tired sigh. "You think we have time for a nap on the way?"

"I'm sure we can fit in a little rest," Miles reasoned. He smiled and flashed his usual peace sign at everyone who were going their separate ways from him and his group, then gave his partner a fist-bump. "Anyway, we'd better get going. Don't overexert yourself, okay?"

Sonic returned the gesture. "Don't worry, big guy. Al and his goons won't know what hit 'em!"

After everyone had said their farewells for the moment, those going to Angel Island boarded the Condor while those headed for Japan piled into the Sea Fox. It was a bit of a tight fit in the latter case, as most of them were a little tuckered out from the events of the day and no one wanted to ride outside for the duration of the flight. With the exception of Lavender, who preferred to try and get some rest without someone on his lap, everyone else had to partner up with seating. Amy sat in Cream's lap while Cheese perched on the rabbit's head, the three of them getting cozy pretty quickly. Gadget hugged around Gizmo's abdomen so her back was to his chest as he sat in his seat, the two of them reminded of how they'd slept in the same bed as young pups. It was more of an odd thing for the two fox cousins, but considering the situation, they just decided to put up with it.

"This brings back some fond memories," J chuckled, "I haven't held you like this since you were a baby kit."

"Please don't make this more awkward than it already is," Miles replied uneasily.

The cross fox merely shrugged and leaned back in the chair, humming as he shut his eyes. Thus, with Remi put on autopilot, the eight pursuing the Jackal Squad did the best they could to settle in and grab some sleep before their inevitable confrontation. The others, meanwhile, were a bit too excited or anxious, depending who you asked, to sit still for long. There was, after all, quite the battle awaiting them, one that would determine the immediate fate of the ancient floating landmass.

(Pacific Ocean airspace)

"You've been a tricky test subject," Alexei remarked as he wiped his brow tiredly, "but the culmination of my studies and efforts have once again brought you under my control."

Aside from the engines and systems that controlled the airship's flight and weapons, the inside was filled with the owl's personal laboratory. One corner was dedicated to chemistry with its beakers, burners and more, while another hosted a huge computer with more than a handful of monitors that all displayed streams of data and images. A third had a space for him to rest, relieve, and satiate himself with all the necessary equipment and accessories, and the fourth had the door that led out to the deck, armed to the teeth with various defensive measures. And in the center was an intricate dais on which the Phantom Ruby was placed, emitting an unsettling magenta glow.

"This time, your corrupting influence will not cloud my faculties," he said aloud with a satisfied smirk, "and with a little more time, I can have a never-ending army."

The entrance to the chamber opened, none of the defenses acting up, which made Alexei glance over that way. Mecha had made its return, standing at attention once it got within a few meters of the bird.

"Welcome back, Mecha Miles," he greeted the automaton, "I trust that you have drawn Prower and his friends' attention away for the time being?"

The robot regarded him with its optics for a few seconds before crossing its arms. "The forces you stationed close to Seaside City made good time and helped in that endeavor. However, there was an interesting addition to his allies that I'm certain will intrigue you."

Alexei raised his brow and turned away from the device housing the Ruby to give Mecha his full attention. Its eyes lit up and projected the image of an armored Animal that reminded him of the female that had helped Speedy foil his operations on Flicky Island. However, this one was clearly male in terms of proportions and wielded different weaponry, not to mention the fact he allowed his tail to show.

"Surveillance has identified him with the code name 'Bomber Blue,'" Mecha reported, "armed with a launcher and a variety of rounds for it, as well as myriad grenades. Physical attributes appear to be of a similar caliber to that of the more capable members of Miles' group. Degree of enhancement provided by the suit, if any, remains inconclusive."

"So there are others like that 'Gunner Green' woman," the owl mused at the news, "this could be a problem, as she was rather well-informed about my plans despite how securely they were kept under wraps." Realization showed on his face as thoughts raced through his head. "This new fellow could be privy to the knowledge that what you did was a distraction."

The ferrous fox waved off his concern. "Even if that were the case, they won't come at us all at once. The Jackal Squad is still at large with the Sapphire, and their leader has a personal vendetta with my prototype. Given Miles' tendencies, his group's numbers will be divided between going after them and contending with you."

"I suppose that is a silver lining to those blasted canines' treachery," Alexei mumbled as he stroked his chin, "although it is troublesome that they still have the gem."

"Then I should go and retrieve it. My internal Emerald Radar can easily pinpoint the location of the yellow stone and the Jackal Squad by extension."

Alexei would have approved of the idea, but he could sense Mecha's eagerness. The robot had followed him so far when it came to putting off his rematch with Miles, though he could tell that it was grating on the machine's metaphorical nerves. As much as he didn't want to consider it, the automaton seemed like it would reach a breaking point. And given that it had already shown signs of such, like when it left without his express permission earlier, Alexei was concerned it would happen sooner than later.

'That is why I cannot trust Mecha Miles with such a task,' he thought, 'it would be better to simply let Prower's party eliminate the jackals for me. After that, I can find an opportunity to steal the Sapphire once he comes after me. Still, I cannot let this machine sit idly by and brood...hmm, hopefully that will distract it.'

"No, I need you to remain close to the main force," the owl told the metal fox, "and seeing as how we'll be arriving at Angel Island soon, go and secure the Master Emerald. There should currently be no one to get in your way, but on the off-chance there is, bring them back for reconditioning."

Mecha nodded its head after taking a couple of seconds to process the order. "Acknowledged."

Without another word, it left the doctor's chamber and strolled out to the deck of the dirigible, firing up its thrusters and flying ahead of the ship to its destination. As it made its way there, it pondered about the way that Alexei had been acting around it. Even if the bird tried to hide it, the robot could see the distrust in his eyes, and the cautious suspicion that grew whenever it didn't totally obey him. It was fairly obvious that its creator's relative feared that it would turn on him like it had Dr. Robotnik.

'There's some enjoyment in watching him squirm and act like he isn't,' it thought with dark amusement, 'but for now, despite the setbacks, his plans are progressing well enough. That and he's made himself more useful than the fat man, if only because of this refurbished body. So long as I get what I want, my creator's kin can play around with his projects.'

For the rest of its short journey, the fox simply focused on its current task to carry it out as soon as possible. Just as the doctor had said, it wasn't long before Mecha arrived at the mythical location, immediately heading for the volcano that housed the Lava Reef. But the instant it came to the edge of the crater, a light blue beam of energy struck it and began to repeatedly batter it while it arced around its body. Mecha lost momentum and fell for several meters until it activated its Amber Barrier and canceled out the errant projectile. Its optics swept about the area to locate the source of the attack, and it soon found what it was looking for. Or rather, it made itself apparent to the robot well enough on its own in the form of an Animal in green armor riding an equally verdant platform and aiming a pistol its way.

"Hello, Mecha," came the mysterious woman's voice the robot had only heard in recordings and footage up until then, "it's nice to see you. I'd ask what you're doing here, but I already know."

Mecha landed on the rim of the caldera, its tails humming as plasma lit up the edges. "My memory indicates we have never met, Gunner Green, yet you act familiar with me."

Green let out a scoff. "I'm sure you'd like to know, but I'm not very talkative when it comes to discussing myself."

"Yes, you are an enigma." It focused its eyes on where hers would be through the visor. "But I'd rather know more about your weapons and equipment, in particular that transforming machine of yours. Its mechanics match nothing in any data I've analyzed, and that alone is quite intriguing."

"Sorry, can't tell you," the lady apologized without sounding at all guilty, "that's an even bigger secret, although it's not like you would ever figure it out even if you had the chance to take it apart."

Mecha felt some of its circuits heat up in response to her statement. Perhaps it was due to the imprints of Miles' personality, but the robot very much didn't like that she was insulting its intelligence. There was no machine that it couldn't understand if simply given the time, not even this seemingly alien technology. And if it had to resort to beating the answers out of her, then so be it.

"I am more than willing to test that theory and prove you wrong, woman," it proclaimed as its optics lit up brightly, "and even if that wasn't a factor, I still have an objective here that you are standing in the way of." It brandished its claws threateningly. "In the end, willingly or not, you will divulge everything you know to me."

"To you? Don't you mean 'to us' if including Al?" Green replied smartly, tightening her grip on her gun.

Mecha tilted its head down slightly so that its gaze appeared even sharper. "There's no point in letting him know when he's not going to be around too much longer."

"Then I'll let you in on at least one secret: before this whole conflict over the Cursed Corundums is done, you're going to lose."

Mecha refused to entertain the discussion any longer. With its systems fired up, it launched into the air and into the fray while Green braced herself for combat.

(Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, "many hours" later...)

"Wakie wakie, Sleeping Beauty," Miles heard J whisper gingerly into his ear, "the Land of the Rising Sun awaits."

The teen blinked blearily and rubbed his eyes, feeling his jaw nearly pop as he let out a loud and long yawn. The dashboard read an earlier time than when they'd left West Side Island, but he knew from what Espio had told him that it was, in reality, the next day in this time zone. And when he actually stopped to take a gander at the sights below, his sleepiness went away in almost an instant.

"Guys, wake up!" he exclaimed with as much enthusiasm as if he were half his age, tapping at the window closest to him, "you have to see this!"

Cream was the first of the rest to stir, letting out a delighted gasp. "Oh my! Isn't it lovely, Cheese?"

The Chao chirped in agreement, and everyone else began to murmur much the same once they got a look for themselves. Although there was still at least a week before the season started off properly, some of the cherry blossom trees below were already beginning to bloom. As they headed further into the mountains near Kyoto, they could see that there were many peaks still covered in snow. And when they were within a few kilometers of where the Jackal Squad supposedly was, they spotted a valley within the range that had both of those features and more. The most notable was an old castle with a very expansive and beautiful courtyard filled with cherry blossoms and paper lanterns.

"The trees and all the decorations are really pretty," Amy commented, "but that castle looks like it's seen better days."

"Which would make it a good place to hide," Lavender hypothesized, "if no one's around to do even occasional maintenance, no one would know if someone's shacked up in there."

Miles showed the group the reading on the Emerald Radar. "The signal confirms what Lav was saying. The Jackal Squad has to be somewhere within the castle grounds."

"We should land somewhere that's not too close," Gadget suggested, "that way, we could potentially take them by surprise."

"What about you, ladies?" Gizmo wondered as she addressed the two younger girls, "are you really sure you wanna get stuck in with us?"

Cream sighed concernedly. "Truthfully, I'd prefer not to fight if I can help it. But if there's no other way, then I'll do what I can to help everyone."

"I'll fight for both of us, Cream!" Amy told her friend confidently, "all I need is something to whack the bad guys with!"

The hedgehog's choice of words got Miles thinking, but he decided to find a place to continue on foot before he acted on it. As he searched around, he noticed a bright orange glow in the opposite direction of the castle, and he curiously enlarged the image fed to him by the Sea Fox. He almost wished he hadn't, as the sight made him and everyone else gasp in shock. It was a village, or rather, it had been a village, now reduced to nothing more than smoldering buildings and the scattered bodies of humans. Old, young, sick, and healthy alike were among them, all of them riddled with myriad wounds, and some left in a more gruesome condition than the rest.

"Don't look, Amy!" Cream nearly shouted as she covered the young girl's eyes, fighting back tears herself.

"My gods," Lavender breathed out, "all those people..."

"Remi, scan for any signs of life!" Miles ordered the vehicle as he brought them in closer.

There was a tense silence that felt like it lasted ages. In reality, about a minute passed before the Sea Fox read back its results to them.

"Nothing," Gadget reported as he hung his head, "everyone's dead."

Miles clenched his fangs and leaned forward to really press into the console. "I'm not going to let those bastards get away with this."

After leaving and returning to their objective, the fox spotted a clearing a couple of kilometers away from the area of the castle, ordering the Sea Fox to land. Once the chilly air hit everyone, though, he could clearly see that some of them were bothered by it, namely Cheese and the members of the group with thinner, shorter fur. He didn't want to seem harsh, but it was a welcome distraction from the tragedy he'd just come across.

"Do you anything that can help keep us warm?" Amy asked Miles as she shivered and rubbed her arms.

The teen had Remi transform into its pack state, then sifted through the seemingly bottomless storage space he'd built into it. After a few moments, he brought out several small pins that had a stylistic likeness of his head and handed one out to everyone.

"These are Personal Environment Pins, or PEPs for short," Miles elaborated as he kept one handy for demonstration, "I made them using some of the same principles as the Elemental Shield Projectors, but for more practical purposes." He tapped on the "nose" of the item, which blinked red a couple of times. "Just do that to turn it on and it'll create a bubble around you with optimal air and heat conditions. Also, they only require a single Ring for a continuous 24-hour charge, so if you use it sparingly, it can last a long time before needing a new Ring."

Lavender activated his own and marveled at the almost immediate change around him. "Wow, this thing works fast! I already feel like I'm back in my living room instead of out in the snow!"

"I bet people would like them even more if they could change clothes too," Amy said while looking herself over with the new accessory attached.

Gizmo hummed and smiled. "That would certainly make them more marketable." She shook her head and readied her escrima. "We can talk about all that later."

"Aye, we've a jackal problem to deal with first," J concurred as he worked out the pops and kinks in his joints.

"Right, before I forget." Miles brought out another item and held it up as he faced Amy. It was similar to the Pikkon Hammer, except that it was red where his weapon was blue, and appeared to sport a slightly bulkier head. "It's strange, but I felt compelled to finally try and replicate my Pikkon Hammer after my trip back near the end of last year." He placed it head-first onto the ground and kept the handle against one palm. "I want you to have it, Amy; not just for this outing, but for good." He offered her a small smile. "Maybe it's that same feeling urging me on, but I'm confident that you'll take good care of it."

The hedgehog gingerly took it in both hands, almost falling forward when she realized the full weight. To her credit, however, she was able to right herself and heft it up while taking a grounded stance. She gave it a few swings to test it out, and once she was satisfied, she rested the hammer against the ground much like the fox had done moments ago.

"Thanks, Miles," Amy said with a smile of her own, "it feels just right."

"No problem, Amy." The fox raised a fist into the air. "Okay, if we're all set, let's go!"

With that, the gang quickly but stealthily made their way through the woods around to the back of the castle. Using Miles and Cream's ability to fly, along with the grappling gear of the two lupine siblings, they were able to ascend to an opening in the upper floors and get inside. Although the cold and dusty exterior had been expected, the presence of the machines and materials there was a surprise.

"My word!" J exclaimed, allowing the historian in him to take over in spite of the sobering event he witnessed earlier, "not only did this castle survive the general purge of pre-Meiji structures, but it appears to have once served as a printing facility." He wiped a finger across one of the giant Hansel Writing Balls and examined the thin layer of grime it left on his glove. "Not terribly thick. These were probably used within the last 40 or 50 years, if I had to guess."

Cream hummed as she looked around. "What sort of things did they print here, J?"

"Well, if it's anything like what was discovered beneath a few other shrines and castles..." The cross fox tapped a foot and cupped his chin in one hand. "Then I'd imagine all sorts of material was produced, such as propaganda during the Second Great War. However, given the remote location, this press in particular may not have seen much use even when it was most active."

"I bet the NBA would put it to work," Gadget commented as he peered around, "they've gotten a surprising number of people to join them under our noses, so imagine if they were a bit more proactive." He paused for a moment. "You don't think they've brought back Conversion Therapy, do you?"

"That's impossible," Gizmo denied the idea, "we made sure that the blueprints were erased for good, and every last leftover machine was destroyed."

Lavender folded his arms. "I dunno. The old Dr. Fukurokov was smart enough to come up with the design himself, right? What if Al's just that good and can make CT machines or something like them without a guide?"

"I've already assumed that he can," Miles told them as he fiddled with his device, "he was able to repair Mecha and built that underground facility on Flicky Island, after all." He checked on the Emerald Radar and made a noise of shock as he caught the reading. "Tao is–"

"Right here," the jackal in question finished for the fox.

Everyone wheeled around to the monochrome canine, who was standing at the opposite end of the room they were in, leaning against an open door frame. Miles pushed Cream behind him and clenched his other fist while the rest of his friends and family got into a stance or drew their weapons, or transformed in Remi's case.

"You found us quickly," Tao said in his usual calm tone, his tail dropping the yellow Emerald in one hand, "I guess there's nowhere we can go that you won't find us as long as we have this, is there?"

Miles narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. "If you know that, why not ditch it to throw us off?"

"It crossed my mind, but the boss would hate it if I threw away this gift of his." The jackal chuckled. "That and I've grown fond of the way this 'Chaos Energy' feels, not to mention what it's capable of."

"Looking for a fight, then?" Gizmo challenged him, leveling her red escrima his way, "because we're more than ready to scrap after seeing what you and your lot did!"

Tao let a toothy frown show as he pushed away from the door frame. "That village, you mean? I told the boss he didn't need to go that far and that just made him want to do it even more. I personally dislike senseless killing, but I can't disobey the head of the Squad." He shrugged helplessly. "As for the offer, I'm not ready just yet."

His yellow eyes glowed brightly in tandem with the matching Emerald, and before anyone could stop him, the area was engulfed in that same wave of Chaos Energy that Miles had seen on South Island. For about a third of a minute, the gang felt slower than any of them had ever been in their lives. So much so that they were barely able to move further than a handful of meters by the time the effect ended, even when putting in good effort. Thus, Tao was able to get away from them with relative ease, though Miles could tell that he was moving a little more sluggish than earlier.

"So that's what you were talking about," Gadget mumbled as he shook his head clear, "that's going to be annoying to deal with."

Miles hummed curiously. "I didn't get to check on South Island, but this time, I noticed he seemed a bit winded after using that power."

"That means he can't use it very freely!" Lavender pointed out optimistically, "if it's making him more tired each time, then it shouldn't last as long if he uses it again!"

"It would be better still if we could disarm him before he gets another chance at all," J commented as he examined the white Emerald, "but perhaps Miles and I can use our stones to counter him in case he gets an opening."

Gizmo swapped to her green escrima and lit it up. "Then let's not give him a chance to rest!"

Seeing as he was the one with the Radar and the one most attuned to Chaos Energy out of all of them, Miles took the lead and guided the lot of them deeper into the castle. A slowly loudening whirr filled the air as some of the long-dormant machinery came to life, no doubt activated by their quarry. The fox jumped down a gap and bounced off a conveyor belt high to a platform, then leaping from that to a passage hidden behind several old boxes. The others followed as he ricocheted himself off of more belts and onto a massive rotating gray cylinder that reminded a few of them of the same sort of structures at the Empire's old Angel Island base. The path ahead curbed and descended for several seconds, then abruptly changed into a three-quarter pipe turn up the wall and onto a ledge. A steep incline up into rollers launched him onto an oversized HWB, using it and several more as stepping stones to safe ground.

They weren't difficult obstacles for him to traverse, but he'd been worried that the less experienced members of the group may not have been able to handle them. But so far, even the younger girls, whom he knew had no prior training of this nature whatsoever, were keeping up just fine. Stranger was that it didn't feel that odd to see them able to do so, almost as though he'd gone on a more intensive adventure with them before. Little did he know that he was hardly the only one experiencing this bizarrely familiar sensation. In fact, aside from J and Lavender, everyone there was having a bout of deja vu, including his trusty robotic companion. This unconsciously caused them all to deviate to their own little groups, although each of them still kept on the fox's trail so as not to lose sight of their objective.

Still, it didn't mean that they couldn't try and partake in some sort of levity.

"I heard you've got a lot going on, Gad," Cream said kindly while Cheese tilted its head curiously.

The red wolf smiled as he bounded from segment to segment of giant character wood blocks. "Yeah, this is going to be my last big outing of this kind for a long while. Fuchsia and I are getting married in a couple of weeks, and then sometime in May, I'm uh..." His cheeks brightened a little. "I'm going to be a father."

"That's right, Miles told me about that! Congratulations!" the rabbit exclaimed, her tiny friend letting out a celebratory cheer. They rode up a cylinder and passed by a few stacks of crates before the conversation continued. "Do you know what the baby's going to be yet?"

"Fuchsia wants to keep it a surprise until the big day." Gadget let a spring propel him up a hill and through a narrow shaft, jumping out to the base of a very tall and broad bolt. "But we'll be sure to send you pictures."

The bunny girl and her small friend were both delighted at the offer. Overhearing their conversation, Amy turned to Gizmo as the she-wolf came out of another belt-filled shaft just behind her.

"If Gad's gonna be a dad, that'd make you an aunt wouldn't it, Giselle?" the hedgehog realized with a bright smile.

Gizmo did her best to hide an expression like her brother's but failed to cover up all the red in her face. "Mhm, I'm still rather tickled by the idea of having a niece or nephew. I can hardly believe I'm going to be an aunt at this age."

"What about being a mom?" Amy questioned.

The teal wolf nearly tripped over herself and off of a ledge, but screeched to a halt just a few centimeters away. She cleared her head and gave herself some time to think as she used a red spring to launch herself up a wall and off a few gears. She spied a gap above just wide enough for her to vault up through it, taking the hedgehog along by her other hand. This put them in the path of another spring that caused them to Roll over several divots and crests until they came to a dead end. Or so it would've been if Gizmo didn't have her grappler, bringing them close to Miles once again.

"Well," she replied tentatively, her face showing that she was still contemplating the idea, "I've certainly thought about it, Amy. I really do think it'd be wonderful to have a child of my own. But..." She let out a somber bark of a laugh and lowered her voice. "I don't know if there's a bloke that's right for me."

Amy digested that as they crossed over a couple of gaps and rode around yet another cylinder, an idea coming to her when they were on safe ground again. "I could ask my mom to do a reading for you to see."

"That's sweet of you," Gizmo said with a faint smile, "but I don't really believe in things like fortune telling."

"Hey, my mom's never been wrong!" the young girl insisted, "she knew where and when Miles would meet Cream, she knew when Cream would adopt Cheese, and lots of other things!"

"I won't stop you if you want to do that." The she-wolf hopped across another gap and flipped her hair with one hand while sticking out her tongue playfully. "But I'll believe it only when it happens."

The hedgehog pouted a little at that answer, but she kept up all the same, a part of her now determined to prove to the older female that she'd be right. Having overheard their conversation, Lavender tried not to take it personally with what Gizmo had mentioned a moment ago. But, given his history of trying (and failing) to move things beyond friendship with her, he'd be lying if he said it didn't sting a tad.

"Hey, uh, Dr. Cross?" he addressed J, "I know you never really write about it in your work and that it's kinda personal, but have you ever thought about love?"

"You mean of the romantic variety?" the cross fox specified, to which the cat nodded, "at times, yes. More often than not, however, I'm too buried in my duties or other matters to give it more than a passing thought."

Lavender wasn't surprised at that answer considering how much J tended to have on his plate, at least when he wasn't palling around with them like he was now. Still, he was curious like his species was known to be.

"Well, is there anyone you can think of that strikes your fancy?" the cat pressed as the group navigated several more platforms along a vertical rise, using a red spring to help propel them up a slope and across another cylinder.

The geologist quirked a brow when Miles dove once he was upside-down on the thing, flew between more conveyor belts and went into a Roll as he tore down a decline. The cat and the rest followed him through an outgoing loop which wound them around to a rotating column, staying on the upper path and stopping at what appeared to be the main entrance to the castle from the courtyard. Since their leader decided that going slower was okay for the moment, J got back to Lavender about his question.

"Well, that beetle girl that works as a tour guide at my museum in Metropolis has a lovely demeanor, but I'm not really into insects," the cross fox said, "nothing against them, just not my personal cup of tea."

The cat nodded at that, putting his hands behind his head as they continued through the threshold and found themselves in the gardens. "Nothing wrong with that. What about someone that hits both your buttons: personality and looks?"

"Putting me on the spot, eh?" J pinched at the fluff on his chin as he wracked his brain. "Well, if I must be completely honest..." He leaned in to keep his voice low. "Giselle. I enjoy all the exploits Miles has told me when it comes to her, but getting to see her in action is much better than hearing about it. Her confidence and the way she carries herself, not to mention that she looks good while doing what she does, are all wonderful. It may sound silly, but she reminds me of some of my favorite fictional females from the past 15 or so years."

Lavender had to fight back his feelings after hearing that honest admission. He'd rolled his eyes at all the guys on Cocoa Island that only saw Gizmo for the ideal body she supposedly sported, liking to think he was better than them. But, he was disquieted at the idea of another fellow who put her character first. The cat was even more surprised by the fact that it was his literary idol who appreciated the she-wolf. He couldn't deny the jealousy welling up inside, even if his "rival in love" had yet to make any kind of move towards the woman the feline was fond of.

"Are you alright, Lavender?" J inquired with some concern, "you look a bit tense."

The purplish cat blinked, not having noticed he'd tightened his expression until it was pointed out. "Oh, uh." He faked a cough and relaxed his face a bit. "Just a lot going on in my head."

"Ah, I know the feeling." The cross fox flashed him a bright smile. "You know, I'm sure you'll impress quite a few people after I chronicle this adventure." He laughed a bit. "Although that might take a while. I imagine the museum board back home are going to be rather angry with me for leaving without telling them in advance."

Lavender was flattered by the idea that he'd become somewhat famous, and that by extension, it might get him some fans. But as nice as that was, there was only one female that he wanted to make a connection with.

Up front, Miles noticed that the signal on his Radar belonging to Tao's Emerald had slowed down for a moment to around their pace, only to speed back up soon after. Not wanting him to stay too far ahead, the fox picked up speed as they left the castle gates and entered the courtyard. Cherry petals and snow went flying as he raced up a slope, then went out the other end to scale down the side of an abandoned tower. He leapt from tree to tree, Rolling over the top of a log bridge and jumping the gaps between numerous hills to a section of tall and thin sakura blossoms. It came to an end at the foot of another tower, where the fox used a red spring to get himself up to an opening.

While Miles navigated the interior to get to the other side, he found his path blocked at several turns by patches and blocks of ice. Annoyed at these obstacles, he activated the Fire Shield on his Projector and blasted through a veritable wall of cold cubes. Icicles that would've proven treacherously sharp were no match for the flame-coated fox, and after using another couple of red springs, he finally made it outside again. He slid through a narrow passage onto a precipice, where he made his way down to the ground, circumventing a particularly broad tree as he followed the reading on the Miles Electric. It was after clearing one more hill that he found the jackal waiting for them, standing with his back to one of the shorter trees in the area. Nature saw fit to let a noticeable breeze pass through soon after everyone arrived, spreading more of those pretty pink blossoms into the air.

"Where's the rest of the Squad, Tao?" Miles calmly demanded, "I know this is a trap."

"Right here, you little smart-ass!" he heard Zero shout as he sprang from behind a tree with his scimitar drawn. As Cress, Lana, and Shana also made their appearance with guns drawn, their leader pointed at their foes. "Skewer and fill 'em full of holes!"

The second-in-command drew several knives from his belt and held them between his fingers while the other three in his gang took aim. All of this happened so fast that almost no one among Miles and his friends had time to react, but thankfully, J was quicker on the draw than their opponents.

"Stone Wall!" he yelled while pressing one hand against the white Emerald.

Just as the infamous canids squeezed their triggers and threw their blades, a thick barrier of rock and earth shot up between them and their targets. Knives and bullets alike did little more than cause minor damage to it, keeping the fox's group safe for the moment. Irritated at this impediment, the shortest of the jackals grabbed a rocket launcher from his pack and let one fly.

"Shatter!" J cried out with another motion of his arms as a faint white aura surrounded him.

Upon that command, the protective shield exploded into hundreds of fragments that were hurled towards the Squad, a good chunk of which were destroyed by the incoming rocket. While the four other jackals scattered and fell back to avoid getting pelted by the remainder, Zero went after Miles with relentless attacks. The boss dashed forward to slash at the fox, but while the latter ducked out of the way, the former followed up with a low spinning kick. The teen grimaced as he was caught in the side, causing him to tumble and roll back into position to sidestep a slice. His tails kicked up some snow and petals to obscure Zero's senses, then barreled into his gut with a pinpoint Spin Dash. The bigger canid used the claws on his free hand to dig into the ground and halt himself from being knocked back too far, stood back up, and brandished his blade once more.

Lavender and Amy both contended with Cress, who was keeping out of reach despite toting such a big pack. The short canine hopped away from a hammer slam and prepared to return fire with a rifle from his stock, only to be coerced into retreating further from a blast at his feet courtesy of the cat. He retaliated with an incendiary round from the grenade launcher attachment, melting some of the snow and burning a huge patch between him and the other two Animals. The jackal was certain that he'd get a clean shot in on the girl, yet to his surprise, the hammer momentarily increased in size when she panickedly held it out in front of her. This deflected the high-caliber bullet, but also knocked her on her backside due to the energy transfer. Lavender got heated from the attempt on Amy's life and broke out a Spin Dash of his own which caught Cress napping, sending him back-first into a nearby tree.

That left Tao, who was facing off against J and Remi. Unlike the rest on both sides, Zero's right hand and the cross fox partook in a little more mid-battle banter.

"Didn't think I'd be fighting two foxes today," the jackal remarked as he pounced to perform a double stab with a pair of tantō.

"Titan Cloak!" J hastily shouted.

Tao frowned as his Japanese daggers were stopped short by a shell of solid metal that had formed around the cross fox. J raised his arms as though performing a full flex and made the "coat" turn into a cloud of shrapnel, prompting the other canid to use his own Emerald. He kept the area of influence under his Slow power small and brief so that he could dodge the incoming debris without expending too much energy.

"Interesting set of powers," Tao noted, "earth and metal; two of the six elements in the Circle of Power, and opposing ones at that."

"Indeed, I wanted to stay true to the sort of person I am," J said with a smirk while his eyes seemed to pale with the white crackling energy fed to him by the Emerald, "you seem knowledgeable on the subject, speaking of the Circle."

The jackal's eyes became an electric yellow in turn as he swapped out his tantō for kukri. "I like some stimulation aside from what I usually get up to."

"A shame we have to fight, then." Steel once again formed around the fox, though only in his hands this time, blocking a nasty slash from the other canid's weapons. "You seem decent enough for conversation."

If only they'd met under different circumstances, Tao thought, then they could calmly discuss matters by a fireplace instead of such a cold locale in a metaphorically heated manner. Not like it could be helped, given where their loyalties lied.

The Wolf siblings found themselves facing off against the twin jackal girls, the second pair trying to take potshots with their pistols. Gizmo used her green escrima to stay a step ahead, weaving through the rounds sent her way and closing the gap so she could attack Shana directly. The other female tried to press the muzzle of her sidearm into the she-wolf's stomach, but Gizmo pivoted just before she squeezed the trigger and gave her a few good smacks with her sticks.

"A gun's no good if you can't hit what you're shooting at," she chided the smaller canine, "trust me, I know from experience."

Gad opted to keep a little distance from Lana, his pumped shoes allowing him to dance around her shots while he brought out his Lightning Baton in whip form. He flipped and Rolled past another couple clips worth of bullets before lashing at her legs, managing to snag one and give her a heck of shock while pulling her off her feet.

"What's the deal?" he asked disappointedly, "is this really the Jackal Squad we're fighting? More like a joke."

Zero's yellow eye twitched at the wolf's commentary, and he changed his dash towards Miles into a feint as he altered his course. No one was allowed to insult the honor of his group and get away with it! But just before he could slash Gadget across the back, a light blue blur slammed into his back, making him flinch and growl. He saw Cheese return to Cream's side, who still had her hand outstretched as she stood by Miles.

"I won't let you!" she proclaimed boldly, "that man has a wonderful future waiting for him!"

Zero sneered at her and aimed his blade her way. "I've cut plenty of people's futures short, brat. Like those folks in the nearby village."

"You're horrible!" the rabbit cried, getting more miffed by the second.

The jackal spat to one side. "They brought it upon themselves for being weak."

"Then what does that make you compared to me, if not a weakling?" Miles asked him with a toothy grin, although he too was struggling with anger just beneath the surface, "you lost the last time we fought, remember?"

The jackal let out a very visible puff of steam from his nostrils as his free hand brought out the Sapphire. "Back then, you had a fancy magical rock and I didn't. But now we're even on that front, so I'm gonna show you who's really the stronger Animal. Not here, though." As it had done previously, the spherical gemstone filled with a brilliant scintillation and then unleashed a wave of black-blue energy, followed by that sound that was incomparable to anything they knew. "Sapphire, send us to a place where no one in the world could find their bodies!"

Miles tried to use a Chaos-powered Spin Dash to stop Zero, but it was too late by then. For the third time, he watched as he and everyone else was drawn into a spatial rift, leaving no evidence that they'd ever been at the castle aside from an area of disturbed snow and petals, and the machinery that had mysteriously begun to run again.