(Classified Location)

"Miles doesn't appear to be headed for us," Gadget remarked as he observed the Tornado's path, "although it's clear to me what he's trying to do."

Sonic tapped a foot impatiently. "Tails wants to get the other Emeralds before those jackals do, so let's go!"

"All of us going at once would raise too much attention," Speedy stated reasonably, "not to mention, it would leave this place more vulnerable without any of us here to help defend it."

It was a reasonable point to make, especially given the still very real and present threat from Mecha and the NBA. Of course, most of them knew they wouldn't be able to keep the blue hoglet from going, especially not after what happened to the fox when he hadn't been there for him most recently.

"I'm going with Sonic," Knuckles volunteered as he cracked his namesakes, "I still owe that group for what they did on my island!"

"I'll not pass this up either," J chimed in, "I still have questions for that Tao fellow, not to mention there's the prospect of seeing what's become of a place I once knew."

Remi barked affirmatively as it went to stand beside the cross fox, its mind obviously made up. Gadget was about to go and join them, but was surprised when Green grasped his dominant shoulder and shook her head.

"I'll go," she told him, "it'd be better if you could analyze some of the weaponry and help come up with a new plan for Mecha while you're here." The red wolf was ready to ask why she was stopping him until she bowed her head and lowered her voice, sounding almost...hurt? "Please, just let me handle it. We can talk in private before I leave, and then you'll understand."

Gadget let out a sigh and stepped back, but Gizmo moved forward and glanced down at the hybrid Animal half a head shorter than her.

"Whatever you told Gad to convince him to stay, you won't dissuade me from helping my little brother," she said with suspicion in her voice.

"Far be it from me to stop you," Green responded with both hands held up peaceably, "I'm just considering what would be best in the long run."

Rouge chuckled softly. "I'm staying here with Ace. Anyway, that's already six of you, and there's seventeen of us here."

Assuming they wanted to divide their collective might close to half, the party as a whole could let another three members join the foray into the Dazzling Desert, at best. Who better than the Chaotix, then, if it came down to a trio?

"Lemme come with you guys!" Charmy exclaimed.

"Yeah, what he said!" Vector joined in.

Espio shook his head, but couldn't hide the ghost of a grin on his face. "Someone needs to mind you two, so I'll come along as well."

"I suppose that settles it, then," Speedy said evenly, "the rest of us will stay here to defend the base or just take a breather for the time being."

Lavender sat down with a notable thump on one of the chairs in the area. "Yeah, I think I could use a little rest."

"It has been a pretty long day," Cream said as she sat Cheese in her lap.

Amy waved over at the other hedgehog. "Good luck, Sonic!"

Sonic visibly shuddered, prompting several of the others to have a good laugh at his expense. That being said and done, the forces for each team had been decided. The Chaotix trio, Sonic, Knuckles, J, Green, Gizmo, and Remi would all rendezvous with Miles, while Rouge, Gadget, Cream, Cheese, Amy, Speedy, and Lavender would stay behind to rest and help secure the G.U.N. installation.

Following bringing the two future Animals up to speed, and as the former group prepared to leave for the big mission ahead of them, Green met with Gadget in a place where no one could disturb them. She didn't show it on the outside, but she had butterflies in her stomach at that moment, and feelings that she'd been suppressing were starting to flare up. After taking a deep breath, the unmasked Animal raised a finger and prepared to speak, only for the vermilion wolf to grab her hand and gently push it down. He further surprised her by wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug.

"You don't have to say it," he told her softly, "you're my child, aren't you?"

Green felt her heart pang more than she'd felt in a very long time. The bespectacled lupine had hit the nail on the head when it came to his "guess", but then, given what he knew and how she looked, it was probably a no-brainer. All the same, she was deeply touched.

"Yes," she choked out, unable to wipe away the plentiful tears forming in her eyes as she held onto him tightly, "I'm your daughter. My true name is–"

"Garnet." Gadget smiled fondly. "Fuchsia and I agreed that if we had a girl with red fur, we'd give her that name."

Green, or rather Garnet, felt her body slacken against him while she tried in vain to stifle her emotions. She wasn't falling apart, but it was taking every bit of fiber for her to not break down then and there.

"That's right," she said quietly. The hybrid paused to let out a low whimper. "I'm so happy to finally meet you, Daddy."

"What do you mean 'finally'?" her father asked patiently.

"It relates to why I told you to stay behind instead of going to the Dazzling Desert." The mixed female grasped onto both of his shoulders as her eyes were fit to burst like dams. "If you had gone on the mission...you'd've been killed." She couldn't take it anymore, letting go of him and covering her face as she quietly sobbed into her hands. "You wouldn't've ever seen your present daughter if you went. You'd've died before you got the opportunity to be a father...before you got the chance to be a lawful mate to Mama." She parted a few of her fingers so she could gaze into his orange eyes with her own blue sphere. "I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. Please, Daddy...I don't want to lose you before I ever get the chance to know you...not again."

Gadget was more than a little stunned by this news and the sudden waterworks. Deep down, however, he couldn't find any reason to be dismissive of her words. Perhaps it was his developing fatherly instincts at work, and maybe there was a bit of fear too, but he trusted Garnet. There was also the fact that she had admitted that she and Blue were from the future, and since most of them already knew about the Time Stones and their capability, that strengthened her claim. There was also that close call with Zero back in Japan; he shuddered to think what would've happened if Cream hadn't intervened.

If what she said really was true, then he couldn't risk allowing it to come to pass, lest he leave his family and friends devastated. Yet, he couldn't help but be a bit morbidly curious about the history she knew. What else would have occurred as a result of his death?

"What happened after I...you know?" he dared to ask.

Garnet sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Well, the biggest thing is that I was told that Uncle Miles was never the same." She lowered her gaze along with her ears. "Suffice to say, the Jackal Squad and other foes of his got to experience firsthand what that change entailed."

The red wolf didn't need to hear any more than that to piece together what would've occurred if he'd gone with his sister's team as originally planned. He may not always agree with his little brother's generally more merciful approach, but it was a significant part of what made the fox who he was. Being willing to give others a chance, or at least the benefit of the doubt, had gained them some powerful friends, after all. Gadget didn't like the thought of Miles losing that side of himself, especially if it's because of him. If he had to duck out of the action for a little bit to deny that outcome and the other, more serious one, then he would.

"I understand," he whispered as he brought her in close once again. One hand fondly stroked through her hair as he offered a comforting smile. "I won't deny that this is all...a bit strange, to say the least. My daughter from the future coming back to prevent my death and my adopted brother from heading down a darker path? Reminds me of a book I read some years ago. But, even so, I do believe you." He then cradled her against him and rubbed circles into her back as he let her lean into his chest and neck. "Take care of yourself, and watch your Auntie Giselle and everyone else's backs for me, okay?"

It took a few moments, but the wolf-cat steadied her breathing and cleaned her face, giving him a firm nod. "I will, Daddy. We'll be back soon with Uncle Miles and the other Emeralds."

"Godspeed, Garnet."

Gadget and Garnet shared one last hug before they parted, the father wolf adding a small kiss to his future daughter's forehead. Afterwards, the former headed back to the rec area while the latter went to join Sonic and the others. Remi had transformed into the Sea Fox, with Gizmo taking one of the front seats while J took the other and Vector grabbed on in the back. Sonic, Knuckles, and Espio were all in position on the roof of the craft, and Charmy had shrunk himself down so he could sit on the she-wolf's shoulder. The hybrid hopped up into the Sea Fox and set herself down in the "co-pilot" seat, prompting Remi to close the canopy.

"You alright, lass?" J inquired as he leaned over the divide to check on her, "your eyes are a little red."

Garnet rubbed at her face and let out a small laugh. "I'll be okay. Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No worries, we'll catch up to Miles right quick," Gizmo remarked as she tapped at the console.

"Yeah, let's do it to it!" Sonic exclaimed with his usual catchphrase.

"Not so fast."

Everyone glanced up to see Blue hovering just in front of the aircraft on top of Nanatsu no Chikara in its platform mode. He pointed at Garnet, who let out a sigh but still flashed him a knowing smile.

"Looks like my partner's got a different idea in mind," she told them as she shrugged and got up to join him, the top of the Sea Fox opening once again.

"Sure do," the azure-tailed Animal confirmed as he helped her aboard the platform and gave the rest a wave, "let us worry about finding Miles while you guys get a head start on finding the Emeralds."

Gizmo still had some reservations given the fellow's evasive nature about some topics. He did have the right idea, though, and the she-wolf knew the longer they dawdled, the more likely their enemies would beat them to the punch. To drive that point home, judging from the reading on Remi's radar, the yellow Emerald was already making a move towards the magenta, and Miles wasn't too far behind it.

"Alright, but take this with you," she told them as she tossed Miles' utility belt, "and don't you dare slow him down."

"And take this with ya, too!" Sonic added as he threw a familiar Ring-like object her way, "Tails could probably really use it right now!"

Garnet giggled and stuck out her tongue as she caught the precious accessory and weapon. "Thanks, Sonic, and don't worry about a thing, Auntie Giselle."

"Excuse me!?"

But before the hybrid could elaborate, her ride transformed into its eagle state and took Blue into itself as the controller while she held fast to the back of its neck. Gizmo simply stared after them as they left, resisting the urge to smack the snickering crocodile behind her seat. J was chuckling as well, though his bout seemed more out of general amusement than at her expense.

"I do believe she genuinely meant that," he said as he straightened his vest, "the resemblance between her and your brother is simply uncanny."

The lupine lady heaved her own sigh. "Yeah, I suppose it's pretty obvious. Still, I didn't expect her to just come out and call me 'Auntie' like that."

"I mean, you're gonna be one soon, aren't you?" Vector brought up, "I don't get why it's a big deal."

"Girls don't usually like being called 'Auntie', Vector," Charmy explained, "it makes them feel old."

Gizmo rolled her eyes, but she couldn't argue with what the bee was saying. "Whatever, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, let's investigate the old Sunset Park site."

With their new destination decided, the Sea Fox took off in the direction of the green Emerald with the hopes of seizing it before the Jackal Squad did.

(Mainland, Dazzling Desert)

While he would've moved more quickly towards his targets, Tao had taken it slow from the moment he'd woken up that morning. He knew his absence would arouse suspicion regardless, but he'd gone the extra mile and covered his tracks so that he couldn't easily be found by the rest of the Squad. And to make sure that he wasn't easily identifiable, he threw on the long brown cloak and face mask he usually saved for sand storms. It also meant taking the more difficult route through the Desert, which they usually avoided to save time; even going around it to places on the other side was often faster. It was, however, the straightest shot to the Chaos Emerald closest to him, according to his device, even if it was strange territory. Coincidentally, it was also the most direct path to Mirage Town, which is presumably where he would find the first gem.

'I can't let the townies suss me out either,' he thought as his tail brushed away his footprints behind him, 'bad enough I've got the fox boy's friends to deal with, not to mention Al is probably planning something.' He took out one of his knives to examine the edge as he continued contemplating. 'That owl's been awfully quiet, now that I think about it. I figured he'd have sent another robot after us by now or something...but no, nothing since we left Green Hill. I don't like it.'

Just when he thought his situation couldn't get worse, however, he heard a ping coming from the device he'd been using to track the minerals. He brought it out and did a double-take when he saw two new signals show up. One of them appeared to be headed for him, while the second was gunning for the Emerald further away from him.

'Damn, seems like the fox's friends already found me,' he assumed internally, 'but then, who's got the other stone?'

Unlike the Emerald Radar, the scout's detector couldn't differentiate the colors of the Emeralds, so he had no way of knowing who held which. It didn't matter, though, as it was clear that he could no longer move at a leisurely pace. It worked out well enough, as he was at the point he no longer needed to worry about erasing his footprints.

The jackal swiftly leapt onto a ledge, landing next to a cactus with a star-shaped fruit on it and continuing to a rotating barrel at the end of the cliff. Tao used it to drop down, going into a Roll just before he hit the bottom so that he could make a long jump to the next rockface. He didn't quite make it to the top, but he dug a couple of his larger blades into the stone to hold himself in place, then tore them back out as he boosted up the wall. A few short hops brought him into a narrow tunnel through a butte, vaulting over some spiky stalagmites and smashing through to the other side. Rather than use the next barrel he found, Tao sprang into the air and stomped on a few more of those star-shaped fruits, causing them to burst like balloons on contact and send him higher. Using that momentum, he Rolled up and down the wavy terrain that followed, Jumping at the last moment to avoid a pitfall and climb his way up another cliff.

From there, he skipped up the arms of a totem pole and grabbed onto an outcropping, then used more of those hollow fruits to reach the top of an even higher precipice. Swinging spike traps left by other past raiders threatened to skewer him, but Tao was slippery enough that they may as well have been moving in slow motion. Seeing that the next mesa was too high and steep to scale in a timely manner, the jackal elected to smash through a bit of loose rock into a chamber below. A trap like a pinball flipper sent him flying after falling a few meters, the canine twisting his body in mid-air so that he could safely land on some flat ground. This led him to a series of natural floating platforms, a feature of this world he never could quite understand but used to his advantage all the same.

Moving on from those, Tao did an about face and made use of the Spin Dash ability he'd copied from Miles and the heroes, sailing over the gap he'd just climbed past. Once inside the next rocky rise, he threw a kunai with a rope attached into the high part of the far wall, swinging over more pointed obstacles below. A second Dash sent him through a three-quarters pipe turn that ended with him bouncing off a yellow spring, his balled up form ricocheting off some of the more fragile rocks to propel himself further upward. Beak-shaped pinball flippers, another oddity the jackal sometimes questioned about this place, smacked him even higher until he finally exited the mesa, now having a grand view of the surrounding land.

A quick sprint across the flat peak brought him to a red spring, sending him across a broad chasm and into a chute that launched him up towards a series of stacked half-pipes. At the top of that was a loop that Tao found himself going through twice, once in reverse, and then forward thanks to a second red spring redirecting him. He went into a Roll after coming down atop a sandy hill, the path curving up near the end and serving as an oversized jump that let him pull off a few flashy tricks before sticking a three-point landing. There was no time to celebrate his speedy passage through the first half of the Zone, however, as the approaching signals hadn't slowed in the slightest, and they would be on top of him soon if he didn't book it. So, with hardly any chance to catch his breath, Tao just kept on going.

'Just gotta go for it,' he reluctantly decided, 'then get out as soon as that thing's in my hands.'

(Near Angel Island)

Since seizing control of the Neo Battle Armada less than a day ago, Mecha had reflected on that long period when Alexei had been repairing it following its defeat at Carnival Island. As if it were instinct, it had transferred its "consciousness" into the doctor's master computer during one of the numerous scans he'd performed during the operation. Such an experience was only new in the respect that its main body and core memory had been offline for the duration of its reconstruction, unlike when it had hacked other computer systems while conscious. It had brought up the question of whether it could persist even if its primary unit was completely destroyed, and if so, what were the limits to such a feature? And moreover, what did that truly make Mecha? Certainly no mere robot; perhaps the old Dr. Fukurokov had created something even more brilliant than he could have ever realized.

Certainly something to ponder. That aside, it had also discovered some of Alexei's past and present schemes, with one in particular catching its interest. Namely, it was an initiative to use the Phantom Ruby to pump out a veritable army of Miles clones. Although not quite what Mecha originally had in mind, it figured that it could twist things around to suit its purposes. To that end, it had worked on an ambitious plot to replace what was meant to be the elite of the NBA's robotic forces. With the Ruby, it had manifested copies of the worker drones to speed along production, and within a few hours, Mecha had achieved significant progress. A quintet of replicants of its Mark II self were made, sporting an entirely gunmetal gray color scheme and parameters that weren't quite as formidable as its own were at the time. And as further precaution, the copies were equipped with basic programming rather than full-blown artificial intelligence like what Mecha possessed.

Mecha brought them online, delighted to see their capris optics light up. The duplicate fox bots examined themselves, then rigidly stood at attention once they recognized the original unit. Content with this obedience, Mecha reached out and took control of them wirelessly, each of its "thoughts" brought to life by their actions. That was only one layer, however, and with a bit more energy, it fixed its attention on the one in the center of the group. It was pleased when it found itself staring back at the inactive form of its most up-to-date body, having commandeered the copy completely. It quickly reassumed control of its proper frame, noting the experience and summarily ordering the other Mechas to assist it in another endeavor.

With them by its side, the true Mecha steepled its fingers together as it oversaw another of its latest projects. Alexei was still useful to the machine, for while the owl had bountiful data in his archives, there was plenty locked up in that noggin of his, too. However, unless he was using special equipment, the avian scientist wasn't much more suited to combat than an above-average BKE soldier. Thus, the ferrous fox decided to make the former leader less of a liability.

"Treacherous automaton!" the bird snarled as he struggled against the bindings that held him fast against a cold metal table, "after I rebuilt you not once, but twice, this is the indemnification I get!?"

"A bit late to grow a spine, doctor," Mecha retorted as it folded its arms behind its back and beneath the commander's caped mantle it had donned, "but perhaps after this procedure, it'll be better reinforced along with the rest of you."

The fire in Alexei's eyes dwindled at that remark, fear showing in his features. "What do you mean by that?" He then noticed the other vulpine machines around him. "And why are there duplicates of your previous design? More phantoms?"

"As I said before, Alexei, it would be a waste to squander your talent." The fox moved around the table so that it could bend over the owl's head, gazing into his red eyes. "But without any weapons or armor of your own, you're soft and vulnerable just like any other fleshbag. And as for them..."

It snapped a couple of its digits in the manner most anyone would their fingers, causing the glowing optics of the copies to intensify. Plasma hummed in the air as their tails became coated in it, and some of their hands retreated into their arms to be replaced by electric bonesaws, tempered scalpels, needles, and other medical and surgical equipment. The sight of it all sent chills down the avian's spine, as he had a good idea and a very bad feeling about what his grand-uncle's magnum opus intended.

"Allow me to introduce you to the first batch of Mecha Troopers," it continued as it straightened up, "duplicates of myself that can fulfill a wide variety of roles." A distorted chuckle came from its speakers. "They are neither phantoms nor Avatar projections, and as you can see, these ones in particular shall be handling your operation."

"O-operation?" Alexei stammered, now trying even more fervently to get free, but to no avail, "no! You cannot mean to–"

Mecha cut him off by pressing a button on a nearby console, causing sections of the floor and walls to flip around. Trays and benches of metallic parts, wires, scraps, and more were retrieved by Robo Kukkus and brought to the group of artificial foxes. All of them except for the original took a position around the owl, all of their instruments at the ready while they gazed to their leader for approval.

"Now, now, don't be so dramatic," Mecha taunted him as it started to walk towards the exit of the room, "and besides, you'll thank me when everything is said and done." It held up one hand and then gestured at its former benefactor. "Troopers, commence with Dr. Fukurokov's cybernetic surgery, and use the anesthesia sparingly. I want him to remember this event as vividly as possible." Its optics narrowed, and Alexei knew that if it could've grinned, it would've done so in a most malicious manner. "See you after your makeover, doctor. I have some tests to run for the new you."

It steadily walked away as the whirring of those saws started up along with the whine of drills and the crackling of electricity as its duplicates got to work. The grotesque sounds of metal against flesh reached its steely ears, immediately followed by what would've been piercing screams if it didn't have the capacity to filter them out. It went into the next chamber and sat down at the doctor's main console, extending wires from its digits into all available ports. Within nanoseconds, it found itself in cyberspace, proudly looking over the colossal framework of its actual primary project.

"Soon," it droned as it began adding finer details to this monumental work, "the world will know of my superiority over you, my organic prototype. Once we arrive at Angel Island, then we can begin making this a reality."

(Dazzling Desert)

Miles wiped his brow as he felt the dry and hot air of the region wash over him after exiting the Tornado. There'd been a suitable plateau to land the biplane, and according to the Radar, Tao wasn't too far from where he'd touched down. His friends were on the way to the green Emerald, as evidenced by the white one in J's possession. While they took care of that, he'd have to try and catch up to the jackal on foot, thankful that Prima had given him that restorative a few minutes ago.

The fox started things off by jumping off of the towering rock, going into a Spin Dash and letting it loose the moment he hit the ground. He rolled over several small hills, then went down a slope into a loop that curved up at the end, sending him to the top of a blue bird-themed totem pole. Using a yellow spring on its highest wing, he covered a fair amount of distance and landed at the base of what seemed to be a modest, but abandoned outpost. He took note of the faded wanted poster of Fang the Hunter on one wall, wondering if the jerboa was in the area or had been previously. Either way, he continued past the building and went through a collapsing sand loop towards another one, finding a stockade whose contents had clearly been raided a while ago.

Miles leapt high up a cliff side to reach a series of strange avian pinball flippers, using them to scale his way to a pair of yellow springs and bouncing up to the top. Not even a second later, he put his two tails to work in order to cross a wide gap to the next plateau, using yet another loop there to build up momentum and arrive at the head of a totem pole. Unlike the first, this one has a comically oversized popgun attached, which the fox found himself unceremoniously loaded into the bullet chamber and then fired out of the barrel. It worked out to his advantage, however, as he soared over the pale yellow sands with the occasional cactus here and there onto a precipice close to a second cartoonish firearm. As fun as it had been the first time, he decided to avoid that one and went into another Spin Dash to blast over the hill and through the loop that awaited him, taking to the air once more thanks to a natural jump.

Here was another derelict structure, this time with bounties strung up for the other two members of the Hooligans: Bean the Dynamite and Bark the Polar Bear. He wasn't given much time to look at the details when he Rolled up a wall, then got sent in the other direction by a red spring, traveling through a twisting and turning chute and coming out onto nine giant piano keys. Had he the time, he would've tested to see if each note was properly in tune, but he had to forgo this indulgence for now.

Fortunately for him, it seemed that his destination wasn't too far off, as he could spot the bigger buildings of the settlement once he made it over the top of the next butte. Mirage Town appeared to be a cozy spot, somewhere between 25 and 50 square kilometers from what he could determine, which was smaller than many places but much bigger than Puru Puru Village. The style and make of the buildings looked like they were straight out of a spaghetti western flick, with even a broad town square and bell tower near the center. Just in case anyone would recognize him, he assumed his usual "disguise" by making his two tails appear as one and just keeping his specs lowered.

Once he had his best Clark Kent impression, when Miles was less than 50 meters away from the outskirts of Mirage Town when he felt a notable amount of Chaos Energy in his near-immediate vicinity. A couple of seconds later, he noticed an unfamiliar face dropping in from above and in front of him while riding atop a giant mechanical bird. Or at least, she seemed that way until the machine reconfigured itself into a platform, now with someone he knew standing by the female.

"Blue!" Miles exclaimed surprisedly, "I thought you went to help attack the NBA Fleet."

The armored Animal hung his head. "Yeah, it...didn't exactly go that well."

"What happened?" the fox inquired, "and who's that with you?"

Blue went into brief detail about everything that had gone down since they'd last seen each other. Although he was relieved that everyone made it out okay, Miles was disheartened at news of the overall failure of the assault against the NBA. Between Zero and Mecha, things really hadn't been going the heroes' way, and matters were only getting more and more dire. One party was now close to the Master Emerald, while the other sought to nab the gems that hadn't been gathered by the collective forces of the fox and his friends. Considering how powerful each of the Cursed Corundums had proven to be on their own, the fox knew they couldn't let their enemies get an even bigger edge.

And then came the part that one the two had only just revealed to another important person in her life.

"I never got the chance to meet you before you changed," Garnet said cryptically, piquing the fox's interest, "but I'm glad I have now, Uncle Miles."

That was enough for Miles to immediately conclude just who the lady in front of him was. A hybrid animal that shared the same last name as his surrogate family, and resembled his adoptive older brother and his feline lover? On top of that, calling him "uncle"? The view was clear.

"You're Gad's kid, aren't you?" he presumed, "from the future, I mean."

Garnet holstered her blaster with a playful smile. "That I am. I'll be born in a little over two months' time from now." She flashed him a peace sign like he tended to. "Garnet T. Wolf, pleased to finally meet you."

"Garnet, huh?" the teen wondered as he folded his arms and hummed curiously, "I remember him telling me that was a potential name if he had a daughter. So, who's Blue, then?"

Blue chuckled warmly. "Oh, you'll find out in due time. But right now, we should be focused on finding the Emeralds, no?"

On that note, since they were all relatively close by, Miles decided to try and sense the Emeralds' energy. His own was pretty much constantly within his awareness, so he ignored it. It took him a moment, but he was able to determine the direction of the other two, one of which overlapped with the signature he'd identified Tao with. The other gem holder was unfamiliar to him, but he could tell where the item itself was with relative ease.

"Over there!" he declared as he pointed towards a roomy two-story building sporting the typical "Saloon" sign, "that's where the magenta Emerald should be!"

Blue gave him an okay symbol and remained on Nanatsu no Chikara while his partner leapt off to join Miles. "Nana-chi and I will stay a little further out to monitor the place. Just have Garnet call me on her backup comm if you need us to step in."

He waved to them as he commanded the mech to retreat to a safe distance so he could set out to do what he said. Garnet snapped one of her fingers as she suddenly remembered what else she needed to do, reaching into the fluff of her tail to hand Miles his belt and the Neo Boomering. After thanking her and re-equipping himself, the two made their way over to town and pushed through the saloon doors, doing their best to ignore the stares sent their way while they looked around. The crowd was wholly Animal in composition, ranging from short and stout desert mice to large draft horses. Some of them kept their identities hidden, whether by tipping down their hats or wearing long cloaks and dusters, though the fox could still feel their eyes on him and Speedy. While the patrons weren't outright hostile, the two could definitely see that most of them were hardly the welcoming type to "tourists" like them. At least the joint looked inviting with the finely finished tables, chairs, stools, and the fully stocked bar.

"Welcome, visitors. Anywhere that's open's good," said the big and brawny brown bull of a bartender, "jus' know that some folks're a bit antsy about sharin' space."

With that advice, the two grabbed a table in the corner close to one of the sets of stairs, giving them a good view of most of the first floor. Miles was thankful his sunglasses prevented others from seeing him close his eyes, attempting to zero in on their target gem. It was less than twenty meters away by his rough estimate, over in the part of the saloon closer to the entrance. He picked up four people around it, including the one he sensed earlier. And when he opened his eyes to see who it was, he was taken aback by the sight and had to keep himself from calling out.

It was none other than his friends, Ray the Flying Squirrel and Mighty the Armadillo, the former seated while the latter hovered near his left shoulder. Across from them was none other than the Hooligans, with Fang in the seat opposite of Ray while Bean and Bark flanked his chair. The yellow squirrel and the purple jerboa were engaged in a game of Poker, from what the fox could tell, with the latter waging a very sizable pile of Rings into the pot. Miles tried to listen in on their conversation, but he only caught the murmurs of others that were spying on the high stakes games.

"Feel bad for those kids," said one patron to the fox and the hybrid, "they just rolled into town like you two and got caught up in this mess. They're up a creek even if they win."

Garnet leaned back a little in her chair towards them. "Why's that?"

"'Cause even if they win, the Hooligans'll just find another way to get their money and valuables," another at that table responded, "and no one's crazy enough to try and mess with 'em, not unless ya don't fancy keepin' yer head attached."

Miles could see how that would've intimidated most people into backing off, but not him. He'd dealt with far greater threats than those three, and there was no way he'd let them harm or take advantage of an innocent, especially not his friends. The moment they tried anything, he would be on them before they knew what hit them, and glancing over at Garnet, she gave him a silent bob of the head. She was ready to back him up whatever the plan was, but for the moment, they chose to wait.

"Come on, kid," Fang badgered his opponent, "I know ya got somethin' to match me. My friend said he saw ya holdin' somethin' lovely."

"Yeah, it was really shiny, whatever it was!" Bean said excitedly, "show us, show us!"

Bark merely let out a quiet grunt, his own way of affirming the other two's claims. Ray swallowed back a lump and reached into his bushy tail, taking out the magenta Emerald and setting it down to his left.

"I don't like this, Ray," Mighty commented quietly, "I feel like that guy's gonna pull something. He just gives me that vibe, you know?"

Fang showed an even toothier grin than usual. "You're right, Bean, that is a shiny beaut. Might be worth even more than what I just put in, eh?" He put a hefty bag down next to his stacks of Rings. "There, that oughta make things even." He nodded at Bean. "Deal."

The bird did a bit of a cheerful acapella as he made a show of shuffling the cards while also juggling them like he did his bombs. Once he was satisfied, he slid each of the guys their starting hands, making sure to alternate for every card. Fang's often present and confident smirk made it hard to read him, as it didn't change in the slightest after swapping out a couple cards. Ray also traded two from his hand, and since neither had any left to raise, it came down to showing what they had.

"Queen-high flush," the jerboa said, revealing the 3, 4, 7, 10, and queen of diamonds.

Those more keen on the action mumbled among themselves. It wouldn't be an easy hand to beat, but it was far from impossible, statistically speaking. Ray checked between his cards and Fang's a couple more times before he tentatively laid his hand down.

"F-full house, aces over jacks," the squirrel announced timidly, showing off the aces of spades, hearts, and clubs, and the jacks of hearts and diamonds.

The whole place went silent as the bounty hunter's grin shifted to a scowl. Miles couldn't tell if it was part of an act or if Fang was that much of a sore loser. It was probably a little of both, maybe more so the second, if he had to guess.

"Nice one, big guy!" Mighty cheered supportively.

Ray smiled a bit more easily. "Yeah, I guess it's my lucky d-day."

"Who said ya get anything?" Fang growled as he stood up from his seat, "I don't pay out to cheaters!"

The squirrel was incredulous at the accusation, actually showing anger towards the bounty hunter in spite of his obvious nervousness. "What? B-but your friend was the one dealing!"

"Yeah, how could we have possibly been cheating, smart guy?" the armadillo challenged him.

The jerboa grit his teeth as he drew his gun and cocked back the hammer, slowly raising it to aim at the two. "It doesn't matter how. If I say ya cheated, ya did!"

"Yep! Sorry, kiddos, but that's just how it goes!" Bean giggled while he poofed an unlit bomb into being.

Miles couldn't stand it anymore, getting up from his chair and clutching the cyan Emerald within its pouch. Fang's ears caught the sound of him standing, but he barely got to turn even a little bit around before he found the teen fox's fist meeting his face. The bounty hunter crashed into the table and broke it into splinters, leaving him momentarily dazed and both of his partners confused, not to mention all of their Rings scattered about. Bark shook it off the most quickly, throwing a powerful punch the vulpine's way, only for the smaller Animal to drop his "disguise" and take to the air with his tails. This made the polar bear's punch smack the woodpecker instead, knocking Bean out of sorts and making him accidentally light his bomb as he lost his grip on it. It subsequently blew up in the big mammal's face, throwing him back into the nearby wall and leaving a huge dent with numerous spiderweb cracks around it.

That was enough to send most of the patrons running out the doors, while the rest hid behind whatever they could along with the bartender and the other staff. Garnet rushed over to join Miles' side while Mighty and Ray stood there, momentarily shocked that–as far as they were concerned–their vulpine pal showed up out of nowhere. However, that instant of lax or occupied behavior from all parties was enough time for a yellow flash to fill the saloon. Quick as a blur, the cloaked form of Tao made for the magenta Emerald and snatched it up, the Slow power of the yellow rendering everyone else too sluggish to stop him. Or so he thought...

"Surprised you're still alive, kid," he murmured as he walked past the teen, "even more that you got back so soon." He brandished one of his sharper knives, the blade of it dripping with a colorless fluid. "I'm gonna need you to stay out of my way, though."

The fox threw him off-balance when he avoided the incoming slash, instead making the jackal cut across Bark's chest just as he was getting to his feet. The polar bear's eyes widened and he let out a groan as he fell to his knees, his burly arms falling slack at his sides. Tao snarled as he was sent flying out the door with a roundhouse kick by Miles, but he held fast to the magenta Emerald. The hero retrieved the Boomering as he went out after him, only to find him bolting past the town's limits off to the east. Though ready to pursue, a glint out of the corner of his eye made him drop down to dodge a bullet trained for his head.

"Oi, dipshite!" Fang growled as he stepped out of the double doors, "I'll teach ya to fuck wit' me!"

Miles ducked low beneath another powerful magnum round, feeling the air shift as it passed overhead, then swiftly went into a Spin Dash. Fang hurriedly coiled his length tail and used it as a spring to bounce out of the way, readjusting his grip and firing a second shot at where the fox was going to be. It just missed the teen, but nearly made him trip up from how close it came, skidding and kicking up sand as he forced himself to turn around. He let loose the Boomering just as the jerboa came back down, who let out a taunting laugh as he dodged that as well, only for it to return and smack him in the back of the head with a gesture from the fox. That knocked him off balance long enough for the teen to move in and grab the rodent by his chest fur, subsequently tossing him into a water trough. He caught his weapon and sped back to the entrance, seeing his friends holding fast as Bean proceeded to pick himself up, though Bark remained unmoving, but clearly still alive.

'Glad Tao didn't manage to hit me," he mused, 'that poison he used looks like it has a rather potent paralysis agent.'

"Bring them outside!" he barked at Garnet as he ran back after Fang, momentarily poking his head back in and showing an apologetic expression towards his friends, "sorry we had to meet up like this again, guys. I'll make it up to you." He then peered over where the bartender was. "Oh, and uh...damages are on the Hooligans."

"What!?" Bean squawked indignantly, "oh hell no! I'm not losing any shinies because you decided to start something!"

The woodpecker made for the spilled Rings, but Garnet cut him off with a Spin Dash of her own, sending him out of the saloon and breaking the doors in the process. No sooner did he tumble outside, however, when he suddenly found himself under the shadow of a large metallic object as it hovered over him. It was none other than Blue atop Nanatsu no Chikara, the end of his launcher tilted down right at the bomb-loving bounty hunter.

"Smile," he cheekily told the bird.

A thump echoed from the barrel, immediately followed by a rather quiet boom and a bright flash that caused Bean to cry out and cover his eyes. This agitated him more than Blue expected, however, causing him to throw several explosives in a manic fashion. The blue-furred hybrid dismounted from his ride to face down the resident demolitions "expert" of the Hooligans, loading another round into his weapon while he skipped away from the blasts. The bird also recovered faster than predicted, but he didn't seem particularly angry at all despite what just happened.

"You like making things go boom?" Bean asked Blue he brought an ignited bomb into existence in one hand, "me too! It's always so pretty..."

Blue felt himself cringe a bit at that. Not because he didn't share the bird's sentiments to a degree, but because he knew Bean appreciated explosives for decidedly more destructive reasons than he did.

"They can be," he admitted to the woodpecker, "but I don't use them for fun. My grenades all have a purpose and a situation they're meant for, not haphazardly causing mayhem."

"Well, that's boring!" the bird chirped as he started juggling several bombs between his hands and one of his feet, "and I don't like boring people, especially if they get between me and a nice shiny!"

Blue could see there was no point in continuing the conversation, so he decided to just rush in and get it over with. As expected, Bean threw his bombs one after the other, each at a varying height and distance. The armored hybrid slid beneath two and hopped over the third, grabbing the end of his launcher and swinging it around like a club. The woodpecker went tumbling from the blow, but quickly snapped back to his feet, chucking several more explosives as he did. Blue met them with one of his own belted grenades, diffusing them via a concussive cloud of extinguishing powder. He also used this as a smokescreen, activating his jet boots and flying high so he could fire down upon his target.

Bean took to the air himself to dodge the incoming round, sticking out his tongue and blowing a raspberry at the bigger guy. A boom sounded as the grenade struck the ground and blew apart, although it sounded too soft for the bird's liking. He heard a handful of whooshing noises next, then looked down to see several small metallic orbs homing in on him. His aerial acrobatics allowed him to avoid a few of them, but the others managed to pelt him despite his efforts. And when they did, a glutinous gray substance splattered across Bean's arms, legs, and a bit of his torso, revealing itself to be a powerful adhesive. This left him unable to properly maneuver or even move much at all, causing him to come crashing down into a pile of hay, which also stuck to the fruitlessly struggling bird.

"I also don't like to mess around if I can help it," Blue said pointedly as he landed near the Hooligan, "sorry, not sorry."

Over with the de facto leaders of each group, Miles sidestepped a blast from Fang's revolver, then brought out the Pikkon Hammer to slap it out of the jerboa's hands. He didn't quite knock it away, but he did throw the hunter off balance, leaving him open to a Tail Swipe that launched him into a water trough. The rodent sputtered and swore as he readjusted his hat and shook the water out of his shooter.

"Now I recognize ya," Fang growled as he shook himself off. He then used his tail to spring up onto the edge of the saloon's roof to get a good vantage and keep away from the fox. "You're that kid that beat the Kukkus by a fluke!"

Miles flew high into the air to match his elevation, directing a smug grin in the criminal's direction. "A fluke? Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night?"

"Fuck off!" A few potshots were fired at the fox, only for him to handily avoid them all. An empty click made Fang snarl and open the cylinder so he could speed load it. "I'm not afraid of ya, freak!"

Miles bristled at that old insult. "We'll see about that."

The fox used his Tornado Spin to send a whirling gale his foe's way, anticipating him jumping into the air. When he was proven right, he threw the Boomering right at Fang, surprising the jerboa when it expanded and then locked his arms against his torso. Miles closed the gap while also motioning for his item to come back, catching Fang and then starting to rotate rapidly while holding tight, sparks building up in his fur. Once he was a veritable blurry tornado, he tossed his enemy away so that he would come back around in the opposite motion that he was spinning. And right before the moment of impact, Miles tucked in his legs while one hand held tight to the cyan Emerald.

"Recursive Thunder Driver!" he shouted out as he gave him a Chaos-powered kangaroo kick.

Fang hurtled towards the ground, now free of the Boomering's grasp, which summarily returned to Miles' free hand. A huge cloud of sand spread out into the street as the hunter made impact with the desert floor, his mouth hanging open while his eyes were crossed. The fox landed next to him and felt for a pulse, relieved to find one after a couple of seconds.

'Thought I overdid it there,' he mused as he brought out a pair of manacles and restrained Fang's arms around a nearby fence post.

That left Bark to deal with, who had already been bound and restrained by Mighty thanks to the kid's super strength allowing him to bend a steel beam around the bear. Miles was thankful that the battle had been a quick one, but he was still disappointed that he'd unintentionally helped Tao get away with the magenta Emerald. True, he would catch up with the jackal before long, assuming the rest of his friends didn't first, but that whole debacle could've been avoided if only he'd paid more attention.

"Miles!" he heard Ray call to him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

The squirrel and armadillo as well as the two future Animals were now by his side, while townsfolk around spied from their hiding places at the scene. The two old buddies of his gave him a fist bump, then regarded the more recent additions to the overall group.

"New friends?" Mighty inquired.

"It's a bit of a long story," the fox replied with a slight chuckle, "but we'll have to tell you on the way. We've got to go after that guy who took the Emerald before he gets another chance to slip through our fingers."

"Leave that to me," Blue declared as he and Garnet hopped aboard his mechanical companion, "Mode Change: Washi no Chikara!"

The platform once more assumed its eagle form, taking the two partners into itself and then offering its back for the other three to ride on. Before doing so, Miles pulled out a permanent marker from his utility belt with something of a playful grin, then used it to write a short message along the brim of Fang's hat. He caught sight of the bovine bartender coming out to try and talk with him, but he simply waved as he boarded the metal bird and flew off further east. After the big mammal recovered from the shock of seeing such a thing, he knelt down to take a look at what the teen had left on the bounty hunter's apparel.

"'Use their bounties for the town. I'm not hurting for Rings,'" he mumbled as he read it out loud, "'sincerely, Miles Prower.'"

They'd have to find some way to thank him and his friends for this spontaneous bit of heroism. Now, if only the Jackal Squad were taken care of too, maybe more people would start visiting again.

(Sunset Park Mining Facility)

Although its halcyon days as an attraction were behind it, Sunset Park was still a relatively popular place for people to tour. True, much of the land was restricted to workers for The Gull Company, in no small part due to the potentially dangerous nature their jobs entailed. However, the safer parts of the operation were open to the public, many of which included parts of former rides. Indeed, the most impressive roller coaster had been almost entirely converted to a rail system that moved both employees and materials throughout the facility, which included several of the underground tunnels.

All this and more had been explained to the current group that was being led by a demure but kind and informative vixen. She had sunny yellow fur with white around her muzzle and tied-up hair that fell past her shoulders in the back, wearing a sky-blue jumpsuit that matched her eyes. The female fox also sported white gloves, blue boots, a sort of sleeve or sock for her tail to keep it from getting dirty on the job, and a thick cloth rag to cover the top of her head, ears included. She also had a lithe but fairly toned build, no doubt a requirement for some of the work that was done around there.

"And here we have a few of the industrial smelters and blast furnaces utilized here at Sunset Park," she lectured the group as they safely stood within a protected viewing platform, "this site is responsible for approximately fifteen percent of Gull's global steel manufacturing."

"Too bad the mine's not part of the tour," a familiar red quokka mumbled while his crimson Flicky companion rolled his eyes, "if only these folks could get to see it."

The vixen smiled patiently at her co-worker. "I understand how you feel, Barry, but safety precautions prohibit tourists and most of the staff from entering the mines."

"I know...sorry for interrupting."

"Mm." She gestured back to the machines. "Well, on that subject, while native iron is plentiful here, we primarily use magnetite and hematite ores in the process. Other resources are sorted and used for different purposes, or are sent off-location in the case of petroleum and natural gas."

As she continued, Barry hung around to make sure no one wandered off while he thought about things. He'd started working at the facility about a month ago, with his primary duties surrounding moving materials to and from the mine and the train station. On occasion, he was asked to help with the tours, which were usually headed by someone else. More and more, though, he'd seen the vixen around and taking on this and other social tasks, when he'd rarely run into her during his first couple of weeks. It was the first time they'd worked directly with one another, now that he considered it.

'I feel bad, too,' he thought guiltily, 'I haven't even really tried to get to know her better. Kinda hard when the two of us are practically going all over the place, though.'

"Barry?"

He snapped to attention once he realized his senior co-worker was addressing him. "Oh, yes, Maria?"

"I'm sorry, but I have to attend to something urgent," she said apologetically, patting at the shape of what he assumed was her phone in one of her pockets, "please handle the rest of the tour for me."

He couldn't do much more than nod at this change of plan. Maybe one of the higher-ups needed to talk with her, which wouldn't be that unusual. And if that wasn't it, then it had to be something serious for her to shift gears like this.

Grateful for the quokka's understanding, the vulpine swiftly left the area. Navigating the catwalks, twists, and bends of the facility, she soon came to the small block of offices where hers was located. The interior was nothing special: just a desk with a computer, a few filing cabinets, and a water cooler tucked away in one corner. She shuttered the one window and locked the door, then reached into her pocket to pull out none other than the green Chaos Emerald. And as she held it, she gently closed her eyes and tilted her ears back.

"I feel it," Maria said softly to herself, "the Energy of those that seek this gemstone. They'll be here soon..."

A wistful smile crossed the vixen's muzzle. She had grown to like this place, but she had also anticipated that something such as this would happen. Many of her co-workers had no idea she'd already put in notice a while back, and that today was actually her last day on the job. That was just how things often turned out for her, though; she couldn't ever afford to stick around in one place for too long.

'Not that I ever chose such a life,' she thought sadly.

And yet, there was a choice that she could make here. The fox made sure no one could peek into her space, then slowly undid the rag over her head, showing a pair of yellow ears with white inner fluff and sky-blue markings on the tips. She then removed the sleeve over her tail, proceeding to unfurl that to reveal two separate limbs, each bearing an azure streak that divided white from yellow. She remembered seeing the boy that strongly resembled her several months ago, and that had stirred memories that she hadn't thought about in quite a long time. She'd gotten a feel for his Energy then, and now it was among those that were headed her way.

'Is it finally time?' she wondered.

And as she considered the matter, Maria couldn't help but picture two people that were once part of her life. One was an elderly human with an almost egg-shaped torso, slightly over-proportioned arms and legs, and large hands and feet. He'd also been bald, though he possessed a voluminous whitish-gray mustache beneath his long and pointy nose. She last remembered him wearing a red turtleneck sweater, white pants and a white lab coat with black buttons, as well as blue pince-nez glasses with a distinct ripple-like pattern in the lenses. The other was a young and thin teenage boy with fair skin, messy black hair, and deep red eyes. He'd often worn all black to match his hair, though on occasion, the vixen recalled him in those snowy medical robes.

'At last,' came the older man's voice from deep in her mind's recesses, 'she has awoken. My life's greatest work: Koumyou the Kitsune!'

'Koumyou? That's sort of strange, don't you think?' asked the boy, 'feels weird to say. How about instead of that, I call you...Maria?'

"Professor, Kagero," she whispered as she felt a few tears escape and run down her fuzzy cheeks, "what should I do?"