Miles the Fox: Corundum Corruption

by VerdigrisRookie

In the new year, Miles has been working to improve more than just his mechanical expertise and prepare for more than the next adventure. But as time draws closer for important events around him, the peace that's lasted a few months is suddenly interrupted. Angel Island has fallen again, and no one knows why. Meanwhile, Speedy's own troubles might just require the help of his rival.

13. Chapter 12: Ruby Illusions

(Mecha Kaiser Interior)

Miles led the way forward by hopping into a narrow tube that propelled him through a corkscrew turn close to the ceiling, landing in a shuttle that immediately launched forward. He bailed out just before it hit a wall some tens of meters away, going into a Roll and entering a loop. From there, he used his Lightning Shield to springboard himself from a floating EM orb, landing and bouncing off the teeth of two massive interlocking gears. A quick Spin Dash sent him towards another sphere, which he used to ascend into a shallow shaft, finding himself teleported to a bizarre room that made him feel uneasy.

There was a giant stained glass depiction of himself facing off against a shadowy and enormous figure he assumed to be Mecha's newest body. The image also contained the Chaos Emeralds along the bottom near the heroic fox, while the Phantom Ruby hovered above his adversary and the Master Emerald was situated between them. It reminded the teen of the mural he'd seen in the Hidden Palace, grimacing a bit at the fact that it and the rest of the Zone were now destroyed. Aside from that, there was a colossal locked gate practically beneath his feet, each of its four corners illuminated by a bright red light. Miles observed that there were an equal number of passageways that he could travel, so it soon clicked in his head what he and the others needed to do.

"Hmm, who knew an evil robot could make something pretty?" Rouge commented about the stained glass upon entering, "although even like that, the Ruby's still hideous."

"W-why would Mecha make something like this?" Ray had to ask.

Speedy hummed as he eyed it sharply. "Mecha Miles means to have a grandiose showdown, if I were to hazard a guess."

"Oh, he'll get it alright," Sonic said with a smirk, "but he ain't gonna win!"

"Yeah, we've beaten him before," Mighty chimed in, "and we'll do it again!"

In spite of the serious situation and the plight of the Master Emerald, Knuckles couldn't help but smile as well. "And this time, we'll be sure to finish him for good."

Miles, however, wasn't so confident that would be the case. The recent ruination of the Hidden Palace once again came to mind, which brought forth a troubling thought.

"I don't know," he told the others, not hiding the uncertainty in his voice, "Mecha was able to transfer his personality into this thing before he self-destructed his old body. What if he has another back-up somewhere that we don't know about?"

Speedy bowed his head in contemplation. "Perhaps he does, but I doubt it's as powerful as this."

"Yeah!" Sonic said optimistically, "this has gotta be his trump card! He sounded so sure of himself!"

Well, there wasn't any denying that. Mecha had indeed made it sound like this would be all that it required in order to accomplish its aims. But, given that its CPU was based off of Miles' own mind, the fox still had a sinking feeling that the Mecha Kaiser itself wasn't the true finale. After all, they were inside of it now, which meant that once they'd freed the captives, they could just easily dismantle it. It couldn't be that simple, though; there had to be something more, he just knew it!

"In any event," the ace said, moving on from the current topic of conversation, "it appears we'll have to divide our numbers yet again if we're to open this gate underneath us."

Mighty perked his brow. "You sure we can't just force our way through it? I mean, between Knux and I, we probably could smash it off its hinges."

"No, Speedy's right," Miles remarked, "Mecha's no doubt accounted for that and made it all but impossible for us to brute force the way open. I don't like it, but it wouldn't be the first time we've had to play into someone's hands to get at them."

"W-well, how do we split ourselves up?" Ray wondered, "there's four paths, b-but only seven of us."

"What?" the fox asked him with a knowing look, "don't tell me you forgot about my little companion." He shrugged Remi in its pack form off of his shoulders and set it on the ground. "He's just as much a part of this as the rest of you."

Just as it had done several times before and up to now, the little robot started to change shape. Much like its Power Type mode, it started to assume a bipedal form, but it was immediately apparent that it wasn't anywhere near as bulky as the aforementioned state. In fact, after the first few seconds, it started to resemble Mecha, or rather Miles himself, more than it did its other designs. And once it was done, aside from the way its two tails were built, it was as though the others were staring at a cartoony likeness of a younger Miles, one that had fought the Battle Kukku Empire for the first time.

"Hello!" came a tinny, pitched up version of the fox's voice, as though he hadn't yet gone through puberty, "I'm happy to finally be able to speak to everyone!"

Even Speedy had to admit that he wasn't expecting this. But at least compared to everyone else, he could take pride in knowing that his reaction was fairly mild.

"Wha-wha-what?" the flying squirrel stuttered more than usual as he checked whether he heard that right.

"Whoa, did that mini-Miles just talk?" Mighty wondered aloud.

"Haha, no way!" Sonic exclaimed more exuberantly, "since when could ya do that, little guy?"

The "young" fox bot giggled and rubbed his cheek. "Since Master gave me the ability to take this form, Sonic! It's called the All-Rounder Type, as it combines aspects of the other three Types! Isn't it great?"

"Totally! Nice to have ya fightin' alongside us, Rem!"

"Whatever," Speedy muttered, "we now have eight of us to head off in each direction as a pair. All we have to do is choose whom to–"

"Knuckles!" Remi declared as he stood and saluted at the bigger, organic vulpine, "let me go with him!"

Miles chuckled and held up his hands. "Alright, alright, save some of that energy for the real threats. You have my permission to go with Knuckles, Remi. As for the rest of you, you can pair up with whom you work best."

"You and me then, big guy!" Sonic decided, tapping his fist against the fox's.

"All the way, little buddy!" the fox responded just as confidently.

Mighty did the same with his friend, flashing him a wink. "Just like always, huh, partner?"

"Heh, that's right," Ray agreed.

"That just leaves the two of us, Ace," Rouge commented, already heading off towards the "northwest" passage.

Speedy simply let out a "tsk" and hovered after her, subtly flashing a peace sign over his shoulder at his rival. The robot and Echidna went to what would be the "northeast" path, while the "southeast" was for the armadillo and flying squirrel. And so, the "southwest" was what remained for the dynamic duo, who wasted no time in heading that way.

Once they'd gone down some ways, the fox and hedgehog blinked into a room where they immediately fell into a group of magnetic orbs. Spotting an opening in the bottom of the place, they flung themselves into the seats of an automated shuttle, jumping out before it crashed and bounding off a couple Sentry Bugs. Through a narrow shaft in the next area's ceiling, they navigated sets of bumpers and dips into a bizarrely-shaped loop. Past that, another Sentry Bug harried them as they came to a seeming dead end, until Miles spotted a mechanical platform that could take them further. Dealing with the Badnik, they rode it towards another shuttle, which they abandoned seconds later and used an orb to slingshot themselves across a gap. With a combination of springs, bumpers, and moving pylons, the duo rushed over snaking straightaways, tall grooves in the ground, and through several more loops.

Finally, after one more set of magnetic spheres, the two entered a modest chamber with a control box that had a single big lever switch. There was no doubt that this had to be one the lock releases for the big door they saw earlier. But despite their speedy and relatively easy discovery, Miles appeared less than enthused. He seemed tired, albeit not physically, which his partner found to be cause for concern.

"Hey," Sonic said as they walked over to the switch, "how ya feelin'? Ya know, about all the stuff we've been dealin' with."

The teen did feel a little bad hearing his young partner ask him about it. He knew that as much as he tried to hide it, some of the others had noticed well before then how the conflict had been weighing on him.

"Honestly? Not too well, Sonic," Miles answered softly, "Zero, Alexei, Mecha, and more...they're all connected to me in some way or shape. I can't help but feel, well, responsible for everything bad that's happened in the past few days."

"Hey, don't be puttin' all that on yourself, Tails," Sonic protested as he stopped in front of his friend, "none of us saw this comin'."

"I still could've done more to prepare," the fox mumbled.

The hoglet shrugged helplessly. "Isn't that what all the training and meditation was for?"

"It was, but it's not enough, Sonic." The teen folded his arms and sighed. "We're always reacting to crises or events as they come. It was the case during the West Side Skirmish and Angel Island Incident, the Flicky Island debacle in Speedy's case, and even now!" He let out a labored breath. "What I'm saying is that we should be more proactive in our approach and stop threats before they become worse."

It was Sonic's turn to heave a breath. "I get what you're sayin', Tails, but that sounds like somethin' to stress about after we take care of the bad guys here, ya know? No use worrying about it right now. And don't be so hard on yourself, okay?"

Miles simply bobbed his head affirmatively. His partner was right; no use getting caught up in those details when they already had a major problem to deal with at that very moment. Still, it was something to broach once this situation was all said and done with.

Over with the squirrel and armadillo, they came flying into their section, a red spring helping them on their way up to a loop. After Rolling over several "hills" in the terrain, the two bounced off of many bumpers and climbed their way to a platform attached to a mechanical arm. Ray grabbed onto Mighty's arm as he caught the updraft from a Turbo Turtle, gliding over to several more springs and using them to send the two even higher. Past an electrical trap, the two took a three-quarter pipe into an upside-down loop, running along the ceiling until a yellow spring sent them back down. Ray and Mighty sprinted into a nearby tunnel, and following a sharp downward turn, crossed over a collapsing pathway and sailed past another Turbo Turtle. They descended from there through a few more loops, orbs, and ramps, and before they knew it, they came to the room with the control box they were looking for.

"Awesome, we got here in no time!" Mighty exclaimed as he yanked the level switch down.

"I bet the others got to theirs quickly, too." Ray flashed his friend a look of concern. "B-but, I didn't see any captives on the way."

The armadillo boy frowned. "Yeah, it's weird. I know we saw Mecha's goons snatch up a buncha people. Where the heck could he be keepin' 'em?"

Meanwhile, immediately after propelling themselves through the tunnel, Knuckles and Remi coasted to somewhere else within the great colossus. They bounced off a red spring and Rolled down a decline until they came near a spike trap, avoiding it to hop onto the pylons moving up and down within a shaft. At the bottom, the two took a loop into a straight drop, bounded off a pair of yellow springs over more traps, then ascended once more using two columns of wall bumpers. With the help of more spheres and springs, as well as another small shuttle, they entered the chamber with one of the main door switches.

"I suppose that's what we have to use?" the Echidna wondered out loud.

"Scans indicate that it is indeed connected to the door we encountered before," the robot replied as its eyes glowed a little brighter, "all we need to do is flip it."

With that confirmation, Knuckles went over and pulled the lever into the down position. The whirring of machinery around them grew louder for a brief moment, then quieted down as another door opened in the back of the room. Through the revealed passage, they returned to the main hub with the stained glass, one of the red lights on the door now green.

"That didn't take very long," Knuckles commented, a little suspicious.

"Perhaps we chose the shortest and simplest route," Remi postulated, giving itself a system check, "that said, it was a good field test for the All-Rounder Type body."

The Guardian hummed and crossed his arms. "I guess we'll just wait for the others, then."

As if on cue, two more of the security lights shifted from red to green. Seconds later, Miles and Sonic blinked back into the room, shortly followed by Mighty and Ray.

"Aw man, looks like we weren't the first ones back," Sonic lamented, snapping his fingers in disappointment.

"Never mind that, Sonic," Miles replied, his eyes scanning around the place, "looks like everyone but Speedy and Rouge have returned."

After a few minutes, just before the lot of them began to worry, the final lock on the door was released and it opened with a shuddering creak. The two aforementioned agents reappeared in the chamber, and though they were successful with their little mission, one of them appeared none too pleased.

"Hey, why the long face?" Mighty inquired of Speedy.

Rouge put one hand on her hip and glanced at Speedy. "You wanna tell them, or...?"

"I'll tell them." The ace let out a haggard sigh and glanced away from the others. "We ran into Alexei during our own search."

Remi aside, everyone else was more than a tad taken aback by the news.

"Lemme guess," Sonic assumed, "Mecha stabbed him in the back, just like he did to Eggman."

"There is more to it than that, but yes." Speedy fixed his gaze firmly on everyone after taking a breath. "Here's what I learned and what ended up happening..."

---

(Minutes ago...)

On the opposite side from where Remi and Knuckles went, Speedy and Rouge found themselves in a corridor of downward sloping ramps, the ace rebounding from some bumps and smashing a couple Ball Hogs on the way. A pair of Flasher Mk. IIs confronted them further on from separate girders, but were easily dealt with as the flying duo, who took to the air right after. Past a giant rotating gear and a Sentry Bug, they maneuvered upward through a well of pylons, sets of springs, and yet more bumpers, halting just before an electrical hazard. Once the current dissipated, Speedy shot down the next wide open space, weaving around the magnetic orbs and sprockets while Rouge dealt with a couple Badniks that got in the way. A red spring sent him up to a point where the ramps now moved up and down, designed to either squash any intruders against the ceiling or impale them upon accompanying spike traps.

It was a rapid descent from there past more of the same obstacles, providing only a minor challenge for the agents before reaching the control box. Although pleased that they had made good time, the former Kukku prince couldn't help but be wary of another matter.

"This doesn't feel right," Speedy mumbled aloud.

Rogue parked her sensitive ears. "Hmm, it does feel too easy."

"Not just that," the bird elaborated, "Miles mentioned that there were hostages and cyborgs within this place. And even though we saw survivors of the initial Echo City attack being taken, we haven't found any of them so far."

"You're right." The bat glanced at him more intently while he flipped the switch. "Do you think we might be too late?"

Speedy frowned at the idea. "It's possible, but let's not be hasty. Mecha Miles has shown it has no qualms using innocent people to get at my rival." He sighed and looked away. "Like my father used to...and like I've done before."

"Ugh, spare me the regretful self-reflection, Speedy."

Just as the Kukku had been hoping, Alexei had made himself known, jumping down from above. It was the first time the agents had seen his adversary since his cybernetic surgery, so his new appearance made them raise their brows.

"Interesting new look, Al," Rouge commented with a teasing smirk.

"Silence, you irritable bat!" the owl snapped back at her, "I was not willingly altered!"

Speedy held up one hand menacingly as he charged a Shocking Blast into the palm, his permanent scowl even deeper than it usually is. "Give me one, single, good reason why I shouldn't short-circuit you right now after everything you tried to pull on Flickey Island!"

"I helped you get inside this place," Alexei told him in a relatively calm voice, "gave you this chance to strike at the heart of Mecha Miles itself."

The other bird paused, but didn't lower his hand. "As if we needed your assistance for any of that. And why, exactly, would you want to help us?"

"Because, Speedy," the owl said slowly, taking in a deep breath and then letting out a furious screech, "my plans are in tatters thanks to Mecha Miles! It had no qualms about betraying me despite the fact that I have twice helped repair it! And while I would relish the opportunity to exact vengeance..." He heaved a mechanical sigh. "Mecha Miles is simply too powerful for me to handle alone, especially now that it has the Phantom Ruby."

Rogue folded her arms and hummed. "It shouldn't be that difficult. We managed to beat you when you went all crazy, and we only had the one Chaos Emerald then."

"Yet you could not defeat Mecha Miles when you last confronted it," Alexei retorted, "and as for the Ruby's power, I discovered that I had not been utilizing anywhere near its full potential when I fought you last. The metal fox does not have that issue, as you have no doubt noticed with how rapidly it has been making progress with its own plot." A menacing grin crossed his metallic features. "And if not for me, it would have been completely unstoppable before you so much as approached the Mecha Kaiser."

Speedy quirked his brow a bit. "I don't believe you."

"Whether or not you do is inconsequential. But to elucidate, Mecha Miles was moments away from seizing the Shadow Star Sapphire from Zero the Jackal when I overrode the Mecha Kaiser and forced it to temporarily shut down." The owl frowned and balled one hand. "Naturally, I do not trust that canine after what he did, so he is currently being contained elsewhere within this colossal robot, out of reach of the core weapon where the Ruby lies."

"I'm surprised you didn't just take it from him," Rouge snarked.

"Weakened and restrained though he is, Zero can still wield its power and is thus incredibly formidable. The only way to extract it from him would be to kill him, considering that it is in his stomach of all places. And as confident as I am in my methods, I doubt he will remain that way for very long. Once he is free, he will most certainly be coming for the Ruby and Prower's head, as well as the rest of you."

The former prince rolled his eyes. "I don't understand why he'd do that either. Much like how I don't understand what the point of you telling us all of this is."

"The point is that you should not get cocky." Alexei gave his enemies a sneer. "Even with all of the Chaos Emeralds and that 'super' state they are capable of bestowing, there is no guarantee that you could defeat the combined power of the Cursed Corundums. The Sapphire alone was enough to force Angel Island down to the surface despite the influence of the Master Emerald, after all."

Speedy had to concede that fact. Adding to that, the dark gemstone had done so without anyone directing its power. What if, despite all the might that Zero had shown, that still wasn't near the peak of its capabilities? And if Alexei was telling the truth about it being the same for the Ruby, then maybe one super-powered being wouldn't be enough.

'But then again,' he thought, 'Miles said that they aren't limited to transforming just one person. If it really comes down to it...'

"Let's go, Rouge," Speedy said aloud, his Shocking Blast fizzling out of sight, "we've wasted enough time here."

The bat shrugged and saluted him as she made her way back to the stained glass area. That left the two avians to stare each other down for what felt like an eternity before Speedy finally lowered his arm and dispersed his Shocking Blast. Amused by this turn, Alexei simply stepped out of the way and gave his adversary an "after you" gesture. The ex-royal heeded him, moving towards the exit with his hands folded behind his back.

"Best of luck to you, former prince," the owl bade him, "and remember that if you fail, you and all the rest of the people of the world are doomed."

"Luck, huh?" the ace mumbled as he drew near the doctor, "you never seem to have much of that yourself, Alexei..."

Alexei's expression became rather quizzical. "What do you mean by–"

As fast as lightning, Speedy seized his enemy by the neck with a crushing grip and sent a surge of energy into him in the form of a Chaos-amped, point-blank Shocking Blast. Alexei shrieked in both agony and outrage as his mostly metallic frame was filled with far too much electricity to properly handle. In short order, he fell slack in the agent's grasp, who then released him and allowed him to slump to the ground.

"Although you have just enough to convince me to keep you alive...for now," Speedy finished, kicking the unconscious owl's steel dome on his way out of the chamber.

---

"Well, I suppose that's one less problem to deal with," Miles commented, "but if what Alexei says is true, then we really can't pull any punches."

Everyone gazed at the opening left by the great door that they'd all put in the effort to unlock. They knew that just beyond the other end, Mecha was eagerly awaiting them. With a deep breath, Miles was the first to take the plunge. Before long, the fox ended up in an even more massive chamber than the one he just came from, soon followed by the rest of the gang. All was dark except for the dim lights of machinery and the pulsating green glow of the Master Emerald. But then, the group noticed one more glaring ambient source: a pair of enormous red optics gazing down at them.

"Welcome, heroes," came Mecha's voice, now more menacing than ever, "I'm so pleased that you came."

Everyone aside from Remi shielded their eyes as the place suddenly lit up. When they could see properly again, even the more stoic members were aghast at what they saw. Mecha positively towered over them in its new state, being comparable in size to the King Kukku Colossus. Its frame bulky, its shoulders studded with numerous spikes and sporting currents of magenta energy in place of proper arms to connect to its huge clawed hands. It had no lower body whatsoever, only a torso that ended where the waist would be and a spine that went a little further down as it floated freely in the air. Its toothy jaw was permanently agape in a vicious and hungry expression, the Phantom Ruby shining in the back of its throat. And all around them, the octet could see four equally immense tails decked out with myriad weapons and modifications.

"Uh, big guy?" Sonic said to his partner, "I don't usually get nervous, but it looks like Mecha's really serious this time."

"Dude is definitely not messing around now," Mighty concurred.

Speedy clenched his beak and his fists. "That old fool of a doctor had no idea what kind of monster he made."

"Scanning energy output," Remi reported, only for its optics to widen after a second, "I...I can't determine an exact figure!"

"You've really gone the distance this time, Mecha," Miles remarked.

Mecha let out a powerful metallic laugh. "Naturally, my organic prototype." It spread its energy arms wide. "I introduce to you the Shi-no-O Core Weapon, the true might of the Mecha Kaiser. It can be read many ways, but in this context, you may refer to it as the 'Death Tail'."

"Because 'four' can be read as 'death' in certain cultures' writing systems." Miles folded his arms. "What about all the people you captured? Where are you keeping them?"

"No need to worry about them right now, Miles." Its optics brightened along with the cursed stone in its throat. "Besides, I want you to see a preview of the world I most desire, and I know that some part of you will appreciate it."

An unearthly thrum reverberated through the air, and a wave from the magenta gem caused the color of everything in the chamber to be temporarily inverted. Following a blinding flash, the environment now appeared as though they were atop a towering skyscraper in the middle of a dystopian and industrial megacomplex. Factories and foundries spread as far as they could see from their vantage, a veritable ocean of never ending production. It was all managed by Animals and humans that were mostly or fully cybernetic, and entirely robotic beings that were too numerous to list. Miles hated to admit it, but Mecha had been right when it'd made that prior claim; if only he didn't know what would lead to these circumstances, he'd appreciate it more.

Right there with the group was the "Death Tail", its legless body and four tails seeming to spring from the impossibly high building itself. It wasted no time in initiating its first attack, its floating hands flying in to try and slash at or crush the main trio. Sonic and Knuckles dodged out of the way while Miles took to the air and made a beeline for Mecha's head. It responded by blowing a massive gout of flame from its open mouth, prompting the fox to activate his Fire Shield. As he took the brunt of the attack, Speedy and Rouge closed in on Mecha with a Charged Bullet and Screw Kick, respectively. They didn't get the chance to connect due to its hands swiftly returning and repelling them both.

Just when the stream of heat died down for Miles, the back of one of Mecha's hands unleashed a huge electrical bolt that broke his shield and knocked him out of the sky. Ray was there to keep him from taking a nasty tumble, while Remi peppered one of the tails with basic blasts and missiles. Mecha's limb countered the attacks with point defense lasers, but this distracted it enough for Miles to get a moment of respite. While his partner helped the teen fox, Mighty teamed up with the hedgehog and Echidna to try their luck. The machine's hands moved to intercept the trio, though the armadillo and Guardian were ready, pushing them away with their incredible strength. The two then gave the speedster a boost as he closed in with a Spin Dash, catapulting him up towards Mecha's head. But when he was about to make contact, Sonic was violently deflected by a powered-up Amber Barrier, now shimmering with the Ruby's colors.

During that brief exchange, Miles had taken notice of a couple crucial details. The first was that the force field only enveloped the head, no doubt to ensure extra protection for the Ruby. The second was that the tips of all four namesakes of the Death Tail had lit up in the same way that the shield had, meaning they had something to do with its stability. Perhaps if they were taken out, then Mecha would no longer be able to employ that defense. The tricky part would be getting an opportunity, given the giant's vast array of armaments, and Mecha would likely adapt after the first time. But then again, so could he, thus it was a matter of who would be outpaced first.

"I'm good, Ray," he told his friend as he situated himself and formulated a plan of attack, "follow my lead!"

"You got it!" the flying squirrel exclaimed, doing just that.

The amber and yellow pair took a dive and went for the tail that was furthest from the main body. As Miles expected, Mecha's other massive limbs didn't use their weapons to try and head them off, but still made an attempt with its claws. Fortunately, there were two other fliers in the form of the G.U.N. agents to keep those at bay. Even so, the tentacle-like appendage unleashed its firepower in the form of lasers, short-range missiles, and the occasional energy orb. None of this deterred Miles and Ray, who took turns using Drop Attacks, Mid-Air Spin Dashes, and their own weapons in the fox's case, to take out the installments along the tail. But once the two got close to where the force field generator was, they were blasted by a second Ruby Wave.

Once more, the eight fighters were "transported" to another new place manifested from the Ruby's illusions. They "reappeared" in an immense steel foundry brightly lit by its molten metals, rail grinding their way up the workings of the now truly colossal tail. Mecha watched on from a great distance, the luminescence of the locale painting its titanic, imposing form in demonic shades. Sparks trailed down the line and spines stuck out every so often, which were compounded by the aforementioned weapons.

"So this is what you were talking about," Miles said to Speedy as they rode parallel rails, "I know that none of this is actually real, but my body can't tell the difference. I really can feel the heat and smell the iron!"

"And you'll be affected as though it's all reality if you don't keep your wits about you," the bird warned him, "although this is more intense than what Alexei put Rouge and I through, I'll admit."

The group wound about a mountain of slag the tail was wrapped around, catching sight of Mecha cocking its head back. It lurched forward and sent numerous "hollow" yellow energy orbs their way with neon blue cores. Miles and his allies ducked, hopped, and swapped rails to avoid the incoming volley, which thankfully didn't track them like the magenta ones did. The artificial fox only succeeded in destroying some of the track behind them, although this consequently destabilized much of the rest. That left the teen vulpine and the others with less time to reach their goal, racing to stay ahead of the rails collapsing behind them. They were soon made to abandon the path, Remi switching to its Flight mode to carry both Sonic and Mighty as Speedy, Rouge, and Knuckles flew and glided forward. Miles and Ray went even higher, the former taking aim as the latter curled into a Rolling shape. And once he had sight of his target, the fox took his position by the squirrel with his leg cocked back.

"Thunder Shoot!" he yelled as he utilized his classic and dependable move.

Try as it might, Mecha was unable to stop the yellow sphere that was Ray from colliding with the tip of that tail. The robot let out an incensed roar from the impact, explosions trailing down from the tip over the entirety of the limb. In its rage, it unleashed a third Ruby Wave and whisked the others off to another different locale. This time, they found themselves in the midst of a violent storm out at sea, scattered about on numerous rocky formations jutting from the water. After taking a moment to scan over the place thanks to help from frequent lightning flashes, they realized this wasn't just any island they'd arrived at. It was Angel Island, ruined almost beyond recognition save for a few notable landmarks like the central volcano and traces of places like Marble Garden.

"What...what is this?" Knuckles mumbled in horrified astonishment, "my home...what happened to my home!?"

"Chill, Knux! It's not real!" Sonic shouted over the rain as he tried to get his friend to come to grips with reality.

Mecha cackled as its form cast a shadow over them from the tilted remains of Red Mountain. "Perhaps it isn't reality at the moment, but it will be soon enough! Poor Guardian...without your precious Master Emerald, Angel Island is on borrowed time!"

Though Knuckles didn't entirely fly off the handle, no one could blame him for going on ahead in a rush. Even in this state, he knew the land better than any of them, evidenced by how he climbed, dug through, and skidded along the broken spires and chunks. The second tail he'd decided to target along with the others churned the waters and produced a magnificent tidal wave as it came crashing towards them. Ray helped Mighty out of his pinch while Knuckles threw Sonic high into the air as the rest of the fliers shot upward to avoid the incoming strike. The last of the Echidnas went into a drop so that he could latch onto the impossibly big limb, digging his namesakes into the metal. A few seconds later, Sonic touched down between the spines of the tail close to his crimson comrade, flashing him a wink.

"Don't worry," the blue blur assured him, "like we said earlier, we've beaten him before and we'll do it again!"

Knuckles took in a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. As the last Guardian, I swear that Angel Island won't end up in this state!"

"And what will you employ this time?" Mecha mocked them viciously, "the Chaos Emeralds? Some other obscure and ancient artifacts? The so-called 'power of friendship'? Go ahead and see how it serves you!"

It gave them no opportunity to reply before firing numerous shocking bolts in their direction from its claws. Sonic swiftly jumped in front of Knuckles and kept close as he activated his own ESP device, the Thunder Shield protecting them both. The two dashed their way up the length of the tail, the "hairs" jutting out every so often to try and puncture them. Some of the spines even detached themselves and were flung at the pair as though they were needle thin missiles. But just as with Miles and Ray, who were currently holding off Mecha's hands, the hedgehog and Echidna were able to navigate the dangers and approach the apex. The blue kid launched himself into the red warrior's arms with a Spin Dash, the latter tossing the former further into the air and drawing both hands back.

"Fire Dunk!" Knuckles cried out, spiking Sonic down towards the end point.

Like with the first tail, the second went up in a great firestorm, fragments splashing into the sea below. After a fourth shockwave from the Ruby, the group ended up in what seemed to be the badlands of the Dazzling Desert. Specifically, they had landed somewhere along the railroad tracks that connected Sunset Park and Furville. The plateaus and mesas were barely visible beyond a veil of sand whipped up by howling winds, but the wreckage of countless train cars and other machinery were very visible. Standing above it all was the shadow of the Death Tail, which was still quite vivid and imposing within the sandstorm, seeming to match the Mecha Kaiser in height and bulk now.

"I expected as much that it wouldn't be so easy to get rid of you," the robot rumbled, "but the battle is far from over."

It slammed its now massive fists into the earth, kicking up even more sand and creating a grand fissure in the soil that rapidly approached the group. The gang was split in half by the divide, forced to run from the expanding crack while slowly, but simultaneously making their way to Mecha. Such an approach had been part of its plan, bringing its titanic tails down on both sides in hopes of crushing them all at once. Thanks to the coordination of Miles and Speedy, however, the pairs of 4-person teams cleared the immense gap and swapped places, ending up on top of the lashing limbs. Mecha made the wind pick up in retaliation, the grains stinging everyone except for Remi and thus distracting them as well. It was enough for the automaton to throw them off of its tails, taking its chance to lurch forward and spew another gout of flame. The smaller metallic vulpine companion activated its own barrier, protecting Sonic, Mighty, and Knuckles. It was even stronger than before, though, and Mecha's sheer output threatened to break through both wards before long.

With its attention squarely on its two lookalikes, Mecha didn't realize that Speedy and Rouge broke away from the fire and took a chance in the skies. Or rather, the agents had hoped that was the case, only to run into the giant's hands just after breaking through the cloud cover. Miles came in and launched Ray towards one of them with a Thunder Shoot, then took on the other using a series of Chaos-amplified Mid-Air Tail Swipes. This allowed the bird and the bat a chance to get in close, the latter building momentum for a Screw Kick while the former took hold of her wrists to aid in the effort. The two were enveloped by the red Emerald's light and became akin to a small, fiery whirlwind headed straight towards one of Mecha's tails.

"Let's do this, Ace!" Rouge called out to her partner.

"Time to use this in a real battle!" Speedy shouted, channeling more Chaos Energy into their combined attack.

"Bullet Screw!" they yelled at the same time.

The clamor of the storm was temporarily drowned out by the crack that came from the sound barrier breaking due to the agents' combo technique. They streaked towards the tip of the "right" tail just as it was lifting itself up from the earth, coming in like a blazing meteorite. Mecha made to move it out of their trajectory, but Speedy and Rouge were faster, scoring a clean hit right where they needed to. Like the previous two, that limb went down in a spectacular fashion, making Mecha reel from the damage for a brief period. Thankfully, this also caused its flamethrower to taper off, giving Remi and the rest some much needed breathing room.

"Nice one!" Sonic praised the duo, giving them a thumbs-up.

"Guess that leaves you and me to take out the last one!" Mighty exclaimed to the fox bot that was on their side.

Remi looked like it wanted to hunch over tiredly, but kept itself upright even as its eyes dulled slightly. "I'll do my best, but my energy reserves are being rather taxed. I won't be able to maintain the All-Rounder Type for much longer."

"You can do it, Remi!" Miles encouraged his companion, touching back down next to the others, "we'll make sure you and Mighty get an opening!"

"Yeah!" Ray affirmed, winking at his armadillo friend, "leave it to us, l-little buddy!"

"If you're all quite finished," Mecha butted in, having been rather patient with them until that moment, "let's resume the struggle!"

With the fifth Ruby Wave, everyone was brought to a place that at least a couple of them didn't expect to see again anytime soon. Though it was now overrun with myriad machinery, Sonic and Miles recognized what was left of Emerald Hill in this mockery of it. The villagers had been replaced by Badniks, cyborgs, and androids aplenty, with a number of Mecha Troopers acting as enforcement. In the distance, Canton City was barely recognizable, with most of its structures replaced by production centers and facilities. Only the Chemical Plant Complex remained relatively untouched, though it had obviously been repurposed for Mecha's designs. As for the robot itself, it awaited them in the middle of the vast field between the city and the hills, now populated with derricks and drilling installations.

"How do you like it all?" Mecha questioned them all, "my visions for the future of my world?"

Miles scoffed and wiped his muzzle as he stood fast in the face of his copy. "Enough with the games, Mecha. Your cheap tricks aren't going to work!"

"What a boring response." Mecha "narrowed" its optics. "If that's how you're going to be, then perhaps you need more motivation!"

With a flick of its one remaining tail, the artificial fox called down lightning on all its foes. Ray, Rouge, Knuckles, and Sonic were halted by the assault, but Miles and Speedy weathered it okay. Most importantly, Mighty and Remi came out the best of everyone, each of them launched high by a Rolling Kick from their respective partners. Mecha sought to sweep them away with its last limb, but only succeeded in leaving itself vulnerable to punishment. Mighty launched Remi's Spin Dash state into the air and spiked it like he would any volleyball, smirking as it met its mark. Finally, all of the defensive measures had been defeated, with the barrier around the boss's head finally dissipating. However, as it had warned earlier, Remi had drained the requisite energy needed to sustain its All-Around Type, and so was forced to revert to its pack form to recharge, which Miles was swift to pick up and give to Sonic for the time being.

Instead of getting mad, however, Mecha simply laughed. A sixth Ruby Wave washed over the eight fighters and swept their minds to another concocted realm. Unlike in the previous altered realities, Mecha was no bigger than all of them put together here. But then, it wasn't the suddenly, relatively diminutive metal fox most of them were concerned with. Rather, it was the vision of a completely devastated Cocoa Island that disturbed them, Miles most of all. It brought back those horrible memories of when the Battle Kukku Empire first invaded his home, except that this was worse. In this version, nothing had escaped the razing. Both forests were but ashes, the mountains grounded down by consecutive fragmentary batteries, and Puru Puru Village had been burned to the ground, littered with the corpses of everyone the fox knew. Not even his adoptive parents, siblings, and the mother of his future "niece" had made it out okay, and that stirred a certain feeling in Miles' heart.

"How dare you," the fox hissed through his teeth, his body trembling all over.

"Now that's more like it," Mecha crooned, "show me the hatred burning inside you. It'll make this all the more fun."

Miles bristled and snarled at that. "Fun? You think any of this is fun!?"

"Of course I do, and some portion of you does too, my dear organic prototype." It suddenly cast more bolts from its hands, which the fox was only barely able to dodge. "I was based on your personality, after all. Dr. Fukurokov understood you far better than you realize, and your brief time as 'Monster Miles' was a great boon to the owl's research in regards to building the framework for how I am now."

The teen cursed himself; he knew that event would come back to bite him in more ways than one. To think that it was because of him that Mecha had such extreme ambitions and a vile, sadistic character. He didn't want to believe he held those kinds of thoughts and feelings himself, but he remembered how he'd been when he transformed for the first time. It was only by the grace of not completely losing his mind, in big part thanks to Sonic, that he didn't go further than he did. Would he have become more like Mecha if his partner and the others didn't bring him back from the brink? How far would he have fallen if the future Garnet and Blue told him about had come to pass?

"You and I are much more alike than in mere appearance and genius," his doppelganger pressed, "you have just as much capacity to be cold as I do. How about I show you? Or rather, how about 'you' show yourself and your friends?"

A magenta ray fired from the Ruby and struck Miles, resulting in a sudden, brilliant flash that enveloped him. When it faded, all of them were stunned to see a new replica of the two-tailed fox standing in front of them alongside Mecha. It was completely identical to the real deal, except that it lacked the sunglasses he almost always kept on him.

"What do you think?" the other Miles addressed the group, its voice exactly like the original, "it's practically like looking into a mirror. Although I'm a more authentic Miles than you ever could be."

"Doesn't matter if ya look like Tails!" Sonic retorted, "you're the faker!"

"You could never hope to replace our friend!" Knuckles joined in.

The duplicate shook its head in disappointment. "You two are as thick as usual." It ignored the further incensed hedgehog and Echidna, and pointed accusingly at Miles. "Let me explain it in a way your puny minds can understand: the fox with you that you love so much is a fraud. Always hiding how he truly feels and never going all out when it matters."

The second assertion struck something of a chord in Speedy. He remembered that during their big rematch aboard the Battle Fortress several months ago, Miles had gone easy on him at the time. That was, until the former prince demanded he go all out, but even then, the bird hadn't been sure if the fox really did let loose. He knew that it wasn't the time to be focused on that, yet the doubt clinged to the back of his mind.

"That's not true," Miles denied, although his tone suggested he didn't entirely believe his own words.

"Isn't it?" Phantom Miles pushed back, "with the Chaos Emeralds you had, you could have beaten Zero alone. But as usual, you were too afraid to capitalize on our real capabilities."

Ray stepped up to defend his vulpine friend. "I mean, we didn't want to accidentally h-hurt any innocent people."

"And yet, here you are," Mecha remarked snidely, "where more and more people have suffered and died because of your sentimental cowardice." It let out a horrible snicker. "You may not like to admit it, Miles, but you hate having to restrain yourself for the sake of your friends and hapless bystanders. If only they weren't all so pathetic."

"Shut up!" Miles snapped, "I would never have made it this far without my friends and the people who support me!"

The figment chuckled and once again shook its head. "People say you're humble, but really, you're better described as self-deprecating. I'd ask why you feel that way towards yourself, but..." It jabbed a thumb at its chest fur. "I already know all too well why. Comes with the territory of being part of you."

"You are not a part of me!" He'd sworn earlier he wouldn't be taken in any ploys, but it was different here. Hearing such words from himself stung in a way others didn't. "You're just a copy made from the Phantom Ruby's powers of illusion!"

"The phantoms the Ruby makes are much more potent when its energy directly interacts with the subjects in question," Mecha answered as it wagged a finger, "so, like it or not, this Miles you see is indeed a part of you!"

"The part of you that you firmly refuse to acknowledge," Phantom Miles declared. Its eyes swept over Sonic, Knuckles, Ray, Mighty, and Remi. "The part of you that wishes your friends would stay out of our way." Its gaze stopped on Speedy. "The part of you that thinks you should've killed all those villains." And finally, it looked back at the actual Miles, cracking his knuckles. "The part of you that's going to show everyone what kind of person you actually are!"

And in the next moment, it transformed into that same state Speedy and Rouge had seen on Flicky Island. The more sinister, but not quite monstrous form that had proven to be quite the challenge even with Garnet's help. And as the ones most experienced with handling it, both of the G.U.N. operatives decided to meet Phantom Miles head on. The ace came in fast with a Charged Bullet while the bat approached from the other side with her signature Screw Kick. The dark fox smirked and flipped onto its hands, kicking its legs out and stopping the two in their tracks. With a quick twist, it slapped them away with a double Tail Swipe and sprang back to its feet, popping the kinks out of its neck.

Sonic tried to catch it by surprise by starting off with a Bounce, then quickly switching to a Drop Dash when it dodged the first move. He was sent reeling from the phantom kicking him away like a football, crying out as he smacked into and knocked over a tree.

"You can't do anything, kid," Phantom Miles jeered, "I know all your tricks." Knuckles and Mighty jumped the fox from behind, each primed to deliver a flying, potentially explosive punch. But Phantom Miles whirled around and caught both their fists in its hands, then flip kicked the two of them away, sending them flying. "Same with you guys. That's why you should just stay out of the way!"

Though they felt kind of bad for doing so, Ray and the real Miles had chosen to ignore it and go for Mecha, which brought its hands down to crush the two. The amber and yellow duo sprang onto the back of them and launched off, avoiding several mouth blasts before striking the steel vulpine with another Thunder Shoot, coaxing a surprised growl from it.

"Get them!" it commanded the entity.

Phantom Miles zipped above Ray and sent him back to the ground with a double axehand, the impact forming a sizable crater. A buzzing sound filled its ears, and it spun around just in time to take a Shocking Blast dead on. Though it'd been ultimately unaffected, the attack had distracted it long enough for Speedy to slash it across the back with an energy blade. The copy barely flinched, however, and rapidly closed the distance, grabbing the bird by the face and flinging him into the tainted sea.

"Still can't take the hint that I'm better than you, can you Speedy?" it growled.

Just after doing that, it was struck by several Heart Bombs courtesy of Rouge, though those succeeded in doing little as well. Frustrated, she swung at it repeatedly with kicks that would've broken down most any vault door, but Phantom Miles simply blocked them with its forearms. By whipping its twin tails, it sent a Tornado Spin at the bat faster than she could react, carrying her off into the projected Puru Puru Village's ruins.

"Wait your turn," it muttered, "you'll get yours soon enough."

Back with the others, Miles and Ray swapped targets with Mighty, Sonic, and Knuckles, letting the latter three handle Mecha while they dealt with the phantom. Mecha answered by floating higher into the air and using the Ruby's power to conjure a realistic cyclone around itself. Uprooted trees, stones, and more various types of debris were thrown at the boys via the whirlwind, who had to deal with both that and the hail of orbs the robot shot from its maw. Thinking on his feet, Sonic leapt up to a trunk aimed his way, Spin Dashing off of it to propel himself onto a boulder. Catching onto what the hedgehog was up to, Knuckles signaled for Mighty to give him a boost, and the armadillo obliged by grabbing and throwing the Echidna as high as he could. As the blue boy continued to haphazardly jump and climb, the Guardian went into a glide and rode the swirling currents closer and closer to their foe.

"I can do that too, Mecha!" Sonic shouted confidently, Bouncing off a huge log right onto the robot's shoulders, "Blue Tornado!"

Busting out his most recent move, the spiny kid began spinning in the opposite direction of Mecha's twister. Though it wasn't nearly as large, the azure cyclone gradually began to cancel out the other funnel cloud, giving Knuckles a safe enough opening to change course straight for the machine. Mighty used his herculean strength to hurl the rubble the storm had produced back at its maker, trying to keep Mecha's attention off of the Echidna.

Meanwhile, Miles and Ray were having trouble contending with the former's double. No matter what ability the fox threw at it, it would either dodge or counter his techniques. What was peculiar, though, was that while the squirrel was taking his share of lumps, Phantom Miles left the original mostly alone, simply slipping away and shrugging the teen off. When Ray crashed down for what felt like the umpteenth time, Miles gritted his teeth and went for a Mid-Air Spin Dash.

"That's not gonna work!" it shouted as it rolled its eyes.

The copy avoided him as predicted, but didn't account for him ending it early and immediately performing another back the way he came. From there, Miles brought both arms up under his counterpart's to lock them in place while his tails twined around the others. With enough force, he pushed his enemy beneath him as they fell to the beach, letting go at the last second to get away safely. Almost as fast as it hit the ground, Phantom Miles got up and yanked him down, roughly tossing him onto the sand.

"Stop trying to interfere," it said darkly, "I'm teaching those guys a lesson you don't have the guts to impart!"

It went unheeded as Miles got to his feet, panting a bit from exertion. "You're not teaching anything. All you're doing is being violent and degrading!"

"I'm just being true to what's deep inside you." Phantom Miles grabbed him by his chest fur and held him up so they could lock eyes. "Remember all the horrible things Speedy's been a part of that affected you? How frustrating and tough it was to work with Mighty and Ray at first? How much Sonic pissed you off before you came around to him? How Knuckles wanted to kill you before he accepted the truth? How Rouge tried to steal what Mom and Dad left you?" He was drawn in so close that their noses almost touched. "All the times you wanted to shut them up, put them in their place, make them pay...you can't deny them. But since you aren't willing to carry out your base desires, I have to do it for you!"

"Bullet Screw!"

The combo strike was enough to force the copy to drop Miles and stagger back a few meters. Speedy and Rouge both dropped in, with Ray touching down a moment after. The fox once again rose up and took position at the front of the quartet, all of them ready to resume the fight. Back with the others, Mecha squirmed and swatted at Sonic, but the hedgehog kept just out of reach with his speed, and after a few more seconds, suddenly ramped off its head. One, two, three Bounces came down onto the big fox's cranium, with Sonic converting the last one into a Drop Dash for a speedy escape. Momentarily stunned, the automaton was unprepared for Knuckles' approach, the Echidna sheathed in a bright red aura just as orange built up in Mecha's gullet.

"Maximum Heat Drill!" he roared, rapidly rotating his body much like Rouge did with her Screw Kick.

Knuckles flew into Mecha's fire breath straight to the back of its throat, piercing through the other side and knocking the Ruby out of place. All at once, the image of the ravaged Cocoa Island was shattered, bringing everyone back to the core of the Mecha Kaiser. The Death Tail's hands exploded into shrapnel and its main body fell to the floor with a thunderous thud, the impact knocking its head off. And as the Ruby clattered to the ground, Phantom Miles, who'd been in the middle of a brawl with the four fliers, found itself starting to dissipate.

"Don't ever forget," it swore as it tapped at its head, letting out an ominous chuckle as it stared at Miles, "I'm always here, in that dark corner of your mind. One day, I'll be free again, and when that time comes..." Its voice faded into a whisper as the last traces of it vanished. "...you won't be able to hold me back."

For a few minutes, the air was heavy and the group was on high alert. They had been right to be wary, as the chest of the Death Tail burst open before long. The figure that emerged swept up the Ruby, revealing itself as none other than Mecha in another Mk. III Version 2 body. It seemed that the battle wasn't over yet, but Miles and the rest were getting tired of it dragging on.

"Just give up, Mecha!" the fox tried to convince his counterpart, "you've lost!"

"Not yet I haven't!" it seethed, hovering over to the Master Emerald, "I prepared a duplicate body just in case I was pushed this far! Once I allocate the Phantom Ruby to my Overclocked form, then you'll–"

A white hot beam punctured Mecha's chest cavity from behind, leaving a gaping hole where it would've socketed the gem. The robot lost its grip on it and fell out of the air, denting the metal floor below. The Ruby landed in Alexei's palm, who let out a hooting laugh as he held it high.

"And just like that, I have retrieved the Ruby," the cyborg owl said with mirth, "much appreciated, everyone."

"Al!?" Rouge exclaimed, turning to her partner, "what's going on, Ace? I thought you shocked him and knocked him out!"

Speedy clicked his beak and tightened his fists. "I did. How did you recover so quickly, Alexei?"

"Believe me, Speedy, I was surprised as well." Alexei patted himself on the chest with a few noisy clangs. "But it's simple, really. Mecha Miles created this body with adequate insulation around its more sensitive components. Thus, it isn't that I rapidly recovered, but rather your Shocking Blast, while still rather painful, was not as effective as you thought."

"Then let me finish you off, doc!" came another familiar voice.

The owl just barely sidestepped a black-blue energy orb that came from one side. He and everyone else turned to see Zero standing there with one hand outstretched. The jackal teleported next to Alexei and grabbed onto the Ruby, though he couldn't quite wrestle it from the other's grasp. At the same time, the cyborg dug the talons of its free hand into the canine's belly, but failed to press deeper than a few centimeters.

"Give me the Shadow Star Sapphire, you filthy and insubordinate mutt!" he screeched at the bigger guy.

"I don't answer to maggots like you!" Zero snarled back, "and that gem you've got belongs to me, you fucking trash can!"

With the two villains at each other's throats, it seemed an ideal time to take advantage of the situation. Miles and Speedy were on the same page in that regard, both sharing a glance and nodding to one another before rushing in. Just as they reached their foes, however, the Ruby became brighter than any of them had ever seen while Zero was engulfed by the glow of the Sapphire's light. Simultaneously, a Ruby Wave and a Sapphire Pulse were unleashed, the two energies overlapping with spectacular results. A deep purple and black vortex opened just above the four, and without warning, began to draw them in. Zero and Alexei didn't even get to protest before they disappeared into the void, while Miles and Speedy attempted to run. Despite their efforts, they were pulled closer and closer to the portal until they, too, vanished beyond its borders. The rift started to slowly expand, stripping the surroundings and threatening to take the others into itself as well.

"Hurry, before it takes the Master Emerald!" Knuckles implored them, running over to yank the giant gem out of its resting place.

"What about Tails?" Sonic asked, held back from running in after his partner by Mighty, "we can't just leave him!"

"He'll get out of this somehow, dude!" the armadillo assured him, "he's always pulled through before!"

"Yeah! I b-believe in him and Speedy!" Ray agreed, "they've got the Chaos Emeralds, after all!"

"Let's get out of here, boys," Rouge rallied them, "I'd rather not find out where that thing goes!"

Reluctant though he was, the blue hedgehog carried Remi in its pack form and accompanied the others out through an emergency escape route built into the core. He had faith his big buddy would come back from this, but he still couldn't help being worried about the guy.

---

(?)

When Miles opened his eyes, he found himself and Speedy floating in a most unusual space. It was a black-purple void filled with lighter-colored floating cubes and net-like grids that extended above and below seemingly into infinity. Bolts of indigo lightning flashed all around from constantly swirling magenta clouds, their patterns having no rhyme or reason. A road composed of black-blue cubes manifested beneath them, broken up every so often by platforms with impossibly tall supports and groups of stage lights. And across from them, Alexei and Zero appeared unconscious, the Ruby and Sapphire orbiting the pair equidistant from each other.

"After so many years," the magenta stone echoed, "we are reunited at last."

"However...only one...may use our power," the dark blue gem whispered, "to realize their dream..."

"So we shall lend you (...our power)," they spoke together, yet also in turn, "to determine who is worthy (...of wielding us both)."

Their otherworldly energy enveloped the owl and the jackal, jolting the two of them awake. It granted the two of them purplish auras, and their eyes also changed colors to reflect the two stones. Though they appeared hardly any different at the moment, Miles and Speedy both knew from what they'd seen that that could change at any time. If the collective might of the Ruby and the Sapphire could create such a dimension as this, they could only imagine what sort of power that Alexei and Zero now wielded. And they were eager to put it to use, as not even a few seconds after reviving, the two engaged one another at a blistering and intense pace, completely ignoring their respective nemeses. After witnessing that, the bird and the fox knew what they had to do.

"It seems we have no other choice," Speedy said as he hovered over to the hero's side, "if we want any shot at winning this, we have to use our last resort." He took the red Emerald out of his suit and looked at the teen quizzically. "That said, how do we transform?"

Miles nodded and handed his avian rival a couple of the other Emeralds. "Focus on the desire for the power we need and don't let your emotions get the better of you. As long as you can center your thoughts, you'll be able to do it."

The Kukku took that advice to heart and shut his eyes, filtering out other thoughts and concerns, and replacing them with the aforementioned wish. It was easier said than done, as memories of his time in the Empire under his father's wing persisted, provoking a number of negative feelings. Even though he was reluctant, he did his best to picture more recent and less upsetting events to counterbalance those emotions. The freedom to fly around because he wanted to, not because of the need to train. The occasional conversations with Jack and Rouge, which were most often pleasant or at least bearable in spite of how the bat annoyed him at times. All the things he'd learned perusing the G.U.N. database, which had rekindled interests he'd been forced to put aside during his princely days.

'And it's all possible because of you, Miles,' he thought, a slight smile on his beak, 'because you gave me the chance to choose my own path.' His smile widened into a grin. 'Consider this me finally returning the favor.'

As they'd previously done during the final battle against the Battle Kukku Empire, the Chaos Emeralds revolved in a loose circle, with this one wide enough to fit both fighters. Their glow brightened and their speed increased with each passing second until they were a prismatic blur. They soon closed in on the fox and the bird, a brilliant white flare filling much of the surrounding space. This caught the attention of Alexei and Zero, who ceased their death match and looked on curiously. Once the light faded, Miles was in the same fiery blue super state he'd used to take down the Great Battle Kukku and Dr. Fukurokov once and for all. As for Speedy, his flight armor had broken apart from the influx of energy, leaving him in his usual jumpsuit. His red eyes had taken on an even more vibrant hue, while his green feathers had turned magenta, and his other features, such as his beak, had notably sharpened. And Miles could tell that unlike his father, Speedy's aura seemed more contained and gave off no malicious vibe.

"Incredible," the ace marveled, looking himself over and taking in the power flowing through him. He let out a confident laugh and raised his fists as he turned to face their foes. "I feel like I could take on anything!"

"Because we can!" the fox exclaimed, admittedly rather excited about assuming this form once more, "we will beat these guys and make it out of here!"

Speedy chuckled some more. "How cheesy, but you know something, Miles?" He narrowed his eyes at the cyborg owl. "When you say it, I believe it."

"Now who's the one being cheesy?" Miles teased, "whatever. Let's go, Super Speedy!"

"Super Speedy, hmm? Then what should I call you? 'Mega Miles?'"

The fox gave him a deadpan face. "Is this really the time? These forms have a limit, you know!"

"You're right, we're wasting energy." Speedy smirked as he flew on ahead with a magenta streak trailing behind him. "I'm still going with that, by the way!"

Miles rolled his eyes, but smiled all the same as he shot forward to follow him and meet their enemies for one last climactic clash.