

Right, here goes...!
Well, they did say that Mr. Batty do grow near fruit tree's they like but... I don't there's a single one for miles at this point, really. Maybe they're migrating...?
Sure. If that's all of your answers, I won't stop you guys. But it could be dangerous... so be on your toes just in case.
I'm heading out again for a bit. I have business in a couple of places to take care of. Once I'm through, I'll return. If you guys want to have some sort of plan, now's the time.
...Hmmm... he seems like a busy guy. But it's worth a shot while I'm
Waiting for them is becoming a bore... it's been silence in there for a full minute now. Perhaps I should.
So it's him, hmm? I have a feeling I already know why he's called... why not? As he says this, Scale smugly accepts the call he's received.
Well now, if it isn't Mr. Oliver himself. To what do I owe the pleasure?
Well, for starters, I was hoping I could get an update on that project. I know it's a bit selfish, which is why I wanted to wait... but it seems like I'll be getting into something pretty important soon.
Huh?... Oh! Sure! I tend to forget things sometimes, so that'd probably help.

There are much more functions, but I'll be brief to spare your more limited mind.
None. Once Power (that's her name) is officially complete, she'll find you. I'm not overseeing the engineering personally, so it may take a short while. Just be patient.
You can say that again.
H-huh!? What's going on...?
Nice to see you too, Mighty.
Huh? Sonic...?
Some crazy virus turned you two into some kind of mindless zombies! Fortunately, we were able to reverse it with a little help.
Us two...? Wait, Where is Ray? Is he alright?
I'm right here! I'm a bit roughed up, but I'm okay!
How did this even happen, anyways? What happened to you guys?
...Well, it's a bit foggy, but... Me and Ray were just practicing some new moves when we were approached by this robot named Coda. He tried to offer us a place in some kind of "Syndicate of Forgotten Heroes", but there was no way we were trusting that. But the next thing we knew, he had some crazy psychic scientist freeze us solid and take us to some strange place with some baby gorilla* and two other robots**.
So, it was called the Coda Corruption... Prototype version?
***
Newer one...?
Chao...?
What is it, Cheese? Did you find something?
〈Assuming that what they told us about the Coda Corruption is correct... There would've been absolutely NO way to cure you from it in the same way that we did.〉
N-no way to cure us...? As in, we'd be puppets to that Coda guy forever...?

Wait, don't touch that!
...Uhhh... K-kids shouldn't be messing with broken grass and spilled chemicals, r-right? I was just looking out for them...
...Huh... That definitely wasn't here before.
Well, obviously. But what is this stuff?


!!!!!

Could... Could that have come from us, somehow...?
If that vial did come from us, the two of us likely would've had it, too. It had to come from someone else... but who?
Alfonse!
...Alfonse? What is this? Come on! Let's get you out of here!















Wh- Hey! You didn't have to call me out, too!
Hold on. You guys were here for the Chaos Emeralds...?
〈...〉
〈...Pikason, it's alri-〉
〈I KNEW we couldn't trust you two. From the moment you showed up, EVERYTHING about you was suspicious.〉
〈And I'm supposed to just BELIEVE that? How am I supposed to know this wasn't some trick to keep me from going back to my world to stop Gio from taking it over?〉
〈Pikason, please, take it easy-〉
〈I CAN'T take it easy, Eevtai. You KNOW I can't. Not after what Beta Diablo did to my world.〉
Hey, it's not that-
〈I HAVE to keep you guys safe, and I will NOT compromise that safety by letting these two FRAUDS get away with their lies-〉
Just CALM DOWN for a second, alright!?
〈...〉
...Alright, so I don't know what this whole situation is about with you, this "Gio" guy, Coda, or whatever, but fighting amongst ourselves like this isn't going to solve anything.
Besides... I think that if these guys WANTED something bad to happen to us, they wouldn't be helping us. Even if they are working for this Coda guy.



...I'll be honest; Some of these horrible things are stuff I've only just now heard about. If this is the sort-of thing he wants me to do, then count me out of it, too.
〈...I, uh...〉
〈I guess... I was a bit hard on you guys. Sorry.〉
〈You guys aren't too bad. I'm looking forward to working with you guys for real from here on out.〉
〈(He's starting to sound like himself again... It's not much, but it's a start.)〉
...So, you guys were saying something about using the Chaos Emeralds to take these two home, right?
Well, we'd like to help you out, but to travel across an entire dimension would require all seven Chaos Emeralds... and we only have 3 of them on us right now.
Well, after the Diablo situation, we decided to split the Chaos Emeralds amongst ourselves: Me, Tails, and Knuckles have the first three, my Classic self has the fourth-
Classic self...?
It's a long story. -and then we gave the other three to Shadow, Silver, and Ashura.
Ah, that makes sense...
(I don't know who any of those people are.)
〈Didn't we just talk to an Ashura to find where these guys were?〉
As much as we would like to help you guys find the others, we have a bit of a problem to solve ourselves.
〈As much as I'd rather not give Gio the time to complete his plan when he's had so much time at this point already... It'd probably be easier to help you guys out, first.〉
Then we've got no time to lose!

...So, they've decided to follow the same path as Stanley and Imajin, and have left us to join the other heroes...
...Are you upset over this?
...You would think so, wouldn't you? Well, I AM disappointed that so much of my plans and intentions were revealed in such a manner as this... But there is not a reason to be mad over such an inevitable action.
And besides... Even with their choice to abandon us, they still walk the path we have planned for them.
...The only thing I find disappointing in the situation is that the next part just cannot come sooner. The heroes still have quite the road ahead of them... And that's not even to mention the difficulty of getting Scourge to cooperate.
And then there's the fact that I am still competing with Eggman and his little alliance... I'm just simply afraid that there's just so little I can do with these guys for now.
Then... What do you plan to do...?
...I think it's safe to say that it's less about what I'm going to do... And more about what YOU are going to do.
What I'm going to...
...Surely, you don't mean-
I WAS going to wait until Scourge had his little moment, but I've grown tired of being so silent. Taking into account Dusty and Circuit's story, you can consider this to be your punishment for conspiring against me.
Nuts. I was hoping she'd be ready by the time I was going to leave... oh, well.
Anyway, it looks like the only thing I'm waiting on now is--
.....i've been found.
Master, it is you! Wh... where were you? You left s-so suddenly, that I--YAAAAAAAAA!!!!
Uh oh.
YOU LEFT ME BEHIND YOU LEFT ME BEHIND! ABANDONING MY TRAINING WITHOUT EVEN GIVING SO MUCH AS AN EXCUSE IN ADVANCE! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME WHEN YOU SAID YOU WOULD BE THERE TO HELP ME I HATE YOU!
Hey, it's not like that. I just had to run a few errands, and I got sidetracked... but I was always going to come back.
...Whatever. I guess now that you're here, it doesn't matter much.
Since now's the perfect time to learn! I'm done with the basic fitness regiments, I wanna be taught something cool!
Uh... About that... I literally only came here to tell you I need to go for a bit.
*shattered glass noises*
You've got some nerve!... after putting me through all that hell, you seriously pull out at the last minute?
S-sorry... I'll get back to you when I can. I promise.
...What a reliable Master. Oh, well.
Fine... but you'd better not keep me waiting too long.
I know I still have a lot to learn... but I'll just keep on learning and learning... and soon, I'll become as strong than you!
...
..."as strong as me", huh? So that's your intention...
Well, yeah. That's a pretty normal goal, right?
......
...Sorry. That'll never happen. I will always be stronger than you, regardless of how often you train.
Y-YOU DON'T KNOW THAT! I STILL HAVE A WAYS TO GO, BUT--!
--Do you not understand? You'll always be a weakling to me. The infinite monkey theorem could probably actually happen before you get anywhere near my level.
T-then why take me on at all!? Why bother, if I'll always be a weakling to you?!
Because I'm bored. Watching you struggle to compare to me like an idiot will help me pass the time.
Trust me, Vy. If it were up to me, I'd be duking it out with the toughest guys there are. But I'm at such a lack of competition, that I need another form of entertainment. Enter you.
You--!
.
"--Bastard!" is that what you wanted to say?... Funny choice of words, considering you won't ever be worth half my actual kid.
Now it's "What the--!? How the heck am I frozen!? And how does he know everything I'm thinking!?". That right?
.
The answer's simple. I am simply that much better than you. As a higher dimensional being, you will never come close to what I am.
.
I hope this experience humbles you, and teaches you a valuable lesson... you can study under me, but you will never reach me. The reason why, is simple...
I am infinitely your superior! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
dfjbskdgtnjagjkagn!!!!
Was... was that real!?
...
...Rrgh. darned..-- plumbers... can't... move...
P-PAPA!
*sniff*... you're alive... but you've really took a beating this time, Papa.
Aagh...
Tch! The rest of us ain't in much better positions, kid!... damn. I shoulda expected a result like this sooner.
...I think I'll take those 50 Coins now, big brother.
Curses! I never would have imagined Father would fail!
That. Was. AWESOME!
You can say that again! Mario, Luigi, and those weirdo friends with him were all so cool! Geez, I wouldn't want to miss that fight for the world!
It was... *ahem*... indeed fantastical. But our lives were nearly at stake. Maybe address the situation with a bit more tact.
(Mario... you and your allies have yet again put an end to a terrible calamity... I never had any doubt you would respond to our hope.)
Tsk. His gallantness is far too foresightful to not have a plan in advance. I still posess the remote device needed to free the princess and those filthy fungi!
Even if they have won the battle, it will be for naught when Mario and his meddlesome new friends lose the war! Kyahahahahahaha--
The hell!? My account got hacked by some jerk calling himself "Red Mage"!*
What was that... and what's this?
.....Hey Vy,
...P.S. I told them that as you are now you were so advanced you could beat all of them with all your limbs tied behind your back, blindfolded, and wrapped against a chair?!? So you better not hold anything back if you agree!?
(He goes so casually from unassuming nice guy to demon from hell.)
Okay, I get this is supposed to be some sort of psycho manipulation nightmare realm, but I've actually been looking for an excuse to punt a puppet instead of going all goody-two-shoes on it!
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