Ever since I upgraded into Neo Metal Sonic, my routine has been far more pleasing. I would care for my gardens, work on Carillon Rose, conduct a search for Cavalier Sonic, then return to the home of Amy Rose and stay there as long as desired. Some of those days I spent with Amy outdoors, where she exposed me to more of her activities. We went to the movies again and watched a romance. Neither of us watched much of the movie.



I did return to the active base and the island base a few times to keep my Master informed. Sage's behavior began to change around me, which I didn't exactly understand; maybe she finally started to recognize me as someone superior to her, regardless of her ability to control technology. All Eggtech in the base seemed to have more respect for me. They feared me even more rightfully than before.



I briefly scanned through the city each day since Amy started to distract me again. I kept track of all of my adversaries' whereabouts and noticed Rouge and the Chaotix were particularly absent. I had no idea what Rouge was up to, meanwhile the Chaotix were likely working with the Hedgehog to find Cavalier Sonic. They would get nowhere, especially if I couldn't find him.



However, I felt good about this day. Amy was spending time with her other friends, so I found the opportunity to conduct another search. With the hunch that the mysterious third party could be me from the future, I checked locations that I would expect myself to hide in... Then I did the exact opposite since he likely knew my train of thought in case he didn't want to be discovered... But he would suspect I would also know that. I just looked everywhere. I came up empty, but there were still plenty of locations I could try, signals I could search for. I tried messing with the strange file Belle received since I also had a copy, but I could no longer read it since I didn't have the other voice processor. It would be noticeable to my Master if I installed it, so I found it better to keep it stored in the room beside my garden. If the file was present in any console, though, it would give me some needed information.



After leaving my garden, I made a journey far past the city and to other areas. Because of the available resources for my future self, I aimed for other abandoned bases my Master made. I exhausted all the ones nearby and even did a scan of the base with my gardens just to be safe. There was another abandoned base not too far from Never Lake, and because I was flying at my maximum speed and taking an optimal route, it would only take me a few hours to reach.



I obscured myself in the clouds and carefully scanned the area below me as I passed by. Nothing out of the ordinary. There was a location I thought would be significant for Amy's birthday, but I had--



"CHAOOO!"



...



I stopped mid-air and craned my head to look behind me. Nova clutched onto the back of my robe and had tears in their eyes.



"How?" How did I not notice? What did this creature do to somehow evade my notice each time? Insolent! Despicable! I growled and picked Nova off of me, instead holding them with one hand. "Why did you hang onto me?"



Nova shivered and clutched onto my hand.



"Yes, you're cold because I am at an incredibly high altitude!" I snapped. "You're lucky you can breathe."



"Chao...!"



Ugh. I lowered myself in the sky and let them cling onto the side of my chest. I would still be incredibly difficult to detect, but I preferred the certainty. I was too far away from the garden. Nova would have to come along...



As soon as they held against me, they began purring and snuggling themselves against the underside of my head. My torso was warmer because of all the flying I did, so they would likely be comfortable. I began flying again, at first at a slower speed, but as I grew more confident Nova would be fine, I returned to my top speed while supporting them with my hand.



Nova cooed happily and even began cheering. At least they did not mind the speed, otherwise I would be extremely annoyed. I wanted to at least get back before nightfall to spend the evening with Amy.



I approached the abandoned base's location, which was situated between a cramped valley and near a smaller village. Though the base was above-ground, it was difficult to see from the ground... And, at this point, it was covered in stray vegetation. I slowed down and lowered myself down to the base. I did a full scan of the inside...



There were two strange heat signatures near the surface, one a normal body temperature and the other one far lighter. Neither intruder could be me; the type of heat source didn't match. Even so, I didn't want to reveal my true form to any unwanted adversaries. I shifted to my organic disguise, then put Nova in a pocket on the inside of my coat. "Behave," I told them. I could at least keep track of them in my coat... Hopefully.



As I approached, I noticed the security system had malfunctioned and the front door was wide open. This base was more for storage, but it was mostly cleaned out a few years ago. What remained were scraps and abandoned projects not valued by my Master. I quietly walked inside and kept track of the heat signatures.



"Query: Why are we in a base with nothing to destroy?" Monotone, robotic voice... I knew who it was. E-123 Omega was present. I needed to cloak my own heat signature. Omega had a particular fondness for detecting Eggtech.



"We'll leave in a moment." Shadow. What were the two of them skulking around for? The two of them stood in the large, central room just past the entrance, meaning I had to sneak around them. Shadow was tapping on some device in his hand. I didn't know how much of the base they explored, so I still needed to conduct a more thorough scan.



"I usually raid bases on my own. This is why," Omega stated, rotating his hands in agitation. "Your choice of Eggman bases to raid is SUB-OPTIMAL."



"We both agreed to assist Rouge," he sighed, giving the device to Omega, who put it in a compartment that opened at his chest. "There's nothing here and we're leaving, so quit your complaining."



"I agreed because we were raiding old Eggman bases. I assumed the bases would have inferior machines to annihilate--"



"Chao!" Nova called from my coat. Tiny fool!



"INTRUDER!" Omega whipped his upper torso to my direction, but I hid in a closet before he could see. I growled quietly to myself. I couldn't believe I was about to do this. I took Nova out of my coat and pushed them into a vent in the wall at the back. "Leave," I commanded as quietly as I could. I covered the vent.



I transformed into Nova and stood there. The closet door opened, inferior robot guns pointed in my direction.



"Scanning..." Omega dropped one of the guns, while keeping the other aimed at me. "Unidentifiable lifeform. Unable to parse origin. State your origin!"



I emulated the blank stares Nova so often gave me. Omega took one step to the side while Shadow peered into the closet. "You know what chao are, Omega. How did one wander in here...?" He picked me up and I despised this.



I bit his arm with my appropriately sharp chao teeth and he dropped me with a scowl.



"AGGRESSION DETECTED--" Both guns were trained on me again.



"No!" snapped Shadow, standing in between us. I flew through under their legs and made my way deeper into the base. I heard the brute's guns whirring and saw some blasts whiff by me. "Omega!" shouted Shadow again. The gunfire stopped, but I continued on. "Guh. Stay right here. I'll be back."



Shadow was going to follow me. I took as many turns as I could to lose him, then went into another vent and scanned for heat signatures again. He initially followed me, but stopped in front of--



That infernal creature!



Nova did not leave as instructed, and instead wandered deeper into the base. Shadow found them in an adjacent hallway. I fluttered closer from the vents above and saw the very opening Nova dropped through to get there.



Omega followed Shadow as well; turns out no one could follow orders.



"Interesting," Omega said.



Shadow turned his head towards the other robot. "What?"



"Lifeform identified: Chao. Form is highly water-based. Threat level: nonexistent. Hostility unneeded."



Nova let out a tiny hiss. I felt a strange pride.



"I was not malfunctioning earlier," Omega finished.



"Are you sure?" Shadow asked.



"Desire for hostility towards teammate increased."



Great. I would have to avoid Omega, even in my disguise. I could copy the exact bio-data of whoever I wanted, but I could never truly disguise my core, likely confusing the robot. I wasn't yet sure what to do. My only choice was to wait for them to leave... I would probably have to wait to retrieve Nova.



I was the true fool. If I left Nova in the closet and absconded into the vents first, there would have been no discrepancy. Omega wouldn't have shot at Nova. So-- why did I react as if he would? Why didn't I leave Nova there?



Shadow brought his attention back to Nova after Omega scanned them. He picked them up, who did not react.



"Hm." Shadow lightly rubbed Nova on the head, who responded with a heart. Traitor.



This situation was incredibly aggravating. This was supposed to be a routine search for Cavalier Sonic, but instead it was babysitting. Shadow suspected something was awry as well... I could take no other chances.



"Let's go." Shadow walked away, Omega floating behind him. They made their way back to the entrance of the base, so I trailed behind them by using the vents. I watched them through an opening near the entrance. Shadow took one step out of the door--



Nova began screeching.



"Query: Why is the chao being incredibly annoying?" Omega asked, hardly audible.



"I don't know!!" Shadow exclaimed in return.



"Shall I silence it?"



Shadow glared at Omega, then stepped back into the base. Immediately, Nova went quiet. Shadow took one step out-- the screeching resumed. Shadow predictably placed Nova down indoors, where they were quiet again. He sighed. "... The chao probably lives around here. Let's just go."



"I will pick another base with active robots. Your destination choice has been unsatisfying," Omega said as the both of them walked out. "I noticed your disapproving glare. I was not going to shoot at the chao again," he said, his voice getting farther and farther away. I heard Omega's rocket thrusters... They were gone, but I waited a few more minutes just in case.



I dropped down from the nearest vent opening and shifted back into my organic disguise. I sighed too, picking up Nova who cheerfully reached out for me. "At least you are loyal enough to not let yourself be stolen," I grumbled.



"Chao!"



I tucked Nova against one of my arms and went deeper into the base to do an actual scan through this time. There weren't any active security logs because of the malfunction, but there was still data located within existing consoles in the base. From what I could tell, Shadow and Omega were not here for any data. The last available access to the base's files was a few years ago, right when the base became functionally abandoned.



I checked through different rooms just to make sure there was no residual evidence of anyone: Cavalier Sonic, my future self, or otherwise. There was nothing.



This was another empty base, so all that frustration was for nothing. I glared down at Nova, who fell asleep while I explored the base. I wished I was angrier than I was. Instead, I let out another sigh and navigated my way to the entrance.



I stopped. I heard the abrupt clattering of boxes, like someone ran into them. I held Nova to my chest with one hand and clasped my other hand over their mouth as I obscured myself behind abandoned machinery. I scanned for heat signatures once more...



This one wasn't Shadow or Omega... Or anyone I recognized, for that matter.



Another one ran in. Also unrecognizable.



"Ha...! We did it, Boss!" shouted some nobody. The silhouette from my scan looked like a cat. "No one ever checks this dump. The loot's as good as ours."



"Don't celebrate yet!" The other person, probably a coyote, replied. "The guards grazed my leg! Put that stuff down and grab the first-aid!"



I approached to get a better look at them. They did not exhibit any behaviors that I would associate with Cavalier Sonic. I put scans of their faces through any active databases just out of curiosity... While they were insignificant as I suspected, they were also criminals with active bounties on their heads. They were wanted alive.



...



I tucked Nova back into my coat.





"H-h-here you go..." An officer handed me a pouch full of money. I took it and checked to make sure the amount was correct. "Also, you got a bit of... uh..." The officer gestured to their own face, causing me to check mine. I wiped some blood splatter off my cheek.



"Thank you. Goodbye." I put the pouch into one of my outer coat pockets and left the shoddy sheriff's station. The village by the empty base didn't have proper roads, so I saw a large streak of dirt from where I dragged those two nobodies from the base.



I was bored. The criminals were incredibly weak and challenged me very little. The encounter made me want to pick a fight with someone more worthy.



"I'm taking you home, Nova," I said with a sigh.



"Chao!" Nova beamed in return. I would let them out of my coat when I was out of the village. I walked forward--



Shadow. Our eyes locked at opposite ends of the street. Why was he still in the area? Where was the inferior robot? He gave a serious stare.



...



He turned his head and walked away. I watched him leave, then took my leave in the opposite direction. Though he likely sensed something was different about me, he did not know who I was. I almost wished he did so I had a reason to fight him. I still needed to get him back for shorting me out. I kept my guard up as I left the village, returning to my true form only when I was far away from everything.



I held Nova under my head again once in the air. On the trip back, I thought about why they would have tagged along. Maybe, even though I visited the garden frequently, they still did not get enough attention. The child was spoiled, but I needed to better guide them if they were to continue to be useful to me.



I at least went back to my garden before nightfall. I walked to the vegetable garden, then picked a chao fruit off one of the ripened trees. Nova eagerly reached for it and chomped into it when I gave it to them. I tilted my head as I watched them.



I spent some more time with Nova. I played with them for a little while with the intentions to increase their strength, but they quickly tired themselves out and fell asleep on the floor. I put them in their bed before I made my way back to my Amy.



I unlocked her door while in my disguise... She wasn't here. As soon as I closed the door, I returned to my true form and went to her bedroom, then collapsed face-first onto her bed. I experienced an uncommon feeling: the desire to lay there and do nothing.



I heard the front door open again, followed by the clattering of keys on the kitchen counter. Amy lightly hummed to herself... After a few minutes, I heard her approach the bedroom. She let out a lighter sigh.



I felt her hand caress the top of my head. She touched my quills with curiosity, then went back to my head. She leaned down and kissed behind one of my ears.



"Long day?" she asked with a smile in her tone.



"Mmh."



She briefly walked away and I heard her shuffle around in her dresser. After a minute, she hopped onto the other side of the bed. I dragged her closer to me with one of my arms.



Interacting with the world in disguise would get increasingly complicated... But... Amy was worth the frustration. I would defeat her allies, crush the other robots. I didn't care. I squeezed her in my hold, and then finally, I truly relaxed.