I was extremely annoyed.



Sage reported intruders at one of the bases she was tasked to search. She was told to leave at the slightest sign of danger, but instead she got herself into a mess and called on her dear Father to help her, which in turn, made him call me. I took off at my maximum speed towards their location, obscuring myself in the mist of the sky.



Making Sage look better in her Father's eyes was the first and last favor I would ever do for her. She was supposed to check the bases and gather information, but she apparently couldn't handle it. Despicable. There was a reason I was ordered to do it first.



Truthfully, I had no one else to blame. I should've searched everything myself then had a relatively peaceful time with Amy. I shouldn't trust others to do a job I could do better.



I didn't know how long I would be gone, so I hoped, if I was gone for the night, Amy would not have another dream she could not properly wake up from. However, I was glad she felt better.



... I had to assist Sage quickly so I could return to Amy as fast as possible. Thankfully, the base I needed to go to was nearby, also deep in the snowy mountains.



I scanned the map of the base and went for a hidden entrance buried by the snow. After shifting the snow to the side, I unlocked a hatch and jumped inside. I turned into my base form as I scanned around and went down the dark, empty white halls. My true form was an element of surprise that none of my adversaries had except for Amy and possibly the Bat.



"Neo Metal Sonic." I heard Sage's voice from my communicator--



She phased through the wall in front of me, her gaze serious and unflinching.



'Where are the intruders?' I asked with my machine tones--



There was an explosion on the other side of the base. I got my answer.



'Return to the main base,' I said to her, then rocketed down the hallway.



From the information I had, I knew this was a weapons base. As I flew down the halls, I saw several empty charging stations; wherever the pawns were, they were likely where the explosion took place. There was a bridge bordered by windows showing a massive cavern, hundreds of robots crowded in the trenches below.



Krak! A part of the ground in the cavern was destroyed with a plethora of bright energy blasts. I immediately knew the source...



"WORTHLESS CONSUMER MODELS!" E-123 Omega screamed out, mowing through rows of pawns. I similarly saw flashes of green; Shadow accompanied him, smashing pawns with his own tricks. It's possible they were alone, but I had to watch for the Bat just in case. I continued down the bridge to reach the cavern.



I found an obscure opening and watched them. The other robots gave them no trouble, though they were occupied for a little while as I considered my strategy. I attempted to find additional heat signatures in case the Bat was around.



"Neo Metal Sonic," Sage communicated to me again. "Your past reports indicate that there were no intruders to access the base's consoles. They accessed this one."



Interesting.



"They were looking through the main weapons directory. It is likely they were trying to find more information about the Doctor's Prototype."



'Cavalier Sonic,' I corrected.



"I am using the name that he wills. Or is there an issue?" she asked, her voice strained. Irritating. She irritated me.



'Is Rouge the Bat around?' I asked her.



"Were you not tracking her down before?" Her voice was judgmental.



Irritating. 'I have been studying multiple targets. Even so, I owe you no explanation.'



There was silence on her end, which was preferable. I went back to focusing on the matter at hand. Eventually, Sage spoke one more time: "Rouge the Bat not found."



I temporarily closed my communication. If she wanted to speak to me again, she could do so after my work was complete. I went down the cavern, traversing past several platforms and storage units full of previously awakened pawns. Masses of parts and metal debris were scattered from the destruction those two insects caused on their own.



By the time I got there, there weren't many pawns left. I sent a signal to call the remaining ones away, confusing the murder-lusting robot and forcing Shadow to look further at his surroundings. Omega managed to destroy a few more bots before they believed they were alone.



"Your FEAR will not prevent your destruction!" Omega yelled, the guns on his arms ready to fire again.



"Wait, Omega." Shadow narrowed his eyes as he looked around. "Something must be here."



He should get a medal for his observational skills. I jumped, then I crunched the ground in the area in front of them, making my presence known.



Shadow's eyes widened once more. "You...?"



"INFERIOR MODEL DETECTED!" Omega immediately began raining down gunfire on me. I easily maneuvered out of the way... And I began my chase. They did not belong here.



The two of them went after me, but I could handle them without issue. I was faster than the both of them, fighting in such a way that they didn't know I was studying them. I copied their lifeform data and could only gather even more information as they went for me. Like our last scuffle, Shadow chucked his ridiculous spears of chaos energy at me. This time, he would not hit me.



I wanted to fight. I wanted to tear them apart. They enraged me because they interrupted my time with Amy. Whatever information they wanted, they already looked at it. Instead of leave the base, they tried to deactivate me. They would soon realize their attempts were for naught.



I evaded their punches, kicks, external weaponry and responded with my own that they similarly evaded. They thought they would be able to overwhelm me, but I was used to dealing with several adversaries at once. They never wanted to give me a chance to act, which was exactly what honed my skills even further. I blocked Shadow, I clawed into one of Omega's guns and damaged it. Both were relentless and so was I.



"You should've stayed down on that island," hissed Shadow when our kicks clashed against one another. He just as quickly disappeared into his cowardly vortex. I launched back to avoid Omega's gunfire--



Omega punched me back, sending me to the other side of the cavern. Dust from the rocky collision clouded the area. More gunfire, more spears. I used the dust for my reveal.



I sped behind Shadow.



"Pathetic," I said aloud.



Shadow sucked in a gasp-- I stabbed through his shoulder from behind with a chaos spear just like his. He staggered forward, briefly taken over by the spear's energy; he used Chaos Control to disappear again, droplets of blood in his wake. I sped over to Omega in an instant as I returned to my true form.



"RAGE INCREASING!" Omega aimed for me, but I was no longer in the mood to play with them. I dug my claws into his head, hearing the pleasant creak of metal under my force. He shot directly at me; I felt it, but it did hardly much to damage me.



I instinctively swung my free arm-- Shadow reappeared just in time to be thrashed to the side. I roughly pulled out Omega's head, wires snapping and creaking. Even without a head, he aimed at me and attempted to blast and create some distance.



"TAKE ALL OF MY HATE!" Omega yelled from my palm. I threw him to the side, then kicked his body in the opposite direction. He was too disoriented to lock onto me, rapid gunfire ceasing as he gauged whatever fruitless strategy he had in mind.



Shadow was in front of me, holding his bleeding shoulder and intensely glaring at me. He clutched tightly onto a Chaos Emerald with his wounded arm.



"I actually owed you for that incident on the island," I said to him, tilting my head. "Yet, you don't seem that enthused about my gift."



His eyes widened and he clenched his teeth.



"Take your robot and leave," I told him. "Unless you'd like a reminder that your declaration as the 'Ultimate Lifeform' is self-proclaimed."



"Shadow the Hedgehog. LET ME SHOOT HIM IN THE FACE!" Omega yelled a distance away from us both.



"There's a reason you normally can't talk," spat Shadow towards me. The emerald glowed in his hand and he vanished in another instant. I patiently waited to see what choice he made.



He reappeared, whirling down to kick me in the head. "Wrong choice." I grabbed his leg and aimed him towards the ground before he could--



Pi-ko!



I lost my grip and crashed into a nearby stalagmite. Amy...! She stood defensively between Shadow and me, gaze determined and hammer primed. She was here...? I went too fast for her to follow me, so she must have been called somehow. She was beautiful. She hit me pretty hard... I was feeling a lot of feelings, all of them thrilling.



There was only way to truly organize my thoughts. I quickly righted myself and aimed right for her. She strengthened her stance and bounded after me at the same time, swinging her hammer before my claws had even a chance to reach her.



Her movements were incredibly determined. She intended to seriously fight me. Excited. I wanted to fight her. I wanted to fight.



Wait. I had to remember we were not alone. Shadow disappeared again. Omega was suspiciously quiet--



Pi-ko!



She hit me again-- the impact was so strong that I broke the metallic container I landed against. Inexcusable on my part. Amazing on hers. She was more than beautiful. Focus. Though I would not truly damage my Amy, I had to show her this was not simple sparring.



I turned one of my arms into Omega's guns and shot at her. She ran out of the way-- I used one of the blasts to shoot me in the air and I aimed for her directly. All of her actions were spent on evading me as I threw different kinds of weaponry her way.



I noticed her movements were much more swift; she already improved an incredible amount from the last time we fought, and she was impressive then, too. Her movements were elegant, winter coat twirling with her thick dress as she spiraled towards me with her hammer. She aimed for me without fear.



I blocked her hit, but the impact made me skid against the ground. I laughed aloud, revealing my joy. Her serious glare briefly vanished.



I generated an immense amount of electricity in one of my palms. She gasped and backed away-- Krrrack! I shot a bolt of lightning, far superior to those pitiful spears, near her. I conjured more, creating distance between us both. I wanted to see how she would close the distance.



Speaking of pitiful spears... I dodged a few more. Shadow included himself in the fight again and successfully knocked me to the side. Irritating. Could he not see I was occupied? This battle had no place for him.



Either way, I would remind Amy that I could handle whatever any of them threw my way. I evaded both of their attacks, refocused, and aimed to distance myself from that loathsome stain so I could face off with my wonderful Amy.



I lunged for Amy-- she slid under me and disrupted my balance with her hammer. I saved my stance by clawing into the ground. Electricity crackled in my hands and powered my legs. I started up my turbine.



CRACK!



I slammed her against a different stalagmite, far away from everyone else. She attempted to block the impact with her hammer, but I was far too powerful. She breathed heavily, teeth clenched as she gave me a serious glare.



Beautiful. I loved her. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to hold her against me tightly. I was so angry. Why were other people around? She was mine. They should've left.



"... Wow, you weren't kidding," she whispered.



I narrowed my eyes. "What?"



"You are into this."



"... Focus on your survival, Amy Rose," I said in a low tone. "Because I will not hold back."



My words were intended to be a threat, but her face became very red. She butted her head against me! Her movement caught me off guard, allowing her to escape my grasp.



As I figured out where she was, more gunfire went my way; Omega held his own head while he shot at me with his other arm. Shadow attempted to short me out again, just like he did on the island. It wasn't going to happen.



I faced off against the three of them. Their attacks were frequent, but unlike my base form, I could attack even quicker. I held my own. It was inevitable that they, barring Omega, would get tired. I could easily incapacitate Omega once dealing with the other two.



Amy was the best of the three. She anticipated my moves the best and she attacked me in ways I didn't expect. She was as intelligent as she was stunning. She knew me well in her attempts to best me without resorting to flattery.



I would win, but I enjoyed her vigor. I would have to fight a while for her to eventually lose her energy.



I knocked Omega away, then pinned Amy down to the ground, separating her from her hammer. She breathed heavily under me, sweat at her brow. Her gaze was serious, but her eyes told me everything else.



There was a strange sound. I broke my focus. Smoke bombs! Several of them doused the entire area in thick smoke.



Zrrrrrt! K... Kiss! Amy's breaths briefly paused as she pressed her mouth to me. Addicting... Alluring...



Cheap trick! I growled angrily once I realized what she did.



Unlike her last surprise, though, she did not strike me. Her kiss ended, and then I no longer heard her breaths.



"Byeeee~!" Rouge. Her voice was distant. I used Amy's cyclone move to clear the air...



All of them were gone. They escaped.



...



I turned my communicator back on. "Intruders are gone. Re-secure the base."



I left the base. At least my Master was wise enough to not waste my skills on cleaning the aftermath. I spent some time attempting to locate Rouge or her subordinates, but my efforts were fruitless. I focused on finding Amy after accepting their absence. I went back towards the resort... And I picked up her heat signature.

Amy groaned, sinking deeper into the hot springs. "Wow I need this. You really like throwing people into walls."



I crossed my arms and refused to reply to her, sitting in the same springs a few feet away. Though I found our battle intoxicating, she broke an agreement.



I felt her gaze on me. After a moment, she let out a dramatic sigh: "You better not be mad because I distracted you."



I shot a glare at her. She squinted back.



"We're still technically at odds!" she exclaimed, lifting her hands out of the water. "I'm not even sure why you're mad. You kept telling me how you enjoyed fighting."



"You kissed me!" I yelled.



"... Oh! You're grumpy about that?" She giggled, her cheeks red. She was cute and I was angry! "We were surrounded by smoke! I was just saying goodbye...~"



"How was I supposed to know that?!" I turned fully towards her. "Do you not understand the incredible restraint I have to not fully embrace you?! You were-- it... It was inconceivable! You gave me your full strength!" The water was uncharacteristically hot. I wanted to get out, yet I wanted to stay. "Y-y-you should have controlled your impulses!"



She rode her finger up my chin. I tensed.



Slowly, she leaned in more. "You had to restrain yourself? But you said you wouldn't hold back," she purred.



... I... I was...



...



...



Amy was laughing. How long was she laughing for? I don't remember her starting.



"Y...You! Cease your laughter!" I shouted.



"I overloaded you a little bit!" She said before giggling some more. "For all the times you've made me a total mess, I like that I can still do it after your upgrade..."



I dug my hands into my quills as I tried to figure out what to do with myself. I had no words, either.



She kissed me on the cheek. I looked at her... She gave me a soft gaze. I was melting.



"... I also get angry that I am not angry at you," I grumbled. She giggled again.



"Yeah, I think we take turns doing a bunch of stuff," she replied. I rested my hands again, leading her to run her fingers through my quills. "We really are so alike..."



I kissed her back. I could tell she wanted to relax further, so I let her settle. I tried to relax too. There was always time to interrogate her about Rouge's findings later, if she had extra information to give. I at least didn't have to worry about Cavalier Sonic falling into the Hedgehog's hands should Rouge's research lead her there before me.



I decided to enjoy the moments of downtime.