Chapter Text
- Daisy: Make room, please ! It's hot !
- Charmy: Mmm...Smells good ! ♪
- Vector: Charmy ! Can you help us instead of watching us do all the work for you ?
- Peach: Come on ! Let's eat !
It's lunchtime at the House of Heroes. While Peach, Daisy and Amy are cooking, the rest of the group must set up the large dining room table, which must be able to seat almost twenty people. The excitement on everyone's faces suggests that this day is like no other. The house seems different too. Whereas a few weeks ago, the emptiness of the freshly-built house could still be felt, the heroes have finally taken the time to decorate to their taste, to buy more furniture, to finally make their mark.
Once the plates and cutlery have been placed, the girls rush to place the hot dishes on them. As usual, the smell is to die for. Without waiting any longer, everyone settles into their places and is already preparing to serve themselves, when Mario gently taps his glass with his spoon to get their attention.
- Mario: Attention, please, everyone ! Before you throw yourselves on the food like savages, I'd like to make a toast.
- Yoshi: "scroutch, scroutch..." Yum...Yoshi ? (What ?)
- Mario: Um...Anyway, I'd like to make a toast. To our home, finally fully decorated and functional. Well done, everyone !
- Blaze: It's been a lot of work, but I finally have the pleasant feeling of being in a house. To feel at home.
- Tails: I'm finally gonna be able to work in my new workshop ! I can't wait !
- Espio: Personally, I can't wait to try out our training room. We've got to get ready. Bowser and the Doctor could attack at any moment.
- Daisy: Don't worry about that ! Given the beating they took last time, they won't be poking their noses out again for a while !
- Sonic: She’s right ! Relax, Espio! If they come back, we'll show them what we're made of, as usual !
- Mario : Well said, Sonic. We're living in a new home, a new town, a new world, and we'll do anything to defend it. To our new life !
- Everyone: TO OUR NEW LIFE !
Immediately, all the heroes raise their glasses in unison, to celebrate the completion of their home. For them, their new life truly begins now.
Once the celebrations are over, the whole group help themselves to food. The silence that follows suggests that the heroes are enjoying a delicious meal. Suddenly, Knuckles notices that Rouge is barely touching his plate. The echidna can't help but take a dig at his long-time rival.
- Knuckles: Well, what’s wrong, Batgirl ? Did you let a jewel get away from you or something ?
- Rouge: I have a life outside of jewels, you know.
- Knuckles: Really ? Funny, I always thought the contrary...
- Amy: Hey, don't you two start picking at each other ! Today is a big day ! And I'd like to be able to eat in peace ! What's wrong, Rouge ?
Clearly already bored with the idea of bickering with Rouge for the umpteenth time, Knuckles simply turns his head away from the discussion. The bat rolls his eyes before answering Amy's question.
- Rouge: Well...it's about Shadow. I'm worried about him...
- Vector: We haven't seen him in weeks. But why are you thinking about him now ?
- Rouge: Well, I was expecting him to be here for the opening of the Uniocity G.U.N. Headquarters...
- Silver: Oh right ! Where you went this morning. So he wasn't there ?
- Rouge: No. But he had to be. The Commander didn't take it very well, either. But Omega was there.
- Mario: The robot ? Does he work with you and Shadow at G.U.N. ?
- Rouge: Of course. Omega never misses an opportunity to let off steam. And there's no shortage of that at G.U.N. If you only knew how exhausting it is...
Rouge pauses in her monologue for a few seconds to let out a long, exasperated sigh. The bat has always had trouble dealing with Omega and his desire for revenge. She quickly returned her attention to the conversation.
- Rouge: Anyway, I asked him if he had seen Shadow in the last few days, and he assured me he hadn't. He promised to contact me if he heard anything.
- Luigi: Do you think something's happened to him ?
- Sonic: No...my guess is that he's just brooding alone, as usual. But it won't last long !
- Mario : You haven't given up on the idea of having him live here, have you ?
- Sonic : No, sir ! Shadow has to live with us ! Period !
Mario raises his eyes to the sky, a slight smile on his face. Sonic's stubbornness doesn't surprise him - quite the opposite, in fact. In truth, he too shares his point of view, as do the rest of his friends. Deep down, they'd all like Shadow to change his mind and agree to live among them. Despite his somewhat antisocial attitude, the hedgehog has turned out to be a good-hearted ally who can be counted on. Unfortunately, things don't always work out the way you want them to.
- Rouge: I'd like him to live here too. After all, he's my best friend.
- Vector: Yeah, I agree, it would certainly make him less grumpy. But we don't even know where he is.
- Sonic: Well, I've got a pretty good idea...The way I know him, he's probably holed up in one of his favorite brooding spots.
- Rouge: Let me guess. The Ark.
- Sonic: Bingo.
For the heroes, it's almost a given. If there's one place Shadow can be found, it's on the space station Ark, where he was born and lived. Without warning, Sonic suddenly rises from his chair, looking determined, as his comrades look on in astonishment.
- Knuckles: Where are you going ?
- Sonic: To find Shadow, of course ! To the Ark !
- Espio: Just one question: how exactly are you going to get there ?
- Sonic: Simple ! I will…!
- Rouge: If you're thinking of borrowing ships from G.U.N., forget it. They're all used for research on the new world.
- Sonic: Well, I'm out of ideas.
- Tails: Um...if I remember correctly, there's a teleporter on the Ark ?
- Rouge: Indeed. That's how I got there the first time, in fact. The doctor had placed one in his pyramid base. He, Shadow and I used to go that way to get to the colony.
- Tails: Sonic, why don't you use OUR teleporter ? The one they've installed in the house ?
- Knuckles: Clever. I used it to get to Angel Island, and it works great.
- Amy: But there's no guarantee it'll get us to the Ark ! Doctor Toadaka said it allows us to go only to places where beacons have been placed !
- Sonic: Yeah, well, we've got no other option ! It doesn't hurt to try ! Come on, I'll go and come back !
- Peach : Wait ! Don't you want to eat strawberry tart first ?
- Sonic: ...Well...have a piece and then I'll go.
A few minutes later, the heroes savor their last bite of pie and put an end to the meal. Sonic wastes no more time and heads for the teleporter room, followed by Mario, Tails, Knuckles and Rouge, while the others clear the table. The teleporter is a huge box-like machine, covered with a large keyboard and screen. A blue circle sits in the center of the room. Sonic observes the machine with bewilderment. The hedgehog has no idea how it works, so he readily enlists the help of his friend Tails.
- Sonic: So...how does this thing work ?
- Tails: It's very simple, you just type the name of the place you want to go to on the keyboard and stand on the circle on the floor !
- Sonic: Well, if Knux could do it, it can't be that complicated !
- Knuckles: You know, I could just send you into space with a kick in the butt !
Sonic laughs at Knuckles' threat, while Knuckles grumbles and crosses his arms. The hedgehog types the name of the space colony on the keyboard and prepares to move into the circle. Mario stares at him worriedly. The plumber seems to have a bad feeling about this.
- Mario: I wonder if Amy's right, Sonic...there's no way this teleporter will get you to the Ark ! What if something goes wrong ?
- Sonic : Well, there's only one way to find out ! We'll see what happens !
- Rouge: Good luck, Sonic. If you could bring Shadow back to us...I'd be very happy.
- Sonic: I'll do my best ! See you later ! Or...in five seconds, if that doesn't work.
With these last words, Sonic places himself on the circle and disappears almost instantly in a beam of light. A few seconds pass, and the hedgehog doesn't return. His friends looked at each other, not quite sure what to think. Either the teleportation has worked, or it hasn't, and they have plenty to worry about. But they have no way of knowing. The only thing they can do now is wait, hoping that Sonic will return as soon as possible, and with Shadow, at best.