Training was going well...but also not great. Maria's control of her Chaos Powers were at a very basic level. She could command them and they would obey, but since she didn't exactly know how to fight, she couldn't do any of the things that Shadow could do.

And she was insistent that sparring was unnecessary. Adamant even.

But her natural abilities as a superpowered hedgehog were much harder to learn. After all, it was sort of just something that him and Sonic figured out on their own throughout life...while Maria had only been a hedgehog for a few weeks at best. She couldn't seem to nail spin-dashing, so they tried about...maybe 20 times with that before they decided to push that lesson for another time.

Her next lesson was controlling not only her air shoes, but her super speed as well...it...uhhh...

Maria felt cartoonishly dizzy as she hit another tree, slowly stumbling backward. "I-I think I'm getting it...!"

Shadow sighed. "No. No, you aren't."

Maria then snapped out of it, rubbing her head. "You'd think I'd be able to better use the air shoes that I designed."

Shadow walked over, setting a hand on her shoulder. "We'll keep trying."

"How many times does this make again?"

"...25, but that doesn't matter." Shadow said. "Unless you'd rather just shelf this lesson for the day as well."

Maria hummed and then looked down at her air shoes...and then, a lightbulb suddenly went off in her head as her eyes sparkled. "I think I understand the issue!!!"

Shadow turned his head.

"I've been treating this like running!" Maria cried. "But you never run on these! You're skating! How did I not see it sooner!? These shoes are essentially rocket-powered roller skates, so they work the same way!!!"

She then sat down and reached behind her, grabbing a small tool. She then took off one of her air shoes and began to gently tweak them. "But, just in case, I should decrease the propulsion to reduce speed. Especially since I am already going at hypothetical sonic speeds and my goal should be to actually control the natural speed of my own body, but the shoes allowing me to go even faster makes it significantly more difficult to control. Take that factor out of the equation and BAM!"

Shadow couldn't help but smile a little at Maria's inner Robotnik kicking in as she tweaked her air shoes. He had been...smiling a lot lately.

It was unusual...and kind of hurt his face. When was the last time he actually smiled before Maria had come back?

There was the time he and Omega were drifting on The Dark Rider while shooting up a massive army of Eggman's drones. He definitely smiled then.

Maria then worked on her other shoe, even sticking out her tongue to show she was in full concentration. Then, she smiled wide and put the tool away. "Okay! That should do it! Ready for Test #26?"

Shadow nodded. "If you are."

"I was reborn ready!" Maria cried as she stood tall.

Shadow nodded and then took a stance. "I'll be with you. Try and mimic my movements."

Maria then took a stance as well, looking more determined to get this right than ever before.

The brother and sister of The Ark then began to gently run forward...and then, the thrusters of their air shoes slowly turned on, lifting them slightly off the ground. Shadow continued his slower pace, his eyes on Maria as he watched her slowly stumble a bit as her air shoes lifted her up.

Then, Maria began to picture the thrusters as wheels on a pair of roller skates and began to gently allow her feet to simply glide across the ground.

Shadow smirked as they gently skated across. "Good. Remember that you aren't running, you're skating."

Maria nodded with a grin as she moved one foot forward and then the other slowly, not trying to move them as fast as she could like whenever she would try to run earlier.

Shadow then gently moved ahead of her, swinging his arms from one side to the other. They were practically in a perfect rhythm with his legs.

Maria studied for a moment and once again began to view this as roller skating. Shadow was swinging his arms to not only generate momentum, but to keep balance as well.

She then moved one leg forward while swinging one of her arms. She moved ahead slightly. So, she did it again. And then again. And then again.

Eventually, she caught up with Shadow and the two were now gently skating across the ground.

Shadow grinned. "No falls just yet."

Maria laughed, even cheering a little as she kept up the slow and gentle movements. "I-I'm doing it, Shadow!!! Look at me!!!"

"Focus. Keep your eyes where you're going." Shadow instructed.

Maria nodded rapidly and looked ahead of her as she kept skating.

"Good. Try to pick up the pace." Shadow said as he began to move faster.

Maria mimicked him, with the two hedgehogs now matching speeds. And after moving around at a slightly faster pace, Shadow began to go even faster. Maria caught up with him in no time.

Then, he went even faster. Maria caught up again. Wash, rinse, repeat...until the two were now skating down the road, with yellow blurs trailing behind them.

Shadow then grinned, watching his sister with an amount of pride that even he had a hard time describing.

Maria was 'in the zone' for lack of a better word, a determined smirk across her face as she kept skating.

"Move ahead of me. I'll catch up." Shadow said.

Maria's eyes widened and she looked at him. "You're sure?"

"You've been doing great so far, haven't you?"

Maria hummed and then looked ahead...and then she giggled. "I think Sonic said this once! Let's juice!"

Then, in a brief spark of Chaos Energy, Maria dashed forward.

"...what does that even mean?" Shadow asked with an annoyed sigh...before suddenly, a red blur tackled him into the air.

But Maria was already too far to hear, skating further and further down the road. She laughed and then increased her speed, loving the feeling of the wind blowing through her quills. It was...freeing in a way.

So, she started moving even faster and before she could even tell, she was starting to move out of the way from people and cars. So, she went even faster.

Maria cheered as she kept skating and then went even faster before her eyes widened when her fur was suddenly brushed with...water?

She looked down, still skating, but not over the ground. She was over the ocean.

Normally, she'd freak out...but she just laughed and started to gleefully zig-zag across the water while swinging her arms and legs even faster. Water shot out from behind her, making her feel like some kind of speedboat.

"WOOHOO!!!!" Maria laughed, picking up even more speed as if she was trying to chase something that wasn't there.

Then, a dolphin leapt out of the water and right over her head, with Maria just smiling wide at the sight and keeping up her great speed. She didn't know how fast she was actually going anymore, but she was loving every single minute of it.

No wonder Sonic loved to run.

After passing by an actual speedboat in less than a second, Maria looked ahead and saw she was heading towards land.

Maria then laughed. "THIS IS AMAZING!!! LOOK AT ME, SHADOW!!!"

No response.

"...wait...SHADOW!?!" Maria yelped, realizing she had just left her brother behind. But before she could even let the selfishness settle in, a familiar thing caused her to come to an abrupt stop.

She had bumped into something...but it wasn't a tree. It had fallen over with her.

Maria groaned before slowly looking down...she hadn't just fallen over something. She had fallen over someone.

A Mobian, around her height. He was some kind of red dog, likely a wolf considering his fluffy tail and pointed ears. He had rather adorable glasses on his face with golden eyes under them. And finally, he seemed to be wearing some kind of belt around his shoulder and waist that gave him an almost militaristic vibe. His gloves and shoes were the same way.

The red wolf groaned as well before his eyes focused on Maria and they widened...and for a moment, his snout seemed to get a little redder? Or was that just his fur?

Maria gasped and quickly got up. "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, sir! Let me help you!"

The red wolf stared at the hand the yellow hedgehog offered...before letting out a small laugh as he took it, being pulled right to his feet. "H-hey, no biggie! I love being bumped into by super sonic hedgehogs!"

Then, he blinked. "W-wait, that...that sounded a lot better in my head. I meant that I don't mind being bumped into- Well...no, no I mind. But you didn't mean to, so it's not-"

Then, the wolf spat out a bunch of gibberish for a moment, a frustrated look on his face as he tried to get his own words together. He then faced Maria. "Let's start over! Hi! I'm Gadget!"

Maria giggled and then shook his hand. "I'm Maria! Maria Robotnik! Sorry for bumping into you...I kind of got a bit carried away with my own speed."

"Hey, it's no big deal!" Gadget laughed. "I may not look like it, but I can take a beating! Heck, I even reinforced these glasses so I wouldn't have to keep buying new ones! This, uhh, kinda thing happens to me a lot."

Maria's eyes widened slightly and she stepped closer. "You did...? What material?"

"Genesisum!" Gadget said. "A very tough, but incredibly light metal! I managed to extract some of its alloy and then reshape it into- Oh...umm...sorry, am I boring you? I-I know this is kind of nerdy-"

"No, no, no! Keep going!" Maria smiled. "I've never gotten the chance to look into Earth's periodic table of elements and I know it's changed over the years!"

"Actually, Genesisum has been around since the 1990's!" Gadget said. "It's kind of rare to find nowadays, but back then? Whew, you couldn't get enough of it! Stronger than steel, but not as much as titanium! And like I said, despite it being incredibly durable, it's very light! I mean...can you imagine if I tried to make glasses out of titanium?"

"You'd probably keep falling." Maria laughed. "So, how did you find it? Do you mine?"

"Me? Oh, uhh, no!" Gadget said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't have nearly enough muscle to do that. I mean, look at me."

"I don't know! You seem pretty strong to me! Especially up here!" She said as she tapped her head. "And I think an extremely high IQ is something to be proud of!"

Gadget smiled, his cheeks suddenly going a bit red again. "H-heh. I think so too...but I'm no professor yet! I'm just good at making gadgets...g-get it? Gadget? That's my name?"

Maria covered her mouth, giggling softly. "I get it!"

But then, her eyes widened and she suddenly whipped around behind her. "WAIT!!! SHADOW!!! I LEFT HIM BEHIND!!!"

Gadget, startled a bit by the sudden yelling, slowly stepped forward. "Wait...Shadow? As in Shadow The Hedgehog? You know him?"

"Yes! He's my brother!" Maria said. "He was teaching me how to better control my super speed, but I think I must've gotten too carried away! I should call him!"

She then pulled out her smartphone and, despite her bigger hands, dialed Shadow's number and then held it up to her ear as she anxiously awaited an answer...or a potential scolding.

But, it went to voicemail after a few rings. Maria sighed and then spoke. "Shadow? This is Maria! Umm...I'm kind of across the ocean and have no idea where I am-"

"You're on West Island! You aren't too far from Station Square!" Gadget added.

"Oh! Thank you!" Maria smiled. "I'm on West Island then! So...I'm really sorry about getting carried away! Knowing you, I'll probably see you soon! Sorry again! Bye!"

She then hung up and put her phone away with a sheepish laugh. "Guess I'm gonna be waiting here a while..."

"Need any company?" Gadget asked. "Ummm, wait. Does that sound weird? I-I'm not trying to be a stranger or anything-"

Maria laughed. "It's fine! And yes, I'd love some company!"

Gadget smiled and the two then took a seat, now just looking at the shore ahead of them. "So...Shadow's your brother? I didn't know he had any relatives."

"It's...a long story." Maria said. "I take it you know about him through his reputation of saving the world?"

"Actually, I met him during the war!"

"Oh!" Maria said...before her face was painted with a horrified expression. "THE WAR?!?!?"

Gadget chuckled. "Also a long story. To sum it up, Dr. Eggman conquered the world and this edgelord named Infinite was helping him. I was a part of a massive Resistance with...a lot of my heroes actually. Sonic The Hedgehog, Amy Rose, Knuckles The Echidna, your brother, you name it!"

Maria grimaced once again at another horrible deed her cousin had committed. "I see..."

"Shadow...ummm...probably doesn't remember me." Gadget said. "At least, I hope he doesn't."

Maria tilted her head. "Why?"

"I...kind of thought he was an evil clone and punched him in the face...and he looked like he was going to explode." Gadget said with a sheepish grin. "I-I was lucky he was more focused on the clones of himself..."

Maria laughed. "Oh, don't worry! Shadow's a sweetheart deep down! He just has trouble expressing it is all."

Gagdet chuckled. "If you say so..."

But then, suddenly...a strange sound suddenly rung through the air. Gadget's eyes widened, recognizing the sound instantly as he got up and looked around.

"Gadget? What's wrong?" Maria asked, standing up.

"Stay behind me." Gadget said, suddenly pulling out some kind of small and red device.

Maria was confused...before a deep and terrifying chuckle filled the air along with the strange sound.

"Fear...oh, how I've missed that scent..."

Then, a familiar masked jackal slowly floated down with his entire body surrounded in a pink aura as The Phantom Ruby glowed even brighter.

"Infinite...?" Gadget whispered. "You're alive?! And with The Phantom Ruby?!"

Infinite hummed as he stared down the red wolf. "I am alive and well...and I think I recall you, child...it seems you've become acquainted with Project Maria."

Gadget just growled, holding his arm in front of Maria. "I don't know what you're talking about or how you're still around, but you're getting a beatdown all the same!"

Infinite just cackled. "I admire your heroism...and I cannot wait to break it."

BOSS STAGE: Infinite

Gadget's device then suddenly transformed itself into a blaster and he aimed it right at The Phantom Ruby...before Maria quickly got in between the two.

"WAIT!!!" Maria cried.

Gadget's eyes widened. "Maria! Get away from him!!!"

Maria then faced the superpowered jackal. "Infinite...? Can...can you please just hear me out? I...I know you're with Eclipse, but please! We don't want to fight, we just want to talk!"

Infinite looked very unamused.

"I...I don't know what happened to you that made you this way. That made you want to hurt my brother." Maria began. "That made you work with my cousin to conquer the world...but whatever it is, I think we can help you! Instead of inflicting pain on others, you can grow through your own! Some part of you has to know that what you're doing to people isn't right...and wouldn't it feel better to use your powers for something good? Benefit the planet! Not tear it down! I mean...you and your friends brought me back after all, even if it wasn't for a good reason, so you already have the capability to help people! I just know that this can end in a way where no one has to get hurt..."

Infinite was quiet.

"So...can we make peace?" Maria asked. "Let us help you."

The jackal didn't say anything...before suddenly howling with laughter. He clutched his stomach, laughing like he had just heard the funniest comedy routine. His laughter was almost hysterical and just as eerie as before.

Maria's eyes widened and she took a step back. "I-Infini-"

"YOU BLIND LITTLE FOOL!!!" Infinite cackled. "I DON'T WANT YOUR WORTHLESS PITY, NOR DO I NEED IT!!!"

"I-I'm not pitying you! I just want to-!"

"I don't hurt people because I am hurting...I don't break spirits because my own is broken...I DESTROY BECAUSE I WANT DESTRUCTION!!!" Infinite boomed. "YOUR BROTHER'S LIFELESS BODY WILL FALL FROM MY GRASP...THIS WORLD'S PEOPLE WILL SCREAM AT THE POWER OF THE PHANTOM RUBY...AND YOU AND THAT MUTT WILL BE ANOTHER PAIR OF ITS VICTIMS..."

Maria was horrified as she slowly took a step back. "W-wait-!"

"Eclipse and that waste of space, Mephiles are not my friends!!! They are my tools!!! Something to aid me in getting what I want!!! Once they have served their purpose, I'll finish them off!!" Infinite cried. "SO NOW, FOR WASTING MY TIME WITH YOUR LAUGHABLE SPEECH, LET'S SEE WHAT HORRORS MY POWER CAN CONJURE!!! JUST FOR YOU!!!"

Gadget ran forward, trying to grab ahold of Maria's hand to pull her out of the way...but the strange ringing sound filled the air once more and Maria's view of the world began to change.

In the blink of an eye, she was in...some kind of bleak hallway. Maria's eyes widened as she looked around. "G...Gadget? Anyone?!"

No response. Just the sound of her own echo.

Maria started to walk down the halls...and that's when she noticed that each wall was completely covered in...equations. Likely written from chalk.

The yellow hedgehog kept walking down the strange hallway as she read some of the equations...before she suddenly stopped when she saw something in the distance. She squinted her eyes to try and get a good look before a light suddenly turned on.

...and what did it shine? Professor Gerald Robotnik. In chains.

"...G...Grandfather...?" Maria asked, her eyes wide as she slowly took a step back...but that somehow just brought her face to face with him.

She couldn't see his eyes, his glasses were hiding them. His body was pale. He looked like he hadn't eaten or slept in days.

Maria now recognized this room...this was the cell he was executed in...she slowly shook her head as her breathing began to quicken. "N...no...no, this is not real...this is not real!!! You're not my grandfather!!! This is just an illusion!!! This is-!"

"Maria..." Gerald suddenly said, his voice sounding hoarse and raspy...yet it sounded too much like him.

"...G...Grandpa...?"

Suddenly, the ceiling itself opened up. Maria looked...only for her eyes to widen in utter terror.

The Ark was above her...and The Eclipse Cannon was charging up.

Aimed directly at her.

Maria slowly stepped back, her breathing as fast as her own speed as she looked for any means of escape. She could hear the cannon charging up more and more.

But then...Gerald looked directly at her.

Maria looked back, but didn't see the caring eyes of her grandfather. All she could see was rage and utter insanity.

"YOU WILL FEEL MY LOSS AND DESPAIR!!!" Professor Gerald shrieked at the top of his lungs.

Then, The Eclipse Cannon fired and its powerful beam quickly started heading towards Maria. And as the light of its energy shined on the yellow hedgehog...she was suddenly scooped into someone's grasp.

Maria's panicked gaze quickly switched over to see...Gadget. He was swinging on some kind of grappling hook and into the void.

But then, he suddenly kicked something and the entire black void disappeared, returning them to the reality of West Island. What Gadget had kicked was Infinite, and it was straight into his chest and The Phantom Ruby.

Infinite growled as his illusion disappeared before he focused The Phantom Ruby's power once more, conjuring up another virtual weapon.

Gadget then swung over to a nearby cave with the yellow hedgehog still in his arms. He then set Maria down, looking her over. "Are you okay?!"

Maria was shaking. "I...I-I saw...h-he tried to...I-I..."

Gadget then looked behind him before looking back at his new friend. "Stay right here."

"G-GADGET! WAIT!!!" Maria cried, but it was already too late.

Gadget fired his grappling hook and then swung into action as he aimed his blaster, firing a few shots at Infinite.

Infinite dodged each one before finally conjuring up his weapons with The Phantom Ruby. In mere moments, three gigantic cannons began firing missiles at the red wolf.

Gadget's eyes widened and he reached into his belt, pulling out another device and then slapping it right onto his chest. His body was then surrounded in some kind of electric field before he shot forward with his grappling hook.

The missiles inched closer and closer...but suddenly fell right out of the sky the moment they came into contact with the field, allowing Gadget to promptly kick Infinite in the face.

Infinite growled in frustration. "I've had enough of this!!! You are wasting my time!!!"

Gadget then landed across from the jackal. "What else were you gonna waste it on? Whining to heavy metal?"

Infinite sneered and then fired multiple beams of pink energy, which Gadget managed to successfully swing out of the way as he blasted back at him.

"Oh, wait! I know! You're just gonna apply more make-up to that ugly mask!" Gadget said with a grin.

Infinite then dashed forward, suddenly grabbing Gadget by his neck and slamming him into the walls of a nearby mountain.

Gadget cried out in pain, but was soon face to face with his foe.

"Any more jokes to get out before I end you...?" Infinite snarled as he began preparing another blast, aiming right at Gadget's face.

Gadget then grinned. "J...just one actually...you forgot to check your blindspots."

Infinite's eyes widened and then suddenly, a golden spear just barely passed the back of his head, singeing some of his hair before hitting the mountain instead. He turned around and saw none other than a terrified yellow hedgehog shakily holding up her arm.

Maria tried firing again, but the glow in her hand suddenly disappeared. Her eyes were only more wide as she tried to get her powers to obey her thoughts.

Infinite just chuckled, amused...until...

"You forgot to check again!" Gadget said before kicking Infinite in the chest once more and then tackling him right out of the air.

"ENOUGH!!!" Infinite roared as he blasted Gadget off of him. He then dashed behind him and roundhouse kicked the wolf onto the ground.

Gadget screamed in pain as he hit the ground, even feeling it crack from the impact of his fall.

Infinite then surrounded the area in laser cannons, missiles launchers, and even Eggman robots. All of them quickly began to charge up, aimed directly at the defenseless wolf.

Maria's eyes widened and she quickly dashed forward at sonic speed, scooping Gadget into her arms and then skating away.

Infinite just laughed and redirected his virtual weapons at her. They all fired, with the land becoming completely enveloped in energy beams and explosions.

Maria just kept skating as fast as she could, trying to dodge to the best of her ability. She then skidded to a stop and screamed. "CHAOS CONTROL!!!"

...nothing. No teleportation or even a time freeze.

Maria's eyes were wide in horror, but she didn't have time to think about why her powers weren't working, so she skated off once again.

But then, Infinite suddenly appeared right in front of her and punched the poor hedgehog across her face.

Maria fell right onto the ground, dropping Gadget as pain surged through her face.

Infinite then floated above the two and began conjuring up a large orb of energy in his hands. He lifted it above his head with a maniacal cackle. "DIE!!!"

He then tossed the giant orb of energy at the two, and the moment it hit the ground, the entire landscape was briefly covered in a sickening pink light.

Infinite's hair and fur blew in the gust caused by the blast before the light slowly disappeared...and all that was left was a giant, smoldering crater.

The jackal laughed in his throat, searching for any remnants of his targets. "If you survived that...enjoy the time you have before I truly send you to oblivion...."

Then, Infinite flew off into the sky at super speed, leaving the crater and the damaged landscape behind.

BOSS CLEARED

...sure enough though, Infinite's guess was correct. The blast didn't finish either of them off, with Gadget having grabbed Maria and using his grapple hook to get them both out of sight just in time.

Gadget slowly looked around to make sure that their reality-shifting foe was gone. He then sighed in relief and slowly looked at Maria. "You okay...?"

Maria was quiet, still shaking at what Infinite had showed her and what he had just attempted to do.

Gadget knelt down. "...Maria...?"

"...h...he...he nearly killed us..." Maria whispered, covering her mouth. "I...I wanted t-to help him...b-but he showed me...h-he showed me..."

Gadget sat down beside Maria, his eyes soft. "Hey...just look at me. Don't look at anything else, just look at me."

Maria slowly faced Gadget, with the red wolf being able to see the utter terror in her eyes.

"Breathe." Gadget instructed. "We're safe...just breathe."

Maria nodded as she shakily inhaled and then exhaled 10 seconds later. She repeated the process until she began to feel her heartbeat slow down once more.

"There we go." Gadget smiled. "Does anything hurt...?"

"I...I'll be okay." Maria said with another deep breath. "I...I'm so sorry..."

"Sorry...? For what...?"

"I...I thought that I could reach him...that we wouldn't have to fight." Maria whispered. "I...I know the world isn't all good. I-I know there are some bad people out there...but I-I always thought that they could be helped. That I could help them...somehow...but...either I wasn't trying hard enough or...or people really can be that cruel for no reason..."

Gadget placed a hand on hers. "...yeah. Sometimes they can be. A lot of villains out there are evil just because they wanna be. I don't get why. I don't think I'll ever understand why...but what I do understand is that sometimes you just gotta talk with your fists instead of your words. Because some people just don't want to listen."

Maria looked down. "...everyone can change...it's just not everyone wants to..."

"But you shouldn't let that blind you to the fact that there are plenty of people out there like you and me." Gadget said. "People who want to build this world up instead of tearing it down...if you ask me? You have nothing to apologize for. You tried helping someone and he rejected it. That's not your fault."

"B...but you got hurt..."

"Maybe. But it's what I signed up for." Gadget chuckled, adjusting his glasses. "I'm willing to get a little bruised if it means I can help someone. And believe me, there are tons of people in the world who'd do the same. Guys like Infinite can go whine about power or whatever, while we're over here finding new ways to live!"

Maria...smiled. "Thank you. That helps..."

"There's that smile!" Gadget grinned.

Maria nodded. "I'm good at finding ways to be happy again. You're a good person, Gadget. I...I hope we can be friends?"

Gadget smiled and then held out his closed hand. "Then let's seal the deal with a fist bump!"

Maria giggled softly, even if she was still a bit shaken up by what had just happened. She then closed her own fist and lightly bumped it against Gadget's.