While Runa went on the mission to save the kids in the village, the Freedom Fighters and the Royal Guardians had their own problems. The two groups almost made it to Afrikonkryk, but Sally didn't think they could make it via the Sky Patrol, so they had to go further on foot. Solomon, Big, Froggy, Cheese, Cream, Omochao and T-Pup stayed behind to guard the Sky Patrol while the rest exited the ship and went further to Afrikonkryk on foot.

Along the way, the Freedom Fighters and the Royal Guardians were ambushed by a group of Underworlders.

Bunnie and Antoine were seen fighting alongside each other. Their backs made contact with each other. Bunnie and Antoine glanced at each other. Then, their glances switched to the Underworlders. Antoine swung his sword against a few Underworlders while Bunnie used her mechanical arm to send a sonic blast to one of the Underworlders.

Billie and Bashiri were also fighting alongside each other. Bashiri made a few flips and took the Underworlders down with her ninja skills and her two new weapons in her hands. Her new weapons were the metal fans, which consist the power of wind. So far, she managed to take a few down. As for Billie, he landed a few punches to the Underworlders. He also grabbed one of the Underworlders. Then, he flew while carrying them to the sky. Then, he spun his body and threw the Underworlder away from the fighting scene. After that, Billie flew back on the ground and continued aiding Bashiri with his rattan stick.

Sonic, Amy and Sally were fighting alongside each other. Amy swung the hammer to her left and made a bang against the Underworlder's chest. Sonic used his spindash to take down a few Underworlders here and there. Sally sent kicks and punches here and there to the Underworlders.

Intellizo was seen using his magic to strike Hyper. But every time he tried to aim for him, it didn't go well because Hyper could jump anywhere crazily. Rover was seen aiding Intellizo using his acrobatic skills.

Rotor and Tails were aiding Leo and Lariel while taking down a few more Underworlders. This left Lariel to deal with Venia and Leo to deal with Pound.

With Lariel, she retrieved the arrow from the quiver and loaded it in her bow. Lariel stretched out the string, preparing the arrow for launch. Her eyes pinpointed to where she thought Venia might be. Right now, she predicted that Venia might move backwards. But when Lariel launched it, Venia ended up pushing herself forward.

Venia turned to Lariel with a smirk. "Missed me. Try again," she said with a soothing tone.

Venia's voice almost sent chills down Lariel's spines, but she managed to remain focus. Lariel made a few more attempts to shoot more arrows at Venia, but every time she did so, Venia either dodged them or caught them swiftly.

Soon, worry struck through Lariel because her quiver was half empty. And so, she had no choice but to take Venia down using her fireball powers. Lariel was about to do so when a hand laid on her shoulder. She turned to see Tails, with his eyes of worry on her.

"Wait, Lariel. If you do something like that, the jungle might end up being destroyed," Tails warned her.

"Tails is right, Lariel. The jungle might have deforestation if you summon a fireball in this situation," Leo told Lariel.

Lariel's eyes were full of worry and hesitation. Her head turned to her hands that were still forming a fireball. It took a few moments before she sighed in defeat. Her hands went back to her sides as the fireball she's forming died down.

"Okay. I'll try to improvise," she said.

Tails sighed in relief. "Thank you."

With Leo, his shield was clashed against Pound's fists. Leo pushed Pound's arms back with his shield. Then, he used his lance to thrust Pound's stomach. Somehow, Pound dodged the attack and the lance ended up slightly scraping against the left side of his abdomen.

Leo tried to thrust Pound's stomach once again but it was blocked by his tiger palms holding onto the lance tightly. An evil smirk appeared on Pound's face. "How's that, king? Do you have a hard time breathing because of the venom?"

Leo glared at him in response. "I'm okay. But I know I'll never turn evil."

"Oh, really? Because the longer you live, the more evil you become. Bit by bit."

"I'm not evil!"

Leo and Pound continued to clash each other. From Pound landing punches on Leo only to land them on the shield instead, to Leo's attempts in thrusting his lance to Pound only to be blocked or dodged. Every time Leo heard Pound teasing him about the venom living inside of him, he got angrier. Although, he tried to maintain his composure.

As Leo continued fighting on, pain struck through his forehead once again. Leo had to drop his lance and moved his hand on his forehead to try to relieve his headache. Grunts escaped his mouth as he did so.

Pound took notice of this. Then, his evil smirk widened. "Everything okay there, king? The venom is trying to take over your brain. It's only a matter of time before you turn evil."

Leo had enough. He snapped his head towards Pound and shouted while glaring deadly at him. "I SAID I'M NOT EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Then, he let out a growl.

Everyone heard Leo's scream. They stopped what they were doing and turned to him. Once they heard him growling at Pound, they yelped in fear. Most of the Freedom Fighters were shocked about his actions. Not in disbelief, but in fear and worry.

"We can't let him be like this," Billie said.

"He's right. If we journey longer, Leo will start changing. Then, the Leo we know will be gone forever!" Clifton stated.

"No way! He's not going to be evil! I just know it!" Amy exclaimed.

A few seconds later, realization struck through Leo. His eyes widened as he realized what he had done. Guilt washed over his body. His hand laid on his face as tears streamed down his cheeks. Maybe they're right. If I keep this up, I am going to change, but not in a good way. If I keep this up... maybe... I will turn evil.

With that being thought, Leo ran from the battle and went deep into the jungle.

"Leo, wait! Come back!" Lariel called out, pleading her fiancé.

But it's too late. Leo disappeared in the jungle.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

Multiple breaths escaped Leo's mouth as he kept running deep in the jungle. Tears were still rolling down his cheeks, but he managed to wipe them with his forearm.

Then, a few minutes later, Leo's left forearm landed on one of the tree trunks making him come to a stop. Then, he let out slow breaths. In between breaths, he let out shaky ones.

Fear and especially guilt struck through him. What if I am turning evil? I can't face my friends and especially my father. I can't let them see me like this, he thought.

Leo pushed him back to his proper standing position. Then, as he looked around, he found that he was surrounded by nothing but trees and plants. All he could hear were the sound of crickets.

Then, Leo spotted a small pond nearby him. Beside it was a log.

Leo walked towards the log and sat on it. His hands laid on his cheeks as he gazed at the pond. A reflection of himself appeared on it.

How should I face them? What would they—

Leo's thoughts were cut off when his own reflection changed into the mysterious leader. The mysterious leader let out an evil laugh.

Leo closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. No. He opened his eyes and glared at the pond. It's not him. It's just an illusion. It's just my mind playing tricks on me.

The mysterious leader let out an evil laugh again. You could hear him speaking in the pond, "There's no other choice, Leonir. That's just how it is."

Leo rose from the log and continued glaring at the pond. "No! I do have a choice! I may have been bitten by Venia, but I'll never act like a villain!" he said.

With that, Leo splashed the pond to his right, making the mysterious leader disappear. Now, it's just him and his own reflection.

Leo sighed and sat back down on the log. His hands were on his face again as he went in deep thought. I have to apologize to my friends, especially Lariel. But... the problem is... how can I face them?

Leo closed his eyes. Thoughts about what might happen if he would encounter his friends again ran through his head.

Nothing else occurred in him until a new gravelly voice spoke up. "Are you alright?"

Leo turned to his right. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw that it was Shadow the Hedgehog. Right behind him in the near distance were Rouge and Omega, looking concerned. Most especially Rouge.

Leo turned back to the pond. He closed his eyes again as he answered, "No. I'm not alright."

This brought Shadow in concern. Then, a few moments later, he walked around the log and sat beside Leo on his right side. Now, it was just him, Leo and their own reflections.

"A few days ago, I was about to get married to the one I love. Lariel. She is... like a sunshine that brings a smile to my face. She's kind, caring, beautiful..." Leo chuckled. "...and she supports me in times of trouble. Archery is her specialty. She also has the power to form fireballs and used them against villains. Although, she only uses them when needed.

"But then, as Lariel and I were about to get married, the leader of the Underworlders interrupted our wedding. I was bitten by one of his henchmen in the form of a rat. She's a shapeshifter and her original form is a cobra. That venom is to turn me into an evil person if I live longer. That's why my friends and I had to go to the kingdom Lulu — the healer from my friend's kingdom — had told us to go to, so that the venom will be treated. But along the way, the Underworlders ambushed us.

"One of them, Pound, taunted me about the venom and I got so angry I snapped at him. I realized that I was acting mean and angry. The venom is currently running through my veins. If I keep this up, I'll end up being evil and I'll end up becoming someone with the darkest personality."

Shadow listened carefully to every word Leo was saying. After the explanation ended, he was speechless and also quite shocked. Hearing this reminded him of his experience in the new Black Comet. Most especially the time he became evil under the control of Black Death, then he got back to normal with the help of Rouge and Omega. But Leo's and his own experiences were different.

After a few moments, Shadow laid a hand on Leo's back and stroke it to comfort him. "You are not evil. You're still trying to keep yourself in control. I had a similar experience as yours, but it's different. I turned evil under the control of the Black Arms in the new Black Comet, then later on, I got back to normal, thanks to my partners. I am part Black Arm, but I live by the purpose of protecting the world and its people."

Leo turned to Shadow and listened to his whole explanation. After hearing all this, he was surprised. Then, a curious question popped into his head. "How did you face your partners?"

Shadow was surprised at the question Leo had asked him. Silence filled the air. Then, a few moments later, he finally answered, "My partners know me best. I fought them under the control of the Black Arms, but they got through to me. As a result, I went back to normal like I said earlier. After that, we worked together to stop the Black Arms from destroying the world. We set up a bomb to destroy the new Black Comet. I barely made it out with my Chaos Control. My partners were worried about me at that time."

Rouge and Omega were listening to the whole conversation. Rouge was surprised the first time she heard the word "partners." Then, at the last part of Shadow's sentence, she gasped in shock.

Leo let out a light chuckle. He looked up and stared at the afternoon sky with a smile. "It's great that you have partners with you."

Shadow did the same. "Yeah."

After a few moments, Shadow turned to Leo. "Hey."

Leo turned to him. "Yes?"

"No matter what happens, your friends will be there to support you. They know you best. Just like how my partners know me best," Shadow said.

It took a few moments before a smile appeared on Leo's face. "Thanks. I appreciate that."

Shadow rose from the log. "No problem," he said, a small smile appearing on his face.

Leo also rose from the log and faced Shadow. "I'm Leonir the Lion, but my friends call me, 'Leo.' I'm assuming you're Shadow the Hedgehog?" Leo asked with a smile.

Shadow closed his eyes and let out a chuckle. "Yeah. I am."

"My friends from summer vacation told me. Aleyah never stopped talking about you," Leo said.

Shadow let out a light chuckle again.

Just then, metallic footsteps joined in the conversation. Leo and Shadow turned to see Rouge and Omega.

"I've never seen Shadow open up so much," Omega said.

"Yes, but not as much," Rouge said. Then, she turned to Leo and introduced herself. "I'm Rouge the Bat—" She gestured to Omega. "—and this is Omega. We're Shadow's partners."

"It's nice to meet you, Rouge and Omega," Leo said with a smile. "I'm happy to hear how you two are there for Shadow whenever there's trouble."

"We always have," Rouge said.

"Affirmative," Omega said, agreeing with Rouge.

Leo turned to Shadow. "So, let's go back to my friends? I need to apologize to them."

Shadow nodded in agreement. "Of course."

With that, Leo, Shadow, Rouge and Omega walked their way back to the Royal Guardians and the Freedom Fighters.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

The Underworlders had retreated a few moments after Leo left the group. Now, the Freedom Fighters and the Royal Guardians sat around in the jungle, waiting for Leo to come back. Lariel had asked Sally if she could go find him, but she said that they should let Leo cool off first. Then, when he comes back, he and Lariel can have a talk.

Lariel took a glance at the direction Leo had ran into. Her eyes were full of worry. She wondered if Leo was okay.

As the Freedom Fighters and the Royal Guardians sat around, Sonic's hands were behind his back while he walked around impatiently.

"We've been waiting forever!"

"Have patience, Sonic. I'm sure Leo will come back safe and sound," Bashiri said.

"But it's been like... a few hours since Leo left us. Plus, we don't know what condition he's in now," Sonic said.

"I agree. It may be possible he'll come back fine or he'll come back evil," Clifton said.

Amy turned to Clifton. "Clifton, I'm sure Leo isn't evil. He just needs time to himself."

"We'll see, Amy," Clifton said. "We'll see."

Lariel sighed as she sat down on the log nearby the group. Her hands laid on her cheeks as her eyes gazed to the ground. "I hope you're right, Amy. I'm getting worried here."

"Is something the matter?" a familiar female voice joined in.

Everyone turned to see Runa, standing there in concern. Right behind her were the five chao, Sara, Bubbles and Lucy, with Junior being held in Lucy's arms. They gasped in surprise and joy.

"Runa! Guys!" they exclaimed, referring to Runa and the chao.

Sonic sped around Runa and the group several times before making a halt beside Sara. "I'm assuming you guys are the kids Runa went to the village for?" he asked with a cocky smirk on his face.

"We are," Sara said.

"Yeah!" Bubbles and Lucy said in unison.

Then, the girls laughed.

Upon seeing Sonic, Junior's face lit up with glee. "Sonny!" Junior said.

"Oh, wow. Hearing that kinda reminds me of Uncle Chuck," Sonic said, surprised. As he said this, thoughts of the times Uncle Chuck called him "Sonny-boy" ran through his head.

While almost all the Freedom Fighters and the Royal Guardians were chattering amongst the five chao, the girls and Junior, Runa noticed that Lariel was sitting on a log at a nearby distance. Her head laid on her hands as she gazed on the ground sadly. This concerned Runa. And so, she walked her way towards Lariel, but not before she told the rest of the group, "Excuse me, guys."

Once she got to Lariel, Runa sat on the log beside her on the right and asked, "You okay, Lariel?"

"I am. I'm just... worried about Leo. I want to find a way to help him calm down and control himself, but... I don't know what would happen if we encounter him again," Lariel answered.

"I see. There were times when I wished to help someone. Someone who has... been through so much. Someone... who reminds me of someone... so familiar to me, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"One time, Aleyah, our adoptive parents, my chao friends and I had a picnic in Angel Island. Then, we found ourselves watching Shadow and Knuckles fight some kind of alien. An alien that looks a bit like Shadow, but different."

As soon as Lariel heard the last sentence, a thought came to her mind. "That's Eclipse, right? The one Aleyah told us about?"

"Yes. Eclipse. If I remember correctly, he was fighting Knuckles and Shadow with the help of his alien friends. I wanted to help Knuckles and Shadow stop Eclipse, but for some reason, I sat there, watching the fight. I didn't know why. Maybe I felt something familiar about Shadow or maybe Aleyah might stop me from going to him? Who knows?"

Runa sighed as she continued the explanation.

"If I figured out why at that time, I would've found a way to help Shadow and build a deep connection with him."

"How would you do that?" Lariel asked Runa.

"I always respect Shadow and his privacy. But I can talk to him whenever I feel like it," Runa answered. "For example, I'm in the situation where I ask Shadow if he's okay. If he says he's fine, I would nod, let him be and go back to what I was doing. If he says, 'no,' I would ask him if something's wrong. If he's willing to open up to me, I would listen intently to him. If not, I would understand and nod. Then, I'd tell him to tell me whenever he's ready. After he agrees, I'd go back to what I was doing."

Lariel was speechless at first. Then, a few seconds later, she gazed on the ground again, closed her eyes and smiled. "I see. Thanks, Runa."

"No problem," Runa said, smiling at her.

Meanwhile, Leo, Shadow, Rouge and Omega stood there in the forest, gazing at the Freedom Fighters, the Royal Guardians (plus Runa and the five chao), Sara, Bubbles, Junior and Lucy. Leo was quite surprised that Runa and the five chao returned with the kids.

Right now, nervousness took over Leo. His head lowered down and he sighed. Team Dark took notice of this. And so, Shadow laid a hand on Leo's left forearm and stroke it gently. "Don't worry. We're right here."

"We all are, Leo," Rouge said. "I'm pretty sure the friends you have will support you 'til the end."

"Affirmative," Omega said, agreeing with Rouge.

Shadow slipped his hand away from Leo's forearm. Leo took a deep breath and exhaled in relaxation. It's now or never. I have to face this. I have to do this. Brace yourself for any result, whether good or bad. I have to do this.

A few seconds later, Leo finally stepped towards the whole group. Following behind him was Team Dark.

Once Leo got closer, Sonic and Clifton were the first to notice his and Team Dark's arrival.

"Look! It's Leo!" Clifton said, pointing at him gleefully.

"And... Shadow? Rouge? Omega?" Sonic asked in confusion. "What are you guys doing here?"

"What does it look like, faker? We're on a mission," Shadow told Sonic.

Clifton turned to Shadow. "Hey! Who're you callin' 'faker?'" he asked, glaring at him.

"Clifton," Leo said.

Clifton turned to Leo. "What?" Then, he saw Leo shaking his head. He was mentally telling him to no speak to Shadow like that and let the moment pass.

Clifton turned back to Shadow. "Sorry 'bout that," he said.

"It's fine," Shadow said.

"We encountered Leo looking lonely along the way, so we had to make sure he's okay," Rouge answered. "Although, before that, we came across Runa and her chao friends along the way."

"Were you in the village, too?" Tails asked Rouge.

"Yes, we are," Rouge answered.

As soon as Lariel saw Leo, she immediately called out his name. "Leo!"

Lariel rose from the log and immediately walked towards him in a quicker pace. Runa was quite surprised and concerned about what might happen next. She, too, rose up and followed Lariel behind.

Once Lariel got to Leo, her hands clasped together as she gazed into his eyes in worry. "Are you okay, Leo? Did something happen to you while you were gone?"

Leo let out a chuckle. "Yes. I'm fine. I had a talk with Shadow, then Rouge and Omega. That gave me the confidence to reunite with you. Although, I'm a little bit nervous when I was about to meet you again."

Just then, Leo felt several moderate-paced pats on the back.

"Hey, cheer up, bud. There's nothing to be nervous about," Sonic said. He had a reassuring smile on his face as he said those words.

"Yeah! You're amazing either way!" Amy said with a smile.

"We've come this far, Leo. No matter what happens, we'll support you," Sally said.

"We've been through so much together. You led us to victory, especially in the first Royal Guardians' battle. So no matter what the others say, we'll always be by your side," Bashiri said. Then, she turned to everyone else. "Right guys?"

Everyone else nodded in agreement. Some were even chiming in.

"Chao-chao!" the five chao said.

"Yeah!" Clifton said.

"Of course!" Sonic said.

"That's true," Rotor said.

"That's right!" Bunnie said.

"Affirmative," Intellizo said.

"Yup!" Rover said.

"Right!" Billie said.

"Oui!" Antoine said.

Runa stepped towards Leo and sent him a smile on her face. "You've always been there for us in the good times and bad. In training. In battle. Even whenever we have problems."

Lariel laid a hand on Leo's left shoulder. She gave him a reassuring smile while gazing into his eyes. Her eyes were full of reassurance and honesty. "Like Bashiri said, we've been through so much. Like Runa said, you've always been there for us. This time, we'll be there for you."

Leo was surprised at the encouragement the Freedom Fighters and the Royal Guardians had given him. Most especially Lariel's and Runa's. It took a few moments before he closed his eyes. His lips curled up to a relaxing smile. "Thanks, everyone. It's good to have friends like you."

"No problem," Lariel and Runa said in unison.

The Freedom Fighters and the Royal Guardians laughed.

Shadow watched the whole conversation. He turned away as he closed his eyes and let out a light chuckle. As for Rouge, she just watched with a smirk on her face.

"I am recalling the time when Shadow acknowledged us as partners when we completed the mission in the new Black Comet," Omega said.

"Oh, yes. That scene in front of us reminds us of that," Rouge said.

"Affirmative," Omega said.

After a few moments of silence, Sally turned to Team Dark.

"We're about to go to the north to reach our destination to cure Leo," she said, pointing at the direction behind her. "Keep up a good work on your mission."

"Now that you mention it, we're going in the same direction, too," Rouge said.

Clifton's shocked face turned to Rouge. "What?! But how come Runa, her chao and the kids came first while you guys came in later?!"

"We departed ourselves from Runa and her group to continue our mission. Although, it's quite a coincidence that we happen to be in the same direction," Rouge answered.

"Right. I see that now," Clifton said.

With that, the Freedom Fighters, the Royal Guardians, Lucy, Bubbles, Sara, Ricky and Team Dark walked further in the north direction for different reasons. For Team Dark, it was to complete their mission. For the rest, it's to get to Afrikonkryk to cure Leo.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

Soon, the whole group found themselves going through the tunnel. Walls, ceilings and floors were made of stone.

The whole group heard nothing but the sounds of their footsteps, the sounds of their own heartbeats and tiny pebbles raining from the walls.

Sally was at the very front because Nicole had the GPS in the handheld computer. The handheld computer was in Sally's right hand.

As Sally stared at the computer screen in focus, Sonic leaned to his right and his concerned eyes were on her. "Um... you sure this is the right way, Sal?"

"I hope so. The GPS says we have to go through the tunnels in order to get to Afrikonkryk," Sally said. Then, she turned to him. "According to what I've heard from Lulu, Afrikonkryk is kept secret from others. No one will be able to know where it is unless someone can access to it in their GPS through the password."

"I see your point," Sonic said. "Hopefully, the GPS is right."

"I hope so, too, Sonic," Sally said. She still seemed focused, but her eyes were in concern as she said this.

Later on, as the whole group continued walking through the tunnel, the path became bigger and bigger. Soon, they came to the biggest space in the tunnel. A large, wide road with a tall wall on each side. Somewhere on one of the sides was another tunnel. On the other side was a path that could lead to a narrow dead end. Further ahead was a cliff. Once someone falls off of it, they will be sent to the dark abyss.

Then, all of a sudden, an evil cackle ran through everyone's ears. Most of the group gasped in shock while a few others like Shadow, Runa, Sara and Leo analyzed their surroundings as they readied themselves for another battle.

Unfortunately, the thought of being in another battle came true. A few moments later, the Freedom Fighters, the Royal Guardians, Team Dark, Lucy, Sara, Bubbles and Junior found themselves face-to-face with a group of Underworlders. More specifically Pound, Venia, Hyper and a black-hooded person. The only things exposed to the public were his claws. His claws are a combined color of dark gray and pale purple.

Pound and Venia had evil smirks on their faces while Hyper had a wacky glee on his face.

"Hee-hee-hee. Hyah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha!" Hyper exclaimed, cackling.

"We meet again,Royal Guardians and the Freedom Fighters, too," Pound said.