It was a quiet day in the City of Amaria. Ever since that fateful day eight years ago, Amaria has had no choice but to stay quiet. No interference with the outside worlds, which was the rule we all had to go by. Across the multiverse, the DPU as well as the citizens of Amaria were falsely accused of interdimensional terrorism on a grand scale, all thanks to President Obama and a few of his counterparts across the cosmos. One wrong move, we’d all be hunted by Obama’s assassin team, the Black Jade, who were especially trained to take down ANYONE that came from Amaria. How do I know all of this, you may ask? My name is Sonic, and I am the acting President of the Dimensional Protection Unit….
“Hey. Hey, Sonic! Are you listening to me?”, a voice rang out, bringing my attention back to my surroundings. I noticed I was sitting in the Presidential Office, looking directly at Royal Advisor Silvia “Jesus” Turner. “Oh, sorry Jesus. I was thinking of something else. Where were we?”, I asked. Silvia held a tablet in her hand, tapping the screen in annoyance since she had to repeat everything again for the 4th time today. “As I was saying, Nicole was detecting the crime rate in the other dimensions. As we speak, people are dying left and right, and all the US presidents are making false promises to do anything.”, she stated.
I folded my hands and sighed as I stood from my chair and walked over to the window, looking up towards the mountain range where the Henegan Estate sat. Without speaking, Jesus knew exactly what was on my mind. “We miss him too, Sonic. It’s been eight years since that DAY. Even with his Curaga spell, some of the DPU was not able to return from the brink of death. Zack was hit the hardest when we lost Elizabith. But, he’s doing well now. Engaged to another woman, another Elizabeth. Spelled differently, mind you.”, she stated. “And what about Retsu and the others?”, I asked. “They are still struggling, but they’ll get through it. Little Alicia is always going into Mrs. Hines’ garden every day to pick flowers to put at the foot of his bed. She really misses him.”, the young woman replied. I sighed softly as I continued to stare at the window, not knowing something was looming over the near horizon.
Meanwhile, on the outside of the city, an oh-so familiar figure loomed above…
“Ugh….quiet….too quiet these days…..GAH, I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE! Everything has been too quiet during the last eight years!”, said Dr. Eggman, sitting in the seat of his flying fortress. “But Dr. Eggman, what can be done about this quiet? You know how things go nowadays: the DPU can’t leave the city!”, Bocoe replied. Decoe and Bokkun nodded in response, getting a low growl of annoyance from Eggman. Ever since Allen fell into a coma and Sonic was placed in the Celestial Office, the majority of his plans came to a standstill. Obama even had a hold of him, making sure he couldn’t do anything.
“All of my robots being controlled by the Black Jade and each of them poised to attack on the slightest movement, it’s sickening!”, Eggman groaned. Bokkun frowned and returned to watching TV, when another familiar face appeared on the screen. “Looks like the Henegan children are going to have another concert tonight, Doctor! Can we go, please?”, he asked. Eggman growled and chucked a wrench at the robot’s head in sheer annoyance. “You idiot! Weren’t you even listening to the slightest thing I just said?!”, he exclaimed. “S-Sorry, Dr. Eggman! I just thought that it could be the thing to cheer you up!”, Bokkun stated.
Eggman scoffed when the messenger robot said that. But, when he glanced at the TV, a cold grin appeared on his face. “It’s not a bad idea….actually, this is the perfect opportunity to stir up some trouble! Fire up the engines, boys and direct a course to the city!”, Eggman stated. “Yes, Dr. Eggman!”, the three robots replied, the fortress starting its descent towards Amaria. “Consider this my betrayal act, Obama! If this doesn’t change things, NOTHING WILL!”, Eggman replied, laughing loudly.
Meanwhile, over at the Henegan estate, we find the Henegan children practicing for their concert, Dr. Rebecca Hines watched with a smile…
“So, how did we do, Nana?”, Daniel asked. “That was a splendid job, kids. You’ll definitely rock the crowd tonight!”, Nana replied with a smile. “I can agree to that.”, another voice stated. Nana looked behind her and was surprised to see Retsu walk in. “Oh, Retsu. I didn’t know you were home.”, she stated. Retsu tilted her head at Nana and said, “I was downstairs with Tails and Zack overlooking some things with Nicole. That’s all I can really do nowadays is just overlook.” Nana put on a look of concern when Retsu said that. “How are things looking on the outside?”, she asked. Retsu only shook her head as a definite reply. Nana sighed deeply at that. “It’s only getting worse, huh? …”, she stated.
The entire room went silent for a few seconds, but it got loud again when Tailsko, Sophie, Shampoo, and Nori walked into the room. “Morning, everyone!”, Nori stated. “Hey, guys. Where have you been?”, Nana asked. “We were down at the park getting the stage prepared for later.”, Tailsko replied. She walked over to four of the eight children and hugged them tightly. “Did you four practice well?”, she asked. “Of course we did!”, Daniel’s twin sister Sora replied. The third eldest, Lena, squirmed as she broke free from the hug. “Mom, I’m going to need some new drumsticks for tonight!”, Lena said. “I’ll ask Leo to pick some up later.”, Tailsko replied, mentioning the Shadowdragon Daniel “Leonidas” Danford. She looked at Alicia and said, “You ready?”
“I think so…”, she replied quietly. A hand rested on Alicia’s shoulder gently. She looked behind her to see her brother Aeden smiling at her. “Don’t worry, sis! You’ll do fine!”, Aeden said. Alicia smiled softly when a loud shattering noise was heard from the kitchen. Tails ran from the lab and said, “Did you guys hear that?!” Shampoo nodded and said, “Yes, yes we did! What was that?” The attention quickly turned to the kitchen doors when Zack burst out from the kitchen with a giant burger in hand, Goku & Vegeta chasing after him with hungry looks in their eyes. Retsu sighed when she saw this scene. “Not again…”, she said softly, opening a void in space to see her sister Mina welcoming her back home..
Nana clapped her hands and said, “Boys, that’s enough! There is more than enough for everyone!” Alicia giggled as she tiptoed towards the front door, quickly sneaking out to the garden. She hummed softly as she walked around, picking a few flowers from the garden. She looked up and smiled softly. “Papa…it’s another beautiful day here in Amaria. I wish you could see it with your own eyes. Everyone misses you so much: Mommy Retsu, Shampoo, Sophie, Mom, Uncle Goku, Sonic, Tails, Yugi, Nana, Zack, Leo, Jesus, Jason, Thomas, Herbie…..everyone wants you back.”, she stated.
“I want him back too!”, a voice rang out from behind Alicia. She dropped the flowers she was picking as she quickly turned around to see a black bag wrap around her. “Let me go! Let me go! If this is a joke, it’s not a funny one!”, she whimpered, kicking around in the bag. A loud laugh was heard on the outside, and she gasped as the laugh sounded familiar to her. “That laugh! I know you!”, she exclaimed. “My lovely princess, it is fantastic to see you once more.”, said the voice. Alicia froze in horror from the voice. “D-Dr. Eggman?”, she replied softly.
The mad doctor laughed again and said, “The one and only! You and I are going to see an old friend of your father’s: President Obama! I’m certain he has plenty of things to say to you.” Alicia’s heart dropped when Obama’s name was said. She struggled even more, trying desperately to break free from the bag, but it was no use: she was trapped. Next stop: The White House. Eggman laughed as he returned to his airship, and as quick as he arrived, he departed to his next destination.
A few minutes had passed since then, and everyone in the Henegan estate were rapidly preparing for the children’s concert. It was going fine until Yugi walked into the room and asked a very important question….
“Hey guys, where’s Alicia? Shouldn’t she be getting ready for the concert?”, he asked. Nana’s eyes widened when Yugi asked that. “Isn’t she upstairs with the other children getting ready?”, she asked. Yugi shook his head no in reply. “Maybe she is in Allen’s room. She was picking flowers earlier.”, Tails stated, replacing his labcoat with a brown flight jacket and goggles. “That was my second thought, but the seal on his room door is still active. She hasn’t been in there today.”, Yugi replied.
Panic started to rise, thoughts of the worst began to form. It was only when Aeden and the other children came downstairs that showed it was the perfect time to panic…
“Nana! Turn on the TV! Channel 2! Alicia’s on the TV!”, Aeden stated. “She’s what!?”, Nana exclaimed, quickly turning the TV on to see Scarlet Garcia speaking. “And in recent news, the US President Barack Obama has captured terrorist Alicia Henegan, daughter of DPU President Allen Henegan. Henegan, universally known as the Aelitatrix bearer and the Living Paradox, was at the center of the Neostrama disease outbreak eight years ago. Ever since then, the young male has been in a coma since then. We now take you live to the White House, where Pres. Obama is congratulating the person who captured the young terrorist.”, she replied.
“Who could’ve done this?! Who could’ve done this to my granddaughter?”, Nana exclaimed. Everyone’s question was answered when the TV feed swapped to a view of the Oval Office, Obama shaking the hand of Dr. Eggman who was holding Alicia close to him by a shackle and chain connected to her neck. “Eggman?!”, everyone said in shock. “Looks like Dr. Egghead has come out of hiding.”, said a voice from the door. Everyone turned to the door and saw Sonic & Jesus walk in. Sonic sat near the TV and said, “This time, he went too far…”
“Today is a very momentous day for the multiverse. With little Alicia here, a new age has begun. Thanks to some tests that Dr. Eggman has done, we have come to figure out that this child has the power to tap into the power of the Aelitatrix at will. With her power, peace shall return, and everyone will be happy once more.”, Obama said. “That man is nothing but trouble! With that power at his disposal, who knows what he’ll do?!”, Goku exclaimed. Tails looked over at Sonic and asked, “What do we do, big bro?”
Sonic stayed silent when Tails said that. He didn’t have a single idea on what to do. His attention returned when Eggman said, “You are just too kind, Mr. President! I am just happy to help, that’s all. If it was this simple to catch the DPU President’s daughter, it is only a matter of time before the entire ring falls!” Obama nodded and was just about to say something else when Alicia said, “Stop it.” He looked down at the child and said, “Excuse me?” His eyes widened when he saw tears falling from Alicia’s face, the Sacred Seal glowing brightly on her head.
“You have no idea what occurred all those years ago! My daddy & the Celestial Guard saved everyone in the multiverse without a single thank you! And here you are: smearing their names in the mud out of jealousy! You should be ashamed of yourself, Mr. Obama!”, Alicia exclaimed, tears still flowing from her eyes. Obama smirked when Alicia said that. He patted her head and said, “Poor wayward child. Your father and his band of miscreants were a threat to us a-OWWW!!!!!!” Everyone was surprised to see that Alicia had bit Obama’s hand in anger. Tailsko laughed and said, “That’s my daughter!”
Obama growled as he slapped Alicia across her cheek, hearing her yelp in pain as she released his hand from her grip. “You little beast! You bit me!”, he exclaimed, holding his hand painfully. Alicia sniffled softly, putting a hand on her reddened cheek. “Daddy….help me…..Help me, Daddy! Please!”, she exclaimed. Obama’s eyes widened when the Seal glowed even brighter on the child’s forehead, a beam of light bursting from it and out the window. ‘What….What was that light?!’, he thought to himself, not noticing a giant grin appearing on Eggman’s face.
Meanwhile, back at the Henegan Estate in Allen’s bedroom….
“Energy output at maximum capacity. Aelitatrix bearer Allen Henegan, you are back online.”, Trixie the Aelitatrix stated. Allen muttered and yawned slightly, sitting up in his bed gently. “Ow, my head….where am I?”, I asked myself softly. I looked around and noticed I was in my room. It suddenly hit me on why I was here. “Oh, right….I remember…..the fight against Arufunu and the coma.”, I said, pulling off the blanket on me, seeing a bunch of flowers on the floor. I smiled softly as I picked a flower up, sniffing it gently. “Everyone missed me so much.”, I said. I looked over towards the desk in my room and chuckled to see the spirit of my Millennium Puzzle fast asleep on it. I walked over to the desk and picked up the Puzzle, and then said, “Yami. Yami. Yami, wake up.”
Yami muttered softly and said, “Not now, Allen. I’m sleeping.” I smiled widely, knowing what reaction would happen next. As if by clockwork, Yami Allen sat up immediately and looked over towards me. “I-Is it true? I’m not dreaming this, am I?” I chuckled softly as I walked over to my closet to get dressed. “If this is a dream, then it is a very convincing one, eh old friend?”, I stated, removing the large t-shirt I was wearing, replacing it with a pair of black silk boxers. I frowned as I wasn’t able to find the red headband that I always wore. “Oi, Yami! Where’s my headband?! It’s not where I normally put it!”, I exclaimed, putting on a blue muscle shirt and a pair of red capris with racing stripes.
Yami pointed over towards the room door and said, “Retsu left it in your jacket.” I walked over to the door and smiled as I removed my brown jacket from the door. I noticed that my jacket was badly ripped up at the tail of it. “Aww….that fight with Arufunu certainly did a number on it, didn’t it?”, I said, slipping it on quickly. Yami laughed as I reached into the pocket and removed my headband from within it, immediately tying it back to my head. I finally went to the foot of my bed and found the speed sneakers that Sonic had made for me a long time ago, surprised that they still fit my feet quite well. “Heh, Sonic wasn’t kidding when he said I would never need another pair of sneakers again.”, I said, standing to my feet.
Meanwhile, back downstairs, everyone was looking at Retsu, trying to figure out what just happened….
“What in the name of Amaria was that light, Retsu?”, Tailsko asked. The Celestian only shrugged at the Mobian’s question. “I don’t know. The will of Amaria works in mysterious ways. Who knows what that light was? Not I, not you, not anyone.”, Retsu said. Zack growled over this entire predicament. “Well then, what do we do now? It’s not like we can just let Obama have his way with Alicia!”, he exclaimed. Sonic frowned and turned to him immediately. “I know that, Zack. We all want to help. But, let’s think rationally here! Even if he is asking for trouble, Obama is the President of the United States! Not to mention, as long as Alicia is in his hands and he has us branded as terrorists, the slightest movement from us can endanger every citizen in Amaria. So, please: if anyone has any idea on what we can do, just speak up!”, Sonic exclaimed, falling down to one knee. Tails placed a hand on Sonic’s back, rubbing gently to hear him exhale deeply, the large tuft of hair over his left eye moving slightly. Leonidas walked over to Sonic and looked him in the eyes and asked, “What’s wrong, Sonic? Something is eating at you. We all can tell.”
Sonic sighed and said, “Allen would know what to do at this moment. He’d have some sort of crazy idea pop into his head and go with it in order to save his daughter.” Everyone went silent when Sonic uttered those words. If only they knew what was happening right above their heads.
Meanwhile, back upstairs….
“Allen, incoming!”, Trixie said. “Incoming?!”, I replied. I looked towards my window, only to get met with a bright light hitting me straight in the forehead, the Sacred Seal glowing brightly under my headband. A searing pain shot through me as I heard Alicia’s voice scream out, “Daddy, help me! Please, help me!” I winced as I put a hand to my head. Yami looked at me with a stern look on his face and asked, “You heard it too, didn’t you?” I nodded and said, “Yes. She’s in trouble.” I closed my eyes as I tried to pinpoint Alicia’s power level, frowning immediately as I realized she was no longer in Amaria. ‘That’s not right. Why isn’t Alicia in the city?’, I thought to myself. ‘Look out even further, Allen. Quickly!’, Yami replied with a worried tone. ‘I’ll try. It’s been a while since I’ve had to do this, so I’m certain I am rusty.’, I replied, searching out even further outside the Veil. I frowned even harder when I finally located her. “The White House….Obama has her.”, I said out loud. I looked down at the floor and said, “And they are all just sitting there….what the heck has happened in my absence?!”
I walked over to my window and opened it wide, feeling a calm breeze whip through my hair. I inhaled deeply and yelled, “Don’t just sit on your butts! Obama has my daughter! Move it!” Everyone’s jaw dropped when the yell reached their ears. Retsu’s eyes widened as she immediately bolted upstairs. She looked behind her as she saw the rest of the Henegan household following her. She came up to Allen’s room door and snapped her fingers as Mina appeared in her scythe form in front of her. She immediately hacked through the seal and kicked the door open, everyone’s mouths agape to see that the room was empty and the balcony doors were wide open. Sonic turned towards Zack and said, “Zack, I am relieving myself from the position of the President of the DPU. But, as my final order: DO WHAT ALLEN SAID!”
Zack grinned widely when Sonic said that. “Tails, you heard the man!”, he said to the young fox. He then looked to everyone and said, “Everyone, to the Blue Typhoon! Next stop, the White House! Let’s show them hell!” “Yes, sir!”, everyone exclaimed. Tails immediately ran downstairs to the lab where the supercomputer Nicole rested. He saw the familiar lynx Mobian AI fast asleep on the wide screen and growled as he yelled, “Nicole, WAKE UP!” Nicole flinched awake when she heard Tails yell. “Tails, it is quite rude to yell at a woman like that. I am quite offended!”, she exclaimed. “Not now, Nicole! We got an emergency: Code Alpha-0 Sigma!”, he replied.
“What!? That means….!”, she stated, only for Tails to cut in with a solid “Yes. Allen’s awake and he is on the move. How fast can you get the Blue Typhoon ready?!”, he exclaimed. “Faster than Sonic and Allen can consume ten thousand chili dogs! Blue Typhoon auto-pilot engaged! ETA: ten minutes and counting!”, Nicole replied.
Nicole certainly wasn’t kidding on how fast she worked. All of Amaria was immediately in awe to see the Blue Typhoon exit from the DPU hangars and head over to the Henegan estate. Yet, that wasn’t the end of it…
“Incoming transmission, Tails!”, Nicole exclaimed. Tails groaned and said, “Now, Nicole? We don’t have time for this!” Nicole nodded when Tails said that. “I know that, Tails. But, this is coming from the other DPU members across the multiverse. They want to be teleported onto the Blue Typhoon.”, she replied. “Why are you telling me this? Do it!”, Tails replied, running out of the lab to rejoin the others outside, seeing the giant spaceship hover over the house. Retsu reappeared from the Spatial Rift and stood in front of everyone, eyeing the Blue Typhoon as a tractor beam lifted them all onto it. “Tails, take the controls. Knuckles, engine room. Mrs. Hines, take to the indoor hangar and tend to the X-Tornado and the other vehicles.”, Retsu said, walking into the bridge. “Yes, ma’am!”, they replied, heading to their posts.
Tails fired up the engine, immediately turning the Typhoon in the direction Allen flew off. “Alright, Retsu! Whenever you are ready!”, he said. Just before Retsu could make their exit out of the city, Sonic immediately said, “Wait! We can’t leave yet!” Tails looked over at the blue hedgehog and said, “What!? Why not?!” He grinned softly as he pulled a bundle of cloth out from his hoodie. “Allen would never forgive us….if we showed up there without our pride and blood.”, he said, unfolding the cloth to reveal the DPU flag that Allen made on his first adventure. He immediately bolted outside and ran up to the flagpole, tying the flag proudly on top of the ship, letting it flutter in the wind. “Now, we can go!”, Sonic said, returning to the bridge.
Retsu smirked as she lifted her scythe. “Celestial Gate, grant us passage through the Rift! OPEN!”, she said, a giant gate appeared in the sky to reveal the Dimensional Rift beyond it. “Alright, Blue Typhoon! Blast off!”, he exclaimed, the giant ship launched off in the sky.
Meanwhile, back at the White House…
“Mr. President! Mr. President! We’ve got a problem, sir!”, said one of the guards that just burst into the Oval Office. “Didn’t I tell you to knock the next time, Mr. Jacobs? I’m in the middle of something!”, Obama replied. “Y-Yes, sir! I know that, but we’ve just received a code Ultimate Celestial Red from the Pentagon!”, Mr. Jacobs stated. Obama’s eyes widened when he heard that. He lifted Alicia to her feet and walked over to the balcony window. “Who is it? Who is coming here? Answer me, child!”, he exclaimed. Alicia’s eyes watered when she felt the familiar power surge from afar. She smiled then looked up at Obama. “You want to know, Mr. President? Do you truly want to know?”, she asked.
Obama scoffed as he walked over to this desk where Eggman stood. “It matters not to me. They won’t make it here.”, he said, picking up the receiver on a red telephone. He dialed a number then said, “Release the Black Jade. Do not let the DPU make it to the White House!”
Alicia’s eyes widened when Obama said that. If only her and Obama had noticed that Eggman’s grin had only gotten even wider. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the US capital…
“Break through!”, I yelled loudly, shattering through the Dimensional Rift. I smiled as the exit disappeared behind me, reliving the first mission I ever went on with the Aelitatrix. “It never gets old. I know Retsu is going to make a fuss about shattering through the Rift instead of using the Celestial Gate, but it exceptionally quicker.”, I said to myself. “Allen, do you think now is the time to be reminiscing about the past!? We’ve got work to do!”, Yami exclaimed. “Right, right! I’m on it!”, I replied, bolting like a rocket towards the White House. Faster and faster I ran, the wind whipped against my face as the White House slowly crept into view. I was welcomed with a surprise when I saw a bunch of soldiers blocking my path. “Target in sight, Mr. President. You shouldn’t have to worry too much, sir. It’s only a scrawny child.”, one soldier stated over a telecommunication watch.
Back in the Oval Office, Obama held the phone in his hand with a tight grip, his face white as if he had seen a ghost. ‘A….kid? No, it couldn’t be….’, he thought to himself before saying, “Describe him to me, soldier!” “Uh, I can’t see him too well. Oh, but I can see his hair. Geez, the kid needs to relax on the hair gel and color dye! Yellow bangs as well as purple hair with red tips?”, the soldier replied. Another solder stepped forward and said, “Alright, kid, that’s as far as you go. According to the US President, leaving Amaria is off-limits!” Obama’s face went even whiter when he heard that description. “Don’t be fooled by his looks, men! The description of that person…could only belong to…”, Obama stated before the two soldiers got punched square in the face.
“Where’s Alicia?!”, I yelled loudly, before hearing Obama’s voice say, “The Aelitatrix bearer, Allen Henegan!!” I chuckled as I picked up the telecommunication watch off of the unconscious soldier and said, “Well then, Obama. Here’s the deal: you give me my daughter, and everything goes fine. What do you say?” “Allen Henegan….that’s a voice I didn’t expect to hear again. It’s been eight years. You do know the Dimensional Protection Unit is legally a terrorist group now? You can’t even leave Amaria anymore.”, Obama stated.
“Oh, shut up! Now, you listen to me and listen really well. Burn these words into your memory: the DPU is an organization of peace! We fight to keep each dimension happy, not to terrorize it!”, I stated.
Obama flinched when I said that. His grip on the telephone slacked slightly, allowing the phone to drop on the floor with a loud clack. Alicia immediately crawled over to it and said, “Daddy!” I smiled as I heard Alicia’s voice over the call, not noticing the others surrounding me. “Alicia! Thank goodness you’re alright. How did Obama get his hands on you?”, I asked. Alicia was about to answer, but Eggman answered for her with a loud: “It was me, Henegan!” “Oh…Dr. Eggman, huh?”, I said with an unimpressed tone. “Watch it, you ungrateful brat! If I didn’t do this, you would’ve never woke up!”, he stated. “Huh? What do you mean, Eggman? Explain!”, I replied.
Eggman laughed when I asked him that. “Your daughter here has the ability to tap into the power of the Aelitatrix at will, did you know?”, he said. I raised an eyebrow and said, “Yeah, I knew. What’s your point?” “Well, a thought occurred to me: if the heir of the Aelitatrix was in a predicament he or she couldn’t handle, what would occur?”, Eggman asked. I grinned when he said that. “Eggman, you sneaky devil. You jumpstarted the Aelitatrix through Alicia. YOU PLANNED THIS.”,I replied.
“Bastard! You knew this would happen?!”, Obama exclaimed, glaring at Eggman furiously. Eggman laughed at Obama from his reaction. “Of course I knew! We may be enemies, but the multiverse needs the Aelitatrix bearer and the Dimensional Protection Unit to function properly!”, Eggman replied. ‘Eggman…’, I thought, smiling widely. ‘Even Eggman must’ve missed you somewhere inside him.’, Yami replied, nodding in approval of what he did. ‘Still, he only gets a five minute headstart after this. I will pummel into the ground for putting Alicia in harm’s way!’, I replied to him. Obama snarled at this entire predicament. He snatched the phone out of Alicia’s hands and said, “Black Jade, attack the Aelitatrix bearer! DO NOT LET HIM ESCAPE!”
A bunch of war cries was heard. Immediately, I looked around me to see I was surrounded on all sides. “Get him! In the name of the United States!”, said a few of the soldiers. ‘Oh great, we’re surrounded! We got nowhere to run!”, Yami exclaimed. I braced myself for the attack, but I was welcomed to the loud clash of metal upon metal. “Eight years….you rushed out of Amaria, not expecting that maybe, just maybe you were rusty on your skills?! Still wet behind the ears, little brat.”, a soft voice said. I looked and smiled widely to see someone in front of me: a familiar someone with purple hair. “Retsu! You made it!”, I said happily.
“Oi, little bro! You really think we’d let these clowns get to you before the action starts?”, another voice said from behind. “No way! The multiverse is calling for you, so we can’t afford for you to get caught!”, another voice stated. I looked back again and my jaw dropped to see a familiar shade of blue and orange. “Sonic! Tails! Where did you guys come from?”, I asked. “Look up!”, Tails said, pushing some soldiers back with his arm. I thought of that as weird, but I looked up to see the Blue Typhoon hovering above me with each member of the DPU on board. “You guys got here a lot faster than I thought you would.”, I replied. Sonic smirked and said, “Eight years has made you slow, kid!”
“Eh? Well then, let me remedy that RIGHT NOW! Celestial Guard, push back the Black Jade and clear a path to the White House!”, I exclaimed, snapping my fingers to open a void above me, Sephiroth’s former sword dropping right into my hand. “It’s the DPU! They’re here!”, said one of the Black Jade. “Do not falter, men! They haven’t seen action in eight years! We can take them!”, another stated. I chuckled softly and said, “Wanna bet? Zack, Leo, Jesus, Jason, Thomas, Nori! GET DOWN HERE!” I looked up to see five familiar faces drop down from the Blue Typhoon, frowning immediately that I didn’t see two more come down as well. I walked over to Zack and said, “Oi, Kilgore! Where’s Elizabith and Nori? You can hardly go anywhere without here tagging right along. And I thought I said that Nori should come down as well!”
Zack sighed softly as he looked towards the enemy soldiers, clenching his fists tightly. “She didn’t make it during the War of Paradoxes. Not to mention she refused to be revived with the Dragonballs. She’s gone, Allen.” I gasped slightly and said, “I am sorry. I didn’t know…” Leo patted my shoulder and said, “It’s ok, Allen. He’s done moved on and met another woman. As for Nori….I think he stayed in Amaria to keep a watch out for the city.” “Oh! Well, that’s good. You’ll have to introduce me to her after this. As for Nori, I’m gonna dropkick him for not coming.”, I said, turning back to the Black Jade. “Celestial Guard, ATTACK!!”, I said, watching my friends attack the soldiers. “Don’t let them through, men! Keep your ground!”, the soldiers said. Jesus chuckled as she walked through a crowd of them, holding a book in one hand and a cane in the other. “You lot can’t say anything…cause I already cut you.”, Jesus said, revealing a sword embedded in the hilt of her cane. The moment she closed her book, a third of the Black Jade fell down to the ground unconscious.
I whistled softly at what Jesus did and said, “Nice one, Turner!” She looked back at me and said, “Don’t just stand there! GO!” “Oh, right! Gangway!”, I exclaimed, running through the path Jesus made for me. ‘Gangway? Where did that come from?’, Yami asked. ‘I don’t know. But I like it. It’s a keeper.’, I replied, dropkicking a few soldiers that came for me. I heard another clash of metal as I saw Tails right behind me. What shocked me the most was that the metallic sound was coming from his right arm. “Tails, your arm! What happened to it?”, I asked. “Not now, Allen! It’s not important!”, Tails replied, seeing Sonic run right up to them. “Come on, let’s go! The others can handle this!”, Sonic said, running ahead of me. I nodded and caught up with him, knocking down soldier after soldier that came after him, me, and Tails.
Meanwhile, back with Obama…
“This can’t be happening! Everything was going so well!”, Obama exclaimed. Eggman chuckled and said, “Deal with it. It’s happening, and now, things will go back to the way things were!” Obama frowned as he pulled a gun out of his desk and aimed it at Eggman. “Quiet! You have no idea what you have done! Past events are going to happen again because of you!”, Obama replied. “Oh, would you look at the time? My ride is here!”, Eggman stated, disappearing right in front of him. “Hey, where’d you go!?”, Obama exclaimed. He looked over at the balcony window Alicia was standing in to see another spaceship appear from over the building. He growled loudly as he yelled, “EGGMAN!!! You won’t get away with this! I swear it in the name of the United States!”
Eggman smiled as he turned on the outside speakers on his ship and said, “Henegan, I hope you are listening!” I looked up immediately to see the Egg Carrier fly over us, shouting out, “Yes, I hear you! Is Alicia with you?!” Eggman smirked when I said that. “I did this to wake you up. I never said I would help bring her back. This is your job, and mine is to wreak havoc among the cosmos and to make the ultimate Eggmanland! We’ll meet again, but after you are up to speed! Farewell!”, he said, the ship disappearing into the Dimensional Rift for parts unknown. A large wind appeared out of nowhere as I moved faster and faster to the White House. Out of my sight range, I could barely see Alicia standing in the window to the Oval Office. “Alicia!!!”, I yelled out loudly. Alicia sniffled softly, smiling widely at me. Obama growled as he said, “Don’t make a single move, Allen! Otherwise, your child will be going to an early grave!”
My eyes widened in horror at the one thing I didn’t ever expect to see: a gun pointed at my child’s head. “Obama, don’t do this! It’s not worth the trouble!”, I said. “Shut up! You don’t know anything! The Living Paradox will only bring destruction to the multiverse, so you cannot be allowed to walk outside of Amaria anymore! Leave this place!”, he replied, firing the gun at me, barely missing my foot. ‘The Living Paradox? What is he babbling about, I wonder?’, I thought to myself, before saying, “You’re not making any sense, Obama! What is The Living Paradox?” “As if you don’t know! Just get going before something bad happens!”, he replied, pointing the gun back at Alicia.
“Ugh, we’re at a stalemate here, Allen. If we even move a muscle, he will shoot Alicia!”, Sonic said in disgust. “I know! What can we do?”, I replied. “Let me handle this, Onii-chan!”, a small voice rang out. I looked around immediately to hear someone shout out “Air Force Push!!!”, a roaring force of wind whipping around us immediately. I saw a straw hat fly right into Obama’s face, rendering his sight useless. “Now, while you have the chance!”, the voice replied. I looked up in my hair to see a familiar white-haired pixie. “Yuki! You’re ok!”, I said happily, remembering that she was badly injured during the War of Paradoxes. “Now’s not the time! Move it!”, Yuki said. “Right!”, I replied, flying up to the window, seeing Obama struggle to get the hat off his face. “Obama, back off of my daughter!”, I exclaimed, punching him square in the jaw, watching him fly into the opposite wall.
Alicia squeaked from the sudden movement, but then she felt two arms embrace her immediately. She looked up and saw me looking directly at her, smiling softly. “Daddy…”, she said softly, tears flowing from her eyes. “Hey there, little girl. Are you ok?”, I asked. She hugged me tightly as she cried even harder. “I missed you so much! I thought I’d never see you again!”, she exclaimed, sniffling softly. I patted the back of her head gently and shushed her. “It’s ok, it’s ok. I came back for you all, see?”, I said. I heard someone enter the window behind me and I looked back to see Retsu, Sonic, Tails, Zack & Jesus enter the room. Leo grumbled outside as I saw that he was in his Shadowdragon form again, not being able to get inside.
“Alicia, thank goodness you’re alright.”, Jesus stated. Alicia nodded at Jesus as I handed her over to Retsu. “Let’s not get too happy, guys. It’s not over yet.”, I said. Everyone nodded as I walked over to Obama who was groaning slightly from the punch. He removed the hat that was on his face to see that I was crouched right in front of him with a frown. “Henegan….why did you wake up? Things were better with you gone.”, Obama said, pointing the gun at me again. I sighed softly and said, “You really hate me, do you? Well then, here’s your chance: pull the trigger.” I placed the barrel on my forehead and said, “Go on, do it. You want me dead so much, just pull the trigger and get it over with.” Obama snarled, but then sighed and said, “I can’t do it. You’re just a kid.” He tossed the gun away and said, “Can I stand up? There’s something that needs to be done.”
I nodded as I helped him to his feet, feeling him place the straw hat on my head. He straightened his clothes and went back to his desk, pressing a button on it. A camera dropped down from the ceiling as he said, “My fellow Americans. ….No, everyone in the multiverse. It is with a heavy heart that I apologize to you all. It has come to light that I have been in error with charging the Dimensional Protection Unit as terrorists. But, no more. As of right now, all charges against the DPU are officially lifted. Let us walk hand in hand with the DPU in order to bring us back to a world of peace.” I smiled as I said softly, “Let’s go home, guys.” Everyone nodded in agreement as we tiptoed out of the balcony window, landing on Leo’s back. With a flap of his wings, he flew off into the air towards the Blue Typhoon quickly.
I sighed softly as I stretched out on his back, laughing loudly. “That was a fun adventure, huh guys?”, I said. “Yeah, it definitely was needed. I thought I’d never get the taste of excitement again!”, Zack said with a grin. Leo nodded in agreement and said, “He’s right. If you never woke up, we might have all gotten rusty and old!” When Leo said that, I immediately sat up and looked at everyone with a stern look. “Thank you for saying that, Leo. All of you got some explaining to do starting with the obvious question: WHY ARE YOU ALL OLDER!? Well, except for Retsu of course.”, I asked.
“Actually, we don’t know.”, Sonic said, removing a few strands of hair from in front of his eye. “When you fell into a coma, everything changed. The first thing that changed was that we started aging: something that should never occur in Amaria.”, he said. Tails nodded in agreement and said, “Another thing is that most of the machinery in the lab weren’t being functioned by us, but by another entity in a separate world.” “Hmm…might’ve been Lucemon. He does live in the Digital World’s DPU, after all. I wonder how he is doing. I’ll have to go and check on him soon. Alright, next question: what is up with your right arm, Tails?”, I asked.
Tails looked down slightly, but then slide his jacket off to reveal an arm made of metal. “Oh sweet Amaria, what happened to your arm?!”, I exclaimed. Tails sighed and said, “Arufunu happened, Allen. He literally smashed each nerve in my old arm, so I made this one before I lost all use to my right arm.” He immediately covered his arm back up and said, “I don’t like talking about it.” I nodded and said, “I understand, no more talk about it.” I looked up at Yuki DeBlanc, the little pixie I had found clinging to life in the Dimensional Rift and asked, “Now for you. You’ve gotten stronger, little sis.” Yuki giggled and said, “It was because Retsu & Sister Mina trained me!” “Did they now?”, I said, grinning at Retsu. She looked away immediately, a small blush appearing on her face. “It was nothing…don’t mention it…”, she said softly. “Hehehe, you got even cuter since we got married, Retsu.”, I said, only to get a scythe plunged into my skull. “OWW!!!! MINA, NO!”, I said, pulling the scythe out of my head and tossing it onto Leo’s back, the scythe returning back to the shape of the mute bunnygirl I remember.
Alicia giggled at everything that was occurring while Leo landed on the Blue Typhoon, her attention landing on the straw hat that rested on my back. “Papa, isn’t that the straw hat Mr. Obama placed on your head back in the White House?”, she asked. “Huh? Oh yeah, I almost forgot about it. I thought I’d hang on to it. I had noticed something odd about it.”, I replied. “What’s so odd about a straw hat? I mean, it’s just a hat.”, Thomas said, helping everyone off Leo’s back as he changed back to normal. “One thing I learned eight years ago is that even small things like this could be important, ET.”, I stated. Thomas groaned when I called him by the old nickname called him eight years ago. “Why are you still calling me that, Allen? I told you I didn’t like it.”, he stated. “Because it fits. One: you’re a Saiyan. And two: you’re married to Zack’s younger sister Ericka. Now, back to this hat. I thought it weird since it blew into the Oval Office through the wind Yuki made, but it smells like seawater. Yuki, did you call on that wind from the ocean?”, I asked.
Yuki shook her head no when I asked that. “No, I didn’t. I called on that wind from the local vicinity!”, she replied. “See why I thought it odd? How could a hat with the scent of seawater get all the way to Washington D.C?”, I said, getting tackled to the ground. “Ouch, what the…?!”, I said, only to see Shampoo, Sophie, Tailsko, and the rest of my kids surrounding me. “You’re ok!”, Sophie said, smiling widely. Tailsko giggled and said, “Welcome back, Allen. We’ve all been waiting for you.” “Mama!!”, Alicia said, pouncing Tailsko immediately, the two getting hugged by the other three of Tailsko’s kids. “I was so scared!”, she said, sniffling softly. “Now now, it’s ok. Everything’s fine now.”, Tailsko stated, hugging her daughter tightly. I chuckled as I felt Shampoo kiss my cheek softly. “I knew you would wake up, I just knew you would.”, she said. I was shocked to hear that she wasn’t referring to herself in the third person while she talked. “Wow, Shampoo. Did you get English lessons while I was gone?”, I asked.
Shampoo nodded as her and Sophie helped me to my feet. “Yes, I did. I figured it was time for me to do that. Anyway, let us all head inside the ship. We’ll be returning for home soon.”, she replied. I nodded as I walked inside to the bridge, being welcomed back by everyone.
I smiled widely when I saw my grandmother, hugging her tightly. I missed her so much while I was asleep. A few hours later, I was welcomed back by everyone in Amaria, from Yugi to Goku. Heck, even Aelita and the gang had made their way to Amaria just to welcome me back. I kept my promise to everyone when I saw Nori and left a large lump on his forehead for not joining the others in the fight. Although, I think I caught the smallest of smiles from the injury. Did…did he enjoy that? Weird. After I got a good meal, which I ate at least 8 years’ worth of food, I went downstairs to the lab for a little business…
“Allen, it’s you! Welcome home!”, Nicole said with a wide smile. I heard a loud beeping noise as I saw Herbie over in his parking spot. I smiled as I said, “I missed you and Herbie, Nicole. How’s Lucemon?” “He’s doing fine. I just told him you were awake, and he is frantic on coming here right now to see you. Should I grant him passage through the Digital Gate?”, she asked. “Sure thing. He has every right to see his partner. But for now, could you scan this hat? I figure it might be from another universe.”, I said, placing the hat on a scanner. “Sure thing! It won’t take too long. Scanning….scanning….scanning complete!”, she said, showing the face of a young boy on the screen. “Who is that?”, I asked.
“His name is Monkey D. Luffy. I detected some hair fibers in it that matched his DNA code. He is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates in the Grand Line district. Apparently, this is his hat.”, Nicole said. “I knew it. I knew this hat had to come from somewhere. And from a pirate captain, no less…”, I said. I winced loudly as I felt Trixie tighten around my wrist. “T-Trixie, what is it!? What’s wrong?!”, I asked. “Celestian DNA code detected! This boy has a fragment of Retsu’s DNA inside him!”, Trixie said. “What!? Another one!?”, I said. ‘This means that this Luffy kid is connected to you, Allen! I wonder what you’ll get from him?’, Yami asked. ‘I don’t know! Monkey D. Luffy….what will you show me?’, I thought out loud. “Nicole, send his exact location to me right now! I’ll go and return this hat to him!”, I said, only to get pounced by Lucemon from behind. “No! I just got here! Let it wait until tomorrow, Allen!”, he exclaimed, the coordinates immediately transferred into Trixie. I sighed and said, “Alright, alright. I’ll take the night off just to spend time with you. After all, it has been eight years.” I patted the Digimon on his head and said, “Let’s go. There should be some food left!” “More food!?”, Nicole said in surprise. I laughed as I went upstairs with Lucemon, closing the lab off behind me.
And so starts the first day of my re-awakening. What will occur this time? More adventures are to come over the horizon...
