Molly's Return

Chapter 15: Fight your Way

The past weeks were a concerning one for Team Dark. Molly has been distancing herself from them, and most of them had barely seen her since the mission. During her missions at GUN, she was always quiet and focused, barely acknowledging anyone. She seemed to be working non-stop, taking on more missions and tasks than usual, and during free time, she would be locked in her room, only opening to pick up the tray of food that Maria would leave for her.
This sudden change in her behavior was both worrying and confusing for the team. They tried to reach out to her, but she would shut them out every time. They could tell that she was in pain, and it hurt them to see her suffering alone. Despite their worries, they respected her space, hoping that she would eventually open up to them. But as the days turned into weeks, their concern only grew.

One day, Maria simply had enough and was the first to take action. She first went to the Blue Eagles and when she was nowhere to be found, she talked to Captain Katella.

"Where's Molly?"
The captain shrugged it off with a disinterested expression.
"I don't know. Nor do I care."

The response triggered the blonde hedgehog to growl before grabbing Katella by the collar, her dark expression causing the other pilots to become nervous.
"You should care! She's part of your team!" She yelled, her tone in a menacing fury. "So I won't ask you again; Where. IS SHE??"

"I-I think she's at the combat training ground!" One of the pilots stammered out, trying to defuse the situation. Maria, without releasing her grip on Katella, turned to the pilot and nodded, her gaze never leaving the captain's. "Thank you." she said tersely before releasing Katella and storming out of the room, leaving behind a stunned silence.

"Now I remember why she's called Shadow's sister." Another pilot muttered, shuddering at the thought at Shadow's wrath when provoked. "God help us all if she's anything like him when she's angry."

Maria herself, meanwhile, Chaos Controlled to the training ground, where she found Molly relentlessly attacking the training dummies with a ferocity that took Maria aback. Sweat was pouring down Molly's face, her breathing heavy and ragged.

"Molly!" Maria called out, concerned. Molly paused mid-strike, her wheezing the only sound echoing in the room. She slowly turned around, her expression hard and cold. "Molly, we need to talk."

"No." Molly rasped, her tone final. "I don't have anything to say to you." Her harsh response left Maria taken aback. Despite the rejection, Maria knew she couldn't give up. "Molly, I know you're hurting. We're all worried about you."

"Leave me ALONE!" Molly suddenly charged for an aggressive punch towards Maria, who barely managed to dodge in time. Shocked at her friend's outburst, Maria could only look at Molly with a mix of concern and fear. Molly's face was a mask of anger and hurt, her fists clenched tightly as she tried to control her emotions.

"FINE." Maria responded, before Chaos Controlling out, leaving Molly alone in the training room, her breaths echoing off the cold, silent walls. She punched the bag once more, letting out a scream of frustration as she felt the tears welling up in her eyes. But suddenly, Maria Chaos Controlled back, only this time she was wearing a black, yellow and red workout outfit. "You wanna fight? Then let's fight!"

Taken aback by Maria's declaration, Molly momentarily paused. However, her anger quickly resurfaced and she clenched her fists, her exhaustion quickly forgotten. She charged at Maria with a yell, her fist flying towards the blonde hedgehog. The fight had begun.

With a quick sidestep, Maria dodged the attack and grabbed Molly's arm, twisting it behind her back. However, Molly was quick to retaliate, elbowing Maria in the stomach and freeing herself from her grip before attempting to hook her.