Your defeat of "Eggman" has come at a high cost, namely the Egg Fleet in the skies and the looming threat of Neo Metal Sonic. He gave you a week to prepare; best use it wisely.
THE CITY
The massive robot on the horizon is no more - it looks like Neo Metal Sonic truly did rip the whole thing up. If you head back out there, you'll find that there are still pieces of it, and plenty of scrap left behind, but not nearly as much as one would expect.
More pressingly, there are far more robots present than even before. While you recognize all of them at this point, they're all patrolling in larger groups and will once again drop everything to attack you. Definitely don't head into the city alone for any reason, and always be prepared for an ambush. These robots are absolutely determined to kill you.
It seems that the white chroma that has spread throughout the city has reached a standstill - there isn't any more of is present than there was last week, but it hasn't receded any either. Strangely enough, it seems like the animals in the city are feeling more lively than before, though not quite back to their usual levels of being.
THE BASE
The new base is coming along nicely, and should be more or less furnished as needed by now. Still, with more and more robots coming around, you may find groups of them straying toward the base. You can't let them find it and report back to Neo Metal Sonic, so please take care of them! This is also the perfect time to practice with your shardbond powers...
You may also want to start thinking of the future as well. While it certainly isn't a sure thing, Sonic and friends have made it clear that this should be the final battle, that taking out Neo Metal Sonic should be the end of it and that you all will get to go home soon. Or if not home, then to wherever - and whenever - you'd like! Your future is up to you, though you're certainly welcome to stay here in Chicago, if you have nowhere else you want to go. May as well start thinking about what you'd like to bring back with you, or where you'd like to go.
But maybe don't get too caught up on that, as you still do have a battle to win, after all.
SHARDS
Your shard powers are fully unlocked, and with them comes a mastery of your shardbond powers as well. You really have reached the end with what you can do with these bonds - so now it's time to put them to the test.
Knuckles wants you all to practice forming even larger shardbonds and maintaining them for as long as possible - ideally you'll be able to work up to a seven person bond, as that should grant you the full extent of your power. No one knows what exactly will happen when you can achieve that... So you'd better get to work, as it may be very helpful for the final fight.
Those of you with the same color shards have mostly been able to bolster each others' powers rather than actively forming a bond, but now that you're at the very end, that's changed - shards of the same color can now activate each others' powers as well as their own! So for example, Yeager can shoot water like Dorothy, or Dorothy can draw aggro and take reduced damage like Yeager. You can utilize the others' powers alongside your own just as long as the other shard is in the same vicinity!
TAILS' TASKS
As always, rings are incredibly important, and you should collect them, especially if you'd like to bring some home with you so you can travel back to Chicago at any point, or jump to your friends' worlds. Go forth and find those obnoxiously-placed rings!
There's also Knuckles' daily lessons on shardbonds; he'll be overseeing you all while you practice to make sure that everything's going well, though you don't really need his help at this point. Activating a bond with six other shards is the goal, but every single extra shard you can add to the mix is important.
Finally, Tails is working on a teleporter that will jump you guys right up onto the ships above... but he's still fine-tuning it. Turns out that finding the right ship is a bit easier said than done. If you want to help, you can take the jump to test it! You'll be given a ring so you can get back immediately - but if you get the wrong ship, you can stay to clear out the robots. Doing so will net you experience with your shards and bonds, as well as at minimum ten rings. So really, it's a win/win unless you hate fighting.
ENEMIES
The enemies you face this week are the same as the ones you've faced in previous weeks. There are no new robots to fight, though you'll start finding knock-offs of Mecha Sonic, Robo Knuckles, and Tails Doll hanging around in the city as well. Which yes, means you can (and will) get many more rocks at you. Have fun!
Well, I am certain you had far more time for it when you were a prince… though even then, there are expectations and formalities to deal with. Even as a ward with no expectations or hope of being in the royal line, I found much of the ceremony tiresome…
Official functions are so stifling. They are complicated social functions wearing the guise of a "party," and it is exhausting to keep up with all the important gossip. I cannot say I mind an actual party that is for fun, but I was always seeking an excuse to find a corner with a book or a chance encounter with one of the castle's hounds or mousers.
[and then mordegon banned pets because animals could tell he was evil. it sucked so bad.]
[ More's expression right now conveys about the same emotion as a super size handshake emoji. ]
You speak as though you led the same life as I. These were precisely the escapes I sought myself, much to the frustrations of the court. Being expected to make connections with fellow clemar nobility, nudged towards picking out a bride even when I was merely a boy... It was really quite loathesome.
The courtly life is one of force and artifice, and I never did grow to like it much.
...I believe I had more freedom than that, at least. I am merely the last dregs of a fallen noble house, so there were not political attempts to get me married off.
[granted. plenty of people wanted him just because, you know, look at him.]
The princess would have received the brunt of that, though she was presumed dead and off having adventures with the king of a destroyed kingdom for the better part of her adolescence and adulthood. If only we could all be so lucky...
Ah, no, one of our world's kingdoms was attacked and destroyed by monsters at a time when basically all the other world leaders were there to discuss matters of prophecy and such. She was lost in the chaos, but as it turned out she was simply rescued by the king of said kingdom.
...
I feel as though it would be better for most royalty, granted, outside of the disaster...
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[ Pros of having his memories back: he can complain about his early life with accuracy. ]
I was constantly attempting to flee from tiresome representative duties, and my father was quite embarrassed by my antics.
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[and then mordegon banned pets because animals could tell he was evil. it sucked so bad.]
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You speak as though you led the same life as I. These were precisely the escapes I sought myself, much to the frustrations of the court. Being expected to make connections with fellow clemar nobility, nudged towards picking out a bride even when I was merely a boy... It was really quite loathesome.
The courtly life is one of force and artifice, and I never did grow to like it much.
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[granted. plenty of people wanted him just because, you know, look at him.]
The princess would have received the brunt of that, though she was presumed dead and off having adventures with the king of a destroyed kingdom for the better part of her adolescence and adulthood. If only we could all be so lucky...
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Is... being presumed death and going on an extraordinary quest a tradition for youth of royalty that I have merely missed out on?
[ More discovers how JRPG tropes work. ]
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...
I feel as though it would be better for most royalty, granted, outside of the disaster...