Notes: On with the show
Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Ch. 4: Either burned by gambling or burned by lava
It was an impressive looking city. There were neon lights everywhere. To top it off, smack dab in the middle was an impressive casino area.
"I'm not sure this was always here, Sonic."
"I dunno, buddy, looks like the perfect tourist attraction to me."
"I guess it's either fairly new, or I've just never had a chance to see it."
"Well you're a bit young for casinos, Tails."
The two continued to explore the casino area.
"Now that it's dark out, these neon lights really stand out. I wonder if this place has a name."
"You're good at that sort of thing, Sonic, so just give it one."
"I don't even have to think twice: Casino Night."
"That one was awfully simple."
"Sometimes you've gotta keep things simple, Tails."
Then Tails noticed something.
"Sonic, wait! Don't step on that—"
*FLIP*
"—lever."
Sonic was sent flying into the air by a pinball lever. Thankfully, he landed inside a slot machine.
*DING DING DING*
"Tails, I just hit the jackpot! One hundred rings!"
"That's great, Sonic, but why do these slot machines have our faces on them?"
"Everyone knows me, Tails."
"Well, yeah, but—"
"Careful, buddy, I see some Badniks."
A trio of Badniks slowly made their way towards the duo. They had the appropriate name Crawl. They looked rather like crabs with their claw hands, but in one claw they each carried a bumper like a shield.
"I was having a good time until they showed up."
Sonic spin dashed towards the closest Crawl, but it quickly placed its bumper shield in front of itself. Sonic bounced off.
"Okay, I admit, that was pretty clever, but I won't fall for it twice. Tails?"
As the Badniks were focused on Sonic, Tails had snuck behind them and took them out.
"Now that's teamwork, pal."
"Right, Sonic. Also, since you still have your 'winnings', we better find a way to get the next Chaos Emerald."
"Let's go this way. Whoa!"
The path suddenly inclined, sending Sonic into a small tunnel.
"Tails, help me get out of here! It's so narrow I have to keep curled up."
Tails looked around and saw a switch.
"This should do it, Sonic!"
Sonic felt something moving. He managed to get a look, and realized what he was in.
"This could be bad…or possibly fun."
*SNAP*
"TAILS!"
Tails rushed back to see what sent Sonic flying. The tunnel he had been in was a large scale version of a pinball launcher.
"I better catch up with him. If you can't beat them, they say."
Tails set it up so he too was launched.
*SNAP*
"This is fun! Of course, I can fly, but what about Sonic?"
"It's okay, pal, there were a LOT of bumpers. Apart from way too much bouncing, I'm fine."
"Were you playing with the slots again?"
"Maybe."
"Sonic, you might lose!"
"I didn't though. Speaking of winning, there's a post over there. Let's get that Emerald."
Special
"And here we are again."
"I'm starting to get tired of half pipes full of mines, Sonic."
"You and me both. So let's make this quick."
"Well that's your area of expertise."
They retrieved the blue Chaos Emerald and left as soon as possible.
"Well I've had my fun. Let's find Eggman and move on."
"You make it sound so formulaic."
"Sometimes a job can seem that way, buddy. Of course, that's why you try to shake things up."
"Sonic, I don't see a way out of this area."
The area looked like a giant pinball machine. The one section that appeared to be the way out was blocked.
"Leaving so soon? I noticed how well you did at the slots. I think I'll steal your winnings."
His mobile was covered with neon lights. A large set of pincers with an electrical current running between them were on the bottom, and the generator sat on top. Robotnik positioned his mobile above the duo and dropped a small bomb that let off a series of smaller explosions.
"You thought the slots were bad? Now we're in a deadly pinball game."
"Then why not use the flippers, Sonic?"
"Good idea. You try them out, while I do things a more old fashioned way."
The two avoided the bombs as Sonic spin dashed up the side of the wall. He sent himself flying into the mobile.
"That was a lucky shot, Hedgehog!"
Just then, then was another hit. Tails had launched himself with a pinball lever.
"This is a casino, Eggman. It's all about being lucky."
"Why you pesky little—"
*CRASH*
"You might wanna pay more attention, Eggman!"
The pair continued their assault on all sides until the mobile started smoking.
"In hindsight, I should have seen this coming. Until next time, fools. I'll be waiting!"
"He's just being a sore loser."
"Got that right, pal. I think now we can afford a bit of rest before we go on."
"Sounds good to me, Sonic."
They ran for the outskirts of the city and went to sleep.
The next morning
"This time we'll get up bright and early, Tails."
"Early, maybe, but not very bright."
"I know just the thing to help wake you up. Let's head towards those mountains."
The air was much cooler this high up. Pine trees dotted the landscape. Some of the mountains stretched up above the misty air.
"I'm awake, and this is an amazing view."
"This is one beautiful Hill Top."
"That sounds like a good name. You know, Sonic, some mountainous areas have volcanos. I wonder if this one does."
"There's your answer."
A small pool of lava lay just ahead. Even worse, a Badnik was waiting inside it. It was a large, pink plesiosaur called Rexon.
"This Lock Ness monster is far from home."
Rexon shot a fireball at the pair.
"It does seem an odd design choice for an animal associated with water."
"Let's just get it out of the way."
Sonic jumped at the mech's small head and smashed it.
"I didn't think this through, did I?"
Sonic fell towards the lava.
"SONIC!"
Tails scrambled towards the pit. Once he got a good looked, he relaxed.
"There's that luck thing again, buddy."
Though the mech's head was destroyed, its body stayed behind and served as a platform.
"You shouldn't tempt these things, Sonic."
"Uh huh, but let's keep going."
They didn't get far when they came to a wide gap.
"Look, Tails, a lift to get us across this wide gap."
"How convenient."
"I'm guessing someone built these lifts a while back after hiking here or something."
"Oh yeah? Well what's the explanation for that teeter totter?"
There was a glowing ball-shaped Badnik on one end.
"No comment. Let's just take advantage of it."
They jumped on the empty side. The Badnik went flying. The pair watched it descend. They hopped to the other end of the device. The Badnik landed on the opposite end and the two went up. They safely landed on a ledge.
"There sure are a lot of these contraptions, Sonic."
"No telling what the designers were thinking, pal."
They were now in an underground area. Small, round Badniks with four spidery legs and a huge spike on their heads crawled on the ground and the ceiling. This model was called Spiker. As the heroes drew near, they all began to fire off their spikes. Although the large spike was intimidating, the Badniks had no sense of aiming. Their spikes went flying straight into the air or ground. Apart from having to maneuver a bit, there wasn't much trouble. Since firing off the spikes left them vulnerable, Sonic dispatched them quickly.
"This place doesn't look so bad. I don't know why more people don't come around here."
As they started through a narrow passage…
*SLAM*
"Sonic, why is there a metal wall behind us?"
*RUMBLE*
"Hit the dust! It's an earthquake!"
"Actually, I think we better move, Sonic. Earthquake and cave don't mix."
The ground began to rise, so they quickly jumped to a higher position. Then things got worse. The lava was starting to seep through the ground.
"Tails, I'm beginning to dislike this place."
"I'm not one for natural disasters myself, but we better try for an Emerald before we move ahead."
"Good idea."
The entire landscape seemed to be collapsing. They ran as fast as they could out of the cave.
"Glad to be out of there. I never was much a fan of going underground."
"Sonic, look out!"
A ball of fire passed inches away from Sonic's face. It was another sphere-shaped Badnik with four fireballs surrounding it. It was called Sol.
"Does everything here try to annoy you?"
Sonic waited for the right moment when the fireballs had a good amount of space between them. Then in a flash, the Badnik was no more.
"Fire all over the place."
"There's a sign post, Sonic. That makes me feel better."
"Likewise, pal. Let's do this!"
Special
"More bombs, more rings, same old half pipe."
"Then it's a good thing you're so fast and agile, Sonic."
"Flattery will get you everywhere, buddy."
"I'll settle for the exit of this pocket dimension."
Sonic smirked as he grabbed the yellow Chaos Emerald.
"Done and done."
They emerged in an area that seemed relatively safe.
"Mission accomplished. Now let's get out of here."
But they had to stop relatively quickly. Another pool of lava blacked their path. Luckily, there were small islands dotted around the lava pit.
"Let's jump across these surprisingly untouched spots of land and get going."
Sonic went first, but as Tails began following…
"Sonic, I have this weird feeling like this is a good spot for a trap."
"What gives you that idea?"
Then the Eggmobile rose out of the lava.
"You should listen to your sidekick more often, Sonic."
A flamethrower was mounted atop the mobile.
"BURN!"
A long burst of flame shot out. Sonic had to jump from rock to rock to avoid it.
"Fortunately for you, flamethrowers are rather inefficient. Time out!"
The mobile dove beneath the lava. As it did, the splash caused lava to go flying onto the little islands and catch them on fire. Luckily, Tails grabbed Sonic and gave him an airlift.
"This is already more annoying than it should be, Tails."
"Then I suggest we get rid of the good doctor quickly."
As the mobile rose from the lava again, Sonic bounced off the top. Then Tails did likewise.
"Stand still and you'll be just like those chilidogs you love so much: cooked! Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!"
Sonic bounced on the mobile again.
"Why don't you stop moving and become like the eggs you're shaped like: boiled."
Tails gave the mobile another hit, all the while rolling his eyes at the puns. With the doctor's strategy figured out, with enough hits his flamethrower was no more. The mobile slowly sank into the lava.
"Who needs a smokescreen when you can make your escape even more dramatic? So long, suckers! Until next time!"
Eggman had disappeared completely under the lava.
"That guy sure knows how to cheat death."
"You're telling me, buddy. I've had enough mountain climbing for one day. Let's head back down to where it's warmer."
They then set off, heading in the direction of an enormous forest.