MrEpic382FF: This story does not involve a duopoly yet. Demonopolize is a word, but I've turned it into Demonopoly as the name of a historic event, as in Prower Technologies will be demonopolizing something. I am using "tetropoly" this chapter, though.

I'm going to rewrite Chaos Regeneration. I feel like I didn't do nearly as good on it as I could. Also, I just read what is now my all-time favorite story: The Lightning Wars by Tails118 on DeviantArt. I'm too inspired to not rewrite Chaos Regeneration! That'll hinder update for, so I hope you don't mind!

I know I promised action this chapter, but it turns out that I need a little more setup for that. More than I anticipated. I'm making up for that with a two-an'-a-half times longer chapter, so enjoy!

I had two months to wait until I could start producing ProwComs again. I had already prepared the second half of my plan (finding a metal processing company to process my metal), so I really had nothing to do except work on the next ProwOS update. And watch the evening news, of course. One day—a couple weeks after buying Scavo—I sat down on the couch and switched on the television. As always, the economy was prioritized and covered first. The reporter seemed a little more tired than usual.

"For the past few weeks, the electric industry has been declining… Recently, however, various large companies have taken the initiative to solving this problem by going multi-industrial. They're currently buying up every electric business they can afford to fix. In due time, we can expect to see those electric bills going back down… While the petroleum industry has made a full recovery, the retail industry has taken a nasty turn. Because of inflation, people have been spending much less on their everyday shopping, which may only make matters worse. So hear this message from economists across the country: please spend more money in retail! Otherwise, the retail industry may require the same solution as the electric… That's all for the economy today, so let's hand it over to Tristin for the polit-"

I never liked politics. The only time I ever paid attention was during the last campaign season, even though I wasn't old enough to vote. I hopped up from the couch and headed for the kitchen.

I scoured the refrigerator for my next meal. The hunt didn't last long: I spotted a clear wrapped pot of chicken spaghetti that needed to be eaten soon. I took the pot from the fridge, peeled the wrap from its surface, and dumped the lump of poultry and pasta onto a plate. I microwaved it for a minute… Beee- Click! As soon as I opened the door, my nose was greeted with the gamy scent of my second favorite meat. I set it on the table and retrieved a fork. Just as I lifted the first bite to my mouth, my Com vibrated. I growled and put down the utinsal. The caller ID read 'EWA'. Eggman better be wrecking havoc this time!

"Yes?" I answered simply.

"Good evening, Mr. Prower." Grant. The nervous, relatively innocent representative of the EWA. "The Commander has requested your presence."

Request denied. I'm not flying for over an hour and a half just to invalidate another half-baked assumption. Kerosene costs money. That's what I would've said, but Grant was too nice to vent my annoyance on. I'd save it for the Commander. "Sorry, but he'll have to talk to me over the phone."

"Oh… I don't think that's allowed: I think this information is classified, so it's… probably against procedure to do that." My annoyance grew. Not because of Grant—of course not—but because of the EWA. It was trying to do Sonic's job—my job—and it was doing very poorly. "So… is there anything we can say to convince you to come?"

I felt compelled to save Grant from wasting his time with this job. I changed the subject. "Grant, listen… Why did you join the EWA?"

"I… Why did I join? To… I want to help defend against Eggman!" I nodded, even though he couldn't see it.

"Right. Now how much has the EWA actually done to help?" He didn't have to think very long to summon an answer.

"Well… were trying our best, but it's not very easy: Eggman's no common criminal."

"Look, I don't mean the Commander any offense by this, but I don't think he's the right guy to lead something like this." I waited for a reply. Instead of an answer, though, I heard a faint, but strong voice.

"Is he coming?" I knew it was the Commander. I couldn't hear Grant's answer, but the Commander was loud and clear. "Give that here… Good evening, Tails! We've got a bit of information regarding some suspicious activity in the electric industry. Are you up to it?"

"I'm not interested. May I speak with Grant?"

"This is very important. We ne-"

"Why not tell me what's going on now?"

"This is classified information… that may only be shared in person." I clenched my jaw.

"You want me to fly around the country, investigating every company I come across, just to fact-check another assumption? I've got much better ways to take out Eggman—ot progress that he's even doing anything! Apart from the sabatoges, of course… My spaghetti's getting cold and I still need to talk to Grant."

"Tails, this is a matter of national security!"

"Do you have facts to back that up, or are you taking swings in the dark again?"

"Four corporations have just tetropolized the electric industry! This is far more abnormal than the mining ordeal!"

"Abnormal? I just did the exact same thing: I had enough money, so I bought a failing mining company to renovate it! It's probably the most normal thing you could expect right now!" For once, the Commander didn't have a rebuttal. My voice had been gradually raising, so I lowered it again. "Sorry… I'll look into it on my own, but I really need to talk to Grant." He sighed.

"I understand." The phone was passed. There was a moment of silence before I decided to break it.

"Grant?"

"Mr. Prower," he answered. He laughed almost inaudibly "What… What exactly did you say that he didn't have an answer to?"

"Oh, that…" I twirled my fork in my spaghetti. "I told him that the tetropoly was to be expected… and that I'd done the same thing… That's not important, though: I have to talk to you."

"Alright…" His voice reeked with uncertainty. "I'm listening."

"Okay…" I had the idea I wanted to convey, but not the words. "So…" I was frantically reordering and replacing and adding and omitting words to find the right way to speak my mind. "The Commander isn't doing a very good job of… being right… He was far too hastey to… assume guilt both this time and the last… What I'm saying is that the EWA isn't very efficient… Or making any progress at all… It needs a new leader."

"Yes… I understand. And I agree! Why not request to take over the EWA?" My interest was piqued. I hadn't considered this option. "The Commander's a busy man: I'm sure he'd be happy to pass it on to you!"

"Hm… I was planning on hiring you and everyone else into Prower Technologies, but… that's a good idea! Can I talk to the Commander?"

"Uh… now? Sure!" He called for the Commander. Once again, the phone passed hands.

"Tails! Changed your mind?"

"No. Er… Kind of?" I sighed. "I want to take over the EWA." There was a pause, but it didn't last like the previous one.

"Haha! Certainly! I intended to pass leadership to our head analyst, but this is even better! Come over to HQ whenever you wish: I'll queue up the paperwork right away!"

"Eh… thanks. I'll be there tomorrow morning."

"Yes, thank you!" The phone was passed once more. Grant laughed again as soon as he was on.

"I, uh… hear you got the job?"

"Mmhm! I'll be there in the morning to sign some papers. Thanks for the idea!"

"No problem! Things will be easier when we have a leader with… more time to participate… See ya tomorrow!"

"Yeah, see ya!" I finally hung up. My throat was tired from holding my professional voice for so long, and it was ready for spaghetti! I shoveled a bite into my mouth… It was cold. I let out a short, low growl and got up to reheat my food.

x

After a delayed super, I sat down in my office to clean up a small mess that I had left on my desk. As I was sorting my papers into their spots, I came across a sticky note with the name Jim Wilkins on it. I stuck it on my desktop screen to remind myself to call him later and finished tidying my workspace. There was nothing more to do, so I opted to go to sleep early that night.

x-x-x

Some days back, the Commander mentioned the possibility of my promotion. Leader of the EWA! I had been contemplating what exactly I would do when that day came. The Commander, according to his behavior, was a wonderful military leader, but wasn't quite as fit to lead something such as this. And he knew it. When I'm in charge, we'll get things done! That'll finally earn me some recognition! Should I tell my team, though, or leave it a surprise?

A horn honked behind me, causing me to flinch. The light was green. I stepped on the gas a little too hard, causing the engine to growl in protest. It quieted down, though, and I was on my way. I decided to keep my eyes on the road for the rest of the way to work.

x

I was surprised to find that I was not the first to arrive. There was a small fox waiting at the central table of the front room. His tail swayed gently across the floor.

"Good morning!" His tail stopped swaying, and his ears flicked towards me. He looked over his shoulder.

"Morning!" he returned. After he turned back,an additional tail fell from its inadvertent hiding spot. Ah, so that's what it means… I should've guessed.

"You must be Tails!" He turned in his seat and nodded. I held out my hand. "I'm Julian Baker, head analyst of the EWA!" I had never seen a fox smile, but that's what he did as he completed the gesture.

"Nice to meet you!" I nodded in return.

"Are you waiting for the Commander?"

"Yes, do you know when he normally shows up?" I chuckled.

"Oh, he doesn't normally show up: he's pretty busy with his other duties." I had never heard a fox laugh… For that matter, I had never heard any animal laugh. I realized just how unaquainted I was with them, and seeing them behave identical to humans was a surreal experience.

"I see…" I sat down my things two chairs away from him and sat down.

"If you're here to investigate what's been going on in the electric industry, I can fill you in: no need to wait for him."

"No thanks," he declined. "I'm here for something else…"

"I see." I stood up and picked up my stuff. "I'll be in the back if you need me!"

"Alright!" He put his left arm into the table and began to tap on a device on his wrist. ProwCom… Tails Prower… Could he be… I migrated into my work area, the back room. Unlike the more welcoming front room, this room hosted a row of computers on one wall, two projectors on the other, and a meeting table in between. I slid my laptop from its leather case and turned it on. I had a bit of research to do before I started working. I pulled up a browser.

Tails Prower

The first set of results was a plethora of news websites. He shared most of the publications with Sonic, but there were a few that featured him alone. One article from six years ago stood out to me, but not enough for me to click on it.

Tails Disarms Eggman Missile, Saves Station Square from Disaster

I revised my search.

Tails Prower Wikipedia

Wikipedia, I knew, had information on every notable person. Sure enough, I found exactly what I was looking for. I clicked the link and scanned the information bar to the right.

Born: August 19, 1983; Westside Island1

Residence: Central City, Andricston, U.F.

Specie: Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Occupation: Technology inventor and entrepreneur; Eggman Resistance Team (formerly known as Freedom Fighters2)

Title: CEO and Founder of Prower Technologies3; "Sonic's sidekick"

I found exactly what I wanted to know: Prower Technologies. I wasn't going to pursue the subject any further: it was only a whim of curiosity. Besides, I heard the Commander enter the other room. It was time to get to work.

x-x-x

Julian would have been next to lead if I hadn't come along to take that position. I didn't know if he was aware of that or not, but I hoped for the latter.

The Commander was rather timely to show up. He sat a stack of papers next to my spot on the table. "Morning, Tails," he greeted. I echoed the formality as he spread the papers in front of me. "You'll need to fill out everything here. There's a few more steps after this, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it… Well, let's get to it!"

x-x-x

My team began to show up one by one. As each one entered the room, I marked them off of my mental attendance list. I glanced at my watch. Six AM. Five analysts sat at their computers in a neat row, diligently tapping away at their keyboards. But five was less than six, leaving one computer unoccupied. Minutes later, the sixth analyst then entered the room.

"What took you, Garner?"

"Er… Got rear-ended at a traffic light. I honked at someone sitting at a green light, and… I'm not sure what happened…"

Oof… My bad…

"Hm… Well, you're here, now… Alright, everyone!" The sounds rapid of typing ceased, and the team congregated at the meeting table. "The Commander's got some news for us! I'll go see if he's ready to… Well, here he is!" The Commander was just walking through the door. The fox followed behind him. I allowed the two to take my place and joined my team on the other side of the table. The human clasped the fox's shoulder.

"This is Tails. It won't be official until a few days, but he'll be in charge from now on. Give me a call if there's a problem." With a final pat on the shoulder, he made to leave. Before exiting, though, he addressed me. "Show him around: fill him in on whatever he needs to know."

I was feeling a little light headed, but I agreed.

No more promises from me! My next post will be the first chapter of my Chaos Regeneration rewrite, so I'll be a while on this next one. See ya then!