So, epic battle between Sonic and Eggman! If it sucks… sorry. I'm still trying to get the hang of that. Well, only way to get somethin' right is to try and try again!

Summery: We leave behind Knights and Shadow, who have finally found the exit to EggmanLand (and talked about what Knights was doing there on a merry-go-round). Now, we visit with Sonic, Knuckles, and… Rouge? What about the drop-off China had? Did she get the package to Sonic? What happened to the mysterious plane? Why is Rouge on Angel Island? Why is Sonic on Angel Island? And since when did he have a blue backpack?

ABCSonicKirbyWarriors: *Grins* Yeah, it is fun watching Knights get on Shadow's nerves! Nooo! Flyer! Poor thing :(. And uh, I hate to say this, but I have no idea what SOPD is.

Werewolf lover99: *Happy grin* Thanks! I'ma glad you enjoy the story! And yes, I am making a sequel. I'm actually writing the rouge draft for it now.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog or Eggman, or Knuckles, or Rouge. Thank you.

Chapter Nine: Eggman VS. Sonic

After the battle with Eggman in the middle of the night, Sonic retreated to Angel Island to look over the files China had obtained for him.

"I'm only going to say this once more! You CANNOT have the Master Emerald!"

Sonic winced and rubbed his left ear. Oh, and something else. Rouge happened to be 'visiting' Knuckles again.

"Aw, come on Knuckie! Please?" Rouge asked, batting her eyelashes at him. Knuckles narrowed his eyes. "No." he said with finality, tried of the argument. Rouge pouted, then turned her attention to Sonic, who was half reading the files, and half watching the red echidna and white bat with amusement.

"What'cha got there Blue?" Rouge asked curiously, starting to walk over to him. Not wanting the others to find out, Sonic quickly shoved the folder into the dark blue bag they had been in when they dropped out of a small compartment in one of the Egg Pawns.

"Nothing. Just looking at some pictures from Tails' younger days," Sonic lied. He didn't like the idea of lying to his friends, but he wasn't ready to tell them just what was in the folders he had received.

Knuckles raised an eyebrow, but knew Sonic well enough not to push the hedgehog's buttons when it came to Tails.

Even more so after last month, the red echidna thought a shake of his head. Rouge, on the other hand, didn't know Sonic well enough to keep from prying.

"Come on Sonic! Just a peek?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyes again. Sonic merely shook his head, hands gripping the dark blue bag tighter. Rouge pouted, she seemed to be doing that a lot lately, but before she could try again, dark laughter came from outside.

"Oh Sonic! I know you're here!" Eggman's voice boomed. "I have some interesting news for you!"

Sonic rolled his eyes as Knuckles' hardened into a glare. The Guardian muttered something under his breath that didn't sound like high praise before rushing out of the Master Emerald's shrine to give Eggman a piece of his mind.

Sonic followed, tossing the bag across his shoulder (it was one of those one-strap bags), as he went. Rouge, after casting a glance at the Master Emerald with a silent promise to be back for it, walked out after the two males.

China peeked over Eggman's shoulder at the three Mobians who looked up at the large fifteen foot humanoid robot which she and Eggman were operating.

"Eggman! Why have you come to Angel Island? Are you here to try and steal the Master Emerald again?" Knuckles demanded, glaring up at the evil doctor.

Eggman grinned, but shook his head. "Why would I need such a weak power supply? I have something so much better!" the doctor laughed. China rolled her eyes and turned away. Walking the short distance to a small control panel, the cat's fingers moved over the keyboard once she got there.

The glass window seemed to ripple and an image appeared, showing the Mobians the picture of… was that Shadow?

"Why is Eggman showing us a picture of Shadow? Is that an amusement park? And who's that with him? No fair! Shadow never takes me to an amusement park!" Rouge complained with a frown, huff, and crossing her arms.

Sonic frowned, narrowing his eyes at the picture as it became a video, showing Shadow running towards something.

"Idiot!" Shadow snapped at the stranger with him, gently smacking it over the head. "What in Chaos did you think you were doing?" he demanded with a glare.

"Oh excuse me!" the figure snapped back, stepping into the light, eyes flashing in the same light. It was a hedgehog, a female with light purple fur and darker purple tipped quills, ears, and tail. She placed her hands on her hips. "You do realize that if it wasn't for me, we wouldn't have found the exit to this Chaos-forsaken place! If we followed you Mr. Ultimate Life-Form, we would still be running around in circles!"

Sonic mentally congratulated this strange female hedgehog. Not many Mobians could, or would, stand up to Shadow like that.

Speaking of Shadow, he grit his teeth at the purple she-hedgehog red eyes glaring (still). "Watch it. If it wasn't for me you'd be lying in this middle of this place, dead." the purple one deflated some, then snorted and turned away. "Lets just get to wherever the heck that egghead is. I want to give him a piece of my mind for trying to blow me to high Mobius."

The screen turned off to reveal a laughing Eggman. "Oh, this one has fire! Reminds me a bit of you Sonic! I should mention that I found her at my EggmanLand gates, quite a bit roughed up. Then all that fighting to survive in my amusement park? I don't say this often, but I have to tip my hat to her!" the madman tipped a invisible hat. "Well, it doesn't matter about them anyway. I just thought I'd let you see my newest enemy before I destroy you! Shall we get on with it? CHINA!"

Said cat hadn't been expecting the sudden summons, and leaped into the air, yowling in shock, her black fur fluffing up in surprise.

"What the hell Boss? I'va told 'ya not ta surprise me! I don't work well when I'ma surprised," China growled, her odd accent and speech pattern coming out with the shock of being yelled at.

Eggman rolled his eyes at her. "Fine. China!" the doctor said again, but not as loud.

"See? That wasn't so hard now was it?"

"Just start firing!" the madman snapped, rubbing his brow with his hands. This cat was giving him another headache.

Outside, the heroes (plus Rouge), listened to this exchange with differing thoughts. It went something like this.

I knew that cat couldn't be trusted! I bet she helped Eggman with Tails' kitnapping! She may even be telling Eggman everything she knows about us after she 'helps' us! Knuckles thought angrily.

Girl's got guts, standing up to Eggman like that. Hey, I know that speech pattern! Sounds a lot like that family of thieves that I keep running into! But there's only three of them, maybe they came from the same place? Rouge thought, thoughtful.

Something's not right here, Eggman never brings China into a fight. And why show us that video? Something is really wrong… but who was that hedgehog with Shadow? She looked a lot like… Sonic didn't finish his thought, choosing not to believe, or even think, of the possibility.

China pushed the large red button that said 'fire' on it with a bored air around her. Sitting in the cockpit with a laughing madman, the cat wondered how she managed to stay sane.

Probably because of my sneaking around Eggman's back, and my sparkling personality of course, China grinned, her sharp teeth showing.

"Hahaha! This is great!" Eggman shouted gleefully. China rolled her eyes, that was all the doctor had been saying for the last three minutes since the battle started.

Outside, Sonic leaped over the robot's arm and spin-dashed said arm, knocking it into the other one.

China smirked as Eggman scowled. "Was that great too Boss?" she asked. Eggman glared at her before turning back to his control panel and flipping multiple switches.

"This is crazy!" Knuckles shouted, punching one of the small helicopter-like robots that now swarmed the three Mobians. "I know we've had problems with Eggman before, but this has been going on for three hours! How can he still be going?" the red echidna ducked as Rouge kicked a copterbot into another.

"Maybe it has something to do with that power source he mentioned?" Rouge asked, flying through a small swarm of the robots, lashing out at them with powerful kicks as she went.

"Then we need to get that power source and shut this thing down!" Sonic said from where he was currently running circles around the fifteen foot robot's feet, attempting to trip it up.

"How?" Rouge asked, stomping on another copterbot. "Ask Eggman sweetly where the power source is?" behind her Knuckles scoffed. "Yeah, like that's going to work," he muttered.

"Might. Hey Eggman!" Sonic stopped on the robot's left foot and called up to the scientist. "Where's your power source?"

Knuckles did a face palm. "Way to go hedgehog. Way to go," he said to himself, not even looking as he punched a copterbot to his right.

Eggman laughed. "Like I would tell you! You think I'm stupid enough to tell you that my power source is-" he was cut off by China.

"Shut up Boss! Or you'll tell them where to look!" the black cat snapped. Eggman blinked, realizing she was right he cleared his throat with clear embarrassment.

"Uh, yes. That was my plan. I make them think I was going to tell them, then, while their distracted, I attack," Eggman said lamely. China raised an eyebrow at him. "Fine! I was going to give it away! Are you happy now?" he asked as he glared at her. "No." China replied, turning away to command the copterbots once again.

"Well, it almost worked," Sonic muttered.

Always the optimist, Shadow thought as he and Knights watched the battle on the small TV that had floated down towards them.

"Hmm," Knights hummed thoughtfully. There was something here that disturbed her. What was it?

"What is it Knights?" Shadow asked, turning his head to look at her. "Do you hear something?" he had learned quickly that the female hedgehog's hearing was surprisingly acute.

"Hmm? No, I don't hear anything. But there's something wrong with this. I know it, but I can't figure it out just yet," she frowned, narrowing her eyes as she watched the battle. "Where is that?" she asked.

Shadow frowned as well, then watched as Knuckles uppercut the giant robot's fist, knocking it into the main body. His eyes widened some as Rouge flew around the robot's back and spin-kicked the machine onto its front.

"That's Angel Island. I remember Rouge, the bat, saying something about going there, how did she put it? Ah, yes. She was going to 'persuade' Knuckles, that would be the echidna, to give her the Master Emerald," Shadow explained.

"So I guess we go to this Angel Island right?" Knights asked.

"More or less."

Sonic, Knuckles, and Rouge stood, panting, just twenty feet away from the fallen robot. As the robot remained motionless, Knuckles ran up to Sonic, huffing.

"Did we finally get him?" he asked the blue hedgehog, trying to catch his breath. Rouge walked up slowly.

"You need to work out more Knuckie, you're out of shape," the bat teased, though she too, was puffing from the long battle with the mad doctor.

"Mwahahaha!"

The robot suddenly lurched to its feet, looming over the three Mobians.

"What the-? How is still standing?" Sonic wondered aloud, clearly confused.

"You're wondering how I'm still standing right? Well I'll tell you. It has to do with this wonderful little gem I found in my park last night," Eggman gloated and snapped his fingers.

Nothing happened.

Eggman looked confused, then angry. "China! That was your cue!" the doctor whipped around in his spinning chair to glare at the black cat.

China glared back. "I'm a servant, not a slave! I don't respond to snaps, if you want something, then just ask. Sheesh." China huffed. Eggman started to say something back, then shook his head, pinching his nose.

"Argh, fine," Eggman sighed. "Would you open the center compartment so I can gloat properly?" he asked.

"I repeat: was that so hard?" she shook her head as she pushed a blue button.

The robot's chest opened up, revealing a sparkling light blue diamond pulsing energy and secured behind bulletproof glass.

And BAM! End epic battle scene… Okay, so it wasn't that epic. Probably sucked. But hey, I'm learning.

So anyway, any guesses what the diamond is? Huh? Huh? Show of hands? Yes! You in the back! …You are correct! It IS an Angel Diamond! Here, have a cookie.

Alright, so Eggman's using a power source from another planet to power his machine. And he built this in just one day? Man, he's good. And I say that with much reluctance.

Well, what's next? Answer… Chapter Ten: A New Hero(ine)

So, till next time peoples!- JAF logging out!