A/N: Hi, everyone! Welcome back to another chapter of Sonic Heroes: The Atom Bomb. Before we jump in, let me just say I'll be switching back and forth from updating A Superstar Adventure (my Mario Odyssey rewrite) and this story. Then, there will be a point where I'll take a break from both to work on my original series: The Sensational Night Shadow on FictionPress. If you wish to read Night Shadow, I'll be really happy. My username on that site is "The Spectacular SpiderDom".
This chapter is more exciting than the other one, as we see more battles as well as character interactions. But I'll let you guys judge for yourselves.
Suggested Music:
(1) Metal Sonic Boss - Sonic 4 Episode 2 OST
(2) Metal Sonic Boss Battle - Sonic Forces OST
Without further ado, enjoy the show!
Saving Private Tikal
Upon entering the factory, Knuckles, Amy, Chaos, and the Chaotix were stuck in a dark room with a glowing cyan light at the end of the tunnel. Amy had her hammer in hand, Espio twirled his Kunai, Vector clapped his fists, and Chaos was filled with vengeance. He and Tikal shared a close connection, so he was angry at the fact he was forced to work for the Illusionary Legion so that Dr. Eggman wouldn't do anything horrible to Tikal. Now that he's resigned from the regime, he was worried that something bad happened to his best friend. The mutated Chao clenched his fists. To which, Knuckles noticed.
"Chaos, are you okay?" he asked. "I know you and Tikal are close, but if we want to get her back safely, we have to be careful. The Secret Strikers have seen a lot of stuff throughout the past six months, which made us learn not to underestimate Eggman. So, I'm asking you… please, be careful."
Chaos turned to the red guardian and nodded.
Amy smirked. "You know, Knuckles, it's amazing how much you've grown over the years. Back then, you were about punching first and asking questions later. Now, it's a little bit of the opposite. You can be impulsive at times, but ever since you took command of the resistance, you've grown quite a bit. I'm proud of you."
"Heh, thanks, Amy," Knuckles smiled. "I had you, Sonic, Tails, and others to help me out over the years."
"I hate to interrupt," said Espio. "But we're getting closer to that light. I suggest we proceed with caution."
"Right," Knuckles nodded.
Upon entering the light at the end of the tunnel, the Secret Strikers came across a room.
The area was filled with nothing but glowing tubes that housed blue wires and suspicious cyan liquid. Inside the capsules were gems that looked exactly like the Phantom Ruby. Everyone was amazed by the number of rubies that were housed in the tubes. Everyone except Chaos took some time to explore the variants of the Phantom Ruby. Some of them were the same as the original, but others had different shapes. For example, three of them were shaped like squares and four were shaped like triangles. The Chaotix did some investigating.
Well, Espio and Vector were doing all of the studying because Charmy was making funny faces towards his reflection.
Vector nudged the bee.
"What is all of this?" Amy inquired.
"Eggman must've been doing experiments on the Phantom Ruby," Knuckles replied.
"He's a madman," Espio commented. "The Phantom Ruby is already messing with the multiverse. Imagine what the multiverse will be like if thousands of Phantom Rubies were being used."
"I don't think these things work," Vector stroked his chin. "They look like cheap-knockoffs. In other words, they might be prototypes."
"But why would Eggman make prototypes when he has the real Phantom Ruby?" Amy inquired.
"He was probably making prototypes to give to Infinite," Espio answered. "Remember, he has a Phantom Ruby of his own. He was probably trying to replicate the power of the original and place it into a version made for Infinite. But I wonder why he would keep them instead of destroying them."
"If I were Eggman, I'd get rid of the ones that wouldn't work," Vector chimed on.
"Hey, guys!" Charmy pointed onward. "I see someone over there!"
The Secret Strikers marched towards the bee and looked where he was pointing. Gasping with amazement, they motioned to Chaos and he joined them.
All of them were looking at the spirit of Tikal herself, who was trapped in a capsule filled with magenta liquid. Her arms and legs were trapped by green wires and watching her were Orbot and Cubot. The two lackeys were talking to their boss, Dr. Eggman.
"Have the Secret Strikers infiltrated the base yet?" the doctor inquired.
"Not that we know if, Doctor," Orbot replied. "They're outside the jungle fighting against your army. I have to admit, even without members like Sonic, they're still decimating your army."
"Do you think I don't know that!?" Dr. Eggman hollered. "Just make sure the Secret Strikers don't get ahold of that orange echidna! The last thing I would want is to lose a future member of the Illusionary Legion!"
Chaos clenched his fists once he heard that.
"What's the point?" Cubot inquired. "Chaos is already resigned from the Illusionary Legion. Why make Tikal an ally when she's a ghost? What can she do? Ghost punch people?"
Dr. Eggman facepalmed. "Just make sure you don't let the Secret Strikers into the base!"
"Understood, Doctor," Orbot nodded.
Both drones hung up the call.
"I almost feel bad doing this, Orbot," Cubot rubbed his head. "But at the same time, I'm confused. How can you make a ghost evil?"
"Through the power of machinery, I guess," Orbot replied.
Chaos and the Secret Strikers suddenly emerged from the shadows.
"I'm gonna give you two one small chance," Knuckles cracked his namesakes. "Either let Tikal go or you won't live to see tomorrow."
"Knuckles, Chaos," Tikal smiled. "You guys came!"
"So, is this like your girlfriend or something?" Charmy asked.
"No! She's my ancestor!" Knuckles replied.
"Oh, sorry, my bad."
Orbot and Cubot cowered away from the resistance and they were surrounded by Team Chaotix. Amy rushed towards the computer and tried to find a way of releasing Tikal. Knuckles and Chaos approached the capsule.
"Tikal, are you okay?" Knuckles inquired.
"I'm okay, Knuckles," Tikal answered happily. "I'm glad you and Chaos came."
Chaos motioned to the echidna girl via sign language.
"Chaos, I know you're sorry for joining the Illusionary Legion," she smiled. "And I forgive you. You had no other choice. All you wanted to do was protect me… I should be the one who's sorry. I detest violence, so I couldn't defend myself against the Phantom Ruby's illusions. I'm the one who put you through this, Chaos, and I'm truly sorry."
Chaos shook his head and motioned to her again, telling her she has nothing to be sorry for.
Tikal chuckled. "Thank you, Chaos,"
"Amy, how's the breakout coming along?" Knuckles asked.
"Surprisingly, I'm having a hard time accessing the Eggnet," Amy replied. "Normally, the password would just be 'password' but Eggman must've upgraded his systems since we last fought him."
"Amy, look out!" Vector pushed the pink hedgehog out of the way, as something slashed the computer in half. The two fell onto the floor and were helped up by Knuckles and Espio. Charmy screamed and flew behind his team. Everyone looked up and saw a set of familiar figures…
…Chief Pachacamac and the Knuckles Clan of Angel Island.
"Oh, great," Knuckles grunted. "Not these guys again."
"Again?" Espio asked. "You've met them before?"
"I've met illusions of these guys six months ago," Knuckles replied. "Silver and Blaze came to my island to warn me about Eggman's attack. That's when the Phantom Ruby made illusions of these guys. It was the moment Tikal was captured and Chaos joined Eggman's regime. I should've known I'd see these guys again."
"You're a traitor to our clan," Pachacamac snarled. "How dare you rebel against the might of Lord Eggman?"
"Yep, totally illusions," Charmy folded his arms.
"I'm still offended that you do not wear our clan's garb," Pachacamac grunted.
"Well, you see," Knuckles answered. "Over the years, it's begun customary for females to wear clothes than most males."
The Secret Strikers quietly stared at Knuckles.
"Knuckles," Espio said, facepalming. "Please take a moment to figure out what you just said."
"I've had enough of this!" Pachacamac raised his staff. "Get them!" (1)
Elsewhere, Silver and Blaze still fought bravely against Metal Sonic. The robotic hedgehog was zooming around the forest with his Burst Shield, an aura of red, orange, and yellow energy. He attempted to crash into the duo multiple times, but thanks to their combined powers, they were able to throw him off course.
Blaze spun around and kicked Metal Sonic out of his defensive state, giving Silver a chance to bash into him with a Spin Dash. But as soon as he hit the robot, Silver felt pain through his head. He winced in agony and fell onto the ground.
Metal Sonic landed on his back.
And the lavender cat comforted her friend. "Silver, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Silver rubbed his head. "Sorry. I've never been used to spin dashing before."
"No offense, but you're a hedgehog, you should be able to do one, right?"
"Eh, just because I'm a hedgehog doesn't mean I can do things Sonic and Shadow can."
Metal Sonic jumped on his feet. "You two fight well, but I can detect anger in one of you. I should let you know what rage is a fuel that burns quickly."
"A supervillain giving advice on combat?" Blaze folded her arms. "Never thought I'd see the day."
"Clearly, you have some anger towards me, Silver," Metal Sonic commented. "Which doesn't make sense. You and I have never shared many interactions… unless if I did something to hurt you in the future, that is. Heh, could that be the reason you're angry?"
Silver clenched his fists and he gritted his teeth.
"Something tells me the Eggman Empire rules for over 200 years into the future," Metal Sonic continued. "And something also tells me I commit an act that ticks you off. Let me guess, I took away someone close to you, didn't I? Is that why you're so angry? Because you failed to save someone you care about?"
"SHUT UP!" Silver boosted forward in a fit of rage. His hands ignited a cyan glow and his eyes popped out of his sockets. He was ready to strike right before Metal Sonic blocked him with his black Matrix shield.
"Rage can also lead to one's weakness," Metal Sonic chuckled, as he broke away from his shield and blasted Silver in the stomach. "Your anger will not help you win this fight!" He grabbed the hedgehog, spun him around, and slammed him against the facility's wall. "Surrender yourself now or else!"
Blaze charged to the robot and blasted him with a streak of fire. She also fired multiple punches and kicks that pushed the robot away from her ally. Metal Sonic grunted and tackled the lavender cat, flying into the air with her in his clutches.
"Blaze!" Silver called with a cough.
From below, he watched as Blaze broke free from Metal Sonic's control and the two fought in the sky. Rays of fire and energy flew through the air and so were an armada of attacks. Blaze deflected most of Metal Sonic's blows and countered with a few of her own. She snarled and grabbed Metal Sonic by his face. Slamming her knee against his chest, she pulled her arm back and chucked Metal Sonic towards the ground.
KRAKOOM!
A large crater indicated that the robot faceplanted into the grass.
Silver was amazed by the amount of strength Blaze had to show off, as the princess gently flew down in front of him.
"Silver, you need to be more careful next time," Blaze commented. "You could've gotten yourself killed."
"S-sorry, Blaze," Silver rubbed his head. "I just… I just…"
"As I told you before, what happened to your friend wasn't your fault. He did this for you. You can't forget that."
The white hedgehog frowned. "Right."
Metal Sonic suddenly awoke from his slumber.
Blaze and Silver leaped back.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Silver facepalmed.
"You've got power within you, Blaze," Metal Sonic sneered. "But pyrokinesis won't be enough to save you from-"
KABLAM! (1s)
Storm the Albatross landed a heavy hit against Metal Sonic's face, sending the robot crashing against a set of trees. The large trees fell over and Metal Sonic tumbled across the ground. Behind the albatross were his teammates: Jet the Hawk and Wave the Swallow.
"Nice work, Storm," Wave said sarcastically. "You just knocked down a piece of the environment."
"I can't help it," Storm clapped his fists. "The trees were in my way."
"Just shut up and grab those chemical rods," Jet demanded.
"Roger that, Jet!" the albatross saluted, as he opened the door and raced inside.
Silver and Blaze approached the two birds.
"Sometimes I forget you three are part of this team," Blaze placed a hand on her hip.
"Eh, don't get used to it," Jet shrugged. "We're only here because we're getting the Chaos Emeralds in return."
"Which won't happen," Silver snarled.
"Pardon?"
"You three are a bunch of no-good thieves!" Silver snarled, poking Jet's chest. "I don't what Sonic and Tails were thinking when they said they'd give you the Chaos Emeralds when this ends! We all know you're just going to sell them for a profit! Well, I say that when this war ends, I'll be coming after you and you'll hand me the Chaos Emeralds!"
"Silver," Blaze tried to intervene.
But the hedgehog continued his tangent. In the process, Storm came out the back door with the chemical rods in his hand. With them were a set of Star Posts: two golden poles with red spheres that had a golden star embedded in the center.
"I got the rods, Boss," Storm said. "I found these things too. I thought the little fox could use them."
"The only reason you guys are here is because we need help saving the world!" Silver resumed his rant. "But even in the event of a dire crisis, all you care about is yourself!"
"Sheesh, kid, calm down," Wave rolled her eyes. "Scream one more time and you'll explode."
"Does the little baby need a diaper change?" Storm mocked the hedgehog. "Wha, wha, wha! I'm a hedgehog from the future and I don't like you guys because you steal things! Wha, wha, wha!"
Silver gritted his teeth and his whole body ignited a cyan light. "I'm gonna pluck all three of you bald!"
"Silver the Hedgehog!" Blaze hollered. "That's enough!"
Glancing at his close friend, the psychokinetic time-traveler halted. His body reverted back to normal and he lowered his head in shame. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and looked at the lavender cat.
"I'm sorry, Blaze," Silver said again, rubbing his arm.
"You need to relax, Silver," Blaze said. "I'm with you and the Rogues being no-good bandits, but they're helping us. We have to appreciate that whether we like it or not. I'm not sure what Sonic and Tails plan to do with the emeralds and the Rogues, but I have faith that they know what they're doing."
"Are we done here?" Jet shrugged again. "All of this emotional talk is making me tired."
"Then perhaps you would prefer a little action?" the voice of Metal Sonic spoke up. The robotic hedgehog emerged from the shadows. Around his body were swarms of magenta cubes. He controlled them with the movement of his fingers.
"What the?" Wave raised an eyebrow.
"A fake?" Blaze inquired.
"No, I'm the real deal," Metal Sonic chuckled. "When some of us joined the Illusionary Legion, Infinite used the Phantom Ruby to give us a boost of power. Of course, Shadow and Chaos never got this upgrade since they resigned. But for me…"
Suddenly, the cubes formed around Metal Sonic's body. With that came sparks of blue and black electricity. The Babylon Rogues, Silver, and Blaze backed away before the cubes suddenly vanished, revealing a massive change to the robot's appearance.
Metal Sonic was much taller and bulkier.
He looked to be the size of a mountain and the size of his claws proved that. He extended said claws and glared at the heroes.
Jet and Storm shared a glance before they chuckled at the robot. Wave was a bit nervous. And Silver and Blaze were sick of the robot.
"You think having a growth spurt makes you stronger?" the green hawk scoffed. "Wow, you're such a big deal. Storm, sick em', will ya?"
"With pleasure, Boss," Storm clapped his knuckles. But as he raced towards Metal Sonic, he was suddenly trapped in a field of magenta electricity. He was lifted off his Extreme Gear and he hovered upward.
Soon, Silver, Blaze, Jet, and Wave met the same fate.
"Your resistance is futile," Metal Sonic chuckled.
With a quick snap from his fingers, Metal Sonic sent all five heroes flying backward over the facility.
Every single one of them free-fell until they landed on something hard yet soft at the same time. But the strangest thing was that they didn't fall on a normal ground. Instead, they landed on something that moved around like a creature. Speaking of which, the Babylon Rogues looked to the side and saw that they were riding on something with large, reptile-like scales. Wave looked in front of her and gasped…
…the heroes were riding a giant snake.
"S-s-snake!?" Wave gasped.
"Snake, where!?" Storm jumped into Jet's arms, falling on top of him. "I hate snakes!"
"Get off of me, you idiot!" Jet shoved the grey-feathered albatross off of him.
Suddenly, Metal Sonic reappeared in front of the heroes. "Now that we're in a nice change of scenery, let's get this over with, shall we?"
Silver and Blaze were filled with determination.
The Babylon Rogues shared gulps.
"Metal Sonic, I'm growing tired of this!" Silver scowled. "Let's end this once and for all!"
On the other side of the battlefield, Gadget and Dakota lead the resistance soldiers down the course of the jungle. With them was Gadget's girlfriend: Fuchsia, and their best friend: Corvin. Together, all four heroes used their Wispons to strike down a horde of enemies. Everyone else fired turquoise lasers from their blasters. It was a spectacle to see humans and Mobians working together to take back their home from Dr. Eggman, but they knew that the road wouldn't be easy. As they all exchanged battle cries, cheers, and fist-bumps, they joined Team Feral Strike into war.
"Coming through!" Corvin announced, as he drilled underground and penetrated through a set of Egg Walkers. "I really don't like these bird Badniks. All they do is run away."
"I think they're kinda cute in a weird sort of way," Fuchsia commented, sucking up an army of enemies through a wormhole. "Maybe we should take them back and reprogram them as our pets! Gadget, what do you think? You can do that, right?"
"M-maybe," Gadget chuckled, rubbing his head. "But I'd rather focus on destroying the hostile ones first."
"Okay, but when my birthday comes up soon, let this be an idea for my present."
"Whatever you say, Babe,"
Dakota chuckled at the couple's playful banter, as he ducked below Egg Pawns' energy blasts and slashed them into pieces. He also blew them away with his Hover Wispon.
"Keep this up, gang!" he called. "We need to buy Commander Knuckles and everyone else some time!"
SLAM!
"Argh!" the teal wolf fell down on his side after being hit with a random hammer.
"Dakota!" Gadget and Fuchsia shouted, as they ran towards their leader. Helping him up on his feet, they glanced over and saw a Super Badnik in the form of an Egg Hammer: large purple Badniks that were known for carrying gigantic hammers. There were two of them in their path.
"Crud!" The pinkish cat gulped.
"Not to worry," Gadget smirked. "I got this!"
But before the red wolf can make a move, he heard a familiar voice from above.
"The God of Thunder heeds Team Feral Strike's call!"
"Oh, no… I know who that is," Gadget moaned.
Clay the Rabbit, Skylar the Bear, Buster the Dog, and Emma the Hedgehog dropped down from above and landed on top of the two Badniks. Clay and Emma bashed one Egg Hammer's head in with their Wispons whereas Skylar and Buster ripped out its circuits. But instead of destroying it, Skylar reprogrammed it to be on her side. Now, an Egg Hammer fought alongside Team Feral Strike.
"Oh, yeah!" Skylar cheered. "You want some of this, Eggman!? Whoooo hoooo!"
Moving the Egg Hammer to the right, it swung its hammer, nearly hitting a few soldiers below.
"Hey!" a pig called angrily.
"Oops," Skylar chuckled nervously, adjusting her glasses. "Sorry!"
Clay performed and standing front flip, landing in front of the cat and the two wolves. "The God of Thunder hungered for justice after his dramatic return from the Arsenal Pyramid. Of course, he didn't expect to-"
"Dude, seriously!? Shut up!" Gadget grunted. "No one wants to hear you monologue! Didn't Sonic teach you about that last night?"
"I'm not monologuing," Clay smirked, leaning against his hammer. "I'm just referring to myself as the warrior I am. Of course, it makes sense for you to be jealous considering you cannot be worthy like I can."
"What do you mean not worthy?" Gadget snarled in a confused tone. "You can't control thunder! That hammer doesn't have that ability! It just makes cubes!"
"Thunder cubes!"
"What!? That doesn't even make sense!"
"Easy there, little brother," Dakota chimed in. "Clay, what happened at the Arsenal Pyramid? And please, refrain from monologuing."
"The Babylon Rogues got the generator we needed," Clay replied. "We also found out some interesting info on Infinite. We also found out Dr. Eggman has a plan that's happening in three days."
"Wow, I guess you picked up a lot," Dakota nodded. "You'll have to tell us later. Right now, we have a forest to liberate. Come on, Team Feral Strike, let's move!"
Dakota and Fuchsia took off into battle with the others.
Clay stared into the night sky and twirled his hammer. "The Eggman Empire shall feel my power!"
But before he took off, Gadget grabbed him by the shoulder. "Hold on a second, Clay. We need to talk."
"Care to express more jealously towards my power?"
"No… I want to say that I remember you."
"Excuse me?"
"You and I went to Mobotropolis Middle School together. We were in the same filmmaking class."
"Oh, yeah! I remember you! You made that cool Sci-Fi movie with the aliens! That one creature with the three heads still scares me!"
Gadget chuckled. "It's all in the power of puppetry. But anyway, I remember the teacher saying you were one of the most creative students in that class. Your films were filled with what I like to call the three Ds: Diligence, Determination, and Dedication. You were quite a creative talent."
"Why thank you," Clay took a bow. "I'm always eager to meet a fan."
"But I also remember you not being so full of yourself," Gadget folded his arms. His comment took the rabbit off guard. "You were always there to help out others, including myself, with special effects and other editing functions. Then, out of nowhere, you dropped the whole creative thing and started acting like you had the powers of Mobian Gods. Which brings me to my query… how do you go from a creative, kind-hearted person to a narcissist who's clearly pretending to be somebody he's not?"
With that last question, Gadget joined his brother…
…leaving Clay to feel sorry for himself.
Back in the Arsenal Pyramid, he remembered being asked a similar question by Buster (only it wasn't so blunt). The rabbit watched his three best friends march off into battle and he observed his former classmate assist his brother and his girlfriend. All Clay did was sit there with his hammer in hand. Lowering his head in shame, he briefly closed his eyes and slowly walked into the battlefield.
Before his battle began, the last thing he said was, "Maybe if I wasn't such a failure, I wouldn't be this way."
"Heads up, Espio!" the crocodile exclaimed, as he socked an Angel Island resident across the jaw. He ducked below another one's spear and performed the same attack. The chameleon was grateful for his boss's help, as he leaped over a set of echidnas and kicked them down with ease.
"Thanks, Vector," he replied, as he fenced with an echidna's spear thanks to his twin daggers. "We're not getting anywhere fighting these guys! There has to be a way to stop them!"
Charmy flew around, stinging multiple clansmen in their rears.
Amy and Knuckles assisted Chaos in fending off the crowd.
"Espio's right," Amy nodded in agreement, swarming enemies with a Pink Tornado. "We have to rescue Tikal and get out of here! If only the computer wasn't destroyed."
"Then, we'll have to rescue Tikal the old-fashioned way," Knuckles nodded. He and Chaos rushed towards the capsule before they were halted by the sight of Chief Pachacamac, who slammed the ground with his spear, creating magenta shockwaves that shooed the resistance backward.
Chaos jumped up and grabbed the old chief by his sides. He slammed him on the ground and chucked him into a set of testing tubes, cracking the Phantom Ruby prototypes onto the ground. Fragments scattered across the floor, as Pachacamac jumped back up and growled.
"Do not stop fighting, my clan!" he ordered. "Make this traitor pay for fighting alongside a God of Destruction!"
Chaos extended his claws and dove bomb into a set of Knuckles Clansmen. He picked them up, slammed them on the ground, kicking them, thrashed upon them, and made sure the replicas suffered his true wrath. These replicas were made by the same people that kidnapped Tikal, so Chaos felt that justice needed to be served. And no one faulted him for that.
Knuckles and Amy fought off a few clansmen.
"What were you saying about the old-fashioned way, Knux?" Amy inquired.
"Huh? Oh, right."
Knuckles pulled his fist back and shattered the glass container that housed his ancestor. A pile of liquid poured onto the ground. Since they were robotic and sensitive to water, Orbot and Cubot backed away.
"Ah, man!" Cubot moaned. "That's gonna be a pain to clean up!"
Cutting Tikal free, Knuckles backed away and watched her jump down. She might have been in an astral form, but she felt exhausted.
"Are you okay, Tikal?" Knuckles inquired.
"I'm fine," Tikal panted. "Thank you, Knuckles. I-look out!"
With Team Chaotix distracted by an army of echidnas, Pachacamac and other soldiers surrounded Knuckles, Amy, and Tikal. In the background, Chaos was being dogpiled by an army that came out of thin air. The maroon-furred chief snarled and aimed his spear at Knuckles' chin.
"I'll kill this entire band of combatants, starting with you!"
Before Pachacamac can finish the job…
BASH!
…something came in through the ceiling.
Sonic the Hedgehog, Lil' Blue, and Miles "Tails" Power landed on top of Pachacamac's army.
"Sorry we're late," Lil' Blue joked. "Traffic was terrible."
"Sorry to bash your ancestors like this, Knux," Sonic said. "I hope there're no hard feelings."
"Not at all," Knuckles smiled. "They're fakes. So go as crazy as you want!"
"You had me at crazy," Sonic and Lil' Blue said at the same time. The two of them curled into balls and spun around the entire laboratory. They looked like pinballs bouncing off different obstacles in a pinball game. But instead of winning bonus points, they were whacking every echidna in their sight.
Espio, Vector, and Charmy took a step back, letting the two Sonics finish the job.
Tails swiped his namesakes underneath Pachacamac's feet, as Knuckles and Amy landed a twin uppercut. Once the chief fell onto the floor, Chaos punched him so hard in the chest that he evaporated into magenta cubes.
Both Sonics formed a blue tornado and sent the other echidnas back to where they came from.
They suddenly stopped and exchanged a fist bump.
"You're way past cool, Taller Sonic," Lil' Blue wiped his hands. "Of course, you had my help."
"Wait, wait, wait, are you saying I couldn't have done this without you?" Sonic smirked, lightly punching his counterpart's arm. "That's a brash thing to say, little dude. Obviously, I'm the fastest thing alive."
"That's not what the race we had on the way here said."
"You had a head start!"
Tails rolled his eyes.
"I assume everything went well at the pyramid?" Espio inquired.
"Yeah, it did," Tails answered. "The Babylon Rogues got the generator we needed, Sonic and the Rookies met up with Infinite, and Lil' Blue and I fought Dr. Eggman. Or I should say Egg-Men. Turns out, the Eggman from the Mania Zone came here during the multiverse collapse. He's working alongside our Eggman."
"Two Eggmen for the price of one," Knuckles facepalmed. "Great."
"And that's not all," Tails added. "We also learned that Eggman has some kind of plan happening in three days."
"Three days, huh? Normally I'd laugh at an Eggman plan, but he's already conquered most of the world so…" Knuckles paused, taking a deep breath. "What's this plan of his?"
"Sadly, we didn't find that part out."
"But we did find out part of Infinite's origin story," Sonic entered the conversation. "Turns out he's from the No Zone and the reason he has a grudge against me is to lure out Zonic."
"Zonic?" Vector raised an eyebrow.
"He's the No Zone version of me. He told me you met his associates: Zespio and Zector. They're the ones who told you I was alive. Anyways, Infinite didn't say much, but he did tell me that he and his friends were banished here by Zonic and the Zone Cops."
"But why would they banish him here?" Amy stroked her chin.
"It gets weirder," Sonic resumed his story. "Infinite said something about Eggman using the Phantom Ruby as a toy, but what got me was when he said that the Zone Cops were going to use the ruby to make dimensional travel faster."
"Wait, what?" Lil' Blue raised both of his eyebrows. "I thought the Phantom Ruby originated from my zone?"
"Could it be possible that the Phantom Ruby was made in the No Zone?" Espio inquired. "If so, why didn't Zespio and Zector tell us when they arrived on Angel Island?"
"Maybe Infinite's lying," Charmy pointed. To which, everyone turned to him. "This may sound stupid, but maybe he's lying just to throw us off? I should know because a lot of bad guys do this in the comic books I read."
"That's what I thought at first," Sonic folded his arms. "Believe me, Infinite's good at spreading lies, but I think he was speaking the truth this time."
"We'll need to discuss later," Knuckles finally spoke. "Right now, we have a war to fight."
"The Babylon Rogues just reported that they got the chemical rods I need," Tails said. "Storm also found some Star Posts I could use, which was nice of him, to be honest; however, the Rouges, Silver, and Blaze are in the middle of a fight against a giant Metal Sonic. And from the way Wave described it, Metal Sonic seems ticked!"
"Then, I better go help them," Sonic got down in a punning position. So did Lil' Blue.
"Not if I help them first," Lil' Blue smirked. "Up, over, and gone!"
With that, the Mania Zone resident took off at the speed of light.
"Oh, no you don't!" Sonic shook his head, following behind his counterpart.
Tails folded his arms and rolled his eyes again. He was approached by Team Chaotix and Vector placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, buddy. Are you still not getting along with Lil' Blue?"
"A little bit," Tails replied with a low sigh. "We did work together against both Eggmen, but I still… I don't know. I still can't bring myself to forgive him for what he said."
"We're all aware of the remarks he's made," Espio replied. "But he is under a lot of stress. You can make an argument by saying we're also under a lot of stress, but he is far away from his home. I don't blame him for being homesick."
"If I were him, I'd feel sad for being far from home," Charmy said.
"Right," the ninja nodded. "I know you don't like Lil' Blue, but I can tell he feels horrible for the comments he's made. Perhaps, if you two took some time to talk, he can explain that he wants to atone for his actions."
The twin-tailed kitsune scratched his head and nodded. "Thanks, guys. You always know what to say, Espio,"
"So do we," Vector pointed to Charmy and himself. "They don't call us Team Chaotix: Wisest Detective Agency for nothing."
"Nobody calls us that, Vector."
"Shut up, Espio, you're ruining my moment." (2)
On top of the moving snake, Silver, Blaze, and the Babylon Rogues were chasing after the giant Metal Sonic, who was surrounded by scraps of damaged Motobugs as well as Phantom Ruby cubes. The objects spun around his body and the robot was ready to strike back.
"Still thrashing around, Babylon Rogues?" he chuckled evilly. "I thought you three dropped off the face of the planet."
"Ain't nothin' stoppin' the Babylon Rogues," Jet smirked. "Come on, you Sonic wannabe! Let's see how fast you really are!"
Metal Sonic raised both of his hands into the air and shot a few of the cubes forward. They formed a straight line and attempted to hit the combatants. Silver and Blaze boosted through with their powers whereas the Babylon Rogues flew over them with their hoverboards. Suddenly, Metal Sonic clapped his hands and created a set of spikes that appeared on the snake. They rapidly rose from the ground and back inside. Silver and Blaze jumped over the spikes before the latter homing attacked the robot corpses that surrounded Metal's body.
Once she was finished, she landed a homing attack.
Silver shot a psychic wave.
And the trio of bandits boosted into him.
Tumbling backward, Metal Sonic recovered and shook his fists. Suddenly, he teleported and reappeared a few inches off the ground; he was high above the moving snake. Speaking of which, the heroes were about to fall off of the edge. Blaze and Silver flew upward towards Metal Sonic, as the Babylon Rogues jumped into the air, performing tricks on their air boards.
As soon as the cat and the hedgehog approached the robot, they discovered that he duplicated himself into a set of fifteen replicas. The thing about the clones was that they were regular-sized Metal Sonics, but they didn't mean they didn't pack a punch. They were about to fire their lasers at the duo before they were quickly incinerated by Blaze's fiery homing attack. Once she reached Metal Sonic himself, she boosted into him and tackled him back on top of the snake. Metal Sonic kicked her off of him and she was caught by Storm.
"Hey, babe," Storm flirted, making a seductive whistle. "Wanna ditch this place and come back with me?"
Blaze snapped her fingers, igniting a flame and holding it towards Storm's face.
"Okay, okay, okay!" the albatross cried. "Please, don't turn me into cheap fried chicken!"
Releasing Blaze, Storm watched her reunite with Silver.
"Was he just flirting with you?" Silver inquired.
"Don't ask," Blaze snarled in response, annoyed by Storm's flirtations.
As she and the hedgehog fought the powerful robot, Metal Sonic was shooting rays of cubes and other attacks at the Babylon Rogues. Of course, Jet was able to dodge them with ease, but Wave and Storm were having a hard time. Storm kept blocking the attacks with his Extreme Gear, which annoyed the swallow.
"Stop using the Gear as a shield, Storm!" she shouted.
"What do you want me to use, my fists!?"
"Anything that prevents me from fixing your Gear again!"
Wave and Storm kept cruising around the snake, watching Silver and Blaze do most of the work. They observed their leader whip out his Bashosen, which allowed him to shoot a gust of wind at Metal Sonic.
As they fought, Wave stroked her chin. "This is more serious than I thought. Here I thought Dr. Eggman just conquered the world with a stupid little ruby, but with this multiverse nonsense happening, I'm starting to think we're way over our heads."
"How can we be over our heads?" Storm asked. "Our heads are on our bodies."
"That's not what I meant, you idiot! I mean that we might've underestimated this job. We're not just stealing materials needed for Tails' portal, we're stealing materials and fighting bad guys with illusionary powers. Metal Sonic just made himself bigger, we raided the Battle Bird Armada to get our stuff back, and we briefly fought the Deadly Six, who can control machines. They had us surrounded, Storm, we could've been killed!"
"What's your point, Wave?"
"I'm saying… we may need to change our main priorities."
"Hey!" Jet hollered. "I'm glad you two are enjoying your talk back there! It's not like we could use your help or anything!"
Metal Sonic smacked Jet off his Extreme Gear.
"I got you, Boss!" Storm caught his leader in his hands.
Wave whipped out her large wrench and smacked Metal Sonic's face.
Silver and Blaze combined their powers together and boosted into him.
Like before, Metal Sonic tumbled across the snake before he recovered himself. "You have more fight in you than Sonic did six months ago. But let's see how long you'll last!"
"Payback time at last!" Silver snarled.
And just like earlier, Silver and Blaze boosted into Metal Sonic again. To which, the robot teleported and reappeared above the snake. The dynamic duo exchanged a nod and flew upward, where they were met with another set of clones that appeared in front of them. Unlike last time, they actually shot their projectiles at the heroes. Silver protected himself and Blaze with a cyan shield, but the lavender cat twirled around and penetrated through the replicas effortlessly.
Finally, she blasted into Metal Sonic's chest.
Suddenly, the robot began to spark blue electricity. But it wasn't anything coming from his new powers, it was because he was short-circuiting. His eyes began to glitch and his hands started to shake. "Impossible! Your abilities exceed your previous data!"
"Unlike soulless machines, I can grow!" Blaze replied with a smile. "My flames grow powerful every second!"
"Your pyrokinesis will not stop me, Blaze! My powers are still great! I will burn the Secret Strikers to ashes! Then, I will convince Dr. Eggman to destroy the Sol Zone, where you watch everything in your world burn!"
"What is it with bad guys and dragging out their one-liners?" Jet rolled his eyes, as he and the Rogues rode past Silver and Blaze. They were moving so fast that large amounts of wind were right behind them. Before Metal Sonic can retaliate, the Babylon Rogues finished the job.
Metal Sonic's systems slowly began to shut down and he descended towards the snake. Rolling across the ground like a dog roaming around a grassy field, Metal Sonic stopped once he landed on his side. His size reverted back to normal and his eyes began to glitch. Around his body were magenta cubes.
The Babylon Rogues landed on the ground, hopping off their boards. Joining them were Silver and Blaze.
Metal Sonic gave the fighters one last glare before he shut down completely. (2s)
"That takes care of that," Jet wiped his hands.
Sonic and Lil' Blue entered the scene.
"Hey! I won!" the former cheered.
"No way! I won!" the latter retorted.
"As if, I won-" Sonic said, but he stopped mid-sentence once he saw that everyone else dealt with Metal Sonic. "Hey, what's the big deal, guys? I wanted a shot at Metal Sonic."
"Perhaps, you're losing your touch, Sonic the Hedgehog," Jet smirked, folding his arms. "Maybe you should surrender your title and call me the fastest thing alive."
"Sure, you are," Sonic and Lil' Blue smiled sarcastically. "Jinx!"
"We got the supplies you needed," Wave motioned to Storm, who held the supplies in his hands.
"Sweet!" Sonic gave a thumbs up. "We only need the Warp Ring before we can start searching for the Chaos Emeralds. Tikal's been saved by everyone else. We should be heading back to HQ. I need to fill you guys in about something."
"What's wrong?" Silver inquired.
"Well, I've got some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that Eggman has a plan that's coming in three days. The good news is that we found out some crucial information regarding Infinite."
Silver and Blaze exchanged a curious glance. So did Wave and Storm. As with Jet, he didn't care.
"Follow me, guys," Sonic waved. "Let's get back to Angel Island!"
The two blue hedgehogs, Silver, Blaze, Jet, and Storm rushed off of the snake. But Wave stayed behind. Turning over her shoulder, she glanced at the destroyed Metal Sonic before she let out a low sigh. From the beginning, she assumed this would be a simple mission that required her natural talents, but after dealing with Dr. Eggman's army, she started to second guess herself.
"This is more important than it seems," she said to herself. She nodded before racing after her team. "As I said before, we need a change in priorities. But I'm not sure if Jet will agree with them. If he doesn't, I'll make him agree with them!"
A few hours later, the Secret Strikers finally returned to Launch Base Zone on Angel Island. Greeting them were Uncle Chuck, Relic the Pika, Fixit the Gizoid, and Mina Mongoose. The female singer was about to treat the heroes with fresh-baked cookies, but she dropped the pan on the floor once they saw who was standing beside Sonic and Gemerl…
…it was her boyfriend: Ash Mongoose.
"A-Ash?"
"Mina!"
The two mongooses rushed towards one another and embraced each other with the biggest hug possible. Mina cried with tears of joy, as she buried her face into Ash's shoulder. Ash was crying tears of relief, as he did the same to his girlfriend's shoulder. The two hugged for a bit before they exchanged a kiss. Sonic and Lil' Blue were grossed out by the romantic moment whereas Amy cupped her hands together, feeling happy that a relationship was rekindled.
Speaking of rekindling, Cream and Gemerl were reunited with Vanilla, who showered them both with affection.
"Come on, Froggy," Big smiled, as he carried his friend across the room. "Let's go eat some cookies."
Sonic and Knuckles approached Uncle Chuck and Relic.
"Fruitful mission?" Relic smiled.
"If by that, you mean we got some of the supplies we need for the portal, then yes," Knuckles replied.
"I'm proud of you, my friends," Uncle Chuck smiled, as he and Sonic exchanged a secret handshake. "Especially you, my nephew. You don't know how much it means to me that you're taking back the world from Eggman."
"What do you mean, Unc?" Sonic asked with a chuckle. "I do this all the time."
"I know, but the circumstances are different this time, sonny boy," Uncle Chuck smiled, patting his nephew's head. "Just know that I'm proud of every single one of you."
"Thanks, Uncle Chuck. But we didn't just get the supplies, we discovered something about Eggman's plans and we learned a thing or two about Infinite."
The mustached hedgehog raised both of his eyebrows. The blue pika gasped as well.
"Really?" Uncle Chuck inquired. "What did you learn?"
Sonic and Knuckles exchanged a glance before they prepared to share what they've learned.
Inside a room in Metropolis, Infinite and Zomom were relaxing and sharing sandwiches with toasted bread and frozen yogurt. Sitting on the tables were cubes of hot chocolate. The bulky Zeti was asleep because of the number of calories he's consumed whereas the jackal found himself staring out the window. Part of him felt embarrassed that he was trampled by Sonic and the Secret Strikers, but the other half of him wondered why a certain someone wasn't present during the fight.
That certain someone was Zonic the Zone Cop.
Infinite remembered asking Sonic if Zonic's name rang a bell, and Sonic asked how he knew who he was, implying that the two hedgehogs have met each other.
The jackal also explained that he wanted revenge on Sonic just to lure out the Zone Cops. Why? Because he was abandoned by them a long time ago. Infinite clenched his fist, playing back voices from the day he and his squad were banished to Mobius Prime.
"Zero!" he heard the voice of Zonic snarl. "For trying to get ahold of a powerful gemstone, you're no longer welcome to the Zone Cops!"
"As long as I stay in this Zone, Zonic!" he heard himself retort. "That ruby shall be mine!"
"Funny you should say that, Zero… because as of this moment, you're no longer welcome in this Zone!"
"What!? N-no, don't!"
As soon as he imagined himself being kicked by the Zone Cop, Infinite shot open his eyes and gasped. Nearly tripping on his feet, the jackal placed his hand on his chest, feeling thankful he didn't have to go through the same pain he dealt with some time ago.
Glancing at a snoring Zomom, Infinite wiped his forehead before he took a seat.
But just as he lifted his mask up to take a sip of hot chocolate, he was visited by Zavok, who came with a question.
"Is it true?"
The jackal finished his sip and placed the mug down. "Is what true?"
"That you're not from this world? You told Sonic that you originated from a place called the No Zone and that the reason you've aligned yourself with Dr. Eggman is because you want revenge on a man named Zonic… is it true? Or was it just a lie to throw our enemies off guard?"
The jackal looked out the window once again before he leaped out of his chair. Walking past the red Zeti, he approached the door. But before he left the room, his response was this…
"If I wanted to throw the Secret Strikers off guard, I would've said I was angry at the world for calling me weak."
Leaving on a cryptic note, Infinite closed the door.
Zavok was left alone with his sleeping brother. "Hmm… I'm not one to ally myself with strangers, but you could be useful to my plan, Infinite."
END OF CHAPTER 22
Uh, oh. It looks like Zavok's plans of stealing the Phantom Ruby are advancing. And the fact that he's thinking about recruiting Infinite can only bring bad news. But on the plus side, the Secret Strikers have two out of the three materials they need for their multiverse portal. All they need is a Warp Ring from Freedom Heights before we explore the five Zones in the multiverse: Boom Zone, Light Mobius, Dark Mobius, Sol Zone, and No Zone. But first, they gotta get a Chaos Emerald in the Mania Zone. Since Mobius Prime and the Mania Zone have merged, getting that emerald should be a piece of cake... or is it?
Find out what happens when Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose, Clay the Rabbit, Skylar the Bear, and Lil' Blue are sent on a mission through an old Zone in...
"Chapter 23: Triple Date".
POST-A/N:
Obviously, there are similarities between the Infinite fight from the game and the Metal Sonic fight that's here. The biggest difference is that the battle here doesn't involve Sonic for the most part. This one had Silver, Blaze, and the Babylon Rogues doing all of the work. Which was nice to write considering you never see these characters interact. Blaze has interacted with the Rogues in some of the Archie Sonic Comics, but never has she interacted with them in the games. I always thought Jet, Wave, and Storm were underrated characters. They need to be used more (But they need to find a new guy to voice Jet. It's not a horrible voice, it just doesn't suit the character).
Chief Pachacamac and the Knuckles Clan were in Chapter 5: Stress Test. I figured I'd bring them back here considering this chapter centers around saving Tikal. Btw, do I need to explain the movie this chapter's title references?
Response to TheLostEternity: I apologize for not responding to your comments last time. I had something to do and I wanted to take a nap. As we speak, I'm sick, but it's more of a casual sickness and not coronavirus. I am glad you're loving the fact Infinite is from another dimension instead of how it is in the game. By the way, the people that tease you about Infinite being your favorite Sonic character should be tied up and forced to play Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric because that's way past uncool. Infinite is far from my favorite, but it's nice to know someone who has him as a personal favorite. Dr. Eggman and Dr. Robotnik will have more interactions and Gemerl was always on the good side. As for the previous chapter, I'm a huge fan of the Sonic Comics (Specifically Archie Post-SGW for both STH and SU, Archie Sonic Boom, and IDW Sonic the Hedgehog). Comics are the best thing that happened to Sonic in my opinion because it expands upon the world that we all know and love. The people that call it FanFiction are idiots. I'm glad you loved Silver and Blaze in this chapter. I hope you like them here too. :) Hope you're well, my friend. Take care of yourself!
As always, thank you all so much for reading! Don't forget to R&R! I'm The Sensational SpiderDom321 and I'll see you next time!
~SD321 (SpiderDom321)
