Mogul Rising Saga Episode 4: Hedgehogs Hunted
One morning, Sonic and Eve are sleeping in the bedroom of Sonic's house. Of course, they still share the same room. They continue to sleep until the door begins to be knocked from the other side.
Sally's voice suddenly appears, "Sonic! Eve! It's time to wake up!"
"Eve!" Maria's voice happily appears.
The doors open and Eve along with Sally enter the room. At the same time, Eve begins to wake up. She rubs her eyes as she sits up. And then let out a yawn. Eve continues to rub her eyes until she is able to open them. Then turns her head to see Maria and Sally.
"Morning Maria. Morning Sally," Eve says.
"Morning Eve, your parents told us you'll be with Sonic tonight," Sally says.
"Yeah. Just like old times," Eve says.
Maria then walks to the bed Sonic is in, "Sonic, it's time to wake up."
Sonic groans, "Five more minutes."
Maira then moves Sonic's shoulders, "Sonic, wakey wakey."
"Take that Dr. Eggman," Sonic mutters.
Eve and Sally sigh and roll their eyes.
"It's never easy to wake up Sonic," Sally says.
"True, but there is a certain trick that always works," Eve says.
Eve then stands up and leaves the bed. Then she walks to the door with Sally and Maria following from behind.
Eve says, "Sonic, I'm making chili dogs for lunch. If you don't wake up, then I'll just have to eat them myself."
Suddenly, a zip from the door speed past the three. The girls turn their heads to see Sonic up with his shoes on.
"So Eve, when you'll be making the chili dogs?" Sonic asks.
"Gotcha!" Eve remarks with a smirk. Then stick her tongue out.
Sonic groans, "I fell for it again, did it?"
"Yes. Yes I did," Eve answers.
Maria giggles, "It's kind of funny."
"Well that's what he gets for being a sleepy head," Sally replies.
Sonic then looks at the clock and says, "It's seven a.m. Why am I waking up this early?"
"Sonic, you remember that Tails's Uncle Merlin is coming to visit, and that he's going to help us with the you know what's," Sally says.
"That's right. The Hex on the Master Emerald and Mogul Marks and how Eve and the others are affected by it," Sonic says.
"And Knuckles and Shadow coming over too," Eve says.
"Yeah. I remember," Sonic says, and lets out a yawn.
Then asks, "Can we at least eat first?"
Eve giggles, "Don't worry. I'm making blueberry pancakes for breakfast."
"Sounds good," Sonic says.
The four then head and begin to have their breakfast.
"So Sally, I heard that you sent Geoffrey out on a mission with Rouge," Eve says.
"Yeah. We found out where Mammoth Mogul and the Hooligans are. They're at the Casino Night Club," Sally says.
"The Casino Night Club? One of Eggman's casinos. I haven't been there in ages," Sonic says.
"I think I actually read it on the news the other day. Well Rouge showed it to me that he was able to turn it into a sensation overnight. There is no way I'm going to question how he managed to pull it off," Eve says.
"No kidding," Sonic says.
"Well, we won't have to worry about him for a while. I just hope the same can be said about Eggman," Sally says.
"No kidding. We haven't heard anything of what he's planning for some time now, which worries me," Eve says.
"Relax. Just be glad our enemies aren't planning on anything," Sonic says.
"Knowing Eggman and Mogul, they'll be up to something that will give us problems," Eve says.
Sonic says, "You're right. Wouldn't be surprised if those two are up to something."
Meanwhile, at a building that is known as the Casino Night Club, many humans and Mobian are having a good time. Coinciding this used to be one of Eggman's old base of operations. Among them are Rouge and Geoffrey who are looking around. Geoffrey is wearing a tuxedo and the girls are wearing formal dresses. Rouge is wearing a pink dress with a pearl necklace.
Rouge says to Geoffrey, "Would you relax? We're the best looking couple here, and we're just having a good time."
"Don't let my wife hear you say that," Geoffrey says.
Suddenly, someone says, "What happens in the Casino Night Club, stays in the club, man."
"Duly noted," Geoffrey says.
The pair turn their heads to see Decoe who is wearing a suit.
"Decoe?" Geoffrey asks, surprised.
"Hi Rogue, Geoffrey, I didn't expect to see you here," Decoe says.
"Neither have we. What are you doing here of all places?" Rouge asks.
"I'm just a humble concierge here," Decoe says.
"You work here?" Geoffrey asks, confused.
"Yes. I answer to the club's owner only," Decoe says.
Unknown to the group someone approaches them from behind. And Decoe says, "Why, good morning, Mr. Mogul."
Geoffrey and Rouge turn around to see the Mobian Mammoth and owner of the casino himself.
He says in a calm tone, "Geoffrey St. John and Rouge the Bat. To what do I owe the honor of being visited by the most renowned spies of the Republic of New Mobotropolis and United Federation?"
"Just looking for a game of two-up, mate," Geofffrey answers.
"And being generally impressed, Mr. Mogul. You turned one of Dr. Eggman's old holdings… into an international success overnight.
"As the saying goes, if you construct it, they will arrive in droves," Mogul says.
"Of course. Went to a lot of trouble to clean out the old Robo-Jobo Jungle?" Geoffrey questions taking a glass from a Badnik meeting.
"The poor little mach-inations… were abandoned by their creator. I simply gave them a new purpose," Mogul says.
"And I suppose that's the same reason you acquired and relocated the bottom of the Barrel Bar and Grill," Rouge replies.
"The Casino Night Zone was severely lacking in a serviceable kitchen. Should my patrons go unnourished?" Mogul questions.
"Hmm, its reputation wasn't off-putting," Rouge replies.
"I'm all about new beginnings, Ms. Rouge," Mogul says.
Just then, Bocoe walks over and says, "Your investors' meeting is ready, sir."
"Excellent," mogul replies.
Then walks away from the two smaller Mobian, "You must excuse me. If you ended anything, call upon Decoe or Bocoe."
Rouge and Geoffrey look at each other and it does seem this is legit. However, since this is Mogul, things aren't always what they appear to be.
Not long, Mogul arrives at his meeting with the Hooligans and the Destructix. The two mercinaries don't seem to be very impressed.
Sleuth says, "I'm not sure the Destructix are hired for you, Mogul. You would have let Dr. Eggman destroys us, and now word is you're going soft."
"'Soft' you say?" Mogul questions.
"You get your Chaos Emerald back, and what do you do? You let Eve go, and you free these jokers. What would you call that?" Sleuth sternly replies.
"A cautious investment. Do not play the wounded heart with me, Sleuth. You and your Cadre are in it for the money. Your proof here is enough," Mogul says.
He then makes a smirk and says, "And your mutual vendetta with Sonic and Eve are something I wish to endorse."
"So this is about those two hedgehogs?" Sleuth asks with a grin on his face.
"I'll pay handsomely for the capture of Sonic and Eve the Hedgehogs. It is up to you on how it should be done," Mogul says with an evil smirk on his face.
In a dark room, nothing but a light candle. Merlin has Sonic, Eve, Shadow, Knuckles, Mina, Tails, and Mighty in a circle. He then uses his magic to create a green smoke from the fire. Then a glowing orb appears above it.
He then says the spell, "Monstaris Exsecratibus me!"
Then a flash of light surrounds them as the group covers their eyes. Soon, the room comes dark and the candle has gone out. Then Merlin turns on the light.
Tails asks, "Merlina? Does this mean…?"
"Yes, Tails. The curses laid upon all of you are no more," Merlin says.
"Thank you, Mr. Prower. It's a load off my mind," Knuckles sas.
"But not mine. I was never cursed. It was a nice light show, but why include me and Shadow for that matter?" Sonic replies.
"The Hex Dr. Finitevus placed on the Master Emerald was an incredibly powerful one. You should not have been able to draw power from the gem. I wanted to be sure there were no ill effects on you or Shadow," Merlin says, packing his items.
"Okay, now it's a load off my mind. But how did we turned into Super Sonic and Super Shadow if its power was 'locked?'" Sonic asks.
"And what about Eve? I'm surprised that the Hex from Dr. Finitevus and the Mark from Mogul didn't have any side effects on her," Shadow adds, concerned.
"That, I'm afraid, is a mystery, which brings me back to my next order of business," Merlin says.
"Right. You sure you'll be okay on your own?" Sonic asks.
"I'm sure. I have friends in high places," Merlin says.
Tails asks, "Why can't you do your meditations here? Nicole could build whatever you need…"
"I'm sure she could, but if I am to come closer to the Chaos Force, I must do so by my own means," Merlin says.
"I'll miss you," Tails says.
Then the two hug each other.
"And I you, my precious nephew. Give my love to your parents. I truly cannot afford to tarry any longer," Merlin says.
Merlin then waves goodbye as he leaves. Tails waves goodbye with sadness in his eyes.
Sonic asks, "You gonna be okay, little Bro?"
"Y-yeah. I think I need to work on something," Tails says.
"Give me a shout if you need, okay?" Sonic replies.
"Okay," Tails says.
Sometime later, outside of the side, Shadow and Eve are with Maria and Jazz. They walk around the area to get some quality time together.
Shadow asks, "Eve, are you sure you're going to be okay? Sonic and Sally told me what happened."
"It's okay Shadow. I'm fine, really. I've… I've had to deal with this sort of thing, practically my whole life. I'm able to handle this, even though they bring me down," Eve says.
"Chao Chao," Jazz sadly says, rubbing her cheek against Eve's.
"We're very worried Eve. It feels that you always have to go through something awful after another," Maria says.
"I can understand, but I'm able to deal with something like this," Eve says.
Maria hugs her, and says, "Eve, you don't have to face this alone you know."
"I know. I guess I'm just too used to things happening since I was a kid," Eve says.
"What do you mean by that?" A voice says.
Eve turns her head to see Sonic, Sally, and Amy.
"Sonic? Sally? Amy? What are you doing here?" Eve asks.
"Looking for you, silly," Amy says.
"Still, what do you mean by too used to it since you were a kid?" Sonic asks.
"I think it's because Eve always had to experience the trauma of losing those who are dear to her. Her parents, brother, and Maria. Both you and Eve's family, and many friends we lost since Robotnik took over. I can understand because I felt the same way when I lost my family," Sally says.
"You're right. We all suffered from that, but we're able to get through it," Sonic says.
Eve smiles, "Thanks."
"Now then. If we're done feeling sad and concerned, then let's go get something to eat," Sonic says.
Shadow groans, "Don't you think of anything besides food."
Eve, Amy, and Maria giggle with smiles on their faces.
"I must admit, I am getting hungry too. Let's head to Uncle Chuck's diner and…" Sally says, but something lands in front of her.
The group looks down to see a shocking object.
Sally exclaims, "A bomb!"
"I swear, the timing of these things…" Sonic says.
Everyone quickly looks up to see more bombs falling from the sky.
"More incoming!" Amy panics.
"More than that! You might want to stand back," Sonic says.
Everyone quickly moves out of the way and they see two familiar members of the Hooligans.
Bean sings, "We're Baaaaaaaaaack!"
"Oh no, not them," Eve says.
Bean jumps up and shotus, "Wheeee!"
Bark tries to punch Sonic, but Sonic dodges.
"Sure didn't take you guys long to go on the offensive," Sonic says.
Sonic bounces off over Bark and lands on the tree branches. Before Bark can swing another punch, Eve grabs his hand with his own.
"And since you two do this kind of thing for a living, I'm willing to bet Mogul is picking up the tab. Didn't take him long, ether!" Eve says.
Just then, Sonic spin dashes Bark as he says, "And I don't know why she is giving you all the expositions! Would you say something for once?!"
Bean has a bomb in his hand as he sees Sonic and Eve fighting against Bark.
Bean calls out, "Get clear! Get clear! I'll a'splode them good!"
Maria quickly sneaks behind Bean and thinks, "I wonder if what Eve told me about him actually works."
With courage, Maria quickly takes the bomb away.
Bean quickly turns his head, "Hey! That's my bomb!"
"Um… well uh… you mean this uh, shiny bomb?" Maria nervously asks.
Bean looks at the bomb and says, "Well, now that you mention it. Yes, it's quite the shiny, shiny bomb."
"Um, do you want the shiny shiny bomb?" Maria asks with a sheepish smile.
"He does, ever so much," Bean says.
Suddenly Shadow takes the bomb and tosses it, "Then go get it!"
Bean chases the bomb and shouts, "Yap! Arf! Polar Bear's name!"
When Bean grabs the bomb, it explodes all over his face.
Maria turns to Shadow, "Um, thank you Shadow."
"Don't mention it, but just leave the bombs to me," Shadow says.
"Um okay," Maria says as her cheeks turn red.
Sonic laughs, "Still, nice one, Maria!"
Just then, Bark punches Sonic in the face, sending him flying.
"Sonic!" Eve exclaims.
Sonic flies away as he says, "Ow! Need to pay more attention…"
Eve quickly uses her Chaos Energy to fly in the air and catches Sonic. Then helps him land on the ground.
"Are you okay, Sonic?" Eve asks.
"Yeah. Thanks sis," Sonic says.
Suddenly, the two hedgehogs find themselves surrounded by the Destructix now.
"Oh, look! The Destructix. Just what we need," Sonic says, annoyed.
"Save yourselves some pain and give it up, hedgehogs," Sleuth says.
"How about no," Eve sternly says.
"When the odds are six to two? That's hardly a challenge! And it seems you're down one," Sonic says.
"You mean Scourge? He bailed on us during that Enerjak mess. Not that we need him for this job," Sleuth says.
"Suuuuuuure you don't" Sonic sarcastically says.
Sleuth calls out, "Box them in, boys. Don't give them room to do anything."
Sonic and Eve notice the Destructix are closing in on them.
"That's it, guys! Get nice and close!" Sonic says.
Then both hedgehogs begin to spin around in a circle making a tornado.
"You've got me on the ropes now!" Sonic remarks.
Predator angrily says, "Arrogant little-!"
"Don't worry about me. I could keep this up all day!" Sonic says.
Eve says, "Sonic, I don't think we should joke around."
Suddenly, Predator slams his arm unto Sonic's face.
"Ow!" Sonic yelps.
Then says, "There's that 'pay attention' thing again…"
You'll be paying more than that," Flying Frog says, grabbing Eve.
Then Lighting punches Sonic, "We've suffered enough indignity at your hands!"
"Especially me," Drago says, stepping in.
"You know what Drago?" Eve angrily says.
Then throws Flying From at him, "Get used to it!"
Sonic then spin dashes Simian. Drago and Flying Frog get up, but suddenly, Bark is thrown on top of them.
Drago pushes him off, "What just happened?!"
"That will be me!" Shadow says, stepping forward, holding Bean by his ankle.
Amy and Sally step in too.
"Let's get them!" Amy shouts.
With that, the group begins to battle against the Destructix. Maria is left standing to watch the event from a distance.
"What can I do? What can I do? I want to help them. I need to help them, but how," Maria asks, nervously.
She then notices a truck with a large trunk close by. Confused and curious, Maria decides to walk to it.
Meanwhile, the fight continues to go on.
Sonic kicks Drago and Simian, "We'll have this done by lunch time."
"Save yourself some pain, Sleuth. Give it up," Sally says.
"We're not done yet, princess. I've still got one Ace up my sleeve," Sleuth says.
The Ace up Sleuth's sleeve is Nack who is hiding behind the bushes close by. He has his target on Sonic and Eve.
Sonic says, "But you keep your sleeves rolled up. So tell me, where are you keeping your ace?"
Suddenly, they hear a gun blast and Eve quickly turns around to see Sonic being hit. Suddenly, she ends up getting it as well.
Sally and Shadow quickly turn their heads, "Sonic/Eve?!"
Sleuth says, "On your feet, Drago."
Sonic and Eve soon feel dazed and fall on to their knees.
"Sonic!" Sally exclaims.
"Eve!" Shadow says, shocked.
Soon, Lighting and Simian have Sonic and Eve chained up.
Sally angrily says, "Let them go!"
"Or what, little girl?" Sleuth remarks.
"You better let her go, or all?" Shadow angrily says.
"Sorry Shadow, but we have the upper hand," Sleuth says.
Shadow growls in anger that Eve is being held hostage.
Drago has the truck rolled in. Then Simian and Lighting put the two hedgehogs in the truck.
"Let them go, or I'll use my hammer to smash your heads!" Amy angrily says.
"Sorry, but we have work to do," Sleuth says.
Then turns his head, "Alright Bean, you know what to do."
"You got it," Bean says.
He then throws bombs all over the place, causing the area to be covered in smoke. When the smoke clears, they see the truck is gone along with the Destruction and the Hooligans.
"They're gone!" Amy exclaims.
"They must be heading to the Casino Night Club," Sally says.
Amy looks around and asks, "Uh, where's Maria?"
Shadow looks around, "I… I don't know. I remember telling her to wait at a safe area until we can deal with the Destructix. Where could she have gone?"
Unknown to Shadow and the girls, Maria is in more trouble than she realizes.
In the truck, the Dextructix and Hooligans have Sonic and Eve chained up and the two hedgehogs are passed out. There are also a few crates close by. Hiding behind them is Maria. Maria is able to sneak inside, but ends up being taken for the ride. She can tell that Eve and Sonic are in trouble, and maybe she can do something to help them. Question is, what is it, and what is going to happen now.