A tall and fat man with a huge moustache emerged from the shadows, wearing a yellow cape, a red shirt, white gloves, black pants, a black belt, gray goggles on his head and pinc nez glasses hiding his eyes.
"Oh look." Oskar said sarcastically, "It's a giant, walking-talking egg."
"DOCTOR EGGMAN!" Sonic, Tails and Sarah yelled.
"I do know who you are, correct?" Lara asked.
"My dear Lara Croft," Doctor Eggman sneered, "I am Doctor Robotnik, the greatest most cunning scientific super villain genius in the world!"
"Yes, yes, we all know that now!" Sonic retorted with annoyance, "Just what are you up to this time, Eggman?"
"Oh, rodent." Eggman cackled, "I want the Yujunaka Statue of course. Now, why don't you play nice and give ME the statue. Hand it over and you can walk away unscathed, refuse and I will not mess around like I do every time."
"Hey RoBUTTnik!" Oskar yelled, "Tell us the bloody connection between you and the mysterious Toborkin Ovidrocot aka Kidarn Tombort?"
"Toborkin Ovidrocot? Kidarn Tombort? OH HO HO HO! You fools haven't figured it out yet, but are suspicious given that ezicitobor is backwards for roboticize? Very well, those names are anagrams for me."
Everyone's jaws dropped.
"Of course you're all surprised," The mad doctor cackled, "Kidarn Tombort, if correctly rearranged is an anagram for I AM DR. ROBOTNIK. Toborkin Ovidrocot its an alternation of the wording in my name DR IVO ROBOTNIK!"
"I knew it!" Sarah shouted, stomping her foot and putting a hand on her hip, "YOU gave Oskar that note, you've been on our trail as we went after the keys and the statue from the beginning."
"HO HO!" Eggman mused, "Here's the thing, I've known about the Ratakyans for years and it was I who told those two fools to go deep into the rainforest where they would find those ruins.
"After those fools made it only to never come back, all I had to do was sit back and watch as all those groups searched the world for the Ratakyan Keys and the temple. I even stood back and let you four gather the keys."
"WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH THE RATAKYAN STATUE?" Tails yelled.
"Heh heh heh! For my own gains of course." The doctor chuckled, "When I get that statue, I'm going to sell it to a museum and become rich, making enough money to build my amusement park EGGMANLAND at long last.
"Then, I'm going to use most of that wealth to build up the biggest army of robots, war machines and mechs and FINALLY CONQUER THE WORLD!
"NYA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! AAAH HO HO HO HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! OH HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HOOO! NYAH HA HA HA!"
"You're not getting your hands on the statue, Eggbreath!" Sonic yelled, getting into a combat stance as Lara drew one of her knives, "Neither are you gonna get away with it as you always try to do so."
"Oh ho ho!" The doctor chuckled, "We'll see about that, rodent. Prepare to be crushed, this time, I absolutely WILL defeat you and I will snatch that statue from what's left of you and use it to become THE ULTIMATE BILLIONAIRE!"
The rotund dictator to-be got out a laser gun and pulled the trigger, attempting to blast the five adventurers, however, Sonic managed to duck out of the way and prevent Tails, Sarah, Lara and Oskar from getting fried.
Making sure the Yujunaka Statue was safe in his pocket and it didn't fall out onto the floor where Eggman was guaranteed to grab it, Sonic proceeded to attack the doctor, evading laser blasts and going right for him.
Seeing the hedgehog coming at him with a spin dash and willing to risk hurting his foot, the madman kicked the blue blur with his right leg and sent him flying into a wall. Thankfully, the impact did not hurt Sonic.
Tails, eager to help and protect the others, took to the air, pulled out a laser gun of his own and attempted to stun the doc, the one thing he succeeded in doing was knocking Eggman's gun out of his hand.
"You annoying, two-tailed fox!" The doctor raged, "You've gotten on my nerves for the last time. Get down here and fight me like a man, I will CRUSH YOU AND THAT HEDGEHOG AND YOUR GIRLFRIEND!"
"Nobody threatens me, Eggface!" Sarah shouted, she rotated her shoulders, dusted off her hands, "Besides, I think you need to learn how to treat women with respect and dignity."
Sarah ran up to Eggman with a straight and brave face, once she was up close, she punched him in the gut and kicked him in the pants. "Oh!" Robotnik exclaimed, "You are a strong and feisty vixen."
"I learn from my aunt and from my martial arts teacher at school." Sarah remarked, running her fingers through her hair and putting a hand on her hip, "Besides, I hope it made ya think twice before underestimating me or my pals."
Unfortunately, before the shapely fox girl could try to get herself to a safe distance, Eggman grabbed Sarah by the back of her neck and picked her up with one hand before retrieving his gun and put it up to her head.
"Oh, ho ho ho!" The doctor sneered, "I always learn, especially when I kidnap any of the women in Sonic's life. Now, Sonic, Tails, Lara and... Oskar is it? Hand over the statue or this girl will never see the light of day again!"
"YOU PUT MY SARAH ANN VULPINE DOWN!" Tails yelled and he charged at the doctor, punching him right in the side of the face. The doctor yelped and dropped his gun, which skid across the floor, and Sarah!
Lara raised her knife and began attacking Eggman with it, attempting to stab him but the doctor was swift despite his tank-like stature due to being fat. Lara found an opening and hit Eggman in the face, right across his right eye.
A small trickle of blood poured from the wound, the glasses seemingly protecting the scientist's eye. Shrugging it off, the doctor kicked Lara with enough force, she flew across the room and landed in Sonic's arms.
Oskar picked up a wooden staff with a Ratakyan swirly symbol on it, which had been laying around for a long time, and ran at Eggman, attempting to be brave and help out with the fight.
The doctor saw Oskar coming and tried to counter any incoming staff attacks with his own martial arts attacks, but due to being a bit overweight, the doctor lost balance and this allowed Lara's pal to smack him in the face!
Oskar had learned martial arts and wooden staff fighting while he was in school, so he knew how combat with staffs worked. He smacked away at egg-shaped super villain, hitting him in the face... until something broke!
For a split second, everyone thought Oskar had broken Eggman's neck or his skull or his arm. However, one groan from the doctor indicated that he was fine and, as he stood again, the something that broke clattered to the floor.
Taking a good look at what the broken object was, it turned out that the young Scot had smashed Robotnik's sunglasses. Now that his glasses were off, everybody could see his scary, trademark black and red super villain eyes.
"AHHHHRRRGH!" Oskar shrieked in terror, "I can't believe it, I can see your eyes. I SHOULD'VE NEVER SEEN DOCTOR EGGMAN'S EYES! AHH, the horror, the horror! NIGHTMARE FUEL!"
Robotnik's angry and scowling face quickly turned into a purely evil smile again. "Yes," He hissed, "Yeeeesssssssss. Tremble in fear and look into my extremely scary black and red eyes of terror and doom. HA HA HA HA!"
"SHUT UP!" Oskar recovered from the shock of seeing the mad doctor's eyes and smacked him in the leg and the arm with the staff so hard, Eggman shrieked in pain and fell over, rubbing his wounded leg and his injured arm.
"My leg!" The villain shrieked, "You broke my leg AND YOU BROKE MY ARM! I hate that archeologist, I hate that fox and his girlfriend AND I HATE THAT SCOTTISH BRAT AS MUCH AS I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!"
"Put up with it, Robuttnik." Lara kicked the doctor in the leg, causing him to yell again, "You're going to be in a load of bloody pain for a long time. Besides, I think your arm and leg will be hurt for days."
"Dunno why," Sonic commented with a smile, "But I like seeing my arch enemy humiliated and in a bit of pain. Plus, after all the terrible things he's done, I say we should somehow leave him here."
Eggman suddenly started laughing and reached into his pocket with his one uninjured arm, pulling out what looked like ANOTHER laser pistol. "You think you have me beaten and humiliated again, think twice, rodent."
To the surprise of the five brave heroes in the room, Eggman pointed the pistol at his injured arm and pulled the trigger, a ray of green light shot out and, in seconds, his arm and hand were fully metallic.
The doctor tested his new robot arm and, when he didn't wince, he chuckled with satisfaction that the pain in his arm was gone before aiming the gun at his injured leg and pulled the trigger again, roboticizing his leg.
"What is that gun and how is it capable of turning flesh and fabric into metal?" Lara asked, completely shocked. Sonic was also flabbergasted by how resourceful his nemesis was, "That looks like a roboticizer gun."
"YES!" Eggman cackled, "BEHOLD, my next, greatest and latest super big advancement in roboticization technology. Who needs a roboticizer machine when you can turn your victims into robots with this?"
The doctor pointed the gun at the group, "Unless you hand over that statue willingly, I will turn you all into my slaves! Make your choice, the statue and your freedom or do I have to take away your free will?"
A gunshot rang out and Eggman screamed in pain again, dropping his roboticizer gun and falling to the ground on it, smashing his own device to pieces with his belly. "NO!" The madman screamed, "WHO SHOT ME?"
"Nobody hurts Lara Croft, my ex and their friends or tries to use the riches of Ratakya for their own villainous gains." Montana Jane stood in the room, pistol in hand, with Violet the Hedgehog by her side.
"Montana Jane!" Lara drew her pistol, "Fancy meeting you here, I bet you want to steal the statue from us and are one of the many people trying to stop Eggman so you can one up us as well, eh?"
"Oh please." Montana Jane remarked, rolling her eyes, "Don't act hostile, I just shot the world's most feared super villain in the shoulder and you probably jump to the conclusion I'm here to steal the statue from you?"
Eggman, who was just as tough as he was, struggled to get up. His face contorted with rage. "You think I'm finished, you think I'm letting you have what you want? No, I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS OUTRAGE!"
The doctor began shouting and ranting at the top of his lungs and, because of that, dust started to fall from the ceiling and the temple began to rumble, indicating the chance that the place would cave in.
"Come on!" Montana Jane and Violet shouted, gesturing for Sonic and the others to follow them, "We gotta go." The group joined the two rogues, leaving the room together and making a break for it.
"GET BACK HERE!" Eggman howled behind the group, "GIVE ME MY STATUE!"
"Wow, Sonic." Violet exclaimed sarcastically as they got on the elevator and ascended to the upper floor, "You know how to make somebody mad."
"Its what I do best." The hedgehog replied smugly, "The doc tries to take over the world, I smash his plans and he throws a tantrum. Rinse, repeat"
"I should've asked this before, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask," Montana Jane commented, "Why do you let Doctor Eggman get away? He's a monster and doesn't deserve mercy. He can't remain at large forever."
"The doc always gets away," Tails replied, "Plus, Sonic's usually not the kind of guy who gets to decide who lives and who doesn't. While we're all for neutralizing Eggman, I just don't think it would be fair to end his life."
"Not fair to not show somebody mercy?" Montana Jane was shocked, "Why would you let that man walk away with his life, especially after all of the terrible things he's done. Eggman is a villain, villains have to be taken down."
"Oi, let it go!" Oskar said with a hint of warning on his face.
"Eh, sorry. Besides, my friends and I have set the charges anyway."
"Charges?" Lara noticed the blinking box-shaped bombs attached to the walls and spotted the detonator in Montana Jane's hand, "You're gonna blow up the temple, destroy a piece of ancient history?"
Sonic's ex-girlfriend shrugged, "Well, you guys got the statue and the temple is no longer needed for anything, so best to destroy it."
"Um," Sarah held up her hand and got out her camera, "Can I take a photo of the temple first? I like taking photos and I don't want to miss out on this."
"I don't think we'll have much time," Violet said with uncertainty, "Besides, the detonation button's about to be pressed. But if you want, go ahead."
The group exited the temple and walked ten meters away from it, even as a group of rogues drew their swords and guns at the sight of Sonic, Lara and their friends. Thankfully, Montana Jane told them to stand down.
Sarah turned around and looked at the Ratakyan Temple, turned on her camera and, without a second thought, she pressed the photograph snap button, the light flashed and, within seconds, the picture was taken.
Montana Jane pressed the detonator button and the bombs detonated, engulfing the ancient structure in a massive ball of fire as the Yujunaka Temple that had stood for centuries collapsed into nothing but smoking ruin.
"Any chance Eggman's still down there, was he buried alive?" Tails asked.
"Maybe, dunno." Violet quipped, "He has managed to get away before."
"I doubt that." Montana Jane said coldly, "I think he didn't make it."
Over the sounds of explosions, crumbling stone and the chattering of mercenaries and rogues, a loud engine humming could be heard along with a very familiar villainous cackle, followed by a shout!
"YOU THINK ITS OVER?" Doctor Eggman bellowed, coming down in his dreaded Egg'o Matic Egg Mobile, "YOU THINK I'M BEAT AGAIN AND I'M JUST GOING TO GIVE UP? NO, DOCTOR ROBOTNIK NEVER GIVES UP!"
"Oh, give it a rest, Ro-butt-nik!" Sonic shouted, "Besides, we're not letting you just take that damn statue. You know we've kicked your flabby ass so many times, so let it go already, you annoying, fat bastard!"
"HOW DARE YOU?!" The mad doctor yelled, his eyes focused on the blue hedgehog, "I AM ROBOTNIK, THE ULTIMATE SUPER GENIUS, I AM RESPECTABLE, MY WORD IS THE LAW AND THE LAW IS MY WILL!"
"What law?" Lara asked snidely, "You don't even rule the world, your self-proclaimed empire isn't big and popular as you claim it to be. If you actually did rule the world, then maybe you could boast about your dominion."
"Don't sass or insult me!" The fat man raged, slamming the control console and the sides of his Egg Mobile while pulling on his moustache, "I AM MORE INTELLIGENT THAT YOU SIMPLE MINDED BEINGS ON THIS PLANET!"
"Oh really?" Tails chuckled, "Then tell me, Doctor Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik. What is the square root of 5,987,654,210,900?"
"Uh, let me think about it! Hold on, ARE YOU TRICKING ME?"
"Give up! Its actually 2446968.371454768!"
"CURSE YOU, MILES TAILS PROWER!" Eggman was extremely enraged now, "I COULD HAVE CALCULATED THAT IN SECONDS! AHHHHHHHHHHGH!"
"Ok, Doc. Can you guess what fifty times nine eight seven six three five one three two oh five, is?"
The very mad doctor was thinking of an answer when Tails blurted out the answer, "Its four nine three eight one seven five six six zero two five zero!"
The group started laughing at Eggman, calling him slow and not as smart as the world thought he was. That was when the doctor lost it, vowing to unleash his ultimate revenge on the world and annihilate ALL of his enemies.
Eggman went into retreat, shouting his surrender and telling Sonic and the others to keep the statue. "YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THE LAST OF DOCTOR IVO EGGMAN ROBOTNIK, JUST YOU WAIT, I'LL HAVE MY REVENGE!"
"Catch ya later, Eggbastard!" The blue hedgehog shouted, "CAN'T WAIT TO KICK YOUR BUTT IN BATTLE AGAIN, oh I am so going to smash your robots and kick you in the pants again."
Lara turned to Montana Jane, "So, what now, do we get to go our separate ways peacefully and nothing much happens?"
Montana Jane shrugged, "I guess, I dunno where we go from here. You and Sonic really know how to surprise a gal, so you've earned my respect."
"Thank goodness." Oskar breathed a sigh of relief, "A peaceful ending to a rivalry that's lasted for quite sometime."
"Oh, I'm still stickin' around," Montana Jane giggled, "Me and Violet are still gonna go pursue long lost artifacts, maybe we can share some with you guys when we find a few. I like that idea, whaddaya think, Violet?"
"It's a nice idea, boss." Violet nodded, "It would be a great way to make up for being so antagonistic to Lara and the others."
The blonde rival-turned friend of Lara looked at Sonic and the hedgehog stared at her back. "I guess you two have something to say to each other?" Sarah asked, wondering where things were about to go.
"Yes, there's something I want to say." Montana Jane lowered her head and closed her eyes, thinking of what to say. Then she looked into Sonic's green eyes and said, "I'm sorry I was mad at you for dumping me, Sonic.
"I know you're much more than what I accused you of being and I understand that something's don't work out sometimes. You and Lara are perfect for each other, I respect that now."
"Rad." The blue blur quipped, "You're no longer ticked at me for ditching you for other gals and eventually ending up with Lara, I like that we're on good terms again. Thanks a ton, Alice. I guess I'll see you around, huh?"
Montana Jane extended her hand and smiled, "Yes, Sonic." Happy that things were in the way past cool, the hedgehog shook his ex-girlfriend's hand and the two shared a brief hug before breaking away.
"Gotta go, boss." Violet called, she was already in the front seat of a green military-looking jeep, waiting for Montana Jane, "Besides, we got some stuff to do and we need a bit of a breather after what happened."
"Bye for now, Sonic, Lara, Tails, Oskar and Sarah." Montana Jane said happily to the group, running to the jeep, "See you later. Until we meet again sometime, you take care of yourselves and be happy as best you can!"
Sonic, Lara and their friends waved back as Montana Jane and Violet drove off over the sandy hills vanishing from sight and the sound of the jeep's engines growing distant as the two ex-rogues headed off to parts unknown.
Once they were gone and the other rogues had packed up and left, Sonic pulled out the Ratakyan Statue out of his pocket, regarding its beauty for a second before handing it to Lara as Sarah snapped a picture.
"So, what now?" Oskar asked, "We're not parting ways, are we? I mean, we got along so well on this very interesting quest, we're buddies now. Also, what are we gonna do with the statue, its not gonna be in an ancient temple forever."
"That's not gonna be a major issue," Lara replied, winking at Sonic, "Especially since this should be on display in a museum and I know who would love to have an ancient statue as a lovely gift to put on display."