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Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to my mommy who loves to play Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine with me! (And wins! ;D) Note: This has absolutely nothing to do with the chapter, I just felt like it! :D
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FIVE:
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"ARRRGH!" Robotnik stuffed Sonic's sneakers into a huge blender machine, snapped on the lid to it, and pushed a large red button at the base. The blender whirred, sputtered, and wobbled wildly about on the ground, knocking Robotnik over. After a few seconds, the blender sparked and shuddered, tipping over. Tubes of smoke spewed out of the blender. Robotnik excitedly ripped off the top, and bent down, peering inside of it, "NOOOO!" he yelled.

He reached inside the blender and angrily pitched the sneakers onto the floor, which were visibly undamaged by the blender, "I've tried cutting them, blasting them, melting them, freezing them, and now not even my Blend-o-matic can destory those blasted sneakers!"

Robotnik stomped on the sneakers a couple of times, but the only damage they had sustained so far were a few burn marks and a slight discoloration. He sighed and rubbed his mustaches, "Perhaps I should bury them somewhere... Well, at least that blasted hedgehog is out of my way!" Robotnik snatched the sneakers off the ground and stuffed them into a clear plastic bag. He set it on a lab table.

"Sonic's beaten you without his sneakers before - and he can do it again!" Tails growled at Robotnik as he tried to wiggle out of the ropes that were holding him to a chair.

Robotnik faced him, "You're lucky I haven't turned you into a fur coat, you fuzzy pest! But, since I no longer need you- that idea is beginning to sound good!" Robotnik scowled.

"Sounds pretty lame to me, Ro-blob-nik!" A voice said from across the room.

"Sonic!" Tails cried.

Robotnik whirled around to find the shoeless, blue hedgehog standing in his laboratory.

"How did YOU get in here?" Robotnik yelled.

"Do I have to explain this AGAIN?" Sonic asked sarcastically, "Through the DOOR! How else?"

Robotnik reached for a laser gun sitting on the lab table, "You've just cracked your last wisecrack, hedgehog!" He aimed it at him and fired.

Sonic rolled out of the way just in time, the laser scorched the floor, "I may not have my speed, but I still have my lightning-fast reflexes!" He leapt to his feet.

"I can fix that!" Robotnik threw the laser gun to the floor and reached for another weapon, "See if you can dodge this!" Robotnik aimed and fired a line of green gunk at Sonic.

Again, Sonic ducked and rolled out of the way, but Robotnik kept spraying more gunk all around him. He rolled into some of it and came to a halt, landing on his back. Sonic thrashed around, but the sticky gunk held him in place.

"AH-HA!" Robotnik edged towards him, "How do you like my newest invention, Sonic? I call it: Mega Muck!"

"More like Mega Yuck!" Sonic groaned as he tried to pull himself up out of it.

"Now I can-" Robotnik was interrupted by a rumble in the floor. A shovel pierced through the lab floor, splitting it open. Scratch and Grounder crawled out of the hole.

"YEAH!" Grounder cried, "We made it!"

"WHAT?" Robotnik exclaimed.

"Sorry sir," Scratch said, "We'll clean this up!"

Another rumble shook the floor, "Uh-oh!" Grounder peered nervously into the hole, "I think the fortress is leaking!"

Scratch bonked him on the head, "Doh! I told you that thing was the main water pipe, stupid!"

Before anyone else could reply, a blast of water erupted out of the floor, flooding the laboratory.

"IDIOTS!" Robotnik waded through the knee-deep water after the robots, "WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" he screeched, and chased them around the lab.

Water rushed over Sonic, covering him, "Sonic!" Tails called out. He watched the rising water a few seconds for any sign of Sonic. The water was now up to his chest.

With a huge splash, Sonic emerged out of the water and gulped in a breath of air, "Good thing that muck stuff is water soluble!" He swam for Tails, "I've have you free in a sec, bro!"

"Hurry-" Tails started to choke on the water. Sonic dove under the water and hurriedly untied Tails. Tails stood on the chair and jumped out of the water. He rotated his tails keeping himself up in the air.

Sonic resurfaced, "Get outta here, keed. I gotta find my slick kicks!" He started to search for them in the water.

"Wait! I can help you!" Tails said. He flew high and hovered over the room, his eyes darting about for any sign of them. Spotting the plastic bag of shoes bobbing up and down in the water, Tails dove down and snatched them up, "I got 'em! Catch Sonic!" He tossed them across the room.

Sonic leapt out of the water and caught them landing on top of a lab table, "YES!" He excitedly ripped apart the bag and placed the shoes on his feet, tying his laces, "Oh man!" he sighed, "Old Robo-nerd scuffed my sneaks! Way uncool!" He climbed up onto the top of a machine, and beat his feet furiously on it, gaining speed, "But it feels great to have 'em back!"

Sonic blasted off the machine and sped over the water, past the soggy badniks, "These guys are all wet! Follow me, Keed!" Sonic tucked into his famous triple spin and splashed into the water by the lab doors. He easily buzzed a hole through them and escaped into the hallway. The water drained into the hallway and Tails followed Sonic through the hole.

Robotnik wrung the water out of his mustaches, his red eyes glowing with hatred, "I'm going to catch that hedgehog... but first," he grabbed a wrench off the floor, "I'm going to turn you two idiots into something useful... LIKE A WATER PUMP!!!! ARGHHHH!!!!" Robotnik let loose a war cry and chased Scratch and Grounder around the lab, "I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!"


To Be Continued...