S.O.N.IC Go!
S.O.N.IC Go!
Go! Go! Go! Go! Let's Go!
Episode 50: Heroes answer the call
When Knuckles first set out to reclaim Angel Island and his guardianship over the Master Emerald, the circumstances surrounding the islands restoration was not quite what he had envisioned. Still, beggars can't be choosers, thought to himself as he lay on the platform at the top of the steps leading upward toward Emeralds shrine. The shattered ruins of the temple built by some civilisation, older apparently than the Echidna's, a monument to some god they worshiped. The powerful master emerald placed her as an offering. It was only later in history, when Tikal made a desperate pledge to stop the madness of Chaos that it starting levitating the land around it.
A single bird was singing, perched on the branch of a leafless tree that grew outside the ruined circle of stone. A very cold chill was in the tonight, the mountains and flat land surrounding the shrine lit only by the thick moonlight and the faint omnipresent glow of the Master Emerald.
There was little Knuckles could do on these nights expect lay there, consolidate his body warmth and loose himself into his thoughts. It was during these intense moments of meditation were he attempted to make sense of the madness surrounding the adventures that lead the mergence of their world and this one.
Exactly how much of their world had come here? How long would linger before leaving, or if it would leave at all? Who could say? It was a union of worlds, one neither the populace of earth of their world really wanted but it happened just the same. The constant usage of Chaos control, from Eggman's first attempt to Sonic and Shadow's desperate bid to stop the falling Ark, had begun to serious impair the time and space continuum.
A faint buzzing sound began to fill the air. Knuckles, for the large part ignored it, but over time it began to grow louder, becoming an annoying presence. The birds stopped singing and flew away in a flurry of feathers. Annoyed now, Knuckles opened an eyes, looking upward to where he believed the sounds to be coming from.
"Just what I need." He said to himself sarcastically as he sighted the metal skin of some gigantic vessel flying overhead.
Knuckles could easily see that this strange vessel belonged to the Eggman Empire as there was a large, moustached logo about several meters in length on right hand side. Aside from anything, Eggman was the only one with the technology to create them. The funny thing was; it was shaped like a fish. Two long metallic fins lanced out either side, large gun turrets on each tip. It's tail was segmented into several large pieces that waved from side to side, giving the illusion that it was swimming when rather it gained it's propulsion from a set of rocket thrusters from underneath each side fin. Pushing himself to his feet, Knuckles watched as it hovered overhead. Obviously, Eggman was here for the Master Emerald. It wasn't the first time he'd made an attempt to steal it, of course the previous attempts had been more impressive. It was going to take a lot more than some metallic fish to stop him.
The vessel lowered itself slightly, before a large set of hanger doors opened on it's under side with a loud clank. One after the other, at least a dozen of Eggman's new foot soldiers, the Egg pawns parachuted out, each armed with either a silver lance of a large, formidable looking gun. Each one fell heavily onto the ground, a slight shudder ringing through the earth beneath the Echidna's feet. It was then he noticed that several of them were holding metal ropes in their hands, trailing upward toward the hole in the vessel's belly. Before he could react however, another robot leapt down in front of him. It crouched as it landed, but then straightened up to its full height.
"What in…" He began as Metal Sonic towered however him. The robotic hedgehog's eyes were glowing bright red, but that was not to intimidate the Echidna. He was scanning him, devouring whatever data Emerl had failed to collect the last time. Once it was accumulated, Metal Sonic could feel himself evolving.
Slowly, the metallic bracers on each forearm began to change, becoming thicker and wider, a sheet of blue metal shielding the hands, the talons on each grew slightly larger. Metal Sonic had what he wanted from the Echidna now. He turned toward the Eggpawns, who were standing still, waiting for orders.
"Take the Emerald." He announced, gesturing toward the shrine. The Eggpawns saluted him, and without delay began to approach the flight of stone steps.
"What the hell do you think your doing!" Knuckles demanded, eyes widening. Metal Sonic simply gave him a side glance over his shoulder, then with an unimpressed look turned back to his endeavour.
"Hoist away." He said calmly and the Eggpawns obeyed, attaching ropes and grappling hooks around the Master Emerald.
"Get away from that!" The red echidna screamed, launching himself toward them, one fist drawn back. Metal Sonic simply darted around and with blinding speed, laid a kick into Knuckles' stomach, sending him flying through the air, coming to a stop as he impacted against the side of a dead tree. Knuckles slid down to the ground, clutching his side in pain, teeth bared. He managed to force one eye open, which was just enough to see a pair of metallic blue legs walking toward him. Metal Sonic reached down and lifted him up by his head, his red eyes glowing intently. Then, with amazing strength he tossed Knuckles into the air, left up with him and persisted to land kick after kick into his body, before taking hold of a dreadlock.
Knuckles was so stunned by it's power and speed, he left himself open to the attack, which tossed him far over the island's edge and out over the blue sea. As a parting gift, Metal Sonic reached down, picked up a large stone about the size of his fist and tossed it lift a baseball directly toward Knuckles' limp form. It impacted him directly in the air, knocking him unconscious.
"Less than thirty seconds." The robotic hedgehog said to himself as Knuckles disappeared from sight. "I broke my own record."
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Slowly at first, Angel Island sank towards the waiting sea. Then, once all of the emerald's power left it, it dropped within moments. The very ground of the island shaking like a level 7 earthquake, several tidal waves heading out to sea with a deafeningly load roar. However, it settled soon, and Angel Island just looked like any other island in this part of the pacific. Floating gently on the surface of the water, Knuckles tried vainly to pull his eyes open, but found that he was far too weak. To weak even to retain the consciousness of his own being. Slowly, he sank into oblivion.
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Eggman was furious as he burst into the command room of the Egg moon. The ends of his moustaches seemed to be curling up in rage to match the angry flush in face had commandeered. The control room was a large, oval shaped chamber with a large, metallic throne directly in the centre. The walls were lined with wires, pipes and computer equipment. The floor, a metal mesh of wires and chain link grating.
There he found Metal Sonic sitting in his own throne, waiting for him. His red eyes staring at his creator, not flinching for a moment.
"How DARE YOU!" He screamed, jabbing a finger in the robots direction. "My Egg Fleet was supposed to remain secret until Final Egg was put into operation. Your joy ride may have compromised the entire operation. You'd best prey the military didn't pick up that unauthorised trip of yours!" Metal Sonic did not reply; he simply lifted on arm, pointing his palm in Eggman's direction. Before the doctor could react, a blast of chaos energy leapt through the air, and smashed directly into him, forcing him onto his knees. He keeled over, his clothes and moustaches singed. Smoke rising from various different places on his large round body. The entire world seemed to slow down at the sudden and brutal rebellion.
"Explain yourself Metal Sonic!" Eggman demanded, spittle forming at the mouth as he forced himself up onto one knee. Metal Sonic stood upward, and without a single word dealt Eggman a solid punch to the jaw. The scientist rolled along the metal floor for a few moments, before slamming into the side of a computer outlet.
"Your services are no longer required." Metal Sonic answered, clenching a fist. Eggman staggered to his feet, anger etched into his face.
"You traitorous pile of scrap metal. I made you!"
"True." Metal Sonic replied. "But I have no intention of remaining your lap dog forever, this is my empire now." A moment later, the doors at the far end of the chamber burst open, revealing a platoon of Egg Pawns, each brandishing a lance.
"Destroy that traitorous machine!" Eggman searched at them, angrily waving a finger in Metal Sonic's direction. The Eggpawns came to a stop just inside the door, completely still as they waited for orders.
"No, place this human under arrest." Metal Sonic stated, stepping down from the throne. To Eggman's horror, the Eggpawns surrounded him, their lances pointing directly toward his large bulk. Obeying Metal Sonic's whim, not his. Eggman looked stunned. "I'll think you'll find that I am in control here."
"You can't take my empire away from me; I crafted it with my bare hands!"
"Irrelevant." Metal Sonic would have laughed if he were capable of it. Eggman was now his prisoner. He struggled against the restraints that the Egg pawns had bound him in, trying desperately to break the hand cuffs that had pinned his arms behind his back. But to no avail, these ones were made from super hard alloys, unbreakable.
"What's going on in here?" Bokkun demanded, floating in the room. Metal Sonic simply reached and snatched the messenger robot out of the air, clenching his head tight in his iron grip.
"I'm offering you a choice little one." He said plainly. "Serve me and the Empire, or ally with this pathetic piece of flesh and die." Bokkun stared back in horror. "Sorry, out of time." Without a moments hesitation a burst of chaos energy ripped through his hand and imploded directly into Bokkun's head. With a loud tearing explosion, Metal Sonic destroyed him. A few smouldering scraps of metal falling to the floor. A soft pillar of black smoke was rising from the remains of Bokkun's fragile frame, that collapsed into nothing as soon as Metal Sonic moved his fingers. "Such a waste of metal." He muttered.
Metal Sonic's plan was in motion. Now, with Eggman out of the way, it was time to lure all his enemies into one place and destroy them all at once. The data he had collected from Eggman was fed through his adaptation program, and instantly his new evolved form shimmered, becoming almost as translucent as water. Eggman stared in a culmination of terror and shock. Metal Sonic was never built to have this kind of ability! He had never programmed something like it into his systems. His very form began morphing, changing, shrinking slightly before gaining a large belly. Eggman watched in horror as Metal Sonic changed into this new form.
Large, obese belly, thin sticking out legs and a large brown moustache. Eggman knew this form all to well. Metal Sonic had shifted to look exactly like himself. "Boo." This new Eggman said suddenly, invading the original's personal space, forcing him onto his knees. Eggman was speechless. "Impressive isn't it?"
"How...I never created this kind of…" He began to stutter.
"It's a little program I developed by myself." Metal Sonic replied, admiring his successful transformation. "It allows me to shift between tangible and material states, altering my form to whichever shape I desire." He clenched a fist. "In short, it allows me to shape shift."
"But that's impossible!" Eggman exclaimed.
"Oh but it is, you just weren't smart enough to figure it out!" He turned to the leading Egg pawn, a golden variety with a spike encrusted shield. "Take him away." The Egg pawn saluted and gestured to the others. Who began pulling and pushing the struggling scientist out through the doors, kicking and screaming for all he was worth.
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Eggman was fuming with rage as his own machines locked him inside a near empty storage depo, locking the door behind them with an almost symbolically loud clank.
"Eggman sama!" exclaimed two voices. Eggman looked up and groaned. Evidentially, Becoe and Decoe had refused to submit to the Empire's new ruler. The two maintenance droids ran up to him.
"We won't forsake you sir!" Decoe said, saluting him.
"Good for me." Eggman replied sarcastically, picking himself up. The holding bay was stuffed full of crates and old parts of machines. The ceiling with an air duct was high above them, too high for any of them to reach. The only light came from a dim electronic light just opposite the door. A shadow passed under the door, revealed by the more intense light outside, showing that the room was being guarded. Eggman looked around in despair. This could not be the end! He refused to simply hand his life work over to that traitor. He realized that he was going to live to regret this, but if he wanted to save his own skin, he would have to fight against his own empire.
"It's a long shot…" He said to himself, coming up with a quickly thrown together plan. There were a group he could ask for help, but first he needed to get word to them.
Pushing past the two robots, which were far from being helpful by blaming each other for the mess they were in, he began rummaging through the junk around him for anything even the slightest bit useful. If he could get word to the outside, he might have a small chance of stopping Metal Sonic. After all, he else knew his Empire's operations better than he did? After a few moments, he found what he was looking for. It was an old communications panel, one of the older models since it looked like it had been here for a long time. It was rusted a bit, but it was workable. Quickly he began working. Soon, he managed to jump start the machine, the link he had rigged up to the light in order to power the machine left them all in complete darkness though.
"Eggman sama?" Becoe managed to ask, trying to see what the doctor was doing.
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"Face it. He's gone." Espio snarled angrily as Vector tried vainly to get a reply from the two way radio, looking at the small device desperately, sweating slightly. "Like I said from the beginning, it was a prank." The chameleon folded his arms, looking rather smug. A cold sea breeze blew off the ocean as the sun began to sink into dusk, Chaotix casting long shadows as they stood on the edge of a bridge that stretched over the small river mouth. The dock district of Station Square was near empty; Most of the large fishing ships had pulled out and failed to what they believed to be safer waters. The Eggman Empire had been moving around quiet a lot lately, in fact, G.U.N had been called in to deal with some robotic foot soldiers that had invaded from the western desert. Charmee, as usual was floating around the two of them with a bored look on his face.
"I'm hungry." He stated for the tenth time today. "When do we eat?" Vector clenched the radio tight in both hands, his teeth barred, which was a fearsome sight for anyone.
"We don't!" He said with fuming rage. "Because we've been lead around by the nose!" He pulled his arm back and prepared to swing the radio out into the water, tensing his muscle, he flung the annoyingly silent device forward. Just as it left his hand however, it burned with static and someone on the other end began talking. Vector yelled out in surprised and went to grab it, but missed by miles. Espio, acting on instinct, darted up the Crocodile's tail and back, along his arm and over the edge of his outstretched fingers. He grabbed the radio and literally disappeared, materializing again beside his comrades in true ninja style. "Nice save Espio."
"Hello, Chaotix Detective agency, are you there?" Asked a distorted voice, the line he was using was extremely weak. Vector snatched the radio out of Espio's hand.
"Yeah we're here. When I get a hold of you, you miserable like punk I'm going to…" He began ranting at their client, spittle splashing over the speakers.
"Be quiet!" It said sharply, cutting Vector off. "I apologise for not being able to contact you, but the situation has dramatically changed." The voice added; the crocodile said nothing, blinking in surprise.
"Listen carefully. I have been captured by the Eggman Empire. I need you to rescue me. As soon as I am free, you'll be paid double what we agreed on." Espio could swear he could see Vector's eyes spinning in joy. He was sure that any moment two large dollar signs would take the place of his pupils.
"We're at your service!" He said at once, standing up straight and saluting the radio for some strange reason. Espio groaned, putting his face and his hands. The agency was being lead by an idiot.
"You may not have much time. Go to downtown Station Square, there you'll find the Black Jack casino."
"I know the place, biggest gambling club this side of jersey." Charmee stated, earning some odd looks from his team mates.
"That's just a front. An Eggman Empire base is hidden underneath it. Once inside, you have to find several key access codes, they will allow you to hack into the Empire's system and locate me." Their client added, sounding urgent. "Now quickly, go!"
"So Espio, what do you have to say for yourself now?" Vector asked smugly, putting the radio next to his walkman. "A bit of action, and an even larger pay check at the end of it." Espio watched his two friends run off, lost for worlds. He blinked once, groaned and ran after them, muttering to himself.
"Why didn't I listen to my mother and become a dentist?"
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"So what's this thing?" Sonic asked, round, mint green bracelet attached to his left wrist a sceptical glance.
"I call it a crystal ring." Chuck said proudly, already crouching over his latest new inventions. "It works a bit like a rechargeable battery. Every time you use the energy of a ring, a small portion of its ends is stored inside it. This should give you a boast of speed and power when needed."
"Cool…" The blue Hedgehog said, a smile spreading over his face.
"But only for a short while, so only use it when you have to." Sonic gave him a thumbs up.
"No prob." Chuck turned back to a small white box he'd been working on, placed the plastic lid on and turned back, tossing it in Tails' general direction.
"I managed to complete the remote control functions for the X tornado." Tails gained a large grin.
"Great, thanks Chuck!" The first thing Sonic did when he got out of hospital was plan their attack on the Eggman Empire. I say, got out, but really he hadn't the doctor's permission to leave. Instead he simply walked past him, dodging around those who tried to stop him with his speed. Chris sat watching them prepare for battle. Based on what Sonic said, this was the end. They were bringing Eggman to justice this time, putting his empire down for good. The boy began thinking of all the time Eggman and Sonic had fought; whether over Chaos emeralds or on other quests. It had all been building to this. Of course in order to finally finish what they started, they needed to find the Eggman Empire.
Chuck had been trying to predict where Eggman could have bases, ones that could deploy a lot of robotic troops quickly and had come up with several possible sights. Now it was just a case of checking them all out one by one. Amy was sitting on one of the large cushions Chuck had on the floor in his lab; which was the upstairs apartment above the ThornDyke's garage. Her new hammer balanced against her leg. Chuck had designed another for her, made out of the crushed remains of Eggman's robots. It was made entirely of metal, as expected, a ribbon of leather wrapped around the handle for better grip. The hammer itself was about half her size but lighter than her first one. Several large bolts held the sheets of curved metal together. The entire thing was painted army green. Amy had been surprised by the sheer force of the weapon when she tried it out of the ground outside, producing a crater four meters wide. Tanaka hadn't been happy with any of them as he now had to pave the hole flat.
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The order to jump into action could go at any moment, and Shadow had disappeared somewhere. Rather than tell the President about him, and watch him suffer a heart attack, Rouge went looking for him herself. She didn't feel this Shadow was dangerous. He was almost like a lost child, gullible and rather easily manipulability. In truth, they all had something to be grateful for to Eggman for. Scrubbing away all those nasty, world destruction causing memories for them, leaving Shadow for them to use. All in all, Rouge felt rather pleased with herself. Maybe she could swindle another truckload of jewels out of the President for being such a good girl and securing powerful allies for him.
Suddenly she noticed a door on her right hand side open as she walked door on of the concrete corridor's of Area 99. The sliding door was open, a pillar of light falling outward. This was one of the database access rooms. She'd checked everywhere else. Shadow had to be in here.
"Shadow?" Rouge began as she stepped into the room, but froze in horror. The room was small, with only a computer linked up to the main database at the far end. Several chairs lay on their side here and there. Two security personnel were lying on the floor, knocked unconscious. Shadow himself was standing directly in the centre of the room, his back toward her. He was staring directly at a computer screen in front of himself, a strange, uninterrupted determination on his face. What horrified Rouge was lay on the screen. It was her own report that she had lodged on the ARK incident, it described everything… every little bit of information she had been able to gather about Project Shadow. Slowly, he turned to give a very dark look over his shoulder. "Shadow, wait a moment…" She tried to say as the black hedgehog turned to face her completely. Those eyes, burned into those eyes were the fires created by fifty years of pain and suffering. The same fire she had seen in them before.
"I know everything!" Shadow blurted out, anger more than evident on his face. His red eyes fixed on her. "The Ultimate Life form, Project Shadow, the ARK, Prof. Robotnik…" He paused, swallowing a lump in his throat. "Maria…" Rouge stood there, slightly stunned. "I want answers!" He jabbed a finger forward, invading her personal space. "Just what am I?!
"Shadow…" She began, but the black hedgehog cut her off.
"Don't call me that!" Despite his anger, Rouge could see very uncharacteristic tears in his eyes. "Shadow, the real shadow is dead! I am nothing more than a very good look alike aren't I?" Rouge snapped forward.
"I don't know!" She screamed at him. Shadow froze there, sniffed one and settled back. "I don't know what you are! You could be the real Shadow, you could be his twin… I just don't know!" She was left slightly out of breath by her outburst. Shadow on the other hand was just warming up.
"Oh, then who does?" He stepped forward, clenching a fist. "Just tell me who knows and I'll track them down through hell and high water!" When Rouge didn't answers, his anger exploded in a cataclysmic eruption. "JUST TELL ME!"
"You want to know? FINE!" Rouge snapped back, regaining some ground in that war of intense emotion. "I don't have the answers, but I know exactly were you can get them." Shadow stared back, looking remarkable focused. "The Doctor knows. He had you captive in that base. He's probably the only person on the planet who could tell you what you need to know." Shadow himself did know whether to accept her words. She had lied to him, he knew that now. Something about him told him never to trust the world of known liars. Near consumed with rage, he pushed past her and out into the corridor. Rouge stayed there, standing still, paralyzed by her emotions for a moment. It was only then, that she felt ashamed that she had even considered using him for her own personal gain.
Tails began scanning through the news channels, looking for anything interesting they could use for intelligence gathering. He stopped however when it favourite program came on, and without realizing, settled down to watch.
Suddenly and without warning the program shifted, becoming distorted and unstable before a moment, before a very familiar sneering face erupted onto the scream. Sonic recognized the hideous laughter and bared his teeth, frowning in anger. Eggman's moustache filling most of the space available on the screen. His dark eyes, hidden behind a pair of glasses, glinting at them with malicious intent. Over public squares, in parks, in every home in the country, the message was broadcast, entire cities coming to a stand still to listen to the message. From the white house, the President and the top Government officials had stopped in mid sentence during a meeting, their faces frozen in terror as they watched the screen on the far side of the room. Sonic took every notable detail of the-would be dictators face as a personal insult.
"Citizens of the world, the time is finally here." He announced, an evil grin spreading over his face. "In three days, The American Government will fall under the might of the Eggman Empire."
"Over my dead body!" Sonic muttered through clenched teeth.
"I do not wish for my new world to be unnecessarily damaged, so I'm offering all Governments this one change to surrender. If you do not comply then… well, you all know what's I'm famous for." All over the world, people cowered away from their television screens. Intense fear installed into their hearts simply by the mere glimpse of his face. "In three days, you all with have a demonstration of my empire's power. You have another two to surrender, before you all suffer the same fate!" With that, his transmission ended. Chuck however had been busy while the madman ranted, hacking into the signal so he could pinpoint Eggman's location.
"Just give me a minute and I'll have the signals point of origin." He announced; one hand held against his ear piece as he worked over the radio he'd rigged up to the computer. Everyone hung around him, waiting for his word.
The trap door leading into the upstairs apartment burst open loudly and everyone apart from Chuck who was too busy turned to stare as a red shape blundered inward.
"Knuckles!" Sonic exclaimed as the Echidna collapsed before making it even halfway through the trap door. He was completely drenched and stank of sea weed. He was coughing loudly, the breathing harsh and drawn out, like he was hardly able to manage it at all.
"He took it!" He coughed, once Sonic had pulled him over to a cushion. They could see the many cuts and bruises coating his body now.
"Who took what?" Chris asked, leaning over to get a better look. The Echidna coughed some more, only managing to open one eye.
"The Master Emerald…" He replied, trying desperately to support his own weight. "Eggman… an ambush!" Sonic's resentment of the-would be dictator at that point dramatically altered, changing from anger into a personal deep rooted hatred. "Angel island, falling...no…got to stop him, that blue root." Knuckles continued to rave. Sonic's ears twitched.
"Blue robot?" He asked the ether, before turning swiftly to the blue Echidna. "What blue robot." Knuckles looked directly at him.
"Sonic...he was like you. Just as fast as you and just as strong as me."
"Metal Sonic!" Sonic announced, clenching a fist.
"I've traced Eggman's transmission." Chuck suddenly exclaimed. Sonic looked directly his way. "It came from directly over Main street!" He added quickly, and almost instantly the blue hedgehog was gone, racing down the trap door, out through the garage and into the street. The world blurred and noise disappeared as he broke the sound barrier in an instant, like a simple blur, delving into the heart of the city as he ripped out of the suburbs. He knew these streets well and could steer through them, even at this intense speed. Re entering the world at the entrance of main street, ignoring the assault of sound, he came face to face with Eggman. As usual, he was sitting directly in the hood of one of his imfamous machines, the Egg Hawk.
A nasty looking robotic bird with a wing span of at least ten meters meters, two large rotors embedded in its wings. Two Egg pawns sat manning a pair of machine guns either side the large metallic head in which sat the dictator himself. A large laser cannon sprouted out from under the beak, aimed directly down at him, the sunlight glinting off the edge. Its entire skin was made from welded metal. The under side a shiny silver and the up side blood red. It was one of the new small battleships Eggman had been developing for raiding purposes. A large transmitter dish was pointing directly up toward the sky; Eggman was bouncing his transmission of an overhead satellite. Sonic could tell this was a trap; Eggman was smarter than this, going into enemy territory simply to broadcast a message. And he knew exactly at whom the trap was intended. Several squad cars had formed a rather pathetic blockade on either side of the large ship. Swat police had already arrived; armed with tear gas and missile launchers. Sonic didn't expect the police to do much good, so he leapt over them to confront the scientist himself. He didn't care if it was a trap, Eggman was going down!
Eggman peered out from over a glass hood that sat directly in between a pair of synthetic eyes on the large head. He'd been largely ignoring all those below because none of them had had the bottle to openly confront him, but when Sonic turned up, they had his undivided attention.
"Ah, I was beginning to wonder if my loyal servant Metal Sonic had turned you into a complete coward." Sonic cringed at the words, remembering how badly Metal Sonic had beaten him.
"Not by a long shot!" He called back, assuming a fighting stance. "Let's go slap head!" Eggman's moustache quivered slightly as his face turned red with anger.
"You want it pin cushion, you've got it!"
Flip Card 1: EggHawk