Entry 17

The Challenge

''Movin' at speed of sound (make tracks!)! Quickest hedgehog around! Got ourselves a situation; stuck in a new location without any explanation! No time for relaxation!''

– Gotta Go Fast by Sonic X

xXxXxXx

Sonic stretched his arms, placing them behind his head as he leaned against the couch, an empty bowl of cereal on the coffee table before him. It was morning, and him and Lucas decided to spend it by just chilling and watching TV, although Sonic was already making plans for the day. He felt that there was still a lot to do, a lot to explore, and the events from the past days made him even more eager to jump into the next adventure.

''Honestly, I'm really glad that we're not having to worry about Neos City getting destroyed. It looks like thing are returning to normal,'' Lucas noted as the news report came on. Sonic wagged his finger, giving Lucas a smug grin.

''I think this is only the calm before the storm,'' he replied. ''I'm sure the next adventure is already waiting ahead for us.''

''I gotta be honest, I was hoping to spend a day without excitement,'' Lucas replied. Sonic tilted his head.

''But, you were doing so well the past days,'' he said, elbowing Lucas. ''Com'n, it'll be fun to find something new to do.''

''You never run out of energy, do you?'' Lucas remarked, furrowing a brow, with Sonic just grinning back at him. ''You know, you could ask some of our other friends to join you. I'm sure they can keep up better with you than I do or are more willing to go on an adventure.''

''Probably, but I want you to participate as well. After all, you were my first friend I made here, and my partner,'' Sonic replied. Lucas smiled.

''I appreciate that sentiment,'' he said, briefly glancing at the news, which featured a segment on the popularity of the Buddy Bots. ''Looks like the Tamago Corporation really made a hit product.''

''It is kind of weird, though, seeing another ARNav as a robot,'' Sonic noted, as Midorikawa showed off Kero in his Buddy Bot form. The frog ARNav had a very similar appearance to his regular form, but there was a metallic shine to his body and his eyes looked empty, the only thing indicating that the Buddy Bot was controlled being the glow inside them.

''Well, unlike Irregulars, normal ARNavs cannot survive for too long outside AR Fields, so this is necessary for them to be at places where there are no AR Fields,'' Lucas noted, falling silent for a moment. ''I still wonder why that is so, though.''

''I kind of already accepted that this is how I am and that there's not much to think about it,'' Sonic replied, shrugging nonchalantly, then added in an encouraging tone, ''But, don't let that stop you from investigating.''

''You're just trying to get me out of the house,'' Lucas noted, folding his arms across his chest.

''Me? Oh, no, no… I would never force you out of your comfort zone,'' Sonic said, feigning innocence, then grinned mischievously. ''Did it work?''

Lucas sighed. ''Yeah, it did.''

''Nice,'' Sonic responded in a chipper tone, getting up. ''How about we go for a run around the city to see what's going on?''

''I guess we could,'' Lucas responded, shrugging, startled when Sonic just grabbed both of their bowls, zooming past him to place them in the dishwasher and sped back, placing his hand on his hip and tapping with his food on the ground impatiently.

''So, what are we waiting for?'' Sonic asked, with Lucas just rolling his eyes and following the blue hedgehog. ''Also, we could go for lunch later. Your treat!''

xXx

''Hey, you two! Looks like you're still hard at work.'' Warren and Tails looked up from their respective monitors, turning to Warren's mother as she entered the workshop, carrying a tray of cookies and drinks. ''I brought you two some snacks, since you two were both gone immediately after breakfast.''

''Thanks, Mrs. Taylor,'' Tails said, grabbing a mint chocolate chip cookie from the tray and eating it. Warren's mother then placed the tray on the desk next to the computer.

''Please, Tails, just call me Joanne or Jo for short. I had told you already that there's no need for formality and you told me to call you by your nickname as well,'' Joanne replied.

''Yeah, you did,'' Tails replied, smiling sheepishly, before grabbing another handful of mint chocolate chip cookies. His tails flicked as the cookie melted in his mouth. As for Joanne, she crossed her arms, tilting her head.

''It is still strange to see an ARNav eating food like this,'' she commented. Warren and Tails exchanged glances, both knowing what was going through the other's mind.

''Well, Tails is a special kind of ARNav,'' Warren said, turning to his mother. ''Some ARNavs don't need food and sleep, some apparently do. Tails is part of the other group.''

''Admittedly, you did tell me that when you introduced Tails to me,'' Joanne said, furrowing a brow as she eyed Tails, who gave her a nervous look, trying to hide it with a smile. Suddenly, Joanne hugged the twin-tailed fox, nuzzling his cheek. ''But you forgot to say just how cute he is! Absolutely adorable!''

''Hehe, thanks!'' Tails responded as Joanne let go of him. He had already forgotten just how fond Warren's mother was of him, a sudden memory of her gushing over his cuteness flashing in his mind when Warren introduced him to his parents.

''Not to mention, someone who also appreciates my cooking,'' Joanne added. ''If you want more mint chocolate chip cookies, just tell me and I'll make another batch.''

''Sure,'' Tails replied happily, imagining the small mountain of his favorite cookies lying before him. His tails flicked again and he turned to Joanne. ''Thank you for the food, Jo!''

''It's no problem,'' Joanna replied, turning her gaze to the computer. ''So, what are you two doing, if I may know?''

''Oh, we're just analyzing some data files and making a compilation for two of our friends,'' Warren replied.

''You mean Lucas and Sonic?''

''Actually, their names are Shadow and Touka,'' Tails replied. ''We kind of became friends with them recently.''

''I see,'' Joanne said. ''Well, then I won't bother you two anymore. Good luck with your work.''

''Thanks Mum!'' Warren replied as Joanne left the workshop, with him and Tails exchanging glances. ''Going by her reaction, if you wanted, you could weaponize your cuteness.''

''That's not actually a bad idea. I never thought that something like 'cuteness' could be used as a weapon,'' Tails replied, half-joking, only to remember something. ''Although, I think there was something Minami mentioned about using crocodile tears and a sob story to get out of trouble she caused for herself.''

''Minami is a complete menace, but I'm sure she would love to teach you how to do that,'' Warren replied wryly, remembering the story as well.

Minami had gloated to them how she had dragged Makoto into exploring an abandoned house, only for the two getting caught by a patrolling policeman right at the entrance. The moment the two realized they were in deep trouble, Minami broke out into tears, making up a story how she was distraught by the death of her pet cat who had to be put down just a day ago and still felt its spirit looming around, and she thought she saw it at the abandoned house. Makoto, who had quickly caught on her plan and pretended he was just worried about her and tried to stop her from going, noted how the policeman didn't seem to believe them at first, but he did appear to be moved by Minami's tears and story, and let them go with a warning to not do that again. The kicker? Minami never had a pet cat, since her father was allergic to cat hair.

Tails laughed, him and Warren continuing with their work. It was quite fascinating to sift through all the data they had found, especially since Shadow had told them that the computers were supposed to be wiped clean. Whoever did the cleaning apparently didn't do a good job, as there were still hidden files in the systems, some encrypted, but it wasn't anything he and Warren couldn't break through. However, there was something on Tails mind that had nothing to do with the task at hand.

''You know, it's really nice to see that your family has accepted me,'' he said, turning his gaze towards Warren.

''Well, you saw how Mum reacted to you, so there was no need for any convincing. As for Dad, he said that he was happy to see that I had met someone who shares the same interest as I do,'' Warren replied in an assuring tone. ''Honestly, it's a no-brainer that you would find a place here.''

''Right…'' Tails muttered, a grim memory of the kitsune ARNavs bullying him flashing in his mind, only to be quickly replaced by the memory of Sonic becoming very fond of him and pretty much adopting him as his ''little bro''. Tails then smiled, giving Warren a confident look. ''I wouldn't have it any other way.''

xXx

''Phew, we have finally managed to find it,'' Lily said as she and Knuckles entered a clearing, looking ahead of them. ''I'm surprised we haven't tried to visit Starlight Lake earlier, especially since it's one of Infinity Forest's more well-known places.''

''Are you already tired? The hike wasn't that long,'' Knuckles asked her, but Lily shook her head.

''No, I'm just relieved that we found it and… huh? Who's that?'' Lily looked over at the other side of the lake, spotting a figure sitting under a tree and squinting. Knuckles followed her gaze.

''Obviously, it is another visitor,'' he replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Lily placed her hands on her hips, looking at her partner.

''I had figured that much,'' she said. ''However, I don't think it's another human. Let's get closer.''

''Do your really want to disturb them?'' Knuckles asked, only for him to follow Lily as he walked away.

''We're just going to make ourselves known. If they want privacy, we'll go away,'' Lily replied as she walked around the lake towards the figure, with Knuckles dutifully following her. It didn't take Lily too long to realize that the figure wasn't indeed not a human, but actually someone she was familiar, with, even if only thanks to a certain video game.

''Uh, hello?'' Lily greeted the very large and burly anthropomorphic cat. The majority of his body fur was purple with dark violet stripes, and a striped pattern ran up his arms and long tail. White fur covered his chest, torso, muzzle, and inner ears, and he had black eyes with pale yellow sclera. He was wearing yellow gloves, sandals, and a matching belt with a gold buckle, and he was holding a fishing rod in his hands, clearly focused on fishing. Sitting next to him was a green frog with orange stripes. The cat glanced at them, a somewhat curious look on his expression.

''Hello,'' he said, waiting for a response.

''My name is Lily and this is Knuckles,'' Lily quickly introduced them.

''My name is Big and this is Froggy, my best friend,'' Big the Cat said, gesturing at the frog next to him. There was a moment of silence, with Lily and Knuckles exchanging a glance, well aware of what was on their partner's mind. There was no other explanation for Big and Froggy's appearance other than both being ARNavs. However, since there were no AR Fields anywhere close to Starlight Lake, this meant that the two had to be Irregulars. Non-aggressive ones, but Irregulars nontheless.

''So, what are you doing here?'' Lily asked curiously.

''Fishing,'' Big replied. Knuckles turned to Lily with a raised eyebrow, with Lily rolling her eyes as she understood his message, that being that it was obvious what Big was doing. Knuckles then turned to Big.

''Are there any fishes biting?'' he asked, deciding to keep the conversation going.

''Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. It is always a surprise,'' Big replied, still staring ahead at the calm lake, before turning to the two. ''Do you want to join? I have spare fishing rods.''

Lily and Knuckles exchanged brief glances, then shrugged. They didn't really have anything else to do and they were curious about Big and Froggy, so they didn't mind staying here for a bit longer.

''Sure,'' Lily said as she and Knuckles sat next to him on the other side, with data particles appearing in Big's hands, forming into a pair of fishing rods and giving them to the two.

''Do you know how to fish?'' Big asked the two.

''Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to hone that particular skill,'' Knuckles replied.

''Neither did I,'' Lily said.

''Don't worry, I'll teach you,'' Big told them.

xXx

''This is going to make a great addition to our room,'' Minami said happily, skipping along as she was holding a bag with cute decorations, like wall stickers in the shape of hearts and stars. ''I had been postponing the redecoration for ages. However, now that I have someone with an eye for detail and good taste when it comes to internal decoration, I can finally get things done.''

''Thank you for the compliment,'' Amy replied. ''However, your decoration choices weren't bad either. Although, I still don't understand what the plush tarantulas are for. I thought you were going for a cute aesthetic.''

''Oh, I wanted to plant those in strategic places to scare away anyone who might decide to snoop around my stuff,'' Minami explained. Amy gave her a sheepish smile.

''I guess I should've figured that one out,'' she said. While living with Minami, she had quickly learned that the teenager was incredibly fond of cute things, her room being filled with a bright and pastel color palette, yet at the same time, she had an incredible fascination with weird topics, like the occult and supernatural, urban legends, stories about cryptids, and so on. Sometimes, Amy felt like she was talking to a different person depending on the topic. Minami herself maintained a happy-go-lucky attitude, which could quickly change to being more cunning.

''So, your innocent self is just a facade, or am I missing something?'' Amy had asked her.

''Actually, this is who I am,'' Minami replied, winking at her. ''I have accepted that I have a light and a dark side, and I'm not letting anyone tell me how am I supposed to behave. If someone doesn't like me the way I am, then I don't care.''

Amy did appreciate that bit of wisdom, having to deal with constantly being shunned for her own intuitive abilities, with the rude comments really hurting her. After meeting Minami, she slowly started to work on accepting who she was, especially since Minami loved her fortunetelling skills and having fun speculating on what the fortune meant.

The two were currently walking through Erekiteru, passing by many humans and strange-looking ARNavs, at least until it clicked that they were looking at the new Buddy Bots, that had been finally made accessible to the public after constant advertisement.

''The Buddy Bots really took off, didn't they?'' Amy commented as they walked past an ARNav inside a Buddy Bot talking to their partner, glancing at Minami.

''I'm not surprised,'' she said. ''I'm sure ARNavs all over Neos City are relieved that they have a body they can inhabit without the fear of basically being deleted if an AR Field is shut down and they cannot reach another in time.''

''It really makes me feel sorry for them,'' Amy said, giving Minami a troubled look. ''All you have to do is be at a wrong place at a wrong time and you're erased out of existence.''

''True, but at the same time, you have to worry about being hunted down because you just exist,'' Minami noted, with Amy nodding, aware that Minami was referring to her existence as an Irregular. If anyone else outside her friend group learned that, she knew that she would've had to deal with the Hunters. Thanks to the modified AR Visor, she didn't have to worry that much, even sometimes forgetting what she was truly capable of.

xXx

Silver stuck his tongue out, focused on levitating the gardening tools with his psychokinesis. Considering how the botanical garden would need constant maintainence depending on the plant, there was always some kind of work to do. Makoto had told him how plants could also suffer from diseases and parasites and that if they spotted a rotting plant or strange growth, they needed to make sure it wouldn't spread. Silver was very eager to learn as much as possible, especially since he was working on growing his own small garden in a patch behind Makoto's house. Whether he would ever be able to take this knowledge to the future, he had no idea.

''I don't have any way to return,'' Silver muttered under his breath as he tried to untangle a garden hose with his psychokinesis. ''I don't even have any clue about the whereabouts of Ignis Infernalis, despite being thrown into the exact time where I should find some information.''

''Silver?''

''Aagh!'' Silver was startled, throwing all the tools up, causing them to fall on him. He was lucky the shears didn't land on him.

''Silver, are you all right?'' Makoto ran up to him, untangling him from the garden hose and helping him up.

''I'm fine,'' Silver replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. ''You just surprised me, that's all.''

''Are you sure that there isn't something troubling you?'' Makoto asked. ''You have that look.''

''I guess I have to accept that I'm really bad at hiding how I feel,'' Silver replied dryly.

''It also helps that I know you well enough to figure out whenever there is something bothering you,'' Makoto replied, helping Silver pick the tools up. ''But, yeah, you aren't exactly the best at lying.'' A wry smile formed on his lips when he saw the downcast gaze Silver gave him. ''So, what's bothering you?''

''I was thinking about the future,'' Silver replied, a despair forming on his expression. Makoto gave him a sympathetic look. ''I should be searching for Ignis Infernalis, but I have no idea where it is or how it formed. What if the future gets destroyed because I failed in my mission? What if I miss something and the flames spread before they can be stopped? What if I'm the catalyst for the apocalypse?!''

''Silver, calm down,'' Makoto said, kneeling down to be at Silver's height. The panicked hedgehog looked at him. ''Take a deep breath in, then out.'' Silver did as he was told, but it did little to calm his racing heart. ''Listen, I understand that this is all very scary for you.''

''It-It's not! I'm just worried…'' Silver tried to defend himself, but it was obvious that Makoto wasn't buying any of this. He hated to admit it, but he lived with the fear of failure and it was eating him inside out. Silver sighed and sat down on the grass, with Makoto sitting next to him. Silver stared at the grass, stroking it with his hand. It was quite soft and he liked the scent. ''I wish I had some kind of answer for this, but I don't. Every time I think about what might happened in the future, be it next year, next month, next week, tomorrow, or even in the next hour; I feel as if I'm supposed to do something to prevent it from happening. But, I don't know what is going to happen. It's so frustrating!''

''I understand,'' Makoto replied, sympathetic to his plight and wondering how he could cheer him up. He hummed, looking up at the sky, only to smile as he leaned back on the grass. ''You know, Silver, the fear you feel is something I need to deal with every day.''

''Really?'' Silver asked, giving him a puzzling look.

''Yeah. For example, I often think what might happen if I cross the street at the wrong time and a car hits me. It is something that I can prevent by being careful, but a car might just speed through the red light and run me over,'' Makoto replied. ''However, while I will keep that possibility in mind, I still won't let it stop me from crossing the street.''

''I see, but I think that trying to prevent the apocalypse from happening is a much bigger deal,'' Silver replied. Makoto sat up, giving him an encouraging smile.

''I agree that it is, but what I want to say is that you shouldn't let your fears take over you. It will happen, one way or another, and while we don't know when, we know it will. The most we can do is prepare for it,'' he replied. ''You had already told me and the rest of Team Neos about it, so we can keep an eye out in case something strange happens. We also have Chaos Surge in case things get really bad.''

''You're right,'' Silver agreed, smiling back. ''I can rely on you and Sonic and the others for this. After all, we had already managed to stop one disaster from happening.'' He then crossed his legs, leaning forward and placing his head on his hands. ''There is something else that is bothering me, though. Remember those crystals we saw at Infinity Forest and later at Codex? We never learned what they were, besides the fact that they burned me and then shattered.''

''Honestly, I don't know. Those crystals are gone, and while we could ask Warren and Tails whether they know anything, I doubt that they have any useful information,'' Makoto replied. Silver gave him a look of concern.

''Is it possible that those crystals may have been a clue?'' he asked. ''I know that I'm sounding like a broken record, but I was still hoping to find something, anything that would indicate the presence of that flame.''

''I wish I knew,'' Makoto replied, with the two falling silent. After a minute or so passed, Silver looked up at his partner, a tiny smile forming on his lips.

''There really isn't any use in panicking over something I cannot control,'' he said. Makoto nodded in response, with Silver then getting up. ''Then, I will focus on the now. Com'n, we still need to bring those tools to the other side of Eden.''

''I'm right behind you!'' Makoto replied, getting up.

xXx

There was a knock on the hatch door, drawing Touka and Shadow's attention, who were in the middle of playing a video game, with Touka being the one who held the controller. The hatch then opened, with Kisaki climbing up.

''Hey, you two. Mind if I join you?'' she asked, a bright smile on her expression.

''Sure,'' Touka replied, shrugging as she paused the video game. ''Do you need anything?''

''I just wanted to check on how you two are doing,'' Kisaki replied, leaning against the couch and glancing at the computer. ''What video game are you playing?''

''It's called Sonic Adventure 2. Minami sent it along with a few other and told us that it is important that we play through them,'' Touka explained. She had to admit that, after getting over the initial weirdness that was seeing Shadow as one of the main characters in the game, they had a short debate on whether they would play through the Hero Story or the Dark Story first, with Shadow insisting on the Dark Story; for obvious reasons.

''I see…'' Kisaki hummed, before she realized something, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the two. ''Uh, who is Minami?''

''She is a fellow teammate,'' Shadow replied curtly, sitting cross-legged on Touka's bed.

''A fellow teammate…?'' It took Kisaki a moment for the words to sink in, but when they did, a wide smile spread across her expression. ''Don't tell me that you have found more friends besides Lucas and Sonic.''

''I'm not sure whether we can refer to them as our 'friends'. We're not that close,'' Shadow replied, grumbling under his breath, ''Even if that Hedgehog insists on it.''

''I guess it really doesn't matter how you call them as long as you get along,'' Kisaki noted. ''I had been worried about how you'd adjust to the situation, especially you, Shadow, and I wanted to give both of you some space. I'm really happy that you had found someone you can hang out with, and if you want to invite them over, you have my permission.''

''Honestly, I have no idea if that's ever going to happen,'' Touka said, while Shadow just glared back at Kisaki. Admittedly, while he did get along with the rest of Team Neos, especially Sonic, that still didn't mean he was all buddy-buddy with them.

''Well, if it does, I'd really like to get to know them. Lucas and Sonic appeared to be really nice,'' Kisaki replied, with her gaze falling. ''Also, I hope you two aren't mad at me for what happened…''

''Don't worry, we aren't mad at you,'' Touka replied, smirking. ''After all, if you hadn't taken me in, I wouldn't have reunited with Shadow.''

''Besides, what done is done. I'm not going to hold a grudge over this,'' Shadow added. Kisaki sighed in relief.

''That's good to hear,'' she said, glancing at the watch on her wrist. ''I'll have to go now to work, or else… Ah, right, I almost forgot to ask, do you two know about the Buddy Bots?''

''You mean those robots ARNavs can inhabit? Yeah, we saw a couple of them yesterday at the Solar Stadium,'' Touka replied. ''Why are you asking?''

''Well, the Tamago Corporation had been quite generous and donated a bunch of them to the hospital I work at for both the children and staff who are there,'' Kisaki replied, a teasing grin forming on her lips. ''I suppose you don't need one, Shadow.''

''I'm an Irregular, why would I need a robotic body?'' Shadow asked her in a deadpan tone, his eyes narrowing. Kisaki shrugged, trying to maintain an innocent look on her expression.

''You could consider it an upgrade,'' Touka said, grinning as she gave Shadow a knowing look. The latter just glared at her, his arms folded across his chest.

''That's not going to happen,'' Shadow replied, well aware that Touka was just teasing him. A smirk then formed on his lips. ''Besides, I'm certain that the one who needs an upgrade.''

''What is that supposed to mean?'' Touka felt a mix of confusion and irritation, her eyes narrowing as she stared at her little brother.

''I'm not saying anything. Figure it out by yourself,'' Shadow responded. Touka stared at him, wondering if he was mocking her.

''I will just leave you two then to your video game,'' Kisaki said, drawing their attention. ''Bye!''

As she exited through the hatch, she could hear the two responding, followed by Touka continuing the earlier conversation. She smiled, feeling glad that things have returned to being somewhat normal.

xXx

''Excuse me, Doctor, but I'm not really sure whether the announcement is completely necessary,'' Ferra said. She and Metal Sonic had been called to the Egg Base for a meeting. There, Eggman gave her a brief summary of his plans, and while Ferra understood fairly well what he was planning to do, she still was confused by a certain part of it. Eggman furrowed a brow as he looked at her. ''I mean, if you already want to take over Starpoint Area, wouldn't it be better to continue working from the shadows and leave everyone puzzled about what is going on.''

''It appears that you clearly don't understand my aesthetic,'' Eggman replied. ''It is out of utmost importance that everyone learns to fear the name Dr. Eggman.''

''It also seems to act as an ego boost,'' Ferra snarked, her comment making Orbot and Cubot, who were on the computers, snort in amusement, before quickly collecting themselves and focusing on their work when they saw Eggman glaring at them. Eggman then turned to Ferra.

''You are not wrong about that, but you had clearly missed the most important aspect of it,'' he said. Ferra had a feeling that he was talking down to her, but ignored it. After all, this was her life now. ''By announcing the Eggman Empire as an independent presence, I will draw attention away from the Tamago Corporation. No one will even suspect that it has any involvement in this plan, and I can continue using it as a cover as long as necessary.''

''Okay, I get it,'' Ferra replied. ''So, when do Metal and Sonic and I get to go out and do our part?''

''Soon enough,'' Eggman replied, only for the door behind them to suddenly open, with two figures walking inside. ''Finally! Do you have the program?''

''We do, Doctor.''

Ferra observed as one fo the figures, a 15-year-old teenage boy with brown eyes that had a slight red tint to them, and messy brown hair, walking up to Eggman, giving him an USB stick. He was wearing a black and purple light jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a light blue and grey T-shirt and grey jeans. On the top of his head was a pair of sunglasses, the frames being greyish-green and the glasses being light green. He appeared to be quite confident, if not even cocky, judging by the grin on his lips.

Metal Sonic, on the other hand, set his gaze on the teenager's partner. The Irregular was a crystalline, anthropomorphic hedgehog in appearance, with no mouth, nose or even feet. Instead, his legs ended in a purplish mist. His eyes had a reddish-pink sclera and lime green irises, while his quills were bushy and ended in white tips. His hands and gloves were crystalline like his arms, with the fingers ending in white-tipped claws.

''Good,'' Eggman said, sounding quite pleased. ''Soon, we'll be able to set my plan into motion.''

While he walked back over to the main computer, the teenager and his partner turned to Ferra and Metal Sonic, who just glared back. They weren't happy to see the two, nor that they had to work with them as fellow Enforcers.

''Ferra Ahearn and Metal Sonic, I presume.'' The teenager and his crystalline partner walked (or floated, in the latter's case) up to the two. ''The name is Toshiro Miwa, and this is Mephiles the Dark.''

''But, you already know that,'' Mephiles added. ''After all, we had corresponded before.''

''I know that you two were the ones who set us up to release Shadow,'' Ferra growled, glaring daggers at the two. ''Why? He almost destroyed Starpoint Area.''

''Too bad he didn't,'' Mephiles replied.

''What are you two talking about?'' Ferra hissed. ''Did you two seriously want Shadow to blow up the entirety of Neos City?''

''What do you think?'' Toshiro asked back instead of answering. Ferra shivered, stunned by his calm and surprisingly nonchalant tone. It was clear to her that these two were dangerous, but she had to wonder just how far did this rabbit hole go.

''Fine. Why did you tell me and Metal to awaken Shadow?'' Ferra asked. ''How do you even know about him?''

''You two consider yourselves Sonic and Lucas' rivals, correct?'' Mephiles asked. Ferra and Metal Sonic nodded. ''The same goes for me and Toshiro and Shadow and Touka. Our goal is to destroy both of them, but not before we make them suffer as much as possible.''

''You still haven't told us why you'd do that,'' Ferra noted.

''So we could ruin the surprise?'' Toshiro asked, smirking deviously.

''What surprise?'' Ferra asked, now agitated. Neither Toshiro nor Mephiles answered, as their attention was drawn to Eggman, who had managed to hack into every device accessible in Neos City.

''Everything is ready, Boss. You have full access to all broadcasting devices across Neos City,'' Orbot said.

''Splendid! Now, I can finally set my plan into motion,'' Eggman said, pressing a button.

xXx

''I can't believe they didn't have any chili dogs for sale,'' Sonic grumbled, holding a half-eaten calzone in his hand. He and Lucas were sitting on a bench, having lunch. ''What has this world come to?''

Lucas laughed, almost chocking on his own calzone. ''Out of all things to get upset about, you complain about food.''

''Why wouldn't I? I'm sure that you would also be annoyed if you learned that they sold out your favorite potato chips,'' Sonic replied.

''Yeah, you're right about that,'' Lucas agreed, nodding along. However, their moment of fun didn't last, as the holographic screen on the nearby building, that would usually show the time and temperature, started crackling and glitching, being replaced by a video feed of a bald man in a red jacket, bushy mustache and blue glasses.

''Attention, citizens of Neos City! My name is Dr. Eggman, the world's greatest scientist, and soon to be the world's greatest ruler! You have been chosen to witness the beginning of the greatest empire of all time! My virus has already taken over every single robot in this city, and anyone who dares to oppose me will meet their demise! Therefore, don't bother with any kind of resistance!''

The video feed then glitched again and was shut down. Lucas and Sonic, who had gotten up, stared at the broadcast in shock, then exchanged glances. However, before either of them could say anything, the Buddy Bots that were close by suddenly started to attack the people close to them, their eyes now glowing a haunting red.