Fbtrack: interesting explanations...one queston though

Knuckles, fast though he is, is more popular for his extreme strength and hand-to-hand combat skills. Why is he strong enough to smash rocks and barriers?

Fbtrack does raise and interesting question. IMHO, almost all of Knuckles' abilities are granted to him through the Master Emerald. Considering that the Master Emerald is the Controller, it comes as no surprise that Knuckles' is as skilled and powerful as he is. It also explains how Knuckles can glide. The Controller, being as superpowerful as it is, can somehow bend the laws of physic and gravity, allowing Knuckles to fall at a much more controlled rate. Also, the guy lives mostly alone on Angel Island, so I'd say he doesn't have much else to do except train his mind and body to protect the Master Emerald.

I was rereading some of the reviews, and noticed something that I had missed earlier. Apparently, Master Hunter is under the impression that Knuckles was born much earlier than I had assumed. This actually makes sense in a weird sort of way. How is it that Knuckles is THE only remaining echidna? Surely some echidnas other than Knuckles' direct ancestors survived Perfect Chaos' first rampage that destroyed the ancient Echidna Empire. So, instead I now support this theory.

Knuckles was born near the end of the Echidna Empire. When Chaos was imprisoned within the Master Emerald, the Controller lost it's 'Guardian' per se, so it chose a new Guardian. Knuckles at the time was an infant at the oldest, so he would be quite malleable and relatively undeveloped, making him the perfect candidate to transform him into a vassal for Chaos Energy. Knuckles grows up alone, and when he finally stops developing, the Master stops his aging, guaranteeing that it has a Guardian until such a time as Knuckles is no longer fit to guard the Emerald (e.g. Death).

This would also explain his rather odd name. Growing up alone, with only the Master Emerald for company, he must have taken a name upon himself using his most distinguishing feature from creatures of the Mainland (the Mainland being everywhere but Angel Island), his knuckles. Either that, or Eggman gave him the name upon meeting him for the first time when the Death Egg crashed on Angel Island after Sonic's attack at the end of Sonic 2.

If you accept this theory, then that also raises more questions. How would Knuckles be able to understand the language that Sonic and the others speak? Once again, I say its the Master Emerald. The Controller (generally) gives Knuckles anything he needs to survive, as long as it doesn't hinder his ability to protect the Master. For instance, a strange giant object (the Death Egg) has just landed on Angel Island. Knuckles meets Eggman, but can't understand him. Therefore, in the interest of learning about this intruder, the Master gives Knuckles the ability to understand Eggman's language.

But why would the Master Emerald need a guardian if it is so powerful? Because, none of the Emeralds are able to use their own power. The Chaos, Super Chaos, and the Master Emerald all need someone to unlock their power. It is assumed that anyone can release their power (e.g. Knuckles using the Master Emerald to stop the Chaos Emeralds in SA2), but only those that can harness Chaos Energy can control it (Super and Hyper forms, Chaos Spear, Sonic Wind, Chaos Control).

A/N: Keep reviewing, and keep asking questions.