Sonic kept his composure for a little while Dr. Robotnik emerged into the speedy hero's view. The Egg-O-Matic's features show hazard stripes on the sides, a circular black hemispheric base, impulse rocket engines on the back, and a small circular front lamp. The bloated human sat before the control system of the cockpit, together with a windshield, preventing any wind from blowing.

Inside the hovercraft, the evil doctor had his arms crossed before looking around to see the damage this guardian caused. A mere blue hedgehog destroyed his entire horde of Badniks.

"Hmm, it appears that your little quarrel against my Badniks has reached an impasse. I must say, I would appreciate it more if you'd leave them be unbroken next time." Dr. Robotnik said to Sonic, who most likely tapped his foot.

"And you are?" Sonic asked, looking a bit bored.

"Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Dr. Ivo Robotnik, and I just so happen to have come by to pick up a capsule of mine," replied Dr. Robotnik, grinning like it's no big deal.

"Pfft, Robotnik? Oh, please, spare me the laughter! With a name like that, my better word for it is that you should rename yourself Eggman!" Sonic smirked, placing his hands behind his back.

The rotund human's smile soon faltered into a scowl, "What are you talking about? I am Dr. Robot-!"

But Sonic interrupts this time with another nickname, "Or maybe Ro-Butt-Nik is another one too! Anyway, if you're done acting so wishy-washy, I'm going to find where this bow belongs to somewhere...!"

"ENOUGH!" Dr. Robotnik growled with a nefarious grumble in his tone. "Listen here, you annoying little rodent, you have been dismantling my Badnik Horde all over the island! I tried to play nice with the likes of you, but it seems you have nothing but hostile mannerisms towards your ruler! You miserable Freedom Fighters never learn when to stop fighting against my control!"

Sonic held two fingers up, "Two Questions! One; what the heck is a Freedom Fighter? And two; who in all their sanity came up with this and made you ruler of the planet? It seems like a club of amateurs if you'd ask me."

Dr. Robotnik crosses his arms, "So, you're not a part of Knothole Village or the Great Forest?"

Sonic groaned as he waved his arms around, "As I said, Egghead, I don't know what you're talking about, geez! Can't you do the real math for once?"

"IT'S DR. ROBOTNIK!"

Sonic kept a placid yet bored grimace on his face, rolling his eyes as Dr. Robotnik continued his rant upon the blue hedgehog. On the other hand, Sonic couldn't help but feel eccentric about this meeting right now, like it has happened years way before so. Just when the speedy hedgehog narrowed his eyes closer to examine the rotund human's appearance, his eyes snapped open wide in a shocking realization.

It was the same human that saved him from those angry citizens in Mobotropolis.

The one who became his first friend.

Sonic was close to tears as he curled into a ball, his face buried in his hands while surrounded by the destruction he caused in the streets of Mobotropolis. There was nothing left to hide. He was alone, vulnerable, and everyone knew it now.

That is until footsteps echoed on the sidewalk, followed by a voice for Sonic to catch, "Why, dear boy. Are you the one who did all this?"

The tone didn't feel unkind to Sonic, as he looked up to see an overweight human in a lab coat, followed by a red long-sleeve shirt underneath, black pants with shoes, and a mustache so large that the young hedgehog has ever seen.

"Y-Yeah," Sonic nodded timidly, sniffling. "Who are you?"

"My name is Doctor Ovi Kintobor, but you may call me Ovi. I am the king's new royal advisor and guest inside the kingdom alongside my nephew Julian." the doctor answers gratefully, kneeling to Sonic's height and smiling, "What's your name, boy...?"

"S-Sonic," the child whispered back, feeling confused as to why this...human...was even bothering to talk to him.

"I see. Well, Sonic. I must believe that you and your speed are quite a gift. Your parents must be proud of you, yes?"

Something sparked in Sonic, as he looked away to hide his face. "M-My parents are gone. The only family I have left is Uncle Chuck. He's a scientist and makes super cool things to help others. I still wish he'd be here to help me too."

Dr. Kintobor seemed taken aback by this before speaking again, "I'm very sorry for your loss, Sonic. But I am sure your uncle must be looking for you right now."

"Why are you here?" asked Sonic, tilting his head a bit.

"To be honest, I've been looking all over for someone like you to help me out," Dr. Kintobor replied.

"MY help?" Sonic scoffed but was secretly surprised. "Yeah, right! Nobody ever wants MY help."

"Well, that's going to change, Sonic! You see, I am a scientist and inventor just like your uncle, though I have been lacking in getting my materials right on time. But with your help, you may easily seem perfectly capable of the task, my young friend."

Now, Sonic was truly surprised. "Am I a friend to you?" asked Sonic, almost seeming skeptical about it.

"Absolutely. Come by to my laboratory in case you are ever interested-"

Sonic utterly gave. "When can I start?" he asked excitedly, wagging his tail like a puppy.

"Ohohoho! Well, all right then!" He laughed, standing up before reaching out his hand for Sonic to hold. "We better get you back to your uncle safely. You'll start tomorrow, so get plenty of rest!"

The boy almost reached out, though he couldn't tell if this was all true by the look on Dr. Kintobor's expression.

"Well?" Dr. Kintobor asked. "Aren't you coming?"

Sonic pushed back the skepticism and smiled, holding Dr. Kintobor's hand with his with a nod. And just like that, the two friends left down the street towards a new sign of harmony. One that might last longer than what others expected, except nobody could foresee a storm their future beheld.

"W-Wait a sec, Ovi?" responded Sonic before raising an eyebrow, "Is that you?"

Dr. Robotnik eventually looked back at the spiky hedgehog with confusion, "What?! We do not know each other...! Oh," he began to laugh, realizing what Sonic meant, "I get it now...you're Charles' nephew! My, how you've grown, Sonic. I haven't seen you for years since I now own your planet!"

"Cutaway from memory lane, Kintobor!" Sonic shouted aloud, pointing at the bloated human, "You're the one who's been putting critters into those robots and destroyed Mobotropolis, aren't you?"

"Indeed I have, boy." Dr. Robotnik answered with a smirk, jabbing a thumb at himself, "Besides, you should be grateful that I've rebuilt your city into my image of the future. My kingdom!"

"Why are you doing this?! I thought we were friends!" Sonic growled in frustration, grinding his teeth and gripping his fists.

"Friends, you say?" Dr. Robotnik asked. "You misunderstood yourself, dear boy. All of my succession, my supreme rulership to this planet, the most excellent materials and technology I've obtained. It was all thanks to you, Sonic."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Sonic refused to listen. "I had nothing to do with this, Eggman!" he argued.

"Incorrect. All of it is still true. Don't you remember those times I let you come and watch my experiments? Especially the one where I included amounts of your incredible speed to power what was once Mobotropolis?" replied Dr. Robotnik nonchalantly.

There was truth behind these words. He wouldn't believe it until a memory rose before Sonic's eyes. At this rate, Sonic's confusion gradually picked up to what he was talking about, understanding that fateful day years ago.

The Grey Emerald Project.

Dr. Kintobor began his search for this grey gemstone, containing a varied amount of pure, highly unstabled chaotic energy. Ovi believed that the goal was to power Mobotropolis and maybe even push the boundaries of harnessable energy. Dr. Kintobor and Sonic made their efforts to gather material whenever the human machinist needed them.

Dr. Kintobor persuaded King Acornia of Mobotropolis that if he succeeds in this experiment, the Kingdom of Acornia will have enough supply of efficient, clean sources of energy that could power the city for possibly hundreds of years.

The King finally approved of this method. The citizens noticed this too and were skeptical about a human helping their city, along with that hedgehog.

However, what was surprising to them is that Sonic had changed for the greater good. He showed sheer kindness and joy, as well as the confidence in his voice to replace his previous self-doubt and pain.

The whispers of contempt slowly faded away, letting Sonic earn back his reputation for the better. He even got himself a few fangirls while he had been managing for Ovi. Under Dr. Kintobor's tutelage, Sonic soon developed his natural abilities to an extraordinary degree.

Using Dr. Kintobor's experimental, supersonic treadmill, Sonic managed to increase his speed partly for relaxation and Ovi's amusement. Sooner or later, Dr. Kintobor also invented unique friction-reducing sneakers for Sonic as a birthday gift, so he wouldn't ignite the treadmill on fire or burn his own feet. And to Ovi's surprise, Sonic gradually built his superspeed for the benefit.

Days flew by as Dr. Kintobor had grown too power-hungry over the grey gemstone for the experiment to be perfect, sometimes working nonstop for days afterward.

Charles grew worried about this and advised his nephew to stay away from Dr. Kintobor.

But Sonic refused to listen.

Why should he when Sonic was the one who needed his uncle the most?

Besides, Sonic was fully capable of helping Dr. Kintobor in this experiment by transferring his speed into pure energy for the project. Not to mention using these unique rings called the Power Rings, generated from Lakes of Rings throughout Mobius.

They used to be suggested as alternatives to fossil fuels until the doctor's grey gemstone idea occurred. Dr. Kintobor had already explained to Sonic how much of a scientific breakthrough it would become. How much does it keep eluding the doctor from doing so through all of these tests?

No matter how many attempts, the machines couldn't handle harnessing the grey gemstone's power. The young hedgehog became tensed to the thought that maybe these experiments of Dr. Kintobor have been changing his mood, acting weird all of a sudden.

Despite this, Sonic agreed to help aid Dr. Kintobor in this new hypothesis that they are willing to try out. And all Sonic had to do was the most uncomplicated thing he could do.

Run.

As Sonic was inside the oversized treadmill-type machine, Dr. Kintobor tweaked a small monitor connected to the mechanical contrivance. After making the final adjustments, the monitor flickered to life. On its display glowed green digits, accompanied by the miles per hour sign.

"Let's get started," Dr. Kintober said, adjusting his spectacles. "Remember Sonic; if this machine is resistant to Chaos Energy, we could measure its exact potential and observe unattainable capabilities. If that's possible, we can be able to harness it."

"And your machine won't go crazy on us, right?" Sonic asked innocently.

"I'm hoping that too, Sonic. You have to trust me on this one better." Dr. Kintobor suddenly scowled, giving a scary look in his eyes. "Now, it is time to create perfection."

Sonic couldn't help but withdraw slightly from being told off like that by Dr. Kintobor. Impatience struggled within Sonic's mind almost instantly. The whole purpose of finding out what was wrong with Dr. Kintobor was the only reason he had gone along with this test in the first place. Sonic wanted to keep himself on Dr. Kintobor's side for as long as he could and find out what was making Robotnik act so strangely.

With a single nod, Sonic gave a thumbs-up and replied, "Yeah, let's do this thing, doc!"

As the human finished the final touches of preparation, he gave a small nod back over to Sonic. The young hedgehog glanced back forward, getting to a position as he began running within the contraption. The experiment was playing out flawlessly for Dr. Kintobor. All of the questions he had brewing within his mind were to get answers. Every attempt the doctor tried to discover over the course was coming to light.

260…287…300…

Dr. Kintobor watched as the monitor's display advanced, flickering the digits as they surged to Sonic's speed getting measured. The young hedgehog's feet had only become a blur as a light blue streak aligned itself with the treadmill upon which they dashed. Dr. Kintobor shivered in anticipation, not wanting to let all of his hard work go to waste. He awaited his machine's completion, eyes burning back and forth at his subject and the monitor.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Dr. Kintobor said with growing excitement. "Keep running faster! Faster-!"

*KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK*

"Wha?" Dr. Kintobor said quietly, turning to where his closed entrance received harsh knockings.

"OVI!" Charles' voice came from the other side, sounding angry. "What are you doing with MY nephew in there! Open the door this instant!"

While Dr. Kintobor heard Charles knocking again, his focus remained stubbornly upon the monitor. He didn't even attempt to look at Sonic, nor the machine that the young hedgehog ran within. He was more interested in the experiment and its results, peering as the digits went through a sudden surge.

321…380…439…

Meanwhile, Sonic's eyes glimmered with determination as he planted his entire focus ahead. Everything around him, even the machinery, seemed to whip out of existence. His legs were motoring away as if he were running on his own. The young hedgehog bowed his head further until his legs powered up again at an alarming speed. As a smirk emerged upon his face, Sonic was going to go as fast as he could, no matter what.

[DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!]

[SYSTEM OVERLOAD!]

[ABORT! ABORT! ABORT!]

A sudden flash of red caught Dr. Kintobor's eye. His focus slipped out of his rolling thoughts and back into the beeping monitor. While the digits were still increasing, he also spotted the source of red. The light was an alarm. The machine was beginning to strain itself from Sonic, regardless of the anticipations taken previously.

"No," Dr. Kintobor gritted his teeth in frustration but knew that now was not the time to lose his composure. "This can't happen again! I can't fail this now-!"

Suddenly, the human heard his entrance opening, and he recognizes Charles' means of hacking through certain technologies. He rushed right in alongside Rosie Woodchuck, who was a brown groundhog with white hair, round ears, and buck teeth. She wore a blue dress with yellow linings and white gloves.

Rosie gasps in horror, "What the...?"

...731…738...742...

When Charles flinched at the sight of Sonic racing inside of Dr. Kintobor's machine, he snarled at the human, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM!?"

Dr. Kintobor ignored the middle-aged hedgehog, following where the grey gemstone within the compartment suddenly responded to this tension. Seconds later, the two mobians from behind became surprised as Dr. Kintobor's laughter surged from his lungs, letting it echo throughout the air and off the walls.

"HAHAHAHAHA~! It worked!" Dr. Kintobor punches the air with a grin, gazing ferociously toward the shocked faces of Charles and Rosie. "I have mastered the use of Chaos Energy! Don't you see, Charles?! We know now how to contain it for better use! How to use it as an immense power source for the city! I have surpassed what my grandfather couldn't do! I did the impossible-!"

Before the round human could flourish more of his triumph, Charles attempted to get past him, "I don't care about that! Just get the boy out of that machine, Ovi-"

Charles then took a vicious strike in the face, getting thrown back to crash into the cabinets nearby. The seemingly maniacal grin upon Dr. Kintobor's face appeared to deteriorate entirely after smacking the older hedgehog away.

"Away with your filth!" Dr. Kintobor snarled, the anger in his voice becoming more prominent. "You do not get to decide what this kingdom needs anymore!"

"Charles!" Rosie exclaimed in horror as she rushed to his side, seeing the man that she loved unconscious before glaring at the human. "Y-You're a monster!"

Dr. Kintobor ignored the female woodchuck as his eyes widened at the sudden rumble around him. The grey gemstone reacted with a brilliant flash of light as the digits flashed up on the monitor.

...761.

Dr. Kintobor could only mutter a few words, "Oh my go-!"

All known limits of mammalogical acceleration have gotten crossed, as Sonic was the first to discover the speed of sound. A shockwave blasted outwards from the machinery, finally unable to sustain the unstable energy any longer. Charles was the first to wake up, almost droopy, and spent until becoming disturbed as to what he witnessed before him. Limbs heavy and resultant under his mental commands, Sonic sprawled on the floor carpeted in soot, lab fragments, and blocks of the building.

Computer circuits lay seared and crackling with loose electricity. The blue residue from the blast had faded and was becoming substituted by chugging black smoke that unfolded from the consoles and massive electrical fires. Dr. Kintobor was less fortunate, suffering the direct lash of the blast, as he lay crumpled on the floor where the grey gemstone had somehow sprung loose from its prison and disappeared.

The older hedgehog laid his eyes on Rosie, where he came over to shake her consciousness back together.

"Rosie?" Charles said, sounding worried. "Are you all right?"

"Y-Yes," Rosie began to wake up, groaning softly, and rubbing a hand over her face. "W-Where is your nephew?"

At an instant of realization, Charles' blood went cold, and shot his way through the debris to search around, "Sonny-Boy!? Where are you?"

Sonic's figure caught Rosie's eye, pointing the direction, "Charles, over there!"

Sr Charles turned and got met with the sight of his awakened nephew struggling off the ground a few feet away. Sonic shook some grime off himself and saw his dear uncle, "Uncle Chuck!"

Just as Sonic rushed over and embraced Charles tightly, the older hedgehog was relieved that his nephew was still alive, "Sonny-Boy!"

"Uncle Chuck, I'm so, so sorry!" Sonic muttered while trying to gain the courage to meet his uncle's gentle gaze.

Charles only smiled as he hugged his nephew, "It's okay now, Sonic. Everything is going to be alright. I promise you that-"

"W-Wait," Sonic slowly released himself from his uncle's embrace. "Where's the doc? Dr. Kintobor!"

Rosie comes forth and halts near Charles, "Now wait, young bairn, I don't think that's a good idea!"

"But he has to be around here somewhere!" Sonic checks around before spotting the round human, coming over to check on him. "Dr. Kintobor!"

"Wait, Sonic!" Charles demanded with a scared tone. "Stop!"

"D-Dr. Kintobor?" Sonic paid no attention to his uncle and went to reach out.

The human scientist moved beneath his white lab coat. As Sonic inched a little closer, ignoring his uncle while he shuffled forward on his knees. Questions started reeling crazily in his mind, but right now, they needed to leave. The fires were thickening, where one of the computer terminals mere feet away exploded like a hand grenade, making the mobians jump.

Just then, Dr. Kintobor's hand reached out from beneath the coat. He groped out like a clumsy claw and pressed flat against the floor. Then, the overweight human went to rise as Sonic trembled a bit in Dr. Kintobor's towering and sinister shadow.

"Kintobor?" Charles asked cautiously.

A dark, raging human peeled out from the shroud of the coat. Sonic's eyes grew wide as he glanced up at Dr. Kintobor's eyes, swallowing dryly while both Charles and Rosie's ears cocked slightly backward. It looked like the human had no eyes, just two black empty eye sockets with fiery-red dots storming out of an unfamiliar face. Teeth stretched outward behind tight, snarling lips.

"H-Hey, Doc," Sonic whispered as his weak smile vanished from his face.

"Get up."

Sonic couldn't understand, watching this cold, towering figure rise from the ashes of his computer terminals and frazzled wires. "W-Wha-?"

"GET UP."

Sonic immediately complied, scrambling to his feet as he blinked nervously at the doctor's terrifying eyes.

"I'm going to give all three of you a compromise," Dr. Kintobor's voice was twisted and hoarse, like the complete opposite of his soft, soothing voice that came out in a gentle melody. "Leave as fast as you can away from my sight..."

Sonic's heart sank, both of his shocked eyes staring at him in fright. Charles and Rosie quickly came over to move Sonic away from Dr. Kintobor. But Sonic shook his head and thrashed away from them.

"Doc...I-I..." Sonic hardly uttered a complete sentence.

"... or, you three remain here and find yourselves blasted to oblivion."

"B-But why, Dr. Kintobor?" Sonic croaked, his voice cracking beyond recognition. "I've always trusted you and thought you'd be okay-!"

With a snarling manner, Dr. Kintobor sneered at the young hedgehog, "Because you have always tried my PATIENCE, stupid little BRAT!"

The bloated human took another step forward upon Sonic, who glanced up, eyes filled with confusion and devastation. "B-But...!"

"SHUT UP!" Dr. Kintobor snapped at the mobian child, "I've had enough of your disobedience, snooping attitude, and especially how you take up ALL my valuable time for YOUR idiocy!"

Dr. Kintobor pointed past the collection of burnt-out machinery, which Sonic observed with horror, "Half of my contraptions have become damaged beyond repair, thanks to your ridiculous antics! And thanks to you, all that Chaos energy from the gem has dislodged, and now this very city won't be as compelling as it is anymore!"

"Don't you dare threaten my nephew, you devil!" Charles shouted, putting himself in front of Sonic to protect him from harm. "You think you can come around and point fingers at a child, expecting yourself as some good guy all of a sudden?"

"You're not welcome in this city anymore!" Rosie chimed in, crossing her arms angrily.

Dr. Kintobor came towards the automatic steel door, which had already slid open thanks to Charles' hacking skills. "Then I am giving you three a chance to run now. And don't you DARE try coming back, unless you each prefer option B with a crushed neck?"

Rosie swallowed dryly, "We're leaving."

Charles took Sonic by the hand alongside him, who had his head dropped. He focused on the steel floor than Dr. Kintobor's final and reluctant gift. Sonic then released himself from his uncle's grasp and glanced at Dr. Kintobor's burning eyes.

"Doc, please!" Sonic begged, "If there's anything I can do to-!"

"THREE."

Sonic nearly became angry now, "Please, just tell me what I can do-!"

"TWO."

"Sonic, just leave the man be and let's go-!" Charles tried to convince his nephew.

But Sonic's foot stomped forward as an interruption, forcing up a glare towards Dr. Kintobor, "WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME?! If you could just-!"

"ONE."

No protests nor words came out of Sonic's mouth as the air around grew thin, yet it streaked through his fur with ferocity. Tears steadily dribbled down his muzzle until he was airborne, already off past Charles and Rosie, and away from where the laboratory dome was situated.

After all that moment of silence in the blue hedgehog, he soon realized that Dr. Kintobor turned from a kind human of science with a finely-honed mind to a vile and mean-spirited soul. And will not hesitate to terminate or repress anything that stands in the way of his plans for world domination.

"That's right, hedgehog!" Dr. Robotnik said, deliberately injecting a taunt in his words, "You've completed me, awakened me, and made me into the most powerful human this world has ever seen. Of course, if you'd listen to that sorrowful uncle of yours about me, you wouldn't have had anything to do with creating me."

Sonic gaped at the bloated dictator as he stared back at the blue hedgehog with slight glee. Sonic had put all of Mobius in grave danger, and he could feel it. He had walked into a trap all along, all because he'd played with naivety and foolishly accompanied the doctor to work for him, right into Robotnik's gloved fist. Was all this Sonic's fault that Mobius was under the control of this madman?

"After that awful accident, I was able to fool that miserable King Acornia into thinking the Great War was happening again, and outshine his very city and his eternal mediocrity for the infinity of MY empire!" Dr. Robotnik explained again, causing Sonic to glare back.

"You see, Sonic, I desire for control. You, of all people, made me come to the sudden epiphany; an understanding. Nature truly isn't enough, because one must dominate, control, and contort it for better use. And to do that, I will control and mechanize anything I come across. A world where we control the forces of nature itself!" The evil doctor stretched out a gloved hand to the blue speedster.

While blinking in mild confusion, Sonic's eyes moved to where Dr. Robotnik had his hand towards him. "W-What?"

"It's all in the Chaos Emeralds that I'm supposed to find. Beautiful, symmetrical, and unstoppable. Join me in my quest, old friend. I assure you that no one will stand in our way. We'll be kings-! No...gods of this planet!"

Sonic felt sick to the very pit of his stomach. The human hovering before the young speedster was nothing more than a madman. How could Sonic have been so blind? The confusion and tiredness made him brave to the point where he had to hold his guard. Because after hearing those exact words from an old friend, they were flames now.

"N-No," Sonic muttered his answer.

"What did you just say-?"

"I said NO!"

Dr. Robotnik frowned as his expression turned dark. "And here I thought you'd do anything to be accepted, hedgehog," he growled.

"How could you do this! I worked with you! I trusted you! You found me and became my best friend when I was all alone, but now you're going to pay the price! For destroying Mobotropolis and enslaving the mobians!" Sonic yelled before curling into a ball to attack the Egg-O-Matic. "It's payback time for taking away my Uncle Chuck, Eggman!"

However, the Egg-O-Matic zips sideways to dodge Sonic's spin attack. "It's Dr. Robotnik, you little walking pincushion!" the evil doctor countered back.

After Sonic landed at his feet, he glared back. "You're not going to get away with this, doc!" Sonic yelled.

The only answer Sonic received was laughter from the bloated human, who had begun snickering to keep his amusement below. However, it soon failed just as Dr. Robotnik laughed aloud for most bystanders to hear him audibly.

"Ohohoho, but I am!~" Robotnik laughed, making his hovercraft fly around. "Behold, my greatest invention to this date: The Egg-O-Matic…"

Not before long, Sonic smirked at him before scorning. "Aw jeez, Humpty-Dumpty! Never thought you'd have this strange obsession of eggs in your so-called big empire."

"Shut up, you! My name is Dr. Robotnik!" the bloated human yelled. "This hover-pod of mine can adapt and suit almost any battle condition! Since you are here now..."

The bottom of the Egg-O-Matic opened and allowed a giant checker-colored ball, which included a chain until it dropped down. "...you shall be my first test-dummy for the Checker-Wrecker Ball!"

"Woah, I did not see that coming!" Sonic said before noticing the ball's shadow coming above to squash him but then sprints to the side to dodge. "Is that all you got, Ro-Butt-Nik?"

The ball began rocking back and forth in a wide arc as Dr. Robotnik glared daggers at the blue hedgehog.

"You spiny swine! How dare you?! I'll gladly flatten you into a rodent pancake!" Dr. Robotnik growled, commencing to destroy the blue hedgehog.

Sonic managed to avoid the wrecking ball but was bored of staying on the defensive spot.

During his hasty manner, Sonic began thinking to himself, "I gotta think of something…hmm, there's a couple of those floating platforms over by. Maybe if I lure Egghead close enough, I can be able to reach his Egg-Mobile."

The speed demon dashed under the swinging ball and started taunting, "Come on! Over here, Eggman!"

Just as the crazed tyrant took the bait and followed in pursuit, Sonic sprang atop a platform, and as soon as Dr. Robotnik got closer, he unleashes a spin attack onto the Egg-O-Matic.

"Stand still so I can crush you, hedgehog!" Dr. Robotnik shouted, shaking his raised fist in the air.

"Yeah, right, that'll happen." Sonic rolled his eyes with a smirk, "Besides, we all know that I'm fast..."

Sonic repeated his previous tactic a few more times as Dr. Robotnik's hovercraft was nearly looking trashed.

"...and you're furious!" finished Sonic.

"Alright, that's it," Dr. Robotnik said, "Get a load of this!"

The Egg-O-Matic did a frontflip, causing the wrecking ball and chain to flourish much quicker now. The evil doctor flung the ball onto the floating platform Sonic was standing on, sending the blue speedster toppling to the ground.

"Glad to see you got some variety, Eggman," Sonic said as he picked himself up.

Dr. Robotnik then began to swing the ball at Sonic again before he jumped up and tried hitting the bloated human. But instead, Sonic was the one getting hit, as the ball impacted him, sending him flying into the air.

"Ha! Gotcha, you blue pest!" Dr. Robotnik smirked as he flew the hovercraft to find Sonic.

The spiky speedster landed on a bridge that was over a massive drop into a river. "Okay...ow, ow and more ow. It looks like Butt-Nik here isn't kidding about the whole test-dummy complex-YOUCH!"

Sonic shrieked pithily when he suddenly felt something harsh from his tail. He jumped up and saw that a Chopper was biting his tail.

"Hey, knock it off!" Sonic yelled, grabbing the Chopper's tail and lobbing it towards the ground, freeing a critter after getting smashed.

"Man, doesn't Eggman ever stop to find a better use for these guys?" Sonic asked himself.

"Yes, and that is destroying the likes of you, Sonic!" Dr. Robotnik shouted aloud for him to hear.

"Oh, crud!" Sonic looked up to see the Egg-O-Matic's ball and chain about to hit him.

Only for Sonic to sidestep out of the way and try to run off the bridge, but it was blocked by a group of Crab-Meats.

"Okay, this is just getting way too gnarly!" Sonic turned around to see Dr. Robotnik chasing him.

"Except for those little blue spines of yours!" Dr. Robotnik shouted.

After a moment, an idea popped into Sonic's head. "Hmm, the hedgehog's got a plan!" he thought.

Sonic quickly jumped towards the chain and grabbed onto it, standing on top of the wrecking ball. "Batter up, bucket-heads!"

He then managed to shift the weight of the ball around, so it would sharply swat out the Crab-Meats. Sonic then jumped off the ball and grabbed into the side of the Egg-O-Matic.

"Get off my hover-pod, you blue nuisance!" Dr. Robotnik yelled, trying to slap or wallop the blue speedster away.

It remained useless to the round human as Sonic reached for the steering wheel of the machine, making it tumble down and head into a cliff. However, the Egg-O-Matic barely went over, but the wrecking ball didn't, causing the chain to break as the ball fell to its doom. The Egg-O-Matic skidded across the floor, making the two arch-enemies fall out. With the force of the hover-pod dragging backward, it landed right over the evil doctor.

His muffled screams got heard as Sonic couldn't help but laugh at this. "Game over, Butt-Nik! You've just got yourself in a tight situation!"

Within seconds, Dr. Robotnik was still trapped under the Egg-O-Matic as Sonic paused his laughter for a few seconds.

"Yo, doc? Are you still there? Or did I finally crack the egg?" Sonic called out, his knuckles rapping on the hover-pod with ease.

Finally, the round human triggered the Egg-O-Matic to flip underside and hover back up to its original point, with him tightly squished inside with a hint of struggle.

Dr. Robotnik brushed himself off and gained control of his Egg-O-Matic. "Believe me, this isn't the end, rodent," he growled.

Sonic shook his head with a frown, before his voice hardening with a smile curling up. "Maybe not, Eggy. But right now, the people of Mobius that you're hurting will trust me as their hero. And they'll be under my protection from you!"

The bloated man laughed, a sneer plastered on his face. "Surely enough, brat. You may think you'll save them, but truthfully..." He pulled out a small remote from his pocket. "...they will still loathe you after what you brought yourself into."

A tremendous rumble came from behind Sonic as something from the ground erupted, a gigantic caterpillar-based Super Badnik called a Cater-Killer.

Sonic's eyes looked up at the Cater-Killer with its huge eyes and sharp teeth. "What the heck?"

"Don't look so surprised," Dr. Robotnik said as he laughed again. "I'm an exceptional genius. What did you expect? Aside from that, I should've known from the beginning you were a threat. I was hoping you'd turn into an ally for me, but I knew I had to do something in case you decided to override my global plans."

Sonic gritted his teeth as he saw Dr. Robotnik fly away.

"Until then, I hope you enjoy lying to your people," said Dr. Robotnik before zipping off across the skies and disappearing, leaving Sonic to deal with the Super Badnik alone.

Immediately, Sonic was processing all of this from the moment he recognized Ovi after that fight beforehand. Back then, Sonic was only a kid when Mobotropolis was around, and it couldn't have been his fault. But still, the young hedgehog hadn't resolved much of it when he achieved alongside Dr. Kintobor and all of his wacky experimentations. Just hope to the world of how people would react to Sonic if he had told them that he and Ovi used to be best friends.

"Yep," Sonic crossed his arms before gazing back at the Cater-Killer, who charged at him, "Things are getting way too interesting."

TO BE CONTINUED...