Sonic eXcluded

Airo no own Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic X or any other associated characters; Airo own Douglas '4GOT10' Smicktor- Thorndyke.


Intro:

The hedgehog stood, looking down on the large crowd, a look of determination on his face unlike any other. Today, he was not the hero of the Freedom Fighters. He was not the liberator of Mobius. Nor was he the Royal Prince of the Hedgehog family. Today, he was Sonic.

"You're absolutely sure you're going through with this?" A female voice asked from behind him.
"Yes." Sonic replied without question.
"I'm with you Bro." A male voice stated.

Sonic turned 'round, and smiled at his two siblings. "Thanks guys. Just remember not to steal to the Crown Jewels Manic, and try not to spend all your time shopping Sonia. I'm gonna miss you."
"We'll catch up again sometime man!" Manic replied.
"I know, but I don't know how long it'll be before..."

"PRINCE SONIC ZE 'EDGEHOG!" A heavy French accent shouted up to the hedgehogs. "ZIS IS ANTOINE D'COOLETTE OF ZE ROYAL PALACE GUARD OF ACORN! YOU ARE TO BE GIVING YOURSELF UP TO ACCEPT ZE ROYAL DUTY AT ONCE!"

Sonic looked back down, and pointed at the Frenchman. "NEVER!" Sonic shouted, before jumping off the ledge he was on and curling up into a ball shape.

"Look out! He iz attacking!" Antoine shouted, diving out of the way of Sonic's charge.

Sonic bounced off the guards and officers, using the thick amour on each like bumpers on a pinball table, knocking down one after the other as they tried in vain to stop the hedgehog. Suddenly, a sharp ringing of keyboard notes sounded out, backed by a heavy drumbeat. Blasts of bright laser energy fired down from the building Sonic had jumped off, as the surrounding area began to shake.

Unsteadied, the Acorn troops were disorientated and thrown to the ground.

"STOP SONIC! HE IZ ESCAPING!" Antoine called again, but all he was doing now was stating the obvious, as only a trail of smoke showed any sign of Sonic's escape.

Sonic rushed through the forest. He knew it would not be far or long for him to escape. He knew this place like the back of his hand. That would not be the hardest part of this plan though. It would be the aftermath.

'It's gonna be a long few months...' Sonic thought to himself. 'I didn't think I'd have to leave my family so soon after getting them back together...'

Another short few minutes passed as Sonic jumped over fallen tree trunks, through shrubs and bushes, and over the untamed grass. He knew where he was, and he knew the edge of the forest was near. So was the end of this chapter in his life.

He charged past another tall tree, and found himself running across a grassy landscape. He had passed through the Great Forest. He was free, but only from the confines of the forest, Knothole and Robotropolis.

As happy as he was to be away from there, tears streamed down the hedgehog's face. He would never forget why he had to leave his happiness and family behind.

Sally Acorn.


"Yo Sonic?" Douglas said, shaking the hedgehog a little. "Time to wake up dude!"
"Uhh... Wha?" Sonic said sleepily, coming back to reality.
"You told me to wake you up before breakfast remember?" The human stated.
"Oh yeah, thanks." Sonic replied, sitting up from his makeshift bed of cushions and blankets.
"You okay? Chuck said that you were tossing and turning all night."
"Yeah, I'm cool. Just a really bad dream..."
Amy Rose was gazing out the window, sighing. It had been over two months since she'd seen or heard anything from her blue hero. It was getting lonely, not seeing him.

'Where could he have gone?' She thought, looking up at the cloudless sky.

KNOCK-KNOCK!

Amy turned around to look at the door into her apartment, where the sound of someone knocking had been heard from.
'I wonder who that is?' Amy thought, she hadn't been expecting anyone over today.

Amy opened the door, and was surprised to see none other than the blue-blur himself, Sonic the hedgehog.

"Sonic!" Amy exclaimed happily.
"Hey Amy, do you mind if I come in?" Sonic asked with a smile.
"Uhh, sure yeah!" Amy said, motioning for Sonic to come in.
"Thanks, I've been meaning to ask you something for a while..."
Amy was confused. "Ask what?"

Sonic looked at the pink hedgehog with a serious expression on his face. "How much do you love me Amy?"
Amy was lost for words. "I... I..."

Sonic moved in closer to her, letting a hand of his lightly run through her pink quills. Amy shivered at the touch, feeling weak at the knees. This couldn't be happening, could it?

Before Amy could say anything, Sonic placed his hands around her waist, and kissed her. Amy's eyes closed as she melted into the blue hedgehog's touch, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Her dreams were coming true all at once! She was being kissed by her one true love! The kiss seemed to linger forever; Amy didn't want it to stop. Slowly, she opened her eyes to remind herself that she wasn't dreaming, and that this was real.

Amy was then understandably shocked to find she was kissing Knuckles. In reflex, she broke the kiss, stepping away from the echidna.

"What's the matter Amy?" Knuckles asked, confused by Amy's actions. "Don't you love me?"
"I... I..."
"Then who do you love Amy? Who?" Another voice asked. It wasn't Sonic's, it wasn't Knuckles.

It was the sound of her heart.

But Amy could not answer, because it was at this point that she woke up.


Cream sighed, resting her head in both her hands. She gazed, almost dreamily, at the slumbering fox.

'Mister Tails is so peaceful when he sleeps...' The young rabbit thought to herself, as Cheese slept comfortably in her lap. 'I wonder what he's dreaming of...'

Cream was watching Tails so much; she didn't notice Amy waking up from a confusing dream.


"Okay, okay... Come on Miles, you can do this..." Tails said, speaking to his reflection in the mirror. "Just remain calm... Relax... Oh god I'm gonna mess this up..."

Tails walked away from the glass, quickly, his head sloped so he looked at the ground. But the twin-tailed fox stopped himself, turning around on one foot and walking back to stand in front of the mirror.

"Come on!" Tails ordered himself. "What's wrong with you? You've been through tougher than this! This should be a breeze! Now come on, let's try this again..."

Tails coughed, straightening himself out and pulling his fingers lightly through his hair to fix any loose strands. Checking over himself once more, he looked at his reflection, before putting a smile on his face.

"...Hey! How are you today? No wait, that can't work... Um... Hey! I haven't seen you since... No, that's a lie, we met yesterday... Uh... Hey, I was wondering, you know that we've been friends for a long time, right?"

Tails paused, looking inquisitively at himself, before smiling again.

"Yeah... That's a good start... That's the one!"

Tails turned and practically skipped over to the table by the window, and carefully picked up the bouquet of pink carnations, loving held in purple wrapping.

'Well, I guess today is finally the day...' The fox thought to himself. 'Today I ask Amy Rose for a date.'


Cream sighed, still watching the fox, not noticing Amy coming up behind her.

"Hey Cream." The pink hedgehog whispered into the rabbit's ear.

Shocked, Cream gasped, looking around to the source of the voice.

"Miss Amy!" Cream said, before placing her hands over her mouth, realising she had been talking too loudly. "Uh, what are you doing?" Cream asked, in a whisper.
"That's what I should be asking you Cream." Amy replied, with a knowing smile on her face. "How long have you been looking at Tails like that?"
"I... Um..." Cream blushed, finding the floor rather interesting right now.
"You like him, huh?"

"...Yes." Cream said, still looking down.

"Awww!" Amy smiled broadly. "That's great!"
"Re...Really?" Cream looked at the hedgehog, a sort of pleading look on her face.
"Of course! Loving someone is the greatest feeling ever! Just like I am with..." Amy trailed off, the memory of her weird dream creeping back in.
"Thank you Miss Amy, I was worried what people might say."
"Why's that?"
"The first time I saw Mr. Tails, I felt this weird thing coming over me, and I didn't know what it was..."

Cream sighed, looking back to the sleeping fox.
"But I know now it's what my Mom calls love..."

Amy smiled at the love struck rabbit.
'This was what it was like for me when I first saw Sonic...' Amy thought to herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door into Chuck's lab opening, and a blue hedgehog entering.

"Hey Sonic." Amy greeted him.
"Hey Ames." Sonic replied, with his trademark grin. "What's happening?"
"I just woke up, to something interesting..." Amy pointed to Cream.
"Huh?" Sonic didn't understand.

Amy noticed this, and walked over to him, and whispered into his ear.

"...Ohhh!" Sonic said, his smile fading.
Amy giggled. "This is great, huh?"

'Yeah, just great...' Sonic thought. 'The little guy wants to be just like me, and he might get an equivalent to Amy as well. I'd better have a talk with him sometime...'

All the while, Tails was peacefully sleeping, happy in a dream. One where he held a bunch of pink flowers.


Episode 6Grappling with Iron


Part 1:

"...Yeah, you heard me, that's the exact amount I'm offering..." Douglas said, resting his feet on the little table in front of the soda he was lounging on. "...Nah, trust me, this 'trust fund' ain't doin' nothin' just sittin' in a bank, and there's only so much space in my den and here for stuff ya know... Yeah, I know it's a lot of cash, but trust me; I got money to burn. Privileges of 'being' a Thorndyke, ya know. Anyway, just spread the word. One real, fully working one gets twenty thousand bucks. Not a cent less. Get the news out, and don't forget that 4GOT10's national debut happens tonight... Wrestling you moron! Not my fault the press keeps biting my ass! ... Yeah, S.S.C. Square Off, tonight... All right, I'll check ya man. Peace."

Douglas hung up his 'phone and sighed.

'That god that's over! Sometimes having so many brothers on your side can be a bad thing...' Douglas thought, referring to the hour worth of 'phone calls he had just made to cities across the country. 'At least I don't have to pay the bill. Hmmm... Got an hour to go before I hit the gym...'

"Ahem..."

Douglas' purple hair swung around in the air a little as he looked at the doorway. The Thorndyke Residence's butler, Mr. Tanaka, was standing with a telephone in his hand.

"Your stepfather has requested that I inform you that he and your stepmother will be stopping by this afternoon. They are both intending to stay for the night at the minimum."
"Huh?" Douglas was both apprehensive and interested by this news. "It's not my birthday or a national holiday... Why would they...?"
"One would assume Master Douglas that it is in celebration of your appearance on television tonight."

'I don't get thrown a party when my face gets plastered all over the newspapers.' Douglas thought to himself.
"I guess you're right, it's just that I didn't expect them to be around, since..." Douglas trailed off, a thought striking him.
"Since what Sir?" Tanaka inquired.

'Since there's more chance of Sonic being found here!' Douglas thought to himself.
"Since they're just so busy and everything, that's all." Douglas lied. "I think I'd better tell Chuck about this." He stated, standing up and walking casually towards the door to the outside.

Tanaka leaned his head over a little, and caught a glimpse of Douglas running as fast as he could towards Chuck's lab.

'Perhaps Ella was correct, something may be happening that Master Chuck and Master Douglas are not informing us about.'


"That's about it guys, you'll just have to stick around here a while..." Douglas addressed the furries in the room.

Sonic, Amy, and Tails were tucking into a lunch of take-away fast food, chilidogs naturally for the blue hedgehog, while Chuck sat in front of the S.H.I.T. (Douglas had personally demanded that the name remain like that, despite Tails' disapproval) tucking into a more healthier dish expertly made by Ella. Cream and Cheese were dining on a fresh, crisp salad, sticking by what Cream's mother had said was a proper diet.

"...So I'm countin' on you guys to lay low until my stepparents head off to their world.
"No problem Douglas." Amy said after finishing a mouthful.
"You can count on us." Tails added, looking up at the purple-haired human.
"I knew I could count on you guys, but I know that this will be hard for some of you."

Douglas looked at Sonic, so seemed to be caring more about finishing off his chilidogs than what Douglas was saying. The adopted Thorndyke then looked to the figure standing in the corner of the room.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on going anywhere." Knuckles replied firmly, although it pained him to say so.

The echidna was standing, his arms folded across his chest, watching the rest of the room with a look full of the emotions of a large boulder. His head was partly bandaged, the remains of the battle against Eggman in Silver Valley. Around his waist, covering the rib area, were some more bandages, and there were some slight bruises still healing on the guardian's legs.

"You shouldn't be moving around so much Knuckles." Chuck pointed a fork at the red echidna.
"Do you think it's appropriate to be drinking wine at lunchtime?" Knuckles responded.

Out of reflex, Chuck grabbed a hold of the bottle of wine that was by his plate with one hand, while dropping the fork and picking up the half-empty glass of wine with the other.

"Chuck! I thought you promised you weren't gonna do that anymore!" Douglas said, in a singsong mockery of a tone of voice.

The retired inventor grumbled something under his breath, finishing off the glass.

A door closing was heard from downstairs, grabbing Douglas' attention.

"Mr. Sonic just left..." Cream stated, in her usual polite, quiet voice.

Douglas' eyes narrowed, as he looked out the window as saw a blue blur take off into the distance.
'That son of a... I swear, one of these days I'm gonna sock him one if he keeps acting like this!' He thought to himself, the fingers of his right hand curling together into a fist, reacting to the thoughts of the wrestler.

"Just out of interest, does that guy have a problem with simple requests or something?" Douglas asked the occupants of the room he had his back to, still looking out the window.

"Sonic just enjoys his freedom." Tails answered, talking to Douglas' back.
"Yeah, ever since the war ended." Amy added.

Douglas blinked, and he turned around.

"What war?" Both he and Chuck asked.
"Guess you guys decided to skip that part of Sonic's life story huh?" Knuckles directed to the other furries.

They responded by looking down to the wooden floor of the lab.

"Don't worry, I'll fill you in on the details later." Knuckles said to the Thorndykes in the room.
"...Okay..." Douglas said, thinking over what had and had not been said. "Well, I'd better get going, I'm gonna hit the gym before the show tonight, so I probably won't be back until after it's finished..."
"But you'll miss your parents arriving Mr. Douglas." Cream stated.

'Exactly.' Douglas responded in his mind.
"Yeah, but I wanna look good tonight, first appearances usually mean everything in this business. Well, I'll catch you all later, so take care, okay?" Douglas said, walking towards the exit hatch.
"See you later Douglas." Chuck said.

"Oh, before I forget!" Douglas said, still walking, but looking over his shoulder. "The show starts at seven, and I probably won't be on 'till after AHHHH!"

Douglas saying 'AHHHH!' in a shocked-sounding voice was different from the rest of what he had just said for good reason. People tend to say things differently when sudden, unexpected things happen, such as not looking where you are going and falling down the stairs. As he had just done.

Everyone in the room gasped, apart from Knuckles, who looked ready to leap out and go after Douglas (although his body really wasn't) as they heard an painful sounding combination of thuds and yelps of pain, followed by an almighty crash of a body into some empty boxes down stairs.

A silence followed, where no one dared to move.

"I AM INVINCIBLE!" Douglas shouted back up, making everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

"You sure Douglas?" Chuck shouted back down.
" 'Tis but a scratch!"
"You lie!"
"I've had worse! Now I'd better get out of here, before any more cardboard boxes have to be used up to break my falls..."

"Mr. Douglas must be happy that his parents are coming to visit." Cream said, breaking the silence that followed.
"...Yes." Chuck lied, but none of the furries could tell, apart from one. "He is."
"Douglas hasn't really talked about them much though." Tails pointed out.
"What do they do?" Amy asked.

Chuck smiled a little, relaxing his grip on the wine bottle. "Douglas' stepfather is the President of a huge computer software company."

As Chuck spoke, he could imagine Nelson Thorndyke sitting behind his desk, clad in a dullish yellow business suit with a light blue shirt, and a dark blue tie. Chuck saw him reading through another progress report for the latest computer processor chip, while at the same time listening to a breakdown of the current stock market situation from a voice in his mobile telephone.

"He spends most of his time in the office, or around the world on business trips." Chuck continued.
"What about his mom?" Amy continued.
Chuck's smile seemed to grow larger. "She's a star."

Chuck imagined her now. Lindsay Fair, posing for a photo shoot on the set of her latest movie. Wearing a delicate pink raincoat, with a yellow scarf around her neck, and just the bottom of her medium-length white skirt, which matched her large whit sun-hat. She smiled, glancing from one photographer's camera lens to the other, a perfect smile on her face.

"A famous actress who jets all around the world making movies."
"Wow... It must be hard for Douglas not to have his parents around..." Tails said, letting the details Chuck had just told the furries sink in.
"...Yes, it is."
"He must miss them." Amy added.
'Not as much as you'd think.' Chuck replied, but only in his own mind, as he turned back to his meal.

As the animals returned to their lunch, Knuckles returned to his position in the corner, leaning against the walls with his shoulders. The guardian closed his eyes in thought.

'Douglas has foster parents...' Knuckles mused in his mind. 'That does not explain the ill feeling in the air when Chuck talked about them. There is something here that is being kept secret. But perhaps that is for the best. Family issues are a touchy subject. Sonic is an example of that...'


"No, no, NO! This will never do!" Eggman admonished his two servant robots, although they had not done anything wrong. "I've got to think of something!"

For almost the whole day since sunrise, Eggman had been turning his command chair erratically, trying to come up with a new scheme that would allow him to conquer this world. Needless to say, he had failed.

"GAHH!" Eggman slammed his fist down onto the armrest of his chair. "My robots fail to defeat that hedgehog, and the pitiful inhabitants of this place will not surrender to my will! What will it take to..."

The Doctor's rant was interrupted by the large monitor of his control consol suddenly flashing into life, and showing the image of two news reporters behind a large desk with the words 'SSTV NEWS' written on the front.

"And now ladies and gentlemen, a special report by our very own Scarlet Garcia." One of the newscasters said, before the scene changed to that of an overhead shot of a large mansion.

"This is the residence of the Thorndyke family, one of the most famous names in the whole world. But more recently, it has been the focus of media attention for a very different reason." A female voice stated, belong to Miss Garcia.
"For behind the security gates and fences, there lies something that has baffled almost every sane mind in the world. The supersonic hedgehog known as Sonic."

The picture cut to police helicopter footage of Sonic running down a highway road.
"To show you a glimpse of the hedgehog, we have had to slow this footage down to ten thousandth of its original length. It's no surprise then, that this 'creature' outran the 'Speed King', if rumours are to be believed. But what is the connection between the Thorndykes and the sudden appearance of these talking, unnatural beasts?"

The next series of images were close-ups of the Tornado in flight, with Tails in the pilot seat, and Douglas (in 4GOT10 costume) in the passenger.

"The man you see in the back seat is Douglas Smicktor-Thorndyke. The adopted, and troubled, son of Nelson and Lindsay Thorndyke. An underground hero for wrestling, especially in 'dangerous' and 'extreme' gimmick matches, not much has been known about his past, save for the tragic details of the death of Christopher Thorndyke. So why would someone, who kept to himself as much as he has done, suddenly, and in this reporter's mind, without explanation, help potentially dangerous animals?"

The next image was that of Douglas and Eggman struggling for the Chaos Emerald in the sky.
"But it seems that no matter how much bad press is put out about 'Sonic', the recent battles with the dangerous Doctor Eggman have put some people's minds at ease. But what are these strange 'Chaos Emeralds' that have been causing such havoc with machinery in Station Square and the Silver Valley area? What dark secrets do these gemstones hold?"

Still pictures of traffic jams, electrical appliances malfunctioning, and the broken pieces of Eggman's E-47 robot were then shown.

"It has been rumoured that a reward of twenty thousand dollars is being offered for a genuine Chaos Emerald, by Douglas Thorndyke himself. Although this reporter has been unable to contact the Thorndyke residence directly, or otherwise, to gain confirmation of this."

A still photograph of Douglas Smicktor walking out of the S.S.C. Arena was then shown.
"But is all this attention just a clever ploy by Station Squared Circle, one of the world's premier wrestling federations, to attract hype to the debut of '4GOT10', Douglas' wrestling character, tonight? That remains to be seen. But whatever the reason, Mr. Smicktor will not be able to hide the truth, however strange it may be, from this city any more. This is Scarlet Garcia, reporting for..."

Eggman cut her closing statement off by pressing a button on his chair to switch the television feed off.

'Interesting...' Eggman thought. 'This Douglas character seems to becoming more and more of a threat to my plans, especially if he's offering a reward for the emeralds... Perhaps he is the target I should be focusing on...'

The Doctor smiled, getting out of his chair. "Boys, I'm going to be in the planning room, do not disturb me for a full hour!"


When you only have one chance to make a lasting impression, in a business where you've either got it or you haven't, it's more than a good idea to be as prepared and as focused as possible. It could be that audition for a big-break in a movie, or pitching your invention to a company for production, or the interview for the job of your dreams.

Douglas considered his 'last-minute' workout right now to be the final 'preparation' before his big 'interview' on live TV tonight.

With a hard right hand, followed up by a left fist, Douglas hammered into the punch-bag. Although a regular at the Station Square Gym, he was attracting looks for the other people working out. Was it his connection with Sonic? Was it the fact he was debuting on TV? Or that he looked like he was training for the biggest championship match ever, rather than a simple appearance and 'run-in' on Square Off?

Not that Douglas really noticed, or cared. For him, tonight was his moment. All the years he'd slept rough, all the shit he'd been through, the isolation, the loss of the only person he'd cared about. Tonight was finally redemption for everything. To him, he had made. By God, he had made it!

"Attention please!" A voice called out over the P.A. system. "Will Mister Thorndyke please report to the front desk, I repeat, will Mister Thorndyke please report to the front desk, thank you."

Douglas slammed his fist hard into the punch-bag after the announcement had finished, mumbling something under his breath. Not because he had been interrupted, but by being referred to as a 'Thorndyke'. He sighed, grabbing the towel he'd put on a nearby chair, and wiped the sweat of his face. He placed the towel behind his neck, so that the ends rested past his shoulder and down his arms, before walking out of the gym, with his gym-bag in his hand.

"Telephone call from a Mister Tanaka for you." The receptionist said, holding out the telephone receiver to Douglas as he walked over to the front desk.

"Thanks." Douglas said, although he hardly meant it, taking the receiver. "Hello?" He said into the device.
"Master Douglas, you're stepparents will be arriving at the Thorndyke residence in a few minutes." The ever-serious voice of Tanaka stated at the other end of the line.
"A'ight." Douglas responded. "I'll be home after the show finishes tonight, which shouldn't be too late."
"Of course. I will inform them upon arrival."
"Sure, okay..." Douglas said, handing the 'phone back to the receptionist.

"Thank you Mister Thorndyke." The receptionist said. "By the way, you're gym session is over for the day."
"Already? Well, how much is that..."
"Oh? Didn't you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"A Mister Stuart insisted that all your gym costs be charged directly to the S.S.C.. from now on."

'Great, Mister Stalker is on my case again...' Douglas thought. 'At least it means I've got extra greens on me.'
"Oh, I didn't know that." Douglas said.
"That of course includes session time, equipment hire, meals, sauna sessions..."
"Wait, wait. Did you say 'meals'?"
"Of course, at the gym restaurant."

Douglas smiled. "I might just stick around then..."

The thought of a free meal was so appealing to Douglas, that he did not notice a piece of paper being slipped into his gym-bag.


The clear, midday sky over Station Square was almost cloudless, as the bright sun shined down onto the rooftops on the city. The city was nice and calm, the problems of attacking robots, speedy hedgehogs and strange emeralds the least of peoples' worries. At least for the moment.

Just on the outskirts area of the city, was the place of the rich and famous. It was nicknamed 'Richsville', and just looking at it could tell you why. There were no houses there. Only mansions, estates, swimming pools, and tall hedges cut into the shape of exotic animals. Only the VERY very rich and famous resided here. So when there was a homecoming, it was one like no other.

The loud whirring sound of helicopter rotor blades filled the air, the combined noise from three aerial craft. The leading two were both military Hunter helicopters, complete with full arsenal of missiles and machine guns. They were acting as protective 'bodyguards' for the third. It was a rather less aggressive machine. A simple high-speed helicopter, painted bright white with a yellow under-belly and blue trim. The kind more suitable, as it was being used for in this case, for transporting people.

The convoy flew high over Station Square, making a direct route for 'Richsville' and one house in particular. The Thorndyke residence. Once safely over the house, the two Hunters broke off from formation, turning around and heading back in the direction they had come from, their mission complete.

The remaining helicopter stopped itself, hovering in the air as it rotated ninety degrees, manoeuvring over the large 'H' painted on the Helipad below. Once in the right position, the craft lowered itself slowly downwards, before landing comfortably on the Helipad.

'Behold the Extravagant Appearance of Mom and Dad.' Chuck thought to himself, watching the helicopter's rotor blades slow down from the doorway into the mansion. Mr. Tanaka and Ella were patiently awaiting the arrival of the Thorndykes on the patio beside the Helipad.

The moment the rotor blades came to a halt, the side door on the helicopter opened, and automatically a small flight of steps came down that led straight to the ground. Down these steps, two identically dressed bodyguards stepped out and stood at either side of the door. Looking around them, the two men searched for any visible threats of danger. Seeing none, the men then proceeded to help the other occupants of the helicopter out.

A lady with short blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a pinkish-red dress, red belt with a gold buckle, stepped out first, helped gentlemanly by the bodyguards. A taller man, with short brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a light cream suit and pants, a blue shirt, and a dark blue tie followed her.

Ella and Mr. Tanaka stepped forward.

"Welcome home!" The both said, bowing respectfully.
"Thank you." The two Thorndykes replied.

Shaking his head at the formality of it all, Chuck moved forward.
"Lindsay, Nelson."

"Good to see you Dad." Nelson Thorndyke replied.
"How's everything here at home Father?" Lindsay Fair-Thorndyke asked.
"Oh, everything's fine now you two are here!" Chuck joked, before turning back and heading back into the house.

"That reminds me." Nelson said, as he walked arm-in-arm with his wife behind Chuck. "What is the exact deal with Douglas on television tonight?" He questioned, walking into the mansion, followed by Ella, Tanaka, and two bodyguards struggling with the heavy luggage of Mrs. Thorndyke.


Not that far away from the Helipad, over at Chuck's lab, some furries were watching the events unfold with interest. Well, some of them were.

"Wow..." Tails remarked. "Douglas' dad seems like a really nice guy.
"His Mom is really pretty!" Amy also remarked.
"Nice entrance, if you're into that kind of thing." Knuckles scoffed, unimpressed by the whole thing.
"Oh hush you!" Amy said, pulling her head out from the window, and turning to look at the Guardian.

Knuckles just rolled his eyes at the pink hedgehog. "You seem to forget that Douglas doesn't seem too friendly towards his 'family', they are his stepparents after all."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Amy said, putting her hands on her hips in annoyance.
"You're too young to understand." Knuckles stated flatly.
"We're not kids you know Knuckles." Tails said, also looking at the echidna. "We've been through a lot."

Knuckles nodded. That was certainly true of Tails.
"Not to get into the details..." Knuckles started explaining. "Not every family has happy reunions, or happy stories for that matter."
"Huh?" Amy didn't understand.
"Douglas isn't a real Thorndyke remember, he was adopted into the family."
"Yes, but that doesn't mean that Douglas hates his..."
"Doesn't it?" Knuckles interrupted Amy. "Trust me, I've got a sense for this kind of stuff. I felt it around Sonic, and I don't think you a magnifying glass to see it around here."

Tails nodded in understanding. To him, it was another story of an unhappy family. Not the first, but he really hoped it was the last. Amy just sighed. She knew just how sad the history with Sonic's family mage her hedgehog feel.

"You don't have to be so cold about it Knuckles." Amy stated. "Don't you wish you had some family?"
Knuckles snorted, looking away from the others. "I only have one desire - To protect the Master Emerald and the Floating Island."
"Um, that's technically two desires..." Tails corrected Knuckles.

In reply, the Guardian grumbled something about 'being too clever'.

Amy sighed, grabbing the kitsune by the arm. "Come on Tails, this is supposed to be a happy time!"
Tails offered no argument as Amy practically pulled him down the steps and out of Chuck's lab.

'Mental note: Keep away from The Pink One'. Knuckles thought, grateful to have a moment of peace. 'Nothing but trouble. Can't believe I'm using her as a Master Emerald replacement!'

Shrugging his shoulders, Knuckles tenderly (still feeling the effects from the Silver Valley battle) walked over to the window, and looked out.

"Hey Knuckz." Sonic greeted, still relaxing against the roof.
"Don't call me that Hedgehog." Knuckles replied.
"You're no fun man." Sonic smirked.
"Sure, and you're a bundle of laughs yourself."
"Well, since we're roomies, we might as well try and get along, right?"
"...I guess so."

"So we're friends?"
"I wouldn't go that far. We're on speaking terms, and that's about it."
Sonic smiled. "I'd call that an improvement, wouldn't you?"
A small smirk appeared briefly of the echidna's face, before vanishing. "I suppose so."


"Lord Eggman has been very busy today." The golden Decoe stated, looking at the large, reinforced door of Doctor Eggman's 'Creation Lab'.
"This is the first time I've seen him like this since we came to this strange world!" The silver Bocoe replied, also looking at the same door.
"I'm bored!" Bokkun rather pathetically stated, twiddling its robotic thumbs. "I want Eggman to hurry up!"

"Quiet you!" Decoe told off the messenger machine. "Lord Eggman will be creating another masterpiece!"
"Unlike you!" Bocoe added.
"Huh?" Bokkun was taken aback. "What ya mean 'Unlike you'?"
"Oh, it's so difficult to carry around TVs and bombs, especially with something as fearsome looking as you!" Bocoe taunted.

"That's rich coming from you fatty!" Was Bokkun's high-pitched reply.
"WHAT? I am built almost on a par with the figure of the great Lord Eggman."
"That's what these earthlings would call 'Bullshit'." Decoe stated.
"What does that mean?" Bokkun asked.
"I believe it's a crude term for a lie. I learned it from something called 'MTV'." The golden robot explained.
"This planet is far too strange!" Bocoe said, to which the other robots agreed.

Suddenly, the large doors slowly began sliding open, which instantly drew the robot's attention from their conversation.

"Come on in!" Eggman's voice called from within the room. "Behold the true power of a genius!"

The robots the walked into the large room, and looked around in awe. The walls were covered in diagrams, blueprints and plans for robots yet to be assembled. Hanging from cables on the roof, were large wielding tools, mechanical claws, engine parts, and partly assembled robots. There were many tables around the room, which had parts and the bare metallic bones of robots. At the sides of the room, completed robots stood lifeless, awaiting activation. They ranged from small box-shaped robots with workman hardhats and construction-site tools as weapons, to child-shaped robots with 'Eggs' written on their torso, and a large brown glove on their 'hand'.

"Over here!" Eggman stood proudly at the back of the room, next to a table. "Let me show you some things that you glorious creator has been up to."

The robots did as he ordered, moving next to the Doctor.

"Behold!" Eggman stated. "Not only am I a great creator, I am a fantastic modifier!"

The robots looked at the machine on the table.

"It's incredible!" Decoe complimented.
"A triumph for science!" Bocoe complimented as well.
"I though this used to be a teacher?" Bokkun said, not really understanding. This caused the two other robots to fall over, legs in the air, with large sweat-drops on their heads.

"How observant of you Bokkun." Eggman smiled.
"HUH?" Decoe Bocoe said together, looking up from the floor.
"I forgot what its name used to be, something long and unspellable, but that's not important. Indeed, it used to resemble a teacher, complete with robe and hat; but I have thought of a better use for its intelligence."

The robot resembled a human form. It's arms were thick, with large spheres where elbows would be, and big black 'gloved' hands. Its upper-half was a thick red block of metal, adorned with strong bolts of steel. It's legs were rather less impressive looking, thin and roundish with no visible 'knee joints', instead just vertical columns of interlocking metal leading to flat, round 'pads' where feet would be. Its 'head' was a round, black circle sticking out of a light blue 'hood', almost like the windows of tropical submarines.

"I call it 'Grap-Lor'!" Eggman proudly stated. "And it is the weapon I need to weaken that blasted blue annoyance!"
"Weaken Sir?" Bocoe asked.

"Instead going to school, Grap-Lor will be taking Douglas Smicktor to 'school'. The school of hard knocks!" Eggman smiled broadly. "I will send Grap-Lor to this S.S.C.. 'Square-Off' show, where he will decimate all the other wrestlers! Eventually, that human friend of Sonic's will have to show u to make his publicized 'debut'. And when that happens..."

Eggman then pounded a clenched fist into his open palm. "Grap-Lor will make sure that '4GOT10' is truly a distant memory!"

Eggman then laughed proudly at his own plan, while the activated robots looked around uneasily around them.

"Once that problem is gone, I'll be able to concentrate on my other creations!"
"Other creations?" Decoe asked.

"Why, just some projects, like 'E-100 Series', 'The Anti-Blur', and some of my father's unfinished projects..."

The robots shivered at the mention of Eggman's father.

"Oh yes, despite some of his faults, he was quite a genius, although too confident in some of his inventions... Stupid SWAT-bots..." Eggman grumbled. "That doesn't matter now, it'll be quite a while before it's ready..."
"Before what's ready?" Bokkun asked.

Eggman smiled. "Just a little something my father called 'The Death Egg'."


Flip Card 1 - Mr. Thorndyke

Full Real Name: Nelson Thorndyke.
Nickname(s): Mr. Starship Soft
Gender: Male
Age: 43
Likes: Computer software, business deals, strong share prices
Dislikes: Computer viruses, consortiums, not knowing what his stepson is doing.
Identifying features: Always dressed in a business suit, often attends business deals corporate meetings.


Flip Card 2 - Mrs Thorndyke

Full Real Name: Lindsay Fair- Thorndyke
Nickname(s): The Fair Queen
Gender: Female
Age: 37
Likes: Acting, shopping, awards ceremonies
Dislikes: Bad weather for filming, unqualified supporting actors, not knowing what her stepson is doing.


Part 2:

The television screen was blank, only a black screen was shown.

"You haven't seen what I've seen..." A dark sounding version of Douglas Smicktor- Thorndyke's voice said over the blank screen. "You haven't been where I have. You can pretend to know who I am, you can try and label me. But only I will judge me. If you learn nothing from me, just remember who I am."

Suddenly, a flash of images of a man screaming, huddling in a corner, and glaring evilly at the camera appeared, before the screen returned to black.

"I am... 4GOT10..."

The screen then changed to a bright opening video package of wrestling moves and wrestlers taunting and celebrating, over aggressive sounding rock music.

The video finished with 'STATION SQUARED CIRCLE presents: SQUARE OFF' in bold letters, before cutting to an indoors fireworks display in an arena with a wrestling ring set up in the middle. The arena was packed full of people cheering and holding up signs as the pyrotechnics went off.

"Is wrestling on this planet always like this?" Knuckles questioned, looking at the TV monitor in Chuck's lab.
"Apparently, so Chuck says." Sonic replied. "Don't understand how it's so popular."
"It's very complicated to explain." Tails said. "But it's pretty violent, I'm not sure that you should be watching this Cream."
"Don't worry Mister Tails!" Cream said. "Mister Chuck said that no one gets hurt."
"Chao-o!" Cheese added.

'That's really sweet of Tails, he's always so thoughtful.' Amy thought to herself. 'If only Sonic would care like that for me...'

"I guess we have to watch all of this show?" Knuckles asked.
"We don't know exactly when Douglas is appearing, so I guess so." Sonic shrugged his shoulders.


They say that a man's eyes are the gateway to his soul. You can tell a lot about what a man is feeling, is thinking, and what he's about to do from looking into his eyes.

It therefore isn't very helpful when the guy you're looking at has his eyes closed, and is listening to loud music in his headphones.

"I just don't get it." The wrestler by the name of 'TMG' stated to the female standing beside him. "He looks like a guy who's been doing this for years, not about to make his debut!"
"Yeah..." The female, known in the military as Topaz, replied. "It's almost scary how he can block everything out."
"Guess it doesn't help when there's all those 'animal' rumours about him going around."
"Did he tell you anything about those, or how they started?"

"He denies it too much, you know? Gets all defensive, changes the subject. None of my business of course, but whatever shit the guy's in, he keeps it away from here. That's another good thing about him. When it's 'go-time', he's more focused than most of the guys here. Guess that's what he's doing now."
"I suppose so..." Topaz agreed, watching Douglas carefully.

He was wearing black jeans, that had spray-painted words and symbols on them. In fact, most of his 'wrestler' clothing was black. His boots, his T-shirt, his hooded top. Only his gloves, which were brown leather, were different, apart from the purple spray-paint. The way he was sat on the folding chair, with his hood up, only the ends of his purple hair, his stubble-beard chin, and his nose showed from out of the hood. The rest of his face was either covered by his hair, or by the shadow cast by his hood.

Needless to say, it made '4GOT10' look dark and sinister, not to mention worrying. But that was due to the way he was mouthing along to the words of the music he was listening to, and nodding his head slightly to the beat.

"I'll tell you somethin' though..." TMG started talking about Douglas again. "He was spending a good time today reading some note."
"Note?" Topaz was interested.
"Yeah, he pulled it out of his gym-bag. Kept it to himself, says it was a reminder from his grandfather. But if you believe that, then you'll believe that Kennel in a Cell was a good idea."
"Right..." Topaz said, the wrestling humour meaning nothing to her.

'I'll have to try and have a look at that note.' Topaz thought to herself. 'Could be useful...'

All conversations in the S.S.C. Arena then stopped, as an explosion rocked the building.


The arena was silenced, as was the action in the ring, as smoke billowed out of a newly-'made' side entrance of the arena. All eyes, and cameras, were looking at the smoke.

From out of the smoke, a large, metallic figure burst out using the rocket-boosters on its 'feet'. With ease, it shot upwards, before straightening itself and landing in the ring.

"What the heck is that thing?" A thin masked wrestler in green asked, pointing at the robot.
"I don't care!" His opponent, a man in red wrestling tights replied. "Just get him out of here!"
"Hey, hey! Get out of the ring! You're not allowed in here!" The referee stated. "You're disrupting this match!"
"Tsk, is that anyway to treat a wrester?" the robot replied, looking down displeased (although its black visor didn't show anything).

"...A wrestler?" The ref was confused to say the least.
"A robotic wrestler!" The machine corrected. "My name is Grap-Lor, and this is my ring now!"
"What? GET OUT OF HERE!" The referee pointed at the robot.

In reply, two angry looking red triangles, representing eyes, appeared in Grap-Lor's black visor.
"That is the wrong answer!"

Before the ref could react, Grap-Lor grabbed him by his striped shirt, and roughly threw him over the top rope of the ring, and into the crowd of people, knocking over people in the process.

In an angry response to the action, the two human wrestlers attacked the machine together. However, the robot was able to withstand the assault, grabbing both wrestlers by the head, and knocking their skulls together. Dazed, the two wrestlers were quickly dispatched out of the ring.

Loud mocking laughter then rang out through the building, as the round figure of Doctor Eggman appeared in his EggPod through the gap where smoke had been.


"Eggman!" Sonic stated, watching the carnage unfold.
"That's a really mean robot!" Cream stated.
"Looks like Douglas isn't the only one debuting..." Knuckles offered as insight.
"Douglas!" Amy said in horror. "He could be in trouble!"

Eggman's laughed roared out loudly from the TV, as he looked down onto the ring from his EggPod.
"Fools! You think you can stop me?" Eggman mocked. "I will prove to you all who the REAL master is around here!"

"He sounds like he means it!" Tails said. "This looks bad Sonic! Sonic?" The fox looked around for his blue idol, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"I guess he's gone to the arena." Knuckles said.
"Does Mr. Sonic know where it is?" Cream asked.

Tails, Amy and Knuckles then had identical sweat-drops on their heads in reply, realisation hitting them.

"...Chao..." Cheese stated sadly, which summed up the situation perfectly.


"This is bad, this is really, really bad!" Mr. Stuart stated, pushing the button on his wristwatch to reveal a secret radio-transmitter-receiver device fitted inside. After pulling up a small antenna to its full height, he then placed an earpiece into his ear.

"Come in, over." Stuart said into this radio. "This is Chain-Wrestle-Charlie to Home Base over. We have a Code Red situation over at Ring Centre, over."
"...Uh, copy that Charlie, over." A voice replied. "What is the nature of your situation, over?"
"Doctor Eggman has launched an attack on the arena with some kind of robot wrestler, and is causing bodily damage to the wrestlers, referees and fans, over."

"Wait, you want us to send over land, sea AND air forces, because some robot is beating up your wrestlers?"
"Copy, I can transmit my co-ordinates if you need them." Stuart replied.
"Uh, hang on a second, over."


Douglas looked at the green-masked wrestler as if he was drunk.
"A robot?"
"Yeah man, a mean lookin' robot, plus, there's this really fat dude with a moustache flying around in some kind of..."
"Eggman!" Douglas shouted in surprise. "Damn it! He would have to choose THIS night to try something!"

"I guess this is the Eggman that's been attacking Station Square." TMG stated, stroking his brown beard.
"I should call the police." Topaz stated. "That thing's already taken out most of the active roster!"
Topaz ran off, leaving the men behind.

"Who the hell was she?" Douglas asked.
"Some friend of Stuart's." TMG shrugged his shoulders.
"What are we gonna do Tom?" The masked wrestler asked.
"Staying out of the way would be a good idea." TMG replied, responding to his real name. "I'd like to defend this championship in one piece." He patted the large golden belt on his shoulder.

'To heck with that!' Douglas thought. 'This calls for action!'


"So you're saying that some evil robot has taken over Square-Off and is holding all the fans hostage?" A police officer asked, whilst biting into a cheeseburger. "Stay right there Miss and I'll be over in a jiff to investigate!"

With that, the officer placed the receiver back onto the 'phone on the desk, with was covered in empty burger wrappers.


"What do you mean 'It's gonna be a problem', over?" Stuart responded to the voice on the other end of the radio transmission.

"It's not that we don't understand your situation, over." The voice explained. "We're watching it right now. But you're quite a bit in land, so no sea forces, over. The arena is in amongst tall building, so air wouldn't be that useful, over. And with the kind of traffic Station Square has at this time of night..."

"GAHHH!" Stuart pulled out his earpiece in agitation, switching off the transmitter. "I guess I'll have to call in the local police force!"

Suddenly, the door to Stuart's office was flung open, and Topaz rushed in.
"There you are!" Topaz stated. "I just called the local police, they'll be here any minute!"
"Thank God!" Stuart replied. "Where's Douglas?"
"I left him with your champion and some masked guy."
"Better find him, he might be calling the hedgehog for back up."


Instead, Douglas was actually in his locker room, stuffing a gold Power Ring (one he had saved from grabbing the Chaos Emerald at the construction site) into his jean pocket.
'I'll show this metal jobber whose king of the ring around here!' Douglas thought to himself.

Douglas stopped what he was doing, feeling something in his other pocket.
'That stupid piece of paper...' He thought, pulling it out and throwing it to the ground. 'Last thing I need right now...' He added mentally, before rushing out of the door.

The paper read:

'Strength comes from within, but also in numbers. Until you discover the true power of the former, do not be so cold to those close to you.'


"This would be a lot easier if I knew where I was going!" Sonic told himself, running down another street of Station Square. "Who knows what kind of trouble Eggman's up to..." Sonic then stopped, as a sound caught the attention of his ears.

The police car's sirens went off loudly, and it's police lights flashed, as the officer drove towards the S.S.C. Arena.

'That's probably a good clue!' Sonic thought to himself, quickly catching up with the vehicle, and quietly landing on the roof. 'Not as fast as I'd like, but at least it'll take me to where I need to go.'


"Admittedly, this doesn't look too promising for Douglas's debut." Chuck said, watching rather disgustedly at the sight of the overweight Doctor parading around the ring, whilst beaten-up wrestlers crawled away from ringside as best they could. "He knows how to take care of himself anyway."

The Thorndykes, Nelson, Lindsay and Chuck, were all in the living room watching the TV carefully.

"But what if there's an accident, and that horrible thing hurts our poor Douglas?" Lindsay asked.
"I'm sure my security team would have contacted me to tell me." Nelson replied.
"Perhaps it's been postponed because of this robot thing, and Douglas has just been too worried to remember about us..."
"Nonsense Lindsay." Chuck said. "Douglas knows you're were coming to see him because of tonight."

Not too far away, Ella and Mr. Tanaka were in the kitchen.

"I do hope Douglas gets back soon!" Ella said, watching her pot of homemade soup carefully. "Dinner is almost ready!"
"Perhaps I should go and collect Master Douglas." Tanaka thought out loud.
"You know Douglas hates to be treated differently just because of the Thorndyke name!" Ella scolded the butler. "Besides, I'm sure Douglas is fine!"

Back in the living room, Mr. Thorndyke's calm persona was beginning to crack ever so slightly...

"I'M GOING TO LOOK FOR THE BOY!" He stated firmly, standing up from the seated position he was in on the couch.
"Nelson, please." Lindsay looked up to her husband. "Have faith in your stepson."
"Huh?" His wife's calming words brought Nelson partially back to his senses. "Yes, right. he's a level-headed boy, and I'm sure he'll be able to cope with this." He pointed to the TV screen, which showed Eggman addressing the crowd.

"Now do you all see the power of Dr. Eggman?" The Doctor asked the surrounding crowd, to which the fans responded with loud boos and jeers. "There is no one in ANY universe that can defeat my creations!"

"WE HAVE TO REMAIN CALM!" Nelson shouted out, looking at the ceiling whilst clenching his fists, almost as if trying to convince himself.

Chuck sighed. 'He hasn't changed since he was a boy.' He thought.


"Okay, everyone calm down!" The police officer said, biting into a cheeseburger.
"About time!" Mr. Stuart said. "I'm the Chief of Staff here!"
"What's going on here?" The officer asked.
"That thing in the ring has taken out nearly all of my roster!" Stuart replied.
"Not to mention a couple of referees!" Tom (aka TMG) added.

"Okay, let's calm down a minute and... Hey, you're TMG!" The officer pointed at the S.S.C. Champion.
"Well, yeah..."
"Hey can I get an autograph for my kid?"

Upon hearing this, what could be a world record for the most anime-style face-falls occurred with everyone apart from the police officer falling over.

"CAN WE KEEP OUR HEADS TOGETHER FOR ONE MOMENT?" Stuart practically screamed in a girly voice.

Suddenly, Topaz ran up, clutching a piece of paper in her hand.

"Stuart! Smicktor isn't in his locker room, and no one I've spoken to knows where he is!"
"Great, that's another problem..." Stuart rolled his eyes.
"Hey, do you guys hear that?" TMG said, standing up.
"Hear what Tom?" Another wrestler asked.
"Listen..."

Indeed, coming from the sound system of the arena, some music was being played out.

"Wait... I recognise that..." Stuart said. "That's what Douglas wanted for his entrance theme... OH NO!"


"You might as well all accept that I am your new master!" Eggman stated, again ignoring the boos.

Grap-Lor simply stood, it's arms folded across its chest, listening to its master.

"It's easy to understand, even for you simple people! I'm plotting my schemes wherever I go! They're perfect in every..."

Eggman was suddenly interrupted by the sound of marching footsteps playing through the sound-system of the arena.

Distracted by the music, Eggman and Grap-Lor looked towards the entrance ramp of the arena. Which allowed a wrestler to run out from the crowd armed with a steel folding chair, and jump the crowd barrier. The music was so loud, that no one in the ring noticed him, until the sound of the chair coming crashing into the back of the robot was heard.

CRACK!

The crowd roared loudly, the music stopping instantly, and Grap-Lor calling out in pain.

'WHY?' Grap-Lor thought. 'Why was I modified to feel pain?' This feeling only worsened as 4GOT10 continued to hammer into the robot's back with the folding chair.

"Huh? HUH?" 4GOT10 shouted at the robot. "You wanna ruin my show huh? You wanna step into my playground?

After a succession of harsh chair-shots, 4GOT10 threw the chair, now practically useless, into Eggman's EggPod, sending is spinning away from the ring area. 4GOT10 ignored the cheers from the crowd for his actions, and began stomping away at the floored robot of the canvas of the ring. He then stood back, and dropped to a stance in the middle of the ring. Kneeling on one knee, with his arms extended out from his body.

Eggman worriedly looked on at the scene. In all the modifications he had done to create Grap-Lor, he had overlooked the possibility that 4GOT10 wouldn't lay fair. Ironic, since Eggman rarely played fair at all.

'Two can play this game!' Eggman thought, pressing a button on his control pad.

4GOT10 waited for Grap-Lor to fully get up, watching the robot carefully as it struggled to return to a vertical position. He waiting to hit his finishing move, which he liked to call 'Amnesia'.

"STOP THAT!" An angry high-pitched robot cried out, rushing towards the ring using its rocket pack.

4GOT10 stood up, and looked at the approaching robot, easily catching it in his left hand.

"IDIOT! Let me go!" Bokkun shouted, as Douglas easily held the machine.

Shrugging his shoulders, 4GOT10 pulled back his right hand, and then struck Bokkun. The robot screamed out in pain as it flew straight back through the gap it had come through, the force of 4GOT10's gloved fist enough to send it away.

Douglas smirked for a moment. Unfortunately, Eggman's distraction worked, and Grap-Lor knocked the human down from behind.

Two bright gold eyes appeared in the visor of Grap-Lor. It was pleased with itself.

Those eyes then turned to pail grey when 4GOT10 got straight back up, and threw his hood back. Revealing the red face paint under his eyes, and the look of utter hatred in his eyes.

Right on time, Sonic appeared, looking out of the large gap in the wall. He was just in time, to see 4GOT10 grab the robot by his arms, and fall backwards, taking Grap-Lor with him. A move very similar to the 'Downward Spiral', but 4GOT10 calls it Amnesia.

"Nothing to worry about!" Sonic stated, watching 4GOT10 cover the robot in a pin-cover.

"ONE!" The crowd counted the pin fall. "TWO! THREE!" 4GOT10 then got off of Grap-Lor, laughing and throwing his arms in the air in victory and the crowd roared in approval.

"I... Lose..." Grap-Lor correctly stated, before his circuits collapsed on him, and he deactivated. Not in the way a computer does, since it was an Eggman robot. So, on cue, the robot exploded.

4GOT10 barely jumped out of the ring to avoid the blast, but managed to regain his footing outside of the ring, and admired his handiwork of the large cloud of smoke.

The crowd applauded as he cockily threw his arms out and soaked in them moment, before pointing up at the EggPod.

"...Well 4GOT10..." Eggman said, lowering his EggPod to look at the wrestler. "Since you are the victor, you can receive your prize!"
"...What prize?"
"A reward for your victory!"

Eggman then stood up, and held a large, golden championship belt over his head. The centre-plate of the belt had an image of Eggman's face on it, complete with large moustache than went of the centre image.

"THE EGGMAN EMPIRE CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE UNIVERSE!" Eggman proudly announced.

4GOT10 looked less than impressed with it.

Sonic stood shaking his head. "Great, Doug gets lumbered with a booby prize!"

Eggman threw the belt down, and easily caught it. Mainly due to he fact that the belt was designed for Eggman's waist. Douglas laid the belt on his shoulder, and had to stop himself from breaking character and laughing, as the belt touched the ground before and behind him.

"You may have won this time 4GOT10, but don't think I won't forget this!" Eggman then raised his EggPod, and made a quick escape out of the building, much like Sonic had done moments before, but no one had noticed the hedgehog's appearance.

4GOT10 smirked, turning away from the ring, his oversized prize on his shoulder, and walking towards the back.

He may not have known it at the time, but the cheers sounding out in the arena were to be mirrored backstage at the arena, in the Thorndyke residence, Chuck's Lab, and even in the President's House.

'Damn!' 4GOT10 thought. 'I was sure I was supposed to be playing a bad guy tonight!'

What no one realised of course, was that 4GOT10 had only won thanks to theenergy from the Power Ring he was holding in his hand. But they didn't need to know that.


Douglas was always good at avoiding getting caught up in chaos, well, at least usually. This night was one of those times. Douglas had barely managed to get out of the arena and into his taxi back to his home. What awaited him there he was a little less prepared for.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE CHAMP IS HERE!" Douglas called out jokingly, stepping through the front door, dragging his newly won belt in with him.

Instantly, his stepparents rushed through and grabbed him in a tight hug.

"DOUGLAS! We were so worried about you!" Lindsay said.
"I'm fine! Let me breathe!"
"I told your mother you'd be fine but she wouldn't listen!" Nelson added.
"Hey! I'm here ain't I?"

Douglas looked over to Chuck, who was smiling. Douglas winked. "I just got caught up at work, you know? But hey, there's something you guys gotta know..."
"What's that Douglas?" Nelson asked.
"Well, it sort of explains what happened tonight..."


"Of course, I knew that you wouldn't get hurt, even with a blue hedgehog watching out for you!"
"HEY! I've been watching his damn back! I got the first emerald, AND smashed one of Eggman's machines!"
"Well, I think it's very brave of you to admit that you're have such strange houseguests staying here." Lindsay reassured her stepson.
"It is only temporary 'till we can find some more of those emeralds." Douglas reminded. "Plus, with all this damn media hype and stuff, things would only get complicated."
"First thing tomorrow I'll set up the spare rooms for all of our guests!" Ella stated.
"Yeah, no offence Chuck, but it's probably very cramped for all those guys."
"None taken." Chuck replied.

"You know, back in my day, I used to get into quite a few escapades myself!" Nelson said.
"Oh I'm sure Douglas was much more well behaved than you were dear." Lindsay pointed out.
"Don't count on it." Chuck said under his breath and the family members laughed at the joke. "But you know Douglas, your father was more worried about you than he lets on. Isn't that right Tanaka?"

"Well, Master Thorndyke was concerned enough to call the President." The butler stated.
Douglas nearly choked on his meal upon hearing this.
"Oh! And Mrs. Thorndyke called up all the TV stations to get a bulletin on the nightly news!"
Douglas' stepmother was offended. "I didn't have time to call ALL of them!"
Douglas groaned, shaking his head. He didn't want to live with them, and somehow he can't live without them now.


"This is a really big belt!" Cream stated, looking at the 'Eggman Empire Championship of the Universe' Title belt.

"No wonder, for a waist the size of Eggman's." Sonic joked.
"Another robot bites the dust huh?" Knuckles said.
"Watch out Sonic, you're not the only one who can smash Eggman around here." Amy joked as well

"The more the merrier." Sonic smiled as he said this.
"Yeah, there's no way Eggman can beat us when we're together!" Tails stated happily.


From a distant hill, looking down onto the Thorndyke residence, a lone cloaked figure stood, a soft smile on his face.

"I never thought I would see the day that the Ancient Walkers' Prophesy could come true... But it shall be... It is destiny foretold, the likes of which mortal imagination cannot comprehend... So help me Walkers, if I, Merlin, shall not see it done."



Next Episode Preview - Voice over by Douglas

"Just when you think letting everyone know about your animal friends is a great idea, this happens! Mr. Stuart would have to choose this moment to come 'round, with a family party being thrown, a missing rabbit and Chao running around, and a hedgehog that run off to god knows where! And who's this Topaz chick anyway?

Next time on Sonic eXcluded: 'P-A-R-T-Why me?' Don't miss it!"


Author notes: Ladies and Gentlemen, an episode 5 months in the making! Yeah, I got lazy, but also PC problems hit me, but the update is here. And yes, I am mixing elements from SatAM, Sonic Undergound, AoStH, the SEGA Sonic games, the Archie Comics,AND Sonic X all in this adaptation! Trust me, when I mess something up, I mess it up REAL good!

Julie Riley/Julayla Beryl- The people with Sonic were Sonia and Manic from Sonic Underground. The Amy/Knux moment was a little thing I threw in, but it is not as it seems. The Mouse of Anon- Yep, Sonia and Manic will appear, but not just yet... auroragranger- The whole 'Chris' death' thing will be talked about in a future episode, but not just yet.

I've probably lost all my fan-base for this fic for being so late, but here it is anyway. Thanks, peace etc. Go read my profile for more info!

Edited 01/05/05 for removal of lyrics