Author's Note: Just a FYI, but this is the first of two Chapters released today, with the second being much longer than the first. Thanks for reading!
"Okay, done now."
Sonic and Swifty had been going at it for what seemed like ages to them, only though in reality it had just been fifteen minutes or so. Punch after dodge after slash after dodge after punch after dodge and rinse and repeat. That was how things had been going ever since Sonic and Swifty had their halftime break, and after pushing themselves to what they considered their limits for so long, the both of them were wondering if either could keep it up for long. But right then and there, Swifty stopped the slashing and the dodging and just stood there like a beanbole, and Sonic couldn't help but feel it was something more. "Wait, you serious?"
"You got it, bro." Swifty wiped the sweat from his brow like a track runner after a long jog. "It's a war of attrition. You punch, I dodge; you dodge, I slash; I slash, you dodge. It's a never ending cycle."
"So, is that it? You're just gonna give up? Call it quits?"
"Well, to be honest bro, that's only part of it."
Sonic's brow furrowed as if to say, 'give me a break.' "Okay, I'll bite. What's the other part?"
"The other part is you! I can feel it, man. The only reason this fight's going' nowhere is cause you're holdin' back! You could tear me into whenever you wanted, bro, but you're not! I mean, is it some moral code or somethin'? Is that it?"
Sonic wasn't sure if he could believe what he was hearing. "Are you high?! Do you WANT to get sliced into sushi? Cause that's what would happen if I cut loose!"
"At least it'd be fun. But as is, it ain't worth it. Not even for a paycheck."
"You're serious."
"Serious as I'll ever be. Sides, all's fair in love and war. But that just ain't somethin' you seem to get."
"SONIC!" Just then, Sonic could hear a familiar voice calling to him in the distance. Taking a look behind, he could make out Tails soaring above the plains while Johnny and Hershey followed below. Apparently, they'd hotwired a couple of a motobugs. He then heard a loud whoosh from Swifty, and when he turned back around, he was gone.
"SONIC!" Tails and the others were gaining fast. Under normal circumstances, Sonic would be racing back towards them, but something held him back. In fact, maybe a lot of things had held him back. But was that such a bad thing? He didn't want to kill anyone. Not really. But what if he went up against someone like Swifty again? And if they weren't so amicable as him? Would he be able to take them down without pulling out all the stops?
"SONIC!"
Something to think about. In any case, they still had a job to do. He raced on over to Tails and the others, slowing down as best they could as soon as they saw the fastest thing alive pedaling toward them like a locomotive. He skidded as he came in range, stopping just short of Johnny's motobug.
"Are you okay, big bro?" said Tails. "You look beat."
"It's okay, lil' bro," said Sonic. "Just had a workout is all."
"What happened to the shrew?", said Johhny.
"He took off. Said somethin' about he was pissed off I wasn't cutting him to shreds." This raised more than one set of eyebrows from Johnny and co.
"Sounds like he's got a few screws loose. In any case, we need to get on back to the village. With any luck, Mina managed to warn them in time. If not…"
"No 'if nots'," said Sonic. "I won't make promises I can't keep, but all that matters is gettin' there. And we're goin' now." And with that, he was off.
"Hold on there, Sonic!" It was no use. Sonic was already blazing a path to the south, leaving another trail of dust in his wake. Johnny shook his head like a stubborn parent who could never tell just what got into that child, but there wasn't much he could. "Come on. If we don't hurry, we'll lose him altogether."
"If you say so," said Hershey."
"Got it!", said Tails. And with one rev of the motobugs' engines and one extra swirl from Tails' tails, they were on their way.
