Chapter 1: The War
I still think back to the old days. Before the Robotnik Wars consumed the lands. I was twelve years old, and things were peaceful. I had a little buddy named Zero following me whenever we went on adventures in the Mystic Jungle. I had two loving parents to come home to every night, and I even had a crush on this blue fennec gal named Celia.
But those days were not to last. My 13th birthday marked the end of my life as I knew it. I watched my parents get carried away by SWATbots to an uncertain fate, and I, in my youthful cowardice, made a run for it. But perhaps that was the right decision. I wouldn't be here today if I hadn't fled.
The only two people that meant anything to me were Zero, the younger brother I never had, and Celia, the girl of my dreams. But by the time Zero and I got to her house to rescue her, the SWATbots were already there. I watched, horrified, as she was made a bot, on-the-spot, by a portable roboticizer.
I ran away, taking Zero with me. I just had to get away with what I had left. We fled into the depths of the Mystic Jungle, but I couldn't run from what was coming. I was knocked to the ground, and saw Zero being kidnapped by a bunch of Jackals… before I passed out. Clearly, I was left for dead in that jungle.
By the time I woke up, all had quieted down. Zero was gone. Celia was gone. My family and friends had all been taken away in a single day. When I navigated back to what was left of my village, no one was there. All the houses were ransacked, and others in a smoldering heap. And above the empty village flew a flag. The flag… of Robotnik.
I found my father's old work gloves in the wreckage of my house. And with my rudimentary understanding of electronics, I fashioned an electric club from a downed SWATbot. One touch of a button, and the frayed fires at the end of my weapon crackled to life. With it, I tore down the Robotnik flag, and set it ablaze.
One act of spite against an uncaring new world…