Hey, glad to have you back and now we're moving on to my favorite game in the series, Sonic Adventure. This'll be fun, and I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic The Hedgehog or any of the characters, they are owned by Sega and Sonic Team.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Dreamcast, the Dreamcast is owned and trademarked by Sega.
March 1998.
With the last few of the talks finished and everyone else's contracts signed, there was only one thing left to do, get Sonic back into Sega.
Today, Sonic would be discussing the terms of his return and for everyone's sake, they hoped it would work out.
Sonic, dressed in his best suit, walked down the long hallway to the board room, briefcase in hand.
Sonic entered the room, the slamming of doors echoing out from the silent room.
Sonic looked from one side of the room to the other, seeing the executives seated at both sides of the table and Ms. Rabbot seated at the end.
"Mr. Hedgehog, it's a pleasure to have you here with us this morning." Bunnie said.
"It's a pleasure to be here, ma'am." Sonic said, taking a seat at the opposite end of the table.
"Well then, let's get to the matter at hand." Bunnie announced.
Sonic opened up the briefcase, taking out multiple slips of papers and handing them around to everyone.
"These are copies of the contract that contain my terms over my career here at Sega." Sonic told them.
As they looked over them, Sonic stated the gist of it.
"Basically, all I ask for is more control, I want a say in creative decisions and I get to chose which and how many projects I take on." Sonic stated his terms.
Now, it was their call.
"Mr. Hedgehog, what gives you any right to make these demands?" One of the executives questioned.
"Because all of you are only a little ways away from being out of the job and on the street, that, and the fact that Sega needs me as much as I need Sega." Sonic stated it as a matter of fact.
His words quieted everyone, knowing he was right.
"Well Mr. Hedgehog, I'd say this is more than fair, we'll be happy to agree to your terms." Bunnie said, trying to hide her smile.
As she was about to sign, the doors burst open, an angry Ken Khan glaring at them.
"Mr. Khan, to what do we owe this interruption?" Bunnie asked.
Ken just ignored her, setting his sights on Sonic, lunging at him, Sonic running out of the way like it was nothing.
Ken collided with the chair, breaking it and falling to the floor.
"Mr. Khan, restrain yourself or I will have you thrown out!" Bunnie threatened.
Ken stood up, looking Bunnie dead in the eyes.
"Are you all insane?!" Ken asked, rhetorically.
"How could you even think to hire this moron again?!" Ken asked, in anger.
"I may not have been smart last time, but only because I wasn't the one making the decisions, now I don't have a terrible manager to ruin everything." Sonic mocked him.
"What did you just say?" Ken asked, furious.
"You heard me, if it wasn't for you keeping me from being able to rest easy, from seeing the people I love, for being able to live my life, I would've never crashed and burned." Sonic said.
Sonic had acknowledged that his downfall had been his own fault, but he knew Ken's lack of compassion towards everyone else and the fact that he despised Sonic were factors that had lead to it as well.
Ken didn't care for Sonic's well being or anyone else but himself, he'd insulted Amy, he'd caused Sonic's multiple breakdowns and attempted to have Sonic fired multiple times.
Ken had been a cause and he wasn't going to let him get away with it.
"So what, you were nothing without me, who in their right mind would manage a train wreck like you?" Ken asked.
"Me." Someone said.
Everyone turned their sights to the open doors, seeing none other than Rouge The Bat.
"Rouge?" Ken said, in surprise.
"I figured I work for Sega already and I've worked with him since the beginning, I may as well look out for him." Rouge said, as she walked over and put her arm around Sonic.
Ken growled, grinding his teeth in anger.
Ken turned and addressed the board.
"Look, this guy is a nobody, a has been, he's just gonna crash again and lose you a load of money, just like last time, and I don't want to be here when that happens, so it's either him or me." Ken gave them a choice.
Bunnie looked at him in amusement before standing up, grabbing a cardboard box from the supply closet and handing it to Ken.
"Pack up your things, Mr. Khan." Bunnie said, proudly.
Sonic and Rouge smirked, trying to hold back their laughter.
Ken looked at her in anger and disbelief.
"You can't do this!" Ken shouted.
"I already have, Mr. Khan, you're fired." Bunnie stated.
Ken went to attack her, but security had already shown up and held him back.
"Throw him out and have someone clear his desk up." Bunnie requested.
As they carried Ken away, Bunnie grabbed her pen and signed the contract, Sonic signing it as well.
"Mr. Hedgehog." Bunnie said.
Bunnie looked up at Sonic, no longer hiding her smile.
"Welcome back." Bunnie said.
July 1998.
With filming a movie in a high profile city and the fact that many citizens were filmed in the background as extras while Sonic and the rest of the cast had ran around, rumors began circulating of the new Sonic title in the works.
Many had tried to get an exclusive, but production was mostly kept secret, save for some leaked footage of a few takes.
But this time would be different.
While Sonic's name was in the title, this time everyone got their chance to be in the spotlight, as each of them had their own story arcs throughout the main story, all of them interconnected.
The tone would be a bit more serious, as they would explore the story behind the echidna tribe as well as take on their most dangerous challenge yet, an ancient entity known only as Chaos.
The cast had never been used to acting around digital effects, so fighting Chaos was a bit of a challenge since nothing was really there, but they were up for it.
Only a week into filming, everyone knew this was going to be a fun production to work on.
The real question was, would that feeling translate to the screen and to everyone watching?
August 22nd 1998: Sega Press Conference.
The press had been gathered in a large auditorium for Sega's presentation.
The lights dimmed, leaving a lone spotlight as Bunnie walked onto the stage, the light shining down on her.
The spotlight faded, leaving the room dark and in silence for a moment.
Then, all of sudden, bright blue lights shined from the stage, the sound of guitars blasting out of the speakers as footage played on the big screen on stage.
The guitars faded a bit as well as the lights, still lighting the stage up.
"Welcome." Bunnie said.
"It has been an interesting year for Sega, while recently we had experienced a few setbacks, we are still going strong and are better off for it." Bunnie said, receiving an applause.
"Now, a few months ago, we announced our new Dreamcast line, and received generally good reviews." Bunnie said.
"However, some said they had to see to believe, saying that we had to have the titles to back it up." Bunnie stated.
"Well, today, no more tell, just show, today, we have exclusive footage of our new film lineup for Dreamcast." Bunnie announced, exiting the stage as they applauded once more.
Over the course an hour, Sega showed off the Dreamcast launch titles, showing that this wasn't going to be the same old Sega, it was new, it was different, it was exciting.
Eventually, Bunnie walked back onto the stage for one final announcement.
"I hope you've enjoyed the presentation for tonight, but before you go, we have one more title to announce." Bunnie said.
The lights went out once more, the screen playing footage of Station Square, some raising their eyebrows in confusion.
The scene went on and then out of nowhere, the city began to flood, the sewers flooding, the caps bursting open as water shot out, buildings breaking from above, the water flowing down from above while the streets ruptured below.
The city was being destroyed by this catastrophe as the flood just kept going, a large tidal wave hitting the city.
Many had assumed that this was a sort of natural disaster film, not knowing what would happen in just a moment.
Suddenly, the water formed a large monster, terrifying everyone as it bellowed out its wail.
Suddenly, the footage showed a first person perspective, going back and forth as someone ran into view.
Everyone gasped as a familiar blue hedgehog ran into view.
Everyone remained in awe as Angel Island fell into the sea.
Footage of each of the main characters was shown, as well as the new fleet of airships.
Finally, Sonic's smirk graced the camera, putting all the rumors to rest.
Sonic was back.
As the introduction ended, it received tremendous applause as well as a standing ovation.
Bunnie, once again, walked back on stage.
"Please help me in welcoming the cast of Sonic Adventure." Bunnie said.
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Gamma and Big, all walked out on stage, waving to the audience.
Everyone had their cameras ready, taking pictures of them.
Sonic had been surprised, after what happened a few years previously, he didn't think he would be welcomed back with open arms.
But he was wrong, they still loved him, just the same.