Since he'd separated from Sonic and his friends, Knuckles had been wandering endlessly, trying to find any sign of a Chaos Emerald. Unfortunately, he had yet to find even a trace of one, and was beginning to grow impatient. On one stormy night, Knuckles was curled up in a back alley, taking refuge in a box. While he wanted nothing more than to continue his search, his body was demanding he get some rest, something it had been sorely lacking since Chaos Control.
As he laid in his box, he dreamt of his days on Angel Island. He longed for the peaceful days of guarding the Master Emerald from any that would use it for nefarious purposes. He dreamed of a time where the only beings he had to worry about were the flickies that occasionally nested on the island, the only beings he could fully trust.
Just then, a noise stirred him from his dreaming. Instantly on high alert, Knuckles jumped to his feet, fists clenched as he scanned the gloom. Much to his surprise, Robotnik emerged from the darkness, holding a large umbrella in hand.
"You are a hard echidna to find, my friend."
"You!" Knuckles let out, leaping back and ready to attack. "What do you want?!"
"Believe it or not, I'm not here to fight." Robotnik held up his free hand in a pacifying gesture. "Quite the opposite in fact. I'm here to get your help."
Knuckles snorted, crossing his arms in disbelief.
"Yeah, right.
"It's true. You honestly think I want to stay on this backwater planet?" Robotnik threw his arms outward, gesturing to the stormy, trash strewn alley. "This world isn't my home! Our home is Mobius, and THAT is where we belong. Unfortunately, Sonic doesn't see it that way."
This got Knuckles' attention.
"What are you talking about?"
"When I learned that the Chaos Emeralds had followed us into this world, I immediately set about trying to gather them. So far, only one has shown itself, but Sonic snatched it away."
"Good. Like we'd ever trust you with the Emeralds."
"It's different this time! I'm trying to recreate the device that brought us here so I can send us all back home! I tried to explain this to Sonic, but he just laughed at my face. When I tried to take the Emerald by force, he sent a kid in his place!"
"What?! He wouldn't."
"Wouldn't he though? You know how much he hates me. He'll do anything just to spite me, even if it means dooming us all to this planet. Think about it, do you honestly think Sonic or his friends have the capacity to create and stabilize Chaos Control like I did?"
"No… I suppose not."
"Sonic knows I have the resources to get us home, but he's too spiteful to even consider the possibility. And now, he's dragged an innocent kid into his vendetta. The people of this world aren't as tough as we are. They could be killed if we don't do something. Please Knuckles, I know we've had our differences, but this is far bigger than petty grudges."
Knuckles paused for a moment, having to admit that Eggman might be right on this. Chaos Control sent them to this world, and only Chaos Control could send them back. Unfortunately, only Robotnik had been able to harness its power, meaning that if they wanted a chance of seeing Mobius again, they had to work together.
"Alright Eggman, you've convinced me. Either Sonic gives up the Chaos Emerald, or I take it by force."
Robotnik cringed at the use of his hated moniker, but swallowed his pride.
"Be careful, Knuckles," he warned. "If Sonic learns of our deal, he'll come after you too."
"Bring it on, then. Sonic's hot headed behavior has been causing us nothing but problems for years. If this is the only way he snaps out of it… then so be it."
Robotnik saw this and mentally smirked, thinking his issues with Sonic were going to be a thing of the past.
…
At the Kent household, Chuck put the finishing touches on the Chaos Emerald containment unit. Tails meanwhile was reading the Emerald's energy output.
"It's incredible. I knew the Emeralds were powerful, I never imagined just how much energy they possessed."
"How much is known about these Emeralds Tails?" Chuck asked. "Does anyone know where they come from or how they work?"
"No, we don't. All we do know is that they've been around far longer than recorded history, and that whomever gathers all seven gains the power of Chaos Control. Until now, no one ever understood what that fully meant."
"Perhaps we can use this as the chance to learn more."
About that time, Ella came knocking on the door.
"Mr. Kent? It's Ella. You wanted me to remind you to take a nap."
"Ah, that's right." Chuck gave a large stretch. "I spent the last few days finishing this thing, and frankly, my lack of sleep is starting to catch up to me."
"Go ahead, Chuck," Tails told him. "I'll keep working on this."
Chuck nodded, getting up while stifling a yawn. He headed out of the lab as Keith came walking in.
"Dad finally taking a nap?" he asked.
"Yup," Tails confirmed. "What's up?"
"Amy and I were watching the news. I was hoping I'd find Sonic up here."
"He's on the roof taking a nap of his own," Tail explained, gesturing outside.
Keith turned to the window, opening it and sticking his head out. Sure enough, Sonic was on the roof right next to him. He cracked his eye open when he saw Keith.
"Hey Keith. Why'd you wake me up?"
"Come into the living room," he insisted. "I think they found another Chaos Emerald."
…
In the living room, Sonic met up with Keith, Tails, and Amy as a news report began playing.
"Near Silver Valley, not only has a large amount of energy been detected, but machines are also mysteriously malfunctioning. The police are investigating the connection between this event and the malfunctioning backhoe from the construction site fiasco two weeks ago."
"It sure sounds like a Chaos Emerald," Tails noted.
"Silver Valley, huh?" Soic remarked. "Should be lovely this time of year."
Amy suddenly perked up.
"Hey, I just had a great idea!" she said, leaning close to Sonic. "Why don't we have a picnic there while we're looking for the Emerald? It could be fun. Maybe even a little… romantic."
"What are we? Invisible?" Keith asked.
"When Amy focuses on Sonic, we might as well be," Tails replied.
"Look Amy, I'm all for a romantic getaway, but these Chaos Emeralds are our only chance at getting home. That has to be our main focus."
"Well, how about after we find it? Please Sonic?"
She clasped her hands together, putting on the most innocent, pleading eyes she could muster,
"Uh… I… guess?"
"Hooray!" Amy cheered. "I'll go pack a picnic! We can sit out and enjoy the fresh air and some tasty snacks!"
She skipped off towards the kitchen, humming merrily to herself.
"Random thought," Sonic spoke up. "But why don't you three go on ahead? Tell Amy I'll catch up later."
"Just one problem," Keith pointed out. "My dad's resting, and both Ella and Mr. Tanaka are busy with housework. I'm not allowed to drive without a licensed adult."
"Why not just take the Tornado?" Sonic proposed.
"It only seats two," Tails reminded him. "Plus, there won't be room for Amy's picnic."
"Right…" Sonic admitted.
"I think I have an idea," Keith proposed. "Though it might be pushing my luck."
…
At the Winters apartment, Kat was gathering up some equipment, which included some binoculars, a fishing net, a butterfly net, and a crate full of rope and camping gear. She just grabbed her pocket knife when her cell phone went off. She picked it up, tucking it under her chin.
"Cryptid Hotline, Kat speaking."
"Hey Kat, it's Keith."
"Hey Keith. Can't talk. There's word of another one of those weird gems in Silver Valley. I'm about to head out there and bag me a talking animal."
"That's kind of why I was calling. I could use a lift to Silver Valley."
"Really? Why are you going?"
"Uh… research. For my dad, you know?"
"Passed out in his lab again?"
"Yeah. you know how into his work he can get. So, think you can help me out?"
"Sure, but I'm gonna be camping out there overnight. You'll have to catch the train to get home. Will that be okay?"
"I think I'll manage."
…
Not much later, Kat was driving a beat-up old ford pick-up truck down the highway towards Silver Valley with Keith in the passenger seat. Amy and Tails were in the bed of the truck, hiding under a tarp. Unfortunately, they felt every bump in the road that the truck hit, much to Amy's chagrin.
"This is not what I had in mind when Keith said he could get us a ride..."
"Amy, keep your voice down," Tails warned. "She'll hear us."
"Sorry."
"So…" Keith let out. "You really think you can get a hold of one of these talking animals?"
"I hope so," Kat answered, "They're the first cool thing that's ever happened in this town. I want to catch one and learn all its secrets. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll find one of those weird gems, and a talking animal."
"I… hope you find something out there."
…
Back at the house, Sonic was kicking back on the balcony.
"Ah, now this is what I call relaxing," Sonic said to himself. "Shame I can only enjoy it a short while before Amy notices I'm missing."
Unfortunately, his rest was soon interrupted by the annoying laughter of Bokkun. Sonic looked up as the tiny robot landed in front of him.
"Hi ya, Sonic," Bokkun greeted.
"What do you want?" Sonic asked.
"Got a message for you."
Bokkun reached into his bag and pulled out a tablet, holding it up. The screen went to static, then showed an image of Knuckles. Surprised, Sonic actually sat up, leaning forward.
"Knuckles? Why are you sending a message via Bokkun?"
"Sonic, I'm sick of all your selfish stunts. This time you've gone too far. I'm challenging you to a showdown. Meet me at Silver Valley in one hour. Don't be late."
Sonic cocked an eyebrow at the message before something else began to play.
"This message is brought to you by the Robotnik Empire, which is not responsible for its content. Except this part."
Suddenly, the screen began sparking before it finally exploded in Sonic's face, covering him in soot as Bokkun flew away laughing. Sonic wiped his face, flattening his spines.
"I don't get it. Why would Knuckles want to challenge me? And why use Eggman's lackey to deliver his message? Something's gotta be up."
He got up, jumping down from his perch and heading inside. He grabbed a map, looking up Silver Valley.
"Well, if he wants a fight, I'll give him one."
…
At Silver Valley, Keith, Amy, and Tails managed to distance themselves from Kat, who had disappeared into the woods to set her traps. After the three of them looked around for a while, they decided to enjoy Amy's picnic near the lake.
"Wow Amy, this picnic is great," Tails commended.
"Thanks, too bad Sonic isn't here to enjoy it," Amy remarked.
"I'm sure he'll be here soon," Keith assured her. "He probably just lost track of time."
"Maybe," Amy replied coyly. "Or maybe he's just wrapped up in his search for the Emerald."
"But we were looking for an hour," Tails recalled. "Whatever those energy spikes were, I don't think they were caused by an Emerald."
"What else could it have been?" Keith asked.
"Not sure," Tails admitted. "Still, as long as we're here, we might as well enjoy the place."
Unbeknownst to them, the water behind them began to bubble as something moved underneath the surface. Suddenly, the water exploded upward, revealing Eggman's largest robot yet: Pumpty. The trio turned in a panic, screaming and attempting to flee. Unfortunately, before they even had a chance to leave their picnic, Pumpty used a large digging claw to grab them. It opened the door to the glass cage that served as its torso before depositing the heroes inside. As they settled inside, Eggman flew down from above in his Eggmobile.
"Well, well, well, you three certainly made this easy on me."
"Eggman!" Keith let out.
"Oh, how I despise that name. It's Robotnik, kid. Before long, you'll learn to respect it."
"Doubt it."
"You tricked us," Amy realized. "There's no Chaos Emerald up here at all, is there?"
"Quite perceptive, my dear. It was surprisingly easy to fool the lot of you. All I did was jam the local electronic signals and the media did the rest."
"Well we won't be staying long!" Amy declared, pulling out her hammer.
She immediately started pounding at the glass, hoping to break free. Unfortunately, she didn't even crack the glass.
"Swing all you want, that glass is made to withstand much more than your pathetic little toy can produce."
"What do you want, Eggman?" Tails demanded.
"Nothing at the moment. You're my plan B in case my first scheme to beat Sonic fails."
"Well you're gonna have to rethink your strategy!" Keith boasted. "Sonic isn't here!"
"I wouldn't bet on that," Robotnik smirked, "He'll be here any second."
…
On a cliff a ways away, Knuckles was sitting on a rock waiting for Sonic to arrive.
"He should've been here by now," Knuckles told himself.
As he said this, Sonic came skidding up to the Echidna, stopping right in front of him.
"I got your message," he declared. "You gonna tell me what this is all about?"
"You're late," Knuckles noted.
"I was pulling shrapnel out of my spines from Bokkun's exploding tablet."
"Yeah, well you deserve worse for all the trouble you've put us through."
Sonic cocked an eyebrow.
"What I've-... huh? Knuckles, you're not making any sense!"
"I'm not making sense? Not surprising, given that if it doesn't involve you, you couldn't care less!"
"Have you been breaking rocks with your head or something?"
Knuckles just growled, clenching his fists.
"That's it! I'm done talking! Give me the Chaos Emerald now before I kick your tail and take it!"
"Chaos Emerald? Is that what this is about? Don't tell me Eggman tricked you a-"
Knuckles suddenly snapped, charging toward Sonic. The hedgehog barely managed to dodge in time, the ground he was standing on exploding from the force of Knuckles' punch. The second Sonic landed, the echidna lashed out again, sending a flurry of punches his way. Sonic kept himself just out of range of the volley, still as confused as before. He was then forced to jump once they reached uneven ground, seeking a moment's respite to try and figure things out.
"Knuckles, will you calm down for a moment?!" he demanded, holding his hands up. "I don't want to fight you!"
"Well I wanna fight you!"
Knuckles charged again, preparing a massive punch. Sonic managed to jump and voice the blow, landing right behind the echidna. He sent a kick towards Knuckles, trying to trip him up. Unfortunately, he missed as Knuckles dove to the side, rolling and getting into another fighting stance. With another battle cry, he charged forward with another barrage of punches. Once again, Sonic effortlessly dodged, but he was growing more and more concerned.
"Will you stop trying to kill me and just tell me what's wrong?! I know something weird is going on, but I need you to tell me what!"
"What's going on is your hotheadedness is keeping us from going home. I will make you see reason, even if I have to beat it into your skull!"
Sonic easily evaded another punch by rolling out of the way and racing towards the cliffside. Knuckles quickly gave chase, following Sonic as he rushed up the cliff. Knuckles climbed up at a speed that was almost on par with Sonic. Sonic meanwhile ran at top speed up the cliff and to the top of a tree. He let out a breath, leaning against the three trunk.
"Too close. Man, what is Knuckles' deal? Just what did Eggman tell him this-?"
Before he could finish, the tree began to rock back and forth. Sonic looked down, yelping when he saw Knuckles digging his fingers into the trunk. With a massive grunt, the echidna ripped it out of the ground. Sonic abandoned ship, jumping onto another tree. Knuckles tossed the now abandoned tree, then began punching through trunk after trunk, causing the trees to fall like dominoes.
Sonic continued leaping from tree to tree, barely leaping off before Knuckles knocked them down. As Sonic came to a clearing, he decided to go onto the offensive, curling up into a ball and rolling down the tree as Knuckles knocked it down. Knuckles saw this and braced himself, catching the speed dashing Sonic. Unfortunately, he was still sent backwards and the two went falling down the cliffside, splashing down into the lake. Instantly, Sonic sprang up in a panic.
"AH! Help me! I can't swim!"
"Oh for the love of…" Knuckles let out. "Sonic, it's only an inch deep!"
Sonic stopped panicking, then looked down. Sure enough, the water only came up part way up his leg. Knuckles just stood there, annoyed beyond measure.
"Heh, guess it's lucky I fell in the kiddie pool," Sonic noted before leaping to his feet. "Well now that' we're both cooled off, ready to talk things out?"
"There's nothing to talk about! You're letting your petty grudge against Eggman control you and keeping all of us trapped on this planet!"
"What on Mobius are you talking about?"
"Egman told me everything! How he's trying to rebuild the device that sent us here, how you snatched the Emerald away from him, and how you sent a kid to get it in your place! A KID Sonic?! Just how selfish and self absorbed can you be?!"
…
Back with Robotnik and the others, the mad doctor was enjoying the show while Keith and Amy watched on in concern and confusion.
"Why are those two fighting?" Amy questioned. "What did you do, Eggman? Don't tell me you tricked him again!"
"I merely convince Knuckles that Sonic stands in the way of our return home. Everything else is all him."
"Again?" Keith questioned. "This has happened before?"
Amy nodded.
"When we first met Knuckles, Eggman had tricked him into thinking Sonic was a thief trying to steal the Master Emerald, the treasure Knuckles has been guarding for as long as he can remember. We managed to convince him of the truth, that it was Eggman who was after the Master Emerald, not us, and he's been more than a little weary of people since then."
"Well we gotta tell him Eggman's up to no good," Keith insisted.
"Working on that," Tails replied, tinkering with one of the panels on the inside of the robot. "I just need a way to access this robot's core programming."
Keith glanced over, seeing Tails reach into his fur, pulling out a phillip's head screwdriver.
"How… how are you doing that?"
Tails looked at the screwdriver, then shrugged.
"It's something all Mobians can do." Tails then used the screwdriver to take off one of the panels of the robot, allowing him to look at the internal machinery. "It's gonna take me a few minutes to figure out how this thing's wired."
"We don't have time for that!" Amy declared, pulling out her hammer. "Stand aside, Tails!"
Tails turned and saw Amy with her hammer raised over her head.
"Amy, wait!"
His protest didn't do any good, as Amy brought the hammer down hard on the circuitry, causing Pumpty to start sparking like crazy. The machinery inside then exploded, causing the glass to break and a cloud of smoke to rise up.
…
Hearing the explosion, Sonic looked back and saw the smoke cloud, as well as the familiar shape of the Eggmobile close by.
"Eggman," Sonic let out, speeding off just before Knuckles could get in another punch.
"Hey, get back here! I'm not through with you!"
"I'm calling a timeout! We'll settle this later!"
Sonic then sped off towards the smoke, Knuckles growling and giving chase.
…
Inside Pumpty, Amy, Tails, and Keith were struggling to get to their feet. They all had ringing ears after the explosion and were more than a little disoriented.
"Next time Amy," Tails spoke up. "Wait to hear what I have to say before smashing things, please?"
"Sorry..." Amy let out.
"You fools!" Robotnik let out. "You wrecked my robot! And it wasn't even insured!"
Suddenly, a blue blur streaked past the base of the robot, severing the legs and causing it to fall over. The three of them cried out in panic as the robot hit the ground, which caused Sonic to skid to a stop.
"What the-?" He hopped up onto the robot, looking through the broken glass and going wide-eyed. "You three! What are you doing in there?!"
"Sonic, Eggman tricked Knuckles again!" Amy shrieked.
"Figured as much," Sonic remarked. "Come on, we need to get you out of-!"
Suddenly, Pumpty sat up, throwing Sonic off. He turned back and saw the robot now standing on it's shovel hands and a circular head with an eye on it popping up on top.
"Whoa."
"Impressive, isn't he?" Robotnik boasted. "He may fall down, but he's never out. Pumpty, attack!"
By now, Knuckles had managed to catch up with Sonic. He stopped short when he saw the large robot, and gasped in horror at the three figures trapped inside. Everything clicked for him in that moment, from Sonic's outbursts to his unwillingness to fight. He felt white-hot anger broil up inside him as his fists clenched.
Meanwhile, Pumpty's cannons fired at Sonic, who hid behind a rock to avoid getting zapped. The lasers reduced the rock to dust in a matter of seconds, forcing Sonic to flee once more. Suddenly Knuckles appeared out of nowhere, smashing one of the cannons to bits with his fist. Robotnik gasped as Knuckles landed, turning towards the doctor and pointing an accusatory finger.
"You miserable lying coward!" Knuckles called out. "You tricked me!"
"Yes yes, I'm a big fat liar," Robotnik admitted sarcastically. "Like we all didn't see that coming."
"Welcome to the uptake, Knux," Sonic spoke up. "Sorry it took ya so long to get here."
"Just shut up," Knuckles snapped. "I never should have trusted Eggman OR you! All of you just… just… ARGH!"
"Well then," Robotnik spoke up. "If plan A didn't work, let's try plan B."
Robotnik pressed a button and Pumpty went flying into the air, landing on the other side of the lake.
"Let's try things this way, shall we Sonic?" Robotnik proposed. "Bring me the Chaos Emerald, or else you'll never see your friends again. And just in case you get any funny ideas, I situated your friends on the other side of the lake Meaning you can't save them without confronting your greatest fear… water."
Sonic looked at the lake, then at Pumpty, then back at Robotnik.
"Solid plan, Eggman," Sonic commended. "Small hitch though."
He then zipped around the lake, plowing right through Pumpty's shovels. The robot toppled over once more, much to Robotnik's annoyance.
"Showoff."
Sonic then started helping the others get to their feet.
"You guys ok?"
"Yeah…" Keith replied. "Eggman made up all that stuff about a Chaos Emerald being here. It was all a trick."
"He can be pretty crafty, I'll give him that."
"Sonic!" Amy let out, springing up and hugging him. "I knew you'd come to save us! I just knew it!"
Sonic took the hug, more than a little exasperated, but accepting nonetheless.
"Of course…" Sonic replied. "You can let go now. Please. You're suffocating me!"
Suddenly, the robot started stirring once more, causing everyone to quickly rush away from it.
"You didn't think it would be over so easy, did you?" Robotnik asked. "You only got a small taste of what this robot can do, Sonic. You and your friends are finished."
The robot then opened several compartments on its body, revealing more blaster turrets and even missiles ready to fire. The robot then went ballistic, firing everything it had at Sonic and the others, forcing them to take cover behind some rocks. However, one Mobian was undeterred by the assault. Knuckles emerged from behind the rocks, gritting his teeth and pounding his fists together.
He charged toward Pumpty, avoiding its laser fire before leaping into the air and punching several holes into the robot. He then plowed right through the robot and out of the top, jumping high enough that he was right at Eggman's level.
"You lying rat!"
Knuckles then punched the Eggmobile so hard it went flying, with Eggman crying out the entire time. Knuckles then drew his attention back to the robot, reeling back his fist. He flew down towards the robot and dug his fist straight through his head. The impact caused the robot to crack down the middle, which resulted in the machine glowing with energy before exploding. The four heroes braced themselves against the shockwave as pieces of metal flew everywhere. Seeing Knuckles tumbling through the air, Sonic darted forward and grabbed hold of his hand before using his other to grab the trunk of a nearby tree to keep them from flying off.
Soon, the wave of power died down, leaving nothing more than a smoking crater where Pumpty had been. Everyone carefully came out of hiding, approaching the wreckage. Keith gave one of the pieces a kick, making sure the robot was truly done. When nothing happened, he let out a sigh of relief. Sonic and Knuckles leapt down to the ground, the two staring each other down.
"So… where does this leave us?" Sonic asked.
Knuckles just dusted himself off, then turned away.
"I'm done. You do whatever the heck you want, but leave me out of it. I'm through with everyone."
"Aw, come on Knux, don't be like that."
"Yeah," Amy insisted, running up to him. "Don't let Eggman's antics get to you. You're not the first person he's tricked."
"He tricked me twice… and when I listened to you, I ended up here, away from Angel Island… Every time I trust someone, it backfires badly. So I'm done. I won't be burned again..."
He began walking off, everyone watching him sadly.
"Shouldn't you stop him?" Keith asked.
"Eh, Knuckles just needs to figure out things on his own," Sonic explained, looking back at his retreating ally. "I just hope he'll come around one day."