On the outer deck of the Grand Egg-Imperium, the X-Tornado made its land in Cyclone mode. Knuckles was the first to exit, whistling at the size of the vessel.
"The Egg Carrier's got nothing on this thing," he remarked.
"Yeah, and it's going to meet the same fate if we don't move," Tails reminded him.
"You two focus on getting to Sonic," Keith insisted. "Kat and I will go after the Queen."
"And God help whatever robots come between us and her," Kat declared, turning on her suit and popping her neck.
"Right," Tails agreed. "If you guys get back to the X-Tornado first, don't wait for us. Just take off, and we'll catch up with you."
"Okay," Keith agreed as the two groups went off. "Good luck!"
…
Meanwhile, Sonic continued running through the winding corridors of the Grand Egg-Imperium's interior, hoping to find Elise and Eggman in time. As he continued running, he came out to a large open area, stopping when he heard an all too familiar cackling in the air.
"Greetings, Sonic," Robotnik's voice greeted. "I hope the journey was excruciating.
"It's over, Eggman!" Sonic called back. "This ship's about to crash and my friends will be here any second. So how about you give me Elise before you end up as broken as one of your robots."
"Ah, there it is, that Sonic-style wit. I will surely miss that after you're gone."
Just then, a metal arm shot out of the ground, causing Sonic to leap back. He steeled himself as a giant red and silver robot climbed up from the ground. It was sporting a spiked mohawk, cannons for fingers, a black cape, as well as a metallic version of Robotnik's signature mustache.
"Behold!" Robotnik continued. "The ultimate hedgehog killing machine. Twenty-seven tons of hedgehog killing ordnance I like to call… Metal Robotnik."
Sonic just smirked in response. "Nice action figure, Eggman. Does it do anything, or is it just for poses?"
Rather than rise to the bait, Robotnik sneered with a triumphant air. "See for yourself."
Metal Robotnik raised a hand, its fingers firing several laser blasts right at Sonic. Sonic was quick to dodge and evade them as he ran forward. Metal Robotnik continued firing but Sonic leaped out of the way, landing on a wall before springing off and rolling into a spin dash to nail the machine. The attack just bounced off, however, causing Sonic to land on the ground, wincing in pain.
"That… that didn't even make a dent," Sonic realized. "What's this thing made of?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Robotnik remarked, firing at Sonic again.
Sonic quickly moved out of the way, wracking his brain to try and figure out what just happened. He hadn't had this much trouble since the Eggsterminator, except he didn't have Super Sonic to rely on this time. Sonic suddenly perked up, having an idea. He started circling Metal Robotnik, building up the electricity that pulsated from his body.
"And just what is that supposed to do?" Robotnik asked. "Make me dizzy?"
"No… this!"
Sonic then came to a stop, allowing the electricity to explode and launch Metal Robotnik into the air. Sonic then ran up the side of the wall before leaping off and rolling into a spin dash, plowing Metal Robotnik through several floors of the ship before hitting the lowest deck. Sonic leaped off and took a fighting stance as Metal Robotnik slowly sat up.
"Had enough yet?" Sonic remarked.
"Hardly," Robotnik replied, getting back to his feet. "I'm just getting warmed up!"
He raised his other hand and formed a fist, causing fire to shoot out toward Sonic. Sonic quickly sped out of the way and ran right at Robotnik leaping up to him. Just then, his metal mustache suddenly moved and slammed into Sonic on either side of him, gripping him tight.
"I knew… your mustache was crazy… but this is ridiculous!"
"You like it?" I call it the Stache Smasher. Set me back a week, but so worth it."
The Stache Smasher retracted, allowing Sonic to fall into Metal Robotnik's hand. He then slammed him against the wall repeatedly, making sure Sonic was properly disoriented. He then blasted a large hole in the floor, holding Sonic over it.
"Now to finally be rid of you," Robotnik proclaimed. "Funny, isn't it? All those narrow escapes from my elaborate robots and death traps, and yet, it's the simple force of gravity that will spell your downfall."
Sonic looked up at him, slightly disoriented, but was still able to make out some familiar shapes approaching from behind, causing him to smile. "Maybe, but you wanna know something, Eggman?"
"Oh, do tell."
"... I never fear the fall."
Sonic then revved up a spin dash, breaking free of Metal Robotnik's grip as he fell through the hole.
"Well, that wasn't what I had in-"
"Eggman!" Knuckles' voice proclaimed.
Metal Robotnik turned to see Tails and Knuckles quickly approaching him. Tails soared past him to fly after Sonic while Knuckles threw a charged punch at Robotnik, knocking him back.
"Whoa!" Robotnik let out, shaking his head. "I think I felt that one."
Outside, Tails jetted after Sonic, reaching his hand out to him. Finally, Sonic managed to catch it, prompting Tails to fly them back to the ship.
"Hope we didn't keep you waiting," Tails jeered.
"Honestly, I expected you much later."
"What can I say? Only Sonic the Hedgehog needs a rescue this bad."
"Ya got that right!"
Sonic then started spinning him and Tails mid-air, forming a fast-flying double spin that was heading right toward Metal Robotnik. They collided head-on, knocking Metal Robotnik back before landing alongside Knuckles.
"Nice of you to show up," Sonic remarked.
"Yeah, well, we figured we'd need to save your blue butt eventually," Knuckles retorted.
"Right. What about Keith and Kat?"
"They're working to save Elise," Tails informed. "We just need to keep Eggman busy."
"Sounds like fun," Sonic responded, stepping forward with Tails and Knuckles by his side. "Let's end this."
"Thought you'd never ask," Knuckles grinned, punching one fist into his palm
"We're with you to the end," Tails added, spinning his laser pistol.
Metal Robotnik managed to pick himself up, seeing the three Mobian heroes ready to go again.
"Well then," Robotnik mused, rubbing his hands together. "Time to fight."
…
Meanwhile, Keith and Kat made their way through the upper decks of the ship, making convenient use of the holes left behind in Sonic's fight with Eggman. They climbed higher and higher, helping each other when they got stuck.
"Knuckles was right about the size of this place," Kat lamented. "How the heck are we gonna find Elise?"
"By using our brain," Keith countered. "Think about it: Where would Eggman keep Elise when she's surrendered and he thinks he's won?"
Kat tapped her chin for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "The main deck! That's where he kept me, so I could see him win and he could gloat."
"Bingo. Then that's where we need to go. And if the layout of this place is anything like the Egg Carrier, the bridge should be this way. Come on!"
The two took off down a hallway hand in hand, hoping to find Elise in time.
…
Back down below, Metal Robotnik unleashed a barrage of laser blasts on the trio, forcing them to dodge and weave between them as they approached. Tails flew upward, firing his laser at the large robot but doing little damage. Sonic took his turn, spin dashing at the hand firing at them, knocking it back but still not doing much damage. Knuckles punched the robot in the leg, causing him to kneel over before backhanding Knuckles away. He rolled on the ground before landing on his feet and raising his fists.
"Man, this thing is tough," Knuckles remarked.
"Tell me about it," Sonic replied, leaping out of the way of a fist. "Tails, what's this thing made of?"
"Give me a second," Tails replied, pulling out his scanner while still shooting at Metal Robotnik. "Oh no…"
"I don't like that noise," Knuckles let out.
"It's Urmarasium, the same alloy the sentinels from Murasia were made of."
"And that stuff's supposed to be stronger than Megatal! We could blast at this thing all day and not make a dent!"
Just then, several side compartments opened up on Metal Robotnik, allowing missiles to launch at the three of them.
"Look out!" Sonic called out, grabbing the two and speeding out of the way before they hit.
As the smoke cleared, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were gone.
"Now, where could Sonic and his friends have gone?" Robotnik mused, beginning to search and blast the surrounding area. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
Meanwhile, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles hid behind some piping so they could come up with a plan.
"Man, Eggman's starting to lose it," Sonic noted. "He's gonna blow up his own ship if we don't take him out soon."
"That's gonna be difficult as long as he's got that Urmarasium shell," Tails dreaded. "Maybe if we had some Urmarasium of our own…" he suddenly snapped his fingers. "That's it!"
"What are you thinking?" Knuckles asked.
"If we can get Eggman to somehow break off a piece of his own robotic shell, we can use it to cut our way inside and disable the mech."
"That's gonna be difficult…" Sonic thumbed his nose and smirked. "But then again, that's what makes it fun."
"How do you suggest we get him to do that?" Knuckles asked. "He seems a little preoccupied trying to shoot us."
"Not us. Me." Sonic pointed a thumb at himself. "Let's be honest, whatever crazy scheme he has planned doesn't matter as long as I'm living rent-free in his head. So I just need to go in there and rile him up."
"And you can use his fixation to make him attack himself," Tails added on, catching onto the logic. "Breaking off a piece of his armor."
"And while he's focused on you, me and Tails can sneak in from behind," Knuckles concluded. "I like it!"
"Okay!" Sonic replied, putting up a fist. "Let's do it to it!"
Tails and Knuckles both fist-bumped in kind before the three of them leaped out from hiding, rushing toward Metal Robotnik. Tails quickly pulled out his boomerang and threw it at a nearby steam pipe. Knuckles leaped up and grabbed hold of it, aiming it at Metal Robotnik so Sonic could run around it, causing steam to cloud Robotnik's vision.
"A steam cloud?" Robotnik cackled. "Truly you're scraping the bottom of the barrel if that's your plan."
Sonic then did a homing attack at Robotnik's head, causing him to turn around and see Sonic standing near a corridor.
"Hey, Baldy McNosehair!" Sonic called out. "You want me?! Come and get me!"
Robotnik scowled in response. "You don't tell me about coming and getting! I am on the cutting edge of coming and getting!"
As if to prove his point, the ends of Metal Robotnik's cape shot out, forming massive wings with a jet booster on the back. As the jetpack powered off, Sonic took off running. Robotnik quickly followed after with Tails and Knuckles trailing behind.
…
Meanwhile, Keith and Kat managed to make their way toward the bridge. Once there, Keith used his power gloves to override the controls, allowing the door to open up. The two peaked inside to see Stone packing the five Emeralds in their possession as well as the Scepter of Darkness into a briefcase for transport. Eggatha was standing near Elise, making repairs to her mini Egg Mobile as well as keeping an eye on the queen.
"All secure," Stone reported, grabbing the case. "We're good to go."
"Finally," Eggatha replied, tossing her tools aside and leaping onto the Egg Mobile. "I was starting to get bored," she activated the console, causing the mini Egg Mobile to hover in the air. "Come on, your highness. It's time to blow this dump."
As they moved to the exit, Kat stepped out, swinging her bat at Stone and knocking him back, causing him to slide to a nearby wall and hit his head. The case with the Scepter and the Emeralds sailed through the air, prompting Keith to run out and grab it. He caught it, smirking as he stepped back, quickly checking the contents.
"Five Chaos Emeralds, and the Sceptre of Darkness."
"Hey, give those back!" Eggatha demanded.
"Come and make us!" Kat challenged, grinning like a maniac.
Eggatha fired lasers from her mini Egg Mobile, prompting Kat to move out of the way. Keith flicked his wrist, forming an energy shield. The lasers were absorbed by the energy, much to the teen's relief.
"Note to self, thank Hope for the energy shield."
He then formed an energy ball, chucking it right at the mini Egg Mobiles controls. This caused everything to short out, much to Eggatha's irritation.
"You idiots! You've fried the controls! I can't steer!"
"Am I an idiot if that's what I wanted to do?" Keith shot back.
The mini Egg Mobile crashed down to the ground, causing Eggatha to tumble out.
"Looks like somebody's in for a long time out," Keith mused.
"That's what you think," Eggatha countered. "Hey, Metal!"
"Metal?!" Keith and Kat let out at the same time.
Just then, one of the side doors was blasted down, revealing a newly repaired Metal Sonic.
"Step away from my friend," he demanded.
He then dashed forward, ramming into Kat and knocking her against a wall.
"Kat!" Keith called out, causing Metal to turn to him.
Thinking fast, Keith charged up a massive electric saw and chucked it at Metal. The robotic hedgehog easily dodged the attack before barreling toward him. He grabbed Keith by the throat and lifted him into the air, eying the case in his hand. Just then, an explosive ball hit him in the back of the head.
"Let him go, ya tin toy!" Kat demanded, already readying another.
Metal turned toward Kat before throwing Keith right into her, knocking them both to the ground. They landed in a heap, groaning as they tried to untangle themselves.
"This is not going well," Kat noted.
"Uh… I think it's about to get worse," Keith let out, sounding terrified.
"Worse how?"
He pointed to Metal, causing her to turn and see him taking two Chaos Emeralds out of the case, causing their power to surge into him.
"Oh… that's how," Kat dreaded.
…
Meanwhile, Sonic continued running from Metal Robotnik, continuing to stay ahead of his laser blasts every step of the way.
"That all you got?!" Sonic taunted. "You're too slow! Come on, step it up!"
"Keep it up, hedgehog!" Robotnik called back. "Your pathetic little quips will be the last words you ever say!"
"Man, you sound like a broken record when you make threats like that! You go on and on about how my fate is sealed, yet I'm still standing!"
Sonic quickly came to a stop before spinning right at Metal Robotnik. Metal Robotnik tried slamming his hands together, trying to crush him, but Sonic easily evaded the hands and landed right on the mechs metal mustache, flashing a wink to the mad pilot inside. Metal Robotnik tried punching him, but Sonic easily leaped out of the way, causing Metal Robotnik to punch himself a break off part of the metal mustache. Robotnik was rattled around inside, even hitting the dashboard of his controls.
"Why that little-!"
"Yoo-hoo!" Sonic called out, getting his attention. "Over here, Eggy!"
Metal Robotnik turned, seeing Sonic leaning against one of the pipes confidently.
"Gotta say, not seeing a lot of focus from ya here. So you destroy me, then what? Gonna build yourself a giant robot house? Maybe get yourself a giant robot wife? Cause let me tell ya, no human girl will go out with ya!"
"I'm going to use Chaos Control to tear apart everything you hold dear! First I'll send South Island into the ocean, and then I'll decimate Station Square," Sonic's face started to harden. "Then Soleanna. Then Green Hills. Then New Mobotropolis! And then… who knows? Maybe that'll be enough."
"Sounds nice…" Sonic stood up fully, staring him down. "Too bad it's a pipe dream!"
"You want to know the best thing about my new empire?" Robotnik asked, his weapons priming again. "You won't be there."
He fired several missiles at Sonic, forcing him to leap all around before taking off again, Metal Robotnik following close behind. As they took off, Tails and Knuckles ran over to the wrecked pieces of metal so Tails could find a piece that could work.
"Aha!" Tails let out, grabbing a broken piece. "This is it!"
"Great," Knuckles replied, immediately grabbing it. "Walk me through it, Tails!"
"We just need to get onto Metal Robotnik and cut our way in," Tails replied, hovering in the air and grabbing Knuckles. "Once we're in, we go nuts. Tearing this thing apart."
"Sounds like a plan. Let's go!"
Tails instantly took off with Knuckles in hand, ready to end this fight for good.
…
Meanwhile, Metal continued charging with the Emeralds energy. He slowly began approaching the two teens, much to their horror.
"Keith…." Kat let out. "Please tell me you have a plan."
"Um…" Keith looked around, then spotted one of the fallen Emeralds. He grabbed it, looking nervous. "Well, sort of."
Before she could retort, he spun around and jammed the Emerald into her chest.
"Whoa!" she let out. "What the-"
Before she could continue, a huge surge of energy began coursing through the suit, causing her to shoot up with adrenaline.
"Hoo boy! That's a jolt!"
Metal charged, but Kat managed to intercept him, their hands locking as they began to wrestle. Kat managed to pull a hand free and punched Metal in the head, knocking him back a bit. Metal then fired a laser toward Kat, prompting her to roll out of the way before running at him, ramming right into him. Metal was knocked back, tumbling a bit before using his jets to stabilize himself, hovering in the air before charging at her again.
"I'll hold him off as long as I can!" She shouted as she plowed Metal into a wall. "Hurry up and find a way to end this tin can!"
"Right!" Keith called back, looking around and seeing the Chaos Emerald Case. "ah…"
He ran over and picked up another one of the Emeralds, placing it into one of his gauntlets. Meanwhile, Kat and Metal continued having at it out with each other. As they continued fighting, Kat could feel the suit warming up. Still she just gritted her teeth and continued fighting. Metal however was undeterred as he continued fighting against her, grabbing her fist and pushing back against it. She grunted a bit before dropping to one knee, starting to feel the strain.
Before Metal could do anything else, Keith came up from behind and grabbed a hold of Metal's head, his gloves charged with one Chaos Emerald each as he overloaded Metal's head. The robot let out a staticy scream, his eye screens glitching out badly. Kat took the chance to punch her fist through the robot's chest, grabbing at the stolen Emeralds.
"These! Aren't! Yours!"
She tore out the Emeralds before kicking Metal against a wall, his body going limp as he collapsed to the floor. The energy through him eventually went out, his eye screens going dark. Once he was down for the count, the teens exchanged looks, then turned to Eggatha and Stone, who was slowly waking up.
"So," Keith flexed his fingers as Kat punched one fist into her palm, "who's next?"
"... I'm good for a surrender," Stone offered, turning to Eggatha. "How about you?"
Eggatha just whimpered and put her hands in the air. Kat whizzed behind them, chopping the backs of their necks so they passed out. Once they were on the ground, Kat grunted and collapsed herself, gripping her chest as she struggled to breathe. Keith rushed over and held her up, dislodging the Chaos Emerald from her chest.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"It burns…" she groaned, slowly removing her hand from her chest. Where the Emerald had been, her shirt and suit had been burned through, an ugly burn in the shape of an emerald now embedded in her skin. "Although… it's not as bad as that time I grabbed six at once…"
"Can you stand?" he asked, helping her up.
"I… I think so…" She steadied herself, but stumbled. However, Elise was there to help her stay up.
"Here, let me help you," the Queen requested, pulling Kat's arm over her shoulder. "Mr. Kent, can you please collect the emeralds and the scepter?"
"Right," Keith replied. "Take Kat and these guys and get to the X-Tornado! I'm right behind you!"
"I believe there is a spare flying vehicle nearby. We just need to load them onboard."
"Then go do that. And hurry. Please."
…
Meanwhile, Sonic made it to the top of the Grand Egg-Imperium, looking out and seeing that they were still crashing toward the ground.
"Oh boy," Sonic let out before activating his watch. "Tails! Knux! You there?"
"We're here, Sonic," Knuckles replied. "We got what we need. Where are you?"
"On top. Eggman's on my tail and he's seriously starting to lose it. We need to end this and soon."
"We're on our way, Sonic," Tails reassured. "Just keep him busy till we get there."
"Somehow, I doubt that's gonna be a problem."
Just as he said that, Metal Robotnik began tearing through the floor below him. Sonic dashed out of the way as Metal Robotnik climbed up, looming over him.
"Hiding from me, Sonic? Where's that unending bravery? Have you finally recognized your betters?"
"Don't flatter yourself, Eggman!" Sonic called back. "I just needed a breather from that big head of yours!"
"I'm amazed how a smart mouthed teenager has been able to give me so much trouble for so long," Robotnik mused, stomping across the top of the ship. "If someone told me we'd been at this for thirty years, I'd be inclined to believe them. For so long I've dreamed of finally silencing that incessant mouth of yours… and my time has finally come."
Robotnik let out a barrage of missiles across the deck, causing massive explosions and knocking Sonic back, causing him to land near the edge.
"Ah, there you are," he noted, raising his cannon arm. "So long, Sonic the Hedgehog. My admirable adversary."
Sonic picked himself up, noting a familiar pair of twin tails climbing up the back of Metal Robotnik, causing him to smile.
"You can talk the talk, Eggman," Sonic threw back, getting to his feet. "But I don't think you really have it in you to finish me off. Let's be real, not like anyone else has got the skills to go mano y mano with you."
"That's true," Robotnik mused, stroking his mustache. "It is impressive how you've managed to combat my superior intellect through sheer willpower and determination. But regardless, I'll hardly miss you when you're gone. The world will soon be mine and the name 'Sonic the Hedgehog' will be nothing but a distant memory."
Sonic just yawned in response. "I'm sorry, were you saying something? I was into the speech, but then I kinda zoned out."
Robotnik growled in response. "Well zone this out!"
He pressed a button, but the cannon just sparked with electricity before shorting out, much to Robotnik's confusion.
"What?! What's going on?!" Robotnik tried getting his systems back online, but several warnings just flashed on his screen. "Power failure?! No way! I can't believe this!"
"Believe it, Eggman!" Tails' voice called out.
Robotnik turned around to see Tails and Knuckles having cut a hole into Metal Robotnik and Tails himself going nuts with the wiring.
"The fight with Sonic…" Robotnik realized. "It was just a distraction!"
"Haven't you learned, Eggman?" Knuckles remarked, cracking his knuckles. "Dis is how we roll."
With that, Knuckles' fists charged with energy before he leaped forward, slamming a punch into the control console. The energy shot out through the console, red lightning making every like and circuit explode. Tails and Knuckles quickly got out of there as the mech began to explode all over. Robotnik took this opportunity to eject as well before the mech completely exploded, a piece damaging the Egg Mobile and causing him to fly away out of control. Sonic quickly ran over to the two and they shared high-fives in celebration.
"Alright!" Sonic cheered.
"We did it!" Tails let out.
"Sweet!" Knuckles added. "Now let's get off this thing before it hits the valley!"
Sonic and Tails nodded before taking off. Tails flew through the air with Knuckles gliding right behind. Sonic just leaped off the pieces of debris trailing from the ship as they made their way toward the nearby cliffside.
…
Meanwhile, Keith managed to grab the Emeralds and Scepter and ran to catch up with the others. He made it to the hangar as Kat, Elise, Stone, and Eggatha piled into the massive Egg Mobile. The ship around them was beginning to crumble, the ground closing in. Kat, who was coherent once more, looked out the window.
"There's no way we can get to the X-Tornado in time. Unless…"
"Don't even think about it," Keith warned. "There's no telling what that stuff will do to you."
"We don't have a choice. We don't know if the Emeralds inside can survive the crash. Just get going and meet me where we parked the jet."
Before he could stop her, she grabbed one of the Emeralds from the box. She screamed as the energy coursed through her suit but forced herself to calm down before running off.
"KAT!" Keith cried out, unable to stop her.
Deciding not to waste time, he hopped into the pilot's seat, powering up the massive Egg Mobile and flying off, hoping he could reach her in time.
…
Kat was not used to running at such speeds, and the dropping debris ended up making her run into several different obstacles. Still, she shook it off and kept running, finally reaching the X-Tornado. She ended up splatting against it, nearly collapsing from pain as she continued gripping the Emerald. Breathing heavily, she punched through the panel holding the Emeralds. She pulled them out, her screams redoubling as the energy flooded her. It hurt like hell, but it also gave her the jolt she needed to charge. She barreled right through the wall, and out into the open air.
Just as she started to fall, however, the massive Egg Mobile came flying out, making a beeline right toward her. Keith got out of his seat and took a few steps back to get into position. Bracing himself, he managed to catch her, both of them falling hard into the cabin of the Egg Mobile. Elise quickly took the helm as Keith ripped the Emeralds off of Kat, shoving them into the box before slamming the lid.
"Kat, you'd better be okay!" Keith demanded. "Please, please!"
Kat groaned, burns littering her body. She leaned slightly into Keith, relaxing. "I think… I need a new strength suit…"
Keith chuckled in response, breathing a sigh of relief as he clung to her. "Preferably Chaos Energy resistant."
Kat cracked a smile in response. However, that's when something shook the Egg Mobile, the sound of wrenching metal making all of them cry out. Elise felt all tension in the wheel vanish, realizing it meant she could no longer steer. All three of them exchanged horrified looks, then collectively started screaming.
…
As the Mobian trio made their way through the raining debris, Tails happened to look over and see the massive Egg Mobile crashing toward the side of the valley.
"Sonic, it's the others!" he pointed out. "They're heading toward the cliff!
"Then let's move!" Sonic replied, bouncing off a piece of debris.
Tails and Knuckles quickly turned around, heading straight for the falling Egg Mobile and its five occupants. Knuckles managed to land first, seeing Eggatha and Stone tied up and unconscious as they drifted through the air.
"Just grab and go!" Keith told him. "We'll explain later!"
Knuckles nodded, grabbing Eggatha and Stone before gliding off. Tails swooped in, grabbing Keith and Kat by the hands before flying away, straining a little to hold them both. Still, he managed as he spun his tails as fast as he could. This left Elise, who Sonic was quick to catch bridal style. Once he had her in his arms, he hopped across the sea of debris, making his way to the cliffside, and began leaping up to get out of harm's way. Sonic tried to leap up to the ledge but stopped just short as he began falling back toward the ground. He and Elise didn't get far though before the massive Egg Mobile crashed into the cliffside, causing a massive explosion that propelled them upward.
The two tumbled across the ground as Tails and Knuckles landed with their respective groups, also landing hard on the ground. Sonic was the first to pick himself up, looking over to Elise as she lay on the ground.
"Elise… are you…?"
"Unharmed," she replied, picking herself up. "Thanks to you."
Sonic smiled a little in response. Meanwhile, Knuckles made his way over to Kat, seeing the burns on her chest and hand.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Chaos Emeralds," Keith informed. "I thought she could use them to power the suit and beat Metal… but the suit couldn't take it."
Knuckles turned to him, then reached for Keith's hands. He pulled off the Nitro gloves, revealing the heavy burns on his hands. "Seems you didn't fare much better. Has to hurt."
"Well… it does now that I'm aware of it."
"Hey, you took down Metal," Sonic reminded. "That's no small feat, believe me."
"Thanks," Keith said with a weary smile. "It was a group effort though."
"The best wins usually are," Tails added.
Keith let out a breath at that, then pushed the box he had been clinging to since the fall forward. "Speaking of wins, here's all seven emeralds, and the Sceptre of darkness. Everything you need to get home."
"Nice work guys…" Sonic replied, his jovial attitude becoming a bit more solemn. "It's… gonna be different going on adventures without you."
Knuckles gently squeezed Kat's hand at the reminder, the idea of returning to Angel Island by himself making him feel true heartbreak. Their somber mood was interrupted by the sound of a familiar scream filling the air. The group looked up to see Eggman crashing to the ground in his Egg Mobile, impacting the ground hard. The Mobians quickly got to their feet, putting themselves between Robotnik and their companions.
"Sonic… help me…" Robotnik wheezed, looking seriously injured.
"It's a trick," Keith warned.
"I know… but not even he deserves to go out like this," Sonic replied, rushing over.
As Sonic approached, Robotnik smirked, prepping his electric glove. As Sonic held out his hand, Robotnik shoved his forward, charging Sonic with electricity while cackling the entire time.
"Gotcha!" he declared, only to lose his bravado when he saw Sonic absorb the electricity.
"Hey, that looks like fun," Sonic noted. "Let me try."
He sent the energy back to Eggman, electrocuting him and causing him to cry out in pain. Once Sonic was done, Robotnik was charred and his mustache was standing on end. He fell backward in pain, collapsing into a groaning pile.
"Ouch…" he let out.
Sonic turned back to the others, snickering a little in response. Eventually bursting into full-on laughter. Before long the others joined in on the joke, enjoying each other's company for what they believed to be the last time.