~ Chapter 2 ~

Boiling Point

The blue night sky glowed with the presence of the moon; it wasn't at all a dark night, yet there was an absence of light. Perhaps it was because of the moon acting as a pseudo sun, lighting the world with its gentle rays.

And in Amy's home, there most certainly was an abundance of light. After Sonic had agreed to help her out, there was nothing else the pink hedgehog could think of besides her training session in the morning. Finally, things seemed like they could change for her: no longer would she be the silly little girl on the side, only useful as a cheer leader and fighting easy battles, but instead she would be fighting the serious ones right alongside Sonic.

Ecstatic, Amy had her phone wedged between the pressure of her shoulder and ear as she spoke giddily, not letting up on conversation for a single moment. On the phone with her was Tails, who had grown close to Amy over the years, as they both constantly found themselves beside Sonic, hoping for his safe return.

"He really agreed to do it?" Tails' voice penetrated the receiver as Amy wasted no time in answering him.

"He sure did! And now I'll finally be able to get myself out of this stupid cycle!" With a giggle, Amy threw herself down onto her couch as she let herself relax immensely; the past couple of days had been filled with stress as she worried about how to ask Sonic to train her. Something within her really did think he would reject her plea.

"That's great Amy! You are really strong after all..." Tails' voice seemed to waver a bit here, as he was always known to not be very powerful in combat. Amy would have none of that though.

"Don't be like that Tails...you'll make me mad!" She said with an audible pout. "You know very well that you're one of the most important people to both me and Sonic...without you, the world probably would have been conquered by now! After all, your inventions and cleverness have saved us more than just a couple of times!"

Now feeling better, Tails let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks Amy. You always know what to say!" The two laughed together, feeling very relieved by the other's presence. Something about being around Sonic all of this time had caused the two to reach a very mutual understanding.

"Anytime Tails...now I hate to cut you off, but I need to sleep...after all," Amy smirked, "I've got training in the morning!"

The next morning, the sun penetrated Amy's window and seeped through the crevices in her eyelids. She woke up with a start, excited to get out of her cozy pink bed for the first time in a long time. Amy normally woke up quite early, so this was nothing new for her.

"Today's the day!"

Running from her house, Amy headed full speed towards the spot, with nothing more on her mind than the impending training that would await her. Some may have thought it strange that Amy would need training; after all, she was quite skilled with her hammer.

However, Amy knew it wasn't enough. Her combat skills lacked in many areas, and more than anything, this training would be to prove to Sonic that she had the chops to stand right next to him defeating Eggman. She didn't doubt that she could fight quite well, but she knew Sonic did. Despite what he might say out loud, something in him saw her as a fragile young girl, the same girl that had been attacked by Metal Sonic all those years ago.

And it angered her more than anything. How could Sonic still treat her like she was 8 years old when she was nearly an adult? The feelings would bubble up inside of her, with no release but her own tears of frustration.

But now, there was an outlet. Amy could picture herself beating the sense into Sonic herself as she landed skilled punches on his toned torso as his eyes would widen in surprise: that would be the day. Unfortunately, Sonic would probably not actually fight her, as he was very clear in stating that he would not fight girls, which was another sexist gesture that annoyed Amy.

"Sonic..."

Amy had arrived at the usual spot now, but there was no hedgehog to be found. Feeling betrayed, she decided to wait around a little bit longer. After all, Sonic hadn't really stated a time; but he was always here at this time in the morning. Amy made attempts to block the anger that bubbled up inside of her, but the dam finally burst as she found herself shouting out.

"Damn that Sonic!" She yelled to no one in particular as she balled her fists and smashed one against a tree. In her rage, the tree splintered against her fingertips as bits of wood flew through the air in every direction while Amy stood there panting. She continued to pulverize the poor victim without any mercy; in her mind, the tree was Sonic if she could see him right now.

But suddenly, Amy came to a halt. If she could see him right now, this problem wouldn't have arisen in the first place.

"Damn that hedgehog," she muttered, this time more hopeless.