Sonic's eyes lazily open, the sunlight of Saturday morning wishing him a good one. He rises from bed, rubbing his eyes. Swiftly noticing he wasn't quite sleeping on the floor, Or a couch or a chair, but in a bed. Ivo's nowhere around, at least not in his room.

Getting off the bed, he heads for the door, pushing it open.

"Good morning, Sonic." Telic greets him with her bright smile, the smell of pancakes behind her attracting the blue blur over. "Ivo's currently in the bathroom cleaning himself up for the day. I must say you slept quite a while!"

'Quite a while?' Most likely just an extra minute or two of sleep. Usually, he's an early bird when it comes to waking up and an absolute night owl when trying to sleep, wanting to expend the time he's awake to the fullest.

"How long did I sleep for?"

"About until 7 a.m."

'-Until 7 am?' A whole hour past when he usually does! Staying up until nearly 11 should've warned him of his extra hour of sleep. Ivo's bed reinforced the extra hour as well, a lot more comfortable to sleep in than the orphanage's beds, which neither had pillows nor blankets to ease the entry into dreaming.

Before he can say anything else, the heavenly smell of fresh pancakes moves from behind Ivo's mother to right beneath his nose. Quickly he digs into the pancake, letting the syrup help melt the rest into his mouth before reaching his stomach.

Ivo had only just caught the smell of pancakes in his nose while cleaning himself off from the shedding of dead skin cells with a warm shower, wishing he was half snake so all of the skin could shed off at once, no need to constantly pick at it or painfully wait for it to come off by itself.

With the prototype of the Motobug being finished, it'll surely win first place in the science fair. If it were for only looks. An invention without functionality can be presentable but not worth investing in if it's only a shell.

The question is, how would he get a test subject? He didn't have any kind of hamster or rabbit. A rat could work, but he'd rather not take the risk of it biting him and giving him some kind of disease, then getting scolded by both his father AND mother. A wild animal can have the same risk. He's sure nobody would lend a teenager an animal to use for testing an experimental machine.

But with science and engineering, there are always risks. Hell, even robotics has its own risks if artificial intelligence gained human intellect. Stepping out of the shower, he slides on his clothes. Readying himself for the day; the search for a subject suitable for testing the Motobug. Now out of the bathroom, he sees Sonic's already finished the pancakes; some syrup is stuck around his mouth, snagging the sweet, thick liquid with his tongue.

The soon-to-be historic inventor laughed a little to himself at the sight—who couldn't really? Right now, he needs absolute focus if he's going for first place. The pancake-filled Sonic on his side for it as well.

He wastes no time to explain; the prototype's completion drawing near.

"So- what's for today Ives?"

"For today we'll need to do a test run, make sure the prototype is in working order, and nothing.. explodes in our faces, to put it. For the test run we'll need to find an animal small enough to fit in it."

"Gotcha! I'll go find one then!" He speeds over to the door and out of it.

"Wh- I didn't say it'd only be YOU searching...!" Ivo shouts, hurriedly following Sonic, hearing his mother chuckle at the sight of his and Sonic's chemistry.

Rushing down the stairs of the apartment building rather than taking the elevator, he doesn't stand much of a chance against his speedy opponent despite being on the track team. It takes him eight more minutes for him to get down the stairs than Sonic.

He's thankful upon seeing him waiting at the entrance for him. "For a kid your age, I can't catch up to that speed."

"Maybe cause you're not a hedgehog?" He jokes.

"Very funny." He joins Sonic at the building's doors. "Anyways, let's get to searching. Don't get too far from me either, alright?"

"Like it'll be hard NOT to stay close!"

So, the two begin their endeavor, though searching for an animal test subject is by no means an easy feat, especially in a city of all places where humans are the most common you'll find. However, they have a good shot.

"The first place we should check is the park. We have a good chance of finding a squirrel we can use as a test subject. If not, we can check if we can find a rat or something else."

'To my dismay at least.' Ivo thinks. He'd prefer small mammals and not rodents, though scientists often use rats for experimentation. To him, it's better to get a more accurate test subject.

"Right with you, Ives! No possible test-dudes will outrun me!" Sonic grins, interested to see the prototype they made together in action. Potential realized; those bullies would start thinking twice about doubting Ivo once they see it on the move!

The two arrive at the park, and swiftly they begin their search. The speedy hedgehog searched every hiding spot a squirrel could be in.

'Behind a slide?' He jumps onto the end of the slide in the playground, his head upside-down, but no fuzzy, little body greets him behind it.

'Hiding beneath a bench?' He speeds over to a nearby bench, crawling under it. He does find something: a soda can someone dropped carelessly without consideration for the environment.

'Bet one of those jerks left it here. Sheesh!' Even he cleaned up after himself.

'Oh-! Maybe sitting on a tree? He speeds over to a tree, hearing skittering from above.

"Aha! Found you!" He leaps to grab onto the squirrel, but his reach spread too thin to graze even the branch. He looks at the trunk of the tree, grabbing it with both of his hands, trying to get his footing on the trunk. Crudely, he climbs the tree with determination.

Nearing the branch, he snatches it, swinging himself up onto the thin surface supporting his weight. "Heh! This game of tag's too easy!"

Looking up he spots the fuzzy body: a long, grey tail with fur sticking out at every end. A grey squirrel crunching away at a nut. Slowly his arm stretches outward, the breeze barely disturbing it.

"C'mere you..!"

-The squirrel swiftly skitters farther down the branch, leaping to another. "Alright fuzzball, game on!"

The squirrel and blue mobian dance in the branches, leaps of faith bringing early fall to leaves, each branch supporting less the farther they grow away from the base of their game..

The squirrel's snatched by the hedgehog! "I win! Not as fast as you thought you were, huh fuzzball?"

Crrrunnnchhh...!
"..Uh.. Say, you know how to get down fast by chance—?" He looks down, only to see the inevitable occur:

SNAP!
The branch breaks, gravity sending the two dancers in the tree hurling downward to smash them into the ground; Sonic couldn't even process his own scream—

Yet.. he didn't become a hedgehog pancake?

No, he wasn't a pancake. He's a ball curled up from fear in the arms of his best friend, Ivo Robotnik.

"Sonic! You need to be more careful; you could've gotten seriously hurt!" He reprimands Sonic. Earlier, he was looking around for a squirrel or other small animal for the prototype when he heard the hedgehog screaming bloody murder.

"And I told you to stay close to me!"

"Sorry Ives.. Buttttt- I did get a squirrel!" Sonic holds up the squirrel in his hand, squirming about to escape his grasp. "Told ya, no possible test dudes will outrun me!"

"I'm glad you found one, but it still doesn't excuse it. Just please, be more careful, and don't get yourself in a tree again. You're not a bird OR a squirrel."

"Got it, Ives. You can put me d-" But before he could finish, two personnel taking care of the park approached them with unkind eyes.

Ivo and Sonic spin around, hearing their heavy footsteps. The two's words syncing into one. "..Oh dear."

The two were now standing outside of the park a moment later, one of the personnel checking the squirrel to make sure it wasn't hurt. "You kids can't just grab a wild animal and take it with you for a science project. If you really want to test it, go get an adult to do it.

"But we need that little guy for testing, sir!" The little hedgehog tries begging.

"That animal is not your damn test subject! What kind of morals do you Mobians have...?" The personnel scoffs at the disgusting rat before him, kneeling to his height. "Why don't you shoo and go back to your damn mouse hole.." He spits at the ground in front of the hedgehog before standing up and heading back into the park.

"Hey! I'm not a mouse! Jerk.." Sonic crosses his arms. "If I was taller I'd tell him off!"

"There isn't much we can do about it." Ivo pats Sonic's head. "He's just doing his job, even if he's going about it in a rude way. But eventually he'll start regretting being rude to us. "

"Hehe, all the jerks in the world won't mess with us! We're the two coolest bestest-friends in the world, and once we're known they won't be able to do nuffin' about it!" He proudly puts his hands on his sides, imagining himself and Ivo on top of the whole world for everyone to see, for everyone to say 'Oh shoot, we shouldn't have doubted these guys!'

Ivo chuckles. The optimism of the hedgehog may be smallpox. Optipox, he could call it. Either way, he playfully rubs Sonic's head. "Oh, I know they'll have their tails between their legs when they see any other underdogs even remotely similar to us."

"Underdogs?"

"Mhm. It means the person or people don't fit in. No place in society; thought of as unsuccessful. But in reality, they can't see what they're really looking at past the present."

"Well, we'll be the coolest underdogs!"

The two continue their search for a test subject. The bright sun moving across the sky into the afternoon.

Though they searched every nook and every small little crevice, no potential showed itself. Even the birds strayed too high on wires, too high on weak branches. Those who burrowed laid too low in their dens.

Their backs slumped over, exhausted from searching.

"Sheesh, even being the fastest thing alive, we still haven't found nuffin!" Sonic's eyes wander; he didn't expect the task to be this difficult in just downtown.

"Frustrating, I can agree." Ivo takes quick glances around, wondering if the prototype will even move an inch at the science fair.

-? The two pairs of ears catch the sound of something. It sounds like sniffing. Whimpering?

Ivo spins to the sound. "It's coming from the alleyway we just passed by."

"Let's check it out!" Sonic spins around, backtracking and making a U-turn into the alley, with Ivo following shortly behind.

Within the alley, there are stains of an iconic red creating a trail down the alley, winding around until finally ending at an injured rabbit. The rabbit didn't look like any species either of the two were familiar with: a small body with a larger head; ears about as long as two pencils; large feet yet small hands; and from behind, a large, fluffy tail colored a faint light blue. The rest of its body has a similar bluish color besides the white of the chin, belly, toes, and hands.

The cartoonish rabbit stares at the left leg, the fur around it stained with some small bits of blood.

Sonic appears next to the hurt animal. "Youch- you okay, little buddy?"

The rabbit scurries away from Sonic, or at least tries to, as the pain worsens. Ivo walks over, scooping up the poor animal. "Easy... Now what happened to your leg?" He carefully takes a closer look, taking the leg and moving it over. He maneuvers around the fur, revealing a small snake bite inflicted on the left leg.

"A small snake bite, but it doesn't seem poisonous."
'Should be able to heal okay. However, I can't waste this opportunity. Let alone when the conditions replicate the independent variable!'

"Sonic, I believe we've found our test subject after all!" Ivo turns to the exit of the alleyway; he couldn't wait to see the prototype in action!

"-Huh? We did?"
It took a second for him to realize what Ivo meant: the strange, injured rabbit they've found IS their test subject. He's happy they've finally found one, of course. Yet:

"Are you sure?" He questions Ivo.

"Sure about what?"

"Well, I mean- if the little dude's hurt, then shouldn't we help 'em out instead of using them for the Motobug? I'm not saying I don't think it WONT help until he gets better, but..."

"Sonic." Ivo interrupts before Sonic could continue further, kneeling down to the hedgehog's level and giving a comforting pat on the head. "I'm going to stop you right there, alright?"

"I created the Motobug to help those in need, when they're not at their best, when they're in need of help to get back on their legs." He looks at the rabbit in his arms before continuing:

"If it gives a better chance for them to recover, to defend themselves from the harsh environment, and give their numbers a break from declining using an exoskeleton stronger than any shells or skin, they can keep climbing the hill back up until they're stable. We can protect them!"

"And protecting them starts by making sure the Motobug can protect this little one here in my arms."

"Are you clear of the doubt now?" He asks, giving Sonic a moment to process.

"Yeah. Yeah-! We'll protect those in need; no bad guys will ever stand in the way of it!" He nods, excitement flowing through his quills like they're lightning rods catching even the smallest bits of thunder. Excitement isn't the only thing; admiration for the speech runs around his head too. Hearing Ivo's passionate fire's got his wild as well!

"There's the spirit! Now, let's get going. We have a lot of work to do!" Ivo stands back up, carrying the injured rabbit out of the alleyway. Happy to see Sonic skipping and imagining the world at their fingertips.

'..The world at our fingertips..'
'I'll make sure of it. We'll have it in the palms of our hands, with no one to oppose. They'll be too intimidated or too stupid to try. And if they did..'

'I'll make them sorry for it.'

The two boys arrive back at the apartment, heading up the elevator to Ivo's apartment. As it was rather late by the time they got back, Ivo wouldn't have to worry about his mother or father finding out about the rabbit; if they did, things wouldn't be pretty. His father the most, especially if he had a case go out of his favor.

"Can you wait in my room for a bit Sonic? I'll see if I can fix up our new friend's leg before we start testing the Motobug."

"Sure thing Ives!" Sonic dashes into Ivo's room, hopping onto Ivo's bed and sitting patiently while Ivo heads into the bathroom to fix up the rabbit's leg. While waiting, Sonic watches the Motobug, wondering what it'll look like in practice.

'Those jerks will be jealous for sure! as soon as they see the Motobug, they'll be sorry for thinking Ives and I are underdogs!' He sways his feet up and down, hoping Ivo would finish soon so he could finally watch potential turn into kinetic energy!

Ivo returns to the room after about three minutes, carrying the now-treated rabbit. "Alright, we've got everything we need. Sonic, open the hatch on the back of the Motobug for me."

"Got it!" Sonic gets off the bed, walking over to the Motobug. Putting his fingers under the opening, he lifts open the hatch. Ivo puts the harness he made for the neural transmitter onto the rabbit, being careful not to touch the healing leg. "This is it.."

He walks over to the opened hatch of the Motobug, gently extending his arms while holding the rabbit to gesture it inside. The rabbit sniffed around before lightly hopping inside.

"Let's see if our efforts pay off." Ivo closes the hatch.

The stillness of the room anticipates the first sign of the prototype's success, anticipating for an eternity almost. Sonic's foot taps to ease the silence, second-guessing himself on whether the exoskeleton was going to work.

-Vroooom? The exoskeleton inches forward. Slowly making a left U-turn over to the two and weaving around them before starting to circle the room.

"-it works.. It really works!" Ivo's arms shoot up into the air. "IT WORKS! HAHA, I'M A GENIUS!" He excitedly scoops up Sonic, lifting him into the air laughing for joy. "WE'RE GENIUSES!"

Ivo spins around in place with Sonic, the two of them both jumping for joy, laughing happily. "Those jerks will be sorry now Ives! We're the coolest underdogs around!"

Oh, we'll be the coolest underdogs alright—no, we're more than underdogs now! Anyone who's dumb enough to underestimate me is an underdog!"

The duo spins around together in ecstasy for a while longer before embracing. Ivo looks to the Motobug—

"..Uh.. Ives? Where'd the Motobug go?" Sonic looks around as well, noticing the absence of the critter in the exoskeleton. However, his and Ivo's concern is swiftly addressed upon the sound of something vrooming around the floor.

Sonic gets out of Ivo's arms, speeding to the vrooming sound, spotting the Motobug heading for the stairs down the apartment! Ivo quickly joining Sonic.

"Snatch the Motobug and distract it long enough so I can get the rabbit out of the exoskeleton—preferably before something happens to both of them!"

"I'm on the chase, Ives!" Sonic dashes after the Motobug and down the stairs, Ivo running behind him. 'This is why a GPS chip should always be top priority...!'

Sonic races down flights of stairs, curling into a hedgeball to further increase his momentum down to the last flight, bursting out the doors of the apartment building untucked. His head spins, chasing after the Motobug. He could catch up fast with his speed, but he could just as easily lose sight of the thing if he goes too fast; he needs to corner it somehow.

He zigzags around civilians taking midnight walks, some ending abruptly stopped. "SORRY- IN THE MIDDLE OF AN IMPORTANT MISSION!" He yells to some he runs through unintentionally, being met back with some "HEY! WATCH WHERE-", he can't be bothered to listen; he needs to focus on his sight!

Racing through the streets, crossing mostly empty roads with only the occasional vehicle, he keeps his eyes locked on the Motobug, catching up to it in an alleyway as it takes a fast right turn. Sonic exits the alleyway only to see the Motobug go through an opening in a fence, heading into a large building with large "boxes" outside and around the building and what looks like more big boxes inside through an open crack in a large door on the side of the building. Some people seemed to be keeping watch over the place as well.

But as Sonic was about to follow the Motobug, he's met with a yell from behind him: "Sonic!"

He turns around, seeing Ivo head up to him while catching his breath. "Give me a minute-" He takes a deep breath, taking his hands off his knees and standing straight. "Which way did it go?"

"It went through that hole in the fence over there." Sonic points. "And then into the big building surrounded by that fence!"

Ivo looks around, seeing some shadowy figures walking around the warehouse, which he was able to spot thanks to the flashlights they were using. Just barely, he could spot a certain logo on their shoulders. Only confirmed more by a small banner attached to the fence, over by what seems like the front gate to the warehouse: A spiky, white outline meets a dark circle, and within it are red and blue; within the blue is an iconic white G.

None other than the logo of G.U.N. He never knew much about them; the most he knows is from his father and his Grandfather..

He shakes off the memory. "Going in there after the Motobug isn't simple. "

"Why not? I can go in super-fast and get out!"

"Do you see those people with flashlights walking around the warehouse, where things are stored in boxes you see now?" He goes behind a large crate, peeking from behind it.

Sonic joins him. "Uhuh.. what about them?"

"Those people don't want anyone else entering the place. Otherwise, bad things will happen to them for entering somewhere they're not supposed to. They are there to keep us and others out. You can't just run in and expect to be fine!"

"Isn't there anything else we can do? I bet I could sneak in without getting spotted! If I'm good at hide and seek, I can do it!" He gets on top of a smaller crate next to the large crate, climbing on top of the large crate.

Ivo contemplates the idea. He doesn't want to put his best friend in danger, but without the Motobug, he'll lose his chance to finally show the world what he can do. To show the world he's someone they can't ignore or get in the way of. In this very case, he doesn't have much of any other choice.

"If you're really sure about it. But be careful, and if any of them see you, get out of there immediately. I wouldn't blame you if you get scared or overwhelmed by it all."

"I'll be fine, Ives. Just leave it to me!" Sonic winks, jumping over the fence easily thanks to the added height from the large crate he stood on.

The small hedgehog takes a look around, multiple boxes are scattered around, along with the people with flashlights wandering, checking for anyone who isn't supposed to be here. 'Too bad they won't be finding anyone this time!' He spots some boxes closer to the warehouse he can hide behind, speeding over to them.

"What the-?!" A flashlight shoots towards the noise, pointing at the boxes Sonic is now behind. He doesn't make a peep, hearing footsteps slowly approach along with a clicking noise before abruptly stopping.

"...Maybe I'm just paranoid and started seeing things." The flashlight slowly turns around, with footsteps becoming distant. 'Too close.. I need to be REALLY quiet. Plus, stay invisible in pitch-blackness.'

He looks around, spotting some more boxes nearby. However, there are two people with flashlights in the vicinity. He quietly taps his foot, waiting for them to continue onward to a different part of the enclosed outdoor space so he's not seen or heard. It's nearly an eternity before finally, he sees them leave and speeds over to the next boxes, of which one is open.

It takes a bit for him to get decently close to the entrance of the warehouse. 'I don't see any boxes I can hide behind. Two dudes that'll DEFINITELY spot me, unless..' An idea pops into his mind. It may be stupid, but it may work. Cautiously, he backtracks, getting back to the open box and looking inside. The contents seemed to be a bunch of spheres with squares on them, which he removes. His plan: use the box as cover. Flipping over the box once its contents are spilled, he takes the featherlight box, maneuvering back to where he was. Putting the box over himself, he slowly approaches the entrance.

As he gets closer, he spots light coming towards him and immediately stops. The light flickers on and off, confusing him slightly until he overhears a conversation:

"..Hey dude, was this box here before?" One asks.

"Don't remember. Also, Jerry, your flashlight's been on FLASH for five minutes. If you don't change it, the higher-up is going to be peeved with you."

"I don't know how," 'Jerry' replies.

"Press the goddamn button on the top."

The flickering stops, the light now stays. "Oh. I didn't see that button; I thought it was a decorative bump."

Sonic hears what sounds like a facepalm along with a muffled word. 'Dumb..ass?' He doesn't know what it means, but he continues onward into the warehouse regardless, while the two people are busy with themselves. He bumps into something, removing the box, and sees the warehouse void of the flashlight-wielding people. 'Alright! Now I just need to find the Motobug.'

He looks around, checking behind boxes, even climbing up higher to get a better view. Some were even labeled with strange words.

Grenades.
Scopes.
Rifles.
Shotguns.
Night-Vision Goggles.

Maybe the last one he can guess better than the others.

Continuing the search, he eventually stops. "Man.. this is hard when there's so many places little buddy could hide.." He flicks his ears, trying to listen for any hint of the Motobug and the rabbit.

VVrrrrroooommmmm. His ear flicks at the sound coming from his left. Turning around, he heads towards the noise, entering a pretty open space within the warehouse. Spotting the Motobug "Hey little buddy, it's me! I'm here to get you out of here and somewhere safer, okay?" He approaches, the Motobug backing away a little, the eyes emoting fear. "It's okay. I'm not here to hurt ya! I'm here to get you out of here and somewhere more your style, alright?"

The Motobug sits still for a minute before slowly approaching Sonic. Before, it had barely known its saviors. When it had been put inside the Motobug, it was scared and confused, which is why it must've ran away. A quiet, yet friendly "Eek!" noise comes from within the Motobug, circling Sonic before trying to nuzzle him, now understanding the assistance given to it isn't malicious.

"You know, you're pretty good at using the Motobug, hopping from place to place in it pretty fast without even a bit of practice!"

"-Hm.. hopping from place to place.. Say, instead of calling you little buddy, how about I call you Hops?"

Hops from within the Motobug gives more friendly eeks, happily accepting the name. Sonic smiles, but before he gets time to think more, the corner of his eye spots light. Not just one flashlight, but a lot of them.

"-Oh shoot..-!"

Sonic looks around frantically, searching for somewhere to hide. Hops vrooms over to some crates, a concerned eek sounds calling over the blue hedgehog. The two hide behind the crates as a bunch of flashlights look around the area, two pointing at the very place they're hiding behind, approaching the hidden duo. He doesn't dare move, nor does Hops dare make an eek.

"Man, things have been hectic back at Mobius.. Glad I got stationed here instead."

"Hectic how, exactly?" Another person asks.

"Well, there's been some problems at the southwestern portion with a bunch of towns being raided by, get this, Centaurs. Well, more like half-horse, half-Mobian centaurs, and not the regular ones. The Sirenals and G.U.N have tried getting involved to keep the peace, but even with their medieval weaponry, they definitely have superior strategies."

"And meanwhile, there's been tension between the Ichoral and Peirostrider tribes due to fishing boats entering Ichoral territory. Some even stole water mines to place them around their territory to keep the boats out. At the very least, the Windcallers seem to be out of the drama at least."

"Sheesh, that's a lot of crap happening over there."

"I agree. Say, what about the human settlements?"

"Oh, human settlements are fine. But I won't say they're not chaotic; even after all this time since we discovered Mobius, humans and mobians are still getting used to living with each other. I remember one day a fight broke out on the streets over someone calling a Mobian free-"

A clang is heard; one of the people must've dropped something. Causing Hops to eek from surprise, the flashlights all turning to the crates Sonic and Hops are hiding behind, except the one that was dropped. "Hey, it's okay; just be quiet!" Sonic whispers to Hops, trying to reassure the Motobug while at the same time worrying he'll be caught.

"The hell was that?"

"Sounded like a squeak.. Must've scared a mouse or something."

"I thought I heard whispering."

Sonic sits still, even shaking a little, as he hears the footsteps stop in front of the crates. He can see the shadows of the people on the wall holding rectangles with squares attached at their bottoms plus a rectangle on top attached to another rectangle.

A strange, staticky noise is heard. "All units on the premises keep an eye out for any unusual activity. There may be trespassers trying to steal G.U.N property. I repeat, keep an eye out for unusual activity. There may be an attempted theft in progress."

The flashlights thankfully turn around, leaving after a minute or two. Sonic and Hops sit there, until finally the footsteps are mute. "Too close.. We better get out of here." Sonic comes out of hiding, walking back to the entrance of the warehouse with quiet vrooms following him. However, when the two reach the entrance, many more flashlights are seen looking around every nook and cranny, the open box he used earlier to sneak by is now absent with two guards examining the contents. "Someone emptied the grenades out but didn't steal them. Weird." One of them notes.

"There's too many out here.. no way we can get out this way! Where else can we go?"

Hops makes another eek, heading back into the warehouse with a turn. "You know somewhere, Hops?"

Sonic follows Hops through the warehouse, squeezing between two boxes, and over to what looks like a small opening in the wall. Someone must've tried to get in before to steal "G.U.N property", whatever it is. Hops fits through the hole fine, Sonic going next as he carefully crawls through the small opening, nearly cutting one of his spines from a sharp edge above him.

Getting up, he follows Hops over to an opening in the fence, either a second entrance or exit, hurrying as he spots more flashlights coming their way. Hops gets through, but as Sonic is about to get through, he hears yelling:

"HEY- I THINK THERE'S SOMEONE HERE!"

The hedgehog's adrenaline kicks in, speeding straight through, grabbing onto the Motobug, in a way riding it, as the two speed off before they're caught, making a left turn going through an alley onto the nearby street with the sounds of "pops" following behind them, becoming distant as they get out of range.

"Whew.. That was one tense game of hide-and-seek!" Sonic sighs of relief, letting go of Hops. Even his legs are trembling from the adrenaline rush; Ivo wasn't kidding when he mentioned those people were there to keep other people out. 'Speaking of which...'

Ivo runs roughly in the direction where he saw the Motobug and Sonic speed by. He was worried for the two, but as soon as he heard the gunshots, he tensed. But seeing his best friend all right eases his nerves, and he scoops up the trembling hedgehog. "I shouldn't have sent you in there to get the Motobug back. If I had known, I would've-"

"Hey, Ives, I'm okay! Sides those guys sucked at the seeking part. They didn't even get close to seeing me!" He lightens the mood, smiling. But, uh, maybeeeee we don't do that again..?"

"I'll make sure of it. Now, let me get the rabbit out of the Motobug and we can head back."

"Oh- right! Ives, you don't have to call 'em rabbit. The name's now Hops!"

Hops circles around the two in the Motobug, making happy eeks. "He even helped out with the escaping part!"

"I see. Well, I call this a resounding success! From within the exoskeleton, Hops has proven it'll be a great tool to help others, like him or not. Now, let's get back to the apartment and get some sleep. After all, tomorrow we have a much larger day ahead of us."

"Right!"

The trio begins their way back, walking through the night streets. Ivo never really walked the streets at night, but he knows them like the back of his hand. Soon enough, Sonic falls asleep in his best friend's arms, which are warm despite the temperature outside; even the happy eeks from Hops grow tiresome even within the Motobug, all the same putting him to sleep.

Finally, they arrive at the apartment around 11 p.m., taking the elevator up. Ivo's thoughts wander as he sits in the elevator with Hops next to his legs and Sonic in his arms. He can just imagine what the science fair will be like:

'—And the first-place prize goes to.. Ivo Robotnik, the incredible inventor of the Motobug! And furthermore, he will be receiving the incredible opportunity to mass-produce his invention, an entire series even, to help endangered species in need of protection from poachers, even in their hostile environments, to protect the biodiversity of our beautiful planet! Ivo Robotnik, is there anything you'd like to say?'

Yes, of course! I'm happy to have gotten this opportunity and succeeded. Before, I was nobody, beaten on the street by those who doubted me. But here I am now, standing tall and proud of this accomplishment! Following in my grandfather's footsteps is a dream for me, but I suppose I cannot say dream now, can I? It is the truth!'

Ivo smiles from his thoughts, not paying as much attention to the world around him as before. No, this is different. At long last, he'll get the opportunity he DESERVES..

Walking over to his bedroom and opening the door, he places Sonic next to the pillow on his bed. He turns to Hops, opening up the hatch of the Motobug. Hops 'hops' out of the Motobug, jumping onto the bed and snuggling up with the blue hedgehog. Ivo puts the Motobug at the end of the bed before heading to get himself ready for bed as well.

'Ivo, we're so sorry for thinking you were a useless nerd! We understand now that we shouldn't have underestimated you or that blue ra- hedgehog. Can you please forgive us? We'd love to be friends with you!'

'You're here to beg me for forgiveness after all you've done? I can let it go, but I'm afraid being friends isn't possible. I'd never be friends with idiots who doubt true talent; now make like scared hounds and scram.'

He exits the bathroom, changing his clothes and gets into bed, putting the blanket over himself and looking at the ceiling.

'Son, you make me so proud.. I am sorry I tried to force you to be something you aren't at all. You're no lawyer; you're a lifesaver. Following your grandfather's footsteps is an incredible feat that I thought you'd never reach, but here you are with that friend of yours by your side, leading science to new heights!'

'Thank you, Father. I didn't think you would even come around, if I'm honest!'

'Oooh, I have an idea! Ives, do you think we can head to a café with your dad? It'd be so cool!'

'That's a wonderful idea, Sonic. Dad, would you like to?'

'I agree, son, it's a wonderful idea. Let's go, and we'll toast to new horizons.'

Closing his eyes, his subconscious slowly takes the reins, hearing the snores of Sonic and Hops fade.

'I will make myself known to the world.'
'Those pipedreams won't be pipedreams anymore; they'll be as real as the sun's rays hitting the earth giving it life.'

"..We'll be the greatest.." He mumbles, finally falling asleep himself along with his best friend and one new friend.

Tomorrow will be no other day. It will be a day that will change their lives permanently. If only they knew how much would change on the fateful day ahead.

The fateful day their paths would diverge from one to two.