_Chapter 7: I Am The Eggman_

Location: Rykan V

Target: Firo Phoenixlight, #9

"Cum on, li'l buddy! Ya ain't a feared are ya?" Firo Phoenixlight was attempting to coax a baby fire lizard out of its burrow. The small lizard squeaked in response. "I promise ya, your kind is as stubborn as the dragons of the olden days," he said with a sigh. "But ah also know yer weakness…" The orange-and-tan colored Lombax pulled out a fair sized red gem he had found out in the lava refineries. Unbeknownst to him, this gem was the fire Chaos Emerald.

The fire-lizard's eyes grew wide with interest as it stared intently at the gem. It was so sparkly. He had to have it!

"Ya 'wannit?" Firo said tauntingly. "Cum an' git it!" The small dragon-like creature lunged after the gem in Firo's hands, but Firo pulled his hands away, and the small lizard's momentum sent him out of his burrow and into the open. The fire-lizard shook himself and realized that he had been tricked. He shrieked in protest at Firo and snapped the Lombax's tail. "Yow!" Firo cried. "Oy! No bitten m'tail, got that, scally!" The lizard simply squeaked. Firo snorted in disgust as he put the gem back into zero-space.

Suddenly, Firo heard the fire-lizard shriek in fear and it disappeared back into its burrow. Firo sighed as he turned around, expecting to see one of the many robots that worked at the refineries. What he didn't expect to see was a pair of bright blue eyes staring straight at him. "Wut 'n tarnations-" Firo began.

Suddenly, the robot spoke. "Identify."

"Identify? Identify wut?" Firo asked with curiosity.

"Identify yourself," was all the robot said.

"Er…" Firo thought for a moment. "M'name's Firo. Wut're you? Yer certinly not a refin'ry bot…"

"Firo, Firo what?"

"Firo Phoenixlight, why ya askin'?"

Suddenly, another robot appeared behind him. "Target acquired," it said.

Firo spun around to see a second robot with red eyes. "Wut'n tarnations!" He yelled as he saw the robot's gun trained on him. His ears dropped as he picked up a sound from the first bot. Turning around, he saw that it was charging at him with a sledgehammer. He cowered, eyes wide. "Oh, dang!"

Just as the hammer was about to strike him, a voice yelled out, "Enough!" Both robots froze at the same time as the voice rang out. Firo looked up to see a fat man in an odd vehicle.

"I sed it bafor and I'll sey it again, I told ya'll that I'd have em out with'n the hour. Can't ya'll be paytent enuf fer dat?"

"I beg your pardon?" The fat man said.

"Wut d'ya means 'I beg yer pardon?'"

"I mean I have no idea what you are talking about," the man replied.

"Wut d'ya mean ya have no idear? Don't ya work fer- wait…ya don't work fer the refinners?"

"Not that I know of, Lombax."

"Oh. Sor 'bout that. Ah always got them workers on m'tail 'bout getting' the anm'ls out o' the work area," Firo explained. "And ya're…?"

"I am Doctor Eggman," the man said, introducing himself.

"Be thar sumthin ah kin 'elp ya with or kin ah git back to m'work?"

"Before you do…you said your name was Firo Phoenixlight, correct?"

"Yeah, wut of it?"

"Then I am afraid we cannot let you get back to your work, dear lad," Eggman said. "By the order of the Intergalactic Forces, we must place you under arrest."

"Aw, dang it!" Firo yelled. "What'd ah do dis time, eh? Is this 'bout them parkin' tickets? Ah told 'em, I wuz in an 'urry!"

"No, it is not."

"Then wut the hell d'ya need to 'rest m'fer?" The Lombax demanded.

"Well…" Eggman pulled out a pocket screen and showed it to Firo. "Do you recognize any of these names, boy?" Firo scanned the eight names that were on the screen.

Suddenly, his ears perked as he said, "Yer missin' un. Waer's Jomundar on th'list? 'e shood be thar."

"Jomundar has been…eradicated, I guess I should say," Eggman replied.

"M'cuz is daed?"

"…Yes."

"Well, I surpose this be m'lucky day! 'ow'd 'e die?"

"He…er…resisted arrest is the best way to put it."

"Oh, I gits it! The 'ole 'connected t' the for'st' thing, raght?"

"He burned to the ground," was the blunt reply.

"Ya killed 'im?"

"Will you be resisting arrest?" Eggman asked.

"Well…" Firo mused. "Cin ah at least git this li'l tike out o' here?"

"Fine with me. Just make it quick."

Firo revealed the fire chaos emerald from zero-space again and coaxed the fire-lizard out of its burrow. "May I see that young…uh…"

"Dracling. An' yes, ya kin." Firo handed the young Dracling to Eggman.

"Now if you will come with us please?"

"All right," Firo complied.

"Oh, and by the way, I am going to have to confiscate that crystal you have."

"Wut?!" Firo asked. "No. No way em ah letting ya 'ave me crys'al. Ah found it, so ah gets to keep it. It's fahnder's keepers."

"Actually, that gem you possess belongs to an ally of mine," Eggman said.

"Ya want it?" Firo asked holding the chaos emerald in his hand. "Cum'n git it!" Just then, something snatched the jewel from the Lombax's hand. "Oy! Give it back!" He was surprised to see that the Dracling was the one who took the emerald from him.

But said Dracling was different. It was three times its original size. And it was made of metal instead of the textiles that were the scales. Then it spoke to Firo, "Greetings, land-walker. I believe you are the one who was trying to catch me and roast me for dinner!"

"Wut did ya do to 'im?!" Firo yelled at Eggman.

"I have the ability to turn anything I want into a robot," Eggman replied. To the Dracling he said, "Now Egg-Pyro, give me the Chaos Emerald."

"Oh, no ya don't!" Firo shouted. "That there gem belongs to meh!" He charged at the group, focused on the Chaos Emerald. But what he didn't expect was for Egg-Pawn to appear out of nowhere and, using a sign, struck Firo, which, in turn, made the Lombax spin around in a daze. Then the small robot produced a lance and poked Firo on his tail.

"YOW!" Firo shrieked. "Oy! Watch th'tail! No buddy messes wi' me tail." Then Egg-Pawn jumped out of the way as Egg-Robo, now in flight, pulled out a gun and shot Firo's tail. Firo whined as such a sensitive nerve was hit. Then he stood and, staggering slightly, he said, "Be that all ya got?"

Then the two robots began to glow, and fused together, forming a giant version of Eggman. With Egg-Pyro, Eggman flew up and entered the ship. "Ooo, pretty!" Egg-Pyro said.

"Wut'n tarnations is that durn thang?" Firo asked. Too late, he where the robot's fist was aimed. "Uh-oh."

Eggman, with Chaos Emerald in hand, called Quark at the Planetary Defense Center on Kerwan. When the transmission was answered he said, "Mission accomplished; target acquired. We'll be there soon." He then hung up and looked at the fire Chaos Emerald proudly.

Ok, I had no idea what to do for part of it, so I just skipped it. Firo is pretty much illiterate. I'm feeling quite lazy since I had a week off for Thanksgiving. I can't wait til Christmas break. In all honesty, I can't wait til the 6th and 7th of December. I'm gonna be in the Christmas parade in my town with the rest of my dance school: Dance Studio 29.

Anyhow, enough of that. I do want to ask: what am I doing wrong?! Nobody is telling me what they think these past few chapters. Have I bored you? Oh, how brilliant of me!

I've been feeling very depressed lately...I'm lonely.

I have to do other things now.

Farewell.