Chapter 105: Reverse
After Sonic defeated Zeena and Zor a second time inside a multi-roomed chamber that was filling up with lava, he found Zavok further down. While Zavok threw flaming energy blasts, Sonic dodged them easily and hit Zavok several times with the Homing Attack. Eventually, Zavok was knocked out and fell into the lava. Sonic watched him fall, but was amazed when Zavok suddenly emerged from the lava now several times larger than before.
"You thought I was dead, didn't you, Sonic?" Zavok roared tauntingly as Sonic made his way up higher on floating platforms. "Now you'll have to face my true wrath, hedgehog boy!"
As Zavok breathed fire from his mouth, Sonic noticed several explosives on the platforms and kicked them off the side. They hit Zavok and exploded, but that didn't entirely stop him from climbing upward. So Sonic continued throwing explosives down on Zavok till he eventually lost his grip and fell toward the lava down below. But before he actually hit the lava, Zavok was saved at the last minute by Tails who longer had any robotic parts on his body whatsoever.
"Tails!" Sonic said joining up with him outside the lava chamber with Zeena, Zor, and now Zavok who were all unconscious. "You're no longer look like a cyborg. How did you do that?"
"I found tools inside the lab where they roboticized Miles and used them to remove the robot parts from this body," Tails said. "Now if you be so kind as to help me carry our friends to the lab, I found the perfect place to put them for now."
"Okay," Sonic said as he picked up Zavok and Zeena's horns. "What about Zazz, Zomom, and Master Zik?"
"Oh, I got them into the lab while you were busy fighting these guys," Tails said picking up Zor and flying with him.
Inside the lab, which was a white room that was mostly in shadow except for a few lights that showed a machine, an operating table, and the container that was used to trap Miles. Now, the container was occupied by the members of the Deadly Six who were all unconscious and had returned to their human forms as well. Once this was done, Sonic and Tails sealed up the container and explored the fortress till they found the machine Cubot's projector showed.
"All right, time to shut this thing down," Tails said and strolled up to the control panel. But when he got to it, he exclaimed, "Huh?"
"What is it?" Sonic asked.
"It's already shut off," Tails said.
"Who could've done that?" Sonic wondered.
A series of maniacal laughs erupted, followed by a giant mech appearing from the lava pit below with tubes coming from its back that connected to the giant vat of green liquid. The one who was piloting this robot was none other than Dr. Eggman and sitting beside him were Orbot and Cubot with their heads still conjoined.
"Surprised?" Eggman said sarcastically.
"I saw you die!" Sonic exclaimed.
"Well, you should've checked before assuming," Eggman replied. "I meant to fall off that bridge to make you think I was dead so that I could have time to power my new robot using some of the planet's energy that I had already collected."
"And take out the Zeti for you," Sonic said, then he looked at Tails. "I guess Sonny should've listened to your host."
"Miles says he's forgiven Sonny," Tails responded. "Now go and kick Eggman's butt!"
"Sure thing!" Sonic said and flew toward Eggman's robot.
In turn, Eggman's robot retreated down a long walkway that was surrounded by lava on both sides. As Eggman threw lasers and flying robot hands, Sonic in turn retaliated by hitting the robot's weak points with several Homing Attacks at once. This in turn resulted in Eggman's robot flailing down the walkway, but he managed to get back up. During the next round, Eggman's lasers and flying robot hands got faster, but Sonic managed to outmaneuver them the same. Then after a final Homing Attack, Eggman's robot toppled over and blew up on the walkway. Eggman emerged from the robot unscathed along with Orbot and Cubot.
"I'll be back, Sonic!" Eggman said as a jetpack emerged from his jacket. "You may have defeated the Zeti, but they will be mine again someday and I'll make them stronger than before!"
So Eggman took off while Orbot and Cubot held onto one of his legs for dear life. In response, Sonic jumped into the air and snatched the jetpack's exhaust pipe right behind Eggman's back. As a result, the jetpack started losing altitude and then Eggman and the bots flew off the Lost Hex's surface.
"Was that really necessary?" Tails asked as he stepped up to the control panel.
"He'll be fine," Sonic said as he transformed back into Sonny. "Eggman's too stubborn to die, so I'm sure he has a plan to catch himself."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Tails said pushing several buttons on the control panel. "I'm now reprogramming Eggman's machine to return all the stolen energy back to the planet."
"How long will that take?" Sonny asked.
"Just finishing the final touches," Tails said and pulled down a big red lever that was pulled up downward. "And now, Mobius, here's all your energy back!"
The vat of green liquid drained quickly as the hose-like object sprayed green mist that sank to the planet below, causing what seemed to be a now barren waist-land to become green once more. Satisfied, Sonny and Miles went back into the fortress, found the missing kids, and led them all the way back to the Tornado-1. There, everyone got onto the plane's wings and tail while Miles piloted the biplane in a gentle downward spiral back to Mobius. Once they reached the grassy field where Amelia and Chuck were waiting for them, they landed the biplane and allowed the kids to get off. While Sonny and Miles joined up with Amelia and Chuck to tell them all about their adventures on the Lost Hex, the kids rejoined their friends and the parents who were there to greet them.
To be continued…