Ahhh nothing more refreshing than waking up in the blistering 64 degree weather with the fan on all night on low settings to save energy because of all this inflation going on and the heat belt causing everyone to 'no u' their central AC systems while I have mine shut off to save more on energy bills lawl.

Anyway here's another one and personally, I had a lot of fun doing this one that I kept going and going all in one sitting. I didn't make it too long but the stuff in it I'm actually proud of hehe, but let me know what you think! Hope you enjoy as well! ^u^

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or locations. They belong to Sega.

Chapter 11: The Encounter II

Night was present within an unknown planet. The funny thing about this planet was that it was primarily composed of an odd plant. A very odd plant which didn't even look like a plant yet it was part of the fauna family. A distinctive species of plant in the end but at the same time, still odd.

On the ground next to these strange looking plants laid a man.

This man was strange in many ways. Bald head, incredibly large mustache, unkempt clothing, and a really exaggerated expression. Based on said expression it looked like he was in pain, the cause of it unknown yet one of the reasons behind it would be the very large contraption in front of him composed of the plants around him. It was odd for him to build something like that for an unknown purpose, but by the looks of how he laid on the ground the contraption may have either backfired or done its thing.

A portal suddenly appeared before him, a bright light coming from within.

A sharp spear poked out of it, followed by three mysterious beings that scanned the area for any signs of life. The head of the trio noticed the man on the ground and tilted its head in curiosity, bending down for a closer look. Poking its spear next to the man's shirt it then noticed a glowing blue quill in his hand. The being slowly reached its hand towards it.

Not noticing the man's eyes instantly opening.

"Greetings!"

The being backed away in shock as the man pulled on a tarp of grass. A giant mushroom slams down alarming the trio. The leader of the trio unexpectedly stepped into a rope trap and was catapulted into the distance, their screams echoing away.

"Klatuu Barata Nikto!" the man shouts at them. The other being looks at the man who kicks a mushroom, causing a stem to slam into the former and sending it flying away. The last being raised its spear to reveal red blades on it, swinging it expertly to intimidate the man yet remained unfazed. The man then did something with his hand and raised it to his ear.

"Agent Stone? Now."

Suddenly fire comes out of the contraption and burns a rope connected to a makeshift catapult that held a rock shaped like a face, sending said rock flying and hitting the being in the face and knocking them out.

The man gets up and looks at the portal in glee. "Thank you Stone! It's time to say goodbye to this…" the man inhales deeply. "…piece of shiitake planet!"

Weirdly enough he brought the quill next to his mouth and licked it, blue electricity going towards his taste organ and shocking him yet he smiled unfazed. Making a beeline for the portal he watched it get closer, the largest and weirdest grin on his face apparent. Just as he was about to go in…

Another silhouette appears.

The man gasps and stops falling on his back, seeing the creature's hand come out of it which was basically a white gloved hand with twin spikes on it. The creature was fully revealed afterward, crimson fur covering its entire body with violet eyes glaring at the man and suddenly the purple orbs slowly turned into a glowing red color. The being walked up to the man and noticed the quill in his hand.

"Where did you get that?" the creature said angrily. The man looks at the quill and swiftly raises it up in between them.

"From a little blue menace on the planet called Earth." the man answered. The creature looked at him sternly, yet the man was unfazed since his grin widened. "I'd be happy to show you the way."

…

…

…

"No, it can't be… you were destroyed… then that means… Eggman isn't…"

Knuckles watched the hovering robot in shock. Memories suddenly going through his head on this particular invention coming from the evil genius he faced before. It was different compared to the ones he normally makes, and Knuckles knew this was one stronger than them.

He knew because he was part of the group that took it down before.

Except it was under different circumstances that gave him chills just thinking about it. To see it come back and rush through his head was nerve-wracking for the echidna, its glowing eyes staring at him ominously.

However he knew he had to face it again for it was terrorizing the town he lived in. Even though he technically lived in the Shinjin Shrine just further up in the mountains, he still considers all of Chun-nan his home. Even though a fragment of his past thought to be buried was suddenly brought back, he will still defend the kind people he got to know over the years.

The people that accepted him. The people that liked him for who he is. The people that gave him warm greetings and smiles whenever he returned from his missions. The people that said goodbye whenever he left.

The people that made him one of their own… and to see them being attacked and run out of their homes.

Infuriated him.

Knuckles clenched his sharp teeth in rage, raising his fists while glaring at the robots. "You don't mess with my home. I'll make sure to bury you back where you belong!"

The robots with the weapons all beeped once, aiming their guns at the red echidna. The one that hovered remained silent, yet suddenly its red eyes turned an ominous purple. The other aspect of it were the sharp tip of missiles coming out of the twin compartments it had on its round back.

…

…

WHOOSH!

Knuckles was the first to dash forward, appearing as a red streak running at breakneck speeds.

The robots reacted accordingly, firing their weapons directly at him.

However he expertly dodged all the lasers and bullets thrown at him, getting closer to the first of the robots. The one closest to him turned its head quickly and in less than a millisecond had the muzzle of the gun pointed directly at Knuckles' face.

Instantly Knuckles vanished in a flash of light.

Reappearing behind said robot and smashing a glowing yellow fist through it.

All the robots minus the hovering one charged at him immediately, some of their weapons turning into staffs, swords and clubs for close combat.

It was a big mistake on their part however as Knuckles excelled highly in close combat.

Violet eyes felt the incoming force of a spiked mace heading towards him. He jumped backwards at the last second and grabbed the head of the robot, the red echidna's incredible strength lifting it and throwing it towards several other robots coming after it.

SMASH!

A successful hit seeing as the ones caught by the thrown robot sped quickly away and collided into a nearby building, smoke and ash rising to meet the others in the air from the other buildings that are being attacked.

Knuckles teleported once again, appearing behind another and did the same to the first with punching through it using immense force. A robot bearing a sword swung at him from the side, but Knuckles was ready and caught it with his other hand. He then pulled at it instantly and seeing that robot get close did he react and curled his hand into a fist, the robot's face demolished by the incredible impact.

He jumped away at two that rushed at him, the duo using jet boosters to increase their speed. Knuckles grinned and rushed at them as well, a series of punches and kicks meeting metal becoming apparent. It happened so fast that they were considered blurs to the naked eye, sounds of clinks and smashes being heard in the air. Shockwaves and tremors radiated the surroundings from how destructive the fight was, causing several windows to break instantly and the ground to start forming cracks.

The first of the two robots were pummeled into the ground, Knuckles flanking it from above with an overhead kick. A crater formed below it which resonated seismic quakes across the pavement, making more cracks appear. The other robot rushed at Knuckles and used its sword to try and pierce right through him.

However the red echidna was blessed with fast reflexes and incredible agility. Knuckles punched the sword from below, causing it to fly out of the mechanical foe's grasp with its head turning away towards the weapon.

Big mistake.

POW!

And just like the first did it get destroyed.

Knuckles turned to see other robots rush at him, their jets sounding within the air in a heavy noise. The glow of the boosters from behind illuminated the scenery which was already encased in fiery patches of orange red, the sky above clouded in black smoke mixed with the ominous purple and pink mist at the top.

Knuckles cracked his 'knuckles' and grinned. "Alright let's go."

He disappeared instantly.

WHOOSH!

And reappeared behind the entire group of robots, doing a kneeling pose with glowing green fists. A trail was left in his wake, a mix of red and green going through all the robots as time slowed down a bit then resumed to show a violent explosion after which obliterated all of them. Pieces of metal and debris rained down from above as the explosion settled and only smoke and dust were left in its wake. A head from one of them fell down as the eyes lost its glow, deactivating just like that.

"Looks like they're still just as weak as before, but even then I have to be careful. Need to follow Shuifon's wise words and keep a clear-."

Knuckles raised his arm immediately, feeling the sharp tip of a missile strike it.

BOOM!

A loud explosion engulfed his being and hiding him from the rest of the word. It erupted in a sea of yellow and orange with the same smoke rising high into the sky to mix with the others. The ground cracked away at the force with several of the buildings around starting to give way and lean towards their side, indicating they were about to fall.

A few seconds later the red echidna was revealed, his arm still raised up. A small patch of dark ash remained leftover on his fur as he lowered his arm down and glared intensely at the last robot.

The hovering one which watched him silently.

It was different from the others due to its blue and yellow color scheme. A glowing red light laid atop its head and twin compartments with several holes on top latched onto its back, apparently them acting as silos for the missiles. A star shaped symbol was on its chest displayed in a gold sheen that twinkled, along with purple menacing eyes watching him currently.

Knuckles eyed the silos behind its back, noticing one of them was empty while the rest held missiles ready to fire.

"Looks like this will be tougher than I thought." he said.

The robot then fired its missiles just as he finished.

Knuckles dashed forward watching the missiles get closer. He weaved and dodged every single of them as he teleported in various directions closer to reduce the distance. The red echidna appeared on its side and raised a fist.

Yet he retracted it just as a missile was near point blank range about to hit him.

BOOM!

Another explosion was the result, swallowing up Knuckles and robot. The same reaction occurred with violent quakes rumbling throughout and more ash being released into the air. The buildings nearby shook with several starting to cave in.

The red echidna flew out of the black smoke leaving a trail of it as he skidded on the pavement, using his spiked knuckles into the ground to slow him down. He looked up.

Another missile at point blank range.

He teleported out at the last second.

The missile struck a building behind him and caused it to fall down, the rumbling making the very air shake as it toppled into the ground.

Knuckles reappeared at the side of the robot.

Only to sense another incoming missile coming right at him from the side. He grabbed it quickly, feeling the intense thrust and force coming from it as he gritted his teeth.

A flash of light came from his peripheral vision and the roaring sound of another missile was introduced to his ears. He turned around and saw a big one heading his way.

'Crap what's going on here?!' he thought. Quickly he spun in place and threw the missile within his hand towards the other, a large blast occurring upon them colliding with one another. He skidded back, his black shoes rubbing against the stony floor. Violet eyes looking at the hovering robot in anger.

'I can't get close enough to it! Alright chill out Knuckles you're better than this, just look for a weak point.' Knuckles then started running around it in a circle, an aura of red lightning surrounding his form that augmented his speed as he became a blur. He continued to do this just as he saw the robot preparing another round of missiles ready to launch.

"Okay now let's see what the heck is going on?" Knuckles muttered to himself. He further increased his speed to which a red tornado began forming around the robot, similar to a certain blue hedgehog's move. The red echidna's eyes kept watch on the missiles and upon the last one being revealed, the robot fired one of them.

Only for it to flash away.

Knuckles gasped and sensed it.

That same missile appearing in his path ready to hit him.

"GAAH!" he let out as it struck him. Luckily he raised his arms to block it, but due to the added momentum he put to himself did the missile hit him very hard and caused damage. The fact that he can withstand high impact made him incredibly durable but he knew if he wasn't careful, things like this can actually hurt him.

He skidded back once again and dug a fist into the ground to stop himself, looking up at the robot as he finally knew.

'It's using Chaos Control to teleport the missiles. I was barely able to react quick enough to avoid it but good thing I can sense chaos energy. So that means… this must be the threat that Tails was talking about…'

Knuckles couldn't think more on it as the robot fired off two more missiles. Just like the first did they warp away.

The red echidna jumped above to avoid a missile coming to his right. He leaned backwards insanely quick, avoiding the other one that narrowly hit his head. Both teleported again, his eyes widening at he predicted it. He teleported himself just as the two missiles collided to where he was at.

BOOM!

Another explosion. Several more shockwaves and tremors were let out, buildings started falling and more ash rose into the air.

Knuckles appeared several feet away with an annoyed frown. 'It can Chaos Control those missiles freely, meaning that it can redirect the missiles instantly to make sure it hits its target in less than a second… I see why they looked like that when Tails led me to them. They weren't strong enough and had a hard time…'

Black-gloved hands formed into fists, Knuckles raising them up near his face as his violet eyes suddenly turned glowing red. 'Luckily I figured you out now…'

The flying robot then fired off several missiles at once, all going after the red echidna. Knuckles covered himself in crimson lightning once again and began running to the side. He jumped atop a missile that teleported closer to him and jumped once again at another that appeared very close to his chest. He flipped once and grabbed one that appeared before him, twisting his body as he sensed one flashing behind him and threw the one in his hand towards it.

A blast came from the collision to which the force made Knuckles fly higher into the air; that was his intention as he glided quickly towards one of the still standing buildings with the remaining missiles in tow.

He added more energy to his aura in which his flight became faster and the echidna landed on top of the roof. He quickly sped away at sonic speeds, a streak of red light in his wake as Knuckles acrobatically weaved through the incoming projectiles.

His senses ensured he didn't get hit, dodging left and right while his vision picked up the flashes of light that appeared and disappeared within seconds. Frontflips, backflips, barrel rolls, and any others were performed by Knuckles as he dashed across rooftop from rooftop. He sometimes had to block or use his fists or legs to repel the attacks as his mind worked double time to be aware of all the attacks coming from every direction.

He jumped off a building and began grinding onto the railing next to it, his shoes creating sparks underneath to which they had a curved metal plate under it just for this reason. Knuckles grinned at this knowing that he retained one of his past time hobbies, rail grinding providing him with a sense of excitement.

Right now wasn't the time to focus on that as another pair of missiles teleported in front of him. He flashed away at the last second causing the other pair of missiles behind him to crash into the ones that appeared before him, causing another explosion.

He Chaos Controlled back towards the robot and noticed something: it took time for the machine to reload its rockets as they were barely starting to come out of the silos.

'I counted sixteen missiles in that run. If it fires all of them, then that means that it has to wait until it can make more of them. This is my chance!'

Knuckles began spin dashing in place, fully charging up within a second and bolted off in a sonic boom. He closed the distance incredibly quick and met the robot head on.

Except not directly as a red force field materialized just as he made impact with it.

"GAAAH!" he felt the intense heat coming off of it as he retreated and uncurled himself. Smoke arose from his quills as he clutched his shoulder, bits of smoke rising from below his hand on it.

'Damn it! I didn't think it would be protected!' he thought just as the silos had all missiles at the ready. The robot turned to him, menacing purple eyes watching the echidna as it released the deadly projectiles once again.

'Let's try this!' he thought of a plan during the run on the rooftops, but it was risky.

Knuckles teleported in front of it, his fist raised up and about to strike the force field. Just as he thought and like before, all the missiles flashed next to him. 'Now!'

BOOM!

A giant explosion occurred, creating a giant shockwave that spread out across the town and knocked down the remaining buildings that were about to give. Debris and glass flew in the air with the environment shaking from the immense blast. An orange mushroom cloud rose high into the sky, releasing an intense amount of energy that can be seen from afar but due to Chun-nan's hidden location that most likely won't be possible. The cloud dove downward upon rising to the very top and dispersed smoke across to which it scattered further into tiny particles.

…

…

Knuckles reappeared to the side of the robot, a huge smile on his face. The robot remained hovering but that wasn't the reason why he was smiling.

Part of its shield was torn away and exposed the metallic blue and yellow surface to him once again.

'Knew it! Now take this!' Knuckles didn't delay further and sonic boomed towards it. While he may not be as fast as the blue hedgehog, he trained his speed to the point that he can mimic the former's signature speed in short bursts. In long distance Knuckles still retains a lower top speed, but he was still one of the fastest in the world.

The red echidna was incredibly close to the robot as he raised a glowing green palm towards it. Just as another set of missiles teleported right next to Knuckles.

'Don't think I forgot about that!' Knuckles released the energy within his palm which shot out emerald-colored bolts of electricity towards the missiles at blinding speeds, causing them all to detonate upon impact. More smoke covered the two with the robot quickly moving away.

Knuckles followed suit as his other fist charged up blue energy in a sphere.

"TAKE THIS!"

He fired off the attack, an energy beam coming off his palm as it instantly burst through the robot and out the other side. Static appeared on its eyes to which sparks radiated off its head along with the gaping hole that was shown after Knuckles finished the attack. Electrical cables flailed within and the robot's jets began deactivating as it slowly fell to the ground.

"I…Im…Impossible…" a low metal sounding voice came off the robot as its thrusters finally gave and it landed on the ground. The glow on its eyes faded away, its systems shutting down as it looked at Knuckles one last time before going offline.

The echidna himself smirked triumphantly as he wiped some sweat off his forehead. "Phew that was intense. I didn't expect it to do that either and it definitely looks like Eggman isn't involved in this. That means… it's back."

WHOOSH!

Knuckles' eyes widened as he noticed the downed robot slowly rise up with a dark mist covering its body. Its eyes remained pitch black but unfortunately it looks like it wasn't down for the count, Knuckles getting ready to fight once again while gritting his teeth.

However those plans were laid to waste as a mysterious purple-pinkish vortex began forming around its body and engulfed the mechanical fiend within. The swirl then started to become bigger and bigger as Knuckles reacted and jumped back to avoid being caught in it.

"Yeah… that's definitely it! That means… I HAVE TO GET THE OTHERS AND GET OUT OF HERE!" Knuckles shouted as he turned and bolted off in the same red streak as before. The vortex behind him grew larger and swallowed up the environment around it, taking in the buildings and land. It didn't stop growing and was on the verge of engulfing the entire town.

Knuckles kept running, only one thing one his mind.

'I have to get to them. I can't lose them…'

…

…

…

"My lord… he defeated one of them…"

"I see the echidna has gained that much power over those five years. That will be no matter as the others are more powerful than this one… they will not fail me as this one did. Retrieve the body and bring it here."

"Understood."

"He may have defeated it, but his 'home' will be the one to suffer for the loss. Our plans will not be interrupted, and we will get our hands on him. Rest assured, we'll send out this one just in case."

A pair of green eyes activated within the darkness.

End of Chapter 11

Aaaand that's a wrap!

And that is why I was really into making this chapter because of how actiony it was! ^u^

Stuff like this may not be everyone's cup of tea but hey, I needed to add some battles in there since the story did drag on with drama and such so no worries, there will be further action to come in the next couple of chapters!

So it looks like that voice is at it again, and whose pair of green eyes are those? Will Knuckles be able to save his home and his friends or will it be too late? Find out next time! ouo/