Shadow spent most of last night researching Mighty in the G.U.N. database. He couldn't believe how much information was in there; dozens of personal documents and arrest records, many of them connected by another name: Flex. He never had a permanent address; the closest he had was an apartment he frequented, rented under the name Matilda.
Everything else in the file seemed rather boring. He didn't have an exact date of birth, but his age made him about two years older than Sonic; about Rouge's age, as far as Shadow could tell. Any other date attributed to him was vague and therefore unhelpful, perhaps intentionally so.
Shadow leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. He had been reading for hours, but he still didn't understood Mighty as well as he wanted to.
He came across one particularly interesting document. It was a blog entry that Mighty had written a few years ago. Shadow hesitated to read it, but the desire to learn more about him won out.
As he read the entry, he found himself becoming more and more involved in Mighty's thoughts and feelings. The entry detailed how Mighty struggled with trying to understand his true identity while also coming to terms with the way others perceived him. He so desperately wanted to be able to overcome his own past and his own mistakes, but as much as he tried to free himself from them, he could never do so.
Shadow couldn't help but empathize with Mighty's struggle; the words flowed into him as if they were his own. He, too, had always felt like an outsider, never really belonging anywhere. He had spent so many years trying to distance himself from his own past, but he had only managed to put more distance between himself and the rest of the world.
Yet Mighty seemed cheerful, open and willing to help everyone, as if he had found his purpose. Shadow had to ask: how? How did he get to this point? Was it just his personality or something else?
Shadow closed the folder and stood up. He needed a break. Maybe he'd try this park thing again. He checked the time on his phone: it was a quarter to 8. He had plenty of time to burn before Rouge arrived.
Sonic awoke, a smile spreading across his face as he stretched out under the covers. He rose from his bed and opened the window, breathing in the crisp morning air with a sigh of satisfaction; today looked to be a perfect day.
"Sonic!" a shrill voice, filled with panic and urgency, shouted from outside his bedroom door. Sonic's smile faded as Tails opened the door with a worried look on his face.
"What's wrong?"
"Eggman's attacking again! Everyone's in the park fighting his robot!" Tails yelled in desperation.
Without a moment's hesitation, Sonic and Tails rushed out of the room and took the Tornado to the park. Crossing the landscape in an instant, they arrived at the park to join their friends, who were already engaged in battle with a robot. Amy pounded her hammer on the robot's feet, leaving dents in its armor; Knuckles sent shockwaves through the ground with each punch he threw at the robot's leg; Espio launched precisely aimed shuriken stars, methodically severing any connection to the robot's limbs; Charmy flew around the robot's head, taunting it until it became angry enough to start hitting itself; and Vector shouted songs, draining both the robot's strength and Dr. Eggman's morale.
Sonic jumped from the Tornado and joined the fray, his movements a blur as he weaved through the chaos. Sonic couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement as he faced off against Eggman's robots. It was like a dance to him; a dance he had perfected over years of battling the madman. He could feel the wind whipping through his fur, his heart racing with adrenaline.
Just as they gained the upper hand, Eggman summoned a new robot. It towered over the others, its metal gleaming in the sunlight. Sonic felt a twinge of unease; he had never seen a robot like this before.
The others looked just as unsure as Sonic. "What's that thing?" Knuckles growled, his fists clenched.
Eggman's voice boomed over the speakers. "Ah, Sonic, my dear nemesis. I see you've met my latest creation: the Deathbringer 3000."
Sonic gritted his teeth. "You'll regret building that thing, Egghead!"
He charged forward, his speed leaving a trail of dust in his wake. The Deathbringer 3000 swung its massive arms, but Sonic was too quick, darting around it with ease. Above them, Tails flew overhead in the Tornado, firing his gadgets at the robot's weak points.
But the Deathbringer 3000 was relentless. Its metal fists slammed into the ground, sending shockwaves through the air. Sonic's legs buckled from the shockwaves, and his balance wavered. Stunned, Sonic looked up helplessly. His mind told him to run, but his legs refused.
Just as the fist came down toward Sonic, something pushed him out of the way. Sonic turned to his savior, and his heart leapt.
Shadow.
"Uhh... Thanks," Sonic said sheepishly.
"Hmph," Shadow glared at him before turning away. "He's finally here. Tell him to hurry up and save you next time."
With that, Shadow walked away. Sonic stood there stunned, wondering what had just happened. He knew that Shadow could be temperamental, but that was ridiculous.
At that moment, Mighty sprinted onto the field, shouting his name.
"Sonic! There you are!" Mighty said. He stopped in front of Sonic and cracked his knuckles as he stared at the Deathbringer 3000. "Let's get it!"
As Mighty stepped forward, Sonic scanned the scene, trying to find a way to defeat the robot. His eyes landed on the same spring he had gone to the day before. Sonic remembered how high the spring had lifted him; he could use its power to launch a powerful attack from above.
"Wait! Mighty!" Sonic called out. Mighty stopped, and Sonic pointed to the source. "Throw me up there again and I'll hit them from above! You get it from below!"
Mighty grinned and grabbed Sonic's arms before easily throwing him towards the spring. Sonic jumped off the spring and launched himself at the Deathbringer 3000's head. Mighty, Knuckles, and Amy tag-teamed from the ground below, and their combined attacks forced the Deathbringer 3000 to be oblivious to Sonic rising above it. Sonic took a deep breath and crashed down on the robot's head with a thunderous blow.
The robot's head jerked back, smoke pouring from its circuits. Sonic grinned as he felt the satisfying thud of his attack connecting. The others cheered him on, and it only fueled his determination.
The Deathbringer 3000 was relentless, but Sonic and the others were equally steadfast in their attacks. They were like a well-oiled machine, each covering the other's weak spots and anticipating the robot's moves.
With a final kick by Sonic, a blow by Mighty, and a flurry of debilitating shurikens by Espio, the Deathbringer 3000 fell to the floor, its circuits fried. Sonic and Mighty stood triumphant, panting but grinning from ear to ear.
As they walked back to their friends, Sonic couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and camaraderie. They had faced a formidable opponent and emerged victorious, and it was all thanks to their teamwork.
"Great job, everyone!" Sonic shouted, high fiving each of his friends as they approached.
Amy beamed at Sonic. "You were awesome up there, Sonic! You always know how to make an entrance!"
Sonic's cheeks flushed with pride. "Thanks, Ames. It was nothing; just another day in the life of a hero," he grinned as he stared back at Eggman. "Well, well, Egghead. Looks like the only death your little robot brought was its own!"
Eggman's voice boomed over the speakers again. "You may have defeated my robot, rodent, but you haven't seen the last of me!"
Sonic's smile faded as he turned to face Eggman's hovering pod. "We'll be ready for you then!"
As Eggman's ship disappeared into the distance, the group exchanged knowing glances. They all knew that this was only a temporary victory; that Eggman would return with a new, sinister plan to take over the world. But for now, they were content to know that they had won this battle; that they were the ones standing tall at the end of the day.
The tension in the air dissipated and everyone began to move around, talking excitedly. Knuckles ran over to Mighty, gave him a light shoulder punch and pulled him in for an affectionate hug.
"Nice to see you in person!" Knuckles said.
Mighty chuckled. "Hey Knux! I see you finally left your island!"
Knuckles winked. "Can't let Sonic have all the glory. His big head would explode."
Mighty then walked over to each member of the Chaotix group and hugged each of them, expressing his warm greetings at seeing them again. Charmy cheered, while Espio gave him a polite nod.
"It's about time we had a Chaotix reunion!" Vector exclaimed after Mighty hugged him.
Sonic stepped forward and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "I like Vec's idea. Another battle calls for another celebration! Tomorrow night at my place!"
The peace also brought the newscasters, who all wanted to interview the hero of Mobius. While he was answering a reporter's questions, Mighty pulled Amy and Knuckles away from the group and huddled with them. Sonic tried to ignore them, but he couldn't push them aside.
They were too secretive; they're up to something.
