Outside, Eggman set about destroying the city, sicing his badnicks on bystanders while demolishing buildings with his robot's laser canons. In the shadows, Tails waited, biding his time until Ivo exposed a weak point. However, before he could jump in, the smaller machines began to explode, further igniting the city in a blaze of destruction. Upon closer inspection, the fox realized someone else was destroying them.
"A cloak," he thought to himself, "How cliché."
"Who are you," Eggman demanded, "You're not one of Sonic's freedom-fighting twerps!"
The stranger said nothing, assuming an imposing stance. Tails recognized the style as a mixture of Aikido, Hapkido, and Koppojutsu. Judging by his posture, he was no amateur.
"Maybe I can sit this one out. Eggman's way out of his league. It's been a while since I've seen a good show."
The stranger continued attacking, hammering away with relentless fury. The fight was so one-sided Tails suspected he found it boring. With one final stab, he pierced straight through the robot's core, destroying its power source once and for all.
"This guy's no joke. Good thing he's on our side."
"Why you!" Robotnik shouted, shaking his fist in anger. Before he could do much else, his transport began sparking, on the verge of detonation. Disconnecting his ship from the external shell, he flew off, threatening his return, "I'll get you next time, you fool!"
"Gone again..." the stranger uttered, unaware of Tails' presence.
"Not bad," the fox revealed, "You're close to my record."
The stranger looked the fox over. Nothing about him seemed inherently familiar, and yet...
"Who...Are you...?"
"Me? I'm Tails Prower! You might recognize me as the sidekick of one Mr. Sonic Maurice Hedgehog!"
"Sonic...?"
"You mean...You don't know us at all...?"
"I don't remember..."
"Why don't you take that cloak off? Might help if we see your face."
The stranger obliged, removing the garment concealing his appearance. His quills were jagged: organized in a black and blue pattern. They reminded Tails of an inverted color scheme between Sonic and Shadow.
"You're definitely new. What's your name?"
"My name is...Savage..."
"Can you tell me where you came from? Is Eggman the only reason you're here?"
"I...I can't remember..."
"You have amnesia?"
Savage nodded. He didn't know what to say. The situation made less sense to him than anyone.
"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us. Come on. We can talk on the way home."
"Home...?"
"It's nothing fancy, but we've got all the amenities. I'm sure Maira wouldn't mind the company."
On the way back, Tails asked Savage what he could remember. Nothing specific came to mind - only bits and pieces regarding what happened to his village.
"All I remember is screaming and rushing to see what was wrong. After that, I woke up and everything was gone. The others had either fled or been abducted. I can only assume which."
"Sounds like Eggman's MO, all right. Don't worry. I'll help you find 'em."
"You've fought him before, right? How'd you guys beat him?"
"Sonic's whole life's been dedicated to stopping Egghead. I was just along for the ride."
"So you have experience. Good to know."
"I was watching your fight. You've got skills. We should train together sometime. I may not look it, but I've been training in a variety of styles for the last two years. My personal favorite is Kyokushin."
"Karate?"
"Yeah. There are similarities to Muay Thai with the added bonus of mental training."
"You should be of use, then. Together, we can take him out no problem."
"I won't kill him," Tails said sternly, "Heroes don't kill - not if they can help it."
"Villains like him don't abide by moral law. If we don't stop him, what will he do next? Who will he hurt?"
"I won't stop you, but it's something I can't do. He may be a madman, but he's still a human being. The weight of taking a life is too much for me to bear."
"I understand. You're a good man, Tails."
"What's with the mask anyway? Looks like an oxygen tank."
"You're right. Whatever hit me crushed my lungs. It's hard to breathe without it."
"I'll see about finding a way to repair the damage. You just keep your strength up in the meantime."
"I appreciate it."
Tails opened the door, calling for the others.
"Maira! We're home!"
The matriarch emerged from the fox's room. Ian, John, and Kyle were still sound asleep.
"Oh," she exclaimed, "Who's this?"
"This is Savage. Eggman attacked today after my session. I was about to jump in when this man showed up and saved the day."
"Amazing...!"
"I have a few projects I need to start working on. Would you mind keeping him company until I get back?"
"Not at all! I wanna hear all about what happened."
"Thanks. I'll be up around dinner time."
Down in the basement, Tails referenced his biology textbooks. Restoring lung function would be a simple task, though the procedure would take some time to prepare. He had to remove the dead cells, replacing them with healthy, living variations. Using a blood sample, he could decode Savage's genetic sequence and develop replacement cells just the right size for Savage's anatomy.
"Hey! That gives me an idea!"
Switching CDs from his stereo, Tails inserted Papa Roach's 2000 release, Infest. He skipped ahead to the fourth track, Dead Cell. The twisted sense of humor was enough to elicit a chuckle from the canine.
"Sometimes I even amaze myself."