At the city Secco inhabitants were thronging the streets of the once-flooded city. Sonic, Tails, and Amy stood before the Secco Elder.
"We are grateful for your heroism. You saved our Planet Egg and our planet. We shall do our best to bestow upon you the thanks that you deserve by holding a festival today in your honor! A parade, music, dancing, and a feast to show our thanks!" Secco Elder said and Sonic whistled.
"Sounds good to me!" she said.
"Me too! Specially the feast part!" Amy said.
"I'm not so sure I'm gonna like this..." Tails said.
When festival started there was much dancing.
The festival involved a parade of giant wooden ships, one of which was carrying them.
The elder was dancing upon a high platform.
"One... Two... Three! Hahaha!" Secco Inhabitant said.
One of the Secco Inhabitants tossed Sonic into the air in celebration.
"That's it! Now everybody!" Secco Elder said and Tails was tossed into the air next, then Amy.
"Oh, I just can't get enough!" the inhabitants said and threw everyone into the air.
"Why are they throwing us?" Tails asked.
"Don't knoooww!" Sonic said to see that they're bouncing on a giant trampoline.
"Haha! This is how we honor heroes!" Secco Elder said.
"There they are!" someone said.
Knuckles, Cosmo, Cream, and Cheese joined them soon.
"Wow, that looks like fun!" Cream said.
"Chao chao!" Cheese said.
"Yeah, if you wanna feel like a yo-yo..." Knuckles said.
"Why are they bouncing you like that?" Cosmo asked.
"It's for getting their Planet Egg back!" Sonic said. "It's a token of their appreciation."
"I'm appreciated enough!" Tails said.
"I can't take much more!" Amy said.
"This is so wonderful." Cosmo said.
Then the Secco Elder overheard them.
"You down there, friends of the heroes! Let us honor you too! Throw them here!" he said.
Soon Cream and Cosmo were also bouncing on the giant trampoline.
"Come defy the forces of gravity!" Secco Elder said.
"I'm actually a big fan of gravity." Knuckles said waving a hand.
Little did they know that they were being watched by a spy drone.
At the Crimson Egg Eggman was watching the festival on a screen.
"So nice of Sonic and her friends to keep the Chaos Emeralds for me! Let's see... What sort of strategic strategy should I come up with to get one of them from them?" Eggman said and laughed.
"Aren't all strategies strategic?" Bocoe asked.
"Not Dr. Eggman's. His strategies lack strategies the way his tactics lack tact." Decoe said.
"And his thinking less thought." Bokkun said.
Eggman pounded his hand on the console before turning to his hench-bots.
"Since the three of you are so brilliant, why don't you come up with a plan?" he said.
"Huh?" Decoe said.
"Huh?" Bocoe said.
"But whatever you do, do not disappoint me!" Eggman threatened them.
His foreboding tone got through to his robots. Suddenly Decoe and Bocoe grasped their heads.
"Uh... I-I've got a headache all of a sudden!"
"Me too! I can't concentrate right now! It's unbearable!"
"I think I need to lie down for awhile!"
"Aww, you have headaches?" Eggman said and they nodded. "Guess the doctor's gonna have to operate!"
They froze as her pulled out various tools. Bokkun sweatdrops as Eggman chased them around the cockpit of the ship with a large wooden hammer.
"Get back here!"
"I'm gonna go check on the, uh... the thing..." Bokkun said.
When no one was looking, he descended an elevator into the room below and sighed in relief.
"I got away before he could grab me." he said and a hand dragged him backward, and found himself staring at Rouge. "Rouge!" he said.
"Hi there. I just dropped by to ask if you'll do me a little favor." she said
"I'd have to be totally batty to do any favors for you! Ha! Just wait'll I tell Dr. Eggman you-" he started but Rouge hushed him.
"Really." she said and he swatted her hand away. "You don't wanna do that, do you? Your little secret might get out."
"I don't know what you're talking about!" he said and dangled a heart-shaped locket in front of him.
"Oh no? Does this look familiar?"
"Yeah... it's mine..." he said blushing and lunged for the locket, but Rouge dodged.
"I checked out the picture inside. She's so pretty." she said.
"Please don't say anything! I'll do whatever you want me to do, I promise! Just please don't tell anybody, please!"
"Hmhm... Good boy."
Outside something started to surface from underground.
"Ribbit." someone said.
In Crimson Egg Eggman was in the Cockpit still chasing Decoe and Bocoe around the cockpit.
"Please, Doctor!" Decoe said.
"You worthless metal moochers!" Eggman said.
"I'm too young to be dismantled!"
Then Bokkun returned to the cockpit.
"I hate to do this..." he said. "Hey, Dr. Eggman!" he shouted out and everyone stopped running.
Everyone stopped running.
"Yes?" Eggman said.
"I just got an idea!"
Eggman knelt down as Bokkun whispered in his ear.
"Egg-cellent! One of the most brilliant plans I've ever come up with!" Eggman said standing up.
"Except that I came up with it!"
"Are you contradicting me, Bokkun?"
"We're off the hook!" Decoe said.
"I never thought I would be glad that Bokkun's around." Bocoe said.
"But it was my plan!" Bokkun said to Eggman.
"And now it's mine." Eggman said.
Outside Rouge finished spying on the Crimson Egg through a pair of binoculars and left.
Elsewhere at Secco Knuckles was walking alone.
"I don't care if it's an honor or not. Nobody tosses me around!" he said and looked up when he saw the Eggmobile fly over him. "That looks like..."
Suddenly the Eggmobile crashed.
"Eggman!" he said and ran over to the crater Eggman landed in who coughed before looking up at Knuckles.
"Knuckles, it's you! What good fortune!" he said and stood up. "Ahh, finally, someone who can help me!"
Knuckles was surprised at Eggman's sudden change in mood.
"Help you? Not a chance!" he said.
"Oh Knuckles, please, you have to hear me out! My ship ran out of power and crashed on this desolate planet. If I don't find a way to leave," Eggman said exaggerating. "I'll be trapped here the rest of my life! It's my fault! I'm getting what I deserve!"
Knuckles placed a hand on Eggman's shoulder.
"Come on, cool it. Don't be so hard on yourself." he said.
"I just got so carried away with wanting to take over the universe. I was evil, and greedy... It's true! I wanted planets and entire galaxies all to myself, but if I get off this rock, I'll never turn a moon into a devastating weapon or block out a planet's sun again, I swear! If only I had a Chaos Emerald for my ship. I could leave here and start my new life as a good person!" Eggman said and grinned.
At the beach the party long over, Knuckles told Sonic and friends about Eggman's proposition.
"Aahh!" they yelled together.
"You want us to let Dr. Eggman use one of the Chaos Emeralds?" Sonic said and Knuckles nodded.
"He's promised to abandon his evil ways if we help him out." Knuckles said.
Everyone was annoyed at Knuckles' gullibility, either sighing or shaking their heads.
"We've heard that before." Tails said.
"Dr. Eggman is always saying he'll abandon his evil ways, but he never does!" Cream said.
"And yet every time, he somehow gets you to believe him." Amy said rubbing her sore backside.
Knuckles lost control of his anger he was holding in.
"Well I wasn't asking your permission!" he said and approached Cosmo and took the Chaos Emerald from her. "I'm the one who found this Emerald, so I'll do what I want with it!" he said and started to leave, but Sonic cut him off.
"I can't let you do this, Knuckles!" she said.
"You're gonna have to fight me to stop me."
"Yeah. I know."
"If that's the way you want it..." he said grinning.
"Sonic! Knuckles! What are you two doing?" Cosmo asked.
Knuckles placed the Chaos Emerald on a nearby rock before he prepared to fight Sonic.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Ready!" Sonic said.
Cosmo looked on in worry as they started their fight.
"They're... fighting..." she said.
Knuckles launched a flying punch at Sonic who dodged, and Knuckles ended up punching the ground instead. Sonic took this opportunity to launch a flurry of punches at Knuckles, but he blocked them with his free fist. They continued their clash, involving punches, kicks, and body slams. Cosmo looked on in worry.
"We've got to do something to stop this fighting! Hey...!" she said.
"Do these boots make my legs too skinny?" Amy asked Cream.
"They look just fine, Amy." Cream said.
"Chao chao chao chao." Cheese said blushing.
"You wanna go take the X-Tornado for a spin?" Chris asked Tails.
"Sure, why not?" Tails said.
"Excuse me, shouldn't we stop Knuckles and Sonic?" Cosmo asked.
"Uh, nah. This is how they work their problems out." Tails said. "Even though they've been friends for a long time they do this all the time.".
Amy rubbed her injured backside once again, incurred from bouncing on the trampoline for too long.
"They'll just fight until they get tired of fighting." she said.
"It isn't a big deal." Cream said nodding.
"Chao chao-chao." Cheese said.
"They just don't understand these creatures..." Cosmo said quietly then looked behind her as the fighting started coming more violent.
Knuckles was lunging toward Sonic repeatedly, but she dodged each time.
"I can't take it anymore!" she said and ran forward as she stopped on a small ledge. "Please stop it!"
Then she let off the ledge as Knuckles punched where she just was. Cosmo cringed as rock flew around her.
"This isn't right." she said.
"Hey Cosmo, I wouldn't get too close if I were you." Amy said.
From behind a rock, Eggman quietly watched the fight between Sonic and Knuckles.
"My plan worked perfectly! He left the Chaos Emerald unguarded." he said to himself and started crawling toward the abandoned Chaos Emerald. "No one will even know I was here!"
Then Bokkun flew over him, nearly blowing his cover.
"Hi, Dr. Eggman!" he said waving.
"Maybe If I ignore him, he'll disappear-" Eggman said but saw Bokkun standing right in front of him.
"You forgot your lunch!" he said and Eggman cried out at his sudden reappearance. "If you wanna conquer the universe, you gotta stay healthy, you know!" he said and took out a banana.
Then Eggman covered Bokkun's mouth.
"Quiet, or they'll discover me!" he said.
"Sorry about that, heheh..."
"Go to the ship and don't come back!"
"I won't, Dr. Eggman!"
As Bokkun flew away once more, Rouge lowered her binoculars.
"That kid's gonna be reeeal useful." she said while Eggman nearly reached the Chaos Emerald.
"At last, a Chaos Emerald! Nothing can stop me now!" he said.
Then Amy stepped between him and the Chaos Emerald hefting her hammer, and smirking Eggman has learned to fear.
"That's what you think, but you're wrong." she said.
Eggman cowered back.
"I-I... can... explain...!" he said panicking but Amy slammed her hammer down, forcing hi. to scoot back. "Yipe! Watch where you swing that thing!" he said then saw himself surrounded by Cream, Cheese, Cosmo and Tails. "How wonderful to see you all again!"
Sonic and Knuckles still had no idea what's going on.
Soon they got into a shoving fight and Sonic looked up and saw Eggman surrounded.
"I had a pretty good feeling we'd be seein' his ugly mug." she said and the fight stopped.
"Eggman! What are you doin' here?" Knuckles asked as he approached Eggman.
"You mean me?" Eggman asked and picks up the banana next to him. "I-I was just about to consume this delicious banana!" he said and peeled and ate the banana. "Tasty!"
"I know exactly what you're doing here, Eggman. You went to Knuckles because you knew he'd have pity on you and he and Sonic would fight about it, so you could go behind your backs and steal a Chaos Emerald!" Amy said and slammed the top of her hammer down near the Chaos Emerald and Eggman cowered.
"Eggman, is that true?" Knuckles asked.
"No, of course not! She's lying, Knuckles!" Eggman said.
"Payback time!" Amy said and rose her hammer high above her head, ready to crack that Eggman wide open.
"No, Amy." Knuckles said and lifted Eggman out of the way just as the hammer came down, and set him down on a rock. "You need to go on a diet." he said.
"I know I can always count on you, Knuckles." Eggman said.
"Knuckles, you have got to be kidding me! How many more times are you gonna fall for Eggman's tricks? Think about it!" Amy said and Knuckles thought about it.
Eggman begged to Knuckles in an alley.
"Help me, please!" Eggman said.
"Are you sure we can go back if we get a hold of the Chaos Emerald?" he asked.
Eggman grinned evilly.
He and Chris stood before Eggman with a backpack containing five Chaos Emeralds.
"Please let me keep the Chaos Emerald? Please?" Eggman said and he handed the backpack to Eggman, and they shook hands. "Why, thank you so much, Knuckles!"
"No, thank you, Dr. Eggman!" he said.
"I will give these Chaos Emeralds the utmost care."
Chris was surprised.
"I'll trust you." he said.
Eggman stood on the balcony of the White House.
"I will soon realize the Eggman Empire!" Eggman said.
Then the flashbacks end.
"Seriously, Eggman's never gonna change." Amy said.
"Eggman says he's seen the light, and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and help him get off this planet!"
Eggman nodded, and Knuckles leapt down from the rock.
"Here we go again..." Sonic said.
Then Cream and Cheese approached.
"Eggman lied before, Knuckles, and now he's lying again!" she said.
"I'm giving him the Chaos Emerald." Knuckles said.
Rouge started to eavesdrop on the conversation.
"You're gonna have to go through me to get it!" Amy said.
"Is that so?" he said and a tired and sore Sonic darted in front of Knuckles, putting out a hand to defend Amy.
"But first you'll have to go through me!" she said.
"You got a deal!"
"Let me at him!" Amy said.
"This is terrible! They shouldn't be fighting with each other!" Cosmo said to herself and rushed up to Sonic and Knuckles before they could fight again. "Stop fighting, you two! We have to focus on the bigger crisis threatening all of us! If all we do is argue an fight, how are we supposed to band together and save the universe?"
"Out of the way, Cosmo!" Knuckles said.
"We don't want you to get hurt." Sonic said.
Then she fell back as the rivalry continued.
"Maybe I was wrong. Maybe they aren't the heroes I thought they were." she said to herself.
Suddenly the ground started to rumble.
"What now?" Eggman asked looking around.
Suddenly a giant hand scooped up Cosmo and rose into the air. It was attached to an even bigger robot - Egg Mars. It turned its giant head toward Eggman. Egg mars was being piloted by Decoe and Bocoe.
"Dr. Eggman! We're sorry we kept you waiting!" Decoe said.
"We're here to rescue you!" Bocoe said.
"Metal meddlers, I don't need rescuing!" Eggman said.
The Egg Mars turned to face Eggman, Its green chest plate flashed with his emblem.
"Bokkun told us you were in trouble." Decoe said.
"A jam." Bocoe said.
"A predicament."
"What did he say?" Eggman asked.
"He told us that nobody fell for your plan to steal the Chaos Emerald."
The Egg Mars extended its free left hand to Eggman, and he climbed upon it.
"I wouldn't go so far as to say nobody fell for it. Knuckles certainly did." Eggman said and Eggman covered his mouth, realizing what he just said.
"I don't believe it..." Knuckles said. "Eggman!"
Then the hand lifted Eggman into the air.
"Sorry, Knuckles. What can I say?" he asked.
"Hate to say "I told you so"..." Sonic said.
"You tricked me!" Knuckles said.
"That's right." Eggman said and climbed off the hand and joined Decoe and Bocoe in the cockpit before typing on a keypad. "But now you'll give me that Emerald or I'll crush your friend in the palm of my giant metal hand!" he said and held out his fist, and the Egg Mars did the same, indicating motion control.
"This is a much better plan than the last one." Decoe said.
"Your microphone is still on, Decoe." Bocoe said as the Egg Mars' right hand opened slightly, revealing Cosmo.
Everyone was surprised.
"What do we do?" Cream asked.
"Chao chao?" Cheese said.
Tails also saw this.
"Cosmo!" he said and ran toward the Egg Mars.
Rouge snuck up near the Chaos Emerald.
"Now's my chance." she said.
"Put her down, Eggman!" Knuckles said.
"Don't think so." Eggman said.
"Give us the Chaos Emerald. Then we'll drop her! I-I mean put her down gently." Bocoe said.
Meanwhile, Rouge feast her eyes on the Chaos Emerald.
"Hello, beautiful..." she said ad as she was about to take it, the ground started rumbling. "What's goin' on here?"
Suddenly she and the Chaos Emerald were thrown into the air by a huge frog-like Metarex called Metarex Jumpee.
Jumpee got the attention of everyone else nearby.
"It's a Metarex!" Cream said.
As the Chaos Emerald fell, Jumpee extended its giant dagger-like tongue and devours the artifact, then licked its lips.
"That frog's a jewel hog!" Rouge said and left.
Eggman stared down Jumpee.
"Gaahh! That thing ate the Emerald! All right, boys! Annihilate that amphibian and the Emerald is ours!" he said.
The Egg Mars stood there at its full height of twenty meters.
"Whatever you say, Doctor!" Decoe said.
The Egg Mars dropped Cosmo and ran toward Jumpee. Knuckles leapt into the air and caught her.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Forget me! Get the Emerald!" Cosmo said.
Jumpee prepared itself for a fight. The Egg Mars collided with the giant frog Metarex.
"Yeah!" Eggman said.
Bocoe pressed a button, and the Egg Mars' right hand started a drill that attempted to penetrate Jumpee's armor.
"Whaah! The drill isn't working!" Eggman said.
"Its armor is too strong!" Decoe said.
"What's that thing made of?" Bocoe asked.
Using its tongue, Jumpee flipped the Egg Mars onto its back by the drill. The Egg Mars' pilots were thrown out of their seats.
"We just got a tonguelashing!" Eggman said.
"I don't think we can beat it, Dr. Eggman." Decoe said.
"I have a plan. Let's let Sonic and the others take care of it." Bocoe said.
"Get this thing back on its feet and keep battling!" Eggman said.
"You who disturb the order of the universe! Ribbit! You cannot have the Chaos Emeralds. You misuse their power. Ribbit! We are the only ones who should possess the Emeralds." Jumpee said.
"Really. I'll take a stab at seizing it anyway!" Eggman said and the Egg Mars stood up again. "Stand still, so I can make a frog kebab!"
Then the Egg Mars reached behind itself and drew a large sword, then thrusted it toward Jumpee, who jumped high into the air. Before landing, it used its tongue to trap the Egg Mars' right arm.
The Egg Mars used its left hand to grab Jumpee's tongue, but the tongue sent out an electric current that shocked the Egg Mars and its occupants. The Egg Mars exploded, sending Eggman, Decoe, and Bocoe into the air.
"I think that frog just skewered us!" Bocoe said.
Jumpee retracted its tongue and Knuckles charged toward it with his Shovel Claws but didn't even make a dent in Jumpee's singular eye. All the Metarex had to do was turn its head to shake off him. Not even Sonic's spin dash damaged Jumpee's eye. Jumpee impacted its tongue several times into the ground near them, but they dodged. Jumpee spoke again as it retracted its tongue.
"I cannot allow you to deter me. I have a mission. I have come for the Planet Egg."
"Do you think they can stop it?" Cream asked.
"They have to! If it captures the Planet Egg, the whole planet will flood again!" Cosmo said and panicked.
"We're open to suggestions, Cosmo."
"Don't worry, guys!" someone said and Amy, Cream, and Cosmo turned to see Tails standing next to a large brown object. "I've got an idea!"
Jumpee turned around and started to leave.
"Sonic!" Knuckles and he and Sonic cut Jumpee off.
"We're not done with you yet!" Sonic said and spiked protrude from the six holes in Jumpee's chin and stomach.
Jumpee leapt high into the air and nearly crushed them, but they raced back to the others.
"Oh man, how do we stop this thing?" Knuckles asked.
"Hey Metarex! Over here!" Tails said standing in the crow's nest of a ship that is resting on top of the sand.
"He has the... the Planet Egg..." Cosmo said shocked.
Tails was holding the spherical Planet Egg and Jumpee turned to face him.
"So... you have been hiding it from me. Ribbit!" Jumpee said.
Tails pulled on a rope, extending the ship's sails.
"If you want it, come and get it!" he said.
"You will regret this!"
Then the modified ship rolled across the sands, with Jumpee in hot pursuit.
"We have to do something to help him." Cosmo said.
"Maybe Tails knows what he's doing." Amy said.
"But still..."
"I'm not waiting to find out!" Knuckles said and ran after Tails.
"You know what? Somethin' tells me this plan involves the big cannon!" Sonic said and ran the other way.
Meanwhile, Jumpee was still chasing Tails.
"All right! He fell for it!" he said to himself and held up the Planet Egg. "Ha! Come catch me if you can! Closer... Closer... Now! Sonic!" he said and leapt out of the crow's nest, surprising Cosmo.
Then he bounced on a trampoline in the ship.
"The Heave-Ho Festival!" Cream said in realization.
Then Tails threw the Planet Egg with all his might.
"Sonic, catch!" he said.
Jumpee looked up at the Planet Egg as it sailed through the air.
On the Blue Typhoon Deck Sonic stood prepared as the Sonic Driver was activated. Then she ran inside the cannons barrel and lied down on the spin platform.
"Connecting energy from the energy chamber to the main cannon! Pressurizing the energy within the cannon's electrical ducts! Okay, ready, Sonic?" Tails said over the intercom.
"Do I really have to go through with this." Sonic asked.
"Get serious, Sonic! We've got Secco's Planet Egg and the Chaos Emerald and the whole universe at stake!" he said.
"All right!" she said then stood up. "Here we go." she said and started her spin charging the cannon.
At Secco Knuckles charged toward Jumpee, scaled Jumpee and leapt into the air, catching the Planet Egg. Amy, Cream, and Cosmo watched in horror as Jumpee used its tongue to bind him.
At the Blue Typhoon Sonic continued to spin in the Sonic Driver.
"Hold your position steady, Sonic. Metarex target straight ahead!" Tails said and the targeted computers locked on to Jumpee. "Sonic Power Cannon, fire!"
After charging energy, the Sonic Driver launched Sonic at Jumpee. She impacted the giant frog Metarex squarely, and Jumpee exploded.
Knuckles, landed on the ground.
The girls approached him.
"Knuckles!" Cosmo said.
"Are you okay?" Cream asked.
"Yeah, and I think the Planet Egg is okay too." Knuckles said.
Suddenly the Planet Egg popped and deflated, much to Cosmo's shock.
"I didn't do it!" he said.
"Is that a... beach ball?" Amy said.
Sonic leapt up to the crow's nest where.
"Yes!" she.
At Secco it was sunset and there were flowers everywhere. Knuckles was kneeling, looked at Sonic.
"I owe all of you a really big apology." Knuckles said.
"We're not gonna hold it against ya, Knuckles. You made a bad call, that's all." Sonic said.
"I guess so, but... how could I let Eggman fool me again?"
"Eggman knows he tricked you before, and it worked again." she said and he grumbled.
"Don't feel bad, Knuckles. You have a very trusting heart, and you want to believe that there is good in everybody." Cosmo said. "Because like me, you have a dream that everyone in the universe will unite one day."
"Uh, thanks for looking at it that way, Cosmo." he said and nodded then stood up. "Who knows. Maybe that is the reason." he said and they held hands.
"I think it is."
"That's a nice way of looking at it, Knuckles. But that doesn't change the fact that you're a sucker." Sonic said and Knuckles turned to her as the others laughed.
"I'm gonna-" he said.
"Let's start searching for the other Chaos Emeralds." Tails said cutting him off.
At the Crimson Egg Cockpit Eggman's hench-bots were depressed.
"What number failure was that, Bocoe?" Decoe asked.
"I lost count somewhere around fifty." Bocoe said.
"Whatever number it was, it better be the last! I'm tired of you tin cans ruining everything." Eggman said
"It's not our fault! It was Bokkun's plan!" Decoe said.
"And he's the one who gave your position away and told us to save you." Bocoe said.
Eggman growled.
"Wait'll I get my hands on him!"
Below the deck Bokkun was sulking and Rouge was standing nearby.
"Aww, don't feel bad, sugar. You did everything right. It'll work out next time. There will be a next time, won't there?" Rouge said.
"Not for me!" Bokkun said.
"You sure?" she said and held up the locket again.
He blushed.
"Whatever you say..." he started and doodled on the ground with his finger. "I'll do whatever you want."
Rouge smirked while Bokkun cried and the Crimson Egg left Planet Secco's atmosphere and flew away.