Sonic The Hopeful

Chapter 7: The True, Final, Destined Battle of Destiny, Finality, Truth, and The: Part 69: Reload Golden Royal: Battle: Ultimate: X Shadow: DX Directors Cut: Origins: Like a Dragon Kiwami: Luminaries of the Legendary Line: The End of Hope's Peak High School Featuring Dante From The Devil May Cry Series

Sonic, Tom, Maddie, Knuckles, and Tails huddled around the table, their expressions a mix of intense determination and a hint of weariness. This was the moment they had all been waiting for: the climactic final showdown with BET. They were on the brink of either bringing down the sinister group or facing their own demise in the attempt. The weight of the impending battle pressed heavily on their hearts, but they also couldn't deny a sense of relief that this would be their last session for a while. Frankly, they were tired of this game and would be glad to do something else with their free time for a while.

"First things first," Maddie interjected, "what's my role? My character perished in the last session."

"Don't worry, Maddie," reassured Tails. "I've come up with a solution for that." His words brought a wave of relief over the group, especially Maddie, who was eager to continue her role in the game.

"What is it?"

"For this session, Maddie will play Tom's character, Sara Branford. She is why Helena's Hopeful mostly survived their battles, so you will be far from useless."

"Wait, what will I do then?" asked a startled Tom.

"I noticed that you wanted to contribute more actively to battles. I have devised a solution for that," said Tails, passing a character sheet to Tom.

Tom took a moment to observe the sheet. "Are you serious about this?"

"I sure am! You will be playing as none other than Surge for this session!"

Everyone around the table stared at Tails, their faces a canvas of shock and surprise at his unexpected decision, their curiosity piqued by what this new development could mean for their game.

"What?" Tails asked defensively. "I didn't want to go through the trouble of having to play Surge all the time!"

Tom took a moment to observe the character sheet of Surge, a Champion of Storms with decent to good attributes across the board. Surge's skills, merits, and charms were mainly focused on fighting and surviving in hostile conditions. Her Belief stood at a mere four and had three dots of Shadows, which could be concerning if she was targeted emotionally. Otherwise, Tom was eager to finally fight with something that wasn't a knife with a one-in-ten chance of hitting.

"Well, I suppose I can use Sara for now," Maddie said reluctantly. "Let's start the session."

"Alright. You and your group are currently at the underpass near the Walhart. You see a messy, dirty girl with many layers of clothing and a backpack approach."

"I assume that's my character?" asked Tom.

"Correct."

Tom paused for a bit to consider how he was supposed to act out Surge. Finally, Tom began to act. "'Well, I assume it's Red Garland and her posse?' I ask."

"Perhaps," Knuckles replied.

"I take out my Phylacatry, a locket with a picture in it. I then turn to the others and say. 'Alright, take out your trinkets."

"Not yet," said Maddie. "Do we even know how to get into BET's secret base?"

"Mint pops out of Julia's bag," Tails narrated. "'Actually, I have a solution!'"

"Why don't I use Royal Roads again?" suggested Sonic. "It worked the last time we had to break into a place." The rest of the group looked at each other before nodding in agreement.

"'Oh,' says Mint. 'I did spend a whole night hacking into computers and secret networks to map out the place, but yeah, that works too,' he says, slumping."

"Okay, let's transform!" said Sonic. "For joy!"

"For glory!" said Knuckles.

"For safety!" said Maddie

"For revenge!" said Tom.

"Together, we are Helena's Hopeful!" said Sonic.

"And Surge," added Tom, "since she's not really part of this team."

"I will use my Royal Roads to make a path to BET's base," Sonic declared. "What's my dice penalty for distance?

"Subtract six dice from your dice pool."

Sonic rolled two dice. "I only got one success, but the charm still works!"

"You successfully create a magical pathway to BET's base. Do you want to proceed?"

"Heck yeah!" Sonic said happily. "C'mon guys, let's go!"

"The pathway takes the form of a staircase leading underground. Everyone walks down cautiously, not knowing what to expect in terms of security."

"I believe that we will encounter more robots," Knuckles suggested. "They were present at the last BET base we were at."

"Do you think there will be some kind of supernatural defense?" Maddie asked. They were hiring a vampire, so they may have other supernatural creatures on their payroll."

"Come to think of it, what was with that vampire?" Tom inquired. "Every enemy after him has been related to Princess stuff except those robots at the prison."

"I was initially considering having your characters encounter different supernatural creatures, but I then realized it would be better for the campaign if it were more focused on Princesses and their enemies," Tails explained. "Plus, I would have to do a lot more research and buy more books."

"Alright, we've been traveling through the pathway long enough," said Knuckles. "Do we enter BET's base?"

"You emerge from the pathway into a dark hallway. Mint notices a light switch and turns it on. The base feels like a nuclear bomb shelter with concrete walls and minimalistic decor."

"So, what exactly are we supposed to do now?" asked Maddie.

Sonic was the first to speak up. "My plan is simple. Step One: Enter Base. Step Two: IT'S PRINCESSIN' TIME! Step Three: Victory."

"And may I ask what exactly 'Princessin' Time' is composed of?" Knuckles asked accusingly.

"That's another simple plan. Step One: Light Taunting. Step Two: I Have No Idea."

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "If anyone else has a better plan for what we are supposed to accomplish here, I am open to suggestions!"

"Let's just explore the base for now," said Tom. "We will probably find something worth stealing, destroying, or sabotaging."

"That seems like a good idea," Maddie replied. "Do the two of you agree?"

Knuckles nodded, while Sonic shrugged and said, "Eh, good enough to me."

"Your group explores the base. The first room you enter appears to be a break room."

"Is there a map of some kind in the break room?" asked Tom.

"No. Only a refrigerator, a table, some chairs, and a cupboard."

"Don't worry, Tom. It's normal for the first room you walk into not to have the key to dismantling an entire evil organization," the hedgehog reassured sarcastically.

"You hear a loud rumbling noise coming from somewhere," warned Tails as he sneakily passed a piece of paper to Tom.

"We shall follow the sound then!" declared Knuckles as the rest of the group nodded.

"You walk into the room where the sound came from! Inside is a twenty-foot-tall robot with gigantic swords for arms and tank treads for legs with a man inside its cockpit!"

"Describe the man," Knuckles requested.

"The man is a thirtysomething girly man. He wears a purple robe, dress pants, and glasses."

Tom began to act as Surge. "YOU!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Who is YOU!?" Sonic loudly asked.

"The man in the robot says, 'Oh, I'm glad you asked! I am none other than Doctor Starline.'"

"Don't think for a second I forgot about what you did to my sister and all of those innocent Princesses!" Tom angrily screamed.

"The evil doctor sneers. 'Hmph. All of those girls were necessary sacrifices. Nothing more, nothing less.'"

"Nobles, nay, all people, are not commodities to be used!" shouted Knuckles. "By your own logic, we could kill you where you stand and be justified because it was a sacrifice for the greater good!"

"'Oh, please,' the evil scientist replies. 'Those women were nothing more than naive fools who did not know how the world works.'"

"How does the world work, then?" Maddie asked.

"'Only nimrods think that power can exist through cooperation!' he shouts. 'Only the truly mighty have the right to control others! That is where real strength lies! With my scientific genius, I will traffick more Princesses, and soon, I will have more power than anyone!'"

"Hold on," said a confused Sonic. "You're saying you're strong because you have the right to control others… which you have because you're strong."

"'Yes! My reasoning is straight and clear!' he responds arrogantly."

"No, your reasoning is circular and unclear!"

"Starline's eye twitches. 'You dare have the AUDACITY to think that there is a flaw in my brilliant thinking? The thinking of me, HUGH JASS STARLINE!'"

For a brief moment, silence reigned at the table. Then, to Tails' shock, everyone else at the table burst into laughter. The fox continued narrating but could do nothing but watch as everyone laughed like hyenas. Eventually, Tails gave up and just waited for everybody to stop.

"What was that about?" Tails asked when everyone had finally stopped. "What in the world was so funny? He only said his name, Hugh Jass Starline."

Sonic barely held his breath. Tom did not want to explain to the eight-year-old why Hugh Jass was such an embarrassing name, so he lied. "Well, you see, Starline sounds a lot like Star-lame. So, everyone can call him lame because of his last name. That is why we were all laughing."

"Riiiight…" Tails said suspectingly. "The robot's guns prepare to fire. 'PREPARE TO BE OBLITERATED, YOU FOOLS!' Starline shouts. Roll for initiative."

Everyone rolled their initiative and tallied the results. "Sonic, you go first."

"I shoot the robot and apply Aria to damage!" said Sonic as he rolled nine dice. "Nine lethal damage!"

"Knuckles, your turn."

"What is the robot's defense?"

"One."

"I strike him and apply Terra to damage. Eleven lethal damage!"

"As the final strike happens, the robot is destroyed."

Everyone looked at Tails for a bit. "That was… anti-climatic," Maddie complained.

Tails felt the discomfort and realized the campaign would end on a low note if he did not act. "Suddenly, another even bigger robot with giant katanas and Gatling guns teleports into the room! 'YOU UTTER FOOLS,' you hear Starline shout as he teleports into the cockpit. 'DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT PIECE OF TRASH WAS MY MASTERPIECE? BEHOLD, THE CLOCKBLOCKER 69000! NOW, PREPARE TO MEET YOUR DOOM!"

OOOOO

AUTHOR'S NOTE: WHAT KIND OF FINAL BOSS DID YOU THINK HUGH JASS STARLINE WOULD BE IF HE DIDN'T HAVE A SECOND, EVEN STUPIDER LOOKING FINAL FORM?

I RECENTLY GOT AN A03 ACCOUNT UP AND RUNNING, SO I WILL BE REPUBLISHING THIS STORY ON THAT WEBSITE UNDER THE USERNAME ShockedKitsunami

FOR THE NEXT AND LAST TIME ON SONIC THE HOPEFUL: HUGH JASS STARLINE'S CLOCKBLOCKER 69000 WILL DESTROY HELENA UNLESS HELENA'S HOPEFUL AND SURGE CAN STOP THEM. WILL THEY WIN? OR WILL THEY PROVE THEY ARE NOT FIT TO BE MAGICAL GIRLS? FIND OUT IN CHAPTER EIGHT: THE TRUER, FINALER, DESTINEDER BATTLE CLASH OF MORE DESTINY, MORE FINALITY, MORE TRUTH, AND MORE THE: PART 420: REDUX APOCALYPSE VENGEANCE: ADVENTURE 2 COLORS GENERATIONS ADVENTURE AND KNUCKLES: INFINITE WEALTH: THE SEEDS OF SALVATION: KILLING HARMONY: NEW FUNKY MODE COMING THIS FRIDAY!