Clara jogs back to where Sonic landed and kneels beside him. "Good thing we spotted you," she greets as she starts to untie his wrists and ankles.
"Thanks for the save," Sonic replies. "I owe you one."
"It was Sparky's idea, so you owe them one," Clara corrects. "Are you hurt?"
"Nah, just lightly smoked," Sonic quips. "Where'd Zomom go anyway?"
"He landed over there," Clara answers, pointing to where Zomom is struggling to extract himself from the sand.
"If he comes back, let me handle him," Sonic requests.
"Remind me, who just saved you from being a spit‑roast?" Clara asks rhetorically. "Like I told you in the temple: I can handle myself."
Now free from his bindings, Sonic gets to his feet and looks for Zomom, quickly spotting him walking away dejectedly. "Huh…"
"Something wrong?" Clara asks, standing and following Sonic's gaze. "He's retreating?"
"Yeah, but unlike Zazz, Zomom's looking kinda bummed about losing," Sonic answers. "Usually when I beat someone, they promise next time will be different and run off to plot their revenge. But Zomom… I think we broke him."
"Looks like it," Clara agrees. "Kinda feel guilty now, if I'm honest."
"Yeah, me too," Sonic sighs. "Wishing I hadn't teased him about being fat."
Clara glares at Sonic. "You of all people should know better than to mock someone about their weight."
"Especially as my friends Rotor and Big are also on the large side," Sonic replies.
"You should go apologise."
"Why?"
"It's the right thing to do."
Sonic sighs in defeat. "I guess… Come on, let's catch up to him."
Sonic sets off at a light jog, Clara running as fast as she can to keep up with him, both quickly catching up with Zomom.
"What do you want?" Zomom asks dejectedly as Sonic and Clara fall in step alongside him. "Come to make me feel even worse?"
"No," Sonic answers. "I just want to say that I shouldn't have made fun of you for being big, and I apologise. I promise I won't do it again."
"Whatever," Zomom sighs. "It doesn't matter; I'll be a failure no matter what my size is."
"You were sent to destroy us, weren't you?" Clara asks.
"Yeah," Zomom answers. "Can't even do that right."
"Hey, you did better than most," Sonic assures. "There aren't many who can get the upper hand on me."
"And given how many times he's saved the world, that's very high praise," Clara adds.
"You're just saying that to make me feel better," Zomom sighs.
"Doesn't make it any less true," Sonic replies. "I've taken on everything from badniks to demi‑gods and beaten almost all of them first time. You're one of the very few who beat me instead."
"…I am?" Zomom asks, his spirits starting to lift.
"You are," Sonic confirms. "Of course, next time won't be as easy. You'll need to up your game."
"Yeah, I'll do that," Zomom smiles. "And when I beat you again, I'll eat you quickly, so you don't suffer."
"Th… Thanks, I guess," Sonic replies. "Tell Eggman we're on our way."
"Will do," Zomom promises before bounding off, each heavy footstep shaking the ground.
Sonic and Clara stop and watch Zomom disappear into the heat haze.
"We just made our mission more difficult, didn't we?" Clara realises.
"Yep," Sonic agrees. "And yet I feel much better than I did before."
"Because you did the right thing," Clara replies.
Sonic's wrist communicator beeps. "Hey bud," he greets, answering the call. "We're just about to come back and meet you."
"There's no time for that," Tails replies. "I just spotted Eggman with another Zeti and a large badnik army a mile ahead of your location. Fortunately, they've not spotted me."
"Saves us a lot of time at least," Sonic replies. "We'll wait here for you then move in as a team."
"Roger," Tails replies.
A mile away among the sparse ruins of an ancient marketplace, Eggman and Zavok watch Zomom lumber towards them.
"He failed already," Eggman concludes with a disappointed sigh as he reclines in his hovering Eggmobile, Orbot in one of the two pods attached to its flanks.
"Evidently so," Zavok agrees. "We continue to underestimate their resourcefulness. But all is not lost, for we may yet learn something we can use against them."
"I will allow one final chance," Eggman decides. "Fail next time and all of you will pay the price," he threatens, brandishing the Cacophonic Conch.
"We won't fail again," Zavok promises before advancing to meet Zomom. "You seem unexpectedly pleased given your failure," he greets sternly.
"I beat the blue one though," Zomom reports. "If it wasn't for his friend with the ball of lightning, I would have eaten him."
Zavok blinks in surprise. "Ball of lightning?"
"Yeah," Zomom confirms. "It was fired from this big red lunchbox with wings."
"You mean an aeroplane," Zavok corrects. "This is indeed an unexpected development."
"I don't like what I'm hearing," Eggman growls.
"Return to the fortress; I'll handle it from here," Zavok orders Zomom. "And yes, there's an extra‑large sandwich waiting for you."
"Thanks," Zomom smiles before bounding off back to the fortress in Lava Mountain.
"Do you know what this ball of lightning Zomom mentioned could be?" Zavok asks as he returns to Eggman's side.
"Hmm… I have one suspicion," Eggman answers. "Orbot, show me the footage of that polecat again."
"As you wish, sir," Orbot obeys, calling up the footage quickly and displaying it in a holographic projection screen.
Eggman and Zavok watch the footage closely until it ends.
"So, this polecat possesses electromagnetic powers?" Zavok guesses.
"Orbot, wind the footage back to the second before it dissolves into static and give me manual frame advance control," Eggman orders.
Orbot rewinds the footage to the specified time and transfers control to Eggman. "If I may ask, what are you looking for?"
"No Mobian has access to that level of power without an additional source," Eggman explains as he advances the footage frame by frame. "And there it is," he informs, pausing just a few frames before the electric discharge terminates the footage.
Zavok takes a good look at the angular head topped with a long spike shaped like a child's depiction of lightning with three triangular tentacles hanging below. "What is that?"
"That is an Ivory Wisp," Eggman answers. "Wisps come in many varieties; this one grants anyone who absorbs it access to incredible amounts of pure electromagnetic energy."
"Pure electromagnetic energy," Zavok muses, deep in thought. "I can make use of this Ivory Wisp."
"Correction: I will make use of it. You will capture it for me," Eggman growls. "And remember: if you dare to act against me, I won't hesitate to use this," he warns, holding the Cacophonic Conch up.
"As you wish," Zavok replies. I guarantee you will never possess that Wisp.
Hiding behind the crest of the dune, Sonic, Tails, and Clara watch the exchange unfold, though the group is too far away to hear anything.
"What's that thing Eggman's holding?" Sonic asks.
"Looks like a conch shell," Clara answers. "Last time I saw one that big was a few years ago on holiday at Emerald Coast, though it wasn't as purple and spiky as that one."
"The way Eggman's brandishing it makes me think it's got something to do with the Zeti," Tails guesses.
"Like it makes a noise they can't tolerate?" Clara guesses.
"Without knowing more about the Zeti and the conch, I cannot say for sure, but it's possible," Tails answers.
"Then all we need to do is get the shell away from Eggman," Sonic decides. "He'll no longer have control of the Zeti, giving us the perfect opportunity to foil his plans!"
"Wait Sonic, what if‑" Tails begins, but it's too late: Sonic's already charged and unleashed a Peel Out and is speeding directly towards Eggman and Zavok.
"Does he always do that?" Clara asks.
"Pretty much," Tails answers. "We'd better get down there before he does something stupid. Can you Spin Dash?"
"Yes, but not with Sparky in their carrier," Clara answers. "Go ahead; I'll catch up."
Tails quickly charges and unleashes a Spin Dash, Clara following at a brisk run a moment later.
In the ruined marketplace, Orbot is the first to spot the approaching blue blur and the rooster tail of sand in his wake. "Boss?"
"This better be important," Eggman growls.
"Sonic's coming," Orbot informs, pointing towards the approaching hedgehog.
Eggman follows where Orbot's pointing. "Excellent!" he smiles malevolently. "Zavok, prove to me enslaving you wasn't a waste of time."
"Gladly," Zavok replies before sprinting towards Sonic, only for Sonic to run straight past him, leap towards Eggman, and kick the Cacophonic Conch over the assembled badnik army and a long way out of reach.
Sonic lands behind Eggman with a satisfied expression. "Now that's gone, the Zeti are free, and the balance tips heavily in my favour," he smirks, figuring he has Eggman on the ropes.
But Eggman knows better. "You insolent fool!" he growls angrily. "Do you have any idea what you've just done‽"
"Got rid of your toy and broken your control over the Zeti," Sonic answers smugly.
"That 'toy' was the only thing preventing the Zeti from taking control of my badniks!" Eggman snaps.
"And that's bad, why?" Sonic asks, confused.
"Because now there's nothing to stop us taking our revenge by destroying your pathetic planet," Zavok explains with a malevolent grin, extending his electromagnetokinetic powers. "You will all pay for our abuse and enslavement!"
"…want me to get the shell back?" Sonic asks Eggman.
"It's too late for that," Eggman sighs as the entire badnik army aims their weapons at him and Sonic.
"Run while you still can," Zavok growls before commanding the badniks to open fire.
Eggman raises the shields of his Eggmobile, but Sonic has no such luxury. Forced to rely on his reactions and instincts, he somehow manages to dodge the mass of energy bolts raining down on him and Eggman, steadily working his way closer to the front line of the badnik army and destroying several with rapid‑fire Homing Attacks.
Tails arrives on the scene just as the badniks open fire, and he immediately knows who to yell at. "Sonic, what did you do‽"
"He kicked the Cacophonic Conch away!" Eggman barks as he turns and flees. "It was the only thing preventing Zavok from taking control of my badniks!"
"Ah, you must be a friend of the blue pest," Zavok correctly guesses. "You shall perish with him."
Tails leaps high and twirls his twin tails, quickly flying just out of reach of the badniks' weapons. "Sonic! There's too many of them! Let's get outta here!"
Sonic doesn't want to run, but with every badnik he fells being replaced by two more, even he's forced to admit it's a losing battle. "Right behind ya bud!" he calls back before charging a Spin Dash and speeding away in retreat.
Zavok watches Sonic and Tails speed away after Eggman. "Run while you can; it will only make it more satisfying when we destroy you."
Halfway between the crest of the dune and the ruined marketplace, Clara slides to a halt when she notices Eggman is charging directly at her and Sparky. So, I finally have the chance to confront Eggman directly… Gaia, I hope I'm up to the job. Summoning all her courage, Clara stands her ground, hoping Eggman will slow down.
But Eggman doesn't slow down.
Clara quickly finds her confidence overcome with fear. He's gonna run me down! Self‑preservation kicks in: Clara throws herself flat to the ground just in time for the Eggmobile to fly straight over her, kicking up sand in its wake.
Doing her best not to breathe in any sand, Clara gets to her feet and waits for Eggman to turn around. Her surprise that he doesn't however is pre‑empted by being scooped up suddenly and carried at high speed. "What the‑‽"
"We gotta run!" Sonic answers.
Clara picks up on Sonic's urgent and worried tone immediately. He messed up, didn't he?
Back at the marketplace, Zavok signals a ceasefire, the badniks' weapons falling silent an instant later. "Bring me the Conch."