Within Robotropolis, the Freedom Fighters, wet with some kind of goo, were freed from some kind of series of tubes. Robotnik growls as his latest plot to keep the Freedom Fighters in his virtual world failed thanks to Sonic changing his demolition robots' programming to target his city.

Sonic: "Looks like your plan is on ice, Robotnik!"

Robotnik: "I really hate you, hedgehog! But I've yet to lose this war!"

He says as he initiates a lockdown sequence within the city. Seeing the situation turn, Sonic grabs her friends and rushes out of the city, just before the security Swatbots could catch them.

Sally: "Sonic! Great work! But… How did you figure things out?"

Sonic: "In that virtual world, Uncle Chuck gave me the low down. It was just a matter of pushing buttons and hoping it would be enough to stop Robotnik."

Tails: "Will we be able to save the real Uncle Chuck, Sonic?"

Sonic: "Course we will. And when we do, it'll be for keeps."

As Sonic makes his declaration, Antoine looks towards the ground, then to his sword in its sheath.

Later that night, at Knothole Village, Sonic is seen sleeping on her bed, snoring soundly in her white nightgown. But as she sleeps, the sound of sword swipes and mild irritation in someone's voice wakes her up.

Sonic: "...Aw man… Who could be up this late?"

She says, her own irritation coming out as she checked the time. She got up and let out a yawn as she stretched before walking outside. But to her shock, it was Antoine who was up late. He was slashing his sword at a training dummy, switching between stabs and full swings.

Antoine: "Never again shall I let myself be trapped in zee despot's machinations. I will make you proud, Papa…"

Sonic: "No offense, but maybe you should stick to a style you're good at."

Antoine jumps at the sound of Sonic's voice, dropping his sword as he hides behind the dummy he was just fighting. When he realizes that it was only Sonic, he lets out a sigh of relief and comes back out.

Antoine: "Eet was only you, Sonic. What are you doing out here?"

Sonic: "Well, considering it is pretty hard to sleep with the amount of slashing I'm hearing…"

Antoine blushes before he slowly sheaths his sword quietly.

Antoine: "My apologies. I will stop if zee princess demands…"

Sonic: "That's… nice. But Sally said nothing. I'm the one saying something."

Antoine: "Hmph. You say a lot of zings. You say zis, you do zis, you do zat. A ruffian like you has no right to be a leader."

Sonic was… put off balance by this, raising her hands as she looked at the ranting coyote.

Sonic: "Whoa, okay. I know I annoy you a lot, but this level of aggression is… a bit much, even for you."

Antoine looks at the hedgehog before deflating himself and sitting down on a log. Sonic joins him as he spoke.

Antoine: "In zat machine Robotnik put us in today… I met my father… for zee first time in years…"

This caught Sonic's attention as her ears perked up. In her virtual world, she had Uncle Chuck back, in the flesh and all. Hearing that Antoine had his father back makes her think the others had a similar experience. But for the coyote, it was likely the hardest for him since his father had vanished during the coup; Tails at least was too young to remember his folks, despite Sonic telling him of them.

Sonic: "I'm… I'm sorry, Twan. I didn't know… I just assumed Robotnik put us all in the same sort of dream sequence…"

Antoine: "I don't expect you to understand, Sonic. My father was zee one person I looked up to before zee coup. He commanded respect with his peers, he was by ze king's side, and a veteran of zee Great War. A brave soldier to zee end. When the coup occurred zat night… He vanished… I tried to find him, but I got caught by Swatbots…"

Sonic: "And the rest is history, huh?"

Antoine: "Oui…"

There was a pause, Sonic being unsure of how to comment. That is until Antoine looked up to the moon.

Antoine: "I have somezing I want to admit… I actually hate you, Sonic. Like… a lot…"

Sonic: "That's… harsh, if also understandable… I mean, we aren't the greatest of friends, but…"

Antoine: "No no, do not zink I am ungrateful for you helping us when we need eet. You are a huge credit to zee team. Eet is just… I wish I was more like you…"

Sonic was confused; as if sensing this, Antoine continued.

Antoine: "You are very strong, Sonic. Your speed and reflexes are well beyond any of us. You are very brave, never buckling under zee pressure of being a hero. And I would be lying if I said I did not envy your 'act now, zink later' tactics… I have none of zose qualities… I have no special abilities, just some mediocre sword skills; I'm not brave, since I tend to cower at zee first sign of danger… And overall, I am zee failure to my father… I am not even half zee Mobian he was…"

Sonic: "Screw that!"

Antoine jumped a bit at that sudden outburst, turning to see Sonic giving a scowl. He felt he had insulted her, but then Sonic spoke.

Sonic: "Antoine, who cares if you're not like me? If anything, that makes you more unique. And don't you dare call yourself a failure, or think that your father would call you a failure. You are fighting with your friends against Robotnik, the man who took most of our families away in one way or another. No matter how you frame it, Antoine, you are brave too."

Antoine was… genuinely dumbfounded. He could feel his face burn a bit from Sonic's outburst, looking at her with a mix of emotions, most being good feeling emotions.

Sonic: "Besides… A lot of what you said is… not the full truth… The real truth is… while I do like the attention and I do enjoy helping people in need, I don't enjoy being a hero. I don't feel like I've ever really earned that title. You, Sally, Rotor are better heroes, simply because none of you have abilities like me, Tails, and Bunnie, yet you help fight on the front lines. As far as buckling under pressure goes, there are days where I wake up, wondering if I'll still see my friends tomorrow. I've… just gotten really good at hiding it. I am confident we'll win, but if there's a very real chance that someone may die, I do tend to lose myself…"

Antoine: "...I…"

Sonic: "And… My impulsiveness isn't something to be envied. Sometimes it works out, but there are times where me not thinking before I act can lead to pretty terrible consequences. A few years ago, I made a decision to infiltrate one of Robotnik's bases on my own, against Sally's orders. It was pretty early into our career as Freedom Fighters… I got captured and was brought to said base… Along the way, I met some of the captured Mobians, an armadillo named Mighty, a flying squirrel named Ray, a fox girl named Fiona. With Mighty and Ray's help, I was able to thrash my way through Robotnik's base, until we made it to the big man himself… I admit, seeing Robotnik for the first time back then sent a chill down my spine… Regardless, me and Mighty tried to fight off his Swatbots. It wasn't until after that me and him noticed Ray was gone, but worse yet… Robotnik held Fiona hostage. Ray, however, did something to Robotnik's master plan in that base that forced him to retreat. But unfortunately, Ray and Fiona were lost that day… I paid my respects to Mighty, but the guilt still followed me… I acted on my own, didn't bring back up or anything. And because of that… two lives that could have been saved… were lost…"

Antoine was silent as he listened. For the longest time that he's known Sonic, he's never seen her this down to earth. She's usually so high and mighty about everything, that he truly thought she was invincible. Just hearing the fact that she does have her limits, fears, and guilt gave him a new perspective on her. He looks to his sword, a reminder of his father, before holding the hilt softly.

Sonic: "Anyway, I do try to keep my optimism as high as I can since I know you guys need the morale boost. We'll beat Robotnik together and we'll all return to Mobotropolis together."

Sonic then stands up, turning to Antoine and offering him a hand up.

Sonic: "And never sell yourself short. You are no failure; you are a hero… just like me."

Antoine looks up to Sonic, his eyes wide as, for a brief moment, he didn't see the ruffian hedgehog that he's come to loathe, but instead an angel who he… His heart started to beat quite fast as he placed his hand on her's and stood up.

Sonic: "Alright. I'm heading back to bed. See you tomorrow, Twan!"

Antoine: "Um… Yes, you too… Sonic…"

Sonic ran back to her hut, leaving Antoine to stand there in silence. He looked to the hand that held Sonic's, then at his sword. His heart raced as his mind began to think more of the conversation they shared. That night, whether either one was aware of it or not, marked a relationship… that neither truly expected to happen…