-Chapter 81-
Flicky Island Under Siege
Flicky Island
In record time, Robotnik, Snively, and Grimer had taken the Egg Mobile to Flicky Island, a small little landmass in the southern Mobian Sea. As they landed, they took in the sights of the standard Green Hill-esque tropical area, consisting of checkered brown soil, loop-the-loops, palm trees and idyllic waterfalls. What really got their attention, however, was the numerous flowers around that were blooming rare and precious gemstones in great quantities.
"Flowers that grow priceless jewels…" Robotnik mused. "Just when I thought I'd seen everything."
"The monetary value is incalculable!" Grimer exclaimed. "Imagine the kind of parts and technology we could obtain with such funding."
"Ugh…" Snively groaned. "Can we just get to the part of why we're here?"
"Yes, of course," Grimer nodded. "We'll worry about the gems once we find out where the Flickies go."
"Flickies…" Snively grumbled. "I still can't believe we're here for Flickies."
"The legend goes that the unique Flickies that appear on this island every year during the Great Migration are the key to finding the Chaos Emeralds," Robotnik reminded him.
"So all we need to do is watch the birdie?" Snively said flatly.
"In a manner of speaking, yes," Grimer confirmed.
"It's simplicity itself," Robotnik added.
They looked around for a while, before coming across a Giant Ring floating in the center of the area. It was glowing, sparking in the middle, and they watched as a Flicky emerged from it. Unlike the others, this one was chubby, with green feathers, a tuft of plumage in the middle of its head in the form of a bun, an orange belly and green eyes. It was soon followed by a pink and purple Flicky with pony tails on both sides of its head, a heart-shaped orange belly, and green eyes, and a red one with blue eyes, bangs, an orange belly, and three spikes of hair on its head.
"Amazing…" Grimer let out.
"I've never seen such Flickies before," Snively mused.
"So, this is how they come and go," Robotnik realized. "The rare breeds of Flicky that appear on this island must come from an entirely different dimension. This calls for some research."
-X-
After rigging up a makeshift lab, they managed to capture a green Flicky, examining it.
"The tests are complete, sir," Snively said at last. "The results are positive."
"Splendid," Robotnik remarked. "Then these little birds will make perfect organic batteries for my Badniks."
"We'll get to work immediately," Grimer told him. "We have alot to do and not alot of time."
"Indeed," Robotnik agreed. "It's time for the inhabitants of Flicky Island to meet their new master."
Three weeks later…
Robotnik had rigged up a base on Flicky Island, churning out a Badnik Processing Plant and mining the Giant Ring to capture more Flickies. One day found him overlooking the process from his lab.
"Grimer!" he exclaimed. "Bring me the final Flicky!"
"Yes... about that, sir," Grimer began nervously. "I'm afraid it escaped."
"What?!" Robotnik shrieked. "You incompetent fool! I ought to-"
He seemed about to throttle Grimer in a rage, before composing himself.
"Ah, what does it matter? Like one little escaped Flicky can cause any harm."
"Brave last words," Snively deadpanned.
Outside of the base, a simple blue Flicky was flying off of the island and toward South Island in determination, seeking out the one person that could help…
Knothole
In the main courtyard of the village, Sonic was playing fetch with Muttski, enjoying some leisure time.
"Go long, boy!" he declared, chucking the ball as Muttski ran after it.
As the dog ran away, Sonic heard loud tweeting, looking to see the Flicky flying toward him in a panic. It flapped in front of his nose, chirping frantically.
"Well, where did you come from?" Sonic asked, not understanding.
The Flicky just kept tweeting, grabbing his jacket sleeve in its beak and tugging on it.
"Whoa!" he let out before gently dislodging it from his jacket and letting it sit on his finger.
"Something spooked this little guy…" he mused. "Better take it up with the others."
-X-
He headed into Freedom HQ, calling the others in to explain the situation. The Flicky was sitting on his shoulder, shaking a bit.
"It just came and started pulling on my sleeve," Sonic explained. "He's spooked big-time, but I don't speak Tweet."
"I do," Amy piped up, everyone blinking. "What? I'm more than just a hammer, you know."
"I'm more surprised that Tweet is apparently an actual language," Keith said.
Amy walked over, gently taking the Flicky in her hands before chirping and whistling at the bird. He replied for about half a minute.
"He says that his home has been invaded," Amy translated. "Evil men came in and took control of his home. They kidnapped him, his brethren, and are locking them in machines."
"Say, would one of them happen to be a fat jerk with a mustache?" Sonic asked.
Amy translated, and the Flicky nodded.
"Eggman," Tails sighed. "Of course."
"You think this has anything to do with the Great Migration Deena mentioned a few weeks back?" Knuckles questioned.
"I'll bet my sneakers," Sonic nodded. "Well, you came to the right place, little bird. Eggman's up to another evil plot, which means it's time for what I do best."
"I'll prep the Tornado," Tails declared.
Sonic ran into his room, emerging with his stress ball. "Never leave the hideout without it."
"I'm coming too," Amy declared. "You'll need an English-to-Tweet translator."
"Oh, how hard can it be to speak bird?" Knuckles scoffed.
He whistled at the Flicky for a bit. It landed on his nose, giving him a dirty look before pecking his forehead.
"Ow!" he yelped. "What was that for?"
"You... just said he was nuttier than his own droppings," Amy told him.
Kat snickered.
"Count me in as well," Sally interjected.
"Alright," Sonic nodded. "So that's me, Knux, Tails, Amy, and you. I say that's enough."
"Then let's get going," said Knuckles.
"Should Sonic really be going back into the field so soon?" Chris questioned.
"You kidding?" Sonic retorted. "I've been bored out of my skull the past few weeks. Ruining Robuttnik's latest evil plan is just what I need to blow off some steam. Besides, I've got my stress ball in case things get too hairy."
"It'll be fine," Sally assured. "Small group, and just freeing some birds. It's perfect."
-X-
In no time at all, the Freedom Fighter quartet had piled into the Tornado and was flying toward Flicky Island, Sonic and Knuckles clinging to the wings while Tails, Amy, and Sally were in the seats.
"Didn't you guys say Deena claimed the Flickies on the island had some kinda connection to the Chaos Emeralds?" Tails asked. "Maybe that's why Eggman went there."
"Makes sense to me," Sonic agreed.
"If that's true, we better hurry," Knuckles insisted. "Eggman and Chaos Emeralds don't mix."
"Couldn't agree more!" Amy declared.
Panic Puppet Zone
Behind the mountains of Flicky Island sat Robotnik's new base, the Panic Puppet Zone, a massive military/industrial complex bristling with conveyor belts, turrets, and trapdoors. On the front of the tower was, naturally, a construct of Robotnik's face on it. Within, Robotnik was lounging around, overseeing his operations when Grimer came in.
"Sir, we just caught the Tornado on radar," he informed him.
"So, Sonic's trying to thwart me again, is he?" Robotnik mused. "Give him a proper Robotnik welcome!"
Grimer nodded. "As you wish, sir."
Robotnik rose from his chair.
"While you do that, I'll prepare my most extravagant ode to destruction yet."
Green Grove Zone
Meanwhile, the Tornado was landing in the same Green Hill-esque area Robotnik and his group had found the Flickies. As they pulled to a stop, the group piled out, looking around.
"Wow," Sonic mused. "Is it just me, or do a lot of places we go to have at least one Zone that's the spitting image of Green Hill?"
"Huh…" Knuckles remarked. "Now that you mention it…"
Tails had pulled out the Miles Electric, looking the radar over. "Let's see if the legends are true."
It began going off with so many alerts he had to shut it off.
"Wow…" he declared. "I haven't gotten this big of a reading since the Hidden Palace Zone back on Westside."
"Guess the legends are true," Sally remarked.
"So this place has Chaos Emeralds out the wazoo," Amy said.
"Meaning Eggman's gonna wanna go all in on this one," Sonic deduced.
"He definitely is…" Sally piped up, looking in the distance.
They turned to where she was looking, seeing a swarm of Badniks approaching them.
"Badniks," Knuckles remarked. "Betcha they've got a whole mess of Flickies inside."
"I'd say that's a fair bet," Tails agreed.
Sonic cracked his neck before charging forward, bouncing off several before skidding back. He blinked to see those he hit only had minor dents, whereas most other Badniks would be cracked open.
"What the hell?!" he exclaimed. "What are these things made of? Megatal?"
"Yeah!" Amy brought her hammer down on one. "These things are alot tougher than before. What gives?!"
Tails whipped one with his tails as he thought, before perking. "The Flickies… It's gotta be the Flickies powering them! They don't seem any different from a normal Badnik!"
"How would that make them stronger?!" Knuckles demanded as he punched one. "They're just birds!"
"Because of their connection to the Chaos Force!" Sally realized, fending one off with her Ring Blade. "It's the only logical conclusion! Their natural Chaos energy makes them inherently tougher!
"Then I think it's time to kick things up a notch!" Tails pulled a Power Ring out of his jacket pocket. "Good thing Keith gave me an emergency stash!"
Sonic took the ring, his entire body glowing.
"Everyone stand back!" he ordered.
They gave him a wide berth before Sonic began darting around, bopping every Badnik in his path. They all cracked open, spitting out Flickies of different colors who flitted about, chirping happily.
"The new Badniks are stronger than ever thanks to the Flickies…" Sally mused. "This could be a problem."
"Hey, if a Badnik shows up, we bash it," Sonic said confidently. "Just like that."
It was at that moment they heard the sound of tank treads running along the ground, and turned to see a truly massive mech rolling toward them. The bot resembled a cross between a tank and a cyclops. It had a black upper torso with broad and round yellow shoulders which had short spikes on them. It had thick gray arms with yellow and black hazard stripes and four-fingered hands. Its lower body consisted of a red pelvis with gray tracks for legs, and yellow and black hazard stripes on the front. On its back it had an exhaust pipe and large vent-like tubes next to the shoulders. For a head it had a thick yellow neck with a single red eye containing a slit-like pupil.
"That's… a big one," Amy let out meekly.
"Sonic, my old nemesis!" Robotnik greeted jovially from within the mech. "How the heck are you?"
"Doing better," Sonic admitted. "Gotta say, your idea for a break was a good one. Though it seems you didn't take your own advice. I mean, messing with birds? How low can you get?"
"Oh, I'd been planning to investigate the mysteries of Flicky Island for a while," Robotnik replied casually. "Our little hiatus gave me an opportunity to do so, and just in time for the migration."
"Well, consider your hiatus over," Sonic declared. "Whatever you have planned, it ends here, Eggman!"
"That's only if you manage to defeat this little beauty right here," Robotnik bragged. "If my latest Flicky-powered Badniks gave you trouble, then you'll be no match whatsoever for the mighty Mega!"
He laughed, while they just blinked, crossing their arms.
"Mega?" Amy asked. "That's what you call it? Just the Mega?"
"Not all of my inventions have to have convoluted egg-themed names," Robotnik defended. "I'm allowed to branch out"
"Ah, but it still has "egg" in the name if you listen closely," Tails pointed out. "M-egg-a?"
"...Fine, I'll give you that," Robotnik relented. "Can we just skip to the part where I destroy you?"
"Fine by us," Knuckles agreed.
"Get him!" Sally ordered.
Amy ran, hammer in hand. She focused, and much to everyone else's surprise, the head of the Piko Piko Hammer glowed before increasing in size to the point she had to use both arms to wield it.
"Take this!" she shouted.
She swung the hammer as hard as she could and actually managed to topple the Mega. Everyone's jaws were on the ground.
"Since when could she do that?!" Knuckles demanded.
Tails shrugged. "It's new to me."
"Oh, it's another property of the Piko Piko Hammer," Amy explained. "I just haven't had a reason to use it before now."
The Mega spun its treads before getting back up, bringing down its fist. Amy swung again, the force deflecting the blow while knocking her hammer away. It lifted its other fist to crush the now-disarmed hedgehog, but Sonic darted in, yanking her to safety.
"Awesome feature, but I imagine the size makes it difficult to wield," he noted.
"Pretty much, yeah," Amy confirmed.
Sonic ran in at that, only for his Spin Attack to harmlessly bounce off the Mega's shoulder. Sally slashed at the Mega's treads, only to be knocked away with a flick of the finger. The Mega revved before charging at Knuckles, throwing a punch which he caught with both hands. Straining with all his might, he managed to lift the Mega, flipping it over his shoulder judo-style and slamming it with enough force to crack the ground.
"Ha!" Knuckles boasted. "Not so tough now, are ya?"
The Mega's eye glowed, and Knuckles was forced to run back as a laser beam came forth, singing the area where he was standing.
"I believe I still am," Robotnik gloated. "Now… get a load of this!"
The Mega's chest opened up, deploying a slew of photon bombs that began floating and chasing after Sonic and his friends.
"Heat-seeking bombs?" Tails exclaimed. "He really went all out with this one!"
Amy managed to smack one of the bombs into another.
"We need a plan!" Sally shouted. "Somehow, we need to take this thing down!"
Sonic looked at the bombs, then at the Mega, an idea forming.
"Follow my lead!" he yelled.
Sonic began running around, the bombs following.
"I got it!" Sally realized. "Good plan, Sonic!"
Sonic lured the bombs right toward the Mega, jumping out of the way as it impacted the mech. As another came toward them, Amy knocked it into the air with her hammer before Knuckles jumped up, spiking the bomb into the Mega volleyball-style. It laid there, sparking, before the chest opened up, allowing the Egg Mobile to float out.
"Bah!" Robotnik scoffed. "So what if the Mega failed this time. I have other Badniks on this island. The law of averages says at least one of them will get you. In the meantime…"
With that, he darted off as Sonic skidded to a stop.
"Man, that felt good," he boasted. "I needed that."
Small tweets sounded, and the group turned to see a pink Flicky chirping, trying to get their attention.
"Hey there," Amy greeted. "Are you okay? You're all unhurt, right?"
The Flicky nodded before jerking her head, gesturing for them to come along.
"I think she wants us to follow her," Tails deduced.
"Yeah," Amy confirmed. "She says she wants to thank us."
The bird led them to a secluded corner of Green Grove, where more Flickies were waiting. A blue one came out, nudging a familiar green Emerald with its beak.
"Is that…?" Sally began.
"A Chaos Emerald," Sonic let out as he picked it up, smiling, "Thanks. This will really come in handy."
"So the other part of the legends are true as well," Tails realized. "The Flickies here can lead us to the Chaos Emeralds!"
"All the more reason to save as many as we can," Knuckles insisted.
"Thank you so much," Sally told the Flickies. "Please, if you find any more Chaos Emeralds, let us know. It'll make finding and saving your brethren much faster and easier."
They chirped, circling the group before heading off.
Gene Gadget Zone
Once he returned to the base, Robotnik headed to the Gene Gadget Zone, the power plant/genetic research laboratory. He entered to see Snively looking over some notes.
"Where did you even get these?" he asked. "I thought all of Great Uncle Gerald's notes were-"
"Lost?" Robotnik provided. "Oh no, I managed to procure a few. It's not his entire life's work, but it's enough."
"What do you even plan to do with this?" Snively questioned.
"There's a saying that fits my plan perfectly: fight fire with fire."
"What do you mean?"
Robotnik just put his arm around his nephew, leading him to a room filled with culture tanks. There were several of them, each with a creature floating inside. Snively saw the creatures, and his eyes went wide.
"Now do you see?" Robotnik asked with a grin. "If Sonic does make it through the Badniks and to our base, he's in for a big surprise."
Author's Note:
Well, now we know for sure. The Flickies lead to the Chaos Emeralds. And I got my first mention of Professor Gerald! But what horrible creature is Robotnik creating using his research?
The Mega is from Sonic Boom, just FYI.
Please R&R. Until next time!
