p dir="ltr"Soar made the announcement that the competitors had to be pulled away. They were more clingy than expected. Sonic cracked his neck and motioned Amy to the sideline. Zooey grabbed her staff as Mina took position./p
p dir="ltr""Your debt is paid. No more abusing the strikers." Zooey demanded./p
p dir="ltr""Deal." Sonic retorted./p
p dir="ltr""Tails is still upset. How could you be so cruel?" She accused./p
p dir="ltr"Sonic shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't torture Amy and I will try not to break your face."/p
p dir="ltr"She took her stance. "I suppose we're even on that, too." Sonic did the same as Soar stepped in./p
p dir="ltr""Fighters ready? BEGIN!" Zooey poked Sonic's chest with her staff. He leaped across the gap with a flying side kick to her neck. He sent a turning split against her ribs while she prepared to strike. /p
p dir="ltr"Zooey slung her staff against Sonic's hip, but he grabbed it immediately. He grabbed the center of the staff, squatted down, and threw the fox up with it. Sonic watched her fall several feet to the ground. She stood right back up./p
p dir="ltr"Sonic let loose a spin dash at Zooey, which ran right over her. She got up again and beat Sonic across the back with her staff. He targeted a flying front kick that hit Zooey's staff into her face. She leaned into Sonic, pushing him back with one end of the staff in both hands. She pulled Sonic down and rammed her knee into his chest so viciously it left him bent over for a few seconds. /p
p dir="ltr"Zooey leaped around Sonic in two hops and started to strangle him with the staff. She was far enough away that Sonic could not hit her; he could only struggle to free himself. Concern for the hedgehog's life overtook her. She freed Sonic once he stopped resisting. Zooey tackled him to the ground and he fell limp./p
p dir="ltr"Sonic was conscious, but barely. Zooey looked into his eyes and told him gently to rest. She thought that comforting him would deprive him from wanting to get up. Sonic tried, but was too injured to go through with it. /p
p dir="ltr"Soar came over. "One. Two… Nine. Ten! TKO wins the match for Team Japan!" A few spectators cheered. "Round three ends quickly. Will Zooey seal the match for Team Japan against Manic? We shall see. Don't go away!"/p
p dir="ltr"Knuckles carried Sonic to the group. All eight plus their approved guests had now gathered to one area. They were too good of friends. Tails had forgiven Sonic and set the hedgehog against his furry chest to recover. Mina, Sonia, Tails, and Amy were friendly now. Knuckles, Ash, and Zooey talked and watched Manic try to flirt with Honey. The enemy teams were now indistinguishable./p