A/N: Speaking of fatigue, that's how I'm feeling lately after doing all these prompts XD
Shoutout to LivvyKitty1208 for the idea for this prompt!
Without further ado, let's move on to the reviews and what matters most: the prompt!
5 reviews
Super duper waffles
1. Chuck retired a few years before Chris was born, although I'm not exactly sure when.
2. Absolutely, especially when Vector found out the SSPD would be paying them handsomely. They made sure to work within the Chaotix's expertise.
3. Although I can't think of any decent Mobian creepypastas at the moment, I'm thinking about the idea of maybe making Tails Doll a creepypasta on Mobius.
Guest
I never thought of it that way, but now that you mention it, Chris is basically Peach! XD
MrGoodWriter96
Day 28 was fun to write, and I'm glad you liked it!
You're absolutely fight about that; I'm super glad I started early, and I had my doubts that I would be able to finish on time, but last night I finished writing the last prompt, and I'm gonna take a few weeks off to recover after I post it.
thor94
Happy endings have been few and far between for Chris, haven't they? Fortunately for him, it'll all be over for him very soon, and he can finally get back to living a normal life.
CreativeKitty975
Just like MrGoodWriter said, Chris is just like Peach because he keeps getting kidnapped XD I guess it's because he makes a great hostage and Eggman knows Sonic will be coming for him as a result.
Day Twenty-Nine: Fatigue
Prompt: Fatigue; "Who said you could rest?"
"You've failed your training for the third time already!" Eggman ranted, pacing the floor in front of Chris, who was being held still by two strong robots to make sure he couldn't go anywhere.
"I did everything you wanted!" Chris exclaimed. "I did the whole obstacle course! I ran for three miles without stopping! What more do you want?!"
"You didn't do it fast enough," Eggman stated as if it was obvious. "It's not like you're going to see freedom outside of me again, so you might as well get it right this time. Now get back out there, soldier! Go go go!"
The robots immediately escorted Chris out the door and back to the start of the obstacle course, which thankfully was not far from Eggman's office. There was no escape for him, he knew that deep down, so he didn't have any reason or motivation to try to get out of Eggman's sadistic bootcamp.
A buzzer indicated the start of the session, and Chris once again ran toward the ladder that led up to the monkey bars. Except these weren't anything like the monkey bars he always played on at the playground. These ones were a good thirteen feet above the ground, but thankfully they were situated above a trampoline so Chris wouldn't get hurt if he fell. Even more though, the bars were slippery.
When Chris made it to the top, he took a deep breath before gripping the bars and painstakingly making his way across, trying to make sure he kept his grip.
During a particularly tough mission with his friends, he found out that Eggman had been capturing people for what he called a bootcamp, and he was starting his own army to rival GUN since they were the second thorn in his side, behind Sonic. Humans seemed to have a certain physique that his robots lacked, such as agility, and Eggman was testing the humans to see if they were fit for his army.
During a tough battle, Eggman managed to take Sonic and his friends off guard, and he captured Chris for his Egg Army. Now Chris was being forced through Eggman's evil obstacle course for the fourth time, and his lungs were burning. All he wanted to do was rest.
He finally made it across the monkey bars, shocked that he did it faster than the other three times. He ran toward the next obstacle, the salmon ladder. He recognized it from the American Ninja Warrior show that his grandpa always watched.
He hated this ladder, but he knew he had to do it. It didn't help that his hands were slippery from the monkey bars. It wasn't like oil or anything else that was slippery, but of all things, Eggman chose to coat the monkey bars with ordinary butter that he could buy at the store.
Of all things, why butter? It didn't make sense!
Chris looked up at the ladder before grabbing the bar. Using all his strength, he hopped the bar up the ladder, making sure it rested securely in the hooks before repeating the process. He almost fell, but almost a minute later, he finally made it to the top and looked at his next obstacle: a series of trapezes.
His hands and lungs were on fire, but Eggman was forcing him to go through this training so he could fight against Sonic. However, he could remember clearly that as a robot was flying him toward Eggman's outpost, Sonic called to him that he'd find a way to get him out.
"Who said you could rest, boy?" Eggman called over the intercom. "Keep moving, trooper!"
Chris gritted his teeth before eventually making his way across the set of four trapezes, as well as having to crawl under low bars and navigate a tightrope. After what seemed like forever, he reached the three-mile running track. He was already out of breath, and now he had to navigate the entire three miles for the fourth time. On the bright side, he was allowed to have water between each session, but not during it.
His legs felt like jelly as he started to make his way forward, but then something completely unexpected happened. He felt himself being picked up from behind and carried at insane speeds down the track. He let out a startled scream, but he looked back to see that Sonic was carrying him.
"I gotcha, Chris!" Sonic said with a mischievous grin. "Let's go see the look on Eggman's face once he finds out you beat his challenges in record time!"
"H-H-How did you… g-get in here…?" Chris panted. He was practically drenched in sweat.
"Power Ring," Sonic shrugged.
Less than ten seconds later, Sonic set Chris down in front of the door to Eggman's office.
"A-A-Are you s-sure about this?" Chris asked. "I-I feel like you should get me out of here first."
"I will," Sonic said. "I kinda can't pass up an opportunity like this though."
"You're not being funny, Sonic," Eggman said as he opened the door to his office and stood there. "You intervening on Chris' behalf won't make him a good soldier."
"Hey, even soldiers need rest, and besides, Chris is only twelve," Sonic said pointedly. "He's a bit young for this."
"Normally I wouldn't be bothered with anyone less than military age, but Chris in particular has been a thorn in my side since he took you in," Eggman said. "And since you're here, Sonic, I think you'll want to see what I've been working on in my spare time."
He ran into his office and tapped a few buttons on his console. There was a rumbling sound from outside the room, and a large tank-like robot made its way into view.
"Behold, my beautiful Egg Tank!" he declared as he ran toward the cockpit. "Not to be confused with the ones from Boom or Forces, and yes, I have enough money to afford a new fourth wall."
"Hold that thought, doc," Sonic said as he picked up Chris. "If this is gonna be between you and me, then let's get the civilians to safety."
Eggman crossed his arms. "Fine, but don't take too long. You know how impatient I can be when it comes to fighting you."
Sonic nodded in satisfaction. "I'm honorably discharging you from this funhouse, Chris," he quipped before picking up Chris and carrying him out of the outpost at top speed. Chris held on tight to Sonic and closed his eyes.
"S-Sonic…" he said.
"Yeah?"
"There are more people in there, they all got turned into soldiers. you have to rescue them!"
"Already on it!" Sonic said as he set Chris down outside and grabbed a bottle of water out of the X-Tornado for him. "Stay here, I got some bad eggs to crack!" And with that, he disappeared back inside the outpost, leaving Chris to his thoughts.
As Chris took a generous drink of the water, he realized how sweaty, exhausted, and worn-out he was. Even so, he was grateful that Sonic was never far away, even if it felt like it.
A/N: That concludes day 29! It's not my best work, and I feel like I could have done better if I had more motivation, but it is what it is, and it got the job done with the prompt.
Tomorrow's theme is "Recovery!"
