Chapter 2: Time for Introductions!
The new arrival, Jake, makes his way to a nearby building that looks like a warehouse. Inside it's revealed to be an expensive gym facility, complete with an indoor track, weightlifting area, punching bags and a few boxing rings too. He enters the gym and walks toward the punching bag where the taller lion is punching a bag. The impacts of his punches echo throughout the gymnasium and then finally with a final huge punch, the bag breaks off its chain and is sent flying into a nearby wall, as Jake watches it sail by.
KRASH!
"Knocked another one out, Kyrogk?" Jake chuckles as he addresses the lion by his name, Kyrogk.
The towering lion, Kyrogk, chuckles as he walks over to pick the bag up. He has orange fur, a large red fiery looking mane, metal cuffs on his large white gloved hands, with large green sneakers. He's muscular in build and stands at about 6 feet 3 inches, or 190.5 cm tall.
"Not my fault the bags here aren't strong enough. How was the run?" Kyrogk asks while he picks the bag up and attaches it to a new chain.
"Was good. Got to see more of the city, and made a couple friends! Chris and Danny!" Jake answers.
"That's good. Nice to meet some new faces in town." Kyrogk nods.
"They invited me over later to play the new Sonar x Silhouette game too!" Jake says, eager to play with his new friends.
"Nice. Can head over there after training. Now get your gloves. Time for some pad work!" Kyrogk points to a nearby rack of boxing gloves.
"Right. Try not to be so fast this time?" Jake says nervously.
"No promises!" Kyrogk laughs as he enters a nearby ring.
"Oh boy…" Jake gulps as he pulls his gloves on for another over the top training session.
Meanwhile, back at the Thorndyke mansion Sonic arrives with a bag of chili dogs. The earlier attack seems to have worked up his appetite.
"Got a fresh bag of chili dogs! Brought a whole lot! But better hurry if you guys want some!" Sonic happily announces as he walks through the front door.
"Make sure you don't eat all of them!" Amy shouts as she enters, trying to make sure their party size portion actually lasts enough for others.
"No promises!" Sonic says with a smirk.
Tails and Chuck walk through the room on the way to the yard, carrying a punching bag.
"What you do got there?" Sonic asks, wondering what their latest creation is.
"We made Knuckles a new punching bag. You know, like the ones he's got back home!" Tails explains.
"He's already gone through eight bags, and the cracks in the walls are getting to be a bit much. Tails and I made a reinforced one out of high strength materials and some steel reinforced bars on the inside. Along with a high tensile cable to secure it." Chuck adds, with a proud smile of an inventor.
"In theory the bag shouldn't explode or go flying when Knuckles punches it." Tails summarizes.
"That's good to know. Had one go flying right in front of me the other day." Amy adds.
"It narrowly missed the kitchen window too!" Ella, the housemaid and cook adds.
"That sounds like something Knuckles would do!" Sonic laughs.
"Yes, but remember you burnt out the treadmill too, until we made a new one." Chuck says, reminding Sonic he made a mess as well.
"What can I say? Gotta go fast!" Sonic smiles.
Chris and Danny walk in, with big smiles since they got their copies of the new game. They're clearly eager to start playing.
"Can't wait to start! How about we use the big TV out back?" Chris suggests they use the big projection screen to play the game in the back.
"Sounds like a plan!" Danny agrees with the idea. The screen will really help the game stand out.
"Hey Chris! Hey Danny!" Sonic greets the boys.
"Hi Sonic! Oh! That reminds me! We ran into a new kid in town!" Chris says.
"Literally. Chris and the new kid punched each other in the face too! Like pow!" Danny remarks. He even throws a couple punches in the air to imitate what happened to them.
"Kind of how it happened." Chris responds in an embarrassed voice.
"What?! You punched each other?! Did you get in a fight with him? If he thinks he can just punch you, I'll show him!" Amy asks, concerned.
"No. Nothing like that! It was all an accident! I was waving my arms around and he was punching and jogging, and we basically clobbered each other by accident. Kind of clumsy I guess." Chris clarifies.
"It was quite a scene!" Danny tries to keep a straight face but smirks.
"Anyway! His name is Jake and he just moved here. Seems nice. I invited him to come play with Danny and me." Chris continues.
"Cool to make new friends!" Sonic smiles at Chris getting to know more people.
"We'll be having another guest over? I shall see that snacks and refreshments are in order." Mr Tanaka states he'll see they're ready to welcome another visitor.
Chris and Danny go outside and start up the game. They're absorbed in the gameplay, the large projector screen and movie theater surround sound system really adding to the experience.
"This is awesome!" Chris says as he takes a turn playing through an especially gorgeous section of the game.
"Yeah!" Danny agrees, watching from Chris' side.
Outside, Jake and Kyrogk wake up to the front gate of the Thorndyke mansion. Jake is surprised to see the sprawling estate.
"Whoa! Didn't think Chris lives in a place like this!" Jake looks stunned at the place before them.
"That's a pretty impressive home." Kyrogk agrees.
"Let's see if they're home!" Jake reaches for the buzzer.
"Want me to knock?" Kyrogk offers with a smile.
"Er we don't need you leaving an impression like that." Jake replies, not wanting Kyrogk to walk through a wall or something to make an entrance.
"Oh okay." Kyrogk nods.
Jake hits the buzzer and announces he's arrived.
"Um hello! It's Jake! I met Chris and Danny earlier and they said I could come play the game with them! I brought another friend too, hope you don't mind!"
"Ah Jake. Master Chris and Danny are waiting for you. Please come in! And don't worry about having another with you. The more the merrier!" Mr Tanaka answers and tells them to come to the door.
Jake and Kyrogk walk up the door. Before Kyrogk can knock, it swings open and they're greeted by Tanaka.
"Hello. You must be Jake! And oh my! You're a tall one! Excuse my manners. Ones from Sonic's world tend to be on the shorter side for the most part." Tanaka greets them, and is surprised to see how tall Kyrogk is.
"Yep! I'm Jake. And this here's Kyrogk. He's my friend and mentor." Jake explains
"I get that a lot! Big is the one of the only ones my size. Heh!" Kyrogk shakes hands with Mr Tanaka as they enter the mansions front room.
"Well there certainly seems to be some larger felines. Master Chris and Danny are this way, if you please." Mr Tanaka leads them out back to the gaming area.
Jake heads out back with Kyrogk following behind. He runs over to Chris and Danny just as they're finishing up a level onscreen.
"Hi! Chris! Danny! I'm here! Also brought a friend, hope you don't mind!" Jake shouts out to them.
"Hey Jake- Whoa you're a big guy!" Chris greets Jake and his eyes go wide when he sees Kyrogk.
"Wha- Yeah he's tall!" Danny agrees as he moves around to see Jake and Kyrogk walking over.
"Getting that a lot today." Kyrogk chuckles.
"This is Kyrogk! He's my friend and I guess you could call him my mentor and coach. Kyrogk, this is Chris and Danny!" Jake introduces them.
"Didn't know there was another from Sonic's world. Pleased to meet you!" Chris says.
"Yeah! Cool to meet you! You look strong!" Danny adds as he looks at Kyrogk.
As they're being introduced to each other, Knuckles walks by, having finished another workout nearby. Jake sees him didn't expect to see him with his new friend.
"That's the Knuckles! You know Knuckles? Awesome! Wait-" Jake says to Chris before turning to Kyrogk.
Knuckles walks over to say hello when he suddenly notices the hard to miss Kyrogk standing there. His expression immediately turns from surprise to a serious look.
"Hey Chris I- What the?! YOU!" Knuckles stops and does a double-take when he sees Kyrogk.
Kyrogk turns around to face Knuckles. He smirks as he walks over toward him.
"Ha! It's you!" Kyrogk shouts as he runs toward Knuckles.
"Come here!" Knuckles shouts as he runs at Kyrogk.
"Um what's going on?!" Chris asks, worried a fight is about to break out.
"This can't be good!" Danny likewise agrees.
"Pretty sure they know each other." Jake explains.
Kyrogk and Knuckles run at each other. They look like they're about to throw down. But when they get close they throw out their fists. Instead of a punch, they do a fist bump with an echoing boom as their fists meet.
BOOM!
"Kyrogk, you big goof! What are you doing here?" Knuckles smiles as he looks up at Kyrogk.
"Heh! Great to see you, Knuckles! We're in the neighborhood, you could say. Saw you with Sonic and the others taking down that spider earlier!" Kyrogk tells Knuckles.
"That was one of Eggman's. You know how it is! Reminds me of some of our past battles." Knuckles recalls.
"Heh! Those were good times!" Kyrogk chuckles.
"Knuckles! You know Kyrogk? Someone please explain!" Chris asks for a much needed explanation.
Kyrogk and Knuckles look a bit embarrassed at having left everyone confused.
"Yeah. Met him back in our world. We crossed paths while looking for Eggman. Was quite a meeting!" Knuckles says.
"Kind of led to a tussle that went on for a bit. May have made a mess of the surrounding area." Kyrogk adds.
"But we found out we were on the same side. Took out a few bots and one of Eggman's bases together. Became buds then. And occasional sparring partners!" Knuckles continues.
"Yep! Knuckles is pretty strong for a little guy!" Kyrogk teases.
"And Kyrogk is all right for a big brute who isn't the fastest!" Knuckles teases him back.
"So you're friends! Thought you were gonna start fighting!" Chris breathes a sigh of relief.
"We wouldn't do that now. Make it sound like we're barbarians or something!" Knuckles laughs.
Danny looms like he's deep in through before he perks up and faces Jake and Kyrogk.
"So that was you guys I saw near the robot attack earlier!" Danny comments, recalling he saw Chris and Jake watching the aftermath.
"Yeah. Heard Knuckles, Sonic and the others were here. Heard all about your guys' adventures here. Wanted it to be a surprise to see you. Guess it was!" Kyrogk explains.
"Didn't expect to see you here, either!" Knuckles ponders.
"You could say we're from out of town, passing through." Kyrogk says.
"Yep!" Jake adds with a grin.
"So! What have you been up to?" Knuckles asks Kyrogk.
"Same old. Met Jake here, saved him from an attack. And he's been with me since." Kyrogk answers.
"And he's been teaching me how to fight too! Boxing mostly! Though I kinda have a long way to go." Jake blushes a bit as he admits he's not the best fighter.
"You're better than you think, kid. Still early, and you'll get better!" Kyrogk tells Jake.
"So you're like a coach now? Great! You know, I've taught Sonic and the others some tricks. Even been thinking of teaching Chris here a thing or two!" Knuckles says as he looks at Chris.
"I uh think that might be a bit much for me!" Chris says with a nervous reply.
"Never know until we try! I know you're not strong as me or Sonic and the others Chris. Probably would be a good idea for some self defense. We won't always be around." Knuckles goes on.
"I-I have an idea!" Jake nervously stutters.
"What is it?" Kyrogk tells Jake to elaborate.
"Well I'm training with Kyrogk. Maybe Chris should train with Knuckles at the same time. Could compare notes or something! We could all train at our gym!" Jake explains.
"That would be interesting to see." Danny finally comments.
"Hm. We could teach them. Then have like a show or something…?" Knuckles continues the train of thought.
"A competition maybe?" Kyrogk proposes.
"I know! You guys are gonna teach Chris and Jake boxing, right?" Danny asks.
"That would be the plan, yes. Go on." Knuckles nods.
"Maybe you can train Chris and Jake for a bit, then have something to show for it. Like a spar or whatever!" Danny remarks.
"Spar? Like fighting?!" Chris nervously gulps at the idea.
"Whoa! Next thing you'll say is Chris and I should duke it out in a real fight since we already punched each other once!" Jake says in exasperation. He immediately has a look of regret at what he just went and said.
"Hm. A boxing match, eh? That does sound interesting." Kyrogk ponders.
"Uh oh. Me and my big mouth…" Jake sighs as the realizes what he said.
"That could be a good way to test their training. We teach them for a bit. Then like a final, Chris and Jake can fight in a real boxing match! Winner takes all!" Knuckles manages to say.
"W-what?!" Chris exclaims.
"A real fight?! M-me?! And Chris?!" Jake looks stunned at the suggestion they fight.
"This is getting crazy! I do wonder who'd win in a fight though." Danny comments with a joke.
"Not helping!" Chris and Jake say at the same time.
"Sorry!" Danny replies meekly.
"Pretty sure I'd win anyway. I've trained a bit." Jake says.
"Yeah and- Hold on. What do you mean you know you'd win? I'm pretty tough too! I've faced down Eggman and been through all kinds of stuff!" Chris says as he walks up to Jake.
"You sure? Your punch wasn't that hard when we ran into each other." Jake remarks, trying to sound tough.
"Neither was your punch! I barely felt it!" Chris says with a smile, though slight nerves in his voice.
"Uh guys. Do you really want to fight?" Danny asks Chris and Jake.
Chris and Jake stare at each other with serious expressions for a few tense moments. Kyrogk and Knuckles look on, wondering what will happen next.
"Y-Yeah. Let's do this." Chris nods and swallows his nerves as he looks at Jake
"O-okay then. We'll train. And then…" Jake starts.
"We'll fight. And you're going down, Jake!" Chris blurts out, getting caught up in the moment.
"Oh yeah! It'll be lights out for you, Chris!" Jake answers back, equally caught up.
Knuckles steps between the boys seeing the tension.
"Okay you two. You sure you really want to fight in a boxing match?" Knuckles asks them.
"Yeah!" Both boys answer staring each other down.
"Then we'll do it the right away. You both will go through some intense training to make sure you're ready to fight." Kyrogk adds.
"Yes. I think 3 weeks should just about do it. Then you two can duke it out to your hearts' content." Knuckles states.
"Where will we fight?" Jake asks.
"We could fight right here at the mansion. There's plenty of room, and we just need a boxing ring, right?" Chris offers.
"That's not a bad idea. I think we've got a fight on our hands now! Chris, you'd better be prepared for some tough training. We'll need to get you into fighting shape." Knuckles tells Chris.
"And we'll definitely be stepping up your training, Jake. It's the real deal now!" Kyrogk explains to Jake in no uncertain terms.
"This will definitely be something." Danny says, wondering how it'll all turn out.
Chris and Jake look at each other again. The reality that they've pretty much challenged each other to an actual boxing match settles in. Jake walks up to Chris and offers to shake hands.
"May the best one win." Jake offers to shake as a sign of sportsmanship.
"Yeah. Here's to a good fight!" Chris accepts, returning the gesture of respect
With that, the fight is on!
To be continued...