"Careful there, Shade," you snark, "Knuckles isn't anything like the way you romanticize. Sure, he's strong and brave, but he lacks a lot of brain. He's been so sheltered, he even trusted Eggman the first time he met him. And he's been tricked by him more than once afterwards…"
You casually place your hands behind your head and close your eyes. "Come to think of it, he was pretty quick to trust you, even after you did a heel-face turn on Ix. He's way too gullible. Not to mention easy to pick on. You sure he really stands out?"
You open one eye to glance at her, and see she looks rather peeved at you. "What's wrong? Did I shatter the rose-colored glasses?"
"You call yourself his friend?" she spats, "I've known him much shorter than you have, and even I can look past his shortcomings. You're too quick to pass him off as a dumb muscle, yet you've already forgotten how much he's helped you since Ix first came back to your world. Even I've noticed all this on your assault back on Angel Island."
You roll your eyes. "Wow… You're as gullible as Knuckles. In that case, you two really are made for each other!"
As fast as you are, you couldn't duck the punch she landed on the side of your head, and you go falling down the building…
Fortunately, you've fallen down from higher distances, and the landing doesn't hurt you too badly. Panicked onlookers rush to your side, but you're able to jump back to your feet with ease, brush yourself off, and decide that you're better off being elsewhere at the moment…
Continue on to Chapter 49