SonicANIME2010 here, bringing in part 4 of my Sonic 2 arc for Wind of the Night Sky. Lots of stuff to get through, so let's get rolling. btw for Charmy in the last chapter, only female bees have stingers. because part of reproductives, so come at me bro.
[South Island Archipelago: West Side Island]
[Mystic Cave Zone: Clearing]
[Time: 1152]
[BGM: "Eggman" Sonic X]
Unsurprisingly and a touch predictably, Signum and her squad found Eggman at the end of the cavern. The good doctor was seated in his egg-mobile, cleaning out his ears for an unknown reason. He was so focused on something that it took a loud alert from his mech to bring his attention to the group.
"Oh." Eggman huffed a bit in annoyance, removing his gloved fingers from his ears, "You again…"
"Um, Eggman-san?" Queried Nanoha in genuine concern, "Are you feeling okay?"
"Well, I was fine until I heard something akin to a banshee's wail echoing very loudly through the cave." The doctor cleaned his throat in an attempt to be presentable, "You kids wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
There was a pause as everyone present, sans the confused doctor, stared at Vita. The short knight, aware of the gazes and the reason behind them, merely shrugged and patted at her hat, making sure it was secure on her head.
The silence was shortly broken by a cough from Signum that one could swear hid a snort. A series of muffled giggles followed from the rest of the gathered girls, though Vita was obviously unamused.
"Oi!" The short knight barked, "Shut the hell up!"
"Sorry, Vita-chan." Nanoha spoke for the rest as things settled down.
"Pardon me." Eggman cut in, "But I can't help feel like I'm missing some context."
"Shut up and bring out your next mech!" Vita's tone was impatient.
"Your funeral then." The doctor began to punch a series of buttons on his console.
The cavern began to quake and rumble as the ceiling above sprouted a sizable hole. A massive figure began to burrow its way down, soon taking the form of an oversized mechanical centipede, not unlike the robots that were found in the zone. Though it appeared to lack any limbs, its size and weight more than made up for any indicators of its power.
"I give you…" The doctor paused for dramatic effect, "The Egg-Crawlton."
"Wow…" Nanoha gaped in awe, "That's huge."
"Feh…" Vita was unimpressed, "Size doesn't mean anything."
"Says the shrimp." Eggman countered with a smirk
"Oi! You wanna piss me off?" The iron knight snarled, "I'm already ticked from nearly losing my hat earlier, you do -not- want to push me any further."
"Oh, really?" confidence raised in the tone of Eggman, "You care about that tacky thing?"
Needless to say, the comment was received poorly by the iron knight. An eerie aura emitted from Vita's form as the small girl inhaled and heaved a deep breath; staring daggers at the Doctor with an immeasurable amount of killing intent. The others with her immediately took a few steps back, knowing full well what was about to happen and unwilling to get into the crossfire. A belkan glyph appeared at her feet as a cartridge loaded itself into Graf Eisen.
"Explosion." The device chimed as it slowly changed forms, this time into its Gigant form, "Gigantform."
"Now I'm suddenly hearing boss music…" sweat rolled from Eggman's forehead, "I'm going to take that as my cue to skedaddle."
"Highly advised." Signum, for once, agreed with the doctor, "Because she will likely go after you first."
Eggman took the warning and retreated with all the speed his mobile was able to put out, signaling for the Crawlton to switch into battle formation. Vita took a few steps forward, her attention and rage switched from to the mech, her grip tightened on her massive hammer. Its weight was cumbersome but the girl was unfazed by it.
"Leave this one to me." The knight of the hammer declared, "Don't try to help."
"Are you sure?" queried Signum, "That foe is likely one of our toughest."
"The Knight of the Iron Hammer, Vita, and the Steel Count, Graf Eisen." Vita's tone was a mix of pride and anger, "There's nothing in this world that we can't destroy."
Respecting her knight's decision, the general pulled back from attack range and signaled for the rest of the teammates to do so. This fight was only for Vita and Eisen; any attempt of assistance would likely just get in her way.
[OP: "Bright Stream" Nana Mizuki, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 2nd A's]
Sonic the Hedgehog: Wind of the Night Sky
Chapter 14
West Side Island Phase 4: Turn of the Tide
[Emerald Hill: Beachhead]
[Time: 1155]
[BGM: "Lively Journey (Babylonia Ver.)" Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia]
With the use of Quint's Wing Road, the investigator for Project 97 traversed the ocean between South Island and West Side Island with the Chaotix in tow. Their destination was the Chemical Plant, where Nakajima was tasked with investigating Eggman's research as well as keeping him from continuing it. She convinced the detective trio to join her to make use of their abilities.
The group of four paused at the beachhead for a few moments when they heard a weird echo that sounded akin to a shout. Espio was the most affected by the brief delay, as he had to pause and take a knee.
"What's up, Espio?" queried Vector.
"I felt a great disturbance…" replied the chameleon, "As if a multitude of voices suddenly cried out and were silenced."
"Huh?" Charmy blinked, "Have you been watchin the sci-fi channel again?"
Quint restrained her amusement, feeling the irony in the question raised from the bee. She was technically not from Earth, though she refrained from telling the Chaotix that. Still, they had a job to do, and could ill afford to waste time with odd delays.
"Not to rush, but we have an assignment here." Nakajima cleared her throat, "We'll probably be able to chat more when we get to our destination."
"Sorry, ma'am." Vector scratched the back of his head, "We just need a moment for Espio to get his bearings back."
"Very well." The woman acquiesced, "We'll take five."
[Mystic Cave: Clearing]
[Vs Boss: Egg-Crawlton]
[BGM: "Eggman battle" Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)]
Screaming like a mad warrior, Vita rushed into the oversized caterpillar robot with her hammer ready to strike. Her hammer slammed into the bot hard enough to leave a small hole in the otherwise sturdy armor. The robot managed to burrow itself into the ground below before she could make another strike.
"Damn it," the short knight cursed, looking around for where the robot might strike.
The cavern began to quake and rumble as the robot dug its way around. As it did so, the sharp stalactites fell from the ceiling. Several of them threatened to impale the short knight where she stood. It was only her reflexes that allowed her to react in time.
"Barrier!" Vita called to her device.
"Panzerhindernis!" Eisen chimed in return.
Almost immediately, Vita's form was encased in a deep-red crystal-like barrier that protected her body The stalactites, though sharp, bounced and disintegrated instantly upon contact with the dome. Vita showed no signs of even registering any of the contact. Her defenses were strong and held tight to the adversity.
Impatiently, the robot began to raise from the ground, its sight locked on the short hammer knight. Spinning one of the huge metallic orbs that made up its body, the Crawlton jettisoned it like a gun firing a bullet. The projectile careened hard with the knight's barrier but she budged not even a little. Her steel gaze locked on the robot's head.
"What's the matter?" she questioned, "Is that all you got?"
As if infuriated by the taunt, the robotic beast let out a savage roar and dive-bombed at her with the rest of its body, headfirst. Using its weight to add power and speed, the robot hoped to squash the impudent tyke where she stood. But it was to no avail, Vita's barrier held on strong and showed not even a hint of cracking.
The robot pulled back and regained the orb that it had used to attack. Vita took that as her cue to dismiss the barrier and go on the offensive. A cartridge loaded itself into Eisen's head; the girl began to spin in place, using the weight of the hammer to increase the spin of her rotation, more than doubling the power output.
"GIGANT HAMMER!" The iron knight shouted.
Vita struck hard again at the robot, this time leaving two sizable holes in its head with her spinning strike. The mechanical let out a roar, this time in pain as its circuits began to fry. Aiming to get away before she could be allowed to finish, the crawlton burrowed its way into the ceiling.
"Oh Hell no!" Vit shouted out into the hole the robot just made, "You're not getting off that easily!"
"Kometfliegen" Graf Eisen declared.
A singular metallic orb that was bigger than Vita's head appeared in her hand. The girl lifted it into the air and struck it with Eisen in its Gigant form like a polo or tennis player does to a ball. With great speed and surprisingly good homing, the orb was sent into the hole.
Seconds later, another loud roar of pain was heard as the robot was forced out of another hole from the ceiling due to the impact with Vita's spell. The robot appeared battered and bruised, and likely at the limit of the punishment it could take.
Unrelenting, Vita shouted and rushed the robot, intending for the final blow. It was quick, but the girl slammed her hammer straight through its head with enough force to cause it and the rest of the body to explode harmlessly. Somehow despite the iron knight's violent carnage, the canister of critters that acted as the power supply was unharmed, allowing Vita to break it free and release the animals within.
[Boss Clear]
[Jingle: "Victory" Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)]
"Yosh!" The iron knight shouted as she rested Eisen on her shoulder, allowing steam to escape from the edge of the hilt closest to the head.
The critters, almost in fear, began to scurry away from the wreck scene as swift as their legs could carry them. Though she tried to hide it well, the knight visibly recoiled from the sight. Perhaps she had a soft spot for the cute little things, but she would be damned if she let anyone else know of that.
With a sigh, Vita turned and waited for the rest of her party to come forward. Oddly enough, the one whose reaction stood out to her the most was of a specific pink hedgehog. She stared at the girl for a bit, as if questioning.
"Oi." Vita questioned, "What are you looking at.."
"That…" Amy paused, did her heart just skip a beat? "That was…"
"What?!" the smaller human grew impatient, "Spill it!"
The pink hedgehog found herself, oddly to even her, swooning over the display. She rushed over to the hammer knight with as much speed as her hedgehog legs could give her. Her hands clasped the knight's tightly.
"Amazing!" The girl swooned, "That was so cool! I haven't seen anything that awesome in my life! You have to teach me how to do all of that!"
"What the hell?!" Vita tried futilely to fight the pink girl off, with a small blush "B-back off!"
A chorus of restrained giggles filled the ears of the knight. Turning to face the rest of them, she found nothing but amusement etched on everyone's faces. Even Signum, though the general masked it masterfully.
"Vita-chan has a fan." teased Nanoha in between giggles
"SH-SHUT UP!"
Things calmed down after Amy released Vita from her grasp. The knight tried to find solace from the idea that the antics she was subjected to from the pink girl went unnoticed by her mistress or the blue hedgehog, but not even that was possible.
"So…" Sonic asked Vita, "When are the lessons starting?"
"Wait. what lessons?" the hammer knight asked back.
"Hammer lessons for Amy-chan." Hayate added in cute amusement.
"Hold on…" Vita processed the question and context to her growing horror, "That means you heard all of that?"
"Yup!" Both hedgehog and brunette replied simultaneously.
"Damn it..." The redhead pouted and promptly fell silent in embarrassment.
With brightened spirits and a bit of amusement to fill the air, the troupe progressed onwards to the next zone.
[Chemical Plant: Research Facility]
[Time: 1200]
[BGM: "Chemical Plant (Act 2)" Sonic Mania OST]
Quint and the Chaotix arrived at the facility, meeting with very little resistance if any. The squads that came before did a fine enough job of exterminating the robots, which allowed the investigation to run. The squad's first focus was to secure any form of paperwork or documents that could be of use in determining the extent of Eggman's research.
Thanks to the crocodile's instincts, the investigation yielded a great deal of documents from the good doctor's computer terminals. Much to the relief of Nakajima, the doctor's research into the chemical plant had ended after the development of the Egg-Amoeba robot. He was unable to make any further progress in it as the efforts from the heroes had shut down his base.
The investigation mostly concluded, there was one more objective that was required, and it was going to be the longest. To keep Eggman from returning to the zone and continuing his research, they had to keep the facility guarded, at least until the mission that the main group was undertaking was completed.
"Thank you for your assistance," Quint said to the rest of the group.
"Just doing our civil duties ma'am." Vector chuckled, "Besides you promised a payment."
"That I did," The woman nodded, "But there is something that I've noticed that has drawn my curiosity."
Curiously, the crocodile, bee and chameleon gestured for the woman to make her point. She had noticed that the trio had reacted very little, if any at all to her use of magic. While this was far from a standout, it was still something that she felt the need to address, considering the fact that magic that she used was not native to this planet.
"Oh, that?" Vector chuckled in an attempt to sound mysterious, "Let's just say a good detective isn't surprised by anything."
"Wait." Charmy paused at that answer, "Are we not going to talk about those light shows we saw a few months ago between those cute humans? You know with the blonde in black and the other girl in wh-."
"Oi! Pipe down Charmy!" The croc immediately tried to silence the bee with a hand over her face, "She doesn't need to know that."
"So this isn't your first time witnessing this magic, then?" queried Quint inquisitively, "Care to share?"
"Well…" an awkward cough escaped the crocodile, "Uh…"
"Give up, Vector." Espio sighed, "We've been found out on this one."
In defeat, Vector released the bee, took a seat and began to explain his party. At some time during the middle of the spring, the Chaotix were on a sleuthing assignment on the mainland. They were tasked with looking into the weird occurrences that had occurred. During this assignment, the crew stumbled upon a duo of humans engaging in, what they called, a light show of epic proportions over a lake.
Blinking, Quint only needed a moment to process before figuring out what it was the Chaotix had stumbled upon. Though she was only privy to secondhand knowledge, she knew enough to surmise that it was one of the battles between Nanoha and Fate during the Jewel Seed incident. She refrained from telling them that, but it did clear up the mystery.
"I see…" Nakajima nodded in comprehension, "That explains a bit."
"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that?" The crocodile latched on to that, "You seem like you do."
"Perhaps…" The woman shook her head, "But that information is classified."
"Classified?" Charmy asked, "What class?"
"She means she's not allowed to tell us." Espio narrowed his eyes, "Why?"
"Unfortunately, that's all I can say." Quint shook her head again, "Even I'm not privy to the details."
The Chaotix took that as their cue to drop the conversation. Though they were left with more questions than answers, what they had was satisfactory. In addition, they also likely were going to be able to use that information later down the line for more questioning.
[Oil Ocean: Act 0]
[Time: 1210]
[BGM: "Lively Journey (Babylonia Ver)" Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia]
Passageways from the mountains led out to the coastal sea, but it was far from a pleasant sight. Doctor Eggman had set up a massive oil refinery and ripped up the whole sector. The ocean was covered in sludge produced by the drilling the distance, there were tall factories and grimy grey buildings, where the oil produced was pouring out.
Though this was far from the ideal place for a picnic, an army marches on its stomach. The combined squad had decided to take a lunch break due to a combination of growling stomachs and Signum's orders. Amy and Tails had packed their own lunches in anticipation of a long day, while Fate and Alicia's were both packed by Lindy. Nanoha supplied her own while Hayate accounted for Sonic and the Wolkenritter's.
"Um, Vita-san?" Tails, building courage, attempted to draw the attention of the red knight, "Can I ask you about something?"
"Eh?" the knight replied with a mouthful of food before swallowing, "Sure."
"I was wondering about your hat," the fox made his point quickly despite the nerves, "You're quite protective of it."
"Oh…" Vita nodded, "It was a gift from Hayate. She designed our Knight Clothing."
"Yup." The brunette nodded, "I based Vita's hat off a rabbit plushie she grew attached to during one of our early clothes shopping trips."
A certain pink hedgehog's ears twitched when she heard that information. Her gaze shifted between Signum and Vita, the gears turning in her head, before she turned to face Hayate with an appreciative grin.
"Wow, that's really neat." Amy remarked, "I appreciate your taste for fashion."
"Thank you." Hayate returned the compliment, "Your outfit looks really cute too."
"I've been looking to get more outfits, like from the anime I've been watching." the pink hedgehog chuckled, "But I haven't had the time to hit up the mall in the mainland for them."
"You like anime too?!" The brunette began to beam with stars in her eyes, "If you like, we can hit the next convention, I can get you a costume for cosplay."
"Ooh!" Amy clasped the human's hands in her own gloved ones, "I have the feeling we could be great friends!"
"Ooh! Me too!" Alicia suddenly piped in with a grin after hearing all of the discussion, much to Fate's horror.
From that point on, a new trio of shared interests was formed between Hayate, Alicia and Amy Rose and they talked quite extensively about costumes and cosplay conventions. Sonic could not help but notice the dread slowly creeping to the expressions of Reinforce, Fate and, though hidden, Signum. Knowing the futility of stopping Hayate when on a cosplay high, the hedgehog shook his head.
Fortunately, any apparent plotting between the trio was cut short as the lunch break ended. With full stomachs and maybe a touch of haste, Signum urged the teams to continue onward.
[Oil Ocean: Action Stage]
[BGM: "Oil Ocean" Sonic the Hedgehog 2]
Due to the suspended structure to the sector, all of the pathways were on narrow pipe-like roads and thin platforms; this made the teams to designate specific routes circling around the refinery. The oil pouring from the pipes made the terrain slippery, leading to the possibility of a long drop into the ocean with one missed step.
There were two types of badniks deployed by Eggman in this zone, the Seadra and Octus. The Seadra were yellow seahorse-shaped robots with sharp antennae and a small snout which fired bullets at rapid velocity. Octus were octopus-based robots with pink heads, black eyes and a tiny snout for shooting energy projectiles.
[POV: Team B (Signum, Vita, Nanoha, Fate, Amy Rose)]
A combination of Nanoha and Fate made short work of most of the octopus shaped robots. The two girls were operating as a synchronized unit with their combination of shooting spells and raiding strikes. Vita and Signum were no different, using their melee and barriers to counter the seahorse shaped mechs. Amy kept the teams alert with her instincts and occasional divination to predict locations of robots.
The robots grew bold at some point and made a formation to corner the team at the base of one of the oil pools. Defensive spells at the ready, but it was Amy who had gained a sudden idea to voice.
"Hold on…" The pink hedgehog began, "Oil should be flammable, right?"
"Normally." Nanoha agreed, "But this is also mixed with water, so I'm not sure."
"It might be worth a try," Amy said, "Anyone have access to a fire spell or a match?"
"Laevatein." came the reply from Signum
"Sturmwinde" the sword chimed in return.
The woman's sword was lit with flame as she winded up a swing. After a moment, she slashed the air before her, creating a fiery shockwave that landed in the oil pool. True to the pink hedgehog's prediction, the flames met the liquid and ignited further. One could almost hear the robots whirr or scream as they were ignited in intense flame before exploding, releasing critters that were somehow unharmed.
"Wow." Amy blinked, "That worked out better than I thought it would."
"We should take caution in the future," Signum cautioned, "Flames don't just burn for one party, they should not be taken lightly."
The wise words were absorbed and the team pressed onwards. While there were fewer instances of the flame trick like before, they still were effective in crushing the robotic opposition.
[POV: Team A (Reinforce, Hayate, Alicia, Sonic, Tails)]
As luck would have it, the route that Sonic's team took had plenty of robots to dismantle, once they could bypass the tough pipeline terrain and reach them. The oil made the ground slick and hard to keep traction on, reducing the effectiveness of speedsters such as the blue hedgehog. Still, the adversity only served as a challenge and motivator to keep the team cohesive and running strong.
Smoke could be seen from the direction that Signum and her team had taken. While it had little impact on anyone's ability to breathe or progress, it did provide something of a point of humor. Sonic deduced that someone had decided to science the question of lighting a match in an oil refinery.
"What's that saying in England?" Sonic queried in commentary, "Where there's smoke, there's fire?"
"You can have that one," Hayate giggled, "It's clever enough."
"Good to know I have your permission for quips." The hedgehog retorted.
"They really get along well together." Tails commented.
"Indeed." Reinforce agreed with a smile, "My knights don't express it, we are thankful that he's a part of our family."
The fox tilted his head as he pondered the words of the Unison Device. His curiosity grew as he had questions regarding the nature of the hedgehog's relationship to the brunette and silver-haired woman. In respect for the limited time available, he refrained from asking and opted to keep them to himself until a better time arrived.
It took some exploring, but the team was able to find the gateway to the last special stage, the site of the final Chaos Emeralds trial. Even though the post looked no different from any of the others, it still held a feeling of foreboding. Likely due to the gravity of the ramifications it potentially held.
"Here it is." Sonic said, staring a hole into the post, "The final emerald trial."
"Nervous?" queried Alicia in curiosity.
"Nope." the hedgehog shrugged with a grin, "I got this one easy."
The hedgehog wasted no time in activating the gate, disappearing into the usual flash of light. Once it was clear that he was gone, Hayate shook her head with a small sigh.
"My mistress?" Reinforce questioned, "Something troubling you?"
"Sonic-kun's a poor liar. He puts up a brave front, but he's just as nervous deep down." the brunette explained, "I should know, I'm speaking from experience."
"You and he are really close." Alicia observed with curiosity in her red orbs.
"He's like my brother," Hayate giggled, "A weird, quirk one, but a trustworthy brother."
The irony of Hayate's statement was obvious, but no one chose to comment on it, not even her. Instead they chose to wait patiently and hold the proverbial fort down until Sonic returned.
[Coordinates Unknown]
[Special Stage]
[Time: Unknown]
[BGM: "Special Stage" Sonic the Hedgehog CD]
The final trial took place on what resembled a race track, complete with the turns, blacktop and grass. In the backdrop was a mix of a futuristic city behind a mountain range with a huge moon orbiting the realm under a strangely greenlit sky. The ocean of which the course was situated on was divided into bodies of water with black or pink colors for the liquid.
Sonic only needed a few seconds to look around before determining that this trial was not only going to be the last, but also the most trying. He would need to be on point with his timing to navigate the course without touching the water and there was extremely little room for error.
Looking up, the hedgehog could see the moderator sphere floating down to orbit around him. He regarded the spirit with a nod, waiting for her to speak first before taking his turn.
"At last, the final trial." spoke the voice neutrally, "Nervous?"
"Nah," Sonic shrugged, settling into a runner's stance, "I'll take on anything you throw at me."
"Bravado often masks uncertainty." retorted the voice, again with a neutral tone, "Are you sure?"
"Y'know, if you're just going to read me like that." the hedgehog countered, "Why do you ask that question?"
"I was testing you." Was there a hint of satisfaction in the voice's tone? "And with your last question, you have passed."
"Huh?"
The voice said no more as the spirit orb ascended to the sky above and the UFOs appeared once more. Sonic was taken for a loop, but all he could do was shrug and engage in the final trial.
Several factors played into the enhanced difficulty for the final emerald's special stage. All of the UFOs were not only scattered about the map, but they were also given erratic patterns and high-speed maneuvers, forcing the hedgehog to rely on timing his jumps to make sure he not only destroyed one but also avoided landing in the water.
Every second mattered, and Sonic had to make sure he paced out each UFO elimination to give him extra time in case his initial passes failed to destroy the target mech. Even one mistake could cost him seconds of precious time. Still, the hedgehog was tenacious, and refused to give in.
Finally, after boiling the time down to the last five seconds, the final UFO was destroyed and Sonic could take a deep breath as he stopped. The background flashed between multiple colors of the rainbow as the final Chaos Emerald, a silver gem, descended down into the hedgehog's outstretched hands. With it, came the spirit moderator orb to congratulate him.
"Congratulations are in order," The spirit spoke, "You have all of the Chaos Emeralds."
"Eh heh… That last one was pretty tough." Sonic chuckled weakly, "But now that I have them all, can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead." replied the spirit.
"Why go through all of these trials?" Sonic asked, "You obviously put a lot of effort into making these, but why? Why all of these tests?"
"As you're probably aware, the ancient civilizations had vyed the use of the seven Chaos to achieve their prosperity." The voice's tone was informative and reflective, "But they soon became consumed by greed and a tragedy unfolded by their lust for power. Countless lives lost, civilizations ruined; the deity of the Chaos was angered."
"And by sealing the emeralds away, you wanted to make sure history doesn't repeat itself." Sonic took a deep breath, finishing the train of thought, "You wanted to be sure that whoever collected them again wouldn't fall to that lust for power."
"Thus, you…" The voice acknowledged the hedgehog, "When you first gathered the emeralds on your last adventure I sensed that there was something about you. Something that was different about your heart that separated you from the others."
"I see…" Sonic needed no further explanation, but had one last question, "So with all of the emeralds gathered, how do they activate?"
"I cannot say, the emeralds have wills of their own, what happens is up to them and the heart of the one whom unifies them." The voice trailed off with one last note, "But I will say that they will activate for you, at the turn of the tide."
Before he could question the meaning of the words, Sonic was made to watch the spirit bid him farewell and rise to the sky. Shortly thereafter he was whisked away in a beam of light, his trials complete.
[Eyecatch #1: Sonic: Wind of the Night Sky bio card #27: Espio]
Name: Espio the Chameleon
Katakana: エスピオ・ザ・カメレオン (Esupio za Kamereon)
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Height: 110 cm
Weight: 36 kg
Color: Purple
System: None
Rank: B+
Device: None
[Eyecatch #2: Sonic: Wind of the Night Sky bio card #28: Graham]
Name: Gil Graham
Katakana: ギル・グレアム (Giru Gureyamu)
Gender: Male
Age: 61
Height: 172 cm
Weight: 58 kg
Rank (Military): Admiral (Formerly)
Color: Light-Blue
System: Mid-Childa
Rank: AA
Device: Unknown
Familiar: The Liese Twins
[Non-Administrated Planet #97 "Earth"]
[South Island Archipelago: West Side Island]
[Oil Ocean: Race Results]
[Time: 1225]
[No BGM]
Though the final emerald trial consumed a considerable amount of time, Team A was able to secure first place in the race sector for Oil Ocean, crossing the finish line seconds before Team B. Despite that, the topic of the highest priority was the Chaos Emeralds. With all of them in the troupe's possession, one of the missions they were deployed on was complete.
"Sonic-san's sidequest has allowed us to secure all seven of the Chaos Emeralds.." Signum noted, sending the blue hedgehog a nod, "Good work."
"Heh-heh," the boy chuckled, scratching at his quills, "No problem."
"You are allowed to take pride in your accomplishments here." The woman reached down and patted him on the shoulder, "Hubris may invite destruction on the battlefield, but there are some instances where pride in one's actions is warranted."
"I know, I know." Sonic nodded, "But we also have a long way to go."
"True, but you can still have some pride in yourself," advised Signum, "Just don't let it consume you, that will invoke carelessness, which beckons doom."
Sonic nodded and took the words under advisement, but he was not alone in doing so. Nanoha. who had overheard the conversation between the two while waiting for Raising Heart to tally up her team's score, also registered the general's wording. Though she displayed no reaction, her mind was working out the meaning behind it and filing the words for later.
"First Place bonus: 10000 points. Enemy bonus: 35x100 points." Lucky Star reported for Alicia and her team, "Final Score: 13500 points!"
"Second Place bonus: 7500 points. Enemy bonus: 40x100 points." Raising Heart said in return for Nanoha's team, "Final Score: 11500 points."
There was little fanfare for the blue hedgehog's team, their focus was on the goal ahead with Eggman laying in wait. As was the case in the previous zones, the losing team pulled back to observe from a safe distance while the victors pressed onwards.
What they found at the end of the zone was partly amusing and odd. The doctor was hovering about in his Egg-Mobile mumbling and on something of a rant. An odd paper resembling a legal document was on his machine's console.
"I don't get it, how could they have found me?" the mad scientist grumbling, "I'm an evil genius scientist with literally no mailing address. I'm off the grid!"
"Something the matter?" Reinforce queried, interrupting the man's musings, "You seem troubled..."
"Oh, nothing for you to be concerned about." Eggman let out a sigh, "Just fighting a mouse for a trademark on one of my robot's names. Somehow they sent me a cease and desist."
"They'll find you." said Sonic in humor, "You can't hide from these guys."
"Well, after this robot of mine takes you meddling kids out, I'll gun for them next." The scientist grinned as he pushed a series of buttons on his mech, "Behold!"
Rising from the oil-infested sea was a huge robotic figure that resembled an octopus. Its body was purplish-pink and it was heavy and bulky with long, thick metallic tentacles. The head was round with cartoonish eyes and black pupils, open snout for the mouth and a golden collar separating it from the eight tentacles. The sight of which gave Hayate thoughts that were far from decent.
"Oh boy…" Hayate said with a knowing grin, "I've seen enough he-."
"Hayate!" Sonic cut her off with a look, "Low hanging fruit!"
"Is it bad that I knew exactly where she was going with that?" queried Alicia with something of a blush despite the grin on her face.
"I believe everyone knew exactly where my mistress meant there." Reinforce shook her head slightly with a soft sigh.
"I didn't." Tails was confused.
"Me neither." Eggman chimed in, awkwardly reminding those of his presence.
Silence descended upon the gathering, so much so that one could hear a pin drop or the bubbling of the oil in the ocean. With the exception of Tails, who was too young to comprehend the context, everyone stared at Eggman with a weird look. The silence was soon broken by the blue hedgehog with his red shoes tapping on the ground.
"Y'know, Tails I can understand, but you?" Sonic shook his head, "You are a sad, strange old man, and you have my pity…"
"I don't get what just happened, but I feel like I was just insulted, so…" The doctor turned around and took his leave, "I'm just going to leave now and leave you to my Egg-Kraken."
[Vs Boss: Egg-Kraken]
[BGM: "Eggman battle" Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)]
The kraken made its move once its master left the area, shooting out a salvo of machine gun bullets from its mouth while using its metallic tentacles to slam on the pipelines where the team stood. Though the team took to the skies to dodge, they were unable to land because the robot eliminated any ground to stand on. The fight was forced to be aerial based, which normally would pose little issue, but a certain blue hedgehog lacked any ability to fly.
Sonic had to make due with being carried by Reinforce by the hand while the others began their attack. Alicia and Hayate attempted to pelt the robot kraken with spells, but the robot was too slick, using the water as its cover to slip in for protection, making the spells bounce harmlessly off the water.
"Try to time your attacks for when it surfaces," Reinforce called out, keeping a firm grip on the hedgehog's gloved hand, "We won't be able to hit it otherwise."
Nodding in agreement, the others watched as the robot's eight tentacles shot out of the water and began to grapple at the group with some degree of aim. It was trying to seize one of the team members and drag them underwater, but they were all too swift for its reach. Tails had a close call, but he was able to not fly away in time, but he also managed to get a good aerial spin-attack in and cut the limb off.
Though Sonic was incapable of flight, he was able to work around by getting Reinforce to throw him at the tentacles. The hedgehog used his spin attack to slice through two of them before having to be caught and carried by the silver-haired woman.
Alicia took it upon herself to take one of the tendrils before they descended into the water. Converting Lucky Star to its Paper-Fan mode, the blonde descended down to the sea level at the base of the tentacle. Squinting her eyes and heaving her fan upwards, the girl readied to strike.
"How'd you like this!" The girl grinned as magic poured into her device, "Paper Fan Smash!"
Her attack, though cute sounding, was quite deadly; able to slice clean through the tentacle akin to a knife through butter. The rest of the tentacles were able to submerge themselves before anyone else could land an attack.
The robot soon resurfaced with all four of its remaining tendrils, unloading another salvo of machine-gun rounds upon the team. Not only were the machine guns fast, but they were also accurate. Alicia was forced to cover Tails with a Defenser while Reinforce provided protection to the hedgehog with a Panzerschild, the Belkan equivalent of the Round Shield.
An opening was provided for the team to strike and Hayate went first to take out the rest of the tendrils in one strike. She hovered in place above the metallic limbs, her book open and a glyph of magic at her feet. The pages turned as she thought of the spell that would be viable here, one that was controllable without Reinforce's aid.
"Balmung!" The girl shouted as she lowered her staff.
Upon the brunette's invocation, several swords of light appeared and sliced through each of the remaining tentacles simultaneously. The robot let out a whirr of pain as it tried to unload another salvo but it was covered by the magic barriers once more. Bubbles appeared at the base of the machine, signaling that it was beginning to prep for another dive.
"It's trying to submerge again," Reinforce looked down at the blue hedgehog, "Do you think you can finish it off if I supply you with a ring and get you in position?"
"No problem~!" The blue blur replied with a grin.
Nodding, the silver-haired woman flew up to the top of the robot's head, slipping a newly generated power ring into the gloved hand of Sonic. She began to swing her arm and allow the hedgehog to swing with her momentum. At the highest point of her swing, the woman released the hedgehog.
"There!" she called out.
"All-right~!" Sonic grinned as the ring in his hand glowed, "Here we go~!"
Utilizing the ring's power, Sonic curled up into his ball form as a gust of wind engulfed him. Shattering the sound barrier with his speed, the blue hedgehog blasted into the top of the robot's head. A chain of explosions were set off from within the mech as he wreaked havoc and exited the snout with a capsule of critters in his grasp. Fortunately, the aerial mages and fox guided the hedgehog onto a strip of land, saving the critters from sinking into the ocean.
[Boss Clear]
[Jingle: "Victory" Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)]
Sonic took a stylish thumbs-up pose as the capsule of critters broke apart. The rest of the team soon coordinated and joined him with their own usual victory poses, though outside of Alicia, they were far more subdued. Happy to be freed from their prison, the critters bounced around the team before dispersing safely and avoiding the oil in the water.
"Our weapons are…" Hayate began.
"Intelligence... " Tails' delivery was awkward.
"Magic…" Reinforce followed suit, slightly less awkward
"Teamwork!" Next came a very chipper Alicia.
"And these spikes!" Sonic finished the chain with a goofy smile.
Signum's team rejoined the group just as the short victory celebration had ended. Besides Eggman's unique taste in robot designs drawing less than innocent thoughts from Hayate, the conversation mainly consisted of the unique mechanics and adjustments that had to be made to combat it. The other mechs before posed threats in their own manner, but this one felt like a step above; a dangerous step that was quickly noticed by Signum and Reinforce.
"I had anticipated adversity from Eggman, but to this degree?" Reinforce shook her head, "Each battle has forced us to reveal more than what we had wanted to in regards to our magic and capabilities."
"Indeed," Signum inclined her head in agreement, "We can ill afford to hold back any longer."
"Yup, that's the thing with Eggman" Sonic added, "Just keeps getting tougher and tougher."
Further down the path laid the base of Eggman's operations, signifying that the oil rig was set up as a power supply. The troupe took a collective pause to catch their breath before pressing onwards.
[Adminstrated World #1: "Mid-Childa"]
[Cranagan]
[Time-Space Administration Ground Headquarters]
[BGM: "Vow of Unity" Tales of Vesperia OST]
Gil Graham, formerly of the admiralty from the Bureau, seated himself calmly in the Bureau Chief of Staff's office with his twin familiars flanking on his shoulders. He was called in by Crowbel initially to introduce Precia Testarossa and pave the way for their deal. Though his job was complete in that regard, he had the sense that they had another assignment for him as he was entering his retirement.
"Thank you for coming," Crowbel greeted the man, "And thank you for your help with Testarossa."
"I just did what I was asked," the old man waved his hand in dismissal, "Nothing more."
"You've done that and more for the Bureau throughout your entire career." the old woman retorted back, "A little gratitude is earned at least, even given your actions during the last incident."
"I'm not proud of what I had to do." Graham let out a sigh, "Even if my actions could've led to a resolution for the Book of Darkness incident. The cost of which was a sacrifice that would've haunted my conscience."
A moment of silence occured as the old man's words held weight. Everyone present knew what he was referring to; his foiled plan to use Hayate as a sacrifice for ending the Book of Darkness when it was still a danger. The thought of having to subject a young child to her death, even for a necessary cause, was a tough pill to swallow. Fortunately, the actions of a certain blue hedgehog along with mages from earth, including the current mistress of the Tome, eliminated that danger.
"At any rate, what's on your mind?"questioned the former admiral, "You brought me here for more than just an introduction to Testarossa."
"Ah, that…" Crowbel smiled, sending a look to Lowran, "I'll leave to Admiral Lowran here to explain the specifics."
"Very well, I have an unofficial assignment." the other woman stepped forward, "A favor to ask regarding you and your familiars."
Gil and the Liese Twins shared a look with each other. Though there was an underlying curiosity, they had a good guess as to what. Both girls had matching looks of discomfort, but their master was undeterred.
"I'm listening…" Graham narrowed his eyes in focus.
[Non-Administrated Planet #97 "Earth"]
[South Island Archipelago: West Side Island]
[Metropolis: Act 0]
[Time: 1235]
[BGM: "Eggman Machine" Sonic X]
A feeling of foreboding was present as the troupe found themselves in Eggman's industrial city base. The background was a long wall of machinery with flashing lights, pipes, framework, moving compressors, anything one could find in a factory. Larger sectors contained bronze melding, pipes and tanks where they appeared alongside the routes. There were also multi-colored details such as the valves, meters and monitoring equipment.
The team slowed to a halt as they looked over the factory, the atmosphere intense and the cool air only added to that. Tails found himself shivering under the pressure, but he kept strong.
"It's getting kinda creepy." Nanoha observed, tightening the grip on Raising Heart.
"We're getting closer to the heart of Eggman's operation." Signum added, keeping a steel gaze forward.
"Tread carefully…" Reinforce advised, "Our foe has been far from predictable."
Sonic took a few steps forward, his expression hardened in determination. His right hand clenched in a slight fist, only to ease when he felt the hand of Hayate upon his wrist. Green eyes turned to meet sky-blue ones as the two shared a look with each other and an approaching Vita.
"Nervous?" asked the hedgehog of the brunette.
"A little." Hayate inclined her head, "Our first big adventure is ending soon."
"There will be plenty more where this one came from." Sonic remarked, "The fun's just beginning."
"So you say, adrenaline junky." Vita snarked, her hammer held over the shoulder, "I'll be glad when this things over."
"Vita-chan's not being honest." teased the brunette, "I haven't seen you have fun like this in a while."
"Damnit.." the redhead grumbled.
As per usual, the group split off into their teams and pressed onwards. The final leg of the race had just begun.
[Metropolis: Action Stage]
[BGM: "Metropolis" Sonic the Hedgehog 2]
One thing that separated this zone from the rest was the length; even divided up into two routes, it was still long and arduous. The structure was enclosed, indicating that it was made up of spacious corridors. Every room and path had a ceiling above. Paths were varied and the areas were well-packed, giving this sector the feeling of a labyrinth. Lava pools acted as the potent hazards, the only hope for the ground-based units was the floating platforms that sat on the magma surface.
Eggman had placed three types of badniks in the zone, each of them holding their own unique mechanics that poised to give the teams trouble. The Telstar were starfish-shaped robots that were designed to camp on the walls and self-destruct, firing their star points in multiple directions, and they were indestructible otherwise. Crab Punch was a mass-produced crab-based robot that attacked by using the weight of its massive right claw. The most annoying robots were the Kamakillers; these mantis-based robots were not only strategically placed in unpredictable spots, but were equipped with the capability of firing its sharp claws like a boomerang.
[POV: Team A (Reinforce, Hayate, Alicia, Sonic, Tails)]
Sonic found himself quite annoyed by the mantis robots already due to their unpredictable placement and blade tossing. He was nearly clipped by the blades at least twice within the first moments into the race and it was only thanks to Alicia's reflexes and shielding that prevented him from getting hurt.
"Thank you~" the hedgehog sent a small smoke to the blonde.
"No problem~" Alicia replied back, making a cute imitation of the hedgehog.
"..." Sonic's fanged grin grew, "I like you."
Tails was also fortunate to have magic on his side as Reinforce kept the boy protected from the exploding starfish. Their pointed ends were sharp like spears. Despite his initial timidness, the fox found himself growing to like the group for all of their eccentricities. This was especially true for Sonic and Hayate, whom he saw as older siblings and role models. Alicia was a hyperenergetic spark plug and a fun presence while Reinforce was calm and friendly despite her intimidating exterior.
"Thank you for the help." said the fox kit to the tall woman, "I probably wouldn't be here without your protection."
"I should be the one thanking you for your assistance." the woman replied, kindness in her eyes, "You've been very brave; not too many children your age would be able to do what you're doing."
"Awe.." Tails found his cheeks reddening from praise.
Though she felt a bit selfish, Hayate was glad to be a part of this adventure. Her first big adventure with Sonic, Reinforce and the Wolkenritter, and she was not bound by the wheelchair or at risk of her life being drained. To be able to fight alongside her friends and family was a unique and fun experience; untradable regardless of the returns.
Alicia held a similar feeling as this was her second adventure; only this time there was no uncertainty about home. She had a family to come home to and a sister whom she would sacrifice everything for regardless of if she was a clone or not. The fact that said sister was also fighting alongside her was a bonus.
Due to the team already claiming the Chaos Emeralds, there were no special stage sign posts in this zone. This was a fortunate boon as with the long route design, the team could ill afford any delays in their path.
[POV: Team B (Signum, Vita, Nanoha, Fate, Amy)]
Signum's party blazed through their path with little delay, thanks in part to the auto-shielding from Nanoha and Fate countering the exploding starfish and Vita's tough barrier spells deflecting the mantis blades. The only party member who had the most trouble with the navigation was Amy and this was only due to her above average ground speed when compared to the others. This combined with her lack of flight had led to her taking the longest time to clear the platforms and other obstacles that the others bypassed with flight. On the plus side, she was able to take out enemies that were only accessible via this method.
While she had a rocky start at it and almost was on the wrong end of a bladed whip at the beginning, Amy found herself enjoying the company of her comrades. Signum was the calm, stoic presence that projected an admirable leadership quality. Nanoha and Fate both took their jobs seriously, but were surprisingly down-to-earth and friendly outside of that. As for Vita, the pink hedgehog would be lying if she denied any admiration for the short-tempered knight of the hammer.
"There's a question I've been meaning to ask," Amy spoke up suddenly, drawing the attention of the team, "And it's actually regarding Nanoha-san and Fate-san."
"Um…" Fate paused, "Sure."
"I know that the Hayate designed the uniforms for the Wolkenritter, but what about yours?" she asked, curiously finding her gaze lingering on their jackets, "They look personalized."
"Mine's a funny story, actually." Nanoha replied first with a giggle, scratching the back of her head "The first thing I was thinking of when I first transformed into a mage was my school uniform."
"Well it looks nice." Amy complimented, drawing a cute blush from the human before turning her attention towards the blonde, "What about you?"
"Me?" Fate blinked, pointing to herself before stuttering, "Well. um.."
"Yeah, Fate-chan, where did your jacket come from?" added Nanoha in curiosity, "It looks really cool."
It took her a moment, but the blushing blonde managed to squeak out how her Barrier Jacket was designed. She and Arf had spent time developing it prior to the Jewel Seed incident; the former wanting function while the latter wanted to add a fashionable twist to it. The result of which led to Fate's barrier jacket.
Curiously, the pink hedgehog was led to questioning how the uniforms were made. Fate and Nanoha took turns explaining this. The jackets were generated normally with the use of magical energy as part of a pre-programmed spell. In most cases, the design of the jacket is drawn directly from the imagination of the mage themselves. More would have been said, had a kamakiller not blindsighted the group and attempted to slash at an unsuspecting Nanoha with its blades. Fate was fortunately on-point with her guarding, much to the auburn hair girl's amusement.
"Awe, Fate-chan." The girl in white teased, "You didn't have to take that one. I could've taken it. I'm used to being hit, thanks to you."
"N-Nanoha!" Fate's cheeks immediately turned crimson, "D-did you have to phrase it like that?!"
"Huh?" Nanoha innocently fluttered her eyes, "What do you mean?"
"There is literally no way she didn't know what she said." Said Amy as she humorously pulled Vita and Signum aside.
"You are underestimating Takamachi." Signum replied stoically.
"No, no, I think she has a point" Vita noted and backed it up, "She does enjoy fights and stuff."
Oddity of Nanoha's wording and the ramifications of them set aside, the team pressed onwards. Like their counterpart, their path was also long and winding, at least double that of the previous zones. Eggman likely threw everything and the kitchen sink to attempt at stopping the teams from conquering his castle. Yet they were undeterred and continued forward, not stopping until the end.
[Metropolis: Race Results]
[No BGM]
There was another photo-finish, but the victory of the race half went to Team B. Both teams had displayed signs of fatigue due to the workload from the race in both route length and enemy count, but they had grown used to it by this point. The only noise that filled the area were the chimes of Raising Heart and Lucky Star as they calculated the scores to determine which team would be able to fight Eggman.
"First Place bonus: 10000 points. Enemy bonus: 45x100 points." Raising Heart declared, displaying the numbers in a magitek screen, "Final Score: 14500 points!"
"Second Place bonus: 7500 points. Enemy bonus: 55x100 points." Lucky Star displayed in return, calculating the final tally, "Final Score: 13000 points!"
The final round went to Team B, which tied the overall score at four rounds a piece. With the tie, there would be no overall team winner, but there was no reward outside of bragging rights. Signum's team would be the one to fight Eggman in the penultimate zone.
"Not that it matters now." Sonic began curiously, "But did we ever decide a reward for the team with the most wins after this?"
"No." Signum shook her head, "But as you said, it doesn't matter now since we're tied."
"We probably could go for a celebration though." Hayate noted, "Like maybe a small party or lunch one day after?"
"I think I can convince my family to set aside a few tables for us." Nanoha offered, "We used to do parties for the soccer team after their matches."
"That would be fun." Alicia agreed, excitement growing over the idea.
"Mhm." Fate nodded.
Both teams agreed to have a celebration party a few days after the mission was complete, and even invited Amy and Tails to join in since they were part of the adventure. It took the fox some encouragement from the pink hedgehog, but he agreed to join. Still, the celebration would have to be on hold until after their work was finished.
"We'll confront Eggman." Signum declared, "He will likely try to resist, but I think we should be able to arrest him."
"Careful." Sonic cautioned, "He's slippery for an egg-shaped buffoon."
"Feh." Vita smirked, "We'll scramble him good."
With Reinforce's group hanging back to watch out for any possible deception or trump cards from Eggman, Signum and her group pressed onwards. It had been decided that they would try to confront the doctor and arrest him for his crimes.
[Metropolis: Hangar]
[BGM: "Eggman" Sonic X OST]
Signum and her squad found a peculiar sight when they confronted Eggman at his hangar. The blast doors were closed and they could hear the whirrs and sounds of machinery and gears working, but it was the doctor's actions that raised a few eyebrows. The old man was pacing about in his Egg-Mobile, grumbling and ranting on about something. His attention focused on another paper that resembled a legal document.
"This is the second time now." Eggman grumbled, tightening his grip on the paper to the point of tearing it, "How are they finding me? I literally have no mailing address, but somehow this thing was under my door."
"Should we ask?" Nanoha questioned in uncertainty.
"It won't matter to us," Signum noted, "But I don't believe we have a choice."
"Oi! Moustached Egg!" Vita, not one for tact, called out, "What's the big deal?"
Vita's shout provided a distraction for the Doctor that he took almost thankfully; though it came at the cost of his annoyance at the nickname that Alicia originally came up for him. The doctor turned around to face the rest of the group after tearing the paper into shreds and nonchalantly tossing them over the side.
"Oh, you again." Eggman grumbled, "Nothing for you to be concerned about. Just fighting a cease and desist from another rodent. This time it's over the design shape of my secret weapon. I don't even know how I keep getting these things? It's not like I take mail or anything.
"Not that you should be concerned about this, or that it matters. My weapon is now complete." There was a shift in the doctor's tone to confidence, "Though I do have to congratulate you for making it this far. Sad to say, this is the end of the road."
"Pardon?" queried Signum, her hand resting stoically on the hilt of her sheathed Laevatein.
"Behold!" The doctor wasted no time, punching at his keyboard with glee.
An alarm rang through the base as the blast doors to the hangar opened slowly for the dramatic air. The team could slowly make out what appeared to be a silo with a huge rocket preparing for launch. Attached to the rocket was an even bigger spherical satellite somewhat reminiscent of Little Planet, only it was completely metalized. A normally intimidating presence due to the size and shape alone, but it was somewhat ruined due to the presence of Eggman's face and moustache plastered on the front.
"My latest and greatest creation, my secret weapon. Codenamed: Death Egg." Eggman boasted with pride before clearing his throat, "Fighting someone for the trademark though on the design."
As the doctor gloated, the rocket finished its preparations and launched from the silo, leaving the team with no way to stop it. Eggman must have planned for this and used his speech as a delaying tactic, because his pride grew further.
"How does it feel to be the one that's beaten now, hmm?" Eggman gloated with delight, "You think you may have stopped me, but you have more to worry about now."
"You really believe you will get away with this?" Signum queried stoically.
"I already have." The doctor turned his mobile and began to make his retreat out the silo exit.
"Oi, hold on!" Vita called out after him, "You actually think we'll let you escape?"
"To be honest, your compliance isn't really a factor." Eggman merely waved his hand in dismissal as he pushed another series of buttons on his machine, "But if you really want to play with something. I suppose my latest mecha will entertain you."
The ground rumbled as a hatch opened from the middle of the room. Metallic groans and clangs echoed as the elevator platform struggled to deliver the latest creation from the mad scientist. What appeared to be a mechanical cathedral spread majestic feathered wings reminiscent of an angel, and raised itself on its monolithic, stocky limbs, uprooting itself from the ground beneath it with a resounding, vibrating atonal sound that was felt as much as it was heard. Tilting their heads to properly see the mecha, the members of Team B had to lean backwards and the shortest members, Amy and Vita, both found themselves almost seated on their skirts. Painted red and yellow, this one bore the mark of its master, Doctor Eggman.
"And now, for your entertainment." Eggman chuckled, "The Egg-Tycoon...Enjoy!"
At that note, Eggman turned and made his retreat through the rocket silo hatch. Signum and her group attempted to detain him with magic, but the robot moved to cover before they could get a spell off. Biting back a curse as she watched Eggman fly towards the distance, the general opened a communication channel with Admiral Lindy.
"Harlaown, we have a situation," Signum spoke quickly, "Eggman has escaped from his base and has launched what we believe is a rocket heading for Earth's orbit."
"We'll track him from the Arthra," The admiral replied back, "Don't worry about him now, focus on the obstruction before you and then meet up with the rest of your squad. I'll provide more information afterwards."
"Understood." the general complied, "Clearing channel."
The communication line was disconnected just as the steam started to escape from the vents of the Egg-Tycoon. Using its massive arms, the mecha moved into a position and readied itself for battle. Sensing the inevitability of the conflict ahead, the team did the same, readying their devices and weapons respectively.
With the Death Egg launched, another card in Eggman's hand was dealt. It was only a matter of time before it reached planetary orbit and there was little any of the heroes could do to stop it with the hulking monstrosity that was the doctor's biggest creation in the way. The momentum of the battle was shifted to Eggman, but for how long?
[Ending: "Hikaru Michi (The Shining Road)" Aya Hiroshige]
[End of Chapter 14]
Author notes: Sorry for the delay on this one, I was in the middle of moving houses when this chapter was still in development, so my time to work on it was hugely limited.