guest (14.10): I understand the eagerness to get into conversations, but please read the material first before you talk about it. If you had read the material, you would've know that Mephiles is one of the characters that appears early on in this story (his existence alluded to in Entry 6: Chaos Surge, and his first proper appearance being in Entry 17: The Challenge, with him subsequently being a major opponent in two Arcs). And yes, I do believe Sonic can beat him.
I also have an announcement to make - since Sonic x Shadow Generations is coming out in a couple of days (for me, I ordered the Digital Deluxe version so I get to play it earlier), I'll be busy playing the game and won't be posting any new chapters until Halloween.
Enjoy!
Entry 67
Imposter Syndrome
''Burn it down, burn it all, make it fall! Surge is calling, watch the giants crawl! No more heroes, no more thrones to install! She's the storm, the chaos, the end of it all! In the ashes, they stand, a duo profound, heroes and villains, all brought to ground! With no past to mourn, they're future unbound, Surge and Kit reign, where chaos is crowned! (Hey! Hey! Hey!)''
– Burn It All Down [What if AI made a Surge the Tenrec song? (Electric Version)] by Retro Bird AI (Theme of Surge)
xXxXxXx
''So, what's the plan, Doc?'' Surge asked, her and Kit staring at Starline as he typed on the keyboard. There was a sense of tension in the air, with Starline trying to remain calm and collected, despite the spike of anxiety he felt. He knew that Surge and Kit could easily end his life then and there, and despite having files upon files of plans on how to deal with any situation, he couldn't remember anything anymore. His mind was completely blank, taken over by the primal urge of just surviving this situation. He could go back to his plans, but he needed to get through this first.
''First of all, we need to lure Sonic and Tails out, and fortunately, I know a way,'' Starline said. ''All that is necessary is a vague message, and they'll come running to see what the issue is. They're quite predictable in that sense-''
''Could you stop yapping and move on to the part where we get to fight them?'' Surge asked in an irked tone.
''R-Right,'' Starline stuttered, clearing his throat. ''I have also picked the battlefield for you – a quiet residential area in Westoru.''
''That sounds boring,'' Surge commented, only for Starline to give her a dismissive wave.
''The reason for that is because there is an AR Field that we can take advantage of, as well as the fact that if the battlefield is a place filled with people, it would be harder for Sonic and Tails to focus since I predict that their chronic hero syndrome will kick in if they see someone in danger,'' Starline explained. Surge huffed.
''Why should I agree to that? The point of a battle is for us to beat each other up, not get distracted by whoever runs onto the battlefield,'' Surge complained.
''Yeah! Sonic's attention should all be on Surge!'' Kit said in a determined tone, balling both of his hands into fists.
''I don't doubt that the will completely dedicate himself to fighting you, but it would be preferable to keep him at a disadvantage,'' Starline pointed out. ''Lastly, as I mentioned before, there is an AR Field I can take control of. This means that, if things go south, there is a way to retreat- agh!''
''What are you talking about?!'' Surge grabbed him by his collar, with Starline staring back at her in pure fear. ''I won't let myself get defeated by that wannabe hero!''
''I-I'm just saying, there is an exit if we need it,'' Starline said.
''I won't repeat myself – I don't need an exit!'' Surge growled, tossing him back into the seat. Starline gulped, holding up his hands in defense.
''I'm just ensuring there is a contingency plan in case something happens,'' he said, only to feel a chill flow down his spine when he heard Kit talk in a cold tone.
''Do you really think that Surge won't win?'' he asked, his fuchsia eyes glowing menacingly.
''Ah, no… But, there is a possibility,'' Starline said, pressing the keyboard and pulling up an image of a coloured manga page on the screen. It was showing Sonic standing on some debris in an Eggman facility, lording over Surge as the light shone down on him.
''I live for the moment. I want to see the world, find all its thrills and adventures, and enjoy them.''
''I want everyone to have the freedom to do that, too.''
''And you wouldn't get the opportunity if I took that chance away from you.''
''I've made peace with enough enemies to know there is a better way.''
''So I'm willing to chalk this up to 'a rocky start' and let us have a do-over if you will.''
Surge mouthed along as she read what was written on the panel in stunned silence, only to grit her teeth as she charged up electricity. ''That arrogant- How dare he talk down to me?!''
Starline's eyes flicked towards Surge, carefully observing her as she was shaking in rage. He had hoped that by showing her this panel would make her even more determined to basically murder Sonic, and it appeared that it worked.
''Clearly, if this Sonic doesn't care about your condition, you shouldn't expect this Sonic to care about you either,'' Starline added, adding fuel to the fire. He could see that Surge was absolutely furious, and Kit, seeing how upset she was, was in no better state. The Doctor was certain that this would be enough to keep the two's attention on their enemies, allowing him to survive this situation.
xXx
The green blur slammed Sonic into a wall under an overpass, holding him by his neck against it, her mind filled with images of an arrogant Sonic talking down to her. Surge gritted her teeth, electricity crackling all around her.
''Not so arrogant now, are we?'' she growled, letting go of him and stepping back. Frankly, while she could've easily ended him then and there, she wanted to take her time, to make him suffer. Maybe break every bone in his body just to vent her own anger.
Sonic rubbed his neck, inhaling deeply as he tried to catch his breath. His back still hurt from being thrown into the wall, but he could manage it. Instead, he gazed at Surge, wondering what reason she would have to attack him like this.
''Hey, don't you have anything to say?'' Surge asked, hoping to goad him into an attack.
''Actually, I do,'' Sonic said, giving Surge a calm, if slightly curious look. ''How about you tell me first what your name is and what your beef is with me, so I'd at least know why we're fighting?'' Surge blinked, a bit stunned to hear this question, as she expected that Sonic would attempt to taunt her. Before she could even respond, Sonic quickly added, ''If it helps, I can start the introduction. My name is Sonic the Hedgehog. What's your name?''
''The name is Surge the Tenrec,'' Surge introduced herself, clenching her hand into a fist, electricity crackling in her palm.
''Okay… So, what's your problem with me?'' Sonic asked.
''You are my problem!'' Surge shouted, pointing her finger at Sonic. ''You're the reason I exist and I'm in this mess! You just had to also be a hero in this reality! Sure, Starline was also responsible for bringing me here, but it was only to counter you! If you had taken him out, none of this would've happened! I wouldn't have been made!''
Sonic stared at Surge as she ranted, trying to understand what she was talking about. He did catch on the fact that Starline was responsible for this, leaving him with the assumption that the platypus somehow messed with Surge's head.
''But no! You just had to have this so-called 'moral code' that stops you from stopping those idiots for once and all! Not only that, but you get praised and are loved by everyone for what you do! Do you even know how irritating that is?!'' Surge threw her hands up in frustration. ''I guess that's what they call 'main character syndrome', and I bet you're enjoying every moment of it!'' Surge sent him a death glare, smirking maliciously. ''Well, I'm going to end this stupid cycle. You, the Doc, everyone in this reality. I'll be doing everyone a favour by doing this. Who knows, maybe they will see me as their new hero!''
Sonic blinked, still staring at her, now confused. ''So, let me recap this. You hate me because I exist, right?''
''Exactly!'' Surge shouted, slamming her hand into Sonic. However, her eyes widened as she only made a crack in the wall, with Sonic being gone. She could sense his presence behind her, with Sonic standing there with his arms folded.
''I don't know how to break the news to you, but you'll have to be a little faster if you want to land a hit on me,'' Sonic told her in a casual tone.
''Tch, your 'speed of sound' can't compare to my 'speed of lightning'!'' Surge charged at him, electricty sparking all around her. Sonic smirked, and the battle started. Both weaved through the streets, clashing with each other, with Sonic managing to dodge every hit Surge attempted to land on him, all with that cocky smirk on his lips.
The two ran past Lucas, who was stunned to see them fighting, having only managed to catch a glimpse of Sonic's opponent, but given the green fur, the crackling electricity and the speed comparable to Sonic's, only one person came to his mind.
''That's… Surge,'' Lucas muttered, resorting to using his hoverboard to keep up with the two. He made sure to not get too close to them, as he knew that he could easily get hurt thanks to Surge's electric charges. Instead, he let Sonic do the fighting, while he tried to figure out what had happened, and he quickly came to a fairly accurate conclusion. ''This has to be Dr. Starline's doing. The message, Surge going after Sonic… This also means that Kit is probably fighting Tails.'' Lucas finally noted that Warren and Tails were nowhere in sight, having probably gotten distracted by Surge's companion. He furrowed a brow. ''We need to stop these two before they hurt anyone.''
xXx
Tails had been completely caught off guard by the water vine, which threw him against a nearby tree, the twin-tailed fox crying out in pain. He fell down, trying to catch his breath as he stared at his attacker, a blue fennec fox who was using his water vines to prop himself up, his fuchsia eyes glowing as he completely focused on Tails, his gaze sending shivers down his spine. He could hear Warren shout his name in th distance, but he couldn't respond, as he scrambled onto his feet, avoiding another water vine that slammed into the tree behind him, scraping the bark off of it. He had absolutely no idea why this fennec fox was attacking him, but he wasn't going to let his opponent take the upper hand just like that. Tails flew up, being at the same height as the other fox, and avoiding the water vines as they came crashing towards him, even using his twin tails to cut through them.
''Why are you attacking me?'' Tails asked loudly, hoping that this would make the other fox stop for a moment. It worked, if only briefly.
''I am Kitsunami the Fennec, and I am Surge's support unit,'' Kit responded, sending the water vines after Tails. Fortunately, the amber fox had his orange backpack with him, grabbing the boomerang that was inside and threw it at the vines, cutting through the water.
''Support unit?'' Tails wondered what that meant, and more importantly, who Surge was. ''I don't understand. Who are you supporting?''
He was only met by a water whip which he barely avoided and which, to his horror, tore part of the tree behind him down. He could see the fierce gaze was giving him between his bangs, wondering if he would be able to calm the fennec fox down as he didn't really want to fight him. He supposed that he was lucky Kit was actually responsive, even if every response came with an act of violence.
''I didn't mean to make you angry,'' Tails suddenly said, holding his hands up in defense. ''I think we have a misunderstanding of some kind. I don't remember ever meeting you or giving you a reason to attack me…''
''There is no misunderstanding,'' Kit responded in a cold tone, with Tails narrowing his eyes. ''You and Sonic are the reason why Surge is upset, and to make her feel better, I need to eliminate you.''
Tails gasped, avoiding another water vine and flew away, with Kit following him closely as they passed through the residential area. Tails turned his head back briefly, taking note of Warren following them on his hoverboard, and resumed the chase, hoping that he would find a way to calm Kit down and stop him from attacking.
As for Warren, he was genuinely stunned to see Kit chasing after Tails, concluding that the green blur he saw earlier was most likely Surge, and that both wanted to fight Sonic and Tails for whatever reason.
''This means that Starline is probably also around…'' he muttered under his breath. Unfortunately, he couldn't really go and search for the platypus, as he wanted to make sure that Tails had his support. The kitsune was doing well all things considered, but Warren knew that Kit was dangerous, moreso than Tails did. He was willing to put himself between the two if the fight did go south for them.
xXx
Unknown to Warren or Tails or even Kit, Starline was using the Fly Core to leap from building to building and observe their fight. The main reason he was even there was to keep an eye on the two and activate the AR Field if they needed to retreat. From his vantage point, he could also see Surge and Sonic fighting as they dashed through the streets, avoiding collision with the occasional pedestrian who found themselves in their path. Surge didn't appear to care too much who was in their way, forcing Sonic to get close to her to lure her away from causing potential harm, but he also stayed just out of harm's way whenever she attempted to swing at him.
Starline couldn't help but realize, and even worse, admit to himself, that he made a grave mistake. These two are not ready… They were never ready to fight Sonic and Tails. Simulated battles against Badniks were never enough to prepare them for this, and even if they do their best, the most they can do is land a hit or two before Sonic and Tails retaliate. Starline facepalmed at his own foolishness. I should've used a simulation of this kind of battle instead! How could I be such an idiot?!
Starline leapt down from the building, taking a deep breath. Fortunately, he was certain that he would be able to avoid his own death in this reality, as he hadn't engaged in a battle against Dr. Eggman, which left him with the task of figuring out his next move. Obviously, he couldn't go back to any of his previous plans, but that didn't matter anymore. After seeing Surge and Kit in action, he would have to come up with a better solution to this issue. Perhaps, I could take advantage of Chaos Surge… Starline smirked, only for his smirk to fall. But, that would require a human who has earned Surge and Kit's trust, and there aren't many humans willing to interact on a personal level with two Irregulars. Not to mention, Surge's fierce attitude wouldn't let her stay composed for long enough to use Chaos Surge properly. Admittedly, I could also ask for the aid of someone who already has experience with Chaos Surge, but asking Ferra or Toshiro would probably be a death sentence for me. Even if Ferra had saved my life, I doubt she'd agree to my conditions, and Toshiro is already a loose cannon who wants to do nothing more but destroy everything in his path. Starline paused for a moment. Actually, that kind of personality would mesh well with Surge…
Before Starline could even continue his train of thought, he was caught off guard by a sudden cry from behind. His eyes widened in shock, but his reflexes were fast enough from getting smashed into the ground by a giant hammer, and he used the Fly Core to leap away, dodging Amy's attack. The pink hedgehog was glaring at him furiously, clearly displeased to see him here.
''What are you doing here?!'' she growled, glaring at Starline and holding up her hammer, ready to attack again. Starline swiftly changed to the Power Core, well aware that sheer strength would be the only way to defend himself.
''The better question is – how are you still alive?'' Both Starline and Amy glanced at Minami as she joined them. ''Eggman threw you off into the water during the Perfect Chaos Incident.''
''I suppose I'm naturally inclined to survival,'' Starline boasted, only for Minami to give him an unimpressed look, much to his chagrin.
''No, you're not,'' she told him in a deadpan tone, placing her hands on her hips. ''I see you brought Surge and Kit along. I guess it was a matter of time until we saw them appear, but still, fighting in our neighborhood wasn't exactly your smartest idea.''
''What?'' Starline was stunned. How in the world did he miss that he'd be fighting near the home of another Team Neos member?
''Yeah! Our house is actually a couple of blocks away, and this block has a bakery Amy and I like to visit,'' Minami explained in an unnervingly chipper tone. She then furrowed a brow, matching Amy's stern expression. ''Neither of us appreciate someone like you causing trouble here.''
Suddenly, Amy moved, swinging her hammer once again and forcing Starline to catch it. Fortunately, the Power Core enhanced his own strength greatly, because he knew that if he tried to catch Amy's hammer without them, his wrists would be completely crushed. However, despite his enhanced strength, Amy was still pushing back. The pink hedgehog was fierce, almost as fierce as Surge, and had a lot more fighting experience than Starline did, who preferred a diplomatic approach rather than resolving his problems with fighting. Not only that, but Starline was also aware that Minami could easily use Chaos Surge with Amy, both of them teaming up against him, and in that case, he knew that the Tricore would be useless.
With the way this situation was developing, he knew that they needed to retreat immediately.
xXx
Sonic had to admit that he actually had some fun as he fought Surge. She had a different fighting style from Metal Sonic and Shadow, being more direct in her approach and using her electric charges to land a devastating punch on him. It was a far cry from what he was used to deal with, but it was quite entertaining.
Both of them suddenly found themselves standing a great distance from each other, with Surge charging up her fist with electricity and Sonic going for a spin-dash, the attacks resulting in a flash and a crackling noise, with both bouncing back, drained from the attack. Surge was frowning, stunned to see Sonic smiling back at her.
''Not bad,'' he said, catching his breath and stretching his arms. ''It's been a while since I had so much fun.''
''Take this seriously! You're not supposed to have any fun! This is a duel to death!'' Surge demanded, staring at her opponent in disbelief, with Sonic shaking his head.
''If I wanted to take things seriously, I would've asked Shadow to tag in, since that is more his thing,'' he said in a casual manner, placing a hand on his hip. ''Besides, I've already been in several of those 'duels to death', so I'm not that bothered about finding myself in another one.''
Suddenly, Surge charged once again at him, but Sonic was quite light on his feet, doing a backflip and landing on the roof of a car that was parked nearby. He gave Surge a playful smirk, folding his arms across his chest as she glared at him, detesting him with her very being. The way he stood above her, smiling as if he had already won their battle, it felt like he was gloating right in her face about his own superiority even if he hadn't said anything. In fact, this situation reminded Surge of something she had already seen before, feeling as if she had a déjà vu. Her eyes widened as she realized why that was the case, and she breathed, preparing herself mentally for this moment.
''Why are you doing this? Why don't you just end it? I know that you're the type to give others second chances, but why would you go so far to give second chances to your enemies?'' Surge asked. This was it. This was the moment where Sonic would give her his little arrogant speech about how he's the one to decide who gets to have a second chance, acting like the judge, jury and executioner. She carefully observed the cobalt hedgehog, who seemed to be surprised by her question, but his expression retuned back to a more laid-back one.
''I like to keep things simple,'' Sonic answered, those familiar words feeling like a punch to the gut in Surge's opinion. ''If someone tries to hurt my friends or any innocent person, I will obviously fight them. However, it is not up to me to decide what they will do afterwards. Everyone has the freedom of choice, and I'm not going to take that away, especially if that person decides to have a change of heart.'' Surge was baffled when Sonic suddenly leapt off the car and landed behind her, stretching his hand out as she turned to him. ''I don't know your backstory, so I won't judge you. I'm fine with you fighting me, because it's no different than the other situations I've been through where my supposed 'enemies' needed to vent their own frustrations with me through an old-fashioned battle.'' Sonic shrugged. ''That's just how I am. I live by own feeling, and I have my way, my own way. I suppose this kind of attitude drives you nuts, and you wouldn't be the first one to get frustrated over that.'' Sonic then gave her an earnest smile. ''So, what do you say? Should we start over?''
Surge was still baffled, staring at Sonic and then glancing at his outstretched hand, ready for a handshake. This was not the speech she had expected, and while it had similarities to the one she had read, it also felt more… clear, amicable. As a matter of fact, the fact that Sonic stood before her on equal ground instead of keeping standing on the car as if his own position elevated him over Surge in a metaphorical sense caught her off guard. She had to wonder whether Sonic was being an idiot, trying to trick her or if this was really how he was.
''Just like that?'' she asked once she finally found her voice. Sonic nodded.
''Just like that,'' he said. Surge lowered her head, as if pondering over her next move. ''Tch, I guess that's something a hero like you would say.''
Sonic lowered his hand, scratching his cheek as he gave Surge a perplexed look. ''Hero?'' He then waved with his hand dismissively. ''Nah, I'm not a hero. I never considered myself one.''
''What?'' Surge expected him to brag about his status, so this response caught her completely off guard. Sonic just placed his hands behind his head.
''I'm just a guy who loves going on adventures and living in the moment. I also try to do the right thing whenever I find myself in a difficult situation, like defending Neos City from Eggman. If people want to call me a hero over that, that's their opinion. Personally, I don't feel any different,'' Sonic explained. ''I hope that cleared things up.''
Surge just stared at Sonic in stunned silence. She had been imaging what their encounter would be like ever since Starline tasked her to fight him, and in her mind, she would be dealing with someone who was arrogant, selfish and prideful; someone who couldn't care less about how other people felt, someone she could easily tear down. To her disappointment and frustration, Sonic was nothing how she had imagined him to be. Nevertheless, she realized that this didn't make things difficult for her.
''Star over, you say? I should choose who I want to be…'' Surge started, with Sonic nodding in excitement.
''Yeah!''
''I could do as I please…''
''Of course!''
''Destroy everyone who is responsible for my existence…''
''Ye- uh, what?''
''You know, I didn't ask to be here,'' Surge said, staring at a baffled Sonic. She clenched her fist, electricity crackling within it. She then charged at Sonic. ''Let me have the freedom to end it all!''
Sonic managed to dodge the attack, following up by a kick into Surge's chest and pushing her back, a look of disappointment on his expression. ''I won't let you do that.''
''Why not?'' Surge gasped. ''I was created to end you! Your friends! Your world! All if it!'' She enveloped herself in electricity, going for another punch. ''I'm burning it all down and dancing on the ashes!''
Sonic leapt away, using the car as a springboard, with Surge following him and leaving a dent into the roof. The two engaged once more in a chase, with Surge attempting to get another hit, only to leave a crack in another wall surrounding a backyard, with Sonic leaping on top of it and deliver a kick straight downwards, knocking her down.
''As I said before, I'm fine with you doing whatever you want with your life, but if you're going to hurt my friends, I will do everything in my power to stop you,'' Sonic said, his eyes narrowing.
''Heh…'' Surge smirked, taking note of his expression and tone. ''You're finally taking things seriously.''
With that said, Surge and Sonic charged once more at each other.
xXx
Tails gasped in surprise, almost getting hit by another of those water vines, and turned to Kit, who attempted to encase him into a water orb, forcing Tails to half-swim, half-fly out of it. He once again used his boomerang, with Kit dodging it.
''I don't want to fight you!'' Tails shouted, hoping that the fennec fox would stop. He did, for a moment, when the boomerang returned, hitting Kit right into his Hydro Pack. The fennec fox was caught off guard, a look of concern appearing on his expression as he feared that the Hydro Pack may have gotten damaged. He experimented with the water vines, only to turn to Tails with a murderous look on his expression.
''You can't evade me forever!'' Kit launched more of the water vines, with Tails cutting through them with his twin-tails and flying towards Kit as he reached for his backpack. If talking to Kit won't stop him from attacking, Tails knew that he needed a new approach, and he already had the necessary equipment.
''I'm sorry, but you're not leaving me another choice!'' Tails said, flying between the water vines as Kit tried to desperately keep him away, and taking out a disk from his backpack, managing to stick it on Kit's Hydro Pack. Suddenly, the Hydro Pack crackled, and all of the water vines disappeared, forming shallow puddles on the ground.
''N-No, what happened?!'' Kit panicked, grabbing the water with his hand.
''I deactivated your water pack,'' Tails said, shaking his tails with water droplets flying all around. ''You can't use it anymore.''
''No no no no! She is going to be so mad at me! I need-'' Kit panicked, his eyes glazed as he desperately tried to scoop up the water, shaking in fear. Then, he vanished.
Tails' eyes widened when the fennec fox was right in front of him in one moment, and then completely disappeared in the next one, as if someone erased him from existence. ''Wh-What happened?''
''That's an AR Field!'' Tails turned to Warren, how gave him a look of relief, then pointed at the holographic screen before him. ''There is an AR Field here, but we can't enter it.''
''I see…'' Tails muttered, a look of concern on his expression. ''I… I hope Kitsunami is fine. He looked completely petrified when I deactivated his water pack.''
''Unfortunately, we can't do anything for him. We should go find Lucas and Sonic,'' Warren told him. Tails nodded, following Warren.
xXx
''Fall down already!''
Sonic charged at Surge after evading another attack of hers, their legs crossing as they attempted to land a kick on each other. Both landed on the ground, with Sonic spin-dashing at her. Surge anticipated the attack, spinning into a green tornado, only for Sonic to spin around her, creating a tornado of his own. Electricity crackled all around them, both attacks cancelling each other out, with Sonic landing a kick on Surge's chest, knocking her into a wall. Surge fell, pressing her hand against her chest as she breathed heavily, sliding down on the ground.
''Do you need a moment to recover?'' Sonic asked, slightly concerned. Surge lowered her head, breathing deeply, and to Sonic's surprise, stretched her hand out. Sonic was a little confused by this, wondering if Surge decided to agree to a truce, but he still approached her, reaching for her hand. ''Agh!''
''Heh, I finally managed to get a hit in,'' Surge grinned, with Sonic leaping back after she had sent a jolt of electricity through his body. Sonic gave her a baffled look, only for Surge to suddenly disappear. Sonic was stunned, wanting to go and search for her, but was stopped by a familiar voice.
''Don't bother. Surge had used an AR Field to escape,'' Lucas said, approaching his partner.
''I see…'' Sonic muttered. ''Do you have any clue what's going on, and who Surge is?''
''I do, but…'' Lucas and Sonic suddenly turned to Warren and Tails, as well as Minami and Amy running up to them. Lucas folded his arms. ''Let me guess, Starline decided to put an Imposter Syndrome on us.''
''A… what?'' Sonic asked, giving him a confused look.
''Don't worry, we'll explain everything,'' Minami said, her, Lucas and Warren exchanging determined glances.