-Chapter 110-

Bots and Frogs

After splitting off from Hope and Big, Chris and Keith hopped onto the train, getting themselves situated.

"I can't believe you forgot your Warp Rings," Chris grumbled.

"Hey, you forgot them too," Keith defended. "No use arguing about it now."

"True," Chris nodded. "I will admit, sometimes it's nice to just enjoy the journey."

"Can't argue with that."

As they kicked back, Chris happened to glance to the side, and perked when he saw what appeared to be a black-and-white Badnik with guns for hands casually sitting some distance away from them, no one paying him any mind. He elbowed Keith, gesturing. Keith saw it before nodding slowly. Chris gestured to the door, the two slowly and carefully moving toward it. They slowly crept along, and were almost to the door when the Badnik happened to glance in their direction.

"Freedom Fighters!" it declared. "Identification: Keith Kent, Christopher Thorndyke."

"Shit…" Both boys let out before bolting.

Beta stood up, following them at breakneck speed. Looking for a solution, Chris looked around before seeing the emergency brake.

"Hang on to something!"

Just as Beta entered and advanced on them, Chris grabbed the brake and pulled with all his might. The train screeched to a halt, the inertia knocking Beta off-balance and onto his metallic behind. Keith quickly tossed Chris a Nitro Glove. By the time Beta was back on his feet, the boys were armed and ready.

"Bring it, bolt brain!" Keith declared.

Beta began firing on them, forcing them on the defensive. Realizing they needed to draw him away from the civilians, Chris, seeing a hatch to the roof, threw it open.

"Up we go!" he declared.

How did I know we were gonna end up on the roof?" Keith sighed.

"C'mon!"

Chris boosted Keith up. As soon as he was on the roof, Keith turned around, grabbing Chris' hand and pulling him out just as Beta fired off another round. Beta got to the roof just as the train started moving again.

"Surrender, Freedom Fighters!" he ordered.

"Of course," Chris said casually. "NOT!"

He chucked a Nitro Ball at the bot. Beta stumbled back in response.

"Surrender or die, by order of Dr. Robotnik!"

"The doc can take his orders and shove them up his ass!" Keith shouted.

"Provided he can reach it," Chris quipped.

Beta began firing again. Chris went on the attack, dodging the shots and laser sight with surprising athleticism as he got closer.

"Yes! Mr. Tanaka's karate lessons finally pay off!"

The train horn went off, causing the boys to look ahead. Both went wide eyed and quickly flattened themselves to the roof. Beta wasn't so lucky and crashed into the wall as the train headed into a tunnel. Once the train exited the tunnel, the boys carefully looked up.

"Phew…" Chris sighed. "Close one. We were almost hamburger."

"At least that bot won't be causing us anymore trouble," Keith remarked.

They slipped back into the train, heading back to their seats.

"One thing kinda bothers me," Keith admitted. "Why would a Badnik take the train? Or better yet, why would people just act like it's no big deal?"

"Search me," Chris shrugged. "Maybe because until we got on, it was just sitting there and not bugging anybody?"

"Guess so," Keith mused.

-X-

Down in the woods, underneath the train tracks, Beta pulled himself out of the bot-shaped hole he'd created. As he did, a small frog covered in yellow stars hopped in front of him, ribbiting. Beta scanned it before snatching it up.

"Frog capture: complete," he declared.

Sand Hill Zone

Meanwhile, Sally, Tekno, and Sticks had ventured deep into the Mystic Ruins, soon coming into the barren sands of the Sand Hill Zone.

"We sure we'll find something out here?" Tekno asked.

"Almost positive," Sally assured her. "In every mission we've gone on, there's been a Chaos Emerald in just about every zone. I suspect the pattern will remain true to form here.

"Yeah, there's a formula," Sticks added. "A very special formula."

"Exactly," Sally nodded. "Now spread out and keep your eyes peeled. And if you see any Emerald shards, grab them too."

"You got it."

With that, Tekno split off from them, lugging a bulky and somewhat unwieldy tote bag as she went. Sally and Sticks exchanged looks.

"Wonder what kinda heat she's packing," Sticks pondered.

"Whatever it is, I hope she doesn't have to use it," Sally admitted. "It seems pretty high caliber."

"Yeah…" Sticks grinned. "I want one."

"Absolutely not."

"Why?"

Sally just crossed her arms and gave Sticks an incredulous look. The badger sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. I'm a paranoid kook who'd probably blow up Knothole if I got ahold of it, right?"

"Not exactly the way I'd put it,"

They then split off to search. They turned over multiple rocks and dug around in the sand. Eventually, Sticks lifted up one rock to find a Master Emerald shard. Looking left and right, she went to slip it into her pocket... before a hand grabbed her wrist.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Sally questioned.

"It's just one little piece!" Sticks objected. "The Master Emerald will be just fine with a tiny chip in it."

"That's not your call to make, Sticks," Sally said sternly. "The Master Emerald needs to be whole, and that means returning every single piece of it."

Unbeknownst to her, the same red light from Casinopolis came floating towards the group, focusing on Sally.

"We have no right to keep it from Knuckles, or the echidna," Sally insisted, holding out a hand. "So hand it over."

Begrudgingly, Sticks dropped the shard into Sally's hand. The second it landed, the red light began swirling around the squirrel princess, sending her entire world into a blinding white light…

When the light cleared, Sally looked around, finding herself in what appeared to be a refurbished Mystic Ruins.

"What in the name of...?" she let out.

"Tikal? What's wrong?"

Sally turned, shocked to see a pair of figures sitting on the steps of an ornate palace. One of the figures was Tikal, the other a hedgehog that was almost identical to Sonic, only with slightly darker blue in his quills and some age on his face. He wore a deep red robe with a golden sash around his waist, an insignia of the Ancients on his shoulder, and woven sandals on his feet. He was gently rubbing Tikal's back, waiting for the young Echidna to speak.

"Solaran... he's going to try for the Emeralds, I just know it," Tikal said at last. "Nothing I say can change his mind."

"Patch…" Solaran sighed. "He just can't let it go."

"His ambitions just keep growing," Tikal went on. "First his spat with the Nocturnus Clan, and now the Felidae of País Misterioso are getting involved."

"I fear my dealings with the Ancients have also exacerbated Patch's paranoia," Solaran sighed, pinching the bridge between his eyes. "I knew he was slipping, but to go this far…"

He stood up. "I'll talk to him, see what I can do."

"You're the only one he'll listen to," Tikal remarked. "Please…"

Solaran gently patted her head, smiling warmly.

"I will do what I can, little one,"

He and Tikal headed for the ancient Echidnaopolis. Before Sally could follow, everything began to go white again…

"Sally?" came Tekno's voice.

The sound of snapping fingers reached her ears. "Sally!"

Sally snapped to with a jump, looking around. "Huh?!"

"You just froze," Tekno said. "Standing there like a bump on a log. Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" Sally replied. "I'm fine."

She pulled out a Warp Ring and tossed the Emerald Shard through it, much to Sticks' chagrin. "The heat must be getting to me."

"It is if you're getting rid of such a powerful tool," Sticks remarked.

Sally glared at her. "Sticks, for the last time, the Master Emerald isn't-!"

Sticks suddenly tackled her out of the way as a blaster shot fired. They handed hard in the sand, turning to see a robot identical to the one on the train, only colored purple and with the number 105 on its side, identifying it as Zeta.

"Freedom Fighters located!" the bot declared.

"New Badniks, of course," Tekno sighed. "Must be how he plans on gathering the Emeralds."

"Well, he's not getting the Emerald in this Zone!" Sticks swore. "Not on my watch!"

She readied her boomerang as Sally prepared her Ring Blades. Tekno then dropped her bag, pulling out a very large and somewhat clunky gun that she grasped with two hands, complete with a bracket that rested on her left shoulder. She pumped a handle and the barrel began to glow with blue energy as Sally and Sticks wisely took cover.

"Eat this, bolt breath!" the canary shouted.

She fired, the recoil knocking her on her tail feathers as a powerful beam of energy shot from the cannon, striking Zeta in the chest. The bot went flying from the blast, soon going out of sight. After a minute, Tekno stood up, rubbing her shoulder.

"Good," she said, more to herself than anything. "The Graviton Cannon's field test went pretty well. Gotta work on the recoil, though. Thing kicks like a Streaking Pasha."

"Now I really want one." Sticks insisted.

"No!" Tekno and Sally both shouted.

.Sticks grumbled as they headed off.

"How'd you even make a blaster that strong?" Sally asked Tekno.

"Power Rings, Sal. Lots and lots of Power Rings."

-X-

By the time Zeta had landed, he had flown a considerable distance, finding himself back in the jungle. He stood up carefully, looking around.

"Auto-recovery system activated," he recited calmly. "Resuming search for frog."

He looked around the jungle, particularly near the ponds. His efforts eventually bore fruit when he heard a ribbit, and looked to see a pink frog with blue stripes on a nearby lily pad. Zeta slowly approached, snatching the frog up.

"Frog capture: complete. Returning to base."

Harbor Heights

Elsewhere, Bunnie, Antoine, Mina, and Shorty had arrived on the outskirts of a peaceful, sunny resort a few miles southeast of Station Square.

"Harbor Heights," Shorty mused. "Never thought I'd come here."

"Seems like a nice place," Bunnie said.

"It's a really fancy resort," Mina told them. "Hot spot for newlywed couples on their honeymoon, too."

They heard a blaster shot, followed by panicked screaming.

"Seems that's not all that's going on," Antoine remarked.

"Come on!" Bunnie cried.

The group hurried in to investigate. Roaming around, flipping over chairs and the like as if looking for something, was a robot identical to Zeta and Beta, but colored blue with the number 103 painted on his side.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that's one of Eggman's," Mina said.

"A fair assessment," Shorty agreed.

Delta kept looking until his eyes fell on the quartet.

"Freedom Fighters detected," he said. "Engage."

"Sounds like fun," Shorty powered up his own blasters. "Bunnie, care to lend a hand?"

"Gladly," Bunnie turned her arm into a cannon and opened fire.

Delta dodged before going on the attack, firing missiles at them that Shorty quickly shot down. Mina darted forward at super speed, running around Delta as he fired on her. She stopped right in front of him and winked before darting out of the way just as the bot was hit with one of his own missiles. However, this bot was not so easily beaten. Though its paint now bore a visible singe mark, he remained mostly unharmed.

"Oh, good," Mina deadpanned. "For a second there, I thought this was gonna be too easy."

"Destroy Freedom Fighters."

Delta aimed at them, firing again. Shorty used his own gun to destroy the missile before it could hit before jetting at Delta, tackling him.

"Game over, scrap heap!" the Cybernik declared.

"Resistance is futile," Delta remarked. "In the name of Dr. Robotnik, surrender or die."

"Mind if I choose neither?" Shorty retorted.

"Neither is not a valid response."

"Well, too bad!"

Shorty fired on him again. Delta aimed at Bunnie, firing on her. She aimed her cannon, only to be surprised when Antoine's saber sliced through the air, neatly bisecting the missile before it could hit.

"The sword is mightier than the gun, seau de rouille (1)." he boasted.

"Translation complete," Delta replied. "I am not a rust bucket."

"You will be when we're finished with you," Antoine retorted.

"Negative."

Delta opened fire on Antoine, who parried his bullets, giving Shorty time to get in close and grab his arm.

"Nice gadgets you have there," he remarked. "Tell me, can you fly?"

Still holding his arm, Shorty picked Delta bodily off the ground, spinning around before chucking him into the air. They watched the robot go flying, then begin a rapid descent downwards.

"Guess not," Bunnie declared.

"C'est la vie (2)," Antoine shrugged, sheathing his sword.

Mina did a quick run around before coming back.

"I've checked this place top to bottom. No Chaos Emeralds, no real strategic merit. Why would Eggman send him here?"

-X-

Delta pried himself out of the ground, hearing a ribbit and looking to see a dark pink frog with a white underbelly hop in his path. He scooped up the frog, rising to his feet.

"Frog retrieval successful."

País Misterioso

Deeper in the jungle, not too far from Windy Valley, things weren't going too good for Rotor, Porker, and Johnny. They had wandered too close to País Misterioso, and were now held at spearpoint by several snarling Mobian cats.

"Whoa!" Johnny objected, raising his hands above his head. "Easy with those things! We come in peace!"

"I don't think they're going to listen to us, Johnny." Porker said simply.

The cats parted to reveal a tall, white female cat with blue eyes and yellow sclera, undoubtedly. She wore a blue cloak with a high collar, two gold buttons and a red lining. Beneath this she wore a black dress-gown with a gold-colored "V" mark coming down from her shoulders and a black cowl that fit snugly over her head and neck. She also wore two small hoop earrings on each ear. It was topped with a metal crown with feathers. She approached them, looking at them with barely masked hostility.

"You are unwise to come here," she informed them. "Trespassers are not welcome in País Misterioso."

"We're not trespassing, ma'am," Rotor attempted. "We just lost our way and came in here. We don't want any trouble."

"Then you should not have trespassed on our land," the queen snapped. "First the Sky Island falls in an attempt to flood our land, and now outsiders cross our sacred borders. Give me one reason why I shouldn't have you executed here and now."

"Uh... couldn't we just leave and promise to never come back?" Porker offered.

The Queen's eyes narrowed. "Kill them."

Porker gulped. "Just thought I'd ask."

Before anyone could do anything, Johnny perked, seeing a red laser sight creeping its way up the Queen's body to her temple. On instinct, he pushed her out of the way just as a blaster shot went off, scorching the tree where her head was mere seconds before. All eyes turned to see yet another E-Series robot, this one orange with 104 painted on his side.

"Robot!" Rotor shouted.

He quickly activated his suit, which he'd worn for the mission, activating his weapons.

"What abomination is this?!" the Queen demanded.

"A robot, Your Majesty," Johnny drew his staff. "How about we prove we mean no harm by helping you chase him outta your country?"

The Queen hesitated before nodding. "Get rid of that thing, and you may leave with your lives."

"Freedom Fighters detected," Epsilon intoned. "Surrender or be destroyed."

"Not likely!" Porker shot back.

Rotor flew at Epsilon, grappling with him. As Johnny came up from behind with his staff, Porker looked around, thinking as he looked for anything they could use. Eventually, his eyes fell on a nearby fruit stand, covered up with a tarp.

"That'll have to do."

He grabbed the tarp, yanking it off and charging at Epsilon. Coming up behind him, Porker threw the tarp over the robot. Epsilon reeled back, trying to get it off.

"Vision obscured. Target mode malfunction."

Johnny started whacking him with his staff repeatedly.

"Target this, tin teeth!" he shouted.

Rotor aimed his blaster, charging before blasting Epsilon through several trees and out of sight. After a few minutes, the Felidae approached, spears still in hand as the Queen got up.

"I suppose I should thank you for your aid," she said. "You saved my life, after all."

"Just doing our duty, miss…" Johnny began.

"Hathor," the queen replied. "Queen Hathor. Now, a deal's a deal. You may go."

"Gladly," Porker nodded. "Let's get outta here while we still can."

They hurried off. Once they were out of earshot, a tall male bobcat approached.

"Now that that's settled, Queen, we can get back to other matters," he said.

"Indeed, Razorklaw," Hathor agreed. "The Echidnas' Sky Island has returned to Mobius' surface. If they seek to finish what they started four thousand years ago... we will not disappoint them."

-X-

Meanwhile, Epsilon slowly rose to his feet, looking around before seeing a yellow-skinned frog and scooping it up.

"Frog retrieved. Returning to base."

Twinkle Park

Back at Twinkle Park, Big was still sitting patiently, waiting for Froggy. Hope was passing the time playing a game on her phone (3). Finally, Big felt a tug on his line.

"I've got a bite!" he declared.

"Seriously?" Hope closed the app, shoving her phone in her pocket as she approached Big. He was reeling furiously, tugging on his line, Froggy on the other end.

"Wow, he's a fighter," the cat mused.

"Come on, Big," Hope urged. "You can do it! Reel in that frog!"

With a mighty tug, Big sent Froggy out of the water, flying into the air. Hope scrambled to catch him, getting him by the tail.

"Got him!"

"Yay!" Big cheered. "I've got my buddy back!"

That was when they heard a gun cock. The two stiffened before turning to see a red robot with the number 102 painted on his side, his gun-arm trained on them.

"Well…" Hope sighed. "Easy come, easy go."

The bot approached, gun trained on them.

"Hand me the frog," he ordered.

"No!" Big snapped.

"Resistance is futile. Quietly hand over the frog."

"Forget it!" Hope retorted. "We're not gonna give him to you!"

Gamma approached threateningly, and that was when Big barged him aside with his shoulder.

"Run!" he shouted at Hope.

He grabbed Hope by the back of her overalls, tucking her under his arm as he cradled Froggy in the other, running as fast as he could. In response, Gamma turned on his rocket boosters, giving chase. They reached a crossroads, Big looking frantically back and forth. Hope squirmed out of his grip before grabbing Froggy.

"Split up!" she yelled. "He can't get us both!"

Big nodded and went left as Hope went right, still clutching the frog to her chest. Froggy nestled into the pocket on the front of her overalls, seemingly oblivious to what was going on. Gamma scanned a few times before heading in Hope's direction. She kept running even as the Badnik began firing on her, missing each time. Eventually, Hope skidded to a stop, finding herself at a dead end. She whirled around, seeing Gamma approach, blocking off her path.

"Freedom Fighter identified," he intoned. "Hope Kintobor."

Hope pressed back against the wall, ready to die as Gamma came ever closer.

"Your fear is unnecessary," Gamma informed her. "I could have shot you at any moment with ease."

Hope perked. "Then... you were missing on purpose? Why? How can a machine know mercy?"

Gamma just reached forward, plucking Froggy from the pocket.

"You are Dr. Robotnik's niece," he said simply. "Restricted to intimidation tactics and non-lethal attacks."

Hope blinked. "I… didn't think he cared."

Gamma just stepped back, Froggy in hand. "Frog capture: complete. Returning to base."

"Hey!" Hope exclaimed, finally noticing the amphibian in the bot's clutches. "I'm not gonna just let you walk away with Froggy!"

"I know," Gamma replied.

His left hand shot out, the metallic fingers grabbing Hope and pinching a pressure point at the base of her neck. Hope let out a soft gasp before collapsing, out cold. Before she could hit the ground, Gamma caught her, gently laying her down. With that, he departed. As he did, he stopped, glancing back at Hope's prone form. After a moment, he returned to the crossroads, this time going left. It was easy to spot Big, the large cat pausing to catch his breath. Stowing Froggy in an internal chamber, Gamma approached Big. As he heard the footsteps, Big slowly turned, stiffening at the sight of the Badnik.

"Locate Hope Kintobor," Gamma informed him. "She requires aid."

"Did you hurt her?" Big demanded, scowling.

"My programming will not allow it," Gamma replied. "As Dr. Robotnik's niece, Miss Kintobor is not to come to serious harm by my hand."

"Where is she?"

Gamma just pointed and Big rushed to her aid. Seemingly satisfied, Gamma took off.

-X-

Big found the prone Hope relatively quickly. He gently propped her up, shaking her awake. She groaned, rubbing her neck.

"Big?" she managed.

"Are you alright?" Big asked.

"I'm fine. Just a pinched nerve,"

Hope perked, checking her pocket. "Crap... Big, he got Froggy. I'm sorry, I tried."

"It's okay," Big assured. "We'll get him back."

He stood up, picking up Hope and pulling her onto his back. "We just need to find where that robot is going."

"First, let's regroup with the others," Hope fumbled for her com. "I'll send a message."

Station Square

It wasn't long before the scattered Freedom Fighter groups, Knuckles and Kat included, had gathered in the casino district.

"Frogs?" Sally asked. "Seriously? They were after frogs?"

"Not frogs," Big clarified. "Froggy. My best friend."

"Chaos was in the jungle near Big's hut last night before Sonic fought him in the city," Chris explained. "Froggy swallowed a part of him and grew a tail."

"And he apparently also swallowed a Chaos Emerald," Keith added.

"So the Chaos that's walking around is incomplete?" Kat theorized.

"Not that it makes much of a difference," Knuckles pointed out. "Incomplete or no, Chaos is still a powerful deity."

"And he'll just keep getting stronger!" a familiar, vile voice mocked.

They whirled around, narrowly dodging a charging Egg Mobile. However, it clipped past Sonic, causing him to drop the Chaos Emerald they retrieved from Vale's tomb. Before they can grab it, a robotic arm shot out from the Egg Mobile, grabbing it.

"Like taking candy from a baby." Robotnik gloated.

"Oh, no!" Sonic shouted.

Just then a gurgling noise came from a manhole cover beneath Sonic's feet. Thinking fast, Sally grabbed him and pulled him back, just as Chaos' watery form exploded out of it, manifesting beneath the Egg Mobile.

"Eggman, listen to me!" Knuckles shouted. "You have no idea what you're dealing with! Once Chaos is complete, he'll destroy Mobius, starting with you!"

"Do you take me for a fool?" Robotnik questioned. "I wouldn't call up a creature like that without the means to control him."

He showed them the Anti-Chaos Nullifier, pressing a few buttons. On cue, Chaos reformed into humanoid form.

"You see?" Robotnik smirked. "Even the mighty Chaos has weaknesses. He's my new pet."

"You think you can make a god into a pet?" Sticks demanded. "You're crazier than I am!"

"She's right, Eggman!" Rotor agreed. "How do you know that thing will work after you've fed him all the Chaos Emeralds?"

Robotnik hesitated before shaking it off. "I can work out any bugs in post."

Tails shook his head. "You're a fool…"

"In any event, it's snack time!"

He chucked the Emerald at Chaos, the watery deity absorbing it and morphing for a second time. Once the light had faded, Chaos was now much taller and more muscular. It had gained a broader chest, wider shoulders, larger hands and more muscle-toned limbs. It had also gained gray bones in both its arms that traveled down its shoulders into its hands where each of the Chaos Emeralds were embedded. Its head had as well moved forward and the horns on the back of its head had moved up on the sides of its head to give it a hammerhead-style look.

"Now, Chaos... destroy them!" Robotnik ordered.

Sonic and Knuckles stepped forward, ready for a fight.

"Sally, get everyone out of here and evacuate the area," Sonic ordered.

"We'll buy you as much time as we can," Knuckles added.

Sally hesitated before nodding. As she scrambled to do so, Chaos brought his fist down. Sonic and Knuckles jumped out of the way as Chaos' punch shattered the pavement.

Guess now that he's not boneless, his punches have more strength to them," Sonic mused.

"Let's see how he likes my punches!" Knuckles shouted.

He charged forward, only to be repelled by an energy shield. Chaos suddenly morphed into a massive ball of water and began bouncing around, trying to crush the duo.

"He couldn't do that before!" Sonic exclaimed.

"He's evolving!" Knuckles said. "Getting stronger and stronger!"

Sonic jumped up, landing a Homing Attack that knocked Chaos back. He splashed to the ground before rising again, firing a powerful jet of water from his hand that cleaved through the concrete.

"Damnit!" Knuckles cursed. "At this rate, he'll trash the whole street before we even make a dent!"

"His power is incredible, isn't it?" Robotnik boasted. "And that's what he's like with only two measly Emeralds! I can't imagine what he'll be like with seven."

"I can…" Knuckles said, before scowling. "And it ain't gonna happen!"

Sonic dashed up the side of a building, motioning for Knuckles to follow. Using his fist spikes, Knuckles scaled the building after him. Once they were safely on the roof, Sonic turned to him.

"I've got an idea," he began. "You wouldn't happen to know how to use spin moves like me and Tails, would you?"

"I prefer not to use them, but yeah," Knuckles replied. "What's your plan?"

"Us attacking individually isn't working. But maybe attacking together could do some damage."

Knuckles nodded. "Worth a shot."

"I do this with Tails all the time. Just grab my hand."

Knuckles did so, and at Sonic's direction, they began circling one another until they formed a red-and-blue colored version of the Rolling Combo. They launched off the building, jetting for Chaos, who fired another water jet at them. This time though, the water jet was split in two by the force of the attack, then Chaos himself. The two heroes landed on the sidewalk as Chaos dropped into two separate puddles, defeated for the moment. Sonic smirked, thumbing his nose. Robotnik flew over Chaos, sucking him up into the Egg Mobile.

"So you won this time. Big deal," the mad doctor said flippantly. "You have yet to see Chaos' true power!"

"We'll handle anything you throw at us, Eggman!" Knuckles declared. "Just bring it on!"

Robotnik flew off, and once he was out of sight, the two flopped onto the sidewalk.

"That was too close," Sonic sighed.

"Agreed," Knuckles remarked. "If Chaos gets any more Emeralds…"

"Even if he does, I'm not just gonna roll over and die," Sonic cut in. "No matter how strong he gets, I won't give up without a fight."

"I know, I know," Knuckles assured. "None of us will. But if we want to stand even an iota of a chance, Eggman doesn't get more than two."

"On that, we agree. It's time to get serious."

Author's Note:

(1): French for "rust bucket".

(2): French for "that's life."

(3): For the game in question, I see it as Puyo Puyo. Or Mean Bean Machine, whichever you prefer.

Well, that's that. Chaos 2's gone down, but the fight isn't over yet. Stay tuned.

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Solaran - D.B. Sweeney (Aang in The Legend of Korra, Aladar from Dinosaur, Michael Whitman from Life as We Know It)

* Hathor - Patricia Velásquez (Unuratu from Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Anck-su-namun from The Mummy)

* Razorklaw - Hisham Tawfiq (Dembe Zuma from The Blacklist)

Please R&R. Until next time!