-Chapter 133-

Tails Prevails

Robotropolis

Robotnik sat on his throne, drumming his fingers in annoyance as Metal Sonic reported on Sonic's escape from Springtrap Village.

"I'm sorry, Doctor," Metal sighed. "I don't know how he healed himself. But he did. He threw me into a building and is most likely on his way back to Cocoa Island as we speak."

"Damn it…" Robotnik cursed. "Report back here for repairs."

"And Sonic?"

"I'll warn the Battle Birds."

He ended the transmission with Metal, then contacted Battle Kukku XV.

"Due to the treasonous actions of my nephew, Sonic has escaped," he reported. "He is no doubt on his way back to Cocoa Island. Intercept him and ensure he cannot interfere."

"Yes, of course, Doctor."

Battle Fortress

At the Battle Fortress's bridge, Battle Kukku XV ended the transmission before turning to Fukurokov and Speedy, the former scrubbing coolant stains out of his lab coat.

"Shall we dispatch the troops to deal with the hedgehog?" Fukurokov asked.

"Yes, because they've done such a great job so far," Battle Kukku V said sarcastically before rising. "Forget it. I'll handle Sonic myself."

Cocoa Island

On the waters approaching Cocoa Island, Sonic was speeding across the waves, running fast enough to remain on top of it.

"Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down…" he muttered.

He saw the beach at last. Grinning widely, he took a flying leap and pulled a heap of sand into his arms, hugging it in relief.

"Land! Glorious land!" he gushed happily. "I don't even care if I get bad traction on sand- it's land!"

As he all but kissed the gritty ground, Battle Kukku XV flew in from above. The bird smirked, then summoned a bomb before throwing it at Sonic. Sonic perked before darting to the side, the blast sending a cloud of sand into the air as XV landed in front of him.

"Sonic the Hedgehog," the bird greeted, landing atop a nearby tree. "I'm beginning to see why Dr. Robotnik considers you such an eyesore. You're harder to squash than a cockroach."

"An insult, and a compliment rolled into one," Sonic remarked, getting up and brushing sand off himself. "I see why you're the big bad boss. Surprised you came all the way out here just for little old me."

"My son and his men will deal with your two-tailed friend and his cohorts. But you, Sonic... you'll have the honor of dying by my hand."

"Aww, I'm flattered, but I'm gonna have to decline, I've been away from my friends long enough."

"I'm afraid I can't take no for an answer."

XV summoned another bomb as Sonic sighed.

"Alright, fine. If kicking your tail feathers means saving the island faster, who am I to decline?"

He knocked XV out of the tree, the two rolling around in the sand before XV kicked him off.

"I didn't become Battle Kukku of the Armada by being a weakling, hedgehog," he bent into a martial arts stance. "Have at you!"

"And I didn't become the Hero of Mobius for my chili dog eating record, so bring it!"

The two circled one another before clashing.

Poloy Forest

Meanwhile, at the Prower cabin in Poloy Forest, the X-Tornado touched down before them. Tails immediately climbed in, T-Pup scurrying into his lap.

"All aboard for the Battle Bird Armada's fortress!" he called.

Everyone quickly climbed in, buckling their seatbelts.

"Next stop, the Battle Fortress," Sally declared.

They jetted forward, soon seeing the massive, island-sized Battle Fortress ahead. Hope gulped nervously.

"I… think we're gonna need a bigger plane."

All four of them swallowed hard at the massive size difference between the fortress and the X-Tornado, but Tails steeled himself.

"Doesn't matter," he insisted. "We keep going. The OG Tornado was much smaller than the Death Egg Mark II, but it didn't stop Sonic from fighting it to save us. And we're not gonna be stopped either."

"Right," Sally agreed. "We keep going. For Sonic."

As the cannons on the Battle Fortress aimed at them, Tails slammed his fist on a button.

"Battle Armor Mode engaged! Let's do it to it!"

The armor engaged, the two arms drawing a sword and shield. The cannons fired, Tails swerving to avoid and using the Battle Armor's shield to block any blasts that they couldn't.

"I see a landing platform!" Hope exclaimed. "We can't take this thing in the sky, but we can tear it apart from the inside!"

"Taking us in!" Tails declared.

He flew for the platform. Once they were close enough, he made sure to disengage Battle Armor Mode so they could land safely. Everyone hopped off, Sally sliding off one of her Ring Blades and handing it to Hope.

"Here," she said. "So you can defend yourself."

"Thanks," Hope slid it onto her right arm.

"C'mon," Johnny insisted. "Let's take this thing down."

They hurried through several rooms, fending off any Battle Birds in their way before coming into a sizable, seemingly empty room with the purple Chaos Emerald in a glass capsule before them.

"Okay, there is no way it's that easy," Tails insisted.

"Trap?" Johnny asked.

"Trap," the others agreed.

"Still, we need that emerald," Sally insisted.

"I got it," Tails assured. "Odds are I can fly out of any trap."

He flew ahead, smashing the glass and pulling out the Emerald... and that was when a metal grate slammed down, separating him from the others as a cackling Fukurokov descended from the ceiling.

"Oh, great," Hope sighed. "It's Dr. Focker-Court."

"That's Fukurokov!" Fukurokov snapped.

"Dude, you realize we're never going to get your name, right?" Johnny said. "You're just wasting your time, Fluid-Cluck."

Fukurokov sighed before smirking. "Anyway, you were right on the money. It was a trap."

He looked right to Tails. "It just wasn't for him."

He threw a switch, and all manner of traps appeared, such as spikes and lasers, along with a conveyor belt beneath the others' feet. Everyone yelped, then T-Pup began growling angrily.

"And what about me?" Tails demanded.

"Twice now you've made Battle Kukku XVI taste bitter defeat. So young Speedy wants to destroy you himself. I'm more than happy to entertain your friends while you face your doom, so run along now, fox boy."

He opened up a trap door, which began vacuuming Tails into the tunnel below. Tails resisted the suction as long as he could, but was eventually pulled inside, the trapdoor closing behind him.

"Now, where were we?" Fukurokov asked.

"You think Speedy can really beat Tails this time, Doc?" Johnny scoffed.

"Of course, with the aid I've provided him," Fukurokov gloated. "Young Miles will cower before the greatest war machine ever conceived!"

"Or Speedy will be left unconscious on the dismantled remains of said war machine," Hope suggested. "Don't underestimate Tails."

"I'd be more worried about yourselves right now, you flightless pests!"

He threw the switch to the conveyor belt, forcing them on the run…

-X-

Tails was spat out into the storage bay of the fortress, landing on his rump with a grunt. As he got up, he heard whirring sounds, and looked to see a new Mole Mech, this one colored green, stomping toward him. The cockpit opened up, revealing Speedy.

"Miss me?" he quipped.

"Like the plague," Tails retorted. "Seriously, do you ever quit?"

"When duty calls, you pay the price!" Speedy declared, hand over his heart. "For the Armada, I will give my life! And now I'm gonna take yours, fox boy!"

The cockpit closed as a laser array on the left arm began to glow before firing on Tails, who went on the defensive.

"Last version was buggy, so I had Dr. Figaro-Kook make improvements. One, two... a dozen! Get ready for a whole new way to experience pain, Tails!"

Tails blinked. "Hang on. Did you just quote 'It's a Good Day to Die'?"

"So what if I did?"

Tails sighed. "Forget it."

He charged forward only for his Spin Attack to bounce off. He was forced to dodge a swipe from the arm. A second swipe struck home, sending Tails into a wall.

"Are you crying yet?" Speedy taunted. "Yeah? Sorry, but this thing isn't armed with tissues. Well, the Mole Mechs have that effect on people. Total, weeping terror. And you ain't seen nothing yet!"

Tails let out a breath, then he felt the Chaos Emeralds in his pocket thrumming with power.

"And neither have you!"

Suddenly, he was engulfed in light as his fur took on a golden hue, his clothes turning white as the red cape sprouted on his shoulders.

"Been a long time since I went Turbo," he pointed dramatically. "Game over, Speedy! I'm gonna turn your plumage into the world's ugliest pillow!"

"So you glow and have a fancy bedsheet! Big deal!" Speedy retorted. "I'll make mincemeat out of you!"

He fired the laser, Tails casually deflecting them with his hands before charging in. Speedy gaped before grabbing him with the arm, pinning him down before lunging forward with the drill and hitting him in the chest. Tails winced as sparks flew from the drill and his chest.

"Man... I forgot how OP this form is," he mused.

Speedy withdrew, the drill bent and twisted out of shape.

"What the hell's going on?!" he demanded. "You should be dead!"

"That's the power of the Chaos Emeralds, birdbrain!" Tails shot back.

"No…" Speedy shook his head. "NO! I will not be beaten by a land-dwelling freak!"

He swung the arm furiously, firing the laser at random. Tails deflected each of the lasers with ease.

"C'mon, you're just damaging the ship now. Stop it."

Speedy refused, charging at him and grappling furiously.

"Give it up already, Speedy!" Tails ordered. "You can't beat me like this!"

"Shut up!" Speedy snapped. "I can't lose to you! I won't! I refuse to lose!"

-X-

Right above the pair, the others continued to dodge lasers and run across the conveyor belt. Hope looked around, seeing an air vent nearby as an idea struck her. She looked from it to Fukurokov, grinning.

"Guys, that vent! If one of us can get into it-!"

"Hope, does it look like any of us can fit in that little space?!" Johnny shot down.

"We can't." She pointed to T-Pup. "But he and Omochao can!"

"I'm on it!" Omochao announced as T-Pup barked.

Omochao picked up the small robot, flying both of them into the vent. This went unnoticed by Fukurokov, who chuckled and clucked at the trapped Freedom Fighters.

"Now you know the might of Dr.-" there was a loud chomping sound. "YEOUCH!"

He turned, seeing T-Pup with his metal teeth sunk deep into his rear as Omochao emerged.

"Checkmate, Dr. Fooboo!" the robot Chao declared.

"It's pronounced-" Fukurokov yelped as T-Pup chomped down harder.

"I don't care!" Omochao said in his usual cheery manner.

Fukurokov began spinning and swatting at T-Pup, trying to dislodge the robo-dog as Omochao headed for the switch.

"Such dangerous toys should not be in use around children," he said before turning off the switch. The Freedom Fighters stopped, panting as Fukurokov looked out in shock.

"No!" he squawked. "Inconceivable!"

The others were now free of the traps and were able to make it over to Fukurokov. He scowled, swatting T-Pup off of him.

"You've earned my hatred for life, you brats!" he shouted before taking off running. They were about to chase after him when a red light began flashing along with a klaxon sound, followed by a loud bang.

"That can't be good," Johnny mused.

"Nope," Hope shook her head. "No, it's not. Critical engine failure if I had to wager a guess."

"We need to find Tails and get back to the X-Tornado!" Sally cried.

"Women and children first!" Omochao cried. "Exit in a calm and orderly fashion!"

-X-

Tails curled up into a Spin Dash, plowing into the Mole Mech. It sparked before collapsing and beginning to smoke. As the alarm sounded and light flashed, Tails was about to flee before hearing Speedy cry out in pain. He sighed before hurrying over, prying open the cockpit and pulling him out.

"You… saved me?" the bird asked.

Tails shrugged. "That's the thing about being a hero. You've even gotta save the bad guys."

"Well… nice moves back there," Speedy admitted with a smile before pulling away. "Now, if I were you, I'd get your Freedom Fighter buddies and get outta here before this place blows."

"But what about you?" Tails questioned.

"Forget about me, Tails!" Speedy snapped as he flew away. "I'll be fine! Just get outta here while you still can!"

Cocoa Island

Back on the beach, Sonic ran around the bombs Battle Kukku XV lobbed before getting up close. He ducked under a swing before jumping and landing a spinning kick, knocking XV back.

"You ready to give up, birdy?" he shouted. "'Cause I can do this all day!"

"Hardly! Nothing will keep me from completing this-!"

At that moment, Battle Kukku's comm went off. He pressed a button, opening a transmission.

"Yes? Oh, Speedy." He listened as Speedy said something. "What?! The fox boy and his friends took down the Battle Fortress?!"

Sonic blinked. "They did?"

After a minute, he smiled. "Way to go, guys. Guess I was worried for nothing."

Battle Kukku XV ended the transmission, growling as he pointed at Sonic.

"You and yours have just made yourselves eternal enemies of the Battle Bird Armada, Sonic!" he roared. "Of course, you realize this means WAR!"

"Oh, my," Sonic said flippantly. "I'm shaking in my sneakers."

Battle Kukku XV scoffed before spreading his wings and flying away.

Poloy Forest

The X-Tornado landed near the Prower cabin, everyone piling out.

"Okay, that's the Armada taken care of," said Tails. "Now to get to Robotropolis to save Sonic."

All of a sudden, the comms crackled to life.

"How about I save you a trip?"

Everyone gasped.

"SONIC?!" they cried.

Sally snatched up the com. "You got away?! How?!"

"C'mon, Sal, you really surprised?" Sonic questioned. "Just swing by the beach and pick me up, please? I do not want to run across the ocean again."

They headed to the beach, jaws dropping to see Sonic standing tall, arms crossed

"Yo." he greeted casually.

Sally, Tails, and Hope all tackled him to the ground. Johnny just laughed, shaking his head.

"You are just full of surprises, Hedgehog," he remarked.

"Don't I know it," Sonic replied.

Everyone backed off, looking over his leg.

"Your leg…" Hope gasped. "How did you-?!"

"Chaos Energy, Hope. It's the new first aid."

"Seriously?" Sally questioned.

"It's not perfect. I spend three days hunkered down just trying to heal."

"And getting out of Robotropolis?" Johnny asked.

"Snively."

Hope choked. "Snively let you go?"

"He was pissed at Eggman pampering Eggatha and constantly giving him the short end of the stick," Sonic clarified. "It was all dirty politics."

Hope nodded. "Yeah, that makes more sense."

"Well, I don't care how it happened," Sally cut in. "I'm just glad you're finally back."

"Me too," Sonic agreed. "Let's head back to Knothole. I'm starving."

"You guys go on," Tails told them. "I've got a family vacation to finish up."

"Go for it, buddy," Sonic replied. "You've earned it."

Robotropolis

At Citadel Robotnik, Robotnik was talking to Battle Kukku XV, who knelt before him.

"So your fortress was downed by Tails and the others while you were fighting Sonic," he noted. "Seems I underestimated them."

"So it would appear," Battle Kukku XV agreed. "I assume this is the end of our partnership?"

Robotnik shook his head. "On the contrary, Battle Kukku, I'm sure I can find plenty of uses for your resources and technology."

"Truly?" Battle Kukku blinked. "But we-"

"You still established a base, and even if he did escape, you disabled and captured Sonic the first time you fought him. That's a feat even my Badniks haven't accomplished."

Metal was fuming in the corner, Eggatha patting his back sympathetically.

"Still, it seems I'm going to need to continue my search for help if i'm going to stand a chance against Sonic and his accursed Freedom Fighters," Robotnik went on.

"The Battle Bird Armada is at your service, Dr. Robotnik. They made themselves sworn enemies of us this day."

"Good to know," Robotnik waved him off. "You're dismissed for now."

Battle Kukku XV nodded before departing.

"Well…" Robotnik adjusted his shades. "Back to the old drawing board."

Knothole

At Freedom HQ, Sonic was scarfing down plate after plate of chili dogs, Hope looking over Sonic's leg in utter fascination.

"There's no trace it was even broken," she noted. "Just like your rib."

"Yeah," Sonic nodded. "Burned through a lotta calories healing it up, though. Especially after eating nothing but Egghead's brown glop."

"The butt paste?" Hope asked.

"Eyup." Sonic chomped down on another chili dog.

"I swear, he makes it taste bad on purpose," Hope mused.

"Knowing him, he probably does," Sally said.

"Enough about that," Sonic said. "I'm glad you guys were able to deal with those birds without me."

"It was mostly Tails," Johnny pointed out. "That kid sure came through when we needed him."

"No surprise there," Sonic remarked. "He's come a long way. I'm proud of him."

Cocoa Island

That evening, Tails and his parents were seated all nice and cozy at their cabin in front of a roaring fire, helping themselves to hot chocolate as T-Pup curled up on the rug.

"All's well that ends well," Rosemary remarked.

"You said it," Tails agreed.

"I'm so proud of you," Amadeus said, ruffling Tails' head. "You've become a great hero in your own right. One day, you may even surpass me. If you haven't already."

"One step at a time, Dad," Tails held up his cocoa mug. "Here's to a well-earned real vacation."

They clinked glasses before taking a swig.

Author's Note:

There you have it. The end of the Tails Adventure adaptation. Now onto what we've all been waiting for: the Sonic Adventure 2 adaptation!

The song "It's A Good Day To Die" is taken from the movie Starship Troopers. I adapted it here as a song promoting the Great War effort for the United Federation, written by Sonic the Comic character Fabian Vane; more on him later.

Please R&R. Until next time!