-Chapter 274-

Sports Festival

?

"What the...where am I?"

Rotor Walrus was no stranger to ending up in unusual places; he knew he'd be doing so the minute he signed up with the Freedom Fighters, so he had learned to expect the unexpected. However, waking up in the middle of a dark void was something no amount of Freedom Fighting could ever prepare you for.

"Hello?" he called out nervously. "Sonic? Sally? …anyone?"

Silence was his only reply. He was starting to get nervous, and it showed in the slight tremor in his voice as he spoke once more..

"The heck is this place?"

"Hell."

He froze as a shiver shot down his spine, then slowly turned around to find something marching toward him...or rather, someone. Someone who, from their deep, booming voice and the loud, thumping footsteps they were making as they advanced, was very big and, from the way their narrowed eyes glowed in the darkness, angry.

"It's your own personal Hell, Boomer."

Rotor stiffened at the sound of that name, falling over on his rear as he screamed in horror.

"No…" he whispered between rapid, gasping breaths. "No...No, it can't be..."

"Did you really think you could run?" the giant asked, his voice thick with hatred. "Escape what you did?"

"I-I..."

"Answer me, boy!"

"No!" Rotor screamed, closing his eyes and clutching his head as he shook it back and forth in denial. "I-It wasn't my fault!"

"Was it?" his tormentor asked, his voice sounding softer, yet louder at the same time. Rotor opened as he slowly looked up and saw why; the shadowy figure was standing mere feet away, towering over him like a massive glacier and clutching an equally massive spear in his hand. He looked down on him with crimson eyes, narrowed until they almost looked triangular and practically burning with hate.

Rotor looked up at the monster of a man before him, too scared to scream, speak, or even move. All he could do was stare back at this…titan, and wonder just what he was going to do. He didn't have to wait long though, as the giant gripped his spear in both hands…

"Rotor."

…pointed it right at him…

"Rotor?"

…and thrusted.

"DIE!" he shouted as the spear flew toward the walrus, who could only scream as the cold, sharp stone pierced his flesh.

-X-

Angel Island

"Rotor!"

Rotor gasped as he sat up in bed, drenched in sweat and panting.

"Rotor, are you alright?"

Rotor looked around, taking account of his surroundings. He was no longer in the void, but a small, sparsely furnished hut and lying on a bedroll next to the hut's owner.

"Cobar?" he asked as he rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't seeing things. Sure enough, Cobar the Echidna remained in front of him, dark red fur and all.

"You were having a nightmare, and a pretty nasty one from the looks of it."

Rotor let out a humorless chuckle, slowly regaining his senses. "Understatement of the millennia."

"I can imagine," Cobar said, gently rubbing his back. "You want to talk about it?"

Rotor hesitated, debating whether he should. A few seconds later, he sighed. "I was...I was dreaming I was nowhere. Completely alone. Just me and… this really, really big guy."

"Rote…"

"He told me I was in Hell, asked me if I…" he shuddered in terror. "And then, he tried to gore with this huge spear."

"My word…" Cobar uttered with a wince.

"Yeah… it was horrible."

"Well, I can assure you, my spear is safely on the weapons rack." Cobar pointed to said rack, where his spear was resting well out of reach. "No goring tonight." He paused, giving Rotor a coy grin. "Though, given your past in Iceborough, that spearman may have been symbolic of a subconscious fear of–"

"Cobar…" Rotor said testily.

"Just offering a theory," the echidna defended.

"We've only been together for a little over a year and we've just started living together. I'm still getting used to us sleeping in the same room."

"And now, here we are in the same bed," Cobar pointed out.

"Still can't figure out how you talked me into this."

"Because my hut is small and you didn't want to have to force me to move or expand."

"Heh… right." Rotor sighed, his face falling. "A-Anyway, sorry for waking you up, Cobar."

Cobar put a hand on Rotor's shoulder. "It's alright, Rotor. This is the kind of thing couples do."

They lay back down, attempting to return to sleep. After a moment, Cobar looked over at Rotor, who had his back to him.

"Hey, listen. Maybe you should take tomorrow off. I heard Lady Lara saying there was some sort of festival tomorrow."

"That's right! The Sports Festival at Station Square Junior High!" Rotor rolled over, facing Cobar once more. "I forgot about that!"

"Maybe we can go together. Help take your mind off things."

Rotor thought for a moment. "Honestly... yeah, that would be nice."

"It will be."

"Yeah, thanks Cobar. G'night."

"Pleasant dreams, Rote."

The two lay back down, backs pressing against each other. Rotor closed his eyes, but Cobar had one last thing to say.

"Rotor… you know you can tell me anything, right?"

Rotor's eyes opened, a sadness behind them as he looked at the small desk calendar sitting on a stool next to him and frowned. "I know, Cobar… I know."

Thorndyke Manor, the Next Day

The following day at the Thorndyke Manor, everyone was busy as the young master and his friends prepared for the big Sports Festival.

"I am so excited!" Hope said as she finished tying her shoes.

"I know!" Chris chimed in. "This is going to be awesome!"

"It feels like it's been forever since we've been able to participate," Keith added as he took a moment to polish his glasses. "Between our Freedom Fighter missions and Chaos wrecking the city, I can't remember the last time we went, let alone participated in the school's Sport's Festival."

"Well, we get to be in this one, cuz, and that's what's important."

"Even I get to compete!" Kat cheered, sliding an athletic sleeve over her tattoo. "It took days of rigorous testing from the coaches, but they finally gave me the green light!"

"How'd you swing that anyhow?" Hope asked. "I thought for sure your powers would get you automatically banned."

"I thought the same thing. However, pretty much all of the competitions are races or something involving teamwork. I'm banned from tug-of-war and rope climbing, but everything else is fair game!"

"Didn't one of the coaches suggest that you play the tug-of-war game solo as some sort of bonus round?" Chris recalled.

"Yeah, I think so. Any team that can pull me out of a circle gets extra points."

"Clever," Hope remarked. "Still, considering you're still banned from the baseball team, I was sure you'd be on the sidelines."

Keith chuckled, scratching his cheek slightly. "Well, Chris may or may not have sent a 'generous donation' to the school to help get new, sturdier supplies and upgrades."

Kat put a hand over her heart, smiling warmly. "Awww, Chris."

"Hey, they had to be replaced anyway after Chaos," he said with a shrug. "Might as well get the tough stuff."

The four shared a laugh at that.

"So, who's all going?" Hope asked.

At that, a Warp Ring opened up, depositing Knuckles and Lara-Le.

"Well for starters, me and Mom,"

"Ahem! Forgetting someone?" a third voice piped up.

"Heh, and Julie too."

"Better," the former Legionnaire said with a grin as she puffed out her chest.

"Oh my gosh, look at you!" Lara squealed as she ran over to Kat. She held her adoptive daughter's arms, looking her up and down as the girl blushed hard.

"Mom, calm down," she groaned, though she was smiling as she did. "You literally saw me just an hour ago…"

"Oh humor me, Kathryn," Lara said. "You were gone for what seemed eons and nobody was sure you would ever come back!"

"I know, I know, but still… it's not like I'm in a prom dress or anything cute. This is just my gym uniform."

"I know, but still! My little star athlete!" she clapped her hands as a light bulb pinged to life in her brain. "Ooh! Picture! I have to take a picture to show Locke! Julie-Su, get the camera-phone…device!"

"Getting!"

As Julie fished out her smartphone and walked Lara through on how to use it, Kat's blushing intensified, her face turning redder than Knuckles as she buried her face in her hands. Her brother laughed, slapping her on the back.

"Heh! You truly are a Knuckles now, Kat," Knuckles chuckled.

Another Warp Rings opened up, this one depositing Sonic, Tails, Tangle, Amy, and Cream.

"Greetings, sports fans!" Sonic greeted enthusiastically.

"Sorry we're late, everyone," Cream apologized.

"Actually, you're right on time," Chris said. "The festival isn't for another few hours."

"Whew!" Amy let out, putting a hand to her chest. "What a relief. I almost thought we'd miss it!"

Kat perked, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well," Tails began. "We were gonna show up earlier, but Tangle-"

"WOOOOOO! Game Daaaaaaaaaaaaay! YEAH!"

The entire room practically leapt in fright as Tangle suddenly leapt into the air, shouting excitedly. The lemur had traded her normal outfit for a United Federation flag-themed shorts, sleeveless shirt, and sneakers ensemble. She had even painted her face half red and blue with a big, white star in the center. In her hand was a similarly colored vuvuzela and a giant foam finger with "Thorndyke #1" emblazoned on it.

As she landed, Team Thorndyke blinked, trying to process what they were looking at.

"Wow..." Chris said.

"What the actual fugg?" Kat exclaimed, still in disbelief at what she was looking at.

"Tangle, what are you wearing?" Hope asked.

"It's my Game Day stuff, Hope," Tangle replied. "Cuz today's Game Day! GAME DAY! WOOOOOOT!"

Everyone winced as Tangle shouted.

"Tangle…" Keith said as he rubbed his ears. "it's just our school's sports festival."

"It's sports, it's a festival, it's teams competing with each other, it's GAME DAY!"

Sonic just shook his head and shrugged. "Just roll with it. She spent almost an hour on her make-up."

"Right…" Chris said, his attention turning the foam finger. "Why only my name though?"

Now, it was Tangle's turn to blink and look confused. "Because it's Team Thorndyke?"

Chris paused. "We have a team name?"

"Uh yeah? The Grand Prix? When you raced the birdbrains? The ones led by that short, mouthy one with the curtains 'round his waist from the Summit?"

At that, everyone 'ohhh'ed in realization.

"Oh yeah!" Keith recalled. "I forgot that's what we called ourselves."

Tangle nodded. "Yeah, you did. So…" she began spinning her vuvuzela as she pumped her foam finger in the air. "Yeah! Team Thorndyke, Knothole represent! WOOOO-!"

Only to start squealing as Amy put a hand over her mouth.

"Alright, that's enough of that," the pink hedgehog groused.

"Seriously Tangle, save the cheering for the event," Tails added.

"Shrry guysh..." she apologized, prompting Amy to remove her hand. "But seriously. It's all over Freedompedia. They have team names for everyone. Team Sonic, Team Dark, Team Rose, Team Chaotix, Team Acorn, Team Fleetway - not sure where that last name comes from..."

"Freedompedia?" Chris asked. "We have a Quiki!? (1) When did that happen?"

"Well-"

Before Tangle could explain, another Warp Ring opened.

"Solicitations, all!" Cobar greeted; Rotor right behind him.

"Hey guys, what's…" but before Rotor could finish, he let out a long, loud yawn.

"Whoa, you good Rote?" Sonic asked in concern. "Your eyebags are as dark as Shadow's quills."

Rotor blinked blearily as he looked at himself in a reflectively polished vase. "Yeah…I'm good," he said. "Just...had a rough night. Cobar kept hogging the covers." He pointed to the accused Echidna, giving a cheeky grin.

"Yeeees..." Cobar said unconvincingly. "I blame it on my boyfriend needing arctic temperatures to sleep at night."

"Hold up, boyfriend!?" Tangle shouted. "I knew you were gay, but I didn't know you were taken!"

"How do you…?" Sonic began before stopping. "Oh yeah, you guys have met. Tangle, meet Cobar, Rotor's BF. Cobar, Tangle the Lemur."

"Ahh, the new recruit," Cobar said. "Good to meet you."

"Heh heh...ditto." Tangle let out a small noise. "Clearly Freedompedia needs an update."

Suddenly, a whistle echoed through the mansion, prompting everyone to turn to the west entrance, where Sam Speed had arrived, clad in a red tracksuit.

"Okay people, front and center!" he called, prompting everyone to gather around him. "Alright kids, game time is in a few hours. You guys ready to kick butt and take names?"

"Every day for the past two years, Dad," Keith said.

"Yeah, we got this Uncle Sam!" Chris exclaimed with a fist pump. "'Specially after all those coaching sessions you've been giving us."

"Thanks again for that, by the way," Hope chimed in.

"We should probably get to the school," Kat suggested. "It's probably gonna be packed by now."

"We probably should, Kat." Sam nodded. "So c'mon, let's do this thing!"

"YEAH!" Everybody cheered… except for Rotor, who trailed off into another yawn.

"Just as soon as I get a quick pick-me-up," the walrus tacked on.

"Hold on..." Cobar reached into a satchel he's carrying and pulled out a small cold box. He opened it up, revealing a small stack of metal tins; pulling one out and handing it to Rotor. "I stopped by the store yesterday and picked up some of those sardines you like."

"D'aaaaw, thanks hun..." Rotor replied cheekily.

"Oh, don't you start with that, it doesn't suit you." Cobar rolled his eyes fondly as he shook his head and handed Rotor the tin. "Here, eat up."

"Thanks." Rotor looked over the tin, smiling fondly. "Ahhhhh...Macaroni Fishery Sardines. Best thing to come out of the sea since-GAH!"

Rotor stared at the tin, his mouth hanging open and hands shaking.

"Rotor?" Cobar asked worriedly.

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "You alright bud?"

"Huh!? Uhhhh...yeah, sure!" Rotor quickly opened the tin and downed all the sardines at once; barely taking the time to chew before swallowing. "Just peachy!"

Once he was finished, Rotor crushed the tin, crumpling it into a metal ball.

"Okay, I'm awake now," he said far too quickly. "What say we get this show on the road, eh?"

"Yeah! GAME DAY!" Tangle cheered as her and Rotor ran out the door, leaving everyone to wonder what they just witnessed.

"Well, that was weird," Tails said.

"Yeah…" Amy added. "Real weird."

Sonic narrowed his eyes as he scratched his chin, then turned to Cobar's satchel.

"Hey Cobar," he began. "Could you–?"

"Hey! You guys comin' or what?!" Tangle called out to them, snapping him out of it.

"Ah right, be right there, Tangle!" he called out. "C'mon guys, let's go."

Station Square

A bit later, Tanaka was driving everyone to the school.

"This is so exciting!" Cream exclaimed. "I've never been to a sports festival before!"

"It's mostly a time for parents to watch their kids compete," Chris explained. "They even get to have lunch together."

"Which reminds me," Tanaka interjected. "Lady Lindsey packed you lunch-" Chris paled"-and Ella repacked it."

"Oh thank Aurora..." Chris slumped in relief, wiping sweat from his brow.

"I made lunch for you, Kat," Lara-Le chimed in.

Kat smiled. "Aww, thanks, Mom."

"I tried some of those recipes you showed everyone after you returned. I...probably made a mistake or two. So, I'd appreciate some feedback."

"Whatever you made, I'm sure it'll be delicious."

"I made you some sandwiches myself, Keith," Sam chimed in. "Oh! And there's a Boost Bar in case you need to recharge between events. Those things could get nuts back when I was your age."

Keith grinned. "You're awesome."

"Hope, did anyone make you lunch?" Kat asked.

Hope winced, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well..."

"Special delivery!" a familiar, high-pitched, tinny voice called out.

Everyone turned to see Bokkun flying beside the window, keeping up with the moving car. Unsurprisingly, they all screamed.

"Relax, you buncha scaredy-pants. I'm not here to fight!"

"Bokkun!?" Knuckles exclaimed, putting himself between the bot and his Mom. "What are you doing here!?"

Bokkun rolled his eyes. "I just told you, dum-dum! Now if you don't mind, I have a special delivery for Miss Hope!"

No one reacted at first, so Bokkun pulled out a carefully wrapped box with a bow and the Robotnik Empire symbol on it. It looked too small to be one of Robotnik's explosive TVs, and Omochao wasn't going nuts about a bomb, so Chris reluctantly rolled down the window. With a grin, Bokkun flew in and hovered right in front of Hope.

"Is this from Aggie?" she asked as she stared at the box.

"Yuppers!" He then looked left and right before leaning in and whispering. "Also Akhlut, but don't tell nobody."

Omochao popped out of Hope's backpack, his eyes lighting up. "Scanning package… Scan complete. It is a thermos of chicken noodle soup and hot roast beef sandwiches. There is also a hot wheat bun and a sugar cookie, along with… pickled muktuk?"

That last one threw everyone off.

"Pickled what?" Tangle asked.

"It's a type of dish from Artika," Rotor explained. "It's pretty good, but kinda chewy."

"Must be Akhlut's contribution," Tails mused.

"What is it?" Sonic wondered. "Fish? Shrimp?"

"Whale meat and blubber," Rotor replied.

"Ah…" Hope forced a smile. "I see… How...thoughtful."

"There is also a note," Omochao went on. " It says: Do not open this until lunchtime. The heat coil is set to automatically shut off once opened, and you will be grateful for a hot meal."

"Yep!" Bokkun waved. "Welp, I gotta get goin'! Seeya peeps!"

He flew back out the open window, Chris slowly rolling it back up as everyone stared.

"Is it me or is Bokkun's vocabulary deteriorating?" Tails commented.

"Can I try that muktuk at lunch?" Kat asked.

"Be my guest." Hope shuddered. "Seriously, I can't believe Akhlut put whale blubber in my lunch."

"I can't believe he gave you anything," Tangle countered. "Ain't he supposed to be the bad guy?"

"Well, I think that was very nice of him," Cream declared, Cheese nodding and chirping in affirmation.

"Still, the highs are in the 80s today," Keith pointed out. "Wouldn't it make more sense for cooler foods? Like lemonade or fruit or something like that? Why all the hot foods?"

"Yeah, it's weird," Amy admitted.

"Hmmm..." Sonic turned to Rotor. "What do you think, Rote?"

Rotor wasn't paying attention. Instead, he was just gazing out the window, looking like he was lost in another world.

"Rote?" Sonic snapped his fingers before waving in the walrus' direction. "Rotor? Rotorrrrrrr…"

"Hey Rote." Knuckles gave him a bit of a nudge with his foot, finally snapping him out of his funk. "Ahoy there. Welcome back to reality.

"Huh?" Rotor let out, turning to the others.

"Are you alright, Mr. Rotor?" Cream asked.

"Me? Yeah Cream, I'm fine. Just...spaced out a little."

"A little?" Amy raised an eyebrow. "You looked like you were having a Tikal vision."

"Rote, babe, what's going on?" Cobar asked, taking his boyfriend's hand in his.

"I think I have an idea." Sonic reached into his jacket, pulling out a tin of sardines. "It's got to do with this."

"Rotor's sardines?" Keith asked.

"Specifically, this." Sonic showed them the front. The lid showed a purple walrus with a thick, white beard and a scar in a captain's outfit. Rotor recoiled as if Sonic had taken out a live rattlesnake.

"A walrus?" Kat asked.

"Not just any walrus, Kat." Tails clarified. "That's Sherman Walrus."

Kat was still confused: "...am I supposed to know who that is?"

"He's Rote's dad," Sonic explained.

"Oh." Her eyes widened. "Oh… Oh."

Rotor looked away, rubbing his arm as Cobar had a lightbulb moment. "So that's what this is all about."

Rotor sighed, nodding. "Yeah… Everybody was talking about their parents and...well..."

"And yours are gone…" Amy let out.

"Yeah… And, what's more...this week marks the anniversary of their deaths."

"Oh Rote…" Sonic managed in sympathy.

Rotor sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to kill the mood."

"Don't feel bad," Tails insisted, waving him off. "You have every right to be down."

Tangle nodded. "Yeah, and who knows, maybe this festival will take your mind off things."

"Heh, yeah." Rotor smiled. "Thanks guys."

At that, the car stopped.

"We've arrived," Tanaka said.

"Whoop, trip's over," Chris said. "Time to go."

"Yeah! Game Daaay!" Tangle cheered.

As they all got out of the limo, Sam took a moment to look at the school; a wistful look in his eye.

"Ahhh...good ol' SSJH. I haven't seen this place in years."

Keith raised an eyebrow. "It was literally the fallout shelter for Chaos."

"Oh yeah...doi!" Sam facepalmed. "With all the crazy going on it slipped my mind."

Kat snickered. "Clearly the genius in your family skipped a generation."

"Ouch!" Sam dramatically recoiled in pain. "Burned by my future daughter-in-law."

Both she and Keith turned red.

"DAD!"

"Oh c'mon Keith, I'm your father. I'm required by law to embarass you in front of your girlfriend at least once a week."

"Indeed," Lara-Le concurred. "It's a parent's prerogative. Otherwise, we're not doing our jobs."

"They're right, you know."

The group turned to see Shadow casually leaning against the wall, increasing both his and the building's edge rating.

"Shadow!" Hope ran over and hugged him. "You made it!"

"Of course," Shadow replied as he ruffled Hope's hair. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Hey there, Shadow," Sonic greeted. "Glad you could make it."

"Rouge and Omega here too?" Tails asked.

"Sadly, no." Shadow shook his head. "Rouge had a solo mission and Omega is overdue on maintenance."

Sonic winced. "Oof...bummer."

"It's alright, Rouge told me that she's fearfully certain she isn't allowed on the grounds period." Shadow scratched his chin in thought. "Something about the vice-principal's earrings five years ago."

"Of course," Chris deadpanned.

"Is that why Topaz comes to my parent teacher conferences?" Hope asked.

"She said she can neither confirm nor deny that."

"Shadow! Whuzzup?" Tangle greeted. "You psyched for Game Day too?"

Shadow blinked. "...who is this loud rat?"

Tangle's mood audibly deflated. "What!? Dude, it's me! Tangle! We met at the Summit!"

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Did we?"

"Yeah!" Tangle exclaimed. "We met the checkpoint? You got yelled at by that crazy zebra chick."

"Piper, yes." Shadow nodded, then shook his head. "You still don't ring a bell."

Tangle screamed in frustration.

"Calm down," Amy said as she patted her shoulder. "It was a big mission."

"There you are!"

This new voice belonged to Mr. Stewart, who was accompanied by Sally. The kids were quick to give them a wave.

"Hey, Mr. Teacher-Spy," Kat greeted, earning her a chuckle from the man.

"Hey there to you too, Kat. Been awhile since I heard that nickname."

"Sal?" Sonic questioned, raising an eyebrow in the squirrel's direction. "I thought you had some sort of meeting today. Freedom Fighter business or whatever."

"I do," she replied. "It's… Well, I think it'd be easier to show you."

She motioned them to follow her and Mr. Stewart.

"Show us what?" Knuckles wondered out loud.

-X-

As the group made their way to the athletics field, they soon saw what Sally meant. The area was swarming with people, far more than had been anticipated; there were stands selling food and merch, blue and white, snow and ice-themed decorations everywhere, and even a few people streaming video on their phones. Interestingly, most of them were arctic Mobians. All in all, it was the kind of thing that would make you say…

"What the heck!?"

Sally nodded. "Yeah, it was a bit of a shock for me too."

"What's going on?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, what sports festival has food trucks and merch stalls?" Keith asked.

"An international, cross-school competition," Mr. Stewart replied.

"Cross-school...competition?" Cream asked.

"It's when two or more schools compete against each other," Amy explained.

Hope gaped. "Seriously!?"

"With who?" Kat asked.

"Iceborough Academy," Sally replied, causing Rotor to swallow nervously. "Courtesy of the Artikan Freedom Fighters. They want to see what we can do, specifically our 'weakest members'."

"Seriously?" Keith deadpanned.

"Their words, not mine."

"Well, it kinda makes sense. An army is only as strong as its weakest link," Chris rationalized.

"Then they should be testing Cream, not us," Keith protested. "No offense Cream. We all know your Mystic Melody is OP."

"It's alright," the rabbit replied.

"Hold up..." Knuckles cut in. "Rotor, aren't you from Iceborough?"

Rotor began sweating bullets. "Uhhh...y-yeah…b-but this must be a different Iceborough!"

Sonic raised an eyebrow at that.

"Well, either way, I should introduce you to the lady who made this possible," Sally said. "Just as soon as I can find where she-"

"MY BABY!" a deep voice cried out, startling everybody.

"What the heck was that?" Keith asked.

"Guys, over there!" Tails pointed to one of the buildings further away, where a baby Mobian walrus was crawling on a window washer platform that had conspicuously been abandoned.

"Oh my goodness!" Cream shouted.

"Crap!"

"Rotor, wait!" Cobar shouted as his lover ran off.

Rotor rushed as fast as his thick, stubby legs could carry him, carefully side-stepping anyone who got in his way.

"Sorry! Pardon me! Freedom Fighter, coming through!" he called out, the baby getting closer to the edge with each step, the others following after him.

"Hang on, Rote!" Sonic shouted as he prepared to run after him. "I'm–!"

"Scuse me! One side! Comin' through! Move that forklift! Gang way!"

Sonic stopped as he looked to the side and saw a Mobian penguin in a blue tracksuit and red sweatband running like mad as he leapt and parkoured around and over everything and everyone. He leapt onto and began running over a food truck - snagging a freshly made plate of nachos (leaving behind a couple bills as he did) which he scarfed down as he ran along the roof, before vaulting off the front, rolling as he landed on the ground and got up in one, swift motion.

"Whoa," Hope uttered in awe. "That guy is moving."

"Not bad," Julie-Su added.

The penguin bobbed and weaved effortlessly past everyone he came across, only to find himself running toward two guys hauling a large sign.

"Really?" he uttered in mild annoyance, before going into a baseball slide right underneath and seamlessly hopping back on his feet to resume his sprint.

"Haha! Nailed it! Who's the ma–WARWK!"

Only to crash right into Rotor, knocking them both over.

"Ah geez…" the walrus groaned as he rubbed his head.

The penguin let out a squawking groan, doing the same to his beak. "Dude, watch where you're going!" he shouted.

"Sorry about that," Rotor began. "I'm in a huge hur–"

It was then that Rotor and the penguin noticed each other, their eyes widening in recognition.

"Boomer?" the penguin asked.

"Boomer?" Sonic and the others repeated.

"DUUUUUDE!" the tuxedo bird shouted as he tackled Rotor, throwing his arms and legs around the walrus as he laughed with joy; much to his and the others' confusion.

"Holy carp! Boomer, it's really you! I thought you freakin' died, man!"

"I-I'm sorry, have we met?" Rotor asked nervously, not knowing what to make of this.

"What!? What do you mean, 'have we met'!?" the penguin shouted, offended. "It's me, remember?"

Rotor stood there, looking over the penguin carefully. The tuxedo bird had a long, somewhat thin, yellow beak with a prominent hook on the tip and short, black tail feathers sticking out of the back of his tracksuit; which fit fairly loosely around his sleek, yet stocky frame. His sky blue eyes had a playful, yet mischievous twinkle to them; the kind of twinkle that said 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good'. It was also one that caused Rotor's own eyes to twinkle in recognition.

"FLIP!?"

"Ding ding ding ding! We have a winner! Congratulations, Mr. Walrus, you just earned the grand prize! Fifty billion Mobiums, a lifetime supply of Macaroni sardines, and a brand new caaaaar! Also this."

He immediately resumed hugging Rotor, this time even harder.

"I missed you so much," Flip said as he buried his face in Rotor's shoulder, smiling as he did.

Rotor processed this for a moment before smiling and returning the hug himself. "Yeah…me too."

Both of them then perked when a baby shriek drew their gaze upward. The baby walrus they were supposed to be rescuing was about to fall off the platform, which was now on the verge of collapsing.

"FUGG!" Flip shouted. "I completely forgot!" He then turned to Rotor. "Boomer, gimme a boost!"

"Right!" Rotor immediately got up and held out his hands. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Flip leapt onto Rotor's hands, prompting the walrus to catapult him into the air, just in time to grab the infant before he fell.

"Gotcha!" he shouted triumphantly, only for his mood to deflate instantly as his gaze then turned downward and he realized how high up they were. "Uh Oh…Elevator go down de hooooooooooooooooole!"

Flip and the baby began rapidly descending, the former clutching the latter tightly as he did his best to position himself so that he would take the brunt of the impact. Only for Sonic to dash out and start running around in circles, creating a cyclone to slow down their descent, allowing Rotor to catch them.

"There, that oughta do it," the hedgehog said as he dusted his hands off in satisfaction.

Flip opened his eyes, allowing him to see Rotor holding him bridal carry style.

"You're not gonna drop me, are you?" Flip asked jokingly.

"Not while you have a baby on board," Rotor replied.

The baby giggled at that.

"Yeah, yeah, yuck it up, Chumley," Flip said. "You little gremlin."

"CHUMLEY!"

Everyone turned to see another Mobian walrus - this one a tall, portly, female in a fancy blue dress running - frantically toward them.

"Oh goodness, oh gracious, oh mercy!" she shouted. As she drew closer, Rotor's eyes widened in horror.

"Oh no…"

"Hey there, Boss Lady!" Flip said with a wave as he hopped out of Rotor's arms. "Don't you worry, the lil' guy's safe and sound."

"Oh thank you, Flip!" she said as she reached them. "What would I do without–?"

As soon as she got close, her eyes immediately went to Rotor, causing her to freeze.

"Oh my…Rotor?" she breathed in disbelief.

Rotor swallowed nervously, then smiled and waved nervously. "Uhhhh…h-hi Auntie."

"Auntie!?" Sonic and the others shouted.

"Flip," 'Auntie began, her eyes narrowing. "Would you hold Chumley for a moment longer, please?"

"Uhhhh…sure?" The penguin stepped back nervously as his 'Boss Lady' walked toward Rotor, who held his arms up defensively.

"N-Now Auntie, p-please! Let's not do anything raaaAAAAAH!"

"Rotor Sigurd Walrus!" 'Auntie' shouted as she grabbed her nephew by his tusks. "You are in so much trouble!"

Author's Note:

(1): Mobian equivalent of a wiki.

Well, it seems Rotor's past is coming back to haunt him, no?

And yes, that's Lady Walrus and her son Chumley from Sonic Boom. Flip is from Archie.

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Flip - Jeremy Shada (Finn from Adventure Time, Lance from Voltron: Legendary Defender, GingerBrave in Cookie Run: Kingdom, Reggie Peters in Julie and the Phantoms)

Please R&R. Until next time!