Chapter 74; When teams collide
"Step on it already!"
"Admin Ariana I'm already over the speed limit. Any more and we will be pulled over".
"Do you have even the slightest idea what's at stake?!"
"I do but…"
"But nothing! Just shut up and drive! We need to get back to the hideout IMMEDIATELY!"
The grunt didn't object again and sped up.
Ariana went back to tapping her foot on the car floor in anxiety. Things were now critical.
Not only had they lost to team Sonic again, but Petrel was captured. Their enforcer was out of commission.
It was now only a matter of time until team Sonic came for them.
Arriving outside the humble front of their hideout, the grunt parked the van, while Ariana exited frantic and raced inside.
The old man they had hired to pose as the souvenir seller went to speak but her response silenced him.
"GET ARCHER UP HERE! NOW!"
The old man, taken aback, spoke to a small communicator.
A few seconds later, the huge gold cabinet chilling on the side of the room moved aside, revealing a set of stairs. Admin Archer walked up, dressed in a casual outfit.
As the grunts took the stairs down to the hideout, Archer stared at Ariana pissed.
"Tell me what I heard on the news is lies. Tell me you didn't lose to the fox!"
"Is this really what's bothering you now?! Petrel has been arrested!"
"I'm well aware".
"Do you know what this means you dunderhead?! The three menaces could come knocking any second!"
"Petrel might have proven to be just as incompetent as every one of our assets who have lost to team Sonic already, but that's not something to worry about. He wouldn't talk. He is truly loyal to the boss. He won't give us up. In fact, his arrest is a victory for us. Team Sonic can't get any info out of him about us".
Ariana however, hadn't revealed a crucial detail yet.
"They left the scene of Petrel's failure riding on Lugia".
Archer froze.
"Say… what?! Where are they now then?!"
"I don't know! Noone does! Noone saw Lugia head somewhere specifically. For all we know they could be on our doorstep right now. What do we do if…"
The door was suddenly kicked open with such force, it was ripped off one of its hinges.
Archer, Ariana and the old man accomplice all turned their heads towards the entrance.
There stood their nightmare incarnate.
Sonic the hedgehog and his two friends.
Sonic and Archer's eyes crossed.
"You?!" Sonic exclaimed in disbelief mixed with anger "figures".
Archer stood there, the single second turning into an eternity.
Fear, panic, anger, terror, rage and many more emotions swirled inside his entire being for the duration of that eternity.
The hedgehog was right.
Meeting him face to face was something Archer would never be able to prepare for or even comprehend what it would feel like.
Acting fast, Archer grabbed a heavy souvenir from a shelf behind him and threw it towards Sonic.
The three heroes ducked out of the way, giving Archer and Ariana time to walk down the stairs again.
"Sound the alarm!" Ariana screamed as she raced to try and secure the team's plans.
Archer headed for a small panel on the wall. A big red button awaited there, begging to pressed
Archer slammed his fist against it.
Alarms started going off throughout the tunnels. The main force of team rocket, oblivious to the development were taken aback and wondered what was going on.
Archer then reached for a small radio he had had installed near the entrance for this exact reason.
"Attention team rocket! This is code red! Team Sonic has found us! All personnel evacuate the hideout immediately! I repeat this is code red! Team Sonic has found us!"
The effects of his warning were instant.
For a whole ten seconds everyone went into a panic frenzy.
"THEY FOUND US!"
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
"IT'S EVERY ROCKET FOR THEMSELVES!"
Ariana then entered the main room, holding a big rolled-up piece of paper and blew a horn.
"All right you lot! Compose yourselves! Follow the evacuation procedure! Squad A and B, stall the nuisances! Squad C and D, retreat to the safe houses and prepare for arrival! Squad E with me and admin Archer. Go!"
The evacuation procedure. Knowing this day was inevitably coming sooner or later team rocket had prepared. Dozens upon dozens upon dozens of drills to execute it perfectly. And tens upon tens upon tens of reviews of the procedure to cover their flanks.
All in the name of the survival of team rocket.
Of course squads A and B knew they were risking a lot. Facing team Sonic head-on after defeat upon defeat. But it was now or never. Team rocket had to persevere. Just a little longer.
The day of reckoning was nearing.
Team rocket would persevere.
"YES MA'AM!" the grunts all replied, pushing their fear aside, as each grunt headed to their assigned squad.
Archer arrived shortly afterwards.
"How are we doing? I used the switch to pull the cabinet over the stairs but I heard it come off. The echidna must have ripped it off the mechanism. They're coming!"
"We're ok. Got the plans right here… shit!" Ariana screamed when taking a look at the plans.
"Shit what?!"
"I forgot the generator blueprints!"
"WHAT?! You moron! You choose this time to forget the most crucial bit of the master plan?!"
Ariana considered their options.
"It can't be helped. We need those plans. Squad E! We head to the planning room. Cover our flanks".
"Yes ma'am!" the grunts all replied.
Archer followed as he spoke into his communicator.
"Squad A report!"
Sounds of battle came out of the communicator.
"They broke through the entrance! The hedgehog and the echidna are bombarding us with rock slides! No sign of the fox yet!"
"Damnit! Keep tabs on all of them! And for the love of Ho-oh do NOT let them get through!"
The reply he got was static.
Archer got the message and picked up the pace.
Further back, at the entrance of the tunnels, Sonic and Knuckles were slowly but steadily breaking through the squads. Their enemies' pokemon were weak but the narrow corridors made it impossible to give it their all.
"Dammit how do we break through them faster?!" Sonic wondered aloud as he ordered his Pupitar to fire another round of rock slide.
"Getting up close is an idea! But I need an opening! We need something to sweep them away!" Knuckles replied.
Tails then joined them.
"What took you so long?" Sonic asked over his shoulder.
"I was texting Lance. I wrote him party at souvenir shop. EveRyone present. Hurry!"
"Good. But by the time he arrives the admins will escape! Typhlosion flamethrower!"
Typhlosion unleashed a powerful flamethrower, causing the grunts to stumble back and take cover, while some of their pokemon fainted.
"That's it! That's how we break through!" Sonic said in realization "Tails call Lapras out!"
Tails brought out his water and ice type. Sonic followed up with his Quagsire and his still present Blastoise. The scar on its cheek reminded the grunts opposing it of who they were facing.
"On three!" Sonic instructed.
"Alright!"
"One!" both said at once.
"Here it comes!" a grunt screamed "retreat!"
"Three!" the two friends shouted skipping two and firing their move.
"Hydro pump!"
The three water types fired the powerful move, creating a combined version of it that swallowed a lot of the opponent's pokemon as well as some of the grunts, knocking them out with ease.
"Let's go!" Sonic said recalling Blastoise and Quagsire. Raichu tapped its paw on the ground eager.
Tails also recalled Lapras. Espeon was by his side, just as eager as Raichu.
Or not so much. Raichu was very nervous about the whole situation, getting powerful deja vu feelings. Along with silph co flashbacks.
Team Sonic along with their pokemon started racing through the tunnels, Tails airborne.
Another part of Squad B blocked their way.
"STOP IN THE NAME OF THE BOSS!" they all shouted sending out a dozen pokemon.
Amongst the opponents, were koffing, ekans, drowzee, rattata, raricate, arbok and many more.
"Sludge bomb!" many of the grunts said at once.
"Espeon send them back! Psychic!"
Espeon held most of the sludge bombs in place for a second, then fired them back towards the rockets, breaking their formation.
"Get them Knuckles!" Sonic encouraged his friend to attack.
Knuckles and Typhlosion charged into battle, Typhlosion running over the Pokemon with flame wheel and Knuckles taking on the grunts.
Suddenly a rattata jumped him and bit him in the arm.
"OUCH! SON OF A BITCH!" he screamed grabbing the small rat pokemon.
"Typhlosion flamethrower!"
Upon ordering the attack, he threw the rattata in the air. Typhlosion stopped rolling with flame wheel and blasted the rat pokemon with a powerful jet of flames knocking it out.
Tails was kicking ass just like Knuckles, thought unlike Knuckles he was fighting with his brain instead of his fists.
Espeon used psychic strategically to both knockout opponents and redirect attacks. Tails also using his stun gun to get it over with instantly.
"If this was a video game, I'd definitely get an 'untouchable' achievement" he smiled as he dodged an attack while stunning a grunt at point blank range.
Turning his head to his hedgehog friend, he couldn't help but be filled with a mix of awe and nervousness.
Sonic and raichu were an unstoppable force.
Anyone who came their way was knocked out with a single strike. Their power was undeniable and was the source of Tails' awe.
But there was also the nervousness. And it was stemming from the fact that Sonic and raichu didn't seem to care who was on the receiving end of their one-strike-knock-out attacks or more specifically, whether it was a grunt or a pokemon.
In the heat of the battle an Arbok fired a sludge bomb towards the distracted Espeon.
"Rai!" Raichu jumped in front of the sludge bomb.
Ironically, Espeon had foreseen the attack coming and was beginning to redirect it.
Raichu's heroic action had it get blasted in the face by the sludge bomb.
"Gah!" Sonic groaned as he felt the attack, this time the connection, and consequently the damage, intensified.
The grunt fighting Sonic in that very moment managed to get a good punch in, thinking they stood a chance.
He was gravely mistaken.
As Sonic knocked him out with a right hook, Tails noticed bubbles coming out of Raichu's face.
"Knuckles! Raichu has been poisoned! Pecha berry quick, I'll cover you!"
And with that he started firing on any approaching rockets or pokemon, stunning each and every one of them.
As Knuckles fed Raichu the pecha berry to cure it of the poisoning, Espeon knelt next to Raichu.
"Why did you do that? I was going to be fine".
"No you…" Raichu went to say but refrained "just be careful from now on ok? For my own peace of mind. Please".
Espeon didn't expect this response. What did Raichu mean by it?
Just as Raichu was cured, Sonic and Tails simultaneously knocked out the last grunt.
"Clear! Let's move!" Sonic said with determination.
Soon enough however, the path split.
"Where to?" Tails inquired looking both ways.
"We split up. I take the right path, you take the left".
"No way. We're not splitting again" Knuckles objected.
"We don't have time for this. They must have split to make sure the team survives. We need to capture both. Go!" Sonic quickly explained and before his friends could object he darted off to the right path.
"Sonic! Dammit! Knuckles let's go quick!"
Knuckles and Tails then headed for the left path hoping Sonic's assumption that they had split to escape separately was accurate.
Along the way, Tails couldn't help but notice something peculiar about the tunnels.
"That's strange. This feels more like a mine rather than a hideout".
"You're not entirely wrong. These must be the famed Mahogany smuggling tunnels".
"The what?"
"Long story short" Knuckles began explaining as he pushed some crates out of the way "there was once a town on the other side of the lake of rage and as you can imagine the two towns would do trade with each other. But unfortunately… rockets 12 o'clock!" he suddenly shouted as Typhlosion unleashed a flamethrower.
Tails quickly stunned their two human opponents as Typhlosion and Espeon KOed their pokemon.
With their path clear, Knuckles continued.
"As I was saying, unfortunately during the dynasty of a not so benevolent ruler, taxes went into an all-time high for Johtonian history. Therefore to survive financially, the locals as well as their trade partners across the lake, built these tunnels to store goods, they didn't want to be charged by the ruler with taxes for. Rockets must have found the tunnels and set up their hideout here. Truly brilliant in all honesty".
"I see. Wait. You said they are commerce tunnels right? For trades across the lake. That must mean there are hidden entrances and/or exits. Sonic was right. If we don't pick up the pace, Ariana and Archer will escape!"
"Then let's hurry" Knuckles wholeheartedly agreed.
As the two were fast approaching the end of the path, they failed to notice they were being tailed.
"Ma'am they split up just like you predicted. We got eyes on the fox and the echidna. The hedgehog must be coming your way".
"Excellent" Ariana replied with a devious smile "everything is proceeding as I have foreseen. Stall them".
"For the boss" a duo of rockets replied before hanging up.
Ariana and Archer in the meantime, accompanied by squad E, retrieved the blueprints she needed and cautiously started making their way towards the planned exit.
"Everything is going as planned. The three menaces' story ends today" Ariana said still wearing her devious smile.
"Excellent. The boss will be very pleased" Archer smiled as well.
"You three scout out the tunnels. Report how far along the hedgehog is" Ariana randomly sent off three members of their squad.
"YES MA'AM" they swiftly replied before leaving.
Before long they were facing Sonic.
"Stop in the name of the boss!"
"This is getting old" Sonic thought sending out Quagsire "surf!"
On the flip side, reaching the end of their path, Tails and Knuckles found themselves facing a big metal door.
The door of course didn't budge.
"What now?" Tails looked to his friend.
Knuckles donned his gauntlets and turned to Typhlosion.
"Flamethrower on the door!"
Typhlosion unleashed its powerful jet of flames on the door. Soon enough the door began turning into a reddish color.
Letting out a war cry, Knuckles began pounding on the door with his gauntlets repeatedly, slightly terrifying Tails.
After a few punches a big enough hole was formed.
Walking in, they found something both bizzare and heartbreaking; a total of 24 Electrodes, all held in place with a round frame trapping each one individually and holding them in place. Furthermore they Electrodes were forced to provide Electricity from their own bodies to a generator.
Some of the Electrodes noticed the newcomers and looked at then with hope. Others however let out a scared cry and increased their electricity output.
"Dude" Knuckles was dumbfounded. It wasn't his first time seeing abused pokemon but this just twisted his stomach to a vomiting point.
"I can't believe I felt sorry for the rockets. Look at these pokemon" Tails said deeply shaken "they must have been forced to provide electricity non-stop for who knows how long. Sonic was right. They're all just as heartless as Giovanni!"
"I'll set them free. You look around for anything of use" Knuckles headed for the first Electrode.
Tails looked around frantic as Knuckles began ripping the frames trapping the electrodes off of them, setting them free in the process.
His eyes soon fell came across a small table.
On the table was a huge planning sheet.
"Jackpot!" he screamed ecstatic "I got plans! It must be their endgame!"
His happy line of thought was interrupted by an Electrode ramming into the table, flipping it in the process.
Knuckles was done. All 24 of the Electrodes were now free. Some were sticking close to Knuckles, feeling safe by his side, while others were randomly rolling around trying to find a way out.
"We got to get these Electrode out of here then join Sonic!" Knuckles turned to Tails immediately after freeing the last Electrode.
"Don't be so sure heroes!" a familiar voice caught their attention.
The Electrode all immediately rolled to the other end of the room, rubbing against each other in fear.
Blocking their way out were…
"Butch and Cassidy" Knuckles spat while saying their names "why am I not surprised. So you actually survived Raikou's revenge".
"It is time for some payback" Butch said as he coughed. He had still not healed from pneumonia 100%.
Tails wasn't having it. He went to take aim at then with his stun gun before it was blasted out of his hand by a sludge bomb.
The sludge bomb came from Cassidy's Tentacruel.
"We end this tonight heroes. Especially you" she said looking at Tails with burning hatred "I will take pleasure in defeating".
"That was then and this is now!" Tails declared "I will not let you harm these Electrode or any other pokemon ever again!"
"Then let's settle this" Butch egged then on "your hedgehog friend isn't here to save you this time".
"Ampharos!" Knuckles called his latest addition out.
"Espeon come on out! Time to end this!"
"Cloyster!" Butch sent out his water type as well.
Same opponents, same opening from them. Tails smiled.
"You rockets really like to overestimate your abilities don't you? Espeon! Take out that Tentacruel! Psychic!"
"Ampharos thunderbolt!"
The heroes' pokemon moved almost instantaneously. Cassidy's Tentacruel was immobilized in the air, while taking damage from the psychic.
Cloyster however retreated into its shell by using withdraw, its hard shell blocking thunderbolt to some extent.
Tails, thinking quickly, turned to Knuckles.
"On three fire thunderbolt!"
"Ok!"
Espeon read Tails' intentions and threw Tentacruel against Cloyster, causing it to open its shell again.
"Three!"
"Thunderbolt!"
Thunderbolt struck true, and even better, struck both opponents at once as they were touching.
Tentacruel and Cloyster both collapsed.
Butch and Cassidy felt fear crawling down their spines.
Last time they had dominated them, along with the little brat Jessie and James liked to pursue. Now they had taken out two of their strongest pokemon with a single attack.
Archer was right to tell them to only stall them, not to actually try to beat them.
Sticking to the plan despite the frustration, Cassidy sent out her Raticate while Butch went with his hitmontop.
"You want more punishment?" Knuckles taunted them "cause if you surrender now we could accept it".
"Surrender? To you?! Never! Not after everything we went through after our last encounter!" Cassidy screamed in fury.
Tails looked at her in question.
"And what is it you two went through?"
Cassidy pretended to be upset, unwilling to talk. But on the inside she was ecstatic.
Ariana truly was a master strategist.
She was sure the heroes' compassion would get the better of them. Especially the fox's. After all that was his strong point.
Archer and Ariana could hear this whole conversation happening in real time as the room was wired.
"Perfect. They're too occupied" she smiled as they were nearing the exit "Squad E report on the hedgehog's position".
"You can ask me that yourself!" an angry voice answered from behind.
Ariana was taken aback and Archer flinched.
Slowly turning they came face to face with their enemy.
"Heh. Long time no see, Sonic the hedgehog" Ariana greeted her enemy.
Sonic narrowed his eyes, having no desire for pleasantries.
"It's over. Your base has been compromised. There's nowhere to go. Surrender now, I don't want to hurt you".
To his surprise and Raichu's both admin's burst out laughing.
"Oh you have no idea what hurt really means" she remarked confidently.
Sonic smirked.
"Is she wearing the pants in your version of the organization Archer?"
Archer took offense to this but refrained from showing it, smiling instead.
"My only regrets from this meeting, Sonic the hedgehog, is that I will not be the one to end you. Pity indeed. Destroy him" he spoke the final words to someone else.
"Wha…" Sonic went to say before being tackled to the ground.
Both the hero and his attacker rolled on the ground for a few seconds before Sonic kicked him off and managed to get a good look at his psychotic, deranged, bloodthirsty face.
"Proton" he scowled.
"Payback time hedgehog!"
As this confrontation was beginning, Tails tried to get Cassidy to answer.
"Tell me. What did you two go through?"
"I almost died" Butch answered for Cassidy "I got pneumonia because my partner couldn't get me back to the hideout due to my injuries. Injuries I got because of Raikou's attack! The Raikou you freed!"
Tails' expression didn't change.
"You really expect me to feel sorry for you? You captured Raikou! Those were your choices! And you reaped the rewards that day!"
"Enough! Raticate super fang!"
Raticate went to slash at Espeon. Ampharos blocked the attack, taking the damage and allowing Espeon to fire another psychic, damaging hitmontop to near fainting.
"You won't win this time. So please get out of our way. Stop making the wrong choice. There is no point in continuing" Tails pleaded trying to reason with them.
"The wrong choice? What makes you think we have another choice?!" Butch screamed in anger.
"There's always a choice!" Knuckles yelled in response, startling everyone including Tails.
"How do you know that exactly, knucklebrain?"
Knuckles went silent. Tails knew what he was referring to.
His choice to almost pass on.
"I can't explain how I know but I know. You don't have to be with team rocket anymore. There's more to life than them. You can choose to be better than this".
Butch's expression slowly turned calmer as if he was actually considering it.
"Enough talking!" Cassidy screamed again bringing Butch back to reality.
Tails was struck by a powerful feeling of deja vu.
This exact scenario played merely seconds ago. Butch tried to get them to talk and Cassidy tried to get the fight going again.
But every time Butch talked she didn't try to get a dirty attack in.
"You're stalling" Tails realized.
Everyone in the room looked at him.
"You know you can't beat us… yet you act like you want to continue the fight but you don't fight and talk instead… oh no! Sonic!"
Ariana heard the conversation.
"Damn. The fox is too smart. He figured it out".
Archer bit his lip. He wanted nothing more than to stay and watch the hedgehog meet his doom. But survival was the top priority.
"Proton! To the death you hear me?!" he ordered the executive before he and Ariana booked it through the exit tunnel.
"No!" Sonic tried to pursue them only to be forced to stop Proton's assault again.
"I've been waiting for this! Because of you and your team I spent weeks here healing! Weeks that could have been used to restore the glory of team rocket! Now I am going to pay you back the pain a thousand times!"
"Get out of my way! I didn't hesitate the first time! No way I'm hesitating now, especially not for a psycho!"
Proton responded by taking out a singular pokeball.
"Prepare for the second coming hedgehog!"
And with those words he sent out the pokemon inside.
A rhydon.
A rhydon that Sonic's Raichu found all too familiar.
"Rai!" it backstepped in shock.
Once again Sonic somehow heard Raichu's thoughts.
"This is… Giovanni's Rhydon!" he muttered in disbelief and with a hint of fear in his voice.
Rhydon seemed definitely recognized Sonic and Raichu as the moment it laid eyes on them it roared loudly, eager for a rematch.
The roar was so loud it travelled through the tunnels to Knuckles and Tails.
"What was that?" Knuckles inquired.
Cassidy laughed in response.
"The end of Sonic the hedgehog" she declared.
Tails gasped realizing he was spot on.
Before Butch or Cassidy could react, Tails jumped for his stun gun.
"No! Raticate slash!"
"Hitmontop fake out!"
Hitmontop caused Espeon to flinch, rendering it unable to protect Tails.
As the fox reached for his stun gun, the slash connected, opening a huge wound across his arm.
"Aaah!" Tails screamed grabbing his wound with his other arm while holding the stun gun.
"Tails!" Knuckles dived towards Raticate.
Grabbing the mouse pokemon, he prepared to throw it in the air.
"Ampharos thunderbolt!"
While throwing Raticate in the air however, the latter slashed once more, creating another huge wound, this time on Knuckles' elbow.
"Gaaaah!"
"No!" Tails screamed, taking aim and firing despite the pain, stunning Raticate, hitmontop and the two agents in quick succession.
All four shots found their mark, causing their enemies to collapse.
"Knuckles you ok?!"
"Don't worry about me I'm fine! We got to get to Sonic NOW!"
Tails nodded.
Calling out to the Electrode, they helped them as quickly as they could through the opening in the door and then started racing the clock.
"So you somehow got your old boss' rhydon. You think this fourth rate mind game will get to us?" Sonic challenged Proton.
"Rai!"
With a psychotic smile Proton took out a small canister and threw it to the ground next to Rhydon.
The canister cracked upon impact. Sonic could read a phrase on the side of it.
"Shadow gas?" he thought confused.
The moment Rhydon inhaled the gas, it roared so loud Sonic felt his eardrums would burst.
Rhydon then started slamming its foot on the ground causing tremors and even accidentally unleashed a rock slide.
"What the hell is this gas?" Sonic thought in shock "this thing is turning rabid!"
Proton took great pleasure in seeing his enemy getting unnerved.
"Rhydon! Destroy them!"
Rhydon started unleashing a barrage of rock slides back to back. Sonic and Raichu were forced to duck and dive to avoid them. Raichu got hit by one of two, with Sonic sharing the pain.
"Damnit! Meganium! Protect!"
Meganium came out and with Sonic and Raichu standing behind it, created a powerful shield to protect against the rock slides.
"Pathetic! Rhydon! Horn drill!"
"Shit I forgot! Dodge!"
Rhydon launched itself with its horn rotating like a drill aiming for Meganium.
The shield smashed into a thousand tiny bits and Meganium was struck by the horn drill. However thanks to its heavy defenses and the loss of momentum from rhydon due to the shield, the move merely KOed it.
Quickly recalling it, Sonic tried to think but rhydon roared and started coming after them again this time with horn drill.
"Raichu dodge and strike back with iron tail!"
Raichu dodged the horn drill and after a mid-air flip, landed a heavy blow on rhydon.
Unfortunately for them the only effect the move had was agitating Rhydon further!
"Forget the rodent! Kill the hedgehog!"
Rhydon turned its attention to Sonic who barely jumped out of the way. Raichu managed to land another blow with a combination of quick attack and brick break but it was no use. The more it struck rhydon the angrier and stronger it got.
"What the hell was in that gas?!" Sonic thought in panic trying to find a way out "what even was it?! Hulk gas?!"
After another dodge from Sonic, raichu prepared another iron tail.
"Mega punch!" Proton saw the move coming and ordered the counter.
Rhydon, its eyes overcome with uncontrollable rage, its entire being submerged into rabies, grabbed Raichu's iron tail, immobilizing the electric type for just a moment.
The next moment the mega punch sent Raichu flying and crashing into a wall, sending shockwaves of pain through Sonic's body.
"Gah!" Sonic knelt, his mind almost flatlining. It was too much.
Tails and Knuckles arrived that same moment.
"Sonic!" they both called out to their friend at once.
Proton took notice of them. And then he took notice of Espeon.
His eyes gleamed with a psychotic evil glow.
Archer's words came to his mind as he was informing him of his role if the three heroes came knocking.
"Cripple them. I don't care how or in what way. Make sure they're out of our way"
"Yes… that's the best way to cripple them!" Proton thought.
"RHYDON!"
Rhydon momentarily stopped.
"KILL THAT PUNY PSYCHIC TYPE! HORN DRILL!"
Both Sonic and raichu's widened as PTSD kicked in.
"No not again!" Sonic thought "Tails! Take cover!"
But it was too late.
By the time the warning left Sonic's lips Rhydon was launching towards Espeon.
Sonic closed his eyes, wishing this was all just a bad dream and they were still asleep by that lake near Ecutreak.
The next moment he felt a searing pain in his stomach explode throughout his body.
He felt like he had been stabbed.
And yet he was only lying on the ground.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Tails screamed in absolute terror.
That scream triggered another painful memory for Sonic. Mike's scream of denial.
Sonic put two and two together and gasped.
"R..rai"
Slowly and with a trembling head Sonic turned his head to the side.
Raichu and Rhydon were standing still as Rhydon had stopped its charge.
Raichu and Sonic both looked down to see Rhydon's horn stabbing deep into Raichu's stomach!
"No… no… no no no no no no no!" Sonic pleaded over and over and pinching himself, begging to wake up.
Rhydon growled and stood on its two feet lifting Raichu off the ground as the electiric type cried out in pain.
"Nooo!" Espeon cried out sounding like a normal cry to everyone else.
With a sudden move, rhydon sent Raichu flying into the wall again. Raichu crashed into the ground not moving and seconds later a pool of blood started forming around it.
Darkness engulfed Sonic's mind. Silph co all over again. Jolty's death. His battles with Giovanni.
"Aaahahahahahaha!" Proton laughed maniacally "finally the hero falls! Team rocket wins! Team rocket will always…!"
Bone breaking sound filled the room as Sonic's fist met Proton's jaw.
"YOU MONSTER!" Sonic screamed shoving Proton against the hard rock wall, then slamming his fist into him.
"Hit me more! What do I care?! Your puny raichu is doomed!"
"SHUT UP!" Sonic elbowed him in the face, causing the back of his head to bleed.
Despite those brutal injuries, Proton merely kept laughing.
"Is the cost of playing hero worth it?"
"RAAAAAAAAAAHHHH" Sonic screamed as he relentlessly and mercilessly began pummeling Proton's face as punch after punch, uppercut after uppercut, started chipping away at the executive's face. Teeth came out, one eye was gouged out.
Tails and Knuckles couldn't believe what they were witnessing. The shock had rendered them apathetic.
"SONIC STOP! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HIM!"
But Sonic wasn't listening. He had lost himself to rage entirely. The grief, the pain, not only the shared one with Raichu but the mental pain of what had transpired moments ago fueling his assault further.
Near death, Proton soon realized if this rage was allowed to continue existing, team rocket could still fall.
With one last surge of strength he kicked Sonic back.
"Rhydon! Horn drill!"
Sonic looked back and saw rhydon coming for him the drill screaming doom.
He ducked out of the way.
For a moment he thought he had made it.
Until his right side was slashed open by the horn drill, before the rest of him was thrown aside by the sheer momentum of rhydon.
The same sheer momentum kept rhydon going.
Straight for Proton.
"Oh" was all the executive managed to say before not only Rhydon's horn but its entire face went straight through him, the drill managing to dig into the wall. Rhydon fainted upon impact as Proton spat out blood and his upper half slumped on rhydon's back, barely clinging to life.
"Sonic!" Tails rushed to his friend's side, as the hedgehog too was unconscious.
"He's not responding!" he told Knuckles.
Knuckles immediately rummaged through his supplies, taking out two big rolls of bandages.
"We got to bandage them and then get the hell out of here!"
Footsteps were heard in the distance coming from the tunnel leading back to the hideout's entrance.
"Now!"
Tails nodded and quickly bandaged the unconscious Sonic's wound.
"Come on Sonic! Stay with me!"
Knuckles did the same with Raichu but tears left his eyes as he did this.
Its wound was too severe.
The footsteps became louder. Furthermore a small roar was heard.
"Go!" Knuckles said urgently as he picked up Raichu and rushed to the exit tunnel.
Tails followed, carrying Sonic while airborne.
Proton witnessed them leave as he laid dying, nailed to the wall because of Rhydon.
His slowly dying brain was filled with only one thought.
"Have I done enough? Have I… have I saved team rocket?"
Suddenly images started playing in front of his eyes. At first he thought it was the cliche of life flashing before his eyes. But it wasn't that.
It was a vision.
A city burning.
People running away in fear.
Sonic's two friends as well as several others he didn't recognize cowering before something.
And in the center of it all…
"Project two" Proton whispered.
But this wasn't purely Mewtwo. He could feel Giovanni's essence coming from it. As if he and Mewtwo were one and the same.
He couldn't explain what he was seeing. But it felt real.
Proton smiled. That was more than enough of an assurance.
The footsteps finally reached the room.
They belonged to champion Lance and his Dragonite.
Looking around he witnessed his fears come true. He was too late.
"So much blood" he whispered. No way whoever this blood belonged to had made it out alive.
His eyes then fell on the dying Proton.
Rushing to his side, Lance tried to shake him back into consciousness.
"Where is team Sonic?!"
Proton whizzed as he tried to get words out.
"Answer me! Where is team Sonic?!"
Proton grabbed Lance's shirt collar to bring him closer.
With one final psychotic smile he got the words out.
"Long live the boss".
And then he slumped back on Rhydon, taking his last breath, the psychotic smile, now a grin, still etched upon his face.
And Lance was left all alone, in the scene of the carnage, Dragonite by his side, trying to make sense of everything.
But he could only really think of one thing.
Where is team Sonic?