[EMERALD HIGH SOCCER COURT:]
Sonic sat on a table at the edge of the field, using a toothbrush to scrape out wedges of turf that had gotten lodged in a pair of soccer cleats. He looked miserable, staring soullessly in front of him while Metal leaned against the end of the table beside him, drawing on a soccer ball with a sharpie. One of the team members blew the whistle a few yards ahead, addressing another person in the squad. "Run it back." Sonic looked over at them. They were scattered around the court, small goals and cons set up between them. "Nice one, Amy." One of the players cheered.
Metal followed Sonic's line of sight to the players. "Hey, you wanna kick this bad boy around a little?" They asked, holding the ball up. Sonic suddenly beamed, quickly setting down the shoe and toothbrush. "After all, we gotta get ready to make the team next year." They added, tossing it to Sonic the moment he stood.
"Can I pretend it's Amy?" The blue hero sarcastically asked, gesturing to the ball.
Metal grinned, pointing to it. "Way ahead of you."
Sonic flipped the ball around, the top having a slightly crude yet hyperrealistic drawing of Amy's face with her name underneath. Sonic's mouth dropped open in shock and he cackled. "It's like you were born to be my BFF!"
Metal tilted their head, smiling. "I've felt the same thing myself." They jumped backwards, blocking one one the small goals behind them. "Let's play!" Sonic nodded and kicked the ball up into the air, once, twice, and then three times, never once letting it touch the ground. "Sonic, you're so good!" Metal gasped, watching as the blue hero continued to bounce the ball on his feet, before kicking it over to them.
"You try." Metal hooked their foot under the ball, kicking it up just as Sonic had moments prior. The blue hero was stunned, watching as they replicated the exact thing that he'd just done. Metal kicked the ball back to him, and Sonic cartwealed backwards, planting a foot on the ball when he landed. He wanted to see if the turquoise hedgehog could replicate his move once more. The ball rolled to Metal again and they cartwheeled backwards like Sonic, putting a foot down on the ball to stop it from rolling any farther. Then they kicked it into the air towards Sonic, who backflipped and sent the ball flying into the goal behind Metal. "Here it comes!" Sonic called, kicking over a second ball at Metal. They flipped backwards, even higher in the air than Sonic had, and kicked the ball into the goal behind him. "Whoa! You're a fast learner!" Sonic said in shock, Metal turning around to confirm they'd scored.
"And you're a great teacher!" The turquoise hedgehog added, the two walking forwards and high-fiveing.
Knuckles ran onto the field behind them, sprinting over. "Metal! Dude, you have skills!" He gasped.
"Aw. Thanks, Knuckles!" Metal bashfully smiled, shrugging.
Sonic grinned from behind them. "You know what? How about the next mission Knuckles and I go on, you tag along?"
Knuckles nodded and pointed to Metal encouragingly. Metal looked back and forth between them for a moment, before beaming and squealing. Sonic giggled, watching as they bounced up and down in joy. As they did, one of their knotted quills fell into their face, a random hair clip falling onto the ground. They paused their celebration, scrunching their face. "Okay. I'm gonna freak out about this eventually, but first I'm gonna go home and shave my head."
Sonic stifled a laugh, watching Metal trying to blow the loose quills out of their line of sight. "I think I have a better idea."
***
[SALON DE S'LAURON (HAIR SALON):]
Sonic held onto Metal's hand, dragging him into a large white building surrounded by plants in garden boxes, Knuckles tailing behind them. "What? Sonic, no. This place is way too nice." Metal argued, the blue hero pushing them through the big glass doors. "Can't we just go to Megacuts? They give you a lollipop."
Knuckles grinned, adding to their statement. "And if you're good, they let you sit in a chair that looks like a race car."
Sonic rolled his eyes. "Okay. Fam, settle down." He stated, pulling Metal over to one of the salon chairs. He gently tugged on their arm, making them sit down in the chairs.
"But what do I even tell them to do?" They panicked, looking around before their nervous gaze landed on Sonic.
"Okay, okay. First, breathe." He instructed calmly. Metal gave in and exhaled slowly. "Second, close your eyes." They complied, squeezing their eyes shut. "Picture the best version of yourself. You see them?"
They took another breath and smiled, nodding. Metal opened their eyes, staring at Sonic for a moment before answering. "I do."
"Boom." Sonic grinned, shrugging. "That's the person I want you to be. And I can't wait to meet them."
Sonic pulled Metal into a hug and the turquoise hedgehog beamed. "Me too."
Sonic let go of his grip and stepped back, a hair dresser approaching. Metal lifted their chin as Sonic walked away, a little bit more confidence in their posture.
Closer to the door, Knuckles spritzed a bit of hair spray into the air and sniffed it. Sonic walked by, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him back outside.
***
[BUENO NACHO (RESTAURANT):]
"I know, right?" Sonic said, sipping on his soda. Knuckles was shoveling in a mouthful of burrito, half of its fillings spilling out onto the tray and napkin below when Sonic's medallion chimed. He set down his cup immediately, tapping the medallion to project the hologram. "What's the sitch?"
"Shadow just busted into a top secret G.U.N. lab." Tails replied, Knuckles slowing his chewing to listen. He looked at Sonic with concern. "I'm sending someone to pick you guys up now."
Sonic nodded, standing up. "Tell our new recruit it's mission time." Then he turned to the echidna. "Knuckles, suit up." He closed the hologram, grabbing his backpack and walking outside briefly.
"Just one more bite!" Knuckles pleaded, panicking to stuff his mouth with several more fistfuls of everything on his tray. By the time he had collected another bite, Sonic had already walked back to the table, now wearing knee and elbow pads, along with a different pair of fastened down gloves. He watched his friend double fist another mound of food, before looking up at Sonic in desperation, both from his meal, and Sonic's quick outfit change. "Are you ever going to tell me how you do that?" He asked.
Sonic innocently looked around, holding one of his grappling guns. "Do what?" He giggled, waving Knuckles to follow him. "Come on. Let's go."
The echidna sadly set down what was left of his burrito, trying to grab his backpack without getting food on it from his hands. "Aw, my Naco juice." He mourned, not wanting to give up his meal. He tried to swing his bag around his shoulders, but gave up, standing up and stumbling after Sonic.
***
[SALON DE S'LAURON (HAIR SALON):]
Sonic and Knuckles ran through the Salons parking lot, coming to a stop when a silhouette approached the other side of the main doors. They pushed open, and Sonic froze, staring at the person. They had three spiked turquoise quills, wore red shoes and white gloves that resemble Sonic's, had knee and elbow pads, and topped it all off with a choker around their neck that just so happened to have a medallion attached to it. They strode toward the two with a confident smirk, the wind blowing in their quills, and put their hands on their hips. Sonic blinked, smiling after a moment, though it seemed a bit forced. "W-Whoa. Metal, you look amazing."
Knuckles nodded, genuinely beaming. "You've out-Soniced Sonic!"
Sonic's smile briefly faltered from Knuckles' remark before returning. "Where'd you get those?" He asked, pointing to Metal's shoes.
"Okay. Well, don't laugh but… Remember when I said I was working on a better Sonic cosplay? I actually decided to make myself a mission suit in case the time came that I had to battle evil." Metal replied, their confident smirk reverting back to their more typical nervous half smile. Sonic's own smile became more legitimate at that, and he chuckled as the turquoise hedgehog continued. "And today is that day."
Knuckles grinned, pointing to Metal in astonishment, but Sonic beat him to his remark. "It's… perfect." He said, stepping forward.
"Oh, my gosh. Thank you. And with the blue quills, sure they're not the same shade as yours, but still…" Metal trailed off, trying to find the right words.
Knuckles pointed to Sonic. "It's the extra you."
Metal beamed once again, but the honk of a horn caught their attention. A bright pink limousine pulled up behind Sonic, the faint tune of music playing from inside. "That's our ride." Sonic stated, turning to face the vehicle.
"♪♫ 'Cause I came here to party all night…♩♬" The door opened, a golden colored cat with black bangs and pigtails stepping out. She wore a red dress with black accents and white ribbon, adorned by a red headband and matching high rise, red boots. "♪♫ From the East to the West Coast. That's right. We gon' raise the roof up- ♩♬" She grinned, striding up to Sonic, leaving the limo's door open. "What's the sitch?"
The blue hero smiled, meeting her half way. "Honey." He greeted, the two exchanging a secret handshake.
"Whoo!" The golden cat exclaimed when they finished. Metal and Knuckles watched them for a moment, both equally shocked. "Good to see you, dude." Honey said, pulling Sonic into a brief hug.
"You too. Thanks for the lift." The blue hedgehog pulled away, brushing himself off from her tight grip.
"Honey Cat!" Metal ran up to her, wide eyed. "Oh, my gosh! I have been a fan of your music forever!" They squealed. Sonic tilted his head and squinted at them, a bit taken back.
Honey gasped. "Oh my gosh. Your outfit is so on point." She said, looking over their few clothing items. She crossed her arms, giving the turquoise hedgehog a playfully suspicious look. "Who are you?"
"I'm Metal. The newest member of Team Hero!" They bubbly answered, gesturing back towards Sonic, who once again curled his lips into a not quite real smile.
"Sonic…" Honey stated, pointing at Metal. "You're gonna have to watch out for this one. Because Metal's fierce!" Metal gave her a flabbergasted grin, taking the compliment to heart. "And I should know because, you know, I invented…" The cat paused again, drawing in a breath before singing out the final word. "FieeEEEEEeeeerce!!!" She raised her hand at the start of the word, bringing it down as she went down the octaves.
"That was amazing!" Metal gushed.
"Yeah." Honey nodded to the praise.
The turquoise hedgehog pointed back to the blue hero. "Okay, so how do you know Sonic? Did he save you from someone? Like zombies? Ninjas?" Honey slightly shrugged at that one, Metal gasping. "Zombie ninjas?"
The golden cat chuckled, quickly shaking her head. "Worse. The IRS. Turns out Big Blue here is a wiz at evading international tax law." She stated, putting an arm over Metal's shoulders as she turned around, the two walking towards the limousine. Sonic's smile dropped again once they weren't facing him, but flew back up the instant Honey turned around to see him. "Anyway, this train is leaving the station." She pointed to Metal, cueing them in to vocalize the next phrase from a song.
"All abooaaaaaaaarrrd!~"
"All abooaaaaaaaarrrd!~"
They sang together, Knuckles sprinting into the limo. Sonic followed his red friend in, the other two standing outside for an extra moment while they giggled and Honey gestured to Metal, wordlessly complimenting their voice until she spoke up. "You're so awesome! I like you. You wanna come on tour with me?" She asked, climbing into the limo behind Metal.
The turquoise hedgehog gasped. "Yeah!!!"
***
[???:]
Sonic, Knuckles, and Metal walked around a small, clover-shaped island in the center of a pond, surrounded by grasslands and patches of trees. The location was significantly more rural than where Honey had dropped them.
The island wasn't covered by forests though, mainly just tall grasses and saplings. Knuckles looked around. "A secret island. Classic." He stated, pushing aside a small, baby pine tree's branch.
Sonic nodded, tapping his medallion. "Tails? Any intel on the secret entrance?" He asked, glancing around his peripheral.
"I…I'm working on it, Sonic. This one's more secret than usual." The fox reported, scanning through a digital map of the island.
Metal frowned, ditching the sandy outskirts of the little island in favor of the grassy middle. Knuckled followed Sonic, who walked more towards where the grass met the sand. The turquoise hedgehog trekked through the uneven grass, approaching one of the tallest trees on the island. They paused though, when something red caught their eyes. Metal looked up at one of the branches and squinted. It was… an apple. They slowly reached up, holding it in their palm for a second before gently pulling it down. It gave much too easily, a small string stretching down from where it had been attached.
Suddenly, a chunk of grass covered sandy ground lifted up into two trap doors in front of Sonic, revealing a mechanical slab despite the deceptively natural outside. Sonic took a few steps back and looked over at Metal. They glanced over at him, smirking, and let go of the apple, watching the string reel it back up. Knuckles pointed over to the open trap doors. "Metal, how'd you figure that out?" He asked, squinting against the bright sky.
Sonic took a few steps closer to the slab in the ground, staring at it. Metal chuckled nervously and shrugged. "I don't know. Um…" They replied, hopping down a few lumps in the slight hillside to meet Knuckles, looking back up at the tree with him. "This is not an apple tree." They stated, shaking their head. Metal redirected their attention to Sonic who'd been glaring at the secret entrance and walked over to him. "Uh, Sonic?"
The blue hedgehog looked up, forcing a smile. "Solid sleuthing there, buddy." Knuckles jogged over to Sonic and the three stood before the entrance, staring down at the platform covering their way in. Metal was the first person brave enough to step onto the slab. The other two followed momentarily, and the moment they did so, it began lowering them. They froze at the sudden jolt of movement, the trap doors closing behind them once they sunk beneath ground level.
***
[???:]
The three heroes descend down into the lab, looking around. A large holographic brain floated in the middle of the lab with words circling around it, and behind them were a set of massive windows, letting in wavy blue light through the water. The place was expansive, with several rooms off of the main one they were in, and even a few balconies. "What is this place?" Knuckles asked as the platform stopped.
The three stepped off onto the floor below. "The Institute for Advanced Neurodynamic Studies." Sonic replied, pulling out a flashlight and shining it around the darker corners of the lab.
He walked next to Metal, who Knuckles stood on the other side of. "I've heard of this place. They're making amazing breakthroughs with uploading exabytes of data directly into the mobian brain." Metal stated, all of them looking up at the large brain hologram.
"Wow. I had no idea brains were that big." The red echidna wondered aloud, stopping to look at it from over the edge of a balcony. "How do they fit in our heads?" Sonic and Metal rolled their eyes and walked down a set of slightly curved stairs next to them.
"Focuse, Knuckles."
"Focuse, Knuckles."
They both replied, stepping down another bend of steps. The two hedgehogs looked at each other, Metal glancing over at Sonic and chuckling, though the blue hedgehog let out a sort of rough chuckle, looking away and cringing. Knuckles ran down the stairs behind them, and the three continued on together. The blue hero shone his light at a wall of jellyfish behind glass, walking around rows of tanks and computer screens. He tapped on his medallion. "Hey, Tails? Spooky quiet in here. Did we miss him?"
The twin tailed fox shook his head. "Shadow might be using a cloaking device. He's in there." Sonic continued to look around, the other two trailing behind him, while Tails continued to talk. "I can't pick up heat signatures."
Metal's ears perked up and they ran over to Sonic, pushing up against his side to get in frame of the hologram. "Did you try running a 60/80 thermal security override?" They asked, Sonic blinking at them for a brief second with a light frown.
Tails raised his eyebrows, name sakes flicking behind him in interest. "I didn't. Good call. I'll give it a try."
Sonic pushed away from Metal. "Never mind. We got it." He grumbled, curtly shutting off the hologram before stalking away.
The turquoise hedgehog followed him, Knuckles about to do the same when a small coo caught his attention. He looked around in the direction the noise came from, squinting as he weaved between desks crammed with sciency tech. He began to hear little wing flutters as he got closer, eyes widening when he paused in front of a large cylinder terrarium. It had a bit of grass and plant life in it, as well as a tiny pond, with a square panel on the side of the glass facing Knuckles. He walked up to the terrarium, reading a small plaque on the top. "Neutral type baby Chao." He said aloud, stepping a bit closer. Then, one of the bushes in the terrarium shook. The red echidna noticed immediately, tilting his head to try and make out the creature. He knocked on the glass, his face inches away from it. "Hello? Anyone home?" He asked, squinting at the bush. "You decent?" He stepped back. There was a quiet coo in response, before a small blue and yellow chao with pink wings cautiously crawled out from the bush. "Oh, wow. Coolest little guy ever!" He gasped, leaning in again. The chao shrunk backwards into the shrub for cover, having Knuckles jerk back, not wanting to startle the creature. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you, buddy." He apologised, reaching for the glass panel into the terrarium. He unlocked it and gently pulled it open. "You can come out now. You're safe with me." The chao crept forward again, and Knuckles held out his hand to the opening. "Aw. You're shy. And weird." He smiled, the chao hesitantly looking him over. "And I like weird. Never be normal. That's what I always say." He held out his other hand, cupping them together. The small creature fluttered forward, landing in his hands. "Oh!" Knuckles held them, and they babbled at him, making him laugh.
He suddenly gasped, remembering he needed to go catch up with Sonic and looked over to see if they were still in view. He turned back to the chao in his hands, opting to keep them and instead just close their terrarium door to make it seem like nothing ever happened. Sonic and Metal walked around another set of tables, squinting to double check their surroundings. "No sign of him anywhere." Sonic frowned, flipping his flashlight around.
"Hey, Sonic?" Knuckles called, running over to them.
"Knuckles, did you find anything?" The blue hedgehog asked, not bothering to turn to face him.
Knuckles grinned, dashing over to the two with his hands cupped together. "Sure did. Sonicredible, meet Milkcceptable." He replied, lifting the hand on top to reveal the small chao.
"Oh, hey little guy." Sonic smiled, crouching down to see them at eye level before glancing up at his red friend. "What are they?"
"A chao!"
Sonic rolled his eyes. "Yeah, figured that much. What type? Are they a neutral, or do they have some type of 'special power'?
"Dunno, all the sign said was 'neutral type baby chao'." Knuckles shrugged, making Sonic frown, looking back down.
"I wonder what they were gonna do with you…"
Metal pushed themself between Sonic and the chao, wide eyed. "Hey. I bet they were testing the brain data transfer process on these little guys before trying it on mobians." They crouched down to look at Milk. "Hey, buddy. Am I right? Did they make you super smart?" The chao cooed, reaching out to touch the tip of Metal's glove.
Knuckles gasped. "Oh, man. Eggman is going to unleash an army of super smart chaos." He lifted Milk up, placing them on his shoulder. "Better hide under my dreads, buddy." The chao complied, ducking under the red spines.
Metal raised an eyebrow, turning to look at Sonic. "Or maybe Eggman wants to be able to download vast amounts of information into his own brain. But to do that he would need some sort of modulator that translates machine learning into brainwaves." They rambled, looking between the other two. "Uh, Sonic, can I talk to Tails again?"
Sonic gritted his teeth. "I mean…"
Metal quickly tapped Sonic's medallion before he had time to respond, the hologram projecting. "Tails, can you run a check on the lab for any sort of Zakadium-based brain modulators?"
Sonic scowled at them but Tails lit up, getting to work. "Uh, M-21, T-43?... Q-46!"
"Bingo! Where is it?" Metal replied, Sonic glaring back and forth between them and the hologram.
"Sector 12, to your left." The fox answered, nodding.
Metal grinned and spun around. "And that's where we'll find Shadow. Come on!" They added, Knuckles laughing in surprise as they both ran off.
Sonic stayed where he was, slowly turning to face the hologram, a weird momentary and forced half smile fading. "I was just about to say, we need to find the brain modulator para-cube thing." He mumbled, scowling.
Tails raised both his eyebrows at Sonic. "Really?"
The blue hedgehog glanced away, tapping his medallion to dismiss the hologram before running after the other two.
***
[???:]
Shadow stepped forward on a glass platform several feet in the air, reaching out to grab a brightly glowing crystal that floated on a stand in the center. It landed in his grip, and he tilted it around to confirm it was his target. His ears flicked and any semblance of a smile formed from his victory vanished when he looked down. Sonic, Metal, and Knuckles ran down a set of stairs into the room, with Metal in the lead, though they waited at the bottom for Sonic to step forward. "Shadow." Sonic exclaimed, meeting eyes with his faker.
"Sonic." Shadow replied, putting a hand on his hip. "It's been too long."
The blue hedgehog shrugged. "Can't say I was feeling particularly nostalgic."
"Hey. Step away from the cube and put your hands where I can see them." Metal called up to Shadow, taking several steps forward and interrupting the two rivals' banter.
The black hedgehog pulled his mouth into a confused and disgusted frown, squinting his eyebrows. "Who's this?" He gestured to Metal.
Sonic grimaced, walking up next to the turquoise hedgehog and putting a hand on their shoulder, slightly shoving them to the side. "They're with me."
Metal looked at Sonic, briefly glancing him up and down with an unreadable expression before returning his focus on Shadow. The black hedgehog rolled his eyes. "Yeah but why are they the one giving me orders, though?" Shadow suddenly smiled pointing at Sonic. "Oh. Are they in charge now?" Sonic glared up at him, but he still continued. "Did you get demoted?" He laughed.
"Enough talk, Shadow!" Sonic spat, ears flat.
Shadow pouted and raised a hand, sending a chaos spark flying at the three. Knuckles yelped and tumbled out of the way, Sonic dashing toward his faker while Metal dodged a second spear, the attack instead burning a hole through a screen behind them. The black hedgehog jumped down, meeting Sonic at the bottom. He bent away from a kick to his stomach and ducked under a homing attack, grunting as he kept the gem just out of Sonic's reach. Shadow growled, swinging at Sonic who ducked and failed to kick out his faker's leg. Metal hid behind one of the many aquatic tanks around the room while Knuckles crept back up the stairs they came from, trying to both get to an elevated ground, and an escape route. Sonic barely dodged another chaos spear from shadow, spinning around him and avoiding a round house kick to the face, jumping backwards. Shadow threw another punch and missed, giving Sonic the perfect opportunity to whip around and spin dash the gem from his hands. "Metal! The cube!" Sonic called, unable to run and grab it as Shadow grabbed him by the arm. The black hedgehog yanked him back and yelled in effort as he threw him across the ground. Sonic hit the floor and skidded a few feet, needing a moment to recover. Metal darted forward and snatched up the cube, holding it to their chest. Shadow spun around, lighting a chaos spear in his hand.
"Metal!"
"Metal!"
Both Sonic and Knuckles cried, the blue hedgehog bolting up off the floor. Metal twisted to the side just as the black hedgehog shot the spear at them, the blast instead shattering two aquatic tanks behind them. Metal tumbled to the ground, the crystal flying up into the air. All four of them looked up and watched it land on the platform that held the pedestal Shadow had originally taken it from. Said hedgehog groaning. "I just got that thing down." He growled.
"Hey Sonic!" Knuckles shouted, throwing one of Sonic's grappling guns at him from his perch next to the stairs. The blue hero caught it, whipping around and firing it up at the platform. The hook caught on the railing, Sonic and Shadow glaring at each other before looking up. The hook began to pull Sonic up, launching him over the railing, while Shadow activated his airshoes, pulling himself up over the railing. But Sonic was the first to grab the gem first, immediately needing to dodge another roundhouse kick and several punches from Shadow. Suddenly, a bright red laser beam shot through the ground between them, shattering the glass floor. The blue hedgehog stumbled backwards, struggling to regain his balance. Shadow on the other hand, got slightly knocked back by the blast, sliding almost entirely off the edge. Sonic continued to flail, looking down to see Metal on the other end of the beam, wielding one of Sonic's laser lip balms. Shadow grabbed at the intact part of the glass floor, leaving claw marks as he tried to drag himself back up.
"What are you doing!?" Sonic cried down to Metal.
The turquoise hedgehog quickly capped the laser. "Sorry! I was just trying to help! I got it from your room. I didn't think you'd mind considering…"
Sonic cut them off, noticing Shadow had finally managed to claw himself back up. "It's okay! I got this!"
Shadow huffed for air glaring up at his faker. "No, you…"
"Look out!" Knuckles shouted to Sonic, pointing at Shadow. But it was too late. The black hedgehog shot forward and slammed his foot into Sonic's chest.
Sonic let go of the cube, flying backwards off of the platform. "...Don't" Shadow finished his sentence. Sonic twisted around mid air, shooting his grappling line back up to catch on the platform once more so that he wouldn't fall, but the cube on the other hand, was falling down, a few feet in the air away from where Knuckles was standing. "I got it! I got it! I got it! I got it! I got it! I got it!" The echidna repeated, sprinting at it.
Sonic swung down from the hook, the momentum flinging him forward. "Knuckles, I got it!" He shouted, headed straight for the crystal. He crashed into the red echidna, sending the two of them into an open tank. It had a shallow pool of water on the bottom that sprayed up against the glass when they landed, drenching them. The door closed behind them and locked. The cube rolled across the floor in front of the aquaterrarium and Metal ran for it. Sonic pushed himself up in the tank. "Knux, are you okay?"
The red echidna sat up and put his back up against the glass. "This water is like the perfect temperature. Not too hot. Not too cold." He said, gesturing to the water, which had a layer of foam on the top.
Suddenly, something swam through the bubbles next to Sonic. "Knux! Knuckles! Get up, get up!" He shrieked, bolting to his feet. He pushed up against the glass top. "There's something in the water with us."
"Ooh." Knuckles glanced around them.
Outside of the tank, Metal picked up the gem, Shadow dropping down a few feet in front of them. "You're next, new meat." He scowled.
Metal slowly backed up. "Uh, guys, little help." They panicked, taking off behind them. Shadow rolled his eyes and groaned, stalking after them.
Sonic banged on the glass, trying to break it as he watched Metal duck behind a row of aquatic cages. Shadow looked around, trying to find where the turquoise hedgehog was hiding. "I'm afraid you little besties can't come out to play right now." He taunted, spotting a glimpse of their quills through one of the glass exhibits. "It's just me…" He smirked, striding over to the aquarium tank. "And what's about to be left of you." He stated, planted both his hands on the lid, leaning over it to see… no one. He looked around, tapping one of his fingers on the glass top in thought.
Sonic yelped, a small shock passing through the water. He pushed himself into the very corner, hyperventilating. "What just zapped us!?" He shrieked, Knuckles standing significantly more collected than Sonic in the middle of the tank, though both of them were still sopping wet.
"If I had to guess, electric eel." He replied, pointing down to a sign on the outside of the tank.
Sonic's face washed of any remaining color. "Knuckles, I've never told you this," Knuckles looked back up at Sonic. "But I am terrified of water and electric eels!" Sonic cried, shaking,
Knuckles shrugged and smiled. "Well, isn't that nice, after all this time, we're still learning about each other?" He grinned.
"Knuckles!" Sonic sobbed, pushing his back even harder against the glass.
Shadow slowly perused forward, glancing between the shelves, desks, and tanks. Metal shrank behind one of the cabinets, trying to fold their body around the gem to conceal its bright glow. Shadow walked closer to their position. Metal's ears shot up when they heard Sonic begin to scream, and they gritted their teeth. They quietly bolted out from their hiding place, ducking behind another tank several feet away before Shadow saw them, gripping the crystal to their chest.
Another current zapped through the water, making Sonic shriek, more out of fear than pain as he desperately threw himself at the glass. He slipped, barely managing to pull himself back up and fall backwards into the same corner. On the other hand, Knuckles still stood calmly in the center of the tank, holding up his hands in a motion to tell Sonic to calm down. "Don't worry, Sonic." The blue hedgehog's frantic gaze darted to his friend. "They're fascinating creatures." Knuckles continued, lowering himself onto his knees in the shallow water, running his hands over the surface. "Did you know electric eels can spawn thousands of babies at any given time?"
"WHAT!?" Sonic screamed, throwing his hands down against his sides. He whipped around to look out of the tank. "Metal! Help!"
Metal grimaced, listening to the blue hero beg for their assistance. They had to do something. Metal stood up, barely having enough time to assess their mistake as Shadow stared over them, walking closer without a word. They stumbled backwards but didn't get far, backing into a floral exhibit. Shadow raised his hand, lighting and firing a chaos spear at the turquoise hedgehog within milliseconds. They yelped and dove to the side as the small energy blast shattered the glass of the terrarium behind them. But just as before, when they hit the ground, the gem rolled out of their hands, sliding right over to Shadow. He smirked, leaning down and grabbing it. Metal pushed their arms underneath them, looking up as Sonic shouted again. "Can you hear me?! Metal!" They glared at Shadow, pulling themself to their knees. They put a hand on the ground to help stabilize them as they stood, their fingers brushing up against something. They glanced over at it. It was a snare pole… Metal grabbed it and staggered up, holding it tightly in front of their chest as they stared down Shadow. Sonic continued to cry. "We're stuck! Help!" The black hedgehog smirked at this, stalking over the Metal with another chaos spear lit in his hand. He went to strike, but Metal lunged first, catching his hand in the snare loop. They forced Shadow's hand backwards, trying to use his own power against him by burning Shadow with his own spear. The black hedgehog grunted, and tried to wrangle free, fighting against the snare before yanking on it, making Metal stumble forward. Shadow raised his snared hand, bringing it down on the part caught around his wrist and burned through it with ease. Metal dodged backwards the second the black hedgehog got free, spinning the handle around and using it as a staff to knock Shadow backwards into the support cylinder of the original platform he stood on when the three entered. They spun the staff around their hand for a moment before holding it behind them.
Shadow huffed, slightly impressed. "I know you're busy, right now, faker, but…" He tilted his head, walking back towards Metal. "...you got some competition here." He smirked and nodded, adding to his statement when Metal didn't shrink back. "This one's good. Maybe even better than you." The turquoise hedgehog went to swing at him again, but Shadow quickly side stepped, bolting away and rolling under a second hit from the staff. The moment he stood Metal was prepared with another strike and whirled around twice, landing a hit on Shadow's chest each time. The black hedgehog stumbled backwards but couldn't recover quick enough to block again. Metal planted the handle of the staff on the ground, using it like a vaulting pole to launch themself into the air. They spun several times before bringing the staff down on Shadow. It slammed him to the ground, sending him skidding backwards where he hit into a display case.
Metal landed and watched him for a moment, shocked by their own victory, before Sonic's cries behind them caught their attention. "Metal! Metal, help!" The blue hedgehog screamed, still banging on the glass. Metal ran over and used the staff to jam off the locking mechanism, helping Sonic lift the heavy tank door. The second it was open, they gave Sonic their hand and helped them over the small lip out, Knuckles much more relaxed as he smiled and leisurely made his way out.
Then, the echidna remembered something. "Hey there little guy. You okay?" He asked over his shoulder, the little chao peeking out from under one of his dreads and babbling. It shook off water, making him flinch as it sprayed onto his face.
Shadow sneered from on top of one of the balconies above them, holding the crystal in his hands. "Well, this has been a kick. Next time we meet, I'm gonna have to up my game to match new meat here," Shadow gestured towards Metal, who stood with the staff still held in their hand. Knuckles stepped out of the tank next to them, while Sonic just stood there, listening as Shadow continued. "You know, because they're a real opponent, faker." The black hedgehog raised his eyebrows at Sonic before rolling his eyes, aiming a chaos spear up at the ceiling. He blew a hole in it, chunks of debris falling down around him. Knuckles and Metal jumped back, a red tractor beam coming down around him, levitating him up and out of the lab.
Sonic stared up at the hole, even after Shadow was long gone, but Knuckles immediately turned to the turquoise hedgehog. "Metal, I knew you had good moves but your fight skills are sick!" He burst, grinning.
Metal sheepishly shrugged, gesturing to Sonic. "Thanks. I'm just a Sonic-counterfeit." They laughed. Sonic wasn't facing the two, so he didn't bother hiding his scowl. "I've studied all his moves!"
Knuckles shook his head. "But that thing…"
Sonic wasn't listening to them anymore, still glaring up at the ceiling in both anger and horror. Shadow's words wouldn't leave him alone. "This one's good. Maybe even better than you." He could hear Shadow's laugh, the final words echoing in his head. "Better than you. Better than you." He glanced over at Metal.
***
[???:]
Unbeknownst to them, at the top of the large room, there was a small security camera blinking red, recording and replaying Sonic's previous struggles inside the tank on a large screen. "Metal! Metal!" He shouted, banging on the glass. Eggman smiled, watching the screen and rewinding it once more, reveling in his nemesis' cries.
Shadow stepped down the wide stairs of the cave's entrance, holding the gem. "Hate watching your favorite show again?"
"You finally got the Zakadium." Eggman stated, ignoring the hedgehog's jab as he stood up, walking over to him. "Sweet!" Shadow nodded and tossed it to him from the bottom stair platform. "Whoa! Careful!" The doctor fretted, barely catching it and stumbling backwards.
Shadow snorted. "Oh, don't worry. That thing got dropped like 600 times. It's fine." Eggman glanced at him in horror, but he simply shrugged, walking down to sit in his throne once more. "Anyway, as much as I hate to admit it," Shadow continued, Eggman sitting back down across from him. "You were…" The black hedgehog scrunched up his face and gritted his teeth, lightly slamming a fist down on the throne arm rest before finally spitting it out. "...Right!"
Eggman leaned back. "Oh!"
Shadow rolled his eyes and spoke again. "Credible is like your hairline, he's receded already."
"Well, if you think he's bad now, wait till this clip of him being terrified out of his wits gets 'accidentally' leaked online." The doctor mused, making air quotes.
"Were those air quotes? What did I say about those?" Shadow groaned, though Eggman ignored him.
"Imagine the cruel memes." He laughed, stroking his mustache. The black hedgehog just raised his eyebrows in response.
***
[EMERALD HIGH:]
The next day, Sonic pulled open the school doors. His quills were a mess and he had a slight frown on his face, looking oddly disheveled. And on top of this, he was immediately being greeted by some kid using a stick to vault towards him and crash to the floor by his feet. Tons of other kids were holding brooms, mops, and other long staff-like items, spinning them and trying to propel themselves through the air with them. Any of the kids who weren't holding 'staffs' were holding their phones instead, all gawking at a video. "This throwdown is sick!" One of the kids standing next to another exclaimed. "Metal is absolutely destroying Shadow!" Sonic squinted at them, slowly walking forward around the kid still on the floor. "And those quills. Can you believe they go to our school?" The blue hedgehog's eyes widened a bit in fear and his pace picked up.
***
[EMERALD HIGH OUTDOOR LUNCH TABLES:]
Mr. Fink's voice came through the school's PA system, audible even outside to where Sonic sat at one of the tables. "A reminder students, no stick, dowel, or rod play on school property…" Knuckles was sitting next to Sonic with his backpack on the table, trying to offer Milk, who was hiding inside the bag, a grape. Sonic glared blankly into a cup of school grade salad, picking at it. "...no matter how utterly flawless Metal made it look in the video I have watched nine times."
Sonic thoughtlessly stabbed at a leaf repeatedly, rolling his eyes at Mr. Fink's comment before glancing over at Knuckles. "Milk?"
Knuckles gave up trying to offer the fruit to his chao and instead sat back, popping it into his own mouth. "They're having a really hard time adjusting to the high school social world." He replied, gesturing around them. This got Sonic to smile a bit, until he heard a familiar voice.
"You're the best." The blue hedgehog turned his head, watching Amy walk next to… Metal!? And she was praising them! The two were both holding food trays, making their way closer into the outdoor seating arrangement. "Your moves are great. Your style is flawless. And, I mean, those quills?" Amy remarked, getting Metal to laugh and grin. "Perfect lip shade. Perfect accessories. And those shoes are everything." She exclaimed. Sonic blinked in disbelief and turned away with disgust as they got closer, Knuckles following his line of sight and shrugging. Amy continued. "Tens…across the board."
"Amy, you're seriously so nice." Metal smiled, looking around themself. Because of this, they then noticed the two sitting at the table and broke away from the pink hedgehog to join them. "Hey guys!" They chirped, Knuckles scooting to a seat one away to make room for Metal between him and Sonic.
"Hey Metal." Knuckles grinned back.
"Bye, girl. I'll see you after school." Amy called over her shoulder, flouncing away.
Metal sat down between and slid their tray onto the table. "Yup!" The turquoise hedgehog replied.
This got Sonic to look up. "After school?"
"Oh, yeah." Metal briefly answered. "Amy really wants me to try out for soccer which is weird because I know they don't take freshmen but she just laughed and said not to worry." Sonic's mouth dropped slightly open, somewhere between shocked, jealous, and betrayed as he glared at Metal before looking away.
***
[EMERALD HIGH SOCCER COURT:]
Once again, Sonic sat on the white folding table on the edge of the field, using the same toothbrush to scrub out more turf that had gotten jammed into the tred of soccer cleats. The only difference from last time was that there were rows of shoes surrounding him and Metal wasn't sitting on the table beside him. One of the players ran past, throwing a towel onto the table that just narrowly missed his head. It left his quills ruffled but he only glared at them in defeat. Farther into the field, the squad celebrated a score. "Yay!" Amy cheered, her squad running into formation behind her, with Metal before them. "Welcome to the Mad Dogs. You're number 17." She walked towards the turquoise hedgehog, holding out a jersey to them. Metal bounced up and down several times in joy before taking the shirt, beaming. "Yay!" Amy congratulated again.
"Thank you so much." Metal exclaimed, Sonic glaring at them from across the field. Another two towels were thrown at his head, breaking his murderous stare as a set of players ran past.
"Metal! Metal! Metal! Metal! Metal! Metal!" They all chanted, clapping and circling around their newest member.
Metal put a hand on their chest in pride before placing it on their hip. "Awe, guys! Stop." They giggled, another member running past Sonic to join. They, too, threw towels at his face, before running off. Sonic stared at them, brushing a few messy quills out of his face as he scowled.
***
[BUENO NACHO (RESTAURANT):]
"Oh, my, gosh." Metal chuckled, Knuckles bursting out in a fit of laughter across from him. Sonic yanked open the restaurant's main door, looking down at the floor until he heard their voices, stopping in his tracks.
Knuckles gasped and crammed another handful of fries into his mouth. "WhAt?"
"I know, right?" Metal replied, sipping on their soda
The red echidna struggled to hold back another fit of giggles. "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard!"
And that was just about all Sonic needed to hear. He raised his eyebrows in disgust and turned on his heels, walking right back out the main door.
***
[EMERALD HIGH:]
A few more weeks had passed and the first month of high school was already over, not that Sonic had really paid attention. The only reason he knew this was because a small podium beside the school entry held a stack of school issued magazines, directed by the students in journalism, and the front cover showed a picture of Metal. More specifically, they were standing in front of a chalkboard with one hand held high, holding a piece of chalk with the caption, 'STUDENT OF THEM MONTH'. Sonic picked one of the papers up, looking it over. His own grades had been plummeting since the start of high school, and getting detention for being late had become a normal affair. He needed to fix this. He sighed and walked away.
[CHARLES' HOUSE:]
Sonic walked straight from the school to his uncle's home, backpack still on and all. He knocked on the door, a voice answering from some distance behind it. "Coming!" A few moments later footsteps ran up to the other side of the door and it swung open. Sonic's uncle, a lighter blue hedgehog, quills dulled from age, with bushy eyebrows and a mustache, lit up the moment he saw his nephew. "Ogulvie Maurice!" He beamed, standing in the doorway.
Sonic gave a brief, half hearted smile but his usual energy and happiness was gone. "Hey, Unc."
…
A few moments later the two were walking into Chuck's living room, the older blue hedgehog holding a tray of chilidogs. "Lucky you, I made a batch of chilidogs this morning. Your favorite chili recipe too! Oh, and I added extra fresh jalapenos on top." He told Sonic, sitting down on one of the small couches in the room. A coffee table sat between the sofas, and piano stood behind him, the room being lined with floor to ceiling bookcases, making overall very cozy.
Sonic sat down on a separate sofa next to him. "No thanks. I'm good." He replied, shaking his head.
Chuck raised his eyebrows, setting the plate down on the table in front of them. "You're turning down the food you love more than any other in the whole wide world?..." Sonic's uncle sat back, squinting at him. "Feel up for a…"
"A workout?" Sonic finished his sentence. Chuck smiled and reached behind himself, playing the jingle from Sonic's medallion on keyboard. The moment he pressed the final note, one of the book cases immediately began shifting before them. Sonic turned to look at it, a small smile creeping onto his face as the shelves split in half and opened up, revealing a massive karate studio.
…
"So, Unc, I was hoping today you could teach me to fight with a Bo staff?" Sonic asked, standing in the center of the studio a few feet away from his uncle. The older hedgehog tossed him a staff, holding one of his own. He spun his, twirling it around his back and into his other hand.
"Bojutsu began in the 17th century Chun-nan." Chuck lectured as he whirled around, bringing the staff down on Sonic's, though the younger hedgehog poorly guarded.
He stumbled backwards, rolling his eyes. "Uh-huh." Sonic moved forward, swinging his staff at Chuck's, though Chuck quickly countered him with several more hits that Sonic then struggled to block. His uncle twirled around once more to strike, but Sonic rolled to the side of him, taking a defensive stance when he stood.
"But it seems to me…" Chuck lunged forward, jumping up to clash his staff across Sonic's again. His nephew blocked a few more times, though he still didn't have his heart in the defence. "...not much call for a Bo staff today." The older hedgehog attempted to hit Sonic's legs, but Sonic quickly blocked. "Bit of an antique." The younger blue hedgehog went to strike but Chuck rounded his staff and brought both of theirs back down. "And it takes one to know one." Sonic gritted his teeth and pulled his staff up, pinning away from his uncle. "It's just that, I did see on the internet, that new kid, they used a Bo, didn't they?" Chuck asked, continuing to fight.
Sonic frowned, dodging a swing and returning one of his own. "Yeah, they kicked Shadow's butt." He replied as his uncle spun back, the two twirling their staffs. Sonic went to whirl around and land another blow, but just as he turned, Chuck held up one of the ends of the Bo, pointing it right at Sonic's chest. He staggered back before it could hit him, and just like that, he would have lost if this were a real battle.
"You've done that plenty of times yourself without a Bo." Chuck squinted at him.
His nephew flicked an ear in annoyance. "I thought I'd try something new." He retorted, getting his uncle to shrug. Just as Chuck turned his staff away from him, Sonic spun at his uncle. He somehow predicted the move and blocked.
"Nothing wrong with that…" The older hedgehog drew his staff up hard enough to knock the Bo out of Sonic's hands, the Bo rolling across the floor away from him. "...If that's the reason." He then whipped his staff around and knocked out Sonic's feet from under him, his nephew falling to the ground. He laid on the floor, staring up at his uncle, who was standing over him. "Something's off."
Sonic put his hands over his forehead, composure finally cracking. "ME! I'm off!" He cried, Chuck offering him a hand up.
He took it, staggering to his feet. His uncle tilted his head. "Why?"
"Because I walked into high school and it's like…" He turned his back to Chuck, throwing his hands up in the air and walking away. "...I stopped being good at things!" Sonic shuffled over to a small set of stairs, which lead up to an odd stage-like platform with a mosaic behind it, sitting on the steps. "Even worse, Metal had one good fight and now they're amazing at everything." The younger blue hedgehog hissed, a light stream of tears dampening his muzzle.
Chuck squinted at him and tilted his head farther. "Well, they're your friend, right?
"...Yeah." Sonic replied after a long moment, fidgeting with the cuff of his glove.
His uncle walked over to him, extending his arms in a gesture. "Well, then you should be happy for them. After all, you guided them." Sonic rolled his eyes and scowled. "Now they're having a little success, all thanks to you." He added, nodding to his nephew. And yet this didn't cheer Sonic up. He still sat there teary eyed with animosity in his glare. So instead, Chuck opted to sit down next to him, ears going slightly down as he looked at the disheveled younger hedgehog. "What is it, Sonny Boy?"
Sonic scooted back slightly and brushed a stray quill behind his ear, struggling to verbalize his situation. His words were still choked up through tears, and his face had become slightly red from crying, mouth pulled into a frown. "I've never… I've never met someone… who's better than me." Chuck leaned back, nodding. "And I know how stupid that sounds but it's like whatever I have that makes me me, they have more of it." He sobbed, shrugging.
The older hedgehog sighed, taking time to come up with an appropriate response. "...Jelosy is very unbecoming, Ogilvie Maurice."
Sonic picked his head up and frowned at his uncle, sniffling. "I'm not jealous, Chuck." He looked away, hanging his head. "Seriously, I'm glad they're finding their way." Chuck eyed him, knowing there was more. "...It's more about me. If… I'm not the best at those things then who am I?"`
Chuck smiled, and gave a soft laugh. "That's just the thing. Even if you're not the best at…" Sonic rolled his eyes and shook his head. "What have you, you're still you!"
The younger blue hedgehog got up. "Well, no. Unc, I'm Sonicredible, okay?" He spun around to face Chuck, sobbing. "I'm a star student and I save the world. That's who I am!"
"No. That's what you do. That's not who you are."
Sonic shook his head again at his uncle's words and crossed his arms, a teary and defeated smile coming to his face. "Well, then…" He shrugged again, crying. "...then I don't know who I am."
Chuck watched his nephew, unsure of how to offer any type of support. Sonic put a hand over his mouth to muffle another sob, turning and walking away.
***
[EMERALD HIGH:]
The next day, Mr. Fink was making another announcement through the overhead speakers, his voice echoing just loud enough to get a select few people to cover their ears. "Attention, students. During last period today, we will be holding an all-school assembly. We will honor our star student, Metal, with the first ever Most Promising Freshman of the Year Award." Sonic shuffled a few more steps forward, staring blankly into the distance as he listened to the announcement. His quills were even worse than the previous day, and he didn't even try to hide his shocked frown when he looked up at the speaker on the ceiling. That teacher was going to be the death of him.
***
[EMERALD HIGH CLASSROOM:]
Sonic sat slumped in his chair, both elbows on the desk as he scrolled on his phone. He was looking through news articles on Villainstagram, coming across one titled 'Washed Up Heroes… Where Are They Now?' With a collage of images of Sonic. He scowled, looking at the phone before a hand reached over his shoulder, grabbing it from him. Mr. Fink swapped it with a math test paper that he held in front of the blue hedgehog's face until Sonic took it. He stared at the red letter in a blank space on the top right. 'F.' Sonic slowly blinked, sighing and slightly crumpling the paper.
…
Sonic threw open the school doors, throwing his backpack around his shoulder. He glared ahead, hearing footsteps running after him. "Sonic, school's not over yet!" Knuckles panted, skidding through the doors before they closed.
"I'm ditching." Sonic stated, not even bothering to look behind him. "I can't even get good grades anymore. Everything's changed." He continued, walking out from under the large overhang of the front of the building.
The red echidna ran ahead of him, walking backwards. "Look, I'm not going to lie. It's been a rough few weeks but you're still my best friend." He said, slowing to a stop, which got Sonic to pause his escape as well. Knuckles continued. "...And pals support pals…" Sonic looked away, but his friend still smiled and gestured towards him. "Always. …I think you know where I'm going with this." Sonic gritted his teeth and gave a half hearted smile. "Metal's our pal, too. We helped them when they were down in the dumps and our help paid off. They're amazing now. So we should be there to cheer them on!"
Sonic nodded and sighed. "...So we're going to this assembly?
"Yeah. We owe it to them." Knuckles agreed, making the blue hedgehog sigh again.
"Fine."
"Booyah!" Knuckles exclaimed, his face lighting up as he laughed. Sonic smiled a bit more genuinely and turned around, Knuckles throwing an arm around his shoulders as they walked back.
***
[EMERALD HIGH ASSEMBLY:]
Crowds of kids sat in chairs positioned in formation of the school logo on the floor, or stood surrounding the balconies around the main room that the ceremony was being held in. Sonic and Knuckles walked over to an empty spot on one of the balconies and unhooked their bags from around their shoulders, dropping them by their feet. Sonic looked over the railing and past the crowd of kids, seeing Mr. Fink standing behind a podium on the front stage, four chairs on either side of him. Two people were sitting in the chairs on his right, but Metal was sitting in the chair to his far left. "All right. Attention, students. Settle. In the short time they've been at this school, they've earned a 5.5 GPA, is a rising star on the soccer team, and has already been voted Homecoming Queen… and King." The teacher announced, flipping through their prepared speech. The kids began to cheer (partly forced) and applauded as Mr. Fink continued. "It is to my great pleasure to introduce your Most Promising Freshman of the Year, Metal." Metal smiled and looked around before standing walking over to the podium. Sonic sighed but he managed to smile a bit, clapping too.
Knuckles leaned over the blue hedgehog's shoulder. "Uh, why is there an ominous red circle being cut in the ceiling?" He asked, pointing up to the grand circular roofing above them. Some of the other kids around them began to notice too as the incision continued. One of the camera men below that had been filming the ceremony pointed the camera up to the new occurrence. Metal, who now stood behind the podium where Mr. Fink had been, looked up, squinting at the circle. Just then, the section of ceiling fell in, debris crashing down. The kids in the crowd screamed and scattered out of the way, running to escape the room. Sonic blinked in shock, watching the people run before looking up again. Shadow dropped down, using his air shoes to slow his descent onto the ground in the middle of the room.
Mr. Fink still stood on the stage, hands raised to gesture to everyone to stop panicking. "Everyone remain calm and walk to the exits in an orderly…" Shadow raised a hand, lighting a chaos spear and shooting it at the balloons next to the teacher. Mr. Fink flinched back and began hustling off stage. "Aaand I'm out."
Metal briefly ducked behind the podium in case the black hedgehog fired again. They looked past Shadow, noticing a red beam illuminated the air behind him. Eggman, in a silver, half circle shaped mobile, floated down in the beam. "Good afternoon, students." Sonic and Knuckles still watched from their position on the balcony while the doctor landed and spoke again. "Don't be alarmed. We're only here to kidnap Metal."
"What?" Metal gasped, shrinking back behind the podium.
Sonic frowned and held out his hand. "Knux, grapple me." The red echidna tossed him his grappling gun.
"Before they become so powerful, they wipe out all evil as we know it." Eggman declared, raising a fist.
Sonic shot the grappling hook at one of the beams on the roof as Shadow lit another chaos spear, aiming it at Metal. "Let's go." Shadow growled, stepping forward.
"What?! No!" Metal cried, looking up at the balcony where Sonic was launching from. "Uh, Sonic, help!"
The blue hedgehog swung down from the grappling line and kicked Shadow in the back, knocking him over. The impact made Shadow miss his shot and fire the chaos spear up at the banner above Metal, singeing a hole through it. Metal ducked behind the podium, looking up at the banner as the excess energy ate through the whole thing. "Robots, attack!" Eggman shouted, making Shadow stand up and whip around, scowling.
"Minions, attack. I'm the one who signs their paychecks." He spat, stepping back as a wave of soldiers in black body suits and masks ran up on either side of him.
"Hyah!" They all said in unison, crouching into a battle stance.
"Oh." Eggman nodded, watching as the soldiers dashed towards Sonic. The blue hedgehog ducked under several punches and threw one of the people over him. Another soldier countered with a kick to his chest, knocking him backwards. He dropped his grappling gun, more of the henchmen diving at him. Two henchwomen stayed behind, wrestling Metal off the stage. Sonic kicked up a book and caught it, swinging around a right hook and smacking another soldier across the face with the book. He whirled beneath a punch and hit the next soldier that tried to attack with the book, kicking another in the abdomen. The kids on the balconies along with a few others who were still on the outskirts of the room's ground floor stood and watched. Sonic opened the book just in time to catch a swing from a remaining henchman, sandwiching their fist between the pages. He used this to his advantage and threw the person over him, making them crash into another approaching goon. Eggman still watched from the red beam in the center of the room in his mobile, pointing at Sonic. "I'll say that's dirty. Dirty fighting." He called out, doing nothing to aid in the fight.
Shadow rolled his eyes, leisurely walking over to where the henchwomen were dragging Metal. "Ladies, please escort Cinderella to her pumpkin." He stated, pulling out his nail file to sharpen a dulled edge. Metal pulled back, wiggling out of their hold before smashing the two soldiers together. Before they even hit the ground, the turquoise hedgehog bolted. Shadow scowled and threw down his arms. He stalked after Metal, but still didn't bother to run, as they skidded to a halt just before the red beam, not wanting to end up exactly where their kidnappers wanted them. He spun around, eyes widening in fear when Shadow lit another spear. The black hedgehog sadistically smirked and stepped closer.
Metal looked around. "Sonic, help!" The blue hedgehog backed up, another group of soldiers walking towards him. He glanced backwards, spotting a cleaning caddy next to a set of chairs that had a mop in it. He grabbed the mop, whirling it around as he'd practiced with the bo staff, but the balance was off from the bristle strands on it. He scowled, snapping the head off before holding it like a spear. Shadow loomed closer to Metal, holding the lit chaos spear close enough to their face that they could feel the heat coming off of it. They reached out in Sonic's direction. "Throw it to me! I can do my killer move!" Metal pleaded, their fingers shaking.
Sonic looked down at the mop. "Throw it, Sonic!" Knuckles shouted from the balcony, cupping his hands around his mouth.
Sonic glanced up at his red friend as Metal cried out again. "Come on!" Shadow shifted his gaze to the blue hedgehog, squinting in slight curiosity. Sonic crouched down into a lower stance exhaling and tightening his grip on the handle. He lifted the mop, spinning around as he rotated it, but just as he should have thrown it, he stamped it down on the ground and used it to vault upward. He flipped several times in the air, but didn't move forward at all, not even getting close to the soldiers in front of him. He crashed to the ground without landing a single hit.
The crowd of kids still watching gasped, both shocked and mockingly, Eggman adding to them. "Oh! Faceplant!" He jeered. Sonic laid on the floor and held his head, both Knuckles and Metal watching in horror. Shadow demonically howled with laughter, and to make matters worse, the majority of the kids around the edge of the room laughed as well, holding out their phones to take pictures and record.
Shadow grinned, pointing at Sonic. "Please tell me someone got that fail on video." Sonic looked around, fear washing over his expression as the kids continued to laugh. Still with a smirk on his face, Shadow grabbed Metal's arms, wrestling them backwards into the red tractor beam.
Eggman spoke up from above him. "I'm sure you're wondering what's next." He monologued, watching the turquoise hedgehog struggle in Shadow's grip, but not get free. "Well, it is my most diabolical plan yet."
"Shut it!" Shadow spat, the two rising to the doctor's level. "What have I told you about overshare?!"
"Oh, right. Uh, well."
Shadow grunted, trying to strangle Metal as they continued to fight. "Don't!" He growled, daring them to try and get loose again. They continued to ascend, leaving Eggman to figure out how he wanted to conclude his departure.
The doctor looked around, unsure of the decision himself. He gave up after a moment, pointing up at his exit. "Bye!"
Metal glanced down at the school below, crying out one last time. "Help!" Eggman simply laughed as Sonic stared up at them, still on the ground. "Please, anyone?!" The blue hedgehog staggered to his feet, swaying, but not moving any further. The remaining henchmen dispersed around him. "Help!"
***
[EMERALD HIGH EXTERIOR:]
Sonic threw open one of the school's side doors, bolting out, though it was far too late. The Egg Carrier was already jetting off into the distance with the two villains and their target on board. Sonic stumbled to a halt, watching in defeat as the ship flew away. Mr. Fink stormed through the door and walked up beside him, a crowd of kids tailing behind. Sonic exhaled, the teacher turning to him. "Credible, I was up all night making that banner." He stated, shaking his head.
Sonic gritted his teeth and held back angry tears, but just as quickly as he approached, Mr. Fink walked away, the other students once again following him. None of them tried to mask their chatter as they departed to ease the fallen hero's guilt. "I cannot believe that just happened." One of the students said, another nodding. "Poor Metal…"
Knuckles pushed through the cluster of bodies, running up to Sonic. The blue hedgehog was failing to hold back his tears, gasping between small sobs. Knuckles looked up at the sky where the ship had disappeared. "I blew it, Knuckles." Sonic cried, throwing himself down on a concrete box holding dirt into a garden bed in front of him. "This was all my fault." He put his head in his hands as he sobbed.
Knuckles gave a quick half nod and sat down beside him. "Oh, come on. It's…" He clasped his hands, searching for a way to deflect the situation off of Sonic to make him feel better. But when he came up with none, he simply nodded again. "Well, yeah… it's your fault."
"What was I thinking?! I should have just given them the Bo staff." Sonic exclaimed, throwing his hands down.
Knuckles raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you give Metal the Bo staff?"
Sonic just shook his head, squinting up at the sky. "...Because I needed to be the person who saves the day."
Knuckles tilted his head towards Sonic, cringing. "How'd that go?"
"Oh, real, real, real not great." Sonic scoffed, his mouth pulling back down into a frown as tears threatened to pour again. "Very bad."
The red echidna nodded once more, though this time in understanding, before shaking his head as he thought of what else to say. "I… ooh."
Sonic spoke up again to fill the silence. "I just… I can't believe how… mixed up I've been. Like…" Sonic shrugged, a bit of clarity finally coming to his mind. "Just because I'm not the best at something, doesn't mean… I'm not me."
"So?" Knuckles raised an eyebrow. "What are we gonna do?"
The blue hedgehog sighed and rubbed his hands over his knees, then stood. "We're gonna go save our friend." Knuckles rose to his feet beside him, and Sonic looked over at him. "You up for this?" Knuckles nodded. Hardly a moment later, Sonic grabbed his friend's wrist, dragging him back towards the school at lighting speed. "Let's go!"
***
[???:]
Inside their cave, Eggman guzzled a bottle of victory eggnog, finishing it in record time. "Ah!" He gasped, sucking in air as he lowered the bottle, looking around. "Shadow, come celebrate with me, with an ice-cold eggnog." He threw the empty carton behind him, opening a second one.
Shadow sat on his throne as usual, leaned up against the arm rest with an open book in his hands. "Never let it be said you don't know how to party, Doctor." Shadow uninterestedly replied, not bothering to look up.
Eggman sighed in content. "I have to admit, today went better than I could have hoped."
"Yeah, I know. I'm always good but I felt particularly fierce." Shadow smiled, glancing away from the words on the page.
"Oh, come on. You were your usual competent self." Eggman deflected, shaking his hand in a so-so motion. Shadow glared over at him in disgust, though the doctor didn't take the hint and continued, raising a hand and throwing his head back. "But I was the most…!"
The black hedgehog stood up, using his shoes to fly eye level with Eggman. "Yeah, the most average maybe." He spat. The doctor used his hand to mock mouthing off, only making Shadow scowl more. "Are you -Wha-"
"Will you two stop arguing?"
Shadow and Eggman paused and turned, Shadow raising his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"
"I was just trying to get your attention." They growled back, making Eggman sigh. A few feet in front of them, the turquoise hedgehog sat in the swivel chair by the large screens. "And a little credit!" They scoffed, standing up. "Afterall, I befriended Sonic," Shadow and Eggman scowled at the pure audacity of this new hedgehog. "...I surpassed him in every single way, …and I broke him." They tilted their head to the side, fakely grinning in an almost uncanny way, barring their teeth. "Just like you asked me to." They pointed to themself. "It was me. I DID ALL OF IT!"
Eggman leaned over Shadow's shoulder, frowning. "Metal Sonic gets this from you."
Shadow spun around mid air to face the Doctor, a hand hovering dangerously close to slapping him. "Don't make me hurt you." The black hedgehog hissed, before turning his attention to Metal. "So what? What do you want? A gold star? A cookie? You want a h…" Shadow gagged. "You want a hUg?"
The turquoise hedgehog scrunched his face in revulsion, shaking his head. "No."
"Okay." Shadow shrugged.
"I want to know what's next for the three of us." Metal stated, nodding and gesturing to the other two.
Shadow blinked. "Huh… Well, it's um…" He glanced over at Eggman, who took a few steps forward but said nothing, letting Shadow continue. "It's a surprise."
Metal squinted at him until Eggman added to the black hedgehog's statement. "Yes. And you're going to find out very soon." Shadow looked over at the doctor, chuckling. "Very soon…" Within seconds, they both began maniacally laughing, leaving Metal to stare at them in confusion. The two just laughed and laughed, so the turquoise hedgehog joined in awkwardly, gesturing at them like they'd just gotten the joke. This got Shadow and Eggman to stop after a moment..
Eggman held out a bottle of Eggnog to Metal, but the turquoise hedgehog just stared at it with a raised eyebrow. "I'll take it." Shadow stated, snatching the bottle out of the doctor's hand and guzzling it before either of them could reject.
***
[THE HEDGEHOG HOUSEHOLD:]
A black car pulled up to Sonic's house, the back door opening. "Good luck, Sonic." The driver called to the blue hedgehog and his red friend as they jumped out.
"Thanks, Earl." Sonic replied, running towards his house.
"Hey, thanks for helping those other workers that got stuck in the mine that one time!" They said before driving off.
Sonic and Knuckles bolted down the stairs leading to the living room entrance, opening the glass door. The whole family of hedgehogs sat in the room, playing a board game. Sonic's mother noticed them immediately, Chuck shortly behind, both of them standing up. "Oh. Hey sweetie, we heard about Metal. I'm really sorry." The mother hedgehog sighed.
Sonic fidgeted with his gloves, shaking his head. "Yeah. That was um… That was my fault." He stepped forward, Knuckles staying off to the side. "So I'm gonna try and fix that mistake. I don't know if I can but… I think I'll have a lot better chance if I get some help. …So… Mom, Unc, are you in?" He asked, nervously glancing between the two older hedgehogs.
Chuck brightened. "Well, you can count on me. I don't know about Bernadette." Sonic smiled in relief, turning to his mom, who gasped in mock offense.
"Of course he can count on me!" She told Chuck before facing her son. "You've always counted on me." Sonic chuckled, both his mom and uncle spinning around and walking out of the room, reappearing moments later wearing a new set of heavier duty gloves, shoes with stronger tread, and new missions suits, smiling. Sonic ran into their arms, the three hugging with a laugh.
"You guys, too?" Knuckles asked from behind them, looking at their outfit change. Sonic turned to his friend as he continued. "How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Do what?"
"Do what?"
They all replied in unison, questioning the echidna in mock confusion. He stuttered, about to clarify when he decided now wasn't the right time, instead humming and turning away.
The three hedgehogs giggles, Bernadette speaking up. "Let's do this." She stated, the group nodding and heading for the door.
"And I…" Jules stood up from his place on the couch next to Sonic's siblings. "...will stay here and watch these two." He stated, pointing to Sonia and Manic. "And maybe order pizza."
Knuckles' eyes widened. "Oh, ooo…. What toppings?"
"Knuckles!" Sonic shouted from the outdoor stairs, the red echidna snapping back to focus. "Right. Mission mode." He panicked, turning around to grab his backpack. Just as he did, Milk flew out from it, landing on the drone on the table next to it. They babbled. "Oh, that… It could be helpful." He realized. " I'll bring the drone. Hop in." The moment Milk fluttered back into the bag, he grabbed the drone, carefully stuffing it in beside them. "Better watch out." He warned them, throwing the bag over his shoulder. "Okay. See you!" Knuckles called to the three remaining hedgehogs, running out the door.
"Have fun!" They replied, waving.
Jules chuckled, flicked his wrist dismissively. "Those crazy cats."
***
[???:]
"Uugghhhhh…" Eggman laid on the floor, half asleep and surrounded by a concerning amount of Eggnog bottles. He put a hand over his face. "Ugh… Time to bring this evil plan home." He groaned, rolling over to try and get up, pushing the empty cartons off and away from him. "Fire up the brain module." He sluggishly ordered, sitting up. He glanced over to it… except it wasn't there. He froze, his eyes widening. "My machine." He staggered up from the ground in a panic. "My machine!" He looked over to where it used to be, stepping down off one of the wide steps. "Where is my machine!?" He gasped, rushing over to the vacant platform. He circled the platform, looking for it despite it obviously not being there. "The brain modulator! Shadow? Shadow!?" He shouted, not spotting both the black, or the turquoise hedgehogs. Suddenly, a whirling off to his left caught his attention. He watched in fascination as one of the cave walls shifted to the side, revealing a brand new, modern, sleek, and well lit lab, his machine in the dead center. He glanced around, walking towards the entrance of the new lab cautiously, before spotting Shadow and Metal standing next to the modulator's control panel, typing in some of the final specifications. The rock wall door concealing the lab closed the second Eggman walking far enough in, making him spin around and face the noise. He barely moved a few more steps in, a wide set of stairs in front of him. He took in his surroundings, face contorted with confusion. "Wait. Quick question." He said, descending the stairs towards the two. Both hedgehogs rolled their eyes and looked up at the same time, though Metal quickly resumed their work. "Was this here the entire time?"
Shadow looked around the lab before focusing back on Eggman. "Oh. Uh… Yeah, I guess with everything going on, it just… slipped my mind." He innocently shrugged, going back to editing the display on the console.
"Gah!" Eggman grunted in frustration at the black hedgehog, though his anger was quickly replaced by childish joy at his new base. He looked around again, scanning his new base of operations. "Got to post this to Villainstagram." He swooned, walking over to the modulator. He pulled out his phone, holding it up in a selfie and posed. "Uh, oh." He mockingly said for the camera and laughed. "Duck face!" He added, holding a hand up. He cackled, snapping another photo. "There's gonna be such epic FOMO."
"Hey!" Eggman paused his gloat, Shadow snapping at him to grab his attention. "Make with the evil plan." The black hedgehog stated. Eggman raised his eyebrows and chuckled at that, pointing at him. Both Shadow and Metal just stared in confusion until the mad robot doctor pulled out the Zakadium crystal. Shadow scrunched his face in disgust. "Where did you pull that out of?" Eggman ignored him, cackling as he ran up the small set of stairs to his machine. The lights that ran along the sides of the modulator clicked on, and the machine hummed as it booted up. The two hedgehogs watched as the doctor lifted the small screen in the center, placing the crystal in the empty slot. It slid in and he shut the panel, the diagram of two tubes connecting dual chambers flashing in rainbow colors on the screen to signify power.
"Ah…" Eggman sighed, stepping back. He looked over the machine and began maniacally laughing. "Yes. Yes! YES! OHOHOHOHO!"
Shadow looked less than amused by the doctor's usual antics, but Metal smiled. "Now, about my next mission…"
Eggman stopped laughing, turning to face Metal. He walked towards the steps leading down to where the two hedgehogs were standing. "Oh… Dear, tiny, blue, Metal Sonic. You'll get your next mission… guaranteed." He stated, Metal smirking in approval.
Shadow gritted his teeth and began pulling the turquoise hedgehog away. "Okay. Let's go get you ready for your big, fun surprise." He huffed, grabbing their hand. Metal trailed behind for a moment, squinting at the doctor, who smiled, before following Shadow. Left alone in the main room, Eggman resumed his diabolical laughter, throwing his head back with his arms outstretched.