Work Text
[ Fleeting Prayer - Black Clover ]
Cold… So cold…
That was the feeling of liquid metal slowly eating away at flesh and wool, attempting to cover everything warm with its cold, unfeeling infection. He could barely feel anything from moving his right index finger, much less his whole body as the sinister steel solution wrapped itself around the poor young man.
The sounds… The fighting… The screams… Everyone…
Footsteps of all kinds crunched against the grass around him. A gust of wind from something moving quickly was felt from far away. From the left side, fists connected with bodies that dropped to the floor. On the further right, older and younger voices barking commands. The closest to the teenager was a grief-stricken, motherly voice soothing him, telling him everything was going to be okay and she would stay with him until it’s all over.Another voice, a feminine voice that was youthful like his own, also told him she’d refuse to leave his side and would stay with him as well.The liquified mineral oozed across his body, goading him into joining its infected brethren that was closing in on everyone. One by one; the voices became muted, the sounds vanished and the light began to fade. The young man could feel himself slipping away… Barely hanging on as the cold ore took over…Just as the metal had the boy in its grasp, the teen had a flash of memories flooding back to him. His life. The events.How he got to this point in the first place.
Several Weeks Ago…
12:30 PM
Neo Green Hill Village
[ Battle - Sonic X ]“Get everyone to safety! These badniks are getting out of control!” A Mobian Monkey wielding a Hover Wispon commanded a group of other Mobians.“Roger!” One Mobian, a male squirrel, nodded. “Everyone, get to the bunker! If you can walk around, help the injured!”The civilians hurried towards the safety bunker in the village, screaming and panicking all the while. The remaining Mobians wielding Wispons stayed back to deal with the approaching Badniks stomping towards them menacingly. The Mobian Monkey pointed his Wispon at a group of Egg Pawns, firing a concussive blast of force at them! The orange robots flew in multiple directions, crumbling to the floor in a daze. A female koala Mobian brandished a Drill Wispon in her hand while running towards an Egg Pawn. The drill whirled to life as she pierced through it and three more robots with relative ease. A grey knight-looking Egg Pawn raised its lance to do the marsupial in, but it was slashed to bits by an electric whip wielded by a Tenrec. “You okay?” He asked.The Koala nodded. “I am. Thank you.”“There are too many of ‘em! We can’t take all these Badniks on our own!” The Squirrel fretted. “Ever since the Eggman War, more of them have been popping up!”“Don’t give up!” The Mobian simian assured firmly. “If we keep holding them off, help will arrive soon! We’ve always relied on him and his friends to save us, so it’s our turn to do our part too!”This small speech reinvigorated the citizens’ fighting spirit as they ran back into battle with the Egg Pawns and its variations. On the outskirts of Neo Green Hill, a familiar blue streak raced across the grass at breakneck pace, breaking the sound barrier with a resounding BOOM! In the distance, the figure could see smoke billowing from the buildings of the village. Doubling his efforts, the blue streak blitzed off, kicking up waves in the water from his sheer speed alone.Back in the village, the fight between the citizens and the Badniks raged on fiercely - neither side giving an inch in their attempt to complete their goals. But it seemed that the Eggman Empire was on the winning side of this conflict despite the best efforts put out by the forces of good. While at first; the Wispon wielders had the advantage by dwindling down the Egg Pawn variations, that was quickly stolen from them when the stronger Egg Knights and mass-produced Phis were unleashed into the fray, snatching victory out of the denizens of Neo Green Hill Village. Even the monkey leader was starting to feel dread as he was the only few people still standing in the burning battlefield. A golden Egg Knight stood in front of him with its glowing blue eyes, reeling its lance back for a fatal blow. The monkey shut his eyes, flinching in fear for the Grim Reaper to take him.[ Sonic Appears! - Sonic 06 ]Just then, a sudden gust of wind swirled around the town!
BOOM!!
One Egg Pawn shattered into pieces by an unseen force.
BOOM!!! BANG!!!
Two more Egg Pawns were destroyed.
BANG!!! BOOM!!! CLANG!!! CRASH!!! KA-BOOM!!!
Five automatons sent to the scrap heap! And those numbers continued rising from the series of explosions! The monkey slowly opened his eyes to see that same blue streak destroying each and every single Badnik with precise accuracy. He immediately recognised who that was and his suspicions would be confirmed when the streak stopped in front of the townsfolk after wrecking the Badniks. Dressed in a carefree outfit consisting of a sleeveless red jacket with a white stripe across it, a navy blue neckerchief and running trousers with a white horizontal line going down it, white gloves and those iconic red sneakers. The man needed no introduction. It was the hero of Mobius himself.
Sonic the Hedgehog!
“You all okay?” Sonic asked the crowd, getting affirmatives from them. “Good! Now go somewhere safe! I’ll handle these Badniks myself!”Racing off through the village, the Blue Blur surveyed the damage – houses were smashed up or destroyed, people hiding in fear and the brave samaritans risking their lives to fight off the mechanical menaces. The Eggman War may have been over, but there was still a lot to clean up after everything that had transpired. Curling into a ball, Sonic struck down some Knight Pawns and Egg Flappers with his Homing Attack . He then smashed an Egg Pawn unfortunate enough to be underneath him with a Stomp then performed a spin kick to knock the head off a Phi, decapitating it in the process.“See ya!” He playfully taunted before speeding through the village.“Sonic the Hedgehog, located! Engaging priority one target!” An Egg Fighter communicated to the other Badniks, turning their sights on Sonic.Sonic smirked, feeling the adrenaline rushing through his body. His blood pumping with excitement. The dopamine going to his brain.Nothing was more fun than destroying all of Eggman’s toys.The blue hedgehog used his Boost technique to burrow through the weaker Egg Pawns, making all sorts of orange and yellow fireworks in the sky. He slid underneath a Phi to trip it up, curled into a ball to homing attack an Egg Gun, ricocheting off an Egg Spear and Egg Shield respectively. Sonic assaulted an Egg Fighter with three kicks, the third sending it up in the air where he launched a shockwave to destroy it.Using his speed, Sonic confused the Egg Bazooka by making various afterimages which caused the moronic machine to accidentally shoot its fellow Egg Pawn, destroying it before it suffered the same fate due to the speed demon. “Sometimes I make it look too easy.” Sonic commented, glancing at the destroyed robots. His ears flickered at the sound of someone grunting, falling to the ground along with the sound of whirring machinery. Sonic ran off in the direction he heard the sounds, skidding to a stop when he found the source: A Mobian male sheep was being cornered by seven badniks. Two of them were Phis while the remaining five were Egg Pawns. The sheep looked to be a young teenager, around sixteen to eighteen years of age; he had black wool with a dreadlock hairstyle, brown skin and brown eyes. He wore a grey layered Crush 40 shirt with orange and white striped sleeves, light-blue denim trousers and black trainers with white laces. Sonic raised an eyebrow at this. Why would a small group of Badniks be after a kid?That’s when the hero saw it. The familiar glow of a yellow brilliant-cut gemstone in the sheep boy’s right hand. Is that-?“Surrender the Chaos Emerald or be eradicated.” The Phi coldly demanded. The young sheep glared defiantly, holding the Chaos Emerald close to him. The Phi beat its fists, fully intending to use force to take the gem for itself. As it advanced, the young sheep surprised Sonic by rushing forth and nailing the robot with a solid right hook! The Phi clattered to the ground as the young man continued his furious assault with punches to its head and body. The kid had spirit, that was certain. But even that wasn’t enough to take down the Phi as the wooly teen was grabbed by an Egg Pawn and thrown to the wall, causing him to wince in pain. By some miracle, the sheep Mobian kept the Chaos Emerald clutched tightly in his hands. The Phi that was struck stood back up, whirring in anger as it approached the teenager to beat some respect into him. Before the robot could do such a thing, Sonic sprung into action and homing attacked two of the Egg Pawns, destroying them instantly as he landed in front of the teen. “Five bots against one kid? Now that’s unfair!” Sonic chastised the robotic bullies sarcastically. “Then again, Eggman’s never been one to play fair.”The hedgehog vanished from everyone’s line of sight and the four Egg Pawns were destroyed by swift yet strong attacks. Sonic landed a salvo of kicks to one of the mass-produced Gizoids, denting its body severely into shutting down, demolishing it with a breakdancing sweep kick before he spindashed into the other then finished it off with a powerful axe kick. The young sheep stared at the hero gobsmacked at just how effortlessly he took down those robots! He couldn’t even see half of it and when he did, it was like watching a live feed of Sonic from the news… only it actually happened before his eyes![ Helping Miles - Marvel’s Spider Man ]A gloved hand came into his field of view. “You hurt, kid?”The young sheep went starry-eyed, his mouth widening into an excited grin as he took Sonic’s hand and started shaking it quickly.“Y-you’re… Sonic the Hedgehog! T-The Fastest Thing Alive! The Hero of Mobius! T-the Blue Wind!”“And a few other choice words Eggman throws at me.” Sonic jokes, breaking the handshake, “Look kid, that was really brave of you, but next time leave the fighting to the pros, okay?”“O-okay, but what if there aren’t any around?” The teenage sheep asked.“Well, ya can’t go and take on a group of Badniks all by yourself. Don’t get me wrong, I have Badniks surround me all the time, but when I do it–”“Oh! Like that time you fought off many Egg Fighters in Mazuri?” The teenager pointed out one of Sonic’s adventures in the past. “That was so awesome!”“Perfect example! You just gotta be faster than other guys and think just as quick too!” Sonic imparted before he turned to run off.“Yeah, but that’s– that’s easy for you to say! Sorry, but I can’t do what you do!” The young man responded.Sonic stopped in his tracks, smiled then turned back to the young black sheep. “Alright, put ‘em up, kid.”The sheep blinked incredulously. “You serious?”“Yeah, come on.”Sonic got into his fighting stance as did the young sheep, they began to circle each other as the former explained to the latter how to be faster.“First off: Speed isn’t always runnin’ in danger. From what I learned from my battles, you gotta anticipate what your opponent will do and counter accordingly. You also gotta remember to feel the environment around you, so that when something happens, you can react quicker than you usually do.” Sonic stated.“And… how do I feel the environment around me, exactly?” The teen questioned. “How about I show you instead. Close your eyes.”The young sheep did as instructed. “Next, I want you to feel the environment around you. Focus on anything that seems out of place and when you pick up on that, counterattack!”The young man nodded attentively, exhaling deeply as he felt his surroundings. The gentle breeze, the rustling of leaves in the trees, the crackling of fire around him. …A rush of air! The teenager leaned back to avoid a swift kick from Sonic then twisted his body around to deliver a roundhouse kick that Sonic blocked with his fist. Judging by Sonic’s slightly trembling hand, the teen’s attack packed some power in it.The teen opened his eyes in shock. “Oh sh–! Sorry…!”“No, no! That was great!” Sonic complimented. “You keep that up and you’ll be faster in no time! Anyways, lesson’s over! Gotta go!”“Hey Sonic!” The teen called out, getting his attention. He smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”The blue hedgehog gave a wink and thumbs up before speeding out of Neo Green Hill Village, leaving the young man in astonishment. “I just dodged and countered an attack from Sonic the Hedgehog…” He mused to himself in awe. “Nash? Nash, honey. Where are you?” An older female voice called out, snapping the youth out of his star-struck expression.“I’m right here, Mom!” Nash replied, jogging towards his mother who had come out to look for him. Jogging up to Nash was a sheep woman with black wool, brown skin and brown eyes just like him. The front part of her hair was curly and fluffy while the back was dreadlocked, but her locks were far longer than her son’s own. She wore a lemon coloured polka-dot blouse, navy blue leggings, white gloves and yellow shoes. The Mobian sheep woman also had plump lips too. Nash embraced his mother, Felicia, in a tight hug which was returned in kind. “Are you okay, Nash?” Felicia asked.“I’m fine, Mom! The Badniks didn’t hurt me too badly.” Nash answered honestly.The caprine mother breathed a sigh of relief. “Phew! That’s good…! I honestly don’t know what would’ve happened had Sonic not shown up when he did. You could’ve been seriously hurt, Nash!”“Sorry, Mom… I won’t let it happen again.” Nash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Good. Let’s head back into the village and help with the repairs. Then, we have to set the table for when your father comes back from work.”“Sure, Mom! Let’s go!”The two sheep walked back into the village, unaware that either of them were being spied on by a hidden Egg Flapper. It focused solely on Nash and the yellow Chaos Emerald in his pocket, its glasses acting as a screen for the person watching the recording from his comfortable chair in his lab. [ Dark Eggman - Sonic X ]“So… the little sheep boy has one of the seven Chaos Emeralds, hm?” A deep, sinister male voice commented. Sat on his seat was a large, rotund man with a pinkish nose and a thick, mahogany mustache. He wore an obnoxiously pompous red coat that had four golden buttons that had white straps connecting to the back of four more gold buttons on the back. Said coat had silver linings running down the arms, back and front with yellow cuffs and two large silver buttons on the front of the coat.To add onto his extravagantly self-important attire, He wore black pants with matching boots that had circular plates on both sides of the ankles and three square ones extending up to the shins. Just like his arch nemesis, this vile man needed no introduction. The Greatest Threat to Mobius; Doctor Ivo Robotnik! Otherwise known as…
Dr. Eggman!
He observed another footage of Sonic rushing off to the next village, flashing his pearly whites in a cruel smile. “Sonic has already survived the first trial rather quickly. Though I doubt he’ll come back to this village again since he’s heading to the next town where I deployed a battalion.” Eggman noted, pressing a few buttons on a control panel. “Send in a Super Badnik to Neo Green Hill Village… We must get that Chaos Emerald from the boy! Hohohohohohohohoho!”[ Neo Green Hill Zone (Act 2) - Sonic Advance (Subtanx Remix) ]Five hours had elapsed as the denizens of Neo Green Hill Village finished repairing their homes after the Badniks invasion. It took a lot of effort from the townspeople to fix up their broken homes or patch up some holes, but the entire process went by smoothly. The broken bits of machines were either thrown in the recycling bins or repurposed for better uses in their quaint little town. After the hectic attack on their town, everyone was now in their homes, relaxing and recovering from today’s events. In a two story house, Nash put down three plates and silver cutlery on the dining table, fixing them so that they were all neatly together. Felicia was preparing dinner in the kitchen, having taken the roast chicken and potatoes out of the oven to put on the counter to cool. A column of steamer pots cooked the vegetables with the hot air evaporating from the bubbling water. Felicia nodded contently at her hard work. “That’s dinner sorted! Nash, did you set the table?” “Yeah, Mom! The plates and cutlery have been set!” Nash called out from the dining room. “All that’s left is for Dad to come home!”“I hope he’s doing alright after what happened during the War…” The sheep housewife looked down in worry. The teenager frowned, giving his mum a comforting pat on her shoulder. “Dad’s gonna be fine, Mom. He’s had things thrown at him all the time and he’s always gotten back up after it. Even when we were afraid he’d never come home on one of his missions… He’s pulled through, in the end. Dad’s a strong Mobian and we both know he won’t be taken down that easily!”“I know, dear.” Felicia gave her son a smile. “I know.”The sound of a car pulling in front of the home caught their attention. The heavy footsteps came to the front door, followed by keys being inserted into the lock, unlocking the door as it swung open. In walked a male Mobian sheep with black wool, brown skin with a notable stubble on his muzzle and grey eyes. He wore a navy blue uniform, a black protective vest, fingerless gloves, shin guards and combat boots. He also wore a black helmet with a “G” symbol on the front. The patriarch of the family, Wallace the Sheep , had returned from a long shift at his workplace: The Guardian Units of Nations, or G.U.N for short.“Hi Dad!” Nash greeted happily. “How was work?”Wallace gave an exhausted grunt in response as he waved hello to his son. Nash chuckled.“Figured as much, haha!”“Welcome home, dear!” Felicia gave him a kiss and a hug. “Dinner’s just about ready.”“Great because after what happened at work, I am starving !” Wallace exclaimed, taking off his helmet to reveal his round and puffy hair. Nash and his dad sat in the chairs as Felicia brought out the food to the dining table. No longer holding back their hunger, the family tucked into some delicious roast chicken, white rice, potatoes and vegetables. Nash felt satisfied with the glorious food cooked to perfection by his mum’s incredible culinary skills, the same could be said for Wallace, who chowed down like no tomorrow. Felicia beamed warmly at her husband and son, digging into her own food too. During the peaceful dinner time, it was then a critical question was asked to the man of the house.“So Wallace, what’s the current state of G.U.N?”Wallace exhaled air from his nose. “...To begin with; our base has been heavily damaged from the War, but we managed to salvage whatever remained of our troops and rebuild our ranks. Commander Tower did find a separate G.U.N base which we set up shop in until the end of the Eggman War.”“Is everyone at G.U.N okay?” Nash asked.“Everyone’s fine, son.” Wallace replied, easing his son’s nerves. “It’s gonna take more than Eggman’s machines to bring G.U.N down. Though we are still recovering, we’re helping out with the Badnik clean up.”“Speaking of Badnik clean up; our village was attacked by them while you were away. Nash was even cornered by seven of them while trying to help stop them.” Felicia mentioned.The G.U.N soldier tensed up. “What?! Are you both okay?!”“I’m fine, Dad! We’re both perfectly fine!” Nash bleats out quickly, cooling his father’s high emotions. “Mom hid away in the town bunker and I was saved by Sonic! He sped through here and made short work of those robots!”Wallace breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank Chaos…! If anything happened to either of you–”“Wallace. It’s okay.” Felicia soothed her husband’s nerves by gently grasping his hands with her own. “We’re both perfectly safe and sound.”The stubbled sheep gazed into his wife’s soft, caring chocolate brown orbs, feeling the tension in his body melt away by her sheer presence alone. He then turned to his dread-headed son, who flashed a toothy grin at him.“And if I was in any danger, I’d be able to handle it. After all, you were the one to train me, Dad!”Wallace laughed. “That’s true! You got the spunk of your old man in you! But why would some badniks corner you, Nash?”Nash pulled out the yellow Chaos Emerald from his pocket, placing it on the table. Wallace’s eyes widened upon seeing the familiar gemstone, making everything click for him.“That explains a lot. I’m surprised he didn’t ransack our village for the one that landed here during his takeover of Mobius.”“Guess he was too busy letting his victory get to his brain to search for this one or the others.” Nash quipped, getting a hearty laugh from his dad. “Eggman never really thought things through, given how Sonic’s been able to beat him so many times. But that doesn’t change the fact that mustached menace is a dangerous threat to Mobius; his recent takeover was a perfect example of that. So tomorrow, you and I are going to train, son.”Nash gave a determined nod with a smirk. “Yes Dad! I’ll train as hard as I can to be just like you and Sonic the Hedgehog!”Wallace and Felicia smiled at their conviction radiating from their pride and joy; the former reminiscing to a simpler time when Nash was younger and had the same childlike aspiration to become a hero just like his dad and the Blue Blur that saved the world more times than not. Such was a modest time during those years.
KA-BOOM!!!!
A roaring explosion from outside interrupted the pleasant family moment. The three sheep jolted from their seats, turning their sights to the billowing smoke and flames emerging within the village. “W-What was that?!” Nash asked in shock.Without a word, Wallace ran to the front door. “I’m going to check it out! Nash, stay here and keep your mom safe!”“Yes Dad!”The older sheep stepped out of the house to investigate the source of the fiery discharge. Just as Nash was about to take Felicia to a safe part of the house, the sounds of smashing glass clattered to the floor and an Egg Flapper emerged through the broken shards! Nash stood protectively in front of his mother as he prepared to do battle with the small flying machine. The Egg Flapper zoomed towards the young sheep who rushed forth to deliver an uppercut, but the Flapper swiftly evaded the swinging arm and circled around the teenager before exiting through the window. Nash and Felicia blinked owlishly. That’s it?No lasers? No bombs? No destruction? It just up and left?!Mother and son were rightfully confused… that was until the latter noticed his pocket feeling a bit empty of something important.“Oh no… The Chaos Emerald!!!” Nash’s voice loudly echoed through the house.Wallace sprinted through the forest of Neo Green Hill, leaves crunching underneath his boots repeatedly as he continued his trek towards the rising smoke. At the speed he was running, everything seemed like a blur to him until he heard the sounds of flames getting closer and closer. Upon reaching the end of the forest, the soldier stopped in his tracks to witness the beach in a state of ruin. [ Egg Cerberus/Egg Genesis - Sonic 06 ]Fire everywhere, trees knocked over and beach equipment broken into pieces. And at the centre of it all stood the thing responsible for it;An Egg Hammer!Wallace kissed his teeth. “Should’ve known that madman would send one of his Super Badniks to this place…!”The purple and red juggernaut of a robot raised its hammer with a loud beep and charged Wallace, having spotted the Mobian sheep exit from the forest. It slammed its spiked mallet on Wallace, but he backflipped to evade. He ran towards the Egg Hammer with acceleration in his feet, hitting its metal body with a rising uppercut and a spinning kick that sent the robot skidding across the sand with a surprising amount of strength. The Egg Hammer got back up, raising its hammer in front of itself to block an incoming punch from Wallace then force him away with a shove. The G.U.N Soldier tucked into a black wooly ball, bouncing harmlessly against the soft sand before rolling to a stop, uncurling in the process. Wallace’s eyes sharpened, performing a handstand with his knees bent and shooting his feet up to block an incoming strike from the Egg Hammer’s massive weapon that threatened to smash him into a pancake.The force of his double push-kick knocked the hammer high in the air, stunning the Egg Hammer long enough for Wallace to capitalize on its weakened state. Wallace struck the Egg Hammer with a haymaker to its steel hide, two kicks aimed at its purple foot to bring it to its knees then a flurry of rapid punches that caused dents in its armour. The Egg Hammer swiped its left hand to swat his attacker away, but Wallace reacted quickly and jumped in the air to dodge. Clasping his hands together, Wallace nailed the purple and red automaton with a Double Axe Handle. A large explosion of sand kicked up from the downed Egg Hammer impacting the ground, but Wallace wasn’t finished yet.Grabbing the Egg Hammer with his left hand, the sheep dad channeled his inner strength and willpower to his right arm which glowed with a blue energy. Turquoise vein-like lines crossing over the limb before covering it with a dark blue coating with a blue tint around it. Blue energy surged out in electric waves as Wallace reeled his right fist back and socked the Egg Hammer with a devastating right hook, sending it flying across the beach where it landed hard, its hammer hitting the sand right next to it!Wallace dusted his hands off before addressing the robot: “So, do you give up? Or do I have to beat some more respect into you!”The Egg Hammer sprang to its feet and just like its creator when things didn’t go his way, had a temper tantrum. Wildly swinging its arms and legs around with visible steam shooting out of its head. Wallace gazed at the childish reaction with a deadpan expression.Was he fighting a robot or disciplining a toddler?The Egg Hammer angrily reclaimed its weapon, spinning it around before slamming the queue on the sandy ground. With a mighty slam, an immense shockwave kicked up a lot of sand that blew Wallace up in the air. Then, in a surprising movement of speed, the Egg Hammer closed in on the airborne sheep and clubbed him hard with the face of its mallet, knocking the sheep to the ground. Wallace crashed through two trees before colliding with one more, sliding harmlessly to the ground with a groan. He looked up just in time to see the furious Egg Hammer lunge at him with its hammer swinging down at him. Wallace hopped to his feet, coating both fists in the same dark blue hardened armour as he raised his arms above his head in an X-motion to defend, generating a small shockwave from the collision. The army dad forced the Egg Hammer back by throwing his arms out, staggering the machine again, though this time; the Egg Hammer caught itself.It would not fall for the same trick twice. The angry hammer surged towards Wallace’s right side, but it was blocked by Wallace’s coated forearm. It swung again, going for the left but that was negated too. Wallace and the Egg Hammer clashed a few times before the two entered a power struggle of sorts: the Mobian sheep’s fists meeting the raging hammer swings of the Egg Hammer, both their arms blurring at insane speeds, kicking up a maelstrom of air.Meanwhile in the forest; the Egg Flapper flew high in the air with the yellow Chaos Emerald in its grasp. Following in hot pursuit was Nash, who had run after the flying drone to reclaim the jewel. “Get back here with that Chaos Emerald!” Nash barked angrily. “When I get my hands on you, I’m gonna– WHOA!!!”Nash was nearly blown away from the immense gust of wind rushing throughout the forest. He heard the sounds of combat further ahead as well as the familiar voice of his father’s screaming followed by metal being struck and a loud THOOM!!! The Egg Flapper flew off towards the location of the fight, forcing Nash to chase after it once more.Back to the beach, the Egg Hammer laid flat on the ground, the imprint of a fist dented into his purple armour as electricity surged around it. Wallace narrowed his eyes, he knew the machine was nearing its limits, but he still remained cautious in the event something happened. The shadow of the Egg Flapper caught his attention along with the glow of the yellow Chaos Emerald as it flew above him, lowering the Emerald towards the downed Super Badnik. Rustling leaves caused the soldier to turn to see his son, Nash running into view.“Nash! What are you doing out here!?” Wallace shouted. “I thought I told you to protect your mom!”Nash raised his hands up in defense. “I did! But the Egg Flapper didn’t attack Mom or me! It was after the Chaos Emerald!”“...What?!” Was all Wallace could let out before a surge of energy outputted behind him.Father and son stared in shock as the Egg Hammer sprang to life with a glowing electric aura of Chaos Energy, grabbing a hold of its hammer which was supercharged with the otherworldly force! It swung its hammer a few times before wielding its weapon with both hands.Wallace glanced at his son, knowing that he couldn’t look out for him and fight the Chaos-Enhanced Egg Hammer at the same time. So he proposed something:“Help me fight this Super Badnik, Nash! I don’t think I can take this one on my own!”“You for real, Dad?” Nash questioned, getting an affirming nod from his father.“Let’s take on this robot together! If you remember everything I taught you, you’ll be just fine! After all, you said you wanted to be a hero just like your dad and Sonic, right?” Wallace grinned confidently, having full faith in his son’s potential.The bovid teenager let out a small gasp, his eyes twinkling as a memory flashed through his mind.[ Pentagram - Black Clover ]
Ten Years Ago…
A much younger Nash, at the age of eight, was sitting on the couch next to Wallace with excited glee as his eyes were glued to the TV. On screen was a news report of Sonic doing battle with Dr. Eggman in the streets of Central City.
The hero and villain fought each other all across the streets with the news camera capturing everything. The young sheep boy’s eyes twinkled with delight at the spectacle, it felt like he was watching a superhero show or a movie! Sonic sped past multiple missiles fired from the doctor’s machine, launching himself at the mech to strike with a kick, rebounding off a wall to collide with it again.
The hedgehog hopped off a car to land a punch to the machine, spinning around a lamp post to land a Homing Attack. The news helicopter camera caught a bird’s eye view of Sonic absolutely blitzing Eggman’s flying machine, causing immense damage before he finished things with a Sonic Storm, destroying it as Eggman fled, cursing the hero’s name!
Nash tugged on his father’s shirt, pointing to the TV ecstatically. “Dad! Dad! Look! Look! Look! Did you see? Sonic just thrashed that machine!” “Hahahaha! I saw it, son. I saw.” Wallace laughed at his child’s enthusiasm. “You really admire Sonic, don’t you?”
“I do! At school, we were asked what we wanted to be when we grew up!”
“Oh? What do you want to be when you grow up, son?”
Nash gave a toothy grin as he pointed at his father. “When I grow up, I want to be a hero! Just like you, Dad! And just like Sonic the Hedgehog!” “That’s a big dream, Nash. Being a hero takes a lot of hard work and it isn’t easy. But, if you’re really dedicated and brave, you can become a strong hero. Can you do that, son?” Wallace questioned. “Yeah I can!” Nash answered quickly, swinging his arms excitedly. Wallace stared at his son for a moment, smiled and rubbed his head. “Alright, then I’ll support you in any way that I can.”
Present Day
Nash’s body became a blur as he rushed right by his father’s side, readying himself to fight the empowered Egg Hammer. “Right! Let’s do this, Dad!” Nash bravely declared.[ Fight! X - Mega Man X Command Mission ]The tension on the beach became suffocatingly thick as the combatants stared each other down for what seemed like an eternity…Then there was movement! The Chaos Egg Hammer slammed it's hammer on the ground, shooting a wave of Chaos Energy at the two male sheep who swiftly dodged it from both sides. As the wave exploded behind them, Nash and Wallace sprinted towards the large juggernaut side by side. The younger Mobian sheep performed a sliding kick towards the Egg Hammer’s feet to bring it to a knee, hopping behind it to punch it to the ground where it got a strong knee to the face by the older Mobian sheep.
CLANG!!!
The enhanced Egg Hammer thrusted the queue of the hammer into Nash’s torso, knocking the air out of his lungs. It then grabbed Wallace with its free hand and slammed him to the ground before batting the both of them away with its mallet. Wallace and Nash’s bodies bounced against the sand before they both recovered with a flip and roll respectively. Wallace rushed back into battle, evading a few heavy and swift swings from the hammer-wielding machine thanks to his danger sense. Parrying a hammer swing, Wallace clasped his hands together. Nash ran towards his father, his right foot stepping into the clasped hands as the latter launched his son high in the air. Nash soared at the Super Badnik, balling his hand into a fist and decking it in the face with all his strength.The Egg Hammer bleeped in pain, its glowing yellow eyes sparking bitterly with Chaos Energy as it fired lasers at the young black caprine.
BANG!!!!
“Keep your laser eyes off my son…” Before it could cook Nash with its Chaos Beams, Wallace struck the bulky bugger with a deadly uppercut, forcing its head upwards where yellow beams of light were fired into the sky. The robot was struck with two harsh blows from an angry Wallace, knocking it back as Nash landed on the ground safely.“Thanks, Dad!” Nash said, running towards the Egg Hammer.The teen delivered an open palm strike and a punch to the Egg Hammer’s torso, then performed a flash kick to its face. The Egg Hammer retaliated by using the queue part of its weapon to stab Nash into the ground, but Nash hopped onto the pole, dashing on it to jump over and perform an axe kick to bring the behemoth to the ground. Wallace landed a valorous haymaker to the robot’s face with his hardened blue fist. Streams of yellow chaotic energy were fired at the father and son, forcing them on the evasive as several explosions rang out on the beach. From the billowing black clouds, the enhanced Super Badnik conjured up a sphere of Chaos Energy in its hand, hurling it up and striking it like a baseball with its hammer. Nash and Wallace were taken aback by this and they were even more shocked when the sphere split into a cluster of energy balls!Both sheep weaved around the detonating energy balls, Wallace doing a far better job than Nash thanks to his ability to detect danger. The younger sheep, having no such ability, ran around like a headless chicken to avoid being incinerated by the explosions. As Nash caught his breath, one stray energy sphere descended towards him from behind. Wallace raised a hand to call out to his son as he ran towards him. Just as the deadly sphere came within range, Nash remembered something Sonic had told him:
“You also gotta remember to feel the environment around you, so that when something happens, you can react quicker than you usually do.”
Nash’s eyes narrowed, his legs pushing his body into the air to backflip away the energy ball in slow motion as it narrowly missed him and detonated on the sand, scorching it. The youthful bovid landed on his feet, surprised at what he just pulled off.“Wow…!” He let out. “I can’t believe that actually worked!”Wallace himself couldn’t believe his eyes. His offspring just predicted where that energy ball was coming and dodged it accordingly! He’d hug his son for such a feat, but he had to stow his pride away for now. The enemy needed to be brought down!“Stay focused, son!” Wallace yelled, “We still have to bring this Badnik down!”“Oh! Right!” Nash turned to the Egg Hammer, only to see a flash of light appear around it then disappear. “Where’d it go?!”The answer came in the form of a heavy swing that would’ve knocked Nash into next week had Wallace not tackled him out of range. Picking up his son, Wallace evaded the rapid slams of the Egg Hammer’s mallet before gaining some distance to set Nash to the ground. Charging up Chaos Energy in its hammer, the purple and red bot bashed the ground, sending a wave of energy at the Mobians. Wallace stepped forth, his right arm cloaked in blue hardened skin, punched the air with such force, he projected the strike into a blue shockwave. Both projectiles collide with each other, causing a green explosion to erupt on the beach. The Egg Hammer warped in front of Wallace and Nash, shooting lasers at them point blank! The two barely had any time to dodge as they were blown back by the yellow flame cloud! Wallace and Nash got to their feet as the Egg Hammer teleported once more. This time, the older of the two sheep sensed the immediate danger and caught the hammer mid-swing then decked the large mech a good feet away. The Egg Hammer caught itself by using its weapon to slow its fall before swinging it upwards, sending out another wave at its opponents.Wallace punched the ground, generating a blue energy wave as a barrier to block the yellow wave of Chaos Energy. The smoke cleared in front of them as the two sheep took a breather. ‘This isn’t looking good…!’ Wallace thought while sweating, ‘This Badnik isn’t simply attacking like a mindless machine. It’s learning, adapting and thinking… The Chaos Emerald in its possession not only enhanced its physical attributes, but also enhanced its processing power. If this keeps up…’ Wallace looked at Nash who nodded in agreement, they both were thinking the same thing: “We have to finish this Badnik off now! ”They took off in a burst of speed at the Egg Hammer, dodging and deflecting (on Wallace’s part) multiple lasers and energy balls along the way. Realizing they were closing in, the Egg Hammer swung the queue part of its weapon to knock them away, but both Mobians jumped to evade. Father and son clenched their fists to deal the juggernaut an executing blow as they rocketed towards its head.‘This is it!’ Wallace exclaimed in his thoughts. ‘One strike will end this Badnik for good!’ Nash chimed in mentally.This was the decisive move! Father and son were going to deliver the punch of a century! They were gonna triumph! They—
KA-THOOOOOOOM!!!!!!
An immensely powerful shockwave of Chaos Energy quaked the entirety of Neo Green Hill Village, disrupting electricity through the entire town! The Egg Hammer had channeled all the energy it had within its hammer and swung it towards the ground with such force, it kicked up a lot of wind and sand.It was as if Zeus himself had heeded the robot’s command and had given it the boost necessary to knock the two male sheep away. Speaking of them, Nash and Wallace were propelled several feet in the air, their bodies sparking with yellow Chaos Energy as they ragdolled across the ground in a daze.A small groan escaped Nash’s lips as he struggled to pull himself from the ground. He raised his head and felt his heart stop; his father was laid out on the ground, trying to drag his way to his son with two hands. The heavy footsteps of the Chaos Egg Hammer came to a stop in front of Wallace, its large shadow cast upon the older sheep as it raised its sparking hammer above its head.Nash tried to move his legs, his arms, anything to prevent the Egg Hammer from taking his father away from him! But the pain and fatigue toxins coursing through his body prevented such actions. Was this it? Was this truly how Nash and Wallace were going to go out?Losing their lives to a Chaos-enhanced Super Badnik?………
NO!
Nash slowly stood to his wobbling feet.He never was someone to back down or shy away from battle! Wallace always fought until the very end!Sonic always fought till the very end! They wouldn’t back down! They wouldn’t give up! They would never let people die! They would never let Eggman win!The Egg Hammer won’t win! Nash wouldn’t let him take his father away from him![ Haruka Mirai - Black Clover ]Nash felt a spark light up within him, an ethereal energy that answered his calls for strength needed to take down this threat. A faint orange aura appeared around his body like a lit flame, becoming more and more apparent as his locs waved in the air. Snapping his eyes open, Nash let out an empowered roar as the aura flared out into a furious inferno, kicking up a lot of wind!Wallace stared at the glowing orange light that his son was emitting, flabbergasted at the amount of power he was outputting. The Egg Hammer shared the same amount of surprise as the older sheep, this wasn’t anything its data hadn’t seen before!
Aimaina kotoba nanka ja nanihitotsu kanawanai
( Grey words can't make anything happen )Wasting no time, Nash ran at the Egg Hammer with such blistering speeds, Sonic himself would be impressed by it! He rocked the robot’s whole world with a kick to its stomach, an uppercut to its face, zipping behind to deliver an elbow strike to its back. The Egg Hammer spun around to smack Nash away with its hammer, but Nash parried the attack by projecting an orange energy shield in front of himself.
Wakatteru Wakatteru nda
( I know, yeah I know )Landing, Nash zoomed up to land a vicious knee to the Egg Hammer’s face then smacked it down to the sandy floor with a double hammer fist. The robotic hand latched out at Nash, grabbing him out of the air to slam him down hard against the ground, disorienting the young sheep.
Jūōmujin ni doko made mo habataketara na
( Wishing to fly freely across the sky )
Itsu no hi mo Yumemi teta
( I dreamed it all my life )Shaking his head, Nash freed himself from the Egg Hammer’s grasp, spear kicking its chest then ducking to pummel it with an uppercut then a Superman punch! The purple and red machine retaliated by striking Nash with the head of the hammer, knocking the wind out of his body. Nash, however, grabbed the head of the mallet and judo-threw it and the Egg Hammer further away from the beach. Nash was already on the Egg Hammer in an instant, landing a flying knee to its body, sliding under it to grab at its leg to trip it off balance then jump up to deliver a devastating Stomp attack on its back!
Soredemo ippo ippo Futashikana sekai demo
( Step by step I go, though it's a doubtful world )
Nando mo Taore tatte sō
( Don't care how much I fall )
Hon'nō no mama Akirame wa shinaikara Sā
( Instinct is my guide, I never give up )Forming an orange energy ball in his right hand, Nash hurled it at the sphere at the Egg Hammer, causing an explosion when it made contact. The young sheep evaded a hand swipe, counter attacking with a spin kick, followed by a three piece combo of right hooks and jabs to the juggernaut’s body, denting its steel armour. Stomping the ground with its large metal foot, the Egg Hammer stunned Nash long enough to thwack him with a Chaos-charged hammer swing. Nash grunted in pain, but performed several flips before skidding across the sand.
Harukamirai e Ima kakedashita nda
( To faraway future, I burst out running )Nash flipkicked a downward hammer strike from the Egg Hammer, threw out another energy ball to damage its face then air-dashed behind the robot to spinkick its metallic “ribs”, making it beep in pain.
Imada minu fuan sura subete koete
( Go beyond even the unseen fears )The young sheep continued his assault with several punches and kicks to the Egg Hammer, who tried in vain to block the majority of the attacks with its mallet. Even with the power of one Chaos Emerald, the Egg Hammer’s might paled in comparison to Nash’s Courage.
Ano hi egaita Boku ga boku de aru tame ni
( The vision I had, so I can be myself )As it was propelled away by a double palm strike from Nash, the Egg Hammer suffered more attacks for its sloppy attempts to fight back. When it tried to squash the teenager with its hammer, Nash grabbed it mid-swing, wrenched it out of the behemoth’s hands and beat it over the head with its own weapon!
Itsunohika pēji no tsudzuki egaku yo
( Someday I will write the next page )
Kimi to iu kibō to iu
( You are my hope )Nash threw the hammer into the ocean with a splash, glaring at the Egg Hammer as its body began to spark and break down from the amount of injuries it had sustained through its battle with Nash and Wallace. It was time to end this!Nash’s orange energy flared out in a flame around, his right eye releasing flame-like trails as he balled his right hand into a fist, gathering all the energy around it for one final attack.
Marude itsuka no 1 pēji no yōna
( Like that page from someday )
Kimitoboku ga deaeta
( I was able to meet you )
Kore o kiseki tte yobou ka
( I call this a miracle )Nash’s body vanished from where he stood, kicking up sand in the process. The Egg Hammer’s eyes glowed to fire one last attack at the sheep, but its eyes cracked, causing the light to dim. This small window of luck was all that was needed for Nash to power-punch the Egg Hammer in the torso, burrowing a hole through its chest and blasting the yellow Chaos Emerald out of it! Electric sparks shot out from the defeated Egg Hammer, beams of light shooting out of it before it died in an explosion. Nash panted heavily, the orange glow around him fading away, but he had done it. He had won.“...What was that just now?” Nash asked himself, looking at his hands in awe.Three yellow lines appeared beside his head, perking up as he remembered something: His dad!The younger sheep sprinted back to Wallace, who was back on his feet, dusting the sand off himself. He saw his son approach him with a perturbed step.“Are you okay, Dad?!” Nash inquired with a worried tone.“I’ll be fine, son.” Wallace reassured, he then looked down at his son and asked him. “Though, what was that power you just tapped into?”Pondering, Nash shrugged his shoulders. “I… don’t know? In all honesty, I was more focused on saving you from certain death.”“What about the Chaos Emerald?” Upon the mention of the sparkling gem, Nash’s eyes turned into blank white circles, small white bubbles appearing around his head as he panicked.“Oh crap! I think I must’ve sent it flying somewhere when I punched that Egg Hammer! We gotta find it!”Wallace placed a calming hand on son’s shoulder. “Forget about the Emerald, Nash. The important thing is that we’re both safe and we took down the Egg Hammer. Now, let’s head back home. I’m sure your mother is worried sick about both of us being out.”“Okay, Dad.”Nash and Wallace walked away from the ruined beach, exhausted from today’s battle. Though, Wallace couldn’t help but think to himself. Just what was that power his son used against that Egg Hammer?In another section of Neo Green Hill’s forest, the Egg Flapper floated away with the Yellow Chaos Emerald in its grasp. Space distorted then tore open a yellow portal as a figure hopped out of it. They were a white and grey Mobian platypus male with a comb-over hairstyle. A pair of orange pince-nez glasses sat in front of a pair of calculating red eyes. The male platypus dressed in a dapper attire consisting of a purple satin shirt and slacks, a red-violet vest and a pair of brown, red-violet and golden boots. The Egg Flapper floated towards the smartly-dressed semi-aquatic man with the yellow Chaos Emerald.“Ah! So that’s where the fabled gem landed.” He spoke in a calm, gentlemanly voice. He smiled at the orange drone. “Splendid work, little Flapper! That makes four of the seven Chaos Emeralds.”The Mobian platypus opened a case to reveal three other Chaos Emeralds inside; he placed the yellow one with its brothers before closing the case.“Come, we must search for the remaining three. Then… We’ll search for the Doctor.”The Egg Flapper beeped in response as it and the mysterious platypus headed towards the portal as it closed behind them.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
9:50 AM
G.U.N Headquarters
[ Strategy - Sonic Adventure 2 ]Large holographic screens beamed to life in the centre of the room, the many lights drew the attention of a pair of stern heterochromic eyes. On one screen to their left was a city overrun with Badniks that were quickly destroyed by a familiar blue streak. A holo-screen to their right showed a large mass of Egg Fleets flying in the sky as two blue figures did battle on top of one of the airships. Lastly, the big screen in the middle showed a climactic battle against a large blue robot monster and the Resistance on a floating island in the sky. The stern eyes focused on the monstrous machine for a moment, his gloved right hand unconsciously gripping his left wrist with slight indignation. The doors behind him shifted open as two individuals stepped into the room. One was a human woman with short sandy brown hair, violet eyes, peach skin and a slim yet athletic figure. She wore the standard navy uniform most G.U.N soldiers wore around the base, though wore blue earrings and pink lipstick. The other was a Mobian rabbit woman who was tall and slim. She had forest green fur with two large tufts on her head and hair that was arranged in a ponytail at the back. She had a white fluffy muzzle, blue eyeshadow and yellow orbs. Just like the human, the rabbit woman was adorned in a similar uniform but fitted for a Mobian. The two women saluted their superior, “Commander Tower, sir!”“At ease, Agent Topaz . Lieutenant Clover.” Tower acknowledged as the women lowered their arms. “What’s the status of the Badnik attacks?” He questioned.“The Badnik attacks have been slowing down in the past two weeks, sir.” Topaz briefed. “From what we gathered, it was an organised attack set by Eggman… Or at least, what we thought was Eggman.”“From what we gathered from the surveillance footage, Metal Sonic was the one running Eggman’s operation until he was stopped by Sonic and the Resistance on Angel Island, sir.” Clover added. “Then where was the real Eggman?” Commander Tower asks with a raised eyebrow.“He was located at Windmill Village by the Chaotix, sir. His battle with Sonic during the War caused him to lose his memories and become ‘Mr. Tinker’. Agents Shadow and Rouge informed us that Eggman wasn't as much of a threat as Mr Tinker, but told us they’d keep an eye on him if anything were to happen.”The G.U.N official stroked his chin thoughtfully as he took in this information. The defeat of G.U.N during the start of the Eggman War was still fresh in the aged man’s mind. Dr. Ivo Robotnik had always been an unpredictable yet threatening foe, given his various crimes against the people of Mobius. But the six month war proved that the mad scientist was willing to resort to drastic measures in order to get what he wanted; total domination of the entire world. Tower glanced up at the two women, “I see. I’m thankful that Sonic and the Resistance were able to clear the majority of Badniks and defeat Metal before he could become a greater threat. Speaking of badniks; I heard Neo Green Hill Village was attacked by an Egg Hammer. Are Sargent Wallace and his family okay?”“Sargent Wallace is fine, sir.” The forest green rabbit chimed in. “He called me a week ago and assured us that the Super Badnik had been dealt with and his family were safe.”“Good, good.” Came the response from the G.U.N Commander.“Will that be all, sir?” Topaz followed up with a question.An affirmative nod was the response from her superior. “Yes, Agent Topaz. You and Lieutenant Clover are dismissed. Though, you two keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Things may be peaceful for now, but I have a feeling something dire will fall upon us…”Saluting once more, the G.U.N Soldiers nodded before turning around and exiting the room, leaving Abraham alone with his thoughts as he stared back at the holo screens.
10:10 AM
Neo Green Hill Village
POW!!!
Nash skid across the ground with his arms crossed in a defensive stance. He looked through the opening of his limbs to see Wallace rushing in quickly with a side-kick to the ribs. Nash’s hands smacked away the swinging leg, then lurched forward to palm strike his father’s face. Wallace tilted his body to the left, swinging his fists towards Nash’s stomach that the teenager blocked with his palms before he jumped up and kicked his dad in the chest with both legs. Wallace slid across the grass, collecting himself for a moment then jumped in the air to land a Superman punch on Nash. On his feet in seconds, Nash dashed away at a certain feet as his father’s fist impacted the ground, blowing away some grass blades in the process. Now it was Nash’s turn to attack - the teen’s body became a blur of black and brown, closing the distance on Wallace immediately. Nash threw several punches towards Wallace who caught and parried every single strike in his open palms before he raised his right forearm to block a swinging kick from his son. [ Blazing Outsiders - Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 ]“That’s enough sparring for now, son.” The older sheep says as the two relax their muscles. “I’m seeing a lot of improvement in you from the past two weeks. I’m proud of you, kiddo!”Nash flashed a toothy grin. “Thanks Dad!” He then looked down at his hands in slight thought. “If only I could’ve tapped into that power again for our spar today like I did against that Egg Hammer, then our training could be more serious.”Wallace silently agreed with a nod. Ever since that day, Nash had been trying to reawaken that strange energy that had enabled him to beat the Super Badnik. While the young sheep had experienced a boost in physicalities, the ethereal aura had remained dormant with seemingly no signs of returning.“It’s best not to force it out, son. That power of yours will come naturally whenever it’s needed and ready.” Wallace advised. “But when you awakened your power for the first time, what was it like?”Nash tapped his foot on the grass, rubbing his chin in deep thought at the question. “Hmmm…” He snapped his fingers once an answer came to mind. “Oh I got it! It felt like a small flame that suddenly erupted into a mighty inferno!”Uproarious hearty laughter bellowed from Wallace’s throat. “That’s a pretty interesting way to describe the awakening of your powers, Nash! Hahahahahaha!”“Alright, let’s expand on that analogy for your powers. The flame itself is small for now because it doesn’t have anything to keep it alight, but when more wood is added to the fire, it will gradually get bigger and bigger. Once you have control over that fire, you’ll be able to wield it as your own.”“So in order for my powers to fully awaken, I have to find the wood to light my fire, per say?” Nash inquired with a raised eyebrow.“Exactly. The battle with the Super Badnik showed that you’ve got potential. You just have to harness that latent power within you! It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it in the long run!” The young sheep stared at his father for a moment in awe then nodded in determination.“Alright, we’ll pick up our training tomorrow. It’s time for me to head to work.” Wallace turned to walk towards the back door of their house.“Hey, Dad!” Nash’s sudden outcry grabbed his father’s attention. “I uh… wanted to tell you that I’m heading into Emeraldville today.”“Why?”“To help out the new group called The Restoration .” The young sheep answered. “I was reading up on the recent online article on the Mobius News Network about how the Resistance disbanded after the battle against Metal Sonic and how the Restoration is helping with rebuilding homes, giving people shelters and resources after the Eggman War and Badnik attacks. And I was wondering if you could drive me there while you’re heading to work.”Wallace crossed his arms with a look of skepticism. “Hmmm… I don’t know, son. While you have gotten stronger, you are still young. We don’t know if the Restoration will be like the defunct Resistance where they’ll be sending you into battle Badniks or something else if Eggman happens to spring another attack.”Nash raised a finger as he opened his mouth…“And yes, I know you battled that Egg Hammer with me. But that was because it was empowered by the Chaos Emerald and you were able to beat it after you had awakened your powers. You’re still inexperienced at harnessing it at will.”… only to lower his finger and close his mouth. “Look I know you want to get out there and help out, but you’re just not ready yet, Nash.” Wallace finished. “Dad… I know you’re trying to protect me from whatever crazy scheme Eggman will cook up, but I can’t keep staying here in the village forever. I won’t be able to learn much if I’m cooped up here just waiting for you to return home.” Reasoned the dread headed young sheep. “After all, didn’t you tell me that the best way to get experience is to be out on the field?”The older sheep recoiled a bit then rolled his head to the side as he stroked his stubbly muzzle in thought. His son made a very compelling argument for his case and he was right in a way. Wallace wouldn’t always be there to protect Nash from harm and the Restoration could give him the learning experience needed for the future. Plus, Nash would be around people his age so that was a bonus too. “Mmmm… alright. I’ll let you go to the Restoration to help out.” Wallace relented, but pointed a stern finger at his son. “But when you get there, you listen to whoever’s in charge there. Got that?”“Crystal, Dad!” Nash answered with a smile.The soldier patted his child on the back. “Good man! Now, let’s go!”
10:45 AM
Emeraldville - Restoration HQ
A silver-grey mini SUV pulled up on the side of the pavement. Nash looked out from the passenger side window at the Restoration HQ, a three story building that was red, brown and grey in colour and a bit run down, likely from the six month war to take back Mobius from Eggman’s gloved clutches. “You sure this is the place, Nash?” Wallace gave a questioning look to Nash. “This building looks more rundown than Eggman’s old bases.”“Positive, Dad!” Nash confirms as he points to the building. “This is where the Resistance took shelter when the War happened. The Restoration is using that exact same building for the rebuilding efforts.”“I see. Well son, I’ll see you after work. I’ll pick you up after my shift is over.”“Cool! Have a good time at work, Dad! Love you!”“I love you too, kiddo!”The two gave a quick goodbye hug as Nash exited the vehicle and shut the door behind him. Wallace pulled away from the pavement, driving the SUV to his workplace. Nash stared up at the building, feeling butterflies fly around in his stomach as his hands trembled some. First day jitters were hitting hard, especially since there was a member of the defunct Resistance behind those doors. Nash took a breath to calm himself and walked up to the metal gate. The gate scanned him for a moment before they parted, allowing the sheep entrance into the building. The moment he entered, the young sheep was greeted with a rather hard working environment. [ Living With Determination - Persona 3 Reload ]Restoration members were all across the main floor carrying boxes, talking amongst one another or helping the unfortunate with their current situation. Mobians of all ages were either sitting by tables, huddled up in the corner with a blanket covering their bodies or doing something to pass the time.Nash slowly walked through the main floor, looking around at the amount of people within the building. His brown eyes noticed a pink hedgehog in a red and white dress, gold bracelets, red and white boots that he recognised as Amy Rose talking with a disgruntled male dog Mobian wearing rugged clothes and a cap. From what Nash could pick up on the scarred man’s mumbling and twitchy movements, he heard words such as “Eggman”, “War” and other sayings he couldn’t quite pick up. Amy noticed Nash approaching then looked back at the poor pooch. “I know, I know. Just take deep breaths and I’ll be back soon, Mr. Salyers.” Mr. Salyers mumbled an ‘okay’ as he stepped away while rubbing his arms, allowing the pink hedgehog to meet Nash face to face.“Hello there!” She greeted Nash warmly with a smile, extending her arm for a handshake. “I take it you’re here to help out with the rebuilding efforts?”Nash clasped her hand with his and shook once. “Yeah, I am! I’m Nash! It’s nice to meet you, Miss Rose.”“Nice to meet you too, Nash. And please, just call me Amy.” “Alright. So uh… what can I do to help out here?”“Well…” Amy began as she glanced around. “Why not start by getting yourself familiar with the Restoration. Get comfortable and meet a few people.”The pink hedgehog picked up a box filled with all sorts of edibles and drinks, handing them over to Nash. “You know, everyone here could do with some refreshments. Just hand these out to everyone and while I take care of stuff in the office, is that alright?” “That’s… fine.” Nash wearily watched Mr. Salyers walk by and make bizarre movements with his body. “Oh, don’t mind Mr. Salyers, Nash. He doesn’t bite. Much.” Amy joked with a giggle before walking off. “...Are you sure about that?” The dread headed sheep inquired hesitantly.Giving the mentally ill hound some space, Nash got to work on his task. He walked around the HQ, asking people if they wanted any refreshments, some of which accepted either a bottle of water or a sandwich to tide them over before more food would arrive. Nash approached an Osprey Mobian boy his age. Their eyes glued to their handheld gaming console as they played without a care in the world.“Would you like a drink or something to eat?” Nash offered.“Apple juice is fine, thanks.” The Osprey replied while not taking his eyes off the screen.Nash pulled out the beverage from the box and placed it next to the gamer. He peered over the Osprey’s shoulder.“What are you playing?” The black sheep asked.“ Wild Hunters .” The bird teen replied. “I’m a little bit stuck on the Crag Canyon level because of those damn clouds and I’m trying to find those treasure chests.”“Oh, I’ve played that game before! Would you like some help?”“...I don’t see why not?”“First off, you can get rid of the clouds with the Whirl Talisman that you can buy from the shop or obtain in this level. Grab an enemy with your tail while you have the Whirl Talisman, then use your Tornado Spin or Aerial Bomber to blow away the clouds. That’s also how you’ll be able to find the hidden treasure chests located in the level.” Nash explained.The gaming Osprey did as Nash instructed, his eyes widening in surprise at the results.“It works…! Nice one, man!” The Mobian bird gave a grateful thumbs up as he focused on his game. “Gonna get me some hidden treasures now!”The young bovid male smiled back, allowing the kid to play his video game. “Excuse me, young man!” A female voice called out.Nash turned his head to an elderly Mobian bear woman waving him over. He wandered over to her with the box in hand.“Hello ma’am, anything I can help you out with?” He asks politely. “Yes please. Can you show me how to send this to my daughter?” The old bear showed Nash her smartphone which had an image of the Restoration building and a link below it. “A friend of mine sent it over to me and I’m trying to figure out how to do that.”“Sure! I can help with that!” Nash smiled. “I’ll show you step by step how to do this.”For the next minute, the wooly teenager showed the elderly bear woman how to send the Restoration Building link to her daughter on the smartphone. Nash handed the phone back to the woman who took it back with a warm smile.“Thank you, young man. I’m still trying to get used to this new smartphone my daughter got me for my birthday.”“You’re welcome, ma’am!” Nash beamed before gesturing to the box of edibles, “Would you like any refreshments, by the way?”“A sandwich and a bottle of water please, thank you.” The elderly bear answered, taking them from the box. “If you don’t mind me asking, ma’am. Why were you sending a link about the Restoration to your daughter?” Nash questioned.“To let her know where I am until she can get a room sorted for me at her house, dear.” The aged ursine woman stated. “Due to the dreadful war that occurred six months past, I unfortunately had my house in disrepair, so I’m staying here for the time being until my home is repaired or my daughter and I can find a new place for me to live.”The young sheep gave a sympathetic frown to the kind old lady. The frown only became longer when his brown eyes darted around at the other misfortunate people who were at the Restoration HQ due to the repercussions of the Eggman War. Homes were destroyed, lives were taken and people are suffering mentally and emotionally.And Nash knew exactly how all these people felt…“I’m really sorry about your current situation, ma’am...” Nash consoled. “It’s alright, darling.” The bear woman replied with a grandmotherly tone and smile, “I’m in no rush to leave the Restoration anytime soon. The world may seem a bit bleak for now, but we should always have faith in Sonic and the Restoration to make things better.”Nash nodded in agreement. “Right.”Waving goodbye to the old woman, Nash walked away to hand out more refreshments for people in the Restoration. But the moment he turned to face in front of him, he collided into someone holding a stack of papers, causing a mess of sandwiches, fruits and drinks to fall out of the box he was holding. The shower of papers gently fluttered to the floor as Nash and the person carrying them fell to the floor. Nash groaned, rubbing the back of his head. “Ugh… Crap…! Sorry about that! I really wasn’t looking where I was goin-” He glanced up at the person mid-apology then felt his breath hitch.Staring back at him was a beautiful Mobian Sheep girl his age. Her entire wool was snow white, a light tan muzzle with a salmon coloured nose, diamond blue eyes with light powder blue sclera and two eyelashes on each of her eyes. Unlike Nash, who had no horns on his head, the sheep girl had two black pointy and stubby ones on the top of her head, droopy medium-long ears with light tan canals and black stubs on her fingertips. A large tuft of hair sat on her forehead while the rest of her hair was segmented into four buns, held together by black hairbands. Her clothing consisted of an orange long-sleeved dress with a collar under a green long-sleeved shirt, pearl earrings, white gloves and lilac and white shoes.“Uhh… Sorry about that…!” The two sheep awkwardly said in unison before quietly looking away.Nash and the cloudy white sheep girl silently picked up their respective items from the ground, doing it as quickly as possible given the amount of eyes that were on them right now. The two then stood up, Nash with his box in hand and the sheep girl with her stacks of paper.“Sorry for bumping into like that, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” The dread-headed sheep muttered apologetically. “N-No, it’s fine. I couldn’t see with these stacks of paper obscuring my vision.” The bovid girl replied, equally as remorseful. “My name is Lanolin. What’s your name?”“I’m Nash. It’s nice to meet you, Lanolin.” The two teens gave an awkward smile to each other then went their separate ways. As they were walking away, Nash lowered his head in shame while Lanolin hid her bright red face behind the stacks of paper she was carrying. ‘Great going, Nash! You’ve made an idiot out of yourself in front of the Restoration…! ’ He internally chastised himself.‘Oh Chaos… Why did I have to embarrass myself around so many people…?!’ Lanolin mentally berated.
12:00 AM
Frozen Peak
[ White Acropolis (Snowy Peak) - Sonic 06 ]Meanwhile on the chilly mountains of Frozen Peak, the blue hero of Mobius trudged through the snow alongside another companion of his that was following close behind. He was a young hedgehog with silver-coloured fur, peach skin on his muzzle and inner ears, golden yellow eyes with black patterns on the edges. He had five spines pointing flaring up on his forehead and two large ones on the back of his head.Silver the Hedgehog, a psychic hero from the future, had informed Sonic about some suspicious activity on the top of the mountains by a mysterious benefactor. Smelling something rotten about this, Sonic and Silver hiked up the mountain to investigate, properly donning some much warmer outfits for the climb. While Sonic could brave the colder elements with his regular clothes, he donned a red and white winter jacket with a white scarf around his neck, black trousers and modified versions of his iconic red sneakers that were suitable for the cool climate. He also wore some winter goggles on top of his head.As for Silver, he wore a black jumper with aqua lines around the torso, sleeves and cuffs, a cyan wooly hat, dark blue trousers and his regular boots. “You’re sure this is the way?” Sonic asked, shielding his face from the snowy winds.Silver nodded, hoping his jumper would keep him warm. “This is where the guy told me to go.”“I mean, I know this seems sketchy. Random guy appears, tells me about an Eggman Base, and then just vanishes, but…”“Nah, it’s cool. It matches up with what Tails experienced the other day. And right now, we need any lead we can get.” Sonic stated.As the two reached the top of the mountain, Sonic and Silver noticed the base drenched in snow and quickly took cover behind a dead tree log to avoid being spotted out in the open. Both hedgehogs quietly raised their heads over their hiding spot to get a better look at what they were seeing.“ Yo! Look up ahead! ” Sonic whispered to Silver. “ Looks like they’re clearing out the base… ” Silver noted as each Badnik carried a metal crate into a gateway to… somewhere. Silver then gave a smirk towards the Blue Blur, “ ...And it looks like my lead was right. ”Sonic returned Silver’s smirk with a half-hearted snarky retort. “ Uh-huh. And when does it blow up in our faces? ” “Seems that they’re trying to get rid of evidence. Let’s hit ‘em fast before they–!”
WHOOSH!!!!
A shiny blue blur zoomed past Sonic and Silver when they attempted to vault over the log, causing them to faceplant into the snow. The blur circled back to where the two heroes were, revealing it to be none other than Metal Sonic! Sonic pulled his face from the snow to give his old rival his usual grins. “Oh. Hey, Metal. You’re fully repaired, huh?”Before Silver could even react, he felt Metal’s cold hand grab his boot. The robotic copy spun his torso around so fast, it was like he had become a miniature gravitron. Silver’s whole world twisted around him as he tried in vain to free himself from Metal’s strong grip, but the moment the blue machine let him go, Silver was sent flying into the distance.
“AAAAAAAAAAAYIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeee….!”
With the psychic hero out of the way, Metal Sonic turned his attention towards his true opponent. The two rivals stared for a moment, green confident eyes meeting cold red ones before the two charged at one another. “So who fixed you up? Tinker? Or Eggman?” Sonic questioned, nailing Metal Sonic with a punch to his “cheekbone”.Metal retaliated by swiping his sharp claws as Sonic, who dodged swiftly, only getting some of his quills cut off. Sonic rubbed the top of his quills. “Oh. Right. You can’t talk as plain old vanilla Metal Sonic. Was that the real reason you went back to being Neo Metal Sonic?”Metal sweeped his leg out to trip up the hero, but it was easily dodged as Sonic went in for an axe kick. The robotic duplicate weaved out of the range, staring daggers at Sonic who merely had his hands behind his back with a laid back expression. “So, can you do more than “beep-boop”? Because this is a major downgrade.” The Fastest Thing Alive teased.“Are you here to talk or are you here to fight?” Metal retorted with an annoyed tone, surprising Sonic at the sudden speech from the normally quiet killing machine.“Oh, so you can talk! That’s an improvement! And here I was thinkin’ you were gonna give me the silent treatment this whole fight.” Sonic quick-stepped behind the killing machine to avoid another claw swiper. “I mean, if the doc didn’t want you to get distracted by battle banter…”A cyan field of psychic energy surrounded Metal Sonic’s person, levitating him in the air. Silver had returned from his impromptu flight on the Metal Gravitron to exact some much needed revenge. “...It didn’t really work.” The Blue Blur smirked cockily, giving Silver a thumbs up. “Nice catch, Silver. You okay?”Silver nodded. “I’ll hold Metal, you go into the base and–”
VOIP!!!
Suddenly, a red portal opened up below Metal Sonic, swallowing him up and dispelling Silver’s psychokinetic hold. Sonic and Silver were stunned for a second before they heard boots crunching the snow behind them. They snapped their heads to see Metal Sonic dropping out from another portal and landing next to the sharply-dressed white and grey Mobian platypus.[ Strained Event - Sonic Rush ]“Gentleman.” He greeted, a condescending smile on his black beak.Silver’s eyes flashed in recollection upon seeing the platypus. “What the… That’s the guy! That’s my informant!”“Looks like he’s controlling that wormhole. The same kind that grabbed Rough and Tumble.” Sonic assessed before yelling at the suave semi-aquatic mammal, “Alright! I’ve got a bunch of questions, and I’m willing to bet you’re the answer to a lot of them!”“Very astute. I am Doctor Starline, and I am indeed the one behind your present concerns.” The platypus gave an introductory bow to the heroes. “And why’s that?”“I wanted to meet you - experience you - for myself.”Starline gave a maddening smile that unsettled both Sonic and Silver. “The Blue Blur! The hero across time and space! The only being alive to be able to stand up to the overwhelming might and brilliance of Dr. Eggman through sheer skill alone!”“Can I measure up? Can I complete my objective with you in my way? Everything about this encounter has been constructed to be the ultimate test of our abilities and willpower!”During this crazed tirade, Sonic gave Silver an annoyed questioning look. This was his informant? A nutty platypus who was a massive fan of his lifelong arch nemesis?The psychic hedgehog held up his hands with a creeped out expression. “He did not sound this creepy or crazy when I talked to him!” Exasperated, Silver rubbed the back of his quills as the Blue Wind addressed Starline once more. “At least you’re giving me straight answers. I’ll assume you busted Rough and Tumble out of jail with your sky-holes. So tell me this: what did you do with Mr. Tinker?”“That pale shadow of the Doctor no longer exists.” Starline sinisterly uttered. “I’ve seen to it that Dr. Eggman has been restored!”
—
Dr. Eggman’s Secret Lab
“Hmm… the Metal Virus’ progression is steady, but slow.” Eggman examined the small Ricky animal that was covered in liquid bronze metal. He paced around the room. “A self-recruiting army is a nice idea, but it won’t spread far at this rate.”“Total saturation works fine, but there’s no way I can soak the whole planet in my Metal Virus. I wonder if repeated exposure would accelerate things…?”The small squirrel watched Eggman walk away nervously, allowing it a bit of reprieve. That small moment of peace was shattered when a shadow was cast over it, forcing the Ricky to look up in confusion. That confusion turned to panic as it attempted to flee the confines of its red, glass prison. The rotund mad scientist had returned to torment the poor creature with a Pocky that was fully infected with the Metal Virus. “Boop! ” He cackled evilly, repeatedly exposing the squirrel to the infected rabbit. “ Boop! Boop! Boop!”The effects were instantaneous as the unfortunate Ricky’s infection had progressed to the point it had become a bronze, red eyed version of itself. Eggman flashed his teeth in a cruel evil smile, laughter escaping his throat at his hypothesis being correct.“Eureka! The greater the exposure, the more rapid the effect! A mob of my infected minions will be able to convert new victims in no time!” Tossing the infected Pocky in with the Ricky, Eggman walked away to his computer. “All I need to do is administer the Metal Virus in a few locations, and the rest will take care of itself!”
—
[ Vs. Character - Sonic 06 ]Sonic wasted no time racing around the mountain towards Dr. Starline, his modified sneakers allowing him traction within the deep snow. Starline and Metal Sonic watched Sonic speed up toward them, the former looking on in intrigue.“Interesting… Normally, it would be difficult for you to build up your trademark speed in deep snow due to not having enough traction.” The red-eyed platypus mused, “But those snow boots of yours allow you to bypass that little weakness… I do wonder who created those shoes for you.”Starline looked towards Metal Sonic, whose thrusters activated to meet Sonic half way just before the hero could attack the platypus. Metal tackled his organic copy, ramming him into some trees. Silver hovered in the air, covering himself in psychic energy. “Sonic, move! I’ll get him!”A swift updraft kick from the blue robotic hedgehog prevented that from happening as Sonic collided into the psychic hero. Sonic latched onto Silver’s boot as he rubbed his ribs to soothe them.“He’s too fast for you to focus on!” Sonic pointed out.“Then I won’t grab him!”Focusing, Silver channeled his powers to form an aqua green dome around Metal Sonic then paid the faker back by tossing him far into the distance! Dr. Starline grimaced with anger, turning back to the heroes who were now closing in on him fast.“You fools! That was a high-quality piece of Eggman technology!” He growled.“And it comes with a complimentary high-quality butt-kicking!” Quipped the Blue Blur as he and Silver came in to nail the sharply-dressed semi-aquatic mammal.Starline’s expression of rage turned to smug confidence as he raised his left hand up, the yellow gem on his glove glowing in power as space distorted then tore open a portal. Sonic and Silver’s eyes shot open in surprise as they suddenly fell through the portal and straight into deep snow on the other side. Sonic curled up into a spin dash and charged towards Starline with a Homing Attack……Only to fly through another portal that was opened by Starline, who had the gall to disrespect Sonic by yawning as he did so.The Speed Demon looked down to see he was on the other side of the mountain! With no ground to stand on, gravity affected his body as he descended rapidly towards the ground below. Silver immediately jumped into the portal after Sonic to save him, the distortion closing the moment he entered. Metal Sonic landed by Starline, who acknowledged his presence with a content smile. “Welcome back. We’re almost done here.”Meanwhile, Silver flew down the mountain at breakneck speeds after Sonic, pushing his psychokinetic flight as much as he could. Once he was in grabbing distance, he grabbed Sonic with his psychic energy, saving him from falling to his doom. “Gotcha!”“ *whew!* Thanks!” “You’re welcome. But… where are we now?” Silver asked, allowing Sonic to land on the ground safely.“Going by the slope of the peak, it looks like we’re on the opposite side of the mountain.” Sonic deduced, “He must’ve scouted out the whole mountain beforehand.”The Blue Blur’s feet revved up in a figure-eight as he pulled a move from his Classic Days: The Super Peel Out!“Grab on. I’ll get us back there!”Silver latched onto Sonic with his aqua green aura. “Wouldn’t it be faster if I flew us over?”With a “WHOO!!!” ; Sonic kicked up snow as he sped off, dragging Silver along with him for a ride back up the mountain.“Nope! This is faster! Much faster!” Silver laughed joyously.Back with Dr. Starline and Metal Sonic, they were just about ready to head back to Eggman’s laboratory after sorting out everything in the abandoned base. Starline used his Warp Topaz to open a gateway back to the lab, turning to Metal Sonic who had just finished guarding a caravan.“Is everything set up?” He asked, getting an affirmative nod from Metal, “Excellent. Thank you for keeping the Badnik caravan safe. You go first. I’ll give them one last second to catch up.”Metal Sonic walked through the portal as Starline stopped to look back if Sonic and Silver would return. True to his word, the platypus waited for a second before breathing out of his nostrils in slight dissatisfaction. “...No? How disappointing.”
WHAM!!!
Unfortunately for Starline, that one second was all Sonic needed to ram into his torso with a mighty Spin Dash, forcing his lungs to vacate any air that was inside. Landing hard against the soft white snow, Starline let out a groan before he was face to face with the Hero of Mobius’ signature cocky grin.“Miss me?” Sonic asked rhetorically.Starline wheezed out a nervous chuckle. “Haha! How–? You were–?”“Fastest Thing Alive, remember? Eggman details. Spill ‘em.”“Everything’s been secured in the vault! Straight to the back wall! Access Code; 2-6-6-2!” “I’ve got it! You just keep him down, Sonic!” Silver says, flying into the entrance of the Egg Base.Sonic nodded, turning his attention back to Starline. “I want to hear it from you , fanboy. Where is Eggman? What are you two planning?”“E-Eggman isn’t here! He’s planning something breathtaking!” The platypus replied, his eyes narrowed as his mouth turned into a nefarious smile. And I’m planning on planting explosives inside a vault, then giving your friend the detonation code.”Sonic felt his quills frizzle a bit, snapping his head to the entrance of the base. “Silver, WAIT!!!”Without hesitation, the Blue Blur threw Starline aside and rushed into the entrance after the psychic hedgehog. The second he did though–
KA-BOOM!!!!
A large explosion rang out from inside the base, shaking the mountain with its thunderous noise! Starline shielded himself from detonation, lowering his hand and looking back to see billowing black smoke rising from the entryway. The platypus couldn’t believe it…He did it… He did something that Eggman has been doing for years…!He’d actually done it! He killed Mobius’ Champion!Starline raised his fist in the air with triumphant glee. “WOO-HOO-HOO! I did it! I can’t believe it was that easy! How spectacular! I hope the Doctor saw that!”Eggman’s arm peered out from the open portal and gripped Starline by his throat, eliciting a squeak befitting that of his species as his eyes bulged out cartoonishly before being dragged into the portal. Little did Starline know, killing Sonic the Hedgehog was a far harder task than anyone expected.Inside the destroyed Egg Base, the smoke parted way to reveal Sonic and Silver were alive and well, thanks to the latter erecting a barrier around them just as the explosion occurred. The platinum hedgehog focused as hard as he could, pushing his psychic energy to its limits. Sonic smiled gratefully. “Wow. Way to go, Silver!”“Th-That’s… two… you owe me…” Silver grunted weakly before collapsing in exhaustion, dispelling the barrier around them.The last thing he heard before blacking out was Sonic calling his name.[ The Base - Sonic Adventure 2 ]
1:05 PM
Restoration HQ
An hour and five minutes later, Silver groggily regained consciousness after expending so much energy. By his bedside were Sonic and Amy, who were waiting with baited breath for him to wake up, expressing relief when he did awaken. The fortune-teller remembered it all so vividly, seeing Sonic race into her office carrying an unconscious Silver on his back and letting him into a room to rest and recover. Then Sonic debriefed her on everything the two had learned while investigating the Egg Base in Frozen Peak. Badniks emptying the base full of crates, the battle between Metal Sonic and Starline, as well as the fact that Dr. Eggman was back, gathering up allies and preparing something devious once more.Needless to say, all of this had Amy Rose shocked and horrified.They left Silver in the room to rest and recover, letting him know that other members of the Restoration will provide him aid if he needs it. “This is bad! Eggman is back, he’s gathering allies, and we have no idea what his plan is!” Amy exclaimed worriedly as she walked to a laptop, “Mobius has barely begun rebuilding after his last attack. If he were to strike again soon, it could be devastating! We can’t let that happen!”“Yeah, but where do we start?” Sonic tapped his chin thoughtfully, “We barely began to search all of his bases and labs when we were looking for Neo. He could be at any one of those now, or ones that we didn’t even find.”“Right. So instead of wasting our time looking for where he is…” Amy pointed her finger at a red marker on the screen. “...We’ll go where he isn’t! We’ll tap into his network from one of his old unguarded bases!”“We sure will. Let’s go!” Sonic grinned, offering his hand.Amy blushed a bit. “Really? But I have so much work to do here and–”“It’s your plan, so you’ve got dibs. Call it a ‘working vacation’. Though, if you feel like you’re really needed here, then I’ll head off and let you know what I find.”“Well–”
Knock! Knock! Knock!
“Uh… Amy? Sorry to disturb you, but do you mind if we come in?” Nash called out from the other side.The two hedgehogs met eyes for a second. “We”? “Sure, come on in!”At that, Nash entered the room with Lanolin following behind him, likely wanting to talk to the director herself. A familiarity came over Sonic as he immediately recognised the two sheep Mobians walking into the room.“Oh hey! It’s you two again!” He smirked, “Didn’t think I’d run into you both again!”Nash’s brown eyes twinkled at the blue hero while Lanolin gave a modest yet warm smile.“Hey Sonic! Nice to see you too!” Came Nash’s excited response.“Hello Sonic! Good to meet you again!” Lanolin replied at the same time as Nash.“I know you’ve met Lanolin before when we were at Riverside, but I didn’t know you met Nash, Sonic.” The pink hedgehog says.“I saved him from a bunch of Badniks that were attacking him while I was on the way there.” Sonic mentioned. “So, what brings ya both here?”“We were going to tell Miss Ro– er, Amy, that we had finished our current tasks and were wondering what else we could do to help out.” The white sheep explained. “Did we… come at a bad time?” The black sheep questioned upon reading the room. Amy waved her hands to dismiss that notion. “No, no! Sonic and I were just discussing a plan.”“A plan?” repeated Lanolin.“That’s right! Mobius is still recovering and it needs our help! All of our help!” Sonic added.“Alright well. Call the play, coach.” Nash says, making sure to listen intently.“Ok.” Amy began, “Sonic and I are going to head out to investigate an old Eggman base, so I won’t be here for a while. Can I trust you both and the others helping out here to look after the HQ while I’m gone?”The dread-headed sheep nodded with a serious look. “Yeah!”“We’ll make sure the people taking shelter here are all safe, Miss Ro– er, Amy!” Lanolin remarked after correcting herself.“Also, Silver’s in the room resting up.” Sonic gestured to the room with his thumb. “Be sure to check in on him every once and a while to see if he’s okay.”Nash and Lanolin gave an affirming nod at their new tasks at hand. Sonic swooped Amy off her feet, causing the pink hedgehog to let out a surprised laugh.“Shall we get goin’, Ames?”“Of course, Sonic!”The Blue Blur performed his Super Peel Out as Amy held onto him with one arm. “Sorry Eggman, but it’s game over for you!” The two sped out of the office, leaving Nash and Lanolin behind with a very important duty on their hands. “Oh boy…! We have a lot to do here…!” Lanolin let out a sigh. “I’m not sure if we can look after the whole Restoration HQ, the homeless people and Silver by ourselves.”“Let’s not overwhelm ourselves by doing everything, Lanolin.” Nash spoke, placing a reassuring arm on her shoulder. “If we work together and handle these things bit by bit, everything will be fine.”He then flashed a toothy grin at her. “So, let’s go help out in any way that we can!”Lanolin looked at Nash for a moment, then nodded with a small smile. “Sure. Check to see if there’s any more food in the back, Nash. I’ll go make sure the homeless are comfortable, then we’ll check on Silver to see if he’s recovering.”“On it!”The two sheep departed from the office to perform their respective tasks to keep the Restoration HQ in working order while Amy was off with Sonic. After some exploration thanks to a kind Mobian Owl, Nash was able to find the kitchen where more food was being prepared by other Restoration members.Lanolin, meanwhile, was checking on the Mobians to see if they were all safe, often asking them if they’d like anything else to make them feel warm and comfortable. When those tasks were done, Nash and Lanolin would periodically check in on Silver to see if he was okay. While it took a lot of work, the two young sheep were able to push through it by working together with each other and other Restoration members.
3:15 PM
G.U.N Headquarters - Commander Tower’s office
Back at G.U.N, Abraham observed Mobius from his holo-screen attentively, hands in front of his face. His mind is thinking back to the various Badnik attacks that occurred during the past two weeks. Everything seemed quiet for now… Too quiet…Tower’s eyes narrowed. ‘ Just what are you planning, Ivo…? ’