Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Take that Egg-head!”

“For the last time you intolerable rodent, it’s Doctor EGGMAN!”

Tails chuckled as he watched the blue blur dodge another laser from the doctor’s machine. It was just too easy to rile him up sometimes.

“I don’t know,” the fox called, banking the Tornado around to get a better angle. “Your head does look pretty egg-ish from here!”

A quick button press unleashed a flurry of mini-gun pellets from the plane’s cannons, peppering Eggman's bot. The doctor howled in frustration, clearly nearing his limit.

“Nice one!” Sonic cheered from his spot below. “Just a few more blows, and we’ll be done with Dr. Predictable here!”

The day had started innocently enough. Tails had woken early to whip up breakfast—Sonic devoured it in record time, of course—and then the hedgehog went on his morning run. Only thirty minutes later, the pair left the house with baskets full of goodies in tow. They were planning to meet up with Amy for a picnic that afternoon after the girl's many, many requests. It was shaping up to be a normal, calm, Eggman free day…until they saw an explosion in the distance after leaving the house. 

Suffice to say, their plans were put on the back burner after that…

Bringing his focus back to the fight, Tails scanned the city below. Scattered debris and a few overturned cars hinted at the chaos, but there was no serious damage. Civilians had been evacuated, leaving the area eerily quiet. Overall, far, far from Eggman's worst attack, but the fox was still determined to wrap things up. They had a picnic to get to after all, and an annoyed pink hedgehog they’d have to explain their tardiness to. He landed the Tornado smoothly, parking near Sonic, who zipped over in an instant.

“Eggmans still distracted,” Sonic observed, gesturing toward the fuming doctor. He was still angrily plucking the non lethal pellets off of his skin. His latest machine, a bird shaped robot that shot lasers out its eyes, had taken the brunt of the damage, smoke rising out of it at an alarming rate. “Now’s the perfect time to bring out the big guns.”

Tails smirked, already knowing where this was headed. “What are we waiting for, then? Hop on!”

“With pleasure, lil buddy.” Sonic launched himself onto the Tornado’s wing, grinning as Tails throttled the plane into the sky. They were back in the air in no time, Sonic preparing to dash off and strike the final blow to the machine. However, Eggman had finally managed to regain his bearings. He noticed the plane coming towards him and cackled.

“Nice try, hedgehog. But I have one more trick up my sleeve!”

He pushed a lever down on the machine and they watched as it shook and sputtered for a second, before sprouting a pair of metal wings. Shocked, they could only stare as the robot bird began to fly away with the smug doctor in tow. Despite the external damage, the machine was still moving at a frighteningly quick speed.

“He’s escaping!” Tails exclaimed as he watched the doctor get further away. While the doctor did appear to be retreating peacefully, it was still risky to just let him escape with such an unusual machine. After the war, they had been careful about underestimating their opponents and their capabilities. Sonic snickered, shaking his head.

“Nah, he’s not getting far. Not when he’s up against the best pilot I know. Unless you’re secretly a slow pole.”

Tails rolled his eyes. “You wish.” With a shift of the gears, the Tornado rocketed after the retreating mech. “Now hold on tight!”

They were off in a blur, shooting like a rocket towards the retreating doctor. Tails couldn’t help but relish in Eggman's look of dismay once he realized they had foiled his escape attempt.

“You pests don’t know when to quit!” He rammed his machine into the Tornado , but Tails’ steady hands kept the plane on course.

“If I recall correctly Egg-head,” Sonic taunted, confident as ever. “You were the one who started this. So, I say it’s only fair that we’re the ones who finish it!”

He dashed onto the mech, smashing one of its wings before letting the momentum propel him back to the plane. The machine wobbled dangerously as sparks flew from its damaged wing. 

“Curses!” Eggman snarled, frantically pulling at the controls.

Sonic and Tails exchanged a nod. One more hit, and this battle was over.

They could go back to their nice, relaxing day. Eggman would hopefully crawl back into his hole for a few months so they could have a moment of peace. And Amy could have her picnic without wanting to have their heads for being too late.

They geared up for the final attack, a familiar determination shining in their eyes. Sonic braced himself to deliver the finishing blow—

Then the sky turned black.

Thick, unnatural smoke poured in, blanketing the area in darkness. Tails squinted through the haze, struggling to keep the Tornado steady.

“What the-” Sonic said, his face falling in confusion at the strange sight. Tails felt the same as he continued trying to steer. What was going on? Was there a fire? But then why was the smoke so heavy at this altitude? And why was…it making him..sleepy…

“Tails?…Tails!” 

Sonic's voice sounded like it was underwater. Actually, everything felt like it was underwater. He held his head. Why was he so dizzy? Why…

The sound of a thud rang through the abyss. From the corner of his blurry vision, he could see Eggman slumped over against his control panel. Oh…so it wasn’t just him. This was bad. This was really bad…but he couldn’t find it in him to care. Actually..a nap didn’t sound half bad right now….

The last thing Tails heard was another thud before everything faded to black.

“Sonic?”

Tails woke up with a start. He felt the words come out of his numb mouth before his mind could even register it. However, the sudden throb of pain that followed made him instantly regret his choice.

He hissed, bringing an arm up to rub at the back of his head. Geez, why was it hurting so much? And why did his arms feel like jelly? He lifted up the limbs, trying his best to get some feeling back, until he noticed something out of place. Wait, what was that on his wrist?

Wrapped around his wrist was what seemed to be a watch. But it wasn’t like the communicator he normally wore. Instead, it was a sleek digital watch with a black and white band and a screen attached to it. The screen flickered, displaying a plain white background and the words:

“Ultimate Mechanic.”

…What? How did this get here? Tails reached to pull it off, only to find that it was near impossible. No matter how much he tugged and pulled, the watch stayed in place along his arm. It even seemed to get tighter.

(Ok, this is really weird. Maybe it’s one of Eggman’s inventions?)

But the more Tails inspected the device, the more he doubted it. Even though he hated to admit it, the doctor’s devices tended to have a bit more flair in their design. This watch just seemed plain, with no other apparent features aside from the words currently being displayed.

Now that he thought about it, hadn’t Eggman been affected by…whatever had happened? 

Actually, what did happen?

Tails tried to remember the prior events that led to his current predicament, but found that nothing was coming up. Instead, he flinched as he felt another spike of pain shot through his head.

“Why can’t I remember?”

Tails hadn’t even realized he had spoken, too caught up in trying to recall any information he could. The more he came up blank, the more panicked he began to get, his breathing picking up erratically.

(Cmon Tails, breathe. One in, one out.)

The fox took a deep breath in, then released it slowly. He repeated the process a few more times, touching the surface underneath him to ground himself. Finally, he felt himself calm down, puffs of air going out of him at a semi normal place. 

Ok, there was no need to panic. That would get him nowhere, he knew that. He just had to try his best to remember what happened slowly, step by step.

Eventually, The fight with Eggman was beginning to come back to Tails, like pieces of a puzzle slowly slotting into place.It had been a typical clash—chasing the doctor and his latest contraption in the Tornado . Then, something strange happened…some kind of smoke…

“Ah! That’s right, the smoke!”

The memory hit him like a jolt. That unnatural, suffocating smoke had come out of nowhere, and then… nothing. What was that stuff? He’d never encountered anything like it before. 

His thoughts shifted to Sonic. Had the blue blur been affected too? Had the Tornado crashed? Was Sonic hurt because he’d failed to steer them to safety? That last possibility sent a pang of guilt and dread through Tails’ chest. If something had happened to Sonic because of him—because of his incompetence—

He shook his head and took another steadying breath. “Okay… this is fine,” he murmured, forcing his thoughts into order. Sonic was the strongest person he knew, he was probably out looking for the fox or taking down Eggman himself at this very moment. If that was the case, Tails couldn’t let himself be a liability. He needed to pull himself together, gain his bearings. And that started with addressing the most pressing matter at hand:

Just where the heck was he?

The fox glanced down at the pristine white floor he was sitting upon. It was spotless, polished to a near mirror-like finish. Wherever he was, it was certainly well kept. 

Looking up, he gasped softly as he laid eyes on the rest of his environment. It was a fancy, but colorful foyer, one you might expect from a high profile school. Gold pillars lined the walls, engraved with intricate carvings of Chao in various poses. The walls themselves were painted a vibrant blue, adorned with cheerful posters and banners. One flyer in particular caught his attention:.

‘Welcome to Green Hill Academy: Where Everyday is an Adventure!’

(Huh, Green Hill? But there was no academy at Green Hill…)

He pushed his confusion aside for now, his gaze shifting to the centerpiece of the room: a grand, spiraling staircase made of gleaming gold. Hope sparked in his chest. Maybe there was something— someone —upstairs who could help him.

He pushed himself to his feet, wobbling slightly as his legs adjusted. Once he stumbled toward the staircase, however, his hopes were quickly dashed. A large metal barrier blocked the stairs, rising all the way to the ceiling and thick and imposing in nature.The fox studied it for a moment and sighed. He knew with just one glance that he wouldn’t be able to get past the barrier by himself. But still, it was certainly an unusual discovery. Maybe he could use his tech to-

“Wait…” He patted himself down instinctively, but came up empty handed, his tools weren’t with him. His equipment was still on the Tornado.

“Great,” he muttered, his fur prickling with irritation. “What’s up with this place?

Everything was just so…weird. An academy that didn’t exist…an unexplained device that refused to come off.…an out of place barrier blocking areas off. Was this a new scheme by Eggman? But that wouldn’t explain-

“Tails? Is that you, bud?”

Tails couldn’t remember a time he had turned around so fast. He was honestly surprised that his head was still attached to his neck. But instead, relief flooded in at the sight before him.

“Sonic, you’re okay!”

Sonic chuckled at the kit's joy. Before Tails could move, the blue blur zipped across the room, pulling him into a side hug and delivering a noogie to his head. The fox squirmed to get out of the hold, though admittedly it was a halfhearted attempt. He couldn’t really find it in himself to be annoyed by the action this time around.

“Of course, lil bro.” Sonic released him, placing a hand on his chest with mock offense. “Did you seriously doubt me?”

Tails rolled his eyes, a grin tugging at his lips. “Not for a second.”

“Good answer.” Sonic’s cocky grin softened, replaced by a flicker of concern. “But seriously, are you okay, Tails? You didn’t look so hot back on the Tornado .”The hedgehog bent down, inspecting his sidekick up and down for injuries. Tails groaned, lightly pushed his brother away.

“I'm fine Sonic. Promise.” He held firm under Sonic’s skeptical gaze, crossing his arms for good measure. Finally, Sonic relented, stepping back with a small shrug.

“Alright, if you say so.”

“By the way,” Tails asked. “What happened after I passed out?”

Sonic scratched the back of his head, his foot tapping rapidly

“Not sure. All I know is, one second we’re chasing Eggman, the next… bam. Smoke everywhere. I tried to reach the Tornado’s controls after you conked out, but everything after that is a blur.”

Tails’ eyes widened. “You blacked out?”

“Yeah,” Sonic admitted. “Woke up here, same as you.”

Well that was more or less what he expected. Still, there were still some questions lingering on his mind.

“Yeah, but where exactly is here ?” he asked, gesturing towards the open expanse of the foyer.

“Sorry to say pal, but I have no idea.” 

The statement discouraged the fox further. He was hoping Sonic would have at least some kind of explanation. Before the disappointment could settle too deeply, though, the hedgehog snapped his fingers.

“Oh right! When I came to, I was inside some weird game room—at least I think that’s what it was. There were some arcade cabinets and a prize machine in the middle.”

(A game room? That sounds important. I should make note of that for later.)

“Still no sight of Eggman either,” Sonic continued, tone dropping. Tails noticed that the hedgehog's foot started tapping faster, a clear sign he wasn't too happy about the fact that Eggman had possibly escaped again. “And it looks like we’re not getting upstairs anytime soon. I’m guessing you don’t have your tech on you?”

Tails nodded solemnly. The thought of all his gadgets, especially his Miles Electric, sitting helpless in his crashed plane made his chest tighten. Actually, speaking of tech…

“What about this?” Tails raised his wrist, showing Sonic the strange watch. He noticed Sonic’s eyes widen slightly as he took it in.

“Ultimate Mechanic?...You have one too?” 

That caught his attention. “Wait, what do you mean ‘have one too’?” 

Sonic held out his arm, revealing an identical watch strapped to his wrist. Tails was almost embarrassed that he didn’t see it earlier. However, it was quickly overshadowed by unease as he read Sonic’s watch:

‘Ultimate Speedster’

He would have found the on-the-nose title amusing if he didn’t feel so tense.

“Pretty weird, huh?” Sonic said, giving his watch a cursory inspection. “I couldn’t get it off, either. I’m guessing it’s the same for you?”

“Yep.” Tails frowned. “And there’s something else. When I was looking around, I saw a flyer. It said this place is called Green Hill Academy. ”

Sonic raised an eyebrow, his interest clearly piqued. “Unless we slept through like two years of construction, I'm pretty sure an academy at Green Hill doesn’t exist.”

“I know, that’s what’s so confusing.” Tails threw his hands up, frustration bubbling to the surface. “This whole situation doesn’t make any sense!”

His voice echoed through the room, louder than he’d intended. He knew he probably shouldn’t have yelled, but he just couldn’t shake this unease about their current predicament. It made him think of times that’d he rather not be reminded of.

“Whoa, buddy. Slow down.” Sonic placed a hand on Tails’ shoulder, his gaze steady and reassuring. “Yeah, this is odd, but we’ve been through worse. We’ll figure it out, just like we always do. We just need to keep moving and plan our next step.”

Tails let out a breath—he’d been doing a lot of that lately—and gave a small nod. Sonic was right, there was no need to lose his head. 

“You’re right, we-“

“Attention! Attention! Is this thing on?!”

Both of them jumped at the sudden, shrill voice that blared through the room. It almost sounded like-

“ Attention all students! ” The voice was loud and grating, cutting through the quiet like a knife. Tails followed the sound to a small audio box mounted in the corner of the foyer. “ Please make your way to the Auditorium for introductions! And make it snappy! ”

Then, silence.

Finally, Tails spoke up.

“Was that-“

“Yeah,” Sonic cut in, his voice quieter than usual. He looked just as unsettled as Tails felt. “ Sounded like him at least. But something feels... off.”

“Why did he call us ‘students’?” His ear twitched nervously. “Are there more people here?”

Sonic’s lost expression did nothing to calm his nerves. Just what was going on here?

“I don’t know,” Sonic admitted. “But it seems like heading to the Auditorium is our best bet to find out. I think I saw it near the game room.”

Tails was still unsure, but nodded despite himself. If this was the only way to figure out where they were, then they might as well go through with it. They both weren’t keen on sitting around, after all.

“Well then what are we waiting for! Lead the way Mr. Ultimate Speedster!” he quipped, trying to bring some light into the situation where he could. Luckily, it seemed to work as a signature smirk crossed Sonic's face.

“With pleasure, if you can keep up that is.”

Tails chuckled, his twin tails spinning lightly behind him as he followed the hedgehog down the hallway. The two moved through an opening on the left side, entering a corridor lined with various rooms. Tails’ sharp eyes caught sight of a plaque above one door that read Game Room , one next to it that read Lounge Area, and another nearby marked Cafeteria. 

(We should investigate them later if we have time.)

Finally, they reached a set of grand double doors at the end of the hall. Above the entrance, bold letters spelled out: Auditorium.

“Guess this is it.” Sonic said, surveying the imposing doors. 

Tails felt a sudden nervousness engulf him, the uncertainty of what was on the other side getting to him. “What do you think is in there, Sonic?”

“I don’t know bud.” Tails didn't think he had ever heard his brother sound so unsure. Still, Sonic turned to him, flashing a reassuring grin and a confident thumbs up. “But whatever it is, we’ll face it together.”

Tails felt his chest swell with a familiar warmth. This was why they worked so well as a team. No matter what challenges lay ahead, Sonic found a way to keep moving forward—and he always made sure Tails was right there with him. He felt a sudden boost of confidence, his eyes beaming with newfound resolve.

The fox nodded. “Let’s do it, then!”

That was all Sonic needed. He pushed the door open carefully, and as the inside revealed they were met with an unexpected sight.

Six familiar faces staring back at them.

“Oh Sonic! You’ve come to rescue us!”

Poor Sonic barely had time to react before he was pulled into a bone-crushing by no other than Amy Rose. 

“And Tails, you’re here too! Thank goodness!”

Tails watched in bewilderment as Sonic began to struggle to escape the girl’s grasp.

“Amy…can’t…breathe…”

“Oops sorry!” Amy finally released him, the hedgehog bending over and gasping for air. “Me and the others were just so worried. We thought we were actually trapped here for a second.”

(…The others?) 

Tails watched as everyone else in the room came to greet them.

“Mister Sonic! Mister Tails! You really are here!” Cream greeted excitedly.

“Give them some space, dear,” Vanilla’s gentle voice called as she caught up to her daughter.

“It’s good to see more familiar faces,” Espio stated calmly, his composure unchanged despite the situation. Blaze nodded from her spot near the corner of the room.

“It took you two long enough,” Knuckles grumbled gruffly from his place beside Amy, arms crossed.

Tails scanned the room, face slack with shock. Everyone was gathered in an open space in the middle, a large stage being located in the very back with a single podium on it and a red velvet curtain. On the other side of the room, he could see another set of double doors similar to the one he and Sonic had just entered from. 

Turning his attention back to the main issue at hand, his gaze fell back on the others surrounded him.

(All our friends are here. But why? I thought it was just me and Sonic that had got captured?)

“What are you guys doing here?” Sonic asked, as if he had read the foxes mind.

Amy sighed dramatically, placing a hand on her forehead. “Oh Sonic, it was awful! There I was, waiting for you and Tails at the picnic spot. And then all of a sudden, I was surrounded by this awful black smoke. I tried to stay awake but I just couldn’t fight it.”

“Wait!” Tails exclaimed. “You guys saw the black smoke too?!” 

Everyone nodded. 

“It got me while I was reading in my study,” Blaze informed calmly.

“It came out of nowhere while I was guarding the master emerald.” Knuckles grumbled, expression hardening. “If something’s happened to it in my absence, whoever did this will pay dearly.”

Tails watched as Sonic’s expression grew more troubled with each tale.

“That doesn’t make any sense…why capture all of us like this?”

“It has to be Eggman.” Amy guessed. “It’s the only explanation that checks out. That no good doctor wants us out of the way so he can do something awful!”

Tails shook his head. 

“But me and Sonic were fighting Eggman when the smoke got to us. We saw it knock him out too. Why would Eggman hurt himself for his own plan?“

Everyone turned towards him, considering his confession. Espio was the first to speak up.

“You do have a point. The doctor has done some strange things before, but incapacitating himself for his own plan doesn’t seem like his M.O.” 

"Or maybe that’s just what he wants us to think…” Knuckles growled.

It seemed like everyone was conflicted on the possibility of the doctor being the reason for their capture. This felt different then his regular schemes…

“Attention! Attention students!”

They all jumped at the unexpected announcement.

“Oh great.” Knuckles groaned impatiently. “this again.”

“While half of you are in the Auditorium, there are some tardy students in the group that still have to be accounted for. How annoying!”

Tails flinched at the uncanny nature of the voice. It sounded robotic, but mixed with an unnatural glee.

“For the on-time students, you can get started with your introductions by sharing your Ultimate Talents. They have been displayed on your shiny new Mono-watches for your convenience.” Tails looked around and realized that everyone, indeed, had a watch on their wrist. “ I’ll explain in more detail later, but for now mix, mingle, chat about the economy! I’ll see you all real soon!”

The announcement ended abruptly, leaving a chill in the atmosphere as everyone processed what they had just heard. Finally, Amy broke the silence.

“…so we all agree that sounds like Metal right?” 

“You hear it too?!” Sonic exclaimed. “I thought I was going insane!”

“But why does he sound so strange?” Tails asked. “I've never heard Metal so…happy before.” Knuckles scoffed.

“Just another reason Eggman has to be behind this. Only the likes of him would work together with Metal.”

Tails noticed a flicker of uncertainty cross Sonic’s face. 

(Is he doubting if Eggman is behind this too?)

“Perhaps we should do introductions, as the announcement said.” Blaze suggested, her tone calm.

Amy raised an eyebrow. “Don’t we already know each other though?” 

Sonic rubbed his chin thoughtfully before shrugging nonchalantly. “Eh, why not? Let’s play it cool for now and follow what the announcer says until we have a better read on things. Besides, I’m curious about these Ultimate Talents!”

“Well if my precious Sonic thinks we should, then let’s do it!”

Knuckles roll his eyes in exasperation. Sonic didn’t seem to pay any mind to Amy's change in heart, instead smirking and pointing to himself

“Alright, I’ll go first! I’m Sonic the Hedgehog, the Ultimate Speedster, but you can just call me the fastest thing alive!”

“Wow, Mister Sonic! Your talent is so cool!” Cream beamed.

Amy chimed in with her own excitement. “It really is!”

Espio just looked unimpressed.

“I find the ‘the fastest thing alive’ part unnecessary.”

“It’s not unnecessary if it’s true!” Sonic shot back. “Why don’t you go next, Tails?”

Tails sputtered for a second, clearly not expecting to be suddenly put on the spot. But he quickly gained his composure and shot his friends a confident smile.

“Sure, why not! Hi, I’m Tails, and according to this watch, I’m the Ultimate Mechanic!”

“Such a fitting title for you dear,” Vanilla complimented. “You did such a good job improving my mixing machine last week.” Tails felt his face heat up.

“N-no problem, Miss Vanilla! I’m happy to help!” he stammered.

“That’s our Tails—smartest one in the room and always eager to please!” Amy added, a playful grin on her face.

Tails blushed even harder as he hid his face behind his tails. “Amyyyy,” he whined, his voice muffled

“Do not act so bashful, fox.” Knuckles interjected, his previous anger pushed aside as his voice softened with amusement. “Your genius is nothing to be embarrassed by. It has gotten us out of many tough spots.”

“Yeah!” Sonic added, seeing the perfect opportunity to jump in and fluster his brother further. “You’re way smarter than Robuttnick, that’s for sure!”

Tails only whined in response, attempting to bury himself deeper. Why did his friends always have to do this? They knew he couldn’t handle compliments!

Amy chuckled at his reaction, then flipped her quills. “I’ll take it from here. I’m the beautiful Amy Rose, but you can call me the Ultimate Tarot Reader! Come to me for a reading anytime!”

“There’s no way that’s your actual talent, right?” Sonic asked in disbelief.

Amy only smirked, holding up her wrist so they could see her watch. That was, in fact, her talent. Tails tilted his head curiously.

“Huh, I honestly expected….anything else.”

Amy didn’t seem to hear the comment, too caught up in the revelation of her talent. “See? I told you guys my readings weren’t nonsense! Maybe the person who trapped us here isn’t so bad. They obviously know a thing or two about talent!”

Knuckles snorted. “Or maybe they’re just blind.”

Amy gasped at his blunt comment, puffing her cheeks out indignantly. “If I had my hammer, Knuckles, I swear—“

“Anyways,” Knuckles cut in, ignoring the growl from the pink hedgehog. “I guess since we’re doing this introduction thing, I’ll humor you. My name is Knuckles the Echidna, last member of my clan and sole guardian of the Master Emerald. As such, you may refer to me as the Ultimate Guardian.”

“Geez, why so serious Knux.” Sonic teased. “You know you can do introductions without sounding like you’re going off to war right?” 

Knuckles’ face hardened. “Well, excuse me, hedgehog, if I have better things to do than play schoolhouse with you. In case you forgot, the Master Emerald is left unprotected!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sonic said with a roll of his eyes. “We’ll handle it. No need to get all worked up.”

“Don’t worry Mister Knuckles.” Cream‘s sweet voice interjected, attempting to sooth the guardian. “I’m sure you’ll be back home in no time. Mother told me we shouldn’t be stuck here for long.”

Knuckles looked ready to argue, but decided against it, instead showing the slightest smile to the girl. Tails knew Sonic would definitely tease the echidna for quote on quote ‘going soft’ later.

"Thank you, Cream.”

The girl giggled cheerfully. Her joy spread to everyone in the group, and even Tails could feel a calmness start to overtake him.

“Why don’t you go next, Cream?” Sonic prompted with a grin. Cream gasped, her eyes lighting up with excitement and turning to her mother for permission. Vanilla smiled warmly and nodded.

“Go ahead, sweetie.”

“Ok!” The little rabbit girl could hardly keep still, bouncing in place as she began her introduction. “Hi, I’m Cream, and my best friend is my chao Cheese! I’m the Ultimate Chao Caretaker because I love all of them so much! I wish I could adopt every Chao in the world so they’d never have to be alone!” 

The whole room seemed to brighten a bit after she was done. Blaze, in particular, watched the rabbit fondly. “That’s a beautiful wish, Cream.”

“Thank you!” Cream replied, but then her expression faltered slightly

“What’s wrong, Cream?” Amy asked, concerned. 

“I just hope Cheese isn’t lonely right now.” Her voice was small and broken, almost like a whisper. “They weren't here with me when I woke up…I've never been without them for this long.” Amy frowned, approaching the girl and laying a hand on her shoulder.

“Aw, don’t worry Cream,” Sonic assured sympathetically. “Cheese is a tough little guy! You’ll be with them in no time, I guarantee it!”

That appeared to cheer the rabbit up a bit, her face brightening ever so slightly.

“You’re right Mister Sonic! I just have to be patient!”

Vanilla mouthed a grateful thank you to the hero, who smiled and nodded in response.

“Well it’s hard to follow that introduction up,” the older rabbit spoke, surveying the group with a warm smile. “But I’ll try my best. I’m Vanilla, the mother of this rascal here,” she teased, motioning to Cream, “and I’m known as the Ultimate Cook.”

“That talent definitely fits you to a tee Miss Vanilla!” Amy cheered. “Your food is to die for!”

“Aw, you flatter me dear,” Vanilla replied with a warm smile.

“It’s true!” Tails added eagerly. “Your carrot cake is so good even Knuckles would leave the Master Emerald in a heartbeat for it!”

Knuckles faltered for a second, before looking away in embarrassment.

“I wouldn’t say that,” he mumbled, but it was clear he was trying to suppress a grin.. “But yes, everything you make is quite delicious Vanilla.”

Vanilla smiled softly.

“I'm glad you kids like my cooking so much. I’ll be sure to make a feast for all of you to enjoy once we get out of here.”

“That would be much appreciated.” Espio replied, trying and failing to hide his elation. Tails was sure that the chameleon had enjoyed Vanilla's cooking many times during her visits with Vector. It made sense that he would develop such a craving for it. 

“I suppose I will introduce myself next.” he said, standing up straighter and giving the group a calm, measured glance “I am Espio, and it seems that I have been dubbed the Ultimate Ninja.”

“Ultimate Ninja?” Sonic questioned. “I thought for sure you’d get some kind of detective title.”

Espio didn’t seem bothered by it at all. He merely gave a small, knowing hum of acknowledgment. “While I do enjoy detective work, I believe the Ultimate Detective title would be more fitting for Vector. I am happy with the label I was given. It represents my mastery of ninjutsu.”

Knuckles snorted from the side, unable to resist. “Ultimate Ninja, huh? For someone who's supposed to be sneaky, you sure aren’t great at it.”

Espio's eyes narrowed, his calm facade cracking for just a moment. “I am excellent at being sneaky,” he retorted sharply. “Better than you, at least.”.

Knuckles snickered. “Please, don’t you remember what happened on the train. You couldn’t lie to save your life. I'm honestly shocked Tails and that butler didn’t catch you earlier.”

“That's…You-“

“Please stop with this needless arguing,” Blaze interrupted, her voice calm but authoritative. The pair of friends paused their soon-to-be argument and turned to see her watching them, unimpressed. They glared at each other, but eventually let the matter go… for now. Satisfied, Blaze turned towards the group, her face maintaining her usual aloofness.

“I am Blaze, heir of the Sol Empire. You may also address me as the Ultimate Princess.”

No one had much to add this time around, the introduction being fairly straightforward and the title being something they all expected to some degree.

“By the way,” Amy asked, her gaze curious as she tilted her head towards Blaze, “how’s everything going back in your dimension, Blaze?”

Blaze’s expression didn’t change much, but her tone was more reserved. “The same endless cycle of protecting the emeralds and preparing for my coronation.” She paused briefly before adding, “The only respite I have is when Silver or Marine visits.”

“Oh, right,” Tails said, his eyes lighting up. “You’re going to be queen soon, aren’t you?”

Blaze nodded, though she didn’t seem as enthusiastic about it as Tails had expected. A few of the others chimed in with congratulations, Blaze merely giving a soft, almost distant smile in return.

“That’s so amazing!” Cream beamed. “You’ll be a wonderful queen!”

Blaze’s smile softened slightly. “You’re very sweet, Cream,” she replied, though her voice carried an underlying seriousness. Tails could sense a subtle air of doubt hanging around Blaze, something unspoken, but he didn’t press the matter. “I will do my best,” Blaze added quietly.

And with that, all introductions were done. The group glanced around, waiting for something to happen.

“So…” Amy spoke up, tapping her arm thoughtfully. “What do we do now?”

Sonic hummed, appearing deep in thought for a moment. “The announcement did say that we’re only half of the ‘students’ that are supposed to meet here.” 

(I hadn’t even considered that. Just how many people are in this building?)

“We should wait for the rest of them to arrive. Maybe they can help us out.” The blue blur concluded with a determined grin.

Tails blinked in surprise. It was rare for Sonic to take a waiting approach—usually, he preferred to act first and think later. For him to suggest waiting meant he was likely taking this situation more seriously than usual.

Everyone else nodded in agreement, though Knuckles' expression was still tense, fist balled up in frustration.

“What we should be doing is finding a way out of here.” His eyes shone violently as a growl escaped his throat, in a way that would have been frightening if Tails didn’t know him as well as he did.

“Look, Knuckles. I don’t like being here either.” Sonic said, trying his best to calm the guardian. “But we can’t just brute force our way outta here. We need to gather info and make a plan first, you of all people should know that.”

“…” The echidna huffed. Sonic's words seemed to get through to him, though he still didn’t look thrilled about it.

“Easier said than done, anyways,” Espio added quietly, his voice calm as usual, but laced with irritation. “Based on what we were discussing before your arrival, there doesn’t seem to be a single door leading outside. No windows either.”

Tails blinked, suddenly realizing how strange it was that there were no clear exits. 

(That’s definitely concerning…)

“Now that you mention it, Tails made some important discoveries about this place. Why don’t you tell them bud?”

Tails sent a grateful glance to Sonic and addressed the others. “That’s right,” he began, hands rubbing his chin as he recalled the earlier events. “When I woke up, I was in some kind of school foyer. One of the flyers on the walls said that this place is called Green Hill Academy.”

“A school at Green Hill?” Vanilla questioned. “I don’t remember ever hearing about something like that before.”

“That’s because it doesn’t exist.” Amy cut in, looking puzzled. “We would’ve heard if they were building an academy at Green Hill of all places.”

“Maybe they built it really fast, like Sonic?” Cream suggested optimistically.

Sonic chuckled. “Not quite how that works, Cream.” He paused, then added, “But that’s not all. I woke up in some strange game room. Not to mention, there was also a staircase leading to an upper level, but it was blocked off by this weird metal barrier.”

Amy gasped. “Me and Knuckles saw that too! Right, Knuckles?” The echidna nodded in agreement.

“Yes, that is correct. We found one close to where we woke up. I tried to punch it down but it didn’t budge.”

Tails’ ears perked up at the information. “Woah, really?”

If it was strong enough to withstand a punch from Knuckles, then taking it down was gonna be harder than he thought.

“There was something else too…” Knuckles muttered, expression troubled. “My punches felt…weaker.”

“Weaker?” Sonic asked, surprised. “How is that?”

“I don’t know!” Knuckles snapped in frustration. “It just didn’t feel right, I can’t explain it. That’s another reason why I want to get out of this place as soon as possible.”

“It is the same for me as well,” Blaze revealed, her face troubled. “My powers haven’t been working properly since I arrived. I tried to use my pyrokinesis when I first awoke here, but I could not activate it.”

Tails eyed his friends with concern. Maybe they were still experiencing side effects from the smoke? At least, he hoped that was the case. Before he could say anything else though, a new pair of voices sounded through the Auditorium.

“See! I told you, train freak! You should’ve listened when I said I was an expert with directions. Spend a few days in the wilderness with me, and maybe you’ll pick up a thing or two!”

“Please stop calling me ’train freak’…”

A badger wearing a grey crop top and navy green shorts came into view, followed by a familiar, exasperated quokka in a green suit and red bowtie.

“Sticks?!” Sonic blinked in disbelief, eyes wide with surprise. Tails couldn't help but feel the same. “What are you doing here?”

The badger finally noticed the group, her eyes filled with alarm. “Oh no! Did they get you guys too?!” she shouted, panic rising in her voice. “Those monsters have gone too far now!”

Amy suddenly rushed past then, running over to the other girl and bringing her into a hug.

“Oh Sticks, it’s been forever! I'm so sorry we haven’t been able to visit Seaside Island lately!” 

Sticks immediately pulled away from the hug, brushing herself off with exaggerated care. “Yeah, yeah, it’s good to see you too, Amy,” she said, clearly a bit uncomfortable. “And don’t sweat it. Ol’ Sticks has become one with nature, avoiding the big wigs and whatnot. That was until the enemy captured me!”

“And who exactly is the ‘enemy’?” Knuckles asked, his tone skeptical. Both he and Tails had an inkling of what was coming.

“The government, duh,” Sticks shot the echidna a pointed look, as if the answer was obvious. “I didn’t listen to their subliminal messages, and now they want revenge!”

Tails suppressed a sigh. Sticks was an interesting character and a good friend, but her paranoia made her come up with some…unconventional theories. He remembered their first meeting like it was yesterday: he was on an adventure with Sonic, Amy, and Knuckles at the time, and they had ended up being stranded on Seaside Island for a few weeks until the Tornado was repaired. They had met the kooky badger while there, in all her feral, nonsensical glory. She had ended up becoming an ally, and later friend, and the group found themselves going back to the island from time to time to visit her.

Blaze raised an eyebrow. “Why would the government want all of us?” she asked, looking perturbed by Sticks’ unusual introduction.

“I don’t know, toots, but I’m gonna find out. They’ll never get away with it!”

“M-Maybe we should keep an open mind. There could be other options than the government.” 

The voice of the second newcomer finally clicked, and Tails gasped in surprise.

“Barry! You’re here too?” 

Knuckles raised his eyebrows.“The train butler?”

Barry the Quokka smiled sheepishly, waving at the group.

“Trust me, I’m just as confused as you.” They clumsily rubbed the back of their head. “It’s good to see you guys though! I wasn’t sure if I would find anyone I recognized here.”

“It’s good to see you too Barry!” Tails grinned. “I didn’t think I’d get to see my detective partner again so soon!” 

His time on the Mirage Express with the quokka had been interesting to say the least. He enjoyed solving the mystery, even if it got a bit insane towards the end. And Barry had been a great partner, listening to his hypothesis and helping with gathering evidence. Sure, they could be a bit strange sometimes (Tails would still never forgive them for their trash escapades) but their heart was definitely in the right place.

“Yeah.” Sonic agreed with a half-smirk, “even if it’s under weird circumstances. Guess you’re stuck with us for now.”

“Seems like it,” Barry said with a small laugh, scratching their head nervously.

“So are you still working for the Mirage Express, Barry?” Tails asked.

Barry chuckled awkwardly, sweating slightly as they tried to avoid eye contact.

“So, uh, funny story,” Barry started, rubbing the back of their neck. “Not long after Amy’s birthday, I actually won the lottery…”

“Oh wow, congratulations, Barry!” Amy cheered.

“Yeah, I quit my job at the Mirage and bought a local supermarket with the money, but I sorta kinda… burned it down by accident.”

The room went silent, everyone staring at them blankly.

“I-I mean, it wasn’t entirely my fault!” Barry quickly added, clearly uncomfortable. “Luckily, the Mirage Express was generous enough to give me my job back. So, no harm, no foul, right?”

“Yeah, uh…” Sonic floundered for the right words. “Good for you buddy!”

“How did you burn down a supermarket?” Espio asked. Barry sputtered, face flushing.

“J-Just forget I said anything p-please!”

“You sure are weird, train freak,” Sticks muttered bluntly. Tails would have pointed out how ironic that was if he wasn’t so scared of being hunted down.  “Anyway, I guess I’ll introduce myself to all the newbies here. I’m Sticks, masters of doomsday prepping, wilderness exploration, camouflage, sneak attacks, evading taxes, etc!” She looked oddly proud of that last part. “Oh yeah, and I guess the Ultimate Survivalist. I don’t like using labels though, especially when they’re given by lowlife government spies!”

Knuckles scoffed under his breath. “Should’ve been the Ultimate Nutcase…”

Sticks whipped around, glaring at him. “I heard that, Knucklehead!” she snapped, marching up to him and poking him in the chest. “Let’s see you call me a nutcase after you’ve been strapped to a table and probed by the Mobian Illuminati! Then you’ll be sorry!”

“Okay, okay,” Sonic said quickly, stepping between them and gently pulling Sticks back. “You know Knuckles is just messing with you.” He turned to Knuckles, grinding his teeth. “Right, Knux?”

Knuckles sighed and shrugged. “Sure, whatever.”

Sticks pouted and turned away.

Trying to ease the tension, Vanilla turned towards the other newcomer. “So, Barry, is it?”

“Y-Yes, ma’am.” Barry stood up straighter.

She sent an encouraging smiled. “What’s your talent, dear?”

Barry blinked, caught off guard by the question. “Oh! Um, I’m the Ultimate Steward, miss. I make sure every passenger on the Mirage Express gets top-notch service. Feel free to visit anytime!” they added with a nervous smile.

“Oh I definitely will,” Vanilla replied with a chuckle. “I heard that the murder mystery you held for Amy's birthday was a hoot!”

Amy grinned, her eyes sparkling. “It didn’t go exactly as planned, but it was still a blast! I got to solve a mystery and help take down Eggman. Definitely one of my top three birthdays!”

Barry’s smile grew at the girl’s enthusiasm. Once the latest introductions were said and done, Espio shifted the conversation to their current predicament.

“So Sticks, Barry, do you two have any input on our situation?”

“If you mean apart from the government's involvement, not much really.” Sticks replied. “Me and train freak both woke up in the same area.”

“We were outside some kind of entrance labeled Dormitory,” Barry continued. “I wanted to check it out but Sticks said we couldn’t trust it. Then the announcement played and we started searching for the Auditorium.”

“Dormitory?” Amy gasped. “Does whoever did this think we’re just gonna live here or something!?” Tails felt his anxiety spike at the possibility. 

(Why do we need dormitories? Are we being held here long term?)

Suddenly, another voice flowed into the room.

“Hey, is this the Auditorium? Sorry, I suck at directions sometimes-“ the voice paused for a second before rising in shock. “Sonic?!”

“Mighty?!”

Mighty the Armadillo stood in the doorway, looking around the room with wide, confused eyes. His gaze shifted from one familiar face to the next.

“Aw man,” he finally puffed out. “This thing looks more serious than I thought…”

"Ok, now this is really weird.” Sonic gestured towards the newcomer. “I can sorta understand why most of us would be captured, but Barry and you? You guys make no sense. Unless Eggman’s behind this, but—”

“Wait,” Tails interrupted, looking around Mighty. Indeed, a certain someone was missing. “Mighty, where’s Ray?”

Mighty frowned at the mention of his companion. “Ray? Uh… I’m not sure. We were training, and then the black smoke hit. After that, I woke up here...”

“Wait, you guys got hit with that black smoke too?” Barry exclaimed, their voice high with surprise.

(Oh yeah, we didn’t explain that to the new people yet…)

“Yes!” Cream answered. She had been quiet until now, probably wanting to get to know the newcomers first before speaking up. “It got me and mother while we were having tea at home.”

Sticks’ eyes lit up, and she rubbed her hands together with an air of mischief. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a conspiracy, people.”

“This whole situation is just insane,” Mighty muttered, shaking his head. “If Eggman or Fang are behind this, they’ve really taken things too far…”

“Did you notice anything interesting after you woke up, Mighty?” Amy asked.

The armadillo hummed in thought. “I was in the cafeteria, over where the food is stored. It was actually stoked up pretty good. It was enough to last a large group at least a couple of months.”

“Well, at least we know we won’t starve…” Blaze mumbled.

Knuckles frowned, folding his arms. “This proves it. Our captor is planning on keeping us here long term. The more I learn, the more I hate this place…”

“You and me both.” Mighty added, eyes darkening for a moment before smiling slightly. “I guess I might as well introduce myself since there are a few new faces. Hi, I’m Mighty the Armadillo, the Ultimate Traveler! Let’s do our best everyone!”

Sonic laughed, his usual grin returning. “Of course you’re the Ultimate Traveler. You can never stay still, huh?”

“Just like a certain someone I know,” Mighty smirked good-naturedly. 

As the two talked, Tails began to take count of everyone in the room. 

(There’s eleven mobians here right now. Is that everybody?)

Suddenly, the sound of hushed voices came from the doorway.

“Come on Shadow, I’m certain whatever’s in there isn’t bad.”

“Just stand behind us until I give the all clear, we can’t be sure.”

“Always so serious hun…”

(…guess not.)

The group perked up at the new, familiar voices, and when they turned towards the entrance, they were met face-to-face with a black hedgehog and white bat creeping into the room. Their movements were slow and malicious, peaking around the corner as if they expected an ambush. That was until they actually got a good look at what awaited them.

“…you’ve got to be kidding me.”

Rouge wasn’t as annoyed as her companion, but still looked shocked at the turn of events. “Well, isn’t this a surprise.” She smirked. “But not an unwelcome one, especially when I get to see you Knuckie.” She winked at the echidna, who responded with an irritated grunt.

“Trust me, the feeling isn’t mutual.”

“Honestly, I’m not even shocked at this point.” Amy sighed. “Of course you guys would be here.”

Sonic’s expression remained unfazed, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Yeah, guess we should’ve expected you, huh, Shads?”

Shadow rolled his eyes. “What’s going on here, faker?” he grumbled. “I swear, if this is part of some pathetic scheme of yours…”

“Hey, don’t look at me!” Sonic raised his hands defensively. “I know just as much as you do!”

“Likely story. This is exactly the kind of thing you’d pull to get me to ‘interact more with the team’.”

“You seriously think I’d go through all this just to mess with you, Shads?” Sonic grinned, nudging his shoulder. “Hate to break your heart, but I wouldn’t organize a kidnapping spree just for you.”

Shadow glared, but before he could fire back, another voice interrupted the tension.

“Shadow, what did I say about messing with Sonic?” The voice was stern, but with a playful undertone. The double doors pushed open, revealing a figure with flowing golden hair that ran gently down the back of a bright blue dress.

“Maria!”

Cream’s excited shout echoed through the Auditorium as she and Amy hurried to greet the newcomer. Maria smiled warmly, laughing as she was engulfed by the girls' embrace.

Tails stood frozen, his heart skipping a beat and his head blooming with pain.

Maria….

Maria….

Maria…

He knew Maria… right? Then why did his brain hurt so much when he saw her? Why did seeing her interact with her friends seem so weird? Why did her being here feel like he was seeing a ghost?

Tails shook his head. He was being silly. Of course he remembered Maria! 

She was always by Shadows' side, whether it be simply hanging out or going on an adventure. The yin to his yang so to speak. She was the thoughtful girl who always helped him with his projects when he needed it, who had chili dog eating competitions with Sonic on a regular basis, who hosted fashion shows with Cream, Amy, and Blaze, and kept Knuckles company of Angel Island…

Maria…

Ḩ̵̈́o̶͔̾w̷̖̕ ̶̠̀c̵̮̓ō̸͕ű̴͍l̵̯̃d̶̮̐ ̵̺͘h̷͈̕e̴̩͌ ̷̞͛ṕ̶̭o̵̙͗s̵̖̊s̵͖̕i̶̠̇b̸͈̆l̷͙̿y̸͕͑ ̸͇̏f̶͕̀ǒ̵̤r̷͂͜g̴͈͘e̵͔̋t̵̼̓ ̴̥̊h̷̠͘ę̷̛r̷̖͛?̵̹̆

“Tails?”

Tails snapped out of his daze and looked up to see the girl standing before him, her brow furrowed in concern.

“Are you alright? You’re looking pale.”

“Y-Yeah!” Tails quickly tried to cover up, offering a weak smile. “I’m fine, sorry. Just a sudden headache, that’s all.”

“Oh no,” Maria said softly. “I hope you’ll be alright. It’s not good to be sick in a situation like this.”

“Maria.” Shadow’s voice dropped to a stern growl. “I told you to wait for my signal.”

Maria turned to him, her expression firm. “Shadow, I can handle myself, you know that.” She gave him a soft smile. “Besides, I heard Sonic’s voice. I knew it couldn’t be that bad if he was here.”

“But-“

“Please, Shadow? We all shouldn’t fight right now.” She pouted, eyes sparkling. “For me?”

It was amusing how fast the hedgehog relented, bowing his head and sighing. “Fine.” Sonic snickered, which was met with another intense glare. Shadow shook his head and faced the others. “So, what’s your read on the situation so far?”

“Nothing that makes much sense,” Blaze replied coolly. “But the most obvious conclusion is that whoever did this intends to keep us locked up for a while.”

Shadow furrowed his brows. “How do you mean?”

“There’s apparently a dormitory and a fully stocked pantry here,” Espio explained, crossing his arms. “Plenty of food for an extended stay.”

“Plus me and Blaze's powers have been acting…strange.” Knuckles added.

“…Interesting.” Shadow looked lost in thought as he mulled over the information.

“And what about these ‘Ultimate Talents’ we’ve been given?” Rouge interjected, gesturing to the watch on her wrist.

“Yeah, what’s up with that?” Mighty asked, scratching his chin. “They seem mostly accurate, but I don’t see how they’re useful right now.”

Maria frowned. “Mostly accurate is right…” she mumbled. Shadow and Rouge looked at the girl with concern. Tails eyed her curiously

(What does she mean by that?)

“Whatever do you mean, dear?” Vanilla asked gently.

“Because…” the human hesitated, then took a deep breath. “Because I didn’t get one.”

“What?!” Tails exclaimed. The others appeared just as shocked as he was. How did she not get a talent? “But how? You have a watch right?”

Maria nodded and showed her watch to the others. But when her screen flickered to life, all that they saw were three question marks: Ultimate ???

“I was hoping maybe someone else didn’t have one either,” Maria said quietly. “But it looks like I’m the only one.”

Tails frowned at the distress in her voice. It must be difficult knowing she was the odd one out. But still, it was strange. Out of everyone, why didn’t Maria have a talent? She excelled at so many things, there had to be at least one that fit her. Amy rubbed the girls back in sympathy, Maria smiling softly in thanks.

“We’ll figure this out,” Shadow said, his tone surprisingly soft. “The talents are probably just a diversion. Something for our captor’s amusement.”

“Since we’re on the subject, what’s your talent, Shadow?” Sonic asked, grinning mischievously. Shadow stiffened for a moment.

“I’m not sharing it with you.”

“Oh come on, Shadow,” Amy urged. “Everyone else shared theirs. You might as well.”

“Don’t encourage him,” Shadow muttered, turning his head to avoid eye contact. “It’s not important.”

“Don’t mind him,” Maria teased. “He’s just embarrassed.”

“Maria!”

“What? It’s true!”

Espio leaned in, curiosity piqued. “Embarrassed about what?”

Shadow groaned, but eventually relented.

“My talent is… the Ultimate Lifeform.”

…

“Wait, seriously?!” Sonic burst out laughing. He doubled over, clutching his stomach as they echoed through the room. “That’s… that’s just too much!”

“And this is exactly why I didn’t want to say anything,” Shadow growled. Amy snickered, and even Blaze and Espio couldn’t help but smirk. Cream just looked confused.

“I don’t get it. Doesn’t Mister Shadow call himself the Ultimate Lifeform all the time?” she asked innocently.

“I think it’s more of a title than an actual talent, dear,” Vanilla explained gently, though Tails could spot the faintest trace of an amused smile.

“Well while Shadow got the short end of the stick, I think my talent is quite fitting.” Rouge boated, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Oh, and what might that be?” Blaze asked, raising an eyebrow. The bat smirked.

“Well, darling, you're looking at the newly crowned Ultimate Thief! Here to steal your hearts—and maybe a few wallets along the way.”

Blaze sighed, “Why’d I even ask?”

“I’m just glad you’re stuck in here with us,” Knuckles said, glaring at the girl. “At least now I know you won’t try stealing the Master Emerald.”

Rouge tasked, rolling her eyes. “Please, that would be too easy. If I wanted the Master Emerald, I’d get it with much more flair.”

“You shouldn’t even be trying to get your hands on it at all!” The echidna growled.

"Aw, and where’s the fun in that?”

“I don’t know why you’re so upset, Knuckles.” Sticks interjected, looking oddly proud. “I respect thieves. They don’t follow orders; they do things their way. My kind of people!”

Rouge smirked at the badger. “Well, I have no idea who you are, but I like you already, hun.”

Knuckles muttered under his breath. “You do know she works for the government, right?”

But the girls didn’t seem to hear them, or either just decided to ignore him. 

(I hope this doesn’t lead to anything...With their personalities, they could definitely cause some chaos together.)

“So, what’s our next move?” Shadow asked, his voice cutting through the noise. “I’d rather not stay here longer than we have to. We should start thinking of escape routes.”

“I have yet to explore, so I am unfortunately no help with escape routes.” Blaze stated. “I woke up here in the Auditorium with Espio.”

And from what we’ve seen,” Vanilla added, holding Cream close to her side, “there doesn’t seem to be any obvious exit. Cream and I checked every door in the corridor we were in, though most of them were locked.”

Maria perked up at this, speaking with quiet confidence. “But there is an exit. Shadow, Rouge, and I saw a one where we woke up.”

“Wait, really?!” Amy’s eyes lit up with hope. “So we can leave after all?”

Rouge frowned. “Not so fast, Rosy. It’s not that simple. The ‘exit’ is some giant metal door. We tried everything to open it, but it’s locked up tight.”

(Just like the staircases…)

“Was there really nothing you could do?” Tails asked. “Not even Shadow?”

Maria hesitated. “Well…”

“We already told you—we tried everything,” Shadow snapped, his tone sharp. “So drop it.”

Tails’ mind whirled at the dismissal. Shadow’s frustration wasn’t like him, he was one of the most powerful beings he knew. Aside from Sonic, the hedgehog was the main one he would rely on to get them out of this mess. Something wasn’t adding up…

“Woah, no need to get all worked up Shadow.” Sonic joked, trying to keep the tone light-hearted. “We’ll have that door down in a sonic second! If we all go at it together, nothing can stop us!”

The group's morale seemed to spike at the hero's word.

“Yeah!” Mighty agreed, cracking his knuckles. “If we hit it with everything we’ve got, that door doesn’t stand a chance.”

“It’s worth a shot…” Barry muttered, their eyes flickering between doubt and determination.

“I’m in!” Tails cheered. 

(If anyone can pull this off, it’s our friends!)

The others voiced their agreement one by one, spirits soaring as they prepared to tackle the obstacle ahead. That was, until a final set of voices echoes in the distance.

“You useless scrap heap! I don’t pay you to make excuses!”

“I apologize, sir, but my systems are malfunctioning. I can’t establish a signal,” came the robotic response.

“Then fix it before I send you to the junkyard!”

Amy froze, a hand clenching around her arm. “It can’t be…”

Tails couldn’t blame her. 

(There’s no way he’s here…)

But his denial was put to rest when, moments later, Dr. Eggman stormed through the doors. And once the doctor got a good look at who was awaiting him in the room, his face exploded with fury.

“You meddlesome rodents! What are you doing here?! Explain yourselves, now!” 

The room fell into stunned silence as Eggman's voice echoed, his rage practically palpable. His mechanical assistant, Orbot, hovered beside him, fidgeting nervously while futilely attempting to recalibrate his systems.

Sonic was the first to break the silence, arms crossed and a cocky smirk plastered on his face. “Hey, Egghead! Fancy seeing you here. This your idea of a surprise visit?”

Eggman’s mustache bristled. “Don’t play dumb with me, hedgehog! I know you’re behind this!”

“Me?” Sonic feigned innocence, shrugging dramatically. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but we’re as stuck as you are.”

Tails stepped forward cautiously. "Wait... you're trapped here too, Eggman?"

“Don’t fall for his tricks, Tails.” Knuckles growled. “He’s obviously playing dumb. This has his revolting hands all over it!”

The doctor's fury spiked at the echidna’s accusation, a harsh snarl escaping his lips. "You echidnas must be as dumb as you look! Do you really think I want to be here with you lot? Whatever this place is, it's interfering with my equipment, my systems, everything !" He pointed towards Sonic and Tails. “And it all started when these two pests foiled my plans!”

“Seriously?” Tails retorted, his tails twitching with irritation. “That doesn't mean we did it! Why would we trap ourselves here? Besides, if it was us, why would Orbot be here too?”

Amy nodded, her eyes narrowing at the robot. “Good point. Orbot, what’s the last thing you remember?”

The robot blinked, its processors humming as it searched its memory banks. “I was charging back at the base. I do not remember anything else except for rebooting next to the Doctor in the lounge room.”

Espio’s eyes widened slightly. “Wait… so you weren’t attacked by the black smoke like the rest of us?”

“Negative.”

(That’s interesting…why was he not taken the same way as all of us?)

“Orbot!” Eggman barked, his tone sharp. “Stop fraternizing with the enemy!”

“Apologies, sir.” Orbot shuffled further behind his boss.

Maria stepped forward towards the newcomer, though Tails could sense some hesitance in her movements. “So, you really had nothing to do with this?”

Eggman’s eyes narrowed as he finally took notice of her, groaning harshly. “Oh, fantastic. You’re here too? As if dealing with this pack of meddling rodents wasn’t bad enough.”

Shadow’s crimson eyes glowed dangerously. “Choose your next words carefully, Doctor.”

Eggman huffed, his bravado faltering slightly under the intense stare. “Hmph. As if I’m intimidated by the likes of you, Shadow. Don’t think for a second that—”

“Enough,” Blaze interrupted, her voice calm but firm. “Bickering won’t get us anywhere. We need to figure out what’s going on.”

Eggman crossed his arms but didn’t object. For once, it seemed even he recognized the gravity of the situation.

Blaze nodded in approval. “Good. Now, Doctor,” she said, addressing him directly. “Did you receive an Ultimate Talent like the rest of us?”

The doctor’s sneer twisted into a self-satisfied smirk. “Since you asked so nicely, I’ll indulge you,” he said with a gleeful cackle. “From now on, you will address me as the Ultimate Villain! A fitting title, don’t you think? Perfect for the soon-to-be ruler of the world!”

Rouge rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, please. Your chances of conquering the world are about as likely as Knuckles figuring out how to be subtle for once.”

“Hey!” Knuckles sputtered, pointing at her. “What’s that supposed to mean!?”

Eggman ignored the interruption, waving his hand dismissively. “Laugh all you want, bat girl. I’ve come closer to world domination than any of you could ever imagine!”

“That was a fluke,” Sonic interjected, his lighthearted tone dropping significantly. “And don’t think for a second we’re going to let it happen again.”

Tails flinched, his mind reeling as it flashed back to the time Eggman’s plans had nearly succeeded. He felt his breathing pick up again, fighting against himself to keep it under control and not alert his friends.

(It’s fine Tails…focus…just don’t think about it…)

“Let’s stay on track,” Espio interjected, his voice low and measured, though a hint of discomfort from the doctor's earlier claim was apparent. “If Orbot is here, does that mean he has an Ultimate Talent as well? He does have a watch, after all.”

Tails tilted his head thoughtfully. What would Orbot’s Ultimate Talent even be?

“Yes,” the robot answered, showing off the device strapped on his metallic wrist. “My title is the Ultimate Assistant. It is my purpose to serve the doctor in all of his dastardly deeds, no matter how absurd some of them may be .”

He muttered the last part, but Eggman still shot him a heated glare. “One more word out of you, and you’ll be scrap before we leave this godforsaken building!” 

“Right, sorry, sir!” Orbot quickly saluted, shaking slightly.

Suddenly, Vanilla stepped forward, her voice calm yet firm. "Doctor, if you and Orbot are truly stuck like the rest of us, then it would be in everyone's best interest to work together, don’t you think?"

Eggman scoffed. "Work together? With you ? The only thing I trust you all to do is get in my way!"

Knuckles growled, pounding his fist together. “Right back at you. I'm still not convinced that you aren’t behind this whole mess! I’d rather be stuck here than trust you!”

The doctor chuckled. “Funny, I remember you trusting me just fine when we first met. Or are you too dense to remember?”

With that, any semblance of peace was shattered. Knuckles roared in rage, taking a step toward Eggman, fists clenched. Sonic lunged to hold him back, his hands gripping Knuckles’ waist.

“Knux,” he grunted, “chill out!”

“Don’t tell me to ‘chill out’ Sonic! I am done entertaining this tyrant!”

Eggman seemed unbothered by the echidna’s attempts to pound him, only snickering to himself. Amy sighed, exasperated by the display.

“Guys, this isn’t helping anyone right now!”

“Shut up pinky,” Eggman barked. “This doesn’t concern you!” Amy growled, making a grabbing motion as if she was reaching for where her hammer used to be. 

Meanwhile, Tails watched on nervously. They shouldn’t be fighting right now. He understood that Eggman was someone they couldn’t trust easily, but in this situation there wasn’t much of a choice. 

“Stop!” he pleaded. “We can’t fall apart like this! If we just-“

“My, my. So much tension! If I knew you all were that antsy to see me, I would have high tailed it here sooner!”

Instantly, everything went still. Knuckles froze his squirming, and even Eggman looked put off as the voice rang through the room. 

Before anyone could respond, the voice came again. “Well, guess what? Your wait is finally over! All students please face the stage, and welcome your wonderful, esteemed headmaster!”

“H-Headmaster?” Barry mumbled. “What does that mean?”

“I don’t like this…” Sticks trailed off, eyeing the stage suspiciously.

Tails exchanged a quick glance with Sonic. Both their faces tightened in concern. Something felt horribly wrong. The type of wrong that made your stomach turn with dread.

Still, they stood in place as the others reluctantly followed suit. They waited for what felt like an eternity—though it was only a few seconds—before a figure popped from behind the stage’s podium.

Literally popped out!

The figure soared through the air, laughing wildly, before landing perfectly on the ground below. And when it did, it revealed something none of them were prepared for.

“Metal! I knew it was you!”

Despite Sonic’s declaration, Tails was having a hard time believing it was Metal in front of them. They had fought the robot too many times to count, and Tails prided himself on being perspective when it came to their enemies. And he was pretty sure Metal had never been monochrome before…

The robot's blue and yellow exterior was gone, replaced with stark black and white. It was the face, however, that was truly unsettling. Metals' normally dull expression had been transformed, morphed into a wide, twisted, deceptively gleeful grin.

“You are sorely mistaken, hedgehog!” The robot’s voice was tinged with unnatural delight. “I’ve moved past the need to be your robotic mini-me! It was so dreadfully boring!”

Even Sonic, who had been grinning cockily at his familiar foe, frowned in confusion. It was like he had finally registered how…wrong this version of Metal was.

“If you no longer identify as Metal Sonic…” Maria started cautiously, “then what should we call you?”

The robot cackled, his grin spreading wider. “From now on, you all will address me by a name that strikes fear into the hearts of all…”

“Monobuta!” he declared triumphantly.

“…Mono what now?” Sticks asked, confused.

Shadow sighed. “I expected better. Even Knuckles could come up with a better name than that.”

“Hey!” Monobuta snapped, frowning. “It’s a perfect name! I spent hours workshopping it!”

“Maybe you need to go back to the drawing board then,” Blaze mumbled. 

“Metal!” Eggman hissed. “Stop with this nonsense at once! I don’t know what’s gotten into yo-“

“For the last time, It’s MONOBUTA!” The robot yelled, clearly annoyed. “And I no longer work for you! I’m my own robot now! Any more mispronunciations of my name, and you will be punished!”

(He sounds so serious now…)

“What?!” Eggman growled. “You can’t talk to me like that! I created you!”

“Well, I just did. So get used to it old man!” Monobuta retorted, then clapped his razor sharp hands excitedly. “Now let’s continue your orientation! You should know more about the school if you’re gonna stay here forever!”

“Forever?!” Cream squeaked, her eyes wide with panic.

Sonic seemed to snap out of his stupor, shaking his head. “Not gonna happen! No matter what you’re called or how you look, the result will always be the same— you’ll lose , like always!”

“Yeah!” Tails added. “You don’t stand a chance against us!” 

But Monobuta wasn’t fazed. Instead, he giggled like a child on a playground, taunting them. “Keep believing that, heroes! I’m sure you’ll find out the depth of the situation soon enough!” 

Blaze stepped forward, her expression hardening. “You said you have information about this school,” she said coldly. “I suggest you start talking. I don’t need my powers to deal with you if it comes to that.”

“Woah, calm down missy.” Monobuta quipped. “I was gonna tell you all without the threats!” He cleared his throat theatrically. “Now, listen well while I give you the grand introduction! Welcome mammals and humans alike to the wonderful Green Hill Academy!”

(Green Hill… so that is the name)

“This school is very exclusive,” the robot continued. ”Only for the best of the best! You all should be honored for making it through!”

“I never applied to your stinking school!” Sticks shouted, crossing her arms.

“Yeah!” Mighty added, scowling. “Why would we want to go to a school where you’re the headmaster?”

Monobuta clutched his chest, feigning mock heartbreak. “You’re breaking my heart, here! ” he wailed. “ How could you treat your headmaster so harshly, especially when I’ve bestowed upon you such amazing Ultimate Talents?”

“What’s the deal with those anyway?” Amy asked, glancing down at her watch. “I mean, I’m more than happy with mine, but what do they mean?”

“They are exactly what I said!” Monobuta responded with exaggerated enthusiasm. “They’re your Ultimate Talents! Something that you excel at better than anyone else! Every candidate for Green Hill Academy has one!”

Maria looked like she was about to interject, but the robot quickly cut her off.

“Of course, all Ultimates should know the layout of your school! We’re currently in the Auditorium, where all of our important meetings will be held from now on! The pair of double doors behind you leads to the Cafeteria, as well as a few more unlocked rooms you can enter, but the rooms on the other side of the school are off limits, understand?”

“Why are some doors locked and others aren’t?” Vanilla asked. Monobuta gave a dramatic sigh.

“While I would love to give a full tour of the school in all its glory, giving you access to everything so soon would spoil the fun!”

(What does that mean? Is there something in those rooms we aren’t supposed to see?)

Espio’s voice cut through the silence. “Is that why there are barriers blocking the stairs?”

Monobuta nodded enthusiastically. “Yep! You’ll get access to the upper levels eventually, but for now, you’re shut out! And don’t even think about trying to break down those barriers—or your precious exit.”

(He knows?!)

“Wait, you know about the exit?!” Rouge exclaimed, the others looking around with equal amounts of shock. Their plan was over before it even started…

“Duh! I know this school like the back of my hand. Oh yeah, and forget about escaping. This place is locked down tighter than Eggman’s pants!”

“Like that’s gonna stop us!” Knuckles replied. “With all our powers combined, we’ll get through that door in no time. Then we’ll kick Eggman's ass for making us go through this whole mess!”

“How many times do I have to say this!” Eggman shouted. “This isn’t me!” 

“Ha!” Monobuta laughed. “I think you’ll see soon enough how far those ‘powers” will get you!”

“I don’t get it…” Rouge muttered. “If you truly aren’t being controlled by Eggman, what is your end goal here? Why capture a majority of Mobius’s heroes?”

(That is strange. Why capture us of all people?)

Monobuta stared, his eyes going blank for a moment. His manic grin stayed the same, but it seemed to turn darker—emptier

“…”

Then, in the blink of an eye, the grin widened ever so slightly, spreading across his face in a way that made Tails’ fur stand on end.

“Why… Why?! ” He laughed maniacally. “That's easy! I did it for despair.”

“…despair?” 

The word clawed their way out of the fox’s throat, as if his body didn’t want him to say it. The robot only continued his crazed escapade.

“Yep, you heard me! Despair! What could be a better despairful situation then trapping the great saviors of Morbius! It’s perfect!”

As the robot’s words echoed in the room, everyone stood in stunned silence. Amy finally managed to speak, her voice trembling with disbelief.

“Y-You’re deranged,” she snapped, her hands clenched into fists. “There’s no way you can keep us trapped here.”

“Don’t fret! Since I’m feeling so generous, I’ll give you all a Get Out Of School Free card. All you have to do is one thing…”

Tails didn’t like where this was heading, that feeling from before bubbling over and ready to explode.

“Really?” Cream cheered, not as cautious as her two tailed friend. “What do we have to do?”

“It’s simple really.” The robot chirped. “All you have to do is murder one of your fellow students!”

….

….

….

Silence . Pure Silence cut through the air as everyone tried to process the machine's words. They couldn’t have heard right. He couldn’t have meant…

“You want us to kill each other?!” Barry exclaimed, their expression filled with dread.

“Amy’s right!” Blaze hissed. “You are deranged!”

Maria, wide-eyed, shook her head in disbelief. “This is all too much…”

Monobuta only continued to smile as the news began to sink in.

“This has gone too far, Metal.” Sonic’s voice rang out, sharp and commanding. He stepped to the front, his normally laid-back demeanor replaced by a cold seriousness. Tails stared in awe. He had only ever seen the hedgehog so serious a handful of times, and it always was a shock to the system. “If you believe we’ll ever think of doing…that,” he spat, ”then you are sorely mistaken.”

“Yeah,” Knuckles agreed. “You’re sick in the head if you think we’re gonna sit pretty and do what you say.”

“I didn’t say you had to kill.” Monobuta eyes glowed in amusement. “You all can choose to live here peacefully for the rest of your pathetic little lives, holding hands and singing kumbaya! You are friends after all, right?”  His face darkened again, a crazed glee radiating off him. “Or you could break free from the confines of this school, and see the outside world once again. Stabbing, drowning, electrocution , the method doesn’t matter! As long as your target is dead, you’re free to go!”

(T-This is…)

“You…” Shadow growled, walking closer to the stage with a look that could melt steel. “You make me sick. Do you think this is some kind of game?!”

“Yes I do! A killing game to be exact! A game of hope and despair!” 

The robot's shrill voice rang through Tails’ mind in a loop. His head pounded, his pulse raced, his tails twitched. He couldn’t help but think of being back at his workshop, safe and sound as he worked on a new invention. Sonic would zip in, joking around and telling him about a new mission they would go on. He longed to be back to those days. He longed to be anywhere but here, listening to Monobuta’s insane ramblings.

“Enough!”

He was snapped out of his musings by a blue blur rushing past him. In a flash, Sonic was on the stage, gripping the robot by his neck and lifting him effortlessly. 

“This ends here Metal! Let my friends go!”

Monobuta squirmed to get out of the hold, but it was no use. He hung limply in Sonic’s arms, though his twisted grin never left.

“Oh! What’s this?! Violence against the headmaster is against the rules you know? You’re already on thin ice for not saying my name correctly!”

(Rules? What rules?)

Sonic wasn’t fazed by the robot's insults, instead sneering at him. “You should know I’m no good with rules. Now, end this crazy charade you’ve got going on and let us leave!”

For a moment, the room was still. The group watched with bated breath, hope flickering to life as Sonic held the robot aloft. But then…

A low, distorted cackle echoed from the Monobuta’s mouth. His glowing eyes darkened ominously.

“Alright then. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Suddenly, the robot’s body went limp in Sonic’s hands. His red eyes dimmed, and his limbs drooped unnaturally still. Sonic blinked, his grip loosening.

“Uh… what just happened?”

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The sound started softly, almost inaudible at first, before growing faster and louder with every second.

“W-What is that?” Mighty asked.

“It’s coming from him!” Amy shouted, pointing at the robot. Tails' heart raced once he realized what she meant. There was a bright red light on the robot's chest, blinking in rhythm with the beeps. It started to blink faster and faster, the beeps speeding up with it. It almost seemed like…

“Sonic!” He shouted in panic. “It’s a-“

“Throw it now!”

Shadow’s urgent request seemed to reach Sonic, eyes widened to the size of saucers as he hurled Monobuta into the air with all his might. And as soon as he did-

BOOM.

The explosion rocked the room, metal shards raining down as everyone scrambled to dodge the debris. The sound was deafening, leaving a dull ringing in their ears as the dust started to settle and everyone began to realize what had just happened.

Monobuta was gone.

“…did we win?” Stick's voice cut through the tension.

“I think so,” Sonic responded hesitantly. 

Shadow, however, didn’t look so convinced. The black hedgehog was on edge, his crimson eyes scanning the room, sharp and untrusting. Tails couldn’t blame him. Something felt wrong. Like this situation was far from over…

“Thought you could get rid of me that easily, huh?”

The smug, mechanical voice cut through the silence. Suddenly, as if he had never left at all, Monobuta jumped out from behind the podium. He was in pristine condition, not a single scratch on him. 

“Huh?!” Amy yelped.

“W-W-WHAT?!” Barry yelled. “It’s alive?!”

“How…” Sonic trailed off, narrowing his eyes as his fists clenched. “No way…”

“I warned you not to test me! Next time you break one of my rules, I won’t let it slide so easily!”

“This is absurd.” Eggman grumbled, though his voice oozed with intrigue. “How did you come back so fast?”

Monobuta snickered. “That’s for me to know and you to never find out! Just know that attacking me won’t accomplish anything, so save that murderous energy for killing!”

“These rules you speak of,” Orbot spoke, tilting his head. “What exactly are they?”

“Good question!” Monobuta responded. The robot tapped something on his wrist, then gestured towards the group. “Take a gander at your Mono-watches. I added a couple of fun new features!”

Tails brows furrowed. New features? Last he checked, all that showed on the screen was his Ultimate Talent. But once he raised his wrist and looked down, he was met with a much different sight. The pure white screen was gone, replaced by a black background with two apps featured on it. One read School Rules while the other read Class Profiles . He quickly tapped on the rules app, and a long list filled up the screen. It was too much to read at the moment, but he made note of the first three rules displayed:

Rule #1: Never, EVER, call the headmaster anything other than Monobuta. Failure to comply will result in punishment.

Rule #2: No physical harm is to come to the headmaster. Failure to comply will result in punishment.

Rule #3: Nighttime is from 10 pm to 7 am. Leaving your room during this time period will result in punishment.

The first two made sense for the most part given everything that had happened so far. But the third rule was interesting…

“What’s with the nighttime rule?” Tails asked. “How will you know if someone breaks it?”

Monobuta’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “Easy, genius! I’ve got eyes everywhere. Nothing escapes me!”

(Eyes everywhere? Maybe there are hidden cameras around the school.)

“Funny how the first two rules are meant to protect you…” Espio scoffed, narrowing his eyes.

“It doesn’t matter what tricks you have up your sleeve,” Sonic growled, stepping forward. His quills bristled with defiance. “We’ll find a way to stop you. Together.”

Monobuta snorted. “ Keep dreaming, hero. And just to let you all know, it's currently 9:30 pm, so times a ticking! Now, before I leave you all to stew in despair, I have one last surprise for you! Think of it as a parting gift.”

He whistled sharply, and the room fell silent. After a few tense seconds, a figure floated into view from behind the curtain.

Tails froze.

(Why is that thing here?!)

It was a doll—a perfect replica of him, down to the twin tails.

“What?” Eggman muttered in shock. “That shouldn’t be activated…”

“What is that doing here?” Sonic growled, his blue quills on edge.

Tails couldn’t look away, his chest tightening as the doll hovered lifelessly in the air.

“Yeah!” Amy added, scowling. “How dare you disrespect Tails’ image by bringing this thing here?!”

“Aw, don’t act like that.” Monobuta tsked. “That’s no way to greet your new classmate!”

Tails finally broke out of his trance, his eyes widening. “Huh?! But why! It’s just a doll!”

“Now you’re just being mean!” The robot whined. “T-Doll here is much more than a mere stuffed toy. From here on out, it will be known as the Ultimate Best Friend! Treat it like you would any other sentient being!”

“T-Doll?” Knuckles asked, perplexed. Monobuta nodded.

“It was either that or Tails Doll! I figured the second one would get confusing.” He pushed the little doll harshly, causing it to fly over to the rest of the group. “Now that everything’s settled, I’ll be taking my leave. Enjoy your new school life!” His eyes dimmed. “And remember, freedom is just a murder away!”

With that, Monobuta disappeared, the room falling into a suffocating stillness. Tails found his eyes locked on T-Doll, its blank, stitched eyes staring back at him, emotionless.

Finally, Amy broke the silence. “T-This is insane!” she stammered. “There’s no way he actually expects us to start… killing each other!”

Cream clung tightly to Vanilla, her small frame trembling. “No one would do that, right?” 

“Of course not, Cream,” Vanilla replied softly, though the worry in her voice betrayed her words.

“She’s right,” Sonic declared firmly, stepping forward. “We’re not going to play his twisted game. We’re getting out of here together. Nobody’s stooping to Monobuta’s level.”

Tails felt a flicker of hope at Sonic’s words, but it was quickly snuffed out by Espio.

“Even if that’s true,” the chameleon said, his tone measured, “the nighttime rule makes things difficult. We won’t have enough time to execute any escape plan.”

The room grew quiet again, the weight of Espio’s logic settling in.

“Then we’ll find a workaround,” Sonic smirked. “There’s always another way if you look hard enough.”

“I’m in,” Rouge added, crossing her arms. “Between me and other fast fliers here, we can scout for cameras or anything else hiding in this building.”

Tails nodded eagerly. “I’ll start analyzing anything I can find here. There might be some kind of system we can hack!”

Before the group could rally around the idea, Eggman’s voice broke through with a biting tone.

“You’re all fools if you think teamwork will save you.”

“What are you going on about now, Eggman?” Mighty growled.

Eggman folded his arms, his glare piercing. “How do you know one of your so-called friends isn’t already considering Monobuta’s offer? You can’t trust anyone here—not completely.”

Tails froze as a chill ran down his spine. That couldn’t be true right? No one here would do such a thing. But as everyone in the room started to slowly stare at each other with growing suspicion, he found doubt begin to seep in.

(No, Tails! Don’t think like that! These are your friends…)

“That’s ridiculous!” Sonic shot back, his voice unwavering. “I believe in my friends. None of us would sink to that level!”

“That’s rich coming from you anyway,” Knuckles added. “You’re the most likely candidate for going along with Monobuta’s plans, or should I say-your plans! Three of your robots suddenly showing up here isn’t a coincidence!”

“Think what you want, Knuckles.” the doctor barked. “But you all know it’s true! Besides, if I wanted to kill you all, I wouldn’t do it by creating some sort of childish game!”

Before the argument could escalate further, Shadow spoke up, his deep voice cutting through the noise.

“He’s not wrong.”

“What?!” Amy gasped, staring at Shadow in disbelief.

Tails flinched. “Shadow! How can you say that?”

Shadow met their shocked faces with a neutral expression. “I’m not endorsing his views. I’m simply acknowledging the truth. The situation has already forced us into distrust. Ignoring that fact would be foolish.”

Sonic stepped forward, visibly frustrated. “Come on, Shads. We’ve faced worse before, and we’ve always come through by sticking with each other!”

Shadow shook his head. “This isn’t the same, Sonic. Back then, the enemy was clear. Here, anyone could be a threat.”

“Finally, someone’s talking sense!” Eggman crowed.

Shadow shot him a cold glare. “Don’t mistake agreement for camaraderie. We’re nothing alike.”

As the argument continued, Sticks paced nervously, muttering to herself. Finally, she blurted, “He has a point. I don’t trust this whole setup. Cameras, metal barriers… it’s got government conspiracy written all over it!” She pointed accusingly at T-Doll and Orbot. “Especially that creepy thing and that tin can spy!”

“…!”

T-Doll floated motionless, its empty eyes as unnerving as ever. Orbot, however, beeped indignantly. “Excuse me! I am not part of some conspiracy!”

“Likely story,” Sticks grumbled, narrowing her eyes.

“Guys!” Sonic called out, raising his hands. “We can’t let Monobuta mess with our heads! Fighting each other is exactly what he wants!”

“I want to believe in everyone…” Blaze said hesitantly, her voice tinged with doubt. “But I can’t ignore the possibility of betrayal.”

“Agreed,” Espio added gravely. “I’m sorry, Sonic, but logic demands caution.”

The murmurs of agreement grew louder, and Sonic’s usual confidence faltered. “Come on, everyone,” he said, his voice tinged with desperation. “We’re better than this…”

“Listen to him!” Amy pleaded, stepping beside Sonic. “He’s right! We’re stronger together!”

“Yeah!” Mighty said, nodding. “Don’t let Monobuta win!”

“Sorry, hun,” Rouge sighed. “I just don’t know what to believe right now.”

“I believe that I can’t trust you mammals as far as I can throw you!” Eggman declared bitterly.

“Shut it, Eggman!” Knuckles growled.

“Make me!”

The room dissolved into chaos, arguments flying in every direction. Even Sonic didn’t seem to know how to reign in the conversation, lost eyes darting around. 

Tails watched the display nervously. 

(I have to do something. We don’t have time to argue!)

“Everyone, we-“

“STOP!”

The commanding voice silenced the room instantly. All eyes turned to the source: Maria Robotnik. Her expression was firm, her presence radiating calm authority.

“Please,” she said, her voice steady. “This is exactly what Monobuta wants. If we keep tearing each other apart, we’ll lose before we’ve even begun.”

“I understand Maria.” Shadow tried to reason gently. “But we can’t afford to get taken off guard. I don’t want you to get caught up in this whole mess.”

Maria smiled warmly at him, her gaze unwavering. “I know, Shadow. But that doesn’t mean we should doubt our friends. If you can’t bring yourself to fully trust them, at least trust in me. I know that everything will be alright, as long as we all band together.”

“I…” Shadow faltered, the weight of her words breaking through his walls. “I trust you, Maria. I always will. But-“

“Then know that what I say is true. We will all get through this, no killing required.”

Tails couldn’t help but admire the girl before him. She was so confident in her declaration, like she truly believed in everyone there, no matter who they were.

“You’re right, Maria.” Vanilla said, grinning at the girl. “We were all being a bit silly, weren’t we?”

“Y-Yeah,” Barry added nervously. “I don’t know everybody here, but… you all seem nice enough. For the most part.”

“Well said, darling,” Rouge added with a smirk, though her eyes betrayed a hint of uncertainty.

“I knew I could count on you to talk some sense into everyone,” Sonic said, flashing Maria a thumbs-up.

Maria laughed lightly. “Thanks, Sonic.”

Shadow exhaled a quiet sigh, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Fine. You’re far too convincing for your own good sometimes.”

The girl watched with a smile as the group began to perk up. A new hope filling them with the desire to escape.

“Thank you everyone.” She said warmly. “For now, we should get some sleep. We shouldn’t go against the nighttime rule until we know more about this place. I think we all deserve a good night's rest after today's events.”

“What?” Knuckles argued. “But we need to find a way out of here!”

“I know you don’t like being trapped here, Knuckles,” Amy cut in gently. “But it’s not safe to do anything rash. Let’s sleep on it and tackle that door tomorrow.”

“Right,” Sonic agreed. “If we all go at it with clear heads, nothing can stop us!”

Knuckles opened his mouth to argue further, but eventually sighed and hung his head. “All right,” he grumbled. “But we better be out of here first thing in the morning.”

Eggman huffed, glaring at the others. “I’ll go along with this ridiculous plan for now. But once we’re out of here, don’t expect me to work with any of you ever again! I’ll be back to trying to destroy you before you know it!”

Tails noticed Maria watching Eggman with a quiet sigh of disappointment.

“Trust me, you won’t have to worry in that regard.” Blaze replied, glaring at the doctor before turning to where Barry and Sticks were standing. “You two said you woke up in front of the dormitories, correct? Care to lead the way?”

“Sure!” Barry agreed. Sticks let out a harsh sigh.

“I guess I’ll play along for now.” She grumbled, before roughly grabbing the quokka. “Let’s get a move on train freak!”

“What..hey!”

She dragged them out of the set of double doors closer to the stage, Barry struggling unsuccessfully to free their arm. Eventually, everyone slowly filed out of the Auditorium behind them, until it was only Tails and T-Doll left.

Tails felt himself sweating under the unwavering gaze of the doll. It almost felt like it was mocking him.

“Uh…” Tails hesitated, feeling awkward under the silence. “Hi?”

“…” The doll didn’t respond, only staring blankly before turning and floating silently out the door. Tails watched it leave, an uneasy pit forming in his stomach.

He just couldn’t understand. All the other contestants made some kind of sense, even the strangest ones like Barry and Orbot, but this one…it was wrong. His head pounded the more he thought about those blank, unseeing eyes.

(Just forget about it for now. I have to get back to the group.)

He exhaled sharply, shaking off the discomfort and heading out the door. The corridor looked similar to the one he was in earlier, with the exception that none of the doors had any nameplates this time around. He followed the faint sound of voices down the hall, turning a corner to see a large oval entrance with Dormitory written in bold, white letters above it.

(Guess this is it.)

Stepping through the doorway, he was greeted by the sight of the group standing in the middle of the hall.

“Tails, there you are!” Sonic called, relief evident in his voice. His brow was furrowed with worry. “Where’ve you been?”

“Sorry,” Tails replied sheepishly, glancing toward the doll now floating near the wall. “I, uh, got distracted.”

“This is all so weird,” Amy muttered, her hands wringing nervously. “Whoever’s behind this…they’ve been planning this for a long time.”

Tails followed her gaze and froze. There were 17 doors lining the hallway, each with a nameplate and an image of their face on it.

“I want to stay with you Mother.” Cream begged, terrified eyes welling with unshed tears. 

(That’s right…they have separate rooms.)

“Don’t worry sweetheart,” Vanilla cooed, bending down to hug her daughter. “I will only be one room over. No harm will come to you, I promise.”

Blaze crossed her arms, her fiery eyes softening as she looked at the frightened rabbit. “Your mother’s right, Cream. The nighttime rule ensures no one can leave their rooms after dark. You’ll be safe.”

The young rabbit sniffled but gave a small nod, wiping her eyes. “Okay… I’ll try to be brave.”

“It should be close to 10 pm now.” Shadow informed. ”We need to head into our rooms soon. Let’s decide on a place to meet first thing tomorrow so that we can discuss our next move.”

“How about the cafeteria?” Mighty suggested, pointing toward the other end of the hall. “It’s just down the main corridor—you can’t miss it.”

“Good call!” Maria said brightly, her smile easing some of the tension in the room.

“Fine,” Eggman muttered grumpily. “But don’t expect me to tolerate any of your nonsense tomorrow. And keep it down tonight—I need my beauty sleep.” He stomped toward his door, gesturing dramatically to his assistant.  “Come Orbot, now!”

“Yes, Doctor.”

The robot wheeled himself to his room, which was conveniently placed right next to Eggman’s, and the two disappeared for the night.

“…I really can’t stand him.” Knuckles scowled.

“Join the club,” Sonic quipped, rolling his eyes. “But for now, let’s focus on resting up. Tomorrow, we’re busting out of here—no matter what.”

With that, everyone nodded and walked into their respective rooms. Well, almost everyone…

Tails lingered a moment longer, his eyes following T-Doll as it floated toward its door. To his surprise, its door had a small, built-in compartment, like a dog door. The doll slipped through silently, vanishing inside.

Tails frowned, the uneasiness returning.

“You alright, bud?”

Tails nearly jumped, spinning around to see Sonic standing behind him.

“Sonic! I—I thought you already went to your room!”

“Nah,” Sonic said casually, crossing his arms. “Not until I know you’re good. You looked pretty shaken up back there.”

Tails hesitated, looking down at the floor. “It’s nothing. I just…that doll gives me the creeps.”

Sonic’s smirk softened into a reassuring grin. “Hey, I get it. This whole thing’s messed up. But don’t let it get to you, alright? We’ve got this—together.”

Tails managed a small smile, nodding. “Thanks, Sonic.”

“Anytime, lil bro. Now, get some rest—we’ve got a jailbreak to plan tomorrow!”

With that, Sonic gave him a thumbs-up before heading to his room. Tails watched him go, his spirits a little higher. Despite the strange, foreboding situation they were in, Sonic’s unwavering optimism was exactly what he needed.

(Okay, let’s see what this dorm room is all about.)

He pushed open his door, walking into his room. 

The interior was simple but welcoming: a medium-sized bed with soft-looking sheets, a sturdy wooden desk in one corner, and a small bathroom attached. The walls were painted a calming shade of blue, adorned with carefully hand-painted images of cheerful Chao and Flicky's frolicking among flowers and trees. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a nice place to relax.

Tails wandered over to the desk and switched on a small lamp, bathing the room in a warm glow. He turned off the main overhead light, then made his way to the bed. He fluffed the pillows and slipped under the covers, shifting around as he tried to find a comfortable position.

Despite the day’s exhaustion weighing on his body, Tails couldn’t quiet his restless mind. Questions raced through his thoughts, refusing to let him drift off. Would they really find a way out of this tomorrow? Could Maria's trust in everyone hold up? What if someone gave in to Monobuta's twisted game?

"No," he muttered softly to himself, shaking his head. He couldn’t let doubt take root. He had to believe in his friends—and himself.

They would find a way to escape. Together.

Taking a deep breath, Tails let the weight of his resolve settle over him. Slowly but surely, his thoughts began to quiet, and his eyes grew heavy. He let himself drift into the embrace of sleep, holding tightly to the belief that they would overcome this.

But little did he know, the peace wouldn’t last.

Because inside the walls of their prison, the shadows of melancholy loomed. The academy would soon reveal its true, sinister nature.

An academy of life.

An academy of death.

An academy of despair.