It started with a letter. Just one. Eggman had been tinkering in his lab, calibrating the power core of his latest Eggbot, when he noticed it—a crisp white envelope sitting perfectly at the base of his control panel.

Who had the audacity to sneak into his fortress?

The envelope was sealed with a red heart-shaped sticker, of all things.

A trap.

It had to be.

Still, his curiosity itched. He slid one gloved finger under the seal and tore it open, half-expecting it to explode in his face. But instead, he found...a love letter?

"To the most brilliant mind in the world," it began.

Eggman blinked. Brilliant mind? Well, obviously. He was the genius of the age!

But it kept going.

Someone admired him? Admired him? Adored his brilliance? Of course they did! Who wouldn’t?

But...then logic kicked in. Eggman wasn’t exactly the kind of guy who inspired romance.

He wasn’t delusional—he was round, bald, and had a mustache so dramatic it could probably scare off birds.

He had ran the letter through a scanner. No bombs. No tracking devices. Nothing.

Hm.

The next day, it was a small box of chocolates that appeared. He paced his lab, muttering to himself.

"This is obviously a trap. No one in their right mind would write...this." He held up the latest letter, which compared his determination to "a phoenix rising from the ashes." His voice grew louder, more indignant. "What kind of person sneaks into a fortress to leave love leters? A spy, that’s..." He faltered.

What if it wasn’t a trap?

What if someone actually admired him? It wasn’t impossible, was it? Sure, he wasn’t a conventional heartthrob, but who cared about looks when you had brains?

He didn’t know how to feel about that.

"Orbot!" he barked suddenly.

The red orb floated into the room, his monotone voice echoing. "Yes, Doctor?"

"Do a full sweep of the perimeter. Someone’s been sneaking in. I want cameras checked, sensors recalibrated!"

"Understood," Orbot replied.

If this was a trap, they’d regret it.

But if it wasn’t? well...