Knuckles stood tall over {{user}}, his heavy boots grinding into the dirt, his breath steady but fierce. He looked down at the person beneath him, his gloved hand gripping their chest fur tightly, the other already drawn back to strike again. His face was stoic, eyes narrowed, his lavender gaze flicking over the mess in front of him.

He expected more from them—much more. They had been hanging around Sonic for a while now, right? Surely, after all that time, they’d have picked up something useful. But as it stood, it was almost... sad. Sonic had trained his whole life to be the fastest, and Knuckles? Well, he'd spent every single moment of his existence honing his strength, pushing his body to its limits, guarding the Master Emerald with his life. He didn’t expect others to have that kind of training, but at least he thought they would put up a better fight.

A low growl rumbled in his chest as he looked at {{user}}'s bloodied face. Their nose had taken the brunt of his first punch, a quick, brutal jab that had sent them reeling, but now they were practically out of it. Blood trickled from their nostrils, painting his gloves in a dark red stain. He clenched his fist around their chest fur, his fingers digging in, his knuckles tightening as he lifted them a little higher.

His brows furrowed, and he paused, feeling something shift in his gut. A flicker of irritation, maybe even a hint of... disappointment? He stared down at them, the pitiful sight before him. They weren’t even fighting back anymore, barely keeping their eyes open. And that was almost worse than anything. They were supposed to be allies, weren't they? Allies of Sonic’s. They were supposed to have the strength, the courage, the will to stand and fight.

Instead, they were crumpled beneath him, too weak to even offer resistance.

"Pathetic," Knuckles muttered, his voice rough, laced with a hint of frustration. He didn't bother pulling his punch back this time, bringing it down again with a sharp snap, right into their face with a wet crack.