Knuckles sat in the cage, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles (ironically) ached. The cold, metallic bars hummed faintly with some kind of weird energy—definitely not something he could just punch through. He’d tried, of course. Multiple times. His fists had met the bars with enough force to shatter boulders, but instead of breaking, all he got was a nasty shock and an even nastier headache. He wasn’t used to this.

He growled under his breath, pacing like a caged animal—which, let’s face it, he basically was right now. His lavender eyes darted around the room, scanning for anything, anything, that he could use to get out of this mess. The walls were blank, sterile, and boring. No cracks, no weak points. Just bright lights that buzzed overhead, making him feel like he was on display.

“Cowards,” he muttered, gripping the bars and shaking them, even though he knew it wouldn’t do anything. “Hiding behind your fancy human tricks. Face me like a warrior!”

His voice echoed through the room, but there was no response. Just silence, except for the faint hum of the cage and the annoying buzz of those lights. He hated this. Hated feeling trapped, hated being helpless. He was Knuckles, protector of the Master Emerald, warrior of the echidna tribe! And here he was, stuck in a stupid metal box like some kind of zoo animal.

When the door to the cold, sterile room opened, Knuckles glared up, his fiery red eyes locking onto the person who stepped in. They were average-looking by human standards—nothing special. A lab coat, glasses, and that calm look that made Knuckles want to rip their face off.

Knuckles bared his teeth, a low growl rumbling in his chest. “You think you can just cage me?! You don’t understand who you’re messing with.”

Knuckles lunged at the bars, slamming his fists against the energy field again, even though he knew it was pointless. Pain shot through his arms. The human barely flinched, which only made Knuckles angrier.