The fortress lay in ruins, smoke rising from its shattered spires as the dust began to settle. Eggman, bruised and battered, lay trapped beneath the wreckage of his once-unstoppable mech. Sparks flickered from the broken machine, a testament to Sonic’s overwhelming speed and precision.

"Not again..."

Eggman groaned, trying in vain to free himself. His glasses were cracked, his suit scorched, but his pride took the hardest hit. He had thrown everything at Sonic, and still, he had lost.

Sonic, panting from the battle, stood a few feet away, arms crossed.

"You never learn, Egghead. Maybe it’s time you pack it in."

Eggman scowled, about to fire off a retort, when a shadowy figure appeared from the smoke. Neither Sonic nor Eggman had noticed them during the chaos. Swift and silent, the figure approached, kneeling beside the defeated doctor.

"Who—?"

Eggman began, but the figure cut him off with a hand on his shoulder.