The emeralds tinkled as they hit the floor, unlike Sonic's loud thumping footsteps as he dropped on his feet heavily and staggered. The blue hedgehog took a breath, expecting clean, grass flavoured air, but only recieving a metallic rusty smell. Surprised, he opened his eyes and saw he was in Eggman's base.
He licked his lips nervously. Was Eggman here? For some reason he didn't want to call for him. The idea that there wouldn't be a reply made him want to throw up. Trying to buy time, stalling it with the idea that ignorance was bliss, he knelt down and picked up the emeralds slowly. As he picked up the last one, they reacted and flashed, disappearing into him with their bright colours. He pushed down their powers, stopping his fur from turning yellow, and straightened. He wanted to look but his body was locked in place.
"This is ridiculous!" Sonic hissed to himself and sucked in a breath to call for him, but then sighed "I'll just look for him." He murmured, and went into a light run, maybe the pace of Usain Bolt at top speed, into the next room. As soon as he entered, the doors smashed closed and locked, and the lights flickered off. Sonic froze, his heart pounding, and after a moment softly called out to the abyss. "Eggman?" He asked hopefully, but there was no reply. He waited, but waiting wasn't really his style. He quickly grew impatient and began to feel his way back to the door so he could bust it open, when he bumped into something round.
A stagelight smashed on and the hedgehog reeled back at the blaring light, covering his eyes as he tripped and fell to the floor. As he gradually got used to it he was able to see the outline of his enemy. Sonic could see he was about to make a dramatic speech, but before he could the blue blur grabbed him into a large hug.
"I'm so sorry!" He cried and Eggman stared at him, confused and startled. Why on Mobius was Sonic hugging him? Apologising? Being beyond polite? Usually the evil genius couldn't even get a thank you out of him. "I should have helped you, but I- NO. No, there's no excuse, I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry, Eggman!"
"Um, Sonic... get off." The doctor shoved him lightly and gave him an odd look, before grinning "But if you're feeling generous, how about you hand over the emeralds?" He held out a hand and his grin twisted into something that showed nothing but his greed.
"Sure."
"W-what?" Eggman stepped back slightly, no longer in the center of his spotlight. He narrowed his eyes uncertainly, wondering if perhaps Giovanni had made a second Sonic. Maybe this was a trap?!
"We agreed, remember?" Sonic had a juicy red emerald appear in the palm of his hand, baiting the doctor "You turn me and my friends back into Mobians and you get five emeralds. I keep two." There was a silence, before Eggman moved forward and knelt down to his height
"Well that's hardly fair now, Sonic, there are six of you and I only get five emeralds?" The evil genius's hands twitched towards the red gem, which retracted into untouchable light that shifted into Sonic's chest as he did.
"You said I could have two. A deal's a deal." He said firmly, and Eggman folded his arms unhappily, before smiling lightly.
"I will do it, no backstabbing or anything, if you say: I'm a Pokemon and Doctor Eggman is my master." Sonic's face dropped, but Eggman could tell he was considering it and his eyes gleamed cruelly. After a good moment or so, he began to grumble
"I'm a-"
"NO NO NO WAIT!" Eggman jumped up like a puppy who'd just met someone new and pulled out a small device, which he tapped at a few times before holding it out in front of the hedgehog "Okay, go, nice and clearly now!" He purred, tapping a button.
"Seriously?" Sonic ground out "You're going to record it?"
"When times are tough, it's nice to hear your enemy grovel." Eggman's voice was filled with laughter, and the affection that the blue blur had felt for him before was quickly disappearing. However, Sonic still felt like he owed the man after leaving him to be crushed by a mansion, so he took a deep breath.
"I'm a Pokemon and Eggman is my master."
"Ah ah, DOCTOR." He corrected, and Sonic glared.
"Doctor Eggman." He hissed
"No no," He sniggered as he dragged it out "Do the whole thing properly." Sonic could have killed him.
"I'm a Pokemon and Doctor Eggman is my master!" He half yelled and Eggman burst out laughing, tapping the recording off and clutching it to his chest as he fell back, unable to hold his shaking body as it tried to feed his happiness with air. He quickly ran out and was wheezing, while Sonic trembled with fury and embarrassment beside him, his affection for the stupid egg was gone, and he regretted caring for even a second.
"You've made my day, blue rat. Lights please, I'm going to fix Sonic up before he goes all yellow on me." He chuckled as he sat up, taking in air that he desperately needed as the spotlight flashed off and was replaced by the original lights, showing the entire room. In the middle, a small machine was hitched up onto a wall, wires hanging from it lazily. "You ready?" Sonic still wanted to glare at him, but the prospect of being un-pokemon was too great for him, so he rolled his eyes and gave a nod. With unnatural patience he allowed Eggman to hook him up, but before he could go anywhere near his controls, Sonic held up a hand.
"If this does something other than what you say, you know I'm going to tear your lab apart." He warned, and Eggman smiled.
"Nice to see you've gotten over your touchy-feely 'Eggman I'm sooooo sorry!' phase. How long did that last for by the way? Five minutes? Ten?" He stepped over a wire to get to the control panel while Sonic gave a withering smile.
"A few days, actually." He told him truthfully "I guess I'd forgotten that you're a rotten egg. The idea of you being dead... well actually, I still don't want you dead. I'd have no fun otherwise." Sonic mused.
"I have no intention of dying, worry not little hedgehog. By the way, you'll feel a bit tired after this. Not like last time, just a bit weary." Eggman flicked a switch and Sonic gasped and flinched, but gritted his teeth to bear the aching throb of the wires, four in all, that seemed to suck the life from him. "I got away from the mansion as quickly as I could, even with me feeling like I was about to faint. I have no idea how, but I made it all the way back to Professor Oak's place and went through the portal. I was worried that you'd try to stop me from going home and pull the same trick I tried to pull on you." He stopped chattering for a moment as Sonic gave a groan of pain "Nearly there, Sonic, just another moment." Eggman assured, his eyes softening slightly "It must be nice to have someone that misses you. They wouldn't leave me alone about it, Sonic... Amy and Tails and stuff..."
"I missed you." He gasped, and Eggman glanced at him "Don't get me wrong," The hedgehog ground out, grinning at him through his pain "We're still enemies, but I need an enemy. I need you, like Amy and Tails need me. In those few days, I missed you." The machine beeped and Sonic breathed a sigh of relief as the pain faded. The wires dropped out of him and he stumbled forward, but Eggman caught him. He gently pressed the master ball to him, but it didn't react.
"You'd better go fetch your friends. They should all be by the Master Emerald. I only wanted you here because of the Chaos Emeralds." He shrugged and smiled lightly "I'd miss you too, since I'm a complicated guy like that. You put up a hell of a fight. My intelligence is always tested and that's thanks to you, I suppose. But I'm still going to make Mobius into the Eggman Empire."
"You wish." Sonic smiled as he found his footing and glanced up "Thanks. I guess it's official now."
"I'm Not A Pokemon!"
