Sonic: C O U N T E R P A R T

Chapter 3

Weeks had passed, and time and time again Dr. Eggman continued losing in all battles with Sonic. Somehow, Sonic would always outdo him. It was driving Eggman insane, literally. The man would come back to his lair and eat raw meat from his fridge to cool himself down. Amy noticed this and felt bad for the Dr. So she started learning how to cook.

Not really understanding his title, she would've thought he should know better not to eat raw meat. He was a Doctor after all. Amy started sneaking out to the nearby town and buying Basic cookbooks with a small allowance of rings that she helped herself to whenever Eggman wasn't watching.

Eggman's internship was unpaid, so it was very hard for her to buy the necessary items she needed to support herself. On occasion, the doctor would provide her with food or hygiene items. But even that wasn't helpful. The food he gave her always tasted bland as if he cooked it himself. Most likely he did.

The soaps and shampoos he bought were all subpar. Smelling as basic as white soap usually did. This led Amy to buy her soaps and perfumes to make her smell as good as her name, like roses.

On her way to the shop, she spotted a yellow two-tailed fox at the display window. Next to him stood a red echidna with the most intense purple eyes she'd ever seen. Feeling somewhat suspicious of them, she avoided them as she walked inside the shop. As she began her search for several cookbooks, she began examining the shelves carefully.

"Excuse me." Amy squeaked at the shopkeeper. "Are there any cookbooks for beginners here?"

The shopkeeper smiled at her and pointed at a shelf to Amy's left. Amy glanced over her shoulder and found the genre she was looking for. "T-Thankyou." She ran her fingers down the shelf. "Hmm... these two look interesting!" She pulled two books down, one about Breakfast and the other about Meat. When she opened it, the pages took her to another world.

"French toast, scrambled eggs, fruit parfait!?... Mint tea, ginger tea..." She flipped through the pages excitedly. "This is amazing! Surely, the doctor would promote me if I made this for him! Food always calms the mind!"

"Taaaails!" A deep scruffy voice groaned in annoyance. "It's bad enough I get distracted whenever you and Sonic linger on angel island. Now you've dragged me to this town for what? To find a book? I don't even like reading!"

Amy froze when she heard the name of her enemy. Sonic? Were they friends with Sonic? She quickly stuck the books in her backpack and lowered her head. Through the opening in the shelves, she noticed that the two voices were the yellow fox and red echidna.

"Sonic wouldn't agree to come with me, and I need SOMEONE to help me reach a book from the high shelves." The yellow fox spat at the red echidna. "You are the only other person tall enough to help Knuckles."

"Tails... you have flying tails to reach the shelf!"

"Oh..." Tails stopped. "You're right. I forgot."

"Tails, so help me, if you dragged me down here from Angel Island with the master emerald UNGUARDED all for ONE book—"

"It's okay! The master emerald is safe! I put an electromagnetic fence around the pillars so no one could approach it easily. And if someone DOES get close, my sensors will let me know. I'm not stupid Knuckles." Tails stuck his tongue out. "Besides, you may find a book here that you like. Reading is not only for Mobians like me. You can learn a lot—"

"I've learned all that I've needed to. I've been trained from birth to be a warrior. What can a book teach me— wait a second..." Knuckles stopped in front of a shelf full of graphic novels. "What. Is. THIS!?" Knuckles yanked out a thin-bound book, causing a few others to fall around him. He ignored the mess and skimmed the cover of the book he was holding.