Sonic The Hedgehog: Dark-Bright

[INTERMISSION ARC] Chapter 63: Post Result

Time always flies by quickly. One week has officially passed since that day when Sonic lost to those two mysterious Balancers. But with Aeon's aid, they're now part of a new league. Before the end of the final day, Sonic asked for a deal with Aeon, requesting a rematch. Their fight went on for 3 hours until, unfortunately, Sonic passed out due to exhaustion. Despite his strength, he was not at Aeon's level.

The next morning, Amy, Tails, and Dijon were looking for Sonic. When he appeared, they opened the door and were greeted by a blur as Sonic welcomed everyone with a giggle, asking, ''Did you guys look for me?''

Amy spoke up, ''Sonic! You got us worried. We haven't seen you since yesterday until now... You didn't tell me you were going to spend the night with our teacher.''

Sonic apologized while maintaining a smile. ''Sorry, but it was important. It seemed I still lacked something, but now I can safely say that I can finally fight for myself.''

''I'm glad you approached it the same way I did, but why did you have to engage in another sparring match with Aeon?'' Dijon inquired.

''Nothing too major, really. Our master had a fun gimmick. He can switch between fighting styles, sometimes striking hard and other times using speed tricks.''

Tails approached Sonic. ''Sonic, now that you've finished your training, what about this town? Even though we've become stronger, we still haven't found any clues.''

As they conversed, Sonic took a step back from them. It wasn't that he was ignoring Tails' message; he seemed to have something on his mind.

''What are you planning to do, Sonic? Are you going to leave?'' Tails gave him a scrutinizing look.

''We'll discuss that later. I need to test my abilities to see if the Fission-Z is really that special. I'll take a little run.''

As they watched, Sonic activated his gadget, entered his Soulficated state, struck a track-runner pose, and accelerated with remarkable speed, leaving the town in an instant. Amy was excited. ''Woah! Did Sonic improve his speed? He normally couldn't do that, but now...''

''I'm back.'' Sonic suddenly stood behind her, startling her. ''AGH... Sonic?!''

His friends were impressed by his display of speed, and Tails pointed at Sonic. ''Sonic, did you really surpass the speed of light?''

''Light? Oh yeah! I managed to run across the entire globe. It took me a few milliseconds.'' He said with a confident smile.

''I can't imagine Sonic could go far beyond this. How fast is he now?'' The orange hedgehog was astonished.

His friends couldn't believe his speed had reached a higher level. As they chatted, Sonic returned to his normal state and smiled. ''I'm a free man now. I don't need training anymore, so I'll go back to my usual activities.''

Amy lowered her head. ''Well, I'll be a little busy. I need to watch over Cream...''

''For me, I'll probably study alone. I don't want my grades to be affected.'' He sighed.

''You guys are really busy... What about you, Tails?'' Sonic asked.

''Me? Well, uh-oh... I'm busy too. I still need to work on my inventions.''

''I see. So I guess I'm the only one who isn't that busy.'' He frowned.

After some more chatting, they said their farewells. While Sonic spent time on a random rooftop building, he gazed at the sky. ''I still can't bear that the town I loved has turned into a wasteland...''

As he looked, a memory flashed back to him — a younger version of himself running around the hills. It was just another childhood memory until he heard a wood-chopping sound, feeling both amused and curious. ''Uh-huh?''

He followed the noise, which sounded like a palm tree being chopped down. As he investigated, he saw a middle-aged human chopping wood. He greeted the man, asking, ''Sir, can you see me?''

The stranger turned his head, looking at Sonic. In a puzzled state, he replied, ''I do?''

Sonic tapped his chin. ''Oh, that's great. What are you doing, sir?''

The man put down the axe and sat on a boulder. ''I'm surprised to see an actual person on this island.''

Sonic nodded. ''True. South Island barely has normal people like us, but it's full of animals.''

''Indeed. The place feels almost magical, with abundant nature and no signs of predators. I come to this island often.''

''Often? Is there a reason, sir?'' Sonic inquired.

''Oh, I just need resources. Summer is coming, but it's the best time to prepare for winter. I'm not a rich man, you see. I live on an island right next to the one we're on,'' the man explained.

''Wait, you mean the Westside Island?''

''Oh, you know that island? I live there,'' he said with excitement.

''Sure. So, what's your name? I'm curious—'' Sonic turned his head as he noticed a figure.

''Oh, you were asking for my name. It's Krug. Quite a unique name. So, what's yours, hedgehog?''

''Uh, Sonic.'' He replied and then looked away from Krug. ''The hedgehog.''

''Oh, Sonic. You're leaving already. It was nice talking with you!'' Krug returned to his lumberjack work. Sonic felt a strange energy and entered a bushier area of the Green Hill Zone, resembling a forest.

-chapter end-