"I'll do my best!"

"Sonic's taught me so much but now it's time I learn to stand on my two feet!"

@highflyingmechanic​ @mischievous-messenger​

“Please, call off Mr. Robot, Dr. Eggman…!”

Cream shouted as her gloved hands cupped the sides of her mouth when she heard the evil scientist’s voice coming from the intercom. She said these words shortly after Tails declared that their small, but fearless team was prepared to fight. However, even though she agreed with the fox, she still wanted to give the Doctor a chance to change his mind and leave everyone alone. If he didn’t heed her warning now, then the long-eared rabbit would mentally prepare herself to finish off yet another one of his creations alongside her twin-tailed ally. Something that she hated doing every time when the Doctor caused she, her friends, or innocent people trouble… Although, this time around, the people weren’t exactly innocent, but…innocent enough.

Suddenly, her worried gaze looked below and spotted the sudden arrival of G.U.N’s forces; an army of powerful-looking mechs, tanks, and personnel. Having a feeling they were on she and Tails’ side, a smile grew across her muzzle.

“They must be here to help!”

“Chao! Chao! ♪”

Cheese cheered, busting out into a little happy dance in the air. Looks like Cream was right since the moment they arrived at the scene, they began evacuating the people and battling the robots Eggman unleashed on them. But, while G.U.N was doing that, Cream and Cheese turned their attention back on the Egg Golem; thankfully, as soon as the robot decided to attack. Similarly to Tails, the two flying friends evaded the punch by flying with speed. And after Tails delivered a spinning blow to the robot’s head with his tails, Cream took this time in the air to perform Cheese Shot.

“Cheese!”

“Chaoー!”

Sensing the move Cream had up her sleeve, the Neutral Chao rolled in a fast ball in preparation to be thrown. Seconds after, Cream grabbed the Chao in a single hand and readied her aim; cinnamon-brown eyes focusing at the tall robot made of stone’s weak point.

“Here I go…!! Aha!”

She shouted and released the Chao. After seconds of traveling towards the button on the Egg Golem’s head, the rolling Cheese made contact with it and spun into it; driving down on the button in hopes to weaken the robot as much as possible before it either retaliates or the Chao grew tired. Even better if the robot was destroyed then and there since it looked like Dr. Eggman refused to back down…

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

Egg Golem: *Bzzt* *Crackle*

Despite the Egg Golem’s attempts to fend Tails, Cream, and Cheese off, the trio still managed to land a series of powerful blows to its weak point one after the other. As a result, the imposing mechanical stone statue began to malfunction which was made evident by its jerky movements, as its head, arms, and legs erratically moved about beyond its control. However, it wouldn’t take the Egg Golem long to regain control of its body, although for how long things would stay that way remained to be seen. Also, the mechanical stone golem had to contend with G.U.N’s Gun Beetles, Gun Wings and Gun Hunters now as well. And the G.U.N affiliated robots were certainly putting the pressure on Eggman’s massive machine as they rained an unrelenting onslaught of gunfire and bombs down on the robot as it struggled to move. ...Or, at least that’s how it appeared. However, in reality the Egg Golem had hardly taken so much as a scratch from the heavy bombardment.

And once it momentarily regained control of its limbs the Egg Golem immediately went on the offensive, as it struck down several Gun Wings & Beetles with a swing of its right arm. Meanwhile, any Gun Hunters that had gotten too close to the robotic stone statue were crushed underfoot as they failed to get away in time. Before the Egg Golem whose defensive prowess was nearly impossible to break through with normal means, G.U.N’s machines were little more than toys. Plus, it was still a force to be reckoned with despite clearly suffering from abnormalities.

“Grah! Now that those losers from G.U.N are here it feels like the entire world knows we’re here!”

Eggman shouted in frustration as he glared at the large computer monitor in front of him. Watching Tails, Cream, and Cheese wail on the Egg Golem was bad enough already but now G.U.N had come to join the “party” as well. At this point, the evil scientist couldn’t even pretend to care about G.U.N discovering his base’s location. After all, if mere civilians could find it then there was no reason for the government to be unable to do so as well. But still, that didn’t make this being discovered so easily any less infuriating!

Decoe: “What are we going to do now, doctor?”

Bocoe: “The Egg Golem won’t be able to hold out for much longer! If we don’t do something soon this base’ll be done for!”

“...”

“As much as I detest the idea, we have no other choice but to abandon this base. Even if we manage to drive Tails, Cream, and those goons from G.U.N off for now, it still wouldn’t change the fact this base’s location has been compromised. And you’d better believe there’ll be even more of those pests to deal with the next time they decide to show up.

On the other hand, if we leave while they’re all still busy fighting the Egg Golem, we’ll be able to slip away right under their noses!”

Reluctance was written all over Eggman’s face while he spoke to his mechanical minions. Up until this point, the Great Canyon served as an excellent place for him to conduct research and scheme in peace. So, naturally the tall, egg-like villain hated the idea of giving up one of his bases without putting up even more of a fight. But the madman was aware that know wasn’t the time to go all out against the two young Fly-type heroes and G.U.N. He had just finished finalizing the designs for the newest editions to his E-Series of robots which would eventually become a key part of his new plan. A plan that the doctor was steadily working on until his was interrupted by those annoying Battle Babies fans earlier. But! That was why it was even more important for him to keep a low profile until everything was ready! Otherwise, there was no telling how severely those do-gooders would manage to delay his plans!

Decoe: “It sounds like a good plan... But what about, Bokkun? He still isn’t back yet!”

“What has he been doing for all of this time?! He left the base hours ago!”

Decoe’s reminder about the fact Bokkun had yet to return only served to further irritate the mad scientist at first. As far as Eggman was concerned there was no reason for the annoying, two-horned robot not to have returned by now...unless, he was goofing off somewhere! Honestly, it would be just like that childish acting, good-for-nothing robot to forgot about his task and end up getting distracted by something else!

“Forget it! If he doesn’t turn up by the time we’ve reached the entrance to the base’s hidden escape route, then we’ll leave without him! Besides, there’s no need to worry too much about that little runt, since he’ll find his way back to us sooner or later. Not to mention, it’ll be peaceful for a little while in our new base, since we won’t have to deal with his whining and complaining!”

The doctor added as he swiftly moved away from the control panel and headed for the entrance/exit of the command center. His brisk pace and long strides ensured that he was out of the room within a matter of seconds and now quickly moving through the hall, with his two robot sidekicks breaking into a run in order to keep up. And while Eggman’s current attitude was one of indifference towards Bokkun for now, things would be very different if he was to ever learn of how the two-horned robot’s actions started this mess in the first place! Should the mustached villain were to find out what Bokkun had done...he’d be sorely tempted to dismantle that trouble-maker on the spot! However, luckily for Bokkun, the doctor was still ignorant of the part the robot played in all of this and only cared about escaping for now.

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Meanwhile, the battle raging on outside of Eggman’s soon to be abandoned base had gotten even more intense. By this point, the still functioning Egg Golem had entered a semi-berserk state and this resulted in it being able to somehow move even faster and it was noticeably more aggressive as well. The robot was bent on crushing every single last one of them and its newfound speed and ferocity made it an even more terrifying enemy to face. In a matter of minutes, the Egg Golem who was steadily approaching the point of becoming completely out of control, had decimated roughly half of G.U.N’s mechanical forces. As for the human agents, they weren’t fairing much better against the robotic stone statue and several of them had just barely managed to avoid being seriously injured.

Tails also found himself struggling to find the opening he needed to finish off the Egg Golem. Its vicious and wild movements thwarted every attempt he made at getting close the Egg Golem’s body, as the towering stone golem fought back even harder to defend its weak point. As a result, the twin-tailed mechanic was forced to be primarily on the defensive, as his swerved, bobbed, and weaved around the Egg Golem’s arms and legs in order to evade its swift blows. Although, not every attempt at dodging had been successful, because he had taken a couple of hard blows during the battle. If the Egg Golem was still moving at its normal speed, Tails would’ve stood a better chance at getting away unscathed. However, the robot’s sudden spike in overall speed made it that much harder for him to avoid getting hit. However, despite taking a bit of a beating Tails remained persistent as he once again charged towards the Egg Golem.

In response, the semi-frenzied robot quickly raised its right arm which led to its elbow pointing upwards towards the sky as it was held diagonally in the air, as it readied yet another punch. Only to then follow through with the strike a second later as its fist quickly sped towards the young mechanic. The sight of the oncoming fist flying toward him with such speed was a little intimidating because it made the pilot think of a meteor that was heading right for him. However...

‘I can’t give up! I won’t! All of those people are counting on us to take this thing down!’

Tails mentally shouted as a gleam of unwavering determination entered his eyes. The twin-tailed fox then gritted his teeth and willed himself to move even faster over and over again. In response, his twin tails responded to his command and granted the fox an additional burst of speed. Which was just in time too, as Tails was able to narrowly evade the oncoming punch by a hair’s breath, after he pulled a daring maneuver which involved suddenly ducking under the mechanical stone golem’s fist. Tails then followed up by flying around close to the Egg Golem’s arm a couple of times in a manner that looked like he was wrapping around the machine’s arm like a coil or spring.

After completing the second loop, he pushed himself even further as he flew along the length of the Egg Golem’s arm. By this time, his twin-tails were now rotating rapidly behind him instead of over his head, as they swiftly propelled him forward while he traveled along the robot’s arm and headed straight for its shoulder. And once Tails reached its shoulder in what felt like record time, he took advantage of his momentum to use it as a pseudo-launch pad and catapult himself high over the Egg Golem’s head.

“Fox Knuckle!”

Naturally, the mechanic didn’t stop there, as the glove on his right hand swiftly transformed in response to his sharp command. His twin-tails then whirled into action as Tails swiftly descended on the Egg Golem who was in the process of turning around. However, it was unable to do so quickly enough to defend itself from the mechanic who was determined to put an end to this. A loud, sharp noise resounded through the air after Tails’ armored fist made contact with the mechanical stone statue’s restraining mechanism. As a result, cracks began to appear on the spherical device a few seconds after Tails struck it, before it promptly exploded.

“Waaahhh!”

The powerful gust of wind generated by the explosion sent Tails flying wildly into the air. Thankfully, after being tossed around for a few seconds, the soot stained fox was able to stabilize himself.

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Egg Golem: “!!!”

On the other hand, the Egg Golem wasn’t so luckily. The explosion that resulted in the destruction of its restraining mechanism also affected its internal components. It was breaking down from the inside-out and while this wasn’t obvious to those looking on the outside, there were still signs the robot was done for. The Egg Golem’s head rotated in a complete 180 degree circle and sparks were flying all over the place, until after what felt like a brief eternity, the huge mechanical stone golem finally fell to its knees, collapsed onto the ground, and no longer moved.

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“Is it over?”

Tails asked while he hovered several feet above the Egg Golem and spent the next fifteen seconds or so warily observing it in case it started moving again. But the utter lack of movement on the mechanical stone statue’s part soon convinced Tails that he and his allies had defeated it at last.

@highflyingmechanic​ @mischievous-messenger​

Because of the swift breeze that rolled by as she flew, Cream didn’t catch the words that Tails uttered. In those several minutes in the air, the wind was the only sound she heard. However, she had the same thought as Tails since the young rabbit also couldn’t spot the crowd below. Cheese pitched in with the search, but even with his help, the bow tie-wearing Chao ended up just like Cream and Tails. Clueless where the large crowd could be. But, soon breaking the silence was Tails, as the twin-tailed fox suddenly said her name. And naturally, Cream’s attention shifted over to him, waiting for what he wanted to say. But, for some reason, he changed his mind; causing the young girl to look in the direction the surprised fox pointed out to. Her cinnamon-brown gaze took on a look of surprise herself from seeing a mixture of dust and dirt inching closer to where the three were in the sky. Since Tails suggested they should investigate the trail it created, Cream puts her trust in him and spoke.

“You might just be right, Tails! Come on, Cheese!”

“Chao!”

Continuing to follow Tails’ lead, the two friends guided themselves forward where they kept up with the flying fox and the moving trail of dust.

“Yes, Mr. President!”

Fully on board with that idea and obeying his order, Christina made a quick exit out the room; walking with urgency and haste in her heels. There was so much on her plate. Contacting the factories that produced the merch, TV stations, and documents to fill out to ensure that the law of no more Super Battle Babies was enforced throughout Station Square… But, the workload wasn’t going to deter the serious-minded woman from getting it all done. This was her job. Her life. And she wasn’t going to let the President down or the citizens; even if they don’t see the good in removing all Super Battle Babies content and merch from the city.

Meanwhile in the Great Canyon, Cream continued to flap her ears to stay in midair with Cheese as Tails declared the words she agreed with. The remaining people, while scared out of their minds, were relieved to see the mechanic there. Most of them remembered him as being the brave young hero who saved them during one of the most horrific nights they have ever experienced. The time that the evil scientist threatened Station Square with the Egg Walker.

“Whoa, look!” a boy’s voice pointed out.

“It’s Miles “Tails” Prower and…?” an older one added; not recognizing Cream’s face at all. Or, anyone there for that matter…

“Cream The Rabbit!”

*cricket, cricket*

“Hee hee…”

Looks like she’s gonna need more screen time… That awkward moment aside, Cream’s cinnamon-brown gaze traveled back over to the Egg Golem while having a displeased frown on her muzzle.

“I wish I didn’t have to do this, Mr. Robot… But, you leave me with no choice! Please attack, Cheese!”

“Chao chao!”

Cheese went flying with a fist held forward; beginning the battle by delivering a clean, solid punch to the large robot’s face. But, while the punch would usually work in most instances, the stone that the robot was made out of was too hard for the Chao to punch. Instead of doing any damage, the Chao instead went flying back; flailing his small arms and feet from shock.

“Chao…!”

“Oh…! Not good…”

Cream watched, surprised that the punch went unsuccessful. The small rabbit had a feeling that since hitting its face didn’t work, then maybe anywhere else wouldn’t be effective either… Her cluelessness what to have Cheese do now showed on her face for several seconds, until her eyes spotted the large button that sat atop of the robot’s head. Hatching an idea, she pointed towards it.

“Look there, Cheese! That button on top of its head must be its weak point… Try attacking there this time.”

“Chaoー!!”

Aiming his punch towards the button, Cheese delivered another punch to the robot, but this time, striking the button as the focused Chao flew at high speeds.

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

‘Talk about awkward...’

At first, Tails was feeling a bit bashful because he still wasn’t quite used to being seen as a hero like Sonic. But the awkward silence that followed as a result of the crowd not recognizing Cream caused his initial embarrassment to be replaced with awkwardness. Thankfully, the young rabbit didn’t seem to mind what happened all that much and had Cheese quickly spring into action. However, this new Egg Golem was just as heavily armored as its predecessor, as Cheese’s first attack failed to leave so much as a scratch on the robot. Instead, the small Chao was repelled and sent flying back due to the unexpected recoil of his attack.

“Oh man, I almost forgot the armor on that thing is no joke! Even Sonic had a tough time dealing with it.”

Watching Cheese bounce harmlessly off of the Egg Golem’s armor served as a reminder to Tails about the Egg Golem’s fearsome offensive and defensive capabilities. The showdown between it and the blue speedster back in Eggman’s pyramid base during the Ark Incident had gotten pretty intense at one point. Obviously, Sonic had prevailed against the towering stone robot but this was Cream and Cheese’s first time going up against the heavily armored Egg Golem. For a brief moment, Tails started to worry about whether the three of them would be able to hold their own against the mechanical stone giant. After all, Sonic wasn’t around to help them this time and the twin-tailed fox was starting to doubt himself just a little... This would be the first time in quite a while that Tails fought such a large opponent without Sonic, Knuckles, or Amy around to back him up. Heck, he didn’t even have the X Tornado with him! If he at least had the sleek, white-colored jet plane with him, he’d be more confident in taking the Egg Golem on. But while the mechanic was experiencing a short-lived moment of self-doubt, Cream and Cheese weren’t discouraged in the slightest.

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Egg Golem:  “...!”

In response to Cheese speeding straight for the spherical restraining mechanism located at the very top of its head, the Egg Golem raised one of its hands in an attempt to swat the Chao out of the sky. But luckily for Cheese, he was the faster one out of the two, and managed to deliver a solid punch to the restraining mechanism. As a result, the mechanical stone giant temporarily froze in place and all movements stopped for a couple of seconds.

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“Nice going you two!”

The fox praised as he watched the Egg Golem come to a complete stop after Cheese managed to strike its most obvious weak point. Witnessing the duo’s unwavering fighting resolve inspired Tails to keep going and shake off the doubt that was previously taking root in his heart.

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“Gah! What are Tails and Cream doing here?!”

Eggman shouted in displeasure as a scowl appeared on his face. Obviously, the mustached villain was watching this unexpected turn of events from the safety of the command center of his base. And needless to say, he was not happy to see the two young heroes and Cheese arrive onto the scene. After all, those do-gooders were undoubtedly going to try and ruin his fun!

“Get it together and squash those pests, Egg Golem!”

The doctor ordered as he shouted at the still immobile machine. Unsurprisingly, his priorities had now shifted from toying with the defenseless civilians, to dealing with Tails, Cream, and Cheese first. As a result, the robot’s stillness was resulted in the madman becoming irritable and impatient. He still vividly remembered his last encounter with the trio and the defeat he suffered at their hands. And naturally, Dr. Eggman otherwise known as the ultimate sore loser, sought to avenge his previous humiliation. But! That could only happen once the Egg Golem started moving again!

Egg Golem: *Sound of stones rubbing together as it begins moving again.*

To the villain’s relief, the massive machine made from stone recovered roughly around the same time he barked for it to get moving. The fact that it was still operational despite taking a heavy blow to its biggest weak point was a testament of the mechanical stone giant’s durability. But even with that being the case, the doctor knew that the Egg Golem couldn’t afford to take too many more hits like that. Otherwise, the thing was likely to either go haywire like its predecessor or be rendered completely nonoperational! Of course, while neither were outcomes Eggman wanted there wasn’t much he could actually do. Expecting the Egg Golem to fight more defensively was a waste of time! The reason he gave the Egg Golem near impenetrable armor was so that it could dish out ten times the beating it received!

...Although, with all of that being said, Eggman would’ve done himself a huge favor, if he had simply learned his lesson the first time and placed the restraining mechanism somewhere else.

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“Bring it on, Eggman! Your robot doesn’t scare us!”

Tails confidently declared. His attitude was completely different from what it was earlier, now that he had overcome the mental hurdle that presented itself as his internalized self-doubt. Plus, the new Egg Golem’s weak points being the exact same as the original’s further boosted Tails’ confidence. Now, all the fox had to do was work together with Cream and Cheese to take this thing down! But what he didn’t know at the time was the fact that the three of them were about to get some unexpected help. Shortly after Tails had spoken, a large number of G.U.N mechs, tanks, and personnel also arrived onto the scene in response the president’s orders.

“Whoa! That’s a lot of mechs! The army must’ve found out about Eggman’s base!”

@highflyingmechanic​ @mischievous-messenger​

“Yeah…!”

“Chaoー!”

Cream exclaimed in agreement as she raised a fist while Cheese raised one of his small arms. Fighting Dr. Eggman or anyone in general might’ve been something that the orange-dressed rabbit rather avoid having to do. But, her not wanting others to get hurt outweighed the feeling of wanting to stay out of it. With Cheese by her side and Tails, she felt like whatever Eggman throws their way they could overcome it with the real super power of teamwork! With her resolve in mind, Cream let Cheese flutter out of her arms in order to start flapping her ears; letting her small body float up and follow Tails’ lead in the sky. Cheese, of course, matched her pace.

“We’re not entirely sure, Mr. President. But, we’ve been getting many reports that the explosions are coming from, um…”

Secretary Christina Cooper had to glance down at the clipboard in her hand to make sure she was saying the title of the TV show properly. Even though she’s been getting negative reports regarding the chaotic fanbase prior to the explosions, she still had trouble remembering and saying the childish title. It felt weird on the tongue for the woman, and she never thought in a billion years that a TV show designed for very young kids could stir up so much trouble in the city. A school fight broke out? Friendships torn to pieces because of disagreements who’s the best baby? Couples breaking up because their opinions of the show weren’t “compatible”? People being thrown in prison for almost nearly killing someone due to said opinions? These days, it had something to do with, what Christina felt, that stupid show.

“Super Battle Baby trading cards. Surprise, I know.” she said in a sarcastic tone. “Mr. President, if I’m being honest, I think the TV show needs to be banned at this point and the merchandise of the show recalled. Lives are being ruined because of it and-”

Suddenly, one of her co-workers contacted her through the earpiece hidden in her right ear, and she lightly touched the small device with a couple of fingers.

“Mhm… Uh-huh… What!? All right, I’ll tell the president right away!”

After hanging up, the anxious Christina went on to say,

“Hundreds of people are leaving to the Great Canyon to confront Dr. Eggman! Many of the citizens right now believe that he hired someone to sell them explosive cards, and they are very unhappy about that. Mr. President, what should be our next course of action?”

As for the “brave” Super Battle Baby fans next course of action, they *completely* changed their minds challenging the Doctor when he let loose the rebuilt Egg Golem. Widened eyes coward at the sight of its tall, massive stature. And before the giant robot made of stone brought down its foot, the fluffy-haired teen just had a few words to say.

“… Ooookay… I don’t think I wanna be in this fandom anymore.”

“Let’s just go back to being a fan of Sonic! We could use his help right now, after all!”

Spitting out their pacifiers and tearing off their diapers (don’t worry, they wore them over some clothes… 💧 ), the former fans of the children’s TV show screamed and ran for their lives as they shouted for their blue speedy hero to save them from the mess they’ve started.

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

“Still no sign of them... They must’ve gone further into the canyon.”

Tails muttered to himself after several minutes of searching failed to turn up anything. At first, the twin-tailed fox thought it would’ve been easy to spot such a huge crowd from the sky. However, it soon became clear that Tails had underestimated just how fast the determined crowd of Battle Babies fans could move. On one hand, he couldn’t help but be somewhat impressed that the misguided mob could move so efficiently despite there being so many people  involved. But on the other, the mechanic couldn’t help but grow more and more concerned that most likely ill-equipped mob wasn’t prepared for exploring the Great Canyon. In a harsh environment like this, Eggman was far from the only danger those people needed to worry about...

“Hey Cream, let’s try checking---”

Before Tails could finish his sentence something in the distance caught his attention and caused him to briefly trail off.

“On second thought, look over there! Something’s heading our way!”

A gleam of confusion appeared in Tails’ sky-blue eyes as he observed a large, moving trail of dust gradually head towards him and Cream. But there was still a considerable amount of distance between the two Fly-types and whatever was kicking up all of that dirt and dust into the air.  And as the twin-tailed fox continued to observe the dust trail steadily get closer and closer, two possibilities came to mind in regards to what could be going on. Either something huge was on the move or someone had caused the local wildlife to stampede. However, Tails was somewhat more skeptical about the latter theory, due to him being unsure that herd animals lived in the Great Canyon in the first place.

“Let’s go check it out! Whatever is causing that dust trail might lead us to a clue as to where all those people went or Eggman’s base.”

It was clear that Tails was taking his chances by suggesting the three of them heard towards the dust trail. After all, without any concrete proof the trio could easily end up wasting their time going on some wild goose chase. But he was willing to take that risk because with so much ground to cover, they might be too late to save those reckless fans from Eggman’s wrath. So, shortly after saying this, Tails swiftly flew towards the moving dust trail.

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“What?! That’s completely insane! Why in the world would they think it’s a good idea to run off and confront that lunatic?!”

At first, Christina’s report rendered the president absolutely speechless for a good couple of seconds. But then, after the severity of her words fully sunk in, all he could feel was utter horror and outrage. To think that all of those people thought they could take on Dr. Eggman just because they were inspired by a children’s cartoon was absurd!

“Contact the military and have them head out to the Great Canyon! Tell them their orders are to prioritize the safety of those citizens and to evacuate them as soon as possible! And Christina, I’ll leave the Super Battle Babies matter to you!  I want that show cancelled immediately and all of its merchandise is pulled from the shelves of every store!”

His tone was sharp as he gave out orders in a rapid-fire manner. In response, the other members of his staff who were also present in the room moved quickly to fulfill his instructions. And within seconds the only ones left in his office were the president himself and possibly Christina. After the other staff members left, a tired sigh left Michael’s mouth and the man tiredly rubbed his eyebrows; the gesture a mix of his exasperation and fatigue.

“...Honestly, why does it feel like every trend that revolves around Sonic in some shape or form only causes chaos?”

Another sigh left the president’s mouth as he voiced his thoughts partially out loud. It honestly baffled him that this was the second time some trend Sonic inspired resulted in all hell breaking loose in Station Square. Just what was is it about the heroic blue Hedgehog that caused fads centered around him to disrupt public order to this extent? The answer to that question was rather obvious to the president. After all, Sonic’s rebellious nature had this unspoken appeal to it that caused others to gravitate naturally to him. But it was that very trait which also unintentionally tended to influence things the Blue Blur himself had no involvement with... However, no matter who or what was responsible for causing mayhem this time around, the president was determined to return order to the streets of Station Square. Yet, at the same time he wasn’t quite mentally ready to make an appearance on TV just yet... But if the president knew anything about news reporters, those story-hounds would be calling his office at any second once they caught wind of what was about to happen next.

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“Ohohoho! So, much for your diapers giving you courage!”

The doctor laughed mockingly at the former Battle Babies fans as they fell into a state of panic and scattered in their attempts to flee. Watching them run in fear and cry for Sonic to come rescue them filled him with an evil sort of glee. It served them right for marching all the way out here and annoying him with their nonsense!

Decoe: “Doctor, don’t you think it’d be a good idea to let those people go? I’m pretty sure they’ve learned their lesson by now.”

Bocoe: “Yeah! They’re not a threat to us, let alone a match for the Egg Golem.”

Eggman’s mechanical henchman said as they watched the chaos continue from the safety of the base’s command center. At this point, both Decoe and Bocoe were starting to feel sorry for the powerless people who were now forced to run for their lives. In their eyes, there was no need to hurt anybody now that the people down below seemed to have come to regret their impulsive actions. However... Dr. Eggman was of a different opinion.

“Not a chance! Those imbeciles had the nerve to pick a fight with me and I’m going to make sure they never underestimate me again! Letting them go now would make them capable of showing mercy... And as you both know, mercy IS NOT in my vocabulary!”

Eggman’s response was nothing short of dismissive as he replied to his robotic minions.

“Besides, I’m having too much fun watching them run around like terrified mice!”

However, little did Eggman know that a couple of spoilsports were about to ruin his fun.

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“Knock it off, Eggman! We won’t let you lay another finger on these people!”

@highflyingmechanic​ @mischievous-messenger​

“I’m not so sure about that, lil’ dude. Eggman causes, like, trouble all the time for people.”

He said to Tails when the twin-tailed fox vocalized his doubts about the Doctor causing the latest card scamming incident.

“Someone, like, found his base and I was, like, heading there now, dude.”

“Where’s that…?”

Cream asked, not sure whether to believe the hazel-eyed man or Tails. Although, she did find it surprising that in such a short amount of time, the angry fans of the children’s TV show managed to somehow locate Dr. Eggman’s base.

“The Great Canyon. Never been there in my life, so I guess you can say it’s gonna be my first time. See ya, dudes!”

Shooting the two a peace sign salute along with a smile, the man looked forward and raced off in order to meet up with his fellow fans in the canyon.

“I’m…kind of worried about all those people going to fight Dr. Eggman, Tails… Aren’t you…?”

She asked, turning to look at the fox once the man took off running again. She and the rest of her non-human friends all had powers or some kind of way of effectively fighting back most of the mad scientist’s machines. She was also used to seeing humans letting Sonic handle most of the threats that targeted the city; which led to Cream feeling concerned for the people heading to the Great Canyon and their safety. Dr. Eggman, in her eyes, can still be a very scary and dangerous person…

Meanwhile in the once desolate canyon, the Battle Baby fans there listened to Dr. Eggman’s heated warning through the camera’s speakers. But, they weren’t afraid, and stood their ground together. In fact, they were actually appalled that the Doctor tried to act like he *didn’t* know what they were here for. For them, it was quite obvious why since they believed he was behind the exploding cards.

“What!? Well, YOU’VE got a lot of nerve to act like you don’t know why we’re here!”

“Yeah!! You know what you did, Dr. Eggman!!”

“You like causing explosions!? Well, let’s see how you like US exploding what YOU got for a change! Bring it on, ‘cause together everyone!”

The bearded man turned to face the crowd behind him; throwing up his arms to get everyone to say the catchphrase the babies in the show say before a battle. Knowing what the man was trying to imply, the dedicated fans then shouted in unison,

“Our loaded diapers loads us with courage!! ★”

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

“Yeah, I’m worried too. All of those people could get hurt if we don’t do something! We should hurry and go after ‘em!”

The fox kept his gaze trained on the young man’s back for a couple of seconds longer before he shifted it over towards Cream and nodded sharply in response to her question. A small frown was etched on to Tails’ muzzle and his brows furrowed together as a half-serious, half-concerned expression appeared on his face. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that an army of regular people, no matter how large, stood no chance Eggman and his mechanical creations. Plus, the tall, egg-like villain wasn’t really the patient (unless he wanted to be) or forgiving type of person. So, it was very unlikely that he would let all of those angry fans get away unscathed after they antagonized him for a bit. Which was why the pilot was now in hurry to catch up to the misguided mob before Eggman seriously hurt someone.

“C’mon, you two! There’s no time to go back and get the X Tornado... So, we’ll have to fly over to the Great Canyon ourselves!”

Tails promptly added before he took a running start, leaped into the air, and started to make his way towards the outskirts of Station Square.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I need a status report! Why hasn’t the person responsible for this series of bombings been caught yet? And does Dr. Eggman play a part in all of this or not?”

There was a faint hint of impatience in President Michael K.’s words as he spoke to his staff. Word about Bokkun’s mischief had swiftly reached the busy man’s ears shortly after the bombs started going off all over Station Square. Naturally, the suddenness of the explosions resulted in varied reactions among a countless number of people. Many of them were understandably terrified and started to panic, while others had given into their rage and decided to confront Dr. Eggman in the Great Canyon. However, the president was unaware that a large group of people had taken it upon themselves to go fight the evil scientist. Instead, his attention was focused on seeing to it that the reckless person who was responsible for this latest attack on the large city, was immediately brought to justice! But while there was no concrete evidence that Eggman had something to do with this mess, the president hadn’t ruled that possibility out entirely either. After all, there was no putting anything passed that psycho. Yet, at the same time, the president didn’t want to waste time or resources confronting Eggman, if the mustached villain wasn’t the one wreaking havoc in Station Square for a change. Battles with the madman tended to be rather costly in terms of money, man-power, and the development of effective weaponry.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, things were about to take a turn for the worst over in the Great Canyon...

‘Loaded diapers?!’

“What kind of disgusting and ridiculous catchphrase is that?! Do you people even know what it means to have a “loaded” diaper?!”

In roughly less than two minutes, Eggman found himself once again questioning why someone of his intellect was forced to live among all of these idiots. Right now, it really did feel like the mob that was threatening to break down the doors to his base had less than two brain cells among the whole lot of them! Nothing they said made any sense to him and them refusing to either clarify themselves or leave him be only made the doctor angrier. But by this point, the doctor no longer cared about whatever motives the group of Battle Babies fans had. He had run out patience with those ignorant fools and now planned on making good on his earlier threat.

“Bah nevermind! Let’s see how brave you are after my robot flattens all of you! Get them Egg Golem!”

Eggman retorted before he pushed another button on the keyboard in front of him. Seconds later, the ground under the angry mob’s feet trembled violently, as a hidden entrance built into the face of the canyon wall on the opposite side of the base’s entrance started to open up. Afterwards, the rebuilt Egg Golem’s towering soon came fully into view, once the heavy metal doors that were disguised as part of the canyon’s natural formation fully opened. The successor to the stone-like, Egyptian-themed robot’s aura was no less imposing than of its predecessor, as it slowly stepped forward and cast a menacing shadow over the angry mob...

Egg Golem: “...”

@highflyingmechanic​ @mischievous-messenger​

“Yes, I agree.”

While she continued to hold Cheese, Cream stood up as she agreed with the fox about not being harmed. Feelings were hurt, but thankfully, no physical harm done to herself or her Chao friend. Since Tails had a feeling that even her card was a bomb, the orange-dressed rabbit was beginning to feel…not as sad about losing the card. She wanted a rare Super Battle Baby card, *not* a bomb, after all. Maybe it was for the best that it’s gone so that she didn’t accidentally bring home a bomb and possibly, got her mother involved…

However, Tails’ prediction that the people who bought from the mysterious merchant was already happening as the fox and the small rabbit girl were talking to one another. Explosions were happening all over the city. In homes, in pockets, in bowling alleys… “NOT THE BOWLING ALLEY!” Anywhere that had at least one “rare” Super Battle Baby card, and it was not good. The angry fans of the TV show, still cosplaying in diapers and pacifiers eventually gathered together in large groups outside; looking for the card seller and wanting their money back. …And to kick his butt, too.

“I wanna, like… CRUSH THAT GUY SO BAD!”

Everyone shouted in agreement, “YEAH!” with the teen girl.

“Hang on, hang on, hang on, people!! Believe me, I want to teach that fraud of a Super Battle Baby fan a lesson just as much as the next baby, but I don’t think we need to go after him right now. I betcha Dr. Eggman sent that guy to lure us Battle Baby fans because…

HE’S A HATER!!”

The people listening to the man gasped in shock; believing that just might be the case!

“Oh my! You just might be onto something fellow baby. Dr. Eggman *is* usually the one to terrorize everyone in the city with his machines and whatnot. I say we find that evil man plus hater and show him that we mean business!”

After the crowd shouted, “YEAH!!” in agreement one last time, many of them parted ways to search high and low for Eggman’s base. Virtually none of them were going to go home until that mustached “hater” was found so they could…beat him up with rattles or something… Who knows, they just want him found. But, it wasn’t long before someone clever enough downloaded some kind of tracker on their phone to pin down the mad scientist’s base. Once the person shared with them the location, the bold bunch of Super Battle Baby fans had their pitchforks ready and headed straight towards it.

Like Tails, Cream wasn’t aware of the rioting taking place, up until the young man from before showed up; running but came to a stop upon seeing the rabbit girl again and her fox friend.

“Sup, you two! Surprised to see you guys out here. I could’ve thought you would be, like, joining us to totally kick some Dr. Eggman butt after he pretty much hired that little dude to give all of us cards that, like, exploded. Heard the guy’s a major Super Battle Baby hater.”

“*gasp* What…?”

Cream looked up at the man with puzzled eyes; not fully understanding what he just said. Although, it did make sense that there seemed to be others who were experiencing the same problem as Tails with their “cards”… But, what confused the young rabbit the most was the sudden involvement of Dr. Eggman. Did he really send that card seller to harm Super Battle Baby fans…?

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

“But that doesn’t make any sense!”

Tails exclaimed in disbelief after he overcame his brief moment of surprise. At first, the young man’s statement had also thrown the fox for a loop. But after taking a moment to think it over, Tails came to the conclusion that something felt off about the guy’s assumption. Everyone, except for him and Cream, seemed to believe that Eggman was the mastermind behind this fake card scam. And while the doctor did con both Mobians and people alike on more than one occasion... Tails surprisingly enough doubted that Eggman had something to do with this mess for once.

“I know this is gonna sound strange, but I don’t think Eggman’s behind all of this. He usually doesn’t care or get involve with trends, so this doesn’t seem like his style. Plus, with how much Eggman loves attention, I figured he’d try to find a way to outshine Super Battle Babies...”

It wasn’t every day that Tails, or anybody other than Eggman’s mechanical flunkies, defended the madman. And you can bet the sky-blue eyed mechanic felt weird for believing in Eggman’s innocence for a change. But despite him trying to verbally defend Sonic’s arch-enemy, Tails wouldn’t be surprised if his words were to be met with skepticism. After all, whether it was the guy in front of him or anybody else for that matter, most people knew better by now than to give the tall, egg-like man the benefit of the doubt. The cunning villain was willing to go to just about any length in order to get his way... Which naturally meant his credibility in the eyes of others was practically non-existent. However, whether or not Eggman was the one behind all of this didn’t matter, because it didn’t change the fact there was a very angry army of Battle Babies fans who were now on their way to the doctor’s base.

“Even if one of his robots was the one giving fake cards out to people, there’s no way you guys would be able to find him. Eggman’s got bases hidden all over the place, so tracking him down wouldn’t be easy.”

While Tails was concerned about all of those enraged fans potentially getting involved with Eggman, he had a hard time believing they’d succeed in pinpointing the location of his base. It was a task that the Blue Blur, his friends, and even G.U.N often struggled with due to how well-hidden Eggman’s bases typically were. Even though the mad scientist loved to cause a huge scene whenever he did decide to make an appearance, he was surprisingly capable of staying under the radar when he wanted to. However, Tails was about to an important lesson. Which was to never underestimate the power and tenacity of super angry fans...

-------------------------------------------------------------------

“What’s going on out there?! I can’t even hear myself think!”

Eggman growled as he angrily marched into the command center of his current base with the double doors automatically sliding closed behind him. The mad scientist’s current hiding spot was located in the heart of the Great Canyon which was located in the outskirts of Station Square. Few people ever bothered to venture this far into the canyon, unless they were adventurous, thrill-seekers like that blasted Hedgehog! Plus, his base was well-hidden thanks to his decision to utilize the natural landscape to conceal its location. So, needless to say, Dr. Eggman was at one point confident that no one would be disturbing him any time soon. However, he was soon proven wrong and the location of his new hideout was discovered far earlier than he ever would’ve expected.

Decoe: “Bad news, doctor! There’s an angry mob outside and they’re trying to break into the base!”

Bocoe: “Yeah, and they’re armed with pitchforks too!”

“What?! But that’s impossible! No one should’ve been able to figure out the location of this base so quickly!”

The mustached villain barked as he walked over to the large console belonging to the base’s main computer. Afterwards, he pushed the button which would connect the massive monitor to the cameras outside. And upon catching sight of those irritating intruders the doctor’s annoyance sky-rocketed as he observed their ridiculous Battle Babies inspired get-ups. How did that bunch of losers with their oversized binkies and diapers manage to find his base in the first place?! Not even those losers at G.U.N with their advanced technology managed to find him! Yet, somehow those overgrown babies were?! Aaarghhh! Just looking at them made him furious!

“You fools have a lot of nerve to try to break into MY base! I don’t know what you’ve come here for but if it’s a fight you’re looking for... Then, it’s a fight you’re going to get! Unless, you smarten up and get out of here before I have my robots crush you like the ants you are!”

@highflyingmechanic @mischievous-messenger​

“*gasp* A bomb…? How awful!”

“Chao chao!”

Both Cream and Cheese had shocked expressions on their faces from what they just heard. Not only the card was fake, but it was a bomb, too? Cream almost couldn’t believe it… But, it must’ve been true, considering that Tails’ fur was charred all over… While her cinnamon-brown gaze was filled with shock as she looked at the fox, there was also concern in them; hoping he wasn’t hurt from the explosion. But, since he claimed to be fine, the long-eared rabbit left it be and proceeded to answer his next question. Her eyes were still visibly sad as she looked away from him; looking down at the equally sad Chao in her arms.

“I’m sad because the person who gave us those very special cards came and took mine…”

While it was painful just thinking about it, Cream realized something thanks to Tails’ experience with his “card”; causing the rabbit girl to gasp and look up at him again.

“H-hang on a second…! If yours was a bomb, doesn’t that mean…mine was, too…?”

The two Fly-Types did buy from the same card seller, after all. What a scary thing that so many people bought from him if Cream’s theory was anywhere near true…

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

“I can’t say for sure since that guy took off with it... But I’m almost 100% certain that it was. I just don’t get why he suddenly had a change of heart and tried to take yours from you. He must’ve known those bombs were about to go off at any second given his reaction back there.”

A worried expression appeared on Tails’ face and his twin-tails flicked uneasily behind him as he answered Cream’s question. Honestly, thinking how close Cream and Cheese had come to having the fake card blow up on them as well was a scary thought. After all, there was no way to tell whether or not the strength of those bombs remained consistent. Which was obviously a major problem considering how the fake card merchant had sold probably hundreds of cards to Station Square’s unsuspecting populace... And since the card Tails had went off shortly after the fox acquired it, he could only suspect that countless more people were about to experience the same unpleasant surprise as he did. He just seriously hoped no one was injured when those bombs eventually did go off. Or, better yet that the majority of them were duds and failed to hurt anyone.

 As for why that shady merchant was so desperate to take Cream’s card from her when it was seconds away from exploding was a mystery. He had a hard time believing that someone who spent virtually all day selling bombs disguised as fake cards to people would suddenly have a change of heart. But if that wasn’t the case, then what drove the disguised Bokkun to attempt to steal the card back?

@highflyingmechanic​ @mischievous-messenger​

The unexpected burst of smoke that emitted from the bomb caused Cream to go staggering back; yelling from shock as she let the card slip away while having her eyes closed. The same reaction happened to Cheese, as the little Chao released the fabric of her dress while his round eyes were shut. Although, his fluttering wings kept him from falling on the ground. While the smoke clouded the area, the long-eared rabbit tried shielding her face by raising her arms up. And once it faded away, she lowered them; opening her sad eyes halfway as she was beginning to come to terms that her special Super Battle Baby card was gone… Just like that.

“My… *sniff* My card…!”

“Why would he do that…?”

“Chao chao chao chao chao chao…!”

As she felt her eyes beginning to well up, Cream fell to her knees and raised both of her gloved fists to her eyes and started sobbing from what she lost. And as a result, causing Cheese to cry since the Neutral Chao could feel her pain. Wanting to be comforted, the Chao fluttered into her arms for a hug, and Cream hugged the Chao in a gentle embrace as they sobbed together. The two cried for several seconds, up until a burnt Tails approached them. Hearing the fox’s question, it took a moment for Cream to wipe away her tears with the back of a free hand before looking up at him while the other held Cheese.

“T-Tails…! I think I….should be asking you that…”

She wasn’t aware of his card exploding on him, since the young girl was trying her hardest to keep the card that was once hers from being taken away by the card seller… It might’ve been his card to begin with. But, changing his mind so suddenly and trying to take it away in such a rude way didn’t sit well at all for Cream.

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

“Well, except for having that phony card explode right in front of my face, I’m fine! Turns out it was a bomb.”

A mild sigh of annoyance left Tails mouth as he responded to Cream. But as annoyed as he was with the fishy card seller... The twin-tailed fox knew that he only had himself to blame for what happened to him. He had noticed there was something wrong with those so-called rare cards the moment he picked his up from off the ground. But instead of listening to his gut and taking heed of that obvious red flag, the young mechanic instead ignored his better judgement. The bomb blowing up on him was merely the price he had to pay for making such a careless mistake. Which was why Tails was truly fortunate that he hadn’t been injured by the explosion. Otherwise, he’d have a distraught Cream and Cheese to deal with, once the pair took notice of his injuries... So, the fox definitely counted himself lucky in that regard.

“But that’s enough about me. How come you and Cheese look so upset?”

@pureheartcream​ @highflyingmechanic​

Keeping one hand holding onto the card, Bokkun used the other to dig in his…pocket of sorts and threw a smoke bomb on the ground; clouding the girl’s vision and as a result, flying away with the card.

“AHAHAHAHA! I WIN~!!!! Bye bye now~!!!!”

The further he flew away, the tinier his figure became in the sunset sky. Too bad he couldn’t make it back to the Egg Carrier II in time before the bomb went off.

💥 BOOM 💥

He fell many feet from above and crashed in a place, uhhh…nobody knows. For now, at least.

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”

At first, Tails was caught off guard by the disguised robot’s actions, which resulted in his reaction by a couple of seconds slower. But after the realization that Bokkun was trying to take Cream’s card back by force sunk in, the fox’s instinct to protect his friend swiftly kicked in. However, before he could take action the “card” in his hand started to quickly heat up.

“Huh? Why’s this card getting hot all of sudden?”

By this point, the fake card started to glow a bright-red orange and was almost too hot to hold. And that’s when it suddenly struck Tails that what he was holding wasn’t a card at all!

“Ack! This isn’t a card! It’s a bomb! I gotta get rid of this thing and fast!”

Not good! Who would’ve thought that strange card seller was selling bombs that were disguised as fake Super Battle Babies cards to people?! And if the phony card’s bright coloration was any indicator this thing was about to go off at any second! Which was why the terrified fox was now trying to think of a way to quickly get rid of the thing before it blew up right in his face! However...

*BOOM!*

“AAAAAHHH!”

*cough* *cough*

It was too late because the bomb exploded right after he finished talking. As a result, the fox experienced a coughing fit and was waving his left hand to clear the air. Meanwhile, his amber and white colored fur was all frizzy and charred from head to tail... Right now, Tails looked like someone’s first attempt at deep-frying gone wrong. And while he wasn’t too happy with having gotten caught up in that explosion, his first priority after he recollected himself was to check on Cream and Cheese.

*cough* “Hey Cream! Cheese! You guys ok?”

@highflyingmechanic​ @mischievous-messenger​

“Oh…! I agree! Thank you so much…”

As a happy smile formed on her muzzle, Cream’s cinnamon-brown eyes twinkled from delight hearing that the card seller wanted to give she and Tails the cards for free. And that’s a big deal; considering the cards were rare, and therefore, very likely to be on the expensive side… How lucky! The long wait in line turned out to be worth it after all. Actually, even better than she thought since the salesman decided to be very kind to her and her twin-tailed friend. Looking down at the card in her hand once more, she kept the smile on her face; absolutely thrilled and looking forward to having the card join her other ones in her deck case. Another thing that excited the long-eared rabbit was knowing that Tails’ rare card will be the very first Super Battle Baby card he’s ever owned! How she looked forward to having her newest card play with his once they leave and finish their trip to the toy store.

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

"I’m sure it’s been a pretty busy day for you mister, so we won’t take up anymore of your time and get going now. But thanks again for the cards!”

Tails said as he thanked the card seller for a second time and started to walk away from Bokkun. Saying that the disguised robot must’ve had a busy day was probably a huge understatement. Very few people would still have plenty of energy to spare after spending virtually all day dealing with such a large number of people and Mobians. Sure, ordinary robots didn’t feel hunger, fatigue, restlessness, etc. But Eggman’s robotic minions were unique in this regard, because they could and often did grow tired and hungry. As for why the mad man made his mechanical henchman so life-like was anybody’s guess, but it was still an impressive feat considering most AI lifeforms found on this planet hadn’t progressed to that level yet.

“By the way Cream, now that we both have some cards, whaddya say we head back to my workshop?”

@pureheartcream​ @highflyingmechanic​

Just his luck! Tails just HAD to point that out about his cards… How he wished the fox was as dumb as a sack of rocks right now! Breaking into a sweat, the round-eyed robot took a step back, feeling the pressure on having to think of a good enough excuse or something convincing to say to the two Fly-Types.

“Um….! Uh…..!! Yes! They are very special cards, nothing more, nothing less!”

During the latter, his squeaky voice spoke in a hurried, nervous fashion, wanting them to just go with the flow and buy the cards with no further questions.

“N-Now then! You both seem like REALLY nice people! I love nice people! I’ll just give you….both the cards for free! My treat! Hehehehehe…..”

He giggled in hopes of buttering the both of them up and to lessen any suspicion towards himself. And to be frank, there WAS some truth to his words. He hated it whenever Dr. Eggman gets snappy and cranky around him; having to deal with his bad attitude almost everyday along with the rest of the robots aboard the Egg Carrier II… Aside from Cream’s beauty, he adored how sweet and caring the girl was, as he wished he could experience such treatment more often from the doctor. A shame that she decided to be a pain in the butt right now with Tails.

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

“...?”

At first, the disguised robot’s stuttering and flustered behavior only further aroused Tails’ suspicion. However, despite his doubts, Bokkun’s disarming words managed to lessen the fox’s wariness towards him. Unlike Sonic who managed to figure out Eggman’s ploy back when the mad man was duping everyone with his sunshine balls, Tails could still be a little naive at times. Plus, he doubted that anyone with fishy intentions would just give away free stuff. So, maybe the cards he and Cream were holding were the real deal after all? The possibility of that being the case wasn’t zero and given the card game’s popularity, it wouldn’t be unusual for there to be people who had limited edition cards.

“That’s really nice of you, mister! Thanks!”

@highflyingmechanic​ @mischievous-messenger​

A surprised gasp left the cream-furred rabbit’s mouth; shrinking back when the familiar-looking salesman suddenly screamed at her and Tails. It was like he saw a ghost, and it startled her where she stood. But, she thought that maybe he was just about to close up shop and was surprise to see he had some customers left. After all, it was almost sun down, and she and Tails were the last ones in line. Going with that, the long-eared rabbit looked down below; cinnamon-brown eyes examining the shiny cards and the many types of different babies printed on them. They were all so adorable to Cream that it was a hard decision to pick just one! But, eventually, one caught her eye the most and she reached down to pick it up.

“Ooh! I want that one!”

After picking up the card and standing back up, she could feel the odd, unexpected texture of it… Hard and pointy around its corners… But, she didn’t think much of it and thought the “rare” cards were made of such good quality that it will never tear due to its hard, metallic material. Turning her head to smile at her twin-tailed friend, she then asked the fox while she held the card she picked in her gloved fingertips.

“Which one do you like, Tails?”

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

Likewise, Tails also didn’t think too much about the card dealer’s shout just now. Instead, he actually felt a little guilty for accidentally startling the guy, since the fox figured that’s why the other party yelled in the first place. But Tails didn’t let that bother him too much, since he hadn’t known of any other way on how to grab his attention at the time. And at the very least, his approach worked seeing as how the weirdly familiar card seller was now paying attention to them. 

“Hmm, let’s see...”

The twin-tailed mechanic fell silent for a few seconds, as his sky-blue gaze swept over the cards laid out on the ground before him and Cream. He held his chin with his gloved right hand and hummed thoughtfully to himself while he mentally considered his options. For all intents and purposes, the mechanic looked like he was putting at a good amount of thought behind his decision. But in reality, Tails didn’t have the slightest clue on how to go about choosing a so-called “good” card. While he wasn’t as ignorant about the Super Battle Babies characters as he was in the beginning thanks to Cream, the fox’s limited knowledge about the card game itself was definitely working against him right now.

So, it’d come as no surprise that he was unable to tell the difference between the official cards and Bokkun’s counterfeits. The dark-colored robot had done a good enough job with imitating Super Battle Babies artwork that not even fans of the series managed to spot the fakes. Or, maybe that was giving whoever was a fan of this strange series too much credit, and they were simply blinded by the desire to have more cards.

“I’ll take...this one!”

Tails said after going back and forth with himself for about a minute and finally reached out to pick the card that was on the far left. As he proceeded to pick the card up, the young mechanic’s eyes widened in faint surprise, as he immediately noticed that it felt surprisingly heavy and stiff for a card.

“That’s weird. Are Super Battle Babies cards supposed to be this heavy?”

@highflyingmechanic​ @mischievous-messenger​

The time she’s been waiting for is finally here! Looks like it didn’t take years for Cream, Cheese, or Tails to be next in line for some rare cards after all; much to Cream’s relief. Although, she wasn’t expecting the salesman to be dancing and shouting about dating… It was an odd sight for sure, and it made the orange-dressed rabbit feel a bit hesitant to speak. She didn’t want to interrupt, especially since it looked like he was having a lot of fun dancing and talking to himself. But, remembering what she came here for, she tried speaking up; hoping to get his attention.

“Um… Excuse me, but…”

She softly spoke, but her words ended up trailing off due to the awkwardness she felt.

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

‘This guy sure is weird... His voice sounds kinda familiar too.’

A puzzled look appeared on Tails’ face as the twin-tailed mechanic watched the short card seller get carried away with all of his laughing, shouting, and dancing. It was a strange sight to behold and definitely didn’t make for a very good first impression. In fact, the guy’s actions had the opposite effect and caused Tails to start to reconsider buying cards from him. But before the fox could say anything to his two companions, Cream had already called out to the eccentric card seller. Although, whether or not the guy who was actually Bokkun in disguise could hear her at all was a different story. To Tails’ ears, the girl’s softly spoken words were almost at the volume of a whisper. So, it wouldn’t have surprised him if the guy they were hoping to buy cards from didn’t hear her. But it wasn’t like he blamed Cream for being reluctant to talk to the oddball who was laughing his head off right now. Cause he didn’t exactly want to either... however, someone had to get his attention one way or the other.

“Excuse us, but do you have any cards left?”

@highflyingmechanic​ @mischievous-messenger​

“Yes! Please, we have to try! If we don’t, the line will get even longer, and if we change our minds and come back, we’ll have to wait for a very long time. So long that we might become adults!”

“Chao chao!”

Cream and Cheese insisted together. The pleading rabbit lightly clenched her small gloved fists as she looked at the fox, while her Chao friend broke out into an air dance that looked very similar to a tantrum. Cream took to heart what the man said; believing that if she and Tails don’t join the crowd right now, it would take years and years of their lives standing in line for the cards she desperately wanted. Wanted for the both of them. She was also worried that such an opportunity may not arise again. And if it did, probably not for a long while… If Tails agreed to try with her, the orange-dressed rabbit planned on waiting in line as long as she could until the sun started to set; still keeping in mind what her mother wanted. And that was for her and Cheese to be home before dark.

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

“Haha, the line isn’t that long, Cream. But ok, let’s get in line and hope for the best!”

Tails chuckled, unable to hold back the smile that appeared on his muzzle in response to Cream getting worked up over what the man from earlier said. Did she really believe it was possible for the line to move that slowly? Or, was she just so determined to get a hold of more cards that time to her felt like it was moving at a snail’s pace? Either way, her and Cheese’s desperation was conveyed clearly to him. So, the twin-tailed fox decided to take his chances and headed towards the back of the line.

“Besides, if we find a way to pass the time, the wait won’t feel as long. You could tell me more about Super Battle Babies for starters. Or, what kind of cards you’re hoping to get.”

@highflyingmechanic​ @mischievous-messenger​

Cream took Tails’ suggestion and broke into a run. Not a fast one, but just enough so that they could all get to Station Square sooner. And once they’ve arrived at the bustling city, she slowed her pace; looking up as her brown eyes took in the sights of the many tall buildings that made up most of the city. A small, content smile on her muzzle; just enjoying the fresh air and the peace despite the somewhat loud noise of zooming cars and babbling people. At first, the long-eared rabbit was looking for the toy store. But, something else caught her attention when she lowered her head and looked forward. There was a very, *very* long line of people standing around for…something. Whatever it was, it must have been pretty important or amazing to attract a line of people that looked like it stretched for miles…

“Wow, look at that… I wonder what all those people are doing over there…”

“Chao…”

Curious to know, Cream walked over to a young man who stood at the end of the line.

“Excuse me, sir. But, what is everybody standing in line for…?”

Hearing a small voice reach his ears, the man looked to the side in the direction it came from; surprised for a moment to see that it was a little rabbit girl. But, he wasn’t afraid or anything. When he spoke, he had one of those chill, surfer dude voices.

“Hm? Oh hey, little dudette. I’m just waitin’ for my turn to get one of those rare Super Battle Baby cards. There’s, like, this really tiny dude, around your height sellin’ them. I might camp out here like those dudes over there if I’m still here when it’s night.”

Surprised, Cream turned to see for herself. There really *were* people having tents set up and some already sleeping outside on the sidewalk in sleeping bags… They were serious. Very serious about having at least one of those cards.

“If I was you, I would go ahead and get in line like the rest of us. I would hate for you to be waiting so long, you’ll be my age before you get a card, dude.”

After gasping behind a hand from feeling the pressure, Cream turned around; hoping that Tails had followed her and Cheese and heard what the man said.

“Did you hear that, Tails? Someone is selling rare Super Battle Baby cards! Quick, let’s get in line so we can get some!”

“Chao!”

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

‘You gotta be kidding! All of these people are prepared to wait that long just for some Battle Babies Cards?! Whoever is selling them will run out of cards before we even manage to make it halfway through the line!’

The dumbfounded fox mentally exclaimed as he observed the extremely long line that seemed to stretch on forever. It was one thing to hear about how much of a massive hit the Super Battle Babies card game was on TV. But actually seeing an absurdly large amount of people prepare themselves to spend who knows how long in line, just to have a shot at getting their hands on some cards was another! Their dedication towards a series Tails considered to be very underwhelming and bizarre series was truly incredible! And a big waste of time too if someone were to ask him...

“Yeah, I heard him. But are you sure you want to wait in a line that’s already this long? There might not be any cards left by the time we get to the front. Maybe we should try somewhere else...”

@highflyingmechanic​ @mischievous-messenger​

“Please don’t worry… You can make up anything you like about them.”

Cream tried reassuring the fox with a smile before opening her eyes. Her cinnamon brown gaze traveled down at the petal-dressed baby in her left hand; continuing what she wanted to say as she softly spoke. But, this time with fondness as she held the card, hoping that Tails could understand her point of view despite how…unappealing the card appeared for him.

“I don’t know anything about Sunny Baby… But, I think she should be a happy baby…”

While the name of the baby and how she was dressed was part of the reason Cream thought that way, there was another reason. And that reason being she always wanted everyone around her to be happy; whether she knew them or not. Living life of joy and having a reason to smile everyday. She wanted to reflect her deepest wish for the whole world through something as simple as the card in her fingertips. After those words, the long-eared rabbit looked up to smile at Tails again and voiced her agreement.

“Yeah! I think I know just where she got it. Ready to go, Cheese?”

She asked her fluttering friend before exiting the garage.

“Chao chao.”

Cheese nodded while smiling himself. And with that, Cream started walking out of the garage while Cheese floated next to her as she walked. She hummed a carefree, little song while doing so, ready to take her two friends… Well, her many friends to the toy store her mother often took her, since she believed the cards in her deck case were also her friends.

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

“Ok! That sounds easy enough to me!”

Those were big words coming from someone who didn’t even have a deck yet. Let alone trust that his acting skills would be enough to give the babies convincing personalities and keep Cream happy. Then again, maybe the twin-tailed fox was putting too much pressure on himself in an effort to keep from ruining the game for Cream and Cheese. It wouldn’t be the first time the mechanic did something and ended up biting off more than he could chew. Which was why it was easy for Tails to end up overlooking a very simple thing about Cream. And that was the fact that Cream was far from being a demanding person. As along as he tried his best to play along, the young girl would most likely still be able to have fun with their little game.

“In that case, we should try to put some speed on it. And with any luck, we’ll be able to get there before the store gets to be too crowded!”

@highflyingmechanic​ @mischievous-messenger​

To see the numbers Tails was pointing to, the smiling rabbit girl turned the card around; the picture of the baby and its stats now facing her. HP, damage points, defense, power, speed… These categories were the things her eyes now took notice of, as she didn’t really pay too much attention to them before. It was starting to make more sense why the people she saw on television were so keen on having fights with their cards.

“Good point. But… Don’t you think the game can be just as fun without fighting…?”

She asked, wondering if the fox would be fine with them playing in the way she originally intended. While Cream understood the importance of having to fight, she still preferred an easygoing time with her leisurely activities and entertainment. Things filled with happiness and peace.

@pureheartcream​ @mischievous-messenger​

‘Probably not...’

 “To be honest with you Cream, I dunno how much fun we’ll be able to have since I don’t know anything about the characters. But I’ll try my best.”

The twin-tailed mechanic admitted while scratching his cheek. Playing with cards that had designs he didn’t care for was already bad enough. But asking him to pretend to be the characters from this weird show made Tails feel a whole new level of awkward. Games of pretend weren’t really the practical, young fox’s strong point... Sure, he’d play with toy robots or the occasional action figure, but those types of toys were more interactive and came as parts of a set. So, Tails often didn’t have to think of various scenarios for his toys, in order to keep himself entertained.

So, it went without saying that Tails wasn’t exactly feeling too confident about his acting skills. After all, he still remembered the close-call he had back during Cream’s birthday party, when he treated Ms. Sugarpuff as a simple stuffed animal... The slightly younger girl did not take well to the stuffed sheep being seen as anything less than another sentient being. And even though Tails still didn’t fully understand where exactly he went wrong that day, he understood enough to know that Cream meant it when she said her toys were her friends. Hopefully, him agreeing to play the game Cream’s way, wasn’t just Tails setting himself up all over again.

“With that being said, I guess we should look around and see if we can get our hands on another deck. But it might hard to find one, since Scarlet said the game’s pretty popular right now. Maybe we should try the shop your mom went to go buy your deck first.”