Ah yes... that little episode. When I was missing in action after my most recent defeat, my Badnik forces were still very much active, if slightly... unsupervised. While I wasn't there for the events of this story, my Badniks gathered data and filled me in later.
The tale begins with Sonic doing what he always does: poking his nose into my business. The quaint town of Vista View was under siege by my loyal, if disorganized, Badniks. Sonic, of course, couldn’t resist rushing in to play hero. How predictable.
He takes down some Egg Pawns, helps a local armed with a Cube Wispon (cute, but nothing compared to my Egg Blaster), and then dashes around the town showing off for the civilians. Motobugs nearly succeed in trampling some townsfolk—blast it, so close!—but Sonic arrives just in time to ruin the fun.
Then comes a Super Badnik, the mighty Egg Hammer! A fine model, really. Sonic dodges it with irritating style, only to find himself surrounded by three more. A lovely trap—too bad I wasn’t there to savor it. Instead, the hedgehog ducks underground and escapes. Tails swoops in and the two of them engage in some tawdry teamwork, dismantling my beautiful machines one by one.
Soon they’re on cleanup duty—splitting Egg Hammers and bashing the rest into scrap. I must admit, they make quite a formidable pair. It will be all the sweeter when I finally defeat them both.
But here’s the truly intriguing part: Tails notes that the Badniks are suddenly moving in coordinated waves—far more organized than they should be. He wonders if I'm behind it. Heh. If only! At that moment, I was still... unaccounted for. But even without my hand guiding them, my creations remembered their purpose. Conquest is in their circuits!
As Sonic prepares to continue his aimless heroics, Tails decides to stay behind and help rebuild. How noble. Sonic then darts off to fight more of my legacy… while, unbeknownst to him, one of my Flappers watches from afar.
And somewhere, a brilliant figure sits in a darkened command center, issuing orders to crush both Sonic and Amy Rose in a single strike. Could it be... me?
Well, no. I already made that clear by giving this issue an "Absent" rating. If you want to find out who this imposter is, check out the next issue!