Ah, the first half of my brilliant scheme! Let’s set the scene, shall we? Deep beneath the surface of Planet Freedom, in my glorious mechanical metropolis Eggmanland, I was putting the finishing touches on my latest masterpiece — the ultimate weapon of vengeance: Hyper Metal Sonic. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For now, let’s focus on the setup.

I decided to lure Sonic into the Land of Darkness by spinning a most convincing tale. With the President and his daughter Sara held politely hostage, I explained that Eggmanland had been seized by an imposter — a so-called “Metal Robotnik” — and that my Robot Generator had been dangerously overloaded. I told them (very convincingly, might I add) that it was about to explode and annihilate the entire planet unless Sonic could reach it in time and shut it down. All lies, of course, but delivered with such charm.

Sonic, the little blue layabout, didn’t want to help at first. But Sara — oh, Sara! So persuasive, so fiery — helped convince him. What a voice she has when she’s flustered. *ahem* I provided Tails with a Navigator to help them on their journey, and off they went in their rickety little biplane. Meanwhile, I stayed behind to keep the President company...and spend some quality gaming time with Sara. She’s got quite the attitude, but I must admit, I find it... captivating.

Then came the unexpected joyride. My giant mech crashed into the presidential estate, and of course, Sara just had to climb aboard. I followed to make sure she didn’t get hurt, obviously. We got stuck inside as the thing took off — not exactly ideal, but let’s call it a happy accident.

Meanwhile, in the Land of Darkness, Sonic and Tails got the welcoming committee they deserved. Metal Robotnik unleashed everything he had on those little pests — glue bombs, missiles, the works. It gave them some trouble, sure, but that’s when that insipid echidna Knuckles decided to show up, uninvited as always. He helped them out of a jam, and together they managed to scrap Metal Robotnik and push onward toward my city.

What they didn’t realize — what no one realized — is that "Metal Robotnik" was me! Gwa ha ha! Who cares if Sonic wrecked my robot? He was still heading right into my trap...

Ho ho! I hope Sara sees how cool I am when I take Sonic out for good!