"Where are we going?" Big asked, as Team Rose wandered through a backwater path in Sea Gate, a valley leading down into Seaside Hill. "I feel lost…"
"I thought I saw one of Chocola's friends go through here," Cream mumbled softly, nibbling on her sleeve as she grew more and more nervous. "I'm sorry. I sent us all on a wild goose chase… or rather a wild CHAO chase."
"Chaochao…" Cheese squeaked.
"It's okay, Cream," Amy sighed, rounding the corner. "We'll find a way out of here, and then we'll be able to catch up with Sonic." Amy looked to the ground. "Although… I can't feel him anywhere near here." Suddenly, Amy heard a small propellor growing closer. "Whoa! What is that… ABOMINATION?!" She cried, pointing at a small robotic Chao flying at them.
"Ew!" Cream whispered, seeing its large purple smile with teeth made of glass.
"There is something wrong with that Chao…" Big mumbled, mildly alert.
"Hi! I'm Omochao," the robotic Chao greeted. Amy and Big stepped back, while Cream and Cheese stood in place, petrified. Cream's mouth was agape in horror. "I'm here to help! Is there anything you need to know about this place we're in or what to do here?"
"Umm… hiiii!" Cream stuttered, sweat beading up on her face. "I was wondering where the exit is, Mr. Omochao."
"Did you know? I'm actually a professor. My name is Prof. Omochao!" Omochao exclaimed. "I work alongside Professor Pickle of Spagonia U. Did you know that 'U' is short for University?"
"I did know that last part," Cream squeaked, fake-smiling.
"No you didn't," Omochao argued, floating forward until he was swarming Cream's vision. She shivered, and even the fake smile fell. "This world knows nothing about facts, and learning. In fact, you are hardly past junior high by the looks of things. So you're probably stupid. Did you know that stupid people who are proud of being stupid contribute very little to society and are better off DEAD?"
"I… have no idea what you're talking about!" Cream exclaimed.
"Of course you don't," Omochao groaned, floating away from her. "It's very hard nowadays to find people who get it. Go, run along now. The exit is just down the left path. There you will find yourselves stumbling amidst the other knuckle-dragging, ass-breathing fools of our current society." Amy pulled Cream behind Big's umbrella worriedly, and the three walked off with Cheese following. "Oh, and keep your head down when you reach the beach. Run along until you reach Seaside Square. Unless you want to REALLY learn a lesson."
While Amy walked down the path, she took out her Tails Electric and scrolled to Ata's contact. "Who are you calling, Ms. Roses?" Cream asked, hopping onto Amy's shoulders and peering over her head.
"Something about that Omochao guy seemed off," Amy mumbled. "Since he mentioned Professor Pickle, I wanted to see if Ata can confirm anything." Amy hit the call button. The phone rang a few times, before going to voicemail. "That's odd. Ata always picks up." Amy brushed aside the leaf of a palm tree, and was faced with a steep decline into Seaside Hill. "Wow! Look at all those little islands!" Amy gasped, gazing out at the lovely archipelago under the rising sun.
"Those aren't tiny islands," Big said, as little green limbs and heads sprouted from the sides of each island. "Those are big sea turtles!"
"Oh my goodness… they're beautiful!" Cream exclaimed, starry-eyed as the colossal sea turtles swam away. "Where do you think they're going?"
"Hmmmm… running," Big muttered. "They're afraid." The wonder left Cream's eyes.
"Afraid? Of what?" Amy asked. Suddenly, a huge open Prison Egg splashed into the sea from above. It closed around a group of sea turtles, capturing them. Amy, Cream and Cheese screamed. Big stepped back. "Aah!" Amy cried. "It's taking them away!"
"Ms. Roses… up there!" Cream exclaimed, pointing to the sky. Amy looked up and watched as the Prison Egg was reeled into a purple flying mecha by an iron rod. It looked like Mecha Sonic from back on Angel Island, but in the shape of Team Rose's very own Big the Cat! Mecha Sonic may have been tall, but this thing was huge. Sitting on its shoulder were what appeared to be… duplicates of Amy and Cream. But looking closer, they were all made of metal! "Are those… Eggman's robots?!" Cream cried as the Big-themed mech began to take off with its haul of animals.
"Looks like it!" Amy exclaimed. "We can't let them get away with those poor turtles… Cream! Boost me up there!" Cream nodded, angry-eyed as she picked Amy up and tossed her towards Mecha Big with the sound of a lightning strike. Amy crashed into Mecha Big sideways, her spiked golden headband piercing the mech's belly. She was now dangling from its chestplate hundreds of feet above the ocean. "AAAAH! Bad idea, bad idea!" Amy screamed. The Metal Amy and Metal Cream surrounded her, using their jet thrusters to keep themselves afloat alongside Mecha Big as he took off into the sky. "Cream! Mr. Big! HELP!" Amy cried.
"You're so stupid," Omochao's voice said. Amy squeaked in fear as the wind-up toy Chao lowered from Mecha Big's head. "You thought that would work? You should move your legs and kick to JUMP. NOW." A few seconds passed. Metal Cream swatted Omochao out of the sky. "Ouch!" He cried as he fell all the way down into the ocean, followed by a tiny splash.
"What do we do??" Big whined as he and Cream watched from the cliff below. Mecha Big had already carried Amy and the Prison Egg full of sea turtles above the clouds. Cream, trembling, picked Big up and flew off towards Mecha Big by flapping her ears. "Whoa! I forget you can fly sometimes, Cream." Cream quickly caught up with Mecha Big, and swooped in to grab Amy just as Metal Amy and Metal Cream swiped at her with their sharp claws. The two robots glared at Team Rose with a burning hatred. Envy. They blasted off after their organic counterparts, both sides struggling to keep up with Mecha Big.
"Why does it look like me?" Big asked, fascinated by the cool replica of himself. Cream flew in closer and Amy whacked Mecha Big in the forehead with her Piko Piko Hammer. Mecha Big swung his fishing rod around in retaliation, trying to whack them with it. The Prison Egg the turtles were in went flailing all around on the end of the copper fishing pole.
"Grrrruuuhhh… why do YOU look like ME?" Mecha Big asked in a very low voice. The murmur was so deep that it hurt to listen to. "I'm not made of frail meat." Cream dove under the Prison Egg as it nearly crashed into the entire team, instead hitting their Metal counterparts by accident. "Soon, you won't be made of meat, neither. Only broken bones." Something glinted in Mecha Big's cyclops eye.
"Why are you taking the turtles?" Amy asked as Mecha Big shot cannonballs from his eye. Amy set up a magic barrier that reflected a cannonball right back into Mecha Big's face. Then, Metal Cream and Metal Amy rushed through, colliding with and breaking the link Team Rose had set up. Amy and Big fell, screaming. Cheese flew down after them.
"Hmmm… must… make… armada…" Mecha Big growled, clawing at Cream. She flew away, and Mecha Big only hit her legs. She back-flipped from the impact, catching herself before she could fall. Metal Amy wielded a crossbow mechanism attached to her Zero-Zero Hammer and quickly shot a series of bolts at Cream. "Take over… world… coat the pieces in a metal shell." Cream dodged them all by the skin of her teeth, but when her Metal mirror held her in the air by her ears, she was left to struggle and kick for freedom. Metal Amy approached and held up her hammer, which was designed similarly to ZERO from back during the Illedence incident in Glace County, Veinia. "Hmmmm… this animal is smaller. It could only make a pool floatie, not a ship. No matter. It will probably be transformed like the rest." Cream continued to kick, until Cheese flew by with Amy and Big. Amy whacked Metal Cream with her Piko Piko Hammer, knocking the robot out of the sky and making it unhand Cream.
Metal Cream went flying into the button at the top of the Prison Egg, opening the Prison Egg and allowing the sea turtles to jump out within their shells. They all splashed into the ocean below, surfacing and swimming into the distance with their bale. "NOOOO!" Mecha Big shouted, as the empty Prison Egg bounced into his head and knocked him out. He fell onto the other members of Metal Team Rose, crashing on the beach below and creating a sandstorm.
The real Team Rose quickly floated down to the ground. "Great work, everybody!" Amy cheered.
"We did okay after all," Big sighed, walking down the beach. Amy followed. Cream and Cheese exchanged fearful glances, and jogged after them.
"Wait, you guys! We're not gonna ignore this, are we?" Cream asked, catching up. "Those robots looked just like us!"
"I didn't notice that the other ones looked like you," Big said, looking between Amy Cream and Cheese.
"Hmm. They were definitely Eggman robots, he's the only cheeseball in the WORLD mean enough to try and kidnap sea turtles to turn them into robots," Amy sighed, crossing her arms in irritation. "How does he know about all four of us, though? I'm the only one here who he's met."
"I don't know…" Cream sighed. "That's what scares me about it."
"Well whatever the reason for that is, they're gone now and they can't get in the way of us finding who we're looking for!" Amy exclaimed, smiling and leading the team into the sunrise. "Let's keep going! They have to be around here somewhere!"