"Must be our lucky day!" Burgees said with a laugh. "The guy said he was looking for a blue hedgehog, and here you are! This job's gonna be easier than we thought."
"Be careful, Burgees," Augur replied. "That hedgehog looks dangerous." He got ready to aim.
"Oh, you have no idea," Sonic said with a grin.
Burgees moved first. His right arm turned black as he jumped toward Sonic. The ground rumbled when his fist slammed down.
"You overestimated him, Augur," he said, laughing.
"Judging by what he assumed about me, I'd say he underestimated me," Sonic replied, standing on top of the brute's head. Burgees struck upward, but too late. The hedgehog was already in front of him.
"Something bothering you up there?"
The pirate roared and charged at Sonic, striking the ground again and cracking it.
"I think you got him," Sonic said, standing calmly beside him. Burgees punched again, multiple times, without success.
"How does it feel to be so strong… yet so slow?"
"Shut up!" Burgees slammed his fist down again, creating a massive crater.
"I know, boring, right?" Sonic teased from behind him.
Augur teleported onto a tree branch and fired at the hedgehog.
"Whoa, I forgot you were even here for a second." Sonic dodged the bullets easily.
The wrestler lifted a huge boulder and hurled it at full force toward Sonic. Sonic sidestepped and yawned. Burgees laughed as the boulder headed straight for Amy. A blue blur pierced it just in time. The debris crashed around them.
"You okay?" Sonic asked. She nodded. The hedgehog glared at Burgees.
"You'll pay for that." The pirate grinned. Bullets rained down toward Sonic. Augur teleported from branch to branch, trying to hide his location.
"This guy's a real pain," Sonic muttered while moving around with Amy. He gently set her down and dropped into a running stance. The ground cracked as he launched himself. Sonic ran in circles around Amy, creating a tornado of dust. The fierce winds blinded the pirates and slammed into them like a wall.
Augur stopped moving. His targets were lost in the whirlwind. He tried to aim into it, hoping to hit Sonic.
Suddenly, a sharp pain in his gut paralyzed him. His ribs felt shattered,they were. Sonic grinned as his foot dug into the pirate's chest. Augur crashed through a tree and disappeared into the forest.
Still blinded by the tornado, Burgees had no idea what had just happened. He assumed his fighting stance as the winds began to die down. A blue flash crossed his face.
"Wrong way, big guy," Sonic said from behind. Burgees turned, but the blur was gone again.
"Wrong again."
The wrestler grew more frustrated and swung at the new spot.
"Come on, step it up," Sonic said, circling him at superspeed. He stopped, stuck out his tongue, and made a fart noise. Burgees punched through nothing but an afterimage.
"Take this!" a voice shouted from above. Burgees looked up just in time to see a massive hammer crashing down. Before he could react, Amy struck him with all her strength, shaking the ground beneath them. A cloud of dust surrounded the area.
Amy rested her weapon on her shoulder and stared at the barely conscious pirate. Sonic landed softly as the dust settled.
"So now, big guy… tell us who you work for," Amy said.
"You'd better talk. Or else," she warned, pointing her hammer at his face.
The pirate's face was bruised and bloodied. He breathed heavily, lying on his back. Then, he laughed.
"You really have no idea, do you?" he said with a smirk.
"Would we be asking if we did, moron? Now talk!" Amy snapped, ready to strike.
"It won't change anything. But if you insist… I'm Jesus Burgees, commander of the Blackbeard Pirates." He paused to catch his breath. "But recently, a man came to our base and asked for an alliance."
"Who was he?" Sonic asked.
"He calls himself… Dr. Robotnik."
"Eggman," Sonic said, glancing at Amy.
"So you do know him," Burgees said with a grin.
"Yeah, but I've got no clue who this Blackbeard guy is. Either way, I can't wait to kick both their butts."
"So that's who sent you to capture me," Amy said, tightening her grip on her hammer.
"He said if we captured all of you, we'd get access to his weapons. I've seen the samples,they're on par with Dr. Vegapunk's stuff."
"Don't know who this Vegapunk dude is, but I'll beat him too," Sonic added.
Burgees tried to stand, but Amy pinned him down with her hammer.
"We're not done yet. Tell us where we can find Blackbeard and Eggman," Sonic demanded, placing a foot on the man's chest.
"You willing to let yourselves be captured?"
"No," Sonic replied without hesitation.
"Then… over my dead body." He laughed. Amy raised her hammer over her head, ready to finish him off.
"Stop!" Sonic shouted, halting her. "We still need him."
"For what? He won't say anything useful. He just wants to hand us to Eggman. And we're losing time. Our friends are still out there, and more people like him will be sent to catch them." She prepared to strike again, but Sonic blocked her.
"We can't do that," he said, standing in front of the pirate.
"Why not? He'll just come after us again or go after our friends."
"We'll find them before he does. Or before the others get to them."
"And how do you know that?"
"Do you have any reason to doubt me?" he asked with a grin. Amy looked at him and blushed. She wanted to stay mad about his decision to let that monster go. She knew it might be a mistake… but her love for him was stronger than her hate for Burgees. She let the hammer drop.
"No… I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he said with a thumbs-up. "This new world is messed u—" Sonic staggered. Blood dripped onto the grass. Burgees laughed.
"Nice shot, Augur!" he shouted.
"SONIC!" Amy screamed. She picked up her hammer, pure rage in her eyes. Just as she was about to strike, a bullet hit the weapon, knocking it away.
Burgees stood up and, in a split second, grabbed Amy by the neck and slammed her to the ground.
"You and your little boyfriend are coming with us," he said, squeezing her neck.
Amy looked at Sonic, barely conscious, blood still pouring from his back.
"Don't worry we're not gonna let him die. The doctor's still got plans for him." Augur appeared near Sonic, smirking at the sight of him.
"You gave us some trouble, little hedgehog," he said, rubbing his chest. "That kick still hurts. Can't wait to return the favor when we're back. I'm gonna make you suffer." He kicked Sonic.
"Stop it!" Amy cried out.
Burgees squeezed tighter. She punched him with all the strength she had left. Tears ran down her cheeks. Breathing grew harder. Her vision dimmed. Her eyelids became heavy. She closed her eyes.
And then she heard something heavy get hit.
The pirate was no longer on top of her.
Her eyes opened. She saw the man groaning in pain on the ground. Augur fired bullets toward her, but they were deflected by a metallic sound. The wind picked up. Black lightning danced in the air.
A man stepped in front of her, sword in hand, walking toward the pirates.
Augur touched his comrade, and they vanished.
The old man turned to Amy, her eyes barely open. He looked at her with a gentle smile. Her teary eyes reflected in his glasses.
"Don't worry. You're safe now."