sranks | ROLLING AROUND AT THE SPEED OF SOUND

...I meant what I said, you know. Name the time and place, and I'll give you your rematch. You only gotta ask.

[Despite it all, Sonic smiles, though that tinge of what he can recognize as sadness is still there. Sonic doesn't like being sad. Metal's a being that can make his own choices, especially now that Eggman isn't here. What would it be like for him, if he didn't end up going back? Could he have found that same freedom that Sonic cherishes, that Sonic lives by?

Well, it's Metal's choice in the end, and as Sonic grabs another piece of paper, it's his turn to sidestep that first bit. Rivals they may be, there's no reason to go and upset poor Metal when he really should just be able to get to enjoy his time here.]

So, you gonna answer my question, Metal? I think I've answered yours pretty nicely. Didn't even ask you to say please, or anything!

[sonic, oh my god]

[He makes it sound so... easy. Like all that planning and preparing was for nothing. Maybe it was, if he was so easily bested by all of them. Maybe that's yet another thing to burn out moving forward.

By all quantifiable metrics, he should be stronger than his organic counterpart. He has copied the data of Chaos, of the Ultimate Lifeform, and of every single one of Sonic's inferior allies, and yet even reshaping himself with his own hands wasn't enough. What will be enough?]

I had thought the answer was obvious.

[..........do not just leave it at that—]

I still have weaknesses, imperfections. I will destroy all of them and reshape myself until I am perfect. Only then will I be capable of destroying you - and I will not stop until I have accomplished that.

[no he is not aware that he is currently undergoing a crisis, don't worry about it,,,]

[...my dude,,,]

I mean, it is good that you can look at yourself and still try to find something you want to improve. Not gonna deny that for a second. If you want to keep making yourself better, you keep going at it.

[Sonic sees a crisis on the horizon and...can't resist poking it with a stick, Sonic is not a guy you go to for therapy--]

But what comes after all of that?

[Sonic's eyes go to the paper for a moment as he concentrates on what he's writing next. Maybe he shouldn't write this kind of thing down with Metal close by, but...]

After that?

[Neo asks it like this is a foreign concept that has never once crossed his mind. Probably because it hasn't.]

Then I will have proved myself superior - the true Sonic. What comes after that will hardly matter to you, given that you'll be dead.

[whoosh there it goes, the character development that could have happened with this one remark goes sailing directly over his very pointy head...]

[...He really is that simple. It honestly makes Sonic laugh again, surprisingly cheerful despite the blatant death threat looming over the conversation.]

Guess that's true! I mean, being me is pretty great, after all. I bet there's a lot of the world you could go and see after all of that, huh?

[Sonic looks over the next paper, scanning the words for a second before starting to crumple it up again, preparing to toss it into the fire.]

You know, I bet I could explore this place way faster than you.

[Once again, irrelevant, because Sonic will be dead and thus he has no reason to consider such things to begin with. But at least this time Neo keeps that thought in his head where it belongs instead of saying it, mostly because he's thrown by the latter part. His eyes remain on the paper now that Sonic's started to crumple it, curious about what it says before he can miss out on it entirely.]

You are ill-equipped to keep up with me in terms of data collection and processing. Your organic body requires sleep and sustenance while my superior form needs neither.

[Okay, that's technically not true, he does need to charge occasionally, but not the point!!]

If you intend to turn this into a contest, you will lose.

[...And yet there's no denying that Neo's words actually sound pleased with the idea - after all, the deck is stacked in his favor here, as far as he can determine, anyway.]

[Oh, Sonic's eyes practically gleam for a second.]

Yeah? You really think so? I don't know about that, Metal. I think that big clunky form you've got going on is bound to slow you down. I could get a good eight hours of sleep and eat three square meals of chili dogs a day, and I'm preeeetty sure I could still find out everything about this place before you.

[Sonic's never been good at keeping his emotions off of his face, but even he can't deny that the idea of this is genuinely exciting. Not even because Metal deserves better than the hand he's been dealt--Sonic's always loved a good competition, and Metal's always been good at giving him motivation to push himself.

Maybe, now that they're here, Metal can truly have a chance to find out more about the world. What a wonderful thing that would be, wouldn't it?

Sonic starts to toss the paper into the pyre properly this time, while he waits for Metal's answer.]

[His eyes follow the paper, but he makes no move to stop it. After all, it hardly matters what Sonic's regrets are. His primary objective has not changed, it's merely a matter of putting it on pause until he can return and ensure Sonic stays dead.]

Impossible. Your boasting will only serve to make you look like more of a fool once I've surpassed you.

[Data-gathering was something he was going to do anyway; Neo needs a better understanding of this world and its people in order to adapt, after all. Though he had no particular interest in saving the world or whatever nonsense they've discussed, there is valuable information to be gathered here. Turning it into a competition with his hated rival only makes this even more of a thrill.

Perhaps being dragged here wasn't such a waste of his time after all.]

[Sonic's laughter, cheerful and bright as ever, rings through the area--he can practically feel the energy radiating off of Metal, and it makes Sonic even more energized as well--a thrill in it's own right, to challenge his rival and see him...

...Well, Metal hasn't really ever been happy, but this is probably the closest thing to happiness he'll ever let himself have. Sonic isn't going to try and ruin that.]

Well, you're just gonna have to try and make me eat my words then, aren't ya? I'm looking forward to it. We'll see who finds out all of this place's secrets faster!

[At that, though, Sonic seems to stretch his arms a bit before going and putting the pencil back where he got it. He pauses a bit, before turning back to Metal and speaking up before he's about to leave his rival to this, but...]

You better make sure you get...okay, you don't need to rest, but like... [...] Charged up, yeah? I think that's the right word for it. Can't have you giving anything less than your best at this, you know?

[Sonic's never been particularly the best at expressing how he cares, but he figures this might at least be acceptable enough for Metal. Sonic can't exactly look after the guy--Tails would be way better suited in case something happens, but in a way, Sonic at least wants to make sure Metal takes care of himself. Someone's gotta. He'll start to walk off once that's out there, though.]

Edited 2024-12-18 00:09 (UTC)

[He may not be able to kill Sonic here, but he can beat him. It likely says something about Neo that he's just as enthused by that idea as he is about killing Sonic, but he's not going to stop and examine that for any length of time.

The first remark from the blue blur gets a sound that's part beep, part scoff from Neo; it isn't really a sound he can replicate well, but it's out there before he can stop it. The beep at least likely sounds familiar - after all, he was only able to communicate in beeps and boops prior to taking his Neo form.

(The very first thing he did was to give himself a voice, to better communicate his thoughts and desires. Though he doesn't have the words to express it, being stunted in his ability to communicate with his hated enemy was... agitating.)

But it's the rest of what Sonic has to say that catches him off-guard. His eyes follow the hedgehog's movements as Sonic starts to leave, but for once that voice of his feels like it isn't adequate to convey his thoughts on the subject. Neo can recognize Sonic's words for what they are - some level of concern, of all things - but he cannot fathom why his rival would be worried about him, of all people. How many times have they clashed? How many times has Sonic ensured Metal wouldn't be getting up again any time soon?

The only conclusion he can draw - a shaky, likely inaccurate one at that - is that Sonic is worried about him because he is a familiar face here. Because Sonic enjoys their clashes and wouldn't want to lose such a "fun" challenge. It makes enough sense to Neo, he supposes, but something about that conclusion simply feels... off.

Regardless, Sonic is long gone by the time Neo manages to come up with a response, so he doesn't bother saying it at all.

It doesn't matter what Sonic thinks. It doesn't matter if he's concerned. His feelings have no bearing on Neo's end goal, and even if he cannot accomplish that here, he can still focus on beating Sonic in this game they've made of information-gathering.

Next time he'll be better prepared.]

ROLLING AROUND AT THE SPEED OF SOUND

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