[Camera pans over a bright red bridge to bring into view a bright city in the nighttime, glowing and standing out, outshining everything else around it. The lake is hardly reflective with a cloudy sky, but the city is stunning and takes all the attention away. Camera switches to move over the lake and reveals the name of the city: "San Fransokyo". Cars are flooding the streets, the city is still busy and alight, and everything possibly visible in the city is moving, flowing like water, and not stopping no matter what. Camera pans over the city to view the roads in between the buildings, the music building up to present action. People are wandering around, but they're not all human. In fact, most are animals, who walk on two feet, wear clothes, and talk like humans, but every once in a while a human in a business suit could pop up, though they don't get much attention. The buildings and cars and lights are all so futuristic it seems nuts. Camera switches again to small colored rotors and blimps floating above the city, moving so slowly it's barely visible (since the camera is also moving in the opposite direction). Camera switches again to show a couple of trains moving on their own tracks, one on top of the other, to show a darker portion of the city. The view fades to the setting of the current scene: a dark alley, dimly lit but otherwise old, musty, and dark. A light flickers on as sounds of fighting are heard off-camera.]
[The scene switches quickly to E-123 Omega fighting E-102 Gamma, Omega knocking Gamma back and revealing the several guns in its left arm, firing them all at Gamma. Gamma ducks under the shots and fires its own, but they fly off Omega easily, and Omega brings out its shoulder rockets, which easily knock Gamma back.]
[The camera pans to reveal a large tiger woman, who holds a controller in her hand, looking surprised at the knockback, but pressing some buttons to get the robot to stand again. Omega goes back to fight Gamma, not willing to give up, and the person controlling Omega is revealed to be ZAVOK. The two fight for a while longer, sometimes slashing at each other and other times shooting, though the bullets don't seem to be affecting the robot fighters or the audience gathered around them. They are sitting in an enclosed red circle, with a skunk woman holding an umbrella, presumably the referee for the fight.]
[Eventually, Gamma lands a powerful hit on Omega, knocking it down, and follows up with rocket launchers from its hands. However, Omega catches it while down and swings it back around at Gamma, destroying it for good.]
[People pass around money as the tiger woman gawks at her destroyed robot. The skunk woman passes around a silver platter of money, finally speaking up over people's cheers.]
SKUNK REFEREE: The winner, by total annihilation--Zavooook!
ZAVOK: [stands, intimidating, and holds up Omega as he takes money from the woman.] Now, who's next? Who has the guts to take on the great Zavok?
[People in the crowd, who had some robots ready to fight, start retreating them, one visibly lowering it (Beta MK I) and another ripping the head off of theirs (Beta MK II).]
TAILS: [offscreen, sounding meek and unsure.] C-can... I try?
[ZAVOK turns and glares to see who dared challenge him. The crowd moves away to reveal TAILS THE FOX with Omochao in his hands, ears folded down and tails close to the ground. He steps forward, revealing his strange, possibly weak-looking robot.]
TAILS: I have a robot. I-I built it myself.
[ZAVOK watches the kid carefully while the rest of the crowd laughs. Eventually, a deep laugh rumbles from him and he rolls his eyes. TAILS hesitates, pulling Omochao closer to him as he watches the crowd laugh at him, suddenly insecure.]
SKUNK REFEREE: Beat it, kid. House rules. You gotta pay to play.
TAILS: Oh. [He reaches into jacket pocket and pulls out a crumpled wad of money] Is this enough?
ZAVOK: [sneers] What's your name, boy?
TAILS: [smiles hesitantly] T-Tails. Tails Hedgehog the Fox.
ZAVOK: Prepare your bot then, "Fails".
[Both participants put in their stacks of money, Zavok's clearly cleaner and neater than Tails'. SKUNK REFEREE closes the platter with a loud clang, but not before Tails manages to add a little bit of change in there.]
[ZAVOK puts down Omega, holding his remote and sitting down forcefully. TAILS puts down Omochao in a standing position, but Omochao instead flops down on its face, and TAILS tries to mimic ZAVOK by sitting down forcefully, but instead only manages to sit on one of his tails, causing the crowd to laugh at him again. He blushes and sits down carefully this time, allowing his tails to move to either side of him to stay out of the way. ZAVOK cracks his neck, but when TAILS tries to mimic him, he pinches one of his ears. He decides that maybe mimicking ZAVOK may not be the best decision he's ever made in his life.]
[SKUNK REFEREE holds straw umbrella between the two bots, announcing the beginning of the fight, twirling it around slowly.]
SKUNK REFEREE: Two bots enter; one bot leaves. Fighters ready?
[ZAVOK sneers at Tails, whose eyes widen just a tiny bit.]
SKUNK REFEREE: [watches two closely before quickly removing the umbrella] FIGHT!
[Omega springs into action, claw-hand drilling rapidly. Omochao bounces up, flies around a bit, and moves amateurishly toward Omega. However, when Omochao makes it anywhere near Omega, Omega grabs it, flings it around, and smashes it against the ground, sending its limbs flying, including its head. Something pixelated and red is visible at every limb attachment, but that's presumed to be part of the bot itself. ZAVOK laughs loudly, prompting the crowd to join him.]
TAILS: [TAILS bends over his robot, looking worried.] That was my first fight. C-can--can I try again?
ZAVOK: [accepts his prize] No one likes a sore loser, Fox Boy. Go home.
TAILS: [off-screen] I've got more money.
[ZAVOK raises a brow, interested. TAILS holds out a neatly rolled-up bunch of money held together by a rubber band and offers it as part of the bet. ZAVOK grins and accepts the challenge. ZAVOK and TAILS put in more money and SKUNK REFEREE closes the platter once again. The rotating umbrella is visible once again.]
SKUNK REFEREE: Fighters ready? [She removes the umbrella to reveal Omega] FIGHT!
[Omochao puts itself together and suddenly, TAILS has a big smirk on his face. His controller is still in his hands, and no one seems to question the blocks that had come out of Omochao's body.]
TAILS: Omochao,--
[extends controller to reveal something small and red inside]
--Destroy.
[Omochao's eyes turn from bright yellow and happy to red and deadly. ZAVOK grunts in surprise, and suddenly Omochao is flying, shooting, and even has a razor for a propellor on the top of its head, while Omega swings and shoots at it itself. Omochao dodges it expertly, no move being out of place, and soon ZAVOK is struggling with his controller, trying to find a way to stop the crazy tiny Chao beast, but Omochao is too strong. Soon, its limbs detach and move away, transforming themselves into strange red blocks that trap and crush Omega, moving everywhere at once, and TAILS is seen playing his controller and looking bored as though this is all a simple video game. The blocks build up and up and up until Omega is completely crushed and unusable, falling to the ground like a piece of messed-up metal, and Omochao's strange red blocks go back inside it, Omochao puts itself back together, and then its eyes shift from red to yellow and it flies up a little bit, doing a quick bow to the rest of the audience. SKUNK REFEREE moves to give TAILS his prize money, and TAILS is smug now, rather than insecure, small, and meek.]
TAILS: [reaches for the money] I guess that's it for big ol' Zavok, eh?
ZAVOK: [holding Omega, eyes wide] What--wha--? T-this isn't possible!
TAILS: [pocketing money] Hey, I-I'm as surprised as you are!
[He doesn't look surprised, however, and has a big, happy grin on his face. Behind him, the crowd starts moving back.]
Beginner's luck.
[He finishes pocketing the money when ZAVOK moves in front of him, big and menacing.]
You--do you wanna go again?
[He sees ZAVOK and suddenly his eyes are wide and he's small again.]
Z-Zavok...?
[ZAVOK throws TAILS against a wall.]
ZAVOK: No one hustles the great Zavok!
[He snatches Omochao]
TAILS: Whoa, h-hey...
[ZAVOK walks back where he came from, still holding Omochao, turning to some other gang members (three of the Deadly Six).]
ZAVOK: Teach him a lesson.
[The Deadly Three crack their knuckles, closing on on Tails, who swishes his tails nervously and stuffs his hands in his pockets, ears pressed behind him, clearly afraid.]
TAILS: H-hey, guys... l-let's just talk about this real quick...
[A light appears to the Deadly Three's right and they move backward to get out of the way of a tall blue blur. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG would usually run, but knowing his brother had gotten into another bot fight, he had to take his motorcycle this time, which was blue just like him. SONIC was wearing a cap over his ears, a layered T-shirt, and, surprisingly, pants. His motorcycle skidded to a stop right before TAILS and TAILS had to make sure to keep his tails away from the motorcycle's wheels.]
SONIC: [urgent] Tails, get on!
TAILS: [grinning wide, jumps onto the motorbike eagerly] Sonic! Man, good timing!
[SONIC shoves TAILS' helmet onto him, leaving TAILS to buckle it on, then turns and rides away. ZAVOK, who was also taken down by the bike, stands up and laughs when he sees he still has Omochao, whose eyes suddenly turn red again and detach themselves, escaping from Zavok's grip, and attack him, swarming blocks onto him until they all return into Omochao's body and Omochao reassembles itself, flying off to meet up with TAILS, who catches it perfectly. SONIC races through the alley, watching the road carefully.]
SONIC: You okay there, bud?
TAILS: [still grinning] Yeah!
SONIC: Are you hurt?
TAILS: [still grinning] No!
SONIC: [turns around and starts hitting TAILS, turning back to watch the road every now and then] Then what were you thinking?! Knucklehead!
[TAILS is no longer smiling.]
[SONIC reaches a dead end, where he's met with a dumpster, so he turns around quickly, pivoting on his foot, and goes back the way he came. TAILS is smiling again.]
SONIC: You graduated high school at thirteen, and THIS is what you do with--
[SONIC is interrupted by ZAVOK yelling at some Zeti to go after TAILS. SONIC sees ZAVOK ahead of him with three other Zeti, then spots a convenient spring he can use to jump over the people without hurting anyone.]
SONIC: Hold on! [TAILS tightens his grip around SONIC's neck.]
[SONIC tilts the motorcycle toward the spring and drives right on top of it. The spring boings like usual, sending SONIC and TAILS flying upward, with just a bit of momentum to keep them going enough to get away from ZAVOK and keep moving. When they land, they continue talking.]
SONIC: Bot-fighting is illegal! You're gonna get yourself arrested one of these days!
TAILS: [holding his tails to keep them from getting in the way] Bot-fighting is NOT illegal. Betting on bot-fighting, that--THAT'S illegal, but--
[He grabs ZAVOK's wad of money and waves it in front of his face.]
--SO lucrative!
[TAILS leans an elbow on SONIC's shoulder, earning a groan from him.]
I'm on a roll, big bro. And there's no stopping me!
[He extends arms out wide above his head, still holding the money with his tails unfurling and flowing out behind him. Suddenly, SONIC skids to a stop, and, taken off-balance, TAILS is forced to lean back on SONIC's shoulders, his one hand holding the wad of money out as red and blue lights flicker ahead of them.]
SONIC: Oh no...
[Police arrive, SONIC and TAILS are arrested, TAILS being all alone and SONIC being stuffed with the other people who were bot-fighting in the alley earlier, including ZAVOK. SONIC clearly looks grumpy about having been jailed despite having done nothing wrong.]
[The next scene has ROUGE THE BAT pacing outside the police station window, wings folded to her sides and one nail in her mouth, clearly nervous. The door opens and a yak policeman lets SONIC and TAILS out to meet up with ROUGE, the two stepping down the steps sheepishly.]
SONIC and TAILS: [simultaneously] Hi, Aunt Rouge...
ROUGE: [runs up to them, giving them a big hug] Are you guys okay?
[She pulls them close.]
Tell me you're okay!
TAILS: We're fine.
SONIC: We're okay.
ROUGE: [sighs in relief, pulling away] Oh good...
[She proceeds to grab their ears and pull them back to the car.]
...then what weRE YOU TWO KNUCKLEHEADS THINKING?!
[ROUGE is seen driving the two, pouting, while TAILS and SONIC each hold an ear ROUGE had grabbed, clearly still in pain, but otherwise quiet. Clearly miffed, she begins to talk.]
For ten years, I have done the best I could to raise you.
[SONIC and TAILS exchange wary looks. They are shown pulling into a corner store called "Lucky Bat Cafe". ROUGE is still rambling as they all exit the car.]
ROUGE: Have I been perfect? No! Do I know anything about children? No!
[She is closer in view now, unlocking the door to the closed cafe.]
Should I have picked up a book on parenting? Probably!?
[SONIC and TAILS join up behind her, confused.]
Where was I going with this? I had a point.
SONIC: [genuinely apologetic] Sorry...
TAILS: [wary] We love you, Aunt Rouge.
ROUGE: [spreading wings and towering over TAILS, still stressed] Well, I love you too!
[She pushes the door open and turns the lights on in one fell swoop. She grabs a donut from her pastry displays and turns to face her nephews in disappointment.]
I had to close up early because of you two felons. On beat poetry night.
[She takes a bite from the donut, glances at it as though just now realizing what she was doing, and shakes it in TAILS' face before turning away.]
Stress-eating! Because of you! C'mon, Mochi!
[Walks off, gesturing to a sleeping Chao who whines a little before floating off to follow ROUGE.]
This is REALLY good!
[Her mouth is full of donut.]
[SONIC and TAILS glance at each other quickly before going back up to their room. When they make it there, TAILS immediately sits down at his computer, searching for something intently. SONIC, on the other hand, slaps his cap down on his bed, tapping his foot in annoyance.]
SONIC: You better make this up to Aunt Rouge before she eats everything in the cafe.
TAILS: [distracted] For sure.
SONIC: [moving closer to TAILS] ...and I hope you learned your lesson.
TAILS: [turns around in his swivel chair, eyes kind of wide and somewhat convincing.] Oh yeah, absolutely.
SONIC: [noticing TAILS' strange behavior and seeing what was on the computer while TAILS was turning around, is suspicious of him suddenly] You're going bot-fighting, aren't you?
TAILS: [casually shrugging and turning away, leaving his computer to reveal a bot-fighting website and grabbing his robot] There's a fight across town, if I book I can still make it on time.
[As TAILS grabs Omochao from atop a small metal cabinet, SONIC grabs one of TAILS' tails and stops him, making TAILS groan. TAILS turns around to face his big brother.]
SONIC: When are you going to start actually doing something with that big brain of yours? [tapping his brother's head].
TAILS: What? Go to college like you? [pushes SONIC lightly] So people can tell me stuff I already know?
SONIC: [looking at his brother in shame and disappointment.] Unbelievable.
[He rubs his eyes with his right hand.]
Ohhh, what would Mom and Dad say...?
TAILS: [shrugging, casual] I dunno. They're gone.
[He turns away from SONIC, bitter]
They died when I was THREE. Or don't you remember?
[SONIC watches his brother, suddenly regretful and sad for him. TAILS walks toward the stairs to go to the bot fight.]
SONIC: Hey. [TAILS turns just in time to catch a helmet when SONIC tosses it to him.] I'll take you. [He pushes TAILS out of the way of the stairs and grabs his helmet, unlike last time]
TAILS: [genuinely confused] Really?
SONIC: [flips his helmet in his hands] I can't stop you from going there, but I won't let you go alone. [He gives his brother a reassuring smile.]
TAILS: [shrugs again casually, snapping the helmet on and heading down the stairs.] Sweet.
[The next scene has the two on SONIC's motorbike pulling into San Fransokyo Institute of Technology.]
TAILS: WHAT are we doing at your nerd school?! [He bumps his brother's shoulder to get his attention] Bot fight's that way!
[SONIC ignores him and pulls up by Ito Ishioka Robotics Lab, taking off his helmet and getting off.]
SONIC: [after a long pause] Gotta grab something.
[TAILS watches him go, incredulous.]
[The brothers are seen walking through the halls of the lab, heading toward a certain door. TAILS still has Omochao in his hands.]
TAILS: [annoyed] Is this gonna take long?
SONIC: Relax, you big baby. We'll be in and out, or else my name isn't Sonic. [Opens the door.] And anyway, you've never seen my lab.
TAILS: [sarcastic, walking into the door.] Oh, great, I get to see your nerd lab--
WAVE: [offscreen] Heads up!
[TAILS halts just in time as a fuschia bird on a slick bike of some kind whips by, stopping at her station. She gets off and hangs it on a magnet, then takes off the rear wheel with ease, , examines it, and tosses it back. It magnetically attaches itself right back to the bike, catching TAILS' attention. TAILS looks around at the room, seeing as some people work on various machines, such as a pair of table tennis machines, a Flicky cat with remote-controlled rocket shoes, a platform that scales any type of elevation, and several other things. TAILS stops right in front of the bike and examines it, amazed. He runs his hand between the wheel and the bike itself, noticing it wasn't actually physically attached.]
TAILS: Whoa... Electromagnetic suspension...? [He examines it further, glancing up at it, ears perked and attention piqued.]
WAVE: [off-screen, goggles still down] Hey.
[Startled, TAILS glances at the woman.]
Who are you?
TAILS: Uhh, I'm...--
SONIC: [walks into the shot, holding a hand behind TAILS to support him] Wave, this is my brother, Tails.
WAVE: [pushes goggles up, blows a bubble of gum, then pops it with her beak, then gives him a cold stare.] Welcome to the "Nerd Lab".
[With that, she walks away, leaving TAILS to chuckle nervously as she went back to working on her electromagnetic bike.]
TAILS: Y-yeah...
[He awkwardly looks down before picking himself back up again and glancing back at her as she worked on the bike.]
I've... never seen electromagnetic suspension on a bike before.
WAVE: [spins a pedal, making the back wheel turn quickly] Zero resistance-- [stops the wheel with her hands] --faster bike. But--not fast enough.
[She detaches the wheel and flings it like a frisbee into a rolling cart full of similar wheels that weren't deemed fast enough, causing TAILS to move back cautiously, as one of those blades could hurt him easily.]
...yet.
[She walks away, presumably to make a new wheel.]
[As she walks off, something is heard off screen, and TAILS is intrigued by that, too, moving closer to inspect it. He finds a red wolf fidgeting with a blue bar-looking thing, when he suddenly stops and holds an arm out.]
GADGET: Whoa, whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa! Back! Back up! Behind the line, please!
[He points to a yellow and black caution tape line, which TAILS obliges to and steps behind.]
SONIC: [walks up casually behind TAILS] Hey, Gadget. This is my brother, Tails.
GADGET: [adjusts his glasses and gives TAILS a once-over] Hello there, Tails. Prepare to be amazed.
[He steps behind the area behind the two bars and holds up a whole, round apple, to show TAILS.]
Catch.
[He throws the apple so it makes it through the bars, but instantly it's turned into millions upon millions of thinner-than-paper slices of tiny apple, which floated through the air calmly enough for TAILS to catch one slice between his fingers easily.]
TAILS: [amazed again] Wow...
[GADGET lights up the area between the two bars, revealing lines of green light that TAILS seems to recognize.]
Laser-induced plasma...?
GADGET: [He walks over to a table of tools, rearranging a couple of things] Oh yeah. With a little magnetic confinement. For ultra-precision.
TAILS: [examines the table, scoffing a little] Wow. [picks up specific magnifying glass, holding it up to his eye] How do you find anything in this mess?
GADGET: Aaaaa-aaaAA! [He carefully snatches the glass from TAILS, putting it back where it belongs] I have a system! There's a place for everything... [sweeps his hands over everything, satisfied] ...and everything's in its place!
WAVE: [bursts in, ruining the system and grabbing a tool] Need this!
GADGET: [stammering, runs after WAVE] Y-y-you can't do that! This is an anarchy! Society has rules!
[AMY ROSE slides in, rolling a huge ball of some kind to her station.]
AMY: Excuuuse me!! Coming throoouuugh! [She pushes the ball in its position and recognizes SONIC upside-down and gasps. At this point, it becomes apparent that AMY has loud music playing in her earbuds while she works.] Oh, Sonic! Hiii!
[She spots TAILS and gasps.]
Oh my goooosh! You must be Tails! I've heard so much about you!
[She rips her earbuds out of her ears and gives TAILS a huge hug, while TAILS clearly looks uncomfortable.]
Oh, you guys couldn't have come at a more perfect time! Comecomecomecomecome!
[She grabs SONIC's hand and leads him to her counter, leaving TAILS to follow alone. SONIC sighs, a tad distressed. She clicks a button on her counter and suddenly, from the spot the ball had been rolled into, four supports had moved in place as the ball was lifted higher to a certain elevation. TAILS examines it and smiles, identifying it perfectly.]
TAILS: That's a whole lot of tungsten carbide.
AMY: [squeals excitedly] FOUR. HUNDRED. POUNDS of it!
SONIC: [genuinely perplexed] I mean, good job and all, Ames, but how'd you get so much of it?
[His question was left unanswered as AMY suddenly grabbed TAILS and dragged him to a chemical reaction chamber.]
AMY: Here, here, here! Oh, you're totally gonna LOVE this!
[She turned a knob for a quick second before turning it back so not too much of a certain green substance would come out into the tube below it.]
A DASH of the chloric acid...
[She moves on to the center of the chamber, turning another knob and turning it just a tad as well.]
...a smidge of cobalt, and--
[She gets in TAILS' face, but he doesn't seem to care too much this time, because he's excited too.]
--a HINT of hydrogen peroxide--
[She snatches a burner and starts heating it up aggressively]
--SUPERHEAT it to 500 Kelvin, AND--!
[She grabs the resulting bottle with tongs and sprays it on the tungsten carbide, resulting in a lot of magenta mist. She pulls a lever on the side, which seems to activate any magnetic abilities the tungsten might have, pulling the mist right onto it and making the pink stick on the ball.]
--TA-DAAAA!
[She grabs TAILS' shoulder excitedly.]
It's pretty great, huh?
TAILS: [underwhelmed, but pretends to be excited for AMY's sake.] So... pink...!
AMY: [twirls and sings] And here's the best paaart~~~!
[She giggles a little before gentle placing one finger on it and causing the whole thing to explode into powdery smoke.]
TAILS: [thoroughly impressed and a bit shaken] W-whoa...
AMY: [removing glasses] I KNOW, RIGHT?! Chemical metal embrittlement!
SONIC: [sighing, grinning] Not bad, Amy. Not bad at all.
AMY: [excited, turns to him, cleaning her glasses] You really think so, Sonic? Oh, that's great! Actually, Silver there was the one who helped me get the tungsten, to answer your question earlier. Sorry, I was just so excited! I finally get to meet the infamous Tails!
TAILS: I-infamous, huh...?
[TAILS gives SONIC a teasingly angry look, to which he shrugged in response]
So who's Silver?
SILVER (in a lizard costume): THIS guy, right here!
[Right by TAILS, who yelps when he realizes SILVER is there]
Ah-ah! Don't be alarmed!
[SILVER's head pops from the lizard mouth and his hand comes out after the lizard's hand shook a little, indicating SILVER had just removed it.]
It's just a suit, this is not my real face and body.
[TAILS smiles, amused. SILVER extends a hand for TAILS to shake.]
Name's Silver!
[He pulls his arm back into lizard mouth, holding a strange wooden board of some kind and holds his hand out, posing and bouncing a little.]
School mascot by day, but by night...
[He flips the wooden board around this way and that, holding it across from him and knocking the lizard head back to reveal his full head of strange spines.]
...I am also the school mascot.
TAILS: So what's your major?
SILVER: Nonononono, I'm not a student.
[He walks over to a lone armchair in the corner, sitting down and setting the wooden board beside it.]
Though I am a MAJOR science enthusiast.
[He reaches behind a table beside the chair.]
I've been trying to get Amy to develop a formula--
[He reveals a comic book with a psychic superhero]
--to turn me into an psychic who can make fire and levitate things! But she says that's "not science".
[He then proceeds to put the comic book down and lower his two claws to make it look like he was using air quotes.]
AMY: [rolls eyes, annoyed] That's called pyrokinesis, Silver. And really, it's not science.
[GADGET and WAVE join around AMY and SILVER to watch SILVER keep talking about "science".]
SILVER: Yeah, and I guess the shrink ray I asked Gadget for isn't "science" either, is it? [He uses "air quotes" with "science" there as well.]
GADGET: [chuckles] Nope.
SILVER: [sits up in the seat, still enthusiastic] Well then! What about an invisible sandwich?
SONIC: Tails! [TAILS looks over at SONIC, who motions with his head that they're heading into another room past the lab.]
SILVER: [puts an invisible sandwich to his mouth] Imagine eating a sandwich, but everyone thinks you're crazy!
GADGET: [sighs] Just... stop...
[TAILS and SONIC enter SONIC's private lab, SILVER still conversing with the others in the background and TAILS still reeling from the excitement he had just been through, though SILVER's voice is cut off by the door shutting.]
TAILS: [picks at a small claw-like machine SONIC has lying around on a table while SONIC is at the back of the room, fiddling with something below a big, round window.] So, uh... what've you been working on?
SONIC: [turns around, grinning] I'll show ya.
[He holds up a roll of duct tape, rips some of it apart, and walks toward TAILS with a kind smile.]
TAILS: [unimpressed] Duct tape? [sighs] Hate to break it to you bro--already been invented.
[While he was talking, SONIC unrolled TAILS' sleeve and put the duct tape on.]
Hey--
[TAILS is interrupted when SONIC rips the tape off of him harshly, pulling quite a bit of fur in the process. SONIC looks behind him, excited, while TAILS pulls back his arm, screaming and letting go of Omochao.]
DUDE! Ow!
[BIGMAX is activated at TAILS' use of the word "ow" and opens himself up from the box he was in, inflating himself and powering on.]
SONIC: [grinning] THIS is what I've been working on.
[TAILS gives the robot a once-over, confused.]
[BIGMAX steps out of his charging station and walks forward, facing TAILS, but is stopped by a rolling chair in his way. BIGMAX looks down, picks the chair up, sets it aside (while SONIC watches somewhat awkwardly and proudly), and continued walking robotically to TAILS.]
BIGMAX: [raises one hand and moves its arm in a little circle.] Hello. I am Bigmax, your personal healthcare companion. I was alerted to the need for medical attention when you said "Ow". [At this, SONIC mouths the word as well, to give extra emphasis.]
TAILS: [somewhat confused] A robotic... nurse...?
BIGMAX: [looks down, a screen popping up on his belly where a range of happiness levels are shown from 1-10.] On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?
TAILS: [sarcastic] Physical or emotional? [sending a slight glare to SONIC]
[SONIC responds by making an exaggerated pouty face to mock TAILS.]
BIGMAX: I will scan you now.
[The camera shows BIGMAX scanning TAILS.]
Scan complete. You have a slight epidermal abrasion on your forearm. I suggest an antibacterial spray.
[He steps forward and gently pulls at TAILS' hand, holding a finger up to begin treatment.]
TAILS: [pulling away] Whoa-whoa-whoa. What's in the spray specifically?
BIGMAX: [shows a molecular structure on the screen on his belly] The primary ingredient is: bacitracin.
TAILS: [snaps his fingers and points a finger at BIGMAX] That's a bummer. I'm actually allergic to that.
BIGMAX: [tilting head] You are not allergic to: bacitracin. You do have a mild allergy to: peanuts.
TAILS: [offers arm out for treatment, smirking at the robot as it proceeded to spray TAILS' arm] Huh. Not bad. [Turns to SONIC] You've done some serious coding on this thing, huh?
SONIC: Uh-huh.
[He pushes chest button to reveal the healthcare chip inside]
Programmed him with over ten-thousand medical procedures. This chip is what makes Bigmax... Bigmax.
TAILS: [walks around BIGMAX, poking at its back and nearly tripping over its tail] Vinyl?
SONIC: Yep. I was going for a more nonthreatening, huggable, really approachable kinda feel.
TAILS: [grinning] Looks like a walking purple marshmallow. [leaning over BIGMAX to smile at SONIC.] No offense.
BIGMAX: [believing TAILS was talking to him] I am a robot. I cannot be offended.
TAILS: [pokes at BIGMAX's lenses] Hyperspectral cameras?
SONIC: Yyyep.
TAILS: Huh.
[He glances at BIGMAX's belly, then presses himself into it to see what's inside and how it works.]
Titanium skeleton.
SONIC: Carbon fiber.
TAILS: [rolls eyes, as though he should've known that] Right. Even lighter.
[He spots something interesting.]
Awesome actuators! Where did you get those!?
SONIC: [casually strutting behind TAILS] Eh, machined them right here, in-house.
TAILS: [pulls away from BIGMAX] Really?!
SONIC: Yyyep. He can lift a thousand pounds.
TAILS: [in complete awe] Shut up.
BIGMAX: You have been a good boy.
[He produces a lollipop from his belt.]
Have a lollipop.
TAILS: Nice! [TAILS takes the lollipop eagerly]
BIGMAX: I cannot deactivate until you say "[oYu] are satisfied with [your] care."
TAILS: Well then, I guess I'm satisfied with my care!
[As BIGMAX goes back to his charging station, SONIC walks up to TAILS' side.]
SONIC: He's gonna help a lot of people.
TAILS: [picks up Omochao, lollipop still sticking out of mouth] Hey, what kinda battery does he use?
SONIC: [shrugs like it's no big deal] Lithium ion.
TAILS: Y'know, super capacitors would charge way faster. [As he speaks, BIGMAX deflates and the box closes again.]
SONIC: Huh.
[EGGMAN walks inside the room]
EGGMAN: Burning the midnight oil, Mr. Hedgehog?
SONIC: Oh, hey, Professor. [bumps TAILS to tell him to leave] Actually, we were just finishing up.
EGGMAN: [smiling kindly, pointing at Omochao and leaning against the door] You must be Tails. Bot-fighting, right? Y'know, I have a cousin who used to LOVE bot-fighting. Was real good at it, too. [points to Omochao differently] May I?
TAILS: [hesitant, gives Omochao to EGGMAN] Uhh, sure.
EGGMAN: [examines the robot] Hm... Magnetic-bearing servos.
TAILS: Yeah, it's pretty cool, huh? Wanna see how I put 'im together?
SONIC: [taps on the window, causing it to unfade, pointing at the man] Hey, genius. He invented them.
TAILS: [eyes suddenly big and wide, shaken] Y-you're... D-Dr. Ivo Robotnik, like as in... the Robotnik's "laws of Robotics" guy, the man who invented the whole word "robot"...?
EGGMAN: [still smiling kindly] That's right.
[SONIC turns off the light in his lab as EGGMAN gives TAILS Omochao back]
Ever think about applying here? Your age wouldn't be an issue.
SONIC: [closing the doors and walking out alongside the professor] Oh, I dunno, he's pretty serious in his career of bot-fighting.
TAILS: [nervous suddenly, following them and shrugging a little, twin tails swishing nervously] W-well, k-kinda serious...
EGGMAN: I can see why. [turning back to TAILS] With your bot, winning must come easy.
TAILS: [a little distant] Yeah... I guess...
EGGMAN: [opening the elevator for the brothers as they step inside] Well, if you like things easy, then my program isn't for you. We push the boundaries of robotics here. My students go on to shape the future. Nice to meet you, Tails. Good luck with the bot fights.
[He removes his hand from the sides of the elevator to finally allow it to close.]
[TAILS, still starstruck, rethinks his decision as the door closes. The next scene has SONIC revving the motorbike to go to the bot fight.]
SONIC: Gotta hurry if you wanna catch that bot fight.
TAILS: [was staring at the college, suddenly turns around, excited] I HAVE to go here!
[He paces slightly, messing with the fur on his head.]
I-i-if I don't go to this nerd school, I'm gonna lose my mind! How do I get in?!
[SONIC grins, excited to see his brother finally do something fulfilling with his life.]