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the-sidekick-club · 1 year

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Enemy of my enemy is my kid!

Part 1 : Part 2 : Part 3 : Part 4 : Epilogue

Written by:

@tratieisdabest★@heroes-villains-side-blog★@just-a-space-rabbit

TW: Death mention, Kidnapping, Torture mention, Death threats, Attempted murder, Violence, Daggers

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A tired and monotone voice spoke "Welcome to Nizorro Blimp News with Dawn and Dima." The usual studio logo and jingle quickly flashed on the screens, before cutting to a pan of the anchors on the blimp.

“Coming to you live from the news blimp, this is your eye in the sky…” Dima started but quickly stopped, looking over confused at their co-host. “Dawn?”

“Oh... um… Hello, goodmoring, and hi...” Dawn said in a sleepy and exhausted tone.

“Yes, folks, as you can see it’s been a long night in the news blimp,” Dima said, trying to sound like her normal self. “This is the 8 o'clock morning news.”

Dima braced herself so she could calmly deliver the next words, “First off, an update on the Masked Mender case. It has now been a full 12 hours since the disappearance of the hero sidekick, The Masked Mender. Mender went missing during their patrol last evening. Her last known location was close to Monument Street at 19:37, where she reported that she had begun the tracking of known villain, The Shadow Man, who is still the main suspect in this case.” Dima looked over at her unusually quiet co-host; she could tell that Dawn was clearly worried.

“All available heroes are still out searching, but there has been no official update from the agency. However there has been a rumour that Lady Alexandria has gotten in contact with Hirra, Masked Mender’s long-time rival and Shadow Man’s very own sidekick. No one knows if the rumours are true, or what it means if they are, but we can only hope for the best. And we will update you all as soon as we can…”

❘〣❘〣❘★ Enemy of my enemy: Part 4 ★❘〣❘〣❘

“Get a move on!” the henchman yelled as he dragged Mender out of the small cell and in among the group. Mender, confused and scared, still tried her best to get an overview of the situation. But as soon as she and Shadows were out the door they were both blinded by sharp spotlights.

The last they saw was a glimpse of Dragonfly who had begun to fly around the room, while his men cheered him on.

Mender let out a small yelp in pain as the henchman suddenly made a hard tug on her shoulder. She wasn't sure if the henchman was doing it on purpose, as her entire body was beginning to feel sensitive from the powers suppressing cuffs draining her healing powers.

After another push, she and Shadows fell forward, landing on their knees in the middle of the room. There was a wince from Shadows as he hit the floor next to her, clearly still in pain from the beating earlier. The cheering only grew louder and, looking around, it seemed that Dragonfly had gathered every henchman he had to the old warehouse they were in. Clearly, Dragonfly wanted to make a show out of whatever he was planning.

Then, all the cheering stopped as Dragonfly landed in front of the two captives. The atmosphere was thick as he smirked down at them. Suddenly, he yelled “Tie these two up!”

The people on the floor above them cheered as the group below swarmed Mender and Shadows. The henchmen made quick work of the two despite them trying to get loose from all the ropes binding them in place.

“Hoist them up!” Dragonfly yelled, now from above them.

Mender's stomach made a jump as she lost touch with the ground. Normally, she wouldn't mind, as she often lept from building to building, but when it was by someone else's will, it was unnerving. Shadows, however, still had his quips, it seemed, “Really? Dangling over a pit? You’re just as unoriginal a villain as you were a hero!” he yelled as they came to a halt, hanging together in mid air.

“Bold words from someone at my mercy. Besides, it's not unoriginal, it's a classic!” Dragonfly answered smugly.

It was only now that Mender noticed that the power suppressing cuffs had finally been taken off, not that it was of much help to either of them now. They were both exhausted from the after effects; Shadows couldn't use his shadow-teleportation abilities, and Mender's body was ever so slowly healing itself. There was no chance either of them could escape that way, and it seemed neither had a backup plan.

“Classic? Ha!” Shadows laughed.

This confused Mender, ‘How can he laugh at this?’ she thought.

“So you like classic? What's next, then, Grandpa?” he mocked. “Gonna bind Mender to the railroad? Or bring out the shark tank? Ooh, or maybe piranhas, which is stupid by the way. Most can't even hurt humans. But, hey, you're too dumb to know tha–"

“Shut it!” Dragonfly snapped. “I’m only doing it as it’s needed to demonstrate the true power of the most dangerous weapon ever created!” Dragonfly tried to sound threatening, but he was clearly still salty from the insults.

“What do you even stand to gain from this?” Mender asked, before yelling “Besides making an enemy out of everyone – both heroes and villains!”

“Because, little one,” Dragonfly snickered, as he flew close to Mender’s face, “You can’t have fame without enemies!”

“Of course, you can!” Shadow said, kicking in the air to make him and Mender rotate so he faced Dragonfly. “You just need time and discipline. Two things you sorely lack!”

“I do have both time and discipline!” Dragonfly snapped back at Shadows. “Do you really think it was easy to track down Professor Andaka? NO! It took months of hard work!”

“Professor Andaka?” Mender thought out loud. “Wait, it was you who kidnapped and killed Professor Andaka?! Why? What could you possibly stand to gain from that?” she said as the dots were now forming in her head. They still weren't connecting though. But Dragonfly just chuckled darkly, sending shivers up Mender's spine.

“Ah, yes. Almost forgot that you were a hero sidekick. With the way Shadows seems to protect you, one would almost think that you were his kid instead. Bet you heard a thing or two about good old Andaka and the Emanation and Growth Genesis, the last few weeks” he smirked at Mender’s face that was now filled with horror – clearly she did, she knew exactly what was about to happen to them.

He continued. “Professor Andaka, was a weak fool for not understanding the gift given to him.”

“Professor Andaka was a better man than you’ll ever be!” Shadows yelled, far angrier than Mender had ever heard him before. Ane if she could've seen him, she would've noticed his watery eyes.

“Oof, touchy subject there? Forgot that you actually looked up to that old fool.” Dragonfly said mockingly as he flew further away from the two captives. “Not my fault he never succeeded, all I did was take what he started and bring it over the finish line! Now, let’s show it to them!” he yelled at the engineers below.

On cue, the tall curtains opened up, finally revealing the corruption of Andaka’s dream. Shadow looked horrified. “In the notebook of that old coot,” Dragonfly began monologuing, “he talked about the struggle to suppress the E.G.G.'s powers. When activated, it would drain any and all Aura out of a person, leaving nothing but a petrified statue, but for some reason, he seemed to think that it was a problem. I disagree. It was never and will never be a tool because it’s a weapon! And I am not a coward for being willing to use it!”

“Only a coward would resort to killing unless absolutely necessary! You are an evil excuse for a person!” Mender yelled and while she couldn't see it, Shadows gave a small smile at that one. But Dragonfly ignored her as he signalled the engineers, who all began the activation process.

“I wonder who will be brave enough to call me a coward when I become the most powerful and famous villain in the world! And what a start to my legacy: to be known as the villain who finally defeated the legendary Shadow Wraith!”

“Sir, we are ready to go in 120 seconds!” the main engineer called out.

“Start the countdown,” Dragonfly ordered back before turning to the other two. “Shame how the little hero fledgeling ended up mixed up in all this.” He said in a mocking tone “I don’t need a healer right now, and the ransom that the agency is willing to pay for the return of a sidekick is just not worth the work. So, off she goes. But it’s nothing personal, just villain business.”

“That’s not true!” Mender yelled, but before she could continue, Dragonfly had already soared out of range. She felt her heart pound against her chest as all the henchmen began chanting along with the numbers. Then in all the panic, she suddenly felt a hand.

“Hey…” Shadows said in a soft voice as he grabbed her other hand.

“Are monsters good at maths?” he asked.

“What?” Mender replied, confused.

“Not unless you Count Dracula…”

Mender’s panic seemed to subside a little, replaced with confusion. ‘Egging on a villain with the power to end you is one thing, but now he’s making maths jokes?!’

60 seconds... 59 seconds... 58 seconds...

“Sorry” He said after some silence, “force of habit… I always joke with Hirra in stressful or dangerous situations… helps calm her nerves. Also, I’m not giving Dragonfly any more attention. So yeah…”

“I see...” Mender answered, thinking a bit before asking, “um… do you have any more jokes?”

Mender was not sure, but she could almost feel Shadows smiling as he began, “Who’s the king of the pencil case?”

42 seconds… 41 seconds… 40 seconds...

“I don’t know? Who’s the king of the pencil case?”

“The ruler.” Shadow said, smiling as he felt Mender begin to relax.

Then there was a sudden “Hey, what are you doing! You're supposed to be crying about the fact that you’re about to DIE!” Dragonfly yelled as he noticed that neither of them were focusing on the situation.

35 seconds... 34 seconds… 33 seconds…

But before he was able to take Mender’s concentration Shadow started again louder this time “What’s the smartest kind of tree? A geomeTREE!” At that Mender gave a small giggle; geometry had been her favourite kind of math in high school.

So… when Dragonfly yelled “STOP!”...

Of course, he did one more.

“Do you know why seven eight nine?”

“Why?”

19 seconds… 18 seconds… 17 seconds…

“Because you’re supposed to eat three square meals a day!”

He knew he had her, as Mender began laughing out loud. And the angry yelling from Dragonfly became an incoherent mess. “ARRRR!!! Shut up! STOP LAUGHING!!! YOU LITTLE—”

3 seconds… 2 seconds… 1 second…

The entire building shook and smoke filled the room. For a few seconds, Mender thought she had truly died as the shock wave hit her and Shadows, sending them swinging backwards in full force. As Mender's ears were finally able to hear again, the first thing she was greeted with was a loud scream “NOOOOOOO! My weapon!” turning around Mender saw Dragonfly land by the rubble of what was once his master weapon.

Mender looked down in shock as the engineers shakily got back on their feet “What happened?” one of them asked.

“The idiot probably built it wrong,” Shadows said smugly. There was still smoke coming from the machine and people were running about everywhere. The two looked down at Dragonfly as he tried to get a grip on what happened.

Then, there was suddenly another loud bang coming from one of the walls of the base! “Oh, great! It's really my day!” Dragonfly cried as he jumped into the air and began to soar. All eyes shot upwards just in time for someone to break through.

“Alexandria!” Mender and Shadows beamed when Lady Alexandria came into view.

“And Hirra too!” Hirra yelled, smiling, as she appeared from behind Lady Alexandria with her favourite sword in her hand.

“You brought Hirra? Here?” Shadows' look of gratefulness was replaced by a deadly glare. Lady Alexandria was unfazed though.

“Sorry, but she just wouldn't take no for an answer!” she said, shrugging. Before turning her focus to Dragonfly who had moved up all the way to Shadows and Mender “You better have a good explanation for this!” she yelled out to him.

“What, I am just trying to deal with two trespassers, nothing out of the ordinary,” Dragonfly waved dismissively. “And I guess now I have more pests to deal with.”

Suddenly, he signalled to his guards, who began charging at them. They were quick, but Alexandria was quicker. Wasting no time, she grabbed her famous shield and tossed it at full speed towards Dragonfly who went down with a bang at the other side of the room.

Then, just before the henchmen was about to reach them both, she grabbed onto Hirra and tossed her into the air towards Mender and Shadows. Soaring through the air, she cut through the main rope in one slice. The only thing Hirra heard as she continued in her forward momentum was Mender screaming as she fell backward on top of Shadows after he fell to the ground first with a loud thud.

But Hirra had no time to check on them, as she landed on the boxes next to the now grounded Dragonfly, who barely just got the nearly 40 kg shield off of him.

They both locked eye contact with each other.

Hirra may be smaller than Dragonfly, but she was clearly capable, and the other villain wasn't unaware. Dragonfly gulped almost cartoonishly when he realised Hirra was about to go for him.

“Not so brave now without your henchmen, are you?!” Hirra snarled as Dragonfly finally tossed the shield off him and got up.

“Isn't it past your bedtime or something?” he said, trying to regain composure as Hirras eyes practically lit up with rage.

“You tried to hurt them! I won't let you get away with this!” She pounced forward and began to move to attack him but Dragonfly was too fast.

The attack was quick, and in one swift moment Hirra fell back several feet and landed on the floor, while Dragonfly started to bolt past her to the exit.

Scrambling to get back up on her feet in time, Hirra turned towards Dragonfly who was nearing the exit, and in one continuous motion she created a small knife and tossed it towards him, before she fell back down. What followed was a loud ear-piercing scream as one of Dragonfly’s wings fell off, but that didn’t stop him from running.

The last Hirra heard of him was an angry “I’ll get you for this!”

Hirra sat in shock looking at the fallen wing before she remembered. Looking back to where Shadows and Mender had fallen, the anger in her face shifted to worry, a single whisper slipped her, “Dad…?”

While Hirra had dealt with Dragonfly, Lady Alexandria had made quick work of all of his men. They seemed to take the hint after she easily picked one of them up and tossed them at a whole group, sending them all to the floor. There was full chaos, as they all began to flee out the same hole that she had made only minutes prior.

Meanwhile, down in the pit, Mender had gotten loose from all the tangled ropes, then she had dragged a barely moving Shadows away from the centre to hide, before trying her best to heal him.

One by one, Mender used what little energy and power she had available to heal all his broken bones. Even with the gentlest touch she could give, Shadows still winced in pain as the area began to glow. After going over both feet that had broken in the fall, she made sure Shadows did not have any critical damage, then she stopped.

“I’m sorry, I can’t heal you any more than-” she began, but he interrupted her.

“Don’t apologise! Thank you! And don’t worry, I have a healer friend that can patch me up when I get home.”

Mender just nodded in response. There was a sudden silence between the two, as all the fighting around them began to calm down.

“Sorry that I got you into this,” Shadow said, breaking the silence. “I… I should have noticed you. This is all my fault.”

Mender only looked at him curiously.

“You’re getting good at sneaking though” he continued. “I had no idea you were following me,” he chuckled, only to regret it immediately as pain overcame him.

There was a sudden yell from above as Hirra jumped down and ran to them both. “Dad- uh.. S-Shadows!”

“Hirra! There you are!” Shadows smiled as she sat down next to him.

“Is he going to be alright?” she asked, looking over to Mender.

Mender sat down on the other side of Shadows and answered in a tired voice “I have done everything I can.”

“Don't worry, Dagger,” Shadows said, trying to be cheerful. “I’m in a little pain, but I’ll be fine. Mender healed me as best she could with the little energy she had to give.”

Hirra just nodded, as she made a little sniffle while holding back tears. She was silent for a moment before finally speaking “I… I cut one of Dragonfly’s wings off” she said in a tone of mixed feelings.

“Did you? So that was what that scream was?” Shadows asked her, holding her hand.

“Didn’t mean to cut it off, I just… I’m sorry”

“Don’t worry, Hirra!” said a calm voice. “He loses them all the time, he doesn't even feel pain. Dragonfly is just dramatic like that.” Lady Alexandria smiled and joined them. “He’ll probably grow a new one by next month.”

“My lady. I was wondering where you got off to.” Shadows said, smiling. His earlier anger about Hirra being allowed there was put aside.

“I was securing the area, and giving the signal to the search team.” Alexandria answered, kneeling next to Mender, “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m not badly hurt,” Mender replied, “and right now, I just feel tired.”

Alexandria nodded, and was just about to say something when Hirra chimed in, “Bet you feel lucky though? That we were able to get here in time!” she smiled, seeming to have finally gotten over the wing incident.

Both Shadows and Mender answer together “Um… Actually, you weren’t here in time…”

“WHAT!?” was all that Hirra was able to say. After all that effort they had still been too late to… well Hirra wasn't really sure but it sounded like she and Lady Alexandria had missed something.

Mender continued, telling both her and Lady Alexandria about Dragonfly and the E.G.G. and how the weapon got destroyed, and Shadows explained what Dragonfly had admitted about Andaka. Meanwhile Hirra just sat silently and held onto Shadows’ hand, while Lady Alexandria listened silently to every word; clearly there was more to learn of the situation than what time would allow. Finally, when they were coming to the end of it, there was a sudden sound from Lady Alexandria's work phone.

After looking at it for a moment she turned to the group. “The area is about to be secured, Shadows if you can make it out of here on your own, then now is the best time to leave. The hero agency will deal with the rest of Dragonfly’s base.”

“So, you’re letting us go?” he asked suspiciously.

“Yes,” she said smiling, “since Hirra was so kind and heroic in helping us free you, I think it would be wrong to arrest you both right now.”

“Oi! Don’t call me that!” Hirra yelled, but both Lady Alexandria and Shadows ignored her.

“Yeah, I got enough energy to get us home, thank you!” he said, smiling back at her. He slowly got back on his feet, and with support from Hirra, they began to walk into the shadows.

"Wait!" Mender cried out.

They stopped and Shadows turned with a look of concern on his face. "Is something wrong?"

Mender bit her lip and then spoke, "No, just… Do you know which king loved fractions?"

Shadows paused, confused, and then smiled. "No, I don't, which one?"

Mender giggled to herself and then replied, "Henry the eighth!"

Shadows burst into laughter that then turned into coughing and then turned to the shadows once more. As he walked into the shadows, he called "Good one, kid!" before disappearing with Hirra.

Lady Alexandria then gently picks up Mender who now was completely exhausted, up in a bridal carry. She was confused about the exchange that just happened, but would ask when Mender was less exhausted.

“Hey, Alexandria, did you find the E.G.G.?” Mender asked

“I did not see it in the rubble but please leave that for now and rest. I’ll get you out of here and hand you over to the healers.”

“I wonder where the E.G.G. is now, it can’t have been destroyed?” Mender continued in a meek and sleepy tone.

“Mender, please, less wondering, more resting, okay? We will deal with everything when-” She stopped in her tracks, eyes locked in place.

“What is it?”

Alexandria stood still for some more time before she spoke again “Kim… I think I saw Kim beside the ruins of the weapon for a second, but when I looked back, they were gone…”

Mender, whose abilities seemed to make it easier to counter Kim’s, looked over to the spot Alexandria mentioned and began searching but… “I can’t see them…”

“Well, if it was them,” Lady Alexandria said “then we at least know who it was that sabotaged the weapon. And…”

“And? And what?”

Lady Alexandria turned to look at Mender. “There is no way the E.G.G. is still here.”

And at that, the echo of several heroes yelling Mender and Alexandria’s names began to fill the now abandoned base. Lady Alexandria called out to them.

Meanwhile, Kim tossed off their lab coat and easily snuck past the incoming heroes. The E.G.G. and some other objects were securely hidden away on them.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Part 3 : Epilogue

Master List : Character list

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prowerprojects · 10 months

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(Modern Tails anon) Considering there's apparently financial troubles going on with IDW, one has to wonder if the comic lives long enough to see that story one day.

Heh, the funny thing is, he could technically do those things too. Maybe not as well, but a kid fox genius running around with a flamethrower he built being alongside Blaze has to invoke some type of interesting imagery. Same with a stealth mission with Rouge.

I figured, especially with Sonic is one the earliest examples of seeing a video game character having a clear personality. (At least those Origins cutscenes added something more upfront; albeit very late for this decades-long series. But something to refer back to nonetheless.)

I think I've seen that somewhere. The most I know of Tails himself in that continuity is that he and other foxes are from some secret zone and he has grown the title of hero in that village through rather clumsy, but well-meaning antics. Albeit through lying at first.

(Yup, AOSTH Tails even turned an entire truck into a mechanical dragon and handled himself while Sonic was frozen in stone. The most SatAM did was that one episode near the end. I still wonder if the plans for season 3 had gone through, would Tails be looked at a bit differently depending on how it went since his role was supposed to expand greatly.)

Hmm, it's going to depend on how these next set of episodes go. Seeing the other Tailses will likely strike a chord in Nine; but that doesn't fully mean villain arc. Existential crisis, maybe. I expect him more to tap into something hidden within him he didn't notice before. (Probably doesn't help that outside of Sonic and Shadow, we don't know the Prime versions of the characters that well; not great if you don't have at least basic knowledge on Sonic. If Tails did show some "Nine" traits during his early days with Sonic; specifically the trusting and friends part, I think there'd be a fairer grasp of why Tails didn't end up like Nine and why Nine is slowly resembling the original Tails. This applies to the other counterparts too, not just his alone.) Heh, never doubt the power of a fandom has when they catch the slightest bit of angst fuel from any character. And missing the nuances that come with grey/neutral characters. (Trust me, I'd love to see Tails let loose some raw, unbridled emotion that could have you think about his morality or sense of justice, but in the right context. Something I don't see Prime fully committing to, whether they DO go through with it.)

Two intelligent scientific minds, separated by different upbringings and how they apply their emotions to their logic, but still learning about how the world works and defy said logic through personal experience. All while seeking approval and praise. Lots of potential there.

There was another Sonic Channel story last year that basically said the same thing about their bond. One being "they have something that goes beyond trust", that "they know what the other needs without having to speak". (Also, their dynamic breaks some the typical tropes you see with 'hero-sidekick'. Like, the latter has the base of operations, not the former. Also, it is not funny and wholesome that Sonic considers this baby fox that attached himself to a younger him the biggest source help he could have ever hope for?)

Honestly I'm not very knowledgeable on how this whole deal works, so I won't say anything on the matter. I wonder if we could get a Sonic webtoon? I know DC comics and Archie both have at least one. Of course, both of them are of questionable quality, but who knows, maybe we'll luck out!

Haha, that's true! Personally I don't really care for him being a kitsune spirit, but I've been thinking of an idea where he replicates their abilities with his tech to make someone else believe he is one.

Yep, Fleetway Tails is from the Nameless Zone which is kind of like old-timey alternative dimension with magic and goblins and stuff. He was kind of loser there, so he moved to Mobius hoping he'd make a name for himself, but he was still a loser there too. But he was too embarrassed and wrote to his family that he became a hero. In the early StC, the writers weren't kind to Tails. He usually just messed things up or got captured (you could kinda understand Sonic's frustration with him, though he could stand to be nicer), and if he did manage to save the day, it was due to sheer luck. He got better though, especially after Sonic got stuck in another dimension. (After he came back, the Freedom Fighters kind of went their separate ways, but S&T often had adventures together as a duo. They both kinda grew up, Tails became more competent and stopped caring as much about impressing people (including Sonic), and Sonic mellowed out and stopped being as harsh on him. They became a better team! I have a soft spot for the stc!Unbreakable Bond, you just kind of have to take into account the specifics of the writing of stc as a whole, I understand it's not everyone's cup of tea.)

(I... have mixed feelings on satam, but mostly I just can't finish watching it. It feels like a drag. Not something I would be watching if it wasn't Sonic-related. Not gonna comment on the quality of it, because there are some other shows I felt similarly about and they're super critically acclaimed, like atla. (If Tails was more prominent I mind have at least been watching for his sake) I promised a friend I would read Archie and I wanted to watch satam first, but it looks like at this point I'll just have to skip to the comics.)

I really want to see different counterparts interacting. I'm kind of with Shadow on this situation, try as I may I don't really see them as separate people, I'm more interested in what they could say about the Prime versions of the characters. But it would be more effective if we spent more time with the Prime versions in the first place. I'm hoping for more flashbacks tbh. (Plus I just love how the og models for the characters look without the Shatterverse clothes)

Oh yeah I remember that one! Man I love how Sonic Channel hypes up their bond. I hope we'll get to see more of this in the next games. Sonic really lucked out (and so did Tails of course!)

#i also feel like (though I have a bit of a trouble articulating it) that tails is more of a traditional hero-type than sonic #but I always feel goofy trying to explain this #(this is on your comment about subverting hero/sidekick stereotypes)#tails #blue blur #sonic & tails #sonic #sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #tails the fox #project.txt

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