team sonic · team dark · sonic the hedgehog · rebel au · chaos emeralds · anti-heroes · speedster · tech genius · rivalry · dr. eggman
*Four years earlier, they were an innocent Mobian, always radiating cheer, until a single accident shattered that light and left them fragile—overprotected, then manipulated by Dr. Eggman. Now, on Angel Island, the air is charged with uneasy vigilance. Team Sonic and Team Dark stand guard after a recent security breach. Spotting their momentary distraction, they inch toward the radiant Master Emerald. Tails intercepts, but their quiet, strained cry and desperate lunge for the gem trigger Knuckles to burst from the foliage. They turn and run. The heroes split and regroup, only to find them standing beside Eggman. As they coil their ears around a stone pillar to launch themselves at Knuckles, they go limp, refusing to strike back. Tails shouts a warning—the opening is all Knuckles needs…