— Downtown District —

  Besides waking up early, leaving the team at his best friend’s home and his best friend at work, what better way to spend the weekends than to enjoy them early? So, for his first day, he decides to sprint around each block of his district, trying to find something noteworthy. However, he doesn’t see much, inspecting each store or restaurant frame by frame, but nothing of note. He’s aware that nothing aligns with his personal preferences happens around this time because it’s early in the morning. Why would anything be open around 8 A.M.?

  So, for the sake of the matter, he decides to slow his movements, now no longer looking like the orange blur everyone sees every day. He takes one last sigh before eventually calling it quits and taking a walk back home.

  It’s another sunny day with a cool breeze. Although it’s Spring and temperatures should be on the rise, the cool effect will last until people finally notice the temperature change. Waiting for Haven City to be back on its rise.

  For now, the orange hedgehog looks at his phone, scrolling through media platforms to let time unconsciously pass by. It’s not like he doesn’t care about the time that he wastes, but rather wants some form of entertainment once in a while. He’s been severely bummed out by the lack of content after his mother’s death, even though it’s been three years- “Three years…?” He thinks to himself with such curiosity. “Time has been moving by way too fast…” Sometimes, he wonders why time moves fast. It’s been almost two decades since he was adopted, and he wonders why time hasn’t slowed down. He wishes he had the power to slow down time infinitely, without any problem. Sure, he could be his usual fast-paced self, but why do that when all he wants to do is embrace the life here in a normal manner? He doesn’t want to be a shy and introverted individual, nor an outgoing and extroverted one.

  He’s himself… in the middle. Consider him an ambivert.

  Until then, the main goal is to return home. Though his focus was all aligned to the phone, feeling into his internal-

  Bump.

  “Oh, sh-...” Solid instantly pauses his words, knowing that whatever comes out of his mouth shouldn’t be said towards a stranger. “Sorry about that…” He nervously chuckles, hoping that the stranger isn’t too sensitive from their accidental bump.

  “I’m alright, sir.” The gecko child responds, relieving the orange hedgehog from any potential mishaps or arguments. “Thanks for watching over me.” He says while standing there with a contentful smile.

  “Thank god…” Solid closes his eyes and smiles before something tugs him. “Wha-?”

  “Speaking of which!” He stops him from any further movements, leaving the hedgehog unsure why, but finally realizes it.

  He’s a street marketer.

  “Are you interested in trying out the ultimate-”

  “No.” The hedgehog answers, immediately feeling unsatisfied with what he’s going to bring up.

  “Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!” He rapidly repeats the words, grabbing his arm in desperation. “I promise you’re going to enjoy this! I promise!” He exclaims, leaving him conflicted on whether or not to follow his guidance.

  “Well, I mean…” He shifts his gaze to the child and to where he’s supposed to go, leaving him stuck on a choice between helping out the child or not. “Groans… Fine… What is this thing I should be trying out?”

  With his happiness, the child ultimately makes his best introduction to his audience.

  “Ahem.”

  “Hello, good sir! My name is Doubt the Gecko! Get it cause you’re gonna doubt your choices when you- ANYWAYS…!” His voice has a light tone, similar to Tails, but with a mysterious quality. “I’ll tackle you in… for the Grand Good ol’ Maze!”

  - - ACT 1: Stage 3 (The Grand Good ol’ Maze) || START - -

  — The Grand Good ol’ Maze (Downtown District) —

  He yells out, showing off the building right in front of him, where a line of pedestrians is getting to try the full-on experience. “Filled with discovering prizes along the way, maybe a bit of jumpscare, and meeting up with some of your fellow civilians… It’s an ultimate experience for a hedgehog like you!” He points at him, letting him build up his interest in participating in this event.

  “... Why me specifically?”

  “Because you’re not some ordinary hedgehog.” Doubt inspects him closely at his appearance, immediately noticing how he resembles. “Mmh-hmm. Look at you. All tired and bummed out by the work environment you’ve been given. Tch. Tch. Tch.” He says, shaking his head in disappointment, unsure what kinds of fun the hedgehog has been through. “Normally, we offer a ticket that ranges from 20 Lunars to 50 Lunars, depending on peak hours. But for a hard worker like you, I’d say that you deserve a free entry for this amazing maze!” He nudges him constantly, hoping he’ll change his mind.

  To Solid, what matters about a maze? He has something and somewhere to go through. It’s not like he’s constantly burnt from work. Sometimes, he has free time, especially when watching sports. And there are times when seeing his brother and best friend comforts him the most. But learning from today, after leaving his best friend, what was he looking forward to?

  He wants to enjoy the weekends normally.

  Because of his motive, and this one-time opportunity being shown right in front of his eyes, it’s his chance to grab the opportunity altogether.

  “So…?” The child proudly questions him, waiting for his decision. “You into our maze?”

  And the motive to satisfy the gecko is right in front of his eyes…

  “Man, let’s do this.”

  “Alright!” He briefly cheers on with his decision, proudly walking over to the entrance, where the mystery maze awaits.

  “All eyes are on him…”

  Inside the building, he watches those who are lined up, with growing anticipation, waiting for the prizes that might come their way before they find the exit. Some of them are strapped to these modified vests, indicating that it's a part of this game.

  “Here are the rules, sir.” Doubt says as he presents the same vest. “The rules are simple. Just like a maze, start from the entrance and find the exit. You’re on a time limit, so do what you can. Just like what I mentioned, there are prizes you can find along the way as you walk through certain pathways. However, if time runs out or you press the button right here, strapped to your vest,” He indicates where the button is, which is on his right shoulder. “- you lose every single one of your prizes. The time limit is about… 10 minutes. Once any of your body parts crosses the entrance or exit, the game automatically starts or stops. Do you want me to repeat anything I just said?”

  “Nope.” The hedgehog slowly puts his vest on, feeling a bit bulky, but not too shabby for a vest. “Everything is a-okay.”

  “Good. Because you’ll be in the queue… shortly.” He points to the escalator, where the maze is supposedly at. “Just down there if you know where you’re going.” The gecko gives him a pat on the shoulder, giving him the best of luck. “Good luck, Solid. Make sure you have fun in the maze.” He gives one last reassuring smile before the hedgehog sets down on the escalators, where he takes a look back at the child before looking ahead once more.

  Going down the escalator, he looks on the other side of the window, where he sees the other players taking the stairs instead. He probably thinks that the maze is bigger than expected, guessing that if an escalator were used for the normal players, it would overfill, something that shouldn’t happen.

  “Alright, Solid. I’ll be at your service for today.”

  He instantly looks around, trying to find where the voice is coming from.

  “It’s on your vest, furball.”

  For now… Solid looks at the communicator from his vest, knowing that it’s Doubt’s voice. “I thought you left me.”

  “Well, I’m not leaving you, but I’m observing where you are in the maze. Just so, if you do manage to call it quits, I’ll direct you to the nearest exit.” The voice is heard with bits of static, knowing it’s not the best communication device, but it’ll do for now. “Capiche?”

  “Capoche.” Solid responds, reassuring him before he steps off the escalator.

  Before the entrance door opens, a screen is displayed to him, an instruction. Doubt had already stated the rules, but for reassurance, the rules were stated once more.

  Static.

  Narrator: “Hello, fellow players! Young or old. Unemployed or Employed. Tired or Awake. Whatever even happens in your life. In this building… you’re presented by my co-workers… the greatest maze in the history of all of Haven City…”

  “THE GOOD OL’ MAZE!!!”

  Narrator: “Here are the rules for this maze! Like the mazes you know at heart, the objective is pretty simple. Enter and find the exit. Simple. HOWEVER… there is loads of content inside this grand maze… free if you manage to bring all of the stuff to the exit. I know you can’t carry as much, so be cautious of the choices you’ll get. HOWEVER… Yes, I’m saying “however” many times; is there a limit?”

  ???: “Yes, there’s a limit. You’re the narrator-”

  Narrator: “Shut up! I want to go home after this!”

  ???: “Okay. Okay. Okay. We’ll make this the final cut!”

  Narrator: “Sheesh… Ahem. If you don’t bring the items on time or give up, you’ll lose everything you had! Meaning all the items you carry, forget about them. So manage your time and your items! The psychological effect. For everyone…! … Oh, and for the time…”

  Automated Voice: “The 10 minutes will start when the player crosses the entrance. The timer will automatically stop when you finish the maze or press the button on your vest to forfeit the game.” The voice is set out loud and clearly, letting Solid take notice of the time he’s limited to.

  Narrator: “Don’t press the button, because I know you want those prizes. Best of luck to you!”

  Static.

  “Reminds me of an abandoned play area…”

  The door suddenly opens ahead of him, revealing none other than the maze. It isn’t concrete walls, but rather an element of a cornfield, displaying a scenic, sunny outdoor farm lifestyle rather than someone being held hostage. Some artificial lights are set to represent the sun, and to their credit, it works perfectly fine. The floor is a dirt path, to further emphasize the outdoor game. And all was seen without ever crossing the line.

  “Whenever you’re ready, Solid.” Doubt says from the communicator.

  Once he stops directly behind the line, he takes a deep breath, adopts a calm attitude, and gives his best to start this maze and the timer. He doesn’t care about races, but for his fun time, why not?

  DASH!!!

  Automated Voice: “Timer starts now. You have ten minutes remaining, Solid the Hedgehog.”

  “And… I would rather explore.” After an immediate jump, he stops his speed and casually walks around the pathway. Slightly focused on finding the exit, while he’s more interested in the items he’s scavenging for. “Now then… what prizes are there?”

  He doesn’t manipulate his speed, but rather intends to take his time to scavenge throughout the maze. It doesn’t take long before finding a prize, marked on the ground and surrounded by dirt. When he picks up the item, it’s nothing but a “Toy car…?” He examines the car, noticing its vintage. It’s an old car, a grandparent for its time, roughly around the mid-1950s, but a car collector's dream waiting to be desired. For now, he stores it in his glove, where he can give it away.

  Despite the maze-like vibes, he inspects the cornfield itself. Despite being planted by actual corn stalks, a concrete wall hidden inside reminds the players that they’re not in the actual cornfield, but in a game. “So they can’t cheat.” He can’t just dash through the cornfields, of course, he’s going to get a concussion sometime soon if he runs his head into a concrete wall. He’s not a ram because he has seen many rams in public who ran towards a brick wall for no apparent reason other than to impress others.

  He’s a hedgehog.

  All he does is run fast, sometimes.

  Still, he continues to walk throughout the maze, scavenging for some prizes while making his progress towards the exit. He doesn’t really think much, focusing on the game’s objective while being aware of the time limit, which is what he’s mainly going to do, making his brain relax.

  Proceeding his way from the maze is not out of the ordinary; in fact, it’s something that he’ll enjoy for the 10 minutes-

  Bump.

  “Whoa!” As surprised, Solid bumps into some player, also wearing a vest. “How are you doing?” He instantly recognizes the player, who was from the line just a few minutes ago.

  “I’m doing fine.” The otter says, seemingly leaning against the wall with a calm attitude.

  “... Is this usually a solo maze or with other people, because I can’t find any other players except for you?” The orange hedgehog questions him, almost skeptical of the scenery inside this supposed maze he’s playing in.

  “Umm… this is with people. So you’re going to run into other players.” He crosses his arms, looking around the maze per usual, while trying to look for some other players that may cross paths with them.

  “Alright then…” The orange hedgehog shifts his gaze at the maze ahead, now planning his approach as there are players with him.

  “Hmm…” The otter slowly unveils his pocket knife without the hedgehog’s attention, displaying a menacing smirk as he slowly approaches him from behind. “Got you in my bait!” He lifts his arm in the air and strikes a blow-

  “W-WHAT!?”

  The otter’s arm struggles against the hedgehog’s grip, almost guessing that Solid knew something was wrong.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “Luring me into a trap… huh?” He displays a death glare at him, letting the recruiter know how bad going one-and-one against the orange hedgehog alone isn’t a great sign. “Damn Eggman recruiters… thinking your objective is easier said than done.” He kicks the otter in the stomach, launching him to the corn stalk, where he hits the concrete wall. His stomach is intact, thanks to the special vest he’s wearing. “How many other recruiters are there?”

  The recruiter slowly stands up, recovering from such a blow.

  “A lot.”

  Solid’s eyes widened from the alarming news. As he looks around, he sees an increasing number of recruiters quickly approaching him, all determined to kill him.

  “… What the hell did Eggman do to influence this many people?”

  “Come on, Solid… all we want to do is to give you a quick death, and it’s over.” The female frog recruiter says, fidgeting with her pocket knife.

  “You don’t have to feel the pain…”

  “You don’t have to continue thinking about your past trauma…”

  “Anything, really…”

  “Give in to our pocket knives…”

  Each step brings the recruiters ever closer to the now-surrounded hedgehog. Unsure of what to do now that he’s trapped. He thinks every single option he can create, using his speed to maneuver or fight them, straight-up. However, with every path blocked with a barricade of recruiters, there’s nothing he can do, being outnumbered and forced to submit to their request.

  “Isn’t that unfair?” The hedgehog says, giving everyone a confused look. “Being outnumbered, like a… 99 v. 1? I’m not sure how many of you recruiters are in this maze, but what I can tell is that you essentially trapped me. Applause to all of you.” The way he’s reacting to the situation makes this more confusing. They expected a more shocked and stressed reaction to the hedgehog. Instead, he’s clapping at them, almost admitting defeat while taking the time to respect their willingness to kill him.

  “What are you saying…?” The lead female iguana recruiter says to his left, forcing him to redirect his gaze to her.

  “What I’m saying is that maybe you guys should have a deal with me. Like, sure, try to kill me. I don’t want to die, but your intent is pretty much over the roof.” His explanation is still confusing to them; some are trying to listen, while some are not patient enough to hear his so-called speech. “But, I’m literally playing a game here… while you’re trying to kill me. So…”

  The male toad recruiter finally understands what he’s referring to and now tries to explain it. “Oh… I see what you’re saying!”

  The otter's eyes widen, signaling that he also understands, but realizes what’s happening. “No! Don’t say-”

  “You want to make this like a game, right?” Despite his teammate next to them trying to stop him from saying anything further, he unfortunately continued their conversation together.

  “Y-Yeah!” Solid immediately gave a shout-out to him, pointing while glancing at the others. “Exactly what I’m saying! Basically… you guys target and kill me. Simple! … But… if I reach the exit before the clock stops, then you guys lose!” He raises his hands defensively, hoping that a compromise will work out. “Are we cool with that!?”

  To the otter’s horror, all of them seem to agree with his words, almost confident that they’re definitely going to win, no matter the outcome. “Way too easy! Even if you created the rules, you’re still never going to go past us!” One of the recruiter’s words causes everyone except for the otter to erupt in a unified agreement for their locked-in victory; despite agreeing with Solid and his rules, their confidence is unmatched. “WHAT’S STOPPING US FROM WINNING!?”

  “Me.”

  Solid immediately kicks the recruiters on each side, stumbling those from behind like a stack of dominoes crashing into each other and falling. “They really fell for that? Dumbasses…” He puts on a rare smug expression, satisfied with the results.

  “ARGH! DAMN IT!” The same otter who tried to stop the other recruiter from speaking is among those who fell with the others, his anger on another level. “MARK OUR WORDS, WE’LL GET YOU!!!”

  Solid slowly turns his head, giving him the iconic Sonic shrug, and it’s eerily… similar. “The game started, and time is running out. You gave it your chance, should’ve rushed and gotten me. But… too bad.” He flashes away, stepping and hopping on some recruiters' heads before running around the maze.

  “DON’T LET HIM GET AWAY!!! GET HIM!!!”

  The hedgehog tries his best, desperately navigating the maze and giving his all to find the exit. However, the footsteps around him echo throughout the maze. This leaves him unsure whether it’s the same recruiters who are chasing him down from behind or recruiters he may potentially face ahead.

  “5 minutes remaining.”

  An orange blur passes by each path of the maze, either redirecting or unknowingly following the right path. Sometimes, he reaches dead ends, and it stresses him out a lot. Unsure if these recruiters will catch up to him at some point. Either slowly or instantly.

  However, to his relief, nothing much other than footsteps everywhere, no recruits popping out or meeting him.

  Bump.

  As Solid turns to a corner, he accidentally bumps into a recruiter, whose eyes widen from their fateful encounter. “I FOUND HIM! I FOUND-”

  PUNCH!!!

  The hedgehog punches the recruiter in the face, knocking them unconscious. Yet, the loud voice notifies those around, and worse, those who were potentially following the recruiter. He slowly approaches the corner where he takes a peek on the other side, spotting multiple recruiters who are armed with rifles. And at the right timing, he nearly avoids his head getting shot as he hides on the other side, where a bombardment of bullets hits the wall, now blocking his path.

  “They’re making my life difficult.” While some deep breaths make his rapid heartbeat come to a calm attitude, his mind shifts to the recruiters who aren’t only blocking his path, but also to the recruiters who are chasing him from behind. “Oh… no…”

  The footsteps become louder until he finally sees the same recruiters, this time with pocket knives, their faces contorted into menacing smiles, causing the hedgehog’s eyes to widen in horror.

  “4 minutes remaining.”

  “4 minutes… how am I supposed to maneuver through this without causing any sort of deaths!?” Despite killing being the easier approach, it didn’t matter. He still implements his ideal approach to deal with these conflicts, without violence.

  Like Sonic.

  “C’mon, Solid. I know you can kill us.” The same female iguana says, still fidgeting with her pocket knife like a toy. “If you don’t, that’s the end of your life.” She also presents a wicked laughter, forcing him to become increasingly frustrated and concerned about this world. “You damn pacifist.”

  “Shut up!” He yells back, his teeth and fists clenched from his rare outburst, causing the recruiters to be amused by his reaction.

  “Just like the doctor said… unexpected. Oh well.” The recruiters give no time and instantly storm their way to the hedgehog, now leaving him all in all pressured.

  “Solid… even with the ability that you have, you never use it to your advantage. Remember, you’re my brother. If anything goes wrong, use your abilities; I know you’re always reserved, holding yourself back from what you truly are. And I know you don’t want to kill. … Try using them to your advantage more often, to prevent any deaths. Isn’t that right?”

  “Heh. Shut up, porcupine.”

  Solid instantly flashes to the barrage of bullets, now visioning the fast, yet manageable movements of the bullets approaching him. Despite the armed recruiters aiming in front of the orange flash to make dodging the bullets more difficult, nothing is helping. The trail continues to make such astounding movements.

  The other recruiters with pocket knives instantly stop before the corner and watch the beautiful and smooth movements that the orange hedgehog makes. Seeing the chaotic, yet skilful mindset of how a hedgehog like him can live in such situations. “Yet… we shouldn’t underestimate this damn hedgehog.”

  Nothing left for the armed recruiters, they hopelessly watch as the hedgehog grabs all their rifles and instantly takes them apart, leaving them unarmed. All before he leaves them behind, to continue advancing through the maze. “I hope those were the last of the rifle users. I don’t want anyone getting shot.” In relief, he continues his journey through the maze.

  “3 minutes remaining.”

  Even if he feels like the exit is getting closer to him, the maze is still massive, preventing him from getting to the exit, unlike what he had anticipated. It’s either because of the rough stoppage between the recruiters or because he was too busy scavenging for some items beforehand, literally wasting 7 minutes. Otherwise, if he had ignored scavenging for the items or removed the recruiters from his timeline, he’d probably be out of here right now.

  “Hey, Solid!” Doubt says on the communicator, causing him to jump slightly from his sudden voice, but he is relieved that it’s him. “Heh heh… sorry about scaring you, sir, didn’t mean to do that, but I heard gunshots around the maze. Is everything alright?”

  Somewhat scared, the hedgehog briefly leans against the wall, slowly sliding down before sitting on the ground, where he calms himself down. “If you don’t scare me, that is… But, I’m alright. Intact… except for my morale. But what matters? Are you going to help me out of here?”

  “I-I’m trying…” The gecko does his best to help him out, configuring a plan. “Maybe if I open the emergency exit right nearby, you could probably escape.”

  “... Not a bad plan…” He slowly stands up, exhausted, while grateful for his chance to escape this mess with some assistance that’s needed for him. “Tell me where to go.”

  “Sure. It’s…” The kid looks at the map and pinpoints the hedgehog’s location. “If you look to your left, you see two ways. Take the right pathway, and you’ll eventually arrive. No, there won’t be anything else. You’re actually pretty close to the maze’s boundary. I’ll activate the emergency exit when you’re there; that way, I’ll prevent any of those pesky enemies of yours from taking notice. Got it?”

  “Master plan idea, kid. 8 years old and you’re smarter than me.” He says directly to the communicator, impressed by his decision-making for such a young age. “Alright then… I’ll go there when I’m there!” He flashes to the pathway, listening in to the kid’s suggestion with ease.

  To the kid’s credit, it’s actually not that far from where he said. Just a few seconds later, the hedgehog is already at the emergency exit door, waiting for the door to open. “I’m right here. You with me?”

  “Y-Yeah, I’m with you right now…!” Despite letting the hedgehog’s hopes up, he can hear the uncertainty within the gecko’s voice.

  “Doubt, you good man?” He questions, now uncertain whether hearing his voice is a good indicator.

  “I-I’m fine, but-” BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! “I-I think they noticed where I am now!” The keyboard clicking intensifies, reminding Solid of how desperate he is to help him out. “Why can’t I get this to work!?”

  “Shouldn’t opening the doors be that easy!?” The hedgehog silently exclaims, feeling pressured once more.

  The gecko doesn’t respond; instead, he focuses on getting the doors to open, but something is wrong. “It is easy, but someone cut off the access for me to open the doors!” Even with the appalling realization, he continues to do his best to open the doors.

  THUD!!!

  “OH NO!!!” The typing becomes more desperate until the recruiter starts running towards him. “HELP-!!!”

  Static.

  “2 minutes remaining.”

  “Damn… it…” He clenches his fist, leaning against the wall again, hopeless, while the clock menacingly runs down. “This is my life… they’re tryna make this hard on me…” Instead of backtracking, he continues the mysterious path, hoping it will lead him to the exit.

  Just avoiding the recruiters.

  Just trying to find his way to escape-

  Dunnnnnnnn………..

  The maze’s lights, every single one of them, are turned off. Leaving nothing but darkness that surrounds the entire atmosphere. Solid hears nothing but his breath and the dirt’s crunch. “... This sucks… This REALLY SUCKS!!!” Not only can he feel the tense atmosphere touching his fur and bare skin, but he also feels his rapid heartbeat in this already tense atmosphere, making the situation worse than it already is. “My friend is gone… Hope this doesn’t get worse...”

  With a deep breath, he hopes to calm himself in another tense situation, once more. When he decides to flash through the maze, it gets even worse. Not only did his trail leave a bright orange light around him, but worst of all, the recruiters know where he is.

  “RIGHT THERE, GUYS!!! FOLLOW THE LIGHT!!!”

  “Really? My advantage has a disadvantage?” He doesn’t have the time to feel pressured; he needs to rush. Right now. Ignoring every recruiter’s footsteps and yelling, the hedgehog doesn’t care about his position being exposed. He forces himself to be reckless.

  Once he turns the corner, some recruiters are waiting for him ahead, rushing him with their pocket knives. Instead of them successfully landing a stab on him, the hedgehog doesn’t care at this point, all in for a close combat.

  For one of the recruiters, they do a quick swing, trying to get him in the most random places. To their dismay, the hedgehog quickly dodges their attack, moving backwards before he trips them, stumbling until they fall onto the ground.

  Though to the other recruiters, they’re meant to be tough and physical, not backing down from this fight. “You and me… I’ve been anticipating ever since the Doctor’s voice rings inside my head.” The female kangaroo does some short bounces, warming herself up before she rushes with her knife. “What do you have for me, hedgehog!?”

  They both battle it out, their punches being neutralized, especially their kicks, as she utilizes her legs more. The hedgehog knows this, but he gets roundhouse kicked in the ribs. Seeing him clench his own teeth in pain leaves her satisfied with the results. “AH-HA!!!” She quickly pulls out her knife, now lunging towards him. “Is that all you got-!?” Solid, however, flashes behind her and kicks her on the back, causing her to stumble and fall on her teammate. “Damn… you… hedgehog…”

  Meanwhile, the other recruiters waste no time going together, favoring a team approach rather than doing this 1-on-1, because it’s too risky. It’s disappointing to find out that even teams won’t work, because with his speed and fighting, he’s way too overpowered when dealing with them. Dodges, after punches, after kicks on them, all lie on the ground as the hedgehog looks at them from behind, watching their sore bodies. “Not gonna lie…” He says to the recruiters, “All of you really need to improve your fighting skills… Except for you.”

  The kangaroo slowly darts her eyes at the hedgehog, noticing that he’s pointing to her. “... Me…?”

  “Yes, you.” He says while taking a step back from them, his mind is racing to find the exit. At the same time, he thinks about the worn-out recruiters. “You’re… decent. N-Not in a bad way, but better than most or all of the recruiters here that I fought.”

  “...” Her reaction is priceless; she’s stunned that this is what Solid is about, not a person who’s acting heroic, but rather bringing those up. “Th-... Thank you…?” She slowly sits up, still feeling a bit weirded out by their interaction between the two.

  Solid shrugs momentarily before he instantly leaves, not leaving an orange trail, but casually running. But to her, it’s nothing more than a change at heart. Almost rethinking what she’s been doing this entire time, being a part of Eggman’s recruits. For now, she decides to rest it off with her already sore teammates.

  “1 minute remaining.”

  Yet, this is what scares him the most, the timer. Even with his speed, he still has no clue where the exit is. “Am I running around in circles? No- That’s impossible, because if I were, the same recruiters that I already have dealt with wouldn’t be near me anytime soon.” He continues along the path, still focusing on his primary objective; however, he’s noticing how fast he’s getting exhausted from the constant running. “I can’t do this… I can’t do this anymore… Just tell me… WHERE IS THE EXIT!?” His frequent panting and exhaustion cause him to slow down, which worsens his situation. However, because he stops running, his trail is left behind, leaving nothing but darkness around him.

  Simultaneously, more recruits are heard from ahead, with their footsteps crunching the ground. Solid instantly goes to the other pathway, where he attempts to hide from them, hopefully drawing them further into the maze instead. Once the recruiters stopped at the trail’s supposed last location, they all looked at themselves, wondering. “W-Where is he at?” One of the female recruiters says, her voice filled with such nervousness, along with their trembling body.

  “You expect me to know where he’s at? That hedgehog can be hiding anywhere!” One of the lead male recruiters' voices echoes throughout the silent maze, letting the orange hedgehog do his best not to get caught. “Tch. I knew this would happen… Spread out and find him!” He shouted out yet again, causing those around to listen to the leader’s orders and find him, separating the group.

  “This is as close as smart they can be…” His ears twitched, hearing the crumbling footsteps coming closer to him. Now, he has to make a move when the recruiter turns the corner.

  “Man… I can’t believe we have to do this… and that… Why don’t we take a break after this?” One male recruiter says, seemingly tired of getting the simple rules of finding and trying to kill the hedgehog.

  “Beats me. Where do you want to go?” His teammate questions him, also feeling tired.

  “Umm…” The hedgehog slowly stands up against the wall, hearing the conversation between the two male recruiters. For the recruiter, he glances at the ceiling, trying to create an answer. “How about the-”

  PUNCH!!!

  The hedgehog punches the recruiter’s face around the corner, only revealing his arm and glove while they fall to the ground unconsciously.

  “What the-!?”

  PUNCH!!!

  “Sorry about that… I have a life to go through. Just like you guys…” He slowly drags their body to the other side of the corner, preventing them from being seen by the other recruiters. “Wherever you go after I escape… go there. You two deserve to rest.” He whispers to them before eventually leaving the corner, continuing his path.

  “Hmm?” The female emu heard some running footsteps, but didn’t turn around in time. Although she doesn’t know who this person is who ran away, she decides to walk across the path, trying to communicate with her teammates before eventually peeking around the corner to see the situation. “OH NO!”

  “HE’S CLOSE TO THE EXIT!!!” She shouts out, causing the hedgehog to run faster, despite his tiring legs.

  Now it’s risking it all. At least the exit is finally nearby, lifting his hope once more, despite being in a dire situation. He notices the subtle footprints on the dirt, signaling where the recruiters must’ve come from. By following the path, he turns his head towards the corner, and there it is. The exit that’s waiting for him all along.

  “30 seconds remaining.”

  “Speaking of the devil… what more is to-” He tries to run once more, but suddenly trips, feeling his leg extremely sore compared to a few seconds prior. “... Than that- I NEED TO ESCAPE!!!” He tries his best to support himself against the corn stalks on the sides, holding onto each one for support. To his credit, he does a decent job getting halfway there, despite this ending being a longer pathway; his determination allows him to continue.

  Until…

  “AH-HA!” The same otter’s voice rings out from behind, not giving up on his pursuit to chase him after his disastrous start. “Oh… I believed in those 10 minutes… I believed... I believed. I believed. I believed. I BELIEVED!!!” He slowly taps his knife, followed by his other teammates pulling their knives out. “I don’t care about the rules you make… even if you do manage to escape, we’ll kill you…”

  “NOW!”

  “Oh, come on!” Solid yells out before he’s forced to use his legs yet again, jogging with a mixture of slight limping as he makes his way to the exit. “I thought you’d go along with our compromise!”

  “SCREW THAT!!!” The otter roars while running, approaching dangerously close to the hedgehog. “IT’S FOR THE DOCTOR'S ORDERS!!!”

  “10 seconds remaining.”

  He’s getting closer. He feels it. He feels his entire body crossing the line to activate the door closing behind him. Because of this motivation, his jogging slowly transitioned to running. Although his running wasn't nearly as fast, the recruits were slowly catching up to him, which forced him to run.

  “I’m not Sonic. I’m not faster than him. But I know who I am, and I won’t let a single soreness cause me to give up on life that easily.”

  “RUN FASTER, HE’S GETTING AWAY!!!”

  “5…”

  “This world was meant for me.”

  “4…”

  “My interdimensional friends are supporting me.”

  “3…”

  “My best friend as well.”

  “2…”

  “Mom… I know you’re there, supporting me. Tricky, you’re still here for your younger step-brother. Together, as a family.”

  “1…”

  “I’ll always be… Solid the Hedgehog.”

  THUD!!!

  The door is slammed shut, leaving the orange hedgehog panting as he’s separated from the recruiters. Meanwhile, the automated voice finally reminds him of his miracle.

  Automated Voice: “Player, Solid the Hedgehog has finished the maze, with approximately 0.1 seconds remaining. They’re able to collect the prizes they have on their hands for free. Thank you for playing!”

  He doesn’t care about the prize he had scavenged earlier, which is only a toy car. All he’s able to care about is the relieved attitude he finally has after escaping the maze. Letting the recruiters know that they can’t kill him. “What a way to have fun with my day… Getting almost killed if they’re not dumb enough to fall for my trap.” He takes a deep sigh of relief before he looks ahead. “I’ll have to go back home and-”

  Dunnnnnn……..

  The lights immediately turn on, forcing the hedgehog to close his eyes from the already consumed darkness before he can readjust his eyes to the sudden working lights.

  CLAPPING!!!

  “Connnnngratulationnnnnnnns, Solid!” Doubt applauds him, clapping and cheering while two other recruiters act as bodyguards to the child. “You did it! You successfully escaped THE GOOD OL’ MAZE!!!” His voice echoes throughout the area, letting the hedgehog build up his resentment against him. “Since you’ve escaped my recruits, you know what that means!?”

  “... What?”

  “NOTHING!!!” The gecko points at him, appalled that Solid managed to outlive all of the recruiters he brought with him. “NOTHING!!! I’M THE LEADER OF MY RECRUITERS AND SEEING THEM BEING THIS STUPID-, ARGH…!!! FALLING FOR YOUR BAIT MEANS THAT I’M GOING TO DO THINGS MY OWN WAY!!!”

  “You know… that’s what you get!” Solid starts talking back, a rare sign of frustration building up. “I’m glad your recruiters are dumb, because betraying me like that… faking your death… You deserved EVERY single one of those moments of me outsmarting them!”

  “Though the fact that you almost lost to an 8-year-old and his plans is beyond something.” He crosses his arms, presenting a wide smirk.

  “... I don’t mind. If you almost outsmarted a 25-year-old hedgehog who’s out here, none other than playing these games and running for their life… I’ll give you credit for such an attempt.” Although his expression is rather menacing to the gecko, his voice tells how brutally honest he is, almost regretting his words, but his personality says otherwise.

  The gecko takes a step back, feeling the fear within his body. His guards somewhat halt him, now uncertain whether he should continue backing away from this hedgehog or remain confident to continue the discussion. “He was right about you… You are honest.”

  “Who’s he?”

  “Heh… You’ll find out soon, hedgehog.” Doubt says, now signaling orders for the guards to do something to the lone hedgehog. “Guys… don’t kill him… I respect his decision to finish the game. He can keep the prize… But put him to sleep.” The guards lift out their dart guns, aiming them directly at the hedgehog. “Have a good rest, Solid.”

  Pew. Pew.

  Although the dart guns were shot, he immediately dodges them, as expected, knowing that his reflexes are among his strengths. The orange hedgehog’s reaction shows an increased amount of resentment building up, clenching his fists as he glances at the already shot needles before looking back at them with a glare. He doesn’t want to hurt the child, but if it’s necessary, he might as well hurt his feelings, but not injure him. Something that could cause him to have a change of heart and intent, not solely to kill him.

  Even then, he does manage to put off some words for the young one. “You really think that-!?”

  Poke.

  Once Solid looks at his neck, he glances at a syringe needle sticking to him where a substance is slowly injected inside him. He rapidly becomes sleepy, glancing around the area, where he sees a hidden recruit with a dart gun. He takes one more yawn before looking at Doubt and the other recruiters.

  “Oh, come on-” Thud.