Sonic, Shadow and the rest of the gang learn about Ozpin and the Inner Circle's secrets, leading the heroes to plan an ambush to capture Cinder.
Tropes for this chapter
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Knuckles reveals that he had already figured out that Penny was a robot through his experience of fighting against millions of robots and fighting alongside robots, but kept quiet because he knew it was Penny’s personal business. Sonic speculates that Shadow, Rouge, and Omega may have also figured it out as well.
- Call-Back: Sonic appears before Cinder's team in the same manner as he showed up in the opening cutscene to Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Teams Sonic and Dark all deliver this to Cinder and her own team, with each individual battle going completely in their favor.
- Internal Reveal: Yang, Nora, Blake, Jaune, Weiss, and Ren all find out that Penny is actually a robot after everyone discovers her blueprints, with Ruby and Team Sonic admitting they already knew.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Tails' antivirus involves him collecting gold rings and concludes with a big ring and a victory jingle, essentially your average stage trappings in a Sonic level.
- Mythology Gag:
- Amy comments the chess motif of the virus doesn't suit Eggman as he isn't the type for board games. The Sonic Boom counterparts of herself and Eggman ended up bonding for one episode over a tabletop game called Fuzzy Puppy Buddies.
- Sonic gives Cinder "The Reason You Suck" Speech after she and her entire team are defeated, calling her a bully who takes the easy, nasty way out for a quick reward, while he does things the right way and helps others. This is inspired from a similar speech he gave to Scourge in issue #196 of the Archie comics.
- Out-Gambitted: Tails manages to counter-hack Cinder's hacking of Beacon's systems, allowing the heroes to trick her team into thinking that Amber is being moved out of the city by train, luring the villains into a trap when they try to get to her.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Sonic gives one to Cinder for everything she did and for all the people she killed along the way.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Sonic's reaction to Cinder's Villainous Breakdown is to cut her off with a smack, and then to give her a brief "The Reason You Suck" Speech.Cinder: WHO ARE YOU TO CHALLENGE ME?! YOU ARE NOTHING! AN ALIEN! A RAT! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DEFY ME! THIS IS MY DESTINY! I AM THE MAIDEN! A CHOSEN ONE! I AM...!(Sonic smacks her, then gets in her face with Tranquil Fury)Sonic: You're a bully, and that's it. Amber, Fifer, they didn't deserve what you did to them. You take the easy, nasty way out and get the quick reward. Big whoop. I do things the right way. I help others because I want to. I try to help them become better. Who am I? I'm a guy who loves adventure and helping as many people as I can. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog.
- Sinister Surveillance: Metal Sonic records the battle entirety unseen before flying back to report to Eggman.
- Villainous Breakdown: Cinder's team's total defeat by the heroes and being prevented from claiming the Fall Maiden powers causes Cinder to completely lose her shit, leaving her ranting about how she's The Chosen One until Sonic shuts her up with a smack to the face and a brief "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
- Wham Episode: Teams Sonic and Dark learn Ozpin's secret. After a brief confrontation between Team Dark and Ozpin's inner circle they learn the full truth about the Maidens, leading to Cinder and her team being defeated by Teams Sonic and Dark and arrested.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Shadow and Rouge call out Ozpin and his group on planning to pressure Pyrrha into accepting the transfer of the Fall Maiden powers despite knowing the risks.
