All they wanted to do was fix Omega via innocent Chao races, yet they just can't catch a break... note
| Written by: | Evan Stanley |
| Year: | Three (Issues #33 - #35) and Four (Issue #36) |
| Saga: | Eggman's Legacy |
| Arc Duration: | #33 - #36 |
Following the end of the Zombot apocalypse, Omega has been damaged, and his allies turn to Sonic, Tails and Amy for help. The only way to rebuild him is to trade parts with the mysterious champion Chao racer Clutch, so it is off to the White Park Chao Racing Circuit for Cream, Cheese, Amy, and Rouge. Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails find a new ally named Belle while trying to look for ciphers in an abandoned Eggman base. She later aids Cream, Amy and Gemerl once they discover Clutch had imprisoned several Chao for his races. Shadow, who was also at White Park, runs afoul of a hooded figure who is revealed to be Dr. Starline. He kidnaps Rouge and Tails and also sets off an avalanche as a distraction. The pair manage to free themselves while Omega startles Starline. While Belle prevents Starline from taking Tails again, Sonic and Shadow try their best to stop the avalanche. Though they fail, no one is harmed as everyone else manages to escape the chateau. Following this, Omega is repaired.
This arc notably marks Ghosts of the Future creator and Promoted Fangirl Evan Stanley's debut as a writer for the main series, temporarily taking over for Ian Flynn.
Tropes
- Abandoned Laboratory: Sonic and Tails travel to an abandoned Eggman base, but they're not alone.
- Arc Villain: Clutch the Opossum and Dr. Starline are the main antagonists of this arc, with Eggman fully absent from the story despite some obligatory mentions.
- Attack Its Weak Point: Amy has trouble against the Polar Bear Badnik dubbed "Snowy" since none of her attacks seem to work on it. Least until Gemerl informs her it's data processor is in it's head.
- Badass in Distress: Tails is briefly nabbed by an Egg Keeper Badnik while he, Sonic, and Belle are escaping from the abandoned Eggman base, but Belle saves him. Later, he gets attacked by a hypnotized Rouge before they’re both kidnapped by Starline and held captive on the rollercoaster, but Rouge frees herself and shows Tails how to do the same.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: Clutch was already creepy enough when Rouge meets with him, but Cream immediately deems him a bad person when they learn he keeps the losing Chao in a cage.
- Bears Are Bad News: Clutch's collection of Badniks includes a large and powerful bear-like model called a Snowy, against which Amy fights a losing battle as it shrugs off every hammer-swing she takes at it. It almost defeats her before Gemerl tells her where its weakpoint is.
- Big Damn Heroes: Two, both from Shadow.
- In Issue 34, when the meeting with Clutch starts getting bit too tense, Rouge calls for Omega to jump him. At first, it doesn't seem to work, but then Shadow arrives, having taken Omega's place, and knocks out Clutch in one hit.
- In Issue 35, Sonic falls from the White Park roller coaster after Starline throws a cart at him, but Shadow shows up just in time to catch him.
- Big "NO!": Shadow exclaims one in Issue 36 when Rouge has Omega scare Starline off the roller coaster—only for the villain to easily save himself and escape using the Tricore. This annoys Shadow, who lost a fight with Starline earlier in the arc and wanted a rematch.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Rouge briefly becomes this after she gets hypnotized by Starline, when she attacks Tails for him offscreen before Starline ties them both up on the rollercoaster, acting on his subliminal commands.
- Bridal Carry: How Shadow catches a falling Sonic during the roller coaster chase sequence.
- The Cavalry: When Belle frees the imprisoned Chao, Cream convinces them to help Amy and Gemerl beat the Badniks.
- The Cameo: An animal based on Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comics) commentator Bobby Schroeder's — aka ponettplus from Thanks, Ken Penders
— avatar appears in Issues 33 and 35. The fact all her Chao resemble Ferox is a reference to how Schroeder obtained a large number of them in a Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood Let's Play Evan Stanley watched.- Chaclon, the most difficult rival Chao from Sonic Adventure and its sequel, also makes a cameo in Issue 33, doing their signature "reclining" pose.
- Canon Foreigner: This arc marks the debut of Belle the Tinkerer, a marionette-like Robot Girl with tools built into her hands, as well as a Mysterious Past.
- Chekhov's Skill: Belle's donkey kick when her tail is pulled, first showcased when Sonic accidentally steps on it while trying to fight her. Tails uses this against Starline when he tries to forcibly kidnap him to knock him back, right into the path of the incoming avalanche.
- Creepy Doll: The abandoned Eggman base's computer room is chalk-loaded with these. Sonic beats up one resembling Knuckles to pass the time while Tails hacks into the computer.
- Crush Blush: Amy, when Sonic suggests they go off on the mission to the abandoned Eggman base together. It quickly fades when he casually mentions how dark and creepy the place will be.
- Damsel out of Distress: While Starline holds her and Tails captive on the roller coaster, Rouge secretly cuts her ropes on a splintered seat edge.
- Didn't Think This Through: Starline, desperate for some kind of win, returns to the chateau to try and kidnap Tails, forgetting about the avalanche he started heading straight towards him. When his kidnapping attempt inevitably goes south thanks to Tails' quick thinking, all Starline is rewarded with is being buried in his own crisis.
- Disappeared Dad: Belle claims whoever created her is missing and she's been looking for them. She denies her creator is Eggman, but Sonic and Tails are suspicious.
- Don't Explain the Joke: By Issue 34, Sonic is getting bored and tries jesting with Tails to entertain himself. Not only does he ruin his own joke by explaining it, but Tails isn't even paying attention because he's too focused on hacking the Eggnet.
- Dynamic Entry: Just as Clutch suspects something going on with Rouge while Cream, Cheese, and Amy are with her, Shadow delivers this and knocks him out.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: This arc finally ties up the last hanging plot threads left over from the Metal Virus Saga, with Omega and Gemerl being repaired and Sonic and Shadow reconciling from their quarrel in the Crisis City Arc (which led to Shadow getting Zombot-ified). Additionally, the Chao locked away by Clutch are saved and Sonic and co. find a new friend in Belle, who in turn proves herself to the crew and joins them despite her lingering insecurity about her past.
- Everyone Has Standards: Shadow is so enraged by Clutch's abuse of his chao that he not only puts his hunt for Starline on hold, but goes out of his way to ambush the opossum despite his dislike of fighting weak opponents.
- Everyone Knew Already: Rouge uses the alias "Facet" while she meets with an opossum named Clutch, a renowned Chao trainer and collector. However, he sees through the facade during a private meeting.
- Exposed to the Elements: White Park takes place in a snowy climate. While the male characters play this straight, since they usually only wear gloves and shoes, the female characters all wear winter clothes, justifiably averting this trope.
- The Friends Who Never Hang: Averted, for once. Ever since Sonic Generations, Rouge has been portrayed as a friend of Sonic rather than the occasional ally from the 2000's games. This is despite the fact Rouge has barely interacted with the side cast in amicable terms, making her friendship with Amy and Cream during the Chao Race quite new in development.
- Heel Realization: Sonic is very cold towards Belle on first meeting since they found her in Eggman's base and she's a robot despite Belle telling them that Eggman didn't build her and she doesn't want to fight. Even after she rescued Tails twice, Sonic was willing to abandon her in the middle of nowhere, and he fails to properly console her over her fear of flying (even though he fears volumes of water large enough for him to drown in and he cannot swim). But at the end, Tails and Cream tells Sonic how she helped saved the Chao from their cages. He realizes she truly is a good guy and (half-heartedly) apologizes for his prior attitude.
- Hijacked by Ganon: Initially, Clutch is built up as the Big Bad of this arc, with the hooded figure that turns out to be Starline presumed to be one of Clutch's lackeys. By the end of the third issue, though, Starline has outright replaced Clutch as the main villain.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Ultimately, Starline is the only one actually injured by his avalanche (albeit not by much).
- Hope Spot: Sonic and Shadow knock trees into the path of Starline's avalanche, which appears to stop it. However, the barrier holds for only a few seconds before it gives way.
- Hypocrite: Sonic becomes this because of his treatment towards Belle when he first meets her. This is long after he repaired and released Metal Sonic, a robot designed to destroy Sonic and serve Eggman, and called Espio out for 'assuming the worst about everyone and everything'. Here, he was willing to fight and (nearly) destroy a harmless wooden robot, long before almost abandoning her in the middle of nowhere - after she saved Tails twice - and failing to properly console her over her fear of flying (even though he fears volumes of water large enough for him to drown in and cannot swim (justified because of his body density, but still...)).
- Intrepid Merchant: Clutch embraces this trope. His penthouse is filled with piles of junk he collected, including gemstones. He is also a collector and trainer of Chao, which is why he offered to give Rouge anything she wants if 1) Cheese wins the Chao Race Grand Prix, and 2) she surrenders "ownership" of Cheese if the Chao wins.
- Immediate Sequel: Picks up not long after Issue 32, ironically with Tails back to square one on how to rebuild Omega after his last initial body got torn apart by the Zombots. Gemerl is just as damaged after Metal Sonic skewered him, but is still functioning and mobile.
- Irony: Back in Issue #12, Sonic gave an evil robot (Metal Sonic) a second chance over Tails' misgivings. Here, the two meet a heroic robot (Belle), but this time, it's Tails who gives her a chance and Sonic who distrusts her.
- Jerkass Ball: Sonic tries to kill Belle on sight upon discovering her and, even after backing off, continues to treat her like garbage for most of the arc. His attitude towards her only softens after Tails and Cream vouch for her.
- Karma Houdini: While the heroes do manage to free the Chao that Clutch imprisoned, Clutch himself gets off completely scot-free.
- Let's You and Him Fight: A one-sided example, as Sonic mistakes Belle for a Badnik and attacks her, with her just evading him until Tails gets him to realize his error.
- Lighter and Softer: After all the horror and high drama of the Metal Virus Saga, this arc returns the series to a relatively lighter tone.
- Living MacGuffin: Cheese, of all characters, plays a central part in Rouge's plan to get Clutch's attention, as the man is known to be a Chao race champion. Soon enough, Clutch is interested in obtaining the Chao for himself.
- Loose Lips: Near the end of Issue 36, Cream inadvertently gets Amy and Rouge in trouble with Vanilla when she excitedly tells the latter about what happened. The two had initially said they were taking her on a trip, not another dangerous adventure.
- Losing Your Head: Omega spends the entire arc being reduced to a head, which is why Sonic and the gang go out of the way to help put him back together again. They successfully build a new body for him in #36.
- Manchurian Agent: As part of his plan to capture Tails, Starline hypnotizes Rouge and puts in a subliminal command in her mind while making her forget about their encounter. After Shadow temporarily subdues Clutch, Rouge contacts Sonic and Tails and convinces Tails to meet her alone at a landing spot while Sonic meets up with the others, claiming to need help with some kind of emergency. However, once Tails arrived, Rouge attacked him and knocked him unconscious, before Starline tied them both up on the roller coaster, where she finally snapped out of Starline’s brainwashing and was able to recall it.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!":
- Sonic, Tails, and Belle get this reaction when, due to Tails forgetting about the Eggnet firewall he was hacking and leaving the computer idle, a security alarm goes off, resulting in the trio being swarmed by Badniks.
- Amy, Cream, Belle, Gemerl, and Cheese get a big one when Clutch recovers from Shadow's attack and sics his Badnik collection on the group.
- Pretty much everyone when Starline triggers an avalanche. Even Shadow is horrified.
- Mon: As the arc name suggests, Cheese and the other Chao play a prominent role in the story, as Rouge uses him/them and Cream in the Chao Races as cover for her caper. Plus, the first part alone is overloaded with many different breeds of Chao.
- Mysterious Watcher: Both plots have one each: the hooded figure following Rouge's group in White Park and the shadowy figure following Sonic and Tails in the abandoned Eggman base. The watcher in the latter subplot turns out to be Belle when Sonic obliviously kicks a screw at her, blowing her cover, while the hooded figure eventually reveals himself to be Starline.
- Mythology Gag:
- This is the first time Chao Races are featured outside of Sonic Adventure.
- The Shadow-like Chao, who Cheese faces in the Grand Prix, is usually seen with Shadow in various official and fan art. By the end of the arc, the same Chao is seen near Shadow, who tosses an apple to them.
- Never Say "Die": Averted, for a change, specifically when the Dark Chao tries to screw Cheese over during the qualifier round.Amy: KNOCK 'EM DEAD, CHEESE!
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Keeping a cage full of Chao within sight in his hideaway (despite being covered) was a major mistake on Clutch's part. Had he kept it elsewhere, or even been seen to actually take care of the losing Chao, he would able to keep Cheese and avoid being kicked and exposed by Shadow.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Amy's reaction to seeing Shadow standing in the middle of the road en route to White Park.
- Belle gets this reaction when Sonic and Tails discover her and she recognizes the former (who's itching for a fight due to boredom).
- Starline gets a minor one when he realizes he's about to get hit by his own avalanche. Doubles as This Is Gonna Suck.
- Cream telling Vanilla about the whole adventure evokes this reaction from Amy and Rouge (complete with an "Oh, Crap!" Smile and Rouge sweating bullets while averting Vanilla's gaze) as the latter two realize they're busted.
- Pet the Dog: During a discussion with Sonic in an apple orchard, Shadow tosses an apple to the Clutch's racing Chao.
- Playing Possum: Clutch recovers from Shadow's attack, but remains still (enough to fool even Gemerl's scanners!) before he makes his escape when everyone else is focused on freeing the Chao. Bonus points for Clutch being a literal opossum.
- The Reveal: In Issue 35, the hooded figure is revealed to be Dr. Starline, who has made use of his new hypnosis gadget and Tricore since Bad Guys.
- The Rival: Following the qualifier round, Cheese seems to have gained a rival in the form of a Shadow-like Chao who had kicked him when he was trying to take the flying route and forced him to swim for the finish line.
- Sadistic Choice: Starline gives Sonic one at the end of Issue #35. As he prepares to flee with the captive Tails and Rouge, he triggers an avalanche, telling Sonic to either save his friends or the people in the chateau.
- Say My Name: When Vanilla finds out Cream's trip turned into a dangerous adventure, Rouge flees before Amy can blame her. Cue Amy screaming Rouge's name loudly enough for Sonic to hear her from outside Tails' house.
- Seamless Spontaneous Lie: Rouge takes Amy, Cream, and Cheese with her to take part in the Chao Races as cover for meeting with Clutch. When it turns out that Cream is too young to participate, Rouge enters under a different name. Cream calls her out on it, and Clutch was able to see through her when they finally meet.
- Shapes of Disappearance: After Cream tells her mother about the dangerous adventure she went on in this arc, Amy tries telling Vanilla it was Rouge's idea, only for her outline to remain as the bat books it.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Chao races are seemingly not unlike horse or dog races, so there is a possibility of betting on a potential winner. Since betting/gambling is commonly limited to adults, this would explain why Cream was deemed too young to participate, leaving Rouge to sign up on her behalf.
- It's not unheard of for show or contest animals to be retired when they can no longer perform very well.
- That said, Clutch went the wrong way of doing so with his Shadow-like Chao, stuffing them in a cage along with the other Chao with little chance of food or hygiene. Unfortunately, there are pet owners in Real Life who do as bad, if not far worse, as him to their pets who lose.
- Even worse because Chao aren't really pets. They're intelligent enough to understand human speech, even if they're unable to talk themselves. They're more like perpetual toddlers them pets.
- Gemerl and Omega are very powerful robots, but the severe damage they suffered throughout the Metal Virus Saga have left them unable to function properly and vulnerable to lesser Badnik attacks, like Motobugs. They require much-needed repairs to remain in peak fighting form, which was the reason behind this arc.
- Sonic and Shadow attempt to stop the avalanche by using trees to form a makeshift dam. This fails spectacularly as there's too much pressure to completely stop the avalanche (not to mention the snow is rushing at a downward slope), but it did managed to slow it down, allowing their friends to evacuate everyone from the resort.
- The chateau was built to withstand avalanches so all Starline managed to accomplish was get himself buried in his own disaster and inform everyone about his return.
- Suddenly Shouting: Amy's above-mentioned Say My Name moment.
- Twitchy Eye: Amy gets this when her group is trying to get out of the chateau and they run into Omochao who isn't heeding their warning for evacuation. After dealing with Clutch's polar bear badnik, she's in no mood for this nonsense and threatens to smash the walls to make exits herself if they don't comply.
- The Unreveal:
- Belle is unable to reveal the identity of her creator, insisting that it wasn't Eggman. When Tails presses her about it again due to his suspension that she can read the cipher for Omega's schematics by the end of the arc, she remains silent.
- Starline is forced to retreat to his new base. He acquired some of Tails' fur for a new scheme, but the purpose for that and the mysterious lab tubes from Bad Guys are not revealed until much later.
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Clutch flees after recovering from Shadow's ambush, siccing his functioning Badniks at Amy, Cream, Cheese, Gemerl and Belle as he does so.
- Wham Episode: Issue 35, what with the Escape Sequence at the beginning, Clutch trapping all but five of the heroes and escaping, and Starline triggering an avalanche after kidnapping Tails and Rouge. The Art Shift in said issue (which, unlike the other three, was penciled by Adam Bryce Thomas) helps capture the drama.
- Wham Shot: The panel in Issue #34 revealing that Clutch cruelly imprisons his losing Chao, much to the horror of Cream and Cheese.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Clutch escapes in #35, his whereabouts unknown by the end of the story, and wouldn't re-appear until much later.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- Tails does this thrice in the span of two issues.
- After Sonic attacks Belle and finally calms down, Tails gives him a Disapproving Look when he gives the flimsy reason that his knee-jerk reaction to believing her to be a Badnik was due to boredom.
- After escaping from the derelict base, Sonic prepares to leave Belle behind, even though she just saved his sidekick's life twice and now she has nowhere to go. Tails angrily grabs Sonic and calls him out, forcing him to let Belle tag along.
- After Tails wakes up on the roller-coaster next to Rouge, he questions her about attacking him, but she quickly reveals she was hypnotized into doing so.
- Rouge gives a downplayed one to Shadow when he starts to go after Starline despite an avalanche heading for the lodge. Essentially telling he can if he wants, but will have have to live with the consequences of ignoring the immediate incoming threat. This convinces Shadow to help Sonic slow the avalanche and pay off the debt he owes his rival.
- Vanilla doesn't seem too angry at Amy and Rouge for taking her daughter to another dangerous adventure, but her sly expression makes it clear that she didn't appreciate being lied to or kept in the dark.
- Tails does this thrice in the span of two issues.
- Worf Had the Flu: Gemerl struggles with a group of Badniks during #36. As powerful as he is, he was still badly damaged by Zeena, the Zombots, and Metal Sonic during the previous arcs. Cream, Cheese, and the liberated Chao help turn the tide in his favor.
- Xanatos Gambit: Starline had planned to kidnap Tails in #36, but fails in the end. He manages to keep a piece of his fur, claiming that it will be enough to carry on with his plans.
- "You!" Exclamation: Rouge yells this when the hooded figure confronts her in #33, apparently recognizing their face, though the story cuts to Shadow outside before we get to see who it is. It's not until #35 that we learn the figure is Starline.
