I've only played the 3DS version, but other than the stage design, the story is pretty much exactly like the Wii U version with some cuts (like, you only face the Zeti once in each Zone rather than twice, so the scenes of Sonic meeting each one of them are gone). The last cutscene after the fight with Eggman has him stating that he'll find another conch to control the Zeti with, and all of their final battles end with them flying off after saying something to Sonic (usually a variance of "We'll meet again!").
What I'm getting at is, that last sentence question the Zeti's survival seems less "interpretation" and more "didn't pay attention to details given by the game", which I'd say is enough to remove it since it's not really in line with the trope.
Alternate Character Interpretation: Did I miss something? I'm pretty sure the game states that the Zeti are still alive.
I've only played the 3DS version, but other than the stage design, the story is pretty much exactly like the Wii U version with some cuts (like, you only face the Zeti once in each Zone rather than twice, so the scenes of Sonic meeting each one of them are gone). The last cutscene after the fight with Eggman has him stating that he'll find another conch to control the Zeti with, and all of their final battles end with them flying off after saying something to Sonic (usually a variance of "We'll meet again!").
What I'm getting at is, that last sentence question the Zeti's survival seems less "interpretation" and more "didn't pay attention to details given by the game", which I'd say is enough to remove it since it's not really in line with the trope.
Correct me if I'm wrong.