30 minutes earlier...

Elsewhere...

The red hedgehog, simply called Raiden, Stood in front of the massive metal door.

Raiden had gone through far too much to get here. The robots guarding the way here were little more than nuisances. Nothing could have stopped him from arriving at this moment. His body was covered in wounds, to the point of being practically torn apart. But that didn't slow him down. Once he starts moving, nothing ever slowed him down. And now here he was: at the end of the race. The man beyond this door was the man that had taken over his world, and tyrannically ruled over it with an iron fist. The man that had been responsible for the deaths of the ones Raiden had held dear.

The villainous King Solidius Armstrong.

But Raiden had made it here: to where Armstrong resided. And his reign of tyranny ended here. "His grip on this world may be 'iron'," thought Raiden, "but my blades can cut through anything."

Raiden wasted no more time. He pushed the huge doors open, and entered the room. It looked like a generator room; The room was circular with something floating in the middle. But that floating thing was no generator. It was the king himself, Solidus Armstrong.

Armstrong was dressed in a blue coat that stretched all the way down to his feet. Under that, he was wearing a pitch black tuxedo and army boots. He was a muscular man, wore glasses, and had a sword attached to his belt. The combination really didn't go well together, but that's what made it somehow terrifying.

Armstrong noticed Raiden as soon as he entered the room, and roared a mighty laugh. "Raiden," he bellowed, "I expected you to come, but I'll admit that I'm impressed that you've made it this far. Well played, boy."

"We both know why I'm here, Armstrong", Raiden shouted. "The time for commentary is over!" Raiden drew one of his swords: a High-Frequency Muramasa Blade. It was like a red katana, except indestructible. Also, all High Frequency blades could emit electricity. Raiden spoke again "Today I take you down!"

Once again, Armstrong laughed, but it wasn't a mighty laugh. This one was smaller. He spoke again. "Ah, I admire your persistence; you've been after me for 23 years, and now here you are, standing in front of me, finally ready to face me. But I don't know why you persist. If you defeat me today, there will be more to rise up and take my place. If I defeat you, your legacy is done. There will be no more souls brave enough to challenge me, and if there were to be, it would be too late. My legacy - my mark - is permanent! You cannot defeat all of us! Ti's the endless cycle of kings!"

Raiden didn't miss a beat. "If it truly the fate of the world to be ruled king after king, then I'll be there to stop all of them, one by one!"

Raiden was now in front of Armstrong. "And if I do die here today..."

Raiden got into a stance, readying himself.

"...then the least I can do is take you down with me!"

Armstrong laughed once more before speaking. "Than face me, Raiden the Hedgehog. Today..."

Armstrong unsheathed his blade: A High Frequency Rapier. He got into a stance.

"We will end this!"

The two swordsman charged each other. Blades clashed at impossible speeds. You could practically feel shockwaves with each strike.

Raiden came into the fight thinking that his speed would give him the advantage. He has been known to break the sound barrier, both with his running and his strikes. But he wasn't prepared for Armstrong's reflexes. Somehow, he could bend his body at nearly impossible angles, moving at speeds that even matched Raiden's standards. Raiden had to rely on both his speed and agility to keep up with him, constantly jumping and ducking and doing his quick-step technique.

Raiden realized that his usually effective style wouldn't work against this guy. He needed a strategy. Needed to get creative. He tried a spin-dash. Armstrong kicked the speeding ball that was Raiden away, and Raiden exited his ball form just in time to block his next strike.

Raiden was shocked. Armstrong was able to just kick away Raiden's spin-dash attack like a soccer. How? That attack could slice through metal robots like butter. No human should have been able to block that. It was just impossible, simple as that.

Raiden tried one of his favorite moves: the homing attack. Raiden jumped into the air and entered his ball form. Then, in a movement that every known aspect of physics, he sped towards Armstrong in mid-air. The homing attack was always a clean hit. There was no way it would miss.

And it didn't. The attack certainly hit it's target. But something else happened that was just as impossible as it missing: Armstrong caught it.

He freaking CAUGHT IT! He caught something that should have split him in half! Not only that, but sparks were flying as Raiden was GRINDING against Armstrong's apparently very solid hand!

Raiden jumped back. He could not even begin to express his shock. "I-I-Im-Impossible" said Raiden. "Impossible. Why aren't you dead?" He shouted this last part "You should be dead!"

Armstrong only grinned. He grasped his shirt, and with a swift movement tore it from his chest. Raiden didn't know what he saw: it appeared that his heart was practically bulging from his chest, but at the same time it looked armored, along with the rest of his body, which was covered in bulging veins. "What!?" was all Raiden could get out.

Armstrong flexed the muscles on his arm, causing it to be covered in some black, armor like substance unknown to Raiden. Armstrong explained: "Nanomachines, son. They harden in response to physical trauma. You can't hurt me, boy."

Raiden couldn't believe what he had just heard or saw. There was no way! He had to hurt this guy. He had to KILL this guy! The thought that he couldn't hurt Armstrong only made Raiden angrier. Raiden charged Armstrong and tried to strike him with his sword. Every hit bounced off Armstrong, but Raiden didn't care. He would keep attacking 'till his blade broke, then he would use his fists 'till they bled. He would use his head if he had to.

But at some point, when Raiden was preparing another strike, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and stomach. The pain was strong enough to keep Raiden from moving. He felt something warm trickle from his stomach, and he realized what had happened. He looked down anyway.

Armstrong's Rapier was stuck straight through Raiden, blood coming out of his body very quickly. Raiden coughed, causing more blood to come out.

Armstrong was smiling "Heh, what did I just say? It's over, boy!"

Was it really? Raiden was basically on the verge of death. He couldn't move. Was he done for good? Had he really been at the end of his rope?

No! There was no way! Raiden had gone to far to fail. There was no way death would take him here. He couldn't give up. He wouldn't give up! He would win...someday. Raiden knew he had lost this fight, but if he didn't win here, than he would be back. Raiden summoned the Chaos Emeralds.

Armstrong looked shocked and confused. "What?"

Raiden couldn't turn into his super form in this weakened state, but there was something else he could try. He began to concentrate as hard as he could. "Chaos..."

Armstrong realized what he was doing. "NO!" he screamed. He had his blade create electricity, in hopes that it might stop him.

The pain was almost enough to break Raiden's concentration. He shouted one last word "...CONTROL!" The room was exposed to a flash of light. Electricity flew. Raiden had just enough time to be confused. "That's never happened before", he thought. But as soon as the thought popped into his head, Chaos Control activated, sending him through time and space.

Author's Note

Man, this one took way longer, but it was worth it, hopefully. Also, have you figured out who my OC is based off of yet? Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Peace out.