A final doorway opens into the deepest parts of Rouge’s secret arena. Beyond the hyper-realistic virtual reality pods and the most brutal of fights is a server room, lined with many devices processing so much data simultaneously. At the center of that data is a capsule, a clear vessel capped on either side in red.
“Just what are you selling us here?” Clutch says, tapping his cane on the floor. “We already know this whole enterprise needs a ton of juice behind it.”
“It’s not juice, dear,” Breezie says. “This is computing something. The most advanced AI systems in the world would have to run off of technology such as this.”
Rouge strokes the lid of the capsule, nodding. “As usual, Breezie knows her stuff when it comes to robotics. This is an advanced AI situation, and I’ll have my advanced AI assistants tell you what we’re dealing with right here.”
“Assistants? If you had assistants, you should have told us,” Clutch snarls.
Behind him, blue numbers materialize, taking on the form of a humanoid woman, twice the height of the Mobians, dressed in a lab coat and a black skirt. When she speaks, her voice is monotone. “We needed to know that you were willing to see this through to the end before I could have revealed myself.”
“And who exactly are you?” Breezie asks, narrowing her eyes.
Placing a hand on her chest, the woman nods, saying. “I am Dr. Robotnik—at your service.”
“Robotnik!?” Clutch whirls around, pointing his cane at Rouge. “What are you pulling here, Rouge? I, whoa!”
The floor deforms and rises, taking on a Mobian form. The lynx emerges from it and grabs his cane, shaking her head. “Not so rash now, Clutch. You need to see what the good doctor and I have been cooking up.”
“Speaking of which,” Rouge says, stepping from the capsule. “It’s done.”
A soft hum fills the capsule, and soon, a hologram warms to life, showing to everyone in the chamber a familiar sight—the face of Lavender the Wolf.
“So what?” Says Clutch, tugging his cane from the holo-lynx. “What’s this some kind of tribute to the loser?
Rouge lifts her leg up high and smashes her heel onto the device. It shatters, breaking into pieces and sending a flash of light that causes the two bystanders to shield their eyes.
By the time they Breezie and Clutch can see it again, they gasp.
Rouge holds her hand out, and the naked figure on the ground grasps it tenderly, standing, his legs wobbling.
“The energy investment from the Sol Empire… the research on converting robots into flesh-and-bone, the infrastructure of the Eggman Empire, and a test subject, someone who was most assuredly dead but could plausibly come back without raising too much notice.”
“Infinite!?” Breezie gasps.
“Indeed. Now then,” Rouge says, guiding the newly generated and naked wolf before her. “May I present to you Lavender the Wolf?”
“How!?” Clutch snarls.
Dr. Robotnik floats past the two of them, waving her hand and producing documentation on holographic screens for them. “We call it ‘Project—Extra Life. It’s a fitting evolution of my family’s legacy.”
“Speaking of which,” Nicole adds, “Shadow’s DNA was also helpful. Good thing he’s been leaving it all over the arena.”
“And what better way,” Rouge says, “to use life-saving technology than to put it to use bringing back fighters after they’ve been ripped into shreds?”
“And not only can we bring the dead back from the brink with this technology, but alter their appearance, so they may fight again and again with no one being the wiser.”
“Infinite potential for fighters,” Clutch breathes.
“Infinite profits,” Breezie chuckles.
“So, do we have a deal?” Rouge coos.
—
Tangle holds the bandaged and bloodied Whisper, helping her friend limp out of the back alley entrance and onto the streets of Mobotropolis. The lemur says nothing to the wolf but instead just hugs her closely.
Whisper rests her head upon her girlfriend, her thoughts burning. How much did Tangle see? What does she know about the wolf’s deep and dark secret? The pit in her stomach grows, but despite this, the wolf smiles, a toothy, bloody grin away from her lover’s gaze. She had won… she had survived. That’s all that matters.
“Hey. What the hell are you two doing?”
Tangle stops and looks over her shoulder, standing in the street is Alissa the Wolf, dressed in her nice suit, narrowing their gaze at the two fighters.
“Taking my partner home!”
Alissa narrows her eyes, sniffing the air. “Whisper,” she growls. “I smell battle on you. Tell me where you had it.”
Whisper glares at the other wolf, a growl rising from her throat.
Tangle presses her hand on the wolf’s cheek, nuzzling against her. “Shh… shh… just… go on. Tell her.”
—
Sally Acorn approaches the location, texted to her by that bitch of a wolf, Alissa. The princess stops and stares up at the strange establishment. “Club Rouge?” she asks, frowning.
Out of the alleyway steps out her rival, growling softly. “Yeah, and something smells funny.”
“You sure it’s not your unwashed fur?”
Alissa smirks. “Good, good, get worked up, pampered bitch. Something’s happening  under your nose because you have it shoved so far up your ass.” She tosses a card over to Sally.
Sally catches it with no problem and glances at it. “The hell is this?”
“Something someone has to pay for,” Alissa says, cracking her knuckles. “You in?”
Sally smirks, dropping the card. “Hell yeah, I am. Let’s do this thing.”
The two snarl at each other, entering the building, all because of the signage on the card. An image of a chipmunk and a wolf entwined and grinding against each other, scratch marks over them, the mascots of a business. The Mobotropolis Coloseum, home of the sexiest, deadliest fights!”