Knuckles didn't reply. In his mind, he could handle anything the world hurled at him, and a worthy opponent was no exception. However, it probably wasn't smart to go looking for trouble, so he let out a 'hmph' and stalked off.

amy rolled her eyes and asked me, "is he always like this?" i nod, "most of the time." i said flicking an ear.

When he was well away from the group (still within eyeshot, as the area they were in was wide open and one could see for several miles in certain directions), Knuckles flopped down on the grass. "And that is why I live alone," He grumbled.

amy sighed, "well what do we do now?" she asked, i shrug, "i dunno." i said.

After a few more seconds of just laying there, Knuckles groaned and picked himself up. If he was going to be stranded on Westside, he wasn't going to slack off in the meantime. He looked around, gaze coming to rest on the tree that had been struck. Perfect, he thought.

i saw knux looking at the tree that had been struck by lightning, i trotted over to it, a bit of heat emanated from the trunk where it was struck, "what happened to it?" amy asked coming over, "struck by lightning." i said.

Knuckles got into a fighting stance, feet shoulder length apart, knees slightly bent, one fist up near his brow, the other just below his snout. He practiced various strikes, all of which were swift and powerful (not enough to bring down the tree, though he could have if he wanted to). All the while, he seemed tense, as if anticipating an attack from behind even though there was nothing there. Of course, he didn't notice this flaw.

amy looked at knux, "what's he doing?" she asked, "i have no clue." i said.

"He's practicing combat. He does that a lot."

amy nodded, "so what do we do now?" she asked, i shrug, "maybe we could go over to tails house," i said, "what do you think?" i asked.