"Grrr!" "We're approaching hour 23 of Sonic and Knuckles' stay-awake challenge, and it's still anybody's game." "Sticks, what do you make of their strategies?" "It appears Sonic is jogging in circles to stay awake while Knuckles stays focused by watching late-night TV." "Both strong approaches." "Though I find the knowledge that our freedoms are slowly eroding enough to keep me awake at night." "Give it up, Knuckles." "I can keep moving all night." "But the second you find something boring on TV, you'll be out like a light." "Don't be silly, Sonic." "TV is never boring." "Soar, tell us more about your dense and complicated new book about introspection and self-betterment." "(Groans)" "My new book, "Counter-Productive", is about fixing your old mistakes." "Times when you made a mess of things." "When you were a bad apple." "Acted like a basket case." "Hey, Charlie!" "Can I borrow your baskets?" "It's real important." "Ha-ha!" "Neat!" "I'm all tall and stuff!" "His eyes are open but his brain is definitely asleep." " Sonic wins!" " Uhh!" "Am I counter-productive?" "Nope, just someone who can't stay awake for 23 hours." "(Groans)" "If you don't go back to the people you've wronged and make up for your misdeeds, then you're basically a monster." "And that's science." "Aaargh!" "Don't look at me!" "I'm a monster!" "A monster!" "I hope it's better than when he thought he was a ballerina." "Don't look at me!" "I'm a ballerina!" "A ballerina!" "Ohh." "I'm looking for Charlie." "You mean that guy who kept dropping my apples?" "Fired him years ago." "Last I heard he was working at a dig site outside the village." "Probably mucking that up too." "Thanks!" "To show my appreciation, I will buy one apple." "Now those baskets are empty, you mind if I borrow some?" "Careful... careful..." " Charlie!" " Ohh!" "Remember me?" "The guy who turned apple baskets into stilts at your old job?" "Oh, man, that was fun." "But it turns out it wasn't fun." "It was counter-productive." "So I'm here to make it up to you." "Oh, wow." "I totally forgot about that." "Don't worry about it." "My life is great now." "I've got a wife, a nice house, this job digging up ancient artefacts." "Doesn't matter." "I've got to make this right." "You really don't have to..." "Can it!" "I'm trying to be nice to you." "We'll start with your lunch." " But I brought my lunch." " Not good enough!" "I'm gonna get you something special." "Ohh!" "Grrr!" " Soup's on!" " Grrr!" "I got braised short rib on focaccia toast with a dollop of garlic-chive aioli and just a hint of lime." "Actually, that sounds good." "I thought so too." "That's why I ate it on the way." "But don't worry, look what I found." "Can you believe some dope just tossed this in a lake?" "I really should get back to work." "Let me get those for you because I'm helpful and not counter-productive." " No, really, it's..." " Charlie, come on!" "It's me!" "Agh!" "Ow!" "Ohh!" "The working conditions here are dangerous." "I'm gonna go talk to your union rep." "Honey, you would not believe the day I had." "Hi, Charlie." "Sweetheart, what is he doing here?" "I invited your friend for dinner." "But, honey, we have that "thing" tonight." "I don't recall any "thing"." "If you're trying to imply that you don't want someone here, perhaps you should just say it." "Who you guys talking about?" "Agh!" "I wanted to be helpful so I picked up all those tiny flags that you left scattered around in the dirt." "Those flags were marking the locations of valuable artefacts." "I'm going to have to redo all that work now." "Oh, man!" "You should put flags by those flags so no one picks them up." "But don't worry, I'll fix it." "Oh, no." "It's my boss, Mr Slate." "Brrr!" "What's the meaning of all this?" " But..." " I'll handle this." "You can't talk to Charlie like that." "You're not the boss of him." "Not any more, I'm not." "You're fired!" "How am I going to break this news to my wife?" "Don't worry about that." "I already called her." "You did what?" "When are you going to stand up for yourself?" "What's her problem?" "Aaargh!" "You did this!" "You ruined my life!" "No worries, Charlie." "I'll make it up to you." "As soon as I finish making up for that other thing I did, whatever that was." "You're a menace!" "I'm not letting people like you cause problems for me any more!" "(Laughs crazily)" "He'll see." "They'll all see." "(Laughs crazily)" "I can't help but feel partially responsible, in an indirect way." "I'm sure he didn't really mean all the things he said." "(Banging)" "Knuckles the Echidna, your torment begins now." "Maybe he meant them a little." "Whoa!" "I've never seen a weapon like this before." "It's from the time of the Ancients." "You stole that stuff from work?" "Paper clips are one thing, but ancient weaponry?" "Not cool, Charlie." "Now you will feel my true wrath." "Did you try turning it off and back on?" "That can fix it." "You're not helping." "The batteries need recharging?" "Hang on, I almost got it." "(Laughs crazily)" "I'm sure this'll all blow over before you know it." "A double Meh Burger, please." "Hey, my lunch money!" "It's my lunch money now." "I'll take that Double Meh Burger." "Sir, please step aside." "This line is for paying customers only." "Ahh..." "Agh!" "(Groans)" "Ugh!" "Ohh!" "Aargh!" "Ugh!" "Urgh." "Knuckles, this has gone on long enough." "You've got to stand up to him." "No." "This is my own fault." "I got him fired, remember?" "And, like Soar the Eagle says in that book I didn't read," "I can't rest until I've made it up to him." "Can you at least stop letting him take your lunch money?" "Fine, Amy." "I'll try to avoid letting him take my lunch money." "For you." "Let's see that lunch money." "Charlie, as things aren't going well between you and I," "I've enlisted a police officer to act as a go-between." "His experience in dealing with tense situations will prove valuable to both of us." "(Gulps and whimpers)" "(Groans)" "Charlie's not letting up, but I can't go back to being counter-productive." "So I'll take the high road and stay out of his way until he cools off." "(Groans)" "I figured it out." "All Charlie really wants is a friend." "Yeah, he's practically crying out to me for help." "Hello, pal." "I baked you this pie." "We can see a movie together and/or enjoy a malted beverage." "Feel the wrath of my super-villain powers!" "Ohh!" "Oww!" "Great news, Knuckles." "Charlie just let you off the hook." "Really?" "From my perspective it didn't go so well." "No, Charlie just called himself a super-villain." "Page 235 of "Counter-Productive"." ""If the person you're trying to make up to turns into a super-villain, forget all that stuff I said about fixing your past mistakes." "In that case, knock yourself out."" "I know what I have to do now." "What's going on?" "Knuckles is going to fight Charlie." "I've got to see this." "We're doing a parody of a schoolyard fight." "Charlie, I'm gonna do what you should have done ages ago." "Stand up for myself." " Bring it on, Knuckle-head." " Hey!" "Name-calling?" "Not cool." "Let's go, Charlie!" "Really?" "Nothing?" "Am I the only one on the side of evil here?" "(Villagers cheer)" " (All) Ohh!" " Hooray!" "All right, Charlie!" "Crush him!" " (Groans)" " Let's finish this, Knuckles." "What the..." " (Evil laugh)" " Yeah!" "Ugh!" "Ohh!" "(Villagers cheer)" " Truce?" " Grrr!" "Truce." "Come on!" "It was just starting to get good." "Great job, Knuckles." "You stood up for yourself and stopped a super-villain." "Thanks, guys." "Who's up for some burgers?" "My treat." "Give me all your lunch money." "Ha-ha!" "Just kidding." "(All laugh)" "Great job, Charlie." "You stood up for yourself and got a new job... as a super-villain." "But what about the truce?" "(Laughs)" "(Both laugh)"