RITES OF PASSAGE, Part 1
Writers: Ken Penders & Mike Kanterovich
Penciler: Art Mawhinney
Inker: Harvey "Harvo" Mercadoocasio
Colorist: Kyle Hunter
Letterer: Mindy Eisman
Editor: Freddy Mendez-Gabrie

Knuckles enters the underground city, called the Grand Conservatory, and finds out that there're plenty of lethal traps for him to deal with. He turns the traps on themselves, only to have a huge boulder try to run over him. He escapes by out running it, while unknown to anyone, the peak of Mount Fate blows up. Knuckles finds a blaster which he uses on a door, which leads him to the Chaotix who are eating dinner and enjoying themselves. No one knows that a figure has emerged from Mount Fate and entered the Grand Conservatory. Knuckles, not in a good mood, wants to know how Archimedes was able to elude him all those times before and Archimedes reveals that he has the ability to breathe fire and disappear and reappear somewhere else. Their discussion is interrupted by the unknown figure who announces that he's no longer Dimitri, but Enerjak. Knuckles and company try to attack Enerjak but Enerjak traps them in an energy cell. He keeps the Chaotix, but sends Knuckles and Archimedes into the middle of the desert (the Sandopolis Zone).

To Be Continued in SONIC'S FRIENDLY NEMESIS KNUCKLES #2