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Lightning the Lynx was originally a member of the Raiju Clan, but was eventually banished. He was then a member of the Fearsome Foursome under Mammoth Mogul, and has since become a member of the Destructix. A criminal who with his cohorts has clashed several times with the Knothole Freedom Fighters and Chaotix, he has also worked under Sleuth Dog and Dr. Finitevus. After the Clan Wars ended, Lightning was summoned by the Bride of Conquering Storm to work as an agent of their clan once again and recruited Espio the Chameleon into the Iron Dominion through the allegiance of his own clan. He was again banished after Sonic the Hedgehog beat him in a duel and rejoined the Destructix once more, eager for vengeance that Scourge promised to help fulfill.
History[]
In the Raiju Clan[]
Lightning trains in the Raiju Clan.
Lightning was originally a ninja in the Raiju Clan of the Dragon Kingdom, and their fastest and strongest. He was easily able to defeat any other members of his clan in duels, and the only one he respected was the Bride of his clan: Conquering Storm. He loved her as well, and desired to be by her side, but she would only accept someone of great skill, so he challenged her to a duel to prove his devotion. However she soundly defeated Lightning, and to add to his defeat, he was given the ultimate dishonor of being banished and losing his clan status after proclaiming his love for her. After this occurred he eventually came into contact with Mammoth Mogul and entered his service, receiving enhanced speed as part of the bargain. (SU: #31, CSE)
Mogul's Minion and Devil's Gulag[]
Like the rest of the Fearsome Foursome-Sergeant Simian, Predator Hawk, and Flying Frog-Lightning Lynx debuted as an agent of Mammoth Mogul's, attacking the Chaotix on his orders, specifically targeting Espio the Chameleon. After being defeated and retreating from this battle, he would return to help Mogul in his bid to claim the Sword of Acorns by pitting the Chaotix and Freedom Fighters against each other. Lynx's purpose involved serving as the substance behind Mogul's illusions of Espio the Chameleon and Sally Acorn, which initially had the two groups fighting. When the more level-headed members of each team noticed the errors in these illusions, however, the scheme was blown and Lynx was captured along with his teammates. (SMM, SSS: #1)
Along with the rest of the Fearsome Foursome, Lightning Lynx was later sent to Devil's Gulag and imprisoned for some time. However, due to the actions of the then-concealed Dr. Eggman, the teammates were able to escape along with fellow criminals Snively Kintobor, Nack the Weasel, Sleuth Dog, Drago Wolf, Warlord Kodos, and Uma Arachnis. Joining the assemblage of villains under Snively's leadership, Lynx confronted the Freedom Fighters again in capturing Nate Morgan, a venture that proved much more successful than his previous encounters with the heroes. However, his success was short-lived, as he and the rest of the future Destructix were defeated and captured by the Royal Secret Service under Geoffrey St. John. (StH: #62, #63, #70)
Destructix[]
Following another escape from Devil's Gulag, Lightning Lynx and his teammates - which now included Sleuth Dog and Drago Wolf- took up residence in a factory that had once belonged to Dr. Ivo Robotnik, keeping Tommy Turtle as a convenient punching bag. Later, Sonic the Hedgehog infiltrated this factory to liberate his old friend Tommy, only to find the villains attempting to make a deal with Dr. Eggman to sell him the factory, despite that it was originally his. Lynx and the others were then subjected to Roboticization, becoming Robians in service to Eggman. Due to Sleuth's last attempted moment of defiance - throwing a live grenade into the room - it seemed as though the Destructix had been destroyed, but they in fact survived and were De-Roboticized by the Bem. Later, robotic doubles of their Robian forms attacked Sonic as part of a ruse to get an Auto Automaton of Tommy Turtle into Knothole. When recovered by Eggman, these doubles contained video of the Destructix making a deal with "Anonymous", a mysterious being who was eventually revealed to be to be Eggman's computer virus "son," A.D.A.M.. (StH: #117, #135, #168)
Renaming themselves the Destructix (as, with Slueth and Drago, they could no longer be called the Fearsome Foursome), they set out to recapture Mammoth Mogul's Chaos Emerald in order to release him. Lightning Lynx engaged the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix yet again, but as usual was outclassed and outnumbered and so defeated. He and the others were taken to prison, only to be liberated when Mogul escaped from the Emerald himself. When Ixis Naugus arrived and challenged Mogul for the Crown of Acorns, Lynx fought against his Arachne as well as the arriving Freedom Fighters and Chaotix. When Mogul and Naugus joined forces, the battle continued between only two sides, but then ended with the destruction of the Sword and Crown of Acorns and the capture of the villains by the Egg Fleet. Lynx and his compatriots were teleported to the Egg Grape Chamber, where Mogul attempted to protect them from the draining effects with his magic. However, as time went on he tired and reduced his protection of the others. (StH: #162, #163, #164)
Luckily for the criminals, Dr. Finitevus arrived shortly thereafter with Scourge the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat (who fled soon after) to liberate the Destructix in exchange for their loyalty. The doctor called upon them for their muscle, first requiring Lynx and his teammates to play the part of reformed mercenaries by defending the helpless Echidnas of Angel Island from the Dingoes in order to set himself up as a protector of the Master Emerald (StH: #165, #171)
Lightning Lynx with the Destructix
Lightning and the other Destructix revealed their true colors soon enough by ambushing and capturing Knuckles the Echidna when he returned to Angel Island and handing him over to the Dark Legion. After his brainwashing and transformation into Enerjak, the Destructix - now joined by Fiona Fox in place of Rouge - were set to watch over the Grand Conservatory, as hidden within was a weapon created by the Brotherhood of Guardians to destroy Enerjak in the event of his return. They were soon challenged by Sonic, Julie-Su, and Locke (with assistance from Archimedes the Fire Ant) as they attempted to claim the device, and then had their mission rendered unnecessary by Sonic's destruction of the weapon. No longer having a job and unnerved by the battle between Enerjak and Super Sonic, Lightning Lynx and his allies fled through one of Finitevus' Warp Rings, having decided to become full-fledged mercenaries. (StH: #181, #183, #184)
The group soon found themselves once again employed by Mammoth Mogul, who commissioned them to bring him Sonic's running shoes. After a brief fight with Sonic, Sally, and fellow mercenaries Bark the Polar Bear and Bean the Dynamite - whom Mogul had also hired but who had switched sides at Sally's offer of better payment - they captured Sonic and took him to Mogul's casino. They were all then defeated by Sonic, Sally, Amy Rose, and Geoffrey St. John, only for Rouge to pass the word to them that Mogul's plan all along had been to discredit Sonic by capturing him and then having him confront Mogul without evidence that Mogul had been involved. (StH: #187, #188)
The Iron Dominion[]
Lightning Lynx running with Espio
When the Iron Queen took over the Eggman Empire and became the Bride of Four Houses, Lightning Lynx received a summons from Conquering Storm, inviting him back into the Raiju as a foreign liason with his clan status restored. Eager to be with his people and serve at his Bride's side again, Lightning immediately left the Destructix to join the Iron Dominion. He was then given his first mission and sent to New Mobotropolis to recruit Espio with a summons from the Bride of Constant Vigil, to which he reluctantly agreed. They both then went to intercept Sonic and Monkey Khan, and arrived in the ruins of New Megaopolis during a battle against the Dark Egg Legion and Yagyu Ninja. Monkey Khan recognized Lightning Lynx as a member of the Raiju Clan but could not identify him, to which Lightning said his honor had been restored before attacking the simian. Lightning was shocked and wounded by lighting from Khan's Atom-Bat as they fought, but the two heroes were forced to flee after the Iron King wounded them and chased them off. (StH: #201, #202, SU: #31)
Lightning reacts to his second banishment.
Lightning returned to the Dragon Kingdom when Conquering Storm was sent back to keep tabs on the Iron Dominion's control over the other clans. The clan took up residence in the Iron Fortress, which was eventually stormed by Sonic, Monkey Khan, Tails, Sally, Fiona and the remaining members of the Destructix; their joint goal was to get the clan to break its ties to the Iron Dominion and get Lightning to rejoin the Destructix. It was decided that the matter would be settled by a duel; Storm selected Lightning as her champion to "prove his continued worth," a chance he eagerly accepted. (SU: #15)
Surprised to find himself facing Sonic rather than Khan. Lightning unleashed a vicious, desperate series of attacks, swearing that after being taken back in by his clan, he wouldn't let anyone take that away from him. However, he was swiftly defeated and left pleading with Conquering Storm for another chance, who cruelly dismissed and expelled him from the clan once again. Desperate, Lightning tried to profess his love for her, but Storm told him to stop embarrassing himself. He turned away, miserable and in tears, and was comforted by the Destructix. Eager to win his loyalty, Fiona told him that she was planning something that would ensure that everyone got what they deserved, and Lightning eventually agreed to leave as tears of grief welled up in his eyes. (SU: #15)
Incarcerated[]
Lightning joins in on a group therapy session in jail.
Fiona had new plans after Lightning's re-recruitment: rescuing her boyfriend Scourge from his confinement in the No Zone's Zone Jail. After striking a deal with Dr. Finitevus to get them on the cosmic highway, the group intentionally got themselves arrested by reacting with extreme violence against the Zone Cops. They were brought to Zone Jail, where they found Scourge had become weak as well as rude, leaving Lightning and the others insulted by his outburst and dismissal. Nevertheless, at Fiona's orders they protected Scourge from being executed by King Maxx, though Lightning and the rest believed he was a lost cause. (SU: #29, #30)
A couple days later, Lightning joined the prison's group therapy sessions. Scourge joined in soon after, and with a bit of encouragement from Zouge, Lightning opened up and explained that he had long felt angry due to what he saw as a betrayal of his emotions by Conquering Storm. Manipulating the situation, Scourge appealed to Lightning's sense of revenge, saying he agreed that Conquering Storm's actions were unforgivable, and after he incited a riot in the therapy session, promised the teary-eyed Lightning that he would help him get revenge on his former crush in exchange for his help. (SU: #31)
Later that night (after Scourge recruited the entire Destructix), Lightning and Flying Frog escaped their cells, knocked out some guards, and stole a keycard after hiding them. Once Fiona joined them, they scaled the cell block and broke into the command center. While Lightning and Flying dealt with more guards and Major Znively, Fiona released the cell doors, altered the gravity, and shut off only their gang's Control Collars before destroying the control stations and escaping into the riot outside. Lightning then stuck by Scourge as he had Al & Cal's collars removed, and watched in surprise as their powerful demigod forms wreaked havoc in the prison, allowing them to escape to the exercise yard. (SU: #31, #32)
After Fiona came back and told them their gear had been stolen though, Lightning's superior hearing picked up the sounds of Zone Cop transports approaching the prison, with more teleporting in all over. Scourge then had Lightning listen for any mention of someone trying to use a Warp Ring and had him work with Predator Hawk to hunt down the thief while the hedgehog covered for them. Lightning then helped lead the rest back to the processing area where they found King Maxx and Jeffrey St. Croix attempting to escape via their stolen Warp Ring, and joined in viciously beating them before they could. Once out of his prison uniform, Lightning and the Destructix escaped through the Warp Ring with Scourge before the F.O.E. Inhibitors could stop them. Arriving in Moebius' Grand Forest, he then waited to complete Finitevus' job, only to hear Scourge proclaim he now lead the Destructix, and had his own plans for them. (SU: #31, #32)
Abilities[]
Lightning Lynx is capable of moving at high speed, rivaling that of Espio the Chameleon but not quite matching Sonic the Hedgehog, thanks to Mogul's powers. He also has highly refined senses, such as superior hearing, using these to counter Espio's camouflage. As a former Raiju ninja, he has strong hand-to-hand combat skills.
Personality[]
Something of a show-off and one of the more impulsive members of any team he serves on, Lynx is nonetheless loyal and formidable. Like Espio, he has a deep-rooted sense of loyalty to his clan, and apparently considers honor to be his highest commodity, above even the bond he shared with the other Fearsome Foursome. Due to his love for Conquering Storm, Lightning was elated to be accepted back into the clan and desperately sought to serve Storm and gain her acceptance, and when he failed and was once again expelled, was left miserable and shamed. As time went on, these events also left him rather bitter as he became convinced that his banishment was undeserved. His willingness to serve Fiona after hearing that her plans involved paying back everyone who had wronged the Destructix indicates that he has a vengeful streak to his nature, hardly surprising given the ruthlessness of his clan.
Romance[]
Lighting faces Conqurering Storm in battle to prove his love
Lightning was in love with the Bride of Conquering Storm, and to earn a place by her side, he challenged her, only to be defeated and exiled, though he still remained in love. Later, after he rejoined the clan and was defeated by Sonic, he said "Don't! Please! I love--" before Conquering Storm cut him off, remarking that behavior such as he was exhibiting was what had gotten him exiled from the clan previously. During a group therapy session in the No Zone jail, he admitted his troubled history to Scourge, who encouraged him to exact revenge upon her, even promising to help him with the task. Feeling his devotion had been betrayed, it seems that Lightning has given up on his infatuation.
Appearance[]
Lightning locates and attacks Espio.
Lightning Lynx is light brown/tan with a lighter muzzle and front. He has black hair and blue eyes, as well as black ears and spiky eyebrows. His attire consists of light blue gloves and shoes/boots adorned with yellow lightning bolts. The gloves often feature spurs on the knuckles.
His usual design differs greatly from his initial depiction, in which his fur was orange, his ears smaller, his tail longer and the tufts of fur on his cheeks more prominent. He also later gained small fangs.
Within Zone Jail, he is depicted in the standard orange uniform and gold Control Collar. In the past as a member of the Raiju, he wore a black gi with blue wraps and belt, and brown sandals.
Background Information[]
Spaz's sketch of a roboticized Lightning
- Lightning Lynx is the first member of the Fearsome Foursome to have any level of his history and background explored.
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