At Castle Acorn's royal infirmary, Sonic receives a checkup from Doctor Quack, who asks about the implant in his ear. Quack tells Sonic that the device has bonded with his nervous system, but it doesn't seem to be a threat and removing it would probably be far more dangerous than letting it stay. He gives Sonic a sling for his arm and some herbal salve to help him treat the burn Mecha's lasers gave him. Sonic is overwhelmed by all that's changed and asks Quack about what happened to him since they last saw each other. Assuming Sonic meant his eyepatch, Quack explains that he stepped on a land mine while on the front lines.