Iizuka-san slept soundly in his bed. Clutching tightly his Wisp plushie, visions of Sonic danced in his dreams. As the hedgehog was having an argument with NiGHTS over who had the best Wii game, the producer was startled awake.
"Huh? What's that?" the once-level designer muttered, reaching for his pack of cigarettes. Lighting one even faster than Sonic, Iizuka realized what the sound was that woke him. A blaring alarm, one he recognized instantly.
"Oh no! My collection!"
Still in his nightgown, the spry Asian man bolted out of his bedroom, down the hall towards his study. The alarm rang in his ears as he ran faster towards the door, which was slightly ajar. He hoped that whomever had broken in was still there, but when he entered, there was no one to confront.
Turning the alarm off, Iizuka's mouth fell open. The prototypes of Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog remained untouched, covered in a thick layer of dust. But his prized possession? Which had hung in a glass closet for years?
"No...my jacket..."
Yes, the jacket. Simple, brown leather, adorned with a hand painted "blue gale" logo, a smirking image of Sonic standing next to it. He had gotten it while in America, during the development of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Only a handful existed, all of them under lock and key. Except this one, of course.
At first, he thought he should call the police. But as the disheveled gaming president walked closer to the glass case, he realized that no ordinary man had pulled off the crime of the century. Indeed, looking upon the simple drawing that had been taped inside where the jacket once was, he knew it must have been an inside job. Only one man was bold enough, who would have dared to leave an image of Classic Sonic staring back at him.
"Ohshima..."