...Wait. He didn't recognize her? Either something strange was going on here or he had hit his head hard enough to make him forget. Knuckles wasn't exactly smart enough to think to play dumb and plan something out. This had to be genuine. Which meant that while he was a familiar face, he didn't know anything about her.

Perfect~

Rouge was never one to look opportunity in the face and ignore it, even in such a pressing situation. The fact that she was at a disadvantage right now made this even better. Sarcasm vanished and was replaced by disappointment and sadness. "...Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were a friend of mine." To say she was sorry to her rival pained her, but it would be worth it in the end.