The Intergalactic Tournament

 

Synopsis: Several fighters from all across the Videogame Solar System are invited to participate in a martial arts tournament called the Intergalactic Fighting Tournament. Each fighter is to wear their own unique combat armor, which can be broken off during the fight by certain powerful attacks. Additionally, some arenas are enclosed as well.

 

One of the fighters is a boar named Pane. There's bad blood between her and Sonic. She had good intentions of joining the rebellion, but unfortunately, her temper got the better of her. She knows a little bit about the Shatterverse and the Chaos Council and that they're out there, searching multiverses to kill all versions of Sonic and rule the multiverse.

 

 

Chapter 1—Testing One’s Might

                After a bit of investigation into the obnoxious pop ups that were infiltrating all devices even though ad blockers should’ve deterred them, Miles had concluded they were from a world called Combatia. 

                ‘I’ve never even heard of this place before, and honestly, it sounds completely made up.’, Sonic scoffed as he and his family sat down for a hearty meal.

                ‘Its people and its Emperor are very real.   The Emperor of the planet, Calder, wishes to have an audience with you and Mobius’ finest fighters.’, Cecil mentioned, having read correspondence from Calder himself.   Matters were becoming more interesting when Knuckles, Amy, Vector, Sonia, Manic, Shadow, Silver, Julie-Su, Surge, Tsunami, Ridge and Big had received RSVPs on their tablets not long after Cecil had brought Calder up.    Combatia was an intriguing world that consisted of athletes and although their virtues focused mainly on athletic endeavors, they had other pursuits and ideals as well.  

                ‘What’s the whole point of a Universal Tournament ?   It’s not like we’re facing down another badnick.’, Sonic said, although he and the gang had been itching for action, no matter how outdated the method of doing so was.   

                ‘Do we even know who else was invited ?’, Blaze asked curiously.  

                ‘The roster is right here.   I’ve put a projection of it on the wall so you can read it.’, Miles said.   The list was long, and there were events listed as well, more than simple combat.   However, the print was so tiny that no one could even wager to read it.  

                ‘We’ll be considered cowards if we don’t do this.   We have no other choice but to go.’, Knuckles said, curious as to what Combatia would be like once he and his friends arrived.   A gut intuition told him that some of the events would pit friends against each other, but he was disciplined enough not to allow an alignment to dismount the opportunity of gaining whatever prize was to be won. 

                'The flyer says that each fighter has to wear unique combat armor.', Sonia said.

            ‘That’s certainly unique.   What’s the deadline to respond ?  We’re all summoned, and it’s not optional, according to this incredibly small legalese.’, Manic said, squinting a bit to read the terms and conditions.    Sonic was aware that wearing any armor that matched his quill color would make him look exactly like Brother Day from the Foundation.   On the one hand, he didn’t mind taking up the ‘rocket knight’ look, but on the other, he was hoping that the armor didn’t make him appear too arrogant, stuck up or conceited.   

            ‘We have about two days to make preparations, which is kind of short notice if you ask me.’, Sonia added with a bit of tremulation in her voice.    None of them knew what to expect, but it was clear that there was no ‘fighting to the death’ in this competition.    Why Calder even wanted it was unclear, but it might have something to do with finding a champion of the universe since he was aware a shift was happening.    He would announce that there in hopes there would be a savior to ‘fix’ what had been broken.   Among all the participants there had to be at least one hero to help repair or at least slow down the oncoming entropy, even if it was a hopeless quest.  

 

Chapter 2—A Familiar, Yet Somehow Welcome Frenemy

            Building their armor only took one day once it had been created due to the specifications in the rules.   Training took up the rest of the hedgehog’s preparation itinerary.   Although they felt ready, there was still a bit of apprehension, and it was so burdensome that Sonic found it hard to focus.    Calming himself, he breathed in deeply and out steadily, knowing that at least one of them among the group would be victorious.

            After walking into the Stargate from Mobius to Asteroid 826, as they boarded one of Monica and Isabella’s famous ‘sailors’, the cousins stated they would be watching from the sidelines on 826 and cheering as loudly as they could.

            ‘Yeah, kick their butts, Sonic !’, Monica said, pumping up her cousins and best friends before they were launched to Combatia.    Coordinates had been set by the AI autopilot and hyperjump was initiated.   In only a few seconds, they had reached their destination and were waiting to be received by Emperor Calder and his wife, Priscilla.  

            All the fighters were brought forward in a gargantuan arena, given the reason for their participation. 

            ‘There is a sickness spreading in the cosmos, a degradation, if you want to call it that.  Although I don’t know the source of entropy, I do know one of you can help heal or slow it down. That is why I am holding the competition, to locate champions to save our Universe.’, Calder said, honestly.   It all sounded far-fetched to Sonic, but it was definitely serious if Calder had reached out to the entire Video Game solar system for assistance.   

            Each of the participants had their own five-star accommodations and living space in pods close to the arena.  Calder had decided that everyone needed at least one evening of rest before the official fights began.    On their way to their own ‘bubble hotels’, Amy caught the eye of Pane the boar and found it ironic that she had been selected for the tournament.  She pointed at her eyes and then back at Amy menacingly. 

            ‘I hope I get the chance to throw down with you in the ring, Amy.  I’ve got a score to settle with you.’, she glowered, intimidatingly.   Although she was there mainly to fight against Amy, she was also there to warn her and the others that the Chaos Council was looking for them.   It had not been the first time that they had heard or encountered the infamous Robotniks, but it was obvious that they had been lucky to escape with their lives this time around because at this point, the Robotniks were out for blood and they were bent on ruling the entire universe with a fist of steel. 

 

Chapter 3—Let’s Fight ! 

            In an entryway to the gargantuan arena, Sonic waited for his introduction to the fight as well as the opponent he would be facing.   No one knew who their opponent would be, since everything was done randomly, or computer selection thanks to Calder’s generator. 

            ‘'Wow, Sonic !', Tails said. 'Your armor looks very good !'

'Thanks, Lil bro !', the king replied.  To be honest, Sonic still felt a little anxious heading out into the arena having no idea who or what he would be up against.  

            ‘Best of luck out there, Sonic.   You’ll easily own the other guy, whoever they might be !   Go on and get ‘em !’, Tails said, supportively.   He joined the others that filled the massive arena of all sorts of people, animals, hybrids, aliens, and beings he had never seen before.   

            What happened next nobody expected, but the AI generator had selected Sonic to face off against Chaos Sonic. 

            Sonic wasn’t at all flattered that this version of himself was a poor imitation at best, but he could tell that this iteration was merely a gopher sent on a mission.   By whom he had been sent was another mystery altogether.

           

            As the two doppelgangers fought, it was obvious that the hedgehogs were equally matched.   In the back of Sonic’s mind, he felt like someone beyond the typical crowd was watching this all unfold.   Matters became very thready and flexible, distorted, and weird.   It was then that a wildcard had appeared to stop the match, which very clearly, had so far been a stalemate.

            ‘This is a deviation in timeline !’, a familiar frenemy said.  It was Pane the Boar again.   She couldn’t wait for her bout against Amy to warn Sonic.   They had tracked Chaos Sonic, who had been destroyed by Sonic and Shadow back in their own dimension, but this version hadn’t been wrecked yet.    The event itself wasn’t fixed in time and remained fluid.    Even though the rules were iron-clad, the Chaos Council wanted a method to kill Sonic for good and Chaos Sonic was a means to that end.

            ‘The timelines are intersecting.   The only way to stop this is stop Nine from using the shards to envision his own utopia…’, she began.

            ‘Wait, start at the beginning.   Who exactly is Nine ?’, Sonic questioned, clearly bewildered by all the information Pane was barraging him with.   

            ‘I don’t exactly have time to explain everything.   I’m risking quite a bit simply by being here, even if Calder invited me.’, Pane said.    Calder was irritated that his planning had gone a bit awry, since he had done this event to entertain as well as prove the might of the true saviors of the galaxy.    Yet, what Pane had said had been true.

 

 

Chapter 4—No Time for a Tournament

            As much as it pained Calder and Priscilla, the bout between Chaos Sonic and Sonic had been cancelled.   Millions of spectators had to have their credits refunded and the ‘battle royale’ had to be rescheduled.    The entire galaxy’s well being was at state and someone, or some anthro named Nine had to be stopped.   Not only that but also, the Chaos Council had homed in on Chaos Sonic’s signal and found where Sonic was.   What they didn’t anticipate was that he had friends surrounding him.   He would have to go after Nine alone and his friends would rally around him in his time of need.  The Chaos Council wouldn’t have any idea what was about to hit them.

 

 

 

Chapter 5—The Steaks Have Never Been Higher

           

            Putting aside the compliant armor for the time being, Sonic donned his medallion and Timely and asked the watch for a bit of input.

            ‘What Pane says is correct.  The time stream is a bit wonky, to put things mildly. Nine’s toying with the shards is proving to be more of a problem than a solution.   His version of Tails has gone rogue.’, the clock-faced mascot explained.    The wizard that put together this time/space device must’ve been a genius because the watch knew all probabilities but didn’t want to compromise the continuum if it couldn’t help it.   

            ‘I’m trusting my crew to handle Chaos Sonic and the Chaos Council.’, he said, resolutely.  With all those fighters on his side, it wouldn’t be hard defeating them.  If they were fortunate, maybe they could be victorious over all those different horrid versions of Eggman.    They had the power in their hands, and it was up to them. 

           

            Using his watch and medallion combined, Sonic transported him to the Shatterspace in which Nine was seen last.   

            ‘If you’ve come to stop me from achieving my vision, Sonic, you’re not going to.  Wait…You’re not my version of Sonic.   How many iterations are there out there ?’, Nine questioned.   The multiverse was quite literally blowing Nine’s mind.   

           

            'I'm a different Sonic entirely.', the king said.  

            Nine disregarded him and rearranged the Grim the way he wished.

            ‘You’re causing a bit of overlap in my timeline.’, Sonic said, approaching Nine from behind and placing a hand on his shoulder.   Nine, defensively, flipped Sonic over and above him, smacking him hard upon the cold, hard ground of the newly forming Grim.   Sonic fortunately recovered, but there were mechanical tails with sharp edges touching the base of his throat.  

            ‘Don’t interfere.’, Nine scowled as the tails menacingly edged closer to Sonic’s jugular vein.   Sonic had dealt with fear, but nothing so palpable and real as this.  He didn’t want to fight his best friend, even if it was another iteration of him.   What Nine was doing was disturbing the natural order of everything, though, and Sonic had no real solution to everything going haywire.  

 

 

Chapter 6—A One Hedgehog Army

           

            Nine allowed Sonic to get up to his feet, and Sonic backed away slowly.

            ‘You do realize that all the other timelines are askew due to your ‘redecorating’.  I don’t know what beef you and the other version of me had, but that is a lame reason to act so impulsively.   The Tails, pardon, I mean, the Nine I know would calculate all probabilities, measure everything twice and cut once before proceeding.’, Sonic said.   Nine glanced at him, annoyed. 

            ‘A moving speech won’t change what I’m creating.  I’m sorry, but all those other versions of me aren’t me.  I am one of a kind, an outlier.  The underlining chaos amidst order.’, Nine said with a bit of an arrogant smirk.    Sonic exhaled sharply.   He would retrieve the shard fusion, but he didn’t want to do so getting into a heated battle.   Before he could turn around, somehow the Chaos Council had found him.

            ‘At last, the shards, they’re ours !’, Ivo said, as the other members of the council leapt into action.   Before Sonic could calculate a counterattack, his medallion had activated, and he had evolved into Ultra level.   If the Universe had any chance of being fixed, he had no other choice but to fight back, even if it was by himself.  

 

            ‘Leave the shards alone !’, Sonic bellowed as he zipped and knocked out each Chaos Council member as if they were standing still.   Somehow Knuckles the Dread had tagged along and hitched a ride.

            ‘Arr, there she is.  Me beauty.’, the rogue smirked, eyeing his prize lustfully.

            ‘Seriously !  How many more of you do I need to KO ?’, Sonic asked aloud.   Nine did his best to continue fashioning the Grim universe down to the last detail to suit his desires until everything was perfect.   Knuckles the Dread lunged after the shard that he had fallen head over boots with but wasn’t able to snatch it in time.   Sonic easily upper cutted the pirate, apologizing as he did, knowing it was for everyone’s own good. 

            ‘This is getting old, much like you, King Sonic.’, Nine insulted.  Sonic didn’t allow the piercing remark to get the better of him but did kick Nine in the chest, knocking the wind out of him.    No matter how often Nine rebounded, Sonic continued to wallop him until he retrieved the shards and placed them in their own sanctum.    His hands began to glow, and intrinsically he knew what to do.    Using this newfound ability, he welded the opening of the grotto shut with live magma and rock.   Unless Nine could cut open another opening where Sonic had sealed it, there was no getting the shards back.   Nine started to fragment violently, as the others did as well until Sonic found himself back in the arena, looking extremely addlepated.  

 

 

Epilogue

 

            Friends fought friends in the tournament, but Sonic became the champion easily.   He wondered what had become of Nine after he had disappeared.  The Chaos Council each vanished to their own dimensions, and so did every other version of Sonics, Knuckles, Tails, and other familiar faces that he had seen or encountered in other ways.   It had been very surreal and reminded Sonic of that hilarious mid-90’s film Multiplicity, only more like the Matrix with dashes of Everything, Everywhere All At Once. 

            Thinking of all of this had made his head hurt.   Being one of the many galactic champions made him have even more questions than he had before the tournament had been held.   

            ‘It was like some sort of fever dream !’, Knuckles said, polishing his championship belt and fastening it around his waist, showing it off slightly.   

            ‘I know what you mean and nothing at all made any sense.’, Amy added, back in the Crystal Castle as they all recuperated.   He pondered if he would be encountering the Council again, as well as Nine.   There was so much more to the multiverse than met the common eye, and that much was certain.    For the moment, they had few answers, but at least prime Sonic and his friends had returned home after an epic gauntlet of trials, each of them harder than the last.     With all these successes behind them and spending time with so many video game celebrities, the gang had no shortage of incredible stories, but it seemed there was something ominous hovering just beyond the horizon, outside of their reach at least for now.    Knowing this wasn’t comforting, even though it was inevitable, but at least having cosmic power on their side would help them in the war against this unknown agent of chaos. 

 

 

To Be Continued…