This is a story about Amy, short and simple. After playing the Sonic Adventure game, I've always thought the characters from the game had a lot of potential, especially Amy. I've decided to try and write a story using that potential here.
The basic storyline? You'll figure it out! But it's about Amy, and the genre is Action/Adventure, so you can use your imagination. I have visions of anime-style action in my head, but I know that different genres call for different things; I'll adjust my visions into a proper format, so no worries. The characters you will be seeing regularly: Amy, Shadow, Tails, Eggman, Sonic (sort of) and any OC I create. I have some flimsy plans for a sequel, but its a little early to say anything.
A few things to say:
Next, the 'fan' part of this fanfiction: I am basing this game on the two Sonic Adventure games, pretty much. I liked Sonic Heroes, but the only thing I could see as being useful from that would be the mystery of Shadow's situation. I have only played a bit of Shadow the Hedgehog; I DID research what happened in it, though, and decided to discard it. As for other sources... don't expect to find anyone unique to Sonic X in here. The only characters who will be referenced are Sonic and Co. - Chris and other human characters do not exist in this story. I have not read the comics, but I have researched those as well, to an extent, and have NO intention of using them. This is not Mobius; it is an alternate Earth, as I will explain.
In terms of how I'm going to write this: One of the best pieces of writing advice I ever got was that chapters should be as long as they had to be, no more or no less. Thus, I am not keeping a set chapter size. In terms of schedule, I have always been bad at that. I'm very sorry, but don't get your hopes up for continuous chapter-a-week stuff here. I WILL finish it, though; my vision deserves no less, and beside, I want to prove to myself that I can.
Something needs to be said about my editing. I usually fully edit a chapter by myself before posting it, but I'm bound to miss stuff. Feel free to correct me! However, reviews are not there for just that. If you don't feel like reviewing but noticed something incorrect, feel free to mail me. That said, I'm not really looking for a dedicated editor, so don't bother applying. Also, I probably will be replacing past chapters with newer, better edited versions; if there is a plot change or something important, I will tell you where to find it, but otherwise it'll just be beautification of my language.
Lastly, I'm going to write this so that people who are not familiar with Sonic the Hedgehog will be able to read it, but it will help a lot if you do. This is simply because, while I will give enough of a description for you to get a character image in your mind, most of that image will be your imagination. If you want, you can look the characters up on Wikipedia; there are very detailed articles there.
Also, this is a remake of Chapter one, and it's taking the place of the prologue as well. This is update number four, made on March first. I have rewritten the first eight chapters, thought most of it is, as I mentioned, beautification. Chapter eight has, in my opinion, change dramatically, although I only change the language a little. My previous problem with this story was the large amount of angst; I have rectified that.
And so, without futher ado, I give you: Living in the Shadow of Heroes, a tale of epic distortions centered on Amy the Hedgehog.
Reality is like an infinite bolt of cloth, forever folded in on top of itself. It's very simple to put it into words – 'a surface infinitely thick, wide, and long, folded over and over ad infinitum'. Of course, no sentient creature could possibly comprehend the true meaning of this statement – the very idea that infinity could be folded in on itself, that it could bend over itself and continue on in a straight line forever at the same time, is a paradox. And yet, all languages can express concepts beyond comprehension; all species can grasp the idea that things are impossible, and yet still occur. That is the wondrous, fantastic ability that sentience gives.
As is fitting, infinity contains an infinite amount of everything. There are an infinite number of identical solar systems constructed just the same way, and an infinite number of planets inhabitant by sentient beings which call their home 'Earth'. That hand made doll that you gave your sister on her sixth birthday – they parade into infinity. That wonderful candy, that you spent a week of allowance to buy, which was then stolen by a bully and ground beneath his foot – enough of them to make a mountain that stretched so far into the heavens that it came back around to touch its own base again. That car, piloted by a intoxicated idiot, which drove over your daughter – they could run into each other forever, and they would never stop creating destruction.
But here's the magic – there is only one of you. If you traveled the breadth of infinity (which is, of course, impossible) you would never ever find someone just like you. They could look like you, but there life would be different. Sure, it might be that on their ninth birthday, their foot was placed differently just one time, crushing a different set of grass blades, but it would still be different.
Is this because people have a unique soul? That's not exactly important. That's what religion is there for – to explain the impossible. And since there are an infinite number of religions out there, you're sure to find one that pleases you. What's important is that those unique lives form an unending tapestry – a string of which you will now hear. It's a special string, of course – otherwise you'd get bored and nod off halfway through. Not everyone lives an exciting life full of adventure, but the people you are about to hear about certainly do.
Among the infinite worlds, there is one particular 'Earth' on which this particular tale starts. You might have heard of a video game called 'Sonic the Hedgehog'. Unsurprisingly, among the infinite expanses of reality, there is a world that matches the events of that game exactly. This story does not start on that particular world, but rather a similar world, one that follows the events of that game almost exactly.
In this world, there are no humans – or rather, no humans evolved there. One currently exists, but that's an exception - undoubtedly part of the reason why this story is so special. Instead of humans, there are anthropomorphic versions of animals we are all familiar with – alligators and bees and moles and horses and platypi and jellyfish and sharks and a million other kinds. The general term for creatures with intelligence is 'sentient' – they use it the same way we use 'human'. 'That's a humane act' is known as 'that's a sentient act'. Naturally, it doesn't mean the same thing exactly. That's what happens when you try to put natural prey and predator under the same heading.
Out of those species there are several that stand out. First are the Echidna. Ground-digging mammals that once formed a powerful empire, they toyed with powers beyond their control and were destroyed. There is a survivor, perhaps the only survivor, who guards the powerful Master Emerald that destroyed his ancestor's civilization – a red echidna named Knuckles. A sixteen year old who wears white gloves and keeps his hair in dreadlocks, he is a lonely, yet fierce soul. He's had the most contact with the Master Emerald's powers due to his guardianship, despite his inability to utilize it. He's known for his monstrous strength, his temper, and his gullibility, which together form a terrible combination – for everyone.
The second species of import are the Kitsune, or multi-tailed foxes. This is not because of the race itself, despite their strange obsessive tendencies being important. Rather, it's because of a single member of this species – an orphan called, appropriately, Tails. A twelve-year old genius inventor, he is a golden two-tailed fox who can't stop trying to be the best. He has spent much time studying the Chaos Emeralds – in a poem created by a member of the Knuckles Empire, these gems are described as 'the servers' which the Master Emerald controls. There are seven of them – despite each having infinite power, together they are more powerful. That's infinity for you.
Finally, there are the hedgehogs. As far the civilized world knows, there are only three of them – and one of those is from a different world. One is a hero, one is a redeemed villain, and one is an ordinary citizen, forming a strange balance. As a race, they are the only creatures shown to truly be able to harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds. They also have the ability to run at tremendous speeds, and handle much more g-force than humans can.
The hero is called Sonic, and he is a blue hedgehog. Like most creature on the planet, he stands over three feet tall and under four, three foot three to be precise. He is sixteen, and has a lazy, yet driven personality. He is a creature of extremes – he either does nothing, or does his best. He wears tight blue running shorts and red and white running shoes, and never anything else. Trying to get him dressed up is a task worthy of heroism itself.
Sonic is the fastest creature on the planet, capable of moving past the speed of sound. For reference, jet pilots can't handle much more than a nine or ten g-force for sustained periods of time – to Sonic, such forces are nothing. He uses this speed to battle Dr. Robotnik, also known as Eggman. Eggman is the sole human in this world, and wishes to take this world over. His reason for this are unknown, but he and Sonic have clashed many times, and sometimes even helped each other. They both wish to protect this Earth, even if their motives are wildly different.
Shadow is a black and red hedgehog that resembles Sonic in shape but with an unknown age. He looks like he is sixteen, but in truth he is far older. He fights with Sonic regularly, and was once his nemesis. In a different world, ironically the one Eggman originally came from, Shadow was created by no other than Dr. Robotnik's grandfather, Gerald Robotnik. He and Sonic's meeting came when Eggman, along with Sonic and many of his allies, were accidentally transported to this different world by the power of a Chaos Emerald.
This other world resembles ours in many ways, much more than Sonic's world does. For one, only humans exist there, although the Chaos Emeralds exist there as well. Shadow was created as part of a genetics program to create the ultimate lifeform – and he was the success. Why he is a hedgehog is unknown. What is known is that he can manipulate the power of Chaos, which the Chaos Emeralds draw on, without the aid of an actual gem. He runs with the aid of rocket boots, can go as fast as Sonic can, and can handle speeds just as great.
The program was ended, however, and Gerald Robotnik, along with his granddaughter, Maria Robotnik, were executed for creating things beyond the scope of the program. Shadow, who was deeply attached to Maria, was left with one incomplete message from her before he was sealed away – 'The people of this planet... them.' Interpreting this to mean he was meant to take revenge, when Eggman woke him up, Shadow set in motion his plan to destroy the planet Earth.
At the last moment, he was stopped by the third hedgehog – Amy. Her actions reminded him of Maria's last words, and helped him remember her true message – 'The people of this planet... protect them!' And so, Shadow turned from an enemy to a ally cum rival, and helped Sonic stop the threat he himself had put into motion. After that event, Sonic and his friends found a way to return to their own world. Dr. Robotnik returned as well, having grown used to the world he had spent most of his life in, and Shadow went with them, not able to find his place in his home world.
Amy herself is the last of the three, and the most passive. A pink hedgehog, she is female – and thus, obsessed with her love of Sonic, which is mostly unreturned. Her spiny hair, unlike the other two hedgehogs', curls around her head and frames her face, except for a few strands that resist, shooting out of her forehead. Her traditional wear is a red dress with a white hem, combined with matching boots and white gloves. She is not as fast as her hero, but she is considerably faster than most other creatures. She is surprisingly strong, but doesn't use this strength except when she has to.
The relationship between these creatures is simple – they all have a connection to the power of Chaos, channeled through the Master and Chaos Emeralds. In addition, they are all long-time allies and friends, having worked together time after time. Tails grew up with Sonic, and he considers Sonic his older brother, as well as Amy his older sister. Knuckles, Shadow, and Sonic form a triad of rivalry, competing against each other to see who is the strongest. And Amy... Amy loves Sonic, and has tried for four long, long years to get his attention.
This story is about Amy, and the events that revolve around her as she walks the path she has chosen – the path that goes wherever Sonic has gone.
On this planet called Earth, there are three continents. The many species of this planet are spread among these continents, and a matching variety of terrain accompanies them. Exotic and homely landscapes are everywhere, if you know where to look: Simple grass plains, ancient, eternal, and unchanging. Submerged forests, their petrified depths holding ancient stonework that even the wisest of scholars cannot decipher. Quartz deserts, where every grain shines with a different color, and the sandstorms are so brilliant that sentients have been known to be struck blind simply by gazing into them.
These three continents that the sentients live on are known as Feyt, Morwin, and Haze; out of these three continents, only Feyt and Morwin are widely settled. Haze has remained a dangerous place for as long as most records have existed; its popular name is the 'Continent of the Dead', because no one ever returns once they have set foot on its shores.
Feyt and Morwin contain their own share of death and destruction, though. Feyt houses the Eggman Empire, property of the genius Dr. Robotnik and the staging platform for his plan to conquer the world, while Morwin is his next target. Dr. Robotnik, a genius of robotics driven by fierce desires and unlimited by morals, took over Feyt many years ago, and continues to scheme in order to take the rest.
In opposition to Eggman, Morwin contains a multitude of small governments, ranging from democracies and republics to monarchies and theocracies. The only reason these countries haven't been conquered by Dr. Robotnik is because of a single hero standing firm against the tyranny of The Doctor: Sonic the Hedgehog.
When he isn't traveling the world or fighting for justice, Sonic stays at his home in the Green Forest. A lush jungle, it contains so many dangerous life forms, both plant and animal, that the interior parts have been listed as off-limits to civilians. Sonic deliberately chose this area exactly for that reason; an international hero, his stalkers are so numerous that multiple brigades have been formed, and their infighting is the only thing giving Sonic peace.
While not actually inside the off-limit area, Sonic's house has still been declared as such. Elem, the country in which the Green Forest resides, is the closest to Feyt out of all the countries on Morwin; the Hof land bridge, which connects the two continents, is also within Elem territory, making the republic the primary site of conflict in the battle between Sonic and Eggman. As such, they hold the greatest debt to Sonic, and show it by granting all of his requests. Not even the government invades his privacy, as only his closest friends and allies are given clearance to set foot on his property.
For something so secret and mysterious, it often surprises those who get to see it. It's more of a hut than a house, as Sonic asked for nothing more than a single room. Nevertheless, it is well built; with white plaster-composite walls and a red metal tile roof, it was neither atrocious nor attractive. Amy stared at it apprehensively, wondering if she shared the same curse.
Amy was wearing her usual dress today; she had found that Sonic reacted negatively to changes in appearance, probably due to his aversion to formal wear. She had approached at a speed neither too slow nor too fast – in Sonic's eyes, one was viewed as an enemy, and the other a rabid fan, and so both were instinctively avoided. Amy knew a lot about how Sonic worked, although none that information had been volunteered. Only through observation and experimentation had Amy found the careful balance that was required to both get his interest and avoid spooking him.
Or so she hoped. Over the past four long years, Amy had tried many things. Her successes had been rare and uneventful; the few dates she has managed to get Sonic to agree to had never amounted to anything more than a bit of time spent together, but Amy persevered. She had followed Sonic everywhere, even onto the battlefield; she was determined to make him look at her no matter what. Amy's optimistic attitude had outlasted almost all of the petty fan girls that had tried to fulfill their own desires with Sonic, and even when she was trapped in a different world with Sonic, she had continued her pursuit.
She had come to Sonic's house, once again, to try and obtain a date with him. Today, she had a fairly good plan; a group of penguins, exiled from their isolationist homeland for being outspoken against their government, had opened an ice cream shop in Anse, the capital of Elem. Although the penguins had set it up primarily to act as a center of anti-isolationist activity, penguin ice cream was really, really good, and Sonic loved it. He had frequented their country before the isolationists took control, and still kept an ear out for smuggled goods. The chance to both get some penguin ice cream AND get involved in the penguin freedom movement would be irresistible to Sonic, and Amy aimed to capitalize!
But, it was unlikely he was at home. Sonic was never around when she called, especially recently. She'd barely seen the hero for over a month, and was getting tired of it. But it wasn't the first time he'd disappeared; Sonic had been gone before, and as she had waited for him to return then, she would continue to wait now.
But that didn't mean she would be passive about it, oh no! She wanted to be ready the instant Sonic got back, so she visited the hero's house everyday. This day, as she walked up to the entrance, she noticed Sonic had put in a new door – proof that he had recently been here! It swiveled on its hinges, and had neither a door knob nor a lock – a huge security risk if she had ever seen one. Amy assumed he had replaced his old door because he had gotten tired of coming to a full stop to get into his house; if Amy ran like he did, she sure would have by now.
Well, I doubt he has anything worth stealing anyway. He lets Tails hold onto anything of value to him, so he probably just has a bunch of old appliances in there.
Amy hesitantly knocked on the door, which waved back and forth at the gentle pressure. She wasn't really surprised when no one answered, but her heart dropped in her chest anyway.
I shouldn't have hoped for things to be so easy in the first place.
She began to turn around – and then stopped. Something about her situation reminded Amy of a discussion she had had with Rouge the other day. A discussion that had been both aggravating and enlightening...
A thief turned mercenary, Rouge was a flirtatiously-dressed twenty year-old bat with a love for valuable objects, especially gems. She, too, had been transported to the alternate world, and there had started her career as a government spy. She had found that, if she requested her pay to be in expensive jewels, her desire for gems could be satisfied in a 'legal' manner. This didn't quench her thirst as a thief, though; she still regularly stole things, although she didn't advertise her thefts like she had before. Nowadays she spent most of her effort trying to steal the Master Emerald from Knuckles the Echidna. Although the two clashed fiercely, Amy had a feeling that neither was putting their all into their conflicts. Why that was so Amy didn't know for sure, but she suspected the two had a thing for each other.
In any case, ever since they had returned from the alternate world a year ago, a friendship of sorts had sparked between her and Amy. They had been discreetly having meetings, where they talked about a variety of things. Rogue enjoyed the opportunity to brag and show off her knowledge, and Amy learned as much as she could from the older woman. The latest meeting had been almost a week ago.
They had been eating at some cafe across the street from the Anse Historical Museum – Rouge was probably targeting the place, but since Rouge always kept the details of her plans to herself, Amy couldn't say anything even if she wanted to. Beside, she liked talking with the older woman. Rogue knew a little bit about everything, a lot about art, and always spoke her mind. It was refreshing.
Like always, they had ordered some sort of dish to snack on, and began by talking about Rouge's favorite subject – art. Although Amy wasn't really knowledgeable about the subject, Rouge didn't seem to mind her ignorance. The bat had told Amy to ask questions whenever she felt like it, and never got annoyed by Amy's ignorance.
For about half an hour, Rouge had discussed why the 'Summer Hour' Jewels were so famous. The royal treasure of some island kingdom that had recently died out due to some sort of unidentified plague, the jewel set was composed of the rarest gems to be found in the world. There were twelve of them, with the most impressive being the Aurora Sapphire. A gem that changed colors regularly, it was one of a kind. Considering the way Rouge's eyes sparkled when she talked, it was pretty obvious that she wanted to steal it. Amy pretended not to notice; instead, she asked Rouge what she did with her spoils. Did she have some sort of massive collection somewhere? If she did, Amy wanted to see it! Unfortunately, Rouge had just smiled and winked, saying 'some things are better left in the imagination'. What that meant, Amy had no idea.
It was when Rouge stopped talking about the gems and began discussing why they should only belong to Rouge herself (something that was almost always the same, no matter the object in question) that Amy decided it was her time to talk. Listening to Rouge was interesting enough, but these meetings weren't for Rouge's benefit alone.
"You know," Amy began, smoothly interrupting Rouge's rant, "I haven't seen Sonic lately. Do you know where he could be?"
Rouge smiled. "Ah, has he gone off again? It's to be expected with a guy like that. Emphasis on 'guy'." She sat back, obviously aware that Amy needed her time to talk.
"Yeah," Amy exclaimed, "Why do guys always have to be so insensitive! You'd think a hero would be nicer, you know? Why does he always run away? Doesn't he realize how hurtful that is? I spend so much time trying to do nice things for him, and he repays me by hiding! What kind of hero does that?"
"Heroes," Rouge said, her voice holding a soft edge of anger that sounded almost like contempt, "are remarkably two-dimensional figures. Really, people just appear to be heroes on the outside. On the inside, everyone's the same. Everyone's got their dirty little secrets and their flaws. Sometimes, it's those flaws that make people seem like heroes."
"Wait a second," Amy said, not pleased with what Rouge was insinuating, "Sonic doesn't just 'seem' like a hero. He is a hero! He keeps saving people, over and over, and he never asks for anything in return!"
Rouge blinked, surprised that she had stepped over a line, but didn't back down. "Really? To me, it just seems like he's taking advantage of the fact that his actions save lives. Do you think Sonic fights Dr. Eggman to stop people from getting hurt? Isn't it just because the doctor keeps trying to defeat him, and Sonic would never back down from a challenge?"
"No!" Amy almost shouted, the volume of her voice attracting the attention of the other patrons. "You don't understand! Sonic's always fighting, always battling Eggman! If Sonic always rises to Eggman's challenges, it's because he knows the lengths to which Eggman will go to win; I've been bait too many times not to understand that! He barely asks for anything as a reward, and he never takes advantage of his fame. He lives like a hermit, and you dare to say that he fights for some sort of material gain?"
Rouge remained calm; if anything, she had a saddened expression on her face. "It is true, that he doesn't ask for anything material, but that's not what he wants. He fights because he loves to fight, and his sense of morality is appeased by choosing Dr. Eggman as his target, but if the doctor wasn't here, he'd be fighting Knuckles and Shadow every chance he got – no matter who got hurt in the process."
"What do you know, you, you, you harlot!" Amy screamed, her face turning red with anger and her sense flying out the window as she stood up, the screech her chair made against the stone floor causing everyone else to fall into silence. "I don't know why I talk to you; the way you just take what you want has obviously left you with a stilted look on life! What do you know of other people, much less heroes like Sonic? You know nothing about him, nothing compared to what I know about him!"
Rouge glowered at the pink hedgehog. "I suggest you calm down, little girl, before this escalates into something too big for you to handle. How about we just get off the topic of Sonic and speak of something more neutral?"
Amy stood, her anger quickly turning to shame, before sitting back down. Scooting her chair forward as quietly as possible, Amy was very, very conscious of how all the other patrons were now discussing her.
"Well, um, maybe what I said isn't all true, but Sonic is a hero. He just happens to be a missing one that is annoying me at the moment."
Rouge decided to let Amy's defensive comments slide. "As hurtful as it may be to think of this, maybe he's purposely avoiding you. He runs away a lot of the time, so why wouldn't that extend to his home?"
"Yeah. Maybe you're right." Amy turned all her frustration and embarrassment towards her hero as she said, "Yeah! He's probably just avoiding me! I can't let him do that!"
"Have you tried waiting inside his house?"
The rest of the discussion had pretty much been Amy complaining about how Sonic acted, and Rouge giving suggestions, ranging from shouting his name from the rooftops to seducing him – unfortunately, pretty much everything had already been attempted by the crazy fan girls that stalked Sonic, especially the seduction. They had even kidnapped Tails once, and held him ransom for a date. It was unlikely he would be caught in the same trap twice.
But as Amy thought about Rouge's first suggestion, she realized that not only had she never tried to wait inside his house, she had never even been in Sonic's house. She had always respected his privacy, but now the frustration of his month-long absence, combined with the desperation of four long, trying years, drove her to consider breaking into the place. She wouldn't even need to apply the basics of burglary she had asked Rouge to teach her on a whim; his door was unlocked and unguarded, right in front of her!
"It's your fault for installing the thing. It's just asking to be opened!" Amy said out loud, trying to summon up her courage. She gently opened the door, half expecting Sonic to jump out of nowhere and scold her. When no one appeared, she took a step over the threshold, letting the door swing closed behind her.
I was right. There isn't anything here to steal.
Amy looked around the room, surprised despite herself. As big as her living room, it was a square chamber with an alcove in the back containing a simple, yet functional bed. Otherwise, it was almost completely empty. There wasn't even a kitchen or a fridge; apparently, when Sonic said 'I don't cook', he meant he never even tried it. Other than the bed, there were two objects in the house; a small book case, and a portable holographic media center. The media center wasn't even plugged in; it was probably an experimental model that Tails had given him long ago.
Everything was covered in dust. It was clear what Sonic regularly used: the bed, the door, and the floor between the two were the only objects that didn't have a heavy coating. The bookcase had a couple of albums and one very battered book titled Terrain: The Wondrous Landscapes of the World, but was otherwise empty. There wasn't a scrap of color or care to be found; the paint had peeled off the walls and the varnish had disappeared long ago. A variety of mosses had attached themselves to the walls, and the remains of more dangerous plant life could be seen in the corners, where Sonic hadn't bothered to clean them up after killing and sweeping them there.
As Amy stared in awe at how much of a hermit from the rest of the world Sonic was, her eyes settled on the unlabeled albums. She started to wonder what could be so important that Sonic would keep pictures of it when he didn't even have a kitchen. Carefully picking out the least worn looking one, she opened it to find it full of old snapshots.
The pictures were of Sonic and Tails at a much younger age. Tails looked like he was barely out of kindergarten, and Sonic, while he still had his characteristic stance, grin, and spiky hair, was really short and had, of all things, a pot belly. A metal cage behind them had a pair of what looked like primitive robots going at each other with gusto, and there were a few pictures of Sonic holding a controller and Tails rooting him on.
Amy, surprised to find herself looking at a bit of Sonic's secret past, turned the pages only after taking in all the details. She had always tried to learn as much as possible about Sonic, but he was pretty much a closed book. Any questions directed towards Sonic had been brushed off with "Why worry about the past?" or a similar line, and the government had quietly erased all records of him; another favor for the hero. Amy hadn't been offended; Sonic had a right to privacy, and his fans were numerous and without scruples, but it had made her very curious.
As she flipped through the album, Sonic and Tails got older as the pictures went on. Tails' robots got more complex, quickly outstripping the competition. The trophies that they held got more elaborate, gaining a variety of pledges that said things like '5th consecutive annual win', and 'quickest match in the history of Bot Battling'. Finally, the last pages were taken up with fantastic diagrams of unfinished prototypes that even Amy's relatively untrained eye could see would classify as military-grade weapons.
The book was full, and the last page wasn't a picture or a plan, but a proclamation. It was titled 'The BroBot Battling Manifesto', and it was hand written.
The BroBot Battling Manifesto
The BroBot Battling Association is an international robot battling group dedicated to
the kinship robot developers, robot pilots, and robots themselves share. It is a place
for free and fair battle to take place. Any sentient is allowed to join the BroBot Battling
Association, biological or not. Artificial Intelligences are allowed enter in any role they wish,
but biological sentients are limited to being a developer or a pilot; the BroBot Battling
Association is not for brawling. Victory goes to the better robot!
There are several grades of robot tournaments, ranging from Grade E to Grade S.
Competitors may enter in Rank E and D as they wish, but getting the competing robot
ranked is required before entering into Grade C or above. This applies to AIs entering themselves
as battling robots as well. In addition, a robot will be rejected if it is judged too powerful for the competition in question.
The following is a breakdown of the Grades:
Grade E
Robots in this grade are limited to having a volume under half a cubic meter and a mass less
than 25 kilograms.(here there was a marking on the side, saying, 'Needs to be more exact') Weapons
are limited to ones employing kinetic force through melee, such as hammers, saws, blades,
and spikes. Tactics may be used as wished
Grade D
Robots in this grade are limited to having a volume under 2 cubic meters and a mass less
than 500 kilograms. (Again, 'Needs to be more exact') Weapons are limited to anything usable
in Grade E, as well as explosives and projectile weapons. Tactics are limited to directly damaging
the opponent; while damage that disables the opponent is viable, using tactics such as electric
shock or anti-gravity are not allowed.
Grade C
Robots are no longer limited in size, weight, weapons, or tactics. Any weapon/tactic that
endangers the audience is unacceptable. A robot must be ranked to compete in a Grade C
competition, as Grade C and above robots are graded on their lethality and the technology used
in their production. Grade C consists of robots that could be feasibly used in a military assignment.
Grade B
Grade B follows the same rules as Grade C. Grade B consists of robots that would be considered
dangerous and possibly illegal for civilians to own by most governments, and waivers must be signed in order to compete in Grade B and above.
Grade A
Grade A follows the same rules as Grade B. Grade A consists of robots that are above and beyond
military grade robots, usually due to cost of production. As battles of this caliber are not held with audiences, but rather viewed via cameras, tactics and weapons can be more lethal. Weapons or
tactics that deal lasting damage to the environment are still not allowed.
Grade S
Grade S is only accessible through invitation. There are no rules in Grade S. Any robot, using
any weapon or tactic, may be entered. Battles take place in whatever place is necessary to contain
the damage; if necessary, battle may take place in space stations set up specifically for this
purpose. Signing additional waivers is required to compete in Grade S.
Using these rules, the BroBot Battling Association hopes to encourage not only competitiveness
in robot battling of all levels, but scientific development and technological advancements as well.
It is the sincere hope of the founders of the BroBot Battling Association that the Association is
used in a friendly matter, and the BroBot Battling Association founders will go to any length to
prevent the BroBot Battling Association from ever being used under different pretenses.
Amy put down the album, and thought about what she had just read. It seemed to be plans for some sort of robot battling society – very ambitious plans that required the support of the global community. Plans like this would impossible to bring to completion as long as Eggman continued to try to take over the world. As she reflected on what this meant, she heard a slight sound coming from outside. To her horror, she recognized it as the fast paced thrumming that Sonic's feet made as he ran, and before she could think of what to do, Sonic, skidding to a stop, burst through the door. Amy was left speechless as he caught her, red-handed, prying into his life.
For a brief instant Sonic looked surprised, but then he realized what Amy was doing. An annoyed look crossed over his face, but Amy could tell from the tense way that he stood that Sonic was far more than annoyed with her; he was angry. Really angry.
"Amy. What are you doing in my house? I didn't invite you in here." Sonic stared at her, knowing exactly what she had been doing, but wanting to see what she would say.
Amy knew that lying would make it worse. Still, the urge to come up with an excuse consumed her, and it was only by fiercely clenching her jaws shut that she was able to avoid saying, 'I was just cleaning,' or some similarly vapid comment. Of course, this led her to being unable to say a word; Sonic seemed to understand, and began speaking as if she had admitted to her guilt.
"Amy, I knew that you were determined, but I never thought you would stoop this low."
Determined?Determined? I've been chasing after you for four years, and that's all you've got to say? Her temper flared, and she put the album back on the bookshelf before turning back to Sonic.
"Right now, you're acting no different from the flock of harpies that usually harass me."
How dare you! I've been in love with you for four years, and you compare me to those asses? I am above those witches in every way possible! Amy was no longer thinking of how she had been caught; Sonic's hurtful words were over shadowing everything.
Seeing Amy's anger grow, Sonic responded in kind, and his face grew even angrier. "I don't know what you were thinking when you tried this, but this childish crush you have on me has gone too far."
Childish... crush?
In an instant, Amy was empty of emotion. The shock of what Sonic had just said, the pure stupidity of his words, pierced her like a lightning bolt. She was blown to bits, and she whirled in a soundless tornado. She could see Sonic speaking, but his words didn't reach her. She was empty, nothing at all.
And then Amy returned to herself, but was still incapable of moving. Half of Amy's being wanted to kill Sonic, but the other half wanted to run away crying, the disparity between the two paralyzing her. Sonic's words still came, but she couldn't understand them.
Finally, she became a whole creature again, if her fractured soul could be called whole. Hate and sorrow had combined into an instinctual need to strike back, and finally Amy spoke, interrupting Sonic mid-sentence.
"How dare you say things like that to me! How dare you lecture me on what's right and wrong! I have been in love with you for four years, four long, lonely years, and you call that a crush? You're angry that I've invaded your privacy, when for four year you haven't told me a single thing about your past? You compare me to fan girls, fan girls that have gone so far as to kidnap Tails and force you to rescue him, when the most I've done is chase after you, asking for little more than an answer to my questions? How dare you pretend that you hold the moral high ground, when you haven't done a single thing that I've asked!"
Sonic stood in shock for a moment, but then he, too, grew furious.
"Haven't done anything for you? What are you talking about? I've rescued you countless times, and most of those have been because you got yourself caught while chasing after me in places you shouldn't be! You've been in love with me for four years? Hah! Your 'love' is nothing but a selfish desire! You've chased after me, never respecting my wishes, trying to pry dates out of me whenever you could. You've used every bit of leverage you could to get what you wanted, and discarded all that didn't help you reach your goal. Nothing is sacred to you, and you dare to lecture me on morality?" Sonic looked like he wanted to spit, as if speaking of what Amy had done dirtied his mouth.
His words further scarred her heart, but Amy couldn't stop moving forward. It just wasn't possible to prevent words from coming out any more."What is this? How could you possibly be so dense? You say I use every bit of leverage I can get, and this is true. But why do I have to use such leverage? How come, despite your claim that nothing is holy to me, I have gone on a total of five dates with you over the last four years? If I'm so immoral, how come I haven't had more success? It's because the fault lies with you! You've been treading on my feelings for so long now that I've gotten used to it!"
Sonic tensed up even further than he had been before; although Amy had never known Sonic to ever hurt anyone, he looked ready to strike her. Amy would have preferred that, really; it would hurt far, far less.
"Oh, so I'm the bad guy, huh? I'm the one who should apologize, I suppose. It's irrelevant that I've been cleaning up your mistakes for as long as I've known you. It doesn't matter that I've tried my damnedest to avoid hurting your feelings. It doesn't matter that you broke into my home! For the record, you are the only person who I'veever gone on a single date with, but if I was to guess, I'd say you've got to be the most boring person one could date!"
Amy had been mistaken; Sonic's words weren't comparable with the pain of a slap. She would have been preferred to have been shot, or stabbed, or beaten, or anything, really. But Amy did not stop speaking; like a boar, mortally wounded, all she could do was thrash as much as she could before she died.
"You are the most horrible person ever! I can't believe you would say things like that! How could you ignore me for all these years and expect me not to be hurt? Did you think that ignoring my feelings would make them go away? Every single one of my actions for the past four years has been related to you. I trained myself so that I could follow you everywhere. I hounded Tails until he told me all that he knew about you. I spent days at a time in libraries, researching exotic places that I thought you would like. I spent time with Cream and Rouge to salve the pain from your rejection of my feelings. I've been regularly taking sedatives at night for the past year because my nightmares have gotten so bad that I couldn't sleep. I've shattered fan clubs that got too bold, and even went so far as to start a 'Protect Sonic' society in order to foster dissension between them. My existence has been dedicated to yours. How could you hurt me so badly?"
Amy's eyes were so clouded by tears that she could barely see, and it seemed that Sonic was surprised by what she had said. But then a different expression came onto his face, one that she couldn't recognize through the watery curtain of sadness the obscured her sight.
"Amy," Sonic began, his voice both soft and steely, "That's exactly what I'm talking about. Doing all those things for me is nice, but I don't need you to take care of me. I know that you're strong, and the fact that you continually refuse to use that strength for the benefit of anyone other than me or yourself makes me, to be frank, sick.
"I've been fighting Eggman for a long time. You looked in that album: the robot fighting association mentioned in the back? That's what Tails and I originally decided was going to be our prize if we stopped Eggman. We were naïve back then, as naïve as you are now. Fighting because we wanted something so mundane; it led to a lot of innocent deaths. We didn't put our all into our battles, and people died before we realized that fighting for a prize would never be enough, that we had to fight simply because we could. A hundred and seven people, to be exact. Tails memorized the names of those people; I just think of how my stupidity caused a young kid like him to burden himself with something like that, and that's plenty of motivation for me.
"That's why I hate you sometimes, Amy. You're strong, strong enough to save lives, and yet you don't use that strength. Like Tails and I, you've let innocent people die because you did nothing. Unlike Tails and I, though, you seem like you couldn't care less about those deaths."
Amy's tears had, in an inverse reaction, slowed. Sonic's words were shocking and terrifying; Amy had retreated back into herself, and her emotions had become less and less apparent. Instead of the flood that it had been before, her tears had become condensed; inside each one was the shattered remains of a dream that had kept Amy going through all these years. Long trips in exotic places, heartfelt meals eaten by a thankful recipient, and even simply spending time together; all of these drifted down Amy's face, crumbling into pieces in their watery graves.
Sonic continued, oblivious. "I'm not really good at understanding how people think, but I'm guessing you do nothing because you think, 'I'm not a hero', or something, right? You don't even worry about it, do you? You're so entranced by your affection for me that you can't think of anything else, can you? Your worries don't expand beyond what you personally desire, and that's why I see you as immoral.
"I know that your actions would be considered as good-natured by most people. But I can't view you that way, because you have so much more potential. Maybe your feelings go beyond a crush, and maybe it's wrong to judge you by your potential, and not by what you do. That doesn't really matter. I've thought about this a lot, and even if I was wrong, I can't change. The danger Eggman poses is too great for me to doubt myself. Lives are on the line, and if I didn't give my absolute all, then more people will die. Whether you listen to me, whether you change or not, is up to you. But unless you, too, give your absolute all, I have no desire to see your face ever again."
Sonic opened the door, his emotions tamed by the pain he saw in Amy's face. With a look that held both pity and disgust, Sonic said, "Get out of my house."
Amy walked out, her limbs jerking like an automaton. Her mind was unable to focus, and movement seemed difficult, but she couldn't be in the same place as Sonic anymore. She made her way outside, and, consumed with the need to escape, began to run back to Anse.
Amy stared into the mug she was holding. It took her a moment to remember where she was and what she was doing – drinking out her sorrows at a bar in the slums of Anse. When she had busted her way in, breaking a table and several bouncers in her blind fury and need, the first drink the bartender had given her had messed with her mind, making the shadows come alive and the other patrons look like monsters. She had shook it off, though, and after an hour or so of drinking bottled beer (she no longer trusted the bartender to serve her) the effects had disappeared, and Amy had continued to drink until everything else did as well.
She downed her beverage, not even tasting it. It was strong, though; the bartender had promised her that much. As she rested her elbows on the bar and distracted herself with the way the grain twisted and turned, fury and sorrow alternatively overwhelmed her mind. The events leading to her presence at the bar were obscured in her memory, but then, that just meant she was succeeding, didn't it?
A sound penetrated her internal struggle. She looked to her right, and saw a large crocodile with a lecherous grin staring back. The thug's face, and Amy could see by the way he looked at her that he was most definitively a thug, was covered with scars. He was even missing an eye. Amy's mind slowly wound itself around this information, and concluded that she could care less. She turned back to her drink, and found it was empty.
Before she could call to the bartender to give her another bottle, the croc leaned close and put a hand on her shoulder. His breath stunk; it was doubtful that he ever brushed.Does he eat carrion, or something?
"Hey, I can see that you want to forget. How about you come with me? I'm sure I can... distract you from your problems." The grin on the croc's face widened, and his teeth were clearly in view now. A couple were rotting.
"Fu, fuck off, gator," Amy managed to say, "Your breath stinks."
Her words seemed to encourage him, if anything. "Don't be that way, girly. You won't regret it, I promise." His hand drifted down Amy's body and began to approach her chest; Amy angrily slapped his hand away.
"Now, now," the thug said with a strained smile, "there's no call to be violent. Just come with me, and this will all go smoothly."
"Not interested."
"Well, that's not really any of my concern." The croc's smile grew stronger, but he was no longer friendly. "The owner wants you out of here, and you're leaving with me regardless of your interest."
Amy glared at him, clenching her fist. "I told you to fuck off, you, you slimy bastard!"
The croc was less than pleased with the racial slur. "Alright, girly, that's enough. You're coming with me, and you're coming now. I'm going to have some fun with you. If you're pleasant, this'll be easy. If not, well... Let's just say, no heroes are going to save you now."
It was possibly the worst thing he could have said.
Tails was flying above the city, using his tails to hover like a helicopter, and carrying the smoking remains of his prototype EMP robot when he heard the feral scream. He dropped his robot and squeaked in terror, looking around for the assailant. When he realized it came from below, he became less tense, but winced at the crashing sound his robot made as it hit the ground.
Tails, like Dr. Robotnik, was a genius in the field of robotics, and a generally skilled scientist in most other fields as well. His inexperience was made up for by his brilliance and his ability to quickly grasp any subject, but in the contest between him and Eggman, the victor was undecided. The difference in their talents was quite obvious, though; where Eggman came up with marvelous alloys and systems that he mass produced to create powerful armies, Tails focused on single inventions that even the Doctor had trouble besting.
The robot he had just dropped was one such invention. Designed to emit a powerful electromagnetic pulse, it was his latest effort in the war against Eggman. Tails had been preoccupied with his own troubles lately, fighting on a different front than Sonic, but he had long been thinking of a way to bypass the EMP protection Eggman built into his robots.
The prototype was far too valuable to just leave in the streets where it had dropped. It might have hurt someone, anyway. Tails made his way closer to the ground, fearful of the voice he had heard. The part of town he was in was known to be violent and full of criminal activity, so he wasn't exactly surprised. Unfortunately, no matter how much he wanted to go out and protect the unfortunate victim who was probably getting killed by the owner of that voice, he had other jobs to do. If he tried to protect every person who got hurt, he'd never be able to accomplish anything significant. He had to think big, or even the small would escape him.
Unable to see his robot from the air at this time of night, Tails landed in the streets, turning on his shock belt and charging up his extra-strength tazer. The belt would prevent any conventional weapon from touching him, and the weapon would prevent the attacker from getting a second chance; he was fairly safe.
Holding the tracking device that would lead him to his wrecked robot in his other hand, Tails proceeded on his way. Walking down the grimy streets, he thought about putting pressure on the government to clean this place up. They would probably try, but it wouldn't amount to much of a change; they were in the middle of a war, after all, and there were barely any police in the first place.
He turned the corner, and was confronted with a brawl. He gripped his weapon tightly as he examined the conflict, and saw his machine out of the corner of his eye. As he looked, it became clear that it was less of a brawl and more a beating. In a strange twist of fate, the victim was a viscous looking crocodile, while the aggressor was a pink-
"Amy!" Tails yelled out, shocked at what was happening in front of his eyes. "What are you doing?" He rushed over, still holding onto his tazer.
"Huh? Tails? Wh, what're you doing here? Shouldn't you be in in your lab, saving the world, or something?" Amy let go of the crocodile, who was barely conscious at this point, and turned to her friend. "Let me guess; you want to tell me how what I'm doing is soooo wrong, right? Wrong! I'm right! Hah!" Amy began to laugh, holding her belly and falling to her knees.
Tails could clearly see something was wrong. First, Amy was drunk. He hadn't seen that one coming. As far as he knew, Amy was a straight-shooter, and hadn't ever touched alcohol before. Her laughter was forced, as well, as if her humor was just a mask in front of her other feelings. Something was most definitely wrong with Amy, and Tails wasn't about to just leave her in the streets. He started to walk toward her, slowly – hedgehogs never saw slow objects as much of a threat.
"Amy, why don't you come with me. You can tell me all about what's wrong. That'll make you feel better, right?"
Amy stopped laughing, and stared at Tails in shock and confusion. "How'd you know something was wrong? I didn't know anything was wrong until you said it! Now that I think about, about it, I didn't want to know that something was wrong. Why don't you just mind your own business!" Her tone was almost threatening, but rather than move towards Tails, Amy seemed to withdraw into herself.
"Amy, I'm your friend, I would never hurt you. You can tell me what's wrong, and I'll help you, I promise." Tails kept his voice level and his posture open as he walked closer, while examining the street around them. Considering the noise Amy had been making, he was surprised there wasn't a crowd, despite it being only 2 o'clock in the morning. But then, this wasn't a normal neighborhood – it was the slums of Anse, and people here didn't get into trouble they could avoid.
"Friends hurt me all the time! None of you ever understand how I think! I'm always so... so alone..." Amy almost instantaneously switched from anger to sadness, and tears began to fall down her cheeks.
"Amy, If you tell me how you think, then I'll know, and you won't be alone. So why don't you come with me and we can have a nice, long talk about anything you want." Deciding that there weren't any threats in the immediate area, Tails shut off his shock belt and his tazer. He put his hand on her shoulder, but she flinched and withdrew. Tails almost did the same at such an adverse reaction to his touch, but instead knelt down to give her the strongest hug he could muster.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Amy hugged Tails back – hard. He suddenly found it hard to breath, and had to use one hand to loosen her death grip, but Amy didn't seem to notice. She sniffled as she shoved her head into his shoulder, and began to haltingly speak.
"I'm... I'm always trying so, so hard to be with Sonic, and he never, ever returns my feelings. I work so hard, trying to make his life easier, and he never acknowledges my efforts. All he ever does is run away!"
Tails sighed. Instead of the horrible string of possible events that had been going through his head, the problem had turned out to be a quarrel with Sonic. Not that it was any normal quarrel, of course; he's never seen Amy so badly hurt before. But when it came to troubles with Sonic, Tails knew the hedgehog better than anybody else.
Amy continued to speak. "He runs, and runs, and I wanted him to stop and speak to me, but I was wrong. So wrong! It was so much better when he was running and I was chasing!"
Tails perked his ears at this. Had Sonic finally given an answer to Amy, and rejected her? He could see why she would be hurt so badly, especially since Sonic could be shockingly insensitive.
"Amy," Tails said as he continued to hug the pink girl, "Tell me what happened. I'll listen, and I promise, I promise no matter what, I won't judge you."
Amy continued to sniffle and grind her face into Tails' shoulder, but she began to hesitantly speak, in a voice tinged with pain and guilt. "I went to Sonic's house today, like always. When he wasn't there, I decided to go inside, because I'd never been in there, you see. Since there was nothing there, I was really curious about the stuff that, that was there. So I picked one of the albums up, and it had pictures of you and Sonic in some sort of robot fighting contest."
So he was still keeping that blasted thing. I told him to burn it! Tails was getting a little angry himself. He has no right to lecture me on how I remember those people when he's wallowing in his own way! But he focused, and realized what had happened.
"He walked in on you, got angry, and said something he shouldn't have said, right?"
"N, No!" Amy said, her voice tight with desperation, "He said things, things that hurt me, but Sonic was right! I'm a horrible person! I'm so selfish, and he's right to hate me!"
Tails hugged her all the tighter. "Amy, you're not a selfish person. Sonic doesn't think that, and I know he doesn't hate you. Just wait till tomorrow, and we talk about this with him, and smooth it all out."
To his surprise, Tails' words seemed to inflame Amy's pain, rather than sooth it. "No, no, no! You don't understand! He said that he hated me, hated me because I never fought! He said I only fought selfishly, only thought about myself or my love for him, and never about other people! He told me about the, the, the hundred people, and how you memorized their names! He said he'd been thinking about it a lot, and that I was like you guys back then, but worse, because I didn't care! He said I didn't care, and he was right! I've never tried to be a hero, and Sonic hates me for it, he said he hates me! And he said he never wants to see me again, unless I dedicate myself like he does! He said he never wants to see me again!" And with this final statement, Amy began to sob, and cry a torrent of tears that stained Tails' fur, Amy's fur, and both of their clothes. It dripped on the streets and mixed with the grime, making a murky puddle. Amy cried and cried, unable to hold the pain in any more.
Tails was shocked, himself. He had had no idea that Sonic was harboring such resentment, had no idea he disliked Amy so much. If Sonic really did say all those things... then this wasn't something simple anymore. While Amy was certainly hurt, hurt so badly that if he didn't carefully handle her she'd shatter, Sonic was a problem too. Even if he had been telling the truth, especially if he had been telling the truth, hurting Amy like that would most definitely spring back and hurt Sonic as well. He hated hurting other people, even Eggman, and knowing that he had caused such pain to Amy would drive him wild. And when Sonic was wild with pain... he disappeared.
Tails looked down to the sobbing wreck in his arms. He loved Amy, loved her as the older sister she was to him, and felt a flame of anger towards Sonic for saying such things. He didn't agree with Sonic on this one, and if the hedgehog actually stayed around, Tails wasn't sure he could prevent himself from slugging him. But there were priorities. He had to perform damage control, and prevent this situation from getting any worse.
He opened his mouth to say something to Amy, but found she had already cried herself to sleep. He flew her up to a roof top, and then retrieved his robot. He pulled out his control panel, and called for a silent transport copter to come pick him up. He was already formulating plans to help Amy recover from this, but he knew he would have to use drastic methods to prevent her from sinking into a nigh-permanent depression.
But if I can make Amy feel better, I'm willing to do anything. Even if she hates me for it.
