Chapter 1: A Fight into another Dimension

"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN WELCOME TO THE NATIONAL MOBIUS GRAND FIGHTER TOURNAMENT!" the announcer boomed into his microphone from the commentator's box. "IT'S BEEN A HARD WEEK FOR THE COMPETITORS BUT HERE WE ARE FOR THE FINAL MATCH! FIGHTING FOR THE BLUE TEAM, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!" Sonic waved arrogantly to his fans and friends. "AND FOR THE RED TEAM, WE HAVE SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG!" Shadow stood in the opposite corner of the arena. He gave a small wave to his friends and then concentrated on Sonic. "OK BOYS! LET'S HAVE A NICE CLEAN MATCH TODAY! GOOD LUCK! 3… 2… 1… FIGHT!" A small bell rang and the match instantly began. Both fighters burst into a wild run at each other. Sonic landed the first blow, a strong punch, to Shadow's face.

"Gah…" Shadow quickly recovered before panning around Sonic and attempting a sweep kick to knock Sonic off balance. Unfortunately for him it did not work.

"Come on Shadow!" Sonic snickered. "Is that all you got?"

"Oh please, you know you can't match my strength." Shadow argued before throwing a punch, this time connecting with Sonic's stomach and sending him back a few paces.

"Ha, I have to admit. That was pretty good." Sonic laughed, shaking off the blow. "Let's see you try to avoid this." Sonic jumped in the air before launching a summersault kick at Shadow, dodging it with a back flip.

"There, I did!" Shadow mocked.

"Shut it!"
"Make me!" Shadow tried a roundhouse kick, which Sonic countered slamming him into the tiled arena flooring.

"IT LOOKS LIKE SPARKS ARE LITERALLY FLYING DOWN THERE IN THE ARENA! NEITHER COMPETITOR IS LETTING UP AND IT LOOKS LIKE A PRETTY NECK AND NECK BATTLE HERE!" The announcer continued, the crowd still cheering and both fighters' friends calling out to them.

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In the audience, Sonic's friends eagerly discussed the ongoing match. "Hey Tails, you're good at math, who's the stronger one of the two?" Knuckles turned to Tails.

"Well let's see…" he paused. "Well let's see, Shadow has artificially created statistics, strength, speed and agility etcetera, whereas Sonic possesses naturally built up levels." Tails explained.

"Yes and what does that mean?" Knuckles butted in. "Which is stronger?"

"Well let's see. Comparing stats, Sonic's got a higher speed level, fractionally. However, Shadow rises above Sonic in terms of strength but agility wise they're pretty much equal." Tails finished.

"Well I suppose we'll have to see if it's THAT equally matched.

"Oh Knuckles. Sonic's bound to win. And he's going to do it for me!" Amy began shouting. "SONIC YOU CAN DO IT!" She started repeating over and over again.

Tails turned to his right to Cream and Cheese. "Hey you two, how you doing?"

"We're fine." Cream shyly said.

"Chao!" Cheese agreed.

"I mean, the fighting's a bit scary, but because we're here in the audience. It isn't so bad."

"Yeah. And besides, Sonic's going to win and we're all gonna share the victory money."

"That's great." Cream began to get a bit more excited.

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The battle raged on down in the arena. Shadow grappled Sonic to the floor and pummelled him with a quick flurry of blows before being launched into the air and slammed back to the floor with a head butt. Shadow landed sending shattered tiles to and fro, creating a minute crater in the floor. "God damn it!" Shadow stood up and prepared his fists again. "Come on Sonic." He jumped at Sonic throwing a powered up punch.

"Woah!" Sonic span knocking Shadow's fist aside and then driving him into the ground again. "How do you like that?"

"Not as much as I'm gonna like this." Shadow grabbed Sonic's leg and trips him before spinning him into the ground.

"AH!" Sonic screams in agony as he is slowly crushed into the tiled floor.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN THE HEAT IS INCREASING DOWN IN THE PIT! SONIC IS GETTING LITERALLY TURNED INTO A PANCAKE! WILL HE BE ABLE TO COUNTER? KEEP WATCHING TO FIND OUT!"

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In another part of the audience, Rouge and Omega are talking about Shadow's current level of progress. "So, how high is the probability of Shadow winning this match Omega?" Rouge asked.

"Combining data from previous encounters with and against subjects Shadow and Sonic, the probability of Shadow being announced the victor is around fifty percent. Meaning that the match is completely equal and is not favoured in either direction." Omega calculated.

"Wow! An equal chance for both? That's intense!" Rouge was astonished.

"I wouldn't say equal." A familiar voice said from behind.

"Espio, Vector, Charmy" Rouge greeted without even turning her head.

"Rouge." All three answered almost in unison.

"Now what would three hard working detectives like yourself be doing at a merciless blood bath like this?"

"Come on Rouge, fighting's my life!" Vector announced rudely, his muscular crocodile body pushing through to the front row.

"And besides, we've not had a single case for a while now." Charmy giggled, flying to the front with Vector.

"I wonder why that would be." Rouge chuckled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Vector turned around, a look of anger on his face.

"Maybe that we've just got no talent at it?" Espio snickered.

"ESPIO!?!" Vector said shocked.

"Or maybe Vector isn't much of a leader!" Charmy started laughing. Humming around in the air. "I mean maybe I should do it!"

"WHAT!?! YOU!?! Yeah right. Your only eight years old!" Vector argued angrily.

"That's the point I'm making, I'd still do better than you!" Charmy mocked.

"That's it!" Vector started chasing Charmy around the audience stand.

"Men…" Rouge thought before concentrating on the match again.

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"SHADOW DRIVE!" Shadow called out grabbing Sonic and pile driving him directly into the floor. Dust and debris flew into the air, obstructing the crowd's view. As it cleared, Sonic and Shadow were both standing, staring each other down, out of breath.

"You're doing better than expected Sonic."

"Thanks, I know I am. Always do!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot after seeing how good I was."

"Ready to kick this off again?"

"Oh yeah!" Both hedgehogs flew at each other launching combos at each other, neither one letting up. "CHAOS FIST!" Shadow hit Sonic with a flaming fist. Sonic quickly recovered and launched his own move.

"SONIC SWEEP!" Shadow tripped before steadying himself with a hand spin and then standing again. "Nice moves, but mine are better!" Sonic jumped at Shadow but was sent back when Shadow launched a loose tile at Sonic, sending him off balance.

Sonic slid across the arena floor before standing again, the sun light shining down across the whole structure. Both fighters shot at each other once again, locking hands, trying to push other away and into the walls of the arena. The concentration of power between the two warriors began to create small electrical impulses in the air.

"I'm the one who's going to walk out of here with the prize money hedgehog!"

"Oh please. If anyone here is gonna get that dosh, it's me!"

"Oh really?" Shadow asked confidently.

"Well… yeah, of course." Sonic replied, equally confident.

"We'll see that yet."

"Indeed we shall." Both hedgehogs exchanged glances of extreme power and continued to struggle.

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"Omega? Is it just me or is the amount of energy they're producing higher than normal." Rouge said nervously, feeling the power emitting from the struggle.

"Indeed Rouge. The concentration of energy being created in illogically high. Almost as though the energy they're giving off is combining and forming more."

"A little unscientific for you ay Omega?" Rouge joked.

"Correct. But after interacting with organic subjects, that analogy is the only description that could define the reaction taking place."

"Now there's the Omega I know."

Vector grabs Charmy and starts laughing. "Oh yes! You really WOULD make a good leader. A punch bag for a leader would be awesome!"

"Vector leave Charmy alone." Espio nudged him.

"Why should I? He's insulted me!"

"Come on you thick head. You came to watch this match, got angry with Charmy and have missed practically all of it."

"WHAT!?!" Vector showed a look of deep humiliation, dropping Charmy and turning back to watch the match where the struggle between Sonic and Shadow continued on. "COME ON GUYS! GIVE US SOME MORE ACTION THAN THAT!"

"Shut up Vector." Espio sighed.

"What was that Es…" Vector was cut off as a great shadow descended across the whole fighting complex. He looked up and saw a colossal machine flying about the arena. "EGGMAN!"

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In the cockpit of the Egg Fortress, Doctor Robotnik, who most called Eggman, sat in a black leather armchair. "Fools! That's right Sonic and Shadow keep fighting. Soon enough you'll both be too weak to fight me when I and my eggbots descend. Eggman flicked a switch on one of the arms and clicked it in. "Now it's just a matter of time." He began laughing as a siren set off inside the ship.

"EGGBOTS BEGIN TARGET AND CAPTURE SEQUENCE!" A mechanical voice sounded. All over the giant mechanical menace, robots were flying and rappelling from it down into the arena. The whole audience was in shock as they came down and began attacking.

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Sonic and Shadow were still in too much of a power clash to realise the descending robots. "You… are… weakening Shadow."

"So… are you… Sonic."

"Wanna give… up?"

"Nah… I've got fight… left." By now, all of the friends from both sides were now down in the fighting level combating the never-ending number of destructive bots. Suddenly a robot landed in front of Sonic and Shadow, still fighting. The robot observed for a moment, calculating the overflowing power emitting from the two fighters. "Doctor! The energy level being created by both targets is astounding. Perhaps we should try capturing it for our own use?" Robotnik replied via intercom.

"Yes of course. Just reading these levels is getting me giddy. The power is literally off the charts. Do you what you need to do to capture it."

"Yes sir, understood." The robot replied and then continued analysing various strategies on obtaining the power for his master.

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"TAILS! FLYING TORPEDO!" Knuckles cried out to Tails. Tails grabbed Knuckles' waist and flew him fast before releasing him sending him flying through a crowd of robots and gliding into another. "STRIKE!" Knuckles continued knocking down robots like bowling pins whilst Tails dropped debris and rubble, crushing them. Cream was trying to avoid the fighting by hiding nearby Knuckles but threw a few hits when Knuckles could not protect her. Espio, Vector and Charmy were performing their usual musical inspired moves, pummelling robots left and right, short circuiting their sound receptors as well as demolishing their hard drives.

"Hey Vector! This is WAY better than just watching a fighting match. Instead, we're in one!" Charmy chuckled.

"Yes, yes Charmy. But these are small fries compared to Sonic and Shadow over there."

"They seem to be in some kind of trance. Look at them that determined to win against the other." Espio said admirably before being struck down by a robot. "Shouldn't have done that." Espio threw a ninja disc through the robot's face plate, sending it crashing to the floor.

"Targets locked. Firing sequence begin." Omega let off a flurry of missiles at the oncoming enemies whilst Rouse sat up top admiring the few and picking off any odd enemies that made it to their positions. "What's that robot nearby Shadow doing? It seems to just be standing there."
"Should I destroy it?" Omega inquired.

"No." Rouge answered. You might hit Shadow.

"Correct. The chance of hitting either Shadow or Sonic is around seventy five to eighty percent probable."

"Then don't do it." Rouge finished as she jumped from Omega kicking a robot with her robust boots.

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"Calculating… calculating… calcu- processing finished." The mechanical voice sounded from the robot next to the fighters. "Energy processing detects instability and requires utmost care during extraction." The robot's hand whirred on it's wrists before transforming into large holes leading with the robot's structure. "Energy extractions begin." Suddenly the very energy being emitted from Sonic and Shadow was absorbed into the robot. "Energy extraction at five percent." The robot started to count the amount of energy captured. "Twenty percent. Energy capture phase running at maximum efficiency. Doctor, energy is currently being extracted from both subject targets."

"Excellent." Eggman chuckled over the intercom. "Continue until all possible energy has been captured, understood?"

"Yes doctor." The robot answered. "Energy levels rising. Forty seven percent captured."

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"Omega look!" Rouge pointed at the extracting robot near Shadow and Sonic. "What's it doing?"

"I am not quite sure, but chance would have that the eggbot is running an extraction phase, harvesting the bizarre energy emitting from Shadow and Sonic so that Doctor Robotnik can use it for his own personal usage."

"Well I could have guessed that Eggman was behind this." Rouge sighed.

"If the extraction phase is completed, Sonic and Shadow will have zero bodily energy left and will surely be captured by the Doctor's forces."

"I can't believe I'm going to say this but fire at the robot."

"Confirmed. Allocating target. Eggbot model one zero one. Aiming… Begin firing phase." Omega chanted as he fired a missile at the target.

"Shadow… I hope this is for the best." Rouge said worryingly.

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As Shadow and Sonic's energy levels depleted they became aware of what was going on around them. "Eggbots!" Sonic realised quickly. "They've been attacking whilst we were fighting." Both hedgehogs looked to their side to see the harvesting robot. "Quick out the way!"

"Sonic, why?"

"Because of that missile." Both saw it immediately closing in before diving to the side just to see it collide with the robot and exploding. "WOAH!" Suddenly a gigantic explosion sounded out and everything went white.

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Sonic felt as though he was falling into a never ending tunnel and that time was just passing by. His body felt emotionless, painless. But suddenly there was pain. He had landed from his fall. Lush green grass lay under him. "What? Where am I?" He slowly got up and looked around, little wooden huts and towering trees. He quickly spied a sign and ran to it and examined it. "What the?" He looked at the sign and read the words Kokiri Woods.