HYBRID'S WRATH
OC's © respective authors
Chapter Seven: Shadowed Secrets
The first rounds of the Ultimate World Tournament were finally coming to an end. While most of the competitors were still in the medical ward, Hybrid's eyes wandered the room on the remaining fighters. The proactive Knuckles, the stern Metal, the timid Aqua, and the mysterious Shade were all that remained. Just by glancing at the armored warrior, Hybrid could tell that was becoming impatient. The mixed hedgehog turned his attention to the randomizer screen.
"Why don't we see who's up next." Hybrid smirked.
"About time." Shade muttered heatedly
Ignoring her comment, Hybrid activated the randomizer with a wave of his hands. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the symbols slowly came to a stop. The first of them was a blue raindrop symbol and the second was a red echidna symbol. Seeing this, Shade gripped her fist in anger.
"The seventh match: Aqua vs. Knuckles!" Hybrid announced.
"All right, this should be a quick one." Knuckles said confidently. Out of nowhere, Rouge kicked her fiancé in the shin. The guardian echidna howled in pain, jumping up and down on one leg. "What was that for?!"
"You better not hurt Aqua." Rouge said sternly. "She's a good friend of mine and don't want her to come back with any broken bones."
"Then how am I supposed to win?" Knuckles questioned. "I need to fight. This is a fighting tournament."
"I'm serious, Knuckles." Rouge glared. "If you even think of touching her, you're sleeping alone from now on."
Knuckles bowed his head sadly and walked over to the transporter. The guys were standing in the corner, sniggering and saying the echidna was 'whipped'. Meanwhile, Strike was trying to drag Aqua to the platform by pulling her arm, but the sea-blue hedgehog wasn't giving up without a fight. The more strike pulled, he found himself becoming more like a training dummy.
"Come on, Aqua." Strike groaned; Aqua kicked his face. "Ya gotta fight sometime."
"If it was someone like Aikara!" Aqua exclaimed; she punched Strike's chest. "Have you seen the size of that guy?! He's gonna kill me!"
"If he does, you'll just be sent back here." Strike pointed; Aqua stared at him with a blank expression. "That didn't help at all, did it?" Aqua shook her head. "Yeah, didn't think so. But you've got to listen to me, Aqua. You're stronger than you think and you know it. I've seen you and action and you are amazing."
"Y-you really think so?" Aqua said; a slight blush brightened her face.
"I know so." Strike said praising. "Now go out there and whip that guy good."
"Whatever you say, Strike." Aqua smiled. As she slowly started to make her move, Aqua suddenly stopped and turned on her heel. "On Second thought..."
Before she could even make a run for it, Strike grabbed Aqua by the wrist and tossed her towards the platform. Strike knew he was going to live to regret that; Especially with Amy and Rouge hanging over him. Noticing the flying hedgehog, Hybrid quickly pushed Knuckles onto the platform and activated the transporter. As Knuckles watched the sea-blue hedgehog lend next to him, a white beam flooded over them and both competitors vanished.
---New Zealand---
The scene shifts to the southern island country of New Zealand. The rushing waves lapped over the gentle beaches near the shores that remained untouched by human resources. In the background of the beach was a wide forest that stretched for more than half the area. As the clouds parted from the sky, a white beam crashed onto the sandy beach, delivering the two fighters to their destination. While Knuckles stared calmly into the open ocean, Aqua was wiping her mouth clean of the sand she fell in.
"Ugh! That's nasty!" Aqua said disgustedly, scrubbing her tongue with steel wool. "The beach is romantic, but there are some things that are better left buried."
"You're an odd one." Knuckles said strangely.
In all the distraction, Aqua almost forgot about Knuckles. Almost instantly, her zesty personality has vanished and was replaced by her usual timid persona. The sudden shift in personality seemed a bit unusual for the echidna guardian. Thinking back to what Rouge had said, Knuckles had guessed this might have been the reason she was protective over the hedgehog girl.
"A-are you going to f-fight me now?" Aqua asked shyly.
"Well, that's what we're supposed to be doing?" Knuckles said awkwardly, scratching his head. "But, we don't have to if you don't want. You could just give up and we could go back."
"No, I can't do that." Aqua shook. "I accepted this invitation because I thought it would help me build confidence. If I turn back now, I'll never prove myself that I am strong without Strike."
"Without Strike?" Knuckles repeated.
"Every time I was in a tough situation, I always froze." Aqua said sadly. "Strike was always there to protect me, but I was never able to do the same." She slowly moved into attack position, though she was still slightly shaking. "I want to be strong to protect those I care for. That is my dream!"
"She's got a fiery spirit." Knuckles thought, moving into a battle position. "But there is no way I'm gonna let her off that easily."
"Here I come!" Aqua announced.
"Then again, this might not be too hard." Knuckles sweat dropped.
Aqua charged forward towards the echidna guardian, swinging her arms in a random fashion. Knuckles lowered his guard and held out hand in a bored manner. This tactic, amazingly, stopped Aqua in her tracks as he pushed her back by her head. It took two minutes for Aqua to realize this and dropped to the ground, swinging her leg around to trip the echidna. Unfortunately, Knuckles saw this coming a mile away and effortlessly flipped over her head. Just as he landed, Knuckles began dodging Aqua's fists left and right. Though she was determined, Knuckles noticed that she left herself completely wide open the entire fight. Aqua had no defense, strategy, or fighting style; she was just swinging at random.
"I like the kids' spirit, but she can't even fight properly." Knuckles noted.
As Knuckles jumped back from Aqua's attacks, he suddenly found himself with his back to a tree.
"Hah! Got ya know!" Aqua cheered.
"You might wanna rethink that." Knuckles smirked.
Aqua charged forward with her fist swinging for the echidna's face. Unfortunately, Knuckles sidestepped the attack, allowing the ocean-blue hedgehog to fall forward. Aqua's face smacked into the tree and slowly slumped to the ground, appearing to be unconscious. Just for random thought, Knuckles grabbed a stick and started poking her motionless form.
"That can't be good." Knuckles said fearfully. "Oh man, Rouge is going to kill me and then Amy's going to bring me back and kill me again! What do I do? What do I do?!" As the clueless echidna tried to shake Aqua awake, he realized something: she was still here. "Wait a minute. I thought everyone was supposed to go back after they were defeated."
"They are." Aqua grinned, suddenly shooting up.
Knuckles jumped back in shock and moved his way into his fighter's position. But the echidna guardian stared in shock as Aqua's form disappeared and transformed into a puddle of water. What happened to her? That was the question that was going through the echidna's mind. Suddenly, Knuckles heard a loud splash coming from the ocean and looked back. Aqua jumped out of the water and landed safely on the sandy beach. Apparently, she had been hiding in the ocean; her fur making the perfect camouflage.
"Where'd you come from?" Knuckles asked confused. "You just melted a moment ago."
"Oh, that wasn't me." Aqua smiled. "That was my water clone."
"Water clone?" Knuckles repeated.
"Yep." Aqua replied. "I wanted to see how strong you were without risking the danger of getting hurt. I created the water clone to test you with some of my basic moves." She rubbed her head embarrassingly. "As you can guess, I'm not much of a fighter."
"When did you have the chance to make this clone?" Knuckles asked curiously.
"From the very start." Aqua answered. "While you were looking out at the ocean, I hid in the water without being noticed. I used some of my powers to create a clone to use until this point."
"Then I guess that means your elemental affinity is water." Knuckles grinned.
"They don't call me Aqua for nothing." Aqua said playfully.
"This will be just like those training sessions with Blue." Knuckles said eagerly, moving into his attack position. "This oughta be fun."
With an inspired look on her face, Aqua held her hands out to the ocean and called a flow of water. She began to manipulate the shape of the flow and turned them into a pair of aquatic whips. Surprised by Aqua's abilities, Knuckles was barely able to realize that she was attacking. The ocean-blue hedgehog lashed her waters whips at Knuckles feet, forcing him into her own interpretation of a dance. If Knuckles could see the faces of his audience, they would be laughing their hearts out. Unfortunately, Knuckles feet weren't as quick as Sonic's, allowing Aqua to wrap her whip around the echidna's leg. Though she did not look the part, Aqua was actually quite strong. She lifted the echidna guardian with her whip and slammed him face forward into the ocean. A few moments later, Knuckles dragged himself out of the water, pulling out a fish that was crammed into his mouth.
"That's disgusting." Knuckles groaned.
"I'm not too happy myself, bub." The fish said before jumping back into the water.
"Ya ready to give up yet?" Aqua said sweetly. "You're strong, but you can't beat something you can't touch."
"Can't touch, huh?" Knuckles smirked.
All of a sudden, the fiery echidna bashed his namesakes' together, sparking flames around his hands. Taken by surprise, Aqua stepped back in fright. The echidna guardian jumped forward and slammed his fiery fist into Aqua's chest. Surprisingly, his attack went through her, leaving a wet hole in the hedgehog's torso. Knuckles figured it was another clone, but that thought was proven wrong when the wound slowly started to heal.
"What the?" Knuckles questioned. "What just happened? Aren't you supposed to be a clone?"
"Nope, I'm the real deal." Aqua replied. "My entire body is made of one hundred percent water, not just my attacks."
"And that means physical attacks won't work on her." Knuckles cursed mentally. "Damn, why'd I have to get the water freak?"
Aqua and Knuckles faced each other in a traditional staredown as the sun began to set over the horizon. Aqua was twirling her hand towards the open ocean, forming a whirlpool in the calming waves. Knuckles once again reignited his fists and moved into a series of stances that were traditional in echidna battle formations. Both warriors never lost the sight of one another, adding to the tention. It seemed like an eternity went by before the sun disappeared, leaving way to night. They went on the attack.
"PYRO PHOENIX!!" Knuckles shouted.
"WATER HYDRA!!" Aqua called.
Knuckles thrusted his burning fist forward to form a lengthened bird made of the purest flames. As Aqua waved her hands to the air, three dragons heads made from water appeared out of the whirlpool. The hydra snapped its heads at the phoenix, but the cindering bird was too fast to land a direct attack. Given an open opportunity, the phoenix dived through the hydra heads towards Aqua. Just moments before the phoenix struck; the hydra heads suddenly appeared and wrapped their bodies around the bird. The combined forces of water and fire clashed with each other, forming a cloud of steam from the remains. The steam covered a majority of the beach, which included our two fighters. In the next few minutes, there was series of screams and grunts hidden within the mist. As the steam began to fade, Knuckles was lying on the ground with Aqua weakly standing over him.
"Wow..." Knuckles chuckled. "Rouge taught you better than I thought."
"I...I told you...I would get...stronger." Aqua panted."
"Yeah, you did." Knuckles smirked. "Nice fight. Now finish the job."
Aqua nodded and slowly raised her hand over the echidna's head. But before she could finish her attack, something stirred in Aqua's chest. The ocean-blue hedgehog dropped to her knees, coughing frantically. Knuckles watched with a worried expression before Aqua hurled a black liquid from her mouth.
"Aqua?" Knuckles asked fearfully. "What's going on?"
"O-oil..." Aqua moaned, holding the liquid in her hands. "It's...oil..."
And without warning, Aqua passed out. Before Knuckles could try to help her, both fighters disappeared in a flash of light.
---East Island---
"Winner: Knuckles the Echidna!" Hybrid announced.
Opening his eyes, Knuckles discovered that he was back on East Island. But unlike the others, Knuckles did not receive applause for his victory. The echidna guardian was crouching over Aqua, who was still exerting the black liquid from her mouth. Before he could find out what happened, Rouge, Amy, and Strike pushed him away to secure their friend.
"What happened?!" Amy questioned angrily. "What did you do, Knuckles?!"
"I didn't do anything!" Knuckles yelled back. "Last thing I knew, she was about to win until she collapsed."
"What's this stuff?" Rouge said, referring to the black liquid.
"She said it was oil." Knuckles stated.
"Oil?!" Strike exclaimed fearfully. "Oil is toxic to her! We have to get her to a doctor!"
"Raine is still in the hospital wing." Hybrid said calmly. "Tails will take you to her."
The mixed hedgehog pointed to the two-tailed kitsune who returned from delivering King to the emergency ward. Tails lowered his head in disappointment; none of them would ever get a break. Strike lifted Aqua in his arms securely before following Tails out the door. As they passed by, the heroes murmured to one another.
"It doesn't make sense." Shadow said. "Where did the oil come from?"
"Memory files state that no offshore platforms are designated in that area!" Omega stated. "And visual inspections show the water around that region ro be pure and untainted! No sign of contamination!"
"Something very strange is going on around here." Espio said lowly.
"While they treat Aqua, we should finish with the last round." Hybrid said, calling the attention of everyone in the room. "And since Metal and Shade are the only ones left, they shall finish this wonderful spectacle."
"It's about time." Shade grumbled.
As Shade walked towards the platform, the Metal Squadron gathered around to wish their leader luck. Metal Knuckles, Metal Jet, and Metal Espio said their own versions of good luck. Metal exchanged looks with his rival, Mecha, which was all they really needed to say. Finally, Metal Amy walked up to her lover and hugged him; a little too hard for Metal.
"My circuits...are being...crushed." Metal groaned.
"Sorry, my love." Metal Amy said passionately, releasing the metallic hedgehog. "Make us proud."
"Have you forgotten who you are talking to?" Metal chuckled. Metal started to walk towards the platform. But before he could move, Emerl suddenly grasped his hand. Metal stared at the little robot in confusion. "What is it, son?"
"I...don't know." Emerl whispered slowly, staring at Shade. "I just feel like...I know her."
Though he didn't show it, Metal found it a bit suspicious that Emerl knew this person. Glancing back at his son one last time, Metal slowly made his way towards the platform. Shade was becoming irritated by the wait and growled as Metal followed her. Once both fighters were on the platform, Hybrid activated the machine with his electrical power and they disappeared inside the white beam.
---Australia---
The scene shifts to the tall grassy plains of Australia. A pack of kangaroos were drinking by a watering hole when they noticed the parting clouds above. The hopping animals quickly fled as a large white beam dropped from the sky, carrying the warriors that traveled with it. Once the beam vanished, both warriors jumped back with a hateful resonance present from each of them.
"For some reason, I had hoped I would face you." Metal said deviously. "Of all the fighters I have seen so far, you are the one that intrigues me the most." He glances at Shade's armor. "Those garbs you wear are too advanced this world."
"You are a very observant machine." Shade stated. "It is true; my armor greatly exceeds any technology these present day minds could create."
"Are you from the future?" Metal questioned. "Are you associated with my former creator, Eggman Nega?"
"You'll just have to find out." Shade challenged.
Metal wasted no time in extracting his claws and jumped ahead at the armored warrior. Thanks to the DNA of Sonic in his systems, Metal charged at Shade at rapid speeds. But to the machine's surprise, Shade was able to dodge Metal's claw by bending backwards. Seeing an opening in Metal's defenses, Shade pressed her palms to the ground and kicked up at his face. Acting fast, Metal used his forearm to block Shade's kick before skidding backwards. Metal glared at the armored soldier as she flipped back to her feet.
"You're faster than you appear." Metal commented.
"I have spent my entire life in training." Shade stated. "Everyday was a battle for survival. I could not be held down by things such as emotions or friendship or family."
"It's strange how much we have in common." Metal sniggered.
"Don't compare me to you." Shade seethed.
"But we are very much alike." Metal stated. "I used to believe that emotions were for the weak and I allowed my heart to die. But that was before someone close to me was hurt." The cold machine closed his eyes to remember the event that changed his life. "Black Doom nearly killed the one I loved. I resurrected my heart and found strength I never knew imaginable."
"Do you honestly expect me to believe such a pathetic tale?" Shade muttered.
"No." Metal replied. The Sonic copy grasped his wrist and began to gather a culmination of electricity into his claw. "I expect you yo believe this. METAL SURGE!!"
Without warning, Metal charged ahead with blinding speed. Due to the added electrical energies, Metal was faster than he was the first time he attacked. Caught by surprise, Shade could only find one solution for this predicament. Just before Metal stabbed his claw through her chest, Shade slapped her circlet and vanished in a flash of light. As Metal stabbed his claw into the ground, he began to ponder about what had just happened.
"I didn't feel any chaos pulses." Metal thought. "Then it was clearly not Chaos Control. So...where is she?"
"Looking for someone?" Metal twisted around and found Shade leaning against a lonely tree. "You almost had me, that I am certain."
"Then how did you get over there?" Metal questioned.
"Standard Nocturnus Warp Belt." Shade explained, pointing to the circlet on her right wrist. "It allows me to transport myself at any location with viewing distance. And it is the only thing keeping me bound to this dimension."
"So you are an invader to this realm." Metal said.
"It is an invasion when you attack another person's homeland." Shade said.
"Interesting." Metal thought.
Shade pressed a button on her left wrist, which summoned two blades of purple energy into her hands. Metal could tell those blades were a threat. As Shade charged forward and swung her blades around, Metal did what he could to best avoid them. As the armored warrior crossed her blades towards Metal's chest, Shade noticed that he was anticipating her every move. After just one set of moves, Metal had already predicted Shade's tactics. So to catch him by surprise, Shade headbutted the metallic copy, slightly fracturing her helmet. As Metal staggered back, he suddenly felt his energy draining away. Looking down at his chest, Metal found that Shade had landed a hit before jumping back.
"A-amazing." Shade said stunned, recalling her energy blades. "You weren't lying earlier. You are a machine, but my leech blades were able to sense organic matter from inside your armor."
"Surprised?" Metal laughed. "I thought you would be. It is disappointing to know that you're civilization has not thought of such a thing. And here I thought your clan was the most advanced of its time...four thousand years ago."
"How did you...?" Shade trailed off, slowly coming to realization. "Oh, I get it. You stripped the Gizoid of his memories. That's why he didn't recognize me when we met."
"I've learned quite a few things from my son." Metal said, holding his arms out wide. Suddenly, he began to draw a tremendous amount of blue electricity into his claws. "But you won't live to find out. METAL SHOT!"
In one swift move, Metal Sonic thrusted his claws forward and unleashed a barrage of electrical bolts. Shade raised her arms in defense to this attack, but felt nothing as she waited. Pulling her arms down, the armored warrior noticed that the electric bolts have completely passed her.
"Looks like you missed." Shade said confidently.
"I never miss." Metal proclaimed, raising his hand to the sky. As Shade followed his movements, she began to notice a wave of black clouds covering the sky. "Even after all your training, you still haven't learned the most important lesson: never underestimate you opponent. METAL BLACKOUT!!"
Metal brought down his claw, commanding the skies to strike down his enemy. The clouds produced a massive bolt of blue lightning that took the shape of a dragon's head. Lightning moved faster than sound and not even Shade's Warp Belt could help her escape. She could only watch as the lightning consumed her body within its powerful volts. Metal closed his claw to end the attack, staring at the twenty foot hole he formed. But after a few moments, he noticed that he still remained after Shade had been struck down; she was still alive. This fact was proven when Shade began to pull herself out from the hole. The attack had severally damaged her armor and completely eradicated her helmet, revealing her identity.
"I finally see your true appearance." Metal said. "The Procurator of the Nocturnus Clan or better known as the Fourth Civilization. But I prefer to call you...The Lost Echidna Clan."
As the clouds parted from the sky, the sunlight revealed Shade's true face. She was a female echidna with light orange fur and seven white tipped quills hanging from the back of her head. Despite not having her helmet, Shade still wore and black headband branded with the same purple symbol. She was clutching her chest, which was bleeding exceedingly.
"You...you miserable little..." Shade grunted in pain.
"You are in no condition to fight." Metal stated. "Might I suggest that you surrender?"
"N-never." Shade growled.
"Then you shall learn from your mistakes." Metal said, moving into an attack position. "My power is limitless."
Of course, this was just a bluff. Metal had used up all his energy forming the Metal Blackout, meaning he barely had the strength to stand. And due to the extensive damage from the attack, Shade was barely able to stay conscious. Both fighters only had the strength to throw one last punch and they decided to make it one worthwhile. Drawing the last of their strength into their fists, both warriors charged forward. Once close enough, they swung with all their might.
Shade had won.
---East Island---
"Winner: Shade the Echidna!" Hybrid announced.
Shade groaned and used whatever strength she had to crack her eyes open. She was not surprised to see Hybrid standing over her and Metal lying at her side, but she did not except to see Knuckles or Tikal. All three seemed to be staring at the echidna with looks of concern and confusion. Shade hated the way they were staring at her; she felt alien to them. Knuckles held out his hand, but Shade didn't take it; mostly because she didn't have the strength to slap it away.
"Don't touch me." Shade moaned.
"I just...can't believe it." Knuckles muttered. "After all these years, I always believed I was the last echidna alive."
"It must be terrible to be lied to after all these centuries." Shade sniggered; she started to cough up a storm.
"We should get you healed." Tikal said, reaching out to assist her.
"I said don't touch me." Shade growled.
"I'll take her to the medical ward." Hybrid offered, slowly lifting Shade into his arms. He turned his attention from the echidna and looked out to the remaining crowd. "And that concludes the first rounds of the Ultimate World Tournament! While I deliver our victor to be treated, I must ask you to return to the entrance hall. My assistants will show you to your rooms."
The remains of the crowd exited through the door and backtracked back to the entrance hall below. The Metal Squadron made sure to retrieve their leader before leaving. The mixed hedgehog watched as the crowd travel down the stairs before climb in the other direction with Shade. Once she knew they were out of hearing range, Shade spoke.
"I did as you asked." Shade said weakly. "I dragged out my opponent's full strength."
"You did perfect, Shade." Hybrid asked darkly. "Now we can begin step two."
And comes the end of the first round. What new and perilous battle await at the quarter-finals? What is the secret behind the appearance of this new echidna? And what does Hybrid mean by 'step two'? Find out on the next Hybrid's Wrath!
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