Hey guys, sorry for taking so long but I suppose a trip to NZ makes one busier than usual. Either way here is the new chapter!
ALSO! If you want to see an OC in the story at any time, private message me a profile of your OC with the following :
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If you could do that that would be great. For now enjoy!
As a golden sun rose over the rooftops, light flooded into the rooms of the District 12 apartment. Within one room a red Echidna laid in bed, snoring away loudly. In another a lavender cat slept silently.
One room however was different. There were two individuals in it. A peach echidna and a jet black hedgehog.
Whilst the echidna slept in bed, a happy smile on her face, the hedgehog stood by the window, his red eyes staring at the swift sunrise that signaled the dawn of a new day. And the beginning of the Chaos Games.
Sensing that the hedgehog had removed himself from the bed, Tikal's eyes slowly opened to see the hedgehog standing by the window, his shirt missing and his back to her. She slowly got out of bed, wrapping one of the sheets around her and stood by him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"It's today isn't it?" she asked already knowing the answer, and dreading it.
"Yeah." he replied. "It begins today."
She sighed and closed her eyes, fearing the answer to her next question. "You're still going to stay away. Aren't you?"
Shadow turned his head to face her, their eyes meeting. "It's the only way I can keep you safe."
"You could stay with us." she pleaded as she wrapped her arms around his torso. "You can protect us, all of us."
He placed his hand on her cheek, caressing her skin slowly. "You have no idea how much I want to stay with you. But I can't. If I do then you and the others are in even more danger."
Tikal hugged even tighter, and now tears started to flow run down her face. "I... I can't go in there knowing I might not see you again."
He returned the embrace by wrapping an arm around her. "We'll see each other again. And I promise you it will be when we win."
She looked at him, her eyes all puffy as tears continued to roll down her face. "How can you promise that?"
He smiled and moved away from her and picked something up off of her dresser. he strode back to her and held her hand in his, placing the pendant in her grasp.
"As long as you have this, you can be certain that I'll be out there, watching for you."
Tikal looked down into her hands at the pendant for a good few minutes, the tears still flowing down her face. She looked up at Shadow, the smallest possible smile on her face.
"You better." she said before leaning in and kissed him.
The two continued to stand there, arms around each other and lips sealed to one another as the sun continued to rise over the city.
Today it began. Today the games would begin. As would the fight for their lives.
Team twelve began making their way across the tarmac towards their transport. It was a large metal air ship, enough space to fit all the tributes and maybe two hundred other people.
The four of them walked alongside Sonic, who lead the way. He did not seem his uppity self. In fact if one thought he had any feeling they could say he was worried for his they neared the ship he stopped and looked at the four Mobians that he had been placed in charge of.
"Well... this is it then."
"Yeah, came a bit quick." Knuckles said, his face solemn as he held hand out to the hedgehog. "Nice knowing you Sonic."
The hedgehog took the echidnas hand. "You too kid. Make your district proud."
Tikal and Blaze exchanged handshakes with him also, Shadow giving him a simple nod of acknowledgement.
And with that the four of them walked up the metal ramp into the ship, the stares of the other twelve teams following them on the way in. They found their seats at the end of the craft, Blaze smiling at the white hedgehog who sat across from them.
"Glad to see you guys made it." a voice called out, and Shadow looked around and scowled at the sight of Scourge sitting with his team. "I was afraid we'd have to start with out you." he laughed.
The team ignored them and took their seats by team eleven, which included Silver, Rob, who nodded at Tikal and Shadow, a pink echidna and a dark brown lynx whom the others had only seen briefly around the training room over the past week.
The two teams did not exchange any conversation, none of them were really in the mood to talk. As the engines began to pick up Shadow glanced left, only for a brow to raise in confusion as he saw the young rabbit he saw at the ball. She was leaning out of her seat, looking right at the hedgehog.
He knew that by the laws of the games she was eligible for the games, but in Shadow's opinion she seemed way too young. The two of them continued to stare at each other whilst the craft began its take off.
Soon however an older rabbit held her back with a cybernetic arm, stopping her from staring at Shadow.
Once the young one was out of sight Shadow felt a small nudge from Tikal on his right. He looked over to her, her face showing signs of concern.
"You okay?" she asked.
Shadow turned from her and looked back over to where the rabbit sat, however his view was obstructed by the other tributes on her team.
"Yeah, I'm fine." he lied, he wasn't even sure of what had just happened.
"Hello citizens of Mobius, today marks the beginning of the of the event we have all been waiting for. The 105th annual Chaos Games!" exclaimed Rouge who sat behind a desk in front of the numerous light and camera crew in the studio.
"Joining me today, as always, is my close and personal friend Geoffrey St John." she said motioning to the skunk who sat beside her. "How have you been Geoffrey? I haven't heard from you in a while."
"Not that bad Rouge, though I have very much been looking forward to co-commentating with you this year. I must sat that next to Halloween this is my favorite time of the year. A time when we are all brought together in one event that defines what it really means to be apart of Mobius."
"Very patriotic and very true Geoffrey. Now we are a literal hour away from the games beginning, what do you hope to see this year?"
"Well to be honest Rouge I think that I'm part of the whole mob that wants to see something spectacular come out of team 12 this year."
"They are the talk of the town at the moment."
"That they are." laughed the skunk. "I really hope to see some action take place in the way of Shadow the hedgehog, who has attracted so much popularity despite numerous counts of assault on Capitol security."
"Well I do like a bad boy." Rouge commented, with a wink to the camera.
-*Meanwhile*-
"Amy?" Blaze asked in surprise as both she and Tikal rushed to the room to give their friend a hug.
The craft had landed outside of the arena, a huge domed complex made of some kind of metal. There was no telling what was inside, and there was not way out. The teams were each taken into different parts of what appeared to be some kind to underground bunker.
They all knew what would happen form here. They would each take an elevator up and take a spot in a large circle in the very center of the map where the cornucopia sat.
That was the most valued area in the entire map.
All the food, medical equipment and weapons we're stored there. Whoever controlled that would have access to everything that they needed to survive. The challenge was to hold it, and most often one team wasn't enough. Some teams made short termed alliances, agreeing to work together.
There would be forty right tributes out there. It would be useful to count one or two teams as non-hostile. For a while at least.
"What are you doing here?" Tikal asked as she and Blaze released the pink hedgehog.
"Well I came to say good bye to you guys. If your mentor doesn't come along then the next person closest to you gets to. In your case, me." she said with a smile as she looked of the four of them.
"I know that the four of you have got this. Maybe you don't all see eye to eye," she said as he gaze switched between Shadow and Knuckles, "but you can win this. I know you can."
She looked to Tikal. "You may not be the fastest or the strongest, but you've captured the hearts of the public, and if you win the crowd, you can win the games."
Her gaze moved to Blaze. "Your fast, nimble and sexy, all the guys will be holding lotteries to be your sponsor." she said, causing the cat to blush.
She moved onto Knuckles. "If there were a stronger Mobian he'd have to be a god. You keep up your guard up, and any body in there will think twice before coming after you."
Finally her eyes settled on Shadow. "You are without a doubt the most popular person in the games right now, not to mention the scariest Mobian I've ever seen. They'll be coming for you, show them what happens when they do."
Shadow was surprised to find himself smirking at Amy's words.
"Now, enough of this, you four have a game to win. Show 'em what you can do." she said finally before motioned for another door, and with that the four of them walked on through, the door shutting behind them.
"Now lets take a look at the final footage from last year." Rouge suggested, and an image appeared on screen with two hedgehogs, one blue and one green, their hands locked together as the two of them wrestled each other for the upper hand. The two of them continued to struggle in what appeared to be a clearing in a thick forest.
"Ah so this was Sonic last year wasn't it?"
"That's right," Geoffrey answered. "This now this was the final kill that ended the games last year. This was after the last remaining member on Sonics team realized that the blue blur here was the one who killed the rest of their team."
"Quite the dick move wasn't it?"
"Very much so. Fun fact for the mates at home: The green hedgehog was actually Sonic's brother, Manic."
"That's right! I forgot all about that!" Rouge exclaimed. "And his sister Sonia was on the team as well wasn't she?"
"Yes, it was quite a surprise to everyone that he did what he did. I suppose he's lucky he has remained champion for so many years."
"Why's that?"
"Because if he went home I'd expect that the district would give him what they think he deserves."
-*Meanwhile*-
Shadow sat there watching the television with disgust, sitting on a medical bench of some kind. He knew that Sonic had betrayed his team, but he had never believed that he had his brother and sister on there as well. But he supposed that he didn't need to worry about it now.
After they had left Amy they were each taken to their own room, where they were to go through one final medical examination as well as be given their trackers so that the game keepers could keep up with where they were.
To Shadow's surprise he had been given a set of clothes, but that wasn't what surprised him. What surprised him was the fact that it was HIS jacket. His black leather one with a spiked red spiral on the back. It hadn't come with a note or anything, he just found it waiting for him.
He held it to his nose, slowly taking in the scent of the forest, of home. He smiled at the memories that passed before his eyes. Days spent with his family, the hours he worked to feed his sister.
Maria. Her face was fresh in his mind like he had seen her yesterday. Her sapphire eyes, her bright yellow quills and her favorite blue dress. If anything her face reminded him of...Tikal.
He shook his head, expelling both of their faces from his mind. He needed to clear his thoughts. If he wanted to get home, he needed to get his mind on the game. That meant keeping his sister and Tikal out of his head. He couldn't afford to have them clouding his judgement on the field.
He pulled the jacket away from his face, before pulling it around him and slipping his arms through the sleeves, pulling it onto his shoulders. It felt familiar, right. Like he knew that with this on him, he felt like a hunter again.
"I remember when I first saw that jacket." a voice spoke from over Shadow's shoulder, and immediately the hedgehogs blood ran cold.
"The jacket I bought from a man in District 8. They are our leading textile industry, so I wasn't surprised to find something like that there. However it did have a certain calling with it. Like I was meant to have it." stated Mephiles as he made his way around the table that Shadow sat on.
"When I got to District 12 however, I knew that it needed a little something. Something to know that it was unique. Whilst walking around the markets I came across a woman selling a number of well sowed patches. One in particular caught my eye, and well... so did she." the elder said as he now stood in front of the boy.
"What are you doing here?" Shadow asked, bearing his teeth with each word, his hands gripping the edges of the bench intensely.
Mephiles gave a sigh and pulled some kind of metallic cylinder from out of his pocket, roughly the size of a pen.
"After a while I came to know that woman on a very personal level. We had a fair bit in common, although we were visually very different. My quills black and grey, her's a brilliant white and red. We were like a walking ying-yang." he joked as he held out the cylinder. "Hand please."
"Why?"
"For the tracking-"
"No, why are you telling me this?" Shadow asked, his anger replaced by confusion.
"I suppose" the old hedgehog began, "It is in some feeble attempt to tell you my side of the story." he said as he motioned to the boys hand again, and slowly Shadow held out his palm.
Mephiles gently placed the device on top of Shadow's palm, before pressing the small black bottom on top, sending a sharp jolt of pain up the boys arm.
"After I introduced myself she was less than happy about meeting one of "my kind". And oh yes, she used those words. Soon after I finally convinced her to come and have dinner with me where I was staying at the time. And as I hoped we had a bit more in common. Before I knew it whenever I wasn't busy with work I was with her. And before you ask no, it was not because she got more food with me. Twelve was a bit more decent back then." he insisted.
"So before long I found my lips on hers, and I knew I was in love." a smile crossed his face at the memory. His green eyes drifted to Shadow now. "And then you came along." he said with the smile still on his face. "You had taken after both of us, quills as black as night with streaks of red like wildfire. Shadow, she said it had been the name of a story book character, one that was afraid of nothing, and who would never go down without a fight."
As happy as the memory was to the old hedgehog, the smile slowly began to fade away.
"Then a few years later the law was established that citizens of the capitol were forbidden from having any kind of relationship with a man or woman from the districts. The penalty was death. And at the same time I had received a promotion in the Capitol. It was to be impossible to stay in contact with you, so I left. And that was when your mother became pregnant with Maria. I only found out after I left when Gerald sent me a letter saying so."
"And she was dead." Shadow said, his eyes closed at the memory. Despite how strong his mother was, she could not handle Maria, and her strength gave in.
"Yes... When I heard I knew that the two of you were still there. I had to comeback for you. But if I did then I would be breaking the law, and then they would kill me." he raised his head. "So I remained in the Capitol, and ran for President. And ever since then I've been watching you from afar."
Shadow raised his head. "Then why didn't you comeback?"
What almost looked like shame came over the President. "You were already and angry bitter at me, and if the world found out that I had two children in an outlying district they would surely strip me of my position and put down capitol punishment."
The younger hedgehog now could not take his eyes off the President, but his expression could not be determined.
"I don't ask for forgiveness because I know that there is a small chance of getting it, I just wanted you to know why I had to leave you and your sister to life in that district." he slid the cylinder into his pocket and began to walk out of the room but he stopped at the door and turned back to his flesh and blood.
"I've built roads, commissioned constructions and inventions. But you are by far my greatest creation." a small smirk appeared on his lips. "I know you've probably heard this, but it anyone can win it's you."
"What makes you have such faith in me?" Shadow asked calmly.
"You're my son Shadow. What kind of a father would I be if I didn't have faith in you?"
Those words made Shadow's insides drop, never had he heard something like that, nor had he expected to.
"If you want to win, then you will need to do the unspeakable. She won't like it. But if you love her, you'll have to do it."
Shadow's look of confusion sparked some kind of amusement for the old Mobian.
"She's a nice looking girl. Protect her. You already promised that you would." he said before turning to the door.
"Dad..."
It was Mephiles' turn to have his insides drop. The black and grey hedgehog turned to his son, his emerald eyes meeting with the boys ruby red.
"I can never forgive you for what you did... but I can let it go." he said, and a small smirk of his own went across his lips.
His father returned the smile. "Make me proud, son." and with that the father departed his son, leaving him to whatever the gods had in store for him.
Knuckles continued to flex his hand stubbornly. He could feel the tracker imbedded in his skin. He never did like injections.
Once he had been given his final check up, he was lead into a room with a mirror, some shelves and only two ways out. the door he came in, or a glass cylinder that went who knew where. He supposed that that was the way into the games.
Up there the carnage would begin. He had been given a dark brown vest its front lined with pockets and under that a black shirt with a white upside down crescent shape. He was also given pair of matching boots, which he now examined in the mirror.
These look like they can go through their fair share of action. he said as he continued to take interest at his new foot wear. He checked himself out in the mirror, actually liking what he had saw. It got to a stage where he was even striking poses and flexing his muscles.
This made it all the more embarrassing when a Capitol staff member stepped in through the door as he was in mid pose with his arms up tensing his muscles.
"It's time." the cheetah said, seeming unfazed by what he had walked in on.
Knuckles, who's face was now as red as his fur. He nodded to the Mobian before turning to the glass tube at the end of the room.
He could feel his heart racing now. Every step towards it felt like it added ten tons onto his back. He knew that every step was a step closer to his fate. Every step was one more closer to the carnage that would undoubtedly unfold in the arena.
"Get a move on." the staff member said, and Knuckles noticed that in reality he hadn't moved at all.
Swallowing his fear, Knuckles made for the elevator, and soon found the door to it closing shut, sealing him in. He looked back to where the guard had stood, but he was already gone.
With a jolt the elevator came to life, and the echidna felt himself rising upwards with the platform. He looked up to the light of the artificial sun that would light up the arena. And as he got closer to it, his heart raced to knew speeds, speeds that could have out run sound.
And then there he was. In his own little part of the circle. He looked around him to get a brief look on his bearings. They were surrounded by trees. the arena must have been set up to be a forest. And then he heard it. The boom of the cannon signaling the beginning of the count down.
48...
47...
46...
45...
He looked around the circle to try and spot the others. He noticed Shadow instantly, his black fur and red streak standing out from the crowd. He soon spotted Blaze further away if she felt terrified she certainly looked the part.
Tikal however was no where in sight.
The ring of tributes went all away around the clearing. All around the cornucopia. She had to be on the far side of the ring. Knuckles glanced to the side at Shadow, who was closer to that side. He kept glancing to the far side. So she was in sight of him.
24...
23...
22...
21...
Knuckles looked again at the Cornucopia. It was like a small set of ruins, nearly the entire surface was covered in moss and cracks ran through the stonework. If Knuckles wanted the most supplies or weapons he would have to risk it. But each tribute had been given a small pack next to their starting point. He assumed that it would have the basics.
It was either risk getting a weapon or just get out of the center as quickly as possible. He knew that he couldn't rely on Shadow, so he looked to Blaze, who was already looking at him.
He motioned with his head towards the woods, receiving a nod in reply. She looked to the side at what he assumed was Tikal, and tried to deliver the same message.
10...
9...
8...
This was it. It began here. But their only hope was to stick together. If they watched each other's backs, they could.
3...
2...
1...
BOOM
With the flash of the cannon, anarchy erupted. tributes from all sides did one of two things, either run for the centre and risk bloodshed, or grab their bag and run. Knuckles, sticking with his idea, ran for it.
He almost forgot his back on the way out, practically throwing it over his back as he darted into the forest, the dying screams following him as he ran.
When Knuckles reached the tree line he did not stop, he made his way far enough into the woods that he wouldn't be spotted from the cornucopia. He slid to a stop and crouched behind a fallen log. He did his best to block out the sounds that came from the center. trying so desperately to ignore the screams of both young adults and children.
A crushing of leaves to the side caused him to jump, and he looked to the side seeing Blaze running into the woods.
Knuckles called her over, and soon the two sat watching the violence through the trees.
"Where's Tikal?" Knuckles asked.
"I don't know!" replied Blaze, clearly panicking. "She was right behind me! She was... oh god where is she?"
the two of them sat there waiting. But nobody came.
"She can't have fallen behind... she couldn't have..." said Knuckles, trying to reassure both Blaze and himself.
But they both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the peach echidna stumbling through the brush, with a pack on her back and a sword in hand.
"Tikal." Knuckles, shouted quietly.
She came over and handed the sword to Knuckles. "Here, Silver said that we might need this." she said looking at Blaze who smiled at the mention of the white hedgehog.
"Did you see where Shadow went?" Tikal asked the two of them, Blaze shook her head whilst Knuckles scowled.
"He's left us Tikal. We don't need to worry about him, and he certainly isn't worrying about us."
Tikal knew that that wasn't true, but she held her tongue.
"Alright, come on. We need to get out of here and find a place to stay." The red echidna said, turning his back and began to make his way through the woods, and the two of them followed.
"At least this is a forest. We might have an advantage." Blaze commented as they walked.
"Somethings not right though. It seems a bit flat doesn't it?" Knuckles replied, commenting on the fact that the ground was just flat and grassy. "This isn't the kind of thing you find in-" he stopped when they actually exited the woods.
A large metal gate running along either way, and a large stone arch welcoming them to the real arena.
"You guys didn't see the towers did you?" Tikal asked.
In front of them was a sidewalk. A side walk lining a black tarmac road, faded yellow stripes going through it. It was a road, a road becoming streets that lined the bases of ruined sky scrapers and other small apartment buildings.
The Arena was an entire ruined city.
-*Meanwhile*-
It wasn't his apartment in the capitol or his home in District 12. But it would do. The black hedgehog casually walked into the empty hotel room. It was high enough to get a view of the street, but not high enough as to make whoever was in the street invisible or undefinable.
He sat himself down on the ruined bed, the rusty springs squeaking loudly. Sheets missing and mattress with holes in it. It would do, it was better than what he had at home. From the ground he picked up a piece of cloth, he assumed it was once part of a curtaian
He folded it up and placed it between his teeth.
*Shrink*
The claws slid out of the metal knuckles on his fist. He held his hand out and took a deep breath before slowly driving the blade into his palm. He groaned in pain, his jaws chomping down on the cloth. He flicked the blade to the side slightly, and a tiny piece of metal came tumbling out, clinking as it struck the ground.
Now they wouldn't be able to keep track of him. Aside from the cameras that would be posted all over the city, Shadow the hedgehog was now invisible in the eyes of the Capitol.