Sonic: The Tournament of Chaos

Chapter 1: Proposal


Freedom. Nothing brought the blue hedgehog a greater sense of joy than the satisfaction of running around the open land, free to explore the planet to his heart's content. Asking Sonic to sit still would be the equivalent of asking a fire not to burn. His eyes were slight, his very muscles needed to move, to run, to jump. He raced into the frigid air, the wind blowing softly against his blue quills.

Saving the world time and time again never grew boring. While his imprisonment for the course of six months had been an unbearable experience, the tide turned and their greatest adversary was defeated once more, alongside the mysterious Infinite, who vanished. Where the jackal had escaped remained a mystery to all, but Sonic was always ready for a rematch.

In the few weeks that followed since liberating the planet from Eggman, the world slowly began to get back on its feet. No longer under the threat of destruction for disobedience, humans and animals returned to their daily lives. The Resistance had since been disbanded, no longer needed. The law enforcement organisation GUN returned to full strength, taking responsibility for the safety of the planet. The Commander swore to strengthen their forces, refusing to allow the planet to fall under enemy hands again.

Until his archnemesis returned, Sonic was free to run around to his heart's desire. He roamed through the busy streets of Station Square, passing many of the returning citizens. They took the time to wave and thank their hero as he passed. Basking in the glory, he performed many acrobatic stunts, showing off to those who adored him. It wasn't long until his stomach rumbled, the intense running finally taking its toll.

Screeching to a halt outside of a hotdog vendor, he held up two fingers. "Two of your finest chilli dogs!"

"Coming right up, Sonic!" the vendor replied while preparing the ingredients.

While the hedgehog tapped his foot impatiently, his eyes washed over towards a nearby poster. Curiously, he dashed forward and grasped the paper, reading the contents with interest.

Looking to test your skills? Do you have what it takes to knock your opponents out of the ring? Come and sign up to the Tournament of Chaos! The winning team will receive the Chaos Emeralds! Rules & guidelines listed below!

"Hmm, tournament, huh?" Sonic said to himself, pausing for a moment to ponder the idea of entering. Truthfully, the hedgehog hadn't considered finding the sacred Chaos Emeralds for some time. The last time he wielded their power was during their adventure against the Time Eater. He and his other self transformed into their Super Transformations to fight both their respective adversaries in battle.

Sonic's strength had grown considerably over the years. When faced against Perfect Chaos during the Time Eater incident, there was simply no need to use them. He was strong enough to take on the mighty warrior with his own strength alone. Admittedly, Sonic felt no need to find them again for his own use, but if all seven were available for the taking, this was simply an opportunity he couldn't afford to pass on.

Grabbing both chilli dogs and consuming them quickly for energy, he raced off once again. "I need to tell Tails about this!"

Racing through the huge city till buildings were no longer surrounding him, Sonic raced towards Mystic Ruins on the outskirts of the city, eager to visit his best friend for advice.


Miles Prower, better known to his friends as "Tails", worked tirelessly within his workshop, building one machine after the other in quick succession. The war had taken its toll on everyone, but Tails suffered more than expected. Watching his friend withstand a terrible beating by Infinite had greatly shaken the fox's confidence, so much so that he didn't have the courage to face Chaos alone. This frustrated him to no end. He once defeated Chaos 4 all alone and even saved Station Square from Eggman.

Tails had no excuse for his cowardice. After the war ended, he swore to never sit idly by and cower in fear again. Determined to prove why he was amongst the planet's heroes, Tails did what he did best: technology. Several defence devices covered the workshop, all in preparation for another attack. Next time they would be ready.

"And…That…Should…Do it!" Tails exclaimed aloud, stepping back after placing the final touches on his machines.

Stepping back to admire his work, Tails nodded with approval. Lost in thought to his creations, he remained oblivious to the approaching figure. Sonic entered the workshop through the open door, greeting him loudly. This startled Tails, who dropped the wrench in shock. It landed firmly against this foot, causing him to hollow in pain.

"Ow!" Tails yelled and grasped his sneaker.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" Sonic asked innocently.

Shooting his best friend a glare, Tails replied drily. "No, I just have a habit of holding my foot while screaming."

Sonic rolled his eyes, partially amused by his best friend's sarcasm. Some of his traits were beginning to run off on his best friend, for better or for worse. While the young fox continued nursing his foot till the pain subsided, Sonic admired the several machines scattered across the workshop. "Say, whatcha been working on?"

Unable to stand for now, Tails sat down on one of his tables. His best friend's interest in his work took his mind off the pain for now. "I've been working on some surveillance and battle machines. Eggman took our world by surprise. I want us to be prepared next time. Hopefully there won't be a next time."

"Good thinking," Sonic praised, noting the look of concern spread across the young scientist's face. The war had left him anxious and paranoid, unwilling to risk another worldwide occupation again.

Eager to change the subject, Tails pressed on. "What brings you over this way? You're not trying to hide from Amy again, are you?"

Sonic handed the fox the poster. "Saw this in the city and couldn't pass it up."

Tails scanned the contents, his eyes widening with interest. Unlike Sonic who read through the writing as quickly as possible, Tails took the time to examine each word with interest, making sure to read over the rules until they were second nature. "So, this Jit the Eagle got his hands on the Chaos Emeralds. We need to put together a team of seven, get through the qualifying rounds, win the battle against the other team and the emeralds will be as good as ours. Sounds pretty simple. Why did you need my help with this?"

"Who else has the smarts to help me organise a team?" Sonic replied as if it were obvious.

While Tails appreciated the complement, he arched one eyebrow curiously. "Are you asking me to join your team?"

Sonic smiled. "Who better to watch my back? I know I can always count on you, Tails."

The fox's smile briefly dropped, pausing to look away from his best friend, his idol who he had let down during the war. When Sonic needed him best, he failed. But then he came back and worked alongside his best friend's other self. His confidence slowly began to return. He resumed eye contact and nodded. "Thanks for the offer, Sonic. But I'm afraid this one is a little out of my league."

Before the hedgehog replied, Tails hopped off the table and dragged over a wooden writing board towards the corner of the lab. Grabbing a nearby pen, he wrote down several notes for reference. "The tournament rules say we're not allowed to bring any physical weapons or gadgets of any kind. We can only use our natural abilities. Sonic, you're going to need the toughest there is."

Sonic opened his mouth to protest, stopping short as he realised there was no counter argument. For the longest time, Sonic and Tails only had each other. Saving the world with his best friend reminded the hedgehog he couldn't do everything alone. They worked together against Chaos, the Deadly Six, Eggman and several more opponents. To not have Tails fighting alongside him again felt wrong. Regardless of his personal feelings, Sonic knew he couldn't force Tails to do anything he didn't want to do.

Sensing the hedgehog's concern, Tails spoke up, his voice now filled with enthusiasm. "But that doesn't mean I can't help out. Let's work together and put together the strongest team there is!"

"Now you're speaking my language!" Sonic agreed, hopping onto a nearby chair with both feet planked up on a table. "Well, of course you have yours truly partaking. With my speed, I can push everyone off before they even know I was there."

"Unless there's someone there faster, of course," Tails teased, pausing to write the hedgehog's name on the board. "Let's see. Six more. What do you think about adding Knuckles to the team?"

"He may be a big dolt, but he's the strongest one out of our team. Not counting Mighty," Sonic replied. "Let's add him. What do you think about asking Shadow to join?"

"Shadow?" Tails questioned after writing down the echidna's name. "You really think you can get Shadow to join us?"

Sonic shrugged. "Why not? We've worked together before. I know he acts like a big jerk, but I can trust him any day. He's almost as fast as me. Almost," he paused to cough on the final word. "Besides, his Chaos powers will come in handy."

While Tails didn't agree with the hedgehog's suggestion, he shrugged and added the name to the board, stepping back to consider their next move. "Let's see…Having someone on the team who can fly will reduce the chances of falling out. What do you think about asking Rouge to join?"

"That'll be a piece of cake," Sonic agreed. "One mention of a Chaos Emerald and she'll be there faster than a toupee in a hurricane."

"And with her combat skills and powerful kicks, it will make it hard for someone to get close to her," Tails added before writing her name amongst the others. "As a bonus, Shadow might be more willing to join if Rogue is there. They're best friends, after all. Now, we need someone who has discipline, won't get easily distracted and knows how to fight. How about Espio?"

"Espio. Not a bad idea," Sonic agreed. "If all that bravado about being a ninja isn't just for show, he might be our most effective fighter."

Adding the detective's name to the board, Tails stepped back once more. "We have strength, speed, combat, stealth and flight. The tournament says we can use natural abilities."

Hopping from the chair to approach the board, Sonic lazily leaned one arm around his friend's shoulders. "And we do know a certain princess who can make fire."

Pushing Sonic's arm away, Tails continued. "A good thing I just finished my Dimensional Gateway Device."

"Your what now?" Sonic questioned.

"In layman's terms, a way to travel across universes," Tails replied simply. "I've always wanted to find a way to reach Blaze's dimension. Remember my Dimension Communicators I built a while back to contact Blaze? I never got around to using them, but I took the concept and created a way to cross universes without the Sol Emeralds. Pretty cool, right? That way we can visit each other anytime we like."

Impressed with the young fox's abilities, Sonic patted him on the back. "Way past cool, buddy. Nice work. If we can get Blaze on the team, that only leaves one more space. Any ideas?"

Tails shifted focus towards the board, one hand placed under his chin. "Hmm. Amy won't be able to take her hammer. This might be a little too much for Cream. Big's not the most observant and doesn't really like to fight. Vector is strong, but he's easily distracted. Same with Charmy. Mighty and Ray haven't been around for a while. I'm stumped."

Sonic paced up and down the workshop, contemplating who their seventh member could be. Someone experienced, powerful, trustworthy and unafraid to battle. After going through the names of all of their friends, the hedgehog had only one name in mind. "How about Silver?"

"Silver?" Tails questioned. "His telekinesis would definitely come in handy. But you do realise he's in the future, right?"

"Well, can't you find a way to contact him?" Sonic requested. "You were able to put together a machine for crossing dimensions. I'm sure you could hook something up to get in touch."

Tails shook his head with uncertainty. "Crossing dimensions is one thing, but time? I'm not sure where to even begin. Having one of the Chaos Emeralds would really come in handy right now."

The fox pondered the idea, one hand supporting the other placed against his head. His best friend looked on, confident the two-failed fox had the resources to construct a device. While Tails didn't want to let him down, he couldn't deny the reality of it all. Time travel was impossible without Chaos energy. Silver could only do so using technology that didn't exist within their timeline yet.

"I don't think I can find a way to make a direct link, but maybe I could construct a device capable of sending messages across time," Tails suggested. "Let's move Silver into the maybe category for now. I'll get to work on making a device. Why don't you go and gather our team? We can meet back here when you're done."

"Sounds like a plan, buddy," Sonic replied with his signature thumbs up. "Any suggestions on who to get first?"

Using this opportunity to test his new toy, Tails grabbed the Dimensional Gateway Device, aiming towards the workshop's exit. "Here goes nothing!"

Pressing the centre of the switch, Tails winced for a moment in anticipation for backlash. Any doubt washed over as a single portal morphed into existence. On the other side revealed the Sol Dimension. Overcome with joy, Tails bounced up and down on the spot. "It worked!"

Sonic took the opportunity to fist bump his friend. "Nice work!"

"Before you go you'll need this," Tails said, quickly grabbing another device for his best friend. He fitted the communicator around Sonic's wrist, taking a moment to adjust configuration. "Now we can stay in touch while you're on the other side. When you're ready to go, hit the red button and I'll open the portal."

The hedgehog nodded, taking a moment to admire his shiny new wrist band. Shifting focus towards the portal with confidence, Sonic raced through to the other side, ready to begin their next exciting adventure. Tails watched his best friend cross dimensions, happy to see his work hadn't been in vain. Confident in his work once more, he nodded softly before returning to his gadgets, ready to help Sonic in his adventures once again.

"Just like old times."


I've been a big fan of Sonic for years. Recently got back into the franchise properly and finally find the courage to write my own Sonic story. Any reviews are welcome, feel free to leave constructive criticism. I will see you all in chapter 2.