Sonic: The Tournament of Chaos
Chapter 3: Chaotix Detective Agency
Dropping out of the portal leading out of the Sol Dimension, the trio entered Tails' home once more. Upon returning to their world, Tails sealed the portal behind them for safekeeping. Blaze took a moment to look back at her world, entrusting its safety to her closest friends back home. Staying away from home would be difficult, but she had full confidence in everyone to take care of the kingdom.
Tails raced over to a wooden writing board in the corner of the lab, written with the names and locations of their team. He grabbed a pen and crossed out Blaze's name, turning towards the princess with excitement. "Thanks for assisting us, Blaze! That's one down with five to go. Who do you want to reach out to next, Sonic?"
The hedgehog pondered the thought for a moment, eyeing the written content curiously. "Well, old Knucklehead is probably on Angel Island and probably won't be eager to leave so soon. I'll speak to him later. Have you found a way to contact Silver yet?"
"Wait, Silver will be joining your team?" Blaze inquired, receiving a small nod from Sonic in response. "How do you intend to do that?"
Tails grabbed the Miles Electric, shifting through the multi-functional electronic handheld device for his latest creation. "Time travel isn't something we've mastered quite yet. Without the Chaos Emeralds, we don't have a way to travel through time using Chaos energy. That's why I've been working on a device to send messages through time. Still need to adjust a few tweaks here and there. I'll get to work on it while you're gone."
Sonic nonchalantly shrugged. "Well, I'm open to suggestions, buddy."
"Why don't you try and get Espio to join?" Tails suggested. " I doubt the Chaotix have any new cases at the moment with the world still getting back on its feet."
"Good call," Sonic agreed, quickly picking up a map to make a mental note on where the Chaotix Detective Agency was located. Due to their financial difficulties over the years, the trio were often evicted from their premises and moved to someone else. Vector meant well when it came to helping others, but financial management wasn't amongst his many skills.
"May I join you, Sonic?" Blaze requested. "There is little I can do to help Tails in his mechanics. I would rather make myself useful than sit around all day."
Sonic smiled, gesturing towards the open door. "The more the merrier. Let's get going."
Without another word, the duo raced off into the open wilderness, setting course straight for Station Square. Left alone to his own devices, Tails resumed work on figuring out how to send messages through time and space. Despite all odds, everything was turning out quite well.
Business within the Chaotix Detective Agency couldn't be better. For the first time in forever, there was more work than they could possibly handle. After joining the Resistance to help liberate the world from Eggman, their heroic actions spread throughout the land. While the world struggled to get back on its feet, many residents needed help in reuniting with loved ones, tracking down valuables, finding stolen property, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.
The detectives scrambled across their office in a desperate attempt to stay on top of the heavy workload. Charmy managed the phones, barely able to speak to one person before he was forced to put them on hold to handle another call. The ones that did get through were passed onto Vector, who noted their details and passed them along to Espio. In turn, the chamaeleon organised the case files from priority to minor. With the Government still trying to reorganise society, there was no concern for paying their taxes for now.
Pausing briefly to wipe the sweat pouring down his head, Vector passed along another file to his closest ally. "Who knew all this work would pile up in just a few days? I'm not sure how we're gonna tackle all of these cases. Where's Mighty and Ray when you need them?"
Espio placed another file within their cabinet, taking a moment to sip his green tea before answering. "We took an oath to help others in their dire need. That being said, it could take us days just to handle one of these cases. I trust we're not in a time limit?"
"Not unless we're dealing with an angry old lady looking for her cat again," Vector sighed, briefly shifting his gaze towards Charmy, who was beginning to slump over the desk, mentally drained from trying to multitask so many phone calls. "Hey kid, you're not sleeping on the job, are you?"
The bee suddenly jolted upwards, slapping his head to give himself an adrenaline rush. "I'm awake! I'm up!"
Despite their youngest member's eagerness, this was a difficult task for an experienced adult to manage. Someone as young as Charmy didn't stand more of a chance. Seeking to help, Espio approached. "Why don't you take five minutes, Charmy?"
The bee shook his head. "I'm fine! I'm wide awake! Nothing can keep me down, nothing can…"
Without warning, he slumped over the desk once more and drifted asleep. Vector shook his head amusingly with Espio giving the smallest of smiles. The phones had since stopped, giving everyone a break from the non-stop ringing. The intercom to their office suddenly buzzed, waking Charmy in an instance.
"I'll get it!" he declared, flying over towards their front door.
Charmy swung open the door, revealing a blue hedgehog accompanied with the Princess of the Sol Empire. "Sonic! Are you here to play Tomatopotamus 2 again?"
"Another time, Charmy," Sonic replied while patting the bee softly on the head. "Vector and Espio around?"
"Right this way!" Charmy exclaimed, flying towards their office while gesturing for the duo to follow.
Sonic and Blaze entered, the latter closing the door behind them. To describe the office as 'unorganised' would be the understatement of the year. Papers scattered across the floor, empty soda cans & pizza boxes stacked in the corner, Charmy's toys left out in the living room. While Sonic didn't seem to mind, Blaze couldn't avoid frowning at the mess, a complete parallel to her tidied and organised castle.
"Sup guys?" Sonic greeted, pausing briefly to step over a tipped over trash can.
Vector stood up from his deck to greet the duo, pumping fists with the blue hedgehog. "Sonic! What brings you down to our office? And you brought Blaze with you!"
The princess returned the courtesy. "Vector, I trust you are well?"
"Couldn't be better! Business has been booming these past few days!" Vector said with joy, gesturing towards the large cabinet filled with new cases. "We're taking on so much work. Say, you couldn't help out with a few of these cases, could you? We'll pay you a commission."
Espio narrowed his eyes, shooting a disapproving look towards his boss. The crocodile seemed to forget there was no money available to take on any more staff at the moment, not until they handled a few of the several cases taking up their office space. No wonder Vector couldn't be trusted to handle their taxes in the past.
"Thanks for the offer, but I actually dropped by to ask you guys for help," Sonic explained. Moving his attention from the de facto leader of the group, he locked eyes with the most disciplined member of Team Chaotix. "Well, Espio's help."
The chameleon raised one eyebrow. "My help? What can I do to be of assistance? With respect, no one here is better than the other when it comes to our detective skills. We're all equally as good as the other."
Sonic quickly clarified his request. "It's less about your detective skills and more of your kung fu-"
"Ninjutsu," Espio corrected.
"Right, your ninjutsu skills," Sonic continued. "Have you guys heard about the Tournament of Chaos coming up this Saturday!"
"I have!" Charmy spoke up loudly, holding the same advertisement the blue hedgehog studied earlier in the day. "There's gonna be some crazy fighting! I told Vector we should have entered, but he was all like ,"Charmy, we can't go to a tournament while we got rent to pay!""
Taking offence to the surprisingly accurate impression, Vector snatched the poster out of the bee's hands. "Hey, I don't sound anything like that!"
Sonic couldn't stop himself from chuckling in amusement. Even Blaze raised the smallest of amused smiles, though she quickly switched back to her stoic expression once the bickering between the detectives ceased. It ended with Charmy sticking his tongue out before flying away into the kitchen for some honey.
"Please continue, Sonic," Espio requested.
The blue hedgehog nodded. "So, I met up with Tails to put together a strong team of seven and we wanted to make sure all bases were covered. That's why Blaze is here. We want you on the team as well. With your fancy ninja-I mean, ninjutsu skills, no one will be able to see you coming. Literally! What'd you say?"
The chameleon hummed for a moment, considering the proposal. He took the poster from Vector to look it over himself, hoping the information would assist in making an effective decision. As a master of martial arts and ninjutsu, Espio took a silent oath to never use his training for selfish reasons. Like Blaze, he only fought when necessary. However, joining a tournament wasn't exactly a breach of his sacred oath. With the Chaos Emeralds on the line, winning them now prevented the likes of Eggman from getting to them first.
He opened his mouth to respond. Vector beat him to the punchline, stepping forward to answer in his place. "Now wait just a minute, what do we get out of this?"
"A Chaos Emerald," Sonic said as if it were obvious. "Nothing more rewarding than that."
"Well, we can't exactly pawn something that rare," Vector responded, placing both arms across his chest. "Besides, we got enough files stacking up as it is. I don't think Espio has the time to help you without something in return."
Finally taking his turn to speak, Espio stepped around the taller crocodile. "If I may, Vector, I can speak for myself. You said it yourself then we're practically swamped with work. Sonic, while it would be an honour to partake in your team, I'm afraid the situation we find ourselves in is quite an unfortunate prediction."
Unwilling to give in so easily, Sonic placed one hand under his chin, contemplating how he could persuade the detective to join. He could offer money as compensation for their time. Vector wouldn't hesitate to accept a payment in advance, though the same could not be said for Espio, who would probably decline. He wasn't a mercenary for hire, after all. He turned towards Blaze, shrugging lightly for ideas.
Forming an idea of her own, Blaze spoke up. "There will be hundreds of spectators watching the tournament. The event will be televised live throughout the world."
"Yeah?" Vector questioned with uncertainty.
"Why not use this opportunity to promote your services to the whole nation?" Blaze innocently suggested. "The nation watches a brave member of your agency partake in a battle. Everyone will want to know where they can get in touch with such a mighty warrior. They will turn to your agency. If you thought you would be busy now, your cabinet over there will appear tame in comparison to what will follow."
Impressed with her suggestions, Sonic subtidly winked in her direction. "Nice going, Blaze. I knew picking you was a great choice."
Vector appeared intrigued by her proposal, a wide smile forming across his giant jaws. He snapped his fingers and jumped, almost knocking over Espio. "Why didn't I think of that? Espio, you're going to the tournament!"
Admittedly, the chameleon preferred to answer for himself. One thing he learned during his several years at the agency was his lack of say over personal matters. While he didn't mind on other occasions, today felt more exclusive. Without saying a word, he returned to the cabinet and retrieved one of their ongoing cases, returning to the small group. "Very well. However Vector, perhaps Sonic and Blaze could assist us with an ongoing case while they're here. At least that way we'll have some funding to fall back on during my absence."
"Good thinking, Espio!" Vector agreed. "You guys up for a little detective work?"
Sonic shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not the most observant, but I'll do what I can to help. You up for it, Blaze?"
"I will assist," Blaze agreed. "What is the case? Nothing too complicated I presume?"
"Nothing to that extent, Your Highness," Espio reassured, opening up the case file while moving towards one of their evidence boards. He attached several photographs alongside their personal sticky notes, moving to one side to explain the situation. "One week ago, Captain Onasi of the Black Pearl pulled into the docks to drop off a shipment of goods. While they were unloading, Captain Onasi removed his wedding ring to avoid any damage. When he returned to the ship's bridge, the ring was stolen."
Vector took the opportunity to continue, gesturing towards the three pictures of their suspects. "The captain claims only these three members of his crew have access to the deck. The ship's cook Moe, the ship's navigation officer Adam and first mate Tommy. All three have their own alibis. So far we haven't been able to determine which of the three are the culprit."
Returning from the kitchen, Charmy licked the remaining drops of honey before tossing the jar aside. Joining the rest of his team, he gestured towards another section of the board. "As expected, Moe says he was preparing food for the crew. Adam says he was taking a nap. Tommy says he was on the top of the deck fixing the ship's flag."
Taking in all the information handed to them, Sonic scratched his head in confusion. Slowing down to do detective work isn't something he took joy out of. If Tails were around, one of his fancy gadgets could probably help solve the case. With his best friend occupied for now, it was up to the five of them to solve this case. Blaze seemed to grasp the situation better, mentally noting all of the details.
"Have you taken the time to speak with the crew yet?" she inquired.
Vector shook his head. "Not yet. The ship's still docked at Pier 77. We only have a couple of days until the captain has to sail. We don't have much time."
Confident as always, Sonic grinned. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go and solve our case!"
Pier 77 stacked high with shipping containers, workers scrambling around to make sure every shipment arrived on the correct ships. Standing out amongst the crowd of workers were the members of the Chaotix Detective Agency, accompanied with two associates. Finding the ship had been easy enough, though the real challenge would be to find the culprit and get them to confess to the crime.
Boarding the ship, the five friends split up to cover all grounds. Sonic moved below deck to speak with the cook, Blaze stayed on the deck to locate the first mate, Espio & Charmy found the navigator and Vector spoke with the captain for any last minute details. Everyone agreed to stay in touch till their culprit emerged from hiding.
"So, you said you were down here making food?" Sonic inquired, wincing as the cook chopped vegetables with aggression, causing small traces of food to hit the hedgehog's face. Irritated, he wiped away the contents and stepped backwards.
"Just like I told the captain, I have no interest in taking his stupid ring," the cook, a large polar bear dressed in the common chef's attire, responded while sliding the incredients into a large pot. "What do I need with a ring? I already got six of them!"
True to his word, Sonic counted the six circular pieces of jewellery around the polar bear's fingers. While they didn't look the most valuable, he doubted the polar bear needed an extra ring to add into his collection. But that raised the possibility of him pawning the ring instead for money. The hedgehog grunted, questioning how the detectives had the patience for this sort of thing.
In another area of the ship, Espio and Charmy spoke to the navigator, the latter holding up a notepad and pencil in preparation. Adam didn't seem to take the situation too seriously, slouching away in bed.
"Sir, you claimed to have been resting while the crew unloaded your shipment," Espio stated firmly. "Why were you not assisting?"
Adam, a small Blackpoll warbler, nonanctly waved them away. "You ever tried sitting on top of a mass for twenty-four hours straight? Forgive me if I was a little sleepy."
While annoyed by the warbler's lack of interest, Espio continued pressing for answers. "Then you won't mind if we take a look around?"
Adam shrugged, closing his eyes while placing both wings behind the back of his head. "Knock yourselves out."
Exchanging glances with Charmy, Espio gestured for the bee to look around the room for any trace of the ring. He guarded Adam, observing the suspect. So far there were no hints of deception, no trace of concern at being caught. Either the navigator was truly innocent or he was very skilled in lying. Time would tell.
At the top of the deck, Blaze walked alongside Tommy, a small penguin who acted as the ship's first mate. Unlike the chef and navigation, he was far more polite, happily taking the time to speak with the detectives and help resolve the case.
"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me," Blaze said as they reached the back of the ship.
"Happy to help anyway I can," Tommy assured. "Blaze, was it?"
"That's right," she confirmed, leaving out the fact she was a princess from a different universe. "During the night of the theft, you were out here fixing the ship's flag. Correct?"
The penguin nodded. "Yes ma'am. We got caught in the middle of a storm on our way through here. That old thing gets torn away too often. The other guy ended up putting it the wrong way up. As first mate, I have to make sure our flag sails right. What is a ship without a flag, am I right?"
Blaze nodded and moved her gaze towards said flag at the top of the ship. The flag was purple, sporting a painting of a black pearl directly in the centre. She studied the flag intently, watching as the sea air blew it softly. A strong gust of wind would be capable of blowing it away with enough force. Humming quietly, she observed the flag, all the while Tommy continued to go about his day as if she were not there.
Blaze's eyes widened, piecing together his alibi with her own observation skills revealed a theory of her own. She slowly turned towards the penguin, now eyeing him with heavy suspicion. "You said you made sure the flag was fixed the right way up?"
"That's right, ma'am," Tommy confirmed, his back facing her while he tied ropes around the deck.
Placing one hand to her hip, Blaze narrowed her eyes cautiously. "The pearl is within the centre of the flag. Even if it was attached the wrong way, it would still look the same."
Though she couldn't see his face, Blaze's accusation sunk in deep. The penguin's eyes widened, realising he had been caught within the act. Slowly turning to face the princess, he offered a nervous smile. "Um, well…You see…"
Running out of stalling tactics, Tommy frantically charged towards the exit of the ship, bumping into his fellow crewmates during his manic escape. Before he could reach the gangway, a purple chameleon materialised into existence, brandishing one of his kunai blades threateningly. Tommy halted, turning around to find an alternative route. He bumped face first into the larger crocodile, falling down from the impact.
Upon hitting the ground, a familiar object rolled out of his top pocket towards the edge of the ship. A bee flew past and scooped the ring into his hands, happily waving it within the air. "I got it!"
Vector grabbed Tommy by the scruff of his collar, holding him up to avoid any more chases. "Well, it seems the thief was no other than your first mate, Captain Onasi."
The captain, an elderly man with a grey beard in formal attire, accepted his treasured ring from the happy bee. Upon placing it back on his finger, he angrily shifted his attention towards the panicked penguin. "Tommy, how could you? You were my first mate!"
"Captain, I can explain!" Tommy exclaimed.
"I'm sure you can. To another crew, that is!" Captain Onasi barked. "Get off my ship."
Defeated, Tommy flopped forward, allowing Vector to escort him off the ship. The captain followed closely, determined to make sure this thief didn't find a route to stowaway back on board. The rest of the team gathered, pleased to see another case had been successfully solved.
"That was impressive work, Blaze," Espio praised while tucking his kunai back into his metal-reinforced arm bracers. "Charmy and I overheard the full conversation while we were making our way back."
"Yeah, that was awesome, Blaze!" Charmy agreed.
The princess was all too happy to assist in their case, nodding softly in response. Before long, Vector joined the rest of the team as they made their way back onto the docks. True to his word, Captain Onasi paid them on the spot for their services. The crocodile waved their cheque with enthusiasm. "And that's payday!"
"Happy to have helped, Vector," Sonic reassured while crossing his arms. "We held up our end of the bargain."
"Yeah, yeah, man of my word," Vector said, lightly shoving the chameleon forward with his free arm. "Espio's all yours. We'll be watching the tournament. C'mon Charmy, let's go get pizza!"
"Pizza? Yeah!" Charmy cheered, happily flying alongside his boss.
With Vector and Charmy off to fill their stomachs with more junk, Espio shifted his attention towards his team. "I look forward to seeing how these events play out. No matter what happens, know that I will fight by your side till my last breath."
He took a moment to bow with respect. Sonic and Blaze exchanged glances. The awkwardness didn't last as Espio stood upright, determination filled within his face. "What is our next move?"
Sonic nodded towards the direction of Mystic Ruins on the outskirts of Station Square. "Let's make our way back to Tails' place. We'll make our next move from there."
The trio took off in the same direction, racing towards the home of their two-tailed friend. While Espio could not move as fast as the speedsters accompanying him, his training and lighter weight allowed him to keep pace with them over short distances. With the next member of their team onboard, their next adventure awaited.
