Chapter 31: Collision Chaos Emerald Tournament Finals
Helen vs. Amy
"A one, and a two, and a three, and a…"
Amy was stretching on the floor of the competitor's lounge, gripping the tips of her toes with her gloved fingers.
"Hey Ames, getting' ready for the fight?"
"Oh, hey Sonic," Amy replied, waving to the blue hedgehog as she pulled herself up. "Helen's going to be quite formidable, especially in her mech. I can't afford to pull any punches!" The pink hedgehog pulled the Piko Piko Hammer from her hammerspace. "Or, should I say…swings!" She proceeded to swing her weapon at an invisible target.
"I know you'll do great out there," Sonic assured, placing a gloved hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks, sweetie," Amy replied with a smile. "Maybe you can give me a good luck hug?"
"A good luck hug?" Sonic scoffed before bringing the pink hedgehog in for a kiss on the lips. "I think this would bring more luck than a simple hug, don't ya think?" Amy's face went crimson red, but the love and support from the blue hedgehog only further solidified her resolve.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the competitor's lounge, Helen and Tails were having a debrief of their own.
"This will be my first serious match," Helen said as she fidgeted with the joysticks of her Nintendo Switch Pro controller. "How well do you think I'll fare against Amy?"
"Well," Tails replied as he scratched the back of his ears, "I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. She's an experienced fighter who has taken out numerous Eggman mechs over the years, however, unlike Eggman, you actually practiced before testing it out in the field." With eyes closed, the fox raised a finger to the air. "Your adeptness combined with the Helengelion will even the odds for sure!"
"Any tips before I go out there?" Helen asked as she watched through the open window as the announcer stepped into the ring.
"Ummm…" The young kitsune raised a gloved finger to his chin before looking back at the pink hedgehog, who was performing practice swings. "Oh, look out for her hammer. She may try destabilizing you by going for your legs."
"Got it." Helen nodded as she gave the fox a thumbs up.
"Good afternoon!" The announcer cried into his mic. "I hope you're ready for the semi-finals!"
"Oop, that's my cue," Helen said as she placed her controller back in the zipped compartment of her wheelchair and approached the door.
"Good luck, Helen!" Tails waved at the young girl, who simply gave him a peace sign before rolling to the ring.
"And good luck to you, Ames," Sonic said to the pink hedgehog.
"Thanks, Sonic," Amy replied before following Helen.
"To my left, is the young Helen! She has utterly wiped the floor of her previous opponents, hardly utilizing the full potential of her Helengelion!" The crowd roared in applause as Helen waved back at them.
"And to my right is Amy Rose, who has already demonstrated her fighting prowess against multiple foes in heated combat! Using her trusty Piko Piko Hammer, this hedgehog puts up a fiery fight!" The audience cheered just as much for the blushing Mobian as she returned the praise with waves of her own.
"If the combatants are ready," the announcer declared, "let the match…BEGIN!"
GONG!
"I'm not going to waste any time," Helen told herself as she pressed some keys on the pad on her wheelchair's armrest, starting the transformation sequence of her mech. Amy's gaze was focused on the machine's limbs as she tried finding what would hopefully be a weak spot.
"Are you ready, Amy?" Helen called from her seat above, attaching the Switch controller to her front console.
"Oh, you bet," she replied with a smirk, pulling out her hammer before diving forward, her arms over her head as she charged a deadly swing. Jumping up, the pink hedgehog landed a blow to the mech's knee.
"You'll have to try again!" Helen called from above, undeterred by the attack. "I'll demonstrate!" Forming her metallic hand into a fist, she punched in Amy's direction, but the pink hedgehog narrowly avoided the hit with a speedy dive to the side.
"C'mon, Helen," Amy said from below. "I've been chasing Sonic for years. You're gonna have to be faster than that to land a blow!"
"That's my Ames," Sonic said from the sidelines, brushing a tear from his eye.
"All right," Helen replied with a grin. "Let's see how you try this on for size!" Pressing several complex inputs into her controller, a slew of missiles shot up from the mech's shoulders, eventually arcing down in Amy's direction.
"She means business," Amy said as she dodged a few missiles before jumping up and, taking a page out of Sonic's book, targeting a nearby projectile with a homing attack. Bouncing off several missiles, the pink hedgehog progressively made her way higher until she was at eye level with the human. Finally, Amy kicked off from the last missile, jumping high as she brought the hammer over her head.
Helen gasped as the head of Amy's weapon made contact with the glass casing protecting the human from the outside world. The blunt attack caused a crack to form.
"Hiiiyaaahhhh!" Kicking herself over the mech, the pink hedgehog performed a flip behind the Helengelion before swinging around, dealing a blow to its back and sending Helen to her mechanical knees.
Amy landed gracefully back in the ring, wiping sweat from her forehead as she plotted her next move. Grinning, she jumped up once more, using the momentum to land a blow to Helen's knee pit.
"Ahhhhhh!" Helen screamed as the back of her mechanical leg started sparking.
"Helen!" Tails called from the sidelines. "It's no use! You've gotta throw in the towel before it gets too dangerous!"
"…no." The young girl pushed herself up with the palms of her metallic hands. Turning around, the mech was now facing Amy, its weight supported by a single leg as the other limped from the injury.
"All right…this is gonna get brutal…" Carefully tilting her joysticks, Helen grabbed the broken leg and, with a forceful yank, completely detached it from the rest of her mech, earning a surprise gasp from the audience and the contestants in the competitor's lounge.
"Here's a present!" Helen threw the discarded limb toward Amy.
"Not gonna work!" Amy exclaimed as she performed a vertical jump, hopping onto the leg and launching herself off it, once again using this opportunity to gain some leverage over her metallic foe.
Unfortunately for her, however, the cunning human was ready for this counterattack; just as the pink hedgehog lifted her hammer over her head, she was swiftly grabbed by the Helengelion's hand, its silver fingers wrapped around her, preventing her from escape.
"Game over, Amy!" Helen declared as she swung her arm, throwing the Mobian on a crash course for the grass surrounding the ring.
"Gotta think quick…" The pink hedgehog pulled out her Piko Piko Hammer, throwing it toward the ground, its handle sticking into the grass. She landed on the head of the weapon and quickly launched herself back up.
"What!?" Helen exclaimed as Amy dove at the mech like a speeding bullet. The hedgehog curled into a ball and, not a moment later, pierced the metallic skin of the Helengelion, emerging on the other side through a clean hole. Helen gasped as sparks started flying along her dashboard, her Switch controller no longer operational. She tightly closed her eyes as the mech started losing its footing.
"Helen!" Tails watched as the mech fell out of bounds.
"Helen is unable to battle!" The announcer called. "The winner…is Amy!" He raised the arm of the pink hedgehog as the crowd started cheering her name.
Pulling herself away from the announcer, Amy climbed up the torso of the downed machine. Reaching its head, she found Helen secured within, the sparks having ceased.
"You all right?" Amy asked through the cracked glass barrier.
"Y-yeah," she replied as she pressed the emergency hatch button on her armrest, the casing opening moments later. It was at this time that Tails made his way to the scene, floating in place next to his hedgehog counterpart.
"Here, Helen, lemme help you out of there…" The orange fox reached in, grabbing the young girl and cradling her in his arms against his furry chest.
"Tails, down here!" Chuck called, pointing at an empty wheelchair below.
"Roger!" Tails steadily reduced his altitude, landing gently in the grass below and placing the young girl in the chair.
"How do you feel, Helen?" Tails asked.
"I'm doing fine," Helen replied as she shifted her attention to her downed mech. "But the Helengelion? I think it's seen better days."
"Yeah, you've got that right," Tails replied with a chuckle, scratching the back of his head.
"Soooo…" The announcer approached them. "That's a big mess, huh? Gonna be difficult for the next round to commence with the debris all over the ring."
"Oh, well…lemme see here…" The fox approached the mech, studying its limbs and the hole Amy made through it. "Unfortunately, what allowed me to make the mech compact and fold into itself is no longer functional, so all of these parts will need to be salvaged." Tails approached the announcer, scratching the back of his head once more. "I don't suppose we could have this stuff shipped to Chuck's barn, could we?"
"Well, we're gonna need to clear it anyway," the announcer replied, "so I don't think that'd be a problem. It's not like there's a better place to keep piles of twisted metal."
"Thanks!" Tails gave the announcer a thumbs up who immediately called up his tournament contact to arrange the cleanup.
"How are you feeling?" Amy asked, approaching Helen from her side.
"I'm doing fine," she replied with a thumbs up, "although I should be congratulating you on your victory!"
"I'll admit, you had me on the ropes there," Amy said through a blush. She turned to the mech. "Sorry about the Helengelion."
"I'm sure Tails and I can fix it up in no time," she replied.
"And better than ever, too!" Tails added with a thumbs up. "In fact, I already have some plans cookin' in the old noggin!" The fox rubbed his palms together mischievously, earning a laugh from his friends.
Sonic vs. Knuckles
"Now, for the penultimate fight, we have Sonic the Hedgehog to my left!" The announcer pointed to the blue hedgehog, who simply gave a thumbs up, with eyes closed, at the cheering crowd.
"And to my right: Knuckles the Echidna!" He simply kept his arms folded as the crowd cheered for him nearly as loud as his hedgehog counterpart.
"These two Mobians need no introduction, as their short time here on Earth has already earned them reputations for their fast speed, wicked strength, and their tenacious bravery in the face of evil! Indeed, our world has never seen a competitive match-up quite like this, so be sure to stay on the edge of your seat as these two visitors duke it out for all of us to enjoy!"
"If the combatants are ready," the announcer concluded, "it's time to du-du-du-du…du-du-du-du-DUUUEL!"
Gong!
"Let's start out with a lil' warm-up!" Sonic charged a spindash before launching himself as the red echidna, who planted his feet into the ground and extended his arms, catching the blue hedgehog in his open palms like a baseball.
"You call that power?" Knuckles gloated as he started walking forward, the spinning sphere sparking as the undeterred echidna pressed on. "I'll show you power!" He jumped up, holding the hedgehog in a single palm before launching him back down to the ring. The hedgehog bounced off the surface before unfurling, ultimately landing back on his feet.
"Not bad, Knucklehead!" Sonic said with a grin as he itched the base of his nose. "Got anything better?"
Knuckles launched himself at the cocky hedgehog. Throwing a punch, the blue hedgehog swiftly dodged. This was followed by a torrent of punches from the angry echidna, all effortlessly avoided by Sonic, who ended the combo by kneeing Knuckles in the belly. Knuckles stepped back, clutching himself as he used his other hand to keep his body steady, bending his knees to be ready for Sonic's follow-up attack.
Not a moment after Knuckles raised his guard, Sonic jumped up, performing a stomp from directly above. Instead of squishing the echidna like a pancake, however, Knuckles deflected with his palm once more, shoving the hedgehog away. Landing back on his feet, Sonic immediately charged a spindash, but when he launched himself at Knuckles, he stopped the moment before impact, catching the red echidna off guard. With a smirk, Sonic began launching a series of punches as he moved so quickly around him that he formed after-images, making the echidna's head spin.
Landing a few blows to Knuckles' chest, the blue hedgehog ended with an uppercut, sending the red echidna flying to the other side of the ring.
Bruised, the tenacious echidna pulled himself up, putting up his arms and snarling.
"Ready for some more?" Sonic asked with a smirk as he threw some air punches.
"Unfortunately for you, my warmup has hardly begun!" Knuckles replied before diving forward. He swung his arm, but instead of attempting to connect his punch, he swung his leg where he anticipated Sonic to dodge. His prediction was accurate; the blue hedgehog tripped over his leg, giving Knuckles the opportunity to pounce, kicking Sonic straight up in the air. Once the blue hedgehog reached his apex, the red echidna launched himself up, cupped his hands together over his head like a volleyball player, and slammed his fists against Sonic's belly.
"Ugh!" Sonic groaned as he was launched back down to the arena below. He landed back first, but before he could recover, Knuckles descended like a heatseeking missile, leading the charge with his spiky fist. Sonic just barely managed to avoid this follow-up attack, rolling away at the last second.
Sonic and Knuckles stood on opposite sides of the ring, sweat dripping from their brows.
"Amazing, folks! Just look at the two go!" The announcer waved his hands in the air. "Sonic had the upper hand at the start of the fight, but Knuckles pulled through, landing a few blows of his own." He waved the microphone in his hand, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. "Indeed, Sonic and Knuckles appear equally matched!"
"Here that, Knux?" Sonic called with a grin. "He's saying we're 'equally matched'. You agree?"
"Of course not!" Knuckles cried. "We both know that I'm the stronger fighter!"
"Even if that were the case," Sonic replied, appearing before Knuckles' a split second later, "you're still too slow!" The blue hedgehog performed a backflip somersault kick, smashing the echidna's jaw and launching him up in the air once more. As he fell back down, however, the red echidna curled into a ball and prepared a spindash attack.
"Ah, you're gonna use my own technique against me?" Sonic grinned as he started charging a spindash of his own. "How cute!"
Knuckles landed mere yards from the blue hedgehog, instantly rolling in Sonic's direction. The two clashed, red and blue sparks forming around them as a crater grew beneath them.
"I know you can't keep this up, Knucklehead!" Sonic jeered as the crater grew beneath the two Mobians.
"No, but I can do…THIS!"
Sonic stopped as Knuckles' fists pressed between Sonic's cheeks like a knuckle sandwich, holding the blue hedgehog in place. This was immediately followed by a knee to Sonic's belly, sending him flying out of the crater and back into the ring. Knuckles' follow-up dive was stifled as Sonic grabbed hold of the echidna's leg and twirled him away, sending him flying to the opposite side of the ring.
Sonic yawned. "Are you about done, Knuckles? I'm startin' to get bored. Kinda wanna get this over with so I can have s'more chili dogs."
"Chili dogs!?" Knuckles exclaimed as a vein appeared along his forehead. "I'll shove those chili dogs right up your a—"
"Woah, chill out, Knux! This is a family friendly fanfic!" Sonic replied, but his warning fell on deaf ears; Knuckles charged at him in a flurry of anger, diving toward the blue hedgehog. It only took Sonic stepping to the side to dodge the ill-tempered attack, sending the runaway echidna out of the ring and faceplanting into the grass below.
"Knuckles has fallen out of the ring!" The announcer grabbed Sonic's arm and pulled it up. "The winner…is Sonic the Hedgehog!"
The crowd cheered his name as the blue hedgehog waved back at his fans.
"And with that victory marks the end of the semi-finals! Once we patch up the crater, we will host our final match. Don't go anywhere, folks!"
Knuckles pulled himself up and approached the blue hedgehog, the vein along his upper face now receded. With no words spoken, the red echidna extended his arm out and opened his palm. Sonic accepted the handshake, grabbing his palm for the sportsmanlike ritual…
…at least until Knuckles tightened his grip, causing Sonic to yelp in pain.
"Hey, what's the deal, Knuckles!?" Sonic asked as he nursed his hand.
"It's my show of respect, or did you forget?" Knuckles gave Sonic a smirk of his own as he folded his arms.
"Yeah, I guess," Sonic replied, hiding the pain through his smile before giving his friendly rival a playful punch to the shoulder.
The two walked side-by-side back to the competitor's lounge.
"Sonikkuuuuu!" Amy hurled herself at Sonic, giving him a big hug. "You did really great out there, sweetie!"
"Thanks, Ames!" Sonic replied. "Although…you know what this means, right?"
"Yeah…"
The two looked away awkwardly as they blushed.
"I don't think we've really fought before," Amy said.
"Well, then I guess that'll make the finals all the more interesting!"
The two chuckled as they scratched behind their heads.
"Regardless of the results," Tails interjected, "the Chaos Emerald will go to us either way!"
"You've got that right, Tails," Sonic replied, giving his little bro a noogie, "but that doesn't mean we shouldn't put on a good show for our adoring fans out there!"
Sonic's stomach started to gurgle. "But first…I think I need some more fuel! Imma check the fridge for any leftovers!"
While the tournament staff repaired the ring yet again, the blue hedgehog gorged himself on his late afternoon morsel.
Sonic vs. Amy
The late afternoon gave way to early evening. The moon was starting to creep over the horizon, the arena lights shining brightly over the repaved arena. The announcer had just recombed his perfectly parted hair.
The final match was ready to go.
"This is it folks!" The announcer gestured to the two hedgehogs occupying opposite sides of the ring. "This is the moment you all have been waiting for! The final round of the First Annual Chaos Emerald Tournament is about to begin!"
Knuckles scoffed. "'First Annual'…who does he think he is?"
"Relax, Knuckles," Tails replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's not like they'll get the emerald back after we use them to get home."
"Yeah, they better not…" Knuckles folded his arms as the two watched from the fighter's lounge.
"To my left is Sonic the Hedgehog, the Blue Blur who needs no introduction!" Sonic waved at the crowd who was chanting his name. "And to my right is Amy Rose! She has battled her way up to the very top of this tournament with a combination of her raw strength and her signature hammer! This fight will certainly prove to be exhilarating!"
"Are the combatants set?" The announcer asked.
"Yes," Sonic and Amy replied simultaneously.
"Then the match will begin…NOW!"
GONG!
Amy bent her knees and tightened the grip on her Piko Piko Hammer, studying the blue hedgehog as he placed his hands behind his head.
"I…don't know if I can do this…" Amy lowered her arms, resting the head of her hammer on the tiled floor of the ring. "Fight…Sonic? Why'd it have to be Soni—" Amy gasped as the blue hedgehog sped forward, screeching to a halt within feet of her muzzle.
"You know, I could just forfeit the match for ya."
"What do you mean, Sonic?" Amy asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Well, it's clear you're not very comfortable with this situation, and we're getting the emerald either way." The blue hedgehog shrugged his shoulders. "I kinda figured we could at least give the audience a good show before you punt me out of the ring. What do you think?"
"Well, I…ummmm…that's not particularly fair to you," Amy protested. "I mean, wouldn't that hurt your image? Being beaten by a girl?"
"Nah, who cares about gender stereotypes," Sonic replied, waving his arms forward. "Besides, if there's any lady I'd want to beat me in the ring, it'd be you."
"Sonic…" The pink hedgehog's eyes glistened, and her cheeks were flush. "That's…so romantic."
"Yeah, well…" Sonic chuckled as he ran his hand through his quills. "It's how I roll."
"The hedgehogs appear to be having a…conversation?" The announcer indicated. "Keep your eyes peeled, though; the combat could start any second now!"
"Sounds like the audience is getting restless," Sonic noted, hearing some boos coming from some of the attendees. "How about we give 'em a good finale?" He gave his girlfriend a smirk.
"Yeah, let's do it, to it!" Amy nodded her head before entering her fighting stance, bending her knees once more and gripping the handle of her hammer.
"All right, Amy!" Sonic shouted as he jumped back to his side of the ring, making sure the audience could hear his declaration. "I'm 'bout to give it my all! I hope you're ready!"
"Bring it on, Sonic!" Amy replied, furrowing her brow as she prepared her hammer for a swing.
"Here I go!" Sonic started charging a spindash, blue sparks flying as he set his sights on the pink hedgehog. Within moments, he launched himself forward, but before he could land his attack, there was an explosion from above. "Whaaaa—" The surprised hedgehog tried screeching to a halt, but he toppled over Amy in the process, the two forming into a ball and rolling out of the ring.
"It appears Sonic and Amy…fell out simultaneously!" The announcer declared. "But more importantly…what the hell is that!?" He pointed up at the sky.
"Wooahhooohoohooo!"
"It's Eggman!" The announcer shouted. "And he brought a mech with him! Everyone should flee the stadium immediately!"
"Ames, you okay?" Sonic asked from atop the pink hedgehog.
"Y-yeah," she replied, blushing as the blue hedgehog pulled him up. The two quickly shifted their focus to the evil scientist floating in his Egg Mobile a few feet from his machine.
"Yo, Egghead!" Sonic called. "You have a good reason for ruining my match with Amy?"
"You know why I'm here, rodent!" Eggman replied. "Chris' foolish plan of trying to use his 'fighting prowess' to win the emerald was a complete failure. That pipsqueak should know that evil masterminds like myself never play fair! Oh, and…announcer guy…" He shifted his attention to the suited human below. "You should probably tell the audience that fleeing is out of the question. I have Egg Pawns stationed at every exit, and they will resort to lethal force if anyone tries leaving.
"V-very well…" The announcer cleared his throat. "A-actually folks, it'd be safer if you stayed in the stadium! Eggman has this place surrounded by robots!" This made the audience confused, the attendees crawling over seats and flailing their arms in panic. Throwing his mic in the grass, he facepalmed. "Why do all these shenanigans always happen on my watch?"
"So, Sonic," Eggman grinned as his mech shifted its focus to the two hedgehogs. "What do you think of my E-12 Behemoth? Pretty impressive, huh?"
"Looks just like your other failed mechs, Robuttnik!" Sonic replied. "Can we just get to the part where I crush your machine like a tin can?"
"You'll regret those being your last words, pincushion!" Eggman cried. "Behemoth, ATTAAAAACK!"
The unmanned mech threw a punch toward the two hedgehogs, but Sonic and Amy dodged successfully in opposite directions.
"Sonic, want some help?" Tails floating in place with his rotary namesakes.
"Nah, Amy and I got it," Sonic replied, giving the orange fox a thumbs up from below. "Just focus on taking out the egg pawns around the stadium."
"You got it, Sonic!" Tails replied, giving him his own thumbs up before grabbing Knuckles' hands, taking him along for the ride as they ventured forth to exterminate Eggman's robotic nuisances. Cream, Cheese, Rouge, and Topaz, meanwhile, separated to the other corners of the stadium to contain the mechanical threats.
"You ready, Ames?" Sonic asked, balling his hands into fists.
"Yes." Amy nodded her head as she tightened her grip on her hammer. "Let's take it down!"
Completely synchronized, Sonic jumped up in the air, rolling into a ball and preparing a spindash. Amy soon joined him, jumping high above as she prepared a swing. When Sonic reached the apex of his jump, Amy smashed the sphere like a professional baseball player, sending the blue blur careening toward the mech.
Sonic pierced halfway through the Behemoth before getting stuck inside its torso, a thick, inner wall preventing him from cutting further. Straps latched themselves to the blue hedgehog's wrists and ankles, becoming Eggman's unwitting prisoner.
"Wooahhooohoohooo! You thought you were so clever piercing a hole through my mech?" The evil doctor directed his focus to his mech. "Well guess what! I prepared for this very contingency." Robotnik pointed at his mech. "Behemoth! Begin the denotation sequence! I want to have barbequed hedgehog for dinner!"
"Detonation in 10 seconds…"
"9…"
"8…"
"Sonikkuuu!" Amy cried from below.
"7…"
"6…"
"Wait!" Amy ran toward the announcer. "Quick, the Chaos Emerald! Give it here!"
"Oh, ummm, okay…" He pulled the yellow gem from his inner suit pocket and handed it to the pink hedgehog.
"Here, Sonic, catch!" Swinging her hammer, Amy punted the mystical gem into the machine. The blue hedgehog caught it with his mouth and, with a toothy grin, started spindashing, tearing through the latches as he glowed a magnificent blue.
"2…"
"1…"
"0…"
The core of the mech exploded, sending large pieces of shrapnel flying in all directions. What was left of the inside, however, was an exhausted, charred hedgehog, the Chaos Emerald in his mouth.
"Sonic!" Amy exclaimed as she ran to his aid.
"Re-relax, Ames…" Sonic pulled his head up slightly and, with a grin, gave the pink hedgehog a thumbs up. "Nothin' a…lil' R n' R can't fix…"
Just as the grip on the gem loosened from Sonic's lips, it was snatched from above thanks to the Egg Mobile's grab hook.
"I'll be sure to disinfect this before I put it to use!" Eggman's maniacal laugh echoed throughout the stadium. "So long, losers!" Eggman started flying away.
"Oh no you don't!" Tails exclaimed as he flew up to meet Eggman, cutting through the retractable rod of the grab hook with his rotary namesakes.
"Nooo! Curse that fox!" Eggman slammed his fists on his dashboard. "Foiled again!" He spun the flying transport around. "You may've beaten me this time, Sonic, but next time, you'll be sorry!"
"Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before, Egghead!" The blue hedgehog pulled himself up, slightly limping and holding one arm with the other.
"Sonic, you're injured!" Tails exclaimed as he returned to the arena.
"Nah, just a bit burnt is all." Sonic chuckled. "You guys destroy the Egg Pawns?"
"Yep!" Tails replied. "They were no match for us! Eggman should've upgraded long ago instead of relying on these worthless consumer models."
"Sonic, Tails, Amy!" Helen called, rolling into the ring, followed by Chuck and Bokkun. "I'm glad you guys are okay."
"Glad you weren't caught in the crossfire," Sonic replied.
"Yeah…" The human girl's face went downcast. "I just wish I could've helped."
"Don't be upset, Helen," Tails replied, placing a palm on her shoulder. "Hey, I'll tell ya what: when we get home, we can start drafting up plans for the Helengelion 2.0! You'll be unstoppable!" The fox grinned as his imagination started running wild.
"Yeah, well, at least not as unstoppable as me," Sonic noted, pointing his thumb to his chest, earning a chuckle from the party once more.
"So…" The announcer approached the group. "I guess the award ceremony is canceled then, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Tails replied. "But now we have six Chaos Emeralds! That means only one more until we get to go home."
"Go home…" Helen turned away once more, sighing under her breath, a reaction noticed by the concerned kitsune.
"Then it's settled!" Sonic declared as Knuckles, Cream, Topaz, and Rouge returned to the party. "If the humans have things covered, I say we go home and have a long nap."
"Yeah, I'll say," Rouge replied, winking to Topaz to her side.
"And a snuggle would be nice, too," Amy added, giving the hedgehog a hug.
"Ow ow, still kinda stings." The blue hedgehog gently pushed her away.
"Let's get back to the van," Chuck stated, "and get out of here. The last thing you guys probably want is a media circus harassing you."
"Yeah, let's go!" Sonic led the group out of the stadium, save for Rouge and Topaz, who had to return to HQ to file a report. Packing the van, they departed downtown Station Square back to Helen's house in the nearby suburbs for a long, overdue rest.
The tournament arc certainly lasted longer than I was anticipating! Thanks for sticking around! Hopefully it didn't bog things down too much. Also, apologies for the delay in updating. The release of Sonic Frontiers hindered my writing progress (although I did manage to incorporate Sonic's Frontiers-specific attacks in this tournament…did ya spot 'em?).
Any and all feedback is appreciated as I begin to gear up for the finale of this entire…season? Saga? Either way, stay tuned as the party inches closer to returning home (or will they?).