Chapter 30: Quartz Quadrant Quarter Finals

Helen vs. Danny

"The quarter finals are about to commence!" The announcer declared. "Expect the rounds to start getting more intense from here on out! After all, the prize is this priceless Chaos Emerald!" The announcer waved the yellow gem in the air, earning a roar of cheering from the audience. He slipped the gem back in his pocket. "The first round will feature classmates Helen and Danny!" The crowd cheered as the two combatants blushed at the audience's attention, waving sheepishly. "Thanks to her Helengelion, Helen was able to take down Mr. Thorndyke with little effort, but she will need to contend with whatever Danny may have in store! His brutal biscuit attack sent the President running from his last battle, so Helen will need to brace herself for any and all unexpected attacks."

"The round will begin…" The announcer sharply lowered his arm. "Now!"

Gong!

"I'll take you down before you get a chance to transform!" Danny declared as he lunged at his combatant, a biscuit in either hand. Hoping to try the same technique on the young girl as he did on the President, the young boy's palm nearly reached the girl's mouth when she swiftly shifted her neck, the biscuit crushing against her headrest. Helen sped forward, shoving Danny aside as she accelerated to the other side of the ring. As Danny fell to the ground, his supply of treats spilled out of his pockets like Sonic's rings when taking damage.

"So that clearly won't work," Danny noted to himself as he pulled himself off the ground. "Looks like I'll have to resort to more drastic measures if I'm going to win this round." The young boy dove forward once more, this time sidestepping as he got within feet of Helen, appearing behind her moments later and gripping the handlebars of her wheelchair.

"What?!" Helen gasped as she peered over her shoulder to find her classmate pushing her toward the edge of the ring.

"You should've transformed your Helengelion when you had the chance!" Danny yelled.

"That won't be necessary," Helen replied within several yards of the edge.

"What do you mean? You're about to be pushed off the side of the ring!"

"That's where you're wrong, Danny!" Helen replied with a grin.

"What do you mea—" The wheelchair came to a screeching stop; the girl activated the handbrake, locking the wheels in place. The sudden stop caused the young boy to flip over the handlebars, landing in the grass out of bounds.

"Danny fell out of the ring!" The announcer declared as he pulled Helen's arm up. "The winner of the first quarter finals round is Helen! No high octane mech action this time, but this clever girl used her wits to outsmart her classmate. A stunning and swift victory indeed!" The crowd cheered as Helen waved once more. The girl's attention shifted, however, as she observed Danny pulling himself out of the grass, his mood downcast.

"Ah man…" The boy shook his head in frustration. "So much for getting my job back as Chris' friend. Now my family will go broke for sure!"

"Don't say that Danny," Helen replied as she rolled alongside the boy, the two making their way back to the fighter's lounge. "Take it from my parents: things always seem to have a way of working out, no matter the obstacle."

"You really think so?" Danny asked, his eyes glistening at the young girl's friendly and reassuring words.

"Yes, I know so," Helen replied with a thumbs up. "Hey, do you wanna maybe watch the rest of the tournament with me and my friends?"

"S-sure!" Danny gave Helen a thumbs up. "You know what? Getting paid to be Chris' fake friend was a terrible idea. I'd rather hang around you guys for free than be anywhere near that spoiled rotten brat!" The two laughed merrily as they returned to the rest building, greeted by the equally kind words of their Mobian counterparts.

Cream vs. Amy

"The next round features another battle between two of the aliens from the planet Mobius! First up, Cream the Rabbit!" The announcer gestured to the young bunny who was hiding her blushing face behind her rabbit ears. "Don't let her adorableness fool you, though! As she demonstrated in her first round, she is a force to be reckoned with!" The crowd cheered for the rabbit, waving cream-colored foam hands.

"Cream will be facing off against Amy Rose! Her last battle found her pitted against the Dark Knight, which we later learned was an Eggman robot! Despite its expert swordsman programming, the pink hedgehog took it down with the might of her Piko Piko Hammer!" As if on cue, Amy raised her weapon, the crowd cheering her name as well.

"If both combatants are ready, the battle will begin in three…two…and…"

GONG!

"Good luck, Ms. Amy!" Cream called from the opposite side of the ring.

"Thanks, Cream! You too!" Amy replied, a smile across her face. Her demeanor quickly changed though; the pink hedgehog gripped her hammer and bent her knees, studying the opponent before her. Cream, too, entered her fighting stance, furrowing her brow as she raised her arms defensively.

Amy launched forward, pulling her arms back in preparation for her first attack. Swinging her hammer, the pink hedgehog's target dodged, sliding between her legs and swiftly counterattacking with a roundhouse kick to her back.

"C-Cream! How unlady like!" Amy complained as she pulled herself up.

"But Ms. Amy," Cream replied, "you've always told me that 'all's fair in love and war,' right?"

"Well, yeah, but…" The pink hedgehog stammered. "That's only when I was chasing Sonic around!"

"Oh, well…" Cream brought a finger to her chin, but before she could comprehend Amy's logic, the pink hedgehog lunged in for a second attack, this time landing a blow to the bunny's belly, sending her flying back.

"You left yourself unguarded, Cream!" Amy called as the bunny pulled herself up, clutching her gut. "All's fair in love and war, after all!"

"I won't make the same mistake again, Ms. Amy!" Cream called as she placed her palms on the ground. "Are you ready for a Sonic spindash?"

"Telling your opponent your strategy was also not very smart," Amy replied with a grin as she placed her Piko Piko Hammer back into her hammerspace. She gripped the tiled floor of the ring and furrowed her brow.

"Woah! It looks like Cream and Amy are readying Sonic's signature attack, the spindash!" The announcer observed, making the crowd go wild.

The two Mobians started charging their attacks, spinning in place for several seconds. Releasing simultaneously, the pink and cream spheres collided, sparks flying all around as the two bounced back. Still in spherical form, they charged once more, bouncing off each other and repeating the cycle. The announcer watched with mouth agape as dust obscured his vision, seeing only glimpses of the Mobians through the electrifying sparks emanating from them as they made contact.

As the dust settled, and the sparks stopped flying, the bunny and hedgehog were revealed, the two breathing heavily on opposite sides of the ring, their clothing slightly tattered and their limbs covered in light bruises. Staring each other down, Cream was the first to fall to her knees.

"Getting…tired…Cream?" Amy asked through labored breaths, her gloved hands clutching her knees as she struggled to keep herself upright.

"…Maybe…a little…Ms…Amy…" The bunny pulled herself up and wiped the sweat from her brow. She proceeded to grip the floor once more before charging up another spindash. Unlike the last time, however, Amy didn't emulate Cream's attack. Instead, she reached one arm behind her back, a grin appearing across her face.

"I'm going to put the rest of my energy into this attack, so be ready!" Cream called. She spun faster, screaming like an anime character transforming into their final form before releasing her attack, coming at the pink hedgehog faster than before.

"You know what they say…" Amy revealed her Piko Piko Hammer, holding it like a bat as she bent her knees. "The faster they are," she swung her weapon, making direct contact with Cream's spindash, "the faster they fall!" Cream screamed as she was launched across the ring, hitting the wall directly below the bleachers. The impact created a spherical indent, at which point Cream unfurled and fell face first into the grass.

"Cream the Rabbit has been launched out of bounds!" The announcer lifted Amy's hand, still wielding her hammer. "The winner is Amy Rose!" The crowd cheered, but the pink hedgehog didn't celebrate; pulling her arm away from the taller human, she launched herself out of the arena, rushing to the bunny's aid. Amy slid a palm under Cream's head.

"D-did I…do good…M-Ms. Amy?" Cream struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Yes," Amy replied, tears dripping from her eyes. "You did well, but that's not important right now." The pink hedgehog observed the young bunny, who was panting heavily. "I'm so sorry, Cream. I didn't mean to hurt you. You put up such a big fight that I had to go all out."

"I'm…n-not hurt, A…I me-mean…Ms…Amy…" Cream slowly lifted her arm, giving the pink hedgehog a thumbs up. "T-thanks for…n-not…going…e-easy…on…m-me…" The bunny's arm fell as she closed her eyes, slipping out of consciousness.

"Please step aside," said a medic, who gently picked up the bunny and placed her on a stretcher.

"Let me come too!" Amy called. The medical team didn't argue, allowing the pink hedgehog to follow.

"Poor Ames," Sonic said from the windowsill of the fighter's rest building. "I bet she feels so bad…" The blue hedgehog jumped through the open window. "Hey Tails, I'm gonna go with Amy for a bit. Tell me how Knuckles' round goes!"

"Will do, Sonic!" Tails replied, giving his older brother a thumbs up before turning his attention to the two new combatants, who were making their way to the arena.

Knuckles vs. Bokkun

"The next round features two more Mobians! The crowd favorite Knuckles the Echidna stands to my left!" The announcer's words made the crowd cheer. "He's tough as leather and all business, but he'll resort to unconventional means to achieve victory if necessary!" The red echidna blushed slightly at the reference to his prior fight with Rouge. "To my right is Bokkun the Messenger Robot!" The crowd cheered for him as well. "We didn't get to see him in action, unfortunately, due to Chuck's medical disqualification, so this former Eggman robot will be a wildcard!"

"The match will begin riiiiiiight, now!"

GONG!

"All right, Bokkun! Put 'em up!" The red echidna pulled up his arms and bent his legs, clearly ready for a fight. "Let's see what you're made of!"

It was at this moment that Bokkun realized that entering the tournament was, perhaps, a mistake.

"I shouldn't be here right now," Bokkun said to himself, shivering in fear. "I should be by Cream's side in the recovery room! I wonder how she's feeling…" The messenger robot imagined the bunny sleeping in a medical bed, with fluids being fed to her arms and legs, making him worry even more. His distraction was cut short, however, as Knuckles' fist met his face, sending the smol robot across the ring.

"Owww…" Bokkun pulled himself up, massaging the bruise on his cheek.

Don't give up, Bokky!

"Huh?" Bokkun peered around. "C-cream? Is that you?"

Don't be silly, Bokky! I'm just the voice in your head that just sounds like Cream!

"Oh, okay," he replied, tilting his head in confusion.

I'm here to tell you not to worry about me! The nice medical crew are taking care of me! Just give it all you've got! I'm rooting for you! I love you, Bokky!"

"Cream…" Bokkun stood still, blushing with a sheepish smile across his face. Awoken from his stupor from a fist to the gut, the messenger robot clutched his belly, and dropped to his knees, as he peered up at the red echidna.

"Are you gonna fight, or are you going to throw in the towel?" Knuckles raised his arm up in preparation for another attack. Bokkun peered up speechless until an idea came to him; just as the red echidna threw his punch, the robot pulled a television bomb from his backpack.

"Nani—" As Knuckles' fist made contact with the volatile CRTV, the bomb within exploded, sending the two flying in opposite directions. As the smoke cleared, both combatants were no longer in the ring; Bokkun was lying back first in the grass, but Knuckles was nowhere to be found.

"Bokkun has been knocked out, but where is Knuckles?" The announcer asked, running around the ring until he found his answer. "Unbelievable! Ladies and gentlemen, Knuckles is still technically in the fight!" Grinding his teeth, Knuckles' spiky fists was firmly planted in the side of the ring, clinging to the wall with great effort, the might of his fists keeping the rest of his body suspended as he kept his torso and legs parallel to the ring. Sweat formed along his brow.

"As Bokkun has been knocked out of the ring, Knuckles is the winner!" As the winner was confirmed, the red echidna allowed himself to fall into the grass, breathing a heavy sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Bokkun was down for the count, digital birdies flying around his head as he lay in a daze. A team of medics sent him away, soon joining Cream in the hospital.

Sonic vs. Tails

"Hey Tails, what did I miss?" Sonic asked as he skid to a stop at the entrance of the fighter's lounge. "Lemme guess: Knuckles beat Bokkun?"

"Precisely!" Tails replied. "I'll have to show you the rerun, though. Bokkun actually almost won!"

"You don't say," Sonic replied, scratching his chin with his gloved fingers. "Heh, looks like I'll have to give Knucklehead a hard time later! In the meantime," the blue hedgehog turned to face the ring, "we've got our own round comin' up."

"Right." Tails nodded his head enthusiastically and walked alongside him.

"And here they are!" The announcer called into his microphone, the crowd cheering as they waved blue and orange foam hands and banners. "The final match of the quarter finals features the brotherly duo: Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails the Fox! The two have been instrumental in saving Station Square from Dr. Eggman's schemes." The announcer gestured to the two Mobians. "Sonic's speed is unparalleled, but Tails' namesakes allow him to keep up while providing the advantage of flight. Indeed, this match promises to be a doozy!"

"Are you ready?" The announcer asked.

"Yes!" Sonic and Tails replied with a nod.

"Then let the match…BEGIN!"

GONG!

"Okay Tails, let's think of a good strategy…" The orange kitsune studied his older brother, who was standing nonchalantly on the opposite end of the ring, his hands behind his head as he took in the mid-afternoon sun. "I've sparred with Sonic for years, and I know his combat style inside and out. The only problem…" Tails bent his knees and raised his fists, his namesakes fluttering from behind. "…is that Sonic knows my techniques as well."

"You gonna make the first move, lil' bro?" Sonic asked as he readied himself, a smile across his muzzle. Tails didn't answer right away, a sweat drop forming across his brow as he calculated his options. The blue hedgehog folded his arms, closing his eyes as he tapped one foot on the floor. "C'mon, Tails. I'm waaaaiting."

Now's my chance.

Rotating his namesakes, Tails lunged forward, pulling his arm back as he tightened his fist. A second before making impact, however, Sonic materialized away, his afterimage still present as the young fox punched through it.

"Lookin' for me?"

Tails spun around to find Sonic itching the base of his nose.

"I know you're faster than that, lil' bro! Give me everything ya go—" Tails punched Sonic in the gut, knocking the wind out of him.

"I was just holding back," Tails replied with a smug grin. "Maybe you're the one who's too slow this time."

"Looks like playtime is over then!" Sonic removed his palm from his belly, a grin across his face as well. The blue hedgehog performed some backflips, creating distance between his target, before performing a vertical jump, kicking rapidly in the air. This sent shockwaves of energy at the two-tailed fox, who only had time to brace himself for impact. He fell back, landing on his behind before quickly jumping back up, keeping himself in the air with his rotating namesakes.

"That a new technique?" Tails asked.

"Yep! Do you like it?" Sonic grinned as he stretched his legs. "I call it the Sonic Boom Kick Combo! Hope it wasn't too much for ya!"

"Not at all!" Tails replied from above. "In fact, I've got some new tricks of my own."

"Oh yeah?" Sonic placed his hands on his hips. "Then come dish it out!"

"With pleasure!" Tails grinned as he flew above the blue hedgehog, his spinning namesakes separating the two. He flew in place as he increased the speed of his tails. "Taste the wrath of my Tornado Tails Attack!" A gust of wind shot from Tails' namesakes, forming a cyclone as it hit the unsuspecting hedgehog. Rotating his tails even faster, the orange kitsune gritted his teeth, and clasped his fists, as Sonic was lifted off the ground.

"Woah!" Sonic peered up to find himself rapidly approaching the fox's deadly propellers. "Gotta think fast n' act fast!" The blue hedgehog rolled into a ball just as he collided with the fox's tails, launching Sonic away from the cyclone and back down to the ring below. Meanwhile, the impact caused the fox's namesakes to get twisted, causing him to lose altitude and glide to a landing on the opposite side of the ring.

"That was a pretty sick move, lil' bro!" Sonic said as he gave Tails a thumbs up. "If I didn't protect myself at the last second, I would've been a goner!"

"Thanks, Sonic!" Tails replied with a giggle, a blush across his muzzle.

"Absolutely spectacular!" The announcer cried. "Sonic and Tails just showed off some new techniques! We've just become witness to history!" The crowd roared, spilling ice cream and alcohol as they waved their novelty foam hands and banners.

"The audience really loves us, huh?" Sonic said as he rubbed the base of his nose.

"Yeah," Tails replied. "We take it for granted that we see combat all the time, so it must be thrilling for them to see all of this in person."

"Ready to get back to the fight?" Sonic asked, a grin across his face.

"Yep!" Tails replied enthusiastically.

"As much as I enjoy sparrin' with ya," Sonic declared as he ran forward, "all good things must come to an end!" The blue hedgehog threw a punch, but Tails dodged, performing a roundhouse kick in retaliation, a maneuver that Sonic also avoided. Returning the kick with another punch, Sonic's attack was deflected with Tails' namesakes, which gripped the hedgehog's arm, whipping him across the ring. Sonic rolled to a stop within a few yards of falling out of the ring but quickly bounced back, charging a spindash.

"Two can play at that game!" Tails charged a spindash as well. The two glowed blue and orange, respectively, as they ramped up their speeds.

Finally, Sonic and Tails unleashed their spindashes simultaneously. Instead of bouncing off each other, however, the two continued rolling in place, exerting as much force as possible against each other. The two screamed as a hole started forming below them.

"Oh my god!" Helen cried. "It's like a Dragon Ball Z beam struggle!"

"What's a beam struggle?" Knuckles asked, standing next to the young girl with his arms folded. "And what's a Dragon Ball? Don't tell me your world has something like Chaos Emeralds we need to worry about!?"

"Ehhh, never mind." Helen laughed nervously before returning her focus to the fight. She tightened her fists and rocked them on her armrests, chanting "beam struggle, beam struggle" under her breath.

Sparks were flying as the brothers continued trying to overpower their familial counterpart.

"Getting tired?" Sonic yelled.

"N-nooo," Tails replied unconvincingly. He knew that he was on the losing end of this struggle. He had to come up with an alternative strategy.

"Sorry, lil' bro, but I've gotta finish this!" Sonic rapidly accelerated.

"Now!"

Tails dove to the side, hoping to jump out of Sonic's way, but the blue hedgehog stuck his arm out as he flew by, grabbing hold of the fox's namesake and bringing him into his spin. Sonic and Tails were spinning in a collective, orange and blue ball, the hedgehog taking sharp turns to avoid falling out of the ring. Finally, skidding to a sudden stop, the young fox flew out, flying out of the ring and landing in the grass.

"And the winner is…" The announcer jumped over the hole in the ring, grabbing hold of the hedgehog's arm and raising it up. "…Sonic the Hedgehog!" The crowd cheered loudly. "That was a very impressive fight! How do you feel?"

"Well, it's certainly no sparring in the front yard, I can tell ya that!" Sonic replied as he ran a hand through his quills. "But it was fun! Tails' fighting skills have improved. I couldn't be prouder of my lil' bro!"

"Thanks, Sonic!" Tails replied as he pulled himself back into the ring, his eyes glistening as a wide smile formed across his muzzle.

"You put up a valiant effort, Tails!" The announcer said. "What advice do you have for Sonic as he enters the semi-finals?"

"Well," Tails began as he peered up into the sky in thought, scratching his chin with his gloved finger, "Sonic will be facing Knuckles in the second semi-finals round. They've been friendly rivals for years, so I'm sure Sonic will be able to hold his own; Knuckles is stronger, but Sonic can keep a cooler head."

"Very good!" The announcer brought the microphone back to his face. "Give it up for Sonic and Tails!" The crowd cheered once more. "We will be taking an intermission while our crew repairs the ring. We'll be back shortly with the first semi-finals round: Helen vs. Amy Rose!"

"Oh man," Sonic clasped his belly, "you put up such a fight that I worked up an appetite! I could go for some…" Sonic froze as he sniffed the air. "Chili dogs!" He ran back to the fighter's lounge to find a long table of deluxe chili dogs, among other sides, prepared by Amy, Cream, and Bokkun.

"Cream, you're out of the hospital!" Tails noted. "That was pretty quick! How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing well, Mr. Tails!" Cream replied.

"Chao, chao!" Cheese added as they stirred a pot of chili.

"The doctor didn't recommend an early discharge," Amy noted, "but Cream was doing just fine! Can't say the same for Chuck, though…" The elder human was still in the hospital after his failed pre-fight warm-ups. "She just needed a little nap, as did Bokkun. She left the match with only a few bruises. We even had time to change before preparing this mid-tournament lunch! I wonder if Sonic will like my cookin—" Amy turned to the table to find the blue hedgehog already chowing down on his unforgettable luncheon. "Well…" The pink hedgehog sighed. "At least he enjoys my cooking."

"Don't mind if I do too!" Tails approached the table to grab lunch for himself. As he assembled his hotdogs, he noticed Tanaka leaning against the nearby wall. "Hey Tanaka, want to try some chili dogs?"

"Chili…dogs?" Tanaka approached the table. Taking a sniff, his face cringed. "I don't think my stomach would agree with this meal."

"C'mon, man," Sonic insisted, pulling the butler toward the table as he held a hotdog between the fingers of his other hand like a cigarette. "You only live once! Don't let the problems of tomorrow get in the way of living your best life today!"

"Wow…" Tanaka brought a finger to his chin. "That was actually rather profound…screw it, let's do it!"

And so, after Helen, Cream, and Amy prepared their meals, Tanaka lined up as well. After preparing his chili dogs, he took a bite.

"How is it?" Sonic asked, eager to see how someone new to the culinary delight of his favorite meal would enjoy the hotdogs.

"It's…actually rather pleasant!" Tanaka gave a thumbs up of approval.

"And now it's your turn, Knucklehead!" Sonic brought the red echidna a prepared chili dog.

"No, thank you." Knuckles shook his head. "Don't want to sour my stomach for our battle ahead."

"C'mon, Knuckles," Sonic replied, "I even added your favorite food." The red echidna studied his meal more closely, finding grapes sprinkled on top along with cheese and finely chopped onions.

"Gross. No." Knuckles returned to meditating in the corner of the lounge.

"Welp, can't let a good chili dog go to waste!" Sonic flicked the grapes off the hotdog, hitting Knuckles with each projectile, before gobbling the chili dog in one bite. This earned a grumble from the red echidna

And so (most of) the group ate peacefully as they waited for the ring repairs to finish.

Tune in next time for the tournament finale! Who will win the sixth Chaos Emerald: Helen, Amy, Sonic, or Knuckles? Feel free to provide your predictions in the comments!