ARRRRGHHH! Sorry for the long delay, my laptop decided to break on me leaving me with nothing to type this story up on. I'm trying a slighty different writing style in this chapter to hopefully make it read easier. Enjoy

Chapter 3

As usual I kept my promise and I left him alone during the night, I may be a feisty one but I always keep my promises, must be that hero instinct in me. I was expecting Fox to be in a better mood after a good nights sleep, but after turning to face the sleeping form I saw that's far from what he's getting. He was whimpering and whining, tossing and turning everywhere in his sleep, he looked so… defenceless.

Sure I had some experience with this type of situation back home on Mobius. Tails would get scared, he cried, I came to comfort him, to reassure him and drive away whatever was scaring him. This situation was entirely different though, I couldn't simply walk over and cuddle Fox, whispering words of reassurance in his ear, for starters Fox would probably accuse me of trying to molest him.

Settling on silence I decided it would be best to approach this subject in the morning.

--- --- ---

A high pitched blaring noise assaulted my ears, my first thought was that Eggman was attacking again, luckily it didn't take long for me to realise that the noise was coming from that infernal contraption resting on my bedside table. I flailed my arm about in the general direction of the clock, subconsciously looking for a certain part of it. Ah… the sweet satisfaction of slapping that "Off" button, silencing that violating noise.

I slipped out of bed and idly stretched myself out, the moment I left the encapsulating warmth of the bed my body wasn't pleased as it had been forced out of its peaceful slumber, but it would have had to awaken at some point anyway so now is probably better than later.

I went over to wake Fox up only to find that his bed was empty.

"Argh… Damnit Fox! The one time I wanted to have a private word with you and you go running off to breakfast!"

Crap.

Breakfast.

That's one word I could of done without thinking about, as if on cue my stomach started to growl at me, citing its disapproval of staying empty. Oh well, one more excuse to head to breakfast.

My feet just guided me automatically to my destination with my stomach taking full control of my bodies motor skills; during my few short weeks of being here I've already learned the quickest route to the cafeteria. As I approached I began to salivate, a sweet concoction of different aromas assaulted my nose. Reminded me of when I first arrived here…

--- --- ---

A giant disembodied hand was floating there, right in front of my face, chatting away to the crowd, it seemed like I was the only one to be fazed by this!

Just when I thought I'd seen it all from Eggman…

"Also, breakfast shall be served in the cafeteria from 6 'o' clock to 10 'o' clock, you may come and eat at whatever time suits you, or if you so desire you're not required to eat anything at all, though I would highly advise you get at least some nourishment as some training sessions may only be available in the morning periods."

Wait a minute, how can a hand talk?

Better question, how can the hand float?!

"Lunch is compulsory and will be served from 1 'o' clock to 2 'o' clock. You must remain in the cafeterium for this hour; I will NOT allow any Smasher that stays here to starve themselves. Also, an afternoon meal will be served from 8 'o' clock to 9 'o' clock, this meal is optional."

For the love of… All this talk about food is making me hungry!

"In relation to training I am also issuing a warning to ALL Smashers, the "Cruel" training simulation is currently banned for the time being due to a previous incident, I will let everybody know when the ban is lifted."

Wow… If it's banned then that must mean it's seriously hard! Sounds like my kind of a challenge.

"Finally all newcomers will be paired with a veteran during the duration of the tournament. You can consult the list," The hand pointed to a large bulletin board off on the sidewall "To see who you are paired with. Veterans, please do your best to make our new fighters feel welcome. Enjoy your stay everyone, meeting adjourned."

Everyone around me started to shift in order to get a look at the list pinned to the bulletin board, I followed suit and after I managed to worm my way through the crowd I found my name on the list

Sonic --- Fox

Right. Fox.

I began to look around the room trying to find this person that I was partnered with. After five minutes though panic was starting to set in, I was the only person still looking for my partner; everyone else was paired off and were chatting away rapidly.

I swallowed my pride and approached the floating hand to try and get some information.

"Erm… Excuse me? Mr Hand thing?" My voice was starting to wane a little. Fear and a little bit of embarrassment breaking through my barriers.

"I can't seem to find my partner…"

The hand floated closer to me, as if he was going to hold a private conversation with me in a room full of people.

"Ah Sonic, apologies. I forgot to mention to you that Fox is currently in the infirmary recovering from some injuries. In the meantime you'll have your lodgings to yourself."

--- --- ---

As I entered the cafeteria I saw that only a small handful of people were awake at the moment.

Snake, the cool calm and collected mercenary was sitting next to a blonde haired woman eating his breakfast. He was dressed in his trademarked blue sneaking suit with his explosives harness on top of that, allowing him to carry a small portable arsenal of various weapons. His bandana was wrapped clean around his head as usual, the last time I asked him about it he threatened to break my arm if I touched it! What a strange person. It seemed that he was deeply engrossed in conversation with the woman sitting next to him.

Samus was listening intently to whatever Snake was talking about, instead of donning her usual orange Power Suit she was sitting in her blue Zero Suit. Suppose it made sense, she can't exactly stuff food through the visor on her Power Suit. She was the kind of woman that made everybody do a double take as she walked past, she held herself with beauty and grace but also a subtle power as if to threaten anyone that dares attack her.

A few tables away I saw Lucario sitting with his eyes closed, meditating as per usual. His aura field around his body was pulsing gently, a good sign, it showed that he was calm and at peace. His arm and leg fur caught me by surprise at first; it was just a tad shade lighter than my own. I never understood why, but from the upper section of his pale gold chest fur a small spike was protruding from him, the same on both of his hands. Nobody knew why they were there and the majority of people thought that Lucario himself didn't know why either.

Sitting opposite Lucario, just playing with the food on his plate, was my target. Fox was just staring at Lucario, his brow furrowed.

As I had learned early in my stay it was possible to have a conversation with Lucario without uttering a single word, all through the power of thought, from the way Foxs face was scrunched up in concentration it looked like he was "talking" with Lucario about something quite important.

I grabbed my food and went over to sit with Fox and Lucario. Fox was either too caught up in himself to notice that I was there or he was doing a bloody good job of ignoring me. Lucario was sitting looking at me, his blood red ruby eyes boring into my flawless emerald ones, he simply nodded, indicating that it was safe to talk with him.

Lucario himself taught me how to talk with him, you just simply had to think what you wanted to say and Lucario would pick it up, responding in turn with telepathy. It was the perfect way to hold a private conversation.

"Hello Lucario"

"Hello Sonic, I wanted to have a word with you" responded Lucario

Intriguing, Lucario usually keeps to himself and doesn't get involved in anyone's affairs. He'd only seek someone out if it were of importance.

"Erm, sure, what about?"

"It's about Fox"

Well, this conversation just got a whole lot more interesting…

"Oh, I wanted to speak with you about him as well"

Lucario raised an eyebrow at me

"Fox has certain… concerns on his mind at the moment, concerns that revolve heavily around you" thought Lucario

I'll never get used to hearing another voice in my head…

"Me? But what have I done? I barely even know him"

"He finds your attitude to clothing a bit, shall we say, distractive"

Now it was my turn to raise eyebrows.

"I'm afraid I don't understand"

"Fine Sonic, I'll be blunt for a change. Fox finds the fact that you're constantly naked quite distracting"

"I don't see how it bothers him, I mean you're in the same boat! You don't wear anything either!"

The Pokémon grinned at me.

"I, unlike you, Sonic, do not flaunt myself in public. Nor am I as promiscuous as you are"

I flattened my ears to my head as I frowned at Lucario.

"Hey come on… I'm not that bad. At least I think I'm not"

"I'm afraid you are Sonic, so have some more tact, wear some shorts or something. Anyway, you said you had something to discuss relating to Fox?"

"Yeah, I do. Last night he was making strange noises in his sleep and thrashing around. I didn't know what was wrong so I didn't do anything. I just thought you might be able to tell me what's wrong."

I was quite surprised in myself, I'd barely even known this person a day and here I am already panicking over him. This was definitely my hero instinct at play.

"I sensed something different in his aura today, he's troubled, confused, distraught. He is overcome with emotions and grief, however he is locking all of these emotions within himself and as such they manifest in his dreams. If he is to be at peace then he must open himself up to those around him."

Wow. This is new. From what I've been told he was a great and strong hero, a charismatic fighter and here he is not able to open up to people. I looked over to where Fox was sitting only to find the seat deserted, he must of left when Lucario and me were talking.

"Thanks for the chat Lucario, I'm gonna do everything I can to help Fox"

Lucario simply nodded, whether this was in agreement or acknowledgement I didn't know, but it didn't make a difference. I rose from my seat with the intent of helping a friend.

"Now if you'll excuse me I need to find a certain Princess"

I speed out of the cafeteria determined to find that crazy woman in the pink dress.

--- --- ---

Me – Here we are with chapter 3 complete, once again sorry for the delay.

Fox – Things just go from bad to worse for me…

Sonic – Don't worry Foxxy, I'm here to help you.

Lucario – Keep your friends close Fox, they alone will help you through the struggles that lie ahead.

Sonic – Since when did you become an Oracle?

Me – Since I made him. Rate and review please!