Sonic the Hedgehog:
Tournament of the Stars
Chapter 2: Arrival and the Rules
Sonic arrived at the airport soon enough. He was surprised to see a huge number of people turn up. They didn't' look like fighters so he guessed they were just coming to watch. He bought himself a ticket and went to the lobby to wait for his flight. He was wondering where all the other fighters were as he sat in the lobby. There were several tourists but no one that looked like someone who was going to enter the tournament. He then noticed a huge crowd of people gathering under a banner that said "Tournament of the Stars". Sonic immediately walked over. He saw a spokesperson on a small podium in front of him. Looking about the crowd, he noticed several anthros. No doubt these were the fighters. He turned back to the speaker.
"I'm sure you all know why you're here, so I'll skip the intros. We'll board the plane shortly but there are a few things that must be said, especially to those who are interested in taking part" the speaker, a human girl in her late 20's, said. "As you board the plane, you must state whether you are a fighter or not. If you are, you'll be given a card with a number on it. That will be your fighter number and you must memorise it. When a fight begins, two numbers will be chosen randomly and the fighters with those numbers will fight, obviously."
As she spoke, Sonic looked around again. During his scanning, he noticed several people he recognized, including his friends. He would have to catch them on the plane, or at least at the park itself. His attention was then taken to one fighter in particular. It was an adult blue hedgehog with six contour quills, white gloves, a rope necklace around his right wrist, brown tattered boots and coat, a red sash around his waist and a red bandana on his head. He couldn't help but find that guy familiar. His attention was taken back when the speaker carried on.
"When we reach the Emerald Sky Park, you will be shown to a hotel where you'll be staying. Same goes for the spectators. You'll be allowed to check out the park in between fights and after a round is finished. If you wish to watch a fight, then there will always be a free seat. The stands are pretty big. Now, when it comes to fights, the loser is the first one who can no longer stand. There is, however, a no killing policy. Also, if anyone starts a fight outside the arena, they will be disqualified. I hope that explains everything. Now, let's get on the plane."
As everyone marched off, Sonic managed to catch up with his friends. Tails noticed him first.
"Guys, it's Sonic!" he alerted the others. Knuckles, Amy, Cream, Shadow, Rouge, Omega, Silver, Blaze and Cosmo turned round and all greeted the hedgehog.
"Hey, guys. Are you all entering the tournament?" he asked.
"You bet. It sounds fun" said Amy.
"Well, some of us are here for a good reason" replied Shadow.
Sonic turned to his look-a-like. "What does that mean?"
"Doesn't anyone find it weird that we've only just heard of this Emerald Sky Park? And what about the fact that whoever's running it has all seven Chaos Emeralds?" he asked.
They all looked at each other. Silver spoke first. "I suppose it's a bit suspicious. But we can only find out by getting up there."
The team nodded and they all boarded, each being given a number. Sonic looked at his and smirked. His was the number 1. As he sat down, he saw the hedgehog from before walk past. Sonic couldn't get him out of his head. Who was he? And how does he recognize him? Those thoughts were dismissed when he realised he was stuck next to Amy.
"This is going to be a long flight" he sighed to himself as the pink hedgehog began to hug him.