(Sonic Adventure 2 - Character/Story Select)
Hi, I'm Omochao - one of the cutest robots around!
After the unique Survival and Daredevil races, Dodon Pa has been careful plotting his races accordingly.
I don't know what else he is planning, but I have a feeling that his stalling was due to something bigger regarding his tournaments.
Despite all of this, Sally and Honey have been wonderful adapting to their mechanic roles. But I know we as a team must win the next game to show our superiority over Team Sonic!
(/)
CHAPTER 1: A MYSTERIOUS INVITE
ACT 3: II - A PAST ABSOLUTION
[BREEZE MEDIA HEADQUARTERS, CASINO PARK]
A negotiation was in the works for Dodon Pa's tournament, which was now sponsored by Breeze Media in all of its capacity. However, Breezie the Hedgehog and Wes Weasley were not finished with the planning yet, as the two of them were sat inside of the Breeze Media Headquarters in Central Casino Park, discussing the team sponsors the tanuki had mentioned on his last visit.
"Mister Dodon Pa is going to be counting on us to do our part, contribute to the logistics of how he runs them tournaments." The hedgehog was behind her signature desk, with Wes also behind. The two were facing each other.
"You know it, boss. How are we going to pick out specific companies that are willing to take their time out to put a little sponsorship to the test?"
Unbeknownst to him, the businesswoman, had already planned out something ahead, even before her colleague could even guess. She opened the desk drawers, revealing a ballpoint pen to him.
"I just know the perfect sponsor for Sonic, Tails and Knuckles!" Breezie wrote down one if not the perfect candidate for Team Sonic - Thorndyke Industries. Breezie was unaware that Sonic had met the business owner of the company before, but she had great potential in the hero's team.
"Really? Who would it be?"
"It's crazy how I bumped into them randomly while searching for a previous sponsor for Casino Park's past events, a company that isn't part of my larger media conglomerate."
"I mean- go for it! There's nothing stopping a powerful mobian like you." He responded with approval.
"That's more like the Wes I know! Do you have any organisation that could help the other team?"
The weasel draped an index finger on his chin, pondering over what could be suitable.
"I was thinking about Ramada Refineries for Team Rose." The weasel pondered. "Would that be too far-fetched?"
"You know what, Wes. That isn't a bad idea."
"Ah- I had a feeling that was in the back of my mind." He disclosed, deciding to shift the topic straight onto the racing teams. "Right now, there are two teams. We have to repeat this process, mano-o-mano."
"Team Sonic and Team Rose are universally famed even before they decided to apply for Dodon Pa's tournament, Wes." The businesswoman stated. "Are you satisfied with our findings as a pair?"
"I'm perfectly happy with our selection, Ma'am."
"Great! I'll let Mister Dodon Pa know about the sponsors for Team Sonic and Team Rose!" Breezie concluded. "I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to hear the news!"
And thus, Breezie allowed herself time to access the cafeteria portion of her business for a snack, agreeing to Wes that they take care of this afterwards. Speaking to these organizations one after the other was going to take some time away from their lunch break, so it would've been wise to shift their task aside as Wes also joined the businesswoman, leaving the office, empty.
(/)
[ONYX CITY, 200 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE...]
(Sonic Gems Collection - Sonic Goes UG Mix)
Far into the future, where the past is determined by how the saviour of Silver the Hedgehog delivers towards his foes lay awake the bustling metropolis of Onyx City, located within the island of the same name, Onyx Island. It was a normal day there, as the heroic silver hedgehog soon realized each and everyday that he spent in his timeline. It was only his errands and large threats that could not only save him and the residents of the city, but back in Sonic's timeline 200 years prior that could avoid such a cataclysmic event occurring. Silver was just happy to seek out whatever help was needed from the city folk.
Enter Gold the Tenrec - a golden mobian observed the Onyx City once ravaged by the Second Devourer and the corrupt council before her idol Silver erased them and saved the future from devastation. She was waiting on a random sidewalk of the city awaiting the telekinetic hedgehog to hang out with her, since he was using his status as a saviour of his time to banish any monsters lurking in every nook and cranny of the alternate world 200 years from the past.
"Aah- Gold." Silver jumped from a rooftop above, landing on his two feet. "You wanted me?"
"You know, with all of the evil lurking within the future, the two of us hadn't gotten a chance to relax yet. Balancing being the hero and supporting Professor von Schlemmer at the same time would always eat up out time to truly focus on our own things."
Silver stopped for a second and pondered - Gold was partially right. On the one hand, he was always so busy protecting both his timeline and the one human he always cared about. He hadn't got any real time to himself. The hedgehog was always the hero character that Onyx City and the rest of his world depended on.
"You're not wrong there, Gold. Professor Von Schlemmer is always hooked up inside doing his own thing. I'm doing my part on making sure the future is secure."
"I believe you are doing a pretty good job being a saviour when I'm not around too."
"Well think of it this way Gold - The future would be in great peril if neither of us aren't around." The hedgehog glanced at the blue sky over Onyx City. "I have deeds to do in the past if needed, and you have your own stuff."
"I guess you're right Silver." The tenrec was relaxed.
Silver smiled, knowing Gold was always there to protect the future whenever he was saving Sonic's timeline. As soon as the hedgehog found another topic he could converse in, there was a bright flash suddenly. Both mobians shielded their eyes as soon as it occurred. An envelope had soon emerged from this flash to the curiosity of the two mobians. The letter dropped to the ground as Silver bent down to retrieve it.
"Huh... What's this?" He picked up the envelope and opened the invitation. He was concerned about who wrote the letter he was directed to.
"A letter? Who wrote it?" The tenrec was confused as well.
"I have no idea." Silver ripped the parchment and revealed the passage within.
What if I told you I can offer you an invitation into my marvellous Grand Prix that I am hosting, Silver the Hedgehog? Every one of your friends will be there waiting for you. Do you accept this as a token of appreciation? - Dodon Pa.
"Who is this 'Dodon Pa' guy anyway?" The telekinetic hedgehog was puzzled, merely remembering him as one of his own allies from the past. "How does he know who I am?"
"I literally have no clue either, Silver." Gold pushed herself forward.
"I'm getting a little bit of doubt about them." The hedgehog turned the letter around to the tenrec. "Are you feeling the same?"
An observant and intelligent heroin, Gold was determined to curious enough to figure out what Dodon Pa was planning back in the past. She'd lean forward, displaying an insouciant, mindful reaction to counter the naive hedgehog. It was almost like she was a second Blaze the Cat only with stark differences to make her own.
"Dodon Pa is a mystery." She stated, facing away from Silver towards the other residents of the city. "This mobian isn't like all of the nice folk of Onyx City. We don't know what they are planning."
"Me neither, Gold. But I won't let the curiosity get the better of the past's optimisms. I'm going to travel there to find out."
"Are you sure about this, Silver?" The female tenrec was concerned for her friend. Nevertheless, Silver was adamant and trustworthy enough to investigate this on his own terms.
"I'm sure about it, Gold. If Blaze somehow got the invitation, then I'm not alone in this. Besides, the tournament might be somewhat responsible for what happens in the future, be it good or bad regardless. I need to find out first-hand."
Gold awkwardly stood there for a while; her mind was putting the pieces together. But it slowly started to make more sense why Silver was willing to protect the future once more.
"From the countless times you've saved our civilization from certain doom by visiting your friends from the other timeline, then I believe in you when something does go bad over there."
"I respect that, Gold. I really do." Silver closed his eyes and smiled. Knowing Gold, the same girl he protected countless times from the devastating impact of the Iblis and Solaris to his own solo adventures within Onyx City, he had kind of returned the favour to the tenrec. He suddenly had a thought pop up and took no hesitation to grasp upon the question itself.
"Gold, would you like to travel to the past with me?" Silver suggested to the female tenrec. "I'll notify Professor von Schlemmer that we'll be visiting the past."
The female tenrec didn't know what to think of Silver's keen suggestion. She had never travelled outside of her own future before, let alone Onyx City. She was extremely hesitant to say no, but having Silver as more of a brother to her coaxed her to stride out of her comfort zone for this one occasion. By doing so, it would be a big risk to her, but she chose too anyway.
"I... guess so..." She nervously scratched the back of her head. "How will we get back though? I have to protect the wellbeing of the city."
Silver scratched his fur.
"The Chaos Emeralds are back in Sonic's timeline."
"The Chaos Emeralds...? I don't know what they are? I only heard of the Genesis Portals that sealed away evil."
"Well... the Chaos Emeralds are seven stones that grant unlimited power to the user holding at least one. They are normally ever present in the past, but collecting all seven can give you super abilities or something." He explained, turning to her.
"Then how are we going to get there?" The tenrec spoke as Silver unleashed a time stone.
"With this! A Time Stone! An artifact that will allow us to easily time travel back to the past and then some."
"What about Professor von Schlemmer? Does he know about us going back in time?
The hedgehog responded merely, only staring up towards the tall skyscrapers of Onyx City, only dominated by what appeared to resemble a large generator.
"He'll be fine with both of us going. He's only hooked up in his lab for scientific reasons, ones that would hopefully be ground-breaking for Onyx City."
"I sure hope so... I'm always too worried about him. I haven't even stepped outside into the past before."
"Well, maybe it's about time you try." Silver reassured her. "You might even make friends with one of Sonic's buddies along the way."
Gold stared into his eyes.
"You really think so?" She was reassured.
"You are a friendly mobian girl. Amy might be willing to make friends with you."
She sighed after giving this much thought.
"Okay. I trust you. I'm going to go with you."
"Woohoo! That's the Gold I love to hear!" Silver yelped, grabbing two Time Stones for the two of them. "We'll use these to travel back in time! You ready?"
"Yep!" Gold nodded.
Silver had already crossed his arms, the same way he would do when performing a Chaos Control, as he began to glow. Gold watched him as she tried, the tenrec was also soon glowing as they were in the process of time travelling. Gold was experiencing this for the first time, so she was frightened when she noticed the glow. Within seconds of using their Time Stones, both mobians had disappeared with the Onyx City residents knowing what that glow was.
(/)
[VANILLA'S HOUSE, FLORAL FOREST ZONE]
(Sonic Schoolhouse - LEVEL MID)
With the greatest responsibility by her own side, Blaze sought to maintain her image and merit by all means possible as she held the task of investigating Dodon Pa's tournament alone. But first, where were Marine and Gardon going to stay during the race? The first logical answer, and the most obvious one was to allow somebody to babysit the two, even if Gardon likes to chaperone Marine from time to time whenever the raccoon visits the castle and while Blaze was away n important duties. The three mobians were currently making their way to Cream's home unattended.
"Vanilla is a good babysitter." The feline princess stated as the three were drawing closer to the abode. "She can watch over you two."
"How d'ya know about this, Blazey?" The raccoon queried curiously.
"I am a good friend of Cream, and she is always comfortable with her mother babysitting. Don't worry, she is caring to everybody. This is only because of this tournament that I must investigate alone."
"Ahhh, geez. Fair dinkum, mate..." She comprehended, as they continued walking. "I guess we all have to investigate the tanuki together regardless, I reckon'."
"It's perhaps so, Marine..." Blaze nodded, before she turned to Gardon to the other side of her. "How well do you think you can handle Marine?"
"Huh..." The koala was confused. What did Blaze mean by this?
"I mean- Chaperoning her could be a good option for you to undertake, Gardon. You and Vanilla could watch over Marine."
"If she starts misbehaving, I can deal with her." The koala guard answered. "I don't think Vanilla would know how to do such actions."
"I think she had some thought on disciplinary, but ever since Cream is such an angel to her, I don't think she's done it once."
"And that alone puts me in mere pressure because of who else may be at her house."
"We can think more about this when we arrive." The princess concluded, placing some hope into her guard.
A short while later, as Marine and Gardon thought about whether this would be worth it in the end if the tournament would become entertaining to them, Vanilla and whoever they thought would be accompanying her inside her home. Blaze stopped, as the three of them were met with the humble abode within the Floral Forest Zone. Patiently knocking, Blaze leaned back to await the mother rabbit who had wasted no time in answering.
"Greetings, Vanilla..." Blaze elegantly returned. "Do you have room for some mobians to babysit. Gardon and Marine will both be pleasant company while I do a big favour."
"Oh..." The mother rabbit felt surprised by this. She wanted to take care of Gardon and Marine in addition to Charmy and Cream? Could this mean Blaze was also investigating Dodon Pa too? "Is this about the tournament that Cream saw on television?"
"Yes. I am required to attend his service since I received the invitation he sent me"
"You know about this too, Miss Blaze?" The young rabbit was behind her mother, with Charmy not far behind.
"Unfortunately, yes. I needed somewhere for Gardon and Marine to stay so they can cheer me on in Dodon Pa's tournament." The princess responded easily.
"Well it's always nice for me to keep busy with all of these children."
"It's perhaps so. Shall I come in for a second to get them settled in?"
"It's not a problem. Right this way!" The mother rabbit excused herself from the doorway.
The three made their way inside of the home, with Marine and Gardon going further inside. Vanilla took keen interest in getting to know the two mobians, starting with Marine.
"Greetings, young one!" Vanilla bowed kindly to the extroverted Australian raccoon. "What is your name?"
"I'm Marine! G'day to you too!"
"What a lovely name." The mother giggled cutely, admired by her name.
"It's nice to have more playmates here." Charmy hovered to the group. "I was getting worried it would be just me and Cream."
"Strewth! Are ya here for Dodon Pa's event too?"
"Not exactly." The bee responded quickly. "Vector closed down the agency to keep close tabs on this host, and I don't even know what Espio's doing either."
"I just don't want to see you get hurt, Mr Charmy." The rabbit spoke from the other side of the hallway wall.
"Heh. Thanks, but I kinda miss the work. But don't worry, Vector's got everything under control!"
"I literally have no idea who that is, mate." Marine gave out a response.
"You will soon enough." The bee would hover away to let the two young girls get to know each other a little more.
"So what do you do, Marine?" Cream asked politely, as Vanilla, Blaze and Gardon watched them bond.
"Aye! I'm a professional sailor of the Seven Seas, matey!" The raccoon boldly exclaimed. "It is my job to fend off any scallywags and drongos away from any riches and jewelleries from yours truly. Jobs' a hard yakka sometimes though."
"Ooohh! How fascinating! I've never come across a pirate before!"
"Marine has helped me before in my palace back in the Sol Dimension." Blaze added. "She has quite the reputation going for herself out in the open."
"Gee, a pirate you say?" Charmy hovered back over to them. "Did you get any treasure? Where is it? I need to see for myself!"
"Strewth, mate! The real treasure were the friends I made along the way!"
Charmy's eyes widened, knowing the raccoon's friendship with the fire princess was strong even when they were kept far apart due to her sailing the seven seas. Blaze giggled, staring at Vanilla soon after to bid farewell.
"Well... I better get going to locate this mysterious 'Dodon Pa' person. I will safely leave Marine and Gardon in your hands, Vanilla. Take good care of them."
"Oh, don't worry Blaze, I'm used to babysitting at this point."
"Well in that case, you should have no problem with the additional 3 mobians alongside your daughter." Blaze pardoned herself, turning away from the door. "Well, I better take my leave then. See you later."
"Goodbye!" Vanilla waved back as she departed.
"I'll cheer you on, your highness!" Gardon waved.
The mother rabbit watched as Blaze faded from view, a while before she closed the door to take care of Gardon and Marine on top of Cream and Charmy.
"Alright, what do you guys love doing?" Marine asked, as she came forward to Charmy and Cream.
"I love watching cartoons and colouring and helping mother of course!" The rabbit exclaimed.
"Basically Vector and Espio let me play around sometimes. That's what I love." The bee added.
"Hey. Wanna know I love? Sailing the seven seas and fighting scallywag pirates."
"Hehe..." Gardon overheard the raccoons' words and smiled.
"Why don't we go upstairs and pretend that we're on the pirate ship..." Cream suggested.
"Oh yes! Ripper idea, mate!" She proudly ran to the second floor as fast as she could, never minding the koala she was escorted with.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Charmy hovered to catch up to Marine as Cream followed.
"Make sure you don't upset Gemerl! I don't think he knows you guys yet!"
Gardon watched, as the three kids faded from view, theirs sounds still heard from his position. He let out a reassuring sigh knowing Marine was safe and sound in the protection of Vanilla. Speaking of which, he had an idea that he wanted to share to the mother rabbit.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but is there any chance I could take helm of babysitting Marine, Cream and Charmy for a bit?" Gardon approached Vanilla in the kitchen.
"Are you sure you can handle them, dear?" The rabbit turned to him.
"Protecting them just like protecting Blaze's palace is my specialty. Marine often visits and Blaze lets me play with her for a while."
Vanilla smiled.
"How kind of you to volunteer. You must have experience with her then."
"That's why I asked in the first place." Gardon smiled. "I don't have experience with the other two kids, but Marine is definitely watchable for me."
Vanilla soon giggled in addition.
"I could always use a bit of help around looking after all of these kids, dear. Thanks for asking by the way."
Gardon nodded.
"It is my pleasure, ma'am."
"Oh please, call me Vanilla."
"Sorry, I'm used to my royalties." The koala stepped back a little, smiling.
"That is perfectly fine."
"Anyway, I am going to go play with the kids upstairs."
"Fair enough. I'll let you know when dinner is ready."
Gardon nodded again and politely walked straight towards Marine, Charmy and Cream upstairs to play, as the mother rabbit continued making some dinner for all of them. Vanilla thought this was a great idea, since she was always tasked with babysitting the younger mobians by herself with nobody to assist her. She never had any trouble as Cream was always a darling to her. Gardon was perhaps the first and only mobian willing to help her heed to such a task. What Gardon didn't know was Gemerl's presence was also upstairs, as the koala had never crossed paths with it before.
(/)
[SEASIDE HILL WAREHOUSE, SEASIDE HILL]
Within the walls of the main warehouse area, the sewing machine was brought up again from the storage facility as Honey the Cat began to craft the mechanic jumpsuit for Espio for his new team. Sally Acorn was underneath the Land Breaker with a wrench, her back laid upon a skateboard for her to easily slide out of the large vehicle as it was holstered up by a car ramp. Espio was watching the Team Rose mechanic slowly craft another mechanic jumpsuit just for the chameleon, this time with the purple outlines to represent his colors.
"What are you doing?" The chameleon took an interest in Sally's work, knowing he would be doing the same thing with his own team.
"I'm debating whether or not to use some modifications, or 'Mod Pods' as Dodon Pa would specify it"
"What are they?"
"Mod Pods are customizable modifications to their vehicles that make them stand out amongst their rivals' vehicles."
"Is it wise to use them now?" Espio precariously voiced the question, alluding to the Mod Pods.
"I have to make sure everything's in working order before I use any form of modifications for Team Sonic." Sally concluded, dragging the skateboard and herself under Knuckles' car once more.
"I see..." The purple chameleon remained calm, as he foresaw Honey's concentration on his jumpsuit.
"And that's on top of everything else I needed to accomplish before the next race?"
"What's it like to you?" He asked the Team Sonic mechanic.
"Trust me Espio, you will love standing on the podium cheering on your team." Sally lowered the car ramp and fetched a skateboard to slide herself underneath the vehicles easily.
"I'm already imagining the possibilities..."
Honey stood up and held the jumpsuit in both hands, showcasing to Espio before her. The jumpsuit had purple outlines running from its sleeves to the bottom of the piece, the word 'ESPIO' etched out in said colour and Honey's button mechanism installed alongside other modified features that were shown on the first two jumpsuits.
"How does it look Espio...?" She stated, the chameleon collecting his thoughts on his clothing.
It was weird for him to wear something other than his gloves and boots, but Honey's enthusiasm pushed the Chaotix ninja to complement the final design.
"I like it, although I would look weird." He stated. "But I'm doing this for Vector. It has to be done."
"There's a way of getting in and out of the jumpsuit." Honey directed Espio to the button mechanism Tails had built for her. "You see that button there? If you press it, the suit will automatically loosen for you and reverse the process once pressed again. It's neat, huh? Tails built that all by himself. I designed the whole garment."
"Anything he builds is cool." He admired.
"I know right. Why don't you try it out? Dodon Pa's going to be so amazed when you're wearing this." The feline giggled.
Espio shrugged. He was obviously going to have to get used to putting on the jumpsuit for the sake of his new team.
"I guess so..." The ninja grabbed the attire and ejected the suit through the button mechanism to allow access.
Climbing into the jumpsuit, he wrapped the sleeves around his purple fur on both arms before he thought about how breathable the chameleon would be once fully locked in. He pressed the button, allowing the loose parts to be automatically firmly secured. From there, Honey saw the naked chameleon not notice his jumpsuit attached to him, making him look a bit weird.
"You look adorable!" She squealed, jumping in the air.
Espio, meanwhile had no idea this would suit him as much as what he didn't wear. Inspecting the right sleeve of his mechanical PPE, he repeated the process on his other arm, then all over.
"This... strangely fits somewhat..." The Chaotix member was glad, although he was obviously going to get used to wearing something around his facade.
"I know right! Do you like it?" Honey was awaiting the response she was yearning for.
"I do. You are an excellent designer." He winked.
Honey giggled, covering her mouth with her fingers slightly.
"I knew you would love my work. I can't wait until Sonic and the others see you in this clothing. I know they'll love it."
"Uhh... Thanks, I guess..." The chameleon just stood there as she stared up at the clock perched high up on the warehouse wall above the workstation.
"I'm heading off for lunch." The feline concluded, as Sally had overheard her state her hunger.
"Good timing!" The chipmunk dismounted the skateboard and joined the other two mobians toward the cafeteria. "I'm starving from all of that tinkering!"
"I might as well follow you." The Chaotix member stated to both girls.
Sally, Honey and Espio egress the main workshop for the cafeteria to join the racers and Dodon Pa after a tiring inspection for the former. The tanuki was looking forward to hearing more of Espio's position as the third team mechanic before his team eventually arrives in full.
[IN THE CAFETERIA...]
"So, do you trust Dodon Pa now, buddy?" The blue hedgehog asked, unsure if Tails had viewed him differently with all of these cool perks. Team Sonic and Team Rose were gathered around the cafeteria waiting for the host.
"I've known him for a few races, but all of the cool additions to his tournament is making me see some difference in him now."
"I feel like I'm ready to stick by his side too, Sonic." Knuckles added.
Amy nodded too considering she also had the same feeling.
"That's what I like to hear!"
"Hey boys!" Sally entered the canteen with Honey and Espio.
"Hey Sally! Long time no see!" The blue hedgehog turned to his team mechanic in query. She had just sat down next to Tails.
"How did your relaxation go?"
"I had a nice time not worrying about kicking Amy's butt in a race. You?"
"I didn't find anything else wrong with your vehicle. Everything's in good order."
"Espio is ready to join us in the pitstop area after the next race." Honey began assisting the calm chameleon. "He just needs the overall team now."
"Vector is still searching the last I've met him." The Chaotix member added.
"Perfect!" Amy gleefully responded. "It's going to be more of a competition having another team join us. It's going to be sweet!"
"I'll admit, It's nice having another team here to quench the competitive nature of the tournament." Tails stated. "Dodon Pa's really starting to get this tournament up and running."
"You said it!" Omochao responded with enthusiasm.
"So what are you ordering?" Tails asked the pink hedgehog.
"Jar does the halibut recipe justice, so I'm going to try it again."
"Why wouldn't you. He makes them extra tasty!"
"I might go ahead and try something else instead." Knuckles answered, staring at the menu. "His halibuts are nice, but is there anything else he's good at? No offense."
"What else is on the menu today?"
"Chicken. Though how well it tastes will depend on the chefs' excellent skills."
"Alright. Go ahead, pal."
"I'm wondering if there will be anything else on the menu." Omochao wondered, still staring at the cardboard. "I'm not bothered about trying the halibut again."
"Why wouldn't you try it again. His recipe is amazing!" The blue hedgehog exclaimed.
"Yeah."
Dodon Pa emerged into the large dining area awaiting his news for the racers. Hovering near them allowed the tanuki to speak about the Breeze Media sponsorship and subsequent team sponsors.
"Racers." He cleared his throat, everyone glancing at his direction. "I have important news to share with all of you."
He halted his movement as all eyes pierced at him.
"I've gone off course for a bit and acquired a new sponsorship deal with Breeze Media to sponsor the whole tournament!" The tanuki emphatically proclaimed.
"Alright! A sponsorship! I'm liking this direction, Dodon Pa!" The blue hedgehog felt enthusiastic.
"Right now, both teams lack a sponsor, but that is soon to change however." He chuckled.
The racers immediately pondered over which specific organisation could sponsor them. Tails, however responded straight away.
"What do you mean 'both teams'?" He asked, totally unaware that both sets of team would have an organisation to use as promotional material.
"Each team will have an organisational body to sponsor them, and they'll use the assets from the tournament to boost the market, or so to speak. They'll become more popular with you guys by their side."
Sonic turned his eyesight on Amy from the corner of his eye, using his hand as a shield from the tanuki. Despite Amy gradually settling on the tournament by its perks alone, she wasn't still quite fully adamant to trust Dodon Pa by a large percentage. She was now starting to trust him merely.
"You know, this team sponsorship idea is making this tournament more popular by the day." Sonic whispered.
"Who did you get for us, Dodon Pa?" Tails asked politely.
"I've notified our main sponsors about bringing up team sponsors that will fit both teams." The tanuki faced Tails thereafter. "You were saying, young kitsune. It's a surprise, hohohoho!"
"How do we know which one will be assigned to us?" Amy queried, Sally and Honey sat right next to her.
"I think he's leaving that up to Breeze Media to decide." The fashion feline answered. "They are the most successful business in Casino Park after all."
"That is completely true, my precious feline!" The host enunciated. "Even I don't know who they have chosen to be your team sponsors. All we can do is wait and see."
"I have to hand it to you, Dodon Pa. You really know how to put on a show!" The blue hedgehog winked at him and smiled.
"Hohohoho! That is exactly why my tournaments are exciting to be a part of!"
Jar entered the canteen with two plates of halibut ready for the racers to consume. The chef ultimately began his round of pacing back and forth between the kitchen and the dining suite until every racer was handed their food.
"Your halibut is served." The head chef stated, placing the halibut down to Sonic and Amy before returning for more dishes.
"Alright! You are a life saver, Jar!" The blue hedgehog congratulated in response, focusing on chowing down on the food.
"I can always look forward to the food after a hard day!" Sally responded, taking her first bite into her dinner.
"I take full credit on my delicacy." The donkey concluded, walking way chuckling.
Sonic had raced his friends in terms of finishing the halibut dinner first, as he waited. In the meantime, he struck up a casual conversation.
"So any news on the Mod Pods yet?" The blue hedgehog scooted to his team mechanic.
"Nothing is modified yet right now. I still have to make sure the vehicles are in great shape before you recommend any mods."
"At least you're being careful. I'm not too worried about them."
"I find it weird that all of our cars are there when we arrive..." Tails randomly jumped onto the thought as he whispered to Knuckles, whom was awaiting his dinner.
"Yeah. It's totally weird."
"Can I ask you something Dodon Pa?" Tails glanced at the host.
"You can go ahead, wise fox."
"Where will you be when travel to the other warehouses during the tournament?" The kitsune asked him.
"I have written down the halibut recipe to my other colleagues in the other mechanic garages dotted around the regions in which the tournament is hosted." The chef explained. "You'll still get to taste my delightful dish even if you guys are out of Seaside Hill."
"At least that's a plus." Amy felt relieved.
"Everything is a plus." Sonic added. "The races, the chef, the sponsors. Dodon Pa is really makin' this look awesome!"
The tanuki therefore chuckled.
"It's all part of the package, blue hedgehog."
"I've got another question, Dodon Pa." Amy raised her hand, eager to let out her thoughts. "How even do you get the vehicles in and out of your spaceship for each racing location?"
"Hohohoho!" The tanuki further chuckled, amazed at the way the pink hedgehog was thinking. "I simply clone them! Your vehicles are way too big to fit on my spaceship!"
"I find that very hard to believe..." The kitsune thought, possibly to avoid the host overhearing.
"Do our cloned vehicles also share the same attributes and 'Mod Pods' on each variant?" He continued.
"You do not need to worry about which of your vehicles has the modifications. That's down for your team mechanics to decide."
"Well okay. You're the boss!" Tails smiled.
"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be? Hohohoho!"
The group continued eating their meals as the tanuki was awaiting them to start gearing up for the next race. Tails seemed quite distracted by how Dodon Pa 'clones' their vehicles in each region in order to keep things moving his way. He wasn't sure if the host was actually doing that manoeuvre. The fox would have to find out the hard way.
[LOST PALACE, SEASIDE HILL]
(Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric - Slowpoke Isle)
Vector began snooping before the empty racetrack, anticipating and analysing the atmosphere, aesthetics and logistics behind Dodon Pa's tournament. This track was an excellent place to start, from the familiar looking ruins that decorated the background like a physical painting to the pleasant textures of the grassy landscape that surrounded the track as the crocodile stepped foot onto the barren road.
"Hmmmm..." He stared at the pitstop, picturing one of his colleagues stood with a headset on, presumably Espio. A thought crept in his head about Sally and Honey, noticing them from his last investigation in Doctor's Mine. Were the two girls also in this job, and why were they needed? Did Espio already agree to this? Vector strolled behind the pitstop to the starting line not beyond the main empty, desolate stand overshadowing like a behemoth.
"Not gonna lie, this guy's got it made with the track layout." He stated to himself.
The crocodile turned around back and forth within his surroundings of the beautiful Ocean Palace vista. Seeing Sonic, Tails and Knuckles racing in a team as opposed to the usual individual rankings of the previous outings, and with Team Rose also involved, Vector longed to step into the action himself, but one problem arose from this.
"This seems too fishy to be a cover-up." He stated, rubbing his with an index. "If I'm going to see this in action, I better hurry up and gather a team."
He emerged from the bush he was camouflaging himself in to inspect a little closer, aware of a sudden rustle of leaves from somewhere close by.
"Hm..." The Chaotix leader became merely agitated on the sudden movement from within the corner of his eye. However, his main focus was inspecting the Lost Valley racetrack as expected. The attention was flooding the spotlight, as Vector quickly turned out, startling a surprised lemur who had suddenly wandered towards him. "AHA-"
"Woah- hey! It's me, Tangle!" The lemur rebounded back into a normal stance. "We've met during the Resistance."
"Oh... Tangle. Yeah, I know. You were one of the Restoration members. You put in alot of work." Vector struck up a decent conversation, never really minding a friendly ally snoop from time to time.
"Yeah! The Restoration are on good terms with me after my resignation." She stated, soon returning to the topic of Dodon Pa. "Amy got roped into this tournament. She is a good friend of mine."
"Amy is a good friend to everyone around here. She and Sonic have been forced into this thinking this is nothing more than an elaborate scheme."
"It honestly feels weird that Dodon Pa announced this tournament out of thin air." Tangle pondered to herself aloud. "But his races are interesting to watch, especially because Sonic and his friends are involved."
"I'm trying to get to the bottom of why Dodon Pa is hosting this." The crocodile answered to the intrepid lemur. "I sent Espio with a mission to help me with this race, and Charmy is too young to be involved in any of this."
"What's Espio doing?"
"He's helping me by applying for a job that could assist my own team if I can find one. If the tanuki wants him to help me, then he has to help me. It's all in the name of money!"
"And Charmy...?"
"Vanilla is babysitting him. He's too young to be involved in any of this strangers' business. At least he has Cream as his playmate." Vector holstered his binoculars, preparing to duck behind something as a means of obscurity in case their conversation was overheard.
"Good call!" The lemur gave the Chaotix leader a thumbs up on handling Charmy first.
"Where did your friend go?" The crocodile noticed the absence of Whisper, feeling the temptation to ask considering she had wondered about Espio and Charmy's whereabouts.
"It's just me this time. Whisper went off to do something else. She likes it that way."
"She is a shy one!" The crocodile responded, glancing at the empty stands of the Lost Place track.
"Yeah!" Tangle played along, not as much to fully distract the Chaotix boss from investigating the track to his potential. "She never tells me half of the time what she's doing, that's the concerning factor."
"Probably investigating this Dodon Pa guy too, I reckon."
"I don't know if Eggman is all that she is after. She has tons of other bad guys on her hate list rather than the big doctor."
"You have a point there, Vector..." The lemur looked around her surroundings to a lack of mobians but her and Vector. "It's kind of quiet here. Do you want me to leave you do your job in peace?"
"Sure. Leave this to me!"
"Alright! I'm gonna go see where Donutsteel and Cronos are." Tangle offered to conclude, pointing a thumb behind her. "They must be having so much fun guessing which team might be the winner of each race."
"That sounds like a good option." Vector responded, diligent. "I bet Espio and Charmy would've loved doing that too if they were here."
"It's what I can give to you when they aren't here, Vector." The lemur happily strided away from him as he stared at a piece of the pitstop podium. His thought was to ensure how Espio would fare using something like this to support him and his team to victory in the tournament, however difficult it may become of them. What he didn't know was that both Sonic and Amy, and their teams have had tons of experience racing each other and picked up abilities that would make even a simple Sunday drive precarious and dangerous. The crocodile was only knowing the basics of Dodon Pa's tournament beforehand, how it's run and what the layout of the Lost Palace track was specifically. He didn't know much yet, but that was about to change once he put his shoes inside of his racing vehicle.
(/)
TO BE CONTINUED...
Dodon Pa's Tournament - Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, Tails Miles Prower, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, Omochao.
Team Mechanics - Sally Acorn, Honey the Cat, Espio the Chameleon.
References:
Sonic X/Sonic X Comics - Both Thorndyke Industries and Ramada Refineries, Inc are companies originating in the anime and its comic adaptation.
Sonic Archie Comics - Onyx City, and the characters (bar Silver) within it are derived from the location within The Silver Age arc, Gold mentioning the Genesis Portals that she and Silver helped to protect the citizens of Onyx City, and the Time Stones that Silver use to travel back to Sonic's timeline are also present.
Worthless Treasure - Marine's response to Charmy is a play on words of the cliche, made popular by Stand By Me (1985).
Sonic IDW Comics - Vanilla pardoning Gardon to call her by her real name is a replica of how she did the same thing to Vector after the Metal Virus arc. Tangle also mentions that she is still in good terms with the Restoration after her exit.
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