Adventures of the Orange Flash
Chapter 45: Going at Full Throttle
Naruto sat cross-legged in his room with eyes closed in deep meditation, the kitsune had dived into his mindscape for some mental training and conversation with Kurama as his body was instinctively stabilizing itself for the upcoming battles ahead of him. Kurama watched from under the shade of an oak tree as Naruto was performing a few katas of the Fox Fang Fist until he had done enough and went to sit next to the Bijuu.
"So, you think you're ready for this match against Sonic?" asked Kurama.
"Sure am, still got some nervousness but the rest is anticipation. I've come far since the start of the tournament and I intend to go all the way," said Naruto with a smirk.
"Exactly what I was expecting to hear from you, do you have a plan against him?"
"Not really, but it's rather obvious that I'll need to be fast in countering his moves before they take full effect whilst landing hits of my own,"
"I keep forgetting that you formulate plans rapidly while in the middle of actions unlike your Nara friend,"
"Yeah, Shikamaru always makes a plan A then plan B all the way to Z…if that's possible. Bet eh would have loved to stay in Angel Island since it's high in the clouds," said Naruto in nostalgia, Kurama smiled softly at the expression on his face.
"As much as I want to let you go down memory lane, it's almost time for the semifinals so you need to get going,"
Naruto got up to his feet "Okay Kurama, I'm off then," then he faded away from the mindscape to awaken in the real world.
Naruto got off the bed and went to the bathroom to rinse his face at the sink to remove any signs of sweat before leaving the room in direction of the waiting room. Along the way, Naruto bought a sports drink from a vending machine in the hallway to quench his thirst before arriving at his destination and finding Sonic there as usual and calling out to the hedgehog.
"Yo Sonic, looks like things are gonna get more interesting now that we're in the semifinals eh?" asked Naruto, plopping down on one of the seats nearest to him.
"That's saying something, can't wait to see what kind of new tricks you got hidden up your sleeves besides what you showed out there in the arena," said Sonic with a smirk with Naruto responding in kind.
"Right back at ya, I just know that this fight will be one for the history books,"
"That can't be denied," said Kurama.
The speeding duo delved into small talk to while away the time until the TV turned on to reveal Scratch back on the arena to resume the tournament.
[Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen to the semifinals of the World Fighting Tournament! Out of sixteen fighters, we are now down to four with two matches to decide the winners who will advance to the finals and go head-to-head to emerge the sole victor and champion!] said Scratch as the crowd cheered loudly [And now, we will move on to one of the two semifinal matches which is between…Knuckles and Killua!]
The Holo-screen displaying the portraits of the announced contenders as they appear on the arena with the crowd applauding them [And now the next theme of the arena is…] The arena is set in an expansive frozen plane of ice, while are caged in by ice walls and an ice floor. Auroras shine brightly in the sky and chunks of ice can be seen laying around […Aurora Icefield!]
"Let's see what you got!" Knuckles punched his fists together in anticipation.
"…let us begin," Killua actually spoke for the first time before taking a loose combat stance, surprising the echidna a bit before snapping back into focus.
[Without further ado, let the match begin!] Scratch announced in a loud voice to signal the beginning of the match.
Music Start: Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 OST; Go Ahead
Knuckles was the first to make a move as he rushed towards then leapt into the air to descend with an overhead punch, Killua dashed backwards to evade the attack but the echidna maintained pursuit to launch a series of straight punches and jabs with Killua tilting his upper body left and right whilst moving backwards with eyes locked on to his opponent. He suddenly switched to the offensive upon evading an incoming punch then taking a swift step forward and slamming both palms into Knuckles' torso "Thunder Palm!" electricity shot out from the tips of the lynx's fingertips which zapped Knuckles with him stumbling backwards whilst slightly spasming from the electricity coursing through his body.
"Not bad, let's see you handle this!" Knuckles rushed forwards with a fist reared back to attack, Killua felt his instincts scream at him to not get hit by that attack and somersaulted backwards just as Knuckles was upon him "Deep Impact!" he launched the punch with such power and intensity that it caused friction in the air which in turn triggered a small explosion, Killua barely evaded the explosion but the shockwave itself knocked him back several feet away from his opponent whom he looked at intently.
[it looks like Knuckles doesn't intend on pulling back his punches, especially the explosive kinds!] said Scratch.
Killua was the one to make a move this time as he ran at Knuckles whilst moving about randomly and triggered Rhythm Echo to create afterimages to serve as decoys and hid himself amongst them for a good angle of attack, however Knuckles remained undaunted by this, having seen this move than once already "Ground Shaker!" Knuckles jumps into the air then dives straight downward with fists first and spins his entire body around rapidly while giving off a flaming red aura, he impacts the ground with his fists with such force that he creates a disruptive shockwave along the surface to damage the surroundings which included the decoys to disappear before jumping back on his feet. Knuckles looked around quickly to see that Killua was nowhere in sight but then he looked upwards to see said lynx diving towards him from above.
"Thunderbolt!" Killua projects a bolt of lightning from the tips of his fingers to strike Knuckles, inflicting damage as well as paralysis before somersaulting to perform a heel drop kick to take him out. The attack was moments from making contact when Knuckles suddenly broke free from the paralysis to reach out and catch Killua's foot much to his surprise, he pulled him in close and connected a strong punch to the chest to send the lynx tumbling away a couple of feet before recovering with a roll to his feet.
[Wow, Killua attempted a surprise attack but Knuckles stopped it cold with a solid right hook! Who's going to make the next move?]
"Take this, Thunder Arrow!" Knuckles thrusts his right fist forward and then forms several thin but straight lightning bolts with his opponent as the target. Killua's eyes suddenly narrowed in absolute focus as his arms were enshrouded in lightning and whispered out "…Snake Awakens," he proceeded to whip his arms about with incredible fluidity and speed, cleaving the incoming projectiles to defend himself.
Killua looked to be contemplating about something for a moment before reaching into his pocket and taking out what appears to be a yoyo much to the confusion of Knuckles and many others watching as the lynx skillfully twirled the yoyo around with a metallic wire slightly wounding round his body and held it behind him in hand as he took a stance with it. Although confused, Knuckles remained wary for his opponent wouldn't bring something like that out for no reason. Killua dashed towards Knuckles and lashed out with a backhand but missed due to the echidna backing away at the last moment but released the yoyo to swing around in an arc towards Knuckles who raised a hand to block it, but he was taken by surprise as the impact actually knocked him back several feet with a numbing pain at where his hand had been hit.
"What the heck is up with that yoyo? It felt so heavy and the force in addition felt like a sledgehammer swung at half of Sonic's speed, I better not get myself hit by it," thought Knuckles, he launched another barrage of Thunder Arrows with Killua dodging them this time and retaliating with launching the yoyo once more at him which he dodged and closed the gap between each other when he noticed Killua twitch his arm and instinctively leapt into the air just in time to avoid the yoyo which had been coming back around.
Gliding in the air, Knuckles dove towards Killua "Spiral Attack!" he launches himself spinning through the air for a short time while keeping his fists in front ignited due to the speed. Killua jumped backwards to dodge then rushed forwards as he whipped out the yoyo to swiftly roll along the ground then overtook it to attack Knuckles with a high kick which was blocked but he flicked his hand right as the yoyo caught up to make it pop into the air and slam right under Knuckles' chin to knock him into the air, but Killua continued with the assault as he leapt after his opponent and struck out with a heel drop kick to drive him to the ground.
[Killua is certainly proving to many that yoyos can be more than just a toy here, what can Knuckles do to counter this predicament?] said Scratch.
Knuckles himself was contemplating on just that, he needed a way to bypass the yoyo's attacks in order to land a solid hit to gain an advantage in the battle. He came up with a strategy and immediately acted upon it as he charged forward once more, Killua launched his yoyo for Knuckles to roll to the side and maintained his approach and jumped into the air to evade a second attack from behind before performing another Spiral Attack. Killua dashed backwards to dodge but was surprised to see that it was a feint as Knuckles rapidly switched to using Thunder Arrow, forcing the lynx to dodge again which was the moment needed for Knuckles to close the gap and land a powerful punch to his torso.
"I got him!" thought Knuckles happily.
*WHAM*
Something slammed the back of his head with great force to send Knuckles sprawling to the ground and quickly losing consciousness, he barely raised his head to look up to Killua who revealed to be holding another yoyo in hand and released what happened. Killua had set up a trap to lure him in and launch a surprise attack, then his head slumped back to the floor.
Music End
[With a strategic finish, Killua Zoldyck wins the match and now advances to the finals to wait for the winner of the second semifinal match!] Scratch announced with the crowd cheering loudly.
Killua returned the yoyos to his pocket and bowed to Knuckles before walking away with the arena reverting to its default form as the medics arrived to pick up the unconscious echidna to carry him to the infirmary.
"Whoa, was kinda expecting Knuckles to win that match," said Sonic with a low whistle.
"Maybe so, but Killua was aware that engaging Knuckles up close was asking for trouble which was why he used those yoyos of his for mid-range attacks before taking him by surprise with use of his second yoyo," said Naruto thoughtfully.
"Well that only means that one of us will go to face him in the finals, but the question now is who's going?" asked Sonic with a smirk directed towards Naruto who smirked in response.
"Only one way to find out when we face off soon," said Naruto.
Back in the VIP room, everyone was rather chatty concerning the tournament so far as it was now drawing to close with the remainder of the competitors especially concerning the upcoming match which everyone waits to watch in anticipation.
"So, the match between Naruto Uzumaki and Sonic the Hedgehog will prove to be interesting, wouldn't you agree?" asked Breezie, swirling red wine within the glass in her hand.
"Indeed it will, I can't help wonder who would win, though I'm leaning towards Sonic," said Antoine thoughtfully.
"Well I support Naruto all the way, I just know that he'll win the whole thing!" said Honey excitedly.
"I agree with Honey, I'm sure that Naruto will prove to be more than a match for Sonic," said Sally in confidence.
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch sis, remember that this is the same Sonic who's been saving the world from Eggman several times. It can be anyone's match here," said Elias.
"All we have to do is wait for the match to commence and we'll see who's right or wrong," said Breezie, she brought out a tablet to take a look at the biddings to see that many placed a bet on Sonic winning with Naruto's being lesser "I just know that there going to be some happy and unhappy people after this,"
Majority of Mobius wait in excitement and anticipation of this match involving the world famous hedgehog and the growing crowd favorite kitsune, but the ones paying the highest amount of attention would be the ninja clans for they know well that the supposed member of the Yakan clan will have to use a larger vestige of his power in order to contend with someone like Sonic who has been proving time and again to be powerful in his own right.
"It will be most interesting to see who will emerge the winner of this particular match," said the Bride of Constant Vigil musingly.
"Do you think that he can beat Sonic the hedgehog?" asked a male Shinobi ninja curiously.
"I don't really know for myself and won't be quick to judge, so let us simply wait and see the outcome,"
The ninja bowed in affirmation "As you wish,"
"Hmmm, I can tell that this battle will reveal more of the kitsune's power to us compared to the previous ones," said a Mobian spider ninja.
"Indeed it will, against an opponent like Sonic the hedgehog, he will need to place a lot more effort if he wishes to prevail," said the Bride of the Endless Reach.
The Bride of Rich Nights was contemplating on the outcome of the match as well "I can only imagine how many have placed bets between these two. A ninja of an ancient clan versus the fastest hedgehog in Mobius…an interesting match indeed,"
The Bride of Conquering Storms watched the screen as Scratch finally appearing at the arena with a frown "Show me more of your power Yakan, your destruction will be all the more satisfying once I reduce you to the weakling you truly are!"
[Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. And now, it's time for the match which you've all been waiting for…the world's fastest Sonic the Hedgehog versus Naruto Uzumaki the rising crowd favorite!] Scratch announced with the Holo-screen displayed the portraits of said combatants with the crowd murmuring in excitement of the upcoming match.
"I can't wait to see how this will turn out!" said Milla excitedly hopping on her seat.
"Ya darn tooting, kiddo! I'm filled with curiosity on how Sugah fox is going to fight Sonic," said Bunnie in agreement.
"Well Naruto's been reserving most of his stronger moves until now, so I'm feeling the same way as you all," said Lilac.
"All I know is that, Naruto is going to be more badass than before," said Carol as a matter-of-factly.
"Guess I'll finally get to see what the fuss is all about concerning your friend now that he's facing someone like Sonic the hedgehog," said Carla nonchalantly, with some of the girls glaring at the cat.
"Please Carla, be more polite," said Wendy in a placating manner.
"If the previous fights failed to convince you, then this one most definitely will," said Barby.
Their conversation was cut short as the crowd began cheering loudly, getting them to look back at the arena to see Sonic and Naruto appearing within it. The Chao actually brought out flags bearing the picture of Naruto on it and waved happily, making the rest wonder where they got those from and why they didn't see it until now.
[And the theme for this battle is…] Scratch pushed the button on the remote for the holograms to activate and now the arena is set upon the wing of a beige giant biplane, which is bordered in with fences […Giant Wing!]
Naruto took the stance with his legs apart, his left hand balled into a fist and positioned at his chest, and his right hand thrust forward with his claws out "Ready to go Sonic?"
Sonic was bouncing on the tips of his toes "Been ready since this tournament started!"
[Looks like they're rearing to go, now let the match begin!]
Music Start: Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 OST; His World (Zebrahead Version)
Naruto barely blinked as he raised both hands to block a punch aiming for his face by Sonic who had appeared before him at high-speed, he withdrew his hand and went for a midkick but Naruto once again defended by using his tails to block the kick before retaliating with a roundhouse kick but Sonic ducked below the attack and curled up into a spiny ball to roll backwards and build some distance but Naruto wasn't planning on letting the speedster get away as he dashed forward into a slide with his leg sticking out whilst shrouded in foxfire.
Sonic sensed the incoming attack and bounced into the air before performing a Homing Attack, Naruto channeled chakra to his hands to sharply stop in place then performed a handstand with his legs pulled towards his chest and ignited them with foxfire before striking out with a double kick to clash with Sonic's Homing Attack, knocking him back into the air before flipping to his feet "Sonic Storm!" while still in his spinball form, Sonic spun rapidly to launch a shockwave towards Naruto "Battle Cry!" he concentrates chakra to his chest as he took in a deep breath before unleashing a loud roar which releases a concussive wave of sound to connect with the incoming projectile, canceling each other out with Sonic landing nearby.
The kitsune and the hedgehog charged at each other and clashed in the middle with a large boom with the former's fist meeting with the latter's outstretched foot, they struggled for dominance only for a moment before breaking off then began pushing each other back and forth in exchange of various forms of punches and kicks at great speeds whilst rapidly shifting between offense and defense with the audience trying not to blink lest they miss any good moment. The speedsters lashed out with high kicks at such force that it sent them skidding backwards away from each other before facing each other with smirks.
"Not bad for a warmup eh Sonic?" asked Naruto whilst flexing his arms to work the kinks out of them.
Sonic began doing some stretches too and responded to the kitsune "Yeah, want to enjoy this fight to the fullest without some pulled muscle," he hopped a couple of times before crouching slightly while leaning forward with his left foot in front.
"So…ready to shift into a higher gear then?"
Sonic began moving his feet at blurring speeds to make it take on the appearance of a horizontal figure eight whilst stationary "Do you really need to ask?"
Naruto shook his head in amusement before taking a three-point stance and everyone could see that his body was actually vibrating "Just being polite is all?"
[Try not to blink so much folks, looks like things are about to be so fast that it will look like someone pressed the fast-forward button on a DVD remote!] said Scratch.
No sooner he said that did Naruto and Sonic rocket towards each other at speeds which broke through sound and were multiple sonic booms from every clash all over the arena. The speedsters were exchanging punches and kicks whilst constantly moving about, from everyone's point of view, they were seeing Sonic and Naruto fighting at one spot then they would disappear and then reappear fighting at another spot. Sonic suddenly went into his spinball form and drifted around Naruto in circles whilst using Sonic Wave to launch multiple shockwaves towards the kitsune from all angles.
"Wind Spinjitzu!" Naruto triggered his Air aspect before spinning rapidly in place to form a cyclone around himself which absorbed the incoming projectiles then he leapt into the air while using the momentum from the spin for his next attack "Wind Shuriken!" He formed air constructs of throwing stars in his hands before throwing them around him whilst constantly creating more to launch in rapid succession. Sonic sharply moved from side to side as he evaded the attacks before taking out a ring and throwing it towards Naruto "Here it comes! Sonic Drive!" focusing on the airborne ring, he performed a Homing Attack towards it. Naruto's narrowed in focus as well when he reflexively executed his next move "Nine Bladed Tails!" he hardened his tails to become bladelike before spinning round to clash with his opponent.
Both combatants struggled in midair before breaking away to land back on the ground a few feet away from each other for a quick breather, Naruto then crossed the middle and index fingers of both hands "Shadow Clone jutsu!" there were puffs of smoke which dissipated to reveal three copies of Naruto much to the of many unfamiliar with the kitsune, the clones rushed towards Sonic who stood at the ready. The first clone lashed out with a straight punch for the face which Sonic sharply ducked below to avoid it, the second one moved in with a slide kick but he rolled backwards to move out of the way only for the third clone to attack from behind with a kick. Sensing the incoming attack, Sonic uncurled into a handstand then somersaulting over the clone and into the air.
Sonic took on the offensive as he performed a Homing Attack on clone to dispel while landing on the ground and switching to the Spin Dash to take out the next before hopping back into the air for a Sonic Rocket attack to finish off the last one. At that moment, Naruto used Shadow Step to appear on the ground before Sonic on his back with legs tucked to his chest "Meteor Blow!" Naruto lashed out with a double kick to send Sonic flying into the air then using Shadow Step once more to reappear from behind and executing a heel drop kick, Sonic recovered quickly enough to use Sonic Ballet to move out of range of the incoming attack and then following up with Sonic Storm which struck Naruto but he puffed into smoke and revealed a wooden log in his place much to the hedgehog's surprise.
"Water Chain!" Sonic turned towards the voice to see Naruto back on the ground with his Water Aspect active as seen by the puddle of water pooling around Naruto's feet with bubbles rising into the air from it, suddenly chains made of water shot out of the puddle and were swift to bind Sonic's ankles and wrists. Naruto mentally commanded the chains to pull Sonic in close to avoid giving him time to set up a counter for his next move "Water Dragon Cannon!" as a mass column of water shot out from the water pouch attached to Naruto's waist and took on the shape of a dragon head, the water construct opened its mouth and spewed a powerful stream of water which slammed into Sonic and sent him crashing into one of the borders of the arena.
Sonic got back to his feet whilst shaking some of the water off his body before looking at Naruto with a quirked brow "Did you really have to soak me?"
"Well, I figured that it would be polite to help wash off the sweat you had on you from this fight of ours," Naruto responded with an innocent look in his eyes.
"Very funny Naruto, maybe I should wrap this up before I 'sweat' anymore and you'll think of dowsing me again,"
"Point taken, let's go for it!"
Sonic performed his Spin Dash more velocity than usual for a few seconds then he stopped spinning to take on a running position as several orbs of white light swirled around him before fusing with his body, making it glow a neon-blue light which signaled one of his strongest moves being ready. Naruto responded to this by putting away the water pouch and switching to his Celestial Aspect with a white halo hovering above his head as starlight sparkles around him, he also took a running position but with his hands held before him in a Tiger seal as he transformed himself into a being of white celestial light, both speedsters looked at each other with smirks on their faces (Though it's nonvisible in Naruto's case)
"Ready…," said Sonic.
"…GO!" Naruto finished the sentence.
With those words, Naruto and Sonic launched themselves at each other with one of their fastest attacks while leaving behind trails of white and blue energy respectively as they constantly slammed into each other all over the arena whether it's on the ground or in the air.
[I think I'll need my eye receptors replaced cause I'm trying and failing to catch all of this!] said Scratch.
He pretty much spoke for everyone since they too were finding it very hard to keep up with watching the hedgehog and kitsune's attacks. What they can see are two shooting stars collectively white and blue flying all over the arena and rapidly ricocheting off each other, it is quite rare for them to see a select few capable of keeping up with the blue hedgehog. All in all, this match excites them greatly, and they were all vocal about it.
"You can do it Sonic!" Tails cheered out loudly from the stands.
"Don't hold back, either of you!" said Knuckles.
"Go for it, Naruto!" Milla cheered as well.
"Show him what for, Naruto!" Carol was doing the same alongside her.
Hearing the cheers seemed to have spurred the duo to go at even higher speeds now although it wasn't the true reason, both Naruto and Sonic were grinning wildly…the adrenaline, the wind howling in their ears, the flurry of movement, the audible thumping of their hearts…they're having the time of their lives right now!
Sonic pulled of a sharp turn to strike Naruto from the side only to be taken by surprise upon going right through him, that momentary lapse costed him as he was struck from the side and he was immediately surrounded by copies of Naruto, the first trio lashed out with kicks "Na!" sending Sonic flying towards another group which punched him "Ru!" two additional clones performed a dual flip kick "To!" one more clone spun round to slam the hedgehog higher into the air "2K!" then all clones lunged at Sonic with fists reared back "Uzumaki Barrage!" they proceeded to assail the hedgehog with punches from all directions in rapid succession. Sonic barely opened an eye only to see Naruto in his normal Celestial Aspect form and holding a Rasengan which has the appearance of a cluster of stars swirling within the spiraling sphere "Take this, Nebulous Rasengan!" he rammed the recent variation of the Rasengan into Sonic's stomach with only half of its true power, but was more than enough to launch Sonic out of the ring and crashed to the ground.
Music End
The entire stadium was silent with no one saying a word, but soon enough it was broken by Scratch who declared in a loud voice.
[And the winner of this high-speed match by ring out, Naruto Uzumaki!] said Scratch, the crowd went crazy afterwards.
Sonic let out a groan as he slowly sat up then heard someone land nearby and looked to see Naruto holding his hand out which he took and was pulled up to his feet as they smiled at each other.
"I gotta say, you've definitely gotten way stronger since the last time we've met," said Sonic.
"Right back at ya, your speed always has me on edge. I figured that taking you by surprise is a better approach than trying to take you on in your greatest strengths," Naruto replied.
"What was that move you used earlier before, it kinda reminded me of my Lightspeed Attack?"
"That was my Photon Rush attack. To put it simply, it's similar to that of your Lightspeed Attack but the difference is that it's speed and power depends on the amount of light absorbed around me, so it's not a good idea for me to use in dark places," Naruto explained about his Celestial type technique.
Sonic shrugged his shoulders "I hear that, a total bummer that I lost but hey, you win some you lose some. But I call for a rematch though,"
"Sure, and it will be more epic than this one,"
Both speedsters shook hands with the spectators applauding them for good sportsmanship, though this match caused reactions from certain groups that were watching.
"Alright, Naruto won!" Milla cheered happily with the Chao joining in as well.
Wendy was in awe of all this "Amazing…,"
Carla sat in disbelief of what happened "To be capable of keeping up with Sonic and matching up with him…just what is he?"
Lilac explained "Naruto told us he was often called the most unpredictable knucklehead back at his old home because not many people can tell what he plans to do next, and we've been seeing proof of that several times in this tournament,"
"Told you he's strong!" said Carol with a wide grin.
"Woowee, now that Sugah Fox gets to advance to the finals, I hope he watches himself around that Killua fella cause that lynx gives me the heebie-jeebies," said Bunnie with a look of concern.
"Same here, but I'm sure he'll pull through like he's done so far," said Barby.
"I believe in Naruto as well, though I suspect that Killua will use all of his strength now that he is in the finals with Naruto," said Nicole thoughtfully.
Naruto and Sonic were leaving the arena, the former felt eyes focused upon him which differed greatly from that of the spectators, he looked towards the exit to see Killua leaning against the wall, staring at him intently. Naruto had a feeling that the lynx has been wanting to face him with a reason which has nothing to do with the tournament.
"You're now coming along the home stretch kit, it's now a straight line for the finish line. Better watch yourself," said Kurama.
This is Hussbek online with the latest chapter, the tournament draws to a close as Naruto manages to defeat Sonic and advance to the finals with the same going for Killua upon defeating Knuckles as well, the question now is who will be the one to make all the way to the top as the best fighter and champion, stay sharp to find out. Until then, be sure to read and review as you always do.
This particular chapter really made things tough for me to write, trying to make things as fair and logical as possible without making it look like I was nerfing any of the characters but hey I can't please every single person anyways. I'll try to make the last chapter as interesting as possible so be sure to look forward to it.
This is Hussbek from Ghana.
Signing out.