#the last time these ships faced off in the sonic tournament

[sonicshipbattles]

Round 2

This poll is for the version of Sonic/Amy across all of their shared media vs Sonic/Amy specifically from the current portrayals of their relationship (e.g. The Murder of Sonic, IDW Comics, Sonic Frontiers, etc.) All ships included were submitted to us. This tournament does not accept insults towards either ship - use propaganda to uplift your fave, not put down the opponent

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

It was chaos aboard the Halberd.

A few minutes ago, Meta Knight, Samus, Sonic and Pikachu had gone to the hangar for a free-for-all match. It had been business as usual -with Sonic unfortunately losing a stock early due to a mistimed recovery- until they arrived on the deck, where they were met not by the primed and ready Combo Cannon, but by the crew scrambling to deal with numerous malfunctions.

The fighters decided to put their match on hold, and after meeting with Captain Vul they determined that there was a stowaway in the Reactor, and possibly more than one.

“Well, what are we waiting around here for?” Sonic asked, “we’ve got a saboteur to catch.”

Meta Knight nodded, “Indeed. I will not allow my vessel to fall again.”

As the team made their way through the ship, they mentally prepared themselves for who they may be facing. most likely it was one of the villains, but it could just as easily have been one of their minions or even a newcomer hoping to get on Ganondorf’s radar.

What they found instead was Pichu in his Team Skull cap and a jetpack fiddling with a pile of smart bombs and a remote. Immediately, Samus went into Pokemom mode, “Pichu, this really isn’t a safe place to be playing.”

Pichu looked over at them in surprise, then grinned slyly, “You’re damn right it isn’t, mom.”

Everyone started. “Pi, Pika!?”

Sonic was the first to recover, “Did you just… speak English?”

“Ah, right, you wouldn't know about that yet,” he took off his cap, revealing a small bald patch next to his left ear with a faint surgical scar and a slight square-shaped bump under the skin, “Universal translator, courtesy of Ridley’s tech department. Just a little bonus to all these custom remote smart bombs they asked me to plant. Speaking of which,” his voice gained a dangerous dangerous edge, sparks from his cheeks coming dangerously close to the pile of explosives, “One wrong move and I blow us all to kingdom come.”

Meta Knight glared at the little rodent, “you’re with the villains?”

“What, Wolf didn’t tell you? Eh, I guess he wouldn’t want to tell anyone how bad I tore him up when he found me, prideful bastard that he is.”

“…Why, ” Samus almost whispered, “Why would you side with them?”

Pichu grinned, “Power, if you want a short answer. I know I’m the weakest Fighter here, especially with that stupid gimmick the Hands saddled me with. Taking the last two tournaments off to train didn’t really help that much, even if I can actually keep up now. Even back home I’m literally the baby version of your little buddy there.

“So I figured, if I can’t gain power and respect the right way, I might as well get it the wrong way. And now look at me! I was already G-man’s informant, and unlike your tubby bird I didn’t get caught until my grand exit! And now I’m moving on to the big leagues! I figure eventually, if I play my cards right, they'll be the ones working for me.”

He looked on in satisfaction at his fellow Fighters’ shocked, angry, and somewhat betrayed expressions, before putting his hat back on and glancing down at his remote, “well, I hate to scheme and run, but I'd really rather not be here a minute from now,” with that, he chucked one of the bombs at the ceiling and flew through, “Crappy landings, Suckahs!”

Meta Knight examined the bombs and swore in poyo, “He armed all of them separately! We don’t have time to find and disarm all of them, so we’ll have to evacuate.”

Sonic glanced over at Samus, who was staring blankly (or possibly angrily, at his height it was impossible to tell with the helmet on) at the hole where Pichu had been, “You guys go warn the crew. I’ll make sure our lady in armor gets out in time.”

Meta and Pikachu gave Samus a worried look each, then nodded and left the Reactor. Sonic then placed a gloved hand on her arm, “C'mon Sam, we gotta juice.”

She didn’t say anything, or even meet his eyes, but nodded and turned to leave. And as the two ran down the hall, Sonic wondered what all this would mean going forward. First things first, we need to warn Dedede he’s been compromised.

[mezzopurrloin]

Mezzo Plays Final Fantasy X: Part 3

Surprisingly, Tidus isn't dead.

He's just washed up on the coast of some island. He's hit in the back of the head with a blitzball, and spies some people on the beach waving to him.

He decides to do a midair flip kick to send it back, impressing their leader.

Then he swims to shore and introduces himself, first saying he's from Zanarkand, then after that confuses everyone, telling people he was infected by Sin's toxin.

His name is (probably) not a Pac-Man reference. Tidus asks if it's true Zanarkand was destroyed a thousand years ago, and Wakka dispenses some exposition.

"It was just as Rikku had said. Wakka and Rikku couldn't both be lying. Why would they? I appreciated the fact that Wakka was trying to cheer me up. But at that time, all I could think about was... everything that happened to me -- all of this -- started with Sin. Maybe if I could find Sin one more time, I could go home! For now, I'd just live life until that time came. No more worrying about where, or when, I was. Sure it was hard not to think of home. But I started to feel better already. A little better...maybe."

Wakka decides to escort Tidus back to his village.

Of course, they end up meeting some fiends along the way. Wakka fights using his blitzball as a weapon, which seems a bit odd, but it makes for a good throwing weapon apparently.

He also tells Tidus about a big blitzball tournament coming up. Wakka says that maybe someone there will recognize Tidus if he plays, and Tidus agrees to help out.

Here we get a nice view of Besaid Village. Wakka joined the Aurochs 10 years ago, but the team hasn't won a single game since then. He's about to give up on the blitz, but wants this last tournament to be his best yet. Tidus agrees and hopes to steer the Aurochs toward victory.

Just before entering the village proper, Wakka asks Tidus about the prayer, which of course just makes Tidus more confused.

You just put your hands in this position while saying "Praise be to Yevon."

"Any blitzball player would know that prayer. It was the blitzball sign for victory."

Time to loot some stuff! This house was wrecked by Sin and the owner never bothered rebuilding it, so it's not like they have any use for these things anyway.

There's also a little lodge here belonging to a group called the Crusaders. They're sworn to battle Sin, but no one's ever been able to truly defeat it, so their duties mainly involve keeping it away from populated areas.

One thing I forgot to mention about save points is that they also provide a full HP/MP recharge. This makes them a convenient replacement for the inns of other RPGs, though you're free to rest at the Crusaders' lodge if you want.

Once that's done, Tidus heads into the temple. It's the biggest building in the village, and faces away from the ocean, as that's where Sin comes from.

Inside the temple plays the Hymn of the Fayth, another plot-important song. No, 'fayth' is not a typo.

"It was then, standing in that place. I began to realize how different this world was from my own."

Tidus talks to one of the temple attendants, and after using the toxin excuse again, gets some more exposition.

"It was funny hearing myself make the same excuse over and over. Funny, and a little sad."

"So what he meant...was that we should respect some kinda great men or something like that...I figured."

Tidus goes back to Wakka's place for a quick nap.

Which leads us to another flashback sequence. Young Tidus is happy to see Jecht gone from his life.

His mom isn't quite that sympathetic to him.

After he wakes up, Wakka is gone. Tidus heads back to the temple to find out what's going on.

It seems that the summoner is in trouble, and Tidus immediately runs into the temple depths to help.

Monk: "The precepts must be obeyed!"

Tidus: "Like I care!"

This takes him to the Cloister of Trials, a puzzle that must be overcome before reaching the chamber of the fayth. This one's pretty simple and teaches you the basics of these rooms.

The puzzles are based around spheres. Glyph Spheres open the way to the chamber, Destruction Spheres destroy things to uncover hidden treasures, and each temple also has its own type of sphere. Only one sphere can be held at a time and you can stick them into sphere-shaped slots to activate things.

In this case, there's a Besaid Sphere powering this lovely Tron lines complex.

If we replace it with a Destruction Sphere...

It blows up a wall to reveal a hidden chest. Inside is a Rod of Wisdom, which we can't use yet. It's important to get every Destruction Sphere treasure we can, as there's a late-game reward for obtaining them all. And generally, it's important to grab everything we can the first time, since backtracking isn't really a thing for 90% of the game.

Anyway, after completing the Cloister of Trials, Wakka meets up with Tidus again, and he explains that only summoners, apprentice summoners, and their guardians can enter. Wakka is free to enter because he's a guardian. Summoners go on a pilgrimage to every temple in Spira, and the guardians protect them.

We meet some more guardians outside the chamber. And then the door opens, revealing...

"Man, was I surprised. And here I was, thinking summoners were all old geezers."

The group heads out to the town square, and the summoner decides to show her prowess.

"I had never seen anything like it in my life. Sure, it was a little scary, but still... I could feel a strange kind of gentleness from it."

You get to pick a name for the aeon too. Her canon name is Valefor, but I went with Yvonne on a suggestion from Umbra.

The celebration continues into the night, and Tidus and the summoner finally get to meet face-to-face.

Yuna forgives Tidus for barging in, as she feels it was her fault for taking so long.

"I remember... That night, we talked for the first time. I didn't know it then, but after that night, everything changed. For everyone... For me..."

If you haven't already figured it out, yes, Yuna is the main love interest. After talking to her, Tidus heads to the Crusaders' lodge to sleep.

It's only been one day and you're already having dreams about her?

Yeah, yeah, Rikku's cute too.

Jecht, stop being such an asshole. This is why your son hates you.

Tidus awakens and sees Wakka and the girl in black, Lulu, talking.

You know how they say Final Fantasy characters are obsessed with belts? Yeah, here's a prime example. Apparently they made Lulu's dress entirely out of belts as a challenge to the animators.

The camera moves up so we can get a nice head shot of her too.

Wakka gives some context on the conversation after coming inside. His brother Chappu joined the Crusaders, and was killed by Sin. Wakka learned the news on the day of the last blitzball tournament, which understandably threw his game off.

In the morning, Wakka presents a gift to Tidus.

This sword is called Brotherhood, and is quite fancy. It was originally meant to be a gift for Chappu, but he never used it. Tidus leaves the village with Yuna's group, as they're going on the same ship.

Well, not quite yet. There's one more thing to grab first. See my comment above about how it's really important to pick stuff up the first time around.

No, I don't get it either.

Once that's done, the group stops to pray at the monument above town. Chappu didn't pray at it the day he left. While making their way back to the coast, we get some more random encounters.

Flying fiends are Wakka's speciaility. They have a big evasion bonus vs. melee, but Wakka's ball can hit them with no problems.

This slime monster looks dangerous, though. Its amorphous body gives it strong resistance to physical attacks.

Time to call in our black mage. Lulu uses these adorable little plushies as weapons and as focuses for her magic. Many are references to other Final Fantasy creatures, like the moogle up there. She also takes the time to explain this game's element system. Fire and ice oppose each other, as do lightning and water. This blob is water based, so...

Zap! Problem solved.

Tidus runs a bit ahead of everyone else when we reach the next area...

And runs into this furry guy, who we saw at the temple earlier. He doesn't take kindly to Tidus and attacks. The two trade blows for a bit, until everyone else comes in and puts a stop to it.

He's another one of Yuna's guardians. He doesn't talk much, and can't be used as a party member yet, but he will be later.

I know this post is already overloaded with screenshots but really, check out the view here.

Anyway, upon encountering a large flying fiend, Wakka decides that rather than handling it himself, he lets Yuna try out her summoning. You can swap party members in and out at any time during a battle.

Time to see what our aeon can do. By using the Summon command, Yuna calls Yvonne to the field. All other party members disappear while the aeon is summoned.

Yvonne can use standard attacks, cast black magic much like Lulu, and has the Sonic Wings special which deals damage and delays the opponent's turn.

Much like players, aeons have their own Overdrive bar too. That's what picking up the thing from the dog was all about. In this case though, I decided that her first Overdrive, Energy Ray, was enough for this fight.

She charges up a laser in her mouth, then fires it at the ground.

Then, explosions. Perfect for taking out any irritating fiends.

One last encounter to show here. In this case each character is up against the type of fiend they're specialized against. You want to have Tidus hit the wolf thing, Wakka go for the flyer, and Lulu cast Thunder on the blob, and they're finished off easily.

All of our other party members have their own places on the Sphere Grid, and they gain S.Lvls and spheres the same way Tidus does. Tidus learned a new ability too: Flee, which guarantees escape from any non-boss fight. Some say that fleeing from battles is cowardly, but it's still handy to use in a pinch.

Oh, by the way, that Rod of Wisdom we found? It's a weapon for Yuna. It gives a good magic boost and the Sensor ability, allowing her to show enemy HP and traits. When not using aeons, Yuna acts as our white mage, giving out heals and buffs when needed.

One last thing to grab as we hit the beach. This is a component for a postgame weapon for Yuna. I don't know if I'll get into the postgame for this LP, but it's good to have anyway.

Yuna and her crew board the ship. Yuna waves goodbye to the villagers as they set off.

[halfwayinlight]

Title:  Fauxrents, Ch 3 Rating: PG, possibly up to PG13 in future chapters Fandom: Star Trek TNG Pairing: Will Riker/Deanna Troi

It wasn’t surprising that the corridors of the Enterprise were empty at zero twenty, but Will didn’t realize exactly how tired he was until he passed Deanna’s door and nearly gained his and realized he was supposed to be three more decks away. To where she was staying with the Potts boys several decks below. Running his hand over his beard in frustration, he went ahead and entered his own quarters. He might as well take a quick sonic shower, change into his bedclothes, and grab a fresh uniform for in the morning.

Thus far, he was nearly a week into life as a parent-by-proxy, and things were settling a little. The boys were getting better at doing their homework and having it mostly completed by the time that either he or Deanna met them in the evenings. Deanna had found a few activities to better cover the gap between the end of the school day and shift changes.

They’d discovered that the boys liked playing various games and enjoyed swimming, which they had previously only done on shore leave. So at least twice now, including in the earlier evening, they all went for a long swim after dinner. It wore out the boys, and it was a good stress release. And besides, he knew Deanna enjoyed the water, even if she still thought it was weird that humans insisted on swimsuits. He would never stop teasing her about that.

He tried not to think about how nice his bed would feel right about now. The Potts quarters did have the main bedroom, but it still felt too strange to sleep in a couple’s bed that wasn’t his. The couch wasn’t nearly long enough. More than once he found Deanna asleep on it before he was ready for bed. And he envied how she always seemed to curl so neatly on it. It was about time to check with Data or Geordi about other options because he’d spent half the day with an aching back from trying to fit himself onto the sofa.

Perception, Will reflected, really was a strange thing. It felt like it took twice as long to walk to the turbolift, go three more decks down, and walk two corridors than it had taken for him to leave the bridge and get to his own quarters. The distance was only a little further, but the family corridors were silent this late.

This particular call out so late at night was a two-part issue. The first was a yellow alert from a dicey situation with the region of space and a borderline-hostile and certainly not friendly ships patrolling the region. He had managed to smooth things over without an actual incident and without needing to rouse the captain, who had been working far too much in the last weeks and needed sleep worse than Will. He’d asked Data to call him first tonight. And although it was the most pressing to the overall wellbeing of the ship, it had turned out to be the easier of the two issues needing his attention.

Once the alert was over, a call had come up from sickbay requesting senior staff. Will had turned over command to Data and dutifully made his way down. When he had walked into the ICU area, Will found the doctor on duty with four surly looking patients.

Ensign Sa’Naar was glaring at the floor, his left eye swollen shut. Starling and Ulani were two other ensigns, both fresh out of the academy and on their first assignments. Just new enough and resembling one another enough that Will still struggled to distinguish them from the other. One was being tended to by a nurse who was mending something in his hand. The other screened for internal injuries. And the ever-eager-to-prove-herself Von Treaes was sitting in the farthest bio bed protesting that she was fine in an uncanny mimic of the way Deanna usually handled her stays in sickbay. With no more success than the counselor, either. As she was clearly unable to get up from the table without assistance.

No one had wanted to talk for long minutes. In the end, it took the report of the security officer on watch tonight and a few previous odd reports to piece it together. And Starling had broken first, pulled into a private room. Twelve questions in, and the whole story behind the overly competitive ensigns had unraveled.

All four were confined to separate private cubicles in sickbay while they rested. Tomorrow he’d have to investigate everything. He had no issue with blowing off steam. Or friendly competition. There were plenty of tournaments during the course of any given year for all sorts of games and sports. But a fight ring on Deck 28 in some empty storage bays made Will’s blood boil. There was nothing sporting or okay about knocking each other senseless.

For now, though, his initial anger had burned off. It was far past time to be sleeping. He could only imagine what Deanna and the captain were going to have to say about this. That was a problem for tomorrow. Or at least six hours from now.

He’d fully prepared to have to move Deanna before he fell asleep on the couch in the Potts quarters. In fact, he was really looking forward to her familiar weight and warmth resting against him. He swore he slept better with her beside him. In all honesty, he was tired of the couch, though. It was too short and forced him to scrunch into awkward positions. Sending him twice to sickbay for a head ache caused by pinched nerves in his neck one day and muscle spasms in his back on another. Easily remedied by Beverly… but even she had questioned why he was putting himself through it. The simplest answer was that he had been too busy during the day to deal with a better bed solution.

The lounge was silent. Lights still on as they had been when he was called away a few hours ago. He trudged on toward the low light still on in the boys’ room, and he was fully prepared to lay down the law about how they had to go to sleep. Deanna would be wiped out in the morning, and she was never a morning person as it was.

But he found everyone deeply asleep. Both boys and Deanna, still in her maroon suit, were on Willie’s bed in a big cuddly pile. His breath left him in a rush. It wasn’t something he had known he’d ever wanted until he saw this. This small slice of domestic normalcy.

For long moments he wondered what it would’ve been like. If he’d said yes six years ago. If he’d met her at Risa. If he’d tried to make it work. If he’d turned down the Potemkin. If he had done anything to pursue what she had so clearly wanted. What he had feared. And now he was feeling foolish and wondering what, exactly, he had feared. If they would’ve had a kid already. Probably not right away. But in six years, they might have had one.

And he might have screwed that up, too. Or messed up a kid along the way. Probably not the same way his father had… but the specter of that lurked.

He was so, so tired. But he couldn’t drag himself away just yet. He was trying to absorb this moment and the way that Willie was sprawled across his bed, his hand curled around Deanna’s arm, reaching for assurance even in sleep. The boy’s pillow was damp with drool. And Jake was curled up, his back to Deanna’s. But still close enough to seek the warmth and comfort she offered.

A family to come home to, even if it’s only temporary. Why the hell did he run from this?

He wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to seek out his own comfort tonight. Rubbing his face and beard, he made his way to the far side. Jake was lean for his age, not that Will was complaining. His arms slid under knees and shoulders, and he lifted quickly and moved the older boy to his own bed a few feet away. In retrospect, he should’ve pulled down the covers first. But Jake wasn’t complaining.

It was going to be a tight fit with both him and Deanna on the twin bed, but he was determined to make it work. One down, one to go. He carefully eased Willie’s hand from Deanna’s arm and tried to shift her without waking her.

A hand caught his arm and a groggy protest. “ ‘was warm,” she mumbled, eyes still closed.

“Sssh, I’m moving him over so I can sleep—”

“Not fair to kick him out of his own bed,” Deanna countered groggily. She pushed herself up, blinking owlishly and clearly attempting to muster the energy to get to her feet and trudge to the other room.

He sighed but nodded, his brain too tired to figure out how this was going to work now. But he slid an arm around her and let her lean on him as he tugged the blanket back over the youngest boy and led her back to the lounge, calling for the lights to dim. Will planned to tuck her into the sofa, but she caught his arm and pulled him down to the cushions.

The last days since they had suddenly taken on parenthood, each night seemed to end with both of them too exhausted to make many decisions. Maybe it was better this way. So he went with it and stretched out, trying to find a cushion to support his head and neck.

In moments, she was curling into the spaces left. Her head tucked under his chin, weight shifted somewhere atop him and supported by the back cushions. Reaching awkwardly and trying not to move her too much, Will snagged the blanket from the previous night and managed to get it more or less over Deanna. “’s that ok?”

Silence was his answer. She had fallen back to sleep as quickly as she had awakened. Almost alarmingly quickly. And it occurred him that this wasn’t keeping any kind of boundaries between them. But his thoughts were hard to hold onto right now. Because she was warm. And here. And it felt like something he imagined marriage to be. But before he could turn over that thought to examine it, the day closed in over him. And he slept.

[glapplebloom]

Since I decided to cancel this on Patreon, I’ve decided to make a Special Edition version for everyone, with week early access for Patreon Supporters. And this is the chapter that begins it all.

In the dimension home to the world of Sonic Rush, Blaze the Cat is the one to receive the message. She is horrified to learn that she has to form a team or have her world be destroyed. And even if she is victorious, other worlds would be destroyed. Once she calmed herself down, she tried to think of a team. With the fate of this world under her hand, she thought of her friends. Bark. Ray. Jim. Marine. Silver. But she fears that such news would overwhelm them. And with the fate of her universe on the line, she needs the strongest forces she can get. Blaze then thinks that if she gets help from Sonic's Universe. Surely they can give assist in this situation. But she then thinks that what if their world is threatened because of aiding hers.

No, she must keep it only in this world. And despite her best thoughts, she knows she only has one option. Before making that option, she mentions Silver. If she is going to lead a team, she needs at least one person to trust. And Silver's powers have proven useful in many situations. The next day, they discuss the plan and any options that they can use besides it. But despite their best efforts, they have no other choice. On the final day, using Silver's telekinesis, they arrive at the Wily Star. As soon as they stepped on board, lights flashed and a loud noise was heard. They continue to walk forward despite the noise. That is until they were confronted by the Stardroids. They have been rebuilt after their last battle and look to want revenge. But before they could, Wily Nega stepped in front of them.

Wily: So you dare enter my domain! You will soon see that my Stardroids won't be defeated by the likes of you a second time!

Blaze: Wait! We need to talk to you!

Wily: What use do I have with the likes of you?

Blaze: Our Universe is in danger and if you don't help, there will be no Terra to conquer!

Wily looked curious. What sort of plan is she coming up with for such a ludicrous idea. So he decided to play along.

Wily: Our universe you say...

Blaze: A powerful entity picked our world into a Tournament of Power. If we do not win, he will wipe us out!

Wily: If that is the case, why not use your friends.

Blaze: I can't risk their safety.

Wily: Yet you are willing to use my own creations for your needs? Why should I bother?

Silver: The fate of our Universe is at the balance!

Wily: And all you have given me is time to figure out a way to save myself! Good day...

Wily begins to walk away with the rest of the Stardroids when Blaze became desperate.

Blaze: The best fighter of the team will also get a wish!

Wily stopped when he heard that.

Blaze: If our team wins, the best fighter among them will win a wish for anything they desire. Eight of your Stardroids to us two puts the odds in your favor to win that prize. 

Wily thought of it for a second. And as if they can read his mind, the Stardroids aim their weapons once more to the intruders.

Wily: Or I can eliminate you two and have all ten of my Stardroids compete!

Blaze knew it was a mistake to tell him that. But she did have a bluff for such a case.

Blaze: You need us! If both of us are not entering, then our world is automatically forfeit. And that means no wish for you.

And as soon as she said it, the portal opened behind her. She thought she had a week but it has only been three days. She has no time to wonder about that now.

Blaze: Its your choice. Either send 8 with us or have everything you worked for gone.

Wily sees the situation. It is a big gamble. He could destroy Blaze and Silver and use his Stardroids to enter. But if they are really needed, then instead of getting a wish he'll be getting annihilation. He is sure it is a trick to prevent him from getting ten instead of eight, but he can't risk it.

Wily: Fine. Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Pluto, Saturn, Sunstar, Terra, Uranus. Make sure our universe wins. Neptune, Venus. You're with me. If they fail, we must work on a way to escape this universe.

With the team of ten selected, the Stardroids, Blaze and Silver enter the portal and into the unknown. In another universe, one where the events after Sonic 3 and Knuckles went in a completely different direction, Tails the Fox receives the flash.

Tails: Oh no!

Sonic: What it is Tails?

Tails: Our world is in danger!

Knuckles: We kind of figured that out when Robotnik forced the rest of us onto the Island.

Tails: That is not what I mean! Some entity is forcing us to compete in some tournament. If we lose, our entire Universe will be erased!

Sonic: What?!?

Tails: We need a team of ten and only the three of us have real combat experience.

Amy: Make that four!

They turn around to see the young Amy Rose standing there. She is carrying a hammer and have seemed to heard the entire conversation.

Sonic: Amy. You haven't really done any sort of fighting.

Amy: I know... But I have been practicing with my Hammer! I can help!

Knuckles: ...Are we really desperate enough to allow her on the team?

Tails: Sadly yes.

Amy: Alright!

Tails: We're even more desperate than that...

The next day, Mecha Robotnik was planning his next attack. He needs to find a way to enter the Floating Island but with Metroid Tails and Super Sonic, he has been put at bay. As he looked at the Island, he saw a sign being up there. It was to a radio frequency. Curious, Robotnik tuned in to that frequency. It was Tails on the other line.

Tails: Dr. Robotnik, we need to talk.

Robotnik: Are you offering me a chance to surrender? Or is this your white flag?

Tails: Our world is in danger. We need you to help us win a Tournament of Power or else our universe is doomed!

Robotnik was intrigued. Was this a lie to set up an ambush? Or are they truly that desperate to ask him for help.

Robotnik: I am listening.

Tails: Tomorrow, bring your five best machines to the edge of the Floating Island. We need all the help we can get to win this fight!

Robotnik: Agreed. See you then.

Robotnik figured this was a trap, but he figured he might as well use this to his advantage. With his three Robotic Sonics and two of his Egg Robos, he plans to strike them first before they do. On the third day, they arrived on the Island. With Mecha Robotnik is his Mecha Sonic, Metal Sonic, and Silver Sonic. With the two Egg Robos, they are in his Death Egg Robot and Big Arm. Robotnik also has them wireless connected to him so he can command them to strike with just a mental command. To their credit, Tails side is ready for a fight. Sonic, Amy and Knuckles are in a stance in case an attack happens. Tails, in his full Metroid Gear, walked up to Mecha Robotnik.

Tails: Robotnik, there is an entity known as Genisis who will destroy our universe if we do not compete and win in his sick game. And as painful as it is to admit, we don't have the manpower to save our universe. We need your help.

Robotnik playfully put his metal claw towards his chin. He is pretending to consider it.

Robotnik: I have thought it over and have decided...

Mecha Sonic fires a missile at the group. It got past Tails and was about to hit Knuckles. But Amy manages to notice it fast enough to use her hammer to knock it away from him.

Tails: Are you mad?!?

Robotnik: I would be a fool to pass up an opportunity like this!

Sonic is worried of going off when they are out numbered. As Robotnik's forces moves in closer, a strange spaceship suddenly arrives. It stops above the group as a figure rises from the top of it. This stranger then jumps off the ship, does a flip, and fires a missile that takes out the Death Egg Robot in one hit before they land. This person, who also has an arm cannon, aims their weapon towards Mecha Robotnik.

Samus: My name is Samus Aran. I have been hearing reports of Metroids in this planet. And I can tell something isn't right about you!

Tails: Yes... We've been hit with some meteorites. I'm wearing a suit of Metroid and that one is made of the stuff.

Samus looks back to the armored fox and then back to her target. She then stops aiming.

Samus: I believe we have two different definitions of what a Metroid is.

Soon, a portal opens up behind Tails. Tails wonder why is it here so suddenly when they were supposed to have seven days.

Tails: We don't have time to explain everything right now. The ten of us need to enter that portal and face whatever is there. If we don't, say goodbye to the Universe.

Samus: It wouldn't be the first time I saved it.

Robotnik: So you were telling the truth.

Reluctantly, the ten enter the portal to who knows where. In another world, a cataclysm happened that wiped out almost every species on the planet except Hedgehogs. But Rogue Echidnas managed to survive and attack this new world. When the Spirit of Sonic the Hedgehog wanted to defend the world, he found five teenagers with the skill and heroics to face such odds. They are the Sonic Rangers, and the Red Ranger: Steve Hegge, is the one to receive the flash.

Sonic: What's wrong Steve? It looks like you've seen a ghost.

Erina Ceinae, the Purple Ranger, rolled her eyes at the pun.

Steve: I got this weird flash. Apparently we've been chosen to compete for the fate of our Universe.

Zeal: Whoa! That's some heavy stuff!

Sonic: And take it from me, if you get a magical message you best listen. So what do we need?

Steve: We need a ten man team.

Tammy: That's us five off the bat. And now that we're on good terms with Para, we have the Shadow Ranger on our side now!

Sonic: Its a shame I can't help. The Sonic Megazord might be too big.

Danny: Actually...

Everyone turn their attention to Danny Chordata: the Blue Ranger.

Danny: I've been working on a device to actually shrink down the Sonic Megazord. That way you can use the body to interact with the real world once more.

Erina: No offense, but wouldn't he still look like a robot?

Danny: Its a start. I was also thinking of trying holograms to cover the body.

Zeal: Or you could put on a trench coat. Works in the movies.

Everyone got a good laugh at the joke. But Steve was the first to be serious.

Steve: So that's seven. We still need three.

Sonic: I think I know where we can get the last three. But you guys are not going to like it.

The next day, the Nocturnus Scouts attacked the kids. Thanks to their experience, they can manage to fight them off without morphing. But instead of letting them escape, they managed to capture one of them.

Steve: Zedd-On! We know you use these as your eyes. We need to talk. The fate of our universe demands it!

A hologram pops out of the Scout's eye. Zedd-On was an Echidna in Emerald Armor. The story was this one Echidna merged with the Master Emerald before the Cataclysm. His look reflected that.

Zedd: You make demands from Zedd-On! No one makes demands except me!

Steve: An entity named Genisis is threatening our Universe if we don't form a ten man team and win.

Zedd-On seems mad.

Zedd: This Genisis thinks he can threaten me! You shall get your help! Finitevus and Shade shall accompany me as I show this Genisis what a true Echidna can do! Contact me as soon as we must leave!

Zedd-On shuts off his hologram. It was amazingly easy to get his help. On the third day, Steve was about to go to bed when he spots the Teleporter pop up behind him. Not wanting his parents to discover his secret, he teleports to an open field. Luckily, the portal followed him.

Steve: Attention everyone! It is time!

In a few minutes, everyone teleports to his location. The Sonic Rangers, including Para Echinus, are in their civilian gear for now wanting to keep the element of surprise. Danny's shrinking device works as Sonic is there in the Shrunken Sonic Megazord. And Zedd-On arrived with Finitevus and Shade as promised. Making last preparations, Zeal Atelerix: the Green Ranger walked up to Shade.

Zeal: Heh, its nice to finally be working on the same side.

Shade: I must admit, it is. But this alliance is only temporary.

Zeal: It doesn't have to be. You could just quit.

Shade: Now is not the time for such foolishness. We have a universe to save.

Now ready, the Team of Sonic Rangers and Echidna Villains enter united with the goal of victory.