Chapter 1: It Begins
#1 of In Chaos
"Give it up, Shadow! You know you're never going to win!" shouted Sonic. His super form hovered some ten feet above the tallest tree in the forest, glowing brightly in the moonless night sky.
"Don't be too sure of that, impostor," retorted an equally bright Shadow, his own super form hovering at Sonic's level, but fifty yards away.
The two ‘hogs glared at each other, ready to rush in once again. They had been fighting now for over two hours, and neither looked ready to quit. Back and forth, they streaked across the night sky, trading punches and kicks in blurred flurries of strikes, each trying to gain the upper hand against their opponent.
The entire fight had begun with a discussion over who should guard the Chaos Emeralds, should Eggman try anything. Sonic and Shadow had both produced three emeralds each, and Tails had appeared with the seventh. Knuckles had then proposed a fight between the two hedgehogs; a sort of Super Standoff to see who was the better fighter, and in turn, the better guardian. Without even a statement of yes or no, the two hedgehogs had powered up to their super forms, floating into the night sky to duke it out.
From the ground, an audience had formed to watch the two contenders fight. However, as the battle wore on, the audience grew bored, realizing that the two were an even match and that the fight could very well carry on for days. Since it was late, and since it was more than likely that the two would still be battling when they awoke, the audience had decided among themselves to retreat to their homes for much needed sleep.
Still, the battle wore on. Every collision by the two supers produced giant shockwaves that shook the ground for miles. With the hedgehogs colliding as many as three times per second, soon every tree and building for miles would crash to the ground.
Sonic soon realized this very fact. After successfully colliding with Shadow and placing a well aimed kick upon the side of his head, his attention was distracted for a split second by the sound of several trees crashing to the ground. Shadow had taken this opportunity to strike, sending Sonic towards the ground at a very high speed. Sonic collided with the ground, creating a crater.
"You're losing your focus, copy," remarked Shadow with glee as he continued to hover over Sonic. He watched his opponent recover himself from the crater his impact created, and soon a malicious smile crept onto his face. "It's time to finish this."
The red-striped super hedgehog then crossed his arms over his sternum, closed his eyes, and dropped his chin to his chest. He began concentrating, drawing Chaos energy into himself. His aura turned red and he grunted with the effort it took to keep the volatile energy under control.
Sonic gasped from his spot on the ground. He recognized this move as the Chaos Blast, a dreaded finishing move that, should it be released at Shadow's current height, would decimate everything for hundreds of miles.
Sonic could only think of one thing to do to block against the move, and that was to use something called Chaos Control. Chaos Control shot a beam of light at a target, sending it through time and space to a completely random location. Sonic hoped, for the sake of the planet, that Shadow would be teleported somewhere that would not be as affected by the release of the deadly explosion.
Closing his eyes, Sonic concentrated on the energy of Chaos, and brought his hands in front of his body, with his palms pressed against each other as if he were praying. He too grunted with the effort of controlling the Chaos energy, and soon his body began glowing pure white. If anyone had been awake and watching at this moment, it would seem like a bright fire had erupted in the middle of the night sky, glowing pink as the two hedgehogs' energies mixed.
As if on cue, both hedgehogs snapped their eyes open and glared angrily at the other. Each one muttered, "Chaos..." and paused as the Chaos energy reached its peak.
Sonic tipped his head back, shouting, "... Control!" At the same time, he opened his hands and placed the heels of his palms together, aiming his opened hands at Shadow's red-glowing form.
At exactly the same time, Shadow tipped his own head back and yelled into the night, "... Blast!" He whipped his arms open from his chest, his hands opened and his eyes flashing red as the explosive energy cascaded from his body.
Sonic's white light met Shadow's red light between the two hedgehogs, and it created a ball of twisting red and white light. The ball continued to twist and mix, resembling a tie-dyed tee shirt. The super hedgehogs concentrated more energy into the ball of light, which soon began expanding. The ball soon grew beyond their limits of control, and extended enough to encase them in the light, then vanished, taking the hedgehogs with it in a reaction called Chaos Berserk.
Sonic soon awoke in a large grass field, next to a road sign. He looked about himself, noticing he had reverted to his normal blue color. A quick inspection showed that nothing was amiss, so he turned towards the sign and read the words upon it.
Welcum to Pouncefield!
Sonic rose to his feet and dusted himself off, still looking around him. He spotted Shadow off in the distance, and without a second thought took off after the black hedgehog.
Shadow himself had also risen, noticing his reversion to his normal black coloring. He rose, dusted himself off, and looked about his surroundings. He saw buildings that resembled Station Square. He smiled to himself, thinking that he was in friendly territory, and took off towards what looked like the City Hall.
Sonic soon caught up with the black hedgehog, taking him by surprise by curling into a ball and spin dashing into him, sending him flying. Shadow rose, glared at Sonic, and began running back towards him, meaning to shoulder charge him. Neither hedgehog seemed to notice they had company.
"Whoa now... you two should be in school, not parading around buck-ass nekkid! Where are your parents? Ah, no matter, I'll just take you back to St. Lovejoy's and get you back to class! Education is the most important thing here in Pouncefield!"
Both Sonic and Shadow were hoisted off the ground by the scruffs of their necks, rendering them incapable of moving. Both just shifted their eyes towards the custodian, a gentle looking bear in a police officer's uniform.
"Let's say we get you into some proper clothes and back to school, eh?"