Anime Portal Station (Actually it's more of a break room.)

*At Van's question, Tails seems to flinch slightly, but Sonic maintains his cool, easygoing demeanor*
Sonic: That depends. What do you wanna see the Princess for?

Van: Erm....
*Van turns to AU Whip helplessly*
AU Whip: ...
*AU Whip glances around at Sonic, Caliburn in his hands, and then the own sword in his*
AU Whip: I'd like to join... her....ah....Royal...Protection?
*Van catches on*
Van: Her Royal Guard, he means! He's ah... always dreamed of protecting her royal highness with his life~ Or at least someone who looks like her~
*AU Whip glints his new steel sword at Van, causing him to cringe slightly*

*Caliburn seems to be staring coldly at the two, but Sonic's still smiling easily*
Sonic: Eh, is that the case? *grins cockily* How about we test your skills first? It's no easy task getting into the royal guard, y'know?
Caliburn: Yes, that seems like a wise idea, Sonic. A sparring session ought to prove your worth.
*Sonic and Tails seems to share a silent look, to which Tails excuses him quietly to the back of his workshop*
Sonic: Let's take this outside! I'd hate to show you up when we're only in Tails's workshop! *grins and trots outside with Caliburn over his shoulder*
Caliburn: *sighs* Your ego will get the best of you one day...

*Staying behind for just a few seconds, Van wipes his brow*
Van: That was close... We're playing a dangerous game, Whi-
*AU Whip's eyes are controlled by the challenge*
AU Whip: ....I think I can take him.
Van: Th-that's not the point! You're supposed to do well enough to be accepted! He's got to be a lot higher of a level than you!
AU Whip: ....
*He swings his sword over his shoulder*
AU Whip: They'll have no choice but to accept me into the Royal Guard if I can beat him~
Van: You're so confident all of a sudden...
*AU Whip eagerly, or as much so as he could whilst still looking stoic, exits the shack, with a concerned Van following behind*

Sonic: *stretching out his legs and then jogging in place* Ready when you are!

*A little pop-up appears before Whip*

NPC: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG challenges you to a Duel. Do you accept?
O Yes. O No.

Yui: *floats next to Whip* Ne, Whip-san, would you like me to explain the rules of a Duel before you begin?

*AU Whip appears to begin a snarky remark, but Van cuts him off*
Van: Yes, please, Yui! The less suicidal the odds become, the better~
*AU Whip glares at him, but nods to Yui anyways*

*In front of Whip, more pop-up screens appear to assist Yui in her explanation*

Yui: In Duels, the participants are given an equal amount of set HP, or Hit Points. They are also given a set time limit in which they must defeat their opponent by either depleting all the HP, render their opponent unable to battle, or maintaining the most HP at the end of the Duel when the time limit ends. However, skills, abilities, and stats all remain the same, and levels are not altered for opposing opponents. *tilts her head and taps her finger on her chin in contemplation* Mmm... Any questions?

AU Whip:
Van: When his HP hits 0, does he die, or just lose the duel?
*AU Whip doesn't appear to be happy at his insinuated loss*

Yui: *shakes her head* No, nothing that dangerous. He will simply lose the Duel. Sometimes a payment is requested by the victor, however. It is not necessary, but it is not uncommon that the will offer weapons, armor, or money in return.

Van: Ah... well, he doesn't have anything to offer...
AU Whip: Then I won't lose.
*Without waiting for any further delay, AU Whip touches the green circle*

*A countdown appears in the middle of their dueling area*

Caliburn: *scoffs* Nonsense. A Knight never steals from the weak or the poor. *seems to think about his statement* However, humbling their opponent seems to be a common side-effect.
Sonic: *grinning widely as he finishes up his stretches and gets into a stance* Ready Caliburn?
Caliburn: But of course!

3... 2... 1... Start!

Sonic: *reappears in front of Whip and unleashes a ridiculously quick slash diagonally at him*

Van: Whoa!
*AU Whip barely has time to cover himself with his new blade, the momentum of the hit tossing him a little bit away and chipping strongly into his health. He rolls onto his feet after skidding on his back, and dashes himself rather quickly back at Sonic*

*A flashed grin is all Whip gets to see again until Sonic's a blur of blue quills and a sword flashing in a spinning circle at Whip again*

AU Whip: Ngh-!
*He tries to stop and, at the same time, pulls up his sword to block the razor wheel Sonic's turned himself into, but the effectiveness could be questioned, as his health bar drops not-so-gradually*

Sonic: *withdraws, skidding on the ground, his huge smirk showing he's having a lot of fun with this* C'mon! You'll have to be better than that to join the Royal Guard!
Caliburn: Do not be so tense and rigid! Dodging is a better course of action, and it might not be entirely impossible if you anticipate our attacks.
Sonic: What, you want us to call our attacks? Alright then! *jumps into the air and slashes Caliburn downward, creating a gust of energy* Sonic Wind!

*AU Whip takes Caliburn's advice to heart and hops up and over the wind, flipping in the air and bringing down his sword on Sonic*

Sonic: *using the hand with the metal gauntlet on, he intercepts Whip's sword with his hand, his health bar barely decreasing at all from the use of his armor, and the blue hedgehog pulls the rabbit in for a spindash into the ground*

*With very little choice, AU Whip is sucked into Sonic's spindash*
Van: Ooooh... >.o

Sonic: *after digging Whip pretty much into the ground, he relents and jumps back, Caliburn being switched the hand with the gauntlet* Had enough yet?

*AU Whip has to fight very hard to crawl out of the run-down section of floor, fighting to even get to his arms. Van observes his health bar being very slim and red*
Van: There's no point, Whip! You're health-
AU Whip: I know where my health stands...But if I don't continue to try...
*AU Whip stands himself upright, holding his sword as tightly as he can*
AU Whip: Then it will be a very long time until we even stand a chance of getting to Mana!
*Despite his resolve, AU Whip doesn't make the first move, instead waiting and watching Sonic*

*Van stays silent for a while*
Van: ....Yui? What kind of skills does a Swordsman have to start out with?

Caliburn: *seems appalled by Whip's words* Such formalities for the Princess herself is insulting! Commoners are to address the Princess as such, or by other appropriate titles such as "Lady" or "Highness"!
Sonic: *shrugs, but despite his careless attitude, he still seems ready for any attack* Hey, Mana doesn't really care if we call her either. She told me she prefers just her name, really.
Caliburn: You knave! The Princess is to be respected and treated with honor!
Sonic: Heh! If you ask me, there's more to being a Princess than just that. Something tells me that girl's got it, too.
Caliburn: *sputters incoherently out of indignation before forming proper words* Insolence! Cease with your foolishness and prepare your guard!

*While Sonic and Caliburn are chatting, Yui is simultaneously explaining start off abilities for the Swordsman Class*

Yui: All Classes are set with a normal set of abilities, but each individual character starts off with a skill that is customized to them. *a screen pops up in front of her and Van listing Whip's abilities* It says here that Whip-san has an ability called <<Beserker Soul>>. When he is low in HP, this ability can be activated, allowing Whip to unleash a frenzy of attacks on his opponent.

*Van smirks knowingly*
Van: How convenient~
*Van calls out to AU Whip*
Van: Whip! You've got some ability you can activate!
AU Whip: ...How?
Van: Er, I dunno! Just try something!
*AU Whip sighs, and closes his eyes. He relaxes himself and feels a sudden surge, and upon opening his eyes, he blurs forward*
AU Whip: Watch for this!
*AU Whip's arms move incredibly fast, unleashing slash after slash against Sonic*

Sonic: *grins as he parries most of the blows, although a few pass by his guard and he takes a few hits before jumping back some distance* Not bad, not bad at all! *his grin changes into a smirk and a faint red seems to glow in his eyes and around his body* But you'll have to do better than that! *suddenly, Sonic rushes at Whip again, and this time, a trail of fire follows him and it seems as if Whip's suspended in time as the hedgehog unleashes a flurry of slices against the rabbit, intending to deplete his HP to zero*

Yui: *gasps* Sonic-san is using his ability <<Soul Break!>>

*AU Whip takes the blows, unable to defend or avoid the attacks, and loses his HP to the end of the bar. When Sonic's skill finishes, AU Whip finds himself lying flat on his back, empty HP bar blinking lightly above him*
AU Whip: I can... still fight....
*Despite his words, AU Whip can't find the energy to move. Van shakes his head*
Van: It's no good... he lost....

*A little pop up screen shows up again, with a little victory song playing*

NPC: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG is the victor of this Duel

Sonic: *whistles, then tosses Caliburn into the air to do a little breakdance move on the ground before spinning upwards to catch Caliburn, before proudly holding the sword in the air* That was tight!

*A little bottle pops up in front of Whip*

Yui: That's <<Elixir>>. It'll allow you to regain your health again, Whip-san.