Disclaimer: I own nothing except Tloj, partway Destro, and the basic plotline. Richard Connel owns his story, Legsboy Team owns Reagan, and Sega owns virtually anything else. Anything I'm forgetting is owned by some drunk Russian or something like that. Maybe Dim Se. This is a story I've had on my comp's hard drive since joining FF, and I decided to polish it, add an epilogue, and post this thing. Enjoy, and RR please. I'm so lonely…
What Happens When You Chase A Shadow?
(Sonic version of Richard Connel's The Most Dangerous Game)
I do not own the story. All credit of the original book goes to the author.
Sonic characters belong to Sega. The idea of redoing the book into a Sonic story is mine.
All ideas (besides the original story) here are mine. No stealing or I will tell my good friend The Dragonzord on you, and he will tell his best friend Chuck Norris to hunt you down and make you taste the true power of the sun! (Evil Smile and a lot of maniacal laughter) *ahem* moving on...
Chapter Zero (Prologue): Tloj's New Story
10:15 A.M., May 7, 2011
Reagan Perez was minding his own business, doing nothing but trying to defeat the final boss on Super Mario Galaxy 2 with one slice of pie ( XD) and one life (He's a daredevil guy when it came to defeating final bosses). He had planned his strategy for weeks, and there was no turning back now.
"Take this, Bowser!" Reagan cried as he made Mario aim that ground pound boulder thingymajigger at the enemy. He missed, for the exact time he made Mario jump into the air, Tolj kicked down Reagan's door (Which was bolted shut for privacy, but Tloj don't care for no stinkin' privacy rules) and yelled at the top of his lungs, "HEY REAGAN!", throwing Reagan's carefully planned plan out the window.
Reagan lifted up his eye patch and stared blankly at the screen, a giant Game Over sign on the black screen. He slowly turned his head to the hedgehog, his mouth opening and closing numerous times. "HEY REAGAN! LEARNING HOW TO BE A FISH?" Yelled the at the moment hyperactive hedgehog, who was jumping up and down with a book in one hand and a measuring cup in the other. "No…" Replied Reagan, his eyes shedding tears, "I was defeating Bowser when you… WAIT A MINUTE!" Reagan jumped up, flipped back down his eye patch, and exclaimed "You touched my coffee! It's my coffee! Why are you drinking my coffee?" Tloj didn't look affected at all. "THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT, REAGAN! HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? IT'S AWSOME!" Reagan grabbed the book from the hopping hedgehog and read the title. "The Most Dangerous Game, by Richard Connel? I didn't know you read literature." "NORMALLY I DON'T, BUT I FOUND IT IN MY STACK OF COMIC BOOKS AND I WAS TOO LAZY TO TOSS IT IN THE TRASH CAN!" said Tloj, now running on the walls. "That still doesn't explain why you drank my precious Brazilian Dark-Roasted Coffee Beans of Perfection™! (XD again.)" yelled Reagan. "HALFWAY THROUGH THE BOOK I BEGAN TO GROW SLEEPY WITH EXCITEMENT, SO I BREWED A CUP OF COFFEE! THERE WEREN'T ANY INSTRUCTIONS, SO I FIGURED, 'Hey, I want one cup, so one cup of ground coffee should be the amount I need'. NOW I FEEL LIKE I COULD SHOOT ELECTRICITY THROUGH MY HANDS!" exclaimed the hyper hedgehog. "You already can shoot electricity, Tloj." "OH YEAH… OH WELL, I'M GONNA REWRITE THE STORY AND BECOME FAMOUS!" Tloj crowed, running on the roof. "That's plagiarism, Tloj. That's illegal." Sighed Reagan. "NOT IF I CHANGE IT, KEEP THE GENERAL IDEA, AND ADD SONIC CHARACTERS!" "(Sigh…) whatever floats your boat, wacko." The hydra-armor-wearing fox said, setting up the game again. "Just don't bother me again. And don't touch my computer files. They're important." Tloj sat down on the computer chair and began typing "his" masterpiece. "OK! FIRST SONIC AND FRIENDS ARE ON A BOAT, AND…"
Chapter one: Ok, here's a joke: So, Sonic and Crew are on a dinghy…
…and Shadow wasn't having fun. "So, how many times will Shadow yell in my face, 'SHUT UP, FAKER!' Before Tails fixes the engine while I tell corny jokes?" "SHUT THE #$% UP, RETARD!" Shadow screamed in Sonic's face "That's right, Shadow! A lot!" Sonic said, laughing at his own corny joke. Everyone, besides Shadow and Tails, the former on the edge of throwing Sonic overboard, the latter fixing the engine, groaned at the stupid joke.
"Sonic, please stop." Amy pleaded "Yeah! I have half a mind to help Shadow throw you overboard." Groaned Knuckles. "I dunno, I think they're funny, right Blaze?" Silver asked the pyrokinetic cat next to him. "S-Sure, W-Whatever you say, Silver" Said Blaze, avoiding staring in any direction besides down at the ground.
Big made no reply to anyone, busy trying to catch some fish to eat. Rouge patted Blaze on the back and said, "Don't worry, Blaze. Tails is almost done fixing the engine. Soon we'll be on dry land." Blaze didn't look at the bat, but said, "I'm not worried about Tails fixing the engine; I'm worried that Marine might break it again trying to steer the boat towards pirates. Then we might capsize, then drown, and possibly get eaten by prehistoric sharks."
Cream and Cheese were playing patty cake, but the mentioning of sharks got their attentions. "S-Sharks? There are sharks here?" Cream screamed. Her mother tried to comfort her, but the Chaotix weren't helping anything. "Sharks? Cool! Maybe we'll spot some and Big'll catch them and we'll eat them! Or the sharks will spot us first and eat Espio!" Espio was meditating until Charmy said that last sentence. "Hey! Charmy that's mean! Stop mentioning sharks, Cream is freaking out enough. Silver, you need to have your brain examined. Those jokes are so rotten the wood planks we're standing on are melting." Both Blaze and Cream stared at the chameleon.
Espio sweated and said, "Uh… Shouldn't have said that." Then he turned invisible. Vector was just annoying. "Chill, kiddo! Daddy Vector will protect you! Nothing to worry about!" Vanilla smacked him.
Omega, who was silent during the chaos that was ensuing before his mechanical eyes, finally said, "There are no sharks, prehistoric or not." Everyone panicking stopped having heart attacks and stared at the robot. "The only thing wrong about this quadrant of water is the forbidden islands." Marine, who was bugging Tails until this moment, stared at the robot, ran up to it, and yelled, "Oy, giant clanking robot! Tell Captain Marine what these forbidden islands are!"
The robot looked at Rouge and Shadow helplessly; if he told, the passengers might freak out some more! If he didn't, this crazy raccoon would try to (emphasis on try to) throttle him. The two Mobians nodded their assent, and Omega hesitantly told his story. "Look that way." The giant robot pointed to the west. Everyone besides Tails turned their gaze that way. "Do all meatbags see the fog?" Shadow and Rouge both said with warning in their voices, "Omega…" Omega simply shrugged and continued. "That fog covers the forbidden islands. Anyone that enters the fog is never seen again. Ships that have docked there have never returned. Some believe there are reefs that dash the boats to bits, and anyone that survives that are starved or eaten by animals onshore. Search parties are no help, since search parties are sent for search parties. Only one person has returned from that island, and that person remembered nothing of ever being on that island. If you ever want to land there, you had better be invincible. No one, and I mean no one, has enough courage to enter that fog. If you do, as the famed Dante wrote in his book, Dante's Inferno, 'Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here.' Sailors tell stories of that place, which the Devil himself watches that island, capturing the souls of those who land on the island, and sending them to hell's mines to mine for sins and souls."
Everyone was silent, except Tails who was muttering to himself that Marines' secret stash of Twinkies had to go or something. Everyone jumped when they heard Big exclaim, "Wow, Froggy! That's the biggest skeleton─" then they freaked out, everyone except Big, Omega, and Shadow. "─ On a fish I've ever seen." Shadow snickered while everyone calmed down, Big pulling a fish out from the water. (That fish had to be the most malnourished fish in the ocean.)
Omega then said, "At least, that's what Metal Sonic told me before I defected, but his was more… original, since I am not allowed to use curse words." Finally Shadow said to Blaze, "Blaze, you're not the only one suffering on this boat. Sonic's on the verge of crossing the very thin line of his, the one where he cracks and starts racing everywhere, trying to get to dry land. The only reason he hasn't is because he's entertaining himself with crappy jokes to forget the water surrounding us. Cream isn't going to calm down unless we're all brave and unafraid. And Tails is just suffering because "captain" Marine is no help at all. So man up and calm down." Blaze looked at him and smiled. "Thanks, Shadow."
Rouge walked up and complemented the ebony hedgehog. "Wow, Shadow! Who knew you could be nice?" Shadow glanced at her and muttered, "Only because Sonic's jokes are better then everyone screaming." "That reminds me, Shads," Sonic said, "Two hedgehogs walk into a bar and─" Shadow screamed and kicked him across the boat. "Yay! Fight! Fight! Fight!" Chanted both Knuckles and Silver.
Sonic stood up and sucked air into his body. "Fine, Shads. You wanna fight dirty, we'll fight dirty." Then he jumped and did a spindash in the air and a laser fired from the spinning hedgehog. "Sonic Wind!" called Sonic, and the wave hit Shadow, blowing a hole in the ship.
Tails looked up, and both he and Marine screamed, "Stop blowing holes in my ship!" then they started fighting over whose ship it was. The dust settled where Shadow had landed, and movement was seen. Four clinking noises were heard, and wood flew everywhere. Shadow had turned into True Chaos Shadow! He walked up to Sonic and said, only loud enough for Sonic to hear, " Don't. Call. Me. Shads." Sonic smiled and whispered back, "Okay. Shads." Sonic punched True Chaos Shadow, who didn't flinch whatsoever. "Did you just try to punch me?" True Chaos Shadow (TCSH) asked, murder in his eyes. Sonic's pupils dilated and he said, "Uh… Yes?" TCSH smirked and replied, "Well then, here's a thank you gift." Sonic smiled and looked around. "Where is it?" TCSH said, "Just look that way," pointing to the engine. "Okay!" Sonic replied eagerly, staring at the engine. TCSH then chambered his hand back, Chaos energy flooding into it, and then calmly said, "Knock-knock." Sonic looked back and asked, "Who's there?" TCSH smirked. "Interrupting falcon." Sonic looked confused. "Interrupting falc─" "PAWNCH!" TCSH screamed, shooting every ounce of energy in his body into a Falcon Punch that landed on Sonic's face, sending the annoying blue hedgehog around the world five times before landing next to the boat. "Help! Help! I'm drowning! Help me!" Sonic sputtered while trying to keep his head above water. TCSH laughed heartily and said, "Hey, Sonic! Does wet hedgehog smell worse than wet dog? Ha ha ha!" Sonic stopped thrashing and sniffed salty air. "No, it doesn't." True Chaos Shadow stopped laughing and everyone gaped at the hedgehog that couldn't swim. "What?" Sonic asked, not realizing he was swimming. "Uh… weren't you just drowning?" Silver asked, a look that was a mix of confusement, bewilderment, and amazement on his face. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess I was." Sonic's eyes then changed to the size of bowling balls and said, "Well darn…" then the blue hedgehog continued screaming for help.
TCSH snickered some more, then Amy whacked him with her hammer to get his attention. The demigod stared at her and asked, "What?" Amy stared back and said, "Get him back on to the ship, Shadow." Shadow crossed his arms and huffed. "Why would I help Corny Joke Man continue his act?" True Chaos Shadow asked the pink hedgehog with a glare. "Did you just challenge me, Shadow the hedgehog?" TCSH smirked and said, "I'm True Chaos. You can't defeat me." Amy snapped her fingers and the seven Chaos Emeralds surrounded her, turning her Super. "Save Corny Joke Man, Shadow." She said, brandishing her hammer.
True Chaos Shadow stared at the hammer and said, "Give me my Emerald back and I'll consider." The Chaos Emeralds appeared again, and Super Amy grabbed the green one. "Here. Do it." Super Amy commanded. "Fine. If he tells one more joke, though, he's sleeping with the "captain." True Chaos Shadow growled and walked onto the water. (Perfect Chaos powers, duh.) The charcoal black with a red aura hedgehog walked to the drowning hedgehog and yanked him out of the water. "Chaos Control," the powerful Chaos master said, and they were back on the boat. "Alive! I'm alive!" Sonic yelled, falling to his knees and kissing the boat.
True Chaos Shadow glared at Super Amy and said, "There, I saved him. Deactivate your Super-form." Super Amy snapped her fingers again and the Emeralds scattered, changing her back to normal. "Thank yo- Augh!" Shadow yelped as he fell to his knees. His Inhibitor Rings flew back to him as he muttered "Dang Chaos drawbacks…" He stayed there for a few moments, catching his breath and regaining his strength, and then he stood again.
Sonic and Shadow glared at each other for a few moments, angry looks on their faces. Then Sonic smiled and said, "So, two echidnas walk into a Wal-Mart─" "NO!" Everyone screamed, not wanting Shadow go through with his threat, or to hear more people walking into places jokes. Sonic scrunched his face and scowled. "Party poopers."
Chapter Two: Welcome to the forbidden islands! Enjoy your stay; you won't be leaving.
It was late at night. Dinnertime was a few hours earlier, and Tails still hadn't figured out what was wrong with the engine. Most of the heroes were below deck playing board games. Big was still fishing, Tails was still fixing the engine, Omega was keeping track of how off course they were so they could get back on track, Silver was leaning on the edge of the boat hurling (The weenie), and Shadow was gazing off the boat, watching the stars and smoking his treasured pipe (Yeah, he smokes in this fanfic. Suck it up, he likes Sherlock Holmes).
Rouge walked onto the deck to stretch her wings and check on every one on surface (Amy betted that Rouge would do anything for jewels, and had betted a jewel that was as large as the Master Emerald if Rouge took care of everyone on board and acted polite. Rouge is now wondering if it was worth it.) She walked up to Shadow and asked, "Bored, big guy?" Shadow gazed and her and gazed back at the horizon. "Stupid idiots don't know what they're missing. Strip poker is awesome." Rouge patted his back and said, "Knuckles and Vector looked game. Vanilla and Amy just want something child appropriate. Cream, Charmy, and Marine would be scarred for life if we played that game." Shadow snickered and said, "So? At least then Charmy and Marine would leave us alone." Rouge just sighed and went to check on everyone else. Shadow watched her leave and murmured, "She never said that she was against the game. Maybe I'll throw an adult sleepover and─" below deck Amy was heard saying, "Shadow, stop. You're scaring people. Think of something cleaner." Sonic was heard too saying, "Speaking of clean, a bar of soap said to another bar of soap…"
Shadow tuned out Sonic and stared back at the horizon. It was beautiful, and allowed Shadow to be at peace by watching the stars, picking out constellations and looking for wishing stars.
Speaking of wishing stars, one flew across the night sky, and Shadow spotted it. The black hedgehog bowed his head and closed his eyes, making a wish. "I wish… for an opponent that is worthy of my time and energy." He murmured, then opened his eyes and watched the night sky again, feeling calm. A few hours later, everyone but Shadow and Tails were below deck, asleep for the night. Shadow was still in the same spot as earlier, but his pipe had since then blown out. He was still also waiting for his wish to come true. "Well? I've been waiting for hours now. Where's my foe? Did I wish correctly? Rouge, you had better not have been lying about wishing for stuff from a shooting star, because if you were, your life will become filled with misery and woe! Even if you stop being my girlfriend." The hedgehog was thinking.
Meanwhile, Tails had just figured out what was wrong with the engine. It was filled with tangled fishing lines, apparently from Big, who had been complaining earlier that day that the boat was eating his string. The two-tailed fox had just finished pulling the string out of the engine, and was walking back to the steering wheel, when he stopped in his tracks.
The door to the steering room. He had closed and locked that door to keep anyone but him from steering the boat. He ran inside, but to his horror, Marine was there, turning the keys to his boat. "Awright! Now let's get to explorin' that Forbidden Isle!" She said, turning the steering wheel and throwing the throttle to turbo. Now, everyone on the ship knew how crazy the raccoon was, and everyone below deck had strapped their sleeping bags to the floor and strapped themselves into their respective sleeping bags, ensuring that they weren't thrown around if the crazy raccoon threw the boat into turbo or something. Of course, Shadow wasn't below deck, was he? Before he could react, Shadow was flying into the air, the boat going in the opposite direction of the island.
Shadow landed in the water, splashing water in all directions. Unlike Sonic, Shadow could swim if his life depended on it, but his G.U.N. training told him that trying to swim towards light was usually a bad idea, since water could reflect light, sending the swimmer deeper into the water. So, Shadow did the next best thing. He curled into a ball and Spindashed in place, slowly letting the air in his lungs that he had breathed in while realizing he was flying through the air at a hundred miles an hour and probably going to land in something wet out in slow, rapid bursts. The air caught into his quills, drying him off and creating a thin layer of air all around himself. The air, lighter than the water around it, caused the hedgehog in a bubble of air to float back to the surface. As soon as he broke the surface, he righted himself and started paddling his feet, breathing air as if nothing happened. "I wish I brought my Air-Skates. Why did I have to listen to Rouge and not pack them? They would have ensured that I wouldn't have landed in this darn liquid. (sigh) I guess I'll just wait here until they realize I'm not there, and they'll come back for me. The advantage of being artificial. Not only can I survive for months without food and water, I don't get pruny in water after awhile. I hope they come back soon; I don't plan on drifting to those darn islands, never to be seen again. Look at me, talking to myself as if someone's actually listening. Good thing no one's around to listen to such foolishness." He watched the boat disappear off in the distance, and then turn around in a wide arc. "Well, that was five years faster than I thought." The boat was going fast towards him. "Wow. They miss me that much? I'm cooler than I thought." The boat wasn't slowing down. "Uh… the ship should be close enough to swim towards now. Why aren't they stopping?" the ship was now ten yards in front of him. "Why are they getting so close? I'm not dying or anything. Why would anyone besides Marine get so close? And she'd want to discover the island behind me instead of saving me." The boat was now one yard in front of him as a light bulb went off in his head. "Crap…" The boat smashed into him, sending him flying through the air. "Whoa! Crazy kid…" He turned in the air and watched the boat.
Tails was fighting Marine for the steering wheel, screaming curse words at her. Shadow could lip read, since the two were still in the control room, and made out, "… You crazy raccoon! If I had the seven Chaos Emeralds, You…" The Chaos Emeralds! Shadow reached into his pocket and pulled out the Chaos Emerald that Amy gave him. "Yes! Good thing I asked for this thing. Chaos Control! Wait…" The Chaos Emerald flashed and disappeared from his hands. "…I was True Chaos Shadow earlier. I can't use Chaos moves until I have enough Chaos energy to perform moves again. CURSE YOU, SONIC!" Shadow screamed at the top of his lungs.
Through the windows that allowed people below deck to see outside, movement was seen. Tails also stopped yelling at Marine and wrenched the wheel out of her hands, then turned the boat away from the fog. Sonic ran on deck and up to the rail. His jaw dropped as he saw Shadow flying through the air, not looking amused in the least. Sonic stared at the sight for a few seconds, and then ran into the control room, where Tails and Marine were fighting again.
Shadow watched Sonic run across the deck, but before he could see Sonic run into the control room, his view turned white. He was flying through the fog! Shadow knew that this wasn't a good thing, and braced himself for impact with anything in the fog. He hit something hard in the water, a coral reef or something, and heard something snap. A horrible pain shot up his right leg, and he yelped and cursed as a wave hit him. He washed onshore, and as he landed on the shore, he grabbed his leg and felt it. It was bleeding and bent, probably broken. As he tried putting it back into place, (A bad idea for anyone else, but he was a professional), He heard a gunshot, a mangled scream, and more gunshots. He decided that he should probably hide, since he was in no condition to fight (Wow. He knows when to not fight? Smart hedgehog.).
He saw a jungle, and crawled into it and into a bush next to a tree. He grabbed a few leaves and branches, fixed his leg (G.U.N. is awesome sometimes), and cleaned it. Then he rolled over and fell asleep, not caring if anything got him in his sleep.
Chapter Three: Hello! I'm Destro!
The next day, Shadow awoke with a start, realizing something he missed yesterday. "G-Gunshots? There are people on the island!" He rolled into a sitting position and examined his leg. "Excellent. My leg has healed nicely. The advantage of being the Ultimate Lifeform." He took off the cast and stood up. He walked back to the coast and noticed something off. The forbidden islands are covered by fog, but he is surrounded by a tropical paradise!
The sun was shining and he looked like he was in a tropical island taking a vacation. He stared at the ocean, and saw fog. "Strange. The fog surrounds the island, not covers it. I wonder though: is Omega correct? Am I going to die? Oh, nonsense! I'm the Ultimate Lifeform! I cannot be defeated." He looked at the direction the gunshot from yesterday (Trust me, if you were shot at, you'd know exactly where the dude was if you were mutated), and walked that way.
He looked at the ground, looking for a clue. He spotted something in the bushes. Gun shells and blood. Something was shot yesterday. He spotted exactly what he was looking for a few feet away. Footprints. He decided to follow them, since he had nothing better to do (Except for, you know, living). He followed them to a settlement, which looked a lot like those scorpion spawning things in Digimon World 4, except with windows and a door.
He knocked on the door, and a slot on the door opened, and two eyes appeared. Shadow and the person behind the door stared at each other for a few moments, and then Shadow said, "Can I have help? I'm stranded here. I was washed onshore and I need a place to stay." The door opened, revealing a giant ape with a sergeant uniform pointing a gun at him. Shadow raised his hands, and smirked. "A single pistol? I'm ashamed, there's no sport in a single gun." In a flash, Shadow had taken down the gorilla, taken his weapon, and tied him and threw him in a corner.
He turned and saw a door. Curious, Shadow walked up to the door and turned the handle. Suddenly, the door swung inward, knocking him over. The next thing he knew, he was sitting next to the gorilla, also tied up, staring at a lynx, a frog, and a hawk, each pointing a different gun for each of them at the black hedgehog. Shadow smiled, but inwardly he was frowning. Sure, Chaos moves or not, he could take them, but if any more people carrying guns showed up, he couldn't take them all on without his Chaos moves, since though his leg was healed, it was weak and his chaos energy was flowing to it to heal it completely. "Stop! Don't shoot! Leave him be! Stand down!" yelled a hedgehog, wearing a safari uniform.
All the other Mobians stood at attention, except for Shadow and the ape, who were tied up, so they couldn't stand at attention anyway, not that Shadow would if he wasn't tied. "But sir! He got Sgt. Simian!" said the hawk. "The big lug's still alive, isn't he? Untie them immediately." Commanded the hedgehog.
They immediately untied the two that were tied (It took a little longer to untie the ape, since Shadow knows a thousand different knots, and used three of them at once because he felt like it.), and apologized to Shadow. Shadow thanked the other hedgehog while studying him.
The hedgehog was green and was wearing the before mentioned safari clothing. He looked as old as Sonic's uncle Chuck, maybe older, but he was in good shape, and looked like he exercised regularly. "Hello, young fellow, I'm Dr. Destro the Dark. Do not fear me; my last name has no relation to Mephiles. And you are?" the hedgehog inquired. "Probably older than you, old man. I'm Shadow the hedgehog, no relation to Sonic, thankfully." replied Shadow, possibly trying to make a joke. "Well then, Shadow the hedgehog, no relation to Sonic, Allow me to make up for scaring you like that by introducing you to my guards and taking you on a tour of my house." Said the doctor. "This is Lightning Lynx, Flying Frog, Sergeant Simian, and Predator Hawk. Now, let's show you the house."
Doctor Destro walked out a back door and led Shadow to a mansion, sitting on top of a cliff next to the ocean. About a mile down, there was a small building. Past that, there was a dock. No boats were tied to the dock, but Shadow assumed the small building was a boathouse. When the two hedgehogs walked through the front door, a young female fox, about Amy's age, walked in from another room, greeted the two hedgehogs, and hugged Destro. "This is my wife, Fiona Fox the Dark." Destro said, motioning to the fox. "Hello! Are you hungry? I'll make you two lunch." She said, leading them to the kitchen.
After the two hedgehogs ordered steaks and red wine (Destro insisted), they began discussing guns, something both men liked. "I don't know, I'd prefer the gatling gun to the semi-automatic, but my favorite weapon is my trusty custom gun, the Shadow pistol." Shadow said, not afraid to mention his favorite gun. "I don't know. A gatling is a little overdoing it for my profession and favorite hobby." Said Destro, pulling out his pipe and adding stuff to his pipe then lighting it. "Want some? My special blend." Offered the doctor after smoking a few puffs. Shadow pulled out his pipe and said, "Don't mind if I do. So, what is your profession?" Destro poured some of his special blend powder into Shadow's pipe and said, "I hunt for a living." Shadow, who was lighting his pipe, choked on some smoke and coughed a few times. "Hunting? Are you a mercenary? An assassin?" Shadow asked after controlling his breathing again. "Oh, no, no, no! I'm a trophy hunter! I hunt wild animals and turn them into trophies or cloth and meat. Then I sell them, or keep them if it is the first time I caught the creature." Destro said, putting out his pipe and setting it down; their meals had arrived. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot about that kind of hunting." Shadow apologized while snuffing out his pipe. "Oh, think nothing of it! Most people I've met that like guns are exactly like you. It's an honest mistake." The doctor replied, cutting his steak. "So then, what do you hunt? Tigers? Elk?" asked Shadow, sipping some of the wine. "No. I used to, but there's no fun in hunting tigers anymore. Elk are way too easy to hunt after chasing buffalo. I've hunted since I was a teenager, hunting every wild animal in existence. But all of them had one flaw that led to their downfall: They only had instinct. They couldn't think for themselves. All they had was speed and instinct. Logic beats instinct. If I were to match a lion, I would win with my brains over his brawn. Therefore, I hunted only to survive. Hunting was no longer a hobby, just a job. I thought about my predicament. Many great men have gone downhill at the peak of their success, because what they loved became boring, and nothing could change that. The only reason I kept hunting was it was all I knew I could do, and I couldn't stop, since I met Fiona and married her, so I hunted to keep us afloat."
Shadow had finished his meal and was lighting his pipe again. "So, you hunt for survival? I thought you said it was your hobby too." Shadow said, draining the remaining wine from his glass and beginning to smoke his lit pipe. "I said that, didn't I? Well, you're right. It is my hobby again. But only because I figured out what to do." Replied Destro, also smoking his pipe. "What? What did you figure out? What are you hunting?" asked Shadow, a curious look in his eyes. Destro snapped his fingers, and his guards came into the room "What is your request, master?" asked Lightning Lynx, bowing to the doctor. Destro stood and walked to a door. "Our guest wants to see what we hunt. Take him to the animals to see them. I'm going to my library and read. Bring him back to the house when he's done looking. And don't hurt him. He's a guest." Commanded Destro, walking through the door and closing it behind him. The Destructix (I'm just going to call them that, since that's who they are.) took him back to the monument Digimon tower thing, and let him in. "We'll stay out here. Holler if you want some cookies!" Yelled Flying Frog, who apparently was a few fries short of a Happy Slappy Meal. "Okay. See you guys in a few minutes." Shadow replied, walking into the building.
It was the same room he barged into last time, and he knew now that this was a holding chamber for animals. He walked to the same door he was surprised from, and this time, instead of taking any chances, he kicked down the door and it landed on the ground with a loud boom. He gasped when he saw what was on the other side.
There were prison cells, filled with Mobians and Overlanders (Whom I am going to refer to together as people.), and they looked tired and weak. Shadow was astonished. From behind him, Predator Hawk was heard saying, "Everything okay in there? I heard a door crashing." Shadow pulled himself together and called back, "Everything's fine. I just thought there'd be twelve more of you on the other side of the door, so I kicked it down just to be on the safe side." There was chuckling from outside and Predator Hawk said again, "Sorry for that. We thought you were going to kill us. Don't worry, we're the only guards. There's no more." Shadow called again, "Okay, thanks for the info!" then looked at the prisoners. He walked up to the first cell and peered inside. "S-Sonic? Is that you?" said a voice on the inside of the cell. Shadow reached into his pocket and pulled out a flashlight. He turned it on and pointed it inside the cell.
There, inside the cage along with other Mobians, was Jet the Hawk and the Babylon Rogues! "Jet? What are you doing here? Weren't you flying over the Bermuda Triangle a month ago?" Shadow inquired. "Yes, we were, until we decided to explore this island for treasure. Then the Destructix destroyed our ship and made us prisoner here." Jet said, burying his head in his hands. Shadow was immediately alarmed. "The Destructix? I've got to warn Dr. Destro and his guards about this!" Shadow exclaimed, running for the door. "Wait! Dr. Destro? There's no one on this island but Scourge, his wife Fiona, and the Destructix." Jet yelled after the retreating hedgehog. Shadow stopped in his tracks. "Scourge and his wife Fiona? Funny, Dr. Destro's wife's name is Fiona and… wait a minute. Tell me, who's in the Destructix?" Shadow said, turning back to the leader of the Babylon Rogues. "Sergeant Simian, Flying Frog, Lightning Lynx, and Predator Hawk." Was the green hawk's reply. "…Shoot." Shadow finally said, putting two and two together. "Can you break us out of here? Maybe we can break everyone out and─" "No." "What do you mean no?" Shadow glanced at the other cells surrounding him and said, "Sonic told me that you cut and run. Even if you help me, you can't get everyone off this island. And besides, I've heard about the Destructix. You need a solid plan and a better attack strategy to even match them. And you three don't have your Extreme Gear. So, unless you carry hammers, wrenches, and a blowtorch with you everywhere you go, you more or less can't help me, yourselves, or anyone that needs saving on this island." The three rogues looked at each other and Jet said, "I forgot about those. Wave, get a platform ready. Storm, take the hammers and get us some material. I'm gonna have a pep talk with the other prisoners." Shadow's pupils dilated and whispered in disbelief, "You… Take a blowtorch with you everywhere you go?" Wave shrugged and said, "You never know when you have to burn somebody's eyes out of their heads. Anyway, Shadow, aren't you the Ultimate Lifeform? You can Chaos Control us out of here." Jet stopped talking to the other prisoners and stared at Shadow.
Shadow thought that this was as good a time as any, so he confessed he couldn't. "I can't. Yesterday I was on a vacation trip on the ocean. But Sonic's jokes became too much for me to handle. So, I turned into True Chaos Shadow, and took care of the problem." Jet was amazed. "You killed Sonic?" Shadow glanced at him. "No. However, I did throw a Falcon Punch directly at his face and sent him around the world five times and he landed in the water and started drowning." Shadow laughed as the thought replayed through his head again.
Jet got to his knees and bowed to Shadow. "I worship you! You'd make a brilliant Babylon Rogue! How about you join us, and we'll prank Sonic together?" Shadow looked at the bowing hawk and said, "I'll think about it. Anyway, I stayed in my True Chaos form a little too long, and I was painfully changed back. So, when I was knocked off the boat, I couldn't teleport back, resulting on landing on this island. When I landed, I broke my leg, so now the Chaos energy is flowing to that leg to strengthen it. Any questions?" Storm raised his hand. "Yes, Storm?" Shadow asked. "Did ya bring lunch with ya? I'm starvin'." Everyone groaned. Shadow looked at Wave and said, "If you make me some Extreme air-skates, it will be easier to look for a way off of this island. If I have skates, which I didn't think I needed until I landed on this island, I will guarantee everyone here that I will get us off this island." Wave nodded and began working. Shadow turned to Jet and said, "If you can, meet with me at the shore east of here when you break out and we'll plan a way off the island. Goodbye." He turned away and walked out the door. He walked out of the building without a word with the Destructix on his tail, and stalked into the library.
Destro looked up from his book and said, "You look surprised." Shadow stalked up to him and growled, "Why in the whole wide stinking world are you hunting people?" Destro laughed and set his book down. "Because. They fight back, and they can have strategies. It's quite the challenge." He stood and said as he walked for the door, "I'll show you. We'll hunt at sunset, two hours from now." Shadow grabbed the older hedgehog on the shoulder and spun him around, and growled in his face, "There is no way I am going to purposely kill anybody for pure sport." Destro frowned and said condescendingly, "Now, my boy, you don't really have much of a choice. You either hunt with me or against me." Shadow growled, "You won't sucker me into killing anyone, Scourge."
Destro froze. Then he started to laugh. He finished laughing and said as he wiped a tear from his eye, "Ah, you finally got wise, my boy!" His jovial demeanor changed into one of evil (With a touch of insanity), and he pulled off his disguise in a second. Shadow got into a fighting stance with a growl. Scourge raised his hands as if to surrender while saying, "No. I'm not going to fight in here. I give you the offer still. Hunt with me or against me. If you fight with me, you get a rifle and a survival knife. If against me, you get a survival knife and some food. What's your choice?" Scourge walked over to a table covered with a tablecloth, and pulled off the cloth. Underneath were the before items, except for the food. Shadow's mind raced. If he hunted with Scourge, another Mobian would be killed before the sun went up. If he fought against Scourge, no Mobians would be killed that night. The choice was obvious.
"What are the rules of engagement?" Shadow asked, picking up the survival knife. Scourge smirked and Destro's jovial demeanor returned, even though they both knew that he was Scourge. "You have three days to survive. If I win, I fought against the Ultimate Lifeform and won. That's a worthy prize to me. I will give you a head start three hours from sunset and only use my pistol of the smallest caliber and range. If you elude me for three days, you win."
Shadow checked his pistol absently as he asked, "What do I win?" Scourge raised his eyebrows and said, "I mean no offense, but I have yet to lose." He turned away and stared out the window thoughtfully as he said, "One guy almost beat me, but… well, he didn't see the Destructix."
Shadow froze. He turned slowly and said coldly, "What do they have to do with the hunt?" Scourge chuckled and said, "Absolutely nothing. However, they sometimes feel the need to… speed things along a little. They're a resourceful bunch, they are. They're like my own little hunting dogs, but they have minds." He shook his head wistfully. "Usually. Sgt. Simian doesn't think much, but he does have brute strength, something very lacking around here. Okay, well, at least Lightning Lynx and Predator Hawk have minds." Shadow digested this tidbit carefully.
He said, "I want to get off this island." Scourge turned with a raised eyebrow. "Hm? I didn't hear you." Shadow said, "If I win, I'm getting off this island." Scourge nodded and said, "A worthy prize. Anything else?" Shadow hesitated. He replied, "I would also like you to release half of the… huntees. I will choose which people leave." Scourge smirked and said, "I knew there was a catch. Very well, how about we sweeten the deal? I'll let them all go if you win. But, if you lose…" Scourge paused for a dramatic affect.
He continued, "I get your Chaos Emerald." Shadow glanced at him. "Very well. I don't have any use for it if I'm dead. Get it out of my pocket when I'm dead." Scourge smiled and said, "Excellent. My wife will get you your food. Here are a few suggestions for you: wear moccasins, they leave a poorer trail for me to follow; avoid the swamp in the southeast corner. We call it the Doorway Straight to Hell. And last, you may need to use that Emerald to elude me. I am quite aware that you can't leave the island, even with it." Shadow nodded and started to walk away. "Oh, and Shadow."
Shadow paused at the door and glanced back. Scourge slyly said, "I said earlier that we would start hunting two hours from sunset. That was thirty minutes ago. You now have an hour and thirty minutes left." Shadow growled and ran out the door.
Chapter Four: Hunting Shadows
Shadow cursed inwardly as he ran from the mansion. Not only did he waste an hour and a half, but now, while he hunted, he would have to find a Chaos Emerald just in case he lost. "Oh well." Shadow thought. "Whenever we need those gems, they're always in the general area." With that almost comforting piece of information, he ran into the forest and ran back to the prison, backtracking and doubling back whenever the feeling struck him. He slipped in and went straight to the Babylon Rogues.
Jet greeted him and gave him the Extreme Gear. Wave said, "The gear's a little picky. I don't know what you'll be facing in that forest, so I gave it what I could. I call it the Omnitempus. It grants you speed, power, and fly capabilities, and enhances whatever attributes you have already. I put a few spaces in it for whatever upgrades you want to add. Maybe a Chaos Emerald or three will enable you to turn Super or something; I don't know. If it breaks, it'll still function as Air-Skates, so don't go crazy, but push them a little." Jet said, "Geez, it sounds like a miracle board! Why didn't you just make us some like that?" Wave looked at him sourly and said, "Did you not hear me? It's picky, enhances all the abilities you already have, and it's a little… unstable. It could blow up. I'm sure Shadow can handle those risks, but you… That would be pushing it."
Jet scowled and pouted, "Well, it still sounds cool. Maybe when you move past the prototype I can take it for a spin." Wave added, "Plus, you break everything of mine you touch." Jet scowled and said, "Name one thing of yours that I have broken." Wave said, "Just one?" Jet nodded. "Your board. It's technically mine, seeing as how I built it, as well as keep it in perfect running condition." Jet growled (Seeing as how he had no teeth to start gritting) and said to Shadow, "Well? Get going!" Shadow nodded and put the Extreme Gear over his shoes. Then he got into an Olympic running position, and ran at a full-tilt sprint. He was out the door and into the forest within the space of two seconds.
Jet whistled (An amazing feat in itself, seeing as how he didn't have lips either) and said, "You know, he'd actually be a better rival than Sonic." Stormed sighed and said, "He forgot to get us dinner." Jet and Wave moaned. A rush of wind blew into the room, and some sandwiches on a platter landed in front of Storm. Storm cheered up and said, "Never mind."
Shadow slowed to a walk and pulled a map from his shoe. "Good thing I snuck one of these things out of Scourge's library." Shadow muttered to himself. "Let's see, I need a strategy. I can't just wander straight to the ocean. And- …This is a picture of England. I despise you, Scourge." He threw the map on the ground, and, as a second thought, picked it up. Shadow smirked. "Apparently my trail has been useful so far, so let's lengthen the ordeal." He continued his seemingly untraceable path using his new pair of skates, doubling back and creating multiple paths whenever he deemed it necessary.
As nightfall crept onto the island, Shadow turned off his skates and landed. He grabbed parts of trees and created a fire-pit. He lifted his foot and lighted his map. Then, he threw it into the pit and watched it catch fire. Finally, he walked around it a few dozen times and activated his skates. He put some grass and leaves into a shape and struck it with Chaos Energy. Then, he jumped into a tree and fell asleep, covering himself with leaves.
Around midnight, Shadow woke up with a jolt. He heard movement in the bushes and quietly hid himself further. Then, to his amazement, Scourge came out of the bush, inspecting the ground, and stopped at the "campsite". He looked at the exact tree Shadow was in, and started walking towards it. Shadow's G.U.N. instincts kicked in, but he forced them to the back of his mind and sat as still as he could (Which would still be three times stiller than Batman at the moment). Scourge stopped just before he spotted him, smirked, and turned around and walked away. Shadow relaxed and breathed a sigh of somewhat relief. He knew why Scourge hadn't shot him when he had the chance; Scourge was still waiting for the Ultimate Power to show his potential. Shadow had under-estimated him, the last mistake Shadow was willing to make.
Shadow ghosted back into the forest and continued doing his fox-hunt strategy until he formulated another plan. He began pulling leaves off of trees and tying them together, then he tied them to a tree branch and put his knife on there. He adjusted the angle, set his trap, and hid in a log. As Shadow expected, Scourge appeared at nine and was following the trail closely. So closely in fact, he failed to look around to see the easily seen trap Shadow had set.
Scourge stepped on the activator, and when he realized what he did, threw himself to the ground as Shadow's knife flew past and imbedded itself firmly into a giant boulder. Scourge got up slowly, then brushed himself off and walked up to the knife. Since he was looking straight ahead, he also failed to see the activator to the second trap. He stepped on it, and realized that a second trap had been sprung. He jumped to the side, and barely dodged some poison-tipped darts that also embedded themselves into the boulder. Scourge, this time, walked to the boulder and looked both down and around. Of course, that meant he wasn't looking straight ahead. He walked right into a spider web. Now, while this wasn't one of Shadow's traps, it was still amusing to watch Scourge jump five feet into the air expecting a trap to spring on him.
Once he was reasonably sure that no trap was going to spring itself, Scourge ran to the boulder and yanked out the knife. Since it was deeply imbedded, when he pulled it out, the boulder started moving, causing Scourge to run for his life. Shadow, by this time, was laughing silently to himself; but that didn't stop him to reach his arm out and grab his knife when Scourge ran by.
Scourge, who by now knew that Shadow was no longer playing games, charged a Chaos Spear and turned around to blow up the boulder… but the boulder was closer than he expected. Scourge jumped to the side, but the boulder still got his shoulder. Scourge landed on the ground and growled. He shouted, "Shadow if you're nearby, which you probably are, I congratulate you. Not many people have bested me using traps. But, you have only given me a slight injury. Once I dress my wound, It'll be round three. I hope you survive long enough to be beaten by me. Ta-ta!" Scourge ran away.
Shadow got up from his hiding spot and ran again. He had one final plan. One plan that would ensure that he won. But, that plan hinged on one thing: finding a Chaos Emerald. Since his Chaos Energy was, for some reason, still flowing to his weaker leg, his Chaos senses were weaker; that meant that he'd have to do what Sonic always did: get lucky. A lot. He sometimes listened to Sonic (Whenever he was forced to or had nothing better to do), and Sonic said that the Chaos Emeralds were always in ruins, temples, or scary places.
"Well." Shadow thought to himself. "That bit of info is maddeningly unhelpful." The entire island was a scary place, there were no ruins on the island (That he knew of), and the two "temples" were occupied at the moment. Wait… he was missing something. When he was on the tour with Destro- no, Scourge- he saw a boathouse with no boat.
Shadow smirked and said, "If it's in there, Scourge is a monkey's uncle." He jumped up a tree and activated the fly part on his skates he flew to the boathouse, activated his skates so as to create as little evidence as possible, and smashed the lock with his bare hands. He opened the door, and, to his surprise, delight, and luck, there were six of the seven Chaos Emeralds. Shadow smirked and thought, "Scourge, you big idiot." He put them into his pocket and closed the door behind him. He put the lock back together and locked the door, and flew back to his spot. Then, he headed southeast.
Shadow deactivated his skates, and ran to his destination. He almost got there. Shadow's foot went splat, and Shadow almost fell. He struggled to regain his balance, and pulled his foot out of the mud. He was at the entrance of the swamp. Shadow smirked, and performed a Spin-Dash into the soft, muddy ground and created a mud hole. He put sticks along the walls of it, and a trap activator on the bottom of it. Then, he created a weak trapdoor cover out of sticks, twigs, and leaves, set it over the trap, and covered it in mud. It looked like it had never been touched. Shadow activated his skates and walked over the trap, looking like he had walked over the spot and turned into the forest. Then, he hid in a bush and waited.
He cringed when he heard someone fall into the trap, and with a grin he looked out from his hiding spot… only to find that Flying Frog had fallen into the trap. Of course, the trap was designed to, well, suffocate whoever fell into the trap. Shadow wasn't expecting all the Destructix to come after him. However, it was now apparent that as soon as the Destructix turned around to look at Shadow, he was going to fight or be screwed. So, he went for a preemptive strike.
He jumped at Sergeant Simian and performed his multi-strike attack from Sonic '06. It only caught their attention. Perfect.
Shadow ran into the forest and turned back around. He dashed forward as fast as he could, and did a full body tackle to Sgt. Simian, which got the big lug on the ground. Shadow grabbed him by the legs and lifted the ape up over his head. Then, he started the hammer throw. He kept spinning and spinning, gaining speed, and when his feet couldn't keep up with the momentum anymore, he tilted his left foot down and his right foot up and activated his air skates. Then, he stopped and let go. What happens when you roll a hug boulder at Mach 5 onto a bowling lane? Well, whatever you think happens happened to the Mobian pins. (You aren't allowed to give a second guess.) Shadow then skated to the middle of the quagmire and set his skates to its lowest setting. He landed on the quickmud and stood as if it was solid ground. "Come and fight me if you dare!" Shadow challenged.
Predator Hawk and Lightning Lynx jumped to their feet and looked at where Shadow was. "Let's get him!" Lightning Lynx shouted and ran onto the bog. Shadow smirked. Lightning's ninja training may work on water, but as soon as he stopped where he thought was solid ground… The lynx lunged at Shadow and promptly sank into the mud. Predator Hawk had been flying after him, and tackled Shadow into the mud. Shadow would have gulped or something, but he needed to save his oxygen. He punched Predator in the face and pulled out a Chaos Emerald. He slammed it into one of the slots on his skates, and he ran out of air. Shadow closed his eyes and waited for the mud to consume him.
It didn't.
Shadow opened one eye and found that he was surrounded by a Barrier. Shadow breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Wave for making those slots. Then, he landed at the bottom of the quagmire and started walking. He had no idea which way he was going, but he assumed that he was going back to the entrance of the mud lake.
He reached the edge and peeked out. Nothing. He ran out and jumped into a tree. He looked again. Still nothing. Shadow was suspicious now. He jumped out of the tree and looked around. Then, he heard a bullet ricocheting. He jumped into a tuck-and-roll and started running. Scourge had caught up. His Barrier was destroyed now, and he didn't have time to use another Chaos Emerald. He could hear Scourge keeping pace with him. He also knew that if he didn't think of something, he was going to have a bullet in his back. Unfortunately, Shadow's luck ended.
He stopped and almost fell off the edge of a cliff. There was a long drop straight down. If there were rocks down there, then Ultimate Lifeform or not, Shadow was going to die. He turned around and looked into the bushes. Scourge walked out with his gun trained on Shadow. Shadow slowly raised his arms. Scourge smirked and said, "Looks like the Ultimate Lifeform ran out of roadway. You'll make a nice piece over my fireplace." He pointed the gun at Shadow's heart. Shadow smirked.
He zoomed forward, punched Scourge across the face, turned, and jumped off the cliff. He pulled the Chaos Emeralds out of his pockets. He hurriedly put the Emeralds into the slots, and as he was about to put the last Emerald into the slot, Scourge shot him. Shadow hit the water and sank.
The last Chaos Emerald that Shadow had been putting into the slot floated back to the surface. Blood stained the water. There was no sign of Shadow.
Scourge clicked his tongue and said sadly, "You had to try being a hero." Scourge went home and sent Sgt. Simian (The only survivor of Shadow's wrath) to look for Shadow and the rest of the Chaos Emeralds. Sgt. Simian only found the floating Chaos Emerald; Shadow's body had sunk too deep.
The day went by, and Scourge ate dinner. Still no sign of Shadow. The next day, he sent the ape again. Sgt. Simian came back with one of Shadow's gloves, minus the inhibitor ring. Scourge smirked. Shadow had probably tried using his chaos form, but he still couldn't channel the energy.
Scourge had lunch with his wife, and he told her of the hunt. "Too bad he died. He was my only worthy opponent." Scourge said, staring out the window dismally.
Scourge went to his study after that, and spent the rest of the day reading. At bedtime, he walked into his room, closed the door, and locked it. Then, he turned the light on and turned around. Scourge gasped.
Shadow stood at the window, in super-form, but wasn't shining at all. He was invisible in the dark, but as soon as the light went on, he had turned around. Shadow glared at Scourge from his place in the shadows. Scourge sputtered, "Sh-Shadow? You're dead!" Shadow stepped forward. One of his gloves was missing, but he still had the inhibitor ring on his wrist. His other glove was torn, and his Extreme Gear skates were glowing. He held his knife in his ungloved hand. "Only one person is walking out the door tomorrow morning." Shadow growled. Scourge gulped.
Chapter 5: Shadow's Adventure, Ended At Last
Shadow broke the lock and threw a tied up Fiona Fox and Sgt. Simian into the cell. Fiona struggled against the bonds, but Sgt. Simian knew how futile the attempt was. Shadow let the prisoners out, and they all wanted to hug him. Of course, Shadow wasn't the hugging type. So, he simply decked anyone that tried to hug him. He helped the Babylon Rogues build an airship using supplies found at the mansion. They were grateful for the help (They meaning Wave and Storm, since Jet did little to no work at all). Once the ship was complete, Jet challenged Shadow to an Extreme Gear Race. Shadow accepted. They were now at the starting line, a line drawn at the front yard of the mansion. Wave raised a flag and yelled, "Three!" Shadow closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He got into an Olympic running position without opening them. "Two!" Jet took a few steps back, and ran forward. "One!" Shadow opened his eyes and looked at Jet, who was frozen in time next to him. Jet looked so determined. Shadow smirked. This was going to be too easy. For Shadow, time resumed as he planted one foot into the ground. "GO!" Waved yelled, waving the flag.
Shadow took off like a shot. Jet yelled his surprise when a Sonic Boom met him and his board crossing the starting line, Shadow miles away. Shadow ghosted through the forest, a faint smile on his face. He jumped and landed on a vine, grinding along it like a rail. He jumped and landed. He turned left and zoomed toward the swamp. There was now an Air-type ramp at the edge of the quagmire, and some Accelerators suspended in the air. He hit the ramp and flew through the air. He landed on the other side, where there were boulders blocking his path. He broke them with a punch, and kept moving. He continued straight, the trail heading back to the right. The trail straightened out, and his path combined with the main path again. Jet almost jumped out of his feathers when he saw Shadow come out of nowhere right in front of him. Jet growled and boosted to catch up. Shadow spun around and skated backwards. He mocked, "Wassamatter? Am I too fast for the Legendary Wind Master?" Jet jumped onto a vine and grinded past Shadow. "Nah, I'm just enjoying the forest." Jet shouted back. Shadow turned back around and continued skating. The two raced around the island, then as they approached the mansion, Shadow smirked and turned to face the mansion. He broke down the front door and grinded up the stair rail. Jet followed. Shadow and Jet raced here and there around the mansion, and when they reached the top, Shadow turned and smashed through a window. Jet followed suit. As they fell, Jet pulled out his two fans and spread them like wings. He dived past Shadow and landed gracefully on the ground. Shadow tucked and hit the ground with a Bounce Attack; when he bounced, he ran his hands over the Emeralds in his shoes, and burst into Super-mode. He flew past Jet and reached the goal. He landed and said, "Hmph, I expected a better challenge." Jet jumped off his board and said, "You turned Super!" Shadow shrugged and said, "Details, details."
The island prisoners and Shadow walked onto the airship. Shadow turned half around and looked back at the island. He murmured, "Huh, Coulda thought I saw something." He pressed a button to close the door. As they flew off, there was movement inside the mansion.
Scourge was hanging upside down from the ceiling fan in the bedroom, bound and gagged. When he got out, he was going to get the Destructix and hunt Shadow until he found that no good…
Chapter 6: So, Sonic and co. are floating near some fog covered islands in a dinghy…
…And just about everyone on the boat was freaking out. "Shadow died! Shad's a goner! What are we going to do? Okay Sonic, don't panic! This isn't working! Who am I going to tell my corny jokes to? Who am I going to annoy by calling him Shads?" Okay, only Sonic was panicking. Of course, the other people were freaked out by Sonic freaking out. Then again, maybe he was trying not to notice that he was still in the middle of the ocean. Of course, Big and Omega were the only ones that weren't freaking out. Guess why. While we're here, let's check the status of everyone else on board.
Tails was pointing a shotgun at a tied up Marine; Blaze was comforting Silver; Silver was talking to Ralph; Amy was trying to get Sonic to calm down, Rouge was pacing back and forth; Knuckles was taking a nap; The Chaotix, Cream, and Vanilla were playing tea party; Big was fishing; and Omega was standing there. Like a robot.
Omega jolted, and an alarm sounded. Omega droned, "Air machine detected. Heading towards our present location." That got Sonic's attention. He looked towards the island, and saw a giant airship. "Alright! Finally, some action!" Sonic cheered. He faced the ship and prepared for a missile barrage…
…And the airship splashed next to them. Sonic paused, but was still ready for a fight. Then, a hatch opened and Shadow walked on the water back to the Sonic Team. Sonic's jaw dropped. It dropped lower when Shadow turned around and yelled, "Thanks for the lift, Jet!" Jet waved, and the hatch rose and the airship flew away. Shadow turned back and said with a smirk, "Missed me faker?" Sonic grabbed his jaw off the floor and closed his mouth. Then he smirked back and said, "Of course! You're like a brother to me. My older brother that picks on me, calls me names, and tries to kill me every once in a while. Yup, I missed you Shads." Shadow frowned and said, "Don't start that again." Sonic was agreeable. There was a comfortable silence as Tails went to turn on the engine.
As soon as the engine started, Sonic turned to Shadow and said, "So, two redheads walk into a library-" "NO!" Everyone screamed at him as they went back on course.
Epilogue: Back To Reagan and Tloj
Today, 2:30 P.M., January 28, 2012
Reagan was on round 49 on Black Ops: Zombie Mode on the Moon Map. He was about to unlock the hidden Easter Egg he had heard about. He had no idea what it was, nor what it did. His character was typing on the computer, and a conversation was happening. It was peaceful. Well, as peaceful as you can get in a space station of zombies.
Too bad Tloj, (Being Me) had just finished the above-read story. He kicked down the door, without any regard to privacy laws, and yelled, "HEY REAGAN!"
Reagan screamed, and missiles flew towards the earth. He lifted his (In real life, nonexistent) eye-patch as the earth was destroyed. He turned to Tloj with his eye twitching and said unbelievingly, "You made me destroy the earth." Tloj could care less about what he did; he was more concerned about what he wrote.
"HERE! READ THIS!" The hedgehog screeched, throwing the story he wrote into Reagan's face. Reagan threw the story on the ground and yelled, "STOP MAKING ME LOSE! AND STOP DRINKING MY COFFEE!" Tloj stopped jumping and, with a look of confusion, he said, "But… I haven't touched your coffee since May." Reagan paused his rant.
Tloj continued, "And I didn't make you lose. Lookie!" Reagan turned around and looked at his game. "See? You even got all the perks for destroying the world. I call that making the game better, not making you lose." Reagan nodded, satisfied that he didn't die. He paused the game and read Tloj's story. Tloj waited for a response.
Reagan nodded and said, "It looks fine to me." Tloj's jaw dropped and he said, "Fine? Just fine? No award for the greatest literary work known to Mobiankind?" Reagan resumed his game and said, "You copied a story. You aren't going to get an award for a work that you let sit on your computer's hard drive until five days ago, when you decided to post this and add this epilogue."
Tloj scowled and started walking out the door. Then he swung around and lunged at Reagan, grabbed the controller out of his hands, and made him run into a zombie until he died. Satisfied at what he had done, he handed the controller back to the now speechless Reagan and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Reagan scowled at the zombies laughing at him, and muttered, "One of these days I'm gonna get him for this."
And that's it! Please tell me what you think; should other people go through the story treatment? And for people's info, Reagan is my bro, and Tloj is me. Some parts in their chapters are greatly exaggerated, such as Reagan drinking anything of perfection or reaching even level fifteen in Zombies; or Tloj kicking down a door, drinking Reagan's coffee, or unintentionally putting books into his reading pile. I'm still lonely, by the way.
