"T-Take this," Silver throw over his bent back a cape with the hood he found nearby. It was old and smelly, but it warmed him up a bit.

"Softies," commented it Crack, perfectly fine as he was the robot.

Silver closed the portal. "So, are we on the right address?"

Around them were up to five-storey tall buildings, flashing street's light, trash everywhere and the atmosphere was overly gloomy.

"Let me check it." Even in this area, there was a wireless signal Crack hacked (it was easy) and downloaded information. "Ok, guess we are in the time for the catastrophe." Silver again raised an eyebrow, his way how to calmed them down was if nothing else questionable. "We are in the Alvain city, the downtown part. Which means there is one thug after another, so watch yar wallets." Neither of them had it.

"I'm glad we are here, but let's look for someone who can help us too. I have one or two tips. Let's start with Shadow."

]Shadow? And why do we need him?[

"He is pretty strong… at least in my world and since we are on Mobius I'm sure he lives here too."

Crack felt a strange pain in his head and he made few steps away from them. 'What's this? Some kind of an error?' He felt it already for few times. Did he catch some virus? After the first time, he completely checked his system. There was nothing.

"Crack?"

"Huh?"

"What's up? Did you run out of puns?" silver hedgehog made a fun of him.

"Me? Where would be fun in that? I just tried to get a better signal," he lied, "but no luck so far. Let's ask about him in the pubs. That's the best information source ya can found."

They didn't search too long as one was just behind a corner. The exterior reflected interior as it was full of smoke, smell of alcohol and dirty. Silver coughed and all the eyes looked their way. Newcomers were never welcomed. They went to the bar counter.

"Excuse me, I would—"

"I don' hav' milk. Run back to yar mommies, brats," replied walrus bartender rudely without looking at them. The customers laughed.

"Without honey?" added Crack looking shocked, but his eyes were full of sarcasm, "What kinda bar is this?"

Silver giggled. Walrus put noisily the glass he was cleaning to the bar counter. "Tryin' to b' smartass?"

"Maybe," answered Crack without a fear.

A bear appeared behind them and picked up Silver by back quills. "Brats like ya are 'pposed to be in bed! Get lost!"

"Talk about bad breath. Ever heard of oral hygiene?" Silver caught his nose.

Bear growled.

"Hey, uncle, let me warm ya," Crack poked him. "He is a big softie, but he can be a tough cookie too."

Silver confidently smiled.

"O'rlly?" Bear got ready to hit him with a fist, but Zilver grabbed his belly fur. Before the bear could say something, he single-handed lifted him forcing him to let go of Silver.

]You will tell us where is Shadow or meet your maker![ He shouted to the minds of all around him.

"Calm down!" Silver put a hand on his shoulder. "Huh?" The atmosphere around them changed. It was tense.

"And here I was thinking the 'please' is a magic word," commented it Crack. "And I like yar style, Zilvie."

"Don't encourage him!"

"Take thi'." Walrus put in front of them a small paper. "You will find him ther'." He returned to cleaning glasses.

Silver took it and Zilver tossed the shocked bear on the ground. "Thanks." They left. Once outside, Silver asked Zilver to keep his short temper in check to not cause more harm than help. He nodded.

The address took them to a big nightclub full of a pink neon. It was called "Bat's rouge". They went inside. The smell of smoke was there but not like in the previous bar. Behind the door was a big bull bodyguard.

"Do you have an invitation?" he asked.

"Do you mean this?" Silver gave him the small name card they got from the bartender. There was a name of the club and two fists. Bull needed only one glance to check it, but he looked at them a while longer.

"Follow me."

"You see, fists don't solve everything," said Silver to Zilver.

Before they turned a corner, Silver noticed a singing bat lady on the podium. They eyes met for a while and Silver blushed.

The guard guided them to an elevator, but to Silver's surprise it went underground. Was it a trap? If is, he will show them how tough cookie he is. When the elevator stopped, he led them to a small room.

"Once you hear the gong, please, proceed through the second door." With this, the bull left them.

"A gong? OK, let's wait then," Silver shrug shoulders.

The room had only two benches and a lot of cracked plaster. Silver examined it to kill some time. After about a half hour later they heard a gong. So they exited the room through the second door. It led to another corridor leading to a light and lot of noise.

"What the—?" Silver covered his eyes. "An arena?!" There was like thousands of people gathered, humans and Mobians alike.

Crack whistled. "Nice." He pushed the two. "Let's go and give them a good fight."

"What fight?"

"While ya were staring at the walls, I checked their internet and I have found something about this universe Shadow." They stopped before four steps to the battle stage. "He is the underground boss and he literally owns whole Down Town in the Alvain City. This arena is naturally his doing and it seems to ask for Shadow means asking for a fight. That's what these two fists were for."

"But we only wanted to ask him a question," objected Silver. "And you are telling that now?"

"It was too late to back down anyway. And take it this way, we can check his strength and show him ours, that means he may listen to us and trust us."

"You do have a point."

"When I don't?"

The noise from the audience was suddenly unbearable. The champion came. He had an amazing cape on his shoulders and once he got to the arena, he threw it far away. He wore a leather jacket with two small pockets and red linings.

"Show off."

"Well, well," Shadow voice echoed and the people went silent practically immediately. "You look a lot more pathetic than I was told."

"Just wait and yar face will feel otherwise," said Crack full of confident.

Shadow didn't look impressed. He must have heard it a lot, giving his occupation. "So will you come all or you prefer to go down one by one. I don't care how you decide. If you decently entertain me I maybe spare you a few broken bones," he cracked his joints on arms, getting ready for some action.

"Kill them!"

"Start already!"

"Boo! Boo!"

The audience started to shout. Their voices sounded like the roaring of many beasts.

"Guess I'll take the—What?" Crack was stopped by Zilver that came to the podium.

"Oh, so someone here has guts after all." Shadow was more like mocking him as he saw him as the weakest. Or maybe the other silver hedgehog… Whatever, he will take all three down anyway. "So you prefer to go down one by one, huh? Fine by me." Shadow was showing no respect.

"Is he always like that in our universe?" whispered Crack to Silver.

"Actually… yeah, he can be a bit cocky, but I guess in this zone he is even more," he replied back.

"You know what." Shadow pulled his gloves. It looked like a habit before a fight. "I'll give you first hit." He smirked. "It's more than three months since I had a decent fight, so I don't want it to end too quickly." The gong rang and the battle started. "Entertain me."

Zilver clenched his fist and run toward his opponent to hit him in the face.

'What an amateur,' thought Shadow, 'he is just another street punk. I should make some elimination tournament to get decent opponents.'

It looked the punch will do some damage, but then Zilver stopped a step before him and flicked him to the nose. Shadow couldn't hide his surprise. The audience was completely shocked too. Zilver turned his back to him and returned to his starting point. When he turned back his expression was cold.

Shadow gritted his teeth. No one will be making a fool out of him. No one! "I tried to be nice since you look so weak," he took a fighting stance. "But if you have a death wish… So be it!" He attacked with his fist but at the last moment, he switched to a round kick.

To everyone's surprise the challenger blocked it and what's more, his thin arm didn't break like a twig. Everyone was surprised including Shadow. Black hedgehog jumped back and made side-step, avoiding a punch. When Zilver's left leg touched the ground he turned and aimed with his other leg to Shadow's head.

He ducked and tripped Zilver's leg. Zilver fell on his back quills, but before Shadow could punch his stomach, he curled to safety.

"Cool kid! Way to go!" Crack supported him.

"Don't overdo it!" while Silver was worried about his health.

Shadow stood up, carefully looking at him. Something was odd about him. His moves… he wasn't an ordinary punk. "Nice moves," he praised him. "You got some reflexes too." Zilver wasn't reacting. "Silent treatment, huh? So be it." Shadow pulled his gloves again. "Get ready for round two!" He rushed toward him at a faster speed than before.

He grabbed him by the arm, but before Shadow could toss him, Zilver grabbed him for chest fur, curled up, dragging him down. Once Zilver's back quills touched the ground, he kicked Shadow in the stomach with both of his legs, tossing him behind himself. This way Zilver needed only a tenth of required power to do so as he used Shadow's momentum.

But Shadow wasn't down to the count. He quickly got up and jumped toward him. Zilver stood up as well, but couldn't avoid his elbow, that ended up in his stomach. Zilver jerked but didn't scream. He grabbed Shadow's front quills and tried to burrow his knee in black hedgehog's stomach.

Unfortunately, for him, this time, Shadow not just caught his attack, but punched him to the ground. Cybernetic hedgehog slammed his head to the ground and wasn't moving.

'Damn, I didn't want to hit him that hard.' The audience was roaring. 'Oh well, if his thin bones are tough his skull must be too.' He turned away. "Not bad fight, kid, return after ten years and then we can have a rematch." He looked at the other two. Silver was horrified while Crack smiled.

"Behind you!" shouted the robot.

Shadow didn't turn, he didn't need to, he felt it. He felt his opponent getting up. He was panting, but his breathing soon returned to normal. Shadow turned his head. Zilver looked pretty fine. Black hedgehog smirked. "Guess I'll have to go a little harder on you."

They rushed toward each other exchanging one punch and kick after another. The audience now even supported Zilver, shouting his name.

"Kick him in the nuts!" shouted Crack absorbed in the fight.

"Are you nuts?"

"I'm a robot, not a nut!"

Silver's face was now a book example of a depression. That was the stupidest joke he ever heard. 'I hope Zilver will be okay.' He was seriously worrying about his heath. Who knows how long he can last?

Shadow's kick sent him on the ground. Now it was him panting. 'I must be out of a form. That kid is giving me a hard time and why do I get so strange feeling from him?' He always thought there is only one challenger that can be his even. Zilver slowly stood up. 'Like seriously?' Shadow clenched his fists. 'That's it! Next attacked will finish him!'

]You…[ Zilver's voice was shaky.

"What? So you do talk." Shadow smirked. "Done with the silent fighter act?"

]You…![ Zilver's eyes were full of anger. ]You faker![ Dark blue psychic aura engulfed him, forming before him a big ball.

"What…?!" Shadow's body was coated by green flames. "No one…" The flames concentrated to his right fist. "… calls me faker and lives with it!"

They shot their attacks.

"Noo!" shouted Silver as chaos and psychic energy clashed and tried to push each other. The mass was getting bigger and out of control.

"It's over ]krtzz[ nine thousand!" shouted Crack and electric sparks were dancing on his body.

Silver rushed towards it. His light blue aura raised from him, covering the energy bomb. "It's…" Psychic tried to neutralize it, but it was maybe too late. He didn't give up. Lives of many people were at the stake.

He pushed more, covering the whole thing. Zilver and Shadow were looking at him. Silver was clenching his teeth, moving his hands, manipulating his psychic energy to neutralize it. The ball had a different plan… like to explode in the next five seconds!

Silver gave it all, pushing his abilities to its limits. His eyes shined and the air was filled with a smell of ozone and sharp sounds. No one said anything as they were hypnotized by his performance. The ball finally started to shrink. He didn't stop pushing until it was anymore.

His eyes returned to normal and he gasped. He turned to Shadow, that jerked. "Are you a total idiot?!" He rushed to him burrowing point finger to his chest fur. "You could kill everyone here!"

"But…"

"No buts! So he called you a faker? Big deal! Take it as an adult! I thought you are better than this!" Then he switched his attention to Zilver. He came to him like the goddess of vengeance. "And what I told you about keeping your powers in check? You can't throw it wherever you feel like it!"

Silver furiously turned and walked toward Crack. The robot was shaking his head and peeked at him. "Do ya remember when I said ya are a softie, but tough too?"

"Yeah, so what?" He stepped on the stairs.

"It was supposed to be a joke."

Silver tumbled and the robot caught him. "Did you have to say it? I just felt like I can take the whole word."

"What?! Why didn't you say so! Where is the rewind button?" he looked around making Silver laugh.

Zilver felt on his knees as a sharp pain stabbed him in the heart.

"Zilver!" Silver stood on shaky legs. "You okay?"

"Is that a question?" replied Crack while dragging Silver with him.

"Actually, no." He sat next to him. "Is there a hospital nearby?"

"I know a better place," said a white bat that landed next to them.

"You are… Rouge!" shouted Silver before thinking. She was the bat singer he glimpsed before.

"I'm flattered that such sweet boy knows my name."

Silver blushed. "No… Um, actually you reminded me, someone, I know…"

Zilver coughed. Silver put his hands on him, but he had no idea what to do. Shadow snorted and his hand gesture called med team. "Don't worry, my people know what they are doing." They put him on the stretcher and took him.

"By the way…" Shadow strictly looked at Silver. "Do you think you can just walk away after what you said?" He crossed his arms.

Silvers front quills went down. He just now realized what he did. He awkwardly smiled. "Can't blame a hedgehog for trying."

Shadow smirked. Rouge stood next to Silver, making him nervous. "You are good looking one."

"Em… not much… just a normal hedgehog…" He was blushing.

"And your power…" she slightly kissed his ear. He jerked and run away from her completely blushing. Not too far thou as he tripped and the overuse of his power finally took its price.

"Geez, now I have two unconscious hedgehogs to care for," Crack mumbled.

"Don't worry, we will help you. Your friends, after all, put a good show." Rouge in leg revealing dress smiled.

"Tell me about it. My chips are still wonky from it."

Medics took Silver away and Rouge guided Crack to the inner room. Shadow stayed only a while before he followed them. The ground below the energy ball was destroyed. During that time he felt… a fear. The fear of being defeated. Only one person was able to keep up with him… only the blue hedgehog.

To be continued…


So, how you are liking it so far? And yes, certain hedgehog will make his appearance next time and I won't stay only with him. There will be few more familiar faces, I hope you will enjoy reading their stories as much as I did writing it :-) If you have read this far, please leave review or at least fave the story (if you liked i), that's the only way I know you are reading it and not abandoning it in the middle :-D