HYBRID'S WRATH
OC's © respective authors
Chapter Twenty-One: Finding Peace
The scene opens for its final performance at the core of East Island. A glorious victory for the Sonic Heroes swiftly transformed into a spiraling predicament revealed by the true mastermind. Hybrid and his array of audience were unwillingly transported to the Thirteenth Basement floor, the heart of the operations. Imperator Ix stood at the front lines of his Gizoid army as the mechanical warriors surrounded the champions and the invited guests. While the heroes and their allies formed a close circle around the representatives, Hybrid separated from the group and stood across from Ix.
"Ix, what's going on here?" Hybrid questioned.
"Your plan is finally completed." Ix chuckled. "With the tournament complete, the second step can be put into motion."
"The plan has failed." Hybrid said lowly. "Shade was supposed to win the match, but she failed. Sonic now has all seven Chaos Emeralds and we are left without the power necessary to continue."
"I figured as much." Ix smirked. "But you forget one thing: we don't need the Chaos Emeralds. Your plan doe not require an excessive amount of energy or mystical energies to hold proper maintenance. Everything we need is in this very room."
"Hybrid, what's going on?" Blaze questioned. "How does this creature know you?"
"I am no simple creature." Ix sneered. "I am Ix, the mightiest of the echidna race."
"The echidna, eh?" Spade said suspiciously. "Then that means you're the big boss behind Shade and all there black-armored freaks roaming around the castle."
"The still doesn't explain what's going on here." Blue said defensively. "If this guy is such a good friend of yours, why is he trying to capture us with his army of Emerl clones on us?"
"Go ahead, Hybrid." Ix grinned deviously. "Tell them who you really are."
I really wish it didn't have to come to this." Hybrid sighed depressingly. With a glazed look in his eyes, the mixed hedgehog turned to face the champions and their allies. "Forgive me for deceiving you all, but I am not what I appear. I am a genetic creation formed from the blood of Sonic, Shadow, and Silver from two hundred years in the future."
"So, you're their kid?" Charmy summarized skeptically. For one lingering the moment, all eyes were on the trio of hedgehogs. "That is so..."
"Don't go there!!" Shadow snapped threateningly.
"But wait." Venus interjected in confusion. "If you came from two hundred years in the future, how did you come back in time?"
"That's a little secret we owe to our dear friend, Eggman Nega." Ix answered pleasingly.
"Eggman Nega!" Silver exclaimed. He and Metal Sonic stared with intense interest at the mention of their archenemy/creator. "What's he doing here? Last time I saw him, he was arrested by Shadow and Kumori."
"Your future is advanced, but noting compared to the Nocturnus." Ix boasted belligerently. "But while our kind was gifted in technology, we failed in matters of life and temporally transport. As such, the only person qualified to perform these ventures was Eggman Nega."
"But where doe Hybrid come in?" Strike questioned seriously.
"Not a patient one, are you?" Ix sniggered. "Anyway, Nega and I combined our equal minds and acquired the necessary materials to form Hybrid. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned and we were forced to take drastic measures."
"What drastic measures?" Hybrid questioned curiously.
"You were becoming too attached to that woman who cared for you." Ix explained with a malevolent tone. "You were created to become the ultimate weapon, but that woman was destroying everything we had worked for. With no other options remaining, I commanded my servant inside the foundation to kill the woman." He began to cackle wildly. "The plan had worked better than I had hoped. Not only was he able to kill the human virus, but he was also able to awaken the hidden power that lies within you. You had matured into your rightful position."
"Then it was you who killed my mother!" Hybrid screamed furiously; sparks crackled from his tightened fists. "I believed you and Nega actually cared about me! And all this time, I was just a pawn in your game!"
"For a genius, you sure are slow." Ix sniggered. "At first, I thought I could only use you to destroy my enemies. But your intelligence accelerated farther than I could hope for." He waved his scepter to the tanks surrounding them. "Through your ingenuity, the Nocturnus will conquer the world without putting ourselves at risk."
"Well, your plans won't work this time." Shade proclaimed. She didn't seem to convince herself well enough, but felt grateful of Hybrid's reassuring glance. "Sonic has the Chaos Emeralds and everyone knows about your plan."
"You naive little child." Ix shook playfully. "Haven't you considered that I wanted them to know? With the clones complete, these pathetic fighters will stand no chance against them and the Gizoids." He holds out his hand to the female echidna. "I am giving you this final offer, Shade. Join me and together, we will rule the world."
"You can take your offer and shove it up your..." The heroes covered the children's ears at that point.
"Such a vulgar manner." Ix said disdainfully. "You truly are a Knuckles Tribe heathen."
With a wave from their commander, the Gizoid warriors drew closer with their weapons drawn. And while his minions pressured the heroes together, the ancient echidna raised his scepter, which released multiple tendrils of dark energy. The trails of dark mass inserted themselves into the rows of tanks that lie in the background. With the inclusion of this power, the containers opened themselves, releasing numerous amounts of liquid from each. From the first contained, a gloved hand grasped the edge of the container before the figure could pull himself out completely. Many growled while other gasped when they found themselves face with a perfect clone of Sonic the Hedgehog. It was only a few moments before the other clones moved to their leader's side.
"Ah, such beautiful specimens." Ix said pridefully. "With these creatures at my side, I cannot be defeated."
"That is true." Hybrid grinned laughingly; River hissed angrily. "But there was one problem I never got around to completing."
"What are you talking about?" Ix questioned. Hybrid did not need the opportunity to answer before the cloned hedgehog next to him transformed into a pile of blue clay at his feet. Staring in fright, Ix hesitantly looked back to the other clones, only to discover they have received the same fate. He snapped his head back to Hybrid. "What have you done?!"
"Before the Final Match, I decided to make one last change." Hybrid explained. "You see, there structure is centered around one specific molecule, which is more delicate than a normal person's body. I removed that molecule, making them unable to retain a physical form."
"But why?" Ix questioned.
"Because what Shade said is true." Hybrid said earnestly, looking back to his friend with a proud smile. "Violence cannot solve violence. I will try to find true peace in this world, but I will not destroy the lives of other to do it." He raised his hands forward, emitting a storm of sparks. "So this is where your ambition ends, Ix."
"You simple fool." Ix cackled. "If I cannot use the clones, then I will just have to fall back on my original plan. But before I go..."
Faster than anyone could see, Ix thrusted his scepter forward and released a pulsating beam of black light. Before anyone could take the chance to move, the dark beam stabbed through Hybrid's chest and exited from his back. No one felt the heart clenching than Shade as he closest friend was pierced by the lethal blow and dropped backwards onto the floor. The echidna warrior dropped her Leech Blades and hurried over to hold the mixed hedgehog off the floor.
"Hybrid!" Shade exclaimed worried. "Hybrid, are you all right."
"Shade..." Hybrid moaned weakly. "Did I...did I change? Was I able...to make a difference?"
"Hybrid..." Shade muttered sorrowfully.
Ok, that does it!" Sonic snapped vengefully, pointing to Ix. "I don't care who you are! No one hurts my friends and gets away with it! Sonic Heroes, charge!!"
The warriors, even those who weren't with the Heroes, willingly obeyed their command and rushed ahead to face their enemies. Ix, laughing at their futile attempts motioned for the Gizoids to confront them. The battles were scattered and very few realized where everyone was during this time. Spade Daniels drew his twin katana just in time to soften the blow direct from two Gizoids. Just from the initial contact the dark wolf quickly realized that the Gizoids were clearly stronger than him. To many, that would be a sign to give in. But for Spade, this was an opportunity. As the dark wolf pulled back his weapons, forcing the robots forward, he dropped down to his back and kicked the Gizoids overhead.
"Heh! Not much to these guys." Spade commented; more Gizoids joined their ranks. "I really need to shut up."
Meanwhile, Mercury crushed the heads of a pair of Gizoids from a distance. Apparently, he had the power to control metal without realizing it until just recently. This ability proved to be very useful against the warrior machines until they learned to resist Mercury's influence. And when Mercury's secret ability failed, Venus used her own powers to create sudden explosions of heat to burst between the Gizoids.
"Well, it's nice to see that all the training didn't go to waste." Mercury shrugged, pressing his back against Venus'. "But it might be a little more helpful if there weren't so many of them."
"Aw, what happened to all that confidence?" Venus giggled slyly. "I find it very attractive when your...personal."
"Really now?" Mercury grinned. "Well, I would hate to disappoint a lovely lady such as yourself."
Not far from them, Aikara was bouncing through the mass of robots, skipping across their heads with perfect balance and graceful finesse. Many of the Gizoids tried to catch her, but they may as well have been trying to capture the wind. As the acrobatic monkey skipped the rows of steel, she found Hikoro being piled on by a group of machines. Being unnaturally protective, Aikara skipped into the air and spiral downwards with her foot held in front, crushing the Gizoids on contact.
"Hey, I would have taken them all by myself!" Hikoro protested immaturely.
"Nuh-uh!" Aikara shook defiantly. "You were so getting your butt kick."
"No, I wasn't!" Hikoro screeched.
"Yes, you were!" Aikara responded.
The Gizoids sweat-dropped. Meanwhile, Amelia knocked two arrows into her bow and shot them across the room. One arrow was formed of pure heat, effortlessly dissolving through the Gizoid's armor. The other arrow released a spray of icy mist that froze most of the robots in their place. As for those that managed to avoid the arrows, Mathias opened his tomb and summoned forth a mighty gale of wind to push them back. The wind did absolutely nothing to stop them, but it did provide a distraction long enough for Amelia to shoot them down with an electrified arrow.
"Oh yeah! Bull's-eye!" Amelia cheered vigorously, giving a thumbs-up to her brother. "Nice magic work, Matty."
"It's Math – Oh, forget it." Mathias said defeated.
On the other side of the area, Armand and Emily stood back-to-back to ward off their approaching enemies. The purple tiger called forth his laser swords and cut through six Gizoids before another Gizoid shattered the light weapons with its Leech Blades. Sensing her lover's distress, Emily swiftly slid around and swiped her energy claw through the Gizoid's chest. But while the aqua cheetah was distracted, a Gizoid jumped into the air overhead with its weapon out in front. Fortunately, Armand called a grappling hook from his watch and grabbed the Gizoid by its foot, thrusting it down to the floor.
"Thanks for the save." Emily panted tiredly.
"It's the least I can do to make up for the match." Armand said reproached. I'm not willing to let anything happen to you."
"We can talk about this later." Emily said, smiling slightly. "But thanks."
"No problem..." Armand muttered silently. "...My love."
Emily's smile grew wider. Meanwhile, Rouge performed her signature Screw Kick and smashed through the chest of eight Gizoids lined in a row. But when she reached the ninth one, the robot grabbed the bat by her ankle, halting her movements. With a simple twist, the Gizoid pinned the Rouge to the ground and moved his weapon the toe bats throat. Fortunately, she was saved as Knuckles pounded his fist through the Gizoid's forehead; his fists ablaze. As the defeat robot tumbled backwards, the remains of its squadron jumped forward eagerly. What they failed to realize was that is how Knuckles wanted them to react. Thrusting his flaming fist forward, the echidna called upon the Living Flames in the form of a snake and scorched the robots into ashes.
"Mmm...Not bad." Rouge said seductively as Knuckles helped her up. "I like a man that takes charges."
"As your mate, I will not allow any harm to befall upon you." Knuckles said dedicatedly.
"We're not married yet, Knuckie." Rouge smirked, pecking his cheek. "But I'll keep that in mind."
At the time, Cannon and River were preoccupied with their own troubles. Because the Gizoids have specifically studied his gravity techniques, Cannon did not waste energy trying to attack them with his opal. This left the falcon only able to attack with his fan blades. Unfortunately, their armor was reinforced for such an occasion, leaving Cannon completely defenseless. But that's the beauty of having a partner that is equally lovely and deadly in Cannon's opinion. River may have looked frail to the Gizoids, but that proved to be their last mistake before her fists drove through the bodies.
"Have I ever mentioned how glad I am to have you on the team?" Cannon asked to his partner.
"Actually, you never say that." River said pointedly.
"Good. That means I'm doing my job." Cannon laughed.
In another part of the area, Aqua formed a tidal wave of water from her mouth, which flooded the Gizoids to the point where they couldn't move. Unfortunately, the group also consisted of aquatic Gizoids similar to Scylla. As they approached, Aqua's timid nature forced her to drop back and cower in fear of their presence. Just as the Gizoids raised their weapons, a surge of electricity flowed through the water, eradicating the mechanics inside the robots. Pushing aside the defeated mechs, Strike offered his hand to Aqua.
"Thanks." Aqua said shyly.
"No worries." Strike waved nonchalantly. "I'm always there for you whenever you need me."
"Thanks." Aqua repeated before providing a quick kiss to his lips. "I...think I'll be going now."
"Uh-huh." Strike nodded dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, King and his current apprentice, White, was somehow holding their own without much effort. King effortlessly dodged and parried every move the Gizoids had to offer without showing signs of fatigue or annoyance. And to add to insult, he was drinking green tea during the whole thing. White seemed to be taking the battle more seriously that his teacher as he was crushing every Gizoid within his reach.
"You need to settle down, my young friend." King advised, pouring himself another cup of green tea. "If you allow yourself to become too temperamental, you'll lose focus."
"I'm sorry, master." White grunted, kicking his foot through another Gizoid. "But I really don't think this is the time to relax."
"There is always a time to relax, Michael." King said nonchalantly; White scowled.
In another part of the area, Gemini was fending for himself at an exhausted rate. Because he was so outnumbered, the dark hedgehog was forced to rely on his replication technique. But even that wasn't enough to help him. Because they both ran on the same energy and the same sight, Gemini lost energy much faster and was left confused because all the Gizoids look the same. The only bright side was that his strength had doubled and was able to defend himself with perfect form.
"Ok, this is getting redundant." Gemini #1 commented.
"What's that?" Gemini #2 asked
"How is it that we always get dragged into the worst possible predicaments?" Gemini #1 whined.
"Aw, suck it up!" Gemini #2 grunted. "You're embarrassing me by being me!"
As the battle raged on between machines and organic warriors, Metal and his squadron were forced to face their own kind. Fortunately enough, because they were techno-organic machines, the Gizoids were unable to scan their abilities. With that being known, the Metal Squadron divided between their ranks and slaughtered them with ease. Talon used his version of Jet's fans and ripped through their armor and occasionally jabbing through their chests. Esp used a series of ninjutsu that ranged from fireballs to wind manipulation. Knux pounded the tiny robots into the ground while Amelia crushed them with her metal hammer.
"METAL SURGE!!" Metal, Mecha, and Emerl cried simultaneously.
Before the Gizoids could recognize what happened, several blurs of blue, black, and orange swept through the ranks; a clash of thunder traveled through the air. After a moment of dazzling light, Metal, Mecha, and Emerl emerged from the army of robots with the electricity from their hands dying away. A moment later, the Gizoids shattered.
"Hmph! Not even worth our time." Mecha stated furiously.
"I feel kinda sad." Emerl said mournfully. "These were my brothers...and I killed them."
"You are not one of them." Metal assured. "Your place is with us, your true family."
Emerl nodded grateful, happy in knowing that he still had those who cared for him. Ix stood above the containers of the former clones, watching with boundless rage and frustration. The Gizoids were failing terribly against the heroes. Was this part of Hybrid's doing as well? As he began to contemplate this matter, Ix spotted Shade and the trio of hedgehog rapidly approaching through the battle zone. The enraged imperator jumped down from his hold and landed to confront the traitor and her allies.
"You're game is over, Ix." Shade stated, waving her hand to the battlefield. "The Gizoids are dying and you have no army left to fight with. And without the clones to aid you, your plans are destroyed."
"Once again, you fail to grasp the full concept of my power." Ix chuckled.
"Give it up, Ix!" Silver demanded. "You're outnumbered!"
"Fools!" Ix screamed furiously. "I am Pir'Oth Ix! Imperator of the Nocturnus Tribe! I shall never concede defeat!"
"And I have no problems with that." Shadow grinned; his ring bracelet began to glow. "CHAOS CONTROL!!"
In a flash, Shadow vanished without a trace. Ix was thrown off guard by the initial shock, but managed to raised his scepter in defense as the hedgehog's foot came thrashing downwards. With a great effort, the aged echidna was able to push away the Ultimate Life-Form, but now found himself faced with Silver. The psychic hedgehog thrusted his glowing palm to Ix's stomach and released a minimal blast of energy. The imperator was able to withstand the force of the attack, but that didn't stop him from skidding backwards into the tanks. Growling audibly, Ix raised his scepter to release a blast of black lightning. Shadow was able to avoid the attack with Chaos Control, but Silver was unfortunate enough to receive the full effects. He was still alive, but his nerves were temporarily stunned.
"Do you know understand that my power is unlimited?" Ix sneered to Shadow, who was looking over Silver. "If your value the lives of your friends and yourselves, you will surrender to me at once."
"Not happening!" Sonic suddenly appeared in front of Ix and maintained a firm hold on the echidna's scepter. "I've met people like you before more than once. I know you won't keep your word."
"You are wise beyond your years, young one." Ix grimaced, pushing against the hedgehog. "But I have four thousand years of experience in knowledge and battle. You cannot hope to defeat me."
"If I lose, at least I gave it my best shot." Sonic smirked playfully.
"You will perish." Ix swore.
Finally able to pull his scepter away, Ix encased the weapon on a sphere of dark energy and swung it around towards the hedgehog. Sonic laughed wholeheartedly as he effortlessly jumped over the scepter and bounced off the echidna's head; Ix was furious. Muttering a specific chant, Ix stabbed his weapon into the ground, which transformed into a layer of slippery silver tiles. Sonic unwillingly tripped over the surface of the substance and glided across the floor into the wall. Taking a chance at Sonic's uncertain form, Ix once again performed a chant and send a sphere of darkness flying towards the hedgehog. Sonic was barely able to stand before he took notice of the approaching death ball. He knew it was a risk to attack unprepared, but Sonic summoned a premature sphere of blue energy into his palm before thrusting it forward.
"SONIC WIND!!" Sonic yelled.
When the attacks collided, a miniature explosion erupted between the two, sending Sonic flaying backward across the room. The hedgehog landed with a thunderous thud in the middle of the battlefield close to Hybrid, unknowingly dropping his newly received Chaos Emeralds.
"Hehehe! Such sloppy showmanship." Ix cackled. "If I wanted a show, I would have expected a better performance." Without warning, his stuck his scepter out, halting Shade's Leech Blades. "Ah, attacking without providing your opponent a chance. That isn't very honorable for a Knuckles Tribe warrior."
"I learned it from you." Shade said spitefully. "Never allow you open a moment's reprieve or your doom yourself to death."
"You have learned well." Ix nodded. "But unfortunately, you have learned too much. You must be properly disposed of."
In one swift motion, Ix pushed his former servant away and stabbed his scepter for her heart. The echidna warrior was able to dodge the attack with only a scratch as consequence. Shade growled and skipped over the echidna imperator, crossing her blades when they reached close to the pinnacle of his head. But Ix successfully performed a spell that created a thin barrier between them and waited until Shade had landed to release it. Upon landing on her feet, Shade dropped down and swung her legs around to Ix's feet. Unfortunately, the imperator used the head of his scepter to grab the echidna warrior by her ankle and twisted her around to her stomach. Shade attempted to push herself back up, but Ix stabbed his scepter through her back and into the floor below her; Shade cried in relentless pain.
"That's right...scream." Ix requested pleasingly. "Scream like your mother the day I took you away."
"Y-you monster!" Shade grunted horribly; her vision was becoming blurred. "I swear, I will kill you!"
"I find that hard to believe." Ix laughed, pushing his scepter in further.
Shade released another scream of torture. The pain was becoming too much to bear for the echidna as Ix refused to let up on the pain until she had suffered a most painful death possible. Her voice echoed through the room, but no one was paying attention when they had their own battles to deal with. But Hybrid, who was clinging to his last thread of life, wanted desperately to reach out for her. But his body betrayed him and left him to wallow of the bloodstained floor.
"Shade..." Hybrid thought sorrowfully. "No...I can't lose Shade. I can't lose her like I lost my mother!"
Hybrid tried every attempt to move his body, but the hedgehog could not draw the strength to move a finger. All had seemed hopeless as he stared around the room. The heroes were growing weary and the Gizoids kept multiplying. All this destruction...he caused it all. He has lost his mother and took his anger out on the whole world. Everything he had believed, everything his mother had taught him, was wasted away by Ix and his plot.
"I promised peace, but I only brought destruction." Hybrid thought as a tear escaped his eye. "Mother, how could you have loved a monster like me?"
It was almost as if the spirit had heard his thoughts. Without any explanation, the dent in Hybrid's locket was restored and the golden circlet opened with a snap. Hybrid somehow gained the abilities to move his neck and looked into the golden gift. Inside the locket was a picture of Hybrid as a young infant being held lovingly by his mother in the park. Hybrid couldn't help but smile at Sarah's loving expression as she held the laughing hedgehog in her arms.
"Never forget who you are." A ghostly whisper echoed in Hybrid's mind. "I love you, Hybrid, my brave little boy."
"Mama..." Hybrid thought.
From this point, Hybrid allowed himself to weep openly for the first time since his mother's death. Even after all he had done, his mother still loved him. He decided there was only one option left: he needed to defeat Ix. Drawn by the thoughts and feelings of the defeated hedgehog, the Chaos Emeralds began to glow at such a brilliant rate that their light turned pure white. All the battles were ceased immediately and Ix unknowingly stopped his torture with a shocked expression.
"What is happening?" Ix questioned horridly.
Under the glow of the mystic emeralds, Hybrid's wound swiftly healed itself and the mixed hedgehog began to levitate off the floor. Friends and enemies alike stared with mystified expression and glazed looks in their eyes. As the Chaos Emeralds spiraled around the mixed hedgehog, an explosion of light escaped his body, blinding everyone for a short time. When their sight returned, everyone stood entranced by Hybrid's new appearance. His black fur has transformed to shining white with his white mane turning a deep shade of gold. His six quills were pointed upwards and his blue highlights were transformed into a piercing crimson-red.
"Is that the Super Form?" Amy asked surprisingly.
"That's no Super Form I've ever seen." Blaze responded.
"It can't be." Ix muttered fearfully. "That Form is only supposed to be a legend!"
"This endless reign of violence has come to an end, Ix!" Hybrid proclaimed. "For your deception and disregard for the life of my friends and family, you must be punished! Beware, for you have called up the wrath of..."
"Hyper Hybrid!!"
The final card has been drawn for the last hand! Will Hybrid's new form be enough to end Ix's reign of terror? Will Ix prove to be too powerful for them to overcome? And what is the secret of this miraculous form? Find out in the epic conclusion of Hybrid's Wrath!
Please read and review.