Chapter 21- A Thirst for Power
"This will be suitable enough," Shadow snorted as he stopped dead in his tracks, causing the blue hedgehog, pink hedgehog and white bat following him to stop as well.
Amy Rose was also with them since they passed her on the way out and demanded not to be left behind. Knuckles had already returned to Angel Island to guard the Master Emerald by the time they left the hospital.
They were in a forest clearing outside of Station Square. It seemed like a giant ring, since the clearing was almost in a perfect circle, high trees surrounding it on all sides.
A gust of wind blew over the area, rousing some leaves from the trees and swaying the grass. Shadow and Sonic's quills waved in rhythm with nature's breath as the dark hedgehog turned around slowly to look at his counterpart.
Then, without a sign or a warning, Shadow took off towards the blue blur, his body a mere black and red flash. Sonic's eyes widened out of surprise by the sudden charge as his hand shot out to capture Shadow's fist in his palm.
The ultimate life form released no shocked look or words as he flipped over his copy, landing behind him and aiming a round house kick at his head. Sonic ducked in time to feel the air pressure the powerful kick had created against his quills. Bending his knees, the hero shot into the air, raising his right hand in a swiping position.
"Rouge, Amy, get out of the way!" Sonic bellowed, catching the white bat's and pink hedgehog's attention.
The two females complied without question and ran for cover into the trees, staying just under the first couple of nature's children to still watch the battle.
Then, with one powerful swipe, Sonic released a blue gust of energy towards Shadow.
The black blur's face remained emotionless as he darted to the left to avoid the attack. The Sonic Wind hit the ground the next instant, creating a large cut deep in the earth with a cloud of dirt, as if some giant knife had sliced it.
Shadow sped up and headed for the closest tree in his range.
With a bend of his knees, the hedgehog jumped against the rough bark and stayed there for a second with both of his hands on it to create an extra boost before he catapulted off the tree towards the still airborne Sonic.
The cerulean hedgehog grit his teeth as Shadow's fist barely missed his head, only swiping a few loose hairs off. Sonic took the opportunity of the opening and tacked the dark hedgehog, sending them both crashing to the ground, Sonic landing on top of Shadow.
The dark hedgehog showed sings of frustration for the first time since the battle started and kicked the sea colored hedgehog off with a powerful swipe of his leg.
Sonic closed one eye in pain before he skidded to a halt on the ground, his left hand supporting him as he stood there in a crouched position.
"Hmph," came Shadow's only vocal addition to the fight as he jumped up and darted for his look-alike again, swinging his left fist at him.
Just as he had expected, Sonic ducked under it. A small smirk played Shadow's lips as he raised his knee, digging it into the blue hedgehog's stomach. Sonic's emerald eyes widened as his mouth twisted open to let out a silent scream of pain.
-
"Sonic!" Amy called frantically to her crush, attempting a mad dash for him.
Rouge caught the frantic pink hedgehog in time and wrapped her arms around her frail body to hold her back, "No Amy, it's too dangerous."
"Let me go!" the rose female protested as she wiggled in her bat friend's firm grip.
After ten seconds, the hedgehog gave up and the bat loosened her grip, letting her Sonic-obsessed friend stand on her own. She too, however, could not entirely hide her concern for the blue hedgehog, as well as the black one, though.
-
Sonic tumbled to the ground for an instant before his body shot back up out of pure instinct, just in time to block another kick from Shadow with his own leg.
A loud boom echoed through the air as both hedgehogs simultaneously drew back their legs. Sonic's eyes narrowed, his jade eyes aflame as he made his first offensive maneuver since his Sonic Wind.
Grabbing his dark look-alike by the quills, he pulled Shadow's head down and drove his knee straight into his face. A small grunt of pain shot from Shadow's mouth as Sonic delivered another blow, this time in the form of a punch to the dark hedgehog's stomach.
Closing one eye in pain, Shadow suddenly blinked away from Sonic's line of sight.
'Chaos Control,' the blue hedgehog thought as his eyes scanned the area for the dark one.
What he didn't notice was Shadow appearing right behind him and before the hero could react, the ultimate life form grabbed both of the blue blur's wrists and forced him down to his knees with a simple twist.
And as the icing on the cake, Shadow planted his right foot between Sonic's shoulder blades, adding pressure to the hedgehog's arms, shoulders and back.
Sonic's mouth opened in pain before he grit his teeth in order to avoid crying out from it. Shadow smirked sadistically as he added more pressure to his foot, pulling the blue hedgehog's arms back more.
This time, the blue speed demon could not withhold the scream of pain that escaped his lips.
-
"S-Sonic," Amy gasped in shock, putting a hand to her mouth, tears brimming in the corners of her jade eyes.
"Stop it!" Rouge yelled to Shadow, but the ultimate life form paid her no heed.
What had he become?
-
"Do you still think I'm not superior to you?" Shadow asked icily as he tugged on Sonic's arms even more, a loud crack echoing through the air.
The ultimate life form smirked as Sonic squeezed his eyes shut from the pain. He had not broken anything, but he was pretty damn close. Calling upon some of the hidden power reserves within his body, the blue hero channeled it into his arms.
"Sh-Shadow!" Sonic roared, a boost of power and adrenaline fueling his worn-out body.
To the ultimate life form's shock, Sonic's fists clenched tightly as he began pulling his arms back the opposite way. Before Shadow could add more pressure to them, the blue blur spun around, twisting his own body and causing the ultimate life form to forcefully released his vice grip.
Jade eyes stared into red ones as Sonic grabbed Shadow's left arm, shifting his gravity and throwing the dark hedgehog into the air.
Momentarily shocked from the hedgehog's sudden power boost, Shadow shook it off when he saw Sonic beginning to form a light blue sphere of energy in his right hand.
"Shit," the obsidian hedgehog cursed, straightening out his right arm and grabbing a hold of his right wrist with his left hand, a sizzling orb of energy forming in his hand as well as he landed on the ground, taking off towards his rival.
"Shining Lance!" Sonic bellowed, indicating to Shadow that the blue blur had completed his hurricane-like attack.
"Chaos Spear!" Shadow yelled as if to accept Sonic's challenge.
The black hedgehog felt the power of his attack also reach completion as he sped up, his hover shoes flaring under him, his Chaos Spear sizzling behind him, his red eyes wide with anger and anticipation.
Sonic bent his knees and also took off, his Shining Lance swirling behind him, the same look Shadow was wearing also plastered on his face.
"What's wrong with you?" Sonic shouted at the top of his voice.
"I'm the superior one between us!" the ultimate life form screamed back at equal volume.
They were getting closer and closer to each other, so, in unison, each pulled the arm carrying their respective attacks forward and turned it into the tip of their arrow-mimicking bodies.
-
Amy couldn't take it anymore. All the fighting, all the chaos, all the hate recently. It was too much for the young hedgehog. Prying herself out of Rouge's grip, the young pink hedgehog dashed for the two fighting males.
"Don't!"
-
Shadow and Sonic's eyes both widened at the sight of the pink hedgehog running right into their line of fire.
"Damn it," the ebony hedgehog hissed as he re-averted his direction, heading towards one of the trees instead, unable to stop the charge.
Sonic followed suite and ran towards the tree next to the one Shadow would hit. With two loud explosions accompanied by a cloud of wood and dust, the two attacks hit the trees, completely destroying them.
Amy stopped, finally realizing just what she had done, she could have been killed if the two hadn't noticed her and continued their attacks!
Shadow and Sonic both rose from the ground after hitting the two trees, their eyes instantly meeting. Then, in a flash, Shadow huffed and turned his head away with a jerk.
Sonic managed to smile slightly before he was smothered by a pink blur that wrapped itself around him.
The blue blur's smile turned dry as he patted the wailing female on the back, "It's all right Amy, I'm fine."
"Oh Sonic," she cried into his shoulder, "I was so worried about you!"
Rouge also came to the small group, instantly receiving a sharp glare from the ultimate life form, "Why do you two always get in my way?"
The huntress gulped slightly. The way he stared at her unnerved the albino bat. Amy decided to answer for her.
"I'm tired of all this fighting," she murmured in response, not releasing her hold on Sonic.
A wave of silence hit the air before Shadow turned away, "Maybe my brother was right, you're a hindrance."
Aqua emerald eyes widened at the sudden statement. A hindrance? Is that what Eclipse had said? She felt her world beginning to crumble. She was nothing more to him than a hindrance, an obstacle?
Then, in a flash of light, he was gone from the spot, leaving a bewildered Sonic, a crying Amy, and a heartbroken Rouge.
-
Cool air danced with the leaves, a cherry blossom tree on the edge of a small pond rustling slightly. Amidst all of nature's beauty was someone that seemed out of place. One with dark fur and an even darker soul.
He was contemplating, thinking. He had been for a while now after his small fight with Sonic that ended in a stalemate thanks to an over-emotional bat. He snorted at the thought. She, along with everyone else, always got in his way.
"You still have too many attachments."
His brother's nonchalant, taunting voice danced in his head. Too many attachments, too many friends.
They were holding him back...
"You lack the thing you must feed on in order to kill me."
He lacked hatred. Pure, unflinching hatred.
Why? Because he was here, that's why.
His brother slowly drifted to a corner of his mind as a few leaves fell onto the pond before him.
One of the leaves slowly began to sink in the pond and for some reason even the dark hedgehog could not explain, Shadow reached out to grab it as if stirred by a sudden instinct. His gloved hand only scooped up water though; the leaf was too far down in the pond. The only way he could get it was by getting in the pond himself.
It hit him.
His realization.
It was just as the leaf and the pond.
The leaf represented his brother, drowned in darkness and hate and out of the ultimate life form's reach.
He represented himself, trying to reach him but coming up shorthanded.
He finally understood it perfectly.
In order to catch the leaf, in order to catch his brother, he had to get into the pond himself...
...He had to drown himself in darkness.
Flashback
"I'll admit your powers are impressive Shadow," the voice, undoubtedly belonging to Mephiles, hissed, "However, you are no match for me or your brother at your current level."
Bloody eyes widened when Shadow heard Mephiles mutter the next few words right behind him, "You're weak. But...I can change that. I can help you gain power, the power you so desperately chase after."
End Flashback
Yes, he could give him the power he needed. Mephiles the Dark.
It was then, that the dark hedgehog decided it. He needed power. To obtain power, he needed to drown himself in darkness.
The emerald in his chest started pulsing in response.
To drown himself in darkness, he needed to find Mephiles.
It's power and influence increased each second as the hedgehog thought and planned further.
To find Mephiles, he would need to leave.
The Dark Emerald erupted with newfound power, sending waves of sadistic thought through its host's mind. The actions he were about to take alone sent a new power level through his body.
Author's Note - Shadow's made a choice, but will he follow through with it? Find out in the next chapter entitled: Love and Betrayel.