Chapter 25: Clash with the cat: Part one
Link was VERY angry now. He took out his sword and equipped his shield.
"That's it! Tonight, Concolor dies! I'll make sure of it!" He snarled.
He was about to run off, when Fox stopped him.
"Hold it right there, Link. There are two problems with your plan. One: You don't know where kitty litter is. And two: if you do find him, you'll need a plan." Fox stated, looking Link in the eye.
Link looked Fox in the eye, Fox was only slightly taller than Link excluding the ears, but Link still did that. After a few seconds, Link stopped his advance, but his face was still very stern. He backed away enough steps to stop himself from doing something bad. Fox then got back to telling them his plan.
"Alright, we'll need someone to go off and find Zelda. I think I should go, seeing as I have all the…" Fox began, but then someone spoke.
"You're one of the better fighters around here. Don't go, I'll go instead."
Fox turned and saw Shadow standing up. For a minute, Fox was stunned at this, because Shadow seemed…worried about someone's life. It seemed pretty strange to Sonic as well.
"I'll go find Zelda." Shadow repeated.
Sonic looked at Shadow and said, "Shadow…" but then someone spoke in his mind.
"No, Sonic. Let him go. He has a few things he needs to sort out. He can only do it when he finds Zelda. Do you understand?" Mewtwo said, his eyes as serious as ever.
Fox nodded and asked, "But how will you find her? We don't even know where Concolor is."
Fox then noticed Krystal had her eyes closed. When this happened, Krystal normally had something on her mind.
"Krystal?" Fox asked, scratching his head.
Krystal opened her eyes and said, "I'm sensing faint thought patterns." She looked to Shadow and added, "I'll show you where they are. Just follow my lead. By the way, take this."
She handed Shadow a small device. It was a small sphere with a glowing red center.
"When you find her, activate it and we'll be able to find her." She explained as Shadow inspected it.
Shadow nodded in approval and vanished in a flash and said, "Chaos control."
Shadow appeared outside the ranch and a small image appeared in his mind. This was Krystal's work alright and he followed it wherever it led him. By the time he got very close, he found himself near a pit. Without further hesitation, he dropped down the hole. He fell for a minute or two and then his feet landed on ground. He saw a huge fortress taller than Hyrule Castle. It was as black as ebony and every rooftop was a huge spire that looked more like a spine.
Shadow looked around and thought, "Reminds me of Black Doom's place. This is going to be tougher than I thought."
He sped off through the fortress faster than any guard could see. He then heard the noise of rattling chains and followed where the noise came from.
He arrived in a cell complete with iron bars and Zelda was chained to the wall in the corner. In another flash of light, he appeared behind the bars. He saw Zelda had her back to him and shook her.
"Wha…?" She asked in surprise as she rolled over.
Shadow made a quick check to make sure they were alone before asking, "Are you alright?"
Zelda simply nodded and Shadow said, "Now I know where you are…"
He pressed a button on the small device and it began to beep quietly, but not enough for someone to hear. Zelda then asked Shadow something she had been longing to have answered.
"Shadow, what happened in your past? You've done nothing but stare at me since you saw me. You have something to tell me. I know you do."
Shadow's eyes widened, but he remained silent.
He turned away, but Zelda begged, "I must know."
Shadow looked at Zelda and finally knew she had his trust. He sighed and began.
"I am not a true life form. I was created by science. I lived most of my life in a place called ARK and while I stayed on there, I met a girl named Maria. We grew up together and we became very close to each other." Shadow closed his eyes and continued in a very quiet tone. "Then, one day, everything changed. A group of men came on ARK and began terrorizing it. Maria decided to let me live so she deposited me to my home planet. However, I heard her die…someone killed her."
Zelda was almost on the verge of tears. This story was terrible.
"Now, every time I look at you, I'm reminded of her. She seems to live in you."
Zelda had never heard of anyone who went through so much pain.
"I never knew you went through that. I now feel sorry for you."
She then did something Shadow didn't expect. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. Shadow froze for a minute, but then returned the embrace. Then, for the first time in his life, he shed a single tear.
"Thank you, Zelda." He whispered.
"Oh, how touching." Someone snarled. Shadow recognized that voice.
Shadow released Zelda and met Concolor face-to-face for the second time. The cougar-like man standing in the cell, his scowl so wide it almost fell off his face.
"You've seen too much already, traitor." Concolor growled.
Shadow scowled and said, "I thought I told you. I NEVER WORKED FOR YOU!"
Concolor sneered and said, "Does it matter? Begone!"
Concolor raised a sphere in his hand and a green portal opened up. Shadow grabbed the bars of the cell, but the portal was sucking him in like a tornado. He couldn't hold on much longer and he had one final thing to tell Zelda.
Just when he lost his grip, he shouted, "I LOVE YOU, ZELDA!"
He disappeared in the portal and Concolor laughed.
"One down." was all he said. Little did he know that Shadow left his tracker behind.
Everyone else got Shadow's signal, and the plan was to be put into action. Fox turned to Sonic.
"Sonic, take the others to the redeye carcass and touch it with this. Do it only if Concolor comes out of hiding and is in plain sight." He said as he handed Sonic a strange, rabbit-like creature.
Fox turned to Link and Krystal and said, "You two are coming with me."
Link took out his sword and Krystal took out her staff. They then moved off after Shadow's signal.
Sonic and the others found the redeye. It was almost a pile of bones now, but he wasn't sure what this thing would do.
"Alright, roll call!" Sonic commanded. "Pikachu: Check, Kirby: Check, Mewtwo: Check, Samus: Check, Donkey Kong…" Sonic looked for the big ape. "Donkey Kong?" DK was gone.
They arrived at Concolor's fortress and got into Zelda's cell in five minutes tops. Link saw that Zelda had a look of absolute fear on her face. The trio turned around and saw the catlike person with his eyes shut tight. He then opened them to see his pupils nothing more than slits. He hunched over and ripped his shirt off as his muscle mass began to increase until he was almost as bulky as Ganondorf. His feet turned into paws, each one studded with claws. His pointed nails turned into razor-sharp, 3-inch claws. His head became more catlike and his fangs elongated. He also grew a cougar's tail and fur. He gave a loud roar and began to slowly move toward the three.
"Whoa! That is one FREAKY mutation!" Fox said in disgust.
"You see, before you, my TRUE form with the power of the full moon." Concolor said.
Concolor's voice was now far deeper and had a very beastly tone in it. It sounded nothing like the tone he used before, which only sounded crafty.
"That explains why he only attacked at night." Link said to himself.
Suddenly, without warning, Link charged with his sword drawn. Concolor simply spun around and backhanded him. The blow sent Link to the other side of the room. Concolor was obviously much stronger in this form. Krystal had just lowered her staff and fired red energy blasts at the cat. He dodged each one and crossed the room in just a second. His claws raked Krystal's back and she cried out. He then performed a sweep kick and tripped her, but when he turned around, Fox thrust the Gerudo spear at him and it impaled the half-cougar right in the stomach. The cougar grunted in surprise, and for one precious second, Fox thought he had the cat for good. Concolor scowled in pain as he seized the spear in his hands and yanked the spear out of Fox's hand. The cat jumped at the wall and sprung off it with the same ease. He then tackled Fox, grabbed his head in one hand and his shoulder in the other. He opened his mouth and Krystal realized what was going to happen.
"FOX! NO!!!" She screamed.
Too late. Concolor dug his sharp teeth into Fox's neck and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Fox's hand twitched violently for a few seconds and then fell limp.
Concolor licked blood off his lips and said, "Next."