Recommended listening: "Campione!" by Tatsuya Katou for the OST of the anime of the same name.

The tables had finally turned for the better. Kane and Shadow faced off, for the last time. With Maria now in the box, there was no chance of Kane pulling any dirty tricks. Even though she couldn't overwrite the previous Judge's decisions, all Shadow had to do now was knock Kane down one more time.

Just once.

The Echidnas were either on the edges of their seats or standing on their tip-toes, the anticipation of the final showdown sending shivers down their spines.

Maria kept a close eye on Kane. She wouldn't let him cheat anymore. The moment he did, the match would be over. Glancing over at Shadow, she murmured a quiet payer for his safety. Now that he had no choice but to fight, Kane would likely be even more dangerous.

I hope you know what you're doing, Shadow…

Kane lunged at Shadow, throwing his full power and fury into his blows. He'd been saving his reserves of energy, but without the Ring's help, those reserves would quickly begin to run out. It was do-or-die time. With his sudden burst in speed, agility, and aggression, Shadow found it extremely difficult to stay ahead of his opponent.

Continuing to drive forward, and careful not to leave openings, Kane forced Shadow further back. Without adequate time to monitor his surroundings, Shadow misstepped as his left foot nearly went straight through the broken area of the stage that he'd fallen through before.

THUD!

A thick, spiky glove solidly connected with Shadow's stomach, knocking the wind out him. Shadow's exhausted body instantly collapsed to it's hands and knees, gasping for air. Not about to let Shadow recover, Kane continued his assault, delivering a full-force punch to the back of Shadow's head.

"Shadow!" Maria cried out. Shadow was now laying face flat on the ground, unmoving. "Shadow, get up!"

Kane grabbed Shadow by a fistful of his spikes, holding him up from the head. Shadow was still conscious and his eyes were open, but they looked hazy and confused. Kane used his right hand to punch Shadow straight in the face, causing his body to dangle from his left hand like a doll. He laughed at the helplessness of his foe, swinging him in a circle for the entire crowd to see. The crowd remained silent. They would not acknowledge Kane's unsportsmanlike behavior.

The dejected Echidna shouted at the crowd showing off his new punching bag. Uden, who'd entered the Judge's booth alongside Maria, translated.

"You who decided to put your blind trust into this… rat… are nothing but fools. Our Chieftain has safeguarded this race longer than any other, and has unified us as a people! And you've returned his effort with betrayal. If one were to ask me… none of you are fit to bear the name 'Echidna'. Let this rat's death be a lesson to the rest of you. This is what becomes of those who would challenge the Chieftain's authority!"

Kane began to push Shadow in the face again and again. The red warrior continued, even as a puddle of green blood began forming at his own feet. The look on his face was one of a crazed beast, concerned with fighting and nothing else.

"Stop!" Maria cried, "Uden, stop him! Why isn't Shadow doing anything?!"

"Shadow is most likely punch-drunk," Uden answered. "He's been beaten so badly that he cannot think clearly. In a normal fight, it would be grounds to end the match. But this isn't an ordinary match. If Shadow is still conscious, he must fight."

"Isn't there anything we can do?!"

"Pray that he loses consciousness before Kane kills him."

Shadow's body, though limp after Kane's vicious punches, still showed signs of life. Shadow groaned, his eyes struggling to focus on the enemy in front of him. There were three… no… four Kanes in front of him. He had to stop them… had to beat them.

The rag of a body, still dangling from Kane's left hand, twitched, it's arm attempting to throw feeble punches to his left and right. The sight of his still living prey ticked Kane off.

"What are you trying to hit, rat? Not dead yet? Don't worry. You soon will be."

Kane grabbed one of Shadow's legs with his left hand, then switched his right hand from Shadow's spikes to one of his arms. He raised the hedgehog's body high above his head, once again showing him off to the crowd. The crowd collectively gasped, and began whispering amongst themselves.

"That move! He intends to break Shadow's spine!" Uden growled. The elder then raised his voice and yelled at Kane in his native tongue. "Stop this madness, Kane! Such drastic measures are unnecessary!"

"You are wrong, old man," Kane answered calmly. "This is exactly the kind of measure that needs to be taken. To defy the current structure of our society is crime, and one that should be quickly dealt with. Allowing this rat to live will only allow him to try again. The winner is the one who decides what is right, and this is my decision to make."

"Kane! How dare y-"

"Say what you will, but this fight will end along with Shadow's life, and the same will happen to anyone who stands against our Chieftain. If you value your life, and the life of that creature beside you, you'd best take that monstrosity at the village's edge and leave. I, for one, will show you no quarter."

"Geh…" Uden cringed. This was bad. The crowd was starting to waver, and some had already begun leaving, intent on not falling under the wrath of the Chieftain. Slowly a line of people began to form of those scared for their lives.

"Coward!" Maria shouted at the top of her lungs. The Echidnas who had begun to walk away stopped in their tracks, turning their heads in confusion. "The only thing you're fighting for is more power! Ruling through fear and intimidation isn't being a leader, it's being a dictator! Shadow isn't fighting for himself… he isn't fighting for me… he isn't fighting for all of you either. He's fighting because someone he calls his friend is in trouble! Compared to him, you're nothing but a coward. And Shadow doesn't lose to cowards!"

The entire crowd was silent. The Echidnas were exchanging startled glances amongst themselves, looking from Maria to Uden to Kane, then back to Maria.

"Maria…" Uden's eyes were wide open in surprise. "When did you…?"

"What?" Maria asked, confused. Everyone was staring at her. It was pretty creepy, and Maria couldn't help but feel like she'd done something wrong. "Did I do something?"

"You…" Kane's voice rang out in the silence. "Just when did you learn to speak our language?"

What? What is he… The significance of what he'd just said finally hit her brain. She looked at Uden, then at Kane. Uden hadn't been translating. Wait… did I just understand him?!

"Stay silent if you wish. It matters not. This match is over anyways." Kane heaved Shadow up and over his shoulders, letting gravity drag his heavy body downward. Kane lifted his knee, lining it up with the center of Shadow's back, ready to deliver a blow that would surely fracture his spine.

Crunch.

A sickening sound of bone breaking resounded, causing everyone listening to cringe.

"Shadow!" Maria screamed. "Shadow! Shadow! SHADOW!"

"Shut up already!" Shadow's voice rang out. "I can hear you just fine! Don't worry… I don't lose to cowards, right?"

Maria gasped. The crowd looked on, eyes wide. Shadow was suspended in the air, his right elbow and right knee in a vice around Kane's outstretched leg. Kane hadn't moved, his brain still in apparent shock that Shadow had managed to block his knee. Then, the pain hit.

Kane fell to the ground, screaming in pain, dropping Shadow to the ground as well. The hedgehog's knee-elbow grip had been applied with enough force to break Kane's femur into three pieces. His upper leg bone now broken in two places, Kane could do nothing but try and bear with the excruciating pain.

"How?! How did he…?"

Shadow stood up from where he'd fallen, slowly walking over to where Kane lay, howling. He stood at Kane's head, looking down at him with unforgiving eyes. The Echidna clenched his teeth and looked up, meeting Shadow's accusatory stare.

"Maria…" Shadow raised his eyes to his partner in crime. "Tell him to give up. He can't fight anymore."

"Me? I can't…" she glanced over at Uden, who was still looking at her with the same shocked look he'd had before. Am I still doing it? Well, then. Maria took a deep breath and spoke out loud "Kane! You can no longer fight in that condition! Shadow asks for you to resign from the fight!"

"I would rather die!" Kane retorted. Once again, Maria couldn't believe that she could understand him.

"Shadow…" Maria started.

"Don't worry, Maria," Shadow looked back down at his opponent. "I have a feeling I know what he said." He knelt down next to the Echidna and brought his face close to his own. "I'll leave you with one piece of advice, then. The easiest way to beat someone unconscious…"

THWACK.

"… is to hit them when they least expect it."

"Shadow!" Maria hugged Shadow at the base of the Judge's tower. Shadow could barely hear her over the roar of the crowd, who'd gone completely nuts upon Kane's defeat. The guards immediately took action, doing their best to keep the crowd from trampling the new Chieftain or each other. Uden, still in the Judges box, looked down on the two of them with a mix of confusion and relief.

"I'm all right now that I can heal myself without worrying about a fight, but I'm more surprised at you." Shadow spoke. "But we don't have time to talk about that right now. Where did Tikal go?"

"To the northern end of the village. There's a crevice in the cliff face that leads to the Master Emerald, just like you said. The Chieftain went there this morning, and Tikal probably went to try and stop him."

"So he pulled a fast one…" Shadow comprehended. "And Tikal didn't see it coming. All right; I need to go after her. Let's go." He scooped Maria up into his arms, and gathered his Chaos power beneath his feet. A small explosion erupted underneath Shadow's soles, propelling both of them through the air. The Echidna below looked up in awe at the two visitors soaring through the air, cheering for their new leader.

"It's a little strange isn't it? For a hedgehog to be the leader of the Echidna clan?" Maria poked fun at Shadow.

"Try not to remind me. I'm having a hard enough time dealing with this like it is. All the more reason to make sure Tikal is okay."

"What does that have to do with it?"

"…" Shadow looked at Maria blankly. "You didn't expect me to stay the Chieftain, did you? I'm turning it over to Tikal the moment we get a chance. The three of us still need to go home you know."

"Aw, you're no fun."

Shadow landed a few dozen feet from their hut, where the Prototype lay, apparently completely unconcerned by the activity of the crowds in the village or the sudden arrival of Maria and Shadow.

"We're back," Shadow spoke to the lizard as he and Maria walked up.

It lifted it's head toward them and growled softly. A deep voice welled up inside Maria's head, as if it was coming from every direction. "I knew you'd win. Even without my 'distraction'."

Maria came to a dead stop. Did he just…?

"Maria?" Shadow noticed Maria stopped after a few steps, and turned around. "What's wrong?"

"Is something wrong with the little one?" the voice spoke again. "She's paler than normal."

"I… I can…"

"You can… you can what?" Shadow asked, brows furrowed.

"I can understand him… I can understand the Prototype…"

Author's Note: Well, now... what does this mean? Will our heroes make it in time to stop the Chieftain? Or is something much worse in store? Stay tuned!