Chapter 29: First step over the edge – part 2
A/N: "Happy New Year goes to all my loyal reader!!!! After a joyful holiday I'm back with the long expected next chap. I also want to thank one of my readers named v1ciouz-mizz-azn for some amazing fanarts she made based on this story. If you guys want to check it out, go to my profile page."
-- -- -- -- -- -- --
There she was, calm and motionless, surrounded by the tall and imposing trees in the forest. Kristy was in a complete state of meditation putting all her senses on full alert. At first sight she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts until her stealthy prowler launched toward her. She responded immediately by gracefully dodging him without looking around or hesitating in her timing.
Shadow landed on his hand and feet a few yards away, slightly frustrated that his one move attack failed. What seemed to be an easy target turned out to be a tough one to hit.
'What am I doing wrong? How can she evade my moves every single time and to make things worst she's even blindfolded.', Shadow thought unable to figure out this mystery.
In the meantime Kristy was standing with her back toward him as she took off the blindfold.
"Nine to one. I told you, you had a lucky shot.", Kristy said with a calm voice.
Kristy had a solemn composure, one of a true master. Now that Shadow gave her a chance to train him, she would take this opportunity death serious from beginning to end. She would never make fun of his failures.
"This time you waited longer before striking.", she continued. "That's good, but there is more to it you know. You must use that time to focus in a passive way."
She looked around just to check on the expression on Shadow's face, also above his head and just like she assumed Shadow didn't quite believe her.
'Focus in a passive way? Sounds to me a like a bunch of daydreaming therapy.', Shadow thought.
She fully turned around and said: "Back than, I could sense your intense presence. I can read your moves almost at the same rate you make them. You were completely focused on me like a predator on his prey. That's the lead I need to know what you're going to do, to sense your moves with a higher level of awareness."
'Higher level of awareness…..', Shadow repeated in his mind not really intrigued.
Kristy walked to a nearby tree where she placed her sport bag. She pulled out a bottle, sat down and took a zip from the re-energizing fluid inside.
"You and I can go beyond the instincts of a vicious predator.", she continued. "You must be able to predict your opponent's movements without giving away yours. That's how you'll manage to elude your opponent and make an effective hit. Unfortunately, such ability is hard to master in a complete perfection, since it's impossible to suppress every single emotion specially anger and fear. But all martial artist works hard to reach as close as possible to this ideal mental state."
She reached into her bag to fetch a smaller bottle with chao energy drink. Shadow caught it like a pro when Kristy tossed it toward him. "Ok, we'll take a short break then we'll switch places. If you give it a try with the awareness strategy you'll probably understand what I'm talking about."
And so the day went on. Kristy showed Shadow a couple of exercises and helped him train. It was hard for him because they all involved waiting, focussing, visualizing and for someone so active like him, such passive strategies were slow and boring. It was almost six o'clock when Kristy rounded of the training day. They were resting on a log before heading back to the cabin for a warm shower and dinner.
"You have a burning spirit.", Kristy commented after a long period of peaceful silence. "The spirit of a true fighter, but you must cool your temper or else any opponent will have a great advantage on you in any battle."
Shadow obviously didn't believe much of it. He had plenty of confidence in his skills to be worried about emotional turmoil.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
That night, after dinner, he went to the balcony to find Jake leaning on the railing peering into the night sky. As secluded as the chao might be most of the time, there was a point where he needed to reach out to someone to find answers to mysteries he stumbles upon. It was more than obvious that Jake had to be the one since he was a bonded guardian. But also, since the first time he met this male human in the park, Shadow felt very at ease in his company. Luckily Jake was not in the company of Kristy or his two annoying girl chao.
"Hey, Shadow. Came to view the night?", Jake asked casually as he noticed him. "Or you're just looking for Kristy?"
"Neither.", Shadow replied coldly after he flew up and landed on the railing. He sat down and pulled out something hidden in his wings. "I was wondering if you knew who this is?", he asked as he reached out with the object in his tiny hand.
The mysterious object turned out to be a pass photo with the face of a young man in his twenties. Jake took the picture and in no time just the expression on his face could tell that he knew who that was.
"Just like I remembered him, but where did you find this?", he wondered.
"It was poking from under a furniture in the living room.", Shadow replied as he waited for an answer to his own question.
Jake turned his face away but on a nick of time Shadow could see a slight gloominess on his face.
"The guy on this photo is Kristy's older brother.", he said with a spiritless voice. "He was the coolest guy I ever met. I wanted to become just like him when I was a teenager."
"He WAS???", Shadow echoed slightly puzzled.
"That's right. Unfortunately….. he died seven years ago."
Shadow felt a cold shiver run down his spine. 'Kristy's brother is death?', he thought shocked. Somehow he felt like he knew how it was to lose someone close. 'What's this sudden and strange feeling? It feels like I'm suddenly mourning someone's death.'
"How… how did he die??", Shadow stammered still a bit staggered by hearing this.
"I'm sorry, Shadow. It's not my place to tell you that. Kristy is the one that should talk to you about it. You may hang on to this in the meantime.", he said as he returned him the pass photo. "Although it's strange, after so much time she never returned the family pictures back into the cabin's living room."
That was the last he said right before walking back inside.
To see Jake suddenly leaving didn't bother him. He was staring at the picture that was returned to his hand. 'His death apparently had a mayor impact on Jake.', he concluded. He looked up toward a closed window with pulled curtains. He noticed the huge human shaped silhouette that had to be Kristy's. 'I'm sure it had an even greater impact on her.'
-- -- The next night -- --
It was after midnight, everyone was sound asleep, but in the living room Shadow was sitting on the windowsill staring outside into the night sky just like he used to do back on Chao Island. Even with his lightly sore muscles from a full day of training, he couldn't find his sleep.
'What's this bizarre training Kristy is giving me?', Shadow thought after he sighed to clear his mind. 'All this meditation, breathing and visualising is so pointless. I remember having to do something similar during martial art class in the Chao Dojo. I don't see how this is going to help me during the tournament. It's just one big waste of time. What I can't figure out is the reason why she's helping me. She must be smart enough to know that this Guardian-Chao agreement is a big sham for me to leave the island and I'll be leaving her for good very soon."
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
"So, there you are.", Atlas said as he arrived at the top of the hill near Chao Park to find Sonic sitting quietly on the edge. "The nurse told me you were already released from the infirmary. Don't tell me you're now trying to hide away?"
Sonic sighed heavily, sounding clearly depressed. "As much as I keep ponder about it, I still can't explain what happened. I wanted to better myself so anxiously, I reached a point where I got totally out of control. I don't remember details but when I saw Rosie and TJ in the infirmary….. and the devastated area, I knew I did something terrible. Luckily no one got seriously hurt or else I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."
Atlas closed his eyes and lowered his head. He understood what the young chao was going through. He stood next to him gazing on the expanded view of the island. Then he said: "I wish I could explain it in detail to you, kid. Put your worries to rest by telling you that it won't happen again, but I can't. What I think is that you probably reached a threshold and by such there is no quitting or turning back anymore."
By hearing this Sonic perked up a little. He turned toward Atlas clearly shocked of what his master just said. "A threshold, a threshold to what? Total chaos? Am I going to become a living being completely out of control that will attack and destroy everything around? Including my own friends? Maybe I was too careless and this is the result."
"Get over it already, Sonic.", Atlas said as he grew tired of hearing him down-talking himself. He looked down at his pupil with stern looking eyes, the face of a master. "It's too late for you to crawl back. You will overcome this drawback in order to reach your goal."
"But…", Sonic protested.
"No buts.", Atlas interrupted him. "You posses a huge potential that is slowly surfacing, you like or not. Don't be afraid of it, train to control it."
The young chao lowered his sight toward the ground. 'I can learn to control it? Of course I can. I can do it', he wondered and concluded right away.
He finally cleared away the cloud of gloominess in his mind. He stood up and said: "Alright, all I have to do is finish my training and whatever power I posses I will learn to control it."
Atlas gave a satisfied smirk. He was in favour of his young pupil being in an overconfident attitude than the depressing mood he had less than a minute ago.
"And also, Sonic….", he said as he made sure he had direct eye contact with him. "from now on you're going to listen and obey when I say; it's enough for today."
Sonic smiled embarrassed with one hand behind his head. "Yes, sir.", he said chuckling a bit.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
"So, what's the training for today?", Jake asked as he was clearing the table after having breakfast on the balcony. Julie and Suzie already took off into the forest to play around and pick some flowers. Jake was prudent enough not to mention the unexpected subject he and Shadow talked about two nights ago.
"Today will be the toughest part of the entire training. I shall find out if he really has what it takes." Suddenly her voice became lower but still audible for Jake. "It's been three days now and I'm still not sure if he really appreciates the training so far."
Jake paused a moment and said: "I'm sure he does."
"Did he tell you anything?", Kristy asked as Jake sounded so certain.
"Not really. I assumed he does, because he didn't quit on you yet.", Jake said trying to make a strong argument.
"Maybe he doesn't want to quit because he wants to keep his part on the deal we made.", Kristy sighed.
Jake always considered it his duty as best friend to give Kristy a pep talk whenever she needs one. "Don't lose hope. Sooner or later you will see how your wise teachings will flow into him.", he said.
A faint smile was visible on her face after hearing the words 'wise teachings'. She stood up and said: "You're right, that's why I planned today's training program a little more into his style. I can't give up on this tough pupil so soon. See you later than."
She went back inside, fetched her sport bag and left toward the training area where Shadow was already running his laps.
Like Kristy mentioned to Jake, today was the toughest day. Shadow already surpassed the burden of wearing the silver coloured Slave Rings. He was ready for the final and heaviest of the three sets of 'Slave Rings', the golden pair. At that point Kristy did something unanticipated. Instead of removing the silver pair, she added the gold ones to his legs and also a gold pair on his tiny wrists. The tough training schedule was unfolding in Shadow testing his endurance.
"All set we're both ready to start some stamina training.", Kristy said as she finished fastening weight bands on her own ankles and wrists.
'What got into her?', Shadow wondered as he was trying to ignore the sudden weight boost on all four extremities of his body.
"We'll start with a physical warm up, than we'll go for the Long Jog.", Kristy said as she pointed at a narrow sand road going deeper into the forest. Shadow had a concerning premonition after hearing the word 'long'.
The training suddenly had a drastic turn from passive to a muscle burning one. The so-called 'Long Jog' was a road four wheeled vehicles couldn't access, filled with obstacles such as boulders and fallen trees they had to jump over. When they reached the bottom of a dale with a stagnant pool of mud, Kristy simply hopped from one flat stone to the other until reaching the other side. On several occasions they were following the path going forward in a crisscross way or climbing up steep hills.
Time felt like it was going a lot slower than normal for Shadow. His confidence was quickly wearing out along with his stamina, but his will was still intact.
'No wonder she has a well trained body.', he realized. 'She probably did this kind of training many times already, but I won't give in.' His mind was thinking one thing, but his body was communicating the opposite.
The sun was beginning to set as they were approaching the final hill, the biggest one so far.
"Alright, we're almost done for today.", Kristy said. There was a path going all the way up like a spiral around the medium sized mountain. "The finish point is on the top of this hill. It might be a little steep but the secret is to lift your feet higher as you run."
Shadow was barely listening to what Kristy's advise. He was completely exhausted and panting heavily to fuel his blood with extra oxygen. Moving them or not, his limbs were aching like crazy. In his fatigued condition the bracelets felt twice as heavy, like they were almost ripping off his arms and feet. He looked up to Kristy who was also covered with sweat and tired, but she wasn't showing any signs of quitting.
'Is she really helping me train for the race or she suddenly decided to make me train to death?', he wondered.
It started off as a challenge but now it was becoming a torture he wasn't sure he was able to bear any longer. His first guess about Kristy going soft on him during the training vanished a long time ago.
"Let's hurry so we can see the sunset from the top.", she said while starting to climb up the hill paying not even the slightest attention to her worn out chao.
With a lot of effort Shadow started to move again, fighting the pain in his muscles and the extra weight on his limbs. Miraculously he was keeping a steady pace a few feet behind Kristy until they were half way to the top he felt his legs were no longer responding and fell to the ground. Kristy halted and looked down to her fallen chao. For a moment he thought Kristy would turn back to help him, what he really didn't want.
She remained on the same spot and said: "Come on Shadow, we're almost there. If you stop now you'll never make it."
Shadow couldn't move as much as he wanted to, his painful legs didn't respond. 'I can't move. Is this my limit?'
Kristy sighed while crossing her arms. "Don't disappoint me now, Shadow.", she said with a low voice.
"You clearly wanted to compete in the Chao Race during the Evolution Festival and I'm just doing my best to help you by training along with you. I'm as tired as you are right now but that won't let these extra weights stop me from reaching the top. I have faith in you being able to achieve whatever you want, but if you're letting the pain and fatigue take over you when you're so close to the finish point, than…… maybe it means you're not ready. You just don't have what it takes."
The volume of her voice went low again as these last words flow through her lips, but they struck Shadow like she was yelling through a megaphone.
"I don't have what it takes.", he whispered.
Kristy turned around to resume the training. "You can stay here and rest, than head back to the cabin before it gets too dark. Tell Jake I'll be back before dinner." Then she left, heading toward the top alone.
Shadow didn't hear a single word she said. He was still down on the ground lost in his mind with what she previously said. 'You don't have what it takes.' That sentence echoed over and over again. Then he started to recall everything he has been through from the moment he escaped Chao Island.
"I escaped so I could start my journey. I wanted to find out about these visions in my head. These accursed images keep showing up in my dreams, turning them into tormenting nightmares. I also wanted to become the fastest chao, but why? Does it really have something to do with Sonic?"
By only thinking his name an aggravating feeling went through his mind triggering anger that was slowly growing into fury.
"Why does his name bother me so much? Because he's cocky, because he acts like life is as easy as a breeze, because he thinks he can be better than me, faster than me."
He closed his tiny hands turning them into tight fists, pressing them hard against the soil. The anger was boiling and rising faster with the second. Although he was sitting on the shaded part of the hill he felt a heat around his body, but it wasn't bothering him at all.
He stretched his arms high above his head. "Why!!!!!! Why am I running in the first place!!!", he yelled in frustration as he pounded his fists against the ground as hard as he could.
"Why!?! Who am I really?", he mumble with his face against the ground. Through his eyes everything was suddenly spinning around him.
He looked up and could no longer see the forest or the mountains afar. Instead he was staring through a giant window into the darkness of space. Instead of a warm soil he was on his hands and knees on a cold metallic floor.
Shadow's past once again manifested itself, but this time it was an illusion that looked and felt as real as the path on the hill he was still sitting on.
'Where am I?', he wondered.
He heard footsteps coming toward him and people talking. "This is team three; the life form has been located."
"Confirmed team three, proceed with caution. The specimen must be captured death or alive."
"Shadow!!", a familiar voice whispered his name. He looked around and there she was.
"Hurry, we must reach the escape pods quick.", the girl said sounding worried and frightened.
'It's her!?! She's here.', he thought as he kept staring at her in complete silence.
The sound of heavy footstep was coming closer. He turned around and saw three G.U.N. soldiers arriving at the other end of the corridor, pointing their weapons toward him ready to fire. He reacted immediately by grabbing the girls' hand and taking off running but the soldiers immediately engaged the persecution.
'I don't understand. Why am I running? Why is this human girl so important to me? I have to make sure she's save.', he thought as he kept running.
He didn't have a clue where they were going. He wanted to lose his pursuers as fast as he could, but everywhere they went more soldiers were blocking the way. After some swift turns they suddenly entered a dark corridor. Shadow didn't like this as it could all be one big ambush, but he didn't have much choice. He could still hear heavy footsteps behind his back. He tightened his grip around the girl lower arm. Suddenly the sound of footstep ceased and there was a dreadful sound of gunshots. Shadow heard the girl give a loud scream and he suddenly her arm disappeared.
"Where is she?", Shadow mumbled as he looked around but couldn't see nothing but darkness.
'What's her name?', Shadow wondered as he wanted to call her.
A bright light was suddenly beaming above his head, creating a giant and round circle on the ground with him in the centre, alone. He was hoping to hear her voice again, make the sudden feeling of grief disappear, but only the soldiers' voices were audible. "The life form has no where to run. Prepare for confinement."
"You killed her just to get me?", Shadow asked loudly.
He lowered his head feeling a strange mixture of anger and despair. "I won't run away anymore. I will make all of you pay, pathetic humans. Face me if you really want to capture me.", Shadow yelled with a fierce tone in his voice.
It was silent, no one stepped forward, no one replied. Shadow gave a fearless, nearly devilish chuckle. "Fine. If you don't come out, I'll hunt down every single one of you.", he roared as he rushed into the darkness to face his tormentors.
-- -- -- Back to reality -- -- --
Without realizing it, Shadow reached the top of the hill catching up with Kristy. She was resting on a pile of rocks while gazing at the sunset until she heard someone arriving.
'That has to be Shadow.', she thought as she looked around. He was glaring back at her, huffing angrily rather than panting exhausted like he did before.
'Did he get so angry because of what I told him?', Kristy wondered as she kept staring at her chao's face dirty with soil.
"I'm impressed.", Kristy complimented with a faint smile. She was even more amazed when Shadow assumed a fighting stance. Something was wrong with him, she had a concerning hunch about it.
Kristy stood up. "So, all of a sudden you have energy to come all the way up here and pick a fight?"
She sighed at her chao's reckless action. "You made it, Shadow. Let's just call it a day. Tomorrow we'll start the last part of your training."
Shadow wasn't listening to her. By reliving the emotions of panic and frustration, he was completely blinded with rage caused by the lost of a dear friend and the fact that he still felt persecuted by G.U.N. soldiers. He didn't want to run away anymore, escape nor hide, because they were after him everywhere he went. He couldn't find peace unless he faced them.
"Humans, the humans did this.", he said short staring at what for him was a GUN soldier wearing goggles with red glasses and a gun in his hand aiming at him.
"This is going to end for once and for all.", he growled furiously as he dashed toward the soldier.
Kristy was shocked after hearing Shadow's tone of voice and seeing him charging toward her. He jumped doing a fly-kick attack on her but she reacted on the very last second and moved out of the way.
He went straight toward a tree, he used to rebound going immediately for the next attack.
Kristy started to sense something was serious wrong discarding her comment to be the cause of his angered behaviour. Her train of thoughts was suddenly interrupted when Shadow was approaching her again at high speed what gave him a greater advantage. By the time Kristy reacted she received a hit on the back of her left shoulder.
Her muscles were already sore from the training and with this hit a horrible pain went through her entire body. She fell on her knees trying not be overwhelmed by the soreness and remained calm to find out what's wrong with her chao.
Shadow landed a few feet in front of her catching his breath, getting ready for another attack.
"Shadow, what is wrong with you? Why are you so angry?", Kristy asked as she was slowly standing up again. "I don't want to fight you."
Shadow turned around with a fierce look that would frighten even a dark chao. For Kristy this was a sign that she could not reach into him, he wouldn't stop no matter the consequences.
'He has the stare of an extremely vicious predator. He's attacks are death serious and dangerous. I said I wouldn't fight him but the least I can do is defend myself if I want to end in one piece.', she said while assuming a fight stance waiting for the next attack.
Shadow considered this as provocation and his next move rose from deep within his natural instincts, popping into his head like an astonishing insight. His new fight stance consisted of wide spread legs while crossing his arms forming an X on top of his chest.
'What is he going to do?', Kristy wondered.
Shadow jumped one metre into the air, curling up into a ball and starting to spin at an incredible speed.
Kristy was totally stunned by his display of unnatural power. 'I've never seen a chao do something like that. Since when can Shadow do such technique? He'll charge toward me again, but this time he's a lot more dangerous.'
Kristy closed her eyes focusing all her senses. After this first attack she knew, even in his exhausted condition, Shadow was starting to move faster than her eyes could follow. His speed was tremendous even when he was still wearing the six bracelets and it would only confuse and distract her giving him many opportunities to attack. To elude him she relied on the training she recently instructed him.
After boosting up his speed to a high level, Shadow dashed toward Kristy, performing a weak version of Light Speed Attack.
"I'm ready.", Kristy whispered as she started blocking or diverging Shadow's attacks.
Kristy couldn't believe what her mind perceived. 'His attacks are completely frenetic, there is no pattern, but still he's in complete control of each move. That force, that speed… such chaos. It's too overwhelming, even with my eyes closed.'
She opened her eyes after realizing that Shadow suddenly ceased his attack wave. Her final counterattack pushed him against the ground skidding back to the same spot where he first started to attack. He laid there on the ground as if he could no longer fight, but deep inside his rage still didn't subside. It was rising to the highest limits his body could reach at that moment.
Kristy's concern was slightly turning into fear, fear of what Shadow would do next. Yet she didn't let that fear take control and tried one more time to talk with him.
"Come on Shadow, say something. It's me; Kristy, remember? What's bothering you?", she pleaded doing her best not to sound frightened but rather compassionate.
She wasn't sure if he was listening or not, but she definitely noticed a reaction. A faint red energy field was glowing around him.
"Shadow…", she called.
Suddenly she felt an exploding pain in her head, even inside her ears there was an unbearable pain. It was far worse than sharp nails scratching a school board. She struggled to remain on her feet.
"You pathetic humans must pay.", Shadow mumbled angrily.
"What!!!", Kristy yelped shocked.
'Did he say that? Did I actually understand what Shadow just said? How can this……', Kristy wondered astounded. Suddenly the answer came to her flowing over her lips as her two last words right before Shadow unleashed his final attack.
"Chao Bond…"
The sound of a loud explosion blasted throughout the entire forest, putting all the small creatures on the run for a save place and the birds flew away as fast as they could from where the commotion came from. Afterward it was silent once again.
