Disclaimer: Sonic The Hedgehog and all related characters are copyright to SEGA. Athair the Echidna was originally copyright to Sonic Archie Comics and Sonic Underground. I changed him a lot, but they still get credit. Lemon the Echidna, Tenchi the Hedgehog and all related characters that don't belong to SEGA belong to me, Zeldafreak-Vikki and my friend, Alyssa the Bat!
Author's Note: Ok, I openly give permission to you guys to yell at me for taking so long with this one. I just hope it's okay; this whole move I had to go through threw me off a bit. But now I'm fully settled in and my new computer is fixed now (I didn't have any good WordPad programs before). ; And now, without further ado, Chapter 20! (And to make up, I'll try to get the next one done quickly)
CHAPTER TWENTY - IT ENDS TONIGHT
Yami flexed his knuckles as he stood up on a nearby cliff, waiting. A few feet behind him, Lemon hugged her knees close as she sobbed, unable to hold back the tears any longer. Floating by the young echidna's prison was Starr, her big eyes shining with confusion. Yami looked back at his sister, sensing her uneasiness.
"Starr," he said, telepathically. "Tell me your thoughts..."
Starr's little transparent body tensed up as she looked up at him, her eyes going blank. Her thoughts projected before her, just like she had done to Lemon before. Images of Shadow the Hedgehog, both younger and older, swirled around in a mini-vortex, merging in with images of Yami and his inferior form, Shade.
"Interesting... you're dwelling on the past, even after I took control of your mind... There's only one way you could resist my powers..."
Starr's little face suddenly glowed with a smile, full of mischief and cleverness.
"You can't hold me much longer, Yami," echoed her voice, which was now doubled with a much more mature voice. Yami gasped as he recognized the older voice accompanying Starr's.
"Shuri," he growled, outraged. Shuri was the older version of Starr, resembling what Yami was to Shade, except that her powers were much greater. When he had taken control of his sister, Yami had hoped Shuri would stay asleep, but she had obviously been awakened at the mention of Shadow.
Shuri laughed. "Oh, Shade, you're so cute sometimes!" she exclaimed. "Always trying to act so big!"
Yami's fists clenched as his anger reached a new height. "My name is Yami, you little witch! And I WILL be the Ultimate Life-Form!!"
Starr's eyes lingered to where the Chaos Emeralds were lying, melting all the snow around them. Six...? Where was the seventh?
"...Oh no..."
Shadow the Hedgehog growled as he fought against the snow, which was up as high as his neck. If he hadn't called up the power of the Chaos Emerald to melt it all, he would've already died from the cold. However, calling up that power for more than ten minutes took up a lot of energy and Shadow wasn't sure he'd be able to keep it up for much longer.
That dark thought was accompanied by another one: 'What if Yami wins?'
'H-He can't win!' thought Shadow angrily, clenching his teeth as he glided as fast as he could. 'He can't! I don't care if I'm all alone in this, I can do it! I don't need anyone's help!'
CRACK!
Shadow gasped as he suddenly fell, landing face-first in the snow. The Chaos Emerald flew from his hand and landed a few metres away, losing its glow. Shakily, he looked behind him and cursed as he saw that his rockets-shoes had finally reached their limit. They sparked and crackled several times, then stopped altogether. Shadow let his head hit the snow, panting as the failure and defeat sank into his numb brain.
'No... I can't... move...'
He choked on a sob as he lay there, shivering and defeated. He should've known he couldn't win against Yami. For the first time in fifty years, Shadow the Hedgehog cried.
And then he was lost.
Staring endlessly. That's all he ever did. Ever since he had first set eyes on this world, he did nothing but stare. Some thought he was curious. Others figured he just didn't have the motivation to move.
Probably both were right.
One night, he was simply sitting there, staring at the wall when the automatic doors opened. There stood an echidna. Little did he know this echidna would soon be his enemy.
"Hey, Shadow!" said the echidna, his voice full of malice. "You may act like a brainless hedgehog but I know you've got some fight in you! Why don't you come face me and prove yourself to Maria?!"
Shadow's ears perked at the name. He blinked and looked up at the echidna.
"Alright, Yami," he said, his eyes narrowing.
Yami blinked. He never expected Shadow to actually speak. Then again, anything was possible after Gerald Robotnik himself, in attempts to call up their true powers, had aged them by ten years.
They walked down to the one empty room on the whole colony, which was a laboratory that was shut down after Arashi's death. But now it would finally be put to good use again.
The scars... It was Yami who had given them to Shadow all those years ago. And unless he acted now, that hateful echidna would win again.
"Grrrrrr...!" With his last few ounces of strength, Shadow reached out his hand. His eyes glowed bright red as he commanded power from the Chaos Emerald before him. As it began to glow brighter and brighter, he suddenly knew just what to do.
"Chaos Emeralds," he rasped, his voice almost completely gone. "I don't care what happens to me...! Just help me save Lemon!"
Yami looked over as his little collection of Chaos Emeralds began to glow. Starr's eyes widened and Lemon looked up, bewildered.
"Wh-What's going on? What's wrong with the emeralds?!" she demanded, standing up.
Yami's eyes narrowed as he fully faced the glowing jewels. "What the- ?"
He was cut off as something appeared out of mid-air and kicked him squarely in the back, knocking him off his feet. Both girls nearby gasped and stared as Super Shadow landed on his feet, moving too fast for either of them to fully see him. Yami got to his feet and chuckled, barely affected from the kick.
"Well, well, Shadow!" he said in a taunting voice. "I never imagined a weakling like you making it this far! Feeling scared?"
Shadow allowed himself a grin, knowing Yami was ready to finish the fight they had started fifty years ago.
"That's it, I'm goin' after him!" said Sonic, reaching for the door. However, before he could twist the handle, Amy had latched onto his arm.
"Noooo, Sonikku! That echidna was dangerous!"
Sonic tried to pull away, blushing. "Amy! Lemme go! Hey!"
Arashi watched from the window, then sighed and shook his head. "I'm not even touching this one..."
"Arashi," said Maria in his ear, sounding distressed. "Shadow just went Super! You've got to help him!"
'There's nothing we can do about it now,' answered Arashi telepathically.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Hm?"
Everyone in the room looked up and gasped in pure shock as a familiar friend stepped in, solving their problem.
Yami punched as hard as he could, sending powerful vibes through the air. Super Shadow yelled as it impacted him in the head, sending him sliding back on his feet. He was lucky to be in Super form, or else his skull would have been crushed. He knew he'd feel it later, but he didn't have time to worry about that now. He ducked as Yami threw another punched and lunged right for the echidna's stomach, tackling him.
Lemon watched as the battle continued. She gulped and looked to Starr, who was simply floating there, smiling. "H-Hey, kid!" she yelled. "Can't you be useful?! Get me out of here!"
Starr giggled as she began to bob back and forth, being driven slightly mad by all of the Chaos power in the air. "All in good time," she squeaked. "When one falls down, you'll go free!"
Lemon slapped her forehead. "Oh man, what did I do to deserve this?!"
"Lemon!" yelled Shadow, dodging Yami's attacks as best he could. "Wake Shuri up! She can save you! Ahh!" Yami finally knocked him off his feet as he hit him right in the stomach. Shadow doubled over, wincing, then gasped as Yami kicked him in the face, sending him onto his back.
Lemon looked over to Starr and blinked. Who was Shuri? That little kid?! Oh well, it was worth a shot.
"Shuri! Shuri, get me outta here!" she screamed, smacking her fist against the wall of her prison.
Starr's eyes blinked and looked over at her. "Get you...out?"
"PLEASE!! C'mon, you stupid kid!"
Yami laughed as Starr simply looked away, distracted by a big snowflake. "Shuri cannot be awakened unless I die! And I'm afraid you're the one who's going to die, Shadow."
The platinum hedgehog cursed as Yami gripped around his neck and lifted him off his feet. "Too bad you've become such a weakling," he said. "It would've been better if you had died when you fell. Oh well, I guess I'll get the pleasure of killing you. Goodbye."
With that, Yami began to squeeze his fist around Shadow's neck, beginning to break it. Shadow yelled and braced himself for what was about to happen...
"SHADOW!"
Everyone looked up to see a plane hovering up in the air above them. Shadow chuckled wearily as he recognized it as the Tornado II. And hanging off the side there, a ring clenched in his fist, was Sonic.
"What the-?! Neo!" cried Yami. "What the hell is he doing here?!"
Sonic pulled back, then threw the ring with all his might. It sailed through the air, then finally dissipated into Super Shadow's body. He grinned as a flood of power overtook him. There was no stopping him now.
He gripped Yami's wrists and snapped them easily, being released and landing on his feet. Yami groaned and pulled away, unable to use his hands anymore. Super Shadow laughed as he gathered up all of his strength, causing a golden aura to surround him. He put his hands up over his head and gathered the power in his palms. Yami, completely overwhelmed, fell back and could only stare as Shadow gathered up the last of the power and looked down on him.
"Time to let Shade live his life," he said, grinning. "See ya, Yami."
With that, Super Shadow threw the power straight into the ground, causing the whole area to explode.
"Sonic, do you see anything?!"
"Not a thing, little buddy!"
Miles "Tails" Prower sniffled as he looked around, the storm finally over. After staying and learning plenty from their friend Tank, he had decided to come home to see his friends again. Sonic was grateful he had come with the Tornado II, equipped with plenty of rings to spare. But they hadn't expected Shadow to pull a suicide attack. Sonic grunted as he dug through the snow as fast as he could. Then he yelled as a hand reached up and pulled on one of his quills.
"Gaaahhhhh! Get it off!" He jumped up and pulled out a white echidna girl from the snow, who was looking quite terrified. Both Sonic and Tails stared with wide eyes as she stood there. She was probably between sixteen and eighteen and... she wasn't wearing anything...
"What? What's the matter with you two?!"
Sonic covered Tails' eyes, not knowing what else to do at the moment.
Behind them, Shade yelled as he burst from under the snow, gasping for fresh air. Right beside him was Shadow, completely unconscious. Over his shoulder was Lemon, struggling to get free.
"Let go of me, you freak!" she screamed. Shade shrugged and put her down. He now had his full face back and he was much shorter, which made Shuri giggle. Shadow groaned as he woke up, sitting up stiffly.
"Ohhh... wha...?" He looked up to see Lemon kneel down next to him. "Lemon..."
"Shadow... Or, should I say Tenchi?"
Shadow gulped. "S-So you know...?"
Lemon nodded. "Why did you hide from me?" Strange, she didn't sound upset...
"Well..." Shadow tried to sit up a bit more to prevent himself from passing out. "I, I guess I didn't want you to be mad at me..."
Lemon paused then smiled. She hugged Shadow in close, making the two of them blush.
"S-So, you're not mad...?" murmured Shadow weakly.
Lemon pulled away and for a few moments, she didn't do anything. Then she growled and punched Shadow right in the face, knocking him out again. Shade even looked scared as Lemon's anger flared to extreme new heights.
"Of course I'm mad, you big jerk! I thought you were dead!"
Sonic chuckled nervously as him and Tails watched her continue. "Well, she's Knuckles' sister alright."
"Wow, she sure looks angry!" said Tails, trembling. Shuri came up behind them and tapped Sonic on the shoulder.
"Um, excuse me, are you Neo?" she asked, finally starting to grasp what was going on. Sonic went completely red and froze on the spot. Tails shook his head.
"Oh, Sonic..."
After-Note Thing: Wow, I planned that for so long and I finally wrote it all out! I was thrown off because of my parents' dicorce. I'll try to get the next chapter done quickly! ;
Author's Note: Ok, I openly give permission to you guys to yell at me for taking so long with this one. I just hope it's okay; this whole move I had to go through threw me off a bit. But now I'm fully settled in and my new computer is fixed now (I didn't have any good WordPad programs before). ; And now, without further ado, Chapter 20! (And to make up, I'll try to get the next one done quickly)
CHAPTER TWENTY - IT ENDS TONIGHT
Yami flexed his knuckles as he stood up on a nearby cliff, waiting. A few feet behind him, Lemon hugged her knees close as she sobbed, unable to hold back the tears any longer. Floating by the young echidna's prison was Starr, her big eyes shining with confusion. Yami looked back at his sister, sensing her uneasiness.
"Starr," he said, telepathically. "Tell me your thoughts..."
Starr's little transparent body tensed up as she looked up at him, her eyes going blank. Her thoughts projected before her, just like she had done to Lemon before. Images of Shadow the Hedgehog, both younger and older, swirled around in a mini-vortex, merging in with images of Yami and his inferior form, Shade.
"Interesting... you're dwelling on the past, even after I took control of your mind... There's only one way you could resist my powers..."
Starr's little face suddenly glowed with a smile, full of mischief and cleverness.
"You can't hold me much longer, Yami," echoed her voice, which was now doubled with a much more mature voice. Yami gasped as he recognized the older voice accompanying Starr's.
"Shuri," he growled, outraged. Shuri was the older version of Starr, resembling what Yami was to Shade, except that her powers were much greater. When he had taken control of his sister, Yami had hoped Shuri would stay asleep, but she had obviously been awakened at the mention of Shadow.
Shuri laughed. "Oh, Shade, you're so cute sometimes!" she exclaimed. "Always trying to act so big!"
Yami's fists clenched as his anger reached a new height. "My name is Yami, you little witch! And I WILL be the Ultimate Life-Form!!"
Starr's eyes lingered to where the Chaos Emeralds were lying, melting all the snow around them. Six...? Where was the seventh?
"...Oh no..."
Shadow the Hedgehog growled as he fought against the snow, which was up as high as his neck. If he hadn't called up the power of the Chaos Emerald to melt it all, he would've already died from the cold. However, calling up that power for more than ten minutes took up a lot of energy and Shadow wasn't sure he'd be able to keep it up for much longer.
That dark thought was accompanied by another one: 'What if Yami wins?'
'H-He can't win!' thought Shadow angrily, clenching his teeth as he glided as fast as he could. 'He can't! I don't care if I'm all alone in this, I can do it! I don't need anyone's help!'
CRACK!
Shadow gasped as he suddenly fell, landing face-first in the snow. The Chaos Emerald flew from his hand and landed a few metres away, losing its glow. Shakily, he looked behind him and cursed as he saw that his rockets-shoes had finally reached their limit. They sparked and crackled several times, then stopped altogether. Shadow let his head hit the snow, panting as the failure and defeat sank into his numb brain.
'No... I can't... move...'
He choked on a sob as he lay there, shivering and defeated. He should've known he couldn't win against Yami. For the first time in fifty years, Shadow the Hedgehog cried.
And then he was lost.
Staring endlessly. That's all he ever did. Ever since he had first set eyes on this world, he did nothing but stare. Some thought he was curious. Others figured he just didn't have the motivation to move.
Probably both were right.
One night, he was simply sitting there, staring at the wall when the automatic doors opened. There stood an echidna. Little did he know this echidna would soon be his enemy.
"Hey, Shadow!" said the echidna, his voice full of malice. "You may act like a brainless hedgehog but I know you've got some fight in you! Why don't you come face me and prove yourself to Maria?!"
Shadow's ears perked at the name. He blinked and looked up at the echidna.
"Alright, Yami," he said, his eyes narrowing.
Yami blinked. He never expected Shadow to actually speak. Then again, anything was possible after Gerald Robotnik himself, in attempts to call up their true powers, had aged them by ten years.
They walked down to the one empty room on the whole colony, which was a laboratory that was shut down after Arashi's death. But now it would finally be put to good use again.
The scars... It was Yami who had given them to Shadow all those years ago. And unless he acted now, that hateful echidna would win again.
"Grrrrrr...!" With his last few ounces of strength, Shadow reached out his hand. His eyes glowed bright red as he commanded power from the Chaos Emerald before him. As it began to glow brighter and brighter, he suddenly knew just what to do.
"Chaos Emeralds," he rasped, his voice almost completely gone. "I don't care what happens to me...! Just help me save Lemon!"
Yami looked over as his little collection of Chaos Emeralds began to glow. Starr's eyes widened and Lemon looked up, bewildered.
"Wh-What's going on? What's wrong with the emeralds?!" she demanded, standing up.
Yami's eyes narrowed as he fully faced the glowing jewels. "What the- ?"
He was cut off as something appeared out of mid-air and kicked him squarely in the back, knocking him off his feet. Both girls nearby gasped and stared as Super Shadow landed on his feet, moving too fast for either of them to fully see him. Yami got to his feet and chuckled, barely affected from the kick.
"Well, well, Shadow!" he said in a taunting voice. "I never imagined a weakling like you making it this far! Feeling scared?"
Shadow allowed himself a grin, knowing Yami was ready to finish the fight they had started fifty years ago.
"That's it, I'm goin' after him!" said Sonic, reaching for the door. However, before he could twist the handle, Amy had latched onto his arm.
"Noooo, Sonikku! That echidna was dangerous!"
Sonic tried to pull away, blushing. "Amy! Lemme go! Hey!"
Arashi watched from the window, then sighed and shook his head. "I'm not even touching this one..."
"Arashi," said Maria in his ear, sounding distressed. "Shadow just went Super! You've got to help him!"
'There's nothing we can do about it now,' answered Arashi telepathically.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Hm?"
Everyone in the room looked up and gasped in pure shock as a familiar friend stepped in, solving their problem.
Yami punched as hard as he could, sending powerful vibes through the air. Super Shadow yelled as it impacted him in the head, sending him sliding back on his feet. He was lucky to be in Super form, or else his skull would have been crushed. He knew he'd feel it later, but he didn't have time to worry about that now. He ducked as Yami threw another punched and lunged right for the echidna's stomach, tackling him.
Lemon watched as the battle continued. She gulped and looked to Starr, who was simply floating there, smiling. "H-Hey, kid!" she yelled. "Can't you be useful?! Get me out of here!"
Starr giggled as she began to bob back and forth, being driven slightly mad by all of the Chaos power in the air. "All in good time," she squeaked. "When one falls down, you'll go free!"
Lemon slapped her forehead. "Oh man, what did I do to deserve this?!"
"Lemon!" yelled Shadow, dodging Yami's attacks as best he could. "Wake Shuri up! She can save you! Ahh!" Yami finally knocked him off his feet as he hit him right in the stomach. Shadow doubled over, wincing, then gasped as Yami kicked him in the face, sending him onto his back.
Lemon looked over to Starr and blinked. Who was Shuri? That little kid?! Oh well, it was worth a shot.
"Shuri! Shuri, get me outta here!" she screamed, smacking her fist against the wall of her prison.
Starr's eyes blinked and looked over at her. "Get you...out?"
"PLEASE!! C'mon, you stupid kid!"
Yami laughed as Starr simply looked away, distracted by a big snowflake. "Shuri cannot be awakened unless I die! And I'm afraid you're the one who's going to die, Shadow."
The platinum hedgehog cursed as Yami gripped around his neck and lifted him off his feet. "Too bad you've become such a weakling," he said. "It would've been better if you had died when you fell. Oh well, I guess I'll get the pleasure of killing you. Goodbye."
With that, Yami began to squeeze his fist around Shadow's neck, beginning to break it. Shadow yelled and braced himself for what was about to happen...
"SHADOW!"
Everyone looked up to see a plane hovering up in the air above them. Shadow chuckled wearily as he recognized it as the Tornado II. And hanging off the side there, a ring clenched in his fist, was Sonic.
"What the-?! Neo!" cried Yami. "What the hell is he doing here?!"
Sonic pulled back, then threw the ring with all his might. It sailed through the air, then finally dissipated into Super Shadow's body. He grinned as a flood of power overtook him. There was no stopping him now.
He gripped Yami's wrists and snapped them easily, being released and landing on his feet. Yami groaned and pulled away, unable to use his hands anymore. Super Shadow laughed as he gathered up all of his strength, causing a golden aura to surround him. He put his hands up over his head and gathered the power in his palms. Yami, completely overwhelmed, fell back and could only stare as Shadow gathered up the last of the power and looked down on him.
"Time to let Shade live his life," he said, grinning. "See ya, Yami."
With that, Super Shadow threw the power straight into the ground, causing the whole area to explode.
"Sonic, do you see anything?!"
"Not a thing, little buddy!"
Miles "Tails" Prower sniffled as he looked around, the storm finally over. After staying and learning plenty from their friend Tank, he had decided to come home to see his friends again. Sonic was grateful he had come with the Tornado II, equipped with plenty of rings to spare. But they hadn't expected Shadow to pull a suicide attack. Sonic grunted as he dug through the snow as fast as he could. Then he yelled as a hand reached up and pulled on one of his quills.
"Gaaahhhhh! Get it off!" He jumped up and pulled out a white echidna girl from the snow, who was looking quite terrified. Both Sonic and Tails stared with wide eyes as she stood there. She was probably between sixteen and eighteen and... she wasn't wearing anything...
"What? What's the matter with you two?!"
Sonic covered Tails' eyes, not knowing what else to do at the moment.
Behind them, Shade yelled as he burst from under the snow, gasping for fresh air. Right beside him was Shadow, completely unconscious. Over his shoulder was Lemon, struggling to get free.
"Let go of me, you freak!" she screamed. Shade shrugged and put her down. He now had his full face back and he was much shorter, which made Shuri giggle. Shadow groaned as he woke up, sitting up stiffly.
"Ohhh... wha...?" He looked up to see Lemon kneel down next to him. "Lemon..."
"Shadow... Or, should I say Tenchi?"
Shadow gulped. "S-So you know...?"
Lemon nodded. "Why did you hide from me?" Strange, she didn't sound upset...
"Well..." Shadow tried to sit up a bit more to prevent himself from passing out. "I, I guess I didn't want you to be mad at me..."
Lemon paused then smiled. She hugged Shadow in close, making the two of them blush.
"S-So, you're not mad...?" murmured Shadow weakly.
Lemon pulled away and for a few moments, she didn't do anything. Then she growled and punched Shadow right in the face, knocking him out again. Shade even looked scared as Lemon's anger flared to extreme new heights.
"Of course I'm mad, you big jerk! I thought you were dead!"
Sonic chuckled nervously as him and Tails watched her continue. "Well, she's Knuckles' sister alright."
"Wow, she sure looks angry!" said Tails, trembling. Shuri came up behind them and tapped Sonic on the shoulder.
"Um, excuse me, are you Neo?" she asked, finally starting to grasp what was going on. Sonic went completely red and froze on the spot. Tails shook his head.
"Oh, Sonic..."
After-Note Thing: Wow, I planned that for so long and I finally wrote it all out! I was thrown off because of my parents' dicorce. I'll try to get the next chapter done quickly! ;