TIME: 10:36PM
LOCALE: Downtown Tokyo
"Someone stop that thief!" A short, portly man ran out of a store frantically pointing at a blue car speeding away. Just then, a black and red blur flew past him, causing a burst of wind so powerful it knocked over displays and swept the street pretty well. Within a few seconds Shadow was on the car, breaking through the sunroof and knocking out the thief and his accomplices. After commandeering the car and parking it, he then ties them up and takes the car keys, enough to occupy the thieves until the authorities arrive. On his way back, he drops the sack full of goods and money at the store's front door without waiting for a reward or even a 'Thank you'.
This has been the daily routine for Shadow in his off-time for the past few years. His semblance to Sonic has netted him a fairly well-paying job, and his notoriety as being that "other hedgehog" (news reports and of course, Sonic's media coverage after the destruction of the Finalhazard have brought some of Shadow's identity to light, but not much) has given him some connections. He lives in a nice apartment; small, but nice. He also has his job at a cosplay café where he's a big hit; probably because he's the only one without a costume. Once in a while he has to dye his hair blue and "cosplay" as Sonic, which is understandably odd for him but he manages. However, in his off-time he goes to the local gym and, as was just seen, fights crime.
He likes to participate in athletic competitions as well. He has been at quite a few track meets and has excelled in the racing events even without his rocket-propulsion shoes. Shadow can often be found at martial arts tournaments as well. To date, he has seen "The King of Fighters" tournament 3 times. Once every year he's lived in Tokyo. He has also followed the progress of the less known "World Martial Arts Tournament"; buying newspapers and even a satellite dish for his house to catch international news reports to find out info on the fighters and their progress in the tournament. (For those that don't know, "World Martial Arts Tournament" is the name given to the tournament that 'Street Fighter' revolves around. It's not really an organized tournament, but it does have a host and the fighters are selected fighters from around the globe.) Shadow doesn't know why he's drawn to these competitions, but he assumes it's due to the violent upbringing he was subjected to, or at least, from what he can remember.
Turning the pages of the newspaper this day however will bring much excitement to our dark hero, for in today's paper is the announcement of the 2007 Tenkaichi Budoukai ("World's Best Tournament") tournament being held on May 7th. His palms begin to sweat with anticipation, for this may just be the chance to take the spotlight once more, but this time as a full-fledged hero and not as a villain. Only then, can he finally feel atoned for his past atrocities and can return to his friends. This is his test, his new legacy. He looks at his clock/calculator/calendar/camera... thing and realizes that the date is July 2nd 2006. He has almost a full year to prepare! So, he dashes to the gym and gets right to work.
"Coach..." Shadow shouts, running into the gym. It's a nice, quaint place. Not too fancy or over-the-top but it's perfect for completing its purpose. "Coach, you need to help me get ready for Tenkaichi Budoukai! It's about a year away!" Everyone that went to the gym called him 'coach' but he was really the gyms proprietor/owner. He turned around to face Shadow with a big grin on his face, rustling his spiky black hair with his fingers. "Wow Shadow! I didn't know you wanted to enter Tenkaichi Budoukai! I think I've been in every one of them since I was a little baby!" He exclaimed, a tone of excitement in his voice. Shadow looked over at the aptly built man; perusing his physique under the orange karate gi he wore. Hmmm... he is well built, but is he Tenkaichi Budoukai material... I wonder... "Well, coach... what's the farthest you've ever gotten in one?" He speaks his mind, and he gets an answer as well, though not the one he expected. "Oh, I've won a couple of them!" The coach points to a rather old, framed newspaper clipping that read 'Amazing youth conquers odds to win Tenkaichi Budoukai!' upon further reading, Shadow comes to a startling discovery: "No way.... You're.... Goku?!"