-To Fight the Strong-
Part: I

Disclaimer: Oh yeah, I don't own Shadow, Sonic or any other character used in this fic. They belong to their respictive owners... yadda yadda yadda...

The Final Hazard's enormous tail made a gigantic 'swoop' in an attempt to knock him off his guard. Large beams of crystallized light began t shoot out from the monstrosity's battle-worn body. The creature was still weak because of its missing life-support system. And now he was fighting for a planet he thought he was created to destroy...

Maria your final wish of me was to give all the people on that planet happiness, to give them a chance at peace, but why? Wasn't it those people, those idiots, who stole your innocent life from you? Wasn't it they who fired the very guns, shot the very bullets, that ended your sweet harmony forever? And yet you begged me to give them a chance at happiness. I suppose you saw the good in them. You always could. You saw the innocence in my heart. You saw the part of me that deserved a shot at happiness, that deserved to be free. You saw me for what I wasn't, not what I was. You told me I wasn't just some lab experiment. Not some heartless, unemotional, monster whose only purpose was to annihilate. You saw what Professor Gerald's colleagues could not. You saw me for what I truly was but that was when I saw these humans for what they really were. They were the monsters, they were heartless, and they were unemotional...

"Shadow! LOOK OUT!"

Rouge's frantic cry slammed him out of his thoughts as he saw the Biolizard aiming large red spheres that exploded as one blew past him and hit the side of the giant space colony, barley scratching his gravity defying quills. The devices seemed to blow up on contact.

Great.

He turned on his heels to see Rouge as well as Knuckles, Tails, Amy, and Eggman, all bunched around the glass window overlooking Mobius from a glories view on the Space Colony Ark. Rouge, Knuckles, and Eggman continually passed the walkie-talkie back and forth, muttering small hints to it's receiver, once in a while, Amy would grab hold of the device and shout something into it.

"Hey, you alright Shadow?"

He turned his head to see Sonic, the blue hedgehog who had once been his enemy. Now he was his friend, his ally in stopping this beast.

When I look back at how much I have changed, since I was released from my frozen chamber, I start to reminisce. I could still visualize, Sonic and me battling in the forest on Prison Island. The fight we had in the abyss of space, after he had mastered the Chaos Control and used my own ability against me. How neither one of us could conquer the other, our skills were equal. Yet it all changed because of Sonic's little girlfriend. That sorry excuse for a hedgehog called Amy. How had she reminded me so much of Maria, of my promise, and my destiny?

"Shadow! Why don't you take a rest and I'll take swing at him?"

To my right I saw the Blue Blur himself at my side once again, smirking.

He's enjoying this, He thought to himself. I guess he wasn't lying when he said he loved adventure.

"Alright!" Shadow yelled in return, flashing a slight smile of amusement as well. "Just don't get killed."

Sonic's eyes brightened and glittered with joy at his sarcasm. He gave his partner a quick thumbs-up, showing that he approved of their silent agreement and took off at amazing speeds toward the mutant. Sonic left him pondering and probing his mind once again.

This creature, if it has decency to be called even that. Shadow cracked. What if its the real Ultimate Life form: Project Shadow? Chuckling, he answered himself; Impossible, there is only one real Shadow and that is me.

One again he was catapulted from his thoughts as Eggman's scratched voice amplified through the speaker of the communication tool.

"Can you hear me? Sonic, Shadow?" His voice cracked, overflowing with worry and amusement. "He's very weak without his life-support system. Aim for the red swelling area to damage him! You're our last hope!"

Shadow mused at his words. Sure, Doctor. He laughed teasingly. We're this pitiful planet's last chance for- Shadow was ripped from his criticizing to see Sonic engaging the enemy in a battle of pure speed versus blinded power. Sonic swerved in every direction emerging unscathed as a fresh wave of intoxicating beams cut through the low growls and high-pitched yowls of Sonic and the monster. The sapphire hedgehog dived into the fray once again in an attempt to distract the beast long enough...

"I see your plan Sonic," Shadow said slyly. "You plan to cause delay in the Biolizards motion detectors. Since Professor Gerald thought the prototype was invincible, he felt no need to give his creation the regulation of sight. So he placed motion sensors in its blood cells. They were protected by the life-support system, however," Shadow folded his arms and set his blood-red gaze upon the two creatures fighting below him. "Your theory is that without the life-support system to protect the monster's body, the motion sensors have, failed somewhat. Which is a sensible hypothesis. The lizard can no longer detect simple movements, so you're going to draw its attention out as long as you can before you use Chaos Control to warp as close to it and strike when its least expecting it." Shadow smirked at his cleverness as well as the genius of his blue counterpart. He had to admit, he was very impressed that the hedgehog knew so much about the prototype.

Shadow's ruby orbs traveled to the two figures below. A golden stream of light raced outward from the depths within the Biolizard's underside. Sonic had either found the swelling area Eggman had mentioned, or he was going to do what Shadow had thought. Either would work perfectly, had the walkie-talkie not erupted in a series of worried cries and frets.

"Sonic, were in danger." Knuckles calm voice came through the perturbing panic from the Colony's control room. "The Colony will enter the atmosphere in about four minutes-." With a rasping 'rrashh' the device was shut off from the audiences corner. Shadow was sick of hearing about how they needed to hurry it up.

Heat began to radiate from the Space Colony as Shadow realized with a pang of guilt that he should have taken Knuckles' warning more seriously. Flames erupted, first in small patches, then in large blares around the Colony.

We are starting to near the atmosphere,

Shadow's eyes widened as he saw that Mobius was much closer than when they first dispatched from the Ark's chambers.

Sonic, hurry up.

Shadow glanced around with panicking eyes, trying to locate the heroic hedgehog.

There!

Again, Shadow's eyes flickered with worry as he gazed at his friend being suffocated by the enemy.

Sonic! Hold on!

Shadow began to burst at a blinding rate toward the Biolizard.

If you kill him, you're going to regret the day you ever met me!

Shadow reached the monster and it's captured prey in an instant. With an amazing burst of power, Shadow began to pound on the enemy, which in turn, caused the Biolizard to grip its prisoner in a tighter, more insufferable hold. Sonic was now moaning in pain as the lizard's jaws clamped around his slim figure more powerfully. His sleek, golden coat was now returning to its usual sapphire blue. Then Shadow understood.

It's absorbing Sonic's Chaos energy and adding it to his own power supply!

Shadow burst through the abyss of space as he swerved around the Biolizard, his own glossy, platinum coat leaving a trail as he flew. He speedily began flying inward and outward, confusing the mutant. Once it had no sense of where he was, Shadow cut through the space that separated him and Biolizard from a river of lazar beams. With a furious growl of: "CHAOS CONTROL!" Shadow reappeared on the topside of the Biolizard. There he found a swollen red mound.

Shadow began to quickly spin around faster and faster, until his had transformed into a saw-like shape. He sliced through the sore causing the reptile to yowl and writhe in extreme pain. With a final screech of torment the Biolizard: Prototype of Ultimate Life fell limp across the Eclipse Cannon, dead.

End Ch. I