Another Godzilla

Disclaimer: All Sonic characters belong to Sega, and Sonic X is made and owned by TMS Entertainment, LTD. This is my own head-cannon version of the Chris convincing Shadow scene from episode 38 of Sonic X. The "Godzilla" mentioned in this one-shot is a reference to the 1954 version. Why that version, you ask? Well, it'll make sense once you read further. Anyways, enjoy this interesting one-shot!

"As I have said, all of you are doomed. There's no hope left," Shadow coldly repeated with a callous expression on his face as glared hard at Chris while having a hand on his hip. Amy and Mr. Tanaka gasped in shock after seeing Shadow's arrival in the central room of Space Colony Ark. Chris simply looked shocked and concerned after hearing Shadow say that. He knows very well that the Ark is hurdling down towards Earth within minutes, but to say that it's hopeless to stop it, he couldn't easily believe that especially after what he had seen with Sonic and his friends.

However, before he could speak up, Amy blurted out in concern with a worried look on her face, "That's not true! There must be a way to stop this! We can't just give up now!".

"Miss Amy, please. Calm yourself," Mr. Tanaka responded calmly in alarm with a worried look on his face as he held Amy's right shoulder.

Shadow glanced at Amy and replied calmly yet bluntly in annoyance with a cold look on his face, "Don't try to fool yourself into thinking that there is a way when obviously there isn't. You'll only set yourself up for disappointment when you do that".

"I don't care! There's always one ray of hope that shines through the sea of darkness and cuts through any type of despair! Even in this disastrous situation, we can be saved! Sonic and the others are busy saving the world, and you can help too! I believe wholeheartedly in that! Please, Shadow! Help them!" Amy exclaimed back in concern with a worried look on her face and with her fists up as she stared pleadingly at Shadow.

"Oh, great. We got an optimist here. Ugh. Fine. Whatever. Try to think brightly all you want, but you and the rest of you guys will soon learn the hard way that you shouldn't have hope in anything. Life is nothing but pain and suffering. What kind of hope can you get out of that?" Shadow replied calmly yet coldly in annoyance with a deep frown and with an eyeroll as he glared hard at Amy before looking at Mr. Tanaka and Chris for emphasis.

"But! But! ...Ooooh..." Amy exclaimed some more in protest before whining sadly in disappointment with a deep frown and with upward eyebrows as she slumped her shoulders after seeing that Shadow is ignoring her hope-filled speech.

"You tried, Miss Amy. You tried," Mr. Tanaka consoled calmly yet gently in sympathy with a little frown and with closed eyes while he shook his head as he kept holding Amy's shoulder.

Chris just stared at Shadow in shock and in concern after seeing that he had ignored Amy's plea for help. He may not know where to place his finger on, but somehow, Shadow does remind him of somebody that isn't Sonic. The more he stares into Shadow's cold, despair-filled, selfish eyes, the more he reminds him of...himself...before he had met Sonic and his friends.

No wonder I was so drawn to Shadow. He literally is like a shadow of my former self. If Sonic and the others weren't around, I would've wholeheartedly agreed with him. I would just give up and say that it is hopeless to save the world. I wouldn't do anything to change it. Everyone around me had always taken care of me that I didn't have to do anything to help myself or even others for that matter. I always get what I want without struggling or without risking anything to get it. But if something had been taken away from me, I would just cry and see the outside world as a cruel, hopeless place to live in. How pathetic is that? Chris brooded calmly in somberness with a depressed look on his face as he stared sympathetically at Shadow.

"What are you looking at, kid? Are you going to speak up or what?" Shadow asked calmly yet sharply in slight annoyance with a solemn frown and with furrowed eyebrows as he stared coldly back at Chris.

"Mm..." Chris mused quietly with a solemn expression on his face as he brooded calmly one last time. ...I know that I'm going to try to do the impossible here by convincing Shadow to help Sonic, but...there is nothing left for me to do other than that. I'm tired of living a comfy life of having everyone doing things for me. I should do something for myself. I should help somebody. I should help Sonic and the others. I should even help...Shadow. I need to help him see the truth. He is our only hope into saving the world. I can't give up now even if he refuses to help.

"Well?! Are you gonna talk or what?!" Shadow exclaimed impatiently with a deep frown and with furrowed eyebrows as he kept glaring coldly at Chris.

Chris then took a deep sigh and steeled his resolve before he replied calmly to Shadow in a grave tone of voice, "(Sigh)...Amy is right, Shadow. You're making a tragic mistake".

"What was that?" Shadow asked calmly yet lowly in frustration with a grimace and with narrowed eyelids as he glared coldly at Chris.

"Listen, Shadow, this disastrous situation is not completely hopeless because you're our only hope left! You can save the planet! You can turn this despair-inducing scenario around!" Chris exclaimed boldly in encouragement with a solemn frown and with determined eyes as he stared back at Shadow.

"Why would I want to do that? I would miss my favorite show: The End of the World," Shadow replied calmly yet bluntly in stoic amusement with an uncaring look on his face as he stared back at Chris.

"Shadow! Please! This is no time for jokes! You got to help us! Billions of people are going to die thanks to Gerald's plan! Sure, you may have helped to carry that plan out, but you can stop it at the last minute! You don't have to go through with the plan!" Chris exclaimed back in concern and in alarm with a pleading look on his face as he walked towards Shadow and grabbed his left shoulder before shaking it.

"Geez, how annoying..." Shadow muttered calmly yet tiredly in annoyance with a deep frown and with furrowed eyebrows as he glared coldly at Chris before he punched him hard in the stomach.

POW!

"UGH!" Chris groaned in pain with a deep grimace as he flew towards the glass wall of the room and slid down from it after hitting it with his back.

"Chris! No!" Amy exclaimed in concern with a worried look on her face as she reached out to Chris. However, Mr. Tanaka held her back before she could run to him.

"Let him go, Miss Amy. He's on his own now," Mr. Tanaka calmly advised with a solemn look on his face as he stared at Amy while he kept holding her shoulder.

Chris cringed a lot in pain as he held his stomach. He slowly opened one eye and saw that Shadow was staring harshly at him in disgust.

With his fists clenched at his sides, Shadow added calmly in annoyance with a disgusted look on his face, "Don't you get it, kid? Those people down there don't deserve to be saved. They deserve to die for all the atrocities they had done in the past. A hopeless end is a fitting way to go for a hopeless world".

Chris groaned a little in agony as he slowly got himself up to his feet. He leant on the glass wall while holding his stomach. As he looked back up at Shadow, he replied calmly in determination with a pained expression on his face, "Shadow...Why can't you understand? Just because the people down there made some mistakes, it doesn't justify for killing them al-".

"Are you DAFT, man?! 'Some mistakes'?! 'SOME MISTAKES'?! How could killing an innocent girl, shooting and injuring a professor, and arresting everyone who had worked hard here to try to benefit the world POSSIBLY be labeled as 'some mistakes'?!" Shadow yelled and shouted in anger with a furious look on his face while clenching his fists tightly as he glared coldly at Chris.

Chris flinched in surprise of Shadow's outburst before looking sympathetic as he replied calmly in concern, "But Shadow...that was 50 years ago. The people who did that was just a small group of G.U.N. soldiers. They were just ordered to do that. Besides, that small group of people can't account for everyone else on the planet especially since most of them aren't even around 50 years old. So, why should you kill them all when they had nothing to do with horrendous accident?".

"Don't you DARE call that horrific event an accident! I say that it was planned! The government was planning to backstab us from the start! Just when they gave the professor the 'ok' to do as he pleases, they immediately betray him and everyone months after the project had started! I swear! Just a week after I was born, they had to come for us! I'll never forget that horrible day on December 4, 1954! I-!" Shadow yelled back in anger with a furious look on his face while throwing a fist as he glared hard at Chris.

"Wait! Did you say...1954? That year specifically?" Chris replied calmly in surprise and in curiosity with a gaped mouth and with wide eyes as he stared back at Shadow in alarm.

"Yes, kid. That year. What? Do you have a problem with that?" Shadow answered calmly yet curtly in annoyance with a deep frown and with furrowed eyebrows while crossing his arms as he stared coldly back at Chris.

"No! I don't! It's just that...that...A-Ah..." Chris exclaimed in surprise before muttering calmly in shock with a stunned expression on his face as he stared back at Shadow before looking down at the floor. The realization had hit Chris like a ton of bricks after Shadow had mentioned the year. Before knowing that fact, he himself agreed with Shadow a little that the government was being unfair and suspicious for shutting down the Ark so suddenly after they had given Gerald Robotnik permission to conduct his experiments. It didn't make any sense to him. But now...it does make sense...given the earlier events that had happened that tragic year.

O-Oh...Ooooh...Oh no... Oh, my gosh, that's just awful. Talk about bad timing. Poor...Poor Shadow. He really doesn't know, does he? How horrible...Chris brooded calmly in shock and in sadness with a sympathetic look on his face as he placed a hand over his mouth while stared at the floor.

"Now, just what had gotten you all rattled up, kid? If you got something to say, then say it already!" Shadow replied calmly yet sharply in annoyance with a deeper frown and with furrowed eyebrows as he glared coldly at Chris.

Chris blinked in surprise after hearing Shadow yelling at him a little before he looked back up at him with a grave expression on his face. He straightened his stance a little and clenched his hands into fists as he mentally prepared himself for telling Shadow the truth behind the Ark incident.

After taking a deep breath, he then replied calmly yet quietly in somberness with a solemn look on his face, "...Shadow...I hate to break it to you, but...you got that Ark incident all backwards. Those G.U.N. soldiers didn't come to harm others but rather...to save others from potential disaster".

"What are you talking about?! They came to save others from potential disaster?! Are you nuts?! They're the ones who caused a disaster! How could you say that they had come to save others when they had harmed one if not two as a result?!" Shadow yelled in anger and in confusion with an irritated look on his face while holding a fist up towards Chris as he glared hard at him.

"That's the thing, Shadow! They didn't mean to do that! They just had to in order to save the entire world from disaster! It had almost happened once in that very same year too! Just a few months before the Ark incident!" Chris exclaimed back in somberness with a grave look on his face as he stared back at Shadow.

"I-! Wh-What?! There was another disaster in that year too?!" Shadow exclaimed in shock and in confusion with a surprised look on his face as he stared back at Chris with wide eyes.

"Yes, there was, and everyone had thought in that time that it was the beginning to the end of the world. Those two, devastating attacks took the world by storm and made everyone afraid of what other destructive forces that could arrive next on Earth. They were all anxious of the inevitable doom that could befall them if more dangerous weapons were created and unleash a new type of horror upon the people of Earth. It was because of that unbridled fear that prompted G.U.N. to act fast and stop the project, Shadow. They were both afraid of you...and your prototype...all because of a monster that existed before you were born," Chris answered calmly yet quietly in somberness with a grave look on his face while gesturing with his hands a bit before pointing at Shadow for emphasis.

"Hmm...'A monster', you say? Then tell me, boy, of this...supposed monster," Shadow replied calmly yet solemnly in curiosity with a deep frown and with a raised eyebrow as he placed a hand onto his hip.

Chris frowned deeply in graveness as he answered calmly yet solemnly, "...The monster's name was...Gojira...But his more well-known name was Godzilla".

Shadow raised his eyebrows in surprise upon hearing that strange name, but his face was still as stoic and cold as ever. Amy looked confused while Mr. Tanaka looked shocked as he gasped in surprise.

"...! Godzilla..." Mr. Tanaka muttered calmly in shock with a gasp and with a gaped mouth while covering it with his hand soon afterward.

"Huh? You know that name somehow, Mr. Tanaka?" Amy asked calmly in confusion with a bewildered expression on her face as she looked back at Mr. Tanaka.

"Y-Yes, Miss Amy. I do. I've learned all about Godzilla and those horrific events in history class when I was around Chris' age. I just didn't piece together...that he was the reason for G.U.N.'s interference. It seems that Chris had figured that out on his own," Mr. Tanaka answered calmly in shock with a stunned look on his face as he stared at Amy for a bit before looking back at Chris and Shadow.

"...! Really? You think?" Amy asked calmly in surprise with a gasp and with a gaped mouth as she looked back at Chris and Shadow and stared at them while clasping her hands together.

Meanwhile, Shadow kept staring back at Chris with an aloof expression on his face as he commented calmly yet dully in somberness, "...Godzilla, huh? Hmph. What kind of monster was he anyway?".

"Well...from what I had learned recently in school, Godzilla was a tall, powerful, radioactive lizard who was resurrected back to life thanks to the H-bomb tests. He had made two, devastating attacks on one city on a lonely, island nation in the Pacific. The second attack in particular was very horrifying as thousands of people died and over ten thousand people were hospitalized or dying thanks to Godzilla's rampage. The destruction was nothing like mankind had ever seen before, and it made everyone think that the world was nearing the apocalypse since the city looked like nuclear fallout after the attack. Not only that, but everyone had feared that there was no weapon or machine powerful enough to destroy that monster...Nothing...aside from the Oxygen Destroyer..." Chris explained calmly yet solemnly in somberness with a grave look on his face as he slowly stepped closer towards Shadow.

"Hmm...The Oxygen Destroyer, you say?" Shadow asked calmly yet dully in curiosity with a solemn frown and with a lowered eyebrow as he stared skeptically at Chris.

"Yes, Shadow. The Oxygen Destroyer...It was mankind's last hope for salvation. Despite all of their horrible mistakes that they had done before, they had truly believed that the Oxygen Destroyer would save the world from complete destruction. They know that they had messed up, but they were willing to rectify those mistakes so that the world would be a better place to live in and a much safer one too at that. Luckily for them and for all of us, the Oxygen Destroyer had worked and had killed that horrible monster for good. Thankfully...there wasn't another Godzilla after that. It was the only one that we ever had in history..." Chris explained further in somberness with a nod and with a deep frown as he stepped a bit closer towards Shadow until he stopped.

"Hmph. Fascinating story. But what does that have to do with me?" Shadow replied calmly yet curtly in slight annoyance with a solemn frown and with an eyeroll as he kept glaring at Chris.

Chris stayed steadfast as he continued to convince Shadow while looking grave, "Shadow, those horrible events with Godzilla were the reason why G.U.N. was so determined to shut down the Ark and cancel the project for good. They didn't want anyone to create another Godzilla whether it was intentional or not. Those soldiers were worried about their families and loved ones. They didn't want any of them to die under the rampage of another Godzilla, and they didn't want the rest of the world to die either. Because of that fear...they had no choice but do what they had to do...They...had to sacrifice others in order to save their own-".

"'Sacrifice'?! Oh, well, how self-righteous of them sacrificing others to save their own! You humans make me sick! Passing off murder as a worthy sacrifice in order to save the world! They hadn't realized at all that they had killed a loved one themselves! One that so happens to be my best friend!" Shadow yelled back in anger with an agitated look on his face after hearing that last sentence as he clenched his fists and glared hard at Chris.

"But Shadow! Don't you understand?! They didn't mean to! They had the best intentions in mind when doing that mission! They had to do whatever it takes to stop another Godzilla from appearing in their lives! Can't you understand that?!" Chris yelled back in concern with a pleading look on his face as he walked forward towards Shadow again and grabbed him on his left shoulder again while shaking it a bit.

"I don't care if they had done it out of fear! Out of worry that another Godzilla would appear! Just because those horrible events had happened, it does not give them any excuse to take my family away from me! If they cared so much about their own families, then why didn't they care about me or my family?! Gerald Robotnik...my creator...and...Maria...my one and true friend..." Shadow yelled back in anger before muttering calmly in bitterness with a cold look on his face as he glared hard at Chris.

"...!" Chris gasped in shock with a surprised look on his face as he stared at Shadow. "Maria"...That name was mentioned in Gerald Robotnik's diary...I...didn't know that Shadow was friends with her...Gosh, that makes it worse...Chris pondered calmly in shock and in sympathy with a stunned look on his face.

"...You don't know how unjust it is to have someone you're supposed to protect be taken away from you so suddenly that you question yourself whether you were capable of protecting them in the first place. I was created to protect my creator's granddaughter and be like a friend to her while he continues his research. I was supposed to make her happy...smile...anything that will be a relief to her despite the internal weakness that she has. If those humans really cared about saving everybody from disaster, then they should've cared about her too and do whatever they can to help her be cured of her apparent weakness. But no, they've only cared about themselves! They've let their irrational fears blind them from all the atrocities they had done that day!" Shadow continued bitterly in anger with a furious look on his face as he glared coldly at Chris.

"Yes, maybe they have let their fears get the better of them! But they were trying to save the world out of hope! Just like the people who had killed Godzilla, those G.U.N. soldiers stopped the project for the benefit of mankind! Like those past events, this situation is no different! Everyone wants to save the world out of hope! We know all about the mistakes that G.U.N. had done before, but we forgive them since we know that they were trying to do what was right! Please Shadow! You have to forgive them! You have to forgive everyone!" Chris exclaimed back in concern with a pleading look on his face while grabbing Shadow's other shoulder and shaking both of them out of worry.

"No! I will never forgive them! EVER!" Shadow yelled back in anger while shouting that last word for emphasis with an enraged look on his face as he punched Chris hard in the face this time.

POW!

"ARGH!" Chris groaned loudly in pain as he flew backwards from Shadow and cringed a lot after hitting the glass wall again. After sliding down on his back, he held his face and moved his head downwards as he felt dizzy and exhausted since those hard attacks had weakened him. He could almost feel himself passing out, but he struggled to stay conscious despite the pain and the weariness.

"Oooh, Chris! Hang in there! Shadow! Please don't kill him!" Amy exclaimed in deep concern with a worried expression on her face as she stared at Chris before looking at Shadow while still having her hands clasped together.

"Relax. I have no interest into killing a pathetic person like him. He's not someone even worth killing," Shadow replied calmly yet dully in slight reassurance with a stoic expression on his face as he glanced at Amy.

"Hey! That's not a nice thing to say, you know!" Amy yelled back in annoyance with gritted teeth and with furrowed eyebrows while having her clenched fists at her sides as she glared a bit at Shadow.

"Calm down, Miss Amy. Throwing any arguments at him will do you no good," Mr. Tanaka advised calmly yet wisely in patience with a solemn look on his face while shaking his head as he grabbed Amy's right shoulder again.

"Grrr...Fine," Amy muttered calmly yet tiredly in annoyance with a growl and with a grimace while crossing her arms as she looked at Chris instead of Shadow.

Shadow merely rolled his eyes at that before looking back at Chris. He can see that Chris was still kneeling on the floor, holding onto the glass wall for support. Shadow grimaced deeply as he muttered calmly yet heartlessly in annoyance, "Like I had said before, kid, there is no hope for mankind. Anytime there is one, man will find a way to destroy it whatever means necessary. Why should I try to help those hopeless creatures if they only care about themselves? The only people that I had cared about in my life are dead. Why bother helping others if I don't care about them in the first place?".

Chris grimaced deeply while cringing in agony as he tried to stay conscious. He rubbed his face a bit before putting his hand down and placing it towards the glass wall for support. He slowly opened his eyes halfway as he looked pained while replying calmly yet quietly in sadness, "...You...You have a point, Shadow. Everyone down there...including me...are entirely selfish. We care more about ourselves than we do with others. Even when we think we're doing good things for the benefit of mankind, we're really just doing it for ourselves. Perhaps...saving the planet is one of those things since...well...we live on it. It's our only home that we have. Of course, we would protect it out of selfishness. You were right on that point at least, Shadow".

"Tch. It's about time that you agreed with me. Now then, will you finally let this go? Will you stop trying to convince me to save the world?" Shadow replied calmly yet dully in annoyance with a deep frown and with lowered eyelids while crossing his arms as he stared coldly at Chris.

"N-No...No, I will not stop. I will not give up. I won't stop trying until I convince you, Shadow. I'll keep nagging at your conscious until you start helping Sonic and the others," Chris replied calmly yet solemnly in determination with a deep frown and with lowered eyelids while shaking his head as he stared out into space.

"I really don't understand you, kid. I keep knocking you down, yet you're still trying to convince me to help your friends. What will you gain from this? If I say 'no' which it still is by the way, then you will be useless since you failed to save the world yourself, and if I say 'yes', you will still be useless since you won't be the one saving the world. I would be the one doing that along with Sonic and the others. You will gain nothing from doing this. So, why bother trying?" Shadow replied calmly yet dully in annoyance and in confusion with a solemn look on his face while having his arms crossed before putting one hand on his hip again as he stared coldly at Chris.

"Because..." Chris muttered calmly yet quietly as he shook his head again before staring at the planet with a grave look on his face while continuing in somberness, "...doing nothing makes you a villain. It's one thing to be useless yet doing something to help others a little, but it's another thing to be useless and help no one. I've always lived my life doing nothing and let things pass me by without standing up and helping others. I was always selfish, and in a way, I do agree with you in that we don't deserve to be saved. We would only help if it benefits us...".

Shadow raised an eyebrow at that admission but still frowned deeply at him in annoyance. Yet he continued to listen to him.

"...Truthfully, I...I wanted to be a hero when I grow up, but...from what I have learned from Sonic, it's not so simple as I once thought. I've always thought that...doing good things for others would make you a hero, but...that's not true. Anyone could do good deeds sometimes, even villains like Dr. Eggman. What makes you a hero isn't your good deeds, but rather...it's your sacrifices. Whatever it is that you sacrifice, you will lose something in the end and never get it back. I could lose my sight, my arms, my legs, or even my life trying to talk to you since you keep beating me up, but I...I don't care about that at the moment. All I care about...is my friends, my family, and even...you, Shadow. I'm willing to try my best to sacrifice myself and my dignity as long as I'm successful into convincing you to help," Chris continued calmly yet quietly in somberness with a grave yet pained look on his face as he stared at the planet.

Shadow briefly couldn't hide his surprise since Chris' wise response was quite unexpected. Mostly because, it reminded him of...Maria. No! Stop it, Shadow! This selfish kid is nothing like Maria! Don't even fancy that thought! Shadow brooded in annoyance with a grimace and with furrowed eyebrows while he shook his head before looking at his left, averting his eyes from Chris.

"Hmm...I...I see. I guess that fake hedgehog taught you well then. That is...exactly what sacrifice means...by definition at least. But...how could someone like him know anything about that? He's just too cocky. A complete know-it-all. He wouldn't truly know sacrifice if it bit him on the-" Shadow replied calmly yet dully in confusion with a solemn look on his face as he stared at the left side of the room.

"His uncle had sacrificed himself to save his life once," Chris interrupted calmly yet bluntly in somberness with a grave expression on his face as he looked back at Shadow.

"Ah...Wh-What? His uncle...saved his life?" Shadow replied calmly in shock and in confusion with a surprised expression on his face as he slowly looked back at Chris. He really can't hide his surprise this time. He had never thought that his rival used to have a family too.

"Yes, Shadow, that's right. His uncle had saved him from drowning into a river once. His uncle was like the world to him and seeing him sacrifice himself to save him had crushed him deeply inside. It was at that moment he learned how to be a true hero. Showing complete and total sacrifice no matter the cost," Chris replied calmly yet quietly in somberness with a solemn yet tired look on his face while nodding a bit as he stared at Shadow.

"..." Shadow was speechless while looking stunned since he couldn't believe what he's hearing. While he listened to this, his mind flashed back to the past as he tried to help Maria escape from the G.U.N. soldiers. His locked memories slowly broke down, and he remembered that as much as he tried to protect Maria, Maria ended up protecting him and saved him by pulling down the lever. He remembered himself begging to her to not do it or else the soldier will shoot her. He only wanted her to be safe and alive. Not dead. Definitely not dead.

...But she did it anyway.

...All for his sake.

No...NO! It was all their fault! Not Maria's! She just...She just didn't know what she was doing! She couldn't possibly have chosen to die for my sake! I hadn't done anything worthy for her to do that sort of thing! I was...I was supposed to protect her! Yet I failed her! Why would she save me then if I had failed to save her?! WHY?! JUST WHY?! Shadow brooded angrily in denial and in confusion while quickly grabbing his head and yelling a bit as he cringed a lot after his locked memories resurfaced in his mind.

"S-Shadow?" Amy asked softly in confusion and in worry with a sympathetic look on her face as she reached out to him.

"Shadow..." Chris muttered calmly yet solemnly in sympathy with a concerned look on his face as he stared at Shadow.

"It just...can't be true...That...hedgehog and I can't have something in common...We just couldn't...We're like night and day. He's a hero, yet I'm not. I couldn't...possibly be...Not after I had...failed to save Maria..." Shadow muttered calmly yet quietly in agony with a pained look on his face while shaking his head as he kept holding onto it.

Chris gasped silently in surprise after hearing that before looking sympathetic again. I couldn't imagine the great pain and shame that Shadow must've gone through after that horrific incident. But there is no question that he doesn't want to blame himself for this. Chris brooded calmly in sympathy with a sad look on his face as he stared silently at Shadow.

But soon enough, he took another deep breath and looked solemn again as he replied calmly yet quietly in somberness, "...Well...You're half-right, Shadow. But only half-right...".

"H-Huh? What do you mean that I'm half-right?" Shadow asked calmly yet curiously in confusion with a bewildered expression on his face while put his hands down as he slowly looked back up at Chris.

"What I mean is that..." Chris started calmly yet quietly with a grave look on his face as he slowly stood back up to his feet while struggling a bit before he continued in somberness, "...Yes, you may have failed to save Maria, but that doesn't mean you can't be a hero now. Like I had said before, sacrifices make us heroes. Not good deeds. You can sacrifice yourself to save everyone. Even if you can't save Maria, you can at least save her kind in her honor whether they deserve it or not".

"I can save everyone...for her sake?" Shadow repeated calmly in shock and in confusion with a stunned look on his face as he stared at Chris.

"Yes, Shadow. You can. If you can't save us for us, then please save us for her. It's your last chance to be a hero, Shadow. Please don't waste this chance..." Chris replied calmly yet pleadingly in concern with an exhausted look on his face as he weakly walked towards Shadow again while reaching out to him.

"...!" Shadow gasped loudly in shock while looking surprised after hearing Chris plead in the same way as Maria. The more he stares at Chris, the more he envisions Maria in his mind. No matter how much he wanted to look away, to resist listening to his pleas, he just couldn't...because in some strange way, Chris was like the embodiment of Maria now: weak yet caring.

It was probably the only thing that he had always admired about humans deep inside.

It's their strong, caring hearts despite their weak bodies.

Those eyes...That determination...There's no doubt about it...Maria's spirit is pleading to me through that boy...Shadow pondered calmly in shock with a stunned look on his face as he stared deeply at Chris.

"Shadow...You may have been created as a weapon, but whether you use yourself for protection or for destruction is entirely up to you. You can go through with Gerald Robotnik's plan and be another Godzilla...or...you can stop his plan yourself and be another Oxygen Destroyer...Whatever choice you make will either make you a hero...or a villain forever...I could only wonder...what Maria wanted you to be...as a weapon..." Chris finished calmly yet solemnly in somberness with a tired yet pleading look on his face as he slowly yet weakly walked towards Shadow.

"..." Shadow was silent on that while still looking speechless as his mind pondered deeply on that and as his mind flashed back to the past yet again. I wonder what Maria wanted me to be too...Hmmm...

"I beg of you, Shadow. Please do it for me. Please forgive them...for my sake...".

"...For all the people on that planet, give them a chance to be happy...just like how you made me happy, Shadow...".

"...You've been created as a weapon to protect me...Just like I was protected under you, please protect the people on Earth the same way. It may at times seem undeserved, but I personally believe that they all have good intentions deep inside...I just...want to see those good intentions come through and make the world a better place to live in...For you to live in, Shadow...Please...protect them...for my sake...".

"...Sayonara, Shadow...the Hedgehog...and thank you...my dear friend...".

Soon enough, Chris finally made it back to Shadow, but his weakened body collapsed under him and made him pass out. Fortunately, his fall was broken thanks to Shadow holding his limp body with his right arm. He had a single tear in his eye after fully remembering Maria's last wish. He can't say that his embitterment towards humans had completely gone away, but he is more willing to forgive others since Maria cared for others in the first place. Honestly, without her, he probably would have never forgiven them at all.

"Ah! Master Chris!" Mr. Tanaka exclaimed in alarm with a surprised look on his face as he quickly ran towards Chris.

"Chris! Are you alright?!" Amy exclaimed in alarm too with a surprised look on her face as she also ran towards Chris.

Shadow looked at Mr. Tanaka and silently gave Chris to him. Mr. Tanaka quickly yet gently grabbed Chris and held him up in his arms while still looking worried. Amy stood next to him while also looking worried. Once again, Shadow was amazed on how humans and/or people like himself such as Amy for instance cared deeply for another human being despite their apparent weakness. He could see the concern and fear in their eyes and mouths as they wondered if Chris will die or not thanks to his ruthless yet quick beating earlier.

"Easy, you two. He's not going to die. I felt his heart beat after he had collapsed onto me. He's just exhausted. Let him rest for now until he wakes up. Keep an eye out for him for me. Bye," Shadow reassured calmly yet solemnly with a little frown and with grave eyes as he stared at Mr. Tanaka and Amy for a while before turning around and walking out of the room.

"But wait a second! Shadow! What about you?! What are you going to do?!" Amy exclaimed in alarm and in confusion with a concerned expression on her face as she quickly looked back at Shadow.

"Yes, Shadow. What is it that you're planning?" Mr. Tanaka added calmly in curiosity with a concerned expression on his face while carrying Chris as he looked back at Shadow.

Shadow briefly stopped in his tracks, turned his head around, and answered calmly yet solemnly in determination with a grave look on his face, "Isn't obvious? I'm going to save the Earth. That's what".

"Wait! What?! Does...Does that mean you're going to help Sonic?!" Amy exclaimed back in surprise with a shocked look on her face while quickly covering her mouth with both hands as she stared back at Shadow. Mr. Tanaka was also surprised but said nothing since he was taken aback from this.

Shadow shrugged his shoulders casually as he answered coolly with a stoic look on his face, "If that's the way it has to be, then I might. With that said, stay here and look out for Chris for the time being. I'm going to stop this never-ending nightmare if it's the last thing I do. So, bye".

He turned his head around and continued walking out the room. Amy and Mr. Tanaka were just flabbergasted after hearing Shadow's nonchalant response. It almost sounded as if he was joking, but it was very clear that he had meant every word of it.

But of course, just as Amy stuttered a response, Shadow was already walking through the automatic door, "B-B-But! But Shadow!".

The door soon closed after he had left, and Amy and Mr. Tanaka could only stare at the door with flabbergasted looks on their faces. They didn't know what to say or do next since Shadow's response to this was still being processed in their minds. Earlier, it was very clear that Shadow had no desire into saving the Earth, but just within those last three minutes, he suddenly had a change of heart. They had no clue what spurred on this change, but they were very relieved that it had occurred. What they just saw was a true miracle.

They slowly looked back at Chris' exhausted body and stared at him with concerned yet relieved looks on their faces. Somehow, they had a feeling that it was because of what Chris had said that struck a chord into Shadow's cold, stony heart. What words he had said exactly that had triggered it, they don't know or probably couldn't know. But they were very grateful that Chris had stood up to Shadow and convinced him to do what was right. Chris may not realize it now, but he truly was a hero at that moment.

"Chris..." Mr. Tanaka and Amy muttered calmly yet softly in unison with grateful looks on their faces as they stared at Chris' exhausted face.

It seems that today two, new heroes are born, and those two heroes...had killed another Godzilla.

THE END

Yet another one-shot down! This truly was a fun one-shot to make! Tying in Sonic's backstory with his uncle with my own dark head-cannon of the Ark incident (or should I say prior to the Ark incident) into this fun, crazy one-shot! It all came full circle! Also, yeah, my timeline of when the Ark incident took place isn't essentially accurate to the cannon version, but I do think that it is a fun, cool twist if not darker than the story already is. Besides, I've based the date more closely to the episode airing at the time (mostly based on the 4kids airing rather than the original air date) since Season 2 did start around 2004 and gone to 2005. So, technically, it does work if you based it on the Sonic X anime and not the game.

But with that said, I hope that you guys had enjoyed this one-shot! If you had enjoyed it, please R&R and do whatever else you want with it! Thank you so much for supporting this little one-shot by reading it, and I'll see you all next time! I'll give you a heads up for this next one-shot that I had in mind! If you guys thought this was a fun, cute inclusion/reference of the Godzilla franchise, then wait until you see this short, amusing one-shot in the Sonic/Godzilla crossover section that I'll have done by April Fools! It probably might be a drabble for all we know! Anyways, now, I'll see you next time!