SONIC HEROES: THE SERIES
Tomo © Kiba Sniper
Chapter Eighty-Nine: Force of Will
The scene opens to the dark and dreary dimension that once served as the base of the Dark Rulers. Since their defeat at the hands of the Sonic Heroes in their dimension, they had not only lost the battle, but also their headquarters. The small remained of the Dark Rulers were gathered around Nazo's shattered throne as the God of Darkness stared through the viewing portal. It held the news report of Sonic's miraculous victory against the Armageddon. He watched carefully particularly to his new Mega Form – intrigued by his appearance and powers.
"And that was once again the exclusive scene from South Island." The report said proudly. "The world can rest easy again knowing that another evil has once again passed."
"This is sickening." Dark Sonic grumbled as Nazo dissolved the portal. "The world is sucking up to that arrogant, blue roadkill as always. If they only they knew how much damage he has caused to the planet he caused himself."
"Complaining is going to help anything." Erazor glared. "But either way, that rat is not my concern."
"You will have your chance at Jet soon, Erazor." Nazo stated. "But right now, our main concern is where Sonic had obtained this new power. His strength and appearance is relatively close to my own Perfect Form. This could be troublesome."
"What shall we do, my lord?" Mephiles questioned.
"I would say that a little experiment is in order." Nazo said conclusively. "And I know the perfect test subject."
The scene alternates to the city of water, Soleanna. For a more specific location, we arrive at Silver's most recommended outdoor café. Since only four days had passed since the Armageddon was defeated, the fraction of the Sonic Heroes that had participated in the fight was still on the island. But that didn't stop the news reports from trying to leak out as much information as possible – they would do anything for a paycheck.
"Once again, the queen of South Island has refused to release any details on the battle." A new reported stated on the television. "But we all know for sure that the world is always safe as long Sonic the Hedgehog is on the job."
But that was as much as she could get out before the television was blow to bits. The new manager of the shop, Silver's old friend, Mark, sighed disappointedly and turned back to his customers. Kumori had her face in her hands while Shadow glared loathingly at the broken set.
"Here we go again." Mark groaned. "Shadow, I know you're friends with Silver, but I'm having second thoughts about letting you in here."
"Whatever." Shadow said shortly; Mark threw in the towel – literally.
"I've lost count of how many TV's and radios you've destroyed." Kumori groaned. "You lucky G.U.N. is willing to pay for the damages at the electronic store."
"I need to know." Shadow muttered fiercely. "I need to know how Sonic did it. Where did he get that kind of power?"
"You've been asking the same question ever since the first report came out." Kumori sighed longingly. "You're so caught up with trying to beat Sonic that you keep forgetting important occasions. Yesterday was the anniversary we both met on the ARK and you totally blew me off."
"I was training." Shadow said bluntly.
"I already knew that." Kumori hissed angrily. "Listen, Maria's birthday is tomorrow. This will be the first celebration she's had with us for over fifty years and I don't want you screwing it up because of your superiority complex."
"I do not have a superiority complex." Shadow growled.
"Oh, please." Kumori rolled her eyes. "Every time Sonic does something, you always have to be better. When he created Sonic Wind, you created the Chaos Blast. When Sonic began working on a new move, you had to create one even better. And when you lost the race to Kadaj, you just had to build a better ride."
"You will remain silent." Shadow commanded.
"Face it, Shadow!" Kumori screamed; crowds were watching from a distance. "You can't handle the fact that someone might be better than you!"
The next moment, Kumori found herself on the floor, holding her cheek. Shadow was breathing heavily with his fist held outwards, looking down at his injured girlfriend. The passing shoppers had stopped to watch what was happening and Mark was unknowingly washing the same cup for a fifth time. The black hedgehogs glared back at one another until Shadow finally turned away, disappearing beyond the crowd. Close to ten minutes later, Shadow found himself wandering the streets, attracting the attention of many fans.
"Who is she to say I have a superiority complex." Shadow thought harshly. "Being the Ultimate Life-Form, it's only natural that I adapt to the situation and improve. She's only a prototype. She couldn't understand my existence."
It was difficult for Shadow to accept the facts. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he had been missing out on a lot of things since the news report of Sonic. There was even one moment where he almost believed that Kumori may have been right about him. Unfortunately, he was unable to come to a conclusion; a loud explosion could be heard coming from the heart of the city.
"Just great." Shadow hissed angrily. "I do not need this right now."
With an audible groan, the Ultimate Life-Form turned back on his heels and dashed back into the heart of the city. When arriving back on the scene, he wasn't really surprised to find that Mark's café was entirely destroyed- good thing he got heavy insurance. An emerging from the smoke, much to Shadow's surprise, was the menacing Dark Sonic. Both black hedgehogs caught sight of each other, but Dark Sonic seemed widely disappointed.
"Shadow the Hedgehog?" Dark Sonic questioned. "What are you doing here? I was hoping of taking my chances against my weaker side."
"Sonic still hasn't returned from the island." Shadow informed, moving into position. "Which means you'll have to get through me."
"How sad." Dark said tauntingly. "And here, I was actually looking forward to a challenge." He was amused by the vain throbbing from Shadow's forehead. "But if I have to settle for second best, then I guess I'll make this quick."
"I will never be second best!" Shadow roared.
In an instant, Shadow accessed his Super Form and shot ahead to deliver a powerful punch to the face. The dark counterpart was shot backwards through two buildings and flipped in midair to catch himself as he landed on the harbor. Dark Sonic raised his arm overhead to block with his forearm as Shadow reappeared overhead with a swift drop kick. The dark counterpart pushed his enemy away and leashed a sphere of darkness to be tossed into Shadow's chest. Fortunately, the golden hedgehog increased his speed to the point where the attack phased through his body and disappeared into the air. Dark Sonic was caught off guard by this tactic, leaving him wide open for Shadow to punch in the face. The dark counterpart skidded backwards, clutching his left eye.
"I could act like Sonic and make a wisecrack about having black eye." Shadow said remedially. "But there isn't much color from you to begin with....wait, that worked out well."
"This is still nothing." Dark Sonic proclaimed. "At least Sonic proved to be a worthwhile challenge. Instead, I'm stuck handling a fifty year-old faker with a superiority complex."
"I don't have a superiority complex!" Shadow screeched.
"Such denial." Dark Sonic chuckled. "It entertains me."
There are a lot of things that pissed Shadow off these days: Touching his motorcycle, hitting on his girlfriend, and saying he has a superiority complex. And it seemed that Dark Sonic was relying on this point. Super Shadow rebounded off the ground, fracturing the concrete slightly, and jabbed his fist forward at Dark Sonic's face. But the evil counterpart effortlessly captured the fist into his hand and flipped the hedgehog overhead, stilling in contact. As Shadow landed, he tried to turn around, but Dark Sonic twisted his wrist around and forced it into his back. The golden hedgehog hissed in pain as his own limb was forced deeper into his spine, forcing him to kneel.
"You're anger clouds your thoughts." Dark Sonic stated menacingly. "I remember when the same occurrences happened with the blue rodent I once joined souls with. But Sonic learned how to direct his anger – something you do not seem to understand."
"I hate to admit it, but he's right." Shadow thought coolly. "I need to stay focused."
"What's wrong, hedgehog?" Dark Sonic tormented, pushing his arm further. "Run out of smart remarks."
"Actually, I have quite a few in mind." Shadow smirked. "For example, I could ask you how the view is."
"What vi...?"
Before the dark counterpart could finish, Shadow suddenly dropped to the ground and launched his foot directly into Dark Sonic's chin. The force of the impact no only forced him to release, but it also forced the evil counterpart to be thrusted off the ground. The dark hedgehog caught himself about a mile above the city before realizing that Shadow had already beat him up there. The golden hero clasped his hands together and slammed them overhead, rocketing the darker being back towards the ground. Unfortunately, Shadow's plan had failed as Dark Sonic landed back on the ground safely.
"Enjoying yourself?" Shadow called from above.
"This is a switch." Dark Sonic commented. "You managed to control your rage and direct it at your opponent. But even so, you cannot defeat me."
"Care to explain why." Shadow said, landing across from him.
"Because you heroes are always the same." Dark Sonic stated amusingly. "You never know when a villain is going to come around with a sadistic choice."
Before Shadow could have the time to figure out his meaning, Dark Sonic took off and sped backwards into town with Shadow following behind. The two super powered hedgehogs eventually screeched to a halt back at the starting point of the match: the destroyed café. Not wanting to know what he was up to, Shadow reeled back his hand to form a single Chaos Spear when Dark Sonic smashed his hand through the concrete. Shadow instantly lost focus in his attack when the evil counterpart ripped Kumori out from the debris.
"Kumori..." Shadow muttered.
"Now you've got a choice, Shadow the Hedgehog." Dark Sonic said deviously. "You can choose either to surrender your own life or the woman you love." He began to laugh wickedly. "Either way, someone is going to die today."
"Shadow, don't you listen to him!" Kumori screamed. "You're smart enough to find a solution!"
"You've got ten seconds, hedgehog." Dark Sonic said threateningly.
Shadow only needed five seconds to think things through. When it came down to it, Shadow realized its was his own stubbornness that brought this upon him. He already died once, so he knew what to expect. Without a moment of hesitation, Shadow willingly dropped his Super Form and Hung his head, much to Kumori's dismay.
"Ah, an excellent choice." Dark Sonic taunted, throwing out his hand. "And don't worry, you're girlfriend will be joining your soon enough."
"What?!" Shadow exclaimed.
But before the Ultimate Life-Form could do anything to prevent this, Dark Sonic released a them beam of purple energy from his palm. The beam stabbed straight through Shadow's heart and his body slowly gave in to the numbing sense of death. Before passing away completely, he could see Kumori's tearful face. Everything went black.
Within the bowels of darkness, Shadow found himself drifting alone between the plains of life and death. This is just like last time. He would wait here until someone from the council of death would arrive to determine whether he would be transported to heaven or hell. The Ultimate Life-Form had no doubts where he would end up, but the though of Kumori joining him shortly after was to horrify for words. The only thing he could do was clench his fists until he began to draw blood.
"This can't be happening." Shadow snarled. "I can't believe I fell for such an obvious trap. I should have known never to trust a villain."
"He was right about one thing." Shadow groaned, already knowing the voice. He turned around to find none other than the Grim Reaper, the being who had delivered him last time. "You heroes are always the same. You always try to see the best of a terrible situation. But when it comes down to it, a creature of evil never keeps his word."
"Like you?" Shadow glared.
"Shadow, I am offended." The Reaper said dramatically. "Here I am to send you to your proper place and this is how you greet me? I should just leave you here to wander for eternity."
"That's fine my me." Shadow scowled, gazing around the void. "I'll just find my own way to the world."
"Anubis may have been charitable, but I am not." The Reaper stated threateningly. "You already had your second chance at life. I already told you and your friend that there wouldn't be a third."
"You don't not control me, skull face." Shadow proclaimed.
"You insolent whelp!" The Reaper snarled.
With a snap of his bony fingers, the Grim Reaper summoned his legendary scythe from the void of darkness. Legends told that anyone struck down by the scythe was sentenced to the lower pits of Hell under the control of the fabled Malebolgia. As the Reaper swiped downwards for the judgment, he was shocked when Shadow grabbed the weapon by its handle. The Reaper tried to tug his weapon back, but the hedgehog refused to release.
"Unhand me, rodent!" The Reaper demanded.
"Like I said before..." Shadow seethed. "You do not control me!"
In an unexpected twist, Shadow somehow managed to regain the power of his Super Form. But the Reaper knew this was impossible. – Anyone trapped in the void was rendered powerless. But when taking as second look around, he began to notice that the void was slowly fracturing. With one final tug, Shadow snapped the scythe it two and shattered to void.
Back in the realm of reality, Kumori was sobbing at the sight of her lover's body. Dark Sonic, on the other hand, seemed to find great pleasure from this.
"Yes, witness the result of his failure." Dark Sonic cackled. "If I had known it was this easy to kill a hero, I would have kidnapped that pink rat a long time ago. It certainly is a timesaver."
"Shadow..." Kumori hissed, slowly gaining control of herself. "Was a better man than you would have ever been. And in a fair fight, he would have destroyed in two minutes flat!"
"You got some lip, rodent." Dark Sonic scowled, increasing his grip on the hedgehog. "But if you haven't already figured it out, I don't play fair."
"It's a wonder why Sonic is the better half." Kumori said sarcastically.
"Listen, you little...!" Dark Sonic snapped, raising his fist
"No, you listen!"
From out of nowhere, a hand reach out and restrained Dark Sonic's attack. The dark counterpart snapped his head backwards with a deep sense of loathing before it was exchange by a wide expression of shock. Shadow had somehow returned to the land of the living, gaining a new power upon his resurrection. His fur was golden like his Super Form, but his quills were lengthened and caught in a tangled mess that reach down his back. Shadow had surpassed the Super Form and went directly into the legendary Mega Form.
"But that's impossible..." Dark Sonic thought wildly. "How could he possibly..."
"I am only going to ask this once." Shadow said coolly. "Release Kumori at once and leave in peace."
"Over your dead body!" Dark Sonic screamed.
The evil counterpart released his grip from Kumori and jammed his fist into Shadow's face. But before he could come within a foot of the empowered hedgehog, he was blocked off by an invisible barrier tossed backwards into the air. However, Shadow's grip on his arm still remained, which resulted in the limb being ripped from the demon's body. As the evil counterpart hissed in pain, Shadow tossed the arm aside – it vanished into darkness. While trying to ignore the pain in his side, Dark Sonic held out his palm and released a storm of purple beams. But much to the demon's surprise, the beams only reflected off a unseen barrier that seemed to surround the golden hero.
"This can't be happening." Dark Sonic growled. "I am more powerful that this rat."
"Now who's the one with the Superiority Complex?" Shadow questioned. Dark Sonic jumped away in shock once the hedgehog appeared behind him. "You have this one chance to back out now. Leave while you still have your life."
"I am no such coward!" Dark Sonic exclaimed.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Shadow murmured.
After compacting all his energy, Dark Sonic released it all at once in the form of a purple beam three times larger than either of them. Mega Shadow stared unimpressively and merely held out his hand. Though as inefficient as it may have seemed, the Ultimate Life-Form was able to stop the attack entirely and slowly drain the energy into his body. After what seemed like an eternity, Dark Sonic finally exhausted all of his power and released the attack. His opponent tired and drained, it was now up to shadow to bring the final blow. The empowered clasped his palms together, clustering all the energy he had drained from his opponent into a form of light.
"I had warned you not to challenge the Ultimate Life-Form." Shadow said coldly. "Savior shot!!!!"
The sphere of light that had formed it Shadow's hands shattered and reformed into five thin beams of light. But when Dark Sonic had taken a closer look, he realized that they all resembled some form of serpent. The snakes of light stabbed through his wrists, ankle, and forehead to burst out the other side. The shining serpents bended around and reformed into one creature before plunging itself into the demon's back. Not a trace was left of the dark counterpart as he was slowly consumed from the inside – ending his reign of darkness forever. Kumori watched in astonishment at the miracle that had occurred before she felt a hand land on her shoulder. She turned around and smiled excitedly at Shadow, who had returned to his regular appearance.
"So, are you enjoying the show?" Shadow quipped.
"Shadow.....you idiot!" Kumori screamed, kicking the hedgehog in the shin. "Do you have any idea how scared I was?! I had thought I had lost you again! If you ever do anything like that again, I'll make you wish you were dead!"
"I get, I get." Shadow groaned. "I won't do anything stupid again. We'll just leave that to Sonic."
"Well, at least some parts of you are still intact." Kumori chuckled. "So, now that you have that power, are you going to try and improve upon it?"
"Nah, it's not worth the trouble." Shadow waved, throwing his arm around his girlfriend. "So, what are we doing for Maria's party?"
The scene alternates to the dark dimension of the Dark Ruler's domain. While Mephiles and Erazor were out completing their own missions, Nazo sat patiently on his throne for his newest report. After a long wait, Shira, Nack, and Tomo finally emerged from the corridor and bowed to their master. Nazo could easily tell from their uneasy expression that it wasn't good news.
"Well...?" Nazo questioned.
"Dark Sonic went to test Shadow like you said." Shira reported. "He was fairing well against him and nearly killed him at one point. But...."
"Shadow turned into a golden boy and ripped the guy to shreds." Nack said bluntly; Tomo slapped him over the head. "What?!"
"This does not surprise me." Nazo said calmly. "I had anticipated for Shadow to obtain the same power as Sonic. They both share the same blood, so it is only logical that they should share the same power."
"But how did he do it, my lord?" Tomo questioned interestingly. "Last time, you said Sonic only gained the power of the Light of Miracles because the Highest One granted it to him. But you also said the Highest One returned to sleep."
"Shadow called upon the Light of the Miracles through sheer force of will." Nazo answered. "He will be an even greater threat than we had originally imagined." He waved his hand in command. "I must investigate this further. Leave me."
The trio did not refuse him. As Tomo and Nack disappeared into the shadows, Shira glanced backwards one last time, her eyes filled with concern. Once he knew that Shira was no longer watching him, the God of Darkness held out his hand and summoned a sphere of shadows in his palm. There was a small groan emitting from the darkness, sounding vaguely familiar.
"My lord..." The sphere said in the voice of Dark Sonic. "Shadow has succeeded in obtaining victory. I stood no chance against him."
"Justas I had expected." Nazo stated. "You were merely there to test his strength. Now I know what to expect from the Heroes during our next encounter."
"My lord...what shall I do now?" Dark Sonic asked pleadingly. "I must prove myself."
"You will in time." Nazo assured. "In fact, I already have a plan that is perfect for your special brand of darkness. Tell me, have you ever heard of Planet Babylon?"
Light and Darkness advances to the next level. How will Shadow fair with the power of his new Mega Form? How will Nazo use this new information to his advantage? And what plan concerns the Rogues' home world? Find out on the next Sonic Heroes!
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