Chapter 9: Work

Meanwhile, Shadow was still in Tails' house. The hedgehog sighed and heard the phone ring, so he answered it.

"Hello? Tails' residence," he said. "May I help you?"

"Is this Shadow?" A voice asked. "This is the manager of the restaurant. We went through your application and decided to hire you. You start tomorrow morning at 8 AM."

"Really? Thank you. I'll definitely be there." He hung up and smiled, then went into Tails' lab and saw the fox. "I got the job," he said. "I start tomorrow morning."

Tails smiled. "That's great," he said. "Good luck."

Shadow nodded. "Do you need any help here today?"

Tails shook his head. "I'm fine," he said with a smile.

Shadow smiled back. "Is it all right if I just watch you, then?"

"I'm pretty busy right now," Tails said. "I'll be up soon, though."

Shadow nodded and walked upstairs. He sighed and walked outside to explore more of the surface world he was no living in. Shadow walked around the town, looking at all the places he passed. He had to admit: Station Square was an amazing place. Soon, he came to a forest and saw an island floating in the sky. Confusion instantly came onto his face. How could an island float up there? He frowned, wondering how to get up there.

"Excuse me," he said. "Do you know how to get up to that island?"

The person next to him nodded. "That's Angel Island," he said. "You'd have to use a plane to get up there. There's an echidna by the name of Knuckles who guards something called the Master Emerald."

"Thanks." Shadow looked back up at the island before running back to Tails's house.

He saw Tails sitting at the table, eating. "Find anything interesting on you walk?" The fox asked.

"Yes, I did. What do you know about Angel Island?"

Tails smiled. "My friend Knuckles the Echidna lives there," he said. "He guards the Master Emerald; it controls the Chaos Emeralds. Want to go there?"

Shadow nodded. "I'd like to see it," he said.

The fox nodded and led Shadow outside. They got into the plane and flew towards Angel Island. it took a while but they eventually got there. Shadow got out, amazed by the island.

"This is incredible." Shadow walked up to get a closer look at one of the plants. "It's a completely different place up here."

Tails smiled and watched Shadow look around. His foot hit something and he looked down. it was a Chaos Emerald. Shadow picked it up, looking at the emerald curiously, before a wave of pain hit him as the emerald glowed and send its energy into his body. He felt himself gain many powers such as super speed, teleportation, and many more.

"Are you okay?" Tails asked. "You looked like something was hurting you."

"I...I'm fine," he said, and held up the emerald. "It seems that this Chaos Emerald has given me powers."

Tails looked at him in shock. "Powers? What kind?"

"Super speed, Chaos powers...things like that."

Tails nodded. "Makes sense, I guess."

Shadow nodded. "Looks like Knuckles isn't here," he said. "Let's head back to your house." Tails nodded and got back into the plane. He looked at Shadow, who shook his head. "I'll meet you at the house," Shadow said. The hedgehog held up the emerald. "Chaos Control!" he said, and vanished in a flash of light.

Tails shook his head with a smile. Hoping Shadow's plan move had worked, he returned to the Tornado and left the island. When he got to his house, Shadow was already there. Tails chuckled and walked up to him.

"So, how do you like..." He motioned to Shadow's legs.

Shadow looked down at them. "They still feel strange at times, but I'm getting used to them."

"Do you like being a hedgehog instead of a merhog?"

Shadow thought about it. "I'm not sure yet."

Tails nodded, and they went inside. Shadow yawned and sat on the couch.

"Do you want to do anything else?" Tails asked. "I could introduce you to my friends."

"It would be nice to know someone."

Tails smiled.

"Did you want to introduce me now or later?"

"Now, if you want."

Shadow smiled. "Why not? It could be fun, at least."

Tails smiled. "Alright. I'll call them and have them come over."

"How many people are there going to be?" Shadow asked.

"Knuckles, Blaze, Rouge, and Silver."

"All right." Shadow was silent for a few moments as Tails picked up the phone. "How much should I tell them about myself?"

Tails shrugged. "Maybe that you are Sonic's friend and just moved here."

Shadow smiled and kept quiet again as Tails called his friends. Minutes later, the doorbell rang. Tails answered the door, and soon his friends were coming into the room.

"This is Shadow," Tails told them.

Each of Tails' friends introduced themselves, and Shadow made sure to find something to remember who each of them was. They talked for a while, and Shadow was enjoying their company, They were pleased to know that Sonic was doing fine last he knew, and were more than happy to explain anything he didn't quite understand.

After the left he looked at Tails. "You have good friends."

Tails nodded. "Yeah, I do."

Shadow smiled and sighed, then yawned. "Is there anything else to do?"

"I can't think of anything."

The hedgehog nodded. "Alright. Well, I'm going to bed. It's been a long day. I have to get up early tomorrow anyway."

Tails smiled and watched Shadow go upstairs. He returned to his lab a few minutes later. The next day, Shadow woke. He sighed, left Tails a note, and headed to the restaurant. Once he got there, he saw the manager.

"What do I do first?" he asked.

The manager smiled. "Set up tables first. The restaurant opens in a few hours."

Shadow nodded. He got what he needed and set up the tables. A few hours later, the restaurant was open and people came in. Shadow sighed and did his duties for the day, getting food for people and taking their orders. He found it not too difficult, though sometimes he had to pause to remember which table he was supposed to bring the food to. At least he didn't spill anything. That night, he got to Tails' house and fell on the bed, exhausted. Tails saw him.

"How was your first day at work?" He asked.

"All right. It was more tiring than I had thought."

Tails smiled. "Looks like you're getting the hang of this," he said with a smile.

Shadow nodded and sighed, then went to sleep.