Chapter 115; Date with reflecting
Shadow waited anxiously at Mauville city's central square for Maria to arrive. The anxiety was so intense he felt he would burst.
He had still not entirely processed how he had scored a date with Maria. It felt too good to be true.
But at the point he was, he had realized he literally had nothing to lose. And he knew that for a fact now.
Because Shadow the hedgehog had literally nothing.
The realization that hit him the moment his last tether to life was cut for an instant showed him how empty his life truly was.
And then he was saved by the person he despised the most. Sonic.
And he couldn't come to terms with that.
Hell he had yet to come to terms with the events of Forina.
"Why?" Shadow whispered.
Thrice Sonic had had control over his destiny. And thrice Shadow had been shown mercy.
"So weak" his father's voice whispered in his ear".
"Leave me be" Shadow fought back against the voice.
"But it's the truth. Mercy, offered or received, is for the weak. I didn't train your sorry ass to be weak".
"I'm not weak" Shadow argued back, his lips moving without words coming out which unnerved a small group of youngsters passing by.
"And yet look at you. Standing here acting as if all is normal. If you had any balls you would have shoved his hand aside and taken the fall. But then again I shouldn't be surprised. You always were nothing more than a pussy faggot".
Shadow's fist met the trunk of a tree, injuring his knuckles.
Taking a few deep breaths he replied.
"Your son was a pussy faggot. Was. He is dead. Get this in your head. Shadow the hedgehog is dead. Only I remain".
Shadow repeated this thought about ten times until his heartbeat returned to normal.
His father's words faded. But the lack of acceptance persisted.
He couldn't even begin to comprehend Sonic's reasoning, neither of the two instances.
He had pushed the events of Forina aside when he learned what he was fighting for, in other words when he had been shown trust by Maxie.
And plus, Sonic hadn't really saved him in Forina. He had spared him.
Shadow was eventually able to attribute that to foolishness on Sonic's part.
But it wasn't the same at mt Chimney.
That wasn't foolishness. That was a choice.
Sonic had the choice to recover the Mikado meteor. From all perspectives Shadow could see, that was the right choice.
And yet Sonic had forgone that choice. And not just forgone but had shown no hesitation.
Despite his allies' pleas to let Shadow fall and go for the meteor instead.
Heck, Sonic hadn't even entertained the thought of entertaining that thought.
He had instead reached out with his other hand, pleading with Shadow to take it.
And this, Shadow just couldn't – no just couldn't but wouldn't – let go.
Not until he could understand what was in Sonic's mind in that moment.
Maxie had encouraged this attempt to understand Sonic.
After returning to the hideout, the president of Socexp was smart enough not to directly blame Shadow for the failure of the operation and the loss of the Mikado meteor.
Instead he had thrown several minor jabs at Shadow for failing to stop Sonic even with the rocket boots, stating that now the goal of team Magma would have to be set back a lot.
Of course, Shadow had objected to this, asking that Maxie authorize a mission for Shadow to get Sonic somewhere alone and defeat him.
Maxie had vehemently opposed the idea, arguing that directly confronting the hero of Kanto would have negative impact on the team.
When asked to elaborate, Maxie explained that news of their multiple encounters with Sonic would go public sooner or later and therefore would get the team unnecessary heat.
But the way he was looking at Shadow, it was obvious what the real reason was.
He didn't believe Shadow could defeat Sonic.
And that just confused Shadow more and more.
He knew if Maxie let him off his leash he could easily defeat Sonic. But he was forced to hold back.
Sonic had to know all that. He had hinted at it at Meteor falls.
It just felt like he had Shadow's number. And if he really did, then he had many reasons to let him fall to his death.
And yet…
"Why? Why did he save me?"
And so the toxic circle of question started anew.
Shadow could never escape it.
He never would unless he could understand Sonic's thinking.
And his way of thinking was impossible to understand.
Especially for someone who had been taught his entire life to utterly crash whoever stood in his way mercilessly.
So lost in his thoughts, Shadow was frightened when Maria sneaked up to him.
"Hello".
"Geez!" Shadow jumped up in surprise "don't sneak up on me like that".
"Sorry" she said giggling "intrusive thoughts won if you catch my drift".
Shadow then took a better, more thorough look at Maria and his heart skipped a beat.
First time he had met Maria at the Mauville city bus station, she was wearing a simple everyday outfit consisting of a long jeans and a white t-shirt.
During their meeting at her family's farm, she was brandishing a work overall and a tank top.
But here, she was dressed in a dark blue puffy-sleeved blouse with light blue trims over a light blue, knee-length dress with long sleeves, a dark blue hairband, and matching blue shoes.
That made her look extremely feminine and it was driving Shadow insane.
He discreetly pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He really wasn't.
All the dark thoughts and mind loops of the last two weeks disappeared. There was only Maria.
"Shadow?"
Shadow then realized that he had been staring for a solid ten seconds.
"Wha… was I… staring?"
"Well… kinda…"
Shadow blushed all over in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry. I was… mesmerized. You look amazing".
"Oooh you're sweet" Maria said in a cute voice "so what plans do you have for us?"
"Plans?"
"Yeah. Plans".
Shadow's brain went into overdrive, trying to understand in what way she meant plans.
"For our date silly".
"Oh. Right for our date. Right. Plans. Ok, umm… shall we start with something mild like… getting some ice cream?"
"You read my mind! I'm dying for some ice cream right now" she said excitedly.
Upon agreement, the two headed for the coastal section of the city where the best ice cream parlor was located.
To Maria's shock, Shadow hadn't had ice cream until a few months ago when he was still living in Green Hills, meaning he had never had ice cream before that.
The reason for this deduction was Shadow expressing difficulty in choosing a flavor.
Upon Maria's suggestion, Shadow got a three ball ice cream consisting of one ball of vanilla, one of chocolate and one of praline which as she said was a classic. It also happened to be her favorite which she attributed to always liking the simple things quite a lot.
The two then sat at a bench and slowly licked away at the ice creams while chatting and observing the view.
At a point, the two saw something moving extremely fast at the sky in front of them.
"Whoa did you see that?" Maria excitedly pointed to the sky.
"I did. It was a wild flygon".
"No way. Flygons aren't this fast. This must have been one of the Eon twins".
"How would you know that? And what are the Eon twins?"
"I grew up with pokemon silly. We have treated Flygons at the daycare before. I've lost count of the times I soared to the skies of Hoenn on the back of a Flygon. Such loving creatures".
"Sounds nice" Shadow commented, not even realizing how many times he had flew around Hoenn on his Salamence and then daydreaming himself and Maria flying together on those two dragon species.
"Shadow?"
"Hm?"
"You ok? You seemed… lost there".
"Oh… it's nothing. I was just wondering… the way those 3 pokemon followed you the other day against team Magma… they looked so eager to listen to you. You are like a pokemon whisperer".
"You mean a trainer? It kinda runs in the family. Remember how I mentioned my dad was a trainer once?"
"No. Not a trainer. A whisperer. Someone who can reach pokemon without needing to tame them or catch them with pokeballs to earn their allegiance".
Maria tilted her head.
"I'm not sure what you mean by this. This isn't as uncommon as it seems to me that you make it out to be. Lots of people can form bonds with pokemon without the need of pokeballs".
She was spot on without realizing it. Shadow had been in possession of his pokemon for months now and had never felt like he had a bond with them.
"They are only tools" he had been told by others and by himself time and time again.
And yet there was Maria, the girl he had the fattest crush on, casually being able to bond with any pokemon she met. And he needn't more proof.
What he had seen that day vs what he knew as reality was proof enough.
"But what does that mean for me?" he wondered.
That question only increased the tearing of his being he was experiencing tenfold.
What was he if both the girl he liked and the individual he hated more than anyone were on the same page about their treatment for pokemon?
To get his mind off this existential crisis, Shadow repeated his 2nd question.
"What were those Eon twins you mentioned?"
"Two legendary pokemon species native to the region, Latias and Latios. They are known for traveling around Hoenn faster that jet planes and for their role in protecting pokemon from any and all threats".
"Legendary pokemon?" Shadow said intrigued. This could prove useful.
"Yes. They are kind of Hoenn's equivalent of Johto's fabled legendary beasts, now allies of team Sonic. Of course the legendary beasts have been believed to be one of a kind but the Eon twins are not. Several of them exist all across the globe. Sightings of them have been reported in the sea town of Alto Mare in the Johtonian archipelago and even in the Kanto region though the latter is not confirmed".
"So like… they are considered as strong as the beasts?"
"Probably. I mean they are legendary pokemon. But I don't know a lot more. I haven't studied much of Hoenn's history".
"What for?"
"The Latias and Latios species played a pivotal role during the great war. They used their great psychic power to defend the pokemon from the devastating impact of the clash between the Groudon and the Kyogre. A lot of stories turned legends from that time, speak of this great power taking form in the shape of a jewel but nothing of the sort was ever discovered or even really confirmed to be real".
Shadow nodded silently, taking a mental note.
"Great power, in the form of a jewel".
Afterwards, more so because of slight paranoia on his part as Shadow didn't want to raise suspicious in Maria by asking about legendary pokemon, Shadow returned the topic to her.
"Backtracking to the question I had before we talked about the eon twins, how come you never chose the path of a pokemon trainer? You have that gift of easily bonding with pokemon so… I just can't help but wonder".
Maria shrugged as she finished her ice cream and began taking bites out of the cone.
"I never saw a reason to. I'm content with my life caring for pokemon, plus I got Debbie as my pokemon sister and… what can I say, power never interested me".
Shadow's face couldn't hide his feelings of question.
"Could you… elaborate a bit on that?"
"Why you ask?"
"Well… I just want to understand you. I like you a lot so…"
The words slipped through his lips before he could do anything about it.
"You like me?!" Maria almost choked on the last bite of the cone.
Shadow blushed and struggled not to panic.
"No… I… I meant you are so nice to me and… and… I find you very likeable… and I just wanted to understand you on a deeper level" Shadow scrambled to come up with a reply that wouldn't make the situation awkward.
"Oh" Maria sounded disappointed but nodded "I see. Well as I said, power never interested me. I have nothing against pokemon battles, they just never really interested me. And well… I just prefer building bonds with pokemon by spending time together rather than training and growing in power".
"I understand. I just wondered how come you never considered it. Your dad was once a trainer… and those 3 pokemon were ready to give their all by your side against team Magma".
"I don't really know what to answer to that except power never interested me".
"It wasn't a question. Just a minor statement. Anyway ice cream's done".
"And it was delicious! So what do you have planned next?"
Truth was, Shadow was grasping at straws here. All his dates with Amy in Green Hills were specifically planned to be jabs at Sonic, directly or indirectly.
This was his first real date. And the fact that he had grown the spine to ask Maria out without thinking and without planning anything in advance was an asset in the moment but a liability in the present.
"Well… maybe we could do something fun and exciting. Like…"
He looked around looking for any inspiration.
And thankfully the city's amusement park was just the inspiration he needed.
"Like over there?"
Maria was giddy with excitement.
"I love the amusement park! I haven't been there in forever! Let's go!"
She pretty much dragged Shadow there who was asking himself what just happened. All he did was make a suggestion.
The two arrived at the amusement park and at Maria's suggestion and insistence, bought bracelets for unlimited rides for the day.
Their first stop was the rollercoaster. Its name, Flygon's flight, promised a ride filled with great speeds, sharps turns and a constant appliance of g-force.
For Maria, Flygon's flight was an exciting and breathtaking experience. But for Shadow it was literally like flying on his Salamence. And pretending not to be used to that wasn't easy.
Their next stop, the drop tower also known as rayquaza's pillar, a clear hint to the legendary sky pillar tower, widely believed to be Rayquaza's domain, was also just as unexciting for Shadow. Again he was so used to the g forces that he didn't feel anything extreme unlike Maria who hadn't visited the park in months.
Another interesting stop was the ghost mansion but for different reasons. Maria was naturally spooked by not only the dressed actors but the cleverly disguised ghost pokemon like the gengar and dusclops lines, of which the scariest was a duskull posing as a skull on the wall only to move when Maria got too close for comfort and scare the hell out of her.
Shadow here too was barely moved. It was like he was immune to terror.
There was a touching moment for the two of them however when a human actor went a little bit too far and Shadow instinctively got in front of Maria to protect her.
Once the actor backed away, Shadow turned to ask Maria if she was ok, his voice sounding accidentally slightly deeper and more protective.
On Maria's end, who had gotten quite a scare, her voice became more high pitched and cute.
On both ends, the interaction caused great blushing and extreme levels of heartbeat for both youngsters.
After finally traversing the mansion, Maria decided that was enough excitement for one day and, with Shadow following, visited the game stands.
At first the two simply strolled around, pointing out interesting things and observing others playing.
But then Maria made eye contact with an azurill plushie and exclaimed how cute it was and how Debbie the marill would love it. She had always desired a younger sibling of the same species but because of Azumarill's lack of power as a species, her family never had a chance to come across any more azurill eggs.
The plushie was reward for a knock down all the cans game.
More specifically, it was the high end reward. And there were 5 levels to beat.
Shadow immediately offered to play for it. Maria accepted but asked that Shadow only tried once. It was just a plushie, she didn't want him spending his hard earned money for her.
Shadow assured her one try was all he needed.
And he proved to be a hedgehog of his word.
With incredibly accurate aiming, Shadow knocked down all the cans in all 5 levels. He had to adjust his throw as he was more used to throwing knives and other sharp and not round objects but saw it through regardless, earning the Azurill plushie.
"That was amazing! Where did you learn to aim like that?"
"My father likes throwing darts. Throwing balls isn't all that different" Shadow explained, wondering if he would sound so convincing if he spoke an outright lie instead of a version of the truth.
Maria gave Shadow a mischievous glance.
"You are just full of surprises aren't you?"
Shadow recalled having those words spoken to him by Amy once upon a time back in Green Hills.
The recollection brought him an inexplicable sting of guilt.
Again all tied back to Sonic saving him.
Forcing the thought down he made his face into a mask of intricate charm.
"That's one way of describing me".
The two shared a laugh as they left the park and strolled around town. The sun was now beginning to set.
Shadow was saddened at this realization. Maria had informed him the day they had arranged their date that she wouldn't be able to stay up too late as she had the morning shift the next day.
Shadow asked her if it was time that she went home for that reason.
"Yes. And no".
Shadow shook his head in confusion. Maria giggled.
"I'm sorry I'm just messing with you, you are adorable when you are confused".
"Oh. But what is the answer then?"
"Both. It's not the time yet but the walk home will be long sooo…"
"Yeah that makes sense. Would you… allow me to escort you home?"
"Of course!" her face gleamed at the suggestion.
The two started heading west towards route 117, continuing to chat along the way.
Right before leaving town however, they passed by a young woman.
The moment the woman locked eyes with Shadow, hers widened and she whispered three words.
"It's you".
Shadow's eyes widened as he read her lips.
His face remained in the same direction way after she had passed by, resulting in Maria asking him about it.
"Everything ok?"
"Wha…? Yeah everything's fine".
Maria's eyebrow was raised.
"Who was that girl?"
"A coworker" Shadow quickly lied.
"And why the shock of seeing her then?"
Shadow stopped.
"I just remembered something about work that I wanted to talk to her about but forgot last time".
"Is it important?"
"Yeah. In a way. Would you um…"
"Mind if you settle it quickly? No problem at all".
For a moment Shadow wondered if Maria was as innocent as she looked or if she could see through him to some extent but chose to trust him.
Either way, he thanked her and promised to be back soon, quickly running after the other woman.
Shadow snuck into an alleyway and , with the use of his rocket boots, soared to higher ground.
To his surprise, once he found her amongst the crowd, she was looking right back at him despite the fact he was on top of a building.
And then the woman made the craziest move imaginable; she also entered an alleyway, deliberately isolating herself.
Shadow was now plainly horrified. If she knew who he was, knew he was following her and still chose to go for a one on one meeting, it meant she was positive he was no threat.
"And someone who doesn't see you as a threat is someone who can be a threat to you" Shadow's father's malicious voice whispered in his ear.
Shadow quickly caught up to her, jumping off the top of the building and landing in front of her in that alleyway.
"I was wondering if you would follow me. Enforcer".
"Who are you?!"
"You really expect me to tell you my name?"
"You seem to know mine".
"Oh I do. Sonic told me all about you. Including how to recognize you. Shadow the hedgehog".
Shadow's eyes widened. She really wasn't playing with him.
Instinctively, he moved to attack.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. The folks around here would not take kindly to sex offenders. That's what you would seem to them after all. All I need is to scream".
Shadow cursed. Whoever this girl was, she had thought of everything.
"What do you want from me?"
"Up until you came after me, nothing. I still want nothing".
"How do you know who I am?"
"Sonic showed me a photo of you. For vigilance. After your assault in Fallarbor town, the region is on high alert. You're lucky neither he nor I can go public with your identity".
Shadow greeted his teeth.
"So we're at a stalemate".
"Not exactly. I know who you are. And I have a feeling…" she said as she looked over her shoulder, seeing nobody but referring someone who wasn't there.
"What feeling?"
Her lip curled upwards as she looked back at Shadow.
"A feeling your date deserves to know the truth about you".
Shadow gasped silently.
"You wouldn't dare".
"Oh I would. And you can be sure I will if you try to frame Devon corporation for your dirty work ever again".
Shadow found this blackmail oddly specific.
"I don't yield to blackmail stranger".
"What is blackmail if not a choice? A choice with very bad consequences? Life is full of those. So what's it going to be? Shadow?"
The black hedgehog was unnerved at hearing his own name being spoken.
The only one who had been using it was Sonic during their clashes.
This stranger using it increased the feeling she had power over Shadow. Because she did.
"Fine. You stay away from my date and I stay away from Devon co".
"That's a good lad. That way we all come out benefiting. As long as you keep your word that is. You may leave now. Your date will be waiting for you".
Shadow gave her a deadly look for having power over him before igniting his rocket boots to return to higher ground and return to Maria quickly.
Blaze the cat smiled at her victory. Sonic was right.
Shadow would falter if his prey didn't show fear.
And why should one fear a normal person. Because that was exactly what Shadow was if one took the mask of the enforcer off him.
She left remembering Sonic's message following the battle of mt Chimney.
"The person behind the mask of the enforcer is as normal as the rest of us. And that is why we will bring him to justice one day. Take care and watch out for him".
The message was accompanied by a photo of Shadow, having been taken by Tails when Shadow still lived in Green Hills.
That photo was why Blaze had recognized Shadow.
She wasn't normally one to blackmail people, after all her work ethic wouldn't allow it.
But if she could protect Devon co from possible future legal trouble, then she would do it all over again.
She contemplated telling Sonic that Shadow had a potential love interest but decided against it.
Sonic needn't be tempted to pursue revenge against Shadow again.
And exposing him to his date wouldn't be of any use against the real enemy, Socexp, so there was no point in telling Sonic right now.
"It is of course a useful bit of information for the future" Blaze said as she headed back to her hotel room. Another day of deals and negotiations awaited her the next morning.
As for Shadow, he returned back to Maria as fast as he could.
"How did it go? Did you settle that work issue?"
"Yeah" Shadow said, trying to sound as normal as possible "I did".
The two then finally left town, leaving this incident behind, even Shadow momentarily forgetting it ever even happened.
Eventually they arrived at Maria's house which as she had explained to Shadow, was the floor above the shop.
Maria's mother, Meredith, was waiting for them.
"Mom?" Maria said in surprise, not anticipating this meeting "what are you doing out here?"
"Why I have been waiting for you two".
"Us?" Shadow's tone screamed 'as in me too?'
"Of course. You specifically. I never got to thank you for your brave act against those horrible team Magma people the other day".
"Oh… it was nothing" Shadow shook Meredith's hand, unsure how else to reply.
"You are as modest as Maria describes you. But seriously, thank you. Those thugs never get tired of pestering us. I'm only glad president Maxie knows better than to mess with us. And his lapdog, the enforcer hopefully knows that to".
Being called Maxie's lapdog didn't sit right with Shadow, but this time in a different kind of way.
When Sonic called him that, it angered him, causing him to internally deny it over and over.
But now that it came from someone like Maria's mother, he couldn't bring himself to oppose it directly. As if he knew it was the truth.
"In any case, thank you very much for your brave act. Would you join us for dinner? We would love to have you over so we can properly thank you".
"Mom! You don't have to be so direct" Maria protested while blushing.
"It's alright" Shadow assured her "I appreciate the invitation but I can't tonight. I have a very important work task to perform tomorrow morning at 7 am. Would it be ok if we rescheduled?"
"But of course. Would perhaps Tuesday…"
"Alright mom, that's enough" Maria gently pushed her mother back inside "I'll arrange it with Shadow, don't you worry" she said closing the door.
"I'm so sorry for that. Mom tends to be a little too direct at times".
"It's no problem. I appreciate the gesture" Shadow assured her once again "honestly I have no words".
"So that's a yes?"
"Yeah. I would love to. I want to thank you and your parents too. You have all been so kind to me even though we haven't known each other for long".
Maria's gleaming smile made the night seem like day.
"Why wouldn't we be silly. You are such a nice person".
Shadow smiled genuinely, one of the few times he had managed that.
"And you're very beautiful".
Maria blushed even harder, her smile momentarily being erased from her face.
An invisible force pulled them closer.
Before they knew it, their lips had locked together.
A creeking sound from the door had them break the kiss.
The two awkwardly laughed, butterfrees in both their stomachs.
"So… can I hope to see you soon?" Shadow asked Maria.
She pecked him on the lips again.
"That is up to you" she replied joyfully.
"I'll find time then" he said as they kissed again.
The two eventually had to break the kiss so that Maria could go to bed and Shadow could go to one of his hideouts to prepare for his next mission.
Before leaving Shadow asked Maria for her number so that they could arrange their meetings but also because, even though noone outright said it, they wanted to keep in touch more often.
As Shadow walked in the dead of night, his entire being was flooded with a whirlwind of conflicting and overwhelming emotions.
He had just kissed his crush. His crush wanting him to get closer with her family through dinner indicated she wanted more just like he did. In one sentence he was on cloud nine.
But then all the other aspects of his life began crashing with it. All the aspects that were tied to his identity as the enforcer.
Maria's family opposed team Magma. If Maxie caught him defending them it could be trouble.
Maria was pro pokemon. Learning of his abuse towards them not to mention his many lies would be a death sentence.
That and many more conflicting facts caused his anxiety to spiral.
And then there was this stranger who knew his name. Only in that moment did Shadow realize she had mentioned Sonic.
She was an ally of Sonic's.
And her weird request/blackmail that he doesn't try to frame Devon corp ever again, lest his secret was exposed to Maria.
"She must work for Devon" Shadow surmised.
He could find out who she was. That would be child's play for him.
But that woman was clearly very smart. She would definitely have put countermeasures in place.
Meaning if Shadow tried anything against her, she could probably, expose him to Maria. Especially if Sonic's word was also involved.
Maria held Sonic to high esteem. There was a good chance she would believe his words.
All the above and more continued picking at his already overwhelmed brain as Shadow laid to get some rest, hoping in the morning things would be less complicated.