Live and Learn

Chapter 19: Live and Learn

"Sonic, Shadow…can you hear me?" Eggman asked, hoping his voice would reach them outside the ARK. "He's very weak without his life support system. Aim for the red swelling areas to damage him. You're our last hope!"

The two hedgehogs-gone-super had teleported outside of the ARK, just as the prototype of the Ultimate Life Form had done. Sonic was subconsciously aware that they had just plain left Knuckles behind, but, in a way, maybe that's how it was meant to be. The Finalhazard was attached to the ARK, just as Eggman had said, and was continuing to pull it toward the planet. The two were flying around like comets, trying to decide on the first place to strike. However, Finalhazard was the one to obtain the first move and shot a laser at the duo. They moved in opposite directions to avoid the attack, the laser continuing to fly off and spiraling deeper into space.

Sonic could feel how much energy was radiating from the beam, and it reminded him of the ones that Perfect Chaos shot at him back when they brawled. He smiled lightly. Perhaps this fight would be just as entertaining as the last- you know, without falling into an endless ocean and with another hedgehog by his side.

"Let's give it our best shot!" Shadow exclaimed, snapping Sonic out of his thoughts. The yellow hedgehog nodded seriously in response.

"All right. We can go in at full speed and finish it off!"

That was the plan, but at the moment they still had to wear it down, just a bit. Like a combined bolt of lightning, the two struck the back of the Finalhazard- it was still the weak point, and that was currently where the red swelling Eggman had pointed out was located. The Finalhazard let out a roar that sounded like it belonged to a lion.

"Okay! I'll take it from here!" Sonic called, letting Shadow take a bit of a breather. "I'm going to see what I can do!"

Shadow gave a nod and flew into the Finalhazard's line of sight, keeping its attention away from Sonic. Sonic wasted no time in preparing to strike again- it wasn't that hard, considering the Finalhazard couldn't really attack while he was attached to the a space colony. The red swelling area emerged on its neck, which Shadow quickly motioned Sonic to. Receiving the signal, Sonic curled up into a ball and hurled himself at the swelling. The monstrosity screeched again.

Sonic pumped a fist upwards in victory. "All right!"

"Sonic! Leave it to me! I'll destroy it!" Shadow announced, letting Sonic know it was his turn now.

"Where does it get all that power?" Sonic pondered as Shadow flew in for the kill. "Is this the power of the Chaos Emeralds?"

There was no other plausible explanation, but Knuckles had powered the Emeralds down…though that didn't mean the Finalhazard couldn't take the energy anyway, Shadow supposed.. He then focused all his energy on locating the next swelling area…while avoiding red lasers that jetted out of the Finalhazard's back.

"He may be the prototype of the Ultimate Life, but I'm not about to call that thing my brother no matter what," Shadow sneered as he slammed his foot into the red swelling on the neck. Finalhazard cringed in pain and smacked Shadow away, sending him toppling into space. Sonic flew over in a flash and caught him before he drifted too far away.

"Shadow! Are you ok?"

"Gr…I'll distract it now- you go in to attack it. It's up to you now, Sonic," Shadow stated, mad that he wasn't able to destroy it like originally planned. He grabbed his slightly sore arm and turned to the hedgehog, taking off toward the fiend again. "Sonic…how can you throw yourself into situations like this?"

"I believe in my future," Sonic stated, flying down and circling another attack from the lizard/ark combo monster. "It's worth fighting for…it's worth keeping people free and happy, you know. And alive."

Shadow blinked and trembled slightly. "Just like what Maria believed…"

He then shook it off and shot a Chaos Spear at the head. Finalhazard roared (opening its mouth) and Shadow shot another Spear into its maw. It literally howled now, and it only got worse as Sonic easily made his way toward the tail where the next swelled area had popped up.

"Yeah, take that you creep!"

"Can both of you hear me?" Eggman asked, contacting them again. "Atmosphere entry in about 4 minutes!"

"We've got to hurry!" Shadow stated. "It's mad at you now Sonic- avert its attention away from me!"

"Rodger that Shadow!" Sonic gave a salute before taking off. He veered away from two beams, which briefly crossed into each other, trying to keep the lizard focused on him and him alone. He even dared to zoom right in front of its face and make several taunting expressions at it. Sonic's job was successfully- the Finalhazard was doing his best to smack Sonic right out of the sky by striking him with its head. Shadow meanwhile flew around, looking for the next weak point.

"It's on the neck again!" Sonic informed him, only to be hit by a beam. The golden hedgehog was blasted a good distance away, the Finalhazard seeming to pay more attention to Sonic that it was to Shadow. Shadow gasped, then charged straight into the Finalhazard before helping Sonic. Sonic would have slipped into unconsciousness if it wasn't for Shadow grabbing his arm and shaking him.

"Sonic, you all right?"

"Oog…wasn't the worst hit I've taken, that's for sure."

Shadow's gaze softened the slightest bit. "I'm gonna be desperate, it was my place to live, but now I need your hand..."

Sonic pulled himself together, not hearing Shadow's silent musings to no one in particular. "Let me give it a try!"

"Sonic, we're in danger! The colony will enter the atmosphere in 3 minutes!" Knuckles roared into the intercom. Moments later, you could hear Rouge smacking him in the head for yelling at him for "putting the pressure on them", followed by intense bickering. Sonic and Shadow rolled their eyes as they separated for their next attack. Now three lasers were aimed at the duo, also with more of the explosive spheres. Shadow snapped his fingers and detonated them all with massive explosions, clearing the way for Sonic up a little. The other hero was still searching for the weak spot, also trying to avoid be bitten by the Finalhazard. He left a golden trail behind as he weaved his way around the lasers, and it was almost he equivalent of a light show.

"The leg Sonic!" Shadow broadcasted, pointing at it while punching the creep in the eye. Finalhazard now swung its head at Shadow, effectively sending him spiraling once again. Sonic scowled and made a dash for the leg, twirling around yet another laser destined to kill him. He gave the swelling in the leg a hard kick, hoping Finalhazard would feel unlimited pain. Once he was finished, he turned around to Shadow was currently curling up into ball form.

"Shadow, I think you should-"

"Here I come, you creep!"

Shadow blasted by Sonic before the golden hedgehog could even finish his sentence.

"Erm, all right then…"

Shadow roared menacingly, willing to cast a little revenge on the Finalhazard instead of the entire world. It was entirely surrounded by red spheres, plus the lasers jetting out of its back. Sonic distracting the fiend wouldn't help any, unfortunately, so Shadow just went solo. Unlike Sonic's golden sheen, Shadow was enveloped with a shimmering silver shine as he tore through outer space. He waited for the right moment to attack, cautiously making his way toward the Finalhazard. His "not brother" was watching Shadow carefully, also waiting for a chance to strike as well.

"All right! This is working! Sonic! How are you doing?"

"Almost got it!"

Sonic began to fly back over, only to dart away when two beams nearly fried him out of nowhere, also blocking his original course of action. He frowned, then flung himself to the other side of the hazard.

"What the- POOMPH!"

The Finalhazard was getting increasing smarter- now he was sending the red spheres in all directions in an attempt to repel the attacking hedgehogs, and one had managed to strike Sonic in the gut and knock the wind out of him. At the same time, it exploded upon contact and sent Sonic spiraling once again. Even Shadow cringed as Sonic was beaten like a nerd with no lunch money. Shadow turned to the Finalhazard, who seemed content with the amusing display. Shadow scowled and repeatedly snapped his fingers. With each snap, one of the spheres would instantly implode before reaching Sonic, who was on course for several of them during his tumble. Sonic glanced over his shoulder to ask what was going on when he had a chance, Shadow replying with: "Chaos Snap. Hush-hush ability."

Sonic didn't press on that issue anymore and maneuvered his way through the path Shadow had "snapped up". The next task was to figure out where the heck the swelling was at.

"Do you see the weak spot, Shadow?" Sonic called.

"No! Keep- oh wait the tail! At the tip!"

"Got it!"

Sonic headed back to the Finalhazard and located the weak spot once again. Sonic performed a spin dash and plowed straight into the swelling located on the side of its body. The current roar let both Sonic and Shadow know it was almost done for!

"We're good to go now, Shadow!"

"All right!" Shadow huffed, looking a bit tired out. Sonic turned to him, concerned.

"Shadow? Your power is getting weaker! Hey, are you okay?"

Shadow nodded, straining to keep his power up. "I'm fine…we just need to focus on finishing this thing off and saving the planet!"

Sonic thought nothing more of it and prepared the next blow, Shadow slightly turning away to hide in insecure frown. As fast as he obtained it, the frown was gone, and he and Sonic charged again. They both flew around each other, easily evading everything the Finalhazard had left to throw. Even the creation knew that it was nearing defeat. When they had gained enough speed, they rocketed across the sky like two shooting stars toward the Finalhazard's head, where the last bit of swelling resided.

"Can you both hear me?" Now Amy's voice called. "The ARK is close to the planet! Please hurry!"

Sonic turned to Shadow, Shadow turned to Sonic, and both exchanged a nod before flying straight into the Finalhazard, doing the last blow, and hopefully securing the safety of the planet. Now that it hardly had any life to sustain itself on, The Finalhazard went limp, dangling from the side of the ARK. Sonic and Shadow slapped a high five.

"Did you really think you had a chance?" scoffed Sonic confidently.

"Hmph, I knew you were nothing but a pathetic prototype…" Shadow grumbled as well. After their small celebration, they turned back to look at the ARK- it was STILL falling!

"You're stopping right here!" Sonic shouted, freezing in place and trying to propel the ARK away from the planet. Shadow growled, fearing that the promise may not be fulfilled after all and did the same as Sonic. "No way that's getting through!"

"You can do it, Sonic!" Tails called, giving as much support as he could.

"Give it all you've got, Shadow!" Eggman exclaimed.

"If you fail, the entire planet will be destroyed!" added Rouge.

"Tough it out, you guys!" Knuckles growled encouragingly.

"You can do it!" cried Amy.

"We know you can!"

"Shadow…they need you Shadow…" Maria's voice echoed in Shadow's head, causing his eyes to widen and begin to shimmer. "Shadow I beg of you…"

"Maria…"

"…give them a chance to be happy…"

Shadow's awestruck look morphed into one of determination as he glanced at Sonic. "Are you still confident about this?"

"I never lose my confidence," Sonic chuckled. Shadow smiled lightly.

"I know you were supporting me, but I'll be losing you before long…" Hesitating, Shadow glanced at Sonic again. His eyes were so full of life, and the same could be said about his spirit…if things were going to turn out the way Shadow had predicted them, he had better tell Sonic was he needed to say here and now. "Sonic, I'm not the Ultimate Life form…I think it's you!"

Sonic stared at Shadow quizzically. "What are you talking about?"

Shadow shook his head, disregarding the thought and the concept, and took a firm grip on his gold bracelets. "All this time...I was wrong about Maria's wishes, which to me, was the biggest mistake I've ever made. This is the only way to make sure what's done is right!"

He removed both from his wrists, the two around his ankles bursting off as Shadow's true power was unleashed. Sonic gave a surprised sort of laugh.

"Looks like you went from revenge-bent to a true hero..."

"Sonic, you and your friends have taught me..." Shadow's voice seemed to be on the verge of cracking. "...you can't hang onto the edge of tomorrow because of the works of yesterday. Keep moving forward..."

"Hold onto what if- that's how you live and learn..." Sonic replied, still smiling. Shadow was too, but his was now an empty sort of smile, not as bright as Sonic's. "What's the matter Shads? We're going to save the world! Perk up!"

Shadow just backed away silently, his aura shining even brighter than ever before. He refused to answer, though he very well knew what was bound to happen. "Hurry Sonic, time is running out! You know what we've got to do! You ready?"

Sonic also backed away, charging up his own power. "You bet! Here we go!"

"CHAOS-" "-CONTROL!"

The ARK was absorbed by the massive teleporting ability Sonic and Shadow unleashed, and they somehow managed to warp it back into its original orbit. The world…it was finally safe! The cheers could be heard from all around the world…they were all saved because of Sonic and Shadow. Even Sonic had no idea how they pulled it off. He looked over to Shadow to start up their celebrating again, only to be rewarded with the sight of Shadow toppling out of the sky, unconscious…but content.

"Maria…this is what you wanted right? This is my promise I made to you…"

And with that, Shadow was gone.

. . .

Sonic reentered the ARK, everyone gathered in the center of the room discussing the battle of epic proportions that they had witnessed. They expected Sonic and Shadow to enter the room triumphantly, having prevented a premature death for the world. Instead, the first thing they noticed was that Sonic was not his usual cocky self after saving the day- he stared hard at the ground, swimming in turmoil that he masked from the others, and the second that his partner in heroism was not with him.

"Where is Shadow?" Rouge asked quietly, fearing the worst. Everyone looked on, waiting for Sonic's answer. Sonic said nothing- he only continued to glance down and shook his head sadly. However, he walked over to Rouge and handed her one of Shadow's power rings. He had managed to grab it after Shadow's lifeless hand had let it go, leaving it to drift in space. It was they had of Shadow. He gave Rouge an apologetic glance as well as they both turned to look out the window. There was no need to explain what had happened in reality.

"Do you really think the professor created him, Shadow, to carry out the revenge on all those who live here?" Rouge wondered, her voice so silent that only Sonic could hear her.

"He was what he was; a brave and heroic hedgehog," Sonic replied with a small, sad smile. "He gave his life to save the planet. Shadow the Hedgehog…"

Rouge looked into her hand at Shadow's power ring. It would definitely be a permanent reminder of what Shadow had to give up. She glazed up into the sky and heaved a sigh. "I guess you're right."

. . .

"As a child, I looked up to my grandfather because of all the great things he accomplished in science," Eggman explained to Tails solemnly on the other side of the room. The whole escapade he had caused and the near death experience gave him a new outlook on things. "He was my hero, and I wanted to be a great scientist like him. But…did he really mean to destroy us?"

Tails was feeling a tad bit guilty, being told what Eggman's dream really was, and how it had been crushed. He perked up a little as he replied with, "I don't know, but what I do know is…we all saved the world together!"

Even Eggman managed a grin. "You're right."

. ..

Rouge had walked over to Knuckles, leaving Sonic to ponder things on his own and to see what Knuckles was up to now. He noticed her come over, slightly turned away, then turned back around again, trying to act casual.

"So what's next for you, Rouge? Off again to find those jewels you love so much?"

"Nah, I think I'm gonna give up this line of work. Too much work for too little pay." She then genuinely smiled for the first time in long time. "Anyway, I've got something better than jewels that I'm thinking about right now. It'll all work out. You'll see."

Knuckles chuckled. "If you say so."

. . .

"Created the ultimate life form…" Sonic mused aloud, thinking over some of Shadow's last words. Amy walked over and cocked her head.

"What's the matter Sonic?"

Sonic looked up, saw Amy, then shook his head.

"Aw, it's nothing. Come on, let's go home to the planet that's as cool and blue as me!"

Everyone eagerly agreed with that, and solemnly yet calmly walked out the door. The only one who displayed any sort of sadness now was Sonic, who, just before he left the ARK, glanced over his shoulder and gave a wave. It would be hard to walk away from this adventure, but what else could he do? He wouldn't dwell on the past like his fallen friend once had, but the important thing was to never let the memories fade either. Sonic's emerald eyes glanced over his shoulder once again as he said one last thing...so soft that it was like the wind had whispered it.

"Sayonara…Shadow the Hedgehog."

I never really understood the hype behind Sonic Adventure 2, but...I guess I can say I now know why people must have loved it so much. (I still think the first Adventure is better, though. But that's just me. ^^;)

So yeah, another Sonic adaption out of the park...what's next for me? Finishing the Sonic Unleashed one so I can work on a new one! ...or two. ;D