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Adiraiju — Live and Learn - Novelization
Published: 2013-03-29 11:20:03 +0000 UTC; Views: 2022; Favourites: 23; Downloads: 6
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This is a novelization of the Sonic/Shadow final boss battle in Sonic Adventure 2. I do not own Sonic, Shadow, or any of the characters mentioned below, all rights belong to SEGA, etc etc...-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music: [link]
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Sonic and Knuckles bounded up the stone steps to the shrine, the chaos emeralds firmly in their grasp.
Upon reaching the top of the shrine, the last of the echidnas pulled out his ancient charge, and examined it closely. The Master Emerald glimmered with a strange light he’d never seen before… but there was no time to muse on this. Before him, a brilliantly flashing glow one the stone marked the core of the shrine, the spot where, somehow, Professor Gerald had known where to place the Master Emerald so long ago… and where Knuckles now placed the emerald himself. Closing his eyes, he remembered the ancient words taught to him by that strange, sad spirit of his ancestors…
“The servers are… the seven Chaos. Chaos is power… power is enriched by the heart. The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos.”
The emerald began to spin in place at an impossible speed, scattering a thousand shards of reflected light across the walls and ceiling, and Knuckles next words were a desperate shout.
“Only you can do this! Stop the Chaos Emeralds!”
…and in the next instant, Sonic and Knuckles felt their quills stand on end as a tremendous pulse of energy surged from the Master Emerald, across the room, around everything… a spectacular light burned itself into their eyes, and they had to squint against the glare… and now it was gone, and just as Sonic turned to his friend to say something, a tremendous howl tore into both their ears.
Both heroes whipped around, their eyes wide in astonishment as the monster they had thought defeated struggled to its feet once more. The Biolizard’s loathing and wrath, irreversibly programmed into its mind by a dying madman, would not let it fall so easily. In this one, terrible instance, the man’s bitterness was not a paralytic, but a catalyst – and his undying hatred would never leave.
A terrible light filled the room once more, and the monster roared a second time… and in the next instant, the beast had simply vanished into thin air.
Knuckles was the first to break the silence. “Is it gone?”
Before Sonic could respond, Shadow bounded into the rim of the shrine, and glanced back at where the monster had been. His breath came in ragged gasps, and for the first time, he looked genuinely worried. “Was that Chaos Control?” he whispered.
In the next instant, the entire colony shuddered madly, and the trio felt something strange and disturbing: the effect of the colony’s artificial gravity moving within the confines of Earth’s…
Knuckles was the first to say it aloud: “Since we’ve stopped the Chaos Emeralds… why is the space colony still on a crash course to Earth?”
The shaking stopped in the next moment. All three fell to the floor, but picked themselves up just in time to hear Eggman’s voice echoing across the chamber on the colony’s PA system…
“The prototype is still alive, and he’s controlling the space colony as it’s falling to Earth! He’s become one with the space colony, and is determined to keep it on its collision course!”
Shadow’s blood ran cold. How well had Gerald trained this thing? How intelligent was it, after all? Was it still merely an animal acting on instinct?... he doubted it; only a tremendous amount of willpower could use Chaos Control…
“Sonic?”
It was Knuckles who’d spoken. Shadow glanced over, and saw Sonic with a strange look on his face… and now the blue hedgehog turned, and grinned cheekily at his rival.
He knew what they had to do.
They all knew – without any kind of communication, all three knew exactly what they had to do.
Knuckles would stay with his ancient charge, guarding it against any last-minute tricks, while Sonic and Shadow would handle the rest.
As one, both hedgehogs strode into the center of the shrine. Raising their gloved hands to the ceiling above, both closed their eyes to harness the power of the ancient emeralds as only they could… focusing intently, both silently feeling the chaos energy all around them, the power of the Chaos Emeralds granting them the untold power that they needed for this final task…
…For an instant, both had the distinct impression that they were flying through time and space to a place they’d never known… and then…
In the next instant, they were.
Super Sonic and Super Shadow, two agents of chaos energy, mortal bodies wrapped in a shroud of immortal power, shot out of the room, crashing through anything that stood in their way. Super Sonic shone with a familiar golden light, while Super Shadow – still new to manipulating chaos energy – glimmered with a silvery radiance.
The super hedgehogs blasted out into the starry night, outside the confines of the space colony, their bodies protected by the power of chaos, and there, its body melded in a terrible union with the very tip of the Eclipse Cannon, was what remained of the prototype.
Its body had not been treated kindly by the ravages of space. Most of its life-support system was lying askew, torn and broken, and its left leg was little more than a frozen stump. Yet, it was still alive, still moving, propelled through its agony by sheer force of will and undying hatred… a Final Hazard for Sonic and Shadow, the last obstacle to their dreams of a better future…
…and now what thin atmosphere surrounded the tip of the cannon rang with the voice of Dr. Eggman.
“Can you hear me?... Sonic?... Shadow?...”
“Loud and clear, doc!” laughed Sonic. “This guy doesn’t know when to quit, does he?”
“Listen! He’s very weak without his life-support system. Aim for the red swelling area to damage him! You’re our last hope!”
Super Sonic glanced at the monster’s body. A red swelling area? He didn’t see anything…
“Shadow, look on the other side of that thing! We’ll take turns going after him, while the other conserves their chaos energy!”
Shadow nodded, and tore away through the abyss, over the horror tipping the Eclipse Cannon, and around to the other side. Turning about, he glanced across the void… and saw Super Sonic speeding directly towards the beast! Apparently, he’d seen something neither of them had at first…
Sonic rocketed directly towards the FinalHazard, his eyes boring into the swollen tumor of the beast’s skin underneath what was left of its leg, where the chaos energy ran rampant within the monster’s imperfect frame…
Before Sonic’s eyes a handful of crimson spheres, so similar to those that had attacked Shadow within the colony’s core, sprang into being. As one, they lanced towards him… but it was already too late, he was too close, and he slammed into the beast’s side with every bit of strength he had…
The monster’s pliable skin bent, but did not break under his power, and a tremendous howl of agony echoed across the feeble artificial atmosphere of the ARK… Super Sonic fell back, his mind now concentrated on the chaos energy within him. He had to conserve it, or Super Sonic would vanish, leaving Sonic the Hedgehog with nothing to keep him from flying off into the darkness of space…
The swelling had vanished, but the FinalHazard was still moving, still propelling the ARK down to the world below. Super Sonic grimaced…
“Sonic, leave it to me! I’ll destroy him!”
On the other side of the beast, Super Shadow tore towards what remained of the creature’s tail, where the great crimson bulge had reappeared. As he rocketed along, he suddenly felt a surge of energy… and glanced up just in time to dart around a long, pinkish bolt of energy that had shot from the ruins of the life-support system. It missed him, but Super Sonic winced on the other side. That had come much too close for his liking…
“Where does he get all that power? Is this the power of the Chaos Emeralds?... Shadow, are you OK?”
A sudden crash came from Shadow’s side of the monster, and the beast arched its neck in a mad roar once again. Super Sonic grinned as a massive, scarlet lump appeared on the monster’s neck – Shadow had done his job.
“I’ll rest here – now it’s up to you, Sonic!”
Sonic nodded. “Shadow, you need rest! Let me give it a try!”
Super Sonic tore towards the FinalHazard once more, but this time, the monster truly fought through its agony and rage to concentrate on these two impossible tormentors. A long beam of energy lanced out from the life-support system once more, and it seemed to be tracking Super Sonic across the abyss – it followed him, clearly blocking him from the beast’s neck, and even the fastest thing alive could barely dodge it as the voice of Knuckles the Echidna echoed across the void…
“Sonic, we’re in danger! The colony will enter the atmosphere in about four minutes!”
Sonic shook his head. Great, something new to worry about. Still, they were already on a time limit… and it was more than enough. He shot past the ray, and slammed into the vile swelling, feeling it collapse beneath his strength… the FinalHazard roared again…
“Yeah, take that!” he laughed. This was doing the trick… but how many times would he have to do this?
Across the void, Super Shadow blazed towards the monster, dodging away as two lasers shot out this time, slipping between the cracks as he honed in on the great bulge on the FinalHazard’s side.
The beast howled again as Shadow slammed into the horror’s ribs, but as he collided with his monstrous “brother”, the hedgehog could feel the patterns of chaos energy around the monster growing ever more maddened and erratic… it was losing control…
“Sonic, this is working! How’re you doing?”
“We’ve almost got him!”
As Super Sonic sped towards the massive new bulge on the FinalHazard’s underbelly, Amy’s voice crackled into the blackness.
“Sonic, Shadow, can you both hear me? The ARK is close to the Earth – please hurry up!”
“I’m tryin’, Amy, believe me.” growled Sonic to himself. Indeed, the ARK was already beginning to enter the outermost parts of Earth’s atmosphere, as the entire space station, the FinalHazard, and both hedgehogs were beginning to be wreathed in a scarlet glow… they were running out of time… and then he darted off to the side, because now the FinalHazard was pulling out all the stops. A wide field of energy bubbles had grown and multiplied out of the horror’s pliable hide, and now they joined the twin energy rays streaming across the void like great crimson searchlights. Even Sonic found himself hard-pressed to avoid these attacks, each one lancing out at him like an impending nightmare…
…but now he was behind the lasers, behind the bubbles, and the swelling on the monster’s torso loomed before him.
The FinalHazard gave one more gruesome screech as Super Sonic tore into the thing, a sound of inhuman rage and unlimited hatred… and now Super Sonic backed off, he could feel the chaos energy within him getting dangerously low, and on the other side, he saw Super Shadow streaking towards the horror himself, determined to strike the final blow… and now, despite the dull roar of the Earth’s atmosphere, both of them could hear Rouge the Bat speaking into the PA system…
“Can you hear me? Sonic? Shadow? Everyone here is rooting for you! Good luck, and give him trouble!”
Super Shadow almost smiled to himself.
He sped towards the FinalHazard at impossible speed…
Nobody ever forgot what happened next.
A single laser cut the sky apart at an equally impossible speed, slamming into Super Shadow and sending him tumbling through the darkness, out of control!
Nothing could have dodged that bolt. The blast had hit harder than anything Shadow had ever faced. Stunned, the Ultimate Life Form floated through the void, the chaos energy within his body slowly expending itself as precious seconds ticked by… and as the ARK roared in to enact Professor Gerald’s revenge forever, the FinalHazard let out a triumphant scream…
…No.
No, this was not how it was to end, hanging on the edge of tomorrow with everything to lose. He had made a promise… and nothing would keep him from that promise.
Not even death itself.
“Maria… watch me. I will fulfill your wish!”
Super Shadow righted himself, and turned to face his enemy once more. Getting there in time was going to take everything he had.
Everything.
As the ultimate life form sped towards the giant, Super Sonic frowned. He couldn’t read chaos energy as well as his one-time rival, but…
“Shadow, your power is getting weaker!... hey, are you OK?”
But Super Shadow wasn’t listening. The blast had tossed him far, but his speed was second to none now, and as his crimson eyes settled on the bulge just below the ruined life-support system, his mouth opened in a furious shriek of defiance…
“HERE I COME, YOU FREAK!!!”
Super Sonic stared. Super Shadow was blazing past everything at the speed of a comet, homing in on his target with a single-minded fury that deafened him to Sonic’s sudden, horrified plea…
“Shadow, continuous use of your Super form will cause it to disappear! Get back to the colony!”
But nothing would stop Super Shadow now. The hedgehog blazed a brilliant path past the FinalHazard’s attacks, past everything at once, rocketing past Professor Gerald’s last hopes… and into his final instrument of revenge.
A last, tremendous scream came from the FinalHazard as the chaos energy ran rampant within its body, tearing its systems apart, destroying everything that still kept it alive, turning on its former master and slaying it from the inside out…
…and as the monstrosity finally collapsed forever, Super Sonic could barely hear Super Shadow’s voice echoing in the blackness…
“Hahaha… Sonic, I think I’ve discovered what the Ultimate Life Form is… it might be you!”
…but there was no time to wonder, for in the next instant, Super Shadow was beside him with a burning glare on his face, masking anything that might have preceded it…
“We must destroy the evil the professor has created…”
Super Sonic nodded. He understood.
As one both super hedgehogs turned to face the burning space colony as it roared towards Earth, now caught irreversibly in the planet’s gravity well and roaring down at the world like an avenging god…
“No way that’s getting through!” snapped Super Sonic.
Super Shadow barely noticed him. Even as they rocketed in towards the dying ARK, he could swear he heard… in reality, or in his memory, he had no idea…
“Shadow, I beg of you…”
“Maria!”
“Give them a chance… to be happy!...”
.
..and then Super Sonic was screaming in his ear, and the other voice vanished…
“NOW, SHADOW!”
And as one, Earth’s final hopes turned their last reserves of chaos energy on the falling juggernaut, and spoke as one.
“CHAOS… CONTROL!”
A tremendous light burned into their eyes, and in that instant, Super Sonic felt something strange… a boost of chaos energy… from…
…and then he knew, and his stomach seemed to collapse.
Super Shadow had burned out almost all of his energy in that last, desperate charge, and he had given what remained to the only one who belonged in this time and place… and allowed him to Live and Learn.
Far behind, in a place far from the stable orbit they’d sent the ARK to, Shadow the Hedgehog felt the chill of space consuming his body as he plunged to Earth at last… falling… fading… dying… but it truly didn’t matter anymore.
“Maria… this is what you wanted, right? This is my promise I made to you.”
And for one brief, glorious instant, he could swear… her voice, her eyes, speaking to him, telling him…
Telling him…
And then it was gone, and the darkness consumed him.
Eggman, Knuckles, Rouge, Tails, and Amy were clustered around the view-screen when Sonic walked in the door.
As one they turned to him, a silent question in all their eyes. Sonic blinked, unsure what to say… but Rouge spoke before he could think.
“…where is Shadow?”
Sonic bowed his head, and shook it without a word.
Raising his head once more, he strode across the room towards Rouge, and handed her the two golden rings he’d found in his hands after he’d re-entered the ARK. She took one, and stared at it silently for an instant before glancing out the window.
Almost as one, on some silent, mutual decision, everyone else silently walked over to the windows, as if to catch a glimpse of the one who’d saved them all. Sonic found himself next to Rouge, and when she next spoke, her voice was low and quiet…
“Do you really think… that the professor created Shadow to carry out his revenge on all those who live on Earth?” she whispered.
Sonic shrugged, and his voice was just as soft. “He was who he was – a brave and heroic hedgehog. He gave his life to save his planet. Shadow the Hedgehog…”
Rouge gave a deep sigh, and silently pocketed the rings. “I guess you’re right.” she whispered.
Off on the other side of the room, Dr. Eggman gazed pensively upon the Earth far below. He heard footsteps, and turned slightly to see the young fox walking up beside him. Tails glanced up at Eggman, his expression curious, as the scientist heaved a great sigh.
“Are you all right, Eggman?” he mumbled.
Eggman glanced over at Tails, and the young fox blanched at the strange, sad smile on the doctor’s face.
“As a child,” Eggman murmured “I looked up to my grandfather because of all the great things he accomplished in his life. He was my hero, and I wanted to be a great scientist like him… but did he really mean to destroy us?”
Tails shrugged. “I dunno! But what I do know is; we all did it together!”
Eggman gazed pensively down at the boy. His answer was simplicity itself. He’d gained such power through a team – he’d come closer than he ever had before… but Shadow was gone, and Rouge had betrayed him in the end… and yet he had come so very, very close…
“You’re right.” he whispered, and Tails glanced up at him with a smile of his own.
Rouge found herself gazing out a nearby window herself, upon that enormous blue gem hanging in the darkness of space below her. Her thoughts were drifting towards the melancholy when somebody paced up next to her, and leaned upon the window with a quiet smile. His own eyes reflected the great sapphire below, and Rouge wondered for an instant…
“So, what’s next for you, Rouge?” murmured Knuckles. “Off again to find some of those jewels you love so much?”
Rouge snapped out of her trance, and grinned at him. “Nah, I think I’m gonna give up this line of work. Too much work for too little pay. Anyway… I’ve got something better than jewels that I’m thinking about right now…”
Her eyes misted over once more as she turned to Knuckles, but the echidna showed only a small, badly-hidden smirk. Rouge’s euphoria of the future vanished in an instant, but she just shrugged. “It’ll all work out, you’ll see.”
Knuckles’s smirk vanished, and replaced itself with a warm smile. “If you say so…”
Rouge turned back to the window, and silently wondered about her own life… about the guardian who stood before her, about the world below, about the one who had given everything to save the world… and about her own actions in this chain of events…
Sonic himself was silently staring out the window, the hyperactive hedgehog lost deep in thought for once. The black hedgehog had proven himself in the end… all the while fighting for his planet… and for…
“Could he have been?...” he mumbled to himself
“What’sa matter, Sonic?”
Sonic turned about with a jolt, and found himself looking into Amy’s eyes. For the briefest instant, the blue hedgehog wondered if there wasn’t something more that Shadow had fought for…
…but that wasn’t important. Sonic shook his head for an instant, and the world around him snapped back into relevance.
“Aw, it’s nothing! Come on, let’s go home – to the planet as cool and blue as me!”
Eggman quietly groaned, and Knuckles shook his head with a smile as every one of them strode, one-by-one, out the door, the sliding panel holding itself high over their heads as they passed underneath. For once, Sonic was the last one out the door… but as he began to leave, he turned back to the control room with a silent frown… for an instant, he could have sworn he’d heard…
…but then he shook his head.
This colony would echo with untold memories for him for the rest of his life. He would remember the one who had died to save the world, the one who had taken a path for revenge that he himself had never had cause to seek. He remembered the one who had suffered indescribable heartbreak and misery, and found himself powerless to stop it. He remembered the one who others had mistaken for him – at least initially – and he remembered something he had said to him…
“The Ultimate Life-Form…”
…but the Ultimate Life-Form had died this day, leaving him to remain… what?
Sonic sighed. He doubted he’d ever know, and with a final breath, murmured a farewell to his dark new memories that unknowingly aped the words spoken within this room fifty years ago, as innocence had died and a dark future was born…
“Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog.”
And with those words, Sonic the Hedgehog silently walked out of the room.
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Comments: 4
>No, this was not how it was to end, hanging on the edge of tomorrow with everything to lose. He had made a promise… and nothing would keep him from that promise.
>hanging on the edge of tomorrow with everything to lose.
>hanging on the edge of tomorrow
That was very, very clever of you. My applause.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Wow, that's really nice, very well done, I'm impressed! 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
There's a thought, and you're right about the stars. I try not to use stock images (save for ridiculously complex or perfect background elements), but it could still work.
Yeah, that's a satellite, and the "shield" is a life-support system...
👍: 0 ⏩: 0