One week.
One week since Shadic had crash-landed into existence. One week since he'd beaten Nazo. One week since he'd started trying to figure out how to be a person instead of a walking natural disaster.
Progress had been made.
Not MUCH progress, but progress.
He could now walk at a normal pace without accidentally breaking the sound barrier. He could pick up objects without crushing them into powder. He could even have a conversation without his brain-ghosts interrupting every thirty seconds.
Hey, we don't interrupt THAT much, Sonic-brain protested.
We absolutely do, Shadow-brain admitted.
Case in point.
Currently, Shadic was sitting on the roof of Tails' workshop, watching the sunset paint the ocean in shades of orange and gold. It was peaceful. Quiet. The kind of moment that made him forget, just for a second, that he was a fusion of two dead heroes with the power to unmake continents.
His ears twitched.
Something was approaching. Fast. Mechanical. Heavy.
Omega, Shadow-brain identified, and for the first time since Shadic had met him, there was something approaching nervousness in his voice. Rouge was supposed to talk to him first.
Uh oh, Sonic-brain said. Big guy's coming in hot.
Shadic stood, turning toward the source of the sound—
And barely dodged the missile that screamed past his head and detonated against a nearby cliff face.
The explosion lit up the evening sky like a second sunset.
"HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED."
The voice was mechanical, monotone, and absolutely dripping with murderous intent.
E-123 Omega descended from the sky like an angry metal god. The robot was massive—easily eight feet tall, built like a tank had a baby with a nightmare. Red and black armor plating covered every inch of his frame. His arms ended not in hands but in enormous rotary cannons that were already spinning up for another barrage.
"CHAOS ENERGY SIGNATURE MATCHES SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG," Omega announced, optical sensors glowing red. "BUT BIOSIGNATURE IS ANOMALOUS. CONCLUSION: HOSTILE ENTITY HAS ABSORBED SHADOW'S POWER."
"Wait—" Shadic started.
"RECOMMENDED ACTION: ANNIHILATION."
Omega's arm cannons roared to life.
The world became bullets.
Shadic moved on instinct, his body blurring into a streak of dark blue and red as he dodged the first salvo. The bullets tore through the space he'd occupied, shredding the workshop roof and continuing out over the ocean where they created a line of waterspouts.
"OMEGA, STOP!" he shouted, weaving between streams of gunfire. "I'M NOT YOUR ENEMY!"
"NEGATIVE. ALL ENTITIES DISPLAYING ABSORBED CHAOS SIGNATURES ARE CLASSIFIED AS HOSTILE."
More missiles. More bullets. A flamethrower, because apparently Omega believed in variety.
He's not listening! Sonic-brain yelled. He's in full combat mode!
We need to disable him without causing permanent damage, Shadow-brain analyzed. His armor is reinforced against Chaos attacks. Direct assault won't work.
"THEN WHAT WILL?!"
...I'm thinking.
THINK FASTER!
Omega's assault intensified. The robot was relentless, his targeting systems tracking Shadic's movements with terrifying precision. Every dodge brought him closer to another stream of bullets. Every evasion led him into another missile's path.
Shadic was faster—infinitely faster—but Omega wasn't trying to hit him directly anymore.
He was herding him.
The realization came a split-second before the trap sprung.
Electromagnetic nets erupted from hidden launchers on Omega's shoulders, spreading wide to catch Shadic mid-dodge. They were designed to contain Chaos Energy—to nullify the very power that made him dangerous.
Against Sonic or Shadow, they might have worked.
Against Shadic?
He grabbed the nets out of the air and shredded them with his bare hands.
The electromagnetic charge meant to disable him barely registered as a tingle.
Omega's optical sensors flickered. "ANOMALY DETECTED. TARGET'S CHAOS ENERGY OUTPUT EXCEEDS CONTAINMENT PARAMETERS BY... ERROR. ERROR. UNABLE TO CALCULATE."
"Yeah, I get that a lot," Shadic said, and then he was moving.
Not attacking. Not yet. Instead, he circled Omega at speeds that made him invisible to the naked eye, creating a vortex of wind that disrupted the robot's targeting systems.
"VISUAL TRACKING COMPROMISED," Omega announced. "SWITCHING TO THERMAL IMAGING."
He's going to lock onto our body heat, Sonic-brain warned. We need to end this NOW.
The power core, Shadow-brain said. It's in his chest, behind three layers of armor. If we can reach it—
"I'm not going to RIP OUT his heart!"
It's not a heart. It's a power source.
"SAME DIFFERENCE!"
Omega's thermal sensors locked on. Another barrage of missiles streaked toward Shadic's position.
He dodged—but this time, he dodged TOWARD the robot instead of away.
Omega's optical sensors widened in what might have been surprise.
Shadic's fist connected with the robot's chest.
Not hard. Not with the planet-cracking force he was capable of. Just hard enough to dent the armor, to send Omega skidding backward, to get his attention.
"LISTEN TO ME," Shadic growled, standing his ground as Omega recovered. "Shadow is not dead. He's HERE. He's part of me. And he would really appreciate it if you stopped trying to murder his... his friend."
That last word came from Shadow-brain, not Shadic himself. It carried weight. Meaning.
Omega paused.
"...FRIEND?"
"Yeah. Friend. That's what you are, right? You, Rouge, and Shadow. Team Dark. Partners."
The robot's weapons systems remained online, but they weren't firing.
"SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG DOES NOT HAVE FRIENDS. SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG HAS ALLIES. TEMPORARY ASSOCIATIONS BASED ON MUTUAL BENEFIT."
"That's what he SAYS," Shadic replied. "But we both know it's not true."
Oh, this is getting good, Sonic-brain murmured. Go for the emotional jugular.
I do not HAVE an emotional jugular, Shadow-brain protested.
Sure you don't, buddy.
Shadic took a careful step forward. Omega's cannons tracked him but didn't fire.
"Shadow didn't talk about his feelings. He thought it was weakness. But he FELT them." Shadic tapped his chest. "I've got his memories, Omega. All of them. Including the ones he never shared with anyone."
"SUCH AS?"
"Such as how he felt after the Black Arms invasion. When everyone still looked at him like a monster. When G.U.N. was deciding whether to terminate him 'for the safety of humanity.'"
Omega's optical sensors flickered.
"He told me—told himself, I guess—that it didn't matter. That he didn't need anyone's approval. But he was lying. He cared. He cared so much it hurt." Shadic's voice softened. "And then you showed up. This big, angry robot who'd been betrayed by his creator. Who had every reason to hate the world. And instead of treating Shadow like a threat to be managed, you treated him like... an equal."
Silence.
The only sound was the distant crash of waves and the hum of Omega's internal systems.
"You were the first person who made him feel like maybe—MAYBE—he wasn't a monster. You and Rouge. His team. His..."
Shadic hesitated.
Then Shadow-brain fed him the word. The word he'd never said out loud, not once in his entire existence.
"His family."
Omega's weapons systems powered down.
Completely.
For a long moment, the robot simply stood there, processing.
Then, slowly, his massive frame relaxed from combat stance into something almost... contemplative.
"SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG REFERRED TO TEAM DARK AS FAMILY?"
"Not out loud. But yeah. In his head. Where no one could hear him."
"...FASCINATING."
Omega's optical sensors shifted from red to a softer amber.
"QUERY: IF SHADOW IS PART OF YOU, CAN HE HEAR ME?"
Shadic nodded.
"SHADOW."
He's talking to you, Sonic-brain said.
I'm aware, Shadow-brain responded quietly.
"I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR YOU FOR SEVEN DAYS. WHEN YOUR SIGNAL DISAPPEARED DURING THE NAZO INCIDENT, I ASSUMED YOU HAD BEEN DESTROYED. THIS ASSUMPTION CAUSED ME TO EXPERIENCE... ERRORS. PROCESSING FAILURES. INEXPLICABLE POWER FLUCTUATIONS."
The robot paused.
"ROUGE INFORMED ME THAT ORGANIC BEINGS CALL THIS PHENOMENON 'GRIEF.' I DO NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND IT. BUT I KNOW THAT YOUR ABSENCE CREATED A... VOID. IN MY OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS."
Shadow-brain was silent.
Shadic could feel something building in that corner of his mind. Something complicated and painful and very, very real.
"He hears you," Shadic said softly. "And he... he wants you to know that he's sorry. For leaving. For not saying goodbye. For making you feel that void."
"APOLOGY ACKNOWLEDGED." Omega's voice modulator produced something that might have been a sigh. "QUERY: IS THIS FUSION PERMANENT?"
"Yes."
"THEN SHADOW IS NOT TRULY GONE. HE SIMPLY... EXISTS IN A NEW CONFIGURATION."
"That's one way to put it."
"THIS IS ACCEPTABLE." Omega's optical sensors brightened. "RECOMMENDATION: WE SHOULD ENGAGE IN COMBAT TRAINING. YOUR REFLEXES ARE ADEQUATE, BUT YOUR DEFENSIVE TECHNIQUES REQUIRE IMPROVEMENT."
Did he just... offer to help train us? Sonic-brain asked incredulously.
That's his way of saying he's not going to kill us, Shadow-brain explained. I'll take it.
Shadic let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Sure, Omega. Combat training sounds good."
"EXCELLENT. I WILL RETRIEVE HEAVIER ARMAMENTS."
"...heavier than what you just used?"
"AFFIRMATIVE. THOSE WERE MY WARM-UP WEAPONS."
"Of course they were."
The others arrived about ten minutes later, having been drawn by the explosions.
Amy came first, hammer ready, eyes blazing with protective fury. "SHADIC! We heard—" She stopped, taking in the scene: Shadic standing calmly, Omega's weapons powered down, and no visible corpses. "...oh. Everything's fine?"
"Everything's fine," Shadic confirmed.
"I WAS ATTEMPTING TO ANNIHILATE HIM," Omega offered helpfully. "I HAVE SINCE BEEN PERSUADED TO POSTPONE ANNIHILATION INDEFINITELY."
"That's... good?"
"IT IS ACCEPTABLE."
Tails landed the Tornado nearby, Knuckles jumping out before it had fully stopped. The echidna's fists were raised, ready for a fight—and then lowered as he processed the lack of immediate violence.
"False alarm?" he asked.
"More like resolved alarm," Shadic said. "Omega and I had a... conversation."
"IT INVOLVED MISSILES," Omega added.
"It involved SOME missiles."
"AND EMOTIONAL VULNERABILITY."
"...yeah, that too."
Rouge dropped from the sky, landing beside Omega with her wings folded. Her expression was a complicated mixture of relief, exasperation, and fondness.
"I told you to WAIT for me to explain," she said to the robot. "What part of 'don't attack the fusion containing Shadow's consciousness' was unclear?"
"ALL OF IT. THE STATEMENT SEEMED ILLOGICAL."
"That's because you didn't let me FINISH."
"WAITING IS INEFFICIENT. DIRECT INVESTIGATION PROVIDES FASTER RESULTS."
"Direct investigation almost killed him!"
"NEGATIVE. HIS POWER LEVELS EXCEED MY MAXIMUM DAMAGE OUTPUT BY SEVERAL ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE. AT BEST, I COULD HAVE MILDLY INCONVENIENCED HIM."
Everyone turned to stare at Shadic.
"That's... actually accurate," he admitted. "The missiles tickled, mostly."
"THE ELECTROMAGNETIC NETS WERE MORE PROMISING."
"Those itched a little."
Omega's optical sensors flickered in what might have been disappointment. "NOTED. I WILL RESEARCH STRONGER COUNTERMEASURES."
"Please don't."
"REQUEST DENIED."
They regrouped inside the workshop, which had survived Omega's assault with only minor damage. Tails was already calculating repair costs while Amy made tea—apparently her response to any crisis was to ensure everyone was properly caffeinated.
"So," Rouge said, settling onto a couch with practiced elegance, "now that the murder robot has been placated, what's next on the agenda?"
"Training," Shadic said. "More training. I still can't control my speed properly, my Chaos abilities are hit-or-miss, and apparently my existence is a PR nightmare."
"About that." Tails pulled up a holographic display, showing various news feeds. "Public opinion is... shifting."
The screens showed chaos.
Literally.
News reports from the past week, all featuring Shadic in various states of accidental destruction. The hot dog stand incident. The burger restaurant wall. The news van. The seventeen—SEVENTEEN—craters he'd left across the city just trying to get from point A to point B.
Headlines scrolled across the bottom:
"PURPLE METEOR: HERO OR MENACE?"
"SONIC'S SUCCESSOR OR SONIC'S KILLER?"
"GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS DEMAND ANSWERS ABOUT MYSTERIOUS HEDGEHOG"
"LOCAL INSURANCE COMPANIES FILE JOINT LAWSUIT AGAINST 'WHOEVER THAT BLUE THING IS'"
Okay, the insurance lawsuit is kind of funny, Sonic-brain admitted.
It's going to become less funny when they actually try to collect, Shadow-brain warned.
"The good news," Tails continued, "is that the footage from your fight with Nazo is starting to circulate. People are connecting the dots—realizing that you're the one who stopped the thing that was going to destroy the planet."
He swiped to another set of headlines:
"BREAKING: 'PURPLE METEOR' IDENTIFIED AS ENTITY THAT DEFEATED NAZO"
"ANONYMOUS SOURCES CONFIRM NEW HEDGEHOG SAVED WORLD"
"SONIC FAN COMMUNITIES DEBATE: IS SHADIC THE NEW HERO?"
"Fan communities?" Shadic asked weakly.
"Oh yeah, you've got fan communities now. Multiple. Some of them are... intense."
Amy set down a tray of tea cups. "Intense how?"
Tails' expression became pained. "There's already fan art."
"Already?!"
"Some of it is very well-drawn."
"That's not the POINT, Tails!"
"I'm just saying, the artistic community moves FAST—"
Knuckles groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Can we focus? The weird hedgehog fusion has fan art. Fine. What's the ACTUAL situation?"
Tails cleared his throat. "Right. The actual situation is that public opinion is split about 60-40 against Shadic. Most people are scared of him—he's powerful, he's unknown, and he's caused a lot of property damage. But a growing minority is starting to see him as a potential hero. Especially the people who remember what Nazo was about to do."
"So we need to tip the scales," Rouge said. "Make people see Shadic as a protector, not a threat."
"Easier said than done," Shadic muttered. "Every time I try to do something helpful, I break something else."
"Then we start small." Amy's eyes were bright with determination. "Low-stakes situations. Rescuing cats from trees. Helping old ladies cross the street. Things where even if you mess up, the consequences are minimal."
"I could potentially atomize a cat by grabbing it too hard."
"...okay, maybe not cats."
"PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGN SEEMS INADVISABLE," Omega interjected. "RECOMMENDED ALTERNATIVE: ELIMINATE ALL HOSTILE MEDIA SOURCES."
"Omega, no."
"OMEGA, YES."
"We're not eliminating journalists!"
"THEY ARE SPREADING MISINFORMATION. MISINFORMATION IS INEFFICIENT. ELIMINATION IMPROVES EFFICIENCY."
"That's not how free press works!"
Rouge pinched the bridge of her nose. "What about a direct statement? Get ahead of the narrative. Shadic goes on camera, explains who he is and what happened, and asks for a chance to prove himself."
"That... could work," Tails admitted. "If we control the environment. Make sure he doesn't accidentally destroy the news studio."
"I'm right here," Shadic pointed out. "And I'm not THAT out of control."
Everyone stared at him.
"...okay, I'm a little out of control."
"A LITTLE," Omega repeated. "YOU CREATED A CRATER WALKING TO THE BATHROOM YESTERDAY."
"The floor was slippery!"
"THE FLOOR WAS CONCRETE."
"SLIPPERY CONCRETE!"
Before the argument could continue, Tails' equipment let out an urgent beep.
"What's that?" Amy asked.
The young fox's face went pale as he read the incoming data. "Trouble. Big trouble."
He swiped the holographic display, replacing the news feeds with a map of the region. A red dot was moving across it—fast, and getting faster.
"Energy signature detected approximately fifty miles east. Massive. Mechanical." Tails' fingers flew across his keyboard. "It's... oh no."
"What?" Knuckles demanded. "What is it?"
The hologram shifted again, showing a live satellite feed.
Shadic's blood ran cold.
It was a robot. A massive, towering robot, easily a hundred feet tall. Its design was sleek and deadly, all sharp angles and gleaming metal. Weapons bristled from every surface—cannons, missiles, energy projectors, things Shadic couldn't even identify.
And painted on its chest, in bright, mocking colors, was a familiar logo.
A mustachioed face. Grinning.
"Eggman," Amy breathed.
Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me, Sonic-brain groaned. We literally JUST dealt with the apocalypse, and now the egg's making a move?!
He's opportunistic, Shadow-brain observed. With Sonic and Shadow gone, he sees a power vacuum. He's moving to fill it.
"That's the Egg Colossus," Tails said, his voice tight. "Eggman's been working on it for years. He never deployed it because he knew Sonic and Shadow would destroy it. But now..."
"Now he thinks we're out of the picture," Rouge finished.
"CORRECTION," Omega rumbled. "NOW HE BELIEVES THERE IS NO ONE CAPABLE OF STOPPING HIM."
Shadic stared at the hologram.
The robot was heading toward the city. The same city he'd been accidentally destroying for the past week. The city full of people who didn't know whether to fear him or thank him.
He could stop it.
He KNEW he could stop it. His power levels were off the charts. He could punch through that thing like it was made of paper.
But...
But what if you mess up? Sonic-brain read his thoughts. What if you go too hard and cause more damage than Eggman?
What if your lack of control turns a rescue into a catastrophe? Shadow-brain added.
They were right.
They were absolutely right.
And it didn't matter.
"Tails," Shadic said, his voice steady. "How long until that thing reaches the city?"
"At its current speed? Thirty minutes. Maybe less."
"Then I've got thirty minutes to figure out how to fight without breaking everything."
He turned toward the door.
"Shadic, wait!" Amy called. "You can't just—you're not READY—"
"I know."
He looked back at them. At Tails, clutching his scanner. At Amy, gripping her hammer. At Knuckles, fists clenched. At Rouge, wings spread. At Omega, weapons systems already powering up.
"I know I'm not ready," Shadic said. "I know I might mess up. I know I could make things worse. But there's a city full of people who are about to get flattened by a giant robot, and I'm the only one with enough power to stop it."
That's not entirely true, Sonic-brain pointed out. They could help.
Let them, Shadow-brain agreed. We're not alone in this. We don't HAVE to be alone.
Shadic paused.
Then he smiled.
"Actually... I could use some backup."
Amy's expression shifted from worried to determined. "Now THAT'S more like it."
"I'll provide aerial support," Tails said, already running toward the Tornado. "And scanning data. If I can find a weak point in the Egg Colossus—"
"I'll punch it," Knuckles finished. "That's my job. Finding weak points and punching them."
"I'll handle extraction if there are civilians in the danger zone," Rouge offered. "Get them clear before the real fighting starts."
"AND I," Omega announced, weapons systems humming to full power, "WILL PROVIDE OVERWHELMING FIREPOWER."
We've got a team, Sonic-brain said, and there was warmth in his voice. A real team.
Don't get sentimental, Shadow-brain warned. We still have a fight to win.
Can't I do both?
...fine. But focus on the fight first.
Shadic cracked his neck, feeling the power thrumming through his body. The power he'd been afraid of. The power he'd been struggling to control.
Maybe control wasn't the answer.
Maybe he just needed to point himself at something that deserved to be destroyed and let go.
"Alright," he said. "Let's go save a city."
The Egg Colossus was even more terrifying up close.
Shadic hovered a mile away from the mechanical titan, watching it stride toward the city with earth-shaking steps. Each footfall created a miniature earthquake. Each sweep of its massive arms toppled trees like matchsticks.
And at its head, visible through a transparent dome, sat Dr. Eggman himself.
The scientist was exactly as Shadic remembered from the memories—round, mustachioed, and radiating smug satisfaction. He was monologuing, too, his voice amplified by the robot's external speakers to echo across the countryside.
"—and with Sonic and Shadow gone, there's NO ONE left to stop me! The world will finally bow before the Eggman Empire! HOHOHOHO!"
Wow, Sonic-brain deadpanned. He's really going for it, huh.
He always goes for it, Shadow-brain replied. It's pathological.
"Shadic, I'm reading multiple weapon systems online," Tails reported through the communicator in Shadic's ear. The fox was circling overhead in the Tornado, running continuous scans. "Missile launchers, plasma cannons, and something I don't recognize in the chest cavity. Be careful."
"Careful isn't exactly my specialty," Shadic replied.
"Then maybe develop a specialty for it!"
"I'll work on it."
The Egg Colossus was approaching the city limits. In minutes, it would be in range to start causing real damage.
Time to move.
Shadic rocketed forward, a streak of dark blue against the evening sky.
Eggman spotted him immediately. The scientist's expression shifted from smug to surprised to absolutely DELIGHTED in the span of about two seconds.
"WHAT?! Another hedgehog?! Oh, this is PERFECT! I was worried things would get BORING without Sonic, but look at you! Blue fur, fancy shoes, trying to play hero—you're practically a TRIBUTE!"
"I'm going to give you one chance," Shadic called out, hovering in front of the Egg Colossus's face. "Turn around. Leave this city alone. Or I'll take that robot apart piece by piece."
Eggman laughed.
It was not a pleasant laugh.
"You think you can threaten ME?! I've been fighting hedgehogs for YEARS! I know every trick, every weakness, every—wait." The scientist leaned forward, squinting through the dome. "That's not... you're not Sonic. And you're not Shadow. What ARE you?"
"Something new."
"Something new?" Eggman's mustache twitched. "How EXCITING! A new variable! A new CHALLENGE! Let's see what you're made of, mystery hedgehog!"
The Egg Colossus's chest opened, revealing the weapon Tails hadn't recognized.
It was a cannon.
A very, very large cannon.
And it was pointing directly at Shadic.
"TASTE THE POWER OF MY OMEGA LASER!" Eggman cackled. "CAPABLE OF VAPORIZING MOUNTAINS! LET'S SEE HOW YOU HANDLE—"
The cannon fired.
A beam of concentrated energy, blindingly bright and horrifyingly powerful, screamed toward Shadic at the speed of light.
He didn't dodge.
Instead, he raised his hands and CAUGHT it.
The beam slammed into his palms, and for a moment—just a moment—he felt the full force of Eggman's greatest weapon trying to push him back. Trying to vaporize him. Trying to reduce him to atoms.
It tickled.
Shadic's fingers closed around the beam, compressing it, containing it. Energy crackled between his palms, fighting to escape, but he held it firm.
Then he redirected it.
The Omega Laser—Eggman's mountain-vaporizing, hedgehog-destroying super weapon—shot back toward the Egg Colossus and carved clean through its left arm.
The limb fell away in a shower of sparks and shrapnel, crashing to the ground with a thunderous boom.
Eggman's jaw dropped.
"WHAT?!"
NICE, Sonic-brain cheered. That was SO cool!
Efficient, Shadow-brain approved. Now finish it.
Shadic didn't give Eggman time to recover.
He accelerated, closing the distance to the Egg Colossus in a fraction of a second. His fist connected with the robot's torso, and the metal SCREAMED as it crumpled inward.
Again.
Again.
AGAIN.
Each punch drove deeper into the machine's core. Each impact sent shockwaves rippling outward. Shadic wasn't thinking about control anymore. Wasn't worrying about collateral damage. He was focused on one thing: taking this robot apart before it could hurt anyone.
"STOP THAT!" Eggman shrieked, desperately activating countermeasures. Missiles launched from hidden compartments. Energy shields flickered to life. Backup weapons systems came online.
None of it mattered.
Shadic blurred through the missiles before they could arm, appearing behind them as they exploded harmlessly in his wake. He punched through the energy shields like they were soap bubbles. He tore the backup weapons from their housings and crushed them in his hands.
The Egg Colossus was falling apart.
And Eggman knew it.
"This isn't POSSIBLE!" the scientist screamed. "I designed this robot to defeat SUPER SONIC! You can't be MORE powerful than—"
Shadic appeared in front of the cockpit dome, inches from Eggman's terrified face.
"Leave," he said. "Now. And don't come back."
For a long moment, Eggman just stared at him.
Then, slowly, the scientist's expression shifted. The fear was still there, but something else was emerging behind it. Something calculating. Something hungry.
"You're not just powerful," Eggman breathed. "You're... you're something ELSE. Something I've never seen before. What ARE you?! TELL ME!"
"Leaving," Shadic replied. "Which is what YOU should be doing."
He tapped the cockpit dome with one finger.
Gently.
The entire dome shattered.
Eggman yelped as emergency systems activated, ejecting his seat pod from the crumbling robot. The pod rocketed away, carrying the scientist to safety as the Egg Colossus collapsed in on itself.
The robot's death was almost beautiful in a way. Thousands of tons of metal and machinery folding inward, explosions rippling through its systems, until finally—with a groan that seemed to echo for miles—it fell.
The impact shook the earth.
And then there was silence.
Shadic floated above the wreckage, catching his breath.
He'd done it.
He'd actually done it.
We did it, Sonic-brain corrected. That was a team effort.
The others provided support, Shadow-brain acknowledged. But the heavy lifting was ours.
Can't you just enjoy the victory for five seconds?
I'll enjoy it when we confirm Eggman has retreated and the city is safe.
Fair enough.
"Shadic!" Tails' voice crackled through the communicator. "That was AMAZING! The Egg Colossus is completely destroyed! Energy readings are flat! You did it!"
"Told you I could handle it."
"You also didn't destroy anything ELSE! No craters, no collateral damage, nothing! You actually... controlled yourself!"
Shadic blinked.
He looked around.
Tails was right. The only destruction was the Egg Colossus itself. The countryside was intact. The city was untouched. He'd somehow managed to fight at full power without accidentally flattening everything in a five-mile radius.
Huh, Sonic-brain said. Would you look at that.
It seems we perform better under pressure, Shadow-brain observed. When there's a clear target. A defined purpose.
That... actually made sense.
The problem wasn't the power itself. The problem was that Shadic had been trying to suppress it, to hold it back, to control something that wasn't meant to be controlled.
But when he had a PURPOSE—when he was fighting FOR something instead of just trying not to break things—the power found its own balance.
He wasn't a disaster waiting to happen.
He was a weapon waiting for a target.
"Hey, Shadic!" Knuckles' voice came through next. "Nice work! Now get down here—you've got an audience!"
Shadic looked toward the city.
A crowd had gathered at its edge, hundreds of people staring at the fallen robot and the blue figure hovering above it. Some were filming with their phones. Some were cheering. Some were just standing there, mouths open, trying to process what they'd just witnessed.
And leading the crowd, microphone in hand, was a very familiar reporter.
The same one whose van Shadic had accidentally destroyed a week ago.
"Uh oh," Shadic muttered.
Just be cool, Sonic-brain advised. We're good at being cool.
No, YOU were good at being cool, Shadow-brain corrected. I was good at being menacing. Shadic is good at being a disaster.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
It wasn't a vote of confidence. It was an observation.
Shadic descended slowly, carefully, landing in front of the crowd with what he hoped was a heroic pose. The reporter was already rushing forward, cameraman in tow.
"Shadic! Shadic, can you confirm that you're responsible for destroying the Egg Colossus?!"
"Uh... yes?"
"And can you confirm that you're the same entity who fought Nazo last week?!"
"Also yes."
"The same entity who destroyed my NEWS VAN?!"
Shadic winced. "...technically yes, but that was an accident—"
"Do you have any statement for the people of this city?! Many of whom have been living in fear of you for the past week?!"
The microphone was shoved in his face. The camera was rolling. Hundreds of eyes were watching.
No pressure.
Just speak from the heart, Sonic-brain suggested. That's what I always did.
Be direct, Shadow-brain countered. No unnecessary words. Get to the point.
Shadic took a breath.
"I know you're scared of me," he said. "I'm... kind of scared of me too, honestly. I've got power I don't fully understand, and I've caused a lot of damage while trying to figure it out."
The crowd murmured.
"But I'm not your enemy. I'm not here to hurt anyone. Sonic and Shadow—the heroes who protected this world—they're gone. But they're also part of me. Their memories. Their purpose. Their drive to protect the people they cared about."
He gestured toward the fallen Egg Colossus.
"I stopped that thing because it was going to hurt people. Because that's what Sonic would have done. What Shadow would have done. And as long as there are threats like this—things that want to destroy, to conquer, to hurt—I'm going to stop them."
The reporter leaned in. "Does that mean you're officially declaring yourself a hero?"
Shadic hesitated.
Was he?
He was a fusion of two heroes, sure. He had their power, their memories, their instincts. But did that make HIM a hero?
Or was he just... borrowing the title?
You earned it, Sonic-brain said quietly. Today, you earned it.
For once, I agree, Shadow-brain added. You protected people. That's what heroes do.
Shadic looked at the crowd. At the faces watching him—scared, hopeful, uncertain.
"I'm not sure what I am yet," he admitted. "But I'm going to protect this world. That's a promise."
The crowd erupted.
Cheers, applause, phones held high to capture the moment. The fear wasn't gone—Shadic could still see it in some eyes—but it was mixed with something else now.
Hope.
Nice speech, Sonic-brain said. Eight out of ten. Could've used more jokes.
Jokes would have undermined the gravity of the moment, Shadow-brain argued.
That's what makes them FUNNY.
Shadic tuned out the bickering and let himself enjoy the moment.
He'd saved a city.
He'd controlled his power.
He'd taken the first step toward becoming something more than a walking catastrophe.
It was a good day.
High above the battlefield, unnoticed by anyone, a small drone hovered.
Its camera captured everything—the fallen robot, the cheering crowd, the dark blue hedgehog at the center of it all.
And in his hidden base, watching through the drone's feed, Dr. Eggman smiled.
"Well, well, well," the scientist murmured, steepling his fingers. "A new hedgehog. More powerful than Sonic and Shadow COMBINED. This is... interesting."
He leaned back in his chair, mind already racing with possibilities.
"I think I need to learn more about you, my mysterious friend. MUCH more."
The drone silently retreated.
The game was just beginning.
Author's Note: Eggman just learned that Shadic exists and he's taking notes. That's never a good sign. Next chapter: The public starts to warm up to Shadic, training actually shows progress, and an old enemy starts stirring in the shadows. (Hint: He's blue-ish and very, very angry about being "defeated.")