"Are there any other secret powers you two have besides super speed and teleportation?" Koki gasped, trying to wrap her head everything that had happened in only a few short moments. Sonic laughed and rubbed his nose. What they had seen was nothing compared to what they did on a weekly basis. If they thought battling Zac was bad, they wouldn't stand a chance against Eggman.
"Well, yeah, but Shads here has way more than me when it comes to Chaos powers. But in speed and awesomeness, I have no competition."
"And yet I managed to tie in the battle," Shadow commented while absently inspecting his glove, "and that was without an emerald to aid me."
Aviva quickly intervened in what she was sure would be another fight, "You use emeralds to fight?"
"Not just any emeralds," Sonic spoke up, his voice full of pride, "Chaos Emeralds."
"What are Chaos Emeralds?" Martin and Chris asked at the same time.
Shadow surprisingly answered, "They are seven large gems like this one that hold almost unlimited power. Each one is a different color," and he held out his green one for them to see, "Green, red, white, dark blue, yellow, turquoise, purple, and pink. The more emeralds you have, the more powerful you become. However, their power is influenced by the user's heart. If your heart is full of evil, they will only be able to create negative energy. If your heart is good, then they emit positive energy. Only certain people, such as myself, Sonic, and Silver can use them to their fullest potential. When the seven emeralds are brought together, they allow us to go into our Super forms. We've only ever had to use those forms a handful of times, against more powerful foes. They can also cause Chaos Control, a type of teleportation if you will, which may be how we got here."
"That's the most I've ever heard you talk," Sonic snickered, earning a death glare from him.
"But if you were sent here by the emeralds, then how come they didn't land with you when you fell out of the portal?" Chris asked. Sonic rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"The emeralds have a way of....scattering after all of them are used at once. It's some sort of safety trigger."
"But--," Martin tried to ask, but Shadow held his hand up to interrupted him.
"It's complicated."
"This is all too much," Aviva and Koki groaned. The hedgehogs smirked.
"Who's Silver?" Chris asked, hoping for a simpler explanation, but he promptly fell out of his hover-chair at Sonic's answer.
"Time traveling white hedgehog from the future that has teleki-.. tele-...he can move stuff with his mind," he sighed in defeat. Shadow chuckled.
"He means telekinesis."
"Time travel. Super powers. Talking hedgehogs. This has been the best week ever!" Martin cheered, pumping his fist into the air, while his brother laughed in agreement. It was moments like these that Chris thought he was supposed to be the older brother, not the other way round.
"But one thing still remains," Shadow recalled, calling them to attention, "We have to find all of the Chaos Emeralds in order to get home."
"Well, why didn't you just say so?" Koki replied, "We'll be happy to help you find them."
Shadow just stared at her distrustfully, while Sonic laughed, "Thanks. We could use it."
"Speak for yourself," Shadow mumbled under his breath and glanced out the window in thought.
They stayed in Africa for a few more days. The Kratt brothers taught the two hedgehogs a lot about the different wildlife, and Sonic would show Shadow different places where they would have races. They almost always ended in a tie. And when they didn't, they ended in shouting matches that would last well over an hour.
Aviva's POV
I had taken it upon myself to learn as much as I could about our two guests. My first initial observation: THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE! Of course, when I first "discovered" this, it ended with Shadow making death threats I was sure he would carry out.
Speaking of Shadow, I can't help but notice that something is seriously off about him. He was far quieter than Sonic, and much more easily aggravated, seeing how often he snapped at him. I'm just guessing, but he acts much older than his "friend," although I doubt that's the term he'd use to describe Sonic. Besides him explaining the Chaos Emeralds, he doesn't talk much at all, but prefers to listen to what the rest of us are saying.
Sonic, on the other hand, is Shadow's polar opposite. He likes to talk and asks questions about everything. He's very proud of his speed, which he demonstrates often, whether it be racing Shadow or simply going off on a "run," as he calls it. He jokes around a lot, and likes to get on Shadow's nerves just for fun when he's bored.
Both of them are extremely competitive in almost everything they do. I saw that first hand when they met Zac. They compete in every little task. When we had to clean the outside of the Tortuga, both of them grabbed a sponge and raced across the ship's exterior, practically doing the job for us. They raced literally across the continent, and Sonic would come back with different souvenirs. Shadow bought a simple camera, and I learned that he was quite the talented photographer, due to the fact that he was a hundred times more patient than the other hedgehog.
"When's lunch?" Sonic asked Jimmy, who was standing over a grill, flipping hamburgers. He looked down at the three foot mammal and laughed. It had been the third time he asked, since we had first gotten out the grill.
"About ten more minutes," he answered. Jimmy and Sonic shared a natural love for junk food. Chili dogs for Sonic specifically. The little guy lives off of them!
As if he had read my mind, Sonic asked, "Got any chili dogs?"
"Almost done with 'em," Jimmy laughed.
"Keep eating that junk, and I'll beat you by a mile," Shadow remarked. The black and red mobian has no trouble with making smart, cutting, or sarcastic comments. Sonic smirked as he waved one in front Shadow's nose, as if it would tempt him.
"Oh come on, Shads, I know you like them."
Said hedgehog frowned and slapped the food away from him but kept his voice low and controlled, "I told you. Don't. Call. Me. Shads." He emphasized each word of the last sentence with red eyes narrowed. Doesn't he ever want to have any fun? Sonic pouted like a little kid.
"Fine, Gramps, but you can't not like them. Everybody loves chili dogs!"
At this Shadow completely exploded, scaring me and everyone else within a ten mile radius. "CALL ME ANYMORE OF YOUR PATHETIC NICKNAMES, FAKER, AND I'LL CHAOS BLAST YOU CLEAN OFF THE FACE OF THE PLANET!" Then he teleported away from our group to who knows where.
"What just happened?" Martin asked. He and Chris had just gotten back from checking on the lion pride the mobians had saved a few days ago. Sonic shrugged.
"Shads is getting impatient."
"That's not what it looked like to me," I answered. Sonic glanced up at me.
"He's ready to get home. Otherwise he would've simply told me to shut up or rolled his eyes. He only ever gets that mad when he's frustrated and running low on patience."
"But why would you push him that far anyway?" Koki wondered allowed.
"I needed to know what was on his mind. It's near impossible to figure out what's going on in that brain of his," he replied thoughtfully, "Chaos alone knows what's going on in his hesd," he mumbled so low I barely heard it. But from the looks of everyone else, I knew they didn't catch it.
"Where do you think he teleported to?" I asked, trying to hide some of the concern that had filled me. Sonic rubbed his chin in deep thought.
"I raced him around a mountain yesterday. He likes being where he can have a good view. Helps him cool off, or something like that. I don't really get it, although it might have something to do with...," he silenced himself suddenly, as if he wasn't supposed to say something, "Nevermind. That's not important. My guess is that he went up there."
Without a second thought, I ran into the Tortuga's garage and hopped on my cheetah bike. Sonic zipped in beside me with an almost worried look.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Shads has a habit of literally blowing up when he gets steamed."
"I still have to try," I answered, determined to hide how scared I became, "It'll be dark in a couple of hours."
Sonic smiled. "Ok. I'm glad to know Shads has got somebody to worry about him. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."
I nodded and returned the smile before I took off as fast as I could across the savannah. Sonic had given me detailed directions of which way he knew the mountain was. It's amazing how much he can remember from a simple race. It was almost sunset by the time I reached the peak.
Sonic was right. Shadow stood right in front of me. Trees, rocks, and even the ground were scorched or marred from some sort of explosion. At the moment, Shadow was standing near the edge of the cliff with his arms crossed and his head tilted up towards the sky. I don't think he's noticed me yet.
"I'm sorry," he said. My eyes widened in surprise. I never thought I'd hear him say those words and with such a sincere voice. He continued, "I made a promise to you that I would protect the world you loved so much. Why do I keep making a mess of things?" he asked. I was puzzled. He had never made a promise to me. He closed his eyes and shook his head, "Now I'm not even there to protect it. I wouldn't feel so worried if Sonic had stayed behind, but now... Who will defend Mobius? Eggman could be tearing the world apart right now. The world I swore to defend. The world you never got to see up close." That's when I realized he wasn't talking to me. He probably didn't even know I was there, hearing his every word. He opened his eyes and looked back to the early rising stars again, "I promise Maria, that as long as I am in this zone I will protect it from its enemies. Although," he chuckled, "it appears that that won't be too much of a problem."
Who on earth is Maria? What did he mean by saying she never got to see the world up close? What was he even talking about period? I carefully climbed off of my cheetah bike, but I landed on a dry leaf, crunching it under my shoe. Shadow spun around and looked like he was about to kill me. And without Sonic here to hold him back, I was afraid he just might.
"How did you find me?" he demanded. I could tell he was seething with anger but was trying to keep it under control. Thank goodness
My voice came out shaky, "Sonic said he guessed you might've come here. I was...worried about you."
Shadow's POV
Oh, Sweet Chaos! How much of that did she hear?!
"Don't bother," I answered nonchalantly, "How long have you been here?"
"Not long," she lied. Her chaos energy gave it away instantly. I crossed my arms and gave her one of my infamous glares.
"You're lying."
She sucked in a sharp breath. Afraid-- that was the word that came to my mind. "H-how did y-you know?"
I pulled the Chaos Emerald out of my quills and felt its energy pulsing through me by my touch. "I have one of these now, so my natural abilities are greatly enhanced. Besides," I added, "even without one I could tell."
She grew increasingly nervous, but what she blurted out completely caught me by surprise, "Who's Maria?"
The look on my face must've been enough for her to know she shouldn't have asked that, but she just inched closer towards me. Slowly and cautiously. Her features softened when I didn't answer right away.
"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to," she said gently. I felt my quills flaring up, and she took a few steps back. I wanted to tell her it was none of her business. She would probably leave me alone. At least she wasn't like those two annoying brothers she hangs out with.
"She was my best friend," I answered instead, to my own shock as well as hers.
"Was?"
Chaos! Why do those eyes force me to speak?! They are so genuine and selfless, just like hers...
"She...died. A long time ago."
She had been warned not do it, but she did it anyway. I felt her arms wrap around me in tight hug. My body immediately went rigid as she buried her face into my fur. I didn't know how to respond. Tell her to get off? Threaten her? What do I do?
"I'm so sorry...," she whispered. My eyes grew twice their normal size, but I awkwardly returned the gesture. I am not fluent in expressing emotion. My knees unconsciously buckled beneath me, no matter how much I wanted to stay standing. Stay strong. Stay hard. This one girl had caught me off guard and completely overwhelmed my will to remain the stoic figure I had become. She brushed my quills in a comforting manner. No one knew, but that was the exact same thing Maria used to do whenever I was down.
When Aviva noticed that I didn't protest the gesture, she said, "I know she must be very proud of you."
Maria..proud of me? Of what I was? What I had done? This girl knew nothing! But I couldn't tell her what I thought because, for some stupid reason, my voice suddenly didn't want to work.
"You don't have to say anything," she practically cooed. I slowly detached myself from the hug, part of me not willing to let go. I can't get close to her. Everyone I had ever opened up to has always been taken from me. But I will admit that my chest has never felt lighter. I guess I needed someone to talk to more than I thought. She stole a glance at the sun, which was quickly disappearing.
"We should be getting back," she said at last. I nodded.
"Grab your-," it was hard to tell what that thing was, "bike. I can Chaos Control us back."
She walked over to her cat-shaped contraption and held one of the handles. I stood beside her and took her hand. Holding the green jewel above me, I yelled my signature phrase, "Chaos Control!"
Third Person POV
Shadow and Aviva appeared in the middle of the Tortuga, and just in time. The rest of the group were preparing to go on a search party looking for them and would have left right then if they hadn't returned when they did.
"There you are!" Sonic exclaimed, "And in one piece too!"
Shadow quickly pulled his hand out of Aviva's, to her disappointment. She liked the open Shadow, but that seemed like it was all just a dream.
"Of course we're alive, you idiot," he snapped. Sonic took the offense lightly.
"And the same as ever," he added. Shadow rolled his eyes. I can't take much more of this, he inwardly groaned.
Thanks 4 reading! I am NOT shipping Shadow and Aviva. I just thought I'd give Shads a friend. Tell me what you guys think, I desperately need input.
Sayonara!