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seangardnerxiv · 2 days ago

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Shadow and Maria's Complex Relationship

FOR DISCLOSURE: this thread is going to be discussing the complexities of Shadow and Maria’s relationship based on many different factors. Though I will be including the romantic interpretation (NOT a sexual one – I do not support nor condone sexualizing these two, nor any of the characters in Sonic, as they are almost all minors) as a potential, I will not be arguing to assign a definite label to their relationship – I will, in fact, be doing exactly the opposite (I am also not interested in engaging in shipping discourse over Sonic the Hedgehog characters). I would simply like to disclose that that will be discussed in case the topic upsets you and you would prefer to stop reading now. I accept this post may not be received well by some.

SPOILERS FOR SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS

So I've had to break out my Tumblr for this - my usual haunt is Twitter/Bluesky, but those don't really allow for longform posts. This is also a major departure from my usual FFXIV posting, so apologies to anyone who follows me for that.

Sonic x Shadow Generations recently dropped, alongside the short animations “Dark Beginnings” as well as the (non-canonical) manga “The Jet Black Hedgehog: Shadow the Hedgehog.” With it, discourse surrounding Shadow and Maria’s relationship has kicked up again, largely in two parties – that Shadow and Maria held a sibling relationship, or that Shadow and Maria held romantic feelings for one another (some people have also argued that Shadow is her uncle, or Maria is his mother, but I won’t be discussing those views). There are arguments for both drawn from a variety of sources – I will do my best to present both (if there are others I've missed, please feel free to comment and I will add them).

For siblings:

This Twitter post of artwork for Dark Beginnings has the following alt text: “Shadow and Maria reach out for one another in an infinite abyss (as long-lost siblings would) with the Moon and the Space Colony ARK in the background."

The manual for Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) describes Maria as “like a sister to Shadow.” I have also seen another screenshot of a different manual that states that Shadow as "like a brother to Maria," but I've been unable to find which manual it is.

Gerald refers to Shadow as “son” during the climax of SxSG.

For romantic:

Maria saying “I love you” in the Japanese version of SxSG uses the kanji “ai shiteru,” whilst her “I love you” in the Japanese version of the manga uses “daisuki.” Whilst it can be used for familial relations, it is apparently very uncommon for both of these to be used outside of romantic intent.

Shiro Maekawa – the original creator of Shadow and Maria – based them (or at least parts of them) off of a romance manga known as “Please Save My Earth” (with Maria sharing the Japanese voice actress for the female lead from the anime), and has frequently supported them together, often retweeting romantic art and posts of Shadow and Maria.

In a recent interview from Sega, Maria touching Shadow’s face in Dark Beginnings was equated to Beauty and the Beast.

For Tanabata – a Japanese festival celebrating the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi, and the separation of them as lovers – Sonic Channel posted artwork of Shadow and Maria reading the story beneath the stars. Sonic Channel has also published fanart for Valentine’s Day relating to Shadow and Maria (although they publish a lot of fanart).

Before I go any further, when the topic of Shadow and Maria in a romantic lens comes up, many of the same criticisms arise that I do not believe are fairly levied – namely accusations regarding their age, species, and familial ties. I would like to address – and debunk – these three before we go any further. Keep in mind while you read these – this is not meant to convince you that their relationship was one thing over another, but only to provide validity to a subjective point of view I feel is unfairly stigmatized.

“It’s incest because Shadow is Maria’s brother/uncle(?).”

While there were notions of family stated by both Maria and Gerald, Shadow was grown in a tube with alien DNA and has zero blood relation to the Robotnik family. Whilst there are abstract labels of “like a sister” or “sibling coding” that are only ever applied in a meta sense, neither of them define their relationship in such a way within the lens of the universe. And it is not as if the topic never arises - in Shadow Generations, Maria herself likens young Abraham Tower as akin to her little brother, but she makes no such distinction with Shadow.

“Sibling coding” is ultimately a nothing statement, and unless a proper adoption is made, it does not magically turn romantic feelings towards the two involved into incest. Frames of reference are often informed by what young people are familiar with, and they sometimes lack the proper tools to acknowledge that their feelings towards each other are more complex than they first believe - to say that this is something that potentially occurred with Shadow and Maria is not outlandish, and not a concept unique to Sonic as a series.

Similar examples to this include Clive and Jill from Final Fantasy XVI (Jill is accepted into the Rosfield household and raised alongside Clive and his brother, only to later enter a romantic relationship with him as an adult), Nero and Kyrie from Devil May Cry (Nero is fostered by Kyrie's family and considers Kyrie a sister initially, only for her to become his love interest as adults) and Sidon and Yona from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Sidon grows up perceiving Yona as a sister, only to realize his feelings for her are more complex later on). None of these are incestuous relationships, nor is Shadow and Maria’s were it to be romantic.

“It’s bestiality because Shadow is an animal.”

Bestiality is applicable to regular animals that do not hold human sentience of thought, as they are unable to consent to a relationship, like a dog or cat. Shadow is not this, nor are any of the anthropomorphic characters within the Sonic games - were you to change the anthropomorphic animals in Sonic into humans, basically nothing about the series' content would change. All of them are completely sound-minded beings that are essentially just people who look different. Shadow is not Maria’s pet, he is her fully sentient friend that holds the same degree of thought as she does – given that Shadow’s entire arc is about finding his purpose in life, degrading him to simply a lab animal rather than acknowledging he is a person defeats that entire arc (something the manga also touches upon).

A lot of people also cite Sonic and Elise from Sonic ‘06 (namely the scene where Elise kisses the deceased Sonic) as a reason why Shadow and Maria should not be done - while I think it’s valid if you didn’t like watching a human girl kissing Sonic the Hedgehog, I maintain that a good chunk of that disdain stemmed from two major reasons:

Elise was very poorly characterized in her game. She existed to constantly get kidnapped and be saved by Sonic, and so both the relationship and the kiss came off more like pandering than something earned.

Sonic '06 had a bizarrely realistic artstyle for the human characters, whilst all of the animal characters retained their cartoonish appearances. This clash of artstyles looked its worst when Elise kissed Sonic at the game's climax.

Maria, however, does not fall into these pitfalls. She does not exist to be purely a love interest for Shadow - she’s certainly not someone for him to save, as the entire inciting event of Shadow's character is his inability to save her when she saves him.

For a frame of reference, Shadow is more akin to an alien from Star Wars – a setting where humans also exist. It is not bestiality for a Human to hold a relationship with a Twi’lek, as both races are fully anthropomorphic and sentient. On a similar note, Beauty and the Beast is not considered bestiality either, even though the Beast bears obvious animalistic traits. Some people have also entertained the notion of Rouge and Topaz from Sonic X, even though the latter is human. This is all the same principle, and none of it is bestiality.

“It’s creepy because Maria is young.”

Shadow – while said to be ageless – is not an adult, and to imply that he is one is a fundamental misunderstanding of Shadow’s character – whilst there are many instances where he demonstrates maturity on some levels, he has shown much immaturity since his inception in Sonic Adventure 2 (his desire to destroy the world out of revenge for Maria), and his most recent storyline in Generations involves his naïve desire to change Maria and Gerald’s fates (or rather, an initial indifference to what it will bring). Not only that, but his time on the ARK was mired in confusion over the point of his existence – Maria was the one that helped him field through his confusion, and was arguably the more mature one between the two of them. We can safely say that Shadow is not an adult character, nor is he ever presented as one in the lens of the game.

As the closest thing Sonic likely has to an equal in both body and mind (Sonic holds his own immaturities similar to Shadow), he can likely be placed mentally close to his age of fifteen. This is reinforced by the leaked transcript of Sonic ‘06 that refers to Shadow as 15 (the red squared text in this image).

Maria has no canon age established in game material, but Sonic X lists her as 12. 15 and 12 is the same age gap as Sonic and Amy respectively.

In addition to that, many people have claimed that Shadow is over 50 years old, but this is only true of his chronological existence, not the time he has been conscious and aging. He spent 50 years stuck in cryosleep, and awoke exactly how he was when he was placed in there.

A similar example would be Aang and Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender - Aang was frozen at the age of 12, and awoke 100 years later. Nobody, however, tried to claim that he was 112 years too old to kiss the 14 year old Katara, as Aang was physically and mentally still a 12 year old upon awakening - most people who watched the show were also actively rooting for these two characters to kiss, which they did at the show's finale. It's the same principle regarding Shadow - he is 50 chronologically, not 50 in mind or body.

If we’d like to really get into it, I would point out that nearly every character in the lens of Sonic is in and around Maria’s age range (according to the Sonic Channel). As stated previously, Sonic is 15. Amy is 12, Knuckles is 16, Rouge is 18, Blaze and Silver are 14, etc. Nobody bats an eye at notions of romance between any of these people (not that I’m saying they should inherently).

Romantic intent between minors is not inherently viewed as a bad thing - see the examples of Aang and Katara or Clive and Jill above, or for an in house example, consider the canonical (to Sonic X at least) relationship between the 8 year old Tails and Cosmo - yet for some reason when it comes to Shadow and Maria, a relationship is stigmatized.

To reiterate in the wake of the last point, my discussions of romantic intent ARE NOT SEXUAL IN NATURE. As I acknowledge these are minors, any notions of that are completely off the table, and I do not agree with anyone who would imply their relationship was a sexual one. I want to make that unmistakably clear.

My major takeaway from observing both the Sonic fanbase and those on Sonic Team seems to be that in western circles, Shadow and Maria as siblings is the popular perception, whilst in eastern circles, they are more commonly perceived romantically. But ultimately, Shadow and Maria’s relationship seems to have many contradictory signals that makes it hard to pinpoint a concrete definition, especially in the most recent releases – and I believe that this is fully intentional.

Shiro Maekawa has stated in DMs has stated this regarding their relationship when asked if he saw them as siblings or love interests (translated from Japanese):

“I think they have a special bond that is unique to them that doesn’t fall into either of those categories. Just my personal opinion.”

From the way that the two are written post-Sonic Adventure 2, this appears to be a sentiment that is fully carried forward – their relationship is more nuanced than a canonical label would make it. Maria was the only person who made Shadow feel loved, and Maria unquestionably loved him back. What kind of love that was is up to the viewer, especially given that Maria died when they were both young, before they even had a chance to expand upon their relationship, if that was ever on the table – not that they needed to, given that their bond seems to have transcended both labels. Maria was the only one who acknowledged Shadow as more than an experiment or a weapon, and Shadow was her rock in an environment where she was isolated away from her family and home. Maria was Shadow's person, and still remains that in death.

To disclose for me personally (in case it was not obvious), I have always interpreted their relationship as romantic - or at least having romantic implications - ever since playing Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and Shadow the Hedgehog when I was a kid. I have both a fiancé and a sibling, and the way they treat each other is far more evocative of how I treat the former than the latter (especially in Dark Beginnings – I do not imagine my sibling through a shoujo filter while I wistfully think about cuddling them in a field of flowers). I do not take the awkwardly placed alt text verbiage from the Sonic Twitter account, used to fake-argue with the Wendy’s Twitter account, as gospel for anything, and I think that treating it as a damning disproval is silly. Had she lived, I believed the complex feelings they held would have been identified as romantic down the line. The relationship always just read as too intimately charged for me to perceive as siblings (it still does especially in the wake of seeing how she touches and speaks to him), even before I had a serious relationship. I think that arguing the nitty gritty over Twitter alt text and translations is silly, as all it took for me to takeaway that the relationship was still romantic was to play the game, watch the animations, and read the manga for Shadow Generations - but that's just me.

That said, I will concur that if you are weirded out by romantic notions between the two of them, that is completely understandable, and I would never argue that you should not feel what you feel for yourself. The sibling viewpoint is also wholly valid an interpretation, with or without word from a meta source. Though she had her grandfather and later Abe, she was largely alone on the ARK away from a family that she clearly loved and missed, and it’s not unusual to presume that Shadow filled in the role of a brother for her. I will also acknowledge that many things I have not mentioned - such as Shadow blushing at Maria calling him cool, or her saying "I love you" in general - are not inherently indicative of romantic intent, and can be read as fully platonic interpretations, and I find those that try to state that the romantic interpretation is the objective one just as irritating as those that state the sibling interpretation is the objective.

My intent is only to dispute the idea that romantic interpretations, and the people who hold them, deserve to be scrutinized. The pairing is completely innocent, and the treatment people have received for believing them to be romantic is obscene. Sweeping blanket statements have been made to insult all who do (some going as far as to wish death and harm upon them), all just based on subjective viewpoints held by people who see them platonically. The fact that there is so much discourse surrounding this topic, and that there is evidence enough on both ends to make an argument, means that Sega has intentionally left the relationship up to interpretation - including the romantic take.

Everyone unclutch your pearls.

But with all that said, I will reiterate that this post was not meant to convince anyone of one thing or another, but rather that both interpretations of their relationship are valid, as it is essentially a secret third thing that transcends both labels and is special only to them. Strictly defining their relationship as “siblings” or “love interests” (even as someone who perceives them romantically, I would never want that to be definitively confirmed for this reason) is deconstructing what is perhaps the most nuanced part of a series that does not always tend to be terribly nuanced, and a definition matters far less than acknowledging what Maria means to Shadow in the present – he is who he is because of her, and because of that, he is now living a life for himself. Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) ended in a way that had Shadow let Maria go, and Shadow Generations ends with him carrying her forward with him after accepting her loss. She was, and will always be, the person who loved Shadow - however you define that love is up to you.

Nothing has ever been hard confirmed by Sega, no matter how much either side wants to pretend it has been.

In summary, both points of view regarding Shadow and Maria’s relationship are simultaneously true and not true – it is a matter of interpretation according to the viewer what their feelings towards each other were, yet their relationship in the lens of what it is now after the tragedy of their existence (even before Maria died) is purposefully indefinable, and it should remain that way. Nobody should ever try to say that Shadow and Maria are definitively something - that goes for both points of view. I doubt it will, but I hope this goes towards removing the stigmas towards one of the more nuanced parts of this series, as nuance in Sonic the Hedgehog - frankly - does not come along very often, and it would be nice if that were encouraged rather than smothered.

Thank you for reading.

#shadow the hedgehog #maria robotnik #shadow generations #sonic x shadow generations #dark beginnings #shadow dark beginnings #sonic the hedgehog #shadaria #shadria #shadow x maria #ark siblings #シャドマリ

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tenebraevesper · 13 days ago

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Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 69: The Invasion

''Error Error Haven't you noticed yet? Past processing modified in a casual style. Lol lol secretly erase it. Sky, sky, it was all a fantasy. Puppet puppet morality? Tied to just increasing production. Optimism I don't know anything. What I fell in love with that day was a childish ideal. The deadly poison is sweet and gentle. You and you who are looking at the future. I can't laugh, I can't help it. Will you even wait for a kiss? I keep thinking about it until it breaks. When I got there, it was hell. Rain of needles that keeps falling. My heart is full of holes. Someday I threw away my precious umbrella too.''

– Twelve by Nightmare

xXxXxXx

Sonic breathed heavily, his body badly beaten and covered in bruises. He felt weak, with blood trickling down his head and cheek due to a bad cut he had received from his opponent. He stared at this person, both standing in a destroyed street, the sky above them painted a dark red with black clouds covering it. His attacker, the one who had hurt him and caused so much destruction was no one else but his rival, Shadow.

Sonic could only stare at Shadow, his emerald eyes meeting the dark hedgehog's crimson eyes, which were glowing menacingly. There was no life in them, no passionate spirit he was so used to seeing. There was only pure malice in his eyes. This was not the Shadow he knew.

''Why?''

Shadow didn't respond to Sonic's question, as if he hadn't heard it. Instead, he just continued to glare back at Sonic, seeing him only as an obstacle that needed to be destroyed. He stepped towards Sonic, a spear of energy appearing in his hand. Sonic was unable to move due to his own injuries, only able to stare at Shadow as the dark hedgehog slowly approached him, with a dark presence looming behind him, as if controlling the hedgehog.

Sonic's eyes widened, as there was nothing he could do, besides waiting for his own death. Shadow's glowing crimson eyes narrowed as he gazed down at Sonic, aiming the Chaos Spear at his heart.

''Perish.''

There was complete silence when the spear hit its target.

xXx

Shadow gasped for air as he sat up suddenly, pressing his hand against his forehead. His heart was pounding and his body cold, as if he had been submerged in icy water. He tried to calm himself down, focusing on his surroundings. He was sitting in his bed, with Touka sleeping soundly next to him. It was still late in the night, with moonlight passing through the slanted window above them. He took another deep breath, his ears twitching with every breath he took. Everything was so silent, but his heart beat and his breath were loud, too loud for him.

Shadow rubbed his temple, his mind still occupied with the dream he had. It wasn't the first time he had to deal with nightmares, and he was certain that it wouldn't be the last time. The issue he was dealing with was the fact that he had these kinds of nightmares for several nights in row. They were all similar, where his mind and body was controlled by an entity more powerful than him, a shadow hiding in the darkness, its red eyes glowing malevolently. He was ordered to destroy everyone he cared about, and no matter how much he struggled against this mind control, he would always find himself executing his orders. It may have been just a dream, but the lack of control he had over his own actions completely horrified him. He stared down at his hands, almost seeing the blood dripping from them, and closed his eyes as he closed his fists, his hands shaking.

He then got up, well aware that he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. He put his shoes on and grabbed his AR Visor, then quickly warped from the attic to the garage where the Dark Rider was parked. There was another flash of cyan light, and he was slowly pushing the motorcycle down the street. He made sure he was far enough from his home so he wouldn't wake Touka and Kisaki up before he got on the motorcycle and driving away.

The fresh summer air did help him clear his mind a little, forcing him to focus on the road. Even if it was in the middle of the night, there were still people on the streets, but for the most part, the road was clear. Shadow didn't really have any goal in mind, deciding to drive aimlessly until he felt tired enough to go back to sleep, or until daybreak arrived. He hadn't told anyone about his nightmares, not even Touka, knowing well that she was going to just worry needlessly over him. Admittedly, he was well aware that she has a good reason to worry about him, but in his opinion, her peace of mind was more important than his. He knew that Touka would disagree, but he was always going to put her above himself.

Shadow stopped at a red light, staring at it intently. He was still at unease, averting his gaze once another flash of red light appeared in his mind and almost missing the traffic light changing to green. He shook his head, continuing to drive. He tried to push back his anxiety, frustration and fear, believing that it was a waste of time to worry about something like a nightmare. From what he understood, dreams and nightmares were merely the manifestation of the information his brain processed while he was asleep, but that still didn't explain him having the same kind of nightmare several nights in a row. Not only that, but the nightmare felt incredibly real, and only by waking up he realized that none of this had happened and that he wasn't a soulless monster who was forced to turn on the people he cared about.

This is my subconsciousness telling me what I fear the most… as if I don't know that. Shadow narrowed his eyes as he thought about it, only to stop at another crossroad. He took a look around, finally realizing that he somehow arrived in Westoru and was still driving further west, towards Infinity Forest. He snorted, wondering whether he should continue driving in this direction or go somewhere else. It only took him a moment to decide.

The Codex Research Facility… I haven't been there in ages. Shadow had no desire to visit that place, as it held nothing but bad memories, but he decided to leave the urban landscape, stopping at a clearing just a bit outside the city. He parked the motorcycle and sat down under a tree, leaning back against it. He tried to empty his mind of any unnecessary thoughts, only to be met with an image of Sonic grinning widely at him and teasing him about brooding. He sighed, a smile almost appearing on his lips as he hugged himself. Even though the night was pleasantly warm, he still felt cold.

Even if he was surrounded by people, sometimes the sense of loneliness would overwhelm him. He had learned not to give into it, and he knew there were people who deeply cared for him. However, he felt that whatever burden he carried was his own, and he didn't want to bother those he cared about with it. Trying to steer his thoughts to something else, he gazed at the city, the skyscrapers that touched the sky and the lights that illuminated it. Some would call it beautiful, some would scoff at the sight. To him, this city was simply a place he lived at.

Well, it probably was more than that, but Shadow liked to keep things simple. He didn't really care where he lived, as long as he was with Touka. Back when they were at the Codex Research Facility, she was always the one who talked about how she was looking forward to the day they would be allowed to finally leave it and visit Neos City. She told him how she would make sure they both got to live a normal life, or at least what they considered to be a normal life, far away from the experiments those scientists put him through. He tried to imagine what that life would look like, but nothing came to his mind, besides them finally being on their own and going wherever they wanted.

This dream had been shattered the moment he was manipulated into believing that he had killed Touka, forcing him down a dark path of revenge. In a different reality, Neos City wouldn't be existing anymore because of him, but thankfully, that didn't happen. However, even if he got Touka back, alive and safe, the fear of losing her never went away. No matter how much she assured him that she would be fine, there was always that voice in his head that kept him in doubt. She was his whole world and he was willing to do anything for her. If she wanted him to destroy Neos City, he would do it in a heartbeat. If she wanted him to protect it, he would do anything to make it safe for her. He was willing to go that far for her and for her happiness.

Yet, Touka's sole desire was for him to be happy. She wanted to keep things simple. Unfortunately for both of them, they became members of Team Neos, which meant that things would be anything but simple. At the time, Shadow thought of them as a group of the most stubborn, persistent people who only acted as an obstacle that came between him and his goal. After the reveal that Touka was alive, he remained indifferent towards them… or at least tried to, as it was difficult being indifferent to someone who constantly wants to befriend you. Shadow attempted to keep his distance at the beginning, still following his belief that it was just him and Touka against the world, only to find himself questioning weeks later when the hell had he started considering everyone as his teammates, and later on, his friends.

Shadow sighed. He refused to believe that his nightmare would come true, but he also needed to maintain a distance. He was paranoid enough not to trust himself under these circumstances, at least until he had a full understanding of the situation. He then gazed up at the night sky, at the stars twinkling above and the moon glowing and bathing the planet below in its glow.

Maybe one day, he will finally let go off his fears.

xXx

Kisaki stretched her arms, walking towards the kitchen when she spotted a black and red ball of fur and quills curled up on the couch. She blinked, wondering why Shadow wasn't sleeping in his room in the attic, but decided not to bother him. She knew that he probably had his reasons, and decided to start breakfast. Fortunately for her, she had a free day, so she could indulge a little in taking things easy and trying to make coffee as quietly as possible to not disturb the sleeping hedgehog.

It appeared that this didn't work, because the moment Kisaki was done preparing coffee, she was met with an outstretched gloved hand. Shadow woke up and sneaked up to her, probably lured in by the smell of morning coffee. Kisaki snorted, giving him the cup and preparing another one.

''So, how did you end up sleeping on the couch?'' she asked, leaning against the counter, while Shadow sat on the high chair at the built-in bar. He just shot her a glare for even asking him such question and quietly continued to sip his coffee. Kisaki sighed, having understood his response. ''You know, Touka will ask you the same.''

''She won't if you don't tell her,'' Shadow pointed out the obvious in a matter-of-fact tone, still glaring at Kisaki. She gave him a sheepish smile, agreeing with his statement.

''I guess you're lucky then she's not an early bird,'' she commented. Shadow nodded in agreement. It didn't take too long to hear footsteps from the second floor, with Touka rushing down, looking quite excited.

''Someone's in a good mood,'' Kisaki commented, firing up the stove for a fresh batch of pancakes, while Touka sat next to Shadow with a hot cup of cocoa.

''Of course I am. Today's the first day of the summer holidays, which means that I don't have to deal with schoolwork,'' Touka replied happily.

''I'm surprised that you're complaining so much about school when only weeks ago, you were excited to be accepted into a school,'' Shadow pointed out in a snarky tone.

''Only because I'm now a normal student, that doesn't mean that I can't complain,'' Touka said, pouting. ''Unfortunately, they also gave us homework to do over summer, so I want to take advantage of every free moment I have.''

''Why don't you just do your homework now instead of leaving it for later?'' Shadow asked her, a sly smirk forming on his lips when Touka continued to pout, avoiding his gaze. She knew damn well he had a point, but didn't want to admit it.

''You know, you could help me with it,'' Touka said suddenly in the sweetest tone possible. Shadow quirked an eyebrow.

''That's your homework, not mine. I'm not going to let you slack off,'' he said, with Touka sighing in defeat. Kisaki giggled at the argument the two were having, having gotten used to hearing this kind of bickering.

''I actually wanted to go to Solar Stadium today because they were adding a new racing track. Homework can wait for a little longer,'' Touka said, turning to Shadow. ''Do you want to join?''

Shadow nodded, with the two quickly finishing their breakfast and going outside. On their way to Solar Stadium, they had passed by the Kinomoto residence, only to see Lucas and Sonic walking out of the house, with Sonic perking up and rushing over to them.

''Hey, Shads, hey Touka! You two are up early!'' Sonic greeted them.

''Solar Stadium has a new race track and we wanted to try it out,'' Touka explained as Lucas approached them. ''What about you two?''

''We were on our way to visit Warren and Tails,'' Lucas explained. ''They had told us that something important to tell us. Supposedly, some kind of anomaly had appeared.''

''An anomaly?'' Shadow gave them a curious look. Sonic shrugged.

''They did add a lot of technobabble, but agreed that it would be better to explain it in person,'' he said, then gave Shadow a challenging smirk. ''How about I join you later at the race track?''

''I didn't know you were so eager to lose.'' Shadow smirked, already feeling the excitement rushing through his body. Somehow, the worries he had earlier that night had vanished, and even though they were still lurking in the back in his mind, he wanted to indulge in his own desires. It was simply a nightmare, wasn't it?

''Heh, you won't be acting so confident after I beat you,'' Sonic continued their banter. Behind the two, Touka was smiling warmly, enjoying listening to their little rival conversation. They continued walking towards Warren and Tails' house, then parting ways, with Touka and Shadow continuing towards Sentoraru.

The conversation he had with Sonic seemed to have lifted Shadow's spirits a little, and whatever weight he felt became much lighter, leaving him in a quite good mood. Unfortunately, that sensation didn't last as his mind was flooded with an image of red eyes staring back at him. His eyes widened in shock and he stopped, not even registering Touka's look of concern. She couldn't see Shadow's expression, as she was standing behind him.

''Shadow?''

Shadow snapped out of his stunned state, regaining his focus and giving Touka a neutral look. ''What's wrong?''

''You looked quite tense there,'' Touka said, tilting her head. ''Did something happen?''

''No. I was just… lost in my thoughts,'' Shadow replied. He didn't want to tell Touka the truth, but at the same time, he wasn't going to lie to her. Meanwhile, Touka wondered what it could be, only for a sly smile to spread across her lips.

''Don't tell me that you're actually worried that Sonic would defeat you in a hoverboard race?'' she asked. Shadow was flustered, if a little relieved, that this was her conclusion. He frowned, huffing.

''Tch, as if!''

''I don't know…'' Touka hummed, placing her finger on her cheek as she feigned a look of concern. ''He is a formidable opponent, but he is also your boyfriend… It would be hard to focus on winning, won't it?''

Shadow's tan muzzle flushed pink as he shoot a glare at Touka, who gave him an innocent smile. He was well aware she was just teasing him as an older sister would, and he didn't hold it against her, but he remained annoyed. ''Hmph, that means nothing. The main focus of our relationship is still our rivalry, and neither of us is going to let our feelings get in the way of that.''

''Ah, I see…'' Touka replied, still feeling amused by the response. Suddenly, Shadow gave Touka serious look.

''You go ahead. I still need to do something,'' he said, surprising Touka. She then nodded.

''Okay. I'll check the new race track and give you some advice on how to race on it so you can easily defeat Sonic,'' she said cheekily.

''That's not necessary. I'd rather beat him fairly on a race track we're both unfamiliar with,'' Shadow replied, leaving. His smile then faded as he skated away, a shadow falling over his expression. He wasn't fond of the idea of leaving Touka alone, but the images of destruction and death that kept flashing in his mind were slowly overwhelming him. A chilling sensation spread through his body as he felt as if someone was trying to puppeteer it. He didn't understand what it was, but he believed that it would be better if he was alone for the time being.

He had no idea that this would be the last time he would see Touka.

xXx

''So, what was that anomaly you guys have been talking about?'' Lucas asked, him and Sonic standing inside the Taylor Workshop. Warren and Tails were standing in front of a holographic screen, both looking excited to discuss their newest discovery.

''We've been working on our special project, when noticed a strange ripple emanating through the AR Field set in this part of Eas. We had checked whether Eggman or Starline were behind this, but the digital signature is different from the one they typically use,'' Warren explained, pointing out on the origin of the ripple on the holographic screen, which showed a map of their neighborhood.

''We decided to investigate further, and it seems like the digital signature can't be tracked down, so we thought that we could try to find whether there were more of those ripples in other parts of Neos City, and we found this on CyExLab's official website,'' Tails said, changing the map to the website showing some kind of notice.

''Huh, CyExLab? That's a name I haven't heard of in ages,'' Lucas commented.

''They put up a warning that the AR Fields are going through a digital warp, adding how people should keep an eye on their ARNavs in case the AR Fields need to be shut down for a proper reboot,'' Tails continued. ''However, as of the recent update, they still hadn't managed to figure out the source of the digital warp, but Warren and I did compare some of the data and came to the conclusion that the AR Fields might be merging with the data of another AR Field, but even then, that AR Field seems to be breaching the ones set up in Neos City. It's nothing alike the ones created by Eggman or Starline, which were essentially pocket dimensions within the AR Field based on data from the Sonic video games…''

''Okaaaay…?'' Sonic rose an eyebrow, trying to follow all of that, but clearly understood absolutely nothing. Both Warren and Tails exchanged glances, then gave Sonic an amused look.

''What we want to say is that someone else is trying to not only take control over all of the AR Fields in Neos City, but also warp them by changing its structure via the addition of alien external data,'' Warren summed up. ''However, we don't know who is doing this or why.''

''So, how bad is the situation?'' Lucas asked.

''We don't know,'' Tails said, shrugging. ''Typically, such warping might cause a lot of damage to the AR Fields and forcing a shutdown as a consequence, but for some reason the AR Field suffer absolutely no harm and are kept up. Warren and I wanted to go to Kita and visit CyExLabs to see whether we can gather some direct data on the situation. Do you two want to come along?''

''I had actually promised Shadow a race at Solar Stadium, so you'll have to count me out, little bro,'' Sonic replied in an apologetic tone. ''We could visit you at CyExLabs after it, though.''

''That's fine,'' Tails replied, then turned his gaze to Lucas.

''I have free time, so I'll be going with you,'' he replied, then tilted his head. ''Although, I don't know whether CyExLabs would be fine with sharing that information with us.''

''Don't worry about that. We'll be actually meeting up with someone I know and who can help us with this mystery,'' Warren said confidently.

xXx

''All right, my personal best!'' Jet cheered as he crossed the finish line of the new race track. Doing a kick flip, he leapt off his hoverboard, grabbing it and posed with his fingers held up in a V-sign.

''Great job, Boss! You really showed them how it's done!'' Storm praised him. Jet placed his hand on his chest, head held up high.

''I know I'm the greatest racer ever born, but you can keep flattering me,'' he said.

''You know, Jet, setting up records means that they need to be broken, and I haven't still had my turn on the race track,'' Chase said, a smug grin on his lips.

''Go ahead and try to break it. After all, the partner of the Legendary Wind Master should be his equal,'' Jet replied in a casual tone.

''Guys, are you two done stroking each other's ego?'' Wave asked, clearly exasperated by their antics.

''Nothing's wrong with a little confidence boost, Wave,'' Chase said, only for the two to notice Rika pointing at something.

''Maybe you two could talk less about how awesome you are and focus on the fact that someone else is going to occupy the race track,'' Rika said, with Chase and Jet glancing towards where she was pointing. To their chagrin, a familiar person was the one walking up to the same holographic screen they were using.

''That's Touka,'' Arven noted.

''Hey, maybe that means that Sonic is also around!'' Jet suddenly perked up, grinning. ''I can beat him in a race on the new track.''

''But, isn't Sonic Lucas' partner?'' Storm asked.

''That's right, while Shadow is Touka's partner,'' Chase added. Jet waved them off in a dismissive manner.

''Eh, then I'll challenge Shadow. Regardless of who it is, I will always win!'' Jet boasted. He walked towards Touka, only to see her stand frozen for a moment.

Then, she vanished.

''Huh? Where is she?'' Chase, who also saw what happened ran up to where Touka stood only a moment ago. Sure, several people walked past Touka, obstructing the Babylon Rogues' view, but it still didn't explain how Touka could disappear. The group quickly ran over to where she was standing only a few moments ago, with Chase lifting her hoverboard. ''Right, this is Touka's hoverboard, but she wouldn't just let it lying around. No respectable racer would.''

The group looked around, but saw no trace of Touka, all of them feeling a chill flowing down their spine. It was as if she had ceased to exist.

xXx

Something… calls to me…

Shadow was placing his hand on his head, the flashes of red and black intensifying as he tried to make sense of the images. He felt a complete disconnect from reality, as if this was happening to someone else, not him. He tried to shake off the sensation of dread he felt, trying to make a distinction of what was real and what was fake, but even that was difficult. He managed to find his way to Heizeru Park, leaning against a tree in an isolated area and trying to make sense of what he was seeing. He squeezed his eyes as a chilling image of a dark figure looming over him flashed in his mind, only to suddenly open them, gasping as he heard the sound of thunder rumbling.

He looked up at the sky, staring at the dark clouds as they gathered above the city, lightning illuminating them. To his shock, the dark colour of the clouds faded in a dark red as the sky opened in the form of a vortex, with masses of black and red creatures descending all over the city. Their descent was followed by red cracks in the sky, spreading across the city and pieces falling apart like a broken mirror.

Shadow stepped back, his eyes wide as he tried to make sense of the situation. He was alert, aware of the growing danger, but still didn't understand the full scale of what was happening. His first instinct was to get to Touka, but before he could do any of that, a black and dark purple starfish-like creature with six black-tipped squamous probes and a brutally large red-orange eye in its center approached him.

''Shadow…''

The creature gave him a soulless stare, suddenly projecting a holographic image of a jet black and legless body with a trio of red-orange bestial eyes, twin wide horns with red tips, a set of spines on his scalp, three-fingered hands that have claw-like nails and no visible facial features. This figure wore a dark brown worn robe with black-brown shoulder pads and golden accents, a maroon drape scarf with tattoo markings hanging from the back, golden chains with a set of silver-spiked medallions possessing a gem, and a double black cord necklace with red, blue and purple ornaments on one and golden and silver pendants.

''At last, we meet, Shadow the Hedgehog. I am Black Doom, and you will do as I say. The day of reckoning will soon be here,'' Black Doom said, his voice sending chills down Shadow's spine. Nevertheless, the dark hedgehog gave him a defiant look.

''I don't take orders from anyone, least of all you. Get out of my way!'' Shadow growled. Black Doom laughed, his voice raspy and filled with malevolence.

''You truly do not understand your situation, do you? I have sent you here to fulfill a mission – to find the seven Chaos Emeralds,'' Black Doom continued, his demand leaving Shadow puzzled and unsettled. He knew what the conditions for the Chaos Emeralds' appearance was, which is why he didn't understand why Black Doom wanted him to gather them… unless they had indeed somehow appeared without those conditions. It appeared that Black Doom knew what was on his mind, adding, ''The Chaos Emeralds are here on this pathetic planet, and you will find them and bring them to me. This is what you were created for, to bring glory to the Black Arms.''

''I refuse!'' Shadow snarled, charging at Black Doom, only to pass through the projection and turning around, with Black Doom observing him in silent amusement.

''I have expected resistance…'' Black Doom rose his hand and pointed it at the dark hedgehog, with Shadow suddenly falling on his knees, clutching his head. His body froze when he saw an image of Touka, lying on the ground as if lifeless in some kind of unfamiliar space. Then, the vision vanished from his mind.

''Touka… What have you done to her?!'' Shadow growled, glaring at Black Doom.

''That pathetic human has been taken as my prisoner, and if you value her life, you will follow my orders,'' Black Doom responded, with Shadow stepping back, gritting his teeth. However, he knew that in his current state, he wasn't able to do anything. He had no idea where Touka was, and the only thing that guaranteed her safety was him doing what Black Doom demanded from him. Black Doom, on the other hand, appeared to be pleased with his submissive reaction. ''You are of my bloodline, Shadow. You are one of the Black Arms, created to lead them to conquer this planet. Struggle all you want. You cannot deny your fate!''

Shadow's eyes widened when he suddenly noticed a black mass swirling around him, and he could feel his heart pounding as he was overwhelmed by an overpowering sensation of pain, pressing his hands against his head. ''Aghrr! Aaagh, no, no… Aaaaghhr!!''

Shadow writhed in agony as the black mass enveloped his body, warping it, his crimson eyes glowing red as he tried to fight it back, but was powerless against it. He struggled, falling on his knees as he his back was ripped open when a fleshy black and red mass emerged from it, forming into wings and leaving him screaming. The wings spread, lifting him up, with Shadow staring in at them in shock and then looking back at his hands which were still covered by the black swirling mass.

''It is time that you accept your heritage. I bestow upon you the gift of the Doom Powers. This is who you are!'' Black Doom spoke, with Shadow looking up at him in disbelief.

''What… is this? Those powers…'' Shadow trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence as a frightening realization dawned upon him. Despite the agony he had felt earlier, those powers somehow felt natural to him,… and that thought horrified him to his core. Black Doom sensed the terror Shadow felt, understanding that the dark hedgehog would eventually fall under his influence, his rebellious spirit crushed.

''From now on, my eye will follow you and observe you for me… Find the Chaos Emeralds and bring them to me.''

The holographic projection of Black Doom vanished, and Doom's Eye flew away, leaving the dark hedgehog alone. Shadow pressed his hand against his chest, his heart still beating as if it wanted to burst out of his chest. He looked back at his wings, realizing that he was in full control as he folded them, causing them to vanish from his back. Then, it was as if the sound suddenly returned, and he heard people screaming in terror, filling im with a sense of chilling dread. Those nightmares he had… they were about to become reality.

The Black Arms Invasion has begun.

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Megaman AMV 「イレギュラーハンターX AMV」 TWELVE by ナイトメア「Nightmare」

#Sonic Cyber Revolution #shadow the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #jet the hawk #storm the albatross #wave the swallow #babylon rogues #black doom #black arms #shadow the hedgehog (2005)#sonic x shadow generations #sonadow #Happy Halloween!

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