Shadow the Hedgehog (BearfootTruck's Universe)

Shadow the Hedgehog is an artificially-created hedgehog, billed as "The Ultimate Life Form". In BearfootTruck's stories, he does not serve with the Knothole Freedom Fighters, although he has sided with them on many occasions. Otherwise, he works behind the scenes, chipping away at the evil forces of the Eggman Empire and any other entities that pose a significant threat to the planet. Mostly, he's no different from the official Ultimate Life Form. For a bunch of other fakers, go here.
==Backstory==
Shadow's backstory is exactly the same. One minor note, though: Due to the backstory of this universe, Maria's & Professor Gerald's last name may be "Kintobor" instead of "Robotnik".
==Personality==
For the most part, Shadow has the same cold, brooding personality as the official canon. However, in this universe, he is a bit more arrogant. He also seems to be a bit more mentally unstable (although is this really possible with Shadow?). Additionally, he's somewhat more aggressive, especially towards Sonic, even threatening to kill him once. However, he has also had moments where he seemed to be in a good mood. As a matter of fact, deep down inside, he secretly wants to be loved and cared for.
==Appearance==
No changes. He did, however, wear a Gestapo cap in "Two Kinds of Heroes"
==Abilities==
Shadow retains all of his abilities in this universe, and he has a couple of new ones: Mechanical skills & piano playing. Like Sonic, Amy and Silver, he also has Hedgehog Sense
==Items & weapons==
Shadow has an arsenal of firearms at his disposal: His main sidearm is a Walther P38, which he received in "Two Kinds of Heroes". For extra firepower, he carries a customized Smith & Wesson Model 29, which has walnut grips with the Black Arms emblem etched in them & Maria's name engraved on the barrel. He also has a Heckler & Koch MP5 in case he needs full-auto capability. He also uses an M16 or even an M60 if he needs even more firepower. At one point, he even owned a customized Colt Python, but he gave it to Sonic for unknown reasons. He also carries different types of ammunition with him, including special armor-piercing bullets for robots.
==Fanfictions==
===ASMW===
====Two Kinds of Heroes====
In this story, Shadow somehow makes his way to Hammelburg, Germany. Here, he joins the Gestapo after being duped into believing that they were part of a "Master Race". As a result, he becomes chief security officer for Stalag 13 and gets along poorly with the rest of Klink's staff. When Shadow & Sonic first encounter each other here, Klink warns the two hedgehogs that personal vendettas won't be tolerated in Stalag 13. Nevertheless, Shadow takes it upon himself to warn Sonic not to try anything funny or he'll kill him. Despite his commitment to his job, Shadow starts questioning whether he's doing the right thing.
Later, Antoine confronts Shadow and orders him to surrender. However, the Ultimate Life Form is undeterred and throws him out of Klink's office. In a further attempt to get on his good side, LeBeau brings him a tray of apple strudel. Shadow confiscates them and threatens to break LeBeau's neck. While no one is looking, though, he takes one and eats it. He loves the taste, and makes it his new favorite food.
That night, when Sonic & some other Heroes break out, Shadow conducts a surprise inspection. When he sees that Sonic is missing, he blames it on Sally and hits her a few times. However, he is interrupted when a group of Cylon Centurions invades the barracks. After helping Knuckles & Rouge take them down, Shadow has a change of heart and quits the Gestapo. However, he keeps the Walther P38 that he was issued as a sidearm.
====The Fakest Things Alive====
Having escaped back to Mobius somehow, Shadow collides with Sonic. He gets mad at Sonic and chases him to the outskirts of Eggopolis, losing the Blue Blur at a junkyard. Though Shadow has given up for now, he still has a bone to pick with Sonic. He encounters Antoine & Rotor, who are also looking for Sonic. Antoine freaks out, but Shadow assures him that he's no longer with the Gestapo. Rouge is also present during this meeting. The next day, Shadow encounters Sonic (actually an impostor) and gets sprayed with sleeping gas. When he wakes up, he finds out that the impostor doodled all over his face, which makes him really mad. While searching for Sonic, he encounters Antoine & Bunnie, but neither of them know where the Blue Blur is.
Eventually, Shadow finds the impostor Sonic again. Seeing that he’s kidnapped Cheese, the Ultimate Life Form kills him with a Chaos Spear and tries to free Cheese. However, the impostor has recovered and become stronger, so Shadow engages him in a fierce battle. Despite wielding a .44 Magnum, Shadow is almost killed during the battle. In fact, he finally manages to defeat the impostor with the assistance of Silver and gives Cheese back to Cream. He asks Cream & Vanilla if they have any apple strudel, to which they reply negatively. Afterwards, he tells Silver to go away.
With one impostor defeated, Shadow uses his .44 Magnum to gun down the other one. However, this one also recovers, turning into a mad fire-breathing dragon. At this point, Blaze shows up and helps Shadow to defeat the dragon, in addition to destroying a bunch of stealthbots. In the end, Shadow confronts Sonic, thinking that he’s responsible for all the wrongs that the impostor committed.
====And Down Will Come Sonic – Cradle and All====
Shadow is having a philosophical discussion with Sonic about mercy when Sally alerts Sonic to a distress signal at Kinto Village. When the Blue Blur responds, Shadow races him over there. However, it turns out to be a trap set by Dr. Robotnik. The two hedgehogs battle his forces, but Sonic steps on a spike and hurts his foot. Rather than helping him out, though, Shadow leaves him behind and chooses to pursue Robotnik's forces instead.
While Sonic is suffering from the effects of sodium barboxide poisoning, Shadow is fighting Robotnik's badniks in order to draw them away from the Atomic Decoupler, Robotnik's newest superweapon. He also appears in some of Sonic's dreams. In his most notable moment, Shadow appears as an NYPD officer who confronts a wounded Sonic. In a repeat of Dirty Harry, he "kills" Sonic with a .44 Magnum. In the real world, once Sonic recovers, Shadow encounters the Freedom Fighters outside of Robotnik's HQ and chides them for spending time helping Sonic. Nevertheless, he helps them by distracting Robotnik's forces, allowing them to destroy the Atomic Decoupler.
Shadow also appears in the "Sonic Says" segment, where he calls Antoine "ugly" and tells him that he should die, causing him to cry.
====Mighty Sonic====
Like most of Sonic's friends, Shadow is a big fan of Super Changin' Muscle Rangers. He's probably the biggest fan of the show, too, because he refers to his favorite character – Walt Zacharias, the black Muscle Ranger – as being like a brother. He also calls the show a "glorious epiphany" and gets very mad at Sonic for badmouthing the show. When Shadow encounters Sonic later on, he gets into a fight with him regarding the show, but he stops fighting when Ol' Blue tells him that the Muscle Rangers stars were kidnapped. Using Chaos Control, he catches up with Rouge.
Shadow & Rouge go on a mission to rescue their beloved stars, where they are joined by Amy & Antoine. The operation appears to be going well at first. Unfortunately, Shadow is hit by a stun bolt and knocked out, and the group is captured. Luckily, Sonic & the rest of the gang show up to rescue them & the Muscle Rangers stars. After the rescue, Shadow expresses his gratitude to Manny Taylor, the actor who plays Walt, even going so far to refer to him by his character's name. Manny tells him that it’s only a TV show, causing Shadow to feel betrayed. Feeling that his favorite show was "ruined', he blames the whole thing on Sonic.
In the "Sonic Says" segment, Shadow is Tails' partner for a science project. He gets annoyed when Sonic delays Tails for this segment.
===Other stories===
====Sonic Hotcakes====
Shadow uses Chaos Control to teleport into Robotnik's lair. He expresses his gratitude to the Doctor for releasing him from Prison Island and gives him hotcakes for a gift. Of course, just like everyone else, he is rudely attacked by Robotnik's minions. However, he manages to escape using Chaos Control. Later, he saves Cream & Cheese from Robotnik's minions.
Shadow also appears in the "Sonic Says" segment, where he gets mad at Sonic because he got Sonic '06 for Xbox 360 as a Christmas present. As a result, he chases after Sonic.
====A Blue Light For the Dark====
Shadow makes a brief appearance in this story. He encounters Sonic in the Great Forest. The Blue Blur freaks out, thinking that he's Mephiles. However, Sonic calms down and apologizes when he realizes who he's really talking to. That aside, Shadow returns a copy of the book Mysterious Akavir to Sonic, but is perplexed when Ol' Blue says that it isn't his. Then, the Ultimate Life Form realizes that the book actually belongs to Knuckles. Although Shadow makes no further appearances after this, Mephiles mentions (to himself) that he finds Shadow to be very attractive.
====Sonic's Weird Birthday====
Shadow shows up in the first chapter of this story. Here, he gives Sonic a cake, but then he throws it on the ground. The reason he does so is to get revenge for the Blue Blur (allegedly) ruining everything that he’s enjoyed. The Ultimate Life Form also claims that he's not yet even. When Sonic tries to give him a hug, Shadow kicks him in the crotch and runs away.
200 years later, in the epilogue, Shadow stops when he sees the statue of Sonic & Tails in Knothole. Naturally, he's ticked off because he only got a medal for saving the world at some point in the past. Shadow also claims to put in more effort than either of the two.
====A Dark Birthday====
Shadow and Rouge have a birthday coming up soon. He not only sends a party invitation to Sonic, but also informs him in person after he bumps into him at Seaside Hill Zone. He also tells the Blue Blur to get him a gift and threatens to kill him if he doesn’t calm down. He later sends Omega to check up on Sonic’s progress being that him and Rouge are occupied with a mission. Shadow later shows up in his tank after Robotnik attempts to attack the repair shop, presumably having damaged the Eggmobile.
The next day, at the party, Shadow is desperately hoping that he won't have to kill Sonic and Tails. Fortunately, they show up, although he accuses them of having no concept of time, and he insists that they give him and Rouge their gifts first. However, Sonic thinks that they should save the best for last, so Shadow gives in and decides to open Amy’s gift first, but then Mephiles shows up, much to Shadow's surprise. After a brief explanation of how he came back, Mephiles forces himself onto Shadow as his present. Rouge attempts to save him, and he and Omega hold Mephiles at gunpoint. However, Mephiles threatens to kill Rouge, so they stand down and allow him to make out with Shadow. After recovering from the shock, Shadow is surprised to see Scratch and Grounder crashing the party, but he gets fed up with them arguing and repeatedly smashes them together until they’re nothing but two assorted masses of random parts. When Snively shows up, Shadow threatens to kill him until he gives Shadow a box of Swiss rolls.
After opening the rest of his presents, Shadow opens his birthday card from Sonic, and then opens his gift, which turns out to be a motocross bike. As a result, he decides to let Sonic and Tails live. He even accepts Ol' Blue's offer to have a race. However, when given a helmet, he chucks his away, insisting that he doesn't need one. Everyone capitulates to his wish, and the race is on. Shadow insists on racing dirty, doing whatever he can to knock Sonic off of his bike. However, it’s Big Blue who succeeds in knocking the Ultimate Life Form off of his bike, although in the ensuing scuffle, Shadow gets the upper hand. However, he stops short of beating Sonic to death, instead telling him that he couldn't destroy someone who helped him on the right path after Black Doom. Shadow also talks about the time that Mephiles killed Sonic and about how much he’s changed since he first met the Blue Blur, so much so, in fact, that he now considers him his best friend. Shadow nearly ends up crying when they hug each other. Nevertheless, he feels much better for it, and he even decides to forget about the motocross race. After the party, Shadow curls up with Rouge and reads a book, and he decides to go outside for a bit, but he fails to show up at the grand opening of the Glitter Palace discotheque, presumably abducted by Mephiles.
====You Can Choose====
Shadow is reading at Rouge's mansion when an angry Tails comes over. The Ultimate Life Form urges him to calm down and even threatens his life. Upon hearing Tails' request to go to the firing range, he leads him down there and helps him in picking out a gun and a target. However, when Tails attempts to take his Uzi out of the mansion, Shadow gets angry with him and even hits him for getting smart with him. He then offers the Two-Tailed Wonder a choice: either let what's making him angry get to him and ruin his day, or let it go and focus on what pleases him. Shadow wants him to be happy, and even gives him a hug to comfort him. He then apologizes to Tails for hitting him and calling him a bad name and even elects to have ice cream with him.
====Rivals In Mourning====
Shadow picks up his Smith & Wesson Model 29, intending to shoot some criminals in Emerald City. He encounters none, instead encountering some normal civilians, a mob of crazed fangirls and somebody who gives him a sandwich. The sandwich guy makes him think of Sonic, so he visits Sonic and Tails' cabin near Azure Lake Zone, only to get a message from Tails stating that neither of them are home. He takes a wrong turn trying to get to Knothole and finds Sonic crying in a clearing. Upon querying him, he learns that Amy died after getting hit by a car. The Ultimate Life Form accidentally angers the Blue Blur after asking about Tails, but he manages to calm him down and hears him out. He then tells Sonic about a time he got mad at Maria and was unable to apologize to her before she was killed. Then, Shadow hugs Ol' Blue and comforts him. Shadow promises to attend Amy's funeral and write a eulogy for her, and also decides to stay over with Sonic for the night.
====She Is, To Him, Everything====
On International Women's Day, Shadow heads to Emerald City to participate in the celebrations. Rouge asks him about it, and he says that he did it because it could easily have been Maria or Rouge who ended up as victims of rape or domestic violence, and he only wanted something worth fighting for, something to allow him to give people a chance to be happy. He cries as he holds her, but not overly so. After feeling better, he agrees to watch TV with her.
====Sonic Wave====
When Sonic asks Shadow what he thought of Mr. Obotir's experiment in History class, the Ultimate Life Form argues that it was logical, citing the sad state of the educational system in the country. When Mr. Obotir christens the new movement "The Wave", it is Shadow who designs the symbol for the movement. By the time Day Three rolls around, Shadow gets more and more involved in the movement, wearing a uniform and declaring himself "Grand Dragon". In spite of the fact that he hasn’t been chosen to be a prefect, Shadow takes it upon himself to inform Knuckles that Rouge has been spreading nasty rumors about The Wave. Later in the day, when Rouge is crying after being roughed up by Knuckles, he comes over to her house, and though he acknowledges her pain, he informs her that The Wave cannot be stopped.
On Day Four, when Mr. Obotir is talking about the widespread nature of The Wave and how it could positively impact the country, Shadow confirms his propaganda with a magazine advertisement for an electronics company, whose slogan seemingly confirms The Wave’s impact. When Sonic attempts to start a ruckus in the classroom, Shadow uses Chaos Control and escorts him to one of the bathrooms with Knuckles, where he beats Sonic up and argues that resistance is futile. Then, when Silver shows up and frees Sonic, Shadow and Knuckles attempt to pursue them, but end up losing sight of them. Later, at lunch, Shadow delivers a threat to Sonic. After school, he organizes a little shindig for fellow Wave members before the big rally in the gym tomorrow, where he gives a speech to energize his followers.
On Day Five, Shadow pays little attention to the absence of Sonic, Tails, Rouge and Silver. It is only when they sneak into the rally and Silver screams in shock that he pays any significant attention, whereupon he knocks them out. Later, when two police officers show up, he attempts to have them killed, but he keeps the rally going…that is, until Bean informs him that more police officers have shown up. Knowing this, Shadow mobilizes the Wave members against the police, taking numerous students and faculty members hostage in the process. He then fires the first shot against the police, but neither him nor any other Wave members are able to kill or even wound any officers. When Captain Davison attempts to negotiate with him, Shadow proves quite resistant and even wounds the members of S.W.A.T. Team 1 and the occupants of an APC to show how serious he is, even threatening to shoot a hostage.
When the members of The Wave decide that Shadow’s gone too far and attempt to surrender, he orders them to pick their weapons back up. Most of them comply, but when Sally continues to resist, he shoots her and puts her in a coma. Continuing to focus on the police, Shadow notices that Sonic, Tails, Rouge and Silver have escaped and attempts to have them killed. However, Silver deflects the rocket that he fires at them and pries his Panzerschreck away. Though he is angered when Silver uses a S.W.A.T. van to block his view of S.W.A.T. Team 2 entering the school, he continues to focus on Captain Davison, demanding an apology from the government for Maria's death.
Eventually, negotiations fall apart, and Shadow is about to kill all of the police officers when Mr. Obotir orders the members of The Wave to report to the gym, where he finds out that there is no nationwide youth movement connected to the experiment. After the documentary on the horrors of the Tedescan Civil War, Shadow decides that The Wave was too good to last and flees the school before the emergency services and news crews swarm the gym, leading the government to enact a nationwide manhunt against him.
====Givin' It All Away====
Shadow is on an island listening to Slayer when Rouge interrupts him. He proves uninterested in her presence, and when he threatens her, he has a bad flashback involving Maria. After crying, the Ultimate Life Form reveals that he's sad because today is International Kissing Day and he's never been kissed before. However, Rouge indulges Shadow, which gets him all hot and bothered. After the kiss, Shadow thanks Rouge, and they go swimming together.
====Hugs Change Everything====
Shadow is taking a walk in Green Grove Zone when he is accosted by Sonic. The Ultimate Life Form is annoyed and wants nothing to do with the Blue Blur, especially when the latter points out that it's National Hug Day. Shadow rejects Sonic's offer for a hug, but when Sonic points out that he was giving him a chance to be happy, he changes his tune and lets Ol' Blue hug him, even returning the hug when he finds out how enjoyable it is. Shadow thanks Sonic, but feels flustered when Sonic calls him one of the prettiest guys he's ever met. Nevertheless, he accepts another hug with a smile. Though not wanting to reveal the whole thing to anyone, Shadow reveals that he had a crush on Sonic from the start and even asks him to take a walk with him. Overall, the Ultimate Life Form feels happy.
====Wir sind Menschen====
In contrast to most portrayals of him, Shadow is more stable and content with life in this story, having not only defeated Black Doom and Mephiles, but also taking up peaceful activities such as meditation and exercise while residing at Rouge's mansion. He also keeps a daily journal of his feelings. He agrees to see a movie in Emerald City with Rouge and Omega, which he enjoys. However, he gets into a brief argument with another moviegoer whose experience was ruined by Omega getting in his way. However, said argument is interrupted by a gunshot from an Emerald City police officer who shot a suspect during a traffic stop.
In spite of Rouge's concerns regarding the shooting, Shadow largely remains cool and composed, wanting to keep up his good feelings. He even enjoys the pizza and chili dogs that Rouge brings home, cracking a smile in the process. However, when she puts on the evening news, which brings up a story about unrest in Emerald City following yesterday's shooting in which a human citizen named Ferdinand Rozmiarek was killed, Shadow finds himself disturbed by the unrest and tries to change the channel, which earns him some tickles from Rouge.
As rioting continues in Emerald City and elsewhere in the Kingdom of Mobius, Shadow finds it harder to keep calm and even has a vision of Mephiles while meditating. Another concern of his is whether Rouge loves him romantically or not, but she denies it. He prays for the unrest to end, especially considering that a dancing traffic cop he liked was fired by the Emerald City government for attending a pro-police rally. However, a vision of Black Doom further torments him. To try to calm down, he plays an Executioner video game and watches an Executioner movie, much to Omega's and Rouge's bemusement.
Unfortunately for Shadow, the last straw comes when Rouge turns on the news again, which shows a news report about a man acquitted in a high-profile rape case. Shadow rages out and throws Rouge's remote not because of the acquittal itself, but because he believes that the suspect was acquitted for being a human and the justice system didn’t want to cause any more riots. After a brief period of catatonia, Shadow promises to be nicer for Rouge. In reality, he has snapped, and that night, he grabs his revolver, modifies ordinary bullets with plutonium cyanide and goes on a vigilante rampage because he believes the cops have become bogged down with red tape. He is nearly caught by Omega on his first night, but manages to talk his way out of it. His first victim is a mugger named Gilbert Krysztof Adenauer.
The next day, when Rouge hugs him at breakfast, Shadow tells her not to leave him because he cares about her health and well-being. He feels better during meditation, but he gets bored with his Executioner video game and tries another. He also does something he hasn't done in a while: target practice. After lunch, Rouge calls him and orders him to drive to the G.U.N. base where she works because she agreed to let one of their new employees live with her. He does so and meets the new employee: a young girl named Hope. Initially, he is neutral towards her, but when she reveals herself to be the niece of Dr. Robotnik, he threatens to kill her until Rouge intervenes. After watching the news, Shadow is informed by Rouge that she set up a therapy appointment for him. Hope then pays a visit to him, and he apologizes for his earlier threat. After a brief conversation about romance, he plays one of his favorite Slayer tapes for her, which she enjoys. He also plays his ARP synthesizer for her and even lets her try it. By the end of the day, Shadow finds himself attracted to Hope. However, he still has feelings of bloodlust, so he goes back to Emerald City and saves a woman from being mugged and raped.
After a breakfast where Shadow admits to not needing to eat, he asks Omega for his thoughts on Hope and partakes in his usual activities, even thinking about how much he looks forward to seeing Hope. While he is cooking, Rouge and Hope return home, the latter having hurt her back at work. Though initially taken aback by Hope's request for a massage, Shadow agrees to it, but makes Rouge finish up the cooking. He then takes Hope to the spa and gives her a relaxing massage. During supper, Shadow talks about how he's come to see Rouge as a real friend. While watching the news again, Shadow lies about having killed Richard Wilton, Beau Stroud and Leonard Petrowski and manages to deflect Rouge's anger, but when he accuses her of being overprotective, he gets tickled. After the news, Shadow lets Hope follow him to the game room and plays an Executioner game with her, only to be surprised when she does better than him. However, he lets her gloat, but is shocked when she hugs him. Nevertheless, he returns it happily. Having built up his relationship with Hope, Shadow continues his vigilante campaign on the Emerald City Metro.
Though dissatisfied with Hope's gloating at the next day's breakfast, Shadow admits to being grateful for her company and earns another hug from her. However, he gets annoyed when Rouge teases him for being in love with her. Nevertheless, because he's been feeling better, he lets Rouge invite Sonic over to the mansion for a disco party in the ballroom. He confesses to Hope that he has a crush on Sonic, only for her to laugh at him and Rouge to tease him about it. Even so, he writes a letter for Sonic admitting his forgiveness for their past animosity and his love for him. Despite some uneasiness about it, he disregards any possible regrets and continues his daily activities until Rouge and Hope return with fried chicken for supper. He asks Hope about how she likes her job and ends up getting flustered when she tells him how sweet he is.
Shadow doesn't mind seeing Sonic and has a little conversation with him about Hope, even telling the Blue Blur about her relationship to Dr. Robotnik. Due to Sonic's uneasiness, Shadow warns him against treating her differently. After Hope shows up with Rouge – the former having dressed up for the occasion – Hope and Shadow have a disco party with each other. Despite not being a fan of disco music, Shadow feels the groove soon enough, and he genuinely enjoys dancing with Hope. Once the music and lights stop, Shadow asks Sonic for the song names, which he gets.
When Ol' Blue offers to give Team Dark backstage passes for the International Festival of Community – a music festival that his band will serve as the opening act for – Shadow and the others accept. However, Shadow is really flustered when Hope asks to take a shower with him. Even so, Rouge urges him on, and him and Hope take a shower together, which they end up really enjoying. Shadow calls Hope "beautiful" in spite of the fact that she doesn't shave her bodily hair, which earns him another hug. Later on, when him and Hope are getting ready to go to bed, she kisses him, which is the first time he’s been kissed. He feels like he's going to cry because he's so happy. In fact, being with Hope has increased his bloodlust, so for his next vigilante outing, he grabs an M16 and guns down a group of human protesters who were supposedly beating up non-humans.
The next day is Saturday, and since Hope's not scheduled to work on weekends, she chooses to spend time with Shadow, which excites him. He has even allowed her to call him "Shaddy" by this point. They share various activities with each other, such as meditation, exercise and listening to music. However, Hope is put off by the death metal he plays at first. They even have lunch with Omega. After lunch, they check out Shadow and Rouge's collection of vehicles and take a ride to Quartz Village on Shadow’s Dark Rider, nearly getting stopped by the Royal Mobian Constabulary on the way there.
In Quartz Village, Shadow buys a gift for Hope, who chides him for speeding and not wearing a helmet. Nevertheless, upon their return to the mansion, Hope accepts Shadow's gift – a glass pyramid with an eagle engraving inside – and gives him a kiss. Shadow asks Hope to meet him on the mansion’s rooftop observation deck, where they sit on a towel. Shadow even lies down in Hope's lap and talks about how happy he is in spite of the recent unrest. He even admits that were it possible, he'd die for her. After a brief conversation in German (Tedescan), Shadow gets the door for Rouge and hugs her as a way of thanking her for introducing him to Hope. He enjoys the conversation at supper, but when Rouge hears about the near miss with the Constabulary, she tackles him, and when he talks about getting a lawyer, she tickles him. Unfortunately for him, his amusement comes to a brutal end when he hears the audio from a video that Hope plays about the aftermath of the machine gun attack. From that point on, Shadow feels bad about what he's done, so much so that not only does he discontinue his vigilante campaign, he has a nightmare about Black Doom that night.
Despite some reluctance, Shadow goes to breakfast, but only grabs a small amount of food and barely touches it, much to Rouge's displeasure. Nevertheless, she entrusts him with a kitchen timer for that evening's supper, and he accepts another hug from her. Concerned about losing Rouge, Shadow writes a letter telling her his true feelings for her. Another misfortune occurs for Shadow when he has a vision of a horrible monster while meditating with Hope. Fortunately, she snaps him out of it, and he feels better after he lets her tickle him and cuddle with him.
After playing Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition for a bit, Shadow and Hope perform some maintenance on the collection of vehicles, principally Shadow's Trans Am. At lunch, Shadow snaps at Hope for criticizing him for eating entire boxes of Swiss rolls. He apologizes, but she thinks he's weird for being able to eat so much. He spends some time alone on the rooftop observation deck, telling Hope he's sick. However, he joins her to watch TV with her. He follows Rouge's directions, but when Hope talks about Shadow's change in behavior, Rouge talks privately with him about her concerns. After supper, he is playing his synthesizer again when Hope walks in on him and accidentally makes him mess up, causing him to snap. In spite of the misunderstanding, he apologizes and plays some more for her. After a brief discussion of electronic music, they read until bedtime. That night, Shadow has another nightmare, this time about Mephiles.
The next morning, Shadow tells Hope that he had another nightmare and that he'd be really sad if she went away. In spite of his general loss of enthusiasm for life, Shadow expresses his gratefulness for Rouge and Hope’s love and caring. After assuring Hope that he'll be fine while she’s away, he reads a book about the history of the human population in Mobius. After reading a good portion of the book, he listens to some more metal before Rouge and Hope get home early so they can get ready for the concert.
Shadow drives them to the concert in his Trans Am, stopping at a Five Guys in Emerald City for supper. He tells Hope that he finds it sexy when girls are into hot sauce, only to get teased by Rouge. When Hope asks why he hasn't taken her out to eat, Shadow offers to take her on her next day off. After supper, Shadow and co. make it to the Emerald City Palladium where the concert is being held, and after making conversation with Sonic's other friends, they enjoy the show. However, Shadow's Hedgehog Sense goes off during the last song in Sonic's set, and he discovers a bomb underneath the stage, which he stops by lying down face-first on to absorb the blast. He tells Sonic about it afterwards and gives him a hug, much to everyone's delight. He doesn’t tell the rest of Team Dark until afterwards, which shocks everyone except Omega. At bedtime, Hope calls Shadow her hero and nibbles his ear. Nevertheless, he has a nightmare about being unable to stop the bomb and prevent Sonic's death.
The next morning, Shadow is feeling depressed in spite of Rouge and Hope's affections. After exchanging phone numbers with Hope, he writes in his journal and takes the old oil from his Trans Am to a nearby disposal depot. However, he is bothered by the question of what Ferdinand Rozmiarek did to warrant getting shot, so he does some research, but decides that thinking about it too much will madden him further, electing to watch YouTube videos instead. After receiving a call from Rouge, he sets up a grill, table and chairs for a barbecue. At the barbecue, Shadow discusses unusual sports with Hope, but the conversation takes a downturn when he mentions the possibility of being forced to live in a housing project. When Rouge prods him, he talks about his research on Ferdinand Rozmiarek and gets into a minor argument with Hope, which Rouge puts a stop to.
After the barbecue, Hope visits Shadow and plays some music, but he gets angry and smashes her MP3 player when she plays pop music that he dislikes. After a brief argument, Shadow hits Hope and makes her cry. Initially, he feels nothing, but shortly after, he feels horrible and apologizes to her. She accepts his apology with some reluctance, but makes him get an ice pack. After he gets one, he writes her a check for 1,500 Mobiums and tells her to buy a nice MP3 player and to put the rest in a savings account. He even agrees to keep his therapy appointment, which is tomorrow. However, things take another downturn for Shadow when Rouge finds out that he hit Hope, and he feels awful when she hits him back and tells him how disappointed she is before crying when he tells her that he loves her. Once Rouge stops crying, Shadow tells her that he kept the appointment she made for him and that he compensated Hope, which makes Rouge proud of him. He then rubs noses with Rouge and tells her that she’s the best mommy ever, which earns him another hug. He also nibbles her ear until she threatens to tickle him. That night, Shadow has another nightmare involving Black Doom and Mephiles, which makes him feel terrible.
The next morning, Shadow refuses to get up unless Hope protects him from the horrible nightmares he's been having. He also refuses to eat breakfast until Rouge threatens to feed him like a baby. After Rouge and Hope go to work, Shadow listens to some sad rock songs to get his feelings out before going to the firing range. He also reads, has lunch and watches some more YouTube videos until it’s almost time to go to his appointment. At his appointment with Mina – his therapist – he confesses to being the vigilante, but because of client confidentiality, she won't tell the police, which makes him feel thankful. He also expresses his disdain for Human Lives Matter before setting up his next appointment.
After leaving, Shadow encounters Silver, who warns him about the consequences of his vigilante campaign, namely the extinction of all humans in Mobius and a nuclear war that wipes out civilization. Shadow promises to make things right, but on his own terms. He also offers to talk to Silver if he ever gets lonely, depressed or anything like that and gives him a hug, unaware that Detective Sergeant Jim Stauerbach and Detective Hank Moroder of the ECPD are watching him. Back at Rouge's mansion, he plays some video games before Rouge and Hope get back for supper. After supper, Shadow watches Celebrity Arm Wrestling with Rouge and Hope before his Hedgehog Sense alerts him to the presence of Sergeant Stauerbach and Detective Moroder, and he evades detection by hiding in Rouge's bedroom closet. After the two detectives leave, he finds Rouge and accidentally spooks her, and when she wonders if there's something he's not telling her, he denies it. Nothing else happens for the rest of the night, but Shadow has a pleasant dream for once.
Shadow is feeling better the next morning, and at breakfast, he comments on Hope questioning why him, Rouge and Omega are called "Team Dark". After breakfast, he is surprised to see that Hope isn't going to work being that it's Thursday, but he accepts her explanation and has fun meditating and going to the firing range with her. He also takes her to Five Guys for lunch and flirts with her, though his Hedgehog Sense tells him that something's off. Nevertheless, he decides to take a walk with Hope. Unfortunately, their walk is interrupted by both left-wing and right-wing death squads. After activating an emergency transponder that Rouge gave to him, he pulls out his revolver, which not only makes Hope realize that he's the vigilante, but also scares her. She gets in front of his gun barrel to stop him, but he shoves her aside and drops his gun, taunting both death squads into shooting him. When the gunfire stops, he chews both sides out for being unable to settle their differences peacefully and breaks down crying, talking about Maria. He receives a hug from Hope and cries even more. Then, Rouge comes to his aid and encourages Hope to scratch in front of his ears, causing him to purr.
After he calms down, Shadow surrenders to the police and is booked for illegally brandishing his gun in public. He then has to face Sergeant Stauerbach and Detective Moroder, who suspect him to be the vigilante. He refuses to talk unless he gets a lawyer, even chewing them out for not letting Ferdinand Rozmiarek give the officer who shot him his side of the story. He not only gets a lawyer, but his lawyer gets him off the hook. Even so, Shadow is warned against committing further vigilante actions lest he be imprisoned forever. After this, he is invited to give a speech at the Royal Palace, where he implores everybody to use the love in their hearts to restore peace. He feels happy when the people cheer for him, though when he gets home, he feels worried about whether or not Hope will forgive him for his actions. Fortunately, she does, and they dance the night away. Nevertheless, Rouge confronts him the next day about his vigilante actions. Shadow insists that he was in the right, but when Rouge nearly breaks down crying, he apologizes and hands his revolver and ammo to her. He also acquiesces to her desire to change the access code to the armory/firing range, and he gets another hug from her.
====A Grave Injustice====
Shadow is blowing off steam in the firing range of Rouge's mansion when Rouge shows up. Though disinclined to talk to her, he caves when she threatens to throw him out on the streets. As it turns out, he's angry because he ordered an original pressing of a heavy metal album he'd been looking for, only to receive a less-valuable repress from a foreign country. Shadow even compares it to buying a counterfeit vase. Though intent on shooting the person who sold him the record, the Ultimate Life Form breaks down crying after Rouge tells him to contact the seller and promises to pay for the return shipping if he's made to pay for it. When he's done crying, Shadow expresses how grateful he is to have Rouge as a friend and lets her scratch him in front of his ear. After he puts away his gun stuff, he decides to have some watermelon and lemonade with her.
====Death in His Family====
In his room at Rouge's mansion, Shadow is feeling depressed when Rouge comes in. At first, he is reluctant to talk to her, but he gives in soon enough. He tells her that he’s in mourning, but it’s not about Maria; it’s about Pat Johnson, an actor best known for being the first to portray Mack Bolan in The Executioner film series, who died of cancer. Shadow tells Rouge about how much the series and especially Johnson's portrayal of Bolan means to him. He also requests a hug from her and gets one. After the hug, he decides to watch The Executioner: War Against the Mafia with her as a way of saying goodbye to Johnson.
====Shadow Gets Punished====
Shadow visits Rouge in her room at her mansion and tells her that he needs to be punished for being a bad boy. Rouge agrees to engage in some S&M with him, and they go over some ground rules before he gets tied up. He then lets himself be tied up to Rouge’s bed and lets Rouge whip him. Not only does Shadow not feel any pain – despite his brain acknowledging how painful the whipping should be – but he also gets a great degree of pleasure from being whipped. Eventually, Rouge's arm gets tired, but Shadow has had his fair share of fun and wants to try S&M more often.
====Sonic, What Are You Doing?====
In this story, Shadow is a girl, first encountering Sonic in the Roseinian Empire before the Great War. She chides him for his insolence towards the stability of the space-time continuum and rejects his offer to go out for drinks. She then uses Chaos Control to disappear. She shows up at the end of the story with Silver - also a girl - and chases Sonic down for messing with the space-time continuum after rejecting his offer for a threesome with her and Silver.
====Deep Down Inside====
Shadow is moping in the Great Forest when Sonic shows up. Shadow attempts to shoo him away, but when the Blue Blur thinks that he's going to kill himself, the Ultimate Life Form caves and decides to talk about it. According to Shadow, he hates everything because a certain portion of society has taken to protesting at heavy metal concerts. Though against evils such as racism and sexism, Shadow feels as though a growing portion of society is against things that are considered "fun" and that they want to dictate what people should enjoy. He admires Sonic for using logic rather than misguided emotions, too. Speaking of Sonic, Ol' Blue's words mean so much to Shadow that he breaks down crying and accepts a hug from him. Shadow eventually stops crying, but still feels rather yucky. However, he changes his tune rapidly due to some kind words from Sonic, and he makes some romantic advances on Big Blue. They then agree to go out for supper and go dancing later on after Shadow returns his gun to Rouge's mansion.
====Sonic's Halloween Joke====
Shadow – dressed as Mack Bolan – threatens Sonic with an M60 when he comes over. However, Rouge gets angry at him and threatens to make him dress up as a jester next year, so he lowers his weapon and accepts her hug. Nevertheless, he gives a vulgar gesture to Rouge and Sonic when they're not looking.
====Because of Her====
One day, Shadow is hanging out at Rouge's mansion and decides to look up some more metal songs when he spots a video of a guy surprising his childhood best friend while disguised as a delivery driver. He thinks the video's so beautiful that he cries out of sheer happiness. When Rouge comes in to check on him, he explains everything, talking about how Maria made it possible. He accepts a hug from Rouge and calms down. Out of sheer happiness, he nibbles Rouge's ear, causing her to tickle him. After that, he not only requests a glass of warm milk from her, but also to watch a movie while lying down in her lap.
====How He Really Feels====
One day, Shadow visits Rouge in her bedroom in her mansion, and while he is interested in the new eyeliner that she's trying on, his primary reason for visiting her is to tell her how much he appreciates her kindness and that she’s his favorite person ever. This earns him a hug, and afterwards, he decides to curl up with her and read a book.
====He Wanted to Thank Her====
One day, Shadow pays a visit to Amy's house. When they get up to her room, he thanks her for that time on the Space Colony ARK when she told him that people are inherently good and that they have a reason to be happy, also adding that it means a lot to him. He even asks to hug her and gets a hug. Though happy about the hug, he is flustered when she calls him "handsome". Nevertheless, he repays her by calling her "cute" and lets her call him "Shaddy". He is also happy because Amy lets him stay over for a while.
====Pillow Talk====
After the events of Wir sind Menschen, Shadow cuddles up with Hope one night and expresses how happy he is. Granted, he feels awkward about the photo of him crying being on the front page of The Emerald City Herald and the cover of Emerald City Magazine, but otherwise, he feels totally at peace. He also admits to having a thing for humans, though he gets flustered when Hope flirts with him and gets tickled. After saying "good night" to Hope, Shadow writes another journal entry.
====Shadow Shouldn't Have Done That====
One day, at Rouge's mansion, Shadow is rocking out to Metallica when Rouge gets mad and orders him to turn his music down. He gets defensive with her and ends up getting tickled. However, the tickling stops after he agrees to stop playing his metal so loud. He gets flustered when she cuddles with him, but nevertheless does nothing to stop her. He even ends up admitting to enjoying being tickled, which earns him a hug and prompts him to admit how much he loves her. After putting his Metallica record away, he decides to snuggle with her.
====The Kindness of Strangers====
Shadow is temporarily kicked out of Rouge's mansion against his will because she's holding a ladies-only party. As a result, he mopes around Emerald City, desperately looking for something to do until a girl named Hope says "hi" to him. At first, he wants nothing to do with her, but when she offers to hang out with him, he accepts. First, they go out to Shadow's favorite café, where they get to know each other for a bit. Though he hasn't known her for that long, he finds himself starting to like her. After this, they go to a local arcade and play a bunch of games with each other. Here, Shadow gets flustered when Hope calls him "cute". Next, they go to a barbecue restaurant, where Shadow permits Hope to call him "Shaddy". He also tells her a bit about Rouge. After supper, they go ice skating, which feels perfectly natural to Shadow in spite of having never done it before. Shadow receives a call from Rouge telling him that he can come back, so they go back to Hope's apartment, where he gets tickled before they part ways.
====Stunt Rock====
Shadow is a notorious car thief who has been operating out of Hancock City, but he has recently moved to San Santos. Nobody who has attempted to investigate him has come back alive. His most recent job is to steal 50 cars for a rich client in the Roseinian Empire, who has promised him two billion dollars. Unfortunately for him, the crew he recruits bails on him. Fortunately, he comes upon Sonic, who is attempting to steal his Trans Am. After threatening the Blue Blur's life, Shadow offers him the job and tells him to meet him at an auto repair shop tomorrow, after which he leaves him and drives off into the night.
The next day, when Shadow meets Sonic's crew, he introduces his business partner Rouge, and after explaining the rules, the Ultimate Life Form shows Sonic's crew the list of the cars that are to be stolen in addition to the spot where they’re to be delivered. He also decides to split Sonic's crew into two-person teams to complete the job faster. Though he is mildly impressed by the first two thefts, he threatens Knuckles and Amy for getting spotted by the owner of the GMC Suburban that they stole.
Though unwilling to admit it, Shadow is pleased with Sonic and his crew. He is, however, less than enthused about having to hang out with them at a barbecue that Rouge is hosting at her mansion. When Amy asks Shadow to move over so she can sit next to Sonic, he accidentally brushes up against Ol' Blue, flustering him. Though confused, Shadow nevertheless disregards it for now. When he finds out that Sonic's band The Diesel Cats has come over for some evening entertainment, he threatens to kill them if they suck. Nevertheless, he helps them set up their equipment. After praying before eating, he comments on people who like steaks and burgers any way other than medium well. Then, when Amy asks him how he and Sonic met, Shadow admits to threatening Big Blue's life, which sparks a small confrontation between them, which Rouge has to break up. He is then forced to hug Amy and ends up being flustered by it. During the rock show that the band puts on, Shadow demands that they play some heavy metal, which placates him. After Sonic offers Shadow and Rouge passes for the concert at the Maplewood Bowl, Shadow agrees to go, but only if Rouge doesn't make him watch extreme underwater crocheting for a day.
The next day, Shadow gets suspicious when Amy steals a custom van by herself and tells Knuckles that the Cadillac he stole isn't on the list. He then forces Rad Red to open the trunk at gunpoint and discovers a load of heroin in the trunk. Unimpressed, Shadow threatens to kill Knuckles, who begs for his life. However, Shadow is feeling merciful, so he lets Knuckles go, but orders Amy to take the Cadillac away and have it blown up. Later, he learns from Amy that Sonic has a crush on him, and after the show at the Maplewood Bowl, Shadow confronts him about it. Ultimately, he ends up kissing Sonic before telling him to stay out of his sight.
Shadow is in a foul mood the next day, having been really mouthy with Rouge. He gets mad when Sonic comes back and even threatens to kill him, but breaks down crying when he realizes just how lonely he is and how much Sonic's love means to him. He then hugs Sonic and is happy when the Blue Blur agrees to be his. Shadow even gives Rouge a hug, and with a new lease on life, he asks to visit the movie set where Sonic and Tails work. Shadow is also happy when Amy gives him a hug and calls him "handsome", even calling her "cute". While watching a stunt that Sonic, Tails and Amy are performing, Shadow is shocked when Sonic and Amy nearly get run down, but is nevertheless relieved when they survive. After receiving another hug from Sonic, Amy and Rouge, Shadow decides to go easy and lets them off the hook for stealing cars that day.
Shadow then joins Sonic and co. for lunch and ice cream. He is initially unimpressed when Knuckles tries to pay him back, but forgives him anyways and gives him a hug. After lunch, Shadow has a personal talk with Sonic and ends up getting into a foot race with him. Shadow asks for $50 from Sonic and offers to go out to supper with him. At supper, Shadow flirts with Sonic, even telling him to call him "Shaddy". After supper, Shadow takes Sonic to a local cliffside park to watch the sunset. Here, he nibbles Sonic's ear and fools around with him. He then offers to take Sonic back to his place, where they take a shower together and cuddle up at bedtime. Overall, Shadow is feeling much better about himself.
The next morning, at breakfast, Shadow compliments Rouge, but is saddened when she mentions his late friend Maria. He tells Sonic about her and admits that he donates much of his earnings to breast cancer charities, which earns him another hug. Shadow is deeply in love with Sonic by now and has a group hug with him and Rouge. He also accepts Sonic's offer to be an extra at a scene that's being filmed that day. Shadow also goes out to lunch with Sonic at a local café and ends up meeting Silver, who unbeknownst to him is a police detective that's been hunting him. After lunch, Shadow goes out with everyone else to a karate show at a local theater. He then takes Sonic back to Rouge's place and gives him a massage. After the last few thefts, Shadow attends another rock show at the Imblewood Forum and snuggles with Sonic that night.
Though still in love with Sonic, Shadow is less than impressed when Ol' Blue brings him the last car – a 1978 Pontiac Macho Trans Am nicknamed "Eleanor" – in shoddy condition. When the Ultimate Life Form finds out that Sonic's been helping the police this whole time, he attempts to kill him and gets into a huge brawl with him. Ultimately, Shadow ends up bleeding and begs for Sonic to spare his life. He also ends up crying when Sonic promises to get him as light a sentence as possible and to visit him every day in prison. As much as he hates that Sonic betrayed him, Shadow nevertheless loves him very much and agrees to come quietly when the police come to arrest him.
====Like a Mother to Him====
In an unusually good mood, Shadow thanks Rouge for being the closest person he's had to a mother and gives her a fruit basket as a gift for being so good to him. This earns him a hug, in addition to a nice dinner with her. Later, they spend time on the rooftop observation deck of Emerald Tower. Though surprised when she takes off with him, he nevertheless enjoys it.
====Terror At the Olympic Games====
Unbeknownst to Sonic, Shadow has had a major crush on him for a long time. When Shadow learns that the Summer Olympics are coming to Emerald City, he decides that the best way to impress Sonic is to place first in every event he enters. However, he is too shy to ask the Blue Blur himself, so he attempts to use Rouge to get the information. However, when Sonic proves to be evasive, Shadow threatens Tails in an attempt to get the information himself, but soon comes to regret his decision, especially when Sonic finds out and gets into a fight with him. Rouge then breaks up the fight and makes them huggle, which feels awkward for the Ultimate Life Form, who goes up to his room and cries after Ol' Blue leaves.
During the opening ceremony at the Mobius Royal Coliseum, Shadow feels awkward not only from the adoration of all the fans, but also because he ends up holding Sonic's hand during Mina Mongoose's rendition of "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". Later in the day, at the Olympic Village, Shadow expresses disdain for Sonic and Tails, but nevertheless promises to Rouge that he'll behave for now and gets a hug for it. However, that night, he has a nightmare about his first meeting with Sonic, only the roles are reversed.
On the first day of the Games, Shadow is taking part in men's soccer against the Roseinian Empire. Towards the end of the game, he is frozen when he finds out that Sonic is kicking the ball towards him and only unfreezes after the ball bonks him on the nose. He then ends up scoring the winning goal for Mobius. After the game, Sonic asks Shadow if he's OK, but the Black Blur brushes him off. Later, Rouge drags him to the Glitter Palace disco and ends up dancing with him after Princess Daisy talks to him. That night, he has a nightmare about Black Doom trying to kill him for being gay for Sonic.
The next morning, Shadow goes to Molly's Diner with Rouge for breakfast and is grumpy as usual. This results in Rouge giving him an Extra-Special Hedgie Huggle, which improves his mood somewhat. That day, he also plays men's basketball against the Federal Republic of Columbia and scores a game-winning dunk for his team, much to Sonic's delight. However, Shadow is still shy around Sonic, so much so that he pushes him away again.
The next day, after the women's 100m freestyle event, Shadow asks Rouge about what it's like to be in love. The day after, Shadow takes part in the men's 25m rapid fire pistol competition and gets a perfect score in spite of accidentally visualizing Sonic's face on one of the targets. Later on, at Joey's Pizza, he hears Amy and Princess Peach talking about Sonic running away from Amy and decides that maybe Big Blue wants him after all, though isn't 100% sure about it. The day after, at Molly's, he becomes depressed when he hears Sonic, Tails and Knuckles joking about his crush on Sonic, which earns the Ultimate Life Form another Extra-Special Hedgie Huggle from Rouge. Later that day, Shadow congratulates Blaze on winning the balance beam competition, but tells her off when she speculates about his crush on Sonic.
The next day, Shadow is having lunch at Joey's when he overhears what goes down between Sonic, Tails, Bowser and Bowser Jr. He wonders how Sonic and Bowser can be on such good terms when he himself hates the Blue Blur's guts. Then, his suspicions are aroused by a group of humans in one corner, but he decides that nobody would believe him if he said anything. The day after, Shadow competes against Sonic in the men's 10,000m competition and places second. Sonic congratulates him for doing so well, but Shadow pushes him away out of embarrassment. Shadow also appears in a nightmare that Sonic has about Amy. Two days later, at the men's Moto2 competition, Shadow attempts to confess his crush on Sonic, but loses his nerve and runs away.
Tired of not being able to admit his love for Sonic, Shadow has a chance meeting with Peach and talks about his problem with her. She assures him that Sonic would love to go out with him and gives him a hug. He also calls her beautiful and tells her that he hopes that her and Mario live happily ever after. The following night, at the Glitter Palace, Shadow works up the courage to ask Sonic to dance with him and feels liberated, even more so after they leave the club and Shadow confesses his crush. However, when Sonic ends up confessing to having a crush on Shadow as well, the Ultimate Life Form is so shocked that he ends up crying. However, he is crying out of sheer happiness because he's finally found true love. After calming down, Shadow follows Sonic back to the Olympic Village, where he hugs Sonic and asks him to call him "Shaddy". He then gets a glass of warm milk and feels better, after which he causes Sonic to purr. Then, Shadow takes a shower with Sonic and ends up tickling him. Afterwards, they snuggle together, and Shadow thanks Sonic for making this night so special for him.
The next morning, when terrorists infiltrate the Olympic Village, Shadow is concerned about Sonic's disappearance, but nevertheless decides not to take action, having a plan of his own. Later, after they board the plane, Shadow cheers when the Royal Mobian Constabulary arrives and also when Sonic – disguised as a Constable – boards the plane. However, when a terrorist threatens to kill Sonic, Shadow pulls his .44 Magnum and kills four terrorists before the Constabulary mops up the rest. However, Shadow himself gets mistaken for a terrorist until Sonic intervenes. Shadow then gets into a brief argument with one of the RMC's sergeants about his methods. After the operation, Shadow is jointly awarded the Royal Medal of Merit with Sonic and Espio, and kisses the former in front of thousands of people. Nevertheless, after the Games, Shadow is having trouble comprehending how acts of terrorism can happen. Even so, he gladly dances with Sonic atop Emerald Tower.
Later on, Shadow pays a visit to Rouge, not only to check up on her, but to apologize for threatening Tails and fighting with Sonic for the Olympics. When she accepts his apology and tells him how happy she is that he saved people's lives, he cries and gives her a hug. After calming down, he expresses his love for her, and after another glass of warm milk, he visits Sonic, who informs him that Knuckles is still alive. He then asks about Tails and says that he's there to apologize to him. After another hug from Sonic, Shadow heads to the garage and assures Tails that he's not there to hurt him. He then apologizes, and when Tails forgives him, he gives the little fox a big hug. After parting ways, Shadow goes down to the shore of Azure Lake and lets out a few tears.
====A Chat Between Gearheads====
Shadow pays a visit to Tails and asks to borrow a ratchet set so he can work on his Trans Am. He also confesses to not actually hating Sonic, and though he enjoys chatting with Tails, he elects to leave before the conversation gets too sentimental.
====Motorhead====
Shadow – a girl in this story – is first spotted at a roadside bar & grill between Ruby City and Diamond City. She informs Sonic and Tails that the black van parked outside isn’t the one they're looking for. She also gets annoyed with Sonic's attempts at flirting with her. The next day, she encounters Sonic and Tails as they investigate a roadway incident involving Cynthia Sheehy, but this time, she's with her partner Ruby. It is here that they are revealed to be independent insurance investigators. The day after, as she is investigating Layla Hendrix's accident, she gets really annoyed with Sonic, but then Ruby intervenes, and despite Shadow's annoyance, she reluctantly agrees to go out with Sonic on Saturday.
Saturday comes, and despite Sonic being on time, Shadow claims he's late. Nevertheless, she chats with him, though she is grossed out when he sucks down his chili dogs whole. After the date, the Blue Blur gives her a hug, which she reluctantly returns. Deep down inside, however, she is immensely happy that he treated her like a lady and feels foolish for turning his love down. She then gets a call from Ruby regarding the van driver who’s been running women off the road – popularly known as the "Dubstep Driver". Two days later, Shadow arrives with Ruby after Sonic and Tails gun down the Dubstep Driver – real name Scourge the Hedgehog – and reveals herself to be an agent of the Royal Criminal Investigation Bureau. She also admits her love for Sonic and kisses him, which sparks an argument with Amy. However, when Ruby steps in, Shadow agrees to stand down if Amy will hear her out. Amy agrees, and Shadow comes up with an idea: Shadow will go out with Sonic every other day of the week, and Amy will go out with him every other day after that. The two femhogs then kiss Sonic at the same time, thereby causing him to pass out, and afterwards, Shadow teases Tails about how he wishes he had two women to love.
====My Baby, She Likes to Rock====
Shadow is rocking out to heavy metal at Rouge's mansion when Rouge interrupts him. He demands a reason from her, and when he tells her that he's not afraid of her, she tickles him. Afterwards, she gives him a letter from Princess Peach asking him for help with an urgent matter in the Mushroom Kingdom. The Ultimate Life Form is reluctant to help given the vague nature of the letter, but he senses that the Princess and her Kingdom may be in grave danger, so he elects to go, not only packing some weapons and supplies for himself, but also some weapons for Peach. He then heads to the nearest G.U.N. base with Rouge, and after getting a hug from her, he boards a private jet to the Mushroom Kingdom.
Upon landing in the Mushroom Kingdom, Shadow meets Toad, who drives him to Peach's Castle in a limo. Also in the limo is Peach's caretaker Toadsworth, with whom Shadow is brutally honest about his dislike for various people. He even threatens Toadsworth. Nevertheless, the Ultimate Life Form agrees to follow Toadsworth to Peach's room, where he does his best to compose himself in front of her in spite of being flustered by her beauty. After accepting a cup of tea from the Princess, Shadow tells her to state her business. According to Peach, Bowser is hatching a new plot, but she doesn't know much more than that. Dissatisfied that she didn't pick the Mario Bros. or Sonic and Tails for the job, Shadow threatens to leave, but changes his mind when Peach expresses a desire to stand up for her people and give them a chance to be happy. He does, however, insist on teaching her how to use firearms properly. During the training, he notes how well she can handle guns and is confident that she can handle herself in battle.
Before leaving, Shadow gives Peach a holster for her pistol. After entering Verdant Valley, Shadow and Peach chat about the Mushroom Kingdom and Mobius, but are interrupted when Shadow guns down a Goomba, much to Peach's shock. He then reminds her that guns kill people and that she can go screw herself if she doesn't like it. During the argument, however, they are surrounded by Koopa Troopas, so they team up to kill them. Moving on, they make it to Iggy's Castle, where Shadow learns about the existence of the Koopalings. Inside the castle, Shadow and Peach continue their blitzkrieg, Shadow having to scoop up Peach and run with her to escape a boulder at one point. Upon locating Iggy, Shadow insists on taking him alive and knocks him down before interrogating him. However, when Iggy refuses to talk, Shadow threatens to kill him until Peach intervenes.
Outside of Iggy's Castle, Peach is shocked that Shadow would want to shoot a defenseless Koopaling, but the Ultimate Life Form couldn't care less. Then, when Peach calls him "handsome" and hugs him, he gets extremely flustered and wonders why she's doing this given that Mario is her boyfriend. He then learns that Peach and Mario are in an open relationship. That aside, they break for supper, and Shadow talks about how much Rouge means to him. Speaking of Rouge, Shadow gives her a call to let her know how him and Peach are doing. When she gets cheeky with him, he threatens to hang up on her, but relents when she threatens to put tomatoes in all his sandwiches for a week. That aside, after supper, Shadow teaches Peach how to clean her pistol, after which they tear through Soda Lake and reach Morton's Castle. However, Morton doesn't know much more than Iggy, only that Bowser's not acting alone. By this time, the sun is setting on the Mushroom Kingdom, so Shadow and Peach bathe in the lake and get ready for bed. At first, Shadow refuses Peach's offer to snuggle with him, but when she tells him how grateful she is that he saved her life, he relents. Before they fall asleep, Shadow compliments Peach on her hair. However, he sleeps rather poorly because he has a nightmare about Peach getting killed by G.U.N. on the ARK.
The next morning, during breakfast, Shadow is surprised when Peach calls him a "friend". After breakfast, Shadow asks Peach if she wants to listen to music. She accepts, but is turned off when he rocks out to Metallica. Though rather annoyed, he nevertheless agrees to play softer rock for her and even dances slowly with her while listening to Anne Murray. After this, he switches out his .44 Magnum for an MP5 and heads through Magma Plains with Peach. They also go through Lemmy's Castle, where Shadow learns that Bowser is enlisting the aid of a being named "Saphanolis", which worries Shadow because it reminds him of Mephiles. That aside, Shadow is weirded out when Peach asks him to give her a massage, but he agrees to it, and he enjoys it very much. After the massage, Shadow tells Peach about how he got his name and also tells her that she has a beautiful body. After teaching her how to clean her SMG, they head up Vanilla Mountain, where after interrogating Ludwig von Koopa, he learns that Saphanolis' power is immense, but is still convinced of victory.
After exiting Ludwig's Castle, Shadow and Peach have a snack break. Shadow gets a surprise when Peach kisses him and is so flustered that he calls Rouge and cries for help. However, Rouge teases him about being in love, much to his chagrin. In spite of being flustered by Peach, Shadow agrees to keep adventuring with her, even helping her get through the deep, dark recesses of Cookie Forest and comforting her when she feels scared. Next, he interrogates Roy Koopa, who not only tells him that Saphanolis is older than time itself, but also suggests that he may be a myth. However, Shadow senses that Saphanolis is real and explains Hedgehog Sense to Peach. When she comments on how much nicer he's become, he ends up talking about Maria and breaks down crying. However, Peach hugs him, and he loves her so much that he lets her call him "Shaddy". Even so, he is still feeling awful because he misses Rouge, but having a glass of warm milk makes him feel better, and he snuggles with Peach some more and calls her the most beautiful woman he's ever met.
After trading up to his M16, Shadow heads through Rainbow Island with Peach, at one point scarfing down the landscape in a dessert-themed area, much to her chagrin. He explains that he can eat as much as he wants without getting sick, but nevertheless agrees to keep going, but he chastises her for eating part of the scenery too. At a winter-themed area, because Peach nags him so much, the Ultimate Life Form puts on a jacket. Eventually, they reach Wendy's Castle, where Shadow interrogates a recalcitrant Wendy O. Koopa about how to summon Saphanolis. Despite getting closer to the Koopa Kingdom, the Ultimate Life Form feels bad because he called Wendy a bad name and heads back to apologize to her, but also gets flustered when she calls him "super-handsome". After showing Peach how to clean her rifle, Shadow takes her through Peppermint Cave, and upon interrogating Larry Koopa, he learns that Saphanolis can be summoned with a special book.
After exiting Peppermint Cave, Shadow warms Peach up with a special blanket. He also tickles her, but ends up getting tickled back. After this, they flirt with each other a bit before having lunch. They then discover a clearing with a bunch of Koopa Troopas, Hammer Bros. and Bob-omb Buddies. Shadow initially perceives them to be hostile, but then Peach and a Koopa Troopa named Koopski tell him that they're friendly. As it turns out, Koopski is the leader of a resistance group known as the Koopa Lightning Strike Force, a group of Koopa Troopas who broke away from the Koopa Kingdom when they perceived Bowser as a threat to their own interests. Shadow praises Koopski for his wisdom and is surprised when a Hammer Bro named Harold mistakes him for being related to Sonic. That aside, Shadow grabs his M60 and gives one last call to Rouge before deciding to head to the Koopa Kingdom. Koopski asks to come along, but Shadow is sure that him and Peach can handle the situation on their own. Nevertheless, the Ultimate Life Form permits the KLSF to come along provided that him and Peach are allowed to lead the way.
With the KLSF on their side, Shadow and Peach lay a path of destruction to Bowser Jr.'s Castle, but Bowser Jr. gets away…for now. With the few remaining members of the KLSF, Shadow and Peach storm Bowser’s Castle and meet Bowser himself. The Koopa King captures Peach, Koopski and Harold, and as revenge, Shadow holds Bowser Jr. at gunpoint. Seeing that Bowser refuses to give up his hostages, Shadow taunts him by assuming that he too lost somebody important and threatens to blow Bowser Jr.'s brains out if Bowser doesn't answer. Having broken Bowser's spirit, Shadow lets Bowser Jr. go, but then Bowser proceeds to summon Saphanolis despite Shadow's attempts to stop him. When Saphanolis turns on Bowser, Shadow saves his life and offers him a chance at redemption: help him stop Saphanolis. While Peach, Koopski and Bowser Jr. attempt to recover the book that was used to summon Saphanolis, Shadow holds off the demon god with Bowser and Harold’s assistance. After the battle, Bowser Jr. hugs Shadow upon seeing Peach and Bowser hug each other, much to the Ultimate Life Form's chagrin.
With peace restored to the Mushroom Kingdom, Shadow gazes at the moonlight with Peach, but when she reacts negatively to him holding Bowser Jr. at gunpoint, he pleads for her understanding and sheds a few tears telling her how much he loves her. Fortunately, she understands, and he gets another hug from her. He even gets to take a shower with her. However, that night, he has a weird dream about a Peach lookalike replacing her. The next morning, Shadow nibbles Peach's ear, much to her annoyance. He teases her about her enjoying it, and he gets a kiss from her before breakfast. He even lets her keep the guns that he loaned to her.
After breakfast, he attends a victory parade and ceremony, where Peach bestows the Mushroom Kingdom's most prestigious military medal on him. He then gives a short speech on how honored he is to have taken up this quest. After the ceremony, Shadow apologizes to Toadsworth on the way back to the airport and tells him a funny joke. On the plane ride back home, Shadow thanks Peach for the time they spent together and exchanges contact information with her. After landing in Mobius, Shadow and Peach give each other one last kiss before parting ways. Upon seeing Rouge, Shadow happily gives her a big hug and tells her not only about how much he missed her, but about how helpful her and Peach were in helping him to change his perspective. He then heads home with Rouge, happy to have lived up to Maria's promise yet again.
====The Ultimate Life Form Snuggles With His Rose====
One day, Shadow is feeling sad and lonely, so he visits Amy and asks if he can snuggle with her. She accepts, and they go up to her room and snuggle on her bed. He thanks her for how happy she's made him, but accidentally shocks her when he confesses to having a crush on her. Just then, her parents return, and he exchanges contact information with her before leaving.
====The Silo Job====
Though retired from G.U.N., Shadow still accepts freelance missions from them, including a mission to blow up a Roseinian missile silo on Mobian territory. Amy is accompanying him, and he wonders why she chose the cute outfit she picked, but otherwise says nothing else. He leads the way into the silo, sneaking around Roseinian soldiers and stealthily dispatching those who get in their way. However, at one point, him and Amy find themselves in an inescapable situation and are forced to shoot their way through the silo. Nevertheless, they make it to the fuel room and control room with little issue. However, when Shadow insists on planting a bomb on a missile, he is forced to rescue Amy when a Roseinian officer gets the upper hand on her. Fortunately, despite a broken elevator, the two hedgehogs escape the silo before it blows up, and Shadow kisses Amy afterwards. He then goes back home with Rouge and Amy.
==Trivia==
*Shadow's portrayal is a mix of Harry Callahan from the Dirty Harry movies and the T-800 from the Terminator movies.
*The first time that Shadow cried was in "A Dark Birthday", after Sonic admitted his love for him.
*Shadow enjoys ear nibbling, whether it's his own ears getting nibbled or nibbling other people's ears.
*Prior to "Wir sind Menschen", Shadow was depicted blushing red like other characters. However, from this point on, Shadow has been depicted blushing green.
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