Shadow the Hedgehog (WI03)

## Black Shadow

Art by Meelowsh

After being spared from his own self-sacrifice by Sonic, Shadow took up a self-imposed position as protector of Earth, fighting Dr. Eggman even if he wouldn't be accepted by others. In time, he earned the trust of Sonic's former comrades and thwarted the Black Arms invasion while they were pre-occupied with finding their lost friend, returning to the fold as **Black Shadow** and using his newfound powers to end the scourge caused by Dr. Eggman once and for all.

## Personality

Black Shadow's most defining trait is his duty-bound nature, adhering himself to the ideals of protecting Earth, then the universe, out of respect for Maria's love and Sonic's status as a hero. When Sonic was presumed dead, and continuing through his stint as an agent of the Eggman Empire, Shadow believed that his continued survival had led to him being conferred the values of heroism, filling the void left behind by the Earth's natural defender no longer being capable of fulfilling his role. He is impartial, yet admiring of those who have proved themselves willing to do the right thing such as Tails and Knuckles, considering them to be 'real heroes' while he acts more out of a feeling of having to atone for his existence and continued survival, let alone his past crimes.

This feeling of self-loathing permeates most of Black Shadow's actions, haunting him even while he strives to be steadfast and unflinching in the face of evil. While on one hand he mercilessly extorts the Aresians as punishment for their as-of-yet unknown transgressions, on the other he feels disgust for the rage that he succumbs to when facing off against more stubborn foes such as Kaiser Greedy, who refuse to let themselves be subdued. In Black Shadow: Exodus' pilot episode, Dr. Eggman hints at the fact that Shadow may see himself as an attracting force for evil itself.

## History

### Prologue: Sonic Adventure 2

Shadow's history leading up to and during the events of *Sonic Adventure 2* is identical to that of his video game canon counterpart, the deviation between the two starting at the climax of the battle with Finalhazard. In the stopped time caused by he and Sonic's Super Chaos Control, the two lamented the fact that they were unable to fully stop the ARK's descent, but Shadow proposed that he remove his Inhibitor Rings and burn through all of his energy to finish the job. Sonic vetoed the idea immediately and the two briefly argued, but after stubbornly insisting his view that Shadow sacrificing his life so soon after starting to take it back into his own hands would be unfair, Sonic took initiative.

Shadow was left floating in space after Sonic went all out, warping the ARK back into it's normal orbit at the cost of his stamina and the energy of his Super Form. Without its invulnerability to protect him, he was presumed to have not survived the fall to Earth, leaving Shadow to return to the ARK and break the news to Sonic's comrades. Tails and Amy were devastated, meanwhile Knuckles entered a grief-stricken rage, punching Shadow across the ARK's command deck before Tails managed to convince him to stop for Amy's sake. Now alive, but with no allies now that Doctor Eggman had fled and Rouge had slipped away, Shadow promised to do what he could to fill the void Sonic left by fighting to protect the world he and Maria both loved so dearly.

### Advance Series

The Sega Scourge mentioned that the events of *Sonic Advance* and *Sonic Advance 2* may have occurred within this What If after *Sonic Adventure 2*, but their events were not detailed for pacing reasons. Presumably Shadow took a stand against Eggman in his bids for control over the world, and was able to stop him both times.

### Shadow Heroes Arc

Shadow joined with Tails and Knuckles as Team Hero during the events of the *Heroes* adaptation, answering Neo Metal Sonic (disguised as Eggman)'s call to stop his Egg Fleet in a mere three days. It is unknown if they battled against Team Rose at the Power Plant like Team Sonic did in the original continuity.

At the Lost Jungle, Shadow and Team Hero ran into Team Dark Blue, consisting of: Rouge - the leader, Omega - the vengeful Eggman robot powerhouse and finally Sonic - revealing that he did in fact survive his fall to Earth. Words were exchanged between the two trios, but Sonic was struck with painful headaches as the appearance of his former allies forced different memories to surface in his mind all at once. Reaching an impasse, the two teams fought to a standstill until Sonic abruptly fled, causing Rouge and Omega to chase after him.

Team Hero was present at the Egg Fleet's Final Fortress when the rest of the teams gathered, witnessing the reveal of Neo Metal Sonic. With everyone pooling their collected Chaos Emeralds together, Shadow was able to transform into Super Shadow, his energy enveloping Tails and Knuckles to grant them the power of Super Shields. Together, they battled Metal Overlord and ultimately defeated him, reducing Metal Sonic back to his base form and granting the gathered heroes a moment of reprieve. In this moment, all eyes turned to Sonic, who brushed aside the concerns of his former friends and attempted to leave, only to be stopped by an incapacitating aura. Silver arrived with a declaration for all those present to 'get away from that monster', intending to kill Sonic in order to save his future. With his powers, he easily secured Shadow and the rest of the teams in a psychokinetic grip to keep them out of his way, but Shadow was unwilling to let Sonic die so easily. He apologized to those nearby before unleashing a Chaos Blast, forcing Silver to divert all his focus towards containing the explosion and ultimately failing to do so - releasing everyone he'd captured. Shadow easily dispatched Silver after that by using Chaos Control to stop time, delivering a single knockout blow to the back of his head in an identical fashion to his original continuity counterpart in *Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)*.

Vector assisted Shadow by physically restraining Silver as he came too, keeping him still as Shadow interrogated him, threatening Silver into compliance by holding a charged Chaos Spear to his head. Silver explained the story of his ruined future to sceptic reactions, but Rouge was able to provide evidence to back up his claims in revealing that she and Omega had discovered a store of Sonic Androids inside the Final Fortress. Interrogations were interrupted here, as Sonic was upset by this information being kept from him. He left, and Eggman - hidden nearby - acted quickly by causing the entire ship everyone was gathered on to yaw sideways, tipping the heroes off into forest below while Silver, free of Vector's hold, escaped by using his ESP to fly away.

In the brief time everyone stayed together before parting ways on the surface, Shadow took the chance to approach Vector and Team Chaotix, requesting that they use their skills to try and find any information they can on Silver. With that done, he left Tails and Knuckles to work alone in the unified effort to help Sonic, trusting them to do their part.

## Powers and abilities

Prior to his ascension to Black Shadow, Shadow possessed all of the same abilities as his video game canon counterpart. He is capable of reaching supersonic and even faster-than-light speeds with his Air Shoes, perform the Spin Attack, Spin Dash and Homing Attack, as well as use the Black Tornado technique. Shadow's myriad of Chaos abilities also appear, many of them under the blanket of Chaos Control - the art of warping space and time using Chaos Energy. Shadow has been shown teleporting, freezing time and expelling Chaos energy raw for powerful attacks such as the Chaos Spear, Chaos Lance and Chaos Blast.

After ascending, Black Shadow gained multiple abilities that had also been seen with the previous patriarch of the Black Arms hivemind. Chief of these are his new psychic abilities, seemingly granted by the heightened brain functions required to control the Black Arms hivemind. Black Shadow can freely levitate, use telekinesis and of course - he controls each and every member of the Black Arms race by his mental commands, able to co-ordinate them on a massive scale with little mental effort. He can also use clairvoyance, tapping into the senses of any Black Arms he chooses to see and hear beyond the limits of his physical body. Black Doom's other abilities, such as the Sonic Boomerang (referred to by Shadow as Chaos Swift Strike) and the ability to form meteor-like constructs of an unknown material have also been displayed.

## Transformations

#### Super Shadow

In Part 1, Shadow's Super Form was identical to how it appeared in *Sonic Adventure 2*, boasting the abilities of flight, invulnerability and a heightened output of Chaos Energy. However, after ascending to the rank of Black Shadow, the physiological changes Shadow's body underwent caused this form to 'mutate' slightly. As well as retaining the fiery ring around his pupils, Shadow's red streaks grow curly and gnarled, resembling the Black Arms insignia. The form appears to function the same, only now with the additional benefits of Black Shadow's new abilities.

## Relationships

#### Sonic the Hedgehog

> *"In saving my life, he conferred a value onto it. I want to return that value to him."*
>
>

Shadow holds a deep respect for Sonic for his strength, heroic spirit and above all his selflessness, but can't help but suffer with guilt knowing that he was given the chance at a peaceful life despite his wrongdoings while Sonic had to live on in suffering at the hands of Dr. Eggman. He worked independently of his other allies to gather the Chaos Emeralds specifically for Sonic's sake, meaning from the start to save him rather than have him destroyed in order to uphold the peace. He wished to be the one to personally bring Sonic back to his senses so that they could 'end things the way they started, together', showing he felt directly responsible for everything that had gone wrong since the battle against Finalhazard,

Before leaving, Shadow gave Sonic a homing beacon that would allow him to summon the Black Comet if he ever needed his help, unwilling to fully break contact even in his self-imposed exile to space.

#### Silver the Hedgehog

While their first meeting aboard the Egg Fleet was hostile, Shadow and Silver made peace after meeting in one the many Sonic Android storage bunkers, Shadow having employed Team Chaotix to discern Silver's movements so that they could meet. After explaining his side of the story and absolving Sonic of blame for Silver's ruined future, the two fought together against a horde of Androids, following which Shadow instructed Silver to join up with Tails' group and do his part to help them.

Shadow confided in Silver somewhat regarding his guilt towards Sonic's current situation, openly saying that it should have been him that fell, wishing to set things right by returning Sonic to his position as a hero.

#### Dr. Eggman

Shadow hates Eggman for his cruelty and callousness, but has some modicum of respect for his intelligence and strategy. Upon meeting Black Doom and learning of his origins, Dr. Eggman was cited as his inspiration to scheme and trick his way into the Black Arms inner circle while feeding information back to G.U.N.

Shadow demands to be the one responsible for dealing out Eggman's punishment after the Sonic Android threat is quelled and treats him with the absolute bear minimum aboard the Black Comet. As per his promise, he keeps the Doctor alive and plainly insists that he has no choice in the matter, but keeps him in a cage and feeds him unpalatable alien slurry, dressed in rags. Shadow is completely unsympathetic to Eggman, but his status as the only sapiant being on the Black Comet besides himself leads to an uncomfortable relationship between the two of them that has Shadow coming to personally check his cell despite not needing to.

#### Black Doom

Shadow held a cordial, business-like relationship with Black Doom for a time during the invasion of Earth, but was secretly disgusted by him and planned his end from the start of their collaboration. He didn't allow Black Doom to get under his skin by revealing hidden memories or promising answers to his true purpose, instead using clever manipulation to play into his ego and worm his way deeper and deeper into the Black Arms' affairs.

When Shadow and Commander Tower sprung their trap on Black Doom beneath Mount Freedom, Shadow did so remorselessly, attacking his 'father' without a moment of hesitation and coldly executing him after Tower had stunned him with Diablon's Anti-Matter Cannon. In the moment after Doom's death, Shadow displayed a hint of sadism, robbing the corpse to adorn himself in Black Doom's clothes and jewelry as trophies dedicated to his victory while displaying a somewhat manic expression.

During Shadow's travels through space in *Black Shadow: Exodus*, he was deeply perturbed to have heard Black Doom's voice again, it is unknown how his feelings towards Doom have developed over the course of his exile.

#### Commander Tower

> *"Of course I'd recognize those eyes."*
>
>

Shadow didn't immediately realize the GUN Commander was Abraham Tower, but he was able to figure out his identity after getting a clear look at his distinctly colored eyes. Though the Commander had unloaded an entire magazine of pistol rounds on Shadow mere seconds prior due to his deep-seated grudge, Shadow remained neutral and straightforward with him while not lowering his guard, unafraid of laying hands on Tower to disarm him and announce his intentions.

After the Commander accepted the risks and began working with Shadow, they remained in steady contact throughout Shadow's tenure serving beneath Black Doom, in which he fed information back to GUN so that they could co-ordinate the war in a way that minimized loss of innocent lives. At the end of their scheme, Shadow and Commander Tower fought expertly in tandem with one-another, covering eachother's shortcomings to dominate Black Doom in direct combat. Once the conflict was over, the two of them visited the Space Colony ARK to properly close the gap between their missing 50 years, getting to know one another and cementing a bond of trust.

## Trivia

* This is the first incarnation of Shadow to not join Rouge's Team Dark.
* Some abilities used by Black Doom have yet to be displayed by Black Shadow, it is unknown whether this is due to him having not yet mastered them, his biology being incompatible with them or simply him having yet to see a reason to do so. These abilities include:
	+ Intangibility
	+ Illusory clones
	+ 'Eye' detachment
	+ Devil Form
* 'Chaos Swift Strike' is based on Black Doom's energy cutter attack, used in his boss fight. However, 'swift strike' is not actually the name of the technique, as according to guidebooks for Shadow the Hedgehog, the move is called 'Sonic Boomerang'. The English version simply has Black Doom proclaim the phrase while using it, which lead to the misinterpretation that it was it's name.

## Refereneces

1. ↑ What If Sonic Lost His Memory? Part 1 *"Also, I know I'm jumping from SA2 to Heroes without any mention of Advance 1 and 2, even though I do consider those games to be canon [...] but I decided to omit them from this story as they don't really expand on anything narratively. They could've still happened, sure, but I'll leave that up to your imagination." ~ The Sega Scourge*