Sonic The Hedgehog: Dark-Bright

[INTERMISSION ARC] Chapter 69: Brother

The situation became a lot more serious outside the base. It seemed like Shadow, Rouge, and Knuckles were going to have to deal with one of the elites of the Nocturnus Clan. Meanwhile, Amy and Sonic were still wandering. They noticed that the sewer had become much more dangerous. Tails had just turned off the electricity, so they stopped.

"So, Tails already did it?" Sonic said as he sat down.

"Without light, we can't see. Therefore, it's risky to move forward," Amy sighed.

"Sure, with that reaction," Sonic replied, lying down in the deep darkness.

Amy looked around, then she took off her dress and picked up a lighter. She lit it up, creating a small field of light as the fiery flame illuminated the area. "Aha!"

Sonic was surprised by this and jumped up to see what was happening. "Wait, where did you get that thing, Amy?"

She giggled. "I stole it."

"What?!"

"Well, I just took it from my seat. It looked like it was still there, but I took it anyway. Maybe it could be handy," Amy smiled.

"At least this will be helpful. Let's move on, Amy." They continued, feeling like they were getting closer to the next exit. However, their progress was cut short by Shadow, who was currently engaged in a fight with one of the Equites. The armored echidna attempted to hit Shadow, but every move missed. Shadow kicked with his rocket shoes, sending the echidna's face crashing to the ground. Without waiting, Shadow hovered with his shoes and pinned down the echidna. "Not a single problem."

The echidna trembled in terror. "Being taken down by the likes of him? Unacceptable. I cannot allow this!"

"Oh? So that's all? It wouldn't be that impressive if you didn't even—"

Shadow's speech was interrupted as the echidna swiftly sliced his chest, leaving a minor wound on his fur. "You're so talkative, lame!"

Shadow stood in silence.

"Now, TAKE THIS, AND THIS, HA!" The echidna launched into a furious assault. Shadow sustained more wounds on his chest as the onslaught continued. Shadow finally raised his hands. "Enough."

"Huh? You want more pain?" The echidna yelled as he attempted to strike Shadow with handheld energy blades. However, Shadow managed to immobilize him. "You're a fool."

"What? Why can't I move?" The echidna was shocked and surprised.

"Here's a technique I practiced for a year, a technique that doesn't even require a Chaos Emerald to function. It's a simple attack for you to fall into."

Equites stopped and looked at Shadow. "Is that so? Then... AIM!"

"If you're so eager to experience my technique, then be pleased! CHAOS ZERO: AIR-HAWK!" Shadow unleashed a suppressed burst of Chaos energy, allowing him to maneuver in mid-air. He delivered a powerful roundhouse kick that shattered the echidna's helmet, revealing an orange fur underneath. The echidna fell, defeated. "So, the group is full of echidnas. Knuckles was right. But it still makes me wonder how you guys appeared out of nowhere. Blindly following orders is a false judgment if you ask me." Shadow left the defeated echidna and headed towards where Rouge was fighting Equites' brother.

Rouge seemed to be struggling in her battle, along with Knuckles. They appeared to have been overpowered by the enemy.

"He's almost as tough as the Gemerl guy I fought. This is not good," Rouge said, visibly injured.

"It's over!" The nocturian blade of the enemy swung towards her, but a sudden kick from Decurion pushed him away. He was surprised by the attack. "What? Didn't I order my brother to kill you?"

Shadow spoke coldly. "I simply showed him the essence of dark teaching."

"Don't play games with me!" The enemy charged at Shadow, but Shadow was already familiar with their fighting style. He countered the attack by striking their helmet, leaving them momentarily vulnerable. "Now, Knuckles hit him!"

"HAH!" Knuckles drew his axe and unleashed a powerful slash that cut through the armor. The enemy fell to the ground.

Rouge breathed a sigh of relief. "We managed to defeat them."

They then noticed that Shadow was injured. Rouge pointed it out. "Shadow, you're wounded. You should get some treatment too."

"I don't need it. The wounds I've sustained hardly make a difference," Shadow maintained his cool demeanor.

At this moment, a fox approached them. "I have arrived and completed my task," he saluted.

"Good job, Tails. I'm sure Sonic will be proud of you."

"Heh, we'll have plenty of time to discuss how I took out that Nocturnus guy. But first, I need to take care of myself."

As everyone tended to their injuries, Rouge needed to be a bit strict in order to get Shadow to use the bandages. Once their preparations were done, Rouge stated, "Our mission isn't complete yet. We still need to rely on Sonic and Amy. With their help, we'll finish this."

"Yeah, let's trust them." Shadow crossed his arms, projecting confidence.

Minutes passed, and Sonic and Amy reached the lobby. No one was present except for a large sealed door. Sonic looked at it with amazement. "Wow, I've never seen such a big door!"

"I'm intrigued by it too. A door like that is definitely special," Amy added.

A sinister figure emerged from the shadows, catching Sonic's attention. "Amy, we aren't alone!"

"Huh?!" Amy looked in the direction of the figure.

"Ah, so you've noticed. I took my time guarding this place. Not that I came here for just the two of you." The figure smiled.

"Uh, we're not here to stop you," Sonic said, brushing his nose with his finger.

"Don't play games. I'm here to fight intruders!" The figure glared at Sonic and fired a blast at him. Sonic countered by kicking the blast back, but the figure swiftly dodged. "Did he just kick the blast back?"

Sonic scanned the room. "Since the door is shut, I'll head upstairs then."

"What? That's the way to the second floor and the main room. I forgot to lock it. Damn it! Now I have to deal with you two!" The figure's anger grew.

"I'll leave everything to you, Amy." Sonic patted her shoulder and headed upstairs.

"Everything to me," Amy muttered, looking at her bracelet.

"Heh, he'll leave and put all the responsibility on me to fight that girl. What a joke."

Amy underwent a transformation. She now had a sportier appearance, wearing a blue sweater with pink-striped threads. She held a Soul Weapon variation of her Piko Piko Hammer, ready to fight. "You're finished."

"Huh, such power from a little girl like you. I won't disappoint you with the power I possess—Praeto!"

-chapter end-