Jayde the Hedgehog • By Your Side [3]

36: Illusions✔️

Music: Fearless - FadeX

Shadow growled, stepping forward, "Let Jayde go, now!" he snapped, watching her form struggle in some kind of dark mist.

Torrent hummed his evil laugh, "I don't think so. You took everything away from me when you killed my family - you killed them with so little emotion as well."

"They were assassins plotting against Acorn Castle. Did you expect GUN to send an amateur?" Shadow hissed back, clenching his fists.

Jayde let out a groan of pain, feeling the mist somehow tighten around her body, sucking the life from her slowly, "You took something valuable away from me," the ice blue eyes of the bat looked at the weak female, laughing, "I'm just returning the favor."

Shadow went to run at him, but his mind suddenly blurred with a painful vision. It was Jayde. But nothing what he wanted to see. Her body hung limply in the air, surrounding in the dark mist as it sucked the final bit of life from her, "Sha...dow..." she whispered hoarsely before her eyes dimmed in colour and went blank.

The ebony hedgehog was frozen in his space, watching as her lifeless form dropped in front of him. Ruby orbs were wide, those blue seas staring right back at him with no emotion in them. It felt like something had ripped right through his chest, crushing something inside him. Something dribbled down his muzzle, but he couldn't be sure what it was - this feeling was so foreign to him, "Jayde!"

"Shadow!" Jayde watched in horror as all her friends drowned in their own nightmares. Their bodies hunched over, gripping their heads to try and block the images. She struggled even more in the restraints, growling, "Torrent! Stop it! Stop hurting my friends, they haven't done anything to you!"

Torrent merely smirked, watching them suffer below him. Jayde gritted her teeth, clenching her fists more, "Guys! It's just an illusion - what you're seeing isn't real!"

Jet was the first to recover, gripping hold of his board as he glared up at the bat, "I've been under your control once before - you will not take over me again!" he snapped. One by one they all recovered until the last one that was left - was Shadow.

He grunted in pain, Rouge knelling down to support him, "Shadow, it's not real!"

"Torrent, let him go!" Jayde yelled.

The green bat grinned, "He took my family from me - I just want to show him what I can do before I try it out for real. I want to know the damage it can do to him."

A few shots were fired before Jayde was yanked from the strange mist. The hedgehog looked up in shock and surprise, "Cream!?"

"Hello, Miss Jayde!" she smiled, happy as usual, even in the most dire situation. Omega flew from behind the trees, having been the one to shot towards Torrent. The said bat growled in response and aimed towards the young bunny. However, Omega flew in the way of them, taking the hits.

"How did you even know where we were?" Amy asked as the rabbit landed beside them.

Cream smiled, "Mr Robot asked me to search for you with him. He said the commander had something to say to Mr Shadow."

"And he let you tag along?" Rouge crossed her arms, frowning towards the robot in disappointment.

"I could not say no to her," he spoke in a monotone voice, "I will not make the tiny bunny cry."

"Enough!" Torrent yelled, having the focus on him once again. He glared down at the Mobians in front of him. All his hard work was being ruined - he needed to destroy these rodents and then he could finally get revenge on those pathetic humans who also helped destroy his clan, "You think you can stop me? Even if this cube is a prototype, it still contains the same values as the original - I am invincible!" Torrent sneered, "You rodents, I'll destroy you all!" His canines sparkled in the setting sun, causing the young rabbit to cling to the grey female close to her. Jayde placed an arm in front of her protectively, glaring at the bat before them.

Multiple guards ran out once again, separating the hedgehogs from the others. Torrent only needed the hedgehogs - two of them anyway, though he could kill more birds with one stone this way. The guards could provide as a distraction whilst he dealt with those he needed to. Sonic looked up the hovering male, grinning, "Please, I've had crosswords more difficult than you. This battle will be a stepping stone!"

Torrent smirked at the blue hedgehog, remembering one very important detail in Sonic's files and a plan formed in his head, "Oh, you want to play stepping stones, do you?" The hedgehogs gave a confused glance to one another before the Phantom Cube's appeared in Torrent's hands, "Where are stepping stones, Sonic? Aren't they usually on... water?" he grinned as he saw the hero involuntary gulp.

The Phantom Cube glowed brightly as Torrent reached up to the sky and the ground evaporated below them. They stood on a small rock, barely balancing on the 'stepping stone'. Sonic panicked slightly, glancing at the pink female closet to him. Jade eyes noticed his fearful look and immediately tried to calm him, "Sonic. Sonic, calm down. You're not going in."

"That's what you think." The bat smirked before flicking the Phantom Cube in his hold, firing towards the blue blur. The others yelled out to him, but the rocks below his feet crumbled into a million pieces and he fell in.

"Sonic!" Amy cried out, leaping into the water as Torrent fired towards her as well before anyone could stop her. Rouge heard the commotion and flew over, grabbing the Ultimate Lifeform and hoisting him up. Jayde's board zipped over to her, allowing her to jump on.

Torrent grinned as they scrambled around below him, "Now do you see? You will all fail - none of you can fight like this."

The Protector growled and clenched her fists, looking towards the Babylon Rouges with a nod. Jet, Wave and Storm nodded back before racing towards the bat. Jayde looked at the water, watching and waiting until a pink blob rose from the water. The hedgehog shot down to them, "Knuckles, give me a lift!" Jayde yelled to the echidna, sliding her feet down her board so it landed beside the cerise female. Amy cough, pulling the blue hedgehog from the water and onto the board.

Knuckles glided under the grey female, letting her balance on his back, "Knux, aim straight for the cube." The red echidna nodded before speeding up. The Babylon's kept Torrent confused and distracted, continuously swooping past him, pretending to try and grab the cube. Jayde wobbled, standing upright on Knuckles, back before jumping up and spin dashing straight through everyone and directly into the Phantom Cube. The original cube was ripped from Torrent's hands and smashed into the ground, splattering into millions of pieces.

Torrent growled, but chuckled all the same, "You may have destroyed the original, but I still have the prototype - I am still powerful."

"Hey, Torrent." Wave spoke up, lifting a grey pallet with a red button on it. She smirked, "Check your sources next time." Torrent's orbs widened before she pressed the button and a large explosion destroyed the cube in a second.