Jayde the Hedgehog • Negative Rebound [4]

8 • Shadow's Condition✔️

Music: His World (Instrumental) - Ali Tabatabaee

           

The Next Day

"Wait, hold up – you transformed into a negative version of yourself that destroyed everything in her path?" Jayde nodded to her crimson friend.

"Whoa..." Mitzy murmured, unable to believe that her close friend would hurt people like that, "I get that you used to protect me from bullies and stuff, but for you to kill someone?" the bunny said.

Jayde shrugged, sighing slightly, "If you don't believe me, you can ask Shadow – he got the worse when he saved me in the end."

"But then you saved him from that Adversity person!" Mitzy cheered, "He got his revenge." Jayde chuckled a bit, having said the same thing herself.

"How did he save you?" Raiden asked.

Jayde flushed slightly as she remembered their compromising position, but she wouldn't tell Raiden that, "He shared his chaos energy with me."

"How does that work?"

"Well, Tails figured out I was a negative born when he analysed me once. Shadow was created to be positive born. His positive energy cancelled out my negatives' effects."

"Aw!" Mitzy cried out, punching Raiden out of excitement, "Jayde's got a boyfriend!" Jayde's ears burned, turning away from them. It's not like she could disagree with her.

"So, everything that's happened to you, it's because of those inhibitor rings?" Raiden asked, changing the subject and pointing to her wrists, "Can't you take them off then?"

Jayde shook her head, "No. Because I have high Riots energy running through me now, these keep me from spontaneous combustion. Without them, I couldn't survive."

"But doesn't it feel like a burden on your shoulders? All this responsibility?" Mitzy asked.

"It does," Jayde answered, noticing that they had arrived at Tails' workshop, "But I wouldn't give it up for the world. It's part of me now, and I don't want to lose it because it's my job." The two Mobians nodded in understanding and the trio walked through the door, "Tails?"

"Hey, Jayde!" A voice called from somewhere in the workshop, leaving Jayde to chuckle.

"Okay, guys. Tails is very particular about his inventions, so try to keep your hands to yourself." The Protector spoke, grabbing Mitzy's hand from touching something.

The twin tailed fox walked into view, shock passing over his face, "Uh, hello?"

"Tails, I'd like you to meet two of my old friends, Raiden and Mitzy." Jayde introduced them. Raiden waved hello whilst Mitzy ran over to him.

"Whoa! You have two tails? That's so cool!" Tails flushed slightly, glancing at Jayde.

"Sorry, Mitzy is quite excitable." Raiden muttered, "Especially for a teenager."

The rabbit shrugged and crossed her arms, "At least I'm not boring!"

"Hey, Tails. I couldn't find that screwdriver you-" Cleobella paused as she saw the two new Mobians standing in front of her, "Um, hi?"

Jayde placed her hand on her head as Mitzy introduce herself and Raiden chuckled at the bunny. The grey hedgehog mouthed a 'sorry' to the blue fox, but Cleobella simply laughed and humored the younger one.

"So, Tails," Jayde turned to the fox in front of her, "How is he?"

Tails sighed, bringing her over to his lab area. He had found something in the ebony male, but none of his machinery could dispatcher what it was, "I won't lie, Jayde. I don't know what Eggman has done to him." Tails muttered, bringing up the analysis, "I know for definite that something had been injected into Shadow, but I can't find out what it is."

"Is there anything we can do?"

Tails shook his head, "The best I can suggest is waiting until he wakes. If there's something wrong with his personality or if something changes in him, I may be able to help him – but you won't like the way I have to do that."

"What do you mean?" Jayde asked, confused.

"Well, because he is the Ultimate Lifeform, his DNA is far different to a normal Mobian's. If something was wrong with him, I wouldn't have the time to analyze him. The quickest way would be to recalibrate him." Blue orbs looked to the grey hedgehog.

"Wait, you mean...?"

"Yes. It would be like you saw in Moebius with that version of Shadow." Tails sighed, "He wouldn't lose any of his memories, it would only clear out his system of anything that shouldn't be there, just like Eggman did to give him back his strength."

Jayde's ears dropped, glancing over that the red striped male who slept on the sofa, "When will he wake up?"

"He's been out all night, he should wake any time now." Tails handed her a few bandages, "You should use this time to renew his bandages, so they don't infect his wounds."

Jayde nodded and walked over the ebony male, "This is the guy that saved you?" She turned to Raiden who was behind her.

"Yeah." She whispered, using some scissors to cut the old bandages, "We've been through a lot together. From me trying to kill him to him trying to kill me. I'm surprised we still like each other!" she chuckled slightly.

Raiden watched as she carefully tended to his wounds. He knew that she cared a lot for him and vise versa. Her father had told him about Shadow and how he looked over her, saving her from the bat that stole her.

           

Eggman's Lair

"Oh, look, more rodents." Scourge muttered, groaning loudly, "What are you waiting for, we can just strike now!"

"You're so impatient." Eggman muttered.

"It's not impatience – this is getting ridiculous now." Miles hissed, tapping on his new wrist watch the doctor had provided him with.

"Yeah, the amount of time we could've attacked is countless now. Are you just keeping us here for no reason?" Jaylee crossed her arms, showing her authority as she stood tall.

Doctor Eggman dragged a hand down his face and suppressed a sigh, "Do you not get it? I've told you! We need to attack when they least expect it. That way, it will take them longer to get back up on their feet!"

"And by making them wait, it makes it easier for us?" Rosy asked, swinging her piko piko hammer around.

"Exactly," Eggman hissed, "And stop swinging that thing around, you're going to break something!" On cue, something crashed to the floor, leaving the evil genius to grumble a few incoherent words.

"The longer we wait, the more prepared they'll be!" Scourge snapped, "They haven't fought in ages, they'll be energized enough to fight back!"

"That's not a problem." The doctor spoke, watching the three siblings arrive at Tails' workshop on screen, "As soon as the ebony hedgehog wakes, our plan will be a go. We just have to wait for the right time."

"And you couldn't do this three months ago?" Jaylee asked.

"No, because they would've expected it!" Eggman yelled, "You saw how that blue buffoon came looking into my lair – they are beginning to get worried. It's a sign that the plan is working!"

"Sure, doc, whatever you say." Scourge rolled his orbs. The only reason any of them were waiting this long was because Eggman had promised them revenge. And the doctor knew that they would soon get it.