[cynda1]

The black hedgehog instantly looked away from Zera as he finally heard someone’s voice. Krystal was trying to check and see if Shadow was still there, making the hedgehog realize that he’d been silent for quite a while. He was so caught up by what he was seeing that he forgot that Poor Krystal was trying to keep him from walking out. “Sorry, Krystal, sorry,” Shadow apologized, though his tone sounded much more in an effort to reassure her than anything. “Thank you, Krystal, I’m gonna get out. I promise, I’m gonna get out, and I have every intention of keeping this one, and all the others I’ve made, okay?”

Shadow’s voice still sounded a bit exhausted, but there was an effort put in to show that things were going to be okay now. The exhaustion in his voice would go as soon as this was all fixed. The hedgehog started making his way in the direction his comrades, his friends, had been leading him toward.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the hedgehog could hear a massive yell, causing his ears to perk up as he looked around in confusion. “Krystal, what was that? What’s going on?” The hedgehog asked a bit panicked, especially when he was rudely reminded of the literal chaos in his head with the noise. Still, the hedgehog shook it off and kept going, shouting at Krystal almost as soon as the question was asked. “Nevermind, nevermind, don’t tell me now. I-I can’t… urgh, I can’t be distracted. If it’s bad, I’ll find out, just… rrgh, just don’t let me do anything crazy-”

Before the hedgehog could get a complete answer out, he felt a piercing in his head as he came across a light that showed Krystal’s worried expression. The hedgehog smiled as he finally found where he was meant to go, but as he went to grab the light, he recoiled at the sheer power coming from it. Where was all of this energy coming from? Didn’t he take off his inhibitor rings? It should’ve all been gone, or at least nearly gone, by now.

As the sheer amount of energy he still had was brought to his attention, Shadow grabbed the light with both of his hands and managed to gain control for about two seconds as he looked down on one of his wrists. Upon gaining control for that second, Krystal and Pac may have seen Shadow’s face twitch from emotionless to exasperated for a couple seconds before going back to being emotionless.

Shadow let out a gasp as he backed out again before mentally calling out to Krystal again. “Krystal! I’m still wearing my inhibitor rings! If I can’t get them off, I’ll never run out of energy, and I’ll keep rampaging.” Shadow paused for a second to allow this information to sink in and to allow himself to come up with a plan. Something then dawned on him. “I need you to do something for me, okay? You know how you said you’d fight me in order to protect me? That’s what you gotta do now, because if you don’t, I’m going to kill everyone, and I won’t be able to stop it. So you can’t hold back, okay? You need to hit me as hard as you can.”

Of course, this was easier said than done. If Shadow were in her shoes he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to return this favor because he wouldn’t want to hurt her, so he needed to think of a way to motivate her a bit. He needed zero hesitation from her. “Krystal,” Shadow shouted. “I-I totally won that fight, remember?” Shadow was so exhausted, he couldn’t totally use his usual mocking tone, but hopefully this would help a bit. “You wanna prove you can beat me? Now’s your chance to redeem yourself. I know you can do this, Krystal. I’m trusting you, so don’t let me down, okay?”

After saying this, Shadow made an effort to try and gain back control as he grabbed the light again in an effort to try and gain enough control to take his inhibitor rings off.

Meanwhile his chaos filled body didn’t seem to like Shadow’s attempts at taking back control, as he was now trying to mentally push Shadow out. The hedgehog grabbed his head, forcing his eyes open as he looked into the faces of Krystal and… Pac Man? What was he doing here? And… Why did he look so angry? Shadow instantly lost control again as the hedgehog’s body started going for the attack again.

The hedgehog made a go for Pac Man first, rolling up into a ball and intending to ram himself full force onto the yellow orb before suddenly stopping short as Shadow’s attempt to gain control forced his body to veer in another direction. Unfortunately, Shadow’s gain of control was short-lived and the hedgehog rolled into a ball again to cause damage.

Pacman! Shadow’s aiming a Homing Attack at you! If you don’t roll a 14 in DEX you’ll receive 25% of damage. However, due to the fact that Shadow forced himself to hesitate, not only do you get two chances to dodge, but you’re more likely to hit the hedgehog now.

Shadow then turned to face Krystal, gaining control again just in time to miss looking at Zera’s trophified form, and then losing control again as he ran toward Krystal at full speed. Once again, Shadow gained control, and this time it seemed like he disrupted the attack completely. However, the chaos energy seemed determined to attack, forcing Shadow to jump and aim a kick square at the back of her head.

Krystal! Shadow’s attempting a roundhouse kick! Roll a DEX of 13 or higher in order to dodge the attack or receive 13% of damage. Because Shadow forced hesitation, you get two chances at a dodge roll, and It’s now easier for you to get a hit.

Shadow ended up landing on the ground on his two feet as he grabbed his head to try and get a hold of himself. As Shadow gained control, he realized he was no longer seeing any of the enemies that were appearing earlier. The hedgehog couldn’t gain control of either of his arms, but an attempt was being made.

Alright, guys we’re nearing the end! Time for your final mission! Your goal is to get Shadow’s HP down halfway or lower. There will be no consequences to knocking Shadow out outside of him getting really injured, so don’t be too worried if that’s what happens. Super Shadow’s HP is 500% and you’ve already got it down to 465. 200% is the minimum goal! Let’s get moving!

---

Super Shadow
Health: 465/500
Control Gained: 15%

[PacAttack]

His temper had managed to get a hold of him and was not working in the way he would like. He didn't get the deal of what was going on and that only fueling his irritation more. He could feel his mittens tightening as he was keeping himself from doing anything else more drastic. Fortunately, the family life had given him a great deal of patience that in turn led him to being able to control himself.

He kept his stern eyes on the hedgehog and watched as he fidgeted around for a moment. His face sort of contorted which didn't really mean anything at this point in time to him. This situation was already getting irritating enough and Pac was thinking about just dragging him into an iron cage and slapping a lock on it. Well, maybe not an iron cage as he could probably blow that up with the previous stunt but safe to safe say that Pac was really not in the mood for it. Grab him by the scruff of his neck and talk some sense into him? Hm. Would like that be scolding a dog? Oh yeah, language gap, wonderful.

FUZR|QVGp_1d20+1=15 (dodged Homing attack.)

That sudden twitch gave the yellow hero an idea of what was coming as he looked down for a second and sighed, having a feeling of what was coming.  He really wasn't wanting to cause a brawl but if that's what he wanted, he couldn't really refuse that invitation. 

The sudden black ball hurtling towards him was narrowly evaded as Pac-Man hopped back in time.  Oh great, he knows how to rev roll too.  Maybe Shadow could show him explosion magic next. 

p_1d20(Critical Flip Kick on Super Shadow for 16%.  I guess he really did want to kick the hell out of him.)

p_1d20(Crit confirm)

Pac-Man had enough room and felt it would be a good idea to try out that idea from earlier.  Taking his right leg and swinging it back behind him, Pac let him have it and launched his foot directly into Shadow like he were about to score a goal.

p_1d20(Pac-Dot Chain for 12%.  Higher than nat12 so heals 3HP.)

He wasn't getting off that easy though.  Pac dug around in his pockets for a bit before pulling a handful of blocky dots.  He hucked them at Shadow, a few pelting him, the rest forming a neat line up towards him.  Pac-Man ran towards the line and did a flip before taking on his own ball form.  With the addition of a set of jaws now aiming to chomp down on the new Blinky.

p_1d20(Chomp for 18%)

---

Pac-Man

HP 118/155

SH 50/50

1d20·1d20·1d20·1d20·1d20

[heirtothemonado]

For once, Shadow making a promise caused Krystal to smile slightly. Finally they were making a bit of progress "It's okay, Shadow. At least I know we're making some progress here. Just keep going" Krystal encouraged him, though she held her guard up. Tears still stung at her eyes, Zera's final yell still echoing in her ears, but she couldn't let herself break just yet. Shadow wasn't completely out of the woods, and they'd help him get there it was the last thing they did!

Though it took a lot of effort to push down her emotions when Shadow asked what that yell was. Krystal....didn't want to tell him what he had just done, but she knew he'd find out eventually. Forcing those thoughts out of her head, she kept her focus, visibly nodding at Shadow despite the fact that he probably couldn't see her "I-it's....It's nothing, Shadow. Don't worry about it."

As Shadow wretched control back to himself for the tiniest of seconds, a spark of hope flickered in Krystal's mind. He was doing it! It was brief, and it had taken a lot of effort, but he had it for a second there! That spark of hope was fanned when Shadow started speaking to her, delivering his ultimatum of what he wanted her to do. Krystal looked a bit hesitant "B-but.." she started, before Shadow interrupted her. If he had had control of his face, Krystal could have sworn that he'd have that confident smirk of his. And it was that image that, not only reassured Krystal, but also made her want to punch him in the face. Which, she guessed, was the point "....Alright. I'm not gonna hold back. Let's do this!" With that rallying cry, Krystal tighten the grip on her staff as Shadow bolted off to attack Pac-Man

Though her senses were pretty sharp, because as soon as Shadow doubled back to try and kick her in the head, she planted her staff into the ground, and a light blue barrier shone around her, blocking Shadow's foot from making contact

(Krystal shields Shadow's roundhouse kick! Shield = 45 - 13 - 10 = 22)

As Shadow flew back from her shield, Krystal quickly turned around started swinging at him with her staff. She wasn't expecting to hit him, but it was forcing him back into a better position then what she was in

Ff8xnh5Ip_1d20+2 (Krystal's Staff Combat: DMG 5%)

p_1d20+2 (Again)

p_1d20+2 (And again)

After pushing Shadow back, Krystal held her staff behind her as she leapt up into the air with a burst of flames behind her. Reaching the peak of her jump, she twirled her staff over her head for a second before bringing it down over Shadow's head, hopefully disorientating him...or whatever was controlling him at this point.

p_1d20+2 (Krystal's Rocket Quake! DMG 20%, 40% chance to Stun)

Landing on the ground again, Krystal swung her staff in front of her again, but she didn't aim it at Shadow. Instead, she planted it in the ground, cool energy starting to charge up in the tip for a second before a cone of cold blasted toward Shadow from the head of the staff, icicles forming around the head

p_1d20+2 (Krystal's uncharged Ice Blaster! DMG 20%. Changes Krystal's staff effects to Ice)

---

Krystal

HP: 115/145

Shield: 22/45

Cooldown: Rocket Quake (3)

Ice Blaster (2)

1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+2

[cynda1]

Shadow missed his Homing attack, and as a result, wasn’t quite able to avoid… Well, any of Pac Man’s attacks, really. Every single one of them managed to hit Super Shadow, making it easier for Shadow to hold himself back with every connected attack. Shadow’s chaos controlled body wasn’t exactly pleased by this, but at this point he had already targeted Krystal. The cream colored hedgehog rushed himself toward Krystal, and would’ve hit her too. Unfortunately for him, he had forgotten about the shield technique.

Well, Shadow didn’t really, but it seemed that way.

Shadow managed to avoid every swipe of Krystal’s staff despite his inner self trying to keep him from moving, but there was no avoiding the attacks that came next. Shadow felt his limbs become numb for a second, and this was felt by his inner self as well, if slightly. “Krystal, I think it’s starting to wo-!” Before Shadow could finish his thought, Krystal had blasted the super hedgehog with a freezing cold attack causing the hedgehog to let out a yelp.

Welp… she seemed to be enjoying this. Perhaps a bit too much, but whatever worked. Now that he thought about it, so was Pac Man. He never had this conversation with him, so why was he suddenly so keen on attacking him?

Shadow managed to get a hold of the light again, and this time managed to get just enough control to look over at Pac Man who was… frankly not very pleased with him at all. Seemed like Shadow did something to upset him somehow, but what? The angered expression on Pac Man’s face wasn’t something that people would normally see, and Shadow himself had only seen him with either a smile or an otherwise innocent expression. The glare he was giving him now was… downright unsettling.

Shadow managed to gain control for a total of fifteen seconds, allowing him to turn to see Krystal, who seemed on guard and… slightly emotional. He understood the on guard bit, but why was she so upset? Shadow shook his head which unintentionally caused him to lose control again, causing the hedgehog to growl in frustration. Regardless, he couldn’t get stuck on the details. He had a job to do. “Krystal,” Shadow shouted out again. “Krystal, I think it’s working. I was able to keep control longer that time. Keep going!”

---

Super Shadow
Health: 363/500
Control Gained: 55%

[heirtothemonado]

Well, to say Krystal was enjoying this slightly would be an....understatement. As concerned as Krystal was for Shadow's well-being, she admittedly found it rather cathartic to hammer Shadow's face in after all the snark and the callous "better-then-you" attitude that had plagued her since she'd met him. And hey, if it was working as well as Shadow said it was, then who was she to leave him hanging? Smiling slightly in Shadow's direction when it looked like he was in control of himself, she swung her staff at him again, ice particles raining off of both ends. Her emotions were a little more under control now. Perhaps it had something to do with whacking the snot out of Shadow, but it was a pretty good stress reliever if nothing else

5ObQF5X5p_1d20+2 (Krystal's Staff Combat! 5% DMG, 10% chance to Freeze!)

p_1d20+2 (Again)

p_1d20+2 (And again)

Her swings a little more on point this time, Krystal didn't let up on her assault. Shadow was counting on her to take him down, so she wasn't about to disappoint him. Even if he did just take out Zera effortlessly. And was trying to do the same to her and Pac. Even though that wasn't his fault. Even though....even though....even though....

That train of thought stopping dead in its tracks, Krystal pushed it aside. That didn't matter now. Shadow posed a threat, and it was her duty to the Life Sphere to take him out.

p_1d20+5 (Krystal sacrifices two actions to perform a CRIT revved up Gatling Gun! Guaranteed 22% DMG)

p_1d20+5 (Crit confirm for an additional 22%!)

---

Krystal

Health: 115/145

Shield: 22/45

Cooldowns: Rocket Quake (2), Ice Blaster (1)

Status: Kinda enjoying herself, ngl

1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+2·1d20+5·1d20+5

[PacAttack]

Well, that should be enough of a return for that trip earlier. 

Pac-Man pulled himself back to out and kept his eyes on Shadow.  That burning in his belly was still there and he kept his mitts held tight, attempting to keep himself held back to a certain degree.  It wasn't working as well as he would have liked.  He was getting conflicted feelings on how to feel but the overwhelming was a boot-stomping anger.  He was past confusion at this point and was more wanting to put down Shadow at this point.  After losing that cat from earlier, he was clearly a threat.  Maybe the blue fox got the idea too.  Either way, he wasn't going to get put up on the trophy rack long as he was still kicking.

p5NWAKcKp_1d20+2=17 (Bonus Fruit Bell, 2 actions for 12% dmg and 100% to stun.)

Pac took some steps back and let Krystal thwack Shadow over the head with that staff of hers.  He took a minute to hold out his hand and look down onto it, pulling his focus back into it for a bit.  A bell popped up into his hand to which Pac quickly grabbed and ran over to the two and dropped the blocky present upon Shadow.

p_1d20+1=16 (Rev Roll for 15%)

He skidded to a stop and began to kick his feet up into a flurry again before letting it rip at Shadow.  Rev Rolling was his thing; no way he was gonna let someone 1-Up him on that.

---

Pac-Man

HP 118/155

SH 50/50

1d20·1d20

[cynda1]

Shadow felt a grunt slip out at after every attack, with the exception of one, made its mark. It seemed like… someone was having a little too much fun with this. Shadow let out a bit of a chuckle at this, even if it lacked quite a bit of energy. Shadow kept going at the light and this time managed to gain control long enough to attempt at pulling his inhibitor rings off. The task was easier said than done as, as it seemed like they were either glued to his wrists, or he still hadn’t gained enough control to gain access to enough strength to take it off.

Either way, Shadow let out a pained grunt as he felt the pain was starting to get too much again. The hedgehog felt his ire start to increase again as his head started to become chaotic again. Shadow hummed at the intense pain as he struggled to pull the ring off again. A powerful aura rang out as Shadow let out a yelp before losing control again. However, this attempt seemed to be too much for his body to handle as he let out a grunt and dropped to one of his knees.

“Don’t let up, Krystal,” Shadow panted as he dragged himself back to the light. “We’re close now, but I need you to give it everything you have now. Hold nothing back! Don’t let me recover, not even an ounce!” Shadow glanced over at Krystal, apparently with enough wherewithal to nod at her. “I’m going at this one more time… Give me the best shot you can! I know you’ve got more in you than that, Krystal!”

Could he… could he be insinuating..?

Krystal, Pac Man! Shadow wants you to give it everything you’ve got! Let’s finish this strong now! Unleash your Final Smashes! Full power! You don't have to use your final smash if you don't think it's the most effective.

---

Super Shadow
Health: 284/500
Control Gained: 87%

[heirtothemonado]

Pausing her assault for a brief moment, Krystal nodded at Shadow as he dragged himself back to his feet. He looked like he was in such rough shape. Which meant that she and Pac were doing their job, but at the same time...she didn't want to overdo it. No matter how good giving Shadow a couple whacks felt. Though, Shadow encouraged her not to hold back. There were almost there, she could feel it. They just needed a bit more of a push....That's it!

"Everything?" Krystal asked, a small smirk forming on her muzzle. "Well, alright. Just remember, you asked for it" With that, Krystal....put her staff away. What? Was she not going to attack Shadow anymore? Her smirk never left her face as she pulled out what looked like a small radio. Holding it up to her mouth, she started speaking commands into it "Ordering air strike. Location: Evershade Valley."

A few moments passed, before what sounded like a jet engine sounded overhead, growing louder and louder as....something was growing closer. Suddenly, through the gaps in the trees,

It was some sort of light aircraft! Specifically, it was Krystal's Cloud Runner craft! Flying low over the clearing, the Cloud Runner zoomed overhead before disappearing just as quickly. But all was not silent, as the roaring of several missiles filled the air. The Cloud Runner had carpet bombed the entire area!

(Krystal has activated her Final Smash: Cloud Runner Strike! Deals 40% damage to all enemies. So....just Shadow.)

---

Krystal

Health: 115/145

Shield: 22/45

Status: Final Smash Spent

[PacAttack]

Pac slid to a stop and caught himself.  This guy was still taking it, huh.  His tendency to fight back was off too.  Almost like he wanted to be hit.  Pac-Man didn't understand it.  He couldn't be enjoying it.  Er, well.  Could he?  Maybe this was one of those guys that liked being in scraps.

Krystal's voice had caught his attention as he looked over at her.  She was putting the staff away.  She was done, he supposed.  It was at the mentioning of "air strike" that made Pac impulsively let out a loud waka in response.  He wasn't taking any chances.  He booked it across the ground and dove behind a knocked over tree before hunkered down.  Jeez, why was everyone's idea just to blow everything up?

Enough of him was raised over to show his eyes as he watched the aircraft fly over and carpet bomb the area.  Yeah, he wasn't going to rush in for more shots at him during that.  From here though, he could probably pick off a few.  Maybe make it harder for him to evade it.  Pac-Man rolled back over and started his pixel crafting again before turning back around and chucking some more oddities at Shadow.

ohJrWPGtp_1d20+2=3 (Bonus fruit Galaxian, two actions for 22% and 50% chance to inflict disabled on random stat)

p_1d20+1=12 (Bonus fruit Melon for 20%))

_____________

Pac-Man

HP 118/155

SH 50/50

1d20·1d20

[cynda1]

Shadow squinted at Krystal, and though it still seemed incredibly crazed, the fox could definitely take it as a sign that Shadow knew very well what he was getting himself into. Now, whether he was prepared for it or not was another story, but that didn’t really matter, now did it? All that mattered was allowing Shadow the ability to take his inhibitor rings off, and if that meant that he’d get hurt a little more than he was prepared for, then that was a chance he was willing to take.

Shadow was definitely confused by the several minutes of feeling no pain at all, but the hedgehog was certain something big was coming. Shadow blinked and looked upward after Krystal called for her air strike. In a flash, an aircraft flew right over Shadow, launching missiles and other artillery at the hedgehog, most of which he may have been able to dodge if he tried, though there was quite a bit of doubt even in normal cases. Here, however, the hedgehog forced himself not to move a muscle, taking the attack head on.

Thanks to this attack, Super Shadow was forced in a sitting position, but the weary hedgehog still insisted upon standing. The hedgehog then started making his way toward the vixen again, though the chaos energy in control had to try to drag the hedgehog forward, and even then Shadow wouldn’t let it get far. Shadow reached forward at the vixen before feeling something smack him at the back of his head hard. The second one hit him on the back, and finally Shadow managed to gain control again just as he was about to turn toward Pac Man.

Shadow grunted as he struggled to reach at the inhibitor ring on his wrist and gripped around it enough to substantially start pulling at it. However, the chaos energy continued to try to overwhelm him from pushing through. Shadow let out a growl in pain as he forced himself to grab onto the ring with his entire might, but even then it didn’t seem like it was quite enough to make it budge. No… no this couldn’t not be enough. He just needed to try harder, that’s all.

Shadow screwed his eyes shut as he tried to focus as much as he could, but he still couldn’t quite get it to budge enough. Why wasn’t this working? Had he not been damaged enough? Was he not invested enough in this? If this didn’t work, everyone was gonna die. Everyone who’d worked to help him get this far, everyone who made him who he was today, and the people he was sworn to protect whether it be because of Maria’s request or his own volition, he’d be the one to destroy all of it.

If that wasn’t enough to motivate Shadow to tear this stupid ring off, then… then… maybe he really wasn’t as strong as he thought he was.

“Shadow.”

Shadow heard that sweet voice again, and it caused a chill to run down his spine for a split second, but… “Shadow, please don’t give up,” as she kept going, Shadow slowly felt relieved by the voice. “Everyone on this planet is counting on you.”

“Maria,” Shadow spoke back to her, starting to get overwhelmed by the energy again. “I… I don’t think I’m strong enough… I can’t stop this and… and it’s all my fault. I’m gonna…”

“Shadow, listen to me,” Maria spoke up again. “If you fail, everything you’ve done in this world and ours would’ve been a waste. The friendships you’ve made will all be a waste. Everyone you’ve seen and will see will die, but before all that, before any of that… you’d have been a waste. And you’re more than that. You’re more than this! You’re more than what Grandfather or even I ever imagined!” Upon hearing those words, Shadow finally managed to get the ring to budge just a bit, allowing a wave of energy to burst out.

It might’ve been enough of a sign to let the other two know that it was probably best to get to hiding.

“See? That raw power is the most superficial thing about you, and yet there’s so much of it,” Maria continued trying to push Shadow. “And you’re so much more than that power. So much more than your title. You are Shadow the Hedgehog. Now grab that ring, and save your friends!”

Shadow let out a massive yell as he forced the first ring off of his wrist a little more, more and more energy streaming off of him, sending everything around him flying away from him. The hedgehog let off a grunt as it slid a bit more, the hedgehog starting to hear the intense sounds in his head again before letting out a roar as he finally pushed the ring all the way off and onto the ground. To Shadow’s surprise, this was enough for the other ring to simply roll off his other wrist.

The moment this happened, Shadow felt a pit of dread in his stomach before letting out one more yell as his entire body was surrounded in a yellow light before that energy bursted out in all directions. If the two fighters didn’t make an effort to avoid this energy, they wouldn’t get off unscathed.

Everyone! Roll a CON roll and whatever number you get will be subtracted from a 100% damage received. It’s massive, I know, but this is a result of defeating a crazed Super Shadow, and the infinite power from the Chaos Emeralds. Yeah. It’s gonna be a lot. So just do your best to resist it. Even if you took the whole 100% no one here is gonna fall from 100% anyway.

The wave of energy continued to spread across the forest, causing the entire woods within the radius of the wave to completely crumble, and anything hit by the subsequent wave wasn’t caught unscathed either. Once it finally died down, the Evershade Woods was met with silence… dead silence.

In the center of that was a cream colored hedgehog who was just barely keeping himself on his feet. He looked as if even twitching would cause him to fall over. However, it turned out it wouldn’t be a breeze that would fall the hedgehog. No, instead, the course was rather natural. The cream color from Super Shadow finally died down, and his spent red eyes caught the eyes of Krystal… the striped hedgehog smiled at her wearily, somehow bringing himself to move forward, dragging himself to Krystal.

Of course, he didn’t quite get to her before collapsing face first into the dirt, but… it seemed like he tried to say something before caving in to the sweet embrace of darkness once again.

It was finished. Shadow had finally been stopped. Krystal and Pac Man have done it.

Shadow
Health: 0/155
Control: 100%
Mission Complete! Well done, everyone!

Mission Complete!

[PacAttack]

Pac-Man rose up from behind the log again to see the damage.  Shadow stood there and took it.  Didn't move a muscle from the approaching missiles which further added to his confusion.  He couldn't tell if he wasn't wanting to be taken down or not.  All he knew is that he wasn't going to be standing near that mess when it happened.  Luckily, Pac's old-school antics had managed to draw his attention away from Krystal.  The yellow hero slumped down onto the log, allowing himself to rest.  He wasn't aching too bad but with how inconsistent the super hedgehog was acting he wanted to be ready for anything.

From where he laid, he kept his eyes on the golden one.  He was now pulling at the rings on his wrist.  Well, at least he wasn't trying to go for his or Krystal's throat again.  He shifted his gaze over towards the blue vixen for a moment and shot her a look before going back towards the golden hedgehog.  There was not a sliver of clue when this was going to end.

The wave of energy caused him to pick himself back up.  He was back to screaming his head off again.  Here we go again. Pac-Man got back on his feet ready to move.  The yowling only got worse and worse.  Some unease crawled up from his legs and into the rest of him.  If this was anything like before, now would be a good time to start running.  Pac-Man cupped his hands together and hollered something towards Krystal before pulling a 180 and taking off for shelter.

11 (Pac-Man's CON roll.  Takes 89 damage.)

Running as fast as he could, he wasn't getting away from this one.  That golden light caught him and sent his round self careening through the woods, crashing through tree after tree before they were caught by the same blast.  It was a lot more than what he experienced last time, almost like Shadow had been showing mercy on him.  The rapid sound of wood snapping would likely have been mixed in with bone if he had any.  The last of the momentum he had caught was used to bounce him off of the ground and send him rolling into a rough patch of soil.  His legs kicked up over his head before falling down limp in their proper place. 

His adventuring days hadn't prepared him for this.  Usually, he could would deal with things rather simply.  Leave during the morning, take care of a few tasks, smack some baddies around, and be back and washed up for the Mrs cooking.  Here, it probably been no less than an afternoon and he felt like he had a massive spaceship crash onto him from orbit.  Somewhere in that ballpark at least.

If any of them could hear it, a distant 'yow' was let out as Pac-Man managed to rolled himself over onto his back.  Everything hurt.  Pretty bad too.  It took him a moment to get back up.  Might've been quicker if he had a power pellet.  Stumbling around into was was left of the woods, he eventually made his way back to the center point of the explosion.  There wasn't anything left to look at.  He had taken the woods out with him.  The only thing he noted as he forced himself onward was his footsteps and his heavy breathing. 

Once he had reached the center, he took a moment to rest and eased himself down onto the ground.  He stretched his arms back to support the upright seating and took another breath.  This was going to be one for the books.  The yellow man took a moment to let his sort body rest.  Shadow was still going after that somehow.  He was looking in worse shape than Pac.  A gust of wind would probably have took what was left of him.

Whenever Krystal had gotten back to the epicenter of hurricane Shadow, Pac-Man turned his self in her direction and shot her a shaky smile.  It was more of a 'we did it' kind of look than anything.  He had a good feeling she was probably going through the same aching he was going through at the moment.  He turned back to Shadow for a moment before looking back at her.  Something would of come out of his mouth but he didn't have words at the moment.  His gaze returned back to the vaporized forest in front of him.  He sat there quietly before he suddenly he started to get back up.  Perhaps too quick as he stumbled backwards before catching himself.  Pac-Man looked around the area for a moment before seeing it.  It was rather easy with everything else in the area gone.  Zeraora's overturned trophy some ways off.  Wrapping his mitts around it, he picked it up and carried it back over to the others. 

Pac-Man wasn't looking very happy.  He just sort of had this blank look on his face as he carried the trophy upright over his head.  The only thing he did was look at Krystal in the eyes before nudging his head in Shadow's direction.  Hopefully she'd get the idea.  He wasn't feeling very talkative at the moment.  This wasn't the first time he had to carry back the fallen and he was hoping it wouldn't become a trend.

(Pac-Man is leaving the thread.)

---

Pac-Man

HP 29/155

SH 50/50

[heirtothemonado]

As the Cloud Runner flew away again, Krystal pointed her staff at Shadow once again, having taken it out to shield herself against the impending air strike. She was intending to try and do more damage, but then stopped herself. Shadow looked like he was ready to drop. She didn't want to overdo it and risk trophifying him no matter what he told her to do. That'd just be going too far

However, holding herself back didn't seem to be necessary. Shadow seemed to have enough control over himself to try and pull his inhibitor rings off. While Krystal wanted to encourage him to keep going, she needed to try to find cover. If Shadow did manage to get those things off, there was no telling what might happen to him. Not to mention the surrounding area. 

A few minutes of Shadow struggling with his rings later, Krystal heard an ominous thunk as one of them hit the ground. Shortly followed by another one. Swiftly spinning around to face Shadow again, Krystal was ready to run...

And then time seemed to stop.

A scream of pain echoed throughout the entire area Shadow finally got his rings off. Krystal tried turning toward the source of the scream, but she was quickly blinded by the sheer amount of energy that had surrounded Shadow. She only had a split second to get away before the inevitable energy release happened.

hK5gZp4Wp_1d20-1 (Krystal's CON resistance: 100 - 2 = 98% Damage taken. Oof, sorry Krystal)

There was no where for her to go in such short notice, and even if there was she simply wasn't able to move fast enough. As Krystal was trying to clamber away from the ticking time bomb, the energy surrounding Shadow released, and Krystal was engulfed by the vast majority of the blast.

"AARGGGH!" Krystal screamed in pain, almost matching the one Shadow had let loose earlier, the boundless amount of energy burning at her body as it washed over her, and if that weren't enough, the force of the energy wave sent her careening backward into multiple tree trunks. Finally, after what felt like hours, the pain started subside and the energy started to die down. Krystal slumped down against a tree that had been snapped clean in half, her entire body aching, from her burning limbs to her very bruised back. Still, gritting her teeth, she forced herself to stand up and hobble over to where she thought Shadow was.

Leaning on her staff heavily, Krystal limped past Pac-Man, flashing him a weak smile that dissolved into a painful grimace, before she finally found her way to Shadow, and the poor hedgehog seemed to be in really rough shape, He tried to say something to her as he stumbled very weakly in her direction, but it didn't come out before he collapsed into the dirt. Flinching as Pac-Man nudged her toward Shadow, she turned to him and nodded, looking away quickly before her eyes lingered in Zera's trophy for too long. Hopefully she'd be okay...

Limping to where Shadow lay, Krystal knelt down, and with a pained grunt of effort, she lifted him into her arms, his short size making it rather easy to carry him. Shadow's eyes were shut, and it didn't look like he was conscious, but Krystal still hugged him protectively against her chest. He'd been through so much, it was the least she could do to make sure he got back to the Life Sphere safely.

As she began to carry him back, a soft pink light began shining from around her neck. The emotion collar that she'd been wearing for a while started shining in a pink light, before the light separated from the collar and came to rest on Shadow's head. As soon as the light touched him, Krystal felt a....connection with him. It wasn't her telepathy, but something else. Something she had never felt before. She couldn't quite place what it was, but....it felt good. Like she was stronger just from having Shadow around. With that thought calming her rampant emotions, she limped after Pac-Man. They all needed a long rest after tonight.

(Krystal has bonded her Super Smash Amalgamation with Shadow! Both of them receive a stat boost when in threads together)

(END OF PRESENCE)

1d20-1