𝙎𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙘 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙜: 𝙉𝙤 𝙒𝙖𝙮 𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚!

      The battle of heroes and villains at an abandoned oil station in the Pacific Ocean was still ongoing. Infinite pressed Tikal to the wall, cuffing her hands with red cubes like handcuffs. The sorceress Echidna rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, saying: — Well, really it was impossible to do without such an adult hint? I'm still a lady. The jackal stuck out his claws from his right hand and swooped in, preparing to wound the echidna, when a piko-piko hammer flew at him and threw the jackal towards the empty barrels of fuel. — Don't expect to stop me! — he answered, getting back to his feet. Tikal at this time broke through her teeth the red cubes that kept her chained to the wall. Infinite again looked menacingly at Tikal, and Sonic attacked him alone, grabbing him from the back. He releases blue lightning from himself and electrocutes the jackal. — It won’t work out for you, Sonic. — he answered him, grinning, and vice versa, he deliberately began to absorb his lightning, and then he splashed out a bunch of red lightning, throwing away Sonic and Tikal, who at that time was trying to attack from the front. — You can't stop me! Tikal and Sonic were not going to give up and got back on their feet. They tried to attack the jackal again, when suddenly they froze in place. They were enveloped in a blue glowing aura. They couldn't move from their spot. Just look around and say: — Silver? — Sonic asked alone. — Leave them! They are mine! — the psychokinetic jackal asked with a stern look. — As you say! — Infinite answered and walked away. — Just don't help me! — Are you sure? — Silver asked sternly. — Silver, don't! — Sonic begged. — Yes. I don't need help! — As you say! — Silver smiled immediately and also, using psychokinesis, moved the device to Infinite’s helmet, putting it on him. The Jackal, of course, did not suspect this and could not know that he would betray him so suddenly. Therefore, he didn’t even have time to do anything. — What? What are you up to? — asked the jackal and was about to remove it, when Silver let go of Tikal and Sonic, and then grabbed Infinite himself with psychokinesis, forcing him to freeze so that he would not try to remove his remedy again. — Let me go! — It's no use, Infinite! — he answers him, turns to Sonic and winks at him. Sonic looks around alone and notices that the others are also doing well, except for Amy, who almost lost in the battle against Reflection. Sonic and Tikal rushed to help her while Silver held Infinite on top of him. Terios throws the hedgehog over himself onto the floor, holding her by the throat. — Apparently I shouldn’t have killed you earlier, when I took you from that island to the ARK colony. — he told her. — I don’t even know you, you liar. — Rose answers and sharply raising her right leg, hits the evil clone of Sonic on the head, forcing him to let go of her and step back a little. He came to his senses and collected a bunch of red energy. — I will teach you to respect yourself! CHAOS BLAST!!! — he shouted. — STOPED!!! — Sonic of this world shouted, trying to protect Amy and as a result he himself fell under the blast wave. He was not injured, but was only pushed away and he flew overboard from the oil station and began to fall down into the sea. Amy quickly got to her feet and ran after him, trying to save him. Reflection wanted to overtake her and stand in her way; the witch stood between the hedgehog and the hedgehog. Amy jumped from the tower and flew down, following Sonic, who was gradually falling into the water. At that very moment, memories of a similar moment flashed before the hedgehog’s eyes during the final battle with the Mitarex, when she also saw her Sonic in the dark waters and also rushed to save him, but once there, she lost consciousness and in the end only Sonic himself woke up and saved herself. This situation from the memories reminded her of the current one with what is happening now and what she is doing at the moment. However, this time Amy will not lose consciousness and will still try to save him. Without bending her arms and legs, she falls faster after Sonic like a swallow and grabs him. In the end, they fell into the water together. Sonic thought they were going to drown, but he was lucky that Amy could swim. Holding the blue hedgehog of this world, the pink hedgehog emerges holding him on her back. While Sonic was catching his breath in fear, Amy quickly moored to an iron column nearby and grabbed onto the fire escape. — Are you okay? — she asked him. — Yes... I’m fine... — Sonic answered alone, a little fearfully. — Tha... Thank... You... Amy! — Come on! Do not mention it! — the hedgehog answers and climbs up the stairs while Sonic held on to her. On the way to the top, in her thoughts she almost cried with joy. After all, she finally saved Sonic herself. Not hers, of course, but she still saved him.

***

      Even Tikal couldn't cope against Terios. He had already managed to throw her to the floor. An evil clone of Sonic with a scar jumps up and prepares to strike from a jump with both legs, when suddenly Shadow himself appears above Tikal with a flash and throws Terios away with both legs. The fake slams his back into the oven and falls. Black-scarlet stands in a fighting stance in front of Terios, and he silently looks at Tikal and nods to her, hinting that he can handle it himself. The sorceress, of course, understood him without words and decided to help Knuckles against Zavok while Sally took over Scourge. Terios stands up and sees Shadow in front of him. — You again? When will you stop interfering? — Never! — the black and scarlet hedgehog answers. — CHAOS BLAST!!! — Terios shouted and extended his left hand forward. A fireball seemed to fly out of his hand and the blast wave pushed Shadow back, but he lands on his haunches and runs to the right, and Terios runs towards him from the left. Both ultimate life forms roll into a ball and roll on top of each other, covered in different waves. Shadow was covered in a red glow, and Terios was covered in blue. Colliding with each other, they were thrown back from each other and both landed on their knees again. The blue one with a scar under his eye notices a bundle of fuel next to him and throws it at the black and scarlet hedgehog. Shadow manages to jump away, jumps onto the column and pushes off from it as if from a wall. Running into Terios, he tried to hit him, but he suddenly shone with a bright flash and disappeared. It was as if he had teleported to the side. — Who did you dare to challenge, impostor? You are not worthy to compete with me and even to be called my copy, for you are not at all like me. — the hedgehog with a scar snapped. — Chaos control! — Shadow whispers to himself and envelops himself in a blue glow. Terios ran away, but Shadow caught up with him, grabbed him by the waist and knocked him to the floor. However, the hedgehog with the scar throws the black-scarlet one over himself and, having flown away, he crashes with his back against a column. Quickly running up to him, the blue hedgehog with a scar quickly hits him in the stomach and chest. So quickly and deftly that each blow can be counted in only a millisecond or an even shorter period of time. Shadow could not fight back and return the blow when Terios stopped, grabbed him by the neck and threw him into the boiler room, hitting his head on the stove. The black-scarlet one could barely get to his feet, as if exhausted, but was not going to give up. — Did you jump, racist? — he snapped, wiping dust from hand to hand. - Don't even try to get up! — but despite Terios’s warning, Shadow still gets up. — I said lie down! You will never defeat me because I am the perfect life form and you are a weakling. — You're wrong. — Shadow answered, catching his breath through groans of pain and again stood in a fighting stance. — We are the same, although not outwardly. But we are both ultimate forms. This fight between us can go on forever, no matter how hard you try to fight me. — Then why are you fighting with me? — Because I don’t want anyone to die because of you and because of me. I too lost my Maria, just like you, Terios. You don't realize it, but we are essentially the same character. You and I have the same biography, but we are different in appearance, because we are from different universes. It's a pity that I only realized this now. Terios pounced on Shadow and pinned him to the wall, grabbing him by the shoulders. Shadow did not resist, but Terios grabbed him by the throat and began to choke him. — Don't waste words. You can't fool me, Shadow. But Shadow suddenly remembered the words of this world's Sonic, who said only three words that awakened memories in him that made him change his mind and join his side. Maybe since Reflection is the same as himself, then maybe it will work on him. — Give... People... A chance! — he said at the last moment before he lost consciousness. Suddenly, Terios's eyes widened and he loosened his grip a little, allowing Shadow to breathe a little. Exactly the same memories as Shadow and his own Maria flashed before his eyes. Only in his memories, instead of Shadow, there was Terios himself. When the memories flashed before him, he let go of the black and scarlet hedgehog and let him catch his breath. At that moment, the movie Sonic attacked Terios, knocked him to the ground and began to choke him. — How dare you attack us? — Sonic asked alone. — Sonic, let him go! — asked Shadow. Sonic alone looked questioningly at Shadow, and he looked at Sonic with his fearful eyes, which begged him not to kill him. Having obeyed him, he also loosens his grip and lets go of Terios. At this moment, Sonic two and Sonic three themselves come running from the sea to the oil station itself. Sonic two turned his attention to Shadow himself, who turned his attention to Sonic two. In appearance and age, he reminded him of the same Sonic from his universe, whom he met for the first time and tried to cast Chaos control until he ran at him, but that’s when he disappeared and ended up in this universe. They looked at each other as if they recognized their counterparts from their worlds and approached each other. — Shadow! — Sonic said two and almost cried from how glad he was to see him. He hugs the black and scarlet hedgehog, to which he is surprised, but for now stands still. Perhaps in his universe, where he himself came from, they will also later become the same friends as he, seeing him and accepting him as one of their own. A little embarrassed, but he also returns the hug. — I missed you so much. You can not even imagine. — In what sense? In your world, am I... Dead? — asked Shadow. — Not that he died, but... He sacrificed himself for the sake of the universe and for the sake of all of us. You saved the entire universe by giving your life. — Sonic Two explained. Shadow also smiled for the first time when he heard this. Apparently it was not in vain that he was created and lived. This is probably what Maria dreamed of, for him to live his life like this, find friends and give his life, saving their lives. Now that he knows about it, he will be prepared for it in advance or try to avoid it, but will still make friends and will always protect them. Sonic one and Sonic three at this time helped Reflection to his feet. He looked at Sonic two hugging Shadow and was a little surprised. He also recognized his Sonic from his world in Sonic Two. — What are they? Cuddling? — Yes, believe it or not, they hug. Because, unlike you, they are friends, not enemies. And especially not rivals. — Sonic Three explained. — Do you understand everything now? Will you no longer attack us and try to kill all of humanity? — Sonic asked alone. He looked at him questioningly, then again at Shadow and Sonic two hugging and replied: — No... I won’t... Apparently you were all right... No ultimate life form... I’m a nonentity. — Come on, Terios! Amy tried to calm him down. — You are no nonsense. — No, its true. I am a real impostor, but he is not. — the hedgehog with a scar pointed at the black-scarlet one. — He is the ultimate life form, not me. Because he realized his mistakes before me and saw friends in enemies. I'm not like that. — Don't despair! — Shadow finished hugging Sonic two and walked up to Terios, kneeling in front of him. — I may not remember anything, but after living a couple of days in this universe, I realized that we were both wrong. Strictly speaking, I am also not a perfect form of life. Perfect people, and especially perfect forms, apparently never exist and cannot exist. After all, each of us decides for ourselves and choose our own path... Depending on the circumstances. I, too, like you, have messed up so much bad stuff, but I won’t allow this to happen again. I will improve in the future and try to be ideal for everyone, so as not to be a soulless bastard anymore. And I advise you to do the same, friend. — having explained all this, Shadow extends his hand to him. He looks first at Shadow, then at his hand, then at the others around him. They are not even angry with him, but on the contrary, they feel sorry for him. — You are right. — Terios smiles and shakes Shadow’s hand. And at this time everything also worked out well for Silver and Infinite. The device completely bypassed the clockwise timer of the lamps and reached zero. Now all the green lights were glowing and Silver finally let him go. — NO-O-O!!! — the jackal shouted and still wanted to remove the device from his own, but it was too late. All his strength disappeared, and he himself stopped levitating in the air and fell to the floor. He began to lie on his side and almost cried, clutching his eyes. — No! My power! I'm a loser again! Silver approached Infinite, knelt in front of him and tried to calm him down: — You’re not a loser at all, Infinite. You don't need any power to achieve anything in life. — It's easy for you to say. You yourself have your own powers. — But I rarely use them in battle. If I have the most powerful enemy in front of me, whom I cannot even physically defeat, then I can sometimes cheat and take advantage of her. But the most important thing is to be responsible for your power and not abuse it for evil or anger. Especially against innocent people. — I've always been a zero. You do not know me well. I needed this power to get revenge on Eggman for what he did to me. You will never understand my pain, because you have never suffered like me. — On the contrary, Infinite. I was still suffering. My universe, where I came from, I also came from the future. In my future, a creature named Iblis was destroying my world, and my partner Blaze and I were trying to destroy it. However, he was revived and returned every time, and we had to kill him again and again. The only way to stop him forever and save the future is to find Iblis in the past and kill him there. However, I was blind then and stupidly fixated on revenge. It's a pity that I only realized this now. Revenge is not the answer, Infinite. I'm sure you too can become good and stop being obsessed with revenge. Maybe with this you will save another Infinite, which you were once in the past, before Eggman did this to you? — the jackal began to look questioningly at the psychokinetic hedgehog. — It’s still inside you, Infinite, very deep, under the crust of your scars. — after saying this, he extends his hand to him. The jackal first looks at the floor and at his right palm. He needed some time to come to terms with his past and accept this harsh reality. After shedding a couple of tears and again making a stern look, he looks at Silver and takes his hand. — Sorry... I was wrong. — he said to the hedgehog and the latter helps him get to his feet.