"I can't believe it's been more than a year already," Shadow said as he walked through the forest with Amy alongside him. "I still remember you crying pitifully." Amy replied, "Hey! I was a weak little girl back then. Now, I'm different." Shadow shrugged and kept walking. She did have a point, though. Amy had indeed changed since her training began. She was well on her way to becoming a strong, capable young woman. As he thought on that, an idea came to him.
They soon came to a clearing. As they got closer, Amy recognized it as the very spot where her training began. "Huh?" As she voiced her confusion, Shadow walked ahead to a nearby rock. Her Piko Piko Hammer was still there, waiting. "What's going on, Shadow?" He began tapping the hammer handle rhythmically and said, "It's time to see how ready you are." While Amy didn't understand at first, she quickly got the message. "So, if I'm able to get my hammer back, then my training is over?" Shadow nodded. "That was the deal, Amy."
"Just like that?" Amy asked.
"Just like that," Shadow confirmed.
Amy looked disheartened. After all this time, all the months she's spent with Shadow, it would all be over. They would go their separate ways. She knew this day would come, and yet, the reality of it was almost...heartbreaking. "Well?" Shadow said, "Get to it." Amy looked directly at him and said, "No." Shadow blinked and asked, "What do you mean, 'No'"? Amy sighed and answered, "I don't want this to end. These eighteen months have been the best months of my life. I don't want it to be over." Shadow understood where she was coming from. Still...
"Every journey has an end, Amy, and yours has been fruitful. Now it's time to harvest that fruit." Amy was still hesitant. "Shadow, I don't understand. This is too sudden. Why now?" Shadow continued tapping the hammer. "I don't believe I need a reason to end your training if you've learned all you can." Amy started protest once more, but Shadow cut her off and shouted, "Enough! Stop whining and get your damn hammer back!"
Amy flinched at the sudden outburst. Then she sighed and walked over to where he stood, trying her best not to cry. Shadow continued to tap the hammer handle as he watched her get closer. When she stood before the handle, he tapped it one last time and moved to the side. Amy slowly reached for the hilt...and as she was about to grab it, an unknown force hit her, and she was flung across the clearing. Amy instinctively got up and asked "What the heck was... What did you...?"
Shadow smirked and brought out his gray Chaos Emerald. "I charged the hammer with Chaos Energy at the last moment." Amy blinked at that. "I don't get it. How am I supposed to get it out if I don't know how to...use..." Shadow remained silent as the realization slowly dawned on her.
Amy gasped. "You're serious??" Shadow nodded. "I can learn how-"
"-to use Chaos Energy, yes." Shadow answered.
"But I thought..."
"I know. You've made more progress than I anticipated, however, so I've decided to extend your training," Shadow explained. "If it's really been that enjoyable, I suppose you should get all you can out of it." Amy remained still for a few moments, and Shadow wondered if she was in shock. His wonderings were eradicated when Amy let out a loud "SQUEE!!" and glomped him. "Thank you, Shadow! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!" Shadow growled from the close contact, irritably wondering if there were some things about this girl that would never change. After a moment, however, he awkwardly returned the hug and said, "You are very welcome, Amy. You've earned this chance, I feel." Amy hugged him a little tighter when she heard that. "Now please let go of me or else."
Amy quickly released him and stood back, grinning in anticipation. "Now then, to begin. Do you know how Chaos Energy works, by any chance, Amy?" he asked. Amy closed her eyes in thought. "Let's see...it transforms one's thoughts, if strong enough, into power." Shadow nodded in confirmation. "Any thought, positive or negative, can be used and channeled through the energy. It's relatively easy, but not everyone can do it. First, you will need to find a Chaos Emerald to use."
"Can't I use yours?" she asked. "Yes and no. Part of your training is getting used to sensing its energy. Once you've learned that, you can find your own to use for practice in using its energy. I'm very skilled at this. So are Knuckles and Rouge, mainly because they're both treasure hunters, but Knuckles has an edge, most likely thanks to his status as Guardian of the Master Emerald." "That's right!" Amy exclaimed, "He did mention having to find the Master Emerald shards once!" Shadow asked, "Why's that?" Amy answered, "Long story." She then added with an irritated huff, "Ask Rouge."
"...Okay. Anyway, you need to be able to do this yourself. If you can sense an Emerald's power, using it won't be as difficult. Now, try to focus on my Chaos Emerald." Shadow held out the Emerald for her. Amy closed her eyes and focused, stretching out toward it. Shadow waited patiently for a few minutes. After a while, the Emerald began to flash for a split second. Amy's expression hardened further the more she concentrated. In turn, the Emerald flashed a second and third time, each flash slightly less subtle. Eventually, Amy collapsed from the strain.
"Hmm. As I thought; you have the potential, but it's weak." Amy tried to catch her breath and asked, "How am I *pant* supposed to get better *pant* at this?" Shadow answered, "The same way you got stronger physically, Practice. Your focus needs to be sharper and you're too tense. We'll have to work on that, all right?" Amy nodded with a smile. Mentioning Amy's physical training reminded Shadow... "By the way, what was with you yesterday?" Amy blinked in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?" Shadow continued, "You know what I mean. You got carried away during our training the other day. The yelling, the erratic attacks, the heavy breathing, the *ahem* kiss..."
"Wait...I k-kissed you?" Amy asked. "Yes. You did," Shadow confirmed. Amy blushed at this. She couldn't possibly tell him how good their sparring sessions made her feel. For all she knew, he might get disgusted and leave. "Um, well, I guess...I got overexcited?" Shadow glared suspiciously and said, "Clearly. Take it easy from now on, ok?"
"All right, Shadow," Amy relented. At the same time, she thought to herself, 'I can't help it...when I'm around you...' As Shadow began explaining more about Chaos Energy and its potential, she found herself half listening and more watching him as he spoke, and her heart, for whatever reason, skipped a beat.
They soon came to a clearing. As they got closer, Amy recognized it as the very spot where her training began. "Huh?" As she voiced her confusion, Shadow walked ahead to a nearby rock. Her Piko Piko Hammer was still there, waiting. "What's going on, Shadow?" He began tapping the hammer handle rhythmically and said, "It's time to see how ready you are." While Amy didn't understand at first, she quickly got the message. "So, if I'm able to get my hammer back, then my training is over?" Shadow nodded. "That was the deal, Amy."
"Just like that?" Amy asked.
"Just like that," Shadow confirmed.
Amy looked disheartened. After all this time, all the months she's spent with Shadow, it would all be over. They would go their separate ways. She knew this day would come, and yet, the reality of it was almost...heartbreaking. "Well?" Shadow said, "Get to it." Amy looked directly at him and said, "No." Shadow blinked and asked, "What do you mean, 'No'"? Amy sighed and answered, "I don't want this to end. These eighteen months have been the best months of my life. I don't want it to be over." Shadow understood where she was coming from. Still...
"Every journey has an end, Amy, and yours has been fruitful. Now it's time to harvest that fruit." Amy was still hesitant. "Shadow, I don't understand. This is too sudden. Why now?" Shadow continued tapping the hammer. "I don't believe I need a reason to end your training if you've learned all you can." Amy started protest once more, but Shadow cut her off and shouted, "Enough! Stop whining and get your damn hammer back!"
Amy flinched at the sudden outburst. Then she sighed and walked over to where he stood, trying her best not to cry. Shadow continued to tap the hammer handle as he watched her get closer. When she stood before the handle, he tapped it one last time and moved to the side. Amy slowly reached for the hilt...and as she was about to grab it, an unknown force hit her, and she was flung across the clearing. Amy instinctively got up and asked "What the heck was... What did you...?"
Shadow smirked and brought out his gray Chaos Emerald. "I charged the hammer with Chaos Energy at the last moment." Amy blinked at that. "I don't get it. How am I supposed to get it out if I don't know how to...use..." Shadow remained silent as the realization slowly dawned on her.
Amy gasped. "You're serious??" Shadow nodded. "I can learn how-"
"-to use Chaos Energy, yes." Shadow answered.
"But I thought..."
"I know. You've made more progress than I anticipated, however, so I've decided to extend your training," Shadow explained. "If it's really been that enjoyable, I suppose you should get all you can out of it." Amy remained still for a few moments, and Shadow wondered if she was in shock. His wonderings were eradicated when Amy let out a loud "SQUEE!!" and glomped him. "Thank you, Shadow! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!" Shadow growled from the close contact, irritably wondering if there were some things about this girl that would never change. After a moment, however, he awkwardly returned the hug and said, "You are very welcome, Amy. You've earned this chance, I feel." Amy hugged him a little tighter when she heard that. "Now please let go of me or else."
Amy quickly released him and stood back, grinning in anticipation. "Now then, to begin. Do you know how Chaos Energy works, by any chance, Amy?" he asked. Amy closed her eyes in thought. "Let's see...it transforms one's thoughts, if strong enough, into power." Shadow nodded in confirmation. "Any thought, positive or negative, can be used and channeled through the energy. It's relatively easy, but not everyone can do it. First, you will need to find a Chaos Emerald to use."
"Can't I use yours?" she asked. "Yes and no. Part of your training is getting used to sensing its energy. Once you've learned that, you can find your own to use for practice in using its energy. I'm very skilled at this. So are Knuckles and Rouge, mainly because they're both treasure hunters, but Knuckles has an edge, most likely thanks to his status as Guardian of the Master Emerald." "That's right!" Amy exclaimed, "He did mention having to find the Master Emerald shards once!" Shadow asked, "Why's that?" Amy answered, "Long story." She then added with an irritated huff, "Ask Rouge."
"...Okay. Anyway, you need to be able to do this yourself. If you can sense an Emerald's power, using it won't be as difficult. Now, try to focus on my Chaos Emerald." Shadow held out the Emerald for her. Amy closed her eyes and focused, stretching out toward it. Shadow waited patiently for a few minutes. After a while, the Emerald began to flash for a split second. Amy's expression hardened further the more she concentrated. In turn, the Emerald flashed a second and third time, each flash slightly less subtle. Eventually, Amy collapsed from the strain.
"Hmm. As I thought; you have the potential, but it's weak." Amy tried to catch her breath and asked, "How am I *pant* supposed to get better *pant* at this?" Shadow answered, "The same way you got stronger physically, Practice. Your focus needs to be sharper and you're too tense. We'll have to work on that, all right?" Amy nodded with a smile. Mentioning Amy's physical training reminded Shadow... "By the way, what was with you yesterday?" Amy blinked in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?" Shadow continued, "You know what I mean. You got carried away during our training the other day. The yelling, the erratic attacks, the heavy breathing, the *ahem* kiss..."
"Wait...I k-kissed you?" Amy asked. "Yes. You did," Shadow confirmed. Amy blushed at this. She couldn't possibly tell him how good their sparring sessions made her feel. For all she knew, he might get disgusted and leave. "Um, well, I guess...I got overexcited?" Shadow glared suspiciously and said, "Clearly. Take it easy from now on, ok?"
"All right, Shadow," Amy relented. At the same time, she thought to herself, 'I can't help it...when I'm around you...' As Shadow began explaining more about Chaos Energy and its potential, she found herself half listening and more watching him as he spoke, and her heart, for whatever reason, skipped a beat.
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