Shatter Me, Entry 4: LOVE or HATE?
''For example, if I let my hair sway a little, will the voice I hear be LOVE or HATE? Do whatever you like, no matter what they say, I won't stop walking. Unstoppable news, they'll forget it tomorrow. Today is better than yesterday, believing leads to a big victory. Sync with the rhythm, I want to be swaying, but the outsiders are noisy, noise canceling. For example, if I trace my finger a little, will your choice be LOVE or HATE? Do whatever you like, make your cheeks turn red and spitting, boy. Differences in hobbies, differences in peace of mind, even if I confuse you my path is shaped by just LOVE or HATE.''
– LOVE or HATE? by Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord
xXxXxXx
''Keep up, Faker! I know you can do better!''
Shadow narrowed his eyes, keeping a close eye on the Blue Blur before him as both skated past the greenery, determined not to lose to his rival. Unlike all the other times, where he was fine acknowledging Sonic's speed and strength, this was a battle he couldn't afford to lose. He was determined to win, no matter the methods he would use. He needed to win this, for his own sake.
''Don't underestimate me!''
A cheerful laugh echoed in Shadow's ears echoed as he and Sonic weaved through this area of Green Hill. Shadow couldn't help but smile, well aware that Sonic was probably having the time of his life being in a chase like this.
''If I wanted to underestimate you, I wouldn't be avoiding you like this,'' Sonic said, leaping on a platform to get to higher ground, only to get startled when Shadow suddenly warped right in front of him. ''I guess I should focus more on the fight rather than the talk.''
''I'm glad that you recall what I had told you,'' Shadow responded, arms folded across his chest in the typical manner, although his lips were graced by a small smirk. Surprisingly, instead of just grabbing Sonic then and there, he decided to stay where he was, although it helped that he was about three steps away from reaching his rival. Sonic grinned playfully, his eye-lids lowered as he took a step back, his hands on his back.
''It helps that you made sure to remind me of it over and over again, but I don't think that'll stop me from quipping,'' Sonic said.
''If you ever stopped making quips, it would be a sign that something is really wrong with you,'' Shadow replied, taking a step forward.
''Heh, you know me too well, Shads,'' Sonic replied, only to leap from the platform backwards, curling into a ball and bouncing down, before resuming the chase.
Sonic was fully aware that, no matter how fast he was, Shadow would be able to catch up to him at some point. He didn't mind losing though, as he already knew what might happen after he loses the race, but that didn't mean that he was going to make it easy for Shadow. Speaking of which, his rival had warped right behind him, followed by another warp right in front of Sonic, forcing the azure hedgehog to dodge. Sonic gritted his teeth when Shadow suddenly appeared behind him, a smirk on his expression and the green Chaos Emerald in his hand. Sonic leapt away, but took only a few steps before Shadow appeared again, forcing Sonic to turn the other way, but Shadow was ahead of him once again.
''What's the matter, Sonic? It seems that you cannot escape me,'' Shadow teased him. Sonic turned around to punch him, but Shadow caught his hands, with the two ending up in a grappling hold.
''To make it clear, this does not count as you having caught me,'' Sonic stated, his eyes narrowed as he tried to push Shadow way while keeping a tight grip on his hands, but they remained locked in position. ''You'd have to do better than this!''
''I'm not going to argue with that, since you can still fight back,'' Shadow said, a devious smirk gracing his lips. ''Therefore, I'd have to go out of my way and follow your brand of unpredictability.''
''Wha-?'' Before Sonic could even get a question out, Shadow suddenly pulled his hands downwards, causing Sonic to stumble forward, with Shadow letting go of him just to wrap his arms around Sonic's torso and pulling him closer. Sonic's fawn muzzle turned crimson red when he suddenly found himself in Shadow's embrace, his own hands resting on Shadow's fluffy chest fur. His own heart was racing, feeling as if it was going to break through his ribcage.
''So, how's that for being unpredictable?'' Shadow asked, his gaze soft, yet showing a clear sense of smugness Sonic was all too familiar with. It was obvious that he enjoyed seeing Sonic being so flustered, especially since he knew that he was the cause of it. However, Sonic was quick to bounce back.
''Fine, I'll admit that you caught me off guard,'' he said, narrowing his eyes, not trying to show that he actually felt quite comfortable held like this. Even though Shadow had technically caught him, it seemed that there was an unspoken agreement between them to continue, as Shadow let go of him a moment later, allowing Sonic to step back and create some distance. Sonic then stretched his hands above his head, intertwining his fingers, and taking a moment to figure out his next move. He then saw a gleam in Shadow's crimson eyes, alerting him to his rival's next move.
Suddenly, Shadow lunged at him, but Sonic managed to leap back, dodging Shadow, with the chase then resuming. Sonic sped off between the palms, finding himself back at Hedgehog's Pass and leaping onto the platform above. He didn't even have to turn around to know Shadow was right behind him, his ears flicking at the sound of his rival's air shoes as he got closer and closer. Sonic took a turn, hoping that he could shake Shadow off at the Loop-de-Loop, followed by running around the other platforms as if he was on a roller-coaster. Up, down, all around… Sonic felt the adrenaline pumping through his body as he sprinted towards a clearing, only to hear a familiar sound and dodging a spin-dash from Shadow at the last second, with both skidding to a halt as they faced each other.
''Nice try, Shads, but you'll have to step up- agh!'' Sonic suddenly found himself flying when Shadow used Chaos Control to warp closer and rammed into him, knocking him down on the ground. Shadow walked up to him with a smirk on his expression.
''You're losing focus-''
However, before he could even finish, Sonic got up faster than expected, spin-dashing into Shadow and knocking him back into a palm tree. The ebony hedgehog was more stunned than hurt, staring back at his azure rival, who just gave him a teasing smile.
''What was that about losing focus? Seriously, Shads, don't you know that you should pay attention to your opponent during a battle?'' Sonic lectured him, hands placed on his hips. Shadow snorted in amusement, having to admit that Sonic was right. He did underestimate his rival, having thought that he finally managed to knock Sonic out, but he should've known better. Still, he felt as if it wasn't a big deal. This wasn't one of their usual battles where they would argue about the best way to save the world. This was something they were doing for themselves, dishing out hits and taking them as they went on, feeling genuinely relaxed about this whole ordeal.
Nevertheless, Shadow wasn't going to let Sonic win this battle.
Sonic's eyes widened as he saw Shadow showing off the Chaos Emerald, realizing that his rival was about to use Chaos Control again. He wasn't sure whether Shadow was trying to warp closer to him or whether he had planned to use Chaos Control to actually stop time, noting to himself that the latter would be kinda cheating, since Sonic obviously wouldn't be able to make a move if that's what happened. Therefore, he didn't even wait to learn what Shadow's intentions were, running off again.
Shadow narrowed his eyes as Sonic disappeared once again, kicking up dirt and smoke, but he already anticipated that move. He quickly followed him up a hill, knowing that this would be his opportunity, using Chaos Control once again to warp closer. Sonic seemed to have anticipated that move, as he turned back, ready to continue the fight.
It's now or never!
Sonic gasped in surprise, having not expected for Shadow to suddenly tackle him from the side, causing both of them to tumble and roll down the hill, all the while still fighting over who'd land on the top. Unfortunately for Sonic, he was the one who lost, with Shadow finally pinning him down, keeping a tight grip on his arms and straddling his waist. Both were breathing heavily, their chests visbly heaving as they tried to catch their breath. Sonic tried to lift his limbs, but it was clear that Shadow wasn't letting him go this time.
''I win,'' the ebony hedgehog said, a triumphant smirk on his lips. Sonic's mind was racing, still trying to find a way out of this situation, but the voice in his head told him to just give up. It was over. Nevertheless, Sonic remained defiant.
''You must be really enjoying your victory,'' he quipped in a deadpan tone.
''Hmph, I do,'' Shadow replied in a matter-of-fact tone, with Sonic knowing that his rival was holding himself back from ribbing Sonic about it. Both were surprisingly silent, the only sound being that of them breathing as they tried to recover from the ordeal.
Sonic gazed into Shadow's eyes, emerald locking with crimson, and he knew that the same question was on his rival's mind – what would be their next move? Admittedly, both of them knew what was coming, but there was some uncharacteristic hesitance on both sides, as this was still new territory for both of them to explore. Sonic could feel a wave of warmth spreading through his body, sparking like electricity, only for a strange weight to settle down in the pit of his stomach as as he parted his lips when Shadow leaned closer, their noses almost touching.
''So, what now?'' Shadow's breath ghosted Sonic's lips, leaving his rival trembling with anticipation. The ebony hedgehog knew well what Sonic's answer would be, but he wanted to enjoy this moment just a little bit longer. Not only that, but he also wanted to absolutely make sure that Sonic agreed to it. He knew that neither of them were good at communicating their feelings, so asking him a question like this was important. Fortunately for him, the look Sonic gave him was that of impatience and slight irritation.
''I believe that this the moment where you claim your prize, Faker,'' Sonic told him in a deadpan tone.
Shadow let out a soft laugh, well aware that Sonic wasn't the most patient person either, and probably just wanted to get this over with. He leaned closer, whispering, ''Your call, Faker…''
''I will crush you once and for all, Hedgehog!''
Both Sonic and Shadow audibly groaned, rolling their eyes as they heard a familiar voice shouting in the distance and snapping them out of their moment.
''You gotta be kidding me!'' Sonic groaned, glancing back at Shadow, his annoyed expression mirroring Shadow's.
''The Doctor had picked the worst of moments for attacking us,'' Shadow growled in irritation. He and Sonic then got up, turning to the small army of Badniks approaching them, with Dr. Eggman sitting in his Eggmobile.
''Well, look at this on the positive side. At least we don't have to deal with five of him this time,'' Sonic replied.
''Fair point,'' Shadow responded. Both then turned their attention towards Dr. Eggman and his Badniks.
''Yo, Egghead! What are you up to this time?'' Sonic shouted, with Shadow deciding to let him take over this conversation. Knowing the dynamic between his rival and the Doctor, he was certain that their enemy would eventually reveal his plans, giving Sonic and Shadow enough information to stop him. ''Let me guess! You have found another magical gem! Oh, or even better! You decided to awaken an ancient eldritch abomination and lost control of it!'' Sonic then tilted his head. ''Or, is it both?''
''Unfortunately for you, rodent, it's neither. Instead, I decided to go back to the basics!'' Dr. Eggman replied, only for a blue blur to suddenly appear out of nowhere. Shadow was alert enough to dodge it, but Sonic wasn't that lucky, being dragged into the foliage by a familiar foe.
''Metal?!'' Sonic was shocked to see Metal Sonic appear to battle him, as he hadn't seen him in quite a while. ''I though you were out of commission or something like that.'' Metal responded by throwing him on the ground, followed by a punch that managed to crack the ground below. Fortunately, Sonic rolled over, dodging the attack and quickly getting on his feet. ''Oh, right, you don't talk unless you're Neo Metal Sonic.'' Sonic dodged a kick. ''Y'know, after dealing with Chaos Sonic, I really appreciate your silence.'' Metal Sonic suddenly fired an energy blast from his chest cavity, forcing Sonic to dive down to dodge it, with the explosion leaving the foliage behind him charred. ''Phew, I'm glad that the Chaos Council did make a Chaos Sonic with your weapons. That guy was already hard to beat as he was, and ten times as annoying.''
Metal Sonic started to charge up once again, with Sonic taking off running. The azure hedgehog smirked, being glad to go back to the familiar dynamic he had with his robotic rival, and already forming a plan in regards to how to defeat him.
Meanwhile, Shadow was left dealing with the Badniks and listening to Dr. Eggman's gloating. The dark hedgehog was dodging attacks from Buzz Bombers and smashing through a Caterkiller and a Motobug with a well-aimed spin-dash. Admittedly, while he was a bit concerned about Sonic, he knew his rival well enough to know that he could handle Metal Sonic on his own, leaving Shadow to deal with the rest.
''Chaos Spear!'' Shadow snapped his fingers, summoning a green bolt of energy and throwing it directly into the Badniks, obliterating them. He could hear Dr. Eggman growl in frustration, feeling quite satisfied to hear that. Nevertheless, it seemed that the Doctor wasn't going to give up so easily.
''How about this, Shadow? If you tell me the location of the Paradox Prism, I'll make sure that some remains of you are left,'' Dr. Eggman proposed just as Shadow found himself getting cornered by the Badniks. Shadow just rolled his eyes in response.
''You are the third person who asked me about the Paradox Prism, Doctor, and the answer is still the same,'' Shadow replied in a firm tone, summoning another Chaos Spear. ''No.''
With that said, he weaved between the Badniks, using the bolt of energy as a weapon to pierce through them, freeing the Flickies that were trapped inside them. In the corner of his eye, he could see Sonic fighting Metal Sonic, exchanging blows and spin-dashing into his robotic counterpart, only to end up hitting Metal Sonic's Black Shield. Shadow narrowed his eyes, glancing back at the rest of the Badniks, with a smirk forming on his lips. He held up the green Chaos Emerald.
''Chaos Control!''
Shadow could feel the energy of the Chaos Emerald coursing through his body and spreading into the environment, with time around him stopping. Using this to his advantage, Shadow quickly spin-dashed into the remaining Badniks, destroying all of them, and allowing time to continue once more.
''Wh-huh?'' Dr. Eggman was baffled to see all of his Badniks destroyed, with Shadow skating towards Sonic. He then frowned, having taken note of Shadow's Chaos Emerald and realizing what had just happened, growling in annoyance. ''That does it!''
Back on the battlefield, Sonic went for the offensive, with Metal Sonic blocking his attacks, only to get a kick to the head from Shadow, causing him to hit the dirt. Sonic then grinned at Shadow. ''Wanna try a combo and send Metal flying?''
Shadow just nodded, and the moment Metal Sonic got up, he found himself being surrounded by two hedgehogs, who curled up into balls and started spinning around him, creating a blue and orange tornado that crackled with energy, damaging Metal Sonic and sending him flying straight at the Dr. Eggman, landing in the Eggmobile, defeated.
''This is not the last you see of me!'' Dr. Eggman growled, flying the Eggmobile away.
''See you next time, Eggy!'' Sonic shouted after him, leaving Dr. Eggman grumble furiously. Sonic chuckled, well aware that his adversary would soon come up with another plan to ruin his day. He then playfully elbowed Shadow. ''Wanna bet he's going to be back by next Tuesday?''
''Probably even earlier if he is properly motivated,'' Shadow replied, with Sonic nodding in agreement.
''Sonic!''
Sonic and Shadow then turned around to see Tails, Amy, Knuckles and Rouge joining them, clearly on edge and alert, only to stop at the sight of scrapped Badniks. Knuckles rose an eyebrow, turning to the two hedgehogs. ''What happened here?''
''You guys just missed a fight with Eggman, but don't worry-'' Sonic started, only to pull Shadow into a side-hug, placing his hand around the latter's waist. Shadow, in turn, was startled by this move, but didn't push Sonic away, figuring that he might as well get used to it. This wasn't the first time Sonic did that, nor will it be the last time. ''Shadow had helped me deal with him, so everything's fine now.''
''I guess that's a relief,'' Amy said, letting her Piko Piko Hammer disappear, with her and the rest of the group approaching the two.
''I mean, after taking on the Chaos Council and Chaos Sonic, fighting Eggman and Metal Sonic feels like a piece of cake,'' Sonic continued, only to earn a bunch of confused looks from his friends.
''Chaos Council?'' Tails repeated, furrowing a brow. ''What are you talking about?''
Shadow glanced at Sonic, who seemed to have just realized that he said a bit too much. ''You haven't told them anything?''
''I was about to, but I keep getting distracted,'' Sonic replied, slightly miffed, only to earn a ''Then get to it!'' look from Shadow.
''Blue, what happened?'' Rouge asked. Sonic rubbed the back of his head nervously, trying to figure out how to explain this whole thing.
''Well, it's quite a long story…'' Sonic glanced at Shadow, who nodded in assurance. He then took a deep breath and gave his friends a determined look. ''The truth is, I broke the Paradox Prism and shattered our universe.''
''YOU WHAT?!''
Sonic flinched, having already expected the shocked reaction, but hearing it like this didn't make him feel any better. He gave them a nervous smile. ''Yeah, so that happened… But, you don't have to worry, everything is fine now and the universe is restored to how it was supposed to be.''
''Sonic, we want details,'' Knuckles said in a firm tone, folding his arms across his chest and shooting him a glare. Sonic sighed, glancing once again at Shadow for support. To his surprise and joy, Shadow placed his hand on Sonic's shoulder.
''I'll fill in any blanks in your story in case you forget something,'' he said. Sonic smiled back, thankful for the support, and then turned back to his friends, who were still waiting for an answer.
''I promise, I'll tell you everything, but I think we should find a place to sit down first, because this might just knock you off your feet,'' Sonic told them.
xXx
''…and then Nine restored all of the Shatterspaces with the Paradox Prism, only for it to disappear back to Green Hill. After I said my goodbyes to everyone, the Roses used one of the Chaos Council's ships to transport me and Shadow through the Void, with Shadow carrying me the rest of the way. The next thing I remember was waking up back at the cave with the Paradox Prism just before it got shattered,'' Sonic finished his tale.
''You're lucky I was there, else you wouldn't have made it,'' Shadow added in a grim tone, but Sonic just smiled in response, rubbing his nose.
''Yeah, I really was lucky. Thanks for saving my life, Shads!'' he replied in a nonchalant tone, before turning back to his friends who all had a shocked look on their expression. ''Uh, guys? Guys?''
The group was currently at the beach, having decided to let Sonic tell them everything without any interruptions. Even Big and Froggy were there, sitting on the nearby pier and fishing, although judging by Big's reactions, he too was listening to Sonic's story, being just as stunned as everyone else.
Now, they knew that Sonic had shattered the Paradox Prism, creating the Shatterverse and landing in New Yoke City, where he met Nine who gave him his tech that allowed him to regulate the Paradox Prism Energy inside him, the Chaos Council and Rusty Rose who ruled over New Yoke City, as well as the Resistance led by Rebel Rouge and Renegade Knucks, followed by the battle and race for the Prism Shard. Unable to touch the Shard, he was thrown straight into Boscage Maze, meeting the Scavengers and Thorn Rose and helping the two sides reconcile while also fighting Thorn over the Prism Shard. He managed to return back to New Yoke City, learning of Nine's betrayal and his desire to make The Grim his new home, with Sonic insisting on helping the Resistance, and the unfortunate capture of Nine and the Prism Shard at the Chaos Council's hands, while Sonic ended up in No Place. There, he met Captain Dread and his crew, engaging into a battle with Rusty Rose over the Prism Shard and while he helped Captain Dread to get it, he ended up flying out of No Place and into The Void, where he met Shadow.
This was where Shadow interrupted, explaining the group how he had used the Chaos Emerald to avoid being shattered and emerged in The Void. Unfortunately for him, he discovered that he was unable to enter any of the Shatterspaces Sonic had visited the hard way, causing him to lose the Chaos Emerald to The Void and having to observe Sonic as he was trying to get things back on track, until he finally confronted his rival over what had happened. While Sonic's friends didn't approve of Shadow going straight for beating Sonic up to get him to listen, they did agree that the dark hedgehog had a point, his part of the story resulting in the revelation of Ghost Hill, leaving Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Rouge and Big shuddering at the thought of being just remnants of themselves - ghosts, as Shadow had put it. What followed was the battle between Sonic and Shadow over Sonic's tech due to Shadow's mistaken belief that he could use it to travel between the Shatterverses, only to be proven wrong and almost ending up being lost in The Void if it weren't for Sonic.
''I totally saved your life!'' Sonic told him cheekily as he got to that point.
''I had also saved your life. We're even now,'' Shadow remarked.
The story continued with Shadow realizing that it's Sonic, and not the tech, who is able to travel through the Shatterverse, with both agreeing (reluctantly on Shadow's part and excitingly on Sonic's part) to work together. Sonic then added how he followed the Chaos Council into Boscage Maze, where he met up with the Scavengers and Thorn, as well as got into contact with Nine. While the battle resulted into a loss of the Prism Shard, Sonic was determined to continue, being knocked into No Place by Shadow, where he ended up in a battle not only against the Chaos Council, but also against Captain Dread's crew, who had been joined by Rusty Rose. Shadow also added how he had been stalling the Chaos Council's mothership, but unfortunately, they lost another Prism Shard, taking the battle to New Yoke City. There, Sonic joined the Resistance once again, getting them up to speed with the situation and tried to save both Nine and the Prism Shards, only to end up fighting Chaos Sonic, a robotic and more annoying version of himself.
After defeating, as Sonic put it, ''Metal Sonic's more annoying cousin'', he and Nine grabbed the Prism Shards and went on a mad chase through the Shatterverse before meeting up with Shadow and going to Ghost Hill to fix the Paradox Prism. Unfortunately, they were followed by the Chaos Council, with Sonic and Shadow teaming up to defend Ghost Hill.
''It was awesome, guys! I wish you could've seen it…'' Sonic trailed off suddenly as he realized what he had just said. He then quickly collected himself, continuing the story.
Unfortunately for the two hedgehogs and Nine, the Chaos Council's forces managed to breach into the cave, even summoning the Prismatic Titan, ''…who for some reason looked like a Kaiju Eggman, I don't even know what was up with that!'', and Sonic having to use the Prismatic Energy to fight back, ''…again, I was totally awesome!'', ending the battle in a solid victory and hope for everything to be restored to the way it was. However, Sonic's enthusiasm quickly vanished when he remembered what happened next, and he fell silent, much to the surprise of his friends.
''Sonic, what's wrong? What happened then?'' Tails asked, giving his big brother a look of concern.
''I… Nine… He…'' Sonic tried to respond, but couldn't get a word out, being still hurt by what had happened between them.
''Nine betrayed us and took the Prism Shards, leaving Ghost Hill to be destroyed,'' Shadow continued in a grim tone, much to the shock of everyone.
Sonic nodded, his tone just as serious as Shadow's, ''We managed to escape to The Void, but I… I thought that it was over. We lost Ghost Hill and the Prism Shards, and we were completely defeated, and I was on the verge of giving up.'' He then smiled fondly, glancing at Shadow. ''But a certain someone had told me that there was always a way, and I realized that we still had a chance to fix this.'' Shadow in turn, just gave him the familiar ''Don't push it look'', with Sonic figuring that some things never change.
The story then continued, with Sonic revealing how Nine used the Paradox Prism to build a fortress within The Grim, as well as robotic versions of Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge and Birdie, forcing Sonic and Shadow to fight him. However, the moment Shadow had realized that Nine was after the Paradox Prism Energy that was within Sonic, Shadow abandoned their initial plan, forcing Sonic to escape The Grim and go back to New Yoke City for support. With the Shatterverse around them decaying, all of the Shatterverse Variants and the Chaos Council agreed to become temporary allies to defend themselves against Nine. When Nine held the No Place pirates as hostages, Sonic insisted on saving them, much to the displeasure of his allies, with him stubbornly heading out to get them back.
''I don't want to lose anyone else… We already lost so much…'' Sonic admitted, feeling the guilt from back them eating its way into his heart. ''I tried to tell myself that it's what I do, that I'm the hero, but when I offered myself to Nine so he could fix the Shatterverse from decaying, he confronted me with the truth. Deep down, after what I did, destroying my own home, it's the only way I can ever live with myself, even if that means I won't live at all.''
''Sonic…''
Sonic's friends, and even Shadow, were quite disturbed by that reveal. Tails especially was hit hard by this, since he always admired Sonic for his heroics, even if his big brother could be a lot to deal with, so to hear that Sonic was told this cruel truth by someone who was like himself was quite difficult to listen to.
''But then, the cavalry arrived, and when I say cavalry, I mean everyone,'' Sonic continued.
The story continued, with Sonic describing how the alliance of the Resistance, the Scavengers, the Pirates and the Chaos Council arrived to aid him in the battle against Nine, with Sonic, who had finally learned to think things through instead of charging recklessly into a battle, handing the leadership over to Rebel, who had figured out a plan to counter Nine (with Rouge showing a look of pride for her Shatterverse Variant). Shadow then interfered, explaining how Nine had kept him busy by sending his own robots and after he saved Sonic, the two managed to escape, witnessing the alliance defeating Grim Big, albeit at the loss of the Chaos Council's mothership. Things escalated quickly, with Nine pushing them back and Rebel's plan failing. This were going from bad to worse, when Sonic suddenly came up with a plan that assured a victory for them.
''Wait, that happened?'' Knuckles asked in disbelief, while Sonic just frowned in response.
''I was also surprised that it worked,'' Shadow added, much to Sonic's chagrin. He did not need both of his rivals to team up against him.
''Hey, I can come up with a solid plan from time to time,'' Sonic protested.
''The only question is whether you can follow through with it,'' Shadow teased him.
''I prefer to think on my feet,'' Sonic replied, moving on with the story.
The plan in question was to pretend to be defeated by Nine's forces while Sonic confronted him directly, forcing Nine to divert the Prism Energy away from his robots and allowing for Sonic's allies to defeat the Grim Alphas and put an end to this whole battle, leading up to a fight between a fight between Sonic, Renegade Knucks and Shadow versus Nine, who was still powered up by the Paradox Prism and was losing control over himself. Realizing that if they didn't stop the fight right then and there, everything would be destroyed, Sonic knocked Nine into his lair, where he protected him from the alliance and made everyone realize just how dire the situation was, as nothing was left of any of their worlds.
''All Nine wanted was to be left alone in peace, and he realized that he had gone too far in trying to accomplish his goal,'' Sonic explained. ''He agreed to help us to atone for what he had done, revealing that he would need to extract the Prism Energy inside me to fully fix the Paradox Prism, but…''
''There was a possibility that you wouldn't survive it,'' Shadow finished the sentence for him. Sonic nodded.
''Well, I had to take my chance. I shattered our reality and drove Nine away by not listening to what he wanted, and it was up to me to make up for my mistake,'' he said in a firm tone. ''Fortunately, I managed to survive the extraction, but only barely. I was basically turning into a Ghost myself.''
The story then ended with Sonic and Shadow describing how the Chaos Council attempted to betray them, only to get defeated, and Nine restoring the Shatterverses, ending in a mad race where the Roses and Shadow tried to get back to Green Hill to save Sonic from ceasing to exist, the result being that both of them somehow found themselves back at just before the Paradox Prism got shattered, with Sonic stopping himself from breaking it again and Shadow warping the Paradox Prism away to safety.
''…and that's how we restored everything to its prime,'' Sonic concluded the story.
There was a moment of heavy silence as his friends just processed what they had just been told. Sonic smiled nervously, wondering what the reaction would be and hoping that his friends wouldn't chew him out for this, even if he deserved it. To his surprise, what ended up happening was a collective sigh of exasperation.
''Well, that at least explains why you acted so weird when we protected the Paradox Prism from Eggman,'' Amy said. ''It is nice to know that you learned a thing or two about teamwork.''
''Heh, yeah,'' Sonic replied, feeling quite relieved that this was their reaction. Knuckles just shook his head.
''It is also very like you to get roped into an adventure without us knowing anything,'' he said.
''I guess we should also be thankful that Shadow was with you to keep you focused on the mission,'' Rouge added, glancing at the dark hedgehog, who was a bit surprised by the compliment, but nevertheless appreciated it, nodding in response. Sonic agreed with that assessment, turning towards Tails.
''Buddy, if you ever get angry at me… Like, 'I'm going to cause an apocalypse' angry, please promise me that we will talk it out,'' he said, the guilt clearly visible on his expression.
Tails just chuckled. ''Yeah, I promise. Although, I wonder if I should also make myself seven mechanical tails. It sounds like it would be quite handy in helping me with my inventions or as weapons.'' When he saw Sonic's alarmed look, he quickly added, ''Hey, I'm just joking, but you really should see your face now.''
''So, what happened to the Shatterverse Variants?'' Amy suddenly asked. ''Do you two know anything?''
Shadow and Sonic exchanged glances, only to shake their heads, with Sonic adding, ''We don't know, but I really hope that everything is fine and that they can live their life in peace.''
Sonic's chest heaved and he lowered his head slightly, something Shadow took note of. It was clear to him that, despite their (mis)adventure in the Shatterverse being finally over, there was still one more conversation they needed to have.
''I suppose all is well that ends well. At least we know what the Paradox Prism can do and to not approach it anymore,'' Rouge said, shrugging nonchalantly, even though she did sound a bit regretful, clearly a bit annoyed that she couldn't get her hands on it. She then gave Sonic and Shadow a smug look. ''Speaking of which, it also explains why two are suddenly so close. An adventure like that would result in some revelations and you two clearly spent a lot of time together. So, are you two official now?''
''Oh, right! I almost forgot!'' Amy clasped her hands together in glee.
''I'd also like to know that,'' Tails added, a wide grin on his expression.
''W-Wait, official? What are you guys talking?'' Knuckles asked, clearly being out of the loop with the most recent events.
''Well, as it turns out, Sonic and Shadow have a huge crush on each other,'' Rouge answered his question, turning to the two hedgehogs who did their best to not look too flustered by being confronted like this. ''All we want is a simple confirmation – are you two official or not?''
''No, we're not official,'' Shadow replied in a blunt tone, arms folded across his chest. This raised some eyebrows, with Tails, Amy, Knuckles and Rouge turning to Sonic for an answer. He just snorted in amusement, well aware that Shadow was technically saying the truth, but still decided to add his own part to the conversation.
''Well, technically, the answer is 'No, we're not official, yet','' Sonic explained. ''We kinda were getting to that part, but we got interrupted by Eggman.''
''Okay, that makes sense,'' Amy said, the rest of the group nodding in agreement. ''But, this should be a foregone conclusion, right?''
Sonic and Shadow exchanged glances, then nodded firmly.
''Yeah.''
''Yes.''
xXx
Sonic took a deep breath, flopping over on his back as he sighed in relief, feeling that he could finally put this whole adventure in the Shatterverse behind himself. He stared at the red and orange sky, having found a cliff just above the ocean that gave him a great view of the sunset. After all the excitement today, he just needed a moment to himself. Still, there was something that was bothering him, and after the conversation he had with his friends, that feeling returned back with full force. A shadow fell over his expression as he thought about it, only for his ears to flick when he heard footsteps, causing him to get up.
''I thought I was the brooding one.''
''Hey, Shadow!'' Sonic turned to his companion, glad to see him. He grinned. ''Nice to see that you have a sense of humor.''
''I was merely making a statement,'' Shadow said in a matter-of-fact tone, albeit glad to see that his comment managed to cheer Sonic up. ''How are you holding up?''
''Well, you know me. There is nothing that I can't bounce back from,'' Sonic said in a chipper tone. ''I was just watching the sunset. Do you want to join me?''
Shadow nodded, with him sitting down next to Sonic on the cliff, gazing ahead at the sunset. He suddenly felt Sonic placing his palm over his hand, briefly glancing towards his rival, who took notice of it and just smiled in return, looking quite content. Shadow let a small smile form on his lips and turn his attention back to the sunset, twisting his palm so he and Sonic intertwined fingers, now holding hands.
''I know you have been thinking about the Shatterverse and about Nine,'' Shadow started, suddenly drawing Sonic's attention. Both turned to each other, with Shadow's expression showing mild curiosity and resolve to have this conversation. ''What was going through your mind?''
Sonic lowered his head, staring ahead at the ocean. ''I know that I said how I'm hoping that Nine and everyone else is doing fine, but… I think I've been lying to myself.''
''Sonic…'' Shadow started, only for Sonic to interrupt him.
''We went back to the moment just before I had shattered the Paradox Prism. If the Prism never got shattered, that would mean that the Shatteverse would never come into existence, which means…'' Sonic didn't want to finish the thought, his voice heavy with sorrow and guilt. Shadow knew that, even if Sonic didn't ask for it, he wanted some kind of answer, either comfort or assurance, but was torn between whether he would want to keep his hopes up or the truth.
''What you said makes sense,'' Shadow started, aware that Sonic needed to hear the truth. ''If the Paradox Prism never got shattered, then it's impossible for the Shatterverse to exist. Our actions had undone all of the events.''
''I figured that would be the case…''
Sonic sighed, leaning against Shadow's shoulder. He remained silent, with Shadow wrapping his arms around his waist to pull him closer and allowing him to feel more comfortable. Both sat like that in silence, observing the sunset before them and listening to the rush of waves crashing against the rocks below them. Shadow could feel Sonic's breath slowing down as he relaxed, simply taking in the moment.
Neither were sure how much time had passed, but it wasn't too long, as Sonic spoke up again, ''So, we're together now, right?''
''That seems to be the case,'' Shadow said, glancing at Sonic and meeting his tired gaze. Suddenly, Sonic leaned closer, leaving a peck on his cheek and giving Shadow a mischievous look.
''Heh, finally managed to kiss you,'' he said, feeling quite proud of himself.
''Tch, you call that a kiss?'' Shadow replied, trying to act dismissive despite the tone of fondness in his voice. Sonic rolled his eyes, despite knowing that Shadow was just messing with him, and decided to play along with his aloof nature.
''If you think you know better, then why don't you show me?'' Sonic goaded him. If he ever had any reservations about this relationship, they were all gone now. It was clear that he wanted this, allowing Shadow to make the final move. Shadow understood the message, a smirk forming on his lips.
''With pleasure,'' he said, placing his hand under Sonic's chin and lifting it up, tilting his head before sealing their lips into a kiss. Sonic's eyes widened for a moment, his whole body trembling in anticipation, and then he relaxed, leaning in closer and losing himself in the warmth of the moment.
Unlike their battles, which were way more fast-paced and passionate, this moment was slow and soft, and both felt as if time had just suddenly stopped, being enveloped in the tenderness of their first kiss. It was filled with sincerity and sweetness, and it felt like a tiny embers sparking and bursting into a great flame. It was all new, yet it had the familiarity both were craving. Neither wanted to change what they had together, but even with their own feelings being now in the open, neither felt as if any change had happened. It was pure bliss, simple and to the point… and unfortunately, it lasted way too short.
''Woah,'' Sonic breathed, feeling stunned as his heart raced a mile a minute. He had experienced a lot of things, but this was something else. It felt as if he just ran several times all across the world and back, leaving with a sense of exhilaration.
''Hmph,'' Shadow breathed, taking a moment to recover from this experience, as he was almost overwhelmed by the sense of elation, followed by disappointment because the moment couldn't last longer. Nevertheless, Sonic was still in his arms, so they could stay like this as long as they wanted. He gave his rival a curious look. ''So, have I managed to convince you?''
Sonic hummed in response, giving Shadow a teasing smile. ''Maybe? I think I need a bit more convincing.''
Shadow smirked, and Sonic took note of Shadow's sharp fangs, with a sudden image of them piercing his own skin his rival and lover claimed him came to his mind, only for Sonic to quickly shake it off, deciding that this was something not something he wanted to think about… yet. For now, he was satisfied with taking it a bit slow, for once.
''You know, we could incorporate moments like this into our sparring matches,'' Sonic suddenly said, a sly smirk on his lips.
''What do you mean by that?'' Shadow asked, having a fleeting feeling of that Sonic was up to. ''Are you implying it should be a reward or-?''
Shadow was cut off when Sonic suddenly pressed his lips against his own. He leaned into it, wishing to capture the moment pleasure, only to feel a sense of pain in his lower lip due to Sonic biting him. Unlike Shadow's own fangs, Sonic's weren't as sharp, so they didn't pierce the skin, but his actions still caught Shadow off guard. Both pulled back, feeling a familiar rush of excitement as they exchanged glances. Both smirked, understanding what the other was up to, because when Sonic suddenly got up to start another race-battle, he was grabbed by his arm by Shadow, who reacted just as fast, pulling Sonic back towards him, holding him in place, with the other hand wrapped around his torso, so Sonic's back was facing Shadow.
Sonic gasped in pain and pleasure as he felt Shadow's sharp fangs sink into his shoulder, a scent of copper filling the air as the dark hedgehog drew blood. This was followed by Shadow dragging his tongue over the bite mark, causing Sonic to shiver and squirm as the former lapped up the blood, eventually releasing his rival. Sonic turned on his heel towards Shadow, placing his fingers on the bite on his shoulder, while Shadow gave him a taunting look, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
''Your turn, Sonic.''
Shadow then turned around, skating away, with Sonic quickly chasing after his rival, a look of playful resolve on his expression. So much for going slow. Well, that's not my style, so it doesn't matter. Shadow is going to pay for this.
Neither of them really cared the fact that they would have to explain why their bodies were peppered in red bite marks to the rest of the team, nor how long it would take for the marks to disappear. All that mattered was that they could explore their rivalry in new ways, finding a challenge in every interaction they had.
Both knew that this was the kind of relationship they wanted, and they were determined to make it last.
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My Next Life as a Villainess VN - Thoughts
Considering the source material, I was surprised at how good this game was! It's unsurprisingly light-hearted and comedic, but most of the CGs are still great and the romances mostly worked. I appreciated how despite Catarina's black-hole level of denseness causing issues in basically every route, everyone tackled it differently and every relationship felt unique.
My biggest complaint is just that we were robbed of routes with the girls outside a "normal/friendship" ending, since the girls canonically ALSO love Catarina. Getting three extra routes for Mary, Sophia, and Maria would have been SO GOOD. But Alas.
While this game and story is definitely meant for fans of the light novels and/or anime, I think there's plenty of information for people new to the series to still enjoy it. I also appreciate how much content is added to the common route as you complete the routes of love interests. Expect SPOILERS below the cut, as I go into detail on my thoughts for each route.
My play order was:
Alan -> Keith -> Geordo -> Rozy -> Nicol -> Silva
Common Route: I won't linger too long on this, since the common route in this case was pretty short. It did its job, setting up the plot and introducing us to all the important characters, both new and old. But in terms of notable interactions with the love interests or MAJOR plot points, there isn't much of notice yet. All the choices that give affection for the guys pre-route split lead to very brief tangents/conversations, nothing substantial.
We do meet and immediately befriend Rozy in the common route, which is nice. Silva by comparison barely features here, but he's ALL OVER basically every route, so his absence here is honestly fine.
I do like that we learn about the sachets and their connection to Ryle Werder, since that plays an important role in several routes. The Witch's Eye, by comparison, perhaps receives TOO MUCH attention in the common route. It's only relevant in NICOL'S route and yet we learn about it when meeting ROZY, which seems odd.
Alan: Not counting the girls, when I watched the anime, Alan was my favorite love interest. Hence, I decided to start with him. And I wasn't disappointed! I like that it's pretty clear under "normal" circumstances that despite his love for Catarina, Alan would never rock the boat and confess to her. He acknowledges and respects that she's engaged to Geordo, and he's engaged to Mary.
Thus, for this love to bloom, the pair kind of NEEDS to be separated from the group and spend some quality time together, which is just what we get. Interacting one-on-one, these two have a very casual and easy relationship that appeals to me. They get along well and Alan is mostly charmed by Catarina's eccentricities. His one real problem with her is that she is reckless to the point of endangering her own life, and that's a fair criticism I think.
Since Alan wasn't planning on confessing, his struggle to "get through" to Catarina is mostly about making her understand that being reckless hurts and upsets the people that care about her, which he finally inadvertently succeeds at by... getting hurt himself while protecting her, causing HER to be upset.
It's a very sweet and subtly romantic moment, which I liked a lot. I like how this route, particularly the "memory scenario" bits, seemed to imply that deep down, subconsciously, Catarina ALWAYS has liked and favored Alan. He's the one she likes to just... hang out and spend time with, and thus when they spend a certain amount of time alone and have some (mostly accidental) romantic moments, she's quick to Catch Feelings, even if she takes a bit to acknowledge them.
The cherry on top to this route was his confession and how it was handled. When Alan accidentally confesses his feelings while saving Catarina from Frederic, due to her hangups about the whole "I'm a villainess in an otome game and all the guys should love Maria" thing she initially wants to doubt or misinterpret it - but Silva (who had earlier called out and WEAPONIZED Alan's feelings for his own gain) is quick to correct her, forcing her to acknowledge it. But the pair don't get to talk it out right away, leaving them to be noticeably awkward around each other until they do.
Only then, when it's unavoidable and necessary, does Alan fully confess. Because he knows Catarina NEEDS to hear this in order to fix their current relationship. But he immediately follows it up by telling her to forget it all - because he's genuinely content with just being friends with her and doesn't want to ruin things between her and Geordo.
I appreciate how much Alan is selfless and trying to do the right thing - and I appreciate it even more, comparing it to other routes to come. And Catarina refuses to forget because simply finding out how he feels is enough to make her recognize her own feelings, but she similarly resolves to talk things out with Geordo and Mary before confessing. The respect paid to their "official" partners and trying to properly end things before starting anything together is mature and wonderful, to the point where in Alan's happy end Geordo (reluctantly, but still entirely of his own volition, without outside pressure) gives them his blessing. It's sweet and satisfying.
Also, sidenote - I genuinely liked Liliana a lot as a side character and was disappointed she wasn't in any other route. On the other hand, that means she got to witness and support JUST Alan's romance and none of the others, so...
Keith: I won't lie, this is my least favorite route from a plot AND relationship standpoint. While basically ALL the other love interests find Catarina charming and endearing, it bothers me how Keith is always criticizing her. He loves her, but he's constantly trying to get her to act like a "proper noblewoman" instead of embracing her as she is. And from the perspective of a SIBLING, that's fine. But I HATE it when you're actively trying to mold your love interest's behavior and personality.
Across all the routes Catarina must have dreaded Keith lecturing her (explicitly acting like her mother, at that) more times than I could count. That's just NOT romantic. At all. And isn't a dynamic that can/should be TURNED romantic, IMO.
Another big turnoff for me is that Keith is one of two love interests who has... let's say a sense of entitlement to Catarina. He's actively hidden his feelings for years, AND YET he hates the idea of her with anyone else and actively tries to keep her away from her more aggressive suitors like Geordo. Unlike Alan and Nicol, who acknowledge their feelings but WILL NOT act on them in usual circumstances, Keith monopolizes Catarina's attention when he can and actively WANTS to be with her romantically... all while excusing the time and attention he gets by saying it's his right as her BROTHER.
The underhanded nature of how he gets her attention and his ulterior motives bothers me. At least Geordo is UPFRONT with his possessiveness and intentions, even if Catarina is too dense to notice.
On Catarina's end... I just struggle to buy her suddenly falling in love with him. This route makes it clear Keith is "special" in that she's quick to notice if he's not feeling well physically or emotionally; Catarina likes to TAKE CARE OF and DOTE ON Keith. That's pretty in-line with her seeing him as her brother, and honestly that same care and attention comes across in other routes where she clearly loves him PLATONICALLY, so it's hard for me to accept that not only does she quickly fall in love with him here but she confesses FIRST before Keith makes his own feelings clear.
As for the rest of this route's plot, I barely remember it. I wasn't invested in the conflict here - and that's not the case in most routes. Alan's route interested me with the relationship drama of Ryle & Liliana, Silva and Rozy had big political issues, and Nicol's was supernatural. Only Geordo's route was similarly dull in terms of non-romance content. The main thing I took away from the conflict here is I was unhappy how Keith's conflict of feeling weak and unable to protect Catarina was handled.
Rather than learning he didn't HAVE to protect her, that he was important/valuable to her without that, or something along those lines (leading to a more mutual and open dynamic, theoretically), it's resolved by... him finally being able to protect her. He had a BAD personal arc on top of a BAD romance on top of a BORING overall route/conflict.
Geordo: Like Keith, Geordo is pretty possessive and "entitled" to Catarina. Unlike Keith, I can at least somewhat understand why. He's literally engaged to her and has been for years. Beyond just his own hopes/feelings, there is an expectation that he WILL marry her eventually. I also appreciate that while he's initially not that forward, he's still open and obvious about his romantic affections. It's just that Catarina is PARTICULARLY dense with him.
She struggles to believe anyone could fall for her when Maria is Right There, but Geordo in particular she struggled to win over "in game", and despite years to get used to the idea she still doesn't seem to realize how much people and relationships have changed due to her actions. Thus she can't envision him EVER loving her romantically and finds a way to misinterpret his every action.
Whereas Keith just kind of... snapped and wasn't able to hold back his feelings in his route after spending too much time alone with Catarina, Geordo by comparison is very DELIBERATE in making more aggressive moves. And again, I think it's narratively justified albeit kinda messed up. While he is used to the usual rivals and felt relatively secure that they wouldn't/couldn't steal Catarina out from under him... suddenly Silva enters the equation and NOW he feels threatened.
As a pirate, Silva wouldn't care about Geordo's title or his claim to Catarina. If he chooses to steal her away or if Catarina just comes to like him, there's NOTHING Geordo can really do. Thus, he couldn't afford to be patient anymore and he got desperate.
He thought he had time to win her over, but now he had to progress things FAST or risk losing her. His actions make sense, and by making his feelings clear earlier on in the route, Catarina has more time to think about it and figure out her own feelings.
I think it's notable that none of the other love interests, despite their own feelings for Catarina and their frustration for how Geordo handles things (since he says some nasty things and unintentionally hurts her while revealing his feelings), actually try to PREVENT Geordo from "winning" Catarina. The girls even come around to SUPPORTING him despite loving Catarina as well.
Geordo's "entitlement" to her is reasonable. He's not guaranteed her love, but he is the most justified in expecting it and acting possessive by virtue of their engagement. While Mary may plot to run away with her, while Keith might secretly want her for himself, while Sophia tries to push Nicol to pursue her... EVERYONE acknowledges on some level that unless Catarina actively falls for someone else (which looks increasingly unlikely as time goes by), Geordo IS her endgame by default. And they respect that. They are all prepared for this marriage to eventually happen; Geordo by comparison on other routes is typically NOT prepared for Catarina to suddenly fall for someone and want to break things off.
His crime is of being complacent and then poorly handling it when he realizes just that. I personally can forgive that a lot easier than Keith's... everything, and a lot of what happens in Rozy's route, too.
On Catarina's end, the extra time she got to think about Geordo's feelings and re-contextualize a lot of their earlier interactions while also being more aware of the romantic implications of later ones served her well. While I personally imagine Alan and Nicol as the two guys she's lowkey into "by default" judging from their routes, it was easy enough to see Geordo's efforts to win her over actually paying off near the end, and her accidentally acknowledging her realization of "maybe I love Geordo" out loud, TO HIS FACE, was great. The non-romance plot of this route was fairly dull, but I found the romance very engaging so it evens out!
Rozy: I was impatient and just had to give one of the new love interests a go before doing Nicol. I have very mixed feelings about this route. On the one hand, as a new character, I found Rozy very attractive in terms of his appearance and personality. And many of his interactions with Catarina were sweet and endearing. On the other hand I have two MAJOR issues that hampered my enjoyment of specifically his relationship with Catarina, A LOT.
Problem one is that, plain and simple, Rozy was TOO devoted and obsessed with her based off ONE, BRIEF interaction 8 years ago. I understand that she inspired him and changed his life without meaning to, but he just... takes it too far. I can rationalize him looking into her immediately afterwards to learn her name. I can get behind him thinking back to that moment and hoping to meet her again one day, to thank her.
But he went as far as HIRING people to check up on her and tell him all about her, years later. That's just STALKING. Through a proxy, yes, but stalking nonetheless. Which is not okay. Ever. It doesn't help that outside of this one "flaw" - being TOO devoted, to the point of clear obsession, which is noted in story to be a flaw his entire family has - he's basically perfect in a way NONE of the other love interests are. I'm genuinely not sure if I would have preferred a literally flawless Gary Stu love interest or... this, which was gross.
Problem two was Albert's interference and the DISRESPECT to Geordo this route had. In general I'm wary of other characters in a story "shipping" anyone together - passively rooting for something like Liliana did is typically fine, but very active matchmaking is grating - but WOW was Albert a busybody about getting Rozy and Catarina together. When he was talking politics I was engaged and enjoying him, but whenever he turned his attention to playing matchmaker, I just felt frustrated.
He's MEANT to be eccentric, but this is really how a king is spending his valuable time? In particular the way he outmaneuvered Geordo so that Catarina and Rozy could fake-date For Reasons, and even PULLED RANK on him, threatening to end his and Catarina's engagement BEFORE Rozy had even confessed, was infuriating.
What gets me is that his interference was ENTIRELY unnecessary. There were plenty of moments between Rozy and Catarina to justify their mutual feelings without him poking his nose in it, and despite being clearly unhappy about it Geordo HAS proven to be reasonable about letting Catarina go when she actually falls for someone else. It's not like Albert's actions prompted Rozy to confess; he was going to do so ANYWAY. All Albert did was piss off and disrespect Geordo. In theory his actions SHOULD cause political issues between Quid and Sorcier, which he wants to prevent, and yet...
This was the one route where I liked the plot outside the romance significantly more than the romance itself. The political drama and intrigue was engaging, and I loved seeing Rozy and Silva interact. They have a genuinely sweet dynamic. It was also cute seeing Rozy's dad gush over him - a more normal, healthy (yet embarrassing) way to express the family's overly-affectionate trait.
The conflict with the premier Cet Norden was... a bit sloppily handled though. It bothers me that like 90% of his backstory and motivation was in an optional "memory scenario". Was an optional exposition dump really the best they could do? No way to incorporate any of that into the story naturally? By comparison the conflicts are much better integrated in Alan, Nicol, and Silva's routes.
I have a third minor issue with this route (and to a lesser extent, Nicol and Silva's) - it's frustrating that even AFTER finding out Rozy is associated with the pirates, he continues to hide shit and only comes clean when he can't avoid it any longer. Silva's route fully explains WHY - they're trying to secretly handle this so they don't have to work with and be indebted to Sorcier. But the politics of that choice are, in itself, kind of disgusting. Thinking rationally, Rozy chose to endanger who knows how many Sorcier nobles by keeping things secret, and even if their lives are kept safe by the "pirates", they're still under extreme emotional stress due to the situation. They even go so far as to plan for ships from Quid to "rescue" the Sorcier nobles, making them feel indebted rather than the other way around! The entire plot/conflict of this game could have been avoided if saving lives mattered more than politics.
Nicol: This route took an interesting turn into the supernatural. There is an entirely unique conflict (on top of the existing ones, which... still exist and take up nearly half the route), and I quite enjoyed it. I do think it needed more time to shine, though. The witch is only properly introduced more than halfway through the route, and that conflict is resolved surprisingly fast and easily.
As for romance, this route actually worked way better than I expected going into it. I'm not typically into aloof love interests that don't emote much, but I think it helped that we got to spend a lot of time from Nicol's perspective so I could see what he was thinking and feeling, even if it wasn't clear from his expressions and voice.
I mentioned that I think Catarina is lowkey into Alan and Nicol "by default" earlier. Alan I explained in his section - she subconsciously seeks him out and pays him special attention, to the frustration of her other love interests.
Nicol by comparison she is more OVERTLY into, but it's initially shallow. Nicol has a "mysterious allure" that exists both in-game and out, and since canonically she hasn't played his route, AND she's the most distant from him out of all her love interests (he's more "my friend's brother" than "MY friend", initially), she's intrigued by and drawn to him in a way she isn't to her other friends. She is Not Immune to his good looks, and he's able to fluster her in a way no one else can, without even meaning to.
Thus, when they actually spend time together and get to know each other, it's actually very EASY for Nicol to win her affections. Lucky for everyone else that he's a good friend and is DETERMINED to keep his feelings to himself. Much like Alan, he has no intention of confessing and attempting to steal (ostensibly) Geordo's Girl, and I respect him for that.
I was honestly really into the tension between Geordo and Nicol this route, where out of respect and friendship Nicol was trying so hard to keep his distance from Catarina but he kept accidentally letting his feelings affect his actions in ways that stepped on Geordo's toes anyway. That said I think there was a missed opportunity regarding how that conflict ended. I think there was a lot of potential for either drama or wholesome friendship if he and Geordo had actually gotten to TALK about it, but they never did.
Nicol spent the entire route not wanting to confess and get between Catarina and Geordo, but then due to the witch's interference he ultimately confessed to Catarina anyway WITHOUT talking it out with Geordo first. Either Nicol needed to find the courage to confront Geordo and at least give him a heads-up that he was going to do this, or even better, Geordo could be a good friend and tell him to shoot his shot (but obviously Geordo himself wouldn't fully give up until it's clear Catarina has fully chosen someone else); either way making it a "may the best man win" situation would have been ideal. Instead Geordo tells Nicol they need to talk AFTER Nicol has confessed and stolen his girl after spending the whole route determined not to do literally just that, and we don't even see the confrontation.
This route is leagues better than Rozy's in "dealing with" Geordo, but not as good as Alan or Silva's. While I wanted Nicol to talk things out with him first, I at least am more accepting of the witch's interference than Albert's. Albert was playing matchmaker and screwing over Geordo in the process, while the witch was personally trying to upset Geordo due to his similarity to her lover that she wanted revenge on, and Nicol and Catarina getting together was more a byproduct of that.
She forced Nicol to spend time with and confess his love to her (in Catarina's body), which made him reconsider his feelings and his passivity, and when he ultimately confessed it was because he couldn't bear for his only confession have been to the witch. It was explicitly for the sake of closure rather than expecting reciprocation, which was a happy surprise.
Ultimately I think this route was very solid all around though it could have been improved in some ways. It also brings another point AGAINST Rozy, because I can't help but feel he WAS trying to pull a last minute Mr. Steal Your Girl despite claiming his confession was just for closure. If you only wanted closure... why did you not also confess in Silva's route, where you spent MORE time with Catarina and thus should have loved her there too? It comes across in hindsight like he cares too much about Silva to come between them but he's willing to try his luck with Catarina's other love interests.
Silva: It's rare for me to love the true/favored love interest in otome, but this is definitely an exception. His route was so good! I already liked Silva a fair amount from what I'd seen in other routes - not only is his design very appealing, but his Honorable Rogue shtick was right up my alley. So I went in with fairly high hopes and honestly still got way better than I expected.
I appreciated that while he and Catarina definitely get along right from the start, he WASN'T immediately into her. It was refreshing after literally all of her other love interests being in love with her from the start of the story (including new character Rozy, who either fell in love as a child or immediately fell for her upon reuniting). Silva's "romantic" scenes in the early parts of his route definitely felt like he was flirting more just because he's USED to getting women's attention and he was testing her reactions, rather than him genuinely trying to woo her. Instead, it's her complete trust and faith in him (despite him being a "pirate" and having a somewhat shady past that he initially tries to hide) that really warms him to her.
Either intentionally or accidentally, this pair kept stealing moments alone together, and almost every one served to bring them just a bit closer together. You could really feel their relationship shifting from strangers to acquaintances to friends to ultimately lovers. They were BOTH gradually getting to know and falling for the other, rather than it being largely one party trying to win over the other.
And while Geordo has a relatively small role in this route and isn't really addressed until the ending... I think that works. As I mentioned in Geordo's route, he was complacent and assumed his "victory" was secure. He might have been initially paranoid, but he took reassurance from Silva initially saying Catarina was like a little sister and didn't consider that those feelings might change. But then unbeknownst to him, Catarina ended up spending A LOT of time with Silva (and as I said, those moments often happened to be ALONE, so no one else truly knew just HOW close they were getting), and falling for him. Basically, Geordo was caught sleeping on the job in this route and by the time he considered Silva a threat, it was too late.
One aspect of this route I really loved was Silva's interactions and dynamic with Rozy and the Lindgren family. It's so clear how much Rozy and his father truly love Silva, and Silva loves them too but is reluctant to officially join their family because doing so would cause a minor scandal. He'd rather keep a wall between them than burden them in any way because he feels indebted and unworthy, while they WANT him in the family and would happily accept any trouble he brings.
Heck, Rozy loves Silva enough that he didn't hesitate to back off when he noticed Silva getting close to Catarina, despite presumably being in love with her himself! The subtle way he gave the pair his blessing through giving Silva the notebook that had her picture - something he had in the past told Silva he "couldn't give" him, despite Silva's curiosity - was honestly sublime. One of my favorite moments in the entire game.
I also adored Silva opening up about his family and culture to Catarina, and then how he used that unique culture to woo her. Even before the reveal, the ear kisses were SO GOOD and clearly affecting her. In the end, when he revealed it was actually a sign that he was courting her? Buddy, that's too smooth!
Speaking of his confession, I loved that initially it seemed he was going to just confess his feelings and then back off, leaving the ball in her court. He wanted her to know how he felt before she left, since it would be who knows how long before they saw each other again, if ever, but he didn't intend to pressure her. It was only AFTER she instinctively stopped and clung to him - after she'd given him some small indication that she reciprocated - that he made a move. And what a move it was! The way he warned her to stop him or leave if she didn't want this before kissing her, MULTIPLE TIMES, was just... very attractive. He was probably already my favorite before this, but even if he hadn't been, this scene would have pushed him to the top anyway.
And the epilogue is also very lovely, with him having finally been officially adopted by the Lindgren family. He found a reason worth troubling them - so he could have the status and education to "properly" be with her without society putting up a fuss. It's so cute to see her so thrilled to see him again and being so happy and excited at the prospect of marrying him.
Finally, the conflict and drama in this route was once again pretty good. I don't have much to say (mainly because while I DID enjoy the conflict, the romance was just astoundingly solid and stole most of my focus), but everything regarding human experimentation and how Silva was directly linked to it and the antagonist was good. I wish the villain wasn't a brand new character not even SEEN in other routes though (he might have been MENTIONED in one or two other routes, but that's it).
One thing I think this story does REALLY well is the Butterfly Effect of Catarina changing the game's canon (something she hilariously never seems to fully grasp). Her one meeting with Rozy changed his life. And even though she NEVER met Silva as a child, her chance meeting with Rozy also rippled outward and still positively affected Silva, making him radically different than the "in-game" Silva, who most likely WASN'T a romanceable character but a true villain (I find it hard to believe the game would let you romance someone who callously kills several people in his INTRODUCTION and who is part of a pirate crew that is legitimately threatening/evil. I like to imagine Rozy was the true "secret" romance in the fandisk, since he WAS still in the game and on the ship).
Overall I thought this game was great and it far exceeded my expectations. I expected (and got) comedy, but the romances were mostly good and there was more drama and intrigue to many of the plots/conflicts than I expected. I'll definitely be returning to this game to re-experience my favorites.
In terms of my feelings on the routes as a whole, best to worst:
Silva -> Alan -> Nicol -> Rozy -> Geordo -> Keith
My feelings on the romance/relationship with Catarina:
Silva -> Alan -> Geordo -> Nicol -> Rozy -> Keith
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