Mario vs Shadow is a Death Battle by Peep4Life.
| Mario vs Shadow | |
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| Season 2, Episode 1 | |
Vital statistics
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| Air date | March 17, 2019 |
| Written by | Peep4Life |
| Directed by | Peep4Life |
Episode guide
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| Previous | Next |
| Finale: Galen Marek vs Raiden | Akame vs Tyrian |
Description[]
Season 2 Episode 1! Mario vs Sonic! Both stake a claim as a rival to Sonic the Hedgehog, but will it be the plumber or the Ultimate Lifeform to triumph?
Interlude[]
Wiz: When a character reaches the popularity of Sonic the Hedgehog, you can guarantee that they're going to pick up rivals along the way. Today we pit two of his most well known opponents against each other.
Boomstick: Mario, the biggest icon of Nintendo gaming.
Wiz: And Shadow the Hedgehog: The Ultimate Lifeform.
Boomstick: He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyse their weapons, armour and skill to find out who would win a Death Battle.
Mario[]
Wiz: As a flagship character of Nintendo, and gaming in general, Mario has undergone many journeys and quests.
Boomstick: He may be a plumber by design, but he has also been a brave, conquering hero. He has taken on many, many new challenges.
Wiz: Your typical layout for a Super Mario conquest is Peach gets kidnapped.
Boomstick: Mario finds new power ups to conquer eight worlds of monsters.
Wiz: Mario comes face to face with Bowser.
Boomstick: And he wins. Pretty straight forward. But as time went on, and Bowser realised that defeating a plumber was deceitfully hard, he had to change his game. Which meant, so did Mario.
Wiz: Take Mario Galaxy for example. The helpless Rosalina depended on Mario to retrieve the stolen Power Stars and Grand Stars. She bestowed Luma to Mario and directed him to several galaxies. Mario took on: oversized Dino Piranhas, Megaleg, Boldergeist, evil bugs…
Boomstick: NO! Not the bugs! Oh the inhumanity!
Wiz: And Mario pulled through every time. He then defeated Bowser several times and eventually managed to salvage enough power for the observatory that they travelled to the centre of the universe.
Boomstick: He then had to repeat a similar quest not so long later, travelling through the galaxies again aboard Starship Mario. This time, the waifu material Rosalina was replaced with… Lubba the Hutt. Ugh.
Wiz: Mario took on yet more ferocious monsters and again came through. But even when the journeys aren’t as broad as travelling through space, Mario still has to pull wins out of the bag. He’s travelled worlds of lava, snow and deserts, still coming out the other end and defeating whatever waited for him in the castle.
Boomstick: The guy may not be known for a canon timeline, but you’d be foolish to assume that there aren’t bags of weapons and power ups he can call on. There’s not much we can say about his story, so how about we get into his powers? Besides, everyone knows who Mario is. You’d simply be reading what you already know if I carried on.
Wiz: The real substance, is in Mario’s arsenal. And there is a LOT to cover:
Wiz: As far as his basic powers go, Mario can harness both pyrokinesis and cryokinesis with the fire and ice flowers.
Boomstick: The flowers themselves can also be used to spurt deadly flames and ice at a foe. So, if you ever wanted a garden to fear, you know what plants to put down. The fireballs are powerful enough to one shot most minions, but there are a few exceptions.
Wiz: Not that it matters too much because Mario can improvise with the use of ice instead, freezing an enemy and making them a throwing item. The ice can even counter out fireballs if timed right.
Boomstick: Believe it or not, this guy has more than one method of learning how to fly. Thanks to power ups like the Red Star, Mario is able to glide around the battlefield- for a short time. Otherwise, he can trade off the height and control of flight for a more long lasting ability with the cape and the propeller suits. The propeller suit even gives him a nice spiralling ground pound move, which usually one shots minions.
Wiz: He can summon platforms with the Cloud Suit, though these can only make three at a time and fade after a while. Oh, and only people using the suit can actually stand on them. Otherwise, see you by. A more rare power up is the Tanooki Suit, which Mario can use for similar effects to the Super Leaf. But on top of glides and the use of Tail Whip attacks, Mario can turn into a statue.
Boomstick: Which makes some enemies unaware of his presence and can negate other hazards. Nifty.
Wiz: But the more legendary version of this suit is the White Tanooki.
Boomstick: This suit is pretty awesome; it turns Mario completely invincible and lasts the duration of the mission in this state.
Wiz: There is a cost-
Boomstick: Isn’t there always?
Wiz: Mario can not level up from the enemies he slays in this form, and soon after, he returns to his regular Tanooki state.
Boomstick: Sweet. Man, I love how easy and simple this suit is. Say, how can I get one?
Wiz: Go and die five times seems to be the easiest way.
Bowser: Tough luck, Mario!
Boomstick: Alright, so I guess Mario can bait a character in by dying several times, and just when his opponent-
Wiz: No, Boomstick. If Mario dies, then that is that: game, set and match.
Boomstick: Fiiine. But it’s not like Mario has to rely on it; usually we only see a White Tanooki when a player is absolute toss at the game.
Wiz: He can go invincible through the Super Star: a powerful item that helps him one shot many enemies, and in a variation seen in Mario Galaxy, was strong enough to smash boulders and metal Chain Chomps. These do come with time limits, but Mario doesn’t need too much time to make the most of this power.
Boomstick: Mario is able to deliver powerful spinning punches thanks to the Luma bestowed on him by Rosalina; the punches can shatter crystals, though they’re not particularly hard things to break. And can throw Bowser around in their battle.
Wiz: Mario’s strength is no joke. This guy can lift and throw Bowser (with a little effort) and has been shown to power through brick blocks with just his body. I dare you to try that, Boomstick.
Boomstick: After you, asshole.
Wiz: He has a wide array of weapons, notably shells which have a variety of styles and powers:
Boomstick: Green ones travel in straight lines and bounce off walls. Red ones home in and tackle a foe, whereas the Blue Shell / Spiny Shell is like a heat seeking missile, chasing down a foe and creating a small explosion. He also has spiky shells and can throw icy ones to freeze targets whole.
Wiz: Alternatively, he can throw Bob-ombs, tiny bombs with their own mind and will.
Boomstick: So, kinda like a version of a Voltorb doomed to Self Destruct over and over again.
Wiz: If… you want to look at it that way.
Boomstick: But there are few power ups as satisfying as the Mega Mushroom. Once it is consumed, Mario turns into a giant, looming over even Bowser. His weight alone is enough to shatter bricks, knock away pipes and send minions flying.
Wiz: The tremors from Ground Pounds can bring items crashing down and can send pipes sinking into the ground. Although powerful, this state is not invincible. He can still die to extremely powerful attacks and lava hazards.
Boomstick: No bother. If I had that power, I wouldn’t be scared of no stinkin’ lava.
Wiz: Finally, Mario can use his cap as a weapon, thanks to Cappy. He can latch his cap onto the head of a target and take control of their body. He’s done so to things varying from Goombas all the way to Bowser. Although, Bowser’s mind is not exactly the strongest thing, he was able to use his strength to save the day.
Boomstick: For all of Mario’s pride and strength though, he is not unbreakable. His biggest weakness is by far the inconsistency of his strength. Mario can go from throwing and rivalling Bowser one minute to being outmuscled by him the next. Sure, this is Bowser we’re talking about, but Mario can’t seem to decide on his strength.
Wiz: His reactions can also be a little on the slow side. In Mario Galaxy, Kamek was able to cut in front of him, and monologue, before launching a slow blast of magic which… Mario failed to dodge.
Boomstick: He did survive the landing though.
Wiz: He did, but that was extremely lucky. Nevertheless, he fell from space to a planet and survived. Not many people can say that.
Boomstick: And any damage Mario does take, can be restored through items like the Shroom Shake. The Ultra Shroom Shake is the most powerful version of it as it offers more health.
Wiz: Ultimately, Mario is called Mr Video Games for a good reason. As far as heroes come, there are few more brave, nor more powerful than the red and blue donning plumber.
Mario jumps on the top of a flagpole, successfully landing a 1-Up.
Mario: Oh yeah, Mario time.
Shadow[]
Wiz: The culmination of an ambitious research project, Shadow the Hedgehog was expected to be the key to potential immortality. Or at very least, his creator Gerald Robotnick, hoped Shadow could offer up a means of curing his granddaughter Maria and saving her from certain death.
Boomstick: My understanding is: Black/Red Hedgehog + Evil Alien Blood = Cure? That's one messed up equation.
Wiz: Naturally, making a deal with an alien named Black Doom had a drawback; Shadow would be forced to serve the dark lord once the Day of Reckoning arrived.
Boomstick: The Day of Reckoning happened to be 50 years after Shadow was sent from the ARK. Shadow had been suffering from amnesia up until the jog of the memory, seeing Maria be gunned down again and watching the horrors of his past play out before him again.
Wiz: Luckily, Maria's pleading for Shadow to give humanity a chance, and her kindness in general, were enough for Shadow to put aside his grudge with the humans. Twice. Following Sonic X, he all but sacrificed himself to save the planet and in Shadow the Hedgehog, the game, he was willing to destroy the Black Arms' comet and live aboard the ARK.
Boomstick: Shadow has been a reoccurring character in Sonic's timeline. He had a feud with Mephiles the Dark, where his faith and loyalty to the humans was seriously tested...
Mephiles: You forgive humanity this folly then?
Shadow: I determine my own destiny!
Boomstick: Badass. He played his part in subduing Mephiles for the main parts of the Sonic 06 storyline. While Sonic... rescued the princess.
Wiz: Shadow then also reappeared in Sonic Forces, squaring off with Infinite prior to his transformation and really being the root of Infinite's motives. He then helped the resistance against the hordes of duplicates, eventually seeing the heroes conquer the swarm. But throughout these stories, Shadow has always kept up a rivalry with Sonic, even if it is more tame than before. But that should not be taken as Shadow going soft. When he gets serious, he'll show you exactly why he's called the Ultimate Lifeform.
Boomstick: Using his whole body as a weapon, Shadow can deliver deadly attacks called Homing Attacks, which are pretty much a “Does what it says on the tin” technique; Shadow homes in on foes, often using them in succession, pinballing from one enemy to another.
Wiz: He can also build momentum and speed up, charging up Spin Dashes, which can cut down a target with ease. Being Sonic’s rival, Shadow can match the Blue Blur in speed on most occasions. These are massively thanks to the Air Shoes.
Boomstick: The motion appears more of a skate than Sonic’s trademark figure eight style of running, but Shadow can glide across surfaces, and combines that speed with brutal, unrelenting beatings.
Wiz: It is even rumoured Shadow could well be faster than Sonic. Though, this is yet to be proven on a consistent basis.
Boomstick: That’s about where the similarities between Shadow and Sonic end. From there on, Shadow is his own hedgehog.
Wiz: Emphasised in Shadow the Hedgehog, when the Ultimate Lifeform began using guns found on the floor. Not that he needed them.
Boomstick: No, but what puts an exclamation point on something more than a bullet hole?
Wiz: Shadow also displayed great physical strength in this game as well, being able to flip buses over with just his own body strength. Though, he often leaves these physical tasks to other characters such as E-123 Omega.
Boomstick: Hey! When you’ve got speed, guns, and an edge like his, you don’t need strength!
Wiz: Especially considering Shadow’s success against more physically powerful foes before. Shadow defeated Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic X in a few hits, bouncing off walls before flattening him with a Spin Dash. He was able to use Chaos Spear, an energy based attack that was powerful enough to punch through the metal walls of the facility he chased Tails and Cosmo through.
Boomstick: Shadow can also whip up a small storm in the form of the Black Tornado. Which… is pretty self explanatory; Shadow can create a black tornado to attack enemies from distances, and throw them even further.
Wiz: Shadow has gone up against some of the best that the Sonic universe has to offer, and he has always come out the other side swinging. He defeated Silver through intelligence and perseverance. And Silver was a foe Shadow had never seen before, so he also displayed a much better ability than Sonic to adapt to a new foe on the fly.
Boomstick: Hey, isn’t that where he landed one of the sweetest kicks of all time?
Shadow: Chaos Control!
Shadow ducks Silver’s attack, and kicks him in the back of the head.
Boomstick: Ahh, there we go!
Wiz: Before a time where every character with “the” in their name could do it, Shadow could manipulate time and space through a signature attack named Chaos Control! Through the power of a chaos emerald, he can manipulate the speed of time, slowing it down as and when he chooses to. It gives him a definitive edge over anyone not able to use the method. But Shadow can also use the method to teleport himself and other objects great distances. In the conclusion of Shadow the Hedgehog, he teleported the Black Comet into space, where the Eclipse Cannon destroyed it. Essentially, there is very little Shadow can not teleport when he sets his mind to it.
Boomstick: Shadow also has strength of will. Black Doom released a paralysing gas on Shadow, Sonic, Rouge, Tails, Amy and several other characters. Shadow was the only character who fought out before the paralysis could completely overtake him. Though, Shadow never even bothered to rescue the other characters from becoming dinner. Oh well.
Wiz: Luckily, Shadow pursued Black Doom throughout the Black Comet and defeated several waves of the Black Arms, before squaring off with Devil Doom. Throughout the entirety of the game, Shadow was challenged with picking good and bad. Through the culmination of negative emotion, Shadow could draw rage into himself and activate the deadly Chaos Blast.
Boomstick: Shadow essentially turned himself into a grenade. A powerful one at that. In the fit of rage that precursors the attack, Shadow can walk through a column of G.U.N soldiers, all firing on him and simply obliterate them with no concerns.
Wiz: The only drawback is Shadow needs to keep a gauge filled while he uses it, though it’s not as if Shadow can’t fill it in a hurry.
Boomstick: But, Shadow has a play much beyond a single Chaos Blast; Shadow has a form called Super Shadow. Harnessing the power of the Chaos Emerald, Shadow’s strength and speed grow exponentially.
Wiz: In this form, Shadow has been able to topple Devil Doom and was able to play a part in the fall of Solaris, a being that existed in multiple timelines!
Boomstick: Shadow’s regular Chaos attacks become stupendously powered in this form, he can also mirror techniques such as Super Sonic Boost, cloaking himself in a fiery aura and being able to stun beings such as Perfect Dark Gaia.
Wiz: Or he can use the Spears of Light, powerful enough to penetrate the shells of Solaris. This form lacks in one department: sustainability. Shadow will return to his peak state once the form expires, but he has to make the most of the time given to him whilst in Super Shadow.
Boomstick: If there is one way Shadow can be unique, however, it is in his Inhibitor Rings. Shadow can remove these, and unleash raw power on his opponent. In Sonic 06, he and the rest of Team Dark were surrounded by duplicates of Mephiles. Thanks to the removal of the rings, Shadow was able to tap into enough strength to subdue them in one go!
Wiz: He removed them in Sonic X as well when he initiated a powerful Chaos Control, though this was extremely taxing on his body, and he fatigued straight after, falling from space all the way down to Earth.
Boomstick: Aside from limited time frames, Shadow’s main flaw lies in his arrogance. But to be fair to the guy, if you were born “The Ultimate Lifeform” you would feel the same way.
Shadow: If the world chooses to become my enemy, I will fight like I always have.
Shadow removes his inhibitor rings, and destroys Mephiles’ clones.
Intermission []
Wiz: Alright the combatants are set. Let's end this debate once and for all.
Boomstick: It's time for a Death Battle!
Fight[]
Location: Space Colony ARK (Shadow the Hedgehog)
The ARK pulled away from Earth, and Shadow stared blankly into the dark of space. Black Doom had promised that the Black Arms would rise again. And Shadow knew he would be a fool not to take him at his word. There was only a massive, universe shaped problem: Where the hell were the rest of the Black Arms hiding?
Before Shadow could structure his next thought, another craft jumped out before the ARK. “WHAT THE?” he said aloud, as he grabbed a Chaos Emerald. “Chaos Control!” he ordered, freezing both crafts. But there was a problem now; the ship was sending over a boarding party. “Hmph. Fine.” Shadow grumbled, as he allowed the enemy aboard.
Mario rushed down the halls, searching for the source of the power readings Rosalina and the Observatory had detected. Maybe it was a Grand Star? He opened a door wide, and saw Shadow stood atop a staircase, glaring down at the plumber. “Let’sa go!” Mario ordered, as he leapt at Shadow. The hedgehog stared coldly…
FIGHT!
And then zipped behind Mario and punched him right across the back of the head. Mario skidded, and turned back around, swiping at Shadow again, who dropped his right shoulder, weaving out of the attack’s range. He then planted a boot firmly in Mario’s stomach, blasting the plumber across the room. Mario landed, but quickly armed himself with a nearby crate, smashing it towards Shadow. “You have got to be kidding me.” Shadow grumbled, as he effortlessly glided past the attack and nabbed Mario by the overalls. He kicked him into the air and then dropped him with a brutal axe handle punch.
Mario slammed into the ground, but helped himself back up. “Let’sa do this!” he signalled at Luma, who began pestering Shadow with Star Bits. The Ultimate Lieform began backing away from the swarm of honey flavoured attacks, ducking and weaving, before Mario was able to slam his fist across the hedgehog’s head. Shadow slammed against the wall, bouncing off and using the momentum to attempt a nasty Homing Attack. “Wahoo!” Mario cried, whacking Shadow back with a swipe of the cape. He then delivered a corkscrew style attack, delivering multiple punches to Shadow and then throwing the hedgehog into the air.
“He’s not bad. I need to get ahead of it!” Shadow realised, as he teleported to the floor, and swiftly punted Mario in the back. “Oof!” Mario grunted as his head bounced off the wall. Shadow then delivered a Homing Attack, which was followed by a slow motioned kick for dramatic effect. “Step up your game, fool!” Shadow dared, as he kicked Mario down the hall, skidding on his back to the opposite side of the corridor.
Mario kipped up, and grabbed a Fire Flower. Fireballs swarmed the area, as Shadow rushed from side to side in order to evade them. “Regular attacks aren’t going to work!” Shadow boasted, as he initiated a Spin Dash on the fly. “Aiiii!” Mario squawked, as the attack zipped just past his head. He then quickly responded to Shadow’s attempt to keep the attack going, swiping at him with the cape and knocking Shadow into the wall. He proceeded to implement a slide tackle that would have probably been a red card in the Premier League, sending Shadow flying. Mario then sprang up, using a spin attack on the Ultimate Lifeform, before throwing him right across the room. Shadow landed with a thud, and noticed Mario had begun to charge on him again.
"Chaos Spear!” he said through gritted teeth. The attack energy formed in his hands, and quickly shot at Mario’s anticipated location. “Ooof!” Mario grunted, breaking off his rush to equip a new item. The Boulder Suit came into play, as he looked to rush down Shadow. Shadow smirked, and charged up a powerful Spin Dash, meeting the boulder head on. The two jostled for the advantage, with Shadow gritting his teeth. He might… not have thought that through… The boulder flung Shadow into the air, and the hedgehog quickly initiated a teleport to land himself on a higher level to Mario. Mario continued to roll around, looking to ram the leverage out of existence if possible. Shadow snapped his fingers, and dropped a swarming hive of Chaos Spears, breaking off the boulder’s momentum. “That oughta help.” he smirked, as he then leapt down and attempted a roundhouse kick. Mario ducked, and then targeted the exposed ribs of Shadow, driving the boulder into them. “Dammit!” Shadow grunted, impacting onto the wall. He then heard the rolling boulder again, and had a different idea. “Keep up if you can!”
Shadow’s boots then launched him down a new hall, and Mario pursued. Shadow realised he couldn’t be caught just yet. But what if he led him to an awkward angle to punish him? Shadow swiftly turned right, and Mario bumped down the ramp into what appeared to be a room full of large crates. Shadow made a prison out of crates, blocking off Mario. “This’ll be liking shooting fish in a barrel!” he sneered. Mario could not stop rolling, and bouncing off crates. Shadow knew it couldn’t hold forever, but did he need it to? He leapt above Mario, raining down a fierce downpour of Chaos Spears, which blew Mario up and out of the crates. For good measure, Shadow then slammed a Homing Attack right into Mario’s chest.
The plumber crashed through the many crates, clutching his wounds as Shadow loomed over him. “You’re done.” Shadow said, turning away from his foe.
(Music Pause)
Mario quickly armed a Shroom Shake, healing up plenty of the dealt damage. He then barraged Star Bits at Shadow’s head, bouncing them off the hedgehog, much to Shadow’s frustration. “Take the damn hint!” Shadow shouted, as he attempted a Homing Attack again. This time, Mario caught him, and slammed the hedgehog to the floor with a gnarly throw. Mario then dropped down a Ground Pound, lifting Shadow back up, right in the cross hairs of a flurry of fireballs. Shadow backed away, as Mario continued the onslaught of pryokinetic projectiles. Shadow realised there was a way around this nonsense; give him a taste of his own attack!
“You’re not the only one with tricks!” Shadow smirked, as he launched a wave of Chaos Spears to counter the fireballs. The projectiles emitted heat and began to build up. Before it finally let out an eruption, ripping a hole in the bottom of the ARK. Shadow teleported to the opposite side of the bay, holding on to a metal bar. Mario could do nothing to break the fall, but he could at least make sure Shadow fell too! In a desperate move, he armed a POW block, and hurled it at Shadow’s direction. “Huh?” Shadow wondered as the block landed. Too late. Now both combatants were falling through space; towards the very ship that had caused the battle to begin with.
Location: Comet Observatory (Mario Galaxy)
Mario landed first, the garage offering no real comfort for the fall. Shadow had got enough bearings back, to land on his own two feet. He then charged Mario pinning him against the Terrace Dome. Shadow raised a boot, but Mario blocked and threw him back. Shadow recovered in a somersault motion, landing on a knee, but earning a punch across the area for his troubles. Now Mario had a new power up in his hand. Or, rather an old one: he clicked down on the Stop Watch, freezing Shadow in place. Mario let loose. Headbutts flew in, punches and kicks followed and Mario snatched a nearby hammer, slugging Shadow right in the back and sending him careening into the side of the Fountain Dome.
Time picked up as normal, and Shadow turned to see a leaping Mario coming his way. “Time manipulation, huh?” he said, ducking the attack. He then whipped Mario into the air with a sweeping kick. “Impressive: But nothing I can’t surpass.” The Ultimate Lifeform then reached and pulled a Chaos Emerald. “Chaos Control!” he smirked, as Mario began to move at a snail’s pace. “Mama…” he began, as Shadow started capitalising with kicks and Homing Attacks. Shadow then flooded the area with Chaos Spears, which all rained down on Mario as time resumed as normal. “MIA!” Mario finished, as he sat up in a daze. Shadow grabbed Mario by the throat, but this time Mario was ready to try and counter with a dirty trick. “Here we go!” he said, as he flung his cap at Shadow.
“What the-?” Shadow grunted as he backed off. Cappy must have been a smidgen away from Shadow’s scalp, and both combatants knew this. “YAH!” Mario cried, as he flung his arms across at Shadow, blasting the hedgehog into the air. Shadow landed towards the Bedroom area of the craft, and Mario was going to try and catch him.
With a desperate leap, he met Shadow on the platform, only for Shadow to attempt a Black Tornado. “That should deal with him.” Shadow grumbled. He then directed the tornado off the ship, where Mario surely would fall to his death. “You’re nothing.” Shadow scoffed, folding his arms and turning away. Until a familiar voice sounded… “WAHOOHOOOO!”
“Every time!” Shadow growled, turning to see Mario had somehow figured out a way to ride the tornado. The plumber’s arms rotated as if they were helicopter propellers, and Shadow now realised he had been taking Mario too lightly. Mario quickly commandeered air support, equipping the Red Star. He then flew over Shadow’s head, and dropped a Bob-omb on him. Shadow held on to the edge, before catching a glance at the centre of the Observatory. 'The sheer power of that thing… to pilot a craft like this.' He thought about trying to destroy it, but opted against it – at least for now.
Mario circled around for another sweep, as he let loose with more bombs than last time. Shadow rushed towards the shelves, and rushed on the side of it, throwing Chaos Spears at the flying target. Mario barrel rolled away from the assault. He needed to find a place to land. Luckily, he had- “OOF!” Mario wheezed and grunted, as Shadow dropped him with a bone rattling Homing Attack. Shadow then placed a foot on Mario’s neck, and skated him head first into a step. Mario crawled away, but had a plan. As Shadow went for a Homing Attack, Mario grew in size, as he engulfed a Mega Mushroom. Mario punched Shadow across the ship, slamming him back first into the Kitchen Dome. The hedgehog groaned as Mario came booming over.
“That’s… new.” Shadow grunted to himself. “No; I can get ahead of this.” Shadow promised, rushing Mario again. Same outcome though; Shadow was flung across the ship, only this time a teleport broke the fall. He charged, smashing a nearby crate at the giant, only for Mario to catch him in his bare hands. “Mario Number One!” he yelled, as he turned to the core of the Comet Observatory. “NO!” Shadow realised, as Mario threw him with all his might. As Shadow bounced from the wall, Mario delivered a punt. Shadow teleported right off the impact, and grabbed on to Mario, delivering a series of Homing Attacks up and down his torso. This merely angered Mario, who slapped Shadow with his cape, aiming to discard Shadow through the core of the ship!
Mario turned, as his form deactivated. He tipped his cap, before something caught the corner of his eye. Shadow struggled with all his might, calling on the seven chaos emeralds. The big question here of course was, would they reach in time? Shadow closed his eyes, as the heat built up over his body... Sweat poured, before the black and red of his fur was engulfed in the bright gold light...
Of his now active super form! He levitated in the middle of the core. “Chaos BLAST!” Super Shadow roared, as the core now began to violently emit explosions over the Comet Observatory. Debris split from the ship by the loads, falling towards the planet below. Super Shadow slammed through the nearest slab, aiming a fierce column of Chaos Spears at Mario. “WHOAH!” Mario yelped, dodging the attack. He turned to punch Super Shadow, but the Super Form allowed Shadow to brush it off. Shadow rushed along the falling debris, slamming himself into Mario’s back and face planting the plumber against the front side of a falling dome.
Mario then saw a falling Super Star. With a challenging reach, he obtained the power: matching Shadow’s invincibility. Sparks emitted from the pair as their forms clashed. “You’ll fall!” Shadow vowed. “I’mma gonna getchu!” Mario responded. The pair fell from their current chunk of wreckage to a rotating platform that was nearing the planet faster than they. Mario punched Super Shadow off the side of the platform, but Super Shadow remained afloat, using Light Arrows to eviscerate the floor beneath Mario. “WOW!” Mario yelped, as he sprang forth. This was it; they both threw fierce punches for the other’s head.
But only one of them would continue to be backed by their super form. And that was Shadow.
Super Shadow’s fist smashed straight into Mario’s nose, breaking it and sending Mario’s woozy body into a spiraling freefall. The hedgehog teleported the debris in a position where it would land on top of Mario, burying the plumber on the surface of the world. Mario groggily got to his feet, just as Shadow redirected a Starshroom towards the plumber. Mario struggled against the debris. But it was too late. With a crash, the craft crushed the plumber, leaving Shadow alone as the sole survivor.
KO!
Conclusion []
(City: Enemy Territory / Westopolis)
Boomstick: Mama Mia!
Wiz: Close, but no cigar for the red donning plumber. Mario held the upper hand when he was able to incorporate his power ups, but Shadow had means of getting around the lot of them. Shadow was much quicker, and therefore much more nimble.
Boomstick: Shadow frequently uses his speed and combinations of short ranged teleports to frustrate and evade foes in combat, as he has done so against Sonic, Knuckles and even against Infinite to name a few. Mario was never going to go down easily, but Shadow could keep the fight going.
Wiz: Both combatants had means of slowing down time – Mario has his Stop Watch and Shadow can use Chaos Control, but Shadow does so much more frequently than the plumber, making it more likely for him to call on it before Mario did. Even then though, there was no saying Mario would be able to kill Shadow in that window of time.
Boomstick: Shadow would have much more success against Mario than other foes because of his aggression. Shadow would come out of the blocks hot, and would give Mario less time to grow into the match. He performed a similar approach against Knuckles in Sonic X. Once he realised the echidna was more powerful, he kept moving as to not allow Knuckles to get a proper read on him.
Wiz: Mario could tough a lot of it out though, and with the use of Shroom Shakes, he was able to undo some of Shadow’s work. The problem was, well, Shadow had no problem dishing it back out again…
Boomstick: Cappy may have proved to be a difference maker, had Mario been able to hit with him. But again, Shadow’s speed and agility was never going to make it a presentable opportunity. Once Mario stopped being able to surprise Shadow with powers, the Ultimate Lifeform would go in for the kill.
Wiz: Mario was strong enough to survive at least one Chaos Blast, but Shadow could keep up the attack until Mario stopped responding. And once Super Shadow came into play, Mario had no real counter to it. Except the White Tanooki, which he couldn’t activate thanks to Mario needing to die several times to obtain it.
Boomstick: Now, Mario was not beaten outright; he did have ways to work around some of Shadow's better skills. Mario regularly combats powerhouses, so he had no problem coping with strength; the issue was the blistering pace Shadow could hit with when he went all out.
Wiz: Mario also has a knack for getting creative when the time comes; he was able to improvise against the Black Tornado by mirroring his common practice of riding tornadoes in Mario Galaxy. And though Shadow had ranged attacks, Mario had enough ways to block them to prolong the fight. But the longer the fight went on, and the more near falls there were, the more Shadow realised he would need to take Mario seriously.
Boomstick: Plus, Shadow would be growing in frustration empowering his big hitting moves like Chaos Blast. Which, yes, Mario could probably survive the initial attack of. But if Shadow was less modest and got more full on with the blasts, you'd be sweeping Mario off the sidewalk.
Wiz: By the fight's conclusion, speed and tenacity were enough to overcome versatility and strength on the day.
Boomstick: And in the end, Shadow became the ultimate victor…
Wiz: The winner is Shadow!
