NOVPUB— Downtown, Metro City —
FWOOM!
A sleek strip of shadow snapped out like a grappling hook to latch onto the ledge of a ten-story building. A split-second later, Shadow rocketed into the sky, reeled upward by the black tether with inhuman velocity. His body arced masterfully through the air — twisting mid-spin as he folded into a perfect roll, then landed on the rooftop like a wraith in motion.
But before the top of his feet even kissed the concrete, he kicked off again.
BOOM!
His body launched like a bullet, barely visible, soaring across the alley gap to the next rooftop.
His HUD pinged.
[Viewers: 47,432]
Comments blazed down the right-hand corner like fire:
[WS IN THE CHAT LET'S GOOOOOOOO]
[Shadow pls don't disappear again I BEG U bro… before now all I had were Nightwatch's streams and it changed my life fr, you're the closest thing to that 🥺]
[Yo fr. he's all we got left since Nightwatch ghosted us.]
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[Y'all are gay af. 💀]
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[SO gay. Gay in a GOOD way. Shut up.]
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[There is no good gay. 🤷♂️]
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[Why don't you keep those hateful comments to yourself since nobody asked! 😡]
[Nah bc the real tragedy is me suffering through so many weeks of watching The Peak & Pulsar streams… felt like torture chamber ASMR]
[Bro can yall stop glazing Nightwatch & Shadow? Pulsar ain't THAT bad!]
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[Pulsar won't let you hit, lil bro 😭🙏]
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[Ratio + L + Nightwatch & Shadow solos ✌️]
[GOD I missed streams with real stakes — Shadow got me yelling at my screen rn! 😆]
･･･
Shadow blinked, just once.
The lens of his sleek helmet narrowed as he sprinted along the edge of a building, keeping pace with the lithe figure ahead — Cat Lady — who was flipping between rooftops like gravity owed her money.
He didn't break motion, but he did raise a brow at the viewer count.
[Yo how tf he pulling Nightwatch numbers rn?!]
[TRUEE! Other heroes don't stream bc PR be cryin every time they miss a punch 🤷♂️]
[BRANDS WANT PERFECTION, WE WANT BLOOD.]
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[Cornball 😭]
･･･
Shadow exhaled deeply. Yeah. That tracked.
No one else really did this.
Not like he used to.
Others played it safe, trimmed the fat, scrubbed the flaws.
That wasn't how he did it. Never had been.
He effortlessly closed the distance, chasing Cat Lady's tail like a predator.
Meanwhile, from above…
"This is Judy Cho reporting live from the ST… and oh—"
The reporter's voice flattened with disinterest.
"… looks like Shadow's finally shown up to help."
Shadow heard that. Even from down here.
His eyes half-lidded.
No expression, just a long, drawn-out sigh.
He didn't stop running, but his head drooped slightly.
And the chat noticed.
[NAHHH she sounded PISSED 🤣]
[So that one theory on Threadit that Judy was into Shadow wasn't just fanfic huh… 🤔]
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[what theory?]
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[Bro there was that one guy that posted pictures of Judy & Shadow at like FOUR different spots during the whole Penis Hunter drama. Few days later, Metro Daily were the first to release their article on it, and she wrote both the starting & ending. dead giveaway. 🤷♂️]
[Nah but why can I ACTUALLY see Shadow fumbling a 10/10 Asian baddie like Judy LMFAOO]
[Kinda reminds me of that one Nightwatch Chirper post — "night drive with my childhood crush, she said she's hot and hungry" LMAOOO 😆]
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[HAHA 😂 that's lame! He shoulda just bought her food and turned the AC up.]
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[Uhm 😐]
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[Sounds like you're just as dumb as him, mate.]
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[But fr I miss those early Nightwatch nights… now it's all politics this and terrorist that. 🙄]
･･･
But Shadow wasn't in the mood to reply.
Not when he finally caught up.
"Finally…" he muttered.
He grounded his heel, pushing every ounce of momentum through his body as he lunged.
SHIIIIIING!
His dark claws sharpened mid-air.
But—
WHOOOSH!
Cat Lady's fluffy ears twitched.
In a majestic display, she flipped — backwards — high into the morning sky, flipping over Shadow like some Olympic feline goddess.
His claws sliced through empty air.
『AGAIN…!』
He twisted, landing into a rapid pivot.
Another attack—swiped wide—but she front-flipped over him again, landing en pointe like a ballerina.
And just as he steadied himself—
BONK.
Her curvy rear bumped him aside.
"Ah──?!"
Cat Lady turned with a fake blush as her dainty fingers rested on her soft pink lips.
"Awww~ Hero-san shouldn't be touching a lady's butt like that. I feel so violated…"
She winked and ran.
"I DIDN'T TOUCH YOUR BUTT!!"
Shadow roared, shaking a gloved fist.
"YOU—"
He realized she was already swinging away. Damnit!
[This man really losing to a girl doing anime flips AND getting bullied wtf 💔]
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[My glorious king Nightwatch would never be put on such ridiculous fraud watch 😭✌️]
[Her butt fr is a weapon, kek!]
[She kinda fine tho ngl. And her butt is like… really cute.]
[Guys. Let's talk physics. Her speed is absurd. 37 mph at least, with cat-level reflexes. She's a freak.]
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[I ran the numbers. She's dodging multi-angled darkness projectiles while holding a high-tech briefcase. That's just fuckin' wild. 💀]
[I ship it. Hard.]
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[I swear y'all ship anything that breathes 😑]
･･･
Shadow chased.
This time, it was steel beams and unfinished floors.
Cat Lady ran with zero pressure, flipping through the skeletal framework of the building with pure grace.
Now sprinting across a narrow beam, Shadow sent strip after strip of darkness toward her.
She dodged everything.
Weaving, twirling, flipping — she was toying with him, even as she secured the briefcase strapped to her hip.
She peeked back mid-leap, grinning smugly.
"Oh, surely you can do better than tha—" 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
"SURE ABOUT THAT?!"
Shadow's voice cut through the air.
She paused.
Then realized — every strip he fired had anchored to the structure. Crisscrossed. Tight. Web-like.
And she was in the center.
Shadow yanked his arms.
SNAP—SHHKKK!
The strips closed in like a net.
Cat Lady blinked. Smiled.
Then FWIP!
Her whip lashed to the farthest beam — and she catapulted away just in time. The shadow-net clumped uselessly into a ball of darkness before dissolving.
Shadow clicked his tongue. "Damn it…"
He didn't hesitate.
He phased straight through the steel beams and appeared right at the final beam where Cat Lady stood.
He clapped slowly as he walked toward her.
"There's not another flock of buildings for a few minutes… you're cornered."
She couldn't see his face under the mask.
But she could tell. He was smiling.
[Bro's clapping like she didn't just style on him for the last 6 minutes 😭🙏]
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[Nah but that chase choreography was ACTUALLY fire. I gotta give it my respect.]
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[The net trap? 9/10. Would've worked on anyone else.]
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[You've received a $500 donation — Shadow pls take another look at her. She's SUPER hot. 🥺]
･･･
Shadow squinted at the comment.
"Huh…?"
He tilted his head slightly.
Then… looked at Cat Lady.
A proper look.
She had sleek black hair cut into a stylish bob, with sharp bangs that framed her face. Her feline ears, dark on the outside with soft white fur inside, gave her a dangerous, almost wild look — but in a really sexy way.
Her skin looked smooth and polished, almost glowing.
She wore a shiny black crop top that clung tightly to her small breasts, showing off her toned stomach. Over that, she had on a white-and-blue bomber jacket, left open like she didn't mind showing off her body. Her high-waisted black shorts were smooth and glossy, hugging her hips perfectly.
A leather strap wrapped around her upper thigh, linking to a garter that led into a single black stocking — her other leg bare, showing off her soft, tempting thigh.
She also had fingerless gloves on.
"… Huh."
That was all Shadow could say.
[Ooo, he lookin. That boy lookin 👀]
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[AND HE LIKES WHAT HE SEES.]
[I give this tension an 8.7. Catnip levels rising.]
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[An 8.7 really? 🤨 My nipples are getting hard just from watching the two of them… and I'm a man!]
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[The internet is not your diary bro. 😭🙏]
[Shadow pls… keep looking.]
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[Gooner energy. 💀]
[Can we all just agree that we're gooning to her? 😭✌️]
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[Who's we? 💔]
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["We" is that french bro? 🥀]
･･･
Cat Lady tilted her head and purred.
"Well? You gonna arrest me, Shadow~? Or just stare like we have all day?"
Shadow rolled his shoulders as his Shadow Factor Suit rippled like flowing water.
"… Haven't decided yet."
"Oho~"
Cat Lady folded her arms beneath her modest bust, pushing it up ever so slightly as she tilted her head with a playful humph. Her blue feline eyes softened into sexy bedroom eyes, and she leaned into her waist with an effortless, teasing sway that made her body pop just right under the sun.
"Well…"
She purred — sweet and spicy.
"I can't promise I'll be a good girl about it~ ❤️"
[Viewers: 66,780]
[HOLY SMOKES. CAT LADY IS PEAK. 😩]
[I beat my meat so hard to her right now I almost feel like I'm not a virgin anymore. FUCK YEAH!]
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[Uhm, you good bro? 💀]
[Bro, I need her on every stream. I NEED her.]
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[It's not like SHADOW controls the crimes, man! He can't just call her up!]
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[I DON'T CARE! MAKE HER A REGULAR!]
[She lookin' like sin incarnate. Someone said "Cat" but she def EATING.]
[Looked at my girl and sighed, smh.]
･･･
Perched on the steel beam above the cityscape, Shadow shook his head slowly in disappointment.
"These guys are degenerates…"
He widened his stance as the steel creaked under his boots and dark tendrils spiraled around his arms like inky serpents. With a flick of his wrist, they sharpened into shadow-whips, preparing to bind her.
But then—
CRACK!
A sniper round screamed through the air.
Before Shadow could even blink, his instincts kicked in.
His right palm flared with dense black as the bullet sunk into it like a pebble into tar. In a blink, he redirected it—firing the round through his other palm.
"… What the hell was that?" he muttered.
But something was wrong. The bullet twisted mid-air.
Hanging out the side of the news chopper, Judy jerked forward as her headset rattled.
"THE BULLET! IT CHANGED DIRECTIONS?!"
Shadow's eyes snapped wide.
BANG!
The redirected bullet slammed into his shoulder, sending him flying backward across the steel beam. His body skidded hard, nearly tipping off the edge before he caught himself with a grunt as his fingers dug deep into the metal.
"Ghh—dammit…"
He clutched his shoulder, breath ragged.
"Durable suit or not… that felt like my windpipe got uppercut by a sledgehammer."
He tightened his jaw, sweat sliding beneath the black lining of his mask.
"Definitely not a normal round…"
･･･
[CHAT STREAM – LIVE]
[LMAOOO how he get clapped like that?! 🤣]
[Bro was OFF GUARD! That bullet was magic or sum!]
[Still… Nightwatch dodged a redirect bullet MONTHS ago with less tech WHILE saving Mist. Just saying. 🤷♂️]
[OKAY. One — stop comparing every damn thing y'all see to Nightwatch. It's getting annoying asf. This is why barely anyone likes the Nightwatch fan base! Two — he still got shot that day, you fake stans.]
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[Ong, Nightwatch fans be saying anything to stay relevant these days 😭🙏]
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[They see durability like THIS and still meat-ride Nightwatch to oblivion. Get real. 🙄]
[Shadow def raw af but Nightwatch BEEN that guy. Old dog still bites.]
[Stream MVP is the bullet tho ngl.]
---
As Shadow scanned the comments scrolling across his HUD, a sudden click in his brain set everything on fire.
"Wait a sec…"
He remembered.
Meteor City. A similar shot. Twisting trajectory.
He narrowed his eyes and muttered—
"No… It's him…"
･･･
Still catching her breath, held her chest where her heart had nearly leapt out. She didn't even notice when she'd grabbed herself in worry… or when she sighed in relief seeing the bulletproof suit hold up.
『He's a jerk, yeah…』
She smiled affectionately at no one in particular.
『But I don't want him dead. It's just… complicated…』
She cleared her throat, straightening her mic.
"Viewers, Shadow appears unharmed — for now — but that doesn't mean the danger's over. We haven't identified the sniper's location. But given the precision…"
Her tone turned serious.
"… this smells like a marksman class."
Editor-in-chief John Markowski shouted over comms—
[JUDY! You wanna keep this fucking job or join the Metro City losers in the unemployment line?! Be a pretty face and stick to what you do best! That's what they want. LEAVE. THE. CRIME SOLVING. TO. COPS.]
"But…"
[I don't wanna hear it. That Nightwatch guy always attracts the headlines. STICK TO THAT!]
Judy winced at the blast in her headset.
She hissed under her breath—
"That's Shadow, not Night—"
[I DON'T CARE!!] John howled again.
･･･
Back on the beam, Cat Lady cocked her head as she studied Shadow's wincing posture.
"Hm… that much force?"
She muttered, her playful tone gone.
"Unless…"
Her eyes shot across the skyline—and there he was.
On a far rooftop, a lanky man with a scruffy beard and glowing cybernetic eye took a swig of whiskey. He then slotted another bullet into a ridiculously high-tech sniper.
Cat Lady's brow creased.
"He's using those bullets…"
She cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting across the rooftops in an irritated but still graceful voice.
"Hey! I'm trying to flirt here! Don't go killing him yet!"
Shadow blinked. "… Wait, what?"
His sensors zoomed in.
There, on the rooftop.
Trickshot.
His stomach sank.
『No way…』
His brain short-circuited for a moment.
『He's supposed to be locked up. I clearly remember that Xenon was the one who took him down—or at least, I thought he did. But now that I think about it, he somehow escaped from Xenon, which was already strange. What's even weirder is that he still ended up in prison anyway. Also, there aren't any reports of a breakout or anything like that, so… when exactly did all this happen?』
He stared.
･･･
[CHAT STREAM – LIVE]
[YO!! That's Trickshot! From Blue Garden Hotel!!!]
[HE BACK?! DARK ELF NEXT?! 👀]
[This about to be another ALL-TIMER STREAM!]
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["Shadow" and "All-timer stream" in the same comment? Oh no bruh 💔]
[Makes sense how the bullets bent like that now. This stream's gonna GO CRAZY. 🔥🔥🔥]
･･･
Trickshot gave a lazy two-fingered salute.
"Ohoho… these new toys? Straight demonic, baby."
He held up one of the bullets between his fingers to inspect it with his cybernetic lens.
"These bad boys cut through reinforced military plating like a virgin gettin' BLACKED on her first porno."
He giggled—a twitchy, creepy little sound.
Cat Lady's face scrunched up.
"Ugh. Gross."
She turned to Shadow, deadpan.
"Do you see what I have to deal with?"
Then, with a mischievous lick of her rosy lips.
"You'd be a darling if you just let me go, yunno… before you get hurt. Mmm~ ❤️"
Shadow chuckled darkly, crouching again.
"Sorry, sweetheart. Neither of you are leaving."
Cat Lady pouted.
"That's the thing with men… Always gotta act tough…"
She flicked her wrist.
In that exact second, BOOM!
Trickshot fired a round — not at Shadow — but at the Metro Daily helicopter.
One of the rotors exploded in midair.
The chopper spun out of control.
Judy's scream shredded through the mic.
John screamed over the comms—
[JUDY?! JUDY—HELLO?! JUUUDDDYY—]
･･･
Shadow's eyes widened.
But by the time he turned back—
Gone.
Cat Lady and Trickshot had vanished.
He growled as shadows curled under his boots.
Then—BOOM!
The helicopter combusted midair.
But Shadow was already gone, blurring through the sky like a wraith. As the flaming wreck fell, he snatched Judy from the air and reeled in the cameraman via a tether of dark matter.
They landed on a nearby rooftop.
"KYAAAAAAHHHH──!!!"
Still screaming, Judy blinked when she realized she wasn't falling anymore.
She opened her eyes—and saw Shadow holding her.
"Oh…"
She blinked, stunned—and… smiled softly.
"You're safe now…" Shadow said calmly.
Judy's face instantly twisted in embarrassment.
Hmph!
She turned away, arms folded.
"Ugh. Of course it's you."
Shadow's eye twitched. "Are you serious right now?"
"Shut up."
He sighed, turning toward the horizon, still carrying her.
"They got away…"
[CHAT STREAM – LIVE]
[JUDY IS BLUSHINGGGG!! 🤩]
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[He did a better job saving her than that amazing spider guy or what'd they call 'em 👀]
[MY GOAT! SAVED THEM LIKE IT WAS NOTHING!!]
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[Your "GOAT" also let the bad guys escape 🙄]
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[Like bro, Trickshot kinda cooked him 🤷♂️]
[Alright, let's be honest. During Nightwatch's run-in with Dark Elf and Trickshot, he got completely wrecked—that's what led to Mist getting abducted, remember? 🤨 He even fell out of a freaking helicopter and got blown up pretty badly. It was a total disaster.]
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[Nightwatch fans will never say this 🥀]
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[FR, legit pisses me off.]
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[Shadow is HIM. Period. 🔥🔥🔥]
[Man said "you're safe now" and got CURVED LMAOO]
[Still think Nightwatch would've made that chopper land safely too tbh.]
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[L bro. But he still my goat.]
[UHHM, LET THE CAMERAMAN UP, SIR! PLEASE! 😭]
･･･
Shadow lowered his head, sighing.
"Yeah, yeah… Give me a second…"
He stared out across the city, eyes still scanning.
This wasn't over. Not even close.
"Oh, shit… mom…"
