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The workshop at Edo's Motors had fallen into an uncharacteristic silence. Where once the clang of metal and hum of engines filled the air, now only the soft whir of cooling fans and the distant chirp of early evening crickets remained. Shadows stretched long across the floor, stretching like lazy cats in the fading light.

Shadow X sat cross-legged atop a workbench, arms folded tightly across his chest, violet frame drawn into a stubborn huddle. His green eyes glinted beneath the low lights, narrowed in an expression of deep, wounded indignation.

“Tch… leaving me behind… again…” he grumbled, the words barely more than a mutter beneath his breath. His shuriken-emblazoned helmet tilted downward, as if to hide the pout threatening to pull at his features.

Jun, Blue Cop, and the rest of the squad had departed in a flurry of urgency, swept away by the call of yet another mission. And what had they done with him? Left him behind. Left him behind. The indignity of it all.

"I'm not that annoying…" Shadow X insisted to the empty air, scuffing a metal foot against the bench. The sound of the scrape echoed louder than expected in the hollow space. "They probably couldn’t even handle things without me. I bet they're regretting it right now. Hah! Serves them right..."

But even his bravado felt hollow. He shifted, drumming his fingers idly on the edge of the workbench, then poked a discarded bolt, sending it rolling across the surface. His eyes followed it until it clattered to the floor, where it spun briefly before toppling over with a final, taunting ring of metal.

"…Maybe just a little annoying," he admitted in a small voice, more to himself than to anyone else.

The shadows in the corners seemed to creep closer, wrapping the workshop in their quiet. Left alone with only his thoughts, Shadow X fidgeted restlessly. He flicked the activation switch of his Stealth Mode, fading from view, then popped back into sight a heartbeat later, as though trying to play hide and seek with himself.