Believe in Me (Sonic the Hedgehog x Reader)

13

"Not to worry," the jackal continued, bending down in front of Shadow, "the process is almost complete. Soon, you won't have to worry about anything but the directions I give you. And as such a powerful being, it shouldn't be much of a problem."

"It won't work." The words were rasping, but audible. Shadow forced himself back onto his knees, upper lip twitching disdainfully. "Such a primitive being like yourself couldn't possibly-"

"Primitive?" Infinite chuckled. "Every defeat. Every battle. I've been learning. And, with the power of the Chaos Emeralds at my hand, I will be able to do so much more." He grabbed Shadow's chin roughly. "Now, hand it all over to me."

It started out quiet and dull. But then, the fluorescent lights around the facility flickered, then suddenly burnt out, leaving the room dark. (Y/n)'s ears shot up and she looked around, her head whipping back to where she'd been looking before when Shadow cried out.

Green energy, at first, lit up the pair on the floor. Then it started to turn different colors, growing brighter and brighter.

"What's happening?" Espio asked, his voice startling the (a/t).

"I...I don't know," she replied. "Where are you?"

"Not in the same room. But I can hear Shadow from here. Not much makes him scream."

"No." She peered back at them. "I'm going to stop him."

"(Y/n), that could be risky."

"Honestly, Espio, it looks like he's dying. I'll be okay." She grabbed her wispon and pointed it out the vent, eyeballing the distance and firing.

It smacked Infinite straight on the head, successfully drawing his attention away from Shadow. The colorful energy passing between them stopped briefly, causing Shadow to collapse on the floor, shivering.

"Ah. (Y/n). I should have sensed your presence," the jackal said, lifting his hand. She gasped, pulling back and gripping her head. "I should be angry that you interrupted me, but I'm really just...excited, you could say. You can witness the creation of a power you've never known before."

She cracked open her eyes, locking her gaze on Infinite. Without hesitating, she retrieved her wispon and fired again and again, knocking him backwards briefly. She jumped out of the vent, the ringing in her ears fading slightly as she kept the heat on her opponent.

She sprang over to Shadow, keeping a steady stream on Infinite. "Get out of here," she said. "Find Espio and the rest of your team." She yelped when her wispon suddenly grew white hot in her hands, dropping it. Infinite, now free from her onslaught, sent a red wave her way, knocking her onto her back.

"Chaos Spear!" Once the light cleared, (Y/n) was able to sit up, Shadow jumping towards Infinite. However, the dark hedgehog was weakened by whatever the jackal had done to him and was easily knocked to the side, outlined in red and pinned to the wall.

"Pathetic. Insects," the villain spat. (Y/n) reached for her wispon but he sent it aside with a flick of his wrist. "You cannot even hope to stand against me. You will fall. Your friends will fall. Sonic will-" He suddenly cried out, stumbling onto his hands and knees. (Y/n) blinked, then saw the kunai buried in his back.

Espio appeared at the entrance of the room, Omega and Rouge squeezing in after him. The bat beelined it for Shadow, catching him just before he would have hit the floor.

"Let's get out of here," she said. "Omega, bring the pain."

The (a/t) grabbed her wispon, firing a spiteful shot at Infinite as he started to get back up, Omega following up with several rounds of bullets. Espio ran to help Rouge, dragging Shadow towards the exit.

"Come on!" (Y/n) said, waving to Omega as she scampered after the trio. Omega let off another round, cannons on his shoulders unsheathing and swiveling around as he ran after her, firing on the jackal, who let out an angry cry.

"You can't escape me!"

"He's injured and weakened," Rouge said as they turned down the hallway. "Let's just beat it before he magically heals himself and gets back up."

"We were supposed to be a stealth team," (Y/n) said, glancing over her shoulder.

"Well, we appreciate the help," the bat replied, looking back at the (a/t). "What led you to abandon your original objective?"

"Helping wherever we can," Espio said. They exited the facility, tearing up the hill. "Tails is just up ahead."

"You guys go on," (Y/n) said, slowing her pace. Espio stopped, turning back to her, signaling for Rouge to keep going. "I'm going to keep going. I know Phantom Ruby energy. I can navigate better than you guys can. I'll be careful, and I'll report back daily."

"Is it wise going on your own?" the chameleon asked.

"Get Shadow back to headquarters. Send for backup as soon as possible." She straightened. "Trust me. I can do this. I'm not the rookie anymore."

"Infinite has used you already," Espio countered. "If he catches you, you may honestly be more danger than help." She sighed, looking back at the facility.

"Fine. I want to check out the epicenter, get an idea of what he's building. As soon as I know, I'll come back. No unnecessary risks."

"And if he finds you?"

"He won't."

"(Y/n)-"

"Please, Espio, let me do this."

"And what if Sonic comes after you?" She bit her lip, glancing downwards. Espio let out a breath and set his hand on her shoulder. "I know you can handle yourself. I just want you to be aware of all the risks."

"We have to take every one if we're going to stop him. He's growing stronger. We can't let him finish his project - no doubt it's only to bring pain."

"I know." He gave her shoulder a light squeeze. "Just be safe."

"You're...okay with this?"

"As long as you come back safely. You've become quite the warrior and I believe you can figure out what's going on." He offered her a small smile, which she returned.

"Thank you," she said. "And I promise I will." He gave her a single nod, then released her and turned up the hill, jogging after Team Dark.

Which left (Y/n) alone; she turned back towards the facility, then at the broken empire beyond, and launched herself into the unknown lying there in wait.