Believe in Me (Sonic the Hedgehog x Reader)

14

"I know you. I've seen you. I've been you. Pathetic. Weak. Uncertain. Afraid.

"But there's a different side to you, isn't there? A fearless, strong side. Something I can use."

"I...won't...let you."

"But do you really have a choice?"

~

Sonic opened his eyes, noticing the faint white glow surrounding him almost instantly. He sucked in a sharp breath and sat up, thumping onto the mattress, the light fading. He reached up and touched his face, feeling the soft fur before holding his hands out and looking at them.

"Just a dream," he whispered. "He can't use me." He sighed and closed his eyes, lowering his head. Subconsciously, one hand ran over the healing wound in his leg. It was almost back to full strength and sitting and waiting for the last few days was just about driving him insane.

But the stealth team was supposed to be back today, so that was a plus.

Pushing himself up, he limped out of his room and out to the main command center. He was greeted with the pleasant surprise of Team Dark, Espio, Tails, and Knuckles waiting there.

"Hey! You found them!" the blue blur exclaimed, scanning over the newcomers. "Man, you guys look scruffy. What happened to you all?"

"Infinite. What else?" Rouge said, turning an apple over in her hand. Omega was plugged into something Tails had connected him to, most likely downloading video footage. Shadow was leaning heavily on Espio, ears drooping and eyes closed.

"Oh boy," Sonic said. "What's wrong with him?"

And where was (Y/n)?

"(Y/n) was the only one who saw it," Espio said.

"Something about creating a new power or something," Rouge added. "At least, that's along the lines of what Infinite said before he took him away and presumably beat some sense into him."

"Speaking of wayward (a/t)s, where is she?" Sonic asked, edging towards Shadow to get a closer look.

"She stayed behind. Said she wanted to get a glimpse of what Infinite was building," Rouge responded.

"What. Alone? Is she crazy? Or...." Sonic pressed a hand to his forehead.

"She's strong, and she knows what she's doing," Espio said calmly. "Trust her, Sonic."

"Infinite's been inside her head!" the blue hedgehog said. "He'll be able to find her, take control of her...." He squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his hands to the side of his head. Stop it. 

"You okay over there?" Knuckles asked. 

"Yeah, yeah. I think I need some air. I won't go anywhere, promise." Sonic lifted a hand then proceeded to limp to the exit and duck out of headquarters. 

"Are you feeling stir-crazy?" Sonic turned, blinking in surprise as Shadow awkwardly shuffled towards the blue hedgehog, sitting beside him. "Evidently, things have not gone as we hoped after the Eggman Empire was defeated." 

"No kidding." Sonic chuckled, resting his elbows on his knees and looking out at the surrounding landscape. "I mean, it's not so bad. We've got everyone back together. Even you, Faker." Shadow cast him an unimpressed look and Sonic looked away. "Anyway. What happened to you back there?" 

"Evidently, Infinite detained us. He has all the Chaos Emeralds, and, paired with the Phantom Ruby, he was able to..." Shadow held up a hand and sent a flurry of green sparks out. "Drain me. That is as much as I have been able to muster since." Sonic's eyes widened. 

"No teleporting? No Chaos Spears?" 

"Nothing." 

"Do you think you could recharge or something?" 

"Perhaps with the Chaos Emeralds, or the Master Emerald if Knuckles allows me to get close, but once he got the majority of it, the rest of my power seemed to flow to him until we were out of range." Shadow rubbed at his face with both hands. "He's strong. Stronger than he was when allied with Eggman. And now there is no one to keep him on a leash." 

"Way to make it sound like there's any hope at all," Sonic said, nudging Shadow. The dark hedgehog dropped his hands, glancing sullenly over to the blue hero. 

"What are you going to do if she doesn't come back?" Sonic stiffened at the inquiry, glancing away quickly. Shadow leaned closer. "Sonic. If you let Infinite get inside your head-" 

"He's not inside my head!" Sonic snapped, standing. "I'm not afraid of Infinite, and I trust (Y/n). She'll come back. I know she will." He then stalked back towards headquarters, feeling Shadow's gaze burning into his back the entire way. 

~

The city was dark, the buildings rundown and empty. (Y/n) kept her wispon out, a small spark at the tip the only source of light. She had already deduced that everyone who had been in the city must be at the center, where Infinite was building his...device. 

There was a strange feeling of power throughout the whole place. It weighed down on her shoulders and made her feel as though if she lay down, it would crush her. 

No doubt it was the jackal. 

She continued through the city, her heart racing. Maybe she should have waited for when she wasn't alone. Without backup, she could easily fall to Infinite when she was feeling so sluggish. 

She reached the epicenter somewhere around midnight, or so she thought, the sounds of clanging and screaming reaching her ears. She kept close to the walls, wispon pointed at the ground, until she rounded a corner and was almost blinded by the flashing lights. Her ears flattened against her head and she blinked several times, craning her neck upwards to see the top of a towering structure. Infinite's project. 

She looked back to the base of the tower, Mobians milling about with different tasks, all dirty and gaunt. She glanced around the site, ensuring Infinite was not currently present before darting out of her cover and grabbing one of the slaves, dragging them back behind the wall. 

"Hey, hey," she said as they struggled. "It's okay. I just didn't need anyone else alerted." 

"It's a disruption!" the Mobian whispered urgently. (Y/n) tilted her head, confused. "He can sense any disruption in the order! He'll be coming for you!" 

"Don't worry about it," she said, fully planning on being out of the facility by the time Infinite arrived. "Can you tell me what's going on here?" 

"Can't you see? He's building a control tower. Once he's gathered enough power, he'll bring it here and distribute it to other control towers throughout the world. This one's just the main one. His first one. He says there's something here that needs to be shut down. This control tower's the first. It'll amplify his control over everyone." The Mobian shivered, hugging herself. "My family..."

"It's going to be okay," (Y/n) whispered, helping the Mobian onto her feet. "I'll come back for you, okay? We'll all come back for you." 

"You shouldn't." 

"But I will." She offered the Mobian a small smile. "For now, though, I have to go. Will you be okay here on your own?" The Mobian hesitated, then nodded with a new determination. "That's it. Don't let that spark die out. I'll be back. I promise." The Mobian nodded again and (Y/n) turned, taking off with one backward glance as the Mobian slipped around the corner. 

She made it about a mile before a red shockwave sent her to her knees. "Did you really think you could outrun me?" She gasped and dropped her wispon, pressing both hands to the side of her head and gritting her teeth. "Such a foolish (a/t). You played right into my hands." Infinite came around to her front and gripped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "And now, you're going to play bait."