To Wear the Mask or Not Wear the Mask?

by TU4QU0I53T4IAN6L3

(Based on 'Sonic and the Power of the Wisps' by Tashasaurous) [One-shot, NO ROMANCE OR SHIPPING but just some fluff friendship] In a universe where Infinite is alive and redeems himself, Sonic decides to take him to Planet Wisp as a hang-out. As they travel around the planet, both learn about their views of the world and their lifestyles. There is actually more behind their masks.

Happy International Family Day, everyone!

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Suggested Songs (Look up on YouTube)

[1] Villain (Instrumental) - K/DA

[2] Goomba Village Theme - Paper Mario Music

[3] Dance Moves - Fortnite Music Extended (No Claps)

[4] Claude De Lune - Claude Debussy

[5] Mashed N Kutcher - Get On The Beers (feat. Dan Andrews) [0:11 - 0:57]

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I like to apologize to those who are fans of Omochao. Ha, ha, ha...what you're about to see, will be 'graphic', 'intense' and may disturb some viewers.

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G.U.N. Headquarters, ?

Infinite – one of the infamous criminals and terrorists in the world – stood still in a G.U.N training room. He was called again and he didn't expect more. With the powers of the Phantom Ruby lingering in him, he knew they were looking for a way to control it while learning how he can use them properly. [1]

Omega – a former Eggman robot and one of G.U.N's strongest robots – pointed a rotary cannon right at Infinite's head.

"You're ready to die?" said Omega robotically.

Infinite blinked. "I think so. I mean, I trust you. It's on you, bot."

Rouge chuckled from the sidelines. "He's just going to cut you right through."

"Put your mask on," said Omega.

Infinite took out his metal mask, placing it over his head. They had redesigned it to make it stand out from the Eggman Empire. Infinite thought of getting rid of it, but he used it when in combat fights before. They made it less threatening looking, making the eyes into red transparent lens so that he could look through clearly. They removed the voice box of the mask (it was already broken by the way) and wiped out any communication connection with Eggman.

With the mask over his head, the jackal waited and crossed his arms. He felt his fingers and ears twitching. Either it was from fear of actually getting himself hurt or impatience of the recent experiments, he would never know. Or just excitement like what Rouge claimed at the start. Whatever it was, he tried to control it.

The light red vest covering his entire torso felt a little uncomfortable. Nearly too warm. But boy, that ruby was no longer sticking on his chest. He wouldn't care, but at least it wasn't too tight.

His tail wrapped around his shoes as if defending himself.

The bullets shot out.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!

Infinite kept himself calm as the bullets shot through him. He didn't need to think. Instead, he felt them pass through him as he absorbed their kinetic energy. His body turned red and glitched out of shape, nearly in a ghost form. The bullets pathetically blew out from the other side and landed harmlessly on the ground.

He let his arms fell to his sides as the first round finished.

Omega made a sound that nearly resembled a cough. He reloaded and fired the second round.

Infinite nodded and let the next wave hit him. The bullets crashed into him and his body quickly defended himself. The bullets bounced off him as if he was a brick wall. What must be wounds turned into soft pushes for him. They landed all around his feet.

"OK," said a soldier nearby, writing down on her clipboard. "Next trial."

Infinite didn't know if he should relax or take the experiment seriously. Ever since he joined, they had experimented on him and his powers. It wasn't so severe since he couldn't be harmed until he pass away. The largest threats turned to the smallest weapons for him. While it seemed that he is invincible, he grew bored of taking the experiments. And he didn't really like the tingly feeling whenever something try to kill him.

The next condition was fire. Good lord, Omega really enjoyed using his flamethrowers. Infinite swore he saw a crazy look in those red bulb eyes or maybe it was just him. In any case, the large robot seemed REALLY eager to use it, whether good or bad.

When the fire shot at him, Infinite flinched a little. He felt the flames licking on his body and the horrible smoke filling his nose. It became sad for him as it reminded him of the war. Nevertheless, his body turned out fine as he didn't burn to death. The fire didn't spread to his fur and just went through him.

However, once finished, he felt really hot. Heat exposed from his body.

The next condition was Shadow's Chaos Power. Since the Phantom Ruby wasn't made from Chaos Powers, both wouldn't mix together and would have different effects with each other. While he lack any knowledge of Chaos Power, Infinite knew that it might harm him in any way.

The Ultimate Lifeform formed a Chaos Spear and threw it through the jackal's head. It just phased through Infinite's transparent form, but it made his head glitch and change his colors for a brief moment. He winced as he rubbed his forehead.

"You're alright?" asked Shadow.

"…my head just feels weird," said Infinite simply. "It's quivering."

Another use of the Chaos Spear, but Shadow unwittingly threw it through Infinite's heart. As expected, it popped out from the other side, but Infinite's torso glitched with red pixel cubes appearing around. The jackal gritted his teeth as he placed one hand over his stomach.

He didn't like this. He didn't like being nearly this vulnerable.

"Guessing that is no different to the head," muttered Shadow.

Infinite was nonplussed.

"What about the groin?" asked Rouge with a mischievous grin. "Do it in the balls."

"The what?" said Infinite.

While confused, Shadow didn't hesitate as he formed another Chaos Spear. Tilting his head, he slowly poked it in the part where the privates SHOULD be; in the middle of Infinite's legs.

Upon contact, Infinite immediately covered that part, feeling ticklish. His muzzle blushed a light pink color and his tail began wagging.

"Apologies," said Shadow. "Let's not use that as a variable.

Infinite chuckled a little. Embarrassed, he felt aroused, but good thing that wasn't an intimate moment.

After a few trials, the soldier told that they were done for the day.

Infinite took off his mask, sighing as he pushed some of his white long dreadlocks to the back using his hand. For some reason, he could feel sweat already dripping from his forehead. Maybe it was because of how long he wore his mask or the broken air conditioner in the training room.

"Chao! Cuh-Chao!"

A Chao wearing a purple fedora with a black stripe over it flew in and grab onto Infinite's ear. The jackal smiled a little.

"There you are, Abraham," he said. "I thought I told you to not wander off without me."

"Chao, Chao!" chirped Abraham.

Infinite smirked to himself, carrying the playful Chao on his head. It was weird so far with how everything was going good so far. A year after the war. A few months after he woke up and went through a couple of mishaps that led him to G.U.N. Fortunately, during those mishaps and despite what he done, he realized that he could still change and that he didn't need to try to stay strong all the time.

While deciding not to rely too much on the Phantom Ruby, he had to learn that not everyone is perfect. He learned not to go for power since the toll of the war made him already have enough and he try to find another craving he enjoyed instead of his past malicious obsessions. He didn't lose his pride, but he had to swallow it up when it comes to working with others or helping them. There were a few moments when he lost his temper or lose his mind, but the people of G.U.N. helped him to learn to control it despite having the privilege of shocking him with the Inhibitor Rings he wore on his wrists.

Speaking of G.U.N, he surprisingly went well with them. The Commander is, of course, strict, but Infinite respects that as a genuine leader value. Omega was hard to handle at first, but after a while, the bot has some sort of respect towards the former criminal. Rouge is still…Rouge. Oh, how she goes on his nerves sometimes.

Shadow became an interesting case. Between the war and before Infinite came to G.U.N, he had time to think about it, even having a vision of his deceased squad. Despite not ready to forgive, he decided to shake off his hatred and envy towards Shadow. The latter felt guilty for killing his squad and tried to help him in his own ways. Infinite didn't know how to feel about this. He was still confused with why the Ultimate Lifeform is by his side, regardless of historic events.

Despite the confusion, Infinite found himself to be grateful and safe. There are a few controversies about him being kept alive while needing to work with G.U.N for the rest of his life, but the recent ones weren't so…violent than the first few.

Infinite did his best to make amends with the people he hurt during the war. On some occasions, he kept it steady by pretending to be someone else, befriending them, get under their skin for a while and find the right moment to apologize. Sometimes, he just sent them a letter. It went alright so far. Some of them aren't so keen, but some are happy that he realized his mistakes.

Now, paying his debt, Infinite was growing a little bored. Central City is a nice place to stay around, but he hadn't went out on his own accord. He might have small talks with some of the agents, but he felt he should stay out of everyone's way first until things cool down. Even work and training became little to him.

"Chao?" cooed Abraham, tugging on his ear.

"What?" said Infinite, not noticing how long he drifted off. "My apologies. I just need to sort everything out in my mind. Processing facts and complications requires persistently effort to streamline."

Abraham titled his head, confused. His hat nearly dropped off.

Infinite chuckled, rubbing the adorable Chao on the head. "It's called thinking."

"Hey, Infinite!" called a familiar voice. "No time long see!"

The legendary blue hedgehog appeared in the training room. Out of everyone, this is the person Infinite least expected to see come in uninvited. Sonic isn't all for visiting armies unless on serious tasks. He more likes to run in Mother Nature's beauty, enjoying the freshness around him. He doesn't hang around urbanized or industrial places that much. Therefore, to see this young teen here was rather odd.

"It's Agent Infinite," said the jackal. He likes the term 'Agent' as a name of authority. "I thought your buddies told you about it."

"Nah," said Sonic with a grin. "Just be casual. We are not on the battlefield."

Infinite rolled his eyes. Moving his eyes towards the blue hedgehog, he noticed that there were three Chaos sitting on top of him. Strange. Sonic doesn't really have a pet. Two Chaos look like Hero Chaos. The other one stuck out like a sore thumb because it look robotic.

And strangely, he was wearing a green shirt with a crudely drawing of himself. A large round torso too big, spikes in the wrong places and the black outlines looked like something a kindergartener would scribble. The green background makes sense of the picture overall. Infinite felt sickened seeing it.

"How have you been doing so far?" asked Sonic. "Still trying to act tough?"

Infinite resisted the urge to pout, puffing his chest a little. "Just going through some experiments. I've been trying to figure what is going on with me since the Phantom Ruby's powers absorbed into me."

"I heard what happened. I thought that you would be a recreated zombie by now. A ghost of your dead self." Sonic immediately realized what he said insensitively. "Whoops, sorry. I just found it impossible that you are still here yet you disappeared for so long."

"Honestly, I don't know as well," said Infinite, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "There have been researches and it turns out that the Phantom Ruby's powers – or what is left of them – are altering my body cells. Because of that crack that ceased the ruby to become extinct, I have lost all control of handling its functions."

"But haven't you been able to control well by now? You used it once and now, you must have learn to control it again."

The jackal shrugged. "That is when I have a Phantom Ruby prototype nearby as it helped enhance and maintain my powers. However, with all the prototypes wiped from this world, it just happens randomly. My powers seem to be have a mind of their own, flexible. But it doesn't harm me in any way. They just impair me from performing effectively at times like headaches."

Sonic opened his mouth, only for the robotic Chao to start speaking.

"Eh, Sonic," he said. "I think right now we should be off. Remember, at 3 pm."

"Yeah, yeah," said Sonic, rolling his eyes. "I know. When I mean that, I mean that we don't go at that specific time."

Infinite raised an eye. "Who's that?"

The robotic Chao smiled. "I'm Omochao! Your trusty guide. I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"We all know that," said Sonic, gritting his teeth in a forced grin. "Anyway, I'm here because I was able to make an arrangement with you."

"Arrangement?" said Infinite. "Nobody told me of whatever you are proposing to do. If they did, they would have told me in the morning that I have an important task to complete."

"It's just some fun in outer space."

"Well, guess we need to alert the Commander that we are going to travel through the large black hole."

"What? No!" Sonic quickly corrected. "Not that! I was just wondering if you want to come over with me to Planet Wisp. I'm going back there for a visit."

The jackal was confused by this idea. Taking him to another planet? What for? Why him out of everyone?

"My roles don't include body guarding a Resistance/Restoration ally."

"Don't worry," said Sonic. "I'm just offering a fun day-out. I already saved Planet Wisp as it is out of Eggman's hands. Trust me! It will be safe there…considering if the Wisps know that you changed."

"It's already 3:01 pm," interrupted Omochao. "Are we going yet? I'm bored."

"And I'm irritated," hissed Sonic.

Infinite was hesitant. "Why want me over to that planet? It's not like I can move out without someone supervising me."

"I already got one of those devices they have that keep track of your Inhibitor Rings," said Sonic, pointing to a futuristic watch over his right arm. "I'm keeping an eye on you, but I just thought that maybe you need a break after what has been happening. We haven't even get to know each other!"

The jackal snorted, remembering that Sonic asked him the same question a long time ago. He thought about it for a while until he noticed that he was nearly too tired to think at all. Nearly bored out of his mind or burnt out. He hadn't been feeling great ever since morning and everything felt a little dull. Maybe because of the weather.

Hopefully, Planet Wisp is a little brighter like what they told him.

Abraham tapped on his head, catching his attention. "Chao, chao?"

"OK then," said Infinite. "But this is just for a break, alright. If you promise this is not some battle to win superior bragging rights, then I guess it could fun."

Sighing a little, he rubbed his hip. His tail swayed around, wiping the dusty floor.

"Alright. I'll join you. It's not like anyone will care that I will be back until 7 o' clock."

"Finally!" said Omochao.

Sonic grinned, clearly happy to hear that. "Good then! OK. So, I got some special Chaos here to help us get there."

"Hold on," said Infinite. "Maybe I can help take us there."

"You?"

"While my control of my powers are unsuccessful, I still have the ability to teleport with a thought in the mind. It's the only power that is stable so far, but sometimes, it heats up my brain a little bit."

Before Sonic could protest, Infinite already had his hands on his shoulders. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and concentrated. His body started to glitch and turn red. However, he flashed magenta, silver and orange. Colorful glitch patterns and pixels surrounded the two. Sonic and the Chaos watched on in surprise as they felt a tingly sensation going through their bodies.

ZZZZZZZZZTTT! [1s]

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The next thing Sonic knew was being outside.

Well, at least what he thought was outside.

More like outside of his world.

He was in a soft Greenland with tall flowers everywhere. Surrounding him were giant trees that were oddly shaped like giant flowers with vines hanging and strange-looking fruit that looked out of place to Earth's.

And oh, he could see colorful squid-like beings flying around, playing with each other.

The blue hedgehog smiled, taking in a deep breath. "That quick."

At the sound of his voice, almost all the Wisps turned around to see him. Surprised and happy to see the person who saved them from Eggman long ago, they cheered loudly and gathered around. At least three Wisps flew towards him and nuzzled their heads against him. He laughed, nearly losing his balance by the babbling Wisps.

He hadn't seen the inhabitants of Planet Wisps for that long. He bumped into a few back home, but seeing all of them – healthy and alive – hit him hard. It left him nearly speechless.

One of the Cyan Wisps placed its tentacles over Sonic's eyes. The blue hedgehog quickly jumped up, shaking the quirky Wisp off.

"Great to see you again," said Sonic, patting the Cyan Wisp on the head. "I'm happy that you are still safe. Nothing has really changed here and that's good."

For a moment, he enjoyed being back in the rainbow-colored world. But then, he realized that someone was missing.

One? The Chaos weren't on his head.

And two?

Sonic's eyes widened. "Infinite?"

"Right here!" cried out a muffled, gruff voice.

The source of the sound came from a tree stump with an opened top. Stuck in the hole on top was a pair of black furred legs wearing black and silver metal hi-tops sneakers, and a large tail with a white fluffy tip. The Wisps – who used to play with the stump as if it was a treehouse – were curiously touching his shoe soles, warbling innocently. Meanwhile, the Chaos were trying to pull Infinite out.

Sonic chuckled as he walked over to help. The stump wasn't so high, so he didn't need to climb that much. Placing his hands around the two feet, he slowly pulled Infinite out without trying to be rough. The jackal's face popped out from the stump, staring at him.

"I think the real problem is you don't know where you should teleport at," teased Sonic.

Infinite rolled his eyes and spun around, landing on the ground. "Shut up. I'm still working on it."

Abraham chirped happily, sitting on top of his master's head.

Something stirred the whole situation because the Wisps nearly fell quiet. They slowly floated towards the duo, muttering among themselves.

Uh oh. Infinite nearly forgot. Most of these Wisps helped out during the war and they saw what he did. And he wouldn't be surprised if he saw a group of White Wisps glaring at him. The fact that Sonic took him along to Planet Wisp didn't help. There was going to be a need of choice words unless these Wisps understood him.

Abraham frowned, worried. Why didn't any of those Wisps trust Infinite? Don't they know he is already a good guy?

"Don't worry, guys!" said Sonic, wrapping his arm around Infinite. "He is harmless now. I promise that he won't hurt anyone."

One Red Wisp flew to Sonic, babbling something. The two didn't know what it was trying to say, but by the tone of its voice, it didn't seem pleased to have the former criminal around.

"If anything happens," said Sonic, pointing to his watch. "Then this will stop him. I'm really sure that he changed. I can tell you what happened."

In the crowd, one Yellow Wisp glanced at its comrades who were either concerned, scared or angry. It looked back at Infinite who was completely wary, but didn't seem to pay with who was close to him. Cooing a little, the Yellow Wisp tilted his head. Would it be a good idea to attack?

Deciding to take a chance, it turned itself into energy and spun around, forming a drill. Like a bullet from the gun, it shot through the air and right at where Infinite was the most sensitive at.

THWACK!

Sonic flinched when he saw Infinite's body glitching and turning transparent. The latter froze, his eye twitching a little. Sonic looked down and saw a Yellow Wisp with its sharp tip 'stabbing' through the jackal…in the groin area.

"This is fine," squeaked Infinite, trying not to drop his deep voice but nearly a second away from fainting in agony.

"Chao," squeaked Abraham, tilting his hat.

Sonic rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He should have seen this coming, but he had already forgiven Infinite that he forgotten that almost everyone still dislike him. Including other races. He pulled the Yellow Wisp out and Infinite's body turned back to its normal, flesh form. Infinite wheezed, rubbing his groin.

"Please, everyone," said Sonic. "I know that you don't trust Infinite, but right now, he is trying to be a new leaf. I'm sorry for what he did during the war and I know that some of you witnessed what he did."

The Wisps dropped their hostile looks as they stared at the blue hedgehog.

"You see the vest he is wearing? That comes from G.U.N. He is under watched, so he can't do anything. But he choose not to. If he is still what you think, then he would have torn this place apart. I know that you're scared of him, but he is also scared of the things happening going on. He took a chance of redeeming himself and he's trying to help out others more."

Abraham smiled as he saw some of the Wisps letting the information sink in.

"Infinite decided to accompany me because he trust me. And he trust you, so he knows what would come. He is not like Eggman. He wasn't that selfish. He is already satisfied with what he has back home."

There was silence as the Wisps debated on whether to trust the jackal or not. Then, three Wisps slowly floated towards Infinite, babbling curiously. He looked down to see them, wondering what they were going to do. He didn't care. He couldn't be harmed, but he knows that there was nothing to hold them back from grudges.

Instead, the three Wisps nuzzled into his chest warmly. Infinite blinked, surprised to see this response. He thought it would be the opposite, but perhaps they were relieved that he had a change of heart. It reminded him a lot of when Abraham immediately accepted him when they met.

Sonic was a little disappointed, but he was relieved that nothing drastic happened as the Wisps dispersed. Some of them flew away to do their own business, still suspicious of Infinite. Some went to each other in groups, gossiping in their own language. A majority of Wisps flew towards the duo, wanting to guide their blue savior and their new friend around the planet.

"Wow!" said Omochao. "So this is how Planet Wisp is like? It's like a childhood world of teddy bears! It reminds me a lot of my playschool."

Sonic smirked. "Told you that this place is safe, Infy."

"I know," said Infinite. "So these guys really worship you a lot?

"Heh, heh. You can say that, but don't. They are really friendly aliens, so they really like it when I'm around."

Infinite turned to see an Orange Wisp staring at him. He tilted his head and it mimicked him. Cooing a little, the Orange Wisp flew towards him and poked on his nose. Infinite chuckled, stroking its head.

"If you brought them back to our world," he said as he softly petted the Wisp. "Then you would have kept them as pets or assistants. They would be a good squad if they know how to pick up a fight."

The Chaos were already befriending the Wisps. The two Hero Chaos Sonic brought flew towards one group of Wisps, waving hello. The Wisps responded by flying around them, playing with them. Abraham was already shaking hands with the Orange Wisp, chirping happily. Omachao just watched on, surprised.

One of the White Wisps flew above them before zooming down. This one was unique compared to the other White Wisps. It had a curl on its head. Sonic immediately recognized this one.

"Yacker!" he exclaimed with a smile.

Yacker babbled cheerfully as he hugged Sonic, nuzzling into his chest. Sonic hadn't seen him for a long time. Yacker had been a huge help for him and Tails during one of their adventures. He helped them out, guiding through the different planets and communicating with the other Wisps. To see one of his trusty companions again, Sonic made a mental note that he should visit some of his old friends. He did miss out a lot during and after the war.

The two shared a high five (or high one in Yacker's case).

"You know this raindrop before?" asked Infinite with two Green Wisps already rubbing on his ears.

"Right," said Sonic. "Infinite, this is Yacker. Yacker, this is Infinite. I think some of your friends told you about him, but don't worry. He's cool with me."

The White Wisp warbled curiously, trying to give body movements with his tentacles. While Infinite didn't understand, he knew that this one didn't have a grudge against him.

"No wonder why you're really savvy in so many world-related threats," he said. "You really acquainted yourself with the most unexpected and rare living beings in the galaxy."

"I get around a lot," said Sonic. "After all, the universe is our home. It doesn't matter where my home is."

"Since you're quite familiar with this haven, may you show me around here?"

"Come along with me. Just take a nice walk across the planet." [2]

For the next hour, Sonic and Infinite took a stroll across the land. Everywhere they went, it would be green grass, tall trees and flowers in different colors. Sonic really loved this natural environment, but Infinite find this exotic. Growing up in a desert – a place where there are barely any non-dry plants in dark colors – he wouldn't see something as lively as this. It wasn't the first time he was thrown off since he saw other lands like this before. It was just that he was used to being more out in the wild.

Abraham and the two Hero Chaos were already playing tag with Yacker, zipping around the two Mobians' heads. Despite having the powers of a rare magical gem, Infinite couldn't spot them properly, rubbing his eyes from the strain.

Wisps of different colors flew by. Most of them really look out of place to the friendly ecosystem. Their bodies were glowing and in neon colors. The strange thing was how they are shaped. Some of them resembled lightning bolts, some had spikes on them (in Infinite's opinion, spikes are related to villainy) and some resembled certain objects. They more look like they suit for an urban style.

And it appeared that they really live a simplistic and naturalistic lifestyle. Infinite had to duck from incoming Wisps who were playing. Some of them accidentally bumped into him like soft dodgeballs thrown at him. They would fall to the ground with spinning eyes before getting back up.

"Do you sometimes dream of the world to be like this?" asked Sonic. "Something that isn't so chaotic and harmonious?"

Infinite scratched his chin. "I used to dream like this as a child. But in the mature world, it's hard for me to think of something like this. Yet again, generations evolved and separated, creating different and effective lifestyles. The Wisps here seemed to share only one."

"There don't mix around in urbanized civilization," said Sonic. "That's one thing I actually enjoy here. It's a great place to stay around without machinery or anything Eggman created."

Infinite halt when he felt something on his tail. Looking around, he saw one Blue Wisps playing in his tail. It used its tentacles to tap and stroke the fur. Humming a little, he curled his tail upwards and gently grabbed the Blue Wisp. It started bouncing up and down, trying to get his full attention on it.

"Do you know every kind of Wisp here?" asked Infinite.

"Yep!" said Sonic. "I tried out all of their powers. I have to be careful."

"Care to explain? I'm not familiar with Wisps."

"Maybe I can help here," said Omochao helpfully. "I know much about them!"

Suddenly becoming the tour guide, Omochao explained the Wisps to Infinite. To start off, they approached a group of Wisps in reddish-orange colors. They have three blue eyes, their head shaped as a fireball and have three tentacles sprouting from underneath. The Red Wisps turned to see Sonic and Infinite, bubbling curiously.

"These are Red Wisps," said Omochao. "Capable of producing fire powers and cause chargeable explosions. These guys are really lively, but a little scatterbrained."

Meanwhile, a scatterbrained Red Wisp flew behind Sonic without alerting him. Warbling, it dumbly tapped on the tiny blue tail. And then, it caught on fire.

Do the math.

Sonic and Infinite were greeted with a mysterious burning smell.

"Damn," said Infinite, sniffing. "Something smells good."

Sonic slowly turned around and saw a tiny wisp of fire on his tail.

Before he could do anything, Yacker quickly flew in and grabbed the flame with his tentacles. The flame immediately went out, though it left a black burnt mark on the tip of Sonic's tail.

"Oh," said Sonic casually. "Not a good day for roasted hedgehog, huh?"

Infinite had to duck when a group of flying Cyan Wisps nearly crashed into his head. They were zipping around in a zigzag pattern, moving at the speed of lightning.

"Ah," said Omochao. "Those are Cyan Wisps. They are a special breed of Wisps. They never seem to stop moving."

"They can turn me into a powerful laser," said Sonic.

One particular Cyan Wisp nearly hit into Infinite's face before coming to a stop. The jackal blinked in surprise, staring at its orange eyes. Its tentacles were shaped as lightning bolts and it had a spike from the top of its head. The two stared at each other for a while.

The Cyan Wisp chuckled a little before touching his right cheek, as if giving him a kiss.

"Mwah!"

Infinite blinked again, his muzzle nearly turning red.

"And here she is!" said Omochao, looking up to see a Pink Wisp flying by. "A fine kind creature. Until you get onto it's bad side. Roses are red, but these Wisps are piping hot red. They are harsh at sometimes, but they are very kind by nature and like to be around walls. As you can tell by their spikes, they have the ability to turn into a spike ball."

Sonic shivered a little. "They remind me too much of Amy."

Infinite watched the Pink Wisp stopping by from a long distance and staring at him. It has five spikes poking from its head, a single blue eye and in a hot pink color. While it looks pretty and vibrant, it had a firm look, nearly appearing angry. Infinite couldn't understand why out of all Wisps, Pink had to be the one to look really tough and mean. Weren't pink the color of peace and gentleness?

"Yo!" called Sonic. "Show him what you got!"

Eagerly, the Pink Wisp turned into a spike ball and zipped towards a short tree. Using its spikes, it easily cut through the wood and appeared from the other side.

Unfortunately, the short tree was coming down. Over Sonic and Infinite.

The blue hedgehog quickly jumped out of the way while the Chaos screamed and flew away. The Wisps babbled, picking up some fruits to munch on. This wasn't the first time they destroyed a tree. And Infinite stared dumbly at the falling stump that was going to crush him to death.

Rolling his eyes, he lifted his hand up and grabbed it before it could knock him down. He didn't need to use his powers, being a trained and fit mercenary in the past. Like it was a rotten lollipop, he threw it aside.

"That went well," he said.

"Wow!" said Sonic. "How were you able to hold that?"

"If you were in the wild, you would have to do a lot of exercise and mass body weighing."

A Blue Wisp flew by, singing a sweet melody.

"Moving on!" said Omochao, pointing to the Wisp. "This is the Blue Wisp. Can transform into a cube-like form and destroy nearby enemies when it stomps on the ground. They have sharp minds and are very good leaders."

Sonic thought for a moment, noting that Infinite didn't get to see the Wisps' powers that much aside from the Red Wisp and the Pink Wisp. He remembered the Wisps offering their powers to him and flying into him to transform into energy to take down Eggman's robots and many other obstacles. From Tails' comments, it was incredible of how the Wisps managed to transform Sonic to help him with their adventure.

However, he was a little worried if he might hurt the Wisps by mistake. Since Eggman was the one draining their energy, he might accidentally drain the Wisps' energy and end up killing them. Despite that thought in mind, the Wisps proved to be fine after they offered their powers to him, appearing healthy every single time.

The Blue Wisp looked over at Sonic who was lost in his thoughts. It slowly hovered towards him, glowing a little. The blue hedgehog instantly knew what it wanted to do, hoping to show off to Infinite.

"You're sure about it?" asked Sonic.

The Blue Wisp nodded.

Shrugging, Sonic smiled. "Alright then. Don't go too hard. Can't make an earthquake to freak your friends out."

It squealed in delight and flew into Sonic's chest, turning into energy.

Meanwhile, a group of Wisps distracted Infinite. They were touching his cheeks, wanting to play with them. The jackal wasn't really happy for that to happen as they started to annoy him a little. He hoped that Sonic wasn't around to watch this.

Wait a minute.

Infinite looked around. "Erm…Sonic? Where is he?"

"Chao?" said Abraham, pointing upwards.

The jackal looked up and there, he saw Sonic. Or at least SOMETHING that looked like Sonic. There was a floating dark blue cube, floating high in the sky. On the front side, he could see his eyes and ear canals in yellow and have straight outlines. It was twirling around in excitement and passion, ready to pound the alarm.

"Oh!" said Omochao. "That's Sonic there!"

"What?" said Infinite, totally confused.

The cube rose high and slammed into the ground with a huge thud. It was effective. The whole planet started shaking, causing several Wisps to scatter away or spun out of the trees like birds flying off on a worm fest. Infinite's powers act up again, making him unresponsive to the shake. Infinite find himself still standing on some kind of invisible platform as the whole world shook around him.

Unfortunately, his feet kept glitching into the ground as the world trembled.

When it was done, Sonic returned to normal and the Blue Wisp flew out of him.

"Whoo!" whooped Sonic. "That was awesome! Been a long time since I done that. Got a real punch, man."

The Blue Wisp looked proud of itself, wiggling its tentacles.

"Excellent," growled Infinite. "What a beneficial ability to trap someone."

It turned out; the jackal's feet were buried in the dirt due to his body glitching out of place. It was like he was standing there for 10 years and somebody regrew the grass around his buried feet.

Sonic chuckled a little. "Sorry, dude. Forgot about your powers."

Infinite groaned. "At least a little bit of a warning next time. This is absurd."

"It could be worse."

"How in the universe could this be worse?"

Sonic laughed. "You could be up to your neck! Or upside down!"

"Very funny."

After helping pulling Infinite out of the dirt, they went on. Another Orange Wisp flew by. This one was shyer than the one they saw first. It babbled nervously, touching its pudgy tentacles together.

"This is an Orange Wisp!" said Omochao. "Its appearance is a rocket and it blast through the air like a robot!"

"That much I figured out," muttered Sonic.

"Orange Wisp are very sensitive and emotional, so they can easily charge up to be a raging rocket!"

"So you are saying that they are as powerful as missiles?" asked Infinite.

As if it was an answer, a stray Orange Wisp flew by and crashed into the back of his head.

CLONK!

Upon crashing hard in the back of his skull, the energy exploded. It didn't kill Infinite, but it was enough to send him flying and landing on the ground, face-first. His legs didn't have the time to react, sticking upwards as he drilled across the grass before coming to a stop.

"Chao!" screamed Abraham.

"Now that's one way to get to the moon!" said Sonic, grinning nervously.

Infinite swore under his breath as he pulled his head out from the dirt. Shaking a little, he saw his accidental attacker who was already in his face. The Orange Wisp kept trying to pull him up with its small tentacles and kept babbling as if saying apologizing. It was nearly in tears.

Infinite would have felt annoyed for being put down like this. The Ultimate Mercenary and yet he got beaten by another Wisp. How humiliating. Normally, he would go angry at anyone who beaten him or proved themselves superior. Thrown to the ground is not Infinite's favorite. Too much reminding of his childhood.

However, the Orange Wisp was already crying. It kept apologizing, sobbing. The jackal took note that it didn't mean to. It didn't see him as well when it flew by. And the Orange Wisp wasn't trying to make fun of him. It was just an accident.

Infinite made a lop-sided smile, quickly grabbing the Orange Wisp gently.

"I'm OK," he said quietly. "I'm OK. I'll live. The playground can catch people off guard in curious ways."

Seeing that he didn't have any hard feelings, the Orange Wisp calmed down. It was still in an emotional mood, nuzzling into his chest for a hug. Infinite patted it on the back, being careful not to hurt it. It was surprisingly soft and warm like a pillow. A marshmallow a kid would hold tightly by the campfire. After a few seconds, he let it go as it circled around him.

"You're OK, dude?" asked Sonic.

"I'm alright, kid," said Infinite, standing up. "Let's move on."

As they continued their walk, Abraham ducked from a goofy Green Wisp flying around. The Wisp babbled as it circled around Infinite and Sonic, really bubbly and energetic.

"That is a Green Wisp!" said Omochao. "Turns users into a hovercraft that can reach higher areas."

"Funny little guy," said Sonic. "I remembered how some of them immediately absorbed into me. I felt carefree when I used their powers."

The Green Wisp hovered towards Infinite, wiggling its stubby tentacles. Abraham tilted his head and the Wisp followed. He let out a sound and it followed him. The Green Wisp was acting as a green parrot.

"Do you think Wisp Powers might work with me?" asked Infinite.

"What?" said Sonic. "You mean their Hyper-Go-Ons?"

"I know it might not mix with my Phantom Ruby powers, but are they helpful?"

Sonic bit his lip uncomfortably. "Please be careful. It's kind of their life force."

"Correction," stated Omochao. "You don't use up too much of their power and they are still powerful enough."

"True, but I'm the only one who used the Wisps' powers. The Wispons back with the Resistance kind of count, but a person absorbing the powers?"

Infinite hummed a little, stepping closer to the Green Wisp. It was spinning around, demonstrating Omochao's point. It reminded him of some of the Resistance soldiers before the war. Carefree, naïve and just fun loving. Even when in reckless danger – granted if it didn't hurt anyone. Sonic was right. He might have to be careful in case he accidentally drain its life force.

But the Green Wisp was becoming impatient, pointing its stubby tentacle at Infinite's chest. The jackal nodded and the Wisp squealed in delight. It made a beeline into his chest.

"Whoa!" said Sonic, surprised. "Be careful on how you use it!"

"I think I will be fine," said Infinite. "I and the little green alien have the same-!"

Before he could even finish, he felt a bubbling feeling inside his chest. It was bouncing like a ball rolling around his stomach. Adrenaline flowed through his blood veins like the Phantom Ruby was nothing more than a clot. His whole body turned cold as a popsicle, trembling nearly violent like a firing rocket. And then, he found himself jumping upwards.

BOING!

It wasn't even by control. The Green Wisp's excitement screwed Infinite's nearly ungovernable powers, sending him flying into the air like a bedspring. Sonic could only watch as he saw the black jackal becoming a black spot in the sky. Complete with a falling bomb whistle, he slowly lowered his head as the screaming jackal came falling back down to the planet.

CRASH!

When the dust cleared, Sonic could see Infinite with his head buried in the ground. The Green Wisp flew out of his chest, lying on the ground. It was clearly dizzy with spinning eyes and slurry babbling.

"I'm no scientist," said Sonic. "But Phantom Rubies and Hyper-Go-Ons don't really mix."

"Get me out of here or I will personally rip your legs off," growled Infinite, muffled by the dirt.

Sonic held back a chuckle and pulled Infinite out of the ground.

A light yellow Wisp flew in, warbling at the two Mobians curiously. Sonic didn't recognize it at first, but remembered that he saw these Wisps during one of his adventures. This Wisp was shaped like a lightning bulb with three triangular tentacles from the bottom and have blue eyes.

"An Ivory Wisp!" said Omochao. "This fellow here can turn into a lightning bolt and generate threads of electricity to shove your enemies!"

"Chao!" squeaked Abraham, raising his hand out.

In return, the Ivory Wisp babbled happily and shook his hand. For some reason, it accidentally shocked Abraham with some electricity, shaking him for two seconds. When it stopped, his hat floated off.

"Chao, chao!"

The fedora landed on top of Yacker, much to his surprise. As an annoyed Abraham flew down to retrieve his hat, Infinite stared at the Ivory Wisp as it observed him with eager eyes.

"You know that they also helped the Resistance a lot," said Sonic.

"I've seen weapons that are designed to look the strikes in the sky," said Infinite. "But I thought those Wisps would be yellow or gold."

"Yeah. It gets confusing, but remember that the Ivory Wisp is a lighter shade of yellow."

Without warning, the Ivory Wisp flew into Infinite's chest. The jackal gasped as he felt a surge of energy flowing through him. This time, he closed his eyes and concentrated on not letting this new energy explode out of him. He didn't want to crash his head into the ground again. He focused on his Phantom Ruby energy balancing the new Hyper-Go-On.

He opened his eyes and saw his body glitching with electricity flowing through him.

"Now that's what I call a 'Mobian Battery'!" said Sonic, grinning.

Infinite could feel the Ivory Wisp chuckling. "It feels so…alive. Like a child waiting for excitement and entertainment to come. This one is really playful and hot-blooded."

He raised his hands out and then two lightning bolts went shooting out from his palms, forming together to make one lightning bolt. It shot out through the sky and disappearing in the cloud above.

The Ivory Wisp flew out, dancing around.

"That's cool," said Infinite with a smirk. "Like controlling the weather broadcast."

"If only their powers can make the sun shine or stop the rain," said Sonic.

"Why's that?"

"Hyper-Go-Ons are a different type of power. Not like the Chaos Emeralds. They are also different to natural weathers and energies. The Ivory Wisp can control electricity, but it depends on much control it has."

"BUUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!" hissed the Ivory Wisp, demonstrating Sonic's point.

"If so," wondered Infinite. "Do you think that energy is travelling through the infinite emptiness, right across space systems?"

Sonic shook his head. "I doubt so. It would just fade away."

"But power does not fade. It transfers or transforms into something else." [2s]

---

Meanwhile on Earth, Shadow groaned as he rested on a lounge chair. Omega stood by, idly looking around. They were allowed to go back to their apartment after their training, as there were no missions for them. Infinite was already gone with Sonic, but Shadow wished that faker told him before taking a still-recovering jackal on a vacation.

The black hedgehog looked up to see Rouge holding up a piece of broken metal.

"Boys," she called. "What did you do to the cheese grater?"

POW!

And just in time, the stray lightning bolt zapped Rouge's apartment, shutting down the power and leaving everyone in the dark. The only source of light were Omega's glowing eyes and Shadow's red eyes.

"Oh, thank God," said Shadow quietly. "…Omega, let go of my hand."

---

"Anyway," said Sonic. "Let's see some other Wisps. There are still a lot." [2]

Out of the blue, a flock flew pass Infinite. Or rather a flock of bird-like Wisps. They are in a crimson red color, their heads shaped like falcons and have three orange eyes.

"Those are Crimson Wisps!" said Omochao. "Can turn users into blazing eagles. They are some of the toughest and sharp-eyed of all the Wisps."

"They are like the Pink Wisps," said Sonic. "They're really edgy sometimes."

One Crimson Wisp fluttered towards Infinite, narrowing its three eyes. The jackal felt uncomfortable. Normally, he would like to appear intimidating to others in the past whenever he felt that he was on top of the mountain. He believed that nothing should ever frown upon him. However, since he was slowly walking away from his sinister traits, he felt awkward as the Wisp observed him.

It blinked and circled around him slowly. Infinite wasn't sure what it was doing. Either it was trying to appear menacing, gazing into his soul or playing the games. Sonic noticed this, placing a hand over his mouth to hold back another chuckle.

"This is really demeaning," thought Infinite. "How can I be under the feet of a small alien?"

After circling around him, the Crimson Wisp babbled softly and nodded. It lifted up its tentacle as it flew close to him. He blinked owlishly before shaking its tentacle.

"You know," said Sonic. "They remind me a lot of you."

"Me?" said Infinite. "What gave you that idea?"

"Those Crimson Wisps like to act tough. Mysterious and daring. They aren't so cuddly like the other Wisps. As I said, they are like the Pink Wisps but they are calmer and keep to themselves. You do that a lot. I know that by the way you act and talk during the war. You're like Shadow a lot."

Infinite grimaced, abashed. "I don't know what you are talking about, but whatever you're thinking, I don't act like him."

"Then why try to put on a metal mask over your head?"

The jackal rolled his eyes, knowing the expression. "I'm a mercenary. A former bounty hunter. A trained and a feared assassin. It's what I do."

"Then what would you do normally in a town?"

Infinite was quiet. For him, his abrasive, quiet and rough personality was really natural. Sonic was accusing him to be…edgy. That's a little too stereotypical.

"I just like being in the wild," said Infinite while the Crimson Wisp mimicked his hand gestures with its tentacles. "Being in the desert kind of brings me a sense of peace. As a child, I adapted to the harsh winds and the changing signs of life. I don't know what I would do if I'm in a city. You don't live in an urbanized town. I just only seek for thrill and now I can only smell the busy activity on this planet."

"What would you like? Hard rock music? Bitter food? Violent or horror movies?" asked Sonic.

Again, very stereotypical.

"I don't watch that much movies," said Infinite. "I only like watching those old cowboy shows. And I think I only like folk music since me and my squad would play guitar around campfires back in the old days. And no, I like toast."

Sonic gave the thumbs-up. "Just checking. And look! I think that Crimson Wisp can be your buddy."

Infinite raised an eyebrow and glanced at the Crimson Wisp. Both of them had their hands on their hips. The jackal blushed, gently pushing the Wisp away.

"I think I prefer being with Abraham," he said.

The Crimson Wisp chuckled before flying away. Passing by was a group of White Wisps who caught up with Yacker. Infinite saw how similar Yacker appeared with the group of the bluish white aliens. Except that, he has a cute curl on his head. Is he the only one with the unique feature?

"Those are the White Wisps," said Omochao. "They are the most abundant Wisps of them all and quite the friendliest. They can give users a boost of speed."

Infinite nodded nonchalantly as he watched the White Wisps talked to each other. They were laughing, cheerful and above all, at peace. They were moving a lot as if they took much sugar or coo-coo for being next to each other. I mean, not in a romantic way but in a way you would feel when you see your friends again. In addition, how they did tentacle gestures, they were pretty hyperactive.

"These guys are like you, Sonic," said Infinite.

"Really?" said Sonic. "Why you thought of that?"

"With Yacker and those Wisps," explained Infinite as Abraham sat on his head. "They are really kind towards us. I noticed that most of the White Wisps didn't hold anything to me, other than being scared. They are really friendly, caring and energetic like you are. You really like to go at the speed of light, being 'sonic' of course."

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, but there are a lot of people who are like me. You know with me, some members of the Resistance and perhaps some of your fellow agents. We all want to have peace and fairness to everyone."

Infinite smiled, somewhat a little sadly. "I wish there are more people in the world like you. You could have changed everyone a lot."

"Not everyone is on the same page, but that is OK."

Sonic glanced at a group of Wisps playing with each other. They were throwing a Yellow Wisp around like a Frisbee.

"Ah!" said Omochao. "That there is a Yellow Wisp. They really like earth and water. They give you the ability to drill underground or other barriers. But don't try to drill into the center of the Earth or the world would end up exploding."

"Thinking about it," said Sonic, turning to Infinite. "Would you use Wisps as your…weapons or buddies?"

Infinite thought about it. "I wouldn't use living beings as my superior weapon. Unless they know how to fight, it wouldn't be right to abuse that kind of power and let them do almost nothing else."

"Would your squad use them?"

"Maybe. They might find interest in them. When it comes to exotic fragments or rich gems, they would take their time to observe with gentleness."

Infinite thought on how his past squad members would react to a Wisp. Seeing it babble, squeal and spin around them like a ballerina. One of the jackals would reach up to pat it like a pet dog. It would be funny to see how soft they suddenly become. Their eyes sparkling at the cute alien, no matter its color or ability.

"Maybe they can find a way to harness their powers and teach them how to fight."

He thought back to some of his old squad members before they left him. He imagined Lance trying to properly use a Red Burst Wispon. A red Wispon that acted as a flamethrower. An actual flamethrower. And because he feared fire, the flames that sprouted out from the holes would be enough to make him drop it. And if the Red Wisp was very livid and psychotic, it would let out more fire and scare Lance more.

Eventually, Lance would kick the Wispon away, but the Red Wisp would just come out. And when it came close, it touched his nose…and accidentally set it on fire.

Infinite snickered to himself upon remembering how Lance's scream sounded like.

"And at times, they might use the Wisps for pranks."

A mental image already formed in his head. He could see it. Tempest sleeping peacefully in her bed. Entering the tent was Riley – another former member of the Jackal Squad – holding up a Yellow Wisp who formed itself into a drill. He crept towards her with a mischievous grin.

"I'm gonna shove this right up your arse!" he declared.

He squatted down and- [2s]

WHUMP!

Infinite's eyes widened as there was a sudden urge of discomfort, snapping back to the real world. There was something throbbing in his back. Apparently, the aforementioned Yellow Wisp was sent flying and ended up getting itself stuck underneath his tail that it shouldn't be there. Sonic quickly covered Abraham's and Yacker's eyes.

Infinite let out a squeak before landing onto the ground face-first again, groaning in pain and humiliation.

"Well," said Sonic. "That paid the price of admission for this trip."

He pulled the Yellow Wisp out, watching it float upwards and shook its head in confusion. The jackal groaned again, his tail wagging. With a steady foot, he slowly stood up, shaking.

"Ow…" growled Infinite. "Really?"

The Yellow Wisp felt ashamed of not warning him. It babbled and rubbed its triangular head.

"Erm, Infinite-" started Sonic, but the jackal interrupted him.

"You tell this to anyone and I will kill you," snarled Infinite, placing a finger over the mouth. "And I'm not kidding."

The blue hedgehog's mouth twitched. "I didn't see everything after you said 'They might find interest in them'."

"Anyway," said Omochao. "I'm going to go get some food. I'm starving already!"

"You don't even eat food."

As the robotic Chao flew away, Infinite took the time for him to recover from the sudden shove. If anybody saw him blushing, then he was going to gorge their eyes out! Rubbing his bum a little, he thought back about the Wisps and how his squad would treat them. If half of his members weren't cruel on their own, then maybe they could get along. Those aliens weren't so bad. Some of them are friendly and some of them are harsh.

However, there was something missing from the Wisps.

"There don't appear to be any Purple Wisps," he said.

Sonic gulped. "Yeah. That is because there aren't any. If there are, then it's bad."

"How so?"

Sonic sighed. He didn't like where this was going, but Infinite was interested in knowing about the Wisp race. And because of the aliens' Hyper-Go-On, it would be best to let him know what would happen if their energy is drained.

"You see," said Sonic, rubbing his hands. "Purple and Violet Wisps are the Nega-Wisps."

Infinite tilted his head. "Nega?"

"This is what happened when Eggman drained the Wisps' Hyper-Go-On. When removed, it mutated them into Nega-Wisps. They have a more darker look and gained a sinister appearance. They become violent and a more animalistic state of mind."

"For real? Is that necessary?"

"Me and Tails are trying to figure that out," said Sonic, glancing at a few playful Wisps. "It's a mutation. And it's too risky to turn one into a Nega-Wisp."

Infinite frowned, looking a little disappointed but he understood. "Oh well. I thought we might see some Purple Wisps, but I guess the color purple is the symbol of ferocity in the Wisps."

Yacker muttered to himself. He could tell that Infinite was eager to see one, but that would prove to be dangerous to the Wisps. They didn't have a picture or image of how a Purple or Violet Wisp would look like. He didn't like to remember the Nega-Wisps and how painful it was for his friends to get their energy sucked and turned into something they couldn't control.

The White Wisp thought back to what Sonic told him about Infinite. Infinite once wielded the powers of the Phantom Ruby, so he is a reality wrapper. He could make people see things or create real objects. Or just transform things, but never change them.

An idea formed in his head. This might be a bad idea, but hopefully Infinite knows how to use his powers.

Yacker spoke in his language, catching the two Mobians' attention. He flopped and danced around, but they could only hear gibberish from him.

"What is he trying to say?" asked Infinite.

"Chao?" said Abraham.

"I don't know," said Sonic. "I don't understand Wisp language. Oh wait!"

He pulled out two objects from his quills. Metal earpieces with a purple visor that would cover one eye. He threw one to Infinite and placed one for himself.

"Wait," said Infinite. "And you took those translator devices just NOW?"

"I thought we didn't need it," said Sonic with a sheepish smile. "But I guess I forget that they don't speak English like us."

Turning them on, Sonic gave the thumbs up and Yacker started talking. With the help of the ear pieces, they recorded what he said and translated it into English immediately.

"Maybe I can show you how a Nega-Wisp looks like," he offered. "Infinite the Jackal has the powers of Phantom Ruby, so maybe they can help?"

Sonic shot down that idea. "What? No way. That is a bad idea. I don't want to hurt you."

"But Infinite's powers are different, aren't they? Maybe he can try with his glitching, pixel magic."

"I'm not sure about that. I just don't want you to go through the same things your friends went through when Eggman came in to take over your home. I still remember and I don't want to let anything bad happen to any of you."

Infinite raised his hand. "Well, I can give Yacker a little bit of my powers for a brief period of seconds. I can make things shapeshift."

"Wait a minute," said Sonic, raising an eye. "You can what?"

"I can shapeshift?" said Infinite, lifting his hand that produced red pixels from his palm. "It's one of my ability. So while appearance and some abilities are different, that doesn't mean it would change an object or a living being completely. If I gave a little bit of mine to Yacker, then he would control it."

Yacker nodded. "I think that might work!"

Sonic was uncertain. He looked back at Infinite and Yacker. Abraham and the two Hero Chaos nodded, looking serious. It wasn't that the blue hedgehog didn't trust Infinite – in spite of what he did during the war – but because the Phantom Ruby powers might not go well with the Hyper-Go-On.

Who knows what would happen if Yacker have a little bit or if it might go out of control if Infinite used his powers on him?

However, based on what Rouge told him, the experiments taken on Infinite claimed that some of his powers aren't harmful to anyone, so the Wisps might not get themselves hurt if they used his shapeshifting powers.

Yacker nodded despite Sonic's worry.

Sonic shrugged. Maybe it wouldn't be bad. And since Infinite leant to control himself, maybe it wouldn't hurt Yacker that much.

"Alright then," said Sonic. "Show me what you got."

Infinite closed his eyes, lifted both of his hands and concentrated. His head began to glitch, a mild pain bothering his head. However, he managed to have some of his Phantom Ruby powers flow out of his palms in red streaks and they flew around Yacker. The White Wisp stared at the surrounding red streaks before touching them with his tentacle. Upon impact, red pixel cubes appeared before disappearing in the air.

"OK then," said Infinite. "You have approximately 2 to 3 minutes to use these powers and they will wear off once done."

Yacker nodded. With the red streaks entering his body, he twirled around dramatically and tried out the new shapeshifting power he received. Pixels appeared all around his body as he began to glow brightly…

…the next thing both Sonic and Infinite saw was a floating detached white butt. Two buttocks stuck together.

The Wisps nearby mewled.

"Oh my lord!" said Sonic, quickly placing a hand over Abraham's eyes.

Infinite face palmed. "Please try again."

Yacker spun around…and turned into an infant Wisp. A shorter White Wisp with smoother tentacles and wider eyes. There was also a blue dummy he was sucking on with to complete the look.

"Oh man," groaned Infinite. "Not again."

"I don't think that's the look," said Sonic.

Yacker transformed again…right WAY early before being an infant. If that was possible for a Wisp. In his place as a light blue egg which dropped to the soft grass below.

"NO!" shouted Infinite. "That is even worse!"

The egg cracked open and Yacker's head popped out. He chuckled sheepishly, scratching his back.

"Sorry," he said, floating upwards.

He spun around and he finally transformed into a Violet Wisp. With the disguise covering his original body, he appeared as a blueberry purple Wisp. His head had five curved-back tentacles around it, making them look like swirls. He lacked eyes and instead have a serrated mouth that look like a menacing grin. Three wide tentacles stemmed from the bottom of his head and ended in jagged points.

This drew almost all the Wisps' attention as they flew towards their ambassador's new look. While they were aware of how the Nega-Wisps look like, they couldn't help but admire Yacker's Violet appearance.

"Yacker?" said Sonic, wary. "Are you OK?"

"Yes I am, Sonic," said Yacker, his mouth moving. In a seductive female voice, no less.

This weirded Sonic out that he took a step back.

"Anyway," said Infinite. "You think you might be able to present some powers to us?" [3]

Yacker nodded and held up his tentacles. With the help of the Phantom Ruby powers, a dark violet and black void portal appeared above him. There were pink swirls around it as the portal expanded and contracted itself. As soon as it was in a perfect shape, it started to spin.

As all wind were flying towards the portal, Infinite and Sonic had to stay still so that they wouldn't fly into it by mistake. Sonic felt his quills slightly shaking, but he keep his head still. The Hero Chaos held onto his ears as if their lives depended on it. Abraham sat on the ground, but held onto his fedora, not wanting to lose it again.

Infinite felt his tail dragged by the wind, but he curled it around his legs. His ears drooped a little due to the forces of the portal. His hair suddenly flew right in front, nearly sucked in. Normally, his white long dreadlocks are combed at the back. But when in the front? Oh, he looked ridiculous with all of them in front of his face. The jackal growled, knowing that it would be pathetic to pull his hair back.

Whatever that wasn't tied down was sucked into the portal. Stray leaves, wooden sticks, dried plants and fruits went flying into the portal, entering into another world of nothingness. Because Yacker was careful, the Wisps weren't sucked in. They were safe from the forces of the portal. A few Cyan and Red Wisps flew close as they dare, curious about the black void.

One Red Wisp flew inside the portal. After a few seconds, it came out, its body in a flaming aura. It looked like it was the one actually on fire.

One Cyan Wisp put its head inside the portal, letting it stir it around. When it pulled itself out, its head was flattened like a party plate. Its eyes were switched into fish eyes, looking absolutely derpy.

"Hey, look!" it squeaked, dumbly. "I'm a pizza pie!"

Infinite shook his head. "Oh, the joys of a cosmetic threshold to an unstudied parallel universe."

For some reason, he felt one of his feet lifted up. His whole body slowly tipped over like a statue pushed over by a little kid. In fact, he felt every part of his body pulled in by something.

By the portal, of course.

Before he knew it, he went flying off the ground without even a thought of his mind. He was actually going to get sucked in by the portal. However, Sonic quickly grabbed him by the tail. The blue hedgehog grunted as he tried to pull Infinite back but the portal was too strong. However, he was in a place where he couldn't pull him back and the portal succeeding over him. At least his feet weren't dragged across the ground.

"Wow!" he said. "You are really light there, Infinite!"

"WHY THE HELL AM I SO LIGHT?!" roared Infinite in angrish.

Yacker was too distracted by the black hole he created to notice that Sonic had to hold onto Infinite like he was trying to hold onto a carnival balloon from a tornado. It was like practicing flying a kite. Well, only if kites could fly properly in the sky as we see on TV that is.

Unaware of the chaos unfolding, Omochao casually flew in, carrying a pile of fruits.

"Hey guys!" he said. "I found some fruit we can all e-!"

And then, he found himself getting sucked into the portal.

"BaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAa!"

The unfortunate Chao spun inside the void with no way out of getting out in one piece. Forced to be in this crazy merry-go-round, his body was no heavier than a piece of confetti. Even though he was making his way into the new world, the portal kept spinning him around. He kept screaming at the top of his lungs, already sounding like a male lamb getting an injection shot.

"BaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAa-!"

FWHUMP! [3s]

And just like that, Yacker's powers wore off and the black void disappeared. He turned back to normal, spinning around proudly.

Infinite's hair was a mess when he finally stood on both of his feet. His dreadlocks were pointing in all directions with the majority hanging right in front of his face. You would be forgiven if you thought this make him a very emo teen with very long hair.

Sonic chuckled. "If you are a girl, I say that you look very pretty now."

"Let go off my tail," growled Infinite, flicking his tail away.

---

A little while later, Sonic showed Infinite and Abraham the very creator of Planet Wisp. Mother Wisp was expecting for her arrival, waiting patiently over a river. Infinite couldn't lie; he was actually nervous when meeting her. Because of what he did and the Wisps had to see his actions, he wouldn't be surprised if that large pink jellyfish-like Wisp would slam him to the ground and place him over a campfire.

However, the giant mother didn't hold a grudge against the jackal. When she saw him, she patted him on the head gently. Maybe it was because her children already told her about his recent adventure.

She let the two Mobians rest on top of her head as she flew around the river. Several Wisps followed along, attached to their mother. They let Abraham and the Hero Chaos play with them, watching the bubbling babies chase each other.

At one point, one Blue Wisp managed to steal Infinite's mask, catching him off guard. They started to throw it around like it was a beach ball. It was really adorable and inappropriate, considering how much Infinite cherished it.

Knowing that he couldn't fly properly as he used to before, Infinite forced himself to just wait and sit back.

Sonic chuckled as he watched the silver mask flew around. He thought in his head that he was watching tennis. Hearing grunts from each sides. The loud thwacks from hitting the ball. The host announcing who won the match when the mask would end up hitting the ground or into the water.

"I think I like that mask more than the one you wore before," said Sonic.

Infinite was quiet for a while. "Because it doesn't look…'peevish'?"

Sonic chuckled. "I don't know what that means. But people fear the mask of the monster in the past. They saw it as a threat. And when you came back, you had trouble trying to fit in as leaving your mask behind was the clue that the 'Infinite' monster was back. Funny how you managed to switch sides since I know that 'dark' part of you may come back."

Infinite frowned, staring at his flying mask. "I don't have any sides of me. No other personalities. I'm just only me."

"But Shadow told me that you were reborn and you put aside your 'old, weak' you."

The jackal blushed, looking away. "That is a little bit of coincidence. A pathetic attempt for me to hide my weakness. The mask, the ruby. It's all a cover up to show how strong I am. But whatever they do, it does not really change or create a new body of me."

"But you still did a lot of damage for one terrorist," said Sonic, stretching his arms. "That sure take a lot of nerve."

"Don't forget, hedgehog. I've been a mercenary for so long that I also killed people in the past. And that I had to live through it."

Infinite pulled his legs close to his chest, his knees touching the scar that remained hidden under his vest.

"I know my identity already. I know how to change it. My memories, my rules. And as far as I know, the 'Infinite' identity is already a part of me and it will linger on. It's…what makes me who I am."

Sonic nodded. "Just have to make sure because I don't want to trigger your craziness."

"I'm crazy because I know crazy people when I was 2," grunted Infinite.

This conversation was already making him feel uncomfortable. He turned away, trying to distract himself by watching Yacker dancing around before spinning around Mother Wisp. He felt her shake as she laughed. It was actually nice seeing this Mama playing with her children gently. Something Infinite wished that would happen in his childhood.

If he grew up in an urbanized home, then he wouldn't be like this.

The jackal groaned and wrapped his tail around his torso when Sonic dragged himself close to him.

"Can I ask you this?" he said. "Do you know what a mercenary is?"

Infinite's left ear flicked up. "The small definition or the wellbeing of one?"

Sonic chuckled, drunk-like. "The feeling of being one."

Infinite thought back to his times when he scouted the desert. Travelling through the hot sands and the boiling sun above. Needing to keep his head up while at the same time not to perish with the wind. He and his squad would nearly look out of place, but their dark and daring looks showed that they were capable of taking on everything.

From every kill, every bounty collected every steal, every assassination done. Ranging from simply sitting back on your tail or hard as stone with your knuckles turning red and sore. With all the gold and money collected, he felt pride and on top of the mountain again. Every success made him stronger and satisfied with his life.

But the one thing that he actually enjoyed during the old days was with his squad. And the joy of being in the outside world was to sit back and watch the white fireworks in the sky. Surrounded by jackals of his kind, anticipating for a new day. Even with the camping equipment they got, Infinite wouldn't need anything for a good night sleep.

And then, everything changed. From losing his squad, working with an anti-freedom group bent on destroying the world, dying and working up as a ghost of his own self, forced to hide and then finally get a chance to redeem. But redemption meant taking place in a more safer, stable and fair yet strict environment.

He actually missed the feeling of going out wild.

"Being a mercenary means…" started Infinite, twirling one of his dreadlocks around. "…surviving in the wild. In the harsh world. In a world that seems so cold when it gets hot. And you would have to survive through every wound you get to get what you want…because there are things that are worth it."

"Sounds like being a hero," said Sonic with a stupid smile.

"It's not really. Heroes don't get paid to do the job."

"Do you know what a hero is?"

Infinite snorted. "A superhero who has no official or government-like policies and go around to save the job when they get the call? Seen negatively in the police's eyes?"

Sonic shook his head. "A hero's purpose…is to help the people. Save the world. Protect the universe. Always foil the bad guys. There are a lot of things heroes can do. But…they are the fireflies in the dark. Needing to light up a spark to explode the freedom dynamite. You know what I mean?"

Infinite wrinkled his nose.

"And people see them as their hope. Their lord and savior. Like Gods. They always see heroes as those who are strong and brave to protect them…and no one cares about who they are beyond that."

The jackal's heart skipped a beat. It wasn't that shocking, but it was one that caught him off guard. He never heard Sonic say something like this. Normally, everybody knew him as the confident and cocky blue hedgehog who loved to go on adventures, run around during his adventures and just making the best out of his life. He wouldn't show any vulnerability or be downcast. At worst, he would be just sarcastic and claim that some struggles would be a 'piece of cake'.

But here, he leaked out his cynicism about being a hero.

"How is that compared with being a mercenary?" asked Infinite.

Sonic felt a lump forming in his throat. He knew what he said and should have kept his mouth shut.

"I don't know," he muttered. "It's just that I'm surprised how far you managed to hold onto your own. Sure, you don't go on too many high-stake adventures before, but I'm surprised of how much…eh…trauma you have to suppress?"

Now that was concerning.

"Sorry," said Sonic, laughing it off. "You know…it's a tough business. Like a lifestyle. Heroes and mercenaries always try to be tough. With men, that is."

Infinite was quiet for a while. He wasn't sure what to say about this. However, he remembered back when some of his squad members were struggling with keeping up the motto of staying strong. Never showing weakness as the weak would die out in the world. He lived by it for a long time and he still does. He thought that it only occurred for those who were so unfortunate, but it turned out that it didn't need to apply to high status or wealth.

Sonic was a different case.

"You know that there are no other animals here," said Infinite, his voice a little higher-pitched than his normal gruff voice. "There isn't anyone who would tell back home what you're going through. It's only me."

Sonic blinked, uncertain. "I'm not sure."

"I kept a lot of secrets, hedgehog. I remember all secrets my friends told me. I can still hide another if it is personal for you."

Sonic stayed quiet as he thought about it. He hadn't known Infinite that much ever since his complete 180. He just knew him for being as edgy as Shadow. Guys like him would wear that much black and hide in the shadows. No pun indeed. But however, Infinite had a lot of experiences. More than anyone he have met before. Infinite was a soldier, a thief who went through so many events and problems.

Maybe. But this was only between them or he would use his spikes to squash that canine's head!

"I haven't been feeling alright for the past few years," admitted Sonic. "I feel like….I'm losing my touch lately." [4]

Infinite looked at him, concerned. Was it because of the war? The Metal Virus? Eggman turning back to normal after having amnesia?

Upon seeing the guilt on Infinite's face, Sonic quickly reassured him.

"It's nothing to do with you," he said. "It just have to do with everything. I go through this every time I have to face something new."

He paused for a while, staring at the playing Wisps nearby.

"I don't know," he said. "Nearly all the time. I get up, but…I'm sure not if I want to anymore."

"How come?" asked Infinite.

Sonic pondered on that question. He didn't remember when it really started, but it was noticeable during every risk-taking moment he did or every time he had to try to save so many people from danger.

"When Eggman first tried to turn my home into his image," explained Sonic. "He tried to turn everything to metal. Creating havoc and using animals inside his robots. Wanting to create his own robotic world. I was very young that time."

"Was it hard beating him?" asked Infinite.

"No. It was nearly easy. It wasn't so bad as I managed to prevent him. The first time was easy."

He smiled as he lied down.

"It's been great for the next few months. I got to meet my friends. Go to places. And I get to explore the whole world. It's awesome to see so many countries, places and meeting new people. It's like the whole world has become my family."

Infinite nodded. "Wow. So that's how you got well-known. Not only stopping Eggman, but also interacting with other people and communities. You're a wilder adventurer than me."

Sonic shrugged. "Like I said, I get around a lot. However, things slowly began to change for me. As I commit myself to being a hero, I slowly start to realize that it is my responsibility to protect the safety and freedom of my home. I never really think about the dangers that I brought myself in to. However…after a few battles, I thought about what would happen if I fail."

He frowned, looking rather unhappy.

"I…I sometimes feel the weight of everybody's safety on my shoulders. Eggman's plans kept piling up like how you need to keep paying for an insurance. I had to catch up to them and stop them before he does any other harm to anyone. I…was also scared. I couldn't let anyone down despite how dangerous my battles were."

Infinite was amazed of how Sonic developed over his experiences of fighting for freedom and peace for Earth. For a while, he thought the blue hedgehog was just cocky and loved a fight, but that wasn't the complete story. This teen knows the danger he gets himself into and he didn't stop until it would be over.

"It became straining when things didn't go well," said Sonic, looking away. "Things started to change. And…for once, I was unable to stop Eggman."

Infinite was silent. He knew about that Eggman would always lose, but sometimes, he forgot how dangerous he could be. This is Eggman Empire they are talking about! And it could manage to hold the world in a cage in just a split second. Either from an insane God or a magical gem that held great power and insanity.

Sonic took a moment to breath. He didn't want to remember what he had to go through, but he couldn't stop and it was already too late to take it back.

"I…failed several times to stop him," admitted Sonic, swallowing but his throat was dry. "Once, he…managed to split up the planet after I fall into his trap. And…I had to suffer the consequences for that. Not only facing these problems, but there was…also the fact that some people could got hurt when Eggman divided the continents into jigsaw pieces."

Infinite remembered back when there was a heavy earthquake in the place he and his squad were. They barely experienced any, so this one caught them off guard. It also became a humiliating moment when he found himself buried under the sand. Now, he understood why it happened and it was because of a world-threatening attack.

Sonic continued speaking, his voice starting to crack. "He also invaded this planet. Me and Tails didn't know at that time. I…could have stopped him from trying to drain the Wisps' life energy, but I had to fix that…I wanted to set things right…but I guess they only happen when the problem starts."

For all he had faced, Infinite reminded himself that he wasn't talking to a hero. He was just talking to a…normal individual. Like him. Even with powers or a ruby.

"There are other things that I nearly failed in," said Sonic, sitting up and hugging his knees. "Me and my friends…got sucked up by the Time Eater and we were separated. All realities and times…were falling apart. I got scared that time since…I didn't know if we were going to make it or not."

Infinite then remembered something. "Sonic. One or two years ago, I had an allusion that the world was falling apart and my body was extinguished. However, when I woke up, the world was still safe. I thought it was a dream, but was it…?"

Sonic nodded grimly. "Yeah. You know about the Deadly Six. That time, they nearly succeeded in destroying the entire planet. Me and Tails…had an argument that time."

He paused when he felt tears forming in his eyes.

"It had been a while since I remembered, but because of that, I nearly got Tails into trouble. And…he nearly got turned into a robot. However, he managed to reprogram the process to retain his free will and we finished the Deadly Six off. So from there…we saved the world again."

Infinite didn't know why, but he had a feeling what would happen after that.

"And then I came in," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Sonic grinned sardonically. "I blame Eggman for most of the part. A little bit on Shadow. And because we never seen each other for the next 6 months, I didn't get to know you or why you were hell-bent on destroying cities. But, I knew that you didn't hold a grudge against me in the first place."

"I only saw you as an obstacle," grunted Infinite. "That doesn't change a thing."

"You got a point there. And then, the Metal Virus. It hits me the hardest of all. VERY hard. I was…destroyed. Overwhelmed. I made the wrong choice of keeping an amnesiac Eggman alive and Shadow was right. There would be one day when he revert to normal. And that led to the huge pandemic in the world. I would have nearly given up…if Tangle didn't told me it wasn't over…since there was still a team of Resistance soldiers to fight back."

He struggled to hold back tears. The toll of every single tragedy and threat that endangered him and his friends was building up. As he reflected back more on past mistakes and horrors, he wondered if he could keep on fighting. Many people looked up to him like a temple. A shield to protect them. A symbol of hope. Infinite crushed that hope a long time ago and many people fell down on their knees when they didn't see the light anymore. Sniffing, he wiped his tears, trying to force himself to calm down.

"But I'm OK now," lied Sonic, looking away again. "Been enjoying the best life I can possibly have. It's been great."

He sighed, shaking his head. "I'm surprised of how you were able to face…all of this. Especially since your return. You are pardoned, you are faced with protest groups and there are people out there trying to kill you. G.U.N is almost your only protection. And nothing break you from trying to be a…good guy. I…guess that's what surprised me – how hard it could be to deal with obstacles in life. It's so different to being adventures."

Infinite stayed quiet for a while. He felt nearly emotional of Sonic's explanation. He felt sorry of how much the blue hedgehog had to go through to become a true hero of the world. The look of guilt and weariness on Sonic's face was enough to convince Infinite that he shouldn't belittle him.

The jackal remembered his deceased squad. His guilt in not being able to protect them when they needed him. The luggage he had to carry when realization hit in of how many lives he destroyed and separated. The pressure of the Rookies attempting to let him see the good of the world so that he wouldn't need to see it in a bleak image. It is a lot, but what is it that made him adjustable?

What made him flexible and resilient when he broke down for a moment?

"I know what you mean," he said. "Getting to wear a mask your entire time."

Sonic scoffed. "You never wore one before you became the very person you are now. You never had a silver mask to look so intimidating."

"Oh really?" said Infinite. "Being a mercenary is probably as hard as being a hero, but the only difference is that as a bounty hunter, you almost have no one to trust. You have to play by the cards, set them out all over the table to choose all the right choices, never be caught when you're cheating. I had to fill in those rules so that I could build the Jackal Squad."

He thought back to when he was trained to be one. Through beaten several times, learning new weapons, killing actual people who were deemed weak. The constant messages of staying strong? Definitely.

"I had a lot of breakdowns as a child," said Infinite, feeling his eyes wet. "I wished that the world would change for once. Give me a chance to be treated right. I wanted things to go my way. But…they don't. And over the years, I had to live with it."

Yacker flew by, wearing Infinite's mask. He heard their conversations and this caught his interest.

"Creating the Jackal Squad was the hardest thing. However, it was worth it. They became…my family. My brothers and sisters. My children. The closest things I ever loved in the universe. I didn't want to let them go and I didn't understand why some of them left behind for their own passions and interests."

He rubbed his chest, imagining the Phantom Ruby that once glued to him.

"I thought of trying to keep running non-stop," said Infinite, his ears drooping down. "And…if the world doesn't mind the weak, I rather fall apart than face the truth. Some…people say that it was a hallucination or an illusion. It definitely was an illusion."

He thought back to the time when Eggman tested the Phantom Ruby on his squad.

"I once had to try out a prototype," he said, his voice becoming shaky. "I wasn't sure if this was what I wanted. I wanted a world of my own, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to take that step. If I was strong enough and worthy. I was playing around with the ruby and then…I had that vision."

Sonic wiped his tears away, looking at Infinite in concern. "What did you saw?"

"I saw myself. I was…dressed like this. Glowing in red and my whole body glitching. I was bathed in light, clothed all in red than just staying with black. A more…vibrant color I like. Wearing a mask with clear red lens to show my true eyes. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I felt hope for once. Feel completely light. I knew that I was going to be OK in the future. It was like despite all the hardness I had to face through, I would remain as a glorious and strong mercenary the world has ever known."

Yacker babbled, feeling sorry for Infinite. The monster he once told wasn't there. It was just a jackal. A jackal who was trying to pick up the pieces. Hovering down, the White Wisp took off the mask and placed it between Infinite and Sonic.

Sonic looked at the mask. "Like I said, this mask scared a lot of people."

Infinite nodded, closing his eyes. "I tried to embrace Eggman's side. I tried to wear the mask. Complete it. Turn me into something else. But I didn't really feel any different. Even though I relished the chaos, there was still something inside of me. All that left was blazing energy of hot and angry chemicals through my bloodstreams. Something I never wanted to live through."

A smile formed on his muzzle.

"Despite what I had to fix now, I realized that I was going to be OK. With G.U.N looking after me and the agents treating me as an equal, I felt complete. I felt satisfied. And the change in my mask…fitted me well, striking myself in a better way. I truly more fit to be this than a dark monster."

"Do you have worries about if you go back to your evil ways?" asked Sonic.

Infinite thought about it. "Maybe I do. But I already accepted my weak self. My dark self. The sides of me that go out to harm the entire planet or harm myself in the most hurtful way possible. There is no changing that, but I made myself. I made who I want to be and there is no changing that. The 'Infinite' might be gone, but…he is still a part of 'Agent Infinite'. He helped me to know what is right and what is fair."

He picked up the mask, admiring the shine on it. The red visor that helped him to see clearly in this world.

"I am a former criminal. A former monster. Carrying a rewritten mask, but it cannot be erased from existence. Every time I pick this up, I know there are millions of people out there that are going to help me for it. The history can't be erased. A lot of people look back at the past and judge the superficial things we see in our eyes. Yet, I'm still here. With a more heroic mask. My power is not as strong, but the only strong power I have is that I believe that I can do better."

Sonic smiled. "Man. You really do know how to handle a lot of things. I just wish…I have the same flow as you do, Mister Stoic."

Infinite rolled his eyes. "You are different because that is what everyone is supposed to be. But heroes can be like everyone else. Even enemies. Everyone…can be flawed."

"But I'm not supposed to be flawed," said Sonic, looking down. "It can't make me who I am."

"We all have our own failures, but being a hero – an example of somebody who want to be great –means fighting for what you believe is right and for the people that you love. You experience guilt a lot for not stopping, but…what is guilt if not love preserving? I've seen you and your emotions throughout the war. You never stopped running until you took me down. That would take one strong soldier to get through without flinching. And you did all of this-"

"To help my friends," finished Sonic.

"Exactly. You know that the world can be a cruel place, but you see the good in people. You believe that there is still a friend or two out there, wanting to keep your word. There are still people who are good. Who believe in you. And even when you're not around, they try to live up to your word. I actually seen soldiers succeeding in missions. Rescuing a lot of people."

Sonic stayed quiet for a while. For a long time, he had been focused on trying to save the day that he didn't stop to think why he really want to achieve that. He always thought it was because he wanted everybody to live their life no matter what. All because there was nothing worth missing in their lives. Every second, every event, every moment. It was worth it. But the one thing that actually helped him to stay as strong as possible was remembering his loved ones.

Biting his lip, he scratched his spikes, nearly tearing up. "Oh my goodness. Huh, I didn't know that."

"You may have fallen apart several times," said Infinite. "But you've been one of the strongest fighters I ever know. Never stop being you."

There was silence between the two as Sonic slowly let the words of his former enemy sink in. Mother Wisp, the Wisps and the Chaos went silent in respect for the two Mobians to have a quiet and serious conversation. Surprisingly feeling better about himself, Sonic smiled and nodded.

"Yeah," he said, chuckling a little as small tears formed in the corner of his eyes. "I'll try to live by that."

He lifted up his fist. Infinite was confused at first, but he remembered that gesture the Rookies taught him. He smiled and fist-bumped the blue hedgehog back.

Yacker squealed, happy to see the two getting along. He nuzzled onto Sonic's cheek, earning another chuckle from the blue hedgehog.

Abraham fluttered around Infinite, grinning.

This trip had been a good relaxing day for the two of them. Getting to know each other, meeting the Wisps again and finding a closure to their anxieties. While they don't know what else would happen in the future or what Eggman would do next, Infinite decided to cherish this moment. He was at peace with telling about his experience while getting to hear Sonic's. Maybe this wasn't bad after all.

Infinite felt much better already. Maybe this was what he needed after all.

The mask between them shined as the sunlight hit it. While it would never lose its violent and mean personality, it was going to shape into how everybody want it to be. The perfect fit for one misguided yet hopeful jackal. And it was sure that there would be more additions to it the next time he brings it to be redesign or updated. [4s]

---

Later…

"I haven't been up to your new Jackal Squad," said Agent Topaz as she and Infinite walked around a corner. "Can you please tell me how you were able to bring them together?"

"One month after I joined G.U.N," explained Infinite. "The Commander informed that there were some jackals who were working here as well. And some of them were actually some of my former teammates in the past. So, I asked him if I could reform the Jackal Squad and he allowed me to."

"So what kind of squad is it now?"

"We are still mercenaries, so under the guidance of the Commander, we became a hired assassin crew so that we could continue our old business without struggling too much in the desert. We are also an official G.U.N squad, but this business is a side project we are doing."

Topaz was surprised. She never thought that the Jackal Squad – some of the feared bounty hunters known in the outback – would eventually reformed. She thought Infinite was already done with his criminal life, but it was a good thing to see him returning to his mercenary roots in a more tamed and modest way.

"So any chances of old teammates returning?" she asked. "New ones?"

"Not that many who are willing to hold the torch for the Jackal Squad," said Infinite, a little miserable. "Found some such as Stryker, Lance, Steel and Riley. There were a lot of new jackals who were struggling in the desert and were brought over to civilization. However, most of them were angry at me for what I did."

"For ruining the reputation of jackals?"

That hit home too much. Nearly insensitive given what was going on.

"Yeah," admitted Infinite, clenching his teeth. "Sort of."

Topaz hummed, stroking her chin. "Sorry if I might sound racist, but.. don't jackals live in the wild?"

Infinite nodded coolly. "Highly. There would only be at least 1-5 jackals living in one urbanized city. Like hyenas. Why asking?"

"Because you guys must have took a lot of time to adjust to being in the city. With modern technology, weapons and even electronic devices! Like children. I'm worried that you guys might have grown addicted to them."

Before Infinite could open his mouth, his ears flicked high when he heard music playing from one of the office rooms nearby. It sounded like an EDM song with monotonous and dull vocals in a talking-like voice. [5]

"I'm sorry, Kaito!" yelled a voice inside the room. "But the thermometer is on my side on the room. You're going to have to live with the cold until you turn off that stupid Australian music!"

"I'll turn off the music when you get rid of those lice-infected Chaos!" shouted Kaito's voice.

"Oh, too bad! Kaito is so afraid of Chaos! Hey! Look at that one there!"

SQUEEK!

"EEK! Argh! You know what, Dakota? If you don't get rid of those Chaos, then I'm pulling the cable plug for your subscriptions!"

"What?! No! Not the cable plug! You take that back!"

"I'll take that back when you get rid of all the pets you had to buy in this room! We are not in a zoo!"

"Oh, you said it, bud! Prepare for death by birth; eggs!"

"Eat flaming bullets!"

With a disgruntled look, Infinite approached the door and opened it. However, the second he did, a head-sized egg smashed into his face. The eggshell broke apart, drenching his face in gooey egg white and a melting yolk.

There was a wild donnybrook going on in the Jackal Squad's office. I mean, LITERALLY wild. It was as if somebody did bring in the whole zoo. It was freezing cold that it was enough to make WHITE SNOW all around the room. Multiple Chaos fluttered around, covered in fleas and pooping away. There was loud music blasting from a nearby speaker, playing a satirical song. Someone must have painted 'TRUMP IS THE BEST MEME THAN BALDI' in pink on the wall.

And on both sides of the room, both jackals were firing projectiles at each other while hiding behind desks for cover.

Kaito kept mimicking gunfire as he shot ball-like bullets out from a toy gun.

Dakota kept shrieking in a silly way as if trying to dodge while firing eggs from a slingshot.

Topaz stared with wide eyes, shocked by the escalating war.

Without even wiping the egg off his face, Infinite closed the door. He turned to Topaz, appearing annoyed.

"Anyway," he said casually. "Some of my teammates got a little addicted with these 'video games' and 'phones' and all of those strange devices. But they still focus on real life than just wasting time."

"So you still exercise, go out in the sun?" asked Topaz.

"We still do, but some of them prefer being indoors. Something about feeling more 'cool' inside."

The two walked away, ignoring the muffled sounds of the war inside Infinite's office. With none of them bothering to stop Kaito and Dakota, this supported Topaz's point of how some people would get obsessed with using modern technology. [5s]

---

AN: And I killed Omochao too. (starts laughing manically...before slowly developing into a cough fit and dying inside on the floor)

In all seriousness, Omochao will be fine. Sonic brought two Hero Chaos. They can use their powers to help Omochao to get him out of the portal in no time. I mean, that portal Yacker made just leads to another world. It's not really a black hole and Infinite's powers work differently.

For this one-shot, I used references from WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, SMG4 and Flushed Away. And of course, that last scene is based on an office fight in The Big Bang Theory. And I apologize if I made some really inappropriate and crude humor in this. It wouldn't be for kids if I described more graphically! But what would you say is your favorite funny moment? Mine would be when the Cyan Wisp sticks it head inside the black hole; a violation of common sense.

The jackals named in this story are references to other Jackal Squads characters made by other authors. However, they only share names and no other personal traits. This includes:
- Stryker made by Ultimate anarchy
- Kaito made by AzureStriker2014
- Dakota made by The Sensational SpiderDom321
- Steel made by SuperKirbyLand234
- Riley made by DeliriousAbsol

This has been a special story I really want to work out. A really long one than I expect it to be.

As said in the summary, this is based on Tashasaurous' story Sonic and the Power of the Wisps and contains similar themes to her Sonic stories overall. I imagine what would happen if Infinite is actually alive and redeemed himself. And what it would be like if he meets with Sonic again. There are other stories that have that interaction, but I decided to have Sonic taking Infinite on a trip to Planet Wisp.

So here, we look through the category of individual and unique Wisps (though I have to cut some of them out due to unknown characteristics). Like one of my stories TrollsTopia - Road to Royalty, it also takes inspirations from League of Legends' comic K/DA - Harmonies, so I decided to explore Sonic's cynical and mature side.

In most stories, Infinite would either have an identity conflict through PTSD where he is faced by his former self who challenges him and tempts him to rejoin the evil side. However, here, it's a different case. I had an idea that Infinite actually struggles with being the chief of Eggman Empire and doesn't feel he can actually live up to being the monster in Sonic Forces. Simply, he doesn't know if he is right for the job as an individual. So, the main struggle in this is him deciding what he wants to be and what he feels more comfortable in to strike his own persona.

This darker side of the one-shot takes some inspirations from AzureStriker2014's stories 'A Dilemma', 'The Jackal and the Wolf' and 'Hidden Doubts'. I love her stories as they deal with a more emotional side in kid-friendly games. When I remembered 'Hidden Doubts', this got me to write this story where we explore indeed hidden doubts about our favorite blue blur and the infamous masked monster.

If anyone is wondering if this is connected to my Forces United series, well...I actually don't know. I can't confirm at the moment. You can have your own ideas, but I don't know. :3

Thanks for reading this chapter! If you enjoy this story, be sure to follow or favorite this story, so you can get updates about this story. Make sure to review this chapter on what you think about this chapter. I'm OK of hearing improvements from you (please no flames).

Until next time, stay safe, be nice, trust in your friends, don't rely on stupid things and keep on rocking!

And please don't try what happened in this story (especially the trainings/experiments) at home, kids!

This is Cheah signing out!