I said this would be a split POV chapter, but I changed my mind. I felt like this scene worked better alone.

We return to Centropolis, where Derwin meets someone he never expected...

Chapter 13 – True Blue

Derwin sat alone on the park bench under the dim light of a lamppost. A night breeze blew against him, but he was barely aware. He glanced at his watch; he had another ten minutes before the patrol bots swept this area again. He leaned forward hoping to get lost in his thoughts once more but a particularly strong gust hit him this time.

"Hey kid, you look down in the dumps."

Derwin sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was chat; it was why he went to the park in the dead of night in the first place. He slowly turned his head to see who was bothering him and blinked from the abrupt sight.

A blue hedgehog leaned against the post. His curved quills, white gloves, and red sneakers were an iconic image Derwin had seen many times on the TV screen. It was the mysterious vigilante faster than any man or machine in the city. His unknown origins and pure intentions kept him as a hot topic among the denizens. Many rumors and conspiracy theories surrounded him, including a popular suggestion that he was just a fictitious product of the government and news stations to boost the morale of the city.

For a hero that didn't exist, he seemed pretty real to Derwin.

"You...you're that Sonic guy!"

"I'm that Sonic guy," the hedgehog confirmed with a nod. "Sonic the Hedgehog's the name!"

The raccoon's jaw was agape. Hearing Sonic talk was even more surreal. He had to shake himself from his stupor to reply.

"I-I'm Derwin!"

"Derwin, eh? You look like you've hit rock bottom…it's pretty late; you shouldn't be out here alone. What's wrong?"

Derwin gasped and covered his mouth, eliciting a raised brow from the hedgehog. Sonic was a hero that saved lives and foiled criminals. Would he really care about some petty family drama? But he had been obviously upset when Sonic showed up, and it would be silly to hide it from him...

He took a deep breath and decided to tell Sonic the problem. What was supposed to be a snippet turned into him blabbing the whole situation.

"My friend Link went far away on an important mission…me and my friend Freddy told his parents about it but they didn't believe us. My dad didn't believe me either and then he...he started making fun of my weight." Derwin blushed and thanked the dim lights of the park for helping hide that fact under his fur.

"Ah," Sonic murmured contemplatively, leaning against the bench, "So you ran away."

"Yeah..."

There was a short silence that left Derwin uncomfortable. He squirmed at the thought of Sonic judging him for that.

"So what exactly is the problem?"

He gave Sonic an incredulous stare.

"I already told you what the problem is! My dad didn't believe me and then insulted me."

Sonic hopped onto the bench and sat next to Derwin. "Look kid, someone taught me a long time ago that sometimes you need to slow down and look under the surface. To do that, you need…patience."

His gaze was distant, reminiscing of another time and place.

"He's your dad. Obviously he loves you. Sometimes people say or do things they don't really mean because they don't really know how to express themselves. When your dad started making fun of your weight, he was telling you something else."

"So...the real problem is that...my dad wasn't sure how to express himself?"

Sonic nodded.

"I guess running away didn't really help..."

"You've got that right! In the middle of night, you can run into all kinds of freaks – like me!" Sonic exclaimed, pointing a thumb at himself.

Derwin shook his head. "No! You're not a freak! You're cool."

"Yeah, but what if I was a bad guy? What started as a fight with your dad would end in a tragedy."

"Okay, okay! I get the point. I'll go home soon."

"Good...but about your friend. You got any evidence about him leaving? That should get people off your back."

"That's what we tried to find, but Link pretty much left Centropolis without a trace! I watched him leave."

"What do you mean?"

"He left with a pokemon called Lucario. Took him to world named Hyrule."

Sonic's brows furrowed with a strange interest. "Lucario? What did he look like?"

"He looks like a jackal. Blue, spikes on his chest and hands...doesn't wear any clothes. He kinda reminds me of you, actually. But he's a bit of a jerk..."

Derwin leaned away from Sonic without realizing it – that interest on the hedgehog's face quickly morphed into anger. It may have been more accurate to describe him as pissed off. Did he not like the comparison with Lucario?

Just as Derwin was about to apologize, Sonic grinned.

"Sounds like a weird guy. I can see why people won't believe ya."

Derwin sighed in relief, but before he could respond, someone called his name out in the darkness. He looked over his shoulder and saw several figures making their way through the park with flashlights. He immediately recognized the short red hair of Freddy passing under the orb of a lamppost, and trailing behind him were his parents and a few humans.

"Your family came looking for you," Sonic said, jumping off of the bench, "guess there won't be a tragedy tonight! And that's my cue to split!"

"No, Sonic! Wait!"

"Sorry Derwin, can't stay in one place for too long!" Sonic jogged in place and winked. "I'll tell you what, though. If you run into that Lucario guy again, give me a shout. Until then, I'll look into it! See ya!"

Sonic disappeared in a speedy blur, covering the span of the park in seconds. A burst of wind whipped against Derwin, throwing his bushy tail into his face. He brushed it away and stared at where Sonic had been for what felt like hours.

"But how am I supposed to contact you...?"

What an unpredictable day it turned out to be.

"Hey, Derwin!" Freddy waved a hand in his face, snapping him out of his trance. He wasn't sure how long he was out of it. "Did you turn into a popsicle out here or something?"

"Oh, hi Freddy," Derwin murmured.

"'Hi?' That's it?" Freddy replied skeptically. "Dude, why didn't you just come to my house?"

"That's the first place my parents would look."

"True, but I wouldn't snitch."

"Your sister would."

"I have ways to deal with Ruby," Freddy said with a smirk.

Derwin jumped up enthusiastically. "Look, forget about that! He was just here!"

"Who?"

"Sonic the Hedgehog!" Derwin screamed, shaking Freddy violently. "I know he's fast, but didn't you see him?"

"Sonic...the vigilante? You sure about that?"

Derwin tightened his grip and scowled. "I had a lot of people tell me today that I'm lying and it's pissing me off!"

"Hey, chill," Freddy said, backing away. "If you saw him, you saw him. Might not wanna to tell anyone else yet though. We're still in the middle of all this Link BS."

"That's right..." Derwin turned his gaze to the ground when his parents caught up, but Tia gently grabbed his face and forced his eyes to interlock with hers.

"Don't you ever run away like that again! You should never feel like you need to run away from us, even when we get out of line. Do you hear me?"

He nodded and embraced his mother and saw the Jensens over her shoulder. Did they come hoping to hear something they'd like, or were they here because they really cared?

But more important was his father, who now stood before him.

No more running away. Derwin heeded Sonic's advice.

"Dad..."

"I'm sorry Derwin," Neal intervened, his tone devoid of all anger and sternness. "I'm only worried about your health and lost my cool. I should have told you that instead of keeping it bottled up for so long."

"Well...I guess it's okay," Derwin murmured, hugging his father. "Do you still think I'm lying?"

"I..." Neal trailed off, but saw the deep conviction within his son's eyes, a trait he picked up from his mother. The dark fur around those glistening pools only accentuated it. "I believe you, son."

It was the words Derwin wanted to hear, though he wasn't sure if they were entirely genuine. At the very least, it meant the friction was gone in his household.

"But I want to hear the story again."

Derwin looked up, confounded. "You already know it."

"No, I know what I was told by Albert. I want to hear it from you boys, since you were actually there. Every detail."

Derwin feared how the Jensens would react. They were already critical of the story the first time around, would they even let him tell it a second time? His father's firm grip around his shoulder was reassuring.

It really happened but it's on them whether they believe it or not, he thought with a sigh, and began to recount how the beginning of such a normal day was instantly turned on its head.

The next chapter will be another single POV chapter. I'm 95% sure that I'm not changing my mind on that. It will return to Hyrule.

Will Link be admitted into the Brotherhood, or will something go horribly, horribly wrong?