As I waited for Knuckles-bushou in the Green Hill Zone, I tried to believe in myself as Oniisan had said. That was hard though. As far as I could tell, the things I could do without revealing my powers were pretty limited. It had been one thing when I was fighting alone with nobody watching, but in a group of people? What exactly was I supposed to do? Not to mention the fact that I really was not accustomed to the battlefield like the main group was. But I was supposed to be an ultimate lifeform; a protector of this planet, right? So I had to do this. I had to fulfill the hopes that Oniisan had for me. The hopes Professor Gerald had had.
Suddenly I saw Knuckles-bushou arrive at the meeting spot and stepped out into the open.
"Hey you, you're the new recruit, right?" He asked me.
My throat went dry. Oniisan seemed to have forgotten that I am terribly shy around strangers. Since I suddenly couldn't speak, I just nodded.
"Nice to meet you, Rookie." The echidna greeted me warmly, "Come on, I'll show you the way to HQ."
I nodded and followed my new commander through the Green Hill. Was I really doing this? This was crazy! Two months ago, I was hiding behind a pile of rubble, then fleeing in fear from a dangerous monster. I had been too scared to even watch as he'd blasted my squad. Now I was joining the main group? Oniisan was crazy! I totally didn't belong there! I didn't belong anywhere in this war... He was totally wrong. I wasn't strong. I didn't have the courage to never waver and always smile... I wasn't like her...
I am always thinking about
What kind of me should I be?
The path that I walk tends to be
What they expect of me
They say I am strong
They think I'm serene
But actually
I just want to flee
If you do not look
You cannot see
When we arrived at HQ, Knuckles-bushou stopped outside the door to the main room and looked at me. "Wait here for a minute." He told me, "I'm going to give everyone an update before I introduce you."
I nodded and watched him enter the room. Whether I thought it was a good idea or not, I was doing this. I mean, I could just run away while nobody was looking, but if I did that, Oniisan would be disappointed with me. Not to mention I'd be failing as a role-model to my sisters. All the same, was this really a good idea? Would the main group accept me? I mean, sure, it was one thing now when they knew nothing about me, but if they saw how cowardly I really was? Very few people have ever accepted me for who I really am. Most found some reason or another to make fun of me or ostracize me. Could I actually trust that these people wouldn't do the same? As far as they knew, I was nothing like them. I had no special abilities. I was just a girl who had the "courage" to join up with them, where the battles would be the most dangerous. Why I had I let Oniisan talk me into this?
Is it best to give up?
Cause I am shaking in my boots
If I show my true self
Will they just
Turn their backs on me
If I open that door
Will I lose myself in worry?
...Then again, I was tired of my useless existence within this war. I had always been hiding in the shadows. Doing what I could without being seen. As a result, I had accomplished very little. I wasn't satisfied with that. Even if I had to rely on anything but my powers to get me through this, I wanted to make a real difference. I wanted to bring peace to this world so that people could live happy lives. That wasn't just Oniisan and the Professor's hopes for me. That was truly my wish.
But tonight
But tonight
Can I just shine?
I heard Knuckles-bushou finish giving his report and took it as my cue to step into the room.
"...All except for this brave kid, who survived the battle and made it here in one piece." He told his comrades. "Meet our newest recruit." Knuckles slapped me on the back and I nearly fell over. Geez! He was as bad as Vector-san!
Also, yeah, "brave" was an exaggeration, but it's not like I could tell them that I had survived only because Infinite had allowed me to. Then again, while I was supposed to avoid using my powers, I'm guessing that using them to ensure my own survival kind of trumped hiding my identity, so I suppose I could've survived either way. Never mind that I could basically survive and heal from anything.
Charmy Bee flew over to me, apparently failing to recognize me from two years ago. "Hm... doesn't look like much." He remarked. Gee, thanks kid.
"Neither do you Charmy, but I still manage to find a use for your pointy butt!" Knuckles-bushou retaliated. I resisted the urge to laugh, but Charmy-chan himself giggled at the remark. "Here kid, take this." Knuckles-taicho remarked as he handed me a Burst Wispon, "We're depending on you." I nodded.
Everyone in the room except for Knuckles-bushou was staring at me right that moment. I wasn't overly surprised or unnerved by it though. Charmy-chan aside, the Chaotix probably recognized me. Amy-chan may have too. I'm guessing that Knuckles-bushou and Charmy-chan were simply a little too short on attention span to remember me from the events of two years ago. I didn't really recognize the gray hedgehog in the room, but I knew who he was: Silver-kun, an ally from the future. His being here wasn't really a good sign, but then again, Oniisan once told me that his presence was usually a blessing in disguise.
At any rate, another reason everyone was staring at me was undoubtedly my appearance. My quills were the very definition of strange. They alone made me stand out. The fact that Knuckles had called me a kid was slightly annoying, but he had no way of knowing that I was actually much older than him. After all, my file claimed that I was fifteen, which was my physical age. When you're ageless, passing yourself off as any older than your physical age is difficult. People could believe it with Oniisan only because of his hardened demeanor and the fact that pretty much everyone knew how old he was. In my case though... well... I had used a few techniques from the East to conceal my curvy figure, so I looked even younger than usual.
Still, since I was used to being stared at, it didn't really faze me. We were all dismissed for now, so I followed the Chaotix out of the room with Silver-kun tagging along. Amy-chan was staying behind to help Knuckles-bushou with something.
"I must admit, I'm surprised to see you here." Espio-san remarked. I chuckled slightly.
"Y-Yeah, long story." I replied.
"We might not have a mission for a while." Vector-san told me, "You should head over to the training range to practice with that Wispon so you don't hurt anyone this time."
"Huh?" Espio-san and Charmy-chan both asked in confusion, but I just chuckled.
"I should've known that you'd deduce my identity, Vector-san." I replied, "You really are a skilled detective."
"What are you guys talking about?" Silver-kun asked in confusion. Vector-san turned and looked at him.
"This girl is the one who stopped the attack on that village a few months ago." He explained.
"Wha-Really?" Silver-kun exclaimed, apparently astonished, "Wow! It's great to have you on our team then."
I laughed nervously and scratched the back of my head, "Yeah, but, Vector-san is right. I do need to practice. Last time I used a Wispon, I accidentally fried Charmy-chan's behind."
Silver-kun nodded at me in understanding, "Right this way."
A while later, I felt I had gotten the hang of using the Wispon, so I headed to the kitchen to find some food. It had been a long time since I'd eaten a decent meal. It was a good thing that as an ultimate lifeform, I could go longer without food than a normal person if I had to. Though Oniisan was always telling me that I ate like a bird regardless. When I entered the kitchen, I found Amy-chan sitting there, absentmindedly picking at the bowl of porridge in front of her.
"Amy-chan? Are you okay?" I asked.
"Huh?" Amy-chan asked as she looked up at me, "Yeah I'm fine. Why?"
I sighed, "You don't need to put up a front around me Amy-chan. I know you must be in a lot of pain right now."
The younger girl looked at me in surprise, "How did you...?"
"Personal experience." I replied.
Amy-chan sighed, "There's some porridge on the stove if you want some."
"Yeah, thanks." I replied as I walked to the stove. I carefully dished up some food and walked over to join Amy-chan at the table. "So? How are you doing? And I mean truthfully."
Amy-chan sighed again, "I guess I haven't really accepted it yet... I can't help but hope that Sonic is still out there somewhere, but... everyone says I'm just being unrealistic."
"I don't think that's true..." I replied as I carefully ate a spoonful of the porridge.
"Huh?" Amy-chan looked at me in confusion.
"How many times has Sonic survived when the odds were totally stacked against him?" I asked her. "How many times has Eggman thought he killed him only for him to show back up? I mean, he escaped an exploding capsule by using a technique he'd never even attempted before, and with a fake Chaos Emerald no less! He fell from outer space and survived with barely a scratch! It wouldn't surprise me at all if Sonic was still out there somewhere. That hedgehog is unbelievably lucky." Amy-chan's eyes widened and I saw them become alight with hope, "It's true that the odds are not in his favor, but Sonic has always defied the odds. He has a knack for making the unrealistic a reality." I told her.
Amy-chan nodded, "I know. Maybe that's why I can't fully accept it... But if he is out there, why hasn't he come back to help?"
"Could be a number of reasons." I replied as I took another bite. I swallowed my food and then continued, "It could be that his injuries were severe and he's had to take his time recovering. Although I think perhaps the more likely explanation is that he was captured."
"Captured?" Amy-chan asked in surprise. I nodded.
"A GUN agent evacuated Tails when Sonic was defeated. They assumed Sonic was dead. Therefore, Eggman and that... monster were the last people to see him. I wouldn't find it odd if Eggman took advantage of Sonic's weakened state to imprison him. He's failed so many times to kill Sonic that he probably felt it was easier to just keep Sonic out of the way." I told her.
"That reminds me, how do you know about all this?" Amy-chan asked, "About the thing on the ARK, and Sonic falling from space, and how Tails escaped?"
"I used to work in communications for GUN." I told her, "You'd hear all kinds of things inside HQ, especially if it had anything to do with Sonic or Team Dark." I didn't like hiding the truth from Amy-chan, but my answer was not technically a lie either. I had worked in communications, it was just that the only person I usually communicated with was Oniisan. However, Amy-chan had no need for that information. It wasn't a good time to say the least.
"I hope you're right..." Amy-chan said softly before smiling at me, "Thanks for cheering me up."
"No problem." I told her, "I know what it's like to feel like you have to be strong for the sake of everyone else."
"That reminds me," Amy-chan began, "You're the girl who helped us escaped from the Black Comet, aren't you? What were you doing there anyway?"
I nearly choked on my food. I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised that she would bring that up, but it still caught me off guard. When I had managed to clear my throat, I carefully wiped my mouth with a napkin and tried to think of an answer.
"That... That's a long story..." I finally told her.
Amy-chan opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment, Knuckles-bushou called for everyone to come to the command center. Thank goodness for his timing! I didn't have any idea how to explain the Black Arms thing to Amy-chan without flat-out lying, and I'm a terrible liar.
I followed Amy-chan back to the command center where Knuckles-bushou gave us the good news: Sonic-san was still alive! Not that that surprised me per se. He was apparently being held in an orbiting prison, so the plan was to go to Chemical Plant and "borrow" a shuttle to go rescue him with. I went with the gang to the Chemical Plant, but I wasn't sure exactly why I was there. The Chaotix were the ones securing the shuttle. What exactly was I supposed to be doing? Just making it to the launch pad in one piece? I supposed that was the case. I was part of the main group now, which meant I went on their missions, even if my being there made no difference at all. Ah well. Good training I suppose.
We made it to the launch pad where the shuttle had been secured. Now what? Who exactly was going to pilot this thing? I mean, I had the skills, but for some reason, I still found it incredibly hard to speak up whenever there was a group of us. Besides, how on earth was I going to explain why I had such knowledge anyway? As far as they knew, I was a former member of the GUN communications team, not a pilot. There was a limit to how much range of abilities a "normal" person had after all...
When I had made it there, everyone was just standing around. Apparently, Knuckles-bushou was waiting on word from his spy. My ears perked in surprise when his radio beeped and a familiar voice came over it.
"Knuckles! Can you hear me?" That voice... it was Rouge-senpai! She was the spy Knuckles had referred to?! I guess that shouldn't have surprised me. Rouge-senpai was probably the best spy on the planet, even if all of Team Sonic knew that she was a spy. If anyone could sneak into Eggman's facilities undetected, it was definitely her.
Rouge-senpai proceeded to fill us in; Sonic-san was being held captive aboard the recently rebuilt Death Egg. Eggman had been intending to banish him after he'd subdued the Resistance, but had stepped up his time table when he heard about our taking the shuttle. Therefore, our only option was to immediately set out for the Death Egg to rescue him, which had pretty much been our plan anyway.
I accompanied the Chaotix and Silver-kun on the mission, while Amy-chan and Knuckles-bushou remained behind in the Command Center in order to organize our forces. Rouge-senpai was somewhere on the Death Egg already, but I suspected she had not yet learned about my joining up with the main group.
When we arrived on the massive ship, we all spread out in order to search for Sonic-san, but somehow I ended up being the one to choose the path with the least enemies.
...Okay, so it wasn't a coincidence. I actually hacked into the Death Egg's computer system a terminal after we split up for that exact purpose. Eggman was absolutely terrible at cyber-security, but it always seems like the people who should be good at it are actually quite bad. All the encryptions and firewalls in the world won't do much good if you can't pick a decent password! Haa...
Either way, it was now my job to rescue Sonic-san. Gee, no pressure or anything.
A lot of people
Are counting on me
How could I pretend not to see?
If I find courage to jump in
Will my heart become free?
I made my way through the base as fast as I realistically could, making sure to take full advantage of my Burst Wispon's capabilities. At some point, alarms started ringing throughout the facility, which according to Rouge-senpai, was because they were now on high alert. This had to mean that I was getting closer to Sonic-san. Unfortunately, it also meant that the enemy had honed in on my location and more and more robots were showing up. Also, even though I looked at a map beforehand, I have a terrible sense of direction, so... I got lost. Eventually I found myself up against the wall, surrounded by Egg Pongs, and panic took over.
Is it best to give up?
Cause I am shaking in my boots
If I show my true self
Will they just
Turn their backs on me?
If I open that door
Will I lose myself in worry?
Suddenly, a blue blur came out of nowhere and disposed of the robots with incredible speed and ease.
"Easy there, everything's cool." Sonic the Hedgehog told me as he held his hand out to me with a warm smile. "Are you here to rescue me?" I was too stunned for words, so I just nodded. "Can't tell you how much I appreciate it." He told me, "Been a while since I've seen a friendly face."
That was the understatement of the century. And seriously what was with this guy?! I know I had spoken to Amy-chan about Sonic-san defying the odds, but this was just insane. For somebody who'd been tortured and held in solitary confinement for six months, he was in fantastic shape, both physically and, apparently emotionally. What the heck?! I can't imagine he'd been getting any exercise, so how had his muscles not atrophied after all this time?! Not to mention that this guy seemed pretty carefree for somebody who'd been imprisoned for six months while his friends were fighting for their lives! Does nothing faze him?!
At that moment, my radio went off, so I answered it.
"Hey Rookie, you still in one piece?" Knuckles-bushou asked before I could say a word.
"Oh sure, don't even bother to ask how I am!" Sonic-san quipped cheerily before I could reply.
"Sonic!" Amy-chan's voice rang out over my com, "I'm so glad."
"Amy?" Sonic-san asked in confusion. "Is there an exit around here?" He asked me as Knuckles-bushou warned Amy-chan about Sonic-san needing to get off the Death Egg quickly, never mind me. I nodded in response and pointed down the corridor to where the shuttle was waiting. Yeah, that was how lost I was. I had wound up back where I started...
"Your concern is touching, Knuckles." Sonic-san quipped again and I giggled while following him. I used my grappling wire to get the both of us there quicker and we got the heck out of there.
Vector-san, Charmy-chan, Rouge-senpai, and Silver-kun greeted Sonic-san warmly once we were on our way, and then Rouge-senpai looked at me in surprise.
"What are you wearing?" She asked me bluntly.
The boys all looked surprised, so I crossed my arms in slight annoyance, "The first time we've seen each other in six months and that's how you greet me?"
"I wasn't exactly expecting you to show up here of all places." Rouge-senpai replied, "But seriously, did you ever bother to look in the package I gave you before you left? Do you even still have it?"
"Huh?" I said in confusion, taking the package in question out, "This? No, I just thought it was emergency supplies or something..."
Rouge-senpai sighed in exasperation, "You would think that. Just take a look, will you?"
Confused, I opened the small packet, which contained four small capsules. I recognized these! They were storage capsules that I had created with the ability to shrink anything and store it, then return it to its normal size when activated. I activated the four capsules and my eyes widened in surprise. Contained within them was a body suit with a similar pattern to my favorite dress, along with a waist pouch, and headset!
"Rouge-senpai..." I managed breathlessly, "Kore wa nanda?"
"Mattaku." Rouge-senpai said in exasperation again, "Only you would think I had put food or something in there. Shadow and I talked after that last mission. I knew there was a chance of you being forced to go into the field, so I had those made for you. I can't believe you never bothered to find out what was in there."
"Kono fuku wo watashi ni katte kureta?" I asked in surprise.
"Touzen yo." Rouge-senpai replied good-naturedly before smirking, "Anta wa kawaii kouhai dakara."
I smiled at her statement and Sonic-san looked at the two of us in confusion.
"You two know each other?" He asked. I looked over at him.
"You haven't seen my file Sonic-san, so you wouldn't know. I used to work in Communications for GUN. I spent a lot of time monitoring Team Dark's missions." I explained.
光るの紗花
When we returned to HQ, Knuckles-bushou greeted Sonic-san warmly, but quickly explained that we didn't have time to rest. He told us about a factory in Green Hill Zone that was going to make it impossible for us to take down Eggman as long as it stayed standing.
"Look Sonic, I know you just got back, but can you take care of this?" Knuckles-bushou asked. "We need that factory in Green Hill destroyed. Take the rookie with you." Wait, me?!
"You sure about this?" Vector-san asked, "The kid was shaking like a leaf the whole time we were at the Death Egg." Gee, thanks. I really couldn't get anything past Vector-san, could I?
"That's because it's cold in space!" Charmy-chan piped up, "The factory is nice and warm!" I sweat-dropped. Charmy-chan, on the other hand, was clearly oblivious.
"It will be when it's burnt to the ground." Knuckles-bushou remarked, "Sonic, you take the lead. Rookie, just make sure you take good notes." He chuckled. What exactly was that supposed to mean?!
Before heading out, I took a brief moment to change into the gear Rouge-senpai had given me, along with the shoes and gloves that I'd received from my brother. Sonic-san was leisurely stretching as I approached him at the entrance. Seriously, what was this guy made of?!
"Hey." Rouge-senpai called from behind me, and I turned to look at her. "Ganbatte ne." She said while holding out her fist. I guess she'd come to see me off.
"Un." I replied, bumping my fist to hers, "Oniisan no ninmu wa onaji deshou?" I remarked.
"Ee." Rouge-senpai replied with a nod before a slight look of concern crossed her face, "Dakara, kiotsukete ne."
"Un." I replied with a nod.
"Daijoubu, Ruuju." Sonic-san assured her, "Kanojo wa ore to isshoni dakara."
"Eh?! Sonniku-san wa nigokugo wo hanasemasu ka?!" I asked in surprise.
"Yeah, I've been all over the world, so I've picked up several different languages." He replied, "By the way, you have a brother?"
"Unh?!" I hadn't expected anyone else to understand my conversations with Rouge-senpai, so I was startled by the question, but I nodded. "Yeah, but he's fighting elsewhere right now." I replied.
Sonic-san nodded and gave me a thumbs up, "Well, anyway, let's go take down that factory, Partner!"
'Partner'? Sonic-san... considered me an equal? It was the first time somebody hadn't addressed me as their kouhai in some way. For some reason, it made me feel really happy.
But tonight
But tonight
Can I just shine?
"The enemy's factory is inside the pyramid." Knuckles-bushou told us as Sonic-san and I rushed through Green Hill Zone at a speed I hadn't thought I'd be allowed to use. "I can send reinforcements if you don't think you can handle it."
"No need!" Sonic-san assured him, "The two of us are more than enough! We'll blitz the place and open up a path for the Resistance, right Partner?" There was that word again. 'Partner.' And what's more, Sonic-san had said 'the two of us'. He had so much faith in me, even though we'd only just met. To be treated with such kindness and encouragement after all this time... It made me feel much bolder than before.
I...
Shine...
I continued heading toward the factory with Sonic-san, using my wire to help us navigate a narrow turn. We reached a long straightaway that led right up the side of the pyramid and Sonic-san sprung another surprise on me.
"Time for the two of us to team up!" He told me. "It doesn't matter what obstacles they put in our way. We'll blow past everything they throw at us!" I followed Sonic-san's lead and jumped into the air with him. A strange glow formed in both of our left hands. We slapped our hands together and suddenly performed a spin-dash before boosting forward at high speed.
I was suddenly overcome by an incredible feeling. This was boosting?! I had never done it before! Oniisan refused to teach me how to because he thought it would attract too much attention. The speed we were moving at was far beyond anything I'd ever done before! We were moving so fast that we could just smash right into the facility's robots and not get hurt! Not to mention we were now running right up the side of the pyramid! I had never done this before! How had Sonic-san known I could do this?! How in the world were we doing this?! I didn't really care. I was just thrilled by the experience at moving at such an amazing speed; and that's coming from somebody who could already run faster than the speed of sound!
"Yeah! That's how it's done!" Sonic-san said, apparently equally enthralled, "We've got unstoppable speed and timing! We just have to keep this up!" This was so amazing, even though I still didn't understand how we were doing it.
I am always thinking about
What kind of me should I be?
"Bingo! Found a way in!" Sonic-san remarked as we reached the top of the pyramid.
"You should be able to get into the factory through there. Stay alert!" Amy-chan told us. Gee, no duh.
"Heh. This should be fun." Sonic-san remarked. I had to agree with him. In the little bit of time I'd spent with Sonic-san, I was beginning to feel that any adventure could be fun, regardless of the risk or what was at stake. Why be scared when you can just smash anything that gets in your way?
It's okay to speak my mind?
Can I really do anything?
Can I find my own pride?
Can I be
Who I truly am?
I'll believe in myself
And I'll throw that door wide open
It didn't take long for Sonic-san and I to make it to the very center of the factory.
"Heh, that was a cakewalk." Sonic-san remarked.
"I don't know why I was even worried." Amy-chan replied. I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. It hardly mattered though. We had done it! And it had been so easy; fun even! For the first time since this war began, I actually felt like I had done something worth mentioning.
Just tonight
Just tonight
I can just shine...
Was this why my brother had sent me here?
I...
Shine...
So... um... apparently my original plan had been to just replace the songs with new English lyrics. Oops. I basically forgot the last step of translating them back into English after translating them into Japanese. Oh well.
At any rate, this chapter has significantly less Japanese dialogue, but that's because most of Savannah's Japanese conversations take place with Shadow. While it probably seems a little odd since it's more of a means for me to practice my Japanese than anything, I actually have met Japanese people who switch back and forth when speaking to me.
Translations:
Kore wa nanda? = What is this?
Mattaku. = Good grief.
Kono fuku wo watashi ni katte kureta? = You bought these clothes for me?
Touzen yo. = Of course.
Anta wa kawaii kouhai dakara. = You're my cute junior, after all.
Ganbatte ne. = Do you best.
Un. = Yeah.
Oniisan no ninmu wa onaji deshou? = This is the same as Brother's missions, huh?
Ee. = Yes.
Dakara, kiotsukete ne. = Therefore, be careful.
Daijoubu, Ruuju. = It'll be fine, Rouge.
Kanojo wa ore to isshoni dakara. = She'll be with me, after all.
Sonniku-san wa nigokugo wo hanasemasu ka? = Sonic, you can speak Nigokunese?