"That... was... awesome!" I exclaimed as I returned to HQ with Sonic-san. "Sugokatta! Watashi wa mae ni hayaku hashitta koto nai yo!" I was so filled with absolute glee that I nearly began running.
"Dame!" Rouge-senpai yelled as she suddenly pinned me down.
"Rouge-senpai?! Nande?!"
"Dame da yo!" Rouge-senpai replied, "Anta wa koko de zettai ni hashiranai wa ikenai! Wakatteru deshou?!"
"Hai, hai..." I muttered as she let me up and looked at Sonic-san, "Demo, are wa sugokatta, Sonic-san. Watashi wa sonna koto wo dekite
shiranai no."
Sonic-san smiled back at me. "Tanoshii da ne?"
"Hai!"
"Okay, we get it." Rouge-senpai interrupted, "But can we focus on the matter at hand please?"
"Something is attacking in the Mystic Jungle!" Amy-chan suddenly announced. "Silver is fighting him... or it, or whatever. Just hurry!"
"Guys, it's him!" Silver said over the com. I froze, my euphoric feeling draining as I instantly realized who he was talking about.
"I'm looking forward to a second round with this guy!" Sonic-san said cheerily. What?! Seriously?! After the way he got pummeled last time, Sonic-san was actually excited to face Infinite again?! I just couldn't figure him out...
Unfortunately, neither Sonic-san nor Silver-kun were in fantastic shape when they came back, but at least they were still alive. Rouge-senpai assured me that the boys could heal from the battle much faster than normal people, but still...
The following evening, we received bad news from our forces in the city.
"Eggman's army has broken through!" Amy-chan announced with worry, "They're in the city! We need to get these people out of here!"
"Who can we send?" Knuckles-bushou asked, "Sonic and Silver need time to heal." I'd be amazed if they didn't frankly.
"Espio here. We've engaged enemy forces at Seaside Hill." Espio announced as he reported in, "We can't spare anyone!"
"This is the 8th unit!" A soldier said as he also contacted HQ, "We're pinned down under heavy enemy fire!"
"Man, looks like I've got no choice." Knuckles-bushou muttered, "Okay, Rookie, I've got a tough one for you. I need you to head back to the city and save those civilians!"
What?! Me?! Go back there?! I just got out of the city! ...Then again, those people couldn't fight, but I could. I couldn't leave them to their doom. If there was anything, anything that I could do to help, I would do it. No matter what. I couldn't keep playing a support role anymore. The world no longer had need for somebody to stay on the sidelines; it was all or nothing.
Before I left, Sonic-san gave me some encouraging words and Rouge-senpai gave me a smile. I could do this. They believed in me. It was time I believed in myself.
As I hurried into the city, I felt a pang of sadness. It was no longer the beautiful, interesting place I'd once remembered. It looked more like ancient ruins crossed with a disaster area crossed with a war zone. There was no doubt on my mind that even when ended, this war would leave a permanent scar on this planet. Miranda, Heather, were you okay?
All that I see now
Is not the same
All you remember
Is gone away
But you're still standing here
As I rushed through the city, I listened to the chatter over my headset. Amy needed an update on the civilians who'd been unable to escape. The Chaotix were caught up in a battle with the enemy and couldn't assist, and nor could the 8th unit. I said nothing as Knuckles-bushou informed me that it was up to me to rescue the people of this city.
Once more, everything was in my hands. How did this keep happening to me?! I, the scarcely trained tech specialist, was now in charge of a rescue mission?! How did this keep happening?! Nonetheless, those people had no other hope besides me, I couldn't fail them, no matter what. That gave me strength.
Before I knew it, the Chaotix were praising my skill as I forced my way through. Not long after, I received word that I had provided enough relief for the 8th Unit to break through enemy lines and for the Chaotix to secure an escape route for the civilians.
"Update from HQ, the enemy's on the run!" Knuckles announced a few moments later.
"Mission complete!" Espio-san confirmed, "Well done, everyone!"
Suddenly I stopped dead in my tracks. Just in front of me was Omega. Tails-chan was nowhere in sight, so I'm guessing he'd been unable to repair Omega. That disappointed me. If Tails-chan couldn't fix him, who could? Was my friend really gone forever? Then again... just maybe...
So much has happened
It's hard to bear
Shadows of sadness
Within your stare
But still you're standing here
I walked behind Omega and began checking him to find the problem. It didn't take me long.
"Everything looks good... Oh, here's the problem. His Chaos Drive was destroyed. No wonder Tails-chan couldn't reactivate him. I'm guessing he didn't know that Omega-san's power source is different from other Eggman Robots." I pulled out the broken Chaos Drive and set it down. I unzipped the pouch on my hip and took out one of my shrink storage capsules. I activated the capsule and it immediately spit out a spare Chaos Drive. Even I wasn't sure why I had brought such a thing, but I was glad I had. I leaned forward and carefully installed the new Chaos Drive into my robotic friend. I then used the capsule to store the broken one. I'd dispose of it properly later.
"Now let's see..." I muttered to myself as I accessed the panel on Omega's back, booting up his main system. "Hm... there's a ton of bugs and errors in Omega's operating system... He did say something about an unidentified system intrusion before we lost contact. Let's see if I can clear this up..." It took a few minutes, but I was able to correct the errors and Omega quickly began to reboot. I walked around to stand in front of him as his red eyes lit up and he stood to his feet.
"Systems back online. Running assessment of damage... All damage repaired." The combat robot acknowledged my presence, "Thank you Savannah."
"You should really thank Tails-chan." I replied, shifting my weight and putting one hand on my hip as I usually did, "He was the one that repaired you. All I did was replace your Chaos Drive and correct the errors in your operating system."
"Understood. I will thank him when I see him next." Omega replied before turning to walk off.
"Hey, where are you going?" I asked in confusion. "We're in the middle of a war you know! Eggman's taken over practically everything with the help of that guy who ambushed you. We could really use your help in the Resistance."
"I will join you when the time is right." Omega replied, "It would not be best for others to know that you finished my repairs. I will fight on my own for now."
I sighed, "Shikatanai wa ne..." I turned to leave, preparing to head back to HQ, "Mata ne, Omega." I latched onto a nearby object with my wire and took off.
I had done it. I had managed to ensure the safe and successful evacuation of people who could not protect themselves. And I had done even more. I had saved a friend and brought another fighter to our side. I didn't have to depend on others for this; they could depend on me. I had grown. We had made progress. But the war was far from over. And even when it was, it would take a long time to rebuild our world. But this was a start.
Moving on
The future's down the road
But the journey won't be easy
Rising up
Standing on your own
With the beauty in your eyes
Shining...
"That was impressive, but we still have a lot to do!" Knuckles-bushou told me as I returned to HQ.
"Great job!" Sonic-san added, "I knew you could do if you believed in yourself!" I smiled at his words.
"Nice moves, but if you hog all the glory, how am I going to look good?" Vector-san asked. I rolled my eyes in amusement and left to get a little bit of rest.
Not long after, I was called back to the Command Center by Rouge-senpai.
"The system is picking up a couple of strange readings." She explained, "They're coming from the laboratory, the one where Sonic fought Infinite."
'And the one where Oniisan first met Infinite.' I thought to myself.
"It's probably another one of Eggman's robots." Silver-kun replied.
'But why?' I wondered to myself, 'I don't think that place is of any use to Eggman anymore...'
"Life readings, two of them. Definitely not robots." Rouge-senpai explained.
'Two life readings?' I pondered, 'It could be a couple of our allies then.'
"Hey Rookie, go to the lab and check it out!" Knuckles-bushou told me.
I nodded and hurried to leave. Little did Knuckles-bushou know that I was very familiar with the location in question. I even knew a faster route than the one Sonic-san had taken earlier.
As I hurried down the same route Oniisan had taken to reach the lab nine months ago, I calmly listened to the chatter over my radio. The others were pondering who or what could be at the old lab. Silver was worried that they might be enemies I couldn't handle. I mentally rolled my eyes. Eggman only had one organic enemy on his side as far as I knew, and I'm pretty sure we would've detected it if Infinite were one of the two people there. But then again, I'm guessing I was the only person who knew that the other four "allies" of Eggman were nothing but fakes.
"They sure went to a lot of trouble to make this lab hard to find." Amy-chan commented.
It wasn't that hard to find. Altogether, this would make the fifth time somebody had found it, but I kept my thoughts to myself.
"They must be doing experiments they don't want people to know about." Knuckles-bushou remarked.
Correction. They were doing experiments. But that was nine months ago. It was annoying not being able to explain all of this.
"The readings are really close now." Amy-chan told me after a while. "Reinforcements will arrive soon, so meet up with them."
Somehow I doubted that was necessary as I arrived at the entrance to the lab. Something was shining up ahead. I tilted my head and walked up to it. It was a strange stone of some kind. Odd... This wasn't a Chaos Emerald, what was it? When I thought about it, I realized that I'd seen something similar on Infinite's chest. I bent down and picked up the stone, eyes widening in surprise when it glowed briefly. All of the sudden, I saw a small blue hedgehog run up to me. He was young. Probably about eleven-years-old or so. He looked up and waved his hand and Tails-chan came hovering down to join him.
The young fox looked at me in confusion, "Have we met before?" I guess he didn't recognize me since I'd hidden my spines up until now, so I smiled warmly at him.
"Come on, it hasn't been that long, Tails-chan."
With those words, the kit instantly realized who I was. "It's you! Hey, by any chance, have you seen Sonic? We heard that he was here."
I nodded, "Yeah, he's back at HQ. I'll take you guys there. By the way, who's the kid?"
"Huh?" Tails-chan replied, momentarily confused before he realized that I was referring to his companion, "Oh, this is also Sonic, but from another dimension."
"I see..." I replied thoughtfully.
光るの紗花
"SONIC!" Tails-chan exclaimed as he flew right through the entrance to the Command Center, the other Sonic following leisurely behind.
"Tails!" Sonic said in apparent relief as the fox cub hugged him.
"I was sooo worried!" Tails-chan said, "I thought you were..."
"You worry too much." Sonic-san assured him, "Look, I'm perfectly fine." He turned and looked at the other Sonic--who from now on I shall call Sonic-chan due to his being so young by comparison. "It's been generations since I've seen you. You okay?"
Sonic-chan responded by giving him a thumbs up. Was he mute or something? He hadn't made a sound this whole time... In case you are wondering, I was watching all of this from the doorway, leaning back against the wall with my arms crossed.
"The good news is you're safe!" Tails-chan remarked, "The bad news is Eggman said he had some plan that would destroy us all in three in days."
"Three days, huh?" Sonic-san replied without a hint of concern, "Well a lot can happen in that time!" Had this been a week ago, I would've thought Sonic-san was nuts to say that, but now, I actually agreed.
You have not lost a thing
Whatever may come
The light of hope is always shining there in your heart
You've not lost a thing
Whatever you do
Just know that your tomorrow will be waiting for you
"Eggman said when the plan is completed, we'll all be wiped out." Tails-chan explained.
"I don't like the sound of that." Knuckles-bushou remarked, "Normally I'd just laugh at an Eggman plan, but he's already conquered most of the world, so... What's this plan of his?"
"Hey, I hate to interrupt your important meeting, but we're under attack!" Vector-san said from over by the computer, "Shadow is tearing through our troops! We need reinforcements!"
Ugh. It had to be that fake Shadow again. But there wasn't anything I could do this time. If I volunteered to go take care of it, they'd all think I'd gotten cocky at best.
"Shadow..." Sonic remarked with concern, "The last time I saw him, he was fighting for Eggman."
Seriously, was I the only person who could see this was a fake?! Then again, I was the only person who could communicate with Oniisan telepathically, so...
"That doesn't make sense." Knuckles-taicho remarked, "Why would Shadow help the enemy?"
He wouldn't! Jeez, were these people that skeptical of my brother?
"Perhaps he's being controlled by that strange power." Silver-kun suggested.
Still off the mark, but thanks for not assuming he suddenly turned evil, Silver-kun.
"Whatever it is, I'll figure it out!" Sonic-san assured before heading out.
I sighed and stepped out of the room quietly, heading back to my own room and focusing my mind. "Oniisan, kikoeru?"
"Sabana? What is it now?"
Oniisan asked with a slight hint of annoyance, but I ignored it.
"That fake version of you is wreaking havoc in the city. Now that Sonic-san has returned and joined the Resistance, don't you think it's time you showed everyone the truth? We could use you here..."
I heard Oniisan sigh, "I understand. I'll go meet up with Sonic and clear this up."
I rejoined everyone in the Command Center just as Oniisan radioed in with Sonic-san a little while later.
"Infinite can create virtual reality projections." Oniisan explained, "They have mass and form, but no heart and soul." Yeah, no kidding.
"Virtual reality?" Sonic-san asked, "So all of those familiar faces that were part of Eggman's army..."
"Replicas." My brother replied, "The problem is, they may not be real, but their powers are as formidable as the originals."
That was debatable in my opinion, but I kept my thoughts to myself, both verbally and telepathically.
"According to Rouge, Infinite can create unlimited numbers of them." Oniisan reported. He and Rouge had been in contact with each other this whole time?! Seriously?! Come to think of it, I think Oniisan did say something about that when we parted ways, but, even so...
"So, fight after fight, he can just cranking out counterfeits?" Sonic-san asked. I had personally realized that a long time ago, but again, I said nothing.
"Exactly." Oniisan replied, "As it stands, there's no way we can win this." That was... unusually pessimistic in comparison to my brother's typical extreme confidence.
"Of course we can win this! We always do!" Sonic-san said confidently, "We just haven't figured that part out yet." Way to be optimistic and blunt at the same time. Still, I couldn't help but agree. We'd gotten this far after all.
My thoughts turned to that day of training in the Green Hill Zone. The day when Oniisan had spoken of Sonic-san being the chosen protector of this planet, of his own promise to do what Sonic-san couldn't, and of his assurance that I had an important role to play too. Sonic-san was this world's destined protector, Oniisan was this world's protecting shadow, and I... I was the guiding light.
Ever so precious
A vision shared
The future you promised
On that special day
Still, memories never fade...
When Oniisan returned to HQ with Sonic-san, I immediately rushed over to him, "Oni-Shadow!" I exclaimed, catching myself before I called him my brother in front over everyone, "Yokatta. Shinpaishita no! Daijoubu? Kizu ga nai?"
"Heiki da." Oniisan assured me, "Kimi wa shinpaishite sugiru."
"Demo," I argued, "Hisashiburi da. Shinpaishita touzen yo!"
"Sou da. Hontou ni hisashiburi da..." Oniisan muttered, "Kimi wa dou? Daijoubu?"
"Un!" I replied with a happy nod, "Koko de minna-san wa sugoku yasashii kara sabashikunakatta!"
"Sou da... Yokatta..." Oniisan remarked. I could tell he was resisting the urge to rub my head as he usually did, so I quickly turned around.
"Yoshi! Oishii gohan wo tsukuru yo!" I announced before heading off to the kitchen.
A moment later, Sonic-san walked into the kitchen as I clattered around to see what I could make. "Yo, think you could whip up some chili dogs?"
"Chili dogs?" I asked while wrinkling my nose, "I don't really like chili, so I don't know how to make it, but hot dogs are okay."
"All right then." Sonic-san said with a nod, "You make the hot dogs, I'll make the chili."
"All right." I replied. Frankly, I was amazed we had the ingredients for this, but whatever.
As I began preparing the food, Sonic glanced over at me, "So... you seem like you're pretty familiar with Shadow."
I nearly dropped the hot dog I was holding with a pair of tongs, but got ahold of myself just in time, "Like I said before, I did a lot of work monitoring Team Dark's missions when I was in GUN." I explained, "I don't usually get along well with others, but for some reason, I fit in with them. I've been worried ever since we got separated by the war."
"But you're closer to Shadow." Sonic remarked, "You don't use an honorific to address him like you do Rouge."
"Rouge-senpai joined GUN long before I did." I told him, "For me, it's only natural to acknowledge her as my senior. However, Shadow and I joined GUN on the same day, so calling him my senpai would be inappropriate. For me, it feels rude to address Rouge-senpai without an honorific, but not Shadow. I probably wouldn't use one for her either, but since she is my senior, I can't help it."
"You're way too polite." Sonic-san said while shaking his head.
"I don't want to hear that from somebody who refers to himself using 'ore'. Do you know how arrogant that sounds? I've never heard Shadow use 'ore' to refer to himself and he can be plenty arrogant."
Sonic-san chuckled, "It's weird though." He remarked, "Without how little confidence you had when we first met, I never would've guess that you were friends with Shadow and Rouge."
"Shadow and Rouge-senpai aren't as mean as they seem." I replied, "Rouge-senpai likes to tease people, but she rarely means any harm. Shadow just doesn't like people who try to bite off way more than they can chew." I pressed a button on the wall and called for everyone to come eat the food we'd made.
The meal that followed was lively, despite our current circumstances. It was the first time in a while that I felt like I belonged.
Friends of old
Back from long ago
Come again
Just to say hello
And there's something that you know...
Sometime later, we were all called into the Command Center by Knuckles-bushou, who had also contacted the leaders of all the various units within the Resistance. He'd received word that Eggman's headquarters in Metropolis was undermanned. While this probably meant that Eggman was busy setting up for something elsewhere, it also presented an opportunity for us to take the city. Sonic-san had gone out with Oniisan to deal with some of the copies, but Knuckles-bushou intended to send basically every other soldier into the city in an all-out assault. Although Tails-chan had said this was a good strategy, I was still worried by the fact that Knuckles-bushou had formulated it in under two minutes... Nonetheless, everyone agreed that we had to take this chance, so Operation: Big Wave was put into motion.
I did my part without much concern at first, but then, just I had slung myself into the air with my grappling wire, Infinite flew up beside me, and I overheard Eggman ordering him to activate the Phantom Ruby.
"Stay calm!" Knuckles-bushou ordered, "What you're seeing isn't real!" Not real?! I was walking on the ceiling for goodness' sake! What part of this was "not real"?! I overheard through the radio chatter that most of our forces were plunging into chaos as a result of this. I guess I was the only one keeping my cool, but then again, I had done some gravity training on the ARK with Oniisan in the past. Who'd have thought I'd ever actually need it?
Maybe it was my ability to stay calm that kept causing Infinite to appear right beside me and keep changing things around. First I was upside down, then I was right-side up, and now I was sideways! Yeesh...
As Infinite appeared once again and suddenly turned everything right-side up once more, I overheard that the battle was, well, not going well, and Knuckles-bushou commented that I was now their only hope. Again?!
Still, there was only so much I could do, and before I knew it, I was receiving the order to retreat.
Unfortunately, just as I managed to escape Eggman's forces, I came across Infinite. The nefarious jackal was standing over the city, looking at the chaos below.
"More ants to crush." He muttered, "I wonder if this world can offer me a real challenge."
I stopped in my tracks and Infinite turned to me, "And as if to answer, the world sends me a trembling child." He mocked as I slowly backed away. Suddenly he was right in front of me, his head next to mine. "Are you going to fight and die here?" He hissed, "Or run away in fear again?"
I backed away nervously, trying to put some distance between us, memories of my squad's defeat rushing through my head, but then suddenly, it was replaced by another memory.
"Hey, don't be scared! This is your moment to shine!" That was what Sonic-san had said just before I had headed out on my rescue mission in the city. I felt my hands curl into fists. "Keep going! Don't let your fear own you!" Sonic-san's voice rang in my mind. I squared my shoulders and held my fist out to Infinite to challenge him.
"Fine." Infinite remarked as he adjusted his mask, "I will teach you fear, then pain. ...and then, well, as least the fear and pain will end." He taunted while floating into the air. I stood my ground. He wasn't going to get the better of me this time. And even if he did... at least I wouldn't be remembered as a coward.
Find the strength
That lies within your soul
And believe that you can do it
"You must be a straggler who got left behind." Infinite commented as he began attacking, "The strong will always vanquish the weak. You have only your own frailty to blame." Okay. Now I just wanted to shut him up. Me? Frail? I could take just about anything this guy could throw at me! Not to mention that he'd been the one who'd been "weak" nine months ago. It was high time this guy got another butt-kicking from the Black family.
Rising up
Standing on your own
I said nothing though. I was still technically under orders not to reveal my identity. Even so, this was much easier than I'd anticipated. Infinite's attacks were painfully slow and easy to dodge, even while maintaining a "normal" speed. He tried to dive into me headfirst, but even that attack was slow by my count. At this point, I was pretty sure he'd only defeated Sonic because he'd had a bunch of fakes to back him up at the time. Or perhaps, more accurately, because the world had not yet been filled with fakes. I'm guessing that the Phantom Ruby's power was not unlimited.
When he dove at me, I pummeled Infinite using the clones created by the Asteroid Wispon I was carrying. This thing packed quite a punch! Glad I had brought it... actually, I'd brought all my Wispons with me. They were in storage capsules inside my pouch. I had changed to this one right before facing this monster.
"Well, well." Infinite remarked in amusement, "It seems behind that fear is a spark of defiance." Defiance? Yes. But the fear was pretty much gone by this point. Although it was slightly annoying when a bunch of robots came out to assist him. It made it a little more difficult to dodge his now larger attacks. Clearly I was giving him more of a challenge than he'd counted on. "And those eyes..." He continued, "I feel like we've met before."
My eyes?! That's what he remembered about me?! Not the bizarre quills that nearly everyone noticed instantly? Then again, I did have a somewhat unique eye shape, and the tint of red in my brown eyes didn't help.
With the beauty in your eyes
Shining
The next time he nosedived at me, I dodged him and pummeled him with my Wispon again. "You've put up quite a fight." He muttered, "I underestimated just how desperately the feeble cling to life." Ugh... this guy's attitude was driving me crazy... I mean, superiority complex much?
Infinite rose into the air and started hurling red balls of energy at me, but I dodged them with ease, though it caused me to drop the red jewel I had picked up. "I remember you." He remarked as I glared at him, "You ran from me before. You survived then, but you throw it all away now. Curious." As I picked up the stone, he suddenly created a number of massive cannons, all pointed directly at me. "This will be your end." He declared as the cannons fired at me simultaneously. Okay. That I couldn't dodge. I braced myself for the impact, but strangely, the cannonballs all went right through me, then exploded behind me. What the?!
"What?!" Infinite cried in shock, "How is this possible? It can't be... how did you?" He quickly fired another round at me, but this time I dodged it by jumping into the air, only to get knocked into the ground when Infinite hit me with an energy ball at point-blank range. I grunted softly as I face-planted on the floor. "No matter." He remarked nonchalantly, "They have only two days left. Let them contemplate the inevitable, until I end this once and for all." He said while turning to leave.
Okay, ow. That last hit really hurt. Oniisan had always pulled his punches with me, but Infinite sure hadn't, even if he'd only gotten one in. I slowly got back to my feet, looking at the stone in my hand in confusion, before answering my com as it went off.
"Rookie?! Where are you?!" Knuckles-bushou asked in alarm, "Are you still in one piece?!"
I groaned slightly as I answered him, "I ran into Infinite and ended up having to fight him." I muttered as I placed the stone into my pouch.
"What?!" Amy-chan asked in alarm, "Are you okay?!"
"I've been better, but I'll live." I assured her.
"Can you make it back on your own?" Knuckles-bushou asked.
"Yeah." I assured him, "He didn't hurt me that bad. I'll be back soon."
"Wait, wait, hold up." Rouge-senpai interrupted, "This is the guy who took down Sonic and made us lose contact with Shadow mid-mission! How are you still okay?!"
"To be honest, Rouge-senpai, I have no idea." I replied, "But I'm alive, so who cares?"
"Honey, you are a whole lot tougher than you look." Rouge-senpai remarked.
I smiled softly. Rouge-senpai was right. I had fought Infinite and come out alive. I had put up enough of a fight that he'd gotten tired of trying to kill me. I wasn't a weak tech specialist anymore. I had become strong, and I would only allow myself to become even stronger.
You have not lost a thing
Whatever may come
The light of hope is always shining there in your heart
You've not lost a thing
Whatever you do
Just know that your tomorrow will be waiting for you
Before long, Oniisan showed up to retrieve me, since making it out on my own without use of my powers was hard. He gently put my arm around his shoulder to support me.
"You did good today." He assured me, "I'm impressed you held your own against him."
"Heh." I chuckled wryly, "Well I can't afford to be useless right now."
Oniisan rolled his eyes, even though he probably would've agreed had it been anyone else. "Hang on tight. I'll get us back to HQ in no time."
"Un."
"One more thing." Oniisan said shortly after teleporting us to a slightly different location, "Stop playing down your injuries. I know you're hurt pretty bad."
I chuckled nervously, even though it hurt, "Well I did take a direct hit to the chest. Even so, I'll heal in no time. Anata no imouto dakara. Better to just let the others think it's not that bad to begin with, right?"
Oniisan sighed. When he reached HQ, a blue aura formed around him and he took my hand in his. "Here. I can't give you much without a Chaos Emerald, but this little bit of light energy should help speed your recovery."
I nodded, allowing my body to absorb the energy Oniisan was offering. I tried to walk into HQ, but stumbled and would've fallen if Oniisan had not caught me.
"Mattaku. Kimi wa uso wo tsukenai to omou kedo, hontou ni daijoubu janai." He muttered.
I laughed nervously as he helped me into the Command Center.
"Oh my gosh!" Amy-chan exclaimed when we walked in, "Are you okay?!"
"I'll be fine Amy-chan. Don't worry. I heal fast." I assured her as Oniisan helped me sit down.
"Things were going well with Operation: Big Wave, but then everything fizzled out when that Phantom Ruby kicked in." Knuckles remarked.
"That fake Shadow was created using the Phantom Ruby's power, right?" Silver-kun asked, "Even if it's a virtual reality projection, it's as strong as the real Shadow."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at that statement and continued listening quietly.
"Rouge, have you found the intel I was looking for?" Oniisan asked suddenly. Intel?! Just how much had these two been coordinating without including me?!
"No, not yet." Rouge-senpai replied, "But I have reports that Eggman's database is located at the Chemical Plant. If we can check that out, we might find something there."
"That sounds like a promising lead." Sonic-san stated, "We have to figure out the secret behind Infinite's power and virtual reality. Tails, can you handle this?"
"Got it." Tails-chan replied, "I'll take Sonic-I mean the other Sonic-with me and head to the Chemical Plant!"
With the meeting concluded, I stood up and began to walk out of the room.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Amy-chan called, "You should have your injuries looked at."
"Daijoubu." I remarked flatly, "Shadow gave me first-aid. Heiki da." I walked out of the room, clenching my fists and headed to my room.
A few minutes later, Oniisan came into my room before leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. "What's the matter with you?"
"What do you mean?" I replied without looking at him.
"Don't give me that." Oniisan told me, "Your emotions are like an open book to me."
I rolled my eyes.
"Savannah." Oniisan said firmly, "Tell me what's wrong."
"...You've been coordinating with Rouge-senpai behind the scenes this whole time... You didn't include me at all..."
"That's because..."
I glared up at him with tears in my eyes, "Watashi mo Chiimu Daaku no menbaa deshou?! Nande watashi ga nakama ni tetsudatte agenai wa ikenakatta no ka?! Kono aida ni watashi wa zutto hitori de! Shadow wa watashi ga tetsudaenai to omottan da?!" I looked down, tears flowing down my cheeks, "Kurushii yo... totemo kurushii..."
Oniisan sighed as he walked over to me, "Kimi wa totemo jouzu da. Touzen tetsudaeta. Demo, Dokutaa ga kimi wo kidzuite hoshikunai. Kimi wo mamoritakatta. Boku ni taisetsu dakara."
"Watashi wa Shadow ni itsumo tada mamorarete hoshikunai." I muttered, "Tetsudaitai. Sekai wo mamoritai. Tasuketai."
"Shitteru." Oniisan replied, "Boku wa kimi wo mamotte sugita. Demo... kowakatta."
"Kowai? Anata wa?" I asked in confusion.
"Un. Kimi wo ushinau no ga kowakatta. Boku wa... kimi wo shinjinakatta. Demo, boku wa machigaita. Kimi wa hontou ni tsuyoi. Boku wa kimi ni hokotteru."
"Hontou?"
"Un." Oniisan said with a nod, "Dakara, sumanai. Kimi wa hikaru sabana wo wasurete sumanai."
My eyes filled with tears again. Oniisan almost never apologized for anything. I quietly clung to him, to reassure myself, and to be sure that no more of my thoughts spilled out verbally. Sonic and Vector were in the hall, and goodness knows what they were thinking right now.
Never have to give up
Whatever may come
The light of hope is always shining there in your heart
Never lost anything
No matter what comes
You know inside that here is right where you always are
I sighed and leaned back, "So... these Phantom Ruby projections... Virtual Reality isn't even quite the right word, they're more like solid holograms right? Or even more. The damage they do to the surrounding environment is real, never mind what happens to us."
"Yeah..." Oniisan replied, "I've been trying to research it since that mission one month before the war. But gathering intel was Rouge's job, not yours. That's why I didn't say anything to you. I was hoping to avoid getting you involved. But I should've known that'd be impossible once the war started. I guess I underestimated just how much damage the Doctor could do with Infinite at his side."
"Yeah. It was a shock, huh? To think everything could fall apart so quickly." I said quietly, "Why did you disappear though?"
"The Doctor's army was one thing." My brother said, "But I knew I couldn't take on all that and Infinite on my own. My first encounter with him seven months ago was proof that I shouldn't face him until I knew exactly what I was fighting. Rouge has been working this whole time to gather that information for me while also working as a spy for the Resistance. I think she's been overworking herself to be honest."
I laughed, "The three of us might actually have to take a vacation when this is over!"
Oniisan rolled his eyes in amusement, "Yeah, as if we'll have time for that. Come on, let's head back to the Command Center." I nodded and followed him.
"Hey. Are you feeling okay?" Amy-chan asked me as we entered the room.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I told her with a smile, "I told you, I heal fast."
Knuckles-bushou nodded. "I don't like sitting on the bench, but there's nothing to do until Tails gets back." He remarked.
"Way to jinx it!" Amy-chan piped up, "Metal Sonic has been spotted in the city!"
"Is it another fake?" Oniisan asked.
"Why would they bother making a fake out of something that already isn't real?" Sonic-san asked, "Couldn't they just build more?"
Gee, maybe because the real Metal Sonic has turned against Eggman multiple times? These projections or whatever were obviously easier to control.
"Either way," Sonic-san continued, "It's getting wrecked! Let's go Partner!"
I grinned and nodded. Thanks to Oniisan's "first aid", I was already fully healed from my battle with Infinite and looking forward to another mission with Sonic-san.
The two of us headed out toward the Red Gate Bridge when we were warned by Amy-chan that Metal Sonic had been spotted near our current location.
"Strange." Sonic-san remarked, "I don't see him anywhere."
Suddenly the ground erupted beneath us as a Death Egg Sentry came out of nowhere, but Sonic-san and I managed to land safely on a nearby ledge.
"Phew! That was a close one." Sonic-san remarked. Thank goodness for our good reflexes! The two of us both jumped into the air, Sonic-san performing a homing attack in unison with my wire attack. "Good work Partner! Keep it up!" Sonic-san told me as I grabbed his hand and used my grappling wire to dodge the robot's attacks while circling around it. "It's lights out for you." He told the robot as we both performed a simultaneous homing attack right into the robot's eye.
The destruction of the robot opened up a path to an underground tunnel, so we headed in.
"We can't let these things keep rampaging around the city." Sonic-san remarked as I observed our surroundings.
Where were we? The sewer? Suddenly the path opened up onto the bridge that had been our original destination and Metal Sonic appeared out of nowhere. It was obvious just by looking at him that he was a fake. Besides, since when was Metal Sonic the size of a small building?!
"So this is thanks to the Phantom Ruby too huh?" Sonic-san asked, "Eggman's new invention is a real pain in the neck."
Except that I wasn't entirely sure that the Phantom Ruby was Eggman's invention. Considering the bizarre energy readings it gave off, it hardly seemed like something that could just be invented. For some reason, I felt like there was something missing from the mission where Oniisan had first met Infinite nine months ago. I'd have to ask him about it.
As we dodged the lasers that this Phantom Metal created, I mentally cringed. This bridge had definitely seen better days. I remember how Oniisan and I used to go running together on it.
"Here goes Partner!" Sonic-san stated when he felt we'd worn our unusual enemy down enough, "When we join forces, the sky's the limit!"
I grinned as I jumped into the air with him and we quickly performed another double boost.
As soon as we collided with him, the Phantom Metal exploded. We came to a stop and I panted in an attempt to catch my breath. Running was one thing, but I was not used to boosting yet.
"Hey! That was great!" Sonic-san said as he stood next to me, apparently failing to notice my lack of air, "We're like a well-oiled machine... ...Fighting a well-oiled machine." He finished awkwardly before holding his fist out to me. I smiled and bumped my fist to his.
"I got it, Sonic!" Tails-chan declared when we arrived back, "I figured out a way to stop Eggman's Phantom Ruby!"
"Great work, Tails!" Sonic replied with a smile.
"Based on these readings, the Phantom Ruby requires an incredible amount of energy, which only the Death Egg can provide." Tails-chan explained. I tilted my head. Something didn't seem quite right about that, but I said nothing. "We simply stop the energy transfer and boom, the Phantom Ruby is practically useless." The kit continued.
"Simply?" Knuckles-bushou asked, "The last time I checked, the Death Egg is a heavily fortified... well, Death Egg."
"True. But I came up with a plan." Tails-chan said. "First, we distract Eggman. While he's not paying attention, we use the Chemical Plant's computer to hack into the Death Egg's weapons systems and shut it down. With no weapons, destroying the Death Egg will be a piece of cake. No Death Egg means the Phantom Ruby is nearly useless."
"Well, you know, it's just crazy enough to work." Knuckles-bushou remarked. Was that how we were rating our plans now?! "So first we need a distraction. I'm on it!" Wait, what?!
"No way, Knuckles." Amy-chan cut in, "You're too easily distracted. That's not a good trait for a distraction. Plus, you're our commander! We kinda need you here." Glad to see I'm not the only one with some common sense around here...
"How about the rookie?" Silver-kun suggested, "Eggman would never expect it. It may even throw him off a little." Um, if Eggman didn't expect me at this point, then he was clearly not paying attention...
"Good idea!" Knuckles-bushou agreed, "You've got your orders, Rookie. We only have one more day before Eggman's plan is executed, so let's hustle!"
Here we go again... At least I knew what I was getting myself into this time though...
Go to Green Hill Zone and wreak as much havoc as possible. Easy. Or at least, it would've been, but nobody mentioned the giant crab robot that came chasing after me!
"We can't let this thing get to the Chemical Plant!" Knuckles told me, "Keep it busy there as long as you can Rookie!"
"Keep it busy"?! How?! I was already having to dodge giant rocks that were flying at me from behind! I eventually saw an opportunity though. I used my grappling wire to latch onto one of its legs and swung around it until I had all the legs on one side of its body wrapped up. I released my wire and ran off as the robot came crashing down.
Welp, that should've made enough noise. I took a moment to catch my breath and connected with Oniisan.
'Oniisan, kikoeru?"
'Ee. Otsukaresama.' He congratulated me, 'I think you've officially gotten the doctor's attention. Using your wire to take down that robot was a smart move. We just might have to make you a field agent when this is over.'
'Heh, heh. Speaking of which, you and Rouge-senpai are moving forward with the plan, right?'
'Naturally. We can't just let the Death Egg be destroyed when there are still innocent people trapped aboard.' Oniisan replied, 'Besides, when this is over, many of these people will be needed to help restore society.'
'You guys sure have it tough. Being the decoy in Green Hill is a cakewalk compared to leading a massive jailbreak aboard the Death Egg." I remarked.
'It's because you're acting as a decoy that Rouge and I are able to do this. The Doctor is distracted and hasn't noticed us yet. And when he does, it will be too late. We've brought a supply of Wispons in those capsules of yours. When we break the prisoners out, they won't just be free, they'll be armed. These people will have you to thank just as much as us. Good job, Hikaru.'
I smiled, my negative feelings from earlier gone. I no longer needed to doubt; I knew I was an important part of this mission.
Sow a seed in the ground and let it know
It's something special
When I returned from Green Hill, I was assured on both ends that everything was going well, so I went to take a nap. When I awoke, I learned that the Death Egg had successfully been destroyed-and the people aboard it rescued. We'd even forced Eggman into retreating. Things were looking up. Too bad that never lasted long in war...
"Mission accomplished." Rouge-senpai declared as I returned to the Command Center, "The Phantom Ruby's signal has gotten much weaker."
"This should effectively put a stop to the Doctor's greatest weapon." Oniisan agreed. Why did I feel like we were counting our chickens before they hatched?
"The Sonics have made an opening for us." Vector-san said, "We can't just let that go to waste."
"This is the moment we've been waiting for." Silver-kun said cheerfully, "Time to settle the score!"
While I agreed with Vector-san and Silver-kun's line of thinking, I suddenly didn't want to think about all the time paradoxes we were creating here.
"Now that the Phantom Ruby is out of the way, we can finally smash Eggman into an omelette!" Knuckles-bushou remarked. Once again, I couldn't help feeling we were counting our chickens before they hatched...
"Hey, don't count your chickens before you smash your eggs!" Rouge-senpai remarked. Well at least somebody else shares my point of view.
"Rouge is right." Sonic-san said. "The fact that Eggman and Infinite are still around means we can't let our guard down." Gee, no kidding.
"I just want everyone to get home safely, okay?" Amy-chan stated. It was kind of a random sentiment at this precise moment, but understandable.
"All right, fine." Knuckles-bushou agreed. "Everyone, get your game face on! The target is Eggman at the Central Tower!"
Wait, did we actually have a plan here?! I wasn't overly convinced given the way we seemed to do things on the fly.
"We're fighting to get our world back now." Knuckles-bushou said as we all made our way into the city. Wasn't that what we'd been doing this whole time?! "Don't stop. Don't look back! Just focus on the task ahead no matter what! Let's do this everyone! Charge!"
So that was our plan? Just rush into the city with no plan at all? Our commander's lack of actual strategy astounded me.
"If we can capture Eggman, we win." Knuckles-bushou added a moment later, "Find out where he's at Sonic!"
"We'll provide as much cover as we can." Rouge-senpai added. Oh, so that was the plan. Distract Eggman's army while Sonic tracked the fat man down. Would've been nice if somebody had told me that before we went into battle!
Things seemed to be going well. However, just as I reached a rooftop, I saw Sonic-san getting sucked into some kind of black hole! I quickly latched on the building with my wire and grabbed Sonic-san's hand just before he got sucked in.
"Buddy! Don't! You'll be sucked in too!" Sonic-san warned. It was too late though. My wire snapped and the both of us went tumbling into the portal.
Before I was really aware of what was happening, Sonic-san and I landed and started running on a strange, seemingly endless purple road in the midst of an extremely empty space. What the heck?!
"This isn't where we were meant to end up." Sonic-san remarked. No, I'm pretty sure this is exactly where Eggman meant for us to end up. "Let's head back." He continued, "Everyone's waiting for us!" Without another word, we both jumped into the air, slapping our hands together and performing a double-boost, speeding through the strange space with that same unstoppable speed.
The power created by our double boost, or perhaps the power that allowed us to do so in the first place, created a light ahead of us, so we sped toward it, steadily catching up to it.
"We've got this! Keep it up, Partner!" Sonic-san told me, "Nothing can contain the two of us at max power! Not even null space!" And with that, we broke through.
Let it bloom, let its flowers ever bloom
"'Sup everyone?" Sonic-san asked as we emerged from the portal, "I missed this place."
"What happened, Sonic?!" Knuckles-bushou asked, "You two just up and disappeared!"
"Nothing happened. Literally." Sonic-san replied, "Now let's track down Eggman!"
I followed Sonic through the rails of the city, using my Wispon when convenient.
"How's the battle going?" Sonic-san asked as we began homing in on some robots.
"We've got 'em on the ropes!" Amy-chan replied, "If our fleet can keep the upper hand, we should have things under control soon." I've always wondered where exactly we'd gotten that fleet of battleships. Who built them? And where did we get the resources? Only about 1% of the planet's population was even serving in the Resistance, yet we seemed to have no lack of resources. Then again, I was also fighting alongside Sonic-san, who by all accounts, should've been dead a long time ago, so...
"You're gonna miss out on the fun if you don't hurry, Sonic." Rouge-senpai added. Somehow I doubted that.
Before long, we had caught back up to Eggman, though his back was to us. His assistant robot, Orbot, noticed us first. He turned around and tapped Eggman on the shoulder. "Excuse me? Boss."
Eggman glanced over his shoulder, then turned around so quickly that he sent Orbot flying, "What?! It can't be?!" The old man declared, "It's impossible to get out of the Phantom Ruby's null space!" Yeah, our team didn't seem to understand the definition of "impossible". Perhaps that's why Infinite regarded us without a hint of surprise.
"Well, maybe by myself, but I had a little help from my friend." Sonic-san replied, "Something you wouldn't understand since you don't have any friends!"
Eggman growled, "This changes nothing!" He exclaimed while inadvertently whacking Orbot with the back of his hand, "Dr. Eggman will have the last laugh!" He turned and began to fly off. Poor Orbot was sent flying again as Eggman activated his windshield.
"Maybe he'd have more friends if he didn't talk about himself in the third person." Sonic-san remarked as Infinite and a grumpy Orbot and confused Cubot-who'd been whacked by Orbot for no reason-followed Eggman. I gave Sonic-san a thumbs up to show that I agreed, though honestly, I thought that maybe Eggman'd have more friends, or at least more loyal robots, if he wasn't so abusive towards them.
"We've got less than an hour before Eggman's plan goes down." Knuckles-bushou informed us when we returned. Wait, Eggman had actually given us a specific time, not just a date? Eh, who cares at this point?
"There's no more time." Oniisan said, "We have to break into the fortress now."
"Indeed, this is it-our last opportunity to bring peace back into the world." Silver-kun agreed. Well, I guess he would know. Or would he? Ugh, I needed to stop thinking about the paradox of his being here.
"But... when the battle ends, we'll have to part with Sonic-I mean this Sonic-Won't we?" Tails-chan asked. He was referring to Sonic-chan. While I could understand Tails' fondness for the younger Sonic, his remaining here really wasn't beneficial for anyone... I'm sure his own world needed him and he probably missed it.
"Yes," Amy-chan replied, "If the Phantom Ruby is gone, I guess he'll be returned to his dimension." That was what we'd been going with this whole time, but honestly, that was pure speculation. It's not like any of us knew what the Phantom Ruby actually was.
"Thank you for everything, Sonic." Tails-chan said, "I'll never forget what you did for us."
"Save the sentiments for later." Espio-san cut in, "This is not over yet. We still have a battle to fight." Not to mention a war to win.
"Exactly." Knuckles-bushou said with a nod, "This is our last chance. Give it everything you've got!" I don't know about everyone else, but I've pretty much been doing that this whole time. Was a global war really the time to be holding back?
Many friends gather as emotions grow
And yet, for some reason, I was asked to hang back on the outer perimeter of the battlefield and watch, so I did. I watched as the entire ground force of the Resistance rushed forward to combat the army of fakes. I watched as Infinite revealed himself and Omega finally decided to join us-man, did he take his sweet time. I then watched as the sky was suddenly filled with a blazing ball of fire!
Whoa! What?! Was that... the sun?! I'm guessing that's what it was supposed to be anyway. Even if this was something created by the Phantom Ruby, how were we not all fried already? Now that I think about it, wasn't Eggman putting his own life at risk with this plan? I mean, he was being affected by the Phantom Ruby too, wasn't he? Or did he have someway to counter it? Come to think of it, why wasn't I feeling any heat from this thing?
Tails-chan flew up to me and noticed the glowing stone in my hand. "Look, it's reacting." He told me, "Eggman said something about the Phantom Ruby prototypes! Let me see." It wasn't the most polite way to ask, but I nodded and handed the stone over to the young fox, only for it to immediately stop glowing.
"Whoa, it is." Tails-chan remarked. Is what? A Phantom Ruby prototype? I thought we'd already established that. "He said the Phantom Ruby prototypes only react to the person who activated it. That must be you, Buddy! Your courage and heroism are probably what triggered it." The young fox explained. I had never thought of myself as courageous or heroic, but now was not the time for questions. "Just maybe, if you use this, you can make that sun disappear."
I looked at the stone in my hand, then took off without a moment's hesitation. What Tails-chan had said made perfect sense! This was why Infinite's attack from the other day had missed me! I didn't have a lot of time to think about it, but I was assuming that this prototype behaved like a Chaos Emerald-it turned thoughts into power. As long as I focused my thoughts on what I wanted to do with it, taking out that sun should be a piece of cake.
And great power starts to flow...!
"Grr... We made it so far. We were so close." Knuckles-bushou muttered in frustration over my com.
"This is truly world-shattering!" Espio-san remarked. No, the Eclipse Cannon was world shattering. This was more like having a volcano fall on top of us.
"Grr! Isn't there anything we can do?!" Vector-san asked in frustration. I ignored the chatter on my headset and made my way forward with my Hover Wispon. In order to pull this off, I would need to get someplace high, which pretty much meant scaling the Imperial Tower. It was easiest to do that with the help of Green Wisps, since I was already pretty high up and did not want to fall. Though I vaguely wondered if the Phantom Ruby would have any effect on someone who was unconscious. Not that knocking out the entire Resistance cold was really an option.
You have not lost a thing
Whatever may come
The light of hope is always shining there in your heart
"Maybe we need to fight fire with fire." Tails-chan suggested. Was that supposed to be a joke?! "If you can get close enough to that sun, the prototype should cancel out the effect." Thanks kid, but I'd already figured out that much.
"You'll be burnt to a crisp before then!" Knuckles-bushou worried, "Give it up Rookie! Fall back!" Fall back and do what exactly? Let everyone get wiped out by this big ball of flame? The protoype was protecting me from the heat of this false sun, but even if it wasn't, it was either get burnt to a crisp and save everyone, or allow us all to die together.
You've not lost a thing
Whatever you do
Just know that your tomorrow will be waiting for you
"It's all up to the Rookie now." Silver-kun said. Man, how many times had I heard that this past week? Even though it was totally true at this point and I knew it.
"Chances of success are minuscule." Tails-chan stated, "It's a desperate long shot!" Gee, thanks kid. But you hadn't actually seen what this prototype could do in the hands of the person who'd activated it, so you had no idea what my chances of success actually were.
"Please, come back in one piece!" Amy-chan worried. Mattaku. All their worrying was getting on my nerves. If I didn't come back in one piece, it was highly probable that none of us would come back at all. Would it kill them to get a grip?!
Never have to give up
"Mwa-haha! You think you can stop the sun?" Eggman taunted as I began scaling the tower, a massive laser now chasing me. The sun? No. That Phantom Ruby fake fireball, of course. "You'll burn up like a moth drawn to a flame. It's over." He continued. I was seriously still wondering if Eggman had actually thought this plan through. It wouldn't surprise me if he hadn't... Either way, it seemed even he was unaware of what was truly possible now.
"You're a real soldier now, Rookie. You can do this!" Knuckles-bushou encouraged me. Real soldier or not, it's not like I had a choice. Though I guess only a real soldier could manage to focus under this kind of pressure.
Wherever you go
Know inside that you will never be there alone
"Hang in there just a bit longer!" Amy-chan told me as I entered the home stretch.
"Show everyone what you're made of!" Vector-san encouraged. Kinda had to, it was do or die at this point. Literally. Man, now I see why Oniisan prefers me to keep my thoughts to a minimum when he's on a mission...
"Come on, you can make it!" Knuckles-bushou told me.
"Make peace with your fate, because your lives are over now!" Infinite mocked as I made it to the top of the tower. I glanced at the stone in my hand.
Never lost anything
Eggman laughed like a madman and began to count down. I ran toward the edge and latched onto who-knows-what to pull myself toward that sun.
Whatever may come
True to my expectations, the sun disappeared, and I heard the Resistance cheering as I went plummeting back toward the Imperial Tower. I latched onto part of the building and managed to land on my feet, though I stumbled forward and collapsed from exhaustion, the protoype in my hand shattering.
The light of hope is always shining there in your heart...
"Impossible!" Eggman exclaimed as he flew up to me, "I thought all the prototypes were destroyed!
"A costly oversight, Doctor." Tails-chan said as he flew over to me to help me up, "This is why I always check and double-check, as any good scientist would."
As Tails-chan helped me to my feet, I heard the members of the Resistance cheering as they charged into the battle once more.
I was exhausted, but I had done it. I had foiled Eggman's plan, and now the Resistance could fight back without fear.
Oniisan met up with Tails-chan as he carried me to somewhere safer and gently supported me. "Otsukarasama." He told me "Kimi wa hontou ni kibou no hikaru Sabana."
Finally finished fixing this chapter. I actually cleaned up the Japanese dialogue quite a bit. So, a couple of notes before I add the dialogue translations...
First, Silk Flower, the meaning of the kanji for Savannah's name, is an actual species of flower. Although people generally think of silk flowers as being, well, made from silk, there really is a species that has that as its common name, and it is a flower that suits Savannah perfectly.
Second, I'm not really sure about how Shadow would address Savannah in Japanese. In the games, he typically addresses people using "omae"... which, in Shadow's case, probably means that he looks down on them. I mean, Sonic also uses "omae", but as Savannah mentioned, he uses "ore" to refer to himself, while Shadow uses the more polite "boku". I imagine that Shadow's speech in the Japanese dialogue is somewhat old-fashioned... that is, he uses patterns of speech that would've been common 50 years ago, but not so much now. This would explain why his speech is at least slightly more polite than Sonic's. Eggman also uses different speech, but in Eggman's case, he is literally speaking like an old man. Shadow doesn't do that because he is ageless.
Regardless, my general idea is that he would probably refer to Savannah using the same pronouns that he used with Maria, but I don't recall him ever using pronouns while addressing Maria even in English, so... I just went with the most polite option. When I get a chance, I'll check the scene with Amy and Shadow from the game.
Also, just to be clear, Savannah and Rouge's speech patterns are generally feminine. Rouge's speech more closely mimics how I recall Rouge speaking in the Japanese version of Sonic Forces, but Savannah's is just girly in general. Also, Rouge's speech is slightly less polite than Savannah's because, again, I have a pretty good idea of how Rouge speaks in Japanese (within the limits of my vocabulary at least). I may have mentioned this before, but even though Savannah refers to Sonic as "Sonic-san", she is not really addressing him as Mr. Sonic. Although it is frequently translated that way, "san" is slightly less formal than "Mrs./Mr./Miss" in that it can be used with friends--even close friends--rather than just acquaintances or for a child addressing adults. This is usually done by people who are either overly polite or perhaps have a low self-esteem. Savannah fears being rude, so she tends to err on the side of politeness when addressing others. So, as with most of the other honorifics she uses, it should be taken as she is not quite sure whether Sonic and the others consider her as a real friend or not.
Sugokatta! Watashi wa mae ni hayaku hashitta koto nai yo! = That was amazing! I've never run so fast before!
Dame! = Not good!
Nande?! = What the heck?!
Dame da yo! = That won't do!
Anta wa koko de zettai ni hashiranai wa ikenai wa! Wakatteru deshou?! = You absolutely must not run here! You understand, don't you?!
Hai, hai… = Yes, yes…
Demo, are wa sugokatta, Sonic-san. Watashi wa sonna koto wo dekite
shiranai no. = Still, that was amazing, Sonic. I had no idea I could do something like that.
Tanoshii da ne? = It's fun, right?
Shikatanai wa ne… = I guess it can't be helped…
Mata ne = See you later!
Oniisan, kikoeru? = Brother, do you hear me?
Yokatta. Shinpaishita no! Daijoubu? Kizu ga nai? = Thank goodness. I was worried! Are you all right? You're not injured?
Heiki da. = I'm fine.
Kimi wa shinpaishite sugiru. = You worry too much.
Hisashiburi dakara… Shinpaishita touzen yo! = It's been a long time, so… of course I was worried!
Sou da. Hontou ni hisashiburi da... = That's right. It really has been a while…
Kimi wa dou? Daijoubu? = How about you? Are you okay?
Un! = Yeah!
Koko de minna-san wa sugoku yasashii kara sabashikunakatta! = Everyone here is super nice, so I haven't been lonely!
Sou da... Yokatta... = I see… I'm glad…
Yoshi! Oishii gohan wo tsukuru yo! = All right! I'm going to make a delicious meal!
Anata no imouto dakara. = I'm your younger sister, after all.
Mattaku. Kimi wa uso wo tsukenai to omou kedo, hontou ni daijoubu janai. = Good grief. I thought you couldn't lie, but, you really aren't okay.
Daijoubu. = I'm fine.
Watashi mo Chiimu Daaku no menbaa deshou?! Nande watashi ga nakama ni tetsudatte agenai wa ikenakatta no ka?! Kono aida ni watashi wa zutto hitori de! Shadow wa watashi ga tetsudaenai to omottan da?! = I'm a member of Team Dark too, aren't I?! Why wasn't I allowed to help out my comrades?! I've always been alone all this time! Shadow, did you think I wasn't capable of helping?!
Kurushii yo... totemo kurushii... = It's painful… it's very painful…
Kimi wa totemo jouzu da. Touzen tetsudaeta. Demo, Dokutaa ga kimi wo kidzuite hoshikunai. Kimi wo mamoritakatta. Boku ni taisetsu dakara. = You are very skilled. Of course you could have helped. But, I didn't want the Doctor to notice you. I wanted to protect you. Because you are precious to me.
Watashi wa Shadow ni itsumo tada mamorarete hoshikunai. = I don't want to always only be protected by you, Shadow.
Tetsudaitai. Sekai wo mamoritai. Tasuketai. = I want to help. I want to protect the world. I want to save it.
Shitteru. = I know.
Boku wa kimi wo mamotte sugita. Demo... kowakatta. = I protected you too much. But… I was scared.
Kowakatta? Anata wa? = Scared? You were?
Un. Kimi wo ushinau no ga kowakatta. Boku wa... kimi wo shinjinakatta. Demo, boku wa machigaita. Kimi wa hontou ni tsuyoi. Boku wa kimi ni hokotteru. = Yeah. I was scared of losing you. I… did not believe in you. But, I was mistaken. You really are strong. I'm proud of you.
Hontou? = Really?
Dakara, sumanai. Kimi wa hikaru sabana wo wasurete sumanai. = So, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for forgetting that you are the shining silk flower.
Ee. Otsukaresama. = Yes. Good job.
Mattaku. = Good grief.
Kimi wa hontou ni kibou no hikaru sabana. = You really are the shining silk flower of hope.