Long ago...

The jackal who had become known as Infinite leaped through the Mystic Jungle, hoping desperately that his team had left enough of Shadow for him to finish. Squad Jackal was weak, and Eggman should've expected their failure. Either way, Infinite had been desperate to flex the new power that Eggman had granted him, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity.

"Hey you!" Eggman's voice came over the communicator in his ear. "I KNOW you can hear me! You're the captain of Squad Jackal, aren't you? Your squad was useless! Go clean up their mess already!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Infinite said as he spotted the target. "You...You destroyed my squad. I'll show you why they call me the Ultimate Mercenary!"

But as Infinite began his assault, Shadow seemingly blinked out of existence, before appearing again to launch him into the air, and then delivering a kick that sent him flying to the ground before another one to the face propelled him straight into a nearby wall.

"Worthless." Shadow said as he stood over his fallen opponent. "Don't show your pathetic face around me ever again."

As the hedgehog teleported away, the jackal was left to wallow in his shame. He beheld his hand, shaking in fright. His power had been nothing. The Ultimate, reduced to a frightened child against his better!? No.

"Urgh...Pathetic!? Me...He's calling ME weak!?" Infinite fumed, as he rose from his spot. "No...I am NOT weak. I'm not!"

"I AM NOT WEAK!"

Infinite awoke from his meditation, stirred from it by the memory. Over and over again, the Phantom Ruby had shown him this memory, tainted each time by new details...Or new truths? At this point, he could scarcely tell the difference.

He took in a deep breath before donning his mask and pocketing the Phantom Ruby into his robes once again. Those were questions he would answer at another time, a time when his enemies had been defeated, and this world trembled beneath his fist. The Valtron on his chest surged with these thoughts, relished them. He could hardly contain it now. But patience was a virtue, even for one such as himself. So contain it he did, as he formed a hood over his mask and resumed his trek to the nearest civilized area.

Vista View was a bustling town, full of life after many recent sorrows like the Eggman War, the Metal Virus, and, most freshly, an attack by Zeti. But still, the people endured, keeping their spirits held high as citizens traveled to and from various locations within the confines of its walls. However, this joyous attitude was only maintained by the presence of Restoration guards stationed throughout various high-traffic areas. Infinite briefly caught the eye of one, the two exchanging an odd glance of familiarity, but quickly turned his attention back to the task at hand. Something about that guy...He'd felt it before, somewhere...

"Flower, mister?" A young girl asked him, holding up a sort of rose. He took it and gave the flower a small sniff from beneath his mask. It had been an innocent offering, the young girl hadn't even asked for payment, nor had she been scared off by his menacing appearance. No, she was pure, naive, trusting.

Yes, this place would do nicely for his needs.

"Hey buddy, renaissance fair isn't for a few months! What's with the getup?" A nearby salesman asked. Infinite merely approached and crossed his arms, not saying a word. "Silent type, eh? Yeah, that figures. Anyway, I got a ton of stuff for sale here, comics, DVDs, Chao toys, anything you want, I've probably got it!"

"...You'll do." Infinite said, before launching an energy whip out of his hand and striking the salesman, eliminating him instantly.