Chapter Text
On a lively little island, a fennec fox had just stormed out of a bar in a huff when a gust of wind rushed past him. A blue blur leaped onto a vendor's stall like magic, dodged a few startled pedestrians, and dashed into an alley.
A few seconds later, two hurried robots charged down the street. Their bodies clanked as they blared electronic shouts: "Hey—stop! You can't get away!" as they chased after the blue phantom.
The unfamiliar fennec fox froze, then grinned in disbelief. Without a second thought, he followed behind the two chunks of metal.
Sonic ran nimbly through the streets and alleys for a while. It seemed a little too quiet—those two robots were usually much louder. So he jumped onto the nearest balcony, climbed onto the roof in a couple of moves, and quickly scanned the ground below—oh? They were really gone.
Eggman's two sidekicks—Cubot and Orbot—were not slow, but they posed no threat to Sonic, nor did they let him get too complacent.
Probably due to age and lack of maintenance, Sonic thought as he leaped lightly across the uneven rooftops.
Then his ears caught a familiar sound—the kind he heard every day inside that dim little house.
He raced toward it, skidded to a halt at the edge of a balcony, and looked down—sure enough, it was the robots chasing him. They had cornered a fennec fox at the end of an alley, someone Sonic didn't remember ever seeing on the island.
That was all he had time to think. The next moment, Sonic jumped down, curled into a ball, and charged straight at Orbot. The impact sent the robot flying. The hedgehog changed direction midair and bounced off the startled Cubot.
Just as Felix had expected, the blue phantom appeared, efficiently driving away the two strange pieces of metal. The energy from his high-speed movement crackled through the air, faint but unmistakable. Felix felt like he'd just struck gold in a junkyard.
"Are you okay?"
Oh, he was a hedgehog. "I'm fine. You came just in time." Felix stood up straight and dusted off his cloak.
"How strange. They don't usually bother other people," the hedgehog murmured.
"Ahem... maybe they were just curious," the fennec fox said.
The hedgehog looked him over. "First time on this island, huh? I'm Sonic."
"...Felix. That's my name."
It was just past noon, and the weather was still bright and sunny. Sonic and Felix strolled leisurely down the street. Sonic learned from the fennec fox that he and his brother worked on a ship, drifting from place to place, and this was their first time setting foot on this island.
When Sonic heard that, he couldn't help interrupting: "Wait—so you're pirates."
Felix let out a snort. "Hmph. You could say that. But our work isn't like those scavenging sea thugs. We only go after real treasures."
Sonic's ear twitched. He grinned and asked casually, "...This island isn't as ordinary as it looks, is it."
The fennec fox kept his crooked smile. "Oh... that's exactly why we came ashore this time." He suddenly lifted his head, glanced left and right, and added in a lower voice, "I don't usually talk about this kind of thing, but you're in luck—as a reward for helping me, I'd be happy to share some details. However..."
Sonic was about to tell him he didn't need to go into details, but Felix added, "We need to discuss it with my brother. I accidentally got separated from him. If he agrees, maybe..." His voice dropped further. "We could cut you in, Sonic."
The fennec fox was wrapped tightly in an old cloak, his eyes long and cunning. Sonic didn't really care about "getting a cut," but he didn't mind helping Felix find his family. Besides, if there really was treasure on this island... well, he had to admit it sounded interesting.
According to Felix, his older brother had said he was going to buy some ship supplies. So Sonic first took him to the common carpenter's shop, the blacksmith, and a few fish market stalls—but no luck. The fennec fox couldn't help looking around, his light-colored ears twitching restlessly.
Sonic thought about the next shops they could try. They'd be far from his home by then. Sighing, he probably already had gone beyond the limit. He touched the inconspicuous collar around his neck.
Suddenly, Sonic felt an unusual openness at his back. He whipped his head around—it still looked the same as when they'd come. Unfamiliar crowds moved back and forth. Maybe he was being too cautious.
He asked the fennec fox again, "How about you wait here, and I'll go look for him? I'm really fast." Sonic smiled nervously.
"No, you don't have to do that. I—" Felix seemed to have a sudden inspiration. "I know! We can go straight to the shore and find my ship. My brother might be there."
Sonic hesitated for only a second, then slapped his fist into his palm. "Great idea! Let's go."
To be safe, Sonic decided to take the back roads. He skillfully led Felix through the main streets and down chilly alleys. Because of his naturally superior speed and agility, Sonic had explored every corner of the island when he was very young.
His blue ear twitched—the sound of waves. "We're almost there!" he called back to the fennec fox, who was clearly getting a bit winded. Sonic slowed his pace, consciously waiting.
He couldn't help looking back again soon after. The hedgehog blinked—and suddenly his light-colored wrist was yanked hard. The cold, hard grip made Sonic frown. The sensation was so familiar that he realized what was happening in the same instant—
The robot grabbing him was another of Eggman's 'sons,' though it refused to call Sonic its brother. The robot's other hand was clutching Felix by the collar.
"What a coincidence... Metal, I kind of missed you too," Sonic said calmly, his green eyes narrowing.
「Faker, if you understand the consequences of exceeding your distance limit, you will come back with me immediately.」 The robot, which looked very much like Sonic, emitted a low electronic voice.
Sonic breathed a sigh of relief and glanced helplessly at Metal Sonic. He thumbed toward the fennec fox. "Sorry, can't do that right now. I'm busy helping this—" Sonic coughed, then deliberately winked at Felix.
The fennec fox quickly caught on. "Hello there. I'm Sonic's friend," he said politely to Metal Sonic with a smile. "Unfortunately, we have a prior engagement. I need to borrow him for a while."
Metal Sonic's face remained expressionless. He looked back and forth between the two, his neck making faint whirring sounds as he turned. 「Engagement...? Friend...?」 Metal suddenly locked onto Sonic's face. 「You should remember, Faker. Your only 'friend' is Dr. Eggman.」
"No—listen, Metal... even though I haven't been outside for long, I've actually met a lot of people." Sonic relaxed his muscles, letting the robot hold his wrist. "And even if I make other friends, that doesn't mean I don't care about Eggman anymore. Uh... and you."
Metal Sonic processed Sonic's words rapidly. He was silent for a long while.
「......That still does not justify violating Doctor's rules.」 The robot's voice was flatter.
Felix rolled his eyes and added in a bright tone, "Sir, Sonic has helped me a great deal. I can assure you, once this is done, you will receive a generous reward. That 'Doctor' you mentioned might be very interested..."
Metal Sonic turned his upper body and scanned the stranger. 「You—」 Seeing that the robot was almost convinced, Sonic quickly piled on, "Yeah! Little bro, why don't you go tell our dear Doctor about this first? I'll be back home within half an hour. We have a deal, huh?" The hedgehog didn't forget to punch Metal on the shoulder.
Metal looked at Sonic, slowly released his claws, and stepped back. He gave a final warning to Felix, who was straightening his clothes: 「I will inform the Doctor about this.」
Before leaving, Metal didn't forget to remind Sonic: 「Faker, I won't make excuses for your behavior.」 The dark blue robot said indignantly.
He ran off in the blink of an eye, his speed startling Felix for a moment. But Sonic just waved at the robot's back, looking as if he'd seen it all before.
Objectively speaking, Felix's ship wasn't as big as Sonic had imagined. No, it was fair to say it didn't match his fantasies at all. The ship looked just like the fishing boats Sonic often saw at the dock—only the cabin on the deck was larger, and the fishing equipment on board was older.
"Felix!" A tall red fox ran up to the side of the ship. He had a prominent light-colored scar on his neck. Felix raised a paw and smiled back at him.
"My older brother, Gred," he introduced to Sonic.
Gred chatted enthusiastically with Sonic, first thanking him for finding his brother, then boisterously praising the island's scenery and food. Sonic scratched his quills and laughed nervously.
Gred seemed completely oblivious to the hedgehog's discomfort. Fortunately, Felix interrupted them in time. "Alright, alright, Gred. I promised Sonic I'd tell him about the treasure."
The red fox's smile vanished at a visible pace. "Out here?" he said, a bit surprised. "Wow... we sure are lucky."
"Hmm... I'm surprised too. I grew up here and never heard of anything strange on the island," Sonic said, tilting his head.
The two foxes exchanged a glance.
At some point, Felix had moved behind the hedgehog. "Sonic, actually, the treasure isn't on this island."
"—What do you mean?" Sonic lowered his arms, facing Felix.
The fennec fox's narrow eyes glinted with cold light. He didn't answer immediately, and that alone was enough for Sonic to sense something wrong. His leg muscles tensed involuntarily.
Felix still said nothing. Sonic noticed the fennec briefly glance toward the ship behind him—maybe unintentionally, maybe as a signal.
Suddenly, Sonic felt as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff.
His first instinct was to slip past Felix, run into the island's woods, get far away from that ship, and go back to the 'home' he was always trying to sneak out of.
A powerful grip forced Sonic to bend over. So Gred's sturdy build wasn't for nothing—Sonic thought suddenly, eyes wide with terror. Then a stinging prick shot through his back.
In his last moments of consciousness, Sonic lay limp over the red fox's shoulder like a dead fish. His eyelids were heavy, and he could only dimly watch the forest recede into the distance.