And… We're two months late. I'm so sorry… Like really, really sorry. Figuring out my scheduling this year for writing amongst other things has been a bit of a pain and getting this chapter out has been my top priority since February. And now that it's finally here, I hope you all can forgive me.
But with that said, review replies have been moved to the end of the chapter so the top doesn't look as clunky and so I can add anything that may correspond with this one and music cues have been changed.
All notes will be at the end of the chapter however, ones with [M1] or whatever other number will specifically be for music.
But on a much happier and final note, we hit 50 favorites! And we're almost at 150 reviews! Thanks so much guys!
So with that being said, let's get into it.
Trials of War:
Chapter 14-
Step in the Ring
Infinite, a being of endless destruction, who struck fear into the hearts of many simply by stepping onto the field of battle, who wouldn't think twice when it came to ending someone's life for the glory of the Eggman Empire was left with nothing but quiet flying tonight.
His mission today was simple, scope out the world see if he could find something of interest. Whether that interesting thing may be the resistance base or another one of the scattered GUN squadrons, Eggman didn't really care. If it would bring them further in their goals of global conquest then that was good enough for him.
And that's how he found himself with the calm breeze and the open night sky. No battles or war plans to worry about just the open air and his thoughts to keep him company.
Six months…
Six whole months…
For six months, Infinite had been thrust into an entirely new life…
He had done nothing but bring destruction in his wake…
And through all of that, he had brought the world to his knees.
Most would be broken inside. But for Infinite and his strength, only found glee in what they were doing.
All the pain, all the suffering…
Infinite immediately went to rub lawed fingers against the ruby on his chest, feeling the gem let out both a light glow and gentle thrum that sent a shiver down his spine.
The feeling elicited a pleasure in him that he couldn't quite describe but appreciated for The Phantom Ruby shared in his delight towards the pain and suffering that he brought upon the world.
To see the people run in fear….
To watch them struggle as he so easily brought them within his grasp…
And to see the light drain from their eyes…
There's no greater feeling in the world than doing things for the glory of the Eggman Empire.
From underneath the mask, Infinite was practically giddy with excitement and wore the proudest smile.
Master is always so proud of him.
And that smile fell as recent events dawned on him.
That is… until recently….
Infinite thought of Sonic's escape and how he was shown up in Viemigos all in the span of a few days. How had the world's strongest just been made a mockery of so quickly? For so long he had lived up to his name and displayed his infinite power as if it was nothing. He and the ruby didn't pull punches in any way but with the new surprises that kept showing up. He… he didn't know what to do…. And that indecisiveness had lead to defeat on multiple accounts.
Master had been merciful but that didn't mean he accepted his failure. No one bested Infinite… No one bested the Phantom Ruby… Not today… Not tomorrow… Not ev-
Infinite was so wrapped in his thoughts that he didn't notice the large palm tree in his path and unfortunately for him, he slammed face first into it.
Infinite held his hand to his face in pain only for more pain to come in the form of not one, but two coconuts to fall on his head.
Infinite simply shook off the pain, but still grit his teeth in annoyance and sent a hard glare at the tree.
Without another word, Infinite raised a hand towards the offender and fired a blast at the tree, leaving only a pile of ash in its place.
And that brought a smile to his face.
But when the moment passed he wondered where he was. He was in a dense jungle of some kind filled with palm trees of varying sizes, that much was for sure. The sounds of the night jungle from the howls of monkeys to the cicadas letting out gentle chirps, slightly calmed him.
Still, he found something and he had his mission.
Quickly, he took to the air to see if he could get a better view and as soon as he broke the treeline, his eye narrowed into a hard glare as he saw it.
~Trials of War~
Knuckles the Echidna, proud leader of the resistance stood before the emerald altar, glaring down one of his ancestors. The echidna was much larger than him, dressed in tribal wear and had his weapon dangerously pointed at the leader of the resistance. But right now, he took on his former role: Guardian of the Master Emerald. Or at least he would be if he didn't have this idiot to deal with.
"Let me through!" Knuckles shouted.
But the warrior refused, still pointing his weapon at him. "Chief Pachacamac was very clear. You and your friends are to stay within your temple and away from the Master Emerald."
But Knuckles was having absolutely none of that, glaring down the guard who simply replied by keeping his weapon pointed dangerously at him.
"Do you even know who I am?!"
"A lost young one who disgraces his people by bringing outsiders to our sacred land and spread their conflict to us, thereby putting all of us at risk."
Knuckles clenched his fists and grinded his teeth together.
But the guard simply laughed. "Clearly you are misguided as Chief Pachacamac said if you think that getting angry will do anything. Are you going to fight me and suffer the consequences of your actions or are you going to throw a tantrum like a child?"
Fury blazed in his eyes as he screwed his eyes shut and reared his fist back, ready to throw caution to the wind just to teach this guy a lesson. In response, he raised his spear further.
"Stop!" A voice cried out.
[M1] Immediately, both froze and turned to the source of the voice to find none other than Tikal, looking fearfully at the two.
"What are you doing?"
The two look at each other for a moment before begrudgingly putting down their fists and spear respectfully. "Nothing."
"That didn't look like nothing." She frowned.
The two turn to eye each other again and it's the guard who decided to speak up.
"Please forgive me, Tikal. But I was only doing my job. This ingrate tried to get to the Master Emerald and of course, I couldn't allow that to happen."
"Ingrate?! You're the one who-"
"Why wouldn't he be allowed to see the Master Emerald?" Tikal asked.
Once again, both of them stopped at her words.
The guard frowned. "Tikal, we have been over this. While you do have privileges to view the Master Emerald, not everyone in the tribe has such an honor. This one especially, with his strange ways and how he brings outsiders to our land. They especially should not."
"But the Master Emerald is a gift from Chaos itself, just as the Chao were. It should be shared with all rather than stowed away and left to sit by itself."
"The chief does not share the same sentiments."
"He has been wrong before."
"Watch your tongue."
Tikal frowned, but didn't say anything to him. "You want to see the Master Emerald?"
Knuckles nodded.
"Then come along." She said, walking towards the Emerald and walking past the guard.
"But you can't just-"
"I still have the authority to choose as I please. Whatever punishment will come from my father for this will come only to me."
The guard frowned but allowed the two to past to which Knuckles gave him a smug smile.
With that, the two stood before the Master Emerald, its comforting energy rolling off towards them in greeting. For Knuckles, all the tension that had previously enwrapped him left as he was in the presence of the one constant in his life.
Tikal couldn't help but notice this and smile at him.
Knuckles slowly approached, kneeling before the gemstone before lightly placing his hands on it.
Immediately, the guard snapped to attention at the sight. "No touching!" He barked, brandishing his spear and threatening the younger echidna.
But Tikal simply shook her head. "Please."
The guard glared at her before uttering, "Your father will be hearing about this." and going back into position.
With that, Knuckles continued to keep his hands on the Master Emerald, allowing the energies to flow through him for a few moments. Allowing himself to become one with chaos. And shortly, everything disappeared around him and it was only him in his element, alone with the Master Emerald.
Very rarely would Knuckles the Echidna use his native tongue, having chosen to use the English language as it seemed to be easier to communicate with others. But when it came to him and the Master Emerald, he wanted to give it the upmost respect. So when he prayed to it, he often found himself referring to the language of the ancient echidna.
The servers are the seven chaos. Chaos is power, enriched by the heart. The heart is the controller. The controller serves to unify the Chaos…
Immediately at those words, something within him clicked as if something had been unlocked within him. With that, any bit of remaining animosity was lost as his shoulders relaxed, his mind eased and a small smile graced his muzzle.
Welcome, my guardian.
Master Emerald, as always, it is an honor to be in your presence. Thank you for allowing me to connect with you on the spiritual level.
Few are given the honor, young one. But as my appointed guardian, one of the few chosen children of Chaos to be given the light, you have my blessing.
Thank you, Master Emerald.
But of course… Now, what wisdom do you seek?
The euphoric air around him began to dispel for a moment as thoughts of all that was wrong with the world came to him. Eggman, Infinite, the war, Chaos, Shadow, everything just came back to him in that moment. Fists clenched, shoulders shook, eyeridge furrowed. So much had happened and in a condition of high vulnerability, it didn't do well for him.
Hush child, you are safe here. The Emerald insisted as a wave of energy washed over him, calming his nerves.
Knuckles took a few moments to breathe and calm himself.
Now speak.
Master Emerald… I- I don't know what to do next. For months, we've just been winging it, reacting to attacks and hardly ever making any major victories until Sunset Heights. We nearly lost it all in the Death Egg. But now, what is there? An assault on Metropolis is impossible at this time and many places in the world have been taken for far too long to attempt a full liberation. I don't want to wait around for the next attack, I want to do something.
For a few moments, he didn't get a response aside from the thrum of energy from the emerald to his body.
But finally, it answered. I do not know the true course of action to take.
Knuckles deflated at that.
This war is one that has caused a chain of events greater than anyone in this world could know. The intrusion of a being that should never have formed has brought about destruction on a grand scale. But your efforts with the resistance has begun to tip the scales of time and bring about the possibilities of a better tomorrow.
Knuckles smiled at this.
But even now it is not enough.
Knuckles smile fell.
As we stand, space and time are at a crossroad of infinite possibilities. Ones where Eggman is victorious and shapes the world into his perfect image with his champion at his side for all eternity and ones where balance is restored and the world is better off for it. Everything that happens now constantly throws the future down a different path and the true outcome will not be revealed until total victory has been attained on one of the sides.
Knuckles nodded intently.
For now, I can leave you with words of wisdom. True strength does not lie in the sheer numbers of an army, but the bonds that hold them together. Even those who have been set adrift or lost to you may return when it seems they may be lost. You must also have faith in even the lowest of your ranks. Untapped potential lies within.
But above all else, beware the Phantom Ruby.
The Phantom Ruby?
When the time comes and stories from far off lands have been told, return to me and I will tell you all you need to know.
Right. Thank you, Master Emerald.
You are most welcome, My Guardian. I am proud of you. While the current outcome may be uncertain, your strength and those of your closest allies is unlike any the world has ever seen. I believe you can do this.
And with that, the Master Emerald cut off his connection to him and let him be.
For a few moments, Knuckles stayed knelt before the Emerald before he opened his eyes to the world before him.
And before him was a sunset colored Echidna staring at him with wide eyes as the ethereal glow of the Emerald faded around him.
"You are One with Chaos?"
"One with Chaos… what?"
Tikal shook her head. "I mean, you can connect with the Master Emerald? One with Chaos?"
It took Knuckles a moment to figure out what she was referring to. But then it clicked. She was asking whether or not he was Chaos Sensitive.
Knuckles simply shook his head. "I'm not. Well, I mean, I am but sorta."
Tikal raised an eyeridge at this.
"My connection with Chaos is an… interesting one. I don't really have any of the special powers that comes with being One with Chaos. But I do have the ability to sense the Master Emerald, Chaos Emeralds and other forms of intense chaos energy along with a few extra tricks with the Master Emerald."
"Incredible. I've never met someone like that before."
Knuckles grinned at that. "Yeah I-" He stopped. Realizing what he was about to say and let out a heavy sigh. "You can say I'm used to being one of a kind."
Tikal looked confusedly at him. "I'm sorry did I say something wrong?"
Knuckles shook his head, "No, I-"only for his com to go off. Without wasting another moment, he answered. "You've got Knuckles."
"Knuckles, we've got trouble. I need you in the map room right away. "
"Right. I'm on my way."
Knuckles was about to run off only to remember he was still with Tikal. "I'm sorry, I have to go. My friends need me."
She nodded. "I understand. But remember your promise. Please bring Chaos home."
Knuckles nodded. "I promise."
And with that, he ran off. [1] [M1 End]
~Trials of War~
Infinite glared intently as he looked out from where he was floating.
Below him, he could see a vast tropical jungle that seemed to sprawl on for miles and miles on end that lead out to the great wide sea.
But along the beach he saw a gigantic wall towering high into the air, closing something off from the jungle with three watch towers sprawled at equal intervals. Atop each one was a flag baring the ever familiar resistance star and the object of Infinite's attention at the moment.
It took everything within him not to fly over and tear the thing to shreds, but he kept calm. From what he understood, he hadn't been spotted yet. He used that to his advantage and quickly called upon one of his special powers, invisibility. [2]
He then flew to one of the watch towers and landed on top of one in a crouch.
The guard inside jumped at this, immediately looking outside their window only to see nothing. They watched and waited for a few moments but still couldn't see anything. Satisfied, they returned to their post.
From his perch, Infinite was able to get a better view of what was behind the wall and he didn't like it one bit.
Below him was a small village along the boardwalk leading out to the sea, along said boardwalks were dimly lit lanterns, crates baring the resistance stars and huts, each with their lights off. A few humans and mobians walked along the boardwalk, keeping alert as they clutched wispons close to them.
Still invisible, Infinite jumped down to the boardwalks and quickly hid behind one of the huts.
He pressed a clawed finger to one of his ears and it let out a faint red glow as the faint sound of static rang out for a bit.
Suddenly, there was a click and Eggman's voice came to life on the other end. "Infinite. You've called. I hope that means you've found something worthwhile."
Infinite nodded. "I have, Master. I've found some sort of settlement, clearly associated with the resistance."
He could hear Eggman perk up at that. "Really now? Would you mind giving me a visual?"
"Of course, Master. Switching to camera mode."
With that, the right side of his mask began to let out a little red light and from it, Eggman could see everything, the huts, the guards, the wall, everything.
"It looks to me that you've found yourself in a village in Adabat. Give me a moment to confirm your location."
"Right."
A few seconds of rapid typing sounded off before Eggman spoke again. "Yes, yes. This is the village close to where the Temple of Gaia used to be. But it looks to me that this location has not been occupied by the Empire and has instead been taken by the Resistance."
"If I had to guess, it appears that this would be some sort of safe haven, master."
"Yes, I believe you're right." A beat of silence passed before Eggman spoke again. "Infinite, I'm sending Shadow and a portion of the army your way, we will attack and show them what happens when you attempt to hide from my might. The village will be destroyed before the sun rises."
"Understood, Master. What should I do until they arrive?"
"Entertain our guests."
Infinite couldn't help but grin underneath his mask. "Thank you, Master."
And with that, he let the all drop along with his invisibility and floated into the air.
Immediately, Wispons pointed at him and sirens blared.
~Trials of War~
Everyone was already gathered in the Map Room looking at the screen in horror.
Knuckles ran into the room, surprised that everyone was already gathered but quickly made his way to the front of the room where Amy was. She was looking down at the personal touch screen, frantically moving things around while a few others gave out their own words of advice.
"Guys, what's going on?!" Knuckles shouted.
Amy immediately shot her head up at him and glared at the Echidna. "THERE YOU ARE! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'E BEEN WAITING HERE FOR YOU?!"
"Geez, Amy. It hasn't even been two minutes."
"Yeah, well in those two minutes, things got worse!"
"How much worse?"
Siler intervened and pointed up at the screen. "Just take a look."
Knuckles followed and immediately, his heart dropped at the sight. Infinite was onscreen fighting off resistance fighters in Adabat without so much as breaking a sweat.
"What?! How is he there? How did he find our safe haven in Adabat?!"
"I don't know?!" Amy shouted. "But I know that we have to do something quick or else we're going to be looking at a lot of casualties!"
"Not today!" Sonic shouted. "We can't afford to lose anymore lives."
"Looks like you're too late." Vector shook his head. "By the time we get there, there's not gonna be anybody or anything left and if Eggman calls in anymore of his heavy hitters then we can kiss all those people we saved from the Eggman Empire goodbye."
"We're going to need a plan." Espio insisted. "If we go in aimlessly, we're going to face a swift defeat."
"To heck with a plan!" Knuckles shouted. "We need to get there now! I am calling all forces to Adabat right away! Amy, you and I are going too. We need to act now. Sonic, Silver, you two are our fastest. Run ahead and get the party started. We'll be joining you shortly."
"Let's go!" The two hedgehogs shouted and with that, they ran out the room, dived off the shore of the island and ran off to Adabat.
~Trials of War~
In no time flat, Sonic and Silver had arrived in Adabat, and were shocked to see everything in person.
The once beautiful night sky was obscured by the black smoke billowing from the huts and crates alike all over the village, resistance fighters stationed at Adabat were ducking for cover, doing their best to fight through all the smoke.
But amongst it all, they could see a red blur zooming wildly and firing out laser blasts at any of the resistance fighters with ease.
"This is really bad, Sonic!" Silver shouted.
"I know! Infinite totally trashed the place!"
"What are we gonna do, there are too many people but Infinite's here too!"
"We've gotta hold out and take are of Infinite since he's the main problem! Try and get him out of the city and hope we can buy enough time for the resistance to get here and get everyone to safety!"
"Right." Silver nodded and began to slightly hover over the ground, his energy flaring around him.
"Try and drag him out of the sky. I'll take him on the ground and take him on."
Silver nodded again and took off into the sky. [M2]
Infinite in the meantime was still flying around in a streak of red, striking down fighters without any problem at all. That was until a cyan blur slammed into his own, knocking him into a nearby hut.
The masked one groaned at this as he rose from the wreckage.
"Hey ugly, remember me?!" Silver shouted.
Infinite looked at the hedgehog and grinned. "Why of course! Chaos' own defender of time and space! Here to face me himself! I'm touched, to what do I owe this honor?"
"When you kill countless innocents who wanted nothing to do with this war, you get my attention! You've pissed a lot of people off!"
"You say they do not want conflict but they made that mistake as soon as they decided to side with you and your bothersome lot. The same happened to Sunset Heights and here we are today fighting for another place that will only see destruction because of the resistance."
Silver grit his teeth in anger at him. "Does anyone but you believe your lies?!"
"I speak nothing but the truth." Infinite chuckled. "You call this place a safe haven but look around you and tell me what you really see."
For a brief moment, Silver's resolve fell and he took a look down to see the fire and destruction all around him.
That was all the jackal needed as he used the opportunity to ram into the hedgehog and send him flying into the air.
"So easily distracted like the rest of the rabble." Infinite mused as he raised his hand to fire at the spot Silver had been without even batting an eye.
An explosion rang out as it hit something.
With that, Infinite dusted off his hands and started to fly back to continue his warpath.
"Wanna bet!" Siler shouted as he raced towards Infinite and sent him crashing down into the ground.
The jackal growled at this as Silver jumped off of him and fired a psychic knife which the jackal easily dodged by jumping to the side.
Unfortunately for him, that did not give him time to avoid the supersonic hedgehog that came boosting into him with all his might.
"Yo. Speaking of people you've pissed off, Infinite. Ready for round three?" Sonic declared.
With that, the two hedgehogs lunged at him, fists extended forward to which he teleported out of the way.
Sonic stumbled over while Silver had to use his powers to keep from falling, opting to get airborne again. And just in the nick of time as what appeared to be some sort of drill made out of his red energy pierced the boardwalk where he once stood.
Silver looked to the attack to see that Infinite firing lasers at him that he had to quickly avoid by flying around them.
The focus on trying to shoot Siler out of the sky gave Sonic the opening he needed for an attack. He jumped up into the air and homed in on Infinite only for the jackal to scoff and throw up a wall of cubes that he easily bounced off of.
Sonic landed in a crouch lightly skidding against the boardwalk. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that putting up walls only makes people sad? Why don't you open up, buddy? I just wanna talk!"
"Try tearing them down yourself and maybe then we can chat, hero."
"Have it your way." Not even batting an eye, Sonic got up and boosted into the wall of cubes, hoping he would be able to penetrate them.
While this was happening, Siler was able to dodge another laser before firing off a psyhic knife towards him.
Infinite saw this and found himself on a collision course between the two.
So he took the opportunity and blipped out of existence again and off to somewhere else.
This unfortunately left Sonic to run straight into the psyhic knife and knocking him to the ground.
"Ow!"
"Sonic!" Silver cried out.
He tried to go down to his friend only for something to appear out the corner of his eye.
Acting on pure instinct alone, Siler brought up a field of energy in a brash attempt to protect himself but it was just a second too late as Infinite curled in on himself and let out spikes of pure energy into Silver knocking him out of the sky and straight to the ground where he unfortunately landed atop his blue companion.
Infinite floated down to them and laughed. "Oh yes. You two definitely showed me. All that power and yet you fail so miserably? How pathetic."
"Yeah, well we're not down yet!" Sonic shouted.
Infinite raised an eyeridge at this, seeing the two hedgehogs still piled on top of each other. He shook his head. "I've heard enough."
He raised his hand towards them, ready to fire only for a loud noise to ring out all around them.
"What?!"
And the three looked up into the sky to see a multitude of airships arriving on the scene.
Sonic let out a whoop at this. "Haha, looks like the cavalry has arrived, meaning times up for you, Infinite!"
Silver gulped at this. "Uh… Sonic?"
But Infinite just laughed. "You fool! You really think things have changed?"
"Oh yeah."
"Well, look to your saviors."
And Sonic did only for his smile to fall.
Dropping from the ships were not resistance fighters but Eggman robots and they began to make the devastation on the village even worse.
Infinite raised his hand up in the air again, a laser prepared to fire. "Let this be the last thing you both see before I end your miserable lies forever."
Sonic and Silver desperately tried to untangle themselves but it was no use.
Just as Infinite was ready to fire, a large bundle of bushy white fur wrapped around his body.
"Wha-what is this?!"
"You picked the wrong village to mess with, buddy!" The owner of the fur shouted.
All three of them looked up at them to see none other than a grey furred lemur wearing a skintight body suit with orange lines running down the sides of it along with a yellow tanktop and fingerless gloves. They discovered that the large bundle of fur that was wrapped around Infinite was actually her tail, which she held onto like it was a rope.
"I- wh-who are you?!" Infinite shouted.
"The name's Tangle. Don't wear it out." She smirked, giving him a two fingered salute.
She then grabbed onto her tail with both hands and smiled. "And you, you're toast!"
With a mighty heave, Tangle the Lemur swung her tail around, with Infinite still wrapped inside and threw him into one of the already burned huts.
"Come on, Adabat Resistance! Are we gonna let this creep take out everything we swore to protect here?!"
The soldiers hiding there lifted their heads up from where they were hiding and brandished their weapons, looking around at the swarm of robots all around them.
Scared, but determined they charged bringing on an all out war despite their dwindling numbers to Eggman's mass amount of machinery.
With that, Tangle went over to Sonic and Silver quickly helping up the two hedgehogs.
"You guys okay?" Tangle asked.
Sonic nodded. "Yeah, thanks for the save, Tangle."
At that Tangle gave a cheeky smile while nervously rubbing the back of her head. "Ah, no worries just doing my job and all, saving people in the resistance because that's what heroes like you do not that I'm as good as you guys but ahahahaha…"
Sonic and Silver gave each other a look and shook their heads.
Tangle saw this and cleared her throat, taking on a little bit of a more serious composure. "Wha-what's the status on the rest of the resistance? Don't tell me you guys are our only back up."
She then caught herself and added. "Not that you guys aren't plenty enough just worried because of all of this."
She gestured to the fire and the robots parading around.
Silver was the one to answer. "Reinforcements are on the way straight from home base, we just gotta hold out a little longer."
Tangle nodded. "Got it. Let's do thi-"
Tangle was cut off when Infinite came bursting from the hut with a burst of fire. His eyes shot around the battlefield until they landed on the trio.
Tangle sighed. "Oh yeah… I forgot about hi- WOAH!"
In the blink of an eye, Infinite had been upon her and raised her up into the air by her neck. His cold, sharp fingers placed tightly and firmly around her in a deadly chokehold eliciting pained gasps from the lemur. She desperately tried to claw her way free but to no avail.
"You! You would dare lay your hands on me?!"
Tangle could only respond with more gasps for air.
Sonic and Silver were immediately off at that. "Hey! Hands off, creep!"
"Leave her alone!"
But before they could even react a blue laser struck Infinite in the back and caused him to loosen his grip on Tangle.
This gave her just the opportunity to pry his hands open and cause her to drop her.
She landed on the ground with a thud and let out a sharp gasp as Sonic and Silver quickly ran to check up on her.
But Infinite was now whipped around looking towards the direction of the shot. "That blast! I recognize it anywhere! Show yourself now! You cannot hide from the Empire's might!"
But Infinite saw nothing but the trees and growled. He didn't waste time though, firing a laser at the same group of trees that he knew the blast came from and fired.
An explosion rang out at that, scorching the foliage with little problem, but Infinite caught sight of a figure dropping from them and breaking out into a run back into the jungle.
"No! No escaping!"
But that was cut off. "Hey, that goes for you too buddy!" Sonic shouted.
Infinite turned around to see the hedgehog wrapped in Tangle's tail before being flung straight towards him. But it got even worse when Silver gave him a telekinetic boost that sent the blue blur slamming into him before he could even defend himself.
When he landed on the ground, Sonic got up and boosted into him, forcing his body back even further before a psychic knife slammed into his body and again, sent him skidding to a halt.
He groaned as the three approached him.
Silver stood proud and tall at the front of the group, his hands glowing dangerously with psychic power. "Final warning, call off your robots, leave this place now or I swear. We won't hesitate to put an end to you right here, right now."
"Yeah, it's over Infinite!" Sonic agreed.
Infinite rose to his feet, shaking himself off. "You really think you've won haven't you? But look around, your so called safe haven is destroyed and you've lost countless numbers. Whether this battle ends in my victory or defeat, we will be sure to show the world what happens when you defy the Empire. This will always be an example to show what failure to comply will do."
At that, the sound of more airships sounded off causing all three to gasp.
"No! Not more robots, come on!" Sonic groaned.
But he was only met with the sound of a familiar laugh. "Is that anyway to treat your backup, Sonic?"
They looked up into the sky and to everyone's shock and relief resistance soldiers began to pour from the ships and began to turn the tide of the battle. Eggman robots were being destroyed left and right while others ran out towards the jungle to evacuate survivors.
But it got even better when familiar faces landed net to them.
Charmy Bee was the first, landing next to them and giving Sonic a high five. "Hey guys!"
Next was Espio, causing Sonic to slightly jump in surprise. "We are glad to assist."
Vector was next, dropping in with a loud thud. "And I know I want payback after last time."
"Now, now boys… you have to remember, ladies first." Rouge teased as she swooshed down and leaned on Silver's shoulder. "I want first crack at him."
"Get in line!" Ray shouted as he landed net to her. "I still wanna get back at him for what he did to Viemigos."
Mighty too landed with a large thump. "Normally I'm not one for violence but when you do something like this, that goes out the window."
Finally, the two leaders of the resistance landed in front of them. "And we're gonna make you pay." Amy announced.
"As leader of the resistance, I am calling you under arrest." Knuckles announced. "You can come quietly or we'll all make you pay."
With that, the world's heroes stood against Infinite, each of them ready to take him down.
Then Big appeared behind them. "Wait, was I supposed to come in earlier?"
Everyone sighed at this, but Infinite took the distraction as the perfect opportunity.
"Shadow, now!"
Shadow appeared out of a flash of orange light and fired off a Chaos Spear at the group that shocked all of them.
Some fell into the water, others were thrown into the air.
"Shadow!" Both Rouge and Sonic called out.
But Shadow was already racing off towards the jungle.
Sonic was quick to his feet and dashed off after him.
"Sonic!" Amy ried out.
Amy and Rouge tried to go after them as well but was immediately cut off by a wall of cubes.
She turned to look at Infinite. "No, there will be no interruptions."
Amy gulped. "Oh boy… I hope Beta Squad is having a better time with evacuations." [End M2]
~Trials of War~
Celeste and the Beta Squad were doing their best but with all the chaos going on, it was hard to lead people to the waiting airships.
"Alright everyone, keep your heads down and whatever you do, don't get to lose to my friends got it!"
Right now, the five of them formed a ring around the crowd of people fighting off any and all Eggman robots that would come their way. Rhythm would bash and crash any Eggpongs that came nearby, Gadget practically had his stream of fire going constant at Eggpongs, Corvin had his drill wispon mounted to his hand and would drill anybody that came nearby.
A man in a large trench coat and a top hat that shaded his eyes shivered as he watched everything go on around him. "A-a-are you sure we're going to make it s-safe-safely?"
"Of course we-"
But she was cut off by what was none other than… well the same man himself but he had changed his voice to a much higher pitch and was a lot more squeaky. He had lifted up his right hand which had a puppet of a Chao on it and began to make it move as if it were speaking. "Of course we will, Wentos! Whaddya think that The Resistance is gonna let us down? You're outta your mind if you think that!"
"R-r-right…" Wentos shakily nodded his head.
Fierro gave him an odd look at that, but decided not to say anything.
A ream colored Yak who had been terrified by everything had been holding on dearly to his dear friend, Rudi as they made their way down the do. To have been awoken to the sounds of battle when they were supposed to be safe here in Adabat wasn't fun for anyone. And for this Yak, he trembled in fear as his friend enveloped him in a hug.
It was Rudi who spoke up. "How much longer until we get to the escape vehicles?"
"Not much further." Fierro said. She pointed up ahead and the parked aircrafts were only a few meters away.
Teanchai glared at the yak who was so close to his daughter and wanted nothing more than to tell him off, but decided not to. There would be a time and a place for that when they got to safety. But there was one thing he could complain about now. "Hmph! This is exactly why I didn't want this village to be involved with this war! Look at what's happened to our village!"
"Dad, now really isn't the time…"
"This is the perfect time!"
Fierro pinched the ridge of her nose at this, "Sir, please… We're doing our best to-"
"Everybody down!" The four other resistance members shouted.
Immediately, everyone dropped to the floor and just in time too as lasers from oncoming robots fired down on them.
Fierro looked up from where she lay and saw that they were just in front of the ships and would soon make their escape. The only problem… a mess of robots stood between them and their goal.
~Trials of War~
[M3] Shadow the Hedgehog made a mad dash through the jungle, swerving around trees, jumping over roots and doing his best to get as far away as possible from the massacre happening in the village. He had done his part and was out of there.
Unfortunately for him, a very stubborn and persistent hedgehog was right on his trail.
"You're not going anywhere, Shadow!" Sonic shouted.
Shadow growled. Why… Why did he have to make this so difficult? "Don't you have anything better to do than annoy me, you blue idiot?!"
"Nope!" I'm chasin' you down in the jungle just like old times.
"First space, now the jungle? Don't you get tired of these call back settings?" He retorted.
Sonic smiled. "In this world, we live on nostalgia!" [3]
Shadow huffed at this, but decided to try and leave him in the dust. With clenched fists, Shadow boosted off in a burst of speed that sent some of the trees around him lightly blowing back, his sunset colored aura appearing around him.
Sonic gasped at this before he smirked and boosted after him.
Quickly the hedgehog caught up to him and attempted to ram the ultimate life form in an attempt to throw him off course and into a tree or something. But there was nothing but the screeching sounds of the two auras clashing out against one another.
"What are you doing fighting with Eggman, Shadow?!" Sonic shouted. "You should be here with us, not against us!"
"I don't have to tell you anything, Sonic!"
"Oh yes you do!" Soni shook his head. "You've been going around the world doing this garbage for nearly a year now. I want answers and I want them now."
Shadow bit his lip for a moment as he stared at Sonic before he furrowed his brow.
"How's this for an answer? Chaos Spear!"
Immediately, Shadow spread his arms wide as five arrows of raw Chaos Energy came from his body in a star formation, forcing Sonic to gasp as he had to lunge over a tree branches in order to avoid one of the blasts of energy before sliding into and swerving around two others and actually having to come to a complete stop to avoid the last few.
But the extra acrobatics were just what Shadow needed to pull ahead of Sonic and make his escape.
"Oh no you don't!" Sonic shouted as he poured on more speed.
Shadow let out a groan at this while Sonic jumped into the air and tried to home in on him.
Quickly, Shadow was able to swerve away from him while Sonic hit the ground and rolled a bit before uncurling and continuing making chase.
Shadow needed to lose him and lose him now. "Chaos Spear!" He shouted again.
The beams shot out behind him to which Sonic easily dodged them yet again and caught up to Shadow.
"Just leave me alone!" Shadow snapped.
"You're not getting away from me!" Sonic shouted.
With that, Sonic lunged for him. This completely caught Shadow off guard as the hedgehog's body crashed into him in a vicious tackle, knocking him right off his feet and sending them both tumbling to the ground at high speeds. Both got scratches and scrapes on their bodies from things like rocks stray tree branches and the like as they slid.
In a few moments, they broke through the treeline and skidded to a halt just before they could fall into a massive pit.
At this Sonic breathed a sigh of relief. And quickly the two got up to their feet and faced one another, fists up and ready to fight.
The two combatants scanned the battlefield to try and get a better grip of their surroundings. They were in a clearing of some kind, the thick jungle all around them with a massive hole in the ground.
The place seemed familiar to Sonic but he couldn't figure out why. What would a random hole be doing in the ground in the middle of the jungle in Adabat…
And then it clicked.
Memories of a gigantic titan made of temples from across the globe floating beside him as he was glowing his radiant gold flashed in his mind's eye followed by a long lost friend's smiling face and a lots of chocolate.
This was where the Temple of Gaia used to be. Not only that, but this is where Chip had learned of his true identity.
Sonic couldn't help but put a hand to his wrist at this, feeling where his friend's charm was situated underneath his glove.
But that was all the opening Shadow needed as he took the opportunity to lose the gap and slug Sonic in the face.
Sonic was flung backwards with a cry.
~Trials of War~
[M4]Things were not going well for the star fighters of the resistance as they faced their deadliest enemy.
The likes of Amy, Knuckles, Big, Rouge, Silver, Espio, Big, Tangle and Mighty had shakily risen to their feet after Shadow's Chaos Spear, while Vector, Charmy and Ray were knocked out old on the dock. All of them had their teeth grit in determination, but couldn't help but eye their fallen friends.
Infinite however looked at them with amusement, as if this were some sort of game to him. "So it seems that each and every one of the mistakes in your miserable lives has lead you here, to this very battle. You stand here, facing the brink of destruction. Ask yourselves, do you truly believe that your skills are enough to face Infinite power or will you fall like so many others have at my might?"
There was a beat of silence as the heroes contemplated his words. Some looking slightly discouraged. One could cut the tension with a knife if they chose to.
That was until Knuckles broke the silence. "I've heard enough of your crap. I'm putting an end to this right here, right now!"
Knuckles lunged towards Infinite with a raised fist and a battle cry.
"Then you shall be the first to fall…" Infinite snarled as both the eye covering and the gem on his chest began to glow harshly.
"Knuckles, wait!" Amy shouted.
A ball of spikes appeared around Infinite's body before they detached and flew towards the resistance leader.
Knuckles' eyes widened in fear at this only for a teal glow to appear around his body and quickly send him to the ground. This caused him to avoid Infinite's attack but also had him faceplant into the boardwalk.
He groaned as he peeled his face off the ground. He gave a shaky thumbs up. "Th-thanks…"
Silver let out a sigh of relief at this as his power faded.
But Infinite began to fly towards Knuckles with his fists clenched and the Phantom Ruby glowing harshly. "You're not getting away from me!"
"No!" Mighty and Espio shouted.
Both of them shot off towards him in an attempt to intercept him and keep him away from their leader. Mighty curled into a ball while Espio brandished one of his knives.
But Infinite was ready for them both, firing off lasers at them.
Both of them hit their mark and Espio instantly crumbled to the floor. But Mighty was easily able to tank it as the laser bounced off his shell, giving him just what he needed to home in on Infinite.
Mighty hit and hit hard, flinging the masked one back. "Wha-what?!" Infinite gasped as he skidded to a halt.
"I'm a tough nut to crack, buddy!" Mighty proclaimed as he uncured and proceeded to sock him right in the face. "Bad news for you, cuz when you mess with my friends I'm never gonna stop swinging."
Infinite let out a growl at this. "Very well, it seems that I'll have to employ other means to defeat you."
"Yeah, well don't forget about me!" Knuckles shouted as he jumped right at him and sent a massive punch his way.
This knocked Infinite away from them both to which Knuckles and Mighty gave each other a fist bump.
Infinite did his best to right himself in the air, but unfortunately not fast enough as a giant hammer struck him in the gut and set him skyward where Rouge was waiting for him and sent a kick into him that knocked him to the ground.
"That was for Sonic!" Amy shouted.
Infinite groaned at this, but rather than get up to his feet, he simply teleported away in a flash of red light.
"Where'd he go?!" Tangle shouted.
Knuckles shook his fist in the air. "Show yourself, coward!"
"The only cowards here are the ones who run and hide only to react to attacks." Infinite's voice came from seemingly nowhere.
They all looked around in fear at this as a purple fog began to spread all over the arena, the sound of distortion ringing out.
"But I choose to be the attacker."
At this rate, the fog had spread and had gotten so thick that they couldn't see one another.
Everyone tried to call out for their friends but to no avail.
Knuckles was all alone, looking for any sign of his teammates but to no avail.
And then, he saw it emerge from the shadows. The single piercing yellow eye shining through the fog.
He didn't even have time to react.
All his friends could hear was the sound of his scream as he went down with a heavy thump.
"Knuckles!" They cried out.
But that cry was shortly interrupted by the sound of distortion and the wail of the co-leader of the resistance as she too fell to his power.
"Amy!"
And then Mighty went down too, resulting in the same.
Silver stood there, heart pounding and emotions running high as he heard his friends go down thanks to Infinite's power. He didn't know what to do, everything was going wrong so fast and it was only a matter of time until he went down too.
With his eyes screwed tight, Silver's psychic energy poured off of him in erratic wispy waves. Slowly, he floated to the sky and finally let it all out.
"Enough!" Silver shouted as the psychic energy poured off of him in one quick burst of power that finally was able to blow away the fog.
Just in time too as it seemed Infinite was standing behind Rouge.
Infinite saw that his cover was blown and let out a swear, that instantly caught the spy's attention and had her turn on a dime and deliver a roundhouse to his head that promptly knocked him to the floor.
Tangle took the opportunity to spring into action, literally. Using her tail as a spring, she was able to fling herself into the air and towards where Infinite lie. "I got him!"
But Infinite simply teleported away.
"I don't got him!" She shouted as she wrapped her hands around thin air.
Everyone was on guard at that moment, Silver especially with his hands alight and ready to blow away any smoke away in a moment's notice.
It was no wonder that he was attacked next.
Infinite appeared behind him, to which Tangle cried out. "Silver, look out!"
She used her tail as a spring again in an attempt to get to him, but it wasn't fast enough.
Silver hadn't even had the chance to completely turn around when Infinite shot a laser into his side, sending him flying across the board walk, unconscious before he even landed.
Infinite didn't even bat an eye when Tangle came racing towards where he stood, simply catching her in his own telekinetic grasp before sending her careening across the battlefield.
She screamed only to be caught by something large and soft. She was confused by this only to see that she was in the arms of Big the Cat.
"I got you, friend!" He smiled at her.
Tangle returned the gesture as he set her down. "Thanks, big guy!"
With that, Rouge came swooping down to the both of them, looking a bit wide eyed and panicked. "This isn't good at all!"
Tangle threw her arms up in the air. "No kidding! We're dropping like flies and this guy looks like he's barely broken a sweat! What do we do?!"
Big looked between the two and caught a glance at Infinite. And he did not like what he saw. "Uh… guys?"
"I don't know! I was hoping you had an idea!"
"Guys…?"
"You're the secret government spy with tactical training for these situations!"
"Guys!"
"WHAT?!" Both of them shouted.
Big pointed at Infinite, who was laughing as a large amount of energy pulsed around the Phantom Ruby.
"Oh Chaos." Tangle gulped as Infinite unleashed the energy in a deadly pulse that knocked all of them off their feet and into unconsciousness.
With that, Infinite took in the world's so called heroes, each passed out on the floor around him.
"All too easy." He remarked, as he dusted off his hands. [M4 End]
~Trials of War~
Things were not going well for Beta Squad and their evacuation procedures.
All of them laid pressed on the ground, as the lasers from multiple robots whizzed overhead.
"Anybody have any bright ideas?!" Fierro yelled.
Corvin laughed. "Well…"
"Ones that don't involve us all getting fried!" Gadget quickly cut in.
"Never mind." Corvin replied.
"You tried." Rhythm mused.
Teanchai growled. "Urg… you and your resistance… This is exactly what I was afraid of. Now we're all going to die and it's all of your faults."
"Sir, please… We're trying to think of a plan to get us out of here!" Fierro snapped.
"No. I have been silent on the matter for too long and clearly, my silence has led to this!"
The two continued to argue with the occasional input from Beta Squad or one of the villagers which annoyed Celeste to no end as she tried to think of a way to get them out of that mess.
The Eggpongs were firing at them and keeping them down. There was no way she could afford to stand up without getting her tail blasted off. No… she had to think of something else.
She then saw how the bots were set up, each of them in rows upon rows in front of the waiting ship.
If there was just a way for her to maybe get at least one to be destroyed that might cause a chain of some kind…
And that was when she looked to the Wispon at her side and grinned.
Careful, to not get anyone hurt by her weapon, she turned it on. With a quick flick of the wrist she swung the electric whip out towards the feet of the closest robot and swung.
The whip met it's mark and the robot's feet shattered underneath it causing it to fall back and into another one of the robots and that one fell into another one and another and so on and so forth.
All of the robots that didn't get effected were confused by this and even the people arguing were left to stare too.
But that was all Celeste needed as she sprung into action and began to fight the robots.
Everyone was dumbfounded at the sight for a moment, but it was Fierro who snapped out of it first.
"Villagers, you guys stay down! Beta Squad, up and at 'em!"
Fierro jumped at the robots with a mighty roar, sending a flurry of punches and kicks and the like at the robots sending parts flying.
Corvin was quick to hop on his gear and begin flying around at the robots.
Rhythm couldn't help but smirk as she jumped up and got her hammer primed and ready.
Gadget on the other hand, stayed down. "You know what guys, I think I'm gonna stay down here. I've had enough excitement for one day and-"
He was cut off as Corvin swung by and placed him on the end on his gear. "Nope, you're coming with us, buddy."
"Did I ever tell you how much I hate you sometimes?" Gadget asked.
"Usually comes up when I drag you into battles."
"I wonder why…" The wolf deadpanned.
"Haha, you hate fighting shut up and fire." The bird told him.
To which he did, screaming all the way through.
In no time flat, Celeste and the Betas were able to get them all down.
Fierro then called out to the villagers. "Everybody on the ship now!"
Without much hesitation, the villagers got up and rushed onto the vehicle along with Celeste and the Betas.
With the hangar doors open, they began to make their ascent to which the Betas let out a sigh of relief.
"All right, we did it. Most of the villagers are safe." Fierro sighed.
Celeste nodded. "Yeah, we got out and everyone's oka-"
And then they saw it. Infinite down on the battlefield letting out his blast that knocked the remainder of the resistance fighters down.
"NO!" They all shouted.
"We have to go down and do something!" Corvin shouted.
"Absolutely not!" Fierro snapped. "We have our mission and it's to get these villagers to safety."
"But they're all alone down there with Infinite!" Eleste ried.
Rhythm nodded. "Kid's right, we have to go down there."
"But it's Infinite!" Gadget whimpered. "We'd just be as badly beaten as the rest of them."
"Exactly why we're not going down there." Fierro stated.
The three tried to resist. "Bu-"
"No! That's an order!"
"Close the doors, now!" Fierro immediately barked at the pilot.
The three that wanted to fight looked down with slumped shoulders while Gadget all gave them a sympathetic glance.
Celeste grit her teeth in frustration. She didn't want to admit it, but she was scared for her friends. Scared that Infinite, being all alone with them down there he'd do something terrible. She couldn't bear the thought if something happened to any of them. Especially when she could've done something.
She remembered the words of a purple cat. That it didn't matter if she was scared as long as she could fight and see her friends at the end of it.
And she wanted to see her friends at the end of it, even if that meant fighting a battle she knew she couldn't win.
And like that, she was off like a shot, diving out of the aircraft just before the doors closed.
"Celeste!" They all cried.
But the cries fell on deaf ears as she skydived towards Infinite, her Wispon alight and aimed for a lone masked figure.
~Trials of War~
[M3]Sonic got up from where he landed and immediately propelled himself towards Shadow, his fist extended and prepared to punch him back.
Shadow simply scoffed at him before delivering a roundhouse to his cheek that put him face first into the ground again. "We've done this dance many times before."
Sonic got up from the ground again and couldn't help but smirk. "Yeah and how does that always end up?"
That clearly struck a nerve with Shadow as he let out a sharp growl, ground his teeth together and chucked a Chaos spear at his adversary.
But Sonic was already gone.
Having gone into a spindash, he rocketed towards Shadow, with enough force to send him stumbling back towards the pit in the ground.
Sonic saw this and let out a gasp. "Shadow!"
But the hedgehog found his footing and used the Hedgehog's surprise to race back towards him. Punching him in the face yet again.
"Never let your guard down!" Shadow stated before delivering another kick to Sonic's gut that made him fall onto his back.
"Now that you're down, I'm taking my leave. I told you I wanted to be left alone and that's that. Chaos Con-"
And he was cut off as a burst of flame exploded at his feet and sent him flying towards the pit again.
But he didn't fall, having dug his hands and feet into the ground and skidding to a halt mere inches away from it. Shadow got up and glared around. "Who did that?!"
He walked around for a moment only for a ball of spines to come hurtling towards him and send him falling back again.
"Never let your guard down!" Sonic snarked right back at him.
With that, Sonic went boosting at him to which Shadow steeled himself, ready to take him head on.
With a grunt, Shadow was able to intercept Sonic and keep him from sending him flying. Shoes dug into the ground as they slightly slid back, but soon the aura disappeared and Sonic was glaring at him.
"Tell me now, Shadow!"
"Absolutely not! Chaos spear!"
Sonic's eyes widened as the spear erupted from the tuft of fur on his chest, knocking him towards the ground.
Sonic landed and immediately rolled out of the way and just in time too as Shadow's fist dug into the ground right where he was.
He used this opportunity, to get into a ball and spindash towards him.
"You're gonna tell me now before I knock it out of 'ya."
"Heh, you'll try."
Sonic boosted towards him again, but Shadow simply disappeared in a flash of light.
Sonic didn't even have time to react when a hover shoe slammed into his face and sent him hurtling towards a tree. But he instinctively curled into a ball and bounced off of it.
This was something Shadow didn't see coming as his eyes widened in surprise.
Sonic hit him square in the chest and sent him careening towards the pit again. This time, he didn't stop though. Shadow's own eyes widened in fear as he didn't find any land for his feet to grab hold of. [M3 End]
"Shadow!" Sonic shouted.
He was off like a shot, racing towards his rival. Not daring to let him fall over the edge.
Shadow screwed his eyes shut, not wanting to see what would happen next.
But he was caught off guard when he felt something wrapping around his hand.
He opened his eyes to see a grimy, battle damaged hedgehog whose royal blue quills just barely stood out over the multiple scrapes and dirt that coated his body. But despite being so dinged up, his eyes shone as bright as the radiant master emerald itself.
"I got 'ya, bud!" Sonic shouted. "I-I'm never letting go!"
"S-Sonic…" Shadow gasped. "Wh-why…?"
"Because when it comes to my friends, I'm always gonna be there when they fall. And no matter what you do, you're always gonna be my friend, Shadow! You got that?"
Shadow let out a light chuckle at that. This stubborn fool, always trying to play the hero.
"Now… please, Shadow… Tell me what's wrong."
"I- I-" Shadow bit his tongue. He couldn't really tell him. It was something that nobody in the world would understand. Not when they weren't quite like him. But once again, he looked into his eyes again. Determined and comforting, showing that he wanted nothing more than the best for everyone. And that's how he found himself talking. "Listen, Sonic… There are some things that you wouldn't begin to understand."
"Well, I'm listening."
Shadow breathed deeply. This was it, this was the moment where he was finally going to tell someone why. "Sonic, Infinite isn't like you… he's not like anyone else… Infinite is-"
But he didn't get to finish his sentence as a thin blue laser shot from the trees and into Shadow's chest. This was enough to let him go of Sonic and fall to his doom.
"Shadow, no!" Sonic cried out as he kneeled along the edge of the pit.
But this time, Shadow was prepared. "Chaos Spear!" Shadow shouted as he produced twin beams of energy that appeared in his hands and gave him the force he needed to propel himself into the air and to safety.
Sonic let out a sigh of relief at this and turned to face Shadow. But the hedgehog wasn't looking at him.
"Sonic… I'm sorry, there are some things that I need to face alone." Shadow simply stated. "You better get back to your friends, if Infinite had his way then they're going to need someone to drag them back home."
"Shadow, they're your friends too. Let's go back together."
"Not yet." Shadow shook his head.
He looked at Sonic and saw his frown. Hoping to cheer him up, he gave one last thing to him. Something he knew he'd get in a lot of trouble for if Eggman found out he said it.
"One more thing… I-I don't know where he is or what he's doing, but the Doctor has started talking about Tails. Something about him being a problem these days. He's alive, Sonic."
Sonic's eyes widened at that. "Really?!"
He nodded. Without another word, he turned away and pulled out his Chaos Emerald. "Chaos control!"
And in a flash of light, he was gone.
Sonic stood there for a few moments, trying to figure out the events that transpired and how his brother really was out there somewhere, still fighting.
Sonic swore to himself that one day, he'd find him. But for now, he needed to get back to what was left of the village.
~Trials of War~
"Infinite!" Celeste yelled as she fell towards him.
The jackal looked up at the source of the sound only for his face to get lashed with an electric whip.
Infinite was flung backwards at this and Celeste stood proud and tall where he once was.
"What is the meaning of this?" Infinite asked as he rose to his feet.
"The- the meaning of this is that you- you took down my friends and I'm not letting you lay another one of your claws on them!"
Infinite looked around at the fallen fighters before him. ''Ah yes, the rabble… And I suppose you're just another one of their inept cannon fodder, here to fight and die as many have before you?"
Celeste shrunk a little at that, but tried her best. "I- I'm not afraid of you! I fought you before! And you know what? We beat you!"
"I have never seen you before in my life, but if it's recognition you require then please… Show me what you're made of."
The sound of distortion let out and Celeste yelped as he disappeared in a flash of light.
Infinite instantly reappeared next to her and sent a roundhouse to her side that knocked her away.
But that seemed not to be enough as he fired a laser at her that sent her rolling roughly along the ground.
Celeste let out a cry at this and Infinite took that as an invitation to continue his assault. He flew towards her and began to pummel her at high speeds before proceeding to let out a flurry of punches and kicks that devastated the poor dog in a matter of seconds.
She fell to the ground yet again and this time, Infinite didn't bother to look back. She wasn't going to get up from his onslaught.
Despite everything, Celeste was still conscious, albeit barely. Her body ached all over, tears streamed down her face and she wanted nothing more than to just drift into a soundless sleep.
But she remembered why she was fighting. And tried desperately to get up from the ground as she ignited her Wispon.
Infinite heard the sound and turned to her, seeing the battered and bruised girl still try to crawl towards him with her weapon.
Infinite couldn't help but chuckle as he walked towards her. "Really now? After all of that, you're still trying to fight?"
She struggled, lifting the weapon towards him.
"I must admit, I find it admirable. Foolish. But admirable indeed." Infinite remarked. "I will remember you and well, I hope they do too."
"You- you're not going t-to win…"
Infinite shook his head and gestured to the burning piles of wood and the bodies of downed fighters both world renowned and unknown unconscious or worse. "I already have, girl. But it's rather amusing to think that somehow you alone can stop me."
He now stood over her and was easily able to snatch her Wispon from her hands. "And with nothing more than a toy? How pathetic."
With trembling hands, she tried to reach for the Wispon but didn't even come close.
Infinite looked at the weapon for a few moments, inspecting the weapon with interest. In all her pain and struggle to even keep consciousness Celeste looked on at this in confusion and wonder.
And then in one swift motion, Infinite crushed it with his bare hands.
Celeste's eyes widened as she watched the burst of electrical energy surge through his body as the pieces of now faded yellow glass and metal fell to the ground before being crushed underneath Infinite's pointed boot.
Her beloved lightning Wispon, her first line of defence against the empire, the one thing that truly helped her make a difference in the world was broken before her very eyes as if it was absolutely nothing.
The tears came again, streaming down her face and making an even greater mess of her fur. But she couldn't bring herself to scream, not with her already being so weak. "N-no…"
Infinite lifted her up by the chin with one of his hands and prepared a bright laser that only seemed to glare even brighter in her vision through her tears. "This is where you say goodbye…"
Celeste didn't even see what happened net, her body just gave in and she finally passed out. Whether it be from the fear or the pain, she didn't know but she was gone.
Infinite didn't notice or are as he was ready to fire or at least would've if he didn't get a punch to the face with such speed and force that it sent him straight into the water.
He spluttered as he rose to the surface. "Wha-what?!"
Sonic stood on the dock seething with anger. "Don't you dare touch her or any of my friends ever again, you bedazzled creep!"
Infinite rose out of the water. "Ah, so you've finally decided to join us, Sonic. Did you have a nice jog with Shadow?"
Sonic didn't answer, but instead tried to home in on him, only for Infinite to throw up a wall of cubes to block him.
"Heh, I'll take that as a yes. While I would love to stay and dance with you, I believe I should be taking my leave. Take this failure today as a lesson, there is no defeating the Eggman Empire."
And with that, he teleported out of there.
Sonic turned back to it all seeing all the destruction left behind by the events that just transpired.
He sighed.
Time to pick up the pieces.
~Trials of War~
A few moments after Sonic left the former Temple of Gaia, something moved in the trees. This something revealed itself to be a cream colored wolf with her hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a mostly grey outfit complete with combat boots, a shawl around her shoulders and an odd mask resting lazily on the side of her forehead. Along with all of that, she had a rather odd looking Wispon with four wisps accompanying her: Laser, Burst, Spike and Cube.
Wolf and Wisp alike looked down with their brows furrowed. They looked at one another and gave each other curt nods before hopping off into the treeline.
[M1] Theme of Tikal
[M2] Battle With Infinite First Bout
[M3] Sonic Adventure 2- For True Story (although, the 06, Generations or even fanmade Forces remixes are cool too)
[M4] Battle With Infinite Second Bout
[1] The chapter was originally going to open on the scene with Knuckles and Tikal and was the first scene I wrote for this chapter, but I eventually decided to go with the Infinite scene first both because I think it fit more for the chapter's events.
[2] Invisibility wasn't an originally planned power for Infinite, but recent events allowed me to include it.
[3] Yes, I purposefully had Sonic and Shadow fight in space than the jungle for this fic as a call back. And this line is definitely a shot at Sega for nostalgia pandering. Give us something new please.
Now before you kill me, I have a final AN and some review replies to do.
So additional stuff to know is that this chapter switched names like seven times. Originally it was called No Safe Haven which yes… is a RWBY reference. But then I changed it to Step in the Ring. Then I realized hey… No Safe Haven actually works… but also Step in the Ring. And finally, I decided to go with the Infinite theme reference.
As for Tangle, she's someone who I was debating on including her and the other IDW character in this story for a long while. I was eventually inspired by The Sensational SpiderDom321's fics and his portrayal of her to go ahead and do it. You should check out his stories, they're great.
Also, I feel like my Endgame hype came out in this one since I feel like a lot of Infinite's lines are Thanos-y.
As for Celeste's Wispon? I planned for her to switch weapons at one point, but that was gonna be closer to the end. But I decided this would be a good spot. But hey, you can vote on which Wispon you want Celeste to have in the future either in your review or in the poll on my profile. Options are: Asteroid, Hover, Laser, Quake, Bomb or just a new Lightning Wispon.
Anywho onto review replies.
Alexandria Prime:
Ah, the reunion. The reunion between Sonic and Tails. The reunion between Modern Sonic and Tails. The reunion. Yes… It's still gonna be quite a bit till the reunion. But we are slowly getting closer. Not as close as I'm sure you'd like but closer.
KelWelPower:
I'm really glad that you're enjoying the Classic Trio chapters, that's something that I've been working really hard on. As I've said before, it was a great idea to pair Classic Sonic and Tails together but they failed to deliver it. I'm really sorry you had to wait so long and I really hope that this chapter is able to make up for the long wait. And you're definitely on to something with the parallels between the two groups.
TheGameNguyener:
I'm glad you liked it as much as you did. Tails was definitely someone to work on and I'm excited for where I'm taking him next.
If you were scared about Classic Sonic there, I am so sorry about this chapter hahahahaha.
Thank you so much for the support.
The Sensational SpiderDom321:
I'm glad you loved it, man.
Yeah, it was a Disney Star Wars joke. Needed a bit of an anecdote to move on to the next scene and decided, "Hey Star Wars is hot right now." I liked both movies, but yeah… Last Jedi could be better.
Yep. When I got more in depth on this chapter, Commander Tower and eventually the President were the right course of action moving forward and I'm glad to see that it paid off.
As for the Chaos Fight, that was something I was waiting a while for and knew I wanted to do from the beginning of the story. I'm glad it paid off and since I'm not a game, I can also make it where it doesn't have to be Sonic who wins the fight so it just worked out, y'know? I'm happy it came out well.
Thanks for the support. The ordeal was tough, but I am feeling a lot better having finally come out of it. It was a wild ride.
Thank you so much.
Infinite's Ruby:
Glad you enjoyed it. Tails and how he was perceived in Station Square was something I've been waiting to share for a while, so I'm glad people have been really liking that.
I'm really glad that you think it's one of the best, thank you. And I'm sure you're gonna love the end of this story whenever it may come.
Thanks for the support.
Flash:
The Lyoko Gem? Well of course I know him, he's me.
Bad Star Wars references aside, I am the Lyoko Gem and this is the same Forces rewrite detailed in the video but also not. Originally, I was just gonna make a video but this story really spoke to me and I decided to write it. The video is a very basic outline for this story, but the fic is far more in depth and honestly is a lot more different than the video is. This is so much better and I'm proud of it.
For those of you who are reading this, you are welcome to watch the video but I don't recommend it. It's kinda cheating this story and I feel like you'd have more fun with the surprises. Especially since I feel it would be better to go with this rather than me simply telling you what's going to happen. But if you do, one don't spoil anything going forward in reviews or anything like that. But since it's been brought up, it'd be really cool if some of you checked out my YouTube channel: Lyoko Gem. I make Sonic content amongst other things and even have a Sonic video coming this weekend.
Oh and as for the Eggpong thing, truthfully, it happened because I thought during my Forces theory days, that someone said the Forces ones were called Eggpongs. And the name kinda stuck, even after I learned otherwise. Canonical reason here which I'm planning to bring up at some point or another, idk when is that that specific model is called Eggpongs. And it'll come eventually.
Zoogerific:
Yeah, first chapter is really bad. And honestly? My first chapters are usually awful. I need to go back and redo it. Thank you.
Guest:
You can probably figure out now, but you're not really supposed to understand where Chaos comes from yet.
Animation Adventures:
Well thank you, I'm glad that mine stood out to you.
Cream was a must for this fic. She still hasn't had her big moment, but she will.
That's fair, I appreciate your honesty on the OCs. I mostly included OCs because they were an integral part of what made Forces Forces and I didn't want to change that. The same can be said of Classic Sonic.
Characters are a big part of this story and I'm happy to say that there are still plenty more to come. As for Big and why he didn't mention Amy and Cream… that was a blunder on my part, not gonna lie. Glad Mighty and Ray surprised you too.
Thanks so much for the support.
Guest:
Big was fishing in the Mystic Jungle/Ruins.
Guest:
I actually have my own lore and theories about the Deadly Six, but I don't think I'm going to integrate them into this story due to it not really having a place here. Gotta keep from narrative clutter, y'know?
Guest:
Shadow and Rouge will definitely have a heartfelt reunion. Team Dark will be together again, we just gotta wait it out.
Guest:
Tone is one of the most important things in this story. Honestly, not gonna lie I'm a little worried I'm pushing it with this chapter.
Guest:
Good question about Silver. Thing is, I have a backstory planned for him. Heck, there are even hints towards said backstory in this chapter. I just have no idea where to put it. So… worse case, it'll be a oneshot released at a random point, best case: Episode Silver will be a thing within the story. Hoping the latter more than the former.
Guest:
I'm fully aware of the torture and stand by my decision to include the Metal Sonic scene.
SharpDragonKlaw and other guests:
Thank you all so much for your support.
Guest:
Who will be the final boss, Eggman or Infinite? Ah, that's an excellent question. You see-
That'll do for this chapter. Thanks so much everyone, for the continued love and support. I appreciate it. Be sure to vote on what you want Celeste's new Wispon should be and remember to read and review. I'm starting the next chapter right now, so be ready for Super Casino Bros next time.
R&R
