You know what guys, I was just kidding about Episode Blaze. Who wants to read a chapter talking about a Purple Cat? I do. Which is why I've decided to make this chapter Episode Big. Now you'll find out all the jaw dropping adventures of fishing in a forest while a casino is built? Won't it be fun. Get ready for 50,000 words of Big the Cat goodness and- okay, lmao. I can't.
Welcome to the newest chapter of Trials of War and ignore my dumb jokes. We're gonna figure out what the deal with Blaze is. Unlike pretty much the rest of this story, I don't have a lot of knowledge on the Sol Dimension so you guys are gonna have to bear with me when it comes to whatever I get wrong. Sure, I could just say they're retcons for my own Sonic universe but eh.

Also, I've been debating this for a while, but I think I've decided to finally change the rating of Trials of War from K+ to T. I'll admit, I feel a little restricted with K+ and while I still wanna go with as close to canon as possible at least with T I'll have more room to do more of the stuff that I want to, so yeah. Nothing is really going to change at all in how I write this story, I just wanna keep it as safe as possible.
And there are absolutely no hard feelings if the new rating turns some of you off to this story.

Now with all of that stuff out of the way, let's get into Blaze's story.

Trials of War: A Sonic Forces Rewrite
Chapter 21-
Episode Blaze

There were many strange things in Sonic's world. Animals that walked and talked like men, stones capable of turning dreams into reality, mechanical structures unlike the world had ever seen and heroes who protected them all. If only things like time travelling hedgehogs and world domination achieved by a portly man with a cartoonishly large moustache were the strangest things they had encountered. But unfortunately, they had an entire multiverse to deal with as well.

Across the cosmos lie all sorts alternate universes and timelines that had some things which were very similar like that of a Sonic who wore a neckerchief and brandished himself with sports tape but lived without the Chaos Emeralds; and others that were vastly different such as the Sol Dimension, in which their best defender was not the world's fastest hedgehog but instead a pyrokinetic princess who swore to protect the Sol Emeralds with her life.

The Sol Dimension, as it stood didn't really have continents like that of Mobius, but instead smaller islands scattered about that Blaze would travel to in the pursuit of peace or the protection of the Sol Emeralds. Doctor Eggman Nega of course stood as an obstacle in her path, often demanding the Sol Emeralds or some other powerful weapon of mass destruction, but Blaze would always be there to stop him dead in his tracks.

As it stood, on one of those islands was the area known as Plant Kingdom, a vast jungle farther than the eyes could see, filled to the brim with trees of all shapes and sizes, massive mushrooms rose from the ground and vines hung from up above. Plant Kingdom was a truly remarkable place, and a testament to the true beauty of the Sol Dimension.

Currently, two friends were walking through the jungle, catching up with one another after having been apart for so long.

"You best believe Eggman Nega, the no good mongrel is walkin' up to me and my crew askin' if we know where them bloody Sol Emeralds are as if we're some sort of fancy pants buggards. And while the Captain is scared out of his wits, never having the good 'ol dance with one of his lot, I looked 'im right in the eye without so much as a scuffle and told 'im we ain't see no bloody emeralds and after I threatened to sock him right in the mouth, he ran off with his tail between his legs, he did." Marine exclaimed, animatedly moving her hands around as she recalled her tail fighting against the mad doctor.

Blaze couldn't help but chuckle at this. "Sounds like you had quite the time with him. I will say though, why did he think that you and your crew had the Emeralds?"

"Haven't the foggiest." Marine shrugged. "Did he figure that you gave me a few of 'em to hide after the last time you put on that fancy light show you put on and gave him a throttlin' like he wouldn't imagine."

"Perhaps." Blaze put a hand to her chin in thought. "If he is going after the Emearlds again, then I am sure that my work will be cut out for me in the coming times."

"Defo." She nodded back.

Blaze frowned at this, to which the child noticed and quickly put an arm around her shoulder. "But you got nothin' to worry about when it comes to that dag, Blaze. A tiny spark and he's done for, as the norm with you."

Blaze smiled. "You are right. I should not bother myself with worries of the doctor, when he's no match for me."

"That's the spirit, mate!" She grinned, jostling up Blaze a little bit to which the cat laughed.

The two continued to walk and talk, recalling their own tales over the months they had spent apart.

"How are things going with the pirate crew?" Blaze had asked.

Marine beamed. "It's been going mighty fine. I definitely owe ya one for getting me in with their lot and we been havin' all sorts of adventures!"

"I am very glad to hear that. I knew you would love them."

"Course, they like the family I never had! Still, I do miss goin' out on adventures with 'ya too, Blaze. We be kin too and I can't help but wonder what you be up to these days?"

Blaze shrugged. "Nothing too different from when you were my partner on the battlefield, still traveling the world and dealing with Eggman Nega and the Emeralds as well as continuing to spread peace across the world. A princess' work is never done as you know."

"Do I ever? I don't miss the sleepless nights talkin' that political riffraff with those stuffy island leaders that you would do."

Blaze chuckled. "You did. Which is why I am sure you much prefer the adventuring of the Pirate Crew."

"Yeah, but I miss you too!" Marine insisted. "You and I should go out on one more adventure. Have some fun, just the two of us like old times!"

"We should definitely do something. Perhaps next time Eggman Nega appears, I will request your aid."

"Cap'n would not mind you sprinin' me from our lot if it meant he didn't have to deal with that Eggman Nega, I think he be scared of the old one."

"A mighty captain of the seven seas afraid of some old man?" Blaze shook her head. "Why, I guess some things have to be left to the professionals."

Both of them laughed at this.

With that, the two continued to chat, telling each other of the adventures they had had in each other's absence. Several months ago, Blaze had decided to entrust Marine's care under an old friend of her's a pirate captain who had his own crew and travelled the world just as she had. Marine would have all the adventure she wanted and not have to deal with all of Blaze's duties as a princess as she often had. They both missed one another but found that this arrangement would be both of their best interests and they would often catch up whether it came to life threatening danger at the hands of Eggman Nega or some other threat to their world or some other threat to their way of life.

In time, Marine had gotten invested in one of her many tales of the seas, telling of the bravery of her crew when they found one of the many treasures of the Sol Dimension.

"And then these skeletons rose from their graves, brandishing blades that-"

But she was cut off by a sound that neither of them heard before, a glitch distorted noise just off in the distance that rose their curiosity.

Blaze and Marine looked at one another and nodded, carefully heading off into the direction of the sound.

~Trials of War~

Infinite groaned as he rose to his feet. He brought his hand to his head, clutching it pain.

It was supposed to be a simple test, activating his powers to see how well he could handle them only for him to not end up on the other side of the room like he had hoped but to end up in some random jungle was strange.

Shadow had told him to be careful, to not overclock the Ruby's power but had he listened…?

He did have more experience in teleporting he supposed, but it was frustrating nonetheless.

It was then that he took his hand off his head and began to take in his surroundings, he was in some sort of lush jungle with trees that went higher than even his eyes could see. Light gently cascaded down onto him between the leaves and amongst all of it, he spotted that there were mushrooms all around him.

His first thought made him think that perhaps he was in Mushroom Hill Zone because of the mushrooms, but no… he wasn't on Angel Island.

He communicated with his mask and threw up a GPS on the glass eye only for it to show static.

That was just great, where exactly was he…?

~Trials of War~

Blaze and Marine found themselves staring out from the bushes and watched as the strange masked jackal wandered about, looking confused as to his surroundings.

Blaze frowned at the sight of the jackal before her. Being in touch with her own powers and that of the Sol Emeralds, she could sense the power of the Phantom Ruby. It was a raw, vile sort of power that came off in an irregular pattern. She looked to Marine, wondering if she could feel it but knowing that she was not Sol Tied [1] she doubted it.

She tapped Marine on the shoulder and whispered into her ear.

"Go and get your pirate crew. There could be trouble."

"But I want to stay and help."

"You can do that with the others, please… Marine. I think he might be dangerous."

Marine looked at her with pleading eyes only for Blaze to return with a serious look of her own.

Marine sighed. "Just be careful. And don't do anything I would do, mate."

Blaze nodded and gave her a smile as Marine ran off.

Slowly, Blaze got to her feet and walked into the clearing, immediately getting Infinite's attention.

Blaze didn't attack, just yet instead choosing to be civil first. "Greetings, stranger. Welcome to Plant Kingdom. I am Blaze the Cat: Reigning monarch and guardian of the Sol Emeralds."

Infinite glared at her. "Oh yes I know you… The Doctor's Data has you listed as one of the many foes I may encounter. A high level threat."

Without even batting an eye, she pointed a palm towards Infinite and allowed fire to ignite around it, but didn't let it surge towards him yet.

"You say that you are working with the Doctor?" Blaze asked "I take it that Eggman Nega sent you to defeat me or steal the Sol Emeralds?"

Infinite laughed and shook his head. "That is where you would be wrong. I come from Mobius Prime [2] and my master is Emperor Eggman. I didn't mean to enter this world, but I suppose unforeseen side effects can happen when testing the ultimate power."

Blaze was slightly taken aback, her hand lowering and flame dwindling. "You're from Sonic's dimension then?"

"Eggman's Empire. But yes, I am. And your little friend Sonic will be eliminated in just a few short days. But seeing as I have no quarry with your dimension that is none of your concern."

Blaze found her stance again, this time both fists alight with her burning fire. "If you plan to hurt my friends then that is very much my concern."

Infinite simply shook his head as the sound of distortion rang out and the ruby shone brightly on his chest.

Blaze had to shut her eyes tightly to avoid being blinded only to open them again and watch as Infinite tripped over his own feet and back into the dirt.

"What?!" He roared.

Blaze looked around awkwardly, the flames in her hands dispersing. "Well… this is awkward."

"Foolish gem…" Infinite grumbled, looking down at the Ruby. "You will do my bidding!"

Blaze looked around at this and shrugged, approaching Infinite. "Well, I don't know what exactly is going on, but it's clear to me that you are no match for my own abilities. Give up and we can put you in a place where you'll never hurt anyone."

"NO!" Infinite shouted at her and this time the Ruby activated again, causing him to fly wildly through the air and out of the clearing.

Blaze looked surprisingly at this, but called upon her own powers and boosted out of the clearing giving him chase.

Infinite flew through the air in odd directions, screaming at the ruby and slamming fists at it. "You will obey me at once! I am your master and you have no right to be treating me this way!"

But the Ruby simply ignored him and continued to send him on a jungle joyride through Plant Kingdom.

Unfortunately, in all of his shouting streams of flame started streaking past him.

He looked in the direction they were coming from and was shocked to see a raging ball of fire, streaking along the ground.

From within, Blaze the Cat glared at him, with a particular fiery intensity that burned from within as she continued to fire balls of flame at him.

Now the ruby was less wild with Infinite's flight path and instead focused on flying to avoid the balls of fire.

Infinite took notice of this and tried to reason with the ruby. "Yes, excellent! Now work with me to eliminate the pest!"

He thrust his hands out, hoping to fire lasers at her in retaliation. But instead, the ruby shone brightly and the unearthly glow around Infinite faded causing him to fall out of the sky and land face first into the dirt.

He groaned as he got up to his hands and knees.

Blaze came skidding to a hault behind him as bits of spark and ashes dissipated around her. Where Sonic was a bit of a show off, she just had a natural flare and elegance that shone through in battle.

With that, she sauntered over to the downed jackal and put a firm hand on his shoulder.

"That is quite enough." Blaze commanded.

"Stay back!" Infinite barked as he turned back towards her and thrust a hand out in defense.

At that, the Phantom Ruby responded with a harsh glow and the sound of distortion rang out yet again.

Blaze could only gasp as the world around them warped and bended until it was completely unrecognizable. Remarkable colors of all kinds rushed past her. And just as soon as it all started, it ended as a bright flash of light enveloped the both of them.

~Trials of War~

"You fought Infinite?!" Sonic exclaimed.

Blaze nodded. "Yes, he had appeared in my dimension before your war had even began, but from what I can tell it was an accident."

Tails shook his head. "I don't understand. How could Infinite have made a mistake like that?"

"From Blaze's recounting of events, it would appear that he and the Phantom Ruby were not cooperating with one another."

Blaze nodded at this. "Yes, that is what happened. It had seemed that he wasn't quite in control of his powers. It made the battle a little bit too easy, seeing as I hadn't had to do much of anything at all."

"That makes sense." Sonic added. "The Ruby has been shown to kind of just do whatever it wants sometimes. I remember Eggface being pretty surprised when the Ruby first teleported us to Green Hill Zone for the first time."

Tails looked at him confusedly to which Sonic only shrugged. He didn't want to deal with Tails makeup memory game at the moment.

Tails continued now. "But if Infinite had trouble back then then how did you end up here in prison?"

"Quite simple really." Blaze shrugged. "Whatever dispute that he and the Ruby had ended in battle."

They looked on in shock.

"At the time, I hadn't known it, but Infinite had flung me into your dimension…"

~Trials of War~

When the light cleared, Blaze was surprised to find herself standing in the middle of yet another forest, but this one was much different than that of Leaf Forest.

It was hard to see what with a canopy of tree leaves that not only went higher than her own eyes could see, but completely covered the forest itself. Among those leaves, she could make out massive spider webs could be seen among the branches, trees of all sorts of different shapes and sizes could be seen. Much smaller ones were all around her as well and a light snowfall fell. She also couldn't help but take note of what appeared to be some sort of a race track down below.

"Interesting… The Phantom Ruby decided to teleport us to White Cave down in Efrika." [3] Infinite started.

At the mere sound of his voice, Blaze faced him fists held high and ignited with flames.

"Well… at least I am back in the correct dimension."

And that was when he took notice of her and held his own open palm out towards her. "But it seems you have brought a straggler along for the ride… You are not supposed to be here."

"It would not be the first time I have been called to this dimension without my consent and it certainly will not be the last." Blaze retorted. "But I refuse to allow you to take another step further. If you dare to threaten my friends, then you have to defeat me first."

"So be it then." Infinite growled. "Phantom Ruby, give me the power to crush our enemy so that they do not succeed in battle against both you and I. I crave the destruction that you seek and wish to unleash it on this cat."

The Phantom Ruby did seem to respond to that as the glow that had appeared around him before, appeared again and a laser began to form in his open palm.

His eyes held a fiery fury. Wild, unkempt and ready to turn the entire world to ashes unlike her own elegant passion. Even in her fights against the doctor and the evils of two different dimensions, she had never seen anything like it and yet, she showed no fear even as he uttered one haunting word.

"Die."

With that, the fight resumed as he fired off a laser that would've ended Blaze had she not jumped into the air, above the blow sending splinters of wood flying.

Blaze twirled around in the air, before firing off two fireballs towards her foe.

Infinite took notice of this and pointed both hands at them. To his surprise, the ruby shone brightly at this and responded with his own twin fireballs that met them and caused a small explosion.

Blaze could only gasp at this as she landed in a crouch, wondering how exactly the jackal had learned to control flame.

But unfortunately for her, that moment she took to ponder was quickly interrupted as Infinite appeared behind her in a flash of light.

Blaze instinctively turned on her heel and delivered a flame tipped roundhouse that would've done a number on the masked one had he not simply stepped back to avoid the blow.

When her back was turned, Infinite had grabbed her by the shoulders, before the ruby on his chest began to quickly flash red. With that, he allowed himself to detonate and a massive explosion enveloped the cat to which she cried out in pain as she was flung clean off the tree that she and Infinite had been fighting on.

Infinite appeared when the smoke cleared and dusted himself off. "Far too easy."

He turned and was ready to leave only to be surprised when he heard a springing sound in the same direction she had fallen.

He ran back to where she had fallen only for a cat bathed in flame to come right at him, knocking him out of the air and tumbling to the ground.

Blaze thanked the gods above that the spider web had been there to break her fall as she landed out of her air boost. But not wasting a single moment, she immediately thrust both hands out towards Infinite, pouring as much power as she could muster into the flame but to her shock he had disappeared entirely.

In his place a hole had been left in the ground where he had once stood, confusing the cat to no end as she tried to place where the jackal had gone.

She went over to the hole to investigate only for him to come bursting out of the ground from behind her. His hands had been formed into twin lances, prepared to skewer her. But the cat discharged a burst of flame in defense that knocked him back yet again.

Infinite floated up into the air in front of her and growled in frustration.

Blaze couldn't help but allow a little bit of her cockiness get the best of her. "Did your mother not teach you that playing with fire will often lead to burns?"

Infinite took to firing lasers at her, which she easily boosted out of the way of. "When it comes to flames, I play no games. I use my own to ravage worlds and watch their inhabitants beg for mercy as it melts them away."

Still dodging, Blaze retorted that. "And I use my burning blaze as a beacon of hope for my people, my friends. Fire can be destructive, there's no denying that. But in the hands of the righteous, it can be a tool of protection, life and preservation."

At that, Blaze took to jumping towards one of the trees, using her momentum, she bounded up and over to Infinite where she delivered another flaming roundhouse to his face. Knocking him down yet again.

Blaze landed, allowing the flame to dance around her before dissipating.

She walked over to Infinite and firmly placed one of her heels onto his face.

"Failure to understand the true power is what lead to your defeat." Blaze announced.

Infinite however didn't flinch. "Then what would happen if we removed the tools that you hold so much pride in?"

Blaze tried to light her palm, ready to end him only for the Phantom Ruby on his chest to activate the ruby on his chest yet again and for both of them to disappear into a flash of light.

~Trials of War~

Blaze had to stop for a moment, turning her gaze towards the ground as she recalled the next few memories were difficult.

Tails and Omega looked at her expectantly while Classic Sonic frowned.

He got up to the force field, separating them and lightly placed a hand on it. "Y-you don't have to continue if you don't want to…"

Blaze looked up at the small hog, grateful for his concern but shook her head. "No, it is fine."

~Trials of War~

When the light cleared, Blaze was shocked to find herself atop a weathered stone pillar, surrounded by nothing but roaring waters for miles upon miles on end. Rain poured down in droves, not only clouding their visibility but drenching the two of them and making the clouds around them the only thing they could see for miles upon miles on end.

The flame in Blaze's hands fizzled out almost immediately, leaving the cat nearly defenseless as she tried to conjure up a replacement but to no avail.

Infinite chuckled as he teleported out from underneath her so that he was floating above her yet again.

"Welcome to Soumerica's Tempest Waterway. [4] Much like its sister city, The Aquatic Capital, this place is almost completely submerged in water making it uninhabitable for most but an excellent home for Aquatic Mobians looking for a better life amongst their own community. Unfortunately, unlike its luxurious shining counterpart, it rains twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three-hundred and sixty-five days of the year."

Blaze's eyes widened in shock at this.

"And for a pyrokinetic such as yourself, it will prove fatal."

Blaze didn't back down though. "And is this is supposed to scare me?"

"It is to make you understand that there is no hope. Now I leave you with an option, submit to me, the doctor and the will of our empire or stand and suffer the consequences of crossing my path."

Blaze held up her fists in defiance. "If you think that making me unable to use my primary ability is going to make me succumb to the likes of you, then you are surely mistaken. I choose to stand and fight. Not only for myself but for my friends, to make sure you never hurt them."

With that she launched herself towards him, letting out a fierce battle cry.

"Then you have chosen defeat." Infinite insisted.

With that, the two faced off against one another trading blows in hand to hand combat as they fought atop the pillar.

Blaze was quick in each and every one of her moves going for jabs and kicks in quick succession that the jackal was sure not to block. It would've left him completely defenseless if not for the little force fields popping up and blocking each and every strike that she delivered. It frustrated Blaze to no end especially as she continued to be weighed down by the water continuing to soak her, but she pressed on.

Infinite on the other hand was slower but had far more powerful attacks, each of which Blaze was able to counter despite taking damage. Fortunately for him, where he didn't care to block her attacks, the Phantom Ruby was working with him, careful to block each and every one of her blows. He couldn't be more grateful for it to agree with him when it came to defeating Blaze.

After a particularly heavy collision with one another, both knocked away from each other, leaving them in a standoff.

Slowly but surely, Blaze was getting worn down. Her fur heavy and soaked, growing more and more tired over the course of time. She had been severely handicapped with this change in location. Infinite glared her down though, ready and waiting for her.

She knew what she had to do.

Blaze ran towards Infinite to which the jackal put his fists up, ready to fight her off.

But Blaze just breezed on past him, to which his eyes couldn't help but widen in shock.

Blaze then got to the edge of the pillar, taking a deep breath before she sprung off of it and dove into the rushing waters below. She hoped beyond all chance that she would be lost in the current where Infinite would never find her and survive the current so that she could figure out what to do next.

Infinite whirled around and saw this, completely shocked at the sight. Despite her showing weakness in trying to flee, he had to admit that he had respect in a clever move like that.

Still, he was not someone that could be tricked.

Blaze braced herself for the harsh impact that would come. Praying to the Sol Emeralds that they would protect her as she made her descent, pelted by the onslaught of rain and the whipping winds before her.

She screwed her eyes shut and hoped for the best.

Only for them to snap open when she felt a sharp clawed hand grasp around her neck.

She tried to struggle, but Infinite held tight, flying her across the way before dunking her face into the rushing water.

Her lungs burned, she struggled to breathe and flailed desperately in his arms as she tried to get away from him but to absolutely no avail.

And then, she heard the sound again, the light flashed and they were no longer in Tempest Waterway.

~Trials of War~

All were silent as Blaze recounted her defeat. Unsure of what to say.

For Blaze, it was as if she were back there again, struggling to find her breath.

But in time, she was able to ground herself and continue the story.

~Trials of War~

When the light cleared, Blaze flopped onto cold metal, choking and sputtering as she tried desperately to catch her breath but was far too weak to do anything.

She didn't see much of her surroundings, just that it was some sort of dimly lit laboratory lined with glass tubes that contained floating red cubes and a console in the center of the room.

Standing before them were none other than Eggman, Cubot, Orbot and Shadow the Hedgehog.

Each and every one of them gasped at her appearance while Infinite placed his left boot on her, looking triumphantly at the doctor with his arms crossed.

"Blaze!" Shadow shouted as he ran to her side. He glared at Infinite and barked. "Infinite, what is the meaning of this?! Unhand her at once!"

Infinite shook his head. "I am sorry, Shadow but that is for the master to decide."

Everyone looked up at Eggman at this who honestly looked just as surprised as everyone else. But he quickly found his composure and addressed Infinite.

"I must say, Infinite. When you disappeared during our little exercise I didn't expect you to return an hour later with one of Sonic's most trusted allies under your heel. And one from another dimension? That's definitely an incredibly remarkable development."

"Thank you, master."

He then kneeled down to Blaze. "As for you, how did you enjoy fighting my newest weapon?"

Blaze screwed her eyes shut, looking away from the doctor.

"Clearly, quite well." Eggman used. "You know I have to thank you for your assistance. While it wasn't planned, fighting you gave Infinite the perfect opportunity to test his skills against someone at Sonic's skill level before he has to fight him in a few short days. And his interdimensional counterpart? I couldn't ask for better!"

Blaze glared at him.

"And I cannot leave such a kind gesture go unnoticed, so I am giving you the once in a life time opportunity to become a general of the Eggman Empire. Join my side and we'll be able to conquer this world and shape it into a new image that will benefit all for years to come, my image. What do you say?"

"You… you h-have to be cr-cr-cracked if you think I w-would evvvvverrr join y-y-you…" Blaze sputtered, still weak from her fight with Infinite but trying to give off an air of unquestionable defiance.

Eggman shrugged. "Very well. At the moment we're running a bit behind schedule because of your little exhibition match. We're about to depart for The Lost Hex to get a certain Zeti the push to join our side… Infinite, judging by the ease in which you defeated Blaze, I trust that the Phantom Ruby is cooperating with you."

Infinite touched the ruby on his chest to which it sent a reassuring pulse through his body. He couldn't help but feel elated at this, having solved his problems.

"Yes, master. I no longer have any issues with control, we cooperate with one another."

Eggman grinned. "Good, then we will go to The Lost Hex together. Shadow, you are sitting this one out. Take Blaze to the Death Egg for her crimes against the Empire. She will be the first of many prisoners."

Shadow shook his head. "Don't ask me to do that Doctor. Allow me to go to The Lost Hex and Infinite escort her."

Eggman shook his head. "I give the orders around here, Shadow. I want you to take your friend to prison. It'll be an excellent first test of your loyalty."

Shadow glared at the Doctor to which he didn't even bat an eye. After a few short moments, he sighed.

"Very well."

With that, Shadow looked to Blaze and hefted him up on her shoulder before activating Chaos Control and teleporting to the newly constructed Death Egg.

~Trials of War~

"Shadow didn't do that much talking when he took me here outside of a brief apology. I did not understand why he had chosen to work with the Doctor and he didn't seem very forth coming when it came to answers about his current allegiance." Blaze explained. "But ever since, I have been spending the past seven months here, waiting patiently for rescuers and now here you are…"

"What about Sonic?" Tails asked. "The other one, that is…?"

Blaze shook her head. "He was here. He fought that Havoc fellow before leaving and promising his return. Truthfully, I didn't get a very good view of what had happened due to the view from my own cage."

"So he really was here…" Tails mused. "Then that obviously means we're on the right track, if we hurry then maybe we can find him somewhere out there!"

"Yeah, but we're freeing these prisoners first." Sonic insisted. "I promised I would come back right? And I'm here. A little younger than I'm supposed to be, but hey! It's what we're gonna do."

"The chances of success for such a mission are low." Omega stated.

"Maybe so, but I always beat the odds." Sonic smirked.

Tails shook his head. "Guys… we can't. Sonic is the number one priority. We can come back for them later, with him."

"And leave all these people to rot until then? No way, buddy."

"I agree with the young one." Blaze nodded. "Tails, I never took you to be the selfish type, yet here you are. You are really going to leave all these people, including me, your friend to stay here forever?"

"Tha-that's not…"

"But it is." Blaze retorted, looking him dead in the eyes.

"It would just be a little while longer…" Tails insisted. "We wouldn't even know how to get you guys out all by ourselves."

At that, an older gruff sounding voice weighed in. "Then perhaps I could be of assistance?"

All three looked confusedly to see that sitting in the cell next to her was none other than Professor Pickle.

"Professor?" Tails gaped.

Professor Pickle smiled. "But of course, old chap. Who else would it be?"

"When did you get imprisoned on the Death Egg?"

The Professor shook his head. "Quite some weeks ago after Sonic made his grand return on the 'ol telly. Our golden boy made quite the impression on the world, gave people the hope they deserved. Unfortunately when Shadow came to town I tried to spread some of that hope and that lead to the imprisonment of both myself and some of the students and faculty of Spagonia University."

"Wow, glad to see that the older me running around has brought some hope to even a geezer like you."

Tails' eyes widened at that. "Sonic! Please show some respect! This man is one of the world's most renowned researchers on Gaia and other supernatural energies."

"I am also a friend." Professor Pickle chimed in. "Formalities and titles are for business but here we are among friends who have seen pain thanks to the Eggman Empire."

Tails looked down at this.

"It is an honor to meet you, Professor." Omega tilted the top half of his body down in a bow.

Sonic shrugged. "Alright. My bad, Prof."

Blaze leaned against her cell and couldn't help but smile. "Let me just say, it is always nice to hear your voice, Professor."

"Likewise, 'ol girl. And might I say that your tale at the hands of that Infinite rapscallion is never easy to hear. You should know that you are far stronger than you realize. I'm sure you'll give him the proper wallop he deserves soon."

She smiled. "Thank you, Professor. But please, tell them your plan."

"Ah, yes! Yes! Of course! The plan! The plan I was to give to Sonic when he returned to free us from the Death Prison! The Professor's Escape Plan!"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Well it's quite simple really." Professor Pickle explained. "Whenever they bring new prisoners into the Death Egg, they always do so through the use of a control panel at the main entrance to the prison. If someone with an intellect say higher than the likes of my own but on par with that of Doctor Eggman, then it could easily be cracked and all the prisoners would be able to be set free."

At that everyone turned to look at Tails.

"I- wha- me!?"

"Well, of course? Who else but one with a fine mine such as yours?"

"I can't do that!" Tails shouted. "If I let all these people out, Eggman's robots are gonna be on us before we can even say freedom!"

"Well, it's a good thing that you'll have me and Omega right by your side right?"

"Affirmative."

Professor Pickle smiled. "Not only him, but several hundreds. Many of which are Mobians even with the most rudimentary abilities in order to help you."

"Like me." Blaze added. "A lot of lovely people around here not only want nothing more than to see their home again but to deliver some sort of blow to the Empire. They may not have the adventuring experiences, but you more than anyone know what it's like to turn even the most mundane abilities into the greatest weapons against Eggman."

"And with a lot of the Badniks being turned to scrap metal, what would stop some of the GUN soldiers and other combatants without abilities to call their own from picking them up and using them as weapons?"

"You'd have a pretty decent chance to get those people to the hangar." Blaze explained.

Sonic smirked. "Now how's that for impossible?"

"My sensors indicate that the likelihood of success has greatly increased with this in mind."

Tails looked away from them, biting his lip.

Sonic furrowed his brow at him. "Tails-"

But Professor Pickle was quick to cut in. "Tails, my young friend. I know you are scared. It has been a long and trying time for the world and knowing what happened to Sonic, I can only imagine what you are going through. But ask yourself this, not only is this what Sonic would want of you, but is leaving all of us behind what you believe in…?"

With that, everyone turned their attention back to Tails to which the fox looked down at the floor, unsure of what to do. Sonic above all else was top priority. There was nothing in the world that he wanted more at this point and if he didn't reach that goal… then he didn't know what he'd do. But despite everything, Professor Pickle was right. All these people had been looking for a hero and with both Sonic and Tails onboard the Death Egg, there was no one else that could possibly fill that role. It was something that he had been doing since he was a mere child. And yet… he didn't know what to do.

But when he looked into the faces of all these people, especially Blaze and the Professor. He sighed. He knew what he had to do.

"Alright. I'll do it." Tails sighed.

The four of them cheered.

"But if things get way too heated for us, then I'm bailing and taking Sonic here with me, got it?"

No one had any words for that, Sonic was ready to say a few words to him only for Omega to put his hand on his shoulder and lightly shake his head.

Sonic grumbled but agreed to remain silent for the time being.

With that, Tails went over to the console and in a matter of seconds, hacked into the system.

In mere moments, hundreds of force fields faded away all over the prison and alarms began to blare.

[1] Sol Tied is basically being chaos sensitive but y'know, with Sol. Yeah.
[2] I've never called Modern Sonic's dimension that, but let's role with it. His dimension is the center of the multiverse or the Sonic-verse if you will.
[3] White Cave is a Sonic Riders location. Efrika is the Africa equivalent from the Archie Comics.
[4] Tempest Waterway is a location from Sonic Riders Zero Gravity.

And we are done with another chapter of Trials of War and with this chapter out of the way, I think it's a good time to celebrate with the official Trials of War Timeline. Now that Blaze has been properly introduced to the fic, it only seems right.

Year 1:
Classics
Sonic is 12, Tails is 8, Knuckles is 13.

Year 2:
Adventure 1 & 2
Sonic is 13, Tails is 9, Knuckles is 14.

Year 3:
Heroes-Shadow + Riders, Rush and Rivals (06 removed from timeline)
Sonic is 14, Tails is 10, Knuckles is 15

Year 4:
Unleashed-Generations + Riders, Rush and Rivals Sequels
Sonic is 15, Tails is 11, Knuckles is 16

Year 5:
Lost World, Trials of War Prologue
Sonic is 16, Tails is 12, Knuckles is 17

Year 6:
Trials of War
Sonic is 17, Tails is 12, Knuckles 18

I've talked about moving Tails' age up a little bit so that he's a little closer in age to Sonic while still being reasonably younger and a kid. Since Sonic is 15 when Tails is 8 in canon, you can see that I closed that gap by 3 years.
Every other canon character's age is scaled to Sonic's unless stated otherwise (like Tails) so since Rouge the Bat is 18 in canon where Sonic is 15, she is 20 in Trials of War. Amy who is 12 in canon, is now 14. Vector is 22 in ToW. Etc. Just take their canon ages and add two.

But with all of that said, that's the end of the chapter and I gotta say, I'm pretty pleased with the result. Blaze's story is one I've wanted to tell for a long time and I hope I did her, the Sol Dimension and Marine justice. I'll admit that with Marine, I took some liberties with her and upped a lot of her lingo and all with the two year gap and I hope fans of the character are okay with that. And as for Riders locations? Well, since I didn't have any planned in the story, I decided why not put some here in this little prequel episode?

But yeah, that's all for this one so with that said, let's get into the review replies.

TGN:
It won't be an official chapter, but yes. There will be an Act 2 taking place in a much later part of the story amongst a rather chaotic event that I have been excited to get to but am nowhere near yet.
I'm glad you liked the more introspective take with this one.
I am so sorry about Tails, but I do have something big. I trust that you'll stay with me until that time comes.
And I want to treat Tails as best as II can. Unfortunately, with the plot I have in mind for him, I gotta take him through the rollercoaster that is grief, depression and dependency issues. I wanna get more into it, but now's not the time. But Tails is super important to this story and I want to treat him well, I'm glad you think I treat him better than SEGA does.
As for Blaze she's been planned to be revealed here since this story was conceived and I'm glad she's finally here. I hope you enjoyed this chapter with her and what I have in store for her moving forward.
Thanks so much for the continued support.

Alexandria Prime:
She's finally here!
And now… you have your answers.

The Sensational SpiderDom321:
Heh, I see you're feelin' a bit Looney, man. Haha.
And there's no worries, man. We talked about it and I don't mind the wait. I was actually pretty surprised that you reviewed as soon as you did. But as always, appreciate it.
Blaze is awesome and I love her a lot too. I'm so glad to finally get her place in ToW. I hope I do her justice.
Well, I hope I settled your Marine hopes and dreams and did her well. As for Gemerl? At the moment, no. I don't have any plans for him simply because I'm not too familiar with the character. But who knows? Maybe that could change in the future.
Thanks so much, I appreciate all the support, man. And I'm glad you're doing better as well.

Guest:
Thank you!

Animation Adventures:
Nope. Blaze hasn't even been so much as mentioned in this story before this chapter. So she's finally making her grand debut. Luckily, not too long.
One cameo, I have planned to come soon is actually from a more recent piece of Sonic related media I'm looking forward to.
Can't wait to storm the Death Egg next time.

TheLostEternity:
No problem.
Thank you, for the continued support. Hope I pleased with Episode Blaze and I'm glad you're enjoying the classic trio. I agree that Tails is more than a sidekick and in time, he'll realize that too just gotta get through the hard stuff first.
You're welcome for the reply, and I look forward to more of your comments and reviews as the story moved forward.
Happy belated birthday, man!
As for your question regarding how many chapters there will be, at the moment 52. I still got a long way to go.

And that'll do everyone. As always, thank you to each and every one of you who continue to read, review, follow and favorite this story. Remember to R&R and I'll see you all next time for "Liberty or Death! …Egg."