Chapter 4 – Blaze the Dragon Master

The walk from the London Furry Campus to the Royal Cat Academy took an amazingly short time. As Alex told Tails, it was right around the corner. The college was massive with two large golden statues at the entrance, one a cat, the other a Night Fury dragon. Tails could see that a lot of the people in the campus are cats. "Not too shabby," he said to himself.

"Now, hold on," said Alex as examined the information post. He searches the post until he found their destination. "Dragon Stadium, northeast," he said, and the two made their way.

Soon, Tails and Alex reached a gigantic amphitheatre. It was taller than any of the academy's buildings. "Wow, this place is huge!" exclaimed Tails.

"I told you it's quite a sight," smiled Alex. "Now, let's go in and see what's happening."

Inside the building, Tails and Alex could hear a lot of action going on, as they reached the central stage, they took their seats to watch the show. The audience was diverse, so Tails and Alex didn't feel like they stood out, not even the slightest. In the arena were a bunch of feline-like dragons. Most of them are black as they are Night Furies and even some sleek dragons with a panther-like build known as Twilight Storms. They looked a little like Night Furies, except that they got horns and crimson underbellies. They were performing astonishing feats, like bomb diving, flying through rings, and many more techniques.

"Okay, everyone, that will do," called a female voice. Tails tried to get a closer look at what's happening now, and he could see their trainer as they focused their attention on her, a female lavender cat who looked very familiar to Tails. It was Blaze the Cat. Even though Tails could recognise her, Blaze has changed slightly much since the last nine years. Instead of her violet coat, she wore a long-sleeved black jumpsuit, and she sported a violet cloak. On the cloak, a red jewel is set on a gold plate that attaches the whole thing together. She also seemed to have let her ponytail grow slightly longer, including that she has grown significantly taller. All the same, she still retained her fluffy cuffs on her gloves and shoes and the small ruby on her forehead. Tails couldn't believe his eyes. Blaze appeared more beautiful than he remembered. The performance was coming to a conclusion. After a brief applause, everyone was set to leave the Dragon Stadium.

Tails and Alex were following the rest of the crowd. They stopped for a moment and looked back. At the Dragon Stadium, they could see Blaze talking to some dragons.

"Now's your chance," said Alex. "Go on and greet her!"

Tails hesitated. "I don't know what to say," he said as he started to blush. "I haven't seen her for a long time, so goodness knows if she still remembers me."

"You should know what to do when you meet somebody," said Alex. He pushes Tails forward to Blaze. As Tails stumbled awkwardly, Blaze took notice of the teenage fox approaching her.

"Blaze, is that you?" Tails asked as he continued walking slowly to her.

At first, Blaze was stunned that a stranger would know her name, but when she took a close look at the fox's eyes and his two tails, she suddenly remembered who he is. "Tails?" she asked doubtfully.

"Yes, it's me!" he said. "Sonic's little friend!"

Blaze smiled when she found her assumption correct. "I knew it had to be you!" she exclaimed. "My goodness, you have grown!"

"Thank you," smiled Tails as he and Blaze shook hands. "And you haven't changed that much the last time we met."

Blaze giggled at the compliment and smiled. "It has been a very long time!" she exclaimed.

"I know, I can hardly believe that, and you still remember everything back there," said Tails. "It's so good to see you again."

"Likewise," replied Blaze. "So, what brings you here to England?"

"You would find this amazing," said Tails. "Because I've been doing excellent in high school and graduated, I've been invited to study at the London Furry Campus for a couple of months. Also, a friend of mine invited me to the Royal Cat Academy to see one of his friends perform, and that's how I found you, so I thought of waiting to say hello to you."

"That's very nice of you," said Blaze. "Congratulations for graduating high school. I know the London Furry Campus since the Royal Cat Academy endorses and funds them."

"Yeah, that's wonderful to hear," replied Tails. "You work here, right?"

"Yes indeed," smiled Blaze. "I've been appointed as a dragon trainer when I was eighteen. Six years, and I'm still here. It's a fantastic job. Right now, I'm on break after that performance session, the students enjoy my teachings and are learning a lot."

Tails thought of something for a moment. "So, whatever happened to being a princess and guardian of the Sol Dimension?" he asked.

"Oh, that," said Blaze. "Well, Tails, there's something you should know. England is my homeland. It's kind of a long story, and I think it will be hard for the others to believe in. You see, when I was very young, eight, if I recall, I have been brought to the Sol Dimension, where I've been taught lessons to become what I was back then. A year later, I became a princess and was appointed guardianship of the Sol Emeralds."

"What happened then?"

"Well, in the Sol Dimension, you can only be a princess for nine years," continued Blaze. "After my ninth year was up, the role of being a princess and guardian was passed over to another who also masters the power of flames. I was relieved to retire, to be honest. All that tension made me alienate myself from others, like how I was when I first met you and Sonic."

"Yeah," said Tails. "I remember that."

"All the same, I missed England very much, and I felt happier to be back. Shortly after I returned to the country following my retirement from the Sol Dimension, I did some training at college, and when the Royal Cat Academy was impressed with my achievements and my fire powers, they appointed me as dragon trainer," finished Blaze.

"Sounds like you have led quite the life," commented Tails. "Knowing your powers, I felt being dragon trainer suited you quite well."

"Yes, I couldn't agree more," said Blaze.

"That reminds me," said Tails. "Whatever happened to Eggman Nega?"

"Nega has been destroyed nine years ago," replied Blaze. "So the Sol Dimension has no need to fear him ever again."

"Well, that is a coincidence," laughed Tails. "Our Eggman has been defeated nine years ago, too. Not much has been happening since then. Of course, Sonic would still travel places every now and then, but fortunately, there are no evildoers to cause us misery."

"That's good to hear," smiled Blaze. "A life of peace is what everyone needs."

"I agree to that," said Tails. "So, Blaze, are you busy tonight? Maybe we can have dinner out somewhere, you know, catch up on old times and stuff."

Blaze blushed. "Oh, Tails, I'd love to, it would be great, but unfortunately, I'm very much booked up for the week," she said. "But I am available on Saturday, if that's alright with you."

"Sure, Saturday is fine with me," agreed Tails. "Maybe instead of dinner, how about we have day out together?"

"That would be even better," said Blaze. "So, tell me, where can I find you?"

"I'm at the Kensington Hotel," said Tails.

"I know where it is," said Blaze. "Well, I hope you enjoy your two months here, and I'll be seeing you on Saturday. Come by to the Royal Cat Academy any time you want, I'll allow them to let you drop by."

"Sure thing," smiled Tails. "See you later, Blaze."

"Bye," waved Blaze.