The Duelists of Solstice

Chapter 7: Illusions and Arguments

"Any luck?" Blaze asked as Amy returned.

"No. Believe it or not, it's actually really hard to chase someone while wearing a yukata and geta."

"As strong as you are, you wouldn't have been able to catch her anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that there's a reason she was able to get into your base and retrieve the Heart. After our last encounter, I did a little bit more research into Dr. Hedyll. Her spell is called "Phantasmagoria," and it allows her to create illusions. The Phantom Ruby shard in her possession allows her to further enhance those illusions. In short, she's excellent at blending into her surroundings."

"I guess that she wasn't counting on Uemura seeing her. But then again, I guess that he is a previous champion of the Solstice tournament, so he must be very perceptive..." Ocha muttered softly.

"But anyway, what did you want to explain to us?" Amy asked, sitting down beside Ocha and Boba on one of the beds.

Blaze sat on Amy's bed, opposite to them. "I've joined an organization that researches legendary deities, such as Chaos. This organization needs the Phantom Heart to achieve certain ends. I received a report earlier tonight that Dr. Hedyll had been seen fleeing your research facility with the Heart."

"So you had spies stationed outside Restoration?!" Amy asked, shocked.

"No, we had some well-hidden cameras nearby. I couldn't find any information on who she is, and "Hedyll" is definitely an alias, but we know that she's even more dangerous than I initially gave her credit for. If she's hiding in this area, then I think we should all call a temporary truce, considering that both of our factions want the Heart."

"What makes you think she's staying in this area?" Ocha asked.

"Don't you find it a little bit coincidental that she made a direct line for Cirrus Village, an area where a famous tournament is going on? She's up to something. And besides, like I said before, she doesn't have the Phantom Heart."

"Then where is it?" Amy asked.

"One of the members of my organization confronted her, and while she quickly overpowered him, an unknown third party stole the Heart and slipped away while she was distracted. Even with a distraction, you would have to be very good to steal it from Dr. Hedyll and get away. And since it was stolen in this area, it's likely that this mysterious thief is in the Solstice Tournament."

"Yes, that makes sense. But Blaze, there's one thing I'm still wondering." Amy stood up and faced Blaze. "What happened to you? You'd made so much progress, learned the true meaning of friendship, became a trusted ally... And now you've gone from being a princess to a scary phantom thief who threatened my intern?"

"I assure you, I'm very much the same person that I've always been." Blaze's eyes narrowed. "As I once had to explain to Ocha, Sonic and everyone helped teach me that friendship has value, and that I don't have to face everything alone. And when I was a little bit younger, Silver taught me that too. But none of that means that I'm going to cast aside my own goals, or that I'm going to do whatever I'm asked, especially with my newfound freedom. And I'm still a princess, I simply work in shifts with my mother now, and I enjoy donning the role of a feared phantom thief who strikes fear into enemies' hearts. I am not going to become a completely different person and always 'play nice' because I made a few allies."

Blaze walked towards the door. "Rest assured that the Sol Kingdom is an ally of peace, so you will typically have my cooperation when I am acting in the role of princess. But right now, I'm acting as an individual unit, not as a kingdom." Blaze left before Amy could ask any more questions.

Ocha stood up. "I'm going to follow her—I want to make sure she's feeling alright. Boba, stay with Amy, I'll be right back." Ocha was out the door before Amy could object.

"Blaze, wait for me!" Ocha called as they walked towards Blaze as quickly as they could in their festival garb.

"Oh, not worried about me trying to set you on fire again?" Blaze stopped and waited for Ocha to catch up with her.

"Of course not. I'm sorry I didn't tell Amy about how you gave up on threatening me at lunch. I.." Ocha thought about how they had felt embarrassed to tell Amy that they had gone on what they had wished was a date with Blaze. "I forgot to."

"No worries. Not afraid of the scary phantom thief then either?" Blaze smiled a little bit.

"Amy doesn't understand that you can value friendship while still having difficulty making and interacting with friends, and that even fearsome phantom thieves can enjoy others' company. She'll come around."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm looking forward to collaborating with you again."

"Yes, it'll be another great adventure!" Ocha smiled and caught themself before they accidentally held Blaze's arm, remembering when they had first found the haunted dungeon where the Phantom Heart had been hidden. "I've really missed you, actually..."

Blaze glanced down at Ocha, who looked up, eyes twinkling and moonlight shining on their yukata.

Blaze suddenly looked confused about something and averted her eyesight.

"Erm, I don't suppose that you would like to have lunch again tomorrow, would you? It's good for us to speak frequently in case we see anything suspicious."

Ocha smiled brightly as the wind played with their soft blue hair. "I would love to."