The Duelists of Solstice

Chapter 8: Egg sandwiches and The Plan

"Well, she was definitely lying about being a 'beginning villain who wasn't ready to go solo.' She was probably appealing to Captain Whiskers' ego by choosing to work for him over Eggman."

Ocha had kind of hoped that Blaze was just using the mission as an excuse to have lunch with them. But it was interesting to hear what specifically Blaze had learned about Dr. Hedyll, and they were definitely curious.

"I'm guessing that she just wanted his help in finding the Phantom Heart once she realized that it was hidden in the Sol Dimension.

That morning had passed similarly to the previous one. Blaze and Amy had both fought duelists who Ocha had never heard of, and had both emerged victorious, even if they had both taken a few more hits this time. And now, Ocha and Blaze had met at the same cute little café again. It really would have been the perfect spot for a date... This time, Ocha had told Amy that they and Boba were meeting up with Blaze for lunch, and had invited her to come too, but she was still a little bit angry from the previous night.

"But you defeated her as Burning Blaze last time, surely you could again."

Blaze shook her head. "She made me fight far beyond my capacity, even enhanced by the Sol Emeralds. If I had been able to defeat her easily, I never would have turned into... that." Blaze tried to hide how troubled she felt upon remembering being taken over by her magic after overextending her connection to the Emeralds. "And besides—I only have access to the Emeralds when I'm acting as a leader. Right now, they're in Mother's possession."

"Ah, I see..." Ocha looked down at their egg sandwich and apple tea contemplatively. "So, what do we do?"

"I was able to put several hidden cameras from my organization up around Solstice Stadium, Cirrus Village, and the surrounding area. One even keeps an eye on the train station, which is the only way to and from here except on foot, and that would be a very long journey. Although I doubt she would leave like that, since she's in hiding, and also would never leave the Heart behind. No, we need to keep a close eye on the competitors, and see if there are ay who are particularly roguelike. So its vital that you continue taking careful notes of the duels, okay?"

"Absolutely!" Ocha winked. "Oh, and I also had an idea!" Ocha added, remembering something.

"I was reading about this area, and I read that there's an old library on the edge of town that has lots of resources on legends and magical artifacts. Maybe learning something about the Phantom Heart could also shed some light on the situation."

On que, Boba's lantern-ears lit up.

Ocha laughed and Blaze sighed.

"Pun aside, that's not a bad idea. This evening, why don't we go do some research while Amy patrols the festival?"

Ocha was immediately hit with mixed feelings. They were excited at the idea of getting to spend some time in a beautiful library with their dear friend and crush, but they had also been really looking forward to eating yakisoba that night, since they'd been pulled away before eating any the previous night.

Blaze seemed to read their clearly conflicted expression. "Afterwards, we can all meet up at the inn again, and Amy can bring snacks to have for dinner while we exchange information."

Ocha and Boba both smiled and exchanged glances. 

"Let's do it!" Ocha agreed.