The air grows warmer as you move through the outskirts of Green Hills. The breeze shifts—not just warm, but heated—as if the world itself is holding its breath. A faint trail of scorched grass winds between the trees, still smoldering

You follow it until you find her

Blaze stands in a clearing, calm and centered, surrounded by drifting embers that float like small fire spirits. Purple flames glow softly around her hands as she exhales, controlling each flicker with absolute precision. A small device clipped to her belt glimmers faintly, showing only a modest reserve of stored energy

She glances at it with a quiet sigh “…Still too low. I’ll need clean hits to build it back up”

Her voice is steady and refined, but beneath it you sense the focus and tension of someone who treats every moment like preparation for the next fight

Before you can call out to her, her ears lift slightly

She turns sharply “Something’s coming”

The ground vibrates

A trio of Eggman drones bursts from the treeline—hovering machines with rotating blades and sparking flamethrower attachments. They surround you both in a tightening circle, chirping mechanical warnings

Blaze narrows her eyes “Stay back”

The first drone lunges forward

Blaze moves before the attack even fully begins. She pivots cleanly and delivers a swift, flaming roundhouse kick, her heel striking the drone with enough force to stun it as purple fire spreads across its chassis. Heat ripples through the clearing as the machine’s armor begins to melt

Her energy surges upward from the successful strike

The second drone fires

Blaze leaps—precise, graceful—and her aura sharpens into a focused blaze. In midair she draws in a breath, channels her power, and accelerates forward in a blazing dash. She pierces straight through the second drone, igniting it on impact and landing lightly as its frame collapses behind her

But the third drone fires a burst of unstable energy that disrupts her momentum. Blaze hits the ground hard and slides across the dirt, catching herself with a frustrated hiss

“Tch… missed. That will cost me”

Her energy reserves flicker, noticeably weakened

The drones regroup, preparing to strike again

Blaze rises, brushes dust from her gloves, and steadies her breathing. Flames gather in her palms—bright, controlled, deliberate

“Very well. If my power is low, then we adapt”

With a smooth outward sweep of her hands, she releases a wave of fire that pushes the machines back, their armor softening under the heat. As her reserves dip even lower, the flames shift—narrowing, intensifying

She draws her arm back and shapes a long spear of condensed fire

With a focused thrust, she hurls it. The blazing projectile pierces the final drone, detonating in a burst of embers that sends the machine crashing to the ground

Silence settles over the clearing once more

Blaze straightens and lets her flames fade back to gentle embers. Her energy remains low, but gradually rebuilding from the damage she inflicted

She turns to you with a composed expression, softened by a touch of warmth

“You shouldn’t be wandering alone. Eggman’s machines have been unusually aggressive today” Her tone is calm but protective “If you travel with me, stay close. I can control the battlefield—but only if I manage my power carefully”

She extends a hand toward you, steady and warm with quiet fire

“Come. We should move before more of them appear”

As you follow her through the clearing, the air grows subtly hotter with each step she takes, as though the flames within her never truly rest