Disclaimer: I do not own SoulSonicResonance25/KingSora3's story "Naruto The Next Chaos", nor do I own the rights to Naruto or Sonic the Hedgehog. This crossover fanfiction is made under the Fair Use Act.

Land of Angels Side-Story: Team 14

By AlxkendBlader


Chapter 3: Extreme Gear Trick-Off at Pumpkin Hill!

(POV: James Rosen)

After that big, exciting mission to deliver the Super Warp Ring to the Chaos ANBU base, Erryn-sensei figured that we'll take things easy for a little while. Along with taking those D-rank missions with my teammates, I'm also doing Extreme Gear stuff. My weapon of choice as a rider is the Skill Booster. Even though it won't get as much Gravity Power out of tricks like most other Extreme Gears that are out on the market at the moment, it's got great handling, acceleration, speed and power for its class. You won't get much better than this, unless it's a custom-made Gear like those the King makes occasionally in the Royal Workshop of Castle Mizukami. My brother Cameron uses a Legend Gear, especially in competitive riding, and he's one of the very best riders out of Mobotropolis.

While we're on the topic of Extreme Gears...

I was posting on the Extreme Gear Forum*, a message board where riders from all over talk about all things Extreme Gear, when I noticed a forum topic about a Gear Park* that's recently opened up in Pumpkin Hill. I heard of that place, Pumpkin Hill. It's got all these rock formations with these giant rocky Jack-O'-Lanterns on them along with gravestones, Jack-O'-Lanterns, an abandoned church on the top of a hill, and ghosts. It's haunted, basically, something like on Halloween. Why would anybody want to open up a Gear Park at that creepy place? I sincerely and totally doubt that His Royal Awesomeness would have approved of it!

But, I was also curious. So, I got into the forum topic about the new Gear Park, and wow, there's a whole bunch of replies on there. Some of those had photos put in by riders that had been there. Some complained about how these gooney ghosts kept harassing them while they were trying to land a cool trick, or going on about having had a blast grinding on this old sky rail system that is in the area. Some people even said that they told scary stories to each other around the glow of a lantern or a flashlight at the abandoned church. Along with the sky rails, the one thing about the Gear Park mentioned that got my attention the most; the so-called "Monster Ramp", this huge-ass ramp that starts on top of the highest hill in the park (but not the area of Pumpkin Hill as a whole) that allows even the heaviest and slowest Extreme Gears to get some seriously big, big, BIG hang time! Plus, it even allows Air Ride-Type Gears to glide and fly longer, too!

This makes me excited, but at the same time, nervous. The Gear Park is in a place known for being haunted by a bunch of freaky ghosts, but has some seriously sweet things to ride in, especially the sky rails!

Maybe I'll ask Cam to take the both of us there, so I went over to his bedroom door and knocked on it. "It's open," I hear his voice say, as I opened the door and walked inside. I see Cam sitting on his bed as he looked over the latest issue of the official TnKEGA Extreme Gear magazine, Riderz*, as he then asked me, "So, what's up, little bro?"

I replied to him, "I found out that there's a new Gear Park that's recently opened up at Pumpkin Hill. I'm kinda excited about going there, but at the same time, I'm kinda nervous because I hear that Pumpkin Hill is haunted. Some people were complaining on the forum about having ghosts bothering them as they tried to pull off their best tricks. Plus, there's an old sky rail system in the area that people had been grinding on for a real blast. Not only that, but there's also a massive ramp that you can get some huge air time with."

He smiled, "Cool. I've been reading about it in this month's issue of Riderz magazine," as he then puts the magazine down and grabs his Legend Gear (in its briefcase mode, mind you), as he then gets off of the bed. Cam then asked me, "So, you wanna warp to Pumpkin Hill and have a blast?"

I thought hard (VERY HARD) for a few seconds or so, before gulping and replying, "Hold on and let me retrieve my Gear," right before I returned to my room and found my Skill Booster in its briefcase form. I then met up with Cam in the hallway as I said to him, "I'm ready to go, bro."


(POV Change: Third Person)

A certain pink-haired girl is at the Pumpkin Hill Gear Park, humming a merry tune to herself as she made adjustments to her custom Extreme Gear that Naruto made for her, the Pink Rose. With that done, she is ready to tackle the sky rails.

Meanwhile, James and Cam arrived at the entrance of Pumpkin Hill via Warp Ring, even as they noticed the new Gear Park nearby. It has ramps, rails, half-pipes, and on the outer perimeter of the area, a racing track. There is also a pathway that leads to the sky rail system. However, sticking out like a sore thumb is the much-discussed Monster Ramp, which is several stories in height and is about 300 yards (more or less) in length. A ramp like that would indeed make for some serious air time for any rider, even with the heaviest Extreme Gear.

Cam smiled, "James, look at this place, it's wicked! It's got all the usual Gear Park wares, but with the bonus of the Pumpkin Hill sky rails and that big-o Monster Ramp! Let's ride!"

James nodded (somewhat hesitantly) as he and his older sibling went to the entrance of the Gear Park, paid their entry fees and stepped into the area, where they see many riders having a good time as they raced and/or performed tricks with their Extreme Gears. Some riders are also coming from the pathway that leads to the sky rails, as some of them chatting about how much fun that they had grinding on it or complaining about how they nearly fell off the rails due to having acrophobia (fear of heights) but still manage to make it out unscathed.

James also noticed Amy Rose walking towards the main park with her Gear in hand, as he remarked to his brother, "Cam, that's Amy Rose. She's one of the Freedom Fighters. Make her mad and she'll flatten you with her Pico-Pico Hammer! Ouch! She's also a pretty popular and skilled competitive rider, having gained many high-placed finishes in official TnKEGA competitions. She's even featured in at least one issue of Riderz, as well. Her Extreme Gear, the Pink Rose, is a custom jobby by His Royal Awesomeness."

"Well," Cam said with a smirk, "Let's go over and meet her, then. Maybe we could even get her autograph!"

"Hold it just a minute, you two!" cried a new voice from behind the two brothers, who turned around to see a boy about James' age. This individual is wearing a black sweat jacket with white strips running down the left sleeve, and on the right shoulder is a patch depicting a "skull-and-cross-Gears" symbol (a skull and crossbones but with Board-Type Extreme Gears instead of the crossbones). On his hands, he wears a pair of black, fingerless gloves with metal plates on the forehands, along with blue denim jeans and black sneakers with ash gray laces. Oh his head is a black baseball-style cap and a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. He also has a fair skin tone with messy brown hair underneath the cap.

"Who are you anyways, man?" asked Cameron as he cross his arms.

The newcomer replied, "My name is Jasper Blackwood. They call me Black Jasper, like in the crystal. I'm part of the Black Gems* team."

"The Black Gems," started James with a whistle, "Well, I've certainly read about you lot on the Extreme Gear Forum. They say that you're really brave, especially when attempting highly difficult tricks with a fast and furious style, and that you tend to "make yourselves felt" during races at TnKEGA competitions. So, what do you want with us?"

The now-identified Black Jasper gave a smirk as he answered, "I want to challenge one of you two to a trick-off, here in Pumpkin Hill. The loser gets to treat the winner to lunch at P.J. Pizzazz*!"

The younger Rosen brother was about to step forward, when he hears his sibling say, "James, let me handle him."

Cam stepped forward, giving Black Jasper a determined look while activating his Legend, holding the Board-Type Gear under his arm. He says to the black-wearing rider, "If you want, Black Jasper, I'll be your opponent. I'm one of the best out of Mobotropolis, after all."

Black Jasper nodded, before remarking, "Now I recognize you. You're Cameron Rosen. I saw you on TV competing at the Mobotropolis Extreme Gear Games with that terrorist attack that had happened. Good thing you're alive and well to challenge me, because the Black Gems love a good challenge, and as a member, I'm no exception!"

Thus, the two rivaling riders went over to the nearest half-pipe area, as each of them took up a position on opposing sides. Black Jasper activates his Extreme Gear, an Airship, which features the Yacht Gear Part, allowing it to transition into a Yacht-Type. This allows the rider to draft behind opponents by riding and accelerating on slipstreams.

Cam remarked, "So, an Airship, eh? I reckon you might go for a Gear Change into Yacht-Type during this thing," at which Black Jasper replied, "Nah, I'll keep it in Board-Type form. In fact, I removed the Yacht Gear Part for this occasion and swapped in a Grind Gear Part. What have you in mind?"

"It's a secret, but let's start this already," said Cam as he and Black Jasper got onto their Gear and started off their one-on-one challenge. A crowd gathered around the half-pipe, with James being one of the spectators. They cheered as the two performed some wicked-cool tricks with their Gear in a bid to one-up each other. Flips, grabs, ollies, grinds, you name it! Even rotations up to 900 degrees or more!

As James cheered for his brother, he hears a female voice to his left ask him, "Your brother's really good, isn't he?"

He replied with a smile, "Ah, yes. He's one of Mobotropolis' brightest stars today," before covering his mouth with his hands in shock, realizing whose voice he had replied to. He turned to his left to see the smiling face of Amy Rose, who waved hello to him.

"Ah, Miss Rose. Cam and I were going to see if we could get your autograph when Black Jasper showed up and declared his challenge," said James as he waved back.

She replied to him, "So the Freedom Fighters were going through the mission reports for the week, and I gotta say; your team's been doing great! So, as my own little reward from me, I'll give you my autograph," as James then handed her his Skill Booster Gear, currently in its Board-Type form. She signs it with a marker before giving the Gear back to its owner.

He looked at the autograph with a smile and it reads;

Keep up the good work!

Signed,

Amy Rose

James turned around to thank Amy for the autograph, when he finds that she had already left. Shrugging, he continued to watch the intense action of Cam and Black Jasper's trick duel. Just as the two riders finished up the coolest tricks they could devise for the finale, and were about to ask the audience who they think deserves to be called the winner, the atmosphere of the half-pipe suddenly grows cold in an ominous fashion.

"Um, Jasper, it's gone cold!" said Cam as he shivered a little, as his opponent replied with a shiver, "Er, yeah. Brrrr! Not only that, but something's not right!"

All of a sudden, a large Boom Boo (not King Boom Boo, mind you) appeared behind the two lets out a ghastly, ghoulish roar that caused the two to jump up in fear at a rather high altitude. Just as the Boom Boo was about to torment the now-terrified crowd, something struck the top of its head very hard...Two somethings, actually.

It was Cam and Black Jasper, who slammed their Board-Type Gears onto the Boom Boo's head as improvised bludgeoning weapons. This dazed the ghoulish ghost, also making it shrink down in size from the harsh impact. Regaining its senses, it turned towards the two riders, who held their Gears threateningly, as if intending to bludgeon it again. With a dismayed cry, it disappeared from view as the atmosphere of the half-pipe lightened up.

"Yeah, run on home to your mama, you coward!" crowed Black Jasper at his and Cam's triumph over the specter, as the latter puts a hand on the Black Gem rider's shoulder with a smirk.

Cam then asked the crowd, "So, who do you think won this trick-off? Me, or Black Jasper of the Black Gems team? Let's put that to a vote. Those of you who think I won, raise your hands!"

At this, half of the crowd, including James, raised their hand. Black Jasper nodded, before asking everybody, "Those who think that I won, give me a thumbs-up sign!"

The other half of the crowd gave thumbs-ups. So, Cam counted the voters, and after a moment or two, he determined...

"It's dead even!"

"Quite a divided crowd, isn't it?" asked Black Jasper as he deactivates his Airship Gear into its briefcase mode, "Not only that, but I think I had enough excitement for today. I'll see you around."

The rider then takes out a Warp Ring and uses it to leave the Gear Park altogether. After all that hullabaloo, James and Cam decided that they had a big enough blast at the Gear Park for today, as they too warped back to their home.

Chapter 3 End


Info Time!

*Extreme Gear Forum - A internet message board that caters to Extreme Gear riders and enthusiasts. Made by riders for riders.

*Gear Park - General term for a recreational area designated and equipped for Extreme Gear riding.

*Riderz - The official Extreme Gear magazine authorized by the TnKEGA, featuring anything and everything that's got to do with Extreme Gears. There's always something new on each month's issue, such as new releases, interviews with professional riders, maintenance tips and even new tricks. Some issues even come included with promotional material.

*Black Gems - A fearless young group of local riders based in the same area as Pumpkin Hill, they are known for their fast and furious riding style at TnKEGA-sanctioned competitions, whether racing or freestyling. Each member bears a personal handle named after blackish-colored crystals and gems (i.e. Black Jasper). It is also one of the very few Extreme Gear riding teams to have more than three members in their roster, though at competitions, they follow the "three-team-riders-at-a-time" rule. Before they compete, the Black Gems decide on which three of their members would go and enter the competition.

*P.J. Pizzazz - A Chuck E. Cheese's-style entertainment venue that features a robot mascot P.J., who greets customers at the entrance. The place features redemption games (such as skee-ball), pinball machines, and arcade video games. For one token, younger kids can play in the ball pit or inflatable bounce house. Pizza was also made and served in the restaurant section of the venue.

NOTE: P.J. Pizzazz was an actual venue in real life. It was started in June 1980 as Sega's answer to the popular Pizza Time Theater chain, and was operated in the Eastland Center shopping mall in West Covina, California. P.J. Pizzazz was ultimately never franchised by Sega, and the location at the Eastland Center mall was the only one built. It was eventually closed down somewhere in the mid-1980s.

That's all for Info Time! See you next time!


Okay, so I went to KingSora3 about what to make Chapter 3 about. He suggested that James check out Pumpkin Hill, and I wanted to do an Extreme Gear-related scenario, so I decided to combine the two ideas. As always, constructive criticism is most appreciated!