pokemonsora01, who owns Jamie, asked for this one. Here you go, Amigo! :) Enjoy! :)
Sonic X belongs to Sega. I only own Rachel.
A/N: This story is based off the game "Sonic Free Riders". :)
Friendship Is The Real Prize
It was a sunny day as Rachel was walking through a park in Station Square, lost in thought. Things had been busy since the last protector of the Chaos Emeralds had been found, but thankfully, all the Emeralds were now safe.
"Hey, Rach!"
Hearing someone call out to her, she turned to find Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Team Chaotix heading towards her. Smiling, she headed towards them as they caught up with her. "Hey, guys," she said, giving them all fist bumps in greeting. "What's up?"
"We were just walking around and saw you," Espio said with a smile.
"Is your Emerald safe?" Knuckles asked, worry on his face.
Rachel playfully rolled her eyes but laughed lightly, knowing how the red echidna was about the safety of the Emeralds. "Yes, mine is safe," she said, patting her pocket to indicate that it was on her. "And so is Jamie's. We don't go anywhere without them."
"How is Jamie?" Vector asked. "Is he with you?"
She smiled. "Jamie's doing good," she said before her face went serious. "Though the bullies keep bothering him."
She said this with a note of irritation in her voice, which let them know that she didn't like that the bullies still bothered her cousin/brother.
"Still?" Charmy asked in surprise. "But Jamie's really cool."
"Thank you, Charmy," Rachel said, smiling at the cute bee. "The good news is, the bullies aren't bothering Jamie as often since he stood up for himself at the beach."
Vector smiled, remembering that before hearing Rachel continue. "But they haven't stopped completely and now they're getting more confident in what they say and do to him," she said, her face worried.
"If they come up to him again, I'll deal with them," Sonic said with a nod.
As the others nodded, the crocodile looked at Rachel. "Is Jamie around?" He asked.
"He should be in the park somewhere, but I'm not sure where he is," she admitted.
"Let's go look for him," Knuckles said.
Nodding, they all began looking for Jamie until they heard his voice and followed it to the huge skate park where the boy was riding on the Avatar-M Extreme Gear board, nailing some tricks and keeping his balance well.
Rachel laughed in amusement. "I shouldn't be surprised that this is where he is," she said, smiling.
They all watched as Jamie grinded on the rails and performed tricks in the air. One particular one looked familiar to Sonic and he blinked. "Hey, that looks familiar," he said.
Tails gasped as he saw Jamie do a quick breakdance on his board before posing with a handstand on one hand. Sonic snapped his fingers. "That's Jet Hawk's X-Rank trick in Zero Gravity!" He said.
"Whoa!" Vector said, impressed.
Jamie was doing good, but suddenly lost his balance as he landed, falling off his board and rolling a good few feet. "Jamie!" Rachel cried out, running towards him, the others echoing her as they ran towards the boy.
Vector reached him first and helped the boy up. "Jamie, you okay?" He asked as the others caught up.
"That was some spill," Tails said in worry.
"What happened, kid?" Knuckles asked in worry.
"Did you land wrong?" Sonic asked.
Jamie was surprised to see everyone there and he smiled. "I'm okay, guys," he said before sighing and looking at his Extreme Gear in annoyance. "I still can't get the landing right," he muttered softly, but they all heard him.
Harsh laughter rang out and they turned to look at the bullies who always bothered Jamie. "Nice spill, loser!" The leader said. "You should just give up. No one but Jet the Hawk can do his own tricks."
His cronies laughed with him before he decided to speak again. "Not that any trick YOU come up with would be good," he sneered.
Rachel stepped forward, glaring at them. Vector also glared at them, as did the others. The fierce glares made the bullies back away, but not before they mocked Jamie again as they hightailed it away from the park.
"Next time they approach Jamie, I'm zapping them with my Emerald," Rachel said firmly. "Give them something to really think about."
"Easy, Rachel," Espio said, placing a hand on her shoulder and she looked at him before taking a deep breath, calming down and nodding to him, knowing what he meant.
Sonic turned to Jamie. "Jamie, why are you trying to learn Jet's Extreme Gear tricks?" He asked, knowing a few of the tricks were dangerous.
The boy smiled. "Because he's one of the greatest Extreme Gear riders of all time and if I can learn how to do his tricks, then maybe I can become as good of a rider as he is, or at least it'll help me come up with some tricks of my own," he said.
"How did you learn to ride Extreme Gear?" Tails asked curiously.
"I'm curious too," Knuckles admitted.
Jamie grinned before looking at his cousin/older sister. "Rach and some of our friends all chipped in and bought me this board for Christmas," he said.
Espio looked at Rachel curiously. "You can ride Extreme Gear too?" He asked.
She nodded. "I ride the Avatar-F board, but I don't do it often," she admitted. "Every now and again when I just want to feel the wind against my face while going fast."
They smiled at that as Jamie picked up his board and nodded. "I'm going to try one last time today," he said.
"Okay, but be careful, Jamie," Sonic said gently.
The others echoed that and the boy smiled. "I will," he said as he headed off to the top of the course again.
All was good until he tried the trick again, but wobbled when he landed and as a result, he fell off again. Everyone rushed over to him. "You okay, Jamie?" Tails asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay," he said, getting back up and looking disappointed. "I thought for sure I got the landing that time."
"Don't feel down, Jamie," Knuckles said gently.
"Yeah!" Charmy said. "Just keep practicing and you'll get it."
"Or maybe try some other tricks before trying Jet's trick again," Sonic said. "Tails and I can teach you some tricks we know."
Rachel placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Even the greatest performers didn't always get it on the first try," she said gently. "You'll get it soon. I know you will."
Jamie sighed, but nodded in agreement. "Thanks, guys," he said before they left the park together, but didn't notice three people watching them all as they left.
As the three watched them, the largest of them spoke up. "That kid came pretty close to pulling off your best trick, Boss," he said.
"For once, I agree with you, Storm," the girl said. "If he was a bit quicker with the handstand, he'd have pulled it off perfectly."
The third figure didn't say anything, but he was looking at Jamie with an impressed smirk. Not many had the guts to try his tricks and he had to admit, the boy certainly had guts.
The next day, Rachel and Jamie were hanging out with the others when an announcement came on the big screen billboards about a new Extreme Gear race and the Babylon Rogues would be there as guests. "Cool!" Jamie said in excitement. "I'm going to check out that race."
"I'll be racing in it since Jet will be there," Sonic said.
"Us too," Knuckles said, gesturing to himself, Tails, and Vector, who nodded.
"Since Charmy and I don't ride Extreme Gear, we'll cheer you guys on from the crowd," Espio said with a smile.
Tails looked at Jamie. "What about you, Jamie? Are you going to enter the race with us?" He asked.
The boy looked stunned. "W-What?" He stammered. "Me ENTER the race?!" He shook his head. "No, thanks. I don't think I'm ready for that."
Vector smiled. "You should give it a shot, Jamie," he said encouragingly. "Even if you don't win, it'll still be fun."
"Vector's right," Sonic said. "Come on, Jamie. It'll be fun."
"You should enter," Espio said with a smile. "It'll be a good experience too."
Charmy looked at Rachel. "What about you, Rach?" He asked. "You could enter too."
She smiled. "I haven't really done any races, but it does sound like fun," she said. "And Espio's right, it'll be a good experience." She looked at Jamie. "Go for it, bro. You won't regret it."
"Yeah!" Tails said excitedly. "Not only that, you'll be with us. And racing's always fun with friends."
Their words of encouragement helped the boy and he nodded. "Alright, I'll enter," he said.
Rachel smiled. "Guess there was a reason I brought this today," she said, pulling out her Avatar-F board.
Knuckles smirked. "Hope you're ready for some tough competition," he said to her teasingly.
She smirked back. "Just don't cry when I beat you, Knux," she teased right back.
"Yeah, sure," he said playfully, giving her sides a playful poke and she laughed, jumping away from him, giving him a playful glare, which made the others smile at the playful banter between the two.
They all headed to the track and they all, save for Charmy and Espio, signed up and they headed off to do some practice as the race was later that day.
Rachel impressed them all with her 'around the clock' spin before she landed and then did a front flip in mid air, landing on her board before landing solidly on the ramp while Jamie worked on perfecting Jet's trick again, but with each attempt, he kept falling off the board and he sighed. "Man, I'm still not getting it," he said, trying not to feel frustrated.
"Keep practicing, Jamie," Vector said encouragingly. "You'll get it."
"And you'll nail that landing before you know it," Tails said with a smile.
The others encouraged the boy to not give up when a voice suddenly spoke up. "A kid as talented as you should realize how to nail my best trick."
They turned and to their surprise, it was the Babylon Rogues themselves, Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow, and Storm the Albatross, hovering on their boards nearby. Seeing them, Rachel moved a bit closer to Jamie, her protective side taking over as she glanced over at Knuckles, who gave a wave of his hand to tell her it was okay.
As they watched, the three Rogues rode over and stopped in front of them all. Hopping off his board, Jet walked right up to Jamie, smiling. "I've been watching you practice and I have to admit, kid, you have real talent on Extreme Gear," he said.
"Thanks," Jamie said, ecstatic that his idol said he was good on Extreme Gear.
Rachel relaxed her stance a bit, glad that Jet was being nice to her cousin/brother while everyone else was surprised that Jet admitted the boy's skills were good. Even Wave and Storm were surprised.
Jamie then took a deep breath and looked up at Jet hopefully. "Jet, can you possibly tell me what I'm doing wrong to get your trick right?" He asked.
A moment of silence passed before Jet spoke up. "You're holding the handstand too long," he said.
That came as a shock to everyone that the racer was telling the boy and willing to show him how to do his best trick. Rachel looked at Sonic, who looked at her. "Guess he really is impressed with Jamie," the blue hedgehog whispered to her.
"I'm glad," she whispered back. "This will no doubt give Jamie the boost of confidence he needs for the race."
Jet pulled his board over and began demonstrating his trick to show the boy where his error was. "You're standing in the handstand pose as your board is coming down and when you push yourself back onto your feet, the momentum moves your board off balance," he explained as he showed the boy what he was doing wrong before continuing. "You need to push yourself back onto your feet the split second your hand is flat on your board." He again demonstrated. "See? That way you'll be back on your feet just before the board decends and you won't be thrown off balance."
Jamie nodded. "Oh, right," he said as he saw what he had been doing wrong. "That makes sense!" He said in realization as he was glad Jet showed him.
The hawk smirked and gestured to the ramp, to which the boy nodded and grabbed his board, running up to the top of the ramp. Sonic looked at Jet and smirked. "Maybe I can try your trick now," he said teasingly.
The Hawk gave him a look. "Just 'cause I told him how to do it doesn't mean you can, Hedgehog," he said.
Rachel chuckled, sensing the rivalry between the two. "And I thought Knuckles and I had a rivalry," she said, smirking at the red echidna, who smirked back playfully.
"Oh, we do, kid," he said, to which the others chuckled.
Storm looked at Jet. "Why did you teach him your trick in the first place, Jet?" She asked.
He smiled. "He just reminds me of someone," he said.
Jamie was at the top of the ramp and ready to go when Jet called up to him. "Remember, the second your hand is flat on the board, push yourself back up!" He called out.
The boy nodded down at the hawk before heading down the ramp and as soon as he jumped up, he did the breakdance and the handstand pose, pushing himself back up on his feet as soon as his hand was flat on the board, doing exactly as Jet had said, and even though he still wobbled slightly, he nailed the landing, not falling off this time. "You did it, Jamie!" Charmy cheered happily as the boy rode back over to them.
"Way to go, bro!" Rachel said, proud of him.
"Told you that you'd get it!" Vector cheered as the others cheered too.
"You were amazing, Jamie!" Sonic said, giving the boy a fist bump.
"Thanks, guys," the boy said with a smile before looking at Jet and suddenly hugging him. "And thanks for teaching me how to do your trick, Jet."
The hawk stiffened in surprise, not used to hugs and having not expected the boy to hug him, but he patted the boy's head and laughed. "No sweat, kid," he said as he firmly, but gently, pushed the boy off him. He got back onto his board and turned to his team. "Get ready for the race," he said to them and they nodded.
Jamie looked at him. "You probably don't need it, Jet, but good luck in the race," he said.
Jet turned to the boy and was silent for a moment before nodding with a smile. "Back at you, kid," he said before leaving with his team.
Rachel looked at her watch. "We've got a few hours before the race," she said. "I think we should rest up before it starts. Don't want to be tired going into this."
"I agree," Sonic said. "Take a rest, guys. We need to bring our A-game to this."
Jamie looked at them. "You guys go ahead without me," he said. "I want to practice some more."
"Okay, but make sure to give yourself enough time to rest before the race," Rachel said to him, smiling gently.
"I will," he promised.
As the others left, the boy went back to practicing Jet's trick and using what the hawk had taught him, he got an idea for a brand-new trick of his own.
Rachel and Sonic, along with the others, were walking around the stadium before they bumped into a weasel-wolf hybrid purple Mobian with a cowboy hat, boots and a popgun on his belt. The other Mobians recognized him at once. "Fang The Sniper, A.K.A. Nack The Weasel," Sonic said, a look of distrust on his face.
"What are you doing here?" Vector asked, narrowing his eyes.
Fang laughed sneakily. "Oh, I'm here for the shiny treasure and I'll do anything to get it," he said before walking away, still laughing.
Rachel got a bad feeling about him and she looked at the others. "Why do I get the feeling he's going to cause trouble?" She asked.
"Knowing Fang, it wouldn't surprise me," Knuckles said.
Sonic nodded. "Keep him in the back of your minds, but focus on the race," he said. "We've got some tough competition out there."
Jamie soon met up with them and after all the races, it was down to the final three contestants: Jamie, much to his shock and his friends' and family's happiness, Jet, and Fang.
A few minutes before the race started, Jamie was walking around before he came across Jet's board and he saw Fang messing around with it. Getting a bad feeling, he hid so that the weasel didn't see him and after Fang snuck away, Jamie went over to see what had happened and to his shock, he found a familiar circular object. Pulling it off the board, he recognized it to be a remote bomb and realized Fang had placed it there to possibly knock Jet out of the race. "I gotta show Rach and the others," he said to himself, but before he could move, a voice called out.
"See?! I told you he was planning something!"
Jamie turned and to his shock, he saw Fang with the Babylon Rogues and the weasel was pointing at the boy accusingly. Before the boy could say anything, Jet stormed over, snatching the object from the boy and showing it to Storm. "Storm, tell me what this is," he said firmly.
"It's definitely a remote bomb," she said.
Jet glared at the boy and stalked towards him, making the boy back up until he was cornered against the wall. "THIS is how you repay me for teaching you my trick? By being a little cheat?!"
"No, Jet," Jamie said, looking a bit scared. "I found it on your board, but I didn't put it there."
Jet wasn't listening however and took a step closer, but just then, Rachel and Vector, along with the others, came running in, having heard the commotion and Vector pulled Jamie away from Jet, holding the boy protectively as Rachel glared at the hawk. "What do you think you're doing?!" She said to him, not happy that he had apparently been bullying her cousin/brother.
"The kid put a remote bomb on Jet's board to put him out of the race," Storm said.
"He wants to win, so he tried to cheat," Wave said.
"What?!" Sonic said. "No way! Jamie wouldn't do that."
"Absolutely not," Vector said, still holding the boy protectively.
"Jamie would never do anything like that!" Rachel said, starting to get angry.
The others stood up for Jamie, but Fang turned to the Rogues. "I saw him, Jet," he said. "The boy put that bomb on your board. He will do anything to win."
Jet looked back at the boy with anger. "I take back what I said," he said angrily. "You haven't got talent. You're just a pathetic cheat."
That was the last straw for Rachel and she glared at Jet, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her red Chaos Emerald. Energy began crackling around her as her eyes began to glow red along with her Emerald. "No one. Calls. My. Brother. A cheat," she said slowly and angrily, the energy crackling around her harder now as she took a step towards Jet, but just as she did, Espio got in front of her. She looked down at him and he held his hands up to her in a 'stop' gesture, gently shaking his head and indicating his head towards Jamie. The young woman looked towards the boy and then turned back to Jet, taking a deep breath and the energy receded, the glow in both her eyes and the Emerald dying down as she put it back in her pocket before she looked at the hawk again.
"Stay away from Jamie, because next time, no one's stopping me from singeing your feathers, jerk," she growled at him before turning to Vector. "Vector, get Jamie out of here. Charmy, you go with them."
Both nodded, not daring to argue with her as they took Jamie outside as the boy had started to cry in both upset and sadness.
Jet glared at Rachel. "Seems like you're the jerk for defending a cheater," he said to her, making her glare at him again before he looked at his team. "Let's go, guys," he said before looking at Fang. "And thank you, Fang, for alerting me to what that cheater was doing."
Fang nodded and left with them while Rachel turned to the others. "Come on," she said. "Jamie needs us."
They left the area, not seeing Fang sneak back in and place another bomb on Jet's board before heading out again.
Meanwhile, Rachel and the others caught up to Vector, Jamie, and Charmy. The boy was still crying and hugging the crocodile, who held him comfortingly. "Jamie, it's okay," Sonic said softly, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.
Rachel kneeled down and took one of the boy's hand, gently squeezing it and rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand. The soothing gestures helped the boy calm down and he looked at them as the young woman gently wiped away the last of his tears. "Jamie, can you tell us what happened?" She asked.
"Yeah. Something about this stinks worse than week-old chili dogs," Sonic said.
"Fang seemed pretty eager to get Jamie into trouble," Tails said.
"That's a red flag there," Espio said.
Jamie looked at them, seeing they were looking at him. "Jamie," Vector said, making the boy look at him. "You know we know you didn't plant that bomb there. You'd never do something like that."
"Did you see who put it there?" Rachel asked.
The boy nodded. "Fang put the bomb on Jet's board," he said. "I watched him do it, but he made them believe it was me."
Knuckles was boiling mad that Jet had accused Jamie of cheating and now his anger was boiling over. "I'll teach that no-good weasel what for!" He said angrily, his sharp knuckles ready for battle.
"Knuckles, wait," Rachel said gently, making them all look at her. "I'm upset about this too, but the officials aren't going to believe that someone is cheating without hard evidence."
They all nodded before Sonic looked at her. "You feeling okay, Rach?" He asked. "You looked ready to go into an all-out brawl on Jet before Espio stopped you."
She nodded, but then looked a bit embarrassed before sighing. "One of my faults is that when someone accuses a member of my family of cheating or hurts one of them, I go into protective mode and just act without thinking," she admitted. "It's happened before."
"It's good to be protective, but one mustn't let anger cloud their judgment," Espio said gently. "I was a bit worried you wouldn't listen to me when I stood there in front of you."
"I'm glad you did," she said to the chameleon. "Though I'm still pretty mad at Jet."
"Can't blame you," Vector said. "He was being a jerk to Jamie."
Sonic sighed. "Okay," he said. "So how do we prove that Fang is the real cheater?"
"I'll get access to the security cameras for footage of Fang's cheating," Tails said. "Knowing him, he forgot there were cameras everywhere."
"Okay," Knuckles said before looking at Jamie. "Jamie, you should get ready for the race."
"I agree," Vector said. "And don't worry. We'll tell the Babylon Rogues what really happened."
"And no matter if you win or lose, you still did great in the competition today," Rachel said, giving him a hug. "You're always a winner with us, bro. Don't forget that."
"Clear your mind and focus on the race," Espio said.
"You're gonna do great!" Charmy said with a smile.
"We believe in you, Jamie," Sonic said, giving the boy a hug.
Still upset over what happened, Jamie sighed, but nodded. "I'll do my best," he promised.
It was soon time for the race and the three racers took their positions. Jamie shared a glance with Jet, who glared at him and looked away. The boy then looked at Fang, who laughed in an evil way. The boy looked concerned at this, but then focused on the race as the countdown began and the race started.
It was a difficult race, but Jamie held a steady lead as the three of them entered the final stretch, Jet and Fang a few feet behind the boy. "I'm not letting some cheater beat me," the hawk said, still angry over what happened earlier.
Fang smirked. "Don't worry," he said, making Jet look over at him as the weasel held up a detonator in his hand. The hawk's eyes widened in shock and realization as the weasel continued. "I'll make sure he doesn't!"
With that, he pressed the button and the bomb on Jet's board went off, severely damaging the board and injuring the hawk, who fell off the board, groaning as he landed hard, his whole body aching.
A shocked gasp rang through the crowd, which Jamie heard and he looked up at the big screen, seeing Jet was badly injured. Quickly, the boy pulled his board to a stop right before the finish line, allowing Fang to pass him and win. The weasel let out a cheer, but didn't notice that no one was paying attention to him.
As everyone watched, Jamie turned his gear around and headed back over to Jet. "What's he doing?" Knuckles asked in confusion.
Rachel realized what the boy was doing and smiled. "He's doing what he does best," she said, making them look at her as she looked at them as she clarified. "Helping others. It's his greatest strength."
Vector looked curious. "Even if that person did him wrong?" He asked.
"Even then," she said as she nodded to where Jamie had pulled up to Jet. "Even though Jet accused him of cheating, Jamie is still going to help him finish this race. Not to prove who's better, but because it's the right thing to do. And that's what most important to Jamie: doing the right thing."
"That's what makes him such a great friend," Sonic said. "No wonder the blue Emerald chose him for its guardian."
They all smiled before watching what was happening on the track.
Jamie hopped off his board and went up to Jet, helping him to get up and get back on his board. The hawk looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing, kid?" He asked in confusion.
"The Legendary Wind Master always finishes a race, right?" The boy asked, getting up on his board and carefully pushing Jet's board with his own down the track towards the finish line, making Jet come in second while the boy came in third. As they crossed the finish line, the crowd began clapping and cheering, standing on their feet as they did so.
Sonic grinned. "Come on," he said. "Let's go show our buddy we're proud of him."
They headed down to where the others were and Fang was on the stage, accepting the trophy for winning when a voice called out above the din. "Wait!"
Everyone looked to see Tails was there and he had a tablet in his hand. Jamie saw his other friends were there too and Knuckles spoke up. "We have proof that Fang cheated," he said. "He sabotaged Jet's board and tried to pin the blame on Jamie."
Whispers spread through the crowd before Rachel spoke up. "Everyone, please direct your attention to the big screen," she said. "And see for yourselves what this slimy weasel did."
The footage began playing and everyone saw Fang sabotaging Jet's board clear as day and turned to glare at the weasel, who looked nervous before the crowd began booing loudly. Afraid now, Fang quickly hightailed it out of the stadium, leaving the trophy behind.
The officials called for an intermission and the crowd dispersed. Rachel led the others to the tent where Jamie was resting, his board beside him. He looked up and stood up as they came over and Rachel pulled him into a big hug. "I'm so proud of you, bro," she said, smiling.
"You did a good thing, going back to help Jet after he accused you of sabotaging his board," Sonic said.
"You showed the definition of a true player and a true winner," Espio said with a nod.
"You were awesome, Jamie!" Charmy said happily, hugging the boy.
Vector nodded, hugging the boy too. "We're all proud of you," he said.
"Rachel was right," Knuckles said. "Helping others is your greatest strength."
Jamie shrugged. "It was the right thing to do," he said modestly. "Anyone would have done it."
Rachel smiled before noticing Jet coming towards him, looking better after getting help for his injuries, though his left arm was wrapped up a little. She stepped towards him, her hand resting over the pocket that had her Emerald in it. Jet stopped and looked at her. "You got every right to be mad at me," he said. "And you can singe my feathers later, but...can I least apologize to Jamie?"
Seeing that he truly meant it, she nodded and stepped aside, allowing him to pass her and go to Jamie, who stood up and went over to him. "Hey, Jet," he said. "How are you feeling?"
"Physically, I'm feeling better, but otherwise...I'm feeling like the world's biggest jerk right now," he said, looking at the boy. "I owe you an apology, kid."
He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for what I said back there and for treating you like a criminal. I should have known you couldn't do something like sabotage."
The boy smiled. "It's okay, Jet," he said. "Fang did sound convincing."
Jet winced, looking away. "Yeah, but I should have given you a chance to explain," he said before looking at the boy again. "You really do have talent and a bright future in Extreme Gear racing. You showed everyone that racing isn't just about winning. It's about doing the right thing. You didn't have to come back and help me, but you did, and I won't forget that."
Jamie smiled, hugging the hawk. "Thanks, Jet," he said.
Jet smiled and hugged him back without hesitation this time. Rachel came up to them and smiled before looking at Jet.
"I owe you an apology, Jet," she said. "I lost my temper back there when I shouldn't have. And I'm sorry I called you a jerk."
He shrugged. "I deserved it," he said. "And I've heard about how you're protective of your family. That's a good trait to have."
She smiled and looked at him. "It takes a lot for someone to admit they were wrong," she said. "I hope you can forgive me."
He nodded. "Can you and Jamie forgive me?" He asked.
Jamie nodded. "You bet," he said.
"Ditto," the young woman said, smiling again and holding out her fist for a fist bump. Smiling, Jet bumped his fist against hers and then against Jamie's when the boy held out his own fist to him.
Just then, the officials came out and announced there was a winner after all and they presented the trophy to Jet, since he came in second and Fang had been disqualified. The hawk smiled before looking at Jamie and then looking up at Wave, motioning her to bring Jamie up to the stage. Curious, she took Jamie's arm and gently pulled him up to the stage. He gave her a curious look and she motioned over to Jet, who smiled and handed the trophy to the boy, who looked at him in surprise.
"You deserve this more than me, Jamie," he said. "Because what you did out there, coming back to help me, you proved that you care more about your friends than winning and you don't seek glory, you earn it."
The crowd was silent as the hawk turned to them and spoke. "Take plenty of pictures, guys," he said. "This boy is the real winner, today and forever."
The crowd cheered as Vector lifted Jamie up onto his shoulders with him holding the trophy and pictures were taken before things settled down and they went back to the practice track. Vector looked up at the boy on his shoulders. "Hey, Jamie, you mentioned you wanted to show us all something," he said. "What was it?"
The boy grinned and grabbed his board, running for the ramp. "Just watch!" He called out as he made it to the top of the ramp.
They watched with stunned amazement as the boy headed down the ramp and did a trick that left them awed. He did a backflip on the board and rotated it and himself into doing a 360 spin while doing two handstands and switching from his left hand to his right before landing cleanly with no wobbling.
"Whoa!" Sonic called out in amazement.
"Go, bro!" Rachel cheered, also amazed.
The others were amazed and gathered around Jamie. "Can you show us how to do that?" Knuckles asked.
Jet interrupted them all. "I should learn it first since I taught you my trick, Jamie," he said.
No one argued this, but smiled as Jamie laughed lightheartedly. "I might teach you if you can get me to," he said.
"Oh, really?" He asked before reaching out, grabbing the boy in a headlock and rubbing his knuckles over the boy's head playfully in a noogie. Everyone smiled at that as Jamie laughed and tried to get out of the headlock, but Jet had him caught. "Well?" He asked with a smirk, still giving the boy a noogie.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAA! OKAY! OKAY!" The boy said, giving in.
Smiling, Jet let him up and the boy got his breath back. "I'll teach you," he said.
Rachel turned to look at Espio, who looked at her and smiled, nodding. "Both have earned a better prize than a trophy," he said.
"Friendship, which is the real prize," she said as they watched Jamie teach Jet his new trick.
For those of you wondering, yes, the scene where Jamie goes back to help Jet was inspired by the Pixar film "Cars" scene where Lightning McQueen goes back to help King finish his last race. :)
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GoldGuardian2418