"Sonic! Blaze! Over here!"

Sonic and Blaze approached Tails, waving at them through the crowds of Metal City. "Yo! Tails! Didn't keep you waitin', did we?"

"No, but we better hurry if we don't want to miss the tournament!" Tails reached into his car and pulled out a board. "I've brought your Gear, and I made some modifications to make it faster, but it might burn through Air faster so you'd better be careful."

"Sweet! Thanks, Tails!" Sonic took the board and looked it over. "Winnin' will be a cinch with a board you made!"

Blaze leaned-in to examine the board. "This is 'Extreme Gear'? We don't have anything like this in the Sol Dimension. Does it really hover above the ground?"

"You bet! Wanna take it for a spin?"

"I'll pass, thank you. I don't really know how to skate."

"Technically it's more like surfing," Tails corrected.

"Well, I don't know how to do that, either. Anyway, like Tails said, we don't have much time. We should hurry."

The three of them travelled through the city, arriving at the Extreme Gear Racing Association headquarters. As they entered, they found the lobby filled with dozens of people standing around with their boards, talking with each other and examining each other's Gears. Sonic noticed how there was a multitude of different species, and judging by the clothes each individual wore, they came from all over the world.

Sonic approached the receptionist, a young human woman in a business suit. "Hey there. I'm here to sign-up for the tournament. Name's Sonic the Hedgehog."

"My apologies, sir," the receptionist said, bowing her head, "But I'm afraid that there are no open slots available for today's competition."

"Say what?!"

Tails frowned. "I guess we did sorta show up at the last minute. With a Chaos Emerald on the line, it makes sense they would've filled-up by now."

"I… don't suppose you can make an exception if it's important, world-saving business we're on?"

"Sorry, sir. The last slot was filled a few hours ago and I'm afraid there's nothing I can do."

Sighing, Sonic turned to Blaze and Tails. "So now what?"

"What if we stick around until the tournament's over?" Blaze suggested. "If we talk to the winner, perhaps we can convince them to hand over the Chaos Emerald."

"Not a chance!" a voice called-out from behind. "You'd have better luck convincing Ro-butt-nik to shave off that goofy moustache of his!"

Blaze narrowed her eyes at the green hedgehog approaching them. "Who are you?"

Sonic grinned, stepping forwards to greet the new arrival. "Well, this is a surprise! Didn't think I'd run into you here!"

The green hedgehog shot out his fist and met it with Sonic's. "Same here! Feels like ages since I've seen you, Bro!"

"'Bro'?" Tails asked, before gasping. "Wait, are you Manic?!"

"So he's told ya about me! That's right! I'm Manic the Hedgehog! And you must be Tails, Sonic's little nerd buddy, right?"

Tails blushed, turning to Sonic with a glare. "'Nerd buddy'?"

Sonic coughed and turned away. Manic turned to Blaze next, looking her up-and-down. Blaze recoiled in response, spitting out, "What?"

"You Sonic's girl?"

Blaze turned red almost immediately. "Excuse me?!"

"She's just a friend!" Sonic said quickly, equally as flustered as Blaze. "Her name's Blaze. We're here looking for the-"

"The Chaos Emerald. I heard ya," Manic said with a wink. "So, that mean you're single then?"

Blaze stammered, looking back-and-forth between Manic and Sonic as she tried to formulate a response. "Forget it, Manic," Sonic said with a grin. "She's a Princess – way out of your league."

"Bummer," Manic said with a shrug, and then turned back to Sonic. "Anyway, you're in luck, 'cause I'm signed-up to compete in the tournament!"

"You are?" Sonic asked.

"Dude, you really don't know? I'm on the pro-boardin' scene now! Ever since MeteorTech went under, some dude named Dodon Pa totally dominated the whole Extreme Gear market. Now anyone can buy a board and become a racer, and I do mean anyone!" He motioned to all of the people gathered in the building. "Extreme Gear's the new big thing, and I'm gunnin' to be one of the top dogs this season!"

"So, you're pretty good then," Sonic surmised. "That mean you think you'll win today?"

"Bro, most of the people signed-up for this tournament think it'll be a cake-walk, but they're never even competed before! It'll be no problem leavin' them in my dust!"

"You seem pretty confident," Blaze said.

"I'm a natural, baby! I finally found my callin' after we split-up the band!"

"'The band'?"

"We used to be a in a band together," Sonic explained.

"We rocked, yo! Check it out!" Manic pulled a photo out of his jacket's inner pocket. Tails and Blaze studied it. There, they saw a younger Sonic, with much shorter quills and a black leather jacket, playing an electric guitar. A younger Manic was sat behind a drumkit, with the words 'Sonic Underground' plastered across the front. To the side was a fuchsia hedgehog with pink hair, wearing a red dress, standing behind a keyboard. "This's our big sis, Sonia."

"I didn't know you were in a band," Tails said, turning to Sonic. "How come you never brought it up?"

Sonic shrugged. "It was just a thing we did when we were kids, y'know? Not that big a deal."

"Aw, don't be like that, Bro! You know we totally could've gone far if you and Sonia hadn't left to see the world!"

Suddenly, an announcement rang throughout the area. "All those competing in today's tournament, please report to the workshop to have your Extreme Gear examined. I repeat…"

"Well, guess it's time," Manic said.

"Hey-" Sonic began as Manic started to leave.

"Don't worry! When I win, you can totally have that Chaos Emerald!"

Sonic smiled, and waved after Manic as he ran off. "Guess we can take it easy, then."

"Are you sure he can win?" Tails asked.

"Hmmm… Maybe."

"Maybe, huh?" Tails sighed. "Not like we have much choice… And after I spent all that time upgrading your board."

"Hey, don't sweat it. It could still come in handy. C'mon, let's go find some good seats!"

Silver and Marine slumped as they finally reached the end of the vault, taking a moment to sit and cooldown after the many trials they had faced to get there. "Did she… really have to… make it… so challenging?" Silver asked between pants.

"No… more… ball puzzles…" Marine said, groaning as she grasped her head. "So… annoying…"

"The obstacles I could… handle… but the pitfalls? Why the pitfalls?!"

"And why… did she make it… so we had… ta run ALL THAT WAY BACK… every time we failed?!"

Silver took in a deep breath, and then let it out. "Well, at least we're here now." He approached the pedestal where the Jewelled Sceptre was floating, radiating a brilliant light. "So this is it. The 'Jewelled Sceptre'. Nega somehow uses this to beat Sonic and the others, and then turns the world to a polluted wasteland."

"What a jerk!" Marine huffed. "Well it ain't gonna happen, not if I have anythin' ta say about it!"

Silver nodded. "That's right! We'll protect the future!" Silver reached out and grasped the sceptre, pulling it towards himself and staring down at it intently. "We won't let this fall into Nega's hands!"

"A solid plan, but ultimately futile!" The two gasped, turning around to find Eggman Nega standing behind them, with an army of Egg Gunners blocking the exit. "I'll be taking that now, if you don't mind."

"Nega, wait! Just hear me out! You don't want to do this. I've seen the future your actions create. It won't make you happy, it'll just leave you empty inside!"

"I'll take my chances," Nega said raising a hand and snapping his fingers. Two Egg Gunners approached Silver and Marine. "This is your last warning, Silver."

"Just listen to m-" Silver gasped. As Nega raised his arm, his sleeve slipped just enough for Silver to catch a glimpse of something on his wrist. It was a bracelet, one that looked exactly the same as the one on his own arm. "That bracelet… Where did you…"

Nega grinned. "Guess the cat's out of the bag!"

Silver gritted his teeth. "You… You're the Nega I saw in the future! But why?! I thought you wanted me to change the past! Stop your past self from taking this sceptre!"

"So gullible! Why would I send you to the past to stop me, when I could just go myself and give him some pointers?"

"Then that story you told me, was just a lie?!"

"And he finally catches on!" Nega guffawed as Silver glared daggers at him, gathering psychic energy into his hands.

"So what did destroy our future, if it wasn't you?!"

"Come now, isn't it obvious?! It was my ancestor, Ivo Robotnik, who left the world in that miserable state! I was surprised too, when I returned to the future and found it like that, but then I decided that it would be perfect to enact a plan of my own! For my plan to work, I need the Jewelled Sceptre, which is where you come in, my naïve little friend! Thank you so much for guiding me here!"

"I am not you friend!" Silver shouted, grabbing the two Egg Gunners in his Telekinesis and throwing them at Nega. Nega ducked, allowing the robots to pass over him, and then ordered the rest of the Egg Gunners to charge at the two. "Marine, get behind me!"

"No way! I can fight too, y'know!?" Marine fired blasts of energy at the approaching robots, taking two of them down before they fired at her. "WHOAWHOAWHOAWHOOOOOA!" Marine scurried, diving behind a nearby pillar as she charged another attack.

Silver used his power to grab the bullets fired his way and sent them back at their attackers. As he did so, Marine jumped out from her cover and blasted the remaining Egg Gunners. "Awright! Take that, ya stupid tin cans!"

"It's over, Nega!" Silver shouted. "Whatever vile plans you have for this world or ours, I won't let them come to pass!"

"How heroic of you!" Nega snapped his fingers again, and the ground began to tremble.

"W-What's happening?" Silver asked, eyeing Nega cautiously. His question was answered as the door to the chamber burst open, and a large, chrome-coloured robot floated into the room. Its four arms opened to reveal missile launchers built into them, and it shone spotlights down on both him and Marine. Silver covered his eyes and turned his head from the light. "What's that thing?!"

Nega laughed, pointing a finger at Silver as he shouted, "Egg-Genesis, do your thing!"

"Food for the prisoner." Topaz looked up as a new robot approached her cell, carrying a tray of soup and bread with a single glass of water. She recognised the model as an E-102 Chaos Gamma, an outdated series that Eggman had thrown away when he started producing the Egg Pawns. "Be sure to show your thanks to Doctor Eggman for his generosity."

"Oh, of course," Topaz replied. As the robot placed the tray down on the floor, the one guarding her cell turned around and grabbed it, pulling it quickly out of sight from the camera.

"Cease! Desist!"

The guard reached behind itself and pulled out the USB from its neck, inserting it into the Chaos Gamma's. Suddenly, its captive stopped resisting. Both robots separated and faced Topaz, who simply gave a subtle nod to the two of them.

"Understood," the Chaos Gamma said, and then it left the room, leaving the guard to return to its post.

Walking through the base, the Chaos Gamma kept watch of the security cameras and stayed in their blind spots as it made its way to a nearby server room. Making sure that no patrols were nearby, it entered and approached one of the terminals.

"We have a report from Topaz!" Rouge announced, and Shadow rushed over to her side. "We're receiving files from the Eggnet relating to Soleanna and Princess Elise."

"And? What's Eggman up to?" Shadow asked.

"It'll take some time to crack the defensive barriers."

"Do we at least know where Topaz is being held?"

Rouge scoured the data for a moment, and then smiled. "Yeah. The signal's coming from White Acropolis."

"And the winner is: Manic the Hedgehog!"

The crowd cheered as the green hedgehog crossed the finish line on the monitor. Sonic and Tails jumped out of their seats, high-fiving each other, whilst Blaze shrank next to them, wincing at the explosive fanfare all around her. "I wasn't expecting this many people to be here watching… How many races are there left?"

"The other bracket's race is about to end, and then the four finalists will be decided," Tails explained.

Sonic tried to take a sip of his drink but realised it was empty. "I'll go top-up on refreshments. Want anything?"

"Iced tea, please," Blaze replied, and then Sonic raced past her in a blur, returning a few seconds later with a tray of drinks and a bucket of chilidogs. "How can you eat so much and not be overweight?"

"I burn it all off when I'm running," Sonic said as he spun two chilidogs in his hands and took bites out of both of them. "And besides, I gotta keep my energy up in-case Eggman suddenly shows up."

"And we have our winner from Bracket D!" Omochao reported. "Jet the Hawk has just smashed the competition, and holds onto his undefeated record!" The three looked up to find the monitors displaying the four finalists: Manic the Hedgehog, Jet the Hawk, Sam Speed, and Big the Cat.

"I still can't believe Big actually got this far," Sonic said with a shrug. "Guess it's lucky for us, though! Now we have two people we can cheer for!"

"This 'Sam Speed' is a former member of the Station Square Police Department," Tails said, looking up information on the man on his tablet.

"His name kinda rings a bell," Sonic said, thinking. "I think I raced him back in Station Square… He didn't stand a chance though, naturally."

"Given that he's a former police officer, and that you saved Station Square, he might be willing to give us the Emerald if he wins."

"So it's just this 'Jet' that we need to worry about," Blaze surmised.

"Yeah, but Jet's no pushover," Sonic told her. "He's one of the Babylon Rogues, the group that invented Extreme Gear, and he's been racing longer than anyone else. He even gave me the slip once."

"Could he be reasoned with?"

Sonic and Tails shook their heads in unison. "Not a chance," they said together.

"The Babylon Rogues are pirates," Tails told her. "They'd never give us a Chaos Emerald. Sell it, maybe, but not give it away for free."

"If they're pirates, then why are they being allowed to race? Why aren't they being arrested right now?!"

"Metal City falls outside of UF jurisdiction," Tails told her, "And they're regulars in the Extreme Gear scene, from what I can tell. They likely draw in so much revenue that they have complete immunity here."

Blaze shook her head. "Unbelievable. I guess there's corruption in every world, and pirates, too."

"The final race will begin shortly!" Omochao announced to the crowd. "Everyone, place your final bets now!"

Manic hummed as he approached the starting area for the final race. The previous races had taken place in the outskirts of Metal City, covering the nearby desert, forest, and the abandoned Eggman factory that had been converted into a full-on racetrack. The final race would take place in the city itself, and would begin as soon as the roads had bene cleared of civilian traffic.

"Hey, you!" Manic faced Jet, who had called out to him. "You look like Sonic! Are you related to him?"

"Whoa, you can see the resemblance? Far out! Check it, I'm his younger brother, Manic!"

"His brother?" Jet groaned. "I was hoping to even the score with him today, but I guess he was too afraid to show himself! Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter. It looks like it'll be an easy victory!"

"Yo, don't be so sure. I got mad skills!"

"And I'm the undisputed champion when it comes to race cars!" Sam Speed proudly declared as he approached the two.

"That's cute, but there's a world of difference between cars and Extreme Gear!" Jet replied.

Sam nodded. "I know, and that's why I'm here! I'm going to conquer all forms of speed! Cars, planes, jetboats, you name it! The only one I've lost to so far is Sonic!"

Manic grinned. "Alright! Looks like some wicked competition, just the way I like it!" He turned to Big, who was off to the side staring ahead at the starting line. "Hey big guy, how about you? What you racin' for?"

Big turned to the three other competitors, and stared at them silently for a few moments. "Froggy…"

The three tilted their heads, expecting more, but Big simply turned back to the starting line. "Huh, guess that's like… his girl, or something?" Manic said with a shrug.

"The strong, silent type," Sam said, rubbing his chin as he stared intensely at Big. "Must be more dangerous than he looks. I'd better watch my back with that one."

"Feh! You're all amateurs compared to me!" Jet said, walking away from the group. He turned back to Big, watching him for just a few moments. 'Still, I can't get a read on that guy. Better not let my guard down…'

Meanwhile, Big sighed as he looked down at his board, wondering how he got himself into this situation to begin with. 'All I wanted was to find Froggy, after he went into that big building by himself. I tried to ask that lady if she had seen him and the next thing I knew, I was entering this race… I'd better finish fast so that I can continue looking for him.'

"Thank you all for your patience! The race to find out who's the fastest is about to begin! Betting is now closed!" Omochao announced. "Racers, please take your positions at the start!"

The four racers stood side-by-side at the start, and the countdown began. Sam crouched, Jet and Manic slowly crept backwards, watching the laser tripwire behind them, and Big stood still, simply staring forwards. As the tripwire passed Jet and Manic, the two ran alongside it, using it as a guide. Sam closed his eyes and listened to the chimes of the countdown, taking off in a sprint at one second remaining.

As the electricity guarding the start line went away, all three of them passed through it together, gaining huge boosts as they jumped onto their boards and raced through the city. "And they're off! What an amazing start!" Omochao declared.

Big passed the start line moments later, missing his chance at the boost the others had received. "It looks like Big is off to a slow start! He'll need to build speed fast if he wants to stay in the running!"

Manic, Jet and Sam were keeping up with each other, each one refusing to give even an inch to their rivals. Manic, being to the right, had an advantage at the first corner, where there was a rail he could grind on to gain speed and preserve Air.

Jet and Sam boosted to keep up with him, the former manoeuvring into the latter's path in an attempt to drive him into a wall. Sam slowed-down and then boosted again once Jet was out of the way. "Nice try, but not fast enough!"

"The race is getting pretty heated! Manic has taken the lead, and Sam is catching-up, but his repeated boosts might come back to bite him."

"Not a problem!" Sam moved into the trail of turbulence left behind Manic's board and rode the wind.

"Look at Sam ride that turbulence! Oh? Looks like Jet's just grew wings, 'cause he's flying!"

Sam and Manic looked over to find Jet soaring above them, navigating through a series of Accelerator Rings to cut several corners and land far ahead of the two of them. "Later, losers!" Jet taunted as he boosted onwards.

"Heh, not bad!" Manic drifted around the next corner and used the built-up Air to propel himself forwards. Meanwhile, Sam ignored the corner and rode straight towards a wall that was blocking his path.

"When you're the Speed King, no obstacle stands in your way!" Using the Power Core in his Extreme Gear, Sam smashed through the wall, creating a shortcut that allowed him to ignore the corners and catch-up to Jet. "Sorry, but I'll be taking the lead from here!"

"You wish!" Jet unleashed a tornado behind himself, drastically reducing his own speed. Sam avoided the attack and passed him. "Damnit!"

"Yo, Jet!" Manic shouted as he passed-by. "Don't run out of Air now!"

"Grrrrrr! Get back here!"

"And with that, Sam Speed is now dominating the track, with a considerable gap between him and Manic!"

Sonic whistled. "This guy's good. C'mon Manic, do it to it!"

"Go for it, Manic!" Tails cheered, jumping out of his seat.

"You two are way too into this…" Blaze said, lowering her ears against her head.

"Wait, something appears to be approaching to the track," Omochao announced. "I don't think it's part of the event. What could it be?" Suddenly, an explosion sounded in the distance, and one of the monitors lost its signal. "T-This is bad! It's Doctor Eggman! He's just attacked one of the racers!"

People began to whisper and mumble to each other, some getting out of their seats and leaving. "Let's go!" Sonic said. Tails and Blaze followed him as he raced towards the site of the attack.

Sam groaned as he picked himself up, coughing and wafting away the thick smoke. "W-Who did that? You're gonna… gonna be sorry!"

Manic arrived at the scene and skidded to a halt, running over to Sam to check if he was okay. "Dude, what happened?!"

"I'm not sure… Some missiles came out of nowhere, and then I-" Sam started coughing, and Manic helped him move out of the smoke. "T-Thanks… Ah! My board!"

Manic looked over to find that Sam's board had been broken into many pieces. "Man, it's totalled… What's goin' on here?! Who did this?!"

"OH-HOHOHOHOHO!" A flying craft appeared in the skies above them. Within that craft, a humanoid figure looked down at the two. "What a shame! I was hoping to take out Sonic with that blast, but I got the wrong one! … Hm? Now that I get a good look, you aren't Sonic at all!"

"I'm his brother, Manic!" Manic told him, his fists clenched. "I know you! You're Doctor Ro-butt-nik!"

"'Ro-butt-nik'? Hah! That's a good one! I understand the confusion, but the man you're talking about is my ancestor! I'm-"

"Nega!" Sonic, Blaze and Tails arrived at the scene. Moments later, Jet passed the lot of them, completely ignoring the commotion as he continued on with the race.

"Manic, you go on!" Sonic told his brother. "We'll handle things here!"

Manic nodded, and jumped back onto his board as he continued the race. Tails rushed over to Sam and lifted him into the air. "I'll take Sam somewhere safe, to treat his injuries!"

"There's no need for that!" Sam protested. "Let me help! I won't let him get away with destroying my Gear!"

"You won't be any help in the state you're in," Tails said. "Just leave it to them. They'll make sure he pays."

Sam continued to protest, but it was futile as Tails flew him away from the site of the attack, back towards the spectator stands.

"Nega, what are you scheming?!" Blaze demanded. "Why did you have me come to this world?! How did you get the jump on me?! And also…" Blaze took out one of her Sol Emeralds. "What did you do with the Emeralds you stole from me?! If they were on you, my own Emeralds would have reacted!"

"My, aren't you an inquisitive one? Careful though! You know what curiosity did to the cat, don't you?"

"Whatever you're plannin', we'll stop it!" Sonic declared. "Why not save yourself the butt-whooping and just surrender now?"

"A tempting offer. Allow me to think about it." Nega pressed a switch in his craft, and several Egg Gunners flew in from all directions, surrounding the two. "Why don't you talk it over with my robots, while I go and take that Chaos Emerald?"

Sonic and Blaze stood back-to-back as the robots approached. Nega flew off towards the finish line. "So you want the honour of kickin' his butt this time?" Sonic asked.

"And leave you to fight alone? I think we can give him a head start." Blaze and Sonic rushed out as the Egg Gunners fired on them. Blaze spun around on one foot and extended her hands, shooting flames around her in a ring, and sliced through her targets.

Sonic meanwhile bounded between robots with his homing attack, stopping to give the occasional taunt that caused one Egg Gunner to fire on another. After finishing off the robots present, the two chased after Eggman Nega. "He must be after the Chaos Emerald," Sonic said.

"We'll stop him, and then we'll make him talk!" Arriving at the finish line, the two found the podium where the racers would stand had been destroyed, Omochao was out of commission, and the event staff had moved some distance away. "Where did he go?!" Blaze asked them, and one pointed off into the distance.

"That way! He stole the Chaos Emerald!" Sonic and Blaze took off right away. "Ah! Wait!" But it was too late. The two were already gone.

Jet and Manic were neck-and-neck as they tore through the track. Drifting around a sharp bend, Jet rammed into Manic in an attempt to throw him off, but the hedgehog responded by ramming back. Jet realised that the two were even in terms of force, so he stopped and focussed on out-pacing his opponent. Seeing a ramp ahead, Jet boosted, making sure to stay in front of Manic as he jumped high into the air, pulling off a series of tricks to refill his Air tank.

Manic followed and performed his own tricks, but as he landed, he noticed that Jet had picked up a bomb from an Item Capsule and thrown it backwards. Manic pulled-back and narrowly avoided the bomb rolling towards him, and Jet took the chance to expand the gap between them. Manic boosted, and turned onto a street where cars where lined along the track as obstacles. Weaving between them, he could see that Jet was using his Fly Gear to simply avoid the hazard. "Man, I need to get me one of those!"

As Manic made it through the obstacle without taking any damage, he boosted again to catch-up to Jet. He saw a grind-rail and headed towards it, but as he prepared to jump, he noticed Nega passing by in the distance, with the Chaos Emerald in his hand! "Hey! That's not yours, ya thief!"

Ditching the rail, Manic rode his board off-road and followed Nega's craft. He saw a rock jutting out from the ground ahead of him and leaned forwards, increasing his speed to get ahead of his target. Using the rock as a ramp, Manic soared through the air and grabbed onto Nega's pod.

"Grrr! Will you pesky hedgehogs stop doing that?!" Nega activated his electric shielding, but Manic had already pulled himself up and was jumped into the cockpit, grabbing the Chaos Emerald and attempting to pry it away from Nega. "You little- I can see how the two of you are related!"

"Heh, thanks, but I gotta warn ya: I might not be faster, but I'm stronger than my big bro!" Manic delivered a kick to Nega's stomach, though it seemed to have no effect. "What?!"

"Hmph!" Nega pulled the Chaos Emerald out of Manic's hands and quickly grabbed the controls, spinning the craft around repeatedly. He watched as Manic struggled not to fall out. "You can't hang-on forever!"

"Hey, Eggman!" Jet soared into the air on his board, wielding his Bashōsen – twin fans made of his own feathers – and swinging them to create a powerful gust of wind. Manic fell out and rode the wind down safely to the ground, whilst Nega stopped the spinning and turned to focus on Jet.

"Over here, Nega!" Blaze shouted, soaring into the sky above Nega and delivering a kick to the back of his pod.

Jet slammed his fans into the front as he flew by, and while Nega was disorientated from the dual attacks, Sonic leapt up onto the craft and snatched the Chaos Emerald from out of his hand. "Didn't you hear, Nega? You gotta sign-up to race to earn this!"

"Nega, tell me where the Sol Emeralds are!" Blaze demanded as she hovered in the air, flames roaring from the palms of her hand. "If you don't, I'll…" Nega groaned, reaching for the Chaos Emerald in Sonic's hand, only for the hedgehog to jump off and land on the ground down below. Blaze's flames grew larger. "Last chance!"

"Be quiet! I couldn't care less about your Sol-" Suddenly, the console in Nega's pod let out a series of beeps. He looked down and studied his onboard monitor for a few seconds. "… You want your Sol Emeralds back? Then you'll have to come and take them from me!"

"Tell me where they are now!" Blaze watched as Nega turned to face her, no concern on his face as he prepared to leave. She fired her flames, but Nega pressed a button and a green shield enveloped his pod, protecting him from the ferocious attack before shattering.

Before Blaze could prepare her next attack, Nega activated the turbo boosters on his craft and blasted through the air. "We'll meet again soon enough! And when we do, you won't get off so easy!"

Blaze watched with frustration as Nega escaped into the distance, and then slowly descended down to the ground. "Damn him. He's just toying with me!"

"Blaze, it's okay," Sonic said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We got the Chaos Emerald back, and we'll get your Sol Emeralds back, too!"

Blaze smiled. "Thanks. It's just so… aggravating, knowing that I let him fool me so easily. How can I protect my people if I can't even watch my own back?"

"Nobody's perfect," Sonic said with a shrug, and then leaned in to whisper, "Don't tell anyone, but even I got fooled by Eggman once before."

"Well, yeah, I don't doubt that," Blaze replied.

"Whoa! Don't be too surprised now." The two laughed.

Meanwhile, Manic approached Jet, who was off to the side. "Thanks for the assist out there, bro."

"I'm not your 'bro'! I just didn't want that creep Eggman, or whoever that was, to steal my Chaos Emerald!" Jet looked back towards the track. "We still got a race to settle. Better get your board, or I'll have a head start!"

Manic grinned, running over to grab his Gear. After checking that it wasn't damaged, he returned to Jet and said, "Thanks for waitin' for me."

"Whatever. Just don't take any detours this time, or I will leave you in the dust!"

The two took off, racing through the remainder of the track as they navigated through heavy traffic, took advantage of various shortcuts, and battled it out by using items provided to them by the organisers.

As the two approached the finish line, the crowd cheered. They crossed together. "Hah! I crossed first!" Jet declared, jumping off of his board. "Looks like it's my win!"

"You're trippin', man! I totally crossed first!"

"It looks like we'll have to watch the replay," Dodon Pa said as he approached the two. He and the duo looked up at a large monitor above them, where the final moments of their race were played-back in slow-motion. The two approached the finish line, and crossed at exactly the same time. "Well now! It looks like it was a tie!"

"A tie?!" They shouted in union.

"So it would seem!" Dodon Pa laughed. "Not that there's anything wrong with that! The two of you raced splendidly! You should be proud to tie for second place!"

"Wait, second?" Jet asked. "What do you mean, 'second'?!"

"Just what he said!" Wave shouted, approaching Jet with an angry look on her face. Storm followed behind her, keeping his distance as she confronted their boss. "You shouldn't have stopped to help them fight Eggman! You let the competition pass you!"

"C-Calm down, Wave," Storm said, attempting to pull her back, but she shot him a glare and he stopped.

"What 'competition'?" Jet looked off to the side, where he found Big the Cat holding a large trophy, confetti flying around him and crowds cheering. "Him?!"

Manic scratched his head. "Man, I totally forgot he was even here."

Sonic and Blaze arrived at that time, stopping behind Manic and Jet. "Looks like we just made it! So, who won?" Manic and Jet pointed to Big, surprising Sonic. "Huh, didn't see that coming."

"We've retrieved the Chaos Emerald," Blaze said, and Sonic handed the Emerald over to Dodon Pa. Dodon Pa simply laughed.

"Well, I thank you for your help, but I'm afraid that's not the Chaos Emerald."

"It isn't?"

Dodon Pa clapped his hands, and a sheep girl approached the group, wheeling a trolley with something hidden beneath a blanket. "It's just a prop for display. I kept the real one hidden inside my vault. The walls of that vault block the energy waves the Chaos Emeralds emit." Removing the blanket, Dodon Pa revealed the real blue Chaos Emerald, sitting in a glass case. He noticed that also inside the case was a green frog, sitting atop the Emerald. "Oh?"

"Froggy!" Big ran over to the case and tried to open it. Dodon Pa released the lock, and the case opened, allowing Froggy to hop into Big's arms. "There you are! I was getting worried for you! Hm? … I see. You were attracted to the pretty light, huh?"

Dodon Pa scratched his head. "But he did he even… It seems I'll have to update my security…"

"Is that how it is?" Sonic asked as he and Blaze approached Big. "In that case, think he'd be willing to trade that Emerald for this one?" He offered the prop Emerald to Big, and then turned to Dodon Pa. "Assuming that's okay with you."

"Of course! It's just a cheap rock, after all, and I owe the two of you for driving that nefarious mad scientist away from my race!"

Big took the prop Emerald, and laughed when Froggy immediately latched onto it. "Froggy says 'thanks, Sonic'." He offered the real Chaos Emerald to Sonic.

"No prob! Glad he likes it. And 'grats on winnin' the race!"

"Race?" Big blinked. "Oh, that's right! Froggy, you'll never believe the day I had looking for you!"

Jet threw back his head. "GAAAAAH! Unbelievable! How could I lose to that?!"

Manic simply laughed. "Well, can't win 'em all! This just means we'll have to try harder next time!" He offered his hand to Jet. "We'll settle the score then!"

Jet looked down at Manic's hand for a moment, and then grasped it. "Heh, sure! Just don't cry too bad when you lose!"

"Right back at ya!" Manic turned to Sonic. "Hey big bro! You off to go save the world again?"

"You know it!" Sonic replied.

"Give that Doctor a butt-whoopin' from me, okay?" Sonic gave a thumbs-up. "And Blaze, lemme give you my number, just in-case ya need it," Manic added with a wink.

"That's… quite alright," Blaze insisted, though it didn't stop Manic from placing a scrap of paper into her hands.

"Alright, I'm off ta get some more practice in! Sonic, go visit Mum sometime!"

With that, Manic rode off on his Extreme Gear. Meanwhile, Wave was pulling Jet away by his ear, with Storm trying to calm her down as they went. "Next time you lose a precious treasure like that to play the hero, I'll-"

"Ahhh, shut it! We didn't need that Emerald any- YOW! Let me go!" Jet looked over to Sonic. "Sonic, you better believe we'll have our rematch someday! Seriously Wave, cut it out!"

Blaze sighed as she looked at the phone number in her hand. "What do I do with this? I don't even have a phone…"

"Well, how about we go buy you one when all this is over?" Sonic suggested. "Anyway, with this, we're at four Emeralds now."

"Sonic!" Tails flew towards the duo, looking rather flustered as he landed. "Sonic, Blaze, we just got word from Commander Tower! We need to head back right away!"

"Do we know what Eggman's planning?" Sonic asked.

Tails shook his head, and turned to Blaze. "Not exactly, but we know what his target is. It's the Jewelled Sceptre!"

Blaze's face paled, and her hands shook as smoke rose from her wrists. Her brows furrowed, and she shouted, "What?!"

Topaz looked nervously as Eggman approached her cell, opening the door and entering with an uncomfortable grin on his face. He had never come by before, save for when she was initially thrown-in there. Topaz watched him carefully as he approached.

"Now, Princess, it's time to introduce you to my partner, the one whom you have to thank for your current situation!"

A second man walked into the room. He looked identical to Eggman, save for his clothes and the colour of his moustache. "A pleasure to meet you, Princess Elise," the man said. "You may call me Eggman Nega, or simply 'Nega' if you prefer! Not that it will matter, since your part in all this will soon be over anyway."

"What do you mean?" Topaz asked, masking her voice to sound more like Elise's. "What do you want from me?"

"Just some answers," Nega replied. "We won't be asking your directly, though. You see, the answers you hold are lost even to you. But I have it on good authority that you are connected to a very significant event. One that will enable us to recover a great power that was lost a long time ago." Nega pulled out a sceptre, and held it over Topaz's head.

Topaz tensed, and shifted her eyes to Eggman. He seemed to be watching intently and curiously. There was no opening to strike. She waited, and gasped as the sceptre began to glow. Then, the glow disappeared, and nothing seemed to happen…

Eggman sighed. "Let me guess: you failed."

Nega gritted his teeth and snapped his attention to Eggman. "Of course not! Something's just… wrong, that's all! It should be a simple matter of holding it over the Princess' head and opening the pathway!"

Eggman turned to Topaz, staring into her eyes. "And what is it exactly that makes the Princess so special?"

"I've already explained it to you! She was at the centre of it all! She was the one who extinguished Solaris!"

"Solaris?" Topaz asked, gasping as she lowered her head. For just a brief moment, she had failed to mask her voice.

Eggman narrowed his eyes. He approached 'Elise' and stared down at her, whilst Nega fumbled with the Jewelled Sceptre behind him. Suddenly, Eggman reached out his hand and grabbed her hair, pulling off the wig in one swift motion.

Topaz lunged from her seat, pushing Eggman away and then swinging and delivering a kick to Nega, which sent him flying against the bars of the cell. She stared Eggman down as she assumed an offensive stance, dropping her unlocked handcuffs to the floor.

"You little sneak! You're one of GUN's agents, aren't you?!" Eggman demanded.

Topaz didn't answer. Instead, she rushed Eggman and threw a punch. Eggman caught it and threw one his own, but Topaz ducked and swept his feet. Falling, Eggman rolled to get away from her and scrambled to his feet. He turned just in-time to find her delivering a roundhouse kick, and parried the attack, knocking Topaz off-balance. He delivered a strong blow to her gut.

As Topaz reeled from the blow, Eggman heard the sounds of metal clanking behind him and turned around. The robot guarding the cell was aiming its gun at him! "Oh-hoh! So you turned my own robot against me, eh?" The robot fired, but its shots missed. Eggman charged the robot, the bullets firing from its gun flying all around him. As he kicked the robot into a wall, he said, "My robots have a little failsafe installed, one that prevents them from shooting me! Even if they try to, their aiming will always be off."

He turned back to Topaz and saw her running at him. She grabbed his wrist and threw him over her shoulder. As Eggman slammed down to the ground, Topaz brought a leg up and prepared to bring it down on the scientist, only to suddenly feel a sharp pain in the back of her head. Topaz heard ringing in her ears and the world spun around her, and then she collapsed to the floor.

Nega panted as he stood over the unconscious soldier, looking at the Jewelled Sceptre to make sure it wasn't damaged after he had struck her with it. He watched Eggman picking himself up. "Looks like you're the one who messed things up!"

"Shut it," Eggman growled as he rubbed his aching head.

"You captured the wrong person! This woman's no good to either of us! We need the Princess!"

"I said shut it!" Eggman warned, glaring at Nega through his glasses. He then looked down at Topaz. "This woman, I'm sure I've seen her before. I'm certain she's a high-ranking GUN agent."

"Then she's too dangerous to be left alive," Nega decided.

"No," Eggman said quickly, grinning as he crouched down next to Topaz. "On the contrary. That means we have a bargaining chip! And not just her; we have another hand to play! Despite this little setback, we will have the real Princess soon enough!"