Yeah, #9 up! –Dances- This is about a race between Team Speed and Team Neutral. I'll keep you guessing, or at least try to, but it's hard for me not to. This race might not last long. Guess more filler is in order…

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Episode 9: Racing Against Team Neutral

I was whistling as I walked around the campsite, looking for something to pass the time for a while. I couldn't find anything, so I rounded up the team and the three of us ran to the eastern side of the Sunset Vista. I could only think about the events that transpired last night, and the emeralds that we might get in the future. I could not think about evils that awaited us. I just stared off into space, at nothing in particular.

Why do I get the feeling that Eggman's not behind this? Maybe… the Black Arms…?

"Hey, I think Eggman might not be behind this after all." I stated, from the thought I just had. I couldn't tell them the last part of the thought, because they would regard me as an idiot, telling me that Shadow blew up the Black Comet, along with Devil Doom and the Black Arms. I knew all that, but somehow… even among destroyed comets, comes asteroids.

"You may be right… I haven't seen any "Egg" titled machines at all since this started." Amy replied, although she realized she was talking to the back of my head.

Maybe I should turn to face them…

I whipped around and saw three figures staring down on us.

"If it isn't the Team Speed I've been hearing so much about." Zach said, jumping down, his pale blue eyes focusing only on me.

"What do you want Zach? Still trying to prove who the true 'Ultimate Saiyan'…is?" I asked, knowing that ever since the day he tried to destroy the Earth, both of us becoming heroes in the process, him because of his defeat, me because I was the one who stopped him, he was always trying to beat me and he had the edge with his Byakugan.

"I don't need proof. Nothing escapes the Byakugan eye. I can see your weaknesses, and exploit them. That time you beat me was a stroke of pure luck."

"I'm sorry; Pinocchio, but I always will be the Ultimate Saiyan, nice try though." I said, weakness not showing.

"That's why I invited your team to a race. We race from here…"—he motioned to the floor we stood on—"…to there, at that pillar." Zach said, motioning off to a pillar that was on a fair distance to run from here.

"Challenge accepted." I said, bending my knees slightly to juice up the speed of my run very slightly.

"Ready? Set?"

Can we just get this over with already?

"GO!" Zach shouted, and the instant the word left his mouth, the teams began to run. The teams were neck to neck, nose to nose, heel to heel coming up on the first jump.

Zach decided to be cheap, and then using his speed, which is a speed at a lower grade than that of my own, shoved Sonic off, leaving him dangling on by a thread, hanging on the edge of the track.

I guess Shadow caught on, because then he shoved Amy off the edge, but she managed to grab onto the edge, using one hand.

"Go on without me!" Amy shouted. I usually wasn't one to leave a teammate in the dust, but in this case, I needed to win, just to prove to myself that I was still at least the second fastest thing in existence, Sonic and Shadow tying for first place.

Soon, there was a large gap ahead, and before they could get into fly formation, I floated over there, sending Zach into anger. We were almost there, when Zach pulled out the Demon Wind Shuriken. He threw it at me, which I jumped over, and it reflected at Sonic, who had jumped up from his hanging position. He jumped straight onto the dull edge of the shuriken, and it readily exploded, not killing him, just sending him flying through the air incredibly cartoon-like, just as my foot crossed the finish line, he landed—hard on the ground.

"Don't worry… I'm… okay!" Sonic said, declaring his position of good health, as he stood up unharmed, just blackened by the blast.

"Zach, you miscalculated… badly…" I said.

"Hear this cousin! Amy's still hanging on… oh and… when we fight, I WON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE TWICE!" Zach replied, anger consuming him as veins began to show around his eyes. As they turned to leave, I saw Shadow and Rouge holding hands. WTF? I thought, before I realized where Amy was.

"Oh, dammit!" I shouted, running back to the site, just in time to see Amy's grip completely leave her, and she began to fall. I slid out, jumped off, but held onto the edge with one hand, and grabbed her hand, and pulled her up. However, even after we were on solid ground, our hands were still entwined together.

"Corey, could you let go of my hand now?" Amy asked, concern showing in her eyes.

"Oh, oh yeah, I can let go… heh-heh…" I answered nervously, feeling my face grow hot as our hands released from the grip. Team Neutral had left, but Zach's words lingered.

"WHEN WE FIGHT, I WON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE TWICE!"

Just then, I and Amy headed back to the campsite, but I couldn't bring myself to look her directly in the eye, after I had held her hand for too long. Unbeknownst to me though, she was looking at me. Sonic was out running, and said he'd be back in a minute.

"Corey, you were amazing. Even though you left me behind in the race, you came through for me in the end. I'm going to enjoy spending time with you." Amy said, and I felt my face grow hot, allowing a light red blush to creep onto my cheeks. I could only think; I couldn't bear to talk to her.

Spending time with me…? It's probably going to be, more or less, after all this ends. And after the Ultimate Saiyan is truly decided.

I finally managed to force myself to look her in the eye, and she blushed just seeing me look her in the eye.

"I promise you, we will spend time together… maybe not now, after all this has been resolved, and the true Ultimate Saiyan is decided." I said, finally forcing the words I needed to force off my chest, the weight lifted off my heave heart.

"Oh, Corey!" she said, the dreamy tone almost reassuring me, and she pulled me into a hug, but not into a death grip or anything. I raised my arms, hugging her back. For three minutes we stood there, of course, hugging the time away, until a paper airplane once more skillfully flown into my right ear.

"Oww… hey! Another note, it reads: 'Fight me at the exact center of the temple here at the Sunset Vista, while our teammates watch…'" I read off the note, looking up at her.

"This is a challenge from Zach." Amy concluded.

"How did you know?"

"He did say 'When we fight', didn't he?"

"Yeah… god I'm stupid!"

We went at the campsite, leaving me to sleep like a rock.

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Another cliffhanger, I guess. If you want to see what happens after the 'Ultimate Saiyan' between Amy and the in-story me, all you need to do is read.

R&R, please.