Chapter 3

Sonic the Hedgehog breathed a sigh of contentment as he stretched and looked over the course in front of him. Donpa Raceway was a fairly basic course, having been retrofitted to suit Extreme Gear races more than the cars it had been built for, but it would do for a first race. Tails was making the final adjustments to their boards before all of the races started, while Knuckles stood impatiently off to the side. Soon, the group turned to see Amy walking over to them. "Got them all done just in time!" She said, handing them all some blue armbands with the Restoration's logo on them, the required representation all racers had for their sponsors. "Thanks Amy." Knuckles said, putting his on. "Say, you haven't heard anything from-"

"The Master Emerald is FINE, Knuckles." Amy interrupted. "I checked in with the guards just a few minutes ago, and they said that it's fine." Sonic chuckled a bit as he finished putting his armband on. "I don't know, Amy, a LOT can happen in just a few minutes..." He said, teasingly. "Hush, you. The three of you already have enough on your plate, representing the Restoration in this race, so Knuckles doesn't need to worry about the Master Emerald on top of all that." Amy chided. "Well, I heard that our interview already brought in a lot of new resources and volunteers, so I'm sure the results will still be good, even if we lose." Tails piped in. Sonic smiled. "See? No need to get competitive!"

"Planning to slack off in these races, blue hedgehog?" Said a voice approaching from behind them. It was Shadow the Hedgehog, accompanied by Rouge the Bat. Both were fully equipped for Extreme Gear racing, sponsored by Chaos Cola. "Well, I WAS, but now that I know YOU'RE here, I guess I'll just focus on beating you!" Sonic quipped. "Say, why are you two here, anyway?" Rouge brought up a holographic map. "Omega's tracking signal stopped transmitting a few days ago in this location. Which either means that he's got a secret girlfriend we don't know about, or, more likely, he's been captured by someone."

"We put two and two together and entered using my usual connections." Shadow said. Sonic nodded firmly. "Well, if we see anything, we'll be sure to tell you." Shadow and Rouge nodded in acknowledgement before walking away. "Oh no." Amy groaned, looking off in the distance. "What is it?" Knuckles asked, looking over.

"SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!" Said a very familiar hawk. "I can't BELIEVE you and your buddies PROMOTED this debacle! Don't you have any sportsman's honor!?" Sonic had to stop himself from laughing at that last part, just barely managing to tone it down to a smile. "It's charity work, Jet, what's the problem with that?" Wave and Storm rushed over, holding silver armbands with Accevive Corp logos on them. "Jet, you REALLY couldn't have waited a little bit before scolding him?" Wave asked, out of breath.
"Yes! The purity of skill-based Extreme Gear racing is at stake here! I mean..." Jet stopped for a moment before grabbing the arm of a racer walking by. "Look at what these losers are wearing! Elbow pads with energy shields built into them! What's next, the board rides itself FOR them? It's a slippery slope!"

"Um, Excuse me, but could you please let go of my arm?" Asked the girl who Jet had grabbed. Jet seemed to just notice her as she spoke. She was wearing a pink T-shirt, long shorts, fingerless pink and white gloves, and Donpa Motors standard issue elbow and knee pads, with energy shields ready in case of a massive fall. Beneath a pink helmet grew 2 long, purple and pink braids...But none of these were the detail Jet was focused on.

"EW! Human!" He said, recoiling his hand in disgust. Wave just shook her head. "Wow. Really won the moral argument there, Jet." Jet just wiped his hand defensively. "When have you EVER met a human who was anything but trouble? It's exactly the type of thing we don't need in this sport, which is why I'm going to win ALL of the races! To prove that the old rules existed for a REASON!" With that, Jet took his sponsorship armband, and walked away with a huff, Wave and Storm quickly following him. "Wow. Somebody needs to put that guy in his place." The girl said, looking as Jet walked away. "Heh! Well, maybe that somebody will be you! What's your name, kid?" Sonic said, extending his hand. "Oh! My name is Lucy! It's nice to meet you!" The girl said, taking Sonic's hand and shaking it. Tails looked over at the Extreme Gear air shoes that she was carrying over her shoulder. "Hey, those look pretty nice. Where'd you get them?" He asked, politely. Lucy seemed somewhat embarrassed. "Well, I..."

"Mobitown Mining and Excavation company? Didn't know they gave racing sponsorships." Amy said, noticing her sponsorship armband. "Well, you know, small town pride and all...Um, I'll see you guys at the races!" Lucy stammered out, before running away. "Strange girl." Knuckles said. "Yeah, but nice enough, I guess." Sonic replied before picking up his board. "Come on guys, the races are starting soon!"