Author's note: I hate April Fools' Day. I need a way to escape it. Writing one of these is as good an escape as any.
Segment 4: Board Brains
Chapter 4: The Basics of Extreme Gear
(Leo)
As the four of us strolled back through the Babylon Wing's corridors (led by Wave this time, so we'd be less likely to get lost), Wave explained the ins and outs of Extreme Gear. Most of it was indecipherable technicalese, but she eventually switched to English.
"All forms of Extreme Gear use a special anti-gravity system to hover inches above the ground, eliminating ground friction and permitting riders to zoom down the track at amazing speeds."
This was a bit of information which Kim and I could comprehend. "There are three basic forms of Extreme Gear," Wave continued. "The most common is the board-type. There are also bike-types and skate-types."
Wave went on to explain that the way the clamp device was made, Kim and I could use bike-type gear and board-type gear, but skate-type gear just wouldn't work for us. It was actually a little interesting.
Around then, Wave stopped in front of a large door marked "E. GEAR TRAINING ROOM". This was the place. Wave opened the door by use of a key, and we stepped inside.
The training room was impressively large. It was dominated by some kind of simulation device in the middle. Several large boxes, which apparently contained more Extreme Gear, were stacked up in the corner.
"This is where the Babylon Rouges practice with Extreme Gear," Jet explained. "The machine in the center is a virtual-reality device that will simulate almost any Extreme Gear situation. Wave designed it herself. Go on, take a look."
After my previous adventure in Emerald County, I was no stranger to virtual reality. I had Kim follow me as I approached the large device. It was constructed much differently than anything Tails would make.
All of a sudden, Wave snapped her fingers. "Oh! Just a moment. I need to do something real quick. This'll only take a bit of time."
Wave rushed over to a computer control panel on the device and began typing like crazy. Once she was done, she returned. "Sorry about that. I had to redo a little of the virtual-reality device's programming so it'd recognize the two of you separately."
Kim nodded. "Good idea, Wave. The last thing I want is to not see things in the proper perspective."
"Oh, that reminds me," Wave quickly added, handing us two pairs of racing goggles similar to Jet's. "These are special goggles with holographic lenses that'll display your Extreme Gear status in front of your eyes. Try them on."
The goggles fit perfectly. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a speedometer and some other info, too. "I call that a Holographic Undulation Display," Wave remarked, "or H.U.D. for short."
"Nice ring to it," Kim commented. She had put on her goggles, too. "So what do we do now?"
As per Wave's instructions, Kim and I stepped into the machine's main chamber. A circle of light in the middle of the chamber seemed to beckon us; we stood inside it together, and were temporarily blinded by bright light.
The light cleared, and the two of us were in the middle of a cool-looking neon grid. Holographic arrows pointed us forward. "Leo, go ahead and turn on the Gemini Dash," I heard Wave call to us from nowhere. "There's a button on the side."
Quickly locating said button, I gave it a good slap, nearly knocking Kim off balance. The Gemini Dash hummed to life, even though it showed no symptoms of anti-gravity yet.
Wave then instructed for Kim to fall forward again, which she did. Amazingly, the board's anti-gravity system kicked in and left her hovering inches above the neon-grid floor.
"All right, Leo," Wave's voice followed, "jump on from behind her. And make sure you have some good momentum!"
"Right, Wave," I confirmed, taking a running start and jumping atop Kim. The two of us zipped forward, with me in control and Kim below. I crouched down to reduce air resistance and keep our speed up.
As Wave explained, the Gemini Dash used a special air supply that drained gradually. It drained even faster when we executed a speed boost (Kim pushed a button on the bottom of the board to activate the overdrive).
To replenish the air supply, Wave continued, we could stop at a special Air Pit terminal. We'd have to stop temporarily, but our air would automatically be refilled.
From there, Wave taught us all about how to ride Extreme Gear, including grinding rails, drifting around sharp turns, and replenishing our air supply by performing eye-catching tricks (it sounded odd to me, too, but Wave said it was a trade secret).
Eventually, I heard Wave's voice saying something to Jet. "Jet, step into the side booth of the VR machine, okay?"
The next thing we knew, Kim and I were at the starting line of a neat-looking figure-eight track, and Jet and his Type J were ready to go right next to us.
"Leo, Kim," Wave's voice continued, "the two of you seem like naturals on your Extreme Gear now. Let's see if you can beat Jet in a standard 3-lap Extreme Gear race. I've set the VR machine to give Jet a slight handicap, since he's so much better than you are."
Jet just laughed. "You better believe it! When it comes to Extreme Gear, the Babylon Rouges are second to none!"
My H.U.D. displayed a simplified map of the track, as well as the locations of Jet and myself. So did Kim's. I figured it was safe to assume that Jet's did as well.
We heard Wave's voice again. "As with all Extreme Gear races, this race is no-holds-barred. Anything goes, including you." She snickered at her own joke. I didn't find it particularly funny.
I looked over at Jet. His board was on, but he wasn't on it. I figured that this was what we were supposed to be, so I jumped off of Kim and let her stand up.
"Okay," Wave added, "is everyone ready? 5… 4… 3… 2…"
I bet you hate me for ending this chapter right in the middle of the countdown. Heh.
Private note to Nail Strafer: If I were you, I'd let Lylo's Short Flight move through. It's not like he's using it to fly freely like Tails can or anything, and you never complained about how similar my character's wall-climbing abilities were to Knuckles', so why would this be an issue? I'd just change the name of the move and let it go.