Team Sonic Racing: Ignition

by Liam1997

Everything is normal until Dodon Pa invites Sonic, Tails and Knuckles to a series of racing tournaments. Despite being a friendly competition is not all what it seems. Can they solve Dodon Pa's Ultimate test? Who will get invited to race? Would Eggman get involved too? These ingredients spell out an interesting race.

4. I:II:I - The First Grand Prix

NOTE: I'm going to try something a little bit different regarding the music selection in this fanfic. Whenever you see a (/-) at the end of an intended track, that means that said track will reapper later in the story. This is just to clarify for those who might be a little confused when it does happen. Anyway, enjoy.

---

(Sonic Adventure 2 - Character/Story Select)

My name is Miles Prower, but everyone calls me Tails.

Now that Honey the Cat joined as a mechanic for Amy's team, our results become even.

The only question remains Dodon Pa's suspicion about putting on these races for Sonic and co.

He's up to his wise old tricks. I'm can't be too sure if he'll bring Eggman into this, but he might.

I gotta focus, this next race is the start of the Grand Prix. I have to help Sonic and Knuckles!

(/)

---

CHAPTER 1: A MYSTERIOUS INVITE

Act II: I - The First Grand Prix

[OCEAN VIEW, SEASIDE HILL]

(Sonic Overture - Sunrise Gate Act 3)

"Scarlet Garcia here. I'm here live at Ocean View for the first spectacular Grand Prix hosted by Dodon Pa." The faithful anchorwoman was stationed in a shiny blue VIP box only reserved for devoted fans of the tanuki, and for news crew to observe the race from high up. "Everybody's looking forward to what the racers have in store for us today. It looks like Sonic the Hedgehog is looking forward to what he's got for us too."

Scarlet took a glimpse behind her, leaning against a piece of beige, ornate furniture as Team Sonic, Team Rose and Dodon Pa congregated merely on the sidelines of the track.

"The racers are speaking to each other on the side of the course. We don't know what they are saying, but it's presumably team talk."

Her assumption only garnered speculation of viewers at home, not least peaking interest from other mobians, fresh from Sonic's group of friends.

"Okay team! Confidence is playing a big part in our teamwork here!" Sonic augmented the hope. "This is our fist Grand Prix! Make it count!"

"Take it from the blue hedgehog! We are in this after all, are we not? Hohohoho!"

Dodon Pa's curious and consistent chuckle only mildly irritated Amy and Knuckles, but kept cool about it. Omochao sought to bring up the strange aura from the last race.

"I have a question. What was that strange and mysterious yellow glow coming from the back of our vehicles?"

"A good question, my mechanical ally. That is called a slipstream." The tanuki educated, this is the first time the racers ever heard of this mechanic. "Whenever you are in last place or nearing the bottom of the pack, your fellow racers can give you a hand by leaving behind that same trail of the yellow glow. It's certainly handy if you want to come back from last place."

"Ah, that's what it was..." Knuckles witnessed the aura too, but kept it in his mind.

"I have to admit, Dodon, you improved on the track atmosphere the last time." Sonic turned away from the tanuki and onto the crowd.

The blue VIP cube Sonic glanced at stood out from the rest of the generic stands of Dodon Pa's structures, proving the evidence that the tanuki didn't build such box.

"Endorsements and publicity are the secret recipe for my excellent coverage." Dodon Pa remarked.

"Are there any more tips we need to know before we get on the track?" Amy felt intrigued, slightly a more ameliorated far cry from her previous encounters.

"There are a few more things I need to point out. Whenever your team-mate is driving slow or has been spun out, you can drive past them to give them a sudden skimboost." Dodon Pa explained. "And whenever you are in the air, make sure to perform stunts for faster speed. Landing is also imperative to your success. Just make sure to collect any rings along the way, you never know if they will be useful to your vehicles."

"That's a neat little manual you spoke to us." Omochao cheerfully answered. "I'll remember that for when we are on the track."

"Yeah, when it's not vague than you, Dodon. No offense." The blue hedgehog remarked, the tanuki emitting a small bout of chuckles.

"Hohohoho! How I already love you, blue hedgehog! Let's waste no more and start the Grand Prix!"

All six racers and Dodon Pa eyed the track, accessing immediately. They could hear the roaring crowd chant their names upon striding a foot on the hard concrete of Seaside Hill's magnificent pathways. The hedgehog caught a glimpse of Sally and Honey at the pitstop across from the course, smiling and nodding faithfully. Sonic snicker and leaped off the concrete into his car with just a single jump and signaled a thumbs up at Sally. Dodon Pa flew above them as the other racers hopped in their vehicles.

"Well, are we ready to start the Grand Prix?" The tanuki brushed his stache in anticipation.

"I'm ready!" All adhered, causing him to chuckle.

"Hohohoho! I'm sure you would've said so!"

(/)

Sonic's feet gripped the acceleration, his heart merely pounding. This was normal for him. He closed his eyes, imagining his third victory with Tails and Knuckles, contemplating his inner strength.

"Speed. I am speed." He spoke. "Three winners. Three loser. I eat losers for breakfast. Faster than my heart. I am Sonic the Hedgehog."

The blue blur rapidly shone the light through his eyes, pressing the accerleration harder as the race began, his engine roared, sending him into the distance along with Big and Knuckles.

(Team Sonic Racing - Ocean View)

Amy, Tails and Omochao started up, their vehicles racing further behind the pack. In comparison to the previous tracks, Ocean View's was fairly short, providing a perfect welcome to the first of many Grand Prix races to come. Sonic was not 1st as usual, but Big had slipped by him at the start, providing breif hope for Team Rose.

"Big is in 1st place, but Sonic is not far behind him!" Dodon Pa proclaimed through the commentator's microphone.

The purple cat glanced behind his vehicle, the blue blur right in his reach. His optimism coupled with ambition deterred his position to become faster than before as both racers seperated from the branched path that fed one way a loop. You could probably guess which one Sonic opted for. The hedgehog sped past Big as he hung above the basic mobian, with the wind whooshing past him rapidly. Sonic landed on gravity's preference, racing past the cat to take the lead.

"See ya!" He yelped in excitement, turning on the slipstream for his team.

Little did he know, Big the Cat slid right through an item box in which the hedgehog couldn't catch. His reward was a Yellow Drill wisp, useful against a distracted hedgehog. Sonic's ears picked up on Big equipping the power-up. Turning behind, he witnessed the drill drastically approaching to a situation he can't avoid. It landed a sweet hit, knocking Sonic's car into a 360 degree spin, his speed halted.

"Oof! You're hard to miss, Big." He retorted, picking up momentum as he followed.

Big had the genius idea of pressing something in his vehicle that bewildered him. His vehicle produced the same slipstream that Sonic intended to carry. The cat was soon into the second lap as the blue blur playfully chased him down.

(/-)

---

Situated in the spectator stands, crowds of mobians and humans were gathered in safe distances to enjoy the battle of the two teams take hold. Donutsteel and a green echidna named Chronos were situated at the front of the audience along with many others. Chronos sported a light green shade of fur decorative beads hanging from similiar-looking dreadlocks to Knuckles, alongside grey sneakers with black outlines and grey soles. Both mobians grew anticipated for who will take the first place as Amy, Knuckles, Tails and Omochao whizzed right past.

"Woah! That's so awesome!" The cyan hedgehog avidly admired the race, the racers already in the second lap. "Dodon Pa is an absolute genius putting on this race!"

"Gives wi ah pop up fram eggman, breda." Cronos remarked. "Everybody's loving dis race. Dodon Pa hav amazing viewership."

"That makes it even more enjoyable." Donutsteel manifested a thumbs up.

The green echidna soon spotted Sally and Honey across the racetrack, in their normal attire. Perplexing to his point of view, the mobian was unfamiliar with them. He wanted to test Donutseel on their familiarity.

"Ahuu a dem mobians?"

"One of them is Sally Acorn, she used to be a proud leader of the Freedom Fighters before the Resistance formed." The hedgehog turned his attention onto Honey the Cat. "I don't exactly know who is next to her. She looks pretty."

"Agh! yuh seh dat bout everybady, Donutsteel." Cronos merely folded as his friend sniffed the air for oxygen.

To his surprise, he sensed the vendor mobian near his position. Rapidly turning around, he caught the sight of kebab sticks being offered around. Being his favorite food, he insisted the temptation to pull out a few rings and await the vendor arriving to him.

"I like the smell of kebabs in the morning sun! Don't you, Cronos?" He eagerly pumped his fists in front of him.

"Mi more ah ah saltfish type ah guy. Nuh tanks anyway."

"Have it your way." He concluded as the vendor made his way in front. Trading the rings for a kebab stick, he gradually ingested the delectable cuisine.

---

(-Team Sonic Racing - Ocean View)

Sonic could see Big drawing closer to him as the hedgehog attempted to crest the large board that displayed position; these boards were shown in the area of the starting line were almost every spectator was. Fortunately for the purple cat, his surroundings kicked him, binding the first place, with Amy and Omochao following his slipstream unbeknownst to Sonic. Tails had given him a gift - an Orange Wisp.

"Great! Just the thing I needed!" The hedgehog emit.

His acceleration boost merely, the blue blur reaching his arm out to launch the rockets at Big as he resisted his branching path again. Unaware of him, Amy had picked up the same wisp and pitched rockets at the hedgehog, just as he was about to perform some hang time on the loop. His car hurled back and down upon impact.

"Buh-bye! The pink hedgehog whizzed past a flipped Speed Star.

Sonic eventually dismounted and lifted his vehicle back on track, frantically seeing Tails close the separation between the two buddies. He quickly pushed his feet on the acceleration. Just as the kitsune raced past, Sonic could feel the sensation of a skimboost, his speed almost looking like it was unbroken.

"Thanks, buddy." The blue hedgehog praised.

"Quick! Give Knuckles some boosting!" Tails glanced behind him, the echidna far behind the two.

"Stay behind me, okay?"

Sonic turned on his slipstream as an alternative, Tails slowing down to follow the trail, giving all three a boost of speed. Team Rose had already initiated the final lap together. Omochao raced through an item box, pulling out a Blue Wisp, providing some impediment and strain on Team Sonic.

"Get ready for some swerving!" The hedgehog exclaimed, jolting his steering wheel to the left, the Speed Star's slipstream taking a sudden turn to avoid the hurdle before him.

Tails and Knuckles each added to Sonic's impressive maneuver, racing past the cubes at lightning speed. Within seconds, Team Sonic were way into the final lap, the other team almost halfway across the track in spectacular fashion. Amy glanced behind to notice Team Sonic's absent near them.

"I think we got this, guys!" The pink hedgehog solaced their morale.

"Okay!" Big purely stated, ramming into an item box and pulling out a Gray Quake Wisp.

He utilized the power-up, creating several stone pillars behind him. This will be the addition to Team Sonic's hurdles. Sonic foretold the incoming barricades, signalling Tails and Knuckles to negotiate the pillars. Speeding up to Team Rose, mere metres towards the finish line, the trio attempt a last resort, but fell short as Sonic finished 4th, his team closely behind. Team Rose had won their first race, and it was all in part due to teamwork. Something apprised the hedgehog that their opponents read the technique and Dodon Pa's indispensable strategy needed to win, just like he and his team unveiled for the two races prior. Sonic drifted towards the opposition, halting the Blue Speed star's engine to leap out and congratulate.

(/)

"Woohoo! We did it! Our first gold!" Amy high-fived Big, despite the latter's incapacity of knowledge.

"So Sonic-" Omochao turned to Sonic, as his team dismounted from their vehicles. "We won our first gold of the tournament. How does it feel losing?"

"Don't get too excited. We were taking it easy on you." He brushed aside the humiliation.

"We wanted a fair game." Tails added sincerely. "We wanted to give you, Amy and Big the compensation you deserve from a two-team Grand Prix."

"It's the first Grand Prix, Tails." Amy folded, already out of the Pink Cabriolet. "Our points dictate the outcome that we might win this set of races if you drive like that."

"Amy has a point, Tails." Knuckles believed. "This isn't a standard race like the others. The points all add up at the end of the 4th race."

"I see you've figured out the Grand Prix structure truthfully." The tanuki flew below, inspecting their post-race talk. "The echidna is right, one and all. The total number of points at the end of each Grand Prix race will decide the winner."

"This is the race to become the winner, am I right, Amy?" The blue hedgehog scooted towards her in a cocky attitude.

"You always get so lucky because you're the fastest!"

"Nah, we're perfect in every single way."

"Hohohoho!" Dodon Pa chuckled, breaking up the mild tension. "These interactions are part of what make my races such a marvelous spectacle to watch!"

"In a sense of-" Knuckles pushed a possible reason.

"I assure you we will all learn as we get to know one another." The tanuki therefore hovered over to his parked spaceship, readying for take-off.

He produced a pair of claps, a few voluntary mobians pushed the racer's vehicles towards the ship, bound for the second course. Sonic and the crew saw the different sets of mobians that differed after each race. It was never the same species and was always inconsistent in balance.

"The next race is in Mother's Canyon in Planet Wisp." He informed, heading inside of his ship. "Your attendance will make or break the outcome of the next challenge."

The tanuki spun to the ship behind him, the two teams left behind to continue revolving around his deeds.

"C'mon gang, let's make or break this next race!" The blue hedgehog gave a thumbs up, speeding into the vehicle's hatch. The other racers pursued him in loyalty and trustworthy, living their curious ambition of the whole thing.

---

[SPAGONIA UNIVERSITY MOTOR FACULTY, SPAGONIA CITY]

A cool breeze lightened up the mood around the bustling city of Spagonia City, to the south meeting with Eastern Eurish to the ocean, few thousand miles from it's friendly borders with Apotos, Shamar and Chun-nan. Fresh faces anew took to the streets to soak in a gentle directory win heading west. Mobians and humans never bothered, as they tread into today's uncertainty. Those studying at a school specializing in multiple subjects weren't bothered with the wind direction; it was all too common for them. It's students arrived upon a large cube-shaped structure with blue paint outlined between the larger white sections. The doube-doors that led to a wide open hallway filled with lockers galore filled with textbooks of motor knowledge and stationary equipment motivated their owners to carry them for a vital class. One moderate classroom became flooded with students amid the ringing bell, dozens of strange new faces that adorned the atmosphere alongside a cheery Mr Stewart preparing to tutor his subjects.

Upon those, the same mobian that glanced at Dodon Pa's first race was overcome with ambitious, wishing the same could be said for her personality. Infact, she was shy, not from meeting new mobians and humans. Overall, she was shy, but not diffident. She really didn't have any real friends outside of her imaginary circle cupped within her brain. She strided with her left foot at the front. She was sure of this - what she was about to go through with regards to knowing alot more about Dodon Pa's tournaments. The mobian girl gulped and readied a sigh, taking her voluntary seat, coupled with a firm wooden table at the back of the room, away from everybody else. She was comfortable that way.

As she sat down and ruffled her bright purple handbag for her stationary, a bright green canary mobian entered. She wore a black and red turtleneck sweater, red and white sneakers, blue skirt and a pair of signature yellow explosive earings on either side and a yellow beak for her mouth. Her bright green hair covered one of her eyes. She scanned the room for a position to which she could mount herself to, glancing over to the strange mobian hedgehog all alone at the back of the class. Deciding this could be a great way to make a new friend, she chose the backseat next to the hedgehog. She stared up after finding her pencil and flinched, knowing her shy outlook on everything could not withstand a friend sitting by and helping. She stopped and stared, coaxing the hedgehog to sweat by her forehead.

"Is this seat taken?" The canary pointed to the seat next to her. Unbeknownst to the hedgehog, she silently nodded.

"Thanks." The canary rested, filling the vacant seat next to the mobian hedgehog. She would take a long, curious glance at the canary, as she ruffled her long cyan bag of stationaries to obtain a pencil and ruler for herself. The hedgehog retreated suddenly to her own world, just as the canary noticed.

"Huh..." She turned to the timid hedgehog.

Her mind declared war on her vocabulary, determining a hard path to find her introduction, anything social perhaps. She was always too reluctant, thus finding the easier excuse to twirl with her hair bangs.

"Are you going to talk?" The canary asked a simple question, yet no response came her way. The best she got was the hedgehog blowing her cyan bangs out of her face; that was always her activity.

"Yeah, you know-" She added, willing to give something to get her to talk. "-Meeting new mobians and the likes can be a daunting experience. I learnt that way back. I'm Tekno the Canary by the way."

Her introduction gave the hedgehog an idea she always kept locked away. She retracted to Tekno and showed a faint smile briefly.

"Are you always this shy?" The canary queried again, this time the mobian nodded without a word. At least that was an improvement from last time.

"Hmmmm... It's hard to do anything when you're shy. I know what to do - I'll help you since you're likely a new mobian I've never seen around here."

Tekno reached her arm out to the hedgehog in accord.

"Deal?"

The hedgehog's sense attacked her mind again. Her stomach flinched and hurried to her glance, concerned. She shouldn't be this concerned. Tekno was offering her help instead of taking advantage of her shy background. The hedgehog thought hard, and took the opportunity not against her own will, but because her knowledge of Dodon Pa's tournament was very slim. Her hand let it touch Tekno's, the canary mobian smiling because of it. The hedgehog smiled back, not aware of Tekno's origins.

"I'm happy to have you be apart of the class." The canary enlivened. "We just know we're going to be the best of friends. What's your name?"

The hedgehog's senses became calmer. She knew, deep down that she could trust a friendly mobian if had the chance. She had alot of practice building up her self-awareness despite being so timid. Her mouth opened, her mind clearing the words for her to speak out from, albeit in a soft tone.

"T-Tashistation. Tashistation Armada..."

Tekno's view on her became clear; she knew her name. The hedgehog silently reverted back to her non-existent social skills.

"That's a nice name. Tashistation. I like it!" The canary reflected, pushing aside her own hair bang. She saw the willing potential inside of her target.

The hedgehog faced her again and faintly smiled, this time periodically. Not brief. Tekno immediately saw the quietness billow out again, as the canary pondered.

"Are you going to speak to me, Tashistation? I feel like I'm not helping you enough."

"I... don't need help..." She murmured within her soul, Tekno could hear what she had whispered.

Tekno's blue eyes merely shined. This is what Tashistation hoped for - for no mobian to assist her on her silent journey to step foot into Dodon Pa's tournament. The canary retracted back to her seat, leaning on the rear of the wooden chair supporting a small table.

"If you insist." She silently retorted. "I was just helping."

She watched as the last mobian entered the vicinity, Mr Stewart pushing the door back to shut it. He couldn't wait to start the course. Something about him made him stand out from the rest of the tutors. He glanced and stood in front of the class, acting as a superpower nation in front of his neighboring countries. Tashistation flinched, with a silent gasp. She could almost feel her stomach turn over as Mr Stewart spoke.

"Welcome class! I'm sure all of you are happy to be here with you today! I'm Mr Stewart. Station Square native and one of the proudest teachers in the city. I want to get to know all of you first before we begin the motor course." He announced in a distinctive balance between formal and informal.

Mr Stewart yearned to introduce everyone by his own rules - standing up in the middle of the class. Infact, he liked this method, hence he was unusual about starting from the back of the class, right in the firing line of Tekno and Tashistation. The latter's fingers trembled in fear - she couldn't do this. Everyone would just exploit her shy nature and use her as a laughing stock. Even Tekno, the girl she barely met had concern for this new girl.

"I'll start from the back row." The tutor declared, Tekno feeling the pressure building up on Tashistation rather than herself. The canary thought by going first, she would be deprived of the real time situation. Tekno immediately stood up and felt all eyes squiz on her.

"Greetings." She introduced. "My name is Tekno the Canary, born and raised in Emerald Hill Zone on South Island. My main objective for joining this course is to learn about how motor vehicles work during Dodon Pa's strange tournament that's going down right now. I saw it all on satellite TV. I'm actually a really great scientist too, that will definitely come in handy here."

"Interesting..." Mr Stewart draped his chin with an index, fascinated. "What about your friend next to you? Does she have a name?"

His mere joke preferred to coax him into a mere chuckle on the inside, but Tekno had other ideas.

"Sir, I believe you find that official sources speak truth that everything and everybody has a name."

"Alright, you got me there. You can sit back down now." He dismissed the canary's added stimulation of judgement as she retreated back to her seat. She looked to her left, Tashistation covering her head with her trembled hands. Unfortunately, Mr Stewart perceived her presence.

"Is she going to talk?"

"She's a little shy." Tekno answered, just as the hedgehog shook her head. This was really getting to her nerves, her senses attacked her confidence. "I only just met her, she seems like a really nice girl."

"What's her name?"

"Tashistation Armada, sir. She wouldn't talk to me for a while, even then she only said a handful of words."

Mr Stewart's perception on the hedgehog's name only gave him more question, alas he decided against answering them, shrugging the conversation off from Tekno.

"I meet many mobians with weird names as a teacher, but Tashistation is the weirdest name. Eh, what am I gonna do about it?"

He fled to the second to back row, offering to spare Tashistation on any more humiliation. She looked up, her fingers still shaking from fear; Tekno had done something great for her.

"How did that go? Did I mess up?" The canary merely leaned.

The hedgehog shook her head in solace.

"Do you want me to leave you alone for now? Help you get settled in?"

This time, she responded with opposition. This gave Tekno the ability to quietly distance from the shy mobian, but kept to her own table. Tashistation seemed perfect at copying that, but her social morality was at an all time low. Her only ticket out of this survival was Tekno the Canary, but how she was going to execute a taxing situation remains a mystery.

---

[SEASIDE HILL WAREHOUSE, SEASIDE HILL]

Back at the garage, a lone Honey the Cat delivered her signature black sewing machine straight from her fashion boutique, away from the mobian as she was stationed at a desk. She carried a pencil in her right hand, drawing the concept of the jumpsuits' design. She visioned something that hasn't been attempted yet. The yellow cat tapped her index on her lip while Sally entered the warehouse, still feeling astounded by Team Sonic's loss to the first race.

"Hey, Honey." The chipmunk spoke, breaking the silence erupting from the vacant warehouse. "Team Rose must have improved since the standard races to get their first gold of the tournament."

"They won?" The cat stared at her, exhilarated to hear.

"Big the Cat was the driving powerhouse behind their victory. His slipstream and teamwork helped them maintain control over Sonic, Tails and Knuckles."

Sally halted her progression towards Honey, noticing the black, sewing machine embellished with white horizontal lines on the top half laying on a wooden table near her.

"Is that a sewing machine?" Her knowledge of fashion designing perplexed her. The cat stared at her own possession.

"Yeah. It's what I'm using to make the jumpsuits. I'm having a hard time drawing up what they will look like-"

She began making her way toward Sally.

-but rest assured, I know exactly what I need to do first."

Honey pulled out a measuring tape from her pocket, stretching the tape end like a yoyo. She stopped, pushing the tape against Sally at a safe angle to measure height. The Freedom Fighter leader flinch in her mind, this how she was meant to determine her development of fashion. After a while of double-checking and even determining her height, Honey yielded her results.

"3 foot, 3 inches, or 100cm for Sally. 3 foot, 5.4 inches for me..." Honey wrote in her notebook.

"What are you doing?" The chipmunk faced her, curious.

"I'm determining our heights so I know exactly how long I need to make these jumpsuits. Think of it as procedure; there's nothing wrong by doing it."

Honey retreated back to the desk, placing the tape down with her notebook. Lifting the insubstantial pencil off the wooden object, she held the tip barely to her mouth to signify thought.

"How long will this take, Honey?"

"I'm making two jumpsuits for you and I. I'm guessing since it takes like half an hour or around that time to design just one. This will possibly be an hour at best." The cat explained, estimating to avoid her result becoming erroneous.

"Oh..." Sally's ears drooped slightly. She came to a stark realization - Honey's development was going to intersect with the second Grand Prix race in Mother's Canyon, Planet Wisp. Sally had to think fast.

The chipmunk strided a few feet to the cat, now stationed at the sewing desk. She witnessed the fashion designer laying the concept sheet alongside her station for reference.

"I appreciate you doing for us and Dodon Pa, Honey." She continued. "But if you're doing this, who's going to cheer on Amy, Big and Omochao?"

Honey looked up, her mind forced a scenario that adhered to the loyalty of the pink hedgehog and her team. She turned to Sally's direction, still expressing her faith in Team Rose regardless.

"Dodon Pa did say he wanted me to make the jumpsuits. I can't think of anyone else trustworthy on my behalf that will cover for me, let alone be the backup mechanic for Team Rose."

"Hey-" Sally walked forward and placed her hand on Honey's arm. "-we don't need backup mechanics. Dodon Pa's fine with just one as he's still searching for more and more viewership ratings. Nicole told me about his broadcasting."

Honey shoved aside a response for a plaintive sigh, Sally removing her hand from her arm.

"I will let Nicole know that you won't be spectating with me in Mother's Canyon." The chipmunk reassured, building the hope within the fashion designer. "She will cover for you. Work on the jumpsuits and don't worry. Everything will be alright."

The faith coaxed Honey to nod with little head motion. Nicole was like a second option besides the presentation and appearance of a holographic mobian of sorts. Sally never worried because she always had contingencies, an every right piecing her problems away like a perfectly shaped jigsaw puzzle.

"Wish Amy good luck for me, won't you?" She spoke as Sally begin to depart from the warehouse.

"Faithfulness is what I do best, Honey. Everyone will be cheering for Team Rose's combat. I have to go cheer Team Sonic on. I wish you good luck on the jumpsuits."

Honey breathed a sigh, a quick one and waved.

"See ya!"

"Oh." Sally stopped, Honey's attention retracted onto this brief moment. "Before I go, Nicole has something for you when you feel like you want to contact her."

"What is it?" Honey's curiosity prioritized briefly.

"You'll see..." The chipmunk giggled.

Making her exit, she closed the back door of the warehouse to join up with the racers in Mother's Canyon. Honey as left all alone again. This is what she wanted. Peace and quiet to develop ideas for these jumpsuits.

---

[MOTHER'S CANYON, PLANET WISP]

(Sonic: Before the Sequel - 2-14 Over Worlds - For Cloudy Crowds Act 2]

The supporting crowd congregated for that familiar feeling Team Sonic and Team Rose were settling into. Everybody wandered into the stands to witness what is about to commence the second Grand Prix race of the tournament. The two teams spread out sporadically on Planet Wisp's paved track, with Sally overseeing both. Dodon Pa flew his mobile down to them in a stark manner.

"I'm glad you all are here." He said, Tails and Knuckles gradually warming up to this guy. "Remember, teamwork is the crucible of adversity."

Sonic turned to his team and agreed unanimously.

"Let's try and improve on our last race, right?" The hedgehog reassured. "Their victory was just our damage control."

"And by damage control, I mean totally let Team Rose take their first gold?" Tails answered.

"It's not every day we falter." Knuckles added. "Team Rose probably had the Ultimate mechanic contained to their grasp."

"Yeah, except Team Rose's mechanic is nowhere to be seen." Sonic chuckled, eyeing Sally Acorn soloing the pitstop.

"Not that kind of mechanic, Sonic."

"Hohohoho!" The tanuki flew towards them. "I forgot to mention about that, thanks Sonic."

This, in turn caused the echidna mere irritation.

"What? You're not even gonna acknowledge me?"

"I'm happy to have any and all join my race under set conditions, brawn echidna."

Knuckles, in retort folded his arms, his spiked fists resting upon the backhand.

"In that case..."

Dodon Pa perplexed the racers by rummaging for a specific item that could benefit both the racers and the mechanics.

"This is a testament of my willingness to these races. These are wireless headphones, planned for putting in one's ear to allow uninterrupted communication between the racers and their team mechanics. Since Sally is here, she could test them out for Team Sonic."

"Now that's unfair, Dodon Pa!" Amy grunted in fear of a massive disadvantage. "You pick the perfect time to show them when Honey isn't even here!"

"Aah, yes. My apologies. I noticed Sally had one other mobian with her at all times." The tanuki spared Amy's irritation, aware of Nicole's presence. "Maybe she can cover for Honey."

(/)

Sally waved and winked, whipping out Nicole's holographic device in respect for Team Rose. The chipmunk pressed a button, prompting a glow of mysterious blue code to appear, forming the lynx in her projected sported a sleeveless dress of purple, black and white, black and white gloves adorned with purple cuffs, black pants and black and white shoes. Nicole, after a brief particular of information from Sally, took the helm of the Team Rose mechanic temporarily. Dodon Pa turned around, enthusiastic about the race.

"Well, it seems she had somebody with her at all times. Let's get started with the second race."

All of the racers motioned into gear with dignity and pride attached with the ambition of the gold in their sights. They leaped into their vehicles, the tanuki flying above them, facing the rear of the course. He signaled, counting down from three as Sonic and the others held their foot on the acceleration pedal. With the immediate noise generated by the engines as they roared down the track, the crowds began to recover the pollution.

(Team Sonic Racing - Mother's Canyon)

The first set of obstacles lay just before them after the starting line - sets of cliff ramps awaited the jumps of each racer. Sonic was obviously first, landing each easy crevice-crossing. The hedgehog switched on his slipstream for Tails and Knuckles', the two racers somewhat falling back behind the entirety of Team Rose. Unbeknownst to the hedgehog, Amy had landed behind him and provided support for her team by turning on her slipstream. Ever since their first gold, she was avoiding being dubious of Dodon Pa, focusing primarily on the races. Sonic noticed, peering behind at the Pink Cabriolet's velocity.

"Uh oh." Sonic rapidly retreated his eyes back on his track, pushing one foot on the acceleration.

Amy was coming in, really fast, accompanied soon by Big. Knuckles had caught up to them as a curve was coming up. The red echidna thought fast, running through an item box and pulling out a Jade Wisp. This type of power-up allowed him to pass through racers undetected for a short amount of time. He greatly accommodated his needs as he whizzed past the two Team Rose members, guiding his Land Cruiser near Sonic just as it expired.

"Hey buddy!" The echidna merely spooked, but instead a pleasant surprise now that it was two-on-two.

"Hey Knuckles!" The hedgehog answered. "Amy and Big are right behind our tail. Do you wish to speed ahead while we get them away?"

"Sure!"

Knuckles sped ahead thick and fast, Sonic glancing behind to see the opposing team trailing him. He smirked at the responses of their concentration.. He turned around just in time for an item box to be rammed into.

"Woooo! Go Sonic!" Tangle yelped, throwing her fist in the air in support.

The blue blur displayed appreciation by swerving previous to a curve that acted as a mild obstacle beyond a cliff-face. His item resulted in a Cube Wisp, laying the hurdle behind him.

"Gotta shake Amy off my tail..." He focused in direct attention.

In the meantime, he switched on his slipstream, allowing Knuckles and 5th place Tails the chance to gain their momentum.

"I can feel those Gs! Thanks!" Tails acknowledged.

By now, the hedgehog was exiting the half-pipe section and into a circular tube reaching the end of the loop. Amy was bumped suddenly by the speeding fox.

"Not nice, Tails!" She yelped.

Tails nervously chuckled, speeding off from the pink hedgehog's flustered emotion. Amy recognized Team Sonic had begun the second lap and called in for improvements. Close inspection gave way for Big to speed up, ramming into a warning shot and whipping out the Jade Wisp. The concealed cat homed in on their rivals, gradually catching up to Knuckles. Just as the wisp was to expire, the feline bumped into the Land Cruiser from the side.

"If you scratch my car, so help me..."

Sonic's lead told him to be threatened by the force of the gentle purple cat within their team's radius. He turned around, Knuckles had trouble fending him away.

"Sonic! A little help here!" The echidna cried, Big's dominance over him transforming drastically.

The hedgehog expected this to go against them. Driving through an item box, he sent Knuckles the Ivory Wisp. This type of power-up enabled the echidna to shock a bolt of lighting at Big.

"What was that for, Knuckles?" He retorted.

As Knuckles raced past, the he displayed a cunning smirk at Amy's friend. Amy and Omochao were situated not far behind his tail. All of their opposition had already entered the circular tube heading straight for the final lap. Amy pushed hard on her acceleration. This was their chance to comeback from this. Collecting max rings, the Pink Cabriolet boosted its speed and shot past Omochao, not from aggression, but from loyalty.

"Playtime's over, Sonic. You're about to see how good we are!" The hedgehog shouted, racing off and activating her slipstream for an easy solution for Big and Omochao.

Together, the team whizzed through into the final lap, carrying the filled Ultimate gauge with them. It was only a matter of patience, pushing the Team Ultimate button when it became necessary. Sonic sensed a likely clutch from Team Rose, Tails and Knuckles each ramming into an item box and laying Cube Wisps behind them.

"Keep 'em coming!" He motivated. "Amy won't know what hit her!"

"Sonic won't know what will hit him once I activate my Team Ultimate!" Amy thought, focusing on the Cube Wisps as their priority.

Her initial goal was to send one of Sonic's teammates crashing into last place, but having all three of them behind wasn't too far-fetched of an idea too. She was focused on the three up front. An item box gave her the Orange Rocket, launching the straight missiles in their direction. Tails and Knuckles only seem to creat more problems for the hedgehog, swerving out of the firing line.

"It'll take more than that to bring me down!" The blue hedgehog yelled out from the nose of the pack.

"More than that, you say?" Amy thought, chuckling at the fact that her Team Ultimate with Big and Omochao will be imperative at this time.

Even when Big rammed into an item box and pulled out the Violet Wisp, sucking in everything, the team were unable to out-speed the rivals' maxed speed. Halfway through the lap, they were increasingly desperate to tempt fate.

"We have to activate it now!" Amy strongly suggested, venturing into their ultimate weapon. Suddenly, their vehicles jolted with a boost, their bodies feeling the rush as their distance with Team Sonic closed in. Encased in a yellow aura much like their slipstream, Team Rose boosted tremendously. What they didn't know was that their rivals were knocked off upon impact. Amy directly targeted the blue hedgehog, ramming the Pink Cabriolet into the Speed Star

"Woah!" He attempted to control his vehicle as it spun out of control.

Tails and Knuckles followed the blue blur's knockout. Regaining their vehicles, they pressed on the gas, accessing their momentum once again.

"How did Team Rose know about when to use their Team Ultimate?" The kitsune wondered bizarrely on their rivals' sudden tactic.

"I don't know, we have to catch up to them, and fast!" Sonic raced ahead, activating his slipstream.

"They're going to win again, and we're gonna have to pick up the pace later." Knuckles stated.

"Lucky for us, we stored our Team Ultimate as our last resort. Let's use it!"

Sonic's obligation trusted Tails and Knuckles to simultaneously push their Team Ultimates with the leader. Together with the yellow aura surrounding them, a whisk of speed forced their momentum to spy-rocket, the team speeding up towards Team Rose, who by that point finished the final lap.

(/)

Amy steered the Pink Cabriolet to one side, allowing her to park attentively. Upon hopping out, she embraced the crowds' cheer directed upon her team. Team Rose had won the 2nd race, and all with the Team Ultimate that carried their game.

"Woohoo! We won again!" Amy jumped in excitement, becoming the proud leader of the winning team with the second gold. She targeted the large board detailing their scores; the total points stored until Team Sonic caught up.

"Did I do that?" The purple feline wondered, dazed. Amy turned and congratulated her friend.

"It's all you that was the power that fed Team Sonic's hatred. We couldn't have done it without you!"

"Don't you worry." Sonic let out a mere chuckle, his engine turned off as he parked. "You only got lucky because Big snuck in using a Ghost Wisp. Next time, it's ours!"

"Fair game, although you did scare me that time." Knuckles congratulated with calmness despite getting robbed of the gold.

Dodon Pa hovered to both teams, open arms included as his common entrance enthralled some participants. There was a real charm to him being so delighted at the results of his tournaments.

"Hohohoho!" He cackled. "Congrats on your second win of the series of races, Amy, Big and Omochao. Now there's starting to be real competition inside of these races."

Tails, meanwhile lacked the ambition of Sonic's determination to win the third race. Taking a moderate glance at his wrist watch was all it estimated for him to experiment on his confidence.

"I have to go fly back to the Seaside Hill warehouse. I suspect Honey may need my help on the jumpsuits." He opted to quickly make the keen backtrack to Seaside Hill for his mission.

Sally watched the yellow fox boy begin to part ways for his own X Tornado. Her mind created a sense of assistance, figuring if Honey had developed an idea during the race. True to her kind nature, she alerted Tails from afar.

"Tails!" She called out, not wanting to miss this.

The sidekick glanced behind him, the chipmunk striding before him.

"I want to check up on Honey to see if she has an idea already too. She may suspect you needing her help."

Tails wasn't convinced; he was hesitant at first. Sally's smile merely faint due to his thinking, paving the way for him to oblige.

"Sure. Why not." Tails accepted. "The backtracking will be worth it once we win the next race."

"That's the confidence we all like, Tails." The Freedom Fighter leader thus rotated to Dodon Pa, Sonic, Knuckles and Team Rose. "We'll be right back! Make sure the race starts when we return!"

"Be on heels to hurry back, though. We will start the race at Wisp Circuit when you return." The tanuki responded, relaxed in his mobile.

Tails nodded, hastened with Sally for the Seaside Hill warehouse on Honey's check-up. With a single leap into the cockpit of the X Tornado, the kistune thrusting the control stick upon starting the engine. Sally could only scan her surroundings ascending into the sky of Planet Wisp, ready for departure. Shooting through the breeze, the X Tornado was no more.

---

[SEASIDE HILL WAREHOUSE, SEASIDE HILL]

Sally and Tails embarked outside of the warehouse, parking the X Tornado in front of the garage doors as the two mobians effortlessly jumped out. They headed for the back door, swung on its hinges to indicate it was shut, but not locked. Tails, understanding Honey's diligence yawned the door while simultaneously creating an idea in his mind. There, Honey was in solitude accompanied by her trusty sewing machine readying its operation, perched on a table adjacent to some cloth she had brought in from the boutique during the race. The two mobians halted briefly, Honey welcomed them in the corridor of exuberance.

"You're back!" The cat yelped, walking up to the two, unaware of the kitsune's appearance. "Hey Tails!"

"Long time no see, Honey." Tails nervously scratched the rear head briefly. "How's business?"

The cat retracted, eyeing her sewing station for a second.

"Great! I thought you would never come! I wanted you, but I didn't tell Sally!"

"Ehhh..." Sally attempted to recuperate that sentence by explaining she was intending to ask her.

"You wanted me to come up with some ideas?" Tails proudly asked.

"Yep." Honey rummaged out a notebook and pen from her dress pocket. "Tell me what you've got."

"I will assure you most of these will never be, but I'll give you some." The kitsune's mind rummaged a potential idea from dozens more. "How about about a make-shift bag that transforms into your jumpsuit?"

"Huh...interesting?" Honey wrote the first idea upon the parchment on her book.

"If that doesn't work, then how about I make something more simple - a single button that ejects the user from the jumpsuits? There's also the idea of names being printed on the back of each one, the color corresponding to your primary color of fur, clothing or maybe even your own preference, but those are just some of my personal ideas for you to consider."

"How is that even going to be possible, Tails?" Sally walked forward, granted she is anticipating wearing one of them. "A button that ejects you and allows you to take the jumpsuits off when you're done with the shifts."

"I will try." Tails stood up, his pride bearing the peak almost. "I've attempted and succeeded much worse than just jumpsuits. I'll come up with a mechanism that allows easy access to one's removal of said suits."

Honey stared at him, unsure and inexperienced with this kind of thing.

"I've never even done something like that before, let alone help you."

"Okay, that's the last time I'm gonna be your client." The fox boy joked, swinging his right hand across with a flat backhand facing up. "I was just helping, that's all."

"That's okay for me, Tails." Honey understood, walking back to her station. Preparing her hands, she retreated to the seat and scanned back and fourth between her notebook and concept blueprint.

"Developing this mechanism is going to take a while." Sally stated. "Do you even have the materials for it?"

The adamant kitsune turned around to the curious chipmunk, laying down a possible detour to a familiar place.

"We can go back to my workshop in Mystic Ruins and I can make one for her. It shouldn't take that long for a small piece of wiring. We can just drop it off here and return to Planet Wisp just in time for the 3rd Grand Prix race.

"Dodon Pa's going to be worried about you and Sally, though." Honey spoke in the aftermath of her finalized idea. Tilting her head up to the two mobians, she grew mere worry.

"I built a hidden afterburner inside of the X Tornado that'll dramatically increase speed at a maximum of 300 miles an hour. It'll get us there in no time."

Sally stored her faith in the yellow fox boy. He had done this multiple times before, he should be pretty familiar with this.

"It's a great idea, As a Freedom Fighter, I saw you use something similar." The chipmunk referenced the Cyclone.

"It's like that." He began to walk away, Sally following him out of the garage. "We better hurry before we somehow miss the race."

"Gotcha back!"

The two mobians forced Honey all alone again. The cat finalized her idea, initiating her development of the actual jumpsuit. Her goal was cautiously leaving a hole for the mechanism and wiring. To do this, she would have to make two layers, the strings attached in-between. This was just like a superhero suit. Her plan was to eject the lower half of the suits to safety discard from the user using exactly Tails' assistance. She was taught how to accomplish this highly advanced technique back in design training. Turning her sewing machine on, she got to work.

---

[TAILS' WORKSHOP, MYSTIC RUINS]

Upon identifying his workshop from the distance, Tails immediately scanned his dashboard and pushed a button, unlatching the oncoming garage doors of the distinguishable structure, it's runway immediately visible as palm trees that lined beside lean as the attempted landing on the cliff-face.

"Attempting landing, hang on to your seats, Sally!" The 8 year old fox mastered his piloting by aligning his landing gear with the centre of the runway.

The chipmunk grabbed firmly onto the rear of his buddies' seat and braced for impact. She took a wild judgement, but had faith in Tails' trust. Besides, he's done this many times, it's familiar to him. The fox piloted the X Tornado safely, steadily joining the runway mechanism with the plane's gear as it gradually slowed towards his workshop. As it halted, Tails ejected the space hatch separating the mobians from breathable oxygen.

"We're here!"

"How quick will building the mechanism take?" The acorn expressed mere concern, Tails hopping out of the Tornado 2 and heading inside of his workshop.

"Not alot. We will get back in time for the 3rd race. This is something I wanted to do on my own to stylish Dodon Pa's race."

Sally unbuckled her seatbelt and followed the young kitsune inside. Tools aplenty stocked the walls and workbenches couldn't be far from obvious to her naked eye. Tails grabbed a wrench, a couple of bolts and wiring materials from around his shop. He also grabbed a smooth, metal bolt from one of his drawers.

Oh...uh-" Tails was concerned for the chipmunk's idling. "You might want to take a seat nearby. This is going to take a while."

The chipmunk agreed, not bothering to irritate a focused kitsune in his natural habitat. She found a comfortable place to wait, a distance away from the hard-working Tails at work. Sure, their was no chair or seat, but she was adamant to wait without straying away from the trust she had enveloped.

Watching for a while, Sally eyed the fox's usage of fitting wires in a minuscule button proved his precise finger positioning, using the conveniently-place screwdiver sat onto his workbench. Making sure what wouldn't work for the ejection of the jumpsuits and what would work forced the kitsune precious time. He heeded, but not rush. Rummaging through his selection of tools, he pulled out a set of pliers for bending the small wires frantically. Tiny bolts were also at his disposal, for clamping down the button to conceal the wiring inside. Sally's patience led the chipmunk to summarize her team's fuel capacity and overall capability. Would Team Sonic had enough fuel to finish the Grand Prix? That was also factoring the rival team too. Tails fetched the mechanism blueprint from his drawer underneath. This will come in handy for Honey to read.

"Honey will need to copy this from my blueprint..." Tails said to himself, as he fitted the last wiring in via the pliers.

Caution surrounded his occupation, one mistake would injure the fox. Taking the spanner from his workbench, he gently twisted the tiny bolts into the sides of the mechanism. His focus grew intense, but this sort of pastrues was familiar to him. A few carefully double-checking and quality testing moments later and Tails was finished creating the perfect contraption for Honey's errand. He held up the button for Sally's reaction as the fox rotated.

"Tada!" Tails exaggerated. "What do you think? Ingenious invention or clever mind?"

"It's amazing, Tails! You was the right mobian to create something like this, rather than Dodon Pa do it himself."

As she concluded, something caught her mind. The chipmunk took one fascinating scan at the X Tornado, impressed by it's technological advancements in stark comparison to the Tornado biplane. But she was also rapt on the ktisune's limitations.

"I'm curious." Sally wanted a query. "Is this the only plane you have?

Her confusion motivated Tails to eye in the direction of his runway, grabbing the rectangle-shape portable controller he always keeps in the lab.

"I built a mechanism underneath the runway long ago that stores most of my planes, like the Tornado biplane and Cyclone. The larger planes, like the Blue Typhoon require a much larger storage area than this runway. I stored that one back in my workshop in Station Square."

Tails' pushed his portable controller and stepped outside. His purpose was to show Sally he wasn't more of a science geek but a master in aviation too. His anticipation relaxed, enabling the young fox better control over his exposition. Sally exited the workshop, by that time, the runway switched sides, opening up to reveal a second line, with the addition of the Tornado biplane, Cyclone, Tornado 2, his distinct red spaceship and the Sea Fox.

"This is neat handy little tool for when I need to switch planes or operate the Sea Fox in ocean situations. I built all of this myself, a neat little genius I was born to be."

He strided towards his creations, the X Tornado bounded behind them all on a rotary wheel.

"I always use the X Tornado or Hyper Tornado for space travel, but I also use the Cyclone for space landing operations like what I used on the Space Colony ARK. It's easy to navigate and it doesn't require multiple mobians on board at once."

"How many planes does one guy need?" Sally thought of the stupendous amount of willpower the kitsune had. She briefly stared at the Cyclone before returning to the fox.

"I've developed more than planes. I've also built myself my very own spaceship that's mostly used for the same purpose as the X Tornado, Hyper Tornado and Blue Typhoon, but it can also be efficient for transportation in the unlikelihood that all three vehicles need maintenance."

"Impressive, I must say." Sally's conclusion to her curious findings about her friend bare no threat, but display of sorts. Now that Tails had the mechanism built into the singular smooth button, she contemplated about leaving for Wisp Circuit. "We better head back to Dodon Pa."

The chipmunk made a beeline for the X Tornado, strapping herself inside the helmet of the ship's cockpit. Tails lept over the metal exterior and sealed off the hatch for safety. Both mobians fastened the seatbelts on board.

"Are you ready?" He asked, his response was a thumbs up from Sally.

The yellow kitsune signaled ahead and pressed a button on the X Tornado's dashboard wirelessly connecting to the mechanism below the mobians' feet. The rotary wheel was that - it rotated the plane 180 degrees to point its nose at the runway. Trees lining the long stretch leaned once more, as Tails pressed his foot on the accerlation and gripped his two hands with steady aim. The X Tornado flew off without a failure, the two mobians bounded for Planet Wisp, leaving the Mystic Ruins behind them.

---

[WISP CIRCUIT, PLANET WISP]

(Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric - Abandoned Research Facility (Sonic & Tails))

The X Tornado entered the alien planet's atmosphere, Tails and Sally spotting the Wisp Circuit track with bright lights gleaming the blue sky. Sally could spot the bright, red canopy to one side of the starting line, the pitstop visible from the naked eye as they drew closer. They landed not far from the main stand as to avoid any damage to the structures surrounding the track. Making haste to the starting line, they returned with plenty of time to spare.

"Hey Tails." Sonic greeted on his return. Sally was with him as they both dismounted off the aircraft.

"Please, no need for gratitude." He softly rejected easily. "I heard we need to win this race. It's a must win."

"You didn't hear anything." Knuckles overheard the two buddies from a nearby rock. "We were just waiting for you to come back. Team Sonic always needs their flight member."

Tails nervously chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

"Tails showed me most of his planes upon my curiosity that the one we've used isn't the only one." Sally explained, intrigued by her friend's impressive skills.

"To me, that shows he is a true sidekick: a buddy that builds planes that acts as an alternative to Dodon's spaceship." The blue hedgehog delivered a friendly pat.

"Heh-heh..." The kitsune showed signs of a blushing from attainment.

"I see Tails and Sally have returned from their deferential errand." Dodon Pa flew from the start line, towards the two teams. "I was hoping how long that would take."

"It's alright now. Honey has the parts she needs for the jumpsuits. I gave her the blueprints for the mechanism so she couldn't give me any hassle during intervals." The fox explained distinctly.

"That's great news, Tails. That will hopefully boost your team's morale, win or loss."

The hedgehog set targeted eyes on his Blue Speed Star up ahead, but Dodon Pa had other ideas first.

"There's a vital component I forgot to mention." Dodon Pa halted briefly. "These vehicles have the ability to allow you to use what's called a Team Ultimate. It's essentially a crucial part of any race.

Tails' ears propped in what he witnessed whilst racing on the Mother's Canyon racetrack. The suspicious meter displaying the corresponding Team Ultimate indicated a mechanic so crucial he couldn't resist to use wisely.

"That strange meter displayed on the dashboard of the Whirlwind Sport enticed me. Could that be what you're talking about?"

"Precisely, you can only use your Team Ultimate once your teamwork gauge is full. You can fill it up by assisting your teammates in the race and collecting rings, knocking rival racers, the works!"

"We've been doing that before we noticed the gauge filling up!" Sonic remarked intuitively.

"Well..." Dodon Pa averred. "Now you know about the Team Ultimate. It is time for us to race!"

He was granted a satisfaction of allegiance as the racers hopped into their racing vehicles for the third Grand Prix race. Floating before the checkered line, he counted down the anticipation, gears readying to be accelerated. As the organize jolted his raised hand holding the flag, the sudden emission of fumes merely covered the track as the racers faded out of view.

(/)

(Team Sonic Racing - Wisp Circuit)

Tails led the way of the six participants, his Whirlwind Sport gathering enough acceleration to surpass Amy as the pink hedgehog sought to win this race to double their advantage. She rammed an item box on the first set, whipping out a measly White wisp that wasn't beneficial. She offered Big or Omochao fetch it from her instead.

"Anyone needs some love?" She selected the chance.

"No problem for me!" Omochao, over in 6th place obliged, taking the White Wisp and pushing for a boost.

Racing past Big, he hesitated for Amy to pull out a slipstream for the team. The hedgehog silently nodded in focus and frantically reached for the button that triggered the Pink Cabriolet's stream of yellow trailing aura. The copious amount of teamwork gradually flooded the intangible gauge displayed on their dashboards. It was their ultimate weapon, granted Team Sonic doesn't beat them to its usage.

Speaking of, Tails remained untouched in 1st place, despite Knuckles landing a fluke with the Orange Wisp, the rockets barely scraping Amy's vehicle ahead. The hedgehog sharply saw the rockets whizz within her reach. She turned around, the Land Breaker already ejected into the path of Tails' slipstream. Amy was however, unaware that Sonic remained firmly above her on the course, the racers coming up to the second lap it seems. Ramming into an item box gifted Sonic a bundle of three Crimson Wisps. Wary of the impending situation behind him, he sent them to Knuckles.

"Thanks, buddy!" The sturdy echidna reposed his surroundings by launching the wisp at Amy. Successful on all three attempts, the Pink Cabriolet halted exponentially.

"Hey! It takes more than that to slow me down!"

"In your face!" The humiliation only added as Knuckles raced past, catching up to a focused Sonic.

The blue hedgehog, by now has maintained his fox buddy in 1st despite the early mistake from the brawns. He glanced, the red echidna in his sights.

"Hey, Knux! Glad I drove by a Crimson Wisp!"

"Amy was a threat, but no more. We just need to follow Tails's slipstream."

"That's what I'm talking about!" The hedgehog accelerated, pushing the Speed Star past as he entered Tails' slipstream. Together, they initiated the second lap as Team Rose cooked up a strategy that could work in their favor.

"Omochao, Big, Team Sonic are already in the second lap!" The female hedgehog announced. "We need a strategy if we are to win another race!"

"What do you suppose I do?" The wholesome cat rotated his head to her.

"Nothing! We're going to let Omochao speed past them, then we can follow with his slipstream!"

Big emit a thumbs up, cautiously as he gripped his steering wheel.

"Good plan, Amy."

"I'll turn on the slipstream for the chao." She waveringly switched on a loyal boost for Omochao in 5th. He had already made progress as overtaking Knuckles was a proud albeit minor convenience. The boost was available to him, made possible by the team leader.

"Yay! You saved me!" The mechanical voice drew close, the Chao Pod racing beyond Big to join up with Amy. All of this concluded the first lap.

"Omochao, do you wanna skimboost?" She suggested a vital option in their winning strategy.

"Sure!" His ambitious loyalty drove him to speed ahead, Amy reminding him to remain steady.

"Stay on course. I'm gonna boost off you!"

The Pink Cabriolet's speed matched that of Big's Frog Cruiser as both entered the skimboost provided by Omochao. With a boost of speed and little to few rings in their wake, the team ultimately passed Team Sonic, their urgency focused on winning this crucial race. Sonic sensed their rivals haste near them by sound. Nearest to the their vehicles came the Land Breaker, as Knuckles pressed on the gas through an item box. His reward was a Black Bomb Wisp.

"Ha! Bingo!" The echidna's luck sometimes astounded him. He guided the Land Breaker into the incoming slipsteam that Tails provided.

"I'm here for the boost, Knuckles." The fox stated in loyalty. "Tell me when you need it."

"Let's catch up to Team Rose together!"

"Wait!" Tails insisted to bring Sonic into this scrap. "What about Sonic! We're in this together

"I'm open if anybody needs me!" The hedgehog responded upon mention. "Let's race towards Amy!"

"Got it!" Both of his buddies nodded in instruction, the kitsune's slipstream carrying both of them through the winding circuit course.

Knuckles sent the Bomb Wisp over to Tails. With a huge throw before him, it somehow managed to knock the Chao Pod clean off its speed.

"Ow!" Omochao felt that indeed, his control over the steering fruitless in a brief moment. Lucky for Team Rose, their Ultimate gauge neared full capacity. Big perceived something was wrong, activating his slipstream for the Chao Pod to recapture tempo. "Thanks, Big!"

"You're welcome." The lax feline soon felt the pressure of speed from the chao's immediate skimboost as Amy signaled the two for their Team Ultimate. It was with the boost of Team Rose's gumption and the full Ultimate gauge that desired their confidence driving into the final lap. However, Team Sonic noticed this already. Tails caught their rivals making the bend away from the finish line.

"Uh, problem guys." The hedgehog apprehended. "Team Rose is ahead of us again."

"If they win this race, they win the Grand Prix!" Tails used his cognition in a stark reminder.

"We can't allow ourselves to concede this race!" Knuckles followed. "We're making this look easy for them!"

The last of Team Rose were in no view upon the bend the trio maneuvered across, Sonic had to think as fast as his feet could - He knew he had to strengthen his chances of a comeback.

"Okay, change of plan." He drove through an item box and bequeathed the Yellow Wisp onto the echidna. His objective was to send the echidna flying through the course for a last resort slingshot, filling up the remaining portion of their Ultimate gauge.

"What's our plan, Sonic?" The fox raced aside him.

"Knuckles will race ahead and boost us off of him until our gauge is full, then we strike with our Team Ulltimate!"

Tails set all eyes on the track before him.

"I'm ready for it!"

Sonic nodded in motion for Knuckles to push down on the pedal. Both the Speed Star and the Whirlwind Sport followed the trail that ebbed from the Land Breaker with ease. With this in mind, their goal was scrambling to be attained, but it came with a price. A few dozens Orange Wisps strewn out with Team Rose as its target, Tails swerved to gift the hedgehog a keen skimboost.

"Thanks, buddy!" He praised the kitsune's loyalty as the Blue Speed Star continued following Knuckles' slingshot.

"You are welcome!"

By now, Team Sonic had anticipated the available Ultimate, a sign of excellent teamwork in order to snag a ruthless comeback.

"Our Ultimate is almost ready! Keep 'em halting with rockets!" He directed the team, Knuckles responding with a thumbs-up.

The blue hedgehog braced the confidence that lay before him; his Team Ultimate meter merely full for one last attack for the victory. His enthusiasmn coaxed his intincts to push the button that emit the encapsulating yellow aura from their bodies. With a touch of added speed, Team Sonic were keen to gain lost track and close the distance between the two teams. Unaware of Amy's plan, the blue blur had faith in the eventful comeback he saw.

"Let's keep that comeback alive!" Sonic proclaimed to his team, the main trio heading for a fiery quick grasp of the 12 points.

"They will never see this coming!" Tails desired the vital win.

"Haha, yeah!"

Without warning, as sudden as it was, Amy had sensed Team Sonic hatching up a scheme involving their Team Ultimate. The pink hedgehog rammed into an average Big the Cat, alerting the feline with such speed.

"Team Sonic are gaining traction. We have to act now!"

"Okay." Big's limited intelligence only added to Amy's trust, Omochao merely avoiding her call. The responsible user of her beautiful Pink Cabriolet car pushed the Team Ultimate option on their agenda, each member bursting out with yellow aura encapsulating them.

"What the-". The blue blur was thrown off-focus. The fact that he never saw this coming baffled him.

"Team Rose are using their Ultimate to gain more track!" Knuckles stated infront. "Let's try and catch up to them!"

"I got your back, Knux!" Sonic expressed a thumbs up, indicated a great quick-thinking strategy before them.

Team Sonic's Ultimate, unfortunately wouldn't even give more speed behind the echidna's slingshot, Amy and Big launching themselves from the tree-branch and towards the final stretch of asphalt. Sonic and Tails had one last chance to grasp a victory. Even Knuckles gifted him three White Boost Wisps as an assistance. The hedgehog raced forward using the White wisps as a last resort as Tails launched the offensive courtesy of an Orange Rocket. Omochao was directly in its firing line.

"Huh-" The chao companion drastically glanced both ways from behind. To fix this issue, he swerved into Big's slingshot and provided a clean getaway from Team Sonic.

The Chao Pod was the last to fade from their reach, having already lept off the tree branch that ramped skills. Omochao was in distance of the finish line, the main stand's crowd chanting Team Rose's name. Amy and Big awaited, their vehicles parked in a way that gradually dab handed their knowledge of the whole tournament.

(/)

Omochao found a safe space to leap out, finishing in spectacular fashion over Team Sonic's unstable control over the Grand Prix. They could feel the gratitude recognized by the mixed crowd of mobian and chao. Cream was especially happy for Amy taking the gold for the third time consecutively. The team high-fived each other as respect.

"Great job team!" The hedgehog enthusiastically praised. "The Grand Prix should be be ours for the taking now!"

Their celebration ended as the main trio raced into the scene, hopping out of their vehicles and congratulating them respectfully. Amy, with pride and the entire Grand Prix now in their security made her competition lull until the next and final race.

"You did good, Amy." Sonic lead his pack, Tails and Knuckles either side. All were sporting acceptance that they had lost the Grand Prix to the girliest team around.

"You too." The pink hedgehog leaped out of her Pink Cabriolet and strided for a hand-shake.

"I now know that slingshot speed won't work on Team Ultimate's since we already have the Gs." Tails figured, putting two and two together doesn't make it better for them, but as a lesson taught.

"I see you've figured out the Team Ultimate at the first attempt." The tanuki fixated the response on Amy and her team. "I must stress that your Ultimate weapon can't always be reliable to win races. It's just a handy little mechanic when pulled, it can be astonishing to watch."

"We've pulled off the victory, now it's certain we can win the Grand Prix!" The pink hedgehog boasted.

"Hohohoho! A marvelous insight to your advantage." He flew over to the direction of the spaceship. "The last Grand Prix race is in Lost Palace over in Seaside Hill. Care for all to assist me in heading there?"

All impelled, heading for Dodon Pa's ship bound for Lost Palace; that's where every spectator was heading now. Sally estimated the ample fuel required for one more race before escorting the vehicles back to the garage. She, too leaped into the ship as the tanuki gained control of his possession, taking off from the mysterious alien planetary sphere.

---

[BEHIND THE MAIN STAND...]

(Team Sonic Racing - Planet Wisp)

After the race, beneath a stand's rear view holding capacity to the majority of the spectators. Vanilla and Cream walked among the dozens of satisfied mobians towards the large spaceship bound for Seaside Hill.

"Mother! I like how Amy and Mr Big are coming back from many losses." The young rabbit girl declared, Vanilla smiling gracefully at their efforts.

"I'm surprised after their slip-up at the start of the tournament, they are showing Team Sonic what they are made of."

"Exactly!". The two gradually stopped, their position spot the large spectator spaceship right ahead. Vanilla glanced behind her, still flooding with mobians heading straight for the ship it seems. Of one of those, Tangle and Whisper, the latter spending quality time with her best friend.

"Did you see Sonic's slipstream towards the end?!" The lemur exhilarated. "All of his team'mates went whoosh into the top half of the leaderboard!"

"Heh... yeah..." The brown, biscotti wolf softly whispered, as per her name suggests.

Tangle retracted from her friend, Cream and Vanilla in her path. Familiarized in the young rabbit and coincidentally watching the same event, the two halted.

"Oh hey Cream! Didn't expect you here." The dynamic lemur greeted.

"Sonic's victory in over a few races. Picked up on Team Rose's greatness in this Grand Prix..." Whisper told.

"Everybody's cheering for Mr Sonic again! You saw him and his team race back in front, right?"

"Anybody can do that, but Sonic's the best at neutralizing it!" Tangle responded with zest.

Tangle couldn't be more right, for somebody in his recent line of friends, she smiled with her arm reaching her upper back. Closely packed within the crowd of mobians, Espio and Charmy departed from the main stand, discussing the chameleon's duties with Dodon Pa.

"That was great!" The bee was diverted by the race. "Sonic and his pals are racing back into this!"

Espio, meanwhile kept to a hushed composure in the distinct contrast on display.

"Team Sonic has alot to get back in the final race. That reminds me, I have to ask Dodon Pa something when this is all over."

"Oh yeah...!" Charmy was reminded of his game to appease Vector.

The two halted, the eyes of Tangle, Whisper, Cream and Vanilla set upon them.

"I have to ask Dodon Pa if I can do some voluntary for him, like apply for mechanic of this new team he's going to set up."

"Hello? What do I hear about a new team joining the tournament?" The lemur fancied an envisage.

"It's easy!" Charmy bellowed. "Vector's going to-"

In fear of incoming spoiler's coming out of the bee's mouth, Espio covered his colleagues' face in cautionary fear.

"I'd rather keep this confidential until the time comes, Charmy."

"Vector's going to do what, exactly?" Whisper softly spoke, the curiously and the speculation quickly brew in their heads. Cream, meanwhile was adamant she wished to be surprised.

"He's going to pay Dodon Pa a visit, just like how I'm going to ask him about possible voluntary work after the Grand Prix." The chameleon lacked falter in his seriousness.

Vanilla let out a mere giggle, smiling with her eyes closed.

"It's great that you've already found something else to do! Cream didn't want to take part either, and she's happy about that!"

"Amy has it all under control!" The young rabbit girl added, to which she saw immediate potential in Espio's path.

The two rabbit mobians were both curious about what Charmy has planned during Vector's occupation as a racer. Even Tangle and Whisper thought strangely about it, despite never really interacting with the bee before. Briefly, they halted the nice conversation.

"Well-" Vanilla came to a conclusion, one that didn't upset the two Chaotix members. "-since Espio is going to ask Dodon Pa about helping out Vector, why don't I babysit Charmy and have Cream be his company?"

The bee froze in a word - Vanilla was volunteering to watch over him with Cream by his side. Espio smiled, fore-coming his stay as welcoming with the expense of time away.

"That sounds not half bad." The chameleon closed his eyes with folded arms. "Charmy won't have to hound me every time he wants to take turns using my preferred job."

The bee looked at him, dazed.

"Uh...what?"

"Vector and I love you as Chaotix member, Charmy, but you're too young to pursue any other role for that matter."

Cream jumped in excitement, thrilling to have a play-mate other than Cheese.

"Yay! I cannot wait for you to join us, Charmy! It's going to be so much fun!"

"Aw yeah!" Tangle threw an exhilarated fist up in the air. "Babysit time!"

"Hmph..." The chameleon remained serious, firmly griped was his talk with Dodon Pa later. "Well, then. Since that's settled, I'll come with you ladies and we can watch the last Grand Prix race together."

"But- But...why?!" The bee nagged, encircling him in desperation.

"Think of it as perfect bonding time with Cream." Espio turned to Vanilla. "Vanilla, are you sure you can handle Charmy?"

"Not a problem!" The mother rabbit responded. "How hard can it be?"

"I can catch him if he flies off!" Cream suggested without a second guess.

Whisper, meanwhile checked the last of the mobian spectators behind them and gently nudged her best friend.

"Tangle. We're stalling. We better move."

"Oh..." The lemur concluded, moving along. "We better move, I don't wanna get left behind on Planet Wisp, hehe."

"Affirmative! Let us hop on that ship!" Espio signaled the group to follow the two best friends in leaving the alien planet.

His curious request meant no humiliating stalling for the chameleon. That was what he wanted. Dodon Pa had already left the ship and were already located on the final track of the Grand Prix.

(/)

---

[SEASIDE HILL WAREHOUSE, SEASIDE HILL]

Meanwhile, a satisfied Honey the Cat adorned finishing touches to the two jumpsuits developed for Sally and her. Upon her completion, she stood up and took a relaxing stretch, spending the hour creating the jumpsuits. Her mind set its attention on the races, particularly the Grand Prix. Striding near a window that overlooked the Lost Palace course, she audibly picked up on the sounds of the first Grand Prix setting its swansong among that specific racetrack. She faced away from the window, studying her entrance.

"It looks like Dodon Pa and the racers are in Lost Palace right now. I finished the jumpsuits together with the mechanism, but I'm not sure barging in during the Grand Prix is worth my time. I'll probably show them after their races."

Honey therefore retreated back to the center, towards the console desk. Sally promised her to contact Nicole for something specifically for her. The only other problem; the lynx was with the chipmunk, the racers and Dodon Pa heading to the area right now. But wait, Honey had a smart idea written in her mind. Could she be able to check into the console and find something under her name? It was worth the strive that pushed her. She logged into the console using her icon Dodon Pa gave her. There was nothing, but worth the try.

"I thought Nicole wanted me to check with her for something. Maybe I'll call Sally and tell her."

Whipping out her wrist communicator, she dialed Sally's number and held it against her ear. She was, however unaware Sally made her promises firm, a sudden power turn of the console was enough to cause her to flinch. The cat was frightened, not knowing it was only Nicole booting into the machine. By slowly backing away towards the brisk race outside, Nicole projected her appearance into the console to a scared fashion feline.

"Honey the Cat." She called her name clearer through the sound quality of the advanced console. "Sally wanted to keep a firm promise on you and had me manipulate the console to give you a message from a close friend of yours."

Honey tempted to confirm her attendance on Sally's communicator call pretty well, she clearly no idea about what she was made of. Lowering her arm, she sprung back towards the console in an eager tone.

"A close friend...of mine?" She dazed.

"Yes. Sally had arranged this in advance. I'm pretty sure you're going to love it." Nicole's projection fizzled out into static.

A brief interlude of static ensued, Honey's feelings mixing wonder with fear convoying the video call and Nicole's abilities respectively. Upon the other end of the call was a familiar acquaintance of Honey, sporting brown hair, orange coated skin and red and yellow attire.

"Honey, it's me, Tiara Boobowski! Long time no see!" The soft, girly voice echoed through the console's speakers.

Her ears twitched, she couldn't believe her eyes. Honey was face-to-face with her best friend, separated by just the still console monitor.

"Tiara!" Her speech indicated to her emotion. "I didn't realize- But how?!"

"Sally wanted me to wish you good luck on your new job as Team Rose's mechanic. I have a feeling you will get used to working with Amy Rose."

Honey leaned back towards the direction of the sewing machine in a bemuse manner. Se still had no idea why Dodon Pa chose her specifically. Tiara was about to change that curious notion.

"Dodon Pa wanted you, specifically for the mechanic job. I think you know that already. I spoke to him before he invited you and we both settled on an agreement."

Honey's eye's widened a little. Wait, Tiara and Dodon Pa made a deal about this? The feline's silent intake fell on her friend's own thought.

"So wait, you both had the same idea on why I wanted to partake in this?" She rested her elbows on the wooden console desk, far from the features of a computer..

"Actually." The manx stated hastenigly. "We both had a different approach: I wanted you to participate in the races or on the lines of it, and Dodon Pa sought a fashion designer for the mechanic jumpsuits."

She peeked behind the cat, scanning for the very suits the tanuki required.

"You have made them, right Honey?"

"I made two jumpsuits so far, one for Sally and I. It took an hour to make, which is why I had to miss a few races."

"Who took your place while you were making the jumpsuits?" The manx questioned, curious and showing meagre concern for Team Rose in the Grand Prix.

"Sally asked Nicole to watch over Amy's team. I'll be watching over them since I'm finished, for now." The cat pictured her debut appearance alongside an already upbeat Sally Acorn. "I'll have to wait until after the Grand Prix for me to start cheering on my team!"

"That's a sensible choice, Honey." The mans glistened faithfulness into her best friend, the feline taking the response with heart and concluding the meeting, but not until one last exchange.

"Looks like the race is about to start nearby. Lost Palace is where the final Grand Prix course is." Honey stated, substituting her statement for her promise. "I'll call you when I have free time on my hands. Would you mind that, Tiara?"

Tiara giggled with Honey's assurance and loyalty. She, too had to state something aswell.

"Sure. Don't forget, I'm also in the stands. Make sure to spot me when I'm waving to you."

"I will..." The feline's eyes shone in Tiara's immense gratitude to watch her best friend make good use of Team Rose's backstage shenanigans.

She gave farewell to Tiara before tapping the call end key on the console. With the speed of the built-in computer, its fullscreen call switched to black, Honey closing the tab to return to the desktop. The fashion designer peeked behind her to the booming race in the distance, all but some of the noise pollution muffled within the warehouse's sturdy walls. Eyeing the two jumpsuits hung on a clothing rack was enough confidence and estimation that she would gather for her team to win the Grand Prix.

---

[LOST PALACE, SEASIDE HILL]

(Team Sonic Racing - Pre-Race)

"Dodon Pa's tech is amazing!" Amy wandered over her distinct Pink Cabriolet, admiring her new vehicle. The rest of the racers and Dodon Pa was there, preparing for the last race of the Grand Prix. "I've never seen anything like my car! It's so fast it's scary!"

Omochao fluttered over, joining the pink hedgehog from the Chao Pod.

"There appear to be three types of cars, Amy." He expositioned, only picking up this blind information from experience racing with the team. "You're driving a Speed-type car that can go very fast, while Big has a Power-type car that can easily smash through things."

"Just like Big!" The hedgehog admired his strength as the chao companion continued.

"Haha! Exactly! And I'm driving a Technique-type car that has improved handling and can attract rings for collection."

"Oh, Omochao, you're the master of exposition!"

"Heheh, yeah. It's kinda my deal, isn't it?"

"I see you've evaluated what works and didn't work, fine chao." Dodon Pa flew towards Omochao and Amy, in the midst of the preparations for the final Grand Prix race. "Your information will be a key component in my races. Hohohoho!"

The tanuki merely ascended, their vehicles inspected and without compromise. Omochao came forth and wondered the capacity of fuel his Chao Pod can withstand.

"Can I say something, Dodon Pa?" The chao asked.

"Most certainly."

"I've been wondering how much fuel is left in our cars before it's all gone. We have been racing with no breaks."

"That's the magic of the Grand Prix, my chao companion. Hohohoho." Dodon Pa cackled, floating away towards the start line.

"See?" Amy stated aggressively. "He's vague."

"We can refuel after the final Grand Prix race, Amy." Sonic stated, examining the beauty of the Speed Star. Sally, whom stood on the other side of the track's pitstop strided over. Nicole had been talking to her from her projected form.

"I'm still not used to all of this fancy mechanic talk, Dodon Pa. I'll see what I can do after this race." The chipmunk offered a keen gesture of allegiance Dodon Pa built heavily upon.

"That's the spirit, good chipmunk! How is Honey doing on those jumpsuits?"

"Tails and I brought the additional blueprints to her at the requst of the two-tailed fox. I think you're going to like it."

"Excellent news, Sally!" Dodon Pa contended, hovering towards the start line. "Are you all ready for the race to start?"

T'was a signal for the racers to hop into their vehicles, the crowd cheering, chanting and waving in the direction of the six. Sally and Nicole, stationed at the team's pitstops spectated the tanuki, cueing the race as the racers jolted, fleeing across the course in competition.

(Team Sonic Racing - Lost Palace)

Their vehicles roared, their engine's fully loaded with adequate fuel as they department around the track for the first lap. Everybody situated in the main stands on either side roared for their teams and idols. Big, somewhat found himself in first place, blindly drifting the immediate curve towered by waterfalls. He was joined by a closely trailing Amy detecting the perfect pattern upon the whole of the standard and Grand Prix raced previously. The hedgehog was closely followed by a perfect recipe for Team Rose - Omochao.

"Good start, team. Let's keep Sonic below our lead!" Amy dominated her team motivation.

Big and Omochao accepted, each ramming into item boxes at the first attempt, gifting a Cube Wisp and a Quake Wisp respectively. Unfortunately, a closely packed Team Sonic foresaw their obstacles as they began to be laid out before them.

"Wuh-oh." The blue hedgehog drastically swerved, contemplating their rivals' basic knowledge going full circle. They were pretty much the dominant side now.

"How about you and me distract them with Jade Wisps." Knuckles was wishing of winning again.

"Perfect idea!" Tails came to a worrying conclusion.

"I'll speed ahead and skimboost you!" The leader raced past his two buddies, switching on the yellow trail of aura. As a result, Knuckles and Tails' vehicles speed increased, reducing the total distance between the two teams.

"Right!" The fox was confined to his courage, slipping under the Speed Star

Knuckles was not far as all three accepted the invitation for the top 3 position. The only downside to their mission was of course, Team Rose. Amy had carried her team to victory on the last 3 races. She didn't care about winning the last race since their gold was already secure. Knuckles gifted the Jade Wisp to Sonic, the blue hedgehog happily accepted as part of his cunning plan. He faded into nothingness for a while, simultaneously giving his team the slipstream they so needed. Tails rammed into an item box, whipping out an Ivory Wisp to use against Amy. The pink hedgehog will not see this coming.

"Fetch!" He shouted, launching the wisp into the Pink Cabriolet as it bolted a single spark of lightning on her.

"Ow! I didn't like that at all!" She wailed.

"Bam! Right up the tailpipe!" The Whirlwind Sport user saw himself overtake Amy in spirit, despite the odds of winning the Grand Prix stacking against him.

"Good shot, buddy!" Sonic emerged himself from the after-use of the Jade Wisp, overseeing his sidekick take one for the team.

"Thanks!"

Heading into the second lap, Amy had found herself in last place, blinded by the lightning of Tails' aggression. She built momentum, following the tail end of the Land Cruiser a fair distance away.

"It's gonna take more than that, Tails!" She focused on the rear of the rivals' vehicle as Omochao suspected a teammate had fallen, thus controlling a slipstream for the pink hedgehog. Big had begun his defense for his first place, audibly sensing Team Sonic creep up on Omochao from behind his tail. His ambitious led to an item box, gifting the Cube Wisps to his chao friend.

"Thanks, Big." The Chao Pod boosted momentum in exchange for the power-up.

Watching Sonic, Tails and Knuckles merely mess up the chao's skimboost for Amy, plus overcoming the hurdles raised his mind to push further.

"Big, we need more juice. Stat!" He ordered, the purple feline reaching for a trail of rings to max out his stash.

"I don't know how you give rings to over racers."

"You can't do that here, I think. I'm providing Amy a chance to catch up. You defend our record."

"Okay." T'was Big's answer as he sped along the beautial vista of Lost Palace. Only wooden fences separated the cliffs from the path, something these racers grew aware of. Omochao led the attacking force of Team Rose, laying out newly-gifted Cube Wisps and launching Orange Rockets behind the Chao Pod whilst simultaneously providing her fellow pink hedgehog leader with the boost she required to gain in order to speed ahead to Big.

Tails had minded the crazy competition spirit their rivals hailed a long time ago. Now it was time to actually break their 100% record. The fox suddenly jolted past Sonic, skimboosting the blue blur.

"Thanks, buddy!"

"No problem! Amy caught up to Big and Omochao." The kitsune begged for a yearning favor. "Think you can provide us with the slingshot for the final lap?"

Sonic's grin began to show, the core trust accessed him to activate the yellow aura in a flash.

"You got it, Tails!" He winked with a thumbs up.

"Knuckles! Boost off of Sonic!" The fox attended to the echidna behind. "We're going to try and build up our Team Ultimate!"

"Got it!" The Land Breaker indicated inside of the Speed Star's slingshot as the team raced into the final lap.

Amy could notice what came behind her as she overcame the beautiful view that lead to more banked curves. She was hesitant to avoid a loss. But Sonic had other plans for her. His team were closing in, fast. The backdrop of a long, uninterrupted waterfall helped the blue hedgehog speed up and tighten the gap between him and Amy.

"I can already smell the Team Ultimate coming..." He wildly thought and he swiftly drifted upon a slight banked curve, allowing him to gain a mere boost.

Sonic's Team Ultimate gauge neared completion, their ambition to at least create a victory amongst them glued to their checklist. The blue hedgehog guided their teammates to winning pastures, awaiting their chances as Team Rose caught sight of them from behind several metres.

"I think we need to pull off our Team Ultimate now!" Amy ached to gain their record.

The users of the Frog Cruiser and the Chao Pod unanimously made priority to their Team Ultimate, their bodies emitting the glowing yellow aura from before, their speed jolted towards the rival team.

"Uh oh..." The blue blur noticed Team Rose's incoming Ultimate, signalling Tails and Knuckles for preparation.

"Not on their watch!" Knuckles hesitated no more and consented to the Team Ultimate. The shot of glowy, aura confinded to their boosted speed, shooting further up the Lost Palace track.

Ha! In your face, Team Rose!" Tails waved adios to their rivals' penchant for the 100% record.

The trio's luck inversed from last time, The Blue Speed Star gaining enough boost from Knuckles' slingshot to overtake the echidna and reach the summit of the giant leaderboard back near the finish line. It was all uphill from here. There was one final push for all three members to fill the top three, with Sonic laying down Cube Wisps behind and diverting Tails and Knuckles to either side of the hedgehog. Now all was needed for Team Rose to catch up was to direct their vehicles away from the Wisps. It didn't quite work out in Omochao's favor.

"Bam! That's what you get!" The blue blur chuckled in the face of Omochao's impact.

Team Sonic's Ultimate flared up by the time they were nearing the finish line, the greatest achievement they could muster was breaking Team Rose's 100% record in return of their total victory. Tails had one last gift for them, whipping out the Gray Quake Wisp. Left behind him was a barrage of pillars sporadically placed from one another.

"Oh goodness...!" Amy quickly veered the Pink Cabriolet to the side of the incoming stone pillars, knowing she hadn't a chance of catching up. Unlucky Big the Cat found himself smacked right against the pillars, the Frog Cruiser spinning wildly.

"Take a nap, Big!" He smirked, racing alongside Sonic and Knuckles off a ramp that looked directly at the finish line.

The crowd of spectators in the main stand acclaimed with whistles and yelps of determination galore, the blue hedgehog and his trusty team passing the checkered line and swerving their cars for a park.

(/)

Team Sonic leaped out of their cars, examining the scoreboard as it they had attained the Grand Prix. Unfortunately for them, The streak of wins Team Rose accumulated in a consecutive three races were all that was needed for them to steal Team Sonic's thunder for once, despite them winning the last set.

"We had the race in our hands, but we lost the Grand Prix." Sonic stated. "This was a fair match."

"We wouldn't have been able to win on foot if we had the chance too." Amy raced to a halt beyond the finish line and hopped out.

"That just makes it all the more easy for you!"

"Hohohoho!" Dodon Pa begun his descent in their aim. "Congratulations on your first victory, Team Rose! It came at the expense of the Grand Prix, but who can really say?"

Without a chance to say anything, he turned around, preferably away from the racetrack in favor of a relaxed interlude.

"Come, all." The wise tanuki fore-came to the the distinct warehouse perched in the distance. "There's a cafeteria inside of the warehouse. I'm sure you'll need fuel yourself as well as the vehicles."

"Count me in! I'm starving after all of that racing!" The lead hedgehog responded, leaping past the tanuki and taking hike.

"Hohohoho!" He chuckled, brushing his mustache. "That's the kind of attitude that is crucial to owning gold medals."

"You know what, I'm hungry too." Knuckles skirted gently past the tanuki. "I hope they have grapes in there. They're my favorite."

"You say that likes it your first time with us." Amy followed, showing a snark frame of mind developed from the races.

Tails, Big and Omochao didn't really have a choice. Dodon Pa's warm grin at the three determined the outcome. The three shrugged off the mild awkward sensation and departed, the kitsune leading the remaining pack as the tanuki sped to remain past a walking Sonic.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Dodon Pa's Tournament - Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, Tails Miles Prower, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, Omochao.

Team Mechanics - Sally Acorn, Honey the Cat.

---

References:

Cars Franchise - The way Sonic gears himself before the first Grand Prix race is reminiscent of Lightning McQueen's pre-match monologue from the three Cars films.

AntDude/Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly - Tashistation is named after one of the dragonflies found within the Cloud 9 stage, preferably in one of the two minigame portals. AntDude's review of the game comments on the weird name of said dragonfly.

Star Wars franchise - Tashistation's name may also be a reference to the power station and repair shop on the fictional planet Tatooine in the Star Wars films.

---

I attempted to name all of major locations in Sonic Unleashed bar Eggmanland as it's own country governed autonomously by the United Federations. It might be confusing at first, but down the line it will be much more clearer. That just leaves me to name the cities Sonic and Chip visited to locate the Gaia Gates and the Chaos Emeralds. Believe me, it may be useful later in the fanfic. Alot of things also happened in the chapter too, with Tails doing what he does best while Sally tagged along. The Grand Prix chapters are by far the longest sets of races I will have to adapt with the exception of intervals, so it may take a little more time to publish. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and take care.

P.S. That AntDude reference is going to be sort of a running gag whenever it's possible. Just a heads up for you to know.

Please review.