It was night and Sonic, Tails and Knuckles were on top of a building.
"I think the signal's coming from around here." Tails said holding a circular scanning device. "Hmm... that's really weird. It looks like something's jamming the radar signal."
Then they heard shattering glass nearby. Sonic turned to the direction of the noise.
"Hmm?" she said.
Higher up on another building, three figures cloaked within the night's shadows broke through a couple of windows; riding on Extreme Gears. Knuckles pointed to them.
"There! What's that?" he said. "I can't be Manic." he said and looked at Sonic. "Right?"
"No. He's not that great." Sonic said.
Then an icon on Tails' handheld device focused around its digital representation of the three airborne figures.
"Sonic! The Emerald's over there!" he said.
Everything is about to change
The three landed on the ground and, using their Extreme Gears, rushed off down the close-by street.
"All right! Now we're talkin'!" Sonic said and jumped off the building, spinning rapidly in the air during her descent.
Six police units were giving chase to the three figures. As Sonic landed on the ground, she braced herself to stop the Air boarders, but the one closest to her merely swerved past her. While she looked in surprise at the fleeing green rider, Knuckles dropped down behind her and punched one of the other two riders off his Gear and spiraling through the air. Tails looked at the insignia on the Extreme Gear, which depicted a lamp. The last of the three riders picked her grey companion out of the air and continued moving on without so much as pausing or breaking sequence.
"Shoot!" Knuckles said.
Then Sonic picked up the board dropped by the grey rider, flinging it into the air, ran towards and flipped herself onto it. Quickly making it into the tunnel where the action's taking place, she weaved in and out of the cars, until catching up with the green member of the trio. They exchanged a few blows; seeing that it wasn't working, Sonic swerved around the green rider, getting ahead of him.
"Oh, not bad." Jet said.
Clearing the tunnel, Sonic looked back, but noticed he disappeared.
"What the-?!" she said and looked up to see the competitor throttle down from the sky, his speed generating an incredible amount of wind behind him.
The pseudo-shockwave from his opponent's landing sent Sonic spiraling through the air.
"Hmph. So, you're supposed to be the fastest thing alive?" Jet said and rode out of view, as Storm, still hanging on to Wave's board grabbed his board out of the air.
Tails and Knuckles caught up to Sonic as she lifted herself off the ground.
"Oh, new competition!" she said smirking a little.
At Future City, Eggman broadcasted himself onto a large television monitor, which previously read "Air Board Festival".
"Muhahahaha!" Eggman said.
"Eggman!" Team Sonic said.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome everyone! I hope you're all ready for a show. We've got an exciting event just for you. Ho ho ho ho! Since you all seem so bored, I've put together a little extra something to spice things up! I call it the "EX World Grand Prix"! A tournament to see who's the best of the best with Extreme Gear! Not just a race... But a special race, to see who's the fastest. And... These races are no-holds-barred! All contestants pay a simple entry fee of one Chaos Emerald, and the winner takes it all! So, let's see who among you dares to meet this challenge!" he said and the monitor went back to its previous Extreme Gear advertisement.
"Eggman again! Just what is he up to this time?" Sonic said and he reappeared on the screen.
"And there's more! Before I forget, I'll present the current contestants. These players, they're hot, the best racers I could find!" he said and the three individuals from the previous night appeared on the monitor, along with the statistics for their Extreme Gears.
"Hey, that's! ... The EX World Grand Prix, huh? Let's do this!"
'Ohhhh no.' Knuckles thought.
The next day Sonic, Tails and Knuckles were at Splash Canyon talking.
"Yeah, but what exactly is Eggman really after?" Knuckles said.
"Aw, it can't be anything too important." Sonic said.
"Hey, Sonic!" Amy said.
"Huh? Amy...?" she said and her eyes drooped; Amy ran up to her, screeching to a halt. "Don't tell me you've signed up too?"
"Of course. It really looks exciting and fun. Why wouldn't I join? And besides... this way, I'll be able to keep my eyes on you." Amy said and winked.
"Ugh." she said while Tails looked at her board. "Tails?"
"Hmm... That mark..." Tails said and had a flashback to the emblem on Storm's board.
"Mark?"
So I'm moving on, letting go
"Uh-huh. I think it was on the boards of those guys we ran into in Future City. ...Babylon..."
"Babylon?" Sonic, Knuckles and Amy said.
"Yes; the mark of the Babylon Rogues. A long time ago, there was a floating island known as Babylon Garden. Supposedly, robbers lived there. According to rumors... this "legendary" band, the Babylon Rogues, were great thieves." he said and saw a series of hieroglyphics illustrate. "Legend also says that the Babylon Rogues incurred the wrath of the Gods because of their crimes, and that the island was cast into the depths of the Earth. After that, supposedly the Babylonians were then scattered for all time, never to be found. But they say that the Babylon Rogue's treasure still remains on that island, waiting to be discovered." he said and it stopped. "There are also rumors that the Babylon Rogues were Extreme Gear specialists."
"Still, how can a plank like that just float?" Knuckles asked. "Angel Island can't float without the Master Emerald!"
"That's easy to explain. According to the Kutta-Joukowski Lift Theorem, the control surface flow is balanced by the inverse kinetics of the-" he said while Knuckles' eyes started spinning.
"STOP! I get it, okay?! It just floats and that's good enough for me!" Knuckles said and Sonic snickered.
'Once a knucklehead, always a knucklehead.' she thought.
"Ah ha ha ha!" Wave said and walked up to everyone.
"Huh?"
"Sorry! But it's just too funny!" she said and looked over at Tails, holding Sonic's Extreme Gear.
'Let's see...' she thought.
"Huh? That Gear's unusual." she said.
"Customized it myself." Tails said as she picked up the Blue Star and looked at it.
"Hmmmm." she said.
'This isn't half bad, for an amateur. Still... You can never be too careful.' she thought and turned the board around and place da small bomb on it.
"Hmm! Ah ha ha ha ha! Well, I never imagined anyone would enter the race with such a piece of junk. Hahaha!" she said and handed the Blue Star back to Tails. "Thanks though. It was good for a laugh. See ya, shorty." she said and walked away.
"Oh that girl, who does she think she is?!" Amy said while Wave smirked as she walked away.
"Yeah! How can she just walk in and diss Tails?" Sonic said.
"I know! And tinkering's all he's really good at, too." Knuckles said.
Tails, looking in Wave's direction, appeared infuriated.
"The next race is about to begin. Please come to the gate, participants!" Omochao said on speakers and they all started running to the gate.
Later at Egg Factory, Knuckles walked past a couple of robots. As he turned a corner, he and Storm bumped into each other, resulting in Knuckles lying on the floor. After a moment to take in what just happened, they point to each other.
"Ah!" they said together.
"It's you!" Knuckles said.
"I'll make sure to pay you back for this!" Storm said.
Knuckles stood up.
"Hah! I let you get away last time, but definitely NOT today!" he said.
"Why wait 'til later, you little punk? I'll pay you back tenfold, NOW!"
Knuckles started to wind up a punch, but hit the robot behind him instead. As it fell down against Knuckles, he propped it up.
"Em, sorry." Knuckles said.
"Wa-hahahaha! What're you doin', you clumsy fool? Was that supposed to be some kind of punch?" Storm said and started winding up a punch of his own.
"Nice try, buddy!" Knuckles said and dodged to the side, making Storm hit the robot by accident.
Storm walked closer to the robot.
"Sorry there! It wasn't my fault! If he hadn't jumped out of the way just now, I would've clobbered-" he said and the robot's arm came off in his hand, right before it blew up.
"-WHAT?!"
"The race is about to start! All participants, please get to your positions now." Omochao said.
"Gah! The track then; we'll settle this there!"
"Looking forward to it!" Storm said.
Later at Green Cave, Sonic launched off a ramp, doing three right-spin tricks, as Tails and Knuckles watched.
"The semifinal race will begin in ten minutes! Please convene at the gate prior to that time." Omochao said.
"Hah!" Sonic said and flipped off her board, caught it, then landed on the ground.
"That's cool, Sonic! When did you learn those techniques?" Tails said.
"He-heh!"
"Not very impressive for someone of your reputation." Jet said standing on a tree branch.
"You..."
"You know, I've checked you out actually. Not bad; I admit you're pretty fast on your feet. But here, it's a whole different story when riding with Extreme Gear! You see, to be the fastest on a Gear, you have to become one with the wind! Without wings, well, you might as well kiss the ground and go home!" he said and leapt into the trees above him. "Ah-hahahahahaha!"
"Who does he think he is?!" Knuckles said.
"Hmm... Well I don't think he's all talk, you know; I better be on my toes during this competition." Sonic said.
"I never imagined anyone would enter the race with such a piece of junk." Tails heard Wave say again.
"Sorry, Sonic; I just need to fine tune some things, then your Extreme Gear will be at a hundred percent." he said.
"Hey Tails, you always do your best, so don't worry." Sonic said.
"Yeah, but she has a point; she's a really brilliant mecha mechanic. Sonic! Don't worry; I'll unlock the secret of the Extreme Gear for us!" he said she nodded.
Later at Sand Ruins.
"Now, our race has reached its final stage. The remaining competitors are pacing, anxious for the race to begin. Only a few minutes left. Who will win this big event?" Omochao said and confetti was thrown in the coliseum.
"Sonic! Congratulations! I'll be over here, cheering you on!" Amy said and Sonic nodded; Amy smiled.
Sonic, Knuckles, Tails and Jet all started walking up the coliseum's large staircase.
"And now, it's time for the final event! And it's set here... in Sand Ruins! The rules are still the same; anything goes in this extreme race! Although it needs no further explanation, the first one to reach the goal will win this race!" Eggman said and five of them were set on an "altar" at the stair's top. "But remember, the prize will be won by the racer who's performed the best throughout this competition!"
Sonic took out her Emerald and Jet did the same.
"Hah, you're lucky you got this far. It obviously wasn't due to your, "skills."" Jet said.
"Heh, I won't lose now." Sonic said and they set their Emeralds down.
"Hohoho! Get ready; it's time for the final race to begin!" Eggman said.
Soon Sonic was riding through the desert, with Jet in hot pursuit.
"Noo!" Jet said.
As she sped ahead to the finish line, Wave was hiding behind one of the ruins, a detonator in her hand. She activated it with a smirk, as a bomb on Sonic's Extreme Gear flashed and went off, exploding close to the finish line, knocking Sonic off, as Jet passed her and finished the race. Confetti poured down as he celebrates, and went to Sonic.
"Ah, the dirt suits you so well!" he said and Sonic could only scowl at him, as he left, and hit the ground in frustration.
Jet held up a control box, and the Chaos Emeralds started glowing then started circling around him.
Then each of them shot a small beam of light into the control box, igniting a glowing sphere inside it. Said sphere fired a beam of light like the Emeralds, but aiming it out at the desert. In the distance, mountains of dirt were thrown out as a loud rumbling starts. Then a floating ruin raised out of the sand and into the sky.
"This... this is... Babylon Garden..." Jet said.
Then a crane outreached and grabbed the control box out of his hand. Jet, dazed by the sight of Babylon Garden, not noticing the crane, but only flexed his hand slightly with the feel of the box missing; by the time Eggman spoke, Jet noticed the box was gone.
"Hohohohoho! Now I'll get the Treasure of Babylon!" Eggman said.
"Oh, no!" Amy said then ran up to Eggman, and grabbed onto the machine he's using to fly.
Ignoring her, he took off for Babylon Garden.
"Eggman!" Jet said.
"Tails! Knuckles! We gotta get Eggman!" Sonic said.
Soon at Babylon Garden Sonic, Tails and Knuckles were in the Tornado, next to Jet's airship. Eggman cruised by on his E-Rider down below, on Babylon Garden. Sonic prepared to jump off the Tornado, but Tails stopped her.
"I found you!" she said.
"Wait, Sonic, use this!" Tails said and tossed her the Blue Star II.
"What is it?"
"It's a new Gear I prepped up, just in case something like this happened."
"Thinking ahead Tails? Thanks!" she said and dove off the Tornado and Jet met her in the air. "Jet..."
They both landed on the Garden.
"You can't catch up with him! Get outta my way!" Jet said.
"Is that what you think? Take a look at this! I'll show you what true speed really is!" Sonic said.
Soon Tails, Knuckles, Wave and Storm all landed on Babylon Garden; Tails fell off his board, while Knuckles landed perfectly.
"Oh man, looks like we have company." Wave said.
"We gonna rumble?" Knuckles asked.
Then he and Storm walked up to each other, preparing to fight. A series of Eggman's robots approached everyone, setting their targets on them.
"Targeting... Targeting... Attack!" E-10000R said.
Then the horde of E-10000R and E-10000G robots ran towards Knuckles and the rest. Tails stood up.
"Knuckles, now's not the time to fight!" he said.
"Smart thinking! Let's get out of here! Forget the red mutt. Let's go, Storm!" Wave said.
"Did she say, "Red mutt"...?" Knuckles asked and Storm and Wave rode away, with him tailing them. "W-Why you...!"
"Hey Knuckles, wait for me!" Tails said and dashed to his board.
Getting on it, he darted away, knocking the robots behind him with his turbulence.
Later Wave smirked as she saw Jet in the distance, talking with Sonic, Knuckles and Tails.
"Hmph! I lost. So don't play games with me! I don't want your pity, nor do I need it!" Jet said and handed the control box out to Sonic.
"Wha-? Are you crazy?" Wave said and she and Storm walked up to everyone. "If they don't want it, then let's take it. Treasure is treasure!" she said and he looked down, but followed them. "Come on, let's get out of here!" she said and they got to the door where Eggman was.
"OK, let's go!" he said and raised his control box up to the door.
Then a bright light shone from within it, opening the door, revealing a large chamber inside with a door on the far end. The Babylon Rogues headed towards while back outside, Amy was chasing Sonic in circles around Tails and Knuckles, but they stopped as the Babylon Guardian let out a growl.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" Babylon Guardian said.
"What!? Hmm, finally something interesting." Sonic said.
Back in the chamber, Jet, Wave and Storm passed through the second door into an enormous and seemingly endless corridor. As they got a ways into the passage, the Babylon Guardian growls again.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" he said.
Then the doors begin to close. They were in the chamber, heading for the corridor.
"Look Sonic! The door's closing!" Tails sad.
"Hurry up!" Sonic said.
They made it in just as the doors shut completely. With everyone sealed in the room, the Babylon Guardian made his entrance.
"Greedy fools... Those who seek treasure will find only..." he said.
Whoa, what's this?" Sonic said.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" the Babylon Guardian said and dissolved into light, leaving behind a treasure-chest. Sonic and Jet open the chest.
"Oh, it's...!" they all said.
Then Eggman came in, pointing two guns at the group.
"Hehehehehe! Too awestruck by the treasure to notice me, eh?" he said.
"Eggman!" Sonic said.
"Now hand over the treasure!" he said and they exchanged laughs with each other. "W-What's so funny? Hand over the treasure right now!"
"Okay, catch!" Jet said and tossed him the treasure; a carpet.
"Hehehehehe! The Treasure of Babylon is finally mine! Huh? What iS this thing? A piece of cloth..." he said and unfold the carpet, letting a letter fall to the ground. "Let's see... Ah, this looks interesting. "At long last we've created our ultimate invention. With this, our lives will be easier, without the need to work so hard to keep ourselves flying. Stolen, the 13th leader of the Babylon Rogues..." he read then picked up the carpet. "It's amazing! The carpet's rich texture is a sight to behold! And the way it feels is extraordinary..."
Then he brushed it against his face.
"Something such as this could only have been created in Babylon! Undoubtedly, this carpet will be in high demand from all around the world. But... But what's this? No way... I went to the trouble of holding the World Grand Prix for... For this..? I... I can't believe I just wasted my time for this piece of junk." he said and collapsed onto the floor from shock.
"Hmm? What's this?" Tails said and went to the carpet.
"Good eyes. Didn't think you'd spot it for a second, shorty. But you did." Wave said.
"Hey, what're you talking about?" Sonic asked.
"This, isn't just a piece of fabric."
"Right, take a look at the material. It's the same stuff we use for our Extreme Gear." Tails said.
"You don't say..." Jet said and pulled out his control box and the light inside it resonated, causing the carpet to float off the ground.
"Oh, it's..." Sonic started.
"Not sure, but maybe it's a prototype Gear..." Wave said.
"A magic carpet? I thought that those only existed in fiction."
"That's quite funny, actually. I never imagined that we Babylonians could be descendants of real genies." Jet said.
After another race Sonic crossed the finish line first, with Jet just a bit behind. Then she stopped and turned around, right as he lost balance and got sent spiraling through the air.
"Even without wings, I can still fly! Right?" she said and Jet hits the ground in frustration.
Meanwhile in Babylon Garden, Eggman was in front of a huge door covered with markings.
"Where are you, Eggman?!" Sonic said and got off her board.
As she walked closer to Eggman, he reached into a bush and pulled out Amy.
"Haha! Look before you move!" Eggman said.
"Darn!" Sonic said when Jet came into view.
"Hohohoho! Now then... just be a good hedgehog and stay still." Eggman said and smirked.
Then he started to raise Jet's control box up to the door.
"Now!" Sonic said and charged up the thrusters on her board, taking off into the air, leaving a whirlwind in her wake while Eggman shield his eyes. "Can you catch the wind?"
As Eggman opened his eyes, he saw that she was gone.
"What?! Where are you?!" he said.
"I'm here!" Sonic said and crashed straight down from above, sending him and Amy into another tornado.
Then she caught the control box as it flew from Eggman's grip.
"Hey, catch!" she said and tossed it to Jet; who caught it.
"Wh-what?!" he said as she landed in front of hin; Tails and Knuckles next to her. "Hmph! I lost. So don't play games with me. I don't want your pity, nor do I need it!" he said and handed the control box out to her.
"Wha-? Are you crazy? Wave said as she and Storm walked in.] "If they don't want it, then let's take it. Treasure is treasure."
Jet looked down, but followed them.
"Ah, I think it's time to leave now. Tails?" Sonic said.
"Yeah." Tails said and he, Sonic and Knuckles turned to leave.
"So-NIIIC?!" Amy said.
Sonic looked more than a bit scared.
"Amy...?" Sonic said.
"How could you dive into Eggman knowing I was there!?" Amy said looking at the ground.
"Well, Amy... I thought... it'd be... okay... with you, and, uh..."
Amy looked up, glaring at her then started chasing her with her hammer.
"Sonic! Come back HERE! AHHH! Sonic! I won't forgive you this time!" Amy said and chased Sonic back to Tails and Knuckles, and kept running around in circles.
Later Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Wave and Storm were all looked out at Babylon Garden from down below.
"So, you're leaving this place?" Sonic said.
"Yeah. The back of the carpet has more words of wisdom. It says, "This was invented to allow Babylonians to travel all over the world to gather treasure." Some things never change, huh? But enough of this friendly banter, Sonic. You better make sure you're ready when we meet face to face once again." Jet said.
"You bet!"
"Come on, Jet. It's time to split." Wave said and Storm hit her on the back.
"Hey, I wanted to say that..." he said.
Jet sighed.
"We should split, too. Right?" Tails said.
"Yeah." Sonic said.
Then Jet and Sonic tossed their boards in the air; leaping onto them, they move directly opposite each other. Curving back around, they jumped through the sky, passing each other; their boards' engines' exhaust creating an "X". They looked back at each other one last time, smirking. Wave and Storm dashed on ahead with Jet following.
"You may be the fastest, for now... but I'll be back, Sonic the Hedgehog!" Jet said and darted in between Storm and Wave, jumping off an arch in the sand.