(Crash!) We hear. Sonic, Knuckles and me were searching for the emeralds, but, out of nowhere, there was a jamming signal, blocking my machines. We still had an idea of where the gem was, but not the exact position.
Then again, we didn't need to search too exhaustedly, because three anthros appeared riding these extreme gears. They are these high speed hoverboards that, unless you were an expert, could easily cripple someone, but these three showed their talent. To make things worse, they left the jamming area and my tracking device showed that they had the emerald.
"Sonic, the emerald is over there!" I scream and him and Knuckled dissappeared.
Sonic tailed at them. While their gears were fast, they shouldn't be able to escape him with ease. And Knuckles actually intercepted them, taking a short cut and getting in front of them. Sonic and Knuckles no words teamwork is always impressive.
Knuckles managed to intercept one of them and get him off his board, but the big bird managed to grab one of his partners. Sonic still followed them, but, after a good while, lost them.
I wasn't too interested in that. What had my attention was this symbol on the board: a circle with something like a lamp from the 'one and a thousand nights' with a beak that resembled a bird and three cloud thingies with a trail, moving to the other side.
I am sure I had seen that somewhere before.
Some time later
Eggman announces that competition and showed us these bird racers. Sonic said that they were the ones that stole the emerald. Which makes sense, since Eggman is demanding at least a chaos emerald for each participant of the main attraction and there are eliminatories to determine who earns the emerald. I mean, seriously? We are going to play by his rules?
Apparently yeah, because we are participating, learning to use extreme gears, while we help Eggman reunite the emeralds for his next big evil plan! {Sigh} Being the smart guy that no one listen is so infuriating at times.
Still, there is a silver lining to this: Wave the swallow. She is the pioneer of extreme gears, the mother figure, so to speak. I read once about her in a magazine: they could not get an interview with the girl, mainly because she is considered a big criminal along her partners. The magazine only had one image of her making a trick, the same one Eggman showed.
And most of the things that a lot of other experts know about the machines was born from pieces of her damaged boards, not that different from me who used the gear they left behind as the base for our new equipment. No matter how much the mechanics tried imitate her or tried to outsmart and improve her designs, she was always ahead of them. I will admit, I am fan-boying here with hopes of meeting her in person!
Like when I first met Sonic. Except that, well I squealed like a girl when that happened. I think I can keep my emotions in check.
At that moment, Amy popped out of nowhere, as she usually does and tried to flirt with Sonic and all that. I don't remember what we were talking about but the conversation eventually lead to me explaining what I discovered both about the ancient Babylonians and the actual Babylon Rogues. I still can't believe we have more information on an ancient lost civilization than on these three. They know what they are doing.
That lead me to trying to explain the Kowalski theorem of lift to Knuckles, something that, in hindsight, I should have imagine I wouldn't be able to.
"Hahahahaha." We hear a voice and, I can't help but tense up. Coming from the road, was Wave the Swallow. I opened my eyes a lot and couldn't help but be on my guard. I kinda want to leave a good impression on her, but her laughter only makes me feel more concerned. "Sorry, but it is just too funny!" She mocked Knuckles.
OK, Knuckles is not the smartest guy, but mocking him is not correct either way. Before I knew it, her eyes shift to my person and I gave a half jump. "Humm, That gear is unusual." She says.
"Customized it myself." I say, trying to tone down the pride and hand it down to her. She observes it with a careful eyes and I can feel the suspense is killing me for a moment. Suddenly, she burst into a laughter and I feel my heart sink a few meters.
"Well, I never imagined anyone would enter the competition with such a piece of junk!" Is it possible for someone to know how it feels that your heart cracked? I mean, I know what I am saying is nonsense, if my heart cracked, I would likely be dead or having some severe illness, but I cannot put it into any other words. I was so shocked and hurt that I didn't register that my friends were as shocked and upset as me. "Thanks, though, it was good a laugh." She gave me my board back, and I just take it without telling her anything. I am still in shock.
My friends say some stuff at this point: Amy wants to defend me and get a little savage on that girl, trying to follow her; Sonic had to stop her from doing something that she would likely regret; and Knuckles says something that would likely offend me under normal circunstances. But none of them matter now, as I am still processing what she said.
As I shook in anger, all I thought at that point, was that I did not care that she was the pioneer of extreme gear, the best mechanic girl that I knew, a skilled racer that could give Sonic a run for his money even if the hedgehog was using his supernatural speed. She was the girl that was going to taste my dust!
A little ahead with the competition
I want to bang my head into the wall, harshly, over and over. Maybe I can knock myself out and forget about all this trial. I lost, not even competing against her like it happened to their gray albatross against our echidna, but to a bunch of Eggman's trial robots with no personality. But, in my defense, and my reason to not give myself a concussion, is also the reason why I haven't rest properly in the last few weeks.
I have done everything in my power to build this new and improved extreme gear, just for Sonic to defeat these guys. I will admit, my priority was never winning the race itself but revealing as much of the extreme gears secrets as soon as possible, but right now I wished I had at least one more hour of sleep so that I would have been better rested, would probably passed that race and I would not have TO LISTEN TO THAT BIRD WOMAN MOCKERY!
Chaos, I can't remember when was the last time someone got under my skin like she does. But this is good, because there will be no more holding back, no more playing around. I will best that bird woman in the mechanic ground.
To do so, I have this new board that I am building from nothing. The red rock, blue star and yellow tail were built from pieces from Wave's gear, as I mentioned earlier. But this one will be the most advance I can make at my level. So this new board is my one chance of beating her.
Right at the end of the competition
"Tails, wake up." I hear Amy, but her voice is distant and unclear. I muffle some complains, as the darkness I see is cut by half and some light blinds me for a moment.
"What is going on?" My voice could not be any more drowsy. However, my eyes go to the closest monitor and notice that there is a race going on. "Who is competing?" I ask Amy, still very drowsy.
"Sonic vs Jet." She says without any implication but that felt like my head was hit, the sleep remaining disappearing in a blink.
"...AND NO ONE ELSE?!" I can't hide my surprise.
"Yeah, it is the finale." She says. No no no no no no NO! Sonic is still competing with the first extreme gear, not the improved one. Plus, I haven't even touched that board since the day that Wave checked out.
Honestly, how could I have made such a mistake?! How did I let this happen? Sonic could easily beat that Hawk, but this is a race with vehicles and it doesn't matter how fast he might be, that board is at anything but good condition.
I effectively start eating my fingers away, absolutely afraid of what might happen now.
The last lap
Thank Chaos, Sonic is going to win. He has a good advantage over Jet, and he is going to cross the finish line very soon. He is going to win despite my huge mistake!
Despite my huge mistake... That thought led to a bunch of mixed feelings: I am angry because I worked like a madman to help Sonic, but I not only did not help him, he literally is winning without my help at all. It makes me feel inconsequential.
Not only that, but now I feel guilty because I feel like I want something bad to happen to him to feel like I make a difference. Sonic, the best brother I could have asked for who would almost never harm me directly.
I thought for a moment that it could not get any worse, but it was that day that I learned that you never think that, because something bad happens if you do. Yeah, for a person of science it is nonsense, but you should not ignore something with a tendency even if you can't explain it.
Suddenly, the board exploded. My heart sank as Sonic was sent flying, away from the finish line. And the green bird man passed him with complete ease. My heart sank, I put my hands on my mouth, even though I could not produce a sound at the moment. It took me a while to notice it, but I started to shed tears at that moment. Not only did I failed to help him, I became the very reason why Sonic lost.
Suddenly, Jet sets the final emerald and the sky darkened, as a giant flying structure came from the air to meet the arena.
Some time later
We saw how Eggman made a dash on his vehicle to the flying fortress. We follow on him with a flying ship, but the winds are too strong. If I am not wrong, the few things that could resists this is reaching high speeds. "Sonic, jump out of the plane. Go get them before it is too late."
"...Hey, you have been working on another board, right?" Sonic says, changing the topic.
"Sonic, that doesn't ma..." I continue but he interrupts me.
"C'mon. I wanna give it a run." He said casually. Is he nuts? "Your face is funny." Sonic jokes.
What expression was I doing? Probably of absolute disbelief. "Sonic, we need to stop Eggman from winning. Use your feet. They are more reliable than my stupid gears. One just cost you your victory!"
He then puts a hand on my shoulder. I know I cannot help but look at him like if he was an alien. But he chose to ignore it. "This one won't." He reassures me.
Dammit Sonic. You are taking an unnecessary risk just to make me feel better?! "Tails, just give him the stupid thing already." Knuckles joined.
"B-but..."
"He has already made up his mind." He says.
And I see it. And it is completely nuts! But, admittedly, this is why I admire Sonic.
I hand him the board. He and Knuckles are ready to jump, when the winds suddenly blow harder, being too much for us. Knuckles loses his balance, but Sonic managed to get out. Now, I do everything in my power to make sure we have a survivable crash.
We crash against a random part of the wall, much further away from the treasure than I had hoped. I am also dazed, to boot. And the plane doesn't remain stuck for long, moving from its crashing site and who know where it is going to fall. Had it not being for Knuckles getting me out of there, I don't known where I would be.
So, we land with our extreme gears at hand. "We must catch up to Sonic." Knuckles said. And soon, we do as he says.
Time later
Sonic actually won against the leader of that Team, but, honestly, it feels empty. I can't overlook the fact that I made Sonic lose in front of everyone. The irony is not lost to me: Sonic did not need me for the win, yet I completely hold the blame for costing him the victory.
Sonic told me that I should take it easy, that there will be more competitions. I take that the wrong way.
For the next few days, I work on my extreme gears and nothing else, without rest until I lose consciousness. Then I wake up and repeat the process. I am not the healthiest around but this was going to take its toll if I didn't stop.
Thankfully, it never came to something worse, as in a couple of days, Amy and Sonic came and interrupted my job.
"Tails?" I felt a hand on my head, earning my attention. Both Sonic and Amy came. Amy had her arms crossed, looking mad at me. Uh-oh, what did I do this time? "Do you remember what day is today?" Amy said.
"I don't know." I replied, some frustration coming from my body.
"It is the second Friday of the month. You know, the day we were supposed to meet with Vanilla?" The anger on Amy's tone grew as the words progressed and I winced when the issue landed on me.
"Sorry, I forgot."
"You forgot?" Amy tone was of disbelief. "Tails, we promised. And you never forget. We have been doing this for years now. What happened?"
"...Guess there is a first time for everything." I offer, but the hedgehog sniffed audibly with her nose.
"...You are already on one of your projects, right?" Sonic added, putting hand on the board on the table. I think he is trying to defuse the situation, which I am really thankful. "Extreme gears, huh?"
"You bet!" I say, a little too excited. "I am testing several different configurations, different cases and more. I am even trying to give them an entirely different shape: instead of boards, I wanna try rollerblades." I shot at them rapidly. It is just that I am excited to show them my progress.
However, they are not as excited as me. Far from it, both exchange concerned looks. My faces deflates. What does that mean?
"So, this is what you have been doing for the last week? Is this why you missed your appointment with Cream and Vanilla? On this waste of time?" She enphasised this too much, almost like a bite. That made me wanna wince, but it was the waste the word that hit a sore spot.
"It is not a waste!" I snap. I cannot accept that. It won't be a waste.
"Tails, have you even gone out from home the last few days? Have you eaten properly? Or bathed?"
"That doesn't matter." I snap again. And I just feel the anger build up more and more. Sonic says something, but it is mute in comparison with my inner voice.
The one that tells me that they don't understand. That they are to different, too simple minded to do so. And in my frustration, I find myself agreeing.
"Doesn't matter? Are you crazy?!" Amy's voice is steadily growing louder.
"If you think so, you have never seen yourself."
"What?!" Amy spits, with a glare. And it is now that my angry voice became silent, as I realize the danger my mouth got me into.
I cannot thank God enough for the fact that Sonic separated us. He then turned to Amy and said. "I will handle this."
"But..." Was all that Amy muttered before Sonic pushed her out. Then, he turns to me.
He is upset. Sonic is known for being a happy go-lucky idiot who doesn't care about consequences. Who only spits cheesy onliners and stupid jokes.
The things is... he keeps that facade for everyone that looks up to him. Well, facade is excessive, as he does enjoy all that. But then, there are also this times when he proved me that he is more mature than he people think.
And I look down. I cannot match his stare. I can feel his disappointment, and how his eyes never go away from me. God, just, get over with it. I feel so... small.
"Tails, can I ask you something?" His tone is nice, but I know his stare hasn't softened. I nod. "What happened about that VR game you wanted to make?"
I remember. It was about being a mechanic. And I completely forgot about it. But I can't bring myself to admit it, so I just remain silent.
"What about your planes? Have you improved any of them?" Another thing I used to work all the time, but neglected. And it went like that: robot pets, hacking devices, blimps and many other pet projects I just left on the dust.
"Everything has been extreme gears then." He points out. "And, are you sure you want that?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like, you want to dedicate your entire life to that and only that?"
... Do I? I then remember Wave and say. "Yes!" I... I cannot believe the conviction I say that. Sonic then puts a hand on my head.
"Do you want that? Or do you wanna beat that girl that much?" ... Am I that easy to read? "Do you think it is healthy? Obsessing like that?"
Damn, his words are heavy, like an anvil falling on my head. But, it works because I am no longer justifying my actions. He just disarmed that loke nothing.
I lower my head and all I can say is "I am sorry."
"Hey. It's okay. I know you didn't want to do that. But it will take more to convince Amy." He whispers to me the last part and both of us shudder. He then gets some distance between us, the heavy ambience lifting. I am at ease enough that I say.
"I don't know what got into me."
Sonic then turna around and lightly comments. "She is your rival."
... My... rival. Like Shadow for Sonic? Or Rouge for Knuckles? Well, I guess it does adds up. The desire to best each other, the uneasiness, the distaste for each...
Distaste. Did she really deserve it? The way they trash talk... The hostility... Do I wanna do that?