Entry 21

Sonic Speed Riders

''I'm gonna hit you with Sonic Speed!''

Sonic Speed Riders by Sonic Riders

xXxXxXx

''I accept your challenge,'' Sonic said, staring at Shadow with a determined look on his expression. He didn't know why the ebony hedgehog proposed that they race against each other, but he still went along with it, feeling that there was a good reason behind Shadow's actions. He wanted to know what the purpose of this challenge was. ''Which track do you want to race on?''

''You can pick any track you want,'' Shadow replied, extending his hand as an orb of data particles appeared before him, forming into a hoverboard. Sonic picked up his own, but just as he was about to walk over to the holographic screen to select a track, Lucas interrupted them.

''Wait a second, Shadow… What are you trying to do?'' he asked.

''I'm trying to prove a point,'' Shadow replied, with Lucas noting how this wasn't an explanation of what he was up to. He turned to Touka with a questioning look, who shrugged.

''Maybe you should just watch the race,'' she said, beckoning to them to follow her to the bleachers. Meanwhile, Sonic and Shadow prepared themselves for the race, Sonic having selected Tempo City as their racing track and still wondering what Shadow was up to. He trusted his rival, but that didn't mean he didn't have any questions. However, he was confident he would get an answer.

''You said that if I want to beat Jet, I'd have to beat you first,'' Sonic said, stepping on his hoverboard. ''But, last time we raced against each other, we always ended up in a tie. So, where's this confidence coming from?''

''I had some practice since last time,'' Shadow replied, already standing on his hoverboard. Sonic grinned at the idea of having an even bigger challenge. Both looked up at the holographic screen above flashing from red to yellow to green as the AR Field formed.

READY? SET! GO!

Kicking off, Sonic and Shadow flew right into the AR Field, revealing itself to be an urban area, with tall buildings, archways and towers surrounding them. As this wasn't a Tag Race, there weren't any Power Boxes, meaning they had to rely on their surroundings, rails, accelerators and shortcuts to get the advantage over the other racer. Sonic grinned as he leapt onto an accelerator, getting ahead for a moment, with Shadow being right behind him. He wasn't too worried about losing this one, as he was very familiar with Tempo City's layout.

''You still have to show those skills you've been talking about!'' Sonic shouted as he and Shadow leapt onto a rail as it spiraled into the downtown area. Shadow didn't answer, narrowing his eyes and focusing on his next move. There was a stream of wind just before the end of the rail, with Shadow kicking off and leaping on the stream, getting into a half-crouch as he held onto his hoverboard, with the stream carrying him ahead of Sonic and landing on the ground in front of his rival. Sonic's jaw dropped slightly, as he didn't expect this kind of move. ''Woah, not bad!''

''Hmph!'' Hearing this comment, Shadow briefly turned his head towards Sonic, smirking, then focused back on the track. Meanwhile, outside the track, Team Neos were watching the race between Sonic and Shadow via one of the holographic screens that popped up whenever a track was in use.

''Wait, a minute, I didn't know that you could actually do that!'' Minami said. She and the rest of

''Tch, of course you can,'' Touka replied, drawing everyone's attention. ''However, the issue is that most racers don't think to use that particular shortcut because it can get difficult to time the right moment you'd have to leap onto that wind stream and the landing can be a bit hard if you don't know what you're doing. That's why people usually avoid it.''

Back on the track, Sonic and Shadow were racing through a street that had its walls decorated in graffiti. Shadow was still ahead of Sonic, but the cobalt hedgehog smirked as he knew that there were several curves at this track along with rails he could grind on to pass by Shadow. He was slowly getting closer and closer, boosting ahead of Shadow when he slowed down at one curve and leapt onto one of the rails and accelerating. Grinning, he looked back, spotting Shadow right behind him.

''Seems like I had managed to get ahead of you,'' he said.

''You're still not focused,'' Shadow told him, his eyes flicking to the side. He smirked, grabbing onto the side of his hoverboard and leaping off the rail, much to Sonic's confusion. He looked around, wondering where Shadow went to, only to realize that the ebony hedgehog had managed to get onto one of the walls that surrounded this part of the track. He was still slower than Sonic, but this was quickly made up by the walls curving up and having accelerators plastered all over. While Sonic had to leap off the rail first to get on the accelerator, Shadow simply sped down the wall, boosting ahead and getting the lead.

''Woah!'' Sonic had to admit that this was an impressive move as they entered a tunnel. He managed to gain some slight speed, but he just couldn't surpass Shadow.

''Hmph.'' Shadow briefly glanced back, slowly down slightly so he and Sonic were racing roughly at the same speed, with Sonic rising his eyebrow as Shadow addressed him, ''Why have you accepted the Babylon Rogues' challenge? What was your plan for beating them?''

''Huh?'' Sonic blinked at first, saying the first thing that came to his mind, ''Well, I was trying to outspeed them? Isn't that the point of a race?''

''Maybe in a Solo Race, but not in a Tag Team Race,'' Shadow replied, kicking off and using one of the accelerator to the side to gain more speed. Sonic followed him, his eyes narrowing as his attention was fully on his rival, who had a holographic screen opened next to him. ''Think about it! How did you manage to win your previous battles? How did you defeat Dr. Eggman?''

Sonic gave Shadow a confused look, wondering why the ebony hedgehog was asking him that, but then thought about it for a moment. ''It wasn't just me… We all fought Eggman together and…'' He grinned. ''I had my friends supporting me.''

''Then, do you understand why you lost in a Tag Team Race?'' Shadow asked, with Sonic rolling his eyes.

''Yeah, I do. Thanks for the lesson, Shads,'' Sonic replied, the latter bit being slightly sarcastic. Both of them then used another stream of wind to exit the tunnel.

Meanwhile, back at the bleachers, Touka had a holographic screen open in front of her, allowing for the whole group to hear the conversation. She noticed the looks of discomfort on Warren, Tails and Lily's expressions; Knuckles just stared ahead blankly, being deep in thought; while Lucas just sighed as he felt a strong sense of embarressement. He felt that he should've realized this earlier, as looking back on the race, they weren't exactly working together, being focused on just trying to outspeed Chase and Jet.

''Going by your expressions, you never had a clear strategy when going into this race,'' Touka said, crossing her arms across the chest. ''Have you ever participated at a Tag Team Race before?''

''…No,'' Lucas admitted, with Warren, Tails, Lily and Knuckles shaking their heads. ''This was our first time.''

''Hmph, I guess we can talk about that once Shadow and Sonic join us,'' Touka said, turning her attention back to the screen.

Meanwhile, Sonic and Shadow have entered the last part of their race, speeding down the street, with platforms floating above them. At this point, they were both going at the same speed, with Shadow drawing Sonic's attention by asking another question, ''What do you plan to do now?''

''First of all, I'm going to beat you!'' Sonic replied as he leapt onto an accelerator, boosting away. He was confident that he could defeat Shadow in this race, but to his surprise, the ebony hedgehog started weaving behind him, gaining momentum and using a nearby wall as a ramp to leap onto the platforms above them, then quickly boost down right in front of Sonic, once again taking the lead.

''Hey!'' Sonic yelled, but Shadow turned back to him with a smug smirk.

''Only because you have learned your lesson doesn't mean I'm going to let you win!'' he replied, the two passing only a few seconds later through the finish line, the AR Field behind them vanishing and both of them finding themselves back at the Solar Stadium; with Shadow being the clear winner.

Despite losing, Sonic didn't feel bad about it, as this was a race he had been looking for and he actually really enjoyed it. He turned to Shadow, who got off his hoverboard, holding up his hand curled into a fist. Shadow gave it an uncertain look at first, but then went along with the fist-bump.

''That was a great race! Thanks for the challenge!'' Sonic said, with Shadow just nodding in response. They were approached by the rest of the group, with Sonic noticing that Lucas was mulling over something. ''I know that look. What's your plan?''

The group turned to Lucas, who was a bit startled by the sudden attention. He glanced at Warren, Tails, Lily, Knuckles and Sonic, feeling a little uncertain and clearly seeking for their approval for whatever was going through his head, despite not voicing what exactly it is. He glanced at the Babylon Rogues at the far side of the stadium, who appeared to be talking and enjoying themselves, laughing about something, briefly locking eyes with Chase. Chase grinned, giving him a taunting grin, with Lucas then turning back to his friends. He knew that this wasn't over yet, that their rivalry would have a round two, but he had to wonder whether the rest of the team would agree to it.

''I think we should challenge the Babylon Rogues again,'' he said, feeling anxious about everyone's answers. He took a deep breath, trying to sound more confident. ''I'm sure that, if we go in with a proper strategy, we can beat them.''

''I'm all for it!'' Lily said with vigor, pointing at the Babylon Rogues as her eyes narrowed. ''I'm definitely not going on a date with that guy!''

''I agree with the decision, for Lily's sake and for the restoration of our honor,'' Knuckles said.

''I too want to defeat the Babylon Rogues,'' Tails, who was hovering in the air said in a determined tone, clenching his hands into fists and doing a fist-pump motion.

''You don't even have to ask,'' Warren added. Lucas just sighed, feeling a little relieved, despite knowing that they would have to work hard if they wanted to win against the Babylon Rogues.

''If we have all come to an agreement, then-'' Sonic cut himself off in the middle of the sentence, vanishing in a gust of wind, with Team Neos spotting him at where the Babylon Rogues were, talking to them. Only a few moments later, he was back, with Lucas giving him a dubious look. ''I asked them whether they'd agree to another race in two days' time. They said they'd be happy to humiliate us again.''

''Wait, two days' time? Why not longer? Can we even prepare properly in such a short time?'' Lily asked.

''I'm confident that we can. All we have to figure out is how to work together during a race and we'll win in no time,'' Sonic said in an upbeat tone.

''Even if you have figured out how to work together, I still doubt you'd win against the Babylon Rogues,'' Touka said, drawing everyone's attention.

''Why?'' Lucas asked. Instead of answering, Touka simply tapped on her AR Visor, allowing for a holographic screen to appear. She then grabbed it, giving it to Lucas, as the rest of the group gathered around him to read what appeared to be a news article. Lucas' look of surprise mirrored that of his friends as he saw the photo displayed above the article.

''You can read it if you want, but the gist of it is that the Babylon Rogues had won the Tag Team Hoverboard Racing Tournament held in Mikado City two months ago, despite having participated at it for the first time,'' Touka added, folding her arms across her chest. ''Unless you kept up with the news, you couldn't have known that you were going against professionals.''

''That explains a lot,'' Knuckles said in a dry tone. His teammates' confidence started to falter slightly, with Sonic suddenly turning towards Touka and Shadow.

''Hey, if you two knew this the whole time, why didn't you warn us?'' Sonic asked, placing his hands on his hips, his gaze being mainly directed towards Shadow.

''We had figured that someone like you would know what you were getting yourself into,'' Shadow replied, then shrugged. ''I guess we were wrong.''

Sonic was mildly irked, glaring at Shadow, but he did figure that he probably should've thought this one through.

''What are you guys going to do now?'' Silver asked. ''You guys did agree to another race.''

''If you want, Shadow and I could train you for it,'' Touka suggested, getting some surprised looks from her teammates. She rose an eyebrow. ''Why are you staring at me like that?''

''We just didn't expect you to offer us help. Usually, you guys just avoid any social interactions,'' Minami pointed out.

''We'll make an exception for this case,'' Shadow replied, only for his ears to twitch when he heard Sonic whistling.

''Wow, and I thought you'd only join us during world-ending scenarios,'' Sonic said sarcastically, elbowing Shadow.

''We merely decided to spare you from further embarressement,'' Shadow responded, with the two just staring at each other intensely. After a moment of awkward silence, which seemed to last an eternity, Amy got between the two, turning to Shadow.

''Thank you for your help,'' she said, glancing from Shadow towards Touka. ''But, what I'd like to know is how much experience you have when it comes to hoverboard racing. After all, Shadow had shown a lot of skill during his race against Sonic and Touka had pointed out the mistakes during the intial race.''

''Well, I don't want to brag, but I'm fairly certain that we'd both be able to handle ourselves in a race against the Babylon Rogues and even win,'' Touka replied. ''I had been hoverboard racing ever since I found out about it, spending all of my free time at Solar Stadium, and I know every single track by heart, including any possible shortcuts and quirks the tracks have.''

''Anything I know about hoverboards racing, Touka had taught me,'' Shadow added.

''That's good to know,'' Lucas said. ''Now, all we have to do is come up with a plan and practice.''

''Do you plan on picking the Wayward Dimension track again?'' Touka asked.

''It would be rather poetic if we beat them at the same racing track,'' Tails suggested, with Knuckles and Sonic nodding in agreement.

''Not only poetic, but also satisfying,'' Knuckles added.

''I guess we have come to an agreement,'' Sonic said. Touka just sighed, arms folded across her chest.

''If you're really going to have another race on the hardest track the Solar Stadium has to offer, fine by me, but don't think Shadow or I will show you any mercy,'' she told them, with Shadow, who was standing beside her, giving them an intense stare.

Lucas, Sonic, Warren, Tails, Lily and Knuckles exchanged glances, all of them nodding and turning back to Touka and Shadow, accepting their challenge.

xXx

Chase was lying in his bed, arms placed behind his head, and listened to the sounds coming around him in his room, his eyes closed. Arven and Storm were playing a video game, Jet was polishing his hoverboard, while Rika and Wave were working on their own hoverboards. It was the day after they had accepted the challenge from Team Neos and none of them was particularly bothered by that, deciding to spend their day chilling rather than preparing for the race. They knew that they could easily defeat them, being the top racers of Starpoint Area. However, there was something that bothered Chase as he exhaled audibly, opening his eyes.

''What a joke…'' he muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear him.

''Is something funny?'' Arven asked, not looking up from the fighting video game he and Storm were invested in.

''Yeah,'' Chase said as he sat up, his legs crossed. ''Lucas, Sonic and the rest of his friends are the joke for challenging us again.''

''That's nothing new,'' Jet replied, grabbing his hoverboard and placing it on a stand. ''If they want to further embarrass themselves with another loss, I'd be happy to oblige. No one can defeat us!''

''You said it, Boss,'' Storm agreed, only to turn back to the TV, beak dropping when Arven defeated him during this moment of distraction. Jet simply puffed up his chest in pride.

''Right, no one can defeat us…'' Chase muttered, lowering his gaze, a brow furrowing as he just stared ahead.

''Hey, what's up with the sour mood?'' Wave asked, rising an eyebrow, with Chase noting that now everyone was staring at him. He just waved them off.

''Nothing,'' he said. ''I had just been hoping we'd get some kind of challenge.''

''That's what you have to deal with when you're on the top,'' Jet replied, sitting down in the swivel chair and placing his feet on the desk, leaning back and crossing his arms behind his head. ''No one can knock you down.''

''Right,'' Chase muttered, smirking slightly as he remembered his, Rika and Arven's encounter with the Babylon Rogues.

It had been around three months ago, with the three having traveled to another city, known as Sora City, where they had heard about a minor hoverboard racing tournament taking place and decided to establish themselves as the top racers. It was a Solo Race Tournament, where both humans and ARNavs could participate freely, and while there, they heard how a lot of people were favoring three other racers, who appeared seemingly out of nowhere and had beaten any other racer, human or ARNav, that was in the city.

When Chase, Rika and Arven decided to challenge those racers, they were surprised to recognize Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow and Storm the Albatross, characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog video games. Having gotten over their initial surprise and curiosity, they all entered the race, but to everyone's shock, Chase and Jet ended up crossing the finish line together and the race ended in a draw. Neither was happy about it, wanting to a redo of the whole race, but the stunned, and slightly exasperated, host told them to just share the prize money and leave it be. Neither Chase nor Jet wanted to give in, so they agreed to a private race between both teams. When it yielded the same results, Chase and Jet decided to make it a race between each other to see who is the better racer.

''How long have we been here?'' Wave asked in an exasperated tone when Jet and Chase crossed the finish line together once again and started bickering about who won. She, Storm, Rika and Arven were sitting on the bleachers, each team observing their leaders, who entered another race.

''They've been at it for over three hours,'' Rika replied, noting the orange glow in the sky as the sun was starting to set.

''Maybe we could help the Boss. Do you still have that detonator?'' Storm suggested, with Wave shooting him a glare. While she gladly would've gone along with ''helping'' Jet, that being sabotaging Chase, it didn't help that Rika and Arven overheard the two and were now giving them curious looks.

''Unfortunately, that is not going to happen now that you suggested it out loud!'' Wave responded in a snippy tone, pointing at Rika and Arven. Storm just gave her a sheepish look as he realized what he had done.

''Oops… I'm sorry, Wave,'' he replied, then glanced at Rika and Arven to see their reaction to their conversation. To their surprise, neither Rika nor Arven appeared to be particularly bothered by it.

''If I had the tools, I too would've sabotaged one of them so we can move on from this,'' Rika said in a dry tone.

''I'm glad that you understand my level of pain,'' Wave replied.

''It sounds like your Boss is similar to our Boss,'' Storm commented.

''Well, they both appear to be very stubborn over this,'' Arven replied. ''Knowing Chase, he won't stop until he wins.''

''Then your friend met his match,'' Wave commented, her and Rika suddenly getting up as Jet and Chase ended up in a tie once again, leaping off their hoverboards and starting to bicker again about who had won.

''I was right ahead of you!''

''You were just touching my tail feathers! I won!''

Being still in the middle of their argument, Chase and Jet were startled by a high-pitched whistle, turning suddenly towards Rika, who was the one who had drawn their attention, Wave, Arven and Storm.

''Are you two done arguing?'' Rika asked, her expression showing that she was completely done with their bickering.

''Not until we determine who is the faster racer!'' Chase protested, then pointed at himself. ''Which is me, of course.''

''Hmph, you got to have a screw lose. I'm the fastest racer here!'' Jet replied.

''Look, Jet; considering how you had been trying to beat each other for three hours and still ended up in a draw, it is clear that both of you are equally good,'' Wave said. Frankly, she wasn't happy either about drawing with the other team, but at this point, she was too tired to care.

''Could we just go home? I'm hungry,'' Storm added.

''Honestly, we also just want to move on from this…'' Arven trailed off, doing a double-take and raising an eyebrow when Storm claimed that he was hungry. Why would an ARNav say anything like that? It's not like they could get hungry. Rika overheard it too, along with Wave, but Chase and Jet completely ignored the comment, still too focused on trying to prove who was the better racer.

''Maybe we could...''

''No.''

''But, just-''

''NO!''

Both Chase and Jet flinched when everyone just yelled in frustration. They just shot glares at everyone, before glancing at each other and yielding. Chase sighed, turning towards Jet.

''I have to admit, you're quite a challenge,'' he said.

''You aren't that bad either…'' Jet said in an off-handed manner, arms folded across his chest and facing slightly away from Chase. ''It is an accomplishment to be able to just keep up with the Babylon Rogues.''

''I wouldn't be here if I wasn't the best. Maybe we could compete against each other at a different tournament,'' Chase suggested, extending his hand. Jet glanced at it, seemingly hesistant for a moment, but he then extended his arm, shaking hands with Chase.

''Then we'll leave our feud for the next tournament,'' Jet replied.

''Unfortunately, I don't think either of you will be able to participate at the next tournament,'' Rika said, a holographic screen opened next to her, with Wave, Arven and Storm giving it a curious look.

''Why not?'' Chase and Jet asked in unison.

''The next tournament is a Tag Team Race and you, Chase, don't have an ARNav partner,'' Rika pointed out.

''The same goes for you too, Jet, since none of us have human partners, so we'll have to sit this one out,'' Wave added.

''That's just stupid,'' Jet commented, his eyes narrowed.

''I absolutely agree, but it's not like they're going to let us participate, unless…'' Chase said, suddenly trailing off, his eyes widening in realization. Next to him, Jet seemingly had to same idea as he made the same expression.

''Unless, we partner up,'' Jet finished Chase's thought.

''What?!'' Rika, Wave, Arven and Storm were a bit shocked by this suggestion. Admittedly, each team knew that their respective leader could make some wild decisions, but they didn't expect for both of them to come to the same conclusion.

''Honestly, I like the idea,'' Chase said. ''Tag Team Races are usually a lot more challenging than Solo Races.''

''And you know how they say, the bigger the challenges, the bigger opportunity for growth… as the best racing team, obviously,'' Jet added. ''We should go back to the blimp and discuss this.''

''Excellent idea… Wait, you have a blimp?'' Chase gave him a baffled look.

''Duh, of course we have. How else would we get around?'' Jet replied in a sarcastic tone, walking away, his hoverboard under his arm. ''Speaking of which, we should also talk about you giving us the prize money, since we're all a team now...''

''I have a question, though,'' Rika interrupted him, drawing everyone's attention. ''Do you have an AR Field inside that blimp?''

''Why would we need one?'' Storm asked, scratching his head. ''We're Irregulars…''

''STORM!'' Both Jet and Wave yelled at their teammate, but it was too late. This was one secret they had to keep from everyone else, and Storm just blew it. They couldn't backtrack either, because Chase, Rika and Arven were giving all of them a shocked look.

''You can't be serious…'' Chase muttered. Jet groaned, turning to the humans, well aware that, if more people learned about it, they were in trouble.

''Yeah, we are Irregulars,'' he said, puffing up his chest. ''What are you going to do about that?''

''For Irregulars, you don't exactly act like ones,'' Arven pointed out.

''Maybe because we're more interested in- ugh!'' Storm was about to say more, but Wave managed to grab his beak and clamp it shut so he wouldn't get them into more trouble.

''I think you said enough!'' she hissed, well aware that Storm was about to follow up that bombshell with the information of them being thieves.

''What was Storm going to say? That you're also air pirates?'' Rika asked in a deadpan tone, staring at Wave. She realized that the humans knew a lot more then they let on, sighing and letting go of Storm's beak, who just rubbed it, feeling hurt.

''Fine, what are you planning to do with that information?'' Wave asked her. Chase, Rika and Arven exchanged glances, as if having a silent conversation in their minds, with Chase then shrugging.

''How about we go prepare of the Tag Team Racing Tournament?'' he said. Jet gave him a perplexed look.

''You're not going to tell anyone?'' he asked.

''Why should I? If I do, we wouldn't be able to participate at the tournament nor would we manage to settle down our feud,'' Chase replied.

''I like your line of thinking,'' Jet said, giving him an intriguing look. ''But don't forget, I'm the leader here and I call the shots.''

''Fine,'' Chase responded, quickly adding as he followed Jet. ''I'd really love to see the blimp.''

''Follow me!'' Jet responded, with the two just leaving their teammates confused.

''They're really acting like the bombshell that just dropped is not an issue,'' Wave commented, perplexed.

''I think that at this point, we should just go along with everything,'' Rika said, shaking her head. The two then noticed Storm and Arven walking past them.

''I remember passing a restaurant where they have some good food. Do you want to go there?'' Arven asked.

''Sure!'' Storm responded. Wave and Rika turned to each other, then just decided to let it go and follow their teammates. Despite how weird the situation was, they had figured that they should just go along with it.

Their victory at Mikado City had proven that they made the right decision. Not only did they win an important tournament, but they had also proven themselves to be formidable racers. It was clear that no one can beat them. Team Neos didn't stand a chance.

xXx

Lucas and Sonic narrowed their eyes in focus as they entered the last part of the Wayward Dimension track, with Warren, Tails, Lily and Knuckles right behind them, and Touka and Shadow right ahead of them. They had been practicing for hours at this point, with Touka and Shadow teaching them everything they knew about the track in their own… unique way.

By unique, it meant that the group was racing against Touka and Shadow, who absolutely refused to tell them anything they knew about the track while at the same time exploiting various shortcuts and tracks to win every single race. Every time they thought that they had finally figured things out, Touka and Shadow would surprise them anew. It was quite frustrating, but they understood why the two had done this. They need to prepare for any kind of twist.

Fortunately, they were fast learners and there were a few moments where Lucas and Sonic managed to actually get ahead of Touka and Shadow, even though the latter two would eventually outmaneuver them. However, this time, the whole team was confident that they could win, especially once Sonic used a Boost Power so he and Lucas were once again in the lead. They were weaving through the water spouts, confident that they could win this one, but unfortunately, they had to deal with more obstacle – the rogue wave. Warren, Tails, Lily and Knuckles slowed down, aware they couldn't outspeed it, but to their surprise, Touka and Shadow flew right into it.

''What are they doing?'' Warren muttered, only for everyone to realize a moment later what was going on.

''Sonic, watch out!'' Tails yelled.

Sonic's ear twitched as he heard Tails' faint cry, his ears already filled with the sound of rushing water. He and Lucas looked back for a moment, just to see what was going on, shocked to see Touka and Shadow flying through the wave as if they were surfing on it, then used it to leap right over the two and go through the finish line, winning again.

''Okay, since when can you ride the wave?!'' Lucas asked the moment he and Sonic passed through the finish line. ''I thought you had to avoid it!''

''No, I had discovered a while ago that you can actually use it as an alternative path,'' Touka responded, just as Warren, Tails, Lily and Knuckles arrived.

''I have nothing against your teachings, but how much more is there to learn?'' Knuckles asked.

''That depends on if you're confident in that you're going to beat the Babylon Rogues,'' Touka responded.

''I don't think we'll ever be sure whether we're ready or not,'' Tails said.

''Hey, guys!''

The group turned around, seeing Minami, Amy, Makoto and Silver approaching them, each carrying a plastic bag. Sonic sniffed the air as he picked up a familiar scent.

''Are those chili dogs?'' he asked Amy as she opened the plastic bag, showing him the boxes inside.

''Since we didn't really have any way to help you out, we figured we should get you something to eat. I'm sure you're hungry,'' Amy replied.

''I guess we could take a break,'' Lucas said, with the group moving over to the bleachers.

''I'm surprised that the Babylon Rogues aren't also practicing,'' Silver commented as they sat down, using his psychokinesis to take the food out of the plastic bag and giving it to his friends.

''I guess they think that they'll still win even without preparing,'' Makoto replied.

''We'll definitely prove them wrong,'' Sonic said confidently.

''Just don't get too cocky. You have yet to win a race,'' Shadow told him.

''Don't worry about that Shads. Even if I can't beat you, I'm sure I can beat Jet,'' Sonic replied. Shadow just snorted.

''I guess I'll never understand how you can be this optimistic,'' he muttered under his breath, quiet enough for only Sonic to hear him.

Sonic just grinned back in response.

xXx

''Welcome to the Solar Stadium to the race between Team Neos and the Babylon Rogues! I'm Minami, your host, and this is Amy, my co-host!'' Minami said, talking into a wireless microphone while looking at the digital videocamera she had borrowed from her father, currently held by Makoto. Silver was meanwhile using his psychokinesis to hold up a light reflector, having absolutely no idea where Minami got that it, but he didn't question it.

''We will be commenting on the race and doing interviews with the racers! Stay tuned!'' Amy added, with Makoto pressing pausing the recording.

''Is this really necessary?'' he asked.

''Well, we don't have much to do aside from cheering on our friends, so I had figured we could make this whole thing a bit more special, like an official race,'' Minami replied.

''What if they lose?'' Silver asked. Minami froze suddenly, eyes wide with Amy glancing at her. Apparently, her older sister figure didn't think things through.

''Eh, I'm sure we have nothing to worry about,'' she said, smiling sheepishly, the looked to the side. ''Hey, how about we ask Touka and Shadow about it?''

The four walked over to Touka and Shadow, who observed Lucas and Sonic discussing with Warren, Tails, Lily and Knuckles their strategy for the race. The two were startled when Minami and Amy suddenly stepped right next to them and Makoto pointed the camera at them.

''We'll be interviewing the local experts on hoverboard racing, Touka and Shadow,'' Minami announced, completely ignoring the looking of discomfort on Touka and Shadow's expression. They clearly did not want to be on camera.

''May we hear your opinion regarding Team Neos' chances against the Babylon Rogues?'' Amy asked, pointing her microphone towards Shadow, while Minami pointed hers towards Touka. Shadow simply folded his arms, closing his eyes for a moment and playing it cool.

''Touka will explain everything,'' he said, then promptly vanished in a flash of cyan light, leaving a baffled Amy.

''Wait a sec- Shadow!'' Touka groaned when Shadow just warped away. She was fuming. ''I don't think I should even be surprised that he threw me under the bus… again!''

''Um, could we at least get your thoughts on the race?'' Minami asked, smiling sheepishly. Touka sighed.

''I already said it yesterday, Team Neos has a fighting chance as long as they stick to their strategy,'' she replied.

''What about the Babylon Rogues? You had told us that you figured out how they worked,'' Amy said.

''Right. Usually, people in a Tag Team Race try to stay close to each other in order to help their teammates. However, the Babylon Rogues have developed a strategy where Chase and Jet are in the front, while Rika, Wave, Arven and Storm stay behind other racers to keep them from reaching the former two. It is quite effective as the other team has now two things to worry about, and with their attention divided, things can get quite difficult for the opposing team,'' Touka explained, glancing at Team Neos in slight worry.

After a few more interviews with both of their friends and the Babylon Rogues, as well as dragging Jet away from the microphone before he could tell his whole life story, everyone settled down in their places. Sonic, Lucas, Tails, Warren, Knuckles and Lily were at the start line alongside Jet, Chase, Wave, Rika, Storm and Arven, while Amy, Minami, Silver, Makoto, Shadow and Touka were at the bleachers, waiting for the race to start. They weren't the only ones there, as there were other people who got interested in this particular race.

''You'll be eating my dust, Rookie,'' Jet told Sonic, grinning smugly.

''I'm simply here to have some fun,'' Sonic replied casually. Jet frowned, scoffing when Sonic didn't get annoyed as he usually would. Both groups then focused on the screen above them.

READY? SET! GO!

The race had started, both Team Neos and the Babylon Rogues flying straight into the AR Field and vanishing from the stadium and appearing within a cityscape, their surroundings glitching out. As expected, Chase and Jet rushed forward, but Team Neos was ready for this. Tails held out his hand to Sonic, spinning his tails to as a form of boost and rushed ahead, then launched Sonic towards Chase and Jet. Sonic grabbed his hoverboard, getting right into a spin-dash and landed right between the two, forcing them to slow down and avoid Sonic and preventing Chase from grabbing a Power Box.

''What was that?!'' Jet yelled, with Sonic just grinning as Lucas managed to grab a Power Box, this one resulting in a Boost Power. However, Sonic didn't use it, yet.

At the same time, in the back, Storm attempted to fly into Knuckles to knock him over, but to to his surprise, Knuckles flew into a nearby wall, leaping off it and flying right into Storm. Storm was forced to duck, allowing for the echidna to get ahead. ''Wh-What?!''

''Hey, what is going on here?'' Rika asked as she saw what was going on before her. She frowned, her and Wave focusing on Warren and Tails. She had managed to grab a Power Box, that turned into a Fire Power. Wave quickly activated it, aiming it at the two.

''Tails! Let's do the zigzag maneuver!'' Warren exclaimed, having noticed what they were about to do. He and Tails then started weaving from one side to another, with Wave being unable to aim properly. Their surroundings started to glitch out and she fired the fireball just as they passed through a void. It exploded, but to her frustration, it didn't hit anyone.

''How did you miss that?'' Arven shouted in surprise, with Wave frowning.

''Why don't you pay attention to your own rival?!'' she yelled back as Lily and Knuckles got on an accelerator at the desert they were flying through.

''Could you just focus?!'' Rika yelled at them as they split off to each side of the track and used the accelerators. They managed to get past their respective rivals, but what they didn't anticipate was the gust of wind that was double the strength coming from behind them and almost knocking them over. Lily, Knuckles, Warren and Tails flew past them, having concealed that they managed to get the Tornado Power earlier.

''Awesome job, guys!'' Lucas complimented them as they caught up to him and Sonic. Chase and Jet were still slightly ahead, with the surroundings glitching out once again. ''The next part is the snow track.''

''Don't worry, we're ready,'' Warren replied confidently. They entered an area covered in snow and ice, with a chasm opening below them, the three rails above it being the only way to cross it. Team Neos split off on each of the three rails, hearing Rika, Wave, Arven and Storm behind them. Chase and Jet were still ahead, with Chase glancing back.

''What are they doing?'' he grumbled, wondering why Lucas and Sonic weren't trying to outspeed them. They were in a favorable position, after all. However, the two had their own worries, as they had to focus on the right moment to jump off and fly through the triangular accelerators or land hard on the icy ground.

''It doesn't matter, just focus on the track,'' Jet replied, him and Chase leaping towards the accelerator. Unfortunately for them, this was also when Sonic and Lucas used their Boost Power, rushing right into them and almost knocking them over.

Another gust of wind then hit them before they could recover, an attempt from Storm to help Jet and Chase, but it also ended up hitting them as well. The surroundings suddenly changed, revealing the garden in the sky. Both teams slowed down considerably, trying to regain their balance.

''Storm, why are you attacking me?!'' Jet snapped.

''I'm sorry, Boss, I was aiming for Lucas and Sonic,'' Storm apologized. The Babylon Rogues then saw Team Neos flying right past them, grinding down a rail.

''After them!'' Chase commanded, with the Babylon Rogues picking up the pace. He was furious that Team Neos got ahead of them, managing to catch them off guard. Both teams followed a curve on the rail, all of them accelerating.

''This should slow them down,'' Jet said after Chase picked another Power Box. It was an Ice Power, with Jet snapping his fingers to make iceballs appear right before Team Neos. However, to the shock of the Babylon Rogues, Team Neos leapt off the rail and flew towards the ruins that surrounded the garden. ''What are they doing?''

Knuckles suddenly leapt off the hoverboard, slamming his fist into a wall that looked particularly brittle and causing it to collapse, revealing a shortcut. Team Neos used the shortcut, while the Babylon Rogues were forced to take the longer way on the rails. When they finally got back on the last part of the track, it was clear that Team Neos way ahead of them.

''We can't let them win!'' Chase growled.

''Don't worry, there's no way they'll manage to avoid the water spouts and the wave,'' Jet replied, with Chase grabbing a Boost Power. ''We'll use the Boost to get past them.''

The surroundings changed to a canyon with rocky walls on the sides and the sea below them. At this point, the Babylon Rogues were doing anything in their power to finally gain advantage over their rivals, but both teams knew that the real fight would be at the open sea. Lucas and Sonic turned to their teammates as they were coming close to the water spouts. Having spent so much time training, they all memorized the random patterns and formed a plan around them. At the same time, the Babylon Rogues came up with their own plan.

''Ready?''

''Yeah!''

Storm and Wave prepared themselves for sending another gust of wind at Team Neos just as Chase and Jet were using the Boost Power, but to their surprise, the team had not only split off at the water spouts, but Lily, Knuckles, Warren and Tails were speeding towards them.

''Hey, that's the wrong way!'' Arven yelled, only to panic when the Team Neos members charged right at them. Arven, Storm, Rika and Wave had to dodge the attack, finding themselves waving between the water spouts as it dawned on them that this was just a distraction.

Chase and Jet, meanwhile, had managed to speed past Lucas and Sonic, who were well aware that entering a certain area would trigger the rogue wave.

''Looks like you're going to lose again!'' Jet turned his head back, in attempt to taunt Sonic, but to his surprise, he was nowhere to be seen. His and Chase's jaws dropped when the rogue wave appeared, with Lucas and Sonic riding right on it, leaping off and landing ahead of them, exiting the AR Field and crossing the finish line. They turned around, spotting Chase and Jet placing second, followed by Lily, Knuckles, Warren and Tails, with Arven, Storm, Rika and Wave follow them.

''You were saying, oh Legendary Wind Rider?'' Sonic mocked Jet, a smug smirk on his lips.

''It can't be! How could I lose to a Rookie?!'' Jet snapped, furious over his loss. He observed as the rest of Team Neos joined Lucas and Sonic, all of them celebrating their victory. He and Chase were joined by Rika, Wave, Arven and Storm, all stunned by their loss. Jet was still fuming, but looking at his teammates and partner, he couldn't help but feel a wave of disappointment. He was supposed to carry this team to victory and now, they were a bunch of losers. It felt like any of their previous experiences had been nullified by this one loss.

''Jet, are you-'' Wave started, but was cut off by Jet.

''Tch! If we lost, we lost! Just know that these guys got lucky!'' he replied in a off-handed manner, slightly surprising his teammates. Sure, he was something of a sore loser, but he wasn't going to let anyone know that. Instead, he walked over to Sonic, who was celebrating with his friends. Sonic spotted the green hawk staring at him, waiting for some kind of response. ''Don't you have anything to say?''

''Oh, right! That was an exciting race, dude!'' Sonic replied, extending his hand, much to Jet's surprise. ''We should race against each other sometime again.''

Jet was genuinely surprised that Sonic didn't attempt to mock him for his loss, staring at the latter's hand for a tense moment. He then scoffed, but did shake Sonic's hand.

''I guess you really are a challenge. Next time, I'll beat you,'' Jet told him, with Sonic just grinning back. Meanwhile, Chase approached Lucas.

''I gotta say, you actually surprised me,'' Chase admitted, with Lucas giving him a confused look. ''For someone who isn't athletic, of course.''

''I had help from my friends,'' Lucas replied, a smile forming on his lips. Chase looked like he was about to say something else, but he didn't, instead just walking away.

''Well, this was a bust,'' Wave said, holding up her hoverboard. She was annoyed to see some chipping due to how rough the terrain was they had passed, meaning it needed fixing. She then spotted Tails walk over, the twin-tailed fox giving her a curious look.

''I hope you can fix your hoverboard,'' he said. Wave rose an eyebrow.

''Tch, of course I can do that. I'm an expert when it comes to hoverboards,'' she replied off-handedly.

''That's good to know,'' Tails replied.

''Why are you so nice to us?'' Rika finally asked, having overheard the conversation, only for Warren to approach them.

''We never wanted any animosity in the first place,'' he replied. ''Sure, what you guys said was mean, but we decided to just move on from it.''

''Right!'' Tails nodded. Rika and Wave just scoffed, but they did feel a slight pang of guilt, having to admit that it just felt weird to have their rivals be this friendly towards them.

Meanwhile, Arven stared at Lily, clearly heartbroken. ''So, does this mean we won't go on a date?''

''I had already told you, there won't be any dates,'' Lily responded.

''If you continue pestering Lily, then you'll have to deal with me,'' Knuckles stepped out. Arven just sighed in disappointment, hunching over and lowering his head.

''I guess that's it,'' he muttered. Storm just patted him on the back in an attempt to cheer him up.

''Don't worry, Arven, there's still plenty of girls out there who will reject you,'' he said with a goofy grin. That… response didn't really help Arven's self-esteem, but he did appreciate the thought. Then, Storm's stomach growled, and he turned to his teammates.

''Hey, I'm hungry. How about we go eat something?'' he asked. This seemingly innocent question drew the attention of Team Neos, who gave the Babylon Rogues a questioning look. Chase, Jet, Rika and Wave just face-palmed.

''Wait, normal ARNavs don't get hungry… Are you Irregulars?'' Makoto asked in a hushed tone, making sure none of the other racers heard them. Jet, Wave and Storm froze, unsure how to respond because they knew what the consequences of merely existing as an Irregular were, but then Jet stepped ahead.

''So what if we are? Are you going to call the Hunters on us?'' he asked. Sonic snorted.

''Why should we? It's not like were regular ARNavs either,'' he replied. It took them a moment, but the Babylon Rogues realized that Sonic and his friends were also Irregulars. As for their human partners, they were a little worried regarding dropping this bombshell. However, before anyone could say anything, Sonic quickly broke the ice by approaching Jet and elbowing him. ''How about another race? Loser treats the winner to lunch!''

''You sure you wanna risk a rematch? I promise you right now you'll regret it!'' Jet responded, following Sonic to the start line. Their teammates just exchanged glances, wondering how they should even address the situation. Finally, all of them just shrugged, deciding to just ignore the whole situation and move along.

After all, there was another race waiting to happen.