Emerald the Lynx & Urbanator: First of all, thanks for the review! Second, if you want to know more, this and the next chapter is a breather, but right afterwards, you'll understand what this "family matter" is.

Enjoy the chapter!

Entry 20

Catch Me If You Can

''Catch me if you can! There's no turning back, reach but never catch! Catch me if you can! You can't fathom that, wonders you can't have! Catch me if you can! Catch me if you can!''

– Catch Me If You Can by Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (Theme of Babylon Rogues/Theme of Jet the Hawk)

xXxXxXx

Sonic was lying upside-down on the couch in the Taylor workshop, his feet on the backrest and his quills dangling over the edge. He was observing Tails as the latter worked on his computer, clearly bored out of his mind. It had been three days since Eggman had attacked Neos City, with Lucas suggesting that they don't draw any attention to themselves. While the whole city was indeed in a state of disarray, Lucas was certain people saw them using Chaos Surge and he feared that someone might start asking questions; even worse if the Irregular Hunters caught wind of their actions.

''I still don't think that anyone will come and question us,'' Sonic replied, casting a glance at Lucas and Warren, the latter working on the accelerator on Lucas' hoverboard. ''The only thing we've been hearing in the news was Eggman's attack, the Buddy Bots being scrapped and the Tamago Corporation being under investigation. It's all fine.''

''Maybe it's all fine, but I think we all needed a breather,'' Tails said, investigating a piece of Eggman technology he and Warren had grabbed from the Death Egg Robot before they had left. Sonic sat upright on the couch, leaning back.

''Not to mention, we're currently dealing with a bigger problem,'' Lucas added, turning to Sonic.

''Dr. Eggman.'' Sonic, Tails and Warren said in unison, without missing a beat. Neither looked too bothered by it, though. Lucas blinked for a moment, surprised by their nonchalant tone.

''You had been bringing him up constantly the past three days, always asking the same questions,'' Warren added after seeing Lucas' expression. ''For example, how come Dr. Eggman is in Neos City, if he's a video game character?''

''Or the fact that Ferra and Metal Sonic now know how to use Chaos Surge,'' Tails continued, not looking up from his research.

''Or constantly worrying about when the next attack will happen,'' Sonic added, continuing in a relaxed tone, ''When Eggman shows up again, we can just beat him up again. It's that simple.''

''I don't think it's that simple…'' Lucas muttered, falling silent for a moment.

What he didn't tell anyone was that he felt rather paranoid regarding Dr. Eggman. After all, the Doctor had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, managed to hijack all of the Buddy Bots and spread chaos across the city. He also knew who they were, meaning he was spying on them, although it was also possible that Ferra and Metal Sonic told him about the team. Not to mention, it was obvious that Eggman, even if he lost, was capable of countering all of them, even power-houses like Silver and Shadow. So, what would happen if Dr. Eggman managed to work around those issues and actually defeat them? Frankly, Lucas didn't want to even think about it.

Nevertheless, this was exactly the kind of situation why he took up the responsibility as the leader of Team Neos. His friends saw what happened as an exhausting, but fun adventure (if one ignored the casualties). Even Sonic has moved on to the next thing that sparked his interest, although that didn't surprise Lucas in the slightest. Still, someone had to worry. Someone had to plan for the future. Being concerned for everyone's well-being was the leader's job and Lucas wanted to take it as seriously as possible.

''Hey, Lucas…'' Lucas was startled when he heard Sonic calling out for him, gazing down at his partner curiously. Sonic folded his arms across his chest, giving Lucas a cheeky grin. ''How about we have some fun? You look quite stressed out and I think a break would be good for you.''

''Honestly, I'm not sure…'' Lucas answered hesitantly, but Sonic shook his head, placing his hands on his hips.

''You've been worrying long enough and you need to relax a little. I suggest we go to the Solar Stadium for a race. I'm sure a race will help you loosen up a little. It always helps me,'' Sonic replied, then glanced at Tails and Warren. ''Do you guys want to join us?''

''Sure!'' Tails replied, with Warren just nodding, then holding up Lucas' hoverboard.

''We could also test out the new accelerator,'' he said. ''While I doubt I'll manage to make anything reaching Sonic's top speed, this should provide you with an even greater boost.''

Lucas stared at Warren and Tails for a moment, then turned to Sonic, who just gave him a thumbs up, then sighed, deciding not to argue longer. ''Maybe you guys are right. Perhaps, I should take a break, at least for now.''

''Alright, grab your hoverboards everyone! Solar Stadium, here we come!'' Sonic punched the air, then tapped his AR Visor. ''I'll call the rest of the team and ask them if they want to join us. I'm sure they'd want to hang out.''

xXx

Sonic had sent messages to his friends, with Knuckles, Amy and Silver immediately replying positively, telling him that they and their partners would be there and were excited about everyone hanging out together. On the other hand, Shadow left him on read, which annoyed Sonic a little.

Was it really too much for Shadow to just text me that he wouldn't come along?

Sonic just shook her head as he though about it, currently focusing on the race between himself, Amy, Tails, Minami, Silver and Lily. They were currently going through a tunnel, Amy and Silver in the lead, with Sonic not too far from them, as they had earlier managed to find a stream of wind to get ahead of the blue hedgehog; one the latter completely missed. Minami, Lily and Tails were behind him, trying to find a way around Sonic, who spotted an accelerator trail on the sides of the tunnel and quickly flew up to it, getting closer to Amy and Silver.

''Watch out, he's right behind us!'' Amy shouted, drawing Silver's attention, who looked back at Sonic, only to almost fall off the hoverboard when Sonic sped past him after finding another accelerator. Amy got on the same accelerator, her and Sonic now being in the lead.

''How does it feel to finally be on even ground with everyone?'' Amy asked as she and Sonic exited the tunnel and entered a curve.

''Great! I was really excited about racing against you guys!'' Sonic replied, grinning as they cleared the curve. ''But, I'll still win. After all, I am The Fastest- Huh?''

''Learn to focus first!'' Amy leapt off a ramp, managing to get ahead of a shocked Sonic and flying through the finish line. Sonic placed second, exiting from the AR Field into Solar Stadium and watching Amy celebrate her victory. He didn't feel bad for losing to her, feeling rather excited that racing was something he and his friends could enjoy together. The two turned back as the rest of the racers appeared from the AR Field, with Lily managing to land in third place, followed closely by Silver, Tails and Minami.

''That was close!'' Tails said, jumping off his hoverboard, noticing Amy waving at everyone, holding her hoverboard under her arm.

''Hey, guess who managed to win!'' she told them, pointing at herself proudly.

''Nice job!'' Minami commented, but before the conversation could continue, they could see the AR Field next to them flickering, with Lucas flying out of it, Knuckles being right behind him, followed by Makoto and Warren.

''How did it go?'' Lily asked, turning to the other group. Unlike them, Lucas' group had actually gone to test out the new accelerator Warren and Tails worked on for Lucas.

''The accelerator upgrade is working great,'' Lucas replied, glancing at Warren and Tails, who looked quite proud of themselves. ''I was definitely faster than last time.''

''Maybe you could try it out against our resident winner,'' Sonic said, pointing with his thumb at Amy.

''We could also do another Solo Race but with everyone involved this time,'' Silver suggested.

''I'm for Silver's suggestion,'' Knuckles said, with the rest of the group nodding or voicing their verbal agreement. Sonic, however, was looking around, looking a little irked, tapping with his foot.

''What's wrong, Sonic?'' Tails asked him.

''I was just wondering where Shadow and Touka are. I thought they'd be here,'' Sonic replied in a nonchalant tone, trying to appear as if it didn't bother him that much.

''Yeah, right…'' Minami said in a snarky tone, giving Sonic a knowing look. ''As if we don't know that you just want to race against Shadow specifically.''

Sonic fell silent for a moment as he saw everyone staring at him curiously, then shrugged. ''I wouldn't mind a friendly race against Shadow, but how about we see first if anyone besides Amy can outspeed me.''

''I'm sure we can,'' Tails said, glancing at the rest. ''Which track do you guys want to choose?''

''We already did Tempo City and Jungle Maze…'' Makoto hummed as he thought about it. ''How about Seaside Beach?''

''I had been hoping for Sky Rail,'' Warren admitted.

''We could do both,'' Knuckles suggested, with the rest considering his suggestion.

''We could…'' Amy trailed off, only to get interrupted by Silver.

''Shouldn't we first check whether the tracks are free to use?'' he asked, gesturing at their surroundings. Besides them, there were other racers, both humans and ARNavs, with some waiting before the screens to see which tracks could be used.

''I'll go take care of that,'' Sonic replied. ''Do we agree on either Seaside Beach or Sky Rail?''

''Yeah!''

After hearing his teammates voicing their agreement, Sonic walked over to the closest holographic screen, but just as he was half-way over, his ears twitched and he heard someone yelling. Looking up, he saw a figure speeding right towards him on their hoverboard. Sonic quickly dove aside in order to avoid being ran over by the racer, hitting the ground hard and feeling a gust of wind brushing through his quills, his hoverboard falling on the ground. He turned back at the racer, glaring at him.

''Watch out where you're going! You almost ran me over!'' Sonic shouted, with the racer turning around on his hoverboard, looking at Sonic.

The racer was an ARNav, having the appearance of an anthropomorphic hawk with emerald green and dark emerald green feathers covering his body and white feathers on his front torso. On his arms near his wrists were dark emerald green fire-like markings. He had a golden beak and azure blue eyes with red and black markings on the sides. His hair was styled like a mohawk with dark emerald green tips. He also had three tail feathers with dark emerald green tips. For attire, he wore a pair of white gloves that possess visible lining with red and black cuffs and dark gray bands around each wrist. He also wore red, black and white boots with gray soles, and goggles with yellow lenses, white frames and gray straps.

''Hmph, serves you right for being in my path!'' the hawk ARNav replied, pushing the goggles that were over his eyes up on his forehead and grinning smugly.

Sonic frowned as he got up. Usually, he was all for befriending people, but for some reason, this ARNav got on his nerves. He couldn't explain it, but his gut feeling told him that the hawk was trouble. He shook his head, picking up his hoverboard and going towards the holographic screen, only to see the hawk flying towards it as well. Not wanting the hawk to be there first, he used to his super speed to run over, but they ended up reaching it at the same time, with the hawk suddenly blocking Sonic, giving him an intrigued look.

''What was that?'' he asked, not allowing Sonic to get the screen.

''I just ran over,'' Sonic replied bluntly.

''I was talking about your speed, smartass,'' the hawk replied. ''There is no way you're that fast.''

''You clearly don't know who you're talking to. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, known The Fastest Thing Alive,'' Sonic bragged, pointing with his thumb at his chest. ''There's hardly anyone who can match me.''

''Hmph! You may be the fastest creature on the ground, but in the air, with me and my hoverboard, you're just a joke!'' the hawk replied, pointing at himself. ''I'm Jet the Hawk, The Legendary Wind Master and there is no one who can beat me in a race, especially not some pathetic rookie racer.''

''I'm doing better at hoverboard racing than you think,'' Sonic replied, but Jet laughed at him.

''Tell that to someone who is actually cares,'' Jet replied. Sonic could feel the sense of annoyance bubbling inside him, but he kept his cool. From their conversation, he gauged that Jet was one of those arrogant types who was quite confident in his skills and was also able to back up his claims. Nevertheless, he was sure that he could deal with Jet, but for now, he just wanted to select a track so he and his friends could race. However, before he could do anything, two more ARNavs flew up to them, joining Jet.

One of them was an anthropomorphic swallow with light and dark purple feathers that covered her body and head. Her hair was styled like a pair of long braids. On her arms near her wrists were light purple fire-like markings. She had a golden-curved beak, light purple eyelids, cobalt blue eyes, and two tail feathers. For attire, she wore a white kerchief, white gloves that possessed visible lining with golden bracelets and red lining, a white tube top, and dark purple flare-designed white trousers. She also wore red boots with white accents and gray soles, a white necklace with a red utility gem, and gray sunglasses with gold lenses.

The other ARNav was an anthropomorphic albatross of hulking physique with gray feathers and white feathers covering his body. On his arms near his wrists were dark gray fire-like markings. He had light blue eyes with red and black markings around it, a golden beak and his hair was short. For attire, he wore tan gloves that possessed visible lining with black bands, small goggles with yellow frames and white straps, a brown necklace with small gray pieces, and black, yellow and white sneakers with sock-like cuffs and gray soles.

''What are you doing, Jet? We had sent you to select a track ages ago.''

''Is this guy causing you any trouble, Boss?''

The ARNavs, whom Sonic assumed to be Jet's friends, turned to the cobalt hedgehog, all of them giving off an air of superiority.

''I was just lecturing this rookie on who the best hoverboard racers is,'' Jet replied. Sonic rolled his eyes, placing his hand on his hip.

''Could we just drop this conversation? All I want is to select a track so me and my friends can race,'' Sonic explained. ''Could you please move aside?''

''You know what? How about you and I have a race by ourselves? You say you're The Fastest Thing Alive and I want to challenge myself,'' Jet replied. ''There is clearly only one way to settle down who's the fastest.''

Jet's friends exchanged glances, the swallow ARNav rolling her eyes and looking rather exasperated, while Sonic thought about Jet's challenge. However, before he could answer, not only did the rest of Team Neos walk over, having noticed the commotion, but three teenagers Sonic hadn't seen before joined them as well.

One of them was a 16-year-old boy with messy brown hair and green eyes, wearing a white jacket with red flame-like patterns on the sleeves and back, a black and dark green T-shirt and washed-put green jeans and green and red high-top sneakers. On the top of his head were red-framed sunglasses with green glasses.

The second person was a 15-year-old girl with wavy dark red hair tied into a high pony-tail via purple-framed goggles and hazel eyes. She was wearing a purple top and white khakis with a brown belt and purple flame-marks on the sides and high-top sneakers.

The third person was a 17-year-old boy with short dirty blond hair and light blue eyes, wearing yellow goggles on the top of his head. He was wearing a gray T-shirt with a yellow vest over it, the vest having dark yellow flame-like marks on the bottom, grey pants and sneakers.

''Hey, Sonic, is everything all right?'' Tails asked.

''I got caught up in a dispute,'' Sonic started, wanting to explain what was going on to his friends, only to notice a look of recognition on Lucas, Warren, Lily, Minami and Makoto's expressions the moment they saw Jet and his friends. Lucas then frowned, his gaze turning into a glare when he turned to the teenager his age, clearly recognizing him as well. The feeling appeared to be mutual, because the teenager grinned mischievously when he saw Lucas.

''What are you doing here Lucas? I thought you became a hikikomori,'' the teenager asked, with Lucas giving him an irked look.

''For the last time, Chase, I'm not a hikikomori,'' Lucas growled, ignoring the curious looks both his friends, save for Warren, and Chase's friends were giving him.

''Uh, Lucas? Do you know this guy?'' Minami interrupted the conversation.

''Unfortunately, I do,'' Lucas replied, still glaring daggers at Chase, who appeared to be amused by his hostility. ''His name is Chase Young and he goes to the same class as Warren and I do.''

''It doesn't sound like you guys are friends,'' Silver noted.

''That's because I only surround myself with the best,'' Chase replied, nodding towards the other two teenagers that were with him. ''These are Rika Nakano and Arven Pryce, and together with Jet, Wave and Storm, we're the best hoverboard racers in the entire Starpoint Area.''

''We're known as the Babylon Rogues, but you had probably already heard of us. We're quite famous,'' Jet bragged, giving Sonic a haughty grin.

''Actually, I had no clue who you were until you introduced yourself,'' Sonic replied, shrugging.

''What?! How could you not know who the Babylon Rogues are?'' Jet shouted, losing his cool for a moment, but then scoffed. ''It doesn't matter, though. This shows how much of a rookie you are, Rookie.''

''Could you stop calling me Rookie?'' Sonic asked, feeling annoyed once again. While these two were arguing once again, Lucas turned to Chase.

''Look, me and my friends don't want any trouble. We just wanted to have some fun racing,'' he said, keeping a tight grip around his hoverboard.

''Is that your gear?'' Rika asked, nodding towards the hoverboard, with Lucas holding it up, a bit confused.

''Yeah, why?'' he asked, only to be startled when Rika walked up to it and snatched it out of his hands, her and Wave examining it. ''Hey!''

''I don't believe that device doesn't belong to a hoverboard of this type,'' Wave noted, pointing at the accelerator, then glanced at the group. ''Did someone modify it?''

''Yeah, we did,'' Tails stepped up, pointing at himself and Warren. ''My name is Tails, and this is Warren Taylor. We installed that accelerator device so Lucas could keep up with Sonic.''

''Oh, really?'' Wave tossed the hoverboard towards Tails, who managed to catch it. ''I thought it was a piece of junk you picked up from the scrap yard, Shrimp.''

''What was that?!'' Tails frowned, glaring at Wave.

''It's shoddy craftsmanship at best,'' Rika said, earning a glare from Warren.

''You take that back right now,'' Warren demanded. Both he and Tails were proud of the accelerator and to hear an insult like that made them really angry. While they were fuming, Arven was staring at Lily, walking up to her suddenly and startling her. He was a head taller than her, with Lily giving him a suspicious look as she assumed he was there to mess with her.

''What's your name?'' Arven asked her.

''Lily… Lily Crystle,'' Lily replied, blinking as her brain tried to kick into gear due to being caught off-guard by the question. Arven smiled goofily.

''You're cute. Do you want to go on a date with me?'' he asked. Lily's jaw dropped, because that wasn't something she had expected to be asked. As her brain tried to force a reboot in order to find an appropriate response, Knuckles stepped between her and Arven, facing the teenager.

''Leave her alone. She's clearly not interested,'' Knuckles told him. Arven gave him an annoyed look.

''And who are you?'' he asked.

''My name is Knuckles, and I'm Lily's Guardian,'' Knuckles replied, only for Storm to step in front of him.

''Guardian or not, if Arven wants to make plans with your partner, it is none of your business, Meathead,'' Storm told him, punching his fist against the palm of his other head.

''As Lily's Guardian, it is my duty to make sure she is safe and currently, your partner is making her uncomfortable,'' Knuckles argued back, with him and Storm glaring at each other and looking about as if they were going to fight. As this was going on, Minami, Amy, Makoto and Silver exchanged glances, Makoto and Silver being slightly worried.

''I guess the race we had planned isn't going to happen,'' Amy commented.

''Shouldn't we break them up?'' Silver asked, glancing at Makoto. Makoto was about to answer, only to get startled, just as everyone else, when he heard a high-pitched whistle. Everyone stopped arguing and turning to Minami.

''You know, you can keep arguing and insulting each other as much as you can, but I don't think you'll achieve anything with that besides drawing attention,'' Minami told them, pointing at several humans and ARNavs who were either staring at them curiously or looked annoyed by how loud they were getting. The two teams were slightly flustered by the attention they got, with Jet scoffing.

''Tch, I hate to say it, but you're right,'' he said, turning to Sonic. ''We could settle our feud with a Tag Team Race.''

''If everyone agrees with it…'' Sonic started, glancing at his friends, who all nodded, looking determined to beat the Babylon Rogues. ''Sure! You're on!''

Chase then walked up to the holographic screen, selecting a track and then turning back to everyone. ''The track is going to be ready in 10 minutes. I hope you like the taste of defeat.''

''We will beat you!'' Lucas growled, with Chase just laughing at him as he and his team left. Lucas was fuming, only to feel a hand on his shoulder, noticing that it was Warren who was trying to calm him down. Lucas sighed, shaking his head.

''I suppose you guys have a history,'' Minami said, looking at Lucas.

The teenager gazed away, looking quite uncomfortable about providing a response to Minami's statement. He then took a deep breath, adding, ''Chase and I knew each other since we were kids, and he used to bully me because I wasn't as active or athletic as he was, calling me a shut-in or hikikomori. He always acted like I was beneath him.''

''That's really mean,'' Amy commented.

''We haven't seen him in the past few months, but it looks like nothing had changed,'' Warren added. Sonic turned to Lucas.

''If we win this, I bet Chase and Jet will finally shut up about being the best. They need a little lesson in humility,'' he said, winking at his partner. Lucas smiled, nodding.

''Speaking of which, does anyone even know who the Babylon Rogues are? I had noticed that some of you recognized the ARNavs,'' Knuckles asked, turning to the human partners.

''Right, I guess we forgot to tell you about it,'' Lily said. ''Do you remember how we told you that you're ARNavs based on video game characters? Well, so are Jet, Wave and Storm.''

''Really?'' Silver gave her a surprised look, while the rest just nodded.

''They're from sub-series of action racing games called Sonic Riders, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity and Sonic Free Riders,'' Makoto explained. ''The games are very similar to real-life hoverboard racing, except the hoverboards are called Extreme Gear.''

''Then it's no wonder they're so confident in their skills,'' Knuckles said, folding his arms across his chest. ''This kind of racing is in their blood.''

''Do you guys really think we can win against them?'' Tails asked, still holding Lucas' hoverboard, feeling still hurt by Wave's comment.

''Of course we can! You know how they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall,'' Sonic said, placing his arms around Tails and Knuckles' shoulders. ''I'm confident that we can beat them at their own game.''

''I hope so, because there is no way that I'm going on a date with Arven!'' Lily protested angrily, puffing up her cheeks.

''Then let's go prepare ourselves for the race,'' Sonic said, with the group walking away to the starting line, not even noticing the two figures on the bleachers above them, having overheard the whole argument.

Unknown to Team Neos, Touka and Shadow were at the Solar Stadium the whole time, albeit not in the mood to engage with their fellow teammates. They had observed the whole argument between Team Neos and the Babylon Rogues, their brows furrowed when Team Neos accepted the challenge to participate in a Tag Team Race.

''They don't know what they got themselves into,'' Touka said, her hoverboard leaned against a seat as Lucas, Sonic, Warren, Tails, Lily and Knuckles approached Chase, Jet, Rika, Wave, Arven and Storm, while Minami, Amy, Makoto and Silver sat on the bleachers. A holographic screen appeared above the racing track, allowing them to follow the race between Team Neos and the Babylon Rogues while they were inside the AR Field. Touka glanced at Shadow. ''Do you think that we should've warned them?''

''No,'' Shadow replied curtly, arms folded across his chest. ''If Sonic believes that he can win this, he can try.''

''Don't tell me that you're annoyed that he's racing against Jet,'' Touka said, rising an eyebrow. Shadow scoffed.

''Tch, if I wanted to race against him, I would've done it already,'' Shadow replied, shooting a glare at Touka. ''I'm merely curious about his performance in this kind of race.''

''So, you're actually hoping that he'll win?'' Touka asked, looking intrigued. Shadow didn't answer, focusing on the screen ahead instead, with Touka just shrugging. However, knowing her little brother, even if he didn't want to admit it, she was aware that Shadow was hoping Sonic and his team would win against Jet and the Babylon Rogues, even if the odds were clearly stacked against them.

xXx

''Hey, Makoto, what are the exact rules of a Tag Team Race? I did hear about it, but I don't really know any details,'' Silver asked as he, Makoto, Amy and Minami were observing their friends prepare themselves for the race.

''Well, in a Tag Team Race you usually have two teams, each consisting of six members, racing against each members. Those six members consists of pairs of a human partner and ARNav and to win the race, at least one pair needs to cross the finish line. If only the human partner or the ARNav crosses the finish line, it doesn't count as a victory, so they have to work together,'' Makoto explain. ''Also, in Tag Team Races, you can find Power Boxes as you go through the track, which can help you gain advantage in a race. To use them, the human partner needs to touch one, while the ARNav activates it, so once again, teamwork is important here.''

''I see…'' Silver trailed off. Minami and Amy waved at their friends, cheering for them.

''Good luck everyone!''

''You can beat them!''

Their friends looked up, waving back, with Lucas and Sonic focusing on preparing their hoverboards for the race, standing right next to Chase and Jet.

''Honestly, I'm surprised that you even accepted our challenge. Try not to embarrass yourself in front of your new friends,'' Chase taunted Lucas.

''We will beat you,'' Lucas retorted, glaring at the latter. He had enough of Chase's comments and insults, having had to hear them for all those years and he was going to show his bully that he could beat him at his own game.

On their right were Rika and Wave standing next to Warren and Tails, with Rika and Wave talking to each other in a hushed tone.

''You know, that device wasn't that bad… for an amateur,'' Rika whispered to Wave, who had her hands on her hips.

''I hate to say it, but you're right,'' Wave responded. ''Still, we both know who the real engineering geniuses here are.''

Meanwhile, to the left of the starting track, Arven tried to talk to Lily.

''Once we win this, we could go for lunch. What do you say?'' he asked her. Lily groaned.

''I don't want to go on a date with you!'' she yelled at him. Arven was unfazed by her outburst.

''How about we make a bet? If you lose, you have to go on a date with me,'' he said.

''Don't accept his bet,'' Knuckles, who had a glaring contest with Storm, interrupted them. ''This might be some kind of trick.''

''We can crush you without any tricks,'' Storm responded, with everyone lining up as the AR Field before them started to form, with a screen appearing above it. Everyone focused on it as it started flashing from red to yellow to green.

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. Instead, they appeared in some kind of urban landscape, with buildings placed on each side of the track. Lucas looked up, wondering whether Chase selected the Tempo City track, only to notice the surroundings start to glitch out. His jaw dropped as he realized on which track they were, but before he could warn his friends, Chase and Jet rushed forward, taking first place. He and Sonic were at second place, followed by Warren, Tails, Rika, Wave, Lily, Knuckles, Arven and Storm, who each were furiously fighting for the next spot.

''Lucas, the Power Box!'' Sonic shouted, but it was too late, as Chase had already noticed the red and grey metallic box above them, touching it and gaining it's power.

''Catch us if you can!'' Jet taunted them, a blue glow appearing in his hands and he and Chase boosted through the track, leaping on a rail and grinding down the street. Lucas and Sonic followed them, both frustrated by the loss of the Power Box and the fact that their rivals gained a huge advantage.

Behind them, Warren and Tails weren't doing any better, as Rika and Wave got ahead of them and slowed down right in front of them, forcing Warren and Tails to slow down, only to speed up by using an accelerator.

''Hey, not fair!'' Tails yelled.

''There is no fairness when there can be only one winner!'' Wave replied as Rika grabbed a Power Box right in front of Warren. It was another Boost Power, the two overtaking Lucas and Sonic, who were doing their damnest to keep the second place for themselves.

Meanwhile, behind them, a fight broke out between Knuckles and Storm, as Storm tried to punch Knuckles off the hoverboard, who was saved when Lily pulled him to the side. Knuckles gave her a grateful look, pleased when she grabbed a another Boost Power, allowing them to get ahead. However, just as they got up to Warren and Tails, they were surprised when they surroundings started to glitch out, causing them to find themselves in some kind of void which turned into a tunnel.

''What happen?'' Knuckles asked, stunned by the change of scenery.

''We're in-'' Before Warren could finish the sentence, they were all hit by a sudden gust of wind, almost knocking them over and causing Arven and Storm to pass by them, high-fiving Rika and Wave on the successful use of the Wind Power. Lily and Knuckles growled as they gained control over their hoverboards and leapt on an accelerator, Warren and Tails following them.

Meanwhile, Lucas and Sonic noticed that the four Babylon Rogues were right behind them. Sonic glanced at Lucas, who had managed to grab another Power Box.

''Any ideas?'' he asked his partner. It was clear that they were in a bad situation, as Jet and Chase were way ahead of them and Wave, Rika, Storm and Arven were catching up to them. Fortunately, the rules stated that only one pair had to reach the finish line. The scenery suddenly glitched out again and they found themselves flying through a desert, the sand getting in their eyes, forcing them to pull their AR Visors over their eyes.

''We need to catch up…'' Lucas gritted his teeth as he tried to figure out what to do. They had the Lightning Power, which they could use to trap the four behind them, but Lucas knew that this would just give them a temporary advantage. The real problem was that they were all completely unfamiliar with this track. Sonic looked back as Rika, Wave, Arven and Storm split off to each side of the track and used the accelerators. Grinning, he summoned the Lightning Power, causing a lighting to strike all four of them, temporarily stunning them and allowing Warren, Tails, Lily and Knuckles to catch up, just as their surroundings started to glitch out.

''Is the AR Field faulty?'' Knuckles asked, being caught off guard when they were racing through an industrial site.

''No, the track that Chase selected is Wayward Dimension!'' Lucas replied, him and Sonic hopping onto a rail, the rest following him. He could see Chase and Jet ahead, both having smug smirks on their expressions as they looked back. ''It's the hardest track Solar Stadium has to offer, especially since it constantly changes the landscape to confuse the racers.''

''Why am I not surprised that they would go for the hardest track?'' Sonic said sarcastically. Their surroundings changed again, this time to 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 picked the middle one, with Rika and Wave and Arven and Storm choosing the right and left rails respectively, gaining speed.

''Watch out!'' Tails yelled as the rails suddenly ended, forcing them to either jump off them and fly through the triangular accelerators or land hard on the icy ground. Unfortunately for Team Neos, Rika had managed to get another Power Box, with Wave activating it just as they were about to jump off. It was another Wind Power, forming a tornado which she fired at them, disrupting them and allowing the Babylon Rogues to get ahead.

''Damn it!'' Lucas cursed as the landscape changed again, revealing a garden in the sky-type of track, being filled with ancient ruins.

''Lucas, Sonic, we'll take care of these guys! You two need to get to Chase and Jet!'' Lily shouted, as all three of them managed to grab a Boost Power.

''Thanks guys!'' Lucas and Sonic replied in unison, both managing to grab another Boost Power that got them ahead of the Babylon Rogues, while Lily and Warren grabbed the Fire Power. Tails and Knuckles activated it, sending fireballs flying at Rika, Wave, Arven and Storm, allowing Lucas and Sonic to fly past them. They followed a curve, using another rail to grind and boost their speed, getting closer and closer to Chase and Jet.

Chase and Jet turned around, both amused to see Lucas and Sonic trying to get ahead of them. The landscape changed once again, with the racers now flying across the sea with a rocky canyon surrounding them. Sonic felt a sudden wave of anxiety washing over him, as he did not want to fall off his hoverboard at a place like this. Sure, it was an AR Field, but he didn't want to test out whether he could swim here. Shaking his head, he focused on the road ahead, with him and Lucas flying towards the cliffs to use the accelerators to gain more speed and leap on the rails, managing to end up just behind Chase and Jet.

''Tch, they're getting too close for my comfort,'' Jet told Chase, who just gave him a confident smirk.

''Don't worry, we got this,'' Chase replied as they entered the open sea. The finish line was just ahead, but unfortunately for Lucas and Sonic, they were met by water spouts shooting up from the sea, forcing them to brake and avoid the sudden hazard, while Chase and Jet weaved skillfully between them. Fortunately, Lucas and Sonic made it through without being knocked off, but there was one more hazard neither of them accounted for.

''Rogue wave!'' Sonic yelled, his eyes widening as the giant wave was closing in. Chase and Jet were way ahead, with Jet using a Boost Power he had saved up to escape the wave, while Sonic and Lucas got hit by it. Even though it was just data, they could feel the cold and salty water slowing them down and almost knocking them off their hoverboards. The only reason they managed to stay on it was because the AR Field around them vanished as they exited it, placing second.

''No…'' Lucas breathed, looking behind him as Rika and Wave placed third, followed by Arven and Storm placing fourth. They were followed by a dejected Warren, Tails, Lily and Knuckles, who shared fifth place. Unfortunately, they couldn't surpass the Babylon Rogues, who were celebrating their victory. Jet turned to Sonic, grinning smugly.

''Not very impressive for someone of your reputation. You're no match for The Legendary Wind Rider!'' he bragged, with Sonic trying his best to ignore him. He turned to Tails and Knuckles, who were both disappointed by their loss.

''This was pure humiliation,'' Knuckles commented.

''I'm sorry for dragging you guys into this. The race should've been between me and Jet,'' Sonic apologized.

''Don't worry about it Sonic. We all wanted to prove to these guys that we could beat them,'' Tails said. The three Irregulars looked at their partners, who were all silent, having been hit hard by this defeat. ''Warren…''

''They were just better than us…'' Warren muttered. Lily looked up at the Babylon Rogues, noticing Arven waving at her and frowned. She certainly did not want to honor this so-called bet.

''Guys, are you okay?'' Minami called out for them, her, Amy, Makoto and Silver approaching their friends.

''Not really,'' Lucas said. ''None of us is injured or anything like that, but…''

''The defeat hurts, doesn't it?'' Amy said, sympathetic to their plight. Lucas swallowed, him and the rest nodding.

''Can't you just challenge them to a rematch?'' Makoto asked.

''Technically, we could, but…'' Lucas trailed off, sighing. ''We might not be able to beat them at all. I had never raced in Wayward Dimension and if they can handle a track like that, maybe we can't catch up to them at all.''

''What if we train? We could familiarize ourselves with it,'' Sonic suggested, not wanting to give up yet.

''Unfortunately, the Babylon Rogues still have more experience,'' Knuckles pointed out, with Sonic falling silent as he thought about it. He really wanted to wipe Jet's smug smile, but it was clear that there was a huge gap between their own experience and that of the Babylon Rogues'.

''It is impressive that you had managed to last as long as you did, but you would've ultimately lost the race regardless of what you did. You were doomed from the start.''

Team Neos suddenly looked up, surprised to see Touka and Shadow walking up to them.

''We figured that one out already. You don't have to rub salt in the wound,'' Lucas said bitterly, staring at Touka. Meanwhile, Sonic turned to Shadow, who had his arms folded across his chest.

''Were you guys watching the whole race?'' he asked.

''Yes, and I had expected better from you,'' Shadow said sternly. Sonic's ears were pinned back as his eyes narrowed, staring at Shadow. Both were silent for a moment, appearing to be quite tense.

''I know, and if I get another chance, I would show you and everyone that I can go beyond my own limits,'' Sonic replied, his tone uncharacteristically serious. To his surprise, Shadow smirked.

''I'm certain that you would,'' he said, unfolding his arms, giving his rival a determined gaze. ''That's why I'm challenging you to a race.''

''What?'' Sonic was stunned, his expression matching that of his friends.

''If you manage to beat me, then you'll be able to beat the Babylon Rogues,'' Shadow continued, ignoring the looks everyone was giving him. Sonic stared at him for a moment, wondering what Shadow was trying to accomplish with this, but he then nodded, figuring that his rival must've had a good reason behind this proposal.

''I accept your challenge.''