Rev up that Gear: Enemy or Respect

"Spike!" Both of them yelled. "Where the hell have you been?!"

Spike jumped back a little, shocked and scared to death as he walked through the front door. "Why are you guys so serious all of a sudden?"

Suddenly they stepped forward and grabbed Spike by his shoulders. "You leave in the middle of the night and think we wouldn't notice huh?"

"I still fail to see the issue with this. You guys barely know me and you're acting like we're dating or something." Both of them backed up immediately and nervously coughed, casting their glances elsewhere in shame. "Look, if you really want to know, I was just thinking about something personal."

"I can accept that. I'm terribly sorry Spike." Lindsey said still avoiding Spike's gaze.

"Right...sorry." Korbin added.

Spike sighed. "What am I, some kind of drama magnet. Anyway, it's my turn."

"Your turn for what?" Korbin confusingly asked.

"Well....my turn to do a little apologizing. See, while I was out, I met someone."

"Like a girl?"

"Well yes...just not for the reason you might think?"

Korbin suddenly was in Spike's face, eyes as wide as saucers and pupils focused directly on his."We need details Spike....tell us....tell us now."

Spike placed his finger on her forehead and slowly pushed her away. "How about you back up just a little...little more...there ya go. Now look, I was going through some things and so was she. We got to talking and turns out, she's pretty nice, not to mention a top notch EX-tuner."

"Well don't leave in the dark. Tell us her name stud."

"Well...it's....it's kinda.....well you're gonna see just....don't be mad." Spike then motioned behind him as another figure appeared in the doorway. "Guys, I want you to meet..."

"Wave?!" They both responded.

"Hey...girls." she responded.

"Spike?" Korbin asked with anger in her soul.

"Yea?"

"What is she doing here?"

"Well...like I said, we met, we talked, and now we're working together."

"Oh no no, there is no way she is stepping foot in here."

"What's the issue Korbin?"

Korbin quickly growled before taking a pouncing stance. "The issue is is that this jerk is apart of the Babylonian rogues. She's mean and she called me a putty cat."

"A what?"

"A putty cat."

"What is a putty cat? Actually nevermind, I don't want to know."

Wave sighed then pushed Spike out of the way a little. "Look...I want to apologize for all of that even though Korbin is a big house cat."

"You looking for a fight you big cockatoo?!" Korbin quickly responded.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I'm trying to say sorry."

"You're doing one hell of a job at it."

"Look if you let me explain instead of shooting up at every statement I make, we would be ok!"

"Then why don't you apologize like a normal person instead adding these sarcastic comments in!"

"It's just the way I am, you think this is easy!"

"I do! I wouldn't have accepted it anyway. Anybody who hangs around Jet is not worth my time!"

"Let me explain and maybe you'll figure out why I'm here!"

"....No."

"What?"

"I said no."

Korbin then sat on the ground, legs crossed, eyes closed, and turned her attention away from Wave. "What the? Don't you ignore m..." Wave was suddenly cut off my Korbin meowing in her face. Still Wave pursued only to be interrupted by Korbin's obnoxious attitude again and again. "You think this is some kind of joke?!"

"When the big cockatoo is involved, it might as well be."

Wave's face was that pure anger. If it weren't for physics, steams would be spewing out her. "I swear you're just a little putty cat."

Korbin's then shot open as the words entered her ears. Slowly but angrily, she got up and now the two were face to face. "Call me that again?"

"Oh you think I won't. You...are...a baby, a kitty, a little....putty cat."

Their eyes met, the spark noticeably visible between them.

"Lindsey dear...call an ambulance...because this woman is going to need it!" she screamed as she tackled Wave to the ground. Within seconds they were rolling around ferociously wrestling. The sounds of the entire event echoed through the house and out of it as the door was still open. As Spike attempted to make his way around the disagreement, they both stood up ready to continue fighting. Unfortunately Spike was stuck in the middle of them both. Wave proceeded to remove a wrench from thin air and swing it up high. Spike ducked only to see Korbin's claws coming directly at him. Quickly he jumped only to see the wrench coming at him again. Like an acrobat, he was forced dodge wrench after claw again and again, contorting his body in different ways and positions to avoid the danger. "Lind..woah...sey...do...something...oh...crap...geez..."

"Give me a sec to think."

"I'm...getting...tired...don't have....alot of time..."

Lindsey stood as Spike continued to dodge, watching his movements closely. She then whipped her tail into the maelstrom allowing Spike to grab on. She quickly pulled him out and watched as the two continued to clash. "You ok Spike?"

"Fine...fine...so what happened between you guys that made this happen?"

"Well..." Before Lindsey could speak, Wave's wrench rocketed into Spike's head sending him to the ground. "Oh no, Spike?..Spike?" Lindsey looked back to the two fighting and sighed. "That's it." She took a step and jumped right into the middle of their scuffle. With acrobatic success, she proceeded to grab their hands mid punch and subdue them, performing a few complicated moves to flip Wave to the ground and Korbin into the air where she landed on the bed. "You two done?"

"Ow Lin Lin...what was that for?" Korbin asked as she rubbed her arm. Lindsey pointed to Spike unconsious on the ground making both Korbin and Wave gasp. "I think we got a little carried away."

Spike awoke 2 hours later to silence. With his vision heavily blurred, he struggled to figure out what happened. Moments later he was finally able to see that the fight had solved nothing. Wave was on one side room silent while Korbin was on another. "Oh Celestia my head."

"Spike!" The both of them screamed before rushing to his aid. "Are you ok? Why do you care? You're the reason he was knocked out in the first place."

"Can you two maybe keep it down?" Spike politely asked.

To no one's surprise, they ignored Spike's request and continued to fight amongst themselves. "Say you're sorry! No you say it! I shouldn't have to say it, I'm not the one who knocked him out."

"Wave, Korbin, any chance we could tone it down a bit, my head really hurts."

Once again his request fell against deaf ears. "Spike's my friend! No he's not he's mine. He likes me more, just because you had one good moment with him doesn't mean he's more of a friend to you than he is to me!"

"Would you two shut up!" Spike yelled at the top of his lungs. Both of them stopped dead in their tracks, eyes wide and mouth agape. "I swear I've never seen a more immature bunch of animals, I mean I have, but you two are something else! You would think that me getting dropped to the floor would do something for you but no, you two seem intent on continuing this!"

"Oh man, we're really sorry Spike. I mean I am more than her."

"That's it." Spike slowly rose to his feet and proceeded to sit on the center of the bed, legs crossed and nostrils seething with smokey rage. He then pointed to two spots directly in front of him. "Sit."

"But Spike?"

"I said sit. And for the love of all that's holy, stop talking in sync." They both took their seats, crossing their legs, and facing him. "No no no, facing each other." A unpleasant sigh left both their mouths as they turned to face each other. "Now, I'm gonna ask someone here to tell me what happened and then we're gonna resolve this entire thing, am I understood?" They both looked at him with that annoyed expression. "I said," he said as his eyes began to glow a luminescent green. "Is...that...understood?" Both of them became stiff a boards as they nodded. "Good, now please, someone tell me what happened?"

"I'll do the honors I guess." Wave quickly responded. "I am the one apologizing here."

Korbin growled at this act of apology. "Why should she get to the story first, she'll just lie her way out of this." Spike shot his glowing annoyance at her and growled. "Um....go right ahead Wave....I'll just shut up."

"Thank you. See, I've been apart of the Babylon Rouges for a long time. We were a team no matter what, through every race and job, even though they got on my nerves like little babies. So of course, when Jet suggest something that sounds a bit crazy, I'm skeptical at first. When he asked me to sabotage Sonic's board during the first world Grand Prix, I was against the idea partially. But I liked Jet honestly and thought, maybe he'll acknowledge me if I do this. It was the same thing for our race too. Team Babylon and Team Flora."

Spike turned his head towards Lindsey in confusion. "Hey don't look at me, we were going through a weird naming process."

"As I was saying, this particular Grand Prix ended up with our two teams as the finalist racing through what we like to call Metal City. 2 laps was the goal and in order to win, the majority of the team had to hit that finish line first. It was around the end of the second lap that something happened that I'll always regret. Jet and Storm were ahead of the group while I had gotten stuck in the back of the pack. If I didn't do something, we would lose. Spike...the reason they were looking for a third member in the first place was because of me. His name was Kindro the flame, a dragon like you. He was so unique with the reflexes and speed of what was expected riding a board containing his fiery passion, even to go as far as to to say it was glowing with fire. I don't know whether it was jealousy or Jet getting inside my head but.....I decided to push him." Her face began to show that of sorrow and regret, a single tear trickling down her cheek. "Spike....there was this car.....it came out nowhere....and he couldn't dodge in time...I tried to visit him...tried to make up for what I did...but I felt as though I was being held back by Jet...Still, there is no excuse for what I did...I made the choice to push him... and no amount of regret can fix that."

Korbin became increasingly agitated. Her eyes drooped downward and her paw reached out to rest on wave's trembling knee. "It was because of you that he quit...It was because of you that he wanted nothing to do with us..."

"I don't know what to do Korbin...I don't know how to make up for it....I'm sorry..."

Tears began to streak from her eyes as well before her claws came into sight and angrily took hold of Wave's shirt. With no hesitation, she pulled her in close and angrily stared into her soul, the fire emitting from her eyes as if she were a demon herself. "You have some nerve you jerk, you tore us apart!"

"I didn't mean to...I didn't see the car..."

"You knew exactly what you were doing you crazy bird! Because of you, he stopped racing! And because he stopped racing, he stopped caring! It's your fault we stopped talking, your fault we stopped everything...."

"I-I didn't know....I swear...I just want make up for it..."

"I loved him!....How do you make up for that?"

"I...don't know..." Korbin finally let go of her shirt allowing Wave to effortlessly drop into her lap. "I can't ever make up for something like that...I know that...But it was at least worth trying. I was messed up...years and years under the wing of that jerk left me scarred and hateful. I hated myself and everything about me...even my crush on that green bird going squawk squawk all the time. I remember what happened...every second of it eating me from the inside-out. After what seemed like an eternity, it's the reason I left the rouges. I just couldn't take myself anymore, what I had become. I didn't want to hurt people anymore...I didn't want to cheat my way to the top anymore...I just wanted an honest life and being with them wasn't going to make that happen...There is no escaping my consequences but just know....I truly am sorry......I'm leaving." Wave said as she hopped off the bed.

"W-wait..." Korbin uttered in weakened tone before taking hold of her hand. "I didn't know any of that...I realized he was a jerk but not that much...still...you took my dwagon away from me...I can't forgive you for that. But I can forgive you for being who you were. I've always had the feeling...deep inside me...that perhaps you were nicer underneath all of it." She then lifted her head to her with a smile. "I'm glad I was right." Korbin hopped off the bed as well and embraced Wave into a hug. "I forgive you Wave. I'm sure Lindsey does too, but I can never forgive you unless he forgives you as well."

"I know, I promise to make it up to him too. Oh man, look at you runts, making me all sappy and sad."

"Hehe, stop with tough girl thing. You know you wanted to get all emotional in the first place."

"N-no I didn't."

"Then why are we hugging?"

"I don't know...I was dragged into it. Just..don't tell anyone this happened cool?"

"Hehe.......no."

/nekkosu/night-theme-chao-resort-island

Spike sighed before falling back on bed. "My work here is done."

"Indeed it is." Lindsey stated. "Didn't know you had that in you Spike?"

"Well after getting hit in the head, who wouldn't be a little mad?"

Lindsey sat herself right next to Spike and laid down alongside his left side. "Really Spike, thanks for getting them to talk."

"I have to deal with these issues back home all the time, it was no problem."

"No really Spike." Korbin quickly chimed in before taking at seat next to his feet. "If it weren't for you, this house would be in pieces, maybe the entire neighborhood as well."

"Really, it's no big deal. I'm just really good at dealing with friendship problems."

Just then Wave took the space laying down on the other side of him. "I barely know you kid, and you've done way more than anyone's done in years compared. You helped me get over Jet, you saved my life, you even got me to fess up to my past, something I would have never had the courage to do. Are you some kind of wizard of good deeds or something?"

"No...nothing like that, I'm just really good at friendship problems. I live with Princess of Friendship after all."

"Well how can we repay you?" Lindsey asked.

"Repay me?"

"Yea, you've helped everyone out so much, it's only right that we repay for your generosity."

"Um...trust me, you guys being happy is payment enough."

"So you're saying you don't want anything....at all?" Korbin added. "Not even...a little bit of...you know...us?"

"W-what do you mean...y-you?"

"Maybe it was a blessing kid, that you show up and help me out like that. I'm down to get dirty if you are."

Spike blood pressure shot up like a rocket as the three girls closed in on him, bedroom eyes intensified and locked on to target. Quickly, he hopped off the bed and out of the pile, landing his feet on solid ground with sweat pouring from his scales. "Look, we've only known each other for what, a few days? I think we're moving way too fast."

"Aw man, and I was really hoping to see what you were made of." Korbin said as she flopped down onto the bed.

"I appreciate the want ladies but I don't think I'm ready for that kind of commitment."

"Oh well, was fun while it lasted." Wave added. "I still have my heart set on Tails anyway."

Lindsey yawned before stretching. "Well ladies, it's already late and we've yet to truly sleep. So if you would happily remove yourselves from my bed, that would be nice."

"But where is Wave gonna sleep Lin Lin?"

"I suppose she can sleep with you. You did make up after all."

Both Wave and Korbin looked at each other before shaking their heads. "I don't think so. We just made up, importance on the word, 'just'. I think it would be a tiny bit awkward."

Spike thought about for a moment then smiled. "You could take the couch. Not as comfy as a bed but it's something."

Wave cracked a smile before patting him on the head. "Thanks kid. Wait, where are you gonna sleep?"

"On the floor I guess."

"Suit yourself."

Korbin handed her the spare cover and pillow that Spike refused earlier and they took their positions to sleep. Having been up until about 2 in the morning, the gang found themselves dead asleep until about 11 o'clock. Korbin was the first to wake up, doing some common stretches alongside some unusual ones only a cat could perform. She then roused everyone from their slumber with a loud meow. Lindsey groaned before rolling over. "I thought I told not to do that anymore?"

"Sorry Lin Lin. But you know what today is right?"

"I'm not forgetful like you are."

"I'm not forgetful at all. I remembered today."

"Did you remember grandpa's birthday was yesterday?"

"Um...."

"Did you even get him present dear?"

"Um...nevermind."

"Good old Korbin. Everybody up, time to train."

Spike got up and stretched ever so slightly letting out a little flame as he yawned. "We're doing what now?"

"Training."

"Oh yea, the Grand Prix. Can I get like 10 more minutes?"

"No you can not get 10 more hours to sleep."

"I said minutes not hours."

"I know what you meant."

"Darn. Someone gonna get wave up?"

"Why don't you?"

"I'm afraid of getting hit with that wrench of her's.

"No need." Wave said into her pillow. "I'm up already."

Lindsey smiled and began to put on her boots. "Good, now let's tidy up and get moving shall we?"

After the usual hygiene, at least for Mobians, they all proceeded out of the house and into the streets, EX Gear under their feet. Wave held her stomach in hunger. "I hope breakfast in on the agenda."

"Oh you bet!" Korbin screamed. "I know the perfect place." An hour later, they exited the door of that "perfect" restaurant, everyone's faces confused. "Oh man, that was great."

"When I said breakfast, I meant breakfast, as in pancakes or some nice bacon and eggs."

"That was breakfast wasn't it?"

Lindsey sighed. "That was a sushi place Korbin."

"Hey sushi is good."

"For maybe lunch or dinner, this is breakfast though. We're not like you, we don't eat fish every minute of every day."

"Oh...sorry."

Spike tapped his belly watching it jiggle a little. "Well you did manage to fill us up so I guess it's not all bad."

"Yay, I knew Spike would like it."

"Anyway, where to now?"

Lindsey pointed to the highway just a ways down. "We're heading down east to the Dolphin Resort."

"A dolphin Resort? What's a dolphin exactly?"

"It's like a friendlier version of a shark."

"A shark?"

"Have you...ever actually seen a shark or anything?" Spike shook his head. "Then you will see when we get there I suppose."

"Big problem though?" Wave added. "I left all my tools on the ship and I can't tune your gear without them."

Spike quietly cheered as the thought crossed his mind. "I know, we can ask Rotor for some help."

"Rotor? That freedom fighter who's friends with Sonic?"

"Yep."

"Yay, more apologizing."

"Don't worry, he seems like a forgiving person. Let's go."

After what seemed like an eternity of explanation, The gang of four made their way up the highway and around to the eastern side of the city. "I never knew those guys were so chill. It was nice of that Rotor guy to lend me his old tool set not to mention a vintage EX Gear tool set. I'm gonna perfect our gear with this."

"I told you they're not as bad as you think."

"We're near the exit everyone, turn here." Lindsey called out.

Upon doing so, they slowly made their way into a tunnel which conveniently led underwater and back up again. When they emerged they were greeted a sea of wonder. The path was surrounded on both sides by a endless void of water while arcs of it shot over the path defying gravity. A giant dome of water sat in the distance while dolphins happily swam beside and under the path. Inside the nearby building were fountains going all the way down to a large ramp with a waterfall covering the edge. "Wow..." Spike uttered. "It's like a giant water park."

"It's actually Dolphin Resort." Korbin jokingly added. "Just thought I'd let you know, you know?"

"I know what it's called Korbin, I'm just saying, there's alot of water here." Spike walked to edge of the path and instantly, a dolphin broke the surface. "So this...is a dolphin?"

"Yep yep, go ahead pet him."

"Pet the dolphin?"

"Yea, they're super friendly anyway, they won't mind."

Spike placed his hand atop the dolphin's head and and rubbed gently. "Wow, it's smooth, kinda rubbery."

Lindsey took her place next to Spike placing her hand atop the dolphin's head as well. "They need less friction to move through the water thoroughly and so, rubbery skin."

"Kinda like scales, just for water."

"You can put it that way if you want to. Anyway, we should get started. We'll start off in the building over there."

"Right, see ya later little guy."

"Alright everyone, I'm sure you know the basics and what not but Spike here needs a little work. We only have a couple of days until the Grand Prix kicks off so let's get started. We're gonna start by explaining a few fundamentals to you Spike. While we're doing that, Wave can you work your magic?"

"Like no Mobian's ever seen before."

They all handed her their boards and watched as she began to pull out tool after tool. Korbin and Lindsey pulled Spike aside and started their lesson. "Now Spike," Lindsey began. "Just so you get this, we're gonna start from scratch. First things first, The race begins when you the timer begin to tick down. Ten seconds is what you get before you need to be off that starting line and off into the course. The trick to this is to mentally count those seconds off in your head once the beeping starts. Once you reach 1 second, kick off so that you meet the starting the moment the electric field drops. This will net you the best spot to gain the lead initially got it?"

"Yea, listen to the beeps and count down, kick off at just the last second for the best initial start."

Oh oh, can I do the next one?" Korbin interrupted. Lindsey nodded. "Yay, so next up is items. Items are you secondary advantage in a race. They may be different this year so it's best you know the types of items. Leader items are meant to slow down the competition behind you making sure you stay in first place. I think last time it was a cute little squiddy or something that shot ink behind you. Anyway, next are follower items which help you slow the competition ahead of you. One time it was giant ice ball that rolled everyone up, another time it was horde of giant bees."

"No it wasn't Korbin." Lindsey quickly corrected. "That was for an entirely different gimmick, racing transformed or something like that."

"Oh yea, sorry. Any way last are general items. These include your standard things in a race, like the those shiny little rings or air for you board."

"Which bring us to last point of the lesson, your gear and HUD." Lindsey continued. "I'm sure Rotor explained this to you in you great detail, that is his style, so hopefully I don't have to explain to you how gear changes work right?" Spike smiled nervously. "I figured. Nicole can you bring up an example of a HUD on his wrist pad or something."

"Nice to see you guys are as happy as rainbows after last night's scuffle."

"This dragon is quite the miracle worker."

"Indeed he is, bringing the example up now."

"Thank you Nicole. Now, you can't actually see these things until the race is set to begin but when using gear, you have to keep a eye on three things. Your air gauge, your ring count, and your gear change slots. Air is the most basic thing of racing you have to keep an eye on. Grabbing items containing air, successfully landing tricks, and heading through your designated gear change paths are the only ways to grab air. Although there are air stations that you can use, these will significantly slow you down if you're not careful. Next, your ring gauge shows how many rings you have collected, up to 50 for some gear, 100 for others, even 200 for the best. When you have collected enough of these rings, say 30 out 100, one of your gear slots on the bottom will light up if that is what the gear change needs. Every board is different however, some have two alternate gear changes, some may have only one, others may not have one at all.

"Mine even had 4 once." Korbin added.

"Thank you for that input Korbin. Either way, any gear that does have a gear change will require you collect rings up to a certain amount and once you do, you'll not only be rewarded a gear change option but also a level up to the board, making it's attributes shoot up in specific stats."

"I think I remember the rest." Spike chimed in. "The gear change depends on the board right? Speed, Flight, and Power. Speed is the fastest and can grind on rails. Flight uses the ability of flight to soar above the competition and power smashes their way through obstacles to reach denied shortcuts."

"Oh, apparently you do know your stuff. Don't forget that some special boards do exist that allow two attributes to one gear. Now that we've covered everything, you ready to try it out?"

"Yea, I think I could go a round."

"And lucky you, I just finished tuning all of our gear." Wave said as she handed the three back their boards. "Oh and Korbin, I went ahead and tweaked the sensitivity on your board a little. It felt a little slow."

"Thanksies, I always thought it was a tiny bit off. Wait, you didn't mess with my board did you?"

"I don't do that anymore remember."

"Just being cautious is all."

Lindsey placed her board under her feet as did everyone else. "Alright Korbin, release the drone. Don't forget to do your best everyone."

Korbin took the drone in hand and let it fly as it set up a good 2 to 3 yards away. The electric current popped in and the countdown began. Spike closed his eyes and began to count. Beep...10....beep...9...beep...8. Spike thought as he remembered the advice. As the ticks neared 1, he opened his eyes and placed his foot upon the ground. beep...3...beep...2....beep...1! Spike let loose a hammer of power as he kicked off alongside his three teammates. A higher pitched beep started the race and the dropped the electric field the moment everyone passed through it. "Yes, I did it."

Wave patted him on the back before pulling ahead of him. "Don't get a big head yet kid, you still got an entire race to win."

"R-right." The building began descend to a downward hill with a large ramp at the end of it. Spike felt his body tense once more but shook the feeling immediately. Stay calm and focus, only then will you succeed. He bent his knees and prepared, watching as everyone else jumped off the ramp with ease. "I can do this." He neared the ramp and just as caught the edge of it, jumped with all his might, soaring into the sky like an eagle. As he did so, he looked down to see Korbin make circular motions with her finger. "I think they want me to do a trick but...."

He landed on the ground with ease and caught up with the team. Korbin quickly joined him. "What happened up there Spike? You know the enemy of riding is stress and fear. Stay calm and take the risk, else you'll never gain air. Another building is up ahead, you can practice you flying there. Make sure to stay in the middle." she said as she pulled ahead.

Spike took in a deep breath before continuing to catch up. As he neared the building, he saw three signs inside floating above the race. The right one was red with the word power, the left was blue with the word speed, and the middle, yellow with the word fly. As he made his way down this path, a ramp differently colored from the anything else rose to alert him to a new path above the competition. Lindsey took the left where speed was her specialty, showing off as she grinded the the rail made completely of water while Korbin took the right, where she effortlessly smashed through the tables and obstacles in her way. Spike looked forward as he rode the ramp up soaring into the air. He passed through the first ring with ease, then the second, then the third, only to see that it was a really straight shot to the end of the building where he was greeted by another open area before a tunnel. "Nice use of the gear path Spike!" Lindsey yelled out.

As they passed into this tunnel, a grind rail sat directly right of them. Easy pickings for Lindsey but Spike was forced to ignore it. He neared the end of the tunnel where large doors began to open on their approach. Spike took the words into mind and readied his jump once again. As everyone aired off the ramp, they got a bird's eye view of the area up ahead, and Spike didn't like what he saw. Another large ramp sat at the end of the long straight path but that jump would lead to something else. The giant dome, which actually wasn't a dome at all. Instead it was like a gigantic water fountain spun up into a small cylinder like twister, and that jump would have them plunging right into the center of it. "Uh..guys...Are we seriously going into that thing?"

"Don't worry about it Spike. Once you're inside just start swimming, the current will take you from there."

"Are you sure? I mean..."

Spike was then greeted with Korbin patting him on the back. "Remember what I said earlier, don't be afraid to take the risk. Make your mind all calm like and let loose."

They all spanned out as they neared the ramp, Spike taking every moment to adjust his stance. He couldn't help but let out a huge sigh as he bent his legs and aired of the ramp. Down below lay the Spiral of water, and within seconds he was plunging within. For a moment he stopped, his eyes closed, letting the feeling of being underwater sink in. Yet, he couldn't easily let it sink in, as he was slowly moving along a designated path. He opened one eye, then the other, and placed his hand among the water. There was indeed a current carrying him throughout the underwater area, a large tank like room connected to another tank like room of the same design by a large tunnel. Spike took a moment to grab his board floating alongside him and began to paddle. With the help of the current, he rocketed through to the other area where a light flooded in from an smaller opening above. Quickly, he took off towards it and emerged into the area they had originally started from. Unfortunately, he was unable to return his board to his feet in time and ended up crashing into the ground, flipping over a few times and sliding to a halt. "Ow..."

/edwardthecat/deserved-rest-sonic-the-hedgehog-special-stage

"Sorry to break it kid," Wave began. "But if you wanna survive in this race, you're gonna have to pick up the pace a little."

"Sorry, I got a bit distracted when I hit the water."

"Don't let it," Lindsey added. "The entire thing about this whole racing scene is you have little time to think sometimes."

"And," Korbin continued. "Some things are gonna come as a surprise. Staying in first place is all about recognizing the surprise before it happens, and adapting to it. Like I said earlier, staying calm and taking the risk. Kinda funny, the first time anyone hits the water here, they immediately start swimming. No shock, no surprise, just racing."

Spike thought about that for a moment. No surprise, no reaction, just racing. "I think I got it now.....let's go again." he said with a smirk.

"That's the spirit my little dwagon."

"Your what?"

"Um...nevermind, let's just restart the race already."

Spike couldn't help but chuckle as Korbin nervously reset the robot. The electric line appeared once more and the race begun anew. After what seemed like hours of training, they all came to halt at the starting line, Spike still sitting bummed at the back of the group. "Darn, thought I had it that time."

Lindsey sighed and helped him off the ground as he had failed to return the board to his feet once again. "Your reaction time is off. Seems we need to work on that. You have the basics down so tricks and quick thinking are gonna be your best friend the next couple of days. Either way, good work out there."

"You know you turn into a entirely different person when you're training, almost like a drill instructor."

"I've tried the nice thing, it didn't work. So I put a little force in my training attitude to really get my point across. But don't me wrong, I'm actually really nice."

"You guys coming." Korbin asked.

"Yea..." Spike tried to utter out until Lindsey's hand covered his mouth.

"We'll catch up soon. I just want to coach Spike a little more."

Korbin's eyes turned to curiosity as she walked away. "You're not gonna try and make a move on him are you Lin Lin?"

"N-no way, he just requires a little more direction is all."

She giggled before taking off with Wave in tow. Spike removed her hand and nervously rubbed the back of his head. "So...what's the the reason for making me stay behind exactly?"

Suddenly Lindsey took hold of Spike and gently pushed him to a wall. Her eyes were to the ground and her hand lay upon his chest. "You remind me of him...so much."

"W-who exactly?" She then removed herself and leaned against the wall only inches away from Spike. "Kindro was the same way when he started racing. Always falling and getting back up like nothing happened."

"So who was this Kindro the flame you guys praise so much."

"Well...Kindro, much like yourself, was fairly new to the scene of EX Gear. He came from a place where it is forbidden to ride such things, where the tradition had set its stone. When he showed up in the city, he was so lost." she said with a giggle. "He was running around like a dog without a leash trying to find his way around only to be lost evermore. What he did however, is admire what he had been missing in his life, EX Gear. He was amazed at the wonders of anti gravity technology despite his particular culture of dragons following a strict tradition of following earth's plan, gravity.....Did you ever wonder why?"

"I'm lost."

"When you first let loose your latent abilities, I commented about your eyes remember?"

"Yea, now I do."

"You see, when Kindro first came to us, he was simply looking for directions. Korbin couldn't help but blush around him and she insisted we show him the way personally. We became friends and he became interested in riding. He wasn't a very good rider at first but persisted in his attempts to perfect his technique, just like you. In a matter of weeks, he had gotten better than pretty much anything I could teach him, even Korbin couldn't keep up. His natural abilities as a dragon put him ahead of the game, usually in the form of his eyes physically and instinctively changing shape. That's why I commented about your eyes the first time you raced us. You remind me of him and overall good nature. Korbin is a bit of different story though."

"I remember that moment all too well. She loved him right?"

"Loved is an understatement. Around the time of our first Grand Prix as a team, Korbin was having a bit of trouble getting a particular trick down. In her desperation to perfect the move, she asked Kindro to help her. She already had a huge crush on the guy, this was just icing on the cake. They trained and trained and eventually, Korbin couldn't hold back her feelings. She ended up kissing him while they were in the middle of training and they crashed into the street. I think his exact words were, 'She chose a completely unreasonable time and it hurt...but it was sweet.' After they both got up, Korbin couldn't have been more embarrassed, that was until he kissed her back. Then you know, relationship. After Wave put him out of commission, he broke up with Korbin. We could never determine the reason but boy was she heartbroken. I guess that's why she's taken such a interest in you. You are easily the closest reminder to him that we've seen, save for the colors."

"Guess that makes me special huh? Anyway, that's definitely an interesting way to get together. Pinkie's probably the only crazy enough to do something like that."

"The sugar crazy pony right?"

"Yep."

"Your world sounds very interesting. I'd like to hear more stories about it in the future."

"I got a ton of them, trust me. Should we be getting back?"

"W-wait...I want to ask you something?"'

"Sure, what's up?"

"What do you...think of me...as a person?"

"Well, you're super kind and sweet. You're probably the most considerate of people's feelings in the group and that really makes you stand out."

"R-really."

"You're also a little sassy and I honestly love it. Like when you told off Jet the Hawk." Lindsey let her expression do all the talking, her blush, her inability to use words properly. "You're also really down to earth, not crazy energetic you know but don't tell Korbin I said that."

Without so much as a warning, Lindsey lunged forward wrapping her arms Spike and embracing his lips with her own. For a moment he was shocked, scared even of what this could mean, but he closed his eyes and accepted it. The moment he did however, she jerked back from him, frantic and confused. "I'm sorry...I don't know why...I..." Quickly, she smashed her board under her and took off back toward the highway.

"What the hell was that?"

Author's Note

Wow, talk about a surprise from the monkey, am I right? No this does not mean relationship, not every kiss means relationship. Seemingly rushed some parts do seem but really it was me trying to move through some filler points that would've taken like two more chapter to get through.