I was honestly kinda pissed at Sonic. He bugged Metal so soon and somehow coaxed him into a race he refused to do before. Him knowing that Kai and Metal were the same person probably made everything so much more annoying for Metal since Sonic knew better which buttons to push. I didn't want Metal to have to deal with that... I could tell he was trying his best. I knew he didn't want to lash out again the way he did before.



I was also glad Metal wanted me with him at their race. I wanted to make sure things didn't get too heated. Ugh, Sonic was unbelievable... I knew he'd try something sooner or later, but this was really soon. My poor Metal...



We arrived at the racing lobby Sonic invited Metal to, which was just outside the city and different from the one we last went to. This facility was owned by Dodon Pa just like pretty much all of them, but it also meant we had access to the same vehicles. Metal clearly couldn't use his own while in disguise, so we discussed what would be good for him to take. Apparently Sonic had an idea, so I wanted to see what he had planned.



Speaking of Sonic, he wasn't here. Somehow I wasn't surprised... He was often late for how fast he was.



"If you ever feel angry or frustrated, know that I'm cheering you on, okay?" I said to Metal with a sweet grin.



He lightly blushed. "I will think of you the entire time, my Rosy. I would much prefer we race..."



I giggled. "Maybe we can after Sonic leaves."



"That would please me greatly."



There he was. A blue blur approached us and stopped right in front, a gust of wind rustling our quills. "Aw, I thought we were going to be alone on our date," Sonic whined aloud. I fixed my quills a bit... Weirdly, the tension wasn't as bad as I expected. Sonic looked healed up from his fight with Metal, too. I was glad there was no genuine damage.



Metal squinted at Sonic. "There will be no date of any kind. Stop using that word."



"Alright," I huffed, "I'm here to make sure you two-- and that is including you, Sonic-- behave."



"Whaaat? I have no nefarious plans. What do I look like?" He gestured to himself.



"An idiot," Metal said. I lightly slapped his chest and glared at him, but Sonic laughed.



"Oh, you won't be saying that on the track," Sonic eagerly replied with a wink. "Let's go to the garage. You'll be our ref on the track, Ames!"



I rolled my eyes, taking Metal's hand and walking with him as Sonic led the way. I guessed Dodon Pa was excited to let Sonic test out some tracks, so we were here alone like at the other place. I wasn't even sure if any employees were around. There were some machines that automatically cleaned and did maintenance, but they weren't sentient like Metal.



We entered a huge white-silver garage with a circular platform in the middle. Sonic approached a screen in front of the platform and began tacking in whatever information he wanted. "Hmmm..." He took his sweet time.



Occasionally, Metal's grip on my hand tightened, but then he took a deep breath and just as quickly relaxed. He leaned his head against me. I smiled, leaning back. I smooched him on his cheek before letting him rest his head again.



"Okay! I think I got just the thing for you, Kai." He pressed the largest button on the screen, then the circular platform lowered. After a few seconds, a shiny car came out of the garage. It looked just like Sonic's car from the last time we raced, but instead of blue, it was black.



Metal stared at me, somewhat in disbelief. I shrugged at him. He glared back towards Sonic. "Your choice is horrible. I am not driving that."



"What? Why not! It looks cool!"



"No," he hissed. "... Amy, you can do something better. I've never used the garage console before." He was lying about the console, but he didn't want to give himself away in front of Sonic. Kinda fruitless at this point, but I didn't want to give that away either, so...



I giggled. "Sure, let me make something." I went forward, Sonic elegantly stepping to the side. I sent the car back down into the platform. Hmmmm... There were a lot of options on what to do for a car... Should I do something cool that's far enough away from his original car? I could make Metal drive something cute, too... Hehe...



"Why is your tail wagging?" Metal asked, threatening.



"No reason~" I made my decision. I customized the car I wanted Metal to drive, then sent it back up. I chose some very cool car parts that matched his style, but I made the car a bright pink with red accents.



Sonic hollered excitedly. "Ooooh! Super cute."



I looked over to Metal, who crossed his arms. His cheeks gradually flushed. "F...Fine, I'll drive that."



"Yay!" I giggled. I pressed another button to send the car out to the gates, where it'd wait for him. I let Sonic have the console again, then Metal gestured me over. He tugged me farther away from Sonic so he wouldn't hear us.



He blushed more. "... There is an error in my plan," he said quietly.



"What is it?" I asked.



"Do..." He sighed. "Okay... Do you support what I want to do?"



His plan was to race poorly so Sonic would get bored. Honestly, it would work... if he didn't know who Metal was. I sighed too as I thought for a second. "I do, but... While you're here, you might as well have fun, right? I love when you're really in the zone... The last time we raced, I thought you were so handsome!"



He blushed more, eyes slightly widened. "R... Really?"



"Yeah~ Just don't race him again if you don't want to, he can't force you. I'll help with that too, alright?"



He frowned, crossing his arms. "Well... Having you here is keeping me much calmer. It's hard to get angry when I look at you." His gaze softened as he spoke.



"Aw...~"



"So... You... Do you want me to defeat him?" He averted his eyes this time. I could be crazy, but I think he wanted me to say yes. What was even cuter, I felt like he cared more because I was watching.



"I do! Do your best for me," I said with a grin. "Win or lose, you win with me." I rubbed his cheeks with my hands. His face felt as hot as it looked!



He cleared his throat. "I think you are right in that you spoil me," he muttered.



I giggled. "I do, but I love to."



"I will show him some of my power, Rosy... You're also right in that I don't have to play within his rules, regardless of his disgusting fascination with me." He gave a firm nod. "... Thank you."



I shook my head a little and smiled at him. "No problem, cutie~" The way he described anything about Sonic was kinda funny. I didn't want to encourage him too much... But I was glad he was open to my help.



Sonic got the car he wanted, so the three of us rejoined each other. Sonic eagerly sped out back to the main lobby, Metal and I following behind hand-in-hand. Instead of us located on a physical track, or well, physical in a way that made sense to me, we were at one of Dodon Pa's new constructions that used ring portals. The tracks through the portals were digitally constructed, but it worked and functioned like a real environment. We went out to this huge, plain waiting room, Sonic and Metal's cars the only real show of color in the whole place.



"Alright, buddy. What kinda track are you fancying? We're not gonna do items... Just good 'ol racing..." Sonic hummed as he went to another bright screen. "Ooooh! I have an idea." He selected a track, and a ring portal appeared in front of the cars... Uh, wow.



Sonic was being kind of an asshole. I hoped he felt my glare from the back of his head. The ring portal revealed golden roads adorned with instruments and a dark, starry sky. It was a track entirely themed after Stardust Speedway.



Metal's grip on my hand tightened again.



"... I'll choose the track. That way, neither of you have an advantage." I let go of Metal, then walked up to the console. I lightly shoved Sonic away and went through the tracks on my own.



He let out a laugh. "What?"



"You're pissing me off," I grumbled under my breath. Maybe he didn't know that Metal didn't think of Stardust Speedway in a nostalgic way, but he should've known better. I picked a track with gray and red architecture, night sky, lots of winding roads and distant flashing lights... Radical Highway. The portal showed exactly what I expected, and I didn't think either of them had special knowledge of the location. "Okay, how about this one? You both like this one?"



"Yup!" Sonic said.



"Sure," Metal followed up.



"Alright. Good luck, you two! Have a good race. I'll be watching." I smiled at the both of them. Sonic playfully shoved me to get back at me, then went into his car. Metal almost went in his car, but then he stared at me. He went over to me with the cutest look in his eyes. He was serious, but I knew there was something else going on in his head. "Do you want a good luck kiss?" I teased.



"... Yes..." He grabbed my shoulders and brought me in. Our mouths clashed, then he easily deepened our kiss... Whew...



I clutched back onto him as he leaned forward. My legs were gonna give in... I got just as into it. I wanted to keep him here...



He stood both of us up fully and broke the kiss, his face a furious red. He clearly wanted to do it again, but there was other stuff to do. Ugh, there was always other stuff to do... I accidentally giggled. That kiss was amazing.



When I glanced at Sonic, his cheeks were flushed and he was looking away, pretending he didn't see any of that. I grinned at Metal, then playfully nudged him away from me. "I'll be cheering for you, cutie," I told him.



Metal gave me a single nod, then went for his car. I went through the portal first and took one of the empty bleachers right at the starting line. Like the physical course we were in before, there were big, holographic screens that let me see the whole race. One screen automatically focused on Metal, while another focused on Sonic. Little cameras floated around them to properly record. Nice tech!



"We're doing three laps. Send us off, Ames!" called Sonic.



I stood up as both of them watched me. "Okay! Get ready... Set..."



Both of them stared ahead at the road and clutched onto their steering wheels. They revved their engines...



"GO!"



Both of them took off. I grinned as I watched them disappear past the horizon and to parts of the track I couldn't see myself. I sat back down and watched the screens. They were pretty head-to-head!



Sonic was grinning, while Metal was hunched over with an intense gaze. They were both focused in their own ways. After a little while, I noticed Sonic was talking to him. Metal didn't seem to respond at first, but something Sonic said made Metal's expression change to shock. He stared at Sonic, completely offended, then snapped his attention back to the track.



After a second, his expression calmed again and he relaxed. He was trying to keep it together... I was proud of him! Maybe Sonic deserved to get punched, damn. I didn't know what he was saying... I mean... Sonic wasn't going to be a jerk, but he better not have been pushing it with Metal. I wondered if Metal noticed how Sonic's behavior changed around him. To me, it was obvious, but...



They went onto a ramp that took them to an upper platform, then went into a tunnel. After a few more twists, they ended up at a large bridge. There were panels that boosted their speed on the bridge rails, but getting to them was pretty tricky and could slow them down if they fell off. Metal briefly glanced at the camera recording him. Like a loser, I waved even though he couldn't see me. He took the risk and hopped onto the bridge rails.



And he got it! He stayed on the rails and got a massive boost ahead of Sonic. They weren't anywhere close to each other at first. Sonic took some tight turns, but there wasn't much he could do to catch up yet. They made it to the second lap. I hollered excitedly as Metal sped by me. I hoped he heard me! When I glanced at the screen again, he was grinning. I was so happy he was having a good time!



Sonic managed to take some good enough turns and caught Metal's slipstream to close their gap. The two bumped into each other's cars. Metal's grin vanished, instead fiercely focused on the road. It looked like Sonic was talking to him again, but this time, Metal didn't react at all. Sonic laughed about something. I was glad Sonic had fun in his own way, too. Hopefully not trying to bait Metal...



They got to the bridge rails again. This time, both of them tried the rails at opposite sides. Sonic got it! Metal... oops, he missed it this time, which automatically transported him to the middle of the track. Sonic had a big lead this time. He gave me a confident wave towards me as he passed me and went onto the final lap. Metal was hot on his tail, though!



Like what Sonic did before, Metal managed to catch up from the slipstream. The two of them kept bumping cars and it got kind of aggressive. Both of them looked to be talking to each other this time; Metal seemed pretty frustrated. He pointed at Sonic and yelled something, his face reddening.



Just as quickly, his eyes widened, and then he stopped, focusing purely on the road again. He relaxed his shoulders and seemed to gather himself for the moment. Both of them went for the rails one final time, both of their cars speeding up even more...



Both of them missed it. They stared at each other, briefly shocked to meet again at the center of the track, and then they sped off as fast as they could. Both of them got aggressive with each other, the exact same flavor of competitive as they went down the track. It was insanely close the whole time!



They were on the final stretch and I honestly couldn't tell who was ahead of the other. Both of them rocketed past the finish line and skidded to a stop.



"Who won?!" both of them yelled, scrambling out of their cars at the same time.



"I dunno!" I shouted back. "You were pretty close, uh..."



We all watched the screens. The background turned a bright blue, then bright text displaying the word 'RESULTS' popped up. It showed Metal's car in second place and Sonic's car in first. Sonic won.



"YEAHHH!" Sonic lifted his arms and laughed excitedly.



Metal's shoulders fell. There was a very specific dread on his face... but then our eyes met. I grinned at him and made a heart with my hands. He looked away, cheeks flushed. Hehehe. His reaction let me know he was okay.



I called to both of them: "You did great! What an amazing race!" I cheered. "That was a really close one, too."



"It was!" beamed Sonic. "Great race, Kai." He offered his hand to Metal... and Metal stared at it for a few seconds.



He slapped Sonic's hand away. Well, I guess a friendly gesture was Metal's limit with dealing with Sonic... "It was," he said back. That surprised me! Kinda sportsmanlike, all things considered.



Sonic took the exchange well. "Weird high five, but I'll take it," he chuckled. Metal crossed his arms and stared at me instead.



Sonic turned his head to me as well and cheerfully waved. "Hey, Ames! We got something to take care of. 'Scuse us for a moment." He put his arm around Metal's shoulders and tried walking away with him, but Metal quickly shrugged him off.



"Don't touch me," I heard Metal say as they walked a bit down the track, out of my earshot. I squinted as I tried to gather what they were saying, but... eh, I couldn't really read mouths anyway.



All I knew was, they were talking for longer than I expected. I walked out from the bleachers and waited by the portal entrance, just in case their conversation was going a different route. Both of them seemed pretty relaxed in posture, though...



Spoke too soon. Metal tensed up, unfurling his arms and balling his fists as he spoke to Sonic. Sonic wasn't bothered at all, shrugging and passing a grin. Whatever he said back, Metal walked away. The closer he got, the more I realized his face was a bright red. Sonic eventually followed behind; the two of them got in their cars and went through the portal. I followed behind. Eventually, the portal closed behind us all.



"That was fun! Let's race some other time, Kai. Unless... you want a rematch right now?"



"No."



"Boooo!" Sonic groaned and threw his head back. "We'll do more later, then. And more than one race! Count on it!" He eagerly pointed at Metal, then looked over at me. He gave a happy little wave. "Nice seein' ya, Ames! I'll get outta your quills too." He hopped out of the car and sped out of the lobby just like that.



"Bye, Sonic-- oop, he's gone." I shrugged.



Metal let out a slow, relieved sigh, then sank back into his car. I sat on the edge beside his seat and leaned over. "How are you feeling?" I asked him. "You okay?"



"I'm fine," he replied. "... You do not react like my Master when I lose."



I suddenly laughed. "You mean I'm not saying a bunch of horrible things?"



He averted his eyes. "Yes."



"You did amazing. I could tell you tried your best... And I think you even had fun," I said, grinning. "Especially at the end, you really got into it. You had Sonic sweating."



Metal sat up straighter and huffed. "I wasn't going to give him an easy win."



"You sure didn't!" I lovingly rubbed the side of his head. "You were so handsome. I loved watching you."



He blushed more. "... Do you still want to race?"



I giggled. "Yeah, let's get in our favorite cars this time."



"I have a better idea. Let me make your car." He climbed out the other side of the car and went for the garage; I hopped off and eagerly followed him.



"Revenge, huh?" I teased. "I'm interested in what you'll make for me!"



"You'll see."



We went to the garage together and I stood away from the customization screen so he could type into it without worrying about me peeking. That being said, I was still totally nosy. "So..." I hummed. "What were you and Sonic talking about after the race?"



He was quiet for a while. I wasn't sure he was going to answer. Eventually, though: "He said he knew something about you that I didn't, then he told me what it was."



"Was he right?" I asked, raising a brow. What would Sonic actually say to him? Now I was even more curious.



"Yes."



My eyes widened. "Well... What'd he say?"



Metal went quiet again. I stepped closer to get a look at his face, but he ferociously defended the screen to keep me from looking at it.



"I'm not looking at the screen!" I shouted, backing away again. "I wanted to see what's going on with you!"



He was wildly blushing, which was enough info for me. "Nothing is going on," he mumbled. "I'm debating on whether or not to tell you."



"It's about me! You should tell me!" I exclaimed.



"It's possible the Hedgehog was lying anyway. He has been more aggravating, so it would not surprise me if he was trying to trick me just to get me to race..." He continued to mess with the console in front of him. Aaaagh!! He wouldn't just say it!!



"C'mon!" I whined.



"Fine..." He sighed. "He told me he came across you looking at wedding dresses the other day."



My eyes shot wide open. "What?! That snitch! I w-w-was just window shopping! I wasn't actually--" I coughed. "I do that all the time! Even when I was single I would look at all those stores!"



"I know. It sounds like something you would do because you simply enjoy the style... But I still found it..." He tilted his head a little like he tried to think of the proper word. My face was the one on fire then, though. "... Warming. I like to imagine you browsing... I envy him because I wonder what he saw. What your face looked like."



That was the cutest thing I ever heard. He needed to stop that. I was gonna pass out for real. I channeled all my flustered feelings into wanting to knock Sonic upside the head: "I-I-I'm gonna kill him! I can't believe he said that to you!" I stammered. Agh! "I've decided we're living out of the city!"



He laughed, looking over at me. His face was still red too. "Because of eavesdropping?"



"Yes!" I huffed. "He's too fast for his own good. I need some privacy."



He turned fully towards me, his demeanor suddenly much more shy. He crossed his arms and tapped one of his feet, though it looked more like he was expelling some extra energy instead of acting on impatience. "Admittedly, I don't know much about weddings... Is that something you want? To have a... wedding dress?"



I couldn't look at him either. I tapped my fingers together and focused on literally anything else in the room. "I mean... Y-yeah... I've always wanted a fancy dress... A-and to have a big wedding." I sighed. "Okay, I'm going to be honest with you."



"What?"



"It was so much easier to talk about this kind of thing with Sonic, maybe because I was younger, or maybe because it felt less real. I swear if he asked me the same question years ago I would've talked his ear off for thirty minutes straight without any pauses." I blushed even more. "I've thought so much about this. But... you asking me, I-I'm, kind of..."



"Is it causing you discomfort...?"



"No!" I quickly replied, looking at him again. "It's just... so much more real. So thinking about it makes me more... excited. Nervous. I don't want to get ahead of myself," I admitted. "Looking at dresses is fun and all, but I mean, you haven't even proposed to me. A-and you shouldn't! Not until it's the right time!"



He stared at me for a while. "... What's..." He narrowed his eyes, though his stare went kind of through me. "... Propose what?"



"Y-you... You... You were talking about marrying me way back at the botanical gardens and you don't know what proposing is?! Do you know what getting married is?!" I yelled, covering my face. W-was that why he said it the way he did back then?!



"Rrrgh... Do not insult me! I know that marriage is about committing yourself to a person forever, often with a physical representation of your bond. I know there's a ceremony-- a wedding-- to show others that same bond, and the married adopt the 'husband' and 'wife' titles. Tell me what else I need to know, then!" he snapped, his voice slightly desperate.



"W-well...!" I shyly shuffled my feet. "Okay, I guess you do know what marriage is..." I tried to say more, but I felt a lump in my throat. Ahhh!!! "But th-this is too big of a topic to just be standing around for! Let's... sit somewhere. Or something."



He turned around, then pressed a button. Out from the centerpiece of the garage came another vehicle-- it was super cute, but it had Metal's dark blue and white paint job. Hah! He had a similar idea to me. "There's a seat," he huffed, gesturing to the car.



"O-okay! Fine!" I sighed and hopped in the car. He a-approached me! He perched himself on the hood of the car, staring at me through the windshield.



There was a long moment between us. My face only got hotter and hotter. Man...



"I-I mean... A proposal is like... It's a way of telling someone you want to get married."



"Didn't I already do that?" he asked.



"N-no! No! That wasn't a proposal!" I stammered. "It has to be a special moment! I know I talk about timing a lot, but this one is really important!" I exclaimed. I took a deep breath, trying to think of how to better explain it. Metal didn't really care about timing things; when he felt a certain way or wanted to do something, he acted upon it nine times out of ten. And that was really charming on its own, but I wanted a real proposal to be something prepared... "Like... You know the night you confessed your feelings to me in-person? How you felt then?"



His eyes widened. "Yes. I was feeling many emotions at once... Anxiety was one of the more powerful ones."



"It's like that. It's confessing your feelings all over again, but in a way to say you want to move to the next level and that you're ready to do it. It's even more powerful."



He thought for a little while, then nodded. "Okay, I think I understand the gravity of a proposal."



"There's many ways to propose to someone, but um... I mean, I'll just tell you what's impactful to me." I blushed more. I couldn't believe we were having this conversation in a garage.



He slightly leaned in, focused and listening to me. I broke his gaze because I genuinely couldn't handle it.



I continued despite the mess I was: "To properly propose, you need a special item. Like... a ring. For your, uh, for your hand." I held up my ring finger to him. "It doesn't have to be a ring... but, it does have to be something that has a lot of meaning. Kinda like our good luck charms."



He nodded. Wow, he was... God, was he actually going to propose to me someday? Stop thinking about it, Rosy. My brain would fry itself if I followed that train of thought. I had to pretend I was explaining it to Cream or something.



"Then I mentioned the special moment. You have to feel it in the deepest part of your gut. Every part of you has to be screaming, 'this is it, this is the moment I will confess again'. Maybe it's during a really fancy date... maybe it's after a really big moment." Like, uh, getting some programming removed. I didn't want to push it. Wait, that might've been coming up really soon. What if he did it already?!



Oh, God... My heart was pounding like crazy. W-w-was I ready for something like that? Could I be a wife? Would I be a good one? I-I mean...! I wanted him to live with me! We spent so many amazing nights together! He thought all my embarrassing habits at home were cute and totally tolerable!



He snapped his fingers at me, making me look at him again. "Rosy?" he asked.



I cleared my throat. "Y-yeah?"



"You looked like you were going to say more, but you didn't, and then you looked increasingly flustered."



"... Oh! Uh!" I fixed my quills-- did they need to be fixed??-- and re-settled in my seat. I was overthinking it! Metal would've told me if he removed the loyalty programming. That's a pretty huge moment on its own. Oh, right. Huge moments. "S-sorry! Got lost in thought. Uh, yeah, it could be after a big moment. It just has to feel right, more than right."



"I understand," he said. "Is there anything else?"



"Yeah... S-so, to propose, you take the special item in that special moment, and you present the item to them and ask if they'd marry you, or be your spouse, or anything like that." I cleared my throat again. Whew, I needed some water. "Then it's... the other person's choice to say yes or no."



"... They can say no?"



"I-I mean, some people don't propose at the right time! Or maybe they're not a right fit!" I exclaimed. "That's why it's called a proposal! I-it's a really huge decision to make!"



He nodded again. "Okay, I understand."



I took another deep breath. "So, when the person says yes, they're engaged. And then they plan their wedding if they want one... All that good stuff."



"More makes sense to me now," he hummed, clearly thinking.



Curiosity got the better of me. "Alright, if you didn't know much about the process, how'd you find out about marriage?"



"Movies. Sometimes data I read through..."



I giggled. My nerves began melting away... He was so cute. "Is marriage something you've wanted a while?" I asked. I crossed my arms over the side of the car and rested my head against them, watching him sideways.



"Relatively, I suppose. Maybe a long time ago, my thoughts of matrimony followed the result of my tyrannical rule... I could control everything and have you, the person I desired the most." He appeared a bit solemn. "My understanding of love was still developing. For a while, all I knew was that you made me feel different than others, so I wanted you. I eventually understood why the way you looked at my flowers and your letters made me feel so warm. Who you are, your happiness... Becoming mine to rule wouldn't make you happy, so I would also lose that warmth." He blushed more. "But... you became mine to love."



"Aw...!" I blushed too. "I do prefer that very much...~"



He smiled at me... and then he scowled. "You are too far away."



I giggled again. I got out of the seat and sat on the hood of the car with him; he moved over a little so we could both fit just fine. I put my hand on his and gently kissed him... he leaned in more. I let out a sweet sigh. I loved him so much...



...



God, I was starting to think too much about it again. He was being vulnerable, though, so I liked to reward him. "As a kid, my own fantasies went in the opposite direction, like, fairytale direction. That love was this perfect thing and I had it all figured out, so I would get married a specific way, get this giant cake and have all the cake I wanted." I laughed a little, fixing up my quills again. "I thought I had it all in my control. I think I learned that lesson about love a little later than you did," I admitted.



"That's alright, Rosy. You can still have all the cake you want."



Wow, I adored him. I let out another little sigh... "What do you imagine marriage as now, then?" I asked.



"I don't know. What about you?" he asked back.



I smiled more. "I don't know either," I replied. We both looked at each other. Neither of us said it, but we were thinking the same thing. I reached my threshold in looking at him again, gazing in a different direction to fight the heat off my face...



"Thank you for answering my questions. I could technically look it up myself, but my connection to the net is easily accessible... I prefer to conduct research unrelated to my obligations privately." He averted his eyes. "And I imagine movies don't give accurate information."



I giggled. "Okay, yeah, that makes sense. Is that why you have library books too?"



"Yes."



I thought for a second. "... Wait, do you really like romance movies? How many have you watched?"



"... I don't want to answer that."



I covered my mouth in laughter. Oh, he was so flustered, it was adorable. I lowered my hand and grinned at him. "You know I love romance! What's your favorite movie?"



"We sat around for too long. It's time to race. We're racing." He quickly got off of the car and refused to look at me, heading back towards the lobby.



"I'll catch up!" I called, hopping off the car too. I pressed a button on the screen to send the car away, then ran out to follow him.



We spent the rest of the day racing each other. Sorry, Sonic! I never thought before that Metal would want to race with me more than Sonic anyway... It made me feel special. He really liked fighting me, too. I guess being a rival only did so much.



We got our private racing date after all!