| Written by: | Gale Galligan |
| Year: | Six |
| Release Date: | August 30, 2023 |
| Story Count: | 1 |
Sonic sees Jewel the Beetle stressed from her work at the Restoration, along with how she misses her best friend Tangle. With the formation of the Neo Diamond Cutters after the Urban Warfare arc, Tangle and Whisper have been busy training together and going on missions, and the beetle laments how she might have been forgotten now that their jobs are so different.
Deciding the Restoration leader needs a break, Sonic, Tangle, Whisper, and Jewel take the day day off and spend it at the beach.
Their summertime fun comes to a quick halt when the four discover the Babylon Rogues have also decided to take a spell at the same beach, leading to an impromptu competition between the two groups.
The one-shot contains examples of:
- Beach Episode: Sonic, Tangle, Whisper, and Jewel decide to hang out on the beach, due to Sonic believing the Restoration leader needs a break. Jet, Storm, and Wave have also decided on the same thing. This leads them to compete against each other in Frisbee, Sand Sculpture Building, swimming, surfing, and even Beach Volleyball. The one-shot ends with both teams having a beachside fire.
- The Bus Came Back: The Babylon Rogues come back after their last appearance at the end of the Out of the Blue arc, discounting Jet's brief appearance in the 2022 annual.
- Bystander Syndrome: Sonic's Super Drowning Skills force him to sit out the two rounds involving water, namely swimming and surfing.
- Continuity Cameo: The orangutan mechanic appears in a brief panel where Sonic gets Tails a crankshaft socket from the workshop.
- Continuity Nod: When the group meets the Babylon Rogues, Tangle recalls the time where Storm accidentally kidnapped Jewel in the 2019 Annual. Whisper remembers the time that her Cyan Wisp stole Jet's Calzone (which she's visibly embarrassed about).
- Cordon Bleugh Chef: Sonic is shown to like eating his marshmallows burnt to a black crisp, which Jet is naturally disgusted by.
- A Day in the Limelight: The focus of the story is primarily on Jewel the Beetle, who feels left out after all Tangle and Whisper have been working together as part of the Neo Diamond Cutters. The volleyball game in particular is focused on what Jewel has been doing as the Restoration's leader while also showing panels of the Neo Diamond Cutters in the field. It's with her expertise and analysis that gives their team the victory.
- Huddle Power: When Team Sonic find themselves behind a few points in the Beach Volleyball game, Sonic brings everyone together to give them a pep talk... about chilling on the beach. Sonic manages to get Jewel's spirits up again, after she had been internalizing how she felt she wasn't contributing much to the game and competition.
- Idiosyncratic Cover Art: The Cover B art forms one with the other IDW Endless Summer One-Shots, between Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW), Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures, and My Little Pony (2022). When put together, it shows that Sonic accidentally ran over Donatello's sand castle.
- Irony: Jewel, the least-competitive member of Team Sonic, is their best performer in the rounds they lose and becomes their MVP in the final round.
- It's All About Me: Jet's Fatal Flaw, that is both demonstrated and exploited by Jewel the Beetle. This includes the Rogues' sand sculpture being one of him, while the Beach Volleyball game has her teammates taking advantage of his attitude and trying to make him feel left out when he doesn't get to hit the ball.
- Mundane Utility: Whisper has her Hover Wisp create a bubble around her marshmallow so that it doesn't burn.
- Mythology Gag:
- Combined with a Call-Forward, Sonic references how he has "saved the world 900 times," referring to the 900th Adventure One-Shot that would release later in the same year.
- The RI (25) Cover by Natalie Haines shows the Sonic the Hedgehog Blue Bunny character ice cream bar, with Tangle, Whisper, and Jewel also having their own versions.
- Jet's beach outfit is the same one he wore in a 2013 piece of Sonic Channel art (except with a visor hat instead of sunglasses), while Wave's and Storm's are their "Tidal Wave" and "Tropical Storm" costumes from Sonic Forces: Speed Battle. Additionally, Jewel's swimsuit is identical to Amy's in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, albeit recolored.
- Palatial Sandcastle: The third round of Team Sonic vs. The Babylon Rogues is sand sculpting. Jet and Storm build a giant sand statue of Jet, much to Wave's chagrin, while Sonic and his friends build a statue of Chao that spiral in a slide. Team Sonic wins the round.
- Serious Business: The matter of the two groups sharing the beach, with Sonic, Tangle, and the Rogues having enough petty rivalry that they'd rather have the beach for themselves. Despite Team Sonic ultimately winning to get the Rogues off the beach, Jewel asks for a truce so that both teams can hang out for the rest of the night.
- This Is My Side: Sonic and Wave initially decide on staying out of each other's way, but Jet overrules her and demands that Sonic leaves, which is enough to instigate a competition between the two groups.
- Women Are Wiser: Averted with Tangle, but the rest play it straight:
- Wave is the only one of the Rogues willing to share the beach with Sonic's group, although Jet overrules her. She's also the one who proposes the tournament and is sportsman-like about it.
- While scared of the Rogues after their Accidental Kidnapping of her in the 2019 Annual, Jewel bears no grudge against them and tries, unsuccessfully, to avoid a confrontation. After they lose the game, she invokes a truce so everyone can enjoy themselves.
- Whisper proves better than Sonic or Jet when it comes to roasting marshmallows, even calling their methods amateurish.
- You Were Trying Too Hard: While as dedicated as ever to her job, Jewel feels overworked and left out of Tangle and Whisper's lives. Sonic gets her to join him, Tangle, and Whisper at the beach, stating she'll burn herself out and be unable to help people if she works too hard and suppresses her true feelings. Indeed, her fatigue and loneliness initially render her The Load for most of the volleyball match until a Rousing Speech from Sonic reignites her spirit.
