Chapter 2: Chasing a Storm

It had been two weeks since then and Rye hadn't seen Quan or Lee at all, Rye skipped school

and got a job. He was the delivery boy at pizza palace and as usual he was working late

tonight. With a huge stack of nine pizza boxes he vaulted into the air and rode a wall over a ten

foot high fence never disturbing the order. He enters the passcode on the order form and slides

through the automatic doors, choosing to take the stairs instead of the elevator he grinds and

Wall-rides his way to the fifth floor stops at five c and knocks on the door. Rye hears a voice

from inside scream,

"WHO IS IT!"

"Pizza Palace sir, you ordered the kings feast special?"

The door swings open and reveals an athletically muscular man in his mid-forties with thick

brown hair brown eyes tan skin and a black and green sweat-suit with the emblem of a high

school from in the next district, from how wide he swung the door Ryoku could see his need to

shout and his need of so many pizzas. He was having a party in his spacious apartment, it was

full of kids around his own age.

"Well, you are pizza palace I thought for sure it was a prank but you've got the uniform and the

pizzas."

Rye was dressed in his work uniform an orange colored collar shirt with yellow sleeves and a

yellow collar, a crowned pizza faced king and the words pizza palace on the back, dark khaki

cargos and his hand-made ATs.

"WOW I'm surprised I only called that order in ten minutes ago and I heard that there was an

accident a block from here. I thought that would delay the order."

Rye handed the man his pizzas and spoke out the price order,

"Yes sir it did hold me up, I would have been earlier but the sidewalks were packed."

"Sidewalk?"

"Yes sir, I don't drive I ride ATs so the accident was only a minor hold up."

"ATs HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The customer's laughter filled the halls of the apartment and some of the noise died down from

inside the apartment so much so that people were looking to see the cause of the ruckus,

"Yes sir, now about your bill, the King's Feast Special is $39.57."

HAHA, oh yes hold on a moment my boy."

The customer disappears back into the apartment and Rye looks inside and sees a group of student aged teens looking back at him, he waves in the standard fashion and gets blown off, and Rye attributes it to school tension and leaves it at that. Within seconds the customer is back at the door with the thirty-nine fifty seven, he pays Rye and even gives him an extra twenty dollars for a tip. When Rye looks at him he was about to give back the tip but is stopped by the customer himself,

"Keep it kid; call it a bonus for a speedy delivery."

Thanking his customer Rye glides down the hallway on his ATs grinds down the stair and out of the front door

Riding down the empty streets it was almost midnight and the streets were quiet and smell of the coming rain filled the air. Rye rode slowly relishing the peace and awaiting the rain, he loved the feel before it fell and the smell once it hit, he especially loved the slow rain the came down lightly. This rain would be heavy but it was still rain so Rye was happy. As he rode over the smooth streets and up the hills back towards his job he thought about all these ATs had brought him, they gave him his wings and finally for the first time since he could remember the sky wasn't a dream or a far off destination he could only look at, he could touch it and kiss it with his own lips he could really live. Before he knew it he was at his favorite part the huge sloping hill that descended down to where he worked he loved riding it from both sides, because with the perfect amount of speed the air he could get was amazing he could soar like the eagles. Reaching the peak of the hill he leapt and let the wind carry him down the hill into the valley like plaza of Shinjuku where the Pizza Palace delivery service is located.

He glided down into the valley the spinning wheels of his ATs grinding the pavement as he lands, he rides the last twelve or so blocks and enters his work through the employee entrance in the back of the pizzeria. Coming in at midnight was becoming a regular thing for Rye; he worked the Eternal Shift as his boss so aptly put it. Pizza Palace is open everyday of the week except Sundays and they except deliveries from anyone at anytime until twelve o' one on Sunday morning. The job that Rye works is always open because not to many people can handle it either because of family or school, as Rye had neither he didn't have much of a problem and so he did his job all day everyday. That was why his shift was called the eternal shift; his boss had taken to hiring AT riders since the ATs were legal and since regular road conditions didn't interfere with the deliveries. Rye didn't mind one bit the pay was exceptional he got at least twelve dollars per delivery and in one hour Rye could deliver on average five pizzas that was sixty dollars an hour on an average day. His boss Migazu Noshki was the only one working tonight as he is every night these two are always here by themselves. Rye handed him the receipt and Mr. Noshki handed him a large supreme,

"Thanks Mr. Noshki, but I'm not hungry."

"It's not for you Rye, but if you want one after you finish that delivery stop by and take one free of charge."

"Delivery but it's twelve o' two on a Sunday morning that's a little early for a delivery."

"I know but this delivery is a personal favor so do this one."

Rye took the pizza box and checked the receipt for the delivery address; it wasn't even two blocks from here. Rye rode around the counter where his boss stood tallying tickets and checking the register for the correct amount of money, he looked up at Rye, he was a Japanese man around thirty years of age his hair and eyes black his nose pronounced and sharp and on his left jaw was a burn that was aged, he had several other burns on his arms that were shown do to his short sleeve shirt, these came from his many tries at making his own custom pizza oven which was the crown jewel of his pizza empire, he was a six foot man and relatively muscular and in well toned shape for his age. He smiled at Rye, it was a peaceful smile and it made him look relaxed and laid back,

"Take the rest of today off, and even the rest of this week, you earned it."

Rye had been working for Mr. Noshki for two weeks and he had learned when to take an order.

"Yes sir."

Rye turned and rode out the door and into the night, he glided down the sidewalks slowly, during these dead times at night he didn't have to rush making this delivery at his normal speed would have the delivery time of around two minutes but he wanted to enjoy the night and the calm before the rain, he paced slowly down the block towards his destination he slowly approached his destination a small diner on the corner of the block and he wondered why would anyone order pizza from a diner? As Rye opened the doors and heard the bell ringing over his head the rain began to fall staining the pavement like thousands of polka dots on a young girls dress. He called out his order because even though it was late this twenty-four hour diner was full of people.

"Large King's Special, I have a Large King's Special hear!"

A hand raised in the back off the restaurant and Rye walked back to give the unusual customer his order and as soon as he saw the middle-aged man sitting in the booth he understood why he was bringing food here.

The man sitting in the booth is the exact same man that Rye encountered two weeks ago the man who inspired him to indefinitely ride ATs, Officer Susku.

"Wow Officer Susku, just when I was wondering who would order a pizza from a diner its… you."

Officer Susku looked up to see a very familiar vagrant looking back at him a young man he had to chase quite a ways not to long ago but turned out to be a good kid at heart. As he stood there holding his pizza box in his work uniform he looked more like an upstanding citizen then when he was running through the streets on a pair of stolen ATs.

"You're the delivery boy haha it's a small world isn't it?"

"Yes sir, it is I got a job so that I could save up money to pay back my friends all I owe them, but I never thought I would bump into you again."

Officer Susku chuckles to himself,

"I know you meant that in a good way."

"Oh, yes sir."

Rye handed the officer his order.

"Thank you, how much do I owe you?"

"It's the house specialty and it's on the house ironic isn't it?"

Rye glided slowly towards the door and just as he was about to pull it open he felt a hand on his shoulder, it was Officer Susku and he had a very stern look on his face.

"Those ATs aren't stolen are they?"

Rye looked down,

"No sir I made them from the parts in the cavern you told me about that's why they look so out of shape."

Officer Susku looked at Rye with caring in his eyes,

He handed him a fifty dollar bill and they both walked out of the diner, they turned to head in separate directions and Rye looked down at his hand and realized how much money he was just handed.

"Um Officer Susku, I can't accept this you gave me fifty dollars the pizza was free."

"Yeah I know that's a tip, and its fifty dollars you say, hmm I thought it was five my mistake."

With a false look of shock on his face the kind man turns to leave turning up the collar on his jacket to combat the light rain that had begun to fall.

"You get home now Ryoku, it's late and a storm is brewing don't be one of those fools who chases a storm."

The kind man turns and disappears into the darkness of the night and Rye turns towards home in the opposite direction. He glides home his AT wheels slicking on the freshly wet pavement he slips and slides up the dark streets. Then suddenly his quiet run is interrupted by an all too familiar sound, thunder. The light rain turned into a heavy torrential downpour, Rye was soaked through within minutes. The thunder clapped loud and hard it shook the sky and rumbled the earth itself. As a harsh bolt of lightning ripped the sky and tore through the clouds Rye looked up and couldn't believe what he saw.

It wasn't a lightning struck building or an exploded light pole what he saw was much worse he had seen them on video countless times the dark shadows and silhouettes causing mass panic and terror to anyone who laces on a pair of ATs, what's worse he had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting them once before, Storm Chasers.

They were perched high in the storm on light poles and building rooftops. The five of them ready for the attack the leapt down into the street splashing and sloshing water around, the drainage holes along the curb were filling with water faster than they could be emptied thus causing the rain water to fill up the streets, it quickly flooded the sidewalk were Rye was standing, he looked the darkly dressed hooded figures straight up not moving an inch he vowed the last time he saw them that when they met again he would end it right then and there for endangering his friends. His face was stern and anger etched ever line in his throat he had to scream to be heard over the wind and rain which made him sounds all the more angry.

"SO ITS YOU GUYS AGAIN, LET'S DO THIS!"

Rye speeds forward into the street breaking right into the huddle of the five attackers, sloshing water everywhere as he goes, cutting a path straight through the water, stopping on his front wheels Rye spins a full three hundred and sixty degrees and manages to roundhouse one of the storm chasers in the head, charging forward on his ATs he drives his shoulder into another one spinning around he uses the momentum to fling him into two of the remaining riders. That left only Rye and the one they called Burst to battle it out and within the time it took Rye to take out the other four Burst had fully charged his ATs for that deadly attack. The blast raged ripping through the rain, the attack tears at Rye cutting into his shirt and partially into his flesh, he through his arms up at the last second so they took the majority of the blast. That however didn't stop him from soaring through the air and crashing to ground his skidded several feet backwards but the water on the ground spared his skin from serious injury. Using his elbows and the backward momentum from the blast he was able to spin in a break dancers fashion and regain his footing, as he readied himself for the next attack the other four placed themselves between. The ring leader issued out the orders much as he did during their last encounter,

"Burst; use the Rip-Slash, charge for the full thirty, then activate the Regalia and unleash the Fang"

Rye looked astonished,

"Regalia those are the Fang Regalia Agito's Fang Regalia!"

"No idiot those are Sub-Regalia, not that it matters to you, we're going to crush you right here right now."

Rye spun his wheels the constant motion created a hydroplane effect on the ground below him, his physics brain leapt into action…

Those are FangSub-Regalia which would mean that guy rides the Fang road which means he can't touch the sky; his wings have permanently clipped which means the sky is his enemy. I have him beat, in thirty seconds that Rip-Slash is coming my way and I have to assume that directly after that he's going to begin charging for his "Fang" from what I remember of the day under the Great Tokyo Bridge that awkward sound must have been the Sub-Regalia's activation the charge was longer then thirty seconds though, for times sake I'll hazard a guess of forty-five seconds for the Fang which means that in exactly one minute and fifteen seconds I have to finish this right if I don't then I'm done, using the hydroplanes affects the speed of the spinning wheels and the thin layer of water creating a thin layer of space between my wheels and the ground, I can gain the necessary speed…

Rye came out of his thoughts his wheels still spinning with the battleground the same as it was left he had about ten seconds left before the attack came,, he was ready.

The miniscule click that signaled the full charge of Burst's attack started it all as the slash ripped upward through the rain, Rye spun backwards going around and spinning nine hundred degrees simultaneously he heard the sidewalk explode behind him, using hydroplane Rye spins even faster, the impact of the blast resides and the secondary charging sound begins, sweeping his leg out low Rye trips and incapacitates one of the four riders around his main target. Using the resulting momentum Rye spins on his back his legs spread outward, his fast spinning quickly placed him right in the middle of his four opponents with his outward leg spin in the same fashion as a break dancer and quick movements he overwhelms the four opponents. Raising upward on his elbows still spinning he reaches a handstand, allowing his feet to fall to the ground he spins in a circular motion and lands crouching right at the feet of his only remaining enemy. Burst stands rigid still charging his ATs; in his head Rye counts down the forty-five second time limit. He is around fifteen seconds in and Burst hasn't moved an inch, then Rye realizes that this is the flaw with the Fang Sub-Regalia, once they are activated and the infinity atmosphere is realized the wearer is unable to move. As the Sub-Regalia charge the surrounding water causes Rye to be able to see the contracting forces surrounding the ATs the way the water pulsates around them causing a fluctuation in friction and force.

With any pair of ATs fine tuned to the Fang Road they follow the minimum-maximum-minimum principle. Meaning they go from zero to one hundred and rapidly back down to zero, however with these flawed Sub-Regalia the ascent to maximum takes time, and also the maximum amount of force is predetermined by the ATs and the limitations on the one who rides them. This means that if I can make my maximum output even a fraction higher than his I'll win in a battle of forces and the resulting shockwave will eliminate all of the riders.

Using the hydroplane technique once more Rye spins his AT wheels at maximum out put the water around both of them begins to pulsate and churn miniature hurricane like waves of water pulse in and out around them, Rye is crouched low bearing all of his weight down on the pressure sensitive motor trigger willing them with every ounce of his existence to spin faster Rye monitors the amount of force built up around both pairs of ATs and keeps the clock going in his head,

Fifty seconds fifty-one, fifty-two fifty-three-fifty-four, fifty-five, fifty-six, fifty-seven, fifty-eight, and fifty-nine, sixty!

The wheels stop spinning and the built up force begins to exit out of the release ports that heat and built up electricity crash together the colliding forces smash into the air and generate a pulsating wave of destructive energy, for a set amount of time this wave radiates around the AT until the kicking motion sets it off, raising his left leg to deliver the point blank attack Burst, begins the finishing blow his wheels still spinning Rye slides low using his built up force of his left leg to sweep Burst off his feet and skyward, unable to correctly utilize his ultimate move he thrusts his charged AT towards the ground to regain footing. With the amount of force Rye delivered he sent Burst about three feet into the air, forcing himself upward Rye becomes momentarily air-bourn his momentum building all the while Rye's force collides with that of Burst and the resulting collision causes a shockwave so powerful the falling rain in the immediate area ceases to fall, the four other storm chasers are propelled backward and Burst is blasted right out of his ATs. All six of the riders crash to the earth with a resounding thud and the rain continually falls hard and fast.