Chapter 4: The Chin is back in town!
PaRappa hummed as he, Sunny, Katy and PJ strolled around town. It was that time again where the four of them got together once a month and hanged out. Not that they didn't hang out all the time whenever they had the chance, they just did it with the others. This was one of those days where the quartet could just hang out alone like old times; go get something to eat, see a movie, go to the arcade for a few games, jam out to some of their favorite songs, or brainstorm their own original songs, whatever tickled their fancy that particular day. Today, they decided to grab a bite at Chunky Burger, ordering their usual orders. PJ got a classic chunky burger with a large spicy fry, giant vanilla frosty, and cherry pie, Katy ordered a junior chunky burger, curly fries and a large chocolate frosty, Sunny ordered a chunky garden salad, ginger soda and lemon pie, and PaRappa stuck with a glass of water.
"Soooo, are you ever going to order any actual food here when we hang out, Paps?" PJ asked as they sat down at their usual booth.
"I would if I didn't fill up on popcorn." The dog shrugs before sipping from his glass.
"We…we didn't go to the movies yet." Sunny cocked a brow and shook her head at him.
"…We didn't?" He blinked, looking at everyone who just shook their heads at his answers. He blinked a bit, feeling just the slightest bit awkward. "Uhhhh…then I'm saving room for popcorn."
"Nice save." Katy rolled her eyes with a smirk before eating a curly fry as the group shared in a laugh. As the group enjoyed their lunch, their attention is drawn right outside as the sound of a loud motor vehicle could be heard approaching the restaurant. Looking out the window, they saw a long red car.
"Is…Is that…?" Katy blinked, pointing at it.
"The SuperStretch Limo nine hundred…!" Parappa's eyes widened. No…it couldn't be. His worries were proven right when they looked to the door and stepping inside was the one and only Joe Chin.
"There's no need to fear, because Joe Chin is here!" Joe grinned, his teeth shining like diamonds.
"Huh...haven't seen him in a long time." PJ comments before biting into his burger.
"He said he was going on vacation, right?" Sunny questioned, looking to the others. "Guess he finished and decided to come back?"
"I thought he moved on to DJ Heights?" PaRappa scratched the back of his head. "And didn't he have a girlfriend?"
"…Five bucks says they broke up." PJ said, looking to Katy, who's head instantly turned to face him.
"PJ!" She started, making it sound like she didn't want him to say such a thing out loud. "…I'll raise the stakes to ten."
"You're on." The teddy bear smirked as they shook hands as Joe approached.
"He-Hey if it isn't the original gang! How's everybody doing?" He asked, resting a hand on the table.
"Uhh, just fine, Joe!" PaRappa chuckled, feeling a bit nervous. He was just hoping Joe wasn't going to try and take Sunny from him. Especially if they were right in their little speculations on him being single again…why else would he approach their little group, today of all days?! "So, uh…what brings you back to PaRappa Town? Thought you were happy over at DJ Heights."
"What? I can't stop by my hometown for a visit?" He chuckled, though they could pick up a since of awkwardness from him, as if he didn't want to talk about it. "Well, move back, more or less…"
"Well, welcome back, then." PJ said, munching his spicy fries before nudging Katy with a smirk. The cat huffed, smoke emitting from her nose as she reaches for her wallet to pull out ten dollars and gives it to the teddy bear.
"Heh, thank you PJ." Joe smiled, seemingly not to notice the cash exchange. "So, what're you guys doing today?"
"Well, uh…we're just kinda hanging out." PaRappa said. "Eat here, probably see a movie, then go from there."
"Ah! Then I'll tag along!" He grinned, Sunny almost spat her ginger soda out when she heard that, but she managed to stop herself from spitting all over Katy.
"A-Ahhh, you don't have to!" PaRappa said, beats of sweat flying off of him. "Y-Ya just got back, wouldn't you want to just kick back and relax for a bit?"
"Nonsense! I've been gone for a long time, and I wish to catch up with some good friends!"
"But we're no-" Before PJ could finish his sentence, Katy elbows him in the side. "OOF! I-I mean, sure, man! We can squeeze in one more person into the group."
"Excellent!" Joe grinned. "Once you guys are done eating, meet me at the car, and we'll have some fun!"
"Guess we're sitting in the back again…" PaRappa sighed as Joe went to the counter to get something to eat for himself.
"You guys sure about this?" Sunny asked.
"He'll keep buggin' us if we don't let him tag along." Katy huffed. The group let out a defeated sigh and continued eating. Once they left Chunky Burger, their eyes were drawn to the stretch limo. It looked…different. It still had a pool in the far back, but the backseats were right behind the front seats. There were even extra seats installed before the exhausts. In fact, the vehicle itself looked like it was made shorter.
"I had a little work done on the old girl." Joe crossed his arms as PaRappa and PJ checked it out. "Take whatever seat ya want, fellas!"
"Shotgun!" PJ instantly claims as he hops right in front.
"Same." Katy smirks, playfully shoving PJ over a bit. Joe couldn't help but chuckle as he got in the driver's seat, while PaRappa and Sunny got in the pair of seats behind them. The rapping dog was a bit surprised, what was happening. Last time, he and PJ got stuck in the back seats behind the exhausts and bombarded by an avalanche of donuts, but now, he was able to sit in Joe's car next to Sunny. He was expecting the taller dog to try something to keep him and the flower girl away from each other. Maybe he was just being paranoid…
"So, what's on the agenda today?" Joe asked as he started the car up, looking at the passengers for suggestions. "Know you guys said something about the movies, but that'll probably be better left for later in the day."
"How about the park?" Sunny suggests. After a moment, the others started to mutter in agreement at once.
"Alright, park it is!" Joe grinned as he reaches for the glove compartment, grabbing a pair of sunglasses before he started driving. PaRappa and Sunny looked at each other, sharing a concerned expression. They still weren't sure what to make of this…Joe was acting a lot different then what they were used to, that was for sure. Something must have happened while he was gone in DJ Heights, which was odd, DJ Heights was known for being a rich person's paradise. A lot of ventures you could probably find in PaRappa Town, but a lot more expensive, fancier even, lots of apartments and hotels, lots of clubs, highly recommended by movie stars and plenty of investment potential for someone like Joe…so why did he leave? He did seem pretty quick to change topic when it was brought up.
At the park, PaRappa, PJ and Joe ended up joining a game of toss the ball with a few other visitors, like the yellow and green shirted bullies, and some of Master Onion's Kotamanegi's, while Katy and Sunny sat back and watched. Little did they know, Gaster and Groober were watching them.
"Ah-ha! I knew he was here!" Gaster grins, eyeing Joe Chin. "And to think, I was ready to suggest we leave this town and check elsewhere!"
"…I made that suggestion the other day, boss." Groober rolled his eyes with a huff. "Speaking of which, why are you so focused on Chin, anyways?"
"Oh yeah, I never told you why, did I?" He looked at his fat feline companion, who just shook his head in response. "Let's just say he ruined my life and leave it at that for now. Can't risk going into the moody backstory while we're in the open."
"Fair enough, boss." Groober shrugs before the two slunk back into the forest. "We heading back to the hideout to discuss it, then?"
"Of course!" The rabbit laughed as they dodged and weaved through the trees. "I've already got some ideas brewing in this ol' noggin of mine!" Once they were on the other side of the forest and back in the city streets, they ran for the nearest manhole cover and lifted it up, jumping down right into the sewers.
The day for the gang went about as well as they thought. They spent a couple hours at the park, then afterwards they decided to stop at the local arcade to play some games. Katy and Sunny would play dancing games, Joe played some of the racers, and PaRappa and PJ played some of the side scrolling beat em ups. They then spent time driving around the city. PJ had fallen asleep, a bubble going in and out of his nose as he breathed. Katy was just tempted to kinda pop it and see what happens, though knowing him, the teddy bear would probably just fall right back to sleep again. PaRappa and Sunny were once again sitting together, looking at the buildings around them, and while it hasn't happened yet, they were just waiting for Joe to just do something…anything to separate the two of them so he could try to make the moves on Sunny, but so far, he didn't do anything. If anything, he was respecting their space.
Later that night, after watching the new Jet Baby spinoff film, JetStorm revolution, Joe began driving everyone home.
"Man, that was not as good as the second movie." Katy said with a shake of her head. "They spent too much time on the drama, not enough on the action!"
"Totally!" PaRappa nods his head. "So little substance, and ya could tell they thought they could save the movie with constant shots of space battles! Since when were there any space battles in the Jet Baby films?!"
"Kinda sad when you think about it." Joe shook his head. "You know, I was at the after party for that film, and I said to that director he should've fired those writers." He sighed as they pulled up to MilkCan's apartment. "Ah well, maybe next time they'll get it right."
"Gotta say, I had fun today." Katy smiled as she hoped out of the car. "We should let Joe tag along more often!" Hearing that, Joe smiled a bit, but it wasn't that cocky grin he normally wears, but one that had a bit of relief to it. Katy noticed, but didn't say anything as she waved everyone off while heading for the door.
Next was PJ's place, thankfully he and Sunny lived in the same neighborhood. Once there, the lazy bear stood up and looked at Joe.
"You know what, you can be a pretty cool dude, Joe." The bear held his fist up, and the stronger dog smiled before giving him a fist bump. "I'll see you guys later." He says before getting out of the car. Joe then pulled up a little more, and stopped in front of Sunny's home, who gave PaRappa a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Goodnight PaRappa…Goodnight Joe!" The flower smiled before getting out of the car. Joe smiled and looked behind him to see PaRappa.
"Wanna ride shotgun till you get home?" He offered.
"Uh..s-sure!" The shorter dog smiled at the offer before he was suddenly plucked up from the seat by Joe and placed right in the front passenger seat. Once he was sat down, he adjusted his beanie, making sure it wasn't too messed up. With that, they drove off. PaRappa was surprised he still knew his way around the town, because they got to his neck of the woods in no time flat.
"Well, here we are! You have a good night PaRappa!" Joe smiled, patting him on the back.
"Y-Yeah…say Joe, what's…what's gotten into ya? You've been actin' strange all day, I was kinda expecting you to brag about your time in DJ Heights, but aside from that after party you mentioned, you didn't make a single peep about it all day."
"Well, uh...y'see, I…" Joe paused and let out a sigh. "Guess there's no real way to make this sound better than it really is. If there's one thing I never claimed to be was smart, I'll tell you that much, PaRappa." Hearing this, PaRappa tilted his head, wondering what he meant by that.
"What happened, Joe?"
"…I'm not successful anymore." He shook his head.
"Not success…what do you mean?"
"You remember that girl I was with before we left PaRappa Town, right? Foofie?"
"Of course. You guys always seemed to be in a hot tub somehow."
"Yeah…we got married when we moved to DJ Heights! Me and her father even had a contracted deal, as long as me and Foofie were together, we would be sharing profits, stocks, the whole nine yards! But one night, coming home from a film's afterparty, I caught her…in bed with another man. I apparently missed the part where she said she wanted an open relationship, and after that night, I said I wanted to get a divorce…the problem is, I didn't read the fine print of the contract her father made, because once it was official, I lost just about everything except the few hundred bucks I have in my pockets. All of my companies, my stocks, profits, everything."
"…Shit…" PaRappa just stared in disbelief as he listens to all of this. "I mean…I don't wanna sound harsh, Joe, but I think it was gonna happen anyways. Your products…they kinda…"
"Suck?"
"…Yeah, big time."
"Trust me, I already know, the list of complaints of lawsuits say the same thing." Joe shook his head. "So, I'm back at square one with just my car, and some pocket change. That's why I came back. But I'm doing fairly good right now! Captain FussenPepper is letting me crash with him at the airport and even got me a job as a flight attendant!"
"Huh! That's awesome!"
"Thanks. Now I just hope to make better relationships with people in town, get away from the old 'brags about everything he can' Joe. Speaking of which, I want to give ya something." He said before getting out of the car and starts walking for the back. Curious, PaRappa hopped out and followed him until they finally reached the trunk. The rapping dog panted and rested against the car...why was it so damn long?! Joe just smirked, waiting for him to catch his breath before opening the trunk itself, reaches in, and pulls out a wireless microphone. The handle was gold and reflective, he could see his reflection in it, and the diaphragm had a black and red checkered pattern to it
"Bought this puppy on the way back to PaRappa Town. The man I bought it from said it was supposed to do something special, but I haven't figured out what it does." He said before explaining how it worked. "What I do know, is whenever you're performing, you just have to turn it on, and the microphone instantly connects with the speakers or amps in the room. I know this might be a bit much for a gift but…" He turned to PaRappa, holding the microphone out to him. "I hope it'll be a good start in a newly formed friendship. So, what do you say? You wanna put our past rivalry behind us?"
"…" PaRappa was speechless in this moment as he slowly reached out and took the gold microphone. "I…I don't know what to say Joe. I mean, if I'm honest, I thought you were going to try and take Sunny from me…"
"…PaRappa, I am offended you would think that. I am an honorable man. You though, you've proven to be the better man. You felt you needed to be stronger for Sunny, so you learned Karate! You wanted to be able to drive your friends around yourself, you learned how to drive! And for Sunny's Birthday, instead of buying the more expensive cake, you bought a cake you knew Sunny would love! And yes, I did destroy it, I will fully admit to that, but you bounced back by baking one yourself! I did what I thought would impress her, but you? You thought with that big heart of yours and won hers at the end of the day. You're a good man, PaRappa, and I respect you."
"H-Heh…well now I'm just going to feel bad for thinking like that all day. But you know what? Yeah." He smiled, holding his free hand out for a handshake. "Let's put the past behind us."
"To friendship then!" Joe smiled, grabbing PaRappa's hand, giving it a firm handshake.
"To friendship!" PaRappa repeated, smiling back. The two then noticed slight movements from the car and looked at it. Looking to the front, Joe gasped when he saw his limo was in the process of being towed!
"S-Shit! We'll have to catch up some other time, PaRappa! HEY! WAIT A MINUTE!" Joe ran as fast as he could as the tow truck sped off. "THIS ISN'T A NO PARKING AREA!" PaRappa blinked and watched as Joe gave chase and sighed before looking at the microphone in his hand.
"Welcome back, Joe Chin." He shook his head before heading inside, unaware Gaster and Groober were nearby, watching the whole thing transpire.
"Huh…Guess you can lie about someone's ownership of a vehicle." Groober smirked slightly. "What about that Microphone? Should we nab it?" He looked up at his partner in crime, who just stared at the microphone closely. "Boss…? Ya good?"
"…Why does that look so...familiar?" The rabbit thought to himself before he shook his head. "Never mind that, we can worry about it later, right now, I got another idea in mind…we'll have to make a few trips to the junkyard though!"
"Damn, ideas just firing out of ya today, huh, boss?"
"Of course! We can't just stop after one success, we gotta keep goin!"
"Can it wait till morning though? Gettin' kinda tired…"
"…Yeah, I guess that's fair, come on." They walk out into the road and pop open the closest manhole cover before jumping into the sewers, sliding the cover back over the hole.