A/N: This story takes a lot from personal experience I had growing up in these types of environments. To those who read this, if you black American or Caribbean and you grew up in New York, you know what's up.

A/N: Humanized pokemon (a.k.a just mons) are basically humans with pokemon traits. The term "line" or "lineage" refers to what pokemon species they'd evolved from.

A/N: Trigger warnings: drug usage, sex & nudity, hard language, racism, slurs, gore, violence, police violence, rape and rape references, trafficking and visceral imagery.

Chapter One:

Feels Like Summer

The late afternoon sun blazed over a faultlessly blue summer sky, now turning the colors of fire as it rapidly approached dusk. A pink convertible Buick raced down the main road leading towards the New Palm City with its top down. NPC was a coastal city where there was a constant influx of both immigrants and tourists, over a landscape of social change. While some areas were stricken with rampant poverty, this warm, tropical city had many folk of either persuasion—human and mon—living right beside each other. It was an uneasy harmony that seemed to strengthen or weaken depending on the time of year. Palm trees were, as the name suggested, a common sight as well as the neon lights that flared up at nighttime. Brightly colored no tell motels lingered at the edges of freeways, while apartment complexes were built by the sea, overlooking the beaches and skyscrapers that lingered in the background. More inland, the more impoverished hoods became apparent and further west, there were swamps that held little hovels and shacks for those who wanted a quieter, simpler life. New Palm City never slept. It was always bustling with cars, tourists and those who wanted to live the high life. However, as social upheaval pushed people out of the suburbs and coastal cities, there was a creeping wave of gentrification moving into New Palm City that many of the more affluent had not suffered (yet), threatening a cultural cataclysm for the longtime residents. Though some thought this swiftly changing world was a tour through the spectacle of formation of new cultures, it was incomprehensible to outsiders. And yet on a summer day, it looked picture perfect.

Jasper cruised down the main road, called Palm Street. It cut through the commercial area. This area consisted of many duplex plazas that held shopping malls, nail salons, massage parlors, restaurants, high rise hotels, parking lots, smalltime casinos, neon lit theaters that would look incredible at night, bars, burger joints and chicken spots, all peppered with palm trees that would wave in synchrony with the wind. The Jolteon man was about fifty-one now, with pecan brown skin and head full of curly canary yellow hair that was shaped in a stylish loose mini-fro. He sported the ears and tiny yellow tuft tail of those of the Jolteon lineage, with said ears having diamond studs that ran from the base to the tip. He hid his brown eyes behind blue mirrored shades. He always dressed like someone from Hoenn Vice: a white sports jacket, a gold chain, an Alolan patterned shirt in which the top buttons were always undone, white slacks and lime green loafers. He sported a diamond studded watch and a few gold rings in on his hand. He drove with one hand, the other one hanging out over the side of door, holding a cigarette.

"Daddy, where are we going?"

Jasper glanced in the rearview mirror. Sitting in back had been his two daughters, both from different mothers and one trying to gouge him for half of everything he owned. Festival had been one who spoke. She had a deep skin tone that reminded many of burnt sienna, large brown eyes and curly cream colored hair that went slightly past her shoulders. Her cute button nose was something she liked and her full eyelashes as well. She sported the rabbit-like red furred ears of the Flareon line, as well as their fluffy white tail. Festival, looked like her mother, who resembled her in many ways, except her mother was a few shades lighter, her hair had been straightened by a flat iron and her eyes were a dull gold-orange.

"Bruh, Festival," he grumbled, taking a long drag of his cigarette, "Ion done told you for the fifth time we goin' to Sunnywall Co-Ops, shit."

"You takin' the long way?" His other daughter said. Jasper groaned. His other kid, Mardi, was sixteen years old, two years older than Festival. Her straightened blonde hair faded into black and her skin was a sandy brown complexion, with big brown eyes that were identical to Jasper. She was of the Morpeko line, sporting the mon's cute ears, pink cheek pouches and tiny furry tail. She was an inch taller than Festival and far thicker, having put on quite a bit of weight in the past year, having curves that accentuated mostly her hips and thighs. While Festival wore cute light up sneakers, blue jeans and pink blouse, Mardi wore a sequined pencil skirt, flats and a leopard print tube top. Her phone was in her hands as she spoke, texting.

"No nigga," Jasper barked, "I'm followin' the fuckin' GPS. It took me this route and I'm followin' the fuckin' route. Stop askin me about shit, we get there when we get there."

"But we been driving for forty minutes," Festival said.

Jasper took a drag of his cigarette. Leaving Los Lados to come to New Palm City had been a good choice. Being stuck with Festival was one thing, but Mardi's mother had dumped her on him as well, tired of taking care of the rebellious teen. The club is open here, he reminded himself, It'll be raking in money in no time. Just gotta deal with this shit. He took a deep breath, thinking of his therapy sessions in which he learned to simply feel, deal and make real. Just…be frustrated and let it go, he thought, taking another puff, blowing out excess smoke. Just feel, deal and be real. New motherfuckin' beginning, with new shit here…and my club runnin' well here, so it's time to collect.

"The GPS says we gon' be there in ten minutes, now shut the hell up," Jasper said, "Damn, talk too damn much. I told yo ass to go back yo moms, but ion know why you wanna stick around…"

"I'm hungry," Mardi said.

"We gon eat when we get to the condo," he said, knowing Mardi, being of the Morpeko line, got 'hangry,' if she remained hungry too long, "Iight, what y'all want?"

"Can we get burgers?" Festival asked.

"Yeah, ion mind some burgers," Mardi agreed.

Jasper took another drag, "Fine, we gon get some burgers. Y'all lil nigglets eat too much pizza and chicken nuggets anyways, on Arceus."

Festival leaned back in her seat and looked out the window. There were a lot of humans in this area, but also quite a few mons. Whereas Los Lados was predominantly mon, New Palm City had a pretty even mix. It was strange to look at but she smiled a bit. It was warm all year around in New Palm City, never dropping below sixty degrees. She loved warm weather and she sighed happily, looking forward to some of the famous NPC burgers that were known to do their sandwiches "Alola" style. In about ten to twelve minutes, Jasper had pulled up to the Sunnywell Co-ops, which were an ultramodern collection of condominiums. He parked on the street side, taking one last drag before putting out his cigarette. He checked himself in the mirror and the got out, unlocking the trunk and grabbing his luggage. Festival grabbed hers second and Mardi got lifted hers up with great ease, despite being the heaviest. Jasper shut the trunk and made his way up the swirling, pebbled path, past the brass gates that were left open by the security guard who'd seen him pull up a block down. Jasper gave him a nod of acknowledgement before heading to the front of the co-ops. The front was beautiful—an avant-garde example of simplistic, modern architecture. The doorman by the front was a fair skinned, brunette human who happily greeted him, pressing the button so the glass doors could slide open. He entered in first, Mardi second and Festival third, who, due to her slightly below average speed stat, always lagged behind. Jasper eyeballed the interior, nodding his head in approval. The floor was a smooth off-white marble and the walls a shimmering smooth taupe color. The light fixtures were within the maximum, giving it a futuristic, ultramodern touch to it and transoms were tall and triangular, an odd choice, but still stunning nonetheless. The woman at the front desk was also a human. She was young, short and pale, with frizzy black hair and dark eyes. Jasper walked over to her.

"Hi," she said cheerfully, "And your name…"

"Jasper Jolt," he said as she looked through the ledger.

"Ah, yes," she nodded. She reached into one of the compartments, unlocking it by pressing a code on the number pad. A pair of keys slid out and she handed it to him. "Everything is prepared, so, enjoy."

He gave her a quick smile, letting his eyes linger on her for a bit. However, he pocketed the keys and decided against any smooth talking. Just feel, deal and be real, he thought, feeling somewhat better about himself. He dragged his luggage to the elevator, pressing the button and stepping in with his two daughters close behind him. The elevator dinged, going from first floor and skipping a few more floors until he reached the fifth. The elevator door slid open to reveal a dimly lit hallway that had about three or four condos here. He walked down it and saw the room number: 508. He unlocked the door and smiled brightly when he saw the room. It was large enough for five people, let alone three. There was an enormous window that overlooked the street side, blue chiffon curtains, smooth hardwood floors, white walls and ceiling, with circular ceiling lights embedded into them. The kitchen had granite countertops and the fridge was high tech and chrome, having an automatic temperature adjuster and ice maker. There was a television mounted on the wall already, a gray couch in the living area and a closet by the entrance where people could hang their coats and place their shoes. The center table was a glass cube with ornamental pebbles in a bowl. Jasper went to his room, which also had a large window that overlooked the streets and the city line. There was a gray shaggy throw rug in his room, two night tables with a reading light, a wardrobe and a king sized bed with white and black sheets. He stepped out, seeing that Festival's eyes was as large as the moon while Mardi was taking selfies in her new condo on her phone. Jasper gestured to Festival and pointed to her room. Her room was smaller than his, but still comfortable, having a queen sized bed instead, soft tan throw rug and sliding door closet that could hold her clothes. He went to Mardi and escorted her to her room, which also had a queen sized bed, with many ornamental pillows, a reading lamp near the bed head and windows that overlooked the back of the co-ops, along with a closet. There'd been two bathrooms, one to the left of the living area and another one in his room, which was clearly designed for a married couple. He walked back to his room, setting down his luggage and sighing. This is the hook up, he thought, feeling partially grateful and partially guilty.

"I'm hungry!" Mardi cried out from the other room.

Jasper sucked his teeth and slid his phone out. He began looking up burger spots that were in the area. There was one that was ten blocks from the Sunnywell co-ops, called Beartic Burgers. He checked the menu. The burgers were custom made, restaurant style and given that New Palm City twist to it. He stepped out his room, pocketing his phone. Mardi was sitting down on the couch, smiling at him: that familiar smile that her mother would give him when she was up to something.

"This place bangin'," Mardi said, "Gon stay on my flex shit with this."

"Go change," Jasper said, sliding out his gold plated zippo and lighting another cigarette. Mardi scoffed and went to her room, opening up her luggage. Festival didn't need to be told to change. She stepped out her room in cute shorts, a hot pink tank top, her light up sneakers and bead bracelets. Within five minutes, Mardi came out wearing a leopard print pencil skirt, black flats and a low cut black crop top. Jasper took a drag of his cigarette, grabbed his keys, pocketed them and opened the door. He let them out first and turning off the light as he was the last one out. Festival pressed the button and the elevator dinged, opening up. They stepped in and headed to the lobby. While Festival waved to the lady at the front desk, Mardi was too caught up on her phone to bother. Jasper gave her a nod of acknowledgment and left through the sliding glass doors, briefly greeting the doorman. He took a drag once he was outside and walked down the pebbly path. The security guard, who was a Granbull lineage, opened the gates for him as he went to his car.

In about twenty minutes, they pulled up to the parking lot of Beartic Burgers. It had a nostalgic feel and Jasper took another drag of his cigarette as he looked around. This shit better be good, he thought, cutting off the engine and getting out the car. He put out his cigarette and tossed it as he made his way forward. Mardi and Festival followed him to the front of the restaurant, opening the glass door that led into a lime green and pink burger joint. He slid around the table with Mardi and Festival sitting on the same side, but across from him. Festival opened up the menu, sharing it with her sister. Jasper yawned, flipping through his menu as well.

"Bruh," he muttered, "Half this shit either look nasty as hell or is mad overpriced."

"Look at this," Festival said excitedly, pointing at a burger with a green bun, "It's the Green Lime Twist special. The bun is lime flavored."

"Iight, Festival, that sound fuckin' disgusting, deadass," Jasper said.

"They got one Yellow Lemon Twist special," Mardi said, setting her phone aside, "The bun is lemon flavored."

"Wow…that's so creative," Jasper groused, "Yellow bun, its lemon flavored, green bun, its lime flavored. Is these niggas smokin' crack? And if they is I want some."

"What you getting then, dad?" Mardi said, folding her arms.

"I'm lookin' at the waffle fries and the uh…five cheese burger."

"So you lookin' at the burger that has…" Mardi flipped the menu, "Got pepperjack, cheddar, brie, provolone and parmesan. Nigga…is you tryna die?"

"Better than fuckin' Green Lime Twist, bruh."

"Hi!"

All three had looked up to see a waitress by the table. She was brown skinned with curly white hair and catlike light brown eyes. The roots of her hair had been purple. She was slender and average height, sporting the catlike ears and fluffy tail of someone of the Skuntank line. She was dressed in the uniform of the restaurant: a pink apron over a green working dress. Her nametag was placed squarely over her breast.

"How you doin'," Jasper said, looking her up and down. Mardi kicked him in the leg and he grimaced. After a moment of consideration, he sighed, "Yeah, uh… hi."

"I'm Alicia," she said, "I'll be taking y'alls order. Whatchu want?"

"Green Lime Twist," Festival chirped.

"Yellow Lemon Twist," Mardi said.

Jasper gave them both a look and then looked back at Alicia, "Five cheeses."

She wrote down their order, "And would you like fries?"

"Yeah!" Mardi called out.

"What kind?"

"Waffle," Jasper said, "For me."

"Steak fries," Mardi chimed in.

"Um…can I get the Green Twist fries?"

"Bruh," Jasper gave Festival another look, "LIME flavored fries, nigga the hell?"

Alicia giggled and wrote down their side order, "And drinks?"

"Gin," Jasper said.

"Oh…we don't carry gin sir," Alicia said apologetically.

"Ciroc."

"…We don't carry vodka," she said, "Um…this is a 'family friendly' establishment, sir."

Jasper gave her a dry look, "Gimme a fuckin' soda….damn what kinda place don't got shit, the hell…"

"And you?" Alicia said, smiling at the two girls.

"I personally like highballs," Mardi said, "But since y'all don't carry alcohol in this… fine establishment…I must, unfortunately, settle for a pink lemonade."

"And you, little one?"

Festival wagged her tail as she spoke, "Can I just get Sprite?"

Alicia wrote down their drink orders and put away her pen, "Alright," she began picking up the menus, "If you need anything, just holler. I got good hearing." She walked away, placing the ticket on a rotating rack for the cooks.

"Ay, listen," Jasper began, "I'm gon' to check on the club after this, iight? I'ma drop y'alls off home and be back late."

"Um…we can't come?" Mardi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No nigga, the fuck? It's a nightclub," Jasper said, "And you ain't getting anywhere near there."

"Okay…so you just gon' be corny today, iight, I see how it is," Mardi said, texting on her phone again.

"Ion mind staying in," Festival said, trying to be optimistic.

"Festival…please," Mardi grumbled, "We in New Palm City and this nigga ditchin' us to go to a club."

"I'm checkin' in on the club," Jasper corrected, "Iight, my boy been holdin' it down for me, cuz y'all MOMS like gouging me for all the money I be having."

"If you'd pay yo friggin' child support maybe that wouldn't be an issue," Mardi retorted.

"Mardi…shut yo…hungry ass up," Jasper carped, massaging his temples, "Ain't nobody ask you."

"Ion see why I at least can't come," Mardi said, "I'm old enough."

"Bruh," Jasper snapped, "You ain't comin'! I'm takin y'all back to Sunnywell and you gon' stay there 'til I get back."

"The fuck is we supposed to do here, anyways? We don't know natta-nutta nigga here," Mardi argued, "I mean yeah, NPC be lit, but ion know nobody here."

"Yeah, yeah, look, just be chill," Jasper said, his ear twitching when he saw Alicia return with their drinks. She set the cola in front of him, the pink lemonade in front of Mardi and the sprite in front of Festival.

"Y'alls food will be up shortly," she said cheerfully, walking off to attend to other patrons.

"Listen, both of y'all," Jasper began sharply, "Out here, it's all about my hustle. And if it was up to me I'da send you back to y'all moms house."

"Fine, nigga," Mardi hissed.

"Oh it's fine, now? Better check yo tone before speakin' to me, girl."

"Mom ain't a total dumbass like you, and she got Xstation," Mardi contended.

"…Motherfucker…how 'bout I Xstation my hand across yo face. And guess what, I like y'all back with y'all moms too. You know how much y'all drag me down with her corny ass style—"

"—Hey…" Festival whined.

"…And you, both of y'all actually, lookin' like obvious jailbait. Women keep givin' me these stank ass looks. My drip be flawless and y'all messing it up."

"Nigga aren't you like fifty-five, tal'bout drip, the fuck outta here."

"I'm fifty ONE," Jasper barked, "And yeah, I got drip. My shit stay fresh. Don't hate cuz everything you got on look like you stole that shit from a thrift store."

"Nigga you fifty nine wearin' woman's loafers, lookin' like the partner of that nigga from Hoenn Vice," Mardi shot back.

"I'm FIFTY ONE," he corrected, "And if we meet any young bitches, I'm thirty-six, iight? Stop ruinin' shit for me, damn."

Alicia returned with their food. She placed the five cheese burger in front of Jasper, the Green Lime Twist in front of Festival and the Yellow Lemon Twist for Mardi and their respective fries.

"Enjoy!" She called out, trotting away. Jasper watched her walk off and sighed before looking down at his burger. It was so slathered in melted cheeses that he could barely see the patty. He poked the bun, which was a soft brioche bun with sugar sprinkled on top. He sniffed it before taking a bite. Festival took a bite of her burger, which had a bright neon green bun, a thin beef patty, pickles, kale, lime zest and sweet onion sauce. She was satisfied, chewing happily as her fluffy white tail wagged. Mardi gobbled down her burger. It had a yellow bun, yellow lettuce, lemon zest, squash slices, Sitrus berries and sriracha mayo.

"Damn nigga, slow down," Jasper said, taking medium sized bites.

"I'm hungry," Mardi said, half way through her burger in exactly ten seconds, "Fuck." She gobbled down her fries next, taking a handful and shoving it in her mouth, downing it with pink lemonade. Festival took her time, daintily eating her fries one by one.

"Yeah I'm hungry too, on Arceus…you fat as fuck," he grumbled, taking another bite. The melted cheese dangled from his mouth.

"And you old as fuck, that's why you keep dyin yo hair yellow cuz it actually gray," Mardi clapping back.

"Iight, listen—you mad fuckin' annoying ass bitch, I'ma hop in my car and drop yo ass off to yo moms—"

"Hey, can you keep it down, we are trying to enjoy our meal?"

Jasper turned around. A man and his wife with their two young kids were eating burgers. The woman was a human, a petite brunette with an obvious salon tan. The man, however, was of Tauros lineage. He was a tall, broad shouldered, sun tanned man with shaggy black hair. He sported the silver dots of those of Tauros lineage on his forehead, the metallic horns and the trio of whiplike tails behind him. Jasper looked down at his plate. The man had a salad and a veggie burger. Most mons like him tended to be vegetarians, which wasn't a surprise. The two kids with them looked exactly like the mom in looks, but one was a young boy also of the Tauros lineage.

"Daddy…" Festival nervously whispered.

"Motherfucker if you don't mind yo damn business," he shouted.

"It's hard to mind your business when you're being really loud," the man retorted.

"Ayo dad," Mardi said between two mouthfuls, "It's iight, be chill."

"Then don't fuckin' listen, bruh!"

"Can you stop cursing!" The woman squeaked, "We have kids."

"Then don't listen, on Arceus…"

"I mean, we're trying not to you, but you're flapping your loud mouth and we can all hear. And it's really messed up how you talk to your kids, man."

Mardi put a palm to her face as Festival focused super hard on her burger, trying to block out everything around her.

Jasper got up, "Listen nigga. Don't ever talk 'bout my kids and how I talk to my kids. The hell this is you fat motherfucker, stay yo rolly-polly, bad body shaped, Big Show lookin' ass out my business for I throw my drink in yo face and electrocute the shit outta you."

The man threw his handkerchief down and stood up. Jasper shrank back, his ears drooping a bit. The man was not remotely fat, instead broad, muscular and very tall, capping out around 6'7".

"Ayo, ayo chill, chill," Jasper said, "Nigga… I didn't know you like ten foot eleven. I didn't mean what I said, yo ass not fat, yo kids are absolutely lovely, I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused."

"Oh? What happened to all that good shit you were talkin' a second ago? I thought so, you giant vagina."

As Jasper turned to go back to his seat his ear twitched, "Giant what? NIGGA! SUCK MY DICK YOU FAT FUCK!"

The Tauros man sharply turned around, his tails lashing angrily behind him as he swiped his foot back, ready to charge. He began burling towards Jasper who darted out the way easily. The Tauros man was also incredibly fast and had to do a tight turn. He couldn't run his full speed in the restaurant due to his size, however.

"DAD!" Mardi screamed.

"Daddy!" Festival cried out.

"Hey, hey, hey!" The owner ran out from the back, "The hell is going on!"

The Tauros man scoffed, deciding this was beneath him and went back to his seat before he broke something, "This man is being loud and vulgar! And he was antagonizing me."

"Ay, all I did was tell dumb nigga to mind his business," Jasper said, sliding smoothly back into his booth.

"Sir," the owner said, "I'ma gonna have to ask you leave."

"I ain't even finish eatin!"

"It's fine, it's on the house, just please go," the owner said, "You're disrupting other patrons here…"

Jasper gave the owner a sharp look. He was a tall, skinny human man with the typical, unnatural tan of someone who was out on the beach a lot.

"Fine. I ain't tryna eat this nasty shit anyways."

Mardi had luckily finished everything but Festival sighed, setting her half-finished burger down and followed Jasper out of Beatric Burgers. He flipped off the Tauros man and his family and did another obscene gesture to the owner before walking to his car. By the time they left, it was nighttime and the city was alight with neon signs and brilliant streetlights. Mardi hiccupped and got in the back seat with Festival following suit.

"Damn nigga you can't go one day without gettin' on someone's nerves?" Mardi asked.

"Mardi…" Jasper grumbled, getting into the driver's seat and adjusting the rearview mirror, "Shut yo hungry ass up, already." He popped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. He then began backing out of the parking lot and into the street. He waited for another car to pass by before driving off.

"So you takin' us back to Sunnywell," Mardi said.

"Yes nigga," Jasper insisted, taking a long, leisurely drag of the cigarette.

"Why yo ass so lame, on Arceus!" Mardi shouted, pouting. Festival was scrolling through her phone, which she finally got for fourteenth birthday. She liked cute videos on Poke/Gram.

"Ay…shut up," Jasper said, cruising down the road. The mild summer breeze blew through their hair. The neon signs, the sparkling lights and the shadowed palm trees were aesthetics Jasper could get used to. He enjoyed the warm air as he passed by the no tell motels. New Palm City was a new life for him, he knew. It was a place to really step up, glow up and be in the mix of things. Los Lados was in the past, now. This had to be his future. It has to work, or I'm assed out. The summertime held new hopes and new mysteries. And although Festival's mom hounded him for alimony, while Mardi's mother yapped about child support, along with his other baby mammas, he'd be fine…just barely, but still fine. In about twenty minutes or so, he reached the Sunnywell co-ops and unlocked the door for his daughters. Festival hopped out first and Mardi got out second, still morose about not tagging along.

"I'ma be back," Jasper said, taking a quick drag, "Ay, listen. Do NOT leave the condo, you heard me?" He threw the house keys to Mardi, who caught it effortlessly.

"Yes dad," Mardi grumbled.

"Okay daddy," Festival said, heading back up the pebbly path. Mardi sighed and followed her little sister as Jasper drove off, revving his engine as he did. Mardi scrolled through her phone as Festival greeted the doorman. He pressed the button and the glass doors slid open. Festival skipped through the lobby, waving at the woman at the front desk and headed to the elevator. Mardi followed her, eyes still glued to her smartphone. They went into the elevator and got off at the fifth floor, walking towards their room. The Morpeko girl unlocked the door and Festival jogged in. She was happy to be here. Mardi was as well, but she rather be outside on a summer night. She walked over to the window and looked out it. During the night, everything was alive and bright. The stars were blotted out by the glow of New Palm City. She took a photo of it, smiling a bit. The view was absolutely spectacular. A new world, Mardi thought, her tiny tail swishing from side to side. Festival sat down on the couch, putting on cartoons.

"Hey," Mardi said to her little sis, "I'm still hungry."

"Wow," Festival said, "Uh…we could order in."

"Or…" Mardi slid next to her on the couch, "We can go here." She showed her a spot on her phone. They sold wings.

"Um…we're supposed to stay home."

"Ay listen, Jasper be buggin'," Mardi said, "Besides, I'm hungry and ain't shit in here cuz ain't nobody did grocery shoppin'."

"But we could still order in."

"Nigga YOU can order in," Mardi said, getting up, "I'ma 'bout to get me some wings." She snatched the keys off the countertop and Festival sighed, sitting back to watch her cartoons.

Jasper rolled down a partially busy street as he turned left to at a congested intersection. He tapped off excess ash from his cigarette and rolled into the back parking lot of a large neon noir nightclub that read Babylon Nights on its garish, bright LED sign. He stepped out of his car, taking a few more puffs before putting out and discarding the cigarette altogether. He walked towards the back entrance of Babylon Nights, up the shadowed stairs and towards the blue black-lit lounge that had a vaporwave feel to it. Pink neon light floaters were used to illuminate a smooth, sleek, contemporary nightclub that blended the past and future neatly in a retro-futuristic décor. Jasper played around with his gold plated zippo and observed the interior. It wasn't very crowded, but there was enough in here to bring about decent earnings for the night. There were dancers, both human and mon, performing on LED lit stages and an open bar. There were three active bartenders, selling all sorts of liquor from clear to dark, from sweet to flavorless. Jasper sat down around a semicircle booth that was lit with a blue floater in the center of a spherical glass table. He looked up and saw a man standing by the booth. He had sand colored skin and dull, dark blue eyes and messy, unkempt, straight salt and pepper hair. He was tall and rail thin, wearing a dark brown coat, black slacks, white crocodile skin loafers and a white U-neck shirt. He was of the Charizard line, sporting the orange knoblike horns that emerged through his hair, the sharp fangs and the tail with the flame at the end. His wings would only materialize when he was about to fly, otherwise they could not be seen. The man popped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it with his tail. He spotted Jasper, who was smoking at the booth. He walked over to him.

"Jasper," the man called out.

"Yo, Chance, wassup," he said, giving him a dap. Chance sat around the booth, across from him. He took a long drag of his cigarette, tapping off excess ash. He reached into his coat, getting a baggie of yayo. He spread across the glass table, using a razorblade to separate it into three, decently sized lines. He rolled up a hundred in his pocket and took a sniff.

"How the club doin'?" Jasper inquired.

"Holding it down," Chance said, "It's been doing okay, could be doing better tho."

"Yea?" Jasper said, taking another drag, "What's missin'?"

"Eh," Chance waved his hand around, sniffing, "…More dancers and more modern alcohol and shit. Cats these days ain't drinkin' slammers and snowballs. We got ciroc, gray goose and viniq, but we need more fancy shit."

"Yeah, I'ma put in an order for that," Jasper said, "How 'bout the other shit?"

Chance did another line, sighing deeply and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He took another drag now, letting the high settle in.

"Yeah, we movin'," Chance said, "It's sixty-seven thousand bucks."

"Who we holdin' it for?"

Chance took a drag, "Leon."

"I hate that nigga," Jasper said, "Nigga tryna act like he hard or some shit. He some trust fund kid from Brightwater, the fuck outta here."

"Ay, he gotchu a condo in Sunnywell, so be nice," Chance reminded him, doing the final line, "I ain't tryna start beef with him."

"And what's our cut?"

"Fifteen percent. Next week, we packin' the money up and sendin' to banks overseas."

"Fifteen percent ain't bad," Jasper said, "But it could be more."

"Ay, I ain't picky," Chance warned, "You shouldn't be either."

"I ain't picky nigga. Hence why I been cursed with six daughters and only one son," Jasper grumbled, shaking his head. He looked at the dancers, eyeballing them. One of them was short and slim, but doing the most on the neon lit pole. He pointed at her, "Who dat?"

Chance looked over his shoulder, "Her name Diddy."

"How old she?"

"Eh…twenties or something."

"She look young," Jasper said, looking a tad concerned, "She ain't lyin' bout her age or somethin'?"

"I saw her I.D," Chance said.

"And it real?"

"Motherfucker I don't know! I don't check if are real! Damn, get someone else to do that," Chance said, sighing, "Oop, the shit is hitting right. I'm gonna get a drink. You want anything?"

"Later," Jasper said, watching Diddy. She was a short girl, shorter than Festival. She had straightened black hair that fell to her back in a middle part. She was tawny skinned with snakebite piercings, nude lipstick on full lips and heavy winged eyeliner. She also had long acrylics, beautifully decorated with star beads. She was slim bodied, wearing fishnets, pasties and platform heels that were decorated with rhinestones. She had the trappings of a Dedenne—the mouse ears, the orange cheek pouch-circles and the black bullwhip like tail. However, the usual antennae that came out the sides of the face were…not present, as if it was never there. Dedennes usually have…facial antennae, hmm…must've gotten it surgically removed, he mused. Jasper took another drag of his cigarette, averting his eyes. Just…don't. Don't do it. He let out a frustrated snort. Think of yo kids. And think about the fact yo ass payin' both alimony and child support…fuck. Chance returned with a cosmopolitan, sipping it.

"She's talented," Jasper mentioned.

"Diddy? Oh yeah. She flexible as hell," Chance said, nodding in agreement, "She a way better dancer than the thicker chicks. She makes more than them. These bitches think all they gotta do is twerk to make dollars. Nah, peeps tryna see a show."

"Hmm," Jasper said, taking another drag, "Who the DJ?"

"His name D.J Tha Kiddo," Chance said.

"…Dumbass name, but go off, I guess," Jasper said, finishing his cigarette and putting it out on the ashtray on the table. "Where's the hookah?"

"We getting a shipment of hookah pipes tomorrow," Chance said, "I'm gonna have the bus boys set them up."

"Iight," Jasper said, "Welp, better bounce. Ion know what kinda dumb shit my kids up to right now." He gave Chance a dap and a bro hug.

"Be safe bro-bro," Chance said, finishing his cigarette. Jasper nodded, giving one more look at Diddy and headed out through the back. It's doing iight, he thought, heading back to his Buick.