"Looks like everything's cleared up here." Boogie observed, "Just like Rapid 99 said."
Throughout the Bus Terminal, pieces of machinery and computer junk lay everywhere. No doubt from the Noise Tanks.
"Well at least they aren't lying about that." Gum shrugged, "But now there's the bigger issue."
Garam nodded, "That's right. Yoyo could be in a serious smackdown with Poison Jam right now. You think that girl might be involved again? Their leader I mean."
Combo's eyes drifted down sadly.
"Could be Garam." Corn pondered, "Whatever the case is. We've got to get there fast but we can't let our guards down."
"This whole situation is pretty whacko." Jazz stated, "The deeper we get into the night the more screwed up all this gets."
"No kidding." Corn agreed, "Let's get to the Skyscraper District now. We can't afford to waste any more time."
"Right!" All the GG's responded.
The usually vibrant park was also empty. Further confirmation that the Noise Tank rampage had scared the whole city into staying home.
Beat whistled in awe, "Wow, it's so strange seeing this place empty."
Rhyth confirmed, "I know right! This place is never empty! It's so sad looking…"
"Don't worry. We'll save this city!" Boogie comforted.
Gum observed the surrounding tall buildings and lights, "So how are we supposed to find two fighting guys here?"
"Hm…" Corn considered.
"Should we split up and look?" Beat asked.
"No, let's stay together." Corn decided, "If this is a trap I don't know what's gonna happen but… I think it'll be in our best interest to stick together. Let's look around here."
The gang skated to where the pyramids stood. Unlike the other places they've been to there wasn't a single sign of a struggle around.
"Looks like they haven't been here." Garam spoke.
"Yeah, regardless… the madness of tonight has people hiding in their homes out of fear." Corn shook his head, "Then again that fear has been there ever since Rokkaku Goji took office, it's just been intensified." He scrunched his hands into fists, "This makes me so mad… everyone has the right to live their lives how they want to! They shouldn't have to feel afraid!"
"Corn… do you think Rokkaku might have something to do with the Noise Tanks?" Gum questioned.
"I wouldn't be surprised." Beat noted, "He's caused a lot of trouble just to please his own sick and narrow mind."
Boogie sighed, "I've heard some pretty dark stories about him. That guy's a monster… how the hell did he even get elected anyway!?"
"He cheated the whole system from what I heard." Jazz responded, "He's got big money and he's not afraid to use it. It reminds me of that saying about money being the root of all evil."
"Oh my gosh! Guys, look up there!" Rhyth suddenly shouted, pointing upward. When the rest of the GG's looked at where she was pointing, they couldn't believe their eyes.
It was Yoyo, and he really was giving a brutal thrashing to a Poison Jam crocodile. The gang gasped at the sight. The smaller guy threw the brute to the ground and quickly skated off into the night just as the GG's took off after the action.
"Hurry we've got to get up there!" Corn yelled.
Astonished, Combo said, "That was Yoyo wasn't it!?"
"I can't believe what I just saw!" Garam expressed.
The GG's flipped off of metal poles, grinded off the billboards, and skated atop other buildings until they finally got to the beaten Poison Jam member, who was groaning in pain. The GG's surrounded him rapidly. As they expected, Yoyo was long gone.
"We've got him!" Beat announced.
Corn faced the fallen Poison Jam, "Don't move! We've got some questions for you so stay where you are!"
The crocodile struggled to sit up, "Ugh… grr… huh? Oh… it's you guys… ughhnn. What do you guys want?"
"The guy you were just with, where did he go?" Corn demanded.
"Ugh… Oh right, that little runt belongs to you guys doesn't he…?" He coughed once, "Man… what is with that guy? I didn't think someone so little would be so… so… ouch! It hurts!"
The GG's exchanged confused looks.
"Tell us where he went!" Corn demanded again.
"Grr… why should I tell you? We Poison Jam, still got a score to settle with you guys! In fact, we've got a couple now! Thanks to you losers, our boss ditched us!"
"What!?" A shocked Combo said, "Cube isn't with you freaks anymore?"
"Pfft… She hasn't gone back to her shallow girl club, Rapid 99. So I don't know where she's at. Like I'd care… that backstabbing little bitch…" He snapped fiercely.
Infuriated, Combo punched the guy's arm. Poison Jam roared in pain.
"Don't talk about her like that!" Combo raged.
Beat held him back, "Chill out Combo!"
Poison Jam recollected himself, "Ugh… if you're really set on finding that stubby shrimp… He should be headed off to Sky Dinosaurian Square."
"That's the theme park isn't it?" Rhyth asked.
"It is." Corn confirmed.
Beat cracked his knuckles, "Well what are we waiting for? We've got to get there before Yoyo gives us the slip! That little traitor has a lot to answer for!"
"All right, all right. Let's go." Corn sternly looked at Poison Jam, "If you're lying, we'll find you."
With that, the GG's left him behind, hopping upon another roof.
"So what's the fastest way to get there?" Gum wondered.
Corn looked beyond the edge and could see the train tracks right below them.
"The train tracks." He responded, "If we follow those, we'll get there quick. Any questions?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Great! All right GG's! Let's move out! Onto the tracks!"
One by one the GG's took the massive jump from the building onto the tracks, each doing a variety of tricks in the air. Each landed on the tracks with precision and glided across the tracks.
"This is getting really exciting!" Boogie observed.
Rhyth skated beside her, "I hear you. My heart's just booming like crazy. But we'll be okay, I know we will!"
"I hope you're right." Boogie said, "It's just intimidating knowing this might turn out bad for us."
"True, every time something happens it's always much worse than what we had to face before." Rhyth noticed.
Garam got between them and put an arm around each of their shoulders, "Everything will be okay girls! We've gotten through everything so far after all."
Boogie nodded with a smile, "That's right. We'll get through this." Noticing they had fallen behind everyone else she spoke, "Let's hurry now, we haven't got a lot of time."
"Right." Garam and Rhyth replied.
Sky Dinosaurian Square was typically the place to be during the night. Unfortunately, this area was also cleared out by the Noise Tank riot.
"Where are we going to start?" Beat queried.
Corn glanced around at the various rides and attractions. They were lit up but they were alone at the park, or so it seemed. His eyes settled in the distance onto the signature attraction of the park, the suspended dragon-themed roller coaster. Oddly enough, the coaster was still running even though the place was supposedly deserted. It could only mean one thing.
"I think I know just where to look." He answered, "Follow me everyone! To the coaster!"
The GG's rushed through the park, as they got closer they could spot three figures dancing at the loading dock, high in the air.
"I think I see them!" Gum proclaimed, "We've got him now!"
They had to roll through the line leading to the ride which proved difficult at times due to the frequent stairs and uphill paths.
"We're almost there! Let's go, hurry!" Corn encouraged the gang.
"Let's do this!" Beat invigorated.
Finally, they arrived at the loading dock. There he stood in his backstabbing glory, Yoyo. His hood was over his head and he was dancing like nothing was wrong. Two Noise Tanks were dancing behind him.
"Yoyo, you asshole! You'll pay for what you've put us through!" Beat shouted furiously.
Corn fumed, "That's right! This is unforgivable! Betraying us is going to be the one thing you'll regret the most!"
"Seriously, you're terrible. I knew you liked to lie but I didn't think you'd stoop so low." Gum sneered.
Combo set his boombox down, ready to fight, "I don't know how you could do this to us! I thought we were pals! I should've kicked your butt back when we first met, I hope you're ready now!"
"Wait! Don't fall for it!" Someone frantically announced from behind them.
Everyone turned their head, and were stunned by who they saw.
"Is that who I think it is!?" Gum questioned.
"Sure looks like it!" Corn affirmed, "It's…"
Combo's eyes were wide, "Cube!"
Cube skated straight for them, "That guy's a fake! A total imposter!"
She zipped past the GG's and collided into Yoyo, he started convulsing and emitting sparks. The Noise Tanks scattered out of sight.
"What's going on!?" Rhyth panicked.
"I don't know!" Corn answered, "Wait… what the!?"
The appearance of Yoyo began to fade away, until it was finally revealed to be a disguised Noise Tank. The GG's collectively yelped in shock.
"I don't believe this!" A shocked Corn stated.
"That wasn't Yoyo!" Beat asserted, "It was just one of the Noise Tanks in disguise!"
"Those jerks!" Gum scorned.
Rhyth remained silent with a face of shock. She sighed in relief but was still astonished.
"Oh my goodness! This just got real!" Boogie proclaimed, "This is just getting wilder and wilder!"
Cube got upon the station cover and called to the GG's, "You guys, this was all a set up! Rokkaku is out for you guys he had-!" Before she could say anymore she was grabbed by one of the Noise Tanks and a hand placed over her mouth. She let out muffled cries and struggled.
Furious, Combo stepped forward, "You let her go right now!"
The Noise Tank taunted, "It sucks when people spoil the fun like this. Whatever, you guys are toast regardless." He eyed Cube, "Heh, I suppose I'll return her to you." He teetered her to the edge and threw her off. She screamed.
"Cube!" Combo shouted and raced to her.
He caught her in his arms in the nick of time. She looked at him, shocked.
"Don't worry, I got you Cube." He assured her.
"Combo… thank you so much." She spoke in a hushed voice, "I…"
The Noise Tanks turned around and fled. Prompting Corn to shout, "Get them!"
The rest of the GG's ran after them, but the Noise Tanks pulled an extremely risky move and hopped upon the coaster tracks and grinded along.
"Shit!" Corn swore, "Don't follow them guys! It's too dangerous!"
"They're gonna get away!" Gum argued, realizing they could jump to the nearby buildings and escape.
"What they're doing is really dangerous! I don't want anyone to put themselves at risk like that!"
Beat felt determination surge through his entire being. No, he was not going to let them get away. Not after what they had done.
Corn continued to talk, "We'll find them and catch up to them. But right now-"
Beat zoomed off without warning, pushed Corn aside and hopped on the tracks.
"What!? Beat! Beat are you crazy!?" Corn shrieked, "Get back here right now! BEAT!"
"Beat!" Gum cried out.
Beat heard them, but he had made his mind up. He was going to pursue the Noise Tanks, regardless of where they ran. They were quite a distance at first, but he managed to catch up to them quickly. He armed himself with a spraycan and shook it up.
Upon realizing they were being followed the Noise Tanks tried to brake abruptly to throw Beat off.
"I guess we've got company!" One noted.
"Let's have some fun with him then!" Another said, "Shall we?"
Two of them fell behind him but he managed to stay beside one.
"Take this!" He shouted and sprayed paint upon the robot. It flailed around popping a few circuts before falling off the tracks and into the city below.
"That's one down."
Suddenly, another Noise Tank appeared behind him and started to push and slap him.
"Ow! Back off!"
Beat flipped around to face his opponent and sprayed. Like the first one, this one appeared to malfunction before losing balance and falling.
Now it was just him and the Noise Tank that had played the role of 'imposter'. The imposter had dashed ahead of him. Beat himself dashed to keep up.
"You aren't getting away with this!" Beat threatened.
He kept the imposter in his sight even as they reached the twist in the track. This rendered him dizzy for a few seconds but he had to stay focused. Fire from the flamethrowers added an impressive effect to the battle just as it would for the coaster riders on a normal day. Just then, there was a loud roaring behind him. Beat looked behind him and confirmed what he had dreaded, the coaster was fast approaching them. The Noise Tank that remained slightly ahead of him didn't seem to notice.
"Oh no…" He started to regret his hasty decision, "This could turn out bad for me."
He looked ahead and realized that he was arriving back at the station. However, it was still a fair distance away.
"Maybe I can make it back and jump off before the coaster catches up… Geez, it's coming up real fast."
Corn bellowed from the dock, "Come on Beat hurry it's catching up!" The rest of the GG's were frantic behind him.
Beat realized that he wouldn't make it in time, the coaster was going too fast. Then he noticed a small bump in the tracks and got an idea.
"No choice… I have to jump now… Okay, here goes!" He vaulted himself off the incline and soared through the air. He saw the lit skyline of the city, contrasted by the darkened sky. The Noise Tank then realized he was in trouble too and made a hasty leap of faith.
Mid-air the two battlers met. Beat smiled impishly, "Hey there." And sprayed directly into his face. After that, they both tumbled and rolled across the floor of the loading dock.
"Beat!" The GG's called, surrounding their friend.
"Heh… I got them." He replied, getting to his feet. The gang faced the remaining Noise Tank, who stood; and had a new paint job.
"You… why does it matter to you punks what goes on in the streets!?" The angry robot vented. He began to breakdown, "BBRZT! I cannot compute… Oh you listen to me GG's… you may have defeated us, but the syndicate has their sights set on you!"
Corn retorted, "This is our city, we're taking it back!"
"All of you best sleep with one eye open from now on…"
Shortly after saying that, a golden claw extended from out of nowhere and crashed the Noise Tank, completely destroying the robot.
"Whoa!"
"Ah!"
The arm retracted to a person in the shadows, before they could get a good look at whoever it was the figure bolted out of sight.
Everyone was silent for a few seconds before Combo spoke, "Who was that!?"
Corn took a few breaths, "I don't know, but now that things have calmed down…" He faced Beat and put his hand on his shoulder, "You… don't you ever do anything like that again, you hear?"
"I'm sorry Corn, but at least they didn't get away right?" He grinned.
"Dude seriously!" Rhyth added, "We thought you were a goner!"
"Nah, it's all good. Also, like I said, they didn't get away!" Beat laughed.
Gum eyed Beat for a moment then sighed in relief, "Beat… I'm so glad you're okay… If something had happened to you… I don't know. Beat, I… I love…"
"Hey Gum!"
"Huh?" Gum looked up to see Boogie in front of her, "What's up Boogie?"
"Just making sure you're okay. You're looking a little red on your cheeks, feeling okay?"
All eyes went to Gum.
"Uh… well. You see…" She nervously muttered, "I'm just… this is all so crazy."
"Hey I hear you." Boogie assured, "Everything's okay, well, for now at least. You can relax, somewhat."
"Yeah… heh…"
Beat stared at Gum curiously, "Huh…"
Corn suddenly remembered, "Oh that's right! Cube, what was it that you were saying before the Noise Tanks grabbed you?"
Cube gasped lightly at the realization, "Oh! Of course, you see… It was the Noise Tanks the entire time. They were robots built by Rokkaku himself. Yoyo never turned against you guys it was all part of the plan to destroy you guys. To make it appear as if a friend betrayed you… that was intended to lower you guy's morale, so you would be easier to take down."
"Rokkaku that jerk…" Beat commented, "I knew he was messed up but to go this far…"
"Anyway, they've got the real Yoyo locked up in the Fortified Residential Zone. I happened to hear some of the Noise Tanks talking a while ago."
"Are you sure?" Corn asked.
"Yes, I am."
Corn nodded, "Okay, well… this has been quite an adventure. But it's not over yet. Now we know that we were never betrayed. Rhyth…"
"Yes?"
He smiled, "It looks like you were right all along."
Rhyth smiled and enthused, "I knew he wasn't that kind of guy! I'm so happy…"
"It's such a weight lifted off us to know he didn't backstab us. Now that we know where he is, we can go rescue him!"
"Yeah!" The GG's cheered.
"So how do we get to the Fortified Residential Zone?" Combo asked.
"To get there, we gotta go through the Tokyo Underground Sewage Facility." Corn answered, "Let's get going now. Since we just defeated the Noise Tanks there's no telling what Rokkaku might be planning now. And, Cube?"
"Hm?"
Corn glanced at Combo and gave him a comforting look, then back at Cube, "Why don't you stick around with us?"
Cube perked up, hopeful, "R-really?"
"Yeah, you should hang out with us!" Rhyth agreed, "You did us a huge favor!"
When the rest of the GG's also agreed, Cube smiled, "Okay then, I'll join you guys."
"Fantastic! Welcome to the team Cube." Corn replied, "Now we should hurry to the Fortified Residential Zone and find Yoyo. Everyone ready?"
"Yes!" Everyone answered.
"All right GG's, let's move out!"
Author's Note: Whew! Hey everyone! :D
So I know I've been updating slow, just as a reminder it might be like that for a while. I hope you keep enjoying nonetheless!
It is late at night as of now when I'm updating, and now I'm tired. So I'll go to sleep.
Good night guys! :)
