A/N by Tei/Disk: Couple things I'd like to address while I'm here. The prefixes of "Chi" on the mini-sections of the skate park are all wordplay on the Japanese word "Chibi," which means something like small or runt in English. And Lotus, I'm not sure about a JSRF port to the GC, but I REALLY hope there is one so I don't have to rent an X-Box...

I would also like to point out that this chapter is relatively light-hearted in nature, but don't let that fool you. Things will get serious...eventually. :)

Chapter 3

"DJ K! DJ K! DJ K! Jet Set Radioooo..."

Tab stood on top of a large telephone pole, his hand over his eyes to shade them from the glaring, early morning sunlight. He grinned like an idiot, because from his vantage point, he could see all six sections of the Skate park and the full-pipe.

"I hereby declare," he shouted, raising his arms upward dramatically, "that I am the king of all that I see!"

Below, Yo-Yo skated past, taunting Thrash as he went. He whirled around the telephone pole, and Thrash just ignored that and went straight into it, sending large shockwaves upward and knocking Tab's skates out from under him. He paused and sweatdropped before plummeting.

"Now that makes you the king of dirt, I guess," Beat said, whistling.

"Shut up," Tab muttered. "I happen to like this dirt. It's very regal. It even tastes like royalty!"

Scorn, a renegade Rudie, was perched on a nearby rail and wore a smirk. "Watching you two is like watching Larry and Curly go at it without Moe around to stop them."

Beat growled and threw a brick in Scorn's direction, but the renegade dropped down from the rail and dashed away, sticking his tongue out at them.

"Just who does that twerp think he is??" Beat shouted.

"A renegade Rudie with an attitude problem?" Tab suggested, holding up a finger. Beat sweatropped, and skated away.

Garage

"You know," Garam grumbled into the pillow over his head, "I think I've got an idea."

"Shoot," Gum said. She was lying back on the couch with her eyes closed and her hands behind her head.

"Let's have sex."

"Let's not."

"Just a joke!!"

"Then what's your real idea, or do I need to bring out my castration scissors?"

"I was thinking that maybe we could get a job," Garam said. "I mean, you could be a waitress at Bucky's on Center Street. I could probably worm my way in as manager in a couple weeks."

"You're just saying that because the waitresses there wear those super vomit-enducingly cute, high-skirted, low-necked uniforms. Plus, I'd have to take my helmet off--something you don't want to see."

"Eeek, good point."

"Besides, jobs mean work. Work sucks."

"Well, if you look at it," Garam said, sounding as matter-of-factly as one can whilst his head is covered by a sleeping implement, "being a Rudie is work because we have to get up, go out, and actually do something."

"That's different. That's fun."

Garam heaved an aggravated sigh, tossed the pillow away, and climbed up to his skates. "Alright, look. I'm trying to help us find something to do. It's boring as hell, I won't deny it, with all our friends, rivals and enemies hanging at the skate park, but maybe, just maybe you're being too cutting about that place. I mean, what else is there for us to do?"

"I. Re. Fuse." Gum put in firmly, stomping her heel on the arm of the couch with each syllable. She likewise climbed up to her skates, and whipped out a can of spray paint. "Being a Rudie isn't just about going out and having fun! We've got responsibilities, like--like--protecting our turf, and stealing the others' whenever we can! Looking out for each other!"

"We're not doing a very good job of either," Garam mumbled softly.

"What ever happened to expressing ourselves to the world and all that?"

"Times change," he shrugged uneasily. "I mean, I see where you're coming from, I just don't think we're being fair. We should at least tip our front wheels inside that gate before we pass judgment."

"But--that thing said it hated me!"

Gum stopped, realizing what she was saying. She sighed. "Okay. Okay. I'll admit it--I am being cutting. That doesn't mean I hate the place any less, mind you."

"Good, that's progress, at least." Garam smiled. "Now, let's say we so out on the town, huh? I'll bet we could Jet Crush all around Tokyo!"

The idea itself wasn't appealing to her; she'd done plenty of Jet Crushes before. She even beat Cube's Challenge Crush through the backstreets of Shibuya, something that had yet to be accomplished by any other Rudie at all. But what the hell, anything beat sitting around and growing heated like this.

So she returned Garam's grin and said in a challenging voice, "Sure. You choose the path."

Potts, staying as neutral as always, eyed both Rudies before lying his head down onto his paws and going to sleep again, as he had been before Gum and Garam started arguing.

Skate Park

"I challenge you to a Jet Crush!" Beat pointed a finger dramatically in the direction of a group of Noise Tanks, who were huddling around together near the southern mouth of the full-pipe. Tab and Cube were standing behind him, Cube with her arms crossed, and Tab with one hand rubbing his chin whilst he grinned.

The Noise Tanks looked up from the quiet conversation of beeps and clicks they'd been having, and turned to face the GGs. There were five of them; not nearly their entire gang, but enough to act as witnesses. A Poison Jammer was lurking on the other side of the pipe wearing a scowl.

"What the hell do you think you're up to?" one of the Noise Tanks asked in a mechanical voice.

"Where's your leader?" Beat demanded, wearing a challenging grin. "I want to race him."

One of the Noise Tanks stepped forward from the five, and took off the mask he wore--only to reveal that he was actually a she. In return, Beat took off his goggles, and the two stared at each other with an electric spark running between them.

"Beat, why the challenge?" The Noise Tank girl asked.


"Because, Matrix, I feel like stretching my legs a bit and proving GG superiority." Beat put his glasses back on and began to dance in place. "Besides, I wouldn't want you growing chubby with all the standing and talking you do: your boyfriend wouldn't be happy."

"Shut up, leave Disk out of this," Matrix growled. "I accept your challenge. What're we doing?"

"We're going to race through the full pipe," Beat announced loudly but simply. "Whoever comes out first wins."

"The prize?"

"Hmm...the loser has to take nudie pictures of themselves and glue it up on the half-pipe's wall. We could start a wall of shame that way!"

Matrix snorted. "Allright. I'll kick your ass, and then everyone can see how small your dick is."

Beat blushed, but grinned. "You would know all about tha-aat..." he murmured.

"OUCH!" Cube cried, bursting out with raucous laughing.


"Please, Cube, he's probably screwed you more," Slash spoke up.

An unsettling pause settled itself over the lot of them, and Slash very suddenly felt stifled. His brain was telling his legs to pump and get as far away from Cube as they could, but his knees were currently made of jelly.

Cube lunged, tackling Slash into a skaters bowl, and the rest of the Rudies shrugged and turned towards the pipe. They called the Poison Jammer--Slice--out, and had him do the countdown.

The problem was that he didn't know how to count past two, so they just let him count however he wanted and shot off on the fourth number, which acted as their "GO!" signal.

"One...two...uh...sixty-nine......."

"Don't you know any other numbers?" Tab cried, about ready to pull out his hair, since Slice had been standing there reciting the same three numbers for about five minutes.

Slice scowled. "I do so! After sixty-nine comes...comes..."

"Yessss...?"

"Sixty-ten!"

The Noise Tanks and GG's face-planted on the concrete. In the end, it was decided that the "uh" would count as the three, and the "sixty-nine" would be the "GO!" Slice, now more confident of his counting abilities, proudly recited the same phrase, and Beat and Matrix were off, dashing into the mouth of the full-pipe and crouching as the slope carried them below ground level.

"Let's go around the other side and see who comes up first!" Hexadecimal declared.

"Shouldn't we see if yer buddy Slash is still alive?" Tab asked, but the Noise Tanks shook their heads and the lot of them moved on.

"I'm sure the rest of the park will enjoy seeing you posted on the side of the pipe," Beat said, his skate splashing through a puddle and soaking the bottom of his jeans.

"They won't ever get the chance," Matrix replied, grinning.

Benten

Gum let her momentum carry her up the arm of the crane. Far below, she could see cars running past, nothing but blurs of light zipping along like flies. She wanted to avoid being hit by those cars, so she had to time her jump into the business center section of town just right. the crane began it's long arc to the left again, and almost loosened her balance. She grit her teeth, watching the end of the arm come closer...closer...the arc drew to an end, and a solid awning was below her. She pushed away, angling herself so that she would land on it.

She did, crouching to absorb the impact, and angled her skates to the right. She rolled onto the walkway below, and dashed, grinding on a safety railing as she went.

She didn't know how close Garam was. She didn't even know if she was ahead, but she had to admit that she had been wrong. This was LOADS of fun! The wind whipped at her hair, getting it caught uncomfortably between her ear and her helmet, but she didn't care. This was just too exhilarating! If only Beat could have been here to see it--

She frowned. remembering that Beat had abandoned her. Well, throw that good mood out the window. Very suddenly, Gum didn't feel like racing anymore as a cold, murderous feeling of jealousy rose up her throat.

"Calm, calm," she murmured to herself, jumping over a car as it passed by under her, the driver honking the horn angrily. Gum flipped the bird at him, carrying much more slowly.

Feeling bitter inside, Gum turned off the path she was planning to take and slunk down into the subway tracks. She didn't care if Garam won anymore; it just wasn't the same without Beat, without the Noise Tanks and the Keisatsu to get in the way. It was infuriatingly dull.

It didn't matter where her skates took her. She just went, for the second time in twenty-four hours, following the phantom voice that was calling out to her in her mind.

Skate Park

Fifteen minutes after the race began, Beat emerged from the opposite mouth of the full pipe, raising his arms in victory once he realized Matrix wasn't around. Tab and Cube (the latter had decided to let Slash live without castration, and left him as a finely-meshed pulp in the skate bowl) congratulated their leader, and most of the Noise Tanks hung back in shame.

One wasn't so proud, though, and stepped forward to speak to Beat.

"Hey, man," the Noise Tank, a guy named Megabyte, asked. "Where's our leader? She shouldn't be that far behind."

Beat shrugged uneasily. "I don't really know. We were about halfway through, in that narrow part where only one person can fit through at a time, and she was ahead of me. I broke out then, pressing the speed, and she wasn't there anymore. I thought I'd taken the lead, and just kept going."

"If she's gotten hurt," Tab said, pondering aloud, "does she still have to pose?"

Someone threw a brick, clocking Beat on the head. Scorn's vengeful chortle could be heard from somewhere hidden in the park, and thus Tab and Cube turned their attention from the Tanks to the rest of the park.

Megabyte turned to his remaining teammates, Hack and Tracer, and pointed at the full pipe. One of us ought to go down there and try to find her. If she's been seriously hurt..."

"I'll go," Tracer said, his buff Australian accent shining through so brightly that Megabyte had to resist the urge to cover his eyes. The former turned to the pipe and disappeared into its gaping maw.

"Urrrghhh..." Beat groaned miserably.