Afternoons in Aron City were always noisy, especially in the middle-class district. The tumultuous roar of motorcycles could always be heard in the distance as a large bike club gathered at the Greasy Hawg Brewery for their usual afternoon drink. Little did they know that this humble restaurant and bar was more than just a hole in the wall, oblivious to the criminal gang lurking in the bellows of its brick-built exterior. A crime organization known only as…the Royal Three.

"Unload boys, it's time for the morning booze!" shouted the leader, a tall and powerfully built man known only as "Choppahead."

"To alcohol!" cried the fellow members as they raised their arms in a rousing cheer. "The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems!"

"Now let's get ready to put out the fires in our head with even more gasoline!" continued the co-leader "Tiny Tim" (one might be tempted to call him the group's official "moderator") as he got off his custom bike and made his way toward the brewery with his grisly leader in tow.

Suddenly, as the lot of bikers made their way to the front door, Choppahead stepped back in horror and his body trembled with anger as he read a small sign posted on the door, crying WTF in a piercing and shattering scream. For on the sign was written an ominous message for anyone needing desperate recovery from a hangover:

OWNERS ON TEMPORARY LEAVE…WE MAY OR MAY NOT BE BACK, WITHIN A WINDOW OF A FEW WEEKS, GIVE OR TAKE A FEW WEEKS.

"This is unbearable…" Tiny Tim murmured pathetically as he clutched his bandanna-covered scalp. "I feel the hangover comin' on…and there's nothing we can do!"

"I'm afraid we'll have to go to the Greasy Hawg's most challenging rival…" Choppahead muttered while pointing at the sky randomly, "…the Cutesie Kitten!" With that, the bike gang members once again saddled themselves onto their bikes, riding off into the distance…

…and then stopping at the Cutesie Kitten, which just happened to be next door.

"OPEN UP!" screamed Choppahead. "Our heads are banging and our wallets are overflowing! Please, for the sake of our brains, please let us in for a DRINK!"

"Argh, you people are pathetic…" moaned a curious and rebellious-looking young man as he rushed to answer the door.

"You really should be happier," hissed a weird and almost sadistic voice emanating from his PET. "They DO fund our criminal circle, you know…ATSUKI."

"Yeah, I guess so, but they're so troublesome…BURNERMAN."

"Argh, just open the door!" shouted an impatient voice from the second floor of the Cutesie Kitten. "As long as they've got money, the customer is always right."

"I figured that…" Atsuki murmured as he grudgingly answered the door…and stared Choppahead straight in the face.

"Welcome to the Cutesie Kitten…hey, don't you guys usually go to the Greasy Hawg?"

"Well, we would have, except they're closed without notice…hey. HEY. You're our former colleagues. The…the…"

"That's right," Atsuki smirked as a mocha-skinned girl with orange dread locks and a man resembling a much more sinister and dark version of Dr. Royal came into view. "Now that you know who we are, there's no more use in hiding behind Cardinal Rule Number Three. My name is Atsuki, this young lady is named Anetta, and the big lurking thing over there is our leader, Dr. Flush. Together we are…"

An aura of unrestrained menace surrounded them as they continued simultaneously:

"…THE FLUSH THREE."

OPERATION 3: C.O.W.B.O.Y.S.-L.A.S.S.O. (Crude, Obnoxious Woman Bothersome to Omnipotent Youth's Super-Lavish Array of Surprisingly Succculent Organisms)

"This is the terminal," Royal observed, pointing at terminal number 66. "The place where we have to meet Billy Bronson…for a ride in that private jet of his!"

"I wonder who Tamako is," Chin said uncertainly. "Last I heard, she was supposed to be some souvenir peddler selling stuff in a Japanese hot springs resort."

"Business has been booming for her recently," Lumine pondered aloud. "It's possible she expanded her business into central Amerope in recent months."

"What kind of person is Tamako?" Cyber Man asked curiously with a tilt of his head.

"Well, she's not right in her head, I'll say this much," Blind replied while lowering her head in disappointment. "Lumine and I had the misfortune of meeting her several years ago and she was desperate to challenge us…that woman just wouldn't leave us alone."

"If memory serves me correctly," Royal wondered, "…wasn't she the one who operated Metal Man? That crazy enthusiast or something, right?"

"Memory serves you correctly, yes," Chin replied. "What I don't get is why she's suddenly into borrowing cows. Closest thing I can think of is fertilizer or something like that…"

Lumine and Royal looked at Chin, cringed, and twisted their faces in disgust.

"Howdy," a young man looking no more than fifteen years old said as he came up from behind them. "The name's Billy Bronson. I understand you guys are…er…the Greasy Hawg Brewery people."

The three sighed, glad that he was aware of that by-now-familiar third rule.

"I'm so glad you guys could make it!" Billy continued, emitting his own sigh of relief. "This woman…this damn woman…she's been giving me so much headache recently. I've just lost control of my cattle fortune thanks to her! I thought, who better to deal with a criminal than…" and he continued in a soft whisper, "…a criminal? Oh, and you'll have to keep this on the down low. I haven't discussed this with any of the board members for obvious reasons."

"Slow down, pal," Chin replied as he raised his hand, as well as an eyebrow. "We know Tamako is trying to steal your cattle. Do you have any clue why?"

"That's what I've been trying to find out," Billy replied as he directed them through an elevator to the outside lower levels, towards the Aron City airport flight docking grounds. "That woman just keeps borrowing my cows and promising to return them, which she never does. I'm getting the feeling she's up to something, but I have no idea what. And…oh good, right on time!"

Billy Bronson waved over to his pilot as he stood in front of one of the most impressive private jets in existence. With its long and slender trident body, conservative yet striking two-tone black and grey paint job complete with gold "Bronson" lettering, and rounded edges eluding subtle technological form and function, it seemed much like a smaller version of the Concorde. Royal couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever get the chance to own one and name it after himself.

"Well, then!" Billy grinned. "I can't stand the Aron City heat, so maybe we ought to get back and find out exactly what that rascal Tamako is up to!"

"Huh huh…he said Rascal…" Chin thought to himself.

"I wonder what kind of Navi Tamako commands," Cyber Man wondered to himself. "Who is this Metal Man of hers? Is she as powerful as me?"

Once inside the private jet, each of the four sat down on the luxurious seats as a waiter passed around some waffles.

"Fresh from the oven, good sirs!" he said with a smile as he passed around the golden discs of flaky goodness.

"Mmm, these are GOOD!" Royal said most ungraciously with his mouth full, after which Lumine nudged him embarrassingly. "How do you eat like this every day?"

"It's simple!" Billy replied. "Everyone knows waffles are a Bronson family favorite. Cheap, easy to make, go well with almost anything."

"I'm relieved…" Lumine thought to herself. "For the son of a distinguished cattle rancher's family, he's really down-to-earth."

"So about this new mission of ours," Chin said, bringing this little discussion back on topic, "how many cows does Tamako usually borrow at a time…and how often?"

"Er…" Billy wondered aloud. "Well, I've pretty much lost count over how many she's tried to take so far. But I do know she usually comes to steal ten at a time, around twice a year."

"How much of your profits are hurt every time she does this?" Royal inquired.

"About half. Trust me, these cows are valuable, the way we bring 'em up."

"Do you know where Tamako's residence is?" asked Cyber Man, taking a sudden interest in the conversation. "Maybe she's keeping the cows there!"

"Agreed," Blind continued. "A house, a building, some permanent storage area would be the most logical place to find them."

"According to our studies, there are only a few residential buildings scattered throughout your area," Royal murmured as he scratched his chin. "So if the cows were to be hidden in a house, and if there are as many of them as you say that are under her possession…they couldn't all possibly fit in a single home. That's what bothers me…they should be so easy to find in a landscape as barren as this, where they can only roam outside, but…something's definitely wrong here."

"This is getting rather creepy…" Lumine wondered. "How can a mass of cows just…disappear?"

"I thought it was strange at first too," Billy muttered as he gazed out the window, his eyes glazed over in puzzlement. "I then discovered that somehow she lists a different residence every time we arrange for a delivery. She does pay an initial deposit per the contract, but she still owes me a lot of money. Supposedly she's keeping them stored in different areas, which I suppose makes sense…but since she agreed to borrow and not keep them, I'd like to know what's going on with my babies."

"This just keeps getting more and more interesting…" Chin wondered.

"Lord Bronson!" the pilot called from the cockpit. "We're approaching the Gainestown terminal, and ETA is 15 minutes."

"Understood," Billy replied as he nodded his acknowledgement. "Take us down slow and easy."

"Right away, sir."

"Hey Chin!" Cyber Man perked up. "Look out the window!"

"What is it, Cyber…ooh," Chin murmured softly as he stared out the window at the most beautiful sunset he had ever seen in his life. Clouds of mocha played a surreal and artistic ballet of artistry, dancing gleefully around the crimson hues that became ever so yellow as they approached the sun's brilliance. It was clearly times like these that reminded Chin that no matter what his mood, no matter how disturbed or unsettled his disposition, he was always a sucker for a good sunset.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Cyber Man asked as his little beady eyes widened considerably. "Is this what is meant by…a sunset?"

"Yeah," Chin replied. "A good one at that."

"I could stay up here forever like this," Lumine said as she stared out the window, her Navi Blind too entranced to talk. "Just floating above the clouds, gazing at the open sky."

"Heh…yeah," Dr. Royal continued as he folded his arms. "If we didn't have a mission to complete, we could probably fly around all we wanted to, but sadly, we're on someone else's time."

"Nah, no problem at all. Let them talk," Billy said smilingly as he waved his hand. "I see it every day and it's nothing special to me, but somehow it's a lot more meaningful when I hear it described like that."

For the next fifteen minutes, everyone stared at the setting sun, fully eclipsing itself behind the Earth's curve before the Bronson private jet finally touched down. An array of lights and the chatter of an air traffic controller over the intercom guided the supersonic private jet to its spot at the terminals. Once the airport taxi guided it into the proper area, its engines slowed to a halt and the passengers disembarked to begin their quest for Tamako.

"Where do you think she could be?" Chin asked in slight puzzlement. "There are so many places she could hide."

"Adding to the complication…" Royal continued, "…she listed numerous addresses so it's possible she's hiding out at any one of them. For that matter, we don't even know if she is staying at a motel or any hotels in this area, or even out of this country for that matter."

"Did she leave a phone number?" Lumine asked. "Usually, aren't you required to leave your phone with the party that provides the goods to be delivered?"

"Well, the problem here…" Billy replied unsurely as he rubbed the back of his head, "…is that she also gave me a number of phone numbers, and on every one of them she lists her home phone number as her work phone as well. Company policy insists that if this is the case, the customer is hinting that we shouldn't disturb him or her."

"Huh, what a rule," Chin murmured, "For businessmen, I mean."

"Yes, that much is understood. My curiosity tempts me to break that rule. For now, I've arranged a ride to my estate in northern Gainestown, so we can figure out where to find this Tamako."

With this, Billy put his fingers to his mouth and made a loud whistle. A few moments later, a large black stretched luxury limousine with a license plate reading "BRONSON" pulled up before them, and the four of them got inside for the drive to the Bronson estate. None of them said anything for a while as they pondered the overwhelming task to come, until Royal popped up with a simple question.

"Mr. Bronson…" Royal asked, "…just where is your estate?"

"The Sunset Farms area," Billy replied modestly, adding in another equally modest note: "And for the record, please just call me Billy."

"The Sunset Farms?" Chin perked up suddenly. "That's the wealthy district, where all the rich and powerful cattle ranchers establish their ranches!"

"Eh, I just think of it as another village, just some random hole in the wall," Billy shrugged. "To tell the truth, I hate this place. Everyone's so stuck up and rich here. Sometimes I go on vacation just to get away from it all."

"It must be tough for you," Lumine said in a soft and reassuring tone, "…growing up in a place like this. Did you ever think of what would happen if you didn't have so many responsibilities to keep up with?"

Billy looked out the window with a glazed-over look in his eyes as he replied, "All the time."

The black aristocratic bulk of the limousine continued off into the horizon…

BACK AT THE CUTESIE KITTEN BREWERY…

"So I take it you're the bike club known as the Hellbound Honeymooners," Dr. Flush said ominously as he scratched his chin, a few days' stubble adorning the edges of his sinister face.

"Yeah, that's us, the one and only!" Choppahead replied, slamming his fist onto the table with pride. "I'm Choppahead, the leader, and don't ya forget it!"

"Ah, shame on us…we still haven't introduced ourselves properly," Flush said with a slight smirk. "My name is Doctor Flush, and this is my Net Navi Sigma.exe. I am the leader of the Flush Three, quite obviously."

"Always a pleasure," hissed an ominous voice from Flush's PET. "You all seem rather…competent."

"My name's Anetta," said Anetta with a courteous wave, "…and this is my Net Navi Silk.exe!"

"Greetings and salutations," Silk said smilingly. "We are the medical backup for this team."

"Finally, I'm Atsuki! Heh!" Atsuki shouted as he stepped forward and made a Louis Strongarm pose hot-headedly. "This is my Net Navi, Burnerman!"

"Argh!" Burnerman shouted. "Finally, some competent-lookin' guys. Sure I prefer to work alone, but guess the help is welcome anyways."

"The name's Tiny Tim!" Choppahead's co-leader said as he stepped forward. "Feel free to call me Tiny…heck, everyone else does."

"And we're the expendable peons!" shouted the other club members.

"Welcome, one and all, to the crime syndicate of the Flush Three!" Flush shouted authoritatively as he spread his arms to welcome the new arrivals to his clan. "First of all…there's a little job I need you all to do for me."

"What kind of job?" Choppahead asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"That," Flush said as he pointed toward the Greasy Hawg. "Take it over."

"Dude, we can't exactly do that. I mean, we've built up a rep there. We got good relations with both of you guys, so we can't exactly…"

"…This is getting nowhere fast," Atsuki interjected while rolling his eyes. "Look. Think of all the hangovers you guys would have gotten if we never actually listened. Think of how miserable you felt this morning when the Greasy Hawg wasn't open. Would you really consider remaining loyal to a place that abandoned you in this, your time of greatest need?"

"Face it," Anetta continued. "The Greasy Hawg is corrupt. This is a sure sign that they're going down the drain. They've been building good relations with you for the sole reason of profit. Think about it. You come in and pay them for drinks, and then what? The talk ends there. On the other hand, you've got a deep history with us that extends way back and you know it!"

"So what do you say?" Flush said with his arms still spread welcomingly. "Will you continue to foster our good relations…or stick with the devils that milked you for money."

Choppahead closed his eyes and took a moment to think. Then after a while, he opened them and grunted with deep determination:

"They're a bunch of dead men."

The Flush Three smiled in response.

IN THE CYBER WORLD…

"What's wrong, Burnerman?" Silk asked nervously as the rabid cupcake paced frantically back and forth. "You seem rather worried."

"Just out of the loop, that's all," Burnerman replied. "How can we be sure these guys will actually come through this time? Last time, they were competent, but things tend to change."

"Ignore them," Sigma boomed as he logged in silently.

"DAMMIT!" Burnerman screamed. "You know I hate it when you do that!"

"Sorry," Sigma replied as he rubbed the back of his head. "Anyway, bear in mind that the bike club is expendable."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Silk asked curiously.

"Once we gain their loyalty, they will become obedient servants of my master, and will soon help us achieve our dreams of world domination. The fact still remains, of course, that Flush is a powerful figure well-known in the criminal world. He has presence. That is what makes these new inductees such expendable assets of this syndicate."

"So what you're saying…" Burnerman said with a sadistic grin, "…is that for every one of them we lose, ten more will rise to take their places!"

"Precisely," Sigma replied, his grin a mirror of Burnerman's. "Win or lose…we can never lose!"

"…And that's why you're the leader!" Silk said happily with a cackling laugh.

OPERATION TO BE CONTINUED…