Author's Note: Hello everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying themselves this Holiday Season despite everything happening with the pandemic. As a tribute to the season, I came up with a short bit of lyrics about everyone's favorite Jet Set Radio antagonist, Captain Onishima! Just one verse but I thought it would make you all smile :)
You're a mean one, Onishima
You really need to chill.
Shooting teenagers who skate
What has caused you so much hate?
Onishiiiima
You know you really oughta... shave all that stubble ooooofffff!
I know... cringe...If you guys have any lyric ideas feel free to share them :)
Anyway, on to the chapter!
When the GG's got to Chuo Street, it could only be described as madness. Pedestrians were fleeing past them and some taking cover in the surrounding buildings. Panicked screams resonated around the gang.
"Corn look, it's over there!" Gum pointed.
Zero Beat was rail gliding up the stairs and took a breath-taking leap once at the top.
"Where's that freak think he's going?" Beat questioned with aggravation, "And what's he up too?"
"Only one way to find out, let's get going!" Corn commanded.
The GG's raced trying to catch up to Zero Beat, which proved to be a difficult task because the robot was going so fast that they could barely keep it in their line of sight. The teens hopped on rails, trying to gain in on Zero Beat but the robot kept on ahead.
Back on the sidewalk, Yoyo exclaimed, "Yo why's he so fast!? My leg muscles are burning up!"
"Keep it up Yoyo! You'll be getting some serious iron calves at the end of this!" Garam tried to encourage his fellow troublemaker.
Corn glanced around before peering over his shoulder. By a shred of coincidence, a single pickup truck was on the road and driving in the direction that they were going. Once it got closer, a second was all he needed to see that the truck had a sturdy-looking metal bar nailed onto the back. Something that could very easily be grabbed and held onto. With a look of confidence and determination, Corn yelled to his gang, "Everyone! Follow my lead!"
He picked up his pace and began tailing the car.
"Hey Corn, are you crazy!?" Gum called out.
"Trust me!" Corn quickly replied. Then he latched onto the back of the car and let it do all the moving for him.
"Come on!"
Without knowing what else to do, Gum picked up speed, caught up to Corn, and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Holy shit!" Beat spoke with amazement before following both their examples, he skated fast and wrapped his arms around Gum.
"Hey!" Rhyth followed suit.
"Yo, yo, YO! That looks fun!" Yoyo caught up and did the same, eagerly giving Rhyth a hug, "Hahaha!"
What followed afterward was the remainder of the GG's latching on to one another and forming a massive human roller-skating chain being rolled along the street with a truck leading the way.
Soda was at the end of the line holding on to Clutch, "Hey man, this is not safe!"
Clutch reacted with positive surprise, "Hey, hey! Soda that's the most expressive I've heard you sound in a long time!"
"Dude, this is really dangerous!"
"Yeah, it is. But it sure is fun! Waaahooooo!"
Cube was holding onto Combo and she called to him, "Combo how come we never thought about traveling like this before?"
Combo responded full of adrenaline, "I don't know but I'm enjoying this even though I'm a little freaked out!"
Cube laughed in response, "Hahaha!" She then sighed longingly, "Coin would have loved doing this." She whispered.
Combo agreed kindly, "Yeah, he would have."
Cube looked at Combo in shock, surprised that he heard her quiet whisper that she could've sworn would have been lost among the heart-pounding pace they were traveling. Nonetheless she smiled and held her long-time friend just a little bit tighter.
It was lucky for the GG's that the truck took them to 99th Street, in the direction that Zero Beat had gone. The gang kept their eyes open and looked around intensely for Zero Beat. Strangely, there was no sight of him. Even catching a ride on the back of the truck they lost him.
"Now where'd he go?" Corn muttered. He managed to get a view in front of the truck and what he saw made his heart stop.
"Golden Rhinos!" He shouted to his team, making everyone instantly alert. There were a group of agents with what was obviously an electric fence set up behind them. They held their weapons in front of them like soldiers ready to engage in battle.
"Oh no! What are we going to do?" Gum asked.
Corn was just about to consider a plan of defense, thinking the driver of the vehicle would slow down and stop. But he didn't get the chance to; That's because the vehicle did the opposite of slowing down, it sped up!
"Whoa, whoa! Guys hang on we're speeding up!" Corn warned loudly.
"What's up with this driver!?" Gum yelled.
"Hold on!" Corn responded.
All of the GG's screamed in unison as the truck's tires vroomed ferociously against the road due to the high speed. The look on the Golden Rhino agent's faces went from calm to fearful and eventually terror. They bolted as fast as their long trench coats would allow them too, managing to leap out of the path of the barreling truck in the nick of time. Unluckily for them, their fencing and other barriers they had set up were either crushed or tossed about from the truck. Several heavy pieces went flying, striking some of them hard enough to knock them unconscious.
Clutch couldn't help but yell a taunt back at them, "HA! You guys weren't expecting THAT we're ya!? You guys are the KINGS OF DUMB AND UGLY! HAHAHA!"
Soda rolled his eyes and sighed.
As fast as they rolled through 99th street, the Skyscraper District and Pharaoh park was practically a blur. And when the chain rolled up on Highway Zero, Yoyo yelled out, "Yo guys! Does anyone else find it weird that the driver hasn't noticed us yet!?"
Corn found this suspicious, "I think it's weird too Yoyo! But I have to figure out how we're safely gonna get off this ride!"
The car came to a screeching halt in the middle of the road. Causing the GG's to smush into one another and then bounce back like an accordion.
After a few seconds of feeling dazed Corn turned to his friends, "Is everyone all right?"
There were a few variations of 'yeah' coming at different intervals.
Garam blurt out, "Whoaaaa! That is by far the wildest thing I had ever done!"
"I'll say." Boogie agreed, "My heart is beating so fast right now." Her hand pressed on her chest.
"We should be thankful for the driver that he didn't try to kick us off." Jazz noted, "But.. why did he stop here?"
"Good question." Corn replied.
The GG's all held a glance to the driver's door and watched it open. Everyone's jaw dropped when they saw who stepped out.
"Roboy!?" Corn hollered in shock.
"Yeah?" Roboy danced his usual jig, "Who were you expecting? Julius Caesar?"
"Dude, where did you get a truck from?" Corn questioned.
Gum also asked, "Yeah, and since when did you know how to drive?"
"I was bored, so I took a hike to Kibogaoka Hill. I found this beast there, strangely the keys were in the ignition."
Beat asked, "How'd you manage to get this from there to here? It's not exactly a wide open road."
"Well of course it wasn't an open road. That's why there are so many scratches and dents. Duh." Roboy responded superficially, "Also Gum, it's not like driving is rocket science. Even a baby could figure it out."
Rhyth pointed out, "Not exactly Roboy. Have you seen the motor vehicle accident rates in Tokyo-to? And all around the world where cars have a strong presence? Those numbers prove it is rocket science for a lot of people."
If Roboy had eyes he certainly would have rolled them, "Okay smart ass. The great Roboy has helped you guys out and this is how you thank me?"
Rhyth stuttered slightly, "W-Well thank you for your help Roboy! That really helped us out!" She said in a perky voice. Prompting the rest of the GG's to roll their eyes.
"Hmm, it was no big deal." Roboy replied, "I was just tired of being so bored all the time."
Corn shook his head with amusement, "That was a cool thing to do Roboy, honestly."
"Yeah." Gum agreed, "I didn't think you knew how to drive."
Roboy paused before beginning to make a few titters, "Heh, you guys should have seen the look on all of your faces when I floored it toward those shady people. It was hilarious as hell! Hahaha!"
Clutch stepped forward, "YOU should have seen the look on YOUR face when me and Soda attacked you at the hideout! I imagine being shut off didn't fix anything either."
Roboy snapped, "Oh, that does it. Get over here and I'll teach you a lesson!"
Soda got in between them, "Hey Clutch, no more fighting with him!"
Gum replied sarcastically, "Forgive us for thinking we were all about to die in a fireball."
"Holy shit!" Yoyo suddenly yelled, startling everyone.
"What was that about Yoyo?" Beat asked.
"Speaking of a fireball, check that out yo!" Yoyo pointed.
The rest of the GG's looked and were shocked to see a thick cloud of black smoke rising into the sky. Flames were also visible on top of buildings.
"What the hell? Something's burning!?" Combo yelled out.
Corn watched the cloud, "Looks like trouble, we've got to check it out! It's probably the Golden Rhinos!"
At that moment, Combo turned up his radio, "Hey guys, DJ Professor K is on the radio. Listen!"
Professor K's voiced sounded freaked, "The Golden Rhinos have turned Highway Zero into a sea of flames. What's it gonna take to stop these pyromaniacs!?"
Roboy jumped back in the truck, "Well that settles it, we should get going back to the hideout. It's not safe here." The robot turned on the engine, "Come on, let's go!"
"We're going to stop them Roboy." Corn answered, "We can't just let them do as they please!"
Roboy didn't have much facial features, but he sounded shocked when he said, "You guys are going to go TOWARD a fire? Why on earth would you guys do that? Sheesh, and you say I'm crazy."
"We're the only ones that can stop them!" Corn vehemently explained, "If we don't Tokyo-to is done for! Just… return to the garage and wait for us."
"I intend to." Roboy answered, "You guys better come back or I'll never forgive you."
"We will, you have my word." Corn assured.
Cube looked at Combo, "How about that? Roboy sounds like pain a lot but he really does care."
Combo nodded his head in agreement.
Gum interjected, "He sounds like a pain because he is, but he's a cool one."
Jazz spoke quietly, "A hardened outside with a soft inside. I like the sound of that."
Before driving away, Roboy bid, "Good luck out there guys! Don't forget what I said!" Then he drove away quickly, leaving behind tire marks.
The GG's watched him until he was out of sight, then Corn announced, "All right GG's, move!"
Just like DJ Professor K had said, Highway Zero had become the gateway to hell. Buildings were getting licked by flames, fire engulfed the small merchant stands that were obviously abandoned. The GG's glanced around their surroundings in shock.
"It's so hot!" Rhyth observed, using her hand to fan herself.
"The city's gonna be baked Alaska if we don't do something!" Jazz pointed out.
"We have to find out where the fire is coming from!" Corn spoke, "How did the Golden Rhinos manage to start all of this so fast?"
A burning billboard above the gang had collapsed creating loud, snapping noises. It fell and hit the ground just a few feet away from the GG's, breaking and scattering small embers.
"Ahhhhahaha!" A man's voice was heard above the roaring flames.
"Hey guys! Who's that fool?" Soda yelled.
The GG's turned to see a man wearing a face shield run into their view with a bag strapped to his back, the fire shooting hose in hand.
"It's about time you kids showed up!" The pyro-lunatic yelled, "Watching inanimate objects burn over and over again gets pretty boring after a while, hahaha!"
Corn exclaimed, "What have you done?! You freaking maniac!"
"The big boss Rokkaku, ordered me to deal with you kids in any way I see fit, and I love fire!"
"You Golden Rhinos are unbelievable! Don't you realize how many innocent lives you're endangering?!" Corn argued.
The pyromaniac responded, "What?! How dare you speak to me that way! It's all you guy's fault!"
"Our fault?!" Gum fired back, "How is this our fault?! You're the one turning this place into a walk-in hell!"
"You so-called rebels just had to keep skating around like you do. Tainting this wonderful city with your foul hobbies you call 'art and self-expression', polluting our air with your foul music, and poisoning the mind of our future youth!"
"So you're setting everything on fire. Oh yeah, nice one!" Beat retorted with heavy sarcastic venom.
"Nothing has been successful so far in stopping you all, and desperate times call for desperate measures! Now, how should I cook you little worms? Rare? Medium?"
The GG's began to skate backwards nervously.
"No way yo." Yoyo muttered, "He's not that crazy is he?"
"Oh yes! Of course! Well done! Aaahhhahahahaha!" The pyro laughed maniacally and took aim. Nobody noticed Combo stealthily grabbing a stray metal strip behind him.
"Watch out!" Corn warned his gang.
"Don't!" Combo yelled at the man and charged with the metal slab in hand. Using his full power, he whacked the man. Combo aimed for his face but ended up miscalculating and struck his wrist instead. He struck the madman so hard that the metal strip had busted right in two.
"AUGH" The man screamed in pain. His torch was knocked from his hand.
"Guys run!" Combo yelled.
The GG's scattered and took cover in several different places, the man reobtained his weapon and began torching indiscriminately.
"I'll burn you all to ashes!" He shouted.
Corn and Gum were hiding around the same corner.
"Corn, what are we gonna do about this guy?" She whispered.
Corn's mind was racing trying to think of a solution, "This dude's insane, we'll get burned crazy awful if we're not careful."
"We gotta think of something…" Gum began to ponder.
Around a separate corner, Yoyo and Rhyth were taking cover behind a dumpster.
"I'm scared Yoyo… this guy is worse than the last one." Rhyth's voice quivered.
"Hey, we'll be fine yo."
Rhyth gave him an unconvinced look, Yoyo responded by tucking one side of her hair behind her ear, "I promise, we'll be ok." He spoke softly looking directly into her eyes, "Yo, I survived being a prisoner to these Golden Rhino fools. All of us together? We're unstoppable yo."
Rhyth smiled, "Yeah, you're right."
"There's gotta be something we can do yo…" Yoyo tried to slip glances at the crazy man without getting caught.
Beat was taking cover behind a random trash can before slipping behind the concrete barrier between the street and the sidewalk.
The maniac stopped his blazing assault and barely caught a glimpse of Beat. Slowly, he began to creep toward the sidewalk.
"Ready or not, here I come!" The man spoke mockingly, then jumped right in front of Beat with his torch aimed.
"Whoa!" Beat spoke instinctively and dashed into a wide alleyway.
The man ran after him and taunted, "I hope you wanted a cremation because that's what you're going to get!" The man reached to his pack and turned up the power on his machine.
"Beat!" Gum cried out and chased after them.
"Gum!" Corn yelled out in response and pursued her.
The wannabe fire maniac heard Gum behind him and whirled around, blasting fire out of his weapon full power. Corn took a leap and tackled down Gum, the two hit the ground just in time to avoid the volley of fire.
The pyromaniac pointed his weapon at the downed teens and prepared to fire again, "HahahaAUGH!" His laughing was violently interrupted by Beat locking him into a choke hold. He dropped the nozzle and the two struggled back and forth while Gum and Corn got back on their feet.
"Awesome Corn, you saved me." Gum thanked him.
"We can talk about it later, let's hit him with paint!" Corn took out a spray can and began to spray the man.
Few by few the rest of the GG's entered the area, joining the party.
"Hey you!" Boogie addressed the pyromaniac, "You should pick up a different hobby! How about painting?"
"Yeah, listen to the lovely lady!" Garam agreed.
"Let go of me!" The man shouted.
"Not until you're passed out!" Beat argued, being a bit taller than the crazy madman he lifted him up of the ground slightly.
"Grrr…" The madman managed to catch hold of his weapon and shot a short burst of flames. Prompting Beat to drop him. The GG's regrouped and faced their enemy. A minute felt like an eternity as both sides stared their rival down without a word.
What the GG's noticed but their adversary did not, is that the man's pants were on fire, but a small flame. The Graffiti Gang smirked in unison, stirring irritation in their enemy.
"What are you kids smiling at?" He questioned aggressively.
Yoyo sneered, "Hey yo, you Golden Rhinos are always saying how you're looking out for the future of Tokyo-to? Liar, lair, pants on fire!"
Garam laughed out loud at the joke, everyone else shared a light chuckle.
The crazy guy clearly didn't get it and continued on a rant, "Oh how original. I would expect something a little more creative from brats like you. All of you will regret the day you messed with the big boss! Mark my words…" His voice trailed off finally feeling the heat slowly growing.
"What the hell… WHAT THE HELL!?" He freaked out, "Oh come on! THESE PANTS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FIRE RESISTANT! NO!"
His panicking only served to worsen the blaze. The GG's skated backwards to get a safe distance from the now walking incinerator.
"Human fireball coming through!" Garam shouted.
The GG's fled the alleyway back into the empty streets, the man pursued them continuing to cause the fire to grow.
"GAAAAAHH!" The man yelled.
From above, an advertising billboard collapsed from the flames.
"Look out!" Corn warned his gang, and they skated further away. A loud crash was heard, and the GG's turned to see the man crushed under the pile of burning debris.
Corn, horrified by the sight quickly turned his focus to his friends, "Let's go, let's go! Back to base, back to base!" More debris, small and heavy began to collapse further around the area.
The GG's escaped, out of the smoke.
Author's Note: Oh crazy madman, don't you understand that spray paint is very flammable? Hoist with his own petard as William Shakespeare one said!
I hope you guys enjoyed this, I'm getting excited as we are nearing the end!
See you all next time!