The Cartridge Caper
Disclaimer:
Professor Layton is owned by Level-5
Cloak And Dagger (1984 film) is owned by Universal Pictures
First off, many thanks to those who reviewed this fic, I really appreciated it and this gave me inspiration to work on the next chapter and here the the story commences as Luke is on the verge of starting an adventure of his own, which will soon lead him to a situation he never expected...
Well, read on and enjoy!
Ch. 2: Wakare no hōhō
A few days later, the scene shifts at the airport in Tokyo, where Kokichi Oma, the CEO of GENMU Corporation, is approaching his private airplane as he is scheduled to fly for London, England. He intend to meet up with the CEO of Psy-Cognosis Entertainment, a British game developer known for developing and publishing British video games such as Spice Girls and Colony Wars, to discuss a top-secret topic in regards to video games.
Oma secured a clearance to travel and is ready to board, and his secretary asked him if he is sure about leaving Japan, reminding him that he also has meetings with the board of directors and even the Ministry of Health, but Oma assured that everything has been sorted out and that he will be away for only a month or so, reasoning that his meeting with Psy-Cognosis will benefit the company and even video game fans in Japan.
"No need to worry."
"Huh?"
"I already sorted it out."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"But when will you…?"
"Soon…very soon…"
"…"
Before leaving, Oma took out a bottle of Fanta, and began drinking, but then the airplane pilot came and told Oma that they are ready to leave, which surprised Oma and accidentally spits the drink on his secretary's face, causing her to shriek and she began pounding on Oma in anger and retaliation, annoyed that Oma always do that.
"PPPFFFFTTTHH!"
"EEEKKK!"
"Koff-koff…"
"You idiot!"
"Ow! Ow! Ow!"
"You really are an idiot!"
"Knock it out, will you?"
"idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"
The pilot sweat-dropped as the secretary pounds Oma with the document folder as Oma tries to outrun her and told the pilot to start the plane as he frantically board in, and the pilot asked if they are leaving now, which a frantic Oma said yes, struggling to close the door as the secretary is still after him, still irate at what Oma did to her.
"Pilot!"
"Yes?"
"Start the plane!"
"Are you sure?"
"You heard me!"
"Uh…"
"Start the damn plane!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
After that, the pilot boarded the plane and started the engine, where the guards pull the cursing secretary back as minutes later the private jet takes off and leaves Tokyo and soon Oma is on his way to England, where he is due to meet with the CEO of Psy-Cognosis Entertainment.
-x-
London. Several hours later...
The scene shows that Luke Triton is on summer break from school, and is seen at a park where he is talking to Professor Layton where he is told that Layton is leaving London right way as he us attending a personal matter and tells Luke that he is entrusting Flora to him, telling him to look after her and keep her safe from all kinds of trouble.
Luke was dismayed and asked why can't he come along, but the professor said that it is a personal matter that only involves him, but he said that he can't always be at Luke's side all the time, but then he said to Luke that this is a good opportunity for him to try shining on his own, and said that there may be a time where Luke himself would solve a case and he could solve it on his own.
Layton then said to Luke that this could be a good opportunity to put the lessons he learned to good use and see if he has what it take to be Layton's assistant after all the adventures they went through, and Luke slowly nodded after reluctantly seeing the logic.
"…and that is that, dear Luke."
"…"
"You've been assisting me for quite a while…and I would be impressed if you manage to solve a case by yourself if faced with a situation."
"Well…"
"and if you do solve something, you will gain a lot of experience."
"Yeah…but still…"
"Have faith and believe in yourself."
"O-okay, professor."
After that, Layton boarded a taxi and leaves, where soon Layton is out of London's boarder, and Luke sighed as he wondered what awaits him, as coming across a case is not as easy as he thinks, and by then walked across a stall where a young merchant is selling portable video game consoles, where he is showing several games, among them an action platform game titled Mighty Action-X.
Luke glanced at the display and the merchant showed it to him, attempting to entice the young teen to try playing it and see if he is interested to buy the game and the portable console.
"Hey, kid!"
"Huh?"
"Give it a try."
"What's that?"
"It's a popular game that came from Japan."
"Really?"
"Yes, and I promise that you'll enjoy it."
"…"
As Luke pondered, his cellphone rang, where he answered it and the caller turns out to be someone identified as Morrison, who turns out that he owns a game shop at a local mall within London, and it is also revealed that Luke and Flora work part-time at the shop, and is aware that Luke and Flora are friends with Layton.
Morrison told Luke that he is going to do an errand and it involves delivering a video game to a customer, which Luke asked what game is that, and he blinked his eyes when told what the game is about, which piqued his curiosity.
"What was that?"
"You heard me."
"Deliver a game?"
"Yes, and it's a very sought-after game."
"And that game…?"
"Yup, the Mighty Action-X!"
"Seriously?"
"You heard me."
The game in question turns out to be the Mighty Action-X, and Luke said that he is on his way to the shop, and as he is ready to leave, the merchant asked if he is going to try and test it, which Luke politely declines, saying that he has work to do, and when asked if he is going to buy it, Luke politely decline and said that he will think about it later before leaving.
"Wait, kid…!"
"Sorry, got to go."
"Aren't you…?"
"Sorry, duty calls."
"Oh, come on…"
"Will get back to you one way or the other."
"For real?"
"See you, and thanks."
After that, Luke ran off, passing by a limousine where the chauffeur is driving, and its passenger, Kokichi Oma, is seated and he is due to meet up with the CEO of Psy-Cognosis Entertainment, and Oma asked if the venue is still far, but the chauffeur said that in 10 to 15 minutes they will arrive at the site where Psy-Cognosis is held.
Oma nodded and said that he is looking forward to the meeting and hoped that the meeting would be a fruitful one which the chauffeur said that the CEO is also looking forward to the meeting, saying that he is honored to work with one of the best game developers from Japan.
"So we'll be arriving soon, you say…"
"Yes, Mr. Oma."
"I look forward to it."
"Yes…and the CEO said he is also looking forward to meet with you."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
"I hope they have a bottle of Fanta…"
"Ha-ha…"
-x-
Much later, the scene shifts at the local mall, which is a five-story building, and despite its ambience it was a popular hangout for people ranging from employees to students, adults and children alike, and there Luke arrived just as Flora arrived as well, and the two younger teens exchanged pleasantries and said that this is a good way to pass up the time while Layton is away.
Luke nodded and said that he will see if he comes across a case and try solving it on his own, but Flora advised him not to let it get over his head, lest he end up getting into danger, but he said that he is prepared for that, and feels that he is ready for anything.
"Not to worry. I am prepared for that."
"Seriously, Luke?"
"Yes, seriously."
"Don't let it get to your head."
"Come on, Flora…can't I brag a bit?"
"No. with the professor on leave, you might feel the pressure of solving a potential difficult case."
"That's why I am bracing myself."
"…"
As the two teens head for the escalator, they did not notice that there are some people who do not appreciate the teens' presence, as it turns out that there are some people who dislike Hershel Layton, and are aghast at his exploits, seeing him as a mere attention-seeker and a wanderlust idiot who somewhat gain the attention from the masses.
And seeing that Luke and Flora are always at Layton's side, the persons dislike the two younger teens as well, and they hoped that one day Luke would get into trouble so that Layton himself would be shamed from letting his assistants get into shameless shenenigans.
"Those two…"
"They're the brats who cling to that Layton fool."
"I hope something bad happen to them."
"Yeah, they are mere eyesore…"
"And that Layton is just seeking attention."
"It'd be nice if those brats get killed."
"I look forward to that."
"It'd be better if Layton and those two would die."
Not far, Remi Altava overheard the rude persons' discussion, and discreetly talked to them, asking why are they feeling pissed off at a pair of innocent kids who happened to assist Layton, and she dared them to approach Luke and tell him their grievances so that Luke can answer them.
The Layton detractors were ashamed at being told, and they could not come up with a rebuttal, and there Remi asked again if they still want to take their displeasure out on Luke, and they remained silent in shame and humiliation.
"Well? Aren't you going to tell him and that girl what eyesore of brats they are to you…?
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
The detractors left the scene, and Remi smirked, seeing that even Layton earned admirers and even jealous detractors who do not appreciate Layton's heroic deeds.
To Be Continued... .
Hope you like this chapter, as Layton is shown to be talking a leave of absence while Luke is left on his own and may be facing a potential adventure despite being an emerging teen, whilst he unknowingly earned detractors who hated Layton.
Remi Altava makes a cameo appearance as one of Layton's supporters, and puts the detractors in their places…
Psy-Cognosis is a fictional company which I based it on the defunct video game developer/publisher Psygnosis, who are best remembered for games like Colony Wars, Wipeout and Lemmings.
Preview:
As Luke starts his part-time work, he inadvertently walks into a murder scene, and that is where his adventure begins…
See you in June or July…
Reviews are welcomed but needed...