2 weeks later, back in Eart, the team hunts for checker master Hax, the rumored master mind behind a series of robberies at high way gate toll booths. How ever, while trying to get secret info on their target, they find some very valuable insider data regarding the space accident that devastated Eart 50 years earlier.
On a street, Max knocks out a man with his 19 inch steel bar.
On a train, Vivi tranquilizes a man with a concealed device.
At the top of an escalator, at a mall, Zet fires a net at several men.
Back at camp, Max, Zet, and Vivi return to Ellie and poochyena.
ELLIE: Welcome back and how was it?
They all speak at once.
VIVI: Oh they were just thugs and they went to the cops penniless.
ZET: Darn it, they were just salaried employees that gave into their bad habits.
MAX: They had nothing to do with the syndicate and they just wanted money to play with.
ELLIE: Now what?
ELLIE: All of you caught the criminals, but no clue about the bounty head we're really after?
Max, Zet, and Vivi reach into their pockets, each drawing a checker piece.
Else where, at the Gate Corporation Head Quarters, the desk of the head executive is surrounded by tall stacks of papers.
EXECUTIVE: They still use paper just for all the complaints.
ASSISTANT: The e-mail server is going down from the immense number of complaints.
ASSISTANT: There's a movement out there to sue our company for damages.
EXECUTIVE: What the heck are the Bad Dude Bounty Hunters doing?
EXECUTIVE: We already have a huge bounty reward on him.
ASSISTANT: It may not be enough.
At a diner, Max, Zet, and Vivi watch Hot Shot on the diner's TV.
PUNCH: (talking on the TV) Hey all you Bad Dude Bounty Hunters in Kalos.
PUNCH: (talking on the TV) How are all you doing?
JUDY: (talking on the TV) Once again, it's time for Hot Shot.
PUNCH: (talking on the TV) We'll start with today's hot news.
PUNCH: (talking on the TV) They apprehended the culprit in the series of recent gate assaults.
JUDY: (talking on the TV) Really?
JUDY: (talking on the TV) The bounty reward on him was 12000 dollars, right?
PUNCH: (talking on the TV) But the weird thing is that the 20 culprits were apprehended.
JUDY: (talking on the TV) What do you mean?
PUNCH: (talking on the TV) Apparently, they were all caught in the act, but none of them were the master mind.
JUDY: (talking on the TV) Then you don't get the reward unless you find that master mind, right?
PUNCH: (talking on the TV) That's correct.
JUDY: (talking on the TV) I feel sorry for all the Bad Dude Bounty Hunters who caught the culprits.
ZET: Why the heck do these thugs that normally just rob convenience stores, attack at the toll booth gates?
MAX: May be they are the latest crime fads.
VIVI: May be boys and men every where are being told that toll booth gates are the in thing among today's fashion conscious thugs.
VIVI: May be boys and men every where are being told that, that girl won't even look your way until you steal at least one toll booth gate's money or some thing like that.
VIVI: Hey guys, why don't we trade the info that we each have and split the bounty reward money 3 ways.
MAX: What do you mean?
MAX: You're the one that started all this, saying that we should research this case on our own.
ZET: You also said that the occasional rivalry between allies, friends, and team players would be good for us.
MAX: Yo Winstrate, did the reward amount make you lose your memory?
VIVI: What?
VIVI: You boys were really keen on the idea too.
VIVI: After all, we all wanted the bounty reward money to our selves, right?
Back at camp, Max, Zet, and Vivi exchange factual info.
ZET: (telling what he knows) In this case, all 20 cases were done the same way.
ZET: (telling what he knows) All of them infiltrated the toll booth deftly, attached the hacking unit, and in the exact moment that passing cars access the toll booth to pay the toll, they steal the entire balance from the credit card.
ZET: (telling what he knows) Further more, the unit automatically sent the money data that it just stole.
ZET: (telling what he knows) It immediately launders all the funds in a bank in Europa, making it impossible to track where it went.
ZET: (telling what he knows) All the culprits that were caught in the act have nothing in common.
ZET: (telling what he knows) Their age, gender, nationality, religion, and criminal records are all different.
ZET: (telling what he knows) On top of it, no body has any of the money that they supposedly stole.
ZET: (telling what he knows) Well, that's about all i know.
ZET: How about you Vivi?
VIVI: (telling what she knows) The guy that i nabbed said that he was just following the instructions from a manual that he got through a mail order.
VIVI: (telling what she knows) Perhaps the other culprits are reading the same manual that he was.
ZET: What manual?
Vivi pulls out an old worn out flyer from her pocket.
VIVI: (holding the note) This manual.
She hands it to Zet and he reads it.
ZET: (reading the flyer) "A new criminal support soft ware.
ZET: (reading the flyer) Right now, it's a real bargain.
ZET: (reading the flyer) For the low introductory price of 30000 dollars, you too can be rich.".
ZET: (holding the flyer) What's this piece of pokemon poop?
VIVI: It's not easy to be a thief now a days.
VIVI: I'm sure there are people who want manuals to help them out.
ZET: Where is this mail order company?
VIVI: It's a store that's only on the net, so i don't know the actual location.
VIVI: Besides, the store has already closed probably.
ZET: Max, how about you?
MAX: (telling what he knows) The hacking unit that was placed on the toll booth gates was some thing that couldn't be made unless you knew about the gate's system really well.
MAX: (telling what he knows) The master mind is likely some one who has some connection to the gate corporation.
MAX: (telling what he knows) That was my hunch and i looked into it.
Ellie suddenly crawls by with her laptop.
ZET: The programmers would be fishy.
MAX: But the dudes from the Gate Corporation suddenly became uncooperative.
MAX: It was as if they knew some thing, but didn't want me to find out about it.
Ellie presses the red button on her laptop and it electrically shocks her unconscious.
VIVI: (getting a little nervous) Are you dead?
Vivi pokes Ellie and she pops back up and proceeds to set up her laptop.
MAX: Where were we?
Zet pulls out a checker piece.
ZET: (holding his checker piece) Well i guess these are the only clues we have for now.
ELLIE: Gimme that.
Zet tosses Ellie the checker piece and she puts it on her laptop and she discovers what's inside just by shaking it a little.
ELLIE: (holding the checker piece) This is a memory cartridge for playing checkers over the net.
ELLIE: (holding the checker piece) This piece has one match in its' memory and when you push it, it connects to the net.
Ellie connects to a virtual checkers board on her laptop screen by pushing the checker piece. She sets the checker piece down.
ELLIE: (looking at her laptop screen with a display of a checkers board) See!
VIVI: (looking at the laptop screen with a display of a checkers board) Does this have some thing to do with this incident?
ELLIE: (looking at her laptop screen with a display of a checkers board) Nothing at all.
ZET: (looking at the laptop screen with a display of a checkers board) May be all of this is a game.
ZET: (looking at the laptop screen with a display of a checkers board) For now, please continue playing that game with the opponent!
ELLIE: (looking at her laptop screen with a display of a checkers board) Yup!
ZET: (looking at the laptop screen with a display of a checkers board) I'll go talk to the toll booth gate corporation dudes.
ELLIE: (looking at her laptop screen with a display of a checkers board) Okay!
ELLIE: (looking at her laptop screen with a display of a checkers board) 1, 2, 3, 4, it's time for me to score more.
Ellie makes a move.
ELLIE: (looking at her laptop screen with a display of a checkers board) Play ball.
Else where, in a dark room, an old man connects to Ellie's game.
Else where, at the Gate Corporation Head Quarters, Zet makes a business visit.
EXECUTIVE: Another bad dude bounty hunter you say?
EXECUTIVE: I don't care, so send him back.
ASSISTANT: But he's asking about a checker loving programmer.
EXECUTIVE: (feeling alarmed) What?
An elevator opens and Zet sees the bad dude bounty hunter, Jonathan, who's a familiar colleague.
JONATHAN: Zet!
ZET: Jonathan, were you another one that went through all the trouble to get nothing?
JONATHAN: This thing isn't that easy.
Jonathan exits. At the office of the head executive, Zet discusses business with the head of the company.
EXECUTIVE: I believe we have given out all the data and info.
EXECUTIVE: What more are you saying that you would like to know?
ZET: Actually, i had some thing that i wanted you to see.
EXECUTIVE: What is it?
Zet takes the checker piece out of his pocket and tosses it to him. He looks at it and sets it down on his desk.
ZET: This is a planned game.
ZET: You dudes at the Gate Corporation should know what this means.
ZET: To put a bounty on a master mind that we aren't even sure exists yet, suggests that it's some one you don't want the police to know about.
EXECUTIVE: Bad Dude Bounty Hunters should just look for their bounty heads.
EXECUTIVE: I don't know who you are and whether or not you used to work for the IKP, but it's better for you to not get any extra ideas.
The executive turns his back and orders his assistant.
EXECUTIVE: He's getting out.
EXECUTIVE: Please make sure he is kindly escorted out of here!
In the garage, Zet pushes buttons on his communicator.
ZET: (giving his walkie talkie cell phone radio a little hit) Darn this inferior piece of diodes.
He listens in on a conversation going on in the head executive's office. Zet left a nano bot as a bug, in the office.
ASSISTANT: I believe the risk is too great.
ASSISTANT: If that gets out to the general public.
EXECUTIVE: I'm fully aware of our situation.
EXECUTIVE: If we don't catch him, the situation will just get worse.
ASSISTANT: But why's a ghost from 50 years ago coming back now?
EXECUTIVE: To think that he gave every 1 a checker piece.
ASSISTANT: It's a game that he set up.
Jonathan spies on Zet from a dark corner.
ZET: (talking to himself) It must be checker master Hax.
Else where, in the dark room, Hax continues his checkers game with Ellie and is having fun.
Back at camp, Ellie continues her game with Hax and Max analyzes one of the checker pieces with his eyes.
MAX: (holding and stareing at his checker piece) No good.
MAX: (holding and stareing at his checker piece) This doesn't have any thing other than invisible checker data in it.
VIVI: (holding and stareing at her checker piece) I wonder what they were going to do with such a thing.
MAX: (holding and stareing at his checker piece) If there is no meaning to the content, may be the pieces are the message.
Ellie claps with her feet.
ELLIE: (playing checkers on her laptop) Great!
Zet calls Max on his walkie talkie cell phone radio.
Max answers it.
MAX: (talking to Zet on his walkie talkie cell phone radio) Hello!
ZET: (talking to Max on his walkie talkie cell phone radio) Max, i have a name.
ZET: (talking to Max on his walkie talkie cell phone radio) Can you investigate the guy?
ZET: (talking to Max on his walkie talkie cell phone radio) He might be the master mind behind this whole thing.
ZET: (talking to Max on his walkie talkie cell phone radio) Bye!
Max then hangs up too and sets his walkie talkie cell phone radio down.
MAX: Hey Ellie.
ELLIE: (playing checkers on her laptop) Ellie is busy right now.
Else where, in a dark room, Hax makes another move.
Back at camp, Ellie flails her arms in the air and she makes a move.
ELLIE: (playing checkers on her laptop) Here here!
ELLIE: (playing checkers on her laptop) Well played.
Else where, in a dark room, Hax becomes startled.
Back at camp, Ellie continues to play.
ELLIE: (playing checkers on her laptop) Nice try.
Ellie makes an unpredictable move.
ELLIE: (playing checkers on her laptop) I'll fork the king and the rook.
Else where, in a dark room, Hax laughs heartily.
HAX: (talking to him self and playing checkers on his laptop) Indeed!
HAX: (talking to him self and playing checkers on his laptop) This is either an idiot or a genius.
HAX: (talking to him self and playing checkers on his laptop) I like this champ.
Max gets a text message from Zet, on his walkie talkie cell phone radio with info on Hax.
MAX: (reading the text message out loud) "Checkers master Hax is estimated to be 100 years old.
MAX: (reading the text message out loud) A man that had been dubbed a genius from his teens.
MAX: (reading the text message out loud) In checker tournaments, he dominated the champion's seat for decades.
MAX: (reading the text message out loud) He began work on the toll booth gate control program when he was 30 and created the central control system that all toll booth gates use to this day.
MAX: (reading the text message out loud) How ever, that was his fatal error.
MAX: (reading the text message out loud) He started to doubt the safety of the gates he helped create and was against putting them to practical use.
MAX: (reading the text message out loud) As a result, he was banned from the toll booth gate company.
MAX: (reading the text message out loud) Ever since then, his where abouts have been unknown for 50 years.".
VIVI: What does that mean?
VIVI: I mean, why is he seeking revenge 50 years after he was banned.
MAX: (holding his walkie talkie cell phone radio) If we figure out where he is, we'll know for sure.
Max puts down his walkie talkie cell phone radio.
MAX: Hey Ellie.
ELLIE: (playing checkers on her laptop) Ellie is busy right now.
VIVI: (getting impatient) Quit playing games so much and help out a little!
Vivi reaches for the laptop, but Ellie grabs it, turns to Vivi, and growls.
MAX: Ellie, we want to figure out where a guy named Hax is.
ELLIE: (playing checkers on her laptop) Hax the checker master.
ELLIE: (playing checkers on her laptop) That's who i'm playing checkers against right now.
After finding out the location of where Hax is, Max, Zet, and Vivi take off on their bikes to go there, while Jonathan follows them in his car, with out them knowing.
ZET: (talking to Max and Vivi while pedaling) We're almost at the location we got from the trace we did on Ellie's checker opponent.
ZET: (talking to Max and Vivi while pedaling) Please stay close to me!
MAX: (talking to Zet and Vivi while pedaling) He's basically giving us his exact location.
VIVI: (talking to Max and Zet while pedaling) Can we even trust that trace in the first place?
VIVI: (talking to Max and Zet while pedaling) Do you think he'd be in a dump like this?
ZET: (talking to Max and Vivi while pedaling) Yes and it makes sense.
ZET: (talking to Max and Vivi while pedaling) I had heard once that there was a place where all the scrapped remains of obsolete gates were gathered along with scrap metal and abandoned laboratories and that there were people that started living there.
VIVI: (talking to Max and Zet while pedaling) Why the heck do they want to live here of all places?
ZET: (talking to Max and Vivi while pedaling) This area has no government.
ZET: (talking to Max and Vivi while pedaling) You don't have to pay taxes and there are no cops.
MAX: (talking to Zet and Vivi while pedaling) In that case, this place is a criminal's paradise.
Max, Zet, and Vivi stop their bikes on a junk heap and get off of them.
ZET: It might be a trap.
ZET: This might be the continuation of the game.
MAX: This kind of fun could get dangerous.
Max and Vivi enter into an old long abandoned laboratory, on the junk heap. Zet stays outside and communicates with Max and Vivi with his communicator.
VIVI: (talking to Zet on her walkie talkie cell phone radio) Looks like we have metal parts.
ZET: (talking to Max and Vivi on his walkie talkie cell phone radio) Then there's some one here.
Jonathan calls Zet.
ZET: (talking to Max and Vivi on his walkie talkie cell phone radio) Let me see who this in coming call is coming from.
Zet puts Max and Vivi on hold.
ZET: (talking on his walkie talkie cell phone radio) Hello!
JONATHAN: (talking on the other line) Hey Zet.
ZET: (talking to Jonathan on his walkie talkie cell phone radio) Jonathan, what are you up too?
JONATHAN: (talking on the other line) Thanks for leading the way.
ZET: (talking to Jonathan on his walkie talkie cell phone radio) You were following us the whole time?
JONATHAN: (talking on the other line) Tough luck for you, but i have important business with that guy.
JONATHAN: (talking on the other line) So i'll be going ahead.
Jonathan fires a bullet at Zet's bike and takes off.
BANG!
Else where, in a part of the huge old lab, all by him self, Max finds a meowth walking along in the lab. He gets a little startled from seeing the meowth.
MAX: (watching a meowth walk by) Holy oat meal.
Vivi spots artificial tomatoes growing from the ceiling.
VIVI: (talking to her self and looking at the artificial tomatoes) What is all this paranormal junk?
Max finds a flock of honchkrow.
MAX: (talking to him self and looking at the bird pokemon) This place is infested with pokemon.
Vivi enters a smokey room and spots 2 hippies.
HIPPY 1: Hi!
HIPPY 1: Peace to the whole world and love to my bank account.
HIPPY 2: Enjoy the train ride of life my friend.
Back at camp, the checkers game between Hax and Ellie continues.
ELLIE: (playing checkers on her laptop) Wow!
Else where, in Hax's room, Hax laughs and suddenly, 2 doors are kicked down. It's Max and Vivi. They point their guns at Hax.
MAX: (pointing his gun at Hax) Hello checker master Hax.
VIVI: (pointing her gun at Hax) Give up!
HAX: (playing checkers on his laptop) Could you be just a little bit quieter please!
Max and Vivi are confused and then Jonathan suddenly appears. He's pointing a large gun at Hax's face and Hax is just smiling at him.
JONATHAN: (pointing his gun at Hax) Don't joke with me old man!
MAX: (pointing his gun at Hax) Hey, wait a minute.
JONATHAN: (pointing his gun at Hax) You won't get away with pretending to be senile.
VIVI: (yelling and pointing her gun at Hax) WHO ARE YOU, MYSTERIOUS STRANGER?
JONATHAN: (talking, yelling, and pointing his gun at Hax) If you don't hand over the money you stole, I'LL BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT.
Hax pushes aside the barrel of the gun.
HAX: That's a big tube you got there.
Old man Antonio suddenly enters.
ANTONIO: Hey, what cha doing Hax?
HAX: You gotta see this.
HAX: It's my first formidable opponent in quite a while.
Old man Carl enters.
CARL: (looking at the display on the laptop) Must be some player if you're having trouble winning.
Old man Jobin enters.
HAX: But before that, i want some lunch.
ANTONIO: What are ya saying?
ANTONIO: You just ate lunch a while back.
HAX: Oh, is that so?
ANTONIO: You've lost so much of your mind that all you can do is play checkers.
Max and Vivi step aside.
VIVI: (whispering and holding her gun) Who are these guys?
MAX: (whispering and holding his gun) I don't know, but i think this one is losing it.
Max puts his gun back in his holster.
JOBIN: Have you lost your mind?
ANTONIO: Like you can speak, old timer.
Jonathan drops his gun, begins to go mad crazy, and Hax doesn't even seem to notice.
JONATHAN: To think my life savings are never coming back.
JONATHAN: (going mad crazy) Darn!
JONATHAN: (yelling and going mad crazy) DARN IT.
JONATHAN: (yelling and going mad crazy) DARN IT.
JONATHAN: (yelling and going mad crazy) DARN IT.
JONATHAN: (yelling and going mad crazy) DARN IT.
JONATHAN: (yelling and going mad crazy) ANY ONE AND EVERY ONE IS A MISTAKE.
JONATHAN: (yelling and going mad crazy) THE WHOLE WORLD IS A MISTAKE.
Jonathan picks up his gun and starts firing his gun in random directions.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!
Max hits him in the face with his 19 inch steel bar and he crashes into a pile of junk. Vivi kicks his gun away and puts her gun back in her holster.
VIVI: (looking at Hax from a few feet away) What are we gonna do about him?
VIVI: (looking at Hax from a few feet away) This old man doesn't seem to remember yesterday, let alone 50 years ago.
MAX: (looking at Hax from a few feet away) Lucky for him, Hax is no longer here.
MAX: (looking at Hax from a few feet away) All that's left is an old man that loves to play checkers.
3 days later, at the Toll Booth Gate Corporation Head Quarters, Zet tells what he has figured out.
ZET: Back then, Hax was riled up for revenge and planned this all out.
ZET: He made it so that this incident would happen 50 years later, during the one moment that the toll booth gate program gets automatically updated.
ZET: Even making those that physically commit the crime, hold checker pieces to hint that it was his doing.
ZET: How ever, to that old timer, 50 years was too long.
ZET: He went senile and had completely forgotten about the traps that he him self had set up.
ZET: Well, it works out better for you this way.
ZET: Because now you don't have to worry about the fundamental defect in the toll booth gates leaking out.
ZET: Although, the price you paid was that we learned about that defect.
EXECUTIVE: What do you want?
EXECUTIVE: Money or are you planning to leak this info to the press?
ZET: Just leave the old man alone.
ZET: That's all we want.
ZET: You see, Ellie would get lonely if she lost her checker opponent.
Back at camp, Vivi walks by and spots Ellie, who's still playing checkers with Hax.
VIVI: You're playing that checkers game again?
ELLIE: (playing checkers on her laptop) Not again.
ELLIE: (playing checkers on her laptop) Still!
VIVI: (talking, yelling, and feeling shocked) You mean, YOU'VE BEEN PLAYING THE SAME GAME FOR 3 DAYS STRAIGHT?
ELLIE: (playing checkers on her laptop) Yeah!
VIVI: (feeling shocked) I see.
VIVI: (starting to walk away) Well, good luck Ellie.
Back at the lab, Jonathan smokes a cigareet with a serene look on his face. The old men walk by.
CARL: (walking by) Hey new comer.
CARL: (walking by) You seem happy today.
JONATHAN: (holding a cigareet with a goofy smile on his face) Hi there gentle men.
ANTONIO: (walking by) He's a real easy going guy, isn't he?
JOBIN: (walking by) That he is.
In Hax's room, he makes a final move and wins.
HAX: (playing checkers on his laptop) Check mate.
Back at camp, Ellie screams and collapses.
ELLIE: (yelling) NO!
ELLIE: I was defeated.
Back at Hax's room, he closes his eyes and dies with a happy peaceful look on his face.
DAM! Jonathan had one of those big mental melt downs. As for Hax, his intelligence was immense. Ellie is immensely intelligent for some one her age too. This was yet another great chapter. Please type up your reviews for what you thought about this chapter! Read what happens in the next chapters! Stay curious my friends!