I roll down my windows and and blast Ride by twenty one pilots. It's a wonderfully clear Night, quiet save for the purr of Silver's engine while Char and I nod along to the music while we cruise along the Wayback.

The Wayback is a dirt road path between Cerulean and Viridian that lets goods go between towns. Usually farmers and travelling vendors are the only ones who use it but my uncle uses it whenever he's going from his house In Cerulean to my house in Viridian. Just south of Mt. Moon, it wraps around all the way from the edge of Route 5 to the pickup of Route 2. Its pretty long but a direct route so not many turns. Lots of Cruise time.

Just a recap, today has been quite the wild ride. I was, once again, tazed by my uncle while running my usual hustle in Viridian Forest on Joey, got taken to a bar in Saffron, made a bet with the devil in a Celadon Shooting range, lost the bet, TWICE, doubled down on it, used my uncle's legendary twins, made the shot, and got a car! I wouldn't have made the shot if it werent for that weird guy from the counter though.. And so were those guys staring at the guns like a woman's ass in leggings… While I'm lost in my thoughts, a car comes speeding down the road in the opposite direction, snapping me back to here and now, making me slam on brakes and pull over. Part of me questions what the hell had them driving so fast but it's none of my business. Although I do have this nagging feeling pinching in the back of my mind. I brush it off and get ready to pull back onto the road when I hear a small quiet voice that sound almost like someone talking in my pocket. Naturally, I pull out my pokegear and hold it to my ear,

"Sorry, I think I pocket dialed" I answer immediately and move to hang up when

"Nooooooo nononono, wait! You have to turn back" says a familiar voice

"Uhhh… who's this?" I ask confusedly

"You wouldnt believe me if I told you. Just listen. The road that you just came from, really think about it. Your uncle's house is the main destination when you take that road. The last turn off for town is a mile ahead, meaning they already passed it. They know exactly where they're going, they wouldnt be moving that fast" says the man on the line. Somethings not right. I know this voice from someone… recent.

"... Gun counter guy?"

"...Just think, didn't that car look familiar?" theres a short pause "Just go." then a click

It did look familiar but from where? Waaait a second…

I start the car, floor the gas, bust a Youie, and peel down the straight that leads back to my Uncle's house. I remember, Thats bald Santa and Hozier's car! They WERE following us! And now they're doubling back for my uncle… But why? Whatever the reason, it cant be good, cause they were sneaking…

Char digs his claws into the seat to brace while I'm pushing 125 back up the road and pumping 21 guns by Green day, devising a plan of attack for the situation at hand with about 5 minutes until I'm at the front door. I call his phone but it goes to voicemail… He must be asleep

Odds are Uncle Billy has something they want. But what could that be? They obviously know what they want and they must've found out he has it somehow. Where they know him from? I know their faces from somewhere… what could Hozier want from Uncle Billy… He's one of the two guys that were eyeing down the CannonSabers! And the other was Bald Santa! Thats what they're coming for! Well the guns are in the trunk of his squad car so if i go in through the garage, I can secure them and get to my uncle with good time. His house is big enough for me to sneak around some corners and get to his bedroom while they ransack the downstairs. Knowing my uncle, if hes asleep then when I wake him, he'll wanna fight back. At least then we have the upper hand and we have what they're looking for. We have equal numbers and WE have the element of surprise. I slow down and turn off my headlights as I pull into Uncle Billy's driveway. Sure enough, that car was outside and the front door was open. Kicked in, looks like. I step out of the car and Char follows suit, sneaking silently alongside me. I look at the door, kicked in. I don't hear any sort of fighting in the living room, and there's no way some run-of-the-mill crooks would be able to take down my uncle and his birds in his own house and he couldn't have slept through that door being kicked down. I proceed to the garage entrance and slowly type in the passcode to creep my way inside unnoticed. As the door slowly opens, I notice the light is off, which means they most likely havent checked here yet. Meaning they still dont have what theyre looking for. I Enter the garage and pick the lock to my uncle's trunk on his squad car to get the guns… That arent there? The twins suitcase is gone! Maybe my uncle put it somewhere inside. This just changed the rules of engagement. Theres no doubt in my mind that thats what theyre after but if I cant find it, I have to stop them from getting to it. By any means necessary. Even if that means a fight…

I snake my way around the back of the stairs and sneak the living room, Char following closely behind me and we peek around the corner to see how many people were dealing with and are met with a hilarious sight. The living room is ransacked and the Culprits are still at the scene of the crime… Tied to chairs. Bald santa has a broken nose and Hozier has a Bloodied lip. My uncle, Bloodied knuckles and a black eye. He hold his pistol at the ready, back to me, facing the two of them. The two of them are smiling, despite their apparently hopeless situation

"Im only gonna ask you one more time old man. Where're the guns at?" asks Hozier

I step out from behind the stairs and make my entrance alongside Char. He readies a Flame Burst in his mouth. "I don't think you're in any position to be asking questions. What about you uncle Billy?"

Rather than the epic tag team shit talking that could've taken place, He turns around and aims his gun directly at my head and yells "What the hell are you two doing here? I thought I sent you home!"

"Hello to you too, damn! I came back because I realized the two people from the firing range were following us home. They passed me on the Way Back and when I recognized them, I whipped around and rushed back here. I should've known you'd have things handled."

"Unless you want your brat to get hurt, I suggest you turn over the two quietly." Says Hozier from his seat.

My uncle marches forward and pistol whips Hozier across his face "Dont say a damn word unless you're telling me who you work for."

"Look, you may as well let us go and give us the Guns, old man. You aren't getting a word out of us. We have steel resolves. You could pull teeth one by one and skin us alive and we won't so much as wince." Says Hozier with a look of boredom. I look down His restraints are still bound so i have no clue why he's so confident

"Uncle Billy, maybe you should take 'em down town instead of keeping them in the house with exactly what they're looking for."

"Good idea." He turns back towards Hozier "And FYI, assaulting an officer of the Corps in times of war is considered a War Crime. Meaning you're considered a PoW. And that means I can do things like interrogate you. Pull teeth one by one… E, help me get these Bozos in the car."

We load the perps into my uncle's car, their cuffs still secure and tight as ever, and we get into the front.

"If you knew they were coming for me, then you should've stayed away. You could've been hurt" he says to me, starting down the driveway and down Wayback

"They could've killed you. I wasn't gonna let that happen. I wanted to be there to even the numbers, make it a fair fight. I wanted to give you the Tactical edge and lower the risk." I counter

"That's my risk to take! I may be a soldier and a cop but Tactical edge aside, I'm your Uncle first! I am NOT letting anything happen to you! Even if that means something has to happen to me instead. There's No arguing that point." He shouts, stopping me from saying anything in reply. I stare blankly at my uncle for a moment then relent. He's right.

"I'm sorry Uncle B. I just wanted to help.." I say in defeat.

He sighs and looks at me for a moment before turning back to the road and patting me on the back "At least you're okay."

"Not for long" says Hozier from the back of the car. Before I know it, Hozier's arms, outside of the handcuffs, are wrapped around my neck in chokehold position. "Now I'll ask again, hand over the guns" He tightens his grip around my neck and I wince while he cuts off my air and my circulation and the world slows to a crawl while I analyze. The way he holds my neck makes it evident that he dislocated his thumb while we were driving and took our conversation as ample distraction to get in position to take me hostage. My eyes slowly drift to my uncle, who's looking at Hozier, yelling something too slow for me to comprehend. I close my eyes and reach for Hozier's hand, grabbing the dislocated thumb. As i start to pull back on it, speed returns to normal.

"... him hostage, it's not here!" finishes my uncle once time picks back up

Hozier shouts in pain as i pull his thumb and says "I guess that means both you and this car are useless. Fatman, Blow this joint." Hozier says and leaps from the still moving car onto the dirt road. Immediately, Bald santa, or Fatman rather, Starts to glow white while still in his cuffs. Is he about to…

7 seconds later, our car Explodes

What was up with that anonymous tip phonecall?

Anyway, our man Ethan seems to be in a tight squeeze with his uncle. He's gonna need a miracle to make it out of this one.

The next installment will one you wont wanna miss, so wait on it

In the meantime, Enjoy, Vote, Tell your Friends, Add to your Reading List, REVIEW!

Until Next Time!