Thievz n' the Hood
(Author's Note: Fukochiku is entirely fictitious and is not a real neighborhood in Japan)
Another weekend can only mean one thing for our favorite group of 14 teens and one cat; developing a series of splitting headaches when trying to figure out how to spend it. They are all currently seen having lunch at Big Bang Burger as they discuss potential plans.
"You know, for a big city there really isn't much to do around here," Ann said.
"It's not so much there isn't much to do around here," Hayato said, "It's more so the fact that we've done everything here at least once. There's nothing worth getting excited over."
"I guess we'll just finish up our lunch and then go on a walkabout until we find something that excites us," Haru said.
As the group continued to eat their lunch, a jumbotron from a building across the street starts showing an advertisement for the new Featherman Movie.
"Come see the new Featherman Movie 'The Sons of Dina Disgusto'!" an announcer was heard saying on the jumbotron, "Featuring Thom Rolland, Kris Platt, and Wren Aflack as the eponymous villainous trio. Go to your local theater now and come see the greatest Featherman movie of all time!"
As the advertisement ends, the group had excited looks upon their faces.
"Now there's something to get excited about!" Hayato exclaimed.
"It's been so long since the last Featherman Movie," Makoto said, "I'm so glad that they're making another one."
"We have to go see that movie?" Ryuji said, "Check and see if its playing at that 4D theater in Akihabara!"
Ren took out his phone and looked for the showtimes at the theater that Ryuji requested, and as soon as he logged onto the 4D theater's website he found an advertisement for 'Feathermen: The Sons of Dina Disgusto'.
"Yup, it's playing over there," Ren said as everyone cheered and high fived, "The next showing happens in an hour. Should be plenty of time."
"We'll be there in a flash if we take the subway," Shiho suggested.
"Great idea, Shiho," Daisuke complimented his girlfriend.
"First things first, though, we need to see if we have enough money for not only a subway ticket, but also theater tickets," Makoto said.
Everyone took out their wallets and all fourteen humans had anywhere from ¥452 to ¥752 ($3 to $5). Just enough for a subway ticket for each of them.
"Well, we have enough for our own individual subway ticket, but I'm pretty sure the 4D theater has an ATM that we can take more money out of for theater tickets and some snacks," Ren said.
"Sounds good," Sumire smiled.
"Shake a leg everyone, we have no time to lose," Ren said as he led everyone out of the area and to the nearest subway station.
Upon arriving at the subway station, the fourteen teens paid for their tickets while Morgana stowed away in Ren's backpack. After getting their tickets, the group hurried to the next train, barely making it.
On the subway, it was clearly the group's lucky day as there were fourteen seats available on the car that they boarded. Even better, the seats were right next to each other so they could sit together as a group.
Once they took their seats, the group immediately started talking about the new Featherman Movie and what they hope will come from it.
"I can't wait for this movie, guys," Hayato said, "I haven't seen a Feather Man movie in so long."
"I hope it's good," Futaba said, "Something's telling me the recent actor's strike might have caused producers to cut corners."
"I'm sure it'll still be good," Yuuki reassured his girlfriend, "What I can't wait for are the cool fight scenes and mind blowing special effects!"
"Mind blowing?!" Ichiro scoffed, "No offense, Mishima, but college freshmen could make better effects. Although you are right about the fight scenes. The choreography in those are top tier!"
"I just hope there's a love story in this one," Haru said, "Particularly the 'Will They, Won't They' storyline between Feather Pheasant and Feather Cockatoo that's been going on for so long."
"It would be nice to see them finally confess their true feelings for one another," Yusuke concurred.
"I personally can't wait to see Thom Rolland on the big screen again," Shiho said, "That stud gets me going!"
"I don't blame you," Daisuke said as a small blush came to his face, Thom Rolland being his celebrity crush as well. He just hoped that nobody spotted his reddened face. The less he revealed about his bisexuality, which at this point was a secret he kept to himself, the better.
As the subway continued on its way to Akihabara, the gentle rocking of the train started to make the fourteen teen's eyelids grow heavy. Ann even started to yawn cutely.
"Hey, don't yawn," Ryuji said as he yawned as well, "You're going to make all of us yawn!"
"I'm sorry," Ann said, "I'm just a little tired."
"It's the rocking of the subway," Ichiro said as he rubbed his eyes, "It's like we're all being rocked in a giant cradle."
"We won't be at Akihabara for a while," Ren said, his eyelids becoming just as heavy as everyone else, "It wouldn't hurt if we rest our eyes for just a few minutes."
"Yeah," Yuuki said, "Good idea."
One by one, all fourteen teens closed their eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep as the train pressed on.
Some time later, the train was approaching the Akihabara stop.
"Now approaching Akihabara," the voice on the intercom said as the train stopped and opened its doors to let some of the passengers out…with none of the fourteen teens being one of them; They were all still sound asleep! Morgana caught wind of this and opened up Ren's backpack to try and get everyone's attention.
"Guys, we need to get-" Morgana began, only to be cut off by a very sleepy Ren.
"Hmm, not now Morgana," Ren whined before falling back to sleep.
"But it's important," Morgana said as he saw the subway doors close and the train continued on its way.
Nervously, Morgana went back into his bag and awaited to see what would happen next. They all missed their stop, and there's no telling where they'd end up now.
About 45 minutes later, with the gang still asleep, the voice on the intercom was heard saying, "Last stop, Fukochiku, everybody off."
This time, the fourteen teens heard the voice on the intercom as they began to stir out of their slumber.
"What happened?" Makoto asked as she rubbed the last remnants of sleep from her eyes.
Ren looked up at the marquee above the door to see the word 'Fukochiku' on it.
"Aw no," Ren said, "We missed our stop!"
"For real?!" Ryuji asked in disbelief.
"I tried telling you all that you missed the Akihabara stop," Morgana said as he opened up Ren's backpack, "But you all chose to sleep rather than listen to me. Now look where we are!"
"What do we do now, guys?" Shiho asked, "We don't even have enough money for a ticket back home!"
"Everyone, let's calm down," Ren said, "Let's get off this train and see where we ended up before we do anything else."
The group quickly disembarked from the train and left the Fukochiku Subway Station.
Upon leaving the station, the gang quickly realize that they are in 'The Fukochiku'; one of the worst neighborhoods in Tokyo, one of the worst ghettos in the world, and an area their parents/guardians told them time and time again to stay away from.
As they walked through the dangerous neighborhood, they saw things that one would expect from a typical ghetto; drug dens, homeless people littering the streets, gangsters driving by in vans and souped-up cars, the sound of gunshots in the distance, prostitutes, the chalk outline of a dead body that was once there. Looking at their surroundings put everyone on edge and they all wished they were back at home in their own neighborhoods where it was safe.
"Abandon all hope ye who enter," Hayato said, unnerved.
"Stay close everyone," Ren said as she had her head on a swivel.
"We are gonna die," Hifumi said nervously, "We don't belong here! None of us belong here!"
"We're not going to die, Hifumi," Ren said, "Just stay calm, everyone. Everything is going to be alright."
Little did the group know, they were being watched from an alleyway by two men with purple bandanas wrapped around their arms. Specifically, they were eyeing Ren as the group walked past.
"That looks like him," One of the thugs said to his friend.
"Call the boss," The other thug said, "Tell him we found Murakami, leader of the Green Dragons."
The thug took out his phone and began calling his boss.
Meanwhile, the group of 14 teens and one cat were still on the move.
"I can't believe we all fell asleep on the train," Ichiro said as the group stopped at a street corner, "I would've thought at least one of us would stay awake to let us know when we got to Akihabara!"
"Ichiro is right to chide you all," Morgana poked his head out of Ren's backpack to chide the eight members of the group who could understand him, "I mean, what were you all even doing last night that made you all so tired now?"
Flashback: The Night Before
We see just what each of the fourteen teens were up to last night that resulted in them not getting their eight hours.
Shiho was over at Daisuke's place and the two of them were having a movie marathon. They're seen watching 'Protectors of the Cosmos Vol. 2' on the T.V in Daisuke's room.
Futaba was obviously playing video games all night long.
Makoto was reading the Harvey Panner books. She's seen finishing 'Council of the Griffin' and she's moving onto 'Half-Bred King'.
Hifumi was seen in her usual Shogi practicing spot, the Kanda church, brushing up on her skills in preparation for an upcoming Shogi match.
Ren was over at Ann's house and the two of them were seen making out under the covers of her bed before moving onto, ahem, other things.
Yusuke was seen trying to work on an abstract painting based on his adventures in the Metaverse when he was the Phantom Thief Fox.
Haru was seen in her home pampering herself with a nice warm bubble bath and calming music in the background.
Ichiro was out on a nighttime jog as he's seen running down the street with a headlamp and reflective gear on his clothes.
Yuuki was seen in his room laughing at 'dank memes' all night.
Ryuji was hitting the late-night arcade in Shinjuku playing games and binging on chicken wings.
Sumire was seen in the basement of her house working on gymnastics routines.
And finally, Hayato was seen at a karaoke bar singing with great intensity. He sings, 'THAT IS BULLSHIT BLAZING! STILL MY HEART IS BLAZING! IF THE 'WORDS' KILL ME, I DON'T NEED A NEW WORLD ORDER! YOU! SOON YOU WILL KNOW! WE ALREADY KNOW THE SMELL OF THE GAME!"
Back in the Present Day
"We all have very good reasons for staying up late," Ren said before addressing the rest of his friend group, "Now back to the topic at hand. We need to figure out a way to get back home. To do that we need to either find an ATM or find a way to make some quick money."
"Well this is the ghetto," Futaba said, "There are lots of ways we could make money here. Rob convenience stores, sell drugs, sell our bodies, sell parts of our bodies."
"It's not going to come to any of that," Ren said, "There's got to be an ATM around here somewhere."
"Are you really about to trust the ATMs in this neighborhood?" Daisuke asked, "I feel like ATMs in this part of town aren't associated with any bank, are chained to a streetlight, and are only there to steal our credit card information."
"Well we don't really have much of a choice unless you want to keep walking and risk getting even more lost," Ren said.
"Fair point," Daisuke said as Ren let Morgana out of his bag.
"Alright guys, let's go find an ATM," Ren said.
"Right!" Everyone concurred.
Unfortunately, the didn't take one step before a white van with the picture of a purple tiger on the side pulls up and stops in front of the teens. Immediately, four thugs with purple bandanas wrapped around theirs arms come out, two of them wielding uzis. They see Ren and the leader points at him.
"Grab him!" The lead thug said as his three underlings ran up to him.
Before Ren could run anywhere far, two of the underlings grabbed him and started carrying him to the van.
"Ren!" Ann cried.
"Give us our friend back!" Ryuji said as he marched forward to confront the thugs, only for one of them to point his uzi at them, causing them to back away.
"Stay back, guys," Ren shouted, "They're serious!"
"Listen to your friend, fools!" The uzi wielding rogue shouted, "Stay the fuck back if you know what's good for you!"
The two thugs loaded Ren in their van before they hopped into the back with them and the other two got in the front seats. With Ren stowed away, the van drives off to parts unknown as the rest of the group try in vain to chase after it on foot.
"Stop!" Yuuki cried, "Kidnappers!"
They stopped chasing after the van as soon as it turned a corner, escaping their line of sight.
"Did that really just happen?!" Sumire asked in disbelief, "Did Ren just get kidnapped before our very eyes?!"
"We've got to do something!" Ann cried, worrying for her boyfriend's safety.
"Why? Maybe it's his time!" Hayato panicked, "Who are we to play God?!"
"We are not leaving Ren for dead, you coward!" Ryuji snapped, "We are going to save him even if it kills us!"
"How?" Shiho asked, "We don't even know who those people were."
"I saw the whole thing unfold, youngins," An elderly man with a cane said as he approached the teens, "I can tell you exactly who those ruffians are. They're the Purple Tiger Gang. A notorious band of criminals who are constantly at war with the Green Dragon Gang over control of Fukochiku. Your friend looks an awful lot like the leader of the Green Dragon Gang; Murakami. Same black hair, same gray eyes, same glasses and everything. The only difference is that your friend lacks the scar across his right eye that Murakami is known for."
"Well great," Hifumi smiled, "Hopefully when they see that Ren doesn't have the scar this Murakami guy has, they'll let him go and return him to us."
"Either that or kill him regardless," The elderly man said, causing the teens and cat's faces to drop once more, "The Purple Tigers aren't one to take prisoners."
"We've got to go save him, guys," Makoto said, "I know he'd do the same thing for us if we were the ones who got kidnapped."
"You didn't hear it from me, but the Purple Tigers operate out of a defunct firehouse not far from here," The elderly man said, "Just be on the lookout for a brick building with graffiti paintings of purple tigers on it. But be warned, it's pretty much suicide if you go over there. No one has entered the lair of the Purple Tiger Gang and come out alive."
"I guess there really is a first for everything, then," Ryuji said as he punched the left palm of his hand with his right fist.
"You mean you're actually going to these Tiger's hideout," Sumire asked.
"Someone has a death wish," Ichiro chimed in.
"Hey if you guys are too chicken to come with me, you can just hang out back here and I'll come get you when I'm done," Ryuji boasted.
"You're not going there alone, Ryuji," Ann said as she and Morgana got next to him, "They took my boyfriend. It's time to make them pay."
"Yeah," Morgana concurred.
"I'm coming too," Makoto said as she joined the trio, "Mostly because I feel that if I don't then you three are going to get yourselves killed."
"Count me in too, guys," Daisuke said as he joined them.
"Me too," Shiho said confidently as she stood with her boyfriend, three friends, and one cat.
"You guys are insane," Yuuki said.
"Crazy is as crazy does, Mishima," Ryuji said as he started to lead his group to the firehouse, "We'll be back with Ren before you know it."
The remaining eight watched as their five friends and one cat walked off to save their kidnapped friend.
"So when are we holding the funeral for them?" Futaba snarked.
"WE HEARD THAT!" Makoto, Ryuji, Ann, Shiho, Daisuke, and Morgana shouted back before they continued to make their way to the abandoned firehouse.
"Alright, so while they're off getting themselves killed, what are we going to do?" Futaba asked, "Even if they save Ren and make it out alive, by some miracle, we're all still trapped in this hellhole."
"Fortunately for us, I came up with a little plan to get us some money," Haru said, "If anyone is curious, come with me."
As Haru left the area, Yusuke, Sumire, Hifumi, Ichiro, and Hayato followed after her, leaving Yuuki and Futaba all by themselves.
"A spirited bunch you all are," The elderly man said, having watched the group disperse.
"You're still here?" Futaba asked.
"I have nothing better to do, missy," The elderly man said, "I'm just waiting for my turn to die."
"Well that's uplifting," Yuuki said, unnerved.
"This is Fukochiku, young man," The elderly man said before walking off, "If you came here to have your spirits lifted, you came to the wrong place. Good luck getting out of here though, you're going to need it!"
With the elderly man gone, Futaba and Yuuki are now truly left alone.
"Alright, babe, what are we doing to do?" Futaba asked, "How are we going to get out of here?"
"I may have an idea," Yuuki said, "Follow me!"
And with that, Futaba and Yuuki went off to another part of the neighborhood.
Elsewhere, the group of Ryuji, Ann, Makoto, Morgana, Shiho and Daisuke have finally made it to the abandoned firehouse where the Purple Tiger Gang are stationed. The five teens and one cat are seen eyeing the graffitied and abandoned fire station from behind a huge pile of trash.
"Well, there it is," Makoto said, "The Purple Tiger Gang's hideout."
"Somewhere inside that abandoned firehouse is our friend," Morgana said.
"Hang in there, Ren," Ann said to herself, "We're going to get you out of there. I promise."
"So, how are we breaking inside?" Daisuke asked his friends.
"Guys, look!" Makoto said as she pointed at a duo of Tiger thugs as the bouncer lets them in. Both thugs have purple bandanas around one of their arms, "It looks like they only let you in if you have the purple bandanas that the Purple Tiger Gang is known for."
"So now that just leaves one question," Daisuke said, "How do we go about getting some?"
Little did this group know, six other Purple Tiger Gang members were sneaking up behind them, and they didn't notice their presence until they grabbed them and dragged them into a nearby alley. We don't see any of the ensuing brawl, but we hear the yells and punches. A few seconds later, Ryuji, Ann, Makoto, Morgana, Shiho, and Daisuke walk out of the alley with just a few bruises and the gang members' purple bandanas around their arms, or in Morgana's case, around his body.
"Well, that went well," Daisuke said as he brushed himself off.
"Now that we got the bandanas, let's go in there and save our friend!" Ryuji said as they made their way to the abandoned firehouse.
When they got to the front door of the firehouse, they naturally came face-to-face with the bouncer. A very buff and bald man with sunglasses and a purple bandana of his own around his arm.
"Hi there," Ryuji said in a friendly tone.
"Too friendly," Makoto whispered.
"Yo, yo, wassup?" Ryuji said in a tough tone.
"Too stereotypical," Makoto whispered.
"Uh," Ryuji struggled to think of a greeting, so he just put his hand on the bouncer's shoulder and said, "Hey."
The bouncer swatted Ryuji's hand off of his shoulder and looked at the group in front of him.
"Can't say I've seen you lot here before," The bouncer said, "Are you new recruits?"
"Yeah, just got initiated last week, sir," Shiho said.
"Hmm," The bouncer said, unsure, "What did you all do for your initiation?"
"Oh, uh, we held up this convenience store from down the block," Makoto answered, "Yeah, we robbed them blind. Took every bit of yen from the register. We even walked out with some slushies."
"Hmm," the bouncer scratched his chin before shrugging his shoulders, "Come on in."
The bouncer opened the door for the group and they walked inside.
Getting into the Purple Tiger Hideout was the easy part. It was now time for the hard part; finding and saving Ren.
Meanwhile, Yuuki was seen at the Fukochiku Junkyard looking for something. Futaba isn't with him, and he begins to worry that he lost her. As Yuuki treks through the mountains of trash he hears Futaba call down to him from a really tall pile of garbage.
"Yuuki, babe, look what I found!" Futaba called, causing Yuuki to look up.
When he did, Futaba raised a scimitar that she found amidst the trash skyward and started to ululate before coming down to her boyfriend's level, swinging the scimitar all the while.
"Careful with that thing," Yuuki said as Futaba got closer to him with the sword.
"I can't believe someone just threw this thing away," Futaba said as she made it to Yuuki's level, "Who throws away something awesome like this?"
"If someone threw that away then it was probably used as a murder weapon," Yuuki said.
"Hey, one man's murder weapon is a decoration for another girl's room," Futaba said, "I'm going to hang this up when I get home. What are we even doing here anyway?"
"We're looking for a van that we can hotwire so we can drive it out of here, pick up our friends, and then we can get out of this neighborhood," Yuuki said as he kept walking until he found a light blue van sitting out in the open, "Kind of like that one!"
Yuuki and Futaba ran over to the van to take a closer look.
"It looks like it's still in pretty good condition," Futaba said as she eyed the body of the van.
As she did that, Yuuki opened up the hood and saw that the engine was not only there, but in near perfect condition too.
"Everything is here," Yuuki said, "I can't believe someone would throw away a perfectly good van!"
"There has to be some kind of a catch," Futaba said as she opened the van's back doors to find a dead body, causing her to gasp in horror. Hearing his girlfriend gasp made Yuuki run over to see what was wrong.
"Ugh," Yuuki said with disgust before covering his hand with the sleeve of his shirt to drag the dead body out of the van by his pant leg, "There, problem solved."
"It still smells like dead guy and ass in there though," Futaba complained.
"I don't care what it smells like," Yuuki said, "It'll get us out of here."
With that, Futaba and Yuuki step inside the van through the back door and made their way to the front seats, with Futaba taking the driver's seat and Yuuki taking the passenger seat.
"Step aside, Yuuki," Futaba said, "It's my time to shine!"
"You actually know how to hotwire a car?" Yuuki asked, curious.
Futaba didn't say anything. Instead, she took out the scimitar that she found and used it to cut one of the wires after opening up the area beneath the steering wheel where the wires are located. A few moments of fiddling with the wires later and the van starts right up, surprising Yuuki.
"That's amazing, babe!" Yuuki exclaimed, "Where'd you learn how to do that?!"
"If you spend as much time on the internet as I do, Yuuki, you learn a thing or two," Futaba boasted.
"God I love you so much right now," Yuuki swooned.
"Make out time is for later," Futaba said, "Let's find our friends and get out of this dump!"
And so, with the van in their possession, Futaba and Yuuki drive out of the junkyard and begin their search for their friends.
With the group of Haru, Yusuke, Sumire, Ichiro, Hayato, and Hifumi, the six of them are seen standing outside of the local bar, 'The Tipsy Lotus'.
"The Tipsy Lotus," Yusuke said as he read the sign, "Sounds pleasant."
"A dive bar in a neighborhood like this," Sumire said as she looked at her surroundings, "I don't think so."
"Why did you bring us here if we're looking to get money, Haru?" Hayato asked the floofy haired girl.
"You'll see," Haru said as she made her way to the front door, "Follow me."
The other five follow Haru into the bar.
Upon entering the bar, the group takes a look around to find a full house. Every patron not only had a rugged look to them, but they're engaged in some kind of activity. A few of them were chatting, others were showing off their guns and knives, most were at the bar drowning their sorrows, a few were shooting some darts, and then there were two biker-type characters, one scrawny one with greasy looking black hair and one fat one with white dyed hair, playing billiards.
"Perfect," Haru said as she saw the two men playing billiards, "Watch this."
"Haru, wait a minute," Yusuke said, worrying for his girlfriend's safety. She had her mind made up, however, and they could only watch as Haru made her way to the billiard's table and try to understand whatever conversation they're about to have.
"Excuse me, gentlemen," Haru said to the bikers, catching their attention, "This game looks mighty fun. What's it called?"
"What, billiards?" The white haired biker asked, "You've never heard of billiards before."
"Nope," Haru shook her head, "I'm not from around here and I'm looking to make some new friends. Maybe I could be your new friend and you can teach me how to play this game."
"Eh, why not," The black haired biker said, "I'm feeling nice today."
The bikers gather all of the balls and put them back on the triangular rack before moving it to the middle of one side of the table and removing the rack. The black haired biker then takes the cue ball to the middle of the other side of the table before chalking up his cue stick to take aim.
"See this white ball?" The black haired biker asked, "You have to hit it into those other balls. If you sink a striped ball into one of the pockets first, you have to get the other striped balls into the pockets before going after the eight ball, that black one right there. But, if you sink a solid colored ball first, then you have to get the other solid colored balls in before going after the eight ball. Once you sink your assigned balls, along with the eight ball, into the pockets, then you win."
To demonstrate, the black haired biker shoots the cue ball into the other balls, and he sinks one of the solid colored ones.
"See, now I have to shoot the other solid colored balls while my partner over here gets the striped ones," The black haired biker explained.
"Oh, I think I get it now," Haru said with a hint of naivety in her voice, "Can I play against you guys?"
"You want to play us?" The white haired biker asked before whispering over to his partner, "She hasn't even played the game and she wants to go up against the likes of us. Let's milk this brat for all that she's worth."
"I was just thinking the same thing, old pal of mine," The black haired biker whispered back before turning his attention to Haru, "Okay, girlie, we'll let you play. But what do you say we make things interesting?"
"Sure," Haru said.
"If you lose," The black haired biker explained, "You have to give my partner and me ¥15,000."
"And that's ¥15,000 for each of us," The white haired biker chimed in.
"And in the highly unlikely event that you win," The black haired biker continued, "We'll give you every last bit of yen in both of our pockets."
"And that would be how much?" Haru asked.
"We've been playing here for a few hours now," The black haired biker said, "So my partner and I have about ¥152,000 between both of us."
"Hmm," Haru said, "Alright, deal!"
Hearing that made the hearts of Yusuke, Sumire, Ichiro, Hifumi, and Hayato sink.
"What is she doing?" Yusuke asked with worry in his voice.
"Stick a fork in us, we're done!" Hifumi said.
"Alright, Pinkie," The white haired biker said as he set the balls up, "Break!"
Once the triangular rack gets taken away, Haru chalks up her cue stick and takes aim. She waits a few seconds before hitting the cue ball, which goes right into the other balls…causing all of them to go rolling into the pockets, with the eight ball rolling in last. Seeing this made the bikers, Haru's friends, and anyone else watching the billiard game gasp in amazement.
"Wow, beginner's luck, huh?" Haru asked.
"I don't believe this!" The black haired biker shouted, "You hustled us!"
Haru then got a nervous look on her face as her five friends got ready to fight for her at a moment's notice. But instead of a beatdown, Haru was instead met with a handshake from the black haired biker.
"Well played, Pinkie, well played," the black haired biker said warmly, "Well, a deal's a deal. Give her the money."
The white haired biker gives Haru a duffle bag. She looks inside and she finds all ¥152,000 inside of it. Happy, she slings the bag over her shoulder and proceeds to make her leave.
"Thanks again, boys," Haru said as she made her way to the exit with her five stunned friends following after her.
Upon exiting the bar, Haru's five friends are quick to talk about what went on inside the bar as they start searching for the rest of their friends.
"Haru, darling, that was amazing!" Yusuke exclaimed, "I had no idea you knew how to play billiards!"
"That's part of the fun of being in a relationship, sweetie," Haru said, "You should always keep your lover guessing."
"Where'd you even learn to play billiards?" Hifumi asked.
"I spent a lot of time with my uncle growing up," Haru explained, "He taught me how to play."
"Your uncle sounds like a cool guy, Haru," Ichiro said, "But now that we have the necessary funds, let's find the rest of the gang so we can get out of this neighborhood and never return."
"You got it, Ichiro," Haru said as the six of them continued walking.
As the group continued walking however, they noticed a van parked in the middle of the road, with the driver and the person in the seat next to him looking right at them. The six stop in their tracks to take in this peculiar site.
"What is all this?" Hayato asked.
(BGM: 'Blast if I Have To' by E-A-Ski)
The driver of the van takes the vehicle out of park and starts driving towards the group of six as the person in the passenger seat lowers the window and sticks his hand out. Why is this scary? Because in the passenger's hand is an uzi, and he's pointing it right at the six teens!
"OH SHIT!" Yusuke, Haru, Hayato, Hifumi, Ichiro, and Sumire yelled as they turned around and ran away.
As soon as they started running, the gunman started shooting at them. The six teens ran into an alleyway to try and escape the driver and the gunman.
"Why are they shooting at us?!" Sumire cried.
"It's Fukochiku," Hayato said, "Does anyone need a good reason to shoot anyone around here?!"
"I imagine drive-by shootings are just another day for these people," Ichiro shouted.
The six continue running through the alley, Haru still holding onto the money she won from the billiards game. The group eventually climb up on top of a dumpster before climbing up on a fire escape, looking to escape the gunman by running across the roofs of the buildings. As they ran up the fire escape, the gunman had left the van and caught up to the rest of the group on foot. He's now seen trying to shoot at them as they climbed up the fire escape.
"Give me that bag, fools!" The gunman shouted.
"Never!" Haru shouted.
"You'll have to kill us if you want this bag, sucker!" Hayato shouted, his hubris getting the better at him as he blew a raspberry at the gunman, who started shooting at the scarlet haired man's feet causing him to scream like a little girl before he continued running away.
The group disappeared out of the gunman's line of sight as they reached the top of the building and continued to run away.
"Damn!" The gunman shouted as he ran back to the van and instructed the driver on where to go next.
(End BGM)
Back with Haru's group, the six of them climb down another fire escape after hopping across several buildings, and they take a look around after making it back towards ground level.
"Do you think we lost them?" Hifumi asked.
"I don't know," Yusuke said, "I hope we did."
"Is everyone alright," Hayato asked as he checked himself for any bullet wounds, "Nobody got shot, right?"
"No, I feel fine, babe," Hifumi said.
"I don't think any of us got shot," Yusuke said.
"Good," Hayato said as he and Hifumi hugged each other, happy that they made it out of the drive-by shooting alive.
"So now we have to find the rest of our friends while avoiding detection from the gunman and his partner." Ichiro said, "If Futaba were here she'd compare this situation to a stealth section in Steel Cog Rigid (Metal Gear Solid)."
Everyone chuckled at that comment, but they couldn't focus on that for long as they now had to find the rest of their friends while avoiding detection from people like that gunman.
"Alright, guys, let's get out of here," Sumire said as they walked off in search of their friends.
Meanwhile, at the abandoned firehouse that the Purple Tigers are using for their hideout, the group of Ryuji, Ann, Makoto, Morgana, Shiho, and Daisuke, after successfully infiltrating the hideout, are seen approaching the front of a crowd of other Purple Tiger Gang members as they're gathered around a stage. On the stage is Ren, who is currently tied up in a chair, and right next to him is the Purple Tiger Gang leader. The leader had shaggy hair that was dyed purple, and he wore a purple jacket with a white undershirt, some black jeans, purple shoes, and a gold chain.
"Fellow Purple Tigers," the leader said, "We have finally done it! We have the Green Dragon Gang's beloved leader Murakami in our custody!"
Hearing that made the other Purple Tiger gang members cheer and roar proudly, with the obvious exception of Ryuji, Ann, Makoto, Morgana, Shiho, and Daisuke, whose respective attentions shifted between the gang leader and Ren.
"With Murakami here, his merry band of tapeworms are going to be running around this neighborhood like chickens with their heads cut off," The Purple Tiger Leader boasted, "Fukochiku will belong solely to the Purple Tigers forever more!"
The leader's underlings cheered once more as he approached Ren and looked at him wickedly.
"You seem to be missing your scar there, Murakami," The Purple Tiger leader said as he looked upon Ren's face, "Are you covering it up with a little make-up like the little pussy we knew you were?"
"If you'd listen to me you'd know that I'm not this Murakami guy you're prattling on about," Ren said, "I'm not even from this neighborhood! My friends and I got lost and we wound up here!"
"A likely story," The Purple Tiger leader scoffed, "Well regardless, I don't care whether you're Murakami or not, my crew and I are going to have lots of fun with you!"
The leader then turned to his underlings and asked, "What do you fools think we should do with this poor bastard?"
"I say we cut off his fingers and toes one by one!" One of the gang members shouted, much to the rest of the gang's agreement.
"I say we tie him up to the back of one of our vans and drag his body down the street until the pavement is colored red with his blood!" Another Purple Tiger yelled, causing everyone around him to cheer in agreement.
"I say we hang him upside down like a pinata and wail on him until he's unconscious! Then we cut of his head and mount it on our wall!" A third gang member shouted as everyone else voiced their praises for this idea.
"I say we let him go," Ren said in a hushed tone.
"No one asked you," The Purple Tiger Gang Leader shouted, having overheard Ren speak. He then kicked Ren to the floor, while still tied up to the chair, before getting down on his level and holding a knife to his face, "Since you're missing Murakami's scar, how about I give you one myself so you can look exactly like him!"
Ren began to fear for his life as the gang leader's knife slowly came closer to Ren's face. Meanwhile, his five friends and one cat that were present were struggling to come up with an idea to get him out of this situation.
"Oh, this is awful!" Shiho cried, "What do we do?"
Ryuji, using what little brian power he had in his head, came up with a plan on the fly. He stood up quickly and shouted, "Hold up, boss!"
The Purple Tiger Leader stopped before he could do any damage to Ren's face, stood up, and turned to face Ryuji.
"Do you have something you want to say to me, blondie?" The leader asked as Ryuji stepped up on the stage, with the other five with him cautiously following him.
"Yeah, we have personal beef with this fool," Ryuji said before turning to his other friends, "Don't we, fam?"
"Uh, oh, yeah! We've got mad beef with him, yo!" Daisuke said.
"Hate this sucker," Makoto said.
"What exactly did he do to you?" the leader asked Ryuji.
"Uh," Ryuji thought for a bit as Ann and Shiho untied Ren from his chair and helped him to his feet, "He keyed our car! I paid mad money on my whip, you dig? And as punishment for defacing my wheels, my crew and I would like to have some time alone with him, if you catch my drift?"
"Yeah, I get it," The leader said, "Take him out back."
"Much respect, bro," Ryuji said as he and his friends got ready to get themselves and Ren out of there…but they didn't make it off the stage because one of the gang members recognizes Ryuji from when he kidnapped Ren earlier.
"Hold on, boss!" The gang member shouted, "I recognize that fool anywhere! He was with that Murakami look-alike when we nabbed him. And so was that cat, that beanie wearing idiot, and those three fine lookin' honies!"
"Honies?!" Ann, Shiho, and Makoto asked in a confused and disgusted tone.
"They're trying to get their friend back, boss!" The gang member continued, "They were never a part of this gang!"
The Purple Tiger Leader looked over at the six teens and one cat with a look of tranquil fury on his face.
"You sneaky little bastards," The leader said, "You actually thought you could pull a fast one on me and my gang?"
"Kind of," Ryuji admitted.
"Well, we have ways of dealing with sneaky little rats like yourselves," The gang leader said as he, jumped off stage and took out a gun which he was quick to point at the teens and cat, with all of the other Purple Tiger Gang members taking out guns of their own and joining in. The six teens held up their hands in fear from the moment the guns were pointed at them as Morgana hid behind Ren.
"I never thought it would end this way," Shiho lamented.
"At least we die together, my love," Daisuke said.
"I can't," Ryuji freaked out, "I'm too handsome to die!"
"You punks signed your death warrant the moment you set foot in our hideout," The gang leader boasted, "But don't worry, we'll be sure to send y'all home in some nice comfy body bags! Now then, say goodbye!"
The teens and cat shut their eyes as they brace for the rain of bullets fire that will quickly befall them…but the only bullet fire they heard next came from outside. A few seconds later, a group of thugs wearing green clothes and green bandanas enter the firehouse, leaving the dying bouncer by the front door. Leading this pack of hoodlums was a man that looked just like Ren, only with a scar on his right eye and he was wearing a green jacket with a black undershirt, blue jeans, and green shoes. The Purple Tigers and their leader then turned their guns on this new gang as they entered the hideout.
"Murakami as I live and breathe," The Purple Tiger leader said in a disgusted tone, "To whom do I owe the displeasure?"
"My Green Dragons and I were just itching to see you," Murakami said, "This neighborhood ain't big enough for the two of us. Today is the day where my gang and I claim what's rightfully ours! We'll be running Fukochiku by day's end! Ain't that right, fellas!"
The other Green Dragons cheer as they point their guns at the Purple Tigers. The six teens and one cat see a gunfight brewing and Makoto tries to diffuse the situation before things get worse.
"Whoa! Whoa! People, calm down!" Makoto said, "There must be some kind of a peaceful resolution to this!"
"Yeah," Ryuji chimed in, "Or a violent one, where me and my friends are standing over there."
"You punks stay right where you are," The Purple Tiger Leader yells, "After we take out Murakami and his Green Earthworms, you six are next!"
"Take us out?" Murakami scoffed, "We'd love to see you try you big purple pussy cat!"
(BGM: 'Free Bird' by Lynyrd Skynyrd (The best part of it, obviously))
The Purple Tiger Leader takes aim with his gun just as Murakami does so with his own gun. The six teens and one cat can do nothing more but watch as the Purple Tiger Leader puts his finger on the trigger.
"Noooooooooooo!" Ren, Ryuji, Makoto, Shiho, Ann, Daisuke, and Morgana shout in slow motion before…
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
A gun fight quickly ensues. Bullets are flying in every direction as the six teens and one cat duck down to avoid getting shot. As the Purple Tigers and Green Dragons keep shooting their guns, many gang members on both sides of the conflict are getting shot, some of them fatally.
"We've gotta get out of here!" Ren shouted as bullets whizzed past him and his friends.
"There's the exit," Makoto shouted as she pointed at the way they came in, "We just gotta make a mad dash for it!"
"I guess so," Ryuji said, "See you all on the other side!"
"We run on three," Daisuke said, "Ready?"
"1, 2, 3!" The group shouted as they got up and quickly ran for the door, which Ren picking Morgana up in his arms.
The group ran towards the door, ducking down occasionally to avoid any stray bullets. They gasped and screamed in horror as they see multiple gangsters getting shot and falling to the floor. The Purple Tiger Hideout quickly became a warzone with Ren and his friends caught in the middle of it! As they got closer to the door, one of the Purple Tiger gang members attempted to shoot them, but Ryuji whacked him with a nearby chair before he had the chance, knocking him unconscious.
"We're almost there," Ann exclaimed as they got closer to the door, but then, out of nowhere…
KABOOM!
Someone had thrown a Molotov Cocktail at the door. It landed in front of them, creating a wall of flames in front of the door, preventing them from going any further.
"What the hell do we do now!?" Ryuji cried.
"Over there!" Daisuke yelled as he pointed at a staircase on the other side of the firehouse that leads to an upstairs area, "Maybe there's a way out that way?!"
Left with no other choice, the group ran over the staircase, avoiding even more bullet fire and flames from Molotov Cocktails as the battle between the Purple Tigers and Green Dragons continued to rage. They eventually make it to the staircase and quickly climb up it.
What they're met with as they got to the top of the stairs was a hallway with multiple doors. They see that one of the doors is open, so they go through that door. They find themselves in an office-type room with a window; A window with a fire escape!
"There's our ticket out of here, guys!" Ren shouted as he ran over to the window and tried to unlock it so they could leave via the fire escape.
When the bespectacled, raven haired man unlocked the window and opened it up, he and his friends felt as though a giant weight has been lifted off of their shoulders.
"We're out of here, baby!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"I don't think so!" came a voice. The teens and cat turned around and they found the Purple Tiger Gang leader pointing his gun right at them, "Nobody enters the lair of the Purple Tiger Gang and leaves alive to tell the tale!
Completely paralyzed with fear, Ren and his friends stare at the Purple Tiger leader in the same manner a deer would stare into the car's headlights on the highway. The evil gang leader was just about to pull the trigger, and the teens and cat shut their eyes to brace for the pain, when…
BLAM!
(End BGM)
The teens and cat open their eyes to find a bullethole has been put through the Purple Tiger leader's head. The evil gang leader falls over dead, revealing Murakami to be the one who dealt the killing blow.
"Murakami," Ren said in disbelief.
The Green Dragon Leader just looked at the teens and cat and smirked.
"The Purple Tigers dragged you all into this mess," Murakami said, "You don't deserve to be caught in the crossfire of our conflict. Get out of here before more of those purple pussy cats show up."
"Thank you, Murakami," Ren said gratefully, "We won't forget this."
And with that, Ren, Ryuji, Ann, Makoto, Morgana, Shiho, and Daisuke escape through the window and ran down the fire escape, making it outside of the Purple Tiger hideout. Once they made it to ground level, the group made it a point to get out of the area as quickly as possible before they're caught by any more gangsters.
(BGM: 'Betty' by Yung Gravy)
Meanwhile, Yuuki and Futaba are seen driving down the street in their recently acquired van and they're jamming out to music on the radio. As they drove, they made it a point to keep an eye out for any of their friends.
"Futaba, look!" Yuuki said as he pointed out the window.
The two of them look in front of them to see the likes of Haru, Yusuke, Sumire, Ichiro, Hayato, and Hifumi running down the street. They notice that Haru has a large duffle bag attached to her person. As they got closer to the group of six, Yuuki rolls down the window and call out to them.
"Need a lift?" Yuuki called out, catching the six teens' attention.
"Mishima? Futaba?" Sumire asked, "Where did you guys get a van from?"
"Junkyard," Futaba said, "I'll explain later. Right now we're getting out of this neighborhood! Get in!"
Yuuki made his way to the back of the van and opened up the back doors so the artist, the Shogi player and her scarlet haired boyfriend, the floofy haired woman, and the gymnast couple could get inside. Once they were all in the van, Yuuki closed the doors, got back in the passenger seat and Futaba drove off.
"So what's in that bag, Haru?" Yuuki asked.
"Check it out," Haru said as she opened up the duffle bag to reveal all the money she won from hustling billiards, "I won this from playing pool."
"I didn't know you could play?" Futaba said.
"Yeah," Haru said, "My uncle taught me how."
"We were going to use some of this money to buy subway tickets back home," Yusuke said, "But now that we have our own means of transportation, I guess you can say we have a bit of play money on our hands."
"It looks that way," Yuuki said.
"Guys, look," Futaba said as she spotted Ren, Ann, Morgana, Shiho, Makoto, Ryuji, and Daisuke standing on a street corner. She pulled over on the side of the road as Yuuki lowered the window to talk to them.
"'Sup, guys," Yuuki greeted.
"Mishima?" Ryuji asked in surprise, "Where'd you get this van?"
"We found it in the junkyard," Yuuki explained, "We're using it to get out of this urban hellscape."
"We already found Yusuke, Haru, Hayato, Hifumi, Sumire, and Ichiro," Futaba chimed in, "They're chilling in the back right now."
"Come on, guys, get in," Hayato said as he opened the back door for the remaining seven of their friend group to get inside.
With all fifteen members of the gang safe inside the van, Futaba started to drive out of Fukochiku once and for all.
"We're so glad you guys are safe," Haru smiled, "Especially you, Ren. What happened?"
"It was the craziest thing," Ren said, "These guys broke into the Purple Tiger's hideout to save me, then the Green Dragons showed up, there was this huge gunfight. Everything was happening so fast that I couldn't even keep track."
"Well, it's okay now, Ren," Futaba said calmly, "We're all together once more. Everything is fine."
"Even better now that we have some money," Haru showed the seven who entered the van the money she won from billiards.
"Score!" Ann exclaimed.
"Who'd you have to snuggle up with to get this kind of money?" Ryuji asked.
"No snuggling," Haru said, "Just hustling."
"Nice," Daisuke said.
"Well, now that we're all here and we have some more money to play with, what do you guys say we go see that new Featherman Movie now?" Yuuki asked as everyone cheered in agreement.
"Hang on tight!" Futaba said as she drove everyone out of Fukochiku.
As the gang drove out of the ghetto, they were all seen jamming and bopping their heads to the beat of the music being played on the radio, happy that they survived this ordeal, and even more happy that they're going to spend the remainder of the day seeing a good movie together.
A perfect end to a wacky day.
(End BGM)
THE END