Bam!
Straight into action, Yoyo, the silver tongued rudie darted towards a rail between two sides of the road on the busy street of Dogenzaka Hill. Pulling several tricks on his way , he enjoyed the feeling of the air, although stale, felt clean , cold. There was little smog today, as he grinded the down hill curve of the road, wind blowing through his messy hair, the scrape of his grind plates against the rough metal painted surface of the grind rail. The satisfaction of keeping his balance eventually bought him a considerable amount of speed, and by the time he was at the end of the road in a matter of seconds, he leaped off the rail and pulled a 180 air trick to finish his high-energy performance. Oh, the joys of being a rudie.
What's more was his heart began to beat with the tune Professor K was broadcasting to the world. Corn was right; Jet Set Radio's enjoyable music was like a sweet scent to outsiders living in the underground.
Yoyo noted a bare wall on the side of a small shopping area. After tugging his hood over his head, he immediately took out a spray can from his hoodie pocket, and began to create art. And this was real art. No matter what disgusted looks the public would give. His paint flowed with the music and the music flowed with the paint. Yoyo nearly closed his eyes - this zen feeling of excitement bouncing around in his mind, pushing him to skate further. Yoyo signed his name, in his off wall handwriting before dashing off , leaving a beautiful piece of art and some netrium fumes behind.
-
'Yeah! This is DJ Professor K, baby! The master of mayhem, you know what I'm sayin'?' A loud man shouted over the music of the radio station. 'Bringing you another Tokyo pirate underground broadcast from Jet Set Radio!
I'm gonna bust into your head through your cute lil' ears, and blow your minds with my sexy voice and out of sight sounds! Those prone to nosebleeds should keep those tissues handy, suckas!' Any listener could practically feel a drop of spit land on his microphone.
'Tokyo is bein' oppressed by the Rokkaku group; a mega enterprise headed up by Rokkaku Gouji, also known as our mayor. Rokkaku is using his money and influence to mess with EVERYTHING. Industry, society and even our culture.' K begins to explain, his voice darkening with every word. 'Lately, Rokkaku's been shaking down the government, passing all that 'Rokkaku Law' crap, and even buying off the police department. And this law ain't nothing but garbage! It's just some selfish little punk's way of showing he's a big man.'
The Professor turns down the volume of his music, but only slightly.
'Rokkaku and his gang are trying to stomp out our culture left and right. They don't give a rip about our rights! All they care for is profit.
And some spineless fools have already become flunkies in his diabolical scheme.'
Listeners knew who these 'flunkies' were. Professor K was referencing a member of the known as Captain Hayashi, who was known for being a brave man and a great hero to the safety of the citizens of Tokyo-To time ago. He was known for being a little off his nut, but still did his job well. His true insanity and mental ilness did not show until after Rokakku's all seeing hands reached into his mind and diseased it with ideas of a 'better future.'
'The goddess of Dogenzaka Hill has been stolen, but none of us know the real answer to who did it. So it's time to flush out those rumour spreading punks...'
Hey, yoyo was only in Dogenzaka Hill to tag, and he wasn't going particularly fast, but he took it upon himself to impress the GGs by going to check who this ... 'Rumour spreading punk' was.
At the end of the looped Road was a small shopping area filled with... literally nothing good as yoyo thrashed a couple of stalls nearby, and in sight stood a sewer pipe that he knew led all the way back to the beginning, near the garage. But on his way he saw a figure.
He stopped in his tracks as his heart jumped.
Another Rudie!?
Yoyo did the maths. Either this dude was one of those rumour spreading punks who knows about the goddess, or he isn't. Just another Rudie. But he might know something.
'Hey you!' Yoyo shouted as he skated towards the unfamiliar Rudie boy, which he then saw was much taller than he was. The rudie turned around, looked yoyo up and down, and shrugged. Yoyo watched him skate and grind up a drain pipe to the top of the shopping mall, which, mind you, is not physically possible without nettrium powered skates.
Yoyo scowled and skater after him, reaching the top where the boy peering down at the people in the mall, taking notice of the zombie Japanese population downstairs, as if he were looking for someone.
'He didn't even take notice of me!' Yoyo growled to himself as his annoying, short tempered self began to show.
'Hey, you!' Yoyo repeated again, in a more shrill tone than before. Though much to his annoyance, the other Rudie looked at him with a piercing glare through his glasses... that were more like goggles, making him all the more scarier. Yoyo felt paralysed on the spot. Man, he was a weak Rudie.
'You talkin' to me?' The other Rudie waited for Yoyo to respond, but as soon as he opened his mouth... he was gone in a flash of blue and white netrium smoke and dust. It was midday, and the smog was beginning to clear, just enough for Yoyo to see where the other Rudie had gone. Yoyo growled louder and more angrier this time, and rushed over to the sewer half pipe where the Rudie had made his escape. He took a moment to tap his skates on the sharp concrete corner to ensure his grind plates could handle it, and made a boost dash across the pipe to where he had gone, holding one of his skates, forming a makio on the side of the half pipe, gritting his teeth as he reached the end. He leapt and flew back up to the pavement, almost staggering as he misplaced his landing. What's worse, was the other Rudie was staring right at him doing this, as soon as Yoyo recovered he could see the light of the burning sun shine through one of his lenses. One mean lascivious, hawk like eye leered at the smaller boy. Yoyo felt his hands ball into fists defensively, as if only the Rudie's glance could kill him. That is until he spoke, in a calmer tone than he expected.
'Whatever the hell it is you wanna tell me, I'll only listen if you beat me in a race around the whole of Dogenzaka Hill.' The words slowed as they escaped his mouth, Yoyo focusing on his thin lips. 'If you win, I'll listen. If I win...
Dogenzaka Hill is mine.'
'Deal.' Yoyo said back, as he brushed himself off, and lined himself next to Beat, skate by skate.
'Just to make this fair, count with me.' The other Rudie began to smirk, much to Yoyo's dismay. He had a knack for lying and cheating, and he didn't want to let the GG's down. There's no way he could win against this guy.
'R-right.' Yoyo stuttered, discomfort growing inside him like ivy.
Together, the two boys jeered, as if to taunt eachother,
'Three.'
Yoyo swore he could hear Professor K counting with him on the radio.
'Two.'
He felt the other Rudie glance at him through the side of his goggles, peering into his very soul.
'One.'
Without thought, Yoyo felt the thrusters at the back of his skates light up with blue flame.
'Go!'
'There you have it, folks! It's a race between two rudies, one GG and another we haven't met before in Dogenzaka!'
What..?
How did Professor K even know? Yoyo asked himself. The other Rudie seemed to be listening in too, and looked equally confused.
The race had started, and both teens flew down the busy street, pushing themselves and their skates as far as they could do, using anything from rails to billboards to get headway from eachother.
Yoyo knew he wouldn't win, the other Rudie took the lead and he watched him skate away in a trail of blue flame. But Yoyo was not going to give up this early in the race! He could not afford to disappoint the GGs. He jumped on a grind rail, speeding down to the corner of the loop, making sure to jump onto the next rail leading into a different street. He heard pedestrians shriek as they were pushed out of the way by the other Rudie, until they reached the top of the hill, sloping downwards in a rather steep fashion. The road meandered left and right partly unable to be seen, each corner dotted with shops , doors and windows sprayed over with Yoyo's very own graffiti. He looked left and right, and eyed him carefully until he noted something.
The other Rudie was following the curve of the road. Yoyo knew better.
Yoyo flung himself of the top of the hill, showing off a spin as he landed atop the roof of a building in the middle of the huge hill, taking no look back as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop , repeating his moves . He heard the other rudie shout in astonishment, and the panicked scrape of skates desperately dashing on concrete.
Yoyo let out an audible snicker, riding the same pipe up to the top of the mall as the other Rudie demonstrated, and was already at the sewer half pipe by the time the Rudie merely saw the shopping mall. As soon as he reached the other end, he leapt and landed on a single toe, whirling himself round and coming to a halt before the feeling of winning hit him hard. Another feeling hit him hard , too.
God save Yoyo's ankle.
His stupid looking grin turned into a frown, and a feeling of 'Ack!' Slamming into his victorious moment. Hands on his knees, he began to pant, the more he thought about his ankle, the more the pain in the rest of his body became apparent; his aching joints and beat up forearms.
At last the other Rudie came from the pipe, sand landed near Yoyo, as he looked up and nodded. Standing tall he leaned over the smaller teen.
'You okay..?'
'Yeah, just beat up.' Yoyo grunted.
He stood upright again, facing the other Rudie.
'I think I'll chill with y'all for a bit. Mind if I join GG?' The Rudie said.
'Yeah, but at least tell me your name first, yo' Yoyo grinned stupidly again at the taller teen.
'You can call me Beat.'
'Aight then Beat, I was gonna ask about the Goddess.'
'The goddess, I heard that-'
'INCOMING!' Professor K shouted over his microphone, presumably at Beat and Yoyo.
'Rokkaku Police have arrived at Dogenzaka Hill! Any rudies in the area, scram!'
'Shit! Police!' The two of them said in unison.
'Oh. Jet Set Radio' Beat muttered, as Yoyo looked around apprehensively. Within seconds loud sirens could be heard, and the whole of the daytime street was filled with blue and red flashing light, a display of wonderfully bad law enforcement. A group of foot soldiers, dressed in long grey coats and hats leapt out of a police car.
'Hey you two!' One of them shouted.
'I'm going to your garage,' Beat said quickly. 'And you know, these police can be pretty hardcore if you're just a beginner. I recommend you lay low for a bit. See ya!' Beat tugged Yoyo's shoulder as he left, blue sparks around the corner Beat had slid by.
But Yoyo was too late. Behind him, someone grabbed his arm.
'Rudie, you are under arrest for- OUCH!' The soldier's jaw was met with Yoyo's elbow, as he yanked himself out of his grasp.
'Hey!' The other officers shouted, as Yoyo skated away, to a grind rail, but to now avail. He was far too late. All exits were boarded up with temporary metal fences, and there was only one way to escape this mess.
Defeat the Rokkaku police!
-
Yoyo picked up a few spray cans and just skated around the area. Avoiding all police and shoving them out of his way as he looked for an escape route. Then an idea hit him.
He wasn't all that smart, but he wasn't dumb either. He began to skate in a certain pattern, just long enough for the Rokkaku to memorise and know where he was going to go. Yoyo clutched the can tightly in his hand, a grin on his face as the police formed in exactly the way he expected. Then, much to their surprise, yoyo took a U-turn, and dashed into the group of waiting officers, knocking them all to the ground with a giggle. Then he shook his can, and used the backs of Rokkaku uniform as his canvas, spraying his name on their backs and making sure to get their faces, as the toxic paint fumes bewildered them. Yoyo laughed, prancing around the officers like it was some kind of children's game, spraying their backs.
He defeated the Rokkaku police.
The men all stood up and instead of attacking Yoyo even further, cowered away and desperately retreated to their vehicles, a few of them making sure road boundaries were moves as they all drove away.
'Yo! What's this?! A GG just fought off the Rokkaku police!' Professor K shouted over the radio. 'Hacking into Dogenzaka's camera feed... now! I see you, Rudie and you're listening in. Blue hoodie, green hair? Wave for us, sucka!' Yoyo looked around , knowing the message was for him. Until his eyes met with a nearby camera behind him. He waved at it, hoping it was the right one.'
'Hey! Tell us your name, kid!'
But how? Yoyo looked around for a spray can, finding one rolling towards him from... somewhere. He grabbed it, and looked around for a tagging spot in the camera's view. He he hoped it could be seen clearly, as he sprayed 'YOYO' in big letters as stupid as his permanent grin.
'Yoyo, is it! Well, kid, good job on shaking down on the police!' Yoyo performed a two footed spin on camera as if to show Professor K gratitude for saying his name on air.
'Now go get yourself some ice cream sucka! And remember all you Rudies; be like Yoyo and show the police who's boss!'
Yoyo signed out with a peace sign, and decided to skate back to the garage, at a more leisurely pace than before.
'Y-o!' He shouted loudly, being greeted by Beat first thing, grabbing his shoulder by force
'I heard it all . Good job, kid!'
'Thanks, Beat.', he playfully pushed him in return, as beat grabbed his forearm and yanked him back. The two boys began to wrestle a bit for fun, but then Beat remembered; 'Oh yeah. You should go chat with Gum. I told her everything about the Goddess, and she'll fill you in. But before we go hunt down the goddess, I heard Poison Jam were making a racket over at Shibuya Terminal. We should go.'
'Sounds good, yo!' Beamed Yoyo, clearly tired but now inspired by Beat, thinking of him more as a cool sibling instead of as scary and all-seeing as he thought of him before.
Beat looked over at Gum watching them from the balcony. As Beat saw her, he signalled him to come here, as he followed, as Yoyo skated off to ask Corn about Shibuya Terminal and the Poison Jam situation.
No more police in Dogenzaka Hill.