Stories From Tokyo-To

Chapter 3: Miller Ball Breakers!

"Hey..."

Darkness. A muffled voice. It had an echo to it.

"Hey Kid..."

It grew louder and a bit more clear.

"Hey, it's time to get up... C'mon, kid, I don't have all day..."

I opened my eyes, and a blinding light hit me as I frantically stood up from the seat I was sleeping on. A pool of drool lay next to my bag, a makeshift pillow for however long my journey was. Rubbing my eyes, I noticed the number of commuters and schoolkids looking at me as this well-dressed train employee stood before me. The sun on the man's shoulder gleamed a bold yellow, filling the train car with a golden hue. Grumbling and wiping the drool off my chin, I looked up and blocked the sunlight from my face. "Wh- Where am I exactly?"

"Tokyo. Benten, to be precise. It's around..." he looked down at his pocket watch. "...Uh, noon. And I noticed you got on board way back in Fukuoka prefecture. So I did the honors of calling local law enforcement to see where your parents are."

A panic started brewing in my soul. There's no way this really considerate but 'goody-two-shoes' train employee was gonna send me back to Fukowoka-cho!

"Yup, they should be here in a bit."

I stood up so fast that I startled those watching on. Snatching my bag, I bowed to the employee and shook his hand vigorously as I started inching towards the train doors.

"T-Thank you so much, sir! It means a ton, but I really should get going— H-have a nice dayyyyy---!!!" People watched as I made a run for it. Leaving both the attendant and onlookers stunned, I only heard the echo of his "What the?- Hey kid! Hold it right there! Hey! Stop!".

As it turns out, that train took me to Japan's largest city and 'Rudie' capital of the world: Tokyo-To. You see, Tokyo-To is divided into 3 separate cities; I just so happened to find myself in Benten-cho. It resides in the west. It's better known as the "City of the Night''. 

In the daytime, it's just your average 'mom and pop' shops with a couple of telemarketer buildings spruced up in there. At night? It's an entirely different vibe. I'm talkin' bars, clubs, love hotels, and services I'm not allowed to partake in for a while... if you catch my drift. Anyway, this is Noise Tank territory. They're a group of kids from the elite technical school minutes away from here. I hear they sell hardware to fund their operation and pay for their supplies. It's a good business move, but scuff one of their gang uniforms up, and those rich toddlers are anything but professional. Of course, at the time, I didn't know any of this, so I was in for a rude awakening.

Walking down the main street, the sound of distant police sirens started heading my way. I dived into a back alley to let them pass and ensure I wasn't caught on my first day. I figured lying low would be the best option to not attract any heat. 

So, I made my way deeper into the alley as a new "safe" route. Head hanging low and with my hoodie on, I tried to divert as much attention as possible, even in these tight spaces. Without looking, I kicked over an empty spray can, which echoed throughout the alley. Taking a step back, what lay in front of me was something I hadn't seen before.

"Woah... that tag... it's killer!"

It was a standard 'mid-size' work. The inner portion of the lettering popped out, which I loved. The 3D aspect was highlighted by the neon blue lines going towards the background. But the border work was lacking. 

So I grabbed a can from my bag, and as soon as I took off the cap, something made its presence known. Describing the sound I heard reverberating around me was difficult. It was this series of beeping and high-pitched clicking. Chopping it up to just me tweaking, I shook the can, making that sweet, 'clack clack' sound I craved. The second I took aim to make my corrections, a robotic voice cried from the heavens.