THE ONE CALLED J

Chapter 37

Max was tense as he looked around, he walked for a while hoping what Joshua had done to him would make sense but it didn't.

After a while, Max gave up as he collapses on a chair.   He recalled Joshua's words.  "Max, no one can completely hide their true nature.  When you see a rich man, you'd know from his habits and when you see a poor man, you'd also know from his."

"What does he mean by that?" Max asks himself as he began to ruminate on the question.  "J is obviously relating it to that car dealer, the way he handled the notepad he was carrying.  When I saw him walking, he wasn't too fast, usually, poor people walk faster than rich people.  Also, the way he spoke and how he was so quick to extend his hand to Henry.  It shows two things, the first is he's used to giving orders.  The second, he's quite rich based on how he shook Henry, and also, he was quick to put his hand to his tummy after shaking, this can only mean one thing."

Max had a confident smile as he stood to his feet.  "He was hungry but he had felt it was extremely important to imprint his paws, he must have left where he was in a hurry.  He probably spent his entire day tailing us, I have an idea, I know where to go."

Joshua drove as fast as he could, looking over in Dave's direction.  "I doubt I am going to be able to answer the next question."

"You don't need to," Dave tells him.  "I trust Max, he's going to figure out the mystery."

"Of that, I have no doubt," Joshua answers him.  "But that doesn't mean it would be anytime soon.  Also, from the little I have seen about entourages, the effect is nullified after its user has been decommissioned but not the after-effects."

"What do you mean?" Dave asks.

"Take you for instance, if Max finds the entourage-user and defeats him now, it means you will be restored with the abilities of your entourage but Henry is already dead, even when the entourage-user is defeated.  It don't mean Henry is gonna come back to life."

"I see where you are going."

"My life don't matter in this case, I know even if I die, your entourage can easily bring me back to life so that's why I am begging you with all I am worth," Joshua had a remorseful look as he turned towards Dave.  "Don't fail any question, you can't afford to fail.  If you do, it's game over for everyone."

"I thought it can never be game over for the J," Dave scoffs.

"Every dog has its day," Joshua grins.  "It appears today might be the one for the entourage-user."

"Don't worry, J," Dave had a resolved look on his face.  "I am not going to die, I will hang on till Max defeats the entourage-user, it's not only to you that I have a promise to keep.  The Satiurns sacrificed their lives so that I may live on.   I carry their will and dreams, I am not going to let them down."

"Aww," Joshua purrs sweetly, he looked to his arm.  His paw print was shining.  "I am definitely going to fail the next question, this is where I say goodbye."

The entourage suddenly appeared in front of Joshua.  Ivan had been flaring when Joshua had outwitted him in the second question phase but he had regained his cool as he took deep breaths. 

Joshua showed the entourage his most evil grin.  "Are you going to ask me a..."

Joshua found himself unable to speak as the entourage began.

"What's the name of my user?" The entourage asks.

"I don't know his name," Joshua smiles.  "But I am pretty sure if we look up ugliest i***t on Safari, his face would definitely pop up."

"You bastard!!!!" The entourage screamed as it swiped his arm towards Joshua's face, it phased through.   It was then that Joshua knew what the definition of pain was.  His idea of pain all along was limited, what he felt could not be described with mere words.  It ascribed the word 'unbearable.'

Joshua refused to scream or cry even though it was the worst mental agony he had ever felt.

"I am the J," He told himself.  "I never cry."

Eventually, the arm phased through, Joshua's body was swollen, his skin was pale and had lost its color, he collapsed on the driver's seat.

Ivan couldn't help but chuckle excitedly when he saw that he had defeated Joshua, he felt like standing up and doing a victory dance until he heard the door of the restaurant open.

He looked at the door, his jaw dropped.  He was bewildered.   Standing by the entrance of the door was none other than Max.

Max had a blank look on his face as he looked around the restaurant carefully.  "How did he find me?" Ivan thought but he took a while to observe Max.  "He doesn't look like he's sure, the way he keeps scanning around, it was just a fluke.  He's blindly searching based on a few clues he must have gotten, I am still safe."

"Are you?" He felt an arm tap him lightly on his shoulder, Ivan felt scared as he pushed the table away, he was terrified as he put some distance between him and the figure who had tapped him at his shoulder.

Behind him were Max and his entourage which was floating a few inches from the ground.

Ivan turned his eyes at the entrance, the Max figure he had seen there earlier had vanished.    "How did you find me?"

"It's as the wise man said," Max smiles.  "  "No one can completely hide their true nature.  When you see a rich man, you'd know from his habits and where you see a poor man, you'd also know from his.  It took me a while but I finally understood his words, J had suspected along where you could be but he wasn't sure, that was why he gave me the summary of the clues he had been able to gather.  From that, it didn't take a genius to figure out you were a rich man and you were quite hungry at the time we met you.  Since you were rich, you would be in a classy restaurant but this ain't Washington DC or New York that's crowded with dope-ass restaurants, there are only a few here, and the search results on Safari...m" Max grins as he brings out his phone.  "...show that.  This was the first restaurant I came into and before entering here, I put everyone in an illusion, my entourage is also capable of manipulating the sixth sense.  What that means is that it can make you think you are feeling something whereas it's something else or there was nothing, to begin with.  Take, for example, you thought you were thinking but you were talking," Max continued smiling.  "And I heard every single thing you said, it didn't take a genius to know you were the one behind that onslaught," Max grins as his entourage began to flex his knuckles.  "My entourage is middle-range while yours is long-range so mine is way faster and stronger so trying to call yours here won't save you.  Due to the principles, I was imbibed with while I growing up, I offer you a choice."

"Which is?" Ivan asks.

"If you leave my friends alone and point me to where Madame is, I promise to leave you alone," Max replies with a cautious look on his face.

"Byhahahhhhhahahahha!!!!!" Ivan laughs evilly as he got to his feet, he stretched his back as he cracked his knuckles.  "I'd rather be tormented in the worst of hells, have my skin hacked, torn to bits, and fed to the fishes of the sea before I betray Madame.  I love Mother Russia with all I am but I love Madame, even more, it will be an honor to die for her."

"And feminists claim women don't get enough love," Max mutters.

"I heard about your illusion ability," Ivan had an evil glint in his eyes as he began circling Max.  "You can only create illusions based on your knowledge, it means if you don't know about a detail in the environment, then you can't manipulate it."

"I will have you know," Max answers him.  "I had a psych evaluation at one of the best Mental facilities in the whole of U.S.A and guess what, it was proven by the test results that I had a photographic memory, I know all there is to in this environment, everyone's clothing, the different smells of everyone's perfume, the color, and shape of everyone's shoes, the number of people around, my rough estimated height of each person, everyone's eye color...."

"Calm down, young boy," Ivan smiles at him as he takes a sip from his glass of wine which was on the table.  "Don't go all Sherlock on me, I am not saying you haven't mastered the details, obviously I expected anyone who could have defeated the strategist duo to be very formidable intellectually, that's why I led you to my home."

"Home?!" Max was shocked as he staggered back.

"By the books and public records, this place doesn't belong to me," Ivan smiles.  "But in the grand scheme of things, I control everything that takes place in here.  I have especially been modifying some objects in here as I predicted a day would come when I will have an entourage battle and I knew I'd need all the help I could get."