Author's Note: Hey guys, this story is based off of a table top game that a couple of my friends and I are playing currently. The game, and thus the story, takes place from the perspectives of two separate heroes, one of which you'll meet in the words below :D. The setting takes place in a kind of cyclical future, where mankind had to leave the old Earth and start over completely, eventually bringing them to the point they were at during Dragon Ball. The only real differences in the world is that the Namekians and even the more peaceful Arcosians (Frieza Race) inhabit the planet as well. I don't want to give too much away about the characters so I'll leave it at that. Naturally, criticism of any kind is greatly appreciated! I hope you enjoy!

Alexander Kido woke up face down on his stomach in a puddle of coolant on a dilapidated concrete floor. He laid there for what felt like hours to the typically rambunctious ten year old. Finally, the boy pushed himself up off of the ground. He sat there in a groggy stupor, yawning as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. Finally, he stood up and surveyed his surroundings.

He was in grandpa's lab, of course. He'd gone to bed there just last night. The cool atmosphere flowing about the technological piles in the dark room was exactly as it had been. Everything seemed way older now that it was morning though, and there was a big crack in the computer that Alex had missed. Weird.

The next thing the young boy noticed was how dry his throat was. He turned his head about, searching for something to drink. A faucet. Great! He waddled his way over and turned the knobs. No water came out. Mind still hazy and body still thirsty, he did a 180 at the sound of something dripping that he hadn't noticed before. It was coming from his bed. The boy shrugged and made his way over to where a small stream of warm water was dripping off the corner of the clear door that enclosed him while he slept. It wasn't very good water.

Satisfied, Alex decided that he had waited the appropriate amount of time to wake up his grandpa. "GRAAANDPAAAAAA!" The boy called out over and over again. Any second now, his grandpa would show up, tired and smiling as always. Minutes passed in silence, periodically interrupted by another cry for his caretaker. Finally, the boy made his way to the lone doorway and opened it to peek out and see if he could find the old man.

Howling winds lashed at the exposed parts of his body as blinding white flurries of snow bombarded the threshold of the laboratory. Shielding his face, Alexander Kido stared down at the massive drop that lay just beyond the lab door. Surprised and confused, he began to cry. What was going on? Where was his grandpa? Where are you grandpa? I'm getting scared. The boy braced himself, breathing in and out slowly and deeply. He opened the door and stepped into the maelstrom.

Alexander Kido made his way along the ridge of the mountain. The blizzard completely engulfed his field of view, further adding to his peril. In a matter of minutes, he'd completely lost sight of the laboratory doorway. Lost and afraid, he continued to traverse the mountainside, searching desperately for any sign of his grandfather. Eventually, he made his way down into the valley. He had given up yelling for a while, as it had been fruitless so far. Terrified, he trudged through the snow aimlessly, holding himself as he walked. He did his best not to cry, lest the tears freeze on his face. Like earlier. He didn't like to think about it.

Suddenly off in the distance, Alex saw a faint glow. The flickering light brought new energy to the boy's rapidly weakening frame. He began to run towards the beacon. Finally, a building came into view. The structure was little more than a quaint hovel, most likely owned by a sole resident. However, what it lacked in extravagance, it made up for in the fact that it was not a blizzard.

The frozen boy gingerly approached the building. He knocked on the simple, wooden door. "HELLOOOOOO? Is anybody there?"

After several moments, a woman opened the door. She was a gentle, homely woman with tanned, wrinkled skin. Her face was aged, but still retained the vigor and hardiness of her younger years. She was fully covered from head to toe in furs of motley patterns, clearly emphasizing function over fashion.

The woman looked down at Alex, shocked to see a child at her doorstep, more so due to the fact that there were literal icicles hanging off of his arms. Despite this, the boy showed no signs of being the slightest bit cold. She ushered the boy in, rushing to throw blankets on him. "You look like you've frozen yerself half to death!"

"Th-thank you ma'am. Do you have a phone? I n-need to call my grandpa." The boy stammered out of emotion as opposed chills. He wiped the snot away from his nose and stopped crying.

The woman nods and hands him the phone. She immediately goes to make hot cocoa. Alex dials his grandfather's number and waits. The phone rings once. Then twice. Finally, a voice informed him that the number he had dialed no longer existed. Anxiously, he tried the number again. And again. And again. He fought back tears with each failed attempt. The woman's face became increasingly concerned. He tries one last time.

The number you have dialed no longer exists.

Alex broke down crying. The woman wrapped him up in a warm hug. "You poor thing." Alex stayed there, crying into her shoulder until he fell asleep.

The boy awoke in a soft bed, all but swaddled in several layers of blankets. He quickly jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs. The dull pain of his grandpa's absence was still with him, but he'd cried himself out at this point. The woman sat in the den, reading a book. Her attention turned to him as he entered the room. "M-miss? Thank you for helping me. Do you know Prof- prof-" Alex stamped his foot in frustration. "P-r-o-f-e-s-s-o-r Kido?" He looked to the woman, hope burgeoning in his eyes.

The woman smiled warmly at him. "I'm afraid I don't. I'm glad to see you're looking better. What's your name? Call me Toko, sweetie."

"My name's Alexander."

"Well Alexander, how did you get in that big storm last night? It's dangerous to go out in the snow like that."

Alex looked up at her with big ten year old eyes. "I don't know. I was at grandpa's house in the mountains and it was dark and he wasn't there. So I went outside to look outside and…" the boy looked sheepish, "I got lost."

Toko pulled him into another big hug. Alex nestled into this one. "Don't you worry, Alexander. I'll help you find your grandpa Todo."

"Kido, ma'am." Alex replied bluntly.

"Of course, Kido then." Toko was known to be a bit forgetful. "I don't remember anyone living up in the mountains. You said you walked down from there? In this weather?"

"Uh huh." Alex nodded his head earnestly.

Toko hid her shock and horror well. It helped that Alex couldn't see her face from the hug.

Suddenly, Alex remembered what his grandpa had always told him. It was something important. Something that could help him find his grandfather for sure. "Grandpa always said that all doctors know where each other's secret labs are."

Toko nodded her head slowly, looking at the boy with a patronizing stare. "A secret lab?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Well I'll see what I can find out. In the meantime, you can stay here, alright?"

Alex nodded his head vigorously, beaming, "Thank you Miss Toko."

Alexander jolted awake and ran down the stairs, to the kitchen. He'd been living with Toko for several days now. The smell of bacon and eggs filled the cottage. Alex set about "helping" with breakfast. This mainly constituted him running about the kitchen while Toko got everything ready. However, today was a special day. Asking about this professor Kido around the village had been fruitless. So today was the day that they would head to the big city. The North City police department was sure to know where to find professor Kido, and even if they couldn't, the database could search for him in any city.

The two finished breakfast and packed themselves into the car. The ride itself wasn't overly long. They arrived at the outside of North City in a little under two hours. Alexander's eyes were glued to the car window the entire time. Each building and person he passed was a new experience. For as long as he'd lived in a city, he'd never seen so many different kinds of people. Some looked like him, but some were green with antennae and some even had tails! He bombarded Toko with "What's that?" and "What're those?" repeatedly. The woman had the patience of an Easter Island head, answering each question in turn.

"Those are namekians, Alex. They came to the planet with us during the Great Transition along with the arcosians." Toko continued to answer questions about the world for the young cherub until they arrived at the police station. The big blue building loomed over them as they exited the car.

Alex hid behind Toko as the entered the room. A man in a uniform and badge greeted them at the door. He and Toko talk for a while, though Alex doesn't really pay that much attention. A lot of big words were being thrown around. Eventually the both Toko and the man turned to him.

"Ok Alexander. Officer Keith here is going to help you find your grandpa."

The boy stared up at the police officer. "Hello mister. Do you know my grandpa?"

The officer kneeled down and smiled at the boy. "Your grandpa is… Dr. Kido, correct? I don't know him myself, but there are lots of people around here who can help us find him. If he lives here in the city, we probably have records of him."

"So you can find him!?" Alexander immediately began jumping up and down in excitement.

"I think we can. It may take a little while, though." The officer ruffled Alex's hair when his spirits seemed to drop. "Don't worry buddy, we'll find him for sure."

"Thank you officer Keith." The boy flashed a big toothy grin at the officer.

The officer nodded and offered his hand. "If you'll just come with me we'll get started."

"Ok. Can you please wait one minute, sir?"

"Absolutely."

Alex turned around and walked up to Toko. He gave her a big hug. Toko returned it, doing her best not to tear up. "Thank you for everything, Miss Toko."

"Be safe, alright Alexander?" The woman felt twenty years older in that moment as she held the small boy in her arms. Don't cry. Don't cry. Just smile and don't cry.

She made it to her car before she broke down. She and Alex didn't stop waving until the other was out of sight.

Officer Keith put his hand on Alex's shoulder. "Well kid, let's go see about getting you settled in somewhere while we start looking for your grandfather."

"Ok."

Alexander Kido sat on his cot at the North City Home for State Wards. It had been four days since Miss Toko had dropped him off at the police station. Officer Keith came to visit every day, bringing news about the ongoing search. When he visited, Alex always had a great time. He usually got ice cream. After he left though, it was really boring in the orphanage. Most of the other kids avoided him since he was only there temporarily.

Today though, Officer Keith had shown up with some great news. "Great news, Alex! We found a Doctor Kido who lives in Northeast City!"

Alex's eyes were starry. He danced about the room. "Really!?"

"Sure did kid. We'll head out tomorr-" Alex had already left the room to go pack. Officer Keith chuckled to himself. Cute kid.

Alexander packed a backpack full of all of the clothes that Toko had given him. He couldn't believe his luck! His grandpa had been found! He was going to see him! Alex marched out of the orphanage, walking on air. He clutched his backpack and smiled all the way to the edge of the city. Oh! He suddenly thought, I need to make sure to give Officer Keith a thank you card when I get there.

The ten year old readjusted his pack one last time as he stared out at the open road before him, bordered by endless wild forests. He gulped as the pressure set in. He looked back once, to the city with the nice people that had helped him on his way and smiled.

He started walking forward into the sunny horizon.

As night fell, Alex came across a small town. The dark shadows of the rundown buildings draped over the alleyways, obscuring anything that could be seen, for better or for worse. At the end of the town appeared to be a diner with the lights on. Outside the establishment were a smattering of motorcycles, however the lot was predominantly empty. Alex continued to walk along, whistling a happy tune as he went. Wary eyes glared out at him from windows, unnoticed by the skipping boy.

It was funny. Alex was pretty sure that he should've been tired by now, or at least hungry, but he felt completely fine. He did think he may have gotten a bit lost though. The child searched his immediate area to see if he could find anyone to ask for help. Luckily for him, there were two men talking in an alley! What luck! Alex walked towards the two gentlemen. "Excuse me sirs, do you know how to get to Northeast City from here?"

Ted Langsbury was doing all right in the world up to this point. He was moderately successful at his job at the factory, he and his girl were going to get married in spring, and Ted's crippling paranoia hadn't arisen in weeks! Things were going well for Ted, he thought to himself as he waltzed through the back alley on the way to his house. Too well, his mind immediately told him. Oh god… it's back! His palms began to sweat and he immediately considered calling off the beach wedding on the off chance of a terrible shark-related cult attack. As if an omen to confirm his fears, a dark figure came up behind him. He felt cold steel against his back.

"Ya money or ya life, bud," the mugger propositioned. Ted could only sigh. Of course this had happened to him. Well, at least he'd seen it coming.

"Excuse me sirs, do you know how to get to Northeast City from here?"

He wasn't expecting that. The little boy who had asked the question walked up from behind his leg, looking back and forth between himself and the man holding him at sword point.

The mugger, looking equally flustered, began to threaten the child. "Uh scram kid. Can't you see we're busy?"

This only made the child pout. "I was just asking a question." He folded his arms and angrily looked up at the two men.

"I mean it, kid. Scram!" The mugger switched his targets, now pointing his katana at the child. Surprised and suddenly scared, the boy began to cry. The mugger was a loss for what to do at this point.

That's it! I can't just stand here and let this happen! Ted thought to himself. I have to keep him safe dammit! Against all better judgement, he launched himself at the mugger, tackling him to the ground. The katana clattered away from the two as they wrestled each other for dear life. Off to his left, Ted heard the boy cheering.

"Yeah! Get him Mister!" The boy was no longer crying and had picked up the katana and was waving it around as he cheered for him.

Unfortunately, as he turned to look at the sword-wielding child, the mugger gained the upper hand. He rolled Ted to the ground and punched him once in the face. Ted went out like a light, feeling like a very confused hero.

The mugger got up and turned to Alexander. He loomed over the small boy, glaring daggers. "Give me the sword, kid."

"No!" Alex stuck out his tongue.

The attacker lunged for the boy, but Alex squirmed out of the way. He ran to the end of the alleyway, turned around and blew raspberries at his attacker. The mugger chased after him. Every time he got close, Alex would find a way to escape him.

For several hours, Alex led the poor mugger along on a chase, clutching his new katana to his chest. Finally, the man collapsed to the ground, pouring with sweat and all but hyperventilating. "H-how… can you… have… s-so much… energy!?"

Alexander walks up to his defeated foe and stares down at him, pondering the question with conviction. How did he have so much energy? Just what was he? Finally, Alex came up with an answer. He knew what he would be with these newfound powers. He stared down at the exhausted man, the gravity of his answer etched on his face. "I'm a superhero!"

The man collapsed on the ground, sound asleep. Not the reaction that Alex had been expecting, but it could've been worse. The ten year old shrugged and continued down the street, searching for directions. He put the katana through his backpack so that he had a sheath of sorts. He did not know that he no longer had any other usable clothes because of this.

Eventually, he found a man leaning on a post on the side of the road. The man was a bit aloof, but seemed nice enough, though for some reason he couldn't stop staring at Alex's sword. Was it magic or something? Anyway, he pointed the boy in the direction of Northeast City and off he went.

The strange boy with the sword walked out of the man's life, as soon as he had entered it.

Final Notes: So this was chapter 1! I hope you liked it. I'll be publishing sessions as they happen so I have no real schedule for this thing. It's kind of just for fun anyway. That being said, if, for some reason, we drop the game, I'll finish the story as I see fit at that point because I can't stand it when there's no closure and I wouldn't want to do that to anybody. I suppose I should talk a bit about myself real quick too. I'm 19 years old and currently I'm going to community college, planning to transfer somewhere for real college next year. As you've probably guessed by this summary by now, I'm a bit awkward :D. I love creating stories, but I've never had the patience to write them out before now, so hopefully I can keep this going! Once again, I hope you like chapter 1 and there'll be more to come soon!