AN: Heh, sorry about the long time in between chapters...ummm...yeah. Couple things were going on in my life at the time plus a nasty case of uber writer's block. Enough of this, on with the chappie! (PS: I'm drinking...'nuff said)

"KRSSSSSSSSSS...still at large. Government personel are still boggled by the trail of destruction across mid-Asia. No suspects have been deta...CRACK!

The arm that quickly shot out from underneath at least a mountain of blankets and pillows had already returned to its resting place. Bits and pieces of the now deceased radio still soared gently through the air. A figure groaned and moaned from underneath the covers. Another arm shot out from underneath covers and searched under the bed for something.

"...nngggHH! Hey, where's my pizza!"

The blankets flew off the figure as he sat up. The sun immediately greeted Bryan's still half-somber face causing him to recoil. Lines from the wrinkles in the blankets crossed his skin and sleep-crust glazed the corners of his eyes. Bryan's hands instinctively went to his face to rub the face goo off and shield him from his burning 'opponent.'

...can't wait until this life is over and I can finally meet whatever bright guy made 'light.' I gots me a few things to say to him...heh heh...

Bryan rolled over to flip his legs over the side of the bed, misjudging horribly, and acquainted himself with the floor for the millionth time in his life. At this moment he remembered a prior thought.

"Oh yeah! Where did my pizza go?"

Bryan began tearing the bed apart in his search. Finally after flipping the bed over completely he came to a startling realization...

"I can't find my pizza anywhere? Since when is there NOT pizza under my ... this isn't my room..."

His eyes quickly searched around the room. Everything was all curtains and soft and ... white. It was also spotless.

Yeah...umm...I have no clue where I am. Crap, now where am I? Last thing I remember is freezing my ass off in some Russian tundra.

"Last time I checked, tundras don't have minibars...especially empty ones."

A quick gasp made Bryan spin on his heels and set himself into his fighting stance. Standing in the doorway was a short asian women holding a tray with some breakfast on it.

"Good morning Master Bryan. Would you like some breakfast while I ... repair your bed?"

Bryan stood up fully, eyebrow cocked. Her accent was thick and heavy but understandable. He was clearly confused but the sound of breakfast definitely was music to his ears.

"Yes please, but one question first... this is gonna sound crazy but ... what city am I in?"

The woman placed the tray on the table in the room stood up and smiled. "You are in Osaka, Japan. You came in last night and requested this room.

Bryan chuckled to himself but quickly realized that the lady wasn't kidding around. Japan? Last thing I remembered was being in the middle of the Russian tundra. He tried digging further into his memories but only found a mental block the size of the Titanic (minus the iceburg). Frustration built up inside of him as he kept pushing his mind.

"Thanks for the eats. Can you leave now?"

The lady nodded and promptly exited the room. Bryan sat down on the floor and crossed his legs Indian-style. He drew in his ki and began to meditate, delving further into his mind.

What is happening to me? That voice I keep hearing...gives me the shivers. Every time it seems I ask for the strength to overcome something, it begins talking in the back of my head. He furrowed his brow in deeper concentration. That man or ... thing ... that keeps bugging me to accept my power. What is he talking about? I wish Klyde were with me now. Maybe he could shed some light on this. Bryan relaxed his mind and his ki flowed outward from his body. Flashes of purple energy lit up inside his eyelids. I don't remember having this much energy before. Its almost as if my internal ki batteries have been overcharged. He breathed outward heavily and more ki was released into the hotel room. The curtains began to move, as did his hair, as though wind was present. Wow! This is amazing! It's almost as if I can feel the energy of everyone on the whole planet. A certain energy signature caught his attention. That must be Klyde. Wait a sec...how do I know that? I guess my abilities have been increasing exponentially since I've been getting into all of these battles. Bryan sighed. Hmmm...there seems to be another energy nearby him. It's like mine but it almost feels like someone besides that person is in control. The disturbances to all the light objects in the room came to a sudden stop. He stood up, opened his eyes and cracked his neck to one side.

"I have to find Klyde as soon as possible. I fear something ... strange is about to happen."

Bryan spent the rest of the day lounging around the hotel. The fact that there was an arcade outside the pool didn't make things better. He had questioned how the gold coins he and Klyde split between themselves had turned into cold hard cash but the arcade absolved that notion in a hurry.

Five hours and many many quarters later, Bryan emerged from the arcade.

"Oh crap...it's already dark outside? Damn you Metal Slug 4...damn you..."

He readjusted his duffel bag and made his way outside the hotel. Outside he was greeted by a multitude of Asian people in a steady bustle. There wasn't much noise considering the amount of people present. A quick shrug and Bryan made his way into the crowd. A feeling of being watched was the only thing keeping him from being relaxed in the crowd.

This is the same feeling I got on the plane from that guy who worked with Guile. Funny...I don't see anyone paying any particular attention to me.

At that moment, he felt a very slight tug on his gi bottom as two men bumped into him. Bryan's trained mind instinctively told him to check the pocket on the corresponding side of his gi.

Oh, son of a b...

Bryan whipped around in mid thought and tore after the two men that had bumped into him. They led him through a myriad of turns before coming to an alley with no outlet. Bryan tossed his bag to the side and announced his presence to them.

"Excuse me. But I think when you guys bumped into me, one of your hands accidently liberated something from my pocket. I'd really appreciate it if I could have what you guys took from me." That oughta do it.

The two men stopped in their tracks and whipped around in a 180. One was already brandishing a knife while the other appeared to be wearing a set of brass knuckles.

"Oh sorry kid. We just wanted to make sure you're uh... belongings were safe in this here city of gentlemen and ladies."

The other hoodlum laughed softly and spoke with a coarse voice. "Yeah. Us Mad Gears only want to do whats best for the community."

Bryan's sarcasm meter exploded slightly before the the period placement in the end of the last guy's statement. Yay...

Before he had a chance to enter a proper stance he felt the presence of three more bodies arrive behind him. Damn, there goes my exit. He lowered his body into a defensive stance. Crap...five on one...this doesn't bode well. One of the men behind him made a move to grab his duffel bag. A swift motion of Bryan's foot followed by a sickening crunch made it apparent to the men that the boy didn't plan on being cooperative.

"Fuck, kid! You smashed his hand. Oh, you're gonna pay dearly for that bro. Let's teach him a lesson in Mad Gears 101."

All five of the thieves rushed inwards in an attempt to catch Bryan off guard. A slight scuff was heard as Bryan leaped to his right and vaulted off the alley wall, using an emergency escape ladder to swing himself higher into the air. The five Mad Gear men on the ground looked up in surprise at their nimble adversary. Bryan forward flipped once and place himself behind the two original thieves with his back to the wall. At least now I don't have to worry about behind stabbed in the back. A disgruntled growl was heard from the five men as they charged again at Bryan. A faint smirk graced Bryan's face as he rotated his body once and threw his body into the air.

"Tatsumaki senpuu kyakuu!"

Four of the five men caught the brunt of the hurricane kick while the last was able to use his smashed hand to stop the assault. He went to punch Bryan in the head but was met with a low sweeping kick. A quick rising dragon punch brought the man to the world of things unpleasant. Bryan turned around to find the rest smiling, each holding a small ball in each hand. All of them were having trouble dealing with his first attack. The apparent leader amongst them spoke.

"Sorry kid but we got what we needed. We'll consider this a donation for the future."

At that, each one threw their ball to the ground. A short pop followed by a thick smoke was enough to confuse Bryan. When the smoke cleared, all of the men were gone...along with his duffel bag. Anger built up inside of Bryan and he deemed it necessary to express it to the alley.

"Dammit!"

Bryan collapsed into a thinking position, legs crossed. Now I have no money...no clothes...crap. He stood up and brushed the dust off his gi; soda stains and blood remaining. Just before he left the alley he felt a presence behind him. What now? Wait a sec...it's too small to be anything threatening. He walked deeper into the alley to find nothing but trash and bugs. Strange...I still feel something here. He leaned closer to the wall. Someone is on the other side! Bryan hopped to the top of brick wall at the end of the alley. Below was a man holding his hand and breathing heavily. Bryan's eyes went wide with anger.

"You!"

The man's head shot up in surprise. Fear was easily noticed on his face as Bryan dropped down to corner him against the wall.

"Where's my stuff you jerk!"

The man lowered to his knee's and began groveling.

"Please don't hurt me anymore. I'm new at this. I don't know where they took your stuff."

Bryan slapped the side of the man's head and laughed.

"You guys called yourself Mad Gears so obviously you have to have some kind of hideout or lair or palace of stupid or something."

The man became more fidgety. "No! I can't tell you where it is. The boss'll kill me."

Bryan grabbed the man's shirt with his left hand and threatened with his right. "Ok how bout this? You can tell me and you can die or ... I can make you feel pain for the rest of your life."

The man freaked and winced his eyes. "Ok, ok ... please don't hurt me anymore. I'll bring you there if you promise you won't let boss find out I told you."

Bryan smiled deviously. "Oh don't worry, I know exactly how to handle your type of people."

AN: Ok it may be a little rough but I'm just getting back into the groove of things. I fell a little bit behind in the story with my partners Gadoken King and Saikyo Master. Apparently I have that creative spark when I drink. I look forward to writing many more chapters n' stuff so for all you masochists out there...be ready. Peace!