The Next Day

Gold Land

Gunrock was hard at work in the mine. For him, it was another day in the office. Doing what he needed to to provide for his family. While others took several breaks during their work, Gunrock kept chugging along like a well-oiled machine. With Kraken no longer bearing over them, the mine was still a place that required hard work, but cruelty towards the workers was no longer involved. One of his fellow miners walked up to him with a canteen of water in his hand.

"Hey, you've been going at it for a while. You don't think you should stop and rest for a bit?" The man asked.

"Nope. If I can keep working, I will." Gunrock said, continuing to work. The man was so strong, in many cases, he didn't even need to move some of the heavier rocks with a cart.

"Do you at least want to drink some water?" The man offered.

"No thanks." Gunrock said. "I'll stop in a bit though. One break is all I need before I'm ready to finish the day off." He added as he picked away at another rock.

"Alrighty then. Just don't hurt yourself okay?" The man said.

"I'll be fine." Gunrock assured him.

The man walked away and went to talk with some other workers, continuing to enjoy his break.

As for Gunrock, he kept going and going. After about 40 more minutes of non-stop work, with some miners returning during those 40 minutes to help him, he finally stopped to take a break.

He got some water and drank almost all of it in an instant. He got up and went to a table of miners that were playing a game of cards.

"Hey gentlemen. Mind if I join in?" Gunrock asked.

"Sure thing. We're just about to be done. You'll get in on the next one." One of them said.

After about 4 more turns, the game was over. They shuffled the cards.

"So, what are we gamblin' for?" Gunrock asked.

"No gambles. Just for fun. We're playing Old Maid." Another one of them said.

"I just have to know." The shuffler said, presenting his statement to Gunrock.

"Yeah? What is it?" Gunrock asked.

"What makes you go on for that long? I mean, most of us here need about five, six, maybe even more breaks just to keep going and make sure we don't hurt ourselves out here. You got some secret power or something? A workout routine?" The shuffler asked as he continued to shuffle.

"No, none of that." Gunrock said as he the cards were being dealt.

"It's my family." Gunrock said. After a pause, he continued. "You see, I've got eight children at home, and a lovely wife. They're the ones that keep me going. If I couldn't do something to provide for them, what purpose do I have to work here? Gamblin's great and all, but at the end of the day, my family is my number one priority." Gunrock said.

"A family man eh?" Another man said. "I can respect it."

"I ever got a family, I'd want to have a different job first. Place like this is just dangerous to work in. And someone like you isn't going to be around every day to save us." Another miner said.

Adding Gunrock, it was a total of 6 players. After they all discarded their pairs, the player to the left of the dealer, who said they were playing for fun, went first, who was on the opposite side of Gunrock.

He picked a card from the miner that respected Gunrock's motivation. The card he chose was a black eight of diamonds. He did not have a pair for this card.

Turns continued until the miner that said they wanted a different job, who was to the right of Gunrock went out first. On Gunrock's turn he chose a red 2 of hearts, which was what he needed to discard a pair. He now only had one card left. Which was a 7 of black diamonds.

Play continued. But when it got to the dealer, there was a noise of someone screaming in agony.

Gunrock put down the cards. "Someone needs help!" He said. The others weren't too far behind in following him.

A miner's leg was trapped under a rock.

"I'll get you outta there." Gunrock said.

"No. I found this." The man said, still grimacing in pain, referring to the diamond in his hand.

Gunrock looked on in awe at the object.

"Gold. Just take it and get out of here. I'm no use to anybody with one leg." He said.

The cave started to rumble. "Look out!" The minor that had commented on Gunrock's family motivation said.

Several rocks were beginning to fall, but they were light work to Gunrock.

"I used... some dynamite earlier. Now you're seeing the rest of the results." The man said.

"I'm getting you out of here!" Gunrock said. He began to lift on the boulder.

"No. Take the gold and go!" The man said.

"No way! I'm not going anywhere until you're out of here!" Gunrock said, struggling to move the boulder. It moved a little, but it seemed like it just wouldn't budge.

A large rock suddenly fell. Gunrock grabbed it. "Go! Get out of here! I'll *grunt* handle this!" He said before throwing the rock. The rest of the miners ran out. But more and more rocks started to fall. And larger ones started to come down after the pebbles.

Just as it seemed Gunrock and the other miner was crushed by all of the rocks, a large, rocky figure emerged.

With the man in hand, the rocky figure ran out of the cave as that part of it collapsed.

The rocky figure was revealed to be Gunrock after he reverted.

"Gunrock!" One of the miners said.

'Well I'll be. How'd you do that?" Another one said in a southern accent.

Gunrock looks down at the gem in his hand. He already knew what it was and grinned a little.

"Let's just say this thing gave me the strength I needed to get out." Gunrock said.

"If that's the case... I'd say it's better in your hands than anyone else's." The miner that told them they would be playing cards for fun said.

Gunrock nodded before turning his attention back to the injured miner. "That leg's got to be tended to." He said before taking him himself to see a doctor.

After taking him there, the miner said, "I can't thank you enough. I guess that gold's more than enough payment."

Gunrock nodded. "It's no trouble at all. Rest up you hear?" He said before walking out and deciding to go home and tell his family the news about what he found.

Gunrock's Home

"Hey everybody, I'm home!" Gunrock said.

"Gunrock! You're home early. It's something wrong?" Cassie, his wife asked, reading a story to one of the boys.

"No! Nothing's wrong!" Gunrock said.

"Daddy!" The eight children said, all surrounding him. He picked up three of them, and allowed one of them to sit on his shoulder.

"Look what I found!" Gunrock said before reaching in his pocket and taking out the gold gem.

"Is that..." Cassie said, not believing her eyes.

"Yep! It's a Power Stone! My good luck charm!" Gunrock declared as it reflected off the sunlight.

"Hmm, I wonder..." Cassie thought, having a soft smile on her face. Her thoughts were extended to a completely different part of the world.

Eagle Town

In Eagle Town, the people of Eagle Town had all agreed to appoint a new sheriff. And with the approval of Galuda and the Eagle Tribe, a sheriff who was proven to be of pure heart and could not be corrupted by greed as the last sheriff was was selected. A vagabond by the name of Accel was chosen. Although he lacked a home, his skills as a gunman was something that was noticed by many during his time there, and many insisted that he be chosen as sheriff more than any local from the town. So now, Accel no longer had to wander and have temporary home after temporary home. Eagle Town was his home. And it was his home to protect. And along with Galuda, he protected it well.

But now, this seemed to be the first time that things were different. A gang of outlaws that he had defeated several times had him tied up to a hot air balloon and surrounded, deciding to all come in at once and ambush him, along with stripping him of his guns during a supposed stand-off to end it all against their leader.

"Heh. You couldn't beat me by playing fair, so you had to play dirty. Some cowboys you are." Accel said, smirking.

"If playin' dirty means we survive and win, we'll play dirty every single time." One of the outlaws said.

"Bet you couldn't even play a game of poker without looking at the other player's cards. And you'd still find a way to lose." Accel said.

"That ain't anything for you to be concerned about. In fact, you're not gonna have to be concerned about anything after this." Their leader said.

"Well, if you're gonna shoot me, shoot me. Hit me with your best shot. Or do ya need help to do that too?" Accel said, still grinning, unwavering even without weapons.

"I oughta shoot ya now for that. But I got better plans for ya. Explosive ones." Their leader said, grinning.

"I'll play along with your little game. What is it?" Accel said, still grinning.

"Glad you asked. You see, we're gonna send you up on this hot air balloon you're tied to. But while you were taking a nap, you probably didn't notice the dynamite we put inside the basket. By the time you ascend high enough, we and everyone else in this town will be far enough from the radius. But I can't say the same for you."

"And here I thought you were just gonna shoot me and have my body parading in the air for everyone to see. To show everyone 'this is what happens when you mess with us.' I applaud you for actually usin' that small brain of yours. " Accel said, still smirking.

"Even when you've clearly lost, you still won't shut up." The leader said, starting to become annoyed.

"Because... I've already won." Accel said,

"Now you're just talkin' nonsense boy." One of the other outlaws said.

"I wanna hear this. Tell me why. That'll be your last words." The leader said.

"Easy... you had to cheat to beat me. I won before this even began." Accel said.

The leader laughs. "Whatever works for you in that head of yours. Light it up!" He ordered. One of the outlaws took a lighter and lit the dynamite. Another cut the rope.

"Yell all you want, ain't nobody gon' come to help you or be foolish enough to confront us while we got the guns." The leader said.

Accel just keep a small smirk on his face. "So this is it huh? I don't go down by way of a bullet, but by dynamite. I'm jealous of ya Galuda. 'Cause when you get back, you get to take down these guys all by yourself." Accel thought.

Accel ascended higher and higher. As he did, he eventually fainted from being so high up.

The Sun shined on Accel. He was then surrounded by light.

Accel regained consciousness.

"So this must be what heaven looks like." Accel said before looking down at his boots, which were blue and not his usual black boots. He also looked down at his chest as far as his head would allow without being in pain and noticed he was still in ropes by seeing a small part of them. But he also noticed more of his body. Which didn't look like his body anymore. It looked as if he had some sort of exhausts on his lower waist area.

"What in blazes?" He said, shocked. He then felt, that the ropes were lighter than before and heard the dynamite still fizzling. With little to no effort he was able to break out.

About ten seconds later, the dynamite went off and the entire hot air balloon exploded.

"Good riddance." One of the outlaws said. Another one of them whistled.

"Alright, let's get to work boys. There's a new sheriff in town." Their leader said.

He descended and landed on a dock. It wasn't a soft landing, but at least he was alive.

When he regained his bearings, he looked at himself. He was normal again, but in his right hand was a silver gem. "Well aren't you a sight to behold." Accel said, still in pain, but not as much as he thought he'd be.

"Hey, are you okay?" A light-skinned woman asked him, noticing that he fell out of nowhere.

"Yes ma'am." He said, tipping his hat to her in reassurance before putting the gem in his pocket. He then realized he had his guns again.

"My guns." He said, a little confused. It made some of the people that overheard him say that a little anxious.

"Relax, I'm not gonna shoot anyone." Accel said.

"Where exactly did you come from?" The woman asked him.

"Eagle Town. And I'd reckon I need to get back there quick to serve some justice. If you don't mind, could you tell me where I am?" Accel asked.

"Londo." The woman responded.

"Londo, eh?" Accel said.

"You wouldn't reckon to have a plane or anything would you?" Accel asked.

The woman shook her head.

"No worries. Guess I'll have to find my way around myself. Thank you." He said.

As he walks, he thinks, "Don't know how I'm alive or how my guns came back but I can't say I'm not grateful."

"Excuse me!" A voice says.

"Only problem is, I've got to find my way back." He thought.

"Excuse me!" The voice says again.

"Hello? Is anything going on up there?" The voice said, which broke him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" Accel said. He looked and saw a girl with a yellow-green Yukata dress tied by a blue obi ribbon, with her hair tied in a bun by a shiny gold hairband and tama hair sticks on the side of him. It was Ayame.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to join our group of entertainers. With that outfit, you look like you'd be a perfect addition." She said.

"Outfit? Oh that's isn't an outfit young lady. This here's the real deal. I'm a sheriff. From Eagle Town." Accel said.

"Eagle Town?" Ayame said, starting to frown. "That's where Galuda lives."

"I'm guessing you're friends with him. If that's the case then you wouldn't mind telling how I would get back there would you?" Accel asked.

"Not a chance!" Ayame said suddenly throwing out a kunai at him. Accel was able to dodge it in time, but he was left confused.

"What was that for?" Accel asked in confusion.

"Simple, if you're the sheriff in Eagle Town then that means something must have happened to Galuda. What did you do to him?" Ayame said.

"I think we're in a bit of a misunderstandin'." Accel said.

Suddenly, the area was filled with smoke. Accel coughed a little before realizing that Ayame was gone. Suddenly, he was caught in a rope net. The source: Ayame, now assisted by other ninjas wearing matching attire as her. "What happened to Galuda!" Ayame barked.

"Nothing! He went out on a honeymoon with his wife! As sheriff, the chief put me in charge to protect the town along with Galuda." Accel said, trying to get out.

"A likely story. Then why are you here?" Ayame asked.

"I don't really know how I even got here but... these dirty band of outlaws ambushed me during a showdown with their leader. They tied me to a baloon and left me to die. Until by some miracle I landed here." Accel explained.

"You really expect me to believe that?" Ayame asked.

"I've got no reason to lie." Accel said.

"The last sheriff I trusted lied. And then you show up here as the next sheriff. Forgive me if I don't trust you right away. You're coming with us! Until you tell us where Galuda is and we find him, you're not getting out!" Ayame said. She, and the rest of her family had picked up the netted Accel and was about to put him in the wagon that they usually travel in.

"I've got to stop those outlaws! I'm getting out of here, one way or another!" Accel said, trying to get free. Suddenly, his pocket shined. Moments after he was surrounded by energy. The brightness blinded the ninjas.

"POWER CHANGE!" Accel called out. His body had changed into metal. While the scarf was intact, everything else from his boots to his arms was completely metal, even his eye mask, though he no longer had his hat. His lower waist had two silver exhaust pipes extending out of each side, and his shoulders had a black exhaust pipe sticking out of each side. His spurs were replaced by wheels.

"THUNDERBOLT RIDER!" Accel called out, summoning a hovering horse for him to ride on.

"Perhaps we can clear things up if we meet again!" Accel said, waving to signal his goodbye.

Ayame looked on at the flying cowboy in shock. "It can't be... the only way he'd be able to do something like that is if he had..."


A/N:

Accel's age is unknown from the games, so I had to come up with an age for him. Here, he is 20. Everything else, except for his origin of how he got the power stone is the same. It is inspired from the games in terms of the hot air balloon, but the dynamite and how he escaped was my original idea.

The thunderbolt rider is an item found in the second game, one that he mainly uses, but I decided to make it a part of his abilities with the stone. It would make more sense for him to navigate normally with that instead of the buzzsaw all of the time lol