CHAPTER FOUR: The Countdown Begins
The former Emperor of the North Galaxy and head of the Planet Trade Organization was leaning against a rock, inspecting his non-existent fingernails.
Frieza was utterly bored. He had been bored for going on twenty-six years. It had all begun with roaring rages and uncontrollable temper tantrums when he was first sent to Hell, but that had soon gotten old. He had taken to beating up on weaker denizens of the place and styled himself an Emperor of a new sort. There was a brief respite from the drudgery when his brother Cooler appeared and he actually had someone to challenge himself with, but their father had soon stepped in and ensured there was no intra-family fighting.
There had been brief interruptions of the utter lack of things to do when the android Cell had appeared. Frieza found that this was someone who was of a like mind. Though he was much stronger than Frieza, the former tyrant soon found that this was someone he could respect, the first such person who he would accord this honor to besides his own father.
Soon though, the new 'jailers' arrived. That title didn't technically apply to them but for all intents and purposes they were as such to Frieza.
Pikkon, and later, the Namek, were essentially the death knell to any hopes of entertainment the Arcosian prince could ever hope for.
It made his blood boil to think of the fact that those green freaks were stronger than he had ever been. The Namek in particular possessed mind-boggling power. Frieza had barely lost to a Super Saiyan and then had decades of training under his belt with Cell, his father and brother. Yet the Namek had somehow gotten stronger than the entire Cold family put together. Cell could give him trouble, but when Pikkon jumped in there was no hope of victory.
Between the two of them, the green men kept Hell as quiet as it had ever been.
Which was why he perked up when his senses picked up an outlying energy on the horizon. His ability at this was nowhere close to perfect, Cell had only imparted this knowledge to him a few years ago, and warned that it was a hard thing to pick up on the fly.
Yet there was an unmistakable thing about this power he was picking up. It was the power that had once made Frieza's blood run cold. It was the power that had slaughtered his entire family. It was the power that had taken everything from him.
Frieza clenched his fists and his eyes widened.
He was sensing the power of a Super Saiyan.
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The behemoth of a Saiyan was reclining in a crevice in the wall of a cave, almost asleep.
Raditz smirked as he looked to see if the halo had disappeared of Nappa's bald head. The oaf was in for a surprise, that was for sure. Just for effect's sake, he first powered down from his Super Saiyan form. He felt the rush of adrenaline leave him, and were he not so giddy at the fact that he was now alive, it would have affected him the same way cutting off coke affects a junkie.
"Nappa!" he bellowed, snapping the man out of his reverie.
The hulk mumbled and snapped his eyes open, narrowing them dangerously to see who dared disturb his slumber. Having also engaged in some brutal training over the last twenty five plus years, there weren't too many in Hell who dared cross him. He was sure he was the strongest Saiyan there, besides, well…. It was something he'd rather not think about.
"Raditz," he growled. "Why aren't you playing with your little green friend?"
The lower class Saiyan let out a shriek of laughter. "Well, let's just say he's currently indisposed right now. He did, however, leave us quite a gift before he went."
"Who's we?" demanded Nappa, standing up. He was too irritable at that point for games. Then again, he was always irritable.
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed, you buffoon!" roared Raditz with impatience.
Nappa looked stumped for a second, and then realization began to dawn on him. He passed a hand over his head and his eyes widened.
He then looked at the space over Raditz's head. "Are… you… Are you fucking with me? I swear, Raditz, if this is some kind of joke, I'll gut you-…."
"Does this look like a joke to you?!" screamed Raditz, clenching his fists. His hair began to spike further, and he got that zoned-out, colorless look in his eyes again. His veins popped out and after an explosion of the gold aura, Super Saiyan Raditz once again made an appearance.
Nappa literally dropped down onto one knee. He had no idea what to say.
"How-… What?"
"I'll explain on the way," grinned Raditz. "Right now, we have to go pick up a certain fruit grower."
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Frieza had quickly contacted his father and brother, and the three had moved to investigate. Their cool exteriors as usual never betrayed any emotion, but deep down their blood was boiling. Each of them had met their end at the hands of a Super Saiyan, and they'd be damned if another one of those was allowed to roam free again.
King Cold was the most adept of the three at sensing energy, so he guided their movements. Mid-flight, he noted that the Super Saiyan was joined by another substantial Saiyan power. He wasn't incredibly powerful but was a good match for any of them in their third forms or lower. He could also tell they were headed for a third, who was alone, a few miles to the east.
Try as they might, the Arcosian trio could not make ground on the Super Saiyan. None of them said anything, for it would only bring back bitter memories of how outclassed they had found themselves in terms of speed as well as strength when they had each lost their respective lives.
"We should stop following him," growled Cooler. "The smart thing to do would be to track the third Saiyan and wait for our gold friend there."
His family members acknowledged the wisdom of this with bare nods. The trio changed direction mid-flight, and with a blast of purple were soon above a strangely familiar man.
Frieza's eyes widened. "You….! How did you get here?"
The Saiyan looked up. He was dressed in traditional black Saiyan armor that had shoulder pads covering his traps but exposed his tremendous biceps. His build was unmistakable but it was the hair that made them sure. That spikey mess, it could only belong to one.
The Saiyan looked up at them with a raised eyebrow.
"Ah. Interesting you're so happy to see me. Can't the same for any of you purple freaks."
Frieza clenched a fist.
"Fucking monkey…. I swear to God, THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME YOU CROSS ME!"
He extended a finger and fired out a black, streaking Death Beam. The Saiyan executed a perfect back-flip and allowed it to destroy a rock next to him.
Cooler was shaking with rage too. Without warning, he streaked forward and nailed the Saiyan with a resounding punch to the jaw. Or so he thought, because within seconds he realized that it had just been the afterimage of said warrior.
That move, again, unmistakable.
The Saiyan reappeared a few meters away, feigning yawning. He moved just in time to sidestep another Death Beam from Frieza.
Cold watched on impassively. "It seems that the stories you boys have told me about this 'Goku' are quite true. Fast as they come."
The Saiyan looked at the older alien.
"Wait a minute…. Goku?"
He threw back his head and began laughing. The others paused momentarily. What was going on here?
He looked back at them with a withering look. "I may look like that pathetic excuse for a Saiyan but I can assure you my name is Turles, and always has been."
Frieza and Cooler were too angry to care, anyway. A Saiyan was a Saiyan.
"All you monkeys will be destroyed!" roared Frieza, drawing back his hand, which contained a black sphere of energy.
"Really? How'd that work out for you the first time?" called a raspy voice above him.
The former tyrant whirled around to see that the Super Saiyan he'd been tracking all along had finally arrived. He couldn't believe who it was.
Turles grinned. "Welcome, boy. Looks like you finally made the change, after all."
Raditz nodded. "Yeah, new look suits me, doesn't it? I trust you've caught on by now."
Turles let out another bark like laugh. "Of course. I'm not as dim-witted as your oafish friend who has no doubt been lagging behind."
"Nappa'll be here in time. His loss, he can't have his pick of our little creepy-crawly friends here. He'll just have to take whoever's left over."
Turles nodded. "I'll let you have the honors. I'll handle the black sheep right here," he gestured to Cooler.
"Goddamn Saiyan!" screeched Frieza. "What makes you think you primates could handle us?!"
Raditz shrugged and spread out his hands. "Well, prove me wrong."
The man who destroyed his home bellowed in rage and charged forward. He unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks aimed at Raditz's head and torso. Raditz didn't block a single one. All it took was simple slips and ducks to send each blow sailing well past its intended target.
He laughed maniacally. He hadn't enjoyed such a big advantage during a fight since his fight with Kakarot and the green man. Just watching the look of frustration on Frieza's face grow was enough to send him into a state of bliss.
The hailstorm continued. Raditz noted that Frieza had improved in terms of skill and form. When alive, he had been so much more powerful than everyone that he'd never needed to worry about keeping his composure during fights and delivering measured blows. Raditz supposed decades of training against his family and Cell had honed his skill a little.
Yet it mattered little. The fight was in slow motion to Raditz. Each blow was telegraphed from a mile away to him. Eventually, he got bored of dodging, and decided to counter. The next time Frieza overextended, his fist went well over Raditz's shoulder, bringing his gut within striking distance. Raditz simply flexed his hamstring and slammed his knee into the tyrant's stomach with cringe-worthy force.
Frieza's eyes literally almost popped out. He spat out blood, and fell to the ground, clutching his stomach.
Raditz hovered over him, grinning. "Now, you will know the horror, Frieza."
The Arcosian stared up at him, still unable to vocalize due to the incredible pain in his gut. This was strength he had not felt in years. He had the occasional bout with the Namekian whenever he tried to cause trouble out of boredom, but the green lizard always fought to subdue, not to destroy. Fighting this monkey brought back that sense of hopelessness he experienced on that fated duel on Namek.
"Get up, you sniveling lizard," spat Raditz. "Get up so I can knock you down again. Just like you did to me every time you wanted to, for years on end."
The former emperor of the Planet Trade Organization staggered to his feet, fist clenched and shaking.
His eyes flashed dangerously. "You… swine…" He had gotten over the punch but his body was literally trembling with rage.
He threw his arms out and roared. "You dare insult Frieza….!"
As he said this, his muscles began to pop outward and his veins began to bulge. Electricity began to crackle around him. This was Lord Frieza powering up to 100%.
In response, Raditz sneered. "Push it, Frieza. Take it as far as you can go."
The tyrant screamed and took off toward the Super Saiyan, who stood immobile with his hands folded. In response, Frieza lashed out with his right fist, catching Raditz flush on the forehead. It was a punch that was strong enough to probably have drawn a reaction from Goku in his Full Power Super Saiyan state when he fought Cell. Frieza had indeed been training.
"Ow," Raditz lied, and let out a bark-like laugh.
Frieza screeched in frustration and unleashed a fuselage of punches. Each one impacted at the spot they were aimed at, with enough force to actually hurt Frieza's own knuckles. When his arms were spent he took to trying to roundhouse kick Raditz's neck, but even that drew no reaction.
He howled and dropped back, raising both hands, curling them into fists with only his index fingers extended, and began firing Death Beam after Death Beam.
The continuous black stream of evil energy soon cooked up a storm around Raditz. Even though Frieza couldn't see his opponent through the smoke, he kept up the barrage until a pair of hands emerged from the mess and grabbed both his wrists.
For a minute, nothing registered with Frieza. Then, he realized that the grip was hard enough to cut off the flow of energy through his arms.
The grinning Super Saiyan's form soon became clear through the receding smoke. Then, he began to grip harder.
Frieza screamed as he felt the muscles in his wrists compress far beyond what nature intended for them to be capable of.
"You were always a connoisseur of new ways to deal out pain, Frieza," spat Raditz. "I'm sure you can appreciate this."
He continued to squeeze. Frieza gagged as the bones began to crack.
"Since you're already dead, I can cause you as much pain as I want without having to worry you might die on me. I've already killed a dead man, and believe me, it's very hard to do so without absolutely meaning to."
As he continued to apply more pressure, all the joints began to turn to dust. Blood vessels began to burst. Frieza's voice was hoarse from all the screaming he was involuntarily doing.
Finally, satisfied with the pain he'd caused, for now, Raditz dealt out a solid headbutt and sent his former tormentor crashing into a rock, now completely handicapped.
This time, the Super Saiyan did not leave him time to recover. In an instant, he was upon the Arcosian tyrant, who was lying in an undignified mess with a gigantic bruise on his forehead, two mangled arms, and a throat to hoarse to scream any more.
He bent down, his golden hair billowing out behind him, and snatched Frieza by the neck, lifting his former master up.
"Where is the great Lord Frieza now?!" roared Raditz, his eyes gleaming with anger. "Where is the one who killed ten billion Saiyans because he felt like it?"
He was squeezing too hard on Frieza's throat to get an answer. Raditz drew back a hand grimly, and it began to glow white as a sphere of energy appeared around it.
"DIE!" he screamed, as his fist began to get a pink aura of his own.
Just as Frieza was about to find himself smote with a powered up punch, a deep roar reverberated through Hell, and Raditz was suddenly overcome with the sensation of being hit by a freight train. One second he was about to avenge himself on Frieza, and the next he found himself crashing through several rocks, finally coming to a halt a good five hundred meters away.
Frieza fell down onto one knee, heaving and gasping for air.
A tall shadow fell over him, and he looked to up to see his father staring at him with a foreboding look.
"You still need a lot of work, boy," muttered King Cold. "You've already lost to two Super Saiyans, I wouldn't thought you'd have learned how to fight them by now."
The younger Arcosian did not say a word, but instead cast his glance a few feet behind them, where Nappa was lying unconscious with his face in the dirt.
"This particular monkey will require a lot more effort, unfortunately. You will need to hold him off for a few minutes while I transform."
Frieza held in a gasp. Transform? He had never seen his father in a form beyond his second transformed state of their race. Then again, Frieza had barely been fifty years of age when he was killed by Vegeta's brat, while King Cold was several centuries older and had fought plenty of battles in his time. It was very possible he had ascended to further states as well. The power of those forms was unfathomable, considering Cold's second form was more or less on par with Frieza in his fourth form at 100% of his full power.
An animalistic howl pervaded their collective sense of hearing as a golden form streaked toward them.
"Frieza, now."
The Arcosian looked down at his useless hands, and nodded to his father.
"Yes, father." With that, he took off to meet the oncoming Super Saiyan, knowing that his lasting only a few more moments would give them a fighting chance.
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Cooler was having a hard time facing Turles. He was at his maximum without transforming, and for some reason most of his punches were not finding their mark, and those that did were basically glancing off the pure blooded Saiyan's armor.
There was something very off about this battle. No base Saiyan should have been a match for a fourth form Arcosian fighting at one hundred percent. He was sure that Goku was a special case, considering that transforming into a Super Saiyan usually allowed one to become far stronger in base as well, but he was certain this nobody monkey had ever ascended.
These thoughts were fleeting and disconnected, as most of his effort went into dodging Turles' left jab-right cross combinations that would probably take his head off if he didn't avoid them.
The former pirate grinned as he twisted his body to avoid Cooler's counter punch to the gut. "I gotta say, Kakarot had the right idea. Fighting you lizards is fun. He was such a lucky bastard; he got to fight practically all of you at some point or another."
He leapt over another punch, and in that instant decided that it was time to get serious.
Instead of landing back on his feet, Turles extended his right leg and caught Cooler with a boot to his face. Purple blood spurted from the Arcosian's face as Turles then landed, grabbed his tail that was splaying out in front of him, and began to swing him around.
Cooler barely had the time to register the indignity of what was about to happen before he was caught up in the rush of the cold air of Hell in his face while he was being swung in a circle like the hand of a clock. After Turles had let him reach a sufficient velocity, he let go, allowing the brother of Frieza to crash into a giant rock.
The weaker fighter got no respite, as Turles placed both hands about a foot apart from each other in front of his chest, and a ring of glowing orange energy formed between them.
"Kill Driver!" he barked, as he fired the attack at the rubble in which the still stunned Cooler was rotting in. The energy connected, and was followed by a sizable explosion. When the dust cleared, the rock had been mostly vaporized, leaving an unconscious Cooler visible for all to see.
Turles grinned in satisfaction, and decided to go over to see how Raditz and Nappa were doing.
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Raditz's eyes flickered open as he came to a stop under the rubble of the rocks he had crashed into. He knew right away who the culprit for his rather undignified precedent was. Only two people in Hell were really strong enough to pose a challenge to him, and he would sense Cell from a mile away.
He flared his aura out and the rocks exploded out.
"Cold, you're going to pay for that," he hissed, gliding to his feet and beginning to take threatening steps forward.
In the distance, the gigantic Arcosian was standing with his arms extended, writhing in pain and howling like a maniac. No doubt he was undergoing one of the signature freak mutations of the Arcosians. A second form Cold, while capable of knocking Raditz into a few rocks, was really no serious challenge for him. A third form Cold, if he followed the same power increases as Frieza, would still be weak enough. If, however, he made it to his final form, then Raditz would start getting concerned. Legend had it that at the time of his death, Cold's fourth form was almost Cell-like in power. Yemma only knew how much stronger he had gotten through all the years of training.
"Oh no you don't," he roared, and blasted off in the demon's direction. By the time he was halfway there, Frieza phased in front of him, arms and legs splayed out.
Raditz smirked. "Pathetic."
Frieza roared in anger and lashed out with his knee, aiming for Raditz's gut. The Super Saiyan caught it with his palm, issuing a bark-like laugh. Not only had his former master been too weak to challenge him earlier, but now he was basically handicapped after Raditz ruined two of his limbs.
Raditz used his other hand to grab Frieza's neck, and pulled him forward, slamming his own forehead into the former dictator's with a satisfying, bone crunching crack that left him howling in pain. His aura flickered out, and Raditz dropped him unceremoniously to the ground.
He turned to face Cold, who was still transforming. Spikes were growing out of his elbows and knees and his cranium was elongating.
Raditz almost blasted forward again but paused. He smirked. He knew he could handle a third form Cold. Why not give himself an opportunity to stretch his legs more? He just wouldn't let him transform again, as he had no intention to fight an almost Majin Buu level fighter, but this would be fun.
He waited another minute. In the meantime, Nappa arrived, pausing a few meters behind the duo. "Damn Raditz, you got started without me, didn't you?" he grumbled.
Raditz let out another bark-like laugh. "These demons are pathetic but we both know you're still no match for them, Nappa."
"Oh, but he will be," came Turles' voice, interrupting what would have become a very one-sided argument. "We're all going to be a lot stronger soon." He arrived on the scene dusting his hands, Cooler evidently not really a match for him.
Raditz and Nappa turned to him with pointed looks, but before he could continue, Cold finished his transformation with a primal roar.
Raditz looked back at him, and scoffed.
"I'll take care of this in a couple of minutes. You fuckers try not to kill each other while I'm gone, I just literally went through Hell to get you back to life."
He took off towards Cold, fist cocked.
Nappa turned to Turles. He hadn't had much interaction with the pirate at all. He remembered seeing him as a child when he had visited the infirmary to prey on a particularly attractive nurse, but then hadn't even heard of him until Kakarot killed him and sent him to Hell. They'd never exchanged more than passing words. Friends really did not exist down here, even Frieza and Cell would stab each other in the back for minimal self gain.
"Well, go on."
Turles cackled, keeping his eyes trained on the fight between the Super Saiyan and the mutated horror. "All in good time, you lump."
Nappa's eyes bulged in rage, but he knew he couldn't touch Turles. He settled for watching Raditz slip through Cold's ferocious punches with ease, always just ducking or sliding to one side in time. Every so often, he would lash out with an equally ferocious fist, elbow or knee that actually found its mark, causing Cold to double over momentarily before continuing his futile assault.
Raditz let out his bark like laugh and caught Cold's fists in his corresponding hands. "Let's see if you hold up better than your son," he roared, his golden aura flaring.
The Arcosian panicked, and swung forward from the waist, dealing a colossal headbutt. This actually did hurt Raditz a bit, more because Cold's cranium was made of pure Arcosian bone, which was almost as hard as katchin, rather than the former Emperor's strength. He let go, and Cold blasted away, coming to his feet about ten meters, away, panting heavily.
A small trickle of blood came down Raditz's forehead, and he licked it as it descended down his face, which had a sadistic grin crossing it.
"You know what? I changed my mind. Go on, you old bastard, transform again. If you're so pathetic in this form there is no way you'll get much stronger even if you change again. I am not worried one bit."
Cold snarled in rage. If there was anything he hated, it was being mocked. Generally, he kept his emotions under wraps a lot better than his sons, but this Saiyan was testing him. Who would dare to allow an Arcosian to transform voluntarily?
"You're asking for it, you filthy monkey," he hissed, as he felt his body seize up again. An Arcosian transformation was unlike Saiyan or Namek transformations: it wasn't a release of new power, but rather a removal of internal seals that helped him revert back to his original state. These seals were painful to put in and thus even more painful to remove. This was why Frieza and Cooler stayed in their fourth forms more or less all the time: going through that process for no reason was definitely to be avoided if it could be.
As he began to shriek again, Raditz turned away to smirk at his Saiyan comrades. Nappa looked wary, while Turles was calm. Raditz was extremely curious as to where Turles was getting this power and assurance from. He sure as hell was not on the level of a fourth form Arcosian when he died, and didn't exactly have friends to train with down in Hell. He also was obviously not growing his Tree, what with there being no real life force to feed off of.
He shrugged mentally. It didn't matter. He wasn't a Super Saiyan, and thus would never be a threat, no matter how he got his power.
He turned back to Cold, watching the giant shrink down, his cranium retract, and his skin turn white. Raditz's carnal Saiyan instincts were on fire, fueled by the transformation. He was desperate to draw more blood from this monster, but the stronger he was when Raditz did it, the more satisfying it would be.
After about another minute, Cold was done. He stood in the same spot, glowing with a black and red aura. He was a little taller than Frieza in his final form, and stockier. He also had a color scheme similar to Cooler's, with purple skin and white bones. He spoke softly, his voice menacing and calm.
"Come, Saiyans, attack me together."
Raditz scoffed. "What makes you think I, a Super Saiyan, need the help of these weaklings?"
"It wouldn't matter either ways. I wish to save time and kill you all at once."
Raditz snarled. "Let's see if you can back it up." He flared his aura and dove into it.
Cold drew his fist back and met Raditz's punch with his own. The force of the two fists clashing let out a shockwave that was felt miles away. Even Turles was forced to raise his forearm to guard against the dust whipped up by the ripples of force.
Raditz was taken aback. This new transformation did actually pack some power. It was to be expected, he reasoned. From what he remembered of watching Kakarot's fight with Frieza decades ago, Frieza in his third form went from being knocked around by that half-breed brat to absolutely picking Kakarot apart in his fourth. The power increase was substantial.
Just as Raditz withdrew his fist and prepared to dodge the left jab which he predicted was coming, Cold covered the few feet between them with an unthinkable new speed and kneed him in the gut. Raditz sucked air in and gasped, unable to catch his breath before Cold backhanded him across the face, sending him flying into an outcrop of rocks.
The Arcosian King raised his right hand with every finger except the index one curled into a spiny fist, which let out a thin black beam of energy into the rocks. It was the infamous Arcosian Death Beam. Just as it was about to penetrate the rocks, Raditz exploded from the side of the rubble, just avoiding the ensuing explosion.
"You'll pay for that one, you lizard!" he roared, blasting forward through the air.
Cold smirked. "Foolish monkey." He sidestepped the initial charge and downward chopped the Saiyan's back, sending him crashing to the ground. He followed right after, with Raditz just avoiding being crushed into the ground by his foot by rolling away in time.
Cold raised his finger again and fired off another few Death Beams, which had Raditz scrambling around on the floor to avoid them. The last one grazed his shoulder, blasting some of the flesh off and drawing a pained howl.
"What makes you think you had the right to judge how powerful my transformations are," growled Cold, taking a menacing step forward. "I lived for eight hundred years before that half-breed brat of your race killed me. I've fought and killed beings you can't even conceptualize."
Raditz got to his feet, ignoring the agony in his shoulder, and took off blindly again. This time, Cold didn't even bother sidestepping. He decided to materialize forward and meet the Super Saiyan half way, before he was ready to attack. Raditz's chin was met with a colossal uppercut, sending him sprawling on the cold rocky ground once more.
"Such a shame, you seemed to have just found a way back to the living, too," hissed Cold. "I suppose I'll torture you for enough time for you to reveal how you did it, and then if I'm feeling merciful I'll kill you once."
Meanwhile, one of the two Saiyans watching was bordering on terrified. "Shit!" growled Nappa. "We can't even make a run for it, this guy would catch up to us before we even decided where we were going."
"Run?" scoffed Turles. "We don't need to run from this overgrown reptile."
Nappa stared at him. "In case you haven't noticed, you psychopath, this reptile is currently wrecking a guy who's stronger than the both of us put together."
"Yes, but this guy right there isn't our strongest."
"What do you mean…-" began Nappa, before a hollow laugh reverberated through the landscape. Everyone paused. Cold had his fingers wrapped around Raditz's neck, pulling him off the ground, ready to pound away at his head. He looked up, to see a distant form taking slow, measured paces towards them.
Turles grinned.
The form grew closer, and details became clearer. It was definitely a Saiyan, no questions asked. He was shirtless, with white trousers, and a mane of spikey blonde hair. He was a lot taller than any of the Saiyans there, and a lot more muscular too. Most importantly, he did not have a halo.
"Broly, welcome to the world of the living my friend," grinned Turles.
I really thought I was going to abandon this too. It's been a ridiculously long time, but heh, who knew. I don't know how regularly I'll update, but I had fun writing this chapter, so let's see how it goes.