"Make way!"

"Oomph!"

"Coming through!"

"BWAH!"

"So sorry!"

*CRASH!*

"MY CABBAGES!"

"I'll definitely pay for that!"

Tangle ran through Spiral Hill Village faster than she ever did in her entire life with reckless abandon, using her tail as a slingshot to hurl herself onto the rooftop for higher vantage points and for easier traversal as to not crash or stumble over anyone else. She felt and heard the young man in her arms stir painfully, and bit her bottom lip anxiously as she landed on the paved road once more.

As she turned a sharp corner, she found the local medbay in sight up ahead, and relief washed over her. She smiled, glancing down at the mysterious Islander in her arms. "Everything's gonna be okay."

She didn't get a response, naturally, but she felt any form of positive reinforcemrnt could help. She pushed past the tent flap and looked around wildly. "HELP! A LITTLE HELP OVER HERE?!"

There was a tired groan echoed through her ears and she whirled towards the counter to see a large black bear Islander with a scruffy beard, garbed in a long white coat rub at his temples. "Tangle, I've told you time and time again not to cause such a ruckus so early in the--GREAT SCOTT!"

The man's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull as he took in the bloody sight currently lying limp in Tangle's arms. The aforementioned lemur grinned sheepishly. "Hello again, Doctor Bellwood..."

"A little help?"

Doctor Bellwood adjusted his glasses and nodded seriously, standing up from his seat and rushing deeper into the medical tent. "Yes, of course. Come with me. NURSE!"

As Tangle hurriedly rushed behind the large bear, several nurses pulled out and snapped to attention as they took in the injured young man in her arms. Bellwood turned to Tangle and carefully took the boy from her, and into one of their vacant rooms. Tangle stood outside anxiously, as she strained her ears to try and pick up the hushed conversation behind the flap. But she could barely make a thing out.

She stood there for what felt like hours, and was beginning to get fidgety. Eventually the lemur tried to occupy herself by counting sheep. When that didn't work, she played I Spy, not that there was much ot spy. Then she began playing rock paper scissors with herself, and eventually began to doze off.

She only snapped out of her daze with a yelp when Bellwood stepped out of the operration room. Tangle watched on silently as the bear pushed his glasses up and rubbed at the bridge of his nose tiredly. Tangle bit the inside of her cheek. "How is he? Is he gonna be okay?"

Bellwood sighed. "Difficult to say. He's close to death's door as is. Lots of blood loss, fractured bones, torn muscles and ligments... it's a miracle the boy is alive as is." he noticed Tangle's wide eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder. "But we'll try our best. If things go well, he can make a recovery."

Tangle slowly nodded, and Bellwood smiled. It was brief, as he frowned and crossed his arms. "Now, where did you find this boy?"

Tangle blinked, scratching the back of her head. "Well, I was doing my daily workout, did some exercises around the forest. Right when I was about to head back, this portal appeared, and BOOM! There he was!"

Bellwood's brows rose in incredulity. "... a portal."

Tangle nodded seriously in affirmation. Seeing no deceit in lemur's eyes - not that she could even lie to save her life to begin with - Bellwood sighed and folded his arms over his chest with a slow nod. "I see. Whatever the case, I suppose we'll only be able to find out when he eventually wakes up. I need to make sure he stays stable. You run along, now."

As Bellwood stepped back into the room, Tangle's ears drooped slightly and she frowned, looking towards the exit and back towards the room where that boy was placed in.

[SAGE]

"I was thinking of remodeling the musuem a bit. Everything's been really cluttered lately."

"Yeah..."

"Do you think you could help? I'll admit, a lot of the stuff is pretty heavy."

"Mmhm..."

Jewel the Beetle frowned in concern at her childhood friend. Normally, Tangle was always so energetic and peppy, eager to help at a moment's notice. Couldn't stay in place for a second, always had to move. Yet, over the last couple of weeks, she seemed... off.

She was absentminded. At least, more than usual, as though she was caught in a daze. Always having her mind on something else. Even now, when she'd gotten the lemur to agree to having a little outing at Meh Burger.

She loved Meh Burger!

Jewel squinted at the lemur as she held a cup of soda with her tail and slowly stuffed her face with french fries.

Sighing, the beetle spoke up. "Are you having boy troubles?"

That snapped Tangle out of her daze mid-bite, choking on her food, the lemur began beating her chest harshly and latched onto her soda with desperation, chugging half the drink in seconds to wash the food down. Tangle coughed, groaning and rubbing her throat with a wince. "Awh, what the heck, Jewel...?!"

Jewel covered her lips to muffle a giggle, bursting out into a louder fit at her friend's pout. "S-Sorry! Sorry. At least you're paying attention, now." she picked at her salad, glancing at the normally energetic girl. "Well? Is it?"

Tangle sighed, leaning back in her seat. "No--I mean, yes! I--not in the way you think! What gave you that idea, anyway?"

"There were rumors running around about you running through town with a boy in your arms."

Tangle blinked, slowly sinking into her seat with an embarrassed look on her face. "... Oh."

Jewel blinked in surprise, gasping. "So it is about a boy!"

Tangle groaned, lightly slamming her hands on the table with a frustrated pout. "It's not like that, Jewel! Just..." she sighed, running a hand through her hair and plopping back down in her seat. "Okay. A couple of weeks ago, I was doing my daily workout routine around the forest, when this portal appeared right in front of me."

Jewel stared at her blankly. "A portal."

Tangle nodded. "A portal."

Jewel stared at her friend in silence, and ended up sighing, running a hand down her face and gesturing for her to continue. The lemur nodded and crossed her arms. "So, after that, the portal exploded! I thought it was an alien, so I went to check out the crater--"

"You went to check to see if there was a potentially dangerous alien around with no plan or preperation?" Jewel interrupted with a deep frown, causing Tangle to sweat.

"--b-but it wasn't an alien!" Tangle quickly continued as to stave Jewel's potential ire, sheepishly coughing. "I think. It was this... monkey boy. He was super injured, like he got in some kind of fight. So I took him back here to the medbay."

Tangle frowned, hugging her arms as her tail coiled around herself. Jewel's expression shifted to one of worry at her friend's shift in demeanor. "I'd never seen someone get hurt so bad... it was... I-I dunno. I dunno what happened to him, to get him so roughed up."

She took in a deep breath, peering off to the side and grimacing. "I've just been wondering if he's..."

Jewel felt a smile tug at her lips. Tangle always had a bleeding heart. It was an admirable trait her friend possessed, and what she personally made her such a hero in the beetle's eyes, even if she wasn't busting up robots like a certain blue hedgehog 24/7.

"Well," Jewel pushed her empty bowl to the side and stood up to her feet. "How's about we go and pay this mystery boy a visit?"

Tangle blinked few times before grinning and leaping out of her seat. "HECK YEAH!"

The lemur sped off so fast, Jewel would have mistaken her for Sonic the Hedgehog himself. She let out chuckle of amusement and left a stack of rings on the table before flying off after her friend.

[SAGE]

There was a flash of light. Standing within an area he didn't recognize. There was a pond, and what looked to be a shrine. Up in the skies, the normal blue he was so used to was a light pink, he could vaguely make out the silhouette of a dragon hiding behind the dense clouds. His confusion soared to new heights. Just... where was he?

"You're surprised, I'm sure."

He snapped to attention and whirled around to see a young man, only a few years older than himself donning a black trenchcoat with purple hair and piercing blue eyes. Something about him was different. The way he carried himself. The air around him... he was a warrior, no doubt.

"I'll explain it all to you later." The man grabbed the hilt of his sword and slowly unsheathed it. His hairs stood on end, as the man shifted his feet. "For now, let's see just how much power you have...!"

The man burst forward with explosive speed, his sword drawn as fast as lightning. As the man closed the distance in mere moments, he moved to dodge. As the blade cut through the air, metal sung. The man roared.

"HAAAAAAAAAA-!"

...

Rizotto's eyes slowly cracked open and a groan left his lips. His throat felt hoarse and scratchy, like he'd been stranded in a desert without any water for days. His body was sore all over, dull aches panging through him with the slightest of movements. His vision was blurry... he could hear the faint sounds of a monitor.

Was he in the Time Patrol medical bay?

"..s...mo...ing!"

Who was that...?

"I... an s... that... angle."

Rizotto blinked a few more times. He could make out two blobs. Each time he blinked, his vision grew sharper. One of the blobs grew closer and closer, and as his vision cleared, he came face to face with a... furry, grey, thing. Rizotto's brows rose as he stared at the anthropormorphic girl.

"You're awake!" Tangle grinned broadly, abd Rizotto stared on, befuddled.

"I..." Rizotto coughed and grimaced uncomfortably, rubbing at his throat.

"Here," Jewel hovered over with a cup of water in hand. Rizotto nodded gratefully and slowly pushed himself up to take the glass. "My name is Jewel," the beetle smiled, before her expression turned dry as she glanced at Tangle. "The girl not minding one's personal space is Tangle."

The aforementioned lemur blinked owlishly and quickly shuffled back with a sheepish life and smile, scratching the back of her head. Rizotto's lips quirked up into a smile as he drank his water. Feeling refreshed, he sighed blissfully and bowed his head.

"My name's Rizotto."

Tangle blinked. "Like the food?"

He blinked back. "Uh..."

"What's all this ruckus about?"

Doctor Bellwood stepped into the room with a confused look on his face. Then his eyes landed on Rizotto and widened in pleasant surprise. Rizotto blinked owlishly as the bear flashed him a fatherly smile. "Ah! You're awake. I'm surprised. I wouldn't have expected you to awaken for another few weeks. Then again, you've been healing at a remarkable rate..."

Rizotto stared and nodded slowly. "Judging by your clothes, you're a doctor... and the one who treated me. Thanks." the Earthling guessed, looking down at his body. He blinked in shock to see his body covered in fur - as well as bandages -, and not normal human skin. His surprise went unnoticed by the others in the room.

"Yes. Doctor Bellwood, young man. A pleasure to meet you. And there is no need to thank me, I'm just doing my job." Bellwood smiled, clapping a hand on Tangle's back. "If anything, you should be thanking Tangle here! If it weren't for her, why... I don't think you'd be here right now!"

Rizotto pushed his confusion and light dread to the side to turn to Tangle. She blinked and stared back at him. Eventually, Rizotto smiled softly and bowed his head again. "Yeah... guess I do gotta thank you for that. I owe you one."

Tangle giggled in embarrassment, scratching the back of her head. "Heh, nah... it was nothin'!"

"In any case, that does beg the question, sonny." Bellwood frowned. "How did you end up in such a state? I've never seen anyone so injured before. Not around these parts."

Rizotto paused, the battle within the Cracks of Time fresh on his mind. His hands slowly curled up into fists as an image of Demigra flashed in his head. He took in a deep breath and looked up at the three. "Well. It's a long story... I'll keep it short, though."

And so, he gave a brief summarization on the events that led up to his battle with Demigra. They hung onto every word, or at least, Tangle for the most part did, the lemur's eyes filled with sparkling, childlike wonder. It was adorable in a way, Rizotto thought. Jewel and Bellwood approached it with thought and skepticism. After Rizotto finished his story, they sat there in silence for a moment...

"That's AWESOME!" Tangle beamed with a pump of her fists. "So that's how you came through that portal? Fighting that Deh-Meh-Gra guy?"

"Demigra, Tangle." Jewel corrected with a sigh, while Rizotto released a small snort of amusement. The beetle crossed her arms. "I'll admit, it's... quite the tale."

"I'll say." Bellwood ran his fingers through his scrufy beard, humming. "Time travel? Fighting a God? History being eradicated? It's quite... fantastical."

Rizotto frowned. "You don't believe me?"

Bellwood was quick to amend his words. "I didn't say that, my boy. We've had our fair share of world-ending calamities, believe or not... myths and legends of Gods seem a lot more plausible nowadays."

"Plus, we've got a time traveler!" Tangle grinned. "Silver!"

"Never heard of 'em." Rizotto raised a brow, and Tangle balked openly.

"Wuh--huh?! Y-Y'know... Silver. Time-traveler? Psychokinetic hedgehog?" Tangle's confusion reached new heights as no recollection seemed to flash in Rizotto's eyes. "Not ringing any bells? Geez, next thing you're gonna say is that you don't know who Sonic is!"

"Who?"

As Tangle turned as white as a sheet of paper from shock, Jewel cupped her chin and frowned. "That's really odd. Those are two famous heroes we're talking about here. Heck, everyone knows who Sonic is..."

"I haven't." Rizotto scratched the back of his head. "I'm not so sure, our Earths are the same. I think I would have heard of someone like Sonic or Silver running around."

"Different Earths..." Jewel blinked, her eyes going wide. "Are you from another dimension?"

Rizotto nodded in affirmation. "Seems to be the case."

"Woah, woah, woah! Back up a sec." Tsngle clapped her hands to draw attention to her, confusion overriding her features. "Other dimension?"

"Well, let me ask you this. Have any of you were of the Z-Warriors?" Rizotto asked. As they all shook their heads, he nodded. "Right, then. Where I'm from, the Z-Warriors are Earth's protectors. They fought and defeated powerful enemies like alien warlords, demon kings, androids, and a whole lot more. Most of thr pivotal events in history are revolved around them."

"But I've never heard of someone named Sonic. Or Silver. Heck. If anything, Silver would have went under the Supreme Kai of Time's radar if he is a time traveler." Rizotto crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Time travel is kind of a universal rule breaker back home. 'Less you're under the jurisdiction of the Time Patrol, it's a no go."

Tangle's eyes sparkled. "Woah... so you're a time cop."

They all sweat-dropped at Tangle's one track mind. Bellwood rubbed his chin in thought, his brows pinched. "Hmm... so whatever happened during your fight with this... Demigra, sent you into our dimension."

"And you have no way back." Jewel finished with a soft frown, worry flashing in her eyes.

"Not that I know of. At least, not unless Lady Chronoa or Trunks find a way to bring me back." He felt they would have done so by now, considering he'd been out of commission for weeks according to Doctor Bellwood. Bur for all he knew, this dimension ran on a completely different timeframe than his own. "So I'm kind of stuck here."

That left a somber note to breach the atmosphere. Frowns all around. Tangle wasn't one for doom and gloom, however, and instead smiled brightly instead. "... well, in the meantime, you can get to know our world!"

Rizotto cocked his head to the side. "Heh?"

"There's a bunch of cool places to see. Plus, Spiral Hill is one of the best places around! You'll love it here!" Tangle pumped her fists excitedly, practically vibrating in her seat. "I csn show you the best spots in town, and the places I like to workout at! Oh! We can throw a big welcome party!"

Her energy was practically infectious, and Rizotto let out a soft laugh, nodding. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"But first," Bellwood interrupted with a good-natured smile. "You need to recover. In roughly 2 weeks, you should be ready to be discharged. In that time, we'll have routine checkups to make sure you're well fed and rested."

"Thank you, Doctor." Rizotto bowed gratefully, and Bellwood waved it off with a laugh.

"Think nothing of it, my boy! Really." Bellwood smiled.

Rizotto nodded slowly, humming. "I'm gonna need a new pair of clothes, considering my old ones are trashed."

Bellwood nodded slowly. "I believe we can get some of your clothes fixed."

"That's appreciated."

"Well," Jewel hopped off her seat and dusted off her skirt. "I think it's about time I head out... I have a musuem to run!" she bowed. "It was nice to meet you, Rizotto."

"Likewise."

"See ya, Rizotto!" Tangle beamed, hopping out of her seat with a skip in her step. "I'll make sure to visit you every chance I get!"

"See you." Rizotto smiled and waved goodbye as both girls walked out the room. Bellwood followed soon after, and the Earthling was left alone. He stared at his hands, and then at his furry arms with a frown. "What happened to me...?"

Ah... he could figure that out later. He was tired.

[SAGE]

The weeks blurred together and passed by far faster than Rizotto had expected True to her word, Tangle would make sure to visit nearly everyday when she wasn't busy. The lemur girl made good company for Rizotto. With Jewel coming along on occasion as well. While he enjoyed Tangle's exuberance, he also greatly appreciated Jewel's knowledge. She told him everything she knew about the current world he was stuck in.

The planet was called Earth, like his. But there were differences. The anthropromorphic creatures were called Islanders, and made up half the population on Earth, alongside humans. They didn't originate from the mainland however, and came from larger patches of land, islands, hence the term used for their species.

Some Islanders were born with uncanncy abilities, but a good majority of the Islander population were powerless. People like Sonic the Hedgehog, who was born with super-speed naturally, were considered a rarity. On a topic of the blue blur, Rizotto found himself impressed with the speedy hedgehog's exploits, having saved the world since he was a kid against the mad machinations of one Doctor Eggman.

From the stories Tangle told him, Sonic reminded Rizotto a lot of Goku, in some ways. He'd love to meet the hedgehog at some point.

Then, there was his current... situation. Upon arriving in this dimension, reality, timeline, or universe, he's yet to truly figure that out. He'd taken on the form of an Islander. He didn't know the exact reasons behind why, but he supposed it had to be a side effect of dimensional travel. Possibly adjusting his body to the new dimension he found himself in.

He found it quite ironic that he was a monkey as well... then again, Rizotto guessed it was the closest thing to human. It was still taking a while for the Earthling to adjust to his new body. He'd have to test the limitations with that.

That posed the next issue... his power, a vast portion of it was... locked, for lack of a better term. He couldn't seem to access it, or at the very least, bring out his full power. Rizotto guessed it was like that one timeline where Goku was turned into a kid... his new, smaller body couldn't handle the power he'd gained. The Earthling found that troubling, but hardly a major issue.

He still had access to ki, and a good majority of his techniques, as well as skills and martial arts to fall back on. But Rizotto guessed he wouldn't be pulling off any Kaioken x20s any time soon, or unleashing that mysterious power he used against Demigra. Not until his body had adjusted to the vast resevoire of power locked away within himself.

Aside from that, life was peaceful. And boring. Being cooped up in a room hooked up to a monitor was bound to spark boredom. But finally, Rizotto was free to be discharged, and was even given a pair of new clothes!

Looking himself in the mirror, his pants had been fixed up, still a similar shade of black, there were some new additions. Specifically the remodled flaps and metal buckles that hung loosely at that sides, and a hole that let his tail roam free. As per suggestion from Tangle, he donned dark blue bandages around his wrists, and black fingerless gloves, with matching blue backings. He supposed she wanted to match with a new friend.

Who was he to decline?

Next were a pair of white hi-top sneakers with blue trim, soles, and laces, fit for adventure and capable of traversing any terrain. Apparently they, along with the last piece of clothing he was given, came from a popular brand called Honey Brand. Speaking of which, he was given a new dark blue, short-sleeved jacket with white trim with the Honey Brand logo emblazoned on the side of the sleeves.

He was disheartened to note that his Capsule Corp. jacket was well beyond repair. It was a gift given to him by Trunks, and was actually Trunks' old jacket. He did his best to take care of it, but it seemed the battle with Demigra proved too much. He'd have to apologize to Trunks, whenever he reunited with the young hybrid.

"Not bad at all." Rizotto smiled as he turned around to check himself out. His senses tingled as he felt Bellwood's ki moved closer towards his room. The Earthling turned just in time to see the large bear open the door and step inside. "Doctor! It's good to see you."

"Ah! Good to see you up and ready, my boy." Bellwood smiled warmly, eyeing Rizotto up and down and nodding in satisifaction. "How do you like the clothes?"

"They're great." Rizotto smiled gratefully and bowed. "Thank you. I'm sure these costed a pretty penny to get."

"Think nothing of it." Bellwood clapped a hand on Rizotto's shoulder, smiling. "I was quite surprised that you asked for a full blown outfit! I would have thought you'd have went with a pair of gloves and shoes."

"Uh... yeah..." Rizotto sweat-dropped at the reminder. He'd been made aware that pretty much every male Islander didn't wear much clothes save for gloves and shoes. Apparently it was commonplace here. Although Rizotto wouldn't judge their culture, or question why that was the case, he himself couldn't bring himself to do it.

It just felt... wrong.

Grinning sheepishly, the Earthling scratched the back of his head. "I just prefer to wear clothes, is all."

"Nothing wrong with that!" Bellwood let out a bark of laughter, and Rizotto smiled softly. "Now, I don't think I need to remind you, but I don't want you pushing yourself too far. You may have healed, but strain yourself and you'll wind up right back in here."

Rizotto's back straightened and he nodded seriously. "Right." he knew that more than anything. Especially with most of his power cut off from him, he'd need to be careful. It's not like this world had senzu beans, either.

"Now then, run along, now! I believe you've got friends waiting for you!"

"You got it!" Rizotto beamed and nodded, dashing right out the room and making a b-line for the exit.The young man relished in the fresh breeze and sun rays that beat across his face, as he took in a large, deep breath, and exhaled softly. "So this is Spiral Hill..."

Various winding paths and several civlians going on about their everyday lives was a nice to see. Most of the village's population consisted of Islanders, but he could make out a couole of humans here and there. It reminded him of Tokitoki City, just not as loud and populated. And technologically advanced.

Rizotto smiled and glanced around, scratching the back of his head. "Alright... I think Tangle said that she was going to be helping Jewel out today. I dunno where she is though..."

He guessed he'd have to resort to ki sensing. The Earthling slowed his breathing and calmed his heart. All sounds and noises were tuned out as he focused, his eyes shut. His ki flared to life and he stretched his senses outward. Various flickering embers filled the black void, every single in the village being visible to him. They were all rather small and weak. But that was to be expected from civilians.

He continued his search, until he felt a tug in a specific direction. There was one ki signature, a good deal stronger than the others. Possibly the strongest and brightest in the entire village, but not on par with the powers he'd sensed during his tenure as a Time Patroller. Still. That had to be Tangle... and judging from the odd, prismatic colored ki near that power, that had to be Jewel.

His eyes snapped open and Rizotto smiled as he rushed forward and took a massive leap into the air using nothing but natural strength and training. He ignored the shocked gasps and confused murmurs in favor of following Tangle's ki. Bounding across rooftops and lampposts at high-speeds as he raced towards the lemur and beetle's location.

[SAGE]

"Do you mind setting that down over there?"

"You got it!"

Tangle set down a large crate that would normally prove to be too heavy for most, but to her it was as light as a feather! Especially with the use of her tail, which was far stronger than it looked, and packed quite the punch. The jerks that ended up on her bad side could attest to how hard she hit. The lemur let out a tired huff as she wiped some sweat off her brow.

"That should do it!" she beamed.

Jewel was quick to shut down her enthusiasm. "Not quite..."

The beetle sheepishly grinned as her friend let out a long, suffering groan and whirled around to face. "Awh, what do you mean?! We've been at this for hours!"

"It was a pretty big haul today. I'm just as shocked as you are." Jewel smiled nervously. glancing at the truck with several more crates filled with various valuables stored within. "But we should be able to finish by the end of the day!"

"Ugh..." Tangle groaned harder, slumping forward.

"Sorry, Tangle..."

"Maybe another pair of hands will smoothen things along?"

Both girls jumped lightly at the familiar voice and whirled around to see Rizotto sitting on top of a nearby lamppost, wearing a slight grin on his face. Both blinked in confusion, only for Tangle's face to break out onto a beaming smile. "Rizotto! You're up! And all swagged out, too!"

Rizotto laughed softly and grinned in amusement, flipping off the lamp nimbly and landing in front of the two. "Yeah. Doctor Bellwood hooked me up before I was discharged." he glanced at the truck behind him, and the crates inside. "You need help with all that?"

"O-Oh!" Jewel squeaked, blinking and looking between the truck and Rizotto with a look of worry. "Are you sure? I mean, you just got out of the medical bay..."

"Definitely sure. I'll be lifting these things no problem." Rizotto grinned, flexing one of his arms.

Jewel blinked, feeling sweat roll down her brow as she eyed the boy's toned arms. She was quick to avert her gaze and nodding quickly. "U-Uh! Okay! By all means, then!"

Rizotto and Tangle blinked owlishly and glanced at each other in light confusion before shurgging in unison and moving to grab more crates. But just before they could grab one, their ears rang at the loud blaring of alarms that echoed through out the entire village. Rizotto's expression grew confused, but as he turned around to see Tangle's tense expression and Jewel's frightened face, he knew something bad was going down.

["ALERT! DEFENSES HAVE BEEN BREACHED! INCOMING EGG-FORCES!"]

Rizotto blinked at the announcement, frowning tightly in response and letting one, tired sigh.

So much for a peaceful day.

Was expecting to finish White Mage chapter 5 before this one...

Oh well!