Happy almost Thanksgiving everyone! Geez, I knew school was gonna get in the way again but I didn't think it'd take me nearly the entire semester to finish the next chapter. And while I'm happy to finally have the next installment out, I do have somewhat disappointing news regarding the future of this story.

Even with winter break right around the corner which will give me a bit of a breather, it's going to take quite some time before this story continues. Life's been getting increasingly hectic for me(responsibilities and all that) and I just don't have time to sit down at a computer and write for as long as I used to, at least without story quality taking a huge hit.

The second reason is that I really want to try taking a more traditional approach to writing this going forward. IRL issues aside, I've been suffering from frequent bouts of burnout lately and have come to really dislike the chapter-by-chapter update cycle of fanfiction. I chalked it up to inexperience at first but the more I think on it, the more I feel most of my frustrations come from my inability to see how the story fits together as a whole. Lots of ideas that seem good in an outline end up not meshing together that well when you actually get down to it. I actually rewrote large portions of this chap multiple times because I kept going back and forth on what I wanted them to accomplish, something that was also becoming a trend in my previous fic. If this continues I'm definitely going to end up writing myself into a corner.

So yeah, Voyager will be going on hiatus for the time being. I do intend to come back to this as I've made it a personal goal to at least complete the Pilaf saga, but I'm going to take my time drafting out the rest of the arc first.

The good news is that I draft a lot faster than I edit(the writing process is like 30% actual writing, 70% revision). This also gives me a chance to go back and revamp previous chapters when I return as there are a few changes I want to make. So consider these initial 4 chapters something of a polished first draft now.

Well then, everyone, enjoy the chapter, leave your thoughts, and patiently await my return(or not, I understand). I'll still be open to answering reviews through PMs. Also, drop a fav if you are interested in seeing this continue as you stop getting follow notifications after a while.

I'll forego posting ch 3 reviews here this time as I had responded to everyone through PMs shortly after they commented. So check your inboxes. Here we go.

Ch 4: Turtles and Thieves

Alex found himself in a void.

There was no smell or sound here, as far as he could tell, and no matter which way he looked, he was greeted by the black abyss. The only thing that stood out from the empty dark was a single speck of light in the distance which seemed to call to him.

Confused, and with nothing else to do, he decided to try and make his way towards it. Testing a foot forward, he found purchase on some unseen surface, and started a steady pace forward. His eyes wandered the darkness, but if there was anything at all out there, he couldn't see it.

What am I even doing here? I have to go back and… His head throbbed. Go back and do what? He couldn't remember. His head felt fuzzy, like his mind became jelly whenever he thought too hard.

The light grew closer. It shone a soft pale blue, and seemed to be around the size of a softball maybe. It was hard to tell. It wasn't like there was anything else out here to use as a reference. It faintly illuminated the surrounding darkness, and at this distance he could finally make out the translucent plane he walked on. If he had to guess, he'd say it looked roughly like it was made out of glass or water, but his steps neither cracked nor rippled the surface, giving him a vague view of his reflection. Through the murky blur, he could make out his plain face, chocolate brown eyes, and slightly longer than normal light brown hair, and felt a slight jolt of confusion.

He blinked. Why had he been expecting something else? His face looked the same as ever… didn't it? His brain turned to jelly again, and he shook his head and continued on.

A few moments later, he stopped again, tilting his head to listen carefully. He was sure he'd heard something, the faintest of noises grazing his ears. He squinted, scanning the void a bit more warily, but didn't see a thing.

Slightly unnerved, he quickened his pace, and it wasn't long before he heard something again, a hushed garbled whisper that made his skin crawl. He whipped his head around frantically, expecting something to jump him any second now, but like always, nothing moved in the darkness. He quickened his pace again.

The distorted voice would call out from time to time, growing louder the closer Alex got until he realized the voice was coming from the light. Uncertainty creeped up his spine, but he steeled himself and kept going. Call it instinct, but something told him he just had to reach that light.

He felt sluggish, his thoughts sludging over more and more the closer he got, but he forced himself forward one step at a time. By now, he couldn't be more than a few yards away. The garbling echoed louder, but he still couldn't make out anything it said.

Almost there. He grit his teeth, forcing his legs to keep going even as his body betrayed him and his thoughts blurred into a hazy soup. Come… on!

He reached out a hand, his fingers just barely brushing against the light before it all became too much and he collapsed, completely numb. As he drifted into unconsciousness, he made out one final twisted voice.

"He—, can —one hear m—? –ich—? Kri—? —eta? Any—? It's m—, G—ku!"

Alex woke up earlier than usual again and could instantly tell that things were off. Maybe it was the way the Sun sliced across his face in strips, as if through blinds, when he'd always been more of a curtains guy, or the annoying stiffness of his bed forcing him to constantly shuffle around for a better position. Or maybe—

The snoring. Someone else was snoring in his room. It was definitely that.

He jerked up. "Ok, who the hell…" He trailed off, taking in his surroundings. He was laying on a spread out pile of blankets with a small pillow propped under him. The room's foreign white walls curved at weird angles, and there was a whole lot of furniture he didn't remember owning.

This wasn't his bed. This wasn't his room.

He looked down at himself. He was shirtless, with short stubby limbs and a brown furry tail that twitched over his knees.

And this definitely wasn't his body.

Yesterday's memories flooded in, and he flumped back down against the small pillow with an exasperated sigh. Right, right… I forgot. Stuck in an anime now. So it hadn't all been some weird fever dream? Damn.

He blew air through his lips, then cracked a glare at the nearby alarm clock. 5:43, it read. Probably the earliest he'd ever been up if he was being honest. Like most teens, Alex considered himself a bonafide night owl. School had been the only reason he'd ever dragged himself out of bed at any semblance of a reasonable hour, and that had only been to keep his parents from yapping at him. Back when they had still bothered to, at least.

Two days in a row, though? Has to be Goku's internal clock. Damn saiyan. At least let me keep my sleep schedule in tact.

He rubbed the back of his hand against his face, grimacing as a sudden throb spiked through his brain. His head felt woozy, like he'd just woken up at three pm on a Saturday after a night of gaming. It couldn't have been from a lack of sleep, though he was surprised he'd gotten any at all. He was sure his little salsa dance with near-death would keep him up all night, but he'd passed out pretty quickly after curling up on the blankets, though not before having a half-hearted spat with Bulma about the crappy accommodations first.

He slowly flexed his limbs and rolled his shoulders, expecting a stab of pain. Nothing. He was barely even sore. There were a few scratches and some small splotchy bruises left over, but aside from that, he felt good as new. Saiyan biology, ladies and gentlemen. So what's with the headache?

Maybe he'd had a nightmare or something? It wouldn't surprise him after yesterday, but nothing concrete came to mind. Any potential dreams he'd had were nothing but a hazy blur by now. He nestled against the stiff barely-cushioned floor and closed his eyes, hoping to catch at least another hour or two of sleep. He'd need a clear head to deal with the pickle that was his life right now.

Too bad Bulma's snoring made that practically impossible. Any time he was on the verge of dozing off, a hoarse snort would suddenly shatter the silence— you'd almost think it was intentional— until with an annoyed "haugh," he decided it was a lost cause and forced himself out of his makeshift bed.

He leveled an irritated frown at Bulma's sprawled out form, but couldn't stop from snickering when he saw the way she drooled onto the corner of a clutched pillow. Not a pretty sleeper, was she? If he had his phone on him, he definitely would've snapped a picture. A shame he had to pass up such prime blackmail material.

He snatched his shirt from a nearby chair and threw it on. While the blood had been washed out, it was still full of tears, but it would have to do until he got his hands on something better. Shoes were one thing, but he didn't really feel like walking around shirtless everywhere.

He debated whether to wake Bulma up or not. It was pretty early, and she seemed pretty comfortable despite her terrible posture. He narrowed his eyes. Well, if he didn't get to sleep in…

"Alright, up and at 'em," he said, clapping his hands above her head. "We're burning daylight." Besides, the faster they found the other balls, the faster he could get out of here.

"Five more minutes," Bulma murmured into her pillow, rolling away from him.

"Nope. This whole journey thing was your idea, remember?" He kept up his clapping until she growled and threw her pillow at him.

"Don't be a pest! I'll be ready soon. Get out so I can change!"

With an amused snort, he walked toward the door, but not before stopping to grab the pouch with the four-star ball from atop a small table, tying it to his belt. The other two orbs sat there unguarded, vulnerable and ripe for the taking. He stared at them for a few moments, then shook his head and left the room. They were useless on their own. Without the whole set they might as well be baseball sized kidney stones.

After scrounging up a quick breakfast from whatever he could find in the fridge, his headache finally dying down, he headed outside. A light breeze tousled his hair as the early morning sun began its climb through the sky for the day, its golden rays casting long shadows off boulders dotting the area. For a place called Skull Valley it didn't exactly give off a feeling of doom and gloom, but he knew now that danger could be lurking around any corner.

Looking down at his hands, he let out a sigh. At least they didn't shake anymore. After his decision in the tub yesterday, a sort of grim determination had settled over him. Combine that with a full night of sleep, and his emotions had mostly balanced out for the time being.

He glanced at the capsule home. Bulma was definitely the type that took forever to get ready, so he took the chance to sit down on a nearby flattish stone and mull over his decision, his tail twitching involuntarily behind him. His plan was pretty straightforward. All he had to do was stick with canon until they found the other balls, and when an opportunity presented itself, take them for himself and make his wish. The first half of the plan was simple enough. He just had to keep following Bulma. Oh, and try not to get himself killed, obviously.

The second half was where things could get a bit hairy. His memory wasn't the best when it came to the original series, and so he couldn't exactly predict when a chance to take the wish would show itself. And even if he was able to pull one-over on Bulma and whoever else ended up joining their little ragtag squad, he had no guarantee his wish would even work. The Earth's dragon balls had always been the most limited of the bunch, and he'd be dealing with the pre-Dende versions, which meant their wish granting abilities would be relative to Kami's power level. And considering that asking to be transferred between dimensions wasn't exactly a small thing…

He sagged before perking back up a few moments later with a thoughtful expression. Then again, reviving people from the dead involves bringing their souls over from Otherworld, which isn't all that different from what I'm trying to do, right? There was still a chance, at least in theory. And frankly, that was good enough for him right now. I guess in a worst case scenario, if the whole getting back home plan falls through, I could make some other wish that'll help me out.

He shook his head and sighed. There wasn't any rush, at least not yet. It was only the second day, and he guessed he had about two or three weeks before they found the rest of the balls. At the very least, he could wait until they were on their way for the seventh ball to finalize a plan.

At the end of the day, though, none of that mattered if he could't make it to the end of the damn arc in the first place. He stood up, his thoughts shifting to his last fight. Thinking about it still gave him a cold sweat. He wouldn't get caught lacking like that again if he could help it. If he wanted to survive in this world, even if only for the time being, then his best bet was ki. And the best way to get a handle on that would be through training. He smiled slightly at the irony.

He glanced at the capsule home again. No sign of Bulma, so he might as well give it a shot now. But where to even begin? Should he start with a few warm up exercises to get his blood pumping? A few pushups or situps? Or some stretching at least? I really should have paid more attention in gym class.

Unsure of himself, he spent the next few minutes going through a few rudimentary warmup exercises he knew. After finishing a final set of cross-arm stretches, he decided to get down to business.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and tried recalling the sensation of ki. The sudden surge of power welling up within, the sharp vibrance honing his senses, the gush of warmth underneath his skin. He thrust a hand out and yelled, "Hah!"

Nothing. Zilch. Nada. No rush of energy, least of all the powerful ki blast he'd been hoping to fire.

With a sigh, he lowered his arm. The sting of disappointment was familiar. Things just can't be easy for once, can they? Frowning, he flexed his fingers. This body was strong, sure, but nothing compared to what he'd felt in those few short seconds against the pterosaur. The difference may as well have been the difference between his old body and this new one. What was he missing?

It probably triggered in response to my emotions the first time around, like one of Gohan's little temper tantrums. Classic powerup bs.

Closing his eyes, he tried again, this time imagining himself back in that moment. The helplessness and frustration, the real danger of death for the first time in his life. With the experience being so recent the emotions were quick to flood in. His breath shook slightly, a chill crawling up his spine, and he almost forced the feelings away, right before the slightest something flickered deep inside him.

He focused on that flickering something. It was… interesting, that was for sure. He had thought of it like a small flame the first time around. Not hot enough to burn but still giving off a comforting warmth. But that didn't really capture it. Not fully. It was warm, but at the same time refreshingly cool, reminding him vaguely of an ice-cold drink in the middle of summer.

He tensed, trying to bring it out. The flickering quickened, and the spark began to waver. He grit his teeth, trying not to lose his hold on it. He spent some time mentally clawing at the spark until—

"Excuse me," a dopey sounding voice interrupted.

Jerking in surprise, Alex twisted toward the voice but tripped over his own feet, smacking his butt on the ground. He snapped his fists up, ready to start swinging if he needed to, and found himself face to… beak?... with a large brown sea turtle of all things. Alex looked left and right, trying to find who had spoken.

"Oh, dear," the turtle spoke, because of course it could, and ducked its head under a flipper in panic. "I apologize for scaring you."

Alex blinked. After yesterday's dinosaur fiasco a talking turtle really shouldn't be that surprising. Still, what was it with this place and talking reptiles? He got to his feet, lowering his fists as he decided the reptile wasn't a threat. He was sure he would have remembered Goku throwing hands with a turtle of all things. "Uh, sorry about that. I was kind of in the middle of something and you spooked me."

The talking turtle lowered its flipper, nodding in understanding. "Again, I apologize. I really wasn't trying to sneak up on you." The turtle craned its neck to the side, and Alex noticed the trail of dragged soil behind it. He must have been more focused than he'd thought if he hadn't noticed this guy approaching him.

"It's whatever…" Alex said. He considered shooing the turtle along so he could get back to business, but then narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Wait a minute, I've seen this guy before…

The door to the capsule home cracked open, and Bulma poked her head out, still in her pajamas, a toothbrush in hand. Dang, she still wasn't ready? "Who the heck are you talking to?" She noticed the turtle and raised an eyebrow. "A turtle?"

The turtle bowed its head in greeting. "Good morning."

Bulma's eyebrows rose, and she stepped outside. "A talking turtle? Huh, ok… well at least you have manners. Do you have a name?"

"Just Turtle is fine," he said.

"Right…" Bulma said, incredulous, while Alex just snorted and muttered, "Classic Dragon Ball."

"You're not a land turtle, though," Bulma said. "What are you doing all way out here?"

Turtle ducked his head in what Alex guessed was embarrassment. It was hard to read the body language of a turtle. "Ah, well, you see… I'm lost. I was out gathering mushrooms for my master and lost my way. I've been trying to get back to the ocean ever since."

"The ocean? That's a pretty long way from here," Bulma said, and pulled out a map. "Let's see… yep, it's a hundred and twenty kilometers to the south."

Turtle's head sagged. "One hundred and twenty… That will take months…"

"By car it'd only take you a few hours," Bulma said, "but considering you're a turtle…"

Turtle looked at them hopefully. "Then, perhaps… if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could I ask for a ride?"

"Sorry, no can do," she said, shooting him down with a shake of her head. "We're on an important journey. We don't have time to stop and help every stranger on the side of the road. Right, Goku?"

"Isn't that exactly how we met?" Alex answered, causing her to sputter. Honestly, he'd prefer to keep moving too, but a talking turtle that needed help who just happened to be wandering around where he and Bulma camped out, not to mention that Alex recognized it from somewhere. This reeked of plot. He held back a sigh. So much for training. He'd really been hoping to make, well, any progress at all before continuing on. Hopefully, this would just be a gag subplot and he wouldn't have to fight again anytime soon. Hopefully.

"You seriously want to help him?" Bulma growled, and Alex held up a hand.

"Hey, Turtle, you mentioned a master, right? He doesn't happen to be some pervy old bald guy with a turtle shell on his back, does he?"

Both Bulma and Turtle looked surprised, and Turtle asked, "Oh, yes, you know my master?"

"Not personally, but I've heard of him. The Turtle Hermit, Roshi, right?"

"That's right," Turtle said, nodding.

Knew it. This is that turtle who was always hanging around Kame House. A talking turtle. The Turtle Hermit. Really, what else could it be? And if this was part of the plot… He undid the pouch and pulled out the four-star ball. "Then, recognize anything like this?"

"Ah, yes. My master has one just like it. Why do you ask?"

Alex grinned. "Let's make a deal. If we get you back to the ocean, you'll convince Roshi to give us his dragon ball."

Bulma's eyes were sparkling.

"A dragon ball? So that's what it's called," Turtle said. "Well, that would be up to my master, but I'm certain he'd be happy to reward you if you lent me a flipper."

"Then it's settled!" Bulma butted in, shaking in excitement. "To the ocean it is!"

"Thank you very much!" Turtle said. "Oh, but before that, could I ask for a glass of salt water, please?"

"Sure, sure," Bulma said, humming happily as she stepped back inside the capsule home. "Just wait right there while we finish gearing up."

Alex followed after her, needing to pick up the power pole. As he shut the door Bulma fistbumped his shoulder. "Nice going, kiddo. How did you know this Roshi guy would have a dragon ball?"

"Call it a lucky hunch," he said with a shrug, then gave her a sidelong glance. She was complimenting him now, but she'd probably be cursing his name after he robbed her blind.

Bulma headed in the direction of her room, but trailed hesitantly at the door, looking at him with uncertainty. "Hey, um… so are you doing alright now? You seem to be in a better mood than… than last night."

Alex blinked in surprise. "Huh? Oh, uh… yeah. Sorry about that. Yesterday was kinda… rough." She nodded. Wow, this was awkward. He plastered on what he hoped was a reassuring grin. "I'm good now though. It was just a couple scrapes and bruises. Besides, I really shouldn't've been so caught off guard. I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to be your partner."

Bulma nodded again, then slapped her cheeks. "Yeah, you're right. A few setbacks are to be expected with this sort of thing. We can't give up and run away after the first bump in the road."

He chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, exactly…"

He was so full of shit.

"Hah… hah… Hey, how much further till the beach?" Alex called over the wind.

Bulma glanced at him from atop her futuristic motorcycle, now dressed in proper travel gear. The power pole was slung across her torso. She pulled out the map, keeping one hand on the cycle's handlebar, and called back, "About another two hours or so I'd say."

He groaned, and Turtle dipped his neck down from above. "Sorry again for all the trouble. I know I can be quite heavy. Master's been telling me to watch my weight."

"Heavy? Nah, you're only like ten times my weight," Alex responded, letting out another breath. "Just keep your end of the bargain and we'll call it even."

Alex adjusted his grip on Turtle's shell. Since the jeep had been destroyed— fuck you pterosaur— there hadn't been any convenient way to transport Turtle, so they'd resorted to having Alex carry the reptile on his back. At first, it hadn't been a big deal, but even Goku's freak stamina had started to wear down after so many leaping strides. Plus, as the sun had continued its trek through the sky, the ground had steadily warmed up and was starting to toast his tiny toes, forcing him to swerve around for the cooler patches of grass that were becoming rarer as the terrain grew more and more barren. Already twice they had stopped to give Alex a chance to recharge his juice.

"Hey, Bulma, can't we just stuff him in one of those capsules?" he asked.

"Only if you want to see what happens when living matter gets molecularized, kid" she said. "Trust me, it's not pretty."

He clicked his tongue. "Hold on, I swear I saw some houseplants last night."

"Those were artificial, dummy."

"Ugh… damn it," he huffed, but kept running. None of this would be an issue if he'd just had more time to figure out ki. He'd tried his hand at it again during one of their breaks, but hadn't made any more progress than before. His frustrated grunts during his "session" had earned him weird looks and Bulma had even asked if he was constipated.

They stopped for another short break, then continued traveling along a dirt road which eventually curved around a tall cliff surrounded by a large plot of grass. Thank Toriyama, Alex thought, sprinting ahead while Bulma lagged behind, checking the map to make sure they were still heading the right way. As soon as Alex turned around the bend, sunlight glinted off metal, and reflex kicked in. Turtle let out a strangled yelp as Alex leapt backwards just as something smashed into the ground where they'd been a second ago. Bulma's cycle screeched to a stop nearby as Alex landed, Turtle's awkward weight almost buckling him.

"Hoho! Nice moves you got there, kid," a voice called.

A hulking bipedal bearman dressed in thick padded armor emerged from the cliff's shadow, a gigantic blade hefted over his shoulder. The fur on his head was styled up into a mohawk, and a large scar ran over a milky white eye. Frankly, he couldn't look like more of a bandit if he tried.

Alex clenched his jaw tightly, knowing exactly where this was going. Oh, you cannot be serious! Screw you, Toriyama! Give your characters a fucking break!

"How's about handing that turtle over to me, kid?" the bandit asked. "I could kill for some turtle soup right now!"

"Sorry, this one's off limits! Go get your own, dude!" Alex found himself barking back before he could think.

"Goku!" Bulma hissed.

"Hoh?" The bandit raised an amused eyebrow, lifting the sword. "You sure you wanna be getting lippy with me, kid?"

Alex panicked. Thinking quickly, he waved a hand in a placating motion and said, "Buddy, look, I will get you another turtle. We're headed to the beach anyways, but you can't have this one, alright?"

Bulma frantically nodded her head in agreement. "Y-yeah, what he said!"

The bandit chuckled. "No can do. The rest of my gang's getting ready for a big operation to the west, so I'm in a bit of a hurry, ya see? Just hand over the turtle and you can walk away. Hell, I won't even take the rest of your stuff." He gave a wicked grin. "Unless that is… ya'll want to get cut up too?"

Alex felt Turtle trembling on his back, and couldn't help but join him. This whole situation was freakishly reminiscent of how his last fight started, from the attempted sneak attack right down to the bandit's stereotypical meathead voice. The biggest difference was that now Alex was fully aware of just how out of his depth he really was.

And I still can't use ki. Would this end up being a repeat of yesterday? Would he have to be backed into a corner before that sweet life-saving power kicked in? He eyed the sword warily. Would he even get the chance? He'd been able to tank a few blows from the pterosaur, but that sword… One wrong move and he was sure that would be it for him.

"G,Goku!" Bulma whispered harshly. Her eyes were wide and frightened, and he'd bet she was also recalling yesterday's events. "What are you waiting for? Just give it to him? We can come up with some other way to get the dragon ball! There's no reason to risk our lives like this!"

Turtle choked out a betrayed gasp.

She was right though. They could just take the easy way out. All he had to do was put Turtle down and walk away. And damn if that wasn't a tempting option right then and there.

Alex stared at the bandit. He didn't get the same sense of bloodlust from this guy like he did from the pterosaur, and based on the way his gaze was focused mostly on Turtle, Alex actually believed the bandit would keep his word and let them go.

As long as he and Bulma didn't say anything, Roshi would never even know they'd seen the reptile, and with his knowledge of the character, Alex was relatively sure he'd be able to convince the old perv to hand over his ball. It really was the smartest move… but could he really sacrifice Turtle like that? He clenched his jaw tighter. Leave Turtle to die, or fight and we all probably die…

"What's it gonna be, kid?" the bandit asked, taking a hulking step forward, which only increased Alex's inner turmoil. What's the right move? He had just begun to loosen his grip on Turtle's shell when a voice suddenly echoed around him.

'Hey, no need to be so nervous.'

Alex's eyes whirled around, trying to pinpoint the owner of the voice. No one else was reacting. Were they deaf? What the fu—

'Eyes forward,' the voice chided gently. "Never take your eyes off your opponent.'

What? Hold on! Who even—? How are you—

The voice chuckled. 'Sorry, I know you've got questions, but we'll have to talk later. For now, we need to worry about getting you, Bulma, and Turtle out of this. Now, focus.'

The gentle voice took on a firm edge, and Alex reluctantly found himself doing as he was told.

'Good. You won't be able to fight properly lugging Turtle around like that, so put him down gently and grab the power pole.'

Alex held back a frustrated sigh. So, he'd have to fight after all? Damn it. Still, he followed the voice's instructions, slowly lowering Turtle, who gave him a look of betrayal, before reaching out his hand towards Bulma. He locked eyes with her, making sure to keep the thief in the corner of his vision. After a few moments, Bulma nodded in understanding, albeit reluctantly, and tossed the bo staff over.

"So you're going to fight, little man?" the bandit said with amusement. "How noble. Stupid, but noble. I should warn you, though, you're up against a member of the Kuma Mercenary Clan."

"Never heard of 'em," Alex responded.

Fine, random voice in my head, we'll do it your way, so you better know what you're talking about. The voice chuckled again, and Alex begrudgingly prepared himself as best he could for what would most likely end up being another life-or-death battle. Even with the mysterious voice's assurance, apprehension flowed through him. He tried ignoring it, instead focusing on the feeling of spite bubbling up. There's no way I'm gonna die to a furry of all things.

I actually already have the fight written out and originally planned to include it, but it was one of the sections that I kept rewriting, so I figured I'd cut the chapter off early and stick it in when I settle on a final version. So, cliffhanger it is again.

Anyways, a new player enters the fold. I wonder who it could be? Pssh. As if it couldn't be more obvious. Yep, Goku will still have a role to play here, and if you paid attention to the dream sequence it's not Kid Goku we're dealing with. This oughta be a fun dynamic to explore… when I return.

Still, I'm sure this is raising a few questions such as what I plan to do with Chichi or whether Alex will get access to certain techniques earlier. Rest assured, I have put some thought into these things to avoid breaking the story, though I wouldn't mind a few creative suggestions.

Again, I'll still be open to answering reviews, so feel free to leave your thoughts, and I hope to see you all again in the future. Take care and enjoy the holidays everyone!