And So It Begins... (POST HERE FIRST)

[Raditzu]

?That?s bullshit!?

A dull thud just barely caught Jason?s ears. It was hard to hear anything over the roar of people and machines in his favorite arcade. He glanced over to the kid on his right and tried not to snicker. The poor guy. He fell for the same thing everyone around here did. What a waste of two quarters. Not only that, but the match hadn?t even bee a good one. And now he was throwing a fit? Tch? sore loser. Most of them were. So cocky before things started, then bawling like a little girl when they got their asses handed back to them. Oh well, its not like Jason would have to suffer through the temper tantrum much longer. The kid grabbed up his remaining quarters off and stormed off.

?What a punk.? Jason sighed outwardly and looked around the arcade.

Things were pretty slow on weekday nights, but that was hardly a surprise. Unless it was summer vacation, most kids were stuck at home doing chores or homework or something equally boring. Didn?t leave much fodder for Jason. Not only that, but his wallet was starting to run dry. When all the little kids were around, they would usually hands out quarters by the fistful just so they could keep watching Jason play. Jason turned around and resumed the couple matches left of his 1P game, but that didn?t last long. The AI was a joke and beating the end boss required little more than standing in the corner and throwing fireballs. Bells and buzzers and noises went off as ?Shinku Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku? flashed across the screen and the boss evaporated in a flood of pretty colors and flashing lights.

?And that?s that??

Jason turned away from the machine and started to walk away. Just as he was about to reach the door, a voice caught him. Though he didn?t notice it at the time, the voice cut through the din of machines and people effortlessly. Jason could make out the words as though he was thinking them himself. He turned back towards the machine he had just left to see a man standing next to it. He beckoned at Jason and, for whatever reason, the teen obeyed. Jason was surprised that he hadn?t noticed the man earlier. Though there was nothing particularly outstanding about him, he was a lot older than most of the arcade?s usual patrons. The man?s intent soon became clear.

?You?re not half bad, kid.? He reached into his pocket and slapped a quarter on the desk of the arcade console. A clear sign of a challenge.

?Yeah? thanks.? Jason reached into his pocket. He only had two quarters left; enough for one game. ?Look? I was just heading home.?

?Just one game. You?re the only one around here that looks to be any good.?

?Again, thanks, but its getting kinda late.? Jason turned back towards the door.

?Ok, ok. How about we make it more than just a friendly game, then?? The man pulled something from his pocket and set it next to his quarter on the arcade machine. Jason walked back to the machine and inspected the device. With a small screen and a couple of buttons, Jason had absolutely no idea what it was. If nothing else, he could probably sell it to some middle schooler for a few bucks.

?And if you win?? Jason set the device back down on the arcade cabinet.

?Then I win. I?m just looking for a good game.?

Fishy, to say the least, but Jason got over. He slid his last two quarters into the machine and hit start. With a smile then man followed suit. As soon as the match start Jason knew he was in for quite the battle. It had been a long, long while since he had played against anyone with any real skill, let alone skill to put give Jason a run for his money. Fireballs abound as the two went through three consecutive double-KOs. Jason managed to barely squeek by with a win to seal the deal. As the match ended the man turned to Jason and smiled.

?Quite an enjoyable match, young man.? He picked the small device off of the cabinet and handed it to Jason.

?No kidding. You?re way better than most of the kids around here.? As Jason took the device, a small tingle coursed through his fingertips; it went ignored.

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Jason?s walk home was something he always dreaded. He usually lost track of time and wound up walking home in the middle of the night. He wouldn?t calm himself scared, but what kid enjoyed being on the streets by themselves during the night? Not many that Jason knew. His pace quickened as he neared an alley he used as a shortcut. As he turned to walk between the buildings, the street light behind him went out. Not surprising, since most of the area was in need of something more than a facelift.

His pace quickened even further as he stepped into the alleyway. He found himself shrouded completely in darkness. Not even the opening of the alleyway could be seen in front of him. Before he knew it, Jason had broken out in a run. Now matter how quickly he moved, though, he didn?t reach the end of the alley. The only thing before him was darkness, an unending corridor of black. Needless to say, the poor kid was something less than comforted by this bizarre turn of events. He turned around to head back out to the street, but there was nothing. No matter which way he turned, he was greeted only by darkness. There was were no cars driving by, no sounds of people walking down the streets? nothing. Jason started running once again, but his foot caught something. At full tilt, the teenager crashed into the ground.

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?Oh? bloody hell?? Jason tried to pull himself up off of the ground as consciousness slowly retook him. The pounding in his head, however, was reason enough to stay right where he was.

?Hey? are you ok?? A voice came from somewhere behind him. Someone must have seen him lying in the alley.

?I? uh? headache,? was as much as Jason could muster. He tried to open his eyes, but light shot another burst of pain through his head. How long had he been out? That wasn?t just some streetlight.

?You took quite a fall.?

?Eh?? Jason tried to turn to see who was talking, but the light, once again, made opening his eyes something less than desirable. ?You saw me fall.?

?Hard not to see someone fall when you?re what they trip over.?

?Oh? sorry.? Just great. Some bum sleeping in the middle of an alleyway. What did they expect?

?Don?t worry about it. Still, you should probably try to, like, move or something.?

?Yeah?? Jason felt the person nudging his side. He must be taking up their sleeping spot or something, cause they really wanted him out of there. ?Ok, ok, I?m going.?

As Jason, very painfully, pulled himself to his feet and slowly opened his eyes. The world around him was blurry, at best, but something definitely did not seem right. He rubbed the blur from his vision and was met with quite a shock. He most definitely was not in the middle of some downtown alley. He turned to ask whoever had woken him up where he was, but didn?t see anyone. Now he was really freaking out.

?Where the hell am I?? Jason meant to just mutter to himself, but the voice quickly answered his question.

?You?re on File Island.? Movement caught Jason?s eye. He looked down to see what looked like a giant, furry work with a mane. ?I?m Friimon.? Jason shrieked like a little girl.