Chariot Awaits

Within the known universe, there are four individual galaxies. Each galaxy is indicated by a respective cardinal direction, either being called North, South, East, or West. The North, or Milky Way Galaxy as it is commonly called, is notably distinct from its three brethren in more ways than simply one. One such difference is the existence of a planet called Earth. This world, strangely enough, is home to more species than any other in its entire solar system. From ferocious dinosaurs to anthropomorphic dogs, the Earth inhabits a seemingly endless array of sentient life, some even possessing magical and superhuman abilities. Such phenomena makes it appear that no other planet could match the sheer danger and uniqueness indicative of Earth. However, this assessment is not entirely true.

As of now, much of the universe has yet to be explored or fully understood. In fact, much like the four galaxies, there are multiple universes as well. These universes hold just as much, if not more, extraterrestrial life than Earth itself. One such universe in particular has an Earth of its own; a twin Earth to be more specific. Not much is known about this version of the planet, but to be perfectly honest, it pales in comparison to another world. That being a third Earth that seemingly materialized out of thin air, yet was somehow equal in age and structure to its two counterparts. Located in the West Galaxy, this planet had a mystical, almost otherworldly atmosphere to it. It was as if some type of green energy flowed all throughout, projecting a protective layer or tissue. Where this exactly came from could not be entirely explained. All that could be said for certain was that this same energy connected the North Galaxy with the West Galaxy using an interdimensional thread; a thread which closely resembled the roots of a once-massive tree. Projecting portals at random intervals, this abnormal root between galaxies would change the course of two kids' very lives.

The first child was none other than Earth's most powerful fighter: Son Goku. After a long, grueling battle with Demon King Piccolo, Goku began to partake in a 3-year period of martial arts training atop the Lookout. The Lookout itself was a semi-spherical platform which hung over the highest point of Earth's sky. Here, Kami, the current Guardian of Earth, oversaw the inhabitants of this planet, making sure they were safe from harm. He dealt with this task alongside his genie-like attendant, Mr. Popo. Said black-skinned individual was calmly watering the Lookout's flowers as Goku sat in a meditative position. The boy had spiky, gravity-defiant hair, and wore an orange martial arts gi. This gi was paired with blue shoes, wristbands of the same color, and a black sash. To top it all off, Goku also sported a circular pendant on the left side of his chest. Said yellow badge housed the Japanese kanji for "turtle" in bold, black text, signifying Goku's status as a student of the Turtle School for Martial Arts.

Goku, sitting cross-legged, held his hands up in a gesture reminiscent of religious worship or respect for the dead. His eyes were also closed in an uncharacteristically, focused calm state of being. Managing to do this was further baffling for the 16-year-old since his monkey tail was recently ripped out…for good. In order to bring back the moon Master Roshi previously destroyed, preventing Goku from transforming again was a necessity for Kami. A stronger, almost unbeatable Great Ape was not something Kami was prepared enough to handle. Especially since Piccolo Jr., the final offspring and reincarnation of his evil half, was still out there, waiting to exact vengeance unto Goku. In that regard, preparing Goku for that inevitable fight needed to be done without any further distractions. Unfortunately, to his chagrin, Kami had a sinking feeling that something was amiss on the Lookout.

He turned his head from side-to-side, looking around the pavilion for any sort of strange energy signatures. In spite of his age, pinpointing hostile ki was a notable specialty for the ancient alien. It was how he managed to separate himself from King Piccolo, after all.

"Strange…it appears that an influx of magical energy suddenly emerged…" Kami thought curiously. He twitched both antennae about, wondering if the identification of this magical energy was a mistake on his part.

"But, that can't be. From what the previous Guardian told me, magical energy like this is native to that other version of Earth. The one created from Yggdrasil…" Kami pondered in confusion. He probably should have known more about Earth's sister planet than he did, but intergalactic matters were far beyond his current job description. The only other plain of existence he could really interact with was Other World, and even then, he was far beneath King Yemma in terms of the "Godly Pecking Order". And Mr. Popo in a way, he supposed.

"Then again, Fortuneteller Baba and other witches do exist here. However, despite being Roshi's older sister, Baba is still somewhat of a mystery herself." Kami sighed, adjusting the position of his staff. Narrowing his yellow eyes, Kami ultimately decided to interrupt Goku from his concentration.

"You can stop now, Goku." Kami passively instructed. "That should be enough training for the moment."

Goku opened his eyes, sporting a look of surprise and obliviousness. He slowly picked himself off the ground, and tilted his head to the side in minor puzzlement. Admittedly, meditation wasn't his favorite part of training, but having it be over and done with so fast still brought up a few questions.

"Huh, really? Didn't we just start a few minutes ago?" Goku inquired, hesitantly scratching the back of his head. Kami affirmatively nodded in response to Goku's question.

"Yes, but I think you deserve a slight…erm…reward for all the effort you've put in these past few weeks. I owe you that courtesy, at least." Kami excused his odd behavior. He felt the prior surge of magical energy increase somewhat, growing more and more pronounced near the area Goku was currently standing.

"Nah. You don't own me anything, Kami. I like the training you and Mr. Popo put me through." Goku kindly brushed aside Kami's offer. While Mr. Popo smiled in gratitude, Kami grew more cautious and demanding than mere seconds beforehand.

"Oh no. I insist. How does a bit of lunch in my throne room sound?" Kami insisted, using the mention of food as a main negotiator. Even Goku couldn't begin to argue against the offer of more food.

"Hm, food does sound really good right now…" Goku muttered, patting his empty stomach in hunger. Shaking his head, he then sported a wide, toothy grin of excitement.

"You know what? I think I will, Kami. Thanks a lot!" Goku said. He then gave the aforementioned Guardian an appreciative thumbs up, and ran up beside him.

"You're welcome, Goku. Now, if you can, make sure to look over your surroundings before—" Suddenly, a circular portal of green energy blinked into existence. It repeatedly spun around, sporting a continuous tunnel of brown, tree-like branches. Much like the sun, small flames of emerald also encircled its outer rim.

Mr. Popo widened both eyes, vividly recognizing the magic-induced portal from memory. He dropped the flower pot and shakily raised his finger in reactionary shock.

"Kami, is that a…" Mr. Popo stammered while continuing to dumbly point at the portal. Kami bared his fangs, confirming Mr. Popo's suspicions to be true.

"A Ley Line, yes. I should have known." Kami revealed exasperatedly. He slammed his staff onto the Lookout's surface, managing to hold himself in place. Goku, on the other hand, wasn't so fortunate. Due to not weighting all that much, the Ley Line's pull dragged Goku straight into it with each passing second.

"Uh…guys. W-What's happening to…OOOOAHAHAAAA!" Goku helplessly shouted. Without a moment's notice, he was completely consumed by the Ley Line, being sent tumbling through a nearly endless chasm of magical energy.

""GOKU!"" Kami and Mr. Popo cried out in concern. Before they could follow after him, the Ley Line abruptly dissipated into a series of green sparkles. It instantaneously vanished, bringing a 16-year-old Goku along for the ride.

"This isn't good. How long do you think he'll be gone for, Kami?" Mr. Popo wondered in dismay. Kami stroked his chin, uncertain of how to properly answer such a question.

"From what I've heard, Ley Lines are fairly tricky to deal with. They can only be fully controlled by witches and wizards from their Earth of origin. In any other circumstance, they'll appear and reappear at random intervals." Kami explained. He prayed that Goku wouldn't be gone for more than one day at most. Anything more than that would be writhe for concern.

"Then we'll just need to hope that Goku finds his way back somehow." Mr. Popo glowered, displaying a frown with his red lips. Kami glanced at Mr. Popo with a neutral glare of frustration.

"I suppose so." Kami murmured, attentively gazing at the place where Goku used to be. As of now, all the two could do was wait for their student's eventual return. The question was: where did that Ley Line end up taking Goku in the first place?

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Goku continued to scream. He uncontrollably spiraled through an endless tunnel that held hundreds upon thousands of intersecting branches. These branches moved in tandem with the portal, seemingly encircling it for an infinite amount of distance. Since Goku was unable to truly comprehend his surroundings, all the martial artist could do was look straight ahead and hope there was an exit coming up soon. However, remaining calm proved difficult because of the odd source of power Goku was sensing all around him. Whatever this green stuff was could obviously not be considered ki or a slight variation of it. It was far different, almost as if the entire portal had a mystical origin to it.

"W-What's even happening right now?" Goku stuttered, trying his best to regain control. Unfortunately, the portal housed a strange gravitational pull that firmly held him in place. At least, as long as his path was straight and uninterrupted. He couldn't really tell for certain, but maybe this portal was designed to incorporate some type of flying machine or mount. It did feel like the Flying Nimbus would navigate just fine here, after all.

The boy narrowed his eyes in frustration and admittedly, slight nausea. If he kept moving like this, there was no doubt that his last meal would be coughed up in a few minutes. And based on the odd gravity or lack thereof, that's not something Goku wanted to happen anytime soon.

"Oh man. I can't just keep spinning around like this. Who knows where I'll end up?" Goku muttered nervously. He turned his head to gaze at the Ley Line's surrounding "walls", noticing that its green energy was almost gaseous in nature. Goku began to wonder if this tunnel was actually composed of smaller portals like the one he got sucked into. While reluctant, taking that risk was his only option at the moment.

"Maybe if I pull away just a bit…" Goku said in uncertainty. Utilizing his superhuman strength, Goku resisted the Ley Line's gravitational force and managed to break free from his set pathway. This, much to his sudden shock, sent him falling straight toward the interdimensional tunnel's side.

"Uh oh. This isn't what I thought would haaaaaappeeeeen!" Goku shouted fearfully. He abruptly fazed through the Ley Line's wall in a flash of green energy, being sent to another location as planned. This occurrence, however, didn't exactly guarantee a way home for the happy-go-lucky teen.

Blytonbury, England, 2004

Blytonbury was a small, relatively calm city located in the European country of England. Closely neighboring a similar town known as Glastonbury, its general population was much bigger by comparison. Blytonbury's buildings were also constructed quite close together, making the amount of alleyways uncommon compared to most other cities. Additionally, it included a railway station that made travel possible between London, Glastonbury, and of course, itself. The most distinguishable feature of Blytonbury, by far, was a large clock tower constructed in its center. This same clock tower had a tunnel built beneath it that cars and other vehicles could drive through as well.

While not exactly a magic-friendly location, Blytonbury did, in fact, have its fair share of magical accommodations. One such accommodation was a Magic Item Café where, as the name implied, magical products could be purchased and sold by nearby witches. Another more mysterious exhibit were the Sealing Stones, five pillar-shaped rocks that were grown into a plot of soil. According to legend, these stones were used to trap a sinister monster hundreds of years ago. Whether this event actually happened or not couldn't be proven, but the continued existence of witches did support its historical background. Sadly, some ignorant citizens of Blytonbury didn't really care about such superstitious nonsense. More specifically, Bytonbury's Mayor, a short, balding man who openly scoffed at any type of age-old myth. For that reason, he decided to build a statue of himself over the Sealing Stones's resting place. Well, a statue that wasn't exactly accurate to his actual size anyway.

"Are you sure about this, Mayor? These stones have been here for a long time now." A construction worker hesitantly asked. He was accompanied by a large group of his colleagues and equipment such as excavators, bulldozers, and so on. Most of the other workers felt similar feelings of unease just being near the Sealing Stones in general.

The Mayor, sporting a bushy, gray moustache and a small, formfitting blue suit, walked from behind his near-identical statue. He grimaced, crossing both arms out of impatience and irritation. If he had his way, the Sealing Stones would have been long destroyed by now.

"Feh. That doesn't matter! This area needs to be refurbished into a new, more commercial facility." The Mayor huffed matter-of-factly. "Besides, what's the point of keeping some old rocks when they can be replaced with a statue of yours truly?"

Seeing his point as perfectly reasonable, The Mayor gestured toward himself in excessive pride. The construction worker quirked a brow whilst scratching the back of his head in nervousness. He then read over the sign detailing the Sealing Stones' significance to Blytonbury history.

"I don't know. It says here that some witch named Jennifer contained a great misfortune in the stones' center." The construction worker summarized. The Mayor scoffed, dangerously squinting his eyes at the mere implication of magic. Fantastical hogwash like that was far beneath him, even if its existence was impossible to fully deny.

"A witch? What a load of nonsense! No tourist out there will be attracted to such a pointless thing." The Mayor shouted. He then stomped up to the signpost and kicked straight through it with little care.

"Now, hurry up and tear down these good-for-nothing stones already! And you better get it done fast before I—" The Mayor's demands were interrupted by the distant sound of screaming. Confused, he and the construction crew looked up to see a boy with spiky black hair falling downward at immense speeds.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Goku yelled loudly. He helplessly moved his arms up-and-down like a bird, attempting to cushion the fall's impact in some way. When exiting from the Ley Line's side, Goku wasn't expecting the portal to emerge over the sky of some random city.

"Is that a kid?" A construction worker mumbled in puzzlement. He placed a hand over his forehead, blocking out the sun's glare in order to see Goku more clearly.

"AAAAH…dooof!" Goku grunted, smacking headfirst into the Mayor's statue. While he limply bounced onto the ground, said statue slowly toppled over in a small implosion of dust and other similar debris.

"M-My statue…" The Mayor croaked in appalment. He narrowed his eyes, burning figurative holes into the back of Goku's head. Goku, on the other hand, groaned from the pain of his accidental injury.

"Owww that hurt." Goku whimpered, slowly massaging his new bruise. He then picked himself up off the ground and brushed some dirt away from his pants.

"Yeesh. I'm surprised you were able to recover from that so fast." The construction worker stated in disbelief. This kid's head had to have been made out of metal or something.

"Errgh never mind that. What's the big idea, brat? Don't you know who I am?!" The Mayor growled angrily. Goku blinked a few times, not really caring all that much about the short guy's temper.

"Oh, sorry about that. I sort of fell from up there." Goku apologized, pointing at the sky with a carefree smile. The Mayor and team of construction workers simultaneously examined the area Goku was referring to in confusion.

"You fell from the sky, son?" The construction worker asked. Goku enthusiastically nodded in response.

"Yep! Guess I kinda lost control in some portal, and then I ran into you guys." Goku simply explained. At the mention of a portal, the construction worker stroked his beard in slight understanding. Portals were usually how witches traveled from that one magic school to either here or Glastonbury.

"Portal? Hmph. He must be connected with one of those witches then." The construction worker guessed. Suddenly, Goku perked up at the offhanded reference to witches and, indirectly, magic itself.

"Witches? That's new. The only person I've seen like that was Baba." Goku thought, recalling Master Roshi's more mischievous older sister. He then pondered over the portal's mysterious structure and overall appearance.

"I wonder if that portal was created from some type of magic then. That explains why I couldn't sense much of that green stuff in the portal, at least." Goku wondered with newfound interest. However, he was further interested in finding out how witches were suddenly common knowledge to people like these construction workers. Last time he checked, normal people weren't all that familiar with ki, magic, or any supernatural stuff for that matter.

"I thought magic could only be used by girls. Unless he's part of that weird Wild Hunt thing." Another construction worker mentioned. From what he said, it appeared that wizards were somewhat rare compared to their female counterparts.

"Doesn't that event happen months from now, though? Not to mention there isn't one of those flying wolves with him." The first construction worker argued, referring to the fact that Goku clearly arrived by himself.

"I always thought those were fake. Like the energy blast parlor trick that's popular with martial artists." A third construction worker doubted the Wild Hunt's authenticity. Such an opinion was most likely wrong, but Goku couldn't really know for certain. After all, this was the first time he's ever heard of a Wild Hunt and flying wolves before.

"Well, witch or no witch, you'll still need to go about fixing the inexcusable damage you caused!" The Mayor demanded furiously. He pointed to the tilted state of his precious statue for proof of the "damage" Goku caused.

"Damage?" Goku inquired obliviously. He then looked at the statue, not seeing what was so wrong with it. Well, apart from the fact that it looked like some random tall guy and not the Mayor himself. Goku wondered if that was his older brother or something like that.

"It doesn't look that bad to me. Here, I'll fix it for you." Goku said. He calmly walked up to the statue and then, to everyone's shock, hoisted it up with one hand. At the sight of this spectacle, the Mayor and construction crew's eyes all collectively widened to maximum capacity.

"W-What the devil…!" The Mayor gaped in bewilderment. With little effort, Goku set the statue back down onto its square pedestal. Now, it looked relatively back to normal.

"There we go. Good as new." Goku smiled, clapping his hands together in glee. The Mayor and everyone else stood frozen in place out of sheer stupefaction. Witches were one thing, but this? This was on a whole new level of disturbing.

"Damn. You don't see that every day." The construction worker chuckled amusedly. The Mayor nodded before awkwardly clearing his throat. He would definitely need a drink to cope with what just took place.

"Yes…uh…thank you, my boy. You're free to go now." The Mayor thanked, shooing Goku away with a wave of his hand. Although confused by his behavior, Goku gave the Mayor an appreciative thumbs up anyways.

"No problem, gramps. But, um, is there a chance you could tell me where I am?" Goku requested in uncharacteristic politeness. This question greatly tickled the Mayor's fancy.

"Hmmm a tourist, eh? This is definitely a good sign then!" The Mayor sniggered. He greedily rubbed his hands together at the thought of more tourism for Blytonbury.

"Or a result of your bad karma for kicking that sign down." The first construction worker jokingly muttered. The Mayor huffed, brushing his moustache out of typical indifference.

"Oh, shut it! May I remind you who's paying you for all of this work?" The Mayor reminded him in the form of a threat. Considering the massive paycheck he was promised, the construction worker thought it best not to argue anymore.

"Fair enough." The construction worker ultimately shrugged. Looking back at Goku, the Mayor then folded one arm over the other in visible pride.

"As I was saying, you are currently in Blytonbury, the greatest city in all of England! And I am, of course, its greatest and most acclaimed mayor." The Mayor boastfully introduced himself and Blytonbury. As expected, neither the city or country rang any sort of bells for Goku.

"Blytonbury…England…yeah, those are places I definitely haven't heard of before." Goku sighed in disappointment. It appeared his suspicions about the initial portal were more true than he thought.

"Something tells me that portal sent me to another world. I don't know how, but it's obviously way different." Goku glumly affirmed. "That must be why I can't track down Kami or Mr. Popo's energies anymore."

After taking one deep, prolonged breath, Goku shook his head and reverted back to an ordinary state of lightheartedness.

"Welp, guess I'll figure out everything else on my own. Thanks for the help, regardless." Goku firmly expressed in gratitude. Waving back at the Mayor and construction workers, Goku hurriedly scurried off to another part of Blytonbury. Even his average speed proved much faster than they first expected.

"Enjoy your stay here. Hehe." The Mayor exclaimed in faux kindness. After Goku officially left, the Mayor scowled and rudely spat on the floor beneath his feet.

"Tsk. Thought that freakish brat would never leave." The Mayor grunted, shivering at the mere thought of Goku's immense arm strength. "At least his presence is a step in the right direction. For the future of Blytonbury and my own, that is."

The bald midget then sized up each construction worker with an authoritative, yet slightly comical glare. He stood up straight and exasperatedly pointed at the five Sealing Stones.

"Enough distractions! Go back to getting those blasted stones out of my sight." The Mayor hotly ordered. He then stamped over to a nearby table with white tablecloth. On each side of this table, two stone-faced bodyguards with black sunglasses and ear pieces stood there. As if by mental command, both agents pulled out a chair for the Mayor and prepared him a cup of tea. The Mayor sipped from this same cup, motioning for the construction workers to get a move on while doing so.

"You heard him, boys. Back to work!" The head construction worker called out. Not wanting to waste anymore time, the recreational team began digging out the soil beneath each Sealing Stone. Some brought out some shovels to work with while others utilized an excavator and bulldozer respectively. Said excavator dug a huge chunk of dirt from one stone's foundation, causing it to loosen ever-so-slightly. Unbeknownst to the Mayor and construction workers, however, red and black energy steadily oozed out of that same area. It appeared that the legend was more factual than they assumed.

Meanwhile, Goku continued walking through the narrow streets of Blytonbury. The childish martial artist gazed at each citizen he happened to pass by, wondering if one of them could be familiar with magic and the existence of that portal. This proved increasingly difficult because he didn't know what distinguished witches from normal people in this world. Normally, looking for an old crone like Baba would be his best option, but apparently, the witches who frequented this city were girls. More specifically, girls around his age or slightly older. Finding someone like that could prove harder than his annual searches for the Four-Star Ball. And, this time, he didn't really have a radar or even Bulma to help him out.

"If I happen to find a witch here, maybe they'll be able to help me get back home." Goku presumed hopefully. Oblivious to the funny looks people were giving him, Goku continually looked from person to person in search of an aura different from ki. There were sadly no results in this department.

"Too bad this city has so many people walking around. What a pain…" Goku moodily glowered. His stomach then roared to life once again, startling a large group of passersby.

"Oh man. Why'd that portal appear right before I was about to eat?" Goku whined. He tiredly slumped both shoulders, trudging on through for the sake of getting back home. The sooner he got back to his martial arts training with Kami, the better.

Walking down this same sidewalk was another kid whose life would change due to the Ley Line's sudden emergence: Chariot du Nord. She was a 16-year-old girl with short, spiky red hair and eyes of the same color to match. Chariot's skin was a pale white, contrasting well with the rouge tint of her aforementioned hairstyle. Judging by her general attire, it was fairly obvious that Chariot was, for all intents and purposes, a witch. The girl wore a dark blue uniform with six yellow buttons, and a hood-cape combo attached to the back. Her arms were also placed through white sleeves while a form-fitting skirt concealed the waist down. Both legs also had thigh-length socks, and comparatively smaller shoes as well.

Currently, Chariot had her nose buried into a red textbook with the likeness of green vines and leaves drawn on its cover. She sported a look of deep focus and determination, scanning her eyes from page to page. The girl was so distracted, in fact, that nothing in the surrounding area really caught her immediate attention. This included the equally preoccupied Goku as well.

"Hmmmm." Chariot hummed in concentration. She slowly walked across the sidewalk, making certain she didn't bump into anyone while reading. Cutely puffing up her cheeks, Chariot speedily flipped through some pages in search of a specific section.

"There's gotta be something here that can help me with my Magic Linguistics exam." Chariot whispered in frustration. As she marched onward, an old lady was spotted within the smallest corner of her eye. The woman stood in front of an intersection as multiple cars drove by, leaving little opportunity for her to cross the street.

"Huh?" Chariot said, turning her head to get a better look at the old woman's dilemma. Chariot then closed the book she was reading, and pulled out a strange object from within her cloak. This object was a small, portable rod predominantly made of some unknown metal. Sporting a brown, wooden handle, it also housed pitchfork-shaped prongs at its tip that steadily began to radiate with green energy.

"Well, guess I can practice some Time Magic while I'm at it." Chariot calmly figured. She then bent her arm upward, preparing to activate the wand's latent power. This action brought a slowly approaching Goku to an abrupt halt. Forgetting about his empty stomach for a moment, Goku began to wonder if this girl was the very witch that could help bring him home.

"Wait a minute. Is that girl doing what I think she's doing…" Goku muttered, spotting green energy as it sparked out of the wand's curved needles. He then stood there, and waited to see what the redhead's exact intentions were.

"Don't worry, ma'am! This'll help you cross!" Chariot considerately beamed. She fully outstretched her arm, unleashing small bursts of magical energy at each car. Every vehicle in the general vicinity came to a sudden stop, being stuck in a state of time where they hadn't moved to begin with. Thankfully, this spell took effect without the possibility of an accident taking place. In fact, all of the vehicles braked just an inch between their respective bumpers, making such a crash highly unlikely.

Now that the crosswalk was relatively clear, Chariot attached some balloons to the old lady's back that safely allowed her to float across. This act, while helpful, only heightened the elderly woman's confusion to an even higher degree. She turned her head from side to side, unaware of what exactly just happened.

"Phew. That was a close one." Chariot grinned in relief. "At least I managed to make someone happy using my magic."

In the process of putting her wand away, Chariot realized the setbacks this good deed inadvertently caused. Not only were multiple cars stopped in place, but their individual owners were as well. More specifically, they were all placed into a state of stagnant outrage and horror.

"Gaaah! Oh no!" Chariot shrieked in dismay. Eyes collectively widened in shock, Chariot bolted to the nearest car door, and attempted to figure out a solution to this predicament.

"U-Uh oh. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!" Chariot cried, apologetically bowing multiple times over. Checking the amount of magical energy left in her wand, she hurriedly tried to cancel out the Time Magic spell. After about two tries or more, green energy permeated around the entire street and brought every car back to working condition. Each of them drove away one after the other while Chariot sheepishly waved goodbye. This, sadly, didn't stop a majority of the drivers from giving Chariot dirty looks and…erm…not-so-friendly hand gestures.

"Sorry again, everyone…" Chariot weakly chuckled. She then slumped her shoulders in considerable disappointment and momentary self-loathing.

In contrast, Goku was quite blown away by the spell she casted. Judging by her display of time manipulation, this girl was definitely the real deal in terms of witchcraft. Whether she was the best or not didn't matter all that much.

"Woah. She just froze time to stop all those cars!" Goku gaped in amazement. "Baba's never shown magic like that before. Well, from what I've seen anyway."

Maintaining focus on the task at hand, Goku stood up straight and walked toward Chariot's current location. Hopefully, he wouldn't look too out of place by comparison.

"Here goes nothing then. She's the only witch I've seen so far, so this is my best bet at getting back to Kami's Lookout." Goku astutely presumed. With that, Goku took slow, gradual steps across the sidewalk.

Close by, Chariot heavily sighed in frustration. She clutched the sides of her hair with a visibly downcast expression and clenched teeth.

"This is hopeless! How does Professor Woodward expect me to unlock the other Seven Words of Arcturus if I can't even do simple spells correctly?" Chariot whined in considerable sadness. Both eyes growing half-lidded, Chariot dug through a handbag attached to her hip. Despite the small size of this same bag, she somehow brought out an even larger form of magic wand. This one, however, was far more mystical in nature. It was a beige-colored staff with seven green orbs scattered from top to bottom. Each orb was crystalline in terms of general composition, faintly glowing with magical energy similar to the Ley Line and Chariot's wand. On top of this staff, there was a golden, crown-like ornament that lightly shone in the surrounding sunlight.

Chariot glanced down at the mysterious rod, rubbing her fingers against all seven orbs. Seeing the artifact up close only worsened her mood.

"Maybe she made a mistake in choosing me, after all…" Chariot moodily whispered to herself. There already knew someone who deserved to own it far more than her. Why didn't Woodward give Croix a chance? It just didn't make any sense.

"That was pretty cool what you did back there." Goku complimented from the sidelines. Interrupting Chariot from her thoughts, the red-haired witch swiftly spun around to see the person who just said that.

"Where did he come from?" Chariot thought in bewilderment. She could have sworn no one was there when that old lady crossed the street. Unless reading over that tome made her more distracted than she initially thought.

"Oh? Um…thanks." Chariot shyly nodded her head. "That was just simple magic stuff, so nothing too extraordinary."

"So, you are a witch then! That's great!" Goku whooped in excitement. Chariot couldn't help, but grin a bit at the boy's childish outburst. It wasn't everyday she saw a person feel awestruck by magic, let alone someone around her age.

"Yep. I'm a witch alright." Chariot confirmed with a smile. "Well, a witch in training anyway. I still have a lot to learn."

The girl then looked at Goku with a more inquisitive expression. Scanning Goku from a head-to-toe, Chariot could already tell that this boy stuck like a sore thumb compared to Blytonbury's other denizens. He definitely had to be a tourist of some kind.

"I'm surprised you're so excited about me being a witch, though. A lot of people in this town don't really like us all that much." Chariot nervously stated. She glanced around the streets of Blytonbury, knowing that certain kids liked to pick on innocent witches as a sick pastime. Goku, thankfully, didn't seem like the type of person to do that.

Goku raised an eyebrow at the implication of disliking all witches. He didn't really see what was so bad about using magic. Sure, it could be used to commit bad stuff, but so could everything else in the world, including ki. This Chariot girl seemed perfectly normal to him, at least. Would a bad person go out of her way to help an old lady cross the street?

"I don't see why. That magic stuff you pulled off was awesome." Goku gleefully laughed. "Then again, I've never really seen that many witches before."

"Hehe. Really? That's a first." Chariot giggled, never hearing of a person that was outright unfamiliar with witches before. Even the most ignorant, evidently people knew or have interacted with witches before.

"My name is Chariot, by the way. Chariot du Nord." Chariot happily introduced herself. She bowed with a little curtsy put into it.

"Chariot? Heh. That's a funny sounding name." Goku chuckled in amusement. Feeling the exact opposite, Chariot frowned whilst placing both hands on her hips.

"It's French, in case you're wondering." Chariot in exaggerated annoyance. "And I doubt yours is any better." She huffed, upturning her nose with an indignant cross of both arms.

Goku, sniggering at Chariot's reaction, raised his hands up in mock surrender. He then jerked with a thumb at himself in further buoyance.

"I was just kidding. It's Son Goku, but you can just call me Goku for short." Goku revealed his name. Chariot cupped her chin in slight fascination. The name sounded oddly Chinese or Japanese, but Goku's attire didn't exactly match any of those two countries. Then again, Japanese Kanji was written on his chest, so she couldn't entirely be certain about that.

"Son Goku, hm? A weirdly unique name for a weirdly unique person." Chariot expressed in equal satisfaction. Goku toothily grinned while closing both of his eyelids.

"Guess you could say that. Haha." Goku jokingly said. Fixing up her hair, Chariot decided to bring up the most obvious question about Goku's newfound appearance.

"What brings you here anyway, Goku?" Chariot wondered.

"That's actually what I wanted to ask you about. Since you're a witch, I was wondering if you'd…um…know anything about some green portal thingy?" Goku vaguely asked for more details about the Ley Line he fell through. It wasn't everyday a non-magical person asked about the Ley Line, so Chariot felt obligated enough to answer.

"A Ley Line? Sure do! I used one to get from my school to here, actually." Chariot truthfully explained. Goku immediately grew curious at the mention of "school". Aside from Bulma skipping high school that one day, he knew next to nothing about how it worked. Then again, learning how to fight was much better than math and other smart junk like that. In that regard, Master Roshi's Turtle School was the only educational institution he needed to know about.

"School? I've never been to one of those before." Goku murmured in puzzlement. For someone around Goku's age, Chariot was fairly surprised by his lack of academic experience.

"You've never been to school? Not even once?" Chariot questioned in disbelief. Frowning, Goku shook his head from side to side in response.

"Nope. The only stuff I've learned was martial arts and some basic reading." Goku informed with a care-free shrug. "Both of them came from my master."

Chariot instantly lit up at the mention of martial arts. Alongside magic, hand-to-hand combat was a topic she was always fascinated by. Seeing a so-called expert of that particular craft in person made Goku's arrival all the more interesting.

"That's so cool! I always wondered what a full-blown martial artist was like!" Chariot happily beamed. She got a better look at Goku's orange gi for further emphasis.

"Your outfit did sort of give that away, though." Chariot admitted, pointing at the blackbelt and twin wristbands Goku had in his position.

"Yep. I've been wearing the same thing for about four years now." Goku recalled in a slight wave of nostalgia. He couldn't believe his training with Krillin was almost three or so years ago now. Those were the days before everything got more serious; before he showed up.

"Can't say I'm surprised. It does suit you pretty well, Goku." Chariot complimented Goku's attire. In gratitude for this comment, Goku sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Aww thanks. Same with your…uh…whatchamacallit, Chariot!" Goku gestured to the outfit Chariot was wearing. Smiling, Chariot placed a hand over her mouth to conceal more giggles that were threatening to break out.

"Teehee. It's my school uniform, silly. Everyone at Luna Nova Magical Academy is required to wear one." Chariot corrected the naïve martial artist's mistake. "We also get this Apprentice Rod for practicing the more basic spells."

Afterwards, she pulled out her wand, so Goku could closely examine it. Goku's eyes perused said Apprentice Rod's simple craftsmanship, particularly being drawn to the orb of green energy produced on its topmost section. At this point, Goku knew for a fact that the energy of this wand and the Ley Line were both identical to one another.

"Oh. That's neat I guess." Goku commented. He then took note of Chariot's other, more detailed "wand", heightening his piqued curiosity once more.

"Does everyone at that school get a thing like that as well?" Goku inquired, pointing to the medium-length staff in Chariot's other hand. Chariot sighed, figuring that her "prized possession" would come up in conversation at some point.

"No, actually. That's an object I was specifically…well, chosen to carry around. Its name is kinda complicated, so I just call it the Shiny Rod for short." Chariot half-heartedly chuckled. She fully showcased the Shiny Rod, basking in its ancient, relatively unscathed glory. Even Goku was perceptive enough to notice the traces of magical energy oozing off of all seven orbs.

"There's not much else I can really say about it, unfortunately. To be honest, I'm still figuring stuff out about this thing myself." Chariot said, knowing that the Shiny Rod's exact purpose was best kept secret between her and her current mentor. Even so, that didn't make the artifact any less difficult to deal with. There were more words of Arcturus yet to be discovered, after all.

Goku could see where Chariot was coming from in that regard. Despite how powerful of a fighter he currently was, there were still stuff about his origins he didn't really know about. For instance, what was the monster that killed Grandpa Gohan? Where did Grandpa Gohan find him in the first place? Such questions were pretty much irrelevant at this point, but they still made him scratch his head a bit. That included his inexplicable ability to grow stronger after each battle as well. None of his other friends, including Tien, seemed to have that ability for some reason.

"I guess I can understand that. Even so, you've gotta be someone special to own that type of thing." Goku pointed out. If Chariot was chosen to own the Shiny Rod like she said, that meant a ton of magic potential was just waiting to be unlocked in some way. That prospect greatly excited Goku, even if a witch couldn't necessarily reach the levels of ki.

"You'd think so, but…" Chariot trailed off. Her grimaced deepened as she tightly gripped onto the Shiny Rod's lower staff. Normally, Chariot wouldn't attempt to act this pessimistic, but the Shiny Rod's circumstances were a notable exception.

"…I'm not exactly the best witch out there. All I want is to make people smile with my magic, but no matter what happens, I always mess something up." Chariot sadly uttered. She glanced back at Goku with a smaller, yet more sorrowful frown.

"I really, really try my hardest to study and get better, of course. It's apparently what granted me the Shiny Rod to begin with, but sometimes I feel that…" Chariot whispered, setting aside her school textbook in sudden dismay. She also put away her Apprentice Rod in favor of further analyzing the Shiny Rod's more decorative features.

Chariot then gazed up at the sky, sporting an even more profound look of hopelessness and regret. Goku had some issues with Chariot's attitude on the matter, but thought it best to not interrupt her until the very end.

"…what I'm doing isn't enough, you know? And if I can't make the world a happier place with magic…well…what else can I do?" Chariot more so asked herself, rather than Goku. Clutching the Shiny Rod one last time, Chariot speedily shook her head to regain some semblance of lost positivity.

"Sorry about rambling like this, Goku. I get lost in my thoughts more often than not." Chariot apologized in minor embarrassment. Taking Chariot's feelings into account, Goku kindly set aside her apology.

"Nah. There's no need to be sorry. I sort of know what you're feeling right now." Goku assured informingly. Not expecting this reply, Chariot tilted her to the side in surprise.

"Wait…you do?" Chariot naively asked. Goku shrugged, acting as if what he said wasn't all that unordinary.

"Well, yeah. As a martial artist, I've been fighting strong opponents for as long as I can remember. And, most of the time, I've been much weaker than them." Goku knowledgably reminisced about his previous fights. From Jackie Chun to his recent bout with King Piccolo, he always found a way to gain the upper hand, even if he was at a huge disadvantage or outright lost initially.

"Weaker than your opponents? Wouldn't that put you in a ton of danger?" Chariot questioned in worry. Fighting on an uneven playing field just didn't seem like an ideal situation to her.

"You bet! I've been beaten down countless times. And like you, I was at a point where giving up seemed like the better option. Especially in the scenarios where I had a chance of dying." Goku excitedly replied. His adrenaline began to spike just thinking of Tien's most powerful techniques from the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament finals. They were painful, sure, but still an absolute blast to fight against.

"C-Chance…chance of dying?! What kind of insane fights has Goku been through?" Chariot thought in appalment. Despite being the same age as Goku, she's never dealt with a life or death situation like that before. She did almost get eaten by some rogue plants, but the Luna Nova staff was there to save her. For Goku, it seemed like he was implying that these confrontations were usually one-on-one death matches. That thought slightly unsettled her.

Goku, after calming himself down, stared into Chariot's red eyes. He then shared a serious, slightly contemplative frown with the young witch. It was clear that Goku was somewhat serious about the advice he wanted to give her.

"But, you know what always happens?" Goku added with a raise of his finger.

"W-What?" Chariot questioningly stuttered out.

"I always find a way to keep fighting. There's nothing better than getting the upper hand in a tough battle. Those are definitely the most fun, by far! Ha-ha!" Goku explained, noting his tendency to never give up in any fight whatsoever. This, however, contributed to many near- deaths of his, like with Mercenary Tao, Tambourine, and, most notably, King Piccolo.

Chariot narrowed both eyes, starting to lose her patience for Goku's vague, pseudo motivational tangents. There wasn't anything necessarily wrong with what Goku said, but the way he said it seemed a bit misleading to her. Little to Chariot know, Goku had a much bigger point to make with this discussion.

"I get it, Goku. You like fighting. What does that have anything to do with my problems, though?" Chariot asked impatiently. Goku folded one arm over the other with a neutral expression on his face.

"The main point I'm trying to make is that instead of sulking over a loss or disadvantage I had, I learn from those mistakes and get much better than before. I just train and train until my skills as a martial artist have greatly improved." Goku logically advised. It was the main reason why he managed to persevere and defeat King Piccolo, after all. That and the Ultra Divine Water's strength-after-death amplification. He still wondered if something else beside the "water" itself made him more powerful that day. He couldn't really tell, though.

"Does this take a lot of work? Sure, but the results are worth it. I'm sure with enough practice and determination, you'll become a great witch someday, Chariot. I know that from experience." Goku confidently assured. Stunned by Goku's surprisingly thought-provoking words, Chariot began to closely ponder over what he said.

"Recognize your faults and learn from them, huh? I see." Chariot mumbled in understanding. If she took Goku's words to heart, increasing her performance in and outside of school could become more likely. She'd just need to keep studying spells and practicing them on a daily basis. Maybe then, she'd both be able to master the Shiny Rod's different abilities, and become worthy of obtaining the Fountain of Polaris' power.

The key to succeeding in that way was, as Goku mentioned, time. It would take a lot of time and dedication for her to become a great, noteworthy witch. Being a first-year student of Luna Nova, there was still so much about magic she had yet to fully understand. With the Shiny Rod being in her possession, Chariot most definitely had an ample amount of opportunities to make people happy using magic. She just needed to take one step after the other. Rushing to the finish obviously wasn't doing her any favors at the moment. The recent car incident was proof enough of that fact.

Chariot then took another look at Goku, wondering what he must have gone through to gain this much experience and knowledge. His life was far from normal, no doubt.

"Goku��I can already tell you've been through a whole lot more than you're saying. Just how much is something I want to find out." Chariot assumed, solemnly promising to learn more about Goku as a person. Well, during the limited amount of time he would be in Blytonbury, anyway. For that reason, she would need to make every second count.

Sporting a radiant smile, Chariot widely grinned at Goku with pink, rosy cheeks. Her eyes were also fully closed, emphasizing the shininess of her black eyelashes.

"Thank you, Goku. What you said really helps a lot." Chariot genuinely expressed her gratitude. In that moment, her prior sadness was replaced with pure happiness and optimism for the time being. This warm smile proved contagious for the young Saiyan of Earth.

"That's good. I'm not the best with words and stuff, so I hope what I said made some sense." Goku replied, awkwardly scratching the side of his cheek. Chariot waved both hands to prove that what Goku told her was well thought out.

"Teehee. Oh, don't worry. It made sense and more so." Chariot assured the 16-year-old martial artists. After putting the Shiny Rod back in her size-altering handbag, she smiled and attentively clasped both hands in front of her.

"Now, then. You wanted to know more about Ley Lines, right?" Chariot kindly asked.

"Yeah. I sort of got sucked into one and need to find a way back home. Could you help me out with that?" Goku requested in an almost pleading tone. Yet again, Chariot grew slightly puzzled by Goku's odd choice of words.

"Sucked into one? Weird. I've never heard of that happening before." Chariot thought from prior knowledge. Cars and normal people have been able to enter Ley Lines before, but never sucked into it against their will. She supposed that was another questionable quirk she'd need to try figuring out about Goku.

"Sure thing, Goku. It's the least I can do for you after cheering me up so well." Chariot wholeheartedly agreed to follow Goku's request.

"Eh. It's nothing." Goku smiled back. Chariot looked around the streets of Blytonbury, searching for a specific area they could both use to exit the city.

"Hmm…let's see. There should be a railway station leading to Glastonbury nearby." Chariot informed her new, although temporary friend. "From there, I can take you to Glastonbury Tor. It's a Ley Line Terminal connecting Luna Nova to other parts of England."

Goku, still having no clue about any of the places Chariot mentioned, ultimately went with whatever her set plan was. As long as he got back to the Lookout in about one day's time, Goku was perfectly fine with wherever Chariot decided to go.

"Alright. I guess waiting until then won't be so bad." Goku shrugged in agreement. Chariot smiled at the spiky-haired boy in pleasure.

"Good. We should probably get a move on. I need to be back in class by a certain time." Chariot said, looking at Blytonbury's clock tower to see what time it was. Having no time to loose, she then latched onto Goku's hand and practically dragged him across the sidewalk.

"If you had class, why'd you come to this Blytonbury place then?��� Goku pondered in confusion. He felt a bit uncomfortable with being dragged like a rag doll, but didn't bother saying anything about it.

"Mainly for supplies. There's a little store called the Last Wednesday Society that sells magic items and such." Chariot acknowledged. She opened part of her uniform, revealing various potions, materials, and, weirdest of all, some freshly amputated frog legs.

"See?" Chariot said, fully showcasing her little collection on full display. Although slightly dumbstruck, Goku nodded in understanding, regardless.

"Oh...cool." Goku blankly muttered. The hungry side of his brain then came back with an unexpected vengeance. "You got any food in there too?"

Raising an eyebrow, Chariot rummaged through her pockets for some leftover snacks or dessert, but to no avail. All she could do was apologetically shrug her shoulders at Goku.

"Nope. Don't think so." Chariot responded back. At the sudden discovery of no food, Goku heavily sighed in defeat.

"Worth a shot." Goku grumbled bitterly. From Chariot's perspective, the look of utter despair in Goku's eyes was pretty hilarious. He must have really liked food…a lot.

"Hahaha. You're a funny guy, Goku." Chariot giggled in delight. Surprisingly, Goku glared at Chariot in what seemed genuine outrage and hurt.

"Hey. What's so funny about me dying of hunger?" Goku immaturely pouted. This only proved to increase the sheer extent of Chariot's giggles.

"Hehe. Nothing, Goku. Let's just keep moving." Chariot chirped amusedly. The martial artist and witch then departed for another portion of Blytonbury, hoping to locate the city's railway station fairly soon. Unfortunately, that part of town currently facing construction with the Mayor's close supervision. Meaning, whatever monster was trapped underneath the Sealing Stones would prove closer to being unleashed than previously assumed. This was especially guaranteed by the added influence of Goku's ki and the Shiny Rod itself.

One such person was evidently aware of the Sealing Stones' current unrest. Much like Goku, he stood out from the usual crowd of Blytonbury in more ways than one. He had the muscular build of an everyday boxer and was concealed by some black cape-looking garment. This same cape hung over most of his entire body, with the notable exception of his legs and facial features. Despite being concealed in shadow, traces of red, scraggly and a beard to match could be seen. His eyes were also an electric blue that, somehow, glowed as bright as a typical supergiant star. Even stranger was the fact this energy, though feint, was almost identical to the Ley Line's power.

The man woozily trudged out of a local bar, holding one last beer bottle in his right hand. Taking a huge swig of the drink, he kept his eyes focused on Goku and Chariot. However, his focus was mostly on Goku above all else.

"Heh. That lad…" The man gruffly chuckled. "He's something alright."

Thinking back to his younger years, the man had a look of melancholic bliss in both eyes. It had to have been hundreds of years ago since he was around Goku's age, but the memories were still quite clear as they used to be. Unfortunately for him, all of those memories, no matter how happy, only brought him immense pain and misery. Drowning his sorrows in booze was all that could be done now in today's age. Especially if he wanted to forget the look of utter disappointment in her eyes.

"Reminds me of the good old days." The man murmured scathingly. Accidentally cracking the bottle into multiple pieces out of rage, he lightly cursed himself. He then pinched the bridge of his nose before setting his sights on Goku once more. Maybe this boy, despite being sent here by complete accident based on what he heard, could be a sign of sorts; a sign of better times to come for this Earth. It might not happen now, but possibly in a few years or so. He supposed that Goku's worth would need to be proven with this monster suddenly waking up soon. And, by soon, he meant in a few minutes. The jackass of a mayor obviously wasn't wasting anytime.

"I suppose I'll keep an eye on the off-worlder for now." The man begrudgingly said. "There's nothing better to do here."

Taking a few powerful, yet broken steps forward, the mysterious man followed after Chariot and Goku without their awareness. He lazily brushed his cape backward, revealing the likeness of a hammer with seven crystals imbedded into it. Various lightning bolts shot out of the seemingly legendary weapon as well.