It started with pain.
Not a stabbing pain. Not even a headache.
Just… awareness — like being yanked out of sleep by reality itself.
His eyes snapped open.
White ceiling. Dim lighting. Beige walls.
A bed that definitely wasn't his.
He sat up too fast and nearly fell off the side. "What the hell—?"
His brain lit up like a fireworks show. A million memories, not his own, exploded behind his eyes.
Capsule Corp.West City.Flying cars.Talking animals.The World Martial Arts Tournament.And Mr. Satan's smug, punchable face.
Then one word crashed through his thoughts like a Kamehameha to the chest:
"Dragon Ball."
He froze.
Then:
"I'M FUCKED!"
He scrambled out of bed, stumbled, and faceplanted on the floor. "Ow—okay. Okay. Stay calm. It's not like this planet explodes every Tuesday. Oh wait—YES IT DOES!"
He got to his knees, arms raised like a man praying to an uncaring universe. "Please—whoever did this. God, Shenron, Zeno, Goku's plot armor—please don't let me die like Yamcha in a ditch! Just give me a system or a cheat or—"
[DING]
He blinked.
A glowing blue box appeared in front of him, hovering in the air like a Windows pop-up from the heavens.
[System Activation: Adaptive Evolution Protocol Online]
Welcome, Host. Please Confirm Starter Pack Installation.
His jaw dropped.
Then he grinned. "YES! THANK YOU, GLORIOUS OVERLORDS! I never doubted you for a second."
[Starter Pack Received]
• Trait: Adaptive Evolution – Biological structure adjusts and improves with every form of combat stress.
•Skill: Instinctive Mimicry – Learn techniques after witnessing them once.
• Boost: Reflex Sync – Reflexes adjust to match threat level.
• Modifier: Potential Uncapped – Growth has no ceiling.
• Inventory: Capsule Corp Scanner (Prototype), 1x Senzu Bean, Elastic Combat Gi
He looked down. His boring clothes were gone, replaced with a loose, dark-blue gi with silver lining. Lightweight. Stretchy. Probably fireproof. Hopefully explodable-proof.
"Okay. This is good. This is great. I'm not a Saiyan, but who needs a tail when I've got a cheat code?"
He opened the window, stepped outside, and stared at the flat terrain. Dry dirt. Distant cliffs. A perfect Dragon Ball wasteland.
He clenched a fist.
"Let's test this thing."
Fifteen minutes later…
He was covered in dirt, breathing heavily, next to a boulder that was now boulder confetti.
"Huff... Okay. I punched a rock and it died. That's either really cool or a sign I've watched too much anime."
He opened the scanner. The screen lit up. Ki signature: faint.
"Alright, I'm still weak, but the system said I evolve. So the more I push myself, the stronger I get. Just like Goku, but with cheat codes and trauma."
Then—
BOOM.
The air trembled. A shockwave rolled through the air like a sonic slap to the face.
The scanner vibrated in his hand.
Three power levels, not far off. Huge spikes of energy.
He closed his eyes.
The first felt… familiar. Righteous. Hopeful. A Goku-kind-of-ki.
The second—darker. Tense. Sharp like a dagger. Piccolo.
The third?
Alien. Arrogant. Violent.
He didn't need the system to tell him.
"…Raditz."
He stared at the scanner.
"…That's it. This is the Saiyan arc. It just started."
He dropped to the ground again, eyes wide.
"Oh god, I've got a year until Vegeta shows up. And if I don't get strong enough, I'm gonna be sidewalk salsa."
A pause.
"…I wonder if I can copy the Special Beam Cannon. That'd be cool."
The system dinged.
[New Objective: Survive the Saiyan Arc.]
Tip: Dying is strongly discouraged.