"What's this one called?"
"Ah… a human, I think?"
I blinked my eyes rapidly, wincing as a bright light assaulted my vision. As I woke up, I stumbled a bit, feeling disoriented as I looked down to see that I was already walking. Is this what they mean by sleepwalking?
"Oooh! A human! I've never heard of that! Where'd you get him?!"
I gasped as something yanked on my neck as I stumbled, choking for a split second as I stabilized myself. There was a… collar around my neck? A collar connected to a chain? I definitely didn't sleep with this thing around my neck! Had I been kidnapped?!
"No idea. Some guy from a different squad brought him in, but then he was called in by Lord Frieza."
But why was someone talking? I quickly glanced to my side, taking in the sight of what might've been the ugliest creature I had ever seen.
Huge eyeballs looked past me, a large orange dinosaur-like head attached to them, and large yellowish teeth were bared. His breath smelled terrible, and I stumbled again as I quickly looked away.
Unfortunately, as I glanced to the other side, I was assaulted by a pretty similar sight. He wasn't quite as ugly as he at least looked human-like, though the man still had an ugly, blue ogre-ish face, a tuft of hair on his head, and an overly sharp jawline.
"Damn, Lord Frieza? Poor bastard!" The orange dinosaur chuckled.
I glanced down, looking at my own body as I stumbled again. I was nude - well, almost nude, as there was a small cloth covering my crotch. But I was also… not me? I hadn't been this tall, and I wasn't sure how tall this body was, but the floor was definitely further away than usual. My body was also skinny - very skinny, to the point that I could almost see my own ribcage. I was obviously malnourished, and I couldn't remember ever going more than a day without eating.
"Yup! Hey, at least we don't have to deal with him, right? Being on Prince duty is awesome!" The blue man chuckled in agreement.
As I stumbled forward, my brain finally caught up with the situation and took in the words being spoken.
Did he say Frieza earlier? Frieza? As in, that character from a show that I watched growing up?
I was still disoriented as I glanced down, taking in the very familiar-looking Frieza Force armor both of the men were wearing, but I didn't have much more time to think on it. We stopped abruptly, causing me to choke again as the dinosaur yanked the chain in his hand, which was connected to my collar.
I glanced around the room for the first time, realizing we were in a long white hallway with shining lights overhead. We had stopped at a door, and the blue man casually tapped a button to the side of it, causing the door to slide open.
"Hey, over or under two attacks?" The dinosaur asked as he shoved me forward, pushing me into the room as I nearly fell over.
"An attack from the wannabe Prince? Easily under! Do you see this guy?!" The blue man giggled, pushing me forward again and laughing even harder as I actually fell onto all fours this time. My body felt weak - very weak, and the force he pushed me with felt more like I'd been hit by a car than pushed by a hand, and I gasped as the wind was almost knocked out of me.
Prince? Attacks? Frieza? What the fuck is going on?
I fell onto my hands, grunting as I pushed myself up into a kneeling position, and my brain was spinning as I was pushed into this situation so suddenly. I glanced up, and my eyes went wide as my fears were confirmed.
Standing in front of me was an arrogant-looking man, and one with a very familiar-looking face. He had spiky black hair with a widow's peak, a thin face, a short but muscular frame, and was wearing a set of Saiyan armor.
Standing in front of me was the Prince himself - Vegeta. Vegeta from the series Dragon Ball Z - a show I used to watch on my TV screen.
I was in Dragon Ball. I was chained up, weak, malnourished, and kneeling in front of a man who could blow up entire planets.
"I asked for another punching bag, not whatever the hell this is!" Vegeta hissed as he looked down at me, glaring as if I'd done something to offend him as he scanned me with his scouter, "Seriously, a power level of 2? What the fuck am I meant to do with this?"
I unintentionally flinched as he glared at me, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. It was as if someone was squeezing my lungs - there was a suffocating force in the air, and a pressure was slamming down on my shoulders.
"Eh? You should've been more specific then, oh great Prince of a dead race!" The orange dinosaur chuckled mockingly as he tapped the button next to the door again, causing it to slide shut again and trapping me in the large white room with Vegeta.
"You annoying bastards!" Vegeta just huffed, glaring annoyedly at the door, then turning his annoyed gaze to me, "What the fuck are you looking at, rat? Fuck off!"
I blinked, slightly offended. I hadn't even said anything yet, so why was he pissed at me? Moreso, why was I even here? And, even more moreso, why the hell was he pointing his palm at me-
"What's this one called?"
"Ah… a human, I think?"
I lurched forward, my eyes going wide as the area around me shifted suddenly. I blinked rapidly, glancing around as I inhaled sharply, confused as I was suddenly not in front of Vegeta, but… back in the long hallway? A yank jerked me forward as the orange dinosaur to my side pulled on the chain, and I stumbled forward after them.
"Oooh! A human! I've never heard of that! Where'd you get him?!"
He said that earlier, didn't he? What the hell is going on? Am I going insane?
I wasn't an idiot, so I could pretty quickly deduce that I was in the Dragon Ball universe now - I didn't know how or why, as my last memory was falling asleep in my bed just as I did every night, but that wasn't the most pressing concern right now. I could focus on mentally accepting that I was in a whole new universe later.
"No idea. Some guy from a different squad brought him in, but then he was called in by Lord Frieza."
No, right now, I should be a lot more concerned about the fact that I was in chains, my body felt pathetically weak, and I either just traveled back in time, or I was on a hell of a lot of drugs. I had to assume it was the first option, as if I really was just drugged up, then none of this mattered anyway.
"Damn, Frieza? Poor bastard!"
The two Frieza Force squad members were having the exact same conversation they had before - somehow, someway, I had just gone back in time, and I was being led to the room that Vegeta was in again.
Or, maybe it wasn't time travel, and I was just going insane? Though, did it really matter which one it was? Either way, I was about to be shoved back into Vegeta's face again.
"Yup! Hey, at least we don't have to deal with him, right? Being on Prince duty is awesome!"
And, as they continued to converse, I had less than a minute to think. We were approaching the room that we'd entered last time, which meant I'd be locked in there with Vegeta again. I didn't know why I was sent back in time, but I assumed there was some information I was missing here.
Though no amount of information could really help me. I was a weak human, with a body even weaker than a normal human, who was clearly starved, and I was in a world where beings could blow up planets casually. I was, to put it bluntly, fucked.
But that didn't mean I would go down without a fight. I didn't know why I'd just been dragged back a few minutes in time, but it didn't matter either. Right now, as the blue man tossed me into the room again, I had a plan.
"I asked for another punching bag, not whatever the hell this is!" Vegeta hissed again, repeating the same words he'd spoken before, word for word, "Seriously, a power level of 2? What the fuck am I meant to do with this?"
As the two Frieza Force grunts mocked him and closed the door, it was time to enact my plan. If I wanted to escape this slavery I'd suddenly been thrust into, then I needed to utilize my knowledge from my past life. I knew everything there was to know about this world - I knew the history, what would happen in the future, and how to abuse its mechanics. I could leverage that knowledge to get Vegeta on my side, and I wouldn't even need to acquire power to free myself.
"Vegeta, Prince of the Saiyans. This will sound crazy, but-" I started to say, using Vegeta's proper title to hopefully make what I was going to tell him more believable, but he didn't give me the chance to continue.
"You dare speak my name, you fucking weakling?!" Instead of hearing me out, Vegeta raised his hand, pointing his palm at me. I didn't even have a chance to react before I blinked, suddenly staring at a familiar hallway in front of me.
"What's this one called?"
"Ah… a human, I think?"
Well, looks like I just traveled back in time again. Why? I don't know. How? I also don't fuckin' know!
I grunted as the orange dinosaur yanked me forward again, ignoring the two Frieza Force soldiers as they had the same conversation I'd heard twice before. I needed to focus on finding out why the hell I kept going back in time instead of listening to them ramble.
I had noticed a pattern between both of the times I was sent back in time - it was when Vegeta raised his hand and pointed his palm at me. Was that some sort of trigger? Did I piss him off so much that whatever higher being put me in this world wanted me to start over again?
I didn't know, but I needed to find out. This time, I would act differently and hope I would get a different result. The first time, Vegeta raised his palm angrily because I looked at him, and the second time because I was talking to him. He was an arrogant prick for sure, but I couldn't change that, so I would have to work around it.
We quickly walked down the same hallway, reached the familiar training room that Vegeta was in, and I was tossed into it unceremoniously. I glanced around it this time, noticing that it was rather empty, aside from a few scorch marks on the pure-white walls.
"I asked for another punching bag, not whatever the hell this is!" Vegeta hissed for a third time, repeating the same words he'd spoken before, word for word, once again, "Seriously, a power level of 2? What the fuck am I meant to do with this?"
I was slightly offended again, but more so distraught than offended, as I finally realized just what he meant. I'd been too disoriented the first time to notice, and too focused on trying to formulate a plan the second time, to notice what he said - a power level of 2!
And I was willing to bet that he wasn't talking about the two aliens dragging me around. I was in Dragon Ball with a fuckin' power level of 2! How much more fucked could I be?!
"Eh? You should've been more specific then, oh great Prince of a dead race!"
As the door slammed shut behind me, I narrowed my eyes, looking at Vegeta from the corner of my eye as I didn't turn to gaze at him. Whenever he raised his hand angrily, I teleported back in time a few minutes, and I needed to figure out why.
"Damn it! Don't even share the same air as me, you damn weakling!" However, despite me not saying a word or even looking at Vegeta, he still shouted angrily as he raised his hand and pointed his palm at me.
But, as I knew I was about to be yanked back a few minutes in time, I moved. I lunged to the side, grunting as my weak chest slammed into the white floor below. I didn't know what compelled me to do such a thing, but my body simply ordered me to - it demanded that I move out of Vegeta's way, and instinctively, I did.
And, as I glanced back, my eyes went wide, and I was glad I did. A ball of pure light energy shot from Vegeta's hand, shooting through the air so fast that I couldn't even process it. It was as if I'd skipped a frame - one moment it was hovering on his palm, and the next, the ground where I had been kneeling was covered in a cloud of smoke.
My hands shook lightly as I understood now - I wasn't being teleported back in time because Vegeta was raising his palm at me, or some higher being was giving me another chance. It was because I was dying.
I was dying faster than I could even realize - in a single instant, Vegeta's Ki blast was crossing the gap between us, and I was being murdered. I was dying.
"I didn't say you could dodge, rat!"
As I froze for a second, being stunned as I realized what was really happening, my already weak body was a sitting duck for Vegeta. He raised his palm, and I knew I was about to die-
"What's this one called?"
"Ah… a human, I think?"
I lurched forward, falling down onto all fours as I coughed, my heart pounding in my weak body's chest as my eyes were wide. I had just died.
But I didn't have any time to think about all the implications that came with that, or to develop any trauma. Instead, the orange dinosaur yanked on my neck, and I was dragged back to my feet even as I was choking from the force around my neck.
I stumbled forward, not having the brainpower to think about the Frieza Force grunt's repeated mundane conversation, as my head was spinning. I had just died - not just once, but three times. Not only that, but I had literally died before I even realized it the first two times.
Right now, my situation seemed pretty hopeless. I was in a weak body in a world that was dictated by power, and I was chained up as a slave. Nothing I could say or do would stop the Frieza Force grunts from dragging me to Vegeta, and I wasn't sure I could say anything to the Prince to convince him not to kill me.
I was absolutely fucked.
Or, I should've been, if something hadn't changed last time.
"My body," I muttered, looking down as the guards pulling me towards the room didn't even react.
My body had adapted to the situation - on my third life, when Vegeta had raised his hand, my body had demanded that I move. I still hadn't realized what was happening - not thinking that I could possibly be being killed faster than I could even process - but my body had.
It demanded that I dodge, which it hadn't done the first two times. Even if I were going back in time, restarting from this point over and over again, I could still make progress. Whether it took a hundred lives, a thousand lives, or even ten thousand lives, I could continue to improve, grow stronger, and eventually break free from this cycle.
I wasn't resetting at zero every time I died - I was carrying on the knowledge and strength I gained in my previous life. My situation was hopeless, but it wasn't inescapable. No matter how long it took, or how many tries I had to struggle and die through, I would escape this fate eventually. And, now that I knew that dying just meant I'd reappear here, I could act without fear of death.
So, I raised my hand and slammed it forward with a loose and unpracticed punch. My knuckles hit directly into the orange dinosaur's face and… did nothing. His cheek didn't even squish inward a bit - instead, I hissed as I felt like I'd just punched a brick wall. If anything, the punch had hurt me more than it had hurt him.
"Eh? The hell is he trying to do?" The orange dinosaur narrowed his eyes at me, "Trying to fight back, are you? I didn't know a slave could be so stupid!"
"Heh, if we rough him up a bit, the Prince probably won't notice, right?" The blue man smirked as I was looking down at my bruised knuckles with pain in my eyes, "Just a light punch won't kill him!"
As the fist moved faster than my eyes could even track, let it be known that a light punch would, in fact, kill me.
"What's this one called?"
"Ah… a human, I think?"
I grunted, barely resisting lurching forward again. Well, fighting back definitely wasn't going to work.
"Hey, you both are-" I opened my mouth, trying the speaking approach, and quickly regretted it.
"Did I say you could speak, bastard?!" The orange dinosaur yanked the chain again, cutting off my words as I choked from the motion and coughed lightly, "Who does this 'human' think he is?!"
"Heh, if we rough him up a bit, the Prince probably won't notice, right?" The blue man smirked, and I groaned as I knew what was coming, "Just a light punch won't kill him!"
My body screamed at me to move, and I tried to jerk to the side, but the collar around my neck made it difficult to move, and in the next second I was-
"What's this one called?"
"Ah… a human, I think?"
If I have to hear that every time, I might go insane from their talking! Alright - trying to fight these two was useless, as the chain around my neck just made dodging any attacks impossible. Instead, I'll have to try and convince Vegeta to spare me.
We continued down the hallway, reaching the familiar door as I was once again chucked into the room with Vegeta.
"I asked for another punching bag, not whatever the hell this is!" Vegeta hissed for a fourth time, and I was starting to get annoyed, "Seriously, a power level of 2? What the fuck am I meant to do with this?"
The conversation continued as usual, and a moment later, he raised his hand. This time, my body screamed at me again. I lunged to the side, just as I had done before, and a Ki blast zipped through the air and slammed into the spot where I had been sitting.
"I didn't say you could dodge, rat!"
Immediately, I dove to the side again, flopping onto my stomach and not letting a second go to waste as another Ki blast slammed into where I had been lying. It was too fast for my eyes to even track, and I knew I'd die if I was even a fraction of a second too slow. But, as I immediately shoved myself back into a crouched position and tried to lunge out of the way of another blast, Vegeta's face just twisted in annoyance.
"Stop dodging, bastard!" He appeared in front of me in a split second, and my eyes went wide as the bottom of a boot slammed down into my face-
"What's this one called?"
"Ah… a human, I think?"
Fuckin' bastard. But, as my neck was jerked forward by the orange dinosaur pulling on the chain, I glanced down at my body. I hadn't done much, as I literally had just lunged out of the way twice before dying, but I felt… stronger?
Not by much, mind you, but a little bit. The sickly weakness it had felt before, probably spurred on by a lack of food, water, and even movement, had faded slightly. I definitely still felt weak, but the little bit of exercise over the past lives had added up.
The situation was helpless, but not impossible. I felt just a glimmer of hope as I was dragged to the room again and then tossed onto my knees in front of Vegeta.
"I asked for another punching bag-"
I tuned out the rest of the conversation between him and the grunts, instead just tensing as I readied myself. The door closed behind me, and I flung myself to the side, knowing what was coming.
"I didn't say you could dodge, rat!"
The area exploded behind me, and I flung myself to the side again as another Ki blast narrowly missed me.
"Stop dodging, bastard!"
I knew it was coming this time, and I rolled to the side hastily, letting the foot stomp down next to my head. The ground where my skull had just been shattered, forming a crater under the Prince's foot.
"What the hell?" Vegeta muttered, looking down strangely as I avoided all of his attacks.
"You wanna hear me out?" I tried, looking back up at him as he paused.
To the surprise of no one, he did not want to hear me out. He raised his palm, and I exploded in a ball of light-
"What's this one called?"
"Ah… a human, I think?"
I clicked my tongue as I was revived, but a small grin slipped onto my face. My body felt a bit better after another go through, and my confidence was rising. With each attempt, my instincts were improving - yelling at me which direction to dodge to avoid my death.
Of course, I was just a weak human, and he was the Prince of all Saiyans. Just my instincts alone wouldn't be enough to let me survive, but I had more at my disposal. I had the knowledge from my previous lives. I didn't know how long it would take, but eventually, I'd be able to predict every move he could make. I could create a sequence in which he couldn't kill me, even if it took a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand tries.
So, I got to work. I was dragged back to the room, lunged to the side as a Ki blast missed me, lunged again as another one followed, and then rolled to the side as his foot stomped down next to my head. I pushed myself up hastily, lunging forward rather pathetically, but it worked as his next Ki blast missed me.
"Prince Vegeta," I started again, shoving myself to my feet as I spun around to face him, "You're not going to believe this, but I can see the-"
"What's this one called?"
"Ah… a human, I think?"
I died before I finished my sentence. Bastard.
But what else was there to do but try again? The sequence repeated - I was dragged to the room, lunged out of the way of two Ki blasts, rolled to the side, lunged to my feet, and spun around as I began to speak.
"Prince Vegeta," I narrowed my eyes, knowing he was about to fling another Ki blast at me, "You're not going to believe this, but I can see the-"
I stepped to the side, letting the Ki blast burst past me in the blink of an eye. The room shook as the white wall far behind me exploded, but I didn't turn around, instead just staring into Vegeta's eyes seriously.
"Future!"
Great, I got it out, so now he'll give me a chance to explain-
"See the future? What kind of insane punching bag did they bring me?!" Vegeta narrowed his eyes, vanishing as his fist appeared in front of my face in the blink of an eye, and I was in for a world of pain.
"What's this one called?"
"Ah… a human, I think?"
Well, at least I died before I could feel the pain of being beheaded. It could be worse.
Alright, this time, I'll change my approach again. I was dragged to the room, lunged twice, rolled, lunged again, then stepped to the side as I spoke differently this time.
"Prince Vegeta! This will sound insane, but I'm from a different universe, and I know about everything that will happen here!" I started, getting to the information quickly as I sidestepped his blast, readying myself to dodge the next punch, "I can prove it! I'll tell you something that only you could ever know - like how you watched your father kneel to-"
"Shut up!" I moved immediately, literally predicting the future as his fist blitzed through the air past me.
"Frieza! And the God of Destruction Beerus, I know all about-"
"Quit speaking nonsense!" A knee slammed upward, making contact with my gut, and it was too much for my weak body to handle.
"What's this one called?"
"Ah… a human, I think?"
Well, either Vegeta didn't care that I knew about that, or it wasn't as rare of information as I had assumed. No one ever mentioned Beerus before Super, but I guess that wasn't because no one knew he existed aside from Vegeta, who had seen him visit Planet Vegeta.
That approach wouldn't work, and, honestly, I was glad it didn't. My initial approach, pretending to be able to see the future, would help me much more in the long run once I got Vegeta to believe me.
So, I continued with my 11th attempt. I was dragged to the room, thrown in front of Vegeta, and the sequence played out the same. Lunge twice, roll, lunge again, sidestep, and start convincing Vegeta.
"You'll never hit me," I stated confidently as I sidestepped the Ki blast, pushing away any nervousness in my body at my impending death.
"Hah?! What nonsense are you saying?!" I tilted my head to the side instantly, letting Vegeta's fist fly past my face.
"You won't," I continued, grinning at him confidently, though it came out a bit shakily instead, "I can see the future."
"Insane rat," Vegeta just spat out, and I immediately turned my body to the side, turning 45 degrees as his knee slammed through the air but missed me entirely.
"It's true," I said simply, actually becoming a bit confident as I continued to dodge him, "You'll never hit me, because I can see the future. I know exactly what you'll do next."
This was the best plan I could think of - convince Vegeta I could see the future by dodging all his attacks despite having a pitifully low power level, which shouldn't be possible unless I knew what he was doing next. Once he believed me, he would surely let me live, as he'd have to be an idiot to have a seer at his disposal and just kill them.
"Oh yeah?" Vegeta smirked a bit, actually looking amused by my words, "Then you'll dodge this, right?"
My body's instincts screamed at me to lunge to the side, and I sidestepped as I assumed a Ki blast was coming, and was punished for my cockiness. Instead, a roundhouse kick slammed into my side, and if I hadn't appeared back in the hallway, I would've been split in half.
"What's this one called?"
"Ah… a human, I think?"
Right - even if I'm trying to look confident, thus trying to avoid flopping around to avoid the blows and looking pathetic, I should trust my body. It was slowly improving, my instincts becoming stronger as my weakness started to fade. Slowly but surely, I was making progress.
But, as you would expect, my 12th life only got a bit further than my 11th.
"Oh yeah? Then you'll dodge this, right?" I ducked instantly, the prediction allowing me to make up for the gap in speed, as Vegeta's leg lashed out over me.
"Just did," I smirked up at Vegeta, trying to maintain my confident persona, "I told you, I can see the-"
"What's this one called?"
"Ah… a human, I think?"
Damn, the old punch-me mid-sentence trick. Vegeta's really damn annoying, y'know?
My 13th life went better than any of the previous ones, as I managed to get through to Vegeta a bit.
"Oh yeah? Then you'll dodge this, right?" I dodged Vegeta's attack again, readying myself this time as I spoke.
"I just did," I said simply, not backing down, "I told you, I can see the-"
Vegeta's fist appeared in front of my face, but I knew it was coming, and leaned to the side. His fist brushed past my cheek, and just the force of the attack caused my weak body to stumble to the side. As I stumbled, I expected to immediately appear back in the hallway, but I didn't this time. Instead, Vegeta stepped back, looking at me curiously.
"...For someone with a power level of 2 to be dodging my attacks, you must not be lying," Vegeta huffed, finally using his head as he thought about the situation logically.
Good. I figured he would come to this conclusion - there was no way the prideful and arrogant Vegeta would accept being outmaneuvered by a starved human. He would sooner believe that I could truly see the future before he considered that a weakling was skilled enough to avoid death.
"I'm not," I confirmed, staring into his eyes seriously as I regained my balance and stood up straight, "I can truly see the future. And, I can use that ability to help you."
This was my way out of this loop of death - convince Vegeta that I could be useful to him. Then, I'd be able to get food and water and would no longer have to suffer in such a weak body.
"Then, what's in store for me in my future?" Vegeta asked abruptly, smirking lightly as he stared me down, "I already know that I'll reach the pinnacle of my race and become a Super Saiyan, but it'd be nice to hear it from a seer's mouth."
Oh, he's being proactive in wanting to know about his future? This could work for me!
"Actually, you won't," I said simply, shaking my head lightly, "You'll die at Frieza's hand on a planet called Namek, and-"
"Then, you can't see the future." A split second later, my head was blown off, and-
"What's this one called?"
"Ah… a human, I think?"
Annoying-ass Vegeta! This cocky bastard is so arrogant that he believes his own ego over someone who can see the future?! I was only partially lying to him, as he would eventually become a Super Saiyan, but he would've been easier to handle if he thought he wouldn't, and that I could change the future and make his power-up a reality.
That, clearly, wouldn't work with him. He was just too arrogant and didn't want to let a lowly human take even an inch. I hate to do it, but I'll just have to lie to stroke his ego a bit.
So, in my 14th life, I repeated the exact same sequence and ended up in the same conversation.
"I already know that I'll reach the pinnacle of my race and become a Super Saiyan, but it'd be nice to hear it from a seer's mouth."
"You will," I nodded, only half-lying, as he would become a Super Saiyan eventually, even if it was after he had already died and Goku had achieved the form first, "You'll become a Super Saiyan and defeat-"
"Ha! If I'm a Super Saiyan, then I don't need a weakling like you around anyway!"
In case his words weren't a clue to his next action, my head exploded a second later.
"What's this one called?"
"Ah… a human, I think?"
I clicked my tongue in annoyance as I appeared in the hallway again, not stumbling this time. I tell him he won't become a Super Saiyan, and he kills me, but then I tell him he will become a Super Saiyan, and he also kills me! I'll need to use a different approach, but I think I know exactly what will get under Vegeta's skin.
I repeated the same process, dodging and rolling around as coolly as I could manage, and ended up in the same conversation again.
"I already know that I'll reach the pinnacle of my race and become a Super Saiyan, but it'd be nice to hear it from a seer's mouth."
"You will," I nodded, but spoke quickly before he could kill me, "BUT! Not in the way you think, Prince!"
That second part caused Vegeta to pause, hesitating as he at least let me continue to speak, and I didn't take the moment for granted.
"You will not be the first Super Saiyan, and not even the second," I said dramatically, and honestly, as Vegeta's eyes widened slightly, "Instead, a Saiyan known as Kakarot from a planet of humans, Earth, will be the first. He'll ascend, defeat Frieza, and leave you in the dust."
"Kakarot?" Vegeta muttered, his eyes widening more as he recognized the name, "That low-class who shares the same blood as Raditz?! Becoming a Super Saiyan?! What the hell are you saying!"
I thought my head would roll off my neck as Vegeta huffed angrily, but it seemed that his interest in my words outweighed his anger at the idea. He just stared at me hardly, his eyes non-subtly demanding that I continue.
As he was speaking, I was thinking, and I realized that his words, probably, confirmed some things for me. Unless Raditz had been talking about his brother for a long time before heading to Earth, and just hadn't bothered to go get him, Vegeta's knowledge of Goku, or 'Kakarot,' meant I was at a point in the timeline near the Saiyan's invasion of Earth.
Hell, this very spaceship could even be where Vegeta was preparing prior to leaving in his Saiyan pod. His words didn't tell me that much, but it was now a safe assumption to think I was near the start of the Z timeline.
"Yes. He's a Saiyan who grew up on the same planet I did," I continued, only half lying, as I had really grown up on Earth - just not this universe's Earth, "In the future, you will fight him, and he will win. Your defeat at the hands of a low-class Saiyan will start a course of events that leads you to achieving great power, but at the cost of living in shame. Kakarot will become the first Super Saiyan, and you'll never truly catch up. You'll live constantly chasing his shadow!"
My words were a bit too eloquent and dramatic for my liking, but I was trying to lay it on pretty thick. I wanted Vegeta to get caught up in the moment and believe me, and, hey, if this didn't work, then I would just speak more humbly in my next life!
Luckily for me, the approach did work, as Vegeta's eyes did the impossible and went wider.
"A low-class warrior becoming a Super Saiyan before I do?!" Vegeta's brow furrowed, his face became angry, and veins started to pop in his forehead, "Impossible!"
"That's the future I see," I said simply, trying to keep my expression blank, "However…"
Now, it was time to really convince Vegeta to keep me around!
"I can change that," I said simply, my eyes staring into Vegeta's angry ones confidently, "Changing the future is a very difficult task, and I can only see bits and pieces when it's too far away. If you keep me by your side, then I'll be able to see more and more of the future as we grow closer to it, and I'll be able to tell you how to become the first Super Saiyan."
My pitch was said, and, honestly, if Vegeta refused, then I didn't think I'd ever be able to get through to him. I was offering to tell him how to become a Super Saiyan, and I was buying time by saying I could only see parts of the far future. If I told him I could see everything, he would just demand I tell him how to become a Super Saiyan and then kill me afterward.
I had left everything on the table, and I did it in a way where I had done everything I could to convince Vegeta. I showcased to him that I could 'see the future,' I told him about a fate that he believed was terrible, and I gave him a way to change that future if he just kept me alive. All I could do now was hope Vegeta had taken my words to heart.
As I stood there, admittedly nervous and near-shaking from my still weak body, the air was tense. Vegeta thought for a moment, his eyes boring into mine, and then, finally, just gave a rather anticlimactic grunt.
"Whatever. It's not like you would make a good punching bag anyway," He scoffed, striding forward as he walked past me without another word, "Speak to no one. I'll send someone here with food and water. We leave in two days."
Vegeta walked up to the door, pressed the button on the side, and then stepped through as the door slid open. Apparently, his desire to train had been ruined by our conversation, and I was left alone in the empty training room.
But he could've at least asked for my name before he left, damn egotistical bastard!
I stood still for a moment, just staring at the open door, until it finally slid shut automatically once Vegeta had walked away. Then, my legs gave out under me, and I fell into a sitting position with a huff.
"I did it," I groaned, a mixture of exhausted and relieved after dying so many times, "I don't know why the hell I'm in this world, but I fuckin' did it. I survived."
Slowly, I fell back and lay flat on my back. I stared up at the white ceiling overhead, finally relaxing my body for the first time since my arrival in this world. Slowly, I raised my hand upward and stared down at the bony hand that greeted me.
It would take a lot of work to fix this pathetic body I showed up in, but that could wait for another day. Right now, all I could do was let a grin stretch across my face.
"I did it."
It hadn't been easy, but I had done it.
"Now, let's try not to die again," I chuckled to myself, silently wondering if my previous life would be the last time I experienced the feeling of death.
However, while I didn't know it at this moment, this was far from over. My relief would be short-lived, and I had a hell of a lot more trouble ahead of me.
Soon, I would look back at today and think it was one of the easiest challenges I had to break through.
It felt like a large number right now, but I would soon realize just how little 15 lives were.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AN: Wrote most of this a while ago and never ended up posting it, but I was like fuck it why not finish it? I might continue it on a less frequent update schedule but with longer chapters than my usual stories if y'all like it, or it might just live as a one-shot lol
If y'all want it continued feel free to let me know here, or over on my Patreon! (Patreon.com/Koyon)