The ship roared to life as it broke through the clouds, fire and smoke trailing behind. Inside, Bulma grinned at her handiwork. The control panels blinked with soft light as she guided the ship into orbit, and soon, Earth was nothing but a glowing marble beneath them. The stars stretched out like streaks of light, endless and cold. The others crowded around the windows, Goku grinning like a kid, Gohan in awe, and Krillin holding onto a seat for dear life.
Bulma stood proudly near the center console. "Alright, everyone," she said, hands on her hips. "Welcome to the Capsule Corp Mark III! This baby will take us straight to Namek in no time."
Zane leaned against the wall, arms crossed, barely acknowledging her. He wasn't impressed. The tech was good, sure, but he'd seen more impressive things or at least felt them. Still, he said nothing. Bulma moved on, explaining how the food dispensers worked, how to open the sleeping quarters, and then, with a little smirk, dropped the sleeping arrangements.
"Since we're tight on space," she said, glancing at him, "Zane and I will share a room. The others can split the second one."
Krillin sputtered. "Wait—what?!"
Bulma rolled her eyes. "Relax, Krillin. It's just one room."
Zane gave a half-smirk, meeting her gaze. "Fine by me."
When she finished the tour, the engines kicked in harder, and they were off, the endless stars rushing by as the hum of power filled the cabin. Goku was already fired up, talking about how he wanted to train as soon as possible.
That's when the voice rang out.
[Ding!]
[New Quest Assigned: "Put the Monkey in His Place."]
[Objective: Show your dominance in battle.]
[Target: Son Goku.]
[Reward: Cosmic Awareness (Lesser).]
Zane's eyes glinted. 'Perfect.'
He turned to Goku, who was practically bouncing with energy. "Hey, Goku," Zane said casually. "You still up for that spar we never had?"
Goku's grin widened instantly. "You bet I am! Let's go! I've been dying to see what you can really do!"
The two stepped into the gravity chamber, Bulma warning them not to wreck anything, and the heavy doors sealed shut behind them. Inside, the lights dimmed, and gravity thrummed through the air.
Zane didn't even wait. He adjusted the settings, cranking gravity up to three times Earth's normal level. Goku stumbled for half a second before grinning again, adapting fast. "Not bad. This'll make it fun!"
Zane rolled his shoulders, his voice lazy. "Fun for who?"
Goku launched forward first, fast, a blur even under the weight, but Zane didn't move. The punch connected squarely with his jaw, and for a split second, Goku thought he'd landed a solid hit. Then Zane turned his head back, completely unfazed, eyes gleaming gold.
"My turn."
The air exploded. One instant, Zane was standing still; the next, Goku was flying backward, smashed into the reinforced wall with a thunderous crack. The entire chamber shuddered. Goku coughed, dust spilling from his hair, but laughed anyway. "Heh... wow. You're strong!"
Zane blurred again faster than Goku could track, his knee slamming into Goku's gut, forcing the air from his lungs. Then a backhand sent him crashing into the floor hard enough to crater it. Zane didn't even break a sweat.
Goku staggered back to his feet, panting, aura flickering to life. "Kaioken!" he shouted, his body glowing red as his power multiplied. He lunged forward again, fists moving faster, sharper, but Zane caught every strike with one hand. Each impact echoed like thunder.
"Impressive," Zane said with a smirk, twisting his wrist and hurling Goku into the air, "but not enough."
He appeared behind Goku mid-air, his fist glowing faintly with divine energy, and drove it straight down. The floor cracked open under the shockwave. Goku hit the ground and didn't move for a moment, the red glow fading from his aura.
The chamber fell silent except for Goku's heavy breathing.
Zane exhaled slowly, bored. "You done?"
Goku smiled weakly through the pain. "Guess... you win. You're on a whole other level."
Zane offered a lazy shrug. "I know."
[Ding!]
[Quest Complete: "Put the Monkey in His Place."Reward: Cosmic Awareness (Lesser).]
Zane's aura flickered for an instant, faint threads of light swirling around him like dust in the void. He could feel something awaken inside him, a strange awareness that tugged at the edges of his mind. But he pushed it aside for now. "I'm done here," he said, walking past Goku, leaving him grinning in defeat.
Hours later, the ship drifted silently through space. Bulma sat at the controls, humming softly as she set the ship on autopilot. The stars glowed outside the wide glass viewport, their light washing across the cabin in waves of blue and gold.
Zane sat near the window, his eyes half-open, the new power in his head pulsing faintly like a whisper. He decided to use it.
The world around him shifted instantly.
The darkness of space unfolded not as an empty void, but as something alive. He saw stars collapsing into themselves, nebulae burning bright before fading into dust. He saw planets torn apart by gravity and others forming in the afterglow of destruction. He watched galaxies spin, collide, and birth new worlds from chaos. For a moment, it was breathtaking. Beautiful. Infinite.
Then the realization hit him.
In that infinity, he was nothing, a single grain of sand lost in an endless ocean. No matter how powerful he was, the universe dwarfed him effortlessly. Whole civilizations rose and died in the time it took him to blink. His power meant nothing against the endless stretch of creation.
He clenched his fists, teeth gritting. The vastness mocked him.
'I'm not small,' he thought, fury bubbling inside. 'I refuse to be small.'
But the stars didn't care. They just kept burning, indifferent and eternal.
Behind him, Bulma finally turned, noticing how quiet he'd gone. She walked over, her eyes softening a little when she saw his reflection in the glass, the calm mask over the rage flickering behind his eyes.
"Zane?" she said quietly. "You okay?"
He didn't answer. He just kept staring at the stars.
After a moment, she sighed and sat beside him, her shoulder brushing his arm. When he still didn't move, she leaned her head against him, closing her eyes. The hum of the ship filled the silence.
Zane's gaze stayed locked on the infinite expanse before him, the stars, the death, the creation, the endless beauty, and for the first time in his new life, he didn't feel untouchable. He hated that feeling.
'One day,' he thought, jaw tightening. 'I'll surpass even this.'
The ship continued through the void, a small spark in an endless sea of stars.