DISCLAIMER: I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super or Dragon Ball Heroes.
Chapter 1: Who?! What?! Where?! Why?!
Something was wrong, I could feel it.
My memory was never the best, the best way to describe it was that I had photographic memory but I didn't pick what got remembered and what was forgotten. It got better over the years, especially after a good night's sleep. If I wrote something down there was a good chance I would always remember whatever I wrote. But even with all of that, I don't remember going to sleep.
So why was I waking up?
There was no sluggishness that came from it. My eyes suddenly opened and I stared at a wooden ceiling. My house didn't have a pure wood ceiling. Now on alert I sat up and looked around, trying to figure out where I was and why I was there.
I was in a big room with a pair of double doors leading out. There was a mini fridge, a stove, a dresser, and a ceiling fan that provided light from its large, centered light-bulb. It was quaint, and the cot I was laying on was comfy, but I had no idea where I was or why I was here. And laying on my back was pretty uncomfortable for some reason, but I never could sleep while laying on my back anyway.
I noticed something strange about myself. I could breathe clearly, my sinuses weren't blocking my passages like usual. I didn't look a gift-horse in the mouth and took a deep breath. Then the strangeness continued as I found I could pick apart each individual smell of the room I was in.
Well, I thought to myself, that's not normal.
I tried to stand up and something was immediately wrong. My foot hit the ground, but it was like my toes could stretch further out than possible.
And I only had three toes.
Looking at my foot I saw the problems. One, my foot was blue. Two, I only had three toes that could extend far away from each-other like a frog could. Three, my shin wrapped in some kind of white covering. I extended my hand to knock on the white cover, noticing that my hand and arm was also blue and that my forearm had the same bone-like wrap. I didn't even feel the knock on my shin, whatever it was, it was like hardened bone and I could only assume the same applied to the ones on my forearms.
A subsequent knock answered that question, whatever these things were they were protective.
After a few attempts I managed to stand up. Something was just… off, more-so than the obvious. It was like I was fighting to get my body to move a certain way. I gave myself a once-over to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
Looking down I saw that I had the same protection on my chest and shoulders and that the rest of my body was blue. Also I was naked, I think? The fact I was blue, I had random pieces of armor attached to me, and that my dick was missing was more important to me at the moment than missing clothes. Running my hands over my head I felt the same protective covering encompass my whole head minus my face.
I rotated my head around, secretly relishing that my hair was gone. It was a beautiful three ft. of golden hair, but it was heavy at times. It just felt so good to not have a heavy weight attached to my head.
Something swished behind me. Turning my head I saw that I had a tail attached to me, a rather thick one too! I had no idea how to move it, but it just kept moving back and forth, left and right behind me. It felt incredibly weird, there are no words to describe the sensation of suddenly having a tail and moving it.
Right, I should've been freaking out, but I felt amazing! I ran through some basic stretches and loved how easy they were. It was like I was in a perfect body!
But now came the other problems, where was I, who was I, and why was I here? I already had a solid guess running through my head, but I needed to be sure. I opened the doors as gently as a could and stepped outside.
The view was beautiful. Wherever I was, I was on top of a mountain, and the hut behind me had an unobscured view of the surrounding countryside. The crisp, mountain air filled my lungs. The sound of the wind filled my ears, I could hear trees rustling from miles away. I knew I could hear something miles away!
I turned around and my question of where was answered. It was Goku's hut, from Dragon Ball. But I couldn't see Goku's house anywhere. In fact, the landscape seemed radically different from the anime, but still recognizable. Now I just needed the who and why answered. Pinpointing from who I could possibly be, it had to be someone from Frieza's race.
What were they called, Arcosians? No, wait, that was just a fan add-on from filler content, cause we never learned the name of Frieza's race and we just had the word Arcosian lying around.
Point being, there were only four people I could be, unless I was in a totally unique body. If I remembered right, there should be a river nearby. Scanning the horizon, my eyes eventually found my target. With nothing else to do, I made my way to the river at the bottom of the mountain, shutting the doors to the hut before I forgot.
It took no time at all to get here!
I decided to sprint, see just what this new body could do, and I have no idea how fast I ran! Point being I made it to the river in mere minutes, if that. After admiring the sounds and beauty of the forest around me I looked in the crystal clear waters.
Cooler stared back at me.
But it wasn't Cooler, was it? The bio-gem in his forehead was a kinda yellowish-orange and his skin was blue instead of purple. The armor was still white and his eyes were still red.
My who was answered, now the hard one. Why am I here?
My why question went unanswered for a while.
I went back to the hut, because where else would I go? The fridge was stocked with food and condiments, the dresser had clothes that fit me—tail included, and I needed to come to terms with the fact I just got isekai'd without an explanation. It could be like the old show Chaotic, where I was actually just fine but a copy of myself is currently in Cooler's body.
That, was actually sound in theory. No real reasoning behind it, but it sounded right so I was sticking with it. I decided that I could figure out why after a good night's sleep, I needed someone that could serve as a control group.
Problems for another day.
I had been here for 10 days before my why was answered.
I had no idea how to draw out ki, which I know is a necessity to survive in the world of Dragon Ball. I didn't know how to fight, how to power-up, I was lost in the dark on how to do anything. Cooler had Psychokinesis, but how do I do that?
During those 10 days, I came to grips with my stay here. I missed my family, my friends, and modern life in general, but I was called here for a reason. I took solace in that.
Then, he showed up in the middle of my self-training.
I was in the middle of a short lunch break when something felt wrong. I know Cooler's body had a lot of power in it, so why couldn't I draw out any of it? I felt superhuman, amazing, and powerful! But I know this was nowhere near Cooler's limit. Then, in the middle of my lunch break, I saw him.
He was watching me from the trees. He was some large, humanoid bug man, covered in black spots and dark blue in color. The usual white of an eye was instead pink on this creature, and his pupils themselves were slits like a cats. I knew what I was looking at immediately, Cell in his Imperfect Form. I didn't dare take my eyes off of him, still being unable to sense ki and having to rely on my physical senses instead.
"So, you're the new one." He said to me. "I can sense great power in you." His tail thwapped against the ground as he said his next set of words, words that put a chill down my spine. "I'll absorb you next."
My body reacted without conscious thought, muscle-memory from Cooler's millions of training sessions ignited in an instant as I twisted away from his spear-like tail. My hand was lifted, my fingers outstretched, and I felt something be called forth from the depths of my being. A huge energy sphere fired from my hand, hitting him square in the face and flying off with him as a non-consenting passenger. I'm not sure how I did it, but I hoped I could do it again.
Cell flung his limbs out in every direction and erupted in energy, stopping his flight and flinging my ki shot elsewhere. A white aura wrapped around him as he flew towards me! I never was good at thinking when adrenaline was flowing, instead following my instincts and entering a sort-of haze. And now, in life-or-death combat, I couldn't think, only the heat of my blood and the flow of adrenaline called me.
My own aura, something that had been alluding me for 10 days, exploded out of me as he got close. His rush slowed as he tried pushing through the wall of ki that was my aura, and I capitalized on that. Kicking off the ground and cratering the land behind me, I lodged my fist deep in the creature's stomach feeling something probably important snap in Cell. My aura swirled towards my embedded fist, transforming into another powerful energy blast that engulfed Cell's entire top-half.
I did it. Cell was missing his entire top-half, everything above his abdomen was simple gone. It was over—
Cell's tail nearly stabbed me in the stomach if my body hadn't suddenly jumped away. I got so caught up in the aftermath, trying to calm my beating heart and focus on the fact I had just killed a monster, when that tail flew like a javelin towards me. How could I forget that he could regenerate?!
The stump where his top-half used to be violently spasmed and undulated, until the monster's new top end popped out of it with a sickening noise. Now he was covered in some green liquid that smelt horrible and he was breathing heavy.
"I think you deserve a reward for giving me more of a challenge then the other contestants." He said to me. "I'll let you live for now, and you lot are usually more confused than anything. Ask me any question and I shall answer."
"Who are you." I said
"I'm a contestant in the game, like you are! My old name is worthless now, so you may call me..." He seemed lost in thought for a moment. "Embryo."
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it."
"Oh ho ho, wise-guy eh?" His beak-like mouth opened and his tongue licked where his lips would be. "I'll enjoy your power soon."
"You say I'm a contestant, in what game." I said, hoping he wouldn't attack again. Whatever instinct my body did to save me, I wasn't sure it would happen a third time. Those two energy attacks took a lot out of me after all.
"Why, the Reincarnation Game, of course. Where our personalities and minds override already existing warriors so we may do battle for the amusement of gods."
"You're kidding." I couldn't believe that that was the only reason I was here.
"Dear friend." He licked his mouth again. "What reason do I have to lie, when I can kill?" I could only hope he didn't see the shiver I felt crawl up my back. "You might give me the Zenkai boosts I've been looking for, so I'll tell you two more things.
"First," Embryo said, holding up one of his fingers, a strange ring shining in the light, "this world is yours and I'm merely a challenger. I can only attack you and your world under specific conditions, which I shall not tell you. Second," he held up two fingers, "we each have a partner, another fool reincarnated to fight alongside us in the Reincarnation Game. Good luck finding yours."
"How do I know you'll keep your word and leave." As I said this, his beak-like mouth had a gross facsimile of a smile.
"I plan to win the game and absorb one of the gods that sent me here, I need a strong punching bag to get me to that level though." With that, Embryo flexed his finger with the ringer and vanished in a blip of purple energy. "Try to serve as a decent punching bag."
With the threat gone, I collapsed to the ground and started breathing heavily. My why was answered, and I kinda wish it hadn't been. A copy of my mind overrode Cooler's body, so I could fight in a battle royal set-up in life-or-death combat for the amusement of gods? Which gods?! And who?!
I needed to find my teammate, whoever they were and wherever they were. First things first, I need the ability to sense ki, and I've no idea how to do that. The only explanation given was that Goku was suddenly able to do it after drinking—
After drinking the Ultra Divine Water in Korin's Tower. Well, that settles what I have to do next, doesn't it? The Ultra Divine Water had killed thirteen people, a 100% kill rate, until Goku drank it. It nearly killed Goku as a child, so I should stand a better chance. But it doesn't change the fact that step one of beating this Embryo person is to risk killing myself.
I've always been a good luck charm, I can only hope that pattern sticks.
Right, game plan! Embryo said he could only attack under certain conditions. If he's telling the truth, then I need to focus on getting stronger. He has more experience in this 'game' than I do, but I know every single shortcut to take in the world of Dragon Ball for a character to get stronger. If I try to go to Namek, it'll take too long and my partner would be killed by Embryo here on Earth.
Step one, drink the Ultra Divine Water and unlock the ability to sense ki. Step two, use my new ki sense to find my partner. Step three, gather the Dragon Balls and wish me and my partner to Namek. Step four, ask for Guru to unlock our potential. Step five, use the Namekian Dragon Balls' three wishes.
Wish one, ask if there's any way we can receive training from King Kai without dying and still be able to return to Earth. Wish two, ask if there's any way we can receive training from Old Kai, cause the show said it's unleashing or unlocking potential, but the effect was radically different from whatever Guru does. Wish three, send us back to Earth.
Afterwards we'll train under King Kai and Old Kai.
I picked myself up off the ground and made my way back up the mountain. I needed supplies and clothing if I was going to travel to Korin's Tower. I was incredibly comfy, but I didn't want everyone I met to freak out at my appearance. Hopefully, wearing normal clothing would stop mass panic.
I had a game plan, I had a nemesis apparently, and I had to race against the clock without knowing when the timer was gonna go off.
Cooler's body, don't fail me now!
AN: I don't like writing first-person, but I wanted to do this as a little test and try to figure out how to write it. Also I just wanted to do a self-insert story like this for a few years, but never got around to it.
Let me know what you think! Review, favorite, follow, ignore, I'm going to keep marching to the beat of my own drum; but I would love to hear any opinions on the matter!