Power Trip: I Got Reborn in Dragon Ball with Broken Adaptation

Frieza hovered above them, crimson eyes sweeping over the battered fighters. With the blink of an eye, he struck—punching Gohan and Krillin in the gut simultaneously, sending both crashing into the ground and gasping for breath.

"D-Dad…!" Gohan gasped, doubling over, the air knocked clean from his lungs as he dropped to one knee. Blood smeared his lip. Krillin hit the dirt beside him, groaning in pain.

"Frieza!" Goku yelled, standing firm. "You'll pay for this."

Piccolo didn't wait.

He unleashed a blast of energy, the violet streak hurtling through the sky toward Frieza. The tyrant turned his head slightly, raised one hand, and slapped the blast away as if swatting a fly. The explosion tore up the landscape behind him, but Frieza remained still, hovering above the smoke.

His eyes turned on Vegeta next.

"I'm a bit disappointed, Vegeta," he said, voice smooth and almost conversational. "All you had to do was be a good little monkey and follow orders. But I see loyalty was always beyond you."

Vegeta's jaw tightened. Rage flared in his eyes, and with a defiant roar, he lunged forward. He threw punch after punch, but Frieza evaded with contemptuous ease, weaving and sidestepping with almost lazy precision. Then the counter came—a savage gut punch followed by a tail whip that wrapped around Vegeta's waist, yanking him into the air. Frieza pulled him close, a smirk on his face, and began slamming his fists into the Saiyan's body, blow after brutal blow.

"Stop it!" Goku shouted, flashing forward. He caught Vegeta's falling body and set him down gently. "That's enough."

Frieza cocked his head. "Another monkey with a hero complex."

Then Goku was moving too.

He and Piccolo surged forward together, one to the left, one to the right. Frieza darted up to avoid a synchronized strike and spun midair, hurling a wave of death beams at them. Piccolo dove low, rolling between two beams and firing back, while Goku blurred through the sky, weaving between the deadly energy blasts like a dancer.

The two struck in unison—Piccolo landed a spinning backhand, Goku followed with a rising kick to the jaw. Frieza was launched backward, but caught himself with a grin.

"You're stronger than I expected," he admitted. "But still not enough."

His body began to swell, muscles expanding, horns elongating. The transformation was grotesque and thunderous, his aura erupting with new power. In seconds, the second form of Frieza stood before them—towering, monstrous, and terrifying.

He shot forward without warning.

Piccolo was the first to fall—Frieza's elbow crushed his chest mid-flight, sending him spiraling through the sky and crashing into the dirt below, unmoving. Goku's eyes burned with fury.

Then he whispered it.

"Kaioken."

A crimson aura exploded around him, warping the air as his energy surged higher than before. He disappeared from sight, then reappeared above Frieza and drove a knee into his jaw. The blow sent Frieza tumbling back, snarling, just in time for Goku to appear behind him again and slam both fists into his spine. A follow-up energy wave sent the tyrant crashing into the Namekian plains.

Goku landed, chest heaving, eyes locked on the dust cloud.

Frieza rose from it slowly, cracked and bleeding, his mouth twisted in disbelief. "You… you're nothing. A pest."

He roared—and transformed again.

His third form erupted into being with a screech of power, body hunching, head stretching, horns twisting backward. His speed doubled, tripled even, and suddenly it was Goku who struggled to keep up.

The fight turned brutal.

Frieza's claws raked across Goku's chest. A spinning kick sent him hurtling, and before he could recover, a barrage of energy blasts battered him from every direction. Goku gritted his teeth and pushed back, meeting him head-on in a flurry of fists, but the tide had shifted.

With no choice, he forced his body again.

"Kaioken… times two!"

The red aura burst brighter, cracking the ground beneath him. Goku's speed returned tenfold. He intercepted Frieza mid-charge and unleashed a flurry of punches, each one thundering against Frieza's guard, driving him back.

Blow after blow, strike after strike—they danced violently across the sky, two meteors locked in combat. Frieza tried to grapple him, but Goku twisted and broke free. He flipped through the air and drove a kick into Frieza's chest that shattered a nearby mountain.

But the toll came fast.

Goku winced, his muscles locking up, his breath hitching. Kaioken was pushing his body too far. Frieza saw it.

In a flash, the tyrant closed the gap and struck—both feet slamming into Goku's stomach. The impact drove the Saiyan deep into the ground, the red aura sputtering out as he collapsed in a crater.

Frieza floated above Goku's downed form, bloodied but smug, his tail flicking lazily through the air. The warriors below—Piccolo, Gohan, Krillin, and Vegeta—stood frozen, beaten, exhausted, unable to stand against him.

Then Frieza chuckled. "You've lasted longer than most. I'll grant you that. So consider this… a gift."

His body began to change once more—shrinking, condensing, shedding his monstrous shell like a snake sloughing off dead skin. Horns receded, his frame slimmed, and an eerie calm overtook his form. In a flash of power and silence, Frieza emerged anew: smaller, sleeker, deadlier. His final form.

He raised his eyes, smiling coldly. "I figured I should let you all witness perfection before your deaths."

The moment the words left his mouth, the wind shifted. A new pressure slammed into the battlefield like a silent quake. Frieza turned his head.

Kai descended from the sky like a silent storm, his boots touching down on the cratered Namekian earth with the weight of inevitability. The wind whipped his hair back as he gently set Bulma down, her arms still looped around his neck. Her expression shifted from worry to confusion, then to awe as she glanced up at the figure ahead of them.

Frieza turned slowly, his gleaming white-and-purple form framed by the burning ruins of the battlefield. His red eyes narrowed. "Another one? This is becoming tedious."

Kai adjusted the cuffs of his shirt like he'd just stepped into a meeting late. "Sorry I'm late. Traffic was a nightmare."

He stepped forward, not rushing, just strolling calmly across the ruined terrain. "Name's Kai. And I'm your problem now."

Frieza gave a mirthless smile. "A monkey with jokes. You'll be screaming soon enough."

Kai vanished.

One blink later, he was beside Frieza, his elbow casually resting on the tyrant's shoulder.

Frieza jolted back, startled, but when he turned to retaliate—Kai was already behind him.

"Oh, you're fast," Kai said cheerfully. "For a fossil."

Frieza snarled and flew back a few meters, baring his teeth. "What trick is this?! Who are you?!"

Kai smiled, folding his arms behind his head. "Just a guy who really hates cardio."

Infuriated, Frieza roared and shot forward, fists blurring into a flurry of punches. Left, right, left again—each one strong enough to cave mountains. But none landed.

Kai leaned and swayed with unnatural calm, dodging every strike with millimeters to spare, his expression more amused than anything.

"Swinging wild, huh? You're not even trying to hit me anymore," Kai taunted, sidestepping a sweeping kick and tapping Frieza on the forehead with one finger.

Frieza reeled back and unleashed a volley of death beams, fingers crackling with murderous energy. They shot through the air like a web of light.

Kai raised his hand.

The beams struck his palm and fizzled harmlessly.

"Is that it?" Kai asked, brushing dust from his shirt. "I've had papercuts that left more of a scar."

Frieza screamed in frustration, his aura flaring in a violent surge. He rocketed into the sky, charging a massive sphere of energy overhead—crimson and pulsing with raw destruction.

"I'll destroy this entire planet before I let you humiliate me!"

The others below—Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, and even Vegeta—stared upward in alarm as the sphere grew larger and heavier, casting a red hue over the land.

Kai sighed and lifted one hand lazily, palm outward.

A small blue orb began forming at his fingertip. It was tiny compared to the attack above. Laughably small.

Then he fired it.

The beam streaked upward with no sound, no grand blast, just a ripple in the air.

Frieza's supernova exploded upon contact.

A violent wave of light expanded in the sky—but Kai's beam had shredded through it like paper.

Frieza stared in disbelief, eyes wide. "What… what are you?"

Kai cracked his neck. "Tired."

He charged a Kamehameha. The blue light bathed the battlefield in brilliance.

"Ka… me… ha… me…"

The beam roared forth, engulfing Frieza in a torrent of power. The tyrant screamed as the blast carried him across the planet and vanished into space.

Kai landed beside the others. Goku looked up at him, still gasping for breath, eyes wide.

Piccolo stepped forward. "You finished him… that easily?"

Kai nodded once. "He won't be a problem again. Not today."

Krillin exhaled slowly. "Holy crap…"

Kai turned to Dende, who had stayed safely hidden. "Once we get back to Earth, we'll use its Dragon Balls to bring back your elder. I promise."

Dende bowed deeply, hands shaking. "Thank you…"

Kai turned and motioned to the group. "Help Goku to the ship. And take Vegeta, too."

Gohan blinked. "Wait—Vegeta?"

Kai's expression didn't waver. "We get him on our side, he's a weapon we can use. Earth might need him. Soon."

Krillin gave him a look but nodded.

They all moved, lifting Goku and Vegeta with care and heading for the ship on the outskirts of the canyon.

Bulma ran to Kai's side. "That was… insane. You ended it that fast?"

He glanced at her and smirked. "Would you believe me if I said I held back a little?"

She smacked his arm. "Don't be smug."

"I'm always smug."

They reached the ship. Everyone took their spots—Gohan helping Goku to their room, Piccolo watched over the unconscious Vegeta, Krillin finally collapsing in a seat with a sigh of relief.

Kai and Bulma entered their room. He shut the door behind them, letting the silence settle for a second.

Bulma flopped back onto the bed with a sigh, arms spread like she'd just survived a battlefield. Technically, she had. Outside the ship, Namek still smoldered from the chaos.

Kai sat at the edge of the bed, gaze distant.

"Bulma," he said finally.

She turned her head, eyes narrowing immediately. "That's the tone you use when you're about to say something completely insane."

He scratched the back of his neck. "Promise you won't throw anything?"

"No."

"…Fair."

He took a breath, bracing himself. "Once we're back on Earth… I need you to introduce Vegeta to your sister."

Bulma sat up so fast she almost knocked her forehead into his.

"You what?!"

Kai didn't flinch. "I mean it."

Her eyes were wide, wild, offended on multiple levels. "You want my sister to go out with Vegeta?!"

"Eventually," he said quickly. "It's not like I'm trying to set up a blind date next week. Just… plant the seed. Nudge things along."

She stared at him, slack-jawed. "You want her to… what, exactly? Flirt with the guy who tried to blow up the planet?"

Kai raised a finger. "Technically, he failed. That shows growth."

Bulma stood up and began pacing in tight circles like a malfunctioning Roomba. "You've lost your mind. You've finally snapped. You're overworked, overpowered, and under-rested, and now you're playing matchmaker with a space war criminal!"

"Look, I know how this sounds," he said carefully, "but we need Vegeta on our side. The guy gets stronger every time he fights — ridiculously so. That kind of power? We'd be stupid not to keep it close."

Bulma spun on her heel. "Close is one thing. In the family is another!"

"I'm not saying we hand him a Capsule Corp wedding invitation," Kai said, hands raised. "But if he has a reason to stay on Earth — something that matters to him — then maybe, just maybe, he won't go back to blowing up planets for fun."

Bulma folded her arms, eyes narrowing. "So you want to… what, emotionally tether him with my sister?"

"No," Kai said flatly. "I want to give him something to lose. Something that reminds him he's more than a weapon."

Her eyebrows rose. "You're asking me to set up my sister — who, mind you, still thinks aliens are something out of a sci-fi movie — with a guy who once threatened to murder a child just to get a Dragon Ball."

"Which is exactly why he needs something real in his life," Kai said, voice quieting. "I'm not saying he deserves it. But people change when they have something worth protecting."

Bulma frowned, searching his face. "…You think he can change?"

"I think people are unpredictable. Even the awful ones."

She turned away, rubbing the back of her neck. "Okay, but my sister? She's a total romantic. She falls hard. What happens if she actually falls for him and he just—snaps?"

Kai stepped closer. "He won't. Because I'll make damn sure he doesn't."

Bulma looked over her shoulder at him. "That's a big promise."

"I know," he said softly. "But I don't make promises lightly."

She hesitated. Her voice, when it came, was quieter. "This is about more than Vegeta, isn't it?"

Kai didn't answer right away. Then he nodded once. "Frieza's not the last nightmare we're going to face. If I'm ever not around, Earth needs more than just good guys. It needs strong ones. Powerful ones. People who've got a reason to fight."

Bulma stared at him for a long moment.

"…So your brilliant plan," she said slowly, "is to have Vegeta shack up with my sister, make a baby, and become a responsible space dad… because the world might end again someday?"

Kai grimaced. "When you say it like that, it sounds like a really weird episode of a sitcom."

"That's because it is," she snapped, then threw her hands up. "This is absurd."

He didn't push her. He just stood there, quiet.

Eventually, she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "…You think he'd even be interested?"

Kai raised a brow. "This is the guy who called Goku's wife 'unbearable' after one conversation. If your sister even laughs at one of his jokes, he'll probably propose on the spot."

That earned a sharp, involuntary snort from Bulma. She tried to smother it immediately.

"And your sister," he added casually, "did date that guy with the mohawk and the motorcycle named 'Thunderblast.'"

Bulma closed her eyes like she'd just felt physical pain. "Please do not remind me."

"I'm just saying," Kai said with a grin. "Her bar isn't that high."

She let out a groan, dragging her hands down her face. Then finally — finally — she stopped pacing.

"…Fine," she said, eyes still closed.

Kai blinked. "Wait, really?"

"I said fine, didn't I?!" she snapped, cheeks already going red. "I'll… introduce them. That's all. No promises. No matchmaking. And if he so much as glares at her the wrong way, I am building a satellite-powered orbital cannon and blowing him into the sun."

Kai grinned. "Deal."

Before she could turn away again, he stepped forward and kissed her on the cheek.

She froze. Her brain visibly rebooted.

"…That was cheating," she muttered, blinking.

"I don't fight fair," he replied, smug.

Bulma rolled her eyes and shoved him lightly in the chest. "Next time you want to rope someone into a galaxy-saving interspecies romance, lead with that kind of bribe."

Kai smirked. "I'll keep that in mind."

She shook her head, walking over to her bag. "Just for the record, if my sister actually ends up liking him… I'm holding you responsible for the wedding."

He plopped back on the bed with a satisfied sigh. "Worth it."

Bulma glanced at him, a reluctant smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "You're insane."

"Probably," Kai said, hands behind his head. "But I plan well."

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Sorry this took so long and I hope you like it let me know if you see mistakes