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

The hum of the gravity chamber pulsed like a living heartbeat — a soft, rhythmic thrum of compressed energy and tension. Inside, the Z-Fighters were locked in battle. Not against each other… but against one man.

Kai stood in the center, perfectly relaxed, his hands tucked loosely into the pockets of his weighted gi. Around him, the most powerful warriors on Earth launched everything they had.

Goku, already transformed into a Super Saiyan, blitzed forward with a burst of golden speed, his fist aimed for Kai's jaw. Vegeta followed a heartbeat later, aura crackling, swinging a leg for the side of Kai's head. Piccolo came next, flanking right with a double-palm blast, while Krillin and Gohan flew in from above. Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu provided supporting fire from the rear, firing synchronized volleys of ki.

Kai slipped through it all like water between cracks.

He ducked under Goku's punch, raised an elbow to knock Vegeta's leg aside, and caught Piccolo's ki blast with his bare hand. It fizzled uselessly. As Krillin dove from above, Kai turned sideways, letting the bald warrior crash into the floor with a yelp. Gohan followed, but Kai simply tilted his head, letting the boy fly past him.

"Really?" Kai said, glancing over his shoulder. "That's your plan? A full frontal rush with no feints, no layers? Come on, Krillin, I expected more from you."

"Hey, I'm trying!" Krillin shouted from the floor.

Tien and Yamcha's blasts slammed into Kai's back — and vanished on contact.

Kai turned to them without a scratch. "That tickled."

Chiaotzu grunted, floating into view. "We're not making a dent."

"You noticed!" Kai laughed and spun around, catching Goku's next punch mid-swing. The impact cracked the air, but Kai didn't budge. 

He shoved Goku back casually, turning the force into a backward somersault that flung Goku into the ceiling. Vegeta came in roaring, flaring his aura.

"I'll kill you!" the Saiyan prince shouted, veins bulging.

"No, you won't," Kai said, almost apologetically. He vanished.

Then he was behind Vegeta, tapping him on the head. "Boop."

Vegeta growled and spun, but Kai was already gone.

High above, floating near the ceiling, Kai took in the chaos below him and let his smirk fade. His body moved on instinct, deflecting attacks, dodging with ease, but his mind was elsewhere.

'Two years. That's all the time they've got,' he thought. 'Two years before the Androids. Gero. Cell. And everything after that.'

He glanced down at Goku, who was already back on his feet and charging again. 'With my help… they'll be ready. Super Saiyan 2. Three. Fusion. God. Blue. Ultra Instinct. They can do it. We'll do it together.'

He raised a hand without looking and caught Goku's punch effortlessly.

"I'm not even using 1% of my power, and this is what you're giving me?" Kai called down. "Where's the grit? The desperation? This is training, not a sparring match! Hit me like you mean it!"

They rushed him again. Blurs of color and fury. Gohan yelled as he fired a focused blast, but Kai deflected it into Yamcha, who was already being smacked aside by Tien's accidental elbow.

"You're stepping on each other's toes!" Kai barked. "You're fast, strong, yes — but you're still not together. You want to get stronger? Then start fighting like a team!"

Vegeta lunged again, aura burning, screaming wordlessly. Kai caught his punch and kneed him in the stomach before kicking him into Piccolo. The two collapsed in a tangled heap.

Kai floated in the center, arms crossed now, no longer smiling.

"You'll never beat what's coming unless you learn to stop thinking like solo acts and start moving as one."

There was silence for a moment. Heavy panting. Scuffed floors. Scattered bodies.

Then Gohan screamed.

Everyone turned.

His aura flared — brighter, hotter than before. His fists trembled at his sides. His eyes were clenched shut.

Kai narrowed his gaze.

"What is it, kid?" he asked, quieter now.

Gohan's voice cracked. "I… I don't want to be weak!"

The room pulsed.

"I'm sick of always needing help! Of being protected! I train, I fight, but I'm always a step behind!"

The lights flickered. The floor trembled.

"I just— I just want to matter!"

And then it happened.

A flash of light. A thunderclap of power. Gold exploded around Gohan like a sun igniting — his hair spiking up, shifting hue. His eyes opened, teal and burning.

He floated there, hovering, gold aura snapping like fire.

Piccolo's jaw dropped.

Vegeta stared, pale.

Goku smiled faintly.

Kai?

He didn't even blink.

"There it is," he said softly.

Vegeta's hands clenched into fists. "You— you mean to tell me the brat's surpassed me?!"

Kai raised a brow. "Yep."

Vegeta trembled.

Kai floated down and ruffled Gohan's golden hair. "Welcome to the club."

Gohan blinked, still catching his breath. "I feel… amazing."

"You are," Kai said. "But remember — power without control is just noise. Learn to wield it."

He turned to the others. "That's it for today. I want everyone to rest. Recover. Process what you saw. Then tomorrow… we push harder."

Vegeta stormed off without a word, his aura flaring behind him.

Piccolo walked silently, deep in thought.

Krillin muttered something about needing a drink. Yamcha and Tien followed quietly.

Only Goku lingered.

He walked up to Kai, hands behind his head. "You planned that, didn't you?"

Kai shrugged. "I had a hunch."

"Think he can go further?"

Kai looked up at the ceiling.

"We all can."

Goku grinned and left.

Kai stayed behind a moment longer, staring at his own reflection in the polished metal floor. His voice was quiet, almost lost to the hum of the chamber.

"…Ultra Instinct, huh?"

Then he smiled to himself.

"I'm coming for it."