บท 108: Chapter 108 – If You Aren’t Cheating, You Aren’t Trying
~ Somewhere on Namek: A Few Minutes Later ~
In the end, reaching Bulma had only taken a few minutes. Although she had originally been an hour away, that estimate was based on Bulma's current travel speed. On the other hand, the Z Fighters, along with Mushin, were capable of moving much faster and arrived at the rendezvous point before Ajax had much of a chance to explain much of anything.
Soon, Bulma came into view... piloting a Galactic Patrol Ship?
"Hey, everyone!" Bulma called out cheerfully from the cockpit, waving enthusiastically as she spotted the familiar group drawing near.
Her excitement faded almost instantly when her eyes landed on the purple-skinned, horned alien standing among them. Her whole body went rigid.
"Uh, guys...?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly as she pointed toward Ginyu, unsure if she should panic or wait for an explanation.
Jaco, on the other hand, needed no explanations. He lunged forward, face paling and eyes bulging in terror as he recognized the notorious figure at once.
"GINYUUUUUU!!" he shrieked, his voice an octave higher than usual as he scrambled frantically to draw his blaster from its holster. With all the grace of a startled duck, he aimed shakily at the former Ginyu Force captain.
Jaco squeezed the trigger—only to have the weapon violently wrenched from his grasp by an invisible force. The blaster flew over the side of the ship as if it had suddenly gained a mind of its own—and its first decision was to abandon its owner in his moment of crisis.
"Wha—" Jaco stared after it in dumbfounded betrayal, his arms still frozen in shooting position, even though the gun was long gone.
"Bulma, Dende, hello. And you, stranger, we don't have time for introductions nor for your antics," Ajax said curtly as he touched down inside the ship. "Ginyu is Goku. Discuss it later. We need to make the wish now."
Without sparing a glance at anyone else, Ajax's eyes scanned the ship's interior for the Dragon Balls. He knew his abruptness bordered on rude, but with the pressure of everything pressing down on him, his mind was entirely consumed by the mission ahead, not unlike a performer's mindset moments before stepping onto the stage for the biggest performance of their lives.
Before anyone could object, Ajax extended his hand, and all seven Dragon Balls rose into the air, guided by his telekinesis. He leaped gracefully out of the ship, landing a short distance away, and carefully arranged the Dragon Balls into a neat circle on the ground.
Gathered together, the Dragon Balls released a mysterious, melodious hum.
Mushin landed beside Ajax, his young face set with determination. With a quick nod, he conveyed his readiness.
"Wait, wait! This all feels way too rushed!" Krillin yelled worriedly as he caught up to Ajax and Mushin. He gestured toward the Dragon Balls anxiously. "Shouldn't we wait until everyone's healed? Or at least until Piccolo gets back? We might be jumping the gun here!"
Ajax turned his head slightly, giving Krillin a brief look. In his peripheral vision, he saw that the rest of the group had caught up as well—Goku, Gohan, Bulma, Dende, and Jaco. They all stood there, on edge and expectant.
But there was no time for debate, not when Slug could fall at any moment. After all, the Namekian warlord wasn't in his prime, which meant it was only a matter of time before the overwhelming power gap between him and Frieza got the better of him.
"Krillin, I know I didn't explain this well earlier, but we can't wait. Elder Guru is using Slug to buy us time against Frieza, but Slug can't hold out forever," Ajax said, his eyes flicking toward the horizon where the titanic clash between Frieza and Slug raged, far beyond their Ki sense's range. "Piccolo could catch up, but if we delay and Frieza reaches Guru first, then it's over. We lose."
Unable to refute the sound logic, Krillin bit his lip and said nothing more.
With one final, sweeping glance at the group and seeing no objections, Ajax shot a quick, meaningful look at Mushin and gave him a firm nod.
Mushin stepped forward, his face set in determination. His hands rose, and he began to recite the ancient Namekian summoning chant for the Eternal Dragon. The air around them grew thickened with energy as the Dragon Balls started glowing even brighter, their mystical power building with every word spoken.
Ajax turned to face the group, his expression apologetic but resolute.
"I know this is all happening fast, and I'm sorry I didn't have the time to explain everything," he said, his tone softening for a moment. "But the wishes... they've already been decided. Elder Guru and I—"
Before he could finish, Goku cut him off with a gentle smile.
"It's alright, Ajax," he said, his voice reassuring despite his unfamiliar form. "You don't have to explain. None of your plans have led us astray so far. I trust you."
The simple statement struck Ajax more deeply than he had expected. He knew Goku had always trusted him implicitly, but hearing it spoken out loud was... overwhelming. For a moment, Ajax could only stare at Goku, his heart swelling with gratitude.
Meanwhile, Gohan and Krillin exchanged a brief glance and then looked back at Goku before turning to Ajax, both giving a firm nod in unison. Goku's confidence had clearly bolstered them, and now they too stood firm with their support.
Even Bulma, who was usually the first to question any hasty decisions, offered a nod. She reminded herself that Ajax wasn't some unfeeling machine but instead a young boy with heavy responsibilities on his shoulders. It was an understanding borne from having witnessed Ajax at his most fragile recently, and it was this insight that made her willing to place her trust in him one more time.
Not that Ajax would ever be aware of that, of course.
Ajax blinked, taking in the sight of the group before him—Goku, Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma—all looking at him with belief. A warmth spread through his chest and eased the fear and pressure he'd been carrying. For now, they trusted him.
Even if Piccolo wouldn't have.
"Thank you, really," Ajax said with genuine emotion. His usual detached, strategic demeanor melted away for a moment, and in that brief pause, he made a silent promise to himself. He would not let them down.
However, the truth was that he could have shared more about the plan, but he had to be sparing with certain details, as they were closely linked to vital knowledge about the future. That being said, Ajax also knew all too well, largely due to Piccolo, how his previous choices involving Chiaotzu and Tien might be perceived, and it was precisely due to this awareness that he couldn't bring himself to reveal his intentions to sacrifice Guru, even if it had been with the Grand Elder's blessing.
Despite the necessity of the omission, the guilt of not being able to fully trust his friends cut Ajax deeper than he had anticipated, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. Frieza first, emotional baggage later.
Sensing the unity around them, Mushin's voice grew clear and strong as he finished the final phrase of the summoning ritual. The Dragon Balls began to shine with a brilliant white light.
Above them, the sky darkened in an instant, clouds rolled in with unnatural speed, and the air seemed heavy with electric energy as if a storm were moments away from unleashing its wrath. A beam of light shot skyward, stretching higher and higher until it started to solidify into a colossal, muscular figure—a dragon unlike any they had ever seen.
The Dragon's scales gleamed dark green, shimmering as flashes of lightning danced across the stormy sky. When it appeared, it was so gigantic that its form filled their entire field of vision. When its crimson eyes opened, they bathed the landscape of Namek in a red tint. When the Dragon spoke, its voice rumbled through the earth beneath them.
"Θοὺ ἔχεις καλέσει με, Πορούνγκα, τὸ Δράκοντα τῶν Ὀνείρων. Καλέσας, λέγε τὰς ἐπιθυμίας σου!"
Mushin turned back to the group and offered Ajax a single nod to indicate the dragon's readiness. Then, with fluent, rapid Namekian, Mushin began addressing the Eternal Dragon with what sounded like a lengthy and complicated set of instructions.
As Mushin spoke, Ajax took a step closer to the group.
"The first wish," he stated decisively, "is to restore everyone to their original bodies. We may have kept Ginyu around as a precaution, but we ultimately can't depend on his goodwill—or lack thereof—so this is the only way to fix the mess he's created in the time that we have."
All eyes suddenly turned to Porunga as he lifted a colossal finger to stroke his chin. A subtle shimmer passed through the air while the dragon listened to Mushin, his eyes glowing brighter for a moment as he contemplated the wish.
When nothing of note happened afterward, Ajax turned to Goku with an apologetic expression and continued.
"You're the exception, Goku. You and the frog will switch too, but with a condition. Mushin is checking if Porunga can grant you the ability to choose when to swap back. If that's possible, you can revert back to your body at your discretion. We're doing this because we'll need you, even in Ginyu's body, against Frieza. Oh! And Ginyu will remain exactly where he is for obvious reasons."
Goku blinked, but after a moment, he gave a small, understanding nod.
Ajax noticed the reactions of the others too—collective nods and murmured agreements flowed through the group like a wave. Any lingering unease about the predetermined wishes seemed to dissipate as everyone recognized the necessity of this wish.
"Hey everyone," Mushin called out, causing everyone to look at him. "Porunga said he can't grant the ability to choose when to switch back without using up a second wish, but he said he could set a delay on the switch. Is that alright?"
Ajax exchanged glances with Goku, who shrugged with an expression that said, 'You're the strategist; it's up to you, so don't ask me.'
"Umm, uhh, maybe—can Porunga time the switch to happen once Goku's body is healed?"
Mushin nodded at Ajax's answer and communicated it to Porunga.
High above them, Porunga gave a slight nod and raised his colossal hand in a gesture that unmistakably said 'Okay'. His eyes glowed even brighter, signaling that the wish had been granted.
Although the wish had been successfully granted, its nature meant that nothing visibly changed—no dramatic shifts, no sudden signs of transformation. But they all knew: Ginyu's meddling had been reversed, and everyone had returned to their rightful bodies.
Already prepared, Mushin began to chant the second wish in Namekian.
"The second wish," Ajax said, his voice calm but hinting at suppressed excitement, "is for power."
"Power? You mean to unlock our potential even more?" Krillin asked, furrowing his brow as he tapped his fingers thoughtfully against his chin.
"No, that can't be it," Gohan interjected, shaking his head. "Our potential's already been unlocked. Elder Guru took care of that. We can't become more powerful by unlocking something that's already been unlocked."
As Krillin, Gohan, and Goku debated, Ajax closed his eyes and shut out all the noise around him. He wasn't interested in their speculations. None of them truly understood the magnitude of the wish—not Goku, not Gohan, not Krillin. Each of them played an essential role in the journey, yes, but only he knew the full extent of what it took to get here. He inhaled deeply, letting the moment sink in.
This was it. The culmination of everything he had built thus far. Every training session, every sacrifice, every difficult choice—it had all led to this moment. Three years of struggle, strategizing, and careful planning, all for this singular, defining point in time.
This was why he had fought so fiercely to ensure Piccolo's survival during the Saiyan invasion. By keeping Piccolo alive, the two wishes that would have been used to revive and teleport him were freed up—allowing him to dedicate at least one to something far more pivotal for his future.
You see, this was the issue that had plagued him from the very beginning: if he remained human, how could he ever hope to compete with the Saiyans and their transformations?
For a long time, the goal felt unattainable, an exercise in futility. The Saiyans had their Super Saiyan transformations, their Super Saiyan Gods, Blues, and other variations, while humans had no such power-ups. Humans' potential, by comparison, was capped by a glass ceiling—one he knew was all too low, having been a fan of the series for so long.
So, how could he stand shoulder-to-shoulder alongside the Saiyans in battle when the gulf between their power levels would only continue to widen over time? How could he avoid being left behind and power-crept as the Saiyans surged ahead with each new transformation?
He had agonized over this question for a long time, not just since arriving here. In his previous life, he had read countless stories and fanfictions, and three years ago, when he transmigrated, he had sought to recall a story that might serve as a blueprint or inspiration for his journey should he be stuck as a human.
But none existed.
In every story featuring a human, the same patterns played out: they either became Saiyans through some improbable twist of fate, gained a system, had reality or logic manipulated by their authors to make them stronger, or the story was abandoned halfway through, never reaching a satisfying conclusion.
No one had ever taken a human to the end of the journey in a logical, rational manner. No one had demonstrated that it was possible—through storytelling, at least.
In many ways, Ajax was trailblazing. He was carving out a path for himself where none had existed before.
But he knew he could do it. It wasn't impossible.
And this moment—the culmination of three years of preparation—was his answer, the first crucial step of many in the Masterplan.
As Mushin's words approached their conclusion, Ajax's eyes slowly opened, a renewed fire shining within them. He was ready. This was the moment he had been waiting for. Everything would change from here on out.
"The second wish—" Ajax announced, lips twitching into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "—is to grant Krillin, Gohan, Piccolo, and me the full mastery of the technique created by North Kai known as the Kaio-Ken!"
For a brief moment, there was silence. Then everyone finished processing what he had just said.
"!!!" The collective shock was deafening, even though it was silent.
'Wait... WHAT?!' King Kai's voice boomed in Goku's mind, so loud and sudden that it made Ginyu's body physically flinch. King Kai had been observing the events quietly from afar, but now he just couldn't contain himself. "They want to—how is that—? My signature technique... just casually WISHED FOR?!"
But it was too late. Porunga had already given his response. Slowly, he raised one of his enormous hands and gave a simple thumbs-up.
"Ἀληθῶς, ἡ ἐπιθυμία σου ὑποσχεῖται ὡς ἐβουλήθης!"
In an instant, a flood of foreign information cascaded into Ajax's mind, like an ancient dam bursting, releasing a torrent of experience that had once belonged solely to King Kai. Detailed, step-by-step instructions filled his consciousness, as though the Kaio-Ken had been encoded directly into his brain.
He could visualize every element of the technique: how to channel his energy, how to time each burst of power, and the mental state required to manage the pain and avoid being overwhelmed by the strain.
It all clicked into place.
It wasn't just a theoretical understanding either—he felt it; every muscle, every cell in his body hummed with the knowledge of how to flawlessly execute the Kaio-Ken. It was pure experience, as if he had been honing this technique for years.
In fact, as Ajax processed the information, he realized that he now understood the Kaio-Ken even better than the Kamehameha. There was no more room for secondguessing. His mastery was complete.
Krillin and Gohan stared at him with wide eyes. Their bodies had not moved, but something in their expressions had changed, revealing that they too had access to the same knowledge.
Meanwhile, King Kai was still ranting in Goku's head.
'This is madness! They're nowhere near ready for the Kaio-Ken—do they even understand what it can do to them? The strain?! They haven't trained under 10x gravity, which is the bare minimum! They'll blow themselves up and die! Oh god, they're all going to die!!'
But Ajax couldn't hear and frankly didn't care about King Kai's tirade. Instead, he began to laugh with joy.
This was precisely why he had never sought out King Kai's guidance and had instead chosen to stay with Kami during the Saiyan Invasion. This was why he hadn't asked Goku for instructions or attempted to master the Kaio-Ken during the six months he spent in the Time Chamber.
Because deep down, he had never truly believed that he could learn, much less master, a technique in less time than Goku—the Goku.
But now? With the complete knowledge of the Kaio-Ken flowing through him, those old doubts became completely irrelevant. His talent—his skill level—no longer mattered at all. He had achieved mastery directly.
But mastering the Kaio-Ken alone hadn't been the full story.
Why hadn't the Kaio-Ken become more common among fighters in the canon? The answer was obvious. Like the Eight Gates, Kaio-ken's power does not come cheap. After a certain point, the technique turned into a double-edged sword, demanding an impossibly high level of physical excellence. As powerful as the technique was, there was a finite limit to how much strain a fighter's body could endure, which created a ceiling that most simply couldn't break through without suffering severe consequences.
Even Goku had his limits: he could only push the Kaio-Ken to a maximum of x20 before the strain became overwhelming.
But what if that ceiling didn't exist at all? What if he could simply...adapt?
Thank you, Shenron.
After all, why would he wish for a purely defensive ability, aside from the fact that it also conveniently helped him manage his body's lung disease?
Ajax's laughter faded into a satisfied grin as the first part of his grand plan came to fruition. Oh yeah, everything was coming together.
As Gohan and Krillin stood in awe of the technique they had just been given, Ajax decided to take things a step further. With a swift leap back, he created some distance, legs apart, to steady his stance and ground himself.
In a flash, a blazing crimson aura erupted around him, causing the ground to shake beneath his feet in response to the sheer force of his newfound power.
"KAIO-KEN TIMES THREE!" Ajax shouted, gritting his teeth, but deep down, he sensed he could go even further. "…TIMES FIVE!!"
Ajax's power level instantly exploded, skyrocketing to three, then five times his current power level. The rush of power was exhilarating, but the sudden wave of pain that followed, as if every muscle and sinew were being stretched to their breaking point, was far from enjoyable, to say the least.
The pain was intense enough to send an ordinary person crashing to the ground, gasping and screaming in agony. But Ajax was not ordinary. He had endured the brutal trials of the Ultra Divine Water and emerged as the first human to walk away alive. His reward for surviving that harrowing ordeal was an extraordinarily high adaptation to pain.
So, instead of giving in to the agony, Ajax clenched his teeth even harder and forced himself to take strained, deliberate steps forward.
After what felt like an eternity of wrestling the energy coursing through him, he finally let the Kaio-Ken die down, allowing the blazing aura to recede. He stood there, panting heavily but upright, taking deep breaths.
"Did you really just hit times five on your FIRST try?!" Goku exclaimed, his voice rising in disbelief. In his mind, King Kai's voice faded, likely in shock as well.
"Yep," Ajax replied casually, popping his 'p'. Then, he zipped over to Dende with the kind of speed usually reserved for battle and hoisted the small Namekian up by the collar. "Dende, you're coming with me. We've got to make the most of the little time we have left to abuse the ever-living shit out of this."
Dende, caught off guard by the suddenness, let out a high-pitched scream as his feet left the ground, his tiny arms flailing in a futile attempt to protest. He didn't even get a chance to say anything—only panic registered on his face.
"WAIT! What about the third wish?!" Krillin shouted from the ground.
Ajax glanced back over his shoulder, a playful smirk spreading across his lips. "Third wish? What third wish? There is no third wish!"
Krillin's confusion only deepened.
"Wait, but we need you! You can't just leave!" His eyes darted to Gohan and Goku-Ginyu, both of whom looked uneasy about Ajax's sudden decision to depart. Gohan appeared torn, unsure whether to speak up about his concerns or stay silent, while Goku mirrored Gohan's discomfort.
Ajax paused mid-air, hovering for a moment as he contemplated the situation. "Hmmm..."
He then allowed his energy to stabilize and floated back down toward the others, still clutching Dende as if he were a piece of luggage.
He suddenly halted, a spark of inspiration igniting within him. Tilting his head, he focused intently, feeling the familiar surge of energy coursing through him. His form blurred, and in an instant, his energy halved as a second version of himself materialized next to him.
The original Ajax, still clutching a squirming and increasingly panicked Dende by the back of his shirt, shot off at blinding speed.
"AAAHHHhhhhh..." Dende's terrified scream trailed off, gradually fading into the distance until it became just a faint echo as Ajax carried him further and further away.
Meanwhile, the new Ajax descended towards the group, landing smoothly beside them. They all turned to stare at him.
Ajax blinked, puzzled. "What? You said you needed me, yeah?"
"Ugh, I'm really starting to appreciate just how underrated this ability is," Krillin said dryly. He rubbed his forehead with an exasperated sigh before dragging his hand down his face. "I seriously need to learn this, dude."
"Yeah, it's freaking useful as heck!" Gohan added, struggling to contain his excitement as he imagined all the ways it could help him finish his homework faster.
"Gohan, language!"
"Oh. Sorry, Dad."
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