Nightmare Mode (DBZ Gamer!SI)

Game

Thoughts

"Talking"

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Kami POV

"Bring him back."

Kami blinked, turning his head to the side to look at Mr. Popo.

"W-What?"

"Bring him back." Mr. Popo repeated.

"You… You can't be serious," Kami said, his eyes wide.

"Does Popo ever joke?" Mr. Popo responded simply.

"Y-You can't possibly want to bring that monster back to the present, Mr. Popo!" Kami shouted, his eyes narrowing at the genie, "You saw what happened to him! He's probably stronger than anyone else on Earth now, and this is just the beginning! Even Piccolo won't be able to handle him!"

Mr. Popo's head slowly turned, his lips twitching upwards slightly. In all the years Kami had known the genie-like man, he had only ever seen the man seem happy a handful of times. All of those times were as he watched the men training under him suffer, but this time was different. His eyes were filled with joy, his lips twitching into a huge smile.

"Ha. Hahahahha. Ha. Haha. Ha." A soft, creepy laugh came from the genie as he looked back at the crystal ball, "Oh, Popo knows." 

"Then, you know that we can't let that monster come back!" Kami shouted, his hand clutching around his wooden staff, "He's our ally right now, but it's a tentative one. He could turn on us at any moment, and we have no way to stop him. Let him die in there! Piccolo isn't strong enough to free our planet yet, but he will be! If Piccolo betrays us, then I can take us both down. I'd rather leave the fate of the world in his hands than this monster's!"

"Kami…" Mr. Popo slowly turned his head to him, his huge white eyes filling his world, "Are you disobeying Popo?"

"I… I…" Kami clenched his fist, and a small crack appeared on his wooden staff from the force. He couldn't falter here. While he had known Mr. Popo for many years and was well aware of how terrifying the man could be, he had a duty as the guardian of the Earth. He couldn't let that monster return.

"Kami…" A small shiver ran down Kami's spine, and Mr. Popo's huge white eyes seemed to get even bigger. Suddenly, Kami felt small, as if he was an ant standing before a giant.

"Does Popo need to remind you about the pecking order?" Mr. Popo slowly asked. Kami gripped his staff even harder, the wood crumpling under the pressure. The staff broke in half, one side falling to the ground as Kami glared at Mr. Popo. Then, he slowly raised his hand, and…

Tapped his staff lightly on the floor.

"Fine…" Kami sighed, looking down at the floor. When he looked up again, Mr. Popo was gone.

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"W-What?" Gray muttered, his head jumbled as he was abruptly thrown back into the Pendulum Room. His body felt heavy - blood flowing down him in a waterfall as he sat at dangerously low HP. A few feet away stood Mr. Popo - the genie towering over him.

No… No! Why am I back here?!

Gray's hands shot up to his blood-soaked hair, gripping it and pulling outward. He grit his teeth, staring up at Mr. Popo. Usually, Gray was smart enough to not say anything stupid to Mr. Popo. Being on the man's bad side could only end poorly.

However, Gray wasn't feeling that smart at the moment. His body was on the verge of collapse, his hair and limbs caked in blood. His insides felt like they were burning, as if he'd just swallowed pure magma. His bones and ligaments were sore, twitching occasionally as they were unused to their new size.

"Why the fuck did you bring me back?!" Gray growled, glaring forward, his eyes narrowed at Mr. Popo. He put his hands on the floor, trying to push himself up but couldn't as his body protested.

"..." Mr. Popo didn't respond, merely staring at Gray blankly.

"I was getting stronger! I was getting so much stronger!" Gray glared, his teeth grinding together, "I was going to win… I would've beaten him!"

Gray didn't know if it was due to his Saiyan pride raging at how he was ripped out from the middle of a battle, or if it was from his own annoyance at his insane growth suddenly being ripped away, but he was angry. Insanely angry.

I was getting so much stronger, and that was only 5%?! If I reached 100% then even Frieza would've been nothing! Fuck, fuck! 

His stats and skills had been rising at an insane rate - in just a few minutes he'd gained more progress than he had in the entire time he'd been in this new world.

Fuck… I would've won…

Gray grunted, his head suddenly spinning as he calmed down. The adrenaline faded, and he was once again reminded that he was on death's door.

"Popo likes you," Mr. Popo finally spoke, the genie taking a step forward, "So Popo will pretend you didn't say that. Goodnight."

Gray blinked, but his vision was suddenly filled with white as he slumped over. His eyes slowly closed, and sleep took over.

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When Gray opened his eyes again, he was no longer lying on the Pendulum Room floor. Instead, he was on the same bed he'd woken up on nearly a week before when Piccolo saved him.

Due to barely escaping death, your [Zenkai Boost] skill has been activated!

[Zenkai Boost] - Your body grows stronger by fighting. 

For surviving against an opponent 1000x times stronger than you: +1 [ERROR]

Recalculating…

For surviving against an opponent 500x times stronger than you: +5 [ERROR]

Recalculating…

For surviving against an opponent 100x times stronger than you: +1 [ERROR]

Recalculating…

For surviving against an opponent 10x times stronger than you: +1 [ERROR]

Recalculating…

For surviving against an opponent over twice as strong as you: +160 to all stats.

For struggling against a [Dead] opponent: Your Zenkai Boost is half as effective.

The fuck?

Gray stared blankly at the wall of text he woke up to. Apparently, even the game wasn't sure what to make of his fight with Yamoshi.

I guess it's because we were fluctuating in power so much. Would've been nice to get a random +1000 stat boost or somethin', but fair enough.

The dead opponent part was less fair in Gray's mind.

I know he's dead since that was a thousand years ago, but he didn't seem very dead when I was fighting him, damn it!

Granted, Gray wasn't going to complain. He was still smiling as he glanced over at his stat sheet.

Gray Tanaki:

[Mr. Popo's Favorite Student]

Age: 18

Wallet: 119,650 Coins

Lvl: 17 (85,000/750,000 XP)

PL: 3,118,252,700

Available Points: 0

HP: 1,889,950/1,889,950

TKI: 2,311,325/2,311,325

STR: 1465

AGI: 1650

END: 1290

INT: 1405

CHA: 1205

LUK: 795

KI: 1645

HREG: 1176

EREG: 1176

Skills: [Observe LVL 10], [Running LVL 15], [Determination LVL 15], [Ki Control LVL 14], [Ki Gun LVL 11]. [Ki Enhancement LVL 9], [KI Suppression LVL 10], [Ki Sense LVL 8], [Pushup LVL 15], [Punch LVL 15], [Kick LVL 15], [Jump LVL 15], [Flight LVL 9], [Prediction LVL 7], [Zenkai Boost LVL 6], [Cognitive Acceleration LVL 7], [Ah! Lord Freiza! LVL 7], [Mouth-Beam LVL 6], [Ki-Blade LVL 6], [Cooking LVL 6], [Ki Array LVL 8], [Ki Explosion LVL 6], [Ki Vision LVL 6]

Perks: [Gamer's Mind], [Gamer's Body], [Double-edged Sword], [Legendary Super Saiyan], [Perfect Ozaru], [A Cute Pawn], [A Humble Master], [Ladies Man]

Fighting Styles: [Boxing Style: Kolra LVL 2], [Fighting Style: Broly LVL 1]

Party: [Saeko, Celia, Asuna, Ranfan]

From the small training session - well, calling almost dying constantly to the Legendary Super Saiyan 'small' might not be right - he'd gotten a lot. Every skill had gained 5 levels - even the ones he hadn't been able to level up yet, like [Zenkai Boost]. On top of that, his PL had increased by nearly 10x. As if that wasn't crazy enough, he'd also gotten a new fighting style.

Yeah, I won't get pissed about 80 points after I got all this.

However, a more concerning matter was weighing on him. His smile quickly straightened, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

The quest.

The first quest hadn't been very straightforward - Gray still wasn't entirely sure what a 'True Saiyan' was. Did that mean going Super Saiyan? Finishing his evolution? He wasn't sure, but the quest hadn't been completed.

In the same vein, he also hadn't gotten an alert that he failed it. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

On the other hand, the most recent quest had been very blunt. Kill Yamoshi, or die. He hadn't killed Yamoshi, but judging by the lack of halo over his head, he also wasn't dead. If he hadn't completed or failed the quest, then that meant…

There's still a chance to complete it. I'll be able to have another shot at Yamoshi.

With that thought in mind, Gray was much less annoyed at being ripped out of the Pendulum Room. But, he wasn't completely satisfied. His straight mouth turned into a frown.

I didn't lose, but… I didn't win either.

While Yamoshi hadn't killed him, he hadn't killed Yamoshi either. 

"Don't look so down, young man," Gray jumped, mentally kicking himself for being so lost in thought that he didn't notice Kami walk into the doorway.

"I imagine you wanted to keep fighting, but Mr. Popo always does what is best for his students," Kami finished. The man was staring at Gray strangely with a hard look in his eyes. When Gray had first met him, Kami had given off a grandparent-like vibe. He imagined the Namekian saw the Earth and its inhabitants as something similar to his own children.

Now, his soft eyes were near glaring despite his words.

"Yeah, I know," Gray sighed, pushing himself up in the bed, "But… I was getting so much stronger… and having…"

So much fun.

Gray had come to enjoy fights during his time in this world - but this one was different. Instead of the usual rush of adrenaline-filled excitement, this time it was more like a rush of pure joy. He was fighting a literal legend, becoming stronger by the second, and battling on a dying planet. It was something straight out of an anime.

Gray looked down at his long fingers, clenching them into a fist, "If I could have only kept fighting… I would've…"

"You would have died." Kami said bluntly, pulling Gray out of his thoughts, "And you almost did. I gave you a Senzu bean when I saw your condition yesterday, and it did nothing. No one's body can handle that kind of change."

Gray stared at his fist again. He had seen the notification appear during his fight - the one warning him that he could die if he continued to evolve. But, at the time, he hadn't been able to bring himself to care.

When he was fighting Yamoshi, his other concerns had taken a backseat. The strength he was getting, the joy from the fight, his certainty at his victory - it had all made the risk of death seem small.

Kami jumped as Gray's hands flew up, slamming into the sides of his face as he smacked each cheek.

Focus, Gray! I know I'm a greedy bastard, but this is too much. I could've died, and I already became so much stronger. This is a good outcome.

Gray nodded at Kami, "Yeah, I get it. This was for the best."

He stood up, stepping off the bed and… towering over Kami. Gray blinked as he stared down at the man, who was multiple feet shorter than him.

Right, more than just my strength changed.

Gray walked over to the shiny metallic blue wall, looking at his blurry reflection in it. He looked the same, but… also not the same. His muscles were a fair bit bigger, and he was a lot taller. Where he had been somewhere around 6'5 before, he was now easily closing in on seven feet. Hell, he might've even passed the seven-foot mark.

The biggest difference came from how that height was distributed. His body looked… stretched. Not noticeably stretched, as he doubted anyone else would notice, but this was his own body. He could tell. 

He glanced at his abs, as the only remaining bits of clothing he had left on were the ragged bit of his underarmor, and saw a pretty big difference. What had used to be a borderline six-pack, with his abs visible but not entirely defined, was now nearly an eight-pack. The top six were well-defined, looking larger than before, and the bottom two looked more similar to how the top six had before.

He slowly raised his arm, flexing his bicep as his eyes crawled across his entire body. His muscles were bigger - hell, his bicep was probably the size of a normal human's head - but they still looked lean on his new larger frame. His hair had grown slightly - the previously short tips extending just barely.

Damn, I'm kinda scary.

If Gray went into a battlefield and saw someone that looked like him, then he would've been at least a little intimidated. He was huge.

"Your friends are waiting outside," Kami said, pulling Gray from his thoughts. Gray nodded, pulling himself away from the wall and following him out the door. They walked down the hallways and soon after went through the bright door that led to the outside of the lookout.

"Gray!" Asuna waved happily from where she stood with Saeko, Celia, Ranfan, and Piccolo. She started walking towards him, and then abruptly stopped, her eyes wide. Gray blinked, looking at Celia, Saeko, and Ranfan to see similar expressions.

+200 Reputation with Celia (For being hot) [4x from [Ladies Man], [A Humble Master]] 

+200 Reputation with Saeko (For being hot) [4x from [Ladies Man], [A Humble Master]] 

+200 Reputation with Asuna (For being hot) [4x from [Ladies Man], [A Humble Master]] 

+200 Reputation with Ranfan (For becoming even hotter) [4x from [Ladies Man], [A Humble Master]] 

Gray blinked, staring at the reputation notifications and resisting chuckling.

"I'm back," Gray said simply, grinning at the girls.

+200 Reputation with Celia (For having a sexy voice) [4x from [Ladies Man], [A Humble Master]] 

+200 Reputation with Saeko (For having a sexy voice) [4x from [Ladies Man], [A Humble Master]] 

+200 Reputation with Asuna (For having a sexy voice) [4x from [Ladies Man], [A Humble Master]] 

+200 Reputation with Ranfan (For having a sexy voice) [4x from [Ladies Man], [A Humble Master]] 

Gray blinked again, staring at the wall of notifications.

I know I just got a ton of CHA, but damn!

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Gray Tanaki:

[Mr. Popo's Favorite Student]

Age: 18

Wallet: 119,650 Coins

Lvl: 17 (85,000/750,000 XP)

PL: 3,118,252,700

Available Points: 0

HP: 1,889,950/1,889,950

TKI: 2,311,325/2,311,325

STR: 1465

AGI: 1650

END: 1290

INT: 1405

CHA: 1205

LUK: 795

KI: 1645

HREG: 1176

EREG: 1176

Skills: [Observe LVL 10], [Running LVL 15], [Determination LVL 15], [Ki Control LVL 14], [Ki Gun LVL 11]. [Ki Enhancement LVL 9], [KI Suppression LVL 10], [Ki Sense LVL 8], [Pushup LVL 15], [Punch LVL 15], [Kick LVL 15], [Jump LVL 15], [Flight LVL 9], [Prediction LVL 7], [Zenkai Boost LVL 6], [Cognitive Acceleration LVL 7], [Ah! Lord Freiza! LVL 7], [Mouth-Beam LVL 6], [Ki-Blade LVL 6], [Cooking LVL 6], [Ki Array LVL 8], [Ki Explosion LVL 6], [Ki Vision LVL 6]

Perks: [Gamer's Mind], [Gamer's Body], [Double-edged Sword], [Legendary Super Saiyan], [Perfect Ozaru], [A Cute Pawn], [A Humble Master], [Ladies Man]

Fighting Styles: [Boxing Style: Kolra LVL 2], [Fighting Style: Broly LVL 1]

Party: [Saeko, Celia, Asuna, Ranfan]

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AN: Thanks for reading! Took a little break for some life stuff, but I'm back! I also added another chapter ahead on the Patreon, so you can read the next 5 chapters right now at Patreon.com/Koyon !