Chapter 1 — I Became Goku
Above Mount Paozu.
A dinosaur was out hunting in flight.
Suddenly, a flash of white light streaked through the air and hit the dinosaur head-on.
The fat beast shuddered. Its eyes rolled back, and it plummeted downward.
Its huge body bounced through the treetops, snapping branches and crashing through limbs…
Before it even hit the ground, a small boy with a tail and short stature sprang up like a cannonball.
In just a few steps he leapt into the canopy, caught the falling dinosaur, flipped neatly to the earth, and shouldered it away.
Every movement was smooth and efficient, not a hint of hesitation.
A short while later, smoke curled from the mountaintop, and the air filled with the rich scent of roasted meat.
"Smells amazing!!!"
"It should be cooked by now, right?"
The boy tore off a chunk of meat from above the fire and stuffed it into his mouth without waiting.
"Mmm—so good! Grandpa, you've gotta try this!"
The old man across from him also ripped off a piece and took a bite.
Just one mouthful made his eyes light up.
"Mm! This is incredible.
Crispy on the outside, tender inside, dripping with juice… This dinosaur roast smells fantastic!!"
The boy grinned in satisfaction.
He yanked two roasted drumsticks off the carcass and started chomping happily.
As he ate, he sighed dreamily. "Roasted dinosaur is way better than roasted fish!
If only I could catch dinosaurs every day!"
The old man chuckled. "Slow down. No one's going to steal it from you. Don't choke…"
That old man was Son Gohan, disciple of Master Roshi.
And this child was the protagonist of the Dragon Ball world—
The Saiyan Kakarot, given the Earth name Son Goku by Son Gohan.
But he wasn't the original Goku. He was a reincarnator.
He carried the soul of a modern man.
In his previous life, he'd watched Dragon Ball and knew Goku's destiny.
This world was full of danger.
Without a powerful Goku to protect it, Earth would fall sooner or later.
Saiyan talent was only stronger than humans—not necessarily stronger than the wider universe.
Compared to aliens, someone with Goku's potential was honestly… pretty mediocre.
Low starting point, slow growth, and unable to survive in space.
Without transformations later on, he wouldn't even be able to stand next to real powerhouses.
How many true monsters had the Saiyan race produced over the years?
Aside from the Goku who was exiled to Earth, kept a pure heart, and somehow reached a universe-level height—
Well, and Broly.
Broly was a total freak of nature. A walking cheat code. No normal person could compare.
After recognizing reality, and once he could walk and talk,
little Goku immediately begged Grandpa Gohan to train him.
No choice. If he wanted to live, he had to get strong fast—at the very least, not weaker than the original Goku.
The problem was…
In terms of insight, battle IQ, and sheer obsession with martial arts, he knew he was inferior to the real Goku.
Without that mad, instinctive love for fighting, he didn't think he could match the "martial arts maniac" Goku ever was.
But everyone has their strengths.
Before reincarnating, he'd been a modern person who knew how to grind like his life depended on it.
From school to work, he'd always pushed himself to the limit.
He lived at the bottom rung, but through sheer effort he never fell behind the people around him.
Sadly, in his twenties, a sudden heart attack took him out. He blacked out without warning.
Then, the next moment, he woke up reborn—no, transported.
Worse (or better), he'd landed in this brilliant world and become his idol, Son Goku.
At first he couldn't even speak.
The moment he left the incubator, Bardock and Gine arranged for him to be sent to Earth in exile.
That was how he escaped the fate of Planet Vegeta's destruction.
Inside the pod, he couldn't help but marvel—
This world was so much more exciting than the old one, where all he did was study and work.
He wasn't confident he could break through at crucial moments the way the original Goku did.
So once he understood the situation, he formed a plan.
He'd train like Vegeta did later on—
Work harder, grind harder, push farther.
No cheat powers, no shortcuts.
He'd have to climb step by step by his own effort.
He wanted to survive. More than that, he desperately wanted to improve.
As for marriage and romance, he hadn't thought about it.
Strangely enough, ever since reincarnating into a pre-teen Goku,
he felt like he was constantly in a "post-clarity" state.
Even knowing that someday a starry-eyed girl named Bulma would come up the mountain to search for Dragon Balls,
he still didn't have any improper thoughts about her.
Maybe he was too young. Maybe his body hadn't developed and hormones weren't kicking in yet.
Doesn't matter. Getting stronger—staying alive—was what mattered.
Besides, when Bulma came up the mountain, she'd shoot him a few times anyway.
He needed to be bulletproof first, right?
Once he could speak and walk, he begged Grandpa Gohan to train him.
Grandpa Gohan naturally poured his heart into teaching the kid.
Ten-plus years of training later, Goku had mastered ki control—
the core of the Turtle School.
As for the Kamehameha, that was easy. He'd learned it early on.
In this world, physical strength had limits,
but ki had none.
The stronger your ki, the stronger your Kamehameha.
Goku understood that deeply, and so he devoted himself even more to ki training.
His current battle power already exceeded the original Goku at the same age.
That was why this Goku—so grown, without ever formally studying under Master Roshi—
could still blast dinosaurs with the Kamehameha.
After eating his fill, Goku patted his belly.
"Ahh, I'm stuffed!"
Son Gohan smiled while clearing the plates.
"If you're full, go train. Grandpa will handle the rest."
"Mm! Thanks, Grandpa!"
With that, Goku strapped on his heavy turtle shell and began running laps around the mountain.
Watching the boy sprint off with fanatical energy, Son Gohan's face turned a little strange.
"This kid… he trains like he's trying to die.
That's completely against the Turtle School way.
I wonder if it's right or wrong…"
He carried the dishes inside.
Then he suddenly noticed something odd about the Four-Star Ball.
The Dragon Ball that was usually quiet and dull was shining.
Curious, he leaned in.
"Hm?
Why is this ball glowing?"
He quickly turned and shouted, "Goku! Goku, come back, hurry!"