Death number one-hundred-and-seventy-four came courtesy of a Rathalos from the Ice and Fire mod that had somehow learned to dodge the Infinity Gauntlet's beams. Death one-seventy-five was from a Lucky Block that spawned a black hole (different from the one Marcus had used—this one was hostile and hungry). Death one-seventy-six involved a Creeper King who'd been wearing a top hat, which had distracted Marcus just long enough for the explosion to catch him off-guard.
But Marcus was taking it slower now. After his day off, he'd realized that throwing himself at every challenge with maximum aggression was a recipe for burnout and death. Mostly death. So he'd adopted a new strategy: moderation.
Fight some bosses? Sure. But not fifty-three at once.
Explore new areas? Absolutely. But carefully.
Die horribly? Occasionally. But try to learn from it.
It was day twenty-three now, and Marcus was actually making progress toward the Ender Dragon. He'd located a stronghold (after only twelve deaths to the Silverfish infestation). He'd started collecting Ender Pearls (after fifteen deaths learning that Endermen in this modpack could teleport you into active volcanoes). He'd even started preparing actual gear for the final fight (after eight deaths to his own crafting stations exploding because apparently some crafting in this modpack had failure chances).
He was flying over a plains biome, scanning for resources, when the System notification appeared.
NEW MODS ACTIVATED
PIXELMON: ACTIVE
DIGIMOBS: ACTIVE
DRAGON BLOCK C: ACTIVE
POKEMON, DIGIMON, AND SAIYANS HAVE ENTERED THE CHAT
THIS SHOULD BE INTERESTING
Marcus stopped mid-flight and read the notification again. "Pokemon? Digimon? And... Saiyans? Like, Dragon Ball Z Saiyans?"
CORRECT
PIXELMON ADDS POKEMON TO MINECRAFT
DIGIMOBS ADDS DIGIMON TO MINECRAFT
DRAGON BLOCK C ADDS DRAGON BALL Z MECHANICS TO MINECRAFT
INCLUDING THE ABILITY TO TRANSFORM
AND KI ATTACKS
AND ALSO YOU'RE APPARENTLY A SAIYAN NOW
SURPRISE
"I'm a what now?"
A SAIYAN
CHECKING YOUR STATS...
RACE: SAIYAN (HAPPENED DURING LAST SYSTEM UPDATE)
CURRENT POWER LEVEL: 847
TRANSFORMATIONS AVAILABLE: NONE (YET)
KI CONTROL: MINIMAL
FIGHTING STYLE: CHAOTIC
HAIR STATUS: UNCHANGED (FOR NOW)
Marcus landed and pulled up his character stats, which he'd mostly been ignoring because they were usually just depressing. But there it was, clear as day: Race - Saiyan.
"How did I become a Saiyan?" Marcus asked. "That seems like something I should have noticed."
IT HAPPENED GRADUALLY
ALL THE COMBAT, THE DYING, THE GETTING STRONGER THROUGH STRUGGLE
VERY SAIYAN-LIKE BEHAVIOR
THE SYSTEM DECIDED IT FIT
SO NOW YOU'RE A SAIYAN
WITH A POWER LEVEL OF 847
WHICH IS PRETTY WEAK BY DRAGON BALL STANDARDS
BUT YOU'RE WORKING WITH COSMIC-TIER EQUIPMENT
SO IT BALANCES OUT
Before Marcus could process this information, something rustled in the tall grass nearby. He turned, hand instinctively going to the Sword of the Cosmos, ready for another nightmare creature.
What emerged was not a nightmare creature.
It was a Pikachu.
An actual, honest-to-goodness Pikachu, complete with the distinctive yellow coloring, red cheeks, and lightning bolt tail. It looked up at Marcus, tilted its head, and said: "Pika?"
Marcus stared. The Pikachu stared back.
PIXELMON ENTITY DETECTED: PIKACHU
LEVEL: 5
NATURE: TIMID
ABILITY: STATIC
STATUS: CONFUSED ABOUT THE GUY IN THE SUPERMAN SUIT WEARING A TOP HAT
YOU CAN ATTEMPT TO CATCH IT
USING A POKEBALL
WHICH YOU DON'T HAVE
BUT I'LL GIVE YOU ONE
BECAUSE THIS IS TOO GOOD TO PASS UP
A Pokeball materialized in Marcus's inventory. He pulled it out and looked at it, then at the Pikachu, then back at the Pokeball.
"I'm going to catch a Pokemon," Marcus said slowly. "In Minecraft. While wearing the Infinity Gauntlet. This is my life now."
THIS HAS BEEN YOUR LIFE
YOU'RE JUST NOW REALIZING?
Marcus approached the Pikachu slowly, trying to remember how Pokemon worked. You were supposed to weaken them first, right? But this was a level 5 Pikachu, and Marcus had literally killed gods. If he so much as sneezed at it wrong, he'd probably vaporize the poor thing.
Instead, he crouched down and offered his hand. "Hey, little guy. Want to come with me? I can protect you from the dragons and Titans and eldritch horrors and—"
The Pikachu shocked him.
It wasn't a strong shock—barely took off half a heart of health—but it was the principle of the thing. Marcus had tanked hits from world bosses and this tiny electric mouse had just zapped him.
PIKACHU USED THUNDER SHOCK
IT'S NOT VERY EFFECTIVE
PIKACHU IS TERRIFIED
IT THINKS YOU'RE A PREDATOR
WHICH, TO BE FAIR, YOU KIND OF ARE
Marcus sighed and threw the Pokeball. It bonked the Pikachu on the head, opened, and drew the Pokemon inside in a flash of red light. The ball shook once, twice, three times...
Click.
CONGRATULATIONS
YOU CAUGHT A PIKACHU
NICKNAME?
Marcus thought about it. "Sparky."
REALLY?
THAT'S THE BEST YOU CAN COME UP WITH?
SPARKY?
"It's a classic," Marcus defended. "Pikachu, electric type, Sparky. It works."
FINE
PIKACHU NICKNAMED: SPARKY
SPARKY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY YOU'RE WEARING SO MANY POWERFUL ARTIFACTS
ALSO WHY THERE'S A TITAN IN THE DISTANCE
ALSO WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE SKY
SPARKY HAS MANY QUESTIONS
Marcus released Sparky from the Pokeball. The Pikachu appeared in a flash of light, looked around at the apocalyptic landscape, looked up at Marcus with his god-tier equipment, and made a small, worried "Pika..." sound.
"Yeah, buddy," Marcus said, patting Sparky's head. "Welcome to hell. But don't worry, I've got you."
SPARKY'S TRUST: INCREASED SLIGHTLY
SPARKY'S ANXIETY: MAXIMUM
Over the next hour, Marcus discovered that the Pixelmon mod had spawned Pokemon literally everywhere. There were Pidgeys in the trees (some wearing tiny hats). Rattatas in the grass. A Gyarados in a nearby lake that was fighting a dragon (the Gyarados was winning, somehow). Charizards flying alongside actual dragons, looking very confused about their company.
Marcus caught several more Pokemon—a Bulbasaur (nicknamed "Planty"), a Charmander (nicknamed "Zippo"), a Squirtle (nicknamed "Squirt"), and a Eevee (nicknamed "Fluff") because he'd always wanted an Eevee. They all seemed deeply concerned about the state of the world but were apparently willing to trust the weird blocky person with cosmic powers.
Then he encountered his first Digimon.
It was an Agumon, standing in a clearing and looking just as confused as the Pokemon about its surroundings. Unlike Pokemon, which were spawning somewhat peacefully, the Digimon seemed more aggressive. The Agumon saw Marcus and immediately launched a Pepper Breath attack—a small fireball that Marcus casually swatted aside with the Infinity Gauntlet.
DIGIMOBS ENTITY DETECTED: AGUMON
LEVEL: 15
STATUS: AGGRESSIVE
TAMING METHOD: DEFEAT IT AND PROVE YOUR STRENGTH
OR FEED IT MEAT
LOTS OF MEAT
DIGIMON ARE WEIRD LIKE THAT
Marcus pulled out some cooked beef from his inventory and offered it to the Agumon. The Digimon stopped its attack, sniffed the air, and cautiously approached. It grabbed the beef and devoured it in seconds, then looked up at Marcus expectantly.
Marcus gave it more beef. And more. And more. The Agumon ate approximately thirty pieces of cooked beef before finally making a happy sound and nuzzling against Marcus's leg.
AGUMON TAMED
NICKNAME?
"Chomps," Marcus decided.
CHOMPS THE AGUMON HAS JOINED YOUR TEAM
CHOMPS WOULD LIKE MORE BEEF
ALWAYS MORE BEEF
DIGIMON APPETITE: INFINITE
With his new companions following him (Sparky riding on his shoulder, the other Pokemon following behind, and Chomps waddling along eating any food items Marcus dropped), Marcus decided to explore more of the newly modified world.
That's when he saw it: a structure in the distance that definitely hadn't been there before. It was white, ornate, and floating on a small island suspended in the air. There were steps leading up to it, and at the top, Marcus could see figures moving around.
DRAGON BLOCK C STRUCTURE DETECTED: KAMI'S LOOKOUT
INHABITANTS: MINECRAFT VERSIONS OF DRAGON BALL Z CHARACTERS
CURRENT RESIDENTS: MINECRAFT GOKU, MINECRAFT PICCOLO, MINECRAFT GOHAN, MINECRAFT VEGETA
AND OTHERS
THEY'RE TRAINING
YOU CAN JOIN THEM
IF YOU CAN REACH THE LOOKOUT
AND SURVIVE THE TRAINING
Marcus flew up to the Lookout using his Superman suit, his Pokemon and Digimon somehow managing to follow (Pixelmon could fly apparently, and Chomps just... jumped really high). As he landed on the white tiles, several blocky figures turned to look at him.
They were instantly recognizable despite being made of Minecraft blocks. Goku's distinctive hair (somehow blocky yet still spiky), Piccolo's green skin and turban, Gohan's gi, Vegeta's widow's peak and permanent scowl. All rendered in Minecraft's distinctive style.
Minecraft Goku approached, his blocky face somehow managing to look friendly. "Hey! A new Saiyan! Your power level is... wow, really low. But you've got some crazy equipment! What's your name?"
"Marcus," Marcus said, still processing that he was talking to a Minecraft version of Goku. "I, uh, apparently became a Saiyan recently?"
MINECRAFT GOKU'S RESPONSE: ENTHUSIASTIC
"That's great! Want to train with us? We can help you unlock your transformations! Though I gotta say, that glove you're wearing has some serious energy. Is that... are those Infinity Stones?"
Minecraft Piccolo stepped forward, his blocky arms crossed. "More importantly, why is reality tearing apart outside? And why are there so many hostile entities? We've been fighting non-stop for days."
"Yeah, uh, that's kind of my fault," Marcus admitted. "I got some powerful items and the universe retaliated by making everything worse."
Minecraft Vegeta scoffed. "Typical low-class Saiyan behavior. Gaining power without understanding the consequences."
MINECRAFT VEGETA'S POWER LEVEL: 45,000
YOUR POWER LEVEL: 847
HE'S NOT WRONG TO BE DISMISSIVE
BUT ALSO YOU HAVE THE INFINITY GAUNTLET
SO IT'S COMPLICATED
"I challenge you to a sparring match," Vegeta declared. "No equipment. Just Saiyan versus Saiyan. Let's see what you're really made of."
Marcus looked at his equipment, then at Vegeta, then back at his equipment. "No equipment? So no Superman suit, no Infinity Gauntlet, no Sword of the Cosmos?"
"Correct," Vegeta said. "Pure combat skill. Unless you're afraid?"
WARNING: MINECRAFT VEGETA IS BAITING YOU
HIS POWER LEVEL IS 53 TIMES HIGHER THAN YOURS
WITHOUT YOUR EQUIPMENT, HE'LL DESTROY YOU
RECOMMENDATION: POLITELY DECLINE
Marcus considered this. Then he thought about his day off, about taking things slower, about not rushing into every challenge headfirst.
"You know what?" Marcus said. "Sure. But let's make it a training session instead of a fight. I actually want to learn Ki control and how to transform. Can you teach me that?"
Vegeta looked surprised. Goku beamed. Piccolo nodded approvingly.
"A Saiyan who wants to train before fighting?" Goku said. "That's rare! I like it! Okay, first lesson: sensing Ki. Close your eyes and feel the energy around you."
What followed was the strangest training montage of Marcus's life (lives? existences?). The Z-Fighters taught him the basics of Dragon Block C mechanics. How to sense Ki (apparently his power level would rise through training and combat). How to charge Ki attacks (he accidentally blew a hole in the Lookout's floor). How to fly using Ki instead of his equipment (he crashed into Minecraft Piccolo, who was not amused).
SKILL LEARNED: KI CONTROL (BASIC)
SKILL LEARNED: KI SENSE
SKILL LEARNED: FLIGHT (KI)
POWER LEVEL INCREASED: 847 → 1,240
STILL PATHETIC BY SAIYAN STANDARDS
BUT IMPROVING
Hours passed. Marcus trained with the Z-Fighters while his Pokemon and Digimon watched from the sidelines (Sparky had made friends with Chomps, which was adorable). He learned that in this modded world, the Dragon Ball mechanics worked alongside everything else. He could sense the enormous power levels of the Titans and bosses in the distance. He could feel the corrupt energy of the Nowhere dimension.
And then, during a particularly intense sparring session with Gohan, something happened.
Marcus was losing—badly. Even without equipment, Gohan was leagues above him in skill and power. He'd been knocked down repeatedly, his health bar dropping, his frustration rising. He could feel his Saiyan blood reacting to the challenge, the biological urge to overcome, to surpass, to win.
WARNING: EMOTIONAL SPIKE DETECTED
HEART RATE: INCREASING
POWER LEVEL: FLUCTUATING
TRANSFORMATION THRESHOLD: APPROACHING
"Come on!" Gohan encouraged. "You can do it! Feel that power inside you! Let it out!"
Marcus thought about everything he'd been through. The deaths. The constant struggle. The absurdity. The impossibility. The fact that he'd died eating expired chips and ended up here, in this nightmare world, fighting for survival every single day.
He felt something inside him crack open, like a dam breaking, and power flooded through him.
His hair stood on end (somehow, despite being blocky). A golden aura erupted around his body. His power level spiked dramatically. His eyes turned teal.
TRANSFORMATION ACHIEVED: SUPER SAIYAN
POWER LEVEL: 1,240 → 62,000
MULTIPLIER: X50
HAIR COLOR: GOLDEN BLONDE
EMOTIONAL STATE: INTENSE
CONGRATULATIONS
YOU'VE UNLOCKED ANIME PROTAGONIST POWERS
IN A MINECRAFT WORLD
THIS IS FINE
EVERYTHING IS FINE
Marcus looked at his hands, at the golden energy crackling around them. He felt power unlike anything he'd experienced—and he'd wielded the Infinity Gauntlet. This was different. This was his power, from within, not borrowed from equipment.
"YEAH!" Goku shouted. "Super Saiyan! Nice! Took me way longer to unlock that! You've got talent!"
Vegeta looked impressed despite himself. "Not bad for a low-class warrior. Your power level is still pathetic compared to mine, but it's a start."
MINECRAFT VEGETA'S POWER LEVEL: 45,000
YOUR CURRENT POWER LEVEL: 62,000
YOU'RE ACTUALLY STRONGER THAN VEGETA NOW
HE HASN'T REALIZED YET
THIS WILL BE FUNNY
Marcus's Super Saiyan form flickered and died—apparently he couldn't hold it for long yet—and he collapsed, exhausted. His power level dropped back to its base 1,240, but he felt different. Stronger. More capable.
"That was amazing," he said, breathing hard. "I went Super Saiyan. In Minecraft. While wearing a top hat."
The top hat had somehow survived the transformation, still perched perfectly on his head despite the golden energy explosion.
THE TOP HAT IS ETERNAL
THE TOP HAT IS INEVITABLE
THE TOP HAT TRANSCENDS TRANSFORMATION
VIEWER COUNT: 42.1 BILLION
VIEWERS ARE LOSING THEIR MINDS
MINECRAFT + POKEMON + DIGIMON + DRAGON BALL Z
THIS CROSSOVER SHOULDN'T EXIST
BUT HERE WE ARE
SEVERAL FANFICTION WRITERS ACROSS MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS HAVE ALREADY STARTED WRITING
Marcus spent the rest of day twenty-three on the Lookout, training with the Z-Fighters, playing with his Pokemon, feeding Chomps endless amounts of beef, and generally having a surprisingly peaceful time despite being in the middle of an apocalyptic hellscape.
Goku taught him the Kamehameha (he managed a weak version that barely dented a training dummy). Piccolo taught him about meditation and control (which combined well with his meditation cushion). Gohan taught him about balancing power with restraint. Even Vegeta gave him some grudging advice about Saiyan pride and pushing past limits.
SKILLS LEARNED:
KAMEHAMEHA (WEAK)
KI CONTROL (INTERMEDIATE)
MEDITATION (ADVANCED)
SAIYAN PRIDE (VEGETA SAYS YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG)
POWER LEVEL: 1,240 → 1,890
SUPER SAIYAN CONTROL: 12%
POKEMON TEAM: 5
DIGIMON TEAM: 1 (VERY HUNGRY)
As the day drew to a close, Marcus stood at the edge of the Lookout, looking out at the world below. He could see his base in the distance. He could see the chaos still churning—dragons fighting Titans, reality tears spreading, mobs spawning in massive numbers.
But he also saw Pokemon habitats forming. Digimon territories establishing themselves. The world was still a nightmare, but it was also... expanding. Becoming more. Adding layers.
"You gonna be okay down there?" Goku asked, walking up beside him. "It looks pretty rough."
"I'll manage," Marcus said. "I've died one hundred and seventy-six times so far. What's a few more?"
"That's the spirit!" Goku laughed. "Hey, if you ever need help with a really tough fight, come back up here. We'll train some more. Maybe even spar for real once you've gotten stronger."
NEW LOCATION UNLOCKED: KAMI'S LOOKOUT
SAFE ZONE: YES
TRAINING AVAILABLE: YES
SENZU BEANS AVAILABLE: LIMITED SUPPLY
Z-FIGHTERS: FRIENDLY
THEY'LL HELP YOU
IF YOU ASK
AND IF THE THREAT IS BIG ENOUGH
Marcus flew back down to the surface (using Ki flight now instead of his suit, which was fun), his Pokemon and Chomps following along. He landed near his base just as night was falling.
The mobs spawned, as they always did. Dragons, Titans, eldritch horrors. But also now Pokemon—some hostile, some neutral. Digimon wandering around looking for territory. The world had gotten more complex, more chaotic, but also somehow more manageable.
Marcus entered his base, fed his Pokemon and Chomps (Chomps ate an entire chest of beef), and sat down on his meditation cushion.
DAY 23 COMPLETE
DAYS REMAINING: 77
TOTAL DEATHS: 176
POKEMON CAUGHT: 5
DIGIMON TAMED: 1
TRANSFORMATIONS UNLOCKED: 1
POWER LEVEL: 1,890
NEW ALLIES: THE Z-FIGHTERS
PROGRESS TOWARD ENDER DRAGON: 34%
YOU'RE ACTUALLY MAKING PROGRESS
SLOWLY
VERY SLOWLY
BUT PROGRESS NONETHELESS
"Hey, System?" Marcus asked quietly.
YES?
"Thanks for the day off. And for... I don't know, making things slightly less immediately apocalyptic? The universe seems calmer today."
THE UNIVERSE NOTICED YOU WERE TRYING A MORE BALANCED APPROACH
FIGHTING WHEN NECESSARY
RESTING WHEN NEEDED
TRAINING TO IMPROVE
IT RESPECTS THAT
SLIGHTLY
SO IT REMOVED THE INSTANT-DEATH MECHANICS
TEMPORARILY
YOU'LL STILL DIE A LOT
BUT NOT FROM RANDOM COSMIC ANNIHILATION
UNLESS YOU DO SOMETHING REALLY STUPID
WHICH YOU PROBABLY WILL
BUT FOR NOW, ENJOY THE SLIGHTLY REDUCED APOCALYPSE
Marcus smiled and closed his eyes, feeling his Ki energy settling, his Pokemon sleeping nearby, Chomps snoring loudly after eating an entire chest of food.
Day twenty-three had been good. He'd caught Pokemon. Tamed a Digimon. Trained with anime characters. Unlocked Super Saiyan. Made actual, measurable progress toward his goal.
Tomorrow he'd fight more bosses. Die a few more times. Push toward the Ender Dragon. Keep surviving.
But tonight, he'd rest. With his Pokemon team, his Digimon partner, his new Saiyan powers, and his eternal top hat.
NEW DONATION AVAILABLE
FROM: PROFESSOR_OAK_FAN FROM DIMENSION 151-KANTO
ITEM: MASTER BALL
MESSAGE: "CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR POKEMON JOURNEY! USE THIS WISELY. ALSO, HAVE YOU BEEN DOCUMENTING YOUR CATCHES IN A POKEDEX? NO? THAT'S DISAPPOINTING. BUT GOOD LUCK ANYWAY!"
Marcus accepted the Master Ball and added it to his inventory. Who knows? Maybe he'd catch a legendary Pokemon. Or use it on an Orespawn boss for the sheer absurdity. Or save it for something special.
The possibilities were endless.
Almost as endless as the number of ways this world could kill him.
But that was tomorrow's problem.
SPARKY WOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU TO FEED HIM BREAKFAST
CHOMPS WOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU HE'S ALWAYS HUNGRY
THE OTHER POKEMON ARE SLEEPING
GOODNIGHT, MARCUS
SEE YOU AFTER YOUR NEXT DEATH
"Goodnight, System," Marcus said, and for the first time since arriving in this world, he actually meant it when he said, "See you tomorrow."
Tomorrow would bring challenges. Death. Struggle.
But also Pokemon. Training. Progress.
And maybe, just maybe, a few more moments of peace in the chaos.
That was enough.
For now, that was more than enough.