A person's life will always be full of thoughts and desires, but it is when we take some time to think about it that we realize that sometimes everything is too much and much simpler.
Our main character was someone like that, an ordinary person who sometimes, to pass the time or just to take his mind off things, looked for something to entertain himself with.
Movies, music, anime, cartoons, books, anything that was not harmful to his body was welcome. After seeing that it was not a good idea to interact with fandoms, he simply decided to consume such products in silence.
But sometimes fandoms did interesting things, like fanart or animations, and sometimes really good activities came up. One of them caught his attention.
Upgrading your favorite waifu. How did this dynamic work? Simple, you had to find a female character from some franchise and give her a proper "upgrade" in the context of her story.
The strange thing was that the thing seemed to be quite elaborate, not only did it have its website, but there were terms and conditions that you didn't read.
Also, the rules were a bit rigid, but if you knew how to justify your changes, they were accepted. Yes, you couldn't just write your power fantasy, because they had an AI to evaluate what you wrote.
So much effort for something weird, but when you thought about the Furrys spending $2,000 for a drawing of their OC, you knew nothing could stop someone who was really into their business.
Our protagonist made several of these upgrades and got the hang of it. He made them for Samus, Azula, and Ciri, and then he started making Bulma's, only this time he wanted to test the limits of the scoring AI.
First of all, the character's characteristics had to be identified, so what characteristics could Bulma have? Simple, superior intelligence, tenacity, and beauty, aside from really dominant genetics.
It sounds simple, but not only did this woman go to Namek or create a machine that could travel between timelines, but she snagged an overly proud prince and bore him two children.
Then he thought, wouldn't it be better to enhance those abilities? Sure, he could write that she just made that wish with the dragon orbs, but what would be the joke?
He remembered the concept of mutants from Dragon Ball, beings who exceeded the expected expectations of their species and stood out from the rest, he could make Bulma something like that until he thought about the fate of the humans in the series.
Humans were weak, but they knew Ki was far more advanced than other species, had various techniques, and could even reach respectable heights of power in the universe.
A human with 10,000 power units was unheard of, which made him an exceptional warrior in the galaxy, but in the end, it didn't matter in the face of beings of other species or those true cosmic monsters.
If a human with a lot of effort, resources, and opportunities had a remote possibility of reaching 10,000 units of power, a high-class Nino of the Saiyan race, for example, would gradually reach that power in his adulthood with the right training.
Or if he belonged to a blessed cosmic species, all he had to do was reach adulthood and he would have double or triple that amount, was it even worth trying to become strong as a human in Dragon Ball?
How many fanfics aren't there where the human protagonists want to become Saiyans or have the body of one? Unless you have a cultivation method to become a god, or you wish to be super-adapted like a certain human with a master plan in his backpack.
No complaints, these characters will have motives, everyone would do similar things when you're in a universe like Dragon Ball, where you can be cosmic dust and then resurrect without realizing it, of course, if you were born in the right timeline.
No, you had to make an exceptional Bulma, really good and most of all coherent. Bulma has a fierce temperament, what if she had been a fighter as well?
So it was time to test the limits of this AI and see how much she could improve Bulma under the AI's criteria, something that promised to be fun.
"So, since we know Bulma's classic attributes as well as her personality, are you familiar with the concept of a mutant in Dragon Ball?" the protagonist wrote in the AI chat.
"Yes, they are beings that are different in some way from their counterparts in a particular species. For example, Broly would be considered a natural mutant that occurs from time to time among the Saiyans.
On the other hand, mutants can also be characters that have been changed by certain objects or environments, such as the Beastmen in the Dragon Ball series, who were changed by a certain drug," the AI answered to our protagonist.
He had already gotten used to the way this AI responded, unlike Chat GPT, which was sure to give him more enumerated examples or even use somewhat odd terms or ones that didn't quite apply to the series.
"Well then, do you know the abilities of Vash Stampede and his twin brother Knives?" was part of the question I wanted to ask.
If there were mutants in Dragon Ball, why not make your waifu one of them? Just in case, let's make her better than the rest, though I'd have to see if it was possible, it all depended on the answers the AI gave her.
"I know their abilities, like Plant, beings created by highly technological means, Vash and Knives excel at not being contained. While they cannot generate water or resources like their counterparts, they do have certain special characteristics.
Not only do they have enhanced senses and reflexes, but they are resistant and have the good regenerative capacity, which, although it does not make them heal from an amputated limb, allows them to survive serious injuries that for humans would be fatal.
On the other hand, both are long-lived, being in a state of youth for perhaps hundreds of years, although it is unknown if they can die of old age, there would be no doubt that this would happen, because, unlike the contained Plants, they are free and lack many of their abilities.
In addition, each has abilities that could be termed psychic, while Vash can sense a person's intentions, pain, and emotions, Knives can mentally manipulate others.
They are also intelligent and have a certain peculiarity, they can deform one of their arms to create a weapon capable of punching a hole in a moon, as demonstrated in the series" When he read that answer, our protagonist smiled.
In Dragon Ball, deeds like shattering the moon were basic stuff, but that wasn't what was important, but the fact that Vash did that in the series with a prosthetic arm was not too advanced to say, powerful, but 'simple' at the end of the day.
"What if we have Bulma be born with Vash's abilities? It's normal for a mutant to have some unique and strange ability. Guldo could even stop time."
"Justify that," the AI replied, causing the protagonist to mentally prepare his arguments before typing.
"We can have Bulma born as a mutant with the abilities that Vash possesses, a plant, but unlike him, it will be a gradual thing. As she gets older, since she won't have a growth spurt like the protagonist, she'll unlock things like the Angel Arm.
Let's say he trains, who knows? He might develop those abilities to go further. To justify her birth, we can say that her father, Doctor Brief, genetically engineered his wife, which is why the woman never ages.
Therefore, Tights, Bulma's sister, would also have some genetic advantages, but the special figure in the family would be Bulma.
Of course, it will always depend on whether Bulma wants to evolve along the path of constant fighting, but it would be an improvement to have our waifu always younger, smarter, and more active in the plot with her new abilities, wouldn't it?" the protagonist felt something strange at this point.
The AI hadn't responded to him, so he checked his modem, maybe his Internet was down or something, but everything was fine. Suddenly, a pop-up appeared on his screen, and as he read it, he almost thought it was a joke from some strange moderator.
[Would you like to assume the identity of the waifu you have upgraded?]
As a Chinese protagonist of recent years would say, "Is this a fucking joke?" our undefined-gendered protagonist muttered, because his life, or whatever it is, isn't interesting.
[No, it isn't].
The protagonist was afraid - was he being seen and heard? But his webcam had a black band on it! So he sat down in front of his computer, looking for a way to remove the pop-up, but found nothing, just another message.
[Your idea has interested certain superior people in the Omniverse who hope to see more fearless beings like you, even Bulma Prime is interested in the things you can accomplish as an alternate version of herself].
"Wait, what? Dude, you're going too far with the jokes," it was after saying that everything around the protagonist started to shake.
The walls became blurred, the space became twisted, the flow of time he experienced became completely distorted, and when he realized what had happened, he found himself in a strangely furnished room.
The protagonist was sitting on a black couch, and in front of him was what could be called a robot, holding a tablet made of light and constantly touching it while ignoring the protagonist.
"Uh... Hello?" said our protagonist, making the robot look at him.
"Ever since we regulated ROBs, illegal systems, and those reincarnation rooms, people have become skeptical, you're not the only person that makes me bring you here," said the robot with a woman's voice, and it sounded natural, it didn't seem to sound mechanical or strange like voices made with AI.
"I don't quite understand what you mean, isn't this something from fanfics?" the protagonist asked.
The robot's face crumpled humanely at his words, as if something he said was repulsive to it, something strange in a machine, but this entity seemed to be more than just a cold carcass, it seemed to be alive.
"Oh yes, fanfics flourished in the turbulent times of the Omniverse. Illegal systems, scam chat groups, those reincarnation rooms that looked like mining companies in third world countries, insanity.
Fortunately, things have been cleaned up, reincarnations are regulated, and even ROBs report their actions directly to the appropriate officials. You're lucky, if you were to reincarnate remotely, you wouldn't want your soul to be manipulated like that, would you?" the Ginoid explained calmly as he approached our protagonist.
The cold eyes of the machine looked at his body several times before it turned its attention back to his tablet, then it projected a holographic screen showing a character tab, it was Bulma, but if you read the contents, she had the changes he suggested.
"Your idea was interesting, much better than just putting a giant penis on your waifu for no reason. Poor Lamda, he read so much stupid stuff that he wanted to log off more often.
Here are the changes you asked for increased intellect, increased stamina, increased longevity, superior empathic ability, and control of vital energy, which in this case would be Ki.
Enhanced senses, superior reflexes, and you forgot enhanced concentration, but I did you the favor of adding that.
There is also the partial deformation of flesh or the so-called Angel Arm, but this and other special contents are blocked and will only be released when you reach a certain amount of energy.
This would be your improved version of Bulma, even the original said that with these advantages you could go further than her typical version in the Dragon Ball multiverse, but only if you accept it," the Ginoid explained to him carefully, making the protagonist think about the situation he was in.
"Does that mean that I will be reincarnated in the Dragon Ball world? Will I lose my memories? Do I have to accomplish some mission or something?" he asked, if he learned anything from reading such plots, it was that he shouldn't trust.
"That's why I hate the outer gods so much, they've done so many stupid things that the reincarnates don't believe us anymore," the machine sighed as if it was tired of similar situations.
"Yes, you will be reborn in Dragon Ball as this 'improved' Bulma. Your memory won't be lost, but you won't be affected, that is, you will grow up as a normal woman, unaffected by your previous memories, that is the standard mechanism of reincarnation.
But do not worry, you will not die so young. You will live your whole present life on Earth, you will forget this situation, and when you die, you will remember all this, so you will know that your new adventure has begun.
You don't have to do anything, you could even continue to live as the rich and carefree Bulma and ignore everything that happened because you are not going to a fictional world, but to a real one.
You are not obliged to follow the 'canon' as Bulma, you can be whatever you want", this explanation calmed the heart of our protagonist, who decided to accept it.
"Well, since you've mentally accepted it, there's nothing to say, live a good life," the Ginoid, having gotten the protagonist's mental approval, quickly pressed her tablet, so that she was soon alone in this room.
"This is getting more and more annoying, maybe I should ask that many-eyed guy for a bribe, his kids did a lot of shit in the chaotic era," the robot muttered before sending a message to a certain sleeping outer god.
"Ah, I'll go check out the reincarnated show, the season finale is coming up, that was certainly one of the best shows, all thanks to me of course," the gynoid said before sitting down on the couch and opening an app on her tablet.
The app was a streaming service, and none of the programs were special, showing a boy with a huge sword and a giant energy snake behind him, fighting unidentified enemies.
"Come on Seone, make me a lot of money!"
Thus began the adventure of an enhanced Bulma.
--------------------------------
AN: Yeah, I've had the idea to do my own Dragon Ball story for many years, but I just got the courage, and even though I'm going to be busy with college, it's not like I don't have days off to write 2,000 words in less than two hours.
Anyway, this and my other fanfics will be updated on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. I hope you enjoy it!