The world was dark.

A suffocating void, like the moments before waking from a deep slumber, stretched out endlessly.

Then, all at once, awareness slammed into me. A flood of sensations, memories, and... power. My body no, it wasn't mine it was alien. Muscles unfamiliar but strong. A tail twitching behind me. The smell of earth, blood, and something familiar. I opened my eyes, but the harsh light blinded me for a moment, forcing me to squint as my mind tried to piece everything together.

A strange voice my own? echoed in my ears. "Where am I? What is this...?"

I looked down. Black armor, battle-worn and cracked. A gaunt, muscular frame, easily six feet tall. A tail flickered behind me an unmistakable symbol of my new form: a Saiyan.

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

Raditz.

The memories rushed back: the battle with Goku, my defeat, my mission to bring Goku to the dark side, and the knowledge that I was, once, a mere pawn in a much bigger game. But now, I was Raditz. The older brother of Kakarot, the man who would one day face a tragic fate.

I clutched my head, feeling dizzy as my previous life as a fan of Dragon Ball merged with my current existence. My heart raced. This wasn't supposed to happen. I'd read about the Saiyan saga, lived through it, watched the anime countless times. But now, I was a part of it trapped in the body of a villain with an uncertain future.

"What the hell?" I murmured, my voice strange to my ears. It was deeper, rougher than I remembered.

My mind raced, analyzing everything. I could feel the faint trace of power within me power levels but it wasn't much, not compared to the titans of the universe like Goku or Vegeta. I was just a footnote in the history of Dragon Ball, a tragic failure who was crushed under the weight of the Saiyan pride.

But not anymore.

I had a chance. A chance to rewrite my story. A chance to change everything.

The question was: What the hell was I going to do with it?

I looked around, spotting the remains of a crashed space pod in the distance. My memories told me it was the ship I'd arrived in, the vessel that would take me to Earth to recruit Kakarot. Instead of a simple mission, I'd triggered a war that would end in my death.

But now... Now I had an opportunity to do things differently.

I flexed my arms, feeling the raw power coursing through me. I wasn't sure how long I had before the inevitable encounter with Goku and Piccolo, but I'd have to act quickly.

The old Raditz would have charged headfirst into conflict, eager to prove himself to the Saiyan hierarchy. But I wasn't that fool anymore. I had knowledge of the future knowledge that could change the outcome of everything.

I had to be smart.

I would rise above the fate set for me. I would become stronger. I would no longer be the forgettable, expendable brother of Goku. I would make my own legacy.

But first, I needed to survive.

With newfound resolve, I straightened up, my eyes locking onto the horizon where Earth lay my brother's home. My mission had changed.

I would be more than just Raditz.

And if I had to, I'd even save my brother.

The journey to the pod wasn't long, but every step hammered home the reality of my new body. My tail swayed behind me, its movements instinctive and alien. I couldn't stop running my hands over the armor the rough texture, the jagged edges of the cracks. It felt real. Too real.

By the time I reached the pod, my instincts had settled into a strange, uneasy calm. It was like my body already knew how to handle itself, even if my mind hadn't caught up yet.

The pod's hatch was ajar, smoke still rising from its engines. I leaned in, scanning the inside. The controls were shattered, the navigation systems fried. Typical. Still, the scouter lying on the seat was intact.

I picked it up, the familiar green lens sparking memories of all the times I'd seen Raditz use it. As I slid the scouter over my ear, the device hummed to life, displaying numbers and readings in sharp green text across my vision.

Power Level: 5.

I frowned. That was pathetic, even for Earthlings. Then I realized the scouter wasn't pointing at me. It was scanning something nearby a dinosaur running across the charred landscape. I let out a chuckle, my first real reaction to this insane situation.

"Alright," I muttered, my voice still jarring to hear, "this thing works. That's a start."

The scouter automatically recalibrated, and this time it locked onto me. My power level appeared: 1,500. I felt a rush of conflicting emotions. Raditz had always been considered weak by Saiyan standards, and this number hammered that home. But to me, coming from an ordinary human life, this power was incredible. My fists clenched, a tingling energy radiating through my fingertips.

I turned my attention to the pod. The comms were beyond repair, but I knew the basics of Saiyan tech from watching the series. The scouter might still be able to connect to the rest of the Saiyan forces Vegeta and Nappa specifically.

The thought made my chest tighten. I was playing with fire. Contacting them could make me a target, or worse, drag me into a fight I wasn't ready for. But ignoring them might leave me stranded, with no allies and no plan.

"Think, think," I muttered. My mind raced through every scenario I could remember from the show. I knew what was coming. Within days maybe hours I'd face Goku and Piccolo. If I charged in like the old Raditz, I'd die. No question about it.

But what if I didn't?

What if I used my knowledge to survive? To grow stronger? To change everything?

I slammed the pod's hatch shut and stepped back, staring at the sky. Somewhere out there, my so-called brother, Kakarot, was living his peaceful Earthling life, unaware of the storm heading his way. I wasn't ready to face him yet not without a plan.

The scouter beeped, pulling me from my thoughts. A faint signal appeared in the distance, flickering in and out of range. It was weak, but it wasn't Earthling technology. My stomach tightened. Another Saiyan pod?

"Could it be... Vegeta or Nappa?" I whispered. If it was, I was screwed. If it wasn't, I might have a chance to investigate without raising suspicions.

The signal blinked again, further east, toward a mountainous region I recognized from the show. It wasn't far from Goku's location.

My tail swished behind me as I weighed my options. Stay and train? Investigate the signal? Or take the fight to Kakarot now and hope for the best?

My fingers brushed the edge of the scouter, its cold metal a stark reminder of the stakes. Whatever I decided, I had to act fast. The timeline of this world wasn't going to wait for me to catch up.

For now, one thing was clear: if I wanted to survive in this universe, I'd need to do what Saiyans do best.

Adapt. Fight. And win.