Chapter 3: Am I Not Dead?

John's House

As John immersed himself in the whirlwind of emotions brought by the new direction of Dragon Ball, a sudden flash at the window tore him from his concentration. A purple light, shimmering with golden hues, gleamed intensely at the top of a hill near his house. For a brief moment, the light seemed to dance atop the hill, like a flare shot into the sky, but something about it unsettled him. He frowned, watching closely.

"This is... Hmm..." he thought, observing the mysterious glow until it vanished in the blink of an eye. "Maybe it's a flare, though I don't remember ever seeing one in that color." For a moment, the image of the old man he had rescued crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. "Nah, he's probably home by now."

Shrugging, John went back to what he was doing and searched for the anime series he wanted to watch on his platform. When he found it, a smile spread across his face—twenty episodes of pure adrenaline awaited him. Excited, he got up and grabbed a selection of chips, snacks, gummies, and sodas from his pantry. Settling onto the couch, he kicked off a sleepless night, completely absorbed in the story.

What he didn't know was that ignoring that purple light would change his destiny forever...

Several Hours Later...

John: "I can't believe it! Everything went to hell! Hahaha! SSJ4 is canon! The most awesome version is canon! Although..."—he leaned toward the screen—"I don't like that their hands are so big. But still, it's amazing! And Vegeta SSJ3... now that's a surprise!"

Lost in his excitement, he didn't notice when sleep finally overtook him.

The Next Morning...

The blaring sound of the alarm clock echoed through the room.

"Mmm... It's 10 a.m.! Oh, shit, I'm super late to see Professor Osborn! Class started at 9:30 a.m.!"

(Background music: Before Every Load - RuditheRaven Remix)

With a desperate leap, John shot out of bed and started getting dressed in a hurry. He grabbed the first clothes he could find, not caring about the details. He stuffed some fruit into his backpack and ran to the garage, where his motorcycle awaited him.

It was a masterpiece of Japanese engineering—a black Kitsune with red accents and white side stripes. He had won the bike at an auction and meticulously restored it. John loved the thrill of riding, and this morning would be no exception.

He put on his helmet, revved the engine, and sped off toward the university. His riding skills were on full display as he took shortcuts through narrow and dangerous streets, weaving between cars with precision. The only thing on his mind was getting there as fast as possible.

Suddenly, he decided to take an unknown forest path, accelerating even more. Midway, he descended a steep slope, trusting the bike's special tires to land safely on a secluded road outside the city.

He spotted his university in the distance and estimated he would arrive in two minutes. But then, out of nowhere, a little girl—no older than four—ran recklessly into the middle of the traffic.

John's heart stopped for a second.

"Shit!"

He thought fast. Braking wasn't an option, so he did the unthinkable—he sped up. At the last moment, he leaned forward, stretched out his left hand, and grabbed the girl by her clothes. With superhuman strength, he lifted her into the air, pulling her out of danger in a scene straight out of an action movie.

But here was the problem: that wasn't physically possible.

The speed, the force, the impact... Any normal person would have had their arm ripped apart—or worse, the girl would have suffered fatal injuries. But she was fine. As if reality itself had decided to ignore the laws of physics just for a moment.

Before he could process what had happened, John saw another truck speeding toward them.

"Hahaha... Looks like Truck-kun wants to kill us and send us to an isekai, kid."

With a graceful move, he dodged the truck and parked in front of the university gate. Truck-kun, on the other hand, crashed into a wall. The little girl burst into tears, but John was no longer paying attention. He had bigger concerns—he was late for class!

He secured his bike with a lock and sprinted toward Building H. He took the stairs two at a time until he reached his classroom. To his surprise, the room was empty except for one girl.

Dressed in a black shirt, red skirt, dark tights, and red sneakers, her deep red hair and piercing eyes gave her a dangerous yet exotic look. Mary Jane.

"Hey, Mary Jane. Nice to see the most beautiful girl in class," John said sarcastically.

She responded with a mock pout.

"Trash."

Since childhood, John and Mary Jane had never really gotten along, but that didn't stop them from being friends. They knew each other too well to take things seriously.

"Where is everyone?" he asked, confused by the empty classroom.

"They left quickly. Professor Osborn seemed to be waiting for someone, and when they didn't show up, he ended class early," she said with a sly smile.

Before John could complain, the university's earthquake alarms started blaring. Both rushed outside to the nearest courtyard. The ground trembled beneath them.

They exchanged worried glances.

They lived in a region surrounded by volcanoes...

If these tremors triggered an eruption, the entire city could be buried in lava and toxic gases.