3 Chapter 3 – THE MASTERPLAN

As the sun slowly descended below the horizon, a warm, golden hue was cast over Ajax, who had draped himself haphazardly on the soft surface of the couch. While his gaze remained blankly fixed on the ceiling, his thoughts were tethered to the scattered pages of notes strewn across the coffee table beside him.

Casually, Ajax reached out and plucked a crumpled ball of paper from the table beside him. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it spinning into the air, deftly catching it on its descent, and repeating the motion absentmindedly.

Ajax's brow furrowed in thought as he mentally sifted through the intricate steps of his plan. Ironically, the primary obstacle seems to be his heritage as a human. Not for the first time, Ajax couldn't help but think that everything would be infinitely easier if he could just wish himself to be a Saiyan. The various Super Saiyan transformations are a direct path to power that would simplify everything by a ridiculous amount. Even the realms of the Gods have been perfectly planned out for him with the existence of the Super Saiyan God and Blue forms. A human in contrast is just… inferior? 

However, Ajax couldn't escape the truth: he didn't know if such a wish could be granted, given his limited understanding of the Dragon Balls' full range of capabilities. The uncertainty gnawed at him constantly, until he finally made the calculated decision to take the safer route. He diligently drafted two versions of his plan, one tailored for a Saiyan and the other for a human, each path filled with its own set of challenges and opportunities.

Unsurprisingly, one path proved to be significantly more challenging than the other. After all, once the Saiyan arc passed, even the mightiest of humans found themselves relegated to the roles of distractions and cannon fodder, unable to stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Frieza, Cell, and Buu, much less impossibly formidable adversaries like Beerus, Zamasu, and Jiren. As to what comes after that, Ajax is as blind as the rest; after all, his knowledge is limited to the end of the Tournament of Power, plus the Broly movie. That distant future, however, is something for future Ajax to fret over.

Ajax let out a noise of frustration when he realized that the human plan would demand an impeccably meticulous execution. To achieve the desired outcome, certain parts of the plan simply cannot go wrong. At those critical sections, there is zero margin for error. Despite his frustration, a slight smile formed on Ajax's lips. Because while the plan still required extensive refinement and polishing, it appeared feasible even in the early stages of its creation. It's simply incredibly difficult, not impossible.

Ajax caught the crumpled paper ball once more and tossed it aside. He swung his legs over the edge of the sofa and shifted his focus to the two neatly laid-out pages before him. Hours upon hours of painstaking writing and strategization had been condensed into concise bullet points, each representing a plan for a potential future. His plans. No, these masterpieces can no longer be described with a word as elementary as plan. It's a master plan! No, it's  The Master Plan!

Ajax's lips curled into a proud smile; his eyes fixated on those two sheets of paper.

"Henceforth, you two shall be known as 'THE MASTERPLAN'!"

Ajax's eyes flicked past THE MASTERPLAN to the 23rd Tenkaichi Budōkai poster resting on the table. Before he could delve further into his strategies, there was an experiment he felt compelled to perform. With a surge of excitement, Ajax sprang to his feet and strode purposefully to the center of the living room. This was the moment he had been waiting for, a dream shared by countless boys, teenagers, and men who had grown up with Dragon Ball. This is it, the first step of his journey!

Taking a crouched stance, Ajax closed his eyes, positioning his two hands near his waist, held slightly apart, as though cradling an invisible sphere. He drew in deep breaths, attempting to clear his mind completely, to peer within himself and detect even the faintest spark of power or energy. Ajax's expression shifted as he sensed something profound stirring within. It was a peculiar sensation, a subtle movement deep within his core. Flexing various muscles, he endeavored to capture and control this newfound energy.

Ajax began to chant, his eyes tightly shut, his entire frame quivering with excitement. "KAA-MEE-HAA-MEE..." The words reverberated through the room as he focused intently. He can feel it, the potent energy surging through him! His heart pounded with exhilaration, and in that heated moment, he let out a resounding battle cry, "HAAAA!"

And with that inspiring battle cry, Ajax released a truly impressive blast from his rear end, his shorts billowing from the sheer force of the fart. As the rather unfortunate wet sound filled the room, Ajax, red-faced and wide-eyed in mortification, felt his entire body locking up in sheer embarrassment. That powerful sensation, that surge of energy… it was just gas?

"Shit..." Ajax muttered, his face sinking into his palms, feeling like an utter fool. Embarrassment flushed his cheeks, making his hands feel cool against the warmth of his skin. "Of course, I won't be able to fire one immediately! I couldn't even sense Ki yet!"

And worse yet, if he somehow managed to succeed, where would the blast go? Ajax winced at the mental image of his own Kamehameha wreaking havoc on the apartment complex. He REALLY did not think this one through, and to add insult to injury, a sharp twinge of pain radiated from his chest.

"Well, that was disappointing," Ajax mumbled to himself, absently scratching his still-reddened cheeks. Good thing no one was here to see him!

Already attempting to purge all related memories from his mind, Ajax turned away and made his way toward the bedroom, the failure not dampening his optimism in the slightest. He needed to get a good night's sleep because his grand plan would officially commence tomorrow, bright and early!

***

The landscape rolled past the bus window as Ajax leaned his head against the glass, lost in the intricacies of his plan. His small backpack rested on his lap, held tightly against his chest as his eyes scanned the passing houses and vehicles, registering them only peripherally.

Ajax mulled over his current course of action. The first major objective, an absolute must, was securing the Dragon Balls. This was the linchpin of both his plans as the start of both hinges on him making a wish. Unfortunately, considering he is currently a bankrupt, frail Earthling child with no martial knowledge or ki control, he had very few resources at his disposal. However, the solution for that is rather simple. If he doesn't have any resources of his own, then he would just have to utilize someone else's resources. To that end, he had set specific sub-objectives for himself. Chief among them was establishing contact with the main cast, and more specifically, winning Bulma's favor to gain access to the Dragon Radar.

Ajax faced a considerable hurdle, though. Despite his fondness for the Dragon Ball Universe, he wasn't intimately familiar with its topography and had no idea where to find anyone relevant. Well, almost no idea, because there are two exceptions. The first was Kame House, which he knows is located on an island somewhere in the ocean. The second, and by far the more accessible, was Capsule Corporation headquarters, which location should be public knowledge given its prominence. In this regard, Ajax had struck gold twice. Firstly, his apartment happened to be in West City, the same city as Capsule Corporation. Great. Secondly, Capsule Corporation's location was apparently household knowledge because the first random bloke he asked knew where it was. Double great.

Now, this is where Ajax encountered the first true obstacle in his plan. Currently, he is an absolute nobody, while Bulma, on the other hand, is the heiress of one of the most successful and influential corporations in the world. There was practically nothing he could offer her in exchange for her assistance that she didn't already possess or couldn't easily obtain. Ajax couldn't help but grimace at the thought. It seemed he had no choice but to set aside the tattered remains of his pride and play the pity card. What worked in his favor, though, was that Ajax's pity story is certified non-GMO and organic, given that it's a literal copy of young Ajax's 100% authentic tragic backstory. What makes it even better is that young Ajax's dreams and aspirations are also aligned perfectly with his own objectives. 

The bus came to an abrupt halt, and a mechanical voice blared through the intercom, announcing their current stop. Ajax rose from his seat, slinging his backpack over his shoulder, and deftly squeezed his way through the dense crowd of passengers, disembarking from the bus. With a low hum, the bus resumed its journey, traveling down the bustling street, revealing the awe-inspiring sight of Capsule Corporation headquarters.

"The series really didn't do it justice," he mused, gazing upon the colossal structure, eyes wide with wonder. "It's so freaking big!"

His attention shifted to the entrance of Capsule Corps, a somewhat underwhelming contrast to the splendor and sheer size of the rest of the building. It appeared as nothing more than a gap in the fence encircling the entire city mega-block upon which the structure stood. Above this entrance, the large words "Capsule Corporation" were etched onto a stone arch.

What struck Ajax as odd, however, was the conspicuous absence of any guards or security measures. There was nothing to deter him, or anyone, from simply walking in. He paused at the entrance, searching for an intercom, a buzzer, or anything that could announce his presence, but came up empty-handed. With a mental shrug, he surveyed the area and cautiously took his first step onto the grounds of Capsule Corps. Seeing no activity nor any alarm of any kind blaring, Ajax proceeded towards the front entrance of the building. However, midway to his destination, his attention was abruptly caught elsewhere as from the corner of his eye, a mechanical drone soared into view, hovering in his path.

"Unidentified personnel detected. Please provide appropriate identification or remove yourself from the premises." the drone declared; its synthetic voice devoid of any emotion.

"I'm here to see the smartest man, or woman, in the world." Ajax attempted to explain to the drone.

However, the drone remained unresponsive, seemingly incapable of comprehending or perhaps intentionally ignoring his words. Ajax would bet his freaking right nipple on the latter.

"Kindly exit the premises immediately, or further measures will be enforced." As it spoke, the front of the drone unfolded, revealing a taser that crackled menacingly with electricity. It advanced toward Ajax, a threatening movement in of itself, though it still refrained from invading his personal space.

The drone progressively approached, forcing Ajax to backtrack his steps. He retreated until he stood just outside the entrance, the drone following him closely, the occasional electric spark from its taser serving as a reminder of the potential consequences.

Ajax, now standing at the entrance of Capsule Corporation, faced the drone, which had now retracted its taser back into its metallic frame. Its mechanical monotone repeated the same demand once more. "Please vacate the premises."

Ajax's eyes flickered past the drone and briefly considered breaking onto Capsule Corps grounds by force. However, it didn't take him long to realize that it was an utterly stupid idea. After all, he does not know the number of drones still in reserve, has no assurance that he could outrun them, nor has any insight regarding their potentially more lethal capabilities. Even if he managed to reach the front entrance of the building, there was no guarantee that the door would grant him entry.

Ajax clenched his jaw, his frustration evident. This was the very first step of THE MASTERPLAN and he couldn't afford to back down now, not at the very first junction. Ajax's mind desperately raced for a solution. He repeated his request to the unmoving drone, his voice infused with more determination. "I need to see the smartest man or woman in the world."

As expected, the drone remained unresponsive, its presence and silence unwavering. It hovered at eye level with Ajax and waited for him to leave unyieldingly, not moving a single inch.

At this, Ajax narrowed his eyes, a thoughtful expression settling over his face. It became evident that this drone wasn't going to budge until he departed from the premises as requested. A realization dawned on him – this meant that this drone was likely relaying footage of the ongoing events inside, meaning someone, at some point, would be watching. With this newfound insight, Ajax made a bold decision. He plopped himself to the ground, sitting right in front of the imposing entrance to Capsule Corporation.

The drone followed his descent, lowering itself to eye level with the now-seated Ajax. Characteristically, it remained silent, offering no further response, an unyielding sentinel in every sense of the word.

Ajax couldn't help but be amused by the drone's behavior. "I must've moved beyond its detection range, but it's clever enough to know I didn't leave," he said quietly to himself.

However, his amusement quickly gave way to a steely determination. If they wanted to play a waiting game, he was more than willing to oblige. His eyes narrowed with resolve. It's true he wanted to play the pity card, so now, he'll play it all the way. Ajax decided then and there that he would sit here, waiting unwaveringly. Whether it rained, hailed, or even if he fell unconscious, he would remain in this spot until someone emerged from Capsule Corporation. He'll play this game to the end; in fact, he'll stake his life on it!

And so, Ajax waited.