On a street that had become a zombie parade, a swirl of rainbow light tore through the air, and a figure stepped out as casually as if he were exiting a convenience store. The colorful portal vanished behind him without a trace.
Goku took one look at the shambling hordes and a wide grin split his face. "Zombies?! Seriously? I actually made it to High School of the Dead!"
With a flick of his wrist, Goku pointed a finger, and a focused beam of golden ki shot out, piercing the head of a nearby zombie with pinpoint accuracy. A small notification popped up in his vision: +1 Energy Point.
"Just one measly point? Talk about a rip-off!" Goku frowned, and his virtual system screen flickered to life in the corner of his eye. Energy Points: 9014. A portal icon to his home dimension was also visible, but it was stubbornly grayed out. The text beside it read: Requires 10,000 Energy Points to Return.
"So, only 986 more of these slowpokes to take down before I can head back to my Saiyan shenanigans?"
Goku strolled down the street, a leisurely pace that belied the chaos around him. Every time a gaggle of zombies shuffled his way, he'd simply wave a hand, and an invisible gust of ki would send them flying like bowling pins, each one adding a single digit to his energy count.
He cleared block after block, racking up the zombie kills. The energy to return to the Dragon Ball world was already within reach. But hey, a free trip to another dimension? You gotta do some sightseeing! Besides… if this really was "High School of the Dead," well, Goku wouldn't exactly mind "rescuing" a few of those… ahem… well-endowed beauties.
The sounds of his effortless zombie-dispatching were attracting more and more of the undead. But for Goku, these guys were less of a threat and more of a mild inconvenience. With a power level that made Raditz look like a Chiaotzu, these walking corpses couldn't even scratch his paint job.
Before he knew it, Goku found himself standing at the gates of a school. He squinted at the sign and a wide smile bloomed. "Fujimi High School! If my memory serves me right, that's where all the main characters from High School of the Dead went! Looks like I hit the jackpot!" The thought of those… ahem… memorable female characters sent a jolt of excitement through him. "Man, back when I first watched this, I had some serious… uh… appreciation for the artwork!"
Hearing the faint sounds of students reciting lessons from inside, Goku chuckled. "Still studying, huh? Looks like the zombie party hasn't fully crashed this place yet! So the plot hasn't even properly kicked off? Hehe! Talk about perfect timing!" With a casual jump that would make Krillin jealous, Goku hopped over the school gates and sauntered towards the main building.
Unseen by him, the growing horde of zombies he'd inadvertently led were closing in on the school grounds…
The first zombie, a shambling figure with a gaping hole in its lower back (clearly not a fashion statement), reached the iron gates. It stretched out its decaying hands and began banging against the metal, seemingly oblivious to the solid barrier.
Four teachers – three nervous-looking guys and one strikingly beautiful woman with glasses – hurried towards the commotion. The bespectacled teacher adjusted her glasses and said, her voice laced with annoyance, "Sir, can I help you?"
A bald teacher clutching a fork like a weapon sputtered indignantly, "Please stop this ridiculous behavior!" His trembling posture, however, screamed anything but bravery.
The "sir" at the gate, of course, continued his rhythmic banging. Duh, he was a zombie! Did they miss the gaping wound?
"Please stop! Or I'll call the police!" The beautiful teacher's voice rose in frustration.
A male teacher, puffed up with misplaced confidence, stepped in front of her. "Alright, alright, Teacher Lin… no need for the fuzz! I'll handle this!" He dramatically rolled up his sleeves and swaggered towards the undead intruder.
He grabbed the zombie's collar in what he clearly thought was a "badass" move and yanked hard, causing the zombie's head to smack against the iron bars. But the zombie remained unfazed, continuing its head-banging concert, the sickening thud echoing through the air. The male teacher's bravado quickly evaporated, his face contorting with effort as he tried and failed to stop the relentless assault.
The beautiful teacher, Lin-sensei, immediately called out, "Wait, Teshima-sensei! Please don't use violence!"
"No, it's this guy's strength…" Teshima-sensei stammered, his face paling.
Suddenly, the zombie's teeth clamped down on his wrist, a sickening crunch followed by a spray of blood. Teshima-sensei let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"Aaaaargh! My hand! Waaaaaah!"
"Hurry… call… call the police…"
"Teshima-sensei! Stop it!"
"The flesh… it bit off the flesh!…"
Lin-sensei stumbled backward, collapsing to the ground, her face a mask of horror. The bald teacher rushed forward, grabbing Teshima's mangled arm. "Quickly! Stop the bleeding! Someone, get the school doctor! Juchuan-sensei!"
"Call the police! And an ambulance!"
"Teshima-sensei, please hang in there… No! The bleeding won't stop!"
After a few more agonizing screams, Teshima-sensei fell silent. A wave of horrified realization washed over the remaining teachers. The bald teacher stared, his eyes wide with terror. "Dead? He's… dead…"
Lin-sensei covered her mouth with trembling hands, her face a picture of utter disbelief. "H-how… how could this happen…?"
"Huh?" The repeated screams were like a dinner bell to Goku's Saiyan ears. He'd already reached the third-floor corridor and peered out in the direction of the commotion. He watched the scene unfold – the zombie sinking its teeth into the teacher – and his brow furrowed. "This… this looks familiar… Oh yeah! This is the start of the zombie outbreak in the first episode of High School of the Dead, right? So the party's already started?"
Goku's gaze shifted, landing on the beautiful Teacher Lin. His eyes instantly lit up. "Whoa! She's a real looker! If I remember correctly, she… kinda gets chomped later, right? Man, what a waste of beauty! Alright then, time for a little Goku-style rescue mission!"
Suddenly, Teshima-sensei's fingers twitched. His eyes snapped open, bulging and bloodshot, his face contorted into a terrifyingly grotesque mask.
"Teshima-sensei! You're okay! Teshima-sensei! Thank goodness!" Lin-sensei cried out, relief washing over her. But then, Teshima-sensei lurched forward, grabbing her by the collar and sinking his teeth into her neck!
"AAAAAH!" Lin-sensei's scream was ear-splitting. But instead of pain, she felt a rush of wind, as if she were being lifted into the air. Confused, she opened her eyes, and her pretty face instantly flushed crimson. She found herself cradled in a princess carry by a ridiculously handsome young man. The feel of his strong arms around her, the solidness of his chest, the intoxicatingly masculine scent… her heart hammered against her ribs.
"Aaaah!" Another scream pierced the air, jolting Lin-sensei from her daze. She tilted her head, her eyes widening in horror. "W-what… what happened…?" She saw the reanimated Teshima-sensei throwing the bald teacher to the ground and tearing into him with savage ferocity. The remaining male teacher stood frozen, his legs trembling uncontrollably, his face a mask of pure terror. Before he could react, the two zombies descended upon him.
"W-what… what's going on? Why… why did they turn into… that?" Lin-sensei stared at the bitten teachers, now standing and attacking, her body trembling violently.
"They're zombies! Brain-munching, world-ending zombies! There's no saving them now!" Goku gently lowered Lin-sensei to her feet, picked up the discarded fork, and with a casual flick, sent it flying. It struck the four approaching zombies in the head with the force of a small meteor, their skulls shattering against the iron gates.
Lin-sensei's eyes rolled back, and she promptly fainted. Goku caught her again, shaking his head. "Man, talk about a glass cannon! No wonder she's just a supporting character! But… wait a sec. Where's Komuro Takashi supposed to be? Wasn't he watching all this unfold from that balcony in the anime? Did my grand entrance cause some kind of… butterfly effect?"
As a matter of fact, Goku was spot-on. His arrival had inadvertently fast-forwarded the plot by a good half-hour, and Komuro Takashi was currently still stuck in class, probably daydreaming about… well, who knows what teenage boys daydream about?
After a quick pinch to Lin-sensei's pressure point and a subtle injection of his own ki, the beautiful teacher slowly blinked awake… But the sight that greeted her at the school gates sent her stomach into violent convulsions. She promptly turned and emptied her lunch.
Goku watched the ever-growing horde of zombies slamming against the school gates, a helpless shrug escaping his lips. "Looks like I really messed with the script! Hehe! Didn't see this many zombies attacking the school in the anime!"
He patted Lin-sensei on the back. "You done with the… uh… redecorating? If so, we should probably vamoose before things get a little… crowded."
Lin-sensei looked up at the seething mass of undead outside and her face drained of color. "Th-that… that group… are they all…?"
"Yep! One hundred percent certified, grade-A zombies! Welcome to the apocalypse, lady! The world's gone full-on zombie buffet! Humanity's about to become an endangered species!"
"H-how… how is this even possible…?" Lin-sensei still looked utterly incredulous. "Zombies… they only exist in movies… right? Could this be… the Black Death… all over again?"
"Listen, now's not exactly story time! Let's bail, pronto!" Goku said lightly, eyeing the iron gates groaning under the relentless zombie assault.
Terror finally overriding her disbelief, Lin-sensei scrambled to her feet, clutching Goku's right arm and hiding behind him. "Then… where do we go?"
"Take me to the infirmary! We're gonna need a doctor with us…" Of course, this was just a thinly veiled excuse Goku had cooked up to… "recruit" a certain busty school nurse.
"Okay! Please… follow me!" The beautiful teacher, thankfully not questioning his sudden medical expertise, led the way, practically dragging Goku towards the school's medical wing.
In a mere five or six minutes, the school was completely surrounded by a sea of groaning undead. Some had even managed to breach the outer walls, shambling onto the campus. And from within the school, the occasional terrified scream echoed through the halls…
Author's Note:
Alright, folks! Hope you enjoyed Goku's… spirited arrival in the world of High School of the Dead! Things are definitely taking a slightly different turn than in the original anime, wouldn't you say? 😉
Stay tuned for the next chapter, where Goku will undoubtedly put his unique charm to good use as he "secures" the assistance of a certain school nurse. Will he manage to keep his hands to himself? Will he accidentally cause a school-wide zombie outbreak (again)? And will he ever stop making inappropriate comments at the worst possible times? Find out next time! 🍜✨