Chapter 3: Five Bad Options
Kaia folded her hands on the desk and looked at Ethan like he was a paperwork inconvenience that had somehow developed opinions.
"There has been a clerical error," she said flatly. "You were terminated in place of a different Ethan Cole. The correct target is still alive. Unfortunately, you are not."
"No shit," Ethan muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "I noticed the triple homicide by eighteen wheeler."
She ignored that. "Because the mistake originated from our enforcement division, I spoke to my supervisor. An exception has been granted. You may return to life."
Ethan blinked. "Return return? Like back to New York?"
"No. Not your original world. That is closed to you." She tapped her device. "You will be placed into an existing body. Younger than your age at death. You will assume that identity entirely. Their timeline. Their world."
He leaned back slowly. "So I get isekai'd anyway."
"If you insist on using that word, yes."
A holographic screen flared to life between them. Five figures rotated slowly in mid air like character selection screens from a game.
Ethan leaned forward.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me."
Kaia read from the display.
"Son Goku. Age twelve."
A small spiky haired kid with a tail appeared, grinning, holding a staff.
"Monkey D. Luffy. Age seventeen."
Straw hat. Big smile. Scar under the eye.
"Ichigo Kurosaki. Age sixteen."
Orange hair. Sword bigger than his torso.
"Naruto Uzumaki. Age fifteen."
Blond hair. Whisker marks.
"Niklaus Mikaelson. Age one thousand eleven."
An image of a handsome, dangerous looking man with cold eyes and old world arrogance.
Ethan stared at the lineup.
"You are telling me I get to pick," he said slowly.
"Yes."
He stood up and walked closer to the projections like he was examining used cars.
"Twelve year old Goku," he muttered. "That is the beginning. That is when he meets Bulma. Start of Dragon Ball."
He exhaled sharply.
Dragon Ball.
His childhood. His religion. He knew that series like scripture. Every arc. Every villain. Every power up. Saiyans. Frieza. Cell. Buu. Gods. Angels. Multiverse.
For a second his chest tightened with excitement.
"I could be Goku," he whispered.
Kaia said nothing.
He imagined it. Training with meta knowledge. Avoiding early mistakes. Speed running power ups. Becoming a monster before Frieza even blinked.
Then another thought crept in.
"Yeah but that universe is insane," he said out loud. "Anyone can blow up a planet. Literally anyone. Some purple space lizard gets annoyed and boom Earth is gone. Then there are gods. Angels. That little blue kid who erases entire universes like it is a hobby."
He rubbed his face. "Even if I train perfectly, there is always someone stronger. Always some new asshole who can wipe timelines by blinking."
He looked back at Goku's projection.
"That is my ultimate fantasy," he admitted quietly. "But as a life? That is scary as fuck."
He moved to the next one.
"Luffy. Seventeen. Pre timeskip."
He grinned.
"Okay. Now we are talking."
One Piece he knew almost as well as Dragon Ball. Not scripture level. But close. He knew arcs. He knew villains. He knew secrets. Sun God Nika. The truth about the fruit. The world government. The big players.
"Waifu potential is off the charts," he muttered. "Nami. Robin. Boa. Vivi. The list goes on."
Kaia raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
He nodded slowly. "Power scale is high but not planet exploding every Tuesday high. You can actually survive if you are smart."
He moved on.
"Naruto. Fifteen."
He grimaced.
"Being a ninja would be cool as hell. Chakra. Shadow clones. Sage mode. That is dope."
He paused.
"Waifu potential though?" He made a face. "Basically zero. Hinata is there but no thanks. I do not need shy stalker energy for eternity."
Kaia gave him a long look. "Your priorities are fascinating."
"I am being honest," he shot back.
He turned to Ichigo.
"Bleach."
He squinted. "Powers are sick. Bankai. Hollow forms. Soul reaper stuff. But I watched it twice. Years ago. My knowledge is shaky at best. I would be walking into death blind."
He scratched his chin. "Waifu situation is decent. Better than Naruto. Not One Piece level."
Finally his eyes landed on Niklaus Mikaelson.
"One thousand eleven years old," Ethan muttered. "So that could be either Vampire Diaries era or The Originals. Not totally sure."
The projection showed Klaus standing in a suit, eyes cold, power radiating.
"Immortal vampire hybrid. Magic in the world. Compulsion. Strength. That is tempting as hell."
He paced slowly.
"Waifu potential is second only to One Piece. Probably. And being immortal is a pretty big perk."
He stopped pacing.
"But drinking blood," he said, shaking his head. "Not really my thing. Also that world is drama heavy. Emotional manipulation for centuries. I do not know if I want to be that guy."
He walked back to Goku and stared at the projection again.
Ki blasts. Transformations. Super Saiyan. Ultra Instinct. Gods of destruction. The Tournament of Power.
His heart pounded.
'This is the dream.'
He imagined flying. Blasting mountains apart. Training under gods.
Then he imagined Frieza casually destroying Planet Vegeta. Beerus yawning and erasing cities. Zeno smiling and wiping out universes like he was bored in class.
Entire timelines gone.
"As a fantasy," Ethan whispered, "Dragon Ball is undefeated."
He looked at Kaia.
"But as a life? That is chaos. That is living in a world where extinction is one bad mood away."
He turned to Luffy's projection.
Sun God Nika.
Freedom.
Adventure.
Pirates instead of galactic tyrants.
Danger, yes. But not universal erasure levels of danger every other arc.
He smiled slowly.
"I can accept being Nika."
Kaia crossed her arms. "You have made your decision?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
She studied him carefully. "If you choose, there will not be another correction. No further exceptions. Unless another catastrophic administrative error occurs, this is permanent."
He glanced once more at Goku.
Ki blasts flashed in his mind. The roar of power ups. The fantasy he had loved since childhood.
Then he imagined a small blue child erasing existence with a laugh.
He swallowed.
"Yeah," he said firmly. "I am sure."
He looked Kaia dead in the eyes.
"I choose Monkey D. Luffy."