Mr. Popo's Bootcamp (21.1)

Game

Thoughts

"Talking"

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Another one fell, Mr. Popo," Kami said, his voice far too calm.

"Toss her in the pile." 

Gray grunted as the weight on his back became heavier, and Saeko's body slumped onto his back. 

Why does it have to be fucking abridged Popo?!

As if he could hear his thoughts, Mr. Popo's voice rang out, "Faster, Maggot!"

The ground became closer as Gray fell down a bit quicker, then pushed himself back up again, completing what felt like the millionth pushup of the day. He'd lost count sometime after pushup number 100,000.

"Not failing already, are you?" A slightly smug voice came from his side. Piccolo was a few feet to the right of him, also doing endless pushups. The man was faring much better than Gray, as he still had his training cloak on and was barely sweating. Gray ignored him, focusing on his pushups.

The sun shone down brightly on his shirtless back, illuminating his sweat-drenched body as it started it's descent into dusk. Earlier that day, there'd been seven of them participating in Mr. Popo's 'boot camp:' Gray, Saeko, Asuna, Celia, Ranfan, Nam, and Piccolo. 

Over the course of multiple hours, that number had reduced to two. Ranfan had fallen first - her arms giving out and her body slumping. A moment later, Mr. Popo chucked the girl onto Gray's back to act as a weight. After Ranfan was Nam, who was thankfully given to Piccolo as a weight.

That was when Gray made his biggest mistake. Piccolo had made a snide remark when Ranfan was tossed onto his back, and Gray couldn't resist making one in return. Apparently, even though everyone in Mr. Popo's boot camp was lower than dirt, Piccolo still ranked higher than him.

Celia had fallen next and was tossed on top of Ranfan. Then came Asuna soon after. Finally, Saeko had just joined the pile, making Gray's human-weight stack up to four while Piccolo only had one.

"Faster, Maggot." 

Gray groaned, his arms moving quicker. If a normal person was looking at the two men, they would've just seen a blur from how rapidly their bodies were moving up and down.

"Do your arms hurt, Maggot?" Mr. Popo asked. His voice never changed in pitch or tone, and Gray wasn't sure if he was mocking him at this point.

"Yeah," Gray answered honestly and regretted it instantly.

"Then you can still feel them, Maggot. You're not going fast enough. Faster, Maggot."

"Ok…" Gray groaned, moving his body even faster. Even with his super-human body, his arms were still aching from the countless pushups.

Meeting Mr. Popo was entirely different from seeing him on a screen. In the abridged series, Popo had been scary based on pure aura. He realistically wasn't as strong as any of the Z-Fighters (Or maybe he was? Gray doesn't fucking know anymore), and yet they still just let him order them around and force them to train until they almost died. Gray had thought that it made sense at the time - they were facing a planet-ending threat, so they allowed themselves to be ordered around so they could become stronger. Gray knew that wasn't true now.

"Not fast enough, Maggot."

[Mr. Popo] has used [Trainer's Authority on you!]

When this had appeared earlier, Gray had used observe on it and wasn't happy with the sight.

[Godly] [Trainer's Authority] - Anyone who views you as someone in a 'trainer' position will be forced to follow all your orders.

When Mr. Popo gave you an order, you did it. Thems the rules.

His body became slightly lighter as Celia slid off him, the girl waking up from her exhausted slumber. Mr. Popo turned his gaze to her.

"Get in line, Maggot." 

Celia blinked rapidly as the sun shone on her, and Gray didn't need to see her to know she was in pain. She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing as she glanced down at her arms, and then looked up at Mr. Popo.

"I… can't," She said slowly, looking like she was unsure of her own words, "Why are we even doing pushups anyway? We should be training to figh-"

Gray also didn't need to look over to know what happened next - he'd already seen it earlier with Ranfan. Mr. Popo blitzed forward in a flash, his leg lashing out as he launched Celia off the lookout.

"Don't question Popo, Maggot."

"I'll make she doesn't die," Kami said, but his actions betrayed his words as he slowly shuffled over to the edge of the lookout.

Well, at least I'm getting fuckin' jacked from this.

[Push Up] level up! (10000/10000)

+10 STR for leveling up an STR-related skill! (10x multiplier from [Nightmare Mode])

+100 XP (10x multiplier from [Nightmare Mode])

Level 7.

"Your arms don't look broken, Maggot." Mr. Popo said, staring at Gray with his huge white eyes.

"...They're not…" Gray sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"Why not? Go faster, Maggot."

Gray groaned, pushing himself faster as a thud came from next to him. Celia pushed herself up, starting to do pushups next to him.

This fuckin' sucks.

"Faster, Maggot."

The day stretched on, the sun going down as the moon came up, and Gray was still staring at the white floor as he did pushups.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gray huffed, his breathes coming out raggedly as he ran another lap around the lookout at lightning-fast speeds.

"Why-" Mr. Popo's face blurred past him.

"Am-" He blurred again.

"I-"

"The-"

"Only-"

"One-"

"Running?"

"Because I said so, Maggot. Faster."

Gray had been running laps around the lookout at near-max speed for nearly an entire day, his legs burning. He didn't know where the rest of his friends were, as Mr. Popo had led Celia, Asuna, Saeko, Ranfan, and Nam into the lookout building that morning, and then came out without them. They hadn't returned the entire time he was running.

Despite the training being grueling, as Gray's legs were near-numb at this point, he couldn't complain about the results.

[Running] level up! (100000/100000)

+10 AGI for leveling up an AGI-related skill! (10x multiplier from [Nightmare Mode])

+100 XP (10x multiplier from [Nightmare Mode])

Level 10.

"Stop, Maggot." Gray blinked, looking down as he tried to stop his legs. It took him a few seconds, as after running non-stop for so long his legs were practically on auto-pilot. As he finally slowed down and stopped, he let out a sigh of relief. He flopped over and fell onto his stomach as his legs ached.

Finally, some rest.

Gray hadn't slept in two days, as he'd spent roughly 24 hours straight doing pushups, and then immediately was told to start running, which he'd been doing for the last 24 hours.

"What are you doing, Maggot?" Popo's eyes stared into his soul.

"...R-Resting…?" Gray said, a feeling of dread building with him.

"Start jumping, Maggot."

"W-What?"

"Jump, Maggot."

Gray shot up, tensing his legs as he launched himself a couple dozen feet in the air. His legs protested, burning as he felt like they were about to explode.

Fuck this game.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are your hands broken yet, Maggot?"

"...No…"

"Then punch faster, Maggot."

Gray groaned, repeatedly slamming his fists into the wall in front of him. His skin was torn off, and his knuckles bleeding, as he punched what Mr. Popo referred to as the 'invincible wall.'

True to its name, despite taking hundreds of thousands of Gray's strongest punches, the wall didn't even crack.

"...Where did the rest of them go?" Gray asked, starting to get concerned. It was now day four of Mr. Popo's boot camp, and Gray hadn't seen his friends for almost three days at this point. He also hadn't slept at all, which was beginning to show as his body broke down. His HP had been steadily dropping over the past days, and was down to nearly 50%.

"Are you questioning Popo, Maggot?"

"...No…" Gray sighed, continuing to punch the wall. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are your feet broken yet, Maggot?"

"..." Gray didn't answer this time, instead flinging his leg up faster. That question became a lot scarier after the previous day of training, where Mr. Popo had actually made him punch until his hands broke. Said hands were bloodied and mangled, hanging at his side as Gray continued kicking the invincible wall.

How did the other fighters survive this? If I didn't have the game system, my hands would actually be fucked. He must've given them a senzu bean after… right?

Gray wasn't sure anymore. Mr. Popo seemed to have no regard for his life. Gray blinked as a sound rang out into the room - the first one in nearly two days that wasn't Gray's voice, Mr. Popo's voice, or the sound of his hands/feet hitting the wall. The door opened.

A stiff leg entered, rising and falling as Celia walked into the room. She turned, her head moving very slowly. Her eyes had huge bags under them, her face sunken, and her eyes looked hollow.

"C-Celia?" Gray asked as the girl stared at him hauntingly.

"I… I finished… the training…" The girl promptly fell over into the blue-walled room.

What the hell kind of training was she doing?

Gray didn't know, but a moment later Asuna entered as well, looking equally as scarred as a tear rolled down her face.

"I… I… I wanna go home…" She fell over, lying on top of Celia. The sight was repeated three more times, ending with Celia, Asuna, Saeko, Ranfan, and Nam all lying in a pile on the floor.

"Ha. Hahahaha. HAHAHAHA. Ha. Hahahaha. Hahhahaha. Haha. Ha. Ah. Hah." Mr. Popo laughed, the insane noise coming out in bursts. He slowly turned his head to Gray, his neck swiviling like a robot as his wide white eyes stared into Gray's soul.

"You're next."

Fuck me.

"Oh, Popo will."

The fuck did he just say?

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-50,000HP! (85,500/371,350))

WARNING: You have fallen below 25% HP!

If your HP reaches 0, you will die!

+10 END for taking [Piccolo]'s [Special Beam Cannon] like a man.

Fuck.

Gray groaned as he leaned against the invincible wall behind him, his body sore, exhausted, and aching. His chest was a bloody mess - a combination of bruises, blood, and blackened skin. His arms hung limp next to him, his hands mangled and bloody. His feet were broken, constantly crackling in pain as Gray stood on them anyway.

"Again, Maggot."

This time, the 'Maggot' wasn't directed at him, but at Piccolo. Piccolo swiped his fingers up to head, only charging for a split second before he aimed them directly at Gray. Gray tensed his body, ready for what was coming.

"[Special Beam Cannon!]" 

An orange beam launched toward him, slamming into his chest. It pressed into him, and Gray grunted as he felt it slowly cut into his skin. Then, it dispersed, leaving a bloody hole where it had struck.

-65,000HP! (25,500/378,100)

WARNING: You have fallen below 10% HP!

If your HP reaches 0, you will die!

Gray groaned, his legs giving out under him as he slumped onto the floor. 

"Senzu Bean, Kami." 

The past few hours had been a mixture of training Gray's endurance and Piccolo's development to create an instant-special beam cannon. While Gray and Piccolo's mutual training exchange was pushed back to after Mr. Popo's training camp, Piccolo now knew that funneling energy beyond your threshold was possible after seeing Gray's attack. He was practicing it, his beam doing more and more damage with every hit.

Unfortunately, Gray also didn't get the +10 END for tanking every near-deadly hit, though he thought he should have with how mangled his body was. The system was incredibly random with when it decided that Gray deserved some END.

Kami walked over to him, putting a Senzu bean in front of his mouth. Gray leaned forward, grabbing it with his teeth and pushing it back into his mouth.

[You have consumed a Senzu Bean!]

HP restored to MAX

Ki restored to MAX!

Status Conditons Cleared!

You have been inflicted with the [Saiyan Bloodline] status condition!

Due to barely escaping death, your [Zenkai Boost] skill has been activated!

[Zenkai Boost] - Your body grows stronger by fighting. 

For surviving against an opponent over twice as strong as you: +100 to all stats.

Due to the circumstances of your near-death, [Zenkai Boost] has been deactivated.

Can't get rid of that, huh?

Gray huffed, pushing himself off the floor as his body suddenly became completely healed. His bloodied and broken hands and feet were fine, and his bruised and blackened chest looked good as new.

"How much longer are we doing this?" Gray groaned as he watched Piccolo tense his arm again.

"Until I say to stop, Maggot." 

Why did I even ask?

"Because you're dumber than dirt, Maggot."

How the fuck does he know what I'm thinking?!

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Finally, some real training," Gray grinned as he walked down the dark hall with Kami, "That physical stuff was hellish. I still don't get why only I had to keep going after the pushups."

Gray had finally been allowed a bit of rest after being beatdown by Piccolo for hours. He'd gotten a good couple hours of sleep, and was told by Kami that he'd be starting the combat training now.

"For as strange as you might think Mr. Popo is," Kami started as they walked toward a large blue door, "He is the best trainer I have ever seen. He knows the best method to train anyone at a glance."

Gray blinked at his words.

Wait, that makes sense. Even if he didn't know about my system, he could tell that doing those workouts was making me stronger? I gained a ton of STR, END, and AGI from leveling up so many skills. He also stopped me exactly when I hit level 10 each time.

"Wow," Gray muttered with a newfound appreciation, "So, all that was for me. It was the most efficient way for me to get stronger.

"No. I just like seeing you suffer." Gray jumped as a black genie suddenly appeared behind him, appearing out of thin air.

"Good luck, Maggot."

Before Gray could even take in his words, Kami opened the door, and Mr. Popo kicked him into the room. Gray glanced around the room, seeing clocks filling nearly every inch of the four walls.

Wait.. don't tell me this is the pendulum roo-

A second later, Gray's eyes were filled with a flashing light. Suddenly, he wasn't in a room anymore, but standing in a rocky landscape.

"Where the hell am I?" Gray grunted, but a quest answered his question instantly.

[Hidden Quest Alert]

Become a True Saiyan on Planet Sadala

Rewards:

?

Failure:

Impending Doom.

Fuck you Nightmare Mode. Fuck!

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gray Tanaki:

[Saiyan D-Class Recruit]

Age: 15

Wallet: 119,650 Coins

Lvl: 17 (83,100/750,000 XP)

PL: 328,050,200

Available Points: 50

HP: 405,100/405,100

TKI: 457,225/457,225

STR: 675

AGI: 810

END: 600

INT: 575

CHA: 215

LUK: 515

KI: 795

HREG: 596

EREG: 596

Skills: [Observe LVL 5], [Running LVL 10], [Determination LVL 10], [Ki Control LVL 9], [Ki Gun LVL 6]. [Ki Enhancement LVL 4], [KI Suppression LVL 5], [Ki Sense LVL 3], [Pushup LVL 10], [Punch LVL 10], [Kick LVL 10], [Jump LVL 10], [Flight LVL 4], [Prediction LVL 2], [Zenkai Boost LVL 1], [Cognitive Acceleration LVL 1], [Ah! Lord Freiza! LVL 1], [Mouth-Beam LVL 1], [Ki-Blade LVL 1], [Cooking LVL 1], [Ki Array LVL 3], [Ki Explosion LVL 1]

Perks: [Gamer's Mind], [Gamer's Body], [Double-edged Sword], [Legendary Super Saiyan], [Perfect Ozaru], [A Cute Pawn], [A Humble Master], [Ladies Man]

Fighting Styles: [Boxing Style: Kolra LVL 2]

Party: [Saeko, Celia, Asuna, Ranfan]

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AN: The next half of the chapter will be out later today, or you can read it right now at Patreon.com/Koyon along with the next four chapters!