I knew what the school gym had to offer. It wasn't that there was nothing heavy enough to count as a workout—there was. But lifting that kind of weight would draw attention. The wrong kind.
And attention was dangerous.
There was a villain out there who made it his life's purpose to eliminate anyone he thought had the potential to become a hero. No one knew how strong he really was. That meant I couldn't afford to be careless—especially not in public, surrounded by strangers. With that in mind, I decided to head straight home.
But instead of taking the bus, like Nathan usually did, I chose to walk. There was a forest on the way home that I'd been thinking about. I wanted to go there to test my abilities.
The place used to be the hideout of a mad scientist villain. His lab had been deep in the woods, and during his career he'd experimented on humans and animals alike. What came out of that were monsters—true abominations. When he died of a heart attack, the lab was abandoned.
The forest remained a dangerous place. People often wondered why those monsters were never dealt with. The truth? The government did send teams of powered heroes to clear it out. But the problem wasn't simple. No one knew how many monsters were actually in there. For every one they killed, more seemed to appear.
Since the creatures never left the forest, the government eventually gave up. They left it alone.
Which made it perfect for what I needed to do.
As I moved deeper into the trees, I reached a small clearing. I scanned the area carefully—no signs of monsters. For now, it was safe. I could relax a little.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, reaching inward, feeling for the ki within me. As I threw out punches and kicks, I let my ki move with the motion—each strike pushing it further, letting it flow, building rhythm and tempo. My body remembered. It wasn't perfect, but it was something. I could feel it—my ki responding, syncing with my movements.
This... this was how our bodies felt indestructible.
When I opened my eyes, I took a moment to gauge myself. My power had risen. If I had to guess, my level had jumped to around 2,500. Not as strong as I was in my previous life, but definitely stronger than Raditz now.
I knew repeating this training alone wouldn't raise my power much further—but it would help me gain better control.
After nearly three hours in the forest, it was time to head back. I didn't want my parents to start worrying.
And that's when it hit me—family.
As Nappa, when had I ever felt anything close to familial affection? When had I cared if someone was worried about me?
Maybe... I needed to treasure them more.
I am Nathan—just as I was Nappa. I didn't take over someone else's body. I was reborn into this life, and with it, I regained my past memories.