Reborn as Baby

~ Baby's Pov ~

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I intended to head back to the palace, but in that short span of time, I had both underestimated and come to fully realize just how much I had changed...

As I caught sight of a nearby lake, a thought crossed my mind—I needed to actually confirm my appearance first.

Stepping closer, I peered down into the waters. The moment my reflection stared back at me, I felt a jolt of disbelief.

"What the…? Is this really me?"

My transformation was far more drastic than I had even anticipated it to be.

I was taller—much taller. My eyes, once a blend of orange with hints of amber, had deepened into a striking crimson, tinged with traces of orange instead. My skin had darkened slightly, though I was still on the paler side, just a shade richer than before.

My hair remained the same color, but it had thickened significantly, the strands wilder and more pronounced. It was spikier too, with the bang that usually framed my face now slightly larger. I almost resembled Super Saiyan 2 Gohan, albeit with a less exaggerated style.

My facial features hadn't changed much either—only slightly more angular, giving me a sharper look. The markings on my body remained relatively unchanged, still pretty much etched in their original places.

But my height? Yeah... That was a problem. Standing at nearly 195 centimeters now, it was an obvious giveaway that something unnatural had occurred when I left.

Maybe I could morph my body back to its previous size. I should be able to. If I adjusted gradually, I could pass this off as nothing more than a late-stage growth spurt, keeping suspicion at bay.

Still, there was another pressing question lingering in my mind…

Just how much stronger have I become?

'Status~'

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Name: Michael Murphey | Baby

Age: 18

Race: Bio Android parasite / Tuffle 

Height: 180.6 ⇛ 194.65 cm

Power Level: 13,475,932.6 ⇛ 16,171,119.1 ⇛ 85,706,931.21

Ki Enhanced: 85,706,931.2 × 8.2 = 702,796,438.24

Potential: 231.33 ⇛ 353.12

Latent Potential: 278.34 ⇛ 392.4

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"Whoa~ Talk about an increase."

I blinked at the values again; staring at the numbers before me, specifically at how ridiculous they looked...

Yeah, that… is absurd.

I knew merging with that clone of mine would make me stronger, but this? This was way beyond what I expected it to be. My power level had practically skyrocketed to heights that felt absolutely surreal. The sheer weight of my newfound power practically pulsed beneath my skin, it was coiled and was just waiting to be unleashed...

I could tell quite easily. The shear density of my energy alone looked like it went though some big changes. I had a feint crimson aura before, but now it was deeper and much thicker too...

I clenched my fists tightly, feeling the energy surge through my body, and exhaled sharply. "I definitely wasn't expecting this much of a boost... but I'll take it."

Glancing at my reflection once more, my eyes lingered on my height. This is going to be a problem. At nearly 2 meters from 180 centimeters is a bit concerning, the largest increase in height I've ever received to date! I was bound to draw attention with that alone. I needed to keep a low profile, at least for now.

'Alright, let's try something...'

Closing my eyes, I focused on the structure of my body, honing in on the new changes. If I could reshape my form before, there was no reason I couldn't do it again.

Slowly, I concentrated on compressing my height, reducing myself back to a more familiar frame. It took a few moments, but I felt my body shift, muscles tightening slightly as I reverted to my original height.

I opened my eyes, looking down at my reflection again. There we go.

But my height was the least shocking thing here. My potential had undergone an even more terrifying transformation.

I glanced back at my status screen.

[Potential: 231.33 ⇛ 353.12 - Latent Potential: 278.34 ⇛ 392.4]

I narrowed my eyes at both of them, "This... is definitely an insane value to have."

Potential in a sense, dictated my upper limits—how much I could grow and adapt in battle, how far my strength could go in a single instance. And with it rising this much, it meant my growth rate had exponentially increased... But, why? I wasn't just stronger now—I was just going to keep getting stronger at a even more ridiculous pace.

And my latent potential… that one was even more alarming.

Latent potential likely determined how quickly I could tap into the power hidden within me. The higher it was, the easier it became to unlock new abilities and transformations. But, these increases were a bit interesting...

I couldn't pin it down, but it's likely due to my race and other physiologies I have. They might be creating an amalgamation, whilst also enhancing my potentials even further... It's always been a fact that hybrids in this reality had far more potential than pure breeds. To an extent at least.

Because, I don't think I should be receiving such massive incremental increases like these...

With numbers like these? I wasn't just getting stronger—it was also proof that I was definitely evolving at an unnaturally fast rate. I clenched my fists, staring down at the lake... "Heh~ I might be more of a monster than I thought." The thought was a little pleasing, I'm not going to lie... but, I needed to test out how fast I'll grow now...

But, that would have to wait for a little, Talmos said he wanted to have a discussion with me regarding my place here on the planet. I figured this line of conversation would come eventually, but I didn't think it would come this soon.

Regardless, It's fair. I personally wouldn't take in some once unnamed Saiyan, with an equally unknown origin and let them leech off of me for the rest of their lives. Yeah, I wasn't like that either.

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"Oh? You're finally back, what did you do that made you disappear?"

I flew down further, seeing little Saya question me the first thing after returning, "I did some sight-seeing, nothing that important to detail otherwise. I just wanted to see around the planet a bit more. That's all."

Saya raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms as she studied me. "Sight-seeing? Really?"

I landed softly on the training grounds, stretching my arms. "Yeah, really. What, did you miss me that much?"

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "As if. You just vanished out of nowhere, and after that ridiculous spar, I was curious."

I smirked. "Curious about what? Whether I was off training to get even stronger?"

Saya opened her mouth to respond but paused, her eyes narrowing slightly as she gave me a once-over. I could tell she was picking up on something—maybe the subtle shift in my energy, or the way I carried myself now.

She wasn't the only one.

Other Saiyans in the area had stopped what they were doing, their gazes lingering on me longer than usual. It wasn't just recognition from my fight with the king. No, it was something else—like an unspoken instinct of sorts... The kind only warriors had when they sensed a shift in the natural order, and genetically speaking, I was that natural disorder...

Maybe this is the infamous bloodline suppression natural born genius' have...?

Either way, I wasn't just another fighter to them anymore. I was something different. At least, on a technical level. Plus, I was definitely above what I think I should be, there was definitely something making me get such awesome results after bloodline trait absorptions...

I noticed Saya crossed her arms again. "You did train, didn't you?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not."

She frowned. "Hmm... You're acting a little weird."

I chuckled, brushing past her. "I was always weird. You're just noticing it now?"

From behind, I could hear her muttering under her breath; It was hard not to hear anything given my level of senses, "Something's definitely off…"

I ignored it for now. I had other things to think about—mainly, that conversation I had with the king... I should get to doing that now actually.

~ Omniscient Pov ~

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Talmos drummed his fingers against the armrest of his throne, his expression unreadable. The flickering torchlight cast long shadows across the chamber, making the golden inlays of his armor gleam. His mind replayed the battle with Michael—every strike, every counter, the sheer force behind each movement. It had been exhilarating.

Michael was no ordinary opponent...

He leaned forward slightly, his smirk widening. "To think a mere outsider could push me that far…" His voice echoed in the grand hall, though none were present to hear his musings.

His amusement was soon interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps, footsteps he knew all too well. He didn't need to look up to recognize the person. The heavy, deliberate stride was unmistakable.

A figure clad in relatively dark armor stepped into view, his brown eyes glinting under his hood. "Let me guess... You're thinking about him, aren't you?"

Talmos chuckled. "So what if I am?"

The Saiyan tilted his head, his voice calm yet laced with intrigue. "You rarely dwelled on your battles. What makes this one different?"

Talmos rose from his throne, his gaze distant. "Because this time… I'm not sure if I truly won."

The hall fell silent for a moment... Then, the figure smirked, "Interesting."

Talmos exhaled sharply, leaning back against his throne. "Not really... Even you must have realized it. The only reason I won that battle was my Ikari state. Without it, I would have lost—easily."

His old comrade remained silent, watching him.

After a brief pause, the man finally spoke. "Well... I came across something rather intriguing today, my king. I was at the training grounds earlier and saw that Michael fellow in action. He took on two of our strongest female warriors—at the same time."

Talmos scoffed. "And? I assume he defeated them, and quite effortlessly at that."

"Oh, he did," the Saiyan confirmed, his smirk deepening. "Using only half of their power, no less."

That caught Talmos' full attention. His sharp gaze locked onto the Saiyan before him, "You're telling me he bridged that kind of gap? Not against one, but with two warriors at once?"

His fingers absently stroked his beard as his mind raced, 'That would mean his technical skills alone have reached at least the level of an Sovereign... No, greater. But, that's not possible. Even the most gifted of prodigies recorded took years to make such a leap—let alone fighting two high-caliber opponents simultaneously.'

His eyes flickered toward his old comrade, searching for any trace of deceit. He found none, 'Michael was merely at the Adept level before—perhaps a Veteran at best, if I was being generous. But now…'

Fighters were categorized by pure skill, ranked from lowest to highest: Rookie, Adept, Apprentice, Disciple, Warrior, Elite, Champion, Master, Grandmaster, and Sovereign. Each rank signified the ability to contend with foes significantly stronger than oneself—starting at a mere 5% difference at lower levels and scaling up to 50% at the highest.

A 5% gap might seem insignificant at first. But as mastery advanced, so did the difficulty of progression. The curve was exponential, making each leap forward increasingly arduous than the last.

Yet Michael had done what should have been impossible—against not one, but two Saiyans at once.

Talmos' fingers curled into a fist, 'That would mean…'

'He's already beyond a hypothetical Sovereign in skill.'

His jaw clenched at the realization, 'Haha~ Even I, Talmos, stand only at the Champion level in pure technique, with my son trailing just a rank behind… And yet, Michael has ascended to a Sovereign overnight?'

'No.' His eyes darkened, a mixture of intrigue and unease settling in his chest, 'Not just Sovereign… Something even beyond that!'

The cloaked Saiyan looked at his king, "Hmm..."

"I see that you are smiling my king... May I ask why?"

Talmos' smile only widened further, "Why would you ask me such a thing? Toris? After all these excruciatingly long, tedious and boring years... I think I've finally found myself a proper rival."

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END