"Horn, this kid's vital signs keep declining. If we don't treat him, he probably won't last much longer. Hurry and prepare some recovery fluid and nutrient solution to keep him alive, at least... Ugh, another expense to charge to the training group's budget."
"How did he get so badly hurt? Looks like a little guy who just joined the training group."
"Tell me about it. He got hurt on his very first wilderness training outing. What a bad omen. Whatever, we'll save him if we can. If we can't, so be it. I'll report it to Lord Parapi."
"Hey, don't worry. You know how good our treatment center is. We raise plenty of newborns here."
"Enough, enough. Everyone knows all your services come with clearly marked prices."
"Oh, and don't use the expensive recovery fluid. The training group's budget is tight lately."
"Understood."
This scene was unfolding in the treatment center. Horn, a Yugarite, smiled as he saw off the Saiyan leading the training group. Then he turned to look at the Saiyan toddler, who was barely recognizable as a person. He looked to be a little over three years old and was terribly thin, probably from malnutrition.
"Saiyans really are tough. He's still alive after suffering injuries this severe."
"Heh, that's why they're called a warrior race. If I had a Saiyan's powerful physique, I'd have become a mighty warrior long ago instead of working as a medic in this treatment center." Horn examined the injured child with his equipment, shaking his octopus-like head over and over.
"His internal organs are under severe pressure. He's bleeding in several places, and he has as many as sixteen broken bones. The worst injury is to his skull. His chances of survival are slim."
"Pull up the little guy's file."
With a beep, the computer system connected to the energy Scouter beside the child's ear and accessed its database. A moment later, the young Saiyan's information appeared as a projection in midair.
Name: Roland
Parents: Talens (killed in action), Alicia (killed in action)
Potential: Intermediate
Battle Power: 134
"An intermediate-level warrior, too. If his parents hadn't died, he wouldn't have been sent to the training group." With the assistant's help, the Yugarite lifted the badly injured Saiyan toddler and placed him in a transparent treatment pod, then filled it with green recovery fluid.
The fluid was mediocre in quality, but it was cheap.
The training group's officer had ordered them not to use the expensive recovery fluid because funds were short. In fact, Saiyans whose parents had died, unless they showed exceptional talent, were rarely given careful attention by the training group. After some basic training, they were simply assigned a mission and sent off Planet Vegeta.
Put simply, the training group was a place where Saiyan orphans received basic instruction. They only needed to teach them essential survival skills and combat techniques.
The children were dropped directly into dangerous wilderness, where they had to fight the beasts of the jungle alone. It was an extremely brutal training method. Planet Vegeta was a high-level planet, and although the Saiyans held absolute dominance over it, the wilds were still home to ferocious beasts.
The death toll from this kind of training was easy to imagine.
So Saiyans whose parents were still alive would rather be trained by their own parents than be sent to the training group.
That night.
Roland was still immersed in the recovery fluid when a stream of bubbles suddenly rose through the green solution. The monitoring system detected drastic abnormalities in his vital signs, and the warning alarm began to beep.
"What's going on?"
Horn and his assistant hurried over. They looked at the data on the monitor. Although the body had healed, the brain waves had become a flat line.
"Dispose of him. There's no saving this kid. Stop the recovery fluid and drain the solution for recycling."
"Who's going to take care of the body?"
The treatment center often dealt with Saiyans who died after unsuccessful treatment. Their bodies were usually claimed by relatives or friends, but orphans who died were handled by the center. They were generally cremated on the spot or buried somewhere by a specialized disposal robot.
After filling out the death certificate and signing it, Horn called for a disposal robot.
The robot packed up "Roland" and carried him to a small grove more than a hundred kilometers away. It dug a hole with a series of grunts, dropped the body inside, and covered it back up.
Once it had finished, the robot circled the spot a few times, its treads compacting the soil. Then it reported that the job was done and drove back to the treatment center.
The sky was dark, the stars bright, and hazy starlight speckled the heavens.
In the place where the body lay buried, something extraordinary was happening.
Roland had no idea how long he'd been unconscious. When he regained awareness, an aching pain deep in his soul began to torment him.
His body felt so heavy that even with all his strength, he couldn't open his eyes.
It was an excruciating ordeal. In his haze, Roland sensed a huge glow before him.
He struggled for a long time, but finally managed to open his eyes.
He could smell dirt through his nostrils. Wait, had he been buried alive? Roland jolted awake. He bared his teeth, and the intense pain drained the color from his face as beads of sweat rolled down it.
Roland struggled to crawl out of the dirt. With his injuries, every movement took an immense amount of strength.
Once he'd climbed out, Roland panted heavily, breathing in the fresh air. His lungs felt refreshed, and vitality flooded his body.
Where am I?
Roland's head was still foggy. The next moment, a flood of memories surged into his mind. He let out a loud scream as he absorbed the memories of this body.
Afterward, an incredulous light shone in his tender eyes.
"This is Planet Vegeta, and I've turned into a Saiyan toddler? And I've already died once!"
Roland stared in shock. He never imagined that he would go to sleep and wake up in the Dragon Ball world. According to the memories of this body, his name was Roland, a Saiyan who had died in an accident just after joining the training group.
His parents had died on a mission a year ago. Although he'd received compensation afterward, it had all gone toward the high cost of his nutrient solution.
On Planet Vegeta, newborn Saiyans spent three years immersed in nutrient solution. The main purpose was to strengthen their bodies and unlock more of their potential.
Since his parents had died early, the nutrient solution Roland received later on had been poor quality. Compared with other Saiyans his age, he'd been "weaker from the start."
What a mess!
Roland plucked some weeds from the ground.
Compared with other Saiyans his age, he seemed to have been born at a disadvantage.
Even when he'd "died," they'd dug his grave so carelessly.
Calm down, calm down. He might not be an elite warrior, but at least he was an intermediate one. Yeah, being an intermediate warrior wasn't so bad!
Roland tried to console himself. He ought to be grateful he'd been reborn as a Saiyan instead of an Earthling. Starting out as an Earthling would've been hell mode.
I've technically died once already. Saiyans grow stronger after recovering from near death, so my power should've increased a little. The thought made him feel pretty good.
Wait, now wasn't the time to think about that.
If this was Planet Vegeta, he first needed to figure out how many years remained before the story began. He couldn't afford to find out that Planet Vegeta was about to be destroyed.
A powerful sense of urgency suddenly gripped Roland. Having died once, he didn't want to die a second time.
This story follows Akira Toriyama's manga continuity: Goku was immersed in nutrient solution for three years before being sent away.
Before you continue