ZET-MAN! (Re-Imagined)

~Alex's Pov~

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'It's a damn shame that I can't cook these up in my yard. It'll only cause suspicion.' I need to eat something though. I didn't have a stove, refrigerator or any of that stuff, so it didn't make my time wanting to eat anything any easier.

Still, I could make my own source of fire and cook them there, black crappie's and rainbow trout's would have to be my main source of food for a few months until I need to start eating actual meet kind. I'm thankful enough that I have a decent background in hunting and cooking up stuff. I have my father to thank for that.

I could already feel my stomach growling again, pushing me to get moving. Gathering up the fish, I glanced back at the trio—Ben, Gwen, and Max were caught up in their conversation. 'Good, they're distracted.' 

I walked a little further from the water's edge, searching for a spot that wouldn't draw too much attention. A small clearing behind a cluster of trees seemed perfect. Not too obvious, but still close enough if I needed to keep an eye on them.

'Alright, let's do this.' I crouched down, setting the fish aside as I gathered some fallen branches and dry leaves. Not the most ideal situation, but I knew how to make do with what I had at my disposal. A few sparks from rubbing two rocks together, and the dry leaves caught flame, 'Thank god it worked out for me this quickly.'

Once the fire was going, I placed the fish carefully over the heat. The smell of cooking fish started to fill the air, and I couldn't help but exhale in relief. At least I'd have something to eat for now.

'Maybe this won't be so bad... for the time being at least.' I looked at my fish slowly frying, the smell already something to be proud of.

Watching the flames flicker and dance beneath the fish, the smell became even richer, wafting through the air like a promise of sweet satisfaction. My stomach growled though, reminding me of just how hungry I really was... 'For once, things are going my way,' I thought, staring at the golden-brown skin of the fish as it crisped up over the fire.

I poked at the makeshift spit, making sure everything was cooking evenly. 'This would've been easier with a proper grill, but hey, you work with what you've got, right?'

The crackle of the fire, the warmth on my face, and the scent of the meal—it almost made me forget I was in an unfamiliar world, living out some weird reincarnation scenario. Almost. It also reminded me of the times with my pops...

As the first fish finished cooking, I pulled it from the fire, letting it cool just enough to take a bite. The moment it hit my tongue, I couldn't help but grin; 'Damn, I'm good.' The savory flavor was exactly what I needed after everything that had happened. My mind started to relax, but only slightly.

I was still stuck in a body that wasn't mine, in a universe that was way more dangerous than I cared for...

Finishing my fish, I packed up whatever remained, eyes still scanning the trees around me. 'Better get moving before something or someone else finds me out here.'

But sitting around wasn't going to help me figure anything out, 'Might as well test this body out a bit.' If there was one thing I knew, it was that this world wasn't going to be kind to me. If I got into trouble, knowing my limits could be the difference between surviving or getting wrecked by some alien monster or freaky tech.

The latter not really sounding too promising to me either...

And then there's this ring… My eyes went back to the object literally embedded in the back of my hand. I had no idea what it was or why it was there, but if I'd been brought into this world with it, there had to be a reason, right? I wasn't about to chalk it up to some random coincidence, at this point, there were no coincidences.

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With a huff, I stretched, 'Guess it's time to see what I can do.' I stood up, rolling my shoulders, feeling the unfamiliar weight of my smaller frame. Everything felt… lighter, but I still had strength. Real strength. Normally, I feel like if I said this I'd be talking out of my ass, but that isn't the case with this one.

I genuinely felt stronger than I was as a 20 year old in my previous life; I stretched my arms a little more, rolling my wrists, feeling the tension ease out of my joints. 'Interesting...' This body may have been smaller, but it didn't feel weak. If anything, it was almost like I had more control, more precision in how I even moved...

A bit freaky, but I guess it should be fine, 'Alright, let's put this body to the test.'

I scanned the area, looking for something I could use to push myself. Spotting a nearby tree with a low branch, I jogged over. Without thinking too much, I grabbed hold of the branch and pulled myself up. To my surprise, it wasn't difficult at all. Okay, that's good. I repeated the movement a few times, testing my strength. It felt almost effortless, like my muscles were responding quicker than I expected...

Dropping back to the ground, I noticed my landing was light—almost too light, 'Yeah... This body's not just stronger… it's even agile too.' I felt like I had the strength of a healthy adult trapped in a child's body.

Now? My curiosity piqued, I looked around for something a bit more, challenging. Spotting a relatively large boulder a few meters away, I crouched down, mentally preparing myself.

'Here goes nothin'.' With a sudden burst of speed, I sprinted toward it, aiming to jump over. My legs launched me higher than I thought they would, and before I knew it, I was already sailing over the boulder, landing smoothly on the other side...

'What the heck?... Yeah, that definitely wasn't normal...'

I stood there for a moment, processing what just happened. 'DEFINITLY no way that was normal,' I thought, turning to glance back at the boulder. I didn't just clear it—I straight up soared over it. My body felt ridiculously light, responsive, like it was capable of much more than I'd even assume.

'Alright, so I'm faster, stronger…' but none of this made sense. I looked down at the ring embedded in my hand, the metallic sheen glinting under the sunlight. 'Is this thing doing it?' It had to be. There was no other explanation... Maybe?

'Ha! Guess I'm not as normal as I thought I was.' I smiled at that, maybe I can defend myself a bit in this world after all.

I smirked to myself, 'Alright, let's see just how fast I can really go.' Crouching down in a racing position, I dug my feet into the dirt, feeling the ground beneath me, focusing all my energy on the moment. I judged the distance, a 100 meters should be about there... Luckily I had a good judge of distance.

'Ok...' With a sharp inhale, I launched myself forward. The world around me blurred as I sped across the clearing. Trees and rocks zipped past in an instant, and the wind whipped against my face, making my heart race.

I came to a stop, skidding slightly as I tried to slow down. I looked back at the distance I had covered in just a few seconds, 'Just how fast was that?' I ran the 100 meters in around 9-10 seconds... Which means I must have moved around 20-25 mph... That's absolutely insane for a kid my size.

I'm barely 5 feet tall too. If I was 6 feet, I might have been able to run 30 or more mph... And I didn't feel that winded either, I could do this again for at least a couple more times. My stamina must be insane too... I was glad I wasn't helpless, at least compared to normal humans.

Still, 'Just what kind of body was a gifted with?' I needed to make a mental note of how strong and fast I am at the moment. I sat nearby a rock in the clearing... 'I know my speed is around 20 mph at least, my strength should be roughly 150-250 pounds, and my jumping capabilities seemed to be over 2.5 meters, and my stamina is around 2-3 times greater than a regular athlete.'

These were insane numbers I was pulling up out of my head, but they were somewhat consistent with what I was demonstrating so far. But the real question was, could I improve them? Could I get any stronger than I was right now? I must look like that one Aristotle statue right now.

'I can try and train and push my self for a week and then see how far it gets me...'

Yeah, that was a good idea. Sure, this was impressive and all, but my these abilities would put me above a regular human, and not by much either. Training should help, but I will have to see where it gets me, for now, I'd just have to train until failure...

I might as well push myself a bit more, I can't rest if I want to be strong. Rest is for the weak after all.

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~Omniscient Pov, a week later~

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A small child could be seen running shirtless, his shirt had been tied over his waist, swinging behind him. Soon he began to slow down, clear exhaustion catching up to him...

'Damn! This is fucking fun!!' He thought to himself, A lex had spent the better part of a week setting himself up. He had kept a close eyes on the trio, whilst also going about his business on hunting food. Over the past week, he had been pushing himself as much as he could to see how much stronger he could or would get.

'I made it in 100 meters in less time today... That almost felt like a world record too...' He sat, panting heavily. His body was tired from the training he put himself through. He smiled though, already feeling stronger than he was just a week ago.

'I feel a good bit stronger, my max lift is around 275, speed of 22-27 mph, a jump of 2.75 meters and my stamina jumping to 2.2-3.3 times that of a regular athlete.' He was proud, he thought that he would gain a boost, but that boost was perfect in all his stats so far. However, these were just rough estimates, it could either be lower or higher.

'Still, this body is hella' amazing, to think I'd improve this much in a week's time!...' Now, he just hoped that the increases would be consistent. He'd have a shot in this reality if it was.

However, his mind drifted towards the family. Over the past week, he had gotten more familiar with them, and them likewise. At least he thought so. He had been fishing with Maxwell, having small competitions. Unfortunately, Maxwell as any adult would be, was getting suspicious...

'He keeps asking me about my parents... What the heck will he do when he finds out I don't have any? Send me to foster care, yeah, I won't go through that. Plus, I'd be forced to go to school again? Yeah, not happening in this lifetime.'

However, he did feel a bit bad for not telling the truth, but he felt worse about potentially going through foster care and not having his current freedom. He felt more comfortable doing what he was doing now. Recently, he had just earned some small cash from doing some small chores to get himself something he might need.

Otherwise, he was adapting to his new life well, it had it's ups and downs, but he was hanging on... Barely...

'I need a new set of clothes, and some laundry detergent to wash them. Luckily, I should be getting another set of work tomorrow from that old lady, she even gives me cookies too... She's sweet.' Alex smiled. It was a bit tacky, sure, but he liked it.

Plus, to him, nothing felt better than starting from absolutely nothing. It felt right even.

"Well... It's time to head back... I should probably see how Ben and Gwen are doing too." With that said, Alex got up and brushed himself off. He had a long year ahead of him...

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END