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Steady warmth, a blanket that held him close no matter his position. Hal sighed and let his eyes open, only for them to widen in surprise. The sun stared at him, its face expanded to fill half of the space around him. He’d drifted dangerously close in his sleep, a mistake he hoped would have no consequences.
“I need to get Bulma or Dr. Brief to design something to keep me in place as I sleep,” Hal accelerated back, toward the planet and away from the super hot region around the sun. “I just hope I’m not the kind of Kryptonian that can’t handle such a big dose while I’m still this weak…”
Some Supermen could never get too close, or they died from oversaturation. Too much solar energy built up in their system, before it could be converted by their cells. Those kinds of Supermen gained momentary, near-limitless might if they bathed in their suns, and died shortly afterwards.
“I don’t feel over-charged, or super-charged…” Hal flexed his arms and peered under his skin. Things seemed normal, just a mild increase in power from his time close to the sun. “I guess I can assume I was at a safe distance, but I really can’t let that happen again.”
Clouds returned as he dipped into the atmosphere, a blanket of cotton set against the blue green of the land below. Hal extended his arms and performed a series of spins, lost for a moment in the joy of flight. The sensation never got old, no matter how often he soared through the skies.
“Excuse me, young man,” A sombre voice almost forced his heart from his chest. Hal spun to find Mr. Popo, seated atop his flying carpet. “Kami would like to invite you to the lookout, if you’re willing to come.”
Hal ground to a halt and faced the genie-like servant of the lookout. Popo had always been a mystery. His power was unusual, capable of at least temporarily matching or defending against Goten and Trunks as super Saiyans. He protected the Guardian and the lookout, yet he didn’t intervene when Nappa and Vegeta attacked earth.
“Of course, but can I pick up my younger brother first?” Hal glanced at the base of Korin’s tower, where Goku was engaged in a brawl with the local tribe. “I don’t want him to get carried away, and there’s a full moon tonight.”
“Very well, take a seat and we can be there in an instant,” Mr. Popo waved to the carpet beneath him, face still empty of expression. “Kami awaits…”
“Welcome to the lookout!” Kami, the Guardian of Earth, leaned on his staff and gave both Goku and Hal an honest smile. He waved to the expansive courtyard and its assorted buildings, before he returned his focus to the new arrivals. “I’m glad you accepted my invitation.”
“It was an easy choice to make,” Hal ushered Goku off the magic carpet and followed him to the stone tiles of the lookout. “This place is the true peak of martial arts on Earth, an invitation from the Guardian isn’t something to be ignored.”
“You seem to have knowledge of this place,” Kami tilted his head, deep eyes unfocused as he peered at Hal. “Your spirit is also much older than your body… a reincarnation?”
Hal raised his eyebrows. It had taken Kami less than a minute to learn his secret, something he didn’t know was possible. It seemed that he needed to learn the magic of this universe and cloak away his spirit. Even then, he doubted he could conceal anything from beings like Whis and the other Angels.
“Something like that,” Hal rubbed at the back of his head and gave a sheepish smile. “In another life I watched this universe unfold, but that doesn’t mean I know everything that’s going to happen.”
“Interesting… I will ask no more,” Kami gave a knowing smile, as if he’d misunderstood something that satisfied him greatly. He motioned for Goku and Hal to follow and walked towards the central building. “You are both welcome to stay as long as you like, Mr. Popo will see to your needs and I can answer any question I can about the state of the Earth.”
“That’s great and all,” Hal hurried to keep up, while Goku wandered away into the open area atop the lookout. He shook his head and let the Saiyan go, Popo would keep him out of trouble. “But I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, I’m just someone very lucky… I’m not sure you…”
“It’s fine,” Kami waved his hand to silence Hal’s attempted explanation. He continued down the twisted inner halls of the lookout, until they came to a large door. “I feel that it is wise to trust you, and help you if I can.”
The wooden barrier opened outward and revealed a bizarre chamber. The floor, walls and ceiling were all the same luminous blue, with every inch of available space covered in clocks of all sizes and shapes. Centred in the room, a vast pendulum swung from the ceiling, directly over a red pentagram.
“This is the Pendulum Room,” Kami smiled as he stepped inside. Hal followed, careful to keep out of the array in the middle of the room. “It has many functions, one of which lets me view the most likely futures of the Earth… I can never glean much, but it has been enough to save us in the past.”
“I remember this place…” Hal tapped his chin and scrolled through his foggy human memories. Goku had been sent to a different time here, as had a few others many years later. “It can transport your spirit to a possible past or future, but I didn’t know it had other functions.”
Kami shook his head at Hal’s knowledge and led the way to a specific clock on the expansive wall. He reached out and tapped on the plain wooden frame, a signal that summoned an image of Goku within the dusty glass.
“I can find many visions of your brother, but not a single glimpse of you,” Kami cycled through dozens of past and future images, all devoid of Hal’s presence. “It’s as if you do not exist, though your actions still change what is to come… you saved your Grandfather's life, he was meant to die and yet he lives.”
Hal squinted at the projections, slightly confused. He remembered many of these events, changes he’d made. Yet in every one, Goku was alone. Kami tapped the clock and returned it to a simple timepiece, before he turned to meet Hal’s eyes.
“You have knowledge of the future, and leave no trace in time,” Kami gave Hal a deep look, as if he could see beyond his skin. “Both your spirit and body are like nothing I have ever seen…” the old Namekian’s face split into a grin as he led Hal back out the door. “Even if I’m wrong and you aren't a greater Deity in disguise, you are a being worth befriending.”
Hal returned the pragmatic Guardian’s smile and followed him back toward the living quarters of the lookout’s interior. His plan had been to travel to Namek immediately, but this pit stop was worth his time.
“Well then, thank you!” Hal bowed his head to Kami as they stepped back into the light of day. “I’m actually interested in learning a thing or two from Mr. Popo, and maybe even spending a day in the time chamber… but I’d like to visit Korin before I get started.”
“Of course… Kami glanced around and smiled. “It seems young Goku has already begun his training.”
“You want to trade me ten-thousand tonnes of seafood… for senzu beans?” Korin blinked at Hal as if the young boy had gone mad. “If you can carry so much food, I don’t think you need to worry about senzu beans…”
“My species doesn’t need to eat very much, so the senzu bean is a perfect match,” Hal put on his best salesman's smile and expanded one of the shipping containers into an open space on the floor. “This one is mostly shrimp and some kind of monstrous tuna, but there’s a good variety in the others.”
“Just a minute!” Saliva pooled at the corners of the feline's mouth as the container door slid open. He bounded through a door to the side, voice raised as he rummaged in the shadows. “Here we go… is this enough?”
Korin staggered back into the room with four clay pots in hand. Each one was large enough to hold a thousand beans or more. Hal kept his face neutral, despite the flutter of excitement in his heart. This was more senzu beans than they had in all of Dragon Ball Z.
“Hmmm, I’m not sure…” Hal put on a fake expression of deep thought and reluctance as he took a glimpse into the possible versions of the next three minutes. “It took me a lot of effort to collect this seafood… if you want me to make return trips, I’d hope you can do better than that?”
***Power Levels and other notes***
Hal: 1280
Goku:105
Korin: 190
Kami: 220
Mr. Popo: ???
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