Prophetic Dream

It was deep into the night.

In the little house on Mount Paozu, Chi-Chi's snores rose and fell.

I lay in my small bed, staring at the ceiling, completely unable to sleep.

(Three years...)

(In three more years, the Androids will arrive.)

(Android 17, Android 18—Dr. Gero's masterpieces.)

(And Cell.)

(That disgusting monster crawling out from the depths of the universe will absorb the Androids' power bit by bit and become perfect.)

(When that happens...)

(Krillin will die.)

(Piccolo will die.)

(Dad... will die too.)

(Whenever I thought of that scene, it felt like something was squeezing my chest mercilessly.)

I turned over and buried my face in the pillow.

(But I can't say it. If I told them, "I'm a transmigrator," they'd only think I was crazy.)

(Even if I described everything that would happen in the future, who would believe a four-year-old?)

(Krillin would say, "Gohan, have you been reading too many comics?" Chi-Chi would say, "Stop overthinking and go do your homework.")

(Dad might believe me, but with his battle-crazed personality, he might just run out and start searching the world for Androids to fight.)

I sat up irritably.

(I have to think of a way.)

(A way to make everyone believe me.)

(A way... that doesn't require exposing my identity as a transmigrator.)

Moonlight flowed like water outside the window as I stared blankly at the stars.

Then, an idea flashed through my mind.

(A dream.)

(A prophetic dream.)

(There are people with precognitive abilities in the Dragon Ball world.)

(Bardock could foresee the future, and Vegeta had that legendary battle power...)

(If I say, "I had a very realistic dream...")

(It still sounds pretty ridiculous, but at least...)

(It's more believable than saying, "I'm a transmigrator," right?)

My eyes lit up.

(That's it!)

(A dream!)

(I'll say I had a prophetic dream!)

(That I dreamed two incredibly powerful Androids would come looking for Dad to fight in three years!)

(That Dr. Gero was a remnant of the Red Ribbon Army and had been secretly creating weapons all this time!)

(As for Cell...)

I hesitated.

(I won't mention Cell yet.)

(That thing is too complicated—absorption, evolution, perfection...)

(Saying it would only make things more confusing.)

(I'll deal with the Androids first. The rest... can wait.)

With that thought, I took a deep breath.

(All right, that's the plan.)

(Tomorrow morning, I'll start setting things in motion.)

The next day, dawn had barely broken.

I woke up half an hour earlier than usual and quietly slipped out of my room.

Chi-Chi was still asleep, and Dad... Dad was sleeping like a dead pig.

Perfect.

I took a deep breath and headed toward the woods Piccolo often went to.

Sure enough, before I even entered the woods, I sensed a familiar ki.

Piccolo stood beneath a large tree, his eyes half-closed, a faint aura emanating from his body.

"Uncle Piccolo."

Piccolo opened his eyes and looked at me.

"Gohan? Up this early?"

"Yeah, there's something I want to tell you."

Piccolo frowned. "What is it?"

I took a deep breath.

(Here it comes.)

"Uncle Piccolo, I... had a very strange dream."

"A dream?" Piccolo looked utterly confused.

"Yeah, a very real dream." I tried to make my tone sound confused. "So real that even after I woke up, I couldn't tell whether it was real or not."

Piccolo looked at me, his expression turning serious.

"What dream?"

"I dreamed that... three years from now, two androids would come looking for Dad to fight. One was called Android 17, and the other Android 18."

Piccolo's brow furrowed even deeper.

"Androids? Dr. Gero?"

"Yeah. Dr. Gero was with the Red Ribbon Army."

"Those two androids... were very strong." I looked into Piccolo's eyes. "I dreamed that they killed Krillin, killed you, and even Dad..."

I couldn't go on.

I wasn't acting. I genuinely couldn't say it.

Even just imagining that scene made my chest tighten.

Piccolo was silent for a long time.

"Gohan..." he finally said, his voice complicated, "are you sure this wasn't an ordinary nightmare?"

"I wish it was a nightmare, but that dream was too real. I remember Android 17 and Android 18 looking like ordinary young human man and woman, but there wasn't any emotion in their eyes."

Piccolo fell silent again.

"Gohan," Piccolo suddenly said.

"Yeah?"

"When did you have this dream?"

"Last night," I said. "The night I came back."

Piccolo stared at me for a long time.

It was as if his gaze could see straight through me.

"...I don't know whether I should believe you," he finally said. "But if it's you... I'll take it seriously."

I let out a breath of relief.

"Thank you for believing me, Uncle Piccolo."

"Don't thank me too soon." Piccolo snorted. "If this is a joke, I'll make sure you understand the consequences."

"It's not." I spoke seriously. "I'd rather it were a joke."

Piccolo looked at me, his expression complex.

"...I'll look into Dr. Gero."

"Okay."

"You keep training and stay alert."

"Understood."

Piccolo nodded and turned to leave.

Watching his back, I felt one weight in my heart temporarily lift.

(Uncle Piccolo is taken care of. Next... Dad.)

After lunch, Dad was sunbathing in the yard.

Chi-Chi had gone to visit a neighbor, while Krillin and Tien Shinhan had each gone home.

A rare moment alone.

"Dad."

"Hm?" Dad opened his eyes.

"I wanted to tell you something too."

"What is it?"

"I had a very strange dream last night."

Dad blinked, looking curious. "What kind of dream?"

(...Why does that expression look exactly like the one you make when you hear about a new technique?)

"I dreamed that, three years from now, two androids would come looking for you to fight," I said. "One is called Android 17, and the other is Android 18."

"Oh?" Dad's eyes lit up. "Androids? That sounds interesting!"

"..."

(A battle maniac really is a battle maniac. Shouldn't a normal person's first reaction to hearing 'androids are coming to kill you' be caution?)

"They're very strong," I emphasized. "Stronger than Frieza."

"What?!" Dad shot upright, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Stronger than Frieza?!"

"...Yes."

"That's great!"

(What's great about that?! Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about the word 'danger'?!)

"Three years from now..." Dad stroked his chin. "Perfect. I was just wondering when I'd get to fight another powerful opponent!"

"...Dad, the point is, you might lose."

"Oh?" Dad scratched his head. "It doesn't matter if I lose. I can just train more."

"There's something else," I said. "Dr. Gero, the one who created the androids, is a remnant of the Red Ribbon Army."

"The Red Ribbon Army?" Dad tilted his head, thinking. "Those bad guys in red clothes?"

"...Yes, them."

"So there were still survivors." Dad nodded. "Then we need to be even more careful."

(Weren't you just saying 'That's great'? Why are we being careful now?)

(I seriously can't keep up with your train of thought.)

Just then—

"Goku! Gohan!"

Chi-Chi's voice came from the distance.

"What are you two talking about?"

Dad immediately put on a serious expression. "Nothing, nothing. We were discussing tomorrow's training plans."

Chi-Chi gave us a suspicious look, then turned to me.

"Gohan, have you finished your homework for this afternoon?"

"Not yet..."

"Then hurry up and do it!" Chi-Chi put her hands on her hips. "All you do all day is fight and train. What are you going to do in the future?"

"But, Mom—"

"No buts!" Chi-Chi roared. "Go do your homework!"

I looked at Chi-Chi, then at Dad.

Dad spread his hands, wearing an expression that said, There's nothing I can do either.

(...)

(All right. Chi-Chi really is the ultimate tiger mom. Confirmed.)

"Got it, Mom."

I slunk back to my room to do my homework.

Behind me, I vaguely heard Chi-Chi yelling at Dad, "And don't just sit around! Go clean up the yard!"

"Okay, okay..."

I couldn't help smiling.

(This family...)

(It's wonderful.)

(So three years from now...)

(I absolutely can't let tragedy happen.)

Toward evening, I found Krillin and Tien Shinhan.

"Gohan? What's the matter?" Krillin asked.

"I want to tell you something," I said. "Last night, I had a very strange dream."

"A dream?" Krillin scratched his head. "What kind of dream?"

I recounted the matter of the androids.

Krillin's reaction was exactly as I had expected.

"Gohan, have you been reading too much manga lately?"

"..."

(You got me.)

"I'm not joking, Krillin." I looked at him seriously. "Those two androids really will appear."

"And... you'll die."

Krillin froze for a moment.

Tien Shinhan remained silent beside us, looking thoughtful.

"Gohan..." Krillin scratched his head. "Isn't that a little too scary?"

"I know it sounds ridiculous," I said. "But please remember this. Three years from now, if androids really appear..."

"Be careful."

Krillin looked at me, and the joking expression on his face gradually faded.

"...All right," he said. "I'll keep an eye out."

Tien Shinhan nodded as well. "So will I."

"Thank you."

I let out a sigh of relief.

(Krillin, Tien Shinhan...)

(Please, you have to remember.)

As the sun set, I stood atop Mount Paozu and looked toward the distant horizon.

Vegeta's place?

I hesitated for a moment.

(Vegeta... should I tell him? Or not? That prideful prince—if he finds out a powerful enemy is coming, he might charge straight out and get himself killed.)

(Or... he might think I'm insulting him, then beat me senseless.)

(Forget it. I'd better not tell him. Let his own pride force him to grow stronger.)

(After all... his self-respect is far more effective than a few words from me.)

I turned and headed home.

(The groundwork... is mostly complete. Uncle Piccolo will investigate Dr. Gero, Dad may be a battle maniac, but at least he knows about this now, and Krillin and Tien Shinhan will remember it too.)

(The crisis three years from now... won't be limited to the androids. There's also that... thing from the depths of space...)

I remembered Cell's sinister face from the original story.

(Cell. That monster that keeps evolving, keeps absorbing. It's not time to bring him up yet. First, we deal with the androids, then we'll find a way to handle Cell. There must... there must be a way.)

Night fell, and the stars lit up one by one.

I stood by the window, gazing at that glittering sky.

(Three years... three years left. This time, I won't let anyone die in front of me again.)

Somewhere in the darkness, a pair of cold eyes watched Earth.

"Three years..."

"Wait another three years..."

"Then..."

"I will devour... all of you."

Cell's shadow was quietly drawing nearer.

But that was the next story.