Klaxons filled Hal’s world, repetitive tones that force his blurred eyes open against their will. The tight press of metal and glass, brought into focus as he blinked away the last trace of sleep. Beyond was a sight that chilled his heart, the open depths of space, a starlit frame that surrounded a familiar blue-green globe.
“Where am I?” Hal attempted to shift closer to the glass, impeded by a set of straps over his chest. His fingers fumbled with the clasp, small and unfamiliar. “I’m so small…”
[Congratulations. You have been randomly chosen as the inheritor of the platinum tier system: Fact from Fiction. You have been reborn in a random fictional world, with a random fictional background.] A mechanical, emotionless voice resonated in Hal’s ears, rooted deep in his brain. [You have been awarded a single free Golden Lottery Draw, all other draws must be purchased by charging the system. Would you like to make your draw now?]
“This has to be a dream,” Hal shook his head as he succeeded in releasing his restraints. There were no controls in his small enclosure, just a small recess that contained a familiar sigil. A large capital S, etched onto the surface of the smooth metal. “I need to stop falling asleep while reading web novels…”
Hal raised his small body from its cradle and pressed his face to the glass. A spherical pod was pressed against the side of his spacecraft, another familiar sight. A Saiyan single person craft, crumpled against Kryptonian steel. The two ships dropped toward the Earth, locked together in a forced embrace.
“I’d recognize that silly haircut anywhere,” Hal lay back in his seat and gazed into nothingness, heartbeat on the rise. This was too vivid for a dream… could he really be reborn in the Dragon Ball universe? “Hey system, can you tell me more about this universe and my backstory?”
[The user has been reborn into Dragon Ball universe zero-zero-one,] the system voice rang clear in his head, a bell that expanded the knot of suppressed excitement that rampaged through his mind. Hal forced himself to focus as the system continued. [The user has been assigned the backstory of Kal-EL, last son of Krypton, version three-eight-seven dash four… would you like to make your free draw now?]
The ground rushed to meet his ship, faster and faster as they entered the atmosphere. Fire flared over the entwined vessels, a red curtain that hid the world from view. Hal took a deep breath and returned the restraints to their position around his body. If this wasn’t a dream, he needed to brace himself.
“Not right now, thanks!” Hal’s face pinched, forehead creased as a mountain filled the viewscreen. The last sight he registered, before the ground reached out to claim his consciousness, was a small, primitive house.
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Air rattled into Hal’s lungs as he sprung to his tiny feet. Sight returned when he was already up, a vision of a simple home. Wood floors and walls, no larger than a standard bedroom. Complete with bed, dresser and table, the rest of the space was filled with a small number of nick-knacks. One item caught his eye, a trigger that caused the memories before his crash to return in a flood.
“The four-star dragon ball…” Hal rubbed his eyes and glanced at the bed, where another boy was still unconscious. Head wrapped in a bandage, a young Goku snored like thunder in his sleep. “I really am in another world.”
A grin split his face, an uncontrollable response to the thought. He’d dreamed of being taken into one of his many favourite fictions, and now it was his reality. He opened his mouth, ready to resume his conversation with the system, when the door opened wide.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Oh! You’re awake already, young man,” Grandpa Gohan entered the small house, a bright smile under his bushy moustache. He waved to the fire pit outside, where a large fish roasted on open flame. “It’s already dark, but dinner is ready if you’re…”
“FOOD!” the young Goku bounded from the bed and into the night air, roused by the smell of Gohan’s cooking. Hal snorted at the rambunctious youth, before he bowed to the elder Human.
“Thank you for saving us,” Hal unbent his spine and met Gohan’s bright eyes with his own. He wasn’t interested in pretending to be a child, even if his body was returned to a youthful state. “I was wondering, did any part of my ship survive the crash?”
“It did, unlike your ravenous little friend over there, your… ship… is pretty much intact.” Gohan motioned him outside, where a dented Kryptonian spacecraft had been deposited beside the house. “I dragged it over, just in case it was important.”
Hal bowed a second time to the old man, before he moved to inspect the ship. He was uncertain which Superman’s backstory he’d inherited, but this ship often contained a Kryptonian legacy. Since he was older than the average Kal-EL, with the body of a five year old, perhaps he would be able to trigger something right away.
“Thank you, I…” his hand touched the symbol of the house of EL, a trigger for a rush of blue light. Gohan moved faster than Hal could process, at his side in an instant. He didn’t pull Hal away, but gave the ship a wary look. “It’s ok, I think it’s…”
“Greetings, my son…” the light resolved into a hologram of a well built, middle aged man. He looked from Hal to Gohan, face a mask of calm. “I am Jor-EL, your father…”
The holographic intelligence proceeded to narrate the story of Krypton's destruction, and his hope that his son could find a new home on this distant planet around a yellow sun. As Jor-EL spoke, Gohan lowered his guard and settled to the ground, focused on the man’s words.
“This vessel holds the key to Krypton’s rebirth, alongside the codex hidden within your body,” Jor-EL gave Hal a sad smile, before he turned to face Gohan’s serious eyes. “I hope you can look after my son, though I have nothing to offer in return he can become this world's greatest protector…”
“Of course,” Gohan bowed to the holographic Kryptonian, face brightened into a smile. “How can I ignore the last request of a loving father?”
“Thank you,” Jor-EL returned the bow and returned his focus to Hal. Three crystals emerged from the small spacecraft’s interior. “The largest of these will form into a fully operational fortress, complete with an array of robotic servants and technologies, while the mid-sized crystal contains the combined knowledge of our race… the last contains my A.I. interface.”
“Thank you… Father,” Hal eyed the three crystals, a wealth of benefits that earned Jor-EL his title, even if Hal had no real attachment to the man. “I promise, I’ll protect my new home and help Krypton return to the world!”
“I’m still hungry…” Goku wandered over from the cooking fire, face covered in a thick layer of grease. All that remained of the hundred pound fish was picked over bones. The Saiyan rubbed his bandaged head and scrunched his tiny face. “Is there any more food?”
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The sound of Goku’s resonant snores, combined with Grandpa Gohan’s softer breaths, filled the darkness of the house. They had cooked another fish, then returned to the small bed to sleep. Gohan rested on the floor, asleep as soon as he placed his head on a travel worn pillow.
“Hey system,” Hal breathed out the words, the quietest whisper. “What happens when I make my free draw?”
[You will receive one free object or ability, guaranteed to be of the Gold tier or higher. It will be held within the system until you choose to summon or integrate it,] his system droned from within his mind, uncensored with its volume as only Hal could hear its words. [All other draws must be purchased from the system… do you wish to make your draw now?]
“Do it!”
Hal held in his excitement as a vast wheel seemed to form within his mind. Endless sections, divided by small metal pegs, each with miniscule writing inscribed upon them. The prize wheel spun, a blurr that raised an ethereal wind in his subconscious. It ticked on and on, slower and slower, until it finally settled in place.
[Congratulations. You have drawn the Gold tier ability: Three Minute Sight (Next universe zero-three-eight-seven): You have a passive, subconscious awareness of the next three minutes in time.] The system chimed out a deadpan delivery that almost undercut the reward’s value. [You may actively focus to enter a temporal vision space. You may spend a single second to calculate infinite possible actions and their effects on the next three minutes in time.]
***Power Levels and other notes***
Hal: 5 (10 after the first touch of sunlight)
Goku:10
Grandpa Gohan: 95
This universe will have slightly different details to the main cannon. It will include movie content and other changes to the timing of events. Thanks to everyone for reading!