“So this is Bulma’s house…” Hal floated above the large, yellow dome and shook his head. The structure dominated the landscape, a modern day castle on the edge of West City. “I wonder if Dr. Brief will see me?”
His Kryptonian spacecraft, minus the three crystals, shifted atop his shoulders as he descended to the grass. Bulma’s father was a pretty laid back individual, unfazed by all the chaotic events the Dragon Ball saga threw his way. Hopefully the space ship would be enough to convince the good Doctor to help him.
“It’s too bad I can’t use the knowledge crystal until after I’ve reached adulthood…” Jor-EL had forced the promise from him, with a warning that early use would potentially damage his brain. “Brief would sell his soul for the genesis technology, and I’m honestly interested to see if he could improve on it.”
Hal set his ship onto the ground with a gentle thud and squinted at the Briefs' household. He experienced a moment of disorientation as the layers of the building seemed to peel away. The Doctor was seated in his laboratory, bent over his work, while his wife and daughters sat down for breakfast.
“X-ray vision has appeared!” Hal grinned as he blinked away the effect. He could also hear their conversation, but his hearing had long been hypersensitive. “Hopefully heat vision is on the way, though it’s not very important when I can spam ki blasts…”
“Mom, there’s a strange boy on your lawn…” Tights poked her head out the kitchen window and gazed down at Hal. She retreated as he raised a hand to wave, voice serious. “It looks like he has a spaceship. Bulma, go get Dad… I’m going to call Jaco, in case this guy is bad news.”
“Jaco huh…” Hal sighed. The cowardly Galactic Patrolman had honestly slipped Hal’s mind. “It’s probably fine, he’s pretty weak and I haven't committed any crimes.”
The door to the modern manor opened and Dr. Brief strode casually onto his front step. A teenage Bulma stood at his back, face poked around her father as she eyed the Kryptonian spacecraft. Hal gave her a small smile, before he met her father’s gaze.
“Hello, Dr. Brief,” Hal gave a short bow, before he waved to the ship at his side. “My name is Hal-EL, a visitor from another world… I was hoping you could help me with a few problems…”
“It looks like your ship has taken quite the beating!” The Doctor was already at the vessel's side, hands extended as he fiddled with a nearly seamless panel. His eyes flicked between Hal and the crafts interior, before he resumed his efforts within the panel. “It’s also a bit on the small side… a long range evacuation vehicle for a child, perhaps?”
Hal’s smile widened as Brief deduced the pod’s function in seconds. Bulma’s father was a true genius, matched only by a few others in the universe. The blue-haired teen that joined the inspection of the ship was one of those who matched her father’s intellect.
“What kind of metal is this?” Bulma tapped at the Kryptonian ship with the palm of her hand, eyes bright. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”
“It’s Kryptonian steel, but I’m afraid I don’t know much about it right now,” Hal gave an apologetic shrug and pulled a small crystal from his belt. “This A.I. will know more, you can either design a new interface, or use the one in the ship… Jor-EL has a lot of information on Kryptonian technologies, a lifetime of experience as the lead scientist of my people.”
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“This is a real A.I. ?” Bulma snatched the crystal from Hal’s extended hand and held it up to the light. “That’s incredible!”
She rushed into the cramped cockpit and soon discovered the interface. A flash of blue later and she was lost in conversation with the bearded hologram. Dr. Brief laughed at his daughter’s antics and turned his focus to Hal.
“If you’re willing to let me take this ship apart for study, I promise you I can create a much larger vessel to suit passengers of all ages,” the Doctor rubbed his hands together, as if the thought of delving into the ship was a wondrous dream. “The experience is payment enough, I assure you!”
“Dad, Jaco said he’s too ‘busy’ to make it, unless it’s a real emergency,” Tights emerged from the house with her Mother in tow, face pinched in annoyance. “Is this guy a criminal, or what?”
“He seems friendly enough,” Dr. Brief waved away his oldest daughter’s words and patted Hal on the shoulder. “He’s a traveller with a broken down vehicle, I don’t think he’s looking for trouble.”
“Your Father’s right,” Hal nodded to the blond haired women and sent a friendly smile their way. “I’m here to commission a ship, and hopefully get a few items I need for my travels…”
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“How much further is it?” Goku’s breath came in heavy gasps, his ki reserves pressed to the limit as he followed Hal through the sky. They glided above a pristine forest, toward a distant shore. “Why don’t we rest down below and have a quick lunch?”
“We’ll be there soon enough,” Hal rolled his eyes and seized his Saiyan brother by the back of his gi. Under the right pressure Goku had near exponential growth, but he was a slow starter. “I’ll carry you until we reach the coast, then we can go fishing.”
Hal required something to trade for the senzu beans, and Korin was known to love seafood above all other things. If he caught enough, the cat may be convinced to part with some Ultra Divine Water as well. He had enough refrigerated Hoi-Poi Capsules from Dr. Brief to hold thousands of tonnes of fish, more if he decided to pack his capsule house as well.
“I wonder what ocean fish taste like?” Goku smacked his lips and relaxed in his brother's grasp. “...I bet I can catched the biggest of the day!”
Hal shook his head and picked up speed. Saiyan’s were such a ravenous species, always ready for the next gargantuan meal. Now that his biofield had awakened, he only needed the light of the sun to survive. Food was a pleasure to eat, but ultimately pointless for a Kryptonian.
“Master Roshi’s house should be a few miles over this ocean,” Hal set Goku down onto a sandy beach and squinted into the distance. His telescopic vision revealed the Kame House, where Roshi and his turtle reclined on the old man’s personal beach. “Let’s take a lunch break before we make the last of the trip, whoever gets the biggest catch doesn’t have to cook!”
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“I can’t believe you pulled in that whale, right at the end…” Goku sighed as he patted his rounded belly. Together, the pair of them managed to clear the coastal waters of anything large enough to eat. “Are you sure I can’t have one of those capsules?”
“I need these to trade with!” Hal bonked Goku on the head, before he pulled the Saiyan to his feet. He rose to the skies and motioned for Goku to follow. “Let go, we’ll be there in less than five minutes if we hurry.”
A swift flight over ocean waves brought Kame House and Master Roshi into sight. The Turtle Hermit bounded to his feet at their approach, body tensed as if he faced an enemy. Hal tilted his head to the side, before Roshi called out words that lit a lightbulb in his mind.
“What business do two disciples of the Crane School have on my island?” Roshi’s sunglasses flashed as he took in both Goku and Hal. “I may be old, but I won’t let the students of my rival act without care on my own property!”
Hal had long figured out the flight technique, based on his memories of Videl’s training in the anime. He taught it to Goku, or rather, Goku learned it as soon as Hal succeeded for the first time. The Saiyan’s ability to master such things was beyond talent, bordering the edge of true genius.
“We are not members of the Crane school!” Hal pulled a sealed letter from his belt, written by Gohan as proof of their identity. A flick of his wrist sent it to Roshi’s hands. “Our Grandfather, your apprentice Gohan, sent us to get the advice of his teacher.”
“Advice eh…” Master Roshi unrolled the old fashioned scroll and scanned the contents. He tucked it into a pocket and peered over the top of his glasses, gaze focused on the pair of youths. “Why don’t we…”
A flicker on intuition absorbed Hal’s perception, consciousness drawn into the frozen time of his Three Minute Sight. He witnessed Master Roshi leap forward and attack, alongside the thousands of possible responses he imagined taking. The Turtle Hermit intended to test their skills, and he was willing to go all out to do so.
‘That’s an interesting option…’ one of the paths forward ended in a way Hal hadn’t considered. Perhaps it would be enough to earn him another Time Point! ‘Sorry, Master Roshi, but my poverty matters more than your pride!’