Ghost From the Past

Bardock's Gift

Chapter 13

My attention flickers over to Goten while my father explains the history of Bardock, the Saiyan who possessed the ability to see into the future. Goten is sitting on the floor beside me, his back pressed up against my mattress. Every few minutes he'll sigh, or drop his face into his hands as if thinking with despair," This can't be happening."

If either of us had a choice... we wouldn't have accepted our great-grandfather's little gift.

"....In the end, none of the Saiyans on planet Vegetasei believed Bardock's vision was real. He faced Frieza's army alone, and was the first to perish," Papa finishes. He's quiet for a few minutes, allowing us enough time to absorb the story before dropping the bomb." Like the both of you, I have inherited Bardock's ability to see into the future. I had my first psychic experience in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber when I was only twelve."

Papa's face softens as he remembers his experience.

. +.+.+.+.

He was training with Grandpa Goku, preparing for the monstrous androids Future Trunks had forewarned them about. They were seven months into training when it happened. Goku had been a little too fierce during training, and unexpectedly delivered a knock-out blow to my father's head. It felt like being hit by a train. If Papa had been a normal human, his head would've disconnected from his neck and exploded like a watermelon...that's how strong Grandpa Goku was.

My father dropped from the sky like a rock. He knew he'd be unconscious once he hit the ground, but halfway through the fall everything around him began to change. The white tiled floor started to move like gentle ocean waves, then completely dissolved, changing itself into dirt. Papa heard a school bell chime in the distance and felt the humming of voices in his ears. There was laughter and shouting. The wind picked up, pushing against his hair and skin, carrying with it the scent of freshly cut grass. The pain in his head was still there, but it had lessened greatly.

By the time Papa's knees hit the dirt, nothing about the hyperbolic time chamber remained. Goku's presence was gone as well. Within just a few seconds, Papa's psychic abilities had thrown him six years into the future, right in the middle of an important high school baseball game.

"Quit daydreaming out there!" The coach harshly shouted from the sidelines, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice." Get up, get up! Hurry! My grandmother can move faster than you—and she's dead!"

People watching the game were all shouting at him in harsh voices. For whatever reason, it was important that he get up quickly and throw the damn ball.

Rubbing the sore spot on his head, Papa scrambled to his feet. His arms and legs were much longer than he was used to. If it weren't for the people screaming his name, he would've thought he was in someone else's body. With everyone shouting at him there wasn't enough time to stand idly or freak out over what just happened. He found the baseball sitting in the grass just by his feet and hurriedly bent over to pick it up. It felt small in his large hands. No doubt the ball was the cause of the little, annoying bump on his head. He uncertainly raised the ball in the air. What did they want him to do with it exactly? Was he supposed to give it to someone?

The coach and his teammates' faces had turned red from shouting so much. He sensed they were on the verge of abandoning the game and would settle for beating him up if he didn't act soon. His body felt uncomfortably weak. He was nowhere near as strong as he had been in the hyperbolic time chamber. The thought of facing a swarm of angry humans was intimidating in his current state.

A shorter, heavier, teenage boy smelling like sweat ran past second base." I'm so sorry, Gohan! I didn't mean to hit you in the head! You're usually on top of your game and, well, please forgive me!" The teenager panted and wheezed as he pushed his legs to go faster. He'd seen a once in a lifetime opportunity for a home run and was taking it. He looked over his shoulder with wide, disbelieving eyes after passing third base.