The days seemed to grow shorter. While Gohan had made incredible progress, Piccolo worried that it wouldn't be enough. He had taught the kid everything he himself knew, so the thought was worrisome.
And despite beating the bad habits out of the kid nearly every day, Piccolo still occasionally noticed strange lapses in Gohan's concentration. These occurrences seemed fairly infrequent, only happening once a week or so, though he had no idea what they could mean. The boy's demeanour would instantly change, and without notice. Most of these episodes would last for a few seconds, and it was more than enough time for Piccolo to quickly gain the upper hand in their spar. One time, though, the boy had gone unresponsive for several minutes.
He had grown somewhat fond of the boy over the past several months- not that he would ever admit it. So with the Saiyans' arrival just a weeks days away, he knew they couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
He watched from the corner of his eye as the boy tore into a dinosaur's tail. Perhaps an interrogation would distract him from the kid's disgusting eating habits.
"Gohan," he said, calling the kid to attention.
The little half-Saiyan looked up, dino blood dribbling down his cheek as he swallowed. "Yes, Mr. Piccolo?"
"What do you think about when you're fighting?"
The boy blinked, unsure of how to answer. "What do you mean?"
Piccolo growled. "You know what I mean," he reprimanded. "Why did you drop your guard earlier today? Any failure to pay attention is consequential in battle."
He noticed Gohan suppress a wince at the memory. The boy took one hand off his dinner to prod his tender black eye. "Sorry, Mr. Piccolo," the 5-year-old said. "It was nothing, really. I just need more practice."
"As if I'd ever believe that," Piccolo said, angry at how quickly the boy seemed to be shutting down. Normally at mealtime, he couldn't get the kid to shut up. The fact that his student was just trying to appease him only made it clearer to Piccolo. The boy was hiding something.
"I'm only going to ask once more, Gohan," Piccolo said sternly. "What happened?"
With a sigh, Gohan threw the rest of his dinosaur into the campfire. His stomach felt queasy just thinking about the things he had seen. He wasn't sure when he started having these weird daydreams, but he supposed he couldn't hide it forever.
"I know this is going to sound bizarre, but it's the truth," Gohan said, meeting Piccolo's serious expression with one of his own. "Sometimes I dream when I'm awake."
Piccolo's black eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Swallowing hard, Gohan searched for the right words. "It's like, one moment I'm awake and fighting you," he started. "But then suddenly I'm somewhere else, with different things happening."
His frown deepening, Piccolo simply waited for Gohan to continue. Sensing his mentor's intention, the boy continued.
"Like today when we were fighting," he started. "It happened again. It's like I blinked and suddenly there was a man. I've had… one or two dreams about him before. Every time I see him, he looks so angry. But this time he was angry for a different reason."
"And you don't know who this man is," Piccolo correctly concluded, a little unsettled by whatever telepathic force might be working its way into his pupil's mind. "What did he look like?"
Gohan nodded, not meeting Piccolo's gaze. "He has tall, black hair that stands straight up like fire. I think he's only a foot or two taller than me," he said. "And, well…"
"What?"
"He used to have a tail."
A vein bulged on Piccolo's forehead. "A Saiyan," he murmured, slightly in shock.
Gohan closed his eyes, waiting for his mentor's next thought.
Piccolo growled at the phrasing Gohan used. "Wait. What do you mean 'used' to?"
Nervously clutching at his gi pants, Gohan answered, "He had a tail, like mine. But then... he didn't."
"You said you've seen him in your dreams before," Piccolo said, his stoic expression not giving away anything other frustration. "Tell me exactly what happened the first time you saw him."
His eyes scrunched shut in concentration, Gohan relayed what he remembered of the Saiyans' arrival. He recounted the physical appearances of this man and his bald subordinate.
"The first time I saw them, they were floating. They touched down on the ground and just stood there. I just caught a glimpse," he admitted. "The second time I saw them, the big one was charging toward this other bald man. The man tried to block, but the Saiyan punched him so hard that his arm came right off."
"Wait, Krillin?" Piccolo said, his interest piqued once more. "You said he was bald. Was he about your height, with six dots on his forehead?"
"No, and he didn't look that short," Gohan said. "I just know that he had three eyes."
"What?" Piccolo said, voice unnervingly calm once more. "Three eyes?"
"Yeah," Gohan confirmed. "I didn't know people could have three eyes either."
His fists clenching in comprehension, the older man stood. "You've never met Tien before," he stated more so than asked. He felt his energy rise slightly in uncharacteristic concern.
"Who?" Gohan asked, suddenly timid from Piccolo's strange demeanour.
"Describe this... triclops to me," Piccolo commanded.
"He was shirtless, and had a lot of muscles. Even more than my dad," Gohan stammered. "And his pants were green. But, Mr. Piccolo, why-"
Livid with his student's return to such meek behaviour, the older being stood. "What you have been describing are visions," he said, his voice filled with venom. Despite being technically just four years older than Gohan, the countless memories from his father's life quickly helped him connect the dots. "Visions are psychic episodes in which one can glean details of the future. That's the only explanation of why you would know things you otherwise couldn't possibly know. For example, you've never met Tien Shinhan, have you?"
Big, black eyes peered up at him from beneath a wild mane of hair. "Wait, did you say 'the future'?"
"I cannot believe you didn't tell me this sooner," he raged.
"Sorry, Mr. Piccolo," Gohan said meekly. "I didn't think it was-"
"Tell me exactly what you saw in this last vision of yours," Piccolo commanded. "Tell me everything you can remember. I need every single detail, Gohan."
"I saw the smaller Saiyan again, but he didn't have a tail anymore," Gohan repeated. "His armour was gone, too. His clothes were really bright. His shirt was pink. He was just sitting on a rock." The boy paused for a moment, trying to recall what else he had seen. "There was an older boy there, with purple hair. He was sitting a bit away. But he kept looking at the Saiyan, and the Saiyan kept yelling at him. When they were quiet, they looked awkward. It was like they were waiting for something. I didn't see the big Saiyan at all though."
After seeing his mentor take an aggravated breath, Gohan stood. "I don't understand, what's wrong, Piccolo?"
"He lost his tail," Piccolo slowly repeated. He looked at Gohan seriously.
Gohan looked confused at the significance of this, but just moments later, his eyes widened. "No," he whispered in horror.
Piccolo simply turned to face away from his pupil.
"No," Gohan muttered to himself, his heart beginning to race. "He came to Earth with a tail. Then I saw him without a tail, with someone else, on another day-"
"He will live," Piccolo confirmed, brow furrowed. "We will fight, but he will walk away from the battle."
"Which means we're going to lose," Gohan finished, a tear running down his bloody face.