Broly shut the hatch and swept his eyes over Frieza's goons in the cabin. Then he looked back at Cheelai and asked out of nowhere, "Can you survive in outer space?"
Cheelai shook her head.
"Then we take the ship." Broly nodded and barked at Burter and the others, "Why are you all standing there? Get out!"
"So your name's Broly, huh? You've got some nerve." Burter hooked a thumb at his own nose. "Do you even know who I am? I'm one of the Ginyu Force's finest—"
He didn't get to finish.
Bang!
Broly casually threw a punch and clipped Barta right on the nose.
Barta went stiff, toppled backward, and passed out on the spot.
The goons froze.
Wasn't Burter supposed to be the fastest guy in the universe?
They'd even heard his speed beat Lord Frieza's.
And he just got knocked out with one punch.
What kind of ridiculous nightmare was this?
"The Ginyu Force… big deal." Broly muttered under his breath.
Cheelai stayed quiet.
Of course they were a big deal. They were Lord Frieza's sharpest blade, the strongest unit in the universe… and their number-two just got dropped like nothing.
Her mouth twitched, then her eyes lit up with pure delight.
My future husband… he's this strong?
The goons looked like they'd been scared stupid, staring at Broly, then at Burter floating there unconscious.
Was Burter-sama really that easy to beat?
"Get lost." Broly's gaze turned vicious.
He yanked the hatch open and kicked Burter straight out.
The goons trembled, hurriedly strapped on their respirators, and jumped after him into space.
Broly calmly closed the hatch again.
Then he glanced to the side and spotted Lemo standing there like an idiot.
Lemo suddenly had a very bad feeling.
"And you." Broly strode over, grabbed Lemo by the collar, and hauled him toward the hatch.
Lemo: "…"
His mind almost snapped.
So he's throwing everyone off the ship except Cheelai?
What the hell… I'm Cheelai's friend!
And somehow, those words—"Cheelai's friend"—suddenly felt worth a whole lot less.
"Broly, wait! What are you doing? That's Lemo—my good friend!" Cheelai panicked and rushed to stop him.
"Boyfriend?" Broly asked.
Cheelai: "..."
"He's a male friend, not my boyfriend," she said quickly.
"What's the difference?" Broly didn't see one. "If you're marrying me, you can't have other men around."
Lemo's composure cracked.
He's talking like there's something going on between me and Cheelai.
Lemo desperately wanted to shout, I'm innocent!
"Listen to me, Broly—he's really just a normal friend! Not my boyfriend!" Cheelai looked like she was about to cry.
"Maybe. I can't tell." Broly thought for a moment. "But Ken can tell. I'll take you to Ken. If he really is your boyfriend, then I won't marry you."
"What do you take me for?" Cheelai's chest rose and fell with anger.
Broly didn't argue.
"Hmph. Do I look like that kind of woman? You're going to drive me insane!" Cheelai snapped.
"Hurry up and get to Earth. I've got something important to do," Broly ordered. "This ship's too slow. Later I might carry it and fly—so hold on tight."
"Carry the ship… and fly?" Cheelai blinked.
"I can come with you, right…? We're really just normal friends…" Lemo forced a dry smile and hurried to plead.
Broly didn't object again.
Taking the hint, Lemo moved to the controls.
Whoosh!
The ship surged forward and shot toward Earth.
Inside, the three of them fell into an awkward silence.
Lemo kept shooting Cheelai looks, as if to say: You searched for him for sixteen years. Sixteen. Now that you've found him, don't pick a fight over something this small.
Cheelai drew a deep breath. Lemo was right.
I've been looking for Broly for so long… sixteen years, chasing his trail across the universe.
Compared to that, the little spat just now wasn't worth clinging to.
"Hey, Broly… what have you been doing all these years?" Cheelai asked as she stepped closer.
"Nothing much," Broly said. "Either fighting, or on the way to a fight."
Cheelai: "..."
"Pfft… that answer is so you." Cheelai laughed.
Her bright, carefree laugh made Broly stare for a second. His face reddened and he scratched the back of his head, suddenly shy.
"Heehee… Broly, why are you blushing?" Cheelai reached up and gently touched his cheek.
Broly's face went even redder.
"Broly, am I pretty?" Cheelai tilted her head, smiling.
The moment she said it, Broly's whole body jolted. His expression turned ugly and his breathing sped up.
Because Ai's words flashed through his mind.
"Broly, am I pretty?"
The same line—he'd heard it from Ai before.
"Broly, it's okay. Relax. Breathe… don't upset yourself. I'm here." Cheelai saw his mood shift and wrapped her arms around him, soothing him softly.
Her warmth steadied him little by little.
"Something really important happened to you, didn't it?" Cheelai looked at him gently. "Sit down. If you don't mind… tell me your story."
She glanced at Lemo, signaling him to give them space.
Lemo got it immediately. He slipped into a side room and quietly closed the door.
In the ship's wide control room, only Broly and Cheelai remained.
With Cheelai guiding him, Broly sat down.
"Broly… do you like songs? Want me to sing for you?" Cheelai's voice was soft.
"That song from earlier… the one about bringing back Ai… sing it again," Broly said, nodding.
"Bring back Ai?" Cheelai paused, then smiled with a calm, knowing look. "Sure. I'll sing it again."
If the universe could bring back Ai from before, then I'd spend my whole life waiting;
…
Every wound I took, every tear I shed—Ai, please take them all away…
Cheelai replaced every "love" in the lyrics with "Ai."
It made the phrasing a little awkward to sing, but she kept the rhythm steady and carried the melody cleanly.
Broly listened from start to finish, serious and still. Before he realized it, tears slipped down his face.
Cheelai didn't say anything. She simply held him close.
Broly cried like a child.
"Ai was your best friend, wasn't she?" Cheelai asked softly. "If she knew you were thinking about her like this, she'd be happy."
Broly nodded hard.
"She must've been a really pretty girl," Cheelai murmured.
Broly nodded again.
Cheelai wiped at her own tears and let out a quiet sigh. "After all these years… I finally found you. But the one you're waiting for isn't me…"
Her chest tightened.
My feelings are a mess. I'm comforting the man I like while he misses the one he loves… and that person isn't me.
She wanted to ask what happened to Ai.
But the words stopped at her lips.
Something felt terribly wrong. If Ai were fine, Broly wouldn't be breaking down like this.
Asking now would only stab him harder.
Broly wiped his tears and finally spoke. "Ai was a robot built by Dr. Brief. At first, she stayed with Bulma's sister—she was made to keep her company while she studied."
Cheelai blinked.
A robot?
For a second, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
I… I got jealous of a robot. That's embarrassing.
The weight in her chest instantly eased.
So Ai was a robot.
"The year I met her, I was five," Broly said, staring up at the ceiling.
"That's the year we met too," Cheelai nodded. "You were five then."
"I had fun with her. At first I didn't know she was a robot. I just kept staring at her, and she suddenly said, 'What're you lookin' at?' I copied her… and she zapped me." Broly's voice sank into memory.
"Was she a really beautiful female robot?" Cheelai asked.
"Back then, she was just a ball floating in the air—about this big." Broly held his hands apart to show the size.
Cheelai: "..."
"More than twenty years later, when I saw her again, I'd grown up," Broly continued. "She said the same words from back then… and I didn't react. I wasn't that kid anymore, but she still looked the same."
"If she had real intelligence, that must've hurt," Cheelai sighed.
"After that, Bulma built her a new body…" Broly said honestly. "A body that looked like a really pretty girl."
Then he told Cheelai everything that happened after—every detail, from start to finish.
As she listened, tears slid down Cheelai's cheeks.
What a devoted robot.
I feel like I've already lost to her.
It stings…
The one I'm competing with is a female robot, not even a real woman.
No… the way Ai did this—she was more 'woman' than most real women.
"Everything will get better, Broly," Cheelai comforted him. "There has to be a way to bring her back."
"Yeah," Broly nodded. "Ken should have a way."
"When Ai comes back, you should marry her." Cheelai smiled, but the smile didn't sit naturally on her face.
Broly froze and looked at her, startled.
"Back then it was just a childhood joke," Cheelai said, still smiling. "You don't have to take it seriously."
"I… why would I marry Ai?" Broly scratched his head, confused.
Cheelai: "????"
"You don't like her?" Cheelai blinked.
"I like her," Broly answered, nodding.
"Then marry her," Cheelai sighed softly.
"No. The one I'm marrying is you," Broly said stubbornly. "You were the first person I promised."
"Scumbag!" Cheelai snapped, glaring at him. "Or what—do you want me and Ai to serve you together?"
"Together?" Broly didn't understand.
"You want two wives?" Cheelai huffed, eyes blazing.
Broly looked even more lost.
You can do that?
Ken never told me anything like that…
Broly shook his head in a daze.
"From the poems she said to you before she disappeared… you can tell she really meant it," Cheelai murmured. She tilted her face toward the vast starfield, tears streaming down.
"I don't get it," Broly said. "All I know is: one flake, two flakes, three flakes… three flakes, four flakes, five, six… seven, eight, nine, ten…"
"…And then I plucked that mermaid's scales off one by one."
Cheelai's mouth twitched.
That mermaid probably hurt like hell.
Serves her right.
"After telling you all this, I actually feel a lot better," Broly said.
"Go, Broly." Cheelai forced herself to be brave. "Let's part here."
"Huh?" Broly blinked.
"Go save her," Cheelai said with a smile.
"But… I still have to marry you," Broly scratched his head.
"When you understand what love is, then we'll talk," Cheelai said. She turned her back to him at once and spoke softly, "Take care, Broly."
Broly scratched his head again, completely at a loss.
Could you say that in a way that makes sense?
Do you want me to marry you or not?
It sounds like you don't want to anymore.
"Then… okay. I'm going. You take care of yourself," Broly said after a moment's hesitation, then turned and left.
The next instant, he opened the hatch. A dark green light surged around him, and he shot out as a dark green streak—returning to the World of Void.
He curved slightly through the emptiness, then entered Universe 6.
After Broly left, Lemo heard something was off outside. He rushed out of the room and looked around for him.
"Lemo, what are you digging around in the trash can for?" Cheelai snapped. "Do you think Broly's hiding in there?"
"Uh… where is he?" Lemo asked, baffled.
"He left." Cheelai sighed.
"He left? To go prepare the bride price and come back to marry you?" Lemo asked excitedly.
"We broke up." Cheelai shook her head. "After all these years… the one he loves is a robot."
Lemo: "????"
"What robot?" Lemo asked, totally lost.
"His heart's already filled by a robot," Cheelai said, fighting back her tears. "There's no room for anyone else."
…
Universe 7, outer space.
"Hello? This is Jeice of the Ginyu Force. Put Burter on."
A voice called for Barta over the communicator.
It was Jeice, another member of the Ginyu Force.
Jeice sounded frantic, demanding Barta contact him immediately.
But the one who answered wasn't Barta—it was one of Frieza's goons.
"Jeice-sama, this is Ruaru…" the underling replied.
"Ruaru, put Burter on," Jeice ordered.
"Jeice-sama… Burter-sama passed out…" Ruaru said, glancing at Barta still floating in space.
"Y-You said what? Passed out? What happened?" Jeice couldn't process it. "Did he eat too much chocolate and spike his blood sugar?"
Ruaru: "..."
"Jeice, cut the useless crap." Ginyu finally snapped, cutting in.
Jeice shut up at once.
"Ah… Ginyu-sama!" Ruaru hurriedly answered and reported everything that happened on the ship, from start to finish.
"Tch! Burter's dead!" Ginyu let out a long sigh.
"He can't survive in space, can he?" Jeice said, half laughing, half exasperated.
"That unlucky idiot," Recoome groaned. "What a random way to die."
"Moron." Guldo seized the chance to throw in an insult.
"He must've gotten careless! Getting knocked out by one punch!" Jeice fumed. "What's that guy's name?"
"He didn't say…" Ruaru answered. He'd been near the edge of the ship and hadn't heard Broly's name, so he claimed nobody said it.
"Captain, what do we do?" Jeice asked. "Go beat that guy down?"
"Finish what Lord Frieza assigned us first," Ginyu said decisively. "After we're back from Planet Namek, we'll settle the score. He won't get away."
"Yes, Captain!" Jeice answered.
"Mess with the Ginyu Force and I, Recoome, won't allow it!" Recoome roared.
"Me too," Guldo hurried to add, trying to make himself relevant.
"Guldo, you don't have to talk," Recoome shot back. "Nobody thinks you're mute. You're just here to fill numbers—don't pretend you don't know it."
Guldo felt like he'd been stabbed straight through.
That was too much.
Even if I'm filler, you don't say it out loud.
"How long until we reach Planet Namek?" Ginyu asked.
"At least five more days," Jeice estimated.
"Get some sleep…" Ginyu said, a little regretful. "Too bad we're not headed toward that Cheelai girl's position. Otherwise we could've swung by and wiped them out—save ourselves the trouble."
"Should we report this to Lord Frieza?" Recoome asked.
"For something this small?" Ginyu barked. "You think Lord Frieza has time to babysit every little thing?"
"Recoome, Captain's scolding you! His tone is super serious!" Jeice explained helpfully.
"Shut up!" Ginyu and Recoome shouted at the same time.
(End of chapter)
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