Master Roshi and Broly's First Encounter

"A little infant?" The excitement on Master Roshi's face faded, replaced by a flicker of surprise and then pity. He let out a soft sigh, his white beard trembling slightly with the breath. "Ah... looks like a poor kid. Probably abandoned by his parents, stuffed into this weird ball, and left to drift with the waves."

"What a pitiful little one." Sea Turtle also leaned in for a look, chiming in with sympathetic sentiment.

"We can't just leave him floating in the sea." Master Roshi muttered, making a decision. "Let's get him ashore first, then figure something out—see if we can find a kind family to take him in."

"Or... how about you take him in yourself, Master Roshi?" Sea Turtle suggested half-jokingly. "Your house is big enough; a little more company would liven things up."

"Are you kidding me?!" Master Roshi yelped like a cat with its tail stepped on, nearly jumping off Sea Turtle's back. He shot Sea Turtle a fierce glare. "I don't like kids! They're noisy and a huge pain! Besides..."

At that point.

Master Roshi lowered his voice, a lecherous grin spreading across his face. "If some pretty young lady comes by to discuss martial arts or life philosophy, having a brat around would be such a nuisance! I wouldn't be able to have any fun at all!"

Sea Turtle rolled his eyes in exasperation and decided not to pursue the topic further.

The man and the turtle put in some effort and finally dragged the spherical spaceship onto the beach.

Master Roshi circled the metal ball several times, tapping here and there, feeling around. The smooth shell was seamless, with no visible switches or latches to be found.

Should he just punch this thing open?

Master Roshi clenched his fist, muscles bulging slightly.

But soon, he shook his head, dismissing the dangerous thought.

No, no. My fists don't know their own strength. What if I hit too hard and smash the little one inside?

Looking at the infant still sleeping soundly inside the pod, that innocent little face softened Master Roshi's heart.

Since he couldn't open it, Master Roshi decided to leave it alone for now and let the baby stay inside.

"Master Roshi," Sea Turtle tapped the spaceship's shell with his claw, producing a dull thud. "Look at this ball's material—it's cold and smooth to the touch, and the structure's weird. Feels like high-tech stuff... Could it be from outer space?"

"What? You think this little tyke is an alien sent to conquer Earth?" Master Roshi laughed as if he'd heard the funniest joke ever. He couldn't help but put his hands on his hips, throw his head back, and let out his signature, booming, full-bodied laugh. "Hahaha! I'm the one called the God of Martial Arts, Master Roshi! Conquer Earth? Even if real alien invaders showed up, they'd have to get past my fists first! I'll beat them black and blue and send them packing back home!"

Master Roshi's bold laughter echoed across the beach, brimming with absolute confidence in his own strength.

But just then.

"Creak—!"

A clear sound of metal unlocking and air pressure releasing rang out abruptly, cutting off Master Roshi's laughter.

The seamless spherical spaceship, near its bottom, suddenly slid open a round hatch!

The next moment, under the stunned gazes of Master Roshi and Sea Turtle, a tiny figure wobbled out from the hatch, staggering like a toddler taking his first steps.

Broly stood on the beach, seeming a bit unaccustomed to Earth's gravity and environment. His small body swayed slightly, then he raised a little hand and scratched his thick black hair in confusion.

Master Roshi and Sea Turtle immediately locked their eyes on this suddenly appearing little one.

Broly wore a strangely styled battle suit, and behind him, a furry tail swayed unconsciously.

"Master Roshi, look at his clothes... and that tail!" Sea Turtle whispered in amazement.

"Yeah... the style is a bit odd." Master Roshi snapped out of his initial surprise, cautiously stepped forward, tried to look as friendly as possible, put on what he thought was his kindest smile, crouched down, and asked gently, "Little one, what's your name? Where are you from? Can you talk?"

Broly raised his clear, purely innocent eyes to look at the old man with a bald head, white beard, and weird sunglasses. His little face was full of confusion.

Broly tilted his head, as if struggling to understand these unfamiliar sounds, but eventually shook his head, letting out a few meaningless babbles.

Good thing Master Roshi was being friendly.

Otherwise, Broly would have beaten him to death.

"Ah... looks like he can't speak or understand." Master Roshi felt a pang of pity. "What a poor kid... Maybe his parents abandoned him because they thought he was a monster with that weird tail?"

Broly obviously couldn't grasp Master Roshi's complex thoughts. He just felt that this old man meant no harm, so he kept scratching his head and curiously examining this strange environment and the man and turtle before him.

"Forget it. Since we've met, it's fate." Master Roshi sighed, making a decision. He continued in a gentle tone to Broly, "Little one, stay with me for a couple of days. I'll ask around and find you a good family to adopt you, give you a stable home. How about that?"

Broly still didn't respond.

Just then.

"Grrrrr..."

A rumbling from his stomach suddenly rang out clearly from Broly's little belly.

The sound was especially loud on the quiet beach.

Broly immediately looked down, patted his protesting stomach with his small hand, and wore a puzzled expression.

"Hahaha!" Master Roshi laughed at the innocent reaction. "Are you hungry? Your stomach's growling!"

Broly understood that. He immediately looked up, staring at Master Roshi with big, pleading eyes, and nodded vigorously.

"You understand when it's about food? What a straightforward little guy!" Master Roshi stood up with a smile. "Come on, follow me home. I'll get you something to eat to fill your stomach."

Broly's eyes clearly lit up. He took short, wobbly but determined steps, following Master Roshi.

Master Roshi led Broly back to Master Roshi's House, which had just been washed over by waves.

The inside was still a bit damp and messy, but luckily the structure was sturdy, and the old refrigerator stood stubbornly in the corner.

Master Roshi opened the fridge door and was relieved to find that, though the food inside was toppled over, most of the packaging was intact and hadn't been soaked by seawater.

Then, Master Roshi took out a carton of milk and shook it in front of Broly. "At your age, you should still be drinking milk, right? Where's your mom? Ah... probably no use asking you."

Muttering to himself, Master Roshi skillfully put the milk carton into the microwave to heat it up.