Lairas Planet.

"Cool... Why does my whole body feel so cool?"

Betkas gradually regained consciousness from his coma, suddenly feeling a refreshing sensation all over his body. His mind and body felt incredibly relaxed... It was like soaking in a bath...

"No, that's not right..."

Betkas suddenly recalled Broly, the one who had nearly killed him. He jolted awake in an instant, opening his still-blurry eyes... and froze as he looked around.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

"Where is this?!"

Betkas opened his eyes, hearing the sound of flowing water beside his ears. He suddenly realized he seemed to be in some kind of sea... except the color of the water was a bit strange, almost golden. Betkas had traveled through the universe for many years, but this was the first time he'd seen golden seawater.

But what amazed him even more was his injury...

"My body's completely healed... What the..."

Betkas moved his limbs and suddenly found no pain at all, just a somewhat unfamiliar feeling. Thinking back carefully, he remembered that day after Broly had targeted him, he and Paragus had struggled desperately... In the end, Broly had even forced out that "thing" that shouldn't have existed, causing the planet to be destroyed in their clash.

And he had escaped at the last moment in his spaceship. But with his injuries too severe and time running out, he didn't dare linger. So, imitating how Son Goku had fled Namek in the original story, he picked a random destination. He just had fewer steps than Goku.

Though he could have fled back to Frieza, returning would have been bad. Since he'd been away for years, Frieza and the others didn't know his true strength. If they found out, it would definitely stir some wariness... because right now, he was too young.

Think about Vegeta in the original story—nearly thirty years old, with a power level just over eighteen thousand. He was only thirteen and already at fifteen thousand, and that was while wearing weighted gear. Now, having come back from the brink of death, his strength had surely taken another leap forward. Under these circumstances, would he dare go back?

He swam upward. Since his weighted suit was gone, he was still naked, though that suit had already been tattered.

"Splash, splash, splash!!"

His head broke the golden water's surface... Betkas suddenly noticed his surroundings seemed to be a dense forest, but the trees here were astonishingly tall.

Every tree was at least thirty meters tall, with some reaching so high they seemed to touch the sky without an end in sight. The water he was in was a lake about a hundred meters across.

"You're awake, friend from the cosmos!"

Just as Betkas was stunned, a relatively young voice came from behind. Betkas turned his head and saw a young man with short green hair sitting there. But that face nearly scared Betkas half to death—it looked too much like Gogeta from Dragon Ball GT.

If not for the old man's green hair, he'd have thought Gogeta had actually appeared.

"Did you throw me into this lake?"

Betkas suppressed the "malicious" thoughts in his mind and spoke.

"That's quite rude, friend from the cosmos. This lake is a sacred site on our planet Lairas. You've only been unconscious for four days."

The green-haired young man's expression didn't change, as if he didn't mind at all, and he replied.

"What?!"

Betkas was shocked. If he'd really only been unconscious for four days, that was terrifying. The injuries he'd sustained would have left him paralyzed for half a year, or even longer. But if what the green-haired youth said was true—that in just four days, or even sooner, his wounds had been healed—then...

This was almost as good as a Senzu Bean.

How could Betkas not be shocked?

"Here are your clothes. They were already repaired from the start, by this Mira Liquid Lake."

Suddenly, the green-haired youth picked up the set of battle armor that Betkas had originally worn, now tattered, and tossed it over, murmuring.

Betkas's expression turned a bit odd as he caught the clothes. Feeling the weight in his hands, he confirmed it was indeed his own battle armor—the tight-fitting suit with shoulder guards.

"But friend, you're a hard worker too. I could tell from your clothes. That outfit probably limits your strength. If you took it off in battle, you could catch an enemy off guard."

The green-haired youth said with some admiration.

"By the way, you've been calling me 'friend' from the start. Don't you have any caution? If this lake's effects are really as you say, it could attract people with ill intentions."

Betkas quickly stepped ashore, put on his clothes, and spoke.

"If that's the case, I'd just have to accept it."

The green-haired youth seemed completely unconcerned, answering calmly.

"This guy..."

Betkas looked at the green-haired youth's indifferent attitude and felt a bit puzzled. Unfortunately, his scouter was broken, and he couldn't sense ki, so he had no idea how strong this youth was. But from his restrained aura, he was at least someone with a power level over ten thousand.

"Anyway, thanks for saving me. Can you tell me where my spaceship is? I need to file a report."

Betkas asked further.

"It's over there. None of us touched it."

The green-haired youth pointed east. Betkas prepared to fly over, but the youth added, "If you're not planning to leave right after your report, I can take you to meet someone. It might be something you Saiyans would be most interested in."

"Oh?"

Betkas frowned, looking at the youth's serious expression. After a moment's thought, he said, "Fine. Let's see what this is about. Wait for me here for three minutes!"

In the blink of an eye, Betkas shot off, leaving behind a fading afterimage.

"A Saiyan... I'm sure that lord will be very pleased."

The green-haired youth said with some delight.