Broly, Have a Drink of Water!

Only after he had stomped the Energy Gun into a thin sheet of metal, nearly flattening it into the ground, did Broly finally feel as though he had gotten his revenge. He let out a long sigh of relief.

He stopped, his chest heaving. Tears still clung to his face, but he seemed to have calmed down a little.

Vegeta: "..."

Vegeta quickly put a safe distance between himself and Broly, then tiptoed over to Reiz and hid behind him, peeking around with half his head to watch Broly in the distance.

"Reiz, isn't this guy kind of an idiot?" Vegeta whispered, keeping his voice as low as possible so Broly wouldn't hear.

"He is a little dumb," Reiz agreed with a faint smile.

"Hmph! I'm not going to stoop to an idiot's level!" Vegeta felt much better and puffed out his chest.

But soon, Vegeta felt that something wasn't quite right.

Getting beaten by an idiot was pretty humiliating, wasn't it?

His face fell again.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"

Broly still wasn't satisfied. He picked up the crushed remains of the Energy Gun and let out a series of roars.

His voice rang across the wasteland, filled with anger and sorrow.

Then Broly clenched his fingers. Metal creaked in his grasp as he crushed it into a misshapen ball.

"Whoosh!"

Broly casually tossed the ball into the air, then opened his mouth wide as energy gathered inside.

Golden light gathered in his mouth, growing brighter and brighter.

"Rumble!"

A thick beam of energy shot from Broly's mouth and struck the metal ball in midair.

The golden light burst open, illuminating the entire sky.

The metal ball was blasted to smithereens, turning into countless tiny fragments that vanished in the light, leaving nothing behind.

Seeing this, Vegeta's eye twitched, and his face went pale for a moment.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out.

This guy really was an idiot!

But his energy was ridiculously powerful!

Maybe I should just avoid provoking him?

No!

He'd just pinned me to the ground and pummeled me. I couldn't let that go.

Vegeta gritted his teeth. His pride wouldn't let him back down.

"Hey, Reiz, what's this guy's Combat Power?" Vegeta turned to ask Reiz, looking defiant, though there was a hint of wariness in his eyes.

"Judging from the energy he's giving off, his Combat Power is at least 500,000," Reiz replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he looked at Broly.

"Y-you... What did you say? Combat Power of 500,000! Are you kidding me?" Vegeta stammered. His expression changed again and again, and his eyes widened.

500,000!

What did that even mean?

He'd already thought he was pretty strong.

Yet this wild-looking guy had a Combat Power of 500,000!

"I never joke. If you don't believe me, you can go test him yourself." Reiz smiled, amusement in his eyes.

"Hmph! Fine, I'll do it!" Vegeta said, but he kept his arms crossed and made no move.

His feet might as well have been nailed to the ground. He didn't budge an inch.

Reiz gave Vegeta an amused look.

Vegeta's mouth twitched. He didn't want to say anything.

After all, Vegeta wasn't an idiot. He'd punched Broly earlier, but Broly had been completely unharmed. He hadn't even turned his head.

The difference between them was obvious!

If he really challenged Broly, he'd probably get beaten to a pulp, wouldn't he?

"By the way, I recovered from being near death again just now. What's my Combat Power now?" Vegeta asked eagerly, changing the subject.

"Not bad. You've improved quite a bit this time. You're already at 30,000." Reiz smiled and gave him an approving nod.

"Only 30,000!" Vegeta was a little annoyed. He pursed his lips.

Before, Vegeta would have been thrilled.

A Combat Power of 30,000 would make him one of the strongest beings on Planet Vegeta.

Even in the Frieza Force, he'd be among the top ten!

But now, compared with Reiz or Broly, Vegeta couldn't help feeling a little dejected.

The gap made him feel terrible.

"Y-you... Hurt me one more time!" Vegeta gritted his teeth, clenched both fists, and stared resolutely at Reiz.

"Do I look like I've got nothing better to do?" Reiz scolded him, glaring at Vegeta. "Healing you takes energy, you know."

"Does it take a lot of energy to heal me?" Vegeta asked sheepishly.

"What do you think?" Reiz snorted.

"Then... fine. Maybe some other time!" Vegeta nodded, disappointed. He looked over at Broly and asked Reiz, "What are you going to do with him?"

"Take him with us," Reiz replied after a moment's thought, his eyes on Broly. "He can keep you company."

"Keep me company?" Vegeta's expression stiffened. He hurriedly waved his hands. "I don't want a playmate!"

"That's not up to you!" Reiz said with a smile, his tone leaving no room for argument.

He turned to Linoshi and said gently, "I'm going to talk things over with Broly."

"Okay." Linoshi nodded obediently, her blue eyes gazing at him tenderly.

"By the way, Vegeta, go get a bottle of water from the spaceship," Reiz instructed.

"Are you thirsty?" Vegeta asked, startled, but he immediately flew into the spaceship.

Inside, he found a case of bottled water in the storage room, grabbed a bottle, and quickly flew back. He landed in front of Reiz and handed it to him.

Holding the water, Reiz flew toward Broly.

The mist gradually cleared, and sunlight streamed through the clouds, bathing the desolate land in a golden glow.

Broly was kneeling beside Paragus, sobbing uncontrollably, his eyes red from crying.

Tears and snot covered his face, and his shoulders shook as he wept, like a wounded young beast.

Reiz landed beside him and stepped forward to pat his shoulder.

Broly glanced back at Reiz and wiped away his tears. His eyes were full of sorrow and confusion.

"Broly, have a drink of water." Reiz kindly unscrewed the cap and held the bottle out to him.

The water inside was clear and pure, glistening in the sunlight.

Broly paused, staring blankly at the bottle Reiz was offering. A trace of confusion appeared on his face.

He had never seen anything like it.

A brief silence.

"What is this?" Broly asked, his voice hoarse and halting.

"Poor kid. Have you never even had water to drink?" Reiz sighed softly, feeling a pang of sympathy. "It's something to drink. Try it."

"Uh..." Broly scratched his head, took the bottle, and examined it in confusion. Then he cautiously brought it to his lips and took a sip.

The water entered his mouth and ran down his throat, cool and sweet.

Broly's eyes lit up at once. He couldn't help smacking his lips over and over, his face full of disbelief.

He took another sip, this time a bigger one, and felt the coolness spread through him.

To Broly, it was the best thing he had ever tasted.