[POV. Broly]
Bah.
That was the first thought that crossed her mind as she silently observed the strange white-haired man.
He reminded her of her oldest and best friend, Bah.
Maybe they could both be named the same?
She hadn't asked his name yet.
Was that rude?
The reason he reminded her of Bah?
They were both green.
Her bright dark eyes locked intensely on the man's clothing, completely ignoring her father's yelling in the background.
The clothes covering him were a deep, dark green, combined with parts of a much lighter, striking green on the inside and on his wristbands.
His eyes are also red... just like Bah.
Slowly, she looked away from Zaiko's clothes and looked down at her own waist.
Her fingers moved down to instinctively brush the thick, soft green fur tied around her waist.
It was Bah's ear, her first and most precious friend.
A strange sense of familiarity settled in her chest.
She definitely liked her new friend.
But why was her dad yelling at him and looking like he was about to attack him?
...
"I'm sorry, but I don't have any ship," Zaiko replied with a calm voice and a hint of amusement. "I'm afraid we're all trapped."
Paragus's face contorted into a mask of pure rage and he tightened his grip on Zaiko's green gi even more, shaking him furiously.
"Stop joking with me, you wretched bastard!" the old man spat at him, blinded by the frustration of seeing his only escape route vanish. "Tell me where you have your ship hidden right now or I swear I'll kill you with my own bare hands!"
The exact moment "I'll kill you" left Paragus's mouth, the atmosphere around them seemed to freeze.
Every trace of amusement and mockery disappeared from Zaiko's face as if it had never existed.
His head tilted slightly downward, causing the spiky, unruly locks of his white hair to fall over his forehead, completely overshadowing his features.
Slowly, Zaiko raised a hand and gently wrapped his fingers around Paragus's right wrist, the very same one still holding him by the collar of his clothes.
Then Zaiko lifted his head.
When Paragus met his gaze, now devoid of any trace of humanity and brimming with absolute coldness, the blood froze in his veins.
The survival instinct that had kept him alive on Vampa for so many years screamed at him to back away, to flee, but his body didn't respond.
Then, a gruesome crunch echoed in the arid silence of the rocky wasteland.
A harrowing and agonizing scream escaped Paragus's throat.
The old man immediately let go of Zaiko's gi and fell to his knees on the ground, writhing in pain.
His right arm was completely broken, bent at an unnatural angle. The bone had been snapped in two as if it were a mere dry twig.
Zaiko, who had died in his past life, did not take the death threat well.
He had just gotten a second chance to live his life, a life where he can do whatever he desires most, completely free, without ties.
And Paragus dared to threaten him?
For a few moments, he had gotten so angry that he had lost control and hurt him more than he intended.
But he didn't regret it.
On the other side of the bonfire, Broly reacted instantly and abruptly stood up from the rock she was sitting on.
Her breathing became ragged instantly, her chest rising and falling heavily as her bright dark eyes locked onto her father's figure, wounded and writhing on the ground.
The initial confusion on her face was quickly replaced by a wild and protective instinct.
Zaiko stood there, impassive.
He looked at them both for a moment, but mostly at Broly, who was on the verge of losing control.
"It's not that big of a deal, old man," Zaiko told Paragus, breaking the tension with a bored tone lacking any empathy. "I didn't even use much strength, stop being a crybaby."
But Paragus, choking on his own pain, turned his sweat-drenched face toward his daughter, his eyes wide with panic.
For the man to have a power level of 0 but be able to hurt him like that... It was clear he was a mutant of their race just like his daughter!
Apparently, Paragus hadn't noticed the monkey tail on Zaiko's back yet, or he would have realized he was also a Saiyan.
"Broly!" he yelled at her urgently. "Kill him! Kill him immediately!"
The corners of Zaiko's lips slowly curved upward, forming a sharp smile full of anticipation upon hearing the old man's desperate order.
«Somehow, I knew this would end up happening...» he thought to himself, without taking his eyes off Broly's imposing figure. «And at the same time, I was waiting for it.»
He could feel the blood starting to burn in his veins, an intense heat pumping forcefully in his chest.
It was a primitive and savage impulse encouraging him to throw himself into combat against her right that instant, begging him to let his instincts out and enjoy the battle instead of ending things quickly.
What was wrong with this body? No, rather... What was wrong with Saiyans?
Was this how they felt when an opponent presented themselves?
Why the hell were they like this? And why was it affecting him, who was mentally human?
But at the same time he asked himself that, he shrugged.
What did it matter?
Fighting against Broly seemed fun!
And right now, that's all I wanted to do!
Broly's heart-wrenching scream echoed in his ears and brought him back to reality, turning his attention towards her.
Her eyes went completely blank for a second, losing all trace of sanity, before her pupils reappeared shining with a fierce and intense yellow color.
A massive, uncontrolled green aura erupted around her body, violently crackling with lightning.
The pressure was such that the ground beneath her feet began to crack and tremble forcefully, causing small stones and rock fragments to rise and float around her.
Her musculature underwent a massive increase, becoming even larger, athletic, and imposing, stretching her clothes to the limit as her wild instincts took total control.
Seeing her in that state, transforming into an imposing mountain of muscles, Zaiko just stared at her.
His mouth opened slightly in surprise... before letting out an involuntary sigh he didn't know he was holding back.
"Oh, mommy~"
But, putting aside his inappropriate thoughts, his mind quickly identified what he was witnessing.
Broly had just entered Ikari mode, also known as the wrath state.
It was a transformation that allowed her to access the immense power of an Ozaru, while maintaining her human form and without the need for a tail.
He remembered that, in the movie, thanks to this transformation, Broly had been able to fight on par against Son Goku and Vegeta in Super Saiyan Blue.
However, Zaiko realized that Broly wasn't strong enough to be compared to a Super Saiyan Blue right now.
Her power level was gigantic, but it didn't reach the scale he remembered.
This made him think again... At what exact moment in the history of Dragon Ball Super was he?
But he couldn't think much longer.
With an outburst that shattered the rocky ground where she was standing, Broly lunged at him.
She closed the distance in a millisecond, throwing her massive extended fist directly towards his face.
Zaiko didn't even blink as he casually raised his hand and intercepted Broly's fist in mid-air, getting in its trajectory.
The clash generated a shockwave, but Zaiko's hand didn't move a single millimeter, stopping her frantic charge dead in its tracks.
Only then, Zaiko counterattacked.
With a quick movement, imperceptible to the eye, he brutally smashed his knee into Broly's stomach.
The impact echoed hollowly, making her double over immediately, spitting a large amount of saliva onto the ground as the air left her lungs all at once.
Even seeing her doubled over and paralyzed by pain, Zaiko didn't stop.
In a fluid and ruthless motion, he twisted his body and landed a tremendous punch straight to her face.
The impact sent her flying through the air; Broly shot off like a projectile, crashing violently into the darkness inside the cave that had been the home of father and daughter for so many years, kicking up an immense cloud of dust and debris.
Zaiko lowered his fist slowly.
Suddenly, he blinked a couple of times, realizing the situation.
«Wait a minute... Did I really just brutally punch a woman?» he thought, feeling a momentary pang of guilt.
He remained silent for a couple of seconds, rubbing his chin.
But then, a small smile appeared on his face as his mind rationalized the situation.
«Well... look on the bright side. I guess with this, society has finally achieved true gender equality.»
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Next chapter: Broly vs Zaiko.