Gojo Satoru lounged in the pilot's seat of the spaceship Bulma had generously provided, eyes hidden behind his blindfold but senses keenly attuned to the emptiness outside. Stars drifted in a slow panorama through the viewing window, and the Universe stretched vast and silent around them. It had been weeks since he and Launch—who alternated between a docile, purple-haired form and a fierce, blonde-haired one—departed Yardrat. Their journey so far had been an odd mix of exploration and quiet introspection, especially now that Gojo better understood the Eternal Flame inside him.
At the moment, Launch was in her docile form, purple hair framing her face in soft waves. She was curled up in the copilot seat, fiddling with the console's entertainment system to pass the time. A half-finished cup of tea rested on the dashboard, steam spiraling into the cabin's filtered air.
"You've been quiet," Gojo remarked, breaking the hush. "Thinking about something?"
Launch looked up, her expression calm but thoughtful. "Just about… well, everything. The places we've been. Yardrat and their weird spiritual training. That Eternal Flame inside you." She sighed, setting her tea down carefully. "Feels like we've crammed a lifetime of discoveries into just a few weeks."
Gojo nodded. He could still sense the subtle ember of cosmic power within him—a power that, if neglected, might fling him into another dimension or open some rift he couldn't control. Yardrat's lessons helped, but it weighed on him nonetheless. "No regrets, though. At least, not yet. We've seen more corners of the Universe than most Earthlings ever dream of. Which is saying something."
Launch smiled gently. "Right. Besides, it's not like I have a plan. I just… go where you go."
That admission hung in the air for a moment, warm and genuine, until the ship's AI gave a sudden, jarring beep.
"Unidentified ki signature detected," it intoned. "Large mass approaching from the starboard side."
Gojo tapped a sensor readout, steering the external camera. A battered, hulking space cruiser appeared on-screen, its metal hull riddled with scorch marks and old battle scars. It looked ancient, but the lurid greenish glow from its engines suggested it was still operational—and dangerous.
"That's no ordinary cargo vessel," Gojo murmured, toggling through data scans. "We're not in any major shipping lane. Could be pirates."
Launch frowned, hugging her knees. "Pirates in deep space, huh? Great. Just when things were peaceful."
Before they could decide on a plan, an emerald beam lanced out from the cruiser. It tore past the hull of their ship, missing by only a few meters. Launch jolted, nearly spilling her tea.
"So much for sneaking by," Gojo said, voice turning wry. "They don't seem interested in friendly conversation."
Launch set the mug aside, tapping a series of commands to raise their shields. A faint hum surrounded the craft, shimmering as it stabilized. "Shields up. Want to try talking anyway?"
He shrugged. "Might as well. I hate leaving them with the wrong impression."
He tapped the comm switch. "Hello there, big ship. Mind not shooting us? We're just passing through."
A scratchy static answered at first, then a single voice boomed: "Pathetic Earthlings. You've wandered into Bojack's territory. Hand over your ship and supplies, or we'll blast you to star dust."
This was a name unknown to Gojo, a threat that emerged after King Kai's planet was destroyed in Cell's self-destruction. "Bojack, was it? Hate to break it to you, but we're not interested in surrendering. Might want to stand down before someone gets hurt."
A scoffing laugh blasted through the comm channel. "Bold words. Let's see how long your bravado lasts."
A second volley of energy shots peppered the shields, which flared and wavered. Launch's eyes flicked anxiously to the readouts. "Shields won't last forever under that barrage. You want to outrun them?"
Gojo exhaled, pondering. "Running might just encourage them to chase us all over the galaxy. Better to deal with it here and now." He stood, stretching. "You mind steering while I go say hello in person?"
Her purple hair swayed as she shook her head. "No way you're leaving me alone if they board us. We handle this together."
He lifted an eyebrow, looking amused. "Didn't take you for the reckless type in this form."
Launch let out a soft laugh that held a note of determination. "I can still fire a gun, even if I'm not blonde and brash."
"Fair point." Gojo keyed a command for evasive maneuvers, letting autopilot juke the ship away from the worst of the blasts. "Let's see if we can board them first."
They hurried to the cargo bay, where Bulma's suits and equipment lay stored. The AI's voice trailed overhead: "Hull damage at two percent. Danger level: moderate." Launch took a moment to slip on a spacesuit—light, flexible, with a face-shield for oxygen. She checked the side pocket for a small pistol rather than her usual large rifle. Gojo likewise donned a suit, though he suspected his Infinity might protect him from vacuum if it came to it.
Activating the outer hatch, they stood in the airlock. Beyond the transparent barrier lay the pirate cruiser, dominating their view. Flashes of greenish energy soared around it, indicating the presence of smaller fighter craft as well—likely subordinates. The swirling cosmos behind it all made for a surreal battleground.
"Now or never," Gojo said, pressing the final airlock release. "We jump, then figure out how to force an entry."
Launch, heart pounding, managed a quick nod. Together, they jetted out of their ship and into open space, tiny thrusters on their suits letting them maneuver. The pirate cruiser's side cannons swiveled, but couldn't track them fast enough. Before long, they reached a service hatch where they could see motion inside—some alien figures peering out.
A swirl of green ki erupted behind the hatch. It slid open, revealing a gang of oddly dressed pirates: a tall, muscled alien with braided hair, a slender one wearing a turban, an orange-haired woman, and a swordsman brandishing a serrated blade. None of them looked friendly.
"You're quite persistent," the orange-haired woman sneered, eyes raking over the new arrivals. "Bojack doesn't like gatecrashers."
"Gatecrashers, huh?" Gojo mused aloud. "You shot at us first."
Launch, mild though she was, kept her pistol trained. "We don't want trouble, but we're not rolling over either."
A moment's stare, then the pirates sprang into action. The slender turbaned alien, Bujin, flicked his fingers, sending glowing cords of ki weaving toward Gojo's limbs. Gojo raised a hand, letting Infinity stop them cold. He twisted space, snapping the cords back so they tangled around Bujin's own arms.
Meanwhile, the swordsman—Gokua—charged Launch, swinging in a vicious arc. Launch's purple eyes widened, and she ducked just in time to avoid losing her head. Even in docile form, she could handle basic gunplay. She fired off a round, but Gokua's blade deflected the bullet with a metallic clang.
"That trick's not gonna keep working," she muttered under her breath, stepping back. Yet her heart thumped in her ears. If she were blonde, maybe she'd have the raw aggression to go toe-to-toe with a swordsman. Right now, she had to be smarter.
A heavier pirate, Bido, lunged at Gojo in an attempt to tackle him. With a smirk, Gojo sidestepped, hooking an arm around Bido's elbow. A wave of Blue yanked the brute's momentum forward, sending him face-first into the corridor wall.
"That all you've got?" Gojo taunted. "You guys call yourselves space pirates?"
A voice from deeper in the cruiser boomed: "They are indeed my crew, Earthling." The pirates parted, revealing a tall, green-skinned figure stepping into view. He wore a teal vest and orange pants, with a red mane of hair tied behind his head. His aura radiated raw malevolence. This had to be Bojack himself.
Bojack sneered at the sight of his subordinates faltering. "You're not from King Kai's circle, are you? No matter. I am free, and all who roam these star-lanes now answer to me."
"And here I thought we were just travelers," Gojo said, shrugging. "Never signed up for your monarchy."
A swirl of black and green ki flared around Bojack, warping the nearby corridor. "Then you'll be the first example I make."
Without hesitation, Bojack hurled a condensed blast of ki. Launch yelped, forced to roll aside as the corridor exploded behind her in a shower of sparks. Gokua took advantage of the distraction, slashing downward again. This time, Launch couldn't dodge fast enough. The tip of the blade nicked her shoulder, drawing a sharp sting.
"Ah—!" she cried out, reflexively flinching. Her eyes watered, and a sneeze welled up in her nose. "A… a-ACHOO!"
In a blink, her purple hair flared bright blonde. Her expression hardened mid-sneeze. The docile Launch vanished, replaced by the aggressive one. She hissed, ignoring the shallow cut, and slammed the butt of her pistol into Gokua's chest. He staggered, surprised by her sudden ferocity.
"Oh, you're gonna regret that, buddy," the blonde Launch snarled, eyes wild. She fired point-blank at Gokua. Bullets ricocheted off his blade, but the onslaught forced him back. A final spin-kick knocked his sword from his grip. "Not so tough now, are you?"
Bojack snarled at the shift in momentum. "Gokua, Bido, Bujin, Zangya—take them all down! Don't make me do it myself."
Zangya, the orange-haired woman, tried to conjure more crackling spheres of ki, but Launch was on her with a fury that belied her petite frame. Meanwhile, Gojo squared off with Bojack, their auras clashing in the narrow space. The entire corridor shook, fragments of debris drifting in zero gravity where the hull had been compromised.
Bojack swung a massive fist, expecting to crush Gojo with raw force. Instead, the blow froze an inch from Gojo's face. Infinity shimmered, halting the pirate's power in its tracks.
"You're a tricky one," Bojack growled, pushing more ki into the punch. The space around them crackled, trembling as the unstoppable force battled the immovable technique. Gojo grunted, feeling the pressure mount. This was far more power than Bido or Gokua had shown.
With a calm grin, Gojo invoked Blue, yanking Bojack's mass forward. Off-balance, the hulking pirate stumbled, and Gojo delivered a swift strike that sent him crashing through a bulkhead door. Alarms blared throughout the ship as oxygen began venting from the new hole.
"Launch, watch out," Gojo warned over the suit's comm. "We're losing atmosphere in here."
"Got it!" she barked. With Gokua and Zangya both reeling from her assault, she dashed to the nearest control panel, slamming an emergency seal button. Heavy blast doors slid into place, containing the hull breach.
Bojack, however, tore free of the wreckage, dust swirling around him. "You fool," he spat, energy arcing around his body. "You think you can topple me? I've waited centuries to be free. You're just some Earthling with a fancy trick."
"Fancy enough," Gojo said lightly. "But if you wanna talk about it outside, I'm game."
He expanded his Infinity so that it bent the corridor around him, pushing him and Bojack through the battered hull plating into the vacuum beyond. A jolt of decompression roared in their ears, but their suits kept them safe and Gojo's Infinity kept him from harm anyway. Now they floated in open space, swirling debris marking the boundary where the pirate ship hovered.
Bojack roared, hurling a flurry of energy blasts that illuminated the darkness. Each one deflected off the intangible barrier around Gojo. The battle became a deadly ballet, green ki blasts lighting up the void like fireworks.
On board the cruiser, Launch found herself face-to-face with Gokua again. He'd recovered his sword but was clearly rattled by her transformation. She smirked with savage delight, weaving around his wild swings and landing fierce kicks to his ribs. Zangya tried to ambush her from behind, but Launch pivoted, firing a volley that forced the orange-haired pirate to dive for cover.
Outside, Bojack summoned a swirling mass of ki around his body, a writhing aura that spat arcs of raw power. "You're finished!" he snarled, unleashing a condensed wave that ripped through the vacuum. Gojo exhaled, letting Infinity handle the brunt of it. Then he called forth Hollow Purple, the swirling void energy that unmade anything it touched. Bojack's eyes widened in alarm as the violet vortex collided with his aura.
"No—!" was all Bojack managed before the unstoppable wave tore him apart, scattering his atoms among the stars. In an instant, the self-proclaimed pirate king was no more.
Inside the cruiser, the moment Bojack's energy vanished, his subordinates faltered. Gokua dropped his sword in shock; Zangya's eyes went wide. Launch didn't waste a second. She capitalized on their lapse, delivering brutal strikes that knocked them unconscious. Bujin and Bido, already battered, collapsed in defeat.
Panting, Launch wiped sweat from her brow, hair still bright blonde. "Looks like your captain's toast," she snarled. "And you're lucky you're still breathing."
She made for their own craft, stepping around the groaning pirates. A moment later, Gojo slipped in through a jagged hole in the hull, stepping lightly over twisted metal. "All done," he confirmed. "Bojack was tough, but… well, you saw how it ended."
Launch smirked. "Figures. Let's get out of this dump."
They hurried back to their own ship, sealing the hatch. The battered pirate cruiser drifted aimlessly now that its leader was gone and its subordinates were incapacitated. An eerie calm replaced the chaos of battle.
Inside the cockpit, Launch slid off her space helmet and let out a sharp exhale. "Docile me was worried, but blondie me actually had a blast," she admitted with a grin. "You okay?"
Gojo eased into the pilot's seat, removing his own helmet. "Never better. Just a bit… hungry, actually."
A laugh escaped her. "Of course you are."
She powered up the engines, and they left the cruiser behind, scorched and listing in the vacuum. The Universe stretched before them once again—quiet, glittering, full of infinite possibility. Launch's hair eventually shifted from blonde back to purple with another sneeze, but the bond between them remained constant, as did Gojo's watchful hold on the Eternal Flame within him.
As they soared away, the starlit horizon welcomed them, free from Bojack's tyranny. The galaxy remained vast, brimming with mysteries, but for now, at least, they had won a small victory under the endless night sky.