Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Father’s Responsibility
"Oh, this is terrible," Rocket grumbled, pacing back and forth on the Milano. "Quill still owes me two meals! I'm going to save him—and laugh at him for it later!"
Thor smirked, leaning against the wall. "You don't even know where he is right now."
Rocket paused, snapping his fingers. "Ego hired Yondu to find Quill a long time ago. That blue man must know his location!"
Meanwhile, aboard Yondu's ship, the Ravager captain faced mounting discontent from his crew. His repeated protection of Quill had stirred resentment, and his men's patience was wearing thin.
"I'll tell you why I don't let you take action!" Yondu roared, silencing their grumbling. "Because I saw that kid kill Ronan with my own eyes! He's capable of more than you can imagine!"
With a flick of his wrist, the small arrow tucked in his sleeve shot into the air, whizzing around with deadly precision. The crew flinched, their rebellion momentarily quelled as the arrow zipped past their heads, a warning that Yondu could easily take them all down.
The murmurs died, and his men lowered their heads. Yondu nodded in satisfaction, unaware of the dark glances exchanged behind his back. That night, betrayal took root.
Under the dim glow of the ship's corridors, Yondu was ambushed. He fought valiantly, but they overwhelmed him, knocking off the fin atop his head. Without it, his control over his arrow was severed. His loyal supporters were dealt with swiftly, their bodies tossed into the void of space.
Late into the night, the rebels celebrated their mutiny, filling the ship with drunken laughter. Hidden away in the shadows, one loyal soldier slipped into the brig where Yondu was held.
"Boss..." The soldier's voice trembled. "I—I didn't want to rebel. But they killed all my friends…"
With shaking hands, he presented Yondu's stolen fin.
Yondu took it silently, his blue face etched with sorrow. He placed a heavy hand on the soldier's shoulder. "It's okay, kid," he said, his voice low. "The boss'll take care of this. Stay out of sight."
A cold smile crossed his lips as he affixed the fin to his head. They think they've won. Let's show them what a Ravager captain can do.
Suddenly, the ship shuddered violently. The alarms blared as the hull trembled under an unseen force.
"What's happening?" Yondu shouted, steadying himself against the wall.
A golden portal appeared beside him, and Rocket leaped through, landing with a flourish. "No time for questions, Yondu! This ship's about to blow!"
The rebels weren't prepared for the chaos outside. "Dragon! It's a dragon!" they screamed, scrambling to man their weapons.
Their leader, a scar-faced man who called himself "Taserface," stared in disbelief at the enormous black dragon circling the ship. Onyxia's massive wings cast a shadow over the vessel, her eyes gleaming with malicious delight.
She took a deep breath, and flames erupted from her maw, engulfing the ship in an inferno. Explosions rippled through the vessel as it buckled under the relentless assault.
Princess Black Dragon roared triumphantly. Such a flimsy ship. It's almost disappointing how easy this is.
"Show-off," Thor muttered, leaping from Onyxia's back. With Stormbreaker in hand, he charged toward the ship. Moments later, an earth-shattering explosion enveloped the vessel, tearing it apart in a fiery blaze.
Thor landed back on Onyxia's back with a grin. "See? Like paper."
Onyxia huffed indignantly but couldn't suppress her amusement. [Black Dragon Princess Loyalty: +1]
Aboard the Milano, Yondu glared at Thor. "You destroyed my ship!"
Thor shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not yours anymore. You've been overthrown. You're no longer the captain."
Rocket smirked, adding salt to the wound. "Face it, Yondu. You got kicked out of your own crew. Time to move on."
Yondu slumped into a seat, his eyes clouded with memories. After a moment of silence, he began to speak.
"I was a slave to the Kree for twenty years," he said, his voice heavy. "It was Stakar who saved me, gave me a place among the Ravagers. He told me that as long as I followed the code, I'd have a home. And for a while, I did. But I broke the code."
Rocket tilted his head, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "What'd you do?"
Yondu sighed. "I helped Quill's father find him. That's why they exiled me. And I deserved it."
Rocket's ears perked up. "Wait. You mean Ego? Quill found him yesterday. They went to Ego place"
Yondu bolted upright, his face pale. "No! You can't let him go with Ego! That bastard doesn't want a son—he's got some other plan. Something dangerous."
Rocket nodded. "That's what I was thinking too. We gotta save him."
"And laugh at him about it later," Thor added with a smirk.
Yondu stared at Rocket for a long moment before a dry laugh escaped him. "You're full of crap, you know that?"
Rocket frowned, but Yondu continued, his tone softer now. "You act like the toughest, meanest guy in the galaxy, but the truth is, you're scared. You push people away because you're terrified of losing them. You're not fooling me."
Rocket's eyes widened, caught off guard by the unexpected insight. Yondu smiled sadly. "I get it because I'm the same. We don't let people in 'cause we know how much it hurts when they're gone."
He turned to the controls, his resolve hardening. "Ego's dangerous, more than you know. We might not come back from this, but if I can do one thing right in my life, it'll be taking responsibility for Quill."
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