"Why is my juice gone again?"
In space, Star-Lord, who had already formed the Guardians of the Galaxy, was currently looking for the juice he had just squeezed in the kitchen. At this moment, he was completely different from the him on Xandar before. That chubby double chin was not far off from the color orange. After looking for a long time, he finally saw the juice residue on Groot's mouth. Don't ask why; if you saw a red mark on that brown tree bark, you could also guess who drank the juice.
"Groot, this is the tenth time you've been caught stealing my juice. Do you have anything you want to say?"
Seeing the juice residue, Star-Lord confirmed that the habitual offender Groot was the guy who drank his juice. This Groot was not a little tree man; because of Artoria's existence, Groot hadn't sacrificed himself. Although there was no rebellious brat, there was a silly and cute big guy. Star-Lord pointed at the empty cup to the side and questioned Groot. He had already caught Groot several times; this time, it wouldn't be let off like before.
"It was me who made it drink, Quill. You are one glass of water away from being fat now; you need to exercise."
Just as Groot was blinking his cute eyes, not knowing what the fat guy in front of him was saying, Rocket, who walked out from the side, explained the reason. Star-Lord could no longer be described as'sturdy'; his bulging belly was already affecting his ability to squat. Yet even so, this guy kept eating, sweeping up a pile of food at every Planet he reached. Gamora and Drax could only shake their heads. Rocket didn't feel much, but Gamora had hinted to Rocket that Star-Lord should lose weight. Rocket thought it was fun, so he let Groot steal Star-Lord's food.
"My friend, that is going too far. Is that fat? That is sturdy."
Facing Rocket's'slander,' Star-Lord didn't care about Groot stealing his juice anymore. How could that be called fat? That was sturdy; he was in great shape, and everything he ate tasted good. It was just that his belt had been a bit tight lately. It seemed he needed to buy new pants, and his clothes needed replacing too. He felt like he couldn't even zip them up. Those unscrupulous merchants, not only was their stuff expensive, but it also shrunk. Seriously.
"I see you are having trouble walking, and you still call that sturdy."
While Star-Lord was retorting, Gamora walked over from the side. She was the one who instructed Rocket, so of course, she came to check the results. This man disappointed her too much. There wasn't much he could actually do, and he wasn't as efficient as before. He was simply degenerating day by day, and now he had even learned to be stubborn. The look in Gamora's eyes as she gazed at Star-Lord contained a sense of deep disdain. How did she ever come to know a guy like this? She was being good to him, but he didn't even know it.
"I am Groot."
Seeing Gamora walk past him, the look of disdain she left behind made Star-Lord fall completely silent. The words he was about to retort with were instantly swallowed. He knew that if he didn't shut his mouth, he would probably get a severe scolding. Rocket saw this scene and smiled, then waddled off after Gamora. Groot watched Rocket leave, then also stood up, said that sentence to Star-Lord, and followed the footsteps of the other two. Only Star-Lord remained, bowing his head and touching his belly. Now he was looking at his belly, puzzled. Then, Star-Lord walked into the washroom, looked in the mirror, and discovered that he was indeed more than a circle'swollen' than before, which left Star-Lord with nothing to say.
"How is he doing?"
When Gamora walked into the cockpit, only Drax was inside. His tall figure, with skin like rock, looked like a demon escaped from hell, but the words he spoke were of concern. Looking at Star-Lord's state, it seemed that no one in the Guardians of the Galaxy could stand it anymore. They didn't want to take a pig out with them when going on missions, only to be mocked by other races in the Universe.
"I hope he can change himself!"
Facing Drax's inquiry, Gamora said helplessly. If even this couldn't make this guy lose weight, then they would have to take mandatory measures. Why did he have to eat until he was so fat? If he encountered an enemy and couldn't beat them, he wouldn't even be able to run away—how embarrassing would that be? Gamora said with some weariness. They had all exhausted their hearts for this jerk. If this guy still didn't change, then they would have to force him to exercise.
"Hey! Guys, a big mission has arrived, a contract with very rich rewards."
Just as the two were chatting, Rocket suddenly rushed out. It pointed to a document and a star map, speaking to Gamora and Drax. Its tone was very happy. It didn't expect that after messing with Quill, such a good thing would pop up. It seemed they should mess with this guy more in the future; perhaps they could get more good missions like this.
"Let me see. Sovereign High Priestess, mission content: repel exotic beasts. The rewards are credits, and also Thanos's daughter, Nebula."
Seeing this, Gamora fell silent. She might not care about other rewards, but Thanos's daughter, Nebula, was something she had to take seriously. Although, under Thanos's cruel training, the relationship between her and this sister was very complex. On one hand, there was guilt; relying on being older, Nebula had never defeated her. As a result, every time her sister failed, she would be dragged away by 'father' for modifications. The painful screams still remained in Gamora's memory to this day. She didn't know how to face this sister of hers now, but her heart had already given her the answer.
"Rocket, send a reply. We accept this mission. Use this mission to help Quill lose some weight and stop him from just sitting around."
After returning the item to Rocket, Gamora said awkwardly. This was the first time she had lied, and it was for her very disobedient sister. But Gamora still had many doubts in her heart: what was the reason Nebula was captured? Why was the Sovereign High Priestess sure that the Guardians of the Galaxy would accept this mission? And the mission reward was so obvious. Also, how many such mission slips had the Sovereign High Priestess sent out? All of this would only be unraveled once she met this mysterious High Priestess.
"Okay, understood."
A very clear smile appeared on Rocket's furry face. It exchanged glances with Drax. Gamora's words had confirmed that she was hiding something. Helping Quill lose weight was fake; the other things were the real reason. But Rocket was a smart person, and although Drax was reckless and sometimes a bit foolish, he wasn't truly stupid. Some things couldn't be said, and their trust in their companion made them believe that Gamora wouldn't do anything to harm them.
"I am Groot."
The large Treant stood to the side, watching Gamora. As a high-level race from Planet X, it actually possessed very high intelligence, but it had locked its inner self away. Watching Gamora's state, Groot could feel the conflict in her heart. Facing this situation, Groot, instinctively caring for its companion, placed its hand on Gamora's shoulder. A branch instantly separated from its hand, and a pink flower grew on the branch, which it slowly extended to Gamora.
"Thank you, Groot. I'm fine."
Facing the gentleness of this huge Treant, Gamora smiled and accepted Groot's comfort. She accepted the flower that had just been born from Groot. The flower was exceptionally vibrant and looked very beautiful. Seeing Gamora accept the flower, Groot revealed a smile.
"I didn't expect Groot to know how to flirt. It's much better than that idiot Quill."
"Plus one."
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