Chapter 549

Chapter 61 Am I Loved?

“Mr. Ash…”

A voice came from behind unknown to him.

“Is this… also part of the plan?”

“Um…”

After a brief moment of silence, Ash resumed his calm expression and looked around.

Calm down… just calm down… find Zeo and the Devil King first.

“Ash, what now?”

“What else can we do?” Ash, with his hands in his pockets, gave off an aura of melancholy. “We’re all doomed.”

“Hey, you said there was a plan!”

“If plans always went perfectly, they’d be called prophesies, not plans.”

Thinking about his own dark sword that only revealed the ending but never the journey, Ash sighed deeply. If only it were of any use…

At that moment, under the burning Go-Kai sailboat, dazzling light emerged.

From between the debris, a massive DX toy packaging box rose, showing a super robot with more of a pirate vibe than the original.

“Woah—!”

Four gaping mouths in shock and a gleam of excitement reflected the girls looking up at the towering robot. They watched as giant metal hands pushed away a cardboard box, revealing the machine’s emergence from within.

“This is… This is!” Yayoi, a double fan of special effects and robots, couldn’t contain her excitement. It even seemed impossible for her to be this excited.

Gazing at the realistically retro and sci-fi-styled mech equipped with an over-the-top eye patch and pirate hat, her saliva almost dripped down in an exaggerated way.

“That, Yayoi… What’s happening?” Even the normally calm Rihua felt a bit scared seeing Yayoi trembling so much.

“Just chill out, we’re scared.”

“This is, this is the signature robot of last year’s Pirate Squadron Go-Kaijō—the Go-Kaijō! Even the version from the movie with the cyclops claw!”

“Oh~ Robototte~ Your whole body is solid metal!”

“This is the robot of the thirty-fifth squadron… Hehe, let me see some more!”

“No way,” Ash grabbed Yayoi by the collar and tossed her back into the team. “We agreed, you Pretty Cures handle the ground stuff. This robot is mine!”

“Even if you give me those sad puppy-dog eyes, it won’t work.” Unaffected by Yayoi’s cute pouting, Ash grabbed the dangling rope leading down from the cockpit and began to ascend.

“My co-pilot is the Goddess of Fortune. No other woman should sit there or she’ll get jealous.”

“What! You’re trying to fob me off with that line!”

“Alright, Yayoi, act according to the plan designated for you. We have to save our world too!”

The other girls tried to comfort Yayoi, who seemed a bit sulky. But Akane, watching Ash’s back from behind, clenched her fist tightly.

Right now, I can’t transform. I can’t fight alongside everyone. I don’t know how to break the seal.

But… in that case— if you want proof, then let me show you!

Starting the auto-function to break through the atmosphere, Ash wandered alone inside the robotic cockpit which had a distinctly engineered structure.

Regarding this familiar yet strange “Go-Kaijō,” Ash was filled with questions.

In fact, this one-eyed Go-Kaijō wasn’t originally part of the “Pirate Squadron.” Instead, it was the protagonist’s robot from a film version, reappearing here as an enemy unit.

Although his memory didn’t erase battle details, Ash still wondered why this enemy robot—combined with a pirate ship—showed up again when he summoned it.

“Cockpit… ah, found it!”

Stepping through the rotating gate, Ash saw five rudder controls inside marked by two notes.

“[The original Go-Kaijō sailboat was destroyed by a rogue captain during a fight with the enemy. It’ll take time to remake it, so we’re using this stolen Go-Kaijō as a substitute. Don’t mess up my new ship, girl—Luca.]”

“[Doctor left curry in the thermos. Make sure you eat despite your hobbies. – Aimu]”

Beside the notes were several crumpled-up papers. Though most of the original text was unreadable, Ash could recognize a familiar feeling.

“I see.”

Is this summoning intended especially for me?

Tapping his still-itchy bandage gently, the earlier embarrassment and frustration melted away.

“Am I… actually loved?”

In truth, after the Build world, Ash’s heart gradually lost its humanity, forgetting countless bonds and growth until he felt he was missing a piece.

This love extended throughout his travels, bringing back old ties and heartfelt memories, realizing he shared remarkable journeys with so many “heroes.”

How could that not make him happy?

Seeing the two light notes, thinking of the smiling warrior-girls, something in his deep-seated darkness began to crack and shift.

Humming, he tossed the notes and paper scraps into storage and felt suddenly ravenous.

What else, if not indulge in some curry?