Author: Harley Jameson | Banner: Andrew Sudomerski
Table of Contents:
Prologue: The Majin Awakens
Chapter 1: Whittling Away the Hours
Chapter 2: The First Offensive
Chapter 3: First Round: Ultraman vs. Daimajin!
Chapter 4: Running From Home
Chapter 5: Seafloor Deathmatch: Jack vs. Daimajin Round 2
Chapter 6: Home Guard
Chapter 7: The Resolve of Ultraman
Epilogue: The Bright Shining Future
A lone breeze rustled the branches on a lonely mountaintop high in Japan’s wilderness. There was a stillness in the air and there were no animals around the mountain forest. Even the smallest of insects had fled in terror of what was occurring.
MAT’s days were numbered. The famed attack team that had been going strong for over ten years after the dissolution of the Ultra Guard was finally coming to an end, replaced by a stronger and harder attack team.
And with the disbanding of MAT, came the dissolution of memories associated with them. All of the monsters and aliens, all of the technology and weapons that the team had fought over its long history would fade into the background.
The people that MAT was unable to save would disappear forever. The people Ultraman was unable to save would one day vanish, as the memories of those who held them dear died with them. The dead would one day be forgotten, like everything else.
The breeze on the mountain grew stronger. The trees shifted, as if they too would get up and flee the phenomena about to occur. The great cliff face shuddered as an earthquake tore through the landscape, rocks and dirt split open and thrown around as the cavern soon revealed itself. Inside that cavern, there was a statue.
A statue of a long forgotten deity. Prayers to whom had not been given in centuries, but the dead didn’t need to make the trip to the statue for it to hear their calls. The unthinkable happened then, unseen by any mortal witness. The statue’s hand twitched. Then curled into a fist. Something was waking up.
Chapter 1: Whittling Away the Hours
Hideki Go’s footsteps echoed uncomfortably for him as he walked down the hallway towards the command center at HQ. He still couldn’t get used to how empty the base was despite having to help load the non-essential equipment into various submarines and transports. He used to see people bustling around HQ all the time, dashing about too and from whatever projects they were working on.
Now, he rarely saw the skeleton crew that kept the lights on. Walking into the central command, he snapped his attention to Captain Ibuki before he relaxed and moved over to his station. “Anything to report?” he asked, despite already knowing the answer.
Oka shook her head and Ueno clapped him on the shoulder. “Nope, same as it’s been the last few weeks now,” he replied, sitting down at his own station and pulling out a deck of cards. “I don’t know why we even bother. We only have one Gyro and one Arrow left,” added Ueno, playing a simple game of solitaire.
Ibuki’s voice was harsh as he cut in. “We still have a duty until TAC’s forces are properly trained and prepared,” the captain elaborated, watching as Ueno immediately sat up straighter. “A kaiju could still attack at any time. We might not have as many resources, but that’s not an excuse for laziness!”
“Yes, sir!” Satisfied, Ibuki went back to his station and pulled over a file. He sighed a little, clearly not thrilled about how much paperwork he was forced to do as he started scratching away it.
“So, Go,” Kishida started, leaning back in his chair and looking over at his teammate. “What’ll you be doing when this all finally ends? I don’t remember hearing you say you’ll join TAC.”
Go shook his head, hands clasped together. “No. I want to go back to being a mechanic actually. I have plenty of experience from working with Sakata and MAT. And it’ll allow me to take better care of and spend more time with Jiro.”
“How is Jiro?” Ueno asked, looking up from his game. “Is he… Adjusting well?”
Nodding, Go smiled fondly as he talked about his pseudo younger brother. “Yes, I think he’s doing great. Jiro’s always been a tough kid. There are days where it’s pretty rough. He has nightmares, of course. But overall? I think he’s healing better than we thought he would.”
They all nodded, pleased and satisfied to see the kid they all grew so fond of wasn’t letting his trauma get the better of him. Ibuki said nothing, only nodding in approval until he looked up at Oka. “Has Minami reported anything?”
Turning back to her station, she flicked a few switches and leaned into the microphone. “Patrol, this is HQ. Anything to report?”
Flying high over the Japanese landscape in the sole MAT Arrow left commissioned, Second in Command Takeshi Minami was bored out of his mind. There had been reports of a very minor quake near a mountainous area and while he didn’t think it was worth looking into, anything was better than spending hours in the air looking at nothing. He pulled his microphone down. “No, nothing to report yet. I’m currently near a valley in Tsukuba. I’ll report if I see something suspicious.”
Pushing his microphone back into place, Minami expertly weaved the MAT Arrow over the mountains and dipped into the valley below. He glanced around and saw nothing immediately suspicious and was about to pull up when at the last second, something caught his eye. Buried in the side of a mountainside forest, he frowned and veered the attack jet around to get a closer look.
Now that he did get a better look at it, it was unmistakably a statue of some kind. And it was massive. He had never seen something that large before. Frowning, he pulled his microphone down. “Patrol to HQ, Patrol to HQ. I think I’ve found something but I’m not sure.” He quickly rattled off his coordinates, just in case. “I’m going to touch down and take a closer look.”
“Understood, be careful.”
Settling down as close as he could, Minami hopped out of the plane and began the surprisingly easy walk up towards the mountainside. As he got closer, he noticed more details about the statue. Intricate looking armor carved into the stonework that he was surprised had remained so detailed. A blank looking stone face surrounded by an intimidating looking helmet. Minami felt himself shiver looking at the thing.
Despite everything though, the statue seemed harmless. After gazing up at it for a moment, he nodded in satisfaction and turned around to head back down the hill when a strong gust of wind suddenly bowled him over and sent him tumbling. Once he stopped, he quickly checked himself for injuries before blowing out a breath and shaking his head. “Geez, I must be getting sloppy if some wind knocked me over..”
Grumbling, he hauled himself to his feet just as the crack of wood being split made him dive out of the way. He looked in astonishment as a thick, heavy tree suddenly crashed down where he was standing. Standing back up, he looked back up at the statue and his face paled at the sight. Now its eyes were glowing a fierce, burning orange. And they were looking right at him.
By the time MAT had arrived at Minami’s coordinates, the statue’s eyes had dimmed and the wind had died down. They all marched up the hill, looking up with a mixture of awe, hesitation, and confusion at the giant carving before them. “Minami, you’re sure its eyes were glowing?” Ibuki asked sharply, nodding his head at the stone.
“I am, sir. It was unmistakable. The sky is clear and there’s no mist. On top of that, trees don’t just fall over suddenly,” Minami indicated the tree that had nearly crushed him and Go crouched down to examine it.
“Perhaps the bark was weakened somehow?” Go suggested hesitantly. He believed Minami, but they had to exhaust all their options. “We are rather high up and plants don’t really do well in the cold..”
“No,” Minami said firmly, shaking his head and gesturing around him. “None of the other trees look even remotely weak. Besides, how many times has Go had one of his hunches or suspicions and turned out to be right?”
Ibuki rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking at his teammates before nodding. “A fair point. Right, let’s head over to the statue – but be careful,” he stressed to them. “We don’t know what’s really going on. Kishida, get the climbing gear out of the Gyro.”
Before Kishida could move properly, a sudden clap of thunder made everyone jump in alarm. They looked up and all around before staring dumbfounded at the sight of dark, angry storm clouds suddenly boiling into existence above their heads. The sharp whistle of wind pushed them all back slightly and another thunderclap ripped through the mountain. Trees began to shudder, before the loud ripping of roots being upended made them retreat as the forest began collapsing in on itself. “Get back to the ships!” Ibuki called over the noise, and the MAT team could only desperately scramble back as rain began to lash out at them from above.
Ibuki looked back up through the sudden maelstrom, up towards the statue and despite the dirt and mud being thrown around by the trees, he saw the same thing Minami described. Burning, orange eyes. Full of fire and hatred. Staring at them.
Raising his MAT shoot, he took aim and tried to steady himself. “Captain!” Go shouted, tackling Ibuki to the ground when a couple large boulders from higher on the mountain careened down and landed exactly where Ibuki was standing. He looked at Go, nodded his thanks, and stood up. “Everyone! Get to the ships and retreat for now!” he hollered over the noise. There were various shouts of confirmation and the muddy and beaten team fought their way through the weather back towards the MAT Gyro and Arrow.
The last remaining MAT air support lifted into the air with agonizing slowness. As they lifted up into the skies, a bolt of lightning cracked down in front of them all. “Do we attack, sir?!” Minami called from his arrow.
“Attack what?” Ueno asked in confusion, gripping his seat tightly as the winds buffeted the arrow.
“No,” Ibuki said calmly. Lifting the Gyro up higher into the air. “We head back to HQ and formulate a plan. It’s too dangerous here now.”
“Captain! Look at the mountainside!” Kishida said. All eyes soon turned to the raging fire burning beneath them and everyone’s stomach dropped and cold dread washed over MAT. The trees, somehow, had been pushed by the storm into a single kanji. A single word, scrawled into the landscape by burning trees and fire: DEATH.
They flew back to HQ in total, stunned silence aside from informing Oka that they would be returning, and to set up a war room. Whatever force was on that mountain, Ibuki was damn sure he wasn’t going to let it win.
Chapter 2: The First Offensive
After changing into fresh uniforms, all of MAT sat down at their stations as Oka handed them each some warm coffee or tea. Ibuki stood, arms folded and met each of his team members in the eye before speaking. “So, what the hell happened?” he asked at last.
Everyone looked at each other nervously, before Go cleared his throat and spoke. “Well, sir. We arrived to investigate Minami’s claims of something strange happening. And… then a freak storm suddenly arrived…” He sounded less sure about that, as Kishida passed around a folder. “And, according to the weather institute, it disappeared as soon as we left.”
Ibuki nodded, and Minami continued the recap. “And, as we were leaving, a bolt of lightning came down and… we saw a burning symbol, the kanji ‘death,’” he finished, shuddering a little at the memory of it.
“Whatever is at that mountain, it wants to scare us,” Ibuki pointed out, unwilling to voice the fact it had worked like a charm. “So the question is: Who or what did it? Another alien invader?”
Ueno spoke up next, setting his coffee mug down. “No, sir. I actually don’t think this is the work of aliens this time. It doesn’t follow the usual MO for invaders that we know of. The mountain is in an isolated area, yes, but no one has reported anything usual about the area. Hikers haven’t gone missing, no strange incidents. That sort of thing.”
Kishida leaned over on his station, frowning. “It has to be the work of an alien invader. I realize we’ve seen some strange kaiju over the past few years but surely no earth-born kaiju could’ve done that.”
Go pursed his lips, hands clasped tightly together. “I don’t know.. I think Ueno’s right. If it were aliens, surely they would’ve started taunting us by now. They always do that sort of thing, trying to intimidate us and then mocking us when we fall back.”
“Perhaps,” Oka said slowly. “We should do some research on the area? Maybe there’s some local folklore that we simply don’t know about? Most kaiju are often the basis of many gods and folktales.”
Ibuki nodded. “A good idea. Kishida, Minami, try to find out as much as you can about the area. Ueno, help with refueling and arming the Gyro and the Arrow. Go, Oka, I want you to stay with me and help me set up everything we’ll need for a strategy meeting.”
“An attack, sir?” Go asked, eyebrows knit in confusion. “What would we be attacking? We didn’t see anything other than the statue.”
“Then that’s what we attack,” Ibuki declared. “There’s clearly something going on with that statue. Be it alien or some sort of natural phenomena, that’s our next target. It might look like stone, but don’t be surprised if we have to requisition some high grade explosives to take it down.”
As the others left, Oka sighed a little to herself and gathered up all of the mugs. “This really is the worst timing…”
Ibuki hummed in agreement. “Yes, it is unfortunate. TAC’s nowhere near ready to deploy just yet, and we’re critically low on manpower and resources. Nevertheless, we have to persevere. Go, get me a map of the area. I want to know exactly where that damn statue is.”
Deep within MAT’s personal library, two frustrated MAT members were scanning what little remained of various folklore and mythological creature books that were either given back to the public libraries, or whisked away to TAC’s fledgling HQ. As the stack of books grew higher and more strewn about, both men were starting to think that this would be for nothing.
“WAIT!” Kishida shouted happily, running over and slamming a book down on the reading table. “I think this is it! Deep Within the mountains of Japan, does the terrifying god Daimajin wait.”
Minami gave Kishida a fond slap on the back. “Good work, let’s get this to the Captain.”
Laying the book out on the center table, Ibuki paced back and forth. “Daimajin,” he said slowly, testing the new name out as if that would help him. “The Great Demon.” He stayed silent for a moment, before tapping the book. “It says here that the mighty Daimajin is invincible. The seasons bow in fear of his power, the earth splits apart, and the heavens weep.” He read aloud solemnly. “It is said that he awakens when a grave injustice must be avenged, or when the desire for revenge is so strong, it transcends the dead.”
He walked over to a whiteboard, pulling out a marker and writing the name “Daimajin” down on it. Then he wrote down the words “earthquakes,” “storms,” and “lightning.” He turned, tapping the board. “We’ve already seen a sudden freak storm and the lightning. If Daimajin can truly control the earth at a whim then we’ll be at an even greater disadvantage. We have no long range missiles anymore, and our firepower is limited to our handheld weaponry, the Arrow and Gyro, and one car.”
Unfurling a map of the mountain, Ibuki stamped it to the board with a few magnets and pointed at the circled area. “We know Daimajin is currently holed up on the side of this mountaintop here. I do not, however, think that it will stay there. We have to hit the statue hard and fast before it has a chance to counterattack us.”
“As I mentioned to Go and Oka, with how much power is behind this statue, I believe obtaining some higher grade explosives would be best. A two man team can plant the explosives on Daimajin and detonate it. Either we destroy the statue, or bury it in the mountain again. Should that fail, the Gyro and Arrow will bring the whole mountain down on its head. Are there any suggestions or objections to the plan?”
Ueno cleared his throat, standing up as he spoke. “Sir, won’t the fact that it will inevitably summon a storm and lightning make it more difficult for the Gyro and Arrow to perform their duties? I know that our technology is strong, but we’ve always struggled against beings that can manipulate the weather so freely.”
Nodding in concession to the point, Ibuki folded his arms. “That’s a risk I think we’ll have to take,” he admitted unhappily. “This is too large of a threat to ignore.”
“Sir,” Go said hesitantly. “The fact the statue hasn’t actually moved might be an indication we simply disturbed its slumber or the like. It’s in an isolated area, and so far we haven’t heard anything about earthquakes or the thing actually moving. I’m not entirely sure attacking it preemptively will be a good idea. With our limited resources, it might be better just to observe it until TAC is fully operational.”
Ibuki pursed his lips at Go’s thinking and mulled the problem over. If something did go wrong, then it would be catastrophic for MAT. “I understand where you’re coming from, Go,” he said at last. “But we can’t wait that long for TAC to get itself into fighting shape. Besides, you saw the same thing I did when we pulled back. That was a threat, and we don’t tolerate threats.”
Go nodded in acknowledgement and sat back down before standing back up. “Permission to use the phone then, sir? I need to let Jiro know I won’t be home for a few days.”
Nodding his permission, Go walked over to the phone and dialed his home phone. Jiro would be home by now, judging by the time on his watch. He waited patiently, and was unable to help his smile when Jiro answered. “Go residence, Jiro speaking.”
“Jiro, it’s me.”
“Ah! Go! Is everything okay?”
He chuckled a little, folding one arm over his chest a bit. “Yes, I’m just going out to do some field duty for a day or two, so I won’t be home.” He could almost picture Jiro’s face falling, and his own turned serious. “I’m sorry Jiro, really I am.”
“It’s alright Go, I know that even with MAT winding down, you have to be on alert at all times. Just make sure you kick it’s butt fast so you can get home sooner, okay?”
Go felt his throat tighten at Jiro’s words. He felt tears prick his eyes and he managed to croak out an “okay!” before hanging up the phone and putting a hand to his mouth for a moment and closed his eyes.
“Jiro is a strong boy, Hideki.”
There he was at last. The mysterious hidden member of MAT. Jack had stayed awfully quiet throughout the whole ordeal, and Go dabbed at his eyes a little and nodded. “I know, but I can’t help but be inspired by his strength.” He sighed through his nose as he sat down. “But it will all be over soon, then I can take care of him properly.”
Unusually, there was a bit of discomfort between the bond the two beings shared. “Jack?” When the Ultra said nothing, he tried again.
“We can talk later, Hideki. We have more pressing matters at hand.”
Focusing back in on the discussion, Ibuki was doling out roles for everyone. “Go, you and Minami will get the explosives and plant them on the statue if possible. However, if the danger gets too much, then pull back. Oka, you and I will take the Gyro. Ueno, you and Kishida take the Arrow.”
“But, sir, if we all go out then who will be here at HQ?” Oka asked, glancing at the other members in confusion.
“At this point, I hardly think it matters if there’s someone here at HQ or not,” Ueno admitted to the others. “After all, it’s not like there’s anyone here to send help anyways.”
Kishida snorted a little, shaking his head. “Maybe we’ll ask the fishes.” There was some small laughter from the others before a bark from Ibuki shut them up.
“I want everyone to get some early rest tonight. We’ll be attacking at dawn tomorrow. Is that clear?” At everyone’s affirmation, he nodded his head. “Dismissed.”
As everyone was leaving, Ibuki called out suddenly. “Go, a moment?” Waiting until the others had left the command center, he got up and placed a warm hand on his shoulder. “How’s Jiro holding up?”
Go smiled at his superior officer and the question, bowing his head a bit. “He’s doing great. I think… He’s doing a lot better than we all thought he would. I just wish I was there for him more.”
Ibuki gave a slow nod. He could empathize about that situation all too much. “It’ll all be over soon. If we can keep a tight lid on things, then we’ll all be back to our families before long. Jiro’s a strong kid, Go. You’d make the Sakatas proud. Now get some rest.”
With those words of comfort and encouragement, Go grinned and went back to his quarters feeling lighter and more hopeful for tomorrow.
Chapter 3: First Round: Ultraman vs. Daimajin!
The lonely mountainside gave an intimidating aura to Go and Minami as they made their way up through the burnt remains of the forest towards the statue of Daimajin. They looked at one another, the explosives strapped to each of their backs feeling heavier before they nodded and began climbing higher. The fact that at any time they could be blown off into the abyss made them more determined than ever as they fitted their climbing gear as securely as possible into the cliff face before making their descent.
They worked in total silence, afraid that even speaking would spell their doom as they fastened the bombs to the statue’s midsection and set the timers. Flashing each other the signal, they scrambled back to secure land as quickly and as carefully as they could before sprinting down the mountainside to where the car was and they skidded behind the armored doors. Go lowered his microphone and spoke into it. “Captain, we’ve planted the explosives.”
“Roger, standing by in the Arrow and Gyro. Keep your guns armed and ready just in case.”
“Roger,” he said, and ducked behind the door. MAT Shoot aimed carefully at the statue of Daimajin. He glanced over to Minami, who held the assault rifle aloft in the same position. The second in command nodded at Go, and together the two waited.
The explosions went off without a problem, and the deafening roar of the bombs shook Minami and Go violently, nearly throwing them both off balance. Rocks and dirt were showering the valley floor below them. They waited a few seconds for the cacophony to die down before peeking back up.
The statue was completely untouched. Not a mark on it. Go swallowed, and reactivated his radio. “This is Go. The statue is undamaged.”
“Not a single scratch? Nothing?” Ibuki asked incredulously.
“Nothing,” Go confirmed gravely. He looked over at Minami, who just stared back with wide-eyed confusion. Even a kaiju should’ve felt something from that blast. “Proceeding to Plan B.” He and Minami hopped into the car and backed it up down the mountain as the Gyro and Arrow roared in from overhead and unleashed the biggest payload of rockets and bullets in MAT’s history at the mountain.
It was both awe-inspiring and terrifying as MAT began to reduce an entire mountain to a smoking heap of rubble. Chunks of rock, dirt, trees and everything else were blown completely away as the two aerial units continued firing at the statue of Daimajin until the smoke was so thick it resembled a heavy fog as the Arrow circled over the remains of the mountain. The Gyro hovering in place.
The smoke curled around the ruined heap of the mountain. As time stretched on, it took minutes for the debris and smoke to finally clear enough to see the results of their actions. There was an audible gasp heard over the radio. MAT had completely torn apart an entire mountain.
Yet still, Daimajin’s statue remained untouched.
“Captain..” came Ueno’s shaky voice. Before Ibuki had time to say anything, the mountain once again rumbled violently. The statue’s eyes shone brightly and Go and Minami flinched back when a great roaring fire suddenly burned at the top of Daimajin’s head. The great hands of the statue moved up to its face and waved it once. Revealing the burning, angry face beneath a stone mask. Kicking his way through the ruins of the mountainside, Daimajin had finally awoken fully and stood at full height, eye to eye with the MAT Gyro.
As everyone was stunned into silence, they reacted far too late when Daimajin simply swatted his hand and batted the Gyro away like a toy. “Captain! Oka!” Go cried out in alarm, and immediately began opening fire on Daimajin with his MAT Shoot. The Gyro swung drunkenly in the sky, smoke belching out of its propellers. The bullets bounced harmlessly off of Daimajin’s stone armor, and the demon god didn’t even bother to acknowledge Go and Minami’s presence as the Gyro slammed into the ground in a fiery explosion.
The MAT Arrow screamed overhead and pelted Daimajin with even more rockets and explosives. Smoke and sparks billowing into the air. Tilting his head up slightly, Daimajin watched in eerie silence as the Arrow did another loop. Hand resting at his side, Daimajin suddenly pulled the sword out of its scabbard and immediately a great blade of flames shot into the air like a beacon, slicing into the Arrow’s wings and forcing it too to crash into the valley below. The land around Daimajin was flowing with black, acrid smoke from the two downed aircraft.
“Kishida! Ueno! Dammit!” Go immediately got up from behind cover and began sprinting full tilt down towards the valley where he could see all of his friends and comrades parachuting down. Ignoring Minami’s screaming of his name, light began to emanate from Go’s body as he disappeared into the smoke and the debris…. And with a whirling, swooshing sort of noise and sparkles of light stood Ultraman, hand outstretched to the sky.
Daimajin simply glared at Jack as the Ultra warrior curled his fists up and shifted his stance slightly. Sword retreating back into its scabbard, the Demon God remained unmoving until Jack let out a belting war cry and charged forward, slamming his shoulder against Daimajin’s frame.
Immediately, Jack recoiled back in pain and rubbed his shoulder a little before backing up and kicking roughly at Daimajin’s side. Then he kicked again, before chopping at Daimajin’s chest a few times and having to back up due to the ache in his limbs. He paused, realizing that his attacks had done absolutely nothing and that Daimajin was still completely motionless.
Crouching, he suddenly leaped into the air with a loud cry and landed behind Daimajin, grabbing the god by the waist and attempting to lift him up. Jack grunted, straining from the effort until he was forced to let go, breathing heavily. Turning, Daimajin raised his hand and gave Jack a rough shove.
That shove sent Jack flying, toppling head over heel into the debris of the mountain where Daimajin had slept in for so many centuries. Jack quickly rolled onto his knees and shook his head a little. Springing back to his feet, Jack looked around the battlefield for any kind of advantage. Up above him, storm clouds began to gather again. The winds picked up, carrying the flames and the smoke farther. If it continued anymore, then the whole countryside might be ablaze.
Then the rains came crashing down and soon both Jack and Daimajin were sloshing through the biggest mud pit in history. Jack immediately scanned the environment and carefully scooped up the fallen MAT members before depositing them at the car and turning back to face Daimajin.
Lightning crashed around the two warriors. Jack leaped into the air again and cried out in pain when a bolt of lightning slammed into him mid-air and sent him falling back down into the mud. Daimajin walked over slowly, reaching down to grab Jack by the neck and slowly lift him up.
Jack immediately threw a handful of mud into Daimajin’s face and broke free from his grasp when the god recoiled ever so slightly in shock. With another battle cry, he charged forward and shoulder tackled Daimajin again, this time succeeding in pushing the god back a little as he poured more strength into it.
The ground rocked violently, and Jack let out another cry of pain as a mudslide from another mountain suddenly crashed down on top of him, burying the Ultra warrior and forcing him to buckle under the sudden pressure. Standing up straight, he grabbed a hold of the Ultra Bracelet and with a flash of light tossed it into the sky.
If Daimajin wanted to use the elements against him, then he would get a taste of his own medicine. Immediately, the storm clouds quivered angrily, the deafening roar of thunder lost before all at once multiple lightning bolts exploded out of the clouds and slammed directly onto Daimajin.
The god staggered back a little, clearly taken aback by the attack. Standing to his full height, Jack commanded the Bracelet to send another slurry of lightning down on Daimajin, the stone armor cracking slightly from nature’s assault. Sprinting forward, Jack put all of his strength into a massive dropkick that finally succeeded in toppling Daimajin over and sending the stone god crashing into the mud beneath him.
Jack’s color timer began to flash red. The slow, heartbeat-like beeping indicating his energy reserves were already going. And fast. Raising his hands, he fired the Specium Beam at Daimajin’s downed form and watched silently as the sudden flux of energy caused a massive explosion that sent mud and rock flying everywhere.
He watched for a moment, at where Daimajin’s body used to be. After another moment, he nodded in satisfaction. Raising his hands into the sky, he launched himself up with a familiar cry-
Only for one his ankles to be grabbed, and to be roughly slammed back into the muddy valley. Jack barely had time to process what had happened before a stone boot slammed in his back and forced him back down. The rains grew louder and fiercer, and Jack shook as he pushed himself back to his knees. Forcing himself to stand, Jack turned and took a few steps back in shock as Daimajin glared at him.
Jack’s color timer began beeping more rapidly. As Daimajin stepped closer, Jack took a step back in fear. He had seen it, seen the statue being blown to pieces by his Specium Beam. And yet, here was the proof that somehow, Daimajin had survived the attack.
He heard them then, the cries of MAT’s members as they braved the storm to look for Hideki Go. “Go!” They hollered, his hearing picking them up over the noise of the storm. “Come back! Ultraman’s losing!”
Yes, he was losing. Jack knew that at this moment in time he stood no chance against Daimajin. His foe was far too strong, and he had so little time to truly study any weaknesses. Unable to do more, Jack turned around and flew back off into the air, retreating from the battle.
Go immediately touched down not far from the car and was nearly bowled over by a strong gust of wind. Fighting through it all, muddy and bruised, he waved out towards his teammates as he got closer. “Heeeeeeey!”
Immediately, Oka and Kishida grabbed him and helped him bundle into the car. Although clearly not meant for all six members, Ibuki waited until Go was secure before he slammed on the gas and they tore off the mountain side as fast as the car could take them. They were all wet, muddy, and cold. Those in the back huddled against one another for warmth as Ibuki pushed the MAT vehicle to the limits as they finally got on the road and sped off. In the rear view mirror, Go could see Daimajin, standing amidst the chaos of it all. Unmoving. Staring at them.
Deciding not to question why Daimajin wasn’t following them, Go leaned back, closed his eyes, and drifted into unconsciousness.
When Go awoke, he felt sore all over. Blinking rapidly, he belatedly realized that he was in MAT’s medical bay. Sitting up gingerly, he winced in pain and hissed as his back protested. “Hideki, are you alright?”
“Fine, Jack. What happened?”
“We ran. Daimajin was too powerful for us. We managed to briefly catch it off guard with the Ultra Bracelet, but..”
Now he remembered. Shaking his head, Go slowly rolled over on his side and forced himself to stand. “And the Arrow and Gyro are gone…” he muttered unhappily. First, he grabbed the medical chart at the table and casually looked it over. Nothing serious he could see. Nodding and taking a deep breath, he started slowly walking his way back towards central command.
Minami stood up immediately, gawping in horror. “Go! You should be resting! Your injuries-”
Go shook his head stubbornly, slumping down on his chair. “No. I need to be here. Nothing’s broken, no concussions. I’m just sore.” He looked around the command center, noting the dreary atmosphere before looking at a forlorn Ibuki. “Captain, anything new to report?”
Ibuki took a long, deep breath. “I have no idea,” he admitted plainly. Go opened his mouth, but he held up his hand. “Now that the Gyro and the Arrow are destroyed, we’re completely cut off without aerial recon. As far as we know, Daimajin stayed put after we retreated.” Go’s brow furrowed in confusion, and Ibuki shook his head. “And we don’t know why.”
Turning, he realized Kishida had his nose buried in the book they had found about Daimajin until Kishida slammed the book down and cussed in frustration. “Nothing!” he hissed angrily, slamming the book with his fist. “Nothing in this stupid book about how to appease or stop Daimajin! Just constantly going on and on about how powerful and how merciless he is! There must have been something to calm him down!”
“Calm down, Kishida,” Ibuki scolded lightly. He understood his subordinates’ frustrations deeply, but he wasn’t going to let their emotions get the better of them. “We’ll figure something out, we always do.”
“Even though Ultraman lost?” Ueno asked tightly, not noticing Go flinch slightly. “I mean, I know he’s done a lot for us but Daimajin didn’t even flinch.”
“No, it’s not that. Ultraman was clearly able to rattle him,” Oka countered. “It’s just… I guess Daimajin was somehow able to overcome that.”
Minami sighed through his nose. “No wonder MAT is being replaced. This.. this is too much for us.” There were a few murmurs of agreement from the team, and the mood was turning even darker.
Ibuki slammed his hands down on his desk and glared at Minami. “Enough of that talk, Minami,” he said sharply. “And that goes for all of you!” he added, voice rising in volume. “Now, I understand this is hard. We’ve lost our aerial advantage. We’re down to the last dregs of what MAT has to offer. But have we ever let something like this stop us before?!”
There was silence, and Ibuki turned his glare to the others. “Well!?”
“No, Sir!” they called back, all standing at attention.
“That’s what I thought! I want everyone to work together to stop Daimajin! We must be better than that giant hunk of rock! He must have some weakness! I want ideas, I want brainstorming.” He marched over, wiping the whole battle strategy from the day before off the whiteboard. “I don’t care how ridiculous it sounds, just say the first thing that comes to your minds!”
Oka spoke first, pacing back and forth curiously. “Sir, what if we could somehow get in touch with the First Ultraman and Ultraseven, perhaps they could provide backup?”
Ibuki nodded, writing down the idea and looking over at Go. “Ultraman, is this feasible?”
“Well sir, I-huh?!” Go started suddenly, and began verbally backtracking hard. “I-I uh, I don’t know what you mean, sir.”
Pursing his lips unhappily, Ibuki shook his head. “Go, we all know that you’re Ultraman. There’s no use hiding it anymore.” Go’s mouth dropped in astonishment as the rest of MAT all nodded and gave some form of agreement.
“You.. you all know?” he asked weakly, slumping in his chair a little. “But.. but how?”
Ueno laughed a little at that, smiling awkwardly at his friend. “Well ah, you never really made it that subtle, Go.”
Kishida nodded along with him, smiling at Go’s dumbstruck face. “Yeah, I mean. How many times have you gotten yourself into trouble, or your plane crashed or something, and then Ultraman was magically there where you were? Come on.”
“Jack, was it really that obvious?”
There was silence for a moment, Go could’ve sworn that he felt embarrassment from the Ultra. “I too, thought it was obvious. Give me one moment, and I’ll be able to make my presence known to our teammates.”
Before Go could say anything, a bright shining light suddenly flashed in the middle of the room. Everyone but Go averted their eyes as the light shimmered, then slowly moved off to the side next to the whiteboard. The light grew longer, stretching out until silver and red features began to form. Although in an incorporeal form, Ultraman Jack had appeared in front of MAT.
“Ultraman!” Kishida breathed out in shock.
Nodding slowly, Jack stood there like a statute, his voice resonating out despite the fact his mouth remained immobile. “Yes, although we have fought alongside one another for quite some time, it is a pleasure to finally see you all face to face. And yes, it is true that back with Takkong, I had bonded with Go.”
They all stared at him with some manner of reverence and awe until Ibuki cleared his throat, hands behind his back. “Well, I can safely say that it’s an honor that you’re here. But, I need you to answer Oka’s question: Can you contact the First Ultraman and Ultraseven?”
Jack nodded. “It can be done. My people have a special way of communication called The Ultra Sign. If Daimajin proves to be too much for me, I can fire the Ultra Sign for help. However, it is only meant to be used in the direst of emergencies.”
Nodding, Ibuki nevertheless wrote down the Ultra Sign as a last alternative. Minami eyed Jack curiously now, leaning forward a bit. “Well, Ultraman, since you’re here, do you have any ideas to contribute?”
Pausing for a moment, the Ultra warrior slowly nodded. “Well, I had noticed during my first encounter with Daimajin that he seemed taken aback by my use of the Ultra Bracelet.” He held the device aloft a little for the others to see. “As I had been able to temporarily take control of the storm he summoned and wrought lightning down on him. Although suffering no outward injuries, perhaps it was enough to rattle him.”
“And,” Ueno began, grinning at Jack happily. “Just because we didn’t see any injuries, doesn’t mean they didn’t happen! I mean, it was already hard to see with that storm going on, eh Ultraman? You could’ve done more damage than you thought.”
“It’s possible,” Jack admitted, a little taken aback. He had expected them to be much more cautious, or at least reverent considering how much the humans looked up to him and his ilk. And yet, perhaps he shouldn’t have been surprised. If they had known he and Go were the same for so long now, then they had already considered him part of the team.
Soon, the next few hours went by as the members of MAT and Ultraman Jack continued to come up with every idea under the sun. Strapping a rocket to Daimajin and sending him into space. Digging a giant pit and burying him. Setting up a miles long string of electric pylons and trying to electrocute Daimajin. Overall, while there was nothing solid or even remotely possible, it had made everyone feel better.
Ibuki, surveying everyone’s hard work, nodded in satisfaction. “We can come back to this later, I think we all deserve a break right now. Go get yourselves something to eat and something to drink. Oh, and Ultraman. Is there anything we can get you?”
“No, Captain. I’ll be fine. I don’t need to eat or drink the way humans do.” Jack hesitated for a moment, then continued. “But I am curious about something.”
“Oh? What does the mighty Ultraman have to be curious about us?” Ueno joked, getting a laugh out of everyone.
“Why do you call me “Ultraman?” Surely, you know that’s not my real name, after you realized I wasn’t the same as Lipiah.”
There was a contemplative silence for a moment, before Ibuki spoke up. “Because, to us Earthlings, the word “Ultraman” is more than a name. It’s a title. A title to our greatest hero and champion. Someone who without fail, will always come to our aid no matter what we humans may do.” He smiled at Jack, a warm, fatherly smile that reminded the Ultra Warrior of Father of Ultra, whenever he was giving his own motivational speeches. “And you, Ultraman, are the one most worthy of carrying that title. You’re the inspiration we look up too, so that one day we can stand as equals.”
Had Jack been capable of it, he might have found himself crying a little. He had truly underestimated humanity, he realized. Despite the impossible odds against them, they not only had faith in him, but in each other. He bowed his head, speaking quietly. “I’m honored, Captain. However..” He tilted his head up, shoulders squaring. “Although it may not be soon, I believe humanity will one day stand shoulder to shoulder with us. And I know, when that day comes, we will be honored to consider you allies and family. The way I do now, with you all, Hideki, and Jiro.”
He looked around at the members of MAT. The team he had grown to love and cherish as friends just as much as Lipiah and Seven. They were teammates, now and forever. They all smiled back, beaming brightly and in each of them he could see the heart of an Ultra Warrior. Strong and proud.
As everyone mingled out to the kitchens, Jack turned to Go. “Hideki, when you have time, I’d like to talk with you in private. There’s… something you must know.”
Go raised an eyebrow at his other half, stretching out on the chair to get the kinks out. “You must be pretty anxious about this, I can feel it as plain as day.”
Jack nodded, but before he could elaborate anymore a shrill alarm tore through HQ. Immediately, everyone sprinted back in and began getting into positions. Ibuki looked sharply at Oka, who was frantically hitting switches and dials. “Oka! What’s going on!?”
Staring at the screens, Oka’s face paled and her body trembled a bit. They all looked at one another, but it was Jack who spoke, looking up at the ceiling. “Daimajin is coming.”
Outside the base, the impossible was occurring. With each heavy stomp of his feet, the mad demon god Daimajin was marching towards MAT’s underwater HQ. The flames on his head burned brightly despite the ocean depths. Sea mines exploded around his body, bubbles and fire bursting briefly as the explosive force barely made Daimajin flinch. His unwavering gaze was directed solely at the headquarters before him.
“Everyone evacuate!” Ibuki commanded, slamming the evacuation alarm and standing by the door as every single member of the skeleton crew began pouring into the central hallway and sprinting down to the emergency escape submarines. Ultraman had vanished somewhere in the chaos, but Ibuki wasn’t worried about the Ultra warrior as his own team came barreling down the hallway and directing traffic and he quickly joined them, assigning his team various submarines to take the remaining crew. Although there weren’t a lot of them anymore, he still needed to split up his forces into two submarines so they were adequately protected.
As they piled in, the base began to violently shake. Rhythmically, in time to footsteps. Ibuki waited until he was sure everyone was on board the two submarines before boarding his. “Take off!” He ordered. They jolted and lurched, before taking off as fast as the engines could carry them into the dark ocean depths.
Daimajin had drawn his sword. Wreathed in impossible flames, he swung it once and the blade extended outwards until the entire length caught the first edge of MAT’s underwater HQ and began carving through the hardened metals and minerals. Sparks, then flames began shooting out as the HQ was being sliced through until Daimajin was able to cleanly cut through the other half of the entire base. After a moment, the scorching metal cooled. Then the base began to collapse in on itself.
In a massive burst of bubbles and silt, MAT’s underwater HQ, having stood over ten years of proud service, was nothing more than molten scrap at the bottom of the ocean. Daimajin watched as the two submarines puttered their way back up towards the surface. He raised his hands silently, and waited.
The ground shook. The water shook. The world shook. The seas roared, waves ripping at each other as slowly, very slowly… They began to part. Water collapsed in on itself in an instant, and yet a force like no other on this earth or beyond kept them from folding in on themselves again. The waves kept splitting apart, the great roar of water drowning everything as MAT could only stare in silent, horrified awe as the very ocean was being wrenched apart through sheer power.
Eventually, the water parted so far that the two submarines began to fall. Rapidly descending and rattling like an old rollercoaster, the MAT submarines crashed down onto the seabed floor. Surrounded not by water, but by air. Daimajin had pulled the entire ocean apart. Just to get at them.
Some on the submarine had passed out. Others were holding each other or themselves and whimpering in sheer, abject terror. Even Ibuki looked white and pale as he tried to think of a plan of action. He didn’t notice Go stepping calmly to the doors until they had been opened and he saw the wall of water crashing against itself. “Go!” he called out weakly.
Go turned around, his eyes hard and determined. “Trust me, Captain.” Without waiting for his approval, Hideki Go stepped out of the submarine and out onto the ocean bed. His boots were sucked into the silted muck as he walked calmly away from everyone until he was a safe distance away. Staring up at Daimajin, Go held his arm out to the sky.
In a brilliant flash of light two giants stared at each other for the second time. Replacing Go was the one being in the universe who would stop at nothing to save his comrades. Ultraman Jack stood ready.
Chapter 5: Seafloor Deathmatch: Jack vs. Daimajin Round 2
Daimajin and Jack continued to stare at one another for a moment, neither willing to make the first move until Jack suddenly exploded forwards, throwing himself at Daimajin with a renewed sense of purpose and determination as Daimajin stumbled back a little underneath Jack’s aggressive punching.
Bringing up his armored knee, Daimajin rammed it into Jack’s gut and forced the Ultra warrior to back off. Grabbing him by the shoulders, the demon god threw Jack against the raised wall of water and moved forward, sluggishly ramming his shoulder into Jack’s chest and sending him crashing back into the ocean’s waves.
Jack floated there for a moment, before shaking his head. His opponent wasn’t as agile as he was, and he could use that to his advantage if he was smart. Contorting his body, Jack dove upwards towards the surface and burst out, vaulting himself above the wall of water and with a fierce cry held out his hand and fired a beam of energy that slammed into Daimajin’s chest and forced the lumbering god back a few paces. Continuing his arc, Jack landed nimbly back into the water and swam out further into the sea.
Before immediately turning around and shooting like a torpedo, out of one wall of water and launching his full weight back onto Daimajin, sending both of them tumbling down to the seafloor below them with a thunderous crash. Jack sprang back up to his feet, grabbing his Ultra Bracelet and holding it aloft before a mighty warhammer manifested in his hands. Ueno had been right after all, he mused. Daimajin hadn’t been completely unscathed in their first encounter.
Swinging the weapon around experimentally, he sprinted over to Daimajin, arms raised before out of nowhere a giant squid burst from the wall of water and latched itself onto Jack’s face. The muffled cries of the Ultra were brief as a bright flash of light from his eyes forced Daimajin’s unwilling assistant off of him and slapped him down on the ocean floor.
Gently, Jack picked up the creature and pushed it back into the water, watching it swim away before turning his attention back to the now standing Daimajin. Unsheathing his flaming sword, the two warriors charged at one another again. Daimajin brought his sword down and Jack raised up his warhammer, the two weapons clashing against one another violently.
There was only the briefest moment of surprise from Daimajin before Jack kicked the god away and swung low, smashing the warhammer against his leg. Chunks of rock and debris sprayed out from the wound and Daimajin crumpled onto one leg.
Undeterred, he lashed out with his sword and forced Jack back, coating the now injured leg with silt and mud before stabbing the sword into the wound. The heat of the flames instantly heated the sediment back up, and Daimajin rose to his feet.
Pointing his sword at the submarines, it began to extend again like a rocket. Jack immediately dove in the way, yelling out in pain when the fiery weapon stabbed into his side. He gasped out, clutching at his injury as he rose back up to his feet.
Fighting through the pain, he swung his warhammer to deflect another swing of Daimajin’s sword and sprinted forward to close the gap. Unable to retract his sword in time, Daimajin was forced to bring up one of his arms only for it to be smashed to pieces as Jack savagely brought his weapon down on it. Swinging again, Jack smashed the other arm to pieces as well and watched as the sword clattered to the ground.
Jack’s color timer began to beep. Stepping back and panting, the Ultra Bracelet returned to its normal form as the two warriors sized each other up. If Jack was right, Daimajin likely wouldn’t be able to reform his limbs anytime soon. Yet as he moved, the pain of his side flared dramatically.
It was time then, to give the mad demon a taste of his own medicine.
Throwing his Ultra Bracelet high into the air, Jack merely stared down Daimajin as bright flashes of light overtook them both. Then there was an odd, uneasy silence. The roar of water grew louder. And louder. Jack remained motionless as Daimajin recoiled in total surprise as the ocean itself began to assemble itself again through the power of the Ultra Bracelet and Jack’s willpower.
The waves curled in on themselves, crashing against one another violently as the water began to return to its natural state. From the bottom, it surged upwards into a furious geyster before exploding out in a tremendous show of power. As the chaos reached its peak, Daimajin could only watch on as Jack continued to stand there and stare at him. Completely motionless. By the time it was over, Ultraman Jack and the two MAT submarines had disappeared completely.
Body battered by the tremendous force of the ocean, Daimajin could only stand there. Then, his arms slowly began to reform. His body began to change. The God of Vengeance’s body grew slimmer, as the armor grew even more intricate. Gone was the burning flames of revenge throughout his body. Instead, sleeker and more careful armor was constructed. Its face, etched into stone, grew more human-like. Eyes that were once pure fire were now unsettlingly natural. They blinked. Blinked again.
In those eyes, there was nothing but pure hatred. Daimajin stood there, slowly re-assembling himself. Ultraman wouldn’t get away a third time. The next time they met, it would be the end for one of them.
By the time Go had finally gotten back to his apartment, he had never felt more tired in his life. Everything ached. After the submarines had been dropped off safely on shore by Jack, Ibuki had ordered everyone to go home and rest for the night.
If he were being truthful with himself, he had no idea what his captain would plan next. Now that HQ was destroyed, MAT didn’t even have anywhere to go. “He’ll think of something, we will think of something.” He resolved himself. Staggering up the stairs, he leaned against the doorframe to catch his breath before opening the door. “I’m home!” He called out wearily.
Despite his aches and his pains, they all seemed to dull when Jiro bounded up to him happily and pulled him in for a tight hug. Go grinned, hugging his surrogate little brother back tightly and laughed. “Sorry it took me so long!”
Jiro shook his head emphatically, releasing the older man and beaming up at him brightly. “No trouble at all! But.. Why are you so dirty?” He pulled at one of Go’s arms, at the muddy and silt-stained uniform. “The captain’ll kill you if you come to work with your uniform like that.”
Chuckling to himself again, he ruffled Jiro’s hair and gingerly walked over to the couch. “I’ll make sure to wash it before I have to go back. Now, did you do your homework?” At the boy’s nod, he shrugged off his jacket and sighed out. “Great. Gimme a moment or two to rest and I’ll get us some dinner.”
“But, Go, you look so tired!” Jiro protested, tilting his chin defiantly. “I can get us dinner.”
Shaking his head, Go just smiled and patted Jiro on the head. “No way, it’s my job to make us dinner. Go watch TV for a bit and let me freshen up then I’ll make it. Okay?” Eying him suspiciously, Jiro simply nodded and went over to the sofa.
He was glad to have the distraction of caring for Jiro. As they sat and ate, he listened raptly as Jiro described his school day and all of the various adventures a boy his age had. “I saw a buncha MAT people on the way back from school, I even saw Ultraman fly up into the sky!” He exclaimed happily, looking at Go with wide, eager eyes. “Was there a kaiju attack? Did you beat up a monster?”
Go hummed thoughtfully. He wasn’t going to tell the truth to Jiro, that MAT HQ had been compromised. He knew that when he fell asleep, that he would likely be having nightmares about Daimajin. And there was no way in hell that he would give Jiro those nightmares too. “We sure did.” He lied, grinning widely at the look of pure elation on the boy’s face. “And when all of the reports and paperwork are done, you’ll get to know all about it! Another new kaiju for you to pretend as!”
Jiro whooped in delight, gave Go the biggest hug of his life, and got to work busying himself with putting the dishes away.
Sitting back, Go watched with a content smile as Jiro hummed a familiar tune about Jack that had been popular on the radio. “I don’t deserve this kid.” He thought to himself.
“No, you do Hideki,” Jack said.
“By the way, what did you want to talk about with me?” He asked a little, eyes defocusing as he talked with his other half.
“Later. When Jiro’s asleep.” And then, just like that, Jack was gone again. Sighing to himself, he got up and moved over to start helping Jiro with the dishes. After that, he let Jiro go out and play for a little while as he sat down and watched some old reruns of Kamen Rider until it was time to bring Jiro to bed.
This was the life he was fighting to have. No kaiju. No aliens. Just living a normal life as best he could with a boy he loved with all of his heart. He smiled as he put Jiro to bed, and when he closed the door, he didn’t realize he didn’t close it all the way.
A soft, flashing pulsating light woke Jiro up. He blinked sleepily, glancing around to see what had happened. Just as he was about to drift back to sleep, he heard a strange, deep voice. “Is he asleep?”
He sat up instantly, looking around wildly for the source of the voice. He didn’t relax when he heard Go’s voice respond. “Yes, he’s asleep now. What did you want to talk about?”
Creeping out of bed, Jiro carefully pulled his door open as quietly as he could and glanced around before scooting across the little hall to Go’s door. It too, wasn’t shut all the way and he peaked through the crack in the door to see who Go was talking too. His jaw dropped when he saw the incorporeal image of Ultraman standing there in the moonlight.
“It’s… about…” Ultraman began, and Jiro couldn’t believe how awkward and unsure the hero seemed. “You know, if I fire the Ultra Sign, that my brothers will come. Yes?”
“I do,” Go said, and although Jiro couldn’t see him, he could hear the confusion. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“When they do come, and if we triumph over Daimajin.” Daimajin? That was a name Jiro had never heard before. And… was Ultraman saying he couldn’t beat him? “They will undoubtedly ask me to come back home. I’ve been gone for a while.”
“Well, I don’t see the issue with that,” Go said plainly, the bed creaking slightly as he moved. Jiro hurriedly moved away from the door, but kept his ears sharp. “You and I will separate. Hideki Go and Ultraman will become two people once more.”
What. Jiro couldn’t believe what he had heard. It couldn’t be true. Go, Go? Was Ultraman? Ultraman and Go had become one somehow? Anger flared up in him, betrayal that he would keep such a secret before he calmed himself down.
As much as the secret hurt, he could understand why Go had kept it from him. He trusted Jiro, but with something that big? If Jiro knew, then evil aliens could use that.
With a little chill, he realized that perhaps that had already happened. That was why Ken and Aki died.
“No, Go,” Ultraman said, snapping Jiro out of his reverie. “Do you remember the circumstances under which we bonded?”
“I do. I had… died. You came to me a few days later and told me something. I don’t really remember much about it.”
“Exactly. You were already dead for days before I was able to merge with you. And think, Hideki. If I were to separate from you. What do you think will happen to you?”
Jiro felt numb as he realized the answer to Ultraman’s question. Go had realized the answer too, for his voice was quiet and scared. “I’ll go back to being dead again.”
No, no. Jiro couldn’t lose Go. Not after he had lost Ken and Aki. He peeked through the door, wanting nothing more than to burst in and speak his mind, but knowing it would only get him in trouble. Ultraman nodded, hands on his hips. “Exactly. So, unless you want to die again, I’m afraid our bonding has become permanent. Even the Land of Light couldn’t fix that.”
“And.. that’s why you seem so resistant to go home? Because of me?” Go asked.
“No. Because I know, if asked to leave, you would not. Jiro is far too precious to you. I couldn’t force you to go back to my home, either.”
Jiro felt his head spinning. Was he keeping Ultraman from going home? Would Ultraman stay on Earth against his will, all because of him? Was this Daimajin the only thing keeping Ultraman here? He pushed himself away from the door, stumbling back to his bed. Laying down, he knew he had a lot of thinking to do. As he drifted off to sleep, the conversation between Go and Jack continued.
“You’re damn right I’m not going to let you drag me to your home!” he said hotly, then glanced at the door and cleared his throat. “Sorry. I… know that must sound harsh, but I can’t abandon Jiro like that. Not after everything we’ve been through.”
Jack nodded in understanding, holding up a hand to placate his human partner. “I understand, Hideki. I have no intention of forcing you into that difficult decision. In fact… I would like to stay here with you. On Earth. To raise Jiro.”
Go stared at the Ultra warrior, processing what he said. “You… you want to stay on Earth?” He parroted, unsure he had heard his partner right.
“Yes. I have grown to see the Earth as a second home. And like you, Jiro and the other Sakatas as my family. While I could not stay away from the Land of Light indefinitely, I would like to stay here with you to help raise Jiro. And when that day comes, that he can stand on his own and be a man, is the day we will depart back home. When we are no longer needed. Does that sound reasonable to you?”
“But, what about your people? What will you tell them?”
“My people live long, long lives Hideki. 30 or so years to them won’t mean much. But to humans? It is a lifetime. I will not deprive you or Jiro of something so precious.”
Go was quiet for a moment, then looked at Jack. “Thank you,” he said.
“No, Hideki. Thank you.”
Settling into his blankets, Go closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. He didn’t have nightmares of the fierce Daimajin. Nor did he have nightmares of MAT or their fate. Instead, his dreams were pleasant, of the future. Of the strong, courageous and bright young man Jiro Sakata would one day become. To stand there and watch proudly as Jiro was inducted into the ranks of MAT.
Hideki Go dreamed of the future that night, and when he woke in the morning he swore to protect that future with everything he had.
Getting up feeling refreshed and recharged, the first order of business was to wash his dirty uniform and fix him and Jiro some breakfast. Gathering the dirty clothes, he knocked on Jiro’s door and pushed it open with his hip. “Jiro! Time to get up! Breakfast’ll be ready soon!”
Gathering up his ward’s dirty laundry, he smiled as the boy sleepily rose up on his bed. “Don’t forget to air out your futon too. It’s a nice day after all.” With a small little laugh, he headed out the door and made a brief stop to the apartment’s laundry room before heading back and getting started on breakfast.
“So,” he said to Jiro conversationally, frying up a few eggs for him. “No school today, got any plans?”
“Yeah, I’m going to go to the library.”
Turning, he looked at Jiro in surprise, then studied him a little more closely. There was something off about Jiro, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what. A sort of grim determination that had settled on the young boy. Maybe, he thought despairingly, it was another nightmare about Ken and Aki.
“Well, what are you gonna look up in the library?” he asked cautiously, prodding the eggs so they wouldn’t burn. Jiro however, simply shook his head. He chuckled, knowing not to push him if he clammed up like that. “Well, make sure you let Rumiko know where you’re going then, okay?”
Satisfied, Go got back to making breakfast when his personal radio buzzed a little. “Ah, already? Could you hand me the radio Jiro? Thanks.” Pulling on the antennae, he switched it on. “Go speaking.”
Oka’s voice was loud and clear as she spoke. “Go, we’ve got new orders from the Captain. Everyone’s to meet as quickly as possible at his residence.”
His eyebrows flew up in surprise. “His residence?” he repeated, wanting to make sure he had heard it right.
“Yes, I know. But that’s what he said. You remember where he lives right?”
“Yeah, I do. I’m almost done making breakfast, and I’m washing my uniform now. I’ll be over as soon as that’s done, okay?”
“Roger, see you then.”
Shutting the radio off, Go sighed a little in defeat. He was hoping work would’ve waited for him a little while longer. Shaking his head, he plated up the food and brought it over to Jiro. “Jiro, looks like I gotta go to work early today.” He said, sitting down and digging into his own meal. “Before I go, want me to drop you off at the library? They should be open by the time my uniform’s done washing.”
Jiro shook his head emphatically, pointing a fork full of eggs at Go. “Nah, it’s alright. I can go on my own. You just get ready for work okay?”
Surprised and a little wary, Go nodded slowly. “Alright.. But if you need anything I’ll be at Captain Ibuki’s place, okay?”
“Got it!”
Feeling more at ease when he saw Jiro’s eager smile, Go finished the rest of his breakfast and scooped the dirty dishes into the sink to be done later. He walked with Jiro down to the laundromat, before waving him off as he strode out the door. He waited impatiently as his uniform was washed and dried before heading downstairs and pausing when he realized he’d have to take his personal car.
He felt ridiculous and unprofessional but with another sigh of defeat he threw his helmet in the passenger seat and sat down. Revving up the engine, he backed up and began making the drive to Ibuki’s place. He turned on the radio to listen to the news, and relaxed slightly when he heard absolutely no reports of Daimajin.
Pulling up to the captain’s residence, he got out of the car and noticed that the others were already there. Helmet tucked under his arm, he walked up to the front door and knocked on it, adjusting his uniform slightly as he did so. He smiled politely when the Captain’s wife answered, and she smiled back. “Come in, I’ll get you some tea,” she said, leading him into the main living room.
There, sitting around the coffee table, was MAT. All in proud, resplendent uniform. Go walked over hesitantly, sitting down when Ibuki nodded at him. The Captain folded his arms over his chest, and looked over his team. “…I have no right to ask you all to be doing this now,” he said quietly.
They looked at him with a mixture of alarm and surprise. Ibuki sighed, and pulled out his MAT Shoot. Setting it on the table, he indicated the others do the same. Once all of their guns were there, he pointed at them. “Six MAT Shoots. One MAT Repeating Rifle. No car. This is what we have been reduced to.”
“But, sir, surely Ultraman stopped Daimajin this time, right?” Ueno asked nervously, glancing around at his teammates. “We all saw the battle.”
“We did,” Ibuki confirmed, and then grimly leaned over. “And that is why I called you here. Because I received reports from a Defence Force submarine that there was activity at the bottom of the ocean. Where we were.”
Everyone’s emotions switched between shocked, despondent, and then despairing. “We can’t win,” Kishida finally said, taking off his gloves and throwing them down. “How can we? Like the Captain said. Six guns, one Rifle, no car. We can’t possibly beat Daimajin now. No offense Go, but even Ultraman can’t do it.”
Go stared at the table, the collected firepower of MAT all sitting in front of them. “We can win.” He said firmly. He gripped his hands tightly. “We have to win.”
“How?” Ueno inquired. “How can we possibly win, when even Ultraman can’t finish him off?”
“Have you no faith in yourselves anymore? When I picked out this team, I thought that no matter how hard the situation, you would keep fighting.”
Everyone except Ibuki stood up at the sound of the familiar voice and they turned. Oka gasped out in astonishment. “Captain!”
Katsuhiro Kato stood there, also in his MAT uniform. He walked over to his former team, smiling proudly at each and every one of them. Taking out his own MAT Shoot, he threw it onto the pile. “Look at you all,” he said softly. “Look at how far you all have come. Even after everything, you still put on your uniforms and came here. And you wouldn’t do that if you weren’t going to fight. Isn’t that right, Captain?”
All eyes swiveled back to Ibuki, who folded his arms and nodded at his former subordinate. “Too right. You picked a good team, Kato,” he expressed, breaking into a warm and fond smile. “Which is why, I’ll forgive the fact they addressed you as Captain just this once.”
Chuckling as his team coughed and shuffled and awkwardly apologized, Ibuki motioned for Kato to sit down. “So, here we all are. MAT in its entirety.” He looked around the table, leaning over. “Daimajin is heading towards the city, presumably to get at us. Kato, any ideas?”
Kato hummed thoughtfully, looking around at his friends and teammates. “Well, we know Go will be busy fighting him as Ultraman.”
“HUH!?” Go squawked out.
Raising his eyebrows, the former captain looked around. “I thought it was obvious?”
“Nevermind that,” Ibuki said gruffly. “Keep going.”
Clearing his throat, Kato nodded. “Right, well, with Ultraman busy fighting Daimajin, I think our job will be less focused on supporting Ultraman directly this time, and instead indirectly. Make sure the city is properly evacuated.”
“The defense force is usually pretty good at evacuations now,” Minami pointed out, leaning over the table a little. “Surely our help wouldn’t be needed that much. Especially not since we have so little resources.”
Kato hummed in agreement at Minami’s logic, and Kishida spoke up next. “Perhaps if we all focused our fire on one of Daimajin’s limbs specifically, we could help?” He looked around, shrugging. “It’s always worked before. Target one of the eyes or something.”
Ueno rubbed his chin thoughtfully, tapping it a little. “But we didn’t see any weaknesses when Ultraman first battled Daimajin.” He said unsurely.
“But in the second battle, Ultraman did some rather critical damage to Daimajin before pulling the ocean back together.” Oka said, and that statement had Kato staring in shock.
“He did what?” He asked lightly, and Go placed a placating hand on his shoulder that told him he’d get the whole story later.
“Despite that,” Go said sourly. “Daimajin seems to have been capable of reconstituting itself again. It did that during the battle at the mountain, remember? Ultraman… I… had used the Specium Beam and blown it to pieces.”
“Perhaps…” Kato started, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He looked around a little, a smile forming on his face. “Perhaps we can exploit that. I imagine it must take tremendous effort and energy to reform itself like that. If we can wear him down, perhaps Ultraman might finally be able to finish him permanently.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, until Kishida broke in. “It’s a good theory, but with only our MAT Shoots and the rifle, we simply don’t have enough firepower to do that kind of damage and keep it consistently.”
“Well.. good thing I brought the car,” Kato said mildly. Everyone stared at him for a moment, before all getting up and scrambling outside. Kato walked out calmly, running his hand over the hood of the car. “As you all know, the car can be outfitted with rocket technology if we need too. However, seeing as we lack access to that technology, I suggest that we retrofit the rifle and a couple of Shoots to the car as makeshift ones.”
He paused, looking around at the others, uncertainty clouding his jovial features. “Of course, this does mean that for this operation a few of you may be completely unarmed. I understand if that’s not a risk you’re willing to take.”
Almost immediately, the MAT team voiced their objections at once and got to work. Kishida, Minami, and Go ran back inside to grab a couple of the guns and were excitedly talking about the best way to jury rig them onto the car. Oka approached the two captains, a determined look in her eyes. “Captain,” she said, then glanced unsurely between the two before continuing. “I’d like to head down to the police station and ask around to see who has a helicopter available. It may not be a Gyro or an Arrow, but that way we can have some kind of aerial recon.”
Ueno nodded, standing next to Oka. “I’ll go with her, if that’s alright sir. That way in case Ultraman or you all need some aerial support, one of us can at least try.”
The two looked at one another, before Ibuki nodded in approval. “Permission granted.” He watched as his two subordinates got into Ueno’s car and sped off down the road. Looking at Kato, he shook his shoulder a little. “Look at them Kato. Even when all of this is going on, they’re still working hard.”
Kato nodded, watching his former team rush to and fro with the impromptu repairs and modifications. “Yes, I couldn’t be more proud of them,” He declared happily.
“And you should be. Like I said, you picked out a good team.” Ibuki smirked a little, then began walking towards the team. “Come on, we may be old but we can help out still.”
Kato started at his former captain. “Old?” he echoed incredulously, before shaking his head and joining in with the others.
*****
This would be the 5th library Jiro would visit on the day. Walking through the doors, he made his way to the receptionists’ desk and smiled as politely as possible. “Excuse me, miss. Would you happen to have gotten any recent folklore books?”
Smiling back kindly, she nodded. “As it happens, we have. Some of MAT’s old books were donated here a week or two ago.”
“And… are they here?” he asked, not wanting to sound too hopeful. But his hopes soared when she nodded and got up to go into the back. Bringing out a few books, she set them down in front of him.
“Here we are, we haven’t had the time to put them on the shelf yet.”
Gathering them up in his arms, he gave her his biggest, happiest smile. “Thank you miss!” And then darted away deep into the library. Setting his haul on a reading table, he switched on a reading lamp and began to read.
Finally, finally. He had found what he was looking for. “Daimajin,” he murmured, pouring over the old text for any glimmer of information about the mysterious kaiju. He found the same information MAT did, bragging about the god’s achievements.
This book however, contained the crucial information that Jiro was looking for. “In order to appease Daimajin, an innocent person must lay down their life before him. If he deems their sacrifice worthy, he shall end his pursuit in peace.”
His heart was pounding loudly as he re-read what was required to stop Daimajin. It wouldn’t have to come to that, would it? Then he thought about Ultraman and Go’s conversation last night. About how Ultraman was going to stay here on earth, instead of being able to go back home. Because of him.
Gently closing the book, Jiro knew what his decision would be that day. Returning the books and thanking her profusely, he went home. As he did so, MAT’s preparations were also complete and they too went home to rest, be with loved ones, and rest.
Chapter 7: The Resolve of Ultraman
Air raid sirens screamed through the city. Everyone was woken up at the crack of dawn and the evacuation began as from the depths of the ocean, Daimajin had finally surfaced and was heading into a populated area.
Go was already in his uniform as he gently woke Jiro up. “Jiro, a kaiju’s approaching the city.” he said quietly. “Rumiko will be here in a bit to take you to safety.” He paused, looking down at the sleepy little boy he loved more than anything else in the world. The only family he had left. He pulled Jiro in for a tight, quick hug. “Be safe,” he whispered, before getting up and heading out the door.
Jiro waited a few moments until he was sure Go was gone before throwing the covers off of himself. He, too, was already dressed for what was about to come. Slipping on his shoes, he gave an apologetic look to Rumiko’s apartment door as it opened. “Sorry Rumiko, but I gotta do this.” Disappearing into the crowd of people, Jiro easily slipped away into the early morning with his own plans in motion.
The rhythmic thumping of the police helicopter was loud in Ueno and Oka’s ears as they steered the vehicle high above the city. The morning sun was just now rising over the horizon, and Oka squinted a little as she leaned her head into her microphone. “Captain, Daimajin is at the waterfront. It… looks like he’s changed his appearance somehow?”
Continuing his march into the city, Daimajin’s new human-like eyes glanced upwards and glared at the airborne members of MAT. Ueno shivered as the sleeker and somehow angrier demon stood underneath them. “This thing gives me the creeps.”
“Enough chatter,” Ibuki reprimanded roughly. “Go, are you ready?”
“Yes sir. Just say the word and Ultraman will be there.”
“Kato, Minami, is the car ready?”
“Yes, sir. Ready and waiting.”
“Right then.” Sitting down in the seat of his personal vehicle, Ibuki looked at Kishida one more time. “If you want to back out now, I won’t blame you or hold it against you.”
Kishida simply slammed the door shut, and double checked his MAT Shoot. “Let’s kick this thing’s ass.”
Ibuki took a long, slow breath before revving the engine to his car. “This is it then. Final Operation, ADVANCE!” Slamming on the gas, Ibuki and Kishida rode off through the empty streets towards the final assault.
The lone MAT vehicle had arrived there first naturally, bumping and jumping roughly as Kato drove like a madman over anything and everything that stood in his way to Daimajin. He couldn’t afford to be mindful of people’s personal belongings or shop storefronts this time.
Daimajin stopped just at the edge of the city. Watching with scorned, hateful eyes as the helicopter flew overhead and the remaining forces of MAT parked out in front of him. The hood of the MAT car slid back to reveal a jury-rigged rocket launcher, armed with the MAT rifle and several Shoots. Ibuki and Kishida stepped out of their cars and pointed them at the giant statue. “Aim for the arms if possible.” Ibuki said calmly. “They were the most damaged in the last battle. Go!”
“Yes, sir?”
“It’s time.”
A flash of light pulsed behind MAT. They didn’t need to turn around to know that Ultraman had once again risen up to fight alongside them in their darkest hour. As Jack’s footsteps echoed in the empty city as he walked over behind MAT’s line of defense, they all saw the pure hatred in Daimajin’s eyes. The statue’s hands were actually trembling with unspoken rage.
“SHUWATCH!” With the rallying cry of the original Ultraman, Jack effortlessly jumped over the MAT vehicles and sprinted towards Daimajin, who eagerly met the Ultra Warrior back and for the third time the two titans clashed against one another. Jack grunted they locked hands, pushing against one another and forcing Jack to slide back into the dirt.
“OPEN FIRE!” Ibuki screamed out, and the quiet of the city had erupted into total chaos as bullets and makeshift rockets were hurled all around the two warring giants. Jack felt the sting as some of MAT’s firepower hit his back but he quickly forced Daimajin and himself to turn around. Bullets and rockets belched smoke and fire as they hit the statue’s back and forced the creature to stumble slightly.
With a tremendous effort of strength, Jack had shoved Daimajin over and sent the statue toppling down onto the ground. He held out his hands and fired the Specium Beam at the golem, only for a flash of Daimajin’s sword to absorb the energies.
Then in a similar flash, Jack had thrown his Ultra Bracelet at the giant’s sword. A golden light encased the mighty god’s weapon before metal began to crack. Flames began to die. Daimajin could only watch as his sword was shattered into pieces and the Ultra Bracelet returned to Jack’s wrist.
“His sword is neutralized!” Jack called out, moving forward to grapple with Daimajin again. “Target his arms!”
The concentrated fire focused tightly onto Daimajin’s left arm. The demon god immediately tried to turn his attention to MAT but Jack grabbed his arms and held him tightly in a full nelson. “Keep firing!” He called out to them. “I’ll be fine!”
Jack grunted in pain as the humans’ firepower battered into him and as Daimajin struggled as hard as he could in his grip. Despite that, he held fast and held firm when finally, with the cracking of stone and the roar of rockets, Daimajin’s left arm had been completely severed and exploded into dust. With a grunt of effort, Jack grabbed the remaining arm and judo threw the statue up over his shoulder and tossed him deeper into the city, Daimajin crashing down against the buildings.
Panting, Jack took a moment to collect himself as MAT did an about face and charged fearlessly into the city after Daimajin. He looked up at the helicopter circling overhead and gave an encouraging nod before joining his teammates and diving into the city.
“Ultraman!” Ueno called out, using a bullhorn so the space warrior could hear him. “Something’s happening!”
The ground began to shake violently as an earthquake ripped through the city. Jack stumbled on his feet as the tremors only got worse and a sudden upsurge of ground knocked him over and sent him tumbling.
Getting back up, Jack watched as Daimajin raised his foot and stomped it down roughly. A giant crack formed in the earth, before a massive crevasse swallowed an entire city block. “He’s going to destroy the whole city!” Ueno cried out in alarm. Massive cracks in the earth appeared all over the city and before long it was all going to be swallowed by the earth itself. Lava spewed out from the depths.
Daimajin’s gaze locked down on the two MAT cars still firing their bullets and rockets up at him. With a sweep of his hand, more earth was upended and a fissure appeared right in front of the cars. The screeching of brakes was lost as they all heard the screams of the occupants being sent falling to their deaths.
No. No. “ENOUGH!” Jack roared furiously. Flying high into the air, he grabbed his Ultra Bracelet and threw it down into one of the crevasses. “No one dies today, Daimajin!” He declared, pointing down at the mad demon god beneath him. “You will not touch this city.”
Light began to pour from the earth. Jack grunted, straining with every ounce of his ultra willpower to perform the most miraculous of miracles. Cars rose from the depths. MAT’s cars were lifted into the air by the light and gently placed back on the ground.
The ground stopped shaking. The fires died down as the lava retreated back into the underground. Jack’s color timer began to flash, and he grunted in pain as he felt the Ultra Bracelet’s power being stretched, yet he kept pushing. He refused to allow Daimajin this victory. No more would humanity or him be intimidated by his power.
The earth shifted then. Daimajin looked around, fear sparking in his eyes as he tried to command them to stop and failed. The buildings began to rise again and the earth started to close. Concrete stitched back together. Plaster, steel, mortar, brick and tar all re-coalescing into their original shapes. The ground began to shift back to its original position. Jack felt the Bracelet’s power being pushed beyond the breaking point now.
The, finally. It was over. Ultraman Jack had truly done the impossible. The city that Daimajin had attempted to destroy was whole once more. Any occupants in the city would be safe from harm. Jack landed back on his feet, the Ultra Bracelet re-attached to his wrist. The power was completely drained as he checked it over. His color timer kept flashing.
He turned to Daimajin and took a few steps forward. Daimajin took a couple of steps back now. Then a shot rang out, and Daimajin clutched at one of his eyes as Oka stood in the door of the helicopter, MAT Shoot raised and the wind whipping her face. “Now, Ultraman!” she called.
Jack immediately seized the advantage and cartwheeled over to Daimajin, grabbing the golem by the head with his feet and tossing him across the newly rebuilt city head over heel. Daimajin barely had time to rise to his knees when Jack pounced on top of him and began battering him as hard as he could with his bare hands. Stone and rock cracked under the Ultra Warrior’s determined assault.
It took all of Daimajin’s strength to throw Jack off of him and send him crashing back to the earth. He stood back up as Jack did the same, the two warriors in another standoff. Jack’s color timer began to flash faster.
“We won’t be able to hold out much longer, Hideki,” Jack pointed out.
“That hasn’t stopped us before.”
“No,” Jack agreed. “It hasn’t.”
Just as the two were about to charge at one another, a young boy’s voice sharply called out and Jack felt ice in his veins. “Daimajin!” Jiro hollered out, running towards the demon god, arms waving. “Daimajin!!”
“Jiro!?”
“Please!” he yelled out, tears streaming down his face. “Stop fighting! Let Ultraman go home!” He sprinted towards Daimajin, who was regarding the child with an unreadable expression.
“Jiro!!”
“I’m sorry!” he wailed, heedless of Ultraman and Go’s attempts to reach him. “I wanna be selfish, I want Go to stay on Earth with me! I don’t want to be alone! But everyone else needs Ultraman!”
Daimajin glanced over at Jack. Back down at Jiro. Then, to Jack and Go’s horror, he raised his foot. And began moving forward.
“JIRO!!!”
There was a bright flash of light, and Ultraman Jack was gone from the battlefield. Hideki Go had never sprinted faster in his life as he picked the crying boy in a fierce hug and dropped to his knees underneath Daimajin’s foot, trying to shield the boy from certain death. Eyes squeezed tight.
After a few moments, Go opened his eyes and looked around. He was still alive. Jiro was still alive. Looking up, he watched in complete awe as Daimajin retracted his foot and stood motionless above them. The hatred in his single remaining eye was gone. Replaced instead, much to Go’s shock, was relief.
Waving his hands over his face, Daimajin’s stone mask had returned. Looking down at Go and Jiro, he nodded once respectfully before lifting his arms up and vanishing into the daylight. The threat was over at last.
Jiro clung onto Go, bawling like an infant. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” He wailed over and over again. He was absolutely inconsolable. “Don’t leave, Go! I’m sorry for being selfish but don’t leave!!”
Go stared, dumbfounded at the crying boy in his arms. “Jiro, Jiro!” he hollered out, shaking him a little to get his attention. Finally, when Jiro calmed down a little and looked at him, he hugged him tight. “Don’t you ever do anything like that again, got it?” Waiting until Jiro nodded, he pulled back and smiled reassuringly. “Now, what’s this about me leaving? I’m not leaving.”
Jiro heaved, his tears still unspent as he shook his head fiercely. “No! I heard you talking with Ultraman last night! You said… He said…” He hiccuped, and Go immediately realized what the problem was.
“Jiro… no…” He hugged the boy close to him again, holding him tightly. “I’m not going anywhere, Ultraman isn’t going anywhere. We talked it out. Yes… we’ll have to leave the Earth one day and go back to his home in the Land of Light. But only after you’re all grown up and don’t need us anymore.”
Staring at him in shock, Jiro croaked out weakly. “Really?”
Grinning widely, Go nodded and ruffled his hair. “Really. We’re staying. That’s final.”
“Go!!”
Go turned, picking Jiro up in his arms as the rest of MAT sprinted over to him, waving their arms and shouting happily. He waved back at them, smiling at Jiro before walking over. They all converged in a big pile of hugs and shouts of delight. Even Jiro was swept up in the elation, despite having no idea what was going on. At the end of the day, despite everything that had happened. MAT had come out victorious.
Epilogue: The Bright Shining Future
Ueno grumbled a little to himself as he adjusted the tie he was wearing on his suit. “I can’t stand black suit and tie ceremonies like this.”
Ibuki laughed a little, clapping him on the shoulder as they all stood off to the side of the stage while TAC’s commanding officer was giving a speech. “Lighten up, this is for us.”
Everyone was dressed up for the occasion. Oka, deciding that being the only one on stage wearing a dress would stand out too much, was also standing there handsomely in a suit and tie. Clicking her tongue in disapproval, she moved over and fixed his tie. “I never thought we’d get this kind of pomp and circumstance.” She admitted to the others.
Kato shrugged his shoulders a little. “You all earned it. After how hard you fought, it’s only right.” They all looked up when TAC’s commander waved their hand, and he smiled. “That’s our cue.”
Chief Kishida beamed proudly as the members of MAT all stepped onto the stage. He shook each of their hands, and gestured for them to stand behind him as he approached the podium. “Friends and honored guests. It brings me endless amounts of joy and pride to be celebrating MAT’s triumphs with you all here today. Although the group has been formally disbanded, their efforts and hard work will never be forgotten. And it is fitting, after recently releasing to the public the entire Daimajin affair, that we celebrate them in earnest.”
He gestured for a TAC officer to step forward, and he opened a small box to reveal seven shining medals of service. The chief walked to each and every member of MAT, pinning the medals onto their lapels. Kishida did his best to keep his face neutral, although he couldn’t hide the joyous, beaming smile as his uncle placed his medal. “Now, I’d like to give each member of MAT a chance to speak before we continue the celebrations.”
Everyone took their turn, talking about thanking MAT for all of their years of service, how they would miss their teammates, and thanking their families for supporting them in all of their hardships. When it was finally Go’s turn, he pulled out a piece of paper and smoothed it on the podium. “What can I say that hasn’t already been said by my teammates?” he asked, looking around the room a little before back at them. “It’s true. We’ve grown close enough to consider each other family. It will be hard moving into a day to day life again. The memories that we all have of each other I will cherish forever.”
“But if there is one thing I will cherish more, it is the love and admiration Jiro Sakata has for me. I am humbled and honored that he not only considers me his family, but that he chooses every day to remind me how strong and courageous he is after losing his older siblings.” He swallowed a little, dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief. “I know that if Aki and Ken Sakata would be here with us now, they would be just as proud as him. Jiro, would you mind coming up here for a moment?”
Confused, Jiro nevertheless nodded and got up from his chair and walked up on stage. Go handed him the piece of paper to read and continued. “That is why, and I realize this might be a bit sudden. But that is why I want Jiro to become a member of my family legally. He already is family to me but…” He held out a pen to Jiro, who was staring at the paper in disbelief. “If you sign those adoption papers, then we’ll become family in every sense of the word.”
Jiro looked up at Go, then around at the various members of MAT. Slamming the paper against the side of the podium, he signed his name on the dotted line and handed the adoption paper back to Go. He read it over, nodded and tucked the paper back in his pocket. “Well,” he said, leaning into the microphone. He grinned. “I got myself a new little brother.”
There was an eruption of cheers and shouts as Jiro flung himself at Go and was hoisted into the air for a giant bear hug. The other members of MAT crowded around the two, patting them on the shoulder and back and giving their own congratulations.
“This is the life I want to live for him,” Go said to Jack, as the celebrations continued and everyone returned to their seats.
“It’s the life we’ll give to Jiro no matter what.”
“What if that new Ultraman needs our help though?”
“If Ace ever needs our help, we’ll come. Right now though, all I want is to focus on our friends and family.”
Go nodded. Looking out at the sea of people. TAC members mingling with his former teammates, Ibuki and Kato at their table trading stories. Jiro and Rumiko, hugging each other as they talked. This was what he had fought so hard for. For the briefest of moments, Go’s eyes caught a man and a woman at the snack bar and there was a tiny spark of recognition from them. They both nodded at him and smiled. Jiro looked at him and waved him over.
“Big bro! C’mere!” Feeling his heart swell at being called that, Go waved back at him before going over to join his family.
Draw: Ultraman Jack, Daimajin (Universal)
