Author: Alex Williams | Banner: Andrew Sudomerski

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: A Cruel Beginning
Chapter 2: The Three Who Will Merge
Chapter 3: Ultraman Ace vs. Verokron – First Steps
Chapter 4: The Past and Present Dilemmas
Chapter 5: Type “O” Disappearances
Chapter 6: “We Can Make it Work”
Chapter 7: The Ultra Family vs. The Giant-Ant Terrible-Monster
Chapter 8: “Z, why!?”
Chapter 9: Family Feud
Chapter 10: “Dinner”
Chapter 11: The Beginning of Our Consequences
Chapter 12: Ultraman Ace and Z vs. Mefilas, Neronga, and Gabora
Chapter 13: The Awakening

[Continued from “A Good Man’s Amends”]

Chapter 1: A Cruel Beginning

A child’s breath met the cold breeze. The visualization of his breath was destroyed the moment it was unleashed as he passed through it. He ran through the outskirts, planting each step on the grassy terrain. He stumbled, nearly tripping over the rocks hiding in the tall blades of grass, forcing him to stop for a moment. The helpless child paused for a breather, slowly moving his hands to knees in an attempt to support himself.

A loud signal blared!

One that rattled the entire outskirts and even the closest of cities, as he took a second to admire its size. A starship ten times bigger than all the kaiju he was told stories about, blasting through the azure sky. Yet, it was something he didn’t want to see leave.

Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

The red and silver child gasped, letting go of his knees, as he bolted towards the object ascending higher into the violet sky.

“Mom!” he cried out with all of his might, reaching for the ever growing distant starship. “Dad!”

His little legs could only take him so far in his attempt to halt the mission. All of his energy he had used was exhausted, his entire body gave out, forcing him to crash on his stomach.

He coughed from the impact, slowly brushing the dirt off the red streaks of his body.

Ace lifted himself up slightly just to see through the blades of grass, obscuring his vision. He was powerless to stop it, closing his eyes as if he was praying for a miracle. A miracle that would cause the ship to turn back around for any reason.

The Ultra slowly opened his eyes to see the last glimmer of the ship disappearing from the violet-red sky. They were gone from his sight and he was left by his lonesome despite promises to return shortly.

He lifted himself up to sit in the field, continuing his gaze onto the star-filled night, awaiting for their return. Ace tightened his grip on the grass, ripping it from the soil as he rubbed it between his digits.

Seconds turned into minutes while minutes turned into hours. His eyes never left the colorful night sky, but his bright yellow eyes dimmed. They were everything to him. They nurtured him and told him he could do anything he set his mind to.

Then, with a signature in the sky, they flew off towards the ship, leaving him where he stood with people he barely knew. Their promise of returning wasn’t enough, as he wanted them back more than anything. He coughed once more as he sniffed in despair. Ace’s entire body went hollow, with the realization of the reality he was cast into kicking in.

He relinquished his hold on the grass, letting it drop beside his knee. “Don’t leave me,” Ace murmured, feeling the utter sensation of defeat.

His head hung low, unbeknownst to him that the universe was about to teach him a cruel lesson in life. One he would take to heart at the cost of everyone, including himself.

 

Chapter 2: The Three Who Will Merge

Earth, 1972

“This is the place everyone speaks highly of…..” Ultraman Ace inspected the blue and green sphere just below him. He folded his arms, wishing he could spit at the disgusting planet, but simply snarled instead. “Disgusting.”

“Earth isn’t so bad. It’s not about saving the planet…..” Jack’s voice echoed throughout his mind before Ace threw his arms up in anger, cutting off the last thing he said to him.

Ace growled from the memory, looking off at the vast emptiness of space. His attempt brought him some mild comfort, not for its beauty, but for the lack of anything that angered him. It was where he could find what made him happy even if the path forward wasn’t present.

Still, it was infinitely better than anything in the primitive world below him.

CRACK!

Ace’s head snapped back up, scanning the space around the planet for the loud noise. There, he saw it.

His eyes widened, appalled by the display unraveling before him. It was as if space itself was contained in a room and its ceiling was ripped off. A large reddish crack ruptured through the emptiness in space, pieces of it cascading off towards Earth like shards of glass.

The Ultra threw his right arm forward and zoomed towards the anomaly, but he was too slow to intercept. Purple lightning shot out from the hellish circle and down towards the planet below, with a monstrous roar erupting through the heavens.

It was as if the monster was claiming the planet as its own.

Ultraman Ace studied the crack for a few moments, not minding the newly born kaiju, as the portal fascinated him. Upon pure instinct, he reached for it, intending to find out where it leads to before closing on him.

The Ultra was sent back from the mild shockwave, forcing him to spin upside down a few times, leaving him discombobulated. Ace shook his head once he found himself under control.

It was then, he saw he was greeted with the emptiness of space once more. Ace spun his entire body around, attempting to search for the window, but alas, he was alone once more.

He tightened his fists, snapping his back at the planet he was assigned to defend.
Rage building inside of him over the occurrence as he sent himself cascading down towards what his people call a ‘utopia’.

“You better put up a fight,” Ace snarled at the kaiju down below, with his hands crackling with yellow energy, fully intending to bring them down upon the culprit.

***

“The kaiju before us has been given the name ‘Verokron’,” the TAC Captain, Goro Ryu, relayed to his subordinates. Several of which stood beside each other in their orange and grey uniforms, all glaring at the red and black bumpy kaiju.

Verokron unleashed a torrent of flames down onto the distant city of Fukuyama, settling it ablaze. Tanks deployed by the JSDF could only hold it off for so long, as their shells simply bounced off its hide. The alien snapped its attention towards the group of tanks and aimed its hands towards them. Yellow beams crackled from its fingertips and shot out of them, colliding into the warmachines, destroying them in an instant.

The resulting explosion was seen by the group as Goro raised his hand up to his earpiece.
“Konno, Yoshimura.”

The Captain paused.

“Take the Arrows and give us an opening,” Goro relayed. “We’re going to pursue it on foot.”

“Yes, sir,” Konno acknowledged.

Goro Ryu watched two TAC arrow jets zoom above them, forcing Mikawa to jump back in surprise while Yamanaka chuckled at the display. Ayame, the team’s most efficient soldier, rolled her eyes as she turned to Mikawa.

“Stay focused,” Ayame commanded. “You’re our best chance at getting those explosives in that thing’s throat.

Mikawa nodded, feeling reassured by her comrade’s composure. Before she could even fathom her next movement, Ayame disappeared in front of her. The demolitions expert took note of Ayame running off towards the battlefield. She exhaled and followed her as the whole team was now on the move.

“Always on the move, Miss Ohta?” Goro inquired, keeping pace with his subordinate while Mikawa and Yamanka were falling behind.

“I was brought in for being the best, expect nothing less,” Ayame relayed, turning her attention to him for a brief moment.

Goro chuckled. “Sooner or later, I’ll get you to spill more about your life.”

“I highly doubt it,” Ayame chuckled, giving her superior a small smile before rushing off.

“Hide and seek….. O….” Goro attempted to speak, but was interrupted by another large explosion. He looked up to see the two Arrows unleashing their armament onto the kaiju as it unleashed a series of roars. It swung its arms at them, but missed with every attempt. “Godspeed, gents.”

The group of four raced into the ruined concrete jungle as broken and burnt cars littered the streets of the once proud city. Buildings were toppled over, forcing the crew to either climb over them or circle around to meet their objective. Verokron’s screams could be heard for miles and each one made the already broken streets rumble even further.

Lasers struck the creature onto its rough, uneven skin, eliciting slight burns on its darkened body. Verokron’s hands lit up once more, shooting out the same yellow energy as before, but the TAC pilots were faster on the draw, diverging out of the way to make another attack run.

Ayame scanned the entire area, trying to find a suitable place for Mikawa to fire the explosive in Verokron’s throat. Several of the buildings were on the verge of tipping over, but saw one that was in adequate shape. Mikawa and whoever else entered it would be at death’s door, but it was their only choice.

“Captain, Mikawa,” Ayame relayed through her earpiece. “Twelve o’clock.”

The rest of her team met up with her to find the building standing above them. Mikawa cringed at its remaining structure before turning to Ayame. “It’s the best we got.”

“Unfortunately as always, but we must proceed,” Goro added, taking a step towards the building. “Come along, Mikawa.”

“What about the rest of us, sir?” Ayame inquired, causing her superior to stop in his place.

You two will lead him from the ground while the others continue their assault. Yamanaka scoffed at the order, but nonetheless, pulled out his pistols. Ayame stepped forward. “I know I suggested it, but are you sure there’s no other way?”

“I never pegged you one to question orders, Miss Ohta,” Goro chuckled. “But we’ll be sure to get out of this, I assure all of you.”

“Yes, sir,” Ayame bitterly said, turning her back to engage the kaiju as Yamananka soon followed her. Goro simply smiled before heading up the path with the demolitions expert. Despite her attitude, he was proud to be working with such a dutiful soldier like Ayame.

“Wherever you are Mitsuko, I’m sure as hell glad you’re not here.”

Ayame tightened her grip on her gun, racing down the street trying to find the exact block the kaiju was on. She growled, fuming at the thought of not finding the kaiju immediately even if she would be able to spot him several miles away.

“Come on!” Ayame snapped, her speed increasing, trying to give Verokron a target to give. “Where the hell are you?”

“Captain, we have an emergency,” Konno said over the radio.

“Speak.”

“Verokron, he’s diverting his attention away from us and heading towards the power plant,” relayed the pilot.

“Fantastic,” Yamanaka groaned, slamming his pistols onto his side.

Ayame’s eyes widened. “Power plant?”

She slammed her fingers into her ear piece, almost cracking it. “Konno, do you know if the medical center is empty?”

A few moments of silence had passed as the two jets were confirming the status of the hospital. Ayame paced back and forth, slapping her hip in anticipation. Yamanaka cocked his head to the side, observing her behavior, never noticing her acting anxiously before. Aside from the Captain himself, she was the most competent member of their team.

“There’s still people evacuating,” Konno answered.

Then, as if a needle dropped, Ayame’s eyes widened while her heart dropped.

The TAC soldier immediately bolted towards the hospital as fast as she could. To Yamanaka, it was the fastest he saw her ever move, as if she were blur. He then shook his head, snapping himself out of his daze and called out to her, “Ayame! Where are you going!?”

His question fell on deaf ears as she radioed to the rest of her team. “Captain, we need to get Verokron back to us and away from the hospital.”

“That’s the plan, but I need you and Yamanaka back here with us,” the Captain relayed.

Ayame went silent, feeling absolutely disgusted with the order even if others knew it was the right one. However, what was at the hospital was far more important than any mission or city in the world.

“Duly noted, sir,” Ayame replied, shutting off her comm before racing further and further towards her destination.

“Ayame, Ayame!” the Captain tried to call out, but his calls also fell on deaf ears.

“Mitsuko, please….. Please… don’t be there,” Ayame murmured repeatedly.

***

Fukuyama Medical Center

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Mitsuko hushed, comforting the infant as she latched onto her white and pink nurse’s uniform. She raced down the corridors of the hospital, finding herself in an unwitting competition with several of the other occupants. All of them trying to escape with their lives as the kaiju trekked closer and closer to them.

Several transports awaited the occupants of the building as everyone climbed aboard them for salvation. The nurse continued running and running, going down a flight of stairs to reach her destination. Keeping the baby secure with one hand, she yanked the door open to the lobby. Mitsuko barged inside, almost reaching for the front entrance when a wave of fleeing civilians rammed into her.

She let out a yelp, feeling herself lose her balance. Mitsuko wrapped her arms around the baby, as she quickly turned towards her back, allowing it and sadly, the back of her head to collapse on the hard floor.

Mitsuko heard nothing but ringing as swarms of people raced over her. Her body was almost motionless aside from her eyes and her arms, still wrapped around the baby. Seconds passed before more of her hearing could be realigned as she heard her favorite sound in the world.

“Mitsuko!” the angelic voice called out. “Mitsuko!”

The nurse slightly turned her head, feeling her body recomposing itself, to find Ayame pushing past several people with ease. Mitsuko smiled softly at her as Ayame was both furious yet more scared than ever before.

“Mitsuko!” Ayame yelled out, slamming one person away, causing him to be sent flying into a chair. The TAC soldier ran up to Mitsuko and the baby, lifting them up. Ayame attempted to inspect her for wounds, but was greeted by a kiss.

Her tongue danced with her own, as she felt herself at ease, bringing her body closer to hers. They stared into each other’s brown eyes, breathing rapidly over the excitement of being able to hold each other once more. Ayame couldn’t help but to be entranced by Mitsuko’s short brown hair dancing just past her ears. This embrace was just what she needed, but time wouldn’t allow it as they both snapped back to reality.

Ayame’s eyes snapped wide open before pulling away and casting a glare at her girlfriend. “Why the fuck didn’t you evacuate!?”

Mitsuko was stunned by her partner’s outburst, as her hands tightened up into fists as if she were ready to punch a hole through a wall or a person. She understood Ayame’s fear of losing her, but it wasn’t important right now. Her job was what’s important and that meant saving every life she could.

“I’m not prioritizing myself just so everyone else can die!” Mitsuko barked back, wobbling forward, hissing at the throbbing sensation in the back of her head.

“You picked the wrong day to do it!” Ayame screamed, snatching the baby from her hands, eliciting a gasp from her partner. The TAC soldier was furious, but already saw the pain her partner was in, realizing she’d only make it worse by arguing any further. Mitsuko stood there in shock before Ayame held the baby tight in her arms and yelled out “Come on!”

The two lovers raced out of the building and looked around for several transports, however there was none left. They saw the last bus depart from the hospital grounds.

“Damnit!” Ayame screamed out.

The TAC soldier yanked her helmet off as Mitsuko saw her long, well groomed, black hair dance with the wind upon its release. Ayame turned to Mitsuko and brought the helmet up to her chest. “Put it on.”

“What for?”

“To keep you safe!” Ayame barked out, as she watched Mitsuko nod and place the helmet over her.

Mitsuko attempted to use what strength remained her to argue against her partner’s logic of the helmet, but it was of no use. Ayame was set in her ways, but in the end, it didn’t matter. It was only because she loved her and was doing everything she could to keep her safe.

Verokron’s footsteps got closer and closer.

Ayame continued to search the area for any mode of transportation the three of them could use. Her eyes raced over every inch half a dozen times, however, there was nothing of use.

“Goddamnit!” Ayame cried out, her fist shaking in pure anger. Then, a soft hand was placed over hers as she saw Mitsuko smiling at her softly.

“I know, I know,” Mitsuko sheepishly responded, seeing the rage still flooding her eyes. She knew a small part of her was furious at her and the decisions she made. “I… I just… know you’re mad at me…”

“Right…..”

With a defeated sigh, Ayame placed herself on the asphalt, allowing Mitsuko to comfortably rest her broken head on her lap. The effects of the concussion won’t matter regardless of what she did. The TAC soldier looked up at Verokron advancing towards them.

Her earpiece went off, but it fell on deaf ears. The TAC soldier ripped the communication device off and threw it in the distance.

“I’m sorry for everything today.”

The TAC soldier let the baby rest between her and her girlfriend, allowing her to be nuzzled safely against the warm embrace of the nurse.

Ayame looked down at the culprit slowly lifting her body against hers while she attempted to remove the helmet. “What’s her name?”

“Yuka,” Mitsuko softly answered, rubbing the baby’s forehead gently, following it up with a soothing hum to coerce the baby to drift back to sleep.

“It’s a beautiful name.” Ayame smiled. “I would have stolen it.”

“And I’d be your trusty accomplice,” the nurse giggled slightly, shifting her gaze back to the sleeping Yuka. She smiled softly, relieved in the sense her last moments would be between two loving adults, cradling her in the best of a bad situation. The nurse glanced back up to her girlfriend.

“I know you wanted to keep me safe, but….” Mitsuko paused, struggling to remove the helmet as Ayame gave her a small smile, lifting it off of her. “I just want us to see each other, regardless… of where….”

“It’s okay,” Ayame hushed, feeling the anger slowly subside. She didn’t want to spend her last moments angry at the person she loved most of all.

The kaiju roared, startling the two, as its red bumps bounced up and down with each movement. It briefly looked at the building before turning its attention to the two women down below. These creatures of this planet were odd, yet fascinating. They almost resembled its creators, but were far more coherent in their appearance. Nonetheless, it will enjoy seeing its fiery wrath reduce them to a crisp.

Flames erupted from Verokron’s mouth, racing towards the two lovers as they held onto each other tightly. The two were afraid, but there was nothing more they could do.

“You are the best part of my life,” Mitsuko murmured.

“Likewise,” Ayame purred, snatching her up with one last kiss. Mitsuko tightened her grip on Ayame’s back as she pushed forward with her lips, almost overtaking the TAC soldier, eliciting a small giggle from her.

No matter how painful the blast will be, the comfort the two provided each other with will be eternal.

The flames engulfed them within seconds, settling them ablaze as their skin was soon reduced to a crisp.

Then, a white light engulfed them.

“You two are very lucky today….. be thankful for that.”

 

Chapter 3: Ultraman Ace vs. Verokron – First Steps

“And there you are,” Ultraman Ace spoke, witnessing Verokron march towards a building, spewing flames in every possible direction. He fully expected the anomaly to target him, but it had its eyes on something else.

The Ultra glanced down to see two humans huddling up together in the face of certain death. The gesture bewildered him, as he observed the area, taking note of the lack of escape routes Still, they could have attempted to run or find a place to hide from the kaiju, but were accepting their fate.

“Do the right thing,” Yuri’s soft voice spoke out in his head.

“Of course you’d say that, Yuri,” Ace slightly groaned, dreading the idea of not just one human, but two. The thought of two minds connecting to him would drive him crazy.

“Ace, please…. You’d do the same for us, why not them?” Rutia’s voice manifested in his head.

He knew neither of them were there with him, but he could hear their voices at almost any time, or at least imagine they were with him. Ace didn’t know why he constantly sought them out even though he’d argue with himself about it.

No.

There wasn’t time to think about them.

He had a mission to accomplish, but he could at least make them happy.

Ace ripped the circles off his ring fingers and dropped them onto the charred bodies of the two lovers. The Ultra landed next to them and were immediately engulfed into a ball of light, briefly stunning Verokron.

The kaiju’s eyes blinked several times as it then rubbed them, trying to regain its vision. Verokron blinked a few more times, finding its vision being restored to normal when it was greeted by a red and silver fist.

Ace roared out, throwing another punch at its mouth, shattering a few teeth while he struck its belly. The resulting impact forced the kaiju to gag, launching saliva onto the Ultra’s face.

“Gross!” Ace yelled out, launching one arm upwards and the other across it, unleashing his signature Metalium Beam. The yellow, blue, and red beam struck the creature’s belly, setting it ablaze as it shrieked out.

In its panicked state, Verokron lifted his hands up, aiming them directly at the approaching Ultra. The red and black kaiju launched several missiles at his chest as Ultraman Ace attempted to dodge. Yet, the missiles were faster and collided into him, but like a bouncing ball to a wall, they ricocheted off of him.

Ace shook his head, completely baffled by the useless attack the kaiju threw at him. He rushed over and slammed his foot onto Verokron’s neck, eliciting another series of gags. The anomaly thrashed around, attempting to escape Ace’s deadly restraint.

“That’s it,” Ace stared at the kaiju dead in the eyes, waiting for life to leave its destructive body. “You’ll pass on any minute now.”

Not soon enough, though.

In an act of desperation, Verokron slammed his hands together. His hands crackled with yellowish energy and shot them out. The beams collided into Ace’s face, earning the city a full fledged scream from the red and silver giant.

Ace continued to scream as he collapsed onto his back, squirming around on the dirt. Verokron, taking every advantage it could, rose back up on his feet. It approached the downed Ultra and unleashed a stream of flames, washing over his body.

The fire stream coarse over his entire body, as Ace felt searing pain all over. He grunted, attempting to hold back the pain, as he lifted his arms up to his head. A blue beam shot out of his head and into the neck of Verokron, ceasing his assault and allowing Ace to get back up.

Verokron choked out while Ace responded in kind with another Metalium Beam. The projectile shot into its shoulder, blowing a chunk of it off. Blood erupted like a volcano as the kaiju elicited another scream of agony, with it clutching its wound, attempting to nurse it back to health.

Ace provided no opening and rushed in. The Ultra launched himself upward and pointed his right leg forward, delivering an Ace kick into the belly of the beast. Verokron was launched backwards, stumbling as it fought against gravity, trying to regain its balance.

The Ultra Brother charged forward, intending to finish the kaiju once and for all. Verokron lifted his head up slightly at the approaching giant. It breathed out, feeling its energy nearly expended. It wanted to retreat, to rest, but its creators would not let it.

It was a machine, only existing to serve.

Still, it can take pride knowing that it could take down an Ultra with one last trick. It lifted his hands up, generating energy between them. Ace prepared himself for another volley of missiles to crash into him.

Oh, how wrong he was for expecting a simple fight.

A ring materialized between his hands and without a second thought, threw it above Ultraman Ace. Within a second, it landed on him, restraining him.

“What?” Ace snarled, feeling his body being constricted by the energy ring. “What is this garbage?”

“Some sort of restraint,” a voice spoke out in Ace’s head.

It forced him to search around the battlefield to find the culprit as a different, yet kinder voice spoke again. “We’re in your head, I think?”

“Right….. My passengers,” Ace surmised, going to facepalm himself, but felt himself still restrained by the yellowish white ring.

“Where the hell are we, by the way?” the first voice spoke out, peering through the inside of the Ultra’s eye. She took note of the city of Fukuyama still in the middle of a warzone before taking note of Verokron approaching them.

“Shit!”

“What is it, Ayame?” Mitsuko cried out, feeling herself starting to tense up.

“Verokron is still here and is about to kill us!” Ayame exclaimed, panicking at the thought of losing her lover once more. She turned around from the orb in front of her and attempted to move around the corner to reach her. Yet, the layout of Ace’s mind would not allow her to traverse any further.

“When I’m out in the open, neither of you can really move all that much,” Ace explained, wanting to roll his eyes at the amount of exposition he was dropping on the two of them.

“What, why not?” Mitsuko inquired, searching for a way to escape the silver and red prison.

“Then why the hell did you trap us in here?” Ayame vocalized angrily, as she slammed her elbow on the wall.

“Ow!” Ace yelled out, feeling his head starting to pound repeatedly from the impact. “And I didn’t trap you, you ungrateful Pigmon! I rescued you from becoming ashes.”

The couple were stunned by the revelation, as they realized what type of being they were dealing with.

An Ultra.

“Okay, then, what are we dealing with?” Mitsuko inquired, attempting to smooth things over between the three of them. She already had a feeling their supposed arrangement would end with a screaming match between Ayame and the Ultra.

“That terrible monster right there has me pinned. I don’t know how long, but another charge of his flame breath would be the end of us,” Ace delivered, explaining the rundown of the battle to the two women. “If you have any useful ideas, you better send them my way.”

Ayame stared out of the optic and observed the approaching Verokron. She noticed it was still nursing its shoulder wound, and opening and closing its mouth repeatedly. She rubbed her chin while she wrapped her body around her torso, attempting to find a solution to this conflict.

“Explosives!” Ayame called out, earning the attention of the Ultra. “Do you have anything like that?”

The Ultra smirked. “I do.”

“What are you up to, Aya?” Mitsuko inquired.

“Fulfilling the original plan of my mission,” relayed Ayame, following it up with a wink. She slightly slapped herself on the head, realizing her beloved didn’t see the gesture. Nonetheless, she resumed her attention to the battle ahead. “Whatever beam you have, shove it down that bastard’s throat and watch it explode.”

“Bastard?” Ace asked, slightly tilting his head. “I’m not familiar with that word.”

“It’s an insult, something we shouldn’t really say,” Mitsuko interjected.

“Sounds like fun,” Ace chuckled, placing his restrained hands together and aiming them slightly up at the approaching Verokron. It opened its mouth and launched another stream of flames, eliciting another cry of pain from the Ultra. It washed over him, his flesh feeling like it was melting, as he felt himself barely standing.

He tweaked his hands a bit further, finding that perfect angle to commence his attack. Ace then unleashed his hand beam, with a blue light shooting out his digits. The beam sliced through Verokron’s shoulder, completely disconnecting it from the rest of his body.

His entire left arm collapsed onto the ground as Verokron stood frozen in shock. It stared at the now free Ace in disbelief, as it was able to escape its prison. Every instinct or command, as he knew them, told him to fight back, but he knew this was a futile effort.

Verokron almost achieved his purpose in life.

He destroyed, fought, and was now gonna die.

His mission, in his point of view, was a success.

No matter what his creators told him.

Ace let out a scream, charging towards the red and black kaiju, and grabbed a hold of him. He pried his mouth open and slammed his hands down his throat. The Ultra Brother charged up his hands and shot off a red beam. It traveled down his body, melting every organ and bone it touched. Within seconds, Verokron’s life faded away from his body and beige goop flowed out of his mouth and its massive wound.

The Ultra took a deep breath and smiled, feeling proud of himself for saving the day quite efficiently in his eyes. He may have still hated it, but a part of him did enjoy the glory, especially if that meant making Jack feel inferior. He knew the humans had ways of finding out these events quite easily and was curious as to how his old rival would feel about his escapades.

“You mind telling us what the hell is going on?” Ayame asked, still peering through Ace’s optic.

Ace sighed, realizing his passengers were still with him. “Short story, because I’m not explaining all of this.”

Mitsuko nodded, attempting to memorize every detail she could.

“The name is Ace. I came down because the two of you were in danger and merged my lifeforce with what remained of your living bodies. We are all one in the same, I suppose,” Ace explained, before surveying the rest of the city, making sure they were in the clear. “And that’s the gist of it.”

Ayame nodded her head, keeping track of the story when a certain word caught Mitsuko’s attention. Her mouth quivered while her eyes widened, when a terrible thought crossed her mind.

“The baby!” Mitsuko cried out, lightly pounding on the wall around her. “Yuka! Where is she!?”

“Baby? What are you talking about?” Ace asked, completely baffled at what she was trying to demonstrate.

“The baby! We were holding her in our arms before we ended up here!” Mitsuko barked, shoving her face up to the orb, searching the entire area for any sign of the child.

“How did you not see us holding a baby!” Ayame joined in, anger rising up at the realization the giant had time to save them from death, but not for the child.

“I’m not making this up, you filthy Pigmon!” Ace countered, throwing his arms up. “If I’d have seen a child, I would have gotten them out of there!”

“Looks like you failed,” Ayame growled before turning over to the wall that divided her and Mitsuko. She felt the immense pain and guilt washing over her lover’s body. Both physically and mentally.

She wasn’t even a parent and she was already going through the loss of a child.

No one deserved that.

Especially Mitsuko.

“Asshole,” Ayame spat, looking away from his optic, as she pressed her body against the wall, trying to get as close as she could to her. All she heard was crying, followed up by screams of anguish.

“Yuka!”

***

A pair of eyes were glued to binoculars, observing the red and silver giant off in the distance. The culprit set the field glasses back into his bag as he took a moment to watch his TAC subordinates walk past him for checkups on injuries.

The Captain, Goro Ryu, smirked at the arrival of Ace and the revelation of who his two hosts were. He couldn’t help but smile, with one of them being his very own second in command along with it being someone she must care for a lot.

“Interesting…..” Goro hummed as his eyes flashed yellow. “I am very much looking forward to working with you, Ace, and whoever this mystery person is.”

 

Chapter 4: The Past and Present Dilemmas

Ace sat on a blue crystalline couch as he set a datapad down on the table just across from him. He shook his head from the discomfort he faced serving his time in a cell. It had only been a few years since his release, but he could still feel himself trapped inside a change with nothing, but a green wall to stare at.

“Jack…… you worthless, pile of….” Ace breathed out, but stopped his rant when he heard the front door open.

“I hope you’re not talking about me,” Ruko chirped, raising his eyes up, attempting to get his partner to react.

“Depends, is your name Jack?” Ace scoffed, not in the mood for his boyfriend’s games. He tilted his head upwards to find him standing in front of the door with his hand on his hip.
“And somehow I fell for this idiot.”

The blue mark on his face that ran down the center of his, separating his eyes, was something oddly appealing to him. Then, there was the tiara he always wore on the top of his head, seemingly connecting it to his birthmark.

It was mesmerizing.

“Would you still love me if I shared the same name?” Ruko hummed as he approached Ace.

Ace shook his head as he got up to meet his gaze. “Do you really want to hear the answer?”

Ruko looked at his lover, catching the frown plastered all over his face. The Ultra chuckled, rubbing his shoulder as he planted a kiss on Ace’s lips. “I suppose I can wait.”

“So, what brings you here, Ruko?” Ace huffed out, curious as to why Ruko decided to pay him a visit today. He cocked his slightly when he realized Yuri wasn’t with him, as they were always seen together, or even clinging to him. “Yuri out and about?”

“Her and Taro are taking the kiddo on a tour to the zoo,” Ruko answered, eliciting a chuckle from Ace. “Apparently he kept saying it was imperative for him and his nephew to bond over monsters.”

“Sounds like him,” Ace added, as he then noticed Ruko playing with his hands. He was baffled by the sudden change in his demeanor. Normally, he’d tell anyone else to spit it out and to stop delaying, whether they were too nervous or doing it for dramatic effect.

The Ultra Brother sighed, taking a hold of his partner, earning a gasp from him. He sat him down on the couch and joined him, as he wrapped his arm around his shoulder. Ruko placed his hand on Ace’s chest and looked up at him.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” murmured Ruko, rubbing his partner’s chest.

“I could tell,” Ace replied nonchalantly, causing Ruko to gulp, forming a mask of apprehension. The Ultra Brother realized he stepped in the wrong direction on how to handle comforting his partner. “Sorry, that came out wrong.”

“No,” Ruko hushed, feeling some relief over the tone of Ace’s voice. He glanced back up at him and noticed a small amount of regret for what he said. “It’s okay, this will probably be a hard conversation.”

“Well…..” Ace spoke, rubbing his shoulder while he brought his head against his chest. “We got plenty of time to talk about it.”

Their heartbeats danced in synchronization as they both waited for the right time to begin. Ace knew whatever Ruko had to say was important and not to be treated lightly. They had their moments of levity, but the two of them always trusted each other when it came down to them being vulnerable.

The only person they could do that with was Yuri.

Ruko slid his face upwards towards Ace, looking him blankly in the eye. “There’s no better way to say this….. I don’t want Ruko to be my name anymore.”

“That’s, um…. odd,” Ace spoke, trying to compose the words he needed to convey his response. “I thought you always liked Ruko.”

“It’s a good name, but….” the Ultra spoke, lifting his head up away from Ace. “It doesn’t fit me and I don’t think it ever did.”

Ace sat back up to meet his level, rubbing his head, several thoughts racing in his mind as to where his partner was going with all of this. “It’ll be a bit of adjustment, but I can work with it.”

The Ultra smiled softly. “Rutia.”

“Rutia?” inquired Ace.

“Mhm” Rutia murmured, placing his hands together in front of his chest, pressing it tightly, readying himself to tell Ace one other thing about himself. “I’m no longer your boyfriend.”

“No……” Ace whispered, his heart shattering to pieces at what Rutia had just conveyed to him. He didn’t need this. He lost two-thousand years of his life for someone’s mistake and now he was losing one, if not both of his loves.

He hung his head down.

“Oh no!” Rutia exclaimed, realizing he said the wrong thing. The Ultra scurried across the couch and snatched Ace up, holding him tightly as he rubbed his back and pressed his face against his chest.

“Then, what the hell did you mean by that?” question Ace, his voice cracking slightly between each word.

“It means I’m now your girlfriend,” Rutia clarified, holding her partner while Ace lifted his head to meet her gaze. “If you’ll have me.”

“I should throw you into a pit of Bemstars for scaring me!” Ace yelled out, bringing his girlfriend closer to him, as he leaned towards her ear. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, by the way.”

Rutia giggled. “I love you so much.”

“As do I,” Ace hummed. “You’re going to be a great mother.”

“And you’re going to be a great father,” Rutia playfully shot back, grinning at him as Ace realized he was talking about her and Yuri’s kid.

“Not this again”

He wanted to point out that he barely spent time with the kid, much less bonded with him on anything meaningful. Him being a dad wouldn’t benefit him all that much, as he already had two loving parents to attend to his every need. They were there to show him right and wrong, to teach him how to be a good man.

He wasn’t needed in that regard.

Ace would be redundant.

Then, Ace snapped out his thought process when he felt a soft hand lightly grabbing his chin. He looked down to see Rutia smiling, grabbing him with her delicate hand. “No matter what, you will always be a part of the family. We accept you for you.”

Ace chuckled at the feeling of serenity. It had been a while where he could just feel calm instead of flying into a blind rage at any second. He was fully aware of his problems and he wasn’t the greatest in the academy or even in his family, but for those he loved, he wanted to put the effort in. He wanted to show he could do better.

He just didn’t know how to make it genuine.

Ace just had to try his best.

“You will always be accepted by me,” Ace whispered as he went to deliver a kiss to Rutia, but she beat him to the punch and pounced on him, completely over taking the Ultra Brother.

***

“So you can’t leave us be?” Ayame asked, instinctively looking up at the Ultra the two of them were now bonded with.

“You would need a Beta Capsule for us to separate,” Ace answered, folding his arms as he glanced at the brown couch in his hosts’ living room.

“Great!” the TAC soldier exclaimed, throwing her hands at the holographic Ultra. “Use it!”

“Can’t,” Ace simply answered, allowing himself to collapse only for him to phase right through it. Like a ghost moving through the many objects in a house, he floated through the couch to meet Ayame’s gaze. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Well, why not!?” Ayame mouthed, her tone of voice becoming more and more angry as she tilted her head. She never once kept her eyes on the being. “You clearly fucked up. We don’t want you around.”

Ace huffed, taking a brief look at his other host, Mitsuko. Her short brown hair was now a mess and gone was her nurse’s outfit, now replaced with a pink robe. She sat there silently, looking at the floor while her hands covered her knees. He shook his head, he felt bad about not knowing about the baby, but through his eyes, it was the least consequential route.

“How would a baby work as a host?” Ace mentally questioned himself.

The Ultra huffed. “I did what I had to and besides, we’d have to go a long way to retrieve one.”

Ayame threw her hands up, stomping forward, nearly shoving her face into his. “Great! I don’t mind traveling to get it, if it means getting rid of you dipshit!”

“You really are stupid, aren’t you?” Ace barked back, pushing his head towards hers, his glowing yellow eyes glared into her brown eyes. “If we really go through with your plan, the moment we all separate, the two of you will be ash.”

Ayame gulped, immediately breaking her glare from Ace and looked at Mitsuko. Her heart pounded non stop at the thought of her being reduced to nothing, taken from this world by her own reckless decision.

Mitsuko lifted her head up slowly to look at Ayame, that same fear washing over her as well. She already lost a baby she vowed to protect and it caused her great suffering. Losing Ayame, her best friend, the love of her life, would break her. Mitsuko’s mouth quivered as she wanted to say something, as her round, light pink cheeks shook in conjunction.

“Ayame….” she weakly responded, barely keeping herself composed as tears rained down from her eyes. “Just let it go….. We can find a way.”

Ace smirked at their conversation, eliciting the ire of Ayame, as she snapped her back to him. “You find this funny!?”

“Not in the way you’re thinking of,” Ace clarified, thinking back to the times of his life where he was more at ease. “The two of you just remind me of people back home.”

“And they can somehow stand you?”

“Yeah,” Ace answered curtly, shrugging his shoulders. “It also helps that I actually like them.”

“Oh, good for you then,” Ayame spat. “You’re actually capable of getting someone to like you.”

“Right back at you,” Ace threw back, before his mind drifted back to his host’s original question. “So, you still want to make the trip?”

Ayame tightened her grip, snapping back to her love. Mitsuko’s head was hanging back down as the TAC soldier stared at her. She was the best thing that happened to her and despite her hatred for the Ultra, she couldn’t let her die.

“No,” Ayame spat, taking another step. “Just so we’re clear, this doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.”

“Duly noted, dipshit,” Ace retaliated, taking another step forward to meet her glare.

BUZZ!

The doorbell caused both occupants of the apartment to jump up in shock. Neither of them were expecting visitors as Ayame growled at the interference. Whoever it was, she was in no mood for guests. Ayame yanked the door open and was ready to unleash everything she had at the visitor for bothering them at the worst time in their lives.

To her surprise, though, no one was there to meet her gaze. Instead, she looked down to see a child, no older than ten years old. The child looked up at her slightly messy black hair as she was dressed in an orange sweater and brown shorts. Ayame inspected his appearance to find the same colored brown eyes he shared with her and the short black hair. He wore black pants and a green shirt containing Eleking on it.

Ayame’s facial expression switched the fury to surprise in a millisecond. “Chiharu, what are you doing here!?”

“You told mom and dad that I can stay with you for the summer,” the boy answered, gripping the handle of his suitcase.

“I’m not opposed to you staying here, I just…. I must have completely forgotten with everything going on,” Ayame nearly stammered, trying to compose herself as best as she could in front of her younger brother.

Chiharu glanced into the apartment. “Can I come in?”

“Um, yes! Of course,” Ayame spoke aloud, stepping aside as she gestured for him to enter.

The boy walked in, setting his suitcase down as he glanced over at Mitsuko, still upset. Chiharu cocked his head to the side as he approached the depressed nurse. He tugged on her robe lightly.

Mitsuko slightly turned her head up at the boy. On the outside she kept the same exact look she provided to Ayame, but on the inside, she hated how she was looking at the boy. He was a part of her family and she always brought joy to him when they interacted. Yet, she couldn’t provide that for him, especially when they promised to watch over him for the summer.

“Are you okay?” Chiharu inquired, keeping his grip on the sleeve.

Mitsuko looked him in the eye, keeping her composure as best as she could. However, she could barely speak. Her mouth quivered as she attempted to speak, but was cut off by Ayame who stepped right next to her brother.

“Mitsuko….” Ayame spoke, attempting to find the right words to convey what happened to them without mentioning the fusion. She lightly gripped her brother’s shoulders as she came up with an answer. “Had a hard time at work a few days ago and just needs some time to clear her head.”

Chiharu shook his head. He understood what his sister meant as they were both present at the Fukuyama attack. The boy glanced back at the still distraught Mitsuko and reached out for a hug, immediately pulling her in his embrace.

The nurse yelped in shock, as she slowly looked down to see him wrap himself up around her. She smiled softly at him as Mitsuko lightly rubbed his head, slightly ruffling up his hair. Chiharu chuckled as did she. A little bit of life was slowly coming back to her as she extended her arms forward, bringing him closer to her.

“Well, that was easy,” Ace remarked, earning a glare from Ayame who snapped her back at him. “Who would have thought that’s all it took.”

“You’re an asshole,” Ayame hissed silently in order to prevent her brother from knowing her secret.

“Takes one to know one,” Ace remarked. “Turns out I lucked out with my pickings.” Ayame turned back to her loved ones as she attempted to speak with them, only to receive an alert on comms.

“Dammit,” she whispered, as she picked up the device from the kitchen counter.

“Ayame,” Goro’s voice came through the radio.

“Yes, sir?”

“I need you to report to headquarters immediately,” clarified the Captain.

“Of course, sir,” Ayame spoke bluntly before hanging up. “Goddammit!” She screamed in mental anguish.

“I’m loving these words, by the way. They really seem like my language,” Ace interjected.

“Just shut up,” Ayame growled silently once more, as she glanced over to Mitsuko slowly becoming more talkative with her brother. Then, like a lightbulb turning on, a thought occurred to her. Ayame then turned back to Ace. “Where do you go when Mitsuko and I aren’t in the same area together?”

“I thought you told me to shut up?” Ace mocked, brushing his hands together, looking away from her direction.

“Just answer the damn question,” Ayame spat, gripping the counter as a way to relieve her anger.

“I just simply bounce back between the two conduits. You and Mitsuko,” explained Ace. “It’s not rocket science.”

“Okay!” Ayame inhaled as she clapped her hands together before exhaling. “In that case, you’re coming with me.”

“What? You don’t trust me to watch over her?” Ace inquired, turning his head over to Mitsuko. He had to admit, compared to Ayame, she didn’t seem so bad. She was kind and seemed like the person who’d accept you for who you are. A person you could talk to for hours and make you forget about worries.

Just like Rutia.

“No,” Ayame answered bluntly, her face completely deadpan as if all emotion left her body. “You’ve done enough.”

The TAC soldier walked over to her brother and poked him on the shoulder. Chiharu turned around to meet her, smiling down at him. Ayame lowered herself down to meet him on his level, as she breathed out. “I hate to do this since you just got here, but I got called into work. Do you think you can keep Mitsuko company and raise her spirits?”

“Of course! I’d love to spend time with her!” Chiharu exclaimed, eliciting a small giggle from Mitsuko.

Ayame glanced at her girlfriend with a small smile. “It’s good to see you smile again.”

The TAC soldier leaned over and gave her a small kiss, instilling a tiny bit of life back into her. Mitsuko lifted her hand up and placed it over Ayame’s, rubbing it. Despite her constant duties at her job and the maintenance she does for the two of them, she always found a way to keep her hands soft.

Ayame smiled, feeling a sense of relief Mitsuko was coming back as her old self. Unfortunately, it was time to head back to headquarters and to leave her beloved behind. At the very least, she could take comfort knowing that Mitsuko will be with the makings of a great man.

All the while she’d be stuck with the worst one imaginable.

 

Chapter 5: Type “O” Disappearances

With a turn of a nob, she opened the door to her captain’s office. Goro looked up from his screen and eyed Ayame closing the door. “Ah, miss Ohta.”

The Captain motioned his hand forward. “Please take a seat.”

Ayame did so at his request and plotted herself down on the black chair, sitting just across from him. She let out a deep breath, thinking about every possible thing her superior would want to discuss with her. Her desertion, her disregard for protocol and possibly either a suspension or full on dismissal from TAC.

She gritted her teeth, despite not regretting her actions to abandon her duty and to save the woman she loved. However, the tradeoff was possibly being expelled from every position involving being a soldier or guard. Being a soldier, a defender, was one of the few things she was good at.

Ayame was never good at civilized life, not until Mitsuko boosted her up from terrible to tolerable. Despite her rough exterior, she knew her partner was ultimately the more stable person. The TAC soldier knew Mitsuko had her moments of sadness and despair, but she always picked herself up, stronger than ever.

Ayame chuckled ever so quietly.

“And I rage until I wake back up with her wrapped around me in bed.”

Still, she had to see this meeting through, otherwise she’d definitely be fired.

“Miss Ohta, I want to discuss the recents events that transpired over the past couple of days,” Captain Goro explained, lifting a small stack of papers and began observing them one by one.

“Of course, sir, “Ayame acknowledged, placing her hands on her lap.

Goro looked up from the stack and at his subordinate. “I won’t sugarcoat it, but I wish to know what exactly coaxed you into running off.”

“Shit….”

Ayame tightened her hands, tightly on the fabric of her uniform.

“I gathered that you wanted to provide assistance to the hospital, as several staff members have informed me you were there to help,” Goro clarified, placing his elbows on the white desk, putting his hands together as he let his fingers tap against each other. “But I feel like there was something more to it, as if there was something or someone you wanted to save above all else.”

Ayame tugged at her collar a bit, realizing she was on the hook. A great deal of concern washed over her, feeling as if several red lights shone down on her, leaving her out in the open and vulnerable.

She let out a sigh, feeling no use in lying. Ayame looked at her superior, determination plastered on her face, but her voice shook. “I…. I couldn’t stand losing my…. my partner…”

Goro’s eyebrows raised up a bit, as he slightly leaned back in his chair. “I understand. Losing your husband is a very understandable fear and under the circumstances, it’s acceptable.”

Ayame nodded in respect. “Thank you, sir, but I don’t have a husband.”

“Boyfriend, then,” Goro spoke, attempting to correct himself for the mistake.

The TAC subordinate shook her head, feeling slightly uneasy about revealing a personal detail about herself, but rationed he’d not give it up. What happens next will be no fault of her if things went sideways.

“Girlfriend,” Ayame clarified, letting palms fall flat on her legs.

“Oh,” Goro spoke, repeatedly tapping his fingers. “Good to know you and her are okay, then.”

Ayame cocked her head to the side, as she expected her superior to have an issue with who her partner was. “I must admit, sir. I’m surprised to hear that from you.”

Goro leaned forward from his chair, letting his hands drop. “As beautiful as Earth could be, some of its people are not. Disgusted by those who wish to live differently than them is one of my least favorite things about the human race.”

“That’s…. uh….. strangely well put,” Ayame commended, almost floored by the way her superior was responding to their conversation. “I didn’t expect you to say that.”

Goro shrugged his shoulders. “I like to surprise people.”

Ayame chuckled, feeling a sense of comradery and respect for her leader. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to get to know her captain and coworkers better.

“Still, I do have a mission for you,” Goro reported, his tone changing from relaxed to stern, looking down at his stack of papers. “There have been several disappearances occurring in the past couple of days.”

The Captain handed his deputy the dossier, as she inspected it. Ayame looked it over, scanning every bit of information she could absorb. A lot of things peaked out at her, such as the sinkholes appearing randomly in the streets and the disappearances of several, mainly women with type O blood.

Ayame looked up from her dossier. “Why type O?”

Goro waved his hands in confusion. “I don’t know, but the only thing I can rationalize here is the culprit needing it for something. Be it subsistence or some way to fuel itself.”

“Kaijin, perhaps?” inquired Ayame, her eyes widening at the thought of another monstrosity terrorizing the streets so soon after Verokron.

“Or kaiju, or Seijin,” added Goro.

“Exciting,” Ayame muttered, preparing herself for the day she’d have to take part in blowing several alien craft out of the sky. She had seen the footage of several encounters, but she’d never want to take part in it. Kaiju were her specialty.

“Any idea where these attacks largely take place?” Ayame asked. “Or at least follow a pattern from one to the other?”

“The more populated the area, the greater the destruction,” Goro answered, already baffled at how well the attacks could spring up at any moment.

“Knowing the city, that’ll be almost impossible,” Ayame vocalized.

Goro shook his in agreement. “Correct, which is why I’m having just about the whole team out and about, patrolling the streets several hours a day.”

“I suppose it’s the best thing we can do,” Ayame concurred, getting up as she then saluted her captain. “I’ll join the effort as well.”

“Granted,” Goro affirmed, as Ayame turned around as he then spoke up once again. “Miss Ohta.”

Just as Ayame had her hand on the doorknob, she turned around to face her Captain once more. She was curious at what her superior had to say as he never once had anything more to add after a briefing.

“Sir?”

“We should have dinner sometime,” Goro relayed, tapping his fingers once more. “You and your girlfriend. I’m trying to get to know the people in my life better.”

Ayame nodded. It wasn’t her ideal way to allocate her time, spending it with coworkers or her boss during her personal life. She tilted her head slightly, thinking back at how Mitsuko wanted to coordinate gatherings more often.

“I suppose we can set up a day to make that happen,” Ayame spoke, acquiescing to his request.

“This is for you, Mi.”

“Splendid!” Goro tapped his fingers excitedly. “Getting to know people, one of my favorite things to do.”

Ayame chuckled at the way her boss phrased that statement. She found him strange, quirky, but realized he was just friendly. She figured Mitsuko would have a field day with him, as they’d thankfully do all the talking while she could just sit back and tune it out.

The TAC soldier opened the door and closed it while Goro’s eyes flash yellow once more. “Perhaps you will allow me control of the Earth as opposed to Ultraman and the child, Ace.”

***

“Shit, I wished he shut up!” Ace exclaimed, materializing right next to Ayame as she walked down the busy sidewalk.

Ayame rolled her eyes at the alien talking once more. She smirked, however, knowing she could at least get one over him by explaining something he clearly didn’t understand. “You do know it’s better to say ‘fuck’ in this instance, right?”

“Lecturing me?” Ace mocked, swinging his hands over his face dismissively. “Fun!”

The TAC soldier shrugged her shoulders, retaining the smirk on her face at seeing the Ultra slowly become infuriated. “It’s fun for me.”

“Asshole,” Ace snarled.

“Oh ho ho!” Ayame giggled, causing pedestrians to look at her strangely. She glanced over to them, realizing that outburst of laughter was unprompted in everyone else’s eyes.

“Remember, only….” Ace tried to lecture, mocking his host until she cut him off.

“Only Mitsuko and I can see you!” Ayame nearly snapped out loud. “I got it!”

“Probably the smartest human I know, then,” the Ultra said, almost chuckling at his comment.

“And how many humans do you know?” inquired Ayame, raising her eyebrows as she stopped at a green and black building with purple lights on it. She inspected the sign, reading ‘Nyan Noodles’.

“About the same as you according to your boss,” Ace fired back.

Ayame gripped her pocket, rolling her eyes. “I doubt it.”

She gripped the handle of the door and entered the building. Ayame eyed the chef and said “Three Niku Udons to go, please.”

“Are you trying to challenge me on who has less people in their life?” Ultraman Ace spat. “It’s incredibly childish, but I don’t mind competition.”

“Yeah!” Ayame spoke aloud, but immediately silenced herself as she realized once again only she could see him. The TAC soldier sat down in a booth, resuming her conversation. “I would like to challenge you to see how sad your life is.”

“Prepare to be disappointed, asshole,” Ace spoke, snapping his fingers as the dimly lit restaurant grew brighter. The once brown walls morphed into teal crystalline walls as furniture morphed into objects she never saw.

Ayame’s eyes grew wide, her stomach turning to knots as she reached for the gun in her pocket. “Scared already?” Ace asked, glancing down at the already nervous Ayame, chuckling at her lack of knowledge. “Nothing here could hurt you; these are just my memories.”

She shook her head angrily at him mocking her, but relinquished her hold on her gun. The morphing was complete as she realized she was no longer in the restaurant mentally. Ayame saw Ace along with another Ultra sitting with him.

Her hair, or at least what it was supposed to be, was done in a ponytail while her eyes shined blue, matching the room. The half of her face was covered in red while the bottom half was silver.

“You’re expecting?” the past version of Ace asked, slowly putting his hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay? Is this what you wanted?’

Yuri shook her head excitedly. “Yes, Ruko and I are very excited.”

Ace’s past-self chuckled, smiling at her answer. “Then, I’m happy!”

“There’s just so many things to do!” Yuri explained, holding out her hand, counting down each of the things she needed. “We need to repaint the room for them, gather baby supplies, and take a bunch of classes! There’s just so much!”

The past Ace smirked, rubbing her shoulder. “Sounds like you and Ruko have your work cut out.”

“Nah!” Yuri playfully exclaimed, placing her hand on Ace’s thigh, looking him straight in the eye. “You’re taking those classes with us.”

Ace’s past-self reared his head back, tilting his head in confusion. “What do you mean ‘we’?”

Yuri frowned at him and smacked him upside the head. “You’re going to be this baby’s parent too.”

“I…. uh…..” Ace spoke, trying to come up with a response on why he shouldn’t be a parent. He glanced down at her still eliciting that frown. The frown that could send him to back down despite his known outbursts.

“Gotcha,” Yuri hummed, before placing herself on his lap and sending her lips plummeting towards him. Ace was then wrapped up by her embrace and tackled at him, pinning him down.

“Okay, okay! I get it!” Ayame exclaimed as Ace snapped his fingers, dismantling the crystalline structure and back to the restaurant’s aesthetics.

“Too much for you?” Ace asked, planting himself on the seat opposite of Ayame, but immediately phased through the booth. “Dammit!”

“Keep practicing, but I doubt you’ll get better at it,” Ayame teased while Ace flowed back up to meet her gaze, as he then hovered over the seat.

“Oh haha,” spat the Ultra, planting his hands together. “You didn’t answer my question, though.”

“I’m not fond of seeing other people’s business regardless of how many partners you have,” Ayame reasoned.

“Prude,” remarked Ace.

“Don’t ever spy on me and Mitsuko,” threatened Ayame, gripping the wooden table just below her, imagining snapping his neck if she could ever get a hold of him.

“Please! I would have better things to do than to watch you two do the deed,” Ace shot back.

Their conversation turned to standstill as they stared at each for a few moments until Ayame breathed out. Her mind wandered on what particular aspect of the memory her Ultra showed her.

“I do have one question, though,” Ayame brought up.

“Here we go.”

“Why did you seem so hesitant about being a dad?” she inquired, loosening her grip on the table, closely inspecting his body moments. Ayame immediately noticed his shoulders lowering down ever so slightly as he hung his head down.

“The kid already has two parents,” Ace answered shortly, but glanced up to see his explanation would not be satisfactory to her. He groaned slightly before continuing. “I never abandoned him, just wasn’t the most active adult in his life, but I know he had a good life with his biological parents. He never went to bed hungry and always knew he was loved. The point is….”

“You think you’d be a shitty dad?” Ayame deduced, letting go of her grasp on the table and placed them on the surface of it. Had this been anyone before, she might have reached out to comfort him, but they weren’t on good terms right now. Ayame did know she could relate to his struggle as Mitsuko wanted children along with getting married, but those thoughts terrified her.

“In a sense,” Ace mumbled, looking down at the table, contemplating his life as if he held onto regrets that still washed over him. His host continued to study him, trying to grasp everything that had transpired to make him feel like that.

“I understand,” Ayame relayed, tapping her hand on the table lightly.

Her order soon came to be picked up as she grabbed the bags and paid her due. Ayame walked out of the restaurant and down the street, contemplating just how fast her conversation with Ace turned from hatred to understanding.

The TAC soldier went to pinch her nose when the ground around her shook violently. Ayame barely kept herself standing while she saw other people collapsing from the intensity of the ground splitting apart.

“Steady!” Ace commanded, keeping his eyes peeled around the area, inspecting the anomaly.

BOOM!

The middle street collapsed with several vehicles and people plummeting to the abyss. Their screams could be heard down several streets as the ones who were lucky started to run.

What they all failed to realize was that luck could only get you so far. A pulsating wave washed passed through those running and pulled them into the newfound sinkhole. The streets were screaming again as Ayame watched in horror at seeing several innocent people being sucked up to their demise.

Never to be seen again in the body of the Earth.

Thud.

Ayame dropped her bags and raced towards the sinkhole, intending to rescue anyone she could.

“Ayame, we should call in Mitsuko!” Ace reasoned. “I can materialize and end this whole thing.”

“No!” Ayame snapped. “I’m not risking her life.”

“I can only keep you stable for so long!” Ace relayed, feeling uneasy about the situation he was being dragged into.

“Then let’s make it fast!” Ayame barked, throwing herself at the edge of the sink, throwing her arm outwards for anyone to reach.

The effort, while admirable, was hopeless. Ayame didn’t know what she could achieve with it, only that she needed to try. She stretched her arm forward, desperately hoping anyone would be able to grab it, but it was fruitless.

One by one, she watched as each person was devoured by the sinkhole. Man, woman, child, all becoming victims for whatever lay beneath them.

“Dammit!” Ayame screamed, feeling that hopelessness weighed down on her body. The TAC reared her arm backwards, intending to accept defeat only to feel something latch onto it.

Ayame snapped her head down and saw a woman with short black hair, gripping her arm as tight as she could. The TAC soldier smiled, her heart going a mile a minute as she pulled with all of her might. Ayame almost threw the girl over her back, holding onto her tightly until the pulsating waves ceased.

The two sat there, their breathing intensifying as she looked up at Ayame, immediately wrapping her up in a hug, bawling her eyes. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Ayame simply nodded, not knowing what to say as she patted her on the shoulder. The TAC soldier then looked at the civilian in the face. “I’m just glad you’re safe, just make sure you get out of here before it starts all over again.”

The girl nodded before running off while Ayame sat in the middle of the street. She stared down the hole, finding nothing but that abyss she saw earlier. Ayame placed her hand on her chest, allowing her to catch her breath, feeling grateful to Ace for once.

She nearly gagged at the thought, but nonetheless, appreciated him for allowing her to save at least one person. Today wasn’t a victory, but she could at least live knowing she did everything she could and that she saved someone.

Ace stood above Ayame, glancing down at the hole for himself. He shook his head, already dreading the possibility of having to go underground. The lack of cover and room to run maneuver was incredibly dangerous. He’d hope when the time came, a plan could actually be made.

***

Screams filled the cavern with the broken bodies of the victims pulled into the sinkhole. Their bones were shattered to pieces as others were leaking plasma, painting the rocks with red ichor. If anyone could hear those screams, they’d be mortified, wanting to do everything they could to make it end.

Except for the creature that lied beneath the earth.

It let out a shriek, causing the hearts of the broken to race.

A series of loud rumbles were heard followed by another shriek.

Its mandibles flexed eagerly, as its lime green eyes eyed their prey. It shrieked in excitement, bashing its claws together, following it up by rubbing his orange and burgundy body. The underground monster looked down at the broken bodies, watching them barely squirm in terror at its appearance.

Its mandibles twitched as it scanned its prey, sensing those that were different from the rest. It spotted them as it grabbed them one by one as they all screamed in agony. Their bodies feeling its claws starting to cut into them. Blood dripped onto its claws as it shoved them into his mouth, feeling the sensation of their plasma flow down its throat.

The group he grabbed was more than satisfying, but craved more. Another ambush would have to do, but first, it needed to clean up what was left. It looked down at the remaining writhing beings before opening its mandibles, spraying a clear acidic mist. The acid covered their bodies and the rocks they were on.

The screams echoed throughout the cavern while the acid melted their skin, not even leaving goopy remains. What was left of the acidic spray were skeletons that were completely clean as bubbles were only present for a few moments.

Not a trace of who they were remained.

They were now nothing more than screaming ants to the creature.

“Excellent, my pet,” a silver alien spoke behind a screen, observing the display in front of him. His green eyes kept themselves focused on the screen as Aribunta departed deeper into the cavern to rest. He rubbed the red frill around his before lowering his hand down to his long black hair. “You’ll be ready soon, Aribunta, and once the Ultras fall to your awesome might, Yapool will have this planet.”

 

Chapter 6: “We Can Make it Work”

“Not a fan of dinner last night, huh?” Ayame asked, carefully placing a piece of salmon over the sizzling pan. She saw the still groggy Chiharu stumbling just in front of the counter that separated the kitchen and living room.

He looked up at her and shook his head, rubbing his eyes. The child pulled out a stool and sat on it, resting his head on the clear counter. “Yeah….”

Ayame chuckled, pouring the contents of the miso soup into a small bowl. “I don’t blame you.”

She passed it to him, causing him to slowly lift his head up. “Niku Udon was the plan, but some monster ruined it.”

“You?” Chiharu murmured, slowly moving his hand towards the spoon.

“Haha,” Ayame mocked, pulling out a spoonful of rice and placing it in a bowl. “Hope this makes up for it.”

She finished the plating and delivered it to her brother, setting its contents in front of him on a wooden platter. Ayame then started dishing up her food, as he began to dig in. His murmurs of delight upon sinking his teeth into the fish was a sense of relief to her. Ayame smiled as she sat next to her brother.

“Add some takoyaki, and we’ll call it good,” Chiharu slurped between words.

Ayame chuckled. “Nice try.”

They ate their meals in peace, Ayame soon cleared her throat, turning to her little brother. “So, what’s the plan for the summer?”

“Water park on the table?” asked Chiharu between bites.

Ayame smiled. “Always on the table.”

“I was thinking Champion Festival as well,” the boy said after swallowing his rice.

“Only if there’s a romantic film for Mi,” countered Ayame, slightly rolling her eyes at her partner’s future request.

“Eh,” Chiharu groaned, taking a sip of his water. “Fine.”

“A tour of TAC?” Chiharu suggested, eliciting a small laugh from Ayame.

“No way!”

“Ah, come on!” complained Chiharu, throwing his hands out to his older sister. “I want to see where you work.”

“You can see it on the news,” Ayame playfully replied.

“What about ‘bring your son or daughter or sibling to work day’?” reasoned the younger sibling, setting his soup bowl down.

“Even if I somehow petitioned to make that happen, it’ll only last for like, three minutes, before we’re all called in,” Ayame explained, grabbing both of their wooden trays and taking them towards the kitchen.

“I don’t see the problem! You get to have someone you know at work and I get to look at all the cool tech you guys use,” justified Chiharu.

It then dawned on her, as she started scrubbing the dishes. Ayame turned back at him and slightly frowned at him. “You just want to run around and play with everything, don’t yah?”

Chiharu shrugged, smiling at her. “Wouldn’t you if you were still my age.”

“I would if I didn’t have to take care of some kid,” Ayame replied, smacking her brother on the arm, flashing him a cheeky grin.

“Exactly!” Chiharu exclaimed, smacking his sister back on the shoulder. “We can both play in headquarters!”

“You really think of everything, don’t you?” Ayame deduced, lifting her hand up and shaking it.

“Kinda.”

Ayame squinted at him. “I’ll try and put in a good word for you.”

The two sat in silence, as Ayame tapped her fingers on the counter, conjuring up the next conversational topic they can both have. She scanned her entire mind, trying to find anything for her sibling, but it could not come to her. Most of the stuff she remembered him liking he’d already grown out of, with everything else being a simple guess.

She went to sigh, feeling stressed by trying to connect with her brother, but it came out as a gasp. Ayame felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her, as she looked down to see Chiharu clinging to her side.

“I just wish you, mom and dad could make up,” Chiharu sobbed, tears dropping on arm.

Ayame sighed, brushing his hair. “I wish we could, too.”

“Then…..” Chiharu sniffed, between breaths, wiping away his tears, looking up at his sister. “Why won’t you tell them? Do they hate Mitsuko?”

Ayame nearly chuckled at his question, restraining herself from doing so. If her parents disapproved of her relationship, then there’d be no chance of reconciliation. “Mi is the reason why they were willing to send you over here.”

She let out another breath. “They didn’t want me to be part of the JSDF, they figured I’d be better off doing what mom did.”

“Taking care of the shop?” Chiharu inquired, holding onto his sister with a stronger grip.

Ayame nodded. “Not for me, I’d be terrible at it.”

“You’d throw a customer out of the window,” Chiharu joked between his sniffling.

“More like five a day,” Ayame playfully fired back before telling more of the truth to her brother. “Being a soldier… is the best thing I can do and by being with TAC, I can at least be useful.”

“You’re more than that, you’re my sister, no matter what,” Chiharu murmured, looking up at her with tears still in his eyes.

“Always,” Ayame smirked, but deep down, she largely disagreed with that statement. Besides being a half decent cook and babysitter, military was what she was good at. Still, she wouldn’t want her brother to be upset the whole time.

The TAC soldier held out her hand, gaining Chiharu’s attention. “Give me the hardest high five you can offer.”

Without any hesitation, Chiharu slammed his hand against Ayame’s, eliciting a minor hiss from her. She, admittedly, was surprised by the force he slammed his hand into hers. Ayame smiled down at Chiharu, showing the same reaction as she felt relief wash over, just having a moment between her brother and herself.

No one to intrude or to ridicule her.

Especially no Ace.

“Wait….. Where the hell is he?” Ayame questioned herself, before the startling realization of where he could be.

***

Mitsuko closed the door behind her, letting the patient inside rest at his request. She breathed a sigh of relief, beyond thrilled that several of the most recent patients were making full recoveries. It was what she needed compared to what happened in the past couple of days.

She clutched her clipboard close to her chest, walking down the sterile white halls. Mitsuko breathed in and out slowly, feeling herself slightly more at ease. She stopped in front of the next room she was supposed to check in on. Mitsuko glanced down at the clipboard to make sure she had the right room. The nurse looked back up to see Ace attempting to lean against the wall, but immediately fell, phasing through it.

“Shit!”

Witnessing the careless display, Mitsuko couldn’t help but laugh, feeling almost delighted over the Ultra’s forgetfulness. Yet, she didn’t hate him, she just found slapstick to be highly amusing no matter who did it.

“Yeah, yeah,” Ace brushed off, waving his hand as he stumbled back in front of her. “Get used to it.”

Mitsuko kept smiling at him. “What brings you here? Did Ayame send you to deliver a message to me?”

“No. She doesn’t even know I’m here.” relayed Ace, trying to position himself against the wall once more.

Her smile faded away, she took a step forward out of concern. “Ayame is going to freak out if you’re here.”

“And?” Ace asked, dismissing one of his host’s threats as empty and primitive. “There’s nothing she could do to hurt me.”

Mitsuko sighed, not wanting to argue with the Ultra she now shared a body with as she leaned up against the wall next to him. Ace panned his head over to his host staring at the ceiling above them. There was nothing there, just a white void.

Peaceful, but lonely.

Ace sighed, feeling a strange sensation over him, especially towards this creature standing next to him. Had it been Yuri or Rutia or anyone else in his family, he’d apologize for anything he did to hurt them. Here, this primitive was nothing to him, just a bug that’ll not even last one-millionth of his life.

“Then, why do I feel guilty over her?” Ace questioned himself, taking note of her solemn look. She hid behind happiness, likely for the patients and her coworkers, but for those closer to her, she just let it out. “You’re welcome, Ayame.”

“Mitsuko,” Ace spoke, gaining his host’s attention.

“Mhm?” the nurse murmured, awaiting his response after hearing the light, soft tone of voice he had just used on her. Normally, all she’d be hearing is screaming and belittling others, but not here. Mitsuko studied his face and saw a small amount of regret painted over him, as if he regretted something in the past.

“I apologize, to you, not to Ayame, for the way I acted about explaining my choice,” Ace rationed, gripping both of his arms, shaking ever so slightly. He felt like he was about to implode over bottling all of those feelings inside of him aside from anger. Heart to hearts weren’t his thing, but for Mitsuko’s sake, he had to do it, he wanted to do it. “I just did what I was told, saving your kind as best as I could, and didn’t think of the repercussions that could come with it.”

“Right…..” Mitsuko spoke, hanging her head down at the thought of Yuka once again. Ultraman Ace observed her behavior and closed his eyes in frustration. He threw his head back, but quickly phased through the wall. The Ultra pulled himself through and grumbled at the mistake he made once more.

“I just lost it, because Ayame and I were all Yuka had at that point,” Mitsuko reasoned, taking a moment to compose herself, as she felt her insides tearing themselves up from the guilt. “She was abandoned and I didn’t want her to be alone.”

Ace sighed, inching closer to his human host. “Had I known, I would have thrown myself in front of you and taken the brunt of the blast.”

Mitsuko briefly smiled at him. “That’s kind of you to say.”

The Ultra Brother shook his head, feeling a sense of dread wash over him as if he denied something from all three of them. He just had to know. How he would deal with it would be up to him.

“If the three of you had made it, would you and Ayame have taken Yuka in? As one of your own?” Ace asked, a huge part of him hoping she’d say ‘no’, but he knew he would delude himself. He already knew the answer, but wanted to hear the answer, to prove himself right.

“Fucking moron, you even want to best yourself,” Ace cursed at himself silently.

Mitsuko gulped, feeling that question drop on her like an anvil. She loved the thought of having kids, even being Yuka’s mother, but now, she wasn’t so sure. Ayame’s answer was still a ‘no’, thinking she’d repeat the same mistakes as her parents. She looked back at Ace and knew he was still waiting, despite being silent about it.

“That question is terrifying, but I would have said ‘yes’,” Mitsuko explained, causing Ace to lift himself away from the wall and turning directly to her. “Being a parent is the bravest thing you can do, it’s when you finally stand against the world, risking it for the person you helped bring in.”

Ace took her to heart. He looked back at his memories of Yuri and Rutia, vowing to do everything they could to provide the best life they could for their child. They were great parents that fitted in Mitsuko’s ideology, but he remembered how his parents thought an expedition was more important.

More important than their only child, who chased after them in an endless field.

He shook his head. He loved his step parents and Taro, but the mere knowledge of his parents leaving him hurt him in ways he wasn’t sure he could ever recover from. It made him vile and angry at just about everyone he crossed paths with, knowing they’ll only betray their kin later on.

“Most parents shouldn’t exist,” Ace mumbled to himself.

“Can I ask you a question?” Mitsuko inquired, her words flowing through his head, snapping him from festering hatred.

He turned his head towards her. “Shoot.”

“Did you mean what you said about Yuka?” Mitsuko asked, inching closer once more to her Ultra. “About how she wouldn’t be feasible as a host?”

Ace breathed out. “Yes.”

“I see….” Mitsuko simply mumbled. “And you’re right even if it is disgusting to forsake her.”

“Agreed.”

BOOM!

The two immediately jumped up to find the hospital shaking once again. Mitsuko scanned to see several people already running down the hallways as she quickly pieced it together.

“It’s happening again!” Mitsuko yelled out, slamming the door behind her open and rushing towards the patient.

She grabbed a hold of an elderly man and placed him on a wheelchair. Mitsuko began to speed down the various hallways as several pieces of the ceiling crumbled behind her while the floor was snapping away.

Furniture exploded from the resulting earthquake while people screamed out. Ace materialized in front of Mitsuko, running beside her. “I’m informing Ayame on where to find you.”

Before she could respond, his body was completely gone, leaving her by herself as she rammed her and the patient through the exit doors. Mitsuko was greeted by the sun shining down on her as several others continued running down the street to avoid certain doom.

The hospital behind her collapsed into pieces as she huffed and puffed, feeling relieved she wouldn’t be trapped once again. However, she knew she wasn’t out of the woods yet as the ground beneath her continued to shake.

Then, the sinkhole appeared just below her as she felt herself starting to sink. She groaned, feeling herself just at the edge while her patient nearly made it.

No!

She’ll at least save one life today!

That was certain!

Using the last of her strength, Mitsuko pushed forward and sent the elder in the wheelchair racing down the street until he was caught by another person fleeing the catastrophe. With her last view of the surface, she saw the old man being ushered to safety, as she now could breathe a small sigh of relief.

Mitsuko felt herself sinking in the ground, fearing she would die at any given second. Her life flashed before her eyes, but just as they started, the montage ceased. She felt an incredibly soft hand clasp against hers.

“Mitsuko!” an all too familiar voice screamed out as she looked up to see Ayame, looking as pale as a ghost over the fear of losing her girlfriend.

“Ayame!” Mitsuko cried out, holding on to her hand as she dangled from the sinkhole.

“I’m going to get you out of here!” the TAC soldier declared, her vocal cords rattling.

“No!” Mitsuko yelled out, looking back down at the impending doom below her.

Ayame nearly jerked her head in response. “Have you lost your mind!?”

“Ace! We need Ace to stop this!” Mitsuko reasoned, turning her head to the left to find Ace standing above her on solid ground. “He’s the one who can stop these quakes.”

Ayame breathed out heavily, hating that Mitsuko was right. She didn’t want to involve the Ultra once again, but they had no choice. They couldn’t be responsible for deaths they could have easily stopped.

“Okay, okay!” Ayame exclaimed, rearing her free hand back and slamming her ring into Mitsuko’s. The two were enveloped by a blinding light as Ace materialized into the planet, plummeting down the sinkhole towards the source of it all.

 

Chapter 7: The Ultra Family vs. The Giant-Ant Terrible-Monster

Ace landed on his feet, putting his hands together, intending to fire a Spacium Beam at the culprit, all he found was darkness. The Ultra kept his eyes peeled, scanning the entire area by circling around. He was surrounded by rocks, fortunate enough to get a rough idea at where he was.

He moved slowly, knowing anything could jump out at him at any given time. He kept his arms steady, even if darkness was something he hated. Then, add onto the fact he was effectively trapped inside this cave.

“What have I gotten myself into?” Ace asked himself, attempting to track down his prey.

Lime colored eyes watched from a distance as it twitched its mandibles. Its claws scraped together in excitement, eagerly awaiting to get the drop on his new foe. Aribunta moved quietly, using the darkness as its ally, keeping its eyes on the oblivious Ace, who was still fumbling in the dark.

“Just a little further…..” Guironian hummed, watching Ace continuing his search, as he gazed at Aribunta closing in on him. He rubbed his chin and smiled, proud of his pet for just about reaching the Ultra. The alien then murmured, realizing there was a small chance Ace could get lucky. “Perhaps a little distraction is in order.”

The silver and black alien raised his claws forward and fired a stream of bullets just past Ace. The projectiles startled Ace as they struck the rocky wall just before. The Ultra Brother unleashed his Spacium Beam, striking the wall with blue energy, briefly setting the cavern ablaze with light.

Ace jumped back, realizing he was the victim of an ambush, but he was not fast enough for Aribunta. The ant choju struck his claws outwards, with flames shooting out, immediately scorching Ace’s back.

The Ultra screamed out from the searing pain as the flames continued to wash over him. Ace turned around, facing the still standing Aribunta. Its lime colored eyes never kept its line of sight off of him as Ace growled. Ace bit his tongue as he felt more of his silver and red skin being charred, focusing himself as best as he could to launch his counterattack.

“You two ready to hear me scream?” Ace inquired to his two hosts, thinking of a way to escape his predicament.

“We hear it all the time, just do it!” Ayame barked back, watching the situation unfold. She didn’t mind Ace getting handed his own medicine, but not when it came to her and Mitsuko’s lives. “Destroy the ant!”

“Please,” Mitsuko murmured, putting her hands together, wanting to be more empathetic with Ace. Their last conversation had left her wanting to understand him, to know why he was someone who contradicts himself nearly every moment. “Scream as loud as you need to.”

Ace smirked at her suggestion.

The Ultra held his hands out, spinning them rapidly with blue energy surging around his fists, with them resembling drills. He let out a blood fueled scream as pain from the intense spinning of his hands were putting an acute amount of strain on them. He could feel his bones about to snap, as the flames were being dispersed from the intensity of the spin.

Aribunta, realizing what his foe was doing, ceased his assault and prepared himself to launch his next attack. Ace, however, was quicker on the draw, firing the drill-like beam straight at him.

Guironian hopped out from his hiding spot and screamed, “Aribunta, block!”

Obeying the command of his master, Aribunta turned to his side and allowed his white tendril on the right to be obliterated. The choju screamed, immediately collapsing on the ground, writhing in agony. The Guironian knew he wouldn’t be able to block it or escape it time, but the loss of a nonessential part of its body was acceptable.

With his hands still shaking from the drill beam, he ran forward, intending to strike the downed beast with his feet. Ace roared, launching his foot towards him while the Guironian clapped his claws together.

“I don’t think so,” the alien spoke, watching the ceiling above them crumble.

“What?!” Ace snarled, realizing he had fallen into another trap. The ceiling smacked him against the head, forcing him to collapse face first in the ground. The Ultra’s vision began to go hazy as he attempted to get up, but felt his back against the collapsed ceiling.

He looked at what was in front of him, realizing spikes were implanted in the ground, acting as a jail cell. A cocky laugh followed soon afterward, with the Guironian appearing just before him.

Aribunta’s master kneeled down in front of him, before poking him on the head, eliciting a scream from the Ultra. “A much wiser Ultra would have realized this operation was doomed from the start.”

“Lift up this prison and this will go way differently,” Ace spat, attempting to move his arms to perform any one of his abilities, but like the rest of his body, they were pinned down.

The Guironian chuckled once again, turning his attention briefly towards the recovering Aribunta. He smiled at his pet, gazing upon the imprisoned Ultra once more. “Oh, I know it would, which I’m grateful for.”

The alien flicked one of the spikes, eliciting a brief hum, almost as if a note was played. “If it had been…. what’s his name, Jack? I’d be terrified.”

Time suddenly stopped for the imprisoned Ultra.

His vision turned red while his heart beated faster than a bullet train. The mere mention of that name along with being told he was better than him shattered his mind. Ace couldn’t help but let out a scream, echoing the entire cavern, striking into the rocks just strong enough to form small fractures in them.

Ace attempted to shoot his left arm forward to push through the cage and grabbed that disgusting alien by the neck. He saw it in his very own eyes, his rage filled mind, strangling the Guironian to the point of breaking it as it cried out for mercy.

Guironian continued to laugh, mocking the downed Ultra, poking him once more. “My, my. I didn’t realize I could hurt you far more effectively like this.”

The alien turned to his pet walking towards him. “Right, we still have an operation to complete.”

He got up for a moment to pat Aribunta on the shoulder and looked upwards. The Guironian pointed to the surface. “Annihilate the city and feel free to devour as many as you wish.”

Aribunta roared out in pleasure, launching himself through the cavern, burrowing through intense speeds. Like a parasite readying to leave its host’s body, it burst through the streets of Fucho and unleashed another roar.

The citizens of the city screamed in fear as Aribunta pulled itself out of the ground and fired upon the buildings with its flames. The buildings were swallowed up while flaming debris dropped down on the running civilians, reducing them to paste. Others were being reduced by a crisp while Aribunta scanned the entire block, taking note of the destruction it caused.

It laughed, relishing in the suffering of the ants beneath him. In the corner of his eye, however, he saw a few of those insects running away from him as it cackled once again. It opened its mandibles and unleashed the white spray from its mouth. Like a cloud of dust, it washed over those unlucky, reducing them to their skeletal structures.

Airbunta bashed its claws once again, grateful he could finally play on the surface and cause real destruction to those above. Unbeknownst to him, a twinkle in the sky appeared before crashing into the Earth and down the tunnel it created.

“All Yapool just said was I have to kill you,” the Guironian relayed, raising his hand upwards as a spike materialized on his claw. “But he didn’t say I couldn’t torture you.”

The silver alien threw a spike in Ace’s cell, eliciting electricity, cascading all throughout. Ace screamed out in agony, with the wave of electricity coursing throughout his entire body. Guironian howled with laughter, watching his prisoner squirm.

A figure hopped into the darkness of the cavern, causing a small rumble in the cave, snapping Guironian’s attention away from Ace. The agent of Yapool cocked his head, confused at why Aribunta had returned to him. He got back up on his feet and walked towards the newcomer shrouded in darkness.

“Aribunta, have you forgotten your objective?” inquired the Guironian, trying to reach out to his pet.

“No,” the figure in the dark spoke, immediately lighting the whole cave up with light blue energy.

The energy beam struck the silver alien in the chest, sending him across the cavern, bringing out a scream of agony. The Guironian crashed into a wall, stunning him as his vision went out of focus.

Ace’s face lit up just a tad, as he saw his supposed savior racing over the cage. He screamed something out, but couldn’t tell exactly what it was as he heard his prison shatter. The pieces of rock lightly rained on his back, causing him to grunt from the resulting impact.

He attempted to get up, but found himself being lifted up and dragged towards the tunnel. Ace was perplexed at who his rescuer was. Hardly anyone knew where he was going and Jack wouldn’t be willing to risk his neck out of him. For all he knew, it could have been Belial himself just to execute him personally.

Ace felt himself and his newfound ally shoot up through the tunnel and into the bright blue sky. The Ultra closed his eyes for a moment only to find himself on his back, staring upwards as a familiar face stood over him.

Pure white orbs staring down at him with a silver face to match it. A blue z-like colored timer was plastered on his chest as the rest of his body was a mixture of dark blue, silver and streaks of red.

It was then, Ace realized who came to his rescue.

“Hey dad!” his rescuer hollered out with excitement, moving his arms around in excitement. “I’m so excited for my first battle!”

“Z!” Ace yelled out, feeling a resurgence of energy flow through his entire body. He jumped up to his feet and got close to the younger Ultra. The older Ultra shook his head, baffled at how Yuri and Rutia’s child found him. He slammed his hands down in front of Z. “How in the hell did you find me?”

“Oh!” Z spoke aloud, snapping his fingers. “Uncle Taro told me… after a few days of constantly bothering him.”

“Dammit, Taro!”

Ace breathed out, furious beyond belief, but didn’t want to risk the ire of the two women he loved most of all. The senior Ultra briefly tightened his fist before laying it flat and placing his hand on Z’s shoulder, eliciting a small giggle.

He tilted his head slightly, confused at Z’s behavior, but ignored it for the time being. “Z, I appreciate the help, but I can handle it from here.”

Z reared his hand back before jumping up in excitement. “Nice try! But I’m not missing out on fighting with you!”

“Nope!” Ace barked. “This is not a simulation at school, this is the real thing!”

“But what better way to learn than out on the field?” Z asked, slapping his hands together, briefly looking around the world. “And besides, this planet looks pretty.”

“No!” Ace yelled out. “You need to leave now. This is not negotiable.”

“Oh com…” Z spoke as Ace elbowed him on the arm, forcing him to stumble towards the side. “Ow! What was that for?”

The younger turned to Ace, wondering why his father struck him, but saw him slamming his hands against his head. A blue beam shot out the jewel on his forehead, striking Aribunta on the chest, sending him crashing down.

“Oh….” Z murmured, realizing why his dad did what he did. Ace turned back to him and offered him a hand back up. Z’s eyes immediately blew up once more, enamored by how effortlessly he dispatched that kaiju. “That was so cool!”

“Yes, yes, yes, I know,” Ace spoke, helping the younger Ultra up. “Now, you need to go before things get worse.”

“Two Ultras, huh?” the Guironian vocalized, spotting both Ultras standing close together, as Ace immediately placed himself in front of Z. He placed his hands together, wincing from the pain of his hands still being fractured. “This will be even more fun than I thought.”

“Looks like I’m staying after all,” Z mused, grinning at his dad.

“I like your attitude!” the Guironian praised, pointing his claw towards Z, but was immediately struck down by a Metalium Beam.

“Fuck off!” Ace yelled out, watching the last bit of energy leave his hands.

Z clapped his hands together and bounced up and down. “That was so cool!”

“Z,” Ace simply muttered, attempting to get him to calm down.

“Fuck off!” Z chanted excitedly, clapping his hands as he turned back to his dad. “I can’t wait to learn that move!”

“That’s his kid, isn’t it?” Ayame asked, putting two and two together upon witnessing Z’s naive, child-like behavior.

“I guess so,” Mitsuko replied, studying the younger Ultra and his behavior. “He seems nice, compared to our own.”

“The smartest thing he did was not raise him,” Ayame called out.

“Shut it, Ayame!” Ace barked back, hearing their voices ring throughout his head, evoking a confused look from Z.

“Not now!” Ace dismissed, realizing the younger Ultra heard him, watching as the Guironian and Aribunta slowly got up, readying to launch their next attack on them. He snapped his attention back to Z. “Okay, you lost your chance to leave.”

“Yes!” Z excitedly exclaimed, pumping his hands in the air as Ace mentally slapped himself against the face.

“You’re going to focus on Aribunta while I focus on this silver asshole,” Ace relayed, briefly turning to the Guironian. “Avoid the acid and flames, and try to focus your attacks on his back.”

“Right!” Z acknowledged, rearing himself back to get a headstart. “Let’s do this!”

Before Ace could even move, Z ran straight towards Aribunta who watched his charging foe. The ant choju unleashed a torrent of flames at the younger Ultra. Z smirked as he leapt off the ground and over the flames.

“I don’t believe it….” Ace remarked, feeling a small sense of pride in the younger Ultra for avoiding the attack.

“Dad, look!” Z called out from the space above Aribunta. “I’m doing it! I’m doing i…..”

Aribunta wasted no time by striking his airborne adversary with his tail, sending him crashing into a building. “Ow….” Z moaned out, feeling himself struggling to get out of the debris laying on top of him.

Ace went forward, attempting to rescue him, but felt several bullets strike against his burnt back. The senior Ultra roared out from the pain striking his very sensitive skin. Ace glared at the Guironian, as it waved its left claw at him.

“I don’t think so,” Guironian chuckled.

“You should have followed my advice, asshole,” Ace remarked, stomping his foot into the ground, dirt shooting up to his ankle, with electricity circulating around it.

“Is that so?” asked the Guironian, aiming his claws at Ace once more, intending to strike him with a hail of bullets.

“Unlike that piece of shit Jack, I don’t feel compassion for the likes of you,” Ace retaliated, allowing the yellow colored electricity build up around his foot.

“Hmm…. that doesn’t seem very noble of an Ultra Brother,” the Guironian spoke, keeping his composure, but at his core, confused at what the rage filled Ultra’s angle was. “No matter, like before, I can end this fight easily.”

“You want to take that bet, you filthy Pigmon?” inquired Ace, tightening his hands as he winced shortly after from the pain.

“Gladly,” the Guironian spoke, sending the wave of bullets out of his claws, but Ace kept his smirk, launching himself in the sky.

Ace struck his electric foot out at the Guironian as he looked up to see what the Ultra was doing. However, it was too late as the Ultra struck him directly in the center of his face, shooting electricity down his entire body. The agent of Yapool attempted to counter it, but felt himself effectively paralyzed by the kick.

The Ultra landed back on his feet and watched as the still electrocuted Guironian collapsed on his back. Ace walked over to the downed agent, staring right down at him as he watched him struggle with what was effectively a simple kick of his head.

“This changes nothing!” the Guironian spat, attempting to raise his claws, but screeched out. The surge of electricity was still running all over his body. “You may have won today, but….”

Ace slammed his foot down on the Guironian’s neck and moved it to the right, bringing about a loud snap. The Guironian’s bright green eyes went dark, his entire body went limp while Ace turned around to find Z still struggling in his fight against Aribunta.

“At least he can hold his own,” Ace observed, watching Z fire a Zestium Beam at Aribunta, forcing him to stumble back a few steps. However, the ant monster fired another torrent of flames, inducing a scream from Zett as he ran behind a building for cover. “Kind of.”

The senior Ultra sighed, bolting over towards the distracted Aribunta and jumping into the air. He positioned himself in the form of delivering an Ace kick, stretching his leg outward and allowing it to collide into the choju’s left tendril, shattering it.

Aribunta screamed out as it stumbled a few feet, rearing itself as another piece of its body was broken off. The ant kaiju ignored the pain and shrieked out, turning around and striking Ace with its claws. Its hands cast a diagonal scar that just missed his right eye. Ace screamed out, but the light shining out of his new scar temporarily blinded Aribunta, forcing both to stumble away from each other.

Ace gripped his face, scanning the city for Z, noticing him slowly emerge from behind the building. He knew Z was in better shape than him and that he had the potential to end this fight here and now.

“Z!” Ace called out, immediately gaining his attention. “Fire the beam! Finish him!”

Z grinned, feeling his body radiate with excitement as he moved his hands, tracing through the air to form a ‘z’ in front of him. Blue energy materialized in front of him as Arbiunta regained his footing, readying to continue the fight.

A blue light then shone in front of him, as he looked up to see energy erupt from the younger Ultra. It couldn’t react or even form a final thought, with the wave of energy crashing into the choju, blowing its upper half into pieces.

Both Ace and Z watched the bottom half of the kaiju collapse onto the ground while smoke went up into the air. The younger Ultra turned to Ace and grinned. “That was awesome!”

Ace took a moment to breathe before he was swallowed up by a huge, overbearing hug from his partners’ son. “We did it! We did it! We fight so well together!”

With Ace’s burnt body and his hands still recovering, Z’s affection hurt a lot compared to when he was a child. He barely felt them then, but irony dictated he felt the death grip swallow him up.

“OW!” Ace roared out, with Z quickly relinquishing his grasp on his dad.

“Sorry!”

Off in the distance, a beige quadruped observed the concluding battle, growling at the two. It soon felt a hand rub over his head, ceasing its intended hostility. The beast looked up to see its master, a black figure with a yellow visor glancing down at him.

It purred with delight, resting its head up against its master.

“Soon, my friend,” the figure spoke, watching the two Ultras interact with each other. “Let them have this victory.”

 

Chapter 8: “Z, why!?”

He was a free man.

Two-thousand years spent in a prison.

Ace was able to see the sky again, allowing himself to breathe out. The world above him was white, a rare color for the sky to be on for the Ultra homeworld. He heard an old superstition that it was symbolic for one’s mind to be filled with clarity.

Ultraman Ace scoffed at the idea, feeling so many thoughts combating each other for dominance. He strolled down the streets, furious at how the mission went so poorly and how he paid the price. All that time wasted because of something that was no fault of his own.

Then, there was them, and their child he hadn’t seen yet. They must be furious at him. He shook his head, knowing they’d probably kill him if he never stopped by. Ace huffed before picking his direction in his life.

He soon arrived at the home, taking note of its purple crystalline walls and the white roof over it. Ace approached the doorstep and knocked instantaneously, readying himself for the bombardment of lectures he would receive.

As he predicted, the door flung open to Yuri standing in front of him. Her fists on her hips as she seemingly glared at one of her partners standing at her doorstep. He slowly lifted his hand up to wave at her, but was immediately cut off.

Yuri pulled himself inside, wrapping her arms around him to the point of squeezing him. He couldn’t even muster the strength to say anything as she silenced him with a passionate kiss, excited to see her lover once more.

She then pulled away, smiling brightly at him. “It’s so good to see you again!”

Her and Ruko will always surprise him. He felt himself relieved from any sort of tension, as if Yuri could be happy to see him, then Ruko would be thrilled. He kept his hands on her waist as she led him over to the sofa, motioning for him to sit.

“You want anything?” Yuri inquired, wanting to make sure he was taken care of after his long stay in that dreadful cell.

Ace waved his hand dismissively, smiling at her. “I’m good.”

“Oh!” Yuri exclaimed, lifting her finger up, snapping her head back to the hallway. “Ruko! Ace is here!”

“Ace?!” Ruko’s voice cried out with excitement, his voice ringing throughout the whole house. Within seconds, Ruko bolted down the hallway, with his tiara shining brightly, reflecting it towards Ace’s eyes, forcing him to shield them.

“Perhaps that tiara was a bit too much,” Ace mentally noted to himself, slowly meeting Ruko’s gaze, as he saw their child in his hands. His eyes lit up as he saw the little Ultra’s round, bubbly face as he returned his stare.

Ace lifted his hand up towards the child as Zett did the same, their index fingers making contact with each other. The Ultra Brother chuckled as the toddler stretched his arms towards him, wanting to be in the arms of this man.

The Ultra Brother looked up at Ruko before nodding at him excitedly. Ace took a hold of the child as Ruko plopped himself right next to his lover, wrapping his arm around him. The Ultra Brother exhaled, feeling his breathing trembling as he embraced the child while Z cooed at him, flashing his hands at him.

Ace chuckled before pulling him closer as he closed his eyes. “He’s adorable.”

“Smartest thing you’ve ever said,” Yuri murmured, lightly tapping Ace on the side of the head, grinning at seeing Zett and his father bonding.

“I suppose that’s true,” Ace said, pulling him away just slightly, but keeping his grasp on the toddler firm. “So, what did I miss?”

Yuri and Ruko glanced at each other, smirking at the stories they could tell Ace. The former immediately bursted out laughing, “Zett’s first word was Pigmon!”

Ace nearly shot out in his seat from excitement, feeling his insides beginning to rupture as he started to howl with laughter. He kept his grip firm on Zett secure, but felt himself struggling due to the shock of the child’s first word.

The Ultra Brother stared down at Zett, offering him a high five. “Good job, little guy.”

The child slowly raised his hand up, softly matching his touch with Ace’s. “Tank you, Race….”

Ace reared his head slightly, turning it to Ruko scratching his head nervously. “He’s still getting the hang of it.”

Ace chuckled. “Figures.”

“Oh!” Yuri exclaimed, clapping her hands as she bounced up and down. “Don’t forget to tell him about the last time we saw your parents.”

“My…” Ace almost asked, but realized she was referring to Marie and Ken as opposed to his real parents. He huffed, feeling almost relieved she was talking about them instead. “Oh?”

“Zett completely scared Ken with a game of peekaboo!” Ruko exclaimed, feeling giddy over how the innocent game turned into a full on mystery.

“He fooled Ken!?” Ace exclaimed, feeling a sense of pride in the child, turning to the cooing Zett. His step-dad was one of the most intelligent people of their race and to be outsmarted by a baby was an amazing feat. Ace pinched Zett’s chubby cheek lightly. “Care to explain how you did that?”

Zett stared at him for a moment as he turned to Yuri for reassurance as she nodded with approval. The child stared up at Ace, speaking lightly. “I hid while he closed his eyes.”

Ace turned and frowned at Ruko as he simply giggled at the response. He was annoyed at the child not being watched at all times, feeling like he’d have a heart attack if he ever lost track of a child of his. However, a thought occurred in his head, realizing something about the conclusion.

“Marie found him, didn’t she?”

“Mhm,” hummed Yuri. “Under the floorboard of the shed.”

“After four hours,” added Ruko, forcing Ace’s eyes to go wide.

“Four hours!?” Ace exclaimed with pure shock in his voice as he felt himself, trembling with fear. He loved both his whole family to death, but all four of them were equally irresponsible for allowing Zett to disappear for such a long time. “He could have been dead!?”

“We gave them an earful, don’t you worry!” Yuri relayed, attempting to reassure him.

“I don’t care about the earful!” Ace clarified. “If he were my child, I’d never let him out of my sight!”

The room went silent, as Ace, despite feeling justified with his outburst, immediately regretted what he said. He went to apologize, but was beaten to the punch by Ruko’s soft voice.

“You’re his parent, too.”

“Parent? You’re still on this?”

Ace found himself still uncomfortable with the idea of him being a father to Zett. His anger has subsided, as apprehension took form. He couldn’t even think of the past transgression, with his focus now turned to his own insecurities. Ace had to think of something, a way to convince him he could and would not be a father.

“But you’re the two who conceived him, I had nothing to do with it,” Ace countered, feeling his palms becoming uneasy, bringing the child up close to his chest, making sure he didn’t lose his grip.

Ruko shook his head, playfully dismissing what Ace was trying to convey to them. “No force in the universe could ever tell us the three of us can’t be Zett’s parents.”

“I… uh….” Ace attempted to speak, but found himself struggling to refuse his partners. He couldn’t see himself as the child’s parent, not because he felt any disdain for him, but knew deep down, he’d be terrible at it. The Ultra Brother already knew Zett was in the best hands possible and him being a father would only repeat the cycle he experienced when his parents abandoned him. “I can’t accept being his dad…. we’re not even of the same blood.”

“Blood has nothing to do with it,” Yuri countered, eliciting a stern, but kind look at her partner, rubbing his shoulder. “He is your son.”

“It’s okay to be afraid, Ace,” Ruko softly chimed in, peeking his head around his son, giving Ace a small smile. “Being a parent is scary, but we’re here for each other.”

Ace considered their words as he looked into Zett’s big, round eyes. He didn’t believe a word Yuri and Ruko said about him being a father, but he loved that child. Ace couldn’t resist and would do anything to make sure he lived a long life. He just didn’t know if he wanted to say or even think about Zett as his child.

Ace pulled the toddler in for a hug, not wanting to ever let him go as Zett placed his tiny hands onto his father’s shoulders. One of the rare times Ace wasn’t filled with anger.

He couldn’t deny that Zett made his life far brighter than he could have ever dreamed of.

***

“Z,” Ace huffed, bringing his thumb and index finger up to the center of his face. “I’m going to ask again. Why are you here?”

“Because I wanted to see you,” Z reasoned, stretching his limbs out after the intense fight he and his dad just went through. “And I always wanted to fight by your side.”

Ace grumbled at the answer, taking a step forward. “My mission here would have only been about a year.”

“A year?” Mitsuko nearly exclaimed, as she snapped the wall separating her and Ayame.

Ayame’s eyes widened in shock, grasping the idea that their Ultra would have forced them to abandon their home at any given moment. “Don’t you ever think about leaving this planet!”

Ace heard their voices, muttering in annoyance over their input. “We will talk about this after I’m done with my so…. Z.”

Zett cocked his head, completely baffled by his dad’s recent habit of talking to himself. He reached out, attempting to find a way to sooth his father’s apparent ailment. “Are you feeling okay? You seem to be talking to yourself a lot.”

“See you what you two have done!?” Ace barked at his hosts, turning his attention back to Zett, calming himself down in front of him. “I recently had to bond with two of the planet’s natives.”

“Oh!” Zett exclaimed. “That makes sense!”

“Yes, of course,” Ace said, waving his hand around before another pressing thought exploded in his mind, forcing his heart to beat fast. “Wait, do your parents know you’re here!?”

“Uh……” Z trailed off, scratching the back of his head, chuckling nervously at the answer.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Ace groaned, slapping himself in the face. He took a moment to breathe, as he approached the younger Ultra, placing his hands on his shoulders. “Z, listen to me, okay?”

“I’m all ears,” Zett spoke happily, excited to receive the next set of orders his dad had planned for him. His mind was brimming with possibilities on what they could do together.

“Remember, you can’t stay on this planet, because your color timer is about to turn red and you need to go home, so your parents won’t be worried sick,” Ace relayed the instructions to Zett, annoyed he had to tell him basic anatomy, but he knew Z needed to be occasionally reminded of things. He could only hope Z would listen to him. “Got it?”

“You bet!” Zett enthusiastically exclaimed.

“Thank you….” Ace spoke, feeling relieved he got through to the young Ultra. As much of a hassle as this was, he was thankful to see Zett again. The next time he was on Land of Light, he’d have to get something really good for Z for saving his life.

“This little guy will do!” Zett called out, snapping Ace away from his tranquility.

“Wait, what!?” Ace exclaimed, as he scanned the area to find Z pointing to a small kid observing the ruined battlefield. The senior Ultra went to raise his mouth to counteract, but realized the situation was about to change entirely.

“Chiharu!?” Ayame screamed out, fear washing over her entire body, watching as the boy was at the complete mercy of the new Ultra.

“Z, don’t!” Ace cried out, attempting to stop Zett from fusing with the nearby human, but his voice fell onto deaf ears.

Z’s body disappeared and merged with the child, before taking the younger Ultra’s body form once again. Zett threw his arms up in excitement, racing back over to father, performing a victory jump.

“Now I can stay here even longer!” Z exclaimed.

Ace stared at the younger Ultra, taking a deep breath, as he could feel the inside of his head burning up from Ayame’s anger. She was about to blow up at any moment, leaving him with a splitting headache and a kid who was almost an adult. He couldn’t find himself angry, just very disappointed by the outcome.

“Z.”

“Yeah?” Zett inquired, his tone of voice dropping slightly, upon reading his dad’s face, taking note of how he wasn’t overjoyed. He had no idea what Ace was about to say and for once, gathered a glimpse of things not being as great as they seem.

“You just made everything worse.”

 

Chapter 9: Family Feud

“She’s really mad, huh, Ace?” Z asked his dad, turning away from Ayame, only to find him nowhere in sight. The Ultra perked his head back before scanning the entire room for Ace. “Weird. I wonder why he’s not here.”

“I don’t think you can see my sister’s Ultra,” Chiharu explained, glancing at the Ultra, his eyes shooting a concerned look. “And I don’t think either one is happy with us at the moment.”

“Right, right,” Ultraman Z acknowledged, shaking his head. “Perhaps, I could go talk to her.”

The boy shook his head as Z shot his finger up. “All you have to do is chant my name.”

“Uh, not at the moment,” Chiharu gulped, realizing Ayame was now towering over her younger brother, furious at him.

“Chiharu, stop talking to the Ultra,” Ayame commanded, her arms folded together, as she tapped her shoulders.

Chiharu did as he was told and stared at her. His spine tickled while sweat trickled down him, his heart beating faster than an intense game of dodgeball. He saw his sister exhibit her fury, but never towards himself, and now that day has come.

He was doomed.

“What the hell were you doing there!?” Ayame snapped, her voice cracking. She was furious at her brother, but upset at the possibility he could have died from the choju.

Chiharu stepped back, gulping. “I… just wanted to make sure you and Mitsuko were safe and…”

“Looking after me is not your job!” Ayame interrupted, throwing her arms just past him, causing him to jolt in shock. Her eyes watered, the possible reality of where her brother died just hours before sunk in even if he was standing in front of her. Her stomach turned to knots, she never wanted to yell at her brother or even be angry, but she had no choice. She had to make it clear. “I’m the one who’s supposed to look after you!”

Chiharu hung his head down, sniffling at making her cry. Even if she would deny it, he knew his actions hurt her and he was ashamed of himself.

Z reached out towards him and attempted to offer some words to his new friend, but reeled back. He saw a shadow cast itself over the boy as he turned over to see Ayame standing above him. The young Ultra titled his head as his host looked up at his older sister.

The boy wiped away his tears as he saw Ayame smiling softly at him. She knelt down in front of him and huffed out, “I exploded, because I was afraid of losing you, okay?”

Chiharu attempted to speak, but was drowned out by his sadness, his mistake. He knew nothing he could say would suffice and just nodded.

“I.. just….” Ayame struggled to speak, gently placing her hands on his shoulders, looking him in the eye. “You and Mitsuko are my family, and I can’t fathom what I’d do if I lost either one of you.”

They stared at each other until she slowly pulled him in for a hug. She held onto him tightly as she rubbed his back. “Just…. don’t do this again…. Please.”

Ayame reared back slightly to look back at him as he nodded, eliciting another small grin from her. She looked at him, only for it to now dawn on her that he thinks he’s still in trouble. Ayame chuckled as she ran her hand through his hair, ruffling it up. “You’re not in trouble, Chi.”

Chiharu smiled at her, finally finding himself able to speak once more. “You got it, Ay.”

“Good,” Ayame murmured, playfully hitting him on the shoulder, as she slowly turned around to look at Ace standing behind her. Her warm, kind face morphed into a cold, growling mess as she wanted to shove him face first into the oven. “And you! Why the hell did you allow your kid to merge with my brother!?”

“Hey! I’m not the one who told him to possess anyone!” Ace barked back, glancing at Chiharu, looking him in the eye, as if he was trying to focus on Z. “He misunderstood me.”

“Oh!” Ayame yelled out, raising her hands mockingly at him. “That makes it all okay, then! It was just a simple misunderstanding! No harm, no foul!”

“Sarcasm!” Ace retaliated, taking a step forward as he tightened his fist. “Not helping our predicament here!”

“Fuck you!” Ayame screamed out, spinning towards her little brother, her tone completely changing. She smiled at him, kneeling down ever so slightly. “Chiharu, do you think you can bring Z out? I need to have a chat with him.”

Ace’s body froze.

“No.”

He’d known her for less than a month and saw how she treated people she barely knew. While he didn’t claim to be the kindest of souls, he had an affinity for Z, and vowed he’d never let anything bad happen to him. Ace deduced his host was very likely going to attempt to harm the younger Ultra.

“Don’t even think about laying a finger on him!” Ace threatened, standing right beside her, glaring intensively down at her.

Ayame moved her head slightly to his direction and met his glare with her own. “He needs to answer for merging with my brother and putting his life on the line!”

Ace snarled at her, his hands tightening up, his entire body beginning to twitch. As if he were a creature from a horror movie, his body began curling down towards her, moving in all different directions with pure anger, rage readying to erupt at any given second.

His face now just an inch away from hers, Ace hissed at his host. “The moment I take over, and mark my words it will happen, I will go back to my planet and have us be separated, leaving you and Mitsuko to ash.”

Ayame continued focusing on her glare towards him as Ace did the same. She didn’t want this pathetic excuse of a soldier to win, but the TAC soldier knew the Ultra well enough that he was willing to let them both die. For the sake of both Mitsuko and Chiharu, she shook her head and backed off.

“Ultraman Z!” a voice enthusiastically called out, calling for both of them to turn away from each and towards the new figure in the room.

They both saw Z standing before them as he performed a small wave towards Ayame. “I don’t suppose my dad is with you right now.”

“Unfortunately, he is,” Ayame answered, briefly shooting her Ultra a nasty look at Ace.

“Ah, good,” Z breathed out, relaxing his shoulders. “I, uh, I’m Z, or Zett as some people call me.”

The younger Ultra stepped forward, offering his hand towards Ayame. She looked at his silvery hands and slowly took it into her own, slowly shaking his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you…” Ayame nearly stammered out, feeling tensions beginning to escalate. Ace tightened his hands once more, feeling ready to strike when given the opportunity to change as he saw the two exchange hands.

“Dad isn’t so bad, he’s just protective,” Z explained, rubbing his shoulder as he turned towards his general direction. He couldn’t see him, but sensed where his general area would be after observing his and Ayame’s argument.

“Definitely charming,” Ayame sarcastically remarked, taking a moment to observe the new Ultra. She found him more appealing on the eyes compared to Ace, more variety for the coloring schemes on his body and she preferred his attitude more. Ayame, however, did chalk it up to him still being a kid, but it could still be a lot worse.

“I guess, I, uh….” Z stammered, twiddling his fingers as Ayame kept her gaze on him. “I should apologize for what I did. For merging with your little brother.”

“Yeah, I suppose you should,” Ayame said, rolling her eyes at his grievous mistake.

“I’m sorry,” Z murmured, lifting his head down as Ayame studied him, taking note of the obvious flashing itself at her.

“Either he and Chiharu were made for each other, or he’s a quick learner,” Ayame privately mused to herself.

She sighed, realizing screaming and fighting to the death wouldn’t solve anything. “Just don’t ever let anything bad happen to Chiharu.”

Z nodded enthusiastically, throwing up a salute towards her, eliciting a slight draw back in confusion from Ayame. “No need to worry! I won’t let anything happen to him! You have my word.”

Ayame smirked at him as she heard a chuckle from behind. She glanced over to see Mitsuko entering the room. “Gotta say, he’s adorable.”

“Oh!” Z spoke up, walking towards her as he offered the nurse his hand. “I’m Z!”

The nurse giggled at his enthusiasm and shook it. “Mitsuko.”

The younger Ultra turned back to Ayame as if a lightbulb lit up. “One thing I should mention before I forget.”

“Go on?” Ayame inquired, curious to know what Zett was referring to.

“I didn’t merge with Chiharu to save his life, so whenever we come across a capsule, we can safely unmerge,” Zett explained, eliciting a sigh of relief from both Ayame and Mitsuko.

“And you’re sure of this?” Ayame questioned.

“Mhm,” Z answered. “Chiharu will be his old self.”

Ayame exhaled, smiling softly at the multicolored Ultra. “Thank you, Z.”

“Well, since you’ll be around for a while, why don’t I show you around the place,” Mitsuko relayed, stretching her arm around his shoulders, earning a yelp from Z.

“I’d like that!” Z spoke excitedly. “I like to know all of Earth’s customs and the food! Especially the food!”

“You’re in luck, then,” Mitsuko hummed, leading him towards the kitchen as Ayame smirked at them disappearing in the next room over.

“Already better than Ace,” Ayame said to herself.

“Shut up,” Ace spat. “And only because you said it.”

A ringing echoed throughout the whole apartment, alerting Ayame as she snapped her head to the device. Assuming the worst, Ayame ran over to the communications device and grabbed a hold of it, answering the call.

“What’s the situation?” the TAC soldier inquired, feeling ready to jump into combat once again, despite the ordeal these past couple of days have been.

“Easy, Miss Ohta,” Goro’s nonchalant voice oozed through the speaker, eliciting a calming effect on the young TAC soldier. “There’s a few things I want to brief you over regarding the Choju sightings.”

“Of course, sir,” Ayame relayed, pressing herself against the wall. “I can be there in thirty.”

“Not necessary,” Goro tsked, following it up with a chuckle. “I was thinking of having it over drinks or a warm meal.”

“Great. Penance is due,” Ayame mentally cursed to herself, realizing that dinner her captain proposed was now due.

She let out a sigh, acquiescing to his request, as she pretended to sound enthusiastic. “Absolutely. When were you thinking of having dinner?”

“I suppose Saturday isn’t out of the question?” Goro proposed, eliciting a head turn from Ayame as she eyed the calendar. She quietly prayed she had prior plans, but to her misfortune, nothing.

Ayame breathed. “Saturday would be okay.”

“Splendid!” Goro cheerfully exclaimed.

“Did you have a restaurant in mind?” Ayame thought to ask, not wanting to walk around aimlessly around the city before her boss finally picked a place. She heard her teammates gossiping how he’d take forever to decide where he wanted to eat. Ayame shook her head in annoyance, not wanting to know if those rumors were true.

“Actually, would it be okay if we had dinner at your residence, perhaps?” Goro inquired.

“Fuck….” Ayame muttered before slamming her hand over her mouth, nervous at the thought her superior heard her. A moment passed before she was cleared as she heard nothing from the other end. “I suppose that should be fine, I just need to give Mitsuko a heads up.”

“Of course!” Goro cheerfully exclaimed. “I’d like permission from both of you.”

“I appreciate that, sir,” Ayame relayed, feeling a slight sense of relief over her boss’ understanding and patient nature. She chuckled to herself, as she couldn’t help but think of him as the best boss she had. At least, by default. She sneered at the brief thought of all of her other superiors, how inconsiderate and forceful they were by nature.

Goro was odd, but she couldn’t help but hate the guy. He had a strange yet appealing aura to him, she couldn’t exactly refuse him either. Her mind continued to wander, trying to figure out what exactly was his ordeal. Perhaps he was just lonely and wanted friends, or even to fill his life with noise? She didn’t know and probably still won’t by the time Saturday is finished.

Her search ceased when Goro’s voice was heard once again. “Of course! Feeling welcomed is one of my favorite sensations.”

Ayame couldn’t help but to chuckle at his delivery. She asked herself how this strange yet quirky man became captain of TAC. Perhaps, that was a question she could ask over dinner.

Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad at all.

***

Saturday

Mitsuko hummed to herself, stirring the pot with a wooden spoon. She looked in to see the liquid boiling as the potatoes, carrots, and beef swam in its confinement. Mitsuko couldn’t be more happy to have another guest come over. It was something she had constantly nagged Ayame about, wanting for the both of them to socialize with others.

She was eager to gain more insight into Ayame’s worklife as she barely divulged into her work life. Mitsuko continued buzzing, grabbing a hold of a knife as she moved it over to a lone onion. With a few chops, it was perfectly sliced and diced. Mitsuko lifted the cutting board and dumped the contents into the pot.

“You’re not too bad with a knife,” Ace commented, immediately ceasing Mitsuko’s, transforming into a yelp. She pointed the knife towards Ace, intending to strike, causing Ace to fold his arms. “Again, that’s not gonna hurt me.”

Mitsuko sighed, fully realizing it was just her Ultra appearing next to her. “Next time please come out in front of me.” She looked down at her knife, barely keeping her grip on the blade before setting it down on the counter. “I could have damaged the wall.”

“So?” Ultraman Ace inquired. “Not like anyone would get hurt.”

“But we’d lose the deposit,” Mitsuko countered, raising an eyebrow at him as he stared at her, highly confused on what she meant. She took his silence as he had no idea what she was talking about. “It’s part of what we paid to live here, on the off chance we damaged the apartment in any way.”

Ace cocked his head to the side, baffled by the information she relayed to him. “That sounds incredibly stupid.”

“You don’t have anything like that?”

“Nope,” Ace answered, shrugging his shoulders. “Every Ultra is given a basic home and then we’re free to build upon it however we like.”

“That sounds beautiful,” Mitsuko murmured, her eyes lighting up with how beautiful his people were treated. “If only that’s how it was here.”

“Your species is truly stupid, isn’t it?” mused Ace, hovering over the pot. He glanced down at its contents and was curious by what everything was. “Is that what Z was so excited about the other day?”

Mitsuko smiled. “It’s curry.”

“And people eat this?” Ace inquired, feeling slightly disgusted by its appearance.

“Mhm,” Mitsuko answered, walking back up the pot and stirring it once again. “It’s a delicacy.”

“Perhaps I’ll try the simulated version back home,” Ace said, his curiosity piqued as this strange dish below him was universally loved. He shook his head, realizing Z will be here on this backwater planet for a while, he may as well know the customs in the off chance he needed to bail him out. “Anything I can do to help?”

She smiled, appreciating her Ultra willing to help out with supper. Mitsuko eyed the kitchen, attempting to find some sort of use for Ace, but found nothing. The host didn’t want his offer to go to waste as she spoke, “Keep me company.”

Ace chuckled at the simple request. “Of course.”

He leaned against the counter only to phase right through it, earning another laugh from Mitsuko. Ace slowly recovered, coming back to her line of sight, hovering his arm just above the surface. “I hate this.”

“You’ll get the hang of it,” Mitsuko cheered. “Z is doing pretty well with it right now.”

“Is he now?” asked Ace, finding himself becoming more comfortable with his current position.

“Yup,” confirmed Mitsuko. “He’s really eager to learn, you must be proud of him.”

“More or less thanks to Rutia and Yuri,” Ace clarified. “I just kinda help out on occasion.”

“Don’t be so modest; I see the way you look at Z,” Mitsuko reasoned, banging the wooden spoon on the top of the pot, allowing its remains to drop back in. “You care about him and want the best for him.”

Ace smirked. She was right in the sense that he wanted what was best for Z, but horribly wrong at her implying he’s his father. “I helped him out with a few things. Such as how to fire his beam, fly, and lightning sphere.”

“Yeah, you were being a father,” reasoned Mitsuko, softly smiling at Ace’s pleasant side. She still saw him as a jerk, but was beginning to see he was more than that. He was like anyone on this planet, a person with problems, but another side that’ll bring the best out someone.

“He doesn’t need a father,” Ace replied, looking slightly down dismissively. “He already has two wonderful parents that teach him righ….. almost teach him right and wrong.”

“Despite your behavior, you at least teach him responsibility and provide stability,” Mitsuko added, deducing the right areas Ace was succeeding in his personal life. “Rutia and Yuri seem like wonderful people, but he needs you, they need you.”

Ace sighed, understanding her intentions and despite being annoyed by it, he still couldn’t find it in him to be furious at her. He just didn’t know why. Was it because she reminded him of Rutia? Or that he was starting to grow attracted to her?

The Ultra shivered at the thought of being with a human, equating it to dating an insect.

“Yeah, and you don’t need a third partner, idiot,” Ace cursed to himself, even though he couldn’t deny the comfort she brought to him. Her smile and kindness were infectious.

The Ultra sighed once more, realizing he hadn’t responded to his host. “While what you say is true, Z needs parents who are normal.”

“Normal?”

“Normal as in not being out in the field, fighting for your life against the kaiju,” Ace clarified. “And a parent who doesn’t fly off the handle, parents who are kind.”

“Hey,” Mitsuko said, taking her eyes off the cooking, giving Ace her full attention. She empathized with the Ultra, knowing he was scared about being a parent. His and Ayame’s arguments were migraine inducing, but was a good person when the right time came. “As others have pointed out, you’re an asshole, but…..”

“But?” Ace asked, curious to know where she was going with her rationale.

“You’d be a great dad, you just have to let them in and not worry if you’ll do bad,” Mitsuko explained, a soft tune oozing from her mouth with every word she spoke. “You just have to move through life with your child.”

Ace stared at her, taking in what she relayed to him. She was right and couldn’t argue against it. He just didn’t want Z to be hurt even further than before. Him officially being his dad would be an amazing feeling for all four of them, but the moment he dies on a mission, it’ll only bring a never ending wave of hurt.

“Perhaps you’re right, perhaps I can try with Z sometime,” Ace murmured, feeling his heart beat rise slightly.

“That’s the spirit!” Mitsuko cheered enthusiastically. “He’d be thrilled to spend more time with you.”

“What about you?” Ace asked. “You and Ayame ever thought about having little ones?”

“I’d love to,” Mitsuko answered happily, feeling warmth over the thought of having kids. “Been wanting them for as long as I can remember.”

“I think you have what it takes,” Ace spoke, motivating her ever so slightly.

“I appreciate that,” thanked Mitsuko, before her smile morphed into a frown. She turned around, leaning against the counter, remembering her recent failure. The death of Yuka still shook her greatly. It was as if a test was thrown onto her lap and failed just because she couldn’t do anything about it. Perhaps it was easier telling someone they could be a parent than to actually be one.

“But after the incident, I don’t know.”

“Yuka…” Ace surmised.

“Yes.” Mitsuko looked down, avoiding eye contact with her Ultra. “I just keep thinking. What if I’m in that situation and I can’t save my child like I failed with her. I could have ran faster, I could have pushed everyone out of the way. Literally anything!”

Ace sighed. He hated seeing her in such low spirits, especially when as she put it, being powerless to do anything. The Ultra knew it was never her fault. It was always his responsibility to save humanity and he himself should be labeled as the ‘failure’, not her.

“Don’t blame yourself,” Ace commanded, moving his hands behind his back. “Blame me.”

Mitsuko lifted her head up, studying his body language. It was as if he was attempting to impersonate an officer taking full responsibility for his failure, to spare the crew of any punishment. She respected him for it and only proved her point that he had redeeming qualities.

“No,” Mitsuko murmured.

Ace reared his head back, confused at how she could be so tolerant of him. From constantly picking fights with her partner, his screaming and his ruthless approach to conflicts, he had no idea how she could even like him.

“Why are you being so kind?” Ace questioned, continued to be fascinated yet frustrating with this anomaly of a human being. “I’ve been nothing but a hindrance to you and Ayame.”

Mitsuko smiled softly at him, slightly shaking her head. “Can I impart some advice to you? Something my mother taught me when I was a child.”

Ace nodded.

“Don’t lose your kindness. Take care of the weak and help each other. And don’t stop trying to be friendly with people from other places. No matter how many times you’re disappointed,” Mitsuko spoke, reciting every word her mom taught her. That message had a powerful effect on her, believing it was something everyone needed to hear.

Ace stood there motionless. Before this conversation began, he expected a conflict, but was met with just words. Words telling him he could be better. Just like how Jack imparted onto him months ago.

Neither of them had any interest in fighting him.

Outcomes he never accounted for.

“Am I stuck?” Ace thought to himself, feeling his soul sink at the words flooding his mind.

 

Chapter 10: “Dinner”

“Sir!” Ayame exclaimed, observing her captain standing in the hallway, sharply dressed in a black suit. She was surprised by how well her superior was dressed, immediately questioning herself if she and Mitsuko should have worn something more fancy. “I didn’t expect you to show up so well dressed.”

Goro laughed at her remark, handing Ayame a gold and blue bottle of wine. “It speaks to me.”

Ayame inspected the bottle, tracing her fingers over the gold lines plastered over the blue paint. She never heard of the brand before as she turned the bottle over to find the name of it.

“Hokuto and Minami,” Ayame murmured as she glanced up at her superior. “An interesting choice, sir.”

“No need to call me ‘sir’, Miss Ohta,” Goro spoke, placing his index and middle finger on his eyebrow before giving her a small salute. “We’re outside of work and here to enjoy ourselves.”

“Of course, Goro,” Ayame complied, slightly smiling at her superior. She motioned for him to enter her apartment as he followed her instructions. He inspected the apartment, smiling at how well decorated it was.

“The beauty of your home is inspiring,” Goro complimented, briefly rubbing his hands as he turned his attention to Ayame. He took note of the bright red dress she was wearing with a silver colored jacket covering her shoulders. “You should be proud.”

“I appreciate the compliment, si…. Goro,” Ayame said, feeling proud to gain her superior’s praise even if she wasn’t fully on board with this dinner.

“And I must thank you for agreeing to have dinner with me,” Goro expressed, bringing a black bag out in front of him, glancing down momentarily at it. “Some things I brought for dinner. I wasn’t fully sure what we’d want, so I figure we all could decide.”

“Great…. The rumors are true,” Ayame mentally deduced, placing her hand on her forehead. She already dreaded the four hour session of her captain’s indecisiveness.

Ayame then lowered her hand and motioned it over towards the kitchen. “Well, we can at least set the stuff there.”

Goro nodded his head, following her into the kitchen where he was instructed to set his stuff on the table where he caught Mitsuko in his line of sight. He offered a small wave before he stuck his hand out to offer her a handshake.

She smiled back at him, taking him up on the offer, shaking his hand. Goro took note of her red pantsuit with her brown hair tied up in a ponytail. The TAC captain chuckled. “Ah, I love your preference in clothing.”

Mitsuko giggled from his compliment as she made the finishing touches to the meal they’re about to have. The smell of the meal ascended up Goro’s nose, lifting his spirits to a new high he could never have imagined. He could have sworn he was levitating in response to it, feeling himself motion over to the pot.

“Might I see what you’re cooking?” inquired Goro, raising his eyebrows at Mitsuko, anticipating the delicacy that was about to be served to everyone.

“Of course,” Mitusko complied, stepping aside, allowing him to look inside. He stared down at it for a moment before turning his gaze back to the cook.

Goro smiled at both Mitsuko and Ayame, clapping his hands together. “There’s no need to decide, I want some of that!”

“Oh thank god,” Ayame whispered to herself in relief, not having to go through the agonizing session of deciding what to have for dinner.

Ace briefly materialized in front of Ayame, glancing at her boss before turning his attention back to her in disbelief. “There’s no way this guy is human, right? It’s not just me.”

“Shh….” hissed Ayame, not wanting to hear his voice for the time being.

Ace rolled his eyes before dematerializing, leaving them in peace.

“So, shall we dig in?” Goro asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation to try the curry.

Everyone inside grabbed both a plate and bowl of food as they moseyed over to the table just across from the kitchen. They sat on beige cushions, feeling highly comfortable as they found themselves mesmerized by Mitsuko’s curry.

“Mhmm!” murmured Goro loudly, setting his bowl down on the table as he rubbed his chest. He looked over at Mitsuko seated to his right, bringing his hands up for a small round of applause. “This has to be the best curry I have ever tried in my life.”

Mitsuko’s cheeks grew bright red, surprised at the man’s compliment. “This? It’s nothing. Just something I whip up frequently.”

“Nonsense,” Goro dismissed, inspecting the meal below. “You could make a lot of money if you sell this to people. I know I’d eat at that restaurant.”

“Thank you for the compliments,” Mitsuko spoke, placing her hand under her chin. “Come to think of it, you might be my biggest fan of this.”

“Always will,” Goro chuckled, taking another spoonful of the curry. He soon took notice of the child on the other side of the table. He placed his spoon into the bowl and looked at Chiharu. “So, what are some things you’re into?”

Chiharu looked up to be greeted by the Captain’s smile. He paused for a moment before speaking. “Anime, waterparks, and Kamen Rider.”

“Kamen Rider?” Goro inquired, interest growing in his eyes as the name immediately sounded appealing to him. “Who’s that?”

“Oh boy….” Ayame spoke before taking a sip of her sake, knowing the full tangent her brother was about to go on.

“The greatest hero ever!” the boy exploded cheerfully, launching his arms outwards. “He stands up for the little guy while he stops the villainous Shocker from taking over the world!”

“Ooh!” Goro oozed out with excitement, already enamoured with the character’s commitment and heroics. “What channel and time would I catch his show?”

“He’s not a character,” Chiharu answered. “He’s a real superhero.”

The Captain stroked his chin. “You think he’d help us out at TAC? He sounds like he’d be of great use.”

“He’d be busy with Shocker, but I’m sure he’d charge in to save the day if we asked,” Chiharu surmised, taking another spoonful of his curry.

Goro glanced at Ayame as he half heartedly joked, “We could really use him.”

Ayame chuckled as her captain lowered his joking expression, turning his matters to serious business. “These attacks, starting with Garan, are all connected.”

“Really?” Ayame asked, leaning her head forward, fully understanding the weight of the conversation.

“Verokron was the first we were able to start piecing together with his emergence of the portal,” Goro paused, taking a sip of his wine. “The autopsies of King Kappa and Mazarius beforehand, however, were incredibly fruitful to our understanding.”

Ace briefly materialized next to Ayame and motioned for her to find out more. The Ultra was all the more curious about his new enemy. He may have only fought three of them, but they were already growing in power with each encounter. The Ultra hated to admit it, but this conflict wouldn’t last much longer if things kept proceeding as they did.

“What did the team find?”

“They were all created by one entity beyond our comprehension, a fusion of different beings. Verokron is composed of an ordinary kaiju and sea coral, the same with Aribunta, and so on,” Goro explained, feeling disgust over the method they were created along with their shared goal of wanting to destroy Earth, his planet. “I don’t even want to think about the possibilities involving kaiju like Godzilla or Gamera under that thing’s control.”

The rest of the table looked at him concerned over this shocking predicament. Ayame swallowed. “Then what’s the plan going forward?”

Goro placed his elbows onto the table, bringing his hands together, contemplating his course of action. “Their attacks will become more coordinated as evident by Aribunta’s assault, but it seems we now have two Ultras at the forefront of it all.”

Ayame, Mitsuko, and Chiharu all looked at each other, a sense of worry washing over them as they were terrified by what Goro was about to say. They all had a huge sense of dread, fearing the tiny possibility he could have caught on to them hosting the Ultras.

“However, without a concrete way of discerning who those hosts are, we’ll just have to focus on getting their attention on the battlefield,” Goro reasoned. “Them, or even Ultraman Jack, but that poses the same problem as well.”

“Jack!? No fucking way!” Ace blared, causing Ayame to shut her eyes and slam her hands against her head. His raging voice caused her head to hurt while Mitsuko’s hand seized, evoking a small gasp from her.

Goro slightly jumped back from the abrupt display of his subordinate seizing. He rushed over to Ayame, placing himself next to her as he held her steady. “Miss Ohta, Miss Abe, are the two of you alright?”

“Yeah… just…. A…. migraine suddenly came on,” Ayame breathed out, feelingly slightly relieved she wasn’t fully lying. The TAC soldier then shot a glare at Ace for not being able to control himself, turning her attention back to Mitsuko gripping her hand. “Mi, are you okay?”

Mitsuko nodded, loosening her grip on her hand. “I’m doing fine.”

She scooted over to her partner, wrapping herself around while Goro stood back up. “Is there anything I can do to help you all out?”

Ayame shook her head, feeling it still pounding. “No, sir… I just need to lie down.”

Goro nodded his head. “I understand, Miss Ohta. We need to be at our best for the oncoming storm.”

Mitsuko prepared to walk Ayame down the hall when Goro spoke again. “I appreciate you for letting me into your home. It was nice spending time with all three of you and I hope we can do this again.”

“Of course, Goro,” Ayame weakly said before being ushered into her bedroom as Goro simply smirked.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend, one of my most conflicting sayings.”

Goro sighed. He hated the method he would employ in the coming days towards Ayame and her family, but he knew it was the only way he could save them, the people and the planet he loved so much.

“But in the end, it’ll be worth it.”

 

Chapter 11: The Beginning of Our Consequences

Another day, another day out patrolling the streets.

Ayame smiled softly. An easy day of just keeping an eye out for the citizens and to stretch her legs out. She preferred it over staring at a screen back at base. The TAC soldier gave a small wave over to people passing by her as she continued on her designated patrol.

Unsurprisingly, Ace materialized right next to her, walking besides her. Ayame rolled her eyes slightly, annoyed by his appearance, but accepted there was nothing she could do about it. “Decided to join me on a stroll?”

“Mitsuko requested it after the incident,” Ace relayed, feeling slightly guilty for ruining their get-together the other night. Mostly for Mitsuko’s sake even if her pain wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Ayame’s.

“Ah, so you are willing to listen,” Ayame surmised before thinking of a request. “Think you could stand here for the rest of the day?”

“Don’t push it,” Ace spat dismissively at the suggestion. “And besides, she’s not so bad.”

Ayame nearly huffed in response. “So you do actually like someone?”

“Don’t push it,” Ace instinctively responded, smirking slightly at his other host, already missing the conversations he’d have with her.

“Fair enough.” Ayame shrugged, inching her way past a few civilians walking in the opposite direction. “She does have that effect on everyone. It’s impossible to dislike her.”

“I must have failed the challenge.”

“Mhm,” Ayame murmured, feeling grateful the conversation hasn’t turned into a full on screaming match already. She chuckled lightly, thinking how this has probably been the longest they’ve been civilized. “I suppose if she’s okay with you, then who am I to get in the way?”

“That’s surprising to hear,” Ace said, feeling almost relieved she didn’t have a problem with him chatting with her partner so often. Not that he didn’t welcome a fight with someone he hated, but his admiration for Mitsuko far exceeded his need to fight. “But I appreciate it nonetheless.”

“Mitsuko has been a forgiving person, it’s just who she is,” Ayame explained, smirking at the thought of her smile. It was enough to set her at ease. “But I’m the complete opposite.”

“I can tell,” Ace commented, observing her abrupt transition from happy to furious in a moment’s notice. He knew exactly what she was talking about. Ace saw the pain and hatred festering inside her. All that hatred directed towards him because of his mistake of not taking everything in account was when he made a stunning realization.

“Ayame is my reflection,” Ace quietly surmised to himself.

It wasn’t Yuri he saw in her, but instead, the angry yet overprotective being that’ll do anything to save those they love. He felt his throat being clogged as if he was being choked, almost as if he didn’t want to say what was next, but for the sake of not his life, but hers, he had to make the attempt.

“Ayame…..” Ace murmured out, his voice no longer brash and arrogant, but one of fear. He didn’t want to mess this up even further than he has, taking note of her turning towards him. Ayame was annoyed, but kept her attention on him, curious as to what he wanted to tell her. “I want… to apologize… for what happened that day….”

Knowing almost instantaneously, Mitsuko would have fallen for it, but not her. She didn’t believe his apology was genuine and figured there was some ulterior motive he had laid out for her. She sighed, annoyed that the spotlight was now back to her, but she couldn’t back down. “I don’t buy your apology….”

Ace’s fist tightened, angered that she wanted to continue their quarrel, and possibly insult him further. He went to open his mouth, intending to hurl another wave of criticisms towards her, but she put her hand out.

“You’re not letting me finish,” Ayame relayed, taking note of her Ultra’s jump to hostility the moment he knew she said something he disagreed with. “Until your apology is genuine, I will not forgive you, but…..”

“But?”

“I am willing to back off, not for your sake or for mine, but for Mi, Chi and Z’s sake,” Ayame clarified. “They’re better than us and I don’t want to see them dragged any further than what we already did.”

Ace sighed. It wasn’t the answer he wanted, but he figured it’d be a lot worse. He loved Z and cared a lot for Mitsuko. He chuckled briefly, feeling a modicum of respect for Chiharu for willing to be a host.

However, it was an answer he was willing to take as he offered a hand towards Ayame. She reared her head back from him, confused by the gesture. “You do remember we can’t touch each other, right?”

“Can you appreciate the gesture or not!?” Ace exclaimed, annoyed by her not willing to take any form of truce he offered. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m willing to agree to your terms!”

Ayame sighed in relief. “Then, I guess we have a deal.”

The Ultra host raised her hand, allowing it to phase through his, indulging him in his gesture. She then smiled at him, deciding to offer some words of encouragement. “If any other Ultra merged with me, I’d take them over easily.”

Ace couldn’t help but laugh at the compliment she gave to him, feeling an ounce of respect for her simmer inside of him. “Absolutely.”

***

Tapping his fingers together, he watched from the outskirts. The grand metropolis stood just before him. A true testament to humanity’s ingenuity.

The being always admired humanity and even adored living amongst them. The people he had met along the way, the way they conjured up their many inventions even down to the food is amongst the best in the universe. It was beautiful to him.

He sighed, keeping his focus on the people off in the distance. All of them tell a far different story than each other. Another aspect of humanity he loved so much, but it was something he knew could also be improved on.

Mefilas saw it in Ayame and Mitsuko; two loving people who deserved peace in this world, but would only meet hostility by people who don’t understand them. Their happiness along with the rest of his subordinates was something he desired to see on this planet.

Peace on Earth was within his reach.

In order for that to happen, he needed to do something bad. Not just to provide happiness, but security to this still young civilization.

He needed to cause chaos, to show the world he would be the only one to save it. To save it from Yapool’s extermination under his leadership.

Mefilas ceased his tapping and raised his hand towards his face, his yellow mouthpiece glowing against his blue narrow visor. He had failed once over half a decade ago, he will not fail again.

The world needs him.

“The ends justify the means…..” Mefilas wiped his hand down his face before launching it forward. “One of my least favorite sayings.”

The ground rumbled past him, as a huge tremor shook the earth, devastating the ground all around him. Gabora jumped out of the ground, issuing a powerful shriek as its drill split open, revealing its skull-like face. Blue energy flowed around its mouth before it abruptly changed to a violet aura, as a powerful uranium beam shot out of its maw. The beam struck against a building, splitting it apart.

The top half of the building collapsed onto the street, crushing all those unfortunate to be in its vicinity. Gabora unleashed another roar as it marched forward, connecting all four pieces of its drill together. The loyal servant of Mefilas marched forward, drilling through the exterior of the city, demolishing everything it could.

“You too, my friend,” Mefilas spoke aloud as a cloaked creature, sharing a similar body type to Gabora moved past him. It, too, ushered out a roar, intending to not only make his master proud, but to feast on the energy circulating in the city.

It was a great risk Mefilas was taking, sending out two of his strongest creations, but if he played his cards right, he could make his dreams a reality. The Ambassador Extraordinare placed his fingers together, letting them tap against each other once more. His yellow mouthpiece glowing once again.

“Now to wait for the guests of honor,” Mefilas said, watching the dreaded chaos unfold in front of his very eyes.

 

Chapter 12: Ultraman Ace and Z vs. Mefilas, Neronga and Gabora

Twin TAC Arrows zoomed across the sky, with both Neronga and Gabora in their sights. Missiles struck against the two kaiju’s hides. Neronga growled, turning his attention away from the city block and towards the threats from the sky. He brought his horns together and unleashed a beam of lightning. The projectile ascended towards the jets, but the pilots were faster than the creature anticipated, pulling away from its trajectory.

Gabora felt the missiles exploding against the saws on his back, shaking his head in mild disappointment. He glanced up at the jets circling around him and comrade, viewing their attacks as nothing more than a nuisance. Still, as his master told him, they were not to be underestimated.

The Iron Fortress slammed his tails repeatedly like sticks against a drum. The saws spinning at an intense rate, launching his tails straight at the jets, striking their engines directly. His iron-like tails tore straight through them as he reeled them back. Gabora watched the two jets fall from the sky as he opened his mouth, prepared to unleash his uranium beam. The blue energy formed inside his throat, preparing himself to send it cascading towards the descending jets, but he heard a voice.

“No,” the voice commanded. “Spare them.”

The blue energy subsided as Gabora reluctantly followed his master’s command. He shook his head as he continued forward, swinging his tails into two buildings across from him. The swipe split them in half perfectly like a hot knife against butter.

“Konno and Yoshimura are down!” Yamanaka’s voice blared out over the radio as Ayame placed her fingers against the earpiece. “Mikawa and I are being pushed back, is anyone else out here?”

“Yamanka, this is Ohta! I’m heading over to assist,” Ayame relayed, running down the packed streets as everyone bolted past her towards safety. She pulled out her standard issued gun, moving as fast as she could to reach her comrades. “What about the Captain?”

“No clue!” Yamanka’s voice rang out, irritation rising in his voice. “Bastard better have a good reason for not showing up.”

Ayame pushed herself as fast as she could, intending to reach her comrades, but in the corner of her eye, she saw Mitsuko and Chiharu rushing towards her. She stopped herself at the sight of them, giving them her full undivided attention.

She nearly threw her fist down in anger, annoyed by them never listening to her when it comes to situations like this. Ayame, on the other hand, knew she could only buy her comrades time by herself as she held out her hand, pointing the ring towards Mitsuko’s.

Mitsuko grinned at her partner and mirrored the gesture, immediately swapping places with Ace.

“I ask that you chant my name!” Zett exclaimed excitedly, stretching his arms outward behind the child, eagerly awaiting to join the battlefield once more.

Chiharu raised his fist in the air, clenching a teal and black holder, resembling a portable deck to hold cards. “Ultraman Z!”

“Wait, when did he get that?” Ayame questioned, witnessing the transformation, but Ace ignored her question and kept his focus on him.

Like his father before, Ultraman Z rose, towering above the many structures surrounding them. They spotted the two living bioweapons tearing the city apart just blocks away from them. Z moved to rush in, but Ace slammed his hand against his chest, stunning the younger Ultra.

“Wait,” Ace hushed, keeping his eyes on the two creatures. He spotted Neronga’s electricity cascading from building to building, blowing out its windows before the entire structures followed suit. The Ultra Brother turned his head over to Gabora, taking note of his entire body being covered in saws and drills. He groaned, already despising this fight out of the latter’s bizarre body nature and the creature was far different than Lipiah explained.

“That thing is not supposed to be covered in blades!” Ace cursed. “Dammit!”

Z watched his father lose himself analyzing the threats in front of them. He placed his hand on his shoulder. “What’s the plan? How do we win that?”

“The plan…. Right.”

Ace lifted his head up at Z, knowing he had to keep himself composed for their child. He pointed his hand at Neronga. “See that one with the electricity?”

“Of course,” Z yelped, observing the electricity based kaiju swiping his hand across a nearby structure, forcing its upper half to collapse onto the street.

“You’ll be immune to its electricity, but do not,” Ace relayed, his tone of voice becoming more and more demanding, as he slammed his hands onto the younger Ultra. “Do not underestimate it whatsoever, got it?”

“Of course….” Z attempted to speak, but was cut off Ace tightening his grip onto him and bringing his face against him.

“Do you understand!?” Ace nearly roared out, ensuring he was drilling the order straight into the Ultra’s head. Deep down he hated screaming at the younger Ultra, but had to get the message across, so he could survive.

“Yes!” Z blared out, feeling a brief sensation of anger drip into his very core before slowly coming back to his normal upbeat self. “I’ll make sure to follow your command.”

“Good and….” Ace almost relayed when he saw Gabora firing a blue beam towards Zett. As if it was second nature, the senior Ultra took a step forward and shoved Z to the ground.

Z looked up, baffled at why his father knocked him down when he then saw him getting struck in the shoulder by a powerful beam. Ace screamed out in pain, as it blackened his shoulder. The younger Ultra watched his father slowly get up to match the charging Gabora.

A roar was unleashed, but not from Gabora. Z snapped his head over towards the charging Neronga, intending to aid his brother in the conflict. The young Ultra slammed his hands together, unleashing the Zestium Beam on Neronga. The blast struck his underside, cutting into his belly, forcing it to shriek out in agony.

The living bioweapon crashed on his back, waving its limbs around as it struggled to get back on his feet. He knew him and his brother had to make his master proud by keeping the Ultras distracted just long enough, but was already growing furious from this conflict. Mefilas better have the most precious of meals prepared for the two of them. Nothing less.

Almost as if they synchronized, both Z and Neronga got back to their feet, glaring at each other. The two of them looked back at their respective partners, but they paid no mind to them. The two were already charging towards each other.

Z gulped at the thought of his father being impaled by the massive drill or being cut up on its back. As terrifying as the thought was, he had to follow his superior’s orders, he had to listen to his father.

He couldn’t let him down.

“You got this, Z,” Chiharu spoke, materializing in front of him, flashing him a thumbs up.

Z nodded, bashing his fists together before setting himself in a stance. He raised his left hand forward and reared his right back. Z planted his feet firmly into the asphalt, locking eyes with Neronga. “Let’s see what you got.”

Neronga commanded his antlers to come together as electricity circulated throughout the jugular. The blue markings traversed upwards to his head as the horn shot out the current, sending it directly towards Ultraman Z.

The younger Ultra prepared to dodge the beam, but remembered what his father had told him just moments ago.

“Right…” Ultraman Z murmured to himself, bringing his hands up once again, mimicking his signature move. “I’ll be okay.”

The current struck Z directly in the chest, feeling it impact lightly against him, but no pain whatsoever. He chuckled at the sensation, nearly breaking his stance with his hands faltering. Still, he kept himself focused and unleashed the Zestium Beam, striking Neronga’s shoulder.

The energy blast sent the living bioweapon down a few blocks, his back completely tearing up the asphalt, leaving nothing but a large ditch. Neronga shook his head as he slowly got up to his feet, allowing the remains of asphalt and concrete to fall off of him.

Neronga growled at the Ultra’s persistence and its immunity to its primary weapon. He glanced over to see Gabora keeping the more senior Ultra at bay. The electricity based bioweapon huffed, turning to the other side to locate where his master previously was, but saw no sign of him.

He growled once again, frustrated he was making him and his brother do all the heavy work. His only hope of defeating Z was through a battle of attrition. However, it would be very easy for Z if he cloaked now. Neronga stared right back at Z, taking note of how little he moved or didn’t even take his eyes off of him.

The most he can do is keep a stalemate up between the two of them.

Z, on the other hand, moved his hands towards each other, intending to charge another beam. Neronga’s eyes widened in fear, attempting to back up and retreat, knowing full well how painful the blasts were. He’d be lucky enough to survive this one. The living bioweapon attempted to retreat only for Z to scream out as orange electricity struck his back.

The resulting impact forced Z to collapse onto his stomach as Neronga breathed a sigh of relief. From the thin veil of dust, he saw his master, waving off in the distance before tapping his fingers together.

Neronga sighed as he then cloaked, intending to go through with his new plan.

Twin drills came full force at Ace. The Ultra Brother barely dodged the first as the second one struck his shoulder. He cried out while his cut shot out a ray of light. Ace stumbled a few feet back as Gabora bulldozed his way through several structures with his massive drill. The Ultra’s widened as he narrowly avoided the drill, jumping out of the way landing on his back.

“Shit. Let’s see,” Ace cursed, scanning through his list of powers he could retaliate with. His mind kept browsing until he saw one that would buy him time. “Ultra Guillotine!”

He brought up his hands, allowing crackling energy to surge between them and his head. Ace then shot out his right and launched a singular buzzsaw, striking the massive drill. The buzzsaw bounced off the drill before diving themselves up into smaller ones, striking the saws on his back.

Both sets of saws danced against each other, forcing the Iron Fortress’ set to stall. Ace smirked, propelling himself upwards while Gabora split his drill open and roared out, agitated by the Ultra’s actions.

Gabora’s maw began to charge, intending to fire its devastating beam once again. “Not this time!” Ultraman Ace screamed back.

The Ultra slammed his hands together and fired a red beam from his fingertips, careening towards Gabora. The Iron Fortress spat out his uranium beam, colliding with Ace’s Punch laser. The two stood still, keeping their focus as best as they could, attempting to overpower the other with their beam. Red and blue merged into purple, illuminating their little area.

For them, it was the only thing that existed in front of their very eyes. Yet, it had no effect on the outcome of their battle. Their eyes focused on one other, demanding they fall before their incredible might.

The two attempted to step forward, intending to overpower each other, but their chance never came. An explosion materialized just in front of them, sending Ace onto his back and forcing Gabora to drop to his stomach.

Dust soon began to settle while the magenta aura disappeared. Ace struggled to get back on his feet, observing his wounds to find more cracks of light scattered around his entire body. He coughed, placing his hand on his stomach, taking a step further when he heard the Iron Fortress scream out.

“Fuck!” Ace exclaimed, following it up with another series of coughs. He looked up to see Gabora slowly emerge from the veil of dust, slowly limping towards him. The entirety of his back rotating as perfectly as ever while his tails drummed against the ground. Ace gagged once again from his wounds, but noticed one particular thing about his foe.

The upper left and bottom right portions of its drill were blown off. Blood seeped from its cheeks as it growled out once again, intending to cause further harm to Ace for damaging its body. Gabora shrieked out, lifting its tails out at him as Ace simply chuckled.

“Come on!” Z shouted out, searching his surroundings as he tried to find his invisible foe. “Where are you?” He scanned to his left only to find the invisible force striking against his hip, sending him careening down face first into a building.

“Ow!” Z cried out as Neronga swiped against his back repeatedly. The young Ultra attempted to get back up on his feet, but was only met with more resistance. Neronga cackled, feeling relieved he was now the one coming up on top in this whole skirmish.

“Okay, um… think, Z, think,” Z spoke, conjuring up several ideas on how to escape his predicament. It was hard for him to think of a solution when the living bioweapon’s claws were digging into him, as it was only making him more and more furious. Then, in an instance, it all came to it. “Be like Ace!”

Z screamed out as azure colored energy circulated around his foot as he then launched it on Neronga’s underside, eliciting a pained filled shriek. The Invisible Monster stumbled backwards, allowing himself to breathe for just a few moments as Z stood back.

“Zestium Bea…..” Ultraman Z attempted to scream out, but Neronga immediately pounced on him, shrieking straight in his face. The living bioweapon made it very clear he did not want to be struck by that beam again whatsoever.

The younger Ultra slammed his hands onto Neronga’s head, earning another shriek from the Invisible Monster. However, the living bioweapon’s hold on the Ultra did not falter as he dug his claws into the younger Ultra’s shoulder, eliciting his share of screams as well.

The two were locked into a death grip with one another, trading in several strikes. Z focused on striking Neronga’s head, intending to make the creature go unconscious as best as he could. All the while Neronga kept his claws dug in as slammed his tail against his silver and blue body.

Neither one of them was going to win this.

“Metalium Beam!” Ace roared out, firing the multicolored beam, striking Gaboara’s launching twin tails. The projectile sliced one of the tails in half, eliciting a roar of agony from the Iron Fortress as purple ichor shot out, raining down on the ruined streets.

The other tail pierced through Ace’s shoulder, earning the Iron Fortress the pleasure of hearing a gagged scream from the Ultra. Ace huffed out, slowly placing his hand near the gaping wound while Gabora pulled him forward with the remaining tail.

Ace was dragged through the ruined ground, feeling pieces of dirt, asphalt and concrete strike him against the face. He cried out once again, feeling pain course through his entire body. He wanted to rip this abomination apart, piece by piece, but he didn’t have that luxury. The Ultra had to finish this and get to Z as fast as he could.

He huffed and puffed when he found himself being lifted up by the appendage, finding himself face to face with the skeletal-like face of Gabora. The Iron Fortress stared at him, no sign of gloating or even hatred, almost as if it was just another objective for him.

It didn’t matter.

Ace simply smirked.

“Timer…. Shot!” Ace gagged out, swinging his hands towards his chest before unleashing them outwards. Within the span of a millisecond, the beam fired out a multicolored beam from his color timer. The projectile crashed through Gabora’s skull, shattering the top half and going through his entire body.

The Iron Fortress was no more.

He dropped in an instant as Ace collapsed onto his knees, breathing heavily as the tail was still impaled through him. His energy was all but depleted, slowly moving his hands towards the appendage. Ace braced himself for the horrendous amount of pain he was about to endure.

Ace yanked it out of his shoulder, giving the Earth a blood curled scream. The Ultra dropped the tail, allowing himself to rest once again as the gaping hole shot out another beam of light.

The Ultra Brother slowly got up to his feet, trying his best to recover when he heard Z scream out. Ace snapped his head over to find him still tangling with Neronga, constantly trading blows with each other.

Ace’s eyes widen in horror at seeing his lovers’ son close to being torn apart. He rushed forward, but yelled out yet again, feeling his entire body working against him. Ace had already been through the brunt of it with Gabora, but he couldn’t stop now.

He had to finish this.

He had to save the day.

He had to prove him wrong.

He had to save Z.

Ace limped over to Z only to find his chest struck with an orange crackling beam. The Ultra Brother gasped out, feeling pain continuing to wash over him as he saw a new figure approach from the distance.

A dark figure with a narrow blue visor and a yellow faceplate lighting up, marched towards him. Ace looked at him, noticing the pure determination in him. Whatever he wanted, it couldn’t be good.

Ace weakly put his shaking hands together and fired a Guillotine Shot. The buzzsaw raced towards Mefilas, but he slowly raised his hand upwards and knocked it aside like it was trash. The Ambassador Extraordinaire continued his trek unimpeded until he stood above the wounded Ace.

Whoever this figure was, Ace already despised him. It was without any words being spoken Ace attempted to strike the figure with an Ultra punch, intending to punch a hole straight through him.

Mefilas grabbed a hold of Ace’s arm and yanked it out of the socket. The sounds of his joint going out of place was very uncomfortable for both of them. Ace screamed out in agony as Mefilas looked away briefly before taking note of the Ultra’s very limp arm on the ground.

He abhorred violence, but it was necessary for what was about to happen.

“Dad!” Z cried out, watching the whole encounter afar as a newfound resurgence of strength washed over him. He sent an energy-filled punch into Neronga’s chest, forcing the bioweapon off of him.

The younger Ultra raced towards the newcomer in an attempt to free him, but Mefilas was two steps ahead of him. The Ambassador Extraordinaire stepped out of the way, allowing Z to run just past him before he grabbed him by the back of his head.

It happened all too fast for both Ultras to comprehend.

Mefilas slammed Z face first into the ground and fired another round of his Pair Hand ray at him. The orange beam slammed into his back, earning another cry of agony as Mefilas shook his head in disgust.

He then glanced over at Neronga and motioned for him to restrain the younger Ultra. The living bioweapon shook his head once again in irritation as he marched off. Neronga then stalled, spotting Gabora’s corpse off in the distance.

His heart stopped for a moment.

His brother was gone.

He snapped his head over to the very wounded Ace as the culprit behind his murder. Neronga unleashed a rage filled cry as he reared his feet, getting ready to charge straight towards the incapacitated Ultra Brother. He fully intended to stab Ace in the neck for his transgression.

“Enough!” Mefilas yelled out, forcing Neronga to halt to attention. The Seijin glanced down at his pet as his tone of voice changed, feeling upset over the loss of one of his pets and even more so for Neronga’s misery. “There has already been enough death for one day.”

Without any further words, Mefilas motioned for Neronga to follow his order. The living bioweapon reluctantly followed the order before glaring at both him and Ace. Neronga planted his hands onto Z’s back, keeping him in place while Mefilas moseyed over to the wounded Ultra Brother.

“If it’s any consolation, I don’t take pleasure in any of this,” Mefilas murmured regretfully, placing his hand onto the wounded shoulder of Ace.

“Fuck off….” Ace spat, raising his head weakly up at the Seijin. “If you didn’t take pleasure in this, you wouldn’t have sent your dogs out!”

“If only that were so,” Mefilas spoke, agreeing with what Ace threw at him, as he looked him directly in the eye. “Isn’t that right, Miss Ohta?”

That phrase.

The very foundation of Ace, Ayame and Mitsuko’s bodies all shook.

“Goro….” Ayame muttered in utter disbelief, her mouth quivering while her eyes were nearly bloodshot at the revelation.

“I know I can’t hear you, Miss Ohta, but I imagine you’re not happy about any of this,” Mefilas spoke, keeping pressure on Ace’s shoulder wound. “But as I told our mutual friend here, I’m not happy about any of this myself.”

“You fucking asshole!” Ayame shrieked out, as Ace felt her entire voice pounding against his head, but it was nothing compared to the wounds already dished out to him. Ace weakly lifted up his head as Ayame continued to scream out. “I trusted you!”

“What…. the hell do you want….” Ace nearly choked out, wanting to execute Mefilas so badly, but his entire body refused to budge. The fight had left his body, all that remained was defeat holding him in place.

Mefilas shook his head, his entire state of mind filled with despair that it all had come to this. He placed his finger underneath Ace’s chin and lifted his head slightly. “This world is on fire, and this beautiful planet cannot survive without help.”

“Help? How is he planning to help us when he sacrificed countless lives today!” Mitsuko cried out, not even wanting to guess how many people had to perish for Goro’s proposal.

“I don’t know, but we’re not letting him!” Ayame yelled out, turning her focus on her Ultra. “Ace, get up! We’re not letting this piece of shit win!”

Ace gasped out once again, feeling himself barely able to hold his body in place. If he didn’t switch control back to his hosts, then he would cease to be. The thought of losing infuriated him, but he couldn’t let that interfere with his life, not when he still had him to look out for.

The Ultra glanced over at the incapacitated Z, before turning over to Mefilas. “Let him go…. I don’t have much time….”

“I know you don’t, my friend,” Mefilas murmured, lightly patting him on the shoulder. “And neither does this planet, which is why I need your help to defend it. Only with our combined strength can we save it from Yapool, and create a better tomorrow for all of humanity.”

Ace chuckled at what the Seijin relayed to him, earning a confused look from Mefilas. “You could have gotten any Ultra for that….”

Mefilas chuckled as well and shook his head. “On the contrary my friend, they wouldn’t have listened to reason no matter what method I used, but you…..”

The Ambassador Extraordinaire relinquished his hold on the wounded Ultra and stood up, towering above him. “You’ll listen after you’ve been humiliated, to the point of no return.”

“Bullshit….” Ace spat once again, feeling his starting to flash in and out, barely holding his connection to the physical world.

“Is it?” Mefilas asked. “You overvalue your abilities, thinking you’re the best in the universe, when in reality, you’re the worst of your race.”

Mefilas moved over to the corpse of Gabora and hoisted him above his shoulder before turning back to the Ultra Brother. “And that makes you the most qualified in helping me bring stability to humanity.”

“Go to hell….” Ace breathed.

“Not yet,” Mefilas laughed, looking him in the eye one last time, speaking to Ayame and Mitsuko directly. “Give it some time and pay me a visit. We can discuss the details in about a week.”

The Ambassador Extraordinaire whistled, as Neronga hopped off the wounded Z. The living bioweapon trailed behind Mefilas, leaving the two wounded Ultramen behind. Ace’s eyes began flickering as he witnessed the two walk away, barely able to comprehend the situation before him.

Today was the day he lost.

And whether he could admit it or not, it was the first time he could not blame anyone but himself for the loss of a fight.

Ace’s vision went black before his entire body dematerialized, leaving his hosts in his place.

 

Chapter 13: The Awakening

The being opened its emerald-like eyes to a wave of flashing lights. It raised its red and bronze colored arm over them to avoid the bright sensation.

“Do not be afraid, my child!” a booming voice called out through the flashing lights.

The being slowly lowered its arm as it nearly shielded itself once more out of instinct, but felt compelled to follow the orders of the voice. The being stepped forward to inspect the light and the voice behind it and found it mesmerizing.

“You have a purpose here.”

The being reached out for the light, wanting to feel some sort of connection towards the voice. His hand slipped through the light as he morphed his hand into a fist. The machine-like anomaly reared his hand back and opened it only to find nothing.

It snapped its head up and looked up at the incorporeal being, awaiting another signal that it was there with him. The being looked down for a moment only to find nothing but a void underneath it.

A dark realization was made.

It was at the mercy of being alone.

The voice was speaking sporadically. It wanted to know why it was created and what it could do to achieve its purpose. It just needed the being to speak once more.

The bronze and red automaton reached towards the glowing light, attempting to see if the simulation of physical touch would be enough. Its hand neared the light when the voice finally spoke again.

“You are to destroy the being known as Ultraman Ace, and soon, the Ultras known as Z and Jack,” the voice vocalized, issuing its directive.

The being nodded, realizing now why it was created.

To eliminate those that seek to harm its parent.

The being felt its insides rattling about, anticipating the coming hunt. It wanted to make its creator happy, to feel that sensation of praise.

The automaton nodded in acknowledgement as it banged its fists together, signifying that it was ready to start the mission.

A red crack snapped into the existence of the voice, eliciting a knee jerk reaction from the machine before realizing it was his ticket out of there. It marched on with excitement as the voice spoke once again.

“Be the hero of our people, Ace Killer,” Yapool spoke, christening his newest creation.

Winner: Alien Mefilas (Universal), Neronga (Universal)