Ultraman, the Lylat Adventure

Chapter 3

First Wave

The cloaked figure laughed heartily. He couldn't help it, not after seeing Oikonny's flag-ship get blown to so much scrap. He had been watching the fight between Oikonny and Shodai, and if it wasn't so hilarious, he'd probably be chewing the ape out right now for being such an idiot. Andrew was standing in the corner, away from the robed figure, seething in his anger.

"I see that, sometimes, you really do have to learn the hard way, just to get a point across." he chuckled. Andrew said nothing, and just stood there.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You had the team down, it's just the garrison member who showed up, un-expectantly. Even though I did say that he would best your so-called secret weapon. Maybe now you have some idea about who it is that we are dealing with." The robed figure turned to face Andrew, his hood revealing only his mouth. "I have dealt with him before, and I know that his kind is persistent to the end. Especially this one. Once he latches onto you, he will never let you go."

"Then what do we do, pray tell? It's not like I have an endless supply of followers, or anything."

"This is just a minor set-back, for both of us. If we combine your armada, with mine own little…menagerie I guess you could call it, we should be able to overcome this adversary."

"If this is so, then I'll need some compensation. I can't just go throwing soldiers at the guy all day. I'll start to lose support."

"I know. Which is why I've come up with this little plan. And, I think I have just the monster to do it with." the robed figure said, getting up from his seat, and making his way to a far-side panel. His boots clacked against the smooth floor, and his robe flowed behind him. He touched the panel, and it opened, revealing several capsule-shaped objects within. He pulled one out, and tossed it to Oikonny. The ape examined it in his hands, wearing a puzzled look on his face.

"What the heck is this?" he asked.

"Your new best friend." the figure said, smiling broadly.

Great Fox, at that time: Shodai was getting settled into his new quarters. After being shown a room, the alien being looked out of the window, over-looking the planet Corneria. Fox and Krystal both were present, making sure he got settled, when a thought flashed across both of their minds: 'What are we going to do about his appearance?' As if in response, Shodai turned to face them.

"Fox, will you do me a favor?" he asked.

"Uh, sure." he answered. "What?"

"Just hold, very, still." he answered. Then, twin beams of light flashed out of his oval-shaped eyes, and impacted Fox. Startled, Fox took a step back. The beam of light was like an X-Ray, showing all of his insides all at once, while Shodai took in the information. When the beams died, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Wh-what was that?" he asked, surprised.

"Just think of it as an X-Ray scan, that is, if your people still have such a thing."

"Of course we do, but..wha-" Before Fox could finish, Shodai raised both of his arms to his chest, and his form glowed with a shimmering light. Grunting with effort, the alien warrior threw both of his arms down, and the light dropped from him, like a curtain. Standing in front of them, was no longer a red and silver alien, but a red vulpine, looking very much like Fox, dressed in jeans, a yellow shirt, and a denim jacket. The vulpine smiled at them, and said "What do you think?" in a voice that was no longer deep, but sounded like it belonged to a young man. Krystal could only stare at him, while Fox stammered. Finally, he found his voice.

"What the heck is this?" he said, pointing at the new Shodai. The alien/vulpine laughed at this.

"My race have the ability to create disguises, allowing us to blend in with our environment better. I caught your thoughts, and decided to answer your question for you." Fox understood, as did Krystal; he used Fox's body as a template, getting the necessary information to create a suitable disguise. Krystal went up to him for a closer look, while Fox merely stared at him. The blue vixen looked him up and down, seeing that everything was in place; muzzle, fox-like ears, red bushy tail tipped with white, fur, and his eyes, were a fierce ice-blue. All the while, he was wearing a grin as she inspected him. She stepped back, still staring at him.

"Whoah, wait until the others see this." Fox said.

"So, are you still Shodai, or someone else?" she asked.

"Well, when undercover, we often use different names with our disguises to help protect our identities. For now, you may call me….Steven." Shodai said, with a thoughtful expression as he came up with the name.

"Steven, huh? Well, I think that it'll work for now." Fox said, wearing a slight grin, while 'Steven' matched it. The rest of the day was pretty much familiarizing the rest of the ship. Steven mentally noted each and every nook and cranny in the ship that he was shown, from the command head, to the 'rec room. All the while, everyone was introduced to Steven, the new member of the Star Fox team. Everyone, except Falco, pretty much took their new member in with open arms. The avian, however, was still wary of him. Krystal took note, and decided to pull the avian aside.

"What is your deal with him?" she asked heatedly, while they were in the hallway.

"How can you just accept him so easily. Sure, he saved us a few times. But don't forget, that's how an enemy can catch you unawares. I still think he needs watching." he said, folding his arms across his chest. Krystal could not believe that the avian still distrusted him so. After he saved his life twice in a row, he was still wary of him. Steven overheard this, and decided to try to smooth out Krystal's ruffled fur after the two were separated.

"Krystal, he's entitled to his opinion. Don't worry, I'm used to it. It's only natural for someone to not trust something so alien at first."

"But, Sh-I mean, Steven, It's not just simple distrust. It's like he's looking for a reason to attack you." she argued. Shodai merely smiled sadly, and answered "Like I said, I'm used to it. My first assignment, I was supposed to be guarding a planet from invading raiders from a far-off galaxy. At first, I was stupid, and thought that they would readily accept me as a savior."

"What happened?" she asked.

"Let's just say, that most people don't really look kindly on giants who wreck their homes when trying to shoot down enemy ships." he answered, still wearing the same smile. Krystal let out a small "Oh.", and both continued walking.

"What other planets have you visited?" she asked.

"Ohh, all kinds." he answered. "My race is one that has sworn to protect other sentient life-forms from endangerment. My duties take me to all manner of places. Places that, I'm sure, you didn't dream possible." he said. "For instance, I was assigned to this one world, where the whole population was nothing but sentient plant-life. The plants had evolved, much in the same way as your people did from animal life." he said.

"Really? A whole race of plants?" she asked.

"Mm-hm. Try making a disguise of one of them. Believe me, it isn't easy. Animal life is a lot easier to synthesize than plant life. At least, based on my experience." he said, laughing slightly.

"What type of civilization did they have?" she asked.

"One that was probably more advanced than yours. I was assigned with another Garrison member to help protect the planet from a star that was about to go super-nova. We had to evacuate everyone within a month, before the nova could consume half of the system. They had already colonized most of their system already, so it was a simple procedure, really."

"Then, why did you go, then?" she asked.

"I was still a rookie, then. I needed to hone my social skills, rather than my fighting abilities. It was a rescue mission, than anything else. Fortunately, we were able to get everyone out of the inferno's path in time."

"You said yourself, and another member. Who else was with you?"

"Another warrior like myself. He's a little bit younger than me, but is already an accomplished fighter. Although, he can be a little bit rash, and stubborn. Not to mention the…pets he keeps." he said, shuddering a the word pets.

"Pets?" she asked.

"Yes. He has…weird taste in companions." he said. Krystal laughed at his expression as the two continued down the corridor. Steven was shown the combat simulator, and was shown how to fly the arwing fighter, the craft that the team uses. Instantly, he has proven to be an adept flier. For some reason, he was reminded of the times when Shin Hayata was flying in the same aircraft that Shodai crashed into, when he chased that monster Bemular to Earth. He felt a pang of guilt over it, and Krystal felt it through her telepathy. He then was shown the Landmaster tank. While not as adept at driving it as the arwing, his results were satisfactory. Then, he was brought to weapons training. Falco oversaw this with Fox. "I really don't think he needs to do his, Fox. He can just transform whenever he wants to, and just beat the guys to a pulp."

"Falco, there are times when even transforming into my real form will not see me through." Steven answered. They were in a large room, with several targets posted on the far-side of the room, like an indoor shooting range. Steven held up a blaster, and fired at the target in front of him several times, each shot scoring perfectly. The results were sent to Fox's PAD. He looked at them, and blinked several times.

"A perfect score?" Falco said, in an un-believing tone. "Oh, now he's just showing off." he said, his tone more under control.

"What's the matter, Falco? Jealous?" Steven asked, placing the weapon back on the rack. The avian merely narrowed his eyes, while Fox stifled a laugh. The three of them exited the arms-room, and headed for the command head. After being fitted for a uniform, Steven was already looking like a member of the team. General Pepper's image flashed across the main screen, as he over-looked the data that was sent to him by Fox. He didn't tell him about his 'other side', but the general still accepted the info he was given. He wished Steven luck in his endeavors, and signed off. After going to his quarters, he sat on his bed, and pulled out an object from his left breast-pocket. It was about a twelve inches in length, with a white, cylindrical body, topped off with red, and a metal top. On its side, was a switch. This, was his beta-capsule, the same capsule that he had given Shin Hayata on their first encounter. Now, instead of his human host using it, he is using it for himself. He saw the irony in this, and laughed to himself. How long must he keep the charade up? How long must he live among these people? A year, like last time? Two, Decades? He didn't know. He just laid back on his bed, and stared at the ceiling, his thoughts taking hold.

Orbiting Zoness, at that time: Andrew was in his personal craft, with several stealth fighters escorting him. The planet before them was covered with oceans, and dotted with grey and green. This, was Zoness. At one point, it was an ideal pleasure planet, where all manner of pleasure could be found, and bought. But then, the Lylat Wars turned the pristine world into a toxic nightmare. It's once blue oceans were tainted with pollutants from Andross's armada, while he set up factories on its surface that belched forth toxic gasses, almost turning it into a dead world, and mutating the local life into horrible abominations. Now, several years later, the Lylat System had strived to clean the planet of its poisons. So far, they were able to remove a good portion of the pollutants, leaving maybe 15% of the whole planet needing to be cleansed. Almost cleansed, but still having a polluted scar on its surface. However, it wasn't pleasure that brought the group here. As Oikonny looked at the world, he could find no better a place, than to put his new 'best friend', as his strange accomplice had called it. He looked at the capsule in his hand, and closed it into a fist. He focused his attention to the matter at hand, and flew his craft and squadron into the atmosphere. The plan was simple, let the team and Garrison member handle the beast, while the stealth fighters went on a total killing spree of their own. Each of the twenty-something fighters are armed to the teeth with the latest weaponry that Andrew had developed, and were completely invisible to scanners. To him, it was just mindless destruction, something that his own armada could do without the need of some monster. Oikonny wonders, what his partner is really after. As he flies in low over the ocean, a trap-door opens up beneath his craft, and the capsule drops into the ocean. Once it has made contact with the water, it disintegrates, releasing the life-form within. It swam just beneath the surface, its dark shape present. Oikonny nodded in satisfaction, and took to space, while the stealth fighters made a b-line for the city.

Great Fox: Steven was having a sensation in the back of his head. Being a native to M78, his race's homeworld, he had a sixth-sense about danger. He felt that, an ominous presence was about to make an appearance soon, but didn't know where. He felt with his feelings, and then he felt it again. This time, pointing him in the direction he needed to go. He bolted out of his room and nearly crashed into Krystal. After rushing past her, the blue vixen followed him into the hangar. When she made it there, she was in time to see him pull out his beta-capsule, and press the switch. Light swirled out of the capsule, and swirled around Steven's being. Then, there was a brilliant flash of light, and a loud whooshing noise. After the light subsided, Shodai was seen floating outside of the hangar. He turned into a red ball of light, and streaked into space. The rest of the team saw the pair running down the hall, and decided to follow them. They saw Steven transform, and head out in a hurry.

"What's eatin' him?" Falco asked.

"I wonder…" mused Peppy. The team went to the command head, and brought up a map of the Lylat system, and plotted Shodai's last known trajectory; a straight line , right for Zoness.

"Why the heck's he going there for?" Falco asked, feeling a little peeved about this. He held Zoness in a special place in his heart, and if some red and silver alien was going there, that means that trouble will not be too far behind, in his opinion. The Great Fox headed for Zoness.

Zoness: It was a beautiful day in paradise. A family was vacationing there. After renting a yacht, they decided to see the local wild-life, while taking in para-sailing as well. However, their day of leisure would be short-lived. Beneath the surface, something was rising fast. On the yacht. The family caught sight of a couple of serpent-like Todora, thier large, snaking bodies breaching the water in a fantastic display. Suddenly, something erupted out of the water, and snatched one of the Todora in its massive jaws, and bit it in half, the halves sinking into the water. The family looked on in fear at what they saw, the females screaming in terror. It was huge, at least fourty to fifty meters tall. It was amphibious, that much was certain, having a scaly hide, long arms with webbing in between the fingers and claws, and a long neck with a long-jawed, fish-like face, tipped off with a fin on its head going down its spine. It issued a scream that no creature on the planet should be able to utter, and made its way to the shore, swamping the yacht and its passengers in the process. Little do they realize, that the monster Muruchi is about to make land. Shodai sensed its presence, and went to Zoness as fast as he could. When he entered the atmosphere, he could see that the monster had already made its way to civilization. It reached the small town, and proceeded to tear it apart. The stealth fighters were some distance away, watching the display. Just then, Oikonny's face appeared on the screen of the squad leader's.

"You fools! Why aren't you destroying anything?" he shouted.

"But, sir! The beast is doing all the work for us. It's ripping the city apart, all on its own."

"What? But then, why did he have me scramble you guys then?" he asked, looking away.

"Sir?" the leader asked.

"Never mind. Just, keep an eye on the situation, and keep me posted."

"Yessir!" As soon as he signed off of the leader's feed, Oikonny sat back in his ship, his mind full of questions. 'Why would he have me scramble my fighters, if his pet gold-fish would do all the work?' he wondered to himself. Unbeknownst to him, the cloaked figure was watching both Shodai, and Muruchi attacking the city. The figure smiled to himself, as Muruchi continued on its path of destruction. On the planet, Shodai grew to his fourty-meter tall height, and flew at the monster. He landed a drop-kick to its face, making it fall back-ward. It crashed through some burning buildings, and screeched in displeasure. The Star Fox team scrambled in their arwings, and proceeded to the surface. What Falco saw, made his heart sink. The sea-side town was an almost complete ruin, with burning buildings everywhere, and people running to and fro. The team took in the destruction, but it was Falco who reacted first. He surged forward, and fired at Muruchi in a rage. The beast rose up, and fired its own weapon; the monster opened its maw, and a flame-like heat beam fired. Falco narrowly evaded the attack, and circled for another pass. However, it was Shodai who acted first; he tackled Muruchi to the ground, and started to rain his fists onto its fish-like face. However, Muruchi fired its heat-beam again, and struck the alien warrior in its face, making him fly back with a yelp. He fell onto his back, holding his face in apparent pain. Then, Muruchi leapt up onto the warrior, and lunged forward, trying to take a bite out of the alien defender. Shodai dodged this way and that, evading the jaws. Then, three nova bombs detonated against Muruchi's back. The attack made it scream in surprise, and it lifted itself, and faced the arwings. Shodai rolled out form under it, and turned to face the monster, who fired its heat-beam again at the team. Star Fox nimbly dodged it, while put Muruchi in an arm-bar, forcing the beast to its knees. Shodai delivered several quick chops to its head, before delivering a swift kick to its skull, making it fallback. Muruchi howled in pain, and rose up in a fury. It fired the heat-beam at Shodai, who promptly brought up his light-barrier, and the beam was deflected. Shodai jumped up, and came back down in a jump kick, sending Muruchi to the ground. Muruchi stood back up, and Shodai grabbed one of its fins, and hip-tossed it into another ruined building. He did the same thing three times. When Muruchi rose, it was reeling, and Shodai's warning light was starting to flash red. Then, Shodai released his shredding halo at the monster, severing its head from the neck. The head fell, and the corpse took two steps forward before falling face-first. It dissolved into a type of foam, and then disappeared. Satisfied, Shodai looked up, and gave a shout, flying into the sky, with the rest of the team following. The stealth fighters decided it would be best to leave as well, not wanting to contend with both the giant, and the Star Fox team at the same time. Meanwhile, in his saucer, the robed figure was still smiling, even though he lost another monster, this was with a purpose. He stored the battle as data, and turned to his panel. He opened it, and took out a red capsule. In it, he could see the outline of a very familiar figure, and it glowed as the data entered it. He saw this, and he smiled broadly.