Chapter 10
I am a Hero
He was floating in the endless reaches that is the cosmos. Black, specked with white stars, he looked down at himself, and saw that he was silver with red. At that moment, Jim knew that he was in his Ultra form. He looked around and saw nothing but stars. Then, a bright flash of light appeared in front of him. He had to shield his eyes from the glare. When it subsided, he looked at what the light had brought; it was humanoid, like himself, with curves that made him think that it was a female, though he could not tell due to the fact that it was glowing too brightly to see clearly. All he could make out was the shape.
"Who are you?" he asked. It answered, in a voice that Jim knew that he had heard from somewhere before;
"You already know, my betrothed." Then, a great flash again came from the being and engulfed Jim.
Jim awoke in his room, sitting straight up, covered in sweat. He got up from his bed, and walked towards the mirror. He was shirtless, and was wearing his usual black sweat pants. He gazed at his near-perfect form, the muscles showing proudly on his body. Ever since his awakening, his body underwent changes; he was stronger, faster, and had keener senses than before. He even gained slight telepathic abilities, and slight ESP. However, those were far from his mind at the moment.
"I know I saw her from somewhere before, but where? I need to know. I have to know just who that girl is," he said to himself. He looked at the time, and saw that it was still late, only 2 a.m. He got back into bed, and tried to fall asleep. After what seemed like an eternity, sleep overtook him.
From the personal journal of Fox McCloud; Jim has shown that he has grown more accustomed to his abilities. Against what he called a 'Keronian', he used a new technique when his usual attack failed. I wonder, when his potential is fully realized, will he still be willing to fight for us. I know that I should trust him, but compared to us, he is like a god. In all the battles that he has been through, he has always come out on top, no matter what. The people will probably see him as a savior, which is what Jim wants to be; to become the same hero that he idolized as a child, just like I idolized my father when I was young. But still, I've seen what power can do to people, Andross being a prime example. I hope, I pray, that Jim does not take the same path as that mad ape. On a more cheerful note, Fara's brother's birthday is coming up, and the team has been invited. Jim has never met Fara before, nor the Phoenix family for that matter. I'm sure, that this occasion should be more jovial, especially for Jim, since he has never really had any time to relax since his 'awakening'. And the Phoenixes should be quite interested to meet our newest member.
When Jim was told about meeting the Phoenixes, he was a little less than jovial, though he tried his best to hide it. The others believed him, except for Krystal. The telepath saw right through him. She picked up his apprehensiveness, and decided to try to talk to Jim about it. "I know what's bothering you. You feel that this might bring up painful memories of your own past." They were both standing in her room, with Jim looking out of her viewport, clad in his usual tan shirt, and acu pants, while Krystal was wearing a yellow blouse.
"I never thought I'd think about my family like this. My memories of them seemed so far away. But now they're rushing back at me like a bullet. I know I have to confront this head on, but..."
"Don't worry. I'll be right beside you. It will not be like the last time I tried to bring you out of your shell."
"I hope not. I'd hate to see a robot trash the place." His attempt at humor was not withstanding, though it did somewhat lessen his mood a bit. Krystal wrapped her arms around Jim and held him like that, resting her head on his shoulder while they stared out in space.
The team made planet fall near the Phoenix's home in thier arwings. The team got out before Jim did. They were greeted by three vulpines; an elder male, probably Fara's father, Jim guessed, followed by her mother, and Fara herself as she ran to embrace Fox, and share a kiss with him. Outside, Fara's father noticed the fifth arwing and the occupant inside.
"Who's the new guy?" they all turned and saw the canopy open up, and Jim, clad in his usual black and blue uniform, climbed out. When he got down on the ground, he was still wearing his shaded eye-pro, but the fennecs did get a good look at him. Fara's parents were rooted to the spot, not used to seeing a human before. Fara stepped forward, wearing a smile.
"You must be the new member," Jim removed his eye-pro, and grinned slightly.
"I am at that. And you are Fara, correct?"
"Yep." Jim stuck out his hand, and Fara took it. Krystal beamed, while Fox grinned, along with the other team members. Fara's parents got over thier initial shock, and stepped forward. Fara's father looked like the scientist that Fox described him as, being thin, with glasses, a pipe in hand, and large ears that were normal of his race. Fara's mother, on the other hand, looked beautiful, in her light blue dress, and piercing brown eyes. She had the same large fennec ears, but were noticeably shorter than her husband's. Both stepped forward, and Fara's father was the first one to speak;
"Greetings, stranger. What name do you go by?" He asked, as if speaking to someone from a foreign country. Jim stared, not really knowing what to say to that, except for the expected "Uhhhh..."
"DAD! Don't be rude! He knows Cornerian just as well as you do!" Fara defended.
"Sorry, but this the first time I met a huffman before,"
"Human."
"Beg your pardon?"
"I am a human. And my name is Jim. Nice to meet you." Jim stuck out his hand, and Fara's father took it, smiling.
"Sorry. Never met one quite like you before."
"Understandable. Half a year ago, I didn't think that your kind existed, as well." Jim said, smiling. Fara's mother walked up, and Jim offered her the same gesture, which she accepted.
"I don't suppose that you eat the same type of food that we do," she asked, smiling. Jim returned it, answering;
"Where I'm from, we normally eat first and taste it later. Although, I'll make an exception." The team were led inside a rather lavish manor, with thier arwings parked outside, on the privately owned landing pad. Fara's father was famous as an engineer, and his advancements in aeronautics and space technology.
"He practically wrote the book on space-flight," Fox commented. He was also noted for designing the arwing space-fighter. However, he gives the real credit to his daughter, Fara.
"Without her, the fighter would not be able to get off of the ground. She was the brains behind the G-diffuser system."
"I'm curious. What, exactly, does the G-diffuser system do? I never really thought about it, but since I'm here," he asked, turning to Fara. She smiled, and explained; it was primarily designed to lessen the gravitational stresses that are put on both pilot, and craft. However, through an unintended stroke of luck, it also served as a power generator.
"Originally, I never intended it to be used that way, but we found out that the system also harnesses the stresses to be used as a power source. It's what provides the shielding and propulsion of the ship."
"Amazing. At least decades, if not centuries, ahead of anything my people ever had."
"How advanced are the human race?" Fara's father asked.
"Not that advanced, I'm afraid. We've barely stepped out into space, as it is." Jim didn't want to tell them about the fate of Earth, and tried hard not to mention it.
"Then how did you end up in Star Fox, or the Lylat system, for that matter?"
"I'd... rather not say. It's a personal issue for me."
"I see. I won't press the issue, then. Just tell me, How far are you into your development?"
"Compared to you, not very far. We have built our fist orbital space station and set foot on our natural satellite, but other than that, most of our resources is spent on trying to kill eachother."
"Why would an entire race want to do that?" Fara's mother asked, who seemed shocked.
"It's...what we do. My race...isn't exactly one you would want to meet right now, not until we have matured. Don't get me wrong, we do have our good points and all, but..." Jim looked away while he hung behind them. Talking about conflicts, brought up the memories of when he was fighting in Iraq, and how he had lost his friends there. Krystal picked this up, and tried to change the subject;
"Uh, how is Cody doing?"
"Oh, he's fine. He's excited that you were able to make it."
"I'm sure. It's been awhile since last I saw him." Fox said smiling while Fara held onto his arm. Jim noticed that thier tails were entwined with eachother. He looked on, feeling a little envious for Fox, when he felt an arm around his. He looked, and saw Krystal holding it, and saw her comforting smile.
All the while, they were led through the Phoenix's home, and Jim saw where a good portion of Fara's father's funds went; The manor was decorated in a, what he thought, was the usual manner in which the wealthy and well off usually spend thier money, with paintings adorning the walls, busts made out of marble, and all the latest in modern entertainment technology; pleasure holos, miniature robotics, even a large flat screen in the spacious den. Jim looked on, and smirked.
'What's so funny?' Krystal communicated via telepathy, looking at him.
'Nothing. Just, I guess no matter where you go, people are the same. However, Fara's father must get off pretty well to afford all of this.'
'You have no idea.' Jim was taken aback by Fox's communicated thought.
'That's right, Krystal can allow me to communicate with others telepathically. The same with you, as well.'
'I see. She's a living communication device, I guess. No offense intended, Krystal.'
'None taken,' she replied, smiling. When they reached what looked like the back yard, as Jim would've called it, he could see all the major festivities were taking place. A group of children were gathered around a hologram that Jim couldn't see clearly, but thought he recognized it from somewhere.
"Hey, Cody!" At that moment, a young vulpine, ten, maybe eleven years old, whirled, and beamed at Fox's grinning face. He ran over, and embraced him. Fox knelt down, and accepted it. Everyone's faces were smiling, except for Jim's whose remained stoic. That's when Cody turned to face the human. He let go of Fox, and walked over to him. Jim knelt down to his level, grinning slightly.
"Who are you?" Cody asked, wonder in his voice. Jim only smiled.
"I'm Jim."
"Oh, the new guy." Cody beamed. Jim wore a mock look of puzzlement, while pointing to himself.
"'New Guy'?" he asked.
"It's what Fox called you while talking to my sister. He said that you're a good pilot."
"I see," he glanced over at Fox, who merely shrugged. Jim tussled the young vulpine's head and stood back up. Cody ran back over to Fox, saying;
"You gotta see this!" He practically dragged the older fox to the holo.
"He sees him as an older brother." Jim said.
"Of course. Fox has been with him since he was born."
"Fox has been with this family since at a young age, hasn't he?" Krystal looked away, a look of sadness apparent. From what Jim knew, Fox's history wasn't too different from the game's own info; After his father's death at the hands of Andross, The Phoenixes, who were good friends of Fox's family, took the young vulpine in. Fara and Fox were already fast friends, and staying with eachother since childhood only cemented thier relationship into true love. Living by his father's advice to never give up, and spurred onward by Fara, Fox enrolled into the Cornerian Academy and graduated with Falco and Slippy. At that time, Peppy, who was also a good friend of the Phoenixes, approached Fox and offered him the chance to lead the new Star Fox team, an offer the vulpine found impossible to turn down. And the rest, the games almost covered completely, saved for the glaringly obvious details.
'When you found out about Fox and Fara you were heartbroken, weren't you?' Jim communicated, softly.
'I do admit, that I did have something of a crush on him. When I met Fara for the first time, and explained to me that she and Fox were seeing eachother, I felt so...alone. But, Fox told me to not give up, that I would find someone out there.' At that time, she looked at the human, and he looked back at her.
"You believe that it is me, don't you?" She merely looked at the group of children, a small smile on her features. At that moment Jim felt a tail wrap around his leg, and felt Krystal hold his arm even tighter, while Fara was doing the same to Fox. In fact, the whole team seemed to crowd the holo.
'What's got thier attention, I wonder?' Jim thought.
"Jim! Come and see this!" Both human and vulpine moved at Peppy's words. When he was close enough, Jim saw what had captivated them so;
'Me. They're looking, at me.' They were looking at Jim, or rather his Ultra form. They were watching a news broadcast, and it was primarily about the newest visitor to the Lylat System. The scene was Jim fighting Doragon, just outside of Corinthia, while a smaller image of a female poodle in a work dress with the Cornerian News Network logo behind her as she commented;
"It has been at least three weeks since the first appearance of this mysterious red and silver giant in Lylat. Showing up first on Titania, where it dispatched against an equally large creature, who had been labeled as the one who had destroyed the military base there by the Star Fox team, and finally, has appeared here to destroy the creature that would've ended Corinthia city. Unsubstantiated rumors about this giant being a new type of military weapon have been brought to light, of which General Pepper, head of the Cornerian Army, has blatantly stated as false, saying that the military has nothing to do with him. However, certain individuals remain uncertain." The fight scene shifted to that, of a mic being held in front of an avian, probably a pigeon, as he spoke;
"I don't buy General Pepper's bull! I say it is a secret weapon, and that they were giving it a test run! They don't care who they hurt, so long as they get results!" Jim clenched his fists, as the scene shifted to a female collie.
"It's just another cover up! They were testing out a new robot weapon with those supposedly phony attacks that claimed those innocent people's lives! If you ask me, whoever is running that thing is no more than a glory-hog and a self-centered prick!" He was feeling his anger build up, and felt like exploding.
'Jim, calm down, please!' He heard Krystal's mental plea, looked at her, and nodded slightly and looked at the ground.
"I don't believe that!" All eyes turned to Cody, who looked at the holo. "I don't believe that he's a glory-hog! He's on our side, and he helps people!" Jim was moved by this.
'A child, is sticking up for me?' He looked at Krystal, who simply smiled and nodded. Jim walked over to the young vulpine, through the crowd, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Cody, why do you believe that. For all you know, he could be just one of those monsters."
"But he isn't!" he nearly shouted. He turned to Jim. "If he was, then why would he try to take that thing out, away from Corinthia? He helps people."
"This just in, we got footage of the giant showing up at Zoness." Everyone turned to face the screen, as the holo shifted to Jim facing off against Keronia. Then, it showed the battle between the two of them, with Jim having the upper hand.
"Whoever he is, though, he sure is strong," said a child. Cody simply looked on, while Jim tried to feel the boy's emotions. It was mostly awe, with a bit of wonder thrown in.
'Does he instinctively know, a hero when he sees one?' Jim thought.
"I wonder, just what it is that he is called." Fara's father said.
"Uruturaman,"
"I beg your pardon?" Eyes turned to Jim, who was staring at the holo. He snapped out of his funk, and looked at the others, smiling sheepishly.
"Sorry. It's just, he reminds me of similiar looking entity that appeared on my world."
"Really? So, he appeared on your world, as well?" That was when they started to gather around him, as if he could shed some light on this mystery. Jim cleared his throat, and spoke;
"I said that it was an entity that resembled him, although the resemblance is uncanny. He protected my world from global annihilation, and my people are indebted to him."
"I thought you said, that yours was a warlike race," Fara said.
"They are. But, like I said, we humans have our good points, as well. Those are what touched 'Uruturaman' the most. Because of my own race's capabilities for compassion, mercy, and even love, he became its fiercest guardian, until, the incident."
"What incident?" Cody asked.
"When my world...was no more." Almost everyone gasped slightly, especially the children.
"Your home was...destroyed. Why didn't urutara, er, he try to save it?"
"He wasn't there to. After fighting a difficult battle against a powerful opponent, Uruturaman suffered a critical injury. He had to return to his homeworld, or die. He returned just in time to see my world, Earth, die. However, I think that he knows that I have survived Earth's fate, and had followed me here to the Lylat system. And now has decided to protect it, just like he did Earth." All the while, Jim wore a sad expression, that slowly perked up.
"That name that you use for him, Uruturaman, what does it mean?" Fara's father asked.
"It's in my native language. In translation with your own language, I would believe that it means...Ultraman."
"Ultra...man...Hmmm. It sounds rather..."Ultra-good"," The kids laughed with Fara's father, and Jim joined in a little, and looked back at the holo.
'Ultraman. I guess, that this really is my destiny, to become the protector of Lylat just liken other Ultramen was the protector of my world.'
'And we'll stand right beside you, 'Ultraman Jim',' Krystal communicated with a laugh. Jim looked at her, and returned her smile.
The rest of the party went by, pretty much as Jim would expect it to, with games, the birthday cake, opening of gifts, and sharing and creating memories with friends. The one that Jim would probably remember most fondly, would be the type of karaoke machine, that Fara's mother pulled out.
"Alright, who will go first?" she asked, turning to both Fara and Fox. Both of them smiled openly, as they took the mics, and stood in front of the squat machine. Fox entered his PAD into the machine, and looked at Fara, grinning slightly, while Fara returned it. The song that they had selected, was a country themed song. Jim neither hated, nor really liked the genre that much, but he did at least listen to the music, more so than the lyrics, of which both of the vulpines sang. Behind them, the holo was showing images of a country home, with a happy couple, raising a family.
'Fox's desire,' Jim thought.
'His heartfelt desire,' Krystal communicated. He looked at her, and she at him. He felt her emotions for him, but felt he wasn't quite ready to return them, just yet. She simply nodded, and held onto him. When the song ended, the crowd applauded. When both vulpines stepped away from the machine, Fox handed Jim the mic. He looked at it, and asked
"Seriously?" Fox nodded, grinning slightly. Jim looked back at Krystal, who nodded an encouragement. Jim shrugged, and took the mic. He stepped in front of the machine, took out his own PAD, and inserted it into the slot. He was scrolling down the menu of songs, thinking he should have used his MP3 instead, but didn't think the two technologies were compatible. Fortunately, the PAD had all of his personal favorite songs. He scrolled down until he found the one, that he felt was perfect. He saved it, and prepared to play it, and spoke into the mic.
"This song, is in my native language, so you will not get the lyrics. But the feel of the song, is simple enough for even a child to know what the song itself is about." The song Jim had picked out, was none other than 'Shinnin' on Love,' a personal favorite of his. It was in Japanese, but like he said, the overall feel of it, was simple enough for even a child to comprehend, especially with the holograms behind him, showing all the Ultras, in all thier glory; Zoffy, Ultraman Hayata, Ultra Seven, Ultraman Jack, Ultraman Ace, Ultraman Taro, Ultraman Leo, and Ultraman 80. All of them were moving across the holo, while Jim sang. He saw the look of awe and wonder on the children's faces, and smiled himself. Then, some of the more recent Ultras appeared; Tiga, Dyna, Gaia, Cosmos, Nexus, Max, and Mebius. Even the animated Jonias and USA Ultraman, and the Australian and American Ultraman Great, and Ultraman Powered made thier appearances, and the crowd took it all in, as the images swelled, and they all fit together, while it appeared that they were looking at the Cornerians. Everyone stared, open mouthed or slack-jawed, at the holo. All the while, the Ultras struck thier respective poses, while shouting with thier distinctive voices. Finally, the song ended, with a holo of a shining blue and green planet. Most of them thought that it was Earth. When the song ended, the people applauded loudly. When Jim stepped away from the machine, the kids surrounded him, all of them talking at once, asking if he knew about anything more about the red and silver giant. Jim grinned broadly, thinking
'Even if I can't convince the public, just yet, at least the kids know that Ultraman is a hero, just like on Earth.' He looked at Krystal, who smiled openly at him.
"Sir, Algorian is ready as you have requested."
"Good. Let's see just how powerful this Ultra is." The figure sat in the recliner, while going over the PAD, smiling to himself.
Inside the Phoenix home, evening was settling on the landscape, while Jim was lost in thought once more. Krystal picked up his thoughts, and felt what it was he was thinking,
'I should've seen this coming. Of course they'd be suspicious of me at first. And why wouldn't they be? All I have to prove myself is to fight the 'monster of the week', whenever it appears.' Jim shook his head, as he stared out at the scenery. 'At least, the children have placed thier confidence in me,'
'There's always a first,' Jim whirled at Krystal's telepathic message. They were standing on a balcony, on the second floor. Jim felt like he had to get away, to clear his head. Krystal came up from behind, and placed an arm around Jim's shoulders.
"I know that the news broadcast is bothering you. You are right, in that the people need time to get used to you. Also, the children do trust you."
"Of course they do. Kids have an innate ability to see things that adults can't. We simply pass it off as innocence, but, that is not the case. Kids know, and that fills me with a little hope." Krystal placed her head on his shoulder, and looked out at the mountain range.
"When you said, that if everyone else lost faith in me that you would not, were you being serious?"
"Of course I was." she said, chuckling slightly. "Do you not believe me?"
"I just wanted to make sure. I don't know what will happen in the future, and, I need all the help that I can get." She laughed to herself, a little bit, and replied.
"I didn't think that an invincible hero ever needed help. Or, are you more human than you realize?"
"And what's that supposed to mean?" He glared at her, and she never lost her smile.
"It means that you are not losing yourself, like you had feared." Jim stiffened a little bit at the comment.
"I know, that you were afraid that you would lose who you are, should your power awaken within you." He should've known better, than to try to hide his fears from a telepath, especially if the telepath in particular was named Krystal.
"Fox also fears the same thing. Mine own mental abilities are not as keen as yours are, but, I can feel it from him. He's worried that, I'll let my own power get to my head, make me think that I'm better than everyone else. He's not at fault for worrying like that. Any sensible person would feel the same way." He turned again, to face her. "So tell me, why is it, that you don't feel afraid of me? Why do you trust me so readily, knowing what it is that I am?"
"Because I know what it is that you are; a hero." She embraced him, resting her head on his shoulder. He felt her emotions for him. He was willing to return them, but, only in private, without prying eyes watching them. He wanted, to really know what it was she felt for him. He felt her compassion, caring, and kindness from her for him, but felt that there was something deeper, something else below the surface.
It was rising from the sea. It felt a great hunger, in its gut. And, an intense need to satisfy it. It has been released for that very reason, to satisfy itself. Only part of its back rose from the surface of the ocean, and not even much of it could be seen. If viewed from the air, however, one could see a spiny fin swimming towards the shore of Corneria City, along with a great, dark mass below it. And that, is exactly what a passing Cornerian Fighter saw. The pilot sent the report back to CAHQ, along with aerial photos of the shape. The info was received, processed, and sent to General Pepper. He received the report, and felt a grave tingle in the back of his skull. 'No living sea creature on Corneria has been reported to get that big. And, only two people I know of are capable of making bio-weapons. One of them died, twice, and the other has been dead for years. What are we dealing with?' he thought, looking at the photo while reading the report on his PAD.
"Miss Heather, get me the commander of the Cornerian City garrison."
"Right away, sir." his secretary answered. After a few moments, a male voice sounded over his comm, young, and militaristic.
"Yes, sir. What do you need?"
"Commander, I want your forces put on full alert. You have something big headed your way, and I also want you to prep evacuation procedures should the need arise."
"Yessir! Should I expect support?"
"I'll try to get you as many as I can possibly spare." Pepper signed off, hoping that he wasn't behind all this.
Jim felt it. The 'warning signal' was blaring in the back of his skull. Krystal felt the sensation emanating from him, and looked at him, her face was that of concern. Jim looked down at his right arm and rolled up the sleeve, exposing the Ultra Brace. It pulsated, while glowing with each pulse. Jim looked at Krystal, who simply nodded. Jim smirked, and both ran down the steps and made thier way outside towards thier arwings. Both had started thier thrusters, and were starting to hover in the air. The rest of the team, plus the family, heard the commotion and made thier way outside just in time to see two arwings take-off into the sky. Fox looked back at the team, who simply nodded at him, and made thier way to thier own craft, and the three craft followed after Krystal and Jim.
It lumbered onto shore, as the sun was just beginning to set, and the first traces of twilight could be seen. Algorian, in all of its hideously amphibian glory made its way to the city. What the people saw, made them gasp in horror; It was fifty meters tall, with gray flesh, a long, drooping neck with a small fish-like head with a needle-toothed maw, long arms with webbed claws that hung low, the claws almost touching the ground. It had a large fin going down its spine, and a tail, ending in a horizontal flipper. It looked to be shambling along, in a hunched-like skulk as it made its way into the city. It issued a low gurgling growl, and picked up a hover-car with a family still inside. The family screamed in terror as Algorian brought the vehicle to its mouth, its eyes were a complete gray blank. It chewed through the metal, and swallowed the remains. It then appeared to perk up a bit, and became more active. It then started to tear through the city, taking all the hover vehicles that it could find, and gulp them down. A mother badger was carrying her daughter in her arms, as she tried to escape with the crowd. However, she saw falling rubble ahead from a nearby building that Angorian threw an empty vehicle at. She stopped and ran into an alleyway, while people ran past them, trying to escape the monster. The little girl, no more than eight years old, held herself close to her mother while she tried to tell her daughter that everything will be alright. She prayed that she would not be turned into a liar. The garrison was fully mobilized, with its Landmaster tank battalion and Cornerian fighter squadron fully armed and in action. However, they could not seem to harm the horrid amphibian, as the Landmaster's rounds were striking only grazing blows against the pale flesh while Cornerian fighters buzzed angrily around its head. Algorian swatted them away, and stepped on the tanks, not really looking down at them at all. It just wanted food, that was all. When the Star Fox team arrived, flashbacks of what happened at Corinthia flashed through everyone's heads, especially Jim's.
'Is this my fate? To forevermore fight these monsters, wherever they appear, and if I'm not quick enough people get hurt? Is that my lot in life?' Feeling his fury build up, Jim gunned his thrusters, right at Algorian.
"Jim, wait!" But Krystal's plea fell on deaf ears as Jim flew at the fish-like terror. Jim let loose a couple of Nova bombs at its head, both of which successfully connected. The rest of the team followed suit, taking shots at the monster. Algorian was feeling rage as it tried in vain to swat the annoying craft out of the air. When it tried and failed, several times, it opened its maw, and a stream of fluid sprayed out. It missed the craft but hit a few of the buildings. They were turning into a puddle of goo.
"Watch out, that thing spits acid!" Slippy cried.
'That's it! I need to convert now!'
'No, wait!'
'Krystal, what-'
'Think about it; if you were to change now, then Corneria City might know your secret!'
'You think I care about that right now? All I care about is stopping that thing!' Just then, a spray of acid was aimed at him. Jim avoided most of it, but not all. Some of it hit his fuselage, and his engines became compromised, forcing him to eject. As soon as he did so, he placed the brace over his heart, where it flashed, and Jim placed his left hand over the brace, then thrust both of his arms out, cross style, shouting "GAIYOOOO!" He glowed crimson, and he turned into a ball of fire. He crashed into Algorian, and sent it crashing into an abandoned ware house. Jim landed on a knee, converted into Ultraman Jim. He got to his feet, and got into his combat stance, while issuing a shout at Algorian. Algorian regarded this new threat, and rushed at it, intent on feeding. Jim reached out with his senses, and felt nothing but hunger from the beast.
'Just a mindless eating machine,' he thought. Jim leapt over the running beast, and landed behind it. Algorian turned from side to side, wondering where its prey went. Jim then leapt up, and landed on Angorian's back, forcing the beast down, and started to rain down blow after blow on the beast. Algorian shrieked in displeasure, and tried to rise, but Jim remained on top of it, and continued his merciless assault. Finally, Algorian got back to its feet, knocking Jim off of it. Jim did a backwards somersault and came back up on his feet. Algorian faced the red and silver warrior while Jim got back into his battle stance. Then both charged and grappled with the other. They tried to overpower eachother, but one could not overcome the other. Then, Jim planted a kick on Algorian's midsection and sent it stumbling back. Then Algorian sent an acid spray at Jim, who merely dodged it. Another was sent, and this one was avoided by a backflip or two. Just then, Jim noticed the mother and child, hiding out in an alley in between two buildings behind him. Algorian was preparing to launch his acid stream.
'If I move now, they'll die,' he thought. Left with no other option, Jim made the only choice he felt that he could make; he got in between the amphibious kaiju and the parent and child, with his back facing the monster, kneeling. Algorian fired its acid stream, and it struck against Jim's silvery hide. It sizzled on contact, and Jim issued a pained yell. Both mother and child looked up, to see the kneeling red and silver giant, groaning in pain and writhing in agony as the spray continued.
'RUN!' he telepathically yelled at them. The stream stopped, after what seemed like an eternity, and the two anthros made a dash to his left. Jim watched them run, and when he saw them join the crowd a few hundred meters away, he stood back up, his warning light flashing steadily. Algorian charged at its opponent. Jim got into a quick battle stance, and rushed to meet Angorian head on. Then, Jim planted a fist in Algorian's drooping head, making it stumble back. Immediately following a spin-kick that put Angorian on the ground. Jim was on top of the monster again, and started to rain down blows, striking Algorian in the head, midsection, wherever was vulnerable. Just then, Angorian's tail caught Jim in the face and made the Ultra back off. Algorian got back to its feet and growled at the red and silver Ultra. Then, Jim sent a shredding halo at Angorian, who dodged it. It turned back to face Jim, who merely crossed his arms expectantly. Suddenly, the halo came back around, and severed one of Angorian's arms. As blood escaped the stump, the limb fell to the ground as Algorian shrieked in dismay, while holding the stump in its free hand. Then it exuded another spray. Jim knew that the buildings behind him still had people in them, and decided to try something; The Ultra brought both of his arms to his sides, bent at the elbow, fists facing up. Then, his forearms started to glow white, and he thrust his arms outward, where a shimmering blue circle of light was present. The spray hit the circle, but could not penetrate the shield. Then, Jim crossed his wrists together and swung his arms down. Just then, the barrier went towards Algorian, and the barrier wrapped itself around its head. It was still emitting its spray, hoping to penetrate the barrier, and soon filled the space with its own acid. Its head dissolved instantly. The barrier dissipated, letting the fluid fall to the ground, and was eating its way through it along with gobs of partially dissolved flesh. The head was no more than a skull, with a few pieces of flesh hanging off of the bone. It fell to its knees and collapsed, where it dissolved into foam. Jim looked at the remains, until he was sure that all of it was dissolved. Just then, a crowd of people came around him, while giving him a wide berth. Jim looked at them, and seemed to be regarding them. Just then one of the buildings, having sustained much damage from one of the acid sprays, started to tilt and fall. People screamed, and ducked for what cover they could. The Star Fox team looked on in horror, unable to do anything in time. Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and all was silent. The little girl badger, who was with her mother in the crowd, looked up and shouted "Look!" The others looked up, and what they saw amazed them; Ultraman Jim was holding the building's remains over his back while kneeling over the people. Jim looked down at them and nodded. With a loud shout, Jim got up quickly, and the building was sent up off of his back. He then lifted his arms up, and caught the building. Immediately following that, he used his telepathic abilities to scan inside the building, seeing if there was anyone left alive in there. After seeing that it was deserted, he placed it down next to him, away from the people. He looked down at them and nodded. The girl badger smiled at the Ultra. Satisfied, Jim looked up, and with a loud "SHUWATCH!", he was flying into the sunset, having saved the people once more. Star Fox looked at the carnage; ruined buildings were everywhere, and the loss of life were appalling. But, at this time, no one would forget the day, that Ultraman Jim just displayed an act of selfless service. Star Fox flew back up, into space, while the people on the ground only looked on, while the little girl badger, who was still being held by her mother, whispered "Thank you," to thier savior.