Ch. 29

A Traitor's Mission

She felt it from him. She felt him hiding something from her, something important. She couldn't penetrate his mind, even if she wanted to. Over the nine months that Jim had been with Star Fox and became an Ultra, his natural mental defenses have increased by over ten times. Before, she could read him like a book. Then, a few months later, he was surprisingly hard to read. Then, a few weeks later, harder still, now, it was all but impossible to read him. In order for her to read his thoughts, he has to actually lower his mental guards consciously. Such mental protection was probably made possible due to the incredible evolution that his people went through, but that doesn't make it any easier. For once in her life, Krystal felt at a loss without the use of her telepathy to help her. She had grown rather dependant on it, and now, it can't help her with him. Jim and Krystal made planet fall on Sauria several hours prior. After receiving a hero's welcome (the natives still remembering what it was that the Ultra had done for them a few months ago), King Tricky gave them the same lodgings as before, when Fox confiscated his Spacium Brace. Now, evening was setting on the prehistoric landscape. Krystal was standing out on the balcony, clad in the same tribal outfit that she had worn before, overlooking the sunset with the last rays of the sun giving the sky a golden and orange color that she always found captivating, with purple clouds complementing it. However, she didn't feel all that captivated by it, her thoughts on something else. Her face had a faraway look, as she looked at the sun falling behind the jungle.

Jim was lying on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. He was wrestling with the nagging thought in his mind. He wanted desperately to tell her, to tell her everything. His true mission, what the Ultras really planned to do in this reality, how only he, his superior, and Hikari and Mebius may be the only ones who will fight for them. However, if he told her, the council will speed up their plans all the more faster. They used him for their own twisted plans, but he allowed it. He allowed it, because what they proposed seemed too good to be true. Now, he was wondering if it was truly worth it. He has spent a large portion of his time as an Ultra with them. He has come to see them as his second family, since the one on his Earth had been destroyed by Gorzul. It would now only be a matter of time before he caved in and told her everything. He felt that she deserved to know. More than anyone else, she deserved to know.

M78, at that time: "He's going to tell her." said one of the six council members. The male and female Ultras were clad in snow-white robes, floating around a glowing sphere in a large chamber. The sphere showed Jim, lying on the bed in the room on Sauria, in a whole other plane of existence. "We must step up our plans."

"But, we are not ready yet. We cannot guarantee that the relic is able to function properly." said one of the floating men.

"It will function properly, when powered by the same thing that gave us our power." said a deep female voice.

"You can't mean, the Plasma Spark?" said another man.

"Impossible. The Spark won't work for something that will be used for destruction. Its purpose is to give life, not to take it." said another.

"And it will give life. It will breathe life into the race that was long ago dead, brought to death by a horrible mistake. Now, that same child who made that same mistake, is atoning for that sin, by aiding us in bringing it back." the same woman said.

"But how? We know that he schemes against us. He will fight against us, and in the end, he will probably succeed in stopping us."

"Not if we act swiftly enough. We must speed up our plans, and implement our device, now." she said. She turned to a guard at the door. "Tell Kronos to enter." The guard saluted, and went out. Moments later, a large body entered. It was red and silver, like most Ultras, but it had a black stripe in the shape of a 'V' going across his chest. He was muscular, even among Ultras, his muscles showing off their definition. He stopped before the six floating Ultras, and bowed deeply, showing his respect.

"Honored council, to what do I owe the immense honor?" he asked in a booming voice.

"Kronos, even among the greatest of warriors, you are considered to be the mightiest of all." the deep-voiced woman said.

"You are far too kind." Kronos replied.

"Needless to say, you did not earn that reputation for nothing. We have need of your services. You are familiar with Zenith?"

"The traitorous son of Hayata?" Kronos asked.

"Yes. However, he is seeking atonement by aiding us in our great plan. You are aware of it, no doubt?"

"I am. I must say, such a noble endeavor."

"That may now be threatened by certain….persons."

"Do you wish me to root them out?" Kronos asked, flexing his muscles.

"Not quite. We wish for you to be our vanguard, should the time come. And believe you me, it will. Zenith is falling for one of the natives of that reality, and is twisting his mind further and further from our cause. This, of course, poses no real threat to us, but we would like you to go there, in advance, and make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid. I believe that you know the way?" she asked. Kronos nodded. "One more thing. Should Zenith try to impede you, in any way, you are authorized to terminate him." Once more the large Ultra nodded, and left. One of the men turned to her.

"Even so, he will tell her everything."

"But not right away. He will tell her, for now, just enough to tickle her little nose. Before he reveals everything, I will have her hate him. My daughter, will see to that."

Sauria, at that time: 'I will tell her. Not everything, not yet, but enough to give her an idea of what's really going on.' Jim got up off of the bed, and made his way beside Krystal. The blue-furred vixen was standing out on the balcony, staring at the sunset. Her face had a faraway look while she looked upon the gold and orange sky, meeting the green foliage below. Jim placed an arm around her shoulders. She placed her hand on his, and looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, seeing the concerned look on his face.

"I'm sorry." he said.

"About what?" she asked.

"Keeping things from you."

"It's fine. I know that your superiors told you that it is secret, but you don't have to feel bad about keeping it from me, if it is important."

"It is important. That is why….you of all people should know, for all that you've done for me." She gave him a puzzled look, and he continued.

"The real reason why I am here, is because certain forces are at work that wish to see your destruction."

"I know that. Gorzul is out there, and…"

"Not Gorzul."

"What?"

"The forces that I am speaking of, are not Gorzul's but something else. Gorzul is still a threat, but this new threat is a more imposing one than he is right now."

"Why is that?"

"Because, of how close they are to accomplishing their goal. There are two reasons why I am here; one is the one that you already know. The other is, because we believe there may be someone on the inside who may be conspiring against you."

"Conspiring against us? Who is against us? Jim, what are you talking about?" Krystal asked, more confused than ever.

"We don't know who it is that wants you people dead. It could be Gorzul, but we are not sure. All we know, is that they got their hands on something big."

"Like what?" Jim took in a deep breath, and told her.

"Before my race evolved into what it is now, they were at war with another people who had technology as advanced as theirs was. However, they were the ones who discovered the means to travel to and from dimensions. They planned on using this power, to shape all realities in their image. We evolved, just in time for them to implement their plan. Just before they could, the new Ultra race stopped them, but not before we lost most of our people. The race we fought against used a device to, not only travel through dimensions, but to also alter them."

"What do you mean by 'alter them'."

"Somehow, the device is able to rip the fabric of space, and time as well. These people had the power to alter the time flow of any reality that they wished. If they were allowed to continue on their plan, they would cause irreparable damage to countless worlds, across the fabric of time and space. My race stopped them, but barely in time. The race destroyed itself with its own device, never to be the rulers that they dreamed to be. However, the relic remained. We thought we kept it under guard, but it was found gone from its resting place some time ago."

"So you think that, someone stole this device, to alter the fabric of time and space to their image."

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"We had reason to believe that the person or persons responsible have spies and scouts set up in different realities. Because of that, well, I couldn't just openly come forth with the information. My secondary mission here, is to try to root out the spy here, if there is one. For all I knew, you could've been it." he said, turning to her, smiling slightly. Krystal returned it.

"And, how do you know I'm not one?" she asked, snuggling up to him.

"You're too cute to be one, that's how I know." he replied. Krystal giggled, and placed a hand on the side of his face, resting her head on his shoulder. Finally, he was opening up to her.

"I'm glad for this. Very glad. You were afraid that I was a spy, and that telling me this would make me stop loving you?" She laughed again, and snuggled him. "That's just silly. I'll always love you. Now that you've told me, we can probably focus on this spy of yours."

"Actually, that may have to wait. We still have to focus on the fleet that was sighted near here, remember?"

"Of course. But, how do you know that it isn't Gorzul?"

"If it was Gorzul, he would've used it by now. It was found missing not too long ago, and they have every available warrior on the alert. What we don't know, is who really has it."

"We'll find it. I promise. Then, after that, who knows, right?"

"Right. Who knows." Jim said. He looked at the sunset. He told her part of the truth, but not all of it. Still, telling her this much made him feel better inside. However, his quiet moment with Krystal was interrupted by the very same reason he loathed coming here. There was a growing crowd just below the balcony of the native dinosaurs, mostly Lightfoot and Thorntails, and a few Earthwalkers, all congregating beneath them. They looked up, and they cheered for the 'Silver Hero'. Jim groaned an "Oh no." when he saw them, and Krystal smiled openly. Then, the cheering began. "Why? Why is it that every time we come here, they start this up?"

"Oh, come on. It's just a little bit of hero worship. I thought that Ultras were invincible." She gave him a side-long glance, and a smile crept along her vulpine features. "Don't tell me that's your secret weakness." she asked, in an amused tone. Jim gave her an incredulous look, and went back to the cheering crowd. Just then, he felt a slight wetness on his cheek, and saw, out of the corner of his eye, Krystal giving him a kiss on the cheek. The crowd saw this, and they cheered louder. Jim blushed at this, and Krystal pulled away, seeing how red he was. She smiled at him, and Jim looked away. The crowd continued to cheer, and Jim left the balcony. Krystal looked in the direction that he left, still smiling broadly. She followed after him, and embraced him from behind when he was inches from the bed. Both collapsed on it, with Krystal on top. She was laughing out loud as they fell, and cuddled him. Jim tried to shake her off, and succeeded. He pinned her down, and looked upon her face. Krystal looked up with piercing emerald eyes upon his steel grey. She was still smiling when he leaned in, both driven by some inner drive. Both are attracted together by forces that they cannot explain. Or rather, they can explain, they just don't exactly know how they fell in love. Jim's lips pressed against hers, and they shared a passionate kiss for the longest of moments. When Jim did break away, he looked down at her, and she smiled once more. He returned it, and kissed her again. Krystal felt her stomach flutter, a sensation that she hadn't felt since she was saved by Fox. And, she knows that she felt this sensation before, a long time ago. She doesn't know exactly when, only, that it was a lifetime ago. Jim nuzzled her, and she returned the gesture. They cuddled eachother, then, there was a knock at the door. Jim rose himself off of Krystal and said "Come in." A Lightfoot in a ceremonial robe entered the room, bowing low.

"Oh, great Silver Warrior, King Tricky asks for your audience tonight. He has kin visiting, and they would very much like to meet the legendary Warrior of Light." Jim groaned out loud, and said "We'll be there." The Lightfoot left, and Jim turned to face Krystal. She was propped up on one elbow, her smile big and wide.

"Well, shall we go and throw ourselves to the lions?" Jim asked. Krystal got up, and walked out with Jim, her arm on the small of his back. The kin that was visiting, was Tricky's wife's brother, along with his own mate and offspring. The three hatchlings romped around with Tricky's children, while the adults greeted eachother. When Jim and Krystal arrived, the pair focused on them. "So, this is the legendary 'Warrior of Light' that I have heard so much about. I have heard about what it was that you did here. Defeating the Galdon single handedly is no easy task. Then again, becoming a silver titan should make things a bit more manageable, shouldn't it?" the male ceratopsian asked, smiling broadly.

"If you only knew, my friend."

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ruck. I am Kyra's sibling, and leader of the northern tribes."

"My name is James, member of the Space Garrison forces, and sent here to patrol this part of space." Jim replied, bowing slightly. After getting acquainted, Jim stole an opportunity to be with King Tricky for a bit. They were in a hallway, and the ceratopsian knew what was on his mind.

"I'm sorry, Jim, but we haven't heard anything about a fleet of ships descending to our world. I know that's what you came here for, but so far, everything has been quiet, as of late."

"That's good news to me, Tricky. It means that they haven't gotten here yet, or that they'll ignore your planet. Pray, it is the latter. I'd hate to make this world my new battle-ground."

"Nevertheless, we must go on like business as usual. My mate's brother has been after her to let him come and visit sometime. And with you here, I thought it would be the perfect excuse to have him here. He can be a little bit overbearing at times, but he's really a good person."

"Thanks for that, Tricky. Make sure that he's kept in the dark about what it is that we are really here for. The last thing we need is a panic on our hands."

"Okay. We'd better get back, or they might get suspicious."

"About what?"

"He's been known to get a little bit paranoid about things, that's all you need to know." The pair walked back to the main chamber, where Krystal and Kyra were entertaining their guests. When Ruck saw them return, he smiled at them. "I have heard of your endeavors so far in our system, as well as the famous bloodline that you ascend from." Jim wondered what he meant. He hadn't really told anyone that Hayata, one of the most famous of the Ultra Crusaders, was his father. Then again, Krystal was a telepath, and had an annoying habit of reading minds when it wasn't really wanted. He shot her a glare, and Krystal just smiled innocently. He turned back to Ruck, and smiled.

"That is correct. My father is a famous warrior on my world. Not only that, but is part of an elite group of warriors who protect the peace in their part of space."

"Tell us about them." Jim told him about the famous Ultra Brothers, consisting of Hayata, his father, Zoffy, his superior Ultraseven, Jack, Ace, Taro, Leo and his twin brother Astra, Eighty, and Mebius. He told them that, several millennia ago, a great war broke out on his homeworld. To prevent such a thing from happening again, an elite team was needed to keep the peace. And from then, the famous Ultra Brothers was born. Headed by the Father of Ultra, one of the ruling figures of the Ultra Race, the Ultra Brothers and the Space Garrison have kept the peace for thousands of years.

"Wait, you said thousands of years?" Ruck asked, surprise evident in his voice. Jim nodded.

"So, how old are you then?" he asked. Jim merely smiled and said "You don't want to know." Jim told him how his father protected the Earth in his part of space, and was the very first Warrior of Light to appear. He fought many battles, but was finally felled by an extremely powerful opponent. "What was this opponent called?" Ruck asked. Jim answered with one name only. "Zetton." He let the name hang in the air for a bit before continuing. He told them how Zetton damaged his father's warning light, mortally wounding him. The humans were able to use their own weapons to destroy Zetton, but it seemed too late for Hayata. Then, Zoffy appeared to take the Ultra home with him. He separated him from his human host, so he could get proper care at the Land of Light. Ultimately, he would return to that Earth, and merge with his human host again to help protect the planet. But, there were already other warriors appearing to prove themselves. The latest to appear were Mebius and Hikari. They protected the Earth from the same evil that started the Ultra War. After the evil was destroyed, the Ultra Brothers ultimately left Earth to their own devices, confident that they could protect it themselves.

"I thought that Earth was destroyed." Kyra said.

"My Earth, not the Earth that they were on."

"How do you mean." Jim sighed, and stood up in front of them. He figured that the best way to tell them, was to show them. He raised his Brace to his heart, and it flashed a bright scarlet. The light was enough to make the people in the room shield their eyes for the moment. When the brilliance subsided, Ultraman Zenith was standing before them in his normal form. Ruck and his family stared in awe at the red and silver being, as did Tricky and his family, while Krystal was getting over her own shock. Zenith raised both of his arms over his head, hands outstretched. In between the hands, energy danced in electrical arcs, until his hands glowed with a blue luminescence. Then, he made a gesture of gently pushing his hands out towards them. "Don't worry, this will not hurt." he assured them in his distorted voice. A gentle stream of energy poured forth from his hands, and enveloped the ceratopsians and vixen. Suddenly, they found themselves in a shimmering red void. They looked about themselves, feeling panic rise up, especially Ruck. Then, out of the red haze, Zenith stepped towards them. "I will show you, where we really come from." he told them. Behind him, a part of the haze seemed to part, to reveal a shining planet. Krystal knew this to be the Land of Light. When the planet was viewed up close, they could see human-like people going about their daily lives. Then, the sky went dark, and the people looked up in surprise and fear. The sun was turning into a black-hole. Then, a citadel of sorts opened up its tip, and a shining light came forth, negating the effects of the black hole. The planet was once more bathed in light. However, what transpired next, none of the inhabitants could have guessed; the people were becoming beings of light, their forms becoming shimmering luminescence. Then, the change was completed when the light faded to reveal their bodies had become red and silver, some even blue and silver. They had become the Ultra race. Several thousand years went by, and a horned red and silver Ultra in a mantle, with a woman standing beside him, turned to face the group. Zenith knew this to be the Father and Mother of Ultra, two of the most powerful Ultras in the Land of Light. Then, the Father of Ultra spoke in a booming voice.

"Come forth, brave warriors! You, who have proven your worth to be part of the elite group of soldiers!" With that, the image shifted as the Ultra Brothers were shown; Commander Zoffy, with his Medals shining brightly on his chest as he executed his M87 beam, the most powerful beam on record. Then, Ultraman Hayata appeared, performing his famous Spacium Beam, similar to Jim's. Krystal saw at once the resemblance between him and Zenith. Both were similar, except for small differences, like Zenith's mouth-piece not being as broad as his father's, and his red and silver patterns slightly different from Hayata's. Next, was Ultraseven. The Crimson Ultra used his infamous Eye-slugger, the fin on his head actually coming off, and coming back onto his head like a boomerang. Then, Ultraman Jack appeared. He looked similar to Ultraman Hayata and Zenith, and Krystal wondered if the two were not related in some way. He raised his left arm, showing a type of bracelet, and took it off and threw it. It became imbued with energy, and like Seven's Eye-slugger, returned to its place like a boomerang. Ace appeared, and executed his powerful Metallium Beam, the multicolored beam searing anything in its way. Then, Taro, the legendary son of Father and Mother of Ultra themselves, appeared and fired his Storium Beam, the horned Ultra shouting 'Storium Kousen!" as he did so. Next, was Leo. He back flipped in front of them, and took a combat stance. Then, he leapt up, and did a flying kick, with his foot looking like it was on fire. Then, his brother Astra appeared, and the eldest stood behind Astra as he knelt down. Astra raised his arms up, and Leo thrusted his arm outward, his hands touching his brothers. All at once, a crimson lightning-bolt shaped beam erupted from them, the powerful Ultra Double Flash attack destroying virtually anything in its path. Then, Ultraman Eighty appeared, the famous teacher and warrior executing his Saxium Beam, this one also multicolored. Then, Mebius appeared, and fired his Mebium Shot along with Hikari firing his Knight Shot. The image shifted to the warriors fighting different opponents; Hayata engaged with the infamous Baltan Seijin, Ultraseven fighting the powerful King Joe robot, Jack fighting Knackle Seijin and his pet monster Black King, Ace fighting the monster Ace Killer, the same one that was made by the alien Yapool to destroy him. Taro was fighting the horror known as Tyrant, the monster being a conglomeration of different Kaiju. Leo was fighting Maguma Seijin and his pet Gilas monsters, with Eighty fighting the red monster known as Gora. Hikari and Mebius were fighting Dinozaur Reverse, and fired their finishing moves, destroying it completely.

"My race has defended not only Earth, but the whole universe as well. However, there is one thing that they were concerned about; invasion from another reality. To prevent such a thing, they sent several Ultras to different realities to act as a vanguard against a possible invasion." When Zenith said this, the image flickered to other Ultras; Tiga, Dyna, Gaia and Agul, Cosmos and Justice, Nexus, Max and Xenon. These and more were seen flying through what looked like a shimmering black-hole, which Krystal guessed to be the gateway to other universes. The image faded, and the group was brought back to the royal chambers. All of them looked as though they had awoken from a dream. However, upon seeing the Ultra standing before them, they knew that it was no dream, but rather, a memory. A memory from Zenith himself. The red and silver alien being was standing before them, and then, he reverted back to his human form of James Howards. He looked at them, and saw the look of surprise on their faces. He chuckled, expecting this. Even Krystal felt a little overwhelmed by what she experienced. However she noticed that, again, he was holding something back, something that he didn't want to show them. She thought she was imagining things and shrugged it off.

In orbit around Sauria: the fleet of ships was bearing down in the planet. The flagship was ahead of them. On its command bridge, was none other than Kaza-Miin himself. He stood on the deck, overlooking the screen that showed the planet. He smiled to himself, reveling in the thought of destroying the pesky Zenith himself. The girl, Claire had made herself scarce as of late. It didn't matter. He hadn't any real use for her anyway. Now, he can focus on atoning for the disgrace that he had to suffer through by the hands of this Ultra. He ordered the fighters be deployed to the surface, wiping out anything in their path. The two carriers that followed him complied, letting out their several squadrons each descend to the planet's surface. Kaza-Miin smiled at the sight.

On the surface of the planet, Jim was in the throne room, while the ceratopsians were talking amongst themselves. He felt his warning sense go off, and turned to the direction that it was being emanated. He ran out of the temple, with a concerned Krystal following close behind him. He looked up at the evening sky, searching for any sign of the disturbance. However, only a cloudless night with a full moon and stars were present. Krystal stood next to him, giving him a concerned look. "Do you feel that?" he asked, not turning to her. Krystal reached out with her sixth sense, and felt it as well; several thought patterns, all headed for this direction. She turned to Jim, a look of understanding present. Jim nodded at her. Krystal made her way to her arwing, while Jim stood still, rolling up his sleeve to reveal his Brace. Krystal hopped in, and started up her engines, and Jim converted to Ultraman Zenith. Both of them floated up to the enemy's location. Krystal was unable to see the fighters, but Zenith could remedy that; his oval-shaped eyes flashed, and twin beams of light came out. Like giant search-lights, they shone in a direction, and in an instant, the fighters were exposed. The pair wasted no time in attacking the exposed ships; Krystal let loose her fighter's laser fire, the emerald blasts taking down one fighter after another. While not as good as Falco, Krystal was a capable pilot and was able to hold her own in pretty much any situation. Seeing her like this, Zenith remembers why she is the only one in this universe that he truly knows to fear. Zenith fires his Spacium Beam at the incoming horde, the blue/white beam vaporizing all who came into contact with it. In seconds, the fighters were fighting a losing battle, unable to match the two combatants that they were up against, they mindlessly fought to the last man. Kaza-Miin watched all of this from his flagship, and felt his rage boiling over. He ordered his ships into orbit of the planet, and to bombard it with everything they have. The twenty ships entered the atmosphere, Zenith and Krystal watching them freefall into the atmosphere. Krystal remained stationary, while Zenith landed. Instantly, his form flashed crimson, and he was in his towering fourty meter height. Krystal hung behind the Ultra, waiting for him to make the first strike. He never got the chance. The ships unleashed all they had, the red laser bolts seeming to erupt everywhere from the fleet. And, the assault was aimed directly at them. Zenith brought up his barrier, the shimmering blue shield blocking and deflecting the blasts. Zenith lowered the shield when the assault faded. He turned back, looked at Krystal, and nodded. The blue furred vixen returned the gesture, smiling as she did so. Then, something unexpected happened; the flagship descended in front of them, and was hovering in front of Zenith, just a few hundred meters away. Then, a booming laugh was heard.

"Who are you?" Zenith asked in his distorted voice.

"My name is Kaza-Miin. I am the vanguard of the great Gorzul. My task is to prepare this system for the arrival of the mighty deity, so that he may rule this system for all of time, just as he shall soon will, with all of the universe!"

"I see. You're just a lackey then. Nothing more than an incompetent stooge, sent here to test my abilities! Well, looks like I passed your test. And if I know the other Ultras well enough, then the rest of your armada should be destroyed, leaving this paltry few left." Kaza-Miin burned at Zenith's comment. How dare he insult him thus. He will have to teach thus stripling warrior a lesson.

"Prepare for 'Deathfacer' configuration!" he shouted. As soon as he did, the operators stood up, revealing their true faces of metal and wire. The automatons had wires snake out of their backs, and plug into the consoles. Then, the room's walls closed in on them, with several entrances for the automatons to pass. When the machines were passed by the entrances of the walls, the entrances closed, and Kaza-Miin was left alone in an enclosed space. Then, in the middle of the room, a type of mechanism rose. It looked like the sleep-chamber used on ships for hibernation when traveling great distances. Kaza-Miin smiled on the inside, and his voice boomed to the Ultra. "You say that I am merely a lackey, a stooge with no competence. Well, I'll show you just what this 'stooge' can do!" With that said, the chamber glowed a brilliant glow.

Outside, Zenith and Krystal were greeted with an unexpected sight; the ship was transforming. The brick-shaped ship began to separate itself in small sections, each small piece moving to a different location changing the shape of the whole. Soon, arms and legs sprouted, and the thing landed. Then, a head-like protuberance was visible, revealing a black lens where the face should be. Then, the lens came to life with lights and shapes. The red lines showed what appeared to be a scowling face of some sort. Krystal was at a loss for words at what she saw, however, Zenith knew what the machine was; as far as Zenith knew, there was only one type of robot who could transform from a ship to a giant robot. That, was Deathfacer, the same robot that Dyna had faced. It had the same type of armament as the previous incarnation; a giant pincer-like claw on the right hand, and a gatling gun on the left. It was silver, with bits of red thrown in. "Where'd you get that Deathfacer, Kaza-Miin?" Zenith asked, pointing an accusing finger at the robot.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" the voice replied. Zenith got back into his combat stance, and braced himself. Krystal was floating beside him. She didn't know what good an arwing could be against something like that, but she was willing to fight beside someone whom she cared deeply about. Just then, she got a telepathic message from Jim.

'Listen closely. I will try to distract it. When I do, you have to aim for the face. It is the only vulnerable spot on it. Once it is blinded, I will take care of it from there.'

'Okay, but please, be careful.' she replied. On the inside, Zenith/Jim smiled. Then, he acted. He lunged at the robot with an overhead chop, which Deathfacer blocked with ease. Zenith was expecting this, and acted accordingly; with Deathfacer raising both of its arms, Zenith landed a solid kick to its unprotected midsection. The robot stumbled back, but regained its composure. It lifted its left arm, and fired its gatling gun. The red shots narrowly missed the Ultra as he cartwheeled out of the way. It continued to fire, but Zenith kept on evading. Then, Zenith came up, and sent a shredding halo its way. Deathfacer fired at it, making it explode. Then, Zenith landed a drop-kick. The robot stumbled back a couple of steps as Zenith pressed his attack. He assaulted the machine with a flurry of punches and chops. However, they did no real damage. Deathfacer swung with its massive claw, but Zenith evaded it. It went for an overhead strike, but Zenith caught the claw in both hands. A mistake. Deathfacer brought up its left arm, and fired its gatling into Zenith's unprotected midsection, sending the Ultra flying back, grunting in pain. Zenith rose up painfully, only to get smacked in the face by a giant claw. He rolled on the ground, and came back up, expecting the same thing to happen again. However, the orb on the claw's head glowed a bright red. Zenith knew what was going to happen next, and rolled out of the way of a crimson beam that scorched the jungle where he had been. Zenith came back up, and fired his slash-beam at the robot. The attack threw sparks and made it take a couple of steps back, but no real damage had been done. Then, he threw his Spacium Beam at it. This time, the attack made it stumble to its knees and it threw a miniature explosion.

'Now, Krystal!' Zenith mentally shouted. Krystal went into action, and unloaded two nova bombs in its face. The attack made it fall backward until it collapsed. Zenith nodded at her, and the blue-furred vixen smiled openly from ear to ear. Deathfacer stood up, its lens-like face nothing more than molten slag. Then, the chest opened up, and a cannon-like protrusion came out. Zenith felt himself gasp in recognition when he saw it, while Krystal had a puzzled expression. 'No! If he fires it here…' Zenith thought. He turned to Krystal.

"Krystal, get out of here! It's about to fire its main weapon!"

"No! I won't leave you!"

"You have to! That cannon has enough firepower to take out a small planet! If I cannot take it out, it will destroy more than half of Sauria!"

"All the more reason for me to stay and help you!" she argued.

"Don't argue with me, girl! Just do it!" Zenith shouted, his voice sounding harsh. Krystal was taken aback by it. She felt his emotions soften, then he spoke again. "Please, go. I can't bear to think that you will die here. If I meet my end here, at least I'll know that you're still alive. Please." With a heavy heart, Krystal complied. She turned her arwing skyward, and left the atmosphere, and into space. Zenith turned back to face the robot. Its operator decided to hold off the execution, just to hear the Warrior of Light's touching words.

"Well, well, well. Quite the noble hero, aren't we. Then again, since you recognize the Neo Maxima Cannon, I suppose that I don't blame you. You are correct, in that it can destroy a small world, which should be plenty for dealing with you!" Kaza-Miin shouted from inside. Then, the cannon started to glow as energy gathered within it. Quickly, Zenith converted to his Powered form, knowing he just has one shot; he knows that if he tries to rush him, the robot will fire, full power or not. Even at half power, it is still powerful enough to inflict a mortal wound upon him. So, he will have to do this the old fashioned way. He raised both of his arms upward, meeting them at the wrists. Then, he brought the fingertips of the hands to barely touch the sides of his warning light. All the while, yellow energy was swirling into his being. The cannon continued to charge to its full power. Zenith swung his left arm outward to his side, while his right arm was bent up at the elbow, light gathering into his warning light.

"MEGANIUMMU-" Zenith brought the left arm to meet the inside of his right, the hand curled into a fist. Just as he did, the Neo Maxima Cannon fired, a crimson beam of destruction issuing forth. "KOUSEN!" A golden beam erupted out of the forearm of his right arm, going from elbow to fingertips. The two beams collided, and fought for supremacy, each one pushing the other back. Krystal went back to the surface of the planet, and saw the spectacle. Zenith was being pushed backward from the incredible force of the beam war, as was Deathfacer. Then, Krystal focused with all of her being, and entered Zenith's mind. She was in the red void, and Jim was standing there, his arms in the same position as Zenith's, but it appeared that he was faltering. She went up behind him, and embraced him. Jim looked behind him, and saw Krystal.

"I thought I told you to-"

"And you should know, that you don't have to fight that thing alone. If you need help, then don't hesitate to ask. You asked me to leave you to your fate. That, is something that I cannot do, no matter how much you plead me to. I will not leave you. Not now, nor ever. I care too much for you to just leave you to die. I won't let you go, not if I can help it." Then, her form glowed a cerulean blue, and the glow encompassed Jim. He felt a great warmth enter him, and easing the pain he was in. He felt her feelings for him; love, kindness, compassion, all of it entering his being. He lost himself in the bliss.

Zenith's Meganium Beam just increased in intensity, and was overpowering the Cannon's beam. Soon, it pushed it back, and the Meganium Beam erupted out of the other side of Deathfacer. Zenith lowered his arms when the beam died, and looked on, his warning light flashing a steady red. Deathfacer stood there, motionless. Then, it fell to its knees, and fell face-forward. It was engulfed in flames and explosions in seconds, leaving nothing but ashes and debris in its wake. Then, Zenith faded in a sparkle of light.

On the ground, Jim opened his eyes to the night sky. The moon was over him, full and shining. He sat up, and looked around. Next to him, Krystal was lying on her side, facing away from him. Jim turned her over to her back, and held her in his arms. He shook her, called her name. Her eyes fluttered open, resting emeralds on his face. She smiled broadly when she saw him, and he returned it to her. She got up, and embraced him. "I told you. You are stronger with us. Don't try to take on anything alone, not if you have friends to help you." Jim continued to hold her tightly, saying "Thank you." into her ear.

In the blue void, the cloaked figure watched the pair with growing interest. The Krazoa Spirits were wafting about him, chittering and whispering, until one spoke up. "Master, it would appear that her potential is awakening."

"Yes, as I thought it would. All she needed was someone to give her the right push. Zenith will be able to bring out the true power of the One who has the Power of the Soul in her. Together, when both Sun and Soul are together, only then will Gorzul meet his end. I only pray that, the other forces don't destroy them in the process, not before they meet the real enemy. And even then, Gorzul is a force to be reckoned with." With that said, the image faded to blue. "After all, this isn't the first time he tried to take the Lylat System."

On Sauria, Jim and Krystal decided to spend one more night on the planet before departing to meet up with Fox and the others. They shared the same bed as before. Krystal cuddled up next to him, and even kissed him goodnight. With that, Jim passed out from exhaustion.