Hello, everyone! It's been forever since I set foot on this website, but I want to share my Ultraman stories with a wider audience. Thus, I present my attempt at a completely original Ultra Series. Behold, Project W: Ultraman: Warlock!
Ultraman Dharma's design is based on a concept art of Ultraman Nice where he was purple and dark blue/black. You'll find it on Nice's page on Ultraman Wiki.
The sky had only just turned blue in the Central Alps of Japan, but in a world where kaiju disasters were commonplace, no time was too early for giant combat.
As its foe rammed into it headfirst, the green and gold kaiju robot swiveled the thruster tubes on its legs, reducing its momentum greatly and preventing it from taking quite as severe damage. Its hands latched onto and tightly gripped the elaborate antlers of its draconic biped adversary, which roared in defiance.
The power struggle was broken by a kick from the robot, Ohgaider, which caused the monster, Deathdrago, to stumble backwards while its enemy remained partially airborne. Its pilot wasting no time, Ohgaider twisted its thrusters the other way and flew forward with one fist out, hitting Deathdrago square in the muzzle and knocking it away even further.
The robot touched down so its pilot could get a grip after all the constant flying and hitting, striking a defensive fighting stance.
"Karam, this thing really throws its weight around," the pilot noted from within the orb on the mech's chest. "Can skinny Ohgaider's systems take another full-on ram?"
On the other side of Japan, Karam, Ohgaider's operator and technician, received the transmission loud and clear as he watched the battle unfold on a monitor via cameras on the robot.
"Core damage level's only 10%, rookie dude," he started, "If the guy's not targeting the joints specifically, you're in more danger than the robot is, and as long as Deathdrago keeps fighting with pure brawn, you win by speed alone"
Deathdrago roared as its eyes suddenly lit up blue, and from its antlers, eruptions of lightning bolts struck Ohgaider.
"I spoke too soon."
Deathdrago charged forward, unleashing its streams of electricity constantly. Knowing it couldn't take too many zaps, Ohgaider this time leapt up, propelling itself over the dragon's head with its thrusters, but it was still struck by runoff from the uncontrolled bolts, causing it to stumble a bit on its return to terra firma.
"Leg damage level is at 30%!," Karam shouted at the twist.
"I request Cluster Beam authorization!"
"Granted!"
With that authorization, Ohgaider's blue visor "eye" lit up with energy behind Deathdrago as the kaiju cut off its lightning.
"Ohgai Cluster Beam, FIRE!"
Turning around, the robot unleashed a barrage of blue energy bolts from its visor, striking Deathdrago across its back and producing small explosions. Unable to react in time, the dragon twisted around and fell over, screeching in pain. Quickly running over, Ohgaider kicked Deathdrago while it was down, sending it rolling, before running to catch up and kicking it again. As this happened, however, Deathdrago once again charged electricity in its antlers and eyes. As Ohgaider readied its fourth kick, the dragon opened its mouth wide and unleashed a condensed thunderclap beam, striking and zapping Ohgaider right in the chest and head.
"GYAAAAAH!"
"Cockpit damage at 35%!," Karam shouted. "This is no good, rookie dude! You need to hit its weakness if you're not going to bust our robot!"
"Aaaagh…" The sounds of sparks and alarms were audible on the pilot's end. "Said weakness being?"
"Its antlers! Break one of them off and its electrical charge will be reduced!"
"Right! Switching Cluster Beam to condensed mode!"
Standing up, Deathdrago charged electricity into its hands and approached the seemingly stunned Ohgaider, about to knock it over to prove its dominance. However, as it raised an arm for an electrified push, it was suddenly grabbed by the robot, followed by its other hand. Leaning to the left slightly, Ohgaider once again charged up its beam…
"FIRE!"
This time, the Ohgai Cluster Beam came out in a single, stronger laser, aimed directly at the point where Deathdrago's right antler connected to its head. The piercing beam, with a sweep of Ohgaider's own head, cut right through the keratin and bone, and the horn fell to the ground next to Deathdrago.
"Alright!," Karam cheered.
Screeching in agony, Deathdrago unleashed more intense lightning from its left antler, arcing into the air harmlessly to its robotic adversary, while the stump of its right only released small sparks. Ohgaider let go of the dragon to boost backwards, touch down, and size up its weakened foe. Seeing it directing electricity to its mouth, the robot once again charged up a Cluster Beam. Both the blue laser and Deathdrago's lightning-breath shot forth, meeting in the middle of the battlefield. The two attacks pushed back and forth against each other, more energy gathering at the center.
"Setting Cluster Beam to full power!"
As the pilot pulled a lever within Ohgaider, signaling a beep, Deathdrago roared out, also pouring more energy into its lightning. Naturally, the two attacks increasing in potency caused an explosion in the center, sending them both stumbling.
"Can't take another blast like that, rookie dude!," Karam aggressively shouted. "You gotta finish this quick, so I'm authorizing the Light Claws. Use 'em!"
"R-right!," the rookie pilot replied. "Ohgai Light Claws, ON!"
As Ohgaider regained its footing, light gathered in the tubes on the sides of its arms, before a pair of medium-length blades extended from each arm, formed from what appeared to be solidified energy. Swinging its right arm back, the mecha ignited its thrusters and levitated above the ground, before flying forward.
Deathdrago screeched in defiance, sending electricity into its hands to try and counter-slash the machine…
"TAKE THIS!," shouted both the pilot and operator.
Flying by Deathdrago, Ohgaider's energy blades cleaved through the monster's flesh like a hot claw through butter, leaving a glowing gash through its chest and back. Still trying to run, the dragon took one step forward, then a second, then stopped, its eyes going dim. As Ohgaider cut off its jets and settled on the ground, its claws dissipating, Deathdrago fell forward, hit the ground, and exploded in a large blast.
"ALRIGHT!"
Karam sighed, going over his analysis on the monitor, before opening another communication channel, connecting him and the rookie pilot to their captain.
"This is Karam. Ohgaider has terminated the Relic Beast-class."
"Encore," the captain's deeper voice replied, a term used as an affirmative by their team. "Bring Ohgaider ba-"
The earth around Ohgaider began to shake.
"Waitwaitwait!," the pilot shouted.
"Something's about to surface behind you!," Karam warned.
From below the earth behind Ohgaider, true to Karam's words, a giant form erupted, spinning like a drill. As it stopped rotating, it rose to its full height, letting out a screaming roar: another bipedal kaiju, resembling a cross between a crocodile and an earthworm.
"A Telesdon teranus!," the pilot said, astonished.
"Wait," the captain interrupted.
Telesdon didn't move, or attack Ohgaider from behind before it turned around. In fact, it seemed comforted by the robot's presence. It looked around, seeing nothing there besides it and the heroic machine.
"See the tape around his neck?," Karam asked the rookie, pointing out a gigantic light-blue band the kaiju was wearing. "That's how you tell him apart from other Telesdons. He's the Night Society's Champion, AKA a good boy. Probably came up to fight Deathdrago himself before he knew we were taking care of it."
Telesdon roared one last time before turning around and dropping back headfirst into the ditch from whence he came, the sound of his drill formation fading beneath the earth. He was returning underground to his masters - he was to them what giant robots like Ohgaider were for humanity.
"Bring Ohgaider back to base," the captain said once again with that dealt with.
"Encore," Karam and the pilot replied at once.
Karam turned off the monitor and sat back in his seat.
"And thus my final battle with ODE comes to a close," he sighed, staring at his own muted reflection in the black screen. "For all I did to get Rookie Dude used to me, it's worthless."
Karam's reflection, besides the baggy green uniform of ODE, made it clear what he truly was: not a human, but a blue-skinned, beady-eyed humanoid reptilian. This was the face he'd always seen in reflections, in spite of living and working among humans for most of his life. The face he'd be taking with him to his next job, with no understanding of how much they'd even trust him. And in his world, he wasn't alone.
"I'm not worthless," the Nonmalt reminded himself with a quick slap to the face, before getting up and exiting the computer chamber to rejoin his teammates in ODE, who he would be saying goodbye to.
This early-morning battle had been unexpected, and he still had packing and preparation to do.
A few hours had passed since the end of Karam's final battle as an Ohgaider Direction and Engineering member. With everyone back at base, he'd exchanged his last thanks with all the core team's members except for one, who he expected to meet on the way out after one last visit. His things were all in his room, and to get to his room, he'd of course need to pass through the lead development office.
When not operating Ohgaider to fight monsters, the Nonmalt teen had spent many a day in this room, sitting on the couch or at one of the desktop computers, innovating and plotting the construction of not only ODE's super robot and its new weapons, but plans and designs in collaboration with other branches of the Robotic Arsenal Implementing Nations for more third-generation anti-kaiju robots that would make use of the same technology - energy-construct weapons, RepulsorLift engines and all.
Ohgaider, owing to having the Nonmalt among other groups cooperating so closely, was truly the first of its kind.
"This is where I proved what an NHE could do," Karam said nostalgically to the empty room.
"If it makes you feel any better," a voice said from the corner, coming from an androgynous but aged human with a ponytail. "I've never supported reducing people from underground or underwater to three letters."
"It's not THAT extreme, Kai," Karam argued, "even if I kinda make it out to be sometimes. I know well, RAIN or SPIN, no protocol has anything to hold against the Nonmalt. We have the United Earthlings to thank for that."
He sighed.
"Doesn't change the voice in my head telling me ARIA will hate me."
"Listen, Karam," Developer Kaiba said reassuringly. "I know you think they'll find your personality abrasive, but they need a bit of snark in their lives. SPIN guys take everything way too seriously."
"You're tryin' way too hard to make me feel better," the Nonmalt chuckled. "Compared to working on Ohgaider, working with ARIA's going to be a bore."
"You're gonna be out in the field, Karam!," Kaiba argued. "Getting to play with their gadgets and computers! Coming face-to-face with anomalies! Your brains and tech are clear, but this is a chance to show what Nonmalt can really do that humans can't! To prove you can stand with the best SPIN has to offer! To prove your father more right than ever before!"
"Thanks," the Nonmalt said in an obviously sarcastic tone, "Now I have an excuse to complain about only being seen as my dad's son. You're more of a parental figure to me than my actual parents ever were."
Kaiba's expression became neutral, then a smile.
"So what you're saying is you see me as a parental figure."
"Y-"
Karam put his hands over his scaly face, flustered.
"Yes. I call you Mom or Dad or whatever in my head a lot, I just make sure to never say it, because I'm convinced it'll be unprofessional and screw up our friendship, okay?"
"It's perfectly fine," Kaiba replied. putting an arm around Karam to let him lean on. "You're a kid, Karam. You don't need to worry about being 'unprofessional.' Ever."
"Even if I'm moving to ARIA?"
"Especially if you're moving to ARIA. You've been chosen to transfer to them because they want someone with your skills and knowledge, not because they want a Nonmalt. You know ARIA's captain is a childhood friend of mine, right? I think the best thing you can do is make her proud on my behalf."
"And you'll be okay without me?," Karam giggled, his mentor's enthusiasm truly infectious.
"I'll be holding down the fort here in the development office," Kaiba assured. "I can handle both of our jobs well enough, and there's enough of your ideas in storage to keep Ohgaider's strength on the rise for a good long while. Your work here is in good hands. I just want you to make one promise."
"And that is?"
"When you meet Fukuhara and ARIA… show them you're not all broody like this. Show them the sassy yet loyal Nonmalt you are in battle, in chat with your buddies, and in reality!"
"... Thank you, Kai," Karam said. "I really needed this, and ya know what? I think I will give ARIA a nice helping of sass from the get-go!"
"That's the spirit! Go in HOPING they don't like you, and you'll be even happier when they do!"
"I'm going to annoy the CRAP out of 'em! Ha!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Unprompted, Karam gave Kaiba a big hug.
"I'm gonna miss you a lot," the Nonmalt said one last time.
"I'm just a communicator-call away," the human replied in reassurance. "We're all in this together?"
"We're all in this together," the Nonmalt repeated. "... Bye."
The mentor and student separated from their hug, and Karam headed towards his room beyond the office. He waited for Kaiba to leave the room and rendezvous with their fellow ODE members, never looking back at them, before going inside to finish packing.
"Encore."
Within the hour, a message had reached the base signifying the time for the transfer had come. Karam was ready.
The Nonmalt had exchanged his green ODE uniform for a more casual outfit for his kind: a crimson light jacket with yellow buttons and a blue cross symbol on the left chest pocket, over a black bodysuit. Pulling a suitcase on wheels, he walked alone through a doorway and emerged in an all too familiar space: the main hallway with a view of Ohgaider's hangar through a transparent window. There the Super Robot stood, inactive but proud, various maintenance crews walking about the platforms around it. After the electrical damage it took in its battle with Deathdrago, the crews were scrambling to make sure it was at 100% once more in time for the next battle.
Karam parked his suitcase and took a moment to admire the machine he helped create and empower, one last time.
"This isn't goodbye, old friend," the young Nonmalt reassured himself and Ohgaider, smiling and waving. "See you next time a kaiju appears!"
With that, he made his way down the next couple of hallways to an elevator, heading inside and setting it to take him to the entrance at the top of the base.
The aquatic humanoid shielded his eyes for a second as the elevator opened into bright sunlight, both in the sky and reflecting off the metallic parts of the artificial island in the middle of a lake. He had lived in ODE's underwater base for the past three years, and rarely came to the surface, though of course that changed today - he was going to have to get used to daylight again.
Karam stepped out of the elevator and walked through the simple entrance gates to reach the proper outdoor dock, sitting down on one of the convenient benches placed along its length. He kicked his legs up and down for a moment, before taking out a small heirloom: a brightly-colored conch shell.
This shell, in fact a Nonmalt musical instrument, belonged to Karam's father, and had been left to him in Cavolo's will. In his childhood before RAIN, growing up in a bell-shaped building under the sea, Karam had seen and heard other Nonmalt play tunes on these shells, and had managed to teach himself how to play as well with a little bit of guidance from human friends of his kind.
Feeling like doing something to clear his head and kill time before his ride arrived, Karam placed the shell's largest opening to his mouth and began to play a somber, windy tune - The Sea Belongs to Nonmalt, as the piece was dubbed.
Karam kept making his music for around two minutes before the third was interjected by the sound of an engine and splashing water. Looking up but not ceasing to play, the Nonmalt saw a purple vehicle approaching over the surface of the lake, clearly a car specially modified to be amphibious. As the car came closer, Karam made out the white accents in its paint job, its three-seat layout, the "ARIA (Anomaly Response and Investigation Agents)" logo on its door, and its female human driver, wearing an equally purple-and-white uniform with some added black.
He finally stopped his music when the "car" drove up a short ramp at the end of the dock and parked on the dry surface, putting away his shell and standing up.
"I take it you're Karam?," the driver asked as the young Nonmalt approached the rear door of the car.
"Well," Karam replied, "do any other Nonmalt live in this base?"
"Good answer," the woman giggled. "Vice Captain Yugami of ARIA. I've been assigned to pick you up."
"Vice-captain, huh? Yet Fukuhara sends you out to run errands like this?"
"It was considered a high-priority mission to escort you to our base," Yugami explained, "and, well, the captain trusts me more than the other two members of the team. She's the prickly-outside, warm-inside type."
"Well," Karam admitted as he sat down, "my only knowledge of her up to meeting you is that she's a childhood friend of Kaiba's, so I'll accept that. I'm prickly on the outside too."
"Good thing to know that in advance," Yugami simply said, shifting the amphibious vehicle out of park as the Nonmalt buckled in. "We're all the kind of people you have to get to know. Except me, I'm pretty honest."
"Well then I'm glad I met you first," Karam replied. "Kaiba warned me that you all took everything way too seriously, after all!"
Yugami simply laughed as she turned the car around, driving back down the ramp, onto the water, and off across the surface of the lake.
Karam stared out at the sights around them as they drove across water and land for the next hour or so, contemplating the world he lived in.
"Hey," Yugami said sharply, snapping Karam out of his daydreaming and making him blink rapidly. "We're here. Symphony Base."
The Nonmalt focused his sight and turned to look out of the amphibious car at the large building down the road - ARIA's command center, which unlike ODE's, was out in the open. The structure was a sprawling complex of concrete and glass, with a giant, purple, hexagonal module in the center - each side representing the humans, Nonmalt, and the four Underground races, Karam figured. A large landing pad topped the structure, with various hangars and gateways being visible around the glass halls. Around the sides, right below the top command module, were giant, purple-and-white signs, the same logo as the one on the side of the car featuring the organization's acronym and its translation.
Karam, understanding the stakes, mentally prepared himself accordingly.
The road suddenly turned and cut off at a near-vertical hillside. While a civilian might panic at the sight of Yugami and Karam driving straight towards a wall, they were both used to hidden drives like this one, marked, lo and behold, by two panels opening up to let them pass into a much more technological road-tunnel. After a few dimly-lit minutes, the car pulled into a small but spacious garage where a few other assorted high-tech vehicles waited for use.
"The glass halls you saw," Yugami explained as she parked, "are home to SPIN staff who support ARIA. The big purple box in the middle is the dedicated command center for the five of us. Captain Fukuhara already handled most of the heavy lifting regarding your transfer."
"Glad to hear it," Karam chuckled back. "Being the brains behind a super robot was a lifetime's worth of paperwork already."
The two exited the car, Karam pulling his suitcase along, and walked to an elevator door marked "TO ARIA CP." Taking initiative, Karam pressed the "up" button to open the doors, before allowing Yugami to enter before him.
"This is your last chance to take a breather," the vice-captain reminded her new crewmate before stepping in. "Nobody will judge you if you're not ready."
"I'm ready," Karam sternly replied. "We're all in this together."
"That your catchphrase or something?," Yugami asked.
"So what if it is?," the Nonmalt asked back.
"Nothing," the human replied. "Nothing. Words of courage. Good for you."
"Captain, I'm home!"
Yugami entered the circular room that was ARIA CP through a turn from the hallway, smiling and somewhat awkwardly placing her fist to her chest in a salute.
"At ease," a stern female voice answered. "You brought our new member, as was your mission?"
"He's right around the corner," Yugami said with a nod, before stepping aside and gesturing to the door. "Attention! Everyone please welcome… Karam the Nonmalt!"
Taking a deep breath in and out, Karam followed Yugami around the corner, stopping in front of the central table and saluting in the same manner as the vice-captain.
"Greetings!," the Nonmalt declared. "I'm Karam, son of Cavolo, and long-time operator at ODE. I'll be joining you at ARIA from this day forward."
Three humans listened to Karam's introduction in the room besides Yugami, all three wearing the same purple-and-white uniforms. Standing off to the left was a man in his mid-twenties with unkempt reddish hair. Sitting at a computer setup in the far right corner was a slender thirty-something man. Finally, in the middle, a woman in her forties, with dark hair much longer than Yugami's and shoulder pads added to her uniform, stood and nodded.
"At ease, Karam," said the woman, who the Nonmalt recognized to be Captain Fukuhara. "Welcome to your new home."
"Well, if it isn't our new mascot," the redhead chuckled, approaching Karam and firmly placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm Agent Hi-"
"Hiryu," Yugami interrupted, "I don't think he'll like-"
"Who? Are you calling? A mascot?"
"You."
Both Karam and the man glared at each other for a moment, before both taking deep breaths, knowing this introduction was no time for strife. Yugami wiped her forehead and sighed in relief.
"I'm Agent Hiryu, demolition expert," Hiryu finished, fists on his hips. "You need something blown up, I'm ARIA's guy. Also pretty good at making curry."
"Good to know you," Karam said, crossing his arms, before turning to Fukuhara. "You would be the Captain?"
"Captain Fukuhara," she replied, nodding. "Commander, resident diplomacy expert, and a friend of a friend to you."
"She means through Kaiba from ODE," Yugami began to explain.
"Yeah, yeah, carry on," Karam replied, "I know. Who's the guy in the corner?"
"Oh, me?," the man asked, turning off his computer. "I'm Dr. Shindo. I'm the other 'smart guy' of ARIA - you're tech, I'm nature and biology."
"Nice to - WAIT," Karam chuckled, "THE Dr. Shindo? The one who pitched that crackpot Big Evolution theory that RAIN decided was true?"
"Gigavolution," Shindo corrected. "It's the theory meant to explain the appearance of one-of-a-kind kaiju that do not resemble any others, past or present, by proposing that a rare 'glitch' in their genes causes them to grow immensely in size and power due to influence from ancient heritage? Yes, I'm the one who proposed it."
Karam sighed again.
"I could go on a tangent about how that's bullcrap," the Nonmalt admitted, "but now's not the time or place. You're a renowned kaijuologist and parapsychologist, regardless of what I think of your theories. It's an honor to work with you in ARIA."
Shindo smirked and nodded.
Internally, the Nonmalt was screaming, and outside his gaze turned back to Yugami. He was already forming tension and potential quarrels with multiple members of ARIA.
The vice-captain flashed him a thumbs-up and a small smile.
"A-as a matter of fact," Karam declared, saluting again, "it's an honor to work with all four of you! You truly must be the best of the best when it comes to investigating the weird, wild, and kaiju-related!"
"Well-"
"Do you-"
"Please-"
"ALRIGHT," Fukuhara declared loudly, interrupting any further discussion, before continuing to talk in a somewhat elevated tone. "That introduces you to the three of us, Karam, and you already know Yugami. She'll be the main one to keep watch of you and help you feel at home for the next few weeks, until we've adjusted to you. You should get to your new quarters and unpack while we have peace, because anomalies can be reported at the strangest of times! Alright. You are all dismissed!"
Karam blinked, looking back and forth at his four new teammates, whose glances at him were equally strained.
"Go," Fukuhara silently mouthed as Yugami gently grabbed the Nonmalt teen's hand.
Recognizing that the captain and vice-captain were giving him a way out of the awkward situation, Karam quickly followed Yugami back into the hallway.
As the sun began to set, Karam began to finish settling into his new room. It was bigger than his old one, but then again his old one had essentially been a repurposed supply closet in the back of ODE's development office. He'd placed his own pillow and blanket on the bed, with a mounted photo of him and Kaiba on the nightstand next to it, and his laptop was currently charging on his new desk, in addition to various other important items and knick-knacks being present around the room now - most notably his conch instrument, and a projector that would turn the ceiling into an image of the ocean when the youth turned the light out to sleep.
Having distracted himself up to now by focusing on setting up his room, the Nonmalt teen, wearing just his black bodysuit, finally laid back on his bed and contemplated his first day. Vice Captain Yugami was his friend. That much was certain. Captain Fukuhara wanted to provide a good environment for him, and keep him from getting into hot water with the others, so she too was on his side - and more emotional than she wanted people to know she was about it, evidently. It was mostly the two "normal members," Hiryu and Shindo, who had caused the situation to be so awkward. Hiryu had immediately set Karam off by calling him a "mascot," and that arguably led to Karam dissing Shindo upon learning he was the Gigavolution guy. He was always a short-fused Nonmalt, but… wow. He couldn't believe himself.
Karam breathed. He thought back to that morning, and of his goodbye chat with Kaiba.
"When you meet Fukuhara and ARIA… show them you're not all broody like this. Show them the sassy yet loyal Nonmalt you are in battle, in chat with your buddies, and in reality!"
He smiled. He hadn't been broody in front of them - he'd been sassy. And even if it had been awkward, he'd indicated he'd be loyal to ARIA's cause. Kaiba had said that the lot of them were people you had to get to know.
"I am too hard on myself," Karam reminded himself. "I am worth it. We're all in this together."
As the Nonmalt teen psyched himself back up, a knock came on the door to his room.
"Hmm? Who is it?"
"Captain Fukuhara," the captain's cold but gentle voice replied from behind the door. "I formally apologize both for making Yugami do what I should have done, and for Hiryu's behavior that set you off. Have a token of your membership - we didn't have time earlier."
Karam walked over and opened the door to find that Fukuhara had already left. However, in her place, at the doorstep, lay a neatly folded ARIA jacket.
Picking it up before closing the door again, Karam walked into his bathroom, unfolded the purple and white article, and put it on while looking in the mirror.
Putting a hand to his chin, he chuckled. In spite of everything, it felt right.
He'd try again in the morning. One way or another, he'd make ARIA his home.
"Attention, Agents: a Code Allegro incident has been confirmed."
Karam's barely-visible eyes snapped open as alarms blared throughout Symphony Base, signifying an emergency - and the need to wake everyone up.
"Not again…"
Forcing his eyes to stay open and his body to sit up, the young developer glanced at his bedside digital clock, which proudly displayed 4:50 AM. The kaiju threat never slept, the Nonmalt supposed. Choosing not to complain any further, he stood up quickly, grabbing his new ARIA jacket and slipping it on as he made his way out into the hallway, illuminated by orange lights.
"A Visitor-class has landed. We repeat: a Visitor-class has landed. This is not a test."
Wait a second. A Visitor-class? That was purely hypothetical! Karam increased his walking speed to a light sprint.
"ARIA core team is to report to CP for a direct command. We repeat: ARIA core team, report to CP."
"Way ahead of you, comm guy!," Karam shouted.
Only a few turns and a few brushes with SPIN staff later, Karam arrived once again at the circular central room. The others, their jackets slightly wrinkled, were waiting for him, but more interestingly, the monitor at the front of the room was displaying a familiar old face.
"Did he seriously say Visitor-class?," Karam gawked. "That would mean-"
"A space kaiju," Shindo confirmed. "The first on record."
"Director Okuyama has the details," said Fukuhara.
"Indeed I do, Karam," Okuyama, the man on the monitor, added. "Sorry to wake you all up at this moment, but this is a First Contact situation, making it of utmost importance for SPIN, RAIN, and the United Earthlings as a whole."
"So, show us the kaiju!," Hiryu argued.
Okuyama nodded as his visage shrunk to only occupy a corner of the screen, revealing drone footage of the kaiju wandering through a forest. It was a bipedal, front-heavy, insectoid beast covered in segmented armor, with a green orb for an eye set into a giant arched structure over its head and back, and short blades for arms. Periodically it produced otherworldly clicking noises, and an odd aura emanated from the hole in its arched back.
"This is the space kaiju codenamed Gelalo," said the director. "It touched down about fifteen minutes ago, and its behavior according to initial studies suggests it may be lost or even injured. However, in spite of this, it remains a significant threat due to its heavily anomalous nature."
"It may have had a fight in space and had to land here," Yugami said, tilting her head. "That means there's more kaiju out there."
"Due to the sheer impact on the world of this discovery of extraterrestrial life," Okuyama continued, "both SPIN and RAIN are required to operate against Gelalo at full capacity - ODE to stop its advance, of course, but also ARIA to analyze it and keep it at bay from the nearby inhabited areas until Ohgaider arrives. I, along with everyone at SPIN, eagerly await the knowledge that could be gained from both its body and its data when uploaded to your Recorders."
"We don't know what level of power Gelalo could have," Fukuhara replied. "We can't be certain ARIA and Ohgaider will be enough."
"No," Karam said firmly, "Ohgaider will win. It's the strongest robot RAIN has, and that's its developers' promise."
The corner of the captain's mouth upturned as she looked at her new Nonmalt subject.
"Speaking of," Yugami noted, outstretching her hands, "We nearly forgot to provide your basic ARIA equipment: a Recorder and a Ray Gun. The Nonmalt developed most of this technology, so-"
"Yes, I know how to work one of these," Karam replied, holstering the blaster before looking at the communicator. "Fairly certain I played a role in the development of some of the Recorder's apps."
"Alright," said the vice-captain, "then you know how the different kaiju analysis ones work. They're what we'll be making use of to figure out what makes Gelalo tick. We'll be set to go, then."
"This is your first mission with ARIA, Karam," Okuyama said over the monitor. "Your father would be proud."
"Surely," the Nonmalt replied, looking away.
"But we have dawdled enough," the director finished. "The coordinates are on your Recorders and in the Skipper and Mander. ARIA, to arms!"
"Encore!," the five declared, saluting, before exiting into the hallway as Okuyama's transmission cut off.
In the ARIA Skipper - the car from earlier - sat Fukuhara, Hiryu and Shindo. The ARIA Mander - a black and purple, slightly differently-shaped amphibious vehicle - housed Yugami and Karam once again. Thanks to various hidden paths set up by SPIN for vehicular navigation, as well as the two cars' ability to drive on water, it only took around ten minutes to reach a spot where the advancing Gelalo was in view.
"So our assignment is just to hold Gelalo off until ODE gets their crap together?," Hiryu, now wearing a bulky sash over his uniform, asked as the two cars parked.
"A giant robot is a lot harder to maintain than cars and guns," Fukuhara replied. "Old and new friends know that more than anyone."
"Especially if you have to wake up at this hour to do it," Karam added as he gazed upon the space kaiju stomping along, hundreds of meters away from noticing him and the rest of ARIA.
The Nonmalt, despite knowing Gelalo was a threat that couldn't be kept alive, felt oddly awestruck by something about the creature - his attention was drawn to the arch that he figured must have led to its codename being derived from "halo." Even from afar, he could make out how the inside of the arch distorted and warped the air. Did it comprise a simple energy signature, or… a gateway? And if so…
"What do you think is inside?"
Karam turned to face Shindo, the source of the thought's conclusion.
"The possibilities are endless," the Nonmalt considered, "aren't they?"
"Science guys think alike, I suppose," Shindo said with a nod.
"Alright," Fukuhara declared. "Our main priorities are scanning Gelalo with our Recorders and hindering its progress. The hillside means we'll need to intercept on foot to the best of our ability. Hiryu will plant explosives in its path and detonate them when it gets close. Shindo and Karam are to scan it from higher up, splitting up if need be, and hold it off with suppressive fire after Hiryu's detonators are expended. Yugami and I will take the Skipper and Mander to rendezvous with the three of you once Ohgaider arrives. ARIA, to arms!"
"Encore!," the three lower officers declared with ARIA's salute, before heading down into the valley.
They knew well the risks of facing a kaiju with unknown capabilities on foot, but this wasn't the first time ARIA had been assigned to simply cover for ODE.
"Science guys think alike, huh?," Karam chuckled as he and Shindo made their way along a ridge.
"I can only imagine what a tech-designer like you sees in a space kaiju," the doctor replied while fiddling with his Recorder. "I noticed the energy in its ring, and assumed it to be some kind of dimensional gateway, but even if it's not…"
"It's still going to be a type of pure energy completely unknown to science," said Karam. "What will such a power mean for Earthlings? Could SPIN or RAIN tech benefit from it?"
"That's the energy of Nonmalt youth for you," Shindo replied, smiling. "I know you got off on the wrong foot with me, but I feel like we'll be friends."
"Gigavolution is still a stupid theory."
"Back to the mission at hand," the human explained, "we're getting close to Gelalo, but to properly analyze it we'll need Hiryu - let alone Ohgaider - to stop its movement. Don't let it consume your attention, but prime your Recorder."
Karam complied, pulling out his communicator and setting it to its analysis app "MonScan," which, looking at it, he recognized the logo of and confirmed he had helped develop.
"This is Hiryu," came an alert from the Recorder's speaker. "A line of explosive surprises are waiting for Gelalo, and I'm clear of the blast range! Get to scanning!"
Karam and Shindo, the latter climbing higher up the hill for a better signal, raised their devices up as Gelalo approached, clicking and swinging its blade arms…
"In 3… 2… 1!"
Before suddenly being interrupted by explosions at its feet, followed by blasts at its sides that made it stumble and stagger back, pausing just enough for the handheld computers to complete their analytic scan uninterrupted, going from 0 to 100% in a couple of seconds.
"Readings confirm that, aside from its tetrapodal build, Gelalo is arthropodal in biology," Shindo declared openly to all four of his teammates' communicators. "The ring in its back is, indeed, some sort of distortion in space that is affecting the air around it!"
"I'm also confirming an unknown energy signature in its 'eye,'" Karam added, "and both appear to be-"
As Gelalo staggered, it suddenly reared up, and the smoke and remaining fire from Hiryu's bombs were suddenly caught and sucked up into the arch on its head, disappearing inside. Subsequently, the energy signature in the arch glowed brighter, as did the green orb that was the closest thing it had to a face.
"Increasing in brightness."
Lighting up bright green as Gelalo shrieked in shock, the eye unleashed its power in the form of a sphere of green light which shot out and hit the ground nearby, dissipating to reveal a perfect hole in the dirt. This was followed by another, which engulfed and disappeared a tree, and then another.
"Gelalo has now showcased two anomalous abilities!," Karam declared. "Its beam attack appears to have a molecular disintegration effect!"
"Steer clear of it!," Yugami shouted back over comms.
"Will do-"
As if on cue, an energy bomb struck the ground right beneath Karam and Shindo, causing it to cave in and knock them on their sides, slipping down the hillside with yells of shock.
"Shindo!," Fukuhara's voice called. "KARAM!"
"I-I'm okay!," Karam quickly replied, before turning his head about to look for his teammate. "Shindo? SHINDO!"
The Nonmalt scrambled up to the rock on the hillside that had stopped the doctor's descent. Shindo lay still, but Karam didn't see blood or any signs of broken bones, and upon checking could tell he was breathing - he'd just hit the boulder hard enough to fall unconscious. Karam took a deep breath of relief, before turning to look at Gelalo once more.
"Damn it!," he cried as he drew his ray gun, firing off a condensed bullet of laser energy.
As the blast was about to hit, Gelalo suddenly turned, the attack entering the portal inside its head before shooting back out at its source, causing an explosion above and to the side of Karam. The Nonmalt flinched but did not stumble, aiming lower and firing again, this time hitting the creature on the arm.
"TAKE THAT!"
This was enough to directly get Gelalo's attention, as it turned to directly face Karam, charging up another light bullet...
"H-HIYAAAH!"
One final laser blast aimed at the top of Gelalo's crest struck… and sent the monster staggering back.
"Wait, what? Oh…"
The sound of Repulsor Lift engines and the creaking of metal signified that the source of the kaiju-repelling blast had not been Karam, but a certain robot's Cluster Beam.
ARIA had spent enough of Gelalo's time for Ohgaider to arrive, and now it was touching down across the clearing from the space kaiju.
"Now the real battle begins," declared both an unseen pilot and Karam.
"Karam!," Captain Fukuhara called over the Recorder. "Are you okay? Is Shindo okay? You two need to pull back, the hard part of our job here is done!"
"Shindo is knocked out but okay," Karam replied. "I'll bring him up to the road for you to get help-"
"Not by yourself," Yugami interrupted, "I've got your coordinates, and you're not strong enough to carry him that far. I'll come down on foot and help you bring him up."
"Encore! I'll try to give Ohgaider covering fire until then!"
Karam, blaster still in his hand, turned just in time to be shaken by the impact of Ohgaider boosting into Gelalo shoulder-first, heavy metal clanging against arthropod armor. The robot followed up with two punches and a kick, all while still hovering on its leg-thrusters, before leaping back and away, touching down as the space kaiju stumbled to regain its footing from the attacks. As Gelalo reared backwards, looking like it might lose its balance, it once again charged its light bullet attack.
Karam held his breath as the energy spheres shot out, begging internally for them to not instantly disintegrate Ohgaider's armor. Mercifully, upon striking the metal, they faded to only leave burn marks - not permanently damaging, but still enough to take the robot down if given the time for enough to hit.
"This is for burning my family's armor!," Karam shouted as he set his ray gun to its highest power and unleashed several more light bullets, this time aiming away from the ring and at Gelalo's back.
The kaiju once again began to turn to face the Nonmalt's position on the hill, charging its blast, but this left it open for Ohgaider to fly behind it and shove it into a forward stumble, the hooked point of its face digging into the ground. Gelalo's next move was to lash out with its flexible tail without looking, but Ohgaider, a robot built for speed and agility, was able to catch it with both hands.
"This isn't Rookie Dude," Karam chuckled to himself, recognizing Ohgaider's pilot's skill even if he couldn't hear their communications.
The youth was suddenly proven to have spoken too soon.
With an ear-splitting crackle, a burst of electricity surged through Gelalo's tail directly into Ohgaider's arms, causing the entire robot to shake and stagger back. Before it could fully detach from the kaiju, to add insult to injury, Gelalo's tail struck across Ohgaider's chest and struck both of its elbow joints, meaning that if its arms weren't out of function before, they were now. The super robot used the repulsors on its legs to boost out of harm's way for the moment, but its arms now hung limp at its sides.
"Wh-why is it always lightning?," Karam gasped, immediately recognizing his own stupidity underestimating the space kaiju. "OHGAIDER!"
Its pilot obviously recognizing the disadvantage they had been suddenly put at, Ohgaider's visor glowed, priming its Cluster Beam which would be its primary weapon for as long as it could still fight. Using its superior speed, the robot flew back to Gelalo's front and leapt up, delivering a series of powerful kicks to the space kaiju's armored head and loop-shaped crest, to the point where the barrier inside said loop appeared to vibrate from the intensity of the strikes.
"Oorah…"
Karam blinked as he heard a sound like a cry of pain coming from Gelalo in a voice that wasn't its own, as he could tell by the insectoid clicking and shrieking it produced right afterward as its bladed hands swung up to catch Ohgaider's foot, swinging it to the left and sending it crashing to the ground away from the hillside where the Nonmalt stood.
"Karam, I'm almost there," Yugami's voice assured over the Recorder, only momentarily interrupting the teen's thoughts. "Hold out just a little bit longer with Shindo."
"There's something inside Gelalo," Karam said to the communicator.
"Inside?"
"I can hear a faint… voice…"
As Ohgaider used the thrusters on its legs and a bit of propulsion from its back to return to a standing position, it fired off its Cluster Beam from its visor in scattered mode. Once again employing its quick reflexes, Gelalo turned its side to the rays, only a few of them hitting its side and causing small explosions while the rest harmlessly entered the warp in its crest.
"Duraaah!"
As he once again heard the voice, Karam swore he could see movement - almost humanoid movement - within the warped space, before the blasts fired into it shot back out and peppered Ohgaider's front, once again knocking it onto its back with the small explosive discharges - but worse, several of them hitting it in the sphere on its chest that housed its cockpit.
"A voice?," Fukuhara asked. "What kind of voice? A roar? More arthropod clicks? A-"
"A cry of pain."
"I'm getting out of the Mander now," Yugami said. "I'm right on top of you. Stay put and keep trying to support Ohgaider!"
"We don't know what's in that rift," Fukuhara noted. "It could be carrying eggs, live young, or another stage of its life cycle."
"No," Karam said with a steely expression, continuing to fire on the space kaiju with his blaster. "Something that was sucked into that space is trying to get out. Nonmalt intuition."
Gelalo, ignoring the blasts, stood over Ohgaider, striking the downed robot with its left bladed arm, then its right. Seemingly recognizing the cockpit as the source of the robot's movement as the sphere flashed with red warning lights, it fired out one of its disintegrating energy balls from its eye, then another, trying to get through the thick reinforced armor Karam had been instrumental in building. At too high a damage level and too low a battery, it looked like ODE's pride and joy was about to be crushed for good.
Gelalo reared up, charging up one last sphere of energy to shatter the cockpit and atomize the pilot inside…
Before one final, equally-charged-up blast of the Ohgai Cluster Beam struck it in the eye, dissipating the energy charge and shattering the organ.
Gelalo staggered back, screeching in pain, blinded. The rift in its head crest began to flicker, and with each pulse emanating from it, something popped out. First came a large, black rock, evidently a meteor that Gelalo had sucked up in its travels through space. Next, a series of green energy signatures were blasted out into the sky, dissipating harmlessly. Then came another meteor, then another, each thudding against the ground with little momentum. With this shrapnel around it, Gelalo froze, reared backwards and standing in place.
It seemed to have ejected all the contents of its rift, until the moment that would change the world.
With one last flash, bright enough to momentarily turn the sunrise to broad daylight, the thing that had been trying to get out was released.
"Gaaaaah…"
Time seemed to slow down as the giant humanoid, tens of meters in height, hurled through the air out of Gelalo's ring, revealing more and more of itself. First was its head, silver with black markings, pointed ears, orange domes for eyes, and a glowing blue diamond on its forehead. Next came its upper body, colored in a deep purple with silver lines and black patches, but most notably, another diamond on its chest, this one rimmed in bronze, flashing red, and emanating an otherworldly pulsing sound. As its feet, lacking toes and resembling organic boots, finally left the hole, one observing closely might be able to notice symbols on the palms of its hands and the soles of its feet, reminiscent of fantasy runes. With one last breath-like noise, this giant crashed into the hillside beneath Karam and Shindo's spot, shaking the earth all around it.
"KARAM, I'M HERE!," Yugami called out as she arrived next to the prone Shindo and the Nonmalt, whose attention was squarely on the giant's body. "We have to get Shindo to safety and regroup, things are getting out of hand!"
"You get Shindo to safety," Karam replied as he stared down at the giant, whose eyes were dim, the gem on its chest making an almost constant noise.
He knew it came out of Gelalo, but he had heard it struggling. He'd heard it suffering. He'd heard it fighting for its freedom. Looking at its prone body made him feel the same way as looking at Shindo's - like a comrade was in danger.
"I'm going to check on that giant!," the Nonmalt declared, and began to run downhill towards the body.
"Mascot, it's an alien!," Hiryu shouted over the communicator.
"It may even be Gelalo's next stage of its life cycle!," Yugami cried from behind Karam, even as she began to pick up Shindo.
"You can't throw your life away protecting something you just learned exists!," Fukuhara begged.
"Karam!"
"Karam!"
"KARAM!"
But Karam had made up his mind.
Gelalo's blinded struggling slowed as the kaiju seemed to focus somehow. It leaned back down to the ground, balancing itself with its blade arms, and in a pulse of energy, its shattered eye-organ regenerated, good as new. In addition to this, after a brief moment, the dimensional gate in its head crest also flared up back to life.
With its vision restored, the space kaiju momentarily turned to the now-inactive Ohgaider, recognizing it to no longer be a threat, before turning towards the hillside. It reacted with what appeared to be momentary shock upon seeing the giant's body, squawking and waving its blade arms, before taking steps towards the prone figure. However, it paused upon realizing that a much smaller figure had entered its line of sight.
Karam stepped onto the giant's outstretched hand, feeling the surface of its skin beneath his feet, solid as stone but still giving the feeling of being organic. He hurried across the palm, by itself large enough to crush him, and up the giant's arm, blaster firing and still set to its highest possible output. One blast struck Gelalo on the head as Karam reached the shoulder, then another hit its dimensional gate and flew out harmlessly in a random direction as he set foot on the chest, stopping right in front of the now barely-lit red diamond crystal that he could somehow tell signified the giant's life force.
"Hey, Gelalo!," the Nonmalt teen shouted. "If you want to bust up Ohgaider any more OR reabsorb this giant guy, you're gonna have to get through me!"
Waving its arms and screeching one last time, Gelalo reared back, charged up, and fired a green energy bolt, zooming in to smash Karam's atoms. In one last act of defiance, the Nonmalt opened rapid fire upon the light ball, but nothing he did could stop the inevitable impact.
Karam fell backwards, landing on top of the gem in the giant's chest, as the green bolt enveloped him. He felt the blunt force, then a tingling sensation all over, then a burning sensation all over…
And then nothing.
In the outside world, Fukuhara, Hiryu, and especially Yugami shouted loudly enough to awaken Shindo in Yugami's arms:
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
All they saw was Karam disappearing in a blast.
None of them noticed that his atomic remains had been absorbed into the giant's chest.
When Karam came to his senses, he was lying on his back, staring up into a plain, deep purple sky.
The first thing he realized was that the sky, especially at sunrise, was not usually that shade of purple.
The second was that he wasn't lying on his back so much as floating on his back - there was no ground beneath him.
The third was that he was supposed to be dead.
"Is this the afterlife?," he asked nobody in particular.
Above Karam, strings of light materialized and took shape into an outline, almost like a pen-and-paper drawing. The Nonmalt recognized it as the image of the giant whose body he had died trying to protect.
"You… did… did you save me?," Karam nervously asked. "Am I alive? Because of you?"
The outline glowed brighter for a moment, as a deep voice spoke from inside Karam's head.
"No. You're dead, and so am I if we don't do something."
"Wait wait wait, you can talk to me?," the Nonmalt awkwardly interrupted. "In my language?"
The figure glowed once more.
"Telepathy is good for breaching language barriers."
"Ah, okay," Karam replied, "I've spoken to telepaths before."
Upon recognizing that he was being "thought" rather than spoken to, the Nonmalt began to voice his words in his head rather than out loud.
"So… I'm still dead? Where am I?"
"You are in my inner light," the outline replied, "a light that has nearly gone out. I am speaking to you using the last of my mana reserves. Should I run out completely, neither of us will ever rise again."
"Mana?," Karam replied. "You mean the stuff that would allow for magic?"
"... I see your world is not very advanced, in the scheme of things. Is this First Contact for your kind?"
Karam almost blurted a defiant quip, but, recognizing that he was in a state between life and death inside an alien giant's body, held himself back.
"... Yes."
"All the more reason we need each other, then," the giant reasoned. "Gelalo carried me an unimaginable distance from anywhere near my home star system. I suspect I will not be able to reach my people for some time, whether to let them know I am here or for other reasons. Your world, on the other hand, will be plunged into a new era of uncertainty by my arrival. Your kind will have to deal with the repercussions of knowing they are not alone in the universe. Since I am stuck here… I think I'd like to help your people come to terms with that."
"You want to help us?," the Nonmalt asked.
"Yes. My people firmly believe in a healthy intergalactic community - using our powers to uphold it is our quest as a race."
"A guild of galactic guardians, huh?," said Karam. "Well… considering our ultimate weapon, Ohgaider, couldn't beat even one space kaiju, having you around to fight sounds like a good idea."
"Indeed," the giant agreed. "Then, to save both our lives, and to protect this planet you are familiar with… I ask that you form a contract with me."
"Contract?"
"I will inhabit your body. You will still be in control of yourself, but I will be able to speak to you like I do now. I promise I will not attempt to interrupt your normal life. However, when my power is needed, you will transform into me using this Ultra Wand."
Beams of light shot from the eyes of the giant's outline, stopping before they hit Karam and solidifying into a curious device - a rod, about a foot long, with a paper-thin slot on one end and an indentation on the other.
"With you as my host," the giant continued to explain, "I will fight against kaiju and other equal threats to your world, whether they come from the surface, or from space like me. All that I ask in exchange is that you not reveal our connection to anyone - not even a hint - until the time comes that we are able to go our separate ways alive."
"Wasn't planning to," Karam quietly replied. "And this is certainly a lot to take in…"
But internally, he felt like this was a chance to prove he wasn't just a cute mascot. If not to anyone else, then certainly to himself.
"But I'm up for the task. You've got yourself a contract."
"Very well," the giant's outline said. "Take hold of the Ultra Wand, and we shall fight the first of our battles together."
Karam snickered as he raised his right hand to grab the Ultra Wand. As he took hold of it, he felt a surge of revitalization and power. He quickly sat up, then stood up, holding out the wand as it glowed brighter and brighter. The outline of the giant descended onto him, its features overlapping with his own as the two became one.
"I'm Karam, by the way," the Nonmalt said out loud as he stepped into the light. "Karam the Nonmalt. What's your name?"
"Dharma," the giant's voice replied in his head. "But your people may call me… Ultraman."
"Wh-what's going on?," Shindo asked as he propped himself up on Yugami's shoulder. "Did we get the data? Did Ohgaider…"
The scene before the doctor, as his eyes adjusted, spoke for itself. Ohgaider lay prone, smoke rising from its arms, while Gelalo stood over the equally-still body of the violet giant.
Fukuhara and Hiryu, the latter carrying a larger bazooka in contrast to the standard ray guns, suddenly descended downhill to rendezvous with their teammates, having made it over in the ARIA Skipper.
"Mascot, I-I…" Hiryu stuttered as he stared at the disaster. "Not again… no…"
"We need to regroup," Fukuhara sternly declared, though her tone indicated she was fighting back emotions. "Having beaten Ohgaider, Gelalo may now be considered a global threat. SPIN and RAIN higher-ups alike will need to-"
"Wait, Captain, look!," Yugami shouted, pointing at the giant's body.
The dim light in the crystal on its chest began to glow again, its slow pulsing sound speeding up, then slowing down again as its color shifted from red to blue. The blue diamond on its forehead and its orange eyes also lit back up, and, with the sound of a deep breath, it sat up to grab Gelalo by the face.
"HYAAAH!"
With a mighty shove, the giant sent Gelalo stumbling backwards as he - not it, he - rose to his full height. Looking from an equal height at the monster that had locked him away inside itself, he raised and clenched a fist before striking a battle stance, hands spread out at his sides as if to flaunt his stature and power.
"SURRRRRAH!"
"Body language suggests he's… angry at Gelalo," Shindo managed to gather from the sudden appearance and revival of the giant while he was unconscious.
"He was trapped inside it," Yugami noted. "I'm not a kaiju expert, but I don't think it gave birth to him."
"Could he have… saved the mascot?," Hiryu pondered. "What do we do? We let them fight, obviously, but is he…"
Fukuhara closed her eyes, recognizing that moments ago, she'd told Karam he couldn't sacrifice himself to save something he'd just discovered. She couldn't be a perfect, all-knowing captain every time, she supposed.
"He's to be treated as an ally for the moment," the captain declared, drawing her own ray gun. "He's the best chance we have at stopping Gelalo, and the enemy of our enemy is our friend. Back him up as best you can!"
"ENCORE!"
Inside the giant's - Ultraman Dharma's - chest, Karam stood in the Inner Light, Ultra Wand in hand.
"Alright, you've got this?," the Nonmalt asked out loud, still a bit uncertain.
"Considering the desperate nature of our merger," Dharma replied in his head, "I'm going to need some help casting spells. I'll do the physical fighting, but you'll have to scan some Ingredient Cards when I tell you."
"Ingredient Cards?"
It was at this point Karam felt a cold sensation emanating from his left hip. Reaching down, he discovered an unfolding panel strapped to his ARIA belt, from which seven trading-sized cards flew out, each bearing rune symbols and an image of a kaiju the Nonmalt did not recognize, with the exception of one - Red King.
"These are the medium through which I perform most of my magic," Dharma explained. "Different combinations make drastically different spells. But it'll come to you as we go. For now, let's give Gelalo a beating!"
"RIGHT!"
Back in the outside world, Ultraman broke his elegant fighting stance to run at Gelalo, his footfalls oddly making significantly less noise than the kaiju's had. The giant leapt into the air, outstretching his right leg for a flying kick, but as the space kaiju turned to face the attack with the portal in its head, he stopped in mid-air, rotating a few degrees at high speed so that his strike landed at Gelalo's side just below the space. As the giant touched down, he also landed a sweeping chop to the side of its head, followed by a high kick as he rose back to his full height.
As the monster reeled back, it charged up and fired a barrage of energy bolts from its eye. Rather than dodge, Ultraman walked towards the assault, raising his left arm, then his right, then his left again, to block the blasts - deflecting them, not even feeling their burning effect. He grabbed hold of Gelalo's chest with his right hand, and as it swung its right arm-sickle at him, caught the blade in the crook of his left elbow. However, this left him open for the beast's left arm to rake at his side repeatedly, producing sparks and earning a strained breathing sound of pain. Finally, at the third attempted slash, the giant managed to grab the other arm too, but this left him struggling against Gelalo's full weight and strength.
Looking out the corner of his eye, Ultraman - and Karam inside him - saw the members of ARIA gathered on a higher point on the hillside, Hiryu in particular carrying a bazooka over his shoulder. Acting on instinct and digging his heels into the ground, the giant spun Gelalo around so that its back faced the crew's vantage point, while continuing to struggle against its grip to make sure it focused on him.
"He's… getting Gelalo into position," said Fukuhara. "Fire when ready, Hiryu!"
"FIRE!"
Hiryu, after precisely aiming, pulled the trigger of his cannon, and a large blast of energy much stronger than Karam's earlier laser fire was released, hurling through the air and striking Gelalo on the back at the midpoint between its large crest and its tail, earning a screech of shock. This was followed up by a barrage of regular laser fire from the other members of ARIA, further startling the space kaiju and allowing Ultraman to break its hold on him, repelling it to the side with a palm strike and then a swinging right hook. He momentarily turned to face the crew.
"... What are you?," Yugami silently asked.
The giant turned just as Gelalo's tail swung at him, wrapping around his left arm and unleashing the electrical discharge that had crippled Ohgaider. Ultraman grumbled, but didn't shout or show obvious pain. He grabbed onto the tip of the tail with his free hand, and his forehead crystal and eyes briefly glowed brighter…
"Overpower its electricity with our own," Dharma's voice told Karam in the purple Inner Space. "Use the Eleking Card!"
"Right!," Karam replied, selecting a card with a white monster and a symbol meaning "ELEMENT" on it, which had lit up to signify Dharma wanted him to grab it. Pressing the trigger on the side of the wand, he then slid the card through the slot at the top before pressing the trigger again, igniting a bright light that translated to the outside battle.
As ARIA watched, a giant, glowing, translucent projection of a kaiju appeared next to the violet giant - a white biped with black stripes, a long tail, no eyes, and prominent horns, which let out a high-pitched series of screeches - as he declared out loud:
"Horn of Eleking, light me up!"
As Gelalo's tail continued attempting to shock Ultraman, it was suddenly redirected by a much stronger electrical current which shot out from Ultraman's own being, surging through Gelalo and clearly causing it severe pain.
"Was that… some kind of magic incantation?," Shindo asked.
"HE SPEAKS JAPANESE?," Hiryu gawked.
Shifting his body, Ultraman sent Gelalo stumbling forward once more, before yanking its tail back. As it reared backwards, the giant swung himself around to grab the monster's front limbs once more, but this time he was in control of the struggle. Before Gelalo could make any sort of recovery, Ultraman looked down, his forehead crystal lighting up before a blue energy beam shot out. This ray subsequently curved and split into two thinner ones, which appeared to wrap around the joints connecting the arms to the body before severing them with a satisfying slicing sound, earning screeches of pain from the space kaiju.
The giant leapt back to assess his progress in defeating the enemy, throwing Gelalos' dismembered arms aside. However, his analytic vision quickly noted that pulses of energy were already being directed to the stumps, and the arms were starting to grow back.
"Right, the regeneration," said Karam. "Breaking its eye shuts down the portal we're worried about, but it just grows back and puts it back up!"
"We'll need to hit it with one of my finishing moves while the portal's down," Dharma replied. "Obliterate it beyond healing while it can't reflect our attack! We'll need a Card Combo for this!"
Karam once again pressed the trigger, slid two cards of Dharma's choosing through, and pressed the trigger again to confirm the combo.
"Bone of Grigio, Tail of Kelbim - powers, mix!"
Projections of a skeletal, magenta and blue saurian and an alien beast with a large horn and a spiked tail manifested to either side of Ultraman before fading back into him. A small sphere of light formed in his right hand, while his left hand was ignited in flames. Bringing them together, the light ball caught fire and expanded into a flaming, spiked mace-ball formed from energy which Ultraman raised over his head, seemingly unaffected by the heat.
"He's using pieces of kaiju - space kaiju - for his spells," Shindo gawked. "He's like a giant alien witch… a warlock!"
Ultraman leapt up, holding the flaming spikes like a giant basketball, before slamming it down on Gelalo's crest. The fireball momentarily wrapped around the structure before the spikes took effect, piercing the material, and finally it detonated - shattering the kaiju's arch and once again causing its portal to flicker off as it screamed in agony, ichor pouring from its head and back. Unfazed by the explosion or the crushing of the exoskeleton, Ultraman flipped backwards immediately after landing, kicking Gelalo in the chin one final time before returning to his feet.
"Time to finish it!," Karam declared.
"Our final attack," Dharma replied. "Follow my lead."
It was then that a vision appeared in Karam's mind, telling him exactly how he needed to charge up Dharma's special attack. The Nonmalt nodded.
"Here goes…"
Ultraman outstretched his right hand, revealing a glowing golden rune carved into his palm. He moved his hand in a circle, and the light from the rune formed a loop which solidified into a decorated disk of golden-yellow energy - recognizable to anyone with knowledge of fantasy concepts as a magic circle. With his right hand, he grabbed onto the floating circle, imbuing his energy into it and causing the light at the center to brighten gradually. With a circular swing of his arms, he placed his left hand atop the circle and thrust it forward with both hands, as finally, the magic circle opened up and released a golden ray of light, much bigger and brighter than anything in ARIA or Ohgaider's arsenal.
The beam struck Gelalo right where the interior of its portal would be, exposing the core of its body to the intense light. Already in immense pain, the space-warping kaiju could barely react to the deadly energy engulfing its being, and, a few seconds after being hit, fell over on its side and exploded in a large blast.
Yugami, Shindo and Hiryu triumphantly cheered, while Fukuhara simply smiled.
Ultraman looked around the area, before noticing the sound of his chest crystal, which was once again flashing red. His actions suddenly speeding up, he reached out a hand and seemed to pull in particles from the explosion that destroyed Gelalo, drawing them to his hand before closing it.
Karam watched as an eighth card, this one marked with Gelalo's visage and a symbol meaning "PROPERTY," manifested in his hand.
"Brain of Gelalo, huh?," Dharma pondered. "Considering its capabilities, it could be useful, but hard to master."
"So you can make new cards from kaiju you defeat?," Karam asked
"Essentially, yes," Dharma replied. "Anyway, my Magic Meter's going off again. Our merger only revitalized me so much."
"We gotta get out of here," Karam said matter-of-factly.
"Let's fly."
"You can fly?"
"Absolutely."
Standing in place, Ultraman's feet glowed briefly before he levitated off the ground, tilting himself forward before rocketing into the sky.
"Shuuuwatch!"
As he disappeared into the cloud cover, a golden flash signified his departure.
"He left without any further antagonism," Fukuhara noted, quickly snapping back to reality after witnessing such a battle. "This is still a huge deal for SPIN and the world."
Yugami and Shindo did not share the same to-the-point attitude.
"K-Karam…"
Golden particles gathered on the ground in a woody area of the hillside, obscured by the trees. Swirling and mixing together, they finally condensed into Karam's body, leaving the Nonmalt standing close to where he had started before his fusion with Dharma.
The youth momentarily looked around, blinked, before immediately searching for his ARIA Recorder, activating it as soon as he touched it.
"Hello? Captain? Vice Captain? Can you hear me?"
For a moment, there was silence on the other end, before a sudden burst of joyous cheering.
"You're alive!"
"Nonmalt luck!"
"Never scare us like that again!"
"On your first mission, seriously?"
"Yup…," Karam chuckled, "I'm okay! It seems…"
"... the purple giant saved me," Karam thought to himself, but that wasn't what came out of his mouth.
"... once Gelalo was defeated, everything its energy bullets disintegrated was restored. Including me!"
… What.
That was not what Karam meant to say - it was as if words had been literally placed in his mouth.
"We have no clue how the powers of space kaiju work," Fukuhara said. "This must be an alien miracle."
"Y-yeah," Karam replied. "It must be… I'll rendezvous with you guys. Stay where you are."
"Man, Mascot, you missed something amazing!," Hiryu cheered. "The purple giant came back to life and blew up Gelalo with weird spells! We don't just have proof aliens are real - we have proof magic is real, too!"
"Crazy, huh? I suspect we'll be seeing that guy again. Welp, you snooze, you lose - especially if your body currently doesn't exist."
There it was again. Karam's mind - something in his head was actively preventing him from talking about the events that had happened to him.
"We must return to Symphony Base immediately," said Fukuhara. "We'll likely be called to a meeting of the United Earthlings to discuss First Contact - and the mysterious, seemingly benevolent giant. Until then, we need all the rest we can get."
"He needs a name," Yugami added. "I vote Mystic Titan!"
"Violet Centurion," said Shindo.
"How about… Big Witch?," Hiryu suggested.
Karam took a deep breath, praying his next thought would not be altered.
"How about Ultraman?"
Phew.
"Ultraman," Fukuhara quietly said. "Simplest to remember of the lot… and has a ring to it. As the Captain, I support this title."
"Alright," Karam concluded. "As I said, I'll rendezvous with you on my own. Stay put."
"Encore, mascot," Hiryu chuckled over comms before Karam shut it off.
The Nonmalt immediately started walking, making his way to the hills and the awaiting Skipper and Mander.
Hours later, ARIA had made their way back to Symphony Base. Communications with SPIN HQ remained silent, as the council was likely still planning the United Earthlings meeting and their next move. In the meantime, Captain Fukuhara had encouraged the others to get as much rest as they could. Karam was no different.
"Are you sure you're okay?," Yugami asked outside the Nonmalt's quarters. "You said you were temporarily reduced to a disembodied consciousness… that has to be scary."
Karam contemplated trying to explain what really happened, but remembered his promise, and for the first time since the return to base, his altered speech.
"I knew I'd come back somehow," he replied simply. "If not, I absolutely would have haunted the lot of you!"
"Ha!," the vice-captain laughed. "You're special enough as is!"
"Yeah, special," Karam said solemnly. "I need to get some sleep after all this. I'll see you when we're called up."
"See you," Yugami replied with a nod, and she gently closed the door.
The young Nonmalt took off his jacket, put it over his desk chair, and sat down on his bed, before finally taking off his shoes, lying down, and pulling the covers over himself. He stared up at the ceiling, contemplating everything that had supposedly gone down, and making any attempt to make sense of it. Maybe he'd wake up properly after falling asleep here, maybe this really was all just a crazy-
"You're trying to rationalize your situation," the deep voice of Ultraman Dharma said out loud, not inside Karam's head. "I understand."
Turning his head to the left, Karam blinked twice. There, partially see-through but clearly visible to him, stood a human-sized projection of the alien.
"Was it you?," the Nonmalt asked, thinking rather than speaking. "Making me say things I don't think?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Dharma explained. "I placed a Geas on you. A psychic block, to prevent you from revealing information that could lead others to connect you to me. This is part of our contract."
"Y-you never said anything about that!," Karam argued. "I can keep your identity a secret myself, you know! Besides, aren't you jeopardizing it by standing there, where someone could hear us?"
"Only you can see and hear me now," Dharma assured his new host, "I don't doubt your ability to keep our secret, but this is simply my homeworld's protocol when having to take a host. I'm sorry."
Karam sighed.
"We'll figure this out as we go along," he acceptingly said out loud. "We're in this together."
"I do have a few questions about your world," Dharma admitted. "However, your health and stability is the most important thing. I will ask you when you wake up."
"Sounds like a plan," Karam said flatly, nodding.
Dharma nodded back, and disappeared into particles.
Trying his best to clear his mind for the time being, Karam the Nonmalt, rookie and totally-not-mascot of ARIA, flipped over in bed to face the wall and closed his eyes.
The day was not over.
The United Earthlings, consisting of the surface humans, Underground Peoples, and Nonmalt, meet to discuss the earth-shattering arrival of both the first space kaiju and Ultraman - First Contact. Karam, with the geas placed on him, makes the best effort to argue for Ultraman as a protector - but will soon find actions speak louder than words when the undersea HQ of the UE comes under attack by the Reef Kaiju Beakrus. Prove your worth, Karam! Fight, Ultraman Dharma!
Next time on Ultraman: Warlock: Who is the Violet Giant?
We're all in this together.