"Attention, Agents: ARIA core team is to report to CP for a direct command. We repeat: ARIA core team, report to CP."
Mere hours had passed since Karam fell asleep. It wasn't a new day - a late breakfast would even still be acceptable at this hour. The Nonmalt didn't necessarily feel good being awakened again, but at the very least it was less rude than earlier that morning when the space kaiju Gelalo attacked.
With a guttural yawn, Karam pushed himself upright and swiveled around to stand up. He reached over to his desk chair, picking up and slipping on his wrinkled ARIA jacket, before patting it down and shaking his head to clear his thoughts. Remembering the events of the day so far, he looked to the side, for a spot where something or someone could comfortably materialize.
"Dharma, you still there?," he thought, not to himself but to the alien who now shared his head.
From ribbons of golden light surrounding a nebulous violet core, Ultraman Dharma's silhouette appeared, sitting on Karam's bed.
"Present."
"So, you said you had some questions you wanted to ask me?," Karam thought with a nod, knowing nobody else would hear the alien's voice as long as the boy didn't talk to him out loud.
Dharma nodded back.
"I need to get somewhere fast," the Nonmalt noted. "Let's walk and talk."
The projection of Dharma jumped up, but before he could hit the ceiling, shrunk down to the size of an action figure. He flew over and perched on his host's shoulder as the Nonmalt opened the door out of his room and set out into the halls.
"So if I'm not mistaken," Ultraman began, "this 'ARIA' organization you are a member of, protects the people from kaiju?"
"You could say that," Karam replied. "But ARIA mainly does investigations and rescue missions. It's ODE who really fights kaiju - they built the robot that saved you."
His thoughts momentarily drifted to Ohgaider, and how thoroughly Gelalo had busted it up. He trusted Kaiba and the crew to patch up the robot good as new, it wasn't worth thinking about right now.
"So I'm in a fairly good position host-wise," Dharma pondered. "How well do you know ODE?"
"I know them better than the guys I'm with currently," Karam admitted as he ducked around a passing SPIN employee. "I worked for ODE for three years, while this morning was, believe it or not, my first mission with ARIA."
"I see," Dharma replied, putting a hand to his chin. "So we are both out of our depth, in a way… I have one more truly important question."
"Let's hear it,"said the Nonmalt boy.
"You established that my arrival with Gelalo is this planet's First Contact with alien life, correct?"
"Yeah?"
"That means, considering the humanoids around a reptilian like yourself, that there is more than one sentient race native to this planet."
"Yup," Karam replied matter-of-factly. "But considering what we're all probably being called for, you'll figure out what that entails soon enough."
The youth paused right around the corner leading to the command post.
"I gotta listen to orders now," he explained. "Stay in my head for this."
Dharma nodded, before fading away into particles once more.
Karam entered ARIA's main room, where Captain Fukuhara and Vice Captain Yugami stood in wait, while Shindo remained in his chair, rubbing his eyes indicating he had slept in it. The Nonmalt looked around from the center of the room, initially tapping his foot impatiently, before receiving a silent glare from Fukuhara and stopping.
"I'm used to being the last one to enter the room," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Of course it had to be Hiryu we're waiting for, though…"
"Talking smack about someone who's right around the corner, mascot?"
Karam sighed, knowing Hiryu was right behind him.
"Get used to it, dude."
"ANYWAY," Fukuhara interjected with another glare in Hiryu's direction, "we have another call coming from Director Okuyama. Pay attention - considering what just happened, he's going to have a lot to say. That's an order."
"Encore," the other four exasperatedly said.
The monitor at the front of the room lit up once again, showing the tall, gray-haired Okuyama sitting with his hands put together.
"ARIA, I'm going to get to the point," he began. "We've all just learned that complex alien life is real - not just that, but Visitor-class kaiju to boot. We cannot deny this to the public - they know."
On the side of the screen, various images were pulled up of social media feeds, showing the trending topics worldwide - the top three being "First Contact," "Magic," and at the very top, "Ultraman."
"They already know him as Ultraman?," Karam asked, internally glad the world was using the name Dharma chose for himself.
"That's tech for you," Hiryu remarked.
"Am I correct that you were the one who pitched the name?," Okuyama addressed Karam.
"Yeah?," the teen asked."It just seemed to fit him, I guess.Everyone else's name suggestions were trash, so the captain nominated mine."
Was that seriously enough for Dharma to alter his speech?
"It does fit him," said the director, "even though it sounds a bit… overly heroic for a being whose motives are completely unclear."
"If I may," Fukuhara argued, "I would argue a case for him to be an ally to Earthlings. He defeated Gelalo and left without causing any more trouble. At one point, he even got Gelalo into a safe position for us to fire upon."
"For all we know, he could have been acting solely in self-defense - or worse," Okuyama responded. "Need I remind you, he came out of Gelalo's body."
"Considering their drastically different appearances, abilities, and most importantly Ultraman's ability to speak an Earthling language," Shindo said, "it is extremely unlikely Ultraman and Gelalo had any biological connection."
"And how was he able to speak Japanese?"
"He could be telepathic," Karam argued, the lack of Dharma-filter surprising him. "Psychic powers exist. Ultraman could have simply read the minds of the five of us and copied our language."
And thatwasn'tenough?
"That may be true," Okuyama replied, "but I wouldn't feel secure knowing an alien had read human minds."
"Human and Nonmalt," Yugami corrected.
"Human and Nonmalt,"Okuyama repeated. "I don't want to argue all day, so I'll establish your assignment. The United Earthlings are meeting up to discuss the issues of First Contact, and, as the ones who were there to witness it, you and ODE are both asked to attend and provide your opinions on the matter. Captain Fukuhara, as the resident diplomacy expert, will be your main speaking voice. However, Karam?"
The Nonmalt youth blinked.
"Y-yeah?"
"As the one who came closest to Ultraman, and nearly lost his life in the battle, I believe your opinion will be called for," the director explained. "In addition, well, the United Earthlings have been looking for an excuse to have you speak before them for quite some time, what with you being the son of Cavolo."
Karam looked at the floor. That was right. His teammates had seen his body disintegrated by Gelalo's energy blast, with Dharma lying about how the attack worked to hide the fact he saved the boy. To say nothing about his relationship with his father, which had always been neutral even for all the amazing things he did and the impact he had on his son's life.
Surprisingly, Karam wasn't that concerned about the prospect of speaking in front of representatives from around the world. He'd spoken to large crowds before at big RAIN meetings, discussing implementing new tech into Ohgaider and other robots. Recognizing this history of his, the Nonmalt made a decision,
"Alright, I'll bite," Karam said with acceptance. "You've got yourself a speaker. But just so you know, I agree with the captain.Ultraman's a hero."
That time, Dharma simply stopped him from speaking any longer. He took a deep breath to recover, even if he didn't plan to say anything more.
"Very well then," Okuyama conceded. "My judgment isn't the end-all be-all - the UE's as a whole will be. The meeting is later tonight at Nonmalt Pacific City, and the other SPIN executives and myself have already arranged for your submarine there and back."
"A submarine ride to an undersea city!," Yugami cheered. "I wonder what kinds of sea creatures we'll see on the way."
"Maybe even some friendly sea kaiju," Hiryu added with a smile. "Right, Dr. Shindo?"
"Ugh," Shindo groaned, sticking his tongue out. "I can't help you there - I'll be too busy getting seasick."
Karam smirked and rolled his eyes.
"Well, I see you five have many things to talk about when it comes to the trip," Director Okuyama concluded. "I'll be watching and eagerly awaiting the Earthlings' verdict. The best you can do now is prepare for a long submarine ride."
"Encore," Fukuhara replied, prompting the others to do the same, as Okuyama's feed ended.
"We're going to the city where I grew up!," Karam laughed. "Together! Awesome!"
The Nonmalt bolted out of the Command Post back towards his room.
"Hmm…" Dharma's voice pondered in his head. "I won't object to that way out. It was convincing enough."
"It better be,"Karam snarled.
A cliffside opened up to reveal a hidden road once more, from which the ARIA Skipper and Mander emerged. This time, Karam was accompanying Captain Fukuhara and Dr. Shindo in the Skipper, while Yugami and Hiryu took the Mander.
"A long submarine ride is ahead," said Fukuhara as she drove along, lowering the windows of the Skipper. "Breathe fresh air while you still can."
"Hey, Karam," Shindo asked as the Nonmalt stared out the window. "You good?"
"Oh?," Karam interjected, snapping back to reality. "Yeah, just zoned out a little bit. If you wanna talk, we can do that on the sub ride."
"O-okay," Shindo replied, gulping. "Got it."
Karam sighed, nobody knowing it was in relief that his cover wasn't at risk. He turned back to the window, where, only visible to him, Dharma was waiting, hovering in place above the road.
"Any more questions?," he asked silently.
"Your people call yourselves Earthlings," Dharma observed. "Is this planet… Earth?"
"The one and only," Karam replied. "Does that matter to you?"
"I've just heard a few invaders say they nabbed kaiju from Earth to use in their schemes," the Ultra offhandedly replied. "Red King, for one - that's how I got its useful little Ingredient Card. It's been hundreds of years in your time since I last heard this planet's name, though."
"So alien invasions are on the table," the Nonmalt concluded from that, recognizing Red King as a kaiju that evolved on Earth - and gave Ohgaider a beating once. "Great. More reason for Earth to not trust you."
"With all this talk of different peoples, and of trust," Dharma admitted, "I do have something to tell you that I'm not sure you'll like."
"You can just change my words to say I like it," Karam chuckled in his head. "What's the worst it could be for you?"
"Point taken," Dharma scoffed. "What I have to say relates to my people's protocols, just like the secret-keeping geas - part of the code we Ultras follow. Aside from our mutual need to survive, I am staying on Earth to protect it…"
"And?"
"But," Dharma corrected. "But 'protect' does not mean 'fix.' I cannot interfere with matters between different races if they all evolved on the same planet. If major conflict erupts between the people of Earth… you cannot use my power to stop it. Is that clear?"
"With all this talk of different peoples, and of trust," Karam mirrored the Ultra's words, "you should have a bit of trust in the United Earthlings. It's not perfect. There are minor conflicts between the races, there are groups of extremists, but nothing world governments can't resolve without your power. We mostly have my dad to thank for that."
"Your father brought everyone together?," the Ultra asked.
"Pretty much," the Nonmalt replied, frowning. "Everyone except himself and his son."
"... A sensitive subject, I take it. I understand. But do you understand my protocol?"
"Yeah, I can't use you to fight terrorists. Just non-Champion kaiju and invaders. Got it."
"Champions?" Dharma tapped a finger against his face. "I can't ask you for every detail. I feel, with where we're going, your actions will speak louder than your words."
"That's an actual Earth idiom," Karam chuckled in his head, acknowledging that they were going to see everything the UE had to offer.
"I know," Dharma replied. "Picked it up through telepathy. Anyway, I leave the rest of this trip to you and ARIA. You can't spend your whole day exchanging thoughts with me - your job is to form bonds withthem."
"Wait-"
In a flash, Dharma disappeared, leaving Karam alone with his thoughts.
"I want to prove to the UE that you're a hero," he was going to say. "Don't try to stop me - let me tell them."
But he had nobody to say it to.
"We're here," Fukuhara said, fully snapping Karam out of his Ultra-trance, as the Skipper pulled into a parking lot built over water, reserved for SPIN vehicles.
Said lot was connected to a large building marked with both Japanese and Nonmalt symbols indicating it to be a submarine station, obviously meant to take visitors to one of the undersea people's cities.
"One stop closer to home," Karam remarked as the crews of both the Skipper and Mander disembarked from their vehicles to head to the entrance to the station.
Setting foot inside, the five walked through an open lobby towards a set of admission booths run by a mix of humans (or at least humanoids) and Nonmalt. The people around the station were largely SPIN and RAIN personnel as expected of such a meeting, and many of them made way for Fukuhara and Yugami as they entered - they and their team were VIPs, after all. Potential civilian submarine passengers mostly occupied the waiting areas to the side, nonetheless talking about First Contact and all of the associated events with each other and over social media. Karam focused more on them than on the short but tedious sign-in process for the members of ARIA, until the group was finally allowed to enter and board a submarine.
After descending several staircases they made their way to a tube built into a wall, which led into the sub itself: a simple setup with rows of seats on either side of a central walkway, akin to an underwater airplane. It was hard to believe, at least for Karam, that with the presence of other people under the sea, submarines, once used exclusively for military operations and deep-sea exploration, had taken time to become a standard method of tourist travel - but here they were at last. The five members of ARIA were given leeway to find an empty group of seats and sit down, Karam between Yugami and Shindo, the two people he trusted most in the group.
They sat quietly as an intercom explained rules and safety guidelines that Karam had long since memorized, though he wasn't sure who else had been on a Nonmalt submarine before. Finally, the voice declared they were setting off, and with a loud thud, the sub decoupled from the station and began to move, on a long journey through the Pacific Ocean.
Karam twiddled his thumbs, remembering Dharma's advice on talking to and forming connections with the others. Turning his head, he saw that Fukuhara was staring out the window and Hiryu was making an effort to sleep through the trip. Remembering the whole "science guys think alike" thing, the youth decided to address Shindo next to him.
"So," the Nonmalt asked, "what are your thoughts on Ultraman?"
Dharma was keeping quiet.
"I'll try to express my thoughts before I get too sick," Shindo replied. "Like with Gelalo, like with anything from space, I'm fixated on the scientific applications and discoveries he has the potential for. N-no, not even science, what everyone's callingmagic.I've always believed magic existed in some way, even if it was just science we didn't understand."
"Which it probably is," Karam noted.
"Which it probably is," Shindo affirmed. "Lots of things in the modern world defy science as we used to know it - kaiju, psychic powers - so I always thought 'why not magical spells?' But Ultraman… he's on an entirely different level. The way he speaks, and the mystical projections of space kaiju, indicate he can somehow channel their essence. Does he reap their souls, or contain their power in capsules of some kind, or - I just don't know! I just… urgh."
Karam thought of the cards Dharma gave him, wondering where they could have gone or how he'd store them. That was something he'd figure out next time it was time to transform, he supposed.
"Yeah, scientists are going to have their work cut out for them," Karam giggled, before getting more serious, "but what I really meant was what are your thoughts on his morality? Do you think we should consider him an ally or a threat?"
Dharma did change the way Karam spoke there, but only his tone, not his words, making him sound more confident and professional. Shyness and self-doubt were what would hypothetically lure suspicion, he supposed.
"I don't really believe in superheroes," Shindo said. "Maybe he's here just to hunt monsters, maybe he's here diplomatically and has yet to speak on that. But then agaaain, if humanity can create defense… teams like ARIA and heroic giants like Ohgaider… w-why not other worlds?"
Karam could tell Shindo's stomach was getting to him. His marine race had long since evolved countermeasures for seasickness, but living underwater, he'd seen a lot of human vomit in his relatively short life.
"Your guts are upset?," the Nonmalt asked, receiving a nod in response. "I'll talk to Yugami, you just focus on breathing and forget you're underwater."
"Speaking of talking to me," Yugami interjected, "LOOK!"
Karam looked over the vice-captain's shoulder out the porthole to see whatever underwater phenomena waited to be seen. There, swimming in a formation around the sub, were a large pod of bottlenose dolphins, waving their tails up and down and emitting various clicking and squeaking noises.
"Ah, dolphins," the Nonmalt chuckled, "one structured civilization away from being part of the United Earthlings. You know that dolphins used to have a bit of a symbiotic relationship with the Nonmalt before we built underwater cities, right?"
"Wait, what?," Yugami asked enthusiastically. "Tell me everything about that!"
Karam laughed out loud, having found a foothold.
"Alright! So, you know how modern symbiotic relationships are between the NHEs and their kaiju Champions? Well, before that, we all…"
The Nonmalt and vice-captain spent the rest of the submarine ride happily chatting about NHE history, over Shindo's grumbling, Hiryu's snoring, and Captain Fukuhara's stoic silence.
At the bottom of the ocean, far below where ARIA's submarine was traveling, lay a coral reef in the middle of the sea, populated by various fish. However, these fish were currently thrown into a panic, for the reef was quaking and shifting.
Part of it was more than just coral and rocks…
"Attention all passengers," the submarine's pilot said over the intercom, "particularly those here for the diplomatic meeting of the United Earthlings. We are now coming up on Nonmalt Pacific City. Please prepare yourselves accordingly for our docking with the station and your disembarkment."
Looking out the submarine window, ARIA and others bore witness to the Pacific City in all its glory. It was a sprawling underwater complex many kilometers across, consisting of giant bell-shaped buildings, towers, and many tunnels connecting them all. The submarine passed under a reinforced glass arch containing the glowing words for "WELCOME" in various languages, both human and NHE.
After a few minutes, the vehicle reached and stopped next to the side of a large bell-building, where a mechanical tunnel emerged from a wall to connect to the entrance door. Various announcements and mechanical sounds followed as the collection of people, including ARIA and Karam, stood up and exited the submarine.
After a brief trip through the station, the team stepped out into the underwater complex, and entered a brand new world. Built from bronze metal and gray stone, the inside of the bell was an indoor complex, like by far the world's largest shopping mall, with at least seventy floors and hundreds of units built into its many walls, some shops, others homes and apartments, all being traversed by scaly Nonmalt of countless different ages and appearances. And this was merely one unit of a larger city.
"Whoa," Hiryu, Shindo and Yugami collectively said, gazing on in awe.
"Hmm," Dharma's voice faintly echoed in the back of Karam's head, seemingly curious enough to pipe up just a little.
"Welcome home, Karam," Fukuhara, who had been here before, said sternly but affectionately.
"Meh," the young Nonmalt replied. "I didn't grow up here. We can't afford to sightsee, either."
"Correct," the captain said, returning to her stoic manner. "We follow the Nonmalt in United Earthlings hats."
"Encore," the others casually declared, quickly snapping out of their trance.
ARIA joined a particular crowd of professionally dressed folk of several species and essentially every nation, who had come here by submarine, as they were ushered in a certain direction by distinct Nonmalt, each wearing a blue cap marked with the letters "UE." Karam recognized a couple of their faces, and a few even waved hello, to which he only gestured back a little. After navigating various twists and turns, descending a few staircases and escalators on the way, the group reached the bottom floor, and the door to a vertical building that spanned the height of the bell and was distinctly colored from the rest of the complex to highlight its importance.
This was the Pacific City headquarters of the United Earthlings.
Captain Fukuhara took the lead into the elaborate lobby, all present recognizing her and ARIA as the most important of the important due to their encounter with the topics of the hour - space kaiju and Ultraman. Karam let himself zone out a little bit as his teammates went over the legal details of their visit with both UE staff and SPIN-appointed guards, until finally, they were prompted to either equip or turn on their Nonmalt-created translators. With their tech in place, ARIA and the rest were directed towards a conference room, the Nonmalt teen simply following along. In his own mind, he might be a tech genius, but he was still only fourteen - the concepts being spoken of would be largely over his head.
The conference hall was shaped like a large oval, composed of the same bronze and gray material as the outdoors, albeit more professional in lighting and atmosphere. Most of the seats were for humans representing the different nations, but there were dedicated rows of seats for the different NHEs. The seats at the narrow tips of the oval were reserved for guests - in this case, ARIA and ODE. Fukuhara sat down at the center, as both ARIA's leader and resident diplomat, while her vice captain Yugami and Karam, who'd been closest to Ultraman, sat at her sides. Hiryu and Shindo sat at the outermost seats.
Across the way from them sat the mostly nondescript members of ODE, including Kaiba, who gently and quietly waved to Karam. The teen snickered under his breath and waved back, before their actions were hushed by the professionals.
The first words spoken came from the mouth of an important-looking Nonmalt, who was at the center of the row of seats dedicated to his species.
"Order… Thank you. I, President Cauli of the Nonmalt, welcome you all to another general assembly of the United Earthlings. Today, we are all here to discuss, and affected by, the shocking events this morning, signifying First Contact with alien life. Two extraterrestrial life-forms touched down on Earth - a space kaiju with abnormal abilities codenamed Gelalo, and a violet and silver giant that the world has taken to calling Ultraman. Ultraman personally neutralized Gelalo before disappearing. Our primary goal with this assembly is to determine our actions regarding Ultraman, and any future appearances of alien life. Discussion is now open."
"So these are the different peoples of Earth?," Dharma's voice asked Karam, snapping him out of his self-inflicted daze. "Mind giving me a rundown?"
"You're awfully casual," his host replied telepathically, "considering your status as an ally to Earth is on the line here. But I'll comply. You know humans, who live on the surface, and Nonmalt like me, who live in the sea. But there's also four different races of Underground People."
"I believe we should address the kaiju in the room," said a blond woman at the center of a wide row of people who, upon closer inspection, had no eyes.
"The lady who just spoke is from the Night Society, who live the deepest underground," Karam began to explain. "They specialize in stealth and undercover operations, but are actually the easiest race to communicate with. SPIN recruits a lot of them."
"A giant being of light with unimaginable powers…" the Night Society rep finished, addressing a row of humanoids in black robes with massive, dark eyes. "Could Ultraman be the Sun People's god?"
"Ultraman does look like the Great God Eldra, doesn't he?," one of the Sun People said in a longing tone. "They even have similar names. We've already discussed this amongst ourselves…"
"The Sun People are the least numerous," Karam continued, "but the most spiritual. They believe in the guidance of the 'Great God Eldra,' who looks a lot like you. Maybe someone from your star visited Earth long ago and inspired them."
"Honestly, it's possible," Dharma said considerately in Karam's head. "It's been thousands of years, and my people tend to get around on their most elaborate quests."
"No," another Sun Person declared. "We don't think Ultraman is the Great God Eldra. Not in the flesh. He could be an envoy of the god, he could be divine. But he did not show the signs of Eldra's return."
"Yes," the first Sun Person noted, "he channeled the powers of beasts from the stars, but he was mortal. He was hurt and captured by Gelalo, and he nearly died. The Great God Eldra is all-powerful and could never be contained."
"Maybe so,"said a voice in everyone's heads."But have you considered: an alien invader posing as your god in an attempt to earn Earth's sympathy?"
"More telepaths?," Dharma asked.
"Had to be the Bockle," Karam quietly sighed out loud. "Of course."
Said Bockle were a row of humanoids that looked even less human than the Nonmalt. Their skin was gray-brown and leathery, their faces were covered by technological silver masks, and they had prominent antennae extending from their soldiers.
"Before you say anything," Dharma's host explained to him, "they're mutants. They have the most superpowers of any Earthling, and they'll make you remember that. We… mostly just tolerate them."
"Even if he's telepathic," another Bockle representative noted, "his ability to speak an Earth language is suspicious. He could have monitored us for who knows how long, and his powers are even stranger than Gelalo's. What's not to say he could be some kind of shapeshifting trickster?"
Murmurs broke out amongst the crowd, primarily between human representatives.
"He may have beaten a monster that beat RAIN's greatest robot," another Bockle continued, "but sic all our Champions on him and he'll fall!"
"OBJECTION."
Silence fell as all attention was directed to the fifth and final NHE row, where men covered by beige robes and masks guarded a woman in a white gown with a striking crown, appearing altogether human.
"Queen Zweila," Karam explained. "Leader of the Underground Kingdom of Aromog, and the main financial backer of the United Earthlings. When she speaks, the world listens. That's the four Underground Peoples covered."
"Thank you," Dharma replied. "Proceed."
"Thank you," Zweila also said calmly, this time out loud rather than through telepathy. "After one contact, especially when it was alongside a kaiju like Gelalo, it is easy for us to paint Ultraman as a threat. However, I believe we simply don't have enough information on him to condemn him. Need I remind you all that he disappeared with no further conflict after destroying Gelalo? Need I say that if he were posing as the Sun People's lord, he would likely vocally claim to be, as he can speak our tongue? And need I remind you all… of how the United Earthlings itself came to be?"
"She's right," said an African-American human man from the American branch. "The whole reason we have this now, that we have Earth as it is now, is because when humanity met the other Earthlings, everyone chose to coexist."
"We could have all gone to bloody war," a human from the Chinese branch continued, "but reason won out over instinct. All thanks to that darn Cavolo, whose son is here with ARIA now."
As Zweila smiled and nodded, color drained from Karam's face as the moment he dreaded came - eyes falling upon him not as himself, but as "Cavolo's son."
Several others in the assembly, including some Nonmalt in their dedicated row and, of course, the members of ODE, noted Karam's fearful behavior quietly, as a long silence passed with everyone looking at the youth.
"Order," President Cauli of the Nonmalt declared once more, calling attention back to himself. "As the ones who interacted with Ultraman, our guests, SPIN and RAIN's teams from Japan, will be our best source of information. While I'm sure everyone is eager to hear Karam's opinion, he is but a child, and I'm sure the rest of his team wish to shoulder most of his burden."
"Agreed," said several others, including the Prime Minister of Japan, as well as Queen Zweila, who looked at Karam apologetically.
"With that," Cauli finished, "ARIA and ODE have the floor. I call their respective captains: Ryuumi Fukuhara and Kenshin Tomari."
Fukuhara placed a hand on Karam's shoulder and nodded gently to him, taking a deep breath, before stepping up to one of the microphones. Across the way from her, the tall, black-haired man in an ODE uniform who had been Karam's main superior just days before, Captain Tomari, also approached a mic of his own.
"Ultraman," Tomari simply said. "An ultra-big and strong figure with an appearance and mannerism taking after mankind - or rather, all Earthlings. Our goal here, as established, is to determine whether his motives align with those of the United Earthlings, and whether to consider him an ally or even a potential member of the UE. Am I correct?"
"In a word, yes," Cauli said with a nod.
"We know from his recitation of Earthling language that he could theoretically be communicated with," ODE's captain continued. "However, he only spoke to recite the incantations of his magical attacks that used the power of space kaiju, leaving very little clue as to his actual motive. As he is not present now, to gain any understanding of what he wants, we must look at his actions."
There were many nods and murmurs in the crowd, as Karam chuffed, even though Dharma was quiet.
"He appeared to actively assist ARIA by getting Gelalo into position for us to fire upon," Fukuhara recalled. "In some way, he chose to help Earthlings in that moment."
"Consider the situation he was in," Tomari replied. "Our Ohgaider saved him - he had been trapped inside Gelalo, and was released when its dimensional portal was shut off. He was left helpless and low on energy, but somehow, being on Earth revitalized him after a few moments - perhaps due to exposure to sunlight, owing to his body emitting and generating light for various techniques."
"What is your point here?," Fukuhara asked, not necessarily challenging her colleague.
"My point is that, in terms of Earthling emotions, he owed us a favor, and he repaid us by destroying the dangerous space kaiju that brought him here."
"So you think Ultraman only helped us because we helped him?," asked the President of the United States from the stands.
"He showed the capacity for empathy," Fukuhara argued, "and understanding of an Earthling concept. In my mind, that at least gives him the credit to be considered a friend to the Earth."
"Aside from the fact we freed himonetime," Tomari asked back, "what does he have to gain from being some kind of superhero?"
Karam winced again, resisting the urge to interject and be his snappy self in public. ODE's captain had always been sort of a yes-man to Director Okuyama's opinions - if the director didn't trust Ultraman, neither would he.
"We don't know where or when he was captured by Gelalo," Tomari continued, "or how great a cosmic distance it brought him to reach Earth. For all we know, we'll never see him again - he flew off after the battle. He probably wants to go home."
"Permission to speak?," Dr. Shindo asked from behind Fukuhara, raising a hand.
"Granted," the captain of ARIA replied, soon followed by Cauli himself saying the same.
With that, Shindo stood up.
"As a matter of fact," he said, "nothing on satellite or camera indicated Ultraman left Earth's atmosphere. He's either still flying around, or… magically disappeared."
"We haven't even discussed his magic!," Tomari called in response.
"Indeed!,"said the Bockle from before."Who knows what chaos could unfold now that we know such a power exists in the universe?"
"Who knows what sort of sabotage a real-life magic-user could cause to Earth?," a Night Society representative said in agreement.
Half of the Underground Peoples, several humans, and even a few Nonmalt backed up their claims.
"ORDER!," Cauli and Zweila suddenly cried out in unison, silencing the room once more.
"If nobody heard the first time," the latter said, "we aim for peace, as the UE was originally founded for by Cavolo. For that purpose, I believe it is time for Karam to speak."
Eyes fell upon the young Nonmalt, the keeper of Ultraman's secret, once again. He took a deep breath and clutched the microphone in front of him. This time, they had addressed him as himself, even if it had been right after bringing up his father. He couldn't hold in his feelings any longer, and if Dharma tried to alter his message, so help him. He had talked to crowds before. He wasn't scared.
"The rest of ARIA can attest to what I did when Ultraman landed on Earth," Karam began. "I leapt to defend his prone body, disregarding my own safety. Why? (Because I heard his voice inside Gelalo moments before, struggling. Trying to break out, to break free.")
"Oh come on, the captain heard me say that during the mission!"
"Still a bit too conspicuous," Dharma's voice replied.
Karam returned his attention to the assembly, hearing a few quiet utterances of "... why?" amid silence, before clearing his throat to interrupt the awkwardness.
"Because, as much of a brat as I act like, I've got my dad's optimism deep down. I've got his belief in everyone being able to coexist. And I recognized Ultraman as a living, sentient being, just like all of us gathered here- (a being in need of help.")
He paused, remembering the "conspicuous" part, before dedicating himself to the speech.
"Look at half of us," the youth continued, "assuming the worst the moment we see something strange. Fifty years ago, humans discovered they weren't alone on Earth. And if it weren't for my dad, they'd have made themselves alone. But it was back then that everyone saw reason, and came to believe in it over instinct. Now, I'm calling for the voices of reason to win again, and for us to see Ultraman as a being of reason. Because if Earth can have humans on the surface, people in the underground, and Nonmalt in the sea, all living and talking together as friends, why can it not be a home to a person from space? In my opinion, in my bloodline's opinion, declaring Ultraman a threat to Earth would go against the very foundation of the United Earthlings. It would violate what the modern world is built upon. It would be outright un-Earthling-like!"
Karam paused and breathed, internally thanking Ultraman for allowing all those words to come out.
"So there!"
Some people in the assembly crowd murmured amongst themselves, while others began to clap their hands in applause. Gradually, the latter took over, as the people rallied behind Karam.
And amid it all, he smiled.
And then the entire city shook, and the room lit up in red.
A kilometer or so from Pacific City, the seafloor was kicked up by the footsteps of an undersea beast. Standing at around sixty meters tall, the fish-like, bipedal creature had webbed feet and large, muscular arms. Down its back ran sharp, serrated fins that almost resembled stone, with one in particular ending in a bright violet point. Its tail ended in a distinct vertical fluke, and its neck was lined with gills. Its head was large with a domed forehead and a huge beak that looked like it could exert tremendous crushing force.
This kaiju's species was known to the United Earthlings. They were somewhat infamous as sea monsters with tremendous physical strength and deadly venom. They were also known for pulverizing anything, kaiju or structure, that got in their way.
And this one was heading straight for the Nonmalt capital.
"Attention. We have a potential Code Presto incident."
As the intercom blared, screens near the ceiling showed the fish monster's approach.
"A Beast-class Reef Kaiju, Beakrus, is approaching Pacific City. Guyros' keepers are aware of the impending attack and are sending the Champion to protect the city, in addition to Nonmalt combat submarines. In the meantime, please make your way to waterproof shelters, or evacuate by escape sub."
Most of the gathered assembly quickly stood up, the various SPIN guards assuring them everything was okay and not to panic, and to make their way to the emergency exits.
"Beakrus," Shindo recited to his fellow ARIA members. "The muscle of the sea, bearing the deadliest venom of any known kaiju. It's a huge threat to this city."
"I knew we should have come here in the Hanzaki," Yugami complained. "It would allow us to fight by the Nonmalt forces' side."
"It only seats two," Fukuhara reassured her, "and we needed to all be here. We are to assist in getting the gathered officials to safety."
"Encore!," the other members of ARIA declared with a salute, before joining the various SPIN guards in evacuating the building.
"The Nonmalt and their Champion have got this," Hiryu declared after a beat.
"Believe in Guyros," Karam said with a nod. "And who knows? Maybe Ultraman ODE will lend a hand."
He knew that would be censored. He didn't care.
"What is Guyros?," Dharma asked from inside Karam's head.
The young Nonmalt, at that very moment, glanced up at the screens.
Beakrus, now within eyesight of Pacific City, roared out a challenge, before suddenly catching sight of something else in the water.
Rather than walking on the seafloor, this creature was swimming at high speed - fast enough that Beakrus could only raise its giant fists to protect itself before being shoved backwards by the weight of the other kaiju. Even that worked against it, as tentacles lashed out, wrapping around Beakrus' arms before spinning around, throwing it further away from the city. Landing on its side, Beakrus snapped its beak in frustration before beginning to right itself, gazing upon whatever had decided to be its opponent.
A purple cephalopod kaiju with two legs and six tentacle-arms stood across from the reef beast, its front side covered in yellow suction cups, a large beak set into its stomach, and a pair of beady yellow eyes topping its head. Behind it, four submarines armed with missiles drove in to corner the battlefield, obviously here to help fight Beakrus.
The octopus beast's long, muscular tentacles fluttered in the water, before suddenly snapping into a surprisingly human combat-ready position akin to a boxer.
"That's Guyros," Karam said silently. "The Nonmalt's Champion."
Guyros, the most intelligent of Earth's guardian monsters, sized up its opponent. The creature in front of it had an immensely powerful beak just like its own, and sharp spines on its back, both of which could easily shred cephalopod flesh. The Champion would have to rely on its greater agility and stretching tentacles to repel the attacker from its masters' precious city.
And that was exactly what it did, shooting out its three right tendrils with their tips curled, landing three jabs to Beakrus' face, gills, and side, earning a gargle of pain from the fish as it futilely tried to grab the arms slipping back to the body. Changing tactics, Beakrus kicked its legs off the seafloor and lunged forward with a stroke of its powerful tail, now swimming instead of walking. This greatly increased its speed, and as it pulled back one of its giant fists, would also boost its striking power. Observing this, Guyros also took off from the seafloor, leaping over its opponent's superman punch before quickly turning around to launch an attack from behind.
Stretching out its tentacles once again, the octopus grabbed onto the fish's tail fluke with both sides of its body from a distance. Beakrus struggled, but had no ground for leverage or flexibility in its tail fin, while Guyros' arms were pure muscle. Just like at the beginning of the fight, the cephalopod Champion swung its opponent around and flung it away. However, this time, Beakrus was being sent directly into the path of the Nonmalt combat submarines, which opened fire.
Energized explosions rocked Beakrus' body and forced out a shriek of agony, sending the swimming fish plummeting to the seafloor, where it lay prone.
As the battle raged outside, the procession of evacuating officials made their way to the exit of the United Earthlings building and out into the indoor streets of Pacific City. ARIA and the other assorted SPIN guards had followed suit.
There were still more screens around the area showing the fight, which Karam watched intently. While he didn't know the Nonmalt that well, he did know about the elite team of keepers and trainers that kept Guyros happy, healthy, and fighting fit to be their people's guardian. He knew they had to be as proud of Guyros as he was of Ohgaider. And by extension, that made him proud too.
Guyros approached its opponent, maintaining caution. It was time to finish the battle and choke the life from its enemy. Swimming above Beakrus, being careful to not graze its back spines, the octopus' tentacles stretched out to grip the fish's neck -
Pain. Stinging, spreading pain.
It looked down to see another purple spine emerge from Beakrus' back, replacing the one it had just shot out like a missile into Guyros' abdomen.
"It shot out and regrew its stinger?," Shindo gawked. "No Beakrus has shown that ability before! This is important!"
"Guyros, no!," Karam cried, along with several Nonmalt in the crowd.
Reaching down with its tentacles, the octopus yanked out the spine, releasing blood into the water. As a cephalopod, the Champion had a healing factor, but venom was venom - and a distraction. An uppercut from Beakrus' giant fist struck it right in the stomach-mouth, sending it drifting away. The fish kaiju roared out a battle cry before swimming forth at high speeds and slamming its own armored head into Guyros' face, knocking it to the seafloor on its back.
The octopus kaiju screeched out and flailed, getting weaker by the moment as the most powerful known venom in the world worked its way through its system. Beakrus, now walking on the seabed again, loomed over its foe, who could only think of its naivete. It hadn't accounted for the possibility of projectiles, and was now paying the price as the tables had turned.
Beakrus' muscular arms reached out and yanked Guyros to its feet, as it opened its beak wide. With a sickeningly smooth sound, the fish's mouth clamped shut, tearing clean through the octopus' left shoulder and sending scraps of flesh everywhere. Before it could take another bite, Guyros unleashed a blast of ink from its stomach-beak right into Beakrus' face, causing the fish to spit and rub its face. However, this was a temporary deterrent, as the fish once again lunged forward at the same spot it had bitten at.
Guyros' upper left tentacle fell to the seafloor.
Karam gazed upon the battle further, before looking down at the ground, then suddenly gaining new resolve.
"The city's protector lost. It's time for us to make our move, Dharma."
"Hammer home your point, huh?," Dharma replied. "Prove Captain Tomari and the Bockle wrong, is that what you want to do?"
Karam once again thought of the crew who raised Guyros and how dedicated they must be. Their pride and joy was at risk of dying, and it was a living creature, not like Ohgaider who could simply be rebuilt and brought back online.
"Saving Guyros is priority one," he said. "Proving you're a hero is priority two."
"I'm glad to hear that," the Ultra chuckled. "But we need to transform in secret. You sure everyone gets along here?"
Karam looked around and saw the group communicating and moving. All of ARIA was, indeed, occupied and distracted by managing the different races' representatives and making sure everyone was okay. Fukuhara was leading everyone's progression towards shelter, Yugami was looking out to make sure no obstacles blocked them, Shindo was there to tend to potential injuries, and Hiryu was making conversation, reassuring everyone with a bit of good humor. In fact, some of the Underground Peoples' politicians were also taking initiative, aiding the remaining Nonmalt crowds in their evacuation.
"You see that?," the Nonmalt teen remarked. "That's the different peoples of Earth working together. Trusting each other. And as they trust each other, they'll come to have trust in Ultraman."
Not giving Dharma time to reply, Karam crouched down and shuffled his way out of the crowd, making it into an empty shop. He looked around to make sure nobody could see him, before…
"... So how do I summon the Ultra Wand?," the Nonmalt silently asked.
"Remember that panel I put on your ARIA belt?"
"WAIT, THAT'S BEEN THERE THIS WHOLE TIME?," Karam's mind blared, reaching for and touching the card holder as he remembered the cold sensation on his right hip from before. "WHAT ABOUT YOUR SECRET?"
"Relax," Dharma said calmly. "It's composed of material invisible to most sentient races, including all the different peoples of Earth. I've been checking, no glances. Anyway, the Ultra Invocation Card - the symbol of our contract - is inside."
Opening up the panel, Karam produced a purple card similar to the Ingredient Cards he'd used during Dharma's first battle, albeit this one was marked with the image of the Ultra himself.
"Place it over your heart," Dharma continued, "and think of my power."
"That's kinda corny," Karam chuckled internally as he swiped the card over his chest, nonetheless thinking of his impending transformation.
"But it works," the Ultra replied as, lo and behold, a light erupted from Karam's chest, condensing and forming into a projection of his transformation item which solidified. "Take hold of it and scan your thumbprint on the bottom - a security measure."
Nodding, the Nonmalt grabbed the wand in his left hand before placing his right thumb, hand still holding the card, at the bottom tip. With a mystical, mechanical sound, this caused the top of the wand to split open, revealing a slot.
"I'm guessing the card goes in there?," Karam observed.
"Mm."
With one last nod, the boy raised his right hand out and made one last declaration out loud before scanning the card in the wand:
"Ultra Contract!"
In a bright violet flash, Karam disappeared, and Ultraman's appearance was imminent.
Out on the open seafloor, Beakrus towered, shrieking in triumph, over the fallen Guyros, now missing two more tentacles. The fish raised up its sharp beak to deliver one final blow to the octopus' core…
"SERIYAH!"
A golden circle of light manifested before the two wrestling monsters, from which a purple fist flew out, smashing into the side of Beakrus' head and knocking it to the side. The hand was quickly followed by the rest of Ultraman's body, who stood between the fish and the agonized Guyros, spreading out his arms to signify his protection of the octopus.
"Well, I'll be," Tomari said from amidst the ODE crew helping the evacuation as the scene played out on nearby monitors. "He actually came back."
ARIA's reactions were, of course, more enthusiastic and cheerful, with the exception of their captain, who stood firm.
"He's… protecting Guyros," Fukuhara noted, before turning to the SPIN Nonmalt guards. "Order the submarines to back Ultraman up - he's your Champion's best shot at survival!"
"Encore!," the guards replied with a salute before bringing up their communicators.
Tomari gave Fukuhara a glance before both sighed, nodded their heads, and returned to organizing the crowd.
On the guard's command, the Nonmalt submarines once again opened fire upon Beakrus, this time striking it in the chest and stomach, sending it reeling. Not helping was Ultraman jumping off the seafloor and launching himself forward with a flying kick, finally driving the Reef Kaiju out of range of Guyros.
The giant and kaiju flew backwards for a few hundred meters, their trajectory sending them around the city's edge rather than closer or further away, before Beakrus' muscular arms finally caught hold of Ultraman's leg. The brute wasted no time in raising its foe up and smashing him headfirst against the seabed. However, despite his shout of pain, Ultraman was quick to recover, planting his hands on the ground and flipping away, acrobatically distancing himself from Beakrus with several somersaults before striking the same fighting stance he did at the beginning of his duel with Gelalo.
Roaring out, the fish kaiju swung its fists back and charged at the giant of light, who nimbly darted to the side to avoid it, the pressure of the ocean seemingly having no effect on his performance. Before Beakrus could regain its bearings, Ultraman drew his right arm across his chest and the gem on his forehead fired out a blue laser beam. The attack, rather than simply hitting the kaiju, curved and snagged it by the beak. As Beakrus let out a muffled squawk of confusion, Ultraman leaned backwards, his ray bending before rising off the ground, carrying the fish with it until it hovered directly above his head. He then raised his free hand as the beam cut off, leaving the kaiju floating there with what appeared to be a telekinetic hold.
"Psychic power," Shindo observed out loud, earning many nods and telepathic agreements from Bockle and Aromog in the vicinity. "Seems it's commonplace out in the universe."
Raising his right hand once more, the rune on Ultraman's palm glowed, and with a quick circular motion of his hand he materialized a magic circle of golden energy, rotating at high speed like a buzzsaw. While still maintaining his psychic grip, the magic giant threw the disk upward, where it split into two, aiming to slice Beakrus into thirds.
However, just before the cutters made impact, the fish monster wrestled its way free of the hold, making Ultraman stagger from its muscles overwhelming its mind. In turn, Beakrus' reflexes snagged the two disks, one in its hands and the other in its powerful beak, though the former were dug into by the energy, it eventually stopped spinning, allowing the kaiju to crush both projections.
Still dazed from having his mental grip broken, Ultraman was caught off-guard by a swimming ram attack from Beakrus, which was no longer bound to the seafloor - and had decided he wouldn't be either. The fish angled itself upward and drove the hero into the blue, far from both the surface and the bottom.
By the time Ultraman had regained his bearings, they were once again taken from him by a series of swim-bys, accompanied by punches and lariats from Beakrus' giant fists. After a while of this, the fish was left circling its new prey as he drifted prone.
"Is Ultraman losing?," Yugami asked in shock.
"You make a big deal about him beating a space kaiju," a Bockle rep telepathically chuckled, "yet a Beakrus is too much for him?"
"Get serious!," President Cauli nervously cried from his spot between escorts. "If this goes on, the city is doomed!"
Queen Zweila and Captain Fukuhara both closed their eyes, hoping for the best.
"K-Karam…"
Ultraman Dharma's voice echoed in his inner light, seeming a bit dizzy and weak.
"We're in a tight spot, aren't we?," the Nonmalt replied, seeming fine altogether.
"I'll admit," Dharma replied, "I'm… not the most experienced when it comes to fighting underwater. However… your race are sea-dwellers."
"What are you implying?"
"You are far, far more skilled fighting in this environment. In a battle like this, I need you to be my eyes, ears and sense of equilibrium. If… that makes any sense."
"It does," Karam nodded. "Are you giving me the controls?"
"I suppose so. This is our first time doing this, so I'll give you something extra to back you up."
A hot sensation radiated from the panel at Karam's side, prompting him to remove the card Dharma had highlighted. The young Nonmalt nodded… before letting go of the Ultra Wand.
In the outside world, Ultraman's black markings were suddenly illuminated, flashing white. He shifted to position himself upright in the water, his arms taking the same fighting stance as before while his legs paddled. He now seemed much more composed than he had been underwater before.
Beakrus, recognizing Ultraman's shift in body language, swam forward quickly to attack again, only for its two-fisted slam to be grabbed in the giant's hands.
"Muscle of Red King, give me strength!"
A translucent projection appeared next to Ultraman, signifying his casting of a spell. This time, it was of a scaly, yellow saurian with a small head, but big muscles - a kaiju Earthlings actually recognized.
Upon seeing the projection over cameras, the Earthlings gawked, various voices from the evacuating crowd asking and debating what kind of powers Ultraman was calling upon.
"Magic," Fukuhara declared. "He is casting a magic spell."
As the projection faded, yellow energy rippled through Ultraman's arms, and he twisted his wrists, causing cracking noises to emanate from Beakrus' arms and the kaiju to squawk in pain. This grapple was broken by a kick to the kaiju's chest, which sent it flying backwards in the water.
Now it was Beakrus' turn to be knocked out of its senses by Ultraman - the giant of light nimbly swimming by and striking with various chops, kicks, and even a shot from his forehead beam on one pass-over.
To make matters worse for the kaiju, a barrage of torpedoes shot from the distant but still nearby Nonmalt submarines struck it immediately afterward.
"Hits confirmed!," one of the sub pilots declared. "Finish it, Ultraman!"
Somehow hearing that, Ultraman, still boosted in strength by the Red King power, nodded, swimming underneath Beakrus before flying up with one fist raised toward the sky. The uppercut struck the fish monster in the stomach and drove it towards the surface. During the ascent, the giant activated another spell, its skeletal source manifesting next to him…
"Bone of Grigio, heat me up!"
… before his lighter purple markings illuminated much like his black ones earlier, followed immediately by his body glowing red, the water around him bubbling and boiling until he breached the surface.
With one last push, Ultraman sent Beakrus flying into the air, warbling in confusion and pain all the while. With no more water to put him out, the giant's own body became engulfed in an aura of flame. Using that fire around his body, he generated another magic circle, performing similar movements to in his first battle before finally releasing his energy as the beam that destroyed Gelalo - except that now, it was engulfed in flames.
The beam, seemingly still influenced by both spells he'd used, punched clean through Beakrus' body, a hole through its stomach and chest. The body of the Reef Kaiju appeared to be cooked by the heat, darkening and crisping up, before finally exploding into shrapnel that rained back down into the sea.
Beakrus, and its threat to Pacific City, was neutralized.
Ultraman stopped in mid-air, letting out a sigh-like noise. He looked down at the water as a few submarines and drones also surfaced - drones recording footage of the battle he had just won.
"So that's it, then," Karam said after a deep breath, Dharma now being in control of the body once more. "Time for us to fly off?"
"Hmm…"
The Nonmalt sighed. The Ultra was all about secrets, after all. There was no reason for him to prove himself an ally to Ea-
"No, not quite. I believe a clarification is in order."
"C-clarification?," Karam gawked.
"I'll let you handle the details," Dharma chuckled. "I'll even let you borrow my voice."
As he hovered there, watched by everyone in Pacific City even as it was a kilometer away, Ultraman began grunting strangely, his black markings lighting up once more.
"Mm-mm. A… aiya… I…"
His noises were the beginnings of a sentence that he couldn't seem to get out - not a strange alien language, everyone already knew he could speak Earth tongues.
"I'm a… muh…"
You could tell he was trying to say something, but he all of a sudden seemed awkward and unsure, even in body language as he just hovered there.
"I'm…"
Puffing out his chest and ceasing to speak, he stretched out his right hand and put two fingers up in a peace sign.
That communicated everything he could have wanted to say.
Ultraman didn't hear the cheers of Pacific City, but he could tell they were rejoicing as he took off to the sky, disappearing beyond the cloud cover in a flash of golden light.
Back inside the city, at the end of a vacant hallway that led to nowhere in particular, particles of golden light seemed to phase in from outside, before condensing together to re-materialize Karam.
"Gahhh," the Nonmalt youth groaned. "Couldn't have picked a place where I'd be less lost?"
"This was the closest empty alleyway to the evacuees I could find," Dharma's voice replied. "And for the record, you owe me one for letting you flash that Symbol of Peace - or whatever else you wanted to say, but didn't."
Karam took a deep breath and sighed in acceptance.
"At least they'll feel better about you than they did before," he concluded before exiting the alley.
Turning to the right, he realized he was closer than expected - the United Earthlings HQ and the emergency exit station were both in view. Seeing that crowds were headed back towards the former, Karam started running towards it, then stopped and approached more casually, managing to integrate naturally into the UE group's line until he reached the gathering at the entrance to HQ.
He cleared his throat as he arrived next to the other four members of ARIA, with their only reaction to his delayed arrival being a nod from Fukuhara which he returned. They soon had the rest of the representatives in order, and with that headed inside.
In spite of the ruckus of evacuation and the cheering for Ultraman minutes earlier, the conference room was oddly silent as everyone, from ODE to Queen Zweila, from the Sun People to all five members of ARIA including Karam, made their way inside and took their seats once more.
President Cauli, the organizer of all this, cleared his throat.
"So," the leader of the Nonmalt said in a "professionally awkward" manner, "with that major inconvenience settled, I believe we should dismiss this meetingaftera brief discussion of the new evidence the event provided us with. I once again call upon Ryuumi Fukuhara, Kenshin Tomari, and Karam."
Karam sternly nodded before joining the two captains at the microphones once more.
"Ultraman, a known psychic and telepath," Fukuhara began, "flashed Earth a peace sign. This, along with him having appeared specifically to protect Pacific City and Guyros, firmly supports ARIA's belief that he is an ally or even a hero to Earthlings."
Tomari looked at the ground, evidently at a loss when it came to a comeback.
"What's happening to Guyros right now, anyway?," the captain of ODE finally said. "Is he okay?"
Cauli raised a remote and clicked, bringing up images on the ceiling-screens of Guyros being carried back towards its lair by submarines with a giant net.
"Guyros' caretaker team is on it," said another important-looking but nondescript Nonmalt. "They've already provided him with antivenom, and his wounds and even his severed arm will regenerate naturally with time."
"... Good to hear," Karam replied, equally worried but having pushed it to the back of his mind.
"I could have helped heal him," Dharma noted internally. "We were both under a lot of pressure in that situation. I'm sorry for forgetting."
"It's fine, dude."
"So," Cauli continued, "with that side thread resolved, in lieu of Karam's well-put-together speech and Ultraman's actions, I believe the correct choice is to declare that the giant be treated as a benevolent presence on Earth until further notice. Does anyone object?"
Only a few telepathic murmurs popped up, none of them actively declaring anything, while Tomari reluctantly nodded.
"Very well then," the Nonmalt president concluded. "Let the United Earthlings' official policy, at least for now, be that Ultraman is our friend. Thank you, you are hereby dismissed."
With that thread resolved, Karam gave a very relieved sigh and joined ARIA in exiting the venue.
"You did good," Yugami reassured the youth with a pat on the shoulder as they left through the main door. "You got the world on the side of peace. Your dad would be proud."
"Yeah, yeah, I really am my father's son, I get it."
"Smooth," Dharma chuckled.
"Shut up."
"You almost said that out loud. You're welcome."
Hours had passed, the submarine ride through the now dark waters back to the mainland having been uneventful. ARIA found themselves back at Symphony Base, all exhausted but still prepared for one final discussion, before the screen on which Director Okuyama would appear.
Which he did.
"Good evening, ARIA."
The group nodded, Karam even waving, but there was no talking yet.
"I congratulate you on an exceptional performance in the situation that occurred," Okuyama began. "You spoke your opinions clearly at the assembly, and came together as a team to evacuate. Even if you did not fight, you proved why you are such an elite team."
"You're just saying that," Yugami said, scratching the back of her head. "Really, the one you should be congratulating is Ultraman. He did all the saving."
Okuyama paused.
"Indeed…" the director began. "He didn't just happen to give you an opening to fire this time, did he?"
"He saved the majority of Nonmalt society," Fukuhara declared. "That's simply a fact. Even President Cauli and Captain Tomari were left without words against him."
"I don't make the rules," Okuyama conceded. "If the United Earthlings came together and declared Ultraman a hero, I suppose Imustbelieve."
"All of that and you're still on his back?," Karam asked, Dharma altering his tone. ("Who made a bigot like you director?")
He gritted his beak, internally thanking the Ultra for keeping his mouth shut in front of the director.
"We higher-ups simply… haven't known him long enough to trust him," Okuyama concluded. "You at ARIA know him best, and may continue to support him. We'll figure things out as they come."
"You better," Karam said, crossing his arms and tapping his foot.
There was a brief silence.
"IN CONCLUSION," Fukuhara suddenly announced, "ARIA has Ultraman's back. We, and at least most of the UE, will continue to see him as a hero. Are we dismissed?"
"You are dismissed," Okuyama concluded. "It's been a bizarre day. You all may rest."
"Encore."
And with that, the transmission cut off.
Hiryu, seeing the tension was gone, yawned.
"Well, that got us nowhere with the director. I'm spent. Night."
Shindo and Yugami accompanied him in heading for the dorms, leaving Karam and Fukuhara in the room.
"I really do believe in him," the captain assured the Nonmalt. "I, too, believe First Contact was a good thing."
"Thank you," Karam replied as he turned to leave for his own quarters. "I needed that."
Soon, Captain Fukuhara was alone in the room, and alone with her thoughts. Before heading off herself, she took a deep breath and looked up, only seeing the ceiling of the command post but imagining the distant universe.
"Savior from the stars…"
Ultraman fights against various monsters, earning himself a reputation. But all of that may come crashing down when he faces a foe far stronger than expected. However, this Gomora seems to earn the sympathy of ARIA… What truly happened to cause it to go on a rampage? And… do the United Earthlings know it? Fight, Karam! Find the truth, Ultraman Dharma!
Next time on Ultraman: Warlock: The Fallen Champion.
We're all in this together.