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"Hey!"
"You okay?"
Jared found Natsuki not long after — standing there with his head tilted back, staring at the sky. He called out from a distance.
When this guy transformed into a giant, the crystal on his chest had started flashing red. Then it just... faded out entirely. Jared had been convinced Natsuki was gone. Turned out he'd just changed back.
Going a round with a Titan probably wasn't a walk in the park.
"Passable."
"Just a little tired." Natsuki heard his voice, reached up to roll out his neck, and looked over.
Transformation burned through stamina something fierce. He was already starting to feel hungry.
Godzilla and the MUTO were both gone. Crisis over. Now he needed to think about what came next.
The Kaiju in this world were no joke, and more fights were inevitable. On top of that, he still had a Traveler to track down somewhere in this world. Time was short. He needed a plan, and he needed one fast.
"I used to think Titans were enough to shatter my entire worldview."
"Now..." Jared walked over, a grin pulling at his mouth. "You're the most mind-breaking thing I've ever seen."
This guy's existence was just something else. Unbelievable at every turn. Jared didn't even know where to start if he wanted to complain about it.
A battle that destructive, and not a single casualty. It felt like a dream. He had no idea what Natsuki had done to shield them all from the shockwave — but he'd done it. Possessing the kind of power that could level a city, and still splitting his attention mid-fight to keep them safe.
That was what finally convinced him. This alien was one of the good ones.
If Natsuki had gone all out, they'd have been dust.
"There's plenty more beyond your imagination."
"Where are you headed next?" Natsuki smiled and asked.
Jared was the first person he'd met in this world. The man was also effectively homeless now. They got along well enough, and Jared knew more about the Titans than almost anyone. Sticking together was the obvious call.
"Well..."
"No point going back to where I used to live, that's for sure."
"Every organization out there is starting to move. I need to track down some old contacts, see if we can keep any more Titans from waking up."
"And of course..." Jared glanced at him, something hopeful in his expression. "If you're willing to team up, I won't have to wade back into Monarch's mess."
Going back to Monarch would beat going it alone, sure. But the organization was a circus right now, and he had zero interest in playing politics with those people. If Natsuki was willing to keep working with him, though, that changed everything.
Anyone stupid enough to try waking a Titan would get a very unpleasant surprise.
"I handle intel, you provide the muscle." Jared felt a grin spreading across his face. A retired veteran and an alien. That was genuinely cool. "Deal?"
Natsuki turned it over for a couple seconds, running through everything he'd gathered so far.
That was when Luo Ao walked up, golden buzz cut, a small squad at his back.
"You..."
"Here to start something?" Jared raised an eyebrow at him. Luo Ao looked barely thirty.
The man was dressed like a drifter. But the way he held that gun told a different story, a weight behind it, a steadiness, that made the younger soldiers around him look like amateurs. This was someone who'd walked through the fire more than once.
Whatever Luo Ao was experiencing today, Jared had lived through five years ago.
"If I were here to start something, I probably wouldn't have survived tonight." Luo Ao holstered his pistol and managed a thin smile at the two of them. "I'm here to say thank you." He looked at Natsuki. Then added: "Speaking strictly for myself."
People like them always represented their organizations when they were in the field. They were caught in the middle, every one of them.
When the MUTO turned on them, he'd understood. They were expendable. Just pieces the organization was willing to sacrifice.
He never expected this stranger to transform into a giant and pull them out of it.
By the organization's rules, he was supposed to bring this man in. But he also knew exactly how much he was worth in a fight against someone like this.
"It was nothing."
"If you really want to thank me," Natsuki waved a hand, "tell me everything you know. Do your part for world peace."
He wasn't some rookie who lit up like a kid the moment someone said thank you.
As a veteran Ultraman, he knew exactly what to do with an opportunity like this. A little intel, freely offered, that was worth more than gratitude. And in the end, it all served the same goal: saving this world.
A younger Ultraman might have called it manipulation.
But when you'd been around as long as he had, playing the elder card came naturally.
"This..." Luo Ao blinked. Something about this felt off, but he couldn't quite name it.
In every heroic sci-fi movie he'd ever seen, a character this powerful, this righteous, was supposed to be selfless. No strings attached.
Right. This was reality. Never mind.
He glanced down at his equipment, still dead from the earlier EMP, then hesitated for two seconds before speaking.
"My clearance level within the organization isn't high."
"My knowledge of Titans is surface-level at best. The gentleman beside you probably knows more than I do."
"What I can tell you is this: internally, we're in chaos. After tonight, the higher-ups will be hunting for your trail by every means they have."
Luo Ao stepped closer and dropped his voice.
The implication was clear. Getting tangled up with Monarch right now meant no peace, not for anyone. Those people already coveted the power of Titans. A benevolent giant who could be reasoned with? If they got their hands on Natsuki, experimentation was a certainty.
"My superiors will find out I encountered a giant today. And information about you won't stay buried long."
"But at this moment..." He met Natsuki's eyes. "We don't have the power to detain you."
He left the rest unsaid.
Prying the on-site intel out of his team would be trivial for the organization. But right now, no one here was going to stand in Natsuki's way.
"Appreciated." Natsuki read between the lines without difficulty. He understood the position Luo Ao was in.
He didn't push further. Just gave him a smile, then turned and walked away from the ruins with Jared.
So every organization in this world would want to grab him for experiments, huh.
Interesting.
➤ Next: Monarch
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