Dinnertime.
Raleigh entered the cafeteria, grabbed his tray, and looked for a place to sit.
The moment he turned, he realized countless eyes were fixed on him.
The pilots of Striker Eureka, Crimson Typhoon, and Cherno Alpha were all watching. They didn't speak, but Raleigh felt their judgment pressing in.
He knew that for most of them, Gipsy Danger's failure wasn't just a technical error—they had nearly been killed in the base.
They didn't want him here. Their eyes made that perfectly clear.
"What are you doing? Grab a seat." A familiar voice suddenly spoke beside him.
Raleigh turned to see Natsuki, wearing his usual floral shirt. He held two trays in his hands while six more floated effortlessly behind him, waiting for Raleigh to find a spot.
The base personnel had grown accustomed to Natsuki's casual use of telekinesis. They were used to the strange alien who had saved their lives that afternoon.
"I..." Raleigh hesitated.
He didn't want to eat here. He understood why they resented him, but the atmosphere was suffocating. He wanted to hide, at least for a little while.
"Why don't we eat outside?" Natsuki suggested, seeing Raleigh's discomfort. "Sometimes a change of scenery makes the food taste better. It's called novelty."
With that, Natsuki headed for the exit, his floating trays trailing behind him.
Raleigh paused, complex emotions swirling. He couldn't express his gratitude fully, so he simply said, "Thanks."
Even after witnessing his massive failure, this guy didn't look down on him.
Raleigh followed Natsuki, leaving the oppressive cafeteria behind.
They sat on the steel catwalk overlooking the empty Jaeger bay, trays balanced on the floor, eating and talking.
"So, the Marshal decided to have Shaolin Rogue take Gipsy Danger's place."
"It's the only logical choice," Raleigh admitted, though the realization hit him with a wave of disappointment.
"It's all up to you now. With your abilities, you'll probably wrap this up fast. Maybe by tomorrow noon I'll hear it's all over." Raleigh managed a thin smile.
"It might not go that smoothly."
Natsuki held his tray, considering his mission. "My primary goal here is investigating the source of the anomalous spacetime fluctuations."
"From what I can tell, I'll need to go deep into the Precursors' territory."
The only information he had was that the Kaiju linked to the anomaly came from the Precursors' world. That environment was certainly worse than Earth. If not for the mission, Natsuki wouldn't want to go near it.
"The Marshal is rushing this. If you ask me, the operation should wait another two days."
"One night isn't enough time for me to stock up on Earth cuisine."
The Kaiju in this world were weak compared to the monsters he had fought before. He had already planned exactly how he would interrogate those Precursor bastards once he reached their world.
"Even though I can't participate, as long as the apocalypse ends, that's the best outcome." Raleigh raised a can of beer toward Natsuki. "Good luck out there."
"Thanks." Natsuki raised his beer in return.
He couldn't get drunk, but occasionally sampling flavored beverages was enjoyable.
Twelve years had passed, leaving countless people displaced and suffering. This world was ravaged by the Kaiju and the Precursors. If this nightmare could finally end, everyone would rejoice.
Tomorrow, they would carry the hope of humanity, fighting against overwhelming odds to end the apocalypse.
Midnight.
Natsuki lay on the bed in his quarters, his left arm pillowed behind his head, his right arm raised.
The bangle on his wrist gleamed in the dim light.
[Two choice missions settled][Current Hell-level Mental Space Training duration: 8 hours][Start training? Y/N]
Natsuki's mouth twisted as he read the text on the semi-transparent screen.
"You tricked me last time. I won't fall for it again."
"Training? Train my ass!"
"This time I'm not even sleeping. Let's see what you can do about that."
He was determined to fight Hikari on this. He wouldn't sleep, so how could the Light of the Land force him into training?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
Going one day without sleep wouldn't affect him much.
Let's see what tricks you have now.
Natsuki stared at the bangle without blinking, his expression full of defiance.
"Oh, and I have to show you something good I learned on Earth."
He pulled his other hand from behind his head, aimed it at the bangle, and raised his middle finger—a gesture of maximum mockery.
Natsuki squared off against the device. The long night passed slowly, but he remained awake.
"I told you, I don't need your help anymore, Hikari..."
Late into the night.
Dr. Hermann Gottlieb, wearing his white lab coat, left his laboratory.
He walked through the empty steel corridors. His face beneath his wire-rimmed glasses was especially grave.
His boots echoed on the metal plates as he advanced steadily toward his destination.
"Ultraman... like us, an existence that shouldn't appear in this world."
"Perhaps, precisely because we appeared here, he followed." He muttered, still analyzing the identity of the uninvited guest.
"No matter what... this is my last chance."
He finally stopped before a door.
It was one of the quarters in the Shatterdome base.
It was Natsuki's room.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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