Am I the only one in this team who is not Ultraman?

If it were just a normal battle mistake, it would be one thing, but Daigo and Gamu's mistake was really inexcusable. Leo thought and thought but couldn't come up with a story, so he simply took out his communicator and sent a message to Daigo and Gamu asking what exactly happened back then.

Meanwhile, in a hospital bed in the medical ward, Imu, who had just finished eating and lay down, glanced at the communicator and asked, "Why did the plane crash... Daigo, how did you guys suddenly appear in front of us back then?"

"Ah, well..." Daigo thought for a moment. He couldn't exactly say that he deliberately blocked the attack to find an opportunity to transform, could he? "Ah, well, it's because at the time, I don't know why, everything in front of me felt blurry, like the TV screen was distorted. I was dreaming about you guys."

“We… ah, Fujimiya and I too, oh dear, we forgot to tell everyone about this.”

Daigo and I looked at each other, their smiles a little embarrassed. Fujimiya and Komon nodded in agreement. A thought suddenly came to mind for all four of them: Could it be that Astromuses really has the ability to disrupt people's five senses?

"Does Astromus have this ability?" Several question marks popped up above Leo's head. The setting book for "Ultraman Taro" didn't mention it.

[Sometimes, even among the same type of monster, there can be exceptional individuals. For example, most of our Zetton species have weak points above their barriers, but I have an all-around barrier that doesn't even leave my feet exposed.]

Since things have come to this point, and everyone, even Miss Zetton, is saying so, then let him write it that way. Oh right, no wonder Imu and Fujimiya made such a loud noise back then; it seems they were influenced by Astromus's ability.

"As expected, even monsters that seem to have certain information cannot be completely judged by their so-called settings."

Leo couldn't help but sigh, realizing that it was indeed better to have no books than to believe everything in them. These kinds of monsters only existed in tokusatsu dramas before, and it was wishful thinking to think that you could defeat them just by looking at their so-called settings.

"However, Zetton's power is undeniable." Leo took out the Ultimate Fighting Device. He was even wondering if most monsters could withstand Zetton's simple yet powerful combo attacks.

Teleportation + slap + combo punches, and if that doesn't kill her, add two more fireballs. Our Miss Zetton is truly skilled.

"Leo, is there something you need?" Sensing Leo taking out the fighting device, Zetton's face appeared on the screen, his eyes filled with confusion.

"It's nothing, I just felt a bit emotional. Zetton, you really are a super powerful monster. Even two Ultramen couldn't beat you."

“Well, that’s not the case.” Zetton shook his head frankly. “Those Ultra Warriors, I can sense that they all have great potential. No, to be more precise, they are already very powerful, but their condition… seems wrong, as if they are imprisoned.”

"Without that inexplicable constraint, even if I hadn't lost, I wouldn't have been able to defeat them so easily."

Zetton doesn't claim to be invincible. She only dares to say she won't be defeated because Leo is around. The strength of the monsters controlled by the Reonics clan is closely related to the controller. If Leo himself is weak, Miss Zetton's level would at most be at the average level of her clan.

Anyway, that's what Zetton told Leo.

"However, Miss Zetton is still the most powerful in the world, no, the most powerful in the universe. Having Zetton around really makes people feel at ease."

Leo smiled amiably, his words sincere. He had no aversion to his identity as a Leonician; on the contrary, that's why he could sense Jaden's feelings, trust each other openly, and even seem to be able to keenly perceive some extraordinary things.

For example, he had reacted to the Joguris flower before, and when he met Metron, he saw through the other party's disguise.

The screen on the Ultimate Fighting Device suddenly went black. Leo was wondering if it was broken when he heard Dimaga's voice, "Wow, big sister, you're blushing! Do monsters catch colds too?"

"Shut up, come here. I've learned a few new moves, which I'll use to train you."

"A new move... Holy crap, where did you learn that beam attack, sis? Isn't that Ultraman's?! Sis, I'm sorry! Stop hitting me!"

Leo silently put away the Ultimate Fighting Device, wondering if Zetton really had a cold, otherwise why would he be blushing? By the way, what medicine should Zetton take if he has a cold?

Wait a minute, what strange things has Miss Jetton learned?

Inside the Ultimate Fighting Device, a brutal battle is taking place that no one knows about.

While pinning Dimaga against the wall, Zetton relentlessly beat him, his expression cold and his tone icy, "I'll teach you to talk too much, I'll teach you to talk too much, you're so talkative, you're so talkative!"

"Waaaaah!" Dimaga crouched down, covering her head in defense. Luckily, she was now Dark Sword Dimaga, with thick skin and tough flesh, so Zetton's combination punches only hurt her a few points.

The space inside the Ultimate Fighting Device is controlled by Zetton and Demaga. Leo doesn't restrict their freedom. Demaga definitely spoke loudly on purpose so that Leo could hear her. That girl is full of bad ideas!

Perhaps because she was getting hot from beating him up, Zetton's face was even redder than before. After beating Dimaga until he was covered in bumps, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, clapped her hands, and walked to her corner. Looking at the empty space around her, she felt a strange sense of loss.

The emotions Leo just conveyed were joy, peace of mind, trust, and... liking. Even just a tiny bit of liking was too much for Jaden to handle.

Chapter 22 The Feud Between the Baltan and Zettonian Aliens

"The unusual solar flare that occurred two months ago... Hmm, considering what the Metaron aliens said, it makes sense. It seems that the solar flare was likely influenced by the interaction between two universes."

In the command room, where he was all alone, Leo was accessing the TPC database. According to observations from the TPC lunar and sky bases, the sun had experienced an unusual solar flare two months prior.

According to some scholars, it is very likely that the abnormal rays produced by the solar flare at that time irradiated the earth, which led to the frequent occurrence of monster disasters afterward. Now it seems that there are many secrets hidden behind this.

"Another universe with Ultraman, it's like a dream." Leo leaned back in his chair and couldn't help but sigh. He used to be a big fan of the Ultraman series. Unfortunately, after filming "Ultraman 80", Tsuburaya Productions fell into a new crisis and had to choose to transform.

However, recently, real Ultraman has appeared on Earth, and there are even monsters that have appeared in tokusatsu TV series. Tsuburaya Productions is planning to revive the old IPs. They have received worldwide attention and must seize this opportunity.

"I have to go there tomorrow. Tsk, another new report to read." Looking at the "Proposal for the Renovation of King's Bridge" suddenly sent by the Armory and the suggestions given by Hebikura, Leo felt his head was getting bigger again.

As a newcomer, Leo hasn't even flown an ESCG fighter in actual combat yet, so giving him advice would be asking too much of him. No, no, but the feeling of piloting the King Joe shouldn't be too different from piloting a fighter jet, so I'll write about it if I can.

"Sigh, now I can't sleep again." Work is tough, Leo sighed. He suddenly felt envious of Daigo and his group lying in the hospital bed. Oh no, no, how could he think like that? Daigo and the others didn't want the plane to crash.

Forget it, I can't write anymore. I'll just browse the Dark Universe forum for a while.

Leo took out the Dark Universe-issued communicator that Metron had given him, intending to see what these restless aliens were up to, and also picked up the language translator he had borrowed from the GUTS team that night.

"The Zettonians publicly condemned the Baltanians for stealing Zetton breeding technology?" Leo scratched his head, clicked on the post, and found that the Baltanians and Zettonians were arguing heatedly below.

Baltan aliens: Slander! Utter slander! Why would we Baltan aliens need to steal your Zetton breeding technology? You wouldn't even want that technology!

Dada alien: No, what does this have to do with us?

Zettonian: Bah! Our Zettons from Zetton Planet can defeat Ultraman, and you? Two against one and you got taken down by Jack! Is that even Zetton you've raised? Don't be shameless, you've raised them like pigs! Where's the teleportation? Where's the barrier?!

Baltan alien: That Zetton was just naturally good! We raised it exactly the way you told us to! You have the nerve to say that? Our previous leader was killed because he trusted you too much!

Zetton Alien: That's because he's bad at the game. If he's bad, he should practice more. What does it have to do with our Zetton!

Baltan Alien: Doesn't your Zetton know that the basic requirement for a bodyguard is to protect the boss? And stop bragging, your Zetton was blown up by a rocket!

Jetton alien: It's better than your leader getting kicked to death in a two-on-one fight!

Baltan aliens: Just you wait, once we cultivate the top-tier Zetton individuals, you'll be sorry! Believe it or not, we'll drop a semi-modified EX Zetton right at your doorstep!

Zettonian: Come on, who's afraid of who? If our Zetton individual with legendary potential hadn't teleported off somewhere, we would have come to your doorstep today!

Skipping 180 floors, well, it seems different civilizations are pretty much the same when it comes to online trash talk. Leo has certainly learned something new. But judging from the trash talk between the Zettonians and the Baltanians, it seems that what was filmed in "Ultraman" and "The Return of Ultraman" was actually true?

Actually, at the beginning, everyone thought that the Baltan aliens hadn't raised Zetton properly, since Zetton from the Zetton aliens had at least defeated Ultraman.

It wasn't until later, when the Baltan aliens, driven to desperation, brought out their semi-modified EX Zetton, which they had spent decades cultivating, that everyone realized that the Zetton aliens... weren't really that good. The reason Zetton was able to defeat Ultraman back then was simply because it had a better foundation.

Furthermore, when someone posted that the Zettons raised according to the methods given by the Zettonians were completely ineffective, the public opinion on both sides reversed.

Leo scrolled through a few more posts and found that most of them were employment contracts, such as capturing monsters or providing information. Of course, things like invading planets would not be discussed in this kind of place.

However, Leo soon came across a highly popular post titled "Shocking! A New Earth, Unknown and Powerful Forces!"

This post mainly talks about how someone recently discovered a new universe with a new Earth that seems to harbor a huge power. The Baltan aliens have their eyes on that place. The post includes photos and coordinates. Incidentally, a Baltan alien posted a question mark in the comments section of the post.

"Doesn't this new Earth look familiar?" Leo took a closer look and then saw the lunar base and Delta space station in the photo. Well, no wonder it looked familiar.

Regardless of whether this post is true or not, Leo is certain that Earth will inevitably be visited by heroes from all over the universe in the future.

The universe is so vast that there will always be people who believe this information. One conclusion from the TPC database's research on extraterrestrial beings is that the universe is so large that all kinds of extraterrestrial beings could exist.

"Well, the pressure is going to increase again." Leo rubbed his head, thinking that this was too troublesome. If these aliens invaded every day, Earth couldn't withstand their rampage.

Leo even discovered that someone had created a group under this post, preparing for a group tour of Earth, and that someone else had created a group to discuss a collective invasion.

No, I still have to think of a way. Leo put everything away and prepared to write about strengthening the defense force's armaments in the report, as well as the alliance with the aliens that I mentioned before.

Even if we don't form an alliance, we could at least trade for things that don't exist on Earth, like rare metals or something. Oh, right! (⊙o⊙)

Leo suddenly had an idea. He took out the communicator that Metron had given him and posted a message: Not everyone in the Dark Universe would reveal their identity to the outside world, and a guest account like his was not restricted.

[I'm looking for information on rare materials, like Pedan metal, or unwanted spaceship parts. Ideally, they could be delivered to my location, as it's inconvenient for me to pick them up myself.]

Of course, Leo posted this on a whim. As for whether he was worried about revealing Earth's location? The Pedan aliens above had already given Earth a box, so why should he worry about that? He should think of ways to give Earth something good first.

If they're here to discuss business seriously, then let's talk. But if they're here to cause trouble? They'll have to discuss it with my Miss Jaden.

As for what happens next, if possible, Leo really wants to talk to Director Sawai face to face. Asami-granny must know something about Leo's situation, and Director Sawai must also know something. It's no coincidence that Leo was assigned to the position of vice-captain.

In several meetings, Leo could feel that Director Sawai and Director Yoshioka were always looking at him intentionally or unintentionally, as if they were scrutinizing his performance. Considering that TPC has not yet listed Zetton as an enemy, Leo wondered if they already knew that it was he who summoned Zetton.

It shouldn't be... right?

Chapter 23 Leo: Why did they all come at once in the middle of the night?

"Vice Captain, I'm back. Tonight's patrol... Vice Captain, why are you still writing reports?"

Fujiwara Juri, who had just returned to the command room from her patrol and was about to give her report, saw Leo still hunched over his desk, writing furiously, his hand almost leaving a blurry afterimage.

"Don't even mention it." Leo raised his head, his expression one of utter despair. "Daigo and the others were injured, and I had to write all the injury compensation papers and stuff."

"But didn't you finish writing yesterday's battle report?" Fujiwara Juri remembered very clearly that after Leo came back yesterday, he sat in front of the computer and typed away for several hours, and then rushed off to a meeting without even having time to see Daigo and the others.

"That's a combat report. What I'm writing now is a training program plan, suggestions for improving the King Joe Bridge renovation project, a defense force exercise plan, and... sigh, why did Captain Stringman have to hurt his hand of all times!"

Actually, these reports should have been written by Gento, the captain of ESCG, but Gento injured his hand and had to be handed over to Leo. It was already merciful that he didn't have to hand in all the materials by hand.

However, it's not acceptable to skip writing reports; necessary procedural documents are still required. Otherwise, many things will become chaotic, making future work inconvenient.

Seeing the black aura emanating from Leo like a vengeful ghost, Fujiwara couldn't help but shudder. She felt that Leo probably wanted to devour all the ingredients right now.

"Here, Fujiwara, take this workers' compensation form and fill it out. You don't need to write the date; just consider it for next time. I'm busy for a bit, then I need to catch up on some sleep."

Leo yawned, feeling a bit tired. After all, he hadn't slept much last night, had been busy all day, and was now sitting here writing reports and answering phones. He was exhausted.

"How about I write it? You can go and rest first, Vice Captain."

"No, this is also part of my job. How can I let you do it? Besides, you've been patrolling for several hours. You must be tired. Hurry up and finish writing so we can pack up and go home. The Victory Team will take over the patrol duties for tomorrow."

The appearance of eleven monsters today has caused great tension among the public. In addition, the Metron aliens behind the scenes have not been caught. Fujiwara has been repeatedly going out on patrol since the afternoon, and he even eats his meals in the hangar.

The two sat down and busied themselves. Fujiwara even made Leo a cup of hot tea to help him calm down. After knowing her for a few days, Leo discovered that she wasn't as aloof as she appeared; in fact, she was quite kind.

"The vice-captain is truly remarkable. Despite being a newcomer for only a short time, he excels at everything he does." Looking at the various reports Leo produced, Fujiwara Juri found it incredible. She remembered that Leo had previously needed time to familiarize himself with computer operations, and now, in just a few days, his typing speed was almost on par with Yume's.

"As long as you put your heart into it, these things are not difficult to learn. As for Fujiwara, your driving skills are very impressive. Mr. Ye Hu and Captain Hebikura have praised you highly."

To be honest, Fujiwara could be considered ESCG's ace pilot. In any case, she's the only one in the team who hasn't crashed yet. Or is it that people with the surname Fujiwara all have top-notch piloting skills?

"You flatter me." Fujiwara Juri shook her head. Actually, she had planned to crash the plane during the day, but Daigo and the others acted too quickly and she didn't have time to react. Moreover, the four Ultramen and two monsters that appeared later were enough to handle the situation, so she had even less reason to crash the plane.

However, when these four Ultramen were mentioned, Fujiwara Juri couldn't help but frown. "Vice-Captain, have the codenames for the Ultramen that appeared today been decided?"

"Yeah, it's also something we're in charge of. I just handed it over to Meng and the others, since they're lying in hospital beds with nothing to do anyway."

Tiga, Nexus, Gaia, and Agul – these are the names Daigo and the others came up with for those four Ultramen after their discussion. Putting everything else aside, they're quite plausible. I just don't know if the Ultramen themselves will accept them.

As for whether it's possible that Izumi and Fujimiya were Ultraman when he shouted "Transform!", Leo said it was impossible, absolutely impossible. What defense force has two Ultramen? That's too luxurious.

Furthermore, if Ame and Fujimiya were Ultraman, why didn't they transform before and instead waited until this time? Putting Fujimiya aside, Ame used to be a member of XIG, not a newcomer like Leo.

Besides, didn't these two know that Leo could hear them shouting so loudly? Who would self-destruct like that?

"Vice-Captain, do you really think those Ultramen are trustworthy?" Fujiwara Itsuki thought of something and couldn't help but look at the pocket on his chest.

"Anyway, for TPC and the general public, they are at least more trustworthy than Zetton and Dimaga, and they did help, that's a fact." Leo continued writing the report without looking up.

Compared to other monsters and aliens, Ultraman's appearance is more in line with human aesthetics. In addition, there are related totsuki dramas that have created the image. Even Leo himself would subconsciously want to believe that these Ultraman are on the side of humanity, especially after Metron told him that the Land of Light does exist in other universes.

"However, the more troublesome thing now is that many groups have emerged that are using the Ultraman name to swindle and deceive people."

As he spoke, Leo casually pulled up a page displaying news reports about the four new Ultramen that appeared today. "Today, the Special Investigation Division told me that hundreds of Ultraman-related groups have appeared all over the world in one day, and many people claim to be the human forms of Ultraman."

"You can probably guess that although these guys' tricks are clumsy, quite a few people still fell for them. But the most important thing is that they have shaken the very existence of the defense force."

Of course, these things are currently unrelated to ESCG's work, but they will actually increase the pressure on ESCG invisibly. If Leo hadn't quickly come up with a plan during the daytime operation and everyone had taken down several monsters first, the pressure that ESCG and even the entire defense team would have faced would not have been underestimated.

Even if ESCG achieves tangible results in this operation, some outsiders have already said, "Now that Ultraman exists, is the defense force no longer necessary?" This completely negates the defense force's contributions over the past decade.

However, Leo and the others knew very well that the reason why people admired Ultraman was because of the sense of security brought by his powerful strength. On Earth, where monster disasters occurred frequently, people desperately needed a sense of security, but the sense of security that the defense team could provide was simply not enough.

Especially now that Earth's coordinates have been publicly revealed by the Pedan aliens, future battles will only become more difficult. Leo has a premonition that he must speed up his pace.

“But this is probably not what those Ultramen want to see either. They might really just want to help us.” Leo finished packing his things, stood up, waved goodbye to Fujiwara Juri, and said, “I’m going to submit these materials first. Remember to go to bed early.”

Leo glanced at the time—it was only two o'clock. He could still sleep for a few more hours. He rubbed his shoulders. Finally, he'd finished the report. Time to go back and get a good night's sleep…

"Beep beep beep," the sudden alarm made a # pop into Leo's head. He quickly ran to the control panel, skillfully opened the page, and was about to start operating when the communication from Megumi came through.

Knowing that only two of Leo's group remained out of the hospital, Megumi Kijima worried that Leo and the others wouldn't know how to use the command center's computer. "Vice Captain Leo, news has come from Delta Space Station and the Lunar Base: a wormhole has suddenly appeared in space, and something is passing through it!"

"Tell the Delta Space Station to stop just making calls and get ready to fire. Tell the lunar base to prepare for battle immediately!"

Before Leo could even make arrangements for the Victory Team, another urgent communication came in.

"This is the Space Observation Center!" Leo figured the Space Observation Center was probably here to talk about this too. "I already know about wormholes."

"No, Vice Captain Leo, we've detected several more anomalous reactions flying over from space, and we expect two of them to land in the K region."

"WTF?"