Chapter 37: Return to Where You Came From

Gaia had lost the will to continue fighting with Agul. Though the two were locked in combat, neither resorted to energy beams, relying solely on fists and kicks. In terms of strength and defense, Agul held the advantage, but Gaia was not far behind; their battle was evenly matched.

At that moment, when JOJO appeared, both combatants seemed to reach an unspoken agreement and stopped simultaneously. Under Agul’s watchful gaze, Gaia walked toward JOJO.

Fujimiya, witnessing this, was seized by a sense of foreboding. “Could it be that guy is starting to approach my dream?” His eyes were fixed on JOJO, and with his inner turmoil, Agul clenched his fists but soon forced himself to calm down. He seemed on the verge of acting, but something held him back.

The situation on the field was now clear. JOJO and Gaia stood together, subtly opposing Agul. Three Ultramen stood upon the earth. Bokuragu, who had just gotten back on its feet, paused in confusion at the sight.

After a moment’s thought, it decided to play it safe and headed toward the Flame Mountain Machine. Best not to provoke anyone—better to focus on the task assigned by the Earth!

When Bokuragu reached the Flame Mountain Machine, it gripped it with its powerful pincers, and then its body began to ripple like liquid, pulling the machine into itself with great force. The scene resembled a white blood cell engulfing a virus.

Soon, Bokuragu’s liquid form enveloped the Flame Mountain Machine entirely, swelling until it became almost spherical. It rolled toward the sea, dissolving the machine as it went, its own body rapidly shrinking in the process. Upon reaching the water, its mission complete, Bokuragu melted into a stream and returned to the embrace of the ocean.

Gaia, witnessing this, was momentarily stunned before understanding dawned on him. Unconsciously, he reached out. “Bokuragu…”

A wave of melancholy swept over him. Bokuragu was gone, and it seemed its sole purpose for emerging was to destroy the Flame Mountain Machine. From the earth it came, and to the earth it returned.

Seeing this, JOJO patted Gaia on the shoulder, attempting to offer comfort. “Bokuragu left happily. You should be glad.”

Gaia: “?”

Hearing this, Gaia turned to JOJO, his Ultraman face blank with confusion. What was there to be happy about?

Seeing Gaia’s wide, lamp-like eyes, JOJO realized his words had failed to comfort. He quickly tried to explain, “Uh, I mean, Bokuragu has simply returned to the Earth—it isn’t really dead.”

Gaia mulled this over and realized it was true. He already knew what Bokuragu’s body was made of: in simple terms, seawater, which explained why XIG hadn’t detected it at first. If Bokuragu was a natural defensive measure created by the Earth, then it had indeed returned home.

Turning his gaze to Agul, JOJO stepped forward. “So, do you wish to dance?”

He couldn’t quite explain it, but he sensed hostility from Agul toward him. JOJO found this baffling, feeling as if Fujimiya was treating him differently.

Truth be told, since arriving on Earth, he’d fought off invaders twice, and now this made three times. By any measure, he wasn’t just taking Earth’s power and doing nothing.

What JOJO didn’t know was that Fujimiya’s hostility stemmed entirely from the dark aura that clung to him.

Agul stared at JOJO, wanting to hurl a biting remark but held back. “I can’t let him know I’ve discovered his secret. Now’s not the time,” he thought. With a cold huff, he leapt into the sky and quickly vanished.

With Agul refusing to continue the fight, JOJO saw no reason to pursue him. He nodded slightly to Gaia, then soared into the sky and disappeared in a flash of light.

Gaia turned, gazing into the distance where Agul had vanished, feeling a surge of frustration. Then he too leapt skyward, heading toward the Lightning and Falcon teams, passing them by before departing.

Kaji watched Gaia’s silhouette and thought of the blue giant. Judging by his attitude, the days ahead would likely be anything but peaceful.

On the Peace Carrier, Commander Tsuji confirmed that all three Ultramen had departed and gave his orders: “Lightning Team, Falcon Team, return to base.”

“Received!” came six simultaneous replies.

In the command room of the airborne base, Staff Officer Chiba finally relaxed as the crisis ended. The process had been fraught with danger, but ultimately, all had come through unscathed.

Still, Chiba’s face clouded with concern as he thought of the blue Ultraman. “Commander, could Ultramen ever fight amongst themselves?”

“I have no idea,” Ishimuro replied, at a loss.

He wasn’t worried about JOJO and Gaia, but he knew nothing about the blue Ultraman. After a moment’s contemplation, Ishimuro shared his view: “We can trust JOJO and Gaia. As for the blue Ultraman, let’s keep our distance for now and remain vigilant.”

If given a choice, Ishimuro would rather not make an enemy of the blue Ultraman, for the odds of victory seemed slim. The strength and agility of the Ultramen, their ability to vanish in an instant, made them formidable indeed.

Reflecting on this, Ishimuro felt even more grateful for his earlier decision. Fortunately, My Dream was a member of XIG, and his friend, Jojo, could also be counted as one of their own.

Meanwhile, on the coast, My Dream reverted to human form on a rocky outcrop and soon noticed Fujimiya standing in the distance.

The sun was setting, its dying rays stretching their shadows across the ground. My Dream was breathing heavily, while Fujimiya seemed as composed as ever.

Turning to face him, Fujimiya’s first words were sharp and challenging. “My Dream, you’re only second best!”

“So it was you!” My Dream found Fujimiya’s actions hard to accept. “Why are you an Ultraman?”

Given Fujimiya’s beliefs, My Dream couldn’t comprehend how he’d gained the power of Ultraman.

Fujimiya responded with a cold snort. “Don’t think you’re the only one who can stop those monsters from destroying Earth!”

“To the Earth, people are the ones who greedily plunder its resources, pollute the environment, and constantly defile its beauty!”

“That’s exactly why I became Ultraman—because I understood this!”

My Dream, recalling Jojo’s words, shook his head in denial. “That’s not true, Fujimiya! You’ve been influenced by Crisis!”

“We are already changing. If we all work together, we can save humanity!”

“Enough!” Fujimiya cut him off, stubborn as ever. “Ultraman is the Earth’s guardian. He has no obligation to protect humanity!”

“You should quit XIG now! The only thing you should do is help me!”