Ultraman Legend of the Light Chaser

“Right, right, quickly forget about this snail monster, then go home and get a good night’s sleep, and give me back my coat,” Yu Nayuan Kong sneezed: “I was sweating all over and suddenly stopped, the wind in the mountains is really cold.”

Ignoring Hara Sora's urging, Marina smiled sweetly and said, "Then it's a promise, you have to come see me again, okay? Goodbye, White Peacock!"

The rescue team members took Marina's hand and led her home.

As Kiri watched their retreating figures, he said, "Goodbye, Marina."

Marina Kazama stepped forward and turned around: "It's good to see you again, Kirito."

"Finally caught up..." The golden-red light faded, and a figure appeared in the forest.

Estend suddenly became excited when he saw the figure, and he ran over to it, panting heavily and completely disregarding his image.

"Wait! Mebius!"

Prelude to Chapter Fifty

A land of light.

Under the illumination of the Plasma Spark Tower, the Land of Light remained peaceful and warm as always.

But Taro didn't feel at ease. He was pacing anxiously, knowing that his anxiety came from his disciple, Mebius, who was far away on Earth.

Not long ago, they received a message from Mebius. Mebius had encountered a Yapool alien on Earth, who was asking him for help.

It sounded so absurd that Taro's first reaction upon receiving the news was, "What kind of conspiracy are the Yapools plotting?"

A race capable of traversing galaxies would not be easily wiped out, and it is not surprising that its embers could be rekindled. What is truly unexpected is that "individuals among the Yapools will show concern for other beings."

Are you kidding me?

No one knew better than Taro how honest his disciple was. To put it nicely, he was simple-minded; to put it bluntly, he was easily fooled. If he were to encounter the Yapool, who was known for his cunning and shrewdness, who knows how badly he would be tricked? Besides, if the Yapool came, would other notorious aliens be far behind?

Continuing to read the message from Mebius, he received another shocking piece of news.

Is this Ultraman from 30,000 years ago?

According to the Yapool alien named Eisted, who sought help from Ultraman Mebius, the silver-black Ultraman Samuel they were concerned about was a light particle bio-weapon controlled by the Yapool aliens.

Combining this with the footage and materials about Samuel from 20,000 years ago discovered in the Land of Light, a simple timeline can be easily pieced together, which is also Mebius's deduction:

Samuel first appeared around 30,000 years ago, leaving traces of his activity in the M17 nebula.

Thirty thousand years ago, the Alien Emperor invaded the Land of Light. Many Ultramen sacrificed themselves in that Great Ultra War. At that time, the Land of Light was too busy with war to keep track of some records and files, making it almost impossible to confirm the exact number of casualties and missing persons. Samuel was unfortunately defeated and disappeared from the records of the Land of Light.

Twenty thousand years ago, traces of his activities in the M17 Nebula were discovered by observers from the Land of Light. This information became evidence confirming the true identity of the so-called "light particle biological weapon created by the Yapool" currently on Earth.

Sounds reasonable.

Given the scarcity of information about Samuel, this is the most logical inference.

Putting everything else aside, based on Mebius's subsequent observations, they can be certain that Samuel is not an Ultraman who has fallen into darkness.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, he did protect some cities and people; his heart of light has not been lost, which is why the Land of Light believes it can temporarily trust the truth of the request from the Yapool named Estend.

and other

Upon receiving this news, Ultraman, unlike others who were amazed by the existence of a strange, peace-loving individual among the Yapool, did not focus his attention on Estend—he was always concerned about Mebius's safety.

What was the purpose of the Yapool sending their so-called advanced weaponry to Earth? Estend, who could command such advanced weaponry alone, must have held a high position; they simply hadn't expected him to betray them. Regardless of what the Yapool were planning, one thing Taro was certain of:

This is no longer a situation that Mebius can handle alone; the recruit training should come to an end.

Whether her father agrees or not, she is determined to go to Earth this time.

Earth.

Headquarters of the Kanto Disaster Relief Team, Japan.

Hayato Hasegawa, with dark circles under his eyes, was adding tea leaves to his cup.

Keita Kobayashi glanced at the amount of tea leaves he had put in; clearly, brewing tea with that amount would make it too strong for most people to drink.

He glanced at the captain's dark circles and asked, "Is Xiaoyaoxiang still having nightmares all night?"

Upon hearing this, the Hasegawa team members, who were each doing their own thing, turned their attention to this side.

Hayato Hasegawa yawned, poured freshly boiled water into a cup, and nodded as he said, "Yeah, I haven't stopped having nightmares these past few days. I can barely attend classes, and I need someone next to me to fall asleep at night, and even then, I'm often woken up by nightmares..."

Haruka, Hayato Hasegawa's daughter, was on her way to a picnic with her father and classmates some time ago when the time monster Chronom sent her back to many years ago. She only returned to the correct timeline after the monster was defeated by Ultraman Mebius.

No one knows what they went through, but ever since they came back, Haruka has been having nightmares non-stop, to the point that Hasegawa Hayato has to take care of her constantly.

"What kind of terrifying time and space did you go to?" Yonahara Sora asked first, voicing the question that everyone was holding: "Last time we went to the memory of a female member of GUYS... ah, named Kazama Marina, Captain, you and Haruka... could you be stuck in a loop of her final exams?"

Hayato Hasegawa sighed and sat back down in his seat. Judging from his serious expression, what he experienced back then was definitely not as absurd as Sora Nahara thought.

Hayato Hasegawa gazed at the thin wisps of smoke rising from his cup, and finally said in a hoarse voice, "We've returned to eleven years ago."

Keita Kobayashi and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. Haruka had only just started elementary school, so it was clear that they had returned to Hayato Hasegawa's memory, eleven years ago, in 1995.

Back then, Kobayashi Keita was just a kid playing in the mud. He looked completely bewildered, but Kobayashi Keita seemed to have figured something out.

"1995...the Great Hanshin Earthquake?"

Mao Sugiyama craned her neck, looking at them curiously.

It was a very distant memory, and Hasegawa Hayato had always been reluctant to think about it, even though that experience was the source of his decision to join the rescue team—although he later ended up spending some time in the police force by some twist of fate.

“I was in college at the time,” Hasegawa Hayato said, trying to keep his tone calm. “My classmates and I were buried in the rubble. I was rescued, and I saw that one of my classmates was about to be dug out. In the rubble, we kept encouraging each other, hoping to survive. But when I was being lifted into the ambulance, there was another aftershock.”

“I was the only one in my class to survive. My classmates, along with two rescue team members, were on the list of victims.”

He never imagined that, after so many years, he would return with his daughter to that place filled with mud, blood, and stench, where all other colors seemed to have faded to black, white, and gray, with only the glaring red cross of the ambulance in the eye-catching spot.

That monster named Chronom really chose the wrong time. Not to mention his daughter Haruka, even he himself would find it difficult to calm down if he went back to hell on earth—even knowing that it was all in the past.

What could he do? Those might just be illusions, but he couldn't stand idly by. He entrusted Haruka to the frontline nurses' station and joined the rescue team as a volunteer.

Even if this is a strange and distorted time and space, he simply cannot abandon the people facing life and death.

As a result, Xiaoyaoxiang had to live for several days in an environment filled with the smell of disinfectant, the cries of the wounded, and the wailing of those who had lost their loved ones. Her father, the only person who could bring her a sense of security, was like a madman, saving people day and night. It was only natural that she would have nightmares when she returned.

At the time, the young Yonahara Sora did not have the same deep sense of reality as Hasegawa Hayato. While the others remained silent, he was the first to come to his senses: "Going back to that time was indeed terrible for Haruka, but she will eventually be unable to take it. Captain, do you have any way to help her get through this? Have you taken her to see a psychologist?"

Hayato Hasegawa finally shifted his focus to the present. The deceased cannot return, and it is unwise to be held back by the past.

“The doctor told us to spend more time with her, and that having enough security wouldn’t be a problem,” Hasegawa Hayato said, taking a sip of strong tea to feel a little more awake. “So I haven’t dared to sleep for several nights in a row, and Mie and I have been taking turns keeping watch, but it hasn’t been very effective… She’s now terrified of tall buildings, feeling like they could collapse at any moment, so she needs someone to accompany her even when she goes out.”

Yu Yuankong clicked his tongue: "If I had encountered something like this when I was a kid, I probably..."

Ji isn't much better off than her. Should we take her out for a walk to clear her head? Like to a park or something?

"Their school field trip that day took them to a nearby forest park."

"..." Yu Nayuan Kong chose to remain silent.

"So, to the amusement park?" Yamashita Rikuto said, "When I was a child, no matter what unhappy things happened, as long as you took me to the amusement park, it would all be forgotten."

He muttered to Yuan Kong, "You can be this easygoing sometimes?"

Lu Dou glanced at him sideways, too lazy to pay him any attention.

Estend whispered, "...The botanical garden?"

No, it won't work; it's just your hobby.

Suddenly, Sugiyama Mao exclaimed "Hey!" and read out each word carefully from the computer screen: "GUYS Citizens' Appreciation Day?"

What's it for? A report meeting on their deeds? Keita Kobayashi subconsciously thought of the rescue team presentations that his father often attended.

Presumably related to Ultraman Mebius, Mao Sugiyama's voice rose slightly as she continued reading the announcement: "Because a monster has reappeared after 25 years, the GUYS Japan branch has attracted worldwide attention. In response to the call, GUYS has decided to hold a Citizens' Appreciation Day event. The event will include introductions to the past defense forces and monsters, as well as introductions to artificial monsters! You can also tour the GUYS hangar! Most importantly... there will be autographed photos of popular team members and souvenirs like plush toys!"

"Hey, what popular team member? If I had to pick a popular one, I only remember the one who plays soccer..." Yohara Sora leaned over and said, "The female team member we met that day was pretty cool too."

But Sugiyama Mao didn't linger on what Nahara Sora wanted to know; her entire screen was filled with something soft and fluffy that looked like it would feel great to hold and be used as a pillow.

"A limited edition Mebius commemorative figure!!!" Sugiyama Mao cupped her face in her hands, her eyes shining with unusual excitement: "Captain! Let's go, let's go! The timing is perfect, it's our day off!"

"Hey, only you like that kind of metallic face and bulbous eyes, Haruka would never like that..."

“Ah, Haruka does seem to really like Mebius,” Hasegawa Hayato’s words made Nahara Sora swallow back what she was about to say: “I don’t know much about her style, but this doll looks pretty fluffy, she should like plush toys.”

"Aha! Great victory!" Sugiyama Mao scrolled to the bottom of the page with lightning speed and clicked on the registration link: "I'm registering! Let's go together!"

Yohara Sora said with a hint of disdain, "No, I don't really care about the defense force or anything like that..."

“GUYS’s hangar should be able to see the Phoenix.” Yamashita Rikuto’s words struck a nerve with Nahara Sora, causing the latter’s eyebrows to twitch.

"Going to see the artificial monsters wouldn't be bad either," Estend added.

“If you want to go, I’ll go too.” That was Samuel.

Yohara Sora looked at Kobayashi Keita, the vice-captain's little tiger teeth gleaming: "The history of the defense force over the years seems to have many secrets."

"Why are you all..."

“I’ve registered,” Mao Sugiyama said, flashing a V-sign. “Including you.”

"Hey! I never said I wanted to go too!"

"Just say you want to go, you childish brat! Your thoughts are practically written all over your face!"

Chapter Fifty-One: Storms

"Hey you guys, don't take Haruka away like that!"

The vice-captain couldn't stop Sugiyama Mao, who had rushed towards the souvenir stalls as soon as she entered, and was accompanied by Haruka Koharu. He could only turn around helplessly and say, "Captain, look..."