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The various screens all showed one thing, one singular and particular vision. A vision of various epic battles to come, one that everyone in the crowd were ecstatic to see.
In the arena, stood two firm friends. One, a sleek giant of light both red and blue, a hero many knew as Ultraman Zero. The other, a fearsome yet kind hearted warrior who defied fate many times. The one christened by himself no less, Ultraman Geed.
Zero cracked his knuckles with excitement.
“I’ve been meaning to see how strong you’ve gotten…I wanna test this new power I have, and you’d be the best to do it!”
Geed bowed before getting into a signature fighting stance.
“I’m glad too…though, let’s start off a bit slow, alright?“
In the stands, Seven and Father of Ultra both silently watched the coming battle.
“Zero has improved greatly over the past few years…” said Seven. “And now, he has greater control over his instincts…”
He folded his arms.
“Every strike is already telegraphed by his body. At the cellular level, he’s a fighter, and his body is an extension of that fighting spirit.”
Father of Ultra nodded.
“Geed actually began the same.”
Seven glanced at the Ultra Father.
“How so?” he asked.
“You feel that, right?”
Seven nodded. There was an aura, an energy that radiated off of Geed.
“It’s a calm energy…” continued the horned Ultra. “Yet it’s fierce, like his father’s. All of his power and latent potential is so calmly compounded into his very body….”
“Was he created to be that way?”
“Knowing them, yes and no. Geed to my knowledge was meant to be a feast, a perfectly crafted meal for Belial to devour…”
As the dust in the arena settled down, the seasoned warrior saw a lot of Belial in the young warrior.
“But, because he was raised on Earth, by earthlings, that unstable and wild energy, the very chaotic nature of his conception was contained…..They nurtured him, and facilitated that calm yet fearsome energy we both feel now.”
Seven nodded.
“If he were born in a harsher place in the universe, he may have even proved to be a threat greater than anything we have faced before….Tartarus, his father, Tregear…”
“Even….Grimdo?”
“Energy can mutate and warp our dimensions, dimensions beyond us. Geed’s full potential could transcend that- And if he did turn out like his father, may have even outright exceeded that bar.”
Seven nodded again as he continued.
“Zero should take things seriously in any case they ascend….but, Geed will have to adapt more than he has in any prior engagement.”
In the arena a bell had rang and it was time for the battle to begin. Zero got into his fighting stance and chuckled a little bit, happy to commence the fight.
The only sound being heard was the wind blowing around the fighters. It toned their bodies, in the case of Geed’s inner space, made blood flush throughout his body to adjust to the temperature.
This quiet whistle however, would not be there for long. Zero charged forward with a grunt as did Geed. The latter came in with a wild swing that was batted away with a spin kick.
Zero jumped in the air with a punch but Geed drop kicked him in the stomach, causing him to roll back and shoot a beam from his beam lamp.
“Emerium Slash!!!”
Geed tilted his head to avoid the blast and countered with one of his own.
“Wrecking Ripper!!!!”
Zero caught the slash and smashed it against his knee, shattering it. He then charged forward and came in for a punch to the chest, followed by grabbing his opponent’s arm and constantly kicking his ribcage.
Geed used his other arm to grab Zero’s neck, giving him leverage to come closer and grapple with the Ultra. He pulled him down to the ground with him and laid down, letting him kick Zero into the air.
The son of Seven dropped to the floor with a thud as dust churned up as a result. He was on his knees and was looking down.
Geed reached out his hand.
“Z-Zero..! Did I go too-“
“Nah!” interrupted his friend. “This is just right ... .I wanna keep this fight goin….”
Zero jumped up and loosened up his joints by stretching.
“Alright…” he said when he was done. “Let’s continue….”
“Right!” nodded Geed as he this time went on the offensive and leapt into the air a bit, trying to swipe at Zero’s face. The latter side stepped and countered with a chop to the mean-eyed Ultra’s back, causing him to stumble a bit.
Geed though swung around and kicked Zero, starting a trading of various attacks. Punch for punch, swipe for swipe, Zero would reflect Geed’s attacks most of the time and counter with precise strikes.
While he was at a disadvantage, Geed landed a few good hits to throw off Zero, evening the playing field. As they traded blows, two spectators were watching in the stands.
Z and Taiga were watching with much enthusiasm….some more than others.
Z pumped his fist in the air.
“This is awesome!!!!! Master Zero is showing off his mastery of Space Martial Arts….but Geed, being his disciple, can keep up and even counter!”
Taiga agreed.
“Yeah, they seem pretty even….and I have a feeling why.”
Z tilted his head.
“What do you mean?”
Taiga stroked his chin as he explained.
“Welllll, Zero fights with Space Martial Arts, it’s rather precise, no?”
His peer nodded.
“It’s quite speedy. Master Zero was trained by Grandmaster Leo….while having a handicap no less.”
Z pointed at the engagement.
“When I use Alpha Edge, I always see more openings in a battle than I do in my other forms….Space Martial Arts is all about using speed and precise attacks to find openings. Think of it…as a spear.”
Taiga nodded.
“I see ...meanwhile Geed’s is like a- his fighting style doesn’t really suit Space Martial Arts. He’s a lot more basic yet...wild with the structuring of his attacks.”
“Wait! Look!!!!” shouted Z.
In the ring, Zero and Geed stopped their back and forth to have a brief stare down.
Zero held out his hand.
“Geed….you’ve gotten quite strong. I want to put it to the test.”
“In what way?”
“We’ll do a strength test and then….that’ll tell me how far I should go in this match.”
“I-I don’t know how that’ll exactly work but, alright…!” agreed the younger party, not quite sure but still open to doing so.
They put their fists against each other and started pushing. At first, it wasn’t all too crazy. One pushed, so the other pushed back in response.
But soon, it evolved past that point. Zero attempted to put more power behind his fist though, it felt like he was being blocked. Like a wall was being formed between the two and he had no way of breaking through. The more output, the even bigger pushback, which shocked him since it seemed Geed wasn’t putting forth that much effort at all.
(“What the hell?! It’s like I’m pushing against a Skydon’s armor!!!!”) thought the leader of Ultimate Force Zero.
Geed tilted his head.
“Is something wrong?”
“G-Geed…how are you d-doing this…?”
“Oh?” asked Geed, seemingly ignorant. “You mean this?!”
Geed put forth more effort and in a flash of light Zero was sent flying back. He landed on his feet though and was quite astonished at the display.
“The- What the hell was that?!” asked Zero brazenly. “How much have you been…holding back?”
Geed awkwardly laughed.
“Sorry about that….essentially after the situation on Planet Blizzard, I decided to do some strength and grip training with Mr. Man….”
“Huh…”
Geed pointed to his fist.
“I’ve learned how to control and expand my strength, even if it’s a bit beyond whatever form I am normally able to….I haven’t exactly nailed it, so I can’t do it for long.”
Zero rubbed his cheek and walked forward, cocking his arm back.
“I see….Ultraman taught you how to use psychic powers to enhance yourself!”
He swung at the Ultra as he took off into the air.
“Not bad, Geed!!!!”
Geed went to the skies as well, this time on the back foot. Zero was like a falcon homing in on a dove, constantly striking his foe from numerous angles.
“Geed Claw!”
The son of Belial accessed the weapon to deflect the two sluggers that were sent his way. When they came back to their owner’s hands, he used them to slash at Geed.
But, the aptly named Geed Claw was excellent at parrying and deflecting the two of them, even if they were coming at such monstrous speeds.
Zero used a knee to strike Geed in the chin and he spun around rapidly to deliver a slash with his two weapons, when he saw a completely blue blur whizz past him and reach the ground.
Before he could even react, he looked at his right arm, which had a yellow segment of energy coating it.
The segment burst caused him to quickly attach his sluggers back on his head so that he could hold his arm. It felt sore, yet like the pain had also been relieved.
In the arena was Geed, now blue and with an energy blade emitting from his wrist.
Zero shook his head from above.
(“You’re full of surprises, Geed. It’s about time I show you what I’ve had up my sleeve.”)
“Luna-Miracle Zero!!!” he announced as he transformed and also changed his primary color to blue and dashed to the ground to meet his rival in combat.
Geed spun around in a split second, predicting the action but….
“Huh?!”
Zero had not only dodged the attack, but had his palm calmly resting on Geed’s shoulder.
“Revolium Smash!”
Geed felt a pulse of energy that felt soothing, but impactful. He flipped back and dashed forward with another slash, but Zero quickly summoned some slugger projections to swarm his enemy and keep him distracted.
Numerous other copies of him started to surround Geed and he took note of this. The various clones summoned lances and came in waves to swarm and overwhelm the warrior of fusion. He kept on ducking and dodging attacks, swinging his blade to deflect the attacks he could.
Two clones of Zero dashed in and threw their lances forward, while three teleported behind Geed and did away with their weapons, crossing their arms and using it to hold him in place.
Thinking quickly, Geed summoned his Geed Claw yet again and raised it into the air.
“Diffusion Shower!”
The energy rained down from the sky and struck the clones behind him, allowing the mean-eyed Ultraman to use the weapon to deflect and send the lances careening to the ground.
He looked around as everything lay still….
He couldn’t quite see Zero, it was almost like he was in hiding.
“Where is he…?”
He soon received his answer when he got grabbed from behind by none other than who he was looking for. Except this time, he was completely red….and seemed more aggressive.
“Heh, I’m gonna enjoy testing this on ya!!!!” he shouted as he then turned blue yet again.
Geed tried to wriggle free, but Zero simply used this opportunity to drive the former into the ground, deciding to then kick him into the air, and then using his immense speed to follow through with a kick to the ground.
He landed on the ground and grunted as he looked up to see Zero.
A chilling blue aura was flaring up around his body and it seemed like his energy was….off in some kind of sense.
In the stands, Z was astonished.
“Unbelievable! Master Zero can use his new power with Luna-Miracle!”
Taiga shook his head.
“He has the advantage….for now.”
“What do you mean?”
“From what I know, Zero’s new power unleashes his instinct and it’s wild….meanwhile Luna-Miracle-“
“Is calm and collected…”
Taiga nodded.
“I don’t know what toll it’s taking on him, but if he wants to win soon….this is the opportunity.”
Zero sped forward and closed the gap between him and Geed, hitting him with a spin kick.
Geed calmly raised his arms to defend and redirected the attack, allowing him to use a palm strike to halt his foe’s advances for the time being.
Zero jumped up and swung with his arm, but while Geed was dodging, he used this opportunity to hit him with a savage knee to the gut and a backhand to send him sliding back.
He tried to punch him, but Geed put his hand in the + sign and pushed his foe back.
As the dust settled once again, Zero clenched his fists.
“This next attack….” he said in a surprisingly calm tone. “This next attack will make it more clear who will be the winner….”
Geed calmly lowered his arms, readjusting his fighting stance.
“Then do it….” he replied.
Before Zero obliged, he noted something.
“Before that, I want to say I’m proud to see you’ve gotten so much training in….those sword strikes and precise movements….”
He pointed at Geed.
“Laiha has been giving you pointers, hasn’t she?”
Geed didn’t respond, he just remained focused on the fight. Zero knew and simply returned to his fighting stance, ready to decide the outcome of this match once and for all.
He dashed forward and in a flash of light, he immediately shined a bright golden, now surrounding himself. All the while, Geed took a deep breath and then proceeded to assume a transformation of his own.
The two energies danced and twirled around each other in the sky, as those who could see were astonished at the precision and lethality in their strikes and cuts. When the two met up again and locked weapons, they both decided to speak to each other again.
“This ... .Ultimate Shining power of yours….” grunted Geed. “It’s truly amazing, but I know you can’t hold onto it for long!”
“Exactly!” confirmed Zero. “Your strength in Ultimate Final is nothin to scoff at! That’s why I’ll have to put you down with this last attack!!!!!!”
Zero kicked Geed back and dashed backwards to gain some distance.
“Get ready!!!!!” he shouted.
He snapped his fingers and raised the blade of his armor into the sky. A glowing orb shot out of the weapon and started to coat the particular area that he and Geed were fighting in. The ground shook and below, part of the arena started to crumble.
Elsewhere, people all over the universe could feel it somewhere and somehow. A certain Ultra on a planet looked up and noted that strength, finding it to be exceptional for someone nowhere near his 300,000 years of existence. Even on the planet known as Earth, a certain Reionics was able to understand and find the reading of energy quite familiar.
Planets shook and rumbled, the universe quivered at the spectacle and sight of such immense power. But what would meet it, was the real mystery. Geed himself was even a bit concerned about what would happen to bystanders as a result of what was occurring, but almost as if he read his mind, Zero said something about the potential danger.
“I’ve practiced this move in the shining field….sort of! I’ll be able to control it, so you’ll be the only one who has to worry about it. Now….”
Zero pointed his blade at Geed and shouted as the gleaming sky and surroundings threw themselves at the prepared yet unsure enemy.
“Shining Domain!!!!!!!”
Geed dashed and dodged what looked to be ribbons of light coming to strike at him, but soon he came to see what the real threat was. Flowing from the shining domain was numerous, numerous sluggers that numbered in the thousands, possibly the millions, flinging themselves at the Ultra. Zero himself was flying towards him as well, but even then....he didn't react. He thought and focused particularly, condensing them and trying to make it manifest somehow. The ribbons flowed around his arms and locked them in place as the leigons of sluggers came at him.
He raised his head and suddenly, the ribbons started to erase, slowly fading out of the existence of the realm whilst Geed himself was using this newfound freedom to raise his hand and summon a similar number of Wrecking Rippers at Zero, who was caught on the backfoot and constantly swung his blade around to cut at and defend against them. After dodging a few, he snapped his fingers and caused them to disappear, vanishing within the blink of an eye.
("Zero....") thought Geed. ("I see what this power is based on now. You made a pocket dimension....one that can be manipulated at will.")
Zero spread his arms before putting them in the L position, thinking ("Damn! He's exploiting it's weakness...! As expected of a genius like him....")
Geed responded in kind and tossed his weapon aside, assuming a familar pose, paralleling Zero's by using the + position.
"WIDE ZERO SHOT!!!!!"
"WRECKING NOVA!!!!"
The two attacks gloriously clashed against each other, causing the miniature field to waver and crack under the pressure of the two opposing forces. One, based on corrupted yet calm energy, tamed by the tranquility of Earth and maximized to its fullest potential. The other, having its wildest impulses unleashed for the world to see, combined with the strength to move forward, the strength that many worshiped across the stars, across many worlds. These two powers clashed against each other at full force, neither wanting to give in and let the other get anymore ground. These two had seen each other grow in many various ways. Throughout the journeys these two opposing yet compatible strengths always interacted, helped, and benefited each other for the coming days.
For one, it was heartwarming seeing him grow from the young boy who didn't know what to do with his life, with his identity. That identity was carved by himself, by the ties with the people around him. For the first time in ages, leaving that world felt like leaving apart of himself behind in the end. He couldn't help but visit and sightsee, it motivated him to even visit previous places, worlds he wouldn't have otherwise. Though he didn't say it openly, this....this genius of a junior really taught him how to stick around in some places. The journey was important, but there's no need to rush it at all, there's so many people to meet and see along the way, that's what makes it worth it in the end.
For the other, it was amazement, it was reverence, and it was pride. He very well could've discarded him, judged him based on the actions of another who didn't even care for him anyways. But he showed compassion, understanding, he knew what it was like to be compared to another, to be in the shadow and sometimes be at the folly of the one supposed to care for you. Over the course of his journey, he was staying presence and a force that showed him what a Ultraman was through and through. While a bit jealous at first, it soon became a respect, a respect for what he represented, for what he contributed to how he defined himself and his destiny.
This beam clash wasn't simply a battle, this very fight wasn't a battle. It was a mutual respect between to warriors who had been integral to each other's growth. It was an offering of gratitude, a show of progress that confirmed they had indeed improved, and that it was thanks to them. It became touch and go, who would win would be anyone's guess when it came to that energy field. One was definitely stronger, but the other was growing rapidly, steadily increasing to match the strength of a partner, of a friend.
Whether more energy had to be diverted to the struggle at hand or it simply couldn't handle the power being generated, the domain dissipated, allowing those in the audience to see the clash for themselves. An aura of gold against the unstable yet controlled thunder enthralled everyone watching. For one parent, it was the pride in knowing his son could even come that far. It seemed like a forgotten memory, one lost to time and lost on him. The memory of a lost soul about to throw its very life away before it even began for the sake of power, only to achieve something greater through hard work and love.
No one could see it, but a golden portal clawed out and a certain figure witnessed the battle. He was somewhat rouge, carving out a path in a similar vein to what his supposed future son was going to do to him. With the Battlenizer in hand, he silently observed. This feeling, was it boiling rage? Was it a fury, an unbridled anger at the fact that his strength exceeded his own in droves? Or was it pride? Pride that someone of his own flesh and blood could excel in such areas and go beyond what expectations anyone had set for him? This whirl of emotions caused the silent observer in a fit of mixed emotions to have the portal be done away with, disappearing in shame and embarrassment.
What more was there to say? There were some who rooted for one over the other. A family who owed it to him to help them recover a long lost friend, to allow brothers to align better, a sister to find her place in the world. A young warrior who was able to face the feelings of fighting his own father thanks to him. Of course on the other side of things, the team he assembled to save a universe not even his own, a smaller being who would've been crushed had it not been for him, warmly accepted into this group, and while not present, a certain salaryman and Reionics couldn't help but feel him fighting and while they couldn't confirm it, still rooted for him to win just in case. They owed him so much already, so why not?
Two were mixed on this.
One, a seasoned veteran who knew the capabilities of both and understood the full extent of their travels, quite proud of both. Without them, his rival and friend would not get the proper rest he at least deserved in the end. The other, a much fresher face who idolized one and respected the other greatly. He was supposed to be the last hero, yet these two that came before him were so amazing. He hoped the battle would conclude. If only to see the culmination of the gratitude these two had for each other come to fruition.
With one final spark, a flash of light, and a slash, everyone averted their eyes as a massive explosion occurred in the air.
Silence.
That what was what filled the arena as they waited for the smoke to clear and see who the winner of the bout was. It was so short, yet so grand at the same time, this battle between allies and friends. The smoke finally cleared and now both in their normal states, color timers flashing, it became clear who had won this fight, in spite of everything.
Geed was on the ground, struggling to get up when a hand reached out for him. He could only laugh a bit as he took it and properly got up. He looked at his friend and without saying a word, the two fist bumped.
The crowd erupted in applause and some of the spectators flew out of the stands just to get into the arena to greet their friends. Before they arrived, Zero glanced at Geed and chuckled.
"What was the name of that hero you idolized, the one back on Earth?"
"Donshine....Why'd you ask?"
"As far as I'm concerned, you're just as legendary as him..! You've made it and....you've come along way."
"Aw....come on that's-"
Geed giggled.
"You did too, Zero. I'm sure Leito and Mayu would be cheering you on right now, wouldn't they?"
Zero looked away and coughed, clearly embarrassed.
"W-Well....that's nice to hear...." the leader of Ultimate Force Zero spluttered.
Geed was amused by this and could nudge his friend as the others finally arrived.
Z, Taiga, Rosso, Blu, Grigio-
It seemed that all of the New Generation Heroes were there.
Z pumped his fists in the air.
"THAT WAS SUCH AN AMAZING BATTLE MASTER ZERO! Those techniques- The form- It was impeccable, perfectly flawless!!!!"
Taiga nodded.
"It was very impressive, I was hooked from start to finish!"
Titas flexed a bit.
"That strength put mine to shame..!"
Fuma sighed.
"And that speed....It was definitely ahead of everything I'd ever seen."
Blu walked up to Geed and jumped forward, the two Ultras high fiving with both hands.
"Up top, Geed!" he exclaimed. "That was some nice work out there...!"
Rosso shook his head.
"Isami, chill out....they're probably tired after going all out like that."
Grigio raised her hand.
"Actually....I have something for that."
She summoned two orbs of energy and they flowed into Zero and Geed's color timers, replenishing them fully and returning them to their illustrious blue color.
"Thanks, Grigio." replied the former.
"No problem...!" she replied eagerly.
Geed looked over and saw Orb. While the latter didn't say anything, the two had a silent understanding. Nothing needed to be exchanged, a mutual nod was all they needed to communicate the respect and honor they had between each other.
Zero saw Ginga and Victory waving at them.
"Hikaru, Shou, you gonna learn any pointers from this?"
Ginga stretched a bit.
"Eh....I think that you've trained us enough."
"Y-Yeah...." agreed Victory. "I think we'll do good on our own."
Zero laughed.
"Fair enough.....I might've gotten overboard back then."
X caught the attention of everyone else.
"Seems like there'll be a party soon, are you all coming?"
With varying replies, they all agreed on a resounding yes.
With that, most of them took off into the sky except for the three Ultras: Geed, Zero, and X. X walked up to the two and seemed proud of the battle.
"That was quite fantastic..." he began. "And I thought you were powerful already."
"In 20,000 years, you'll be surprised how far we'll come by then..." replied Zero confidently.
He looked at Geed.
"Right?"
Geed nodded.
"R-Right..!"
"Well, I'll be off then!" said X as he took off. "Can't wait to see you guys there...!"
Geed was about to leave when Zero looked at him one last time.
"One more thing, Geed."
"Oh, what?"
"You won't need 20,000 years to surpass me....You'll get there soon enough."
The legend quickly took off into the sky, leaving a flattered Geed to fly after him, contemplating what his friend had told him.
And with that, the greatest extension of gratitude and thanks, was completed.