Daigo had pursued the escaping Crow People deeper into the facility when disaster struck. Three of the aliens ambushed him from different directions, their coordinated attack overwhelming his defensive position. In the chaos, one of their energy weapons struck his helmet, sending it flying across the corridor with a sharp crack.
Back in the command center, Daigo's video feed abruptly cut to static.
"Daigo!" Captain Iruma called out in alarm, staring at the dead screen.
"Kojiro," she immediately activated her communicator, "something's happened to Daigo! Get to his location immediately!"
"Roger!" came the vice-captain's crisp reply. "All units, converge on Daigo and Shinjo's position! Double time!"
In the abandoned factory, Daigo found himself surrounded by Crow People, their weapons trained on him from multiple angles. But now that his helmet's camera was destroyed, he was finally free to act without compromising his secret identity.
Drawing the Spark Lens from his jacket, Daigo triggered the transformation sequence. Light erupted around him, but instead of the usual giant form, Ultraman Tiga appeared at human size—a strategic advantage he'd learned to utilize in confined spaces.
The smaller transformation had an unexpected benefit: reduced energy consumption meant his active time was significantly extended, unlike some other Ultramen whose miniaturized forms actually drained power faster.
Tiga moved through the facility like a silver and red storm. A spinning tornado kick demolished the storage area and sent a dozen Crow People flying in all directions. His agility in the confined space was devastating—what the aliens had intended as a trap became their downfall.
However, while Tiga dealt with the ambush, the remaining Crow People had sealed their spacecraft's entrance. Racing to the launch bay, Tiga immediately shifted to Power Type, his red and silver form bulking up with increased muscle mass. With enhanced strength, he tore open the spacecraft's sealed hatch and extracted several large containment units holding the kidnapped humans.
Kojiro and Horii were carefully approaching the area where Daigo and Shinjo had last been seen when a tremendous crash echoed through the facility.
Both men spun toward the sound, weapons raised, only to find themselves face-to-face with Ultraman Tiga. The giant held several large rescue pods in his arms like oversized packages.
"Ultraman Tiga?" Kojiro said in amazement.
"Horii!" the vice-captain called sharply when he saw his teammate still standing frozen in surprise. "These pods are too heavy for me alone!"
"Oh! Right!" Horii quickly holstered his weapon and rushed to help distribute the weight of the containment units.
Though they were both concerned about Daigo's fate, their duty was clear—protecting the rescued civilians took absolute priority. That was what GUTS existed for.
Tiga nodded once in acknowledgment before turning back toward the facility's depths, ready to finish what he'd started.
But the Crow leader was waiting for him.
"Interfering brat!" the alien snarled, raising his shrinking weapon before Tiga could react. "Let's see how powerful you are at microscopic size!"
The blue beam struck Tiga directly, and his form flickered and diminished until he vanished into the device's containment field.
"Hahahaha!" the Crow leader laughed triumphantly. "The mighty Ultraman Tiga, defeated by me! Wait until P43 hears about this!"
He raised the device's observation port to his eye, eager to see his legendary captive reduced to helplessness—and immediately found himself staring directly into Tiga's blazing eyes.
In an instant, Tiga expanded back to full size from within the weapon, the sudden growth shattering the device in a spectacular explosion. The Crow leader was thrown backward by the blast, his arrogance instantly replaced by shock and fury.
"Impossible!" he shrieked, but there was no time for further complaints.
The leader proved more formidable than his subordinates, actually managing to trade blows with Tiga for several exchanges. However, the outcome was never in doubt—a devastating flying kick sent the alien sprawling, clutching his damaged midsection.
"Damn you!" Eyes blazing with hatred, the Crow leader fired concentrated laser beams from his optical organs.
Dozens of energy bolts filled the air, and though Tiga dodged most of them, one found its mark. The timer on his chest began to flash, indicating decreased energy reserves.
Taking advantage of this opening, the Crow leader threw two smoke grenades and vanished into the concealing cloud. By the time Tiga emerged from the haze, his opponent had disappeared.
The ground suddenly shook violently. The entire abandoned factory complex exploded upward as the Crow spacecraft burst from its underground hangar, ascending rapidly toward the sky.
"Daigo!" Kojiro called out desperately as debris rained down around them.
Having successfully evacuated with the rescue pods, he and the others had avoided the worst of the collapse. But as far as they knew, Daigo was still somewhere in that catastrophic destruction.
"We can't let that ship escape!" Kojiro declared, his tactical training overriding his personal emotions. As field commander, he couldn't allow grief to compromise the mission. "If they reach P43 Nebula with intelligence about Earth, they'll return with an invasion fleet!"
"Understood!" his team responded.
Channeling their concern for their missing teammate into determination, the GUTS members rushed to their vehicles. They swiveled the laser cannons mounted on the Sherlock Car and GUTS Wing toward the ascending spacecraft and opened fire.
But a vessel capable of interstellar travel naturally possessed defensive systems far beyond Earth's technology. Their energy weapons struck the ship's hull without leaving so much as a scorch mark.
Seeing the tiny humans attempting to attack him, the Crow leader responded with contempt. Two massive energy spheres launched from the spacecraft, streaking toward both GUTS vehicles.
Just as impact seemed inevitable, a massive silver and red form interposed itself between the energy blasts and the human vehicles. Ultraman Tiga, now at full giant size, absorbed the attack with his own body.
"Tiga!" the GUTS team members exclaimed in amazement and relief.
The Crow leader, seeing his attack thwarted, immediately began evasive maneuvers. If he could reach the nearest wormhole junction point beyond Earth's atmosphere, he could make a space jump back to P43 Nebula. Revenge would then be a simple matter of returning with the full fleet.
But Tiga had no intention of allowing the alien to escape. Transforming into Sky Type, his form became more streamlined and gained brilliant speed. With incredible velocity, he closed the distance to the fleeing spacecraft.
The Crow leader activated every weapon system aboard his vessel, filling the sky with a dense barrage of energy fire. But Tiga's enhanced agility allowed him to weave between the attacks with graceful precision, his aerial form dancing through the deadly light show.
A final Ranbalt Light Bomb struck the spacecraft's main engines. The vessel exploded in a brilliant fireball, taking the Crow leader's dreams of conquest with it.
"Yes!" the GUTS team cheered as the threat was finally eliminated.
"Command! Everyone!"
Just as the team was celebrating their victory, a familiar voice called out from behind them. Daigo came jogging over, waving his hand in his typical cheerful manner.
"Daigo!"
"I knew you were too stubborn to die!" Shinjo laughed, relief evident in his voice as the team gathered around their returned teammate.
One crisis ended, their friend was safe, and no GUTS members had been injured. It was exactly the kind of ending they all hoped for.
Knock knock knock.
The persistent knocking slowly pulled Po from a deep sleep. Squinting at his bedside clock, he groaned—it was only eight in the morning. Who could be visiting at such an early hour?
Knock knock knock. The sound continued.
"I'm coming!" Po called out, reluctantly getting to his feet.
As he emerged from his bedroom, he noticed Yang Chan coming out of her room as well, rubbing her eyes sleepily and still wearing her pajamas.
"Brother Po, who could it be?" she asked with a yawn.
"I don't know, little one. Let me check."
When Po opened the door, he found Daigo standing in the hallway, with several other people in matching uniforms behind him.
"Daigo? What brings you here so early?" Po asked, confused but welcoming.
"I brought Conan and Ai back to you," Daigo replied, stepping aside to reveal the two children standing somewhat sheepishly behind the group.
"Hi, Po," both children said simultaneously, their voices carrying a note of guilt.
Po's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait... why were they with you?"
As Daigo explained the events of the previous night—the unauthorized investigation, the alien encounter, and the dramatic rescue—Po's expression shifted from confusion to understanding to mild exasperation.
"So that's why you two have been so tired during the day," he said, shaking his head. "I should have realized you were up to something."
Though he wanted to scold them for taking such dangerous risks, Po found himself in an awkward position. Despite their apparent ages, both Conan and Ai were actually adults in children's bodies. How could he discipline grown people, regardless of their current physical forms?
"Daigo?"
A familiar voice interrupted their conversation as Camearra emerged from her room, dressed for work. Her appearance immediately caught everyone's attention.
"Camearra!" Daigo's expression brightened considerably. "I didn't realize you'd be getting ready for work right now."
"What's all this about?" she asked, taking in the group of uniformed visitors with curious eyes.
After Daigo repeated his explanation of the night's events, Camearra nodded in understanding and turned to face the GUTS team with a warm smile.
"Hello, everyone," she said graciously, extending her hand. "I'm Camearra, Daigo's girlfriend. Thank you all so much for taking care of him—and for rescuing our friends."
"It's an honor to meet you," Vice-Captain Kojiro replied formally. "I'm Kojiro, GUTS vice-captain."
"I'm Rena," the communications officer said with genuine warmth. "Daigo talks about you all the time at work."
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