"Uncle, I'm sorry. I was wrong, and I'll never dare do it again." Tregear kept his head lowered, occasionally stealing a nervous glance at Arno, who sat on the sofa with a gloomy expression.
Arno expressionlessly pointed a finger toward the training room and coldly issued an order: "Get in there. Three hours of horse stances under ten times gravity!"
Tregear's heart sank with despair, but he didn't dare act spoiled and cute as he usually did in an attempt to get Arno to lighten the training load. Knowing that his uncle was furious today, he could only obediently walk into the training room to face his punishment.
Inside the training room, Tregear clenched his teeth and desperately endured the extraordinary weight and intensity. Every minute felt as long and agonizing as a year, but he didn't utter a single sound, silently persisting until he finished the task. He knew very well in his heart that he had truly angered his uncle this time.
Arno stood outside the training room, quietly watching Tregear push himself to the limit inside. Seeing his nephew putting in twice as much effort as usual, he couldn't help but wonder if the punishment was too severe. Yet, matters had already reached this point, so he could only shake his head helplessly, turn around, and head upstairs to prepare the photon energy.
"Uncle, don't be mad anymore..." Having finally survived the inhumane training, Tregear dragged his exhausted body out of the training room, barely able to stand. Even so, he forced himself to put on a brave face and walked over to Arno, trying to appease his uncle's wrath.
However, Arno remained as cold as frost. Without another word, he picked Tregear up and carried him upstairs. Upon reaching the bathroom, he unceremoniously dropped him into a bathtub filled with photon energy.
"Uncle!!" Tregear shrieked in terror, his hands gripping the edge of the tub as he gazed up at Arno with pitiful eyes, hoping for a shred of mercy.
"Sigh! I must really owe you in a past life." Arno let out a helpless sigh. Under the attack of Tregear's pitiful gaze, he ultimately caved in first. Truth be told, he was never the particularly harsh sort of Ultra anyway—not to mention that he had already begun to regret it while punishing Tregear just moments ago.
"Do you know you were wrong?" Arno pulled over a small stool, sat down by the edge of the tub, reached out to gently scoop up a handful of photon energy, and slowly poured it over Tregear's body. The photon energy fell like a gentle spring rain, instantly melting into Tregear's skin the moment it made contact.
Back when he was just a small cluster of light, Tregear had been caught in the crossfire of a war, leaving his foundational power weaker than that of an average Ultra. Arno had spent nearly a thousand years meticulously caring for and nurturing him to gradually restore his core strength to the level of an ordinary Ultra. Who could have imagined that something like this would happen today?!
"I know." Tregear sat obediently in the bath like a docile little sheep, not moving an inch as Arno helped him wash.
"It's one thing for Taro that reckless blockhead to act on impulse, but why did you have to follow along and make a mess of things with him? Do you have any idea what kind of place the Monster Graveyard is?" Even though his inner anger had gradually subsided, Arno still couldn't help but lecture Tregear.
Tregear lowered his head, not daring to look into Arno's eye lamps, and whispered, "I know. The teacher talked about that place in class."
"You two are truly bold, daring to run off to such a dangerous place. Leaving everything else aside, just the lingering grievances left behind by those dead monsters would be enough to give you a hard time." The more Arno talked, the angrier he became.
"Uncle, what actually is a grievance?" Tregear's curiosity was piqued by Arno's words, and he couldn't help asking.
"A grievance? From a scientific perspective, it's actually a special kind of energy fluctuation, and its essence is pretty much the same as the Ultra telekinesis our race possesses. But from an idealistic point of view, grievances represent the lingering resentment of monsters at the moment of their death, as well as their hatred for Ultra warriors." Arno patiently explained to Tregear.
"I see..." Tregear nodded, half-understanding.
"Ah~~" Tregear let out a long yawn. His eye lamps dimmed slightly, and his head bobbed up and down like a chick pecking at rice. Today's training intensity had been twice the usual amount, causing Tregear's physical and mental energy to deplete at an extremely fast rate. "Un...cle... don't be mad..."
"Alright, I'm not mad." Looking at the dazed little fellow whose eye lamps couldn't even stay fully lit, the anger in Arno's heart had long since vanished, leaving behind only overflowing doting and tenderness. His voice was so gentle it seemed capable of melting anything.
Tregear curled up in the bathtub like a lazy little cat, looking as though he might fall asleep at any second. Arno shook his head helplessly, carefully scooped him out of the water, and lifted him in his arms.
"Write me a hundred-thousand-word self-reflection essay tomorrow." Arno put on a stern face and said deliberately. Although he knew Tregear probably couldn't register a single word right now, he still wanted to tease him.
"Okay." Tregear managed to lift his head, replying in a muffled, slurred voice. Then he slumped back against Arno's broad shoulder, struggling to keep himself awake.
Arno carried Tregear into the bedroom, gently laid him down on the comfortable, large bed, and carefully pulled the cover over him. "Be a good boy and go to sleep!" Tregear mumbled softly as he drifted off.
Finally, Arno adjusted the light level to make the room warm and peaceful. He sat quietly by the bedside, gazing at Tregear's serene sleeping face, the look in his eye lamps overflowing with infinite tenderness.
Once Tregear was fast asleep, Arno tiptoed out of the room. He still had work to finish, and he had to work overtime today; otherwise, he wouldn't have any time to spend with Tregear over the next few days. Thinking of this, Arno sighed helplessly. Damn it! No overtime pay for working overtime—what a stingy bastard Hikari is!!
Meanwhile, Hikari, who was currently agonizing over his research budget for the second half of the year, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. "Who's cursing me??"
—
"Big brother, I'm begging you, please, absolutely do not tell father and mother!" In Zoffy's grip, Taro was like an obedient little lamb—no crying, no fuss, even wearing a hint of a flattering smile.
"Too late. The moment Arno sent me the Ultra Sign, I forwarded a copy to father and mother as well." The corners of Zoffy's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a teasing smile. Damn it! This ignorant fool actually dared to drag Tregear to the Monster Graveyard. If anything had happened to Tregear, Arno probably would have turned the Inter Galactic Defense Force upside down.
Poor Taro was hauled home by the scruff of his neck by Zoffy. Without even getting a chance to explain himself, he was predictably met with the "enthusiastic welcome" prepared by the Father of Ultra and Mother of Ultra, who had been waiting at home all along—a thorough, double-team beating.
"My oh my, go easy on him, don't break the kid," Zoffy watched the show from the sidelines, thoroughly enjoying himself as he offered half-hearted, hypocritical advice.
"Father, Mother, I truly know I was wrong, and I'll never dare do it again." Taro's face was covered in photon energy as he tearfully begged his parents for mercy.
"You were actually hoping for a next time!" The Mother of Ultra was furious, sternly reprimanding him, "If Arno hadn't been at the Space Security Agency this time, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Just think about it—all you ever know how to do is bring us trouble."
"Alright, alright, the boy already knows he's wrong, stop yelling at him." Seeing his son's pitiful appearance, the Father of Ultra ultimately couldn't bear it and spoke up to intercede for him. "Still, you must carve this firmly into your memory: you are never, ever allowed to act so recklessly again next time, understand?"
"Mm-mm, I understand, Father." Taro lowered his head and answered softly.
"Then that's settled. Go back to your room and properly reflect on your own problems." The Father of Ultra waved his hand and said.
Hearing this, Taro acted as if he had been granted a pardon, hurriedly turning around and sprinting back to his room. Watching his retreating figure, Zoffy smiled helplessly and gave a gentle shake of his head.