The Ultra Arena was buzzing with noise and excitement, filled with Ultraman training or watching the matches.
"Tregear, Tregear!" Taro spotted Tregear in the spectator stands at a glance, calling out loudly as he joyfully sprinted over. His eyes were locked firmly on Tregear, who was holding a light screen and looking utterly miserable.
"What is it?" Tregear replied weakly, while inwardly lamenting his fate. Oh, gods! He actually had to write a 100,000-word self-reflection report! When on earth was he ever going to finish this?!
"Tregear, what are you doing here?" Taro asked, full of confusion. Wasn't Tregear supposed to be training in the Trial Tower all the time?
"I came here with my uncle; he has to fix a ray tester," Tregear said, gesturing casually toward Arno, who was busy working on the arena stage.
"Oh, I see. What are you doing right now, then?" Curiosity flashed brightly in Taro's eyes.
"It's all because of you!" Tregear complained with a hint of annoyance. "You're the one who dragged me to the Monster Graveyard, and now my uncle is furious and making me write a 100,000-word self-reflection report!"
Hearing this, Taro's eye lamps lit up slightly, and he wore a look of disbelief. "What? You only have to write a 100,000-word self-reflection report? My father and mother gave me a severe lecture yesterday and treated me to a double-team beating!" He muttered to himself, wondering why he never got such special treatment.
Seeing Taro's shocked expression, Tregear chuckled inwardly, though he decided against telling Taro that his recent training workload had just been doubled. After all, who knew what crazy ideas this troublemaker might come up with next?
"It's fixed. I'm going to take Tregear out to have some fun now." Arno wore a satisfied smile as he gently tightened the final screw, then stood up and clapped his hands together.
"Come back early!" Zoffy instructed gently. Although Arno was of the same generation as the Father of Ultra, he was still young—not yet six thousand years old—and essentially still a child! Thinking of this, Zoffy couldn't help feeling a bit worried.
How could anyone feel at ease letting a half-grown Ultraman take an even younger Ultraman out to play?
"Alright, alright, I know. You're getting too nagging, Zoffy." Arno muttered without turning back as he walked toward the spectator seats. He seemed somewhat annoyed by Zoffy's reminders, but since he couldn't talk back directly, he expressed his dissatisfaction this way. Zoffy, however, didn't get angry; he just shook his head helplessly, a trace of doting fondness showing in his eyes.
"Tregear, let's go." Arno smiled, waving gently at Tregear in the stands to signal him to come along.
"Goodbye, Taro!" Tregear curved his lips into a faint smile. He slowly put away the light screen in his hand and waved goodbye to Taro up on the platform. Then, he turned and fluttered lightly down from the stands toward Arno waiting below.
Meanwhile, Zoffy stood nearby, turned his gaze toward Taro in the stands, and shouted loudly, "Taro, come on and train!"
Hearing Zoffy's call, Taro immediately answered, "Coming!" As he replied, he turned to look at the departing Tregear and shouted, "Tregear, remember to come play together when you have free time!"
"Got it!" Receiving Tregear's affirmative reply, Taro beamed with satisfaction. Then, he quickly turned around and walked with firm strides toward Zoffy to begin a new round of training.
——
After Arno led Tregear away from the arena, Tregear suddenly realized the route felt a bit wrong. Looking confusedly at the unfamiliar scenery around him, he couldn't help asking, "Uncle, this doesn't seem like the way home?" It looked much more like the direction toward the Space Port.
Arno explained with a smile, "I originally planned to take you out to play in space yesterday, but some temporary work came up halfway through, so we had to postpone it until today!" With that, he patted Tregear's shoulder and kept walking forward.
"Oh yeah! You're the best, Uncle." Tregear jumped up and down in excitement right on the spot.
The two Ultras arrived at the Space Port. After the patrol guards verified their identities, they were cleared to fly out into the boundless, vast universe.
As soon as they entered space, Arno quickly raised his right hand and tapped the bracelet worn on his wrist. In an instant, a transparent barrier radiating a faint blue light suddenly emerged. The barrier wrapped securely around them like an impenetrable shield, carrying them speeding away into the distance.
"Uncle, what is this?" Tregear was filled with intense curiosity about this novel invention, pressing his entire face right against the light-blue barrier. He clearly remembered being taught in school that if Ultraman wanted to travel quickly across the boundless universe, they had to transform into a light sphere to effectively minimize energy consumption.
Faced with Tregear's expectant and curious gaze, Arno beamed with pride and enthusiasm, eagerly introducing his invention: "This is a simple barrier I developed based on the principle of spherification. With it, we can travel through space more easily and efficiently, and it saves the maximum amount of energy."
Tregear turned around, his eyes shining brightly as he stared straight at Arno and asked eagerly, "Wow! That's amazing, Uncle! Will I ever be able to become as amazing as you one day?"
Arno gave an affirmative reply with utmost gentleness and firmness: "Of course, Tregear. You're my genius scientist uncle's nephew, after all!"
"Look over there!" Arno motioned for Tregear to turn around and look at the scenery outside the barrier.
Tregear obediently turned his head, his gaze instantly captured by the breathtaking sight before him, leaving him dumbfounded.
In the deep, dark expanse of the universe, meteorites streaked across the sky trailing long tails like shooting stars, until they vanished into the endless dark.
Brilliantly glowing planets dotted the vast sea of stars in an orderly fashion, rotating slowly in a clockwise direction. These galaxies looked like giant spirals, displaying their beauty and power in an elegant and mysterious way.
Every galaxy was like a unique cosmic island, harboring billions of stars and countless unsolved mysteries. Some galaxies emitted dazzling brilliance like gorgeous fireworks, chasing away the surrounding darkness.
As far as the eye could see, countless planets, meteorites, and nebulae wove together into a magnificent Milky Way. These nebulae resembled dreamy clouds made of gas and dust, shifting into multicolored shapes and hues. Some nebulae resembled blooming flowers, exquisite and vibrant; others looked like ethereal silk, light and soft. In this vast and boundless cosmic canvas, everything appeared so serene and beautiful.
Some looked like mysterious phantoms, exuding a charming allure that made Ultras unable to help but lose themselves in their beauty.
Planets acted like loyal guards, quietly revolving around stars along established orbits. These planets might possess peculiar landscapes and atmospheres, or perhaps conceal infinite potential for nurturing life. Stars, meanwhile, were like the power sources of the universe, burning fiercely with the flames of nuclear fusion and bursting forth with peerless, brilliant light and scorching heat.
Deep within this boundless universe, there also lurked a mysterious entity—black holes. They seemed to be the intersection point of time and space, possessing a gravity so extreme that even light could not break free from their binding pull. Whenever a star underwent a cataclysmic explosion, countless planets would be ruthlessly swallowed in an instant.
Such colorful, dreamlike, and wondrous spectacles played out one after another on the stage of this vast universe.
"It's so pretty!" Tregear's eye lamps glowed brightly as he muttered involuntarily.
The scene before him was simply too beautiful—the boundless cosmic starry sky unfolded before him like a magnificent scroll, with dazzling stars twinkling with a mysterious and charming light, as if whispering endless stories and secrets to him.
"This is the universe, Tregear. It's not just beautiful on the outside, you know," Arno said softly beside him, reaching out to gently pat Tregear's head with a deep sense of responsibility in his eyes. "There are countless threats and darkness hidden within the universe, but precisely because of that, we Ultra warriors exist."
Tregear nodded understandingly yet vaguely, his gaze still captivated by the magnificent cosmos. He knew he still had a lot to learn and explore.
"Alright, it's getting late, we should head back too," Arno reminded him with a smile.
"Mm, okay." Tregear turned his head somewhat reluctantly, following Arno as they embarked on their return journey.
Arno skillfully maneuvered the light sphere, leading them back toward the Land of Light. Along the way, Tregear fell into deep thought, as if something had just sprouted in his heart.