Space Science and Technology Bureau
"Haah—" Arno couldn't help letting out a massive yawn, collapsing limply into his chair with a look of utter despair.
"What's this about?" Hikari asked, walking in to find Arno looking half-dead.
"I adopted an Ultra brat recently. Even more of a handful than Tregear was when he was little," Arno sighed, his spirit practically crushed. If he had known, he wouldn't have bent his back for a bit of cash—though to be fair, it was ten thousand light crystals a month! Translated into universal currency, that came out to ten million space credits. It wasn't that he was short on cash, but nobody turns their nose up at extra money. Besides, what Ultra who could hand-craft energy stones out of thin air was ever truly broke?
"Good luck to you, then," Hikari said, offering a sliver of pity.
"By the way, what brings you to my place?" Arno asked, looking at Hikari in confusion. Was he running low on work?
"Can't I come visit you unless something's wrong?" Hikari retorted righteously.
"Well, you can, but you never visit a temple without a prayer!" Arno gave him a look that clearly said *you're totally that kind of Ultra*.
"Since you put it like that, why don't you let me draw some of your light particles?" Hikari said, pulling a half-Ultra-sized syringe out of his subspace.
"Aren't there enough other Ultras for you to bleed dry? I'm not even an adult yet!" Seeing the syringe, Arno yelled "Whoosh!" and vaulted right out of his chair in sheer terror.
"I'm already having such a miserable time, can't you cut me some slack?" Arno pointed at Hikari and accused.
"I've never harvested light particles from a Blue-Silver hybrid Ultra before!" Hikari said, looking at Arno with bright, excited eyes.
"There are plenty of hybrids out there, why do you have to pick on me?" Arno backed away in panic.
"You've got a Blue Ultra's supreme intellect combined with a Silver tribe's ray talent—you make the perfect research subject! Don't be scared, it won't hurt a bit!" Hikari advanced on Arno, holding the syringe with an expression of absolute "benevolence."
"Hikari, don't you come any closer! Ahhhhh!" A blood-curdling scream echoed through the entire Science and Technology Bureau.
"Commander Hikari really made a move on Arno, huh," Roka murmured, calmly wiping away some light particles that had spilled onto his desk. Honestly, if Arno weren't still a minor, he'd be tempted to harvest some of Arno's light particles to study himself.
"Alright, back to work with you!" Hikari strode out in high spirits, holding a syringe brimming with light particles.
With his eye lamps flickering dimly from the extraction, Arno crawled on all fours back up into his chair. Trembling, he reached into his subspace, pulled out a special light energy crystal he'd prepared for little Zero, and shoved it into his mouth.
*Beep, beep, beep*—his light screen started ringing incessantly.
"Hello?" Arno answered weakly, dragging out his voice as if he were about to breathe his last any second.
"What the hell, Arno, what happened to you?" Zoffy on the other end of the screen was startled out of his wits by Arno's half-dead appearance.
"Hikari just drained a whole tube of light particles out of me... unless you actually have something important to say, stop bothering me while I rest," Arno snapped, his voice laden with exhaustion and impatience.
"Um... could you supply the Garrison with some of those reconnaissance systems and locators?" Zoffy hurriedly cut to the chase.
"Come pick them up yourself," Arno said, slamming down the communication with a sharp *bang*. The next second, everything went pitch black, and he slumped forward, passing out cold on his desk.
Upon receiving the news, Zoffy was overjoyed and immediately dispatched an Ultra to the Science and Technology Bureau to collect the equipment from Arno.
"Ah! An Ultra has collapsed!!" The moment Gulol stepped into Arno's laboratory to pick up the gear, he found Arno sprawled facedown across the desk, completely unresponsive. Figuring Arno wasn't feeling well, he called out his name several times, but got no reaction whatsoever. Gulol let out a deafening howl, instantly plunging the entire Science and Technology Bureau into utter chaos.
***
Silver Cross Center
"Where is this?" Arno gazed blankly at the ceiling lights, his mind swimming with confusion. He distinctly remembered that the ceiling in his own lab didn't look anything like this.
"You're in the Silver Cross Center," the Mother of Ultra replied as she paused from checking Arno's physical vitals.
"Oh! Who brought me here?" Arno asked, pulling himself up into a sitting position inside the medical pod.
"What happened to me?" He racked his brains trying to recall the events leading up to this. He vaguely remembered resting his head on his desk—how on earth had he ended up here?
"You collapsed due to energy depletion. It's best to stay under observation for a bit longer to be safe," the Mother of Ultra offered her professional advice.
"I feel like—" Arno seemed about to say something, but before he could finish, he was interrupted.
"Ah, thank you for your trouble." At that moment, the Father of Ultra walked into the ward accompanied by Taro, Tregear, and little Zero. "By the way, Arno, what were you about to say just now?" Noticing Arno trailing off, the Father of Ultra turned and looked at him inside the medical pod.
"It's nothing." Meeting Tregear's worried gaze, Arno ruthlessly swallowed back the words that had been right on the tip of his tongue.
"Ya! Gaa!" The moment little Zero spotted Arno, he lit up with excitement. He raised his little hands toward Arno, squirming and twisting his body as he demanded to be held.
"No, Zero. Uncle is sick right now and needs to rest properly. Once he gets better, he can hold you, okay?" Tregear gently coaxed little Zero, while softly patting the toddler's little bottom to signal him not to misbehave.
"Hmph! Gaa!" Hearing Tregear's explanation, little Zero wasn't about to let the matter drop. He turned his head and locked his gaze directly onto Taro standing nearby. Catching the hint instantly, Taro stepped forward and smoothly lifted little Zero out of Tregear's arms.
Little Zero clearly held a grudge about not being allowed to hug Arno: *If you won't let this baby find Arno, then this baby doesn't want you either!*
"Uncle, make sure you stay put in the Silver Cross Center and get some rest. I'll come visit you," Tregear instructed with lingering worry.
"I know, I know. You guys go on now!" Arno replied impatiently. He was far too happy about getting to skip work for this many days to waste any time!
"I'll take good care of him," the Mother of Ultra said, looking at Tregear with eyes full of maternal affection. She gently reached out to stroke Tregear's head, offering a solemn promise.
"Thank you, Director," Tregear whispered softly.
The Father of Ultra led the three young ones out of the ward, leaving Arno in peace to rest.
***
Ever since Arno had been pumped full of light particles by Hikari and landed himself in the Silver Cross Center, the Ultras at the Science and Technology Bureau had maintained a strict defense against Hikari, terrified they would be the next ones shipped off to the medical center.
Silver Cross Center
"Arno, you really ought to get back to work." Driven to the brink of despair by endless overtime, Hikari had come straight to the Silver Cross Center to drag Arno back.
"I'm afraid that's not possible. Sister Marie says I still need observation," Arno said, spreading his hands innocently toward Hikari. He couldn't quite mask the delight glowing in his eye lamps, though he wasn't strictly lying either.
"He's cleared for discharge. You're at a stage where you need a large amount of energy, so you should spend more time soaking up the Plasma Spark light every day, or install a miniature Plasma Spark Tower in your lab," the Mother of Ultra announced after reviewing Arno's latest test results.
Arno's cheerful expression instantly collapsed. Hikari let out an uncharitable chuckle.
"Hikari, since you're already here, why don't you get your own medical checkup done before you leave?" The Mother of Ultra turned her gaze toward Hikari.
"I still have to head back—" Hikari stammered, shaking his head as he backed away step by step.
"It'll only take a second," the Mother of Ultra signaled her assistants to grab Hikari.
"Commander Hikari, my apologies," Afunv and Marsha declared, grabbing Hikari by either arm and marching him straight toward the examination room.
Seeing this, Arno lowered his head, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. Who would have thought that the terror who chased down every Ultra in sight just to harvest their light particles was actually afraid of needles?