The molten magma hissed upon touching the rock. With a strange cry, a monster dived toward Zoffy on the ground, but an M78 Ray blasted Birdon into particles of white light that vanished into nothingness. The magma instantly disappeared.
"No, Zoffy, you're making this really hard for me!" Arno stared at the data with a headache. He had originally wanted to gather combat data and test a few settings, but you—dammit—ended it with a single move right off the bat!
Guiltily avoiding Arno's gaze, Zoffy harbored an irreconcilable blood feud with Birdon. "Well... Ace is on Earth right now. Why don't you go find him?"
"Forget it, I'll go make the trip myself." Arno had expected things to be simpler, but it seemed he would have to handle it in person.
Seeing Arno's attention fixed on the holographic screen, Zoffy decisively slipped away. He was Captain Zoffy, after all—he had no desire to be chased around by an Ultra wielding a cannon barrel.
"Arno!" Ace's voice reached them long before his physical form did.
"What is it?" Arno glanced sideways at Ace, giving him a perfunctory response.
"Come on, let's go on a mission together! Ever since you joined the Space Science Technology Bureau, you haven't been out on a mission once."
"No, I'm busy. I refuse."
"I heard from Roga that the Trial Tower is practically finished, and even he's taking a day off, so you shouldn't be busy anymore."
"I am busy," Arno replied offhandedly.
"Why do I feel like you're just brushing me off?" Ace frowned.
"No, you're feeling wrong." Having just finished editing the final batch of data, Arno turned to look at Ace. "Want to see the full appearance of the Trial Tower?"
"Isn't it just the same as the Ultra Arena? What's so interesting about it?" Ace scratched his head in bewilderment.
"Hehe!" Arno chuckled, pressed a button on the holographic screen, and hurriedly flew out of the Trial Tower.
Feeling the ground begin to shake, Ace rushed out after Arno and hovered in the air right beside him.
"Boom, boom, boom!" Accompanied by a deafening roar, a massive structure resembling the Ultra Arena slowly rose from the ground, standing tall in mid-air like a towering peak.
Immediately afterward, a series of clicking sounds echoed as the building began to transform. It grew taller while simultaneously extending downward, ultimately forming a colossal giant a hundred stories high. Around the middle of the structure ran a wide platform resembling a planetary ring, while three smaller diamond-shaped structures quietly emerged around the main body, closely guarding it.
The changes unfolding before him left Ace staring in utter astonishment. Completely overwhelmed by the spectacle, he stood frozen in place, speechless. A slight smile touched Arno's lips as he watched Ace's stunned expression, and he pulled him down to land on the platform.
"Welcome to the Trial Tower," Arno said softly, a hint of pride evident in his tone. He pointed toward the smaller auxiliary towers guarding the main structure and continued, "This place will become our vital venue for training and combating monsters. If we encounter new monsters in the future, these smaller towers can be expanded as needed."
Ace swallowed hard, struggling to digest everything he was seeing. He knew the challenges awaiting him would be harder than anything he had ever faced, yet the possibilities were also boundless.
The commotion had drawn the attention of most Ultras, and within moments, a large crowd had gathered both in the square before the Trial Tower and hovering in the air. They stared curiously at the newly emerged building, discussing what it was meant for—especially since the area had been blasted for so long and had just now produced such a massive tremor.
"Captain Zoffy, Chief Hikari," both voices said in unison.
"Is this... the Trial Tower?" Zoffy found it hard to believe. Just moments after he left, the place had undergone a complete transformation?
"That's right, this is the Trial Tower after its final tuning," Arno nodded. "Captain Zoffy, Chief Hikari, the Trial Tower is ready for deployment," Arno announced proudly.
"Captain Zoffy, if you would do the honors," Hikari said, turning to nod at Zoffy.
"Warriors of the Land of Light! To enhance our combat capabilities, Ultraman Arno and Ultraman Roga of the Space Science Technology Bureau have jointly developed the Trial Tower, which simulates various combat environments. Warriors, raise your strength to new heights and contribute to the peace of the universe!" Channeling his Ultra Telepathy, Zoffy broadcasted his voice across the entire plaza.
"Zoffy's speech is, well... very passionate," Ace whispered into Arno's ear, and Arno nodded in tacit agreement.
Before Zoffy's voice had even faded away, the surrounding crowd of Ultramen erupted into enthusiastic cheers. Amidst the roaring applause, the four Ultramen standing on the platform took off into the sky and quickly departed.
Witnessing this, the other onlookers could no longer contain their impatience and surged into the Trial Tower, eager to face its rigorous trials and baptism by fire.
***
Space Science Technology Bureau
"Good work. Get some rest, and tomorrow you'll come with me to a meeting." Hikari gave Arno a reassuring pat on the shoulder. He finally had a successor.
"Wait, Big Brother Hikari, you're the one having a meeting—what am I going for?" Arno had just relaxed, and his brain hadn't quite caught up yet.
"You really thought you could just cause a commotion this big today and get away with it?" Hikari shot Arno a glare.
"Then what should I do?" Arno began to panic.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." In high spirits, Hikari returned to his top-floor office to continue working overtime.
With a long face, Arno packed up his laboratory and headed home.
***
"Uncle! Just a few days ago, the Trial Tower still looked completely normal! What happened today?" Brought home by Ultraman Zoffy, Tregear spotted Arno sitting on the couch the moment he walked through the door and asked with a puzzled expression. After all, he and Taiga had run over every day to watch the construction. He had heard other Ultra warriors mention that the Trial Tower had changed, but had no idea what it had turned into, so he had dragged Taiga along to check it out, and the two youngsters had played there for a long time before finally coming home.
"That's just the Trial Tower after its final adjustments. Come here, let Uncle give you a hug." Arno waved weakly at Tregear.
"Okay..." Tregear answered, trotting over on his short legs to Arno's side and obediently letting himself be pulled into an embrace. However, he quickly sensed that Arno was in low spirits and asked with concern, "Uncle, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I must just be a bit too tired lately..." Arno forced himself to brighten up as he replied.
"In that case, Uncle should go take an energy particle bath right away and get a good night's sleep!" Tregear comforted him.
"Alright, and make sure you rest early after you finish your homework." Gently stroking Tregear's head, Arno spoke in a soft voice.
"Got it," Tregear nodded obediently.
Arno turned and walked into the bathroom, enjoying a wonderful optical-particle energy bath. The warm light energy washed over his body, bringing him a profound sense of relaxation. After bathing, he lay down in bed, and the moment his head hit the pillow, he drifted straight into a sweet slumber.
Meanwhile, having finished his homework, Tregear carefully pushed open his bedroom door and tiptoed toward Arno's room. He gently nudged the door open, terrified of waking the sleeping Arno. Stepping inside, he walked over to the bedside, carefully pulled the blanket up over Arno, and dimmed the lights until only a faint glow remained.
With that done, Tregear stood quietly by the bedside, gazing down at Arno's peaceful sleeping face, his heart filled with warmth and concern for him. After a moment, he quietly left the room and returned to his own bed to sleep. On this quiet night, Tregear silently kept watch over Arno, wishing him sweet dreams.