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Earth-857
Illuminati Headquarters
Vera Moroboshi stood in the holding area, occasionally glancing between her watch and the cell in which Gai Kurenai of Earth-1550 was sitting-he always gave her a polite nod whenever their eyes met. After a few moments, a door opened up, Mina Ashido stepping in with the stranger who appeared in Sukagawa.
"Well done, Agent Ashido, I can see you had no…" She paused, noticing her alien subordinate flicking something around in her mouth. "…trouble. What's in your mouth?"
Mina let out a high-pitched hum and playfully splayed her tongue with a "bleh" noise, showing a partially-dissolved piece of candy on the end. "Asahi gave me some butterscotch, Miss M," she explained cheerfully. "It's pretty good."
The young woman smiled, bowing politely to Vera. "It's very nice to meet you, ma'am!" she said. "I am Asahi Minato."
"Asahi? You ended up here too?" asked Gai, standing up and stepping out of his cell.
"Oh, hey, Gai!" Asahi greeted him with a smile. "This world is weird, huh? I met a human who could grow big! I didn't know humans could do something like that on their own."
"They can't," said Vera. "That individual can because she possesses something called a Quirk."
"Oh, there was someone talking about Quirks after we stopped those kaiju."
Earlier…
Mount Lady had her hands on her knees, panting like a dog after finally driving Gubila away from the city. Meanwhile, Ultrawoman Grigio was all smiles (metaphorically, her expression was static) after successfully defeating Gomora with her Grigio Shot, even as her Color Timer was flashing red.
"Nice job, Mount Lady!" she cheered, once again making Shaka signs. "We saved the city together!"
"Haahh… yeah…" gasped Mount Lady, giving a weak thumbs up.
"You NUMBSKULLS!" a voice shouted, the two looking to see a blue-garbed woman standing atop a skyscraper so she could address the two. "Do you have any idea what kind of damage you were causing?!"
"Look, lady, did you not see those giant creatures trying to destroy everything?!"
"Yeah, no duh I saw them! Surprised anyone else did, with how much you were showboating beforehand. And I know you didn't see anyone else beneath your giant feet!"
"Hey, don't be mean to my friend!" said Grigio, kneeling down to be eye-level with their sudden guest.
"You're not off the hook either, orange!" She was now pointing an accusatory finger at Grigio. "You think your stupid magic shield protected the people beneath you? Nope, that was all my doing! Seriously, you're all the same. Trying to teach you humility is like teaching a cat to bark. It doesn't matter, everyone who has a Quirk becomes a callous showboat, it's always a matter of 'when', not 'if'."
"Who do you think you are, passing judgement like that?" demanded Mount Lady, forcing herself to eye level with the stranger. "What exactly have you done?"
"Way more than you have! Because I had to work to get where I am!"
The two continued to argue, Grigio standing off to the side as she pondered just what a Quirk was.
"I wonder what got her so upset," concluded Asahi, placing a hand to her chin. "We weren't causing that much damage."
"If you don't have a Quirk, how did you get big anyhow?" asked Mina. "Especially since you go from looking like this to, well…"
"With this!" Their guest produced a black and orange disc with two silver handles on each side. "My friend Tsuru-chan gave me this Gyro, it allows me to save the day and make everyone happy!"
Mina seemed impressed with the trinket, Vera less so. "That's a very naive outlook on your responsibilities," she remarked, arms crossed. "And in any case, you shouldn't transform openly in crowds, you don't know who can be trusted."
"You're one of us, aren't you?" asked Gai, standing up and walking out of his cell. "Why are you so dour?"
"Because I've been on this planet a very long time," answered Vera coldly. "I was here during the height of the Cold War, I saw the rise of Mad King Donald and the chaos he wrought. Humanity is a beautiful species, but it's just as capable of violence as any other."
Mina glanced away, not wishing to partake in the conversation. "They aren't all bad," she muttered.
"That's not a nice thing to say," said Asahi. "Humans make mistakes, but we also try our best to do right! Besides, human help is our greatest strength."
"She's right," concurred Gai, thinking back on his own experiences. "I wouldn't have made it this far if I didn't have their help."
Asahi nodded. "I earned my power because I wouldn't give up in the face of danger. Our light is what keeps darkness from swallowing the universe. Why do you have to be so negative?"
Vera sighed. "Before I defeated Alien Ghose and their Pandon, I saw… I don't know what it was, maybe it was one of my people coming to warn me, or just a figment of my subconscious. But whatever it was, they told me to abandon the Earth and come home, and that if I transformed again, I could never return to M78."
She reached into her pocket, producing her V-Eye with a neutral expression. Gai and Asahi gasped at the object, while Mina just looked confused. "Sure enough, my V-Eye couldn't work right afterwards. I sacrificed everything for this planet, I don't have much left beyond this."
"Still, you aren't keeping the world on your shoulders alone," spoke up Mina. "You can accept our help, Miss M. Or even help from other universes, like these guys."
"And we will help," added Gai, giving her a warm smile. "It's our duty as Warriors of Light to protect others, no matter the universe."
"We can even help you transform again," concurred Asahi, smiling as she held up her Gyro. "Here, I'll help you!"
Vera quickly rushed forward to yank the thing away. "Whoa whoa whoa!" she cried, gesturing up at the ceiling. "Let's… not do that in here."
The three had moved to a much larger hangar within the facility, Mina watching from a gangway near the ceiling. Asahi had once again transformed into Ultrawoman Grigio, while Gai underwent a similar transformation of his own. He was predominantly silver with black and red accents, a shiny blue crystal in his forehead, and a glowing blue ring in the center of his chest-Ultraman Orb.
"You're positive this can fix my V-Eye?" asked Vera.
"It's worth a shot," replied Grigio, energy forming around her hand. "Grigio Cheer Charge!"
She cheerfully sent her hand forward, the energy scattering over Vera. She glanced down at her visor, which gave an odd shimmer. Placing it up to her eyes, she pressed a button, her body changing as it was consumed by light. When the light cleared, she was around the same height as Orb and Grigio, and her appearance was closer to theirs as well.
She had a silver head with angular yellow eyes, a sharp mohawk-like fin trailing to around her forehead, upon which a green gem sat. Her body was predominantly red with simple white markings on the front and back, and silver armor pieces covering her collarbone and upper biceps.
Grigio was impressed. "Whoa. Hey, Orb, doesn't she look like…" He nodded.
"Looking good, Miss M!" shouted Mina with a smile, leaning against the railing to get a better look.
"It's… been a while since I've taken on this form," she said, her tone much lighter. "The humans of my time gave me a name I feel fits: Ultraseven-V."
"Many of my seniors had their names bestowed by humans," said Orb, nodding. "You wear the title well."
"You look great, Seven-V!" cheered Grigio, waving her arms in excitement. "Now will you let us help you?"
"I'll consider it," Ultraseven-V conceded, placing her hand on the orange giant's shoulder. "I couldn't have returned to this form without you, Ultrawoman Grigio, so take this as a token of my gratitude."
A light began shining from her Beam Lamp, which then flew into Grigio's Color Timer. The younger Ultra bounced on her heels from whatever this gift was-which had the side effect of making the room shake.
"Thank you very much!" she said, bowing respectfully.
"So, all of you guys can… do that?" asked Mina, staring at the three. "You can grow giant just like that?"
"Well, it's not that simple," said Orb. "We need special tools in order to assume our Ultra forms."
Mina huffed, slumping against the wall with a pout. "My people were tools, not giving me anything like that."
Suddenly, Seven-V glanced up at the ceiling. "Something's coming," she warned, moving to stand in front of Mina.
Suddenly, something smashed through the ceiling of the hangar, sending debris flying in all directions. The cause of the intrusion, it turned out, were two additional giants. They featured similar silver and black patterns to Grigio, but one had red coloring and two sharp fins on the sides of his head, while the other was blue with a singular fin in the center of his head.
"Asahi!" the blue one shouted, shaking dust off himself and approaching Grigio. "Are you alright?"
"She probably got covered in junk with your entrance," said the red one in exasperation.
Seven-V pinched the bridge of her nose-or at least the spot it would be on her human form. "Please explain who you are and why I shouldn't throw you out."
Grigio took the intruder's hands, pulling them before her. "These are my brothers, Katsumi and Isami, Ultraman Rosso and Ultraman Blu!"
"Our sister was tracking down a Devil Splinter on this Earth when she got captured," said Rosso, pointing an accusing finger at Seven-V. "Why did you take her?"
"Calm down, she looks like Seven," said Blu, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"It could be an alien in disguise as Seven, or it's an evil lady Seven, it's the multiverse, anything's possible!"
"Gai's right there! Do you think he'd let anything happen to her?"
This caused Rosso to relent, rubbing the back of his head as he realized Orb was indeed in the room with them.
"You're not an… evil Orb, are you?" he asked, Orb shaking his head. "Oh. Um, sorry, Miss…"
"Seven-V. Grigio, please remove your brothers."
"Of course! We'll see you later, Miss Seven-V!" The trio took to the air, flying away through the freshly-made hole.
Seven-V sighed, shaking her head. "This is why I never had children," she muttered.
"They aren't all bad," assured Orb. "They're plenty capable, despite their youth."
He likely would have said more, but he sensed something approaching and flew off as well. Seven-V just stared after, before turning back to Mina. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm good, Miss-uh… Ultraseven-V," she answered, having been successfully shielded from the debris.
"Good. I need to see what can be done about this hole."
Edge of the Solar System
Ultraman Orb touched down on the surface of the asteroid, eyeing the silver shape before him. The Silver Surfer floated up to his face, staring impassively.
"You are a giant?" he asked, although it was rhetorical. "My master has heard rumors about beings such as yourself."
"I am Orb, Ultraman Orb," was all he said in return. "I ward off darkness and bring on the light."
"You aren't from here, Ultraman Orb," observed the Silver Surfer, his board circling Orb's head.
"No, there's something about you. You're an interloper both to this stellar system and this universe. I never knew it possible."
"There are many things we don't know are possible until it happens," said Orb, following him with his gaze. "I will do anything to protect any planet under siege, including the ones here."
"You aren't of this universe, yet you would lay down your life for it?" the Surfer quizzed. "The people here are not your own."
"That's irrelevant," answered Orb, his tone steely. "Those people give me strength, and as long as I'm able, I'll do whatever it takes to protect them!"
The Silver Surfer only stared for a moment. "Leave, Ultraman Orb. Go home lest you die with the rest of this system."
He turned and vanished into the distance. Orb watched him leave, and once he was little more than a speck on the horizon, turned and flew away himself.
Earth-1872
Ayaka City, Japan
The Minato siblings had returned home to their family shop, Quattro M, telling their parents about the events that had just transpired over dinner. Katsumi and Isami were back in their normal forms, the former dressed in a formal red jacket while the latter wore a more casual blue and gray hoodie.
"…and then Katsumi and Isami burst through the ceiling, which got Miss Seven V upset," recounted Asahi, her brothers looking sheepish.
Their parents, Ushio and Mio Minato, watched from the other side of the table, the former looking especially concerned. "You let some strange pink lady take you away?" he demanded.
"She wasn't strange, she was very nice!" defended Asahi.
"What about that woman in blue?" asked Katsumi. "You said she got upset at you for trying to stop the kaiju?"
"I think she doesn't like people with Quirks, whatever those are. She even accused my new friend of showboating."
"A human able to grow big on her own," mused Isami. "I never thought something like that was possible. Hold on, you said Seven-V gave you something before we got there. What was it?"
"I got this," smiled Asahi, holding up a crystal in her hand. The disk-shaped object displayed an image of Ultraseven-V with some kind of emblem. "She gave me my own Crystal."
Her brothers seemed impressed. "You got one? Could we see it?" asked Isami, reaching out for it.
"No, it's mine," she replied, yanking the Crystal away.
"Let us see it!" said Katsumi, getting up so he could try and grab the Crystal from her.
"It's mine!" Asahi had now curled in on herself, clutching it to her chest.
"We share our Crystals, why can't you share yours with us?"
"But you don't share your crystals with me! Seven-V gave this one, and I haven't even used it!"
As the three siblings squabbled, Mio smiled. "I don't know why that lady was so upset about the Multiverse. I've been in touch with this Wu Lee, and she seems like a good person."
Her husband nodded in agreement. "Besides, if more people come to this universe, that just means more people can visit our shop!"
Any further conversation was cut off by the arrival of a large group. Three of them looked normal enough, an older man with a mustache dressed in earthy colors, a young woman in a red dress, and a young man in a sweater and pants. There was also another blonde young woman with a perm dressed in very eccentric fashion, a third blonde wearing what looked like a nun's habit, and an anthropomorphic rabbit.
The eccentric blonde gasped as she took in the shop and its wares. "Ohmigosh! This place is, like, so nifty!" she cried, looking at the different shirts on display.
"Really, Doc?" the blond man asked incredulously. "I'm not sure if this stuff would be considered fashionable in this time."
The rabbit nodded. "I gotta agree with Ben. Nothing here is any-ooh, look at this one!"
Ushio smiled as he saw two potential customers, getting up from the table to greet them. "Good afternoon, and welcome to Quattro M!" he said, approaching the duo. "I see you've found something that caught your eye?"
"Like, one hundred percent!" the eccentric blonde agreed. "I think I'll need, like, one of everything, please."
"Just this one for me," the rabbit said, before blinking. "You aren't… weirded out seeing me."
"We've had many interesting guests come by," dismissed Ushio. "Now, are you sure you just want that one? I have quite a few just like it over here…"
The older gentleman stepped forward. "Good afternoon," he greeted politely, Mio walking up to shake his hand. "As you can guess by our furry friend, we're not locals."
"Oh, so you're multiversal travelers," surmised Mio, smiling. "Mio Minato, CEO of Aizentech."
"Ah, a scientist, I see. Yes, I've had more than a few scientific breakthroughs myself."
The blonde in the habit was at his side not a moment later. "You should see some of the Doc's gizmos!" she said. "He managed to put a time machine inside an old phone booth!"
Isami was up from the table and hurrying over after that. "A time machine?!" he repeated incredulously. "Inside a booth?! I need to know how you did it!"
As the four talked, Asahi and Katsumi approached the final two. They asked questions about where their guests had come from, what the rest of their party was like, and in turn explained some of their own adventures.
Indeed, while the multiverse was full of danger and threats, there was also room for comradery and bonds that would last beyond the stars.
Earth-628
Shibuya, Japan
Fumiko Yamane sat on the train home, dressed casually and inconspicuously. Clad in a simple white button-up and black slacks, the only standout part of her attire was her glasses, which had the left lens blacked out. Fumiko's academic career had been an uphill struggle, since she had chosen to major in a field she called "Theoretical Biology"-the taxonomy and bodily functions of fictional creatures, particularly dragons. Many had scoffed at such a choice, until a few years ago when a dragon emerged from Tokyo Bay.
While her research had proven beneficial to creature-hunting teams that had emerged since then, Fumiko herself was barred from joining. Gojira's awakening had somehow created a psychic bond with her, allowing Fumiko to see and feel the dragon's emotions-the link worked both ways, thus higher-ups vowed to keep her shut out, preventing Gojira from gaining insight into any of their tactics.
As she minded her own business, she was soon drawn to the noise coming from one of the other passenger's phones, a small crowd forming around it not long after. Curious, she joined the crowd. It was cellphone footage from a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean depicting a kaiju brawl. Popping in and out of the depths was a deep blue serpent, a long fin trailing down its back and sharp horns littered across its head.
Leviathan, Guardian of Mu.
His opponent was a much smaller dragon, a dull yellow with two hind legs and wings, a small row of horns going from its head to the base of its tail, which was tipped with a stinger. It was some sort of Wyvern, Fumiko observed, the only question was what Monarch and the U.N.G.C.C. would call them.
"I hear they're calling the dragon thing Winston," said one of the passengers.
"They're calling her Winston?" asked Fumiko, which earned her a few looks.
"How do you know it's a 'her'?"
"Well, look at the head, female Wyverns have a singular row of horns, but males have two, in a sort of V-shape," she clarified, making a peace sign in order to show what she meant. "And females have a stinger on their tails to defend against predators. What I wanna know is how she ended up in the middle of the Atlantic. Wyverns aren't good at flying long distances."
"How do you know so much about these things?" another passenger asked, taking a look at Fumiko. "Hey, you're that Gojira lady!"
She blinked, taking a step back as other passengers looked over. "Uh… I-I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yeah, I think she is," said a third passenger, pointing over. "Hey, my boss has been bothering me, could you ask her to blow up my office?"
"Can she stomp on my ex's house?"
"Tell your dragon that my baby will grow up without a father because of her!"
Fumiko backed away, clearly anxious about all the attention being thrust her direction. Luckily, much of the crowd became distracted once the train came to a stop, and she was able to climb out as soon as the doors opened.
In her head, a certain voice told her it was cowardly to run away from mere verbal engagements. Fumiko told her to shut up.