Chapter Fifteen: His Name Is Tiga

As the sun dipped low on the horizon, the Victory Swallow No. 2 finally soared slowly back to TPC Headquarters. Everyone who had participated in the battle was filled with excitement. In particular, the overwhelming power of the Victory Swallow No. 2’s energy beam left everyone more than satisfied—it was powerful enough to obliterate a one-horned Gakuma with a single shot, a force that could not be underestimated.

Though they had not anticipated the presence of a two-horned Gakuma, which led to an unforeseen crisis, the Giant appeared at the critical moment and saved them. Despite the twists and turns, the mission had ultimately achieved excellent results.

In the command center, everyone gathered together. Chief of Staff Nanbara smiled at the group and began, “Now, let me introduce a new member of the Victory Team…”

As he spoke, he made an inviting gesture, and Tetsuya entered wearing the Victory Team uniform. Though he had already mentioned his joining to Daigo and Norui in advance, a formal induction ceremony was still required.

“Captain Hayate, the former chief supervisor at Carro Base, and an outstanding pilot and weapons expert—he represents the pinnacle of TPC pilots.”

Tetsuya straightened his uniform and bowed to the assembled team, maintaining humility and an easygoing manner. The group responded with warm applause.

After the applause, Shinjou asked, “But the Victory Team only has the Victory Swallow No. 1 and No. 2. What jet will Captain Hayate be flying?”

Chief of Staff Nanbara glanced at Tetsuya and replied, “He will be piloting the dual-purpose fighter, the White Dragon, joining the Victory Team. The White Dragon is currently undergoing urgent upgrades and will be ready soon.”

At these words, Shinjou’s expression turned somewhat odd, as though recalling an unpleasant memory.

With the introductions complete, Chief of Staff Nanbara’s gaze swept across the room. He said slowly, “With weapons, as long as we devote ourselves to research, we can continually improve them. The real issue lies with you—the people who wield these weapons must also advance.”

Captain Jun Midori took up the thought: “Because in the end, it is not the weapons, but we ourselves who must face the monsters.”

Shinjou, reflecting on the recent encounter with Gakuma, said with feeling, “That’s so true. If the Giant hadn’t appeared, we might all be stone statues by now.”

“We truly owe him our lives…”

“I have an idea…” Daigo said hesitantly, “Even the monsters have names—Gorzan, Melba… but the Giant, we just keep calling him ‘the Giant’. Isn’t that a little pitiful?”

“That’s a good point…” Deputy Captain Sogata tilted his head, rubbing his cheek thoughtfully. “He’s as massive as a mountain—how about we call him ‘Mountain Superpower Overlord’?”

A five-second silence fell over the room.

Tetsuya was speechless—it was hard to imagine what kind of logic Deputy Captain Sogata’s mind followed. Such an over-the-top, adolescent name really did have a certain explosive flair.

Kuwajii forced a dry laugh. “Mountain Superpower Overlord… sounds a bit clumsy, don’t you think?”

Seeing things heading in a bizarre direction, Daigo knew he had to act before someone suggested names like ‘Giant Overlord’ or ‘Mega Overlord’. He quickly spoke up, “I have a suggestion—let’s call him Ultraman Tiga!”

“What does everyone think?”

“That’s a good name,” Tetsuya applauded for the first time, “It has a great ring to it.”

Everyone immediately agreed—it was leagues better than ‘Mountain Superpower Overlord’.

“Ultraman is his name, with Tiga added to it!”

“In the twenty-first century, our lives have changed tremendously. Will Earth also undergo great transformation? The emergence of monsters and the Giant’s light—perhaps these are a wake-up call to humanity, who have grown too complacent in peace.”

As the narration faded, the scene of Tiga’s battle gradually shrank, and a female host appeared on the screen: “This giant who suddenly appeared before us—rumor has it you call him Ultraman Tiga?”

She turned toward Captain Jun Midori, who was seated beside her. “Captain Jun, is this Ultraman truly a friend to humanity? Could he pose any threat to us?”

At that moment, the two of them were in a television studio; Captain Jun was appearing on a program to reassure the public.

“Ultraman possesses powers and ways of thinking beyond human understanding. As for where he came from, the Victory Team is investigating.”

She paused, then continued, “But we unanimously believe that Ultraman’s appearance is to protect humankind!”

“Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today,” the host said, having caught the director’s cue to wrap up.

“Wow, Captain looks great on camera—so beautiful!” Kuwajii exclaimed, turning to Tetsuya, “Captain Hayate, you’ve known Captain Jun the longest—did you ever realize how pretty she is?”

Tetsuya was fiddling with a Rubik’s Cube. At Kuwajii’s words, he glanced up, a hint of regret in his voice, “Not really. Back at the academy, she always acted like a big sister—we never noticed such things.”

Norui, meanwhile, was clearly more interested in the cube in Tetsuya’s hands. “That Rubik’s Cube looks special—is it really that fun?”

Tetsuya held up the cube. “It’s a five-layer cube—it’s a bit tricky. Every move you make affects the previous or the next step.”

Though Tetsuya wouldn’t admit it, he still felt dissatisfied that Daigo had been granted the chance to become Tiga, and even after joining the Victory Team, he harbored some lingering resentment toward the team members. This dissatisfaction was buried deep, perhaps even beyond his own awareness. As a result, he remained distant from the others, often playing with his cube alone, reluctant to initiate conversation.

Unlike Norui, Rina was more focused on Captain Jun’s performance. She watched closely, finally declaring, “Hmph! If I were on TV, I’d look just as good!”

Unfortunately, no one seemed to take her seriously. Kuwajii and Shinjou continued to giggle at Captain Jun, while Daigo had already stood up, his expression unsettled.

“Is anyone even listening to me… Daigo!”

“Something’s not right,” Daigo said.

Kuwajii also noticed the issue. The camera had shifted to the female host, who moments earlier had appeared mature and composed. Now, her face was tinged purple, her hair wild and frizzy, and her eyes vacant.

In the studio, she had suddenly levitated, frightening the staff, who scrambled away. When Captain Jun turned, she saw the scene unfold.

“I tell you all, our God of the Kilielothians is about to be reborn! The sacred flames will burn away all impurity!”

Having declared this, the host’s body seemed to lose all strength and fell from mid-air, sending the set into chaos.

“Someone has remotely possessed the host! All units, enter Alert Level One!” Captain Jun relayed the message to TPC via her handheld computer as she rushed out the door.

She had barely taken a few steps when she sensed something was wrong, as if something was about to erupt from deep underground.

Looking up, she saw a distant building suddenly explode, the entire structure reduced to rubble in an instant.