"Tartarus definitely never imagined that I'd end up using his power."
After reverting, Yuzhou walked over to Juggler with a mischievous grin and spoke.
"No one would have expected that," Juggler replied, still shaken, as he shook his head.
"This is probably something only you could pull off."
"Oh, right." Juggler suddenly remembered something and continued,
"You mentioned before that the Defense Force secretly hid a monster underground. I went to take a look."
"There really is a monster down there," he said. "It's been subjected to continuous experimentation—but it's still dormant."
"Then what do you plan to do with it?" Yuzhou asked in return.
"If you forcibly release it, that would mean openly opposing the Earth Defense Force."
"Heh."
A mocking smile appeared on Juggler's face.
"I'm not like Gai Kurenai. I only do what I want to do."
"So what if I become the enemy of the Defense Force?"
"That's the Juggler I know."
Yuzhou patted him on the shoulder and walked off.
If Juggler blindly indulged humanity, then he wouldn't be Juggler anymore.
Juggler merely chuckled. If it were one of Yuzhou's juniors—someone like Shin Asuka—they would definitely say, 'That's not how an Ultra Warrior should act.'
Yuzhou did not expect Haruki to come knocking so soon.
"Senior! That Grigio Raiden—isn't it their experimental subject?!"
The moment Haruki saw Yuzhou, he blurted it out, clearly furious.
"What… what thunder?"
Yuzhou froze for a moment, then realized.
"You mean the monster the Defense Force hid underground, right?"
"Yes, that one!"
Haruki nodded firmly.
"So… Snake—uh, Captain Hebikura told you?" Yuzhou asked.
"Yes," Haruki replied with a sigh.
"He asked me how we should deal with it. I'm completely torn."
He slumped down onto the sofa, at a loss.
"It's a product of humanity's mistakes. The monster itself is innocent," Haruki said seriously.
"And according to Captain Hebikura, in a few days it'll go berserk and start causing destruction."
"When that happens… should I intervene, or should I not?"
That was the real dilemma tormenting him.
"You can change how you think about it," Yuzhou said, shaking his head slightly.
"Z, as an Ultraman of the Land of Light, cannot interfere with humanity's choices. But you are different."
"I'm… different?"
Haruki looked up at Yuzhou, stunned.
"You are both Light—and human."
Yuzhou spoke the classic line calmly.
"Both Light… and human…"
Haruki frowned slightly, pondering those words.
"As a human, you have the right to interfere in human affairs and human decisions," Yuzhou continued, seeing his confusion.
"You can use both yourself and the power of Light to guide them onto the right path."
"Can I really do that…?"
Haruki stared at his own hands.
Before becoming one with Z, he would never have even thought about such things.
Back then, he simply didn't have that kind of power.
But now—he had Light.
He had Z.
"If you believe you should act according to your own will," Yuzhou said, "then go talk to your captain. He'll tell you what to do."
Yuzhou hadn't expected Juggler to hand such a difficult question to Haruki.
To let him make the choice.
But thinking about it, it made sense.
Although Juggler had only become an Ultraman recently, his experience far surpassed that of many young Ultra Warriors.
Giving a problem to the next generation—letting them grow through choice—was only natural.
Haruki acted quickly.
Though the primary executor was Juggler.
Disguised as a Majin Form, Juggler infiltrated the underground laboratory and awakened Grigio Raiden.
Moments later, the monster burst through the ground and emerged onto the surface.
At the same time, Haruki merged with Z and transformed into Z Alpha Edge.
"Report! An alien has appeared and released Grigio Raiden!"
The Defense Force immediately delivered the recorded footage to their commanding officer—Director Kuriyama.
The moment Kuriyama saw the screen, his fury exploded. His face twisted as the wrinkles crowded together.
"How did that alien get into the underground facility?!
And how did he even know Grigio Raiden was there?!"
He slammed his hat onto the desk and roared.
But it was already too late.
Grigio Raiden had been released.
Watching Ultraman Z battling the monster on the screen only made Kuriyama angrier.
"Director, there's no need to be so furious," Juggler said calmly as he stepped beside him.
"Ultraman Z will handle it."
"Ultraman?!" Kuriyama snapped, spittle flying.
"You think having Ultraman means we're safe?!
Don't forget—just days ago, an Ultraman attacked the city!"
"Unless humanity can obtain power equal to Ultraman—"
"—or even develop our own Special Mecha based on Ultraman technology!"
Juggler didn't respond.
Mockery filled his eyes.
Aside from the saliva on his face, that sinister smile was genuinely unsettling.
"Captain, where's Haruki?"
Yoko asked in confusion.
Ultraman Z had already appeared, STORAGE hadn't deployed any mechs, and yet Haruki was nowhere to be seen.
Juggler composed himself, thought for a moment, and replied calmly:
"I sent him to evacuate civilians."
"Oh."
Haruki and Z fought together against Grigio Raiden.
Their goal was not to harm it.
Nor would Haruki allow it to harm humans.
Instead, he searched for a way to lift the monster.
After considerable effort, Z managed to hoist Grigio Raiden onto his shoulder.
The monster struggled violently, even firing beams wildly into the sky.
"Let's go, Z!"
Haruki called out from within.
With that, the two flew into space.
Carrying a monster made their flight path unsteady—
—but in the end, they succeeded in removing it from Earth.
"That's not a bad solution."
Juggler nodded as he watched Z disappear into space on the monitor.
"Where is he taking that monster?!"
Director Kuriyama panicked.
He had assumed Z would destroy Grigio Raiden on the spot.
Instead, Ultraman Z was sending away a monster humanity had researched for nearly ten years—into outer space.
"Exiling it into space is still a valid option," Yoko offered her opinion.
After all, the monster had been altered through human experimentation.
Destroying it outright didn't feel right.