Snow was still falling heavily, and winter had not yet ended. Daisuke stood in the lounge of the center, gazing at the snow through the window while holding a cup of coffee. Difficult days had recently passed, just three days ago, a fake King Fleed appeared and haunted Maria in her dreams. The consequences of that conflict had been grave. For the first time, Daisuke truly acknowledged how little time he had left to live, and that what remained might not be enough to achieve what he longed for.
He was lost in thought when Koji interrupted with a cheerfulness that felt largely forced:
- What do you plan to do when the war is over, Daisuke?
Daisuke turned to him with an empty look and said nothing. Maria responded instead, her disappointment clear:
- I don’t think it will ever end.
Hikaru took a sip of her coffee and said calmly:
- It will end one day, Maria. War can’t go on forever.
Koji confirmed Hikaru’s words:
- That’s right! Even if we’re exhausted, Vega’s forces must be weakening too.
When Daisuke was finally about to speak, the beeping of his watch interrupted them. Everyone fell silent. He pressed the communication button:
– Daisuke here. What is it, Father?
- Daisuke, I need to discuss something important with all of you. Please come to my office.
- Yes, Father.
He turned to his companions firmly:
- Let’s go!
***
The team gathered around the round table in Doctor Umon’s office. He studied their faces intently before speaking:
- I’ve called you here today to reorganize our movements for the coming days.
Then he looked directly at Hikaru as he continued:
- Hikaru, you’ll be suspending patrol duties temporarily.
Hikaru raised her eyebrows in surprise and asked:
- Why, Doctor? Has something happened?
He shook his head gently:
- Not exactly.. But I plan to enhance the Marine Spazer over the next few days.
He looked around at them all and continued:
- You know we finished the Super Submarine Project not too long ago, and we had to deploy it in a rush to save Koji.
Lighting his pipe, he continued:
- But what if we’re forced into another underwater battle at a depth only the submarine can reach?
Daisuke responded immediately:
- Grendizer will fight alone!
Doctor Umon pointed at him:
- Exactly, Daisuke! This means that the team’s overall strength would be cut in half. That’s why I’ve decided to adapt the submarine’s features to the Marine Spazer, so it can dive up to 3,000 meters deep. That way, Grendizer and Spazer can fight together at greater depths.
He took a deep breath before adding:
- I’ve also enabled the submarine to launch in autopilot mode, so we can dispatch it easily if you’re already in the combat zone.
Koji exclaimed enthusiastically:
- That’s great! But what about the Double Spazer and Drill Spazer, Sir?
Doctor Umon replied firmly:
- No updates on them for now, Koji.
Koji’s face fell, so Doctor Umon added:
- That’s why Koji and Maria will continue patrols for now. As for you, Daisuke, you need to return to the Shirakaba Ranch.
Daisuke furrowed his brows and was about to protest when Doctor Umon raised a hand to stop him:
- I want you to recover quickly after what happened. The war might escalate. Do you understand?
- Yes, Father. But how long will the Marine Spazer upgrade take?
- At least five days.
- Let’s hope Vega’s forces don’t attack before then.
Everyone nodded in agreement. For now, they had to follow Doctor Umon’s instructions.
***
The days passed slowly and uneventfully. On the fifth day, just as the Marine Spazer was nearly finished, Mr. Yamada’s voice rose from the monitoring room:
- Urgent message, Doctor Umon.
- From whom?
- From the Allied International Base in the Arctic.
- What does it say?
- They’ve detected regular signals coming from a point deep in the Arctic Ocean. They’ve been repeating every six hours.
Alarmed, Doctor Umon stood up from his chair and pressed the intercom:
- Daisuke, come quickly with the rest of the team. We have an emergency.
Minutes later, they were all in the monitoring room. Daisuke asked with interest:
- Were we able to analyze the signal? Do we know what it means?
- It resembles Morse code, Daisuke. Look!
He activated the screen, which displayed repeated symbols in a clear pattern. Daisuke studied them intently, then his face paled as he muttered cautiously:
- We are ready!
Hikaru asked:
- What do you mean, Daisuke?
He turned fully to her and explained:
- The message says ‘We are ready!’ It’s a summons.
Doctor Umon spoke carefully:
- This is serious. You must go there immediately! The Marine Spazer is ready, Hikaru. And Daisuke, you’ll be going out with the team.
Daisuke nodded and straightened his back with resolve:
- I’m ready, Father!
- Be careful! We don’t know what danger awaits. Koji and Maria, you’ll support Daisuke and Hikaru during the descent. And you two, don’t initiate any attack. Try to identify the object as much as possible. Stay alert! Understood?
They all responded in unison:
- Understood!
And so, the team dispersed to prepare for the upcoming battle and to uncover the unknown threat lurking in the depths of the sea.
Rights and Acknowledgments
Copyrights for the original characters belong to the renowned Japanese mangaka Go Nagai. The rights to the character Riyyama belong to Dr. Sahar Khawatmi, who created her in 2015 and wished to see her work alongside the Grendizer team.
Deepest thanks to Grendizer fans worldwide—your passion fueled our imagination and inspired this novel.
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