Inner Man Theatre

    When shown the next image, everyone gasps while Gracie identifies these two as AB and Ultimax.  Chuckling at this understandable mistake, Leila corrects her.  “We had one Powered on our side, T-Mac, and of all the Ultimen still fighting for us, Atros was the strongest.  So, we talked these two into working together.  Atros the Ultiman was the pilot for T-Mac the Powered.  Together, we called them the Hero.”

    “So, let me get this straight;” says K.C., almost laughing, “an Ultiman that looks like AB in his younger days was the pilot for T-Mac the giant robot, and together they are the Hero?  First, we met a robot named Hero in Storyboard XII who later had his programming put into a big machine.  That is funny enough, but when you tell me the hero of this war was an Ultiman with a machine…why that…that, honestly, sickens me.  So then, this was Storyboard XL’s Ultimate Machine.  I suppose you’d call them the Ultimate Being.”

    Nodding in fascination, Leila confesses, “None of us called them either of these terms, and I’m not sure I would’ve ever thought of it if I hadn’t become an SG to learn about these things.  I mean, we knew about the Ultimate Being, but we didn’t consider the Hero as such.  To us, the Baylors were the pinnacle of that effort, so there wasn’t much else to look forward to.  Oh, and hon, I should probably point out that this is the end of my story.  Everything else is swarming around you.”

    The kids look in the distance to see several explosions as superheroes and giant robots give a nightmarish battle scene like they’ve never seen.  They spot the Hero amongst the fight, as well as Leila’s past self with her friends and Ultimen.  Suddenly, the class hears something approaching.

    “Are you ready?” Duplica says as she and the other adults teleport away, leaving the kids to fight some monstrous “Ultimen” and one lone Powered.  As they remember last year’s exam, they know there’s no real danger here, but that in no way lessens the severity of the situation as failing a big test is just as life-threatening, you know.  So now, let us put aside the lessons and the lectures.  The time of trials has arrived.  The fiesta of fighting has begun.  The kids make their formations and get to work while the adults kick back in lawn chairs, drinking sweat tea and such, right among the students’ fight, though under the cover of the invisibility shield.  So much for encouragement and coaching.

-Next Page-

-Previous Page-