After settling Caelus into the medical room and making sure the boy was stable, Kouga decided to take a walk around the Herta Space Station.
For all the chaos caused by the Antimatter Legion, the station was still an impressive sight.
Researchers hurried through the halls, emergency crews repaired damaged systems, and countless monitors displayed streams of scientific data .
As he wandered through the station, he eventually spotted a familiar figure standing near one of the observation windows.
Welt.
And judging by the expression on his face—
Kouga already knew what's happening.
He immediately decided to stay just close enough to listen.
Welt : "Tesla, I can explain."
Tesla's voice exploded from the communicator.
Tesla : "EXPLAIN?! WELT YANG, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN GONE?!"
Welt visibly flinched.
Welt : "I'm sorry."
Tesla : "THAT'S NOT AN EXPLANATION!"
Welt : "I know. I'm sorry."
Tesla : "DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED JOYCE WAS?!"
Welt : "I'm sorry."
Tesla : "DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS?!"
Welt froze for a second.
Welt : "...I'm very sorry."
Tesla : "YOU BETTER BE!"
Kouga watched from the side with the expression of someone witnessing a natural disaster.
Tesla continued for another several minutes.
Welt's responses consisted mostly of:
"I'm sorry."
"My apologies."
"That's my fault."
"I'm very sorry."
By the end of the call, Welt looked like he had aged another ten years.
Finally, the communicator went silent.
Welt let out a long sigh.
Then a small smile appeared on his face.
He turned around and immediately noticed Kouga standing nearby.
The two old friends looked at each other for a moment.
Welt shook his head.
Welt : "How much of that did you hear?"
Kouga grinned.
Kouga : "Enough."
The two shared a laugh.
After all these years, some things never changed.
Welt smiled warmly.
Welt : "It's truly been too long, Kouga."
Kouga nodded.
Kouga : "Indeed, it truly has."
For a brief moment, silence settled between them.
A comfortable silence.
Then Welt spoke again.
Welt : "How are the children doing?"
The question immediately brought a smile to Kouga's face.
Kouga chuckled as memories of his daughters surfaced.
Kouga : "Oh, you know. As lively as ever. Honestly, I'm just glad they inherited more from their mothers than from me. Though each of them still ended up with some of my abilities."
His smile softened.
Kouga : "Children really are adorable."
Welt nodded with a smile.
He could tell immediately how proud Kouga was.
After a moment, Welt folded his arms.
Welt : "Well, I suppose it's finally time for us to go home."
Kouga blinked.
Welt continued.
Welt : "That's why you came here, isn't it? To bring me back."
He smiled.
Welt : "Just give me some time to say goodbye to the Astral Express crew first."
Kouga suddenly laughed nervously.
A sweatdrop almost seemed to appear on the side of his head.
Kouga : "Well... there's a problem."
Welt raised an eyebrow.
Welt : "What do you mean?"
Kouga rubbed the back of his neck.
Kouga : "Remember the boy, Caelus?"
Welt nodded.
Kouga : "Well, apparently something inside him allowed him to absorb part of my power."
Welt's expression immediately became serious.
Kouga continued.
Kouga : "He can transform into Ganbarider now. Which means he can access some of my abilities."
Welt's eyes widened.
Welt : "So you're saying..."
Kouga nodded.
Kouga : "Yep."
He pointed toward the medical wing.
Kouga : "I'm staying. At least for a while."
Kouga crossed his arms.
Kouga : "Someone has to teach him how to use those powers responsibly before he accidentally blows up a solar system."
Welt sighed.
Welt : "Wait."
He looked at Kouga.
Welt : "What about your children? Won't they miss you if you're gone for that long?"
Kouga shook his head.
Kouga : "I thought about that possibility a long time ago."
Then he pointed at himself.
Kouga : "One of my abilities allows me to create avatars. Similar to how higher-dimensional beings create avatars to interact with lower-dimensional worlds."
Welt listened carefully.
Kouga smiled.
Kouga : "So what you're looking at right now isn't actually my real body."
Welt blinked.
Kouga tapped his own chest.
Kouga : "This is just an avatar."
Welt placed a hand on his chin.
That certainly explained several things.
Welt : "I see."
Kouga suddenly grinned mischievously.
A grin that immediately made Welt suspicious.
Kouga : "Which means..."
Welt already didn't like where this was going.
Kouga : "You're going to have to call Tesla again and tell her the bad news."
The color immediately drained from Welt's face.
Welt : "...No."
Kouga patted him on the back.
Kouga : "Hey, don't worry so much."
Welt looked utterly unconvinced.
Kouga laughed.
Kouga : "She'll probably complain to my main body too."
Welt stared at him.
Kouga stared back.
Several seconds passed.
Then both men simultaneously imagined Tesla's reaction.
Welt paled.
Kouga paled.
The two exchanged a look.
Kouga : "...Good luck."
Welt : "...I don't think luck is going to help me this time."
And somewhere across the universe—
A certain red-haired scientist suddenly felt like she was about to have a very bad day.
Welt silently walked toward a quiet corner of the station.
He stared at the communicator in his hand.
Then at Kouga.
Then back at the communicator.
Kouga immediately understood what was about to happen.
With the solemn expression of a soldier sending another soldier into battle, he raised his hand and gave Welt a salute.
Welt simply sighed and accepted his fate.
A moment later, he was once again contacting Tesla.
Kouga silently wished his friend the best of luck before turning around and walking away.
The Herta Space Station was surprisingly lively considering it had just survived an Antimatter Legion invasion.
Researchers hurried from one department to another while maintenance drones repaired damaged sections of the station.
As Kouga explored the station, he eventually spotted a familiar red-haired woman standing near one of the observation windows.
Himeko.
The Astral Express navigator was calmly enjoying a cup of coffee while gazing out at the stars.
Kouga couldn't help but pause for a moment.
She really does look like Himeko from Earth.
Even after Welt had explained the concept of counterparts, it was still strange seeing someone so similar to a person he already knew.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, Himeko turned around.
A polite smile appeared on her face.
Himeko : "Ah, Mr. Hayata. What brings you here?"
Kouga walked over and returned the smile.
Kouga : "I was actually waiting for the boy. Caelus."
Himeko nodded in understanding.
Himeko : "Ah, I see."
Before either of them could continue, Himeko noticed someone approaching from down the corridor.
A familiar gray-haired young man.
A small smile appeared on her face.
Himeko : "Speaking of the devil, here he comes."
Kouga turned.
Himeko turned as well.
Walking steadily toward them was Caelus.
The young man looked considerably better than before. Though there were still traces of fatigue in his expression, he was clearly awake and able to move on his own.
As he approached, his golden eyes shifted between Himeko and Kouga.
Curiosity was written all over his face.