News that Hibiki Gousuke of the Recruit Squad was leading his new recruits against monsters and working alongside GUTS spread like wildfire through TPC Far East Headquarters.
It greatly boosted Director Yoshioka's reputation. After all, Hibiki Gousuke was a talented officer who had come from the Security Bureau, so Director Yoshioka wasted no time in increasing his support.
"So you're my new recruits, huh?" Hibiki Gousuke said with a stern face. His left hand rested on his hip while his right kept lifting weights. "My name is Hibiki Gousuke."
The training room, which had previously held only two people, now had two men and a woman in it. They were recruits transferred over by Director Yoshioka.
Hibiki Gousuke's weightlifting form was a little unsightly, but if you ignored the burly man behind him swinging a barbell like a spear, the two of them made quite a striking pair.
"Yes. We're from the first training class—Koda Toshiyuki, Kariya Kohei, and Yumimura Ryo. We look forward to working with you."
The three bowed their heads, though they still stole glances at the man who seemed almost inhuman.
Hibiki Gousuke more or less understood what they were thinking.
His voice boomed like artillery. "A-Hong, get over here!"
The sound echoed again and again through the enclosed space, making the three in front of him hear a buzzing in their heads.
Zhou Hong slowly lowered the barbell in his hands and let out a long sigh. His captain was great in every way, except that his voice was simply too much to bear.
He rubbed his aching muscles and gradually made his way over.
The closer he got, the more the three felt the pressure he exuded. He stood a full meter eighty-five tall, and his bulging physique was surprisingly well-proportioned.
Zhou Hong came to stand beside Hibiki Gousuke. His training gave him an overwhelming masculine air.
Yumimura Ryo's cheeks turned slightly red. She was still a young woman and couldn't handle that kind of stimulus.
"My name is Zhou Hong. I guess you could call me your deputy captain." Zhou Hong pointed to himself with his thumb. "As long as I'm alive, I'll do everything I can to protect you."
His muscular build, rivaling that of a bodybuilder, gave off an indescribable sense of security.
Hibiki Gousuke cleared his throat twice before continuing. "The Recruit Squad generally doesn't get assigned any missions. Your work will all be training."
"Things like fighting monsters are usually out of the question. I assume someone told you that before you joined."
The three nodded. They were still inexperienced and didn't have the ability to take part in battles. Even if they went, they would only get in the way.
They knew that perfectly well.
Hibiki Gousuke nodded. "Good. In that case, let's get started with your training!"
He handed over the dumbbell in his hand, still damp with sweat.
Koda Toshiyuki took it with a slightly vacant expression and casually began lifting it up and down.
That movement earned an approving nod from Hibiki Gousuke.
Just as the group was getting into their training, the door opened again.
In red-and-white uniforms and with familiar faces, Shinjoh and Daigo—the crash-landing duo—walked in.
"Sorry to interrupt," Daigo said sheepishly.
Hibiki Gousuke immediately went over to them. "Is there something you need help with?"
His warm reception only made Shinjoh and Daigo feel awkward. They exchanged glances, and in the end, Daigo spoke up.
"Well, Shinjoh said last time that you were in great shape, so we wanted to come here and learn from you."
Hibiki Gousuke nodded in understanding. "Souka. No problem."
He turned and saw the three recruits had stopped training. His voice suddenly rose again. "What are you standing around for? Get moving!"
The three of them immediately started working out as if their tails were on fire.
His booming voice startled Daigo. Shinjoh shrugged, indicating that he'd been through the same thing before.
"Captain, leave those two to me." Zhou Hong jogged over to Hibiki Gousuke and flashed Daigo a "brilliant" smile.
Zhou Hong was far superior to him in fitness and hand-to-hand combat, so Hibiki Gousuke readily agreed.
Looking at the burly man in front of him, Daigo felt a chill and shrank back.
He had a bad feeling about this.
Hibiki Gousuke took the three recruits to train on the other side. Zhou Hong picked up a pair of boxing gloves. "Basic fitness training doesn't do much. Hand-to-hand combat is what really builds your strength and willpower."
As he spoke, he threw a right punch. For an instant, his fist seemed to vanish. All that remained in their field of vision were three streaks of light, like ribbons.
The crimson trails made Daigo and Shinjoh swallow hard.
Hey! A hit like that could kill someone!
Shinjoh slapped his cheeks, unwilling to let the rookie look down on him as a member of GUTS. He charged forward with great determination.
A beautiful jab crossed the distance between them. His bright eyes slowly closed, and Zhou Hong gently lowered his leaning body to the floor.
"Shinjoh!" Daigo stared in alarm at Shinjoh's limp body.
Shinjoh had taught him how to fight, after all. If he'd gone down that fast, how was Daigo supposed to hold out?
What kind of monster was this guy?
"Don't worry. I know how to control my strength. He'll wake up in half an hour."
Zhou Hong gestured for Daigo to come over. "His fighting skills aren't very good. Yours are only a little better."
"If I were the same size as a monster, I could beat most of them with hand-to-hand combat alone."
Using Shinjoh as a reference, Daigo now had a rough idea of how strong the man in front of him was. If he learned a few moves, fighting monsters would probably be much easier in the future.
He seriously assumed a fighting stance. He knew he couldn't match Zhou Hong's physical strength, but he still charged forward.
Zhou Hong caught Daigo's ordinary straight punch by the wrist and struck him in the stomach with his left hand.
Zhou Hong shook his head helplessly. Thanks to Tiga's gift, Daigo had learned a little about fighting, but his basic strength was far too weak.
"Huh? That didn't hurt?"
The seemingly heavy punch had landed on his stomach, but it didn't hurt at all. Daigo looked at Zhou Hong in confusion.
Their fighting stances brought them very close together. Zhou Hong leaned close to Daigo's ear.
"If Ultraman really is like the one in Tsuburaya Productions' shows, then I think if a human's physical abilities improve, the Ultra Warriors would get stronger too."
Daigo pondered this.
While Daigo was distracted, a heavy punch slammed into his cheek and knocked him flat.
"Too green. You got distracted while fighting me?"
The four people in the distance watched Zhou Hong standing beside the two "corpses," trembling with fear.
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