UGF Christmas Special (One-shot)

### Characters

Bái Lóng Héxié Hóng Táu Tàiyáng-Rén Wèi Mín First Brother Seventh Brother Tenth Brother Santa Claus Spring Bandit Autumn Bandit Yaling Hsu

The Ultra Guardian Force Christmas Special is a 2033 one-shot comic book, published by Ember Comics in December of that year. It follows Ember's Chinese superhero characters (including former members of the Ultra Guardian Force and 10 Brothers) in an adventure to save Santa Claus.

## Plot

The comic opens with the Spring and Autumn Bandits ambushing Santa during a routine trip of his across Northern China. This is detected as a magical disturbance by Bái Lóng, who rallies the rest of her UGF teammates to rescue him. Wèi Mín has been following the Bandits after a series of raids they performed on Chinese Government holding facility. He is discovered by the Autumn Bandit whilst spying on the pairs and knocked unconscious. Several hours later, Yaling Hsu dispatches the First, Seventh and Tenth Brothers to locate Wèi Mín, due to his radio silence. The two groups (the remaining UGF and 10 Brothers members) converge upon Wèi Mín's last known location. The teams clash before Tenth Brother intercedes and breaks them up, saying they should work together.

The heroes enter a series of ice tunnels under the ground and Bái Lóng uses her 'Dragon-Senses' to locate Santa within the complex, whilst the Brothers track Wèi Mín's transponder to a different part of the caves. They split, with Hóng Táu, Tàiyáng-Rén, and Tenth Brother going to free Wèi Mín, whilst the other search for the Bandits and Santa Claus. The first group converse as they search the tunnels, and Tenth Brother reveals his insecurities about working for the Government. The second group continue to argue, until the come across the Bandits, who perform a magic ritual on Santa.

The heroes rush in, to interrupt the ritual but the process was already complete, and the Bandits had enhanced their own abilities with Santa's 'winter magic'. Spring Bandit launches himself at Seventh Brother (who had grown in height), and dispatches him with one strike. A battle ensues between the remaining heroes and the Bandits, with a bound and depowered Santa watching on. The other team discover Wéi Mín locked in a cage and free him. He turns on his liberators as soon as he can, attacking them and beginning a brawl between the two factions. Meanwhile, Wéi Mín urges Tenth Brother to assist him in the fight, though the latter remains scared, eventually stepping to strike Wéi Mín from behind, knocking him out. Hóng Táu's terracotta soldiers carry Wéi Mín as the group race to help the others.

Back with the Bandits, they seem to have the upper hand, with Héxié having been defeated and Bái Lóng and First Brother becoming cornered. The pair bicker, split between allegiance to the government. Tàiyáng-Rén blasts the Bandits from behind, allowing all the remaining heroes to regroup. Tenth Brother uses his hydrokinesis to melt Santa's ice-restraints, freeing him, he tells him that he can use his powers to help regain his power. Whilst Hóng Táu overwhelms the Autumn Bandit with Terracotta Soldiers, Tenth Brother and Santa Claus use an incantation to release the powers from him. However, these powers travel into Spring Bandit, making him twice as powerful - and unstable. He easily defeats First Brother and Tàiyáng-Rén, but in doing so, destabilises the caves, which begin to collapse. Bái Lóng carries Tenth Brother and launches him at Spring Bandit, trapping him in some ice, and knocking the power out of him. Santa reabsorbs all the powers, and holds the caves in place long enough for the heroes to escape. Seventh Brother carries Wéi Mín and the Bandits, and the group make it out, though Santa, for a moment, appears to have been trapped in the rubble, before reappearing.

Whilst Tenth Brother uses surrounding snow to freeze the Bandits in ice-restraints, the two opposing groups have a brief stand-off, with the Brothers suggesting they should arrest the UGF. Tenth Brother, once finished, rejoins, but instead of standing with his Brothers, he moves alongside the UGF, claiming that he no longer wishes to work as a government hero. First Brother's resolve falters at this and allows the group to leave. Santa aids them in their flight. Wéi Mín only then regains consciousness and asks what happened. Back at the Great Wall Tower, Hsu berates the Brother's for their failure in capturing the UGF, as well as their loss of Tenth Brother. As she tells them that they are lucky that they are not imprisoned along with the Spring and Autumn Bandits, First Brother smirks.