"Ultraman Mebius has already been defeated by me, a Hipporitian!"
"This world has no obstacles left!"
"Just wait for the moment humanity perishes!"
From a distance, Yu Zhou watched the Hipporitian ranting in incomprehensible Japanese. He couldn't make out the words, but the smug posture and booming tone told him everything: this alien was being unbearably arrogant.
To make matters worse, after finishing its declaration, the creature let out a grotesque laugh, then stroked that obscene elephant-trunk-like growth on its face with its thick, three-fingered hand. With a swirl of black smoke, it vanished into the sky.
"That's disgusting!" Yu Zhou groaned, shuddering. "Fine, be arrogant, leave if you want — I probably couldn't beat you right now anyway. But did you really have to touch that thing on your face before disappearing?!"
Now that the Hipporitian was gone, Yu Zhou could only sigh. If he were to fight, it would probably have to be in some final showdown. But then… Daigo would transform into Tiga. What would happen to him, the other Tiga?
He shook his head quickly. Forget it. Thinking too much won't help.
Stepping out of the empty alley, Yu Zhou found the streets deserted. His stomach growled. With a thick skin, he slipped into a bakery, scarfed down a few loaves of bread, and even pocketed some for lunch and dinner.
Hey, it's not like anyone's here. Besides, you need food to fight monsters.
The bigger problem was where to stay that night.
Should I try finding Daigo? No, I don't even speak the language… and we're strangers on top of that.
Time slipped by quickly. Rather than wander around aimlessly, Yu Zhou settled near the shore where Mebius now stood frozen as a bronze statue, waiting to see how things would unfold.
By evening, rain began to fall. Hugging his stash of bread, Yu Zhou looked for shelter — only to spot a familiar figure.
Daigo.
Though of course, the familiarity was one-sided.
"Tell me, Mebius — what should I do?!" Daigo shouted, standing in the rain before the statue. His face was tight with worry. "How can I awaken the seven warriors?!"
But the bronze figure of Mebius remained motionless, offering no reply.
Yu Zhou couldn't understand the words, but knowing the story, he guessed Daigo was desperately searching for a miracle.
Just as Yu Zhou considered approaching him — maybe even finding a place to stay through Daigo — a phantom figure appeared before the man. Gradually, the silhouette solidified.
A little girl in a white dress.
Yu Zhou froze.
Another little girl? This time in white?
Meanwhile, Daigo stepped forward. "Who are you?!"
"You really have forgotten," the girl said softly. "So soon, I'll vanish from this world as well. If Ultraman disappears from children's hearts… if they lose their dreams… then I will fade away, and the entire universe will become their plaything."
"Their? Who are they?" Daigo pressed, confused.
But the girl didn't answer. Instead, she urged, "Remember quickly! Only then can you save this world!"
"What am I supposed to remember? Who are you?!"
Her words faded with her form, dissolving into the rain until she was gone.
Yu Zhou had seen everything — though he hadn't understood a word. Still, it felt like watching the plot of the movie unfold live before his eyes.
Then Daigo turned suddenly, noticing Yu Zhou.
"You…!" He rushed over. "That little girl just now, in the white dress — did you see her too? Cute, wasn't she?!"
Yu Zhou blinked. He only caught two words out of the flood of Japanese: "A-re-wa" and "kawaii."
Scratching his head, he switched to clumsy English. "Uh… I'm Yu Zhou. Chinese. Don't really speak Japanese."
Daigo sighed, realizing the issue. "Ah… I see. Then hello, you can call me Daigo."
Yu Zhou understood enough scattered English to get by. He nodded.
"By the way, that cute girl you mentioned," he added, "I saw her too."
"You did? That's great! I thought it was just a hallucination!" Daigo's eyes lit up with relief.
Yu Zhou pointed at the rain pouring from the sky, then at their soaked clothes. Daigo quickly caught on and led him away from the seashore.
Soon, they were sitting in a small café. Daigo pulled out his phone, using a translation app.
Yu Zhou was stunned. Seriously? He had this the whole time? That'll make things way easier.
"Yu Zhou, you saw and heard everything between me and the girl, right?" Daigo asked through the app, his Japanese converted into Chinese.
"Yes," Yu Zhou replied. His answer was relayed back in Japanese.
"I want to ask you something: do you believe in parallel universes?" Daigo asked earnestly.
"I do," Yu Zhou answered without hesitation. He already knew the story — how Daigo had dreamed of the Ultra Brothers and learned that people close to him were their human hosts, even if no one believed him.
"That's wonderful!" Daigo shouted, loud enough not to need translation. His face shone with relief — finally, someone believed him.
"Then do you believe our world has Ultramen?"
"Of course," Yu Zhou replied, sipping his coffee. "Didn't we just see one with our own eyes?"
"You're right!" Daigo exclaimed. "I doubted my dreams at first, but now everything is clear! If monsters and Ultramen have appeared, and I'm dreaming about eight Ultra Warriors returning to save the world, then that dream must be real! And those warriors — they're all people I know!"
He leaned forward, eyes blazing. "Thank you, Yu Zhou-kun!"
Yu Zhou smiled faintly. "Don't thank me yet. Let me tell you a secret."
"What secret?"
"The Ultra Warriors aren't just eight."
"What?!" Daigo froze. In his dream, there had only been eight. But Yu Zhou spoke with absolute certainty.
"Did you dream it too?" Daigo asked.
"Not exactly. It's… hard to explain. You'll see when the time comes." Yu Zhou left it at that. The story would play itself out.
"Alright," Daigo said, deciding not to push further.
Then Yu Zhou hesitated before adding, "By the way, I don't have anywhere to stay… Daigo-kun, could you help me find a place for the time being?"
Daigo stared in disbelief. "You don't have a place to live? That's… incredible."
"…Why does that sound insulting?" Yu Zhou muttered.
In the end, thanks to Daigo's kindness, Yu Zhou was set up in a small inn, using Daigo's ID for registration. Only someone like Daigo would trust a stranger with no background at all.
He even lent Yu Zhou some money for meals. Whether Yu Zhou would ever repay it was another question — but if he had the chance, he figured he'd better.