Yuzhou couldn't help but notice something strange about his own transformation into Tiga.
In the Ultraman Tiga TV series finale, all the children turned into light and entered Tiga's body, with Daigu controlling Tiga from within.
But when Yuzhou transformed, it was completely different. He didn't feel like he was piloting Tiga's body—he was Tiga. A complete fusion, body and soul.
"Light and human… both at once?" Yuzhou muttered.
Daichi Oozora pondered those words, falling into deep thought.
"There's something else," Yuzhou continued, deciding not to conceal the truth. "I'm not the Tiga from this universe. I come from a parallel world."
Since he would eventually leave this world, it was better to be honest with Daichi now. It would only make things smoother later.
"I see… so Yuzhou-kun came from another universe." Daichi nodded as though it all finally made sense.
"Anyway, let's head back to base first. The X-Devizer's been corroded by Seagorath's beam. I need to see if the Doctor has a solution."
After escaping earlier, Yuzhou had followed Daichi's guidance straight to the XIO base. Now the two of them stood at its entrance.
That "Doctor" Daichi mentioned sparked Yuzhou's memory—if he wasn't mistaken, it should be the Venton alien scientist. The very one who supplied XIO and Ultraman X with all sorts of outlandish black technology.
Yuzhou thought to himself: Since I'm already here, I might as well bring a few toys back to my world.
With Daichi leading the way, Yuzhou entered the base and met the captain, other members of the XIO team, and even Tsurugi and Yuuto, who had arrived earlier. After exchanging brief greetings, he and Daichi proceeded to the Doctor's laboratory.
The so-called Doctor was exactly as Yuzhou remembered—an alien with an absurdly large mouth lined with dazzling white teeth, orange skin, and a pair of eyes perched atop his head like Mr. Krabs from SpongeBob.
"Doctor, let me introduce you. This is Yuzhou," Daichi said.
"An honor to meet you, Doctor," Yuzhou greeted politely. If he wanted any black tech, he needed to establish a good rapport first.
"Hello there!" the Doctor boomed cheerfully, flashing that oversized grin.
"Doctor, could you take a look at the X-Devizer for me?" Daichi pulled the device from his pocket and handed it over.
The Doctor studied it for a moment, nodding. "No problem. I can fix it, but it'll take a little time."
Yuzhou's eyes gleamed with an idea. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Doctor, by any chance… do you have some kind of instant-translation technology?"
"Instant translation? Of course I do!"
Without hesitation, the Doctor handed over an earpiece.
"This device can translate any language in real time. It even has a built-in mic, so whatever you say will be translated instantly for others."
Yuzhou's heart leapt. Perfect. No more worrying about language barriers.
"Doctor, do you happen to have… say, a storage device that folds space? Something to keep items in?" Yuzhou asked again, thick-skinned.
"Certainly!" the Doctor pulled out a bracelet and passed it to him. "With this, you can store and retrieve objects at will. Just remember—it can't hold living beings."
Yuzhou eagerly fastened it around his wrist and pressed the input button. A blue beam shot out, absorbing a book from the table. He tapped the output control, and a holographic image of the book appeared above the bracelet, complete with left-right toggles. With a tap on the projection, the real book materialized in his hand again.
"Doctor, you're incredible!" Yuzhou exclaimed. For the Venton scientist, these marvels were nothing more than casual handouts.
And this wasn't even his greatest achievement. The Doctor could also craft cards containing the powers of Ultramen and monsters, which XIO used to summon beams, weapons, and even holographic kaiju to fight alongside them.
Yuzhou, of course, had no intention of mooching for free. Since he had taken useful tools, he ought to give something in return. An idea struck him.
"Doctor, I hear you've been researching Tiga's card?"
"That's right," the Doctor replied with a nod, surprised by the question. "Daichi must've told you."
Daichi opened his mouth to deny it, but Yuzhou smoothly cut him off.
"Since you've been so generous, allow me to lend you something that might help."
He reached into his jacket and pulled out the Shining Stick—the Spark Prism, Tiga's essential transformation item.
"I thought it was nothing, but—wait, that's…!"
The Doctor's eyes shot upright, trembling with excitement.
"This is the Shining Stick, also known as the Spark Prism. It's what allows me to transform into Tiga," Yuzhou explained calmly.
"Then… that means you really are Ultraman Tiga?!"
The Doctor's genius brain pieced it together instantly.
Yuzhou smiled. "That's right. Would you like to analyze it?"
"Of course!" The Doctor eagerly placed the Shining Stick onto his analyzer. A scan of blue light washed over it, uploading data onto the monitor. Then he carefully returned the item to Yuzhou.
"There—we have what we need!" The Doctor's eyes glittered as the screen displayed both the analysis of the stone statue and the Spark Prism.
Yuzhou hadn't expected it to be that simple. Still, with the Doctor's research now accelerated, he tucked the Shining Stick safely away.
But the calm didn't last.
"Daichi! Bad news!"
Asuna burst into the lab, her face pale with urgency.
"What is it?" Daichi asked quickly.
"Seagorath is heading straight for XIO base!"
Everyone froze. Seagorath was coming here—straight to their doorstep.
Yuzhou's thoughts raced. In the original story, Seagorath forced X back to human form, then burrowed underground, reappearing later at the Kurosaki Company's building to chase the green stone. But because Yuzhou had altered events, that green stone wasn't with Kurosaki anymore—it was here at XIO, brought by Tsurugi.
"Its target is the green stone," Yuzhou said firmly.
"Professor Tsurugi said the same thing!" Asuna confirmed.
"Then we must stop Seagorath before it reaches the base!" Daichi declared, determination blazing in his eyes.
"Don't worry about X," the Doctor said confidently, patting his chest. "I'll handle the Devizer."
"Thank you, Doctor. We're counting on you!" Daichi replied before heading out with Asuna.
Yuzhou followed right after. With Daichi unable to transform, the fight ahead would rest on his shoulders.