"What? No monster?" Munakata looked at Horii in disbelief.
"That's right. From a scientific standpoint, that creature doesn't exist at all." Horii nodded, his eyes fixed on the analysis results displayed on the computer screen.
That day, the Victory Team had been dispatched after receiving reports of a monster sighting. Yet no matter how they attacked, their weapons struck nothing but air. Even the Victory Swallow shot through several buildings by mistake, unable to make contact with the so-called monster.
Horii's analysis confirmed the strange truth: the data showed that in that area, there was never any monster at all.
"Doesn't exist? But I saw it with my own eyes!" Shinjo folded his arms, frowning hard.
"Right… even the camera on the Victory Swallow didn't record any image of it," Rena added, unsettled.
"Could it be… what we saw was only a phantom?" Daigo murmured, uncertainty in his voice.
"Advisor Yu Zhou, what's your opinion on this?" Captain Megumi turned to the side, where Yu Zhou had been silently thinking.
Yu Zhou already knew exactly what this was. The monster was Bakugon—born from the twisted resentment of a man who had been betrayed by his lover. Through coincidence, cosmic radiation combined with his brainwaves, manifesting the monster from his dreams into reality.
Of course, Yu Zhou wasn't going to reveal all of this. If he laid everything bare, Daigo would just finish it in a single strike again. This time, Yu Zhou had his own curiosity to satisfy.
"It's been a while since I've taken action myself… maybe this is a good chance to try something," Yu Zhou thought, keeping his reasoning to himself.
"For this monster," Yu Zhou said aloud, "I'll need to observe it personally before giving any conclusion."
"Eh? Even Yu Zhou doesn't know?" Shinjo blurted out. Ever since Yu Zhou had joined, he had always provided precise information on monsters and aliens. To hear him admit uncertainty now was a shock.
"Interesting… so even our Advisor doesn't have all the answers," Megumi remarked with a small smile.
Yu Zhou only spread his hands helplessly. Of course he couldn't exactly say he just wanted to test whether he could transform into Tiga inside a dream.
"Horii, was there anything unusual in that area?" Megumi asked again.
"Yes. There are records of cosmic radiation being detected," Horii replied, pulling up the data onto the main screen.
"Cosmic radiation?" Yu Zhou echoed, pretending to ponder. Since Horii had already figured this much out, Yu Zhou decided to reveal just a hint—enough to prepare Daigo without spoiling everything.
"If it's connected to that radiation," Yu Zhou said seriously, "then I know a bit. Sometimes cosmic radiation can resonate with the brainwaves of people who are dreaming… causing what they dream to manifest into reality."
"You mean… that monster was created by someone's dream?" Kariya exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Exactly." Yu Zhou nodded and even gave him a thumbs-up for catching on quickly.
"Born from a dream…" Daigo narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.
That night, the betrayed man once again fell into his dreams, and Bakugon reappeared in the city, tearing down buildings with fiery breath.
Daigo and Rena piloted the Victory Swallow I, while Shinjo, Kariya, and Munakata manned Victory Swallow II. They scrambled to intercept.
Yu Zhou, however, was not on board. Instead, he had bought a folding lounge chair from a shop, carried it to the rooftop of a tall building, and settled in to watch.
The Swallows opened fire, but as before, every shot passed straight through Bakugon as though it were an illusion. The monster, however, could destroy buildings and scorch the streets with its orange flames.
Yu Zhou only watched for a moment, then reclined back and closed his eyes. Soon, he drifted into slumber.
And there it was—inside his dream, Yu Zhou found himself on the same rooftop, watching his own sleeping body lying on the chair. A strange, exhilarating sensation washed over him.
"…Interesting."
From his coat, he drew out the Spark Lens, raised it high, and pressed the trigger.
Light engulfed him.
Meanwhile, Bakugon roared and spewed fire at the two Swallows. Victory Swallow II evaded, but Victory Swallow I was struck hard. The cockpit shook violently, knocking Rena unconscious in the back seat.
Daigo's face tightened. He pulled out the Spark Lens—
—but before he could press it, a giant hand appeared, bathed in radiant light. It caught Victory Swallow I gently, placing it safely on the ground.
Inside the cockpit, Daigo froze. He looked at the Spark Lens in his hand, unactivated, and then out the window—
A silver, red, and purple giant stood between the monster and the city. White eyes gleamed, a cerulean timer gem pulsed, and three golden crests shone across his chest.
It was Ultraman Tiga.
Daigo's jaw clenched, his face filled with shock.
"This… impossible!"
He hadn't transformed. And yet—Tiga stood right there.
What was happening?
"Da… Daigo…" Rena stirred awake, dazed, and whispered his name.
Quickly, Daigo stowed the Spark Lens, unbuckled his harness, and carried Rena down to safety.
"Rena, are you alright?" he asked softly.
She blinked, then glanced past him at the towering giant battling the monster.
"Daigo… was it Tiga who saved us?"
"…Yes. That's right." His voice carried a tangle of emotions he couldn't put into words.
"Funny, isn't it?" Rena smiled faintly. "You've always said you were unlucky, that you never got to see Tiga up close. Now you finally have."
"…Mm." Daigo forced a smile back at her, though his mind was reeling.
Bakugon wasn't strong. Its danger lay only in its untouchable dream-form. Against Yu Zhou's Tiga, it was nothing.
A few hand-blades of light tore into Bakugon's body, making it wail in pain.
"…Too weak," Yu Zhou muttered in irritation. Even minor techniques left it writhing.
Without wasting time, he delivered a flying kick, knocking the monster down, then instinctively charged up a finishing beam. In a flash, Bakugon was obliterated.
It was almost disappointing—this was only its second appearance, still in an unrefined form. Even at its strongest, Bakugon was a minor threat. But now, it had been dispatched with laughable ease.
As Yu Zhou's Tiga prepared to take off, a voice called up from the ground.
"Tiga! Wait!"
It was Daigo.
Rena looked at him strangely, but stayed silent.
Yu Zhou turned his gaze downward.
"Tiga! I want to ask you something!" Daigo shouted, his expression sharp. "Are you truly one of the giants of light from 30 million years ago?"
Yu Zhou paused. So that's how Daigo chose to ask, framing it in myth rather than exposing himself in front of Rena.
He gave no reply. Instead, Tiga rose into the sky, dissolving into light until he vanished completely.
Daigo clenched his fists, staring up at the empty heavens.