"Daigo, Consultant Yuzhou?"
A familiar voice rang out suddenly. The two turned to see Captain Megumi Fujimiya standing at the mouth of the cave, confusion written across her face.
"So, she's found this place after all," Yuzhou thought.
In the original course of events, this was exactly when Megumi—while investigating Masaki Keigo's company—discovered a secret underground passage that led here. This was also when she first realised Daigo's hidden identity.
"Captain?!" Daigo blurted in shock. How did she find them here?
"What are you two doing?" Megumi asked, glancing between them. "A giant calling himself a god just appeared outside. You need to leave now and join the mission!"
She had just received Victory Team's report about the mysterious "godlike" giant.
"Captain, you and Yuzhou go first. I have to stay here," Daigo said firmly, glancing at the converter on the platform where his Sparklence rested.
"Please—just go! I'm begging you!" His tone was desperate.
Yuzhou, of course, had no intention of leaving, but he said evenly, "Captain, please go ahead. I'll stay and help Daigo."
Megumi hesitated for a moment, her gaze lingering on Daigo, then nodded slowly. "Fine. But you two—come back alive. Understood?"
"Understood."
After the brief exchange, she turned and left.
Yuzhou could tell from the way she looked at Daigo that suspicion had already taken root. Just like before, the story hadn't truly changed—Megumi was starting to connect the dots between Daigo, Yuzhou, and Ultraman.
As soon as she was gone, Daigo rushed toward the converter again, but Yuzhou caught his arm.
"Yuzhou, what are you doing?! I have to stop him!" Daigo shouted, panicked.
"I'm not trying to stop you," Yuzhou replied calmly, reaching into his coat. "But if you waste your strength getting shocked again, you'll be too weak to face Masaki."
"Then what am I supposed to do? The Sparklence is still up there!" Daigo snapped.
"Not a problem."
Yuzhou pulled out a Sparklence—and placed it in Daigo's hand.
Daigo froze. "What—?! You—how—?"
Why did Yuzhou have a Sparklence? Wasn't his still lodged in the converter? Was this one real…?
"Don't think too hard. Go, Daigo." Yuzhou flashed him a grin.
He had two Sparklences—one from the X Movie world. Lending one out wasn't a big deal.
"...All right!"
Daigo decided there was no time to question it. Whatever was going on, it could wait until after the battle. He pressed the button, and in a burst of light, Tiga soared into the sky.
Kumamoto City.
Masaki Keigo, now transformed into a colossal figure, stood at the heart of the city. Crowds gathered in awe.
In their minds, Ultraman Tiga was humanity's protector. Surely this one—who looked almost identical—was another ally.
"I am the evolved human," Masaki's voice boomed through the giant's body. "The foolish, outdated humans must obey me if they wish to survive."
He took a single step forward. The ground trembled. Panic spread. The illusion of safety shattered—this Ultraman was no saviour.
Screams broke out as the crowd scattered.
Then, a beam of light streaked down from the sky and struck Masaki square in the chest, sending him crashing backwards.
"The real Tiga has arrived!" Rena shouted from the Victory Jet, eyes shining.
"An Ultraman… fighting another Ultraman," murmured Director Sawai, watching from below.
"No," Megumi said quietly as she approached him. "This is a battle born from the human heart. Tiga—please, you must win."
Her words held both hope and dread. She had already guessed who was beneath the light.
Masaki's giant rose again, but its glow had dimmed. The radiance of reason gave way to the darkness of rage and ambition. His humanity was gone.
The giant went berserk.
Tiga didn't hesitate—he lunged forward and landed a flying kick.
The giant countered, also leaping with a kick of his own. The two strikes passed in a blur, grazing one another—neither side gaining ground.
They landed hard, and the berserk giant immediately swung a fist into a nearby building, reducing it to rubble in one blow.
Tiga rushed in, tackled him to the ground, and punched him square in the face.
The giant roared and shoved him away with brute force. Tiga flipped backwards, landing on his feet, and raised his arms into a fighting stance once more.
The giant came charging, throwing wild punches. Tiga blocked one with crossed arms, absorbing the impact, but the next came in a spinning kick that slammed into his back.
Inside the giant's body, Daigo gritted his teeth. He still remembered that humiliating defeat the other night. This time, he would not lose.
Tiga retaliated with a punch that the giant narrowly dodged—then followed up with his own spinning kick, paying the earlier hit back in full.
Blow after blow, the two giants clashed—mirror images locked in a brutal dance.
From a rooftop overlooking the battlefield, Yuzhou watched the duel unfold, arms crossed.
"Seriously… what are they even doing?" he muttered. The two fought with nearly identical moves; if there were health bars, they'd both be dropping at the same rate.
The fight reached its peak. The berserk giant spread his arms wide, crossing them before his chest as purple energy gathered between his hands. In an L-shaped motion, he fired his beam.
Tiga countered instantly, gathering light into his hands—Zeperion Ray, fired to meet it head-on.
"The form… that's basically a reversed Zeperion Ray," Yuzhou noted. "Figures."
And from his vantage point, Tiga stood on the right side—a position that, by every unspoken law of cinematic battle, could only end in victory.
The two energy beams collided midair.
BOOM!
A violent explosion split the sky. Both giants were thrown backwards by the blast wave, only to rise again and resume the melee, staggering but unyielding.
Watching closely, Yuzhou rubbed his chin. A thought struck him.
"Wait a second… that giant doesn't seem to have any form-changing ability."
Then his eyes lit up.
"Tiga! Try switching to Power Type!" he shouted across the city.
Tiga—no, Daigo—froze for a moment, surprised by the advice. His current strength was evenly matched with the enemy… but maybe Yuzhou was right. Maybe it was time to test it.
He clenched his fists, nodded once.
Worth a try.