The newcomer was the alien Yu Zhou had first encountered—the Hipporit alien.
In the world of the Super Ultraman Eight Brothers, Yu Zhou and Daigo had defeated him together.
Accompanying him were two other aliens: the round-headed Gatsu alien and an Imperial alien. The Imperial alien's body was a deep navy blue and, like the Hipporit alien, had a geoduck-like protrusion on his face—though far smaller.
Yu Zhou was already too exasperated to comment on their appearances. In the original storyline, these three had been summoned by the movie boss, Mruna, using a dark ring and cards.
As the three aliens appeared, they unleashed their attacks, incapacitating Orb and swiftly whisking him away. Sadis, watching, was visibly annoyed.
"What the heck? I was just getting into it!" he grumbled, patting his head in frustration.
Yu Zhou knew this segment of the story well. Gai would be taken into the villa for a conversation, unharmed for the time being, with SSP and Gagula arriving later to rescue him.
So Yu Zhou sheathed his Shining Stick, deciding not to intervene against Sadis yet, wary of altering the storyline.
Quietly leaving the park, Yu Zhou aimed to locate the villa's original position. This extra-dimensional space mirrored the outside world closely; finding the path back would lead him to the captured Gai.
Upon exiting the park, Yu Zhou found himself on a familiar street and followed the memory of the route toward the villa.
The streets of this dimension were eerily empty, a deserted world.
As he walked, he spotted Naomi, Matsutoshi, Hayami Shenta, and Shibukawa, running frantically in his direction. Behind them, the round-headed Gatsu alien pursued relentlessly.
"Just like the original story… they followed," Yu Zhou muttered, shaking his head.
Despite their lack of combat ability, Naomi and the others somehow survived every encounter—miracles of the protagonist's aura, perhaps.
"Yu Zhou, help!" Naomi cried out, spotting him.
Without hesitation, Yu Zhou leapt forward, frying pan in one hand and Victory Heppa Gun in the other, blocking the Gatsu alien's path.
Two quick shots struck the alien's oversized, round head, sending puffs of smoke curling into the air.
"Ouch!" it shouted, staggering backward.
Yu Zhou fired several more rounds, then swung the frying pan onto its head with a clang, knocking it to the ground.
Shibukawa, ever the Ultraman ally, drew his sidearm and added a few final shots. The Gatsu alien lay still—unconscious or incapacitated, it was impossible to tell.
"All done," Yu Zhou said, holstering his weapons and turning to the group.
"Thank you so much, Yu Zhou!" Naomi exclaimed, her gratitude palpable. "You've saved us twice now!"
"No problem, just a small favor," Yu Zhou waved it off.
"Wait, wasn't Gai with you?" Hayami Shenta asked, glancing around. "Where is he?"
"Gai… he was captured," Yu Zhou replied plainly.
"What?!" The group collectively gasped. For Naomi, who knew Gai's identity as Ultraman Orb, this was almost unbelievable—how could someone capture Orb?
"Do you know where he was taken?" Naomi pressed, worry etched across her face.
"To that villa," Yu Zhou answered.
"The villa!" Matsutoshi exclaimed. "We fell from there just now!"
"I know," Yu Zhou nodded. "Gai and I fell from there too."
"So, how do we get back?" Shibukawa asked, hands on his hips, standing over the defeated Gatsu alien.
"This extra-dimensional space should correspond with the villa's original location. We just need to return there," Yu Zhou explained.
"Then let's go!"
The group followed Yu Zhou, moving through the dimension to the villa. Upon reaching it, they opened the door—and the space twisted violently, plunging them into a wormhole.
Moments later, they staggered to their feet, finding themselves back on the villa's upper floor—the place they had originally departed from.
"We're really back!" Hayami Shenta said, scanning the surroundings to confirm.
"Wait, to avoid any more aliens, I'll change into my combat suit first," Naomi said, opening her backpack to switch into the SSP-designed outfit.
Yu Zhou started to protest, thinking his presence made it unnecessary, but Naomi had already begun changing. The four men turned away politely.
The combat suit allowed users to be remotely controlled and execute in-game martial arts moves. Frankly, Yu Zhou doubted its practical effect.
"Ah! The zipper's stuck!" Naomi exclaimed.
Before anyone could assist, a man appeared behind her.
"I'll help you," he said.
It was Gagula, his smile mischievous, reaching for the stuck zipper.
"Ah!" Naomi jumped back, startled, freeing the zipper in the process.
Hayami Shenta and Matsutoshi were also surprised, while Shibukawa remained unflinching, as an experienced Ultraman ally.
"Don't scream so loud," Gagula whispered to Naomi, shushing her.
"You're still alive!" Naomi said, astonished.
"You're trespassing," Gagula said, ignoring her comment. "And you… you returned unscathed. Lucky, aren't you?" His gaze shifted to Yu Zhou, then he said no more.
"You're up to something again, aren't you?" Naomi asked warily.
"What's good and what's evil?" Gagula replied, eyes locked on her. "It depends on perspective. Remember that."
Yu Zhou nodded thoughtfully—true, morality is relative. For example, the Lightning Beings in the Dyna world had the right to exist on Earth, but humans saw them as evil.
"Follow me," Gagula said, walking toward the end of the corridor.
Naomi and the others looked to Yu Zhou, awaiting his judgment. Among them, he was clearly the strongest combatant.