The next morning, Yu Zhou was jolted awake by explosions outside.
"Whose demolition crew is blasting away so early? So noisy!" he grumbled, rubbing his eyes.
Then it hit him."Wait… demolition? Explosions?""Oh, crap—almost forgot I'm in the world of Ultraman and kaiju!"
He jumped out of bed, washed up in record time, grabbed a piece of bread between his teeth, and bolted out of the inn.
The street outside was eerily deserted. The inn too was empty—everyone had fled. And no wonder: two giant monsters had clawed their way out of the ground nearby.
Both beasts sported twin horns, jagged fangs, and hulking builds. Yu Zhou recognized them instantly: Gomess's cousin, Silbagon and Goldras.
They stomped down the street, crushing cars and tearing up infrastructure, their claws ripping through steel and concrete. Buildings collapsed into rubble around them.
The nation's military scrambled fighter jets to intercept, unleashing missile salvos. Explosions lit the monsters' bodies, smoke clouds billowing… but according to the timeless "smoke means no damage" rule, the creatures emerged unscathed.
Yu Zhou frowned.If he transformed now, it wasn't guaranteed he could take them. In the original story, Daigo had turned into Tiga and managed to hold them back—until the Molluscan Alien joined the fight. Tiga, overwhelmed in a three-on-one, was sealed in a transparent cylinder. If Asuka and Gamu hadn't awakened their memories and become Dyna and Gaia, Tiga would've ended up like Mebius—turned into a statue.
"Better wait for Daigo to transform. If I mess with the plot too early, I'll just get myself killed." He decided to seek Daigo first.
Daigo had already joined evacuees heading toward Chinatown. Yu Zhou vaguely remembered this part of the plot, so he followed the crowd and security personnel's gestures. But with no transport, poor sense of direction, and zero Japanese, the journey took all day. By the time he reached Chinatown, the sky was darkening.
Just as Yu Zhou sat down to rest, a black mist descended. Out of it emerged the Molluscan Alien.
"Humans, despair!" the creature bellowed, laughing eerily.
Summoned by its call, Silbagon and Goldras turned and rampaged toward Chinatown. Silbagon charged up blue fireballs between its horns, blasting buildings apart. Goldras crackled with yellow lightning, tearing through the district like a living wrecking crew.
Panic swept the crowd again.
Yu Zhou groaned, massaging his sore legs."I've been walking all day—I can't move another step. Forget it! If you dare come here, I'll skip waiting for Daigo and take you down myself!"
Nearby, a suited man shouted at the crowd in urgent Japanese, trying to drive them toward safety. Yu Zhou couldn't understand the words—but when he looked closer, he recognized the man.
"Daigo!"
Daigo spotted him too."Yu Zhou?"
Names were easy enough to recognize even without translation. Daigo ran over, grabbed Yu Zhou by the arm, and pulled him along.
Yu Zhou hadn't caught a word, but if Daigo said run, then run it was. His legs screamed in protest—he was still just a couch potato at heart.
They finally ducked into a safe corner. Daigo pulled out his phone, opening a translation app.
"Yu Zhou, what did you want to tell me?" he asked.
Yu Zhou was ready to spill it: that he himself was an Ultraman. From what he remembered, once Daigo and the others learned that, their memories would awaken and they'd obtain their transformation devices.
But before he could speak, a deep, weathered voice interrupted from behind.
"Daigo… that's what you told us when you were little. 'As long as you don't give up until the very end, Ultraman will come.'"
Yu Zhou spun around—and his eyes nearly popped out.
Standing there were Hayata, Dan Moroboshi, and Seiji Hokuto.The human hosts of Ultraman, Ultraseven, and Ultraman Ace.
Absolute legends.
"Only Jack is missing…" Yu Zhou thought. In the original, Hideki Gō—Jack's host—was hospitalized at this point. He would appear later.
Daigo stared at his three "uncles," torn. He knew they might be Ultramen, but how could he ask them outright to transform?
Seiji Hokuto pressed a hand to his chest."The reason we never forgot our dreams is because your faith in Ultraman left its mark in our hearts."
"Forgot… dreams?" Daigo murmured, thoughtful.
"Yes. You always believed in Ultraman." Hayata's words pierced straight into his soul.
Daigo recalled his childhood days, standing with Asuka and Gamu, playing at being Ultramen. Suddenly, everything clicked. His eyes widened in realization.
The three veterans smiled at him, nodding knowingly.
Yu Zhou didn't understand the Japanese, but he saw the look on Daigo's face. Daigo had realized it: he was Ultraman.
"Yu Zhou, what was it you wanted to tell me?" Daigo asked again through the translator.
Yu Zhou smiled slyly, imitating the veterans' meaningful expression."What I wanted to tell you—you already know."
Daigo froze. If his uncles knowing was one thing, Yu Zhou knowing too was a shock.
But there was no time. "I'll explain later—Uncles, Yu Zhou, I'm going first!" Daigo shouted, then sprinted toward the rampaging monsters.
That left Yu Zhou standing awkwardly with the three legends.
"Uh…" He wanted to talk, but the language barrier loomed. He mumbled nonsense syllables, trying and failing to sound Japanese.
"Who is this?" Dan Moroboshi asked, puzzled.
"I'm Yu Zhou, Daigo's friend! You elders keep chatting—I'll go check on him. Bye-bye!" Yu Zhou blurted in Chinese, waved, and dashed off.
The three exchanged looks. Of his whole speech, they'd only caught one word: "Bye-bye."
Hayata chuckled. "This kid's… interesting."
"He gives off a gentle, familiar aura," Hokuto added with a nod.