"The King of Ultra must be stirring up trouble again!"
Once more, the King of Ultra stopped Laiha, just as in the original storyline.
His voice reached only Laiha's ears, so when Leito and Riku saw her lower her sword, both were surprised.
Just moments ago, she had been crying out for vengeance, swearing to kill Fukude Kei—so why had she suddenly stopped?
For Yu Zhou, killing Fukude Kei could only be a good thing. Once Belial emerged, he would undoubtedly try to destroy him. If Kei were eliminated now, it would disrupt Belial's plans and give Yu Zhou far more safety.
But the King of Ultra didn't want Kei dead. That could only mean one thing: he wanted Belial to come out and crush Yu Zhou himself!
Still, Yu Zhou wasn't one of the Ultras of the Land of Light—the King had no authority over him.
Laiha's resolve faltered at the King's voice, her emotions torn and heavy. But then Yu Zhou snatched the sword from her hands and thrust it straight at Kei. She didn't even know whether to feel relieved or horrified.
Kei, who had just relaxed after seeing Laiha lower her weapon, instantly panicked again. In desperation, he conjured a dark crimson energy shield, blocking Yu Zhou's strike.
Zero too swung his fist down at Kei's head, but his blow, like Yu Zhou's, bounced harmlessly off the barrier.
Kei smiled faintly, then vanished before their eyes.
"He escaped?" Zero muttered, frustrated. "The prey was already cooked—and it just flew away?"
"Damn it!" Yu Zhou clenched his fists. "One of these days, I'm going to the Land of Light myself and demand answers. Why wouldn't the King let Kei die?!"
If the plan to wipe out the Ultra Brothers truly originated with Zoffy, then Yu Zhou would make sure to have a serious talk with him.
But there was no fixing it now. Kei had slipped away again, and all they could do was wait until he surfaced next time.
Yu Zhou still held Zero's capsule in his hand. He didn't have a Riser, so he wasn't even sure he could use it—but until Riku obtained his next capsule, Yu Zhou decided to keep hold of it. Whether he'd let Riku use it later… that was another matter entirely.
Just as they were about to leave the mountains, Laiha's communicator lit up with a report from RE.M..
"Detection confirmed: the Little Star."
"What?!"
Everyone froze. RE.M. hadn't detected any trace of the Little Star earlier—so why was it suddenly appearing now?
Yu Zhou was just as stunned. In the original story, the only Little Star had been inside Mayu, but Yu Zhou already held her capsule. So why was RE.M. detecting another one?
And Mayu herself wasn't even here!
"Over here!" Riku didn't hesitate, sprinting toward the coordinates RE.M. provided.
The others rushed after him, equally curious about this anomaly.
Their path led them to a dilapidated temple deep in the mountains. Inside, a small yellow-haired dog whimpered softly.
"…This dog?"
The signal pointed exactly here. Yet the temple held nothing but this little stray. Could the Little Star really be within the dog?
"What kind of temple is this…" Leito muttered, adjusting his glasses as he studied the worn stone statues. "They're so weathered you can't even see the faces anymore."
Everyone turned toward the main altar. A single statue stood there, features eroded by countless storms. It looked vaguely human, but nothing more could be made out.
"This place originally had two statues," Laiha noted, pointing at an empty slab beside the altar. "See? The foundation stone is the same."
"Stolen, maybe?" Riku guessed.
Yu Zhou only gave the statues a brief glance before crouching down to the little yellow dog. The animal's eyes were wet with grief as it whimpered.
"…Its expression feels almost human."
Yu Zhou thought for a moment. If the Little Star was really inside this dog, then some supernatural signs weren't impossible.
After a moment, the pup tugged at his pant leg, then padded toward the temple entrance. Every few steps, it looked back at him.
"You want me to follow you?"
Yu Zhou stood and trailed after it. The others hurried along too, curious to see what it was leading them to.
The dog led them through the forest, until the sound of rushing water grew louder and louder.
Before long, a massive waterfall came into view—wide and powerful, the water crashing into stone with deafening force.
"Woof! Woof!"
The yellow dog barked at Yu Zhou, then turned its snout toward the waterfall.
"What's it trying to say?" Laiha frowned, unsettled by the urgency in its voice.
"Maybe it's thirsty?" Leito raised a finger tentatively.
"Would you come all the way to a waterfall just to drink?" Laiha shot back.
"…Fair point." Leito coughed awkwardly.
"Maybe it wants to swim?" Riku suggested. "I've seen dogs that love playing in rivers."
"Then you try swimming under a waterfall," Laiha retorted with a glare.
"…Right, not likely." Riku scratched his head, embarrassed.
But Yu Zhou's sharp eyes caught something. "Look there."
On a rocky ledge jutting from the waterfall, a small black dog lay sprawled, drenched and barely moving.
"The yellow dog wants us to save it!" Riku exclaimed.
Yu Zhou nodded. The pup hadn't just been grieving—it had come seeking help. If the black dog had fallen into the waterfall, only that rock had kept it from being dashed to its death.
"I'll go."
With a leap alone, it was too risky to reach the ledge. So Yu Zhou pulled out the Spark Lens, pressed it to his chest, and transformed into human-sized Tiga.
Laiha blinked, stunned. She hadn't realized an Ultraman could shrink down like that.
Yu Zhou soared across the falls, scooped up the soaked black dog, and returned it safely to the ground.
"Woof! Woof!"
The yellow pup barked joyfully as Yu Zhou set its companion down, then canceled his transformation.
But the black dog looked frail, its breathing shallow. It might not have long.
The yellow pup sniffed at its friend, whining desperately. Then it tugged Yu Zhou's pants again and barked once.
"…You're asking me to save it?"
Yu Zhou frowned. Healing wasn't his specialty—Ultraman Cosmos was far more suited to that. But perhaps if Geed used his Solid Burning form, he might buy the pup some time.