Even though he had escaped into the sky, running away wasn't really Yu Zhou's style.
Daigo, Asuka, and all the members of Super Victory Team on the ground had been hypnotized by Bao-on's cry. If he didn't return to fix the situation, it would never be resolved.
But Bao-on's hypnotic power was truly formidable — even Yu Zhou had started to feel drowsy the moment he heard that beast's cry.
"What should I do now…"
Scratching his head, Yu Zhou began to think. Bao-on's hypnotic ability was absurdly strong — any living being who heard its cry would immediately fall asleep. And Ultramen were no exception; they too were beings of light and life.
"Wait, I've got it!"
Yu Zhou slapped his forehead as an idea struck him. A small spark of light appeared in his palm. He tossed it into the air, and from it shot out a bright streak of energy that materialized before him.
"Tiga, I choose you!"
The light revealed itself to be Dika — the imitation Tiga created by the Alien Chern, which Yu Zhou had captured earlier using the Charija Capsule.
Since Dika was an artificial Tiga made from data and machinery, he wasn't truly a living being. That meant Bao-on's hypnotic cries shouldn't affect him.
In other words, he was the perfect candidate for this mission.
As soon as Dika emerged from the capsule, he looked around curiously. When Yu Zhou gave his command, the fake Tiga nodded and flew down toward the ground.
Landing beside the fallen Asuka and Daigo, Dika tilted his head in confusion, then turned toward the sleeping Bao-on — who was snoring so loudly it shook the nearby rocks.
After crying for so long, Bao-on had exhausted itself and fallen fast asleep again.
Seeing his target sound asleep, Dika bent his knees, raised his hands in an L-shape, and prepared to fire a beam of light.
"Stop right there!"
A sharp sound cut through the air. Yu Zhou dove down from above and wrapped his arms around Dika, halting the attack just in time.
He had originally come down to observe what Dika would do and check on Bao-on's condition — only to find this scene.
Thankfully, Dika was obedient. The moment Yu Zhou shouted "stop," he cancelled his beam attack immediately — though it helped that Yu Zhou was hugging him tightly enough to keep him from moving.
When Dika stood down, Yu Zhou finally released him and sighed in relief.
"Looks like I'll need to be more specific with my orders next time," Yu Zhou muttered. "Otherwise, who knows what this mechanical Tiga might decide to do on his own."
After all, Yu Zhou's earlier command had simply been, "Go down and take care of this situation."
That gave Dika a lot of freedom — and for an Ultraman, "taking care of a situation" usually meant destroying the monster.
Still, what Dika did next made Yu Zhou rather proud.
Dika paused for a moment, as if thinking, then looked around. Spotting a mountain stream nearby, he walked toward it. With a wave of his hand, water from the stream floated up into the air, forming a swirling ribbon of water.
Leading the floating water back toward the two unconscious Ultramen, Dika released it. The splash of cold water poured directly onto Daigo's and Asuka's faces.
With a jolt, both men sat up almost simultaneously, groaning and blinking in confusion.
"Yu Zhou-senpai?" Asuka rubbed his head and blinked at the figure before him — Dika.
"I'm over here," Yu Zhou called out from the side.
Asuka turned toward the voice — and his eyes widened in realization. "Then… that's Daigo-senpai!"
Daigo, still groggy, blinked in surprise. "Huh? Did you call me, Asuka?"
Asuka looked from Daigo to Dika, then back to Yu Zhou — and froze, completely dumbfounded.
After a few seconds, the young man finally pieced it together. "Yu Zhou-senpai, that must be the imitation Tiga you captured a while ago — Dika!"
Yu Zhou smiled. "Smart kid. Guess that pig-brain soup is finally working."
Daigo chuckled lightly as he examined Dika. "I heard about this from Asuka, but I didn't think the imitation Tiga would look so much like the real thing."
"Anyway, what do we do about that guy?" Asuka asked, pointing at the sleeping Bao-on.
Yu Zhou folded his arms. "From what I remember, Bao-on likes red-coloured things. Asuka, why don't you switch to your Strong Type form?"
In the original story, the Super Victory Team had tried using red to lure Bao-on away from Earth, but it hadn't worked. In the end, Dyna had to send it back into space himself.
"Eh… will that really work?" Asuka scratched his head, unsure. "Why don't you try transforming into your Power Type instead, senpai?"
Yu Zhou raised a brow. "Since when did you start talking back to your senior like that?"
Asuka froze. "N-no, no, I'll go! I'll go right now!"
In an instant, he transformed into his silver-and-red Strong Type form, walked over to Bao-on, and carefully lifted the sleeping creature into his arms. Then, with a push of his legs, he soared into the sky.
"Come on," Yu Zhou said to Daigo. "Let's follow him — just in case."
Asuka could be reckless sometimes. Better to keep an eye on him before something went wrong.
Daigo nodded and flew up as well, while Yu Zhou recalled Dika back into the Charija Capsule in a stream of light.
He couldn't help but smile. "Not bad. This mechanical Tiga might actually be useful. Maybe next time I won't even need to fight — I'll just send him instead."
Meanwhile, Asuka, clutching the sleeping Bao-on in his arms, looked visibly nervous.
After all, he was holding a monster. A hypnotic monster.
If Bao-on suddenly woke up and cried again, Asuka would fall asleep midair — and at this altitude, that would not end well.
He looked back over his shoulder, spotting Yu Zhou and Daigo following close behind. That made him feel a bit more at ease.
"At least if I fall asleep," he thought, "my seniors can catch me."
But when he turned his head forward again, he froze.
Bao-on's two golden eyes were wide open — staring right at him.
Asuka's own eyes went wide in horror. "Senpai, help me!!"
He immediately threw Bao-on upward — but it was already too late.
The beast's wail erupted once again, drilling straight into Asuka's ears.
Up in the sky, the young Ultraman's body wobbled — and he began to drift into a deep sleep.