He sat up in shock, as if rising from his deathbed—
the sound of a hammer striking a frying pan still ringing painfully in his ears.
Asuka's eyes were vacant, sitting on the ground, his head buzzing like a beehive.
Other than the dizzy ringing, he noticed something else—
the world around him had gone completely silent.
"Asuka, you're finally awake," said Daigo, relieved to see him move.
"Huh?!"
But in Asuka's eyes, he could only see Daigo's lips moving.
He couldn't hear a single sound.
"Asuka… are you alright?" Yu Zhou asked, frowning slightly.
"Huh?!"
Same result.
He could see Yu Zhou's mouth moving, but he couldn't hear his senior's voice at all.
"Oh no," Yu Zhou muttered, rubbing his temple. "I think his ears have gone deaf."
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Yu Zhou put the frying pan and hammer back into his dimensional bracelet.
"Huh?!"
Asuka blinked. He still couldn't hear anything, but seeing those two items disappear made him suspicious.
"Ah—don't worry about it," Yu Zhou said with a straight face. "I just felt like… cooking something. You believe me, right?"
Daigo: "..."
"Yu Zhou-kun… are you sure that's okay?"
"I think it's fine."
"Huh?"
"Don't worry, Asuka. You'll be fine soon."
"Huh?"
"As your senior, I promise I'll cure your head!"
"Huh?!?"
"Asuka, what's wrong? What are you looking at?"
"Huh!!!"
"Asuka—? What the—!"
Yu Zhou turned toward the direction Asuka was pointing—
and immediately cursed under his breath.
A massive fireball was hurtling down from the sky,
blazing straight toward them.
"Another meteorite?!"
Daigo followed Asuka's gaze, dumbfounded.
"Did we forget to check the almanac before going out today?!"
"Run!" Yu Zhou reacted instantly, grabbing Asuka and bolting for safety, with Daigo right behind him.
"Yu Zhou-kun, wait!" Daigo shouted halfway through. "This isn't going to work!"
"If you can't run, I'll fry you some kidneys later! Just run first!" Yu Zhou yelled back without stopping.
"Fried kidneys?! I want some!"
The moment those words came out, Asuka's hearing suddenly returned—
and he cheered up immediately.
"Asuka, you're alright?" Yu Zhou stopped, blinking in surprise.
"Senpai, I can hear again!" Asuka grinned.
"That fast?"
"Yeah!"
"Yu Zhou-kun!" Daigo shouted again. "I mean it—running away won't solve this! Ryo and Nakajima are still nearby!"
"What?"
Yu Zhou froze for a moment. Right—
the rest of the Super Victory Team was still around here.
And most likely… still asleep.
"Ryo?!"
Asuka looked up at the approaching fireball, his brows furrowed tightly.
He gripped his Flash Sword and charged back toward the others.
"Asuka?" Yu Zhou didn't move.
He could tell—Asuka was about to fight for love.
Daigo and Yu Zhou stood and watched as Asuka sprinted across the ground, raising his sword high—
—but even after several tries, he failed to transform.
"Not good," Daigo realized suddenly. "Asuka's energy was already drained when he reverted to human form earlier!"
That explained it—
without energy, transformation was impossible.
"No way!"
Asuka was stunned. He shook his Flash Sword, tapped it, even smacked it a few times—still nothing.
"Asuka! Watch out!" Daigo shouted.
The fireball was already descending fast.
"Ryo!!!"
Refusing to give up, Asuka roared and raised his sword once more.
This time, light burst forth—
and in an instant, his massive, red-and-silver form appeared where he once stood.
"He actually transformed?!" Daigo exclaimed.
His energy should've been empty—yet he still succeeded.
There was only one explanation.
"This… must be the power of love," Daigo said, almost in awe.
"The power of Ultraman comes from the heart," Yu Zhou added calmly. "You should understand that, Daigo."
"From… the heart?" Daigo looked puzzled.
Yu Zhou nodded slightly. "When I first became Tiga, I met you."
"You mean, back in the underground tunnel when you saved me?" Daigo asked, thinking back.
"No," Yu Zhou shook his head. "I met another you—from a parallel world."
"Another… me?!" Daigo was shocked.
He knew about parallel worlds, but the idea that another version of himself existed there was still incredible.
"Yes," Yu Zhou continued. "That Daigo awakened the Shining Form purely through his own determination—through the power of his will."
"The other me was that strong?!"
Daigo was stunned.
The Shining Form normally required the light of hope from people all over the world.
To achieve it with sheer determination alone… was unbelievable.
"Looks like my own resolve still isn't strong enough," he muttered, thinking.
Perhaps if he strengthened his heart, he could reach that same brilliance.
Meanwhile, Dyna—Asuka—soared upward, colliding with the falling fireball in a thunderous explosion.
But when he finally saw what it was, he froze.
So did Daigo.
And Yu Zhou.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Yu Zhou's expression darkened. "How is this thing still haunting us?!"
It was none other than Bao-on—the sleepy little pig monster he had personally thrown out of the galaxy earlier.
"Senpai, what should we do now?" Asuka asked as he set Bao-on down on the ground.
Bao-on blinked awake, looked around, and—
instead of crying—seemed rather pleased, gazing at the sleeping members of the Super Victory Team nearby.
"What's it doing?" Daigo asked warily.
"It's looking at their uniforms," Yu Zhou said dryly. "They've got red patches on them."
"Oh, that explains it."
Daigo glanced down at his own classic white Victory Team uniform and sighed.
"Alright," Yu Zhou said, pulling out his Spark Lens. "Let's settle this once and for all."
He transformed into Ultraman Tiga, switching to Power Type form immediately.
Seeing this, Daigo followed suit—also changing to a red form.
"Asuka, go Power Type too!"
"Got it, Senpai!"
And so—three towering red giants stood side by side.
Bao-on's eyes lit up. It was overjoyed.
"Senpai, I think it… likes us," Asuka said, uncertainly.
"Yeah," Yu Zhou muttered. "It loves red."
Then he charged forward and hugged Bao-on.
The little monster didn't resist—on the contrary, it squirmed happily in his arms.
Yu Zhou shuddered. "Ugh. Creepy."
"Daigo, Asuka! Fly up! I'll toss it to you!"
"Understood!"
They both soared skyward.
Yu Zhou swung his arms and threw Bao-on straight into Daigo's hands.
Daigo caught it and, without hesitation, flung it higher—
where Asuka caught it next.
The little pig squealed in delight, rubbing its cheek against Dyna's armour.
Yu Zhou flew above them and prepared to catch it again.
Over and over, they tossed Bao-on upward like a hot potato—
until finally, it was hurled out of Earth's atmosphere and into space.
Still, Yu Zhou wasn't convinced.
"Last time, I only sent it beyond the galaxy. It found its way back."
He frowned. "We need somewhere it likes—so it won't come back."
"Yu Zhou-kun," Daigo suggested, "how about Mars? It's red all over. Bao-on would love it."
"Mars?" Yu Zhou thought for a moment, then grinned.
"Good idea. TPC does have a base there, but it's small. It won't be a problem."
"Then Mars it is!"
The three giants worked together, escorting Bao-on through the void of space until the red planet came into view.
The moment Bao-on saw it, it squealed with joy—
and shot toward Mars at full speed, vanishing into the crimson clouds.
Yu Zhou exhaled deeply. "Finally… it's done."
He and Daigo turned back toward Earth.
"Senpai! Don't forget to fry those kidneys later!"
Asuka called out, chasing after them through space.
Yu Zhou's sigh echoed faintly over the stars.