The change that occurred was clear — from direct help to indirect help.
Instead of fighting side by side, Yu Zhou was now passing his energy to Asuka, letting him act on his own.
Ever since that day, Asuka had been wondering why his senior did that.
Then he remembered something — something Yu Zhou-senpai, or perhaps Daigo-senpai, had once said:
"Every time a great crisis passes, there's a chance Yu Zhou will return to his own world."
That thought instantly made everything click.
This must be it.
Yu Zhou-senpai was preparing to leave.
And the Sphere Black Hole—it was indeed a massive crisis.
If they survived this one… Yu Zhou would go back.
"As expected… Senpai, I'll give it everything I've got!"
Asuka nodded earnestly, holding his helmet close to his chest. Then, together with the rest of the Super Victory Team, he left the command hall.
"Guess I should contact Daigo."
Yu Zhou thought for a moment and dialled Daigo's number.
Daigo wasn't at the TPC base at the moment—he was on leave. The Super Victory Team had grown strong and independent, and there wasn't much left he needed to teach.
So, he had returned to R'lyeh Island, spending peaceful days with Rena and their daughter, Hikari.
"Moshi moshi? Daigo?"
"Yu Zhou-kun! What's going on?" came Daigo's cheerful voice, followed by a brief slurping sound.
"I suppose Captain Hibiki hasn't called you yet, huh?" Yu Zhou said.
"Called me? No, nothing yet."
Yu Zhou nodded slightly. It seemed Hibiki was confident enough to let Daigo rest this time.
It made sense — only in moments of crisis could the growth of the Super Victory Team truly be proven.
"What's happening, Yu Zhou-kun?"
Daigo could already sense from his tone that something big was up.
But before Yu Zhou could answer, he heard another loud slurp.
"…Daigo, what are you doing? Why do I keep hearing that sound?" Yu Zhou asked suspiciously.
"Oh, I'm just eating noodles."
Daigo chuckled, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Yu Zhou: "…"
"Daigo, a new storm is coming."
Yu Zhou sighed, rubbing his temple.
"Huh?"
Daigo froze mid-bite.
Ten minutes later.
Inside Yu Zhou's small spacecraft, Daigo sat across from him, still holding his half-eaten bowl of noodles while Yu Zhou briefed him on the situation.
The Sphere Black Hole.
Devouring planets.
The solar system on the brink of annihilation.
After finishing the explanation, Yu Zhou took a bite of the noodles Daigo had packed for him.
"Hm. Not bad. Really good, actually."
The ship was on autopilot, so neither had to steer.
They simply sat face to face, slurping noodles and calmly analysing the crisis like two veterans discussing tomorrow's weather.
"I've already instructed Masaki to move the City of Time and Space near Jupiter," Yu Zhou said. "It can attack at any moment."
"Camearra, Hudra, and Darramb are also on board, ready to deploy."
He paused, then sighed. "Honestly, this crisis would be a perfect chance for Asuka to grow stronger… but I can't help feeling worried."
Daigo nodded thoughtfully while Yu Zhou continued outlining his preparations.
"So, Yu Zhou-kun," Daigo summarized with a grin, "you're saying we should just go up there and blast that black hole to pieces?"
"…That actually makes sense."
Yu Zhou blinked, momentarily stunned.
In the original storyline, the Sphere Black Hole was both incredibly strong and ridiculously weak.
Strong—because it could consume anything in existence.
Weak—because, in the end, humanity discovered a strategy:
They fired a beam attack that exposed the life-form within the black hole, then hit it directly… and just like that, it was over.
That was it.
The so-called almighty Sphere Black Hole—defeated in one shot.
"…Then what am I even worried about?"
Yu Zhou set down his bowl, leaned forward, and accelerated the ship toward Jupiter at full speed.
"Yu Zhou-kun, what's gotten into you?" Daigo asked, bewildered.
"I'm fine. Actually, I feel great!"
Yu Zhou grinned.
He had been slightly anxious before, worried about something going wrong in this fight.
But Daigo's blunt comment had snapped him out of it.
Why hesitate? Just charge in.
Everything would work out.
Soon, they reached Jupiter.
Hovering above its swirling clouds was the artificial sun Masaki had built, casting bright light across the vast base below.
The ship touched down gently inside the Jupiter Base. As they disembarked, several crew members turned to look — the presence of these two veterans didn't go unnoticed.
"Looks like the Super Victory Team just arrived, too," Yu Zhou observed.
He tapped the side of his ship, smiling proudly. "Still pretty fast, huh?"
He stored the craft back into his space ring, then strode toward the others.
"Yu Zhou-senpai! Daigo-senpai! You really came!"
Asuka's face lit up when he saw them.
Every time the two seniors appeared, it gave him a sense of safety — as if no matter what happened, everything would be all right.
Yu Zhou and Daigo both smiled reassuringly at him, wordlessly telling him not to be afraid.
Then a familiar voice called out from the crowd of Jupiter Base staff.
"Daigo! Yu Zhou!"
They turned — and there he was, a man in a white lab coat, waving excitedly.
"Yazumi!"
The young man was none other than Shinobu Yazumi, the former Victory Team's youngest member — and a computer genius.
"It's been so long!" Daigo greeted warmly, shaking his hand.
Although they'd kept in touch over comms, seeing each other in person again felt like a rare gift.
Yu Zhou also exchanged a few friendly words, then asked about Tomoki, Megumi's son — the boy had been apprenticing under Yazumi, learning computer systems.
Tomoki had even taken a ride on Yu Zhou's spaceship once, when he returned to Earth to visit his mother.
He'd been instrumental in helping Yu Zhou design data models for the virtual monsters — including the legendary "Kun" and the digital version of Tiga.
"Tomoki? That kid just went back to Earth not long ago," Yazumi replied with a fond smile.
"But seeing you two here on Jupiter…" he exhaled in relief, "…makes me feel so much safer already."
He knew exactly who Daigo and Yu Zhou really were.
And with a cosmic black hole threatening to devour the solar system, everyone was on edge — even him.
But now, seeing them both here, Yazumi couldn't help but feel at peace again.