Outside the air-raid shelter, the sound of deafening explosions echoed endlessly, and everyone inside felt a chill run through their hearts.
The homes they had lived in for years… were gone.
Many children began to cry. They had never witnessed such a terrifying scene before.
"Mom, I'm scared…!"
A little boy buried his face in his mother's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Don't be afraid, sweetheart," the mother whispered, hugging her child tightly to give at least a shred of comfort.
But deep down—no one's heart was calm.
"Dad… is our house gone?" another child asked softly.
The father forced a smile. "We'll have a home again, son."
That was all he could say to ease his child's pain.
"I don't want to die!"
"The monster's too scary!"
"Waaahhh!"
The cries of the children spread through the entire shelter like a wave.
It's said that sadness is contagious—and indeed, the fear and despair of the young quickly infected everyone around them.
The adults tried to comfort the children again and again, but their efforts were in vain.
The air inside the wide shelter grew heavy and suffocating, filled with the sounds of sobbing.
Why?
Why had this peaceful world suddenly turned into a nightmare?
Why did monsters even exist?
"Stop crying!"
A small but firm voice suddenly rang out, cutting through the noise.
Everyone turned to look—and saw that it was Yu Yu, the young daughter of the Yu family.
No one knew what she intended to do.
"I believe that Ultraman Tiga will come to save us!"
Her little face was flushed red, but she stood tall, shouting at the crying children.
Her words stunned them. One by one, the crying stopped. Dozens of little eyes looked up at her, wide and uncertain.
"Yu Yu!"
Her parents hurried forward, trying to pull her back. "Come here, don't say such strange things."
But the normally obedient girl shook their hands off. Then, without hesitation, she ran straight toward the entrance of the shelter.
"Yu Yu!"
Everyone was startled. They thought she must have been frightened out of her mind—running outside when a monster was right above them?
By the time they reacted, the little girl was already standing at the mouth of the shelter.
"Ultraman Tiga, you'll save us, right?"
She clutched the capsule pendant that her older cousin Yu Zhou had given her, whispering those words softly.
Then she tore it from her neck—and hurled it toward the night sky.
At that exact moment, one of the Zoiger flying above noticed the faint traces of life near the shelter.
With a screech, it swooped down and spat a blazing fireball straight at the entrance.
"Tiga!"
Yu Yu shouted with all her strength, her fear drowned by pure determination.
"Get back, Yu Yu!"
"Run, child!"
"Yu Yu!"
Her parents and brother screamed in terror, seeing the massive fireball streak toward her.
Yu Lei, her older brother, lunged forward with all his might, throwing himself in front of his sister. His glasses fell to the ground as he tried desperately to shield her with his body.
Inside the shelter, Camearra tensed, ready to transform—but when she saw the glowing capsule fly upward, she froze.
A chime like silver bells rang out.
Light flooded the night.
Time itself seemed to stop.
A towering figure of silver, violet, and crimson appeared before Yu Yu and her brother. He caught the fireball in one hand—then hurled it right back at the attacking Zoiger.
Everyone stared, wide-eyed. The radiant figure's pearl-white eyes gleamed like gems, and the crystal on his forehead shimmered brilliantly.
No one needed an explanation.
"Ultraman Tiga!"
Yu Lei, shielding his sister beneath him, looked up in awe, his voice trembling.
"Ultraman Tiga appeared…"
"We're saved!"
"It's really Ultraman Tiga!"
"We always watched him on TV—but now he's real!"
"Yeah! When did you ever see a dead one?" someone quipped weakly, even amid the chaos.
Laughter mixed with tears. For the first time that night, hope spread through the shelter.
Yes—this world had monsters… but it also had protectors.
"Go, Tiga!"
"Beat that monster!"
"Ultraman Tiga, we believe in you!"
Even the children stopped crying, their faces lighting up as they shouted encouragement.
Hidden in the nearby forest, Yu Zhou stared at the glowing giant, momentarily stunned.
Then it hit him.
"Ah… it's Dika."
He remembered giving that capsule to his little cousin, just in case something ever happened.
He hadn't expected it to be used so soon.
"Since that's the case… I'll leave this battlefield to Dika."
There was no need for him to transform again.
One Zoiger—Dika could handle that.
Now, Dika was Diga. The name didn't matter—the light had appeared.
With a mighty roar, Dika charged toward the Zoiger.
The giant bird screeched in fury, falling from the sky after being hit by its own fireball, crashing hard into the earth and sending up clouds of dust.
It rose again, smoke rising from its beak—it had clearly been injured by its own flames.
"Go, Tiga! You can do it!"
Yu Yu smiled faintly, her tiny body trembling from exhaustion.
Her brother held her tightly as her eyes fluttered shut.
Her courage had brought light into the darkness—and that was enough.
Dika, the Ultraman born from her faith, rushed toward the enemy once more.
The ferocious Zoiger beat its wings, meeting his charge head-on.
Everyone expected a fierce brawl between monster and giant.
But instead, Dika sprinted forward—gathering energy as he ran.
Just as he reached Zoiger, he thrust his arms into an L-shape, aiming straight for the monster's beak.
Zeperion Beam!
A stream of brilliant energy poured from Dika's hands like a flood, surging straight into Zoiger's mouth.