When Yu Zhou caught up, Daigo was already standing firmly in the monsters' path.
Yu Zhou didn't interfere. According to the story, this was the moment Daigo awakened.
"So that's it… I should have realised it sooner. The last of the Eight Warriors… is me."
Memories from another world surged into Daigo's mind—memories of the Victory Team, of becoming light, of Ultraman Tiga.
"This world… I will protect it!"
Yu Zhou watched as Daigo's expression hardened with resolve. Particles of light swirled around him, condensing in his hand into a familiar device—the Sparklence.
Daigo raised it high, recalling the stance engraved in his newly awakened memory. He pressed the button.
"Tiga!"
The shout came from deep within his soul. Daigo's body transformed into a stream of light, shooting upward. A pillar of white radiance then descended, and from it emerged a towering figure of red, silver, and violet.
Ultraman Tiga had arrived.
The fleeing citizens froze, their despair melting into hope.
"It's Ultraman! Ultraman is here!""Go, Ultraman! Defeat those monsters!"
Cheered on by the crowd, Tiga took his fighting stance, glaring at the Molluscan Alien and its two beasts.
The alien frowned. Strange. In this parallel world, there shouldn't be an Ultraman. Mebius was from another universe—so where did this one come from?
But Silbagon and Goldras weren't the thinking type. With twin roars, they charged headlong at Tiga.
Tiga didn't meet them directly. In a blur of motion, he soared into the sky, twisted beneath the moonlight, and dove down with a crushing punch to Silbagon's chest.
The monster flew backwards like a rag doll, crashing into the earth. Goldras froze in shock.
Tiga landed smoothly, then swung a karate-chop straight into Goldras's back. Its armoured scales absorbed most of the blow, and it countered with a claw swipe.
But Tiga slipped aside, grabbed its arm, and flipped the creature over his shoulder with a resounding crash.
The crowd erupted."Unbelievable! He's winning!""Ultraman, finish them!"
Silbagon staggered up and lunged again. Tiga ducked, seized its head, and rammed his knee into its jaw. The monster reeled back, only to be booted even farther away.
"Pathetic…" Yu Zhou muttered, shaking his head at the clumsy beasts.
But then he noticed the Molluscan Alien charging energy. His face went pale.
"Daigo! Watch out—it's a sneak attack!" Yu Zhou shouted.
Of course, Daigo couldn't understand his Mandarin warning.
A crimson beam lanced out from the alien's chest, slamming into Tiga. The giant staggered and crashed to the ground.
He rose again, but the monsters were on him, pounding him with claws and horns. Dazed from the beam, Tiga faltered under their assault.
Then the two beasts unleashed their full power—blue fireballs and yellow lightning converging on him. Both blasts struck home, engulfing Tiga in smoke and flame.
The Molluscan Alien sneered. "You too will become a statue!"
Transparent walls materialised around Tiga, forming a cylindrical prison that began to rise into the sky. Inside, Tiga pounded desperately, but the shimmering barrier refused to break.
The people cried out in panic. Their only saviour was being sealed away.
Yu Zhou's fists clenched. Enough was enough.
"If not now, then when?"
He pulled out the Sparklence he had been carrying. For once, he skipped the dramatic pose. Raising it high, he pressed the switch.
A sharp crystalline chime split the night. Golden light burst forth, piercing through darkness and space-time alike.
Yu Zhou's body became a streak of radiance, descending like a comet. Every gaze—human, alien, and monster—turned from the trapped Tiga to this new light.
The brilliance faded. And there he stood: another Ultraman.
"Another one?!""But—he looks exactly the same as the one trapped!"
"It doesn't matter—he's Ultraman too!""Yes! Go, Ultraman!"
Even Silbagon, Goldras, and the Molluscan Alien froze in disbelief.
Inside the prison, Daigo's Tiga stared wide-eyed. Impossible… wasn't I the last of the Eight Warriors? Then who—?
He remembered what Yuzare had once said within the time machine:Tiga left his body behind to fight, then departed Earth.
Could it be? The golden Tiga before him… was the true original?
Elsewhere, Asuka and Gamu watched from a rooftop. They had already begun to believe Daigo's words, and when Tiga was trapped, their own memories stirred. Their transformation devices appeared, and they almost shouted their Ultraman names—
—only to stop dead as a golden Tiga descended.
"Two Tigas?" Gamu coughed in shock.Asuka blinked rapidly. "Let's… hold on for a second."
Yu Zhou, meanwhile, had his own problem: figuring out how to fire a beam. First transformations didn't come with manuals.
But then he recalled—when Dyna and Gaia appeared in the original, they shattered Tiga's prison with twin beams. Maybe he could do the same.
He raised his arm, focused, and slashed it forward.
A white ray shot forth, striking the container. With a crystalline crack, the barrier shattered, and Daigo's Tiga fell free.
"Yes! It worked!" Yu Zhou flexed his hand with relief. First attempt, and no embarrassing misfire.
Daigo's Tiga landed, staring at him in confusion."You are…?"