What worried Yu Zhou most was that Fukude Kei had already inserted the stolen capsules into his own body. Doing so would twist their energy into evil power.
And all that energy was now being stored within Kei's alien physiology as a Strum alien's "phase inversion." Once Belial returned, he would be able to absorb it all.
Still, Belial wasn't coming back just yet. After such a long flight across space, Yu Zhou was completely exhausted. By the time he returned home, he collapsed straight onto his bed and fell asleep.
Meanwhile, AIB had received word from Yu Zhou and Zero that Belial was still alive—and that Fukude Kei was acting as his agent.
At first, the organization wanted to keep Kei under surveillance, hoping to discover how exactly he communicated with Belial, maybe even locating the dark Ultra's position.
But once Yu Zhou and Zero told Zenna they already knew where Belial was, AIB abandoned further tracking.
Even so, to prepare against Belial's next invasion, Zenna arranged to ready the ultimate weapon: Segmeger, the Dimension Crusher.
Segmeger, a bio-weapon created by the Segers, possessed the terrifying ability to distort space-time itself. In other words, it was one of the most dangerous monsters ever built.
Yu Zhou remembered that in the original series, Segmeger had clashed with Geed's light. The collision tore open a dimensional rift that swallowed Belial, and in the end, Geed ended his father once and for all.
He also recalled that Goldras, which appeared back in Ultraman Tiga, seemed to have a similar power to cross through time and space.
"Eh? Where is this place?" At Nebula House, Moa wandered around with wide-eyed curiosity like a child, gawking at the surroundings.
"This is our so-called secret base." Riku grinned as he explained. "But never mind the details. I called you here today because there's something important we need to talk about."
"Something important?"
Moa immediately stopped her curious wandering and turned to him with suspicion.
"Welcome."
At that moment, Laiha appeared with a tray of tea in her hands.
"Laiha?" Moa blinked, startled. Then her eyes widened further. "Wait—you two… you're living together?!"
"Mm-hm."
Riku nodded with a smile, confirming it.
Moa's expression darkened instantly. The thought that her childhood friend Riku had been cohabiting with another woman all this time felt like a dagger to her heart.
Her mind immediately filled with memories of when Riku once held her hand and said they'd get married someday.
"Nooo, don't tell me that's gone forever!" Even though it was just imagination, Moa cried out in dismay.
"Morning."
Yu Zhou entered, yawning as he stepped off the elevator into Nebula House.
"Yu Zhou?" Moa turned toward him with teary eyes. "Why don't you move in with Riku too? Then it wouldn't count as cohabiting anymore!"
"Uh… what?" Yu Zhou froze, completely baffled by her outburst.
"Stop hesitating and just say hello already," Riku cut in.
And with that cue, Pega popped right up through the floor.
"A… Pegas Alien?!"
Moa's jaw dropped.
"Hello! I'm Pega!" The little alien bowed politely.
"Ever since you learned I was Geed, I've wanted to tell you everything," Riku explained. "And honestly, Pega's been wanting to meet you for a long time."
"For a long time…?" Moa's confusion deepened. "How long exactly? Don't tell me—you two have been hanging out at my place too?!"
"Riku used to sleep with me back in kindergarten!" Moa blurted out, recalling their childhood.
"I didn't even know him back then!" Pega protested quickly.
"And in grade school we even bathed together!" Moa added.
"I only met Pega in middle school!" Riku cut in, terrified she would spill more embarrassing childhood stories in front of everyone.
"Then what about that time in second year of middle school when we went to the movies—was Pega there too?"
"Yep! I was. The theater was dark, I loved it!" Pega nodded cheerfully.
Moa's heart cracked.
"Then in third year, when we went to the planetarium together… you were there too?"
"I was! Planetariums are dark too, so I loved that!"
Moa: "..."
"And in high school, at the haunted house—when Riku was so scared he hugged me… you were there too?!"
"Actually, that was me hugging you," Pega admitted sheepishly, scratching his head. "I like dark places, but ghosts really scare me."
Moa: "!!!!!!!!"
"My beautiful youth memories! All ruined!" Moa clung to a steel pole and sobbed.
"Ahh, another family drama." Yu Zhou sighed, shaking his head. Better not recall his own days like that.
But then Moa perked up, suddenly realizing something: "Wait! If Pega's always living with them, then it doesn't count as cohabiting after all!"
Her mood flipped instantly.
"Today's on me! Let's go out for a feast!"
Which ended up being… a picnic at the park.
Yu Zhou naturally tagged along. He had been hungry anyway, since he'd forgotten to buy groceries and had nothing for breakfast at home.
While they ate, the conversation eventually turned to Zenna.
"Zenna-senpai's been acting strange lately," Moa frowned. "It feels like he's hiding something from me, investigating behind my back."
"He is a Seger after all."
That voice came from nearby, making everyone jump.
"Leito—no, Zero?!" Riku exclaimed when he saw Leito remove his glasses.
"What's wrong with Segers?" Laiha asked casually, not even surprised by Zero's sudden appearance.
"The Segers were once fierce invaders," Zero explained, stepping forward. "They were known across the stars as cosmic guerrillas."
"Cosmic guerrillas?" Riku echoed, puzzled.
"In the battle against Belial's army, Shard came close to destruction. The Segers were forced to split into different factions." Zero's tone grew solemn. "Zenna may seem polite and refined, but who knows what his true nature really is."
"That's prejudice!" Moa shot up angrily. "Not all Segers are like that!"
"Zero, you said it yourself—their people were split apart. Zenna chose to join AIB," Yu Zhou reminded him. "That should prove he isn't on the wrong side."
"…Let's hope so." Zero folded his arms.
Yu Zhou chuckled. "Though, I'll admit… Zenna can be pretty sly. Back then, he tricked me into revealing my identity with just a couple of questions. I nearly swore I'd get him back for it."
When the picnic was over, Moa prepared to return to AIB.
But Yu Zhou already knew what was coming. From the moment she mentioned Zenna acting strangely, he realized what was happening.
In the original timeline, one of Zenna's disciples, Culut, still dreamed of reviving the Segers' old path of conquest. But Zenna's beliefs had changed—he'd joined AIB, and their philosophies clashed.
This time, Culut was making his move. He intended to take from Zenna the Segers' greatest weapon: the Dimension Crusher, Segmeger.
That monster was crucial for the final battle against Belial.
If Belial could not be restored to his true self, the only option was to use Segmeger to tear open a rift in space-time and banish him forever—just as in the original storyline.
If Culut succeeded in stealing Segmeger, everything could fall apart.
Which meant Yu Zhou had to intervene.
"Moa," he said at last, turning serious. "I need to meet with Zenna. Can you take me to him?"