"Dack, it's time to depart."
On the planet Dais, Yu Zhou called to Dack, preparing to return to Earth.
After staying on this planet for so long, he wondered how Earth was doing.
Although Dack was a senior combat officer of Dais, with the Gyabish monster army now destroyed, he had little to do.
So, he applied to leave Dais and head to Earth.
In truth, he simply wanted to accompany Yu Zhou. Having promised to act as a cosmic navigator and always honouring his commitments, Dack naturally would not return alone.
The main reason was the little girl Yuka on Earth, who bore a striking resemblance to his own daughter.
Dack felt he had to go to Earth to take care of her properly.
Soon, the two boarded their spacecraft, passed through a wormhole, and entered the Solar System.
"The one ahead is Jupiter, right?"
Inside the ship, Yu Zhou pointed at the massive planet before them.
"That's correct, Jupiter of the Solar System," Dack replied, nodding. He was familiar with the planets of the Solar System from previous studies.
Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, is composed mostly of hydrogen, with abundant liquid hydrogen starting a few kilometers below its surface.
Yu Zhou was curious how TPC had established a base there. Besides, Daigo had mentioned that Horii was now on Jupiter, so it would be good to visit him.
"Let's go, we'll stop by Jupiter."
With that, Dack adjusted the flight path, steering toward Jupiter.
After some searching on the planet's surface, Yu Zhou and Dack discovered a base from their spacecraft and soon landed on the helipad.
"Who goes there!"
As they stepped out in spacesuits, a group of TPC personnel surrounded them, weapons raised.
Yu Zhou quickly presented his ID to one of the TPC members.
"It's Yu Zhou of the old Victory Team!"
Within TPC, the Victory Team was well known. Everyone recognized the names of its former members.
After verifying Yu Zhou's identity, the TPC personnel lowered their weapons and escorted him and Dack into the base.
"Senior Yu Zhou, this is—"
The TPC staff showed respect to the old Victory Team member. But Dack's unusual appearance drew their attention.
"He's, my friend. Don't worry," Yu Zhou said, removing his spacesuit.
"Go ahead and take care of your business. I'll wait here," Dack said, not wanting to cause trouble.
"All right. I'm just here to see an old friend. I'll be back soon," Yu Zhou nodded.
The TPC personnel offered Dack a seat, showing no hostility.
"Do you know where Horii is? It's been a while, and I'd like to see him."
Yu Zhou asked, unsure where to find Horii on Jupiter.
"You're looking for Senior Horii? Follow me!"
The TPC member led Yu Zhou into the base. Horii had arrived on Jupiter years ago, participating in new computational research, and was formerly a Victory Team member.
Inside, Jupiter's TPC base resembled the one on Mars, mainly housing oxygen generators and hydrogen energy utilization systems. With little oxygen on Jupiter, hydrogen was the primary energy source.
Soon, Yu Zhou reached the main control room. Upon knocking and entering, he saw a familiar figure in white.
"Yu Zhou!"
Before he could speak, Horii exclaimed in delight.
"It's me, Horii. Long time no sees." Yu Zhou waved, smiling warmly.
"Why did you return so suddenly? To visit the Jupiter base!" Horii was excited; an old comrade appearing out of nowhere was a pleasant surprise.
"I came to see you, it's been too long," Yu Zhou replied, catching up briefly.
They talked about the new Light Giants, and Yu Zhou gave Horii a brief explanation.
Horii's work on Jupiter involved high-level computing, especially for hydrogen energy systems, requiring precise analysis to prevent errors.
"When will you return to Earth?" Yu Zhou asked.
"Probably a few years yet," Horii replied. "I need to finish developing the new programs before I can go back with peace of mind."
"Truly a computing genius," Yu Zhou sighed. Horii, now about 27, was remarkable in his field.
"Senior, here's the data for you!" A young boy entered, startled to see Yu Zhou, and handed a storage disk to Horii.
"Tomoki, place it here. I'll review it later," Horii instructed.
"Tomoki?" Yu Zhou felt the name was familiar, but he couldn't place it.
"Tomoki is Captain Megumi's son," Horii explained. "During the battle against the second-generation Kyrieloid, he was instrumental in restoring the energy distribution to Tiga, lighting up the entire area."
"Oh, that's him," Yu Zhou recalled. Captain Megumi's son had been a computing prodigy even as a child. Now grown, he worked alongside Horii.
"This boy has always wanted to return to Earth to see his mother, but no ship was available," Horii said. "Yu Zhou, if you're heading back, perhaps you can give him a ride."
"No problem," Yu Zhou agreed. Tomoki was impressive on his own merits—and a Tiga fan.
As Yu Zhou and Dack prepared to depart, Horii brought Tomoki to them.
"Tomoki, this is Senior Yu Zhou. Listen well," Horii advised, though he knew the boy was reliable. Yu Zhou's identity as Tiga Ultraman remained a secret to Tomoki.
"Understood," Tomoki nodded. "I'm Tomoki. Please take care of me, senior!"
"Well done, captain's son," Yu Zhou patted his shoulder. "Let's depart!"
"See you next time, Horii!"
"Mm, goodbye!"
Tomoki suited up and boarded the spacecraft with Yu Zhou and Dack, leaving Jupiter behind.
Onboard, Tomoki looked around in wonder.
"This is a Dais ship, so it's different from Earth's," Yu Zhou explained.
"You've actually travelled to outer space, senior?" Tomoki was amazed, realizing why he didn't understand the ship's facilities.