Dack was going to see Yuka, and Yu Zhou didn't say anything. From the original story, Dack hadn't known Yuka long but had already treated her like his own daughter. After all, in the original timeline, Dack had even risked his life to save her.
After a few days of resting at home, Yu Zhou called Dyna when he was on break, inviting him over for a meal.
Dyna, thrilled to be invited by his senior, happily agreed and arrived on time at Yu Zhou's home.
Looking at the steaming dishes on the table, Dyna, who hadn't eaten much Chinese cuisine before, couldn't help but salivate.
"Senior Yu Zhou, what are all these dishes?!" he asked excitedly.
"Let me explain," Yu Zhou said, walking over to the table. "This soup is Tianma Pig Brain Soup, for brain nourishment. This is Fish Head Soup, also for the brain. This is Walnut Goji Porridge, brain nourishment. And this is Tofu Brain, for the brain too."
"…."
"Senior, why is everything for the brain?" Dyna froze, puzzled. Could it be that his senior really thought he was a little slow and needed brain food? The thought that Yu Zhou cared so much for him… was deeply touching!
"That's exactly right," Yu Zhou said, placing the last dish on the table before beginning the meal.
"I'll dig in!"
Dyna said happily and started eating. This was a feast specially prepared by his senior, so he couldn't let Yu Zhou's effort go to waste.
"By the way, Senior Yu Zhou, why didn't Senior Camearra come along?" Dyna asked after a while, puzzled. Camearra was supposed to be Yu Zhou's wife, so why wasn't she here?
"Why would Camearra appear here?" Yu Zhou countered, raising an eyebrow.
"Because she's your wife! Senior Yu Zhou, don't you live together?" Dyna pointed toward the shoe cabinet near the door, noticing no women's shoes.
Yu Zhou: "…."
"Here, eat more pig brain," Yu Zhou said, placing the pig brain soup in front of Dyna, then bringing over the fish head soup. "Have some fish too."
"Thank you, Senior!"
Dyna smiled happily and began eating the pig brain.
"Yes, eat plenty. Don't worry, there's more—I'll keep making it."
"Alright, Senior!"
…
After seeing Dyna off, Yu Zhou shook his head. This kid… there's no saving him.
Dack didn't join them at Yu Zhou's home but took Yuka out for meals daily. With Dack escorting Yuka from the orphanage and learning about his life, Yu Zhou had even helped him a bit, knowing Dack treated Yuka as if she were his own daughter. This would be useful later for fostering interstellar relations with Dais Star.
"I'll be going to R'lyeh these few days. Contact me if anything comes up," Yu Zhou instructed Dack at the orphanage seaside.
"No problem," Dack nodded, reassuring Yu Zhou.
After saying goodbye, Yu Zhou took out the Spark Lense, transforming back to human size.
He then channeled his energy into a move he had never used before, his body glowing white before vanishing from the spot.
"Huh?"
Dack, left behind, was dumbfounded. Tiga just teleported away?
At R'lyeh's Crystal Palace:
A white light suddenly appeared, revealing Yu Zhou in his silver-purple-red form inside the palace.
He glanced at the color timer—it remained blue, with no warning flashes. In the original story, Daigo had used this technique to teleport from the TPC Far East Base to China's Kunlun Mountains, only for the timer to flash red immediately. But Yu Zhou still had abundant energy.
"Maybe it's because I was strengthened by plasma sparks?" he thought, then reverted to his normal form.
"Camearra isn't here either."
Seeing no one in the Crystal Palace, Yu Zhou decided to visit R'lyeh city.
As he was about to leave, a middle-aged man with a black cloak and stubble approached.
"Who's this?" Yu Zhou raised an eyebrow. Not everyone could enter the Crystal Palace—this man was unfamiliar.
Hudra? Darramb? Impossible—they had already appeared earlier, looking completely different.
"Who are you?" the man asked, surprised to see Yu Zhou in the palace.
"You again, who are you?" Yu Zhou scanned the man. He noticed a broom and dustpan in his hands, contrasting strangely with his imposing cloak.
Typically, someone in a cloak would be a powerful figure—like a major universe boss, a Space Guard, or an Ultraman King. He'd never seen a cloaked figure working as a janitor.
"That's Himala, an ungrateful alien made to do chores by the young lady," Hudra appeared at the palace entrance, explaining.
"Himala?"
Yu Zhou remembered an alien named Himala from Ultraman Dyna, who had once tried to seize a sunset town on Earth, only to be defeated by Dyna. Unexpectedly, Camearra had captured him to do chores?
"How did he get captured?" Yu Zhou asked, puzzled. Surely Camearra wouldn't catch a random alien from a small town…
"This guy tried to take R'lyeh," Hudra explained. "So he was forced into labor."
"Take R'lyeh?"
Yu Zhou twitched at the corner of his mouth. Himala had shifted his target to R'lyeh, not realizing who lived there—a bold, reckless move.
"I…" Himala tried to protest but had no choice.
"You! The palace hasn't been cleaned today—get to work!" Hudra scolded. "Cleaning the palace daily is your job!"
Himala trudged off with his broom.
"One day to clean the entire Crystal Palace…" Yu Zhou thought. Poor Himala. The palace was huge—he'd probably spend the entire day cleaning, with no rest.
But… he deserved it. No risk, no gain.
"Hudra, Himala—their names differ by just one character in Chinese."
"By the way, Hudra, you free? Let's spar," Yu Zhou said. He had come to R'lyeh to train with Hudra and Darramb, improving their combat abilities.
"Spar?" Hudra immediately understood and nodded excitedly. "Sure!"
Since the seal was lifted, Hudra had wanted to fight Tiga to vent his grudge. But Yu Zhou had refused, transforming back from Dark Tiga immediately, leaving Hudra frustrated. Today, Yu Zhou had actively suggested a sparring match—truly exciting.
"Follow me!"
Hudra waved and headed toward the back of the palace. Yu Zhou followed.