Charija flew above the sea where two King Guesras were playfully splashing about. First, he captured his own into a capsule, then turned his gaze to the other one.
That King Guesra had been happily playing, but when its companion suddenly vanished into thin air, it froze in confusion. Soon enough, its attention shifted to the tiny figure standing atop a black umbrella—the black-suited Charija.
In the monster's eyes, this human-sized being was nothing more than food.
Without hesitation, the King Guesra leapt out of the sea, jaws wide open, aiming to swallow Charija whole.
"Not bad. At least its aggression is commendable."
Charija seemed completely unfazed by the attack, even slightly impressed by the monster's courage.
With a bang, his figure dispersed into white smoke, reappearing behind the King Guesra while the beast bit down on nothing but air. Believing it had swallowed its prey, the monster even chewed at the emptiness in its mouth—until Charija's voice came from behind.
"Go! Monster Capsule!"
He flung a capsule at the beast.
The King Guesra snapped out of its daze and whipped its tail like a dragon, batting the capsule away with surprising reflexes.
From the side, Yu Zhou frowned. Every time Charija captured or controlled a monster, the scene felt more and more out of place, like this wasn't an Ultraman world at all.
Charija, however, only nodded with satisfaction. A monster this resistant to capture meant it was powerful.
"This one's stronger than the King Guesra he had before," Dack observed, watching carefully.
Yu Zhou agreed. "Charija's old one was raised in captivity—its battle instincts dulled. But this one grew wild on Ocean Star, feeding endlessly in an environment overflowing with prey. Of course it's in peak condition."
Dack nodded in agreement.
"Roooaaar!"
The wild King Guesra turned its head, unleashing a powerful water cannon straight at Charija.
Yu Zhou blinked in surprise. "Wait… since when can King Guesra shoot water cannons?"
"No idea," Dack admitted. "Unless it's Gyabish or some other familiar invader, I don't really know monster biology that well."
Again, Charija vanished in a puff of smoke, dodging the torrent before reappearing behind the beast.
"Be obedient and be mine, King Guesra!"
This time he threw not one capsule, but a whole handful, scattering them like petals across the sea.
Yu Zhou's jaw dropped. "What the—he can do that?"
Even the King Guesra was stunned by such a shameless move. No matter how many tails it whipped, there was no way to fend off the rain of capsules. Inevitably, one struck true, and the beast was sucked inside.
Charija caught the capsule as it rattled violently in his hand. Then—crack! A beam of light shot back out, and the King Guesra splashed into the sea once again.
"It escaped?" Yu Zhou was shocked. "Even after all that?"
"Doesn't matter. Watch me!" Charija tossed the capsule aside, summoned yet another handful, and flung them down.
Once again, the beast struggled, failed, and was sucked in. Once again, the capsule quaked, burst open, and released it.
"Again!" Charija shouted, repeating the cycle relentlessly.
The King Guesra, bewildered, began to look almost exhausted from the endless loop of capture and escape. Even Charija's face showed fatigue, though he stubbornly persisted.
Yu Zhou buried his face in his palm. "…Seriously? One of you give in already! Aren't you tired?"
Just then, a streak of light shot out—not from the wild monster, but from Charija's own capsule. His original King Guesra appeared on its own, swimming toward the wild one.
"What the—? It came out by itself?" Charija was stunned. Captured monsters weren't supposed to escape without his consent.
The two Guesra exchanged strange, guttural calls, like they were communicating. After a short while, Charija's own King Guesra returned to his side and barked a few sounds at him.
Understanding dawned. He produced another capsule and tossed it gently at the wild King Guesra.
Whoosh! The monster went in smoothly this time, no resistance at all. The capsule rested calmly in his palm.
"Not bad. You actually persuaded it."
Charija grinned, nodding at his own monster with approval. After all his exhausting effort, his King Guesra had succeeded with nothing but words.
Instead of keeping the beast confined, Charija released both Guesra. The two monsters swam together joyfully, nuzzling and splashing in obvious delight.
Charija, however, looked troubled.
"…To cut, or not to cut?" He rubbed his chin. The sight of two male Guesra so affectionate was… unsettling.
"Cutting them would be cruel," he reasoned aloud. "But leaving them like this is cruel to my eyes."
"Cut them," Yu Zhou said dryly as he landed beside him.
Charija shook his head. "No. I should respect their choice."
He waved for the Guesra to come closer. "Listen, what I'm about to tell you… don't be afraid."
The two monsters looked at each other with confused eyes, but seemed to understand his words.
"You two… are both male."
The Guesra froze. Their bodies shuddered as they stared at each other in disbelief.
Yu Zhou watched, barely suppressing laughter. The monsters' shocked faces were almost too human. One even swam behind the other, sniffed experimentally, and then recoiled when it confirmed the truth.
Embarrassed, the wild Guesra vanished into its capsule with a flash of light. The other followed soon after, as if unable to bear the awkwardness.
"You'll need to find them a couple of females," Yu Zhou chuckled. "Or they're going to suffer."
"Where am I supposed to find those?" Charija sighed. "If only one had been female…"
"Like those Zoigers you captured. One male, one female, and now they're laying eggs."
"Wait—they're what?" Yu Zhou's eyes widened.
"Four eggs already," Charija said proudly. "Currently incubating."
Yu Zhou slapped his shoulder so hard he almost knocked him into the sea. "What are you doing incubating them? Cook them up! I've never tasted Zoga eggs before!"
"Get lost!" Charija barked, shoving him away.
With the Guesra settled and a new one added to his collection, the group finally left Ocean Star and set course for Earth.
"Charija, you're coming back to Earth too?" Yu Zhou asked from the pilot's seat.
"Of course. I need to buy supplies."
"…Supplies? Earth doesn't sell monsters."
"Not monsters," Charija said, dead serious. "Happy Water."
Yu Zhou blinked. "…Huh?"
"What huh? I haven't had Happy Water in ages. This time, I'm stocking up."
Then, with a mischievous glint, Charija added, "Also—you promised to help me find that escaped Golza. Don't think I forgot."
Yu Zhou exhaled. "Fine. I'll take you to it."
If he guessed right, the Golza would eventually appear in Dyna's story. All he had to do was lead Charija there when the time came.
Meanwhile, on Earth, the exchange between the Super GUTS team and the Dais Star delegation continued.
The Dais Star soldiers trained daily with Super GUTS, learning combat manoeuvres and fighter jet formations. Super GUTS taught patiently, generously—but never gave away all their secrets.
In return, Earth scientists travelled to Dais Star, learning advanced knowledge in physics, chemistry, and biology. Among them was Dr. Otomo, a leading biologist.
Yu Zhou, however, wasn't holding his breath. After seeing the biotechnology of the Planetary Federation, he doubted Earth could match it anytime soon. Still, monster-control capsules like Charija's were useful auxiliary tools—though, to him, optional at best.
When fighting countless enemies, though… they might just prove invaluable. After all, even Ultra Seven had his capsule monsters—each one powerful ally in battle.