When Megumi Kuruma heard that the Super Victory Team was being ordered to take commands from Director Ejiri of the Ocean Development Bureau, her first thought was that the higher-ups had lost their minds.
The Super Victory Team was a special combat unit—entrusting them to someone with no battle experience, someone who had only ever worked in ocean development?
It was beyond absurd.
Once the matter reached Megumi's desk, she immediately resolved to change it.
And as for replacements—Yu Zhou and Daigo, both veterans of the original Victory Team, were the perfect candidates.
Not only were they suited for command, but more importantly, the Super Victory Team could learn a great deal from them.
Of course, the ability to transform into an Ultraman was not something that could be taught.
"What?!"
Ejiri, standing nearby, had overheard every word Megumi had said through the communicator. His face froze in disbelief.
He had reported Yu Zhou for insubordination, expecting to be backed by his superiors. Yet instead of punishing Yu Zhou, headquarters had removed him from command!
What kind of twisted logic was this?!
"Chief Strategist Kuruma—you can't do this!"
Snatching the communicator out of Yu Zhou's hands, Ejiri yelled into the screen with desperate outrage.
"Enough. The decision has been made. Director Ejiri, I ask you to remain in your place."
Megumi's calm but unyielding voice cut him off. And before he could argue further, she ended the transmission, her image vanishing from the screen.
"I… I'll escalate this! I'll report this again!" Ejiri's voice cracked with fury. He stomped his foot like a child throwing a tantrum, shouting in the middle of the hall.
Thunk!
A sharp hand chop struck his shoulder. Instantly, Ejiri's knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground as though all his strength had drained away.
"Let him sleep it off," Yu Zhou said casually, brushing his hands together. "Asuka, see that he's taken somewhere out of the way."
"Understood, senpai."
Asuka stared at Yu Zhou in astonishment for a moment, then obeyed, hauling Ejiri toward the living quarters.
Although Megumi had placed Yu Zhou and Daigo in charge of the Super Victory Team, day-to-day mission coordination would still be handled by Kōda.
Calm, level-headed, and one of the earliest graduates of the TPC Academy, Kōda admired Vice-Captain Munakata deeply, and he possessed the makings of a leader himself.
Yu Zhou even recalled that later in the Dyna storyline, Kōda had indeed been promoted to Vice-Captain.
"Yu Zhou," Daigo asked from the side, "what's your plan now?"
It was Yu Zhou's first time formally holding a position of command, so Daigo naturally felt the need to help him think things through.
Though Daigo himself wasn't much more experienced, two minds were better than one.
"Next, huh…"
Yu Zhou rubbed his chin in thought.
If his memory of the original plot's timing was right, the Ice Castle Base under the Antarctic sea would soon be attacked and destroyed by a new lifeform—Sufume, an aquatic being from space.
If they moved quickly, they might still be able to prevent it.
Sufume, a self-proclaimed paragon of intelligence and evolution in the universe, was much like that giant mushroom monster from before—overconfident and arrogant.
And like that one, it too could easily invade Earth's networks, hijacking technology and facilities.
But unlike the mushroom, this one was fixated on a single goal: to transform Earth into a water world.
That was why it had taken control of the artificial sun, redirecting it to melt the Antarctic ice caps and flood the oceans.
"We'll investigate the Ice Castle Base first," Yu Zhou decided after some thought. "If we don't, there may be nothing left of it soon."
"Nakajima, Asuka—you'll head out in the Victory Submarine."
Yu Zhou issued the command, but left the actual assignment of personnel to Kōda, respecting his position.
"Yes, sir!"
The two quickly prepared for departure.
But Yu Zhou knew that sending just Nakajima and Asuka wouldn't be enough. By now, the Ice Castle Base was almost certainly under attack by Sufume's forces.
Not just a single monster, but a whole swarm of half-fish soldiers known as the Digon—warriors from Sufume's homeworld.
Yu Zhou looked around at the gathered team.
"Do you all trust me?" he asked suddenly.
"Of course we trust you, Yu Zhou-senpai!" the Super Victory Team answered without hesitation.
"In that case," Yu Zhou continued, "if I ordered a full-team deployment to the Ice Castle Base, would any of you object?"
There was a moment's pause. Kōda hesitated briefly, then said, "If Yu Zhou-senpai gives the order, then he must have his reasons. We have no objections."
"That's right. No objections here!" the others chimed in, Asuka among them.
Their trust in him was absolute. As former advisor to the Victory Team, Yu Zhou had never once made a miscalculated decision. His foresight seemed near superhuman.
"Excellent." Yu Zhou nodded with satisfaction. It was reassuring to know the entire team was willing to follow his lead.
"Still," he added, "we'll need someone to remain at base. Mai—you'll stay in the command hall, analyse the data, and feed us intel."
"Yes, sir!" Mai replied immediately, feeling honoured at the responsibility.
"You know," Yu Zhou said with a smile, "your position is exactly like Yanase's was in the Victory Team. Every mission, he sat in the base, monitoring and analysing data for us."
"I've always admired Yanase-senpai," Mai admitted, her eyes sparkling.
Indeed, each of them mirrored someone from the old Victory Team.
Ryō corresponded to Rena: both were ace pilots.Asuka corresponded to Daigo himself—the Ultraman within their ranks.Nakajima, the plump and cheerful one, matched Horii, both gifted in research.Kōda admired Munakata, filling the role of vice-captain.Mai stood in Yanase's shoes.
Only Soriya, with his archaeological expertise, didn't have a perfect counterpart.
"Daigo, you'll stay here with Mai," Yu Zhou said finally. "You're still their instructor after all—it makes sense for you to hold the base together."