Unlike Zhou Hong, who knew nothing about the Ultra Warriors, Daigo himself was an Ultra Warrior and naturally understood that humans transformed into them.
Jostar had supported them without a hint of concealment during this operation, which had made Daigo start to wonder.
Zhou Hong appeared in the combat zone every time, and Jostar would show up too. Besides, they had similarly powerful builds. Could that mean Jostar was Zhou Hong?
Long after they had returned to base, Daigo was still lying in bed on his rare day off, pondering the question.
He had so many things he wanted to ask.
But what if Zhou Hong wasn't Jostar? Wouldn't that mean he'd exposed himself?
Thinking back to how Zhou Hong had nearly beaten him to death during training while still holding back, Daigo didn't believe he could even pull out the Spark Lens and transform.
How to put it? Keeping your identity hidden was a lot like playing Mafia.
Or should he transform into Tiga and sound Zhou Hong out?
No, no. What if his transformation time ran out and a monster appeared today?
The more Daigo thought about it, the dizzier he felt. In the end, he gave up.
He took off his GUTS uniform, changed into suitable workout clothes, checked the time, and headed for the Rookie Squad's training room.
As usual, he quietly approached Zhou Hong and waited while he finished his exercise.
"Sorry for the wait." Zhou Hong gently set down the barbell, wiped off his sweat, and headed over to the combat area.
"Ahong, could we spar in a private room this time?" Daigo blurted out.
That caught Zhou Hong by surprise. One look at Daigo's hesitant, almost-about-to-speak expression, and he knew what he wanted to ask.
Daigo was easy to read.
"This room's soundproof. No one outside can hear anything." Zhou Hong locked the door and spoke quietly. "There aren't any cameras or anything like that."
As soon as he said it, Zhou Hong felt that it sounded oddly suspicious. The air grew tense.
Daigo stayed silent and simply took up his stance.
Zhou Hong didn't mind. He rubbed his hands together to keep them warm, rose onto his toes, and bounced lightly.
Suddenly, he stamped his right foot down hard. Driven by his tremendous strength, he lunged toward Daigo so quickly he seemed to fly.
Daigo had been on guard, but his mind was still occupied with his thoughts, and his body reacted a fraction too slowly. His stance wasn't steady yet.
A heavy punch slammed into Daigo's forearm, and the surging force lifted him right off his feet.
Daigo stumbled backward in a panic, his steps a mess.
But Zhou Hong stayed right on his heels. He planted his left foot, bent his body slightly, and swept his right leg into Daigo's shin with a sharp whoosh.
Their shinbones collided with a crack that sounded like a bone breaking, and pain followed at once.
In an instant, Daigo lost his balance and toppled helplessly to his left.
He hit the floor hard, and only then did he realize how overconfident he'd been.
The person he was fighting wasn't Shinjoh or Horii. He was a human-shaped beast.
Once he understood that, Daigo rolled over on the floor, ready to regroup. But a heavy fist, carrying a terrifying force like a harbinger of death, stopped right in front of his eyes.
The wild gust from the punch mussed Daigo's hair and gave him a vivid taste of the autumn chill.
"What are you hesitating about, Daigo?" Zhou Hong said. He opened his fist and pulled Daigo up from the floor.
Daigo fidgeted, unsure how to begin.
"Hesitation means defeat. The more you think about, the more likely a complicated situation is to leave you unable to see clearly."
He took a deep breath, then asked quietly, "Ahong, you're Jostar, aren't you?"
"Yeah, that's right. I'm Jostar."
He'd answered so readily!
Daigo stared at him, dumbfounded. Now he couldn't understand what he'd been hesitating about in the first place.
"It's not some secret you can't talk about, is it, Tiga?" Zhou Hong replied with a shrug.
Daigo gave a wry smile. He was always disappearing, so Commander Munakata and the others wouldn't suspect anything. They'd just assume he'd wandered off somewhere or snuck away to slack off.
But Zhou Hong was an Ultra Warrior too, so he could naturally figure out what Daigo had been doing.
All he did was find somewhere to pull out his transformation device, then punch and kick a little monster.
"If you have questions, ask them quickly. You can't skip your training every day."
As straightforward as ever, Daigo stopped hesitating. "Why did Tiga choose me? As Ultramen, what are we fighting for?"
Daigo rattled off question after question until Zhou Hong's head was buzzing.
"Stop, stop!" Zhou Hong hurriedly gestured for him to pause his rapid-fire questions.
"I can't give you good answers to those questions."
"Why did Tiga choose you? Go ask Tiga." Zhou Hong's words nearly made Daigo choke on his own saliva.
I'm the one transforming into Tiga, not Tiga himself. So you're telling me to ask myself?
"As for why you fight, can't you think about why you always step forward?"
"And the rest of those questions? Come on, they're your questions. Why are you asking me? Do you want me to be your therapist?"
"I'm no good at that. This is all I know." As he spoke, Zhou Hong raised a fist as big as a cooking pot. "So, want me to treat you?"
Daigo's smile grew even more bitter, like someone who'd swallowed three doses of bitter medicine without getting any sugar afterward.
"Instead of wasting time thinking about this and that, you'd be better off training more and getting stronger."
"Once you're strong enough to defeat your enemies, you'll have plenty of time to think about questions like these." Zhou Hong felt that after spending so much time with Joneus, he'd picked up some of his style.
Daigo thought it over and found the argument sound.
He'd been getting beaten up and training like crazy lately. Tiga had developed a hint of muscle definition too, and every time Daigo threw a punch, it felt stronger.
The solid bulk of his chest muscles gave him a sense of security.
Seeing that Daigo had come to his senses, Zhou Hong nodded. "Then let's start the second round."
Daigo had come here to train, but the area where he always made the most progress was his ability to take a beating.
Still, every one of Zhou Hong's attacks was etched deeply into Daigo's mind, waiting for the day he could use them on some monster.
Maybe this was what passing on the light meant.
The monster might not be able to bear the weight of that light, though.
Before you continue