Dan Moroboshi picked up the iron crutch he had thrown aside. His right knee perpetually bent, he watched Gen running towards him with a dark, grim expression.
A light flashed in his eyes as he activated his Ultra Sight. Scanning Xia Yan's body, he found his answer.
Possessing the power of light yet still human—this precisely confirmed what he had suspected.
Looks like I need to notify the Land of Light soon.
The union of human and Ultraman was highly unstable, given the Ultraman genes were far stronger.
For a human body to bear the power of light without an Ultraman's guidance, the slightest misstep could lead to genetic collapse.
The events the Land of Light experienced years ago were still vivid in his memory.
Thinking this, Dan Moroboshi looked at Xia Yan, unconscious on Gen's back, and reached out to take him:
"Give him to me."
Leaning on his crutch, he supported Xia Yan's body with one hand, helping him over to the side to lay him down steadily on the sand.
His perpetually stern gaze softened slightly. Looking at Xia Yan, he felt a sense of joy.
A good seedling!
It was like a turtle spotting its favorite bean. The more Dan Moroboshi looked, the more favorable he felt towards Xia Yan.
Gen followed closely, his face full of worry. He asked anxiously:
"Captain, how is he?"
Hearing Gen's voice, Dan Moroboshi's face instantly darkened again. He turned his gaze, staring without a word, then suddenly raised the iron crutch in his hand!
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The crutch struck Gen, making him grimace in pain. He quickly backed away, raising his arms in a flustered block, crying out:
"Ah! Captain! Why are you doing this? I don't understand!"
Only after Gen was beaten back until his back hit the reef, with no room to retreat, did Dan Moroboshi stop.
He pressed the iron crutch against Gen's shoulder, his gaze fixed intently on him, reprimanding him sternly:
"Why didn't you follow my orders! Gen! Are you fighting only for revenge for your planet!?"
Hearing this, a somewhat wronged expression appeared on Gen's face. Feeling indignant, he retorted: "But Captain, what did I do wrong? And we won, didn't we?"
These words immediately infuriated Dan Moroboshi. Leaning on the crutch for support, his palm shot up.
He delivered an Ultraman slap!
Slap—
Gen: "???"
Dan Moroboshi pointed at Xia Yan lying on the ground nearby, glaring at Gen as he scolded: "You fool!"
"Do you really think the two of you could have won!?"
"Based on what? On him knowing nothing? Or on you getting tossed around by the twin monsters?"
"You almost got yourselves killed, you know that!?"
Gen, just recovering from the shock of the slap, hearing these questioning words, immediately forgot about being hit.
"What do you mean, Captain!?"
Remembering the sudden surge of red psychic energy, he suddenly understood, his face filled with astonishment: "Could it be that at that time..."
"Enough!" Dan Moroboshi didn't look at Gen, turning instead to walk towards Xia Yan, leaning on his crutch.
Realizing the truth, Gen hurriedly chased after him, his emotions stirred: "Captain, you saved us, didn't you!"
Using Ultra Psychic power consumed lifespan. Understanding this, Gen was now filled with shame.
"Silence!" Dan Moroboshi snapped impatiently.
Glancing at the guilt-ridden, self-blaming Gen, the stern look on his face softened.
He spoke earnestly, admonishing: "Gen, you have joined MAC. That means you must shoulder the task of protecting Earth!"
"Not rush in recklessly thinking only of a desperate fight. That not only fails to defeat the enemy but also drags others into danger."
"Do you understand! Gen!"
Hearing this, Gen immediately straightened up, standing at attention and responding loudly: "Yes, Captain!"
His heart was now a mix of emotions, feeling the admonishment like that of an elder.
He couldn't help but blame himself for his earlier rash actions.
Seeing this, Dan Moroboshi nodded slightly, feeling somewhat gratified. Although Gen was a bit foolish, he possessed a pure heart.
"Take him to the hospital for treatment."
Gesturing for Gen to carry the still-unconscious Xia Yan, Dan Moroboshi turned and limped away, leaning on his crutch.
His背影 was full of exhaustion and loneliness.
Although the twin monsters and Magma Seijin had been completely destroyed, the damage they caused still needed addressing.
The ensuing rescue work was urgent and could not be delayed. Even though using his Ultra Psychic power left him feeling utterly drained, Dan Moroboshi had no intention of resting now.
Many humans were still trapped under the rubble, waiting for him to lead the MAC team in rescue operations.
Moreover, this victory was entirely due to a clever trick. He had to make Gen learn the corresponding counter techniques. Otherwise, if they encountered twin monsters again, they might not be able to win.
After thinking it over, he decided to include the still-unconscious Xia Yan in the training as well.
This kid is even more of a rookie than Gen. He must train!
Hospital.
Because of that earlier phone call, Gen, worried there might still be aliens lurking, had the people from Minami Gymnasium come.
He wanted to clarify what exactly had happened. However, the answer he received left him stunned.
"What? He was the one who called me then?"
His expression turned utterly bewildered. Gen looked at Xia Yan lying quietly on the hospital bed, full of disbelief.
Seeing Gen's reaction, Hiko asked, puzzled:
"Xia Yan-san told me he was your friend and had something very important to find you about."
After speaking, Hiko's face showed a hint of worry. Had she trusted the wrong person?
Thinking this, she couldn't help but ask: "Is something wrong, Gen-kun? Is there a problem?"
"Nothing!" Gen reacted and denied it outright, quickly covering for Xia Yan on the bed:
"Xia Yan-san is a friend I knew since childhood. We haven't seen each other for many years, so I didn't recognize him at first."
As he spoke, Gen privately surmised: Xia Yan must have discovered the twin monsters and Magma Seijin were planning to attack Kuroshio Island. Worried he wouldn't be believed, that's why he said that.
Remembering how his own suggestions weren't adopted, how his teammates in MAC didn't believe he had spotted the twin monsters during patrol...
After a bit of mental extrapolation, Gen empathized deeply. He felt Xia Yan's earlier despicable behavior was understandable under the circumstances and decided not to hold it against him.
Meanwhile, Hiko's expression grew slightly perplexed.
What Gen described was completely different from what Xia Yan had said earlier. Noticing Gen's gaze seemed somewhat evasive...
She thought for a moment, her face betraying nothing, but in her words, she subtly launched a direct probe, asking softly:
"Gen-kun, someone told me you secretly kept all those photos you took of me?"
Observing Gen's expression closely, she indeed saw him tense up entirely, his eyes darting about.
"Ah? Photos? That..." Gen panicked.