Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
That night, Ryan was sparring with Takeshi in the dojo.
"Damn it!"
Ryan hit the floor hard after being knocked down again. Frustration boiled over and he slammed his fist into the mat.
"This isn't working. It's been half a month already!"
Takeshi wiped sweat from his forehead and tossed him a towel.
"Ryu, you're doing great. Most people wouldn't improve this much in two weeks."
He shrugged.
"And monsters don't show up every day. Leave that stuff to the MAC team."
Ryan frowned.
"What if the MAC team can't handle it?"
Takeshi hesitated.
"Well… there's still Ultraman."
He scratched his head.
"And honestly, if MAC can't win, you probably wouldn't make much difference either."
Then he looked at Ryan curiously.
"Wait… are you planning to join MAC?"
Ryan didn't answer.
Takeshi had no idea.
Right now, the only one who could really fight monsters on Earth might be Ryan himself.
A fake Leo.
And even that was uncertain.
For the past two weeks, System 001 hadn't responded once.
Ryan didn't even know if he could transform again.
If that was the case, the MAC team alone had no chance against powerful monsters.
Still, Takeshi wasn't wrong.
Even if Ryan trained nonstop, what good would it do if he couldn't transform?
Ryan sighed quietly.
Maybe he had been rushing things.
Just then, loud cheers erupted from the training hall.
"What's going on?" Ryan asked.
"Oh!" Takeshi said. "Toru just completed his training challenge. Nice!"
Ryan followed him toward the crowd.
Among the people gathered there, Ryan spotted Kaori and Toru's father.
Ryan froze.
Wait.
His heart started pounding.
This scene looked painfully familiar.
It was from the Alien Zuruk storyline.
In the original story, after Toru finished a training task, their father took the kids home.
That was when Alien Zuruk appeared.
And killed their father.
Ryan clenched his fists.
I can't let that happen.
Cold sweat formed on his palms.
But there was a problem.
Ryan knew he couldn't beat that monster.
Alien Zuruk was incredibly fast.
Ryan might not even see the attack before being sliced in half.
Think.
Right now the alien was probably already nearby.
Unless he stopped them from leaving, they would run straight into it.
But how could he explain that?
He barely knew their father.
And asking them to stay at the club without any reason would sound ridiculous.
Saying "there's a monster outside" would just make him look insane.
Ryan shook his head.
That wouldn't work.
But he couldn't stand by and watch the kids lose their father.
Ryan tightened his fists.
"I'll change their fate."
There was still one option.
"Takeshi," Ryan said quickly, pulling out a small note. "Call Captain Dan. Tell him…"
He handed over the paper with Moroboshi Dan's phone number.
Please make it in time.
Ryan saw the Umeda family getting ready to leave.
Without hesitation, he followed them.
Takeshi stared at the note.
"The MAC captain…?"
He looked up.
But Ryan was already running down the street.
"Wow. Ryu actually knows the MAC captain."
He scratched his head.
"…Wait, what was I supposed to tell him again?"
"Ryu?" Mr. Umeda said in surprise.
Ryan forced a smile.
"I was heading out anyway. I'll walk you home."
"Uncle's lying!" Kaori said immediately, sticking out her tongue. "You don't have anything to do!"
Ryan laughed awkwardly.
"Of course I do."
That kid is too sharp…
Mr. Umeda chuckled.
"That's alright. I actually wanted to talk with you about Toru and Kaori."
He smiled warmly.
"Thank you for taking care of them at the club."
"No problem."
The street was quiet.
Soft light from the streetlamps illuminated the empty road.
Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked.
Ryan chatted casually with Mr. Umeda as they walked.
Everything felt normal.
"Ryu, I didn't realize you were helping the kids with their homework too," Mr. Umeda said happily. "Thank you."
"It's nothing."
Ryan nodded politely.
But his thoughts were elsewhere.
Did the timeline change?
Maybe the alien wouldn't appear at all.
"Alright," Mr. Umeda said after a while. "You can stop here."
He pointed ahead.
"My house is just around the corner."
Ryan nodded.
"Okay."
Maybe he had worried for nothing.
Ryan turned to leave.
Then suddenly—
The street went silent.
Even the barking dog stopped.
Ryan's heart jumped.
Something felt wrong.
In the quiet night, he heard a faint buzzing sound.
Like an insect's wings.
No way…
"Ryu?" Mr. Umeda asked.
Ryan's face changed.
Without warning, he lunged forward and tackled Mr. Umeda to the ground.
"Get down!"
"Ryu!" Mr. Umeda shouted angrily.
But before he could protest—
A sharp sound cut through the air.
Mr. Umeda turned his head.
His eyes widened in horror.
The bicycle he had been pushing moments ago had been sliced clean in half.
"If that had hit me…"
His voice trembled.
Ryan scanned the darkness.
The monster had missed.
And now it had disappeared back into the shadows.
"Dad!" Kaori and Toru cried, clinging to him.
"It's okay," Mr. Umeda said, trying to calm them.
But he looked toward Ryan with confusion.
"Ryu… what's happening?"
Ryan clenched his teeth.
"We're going back to the club."
Just from that single attack, Ryan knew something.
He was completely outmatched.
But the monster wasn't finished.
A harsh screech echoed through the night.
Then it charged again.
This time—
The target was Ryan.
Danger exploded in Ryan's mind.
His entire body locked up.
His legs refused to move.
Damn it.
"001!" Ryan shouted desperately.
No response.
The system stayed silent.
"Come on!"
The wind above him shifted.
Ryan could already imagine the blade coming down.
He would be cut in half before he even reacted.
"Move!"
Suddenly a powerful force shoved Ryan aside.
CLANG.
Metal collided with something sharp.
Ryan rolled across the ground and looked up.
"Captain Dan!"
Moroboshi Dan stood there, blocking the monster's attack with his reinforced cane.
Even with his injured leg, he fought fiercely.
The alien's blade-like arms slashed again and again.
Dan deflected them with precise movements.
But his injury slowed him down.
Several attacks barely missed him.
Wooden posts, signs, and railings were sliced apart around them.
Ryan swallowed.
"Captain!"
"Stay back!" Dan shouted.
He focused entirely on the enemy.
Finally, he found an opening.
Dan hurled his cane like a spear.
The weapon struck the monster in the stomach.
The creature shrieked.
Then it vanished into the darkness.
Dan didn't chase it.
He simply exhaled slowly.
Then he turned around.
"Are you all alright?"
Ryan stared at him silently.
Even with a crippled leg…
Dan had fought the alien head-on.
Ryan remembered the battle clearly.
And his expression darkened.
So this is the strength of a warrior trained in the Land of Light…
System 001 had been right.
Compared to Dan, Ryan's version of Leo was far weaker.
Not even close.
Maybe it wasn't even worthy of being called Ultraman.
Just a giant.
Ryan slowly clenched his fists.