MAC Headquarters.
Moroboshi Dan stood alone in the command room.
He still hadn't fully recovered from the phone call earlier.
The boy had been right.
Dan had the same feeling. The monsters would return.
But sitting in this position meant something important.
Even if he knew danger was coming, he couldn't always act freely.
Orders had to pass through layers of command.
Dan stood there for a long time.
Then he made his decision.
He picked up the phone again.
"Captain Dan," a stern voice said from the other end. "You understand what this decision means."
"I do," Dan replied quietly. "I'll take responsibility."
The line went silent.
Dan slowly placed the receiver down.
He walked to the large window.
Outside, the blue Earth floated peacefully in space.
He watched it for a long moment.
"Let's hope this works."
The next few days passed quietly.
Ayumi still treated Ryan coldly, but at least she stopped kicking him.
Ryan considered that a win.
Guess she has some restraint after all.
He had asked Ultraman Seven for help. The least she could do was stop trying to break his nose.
When Ryan was younger, Ultraman Seven had always been his favorite hero.
No matter how many new Ultraman appeared over the years, Seven had always stayed number one in his mind.
But now that Ryan lived in this world, he actually wanted to avoid Dan as much as possible.
Not because he was scared.
He just didn't want trouble.
Still, that plan clearly wasn't going to work anymore.
Sooner or later he would get dragged into fights with monsters.
And that was a problem.
Ryan couldn't even beat Ayumi in a sparring match.
How was he supposed to fight monsters?
Even the smaller kaiju were incredibly strong.
A world champion boxer wouldn't last long against one.
And the giant ones?
Forget it.
Ryan didn't know how to fire a gun.
He definitely couldn't fly a fighter jet.
And from what he remembered, MAC's aircraft didn't do much damage to monsters anyway.
Ryan sighed.
So basically… I'm useless.
On his second day at the club, Ryan met another staff member.
Nomura Takeshi.
A tall young man with long hair.
At first glance, Takeshi seemed timid.
But in reality, he was very strong.
Ryan knew immediately he couldn't beat him in a fight.
In the original story, Takeshi was Gen Ootori's close friend and often helped train him.
But since Ultraman Leo didn't exist in this world, Takeshi had become the main instructor for the kids.
There were also the Umeda siblings.
The little girl who called Ryan "uncle" was named Umeda Kaori.
Her older brother was Umeda Toru.
After spending some time with them, Ryan had built a decent relationship with both kids.
Well…
Except Kaori still insisted on calling him "uncle."
Kids had no filter.
And then there was Momoko.
She was kind to everyone.
Ryan would be lying if he said he didn't have a small crush.
Unfortunately, Momoko was almost always with Ayumi.
Ryan sighed.
Guess I'm not destined to win that route.
Maybe someday.
A sudden news report from the radio broke his thoughts.
"Early this morning, Black Tide Island was discovered to have sunk beneath the sea. The exact cause remains unknown, though last night's heavy storm may be responsible. Emergency rescue operations are currently underway…"
Ryan froze.
"So it happened…"
But something about the report caught his attention.
Had Seven managed to help?
Ryan jumped to his feet and rushed toward the door.
Just as he reached it, Ayumi ran into the building.
Her hair was messy.
Her eyes were red.
Tears still clung to the corners.
"You—" Ryan started.
Ayumi quickly turned her face away.
"What are you staring at?" she snapped. "Never seen someone cry before?"
The radio continued.
"Latest update: due to an early evacuation order issued by the MAC team, residents of Black Tide Island have been safely evacuated. Government rescue operations are ongoing…"
Ayumi opened her mouth.
Then she changed her words.
"What, never seen a girl without makeup?"
Before Ryan could respond, she walked away quickly.
Ryan stared after her.
"…She was definitely crying."
Then he smiled.
Seven had handled it well.
So many people were saved.
Which meant Ryan probably didn't need to worry about owing him a favor.
Not long after the news report, Omura gathered everyone at the training hall.
The large room was packed with children chatting loudly.
Kaori and Toru sat among them.
"Hello, Uncle!" Kaori shouted happily.
Ryan pretended not to hear.
Omura stepped forward.
"Ryu, you heard about Black Tide Island, right?"
Ryan nodded.
"I just heard."
He glanced across the room.
Ayumi stood beside Momoko.
Her hair and clothes were perfectly neat now.
Ryan blinked.
That was fast.
Omura crossed his arms.
"Honestly, I'm shocked. You were right. The monsters really did attack the island again."
Ryan laughed awkwardly.
"I just thought it was better to be cautious."
He couldn't exactly say he knew the plot.
Takeshi scratched his head.
"Wait… what do monsters attacking the island have to do with Ryu?"
Omura slapped Ryan's shoulder proudly.
"Because Ryu helped save the island's residents!"
Everyone looked surprised.
"Last night he called the MAC team," Omura explained. "That's why they issued the evacuation order!"
Takeshi punched Ryan lightly in the arm.
"You're a hero now, huh?"
Ryan shook his head.
"No, that credit belongs to Captain Dan."
"Dan actually called earlier," Omura said loudly. "He asked me to pass along his thanks!"
Ryan felt slightly embarrassed.
"And besides," Omura added, "you indirectly saved one of our club's sponsors."
Ryan blinked.
"A sponsor?"
Omura looked toward Ayumi.
Ryan suddenly understood.
"Well… that's convenient."
Ayumi glared at him.
"Don't get cocky."
She folded her arms.
"On Black Tide Island, we were the ones who rescued you."
Ryan opened his mouth to reply.
But before he could speak—
The ground shook.
Violently.
"What's happening?" Omura shouted, grabbing the door frame. "An earthquake?! Everyone outside!"
Ryan's face turned pale.
No…
It wasn't an earthquake.
It was worse.
"President!" Ryan shouted. "Monsters! They're here! Everyone run!"
As if confirming his words, a massive roar rolled across the city.
It vibrated through the air.
Through the ground.
Through everyone's bones.
Omura rushed outside.
Two enormous creatures approached from the direction of the sea.
Waves surged around them.
A tsunami followed in their wake.
Omura gasped.
"Those monsters look serious! Protect the children! Everyone follow me!"
Ryan's heart pounded.
He knew exactly how dangerous those monsters were.
He had seen them fight Ultraman Seven.
He had seen them sink Black Tide Island.
These monsters might even be stronger than the twin monsters from the original story.
If events continued like before…
Without Ultraman Leo…
Tokyo might sink.
Maybe even all of Japan.
Maybe the entire planet.
Ryan stared at the monsters destroying the city.
What am I supposed to do?
Saving the world was never supposed to be his problem.
But now he lived in this world.
If Earth was destroyed, he would die too.
He wasn't Ultraman.
He couldn't fly into space.
Even the MAC space station wouldn't survive long without Earth.
"Ryu!" Omura shouted. "Stop standing there! Move!"
Ryan looked at the rising tsunami.
The collapsing buildings.
The panicked crowds.
He sighed.
"Guess we survive as long as we can."
"Coming!"
He turned to run.
Then something strange happened.
Ryan's body froze.
He tried to move.
Nothing happened.
Then his legs started walking.
Forward.
Toward the monsters.
"What's going on?"
Cold sweat ran down his back.
His mind screamed to run.
But his body kept moving forward.
Like some invisible program had just activated.
"Ryu!" people shouted. "What are you doing?! Come back!"
Ayumi stomped her foot.
"That idiot! Has he lost his mind?!"
She ran after him.
"Ayumi!" someone shouted.
"It's too late! Get out of here!"
The sounds around Ryan faded.
His friends shouting.
People screaming.
Buildings collapsing.
Tsunami waves crashing.
Even the monsters' roars.
All of it grew distant.
Instead, he heard something else.
A heartbeat.
Heavy.
Powerful.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Ryan stood directly in front of the monsters.
But somehow he could see the entire city.
From above.
Tokyo Bay had turned into a vast ocean.
Rows of skyscrapers collapsed.
Floodwaters swallowed the streets.
And at the center of the disaster—
Two enormous monsters.
Tokyo was about to sink.
Ryan closed his eyes.
So this is how it ends.
Arriving in this world without warning.
Dying without warning.
At least Tokyo was going down with him.
Then—
A voice echoed in his mind.
"Requirements met. System initializing."
"Host confirmed. Activating protection protocol."
"Execution confirmed."