Chapter 138: Even Heroes Are Stumped by a Single Cent
“Or could it be... this is a third parallel Ultraman Tiga timeline?”
“Or perhaps, this is actually the original Ultraman Tiga timeline, just with the numbering changed—a mere coincidence?”
Kyo Ryuzawa kept sorting through his thoughts.
...
Stopping his mental spinning, Kyo Ryuzawa stood up.
The method to confirm whether this was the original Ultraman Tiga timeline was simple.
He approached a random boy of about ten years old with a watermelon haircut by the roadside and asked him.
The boy’s answer left Kyo utterly dumbfounded.
“Hey kid, do you know Ultraman Tiga and the Black Giant?”
“Uncle, Ultraman Tiga? What’s that?”
The boy blinked his bright eyes and looked at Kyo with innocent curiosity.
...
Kyo was stunned on the spot.
“Hmm... maybe this kid’s just too ignorant...”
Kyo could only conclude this much.
Soon after, he questioned several other passersby: a sprightly old man in his sixties still fond of pretty girls, a flamboyantly dressed elderly lady defying age, and some earnest young people.
Their answers were remarkably consistent.
—“What’s Ultraman?”
“This... what kind of timeline is this? There’s no Ultraman at all.”
Leaning against a sturdy tree with furrowed brows, Kyo realized that not only did Ultraman not exist in this timeline, but there were no Ultraman tokusatsu shows either!
“So this definitely isn’t the timeline I crossed from originally...”
Kyo fell into deep thought again.
Sure enough, this time travel had been affected by the earlier attack from Zoda, causing a deviation!
...
“It seems I was a bit biased. Maybe this place... is a peaceful world without Ultramen or monsters?”
Kyo’s mood grew complex. In the Land of Light timeline, he faced endless enemies, constantly battling without respite. Beyond the physical exhaustion, he was truly weary at heart.
If this was indeed a world free from monsters and Ultramen, wasn’t that exactly the peace he longed for inside?
Becoming an Ultraman to fight monsters was Kyo’s dream before crossing over. Though others saw it as childish and absurd, he held fast to his belief and dreams.
But now...
Kyo felt a certain weariness toward battle.
What was the true meaning of Ultramen?
Ultramen were not born to oppose monsters inherently. Only when ill-intentioned aliens or monsters tried to invade or destroy Earth or other planets did the Ultramen, possessing supernatural powers, intervene to slay monsters and repel invaders.
Kyo pondered this deeply, as if seeking a profound truth, unraveling some essence of life.
...
“Enough! No matter what, evil enemies must be exterminated!”
He refused to dwell further. The urgent task was to determine exactly what kind of timeline this was.
Was it truly the peaceful world he imagined?
And more immediately... how to solve his basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter!
“This is a bit of a headache...”
Kyo scratched his head vigorously with his right hand. His body still felt somewhat weak, and his left arm was encased in a heavy cast. How was he to find work and secure his basic livelihood in such a state?
More importantly—his identity!
In the previous two Ultraman Tiga timelines, identity issues had caused him considerable trouble in finding work.
Now, in this unfamiliar timeline, Kyo not only lacked any form of identification but was also injured!
The public screens in the square nearby flickered with endless advertisements, sweet or husky voices blending with the noisy crowd. Kyo walked toward a platform not far from the square and gazed down at the bustling throng below.
The dense crowd flowed like countless tiny ants. Kyo stared blankly at the sea of dark figures beneath him. After a long moment, a helpless, wry smile crept onto his lips.
After so much thought, Kyo still had no idea how his current status as an undocumented injured man could solve his basic survival needs.
It was as if he had returned to the first time he crossed into the original Ultraman Tiga timeline—hungry and destitute, like a homeless wanderer.
“Go to a shelter?”
He quickly dismissed the idea. Those places wouldn’t address his problems effectively.
Dragging his cast-covered left arm, Kyo once again set off onto the street, wandering aimlessly...
...
By now, the sunset had lost its final glow. The sky was cloaked in deep nightfall, with scattered stars shimmering faintly, as if whispering the loneliness of the night.
Kyo sat listlessly on a public bench, idly playing with the dim Dark Divine Light Rod in his hand.
“Camilla, oh Camilla, what should I do now?”
He muttered to himself, staring at the fading glow of the rod.
He knew that after his fierce battle with the god Kirielod, Camilla had expended great power and was still asleep, unable to answer him.
The rod’s light was dull. After some quiet muttering, Kyo let out a bitter smile.
Since when did I become so talkative?
Maybe I’m just getting old?
It had been nearly three years since he crossed into the Ultraman world. He was already twenty-three.
Add to that the years spent in the subspace created by Senior Ultra King—counting that, he was well into his thirties.
As the saying goes, a man should stand firm at thirty.
But had he truly “stood”?
In life, love, career—Kyo felt everything was in disarray.
Yet he quickly patted his head.
“What nonsense am I thinking! As a human and an Ultraman, how can I measure myself by ordinary human standards!”
...
Still, hunger gnawed at him fiercely, reminding him that even as a human and Ultraman, he needed to eat!
Feeling his empty pockets, Kyo sighed.
“Truly, a penny can bring down even the greatest hero...”
...
Suddenly, three figures caught Kyo’s attention.
Or perhaps it was Kyo who attracted their gaze.
Under the night sky, street lamps flickered. Kyo’s eyes settled on three youths with exaggerated hairstyles approaching him side by side.
From left to right, their hair was dyed the three colors of a traffic light: red, yellow, and green.
Traffic lights?
Kyo couldn’t help but chuckle silently at these three youths dressed in such flamboyant punk fashion.
That style had been outdated by more than a decade back in his original world!