"Hahaha..." Feng Yuan wore a bright smile as he replied to the crowd surrounding him, "I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Dan Moroboshi of the MAC team, and it was thanks to his recommendation that I was able to join."
"Brother Feng Yuan, you're so amazing! I'm going to work hard too, and when I grow up, I'm going to join the MAC team!" A little boy stepped close to Feng Yuan, looking up at him with eyes full of envy.
Feng Yuan ruffled the boy's hair and laughed happily, "Then you'll have to work hard, Toru!"
"Mr. Moroboshi... So that's how it is!" Masashi Omura, standing nearby, suddenly understood.
Right at that moment, Feng Yuan abruptly felt a strange gaze land on him. It wasn't particularly evil, but it still gave him a chill, as if some bad luck was about to befall him.
Glancing past Momoko and the others to follow the source of that gaze, Feng Yuan's eyes suddenly narrowed, and his expression turned serious.
An Alien...?Minghui wore a rich smile, looking at Feng Yuan with squinted eyes.
At this time, Feng Yuan was in high spirits. He had just driven away his enemy, Alien Magma, and shown off in front of a group of friends at the club; it was only natural for him to feel elated. Yet even under such circumstances, he hadn't lowered his guard. The moment Minghui had even a slightly different thought, Feng Yuan immediately sensed it.
It just goes to show why he truly deserves to be the future King of Sports of the Land of Light!
"Hello, Mr. Feng Yuan!" Minghui smiled and nodded at Feng Yuan.
Masashi Omura introduced him to Feng Yuan, "Let me introduce you, Feng Yuan. This is Mr. Minghui, and he's here to apply for a coaching position at the club."
Hearing Masashi Omura's introduction, Feng Yuan remained unfazed. He still stared intently at Minghui with a serious expression and asked, "Who are you...?"
Before he could finish, Minghui suddenly raised a hand to interrupt him. "Mr. Feng Yuan, could we have a word alone?"
Minghui clearly saw the expression on Feng Yuan's face relax a lot at those words. Feng Yuan nodded quickly and said, "Alright, Mr. Minghui, let's step outside."
"However..." Minghui raised a single finger.
As those words fell, Feng Yuan's expression turned serious once again.
"Wait until I finish eating!"
Feng Yuan: ?
............
Ten minutes later.
Outside the Jonan Sports Club.
The MAC patrol vehicle Feng Yuan had driven there was parked right outside the club doors. Minghui was leaning casually against the car door, looking quite relaxed. "It would be even better if I could have a cigarette right now. Do you smoke, Feng Yuan?"
Feng Yuan didn't answer Minghui's question. Instead, he stood right in front of him and demanded, "Are you an Alien? What are you doing here?"
"Since you can tell I'm an Alien, can you also make out what my true form looks like?" Minghui was somewhat curious. He didn't even know what his own transformed appearance would be, and he wondered if Feng Yuan—a genuine Ultraman possessing the Ultra Eye—could see through it.
Feng Yuan shook his head and said, "To be honest, your transformation technique is very powerful; I can't tell the difference between you and a normal human. But I know there's more to you than that. There is a different kind of aura inside your body."
There was one more thing Feng Yuan left unsaid: based on his intuition, this aura didn't feel evil at all. On the contrary, it gave people a sense of peace, somewhat similar to the feeling Dan Moroboshi gave him, though not entirely the same.
If not for this feeling, he wouldn't have continued chatting so peacefully with Minghui.
Minghui nodded; this result didn't exceed his expectations. The System page hadn't displayed the specific appearance of his Ultraman form either. This might be because his Ultraman form wasn't completely finished and was still gestating, but it could also mean the Ultraman form was already complete enough, with the specifics simply depending on his own heart.
Feeling that sensation of being able to transform into an Ultraman at any moment, Minghui formed a judgment in his mind.
"Your judgment is correct. I'm indeed not a pure Earthling." Smiling at Feng Yuan, Minghui spoke up, "I am also... an Ultraman!"
"What?" Feng Yuan's eyes widened in disbelief, though that feeling reminiscent of Dan Moroboshi made him hesitate. "Sorry, I can't easily believe a claim like that. Do you have any evidence to prove you're an Ultraman?"
Evidence? Transform on the spot? While it wasn't impossible, doing that would be way too stupid!
Minghui shook his head. "You'll see for yourself, Feng Yuan."
"Let's put that aside for a moment, Feng Yuan. Let me ask you: do you think you won the Battle of Black Tide Island?" Changing the subject, Minghui stared intently at Feng Yuan and asked in a deep voice.
As soon as those words came out, Feng Yuan knew Minghui already understood his true identity, yet after what had just been said, he didn't show any other particular reaction. Though he couldn't completely trust the person before him, his guard had indeed lowered somewhat.
The expression on Feng Yuan's face, which had been rather serious while facing Minghui, returned to its usual bright smile. "Of course! Alien Magma destroyed my home planet, and this time I finally got a little bit of payback!"
Faced with Feng Yuan's confidence, Minghui simply shook his head. "I don't think so. You may have indeed defeated Alien Magma, but the main force in that battle wasn't Alien Magma! Did you actually fight the Gillas Brothers?"
"This..." Feng Yuan hesitated.
Minghui waved a hand, cutting him off. "It was Ultraman Seven who held them back, which gave you the chance to fight Alien Magma one-on-one. But now Seven can no longer help you. You'll need to face three opponents at once—do you have any certainty you can defeat all three of them? Besides, the Gillas Brothers can perform the Gillas Spin together. The Gillas Spin is a powerful technique that even Seven's Eye Slugger couldn't break through. Can you break it?"
Feng Yuan fell silent. He desperately wanted to say he could, but the words simply wouldn't come out. That day, when he transformed into Leo and rushed to the battlefield, he had seen the destructive power of the Gillas Spin from afar, and he didn't believe he had the ability to crack such a move.
"Damn it!"
The high-flying confidence he had felt just moments ago gradually sank. Feng Yuan realized that the current situation remained as pressing as ever; the enemies had only temporarily retreated and could make a comeback at any moment. How was he supposed to defend against them then?
"Right, you said you're an Ultraman..." Feng Yuan suddenly remembered something and cried out in pleasant surprise.
"Stop!" Minghui hurriedly crossed his hands, making a rejecting sound. "I'm very weak. I don't have power as mighty as you guys."
"What should we do then? Damn it! If only I were a bit stronger!" Feng Yuan looked somewhat disappointed.
"Actually..." Minghui drew out his tone, paused for a moment, and then said, "It's not entirely without a way."
"There's a way?"
"Of course!" Faced with Feng Yuan's inquiry, Minghui nodded, though a smile inevitably broke across his face, his eyes curving into crescents. "But it's not that simple either. This method will be just a teensy-weensy bit tiring, and it might require you to put in a teensy-weensy bit of effort~"
As he spoke, Minghui gestured with his fingertips to indicate a microscopic amount.
"As long as it's just a bit tiring, that's fine!" Faced with the devil's whisper, Feng Yuan resolutely nodded.
"Oh hoh hoh hoh, I like your good spirit."