Stark Industries Headquarters.
A violent explosion roared in my ears.
Ryu Takahashi opened his eyes vaguely, stunned by the scene before him.
"What's going on? Am I dreaming?"
Ryu patted his cheek, then pinched his thigh hard.
"Ouch! It's not a dream… Could it be… time travel?"
He looked around blankly. The city lay in ruins, and two blurred figures clashed fiercely in the sky.
Suddenly, he saw a figure wearing a golden and red suit falling rapidly toward him.
"???"
"Iron… Iron Man?"
Ryu's eyes widened as he looked at the iconic suit.
"Did I just land in the Marvel universe?"
Realization hit him like a punch. This was a dangerous world where half the population could vanish in an instant!
"What year is it? Has Thanos snapped his fingers yet?"
Accepting his new reality, Ryu began contemplating how he could survive. In a foreign country, with little familiarity, he'd better not become cannon fodder before he could even settle in.
As Ryu was thinking about survival, the ground suddenly shook, and an unusually tall steel behemoth appeared before him.
"Iron Monger?!"
Wasn't that the villain from the first Iron Man movie?
"So… it's only 2008? No Thanos yet?"
Ryu was speechless.
"But… isn't this big BOSS a little too close to me?"
"Is it too late to run?"
The Iron Monger's towering form was intimidating, and Ryu instinctively wanted to step back.
After all, in this world, the rich have tech, the poor rely on luck, and the rest just pray they're not next in line.
"Stop it! Obadiah!"
Iron Man, clad in his red and gold armor, called out to the Iron Monger.
"You're always like this… For 40 years, I've supported you. I built this company from scratch! I won't let anyone stand in my way!"
With his power drained, Iron Man was picked up and thrown into a pit by the Iron Monger.
"Oh? A little mouse, too? It seems Tony won't be dying alone today!"
The Iron Monger raised his iron fist, ready to strike Ryu down.
With the iron fist descending toward him, Ryu's face filled with disbelief.
"Are you serious? Can the hate even transfer like this?!"
Just then, a clear electronic sound echoed in Ryu's ears.
[Ding! Host detected in life-threatening situation. Activating Saitama Template System for self-protection.]
[Options: 1. Confront the villain Iron Monger, unlocking the Saitama template; 2. Die here and let the system seek a new host.]
"System!!!"
Ryu's despair turned to hope as he quickly replied.
"Option one! Let's do this!"
[Ding! Congratulations. The Saitama Template has been unlocked. Do you want to begin transmission?]
"Transmit now!"
In an instant, Ryu accepted the system's gift, his only lifeline.
[Ding! 10% of Saitama's power unlocked.]
A warmth surged through his body, and Ryu's posture straightened. He looked calmly at the massive fist coming his way.
Ryu slowly raised his left hand.
Boom! Dust clouded the air as the two collided.
The onlookers from S.H.I.E.L.D closed their eyes. Surely, they thought, no regular human could survive that.
As the dust settled, Ryu's body stood upright, hand still raised, blocking the Iron Monger's attack.
Everyone fell silent.
Iron Monger, too, was stunned, staring at this unbreakable figure before him.
"Is this guy even human?"
Regaining his composure, Iron Monger stepped back and activated the Gatling gun on his arm.
"You're good! But can you dodge bullets?"
The crowd tensed, envisioning Ryu being shredded by the hail of gunfire.
"Go to hell!"
...
The Gatling gun, meant to obliterate Ryu, was ripped from Iron Monger's arm with ease.
"Pick up your weapon!" Ryu's voice echoed.
"I said, pick up your weapon!!"
Iron Monger's eyes widened, sensing something was very wrong.
Everyone gawked at the disarmed machine gun, astonished by Ryu's raw power.
Ryu declared confidently, "I'm done hiding. I'm the strongest!"
"strongest? Ridiculous!" 😂😂
Iron Monger raised his arm, preparing to land a final blow.
"In my homeland, we have a saying: a cricket cannot shake a tree. It fits perfectly here."
Ryu took a stance, winding his fist back, gathering his strength.
"I may have been weak before…"
"But now, it's you who overestimates yourself, challenging a force beyond understanding!"
Their fists met in silence.
Then, in a flash, the once-mighty Iron Monger was reduced to ash, scattered to the wind.
Iron Man, waking up, looked around in shock.
"Where's Obadiah? I came to settle this."
The crowd answered, expressions strange.
"He's… everywhere."
"???"
"He took a punch… and just… disappeared…"
Iron Man's eyes widened as he gazed at Ryu standing in the pit, a mixture of awe and disbelief.
"One punch??"
"Who… who is this guy?"