Chapter 5: The Rat That Stole Everything

Saiga Noburu never imagined trouble would find him on a simple bank errand.
He wasn’t transformed, didn’t have his armor, and—ironically—had left his Astral Device at home.

He only wanted cash.

But the moment he stepped inside the lobby, he froze.

The vault door was shredded open, its steel twisted like soft clay.
Every stack of money was gone—vanished without mercy.

Customers crouched under desks.
Employees trembled.
Someone whispered:

“A monster… a monster was here…”

Then—

WEEOO—WEEOO—WEEOO—

The bank alarm erupted, shaking the entire building.

Police charged in moments later, weapons raised.

“Who triggered the alarm!?”
“Step forward immediately!”

But no one answered.
Everyone looked terrified.

Then came the sound.

SCRRRRRTCH… THUD… THUD…

A dark shape moved in the hallway.

A tall, thin figure stepped out—humanoid, but unmistakably wrong.

A giant rat’s head with glowing red eyes, teeth protruding over a warped jaw.
Patches of dark fur scattered over cracked stone-like skin.
Long claws dragging across the marble floor.
A tattered business suit still clung to his mutated frame, as if mocking the human life he once had.

Rat-Man.

His voice was a low, irritated growl.

“Which one of you… pressed that alarm?”

Someone gasped. A woman sobbed.

Saiga stepped forward slightly, ready to distract him if needed.

But Rat-Man ignored everyone.

“Hmph. No matter.”

He turned and headed for the exit.

Police opened fire instantly.

PING—CLANG—ZRRRK!

Bullets bounced off his skin like toys.
Every scratched surface healed within seconds.

“H-He’s regenerating!”
“Keep firing! Keep—”

Rat-Man snarled.

“Your weapons bore me.”

With a swift movement, he tore open a nearby sewer grate and disappeared underground—gone before anyone could react.

Armed officers descended into the tunnels beneath Tokyo.

Their flashlights cut through the darkness, scanning every echo, every shadow.

But no matter how far they searched—
No footprints.
No heat signatures.
No signs of movement at all.

Rat-Man had vanished into the labyrinth.

As Saiga slipped away from the chaos outside the bank, his phone buzzed.

Unknown number.

“…Hello?”

“Saiga-kun. Still alive? Good.”

He sighed.

“Kanzaki.”

Natsumi’s tone was as smug as ever.

“You let him get away again. Impressive consistency.”

“I DIDN’T KNOW HE’D BE THERE!”

She ignored him completely.

“Meet me at the park. Immediately.”

“Do I even get a choice?”

“No.”

Click.

Natsumi sat elegantly on a bench, one leg crossed over the other, sipping canned coffee as though this were a casual lunch break.

She didn’t bother greeting him.

“You’re consistently late and consistently useless at monster encounters. Fascinating.”

Saiga threw his hands up.

“I wasn’t even transformed! Or equipped!”

She flicked her tablet on.

A hologram of Rat-Man appeared—rotating slowly.

“Rat-Man was once human.”

Saiga blinked.

“…Excuse me?”

“A corrupt government official. He fled with embezzled funds, but during his escape, he was attacked by something… extraterrestrial.”

She swiped the screen.

A monstrous, hairless rat with glowing veins appeared.

“A radioactive rat specimen from the Venus Cruiser—an old Orga Fleet shipwreck.”

Saiga stared.

“Why do aliens keep giving us problems?”

She continued as if he hadn’t spoken.

“The Orga experimented with creating bio-weapons using these creatures. The First Sentai destroyed most of the specimens, but a few survived. Someone seems to have released one in Tokyo.”

Her expression hardened.

“If Rat-Man spreads the mutagen, Tokyo will fall.”
“He must be contained.”
A pause.
“…Or eliminated.”

Saiga inhaled sharply.

“…Then I’ll help you stop him.”

She smiled faintly.

“So you’re joining my Sentai development team?”

“I said I’ll help. I didn’t say I’m joining.”

Her eye twitched.

“…You are the single most frustrating man I’ve ever met.”

“Part of my charm.”

After a long pause—

“…Fine. Temporary cooperation.”

They shook hands reluctantly.

On his walk home, Saiga passed groups of children talking excitedly.

“Do you think the Sentai will reunite?”
“Maybe the Black one and the Yellow one will team up again!”
“I want the Sentai to protect us forever…”

Saiga’s steps slowed.

He looked up at the orange sky.

Are they… waiting for someone like me?
Even if I’m not worthy yet…?

His heart tightened.

Then he heard a soft cry.

An elderly woman sat on a bench, trembling.

“Ma’am…? Are you alright?”

She looked up, wiping tears.

“Rat-Man… he stole all my savings… I needed the money for my grandson’s treatment…”

Saiga’s expression darkened.

Something inside him snapped.

Anger—not wild, but focused—rose inside his chest.

This isn’t just theft.
People are hurting.
Someone must stop him.

He pulled out his phone and called Natsumi.

“Kanzaki. I’m in.”

Her voice warmed slightly.

“…For the mission?”

“For the mission.”

“Good.”

The next morning, Natsumi stood before a holographic map of Tokyo.

“Based on his pattern, Rat-Man will hit a high-value jewelry store next—likely in Shinjuku.”

Saiga blinked.

“How do you know?”

“Statistics, behavioral mapping, historical data… and intuition.”

“…So you’re guessing.”

“An educated guess.”

And of course—

They saw him.

A tall “man” in an ill-fitting business suit and wide-brim hat, stiff and awkward.
Too tall. Too thin. Too rat-like.

He walked into a jewelry shop.

Seconds later—

CRASH!
Glass sprayed into the street.

Screams erupted.

Saiga and Natsumi raised their Devices.

“ASTRAL DRIVE—SENTAI CHANGE!”

Light exploded across the street.

Crowds cheered. Cameras flashed.

“The Sentai are back!”
“Get that rat!”

But Rat-Man hissed—

Then bolted into an alley faster than either of them could react.

Natsumi clicked her tongue.

“Unbelievable.”

Saiga groaned.

“He runs like a tax evader.”

Within minutes, social media exploded:

#CatchRatMan
#StopTheMonster
#BringBackSentai

Fear and frustration boiled across the city.

Saiga clenched his Device.

I need a plan… Something he won’t expect…

A reckless idea formed.

Maybe brilliant.
Maybe disastrous.

But I have to try.

He looked toward the glowing Shinjuku skyline.

No more running. I’ll stop him—one way or another.