Secter and Tatsumaki

by the reformist

A bittersweet romance that delves deep into two emotionally hurting characters. This story will go to some dark places between several of the characters involved and takes place not long after the webcomic's Psychic Sisters arc. It's also a non-canon crossover with some of my original stuff, but one doesn't need to have read any of that to appreciate what's here. Enjoy the story!

1. Chapter 1

With the throttle pushed all the way forward, Secter's vision grew watery as his ship plummeted towards the planet. Little streams poured forth from the corners of the man's eyes, the light from the nearby Sun reflecting off of them and back through the cockpit windows. He wiped away at his face, sniffling as he flung his wrist back and forth. As he neared the atmosphere, he flipped a switch on his controlboard and the entire ship began to hum and fade from view. Flying through clouds, Secter spotted the ground coming into view and braced himself for a landing. Pulling the throttle upward, Secter landed in a nearby dump, making sure to avoid bumping into the piles of garbage nearby. No clouds of dust emanated from the ground as his ship floated to the earth below, and Secter stepped out of seemingly nothing towards the trash mountains. He pulled a device from his hand, and with the press of a button, the vessel vanished from its spot to a moon far away. Taking his first step forward, Secter strode towards the lights of the nearest city.

The man was a beacon with bags under his eyes, always tired but never unwilling to smile for others. He was tall, but never loomed over anyone. An angled jawline underneath his face, Secter was often described as nice to look at, but not to the point of gawking. At first glance, people might be offput by his serious demeanor, but his voice and jokes invited them to a place of calm. Messiness abounded the top of his head, his black hair ruffled and unkempt but always kept short enough to stay out of his face. Any quips he made were oftentimes accompanied by a smirk, but somehow everyone knew not to take him too seriously. It seemed as if Secter wanted it this way, struggling to keep a balance between the seriousness and the lightheartedness, and it showed through his face and exhausted posture. There could never be enough sleep for him, and the man who shuffled towards the nearby buildings dreamed of a place where he could rest alone. Muscled yet lean at the same time, he would always be accused of moving slowly, whether it was through movement or through moving on. He hoped no one would notice him as he encountered the first avenue of the city.

He kept his head down as he walked, but no one was paying attention to him anyways. As he reached his destination, he took his hands out from the grey hoodie he was wearing. Secter ruffled his hair, and put on a winning smirk before heading inside. A man in a suit sat behind a wooden desk before him, and he gave Secter a quizzical look as he approached.

"Hey there," said Secter. He pointed a quick finger at the suited man. "Looking to rent."

Several days later Secter was all set up, couches and blankets and chairs arranged in a living space all his own. The place was squat, tiny, and soon to be messy under Secter's jurisdiction. Living room melted into the kitchen, the two rooms barely separated by a couple of feet of carpet which converged with white tile. A small and grimy bathroom sat right next to the kitchen. The bedroom lay at the end of a short hall adjacent to the bathroom, it too being cramped and barely large enough for Secter to fit a twin-sized bed into.

Putting away a group of bottles of black liquid, some glowing bandages and several syringes of neon yellow ooze as well as a sleek, grey revolver adorned with glowing lights in different areas of the house, Secter made his way out to the dining room. He pushed out his lower lip and gave an approving nod to the finished product that was his home, before taking a small book out from his pocket and setting it down in a nearby drawer. Sliding it shut, Secter left his house, and before long, he stood near the massive monument known as the Hero Association Headquarters.

"Why so far?" asked Secter to himself. "Out in the middle of goddamn nowhere."

He made his way through the front doors of the place, getting a strange feeling that he was being watched as he went. Inside was a massive lobby, people in suits shuffling all around and a giant billboard erected along one of the nearby walls. Adorned on it were lists of names, each one with a lettered label attached firmly beside them. Secter eyed the board up and down, his brows furrowing at the sight of it.

"Move," came a voice from behind him.

Secter turned around. No one came into view at first. A tiny wisp of green, one which Secter had to squint to see, floated up from the bottom of his vision before falling back down below it again. He peered downwards to see an angry woman staring up at him, frustration building up like a time bomb behind her gaze.

"I said move, can't you hear me?" asked the woman.

"No problem," said Secter. He slid out of the way, only to notice someone else with the short woman. The companion was taller, her hair a shade darker than her tiny compatriot, but her gaze was one of a corpse and her face almost mirrored the ceramic which contained the potted plants behind her.

"See?" asked the short woman. She pointed to a name on the billboard, and the other woman gave a little groan in response. "You're still B-class. Why not try against Amai Mask later this week. You are stronger, right?"

The other woman, who by mind-searching Secter found her name to be Fubuki, was rooted to the spot.

"Well?" asked the shorter woman, who was found by Secter to be called Tatsumaki.

"I…I can try," said Fubuki.

"Try?" asked Tatsumaki. "That's not the kind of talk I want to hear."

"Who are you two?" asked Secter. At his voice, Tatsumaki shot him a venomous side glare.

"What?" asked Tatsumaki. "Do you live in a hole or something?"

"Close enough," said Secter. "I mean, if I spread my arms wide I could touch both walls of my living room."

"I'm Tatsumaki. S-class hero? How do you not know this?"

"You should be honored to be before us," said Fubuki.

Secter snorted.

"Is that right?" he asked. "And who might you be, oh holy one?" At the last few words he gave a short bow. When he pulled himself back up he was sure he was about to be murdered by the two women.

"My name's Fubuki," she said. "You haven't heard of me?"

"He's wasting your time, sis," said Tatsumaki. "Ignore him."

"You said something about being a hero," said Secter. "You mean like the people on this board?" He jerked a thumb at the billboard.

"What?" asked Tatsumaki. "Yes! I'm at the top! Are you some kind of idiot or something? Or…wait, are you joining the Hero Association?"

"Possibly," said Secter.

Tatsumaki burst out laughing, pointing a finger at Secter's chest as she did so. After a few seconds she rubbed her eyes and began to speak.

"You?" she asked. "Oh that's hilarious. I mean, don't get me wrong, you look like you might be able to fight a wolf at best, but you?" She began to laugh again, little spurts of chuckling punctuating her sentences. "Oh, what I would give to see you try the hero testing."

"You don't have to be a piece of shit about it," said Secter.

The laughing stopped. Secter looked over at Fubuki, who appeared to have seen a nuke go off in the distance. He turned back to Tatsumaki, whose fists were now balled tight.

"Sis…" said Fubuki.

A smile began to form on Tatsumaki's lips.

"No, no, it's ok," said Tatsumaki. "He just doesn't know." She began to chuckle again, a sound which began to grate on Secter's mind. "You go and take that test, you little degenerate, and see where you place. And when you're done, I'll come find you. And I'll kill you."

"Remind me again, you're supposed to be a hero?" asked Secter.

"I'll kill you later though, bit busy now," said Tatsumaki. "Have fun on the test!" She laughed again, which brought the attention of passersby hundreds of feet away.

"Come along now sis, I'm in a good mood," said Tatsumaki. "Let's go get some ice cream."

"I…I don't want…" began Fubuki.

But she was already being dragged to the entrance by the smirking little demon, while Secter watched with his mouth ajar.

"The hell is wrong with these people?" he asked. Secter took another look at the billboard. Upon closer inspection he could see both of the women's names, one at the top of what was called B-class, the other first from the top of S-class.

. . .

The following day, a ninety foot tall carp monster knocked over the building opposite of Secter's home. Secter opened his eyes to the cascading crash of stone and metal, and jumped out of bed. He flung the blinds open, and was blinded himself by the sun's rays for a second. Sending a T-shirt flying over his body, he dashed outside to face the fishy menace. It towered over the nearby homes, muscled humanoid limbs jutting out from its slimy body. The creature must've destroyed over half a block by now, and showed no signs of stopping. Secter readied himself for a fight.

Several people had already beat him to the punch, all trying to surround the monster. One of them, a man dressed in what looked like a budget skeleton Halloween costume, smashed his hammer down on the half-carp, half-human's foot. It responded in kind by kicking the man through a building, before smashing its tail down on his body. Another person, this one a woman surrounded by floating chains, joined her steel whips with a giant flail of another cape-clad hero to form a spiky, iron-clad ball of death that was swung directly into the creature's side. Both the chain woman and the flail man yelled in delight to see it connect, only to have their faces fall to a deep abyss as the metal ball limped off the monster's side. Roaring in anger, the carp-thing kicked the chain woman into a nearby wall before flinging her into the street with a flick of its toes. Then it turned to the flail man, who was sprinting towards the fallen woman. He did not make it in time, with the fish creature swiping a claw at him and sending him flying into a nearby car windshield.

They survived all that, thought Secter. That's…pretty amazing. Well, time to step in.

Although the flail man was already seeping blood out through the cuts he got from the glass, the Halloween man was limping while his arms turned purple from his thrashing, and the chain woman's legs were bent in a way they weren't supposed to bend, they all started to crawl back towards the creature, their faces determined and their weapons ready.

Secter began to smile, the biggest and most radiant in a while.

These people, he thought. I wish I knew more people like them.

He slammed his left foot back and reared himself for a sprint, when another person came into view, flying like a bullet from atop one of the buildings. The newbie came in a flash, and within seconds, the once towering carp monster was now a pile of cubed fish, each neatly stacked upon the other in a pyramid of shiny meat. Secter watched the newcomer as he moved, while all the others gasped at the tower of fish flesh, almost as if they were unsure as to how it was created in the first place. Within a few seconds, the newcomer came into view, and all the other fighters let out sighs of relief. Secter on the other hand, stared in complete confusion.

"That takes care of that, now to find someone for clean up," said the newcomer. A mind search found his name to be Flashy Flash.

Flash stood there admiring his work, and not before long, crowds of people spilled out into the streets to admire him. People pushed and shoved and lifted slips of paper into the air, all shouting and screaming his name, while others yelled about how cool his building blocks of carp were. Flash smiled a cool smirk and nodded, occasionally taking photos or pieces of paper for autographs.

Meanwhile, the other fighters collected themselves. Flail man and chain woman were supporting one another as they limped along, with chain woman clasping her hand over the flail man's cuts. Their names, as Secter found, were Flail Fighter and Chain Wisdom, but their real ones were Rikuto and Mei. He approached them, teleporting a wad of glowing bandages into his hand from somewhere within his house.

"Hey there," said Secter. The two looked up at him, and Rikuto waved him off.

"Oh, hello citizen," said Rikuto. "Have no fear, the monster is gone."

"I can see that," said Secter. "Take this for a sec." He handed them the glowing bandages, which Mei snatched up. She eyed them with suspicion, before peering up at Secter.

"Why are they glowing?" she asked.

"Trust me, they'll help way more than your typical stuff," said Secter. "They're uh, they're secret tech from some of the best minds of the Hero Association."

The two fighters exchanged glances, and with a quick shrug, Rikuto wrapped the bandages around his wounds.

"And you do the same for your legs," said Secter, pointing to Mei's bent tibias.

With some hesitation she did so, and gasped in amazement as her legs reformed back to their old shape instantly after being wrapped in the gauze. Rikuto shrieked in delight as he took off his own bandages to find the cuts completely gone.

"Thanks, stranger," said Rikuto. "What's your name?"

"Secter."

"Thank you Secter, we won't forget this," said Mei. "Honey, let's go, I need to take a rest."

"Oof, me too," said Rikuto. "That was a rough one."

"Hold on a sec," said Secter, sliding in front of the two. "Just wait right there, I got some questions for you."

He dashed over to where the final fighter was, who was nursing the bruises on his forearms.

"Used em to break your fall eh?" asked Secter. "Wrap some of this around everything that got hurt. It'll fix it up real quick."

The man reached out to take what was left of the bandage roll from Secter. He was just as amazed as the others at the gauze's effects.

"And great job out there," said Secter. "Keep it up."

Another dash, and he was right back to the couple, who blinked to make sure he was really in front of them.

"So," said Secter. He clapped his hands together. "You two are heroes, right?"

"Yes," said Rikuto. "I am…"

With a shout that rivaled the enormous crowd not too far away, Rikuto leapt into the air, his boulder of a flail swinging around his head.

"Flail Fighter!" he shouted.

"And I am…" said Mei.

She too leapt into the air, and for the briefest of moments, was together with her husband at the same height. She flipped her chains around her, which swirled and snapped like mystical snakes.

"Chain Wisdom!" she shouted.

The two of the fell back to the ground, and Mei gave a small wince at the impact.

"Very nice," said Secter. "Power duo, I can appreciate that."

"We're B-class heroes, but we do our job," said Rikuto.

"You're B-class," said Secter. "And the guy over there?"

"C-class," said Mei. "Definitely weaker."

"Ah," said Secter. "And the flashy dude? The one with all the screamers?"

Rikuto gasped while Mei scrunched her face in utter disbelief.

"That's…that's Flashy Flash," said Rikuto. "You don't know him?"

"Very famous," said Mei. "Very strong."

"Why aren't either of you getting any admirers?" asked Secter. "That monster was clearly outmatching the whole lot of you!"

"Yes well, you kind of answered your own question there," said Rikuto. "We try our best, but all heroes do. Those who are strongest, well, they tend to get the attention."

"Yes, but you nearly died out there," said Secter. "But you didn't care! You kept fighting just to hold the monster off for a bit longer. Don't people know that's what heroism really looks like?"

"Well," said Mei. The two of them were rubbing their necks now, with Rikuto looking around for some sort of an escape.

"I don't mind not getting as much attention," said Rikuto. "As long as people are safe."

"That's fine," said Secter. "Noble, actually. But… they're completely ignoring you. Acting as if you weren't even there!"

"Well, you know," said Mei. "Maybe one day we will be stronger, and get the same treatment. I try not to worry about it."

"Jesus fucking Christ," said Secter. "These people don't know what they have, do they? Don't worry, I can fix this."

"No, no!" said Rikuto. "Really, it's fine. No one wants our autographs anyways."

"It's not just the autographs," said Secter. "You two need some encouragement. Trust me, if you don't think that people even slightly appreciate what you're trying to do, it'll drain on you."

He began to head towards the crowd, his head held high and his purpose clear as a mountain stream.

"No!" shouted Mei from behind him. "Not while Flashy is right there!"

"It's fine!" said Rikuto. "We still get autographs from time to time!"

Why is it always autographs? thought Secter. I just want some people to recognize those who suffered to protect them.

Secter reached the crowd, and started to raise his voice.

"Listen everybody, if I could just get your attention for a moment," he began. "There's a few heroes over there who fought real hard to keep you safe, and I think they deserve your appre-"

He turned to gesture to them, but no one was there. Looking back at the crowd, he noticed not a single person had so much as even given him the time of day anyways. Dropping his arm as if it had gone completely numb, Secter shuffled his way back home, his shoulders slouched down. On the way he noticed the third hero, Ori, collecting himself and his hammer as he began to depart. Ori gave Secter a little nod as he clambered on top of a tiny blue bike, and mouthed a couple words at him.

"It's work."

Secter shook his head, his gaze falling to the ground.

No, he thought. It's more.

. . .

"Are you here for the hero testing?" asked a man in a white tracksuit.

"Not really, just here to observe," said Secter.

The tracksuited man exchanged an uncomfortable glance with another trainer a few feet away before turning back to Secter.

"Ordinarily, we wouldn't let people watch these tests," said the trainer. "Gives you a bit of an unfair advantage. But, since we've been having some competition lately, I think the HA will let you at least sit in for the physical training. To get you interested at least."

He eyed Secter up and down.

"Yeah, you look like you could fight a monster or two," said the trainer. "Nothing above tiger though. But who knows, maybe you could prove us wrong."

"Just here to watch," said Secter.

"What's your name, by the way?" asked the trainer.

"Secter. I'm gonna look for a place to sit."

"Go ahead."

Secter entered a gymnasium, where a motley group of heroes were all going through various exercises. The running and lifting tests had mixed reactions. A few sped through the finish line with ease, while a couple of others had to be brought trash bins by the end. During the lifting test, one of the trainees had his arms start to bend behind him as he screamed his way to lifting some dresser-sized weights. He slammed them to the ground behind him, before slinking down onto the floor. A couple of medics ran over to him, but he waved them away, his arm twirling in a spiral motion as he did so. A few seconds later, he was lying in a stretcher over by the doors. Most of the other wannabe heroes had no trouble with the lifting, save for those who collapsed after meeting their goals. Secter almost bolted out of his chair at the sight of one of the trainees collapsing to the floor and hyperventilating, but dirty looks from the trainers and the quick presence of medics brought him back to his seat.

By the end of it, an exhausted party of heroes sat at the end of the gymnasium, some with looks of utter dejection on their faces. Others seemed as if they were about to keel over, but sparks of optimism shone through their eyes.

But, as Secter thought, the other group, the one who breezed past the testing, was standing on the opposite side of the gym, laughing and talking it up with the trainers. Clipboards were exchanged, hearty guffaws were issued, and smiles were all around. These people had won.

It makes sense, thought Secter. Obviously some people aren't going to be as capable as others. But they're not even bothering to talk to them! Don't they see these people, who took time out of their lives to train and come here knowing that they would struggle? Who knew that they would be half-dead by the end, but kept going anyway? Those on the other side of the gym, the smiley ones, they knew this would be a piece of cake, and good for them. But there was no struggle for them. No determination. Nothing to be overcome. Sure, they can be encouraged. But the people who had to fight hard to even be here, those are the people we should be encouraging. Those are the people that are closest to the regular populace, that serve as a gateway for others to become heroes. People will look at those smilers and think, man, I'll never be able to be like them. But the others…

He gave a worried glance at the dilapidated survivors at the end of the gym.

They are what give people hope.

Secter paused for a moment, his face becoming incredulous.

Wait. Why I am thinking all this? I should be telling them this! At least I can offer some words, even if it doesn't mean much!

He got up, his body shaking with passion as he strode towards the gasping group. As he approached, a couple of the trainers slid forward to block his way.

"Sorry sir, you're going to have to leave," said one of the trainers. "HA contacted us, and doesn't want anyone to sit in on the training. Our mistake."

"I just want to talk to them," said Secter, pointing a finger at the group.

"Then do it after," said the trainer. "Can't have anyone thinking you're going to help them on the written test or something. Now please, get out of here, before we bring the others in." He jerked a thumb at the laughing group.

Secter's eyes narrowed, his teeth grinding together in frustration.

"Fine," he said. "But only because it could make some of them look like they are cheating. They don't deserve something like that, not after all they went through."

He left the gymnasium, just as consternated as when he went in. The skies were getting dark now, and only a few streetlights illuminated his path as he went along. A bright neon outline of a beer bottle caught his eye, but he decided to keep walking.

A shriek brought him to attention. Not far from where he stood. Secter turned to listen, and was rewarded with the piercing wail of a woman. He dashed towards the sound, and within seconds, was upon what looked like an eight-foot-tall tick, antennae twitching as it crept up to a woman cowering against a building wall.

"I'll drink you dry!" it howled. "There's no way out!"

"Help!" shouted the woman. "Heroes! Anyone!"

Secter reached out and tapped the creature on the shoulder, and winced when it faced him.

Yup, he thought. Tick.

"Oh?" asked the tick. "What do we have here? Another victim?"

"You were going to kill this woman?" asked Secter. He raised an eyebrow.

"All her blood, all mine," said the tick. "She is doomed. And now, you are too!"

Secter snatched the creature by the shoulder, and flung it several feet into the air, twisting his hand as he did so. The tick turned into a twirling black football as it hovered in the sky for several seconds, only to come crashing down onto Secter's raised foot. His kick obliterated the insect, sending bits and pieces streaming into the streets nearby.

"Oh my God," said the woman. "You did it. Thank you!"

"Ah, don't sweat it," said Secter. He waved the woman away with a flick of his hand.

"You must be a hero, right?" asked the woman. "What class?"

"I guess I am?" asked Secter. "And no class, I'm not with the HA yet."

"Ah," said the woman. "What's your name?"

"Secter. Best of the best. But, you know, not really. Kind of like an 8 out of 10 or so, depending on my mood."

"Well, thank you anyways, stranger," said the woman. "I'll be heading out now."

"I'll be around," said Secter. "Try not to run into any more oversized insects. Especially ticks…eugh. You ever seen what those things become after they stick to dogs for too long?"

"Ah, it's no problem. Even if I do, they'll probably be disaster level wolf like that one was. Somebody will get it real quick."

"Wait," said Secter. "Wolf? Disaster level wolf?"

"Oh yes, that one was wolf. Nothing to be too proud over."

Secter's mouth began to gape open, and he couldn't find the power to keep it shut.

"Well… I'm just happy to get you away from it, that's all," he said.

"And I thank you for that," said the woman. "It's a big step for you if you're a new hero! Just remember, it was just a wolf, so don't go and try anything too crazy."

"Is everything about classes for you people?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing," said Secter. "Just head on home."

"Oh," said the woman. "Well, alright. Thank you mister…uh…"

"Secter."

"Secter, right! What a strange name. Well, see you around!"

She skipped her way out of view, leaving a dumbfounded Secter behind in the alleyway.

"Guess you're used to this stuff huh," said Secter. "That's not a great way to live. Even still…"

Couldn't even remember my name after saving her? he thought. I mean, I don't really care if my name gets spread around, but you'd think people would take that more seriously. And wolf? I shouldn't be that proud of beating a wolf? The hell does that mean? It wasn't really hard for me, but she didn't necessarily know that. And besides, it shouldn't matter! The only thing that matters is that she's ok! What's with all this unnecessary bullshit?

Heading home, Secter made his way through his front door and into the kitchen. He pulled out a bottle of black liquid from a cabinet and drowned his confusion with the bile which burned his throat and muddled his mind.

. . .

He was out early by his standards, people just starting to fill up cafes and restaurants as the sun hung high in the sky. After seeing a poster for an upcoming event at the HA Headquarters Secter made his way past the rush to get to the Hero Association building. It was busier this time around, with people setting up tables and a podium being carried to a makeshift stage by two people in suits. Secter watched them set up, until a familiar voice brought his gaze elsewhere.

"Ugh, don't even know why they do this," said Tatsumaki, who was walking with her sister past some of the tables. "They know I'm not going to show up for it."

"Not many do," said Fubuki, who didn't bother to even look at her sister. "Some just think it's nice."

"I don't need a speech to know I'm appreciated," said Tatsumaki. "People know what I'm capable of. They can appreciate that."

Fubuki said nothing, her gaze affixed ahead.

"But who knows?" asked Tatsumaki. She gave a wry smile up at her sibling. "Maybe one day, you'll even be invited to this event."

"You…you think so?" asked Fubuki.

"You almost impressed me back at the prison," said Tatsumaki. "That is, until you joined back with that group of idiots. Once I get you back on track, you might just have a shot."

"I'm not leaving the group," said Fubuki. "And they're not leaving me. I already told you that."

"Whatever you say. And how many days has it been, exactly? Five, six, since you last saw them? You know it's going to stay this way, you just don't want to admit it."

"I'm just tired," said Fubuki. "I'll get better."

"Not with me around," said Tatsumaki. "You go where I say. It's for the best."

"I don't mean to butt in," said Secter, leaning one elbow on a table between the sisters and him. "But what exactly is going on here?"

"The hell are you?" asked Tatsumaki. "Wait. I know you. You're that wannabe hero, right? From a couple days ago?"

"Secter," he said.

"I couldn't care less," said Tatsumaki. "I almost forgot that I was going to kill you, although to be honest, I nearly forgot about your existence. By the way, are you in a class yet?"

"I'm not joining the Hero Association," said Secter.

"Oh?" said Tatsumaki. She began to chuckle, soft yet vicious. "So you chickened out then, eh? Understandable. I must've scared you off. But of course, that just means I'm doing my job right. No one who can be scared that easily even deserves so much as C-class."

"Oh I'm still a hero," said Secter. "Just not in the HA."

"Really?" asked Tatsumaki. "So you really are that big of a coward."

"Saved a woman yesterday," said Secter. "I guess that counts."

"From what?"

"Tick."

"What level, dumbass."

"Wolf or something."

Tatsumaki burst out laughing, slapping her hand down onto the table that Secter was leaning on. He stood up straight, his face full of irritation.

"Oh my God," said Tatsumaki. "A heroic wonder over here, bragging about killing a wolf. Bravo. Good job. God, how weak can you get? You're really the lowest of the low."

"I'm not bragging about anything," said Secter. "Just wanted everyone to be ok."

"That's nice," said Tatsumaki. "Now get out of my sight, your presence is starting to irritate me. Hell, you shouldn't even be here, you're ruining the atmosphere with your being here."

Secter looked over at Fubuki, who had sat down in a nearby chair. Her eyes were glazed over, and sweat had begun to form around her temples.

"She your sister, right?" he asked her.

Fubuki nodded.

He turned back to Tatsumaki, whose eyebrows were raised in a quizzical stance.

"You're a real piece of shit, you know that?" asked Secter. "Just because you're supposedly at the top, doesn't mean you need to put everybody down. We can all make our ow-"

A table flew directly into Secter's face, seemingly from out of nowhere. Shards of wood bolted across the room, and suited workers dove for cover as the table fell apart.

Tatsumaki sneered as the wood obliterated itself around Secter.

"Serves you right," she said. "Don't you know who you're talking to? Now you'll know better, next time you-"

Secter wiped the pieces of wood off of him and thrust the table aside. Tatsumaki eyed him up and down, then frowned as she failed to spot even a minor cut.

"Lucky," she said.

"I like to think I'm pretty force resistant," said Secter. "But that proves it. Yep. You're a piece of shit."

Three tables smashed into Secter from all directions, colliding in a teepee around him as wood connected with arms, back, and chest.

"What did you just say?" asked Tatsumaki. "You fucking asshole. You better apologize right now, before I send you through the floor."

"Sis, just stop," said Fubuki. "This is way too low for you. He's not even ranked."

Tatsumaki sighed.

"You're right," she said. "You're right. Not worth my time. This cretin doesn't even know his place."

"He's no Saitama," said Fubuki. "Just because he can stand a couple tables…"

"Ugh," said Tatsumaki. "Don't even mention his fucking name. Gives me a headache every time I hear it. So goddamn embarrassing."

"Still behind the tables," said Secter.

He threw the table in front of him away, watching as it slid across the floor.

"Really a waste," he said. "Those are some quality tables."

He tossed the others away from him, only to have them stop in midair by Tatsumaki's raised finger. Turning to look at the floating platforms, he noticed that one of them was only a few inches away from a cowering worker.

"Aren't you watching what you're doing?" asked Tatsumaki. "You could've hurt someone, idiot."

"It wasn't gonna-" began Secter.

The tables dropped.

"No," said Tatsumaki. "I'm done with you. Let's go sis, I'm starting to get a headache again."

"Fine," said Fubuki. "No more throwing things."

"Tell him that," said Tatsumaki. "He's the one endangering people."

"You're literally the one who started the violence in the first place," said Secter. "And I don't know if you know, but…" He bent down, just so his head was craning over Tatsumaki. "I take things like that very seriously."

Tatsumaki smirked.

"What, is this supposed to be a threat?" she said. "You've already gotten a beating, don't make me kill you."

"Go for it," said Secter.

"Do you have a fucking death wish?" asked Tatsumaki. "You're starting to piss me off, and trust me-" She began to float, rising higher and higher until she was above Secter's head. "You really don't want to do that."

"Sis, please, knock it off," said Fubuki. "He's a dumbass, he doesn't know what he's doing."

"There's an odd amount of hostility and insecurity in here for a couple of heroes," said Secter. "Not really what one thinks of when someone says the word hero."

"Are you doubting me?" asked Tatsumaki. "Saying that's not what I am?"

"Actually, no," said Secter. "I just think you're an asshole. Sorry, know you're an asshole. No one that strong would be so worried about the opinion of a stranger. And by strong, I mean…"

"Stop," said Tatsumaki. "I don't care what you mean. You implied it yourself, I am strong and you are not. Now get out of my sight before I really hurt you."

"I'm more worried for the workers, really," said Secter. "And your sister, she looks like she's dying. You ok over there?"

"She doesn't need your sympathy!" yelled Tatsumaki. "She can handle it on her own!"

"Handle what?" shouted Secter.

"Nothing!" screamed Fubuki. "Sis! Home! Now!"

Tatsumaki floated to the ground, quickly as a snowflake might drift into the dirt.

"Fine," she said. "Can't believe you let me get so riled up about this."

"I told you…" said Fubuki. "That…we should…" She swallowed, the saliva being forced down her throat in a mighty effort. "Go…"

"Seriously, are you ok?" asked Secter. "You look sick."

"Fine…" grumbled Fubuki. "Now…fuck…off."

Secter flashed his hands in defeat.

"Fine," he said. "But we're not done here."

"Oh yes we are," said Tatsumaki. "As far as I'm concerned, you're dead to me. Hero." She scoffed. "As if. You're nothing more than a coward afraid of commitment, can't even pass the hero test so he won't take it."

"We'll see about commitment," said Secter. "And the test is different, I don't like the way the HA is treating its people."

Tatsumaki was already dragging her sister out through the front door, likely not even hearing Secter's last sentence.

He dropped his arms to his sides, and noticed one of the workers had come up to him.

"Can you believe those two?" he asked. "They're crazy, nearly destroying everything-"

"Sir, who exactly are you?" asked the worker. "Are you supposed to be here?"

More incredulity from Secter.

"Well, not necessarily, I just wanted to see the event setup," he said.

"I think you should leave," said the worker. "You already angered some of the most valuable members of the association, and are causing a mess."

"I-" started Secter. But it was no use. He shook his head and left the building. Eventually he made his way back home and collapsed down on his bed, still annoyed over the day's events. That night, as he struggled to sleep, he reflected on what he saw. Angry espers and floating tables missing a poor man's head by inches.

. . .

Whole lotta bullshit where there shouldn't be, thought Secter. A ceiling fan spun lazily above, its blades reflecting the light coming through the windows.

Whole lotta problems where they shouldn't be. But I can fix this. Right? Right. I got this one. No failures here.

He tossed a tennis ball into the air, watching it bump into the fan before having it find its way back into his palm.

Of course, it'll take a while. People gotta start seeing this whole hero thing in a different light. There's people putting their lives on the line for God's sakes. Hell, those three the other day, I'm shocked they got away from the fight alive. Not that I would've let them die, but still.

Another throw, this one a bit higher.

And all those top tier, what are they called, S-class? They'll be shown that the lower classes need their share of appreciation too. Morale, people. It's important.

Higher.

And those two sisters, Christ, the problems they have. I'm almost tempted to mind search em further to see what's really going on, but it's a bit intrusive. I'll find out myself, and maybe I can fix things between them too. And that Tatsumaki bitch, she…

He caught the ball.

She's not really that bad, is she? She did stop the table from getting to the worker. Even still, if she's that horrible and controlling all the time, no wonder Fubuki looked like she wanted to kill herself. What was she again, S-class rank 2? Yeah, that's it. So second strongest. Doesn't really matter to me.

Another toss, but the ball didn't even reach half the height it did earlier.

And if I make mistakes, that's ok. Mistakes are fine. It won't be perfect, helping people never is. Just no failures. No sir, not here. Can't have another one, nope, nope, nope…

One last toss, barely even leaving his hand.

God dammit Secter, get your head in the game. The last couple places were flukes, didn't even know em that well. This place though, you were born here. Might not remember it, but it's still your home. Your home…

He sighed. Laying down on the bed, he stayed still for hours, thinking about the past, and about how disappointed he was with the present. By the time he managed to pick himself up from bed, the sun was high in the sky.

Seriously, already? thought Secter. Need to start getting up earlier again…

He grumbled to himself as he ruffled his hair in the mirror, and got everything ready to head out. Checking his stock of the black liquid left him sighing in annoyance.

Running low, ain't no way to get more at the moment. Wish I knew how to brew this stuff myself.

The door was pushed aside by his hand, and he straightened his jacket as he snuck his way towards the Hero Association building.

I get the feeling I already know who's going to comprise most of the guests, thought Secter. Somebody mentioned something about competition, I wonder what that might be…

Reaching the base of the building, Secter eyed a couple of suited guards standing outside, who in turn were watching several heroes stroll up to the front doors. A couple of the heroes were stopped by the guards, and seemed to be asking them something. The heroes produced some shiny id cards, and were allowed inside. Later, another hero did the same thing, but was denied entry.

Leaping to the top of the building, Secter slipped his way through a window and walked into an elevator, keeping his arms at his sides. When the elevator got to the second floor, he headed out through the open doors and slunk his way to the bottom floor, quickly finding an area away from the guards and the guests. A number of pro heroes were in attendance, some of whom were rubbing their eyes in their seats. Meanwhile, several executives were gathered at the nearby podium. A banner hung above the makeshift stage, which read:

HERO APPRECIATION DAY

Secter scowled at the sight. He sat towards the very end of the room, poorly lit by the dying lights enmeshed on the back wall. To his surprise, he saw Tatsumaki sitting towards the front, her face sour as she watched the executives fumble with papers and talk amongst themselves. He recognized Flash, and a few mind searches got him the names of all the other heroes in the room. All were S or A class.

"Ahem, um, excuse me," came one of the executives up at the podium. "We have a few things to announce before we get started."

"Get on with it," muttered Tatsumaki.

"In case anyone is wondering, we will be holding a day for B and C class heroes," said the executive. "Just to be at a different location."

No response from the crowd, many of whom weren't even looking at the stage anyways.

"And as you know, we called you here today," said the executive. "To let you all know how we appreciate your valiant efforts as heroes, and to address the growing concerns that many of you have about our association, and of course, the Neo Heroes too."

The hell is a Neo Hero, thought Secter.

"Have no worries, we have new plans to reshape our budget, and address many of the complaints the Neo Heroes have," said the executive. "I think you'll find our association to be of a higher caliber after this meeting…"

Secter's gaze turned to someone approaching from the side.

"Excuse me, who are you?" asked Flashy Flash, who stood only a foot away from where Secter sat.

"Secter," he said. Secter pulled his arms behind his head and leaned back in order to better relax. "Can I help you?"

"Never seen you around before," said Flash. "You A-class?"

"Nope."

"Well, you're certainly not S-class," said Flash. "I don't think you're supposed to be here."

"Well, I am a hero," said Secter. "By your standards anyways. And I certainly like feeling appreciated."

Flash's eyes grew dark, and a frown tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh, you think this is a joke," said Flash.

"No, it's very serious actually," said Secter. "If it wasn't, the executive up there wouldn't be stumbling over his words and pissing himself to keep you guys on board. They're doing this all wrong by the way, if my assumptions about the Neo Heroes are correct."

"Leave," said Flash. "I won't ask you again."

"You didn't ask the first time," said Secter. He began to slowly rock back and forth in his chair, his gaze being constantly blocked then unblocked by Flash as he moved. For a second, he spotted Tatsumaki by the opposite wall, pouring some punch into a cup. Her eyes shone for the tiniest of moments when she spotted what looked like caramel apples stacked in a plastic tray not far from the punch.

"What's her deal, by the way," said Secter. He pointed at Tatsumaki, who was snatching up one of the apples with glee.

"Hmm?" asked Flash. "That's Tatsumaki. She's not as strong as she looks."

"Oh? Are you saying you're more powerful?"

"With the right circumstances, I could beat her."

"Ok buddy."

Flash stomped his foot in frustration, and glared back at Tatsumaki. Unfortunately for him, she noticed. Her glare back was twice as intense, and Secter already began to regret what he had started.

"What?" she asked. "Are you being annoying again?" She walked closer to Flash, before stopping in place.

"What the hell is he doing here?" she asked. "The one in the chair."

"I don't know," said Flash. "He won't leave."

"I was mildly bored, but mostly concerned," said Secter. "Didn't like how things were going down here and decided to check it out. But, things have just been getting worse and worse as I go along."

"Then leave," said Flash, a confused expression on his face.

"I meant how people are obsessed with power and class here," said Secter. "It's dividing and poisoning everybody."

"Go," said Tatsumaki. "Away. Seriously, are you stalking me or something?"

"Actually I was hoping you wouldn't be here," said Secter. "And no, I've got no interest in you."

"How did you even get in here?" asked Tatsumaki. "And stop rocking that chair! It's pissing me off!"

"Wasn't that hard really," said Secter. "Someone let in a cool breeze."

"That's great," said Flash. "Now leave."

"Hang on," said Secter. "Flash, weren't you saying something about how you could beat Tatsumaki? Do you mean to say the system is flawed?"

"What," said Tatsumaki, more a statement than a question.

"Under the right circumstances," said Flash. "My technique is refined."

"Huh," said Secter.

"That's laughable," said Tatsumaki. "Laughable. But I don't have to prove anything to you, or anyone else. Everyone knows I could destroy you any day of the week."

Flash snorted at her. Tatsumaki responded by crushing her drink.

"No need to fight in here, I was just wondering what you thought," said Secter. "But in my opinion, it seems like an esper would defeat a swordsman."

"You know nothing about me," said Flash. "You're just some pathetic outsider."

"Whatever you say glass noodle soup," said Secter. "You can put me down all you want, just makes you look bad in comparison."

"Did – did you just call me a soup?" asked Flash.

It was Tatsumaki's turn to snort.

"Yeah," said Secter. "Because at first glance you might seem appealing, but then you find the noodles to be transparent and weak."

A blade cut through the air heading for Secter's scalp. Flash smiled something devious.

I won't cut him, thought Flash. But I'll get close enough to scare him senseless.

As the blade moved, its edge invisible to those around it, it found itself buried in between several fingers. Flash jolted when he saw the results.

Secter held the blade trapped within two of his fingers, closed like a pair of scissors. The blade kept its original color, even where it collided with the skin.

"No," said Secter.

Flash pulled the blade back, his eyes turning into infernos of anger.

"This isn't my actual blade," he said. "That's why you caught it."

"You really are like a noodle," said Secter. "Wriggling and squirming under any sort of duress. But snaps real easy once the fork comes down." He frowned, before looking at Tatsumaki. "Does that make any sense?"

Secter couldn't read the expression on her face. She seemed as if she were elsewhere.

"Quit it, you two," came another voice from behind. Secter turned to face an old, yet intense man.

Flash withdrew his sword completely, his face burning with embarrassment. He headed back to his seat, to listen to the executive who apparently didn't see the whole thing.

"And who exactly are you?" asked Bang, who craned over Secter almost in an L-shape.

"Secter," he said.

"Class?"

"None."

"With that speed, you should think about joining," said Bang. "Impressive for a newcomer. Or even better, come join my doj-"

Bang stopped when he met Secter's eyes. The two of them stared at one another for a second before Secter gave a concerned look and turned away.

Something in those eyes, thought Bang. He's certainly seen something. Something terrible.

Bang cleared his throat before continuing.

"Joining my dojo," he said. "Also a very valid option. I myself am retiring from the HA, but am having my last sendoff here."

"Good for you," said Secter. "Life well lived, it seems."

"Yes, yes," said Bang. "But it's not over of course."

"Right, right," said Secter, his voice a wee bit panicky. "Not really what I meant."

Bang chuckled.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "But you should consider joining up. Stopping an attack from Flash is a tremendous feat."

"A school or dojo would seem better than this organization," said Secter. "But I do have a lot of work to do."

"Suit yourself," said Bang. "My doors are always open."

"And your name?" asked Secter, although he already knew the answer.

"Bang," he said with a smile.

"Right," said Secter. "S-class."

"Former S-class," said Bang.

"Of course," said Secter.

"You know, you remind me of a certain someone a little. Saitama is his name, or Caped Baldy for his hero name."

"That's a terrible hero name," said Secter. "Who picks these things?"

"The association."

Wow, this association really is terrible, thought Secter.

"Amazing," said Secter.

"Yes well, I'm done with all that," said Bang.

"Well, good luck to you," said Secter. "I wish you luck with your dojo."

"Thank you," said Bang. "Drop by sometime, maybe you can meet some other heroes more your level."

"Mmhmm," said Secter.

Bang began to walk away, but he gave Secter one last look as he did so.

"Oh, and one more thing," said Bang.

"Yeah?" asked Secter.

"I suggest you not anger Miss Tatsumaki," said Bang. "She has quite the temper."

"Among other things," said Secter. He blinked, almost startled to realize something. Turning to his side, he saw that the esper was nowhere to be found.

Looking back, Bang had already gotten back to his seat.

These people are fast, thought Secter.

He sat in the back the rest of the night, ignoring any glares that might come his way from Flash or any other hero. Whispers and murmurs floated through the room, and Secter caught phrases involving the words "sword" and "fast." Another popular one was "troublemaker."

. . .

"That's him, back there?" asked Bomb, who sat beside Bang at the event.

"That's him," said Bang. "The troublemaker."

"Not even in a class…"

"Doesn't seem like he's taken the test yet," said Bang. "Seems turned off by the idea."

"Can't say I blame him," said Bomb, as he leaned back in his seat. "Lot of people are these days."

Bang sighed, his brows furrowing at the bumbling executive above.

"I was hoping this to be more casual," said Bang. "A few drinks, perhaps just us S-class…"

"They're really trying to rein everyone in," said Bomb. "For legitimacy's sakes."

"I look forward to the after-meeting negotiations," said Bang. "I'm sure they have a lot to say to me."

"But you've made up your mind?"

"Of course."

"For the best."

"A new dawn for the dojo, I hope," said Bang. "Maybe the one in the back could be convinced to join as well."

"He has an awful serious look to him."

"He's not always serious," said Bang. "However…"

"Oh?"

"There's something behind his eyes, brother," said Bang. "Something dark. Something I haven't seen in a while."

"What is it?"

"Not entirely sure," said Bang. "But he seems more troubled than he appears. Worth keeping an eye on."

"Hmm."

"Well, I think this wraps up my time here," said Bang. "Let's go."

"Right behind you," said Bomb.

As he predicted, Bang was mobbed by suited people as he tried to leave. Begging, promising him all kinds of things if he stayed. Bang just kept walking, growing more and more tired at each suit he had to brush by.

. . .

Secter cursed himself at the sight of the sun, which was high in the sky as his sleep ended. He lifted himself out of bed, for once without a schedule of what to do for the day. Turning on the television did little to alleviate his boredom, and his mind kept swirling about thoughts regarding classes and people looking down on others.

How the hell do I even fix something like this? he wondered. This is a systematic problem, could take decades to fix…

"Ugh," he grunted. Secter pulled himself up from the couch, took a look in his refrigerator, and gasped in horror.

He found himself at the store next, dropping a frozen pizza into his basket and moving along with speed. As he walked, he spotted a man leaning over the meat section, white hair jutting straight upwards. Secter approached him, and Bang turned to face him, a smile appearing on his face.

"Hello there," said Bang. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Ran out of food," said Secter. He raised his basket to show Bang proof of his statement. "Didn't feel like starving tonight."

"Well, don't even bother with any of that," said Bang. "Come to my dojo, we'll be making food after practice."

"What kind of food?" asked Secter.

"Dumplings, most likely," said Bang. "Come, it will be fun."

Secter took a deep breath.

"Alright, alright old man," said Secter. "You've convinced me. Give thanks to that winning smile of yours."

Bang chuckled.

"I hope you are ready for some light sparring," said Bang. "I'll see if I can get some friends on the phone."

"Sounds good to me," said Secter. "Uh, where exactly is your dojo?"

"I'll bring you there once I'm done," said Bang. "Or perhaps you want to drop off your groceries first."

"I'll do that real quick," said Secter. "What say, I meet you over by that Italian restaurant a few blocks down?"

"That works just fine," said Bang. He began to quietly hum to himself while picking out various meats.

Huh, thought Secter. This guy's not as concerned about the whole class thing. Doesn't seem to matter to him, as long as I go to the dojo.

After he had dropped everything off at home, the two of them met at the restaurant and made their way to the unending staircase that led to Bang's dojo.

"A nice place you got here," said Secter. "Lotta stairs, but I suppose it's not too bad."

"A very nice place indeed," said Bang. "Lucky for us, I have an acquaintance of mine coming over. He should be able to teach some valuable lessons."

"Where is everyone?" asked Secter. "This place is empty."

"Dojo's fallen on hard times, I'm afraid," said Bang. "Been looking to find some new recruits, and you fit the bill."

"Ah," said Secter. "Well, not sure what you could teach me, but I'm all ears."

"You caught my attention with the little incident you had, plus sneaking into the Hero Association."

"Eh."

"It's no small thing that you did that," said Bang. He set the groceries down in a cordoned off section of the dojo, before stretching his back muscles outward. "No small thing at all…"

Bang's foot came flying at Secter like a missile, his wrinkles turning dark within the space of the dojo to give him a menacing appearance. Secter slid back, watching as Bang's foot missed his nose by a hair and collided to the ground.

"I take it you're the do first, talk later kind of guy," said Secter.

"Hmm," said Bang. "Very interesting. Very interesting indeed."

"You know, it's customary to tell a new trainee when the training is actually going to start," said Secter. "Otherwise, you're probably going to make them nervous and scare them off."

Bang laughed, the dark abysses that cut across his face becoming illuminated by the sinking sun.

"You're a bit of a teacher yourself, aren't you?" asked Bang. "And ah yes, but you don't seem the type to be scared off so easily."

"Oh?"

"I can tell by your face. Your eyes, mostly."

"Enlighten me."

Bang sighed. More humming issued forth from his mouth, pleasant and soft. He headed to the kitchen, and began to boil up some water.

"I will be having a student arrive soon, as will my acquaintance," said Bang. "Please, make yourself comfortable anywhere you like."

"It's a bit difficult to be comfortable knowing that an old martial arts master could attack me at any moment, but I'll…" Secter trailed off, and began to take a couple sniffs of the air. "Is that tea?"

"It is," said Bang. "Preference?"

"Holy shit," said Secter. His eyes, normally bagged and dark, began to light up at the smell. A small grin spread across his face. "You have no idea how long it's been since I had tea. Like, actual good tea."

Bang laughed again.

"Well, I'll do my best," he said. "And it's good to see you light up like that, you looked so tired before."

"To be fair, you aren't looking much better."

"Yes, but someone as young as you shouldn't look as old as I."

Secter pulled his lips together in a half-frown.

"Haven't been sleeping well lately," said Secter. "Happens."

"Sleep is important. Always work on that."

A fuzzy-haired man burst in through the doorways to the dojo, giving panicked glances to both a confused Secter and a humming Bang.

"Master Bang, I'm sorry I'm late!" shouted the newcomer, who wore a white gi.

"Not a problem, Charanko," said Bang. "Have a seat. We have a new recruit in today."

Charanko swiveled in place to meet Secter, his forehead doused with sweat.

"Stairs?" asked Secter.

"I am pleased to meet you, new recruit!" said Charanko. "I look forward to training with you later!" He gave a quick bow, almost toppling over in the process.

"Like the enthusiasm," said Secter. "Good way to get up in the morning."

"He's just a bit jumpy," said Bang. "Times have been rough recently."

"I appreciate you taking me back, sensei," said Charanko.

"Don't worry about it," said Bang. Letting out a small sigh, he brought over a pan of assorted tea cups to the two trainees, which Secter gave a smirk to.

"Enjoy yourselves," said Bang. "I'm in a good mood today."

"I will," said Secter. He downed the tea, not noticing Charanko's shocked stare. The burning liquid slid down his throat, and Secter's stomach turned into a warm ball.

Mmmm, needed that, he thought.

"Aren't you going to thank master Bang?" asked Charanko. "Show some respect!"

"Quiet down Charanko, there's no need to shout," said Bang.

"No, he's right," said Secter. "Got a bit excited about seeing the stuff. Thanks Bang, this was really what I needed today."

"Not a problem, not a problem at all," said Bang. "Say, why don't you two practice some moves while we wait for our third guest?

"Yes master Bang!" shouted Charanko. "I have some great new moves I wanted to show!"

A third entity arrived into the dojo. Unlike the others, his body glowed in cracks along his arms and chest, and he stared straight ahead, before taking a step into the building.

"Ah, Genos," said Bang. "Welcome."

"Master Saitama couldn't make it," said Genos. "He was busy."

"You told me that," said Bang. "Please, have a seat. Would you like anything?"

"No thanks," said Genos. He plopped down onto the ground, sitting crosslegged from where Secter was. "Why did you call us here today?"

"We have a new guest," said Bang. "And I thought it would be fitting for a nice meetup to celebrate my retirement to the dojo."

"Master Saitama is sorry he couldn't make it," said Genos. "But he was getting groceries."

"As a matter of fact, Secter and I were too," said Bang.

Genos looked up.

"Oh, pardon me," said Bang. He motioned to where Secter was sitting. "Our new recruit."

Genos turned towards Secter. The cyborg nodded.

"I don't recognize you," said Genos. "Are you a part of the Hero Association?"

"Nope," said Secter. "Don't like em."

"I see," said Genos. "In any case, I should be going. There wasn't much reason for me to come here without Saitama anyway."

"Wait, you just got here!" said Bang. "Why would you even show up if but for a second?"

"To give you Saitama's apology," said Genos. "That is all."

"Hold on," said Bang. "Just stay for a bit longer. There's something I want to see real quick."

Genos stood up, but refused to move from the spot. After a few seconds of silence, he gave another nod.

"I'll stay for a bit," said Genos. "Although I don't think there's much to be learned here."

"S-class?" asked Secter.

"I am," said Genos.

"Figures."

Genos narrowed his eyes at Secter.

"Can I try my new moves out now?" asked Charanko.

"Yes, yes, if Secter is willing," said Bang.

"Pssht," said Charanko. "Not the newbie. He's too easy. I meant Genos."

"You really think that you can stand up to me," said Genos.

"Yeah!" said Charanko. "Just watch! This'll be different this time!"

He readied himself, fists spreading out, feet planting themselves into the ground. Charanko's eyes closed, and his mind began to clear. All would soon slide into place for him, all he needed was an opening.

"I am waiting," said Genos.

Charanko has no chance, doesn't he? thought Secter. That fucking stance makes him look like he's about to fall over. And Bang isn't interfering? Is there something I'm missing here?

"Flowing water, smashing rock fist!" screamed Charanko. His fingers found themselves bent towards the ceiling after he slammed his hand into Genos's torso.

"Ah….ah," said Charanko. Tears poured from his eyes as he examined his limp fist.

"You've gotten weaker," said Genos. "Now it's my turn."

Genos reared back, and before Charanko could even raise his arms to defend himself, Genos uppercut his body through the ceiling and up into the air. Secter watched as ceiling tiles and drops of blood alike rained from above.

"This is a bit excessive, don't you think?" asked Secter, his eyes still peering up at the heavens. "I mean, I'm all for a tough lesson every now and again, but that man is going to need to go to the hospital now."

"It wouldn't be the first time," said Bang. "He'll be alright."

Charanko came crashing back through the ceiling, using his elbow to break his fall. He regretted this immediately afterwards.

"Agh!" shouted Charanko.

"It's over," said Genos. "I'm leaving now."

"Wait," muttered Charanko, his face still implanted into the floor. "Wait."

He stumbled as he rose again, but his face seemed higher than ever.

"My special move," said Charanko. "Didn't…get…to try it."

"Now is the time to give up," said Genos. "You have lost."

"Not yet," said Charanko. "River…of flowing…justice fist!"

Left hand swinging way back, Charanko sent it colliding into Genos's face. Genos stumbled a couple of inches from the impact. Charanko, on the other hand, sunk to the floor, his entire face a watery mess as he examined his second broken hand.

"I told you you should've stopped," said Genos. "Now your bills will be massive."

Charanko responded with a sob. Incomprehensible utterings issued forth from his mouth.

"Well," said Secter. "I don't mean to intrude, but it looks like Charanko's won here."

"What?" asked Genos. "He's clearly beaten."

"In the physical fight? Yes. But. Charanko here clearly knew he was outmatched, and yet he kept going. I think there's something to be said for that."

"He still lost."

Secter took a deep breath and sighed.

"Yes," he said. "But you're missing the point here. Charanko tried to fight you, despite the odds. And even kept going even though he knew he was beat. And I mean yeah, it got his ass kicked. But in regards to the battle of heroism, I think Charanko showed you a lesson today."

"What lesson is that?"

Secter strode forward to Genos, who was a few inches shorter than him. The two nearly came eye to eye.

"That the struggles of the weaker are not to be overlooked," said Secter. "In fact, they may be the most important and deterministic of all."

Bang studied Secter closely. Genos gave no hint of an expression.

"I see," said Genos. "But he still lost. And now, he has to go to the hospital."

"I can take him," said Secter. He reached down to try and lift Charanko, who by this point was lying on his side and blubbering uncontrollably.

"I will take him," said Genos. "I can get there faster." Genos swept up the mess that was Charanko in both arms, before squatting back and rocketing out through the hole in the ceiling. They were gone before the excess debris caused by Genos's exit even had the chance to hit the floor.

"I just refurbished this place," said Bang. "Well, so much for dumplings."

"Hang on now," said Secter. "Doesn't mean we can let those go to waste."

"Surely we can't eat this many between two people," said Bang.

"God created leftovers so that people like me could survive," said Secter. "I think we can manage somehow."

Hours passed, and Secter had a tub full of dumplings, and the largest, most stupid smile on his face.

"Well," said Bang. "I'm sorry that the training didn't end up being more enlightening for you."

"Eh, it was illuminating enough," said Secter.

"Perhaps come by again, and participate in an actual fight."

"We'll see."

"You said some interesting things back there," said Bang. "Not many concern themselves with that type of thing these days."

"It bothers me. Greatly. Makes no sense to me how people just ignore these things, and the heroes just go on with it."

"People are concerned with strength, of course," said Bang. "To be honest, the only reason why I offered for you to come to the dojo was because you showed promise at the meeting."

"I had a sneaking suspicion that would be the case," said Secter. "Let me guess, you thought I was strong, but unrefined? Needed to tune my technique?"

Bang laughed, but his face spelt trouble.

"Yes, yes, well. That is my job now after all. To take strong fighters, and refine them into great ones."

"Just make sure you take a close look at your definition of strong. If you get too many people like Flash or Tatsumaki, no one will ever try to become heroes. They'll think it impossible."

"Maybe we don't want every person to be a hero."

"But we certainly want everyone to be at least a little heroic," said Secter. "Back where I came from, I saw all sorts of people, those who sacrificed themselves for others, those who wanted to, and those who would leave you to die if it meant getting a flask of alcohol."

Bang raised an eyebrow.

"Where exactly are you from?" he asked.

Secter almost choked on the dumpling he started to munch on.

"Mmph," he said. "Just a rough area, is all."

"Seems like it," said Bang. "Well, it's getting late. I thank you for showing up to my dojo."

"And I thank you for the food and conversation," said Secter. "Most sane one I've had as of late, it seems."

"Well, when you focus on people like Flash and Tatsumaki, you tend to lose…focus."

Secter snorted.

"Yes, and brain cells," he said. "Well, I'll see you later, Bang. I think I have some work to do."

"You do that," said Bang. "And please, consider coming back to the dojo."

"Not sure how much there is to be learned here," said Secter. "But I'll consider it."

. . .

"A demon-level threat has been spotted in B-city," claimed the speaker on the television. "Civilians are advised to stay inside, heroes are on the way."

Secter opened up a drawer across from his kitchen table. Inside lay his revolver, similar painted a dull grey with yellow bits of light shining through several cracks on the barrel and body of the gun. Atop the barrel was a thin rectangular piece of metal, which almost cut through the top of the drawer as Secter pulled it out. He aimed towards the wall with the weapon, his eye peering down the sliver of steel at the top. Nodding in approval, he slid the weapon into a holster by his belt and headed outside.

It didn't take long to find the creature, a hulking stone beast with a lion's head for a face. Secter spotted it advancing towards a group of people huddling in a convenience store, its eyes shining and its tail thrashing about. The people inside were shouting and running from the windows. Some of them had collapsed to the floor and were crying, while the monster advanced with hunger in its eyes.

"Hey!" yelled Secter.

The rock-cat turned to face him. Claws began to extend out from the boulders that made up its paws.

"I take it you're not the type who can talk," said Secter.

The creature roared at him and began to tense itself. It fell back on its hind legs, getting ready to lunge.

"Didn't figure you could," said Secter.

He raised the gun up from his holster, and pulled the trigger. A beam of yellow light blasted forth from the muzzle, flying straight through the lion's face. When the light had finally vanished, the entire head of the creature was completely gone. What was left of the being's rocky body stood in place for a second, before crumbling into a pile of boulders and kicking up a storm of dust.

"Huh," said Secter. "Not bad."

He started to head away from the remains of the creature, before hearing someone running up on him. Turning around, he spotted a girl probably somewhere in her early teens examining the monster's corpse before walking over to him.

"I haven't seen you before," she said. "Are you a hero?"

"I guess you could say that," said Secter.

"Thank you for saving us," she said. "What is your name?"

"Secter," he said.

"What class are you?"

"None. I didn't join the Hero Association."

"Why not?"

"Because their rank system turns everyone against each other."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Just look at almost any hero, they're all concerned with getting stronger and comparing themselves to people at the top. And getting stronger is important and all, but people become obsessed with it, and then only the strongest get any support."

"Are you strong?"

A lump formed in Secter's throat. For some reason, he hesitated before answering.

"I just want to help people," said Secter. "Make sure they don't get hurt. Sometimes it will be easy, sometimes it won't. I'll try nonetheless."

"Well, you did it today," she said.

Secter put his hands on his hips, a smile finding its way onto his face.

"Yeah, I guess I did," said Secter. "I can be great like that sometimes."

The girl started to wander off. The sound of a crashing building from nearby made her flinch, before she ran to hunker down behind the rocky remains of the monster.

Secter whipped around, his hand still on his gun. Where once stood a mighty skyscraper a few seconds ago, now was nothing. Running from the convenience store, he found himself at the scene of the crime. Ponds of blood were splattered and pooled over a giant area of rubble, the area of destruction almost a football stadium in size. Shattered glass and twisted girders adorned the ground, with bits of fur and slivers of corneas strewn along what was once a section of pavement. Secter scratched behind his head, before spotting Tatsumaki flying high above the wreckage. She seemed to have spotted him as well, for Secter could hear her exasperated sigh from a hundred feet below.

"You did this?" he shouted up to her.

Tatsumaki floated down to the ground, a grimace on her face as she watched Secter stumble through the rubble.

"I can't hear you from up there," she said. "And yes, I took care of everything."

"You missed the rock-cat," said Secter.

"The what?"

"Big lion made out of rocks. I got that one."

"Whatever. What, was it wolf-level?" A smirk came with this verbal jab.

"Don't know. Don't care."

"Fine then," said Tatsumaki. "And stop following me."

"For the love of God," said Secter. "Not everything is about you. And I can assure you, the only reason I came over here was to check up on the crashing I heard."

"So you had a death wish."

"Not really. Actually, I think I'm getting pretty good at this hero stuff."

Tatsumaki sneered at him. Everything, from her expression to the way she recoiled from where Secter stood, acted as a weaponized bastion of disgust.

"Damn," said Secter. "You really hate me, don't you?"

"I hate anyone who thinks they're better than they really are."

"I'm pretty great," said Secter, a cheesy smirk coming with this phrase.

"You're worthless."

"Killed a monster."

"So?"

"Means that less stuff got destroyed, and no one got hurt by it."

"It was a fucking wolf!" yelled Tatsumaki. "Tiger at best! That's nothing to be proud of!"

"Neither is demolishing about thirteen buildings with your shitty powers," said Secter. "But look at you."

"I'm going to fucking kill you," said Tatsumaki. "That's it. You're dead."

"This is like the third time you've threatened to kill me," said Secter. "It's getting old. Besides, you sure you're a hero with all those threats and shit?"

"Of course I'm sure!" said Tatsumaki. "I'm just good at putting people in their place."

She began to fly upwards, her eyes glowing a dull green color. Secter noticed that some of the rocks around him were beginning to fly up with her.

"If you can stand this," said Tatsumaki. "Maybe you'll be ready to be an actual hero. And not just some worthless junk who won't take the hero test."

Secter crossed his arms at the rocks flying around him. Above, Tatsumaki spread her arms and fingers wide, and the sun itself began to be blocked out by the massive cluster of debris that started to form in front of it.

"And my sis isn't here to save you," she said. "There's no getting out this time. That is, unless you want to admit defeat, or maybe even run away? I would if I were you."

"Speaking of which, how is she?" asked Secter. The overhead amalgamate of rocks, steel, and monster guts began to move until it was centered over Secter's head. He kept his eyes on Tatsumaki, as if oblivious to the fact.

"Why do you care?" asked Tatsumaki. "You don't even know her."

"She seemed sick the last time I saw her," said Secter. "Figured I'd ask."

"She doesn't need your sympathy. She can handle everything on her own."

"Doesn't hurt to have some help every now and again."

"There's no help for you."

The cluster came smashing down onto Secter, exploding and sending sharpened rocks flying in all directions.

Holy shit, she actually did it, thought Secter as he materialized away from the impact a few meters away. He observed the explosion from behind a nearby building. That massive piece of shit.

Tatsumaki smirked at the work she had done. Crossing her arms as she floated high up above, she looked for any trace of the good-for-nothing man.

Surely if he can catch Flash's blade, he could've escaped most of that collision, she thought. And if he didn't, he could probably endure it. A trip to the hospital is in the cards for him though. Then he'll think twice about calling himself a hero and trying to stand up to me.

She peered over the wreckage, but there was no sign of Secter.

"Eh?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Landing back down, she strode over to the impact. Streaks of blood adorned the rocks which made up the new pile of rubble she had made, and she moved a few of the rocks with her mind as she looked for any signs of a body.

I think that's just monster blood, she thought. Where the hell is he?

"You piece of shit," said Secter, stepping out from behind his hideaway.

Tatsumaki jumped up from the wreckage.

"What the?" she exclaimed.

"You're a fucking moronic asshole," said Secter. "To think, I actually held some respect for you since you were at the top, but now I see how it is. You're just a sad, pathetic bastard who'll threaten anyone she doesn't consider to be legitimate."

"You asshole!" yelled Tatsumaki. "You were hiding the whole time! Making me think that I had killed you!"

"Was that not your plan?" asked Secter. He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"It is now," she said. "Now you're fucking dead. I'm done playing around with you."

"Same here," said Secter. "I'm going home."

His back came into Tatsumaki's view. She began to grind her teeth together, and could feel little bits of film scrape off the tops of them. It only made her angrier.

"Get the fuck back here!" she yelled. "You don't get to ignore me!"

"Shut up," said Secter. "Shuuuut the hell up."

Something collided with Secter's spine, shattering into pieces all around him. Secter straightened up in response, and gave a nasty look behind him just in time to see another section of a building get thrown into his face. It too collapsed into pieces around him, throwing dirt and rubble into his eyes. Blinking at the impact, Secter braced himself for another projectile but instead spotted Tatsumaki high above him, her face strained as if she were being pulled apart by an invisible force.

"You're…as heavy…as Saitama!" she shouted.

"Did you really think I was gonna let you lift me?" asked Secter. Chuckles punctuated the pauses between his words. "You must be crazy."

"Let you?" asked Tatsumaki. "Let you?"

"I'm not going anywhere but home," said Secter. "You can fuck right off." He pointed a finger at the general direction of A-city.

"This can't be happening," said Tatsumaki. "Not again. Not…not with someone like you."

"Again? Did you get into a fight with this Saitama guy too? What is wrong with you?"

"No. No. I can easily hurt you. I can destroy you. I don't know why I can't lift you, or why those boulders did nothing, but you're nothing to me. You haven't even taken the test! You're fucking nothing!"

"I don't need to take a test to prove my worth," said Secter. "Came up with that this morning." He pointed a finger gun at the floating menace, and dropped his thumb as if it were the hammer.

"I don't care what you think you're worth," said Tatsumaki. Bits of froth began to muster forth from the edges of her mouth. "I just want you to die."

"And I want you to fuck off," said Secter. "And you won't, for some reason."

"Not until I hurt you. Not until I prove that you are nothing to me."

"You already proved that. But seriously, if you're worried that I pose some kind of a threat to you, then why keep fighting? If you keep throwing shit at me when I go closer to home, you're just gonna risk hurting people. Plus, people are gonna see how useless those attacks are against me, as opposed to now when there's no one around."

"You're not going home," said Tatsumaki. "And I'm not hurting anybody but you."

"I am. Watch me."

The next minute saw Secter striding down the street, with a grunting and snarling Tatsumaki overhead. Secter could feel a force struggling to pull him back to where the initial area of destruction was, as if a wall of hands were all trying to push him back down the street. But he kept walking, and civilization was starting to come back into view.

"This is impossible!" screamed Tatsumaki from above. "Fuck! Not…not again!"

"That's what happens when you mess with the all-powerful Secter," he said, grinning like an idiot. "You know, maybe you should-"

He stopped when he looked back up at Tatsumaki, whose forehead was coated with blood. She was staring down at her hands, both of which had turned scarlet from where she had tried to smear the blood away.

"Push yourself too hard?" asked Secter. "Or is that some old injury?"

"Just shut up," said Tatsumaki. "Shut the fuck up."

"Oh look, now you have an excuse as to why you couldn't hurt me."

Nothing from Tatsumaki. She continued to stare down at her hands, before wiping away at the blood on her forehead again. When it kept flowing, she let out a small gasp.

Secter frowned. Suddenly winning over Tatsumaki tasted a bit less sweet.

"Why not land for a second," said Secter. "Avoid using any powers for a bit."

"I know my limits!" she yelled. "I'm not even close to done!"

"Just go home Tatsu," said Secter. "Get yourself cleaned up. No one knows what happened here."

"I'll know. And worse, you think you're better than me."

"I know I'm better than you, but not in the way you think. Well, somewhat better. I'm…not as much of an asshole at least."

"You're pathetic."

"Ah, whatever." Secter waved Tatsumaki away. "Just land for a sec, we can talk like two adults. You are like twenty-eight, right? Think the billboard said that."

"Yes!" yelled Tatsumaki. "Fucking hell."

She kept wiping at her forehead, but it wasn't enough to staunch the flow of blood. With a growl, she bent over forwards. As she did so, the nearby buildings, devoid of any lights within them, bent with her. Defying all laws of physics, the concrete that made up the structures stretched and folded over like clay, before finally snapping from the tension and leaving a couple of floors standing alone in their wake.

"And there goes millions of dollars in property damage," said Secter. "The hell was that for?"

"I told you I could still do it," said Tatsumaki. "Not at my limit."

"I don't know why you're trying to prove this."

"Because you are weak and I…" Tatsumaki burped and her hands flew to her mouth. Her cheeks swelled up for a second, before a mighty swallow let them return back to normal. Eyes looking dim, she gave the last ounce of her energy to glaring at Secter as opposed to finishing her sentence.

"You…" said Secter.

"Are stronger," said Tatsumaki. "I! I am stronger!"

"Almost got you there," said Secter.

"Fuck you."

"Just go home, Tatsumaki."

"Ugh." Tatsumaki floated back down, her head turning a dull red color as the blood caked itself into her hair and scalp. Little cracks could be seen beneath the dried blood, and Tatsumaki rubbed at her mouth with her palm, before spitting out a lumpy gob of liquid on the ground.

Secter took a step away when she did so, his eyes trained on the spot where it landed.

"You sure you're ok?" asked Secter.

"Why…do you…care," said Tatsumaki. "Just fuck off."

"You're done trying to kill me?"

Tatsumaki's eyes flared up again, and her fists clenched. She reached out to a nearby rock and used it to steady herself. Breathing looked like it had become a matter of life or death for her, every exhale sharp and full of stutters.

"I'm not at my best," she said. "If I was, I could kill you in seconds."

"And there it is," said Secter. "Excuse of the day, ladies and gentlemen."

"There's no one else here!"

"I know, that's just how I talk."

"I hate you. More than anyone else. More than Saitama."

"Nah, you'll forget about me by tomorrow."

"No," said Tatsumaki. She began to grin, and Secter grimaced at the sight of rows of red teeth. "I won't."

"Well, for the time being, let's call it quits," said Secter.

"Ok then," said Tatsumaki. "I'll just go and get myself some rest."

"Yeah!" said Secter. "And get yourself something for those cuts, they look pretty deep."

"I will," said Tatsumaki. Had Secter focused more on Tatsumaki's grin, he would've noticed it shifting and grinding.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"Probably need to fix all this damage," said Secter. "No worries though, I can help with that."

"How thoughtful of you," said Tatsumaki. Every word came filtered through the stained squares of red and white that was her mouth.

"Yeah, I do my best," said Secter. "But you should go home now, get yourself cleaned up. If you need any help, well, you're not going to let me, but I have experience in treating wounds."

"That's nice," said Tatsumaki.

"Well, I guess I'll see you then."

"Yes. I think we both learned some valuable lessons here."

"Yeeeeaah," said Secter, his eyes narrowing. "I'm gonna leave now."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Tatsumaki.

"No?"

"Yes you are."

"What is it?" Secter leaned back, as if to brace for another rock.

"You're forgetting that you can't get home from space."

The ground underneath Secter shook and moved, before a chunk of concrete and steel ripped itself out from under him. Secter gasped at the sight, and at the thrusting of Tatsumaki's hands into the air, both him and the debris were sent flying into the sky at a breakneck pace. Wind and clouds alike rushed their way past Secter, and he stood rooted to the spot, on a rocketing platform that sped up through the air.

"Ha…ha," said Tatsumaki, watching as Secter became a dot that grew tinier and tinier as he was sent further into the stratosphere. "I might not've been able to lift you, but I can still lift what's around you!"

Should've thought of that with Saitama, she thought. Maybe next time. Hell, getting a weird sense of déjà vu with this fight. At least this one won't be coming back.

Meanwhile, Secter stood atop the chunk of rubble, taking in the sights of the stars around him through furious eyes. He kept his arms crossed as the rocks began to slow down, and as the Earth began to come into full view, he shook his head.

Why did I not see that coming? he thought. She was getting all friendly towards the end, I knew something had to be up. And yet I didn't fuckin move, and now look where I am. Can't believe that little fucker sent me up to space. God fucking dammit.

Back down below, Tatsumaki finally let out a vomit, and she groaned at the results. A splatter of blood, spit, and what was likely sushi formed an orange and red puddle directly in front of her. The smell alone made her start to gag again, and she forced back another rising tide of bile in her throat. Moaning to herself, she began to limp away from the battlefield, smiling despite her pounding headache and foul-smelling dress.

Can't believe I'm still hurt like this, she thought. How have I not healed yet? Something like this won't do – I can't let Fubuki see that I've been hurt bad by that fight. I gotta figure out how to get this fixed, else everyone's going to think that I'm…

Secter crashed down directly from above, springing into a roll as he landed to the ground and unfolding himself to block Tatsumaki's path. Tatsumaki jolted to a halt, her eyes bugging out of her skull as the man stood above her.

"You…you," said Tatsumaki.

"I saw the Sun, it was great," said Secter. "Really struggling not to clock you in the face right about now."

Tatsumaki took a couple of steps back. A rock caught in her heels as she moved and she fell over backwards. Her mind began to race. Surely this had to be a dream. Some kind of nightmare.

"This…this isn't possible," said Tatsumaki.

"Were you really gonna leave me to die up there?" asked Secter. "Because that's a dick move. A real dick move."

"You can't be back. This isn't real."

"It is. And you know it."

Tatsumaki swallowed, both to prevent another vomit and to try and clear her voice. She got back up, her entire body shaking.

"I…I can't handle this right now," said Tatsumaki. "Get out of my way."

"You look fucking terrible," said Secter. "Did you vomit on yourself? Just sad, really."

"Move."

"And those teeth, ugh, those teeth. Gonna need a whole new bottle of mouthwash to get rid of those stains."

"Move!"

"And to think, the world's second strongest hero couldn't even beat some nobody who isn't even ranked."

Tatsumaki felt like screaming. She felt as if the whole world needed to black out, if just for a second so that she might get away. This was worse than the last time, a living nightmare. At least Saitama was A-class.

She began to float, which made her head hurt even more. A dull, thudding pain sounded off from every corner of her skull, and she tasted more copper in her mouth.

"Just… go home," said Tatsumaki. "Not…at one hundred percent today. Fought…dragons before you."

"Uh huh," said Secter. He spotted Tatsumaki's face, one of pain and outright despair. But most of all, she looked exhausted, years of fighting tearing down on her eyes. While he wanted to stay and gloat more, something about her face made his chest hurt, a rising little pain that burned once it got to his heart. He felt bad for her, but still couldn't help wanting to punch her between the eyes.

"Tell you what, Tatsu," said Secter. "I'll get out of your way, and you promise not to come trying to kill me later, deal?"

"Whatever," said Tatsumaki. Her voice was zombie-like, her face no longer rising to meet Secter's. Tatsumaki's body was crouched over even worse than Bang's was on a normal day. She almost had her hands touching the ground. "And don't call me that."

"Call you what?"

"Tatsu."

"What do you want me to call you?"

"Nothing. Just leave me alone."

"Fine," said Secter. "You sure you don't need any help for anything?"

"I don't want you anywhere near me."

"Alright. I guess I'll see you later then."

Tatsumaki made a noise somewhere between a moan and a grunt. She hiccupped, and groaned again. Her breathing was even shallower now, with tiny gurgles punctuating her inhalations, and little rivers of blood streaming out from her mouth. The wounds at the top of her head had torn themselves apart again, and it was an open season of red all along her skull. Her dress smelled as if something had died on it, that had then been left there for a couple of days.

She's a wreck, thought Secter. What the hell happened to her?

If anyone sees me like this, thought Tatsumaki. It's all his fault. I'll kill him. Rip the skin right off of him and tear his fucking head off.

She wants to tear my head off? thought Secter. Ah shit, shouldn't be doing that.

Secter stepped aside, his expression blank as Tatsumaki continued her pathetic float past. She said nothing as she went.

As Secter made his way back home, he could see Tatsumaki in his mind, taking every back alley and side street she could in order to get back to her house. At one point, he could see a group of people heading her way, seemingly without her noticing. In an instant, he could've teleported there and directed the citizens somewhere else.

Secter pushed the door open to his house, and walked into the kitchen. He then helped himself to another bottle of black bile. Like Tatsumaki, he too would witness the contents of his stomach laid bare in front of him.