One Punch Man: Attitude Adjustment
Chapter 33: Aftermath
The early morning sun rose over a ruined landscape, showing the craters from entire mountains ripped out of the ground and miles of uprooted trees. The power plant was in center of the destruction, now swarming with Hero Association personnel. Teams of investigators were sent inside to find whatever they could about Spade's work, along with a fleet of authorities and ambulances to collect the many criminals that were left behind. They also took care of the Heroes that fought so hard to bring the Crime Association down, with some of them already on their way to the nearest hospital for critical care.
Randal woke up to a team of doctors hanging over him, he was shirtless but most of his torso was wrapped up in bandages. There was also half a dozen patches and Band-Aids of his face to cover the all of the cuts and a reset nose. Groggy and sore all over, Randal still forced himself out of bed against the medical teams suggestions. Pushing past them, he was solely focused on seeing the others. Limping his way to another ambulance, Randal ignored the shocked expression on one of the nearby doctors and asked who they were tending to. Hearing it was Jeremy, Randal remembered the sorry state the kid was in last time. He expected the worst, but was confused by the sound of chewing as he approached.
He met with Jeremy as the young Hero was stuffing his face with a cheeseburger. Half a dozen empty fast-food wrappers beside his gurney, with four more that were full waiting behind him. Seeming close to death just hours before, Jeremy was now sitting upright with a healthy skin tone. Besides a mangled arm that was now in a sling, Jeremy appeared to be totally fine.
"Oh, hey man. Glad you're still walking around." Jeremy said with his mouth full, reaching down to grab another burger. "Want one? I was starving after all that fighting."
"Uhh...maybe later." Randal said with bewilderment. "How are you...?"
"Oh, don't worry man. The Association called my dads and told them what happened, they know a good meal's all I need to feel better." Jeremy explained with a cheery smile. "It's not the first time I've seen doctors make that face." He said with a carefree laugh, pointing out the team of doctors that were staring at someone who defied all medical logic. "But my arm's still pretty messed up, something tells me it's not getting better tomorrow like Kathy did."
"Might not be a bad thing kid, we could all use some R&R after this." Randal said, smirking as he thought of something. "In fact, might be a good time for you to make a move with Mia."
"Whoa! H-Hold on man...!" Jeremy exclaimed, suddenly nervous and stuttering. "I-I don't know what you're..."
"Kid, don't play dumb with me." Randal said, shaking his head. "Even if you are pretty good at it."
"Hey! Screw you old man!" Jeremy replied indignantly. "What are you even getting at?"
"Just think of it like a movie. The bad guy's gone, things are winding down; now tends to be the perfect time for the Hero to get the girl." Randal said, emphasizing the last three words to help the message sink in. "But that's just my opinion kid, do whatever you want."
With a lazy wave, Randal turned and walked away. Jeremy pursed his lip, he wanted to tell Randal to mind his own business something in the back of his mind had to wonder if the old-timer had a point.
Seeing the kid bounce quick eased most of Randal's worries. He still needed to make sure the girls were okay, but did not have to go far before he felt a small body tackle his side with a hug. That, along with the tears soaking into his bandages made him sigh as he gave Mia a comforting pat on the back.
"You're okay!" Mia said, overwhelmed with relief. "The doctors weren't even sure you'd wake up!"
"Nah, I'll be fine. And no offense, but you should really learn to shut off the waterworks." Randal suggested.
"If that's you're way of saying I shouldn't care as much..." Mia replied, stepping back and wiping her eyes. "Don't count on it mister." She said with a bubbly smile.
"Fine, suit yourself." Randal said, smiling back as he shrugged his shoulders. "I still need to check on Kathy, but..." Another scheming smirk crossed his face. "I just saw the kid, said he wanted to talk you about something."
"Oh, what did Jeremy want?" Mia said with interest.
"Didn't say, but he made it sound important." Randal said, trying not to laugh as he turned around to walk away.
Looking over his shoulder, he chuckled as Mia made her way towards Jeremy's ambulance. Two out of three seemed to be okay, which put him in a good mood that was immediately spoiled by the voice coming from behind him.
"Mr. Hogan..." Master Wing said, his body fully bandaged like Randal's.
Coming face to face, the two older fighters could feel the tension between them. Eyes locked, both stared intensely at the other until Master Wing finally decided to break the silence.
"I...was mistaken. It caused me to act out of spite, and I will understand if you cannot forgive me." Master Wing said, swallowing pride while bowing his head.
"Hmm..." Randal said, acting like he was thinking it over. "Rematch?"
"I...?" Master Wing asked, but then realized how Randal was offering amends and smiled. "I accept, anytime you wish."
"Sounds good, I could use a fight that's not to the death." Randal said, nodding back as he left to find Kathy.
Before finding his last teammate, Randal stopped in front of the display of power he saw last night. What little he could see of the fight between Seraph and The Bald Man flashed through his mind, making him wonder if the one who saved them was still around.
"Quite impressive, isn't it?" Amazoa said with a full cast propping up her arm, stepping next to Randal to also observe the range of mountains that was clearly destroyed by an incredible level of strength. "We try so hard, push our bodies as far as they can go...yet there are still those who show just how far we have to go before we are truly able to stand amongst the best."
"Uhh...yeah, sure does." Randal said, realizing they were experiencing two very different reactions. "But hey, look at it this way. That just means working your way up to the top is gonna feel even better."
"Haha! A true warriors outlook on things." Amazoa said, snapped out of her doubts as she laughed. "I can admire that." She said with a gorgeous grin before leaving to check on her partner.
"I'll keep that in mind..." Randal mumbled to himself, taking one quick look at her walking away before he moved on as well.
The Bald Man was still fresh in his mind, but was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he just decided to leave after finishing the job, or maybe he was like Randal and hated the idea of dealing with the press and higher-ups. Either way, it was still a shame he lost the chance to say thanks for saving his life a second time.
He could see Kathy up ahead, talking with The Bespectacled Worker that met with them at her family's mansion. Pointing at Randal for her, Kathy turned and smirked as she saw the big guy on his feet. Like Mia, her ribs and center back were taped up along with bandaged cuts but also had extra padding over her right side to help soak up the blood from her bullet wounds.
"Well, look who decided to finally wake up." Kathy jokingly remarked.
"Glad to see you to." Randal said with a smirk. "You see the others yet?"
"Yeah, Mia's seems okay and Jeremy is...Jeremy." Kathy said, rolling her eyes. "I was just telling our friend here about how many ranks I expect all of us to go up for this."
"That decision will be up to the board of executives." The Bespectacled Worker replied. "But I can assure you, everyone will be properly rewarded for your efforts."
"Hope that means covering the medical bills." Randal said with a sore groan.
"Of course Savage Senior. And please, let me thank you again for your help in this despite the way we treated you." The Bespectacled Worker said.
"Just make sure no ones tracking me anymore and we'll be fine." Randal said, wanting to put the matter to rest.
"That reminds me, I called mom and dad. After hearing about the way you made all this happened they realized you were owed an apology. They'll even make it a public statement if you want." Kathy explained.
"God no, keep that nonsense out of the news." Randal responded bluntly. "Any chance that bike I took is still around?"
"Yes, we moved it beside your team's armored vehicle." The Bespectacled Worker answered.
"Great, tell mom and pop I'm keeping the ride and we'll call it even." Randal said.
"Seems fair to me." Kathy said, turning to look at the devastation surrounding him. "So...that bald guy must've been the real deal."
"You saw him?" Randal said, his brow raised.
"Only for a second, I was busy trying to crawl to cover and then my body must have decided it was a good time for a nap. Next thing I know, the doctors are waking me up." Kathy explained. "Seems like I missed one hell of a fight."
"Trust me when I say that's an understatement." Randal said, turning to The Bespectacled Worker as he noticed a knowing smirk on his face. "You know him, don't you?"
"Not personally, but I am very aware of his capabilities. When he arrived, I knew the situation was handled and left the scene. It was good timing, since my driver was dealing with miles of road behind us being pulled into the sky." The Bespectacled Worker said.
"Does that mean you can tell me about him?" Randal asked, now very intrigued.
"I could, but only so much. But with that said, there is someone else still here that could be more helpful." The Bespectacled Worker said.
The executive pointed Randal towards a small crowd. Association investigators needing information along with the first wave of reporters on the scene were all surrounding a single person. Getting his hopes up, the Hero quickly approached and ignored a complaining cameraman as he shoved through everyone. Instead of The Bald Man, he was met with a blond-haired cyborg that gave him unpleasant flashbacks of his last fight Jackson. Randal knew who it was, the new Class-S Hero that got plenty of media attention. The kid's right hand looked like it was chopped off at the wrist, there was also half a dozen bullets holes through his beige and sleeveless shirt.
"Hey...it's Genos, right?" Randal said, not bothering with a stupid title like Demon Cyborg.
"Correct, and you're one of Heroes that fought here." Genos said, verifying Randal's I.D.
"Yeah...one of the suits just told me you caught Spade after I softened him up, nice work." Randal said.
"Thank you, he was a crafty opponent despite his injuries." Genos said, looking down at his severed hand. "His assistant tried to help, but after their initial attack I was able to quickly overwhelm them. The Association is taking the to H.Q. for interrogation."
"Good to hear." Randal said before getting to the point. "There was another guy here, showed up just in time to save everyone's ass." Randal said, trying to remember the name Seraph mentioned during their fight. "Uhh...short guy, shaved head; runs around in a bright yellow getup...I wanna say...Bald Cape?"
"You are referring to my Master, Saitama." Genos said, making sure to correct him.
Even though it just a name, for some reason it seemed to resonate in Randal's head. All that time wondering and now there was an answer to a question he asked himself for months.
"Yeah, guess I am..." Randal said, losing his train of thought. "Any chance he's still around?"
"No, once Master was done here he moved on to stop the unicorn crisis in City-B. After finishing business here, I must stop by the grocery store before seeing him again at home." Genos said.
"Damn, that guy works quick." Randal remarked, wondering how fast someone like that could move between cities. "But I gotta ask, how come I haven't heard of him before? Is Saitama what other people call him?"
"Master is wise enough to not worry about how others see him. Aside from that, he official title as a Hero is Caped Baldy." Genos calmly explained.
Though not the most socially minded person, Genos noticed an odd twist in Randal's expression. The large man seemed to be trying hard to hold back the urge to laugh, but Genos did not say anything that was meant to be funny.
"Good to know kid." Randal said, almost cracking up as he talked. "Next time you see him, make sure to say thanks for me."
With that said, Randal left a confused Genos and made to put some distance between him and the deadly cyborg that seemed very dedicated to his "Master". When he seemed far enough, he was leaning down and holding onto his sides as Randal erupted into a fit of laughter. It was the type of laugh that eventually left you gasping for air, but it was also a much-needed break from all the crap Spade put him though.
"And I thought my name sucked!" Randal loudly bellowed.
(One more Chapter to go, thanks for reading up to this point.)