I don't own One-Punch Man
(All of this Belongs to the one and only: ONE)
Chapter 14: The Resolve of Men
A Champion's Challenge
Inside the Arena Field...
Fire
Something that slowly coursed through Saitama's body as he stared down the Arena field, looking at Metal Bat intensely. Saitama's core lit up with tiny bursts of primal fire during this time, as he was focusing his thoughts on Metal Bat. To see him not move at the start of the match made Saitama's smile more prominent, realizing that the man before him was strong. Maybe not on the level he was on, but to say he wasn't strong at all would be an insult. It took a few seconds, but Saitama finally calmed his thoughts, and with a deep breath, took a stance and closed his eyes.
"Let's not hype up the crowd next time, Saitama. Too much work for too little gain, heh." Saitama said to himself, chuckling for doing something so weird in the first place.
The audience that watched from above were filled with a desire to view the match to the end, to see these two heroes fight, and to see what more did Caped Baldy have to offer. You see, many of the audience members were very curious of the Caped Baldy ever since his fight with the "Blizzard of Hell", and now that Caped Baldy was going up against an S-Class hero, it only deepened their expectations of the hero before them. Just a couple of minutes ago, Caped Baldy came out showing off with a display of power, making everyone in audience shiver with delight. In record time, Caped Baldy became a fan favorite, especially with the kids, what with them trying to copy his movements. The audience members were soon brought back from their thinking, as Metal Bat begun to speak.
"Oi, cue ball, are ya just gonna stand dare, lookin' like a burnt out lamppost, or are ya gonna come down and throw a swing at me?!" Metal Bat said with a smile, feeling proud to all hell that he had the idea of challenging the man before him. Metal Bat walked off from his pedestal and started off towards Saitama's direction, his bat resting on his right shoulder. The Arena field shook as Metal Bat walked across it, the distant trees shivering in their roots, as if bracing themselves for an intense fight.
Saitama heard Metal Bat's insult, but let it pass his body like the wind. After a few more seconds passed, and with a large sigh, he opened his eyes. Saitama's face no longer held the disinterested, dopey look, but replaced with his serious one, a look that had nothing more on it than determination. This act alone caused everyone watching the match to silence themselves, as to not bring unnecessary noise into the Arena. Just seeing how the dopey A-Class hero had now taken on a serious stance, made the kids even more awestrucked. Saitama's group on the balcony also focused their attention on him, catching a glimpse of a Saitama when he wasn't fooling around. Shoten felt a rush of excitement, flexing his fingers across his laptop, ready to record the match's data. He would finally see the hero that put the Hero Hunter down in action. Even Metal Bat found himself feeling a single twinge in his body, making him tense his muscles beforehand. He braced himself for anything that the walking cue ball might throw at him.
"That's funny, you calling me bald, you know. At least when I had hair, I knew how to style it." Saitama answered back with a small smirk, his eyes showing a visible pulse of primal fire. Metal Bat's right eye twitched, a vein on his head popping up, looking like it was about to burst.
"What did ya say about my hair, Chrome Dome?" Metal Bat said in a with a shaky voice, his smile disappearing instantly. His right arm trembled as he brought down his bat from his shoulder.
"You heard me, Fonzy." Saitama said again, his smirk getting a little bit bigger. Getting in those few lines of smack talk felt great, but Saitama quickly got back into the mood of the Arena. The audience sat there in complete shock, no one ever insults Metal Bat's hair, period. So to hear Caped Baldy make such a comment, made much of the audience quiver. The kids however were falling from their seats, desperately trying to breathe after laughing from Saitama's pure trash talk. Yes, Caped Baldy was definitely a fan favorite now. After Metal Bat heard Saitama's response, he soon broke into a sprint, heading straight towards him, his face looking pissed off to hell.
"YA AIN'T LEAVIN' HERE STANDIN', CUE BALL!" Metal Bat shouted menacingly, as he barreled down closer towards Saitama, only a couple yards away from him now. Saitama, on the other hand, had his right arm slightly cocked back, waiting for the right time Metal Bat came into range.
"Normal Wave Punch." Saitama said sternly, as Metal Bat appeared before him just a few feet away. Saitama threw a solid punch at Metal Bat's direction, sending forth a visible pulse of air displacement at him, the image of a gigantic stream of air took place, and collided with Metal Bat.
The stream of air was huge, making Metal Bat look like an ant getting blown back by a massive pressure washer by the audience's point of view. But what happened next was the stream of air suddenly jolting towards the sky, as if it were being pushed in an upwards direction. Metal Bat managed to hit the brunt of the attack with an upwards swing, causing the stream to immediately blast towards the sky. How one can physically hit air however, only Metal Bat could manage. A whole minute passed, before the huge stream of air dissipated, leaving a relatively good looking Metal Bat in the aftermath. His bat unscathed, his clothes slightly wrinkled, and his hair still holding its shape, Metal Bat simply smiled wide at Saitama when he could finally see him. Saitama answered back with a small smile of his own, making an internal fist bump, greatly relieved to see Metal Bat still standing from that one attack, looking relatively well for that matter.
"Ya ain't half bad, Chrome Dome! But if ya think dat's all it takes tah put me under, den ya better find a bigger shovel tah dig with!" Metal Bat proclaimed, taking a stance that spoke volumes of his character, his hair shining against the glare coming off from Saitama's head.
Metal Bat then jumped incredibly high into the air, glowing a very bright yellow in an instant. Metal Bat's glow came from his fighting spirit, which was on high gear, making his bat, and himself, catch on fire. Within a couple of seconds, Metal Bat was ridiculously high up in the air. Once his stopped climbing, he aimed himself towards Saitama, and dropped down with a downwards swing at alarming speed, taking on the appearance of a comet. Large, bright yellow trails of fire painted the sky as Metal Bat fell from it.
"Blazin' Spirit: Hot Streak Smash!" Metal Bat shouted, coming at Saitama, covered in beautiful streaks of yellow, orange fire.
Saitama acted accordingly, quickly leaping a far distance away from where Metal Bat would impact the ground. What happened soon after was a huge plume of smoke and dirt filling the sky, surrounding the nearby field with thick haze of debris. The shockwave of Metal Bat's impact was huge, shaking the ground for miles. Once the dust settled, Metal Bat found himself in a crater, about 5 meters deep, scratching his head in confusion with his bat, wondering if he nailed Saitama's head so hard he buried him.
"Oi, don't tell me I crushed ya dat hard, did I?" Metal Bat said, as he kept scratching his head, being answered immediately with a Saitama coming head first towards him. Saitama managed to guide Metal Bat out of the crater he made, but still pressed him on for an attack.
"Consecutive 2-Handed Normal Punches." Saitama called out sternly, his arms flailing at blistering speeds in front of him, focused to put Metal Bat down.
"Oi, Chrome Dome, don't startle me like!" Metal Bat said flustered, quickly blocking most of Saitama's punches with his bat, his bat a reddish blur against Saitama's fists. A couple punches managed to hit Metal Bat at his sides, making him wince slightly in pain. Although a little surprised by Saitama sudden barrage of punches, Metal bat was determined not to get overwhelmed by them.
"Tsch, Dis guy's kinda strong, why da hell does he hit so hard…" Metal Bat said to himself, feeling the force of Saitama's punches through his bat. If it weren't for Saitama's earlier comment about his hair, Metal Bat would've given him props to his strength, but now he was hell bent on knocking this walking cue ball to the ground.
"If it's a slug-fest ya want, den don't get mad when I give ya one!" Metal Bat yelled out, tensing his arms as did so.
"Blazin' Spirit: Savage Tornado!" Metal Bat called out loudly, spinning wildly with his bat sticking out in front of him, matching up with every punch Saitama threw at him. Metal Bat didn't let up his attack, and spun faster to compensate with Saitama's ridiculous speed, making his tornado take up a bright, bluish hue.
Saitama, although surprised, kept up with attack, going as far as increasing his punch rate as he did so. Metal Bat did the same, spinning even faster to compensate further, making Saitama do internal fist bumps as the attack went on. Metal Bat and Saitama kept up with the exchanging of blows, the sound of clanging metal, and dull thuds filled the air, as minutes passed of raw, unyielding, power was displayed.
The audience was stunned to see such a spectacle, trying to figure out how in the world the Caped Baldy was keeping up with an S-Class hero, let alone with a hero like Metal Bat. To throw a blur of punches, and to catch Metal Bat off guard was an achievement in it of itself. By now, many of the people were starting to switch over towards the Caped Baldy's sides, ready to cheer him on, and to see what else he could do.
Metal Bat, heavily pissed off, finally had enough of the exchange of blows, jumping out of Saitama's reach, and landed a few feet away from him, taking up a rugged batter's stance. Saitama at the same time jumped forward to catch up with Metal Bat, ready for anything Metal Bat was willing to throw at him.
"God damn it, Chrome Dome, would ya stop it with da tricks, and fight me like a man already?!" Metal Bat said in frustration, his bat now glowing a faint orange, catching Saitama's attention.
"Blazin' Spirit: Grand Slam!" Metal Bat shouted confidently, his bat now shining a very bright orange from his fighting spirit.
Metal Bat's muscles flexed intensely for this moment, and with a loud yell, swung his bat at Saitama's chest, putting forth a massive amount of explosive force with the swing. The ground beneath Metal Bat cracked heavily, as he kept up with his swing, making sure Saitama was going to get the brunt of the attack. Plumes of fire and steam spewed out from the point of contact, as the bat collided into Saitama. The whole scene made it look like the Caped Baldy was getting engulfed by a giant explosion. The audience answered back with a collective gasp, watching the Caped Baldy get covered in smoke, and spiritual fire.
Saitama quickly brought both of his arms up in a block during the build up of Metal Bat's swing, his bat hitting his forearms with massive force. Soon after, Saitama found himself on fire, feeling the sheer intensity that Metal Bat's fighting spirit gave off. The two of them stood there, one striking, fighting with fire burning within them, the other blocking, literally on fire. The audience was at the edge of their seats, most of them biting on their knuckles vigorously, watching the two heroes fight with such spirit.
Metal Bat then yelled again, flexing his muscles even harder, adding more of his body weight to the attack. This in turn shifted the balance of power, making Saitama lift off from the ground. Metal Bat added even more of his body weight to shift the power, his upper body looking like he was trying to push Saitama with his bat. This then launched Saitam into the air at rapid speeds, while on fire no less. The audience cheered hysterically from the display of power Metal Bat was giving, while silently praying for the Caped Baldy's safety.
Saitama smiled to himself as he was launched into the sky, his forearms giving off trails of steam as he sailed through the air, his body set ablaze as well. Metal Bat, gently resting his bat on his shoulder, put a hand to his forehead, making a gesture that resembled a batter than just scored a homerun.
"Haha, dare he goes!" Metal Bat said with a wide smile, watching Saitama get smaller and smaller, until he was no longer visible.
"Yup, dat one's outta da park..." Metal Bat said again to himself, smiling even wider now that he had beaten the guy that had beaten him, that guy being Garou.
"Still, dat guy was packin' some power, it almost feels too easy… I wonder if he's got anymore UMPH in'em…" Metal Bat said to himself, stretching out his shoulders from that big attack, impressed that Caped Baldy he made him do such a move in the first place.
As if Metal Bat answered his own question again, he soon heard, and felt a loud boom coming from the far distance, only to then see nothing but a red darkness a few seconds later, as he felt a huge punch come straight at his face.
During the time Saitama was sailing through the air, he thought to himself rather peacefully while on fire. He traveled a good distance away from Metal Bat, as he was now nearing one of the energy pylons that protected the audience. His thoughts drifted to the match and how it was going so far, and how good it felt feeling a tiny bit of pain go through him. Getting blown back by such an attack was reminiscent of the time where that weird alien knee kicked him straight to the moon.
"It was Boros, right? Yeah, that guy was kinda strong too…" Saitama said to himself, chuckling gently as he remembered that time.
Whistling quietly, and with a small smile, Saitama came out of his thinking, and kicked his legs up, stopping him immediately from his time in the air. With another deep breath, Saitama dove straight to the ground, extinguishing the fire that covered him, and landing rather roughly, his feet creating a large crater as he landed.
"Hmph, not bad at all, Metal Bat… Hell, that was kinda good actually." Saitama said to himself, still smiling as he did so. Sinking down into a squat, Saitama took a huge bound towards Metal Bat a moment later, making the crater he made prior grow massive in size. The force of his take off created a sonic boom, making everyone in the audience feel as if a massive gust of wind was directly aimed at them, even though they were miles away from the fight itself.
"Maybe it's time for me to go a little harder…" Saitama said, his smile growing even bigger now. His fist clenched even harder, as he was now ready get the most of what Metal Bat had to offer.
"Series Selection: [BOXING] Series!" Saitama said sternly, his eyes now reflecting a dimly lit primal fire.
"Normal Counter Cross!" Saitama spoke loudly, with hints of genuine excitement in his voice.
Saitama smiled eagerly as he sailed through air, closing in on Metal Bat's face in just a few seconds, regardless of the distance that was between them prior. Cocking his arm back, Saitama then threw a very destructive punch forward a moment later. Saitama's right fist connected beautifully into Metal Bat's face, an amazingly clean hit that was sure to leave terrible damage. Enormously huge gusts of wind erupted from the back of Metal Bat's head, his hair and body shaking violently throughout the attack. Metal Bat was in shock, as he felt the force of Saitama's punch going straight through him. But even so, Metal Bat was smiling internally, now knowing that the walking cue ball in front of him wasn't a fluke after all.
In the audience point of view, it was if Metal Bat's body was getting maimed by a large tornado, his body getting blown back and forth by the Caped Baldy's punch alone. Everyone that was watching the fight, cheered without end, seeing that the Caped Baldy had thrown a huge counterattack back at Metal Bat. Many of the kids that were watching were also blown back by the Caped Baldy's attack, trying desperately to recreate the punch that he had just thrown out.
Saitama wasn't done, as he carried Metal Bat on his fist, launching him into the air. Saitama smiled as he finished his follow through, watching Metal Bat's body soar across the sky. That punch was big one, blowing up large clouds of dust and debris everywhere. Metal Bat was now the one sailing through the air, smiling as his face and body were aching from the pain. The force alone from Saitama's punch was felt by everyone in the audience, Both adults and children getting restless as the match went on.
Like Saitama, Metal Bat found himself flying through the sky for a short time now, his body and face covered in pain, his hand barely holding on to his bat. Metal Bat took this time to recollect his thoughts on the match, trying to figure out how that walking cue ball was so damn strong. Metal Bat was also trying to pinpoint where the walking cue ball might have a weakness in, but it proved useless, considering they've only been fighting for a good 20 minutes.
"Sure, he throws mean right hook, but everyone's gotta have a weakness, right?" Metal Bat reasoned to himself, still trying to figure how to bury the walking cue ball for good.
"God damn it, just start fightin' like dat at start next time, cue ball… *(Sigh) Looks like I gotta step up tah da plate too, huh?" Metal Bat said to himself, rubbing his face slowly, feeling pain in his neck and cheek. That punch was good one, a punch that a real man throws.
"Heh, fine by me then, I got a hell of a lot stronger since dat other guy beat me anyway…" Metal Bat said to himself confidently, making a smile of his own.
With his train of thought now cleared, Metal Bat soon aimed himself towards the ground, landing rather roughly. The ground cracked violently, but Metal Bat stood up, looking rather fiercely, his hair still holding its shape, even through all of the abuse it took. Metal Bat then gauged the distance it was from him and Saitama, making him sigh in relief as he did so. Although pissed, Metal Bat then holstered his bat on the side of his pants, and took in a deep breath. He hunched his whole body over the ground next, taking up a runner's stance. With one more deep breath, Metal Bat looked over towards Saitama's direction, and focused on the next attack he was about to do.
"Get ready for dis one, cue ball…" Metal Bat said to himself quietly, and soon took off into a sprint at Saitama.
After a couple of seconds passed, Metal Bat soon found himself close on Saitama's position. As Metal Bat got even closer, he unholstered his bat from his side, and struck the ground in front of him with a powerful downwards swing, his bat acting as a pole vault, launching him very high into the air. With a full blown smirk now on his face, Metal Bat found himself getting even more pumped for this attack, glowing a fiery red. Soon after, Metal Bat was on fire again, bright red streaks covering his body this time.
"Blazin' Spirit: Homing Run Bash!" Metal Bat yelled excitedly, now blitzing towards Saitama, his body covered in red fire, already in a striking stance.
Saitama answered by leaping away from Metal Bat's crash zone, only to discover that Metal Bat was following his every movement, while still flying in the air. Saitama kept leaping to different areas, only to see Metal Bat fly closer and closer to his location. Like a homing missile, Metal Bat would instinctively change direction to adjust for Saitama's new position. Saitama knew that Metal Bat was zoning in on him, and that nothing was going to change his course. With a nod to himself, Saitama looked up towards Metal Bat, and gave him an acknowledging look.
"Alright, fine! Bring it, Metal Bat!" Saitama shouted at Metal Bat, getting deeper in the mood of fighting. If anyone could see Metal Bat at this moment, they would see him smiling a real smile, one only reserved for those he truly cares for, or those he respects. Saitama managed to gain his respect in just a short time, and Metal Bat wouldn't put that respect to waste.
"Now dat's more like it, cue ball! Took ya long enough tah fight like a man!" Metal Bat shouted back, his heart pumping faster now, as he was closing in on Saitama. Metal Bat's fighting spirit had reached a new level, making the fire that surround him grow even hotter. And just like that, Metal Bat crashed onto Saitama, the two of them caught in a fiery explosion.
The moment Metal Bat was in striking range, he swung downwards, hard. The swing itself was strong enough to tear off large buildings from their foundations, but when he hit Saitama, he caught a glimpse of his bat colliding with his fist, and Saitama's face smirking. What came next was an explosion, one full of pure, red fire, that consumed both Metal Bat, and Saitama completely. The entire audience gasped at the same time, watching as both heroes disappeared in a veil of fire. Minutes passed as the fire died down, and what came out of it shocked the audience.
Metal Bat stood there, his shirt scorched off, and his pants singed at every corner. His bat was blackened from the impact site from Saitama's fist, yet his hair still held its shape. With another big smile, Metal Bat looked over towards where Saitama stood, his hand tightening on his bat. Saitama came out of the explosion with a burnt off cape, and a smoking hero suit. His right glove was torn on his fist, and his hair was gone from the blast...
"Oh yeah, I'm bald. I don't have any hair to burn, hehe." Saitama said aloud, a stupid smile on his face, rubbing the top his head. Metal Bat laughed a genuine laugh, wondering how someone could forget they were bald.
"Breaks' over, cue ball. You ready for round 2?" Metal Bat said eagerly, already rushing in towards Saitama.
"Yup." Saitama easily said back, racing over towards Metal Batas well. The moment the two of them meet together, a blur of punches and swings were thrown. Like watching two silverback gorillas fight, Saitama and Metal Bat went at it hard, and no one in the Arena could stop them anymore.
Metal Bat swung hard and fast, managing to nail Saitama a few times at his sides. Saitama didn't react to the swings however, and answered back with a couple of close range punches to Metal Bat's chest. Metal Bat was able to dodge most of the punches, but a few managed to land on him, causing him to wince in pain. Close quarters combat was the fight now, as Metal Bat kept throwing swing after swing against Saitama. The same could be said with Saitama, him throwing punch after punch. This powerful exchange of power moves lasted until Metal Bat leapt out of the fray again, and took another stance. Saitama stood still, ready to take on Metal Bat's attack again.
The audience above were enthralled by the match before them. To see Caped Baldy fight on equal terms with a monster of hero, made most of them consider if the Caped Baldy was only A-Class. Even the kids were starting to say that the Caped Baldy was too cool to be in the same group like the tanktop brothers. Everyone's perception in the audience soon started to change about Caped Baldy, and were determined to make sure Caped Baldy would get the some sort of recognition. But that would have to wait, as Metal Bat shouted loudly in the air at Saitama, his voice not faltering in the slightest.
"Ya fight good, cue ball, Like a man should! But ya gotta remember here, I'm a man too! I ain't done swingin' yet!" Metal Bat said excitedly, his hands tensing up on his bat. At that instant, Metal Bat rushed Saitama, appearing right in front him.
"Blazin' Spirit: Convergence Bash!" Metal Bat yelled passionately, unleashing a torrent of high speeds bashes at Saitama. Saitama stood there, unflinching, as he took Metal Bat's attack head on.
The audience was amazed, watching Metal Bat bash the hell out of Caped Baldy. It was like watching an entire team of batters hitting a single target. Most of the audience members were hoping the Caped Baldy was going to live through this match, and some, deep down, knew that he was going to.
Towards the end of his attack, Metal Bat swung hard against Saitama left side, launching him straight up into the air. Saitama flew upwards at high speeds, staying up in the sky for a few seconds. During the time Saitama was up in the air, Metal Bat spun his bat in his right hand at nearly impossible speeds, taking on the appearance of miniature helicopter blade taking flight. Saitama soon fell afterward, coming straight down on Metal Bat, his hand still spinning his bat.
"Ya better not die after dis one, cue ball!" Metal Bat called up at Saitama, who was now a few feet away from him. With a massive roar, Metal Bat brought both hands together, and swung hard to left.
"Blazin' Spirit: Slugger's Salute!" Metal Bat roared, his bat coming in contact with Saitama's head just as he came falling down. Bolts of black lightning could be seen where Metal Bat struck Saitama, Metal Bat's bat glowing dark red.
The momentum from Metal Bat's bat then launched Saitama to the left of the Arena at lightning speeds, a trail of dust following him. Saitama then crashed into the ground a moment later, his body craving a straight line as he kept speeding off in the distance. Metal Bat in this time took a knee, gasping for breath. During the course of the whole match, Metal Bat had sustained significant damage everywhere on his body. Heavy bruises lit up the entirety of Metal Bat's body, burn marks were also prevalent, and deep cuts peppered his face, and chest as well. Even his pompadour was starting to lose its shape from the fight, which no one has even come close to doing. Metal Bat would admit that Saitama had managed to push him to his limits, even making him do his signature combo when dealing with real threats. Not even Garou had pushed him this far, considering he had actually got beaten by him once. So yeah, Saitama was a real man, alright.
Metal Bat kept gasping for air, his legs feeling wobbly, and his vision getting blurry. Yet, something about Saitama said to Metal Bat that this fight wasn't over. Sure enough, what came a second later was a Saitama, leaping across from the Arena, his serious face now more prominent.
Saitama was feeling pumped when he got hit by that combo move from Metal Bat. He felt giddy, since he actually felt a small bit of pain. He was blown back hard with that massive swing, and from it, Saitama felt a ray of excitement form in the pit of his stomach. He knew now that Metal Bat was indeed strong, and that he had to answer him accordingly. So during the time he fly, he prepared himself for another attack, ready to put Metal Bat down for good. Saitama then stopped himself from moving across the ground, and stood up from it, taking a look at how far Metal Bat had blasted him away.
Saitama whistled to himself, seeing how Metal Bat had thrown him quite a bit of distance away. So with a deep breath, Saitama made a massive bound towards Metal Bat's direction, ready to fight on his terms. Once Saitama managed to reach Metal Bat, who was still gasping for air, he made sure to answer him directly.
"Are you done, with this?" Saitama asked in his serious voice, the side of his head giving off a light trail of smoke. Metal Bat's core lit up with fighting spirit, wanting to rise up to Saitama's challenge.
"Hell no. We're gonna do dis to the end, cue ball!" Metal Bat said proudly, slamming his bat into his head, rallying up more fighting spirit from within.
"Then breaks' over, hair gel! Let's go for round 3!" Saitama said with a large grin, his serious face never leaving.
"Who said anythin' about a break, cue ball!" Metal Bat said with convection, charing at Saitama, his bat raised above his head. Saitama said nothing in response, already in a stance that showed he was about to attack.
"Series Selection: [BOXING] Series!" Saitama said with his serious face, his fists already clenched. The moment Metal Bat came into striking range, Saitama let him have it.
"Normal 1-2-3 Jab Alterations!" Saitama yelled, his fists connecting with Metal Bat. Metal Bat could do nothing, as he felt his consciousness drift here and there from Saitama's attack.
Saitama's attack consisted of two lightning fast jabs with his left fist to the chest, followed by a devastating right punch to the head. Weary is the person that finds itself in this combo, for Saitama would repeat this attack over and over. He continued with this pattern of attack dozens of times over on Metal Bat, splashes of blood staining both his suit, and Metal Bat's bat. After what seemed like an eternity, Saitama stopped his assault with a powerful right punch, sending Metal Bat flying straight ahead. He landed on the ground shortly after, and then quickly stood up, his hair still not giving out its shape. Saitama in turn, then prepped up for another attack.
"Shit cue ball, ya really get the job done, huh?" Metal Bat said with a bloody smile, one of his eyes streaming a small flow of blood throughout his face.
Metal Bat was bleeding heavily from his right eye, his vision now red with blood. His left eye was starting to swell up, but not too badly yet. Both of his arms felt like sandbags, and to even stand up after all the abuse was making his legs creak with pain. To lift his bat up was pain in the ass, and his hair was now starting run out of gel, reverting back to Metal Bat's old hairstyle. Even with his entire body hurting like hell, Metal Bat readied himself. With a loud grunt, he carried his bat, and smashed his face in again, opening up his left eye towards Saitama, a fire raging within him. He wasn't going down with a fight, and with hell as his witness, he was going to make sure to put the cue ball down. With newfound strength surging within him, Metal Bat immediately rushed after Saitama, his bat ready for a sidewards swing.
"I ain't seein' the dirt yet, cue ball! Fight me!" Metal Bat screamed out, his hair wildly dancing in the wind as he charged Saitama.
"Blazin' Spirit: Burnin' Bash!" Metal Bat yelled out, swinging his bat in a sidewards way, a huge wave of fire erupting from his bat. Saitama easily dodged the slow moving wave of fire, and appeared next to Metal Bat.
"Series Selection: [BOXING] Series!" Saitama yelled, his eyes giving off an intense fire of their own. Metal Bat caught Saitama's eyes, and smiled. He then brought his bat upwards to a blocking stance, bracing himself for the worst.
"Normal Haymaker's Combination!" Saitama yelled out, unleashing a devastating attack against Metal Bat, who appeared far into the air a moment later.
Saitama's attack was a quick succession of jabs to the stomach, causing Metal Bat to hunch over, lowering his guard. Once Metal Bat was no longer guarding, Saitama threw an offensively strong haymaker with his right fist to his chin, catapulting Metal Bat into the air. Metal Bat had no idea what happened, except now he was in the air, with his gut on fire, and his head spinning in all directions. Saitama wasn't finished, as he got into another fighting stance, waiting for Metal Bat to fall back down.
"Series Selection: [BOXING] Series!" Saitama shouted out again, watching closely as Metal Bat fell from the sky.
"Normal Power Hook!" Saitama yelled out, his eyes now white with primal fire. Once Metal Bat was in punching distance, Saitama unhinged his right arm, throwing a very destructive punch right in the middle of Metal Bat's head. Like a dart hitting a bulls eye, Saitama's punch landed squarely on Metal Bat's face. Massive arks of black lightning shot up from where Saitama punched Metal Bat, signifying how strong Saitama's punch was.
The audience gasped, watching as Caped Baldy delivered an amazing combo move on Metal Bat. The sheer power demonstrated by Caped Baldy was jaw dropping, seeing as how Metal Bat was getting beaten badly. What also surprised the audience was that Caped Baldy had an unbelievable amount of durability, taking Metal Bat's hits like sponge, never flinching when getting in the first place. All the kids in the audience now wanted to be as tough as Caped Baldy, trying to copy the way his face looked whenever he got serious.
In the aftermath of the attack, Metal Bat was launched a few feet away, his body lying limp once he landed on the grassy ground. Minutes passed, before Metal Bat got up again, this time, using his bat to prop himself up. Saitama stood there, unmoving, yet heavily impressed that Metal Bat still had it in him to keep fighting. This fight had solidified Saitama's respect for Metal Bat, and vice versa. Metal Bat took a minute, before standing on his feet, his arms trembling as he rose his bat to his face. With a weak tap to his forehead, Metal Bat found himself falling to the ground, his consciousness finally fading from him…
"HEY! WHAT DA HELL ARE YA DOIN'?! WE GOT A FIGHT TO SETTLE! GET UP!" Metal Bat's consciousness screamed to himself, not ready to lose to Saitama by fainting. His body didn't respond the first time, but after several attempts, he was able to move his arms.
Metal Bat's eyes opened up, catching himself from passing out. Once he steadied himself from unconsciousness, Metal Bat then looked over to the distance, watching as Saitama stood there, unmoving. His eyes were colored a blank white, but held strong fire of their own. Metal Bat found himself smirking again, feeling like this might be the last attack he's got in him. Minutes passed between the both of them, no words were exchanged, for there were no words to say. It was up until Metal Bat finally broke the silence.
"What's yer name, cue ball…" Metal Bat asked bluntly, his face badly bleeding.
"It's Saitama. What about yours?" Saitama said, even though he told Metal Bat his name already. It was out of respect for him, that Saitama did so, his eyes never closing.
"Heh, it's Bad." Metal Bat said with a smile. Only a handful of people have ever known his real name, for knowing his name, means immense respect. So for Saitama to earn his name, means Metal Bat considered him as an equal, as far as men goes.
"You ready for the last one, Bad?" Saitama said with convection, looking at Bad with a honest smile.
"I should be da one askin' you dat, jackass." Bad said with an honest smile as well, both heroes respecting each other like older brothers.
"Alright, let's get to it then. Breaks' over, you know?" Saitama said, laughing at Bad's reaction.
"Hmph, don't tink you have won yet, Saitama." Bad said with a grunt, going into a deep squat, and breathed soundly.
"For ya personally, I'mma make dis one special. Get ready for it." Bad said with a smile, standing up and bashing the ground with huge explosive force. Bad was sent soaring into the air, and kept flying for what seemed like mintutes. His body was aching from all the pain that's been given to him, yet, he had never felt any better than he has now. To partake in a real man's fight in such a long time, made Bad smile genuinely for the first time in ages.
Once Bad reached the outreaches of the sky, he then plummeted back down, reaching terminal velocity quickly. Raising his bat over his head, Bad was about to bring his strongest move to date. Not even Dragon-Class threats would be able to stand up to this, and Bad was going to use against the man below, ready to face him head on. Bad's bat also gave off an aura that increased its size, making the bat look hundreds of times bigger. Soon after, Bad caught Saitama in sight, and shouted proudly as he neared him.
"I am da one with power to protect dose dat don't have power at all! Let my bat bring peace to da world! Limit Break; Final Move: Infinite Resolve: Strike of An Underdog!" Bad yelled out with all of his fighting spirit, his bat and himself glowing a brilliant golden fire. The sky itself was pierced by an endless sea of golden rays.
Saitama watched as the sky lit up like the gates of heaven themselves were opening, yet he stood there undaunted, ready to answer Bad with a move of his own.
"For someone to have taken me so seriously, I will honor that act between us! Show me what your resolve can do! Series Selection: [Serious] Series!" Saitama called out, seeing Metal Bat getting closer and closer towards him. Golden fire bathed the clouds, as Metal Bat was now a few seconds away from impact with Saitama.
"Serious Punch!" Saitama proclaimed, his right fist blasting upwards, directly colliding with Bad's bat. For just a brief moment, everything went dark. Bad's golden fire was snuffed out, and all was eerily quiet. But just as the moment came, it left, as it was now replaced with massive explosion of golden fire, and a enormous pillar of light erupting from the ground, going straight up into the sky.
The pillar of light easily went into space, acting like a lighthouse amongst space's dark expanse. All the while, the golden explosion of fire was safely contained by the energy pylons that lined the Arena walls. Everyone in the Arena was stunned, not able to piece together on what just happened. Metal Bat had just performed a powerful limit breaker, yet Caped Baldy was able to reflect it back with a move of his own. Everyone in the audience was worried, seeing as the golden explosion of fire was still present, covering the entire Arena field. Entire minutes of nothing but golden light passed, before it started to dissipate. What emerged from it was shocking to everyone.
A crater 20 meters wide spanned from the point of contact between Metal Bat and Caped Baldy, stretching out far and wide. The whole Arena field was covered in small pockets of golden fire. At the center of the crater, we could see Metal Bat with his hair undone, and the top portion of his bat blown away from existence. Metal Bat was seen standing up with his arms folded, and his bat to the side, broken. His hair was long when not in a pompadour fashion, and his face was shrouded in darkness. Yet, despite Metal Bat standing, he was utterly unconscious, refusing to fall in a man's battle, preferring to lose consciousness standing up, to respect the other man that he had fought with.
Caped Baldy could be seen a couple of feet away, his costume completely burnt off. He stood in the Arena field naked, and once the dust settled for him, he looked out onto the crowd.
"Oh, um… Hope you enjoyed the fight." Saitama said awkwardly, his dopey face now present. He had the right mind to put a hand behind his head as he stood there naked.
The crowd erupted into a massive cheer, seeing as the Caped Baldy had beaten an S-Class hero, Metal Bat no less! Endless amounts of cheers came for the Caped Baldy, as he had done the impossible, making a few adults and kids weep when they realized that he had lived. Even when Caped Baldy was naked, the crowds cheered for him, too happy to care about the fact that he was nude on nationwide television. Saitama had the decency to have a small blush, and covered his privates in a humble way, garnering even more applause.
In the Patio Space…
Saitama's group watched in pure awe as to what they have witnessed. To even see Saitama go as serious as he did here, made most of the heroes feel bad about themselves. Though, all of them knew, Saitama didn't go serious at all. All of the S-Class heroes viewing the match all decided at that moment, that they were going to train hard for Saitama, so that he doesn't have to worry about them at all.
"Sensei was so cool in this match… I promise that I'll get even stronger for you!" Genos said to himself, inspired to train even harder for Saitama.
"To think that Saitama-bro was this strong… What did he say again? Make being the strongest hero a reality, huh?" King thought himself, feeling a rush on confidence well within him.
"To think you would get this old man to train harder, Saitama. Hmph, I'll be sure to live up to your standards, I can promise you that!" Bang mused to himself, feeling like he been taught a lesson in all of this.
"B-Baldy was really strong here… And I bet he wasn't even going all out… Grr, making girl work harder for you isn't a nice thing to do, stupid baldy." Tatsumaki thought to herself, a small blush on her face. Her blush grew even darker, as she was looking hard at Saitama's naked body.
"A-Amazing… To think that Saitama was this strong… How in this world did the Hero Organization think of him as an A-Class hero at all?! Looks like I need to step up my game as well." Shoten said to himself with a big smile, his lollipop sticking out of his mouth. The data he had recorded was lengthy, but superb. Shoten knew that his new line of robots were going to exponentially stronger then the last batch, and he had to thank Saitama for it.
At that moment, all the S-Class heroes looked at each, and nodded in unison. With an unspoken promise amongst all of them, they all vowed to get stronger for Saitama's sake, to ensure that he doesn't have to worry about anything, anymore. It was also at this moment where Saitama let a sneeze, wondering why he felt the urge to do so.
Sup, Chicken here, and I'm sorry it took a minute to get out this chapter. Thing was, DIO was being a dick, halting my progress by a day. But, here is the chapter nonetheless. Hope it satisfied you guys, but you haven't seen anything yet. I got a shit more to do, and I gotta do it soon. Again, I hope my story is keeping you guys entertained, and that I appreciate that you're all still reading. This is Chicken. and thank you! So, I guess I'll see y'all in the next one!