Fight! Fight! Fight! Chapter 4, a Worm + One Punch Man/ワンパンマン Crossover fanfic

Chapter Four

I scratched my head, glancing between the two different shampoo bottles. They were both the same. Same description, same cost, even the same color. But, they were from different brands, so I was left confused on what was the better choice.

Ordinarily, I would've pulled out my phone and looked up some reviews. I couldn't do that for obvious reasons.

If only the Internet was more easily accessible. You never know what you're missing out on until it's gone.

Pondering on the thought, I was reminded of my last attempt to gather knowledge from the Internet. It was a couple days ago at the library. I went in with the intention of looking up both the local and global cape scene to compare and contrast it to my meta knowledge.

About two hours later, I was kicked out because the library was closing up. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to learn much. But I did learn that Club Penguin existed on Earth Bet. Two hours well spent if you asked me.

Breaking away from my reminiscence, I returned to picking one of the bottles. Eenie, meenie, miney, mo… how does the rest of it go again?

Giving up on that, I simply reached out for the one closer to me. Right before I could grab it however, another hand brushed against mine.

Startled, I pulled my fingers back in surprise. Glancing to my left, I caught sight of a woman not nearly as surprised as I.

Feeling a little embarrassed, I chuckled, grabbing the other shampoo. "Sorry about that."

The woman, rather than respond, decided to scrutinize me instead. She stared long and hard—making the situation way more uncomfortable than it needed to be.

After far too long, the woman spoke up. "I've seen you somewhere before."

I blinked. "Probably? I am a local after all." Well, as local as I could truly be. I was spending more and more time traveling out of state, what with my housing troubles.

Seeing as she recognized me, I elected to inspect her in turn. The woman was of average height. Maybe a little shorter. Pale blonde hair, grayish blue eyes, and a toned physique hidden by a pressed suit and skirt.

Her appearance didn't ring any bells whatsoever.

The woman must've come to a similar conclusion as she sighed and shook her head. Muttering under her breath, she turned around and placed the shampoo in her cart.

As we began to go our separate ways, a scream was let loose near the front of the store. The following exclamation explained the scream.

"This is a stick-up! Nobody moves and nobody gets hurt!" I could hear the hammer of a gun dramatically being pulled back.

Unperturbed, I started walking over to the commotion. I was suddenly pulled back by a surprising amount of force. The woman from before had my arm in a vice grip and pulled me down to her level. I acquiesced, knowing that she could hurt herself trying to actually force me around.

She spoke in a quiet but harsh whisper. "What are you doing?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"No, not really." I replied with a similarly quiet tone. Her eyes bore into my own, demanding a proper explanation. "There's a sale at the supermarket near the boardwalk. I kind of wasted too much time on the shampoo, but I know that I can make it on time for lunch if I pace myself."

The woman glared at me incredulously. "You do realize that the boardwalk is across the city, yes?"

I wasn't given a chance to answer her question when the armed robber started shouting again. "Hey! You two- in the back! You better not be trying any funny business. Come out here where I can see you."

Letting out a low growl, the woman reluctantly followed the man's orders and slowly walked into the open with myself in tow. When I finally had a good look at the robber, I was very disappointed.

He was in the classic hoodie and ski-mask combo. In his hands was a jet black pistol that looked older than he was. The kid didn't even have proper firearms training, hovering his finger over the trigger like that. I examined the gun closer and was even more disappointed by the kid.

The woman, on the other hand, loosened her grip on me when she too noticed that the safety was still on.

"Now! Let go of your boyfriend and put your hands up! I'll shoot if you do anything."

As soon as the woman let go of my arm, I took a long step forward and snatched the gun out of the kid's hand.

His eyes boggled from behind the ski-mask, darting between his empty hand and myself. Sputtering in disbelief, the boy lunged at the gun.

I didn't move a single inch and watched as he grabbed the gun. A terrified smile etched onto his face as the adrenaline rushed his system. Then, he tugged on the gun, still in my hand.

That smile disappeared as soon as it came. The robber pulled and pushed on the weapon, going as far to use me as leverage.

After about thirty seconds, the kid was left huffing and puffing. He hung his head and rested his palms on his knees like he ran a marathon.

One he caught his breath, the kid slowly glanced back up at me, a new clarity reflecting in his gaze. Then, that clarity was replaced with fear.

He dropped to his knees and bowed with his head pressed against the floor. "I'msorrypleasedon'tkillme!"

Crouching down, I patted the kid's shoulder. "Glad we've come to an understanding. Now, try and spend some time rethinking your choices, alright?"

Standing back up, I turned to the woman who watched the scene with a gaping jaw. As soon as I was facing her, she covered up her disbelief with a cool façade. "So, you're something of a hero, I take it?"

For a moment, I was confused by the sudden question. Taking notice of her serious expression, I responded in a calm voice. "Something like that. Although, today's my off day."

"Seeing as I don't know you, I assume you're not affiliated with any group. If you're going to remember anything from today, it'd better be this. Join a team. Preferably the Protectorate. Last thing this city needs is another dead independent."

Recognizing the concealed concern from the lady, I saw her in a new light. "Thanks. I appreciate the advice. I'd do just that, but last I checked, the Protectorate doesn't accept non-powered individuals."

"Anyways, I think you're more qualified to deal with this than I." I set the gun on the floor and slid it over to the woman. "I've got a deal to catch!"

Not waiting for a reply, I dashed out of the store at breakneck speeds. This made it all the more awkward when I had to walk back into the store to pay for the shampoo.

…

The cashier glanced up from his post. His eyes brightened a fraction at my appearance. "おー、
サイタマ！元気元気?"

"うっす。元気です。" I responded in kind. Clearing my throat, I switched over to English. "How have you been, Yoshitake?"

Yoshitake leaned onto the counter, shrugging his shoulders. "Been alright. Business is as usual. Anyway, let's go! My lunch break starts in five minutes, so I'm basically off the clock."

Nodding, I waited for the cashier to clean up the station. He was a shorter guy, standing at around 5'6" with dark brown hair. Under normal circumstances, I would've just been friendly acquaintances with the grocery worker, but this was a special case.

"So, I should be able to pay my half of the rent by the end of the month, just to let you know." We stepped out of the store and set out for the apartment.

"No need, no need!" The cashier gave me a friendly slap on the back. "I know you're saving up for your own place, so don't worry about the rent."

I frowned, glancing over at the man. "Yeah, but-"

"No buts!" Yoshitake wore a wide grin. "You've been paying me already with excellent American cuisine! I couldn't ask for anything better."

About a week had passed since I moved in with Yohsitake—who generously offered a place to stay when he found me rifling around my old apartment.

Freeloading felt pretty awful, all things considered. I tried to subvert the feelings by contributing to the house. Like cleaning and cooking. As it turned out, Yoshitake was a fan of all things American and thoroughly enjoyed the dishes I knew how to make.

Reaching the apartment, we stepped in and made our way up the stairs. It was a dingy space that had a strange soapy smell to it. The carpets were a little too loose and the wallpaper was peeling. Yoshitake was flipping through his keys when another tenant approached us.

"Oi, new neighbor! Saitama, was it?" A young man in a wrinkled dress shirt waved. "Word on the street is that you're in need of money and your current job doesn't pay well. Do I have an offer for you!"

Peaking at the man from the corner of my eye, I let out a quiet sigh. "I'm not interested in playing enforcer. Doesn't matter who you send—my answer will always be no."

"Come on man… Don't be like that. These streets are dangerous and people like us gotta stick together. Ain't that right Yoshitake?" He gave the cashier a pointed look.

Yoshitake perked at his name, only to distractedly reply, "Huh? Yeah, sure. Whatever." My roommate was still having trouble finding the right key, flipping through several that looked almost identical.

The man's lips tightened a fraction. He motioned with his hands in a practiced car salesman sort of fashion. "He gets me, so why don't you just consider? This city isn't going to fix itself and we need a lot of hands to do it."

It was then that I considered his words. Not his offer, but the reasoning behind it. 'Fixing the city'. Brockton Bay was still fairly crime riddled and one man wasn't enough to make a difference. And sure, being a part of something larger for the sake of the people would be great. However…

"No means no. I'm not interested in joining your gang." With a disinterested glance, I turned back to Yoshitake to point out that he had the wrong set of keys out.

A hand gripped my collar and tugged at my tracksuit. The gang member's face was a shade redder than before and his brows creased.

"Listen here, we're not a gang! Sure, we have a tacky name, but what was that American saying? 'Don't judge a book by its cover'? Take a hint and realize the world is a lot bigger than your misconstrued views." Letting go of my jacket, the man huffed and stomped away.

"Dude, you okay?" Donning a concerned countenance, Yoshitake set the keys aside.

"Oh, I'm fine. Let's head in and eat already." Pulling out my pair of keys, I opened the door with ease.

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Topic: Cheap Apartment Hunting
In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay
HeroforFun86 (Original Poster)
Posted On Feb 28th:
Hey, not sure if this is the right place to post this, but does anyone know of any cheap apartments to rent? My place burnt down recently, so I've been bunking at a friends place. But it's kind of cramped and the neighbors are irritating.

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